Who Needs Friends When Dolls do Nicely

by Buevec

Summary:

Midoriya Izuku was always fascinated by dolls and puppet since he was born. An unusual affinity. He wasn't sure why until his quirk came in and all of the sudden it made sense. Unfortunately his quirk was good, very good and Inko wasn't about to let her son get taken away by her more and more abusive husband, even if it killed her.

And it did, but Izuku escaped and was now all alone in the world with nothing but the power to never leave his hiding spot. Getting more and more isolated and he shuts the world off from him besides the thin window provided by his puppets. Fortunately, there's a whole family who wants to take him in, now if only they could find the actual Izuku.

Quirk: Puppeteer
Description: Allows the user to inject their own spinal fluid into an inanimate object, allowing them to be controlled like a puppet. Duration of control is proportional to the amount of fluid inside them.

Notes:

Hey! This is my first fan fiction ever so please don't get mad if my writing is poor. I've had this idea on my mind for a while and wanted to share it mostly because I like writing and wanted to share it with all of you wonderful people.

Chapter 1: Puppets on an Open Fire

Ever since he could remember, dolls were something Izuku was fascinated by. He could never explain it, at least for the first five years of his life and no one else could until then. The way they reflected life as closely as possible, some in their appearance, some in their movements but what the child then loved most about them was how, at certain angles, you could almost tell they were alive.

 

Of course they never are. Just wood and plastic shells and even then there was nothing to fill them at least until he got his quirk.

 

Before then however, Izuku always wanted them and despite how weird she thought it was, Inko would give him what he wanted. After all it was harmless wasn’t it? At least it should be harmless but ask Izuku’s father, Hisashi, and you’d get a different answer.

 

He hated the dolls. Maybe it was because it was considered ‘girly’ or maybe it’s because he thought it made the boy ‘soft’ but whether it was or not didn’t excuse how violent he’d get when he’d find Izuku with one. 

 

It wasn’t as if Izuku was having tea parties or anything like that (though even then that shouldn’t be a problem) he just enjoyed how he could shape them, mould them almost especially the more free jointed ones to look and pose like his favourite heroes.

 

Endeavour, Ectoplasm, Gang Orca, All Might. Any time one of those heroes made the news, especially All Might, he would pose his dolls like them, move like them as if he was fighting the same villains from their perspective. It was what every kid did and yes there were action figures but they never gave the fluidity of movement like a puppet or doll did. When he made them act like heroes, he wanted it to be exact and when they couldn’t it was like he was restrained.

 

He enjoys watching heroes fight on his computer and making the puppets twist and turn just like them was something he loved, especially when he can mimic their fighting styles and moves perfectly.

 

This of course made Hisashi more annoyed. While he would bash tables and shout he’d never hit. Maybe it was because he didn’t have the courage to hit his own child though in hindsight, it was likely because of the fear of any bruises Izuku got being used against him. There were times he came close though. A harsh grasp on his arm, dragging him out of his room down to Inko where the two would shout at each other for what felt like forever, the two parents practically pulling their child apart to get them out of the other's hands.

 

Izuku hated shouting. He hated arguing. He learned to just be quiet when Hisashi was around and that was often. He didn’t want to say or do anything that might get his dolls taken away again or push the man to finally hit him so he learned to just hide it. But it wasn’t just him he hid his favourite thing from.

 

Kacchan always made fun of him for liking dolls for the same reason Hisashi hated it. It was annoying; The jeering, the insults and especially when his precious friends get taken from him. He’d give them back but it wasn’t out of kindness more due to Aunt Misuki forcing him to give them back.

 

Even then it seemed that the only person in Izuku’s small world that didn’t shout at him, hurt him or insult him for his interest was his mother.

 

Inko hadn’t originally planned to love Izuku as much as she did, though she would never admit that. When she married Hisashi she knew who he was; the leader of an organised crime group called the Dragon’s Roar. She knew how ruthless the man she fell in love with could be and when she became betrothed to him she knew that whatever child she had would follow in his footsteps. 

 

She knew that whoever she was going to mother into this world would forever be the child of a mafia boss and all the pros and cons with it. She accepted it, she really did until she finally met that child and her whole world came apart.

 

He looked almost nothing like his father besides the freckles and the fluffy hair. It was almost unbelievable if it wasn’t for the DNA test Hisashi insisted. Inko took it for him. She did a lot of questionable things for him and in retrospect that should’ve told her that you can’t have a happy life with a man like that but what can she say? Love can turn people blind especially if you were estranged from a loveless family.

 

When she had Izuku and watched the boy grow up to be so kind, so gentle just like her she knew he couldn’t follow in Hisashi’s footsteps. The thought got worse when she watched what should be the time for a child to be, well, childish, instead be about tiptoeing around the house and never talking when it was anyone other than her, Mitsuki or Masaru. Even around her nephew, Izuku always kept quiet as a mouse.

 

And who could blame him? Hisashi had gotten scarier over the years and it was making her have second thoughts about everything. Except Izuku, never about Izuku. She didn’t even know why he was upset. She knew he had old fashioned values but she thought he’d be able to change for his son. 

 

And even then it wasn’t as if it was only Izuku. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t have another child (even though she would likely get just as attached), so watching this change in Hisashi, the same Hisashi who was so charming and loving when they first met…

 

It all started to come to a head on that day.

 

Izuku was in his room, playing in silence with the newest doll Inko snuck past Hisashi. It was made of plastic and looked like a butler, suit and all. The boy had his computer on, showing him All Might's latest fight where he took down a villain whose quirk made him look like a giant bull.

 

He was pausing the video constantly, reposing the doll to match the hero's movements, frame by frame, when he got frustrated over a particular move that was too blurry to follow along with exactly. 

 

“Is that a Texas Smash or a Nebraska Smash?” the boy whispered to himself. He reposed the doll for both and while they were mostly the same, the angle on the arm was different. 

 

“It doesn’t look like his arm is spinning but then there’s still the wind blast…” he muttered more, getting annoyed when he couldn’t figure out how to have the move mimicked exactly.

 

“If only you could move on your own…”

 

The boy’s fingers clamped down on the arm of the figure once more and continued to pull the limb into the right place, always over or under calculating just how far it was. And just when he got it right…

 

“Izuku!” Hisashi shouted from the stairs as he climbed them. The child snapped out of his state of focus and hurried to hide the doll, straightening it out and running to put it away but he was too slow. Hisashi opened the door and looked in to see Izuku tucking the mini butler behind his dresser, earning the burning ire of his father.

 

“Give that here!” he yelled, storming over and grabbing Izuku’s arm. 

 

He yanked him to the side whilst he grasped for the doll, almost knocking over the dresser as he did. He had the poor doll in his hands, nearly crushing it.

 

Izuku almost crashed onto the floor but was held up only by Hisashi’s painful grip on his forearm. As soon as the man got a look at the doll in his hands, his neck snapped to face his son, his face twisted in anger and frustration.

 

“What did I tell you about playing with these things?!” he pulled on his arm slightly, lifting Izuku up and no doubt leaving bruises that’d have to be hidden later. 

 

Izuku said nothing, just looked down and fought violently the urge to cry out, a burning sensation in the back of his throat where the cry was caught. Hisashi glared down at the child, growing more angry with every second there was no response.

 

He dragged the child out of the room, stumbling but not allowed to stop even when he was bashing against the wooden railing down the stairs. Izuku kept deathly quiet, even through the stinging pain not wanting to upset him even more. Inko was at the foot of the steps and reached for her son to try and pull him away but this time Hisashi has had enough of this back and forth.

 

He punched her with the hand holding the doll, sending her stumbling, catching the wall with her hands to keep herself up. The yelp was even louder than his footsteps as Hisashi kept going until he reached the kitchen. There, still holding Izuku, he took out a hammer from the cabinet they kept their tools and pulled them both to the dinner table.

 

Izuku hated this. He really hated this. He just wanted this to stop. He always hated when Hisashi got angry and now he was twice as scared when he saw mama get hit. He was scared it would happen to him. How badly it would hurt if he used that hammer.

 

At the dinner table Hisashi threw the doll down and forced Izuku to watch as he, with fury and rage in his eyes, winded up to swing down on it.

 

“If I catch you with these things again Izuku, this is what’ll happen to you!” and he swung, hard and fast, causing the boy to squeak and shut his eyes and desperately think about anything but right now.

 

He thought of All Might coming in and saving him and his mother. He thought of him beating Hisashi to a pulp. He thought of how he would do it, what moves he would need to do. Surely he would need to do a hundred Detroit Smashes to stop him.

 

The loud bang of a hammer came down again and again, surely crushing the doll to bits but the boy didn’t want to look because of Hisashi’s threat. He didn’t want to imagine that doll being him or mama. Three bashes in, Hisashi sounded more and more frustrated before a confused sound wormed its way out of his mouth.

 

“What?” he uttered, then a yell as his grasp on Izuku fell. “Ah! Get off me!”

 

Izuku opened his eyes fast. Did All Might really come? He immediately turned to his father who was grasping at his face where the doll was now clinging onto, punching the bridge of his nose over and over again just like how Izuku would imagine All Might would.

 

Hisashi stumbled back, dropping the hammer and grabbing the doll to try and pry it off all the while Izuku watched in awe. After what felt like a minute of struggling the doll was finally off and was thrown to the floor. 

 

The doll stood up, ready to keep fighting as it crouched down just like All Might and leapt up, its light body launching and delivering a perfect miniature Texas Smash to Hisashi’s face, shattering the doll’s arm and sending him stumbling back a couple steps to the floor.

 

The doll landed back on the floor, still in a fighting stance for a moment before collapsing to the ground. Inanimate and missing an arm a clear liquid leaking from its stump.

 

Izuku just stared at the doll, eyes still wide and mouth slightly open. Hisashi scrambled up, bruised nose and hands scraped from crashing on the floor. They both kept their eyes on the doll along with Inko who just now joined them. They were expecting it to come back up and fight more but it just laid there, silent.

 

The moment lasted for a couple seconds before the sounds of crashing was heard as both adults turned to see Izuku collapsing face first into the floor, his world spinning and dizzying, a painfully loud ringing in his ears that ended with him blacking out entirely.

 

- - -

 

Izuku slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital room in the children’s ward. It made him panic for a moment when he couldn’t see anyone until his vision focused and could see Inko draped over his bed, eyes closed and sleeping. He had an IV drip in his arm as well as a monitor with numbers the boy could never guess what for.

 

Despite this though, he felt alright. 

 

Inko stirred awake when Izuku shifted his legs and the mother burst into tears as she wrapped her arounds her son and looked him over to see how he was. All the while apologies spilled from her mouth.

 

“I’m sorry Izuku, I’m sorry baby!” she sobbed, “I’ll make this right. I promise I’ll make this right.”

 

She was crying so much that Izuku cried too. Her face had a bandage where she was punched all because he couldn’t keep quiet about what he wanted. He couldn’t just listen to Hisashi and be obedient even when he really had nothing else he wanted to do besides watching hero fights all day.

 

“I’ll leave him. I promise I’ll leave him and we never have to worry about anything again.” she vowed and he understood.

 

She’s talking about not going back to Hisashi. But will they really be fine if they do this? Izuku’s heard from other kids about something parents do called divorce and it didn’t seem to end well most of the time, at least from what he heard.

 

But she seemed so sure and determined then it had to be a good thing, right? From what he heard, the problem with divorce is watching your parents come apart but Izuku is fine with that as long as he can stay with mama. As long as he’s with her, and not Hisashi, he won’t have to sneak around, behind his back, anymore.

 

“Excuse me? Mrs Midoriya?” 

 

Both Izuku and Inko turned to see a doctor had come into the ward and stepped up to them, closing the curtains to get some privacy in the room. Inko brushed the tears out of her eyes but didn’t leave Izuku’s side, holding his hand tightly but in a good way to the boy.

 

“Doctor Hino, is Izuku alright?” Inko asked urgently.

 

The doctor in question was a tall and spindly woman with red skin that made her look really sunburnt. Her face had a neutral expression, clearly keeping professional so as not to concern or promise anything to them with a smile. 

 

“Yes. For the most part he is fine. He had only experienced quirk exhaustion.” she explained, still keeping the expressionless face she had before.

 

“Exhaustion?” Inko questioned.

 

“Yes. We’ve already informed your husband over the phone but it seems Izuku’s quirk has manifested.” she elaborated.

 

Hisashi had to leave because of some ‘work’ commitments but clearly wanted to stay both for what Inko had also assumed about Izuku’s quirk manifesting but also the fear of the bruises on Izuku’s arm being noticed. Fortunately for him on the latter, it wasn’t.

 

“Izuku’s quirk seems to allow him to control inanimate objects like they’re puppets by injecting them with his spinal fluid through his fingers. We aren’t sure of the limit but one limit we are sure of is the duration is the more fluid inside them, the longer he can control them.” she explained more. 

 

“When he uses his quirk it starts to drain his own spinal fluid, most likely in whatever use it is used for. This would normally be extremely detrimental but it appears that a mutation in Izuku’s spine allows him to regenerate this fluid faster than normal.” 

 

Inko nodded along with the explanation whilst Izuku couldn’t help but be enraptured by it. He has a quirk! And a powerful one, he thinks. After all he hurt Hisashi didn’t he? 

 

Izuku looked down at his hands, they had certainly changed slightly. It was hard to notice at first but there were tiny hairs on the tips of his fingers that seem to be where the fluid gets pumped out. Ideas began to run through him as he thought more about his new quirk but they were put on pause as the doctor revealed more. 

 

The doctor continued to explain his quirk more from what he imagined was from another doctor with a quirk that reads other quirks. Apparently the puppeted object cannot act on its own and needs constant input from the user to work, input that can be done remotely. What that meant though needed to be explored. The more the doctor explained, the more excited Izuku got and the more scared Inko got.

 

Izuku could make his dolls move how he wanted without having to shift them bit by bit. He could just imagine what he wanted and they’d match what he thought. He could clearly make them fight as well and with this he could surely be a hero can’t he? Maybe even one as good as Kacchan.

 

Inko was panicking in her mind. According to the quirk analysis, Izuku’s limit was going to get stronger as he got older, allowing him more and more control. This quirk is powerful. Very powerful. And Hisashi has likely noticed it. A small doll was able to punch a grown man and send him stumbling back, imagine if something human sized did that? Or something even bigger.

 

He wasn’t going to let Izuku go, even if she divorced him. He wasn’t going to let him go and maybe even hurt her to get him. She’s already seen him do that. He could easily make her disappear and take Izuku all for himself. All of her second guesses from before had become assurances that she needed to get them as far away from Hisashi as she could and fast too.

 

As if her greatest fear was realised, the doctor mentioned that Hisashi said he would arrive soon meaning she didn’t have long to come up with a plan. Not only that but Izuku was apparently well enough to be discharged so there was no hiding in the hospital.

 

Once the doctor left, a nurse came in to help them remove the tubing and monitors. Inko then filed out the paperwork to take Izuku out of the hospital and rushed to the nearest hotel she could find to hide in. Once they got a hotel room, Inko left Izuku there whilst she used a payphone to call the police.

 

“Hello, Musutafu Police Department?” the voice on the other end asked.

 

“H-hello? I need to talk to a detective, any one. I need to…” she paused, rethinking whether or not she was really going to risk this. If she were to stay, the one with the biggest risk was Izuku but if she did this, Hisashi was going to want to kill her for going against him. The only way she can avoid that is if…

 

“Need what, ma’am?” the voice on the other end sounded.

 

“Um, yes, sorry. I need my son and I to be protected. I have information on the Dragon’s Roar and we need protection from my husband.” she continued, voice shaky but determined.

 

“Alright ma’am, we’ll redirect you to a detective on that case.” the connection stuttered for a few seconds before a different voice picked it up.

 

- - -

 

Tsukauchi had a pretty good day all things considered. Between having to deal with criminal gangs, villains and general emergencies he was normally swamped with work to the point he was tempted to have an IV drip filled with caffeine in him but right now things were calm.

 

He just wrapped up a case involving a drug bust and was still feeling the high of justice served when he got a call saying that there was someone reaching out to him about the Dragon’s Roar needing witness protection.

 

The Dragon’s Roar was one of the most massive criminal organisations in Tokyo, mostly due to the absurd amount of members and reach the organisation has. Taking them down was like fighting an actual dragon, or maybe more of a hydra given no matter how many operations they shut down, there’s just more and more.

 

They mostly dealt with drugs, both the narcotic kind and Trigger. Their structure was very loose, and communication between the higher ups and the grunts was even looser, making any kind of progress on stopping them difficult. The only unifying factor between them all were the mandatory tattoos of a western dragon all members needed to get to show they are a part of them.

 

Naturally, the Dragon’s Roar case has mostly been one where lucky breaks were needed to get any true progress outside of stomping out their latest expansion. This came mostly in informants or accidents where a higher up just so happened to be present during a bust. But no matter how many dragons they cut down, they’ve found nothing about the real upper crust in their organisation.

 

So naturally he took the call immediately, grabbing a notepad and pen to write down what he got. 

 

“Hello?” he asked on the phone, “My name is Detective Tsukauchi, I was told you had some important information on the Dragon’s Roar?”

 

“Yes.” the voice on the other end said. It was the shaky voice of a woman, who was clearly nervous about talking. “I have crucial information on the Dragon’s Roar but I need help.”

 

“Of course. Are you in any immediate danger?” he questioned, keeping calm so as not to scare the caller.

 

“Yes, my husband, if he finds out I’m doing this…” she paused, “We need to be protected, I can’t say more until we’re safe.”

 

“Okay. Can you at least tell me your name and who you are and who else is with you.” he instructed.

 

“Inko Midoriya, I’m at the Fujikawa Hotel in Musutafu with my son. My husband is going to arrive here any minute.” she explained but not before a moment of contemplation.

 

“Alright, Midoriya, we’ll send someone there now. Are you staying in a room there?”

 

“Yes. Two zero six.” she answered, sure of what he was implying with that question.

 

“Thank you. Please go to your room and stay there until someone reaches you.” he instructed further, hearing Inko's voice get more relaxed but still stressed.

 

“Alright. He’s really dangerous.” she warned before hanging up the payphone.

 

Immediately Tsukauchi checked the time. It was almost ten, meaning that he would be starting work around now. After making sure everything was written down, he grabbed his own phone and called the hero who was likely closest to the hotel right now.

 

“Aizawa.” Tsukauchi called.

 

“The night just started Tsukauchi. What is it?” the bland voice on the other end groaned.

 

“We have someone in need of witness protection, something about the Dragon’s Roar. From what I can tell, it’s urgent.” the detective explained.

 

“Where is it?” Aizawa questioned, much more attentively now that the word ‘urgent’ was mentioned.

 

“Fujikawa Hotel. Room two zero six. I’m heading there myself.” he answered, grabbing his beige coat and fedora and heading out the door.

 

“Do you think this has something to do with someone important in the Dragon’s Roar?” Aizawa guessed.

 

“Yes. From what I can tell, they’re a mother hiding from her husband with her kid. Husband is expected to be dangerous.”

 

Tsukauchi drove in his car, siren’s off, towards the hotel. Despite the lack of ‘emergency’ though, he still drove fast going over the speed limit once or twice. Thankfully it was late so the streets were more empty than usual. 

 

Unfortunately it didn’t matter. Once he arrived, the hotel was engulfed in flames.

 

As soon as the burning hotel came into view, Tsukauchi wasted no time at all calling emergency services. The fire seemed focused on the second floor where Inko and her child should be. Dread filled him as he looked around hoping to see someone with a child amongst the evacuated crowds but there were no children amongst them.

 

“Is anyone here Inko Midoriya?!” he shouted, catching everyone’s attention but no one responded to his question, just making things more tense for the man.

 

The next thing Tsukauchi did was call Aizawa again, hoping they were with him. The call picked up quickly. “Tsukauchi.”

 

“Have you reached the hotel?” he spoke loudly, the fire crackling like a storm.

 

“Yes. I’m inside but the fire’s getting worse.” he coughed, the smoke making it hard to breathe. “I found someone. A woman I think, burnt outside of two zero six.”

 

Fear and stress poured through the phone, “Is she still alive?”

 

“I don’t think so. I checked the room and couldn’t find a child anywhere. I’m coming out now.” he spoke in fragments, clearly being as succinct as possible so as he could hold his breath more.

 

Tsukauchi could see as the underground hero Eraserhead, climbed out of the side of the hotel, carrying a black charred body in his arms. The ambulances had just arrived and he hopped down to deliver her to them. 

 

There was no way she was still alive. Her skin was practically charcoal and you couldn’t even see her eyes. Indeed the paramedics on site confirmed her death and the sick feeling in Tsukauchi’s gut got worse when he knew there had to be a child somewhere in there as well.

 

Another minute went by before some more heroes arrived. The Water Hoses were here and they both fought to put out the fires whilst everyone was moved away from the hotel. Eventually the flames were tamed but not before some parts of the building collapsed due to the damage. 

 

Once it was declared safe, the building was checked. Every cupboard, every closet and every room but there was no sign of a child anywhere. Just ash and the smell of burnt flesh.

 

Tragically, it seemed they were too late.

Chapter 2: Run and Hide

Notes:

My plan is to post a chapter at least two times a week with Wednesday and Friday being my goals. Maybe on occasion as well I'll post on Sunday but that's only if I have enough chapters. I'm enjoying writing this and you all seem to as well so I hope you like this chapter!

“Where are we going mama?” Izuku asked, looking up at his mother who was gently pulling him along by his hand.

 

They just left the hospital and the whole time the boy was feeling both happy and scared. He just found out he had a quirk. One that seemed to be pretty strong from what he could guess but for some reason Mama didn’t seem to think so. Her face kept smiling but Izuku wasn’t stupid, he knew there was something wrong and it had to be because of Hisashi.

 

“We’re going on a trip, Izuku.” she answered, trying her best to not reveal how scared she really was.

 

“Where?” he asked innocently.

 

“Somewhere far away where we don’t have to worry about your father anymore.” she promised and it was a good promise.

 

Izuku’s fear was pushed back. They were going to leave Hisashi forever? The boy quietly smiled at the idea even though he shouldn’t. A child shouldn’t be happy to learn they’re getting away from their father but his father was Hisashi and surely that was a good excuse. Mama seemed alright with it so he should be too.

 

He was pulled along until they reached a small hotel with a few floors. Mama and him went up an elevator until they reached a room where Izuku was put in. 

 

“Sweetie, stay here and don’t open this door for anyone except for me okay?” she asked gently. He nodded along and watched Mama leave him alone in the room.

 

It was fun. There were two beds, a tv and a window (except Mama said not to open the curtains). He looked around and opened every drawer and cupboard to see what there was and found some bottles of water he drank from. 

 

It seemed his quirk made him slightly more thirsty or maybe he didn’t get enough of those fluids from that tube in the hospital. There were some snacks in a cupboard too but a sign said he needs to talk to the people downstairs about it so he’ll wait for Mama to come back first. 

 

Once he was fully settled, he sat down on the bed and thought about his quirk. How cool was it that he can puppet objects? It must be because of mama’s telekinesis that lets her pull objects to her or at least a part of his quirk comes from there but thinking like that makes him sad because of the other side of the coin with Hisashi. But if Mama’s promise comes true, he’ll never have to think about him again, which he definitely wants.

 

Taking out a pen from mama’s bag, Izuku found a pamphlet for the hotel and wrote down what the doctor said about his quirk. It had no name yet as it was just identified and needed to be registered so until then he thought of all kinds of cool names it could be. 

Puppeteer was the obvious one but that felt a bit too manipulative for Izuku. Doll Creation sounded a bit misleading. He didn’t create the dolls he controlled them but then calling it Doll Control felt like he could only control dolls which was further from the truth.

 

‘So many names but they keep sounding like I control people or the wrong thing.’

 

Quirk names were exact and explained most of what the quirk was in one to three words. Like Explosion or Black Hole. But his quirk was so difficult to explain except of course using words like ‘’manipulate’ or ‘puppet’.  

 

‘Let’s shelf the name for now and think about something else’ is what the boy decided.

 

He then flipped the page and started writing down questions he had about his quirk and how it worked. He lost cer-ebro-spin-al flu-id was it? He doesn’t know how to spell that so he tried his best to sound out the word in writing. 

 

So he lost… that fluid but he could get more back fast? Does that mean people normally get theirs back slowly? Well that’s important to know. What happens if he runs out of that fluid? Does he go to sleep like he did the first time or was that a coincidence? He needed to find out.

 

Izuku looked around the room for anything and picked up an empty water bottle and held it in his hands. Grasping it, he could feel the near invisible bristles on his fingers brush against the plastic and almost latch on. They didn’t produce anything though, so Izuku closed his eyes and let whatever came to him come.

 

As soon as he did he opened his eyes to see a clear fluid be poured into the clear bottle from his hands. Is this the fluid in his spine? He stopped immediately and watched the liquid slosh around before it stretched out like a moss and covered the inside of the bottle. 

 

“Wow.” he whispered and set the bottle down and focused on making it move.

 

He imagined it rolling, the fluid forcing it along like someone doing a roll would. Heroes needed to do them when they jumped from very high so the boy focused on that motion overlapping with the bottle.

 

After trying for a moment, the bottle moved slightly and he could feel it shift on its own but he suddenly got dizzier. He stopped, not wanting to pass out again and watched the fluid stop coating the bottle and pool at its bottom, inactive. He was still dizzy though for some reason.

 

He felt he could still control it he feels but he could also sense that the rolling jostled the fluid a bit and now the connection was weaker. Maybe the fluid is a part of him and when it gets ruffled it gets hurt? The doll that punched Hisashi collapsed after its arm broke and fluids poured out of it, maybe it’s like blood.

 

There were so many theories running through his little mind and he couldn’t wait to find them all out but before he could he heard mama outside the room. He tucked the bottle away so as not to worry her and waited until she entered the room. But as he sat there, he heard Mama gasp and opened the door quickly to shut behind her.

 

Mama turned to him and shouted at Izuku to hide and he listened, immediately crawling under the bed because he knew there’s only one reason he would need to hide. She stood by the door and held it before Hisashi started banging against it, shouting her name.

 

“Open the door Inko! Open it right fucking now!” he demanded, hitting the door hard enough to shake it and mama. “Open it or I’ll burn it down!”

 

“No! I’ve called the police and they’re almost here!” she yelled back. 

 

“You little rat! Open this door right now!” he roared, not caring about who heard him.

 

The bangs had become kicks and the door was starting to crack at the handle. Mama kept holding it shut whilst Izuku curled up more under the bed. He hoped once more for someone to save them, for anyone to save them. 

 

The kicking stopped and for a moment Izuku thought that maybe his wish came true again but it didn’t. The door blew open with a burst of flames and filled the room with a wave of fire. Izuku sealed his eyes shut and held himself as the sounds of Inko screaming in pain filled the room as fire spread fast along her as she fell to the ground.

 

“I warned you.” Hisashi growled and he stepped over his Mama, scanning the room for Izuku.

 

The boy forced his eyes open to see Mama on the floor, burning and flailing whilst Hisashi made his way around the room. He was scared, shaking and crying, a hand holding his mouth quiet like he did during hide and seek with Kacchan but this was scarier than that, far more scary.

 

Every part of him was sick and he felt like throwing up but he couldn’t. Hisashi would find him and hurt him just like Mama. Izuku wanted to escape, wanted to get away but that would involve leaving behind his Mama and… leaving her to… die.

 

What can he do? Can he even save her? He wants to be a hero one day so why can’t he save the most important person in his life? Izuku’s eyes were trained on her and he saw through the burns a pair of eyes focus on him, pleading for him to run.

 

And so he did. He ran away.

 

Skittering out from under the bed he ran to the door and into the hallway sprinting as far and as fast as he could. He heard Hisashi shout his name behind him but he didn’t look back but he did hear Mama scream gutturally behind him.

 

“Run Izuku! Run and hide!”

 

The roar of a fire boomed behind but it didn’t matter, even when a scream came with it. He just ran. Just kept running until he was downstairs. The fire alarm blaring, making the whole world shake for Izuku but he just kept going until he found an exit, pushing through and out of the hotel into an alley.

 

There was no one around but it didn’t matter, he just ran. Ran from everything. Ran from the world and hoped Hisashi couldn’t find him. Run and hide where he can’t find him. Where no one can find him.

 

He ran into the dark, hoping to never be found.

 

- - -

 

He didn’t know how long it's been since he started. Even though the hotel is long gone and the sounds of cackling flames have long since faded, Izuku hasn’t stopped dipping through alleyways and tumbling through trash cans. He thinks he’s cut himself but he doesn’t bother to check until he collapses onto the grimy floor of an alley.

 

Izuku heaved as he struggled to pull himself back up but his body didn’t let him. Adrenaline was still there but with every second on the floor he could feel it fade fast and the cuts and scrapes started to weigh on him. After a minute of just breathing he finally looked around and could see that wherever he’s ended up, it isn’t pretty like where he lived.

 

The buildings around looked old and crumbling, there were no sounds of cars and even some of the street lights didn’t work whilst others flickered. It was dark and he was alone, truly alone and he was terrified. He pulled himself up just barely and saw a hole in the wall of a building that he crawled through.

 

It was a warehouse. Empty, dusty and very dark. The only reason Izuku could see at all was because of the moon above shining down from skylights. He climbed up some steps just barely to what seemed to have once been an office. It had a window looking over the warehouse floor and into the alleyway he just was in but he didn’t care to look. He just crawled under a barren desk and huddled into a ball.

 

He was so tired and just wanted to sleep. He didn’t know what to do but it didn’t matter right now because all he needed was to go to sleep. He forced his eyes shut, his damp green curls resting on his face as he gave in and slumbered, hoping this was all a nightmare.

 

- - -

 

“Inko Midoriya?” Shouta questioned. 

 

“That was the name she gave me. We’re still looking into her and hoping to get something soon.” Tsukauchi answered.

 

The two were at the police station, going over the paperwork and the details of the burning hotel last night. In the end they weren’t able to find out who caused the fire, nor did they find the child who was supposed to be there. Thankfully no one else was hurt but, it was still a failure all around and it was hitting the detective and hero hard. 

 

“According to the receptionist, the two entered around nine, thirty minutes before Midoriya called me.” Tsukauchi explained. “The fire was noticed around around quarter to ten so there was only about fifteen minutes between the call ending and whoever Miroriya’s husband was attacking her.”

 

“Is it confirmed it was him?” Shouta queried, wanting to make sure the facts were straight.

 

“No but the cameras caught a man in front of Midoriya’s room, as well as the kid running from the hotel.” the detective elaborated.

 

The footage they saw showed a fluffy haired man breathing fire to break the door down. He goes into the room for a few minutes before a boy comes rushing out with a face that makes Shouta’s heart drop. The worst was when the man stepped out of the room ready to chase only for the burning Inko to grab onto his leg, giving the kid a chance to get away.

 

Of course the man turned around and finished the woman off with a blast of fire from his mouth turning her into that scorched husk the pro hero carried not too long ago.

 

“We don’t know where the kid went?” Shouta asked, trying to not think too much about it.

 

“No. Nothing. Once he leaves the hotel, he dives into alleys so we have a few patrols out in the direction he ran hoping they find him.” Tsukauchi replied.

 

‘This kids going to need some serious therapy. Now he’s out there all alone though’ , Shouta thought.

 

Musutafu can be a dangerous place, especially in the direction he ran off to. He just hopes at least whoever the villain in the footage was hasn’t already gotten to him. “Is that everything we’ve got?”

 

“No actually,” Tsukauchi started, “we found this in the room. It was one of the few things to survive.”

 

He showed an image of a water bottle with some water inside. It had some dirt and soot on it but besides that it appeared unremarkable. Shouta gave a look to the detective, clearly expecting him to explain further.

 

“It contains spinal fluid,” he says frankly.

 

“Spinal fluid?” Shouta replied back.

 

“Yes. We’re testing it now to see if we can find a match for anyone but that might take a while.” Tsukauchi added.

 

“Any ideas where it could be from?” Shouta asked, pretty sure what the answers were going to be.

 

“None. Only thing it could be is the work of a quirk.” Tsukauchi theorised.

 

Shouta slinked back in his chair, resting his eyes. There were many strange quirks out there. Ones that use skin, hair, blood and although Shouta hasn’t been a full time underground hero for two years he hasn’t heard of something using spinal fluid.

 

The paperwork was finished and the two left the case there until more information came. Right now Shouta needed to go home and collapse onto a warm bed with the cats. He didn’t expect this night to take so long but with the search for who caused the fire, finding the kid and looking over the evidence…

 

Time just slipped away and it was morning now. The worst part is that Hizashi was probably already away to work and worried sick too. Shouta made sure to send a text saying he was going to be late getting back but neither were expecting this late.

 

The man made his way back to his apartment and climbed in to find their tuxedo cat called Dot and their ginger cat, Pepper, nuzzling up to him the second he arrived. After grabbing some breakfast made by Hizashi, he ate scrambled eggs and toast to the image of that terrified boy running down that hallway.

 

He couldn’t imagine the fear in his heart, how terrified he felt and how far he must’ve ran. He looked tiny too. Just a tiny green bean terrified of everything with hopelessness in his eyes. Shouta just hopes they find him soon so they can get him the help he definitely needed and justice to whatever monster did this.

 

- - -

 

The light made its way into the room, shining over Izuku’s closed eyelids. They fluttered awake, dull veridian peeping out to the realisation that yesterday wasn’t a dream. The boy pulled himself up, his small body weary and aching from sleeping on the floor, and stood to look around the warehouse some more.

 

It was mostly sealed. All exits besides the hole he crawled through were either closed or sealed. Trying a few normal doors found them locked tight and doors that weren’t were too rusted to open. All in all it was a box to hide in.

 

Hiding. The boy thought about what he was going to do. Between having no one to go back to and Hisashi still out there what could he do? Can he trust the police? Maybe but Izuku doesn’t know how to talk to them or find them. He knows he needs a phone but he doesn’t have one.

 

‘Run Izuku! Run and hide!’ 

 

The final words of his mother ran through his mind. Maybe she meant not just Hisashi but everyone. Izuku once overheard Hisashi call someone about ‘bribes’. He knew they were bad and it involved making the police or heroes do something illegal. What if Izuku goes to the police and they give him to Hisashi?

 

But that shouldn’t be reason enough. Surely the odds that he came across someone like that was rare. But the more he thought about it the more he felt afraid of that possibility coming true. It wasn’t just that though but what about after? What if the pro heroes don’t catch Hisashi and he finds Izuku like he found Mama and him?

 

There were so many things that could go wrong. But here there were four walls, a roof and most of all, no one should know he’s here. It makes sense to just hide and be on his own. It wasn’t that different from before, though he would like somewhere softer to sleep. Maybe he could learn more about his quirk and become strong enough to stop Hisashi if he ever did come after Izuku.

 

Yes there are a lot of good things that can come by hiding here. First, however, he needs to find something to use his quirk on.

 

He crawled out of the warehouse and took in the dusty grimy alley around him. There were some dumpsters that weren’t being missed. They did however have a lot of trash. It didn’t smell though meaning it’s been here for a while. He opened it up and with the help of a crate, fished through it. After a tear through he found an anatomical dummy.

 

The dummy was rotted and torn all over but it was the only thing that looked like it could move properly with his quirk. It had no arms or legs but it does have a neck and the missing limbs could help with one of Izuku’s theories about his quirk. While there were no other ‘dolls’ there were some mannequin arms and legs so he grabbed those and dragged them back into the warehouse along with a small carving knife he spotted.

 

He set them down and started to shove the mannequin limbs into the dummy. It was simple to do with how the rubber was easy to pierce through. Once he was done, the thing laid there with two arms and two legs.

 

His first theory is to see if he could mix and match different objects to make one doll. He hopes that when he’d use his quirk, the whole body would move together instead of just the dummy. 

 

He took his hand, set it on the doll’s chest and felt as fluids sunk into the body. He watched the liquid pool inside the rubber and remain liquid. It looked like blood with how it focused around the rubber heart of the dummy. 

 

“Ok.” Izuku muttered to himself as he concentrated on moving the doll.

 

He watched in amazement as the fluid stretched out through the object and linked into the limbs through the plastic veins. Izuku then felt dizzy and weak at the knees as the head of the doll turned. 

 

He paused and got used to the feeling. It was daunting but after a while he got more used to it. He imagined the doll standing up and watched it turn the arms and legs of the mannequin but they didn’t bend, being one solid piece.

 

“Ok. It seems they need to be able to turn to work. Maybe if I cut them at the joints they could bend like normal.” he theorised, taking the carving knife and cutting one arm off at the elbow.

 

He tried it again and this time he watched the liquid shape to act as a joint for the detached arm, turning it like an arm should. Izuku’s eyes gleamed as he watched his creation move and immediately got to work with the other limbs, slicing them off and even the hands and feet for extra flexibility.

 

He commanded the doll once more to stand up and after some awkward twisting it stood shakily on two legs, spinal fluid dripping out of the joints and some tears in the dummy. He managed to move it a few steps before an arm loses too much of its fluid and falls off, causing liquid to gush from the stump and collapsing the doll.

 

Izuku however did not collapse, he was dizzy and his world was spinning but he did not fall unconscious. He stood up though and a rushing headache came over him, forcing him back down and waiting a few minutes before trying again. He stumbled over to the doll and moved the pieces back together.

 

‘I need tape to cover those holes and the joints.’ thought Izuku. 

 

The liquid was like blood and every open part was a wound that would bleed. If he wanted to not get more headaches then he’d need to limit how much ‘blood’ was lost. Speaking of, it seemed that he got some more understanding on how his quirk works. 

 

When he collapsed it wasn’t because of control it was because of the recent loss of spinal fluid from activating his quirk. It seemed that it’s fine if the liquid remained in the doll as long as he didn’t give all of it.

 

‘If I fully seal it up, I can minimize the loss of fluids so I don't have to refill it as much.’ 

 

The boy scrambled to find some duct tape from outside and used it to practically mummify the doll. Wrapping it over until it looked even more cobbled together than before. He then injected more fluid in, just a tad bit and suddenly he couldn’t feel his legs anymore. 

 

It was a terrifying sensation, one he could tell was probably temporary but nonetheless scary. Thankfully if he is right, then he doesn’t need legs right now. He puppeted the doll to stand once more and this time no fluids leaked out. In fact it seemed the duct tape was being pulled like skin over the joints by the liquid underneath.

 

The doll stumbled over to Izuku like a newborn fawn and slowly picked the boy up at his command. Typically, children would be weirded and even scared of an anatomical dummy’s face being right next to theirs but Izuku felt no fear. After all, it was just a doll. His doll.

 

He commanded said thing to go towards the office and watched it move towards the stairs. A stupid thing but Izuku was a child and while yes he was smart he wasn’t a genius. As it climbed them, no liquid slipped out but Izuku could tell inside the doll, the bumps and knocks from moving were weakening the fluids meaning that eventually he’d need to dose it again.

 

The doll reached up the steps and Izuku had enough strength to stand on his own, using the wall as support. He glanced out a window looking into the alley he got the dummy from and came up with an idea. Watching from the office he directed the doll to walk down to the alleyway. 

 

It was a mostly easy task. The main problem was discovering that it was hard to direct the doll if he couldn’t see what they were seeing but once they made it through the hole, he watched it stumble into the alleyway. There the doll was ordered to tip the dumpster over so its contents could spill out and he could see what was inside.

 

The doll picked apart the junk and while most of it was useless there was one thing that caught Izuku’s green eyes. A styrofoam mattress. Ratty and stained but still a mattress which was better than the cold wood floor he slept on last night. The dummy dragged over the object and barely stuffed it through the hole, getting it up into the office (now bedroom).

 

Izuku plopped down on it and it felt good. Despite how it looked from afar it was firm and the styrofoam still had some softness to it. Great! So he’s covered sleeping, now he needed water because he was starting to get really thirsty.

 

He walked downstairs, the doll following and they found a break room with a sink. Water came out of it but Izuku knows that water shouldn’t be that murky. Speaking of utilities, he found a circuit breaker. Not that the boy knew that but nonetheless he noticed some faded labels.

 

Using the doll to flick one on (he was too small), the warehouse lights switched on, shocking the boy as he rushed to flick on all of them. The building had power except he realised that having the lights on might not be good if he’s trying to hide so he went around every room and turned the lights off with their own individual switches.

 

He noticed as well on the circuit breaker that one of them was connected to a water filter and so after a few minutes of it on, the water that came out of the tap was clear. He knew he shouldn’t try it yet but he was getting really thirsty. It seemed his quirk does make him thirstier than normal so he took a drink and it tasted alright; would’ve been better with a cup though.

 

Now he only needed food. That was going to be harder than the other two as he won’t just stumble onto them. With much reluctance and a couple raincoats he found in the dumpsters, he snuck out of the warehouse with the doll and him both wearing the green raincoats, hoods up and heads ducked down.

 

The two made their way and explored the neighbourhood they were in now that Izuku wasn’t running anymore.

 

It was a very ugly place, with abandoned buildings and old cars. The place almost looked apocalyptic if it wasn’t for the distant skyscrapers of the rest of Tokyo. He wandered for a while until he came across somewhere more populated, which scared Izuku at first until he took a deep breath and focused on finding food.

 

He eventually found a convenience store, where outside was a foodbank box where people left food for the unfortunate. Izuku was certainly in that category right now. He wandered over and took a few apples, bread and a cereal box before skittering away, the doll rushing behind him practically mimicking the boy's frantic sprint much to the confusion of passersby.

 

He kept running until he was safely back in the warehouse where he ate some slices of bread.

 

‘Now we have food!’ he thought to himself excitedly.

 

Yes now he had everything. Food, water and shelter, the three things needed to survive and now that he had all of this he was sure he could hide out here for a long time.

Chapter 3: Lonelier Than Usual

Notes:

Hiya!

Just a bit of clarification on the posting days, I'm BST (British Summer Time) just in case it seems I'm posting too early or too late for some people in the world.

Anyway, enjoy!

A few days went by with Izuku testing out how his quirk worked some more. He learned that he could be very liberal with how the doll appeared. With more limbs than a normal human should have. Of course for now he’s going to keep Ana (what he’s calling the ana tomical dummy) as close to looking human as possible.

 

The dumpsters were kind enough to give him Ana but not much else as he soon found out. If he wanted more stuff, he needed to find somewhere where lots of junk gathered. Thankfully the boy stumbled across such a place during his daytime wanders through the alleys with his new friend.

 

Takoba Municipal Beach Park, a verifiable dump filled with all kinds of leftovers Izuku could scavenge. It already gave him a shopping cart, which he promptly used to store whatever items were semi-functional. Most of the actual heavy lifting was done by Ana who would surely complain the whole time but didn’t have the mouth to voice it.

 

By the end of a couple trips they had several mannequins, a few knives which Izuku kept for self-defense and a computer of all things, not a monitor though. It was one that seemed to actually work if the glowing light was anything to go by. He didn’t have a monitor yet so that had to be shelved for now.

 

By the end of the first week, the warehouse was looking quite well. There were some hanging lights put up around the bedroom to light the place up dimly, curtains to block the windows and even some sheets to make the bed more comfortable. It was a nice feeling being able to make your own space.

 

Despite everything though, there was still one thing Izuku hated about this new arrangement. Sleeping. Yes the mattress was soft enough to work but comfort wasn’t the issue. He keeps getting nightmares. Bad ones about seeing mama again getting burned alive or Hisashi finding him. He tried to ignore them the first night but after he just settled for not sleeping as long as possible and instead read some of the books that he found dumped on a street nearby.

 

He knew it wasn’t good to stay up past his bedtime. He felt it too but it didn’t stop him. He didn’t want to go to sleep no matter what, at least until he was too tired to move and collapsed onto the mattress in front of Ana who in turn would collapse to the floor.

 

When he would sleep it would always be nightmares and worse it was ones where he couldn’t break out until the next morning. He’d wake up shaking and constantly checking the building to make sure nothing can get in or out except him and Ana. He didn’t want to be found, not until he knew for sure Hisashi was gone.

 

That was a problem, certainly, so for now he’s going to work on getting more food and experimenting with his quirk further.

 

Speaking of, he made a new discovery about his quirk. He managed to find a wilted child’s doll in the dump that he kept and wanted to use his power on it to see how it works with multiple dolls. What came of it was that when Izuku activated his control, it activated it for all of his ‘dolls’ causing Ana to move too. 

 

So, at least for now, it was better to control one doll and not push it until he was older. Maybe then he could find a way to split his focus on more than one thing.

 

- - -

 

“The bottle kept moving on its own?” Shouta asked the detective. 

 

It’s been a week since the fire and after some tests and some research, they found out enough to warrant a meeting. Both him and Tsukauchi were in the detective’s office for the sake of privacy due to the connections to the Dragon’s Roar this case has.

 

“According to the analyst, yes. The bottle just started moving on its own.” the detective said, placing out the report from the analyst on the fluid in the bottle they found.

 

“Any reason why?” the pro hero asked, just as certain as before what the answer to this question would be.

 

“None, yet. It’s why you’re here.” Tsukauchi stated.

 

The detective took out a case, where inside, pulled from styrofoam coating, was the bottle in question. It had the same fluid but it had molded or mossed of some kind to almost ‘infect’ the inside of the bottle. The ‘moss’ seemed to twitch like a muscle, moving and clearly trying to shake the bottle given how it seemed to slip in Tsukauchi’s grasp.

 

“You want to see if it’s a quirk? Shouldn’t it be obvious?” he said in his usual low voice.

 

“We just need to be sure.” the detective assured.

 

With that the pro hero's shoulder length black hair floated up from its usual messy droop as his eyes glared red. In an instant it happened, the moss in the bottle flopped back to become liquid again and inanimate. Tsukauchi set it down and they watched as it was now just an unmoving water bottle.

 

Shouta then dropped his quirk and in a near instant, the water activated and enveloped the bottle once more, causing it to tip over and roll around unpredictably. Tsukauchi immediately grabbed it and put it back inside the case it was brought safely in. Shouta raised an eyebrow at that case, wondering why it needed the cushioning.

 

“What’s with the padding?”

 

“Whenever the bottle rolls or bashes into something, the cells in the spinal fluid die so we’ve been trying to preserve as much of it as possible.” the detective explained as he gently set the case down.

 

“Whose spine did it come from?” the hero asked.

 

“Izuku Midoriya is who we believe it belongs to. He is the only son of Inko and Hisashi  Midoriya.” Tsukauchi elaborated.

 

“I’m guessing Hisashi is the ‘husband’ that the victim had mentioned.” Shouta assumed, not that it wasn’t easy.

 

“He is, and his description matches the man in the security footage. We haven’t been able to locate him though and their residence is deserted.” the detective clarified.

 

Shouta took a look through some files on the table relating to the man. On the surface, everything looked alright. The documents, birth certificate, license, all of it but from some calls and checks, most of this was forged with exceptions such as his drivers license which was built off the fake documents.

 

It seemed that whoever Hisashi Midoriya was, was important enough to need to be hidden from the world. That made it all the more important to find him now that he’s been exposed before he squirrelled away again. Someone with this kind of past connected to the Dragon’s Roar had to be someone important.

 

But despite that threat though, Shouta was feeling more concerned for the boy they still haven’t found. The fear that Hisashi caught him or even killed him like his mother was a fear that he had since he carried the burnt Midoriya out of the fire. He really didn’t want to find a burnt child or any dead child for that matter, he had enough problems sleeping.

 

“And what about the kid? Anything there?” he asked, hoping for something.

 

“No but we’re going to release an inquiry to the public if anyone has seen him. Hopefully he’s still out there.” Tsukauchi stated, “Meanwhile there’s a few people we need to look into.”

 

“Who?”

 

“The Bakugou family. They live nearby and according to one of them they were good friends with the deceased.” 

 

“Anything I can do?” Shouta offered.

 

“Not much besides cracking down more on Dragon’s Roar in case we manage to stumble upon Hisashi.” Tsukauchi gave.

 

The two talked more about what some newer reports on the Dragon’s Roar had and where some new operations were opening up. Shouta took them and made his leave from the station, doing a short patrol around before settling back home for the night.

 

Climbing back into the apartment through the living room window, he wiggled past Pepper and Dot to get into the living room where Hizashi was, watching a movie, clearly waiting for him.

 

“Hey.” Shouta called as he sat down on the couch next to the blond haired man.

 

“Hey, how was work?” the blond asked tiredly, wrapping an arm around the other man.

 

“Alright. Still haven’t found that kid.” Shouta lamented, resting into the side of his fiancee.

 

Hizashi stroked the top of his head, knowing that he’s been thinking about this a lot ever since he saw the footage of the kid running for his life. He knows despite how much he hated talking to people he had a soft spot for children, especially those going through a rough time.

 

“You’ll find him.” he reassured. “I know you will.”

 

The two kept like that for a few more minutes until the movie had ended and two went to bed. Shouta could only hope that wherever Izuku Midoriya was, he was safe.

 

- - -

 

Today was another day to look for food and Izuku knew where. He and Ana headed to the same convenience store as before and rushed to pick out some stuff. He knew not to take a lot because it's meant to be for everyone not just him so he grabs enough for himself.

 

Once he picked up what he needed, he scampered back to the warehouse to stash his food and headed back out to fish for more junk. This trip he was hoping for a monitor but what he found instead was something much more interesting.

 

Underneath a bunch of fried electronics, Izuku found what seemed to be a drone with its remote attached to it. It looked really expensive except for how the propellers were broken. He put it in the trolley Ana was pushing and did some more searching in the electronics pile and found a few batteries he decided to stockpile on.

 

Of course not all of them might work but as Izuku has found out here, more often than not people throw away things for the slightest of problems. Case and point, he found a fridge that was thrown away, probably whoever owned it got a better one. It still works, even with the light intact. Truly some people were wasteful but Izuku remembered one time a guy said on a show that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and sure enough he found lots of treasures.

 

Bringing it all back, sure enough his hideaway was becoming more homey. He has a complete bed with a frame that was only missing a leg, a desk chair with a few cuts on it and satellite dish. He didn’t know how to use the dish but he knew it’s used to get radio waves but it was cool so he brought it with him.

 

Speaking of knowledge, there was one thing Izuku missed from before besides mama and that was the family computer. It would have so many answers he could use right now but until he found a monitor and somehow connected to the internet, he knew that was far from now.

 

For now he’d settle with some old dusty books he’d find. Most of them were useless, either instruction manuals for things he didn’t have or novels that only helped to distract him from sleeping but what he did find was a few books about machines. 

 

Some computer assembly guides and some tech textbooks were useful but only so long as you can understand the words being written. If he wanted to actually put this stuff to use, he needed to fill in the gaps he had in his reading skills.

 

Which ultimately led him to the library, the only place he could probably get those answers. The problem was going in. Izuku liked having closed walls around him but he didn’t like it with other people. It felt suffocating and risked him being found so how could he even approach?

 

He couldn’t just take books out, he needed a library card and he didn’t have one, nor did he want to get one. He could read the books inside but that was, again, scary. If only Ana could walk inside and do it for him but he can’t see through her eyes, it was a major drawback about his quirk to see what was going on or he might as well be swinging around in the dark.

 

That was when an idea popped into the mind of the little boy. He looked for the drone he got from the dump and took apart its camera. It had a wireless connection to the remote and it had a little screen too. After carefully removing the camera, the wires and the battery holders, he checked to see if it still worked and it did.

 

The video quality was poor and the lens needed cleaning but it was enough to be able to read. Izuku took his carving knife and after apologising to Ann, removed one of her eyes and stuffed in the camera snugly where the socket would be. After giving the camera and the remote the fullest batteries he could find, the doll marched around the warehouse whilst Izuku hid in his bedroom, watching the dolls ‘perspective’.

 

It was really shaky and the camera would’ve slipped out but the duct tape he used kept it in place and Ana was able to make her first walk on her own. Izuku was happy and proud of his idea. He decided to give Ana some extra batteries and practiced taking them out of the camera and putting new ones in before sending the doll out on an errand.

 

That errand being to look around the area for a library.

 

The doll clambered down the street whilst Izuku watched from the remote, the connection getting spotty every now and then from getting too far out of range. It seemed the signal was good for almost a kilometer before it started getting slow. Hopefully he can find something stronger in the future, that way he doesn’t need to risk going outside at all.

 

Eventually Ana found a library just at the edge of his range and commanded her to wander inside. After struggling with the door for a minute, the doll stumbled inside to a confused looking librarian.

 

“Excuse me, are you alright?” he whispered, tilting his head to try and see the face of the raincoat wearing doll, hood up and taped on tight.

 

Ana shook her head slowly and deliberately and just limped past him and into the library. The librarian just looked on, slightly confused but thankfully it seemed he didn’t care enough to look into it further. Despite having been found in a dumpster, the green raincoat covered a lot of Ana up and the accompanying rain boots she had made it easier to pass off as a human. Maybe a drunk one but a human nonetheless.

 

Izuku's eyes wandered over the books Ana’s eye was showing. He wasn’t sure where to start, so he settled on the most obvious thing to look at. A simple book called Computers Made Easy. Ana set it down and started going through it with Izuku reading through the lens. The problem was that although this is meant to be ‘easy’ he still can’t understand most of the words.

 

So he had Ana look for something to fix that. Books on katakana, kanji and hiragana that were aimed at children were the easiest he could find. He is a child and that should be natural but Izuku didn’t want Ana to stay in the library for long. He couldn’t check out the books because he needed a library card, one he didn’t have.

 

He decided to stay there for two hours, making sure to keep an eye on his connection to Ana to know how much spinal fluid she had. Turning pages didn’t lose much but it did when you were also subconsciously ordering her to tap her foot. Over that time he noticed some people giving the doll some strange looks. Her disguise hadn’t fallen but Izuku imagined it was more because the dummy looked like an adult reading a book for children far too intently.

 

Once Izuku had enough for the day, he put the book back and had Ana leave, the librarian giving the doll a look that read ‘goodbye’ to the boy. Ana made it back safely and though it was a bit awkward looking through the camera, it wasn’t that bad if it meant he didn’t need to leave the safety of the warehouse.

 

Ultimately, then, the test was a success and Izuku spent the rest of his time practicing what he learnt on the books he had. It was still a struggle but he was a scarily fast learner with a lot of time on his hands.

 

- - -

 

After Izuku’s success with the camera, he started to not leave the warehouse at all. Opting to have Ana go outside and handle all of it. It was honestly safer. He was less likely to be found so he continued having her be his hands and feet for a whole other week.

 

The only real time he needed to leave was to go to the beach to get more junk because it was too far. He looked for a better quality camera with better connections but unfortunately his luck there ran dry. But only for that area, as after a week of scavenging he finally came across one thing he was looking for.

 

A TV screen. It was old, bulky, small and dirty but Izuku was sure with some cloth it could be cleaned up. Loading it onto the trolley, he picked up a few more interesting looking pieces of junk and the two headed back to the warehouse with their haul.

 

Overtime, Izuku had noticed that it looked odd for a child to be travelling with someone pushing a trolley filled with junk so, using his small size, he would hide under Ana’s raincoat, using the camera to see out in front of him and guide the two. All in all, it felt like life was going well besides sleep issues. Well there’s one more thing.

 

Izuku hadn’t talked to a real human being in almost two weeks. He’s talked to Ana, yes, but she never talks back. Not that he expected her to. It was honestly really lonely. But he knew this is what he needed to do if he wanted to escape and maybe one day get revenge on Hisashi.

 

But he admits that when he sees other kids playing without a care in the world his heart aches a little bit. It’ll just have to be something to outgrow. He’s practically a grown up now with how responsible he was.

 

Yes so he’ll just have to make do with telling Ana all of his ideas and plans. His secrets and fears. Hopes and dreams. She always nods her head along to everything he says (with his input) so really who needs other people? Izuku barely talked to anyone before so really nothing of value was lost, it just meant he had to be a little more lonelier than usual.

Chapter 4: Mean No Harm

Notes:

I hope I don't move too fast with the story in terms of pacing so let me know how things are so far. If they're alright or if I might be going too fast.

Tsukauchi wasn’t sure what to expect with the Bakugous. He knew that one of them was close with the deceased Midoriya so he was afraid of being the bearer of bad news so he, in some small part, hoped they already knew from the news report.

 

Parking outside of their residence, he steps out to spy a small head peeking out from the upstairs window to see him move outside and out of his car. Once Tsukauchi reached the door to knock on it, it opened before he could, thanks to a man with spiky brown hair and glasses greeting him.

 

“Hello, officer.” the man greeted.

 

Tsukauchi said hello back. Having already called ahead for a good time to talk, the detective was let in and shown to the living room where a woman with spiky blonde hair and red eyes greeted him as well.

 

After a short round of introductions, he learned the names of the two as Masaru and Mitsuki respectively. He also got the impression they had a child, given the toys he could see here and there but that wasn’t important, at least for now. Right now he needs to know if they’re aware of the situation.

 

“Do you know why I’m here?” Tsukauchi asked gently, putting on that voice he does when getting ready to deliver bad news.

 

“Yes. Inko,” the blonde Bakugou started, pausing for a moment as her throat seemed caught on the words. “She’s gone isn’t she?”

 

“Unfortunately, yes.” he answered, tone filled with sympathy.

 

“And Izuku’s missing as well?” she followed up with, voice just as worried.

 

“We are still searching for him but yes,” he reassured.

 

Masaru seemed to narrow his eyes, not out of suspicion or disbelief but dread. Mitsuki on the other hand seemed stressed and gripped the couch they were on to the point that her husband held her hand to calm her down.

 

The three discussed how they knew the Midoriya’s and most of it comes back to Mitsuki and Inko being friends from college. They were close enough to move into the same area and even saw each other as aunts to each of their respective children. The emotions seemed very tender as it was clear the blonde woman was having a hard time saying this out loud.

 

Masaru just kept reassuring her, taking over for some parts when it became too much for the other and trying to keep it together for the sake of his wife. Eventually the topic of Inko’s relations to them ended and the topic of Hisashi began. Once it did, there was an immediate shift in the two, clearly finding the man upsetting to them.

 

“I always knew there was something off with that man.” Mitsuki growled, becoming less mournful and more angry than before.

 

“Can you tell me more about that?” Tsukauchi inquired.

 

Mitsuki told him how much she never trusted the man, even when he and Inko first started dating. According to her, Midoriya always had a habit of attracting the worst kind of people to her and Hisashi was one of them. She mentioned how he would always come home late, worrying the woman.

 

Tsukauchi was going to interject there and ask if she knew what he was doing late but Mitsuki kept talking, now turning into a rant so he left it until she was done.

 

Apparently Midoriya Inko had always been a gentle soul and would rarely ever say ‘no’ unless it would literally hurt her or someone she cared about. It always ended up with him walking all over her and every decision he made was one she had to agree with, for the most part.

 

She did, however say, that she got a lot more willful when Izuku was born, especially when he started to become more and more like his mother in terms of his gentle heart. She and Hisashi would argue a lot, especially over the dolls Izuku liked but Mitsuki could tell it was less about them for Inko and Hisashi and more about control.

 

The dolls represented Izuku’s soft nature and anyone could tell that Hisashi didn’t want a gentle child. Inko on the other hand wanted Izuku to like what he wanted and not be forced to change just because someone told him, completely oblivious to the irony of her saying that.

 

“Would the arguments ever turn violent?” Tsukauchi asked, now that Mitsuki was winding down a little.

 

“No. At least in terms of punching or slapping. The bastard knew that would push things too far even for Inko.” she said, voice still ringing with frustrations. “And it pretty much was the case.”

 

“What do you mean?” Tsukauchi asked, making sure that he’s writing all of this down in his pocketbook.

 

“The day Inko died and Izuku vanished, she called me to say Hisashi hit her.” Mitsuki’s face turned grim. 

 

She continued to explain that she called to say everything that happened, including the quirk manifestation Izuku went under. She mentioned going to a hospital and Tsukauchi made sure to get the name of it before moving on to his final inquiry.

 

“Do you know what line of work Hisashi was in?” he asked.

 

“No and it always made me suspicious, especially the bruises and cuts I’d notice on his knuckles.” she answered.

 

“Did he ever have a tattoo that looked like this?” and Tsukauchi took out a small photo showing the Dragon’s Roar symbol that all members get.

 

Mitsuki and Masaru both looked it over, scrambling through their brains for anyway they’d recognise that symbol but none of them recognised it. Tsukauchi thanked them for their time and promised to update them on any developments but before he could leave, the loud voice of a kid filled the room.

 

“Are you going to find Izuku?”

 

He looked just like his mother, the red eyes and spiky blond hair. He stood in the doorway looking in and was definitely not a shy kid given how he didn’t seem shy at all. Tsukauchi wasn’t sure what to say. No trace of Izuku had been found yet and they’d only just got the missing child inquiry broadcasted so he can’t say anything for sure.

 

He admits he wasn’t good with kids. He didn’t not like them but when it came to talking to them on the job, it was always for something not good. He doesn’t know how the blond felt about the kid Midoriya so he kept it vague but hopeful.

 

“We are still searching for him and trying our best to find him.” he settled on.

 

The boy’s eyebrows furrowed at that. “You better find him soon. He’s weak and cries a lot.”

 

It was laced with thinly veiled concern and it was clear there was some dislike in his tone but it seemed that the boy was likely just worried for his friend. At least that's how it seemed to Tsukauchi. 

 

The detective made his final farewells and left the Bakugou’s residence to head to the hospital and find out more about what happened in more detail.

 

- - -

 

Ana had just come back from another library visit and Izuku was starting to understand more and more about what he was reading in the books he'd gathered. He even made a little personal dictionary to help him out and all was going well. 

 

The warehouse as well was starting to fill up. A lot of the junk was left on the building’s main floor whilst anything useful was moved up to the bedroom that was shaping up to have everything Izuku needed. Right now though, he just wanted to learn more and more.

 

He realized he had a love for learning new things and couldn’t wait to be able to read properly without the children’s dictionary he had when reading. He’d set up a little place to set his books whilst he didn’t read them and had Ana check any nearby dumpsters for anything interesting. 

 

Speaking of dumpsters, Izuku realized that he and Ana were starting to look a little worse for wear. Whilst Ana could be excused, Izuku felt really grimy and his clothes were starting to get worn in some places. He even had a hole in the back of his shirt. He didn’t know where that came from.

 

He wasn’t sure where he could get some clothes though. Most clothes that were tossed out were already worse than what he’s wearing. Honestly he could steal but Izuku knew that was wrong but his morals are wavering the more ratty his clothes got. Ana was fast if needed but faster than a car or a hero was something Izuku didn’t want to test.

 

Maybe if he checked behind some department stores, there might be some old clothes thrown out he could take. But in all likelihood he was going to have to either find money or get lucky, which would probably still be money in the end.

 

There could be a third option though. He knows that some people sew clothes. He even saw mama fix some things once or twice but Izuku didn’t know the first thing about making clothes or if he’d even be good at it. 

 

“Guess we could look in the library. Right Ana?” he said, turning to the doll who nodded at his words.

 

Izuku had started to forget sometimes that Ana wasn’t real. That she was just an object puppeted by him but he needed the company and it wasn’t as if he was going crazy. He was perfectly fine besides the late nights huddled on the mattress, crying a little at knowing mama was gone forever. 

 

Everyone dealt with grief. Izuku assured himself he’ll get over it, he knows he’ll get over it. He hopes he gets over it.

 

A few tears pushed free from his eyes that he quickly rubbed away. He can’t stop to think too much, if he did he’d get sad distracted. Right now he needs new clothes and a bath. 

 

The latter could be done, there was a bathtub in the junk he’s pulled back, the problem was filling it and emptying it of water. The only source of water he had was the tap in the kitchen. He could attach a hose but then the next issue was somehow making the water warm. While it seemed there was a heater, it didn’t work probably because it was broken. That itself was another concern down the road.

 

It was Spring right now and while it was chilly it would get warmer but that warmth won’t last. He either needed to find a heater or figure out how to fix the one here. The former seemed to be the easier option.

 

The boy didn’t know how long he’d need to hide here. Honestly he was starting to feel that he could stay here forever with what he’s turned the place into and it was tempting. What else was there out there that he couldn’t do himself here?

 

Auntie and Uncle were the only real things he cared about that are still alive but that would be the first place Hisashi would look for him. He’d put them in danger. Also Kacchan was there and while he’d say they were friends, he always felt like the other boy never saw him the same way.

 

Truly there was nothing the outside world could offer him he couldn't find himself. Except, of course, clothes and heating but he was figuring it out and will probably find a way soon.

 

- - -

 

Hizashi was coming back from some clothes shopping for the upcoming warmer months. He needed some new clothes after Pepper tore through his shirts in a crime of passion and was just finished getting what he wanted. He was in his civilian attire, his long blond hair tied back in a messy knot.

 

He’d paid for a few new shirts as well as a couple things that caught his eyes when he took a step outside the clothing store he was in to hear the sounds of rustling in the alleyway next to the building.

 

‘Wonder what that is? Maybe a raccoon or cat?’ he thought, moving towards the corner.

 

Peeking around he saw a person in a long green raincoat rooting around in some dumpsters whilst a tiny figure was standing a bit back, watching. The taller one looked to be an adult but Hizashi couldn’t quite tell because of their hood being up. The smaller one though, looked to be the size of a kid and the raincoat he was wearing looked to be the same as the taller one, just cut off at the bottom so he wouldn’t trip.

 

The tall one was taking out some old clothes thrown out during clearance and was holding them for the kid to see as if getting his critique but neither of them said anything to each other. Hizashi also noticed that both of them looked a bit dirty, especially the tall one with dirt and grease all over their coat.

 

‘Are they homeless? No Zashi. Don’t judge, you’re literally planning to marry a man very soon who looks like he sleeps in the gutters.’ 

 

The blond took a few steps forward, which immediately was spotted by the kid who ran over to the tall one to hide behind. The tall one in question turned to face Hizashi but even then the dark alley made it hard to tell who they were.

 

“Hey! Hey listeners! Didn’t mean to startle you.” he said, raising up his arms in surrender. He didn’t mean to fall back into his hero persona, it was just how he talked when consoling people.

 

The kid seemed to have vanished behind the taller one, who didn’t react to Hizashi’s words. 

 

“I just wanted to check if you’re alright.” he reassured, spotting behind them a shopping trolley that was being filled with clothes.

 

The tall one stayed still, staring down Hizashi in an almost eerie kind of way. He didn’t feel malicious intent, he didn’t feel any intent coming from the person just a presence. Hizashi knows that normally you should keep to yourself when it comes to things like this and he would if he hadn’t noticed the kid. He wanted to make sure both of them were alright.

 

“Are you able to speak?” he asked gently, not wanting to spook them anymore.

 

The tall one shook their head slowly and almost intently. It was admittedly odd how rigid that movement was but Hizashi didn’t question it. He was more focused on learning more about these two.

 

“Do you know JSL?” he asked and signed. To that the tall one shook their head again, making it clear that this conversation isn’t going to go anywhere unless they find a way to chat.

 

“Ok then. Then I’ll just ask if you’re alright. Are you?” he questioned. The person seemed to freeze for a moment before nodding a couple times. “And what about the kid with you, are they alright?”

 

The person nodded again, starting to inch back now at the mention of the kid. Hizashi couldn’t help but get nervous at that and made a step forward which seemed to cause something under the person’s coat to jump.

 

‘Is he hiding under their coat?’ Hizashi thought, noticing the jump but said nothing.

 

“Can I get a look at the kid? Just to make sure they’re alright.” he clarified.

 

A stand off lasted for a few moments before a little head popped out from the taller one’s coat between their legs. He still couldn’t see his face but could see the small glow of two green irises staring at him.

 

‘He can’t be that old.’ Hizashi thought. The small one really looked like a kid in how he gripped onto the taller one's coat to hide behind. It was a little cute to be honest.

 

“It’s alright. Can you take off that hood so I can see if you’re alright?” he requested.

 

Both he and the tall one shook their heads, almost perfectly in sync. Hizashi wasn’t sure how to continue when he heard the tiniest voice speak.

 

“W-what is t-that?” the child stuttered, not in a shout but more a loud whisper. Like he didn’t want to be overheard.

 

“What is what?” Hizashi questioned, crouching down to be at eye level with the kid, who stepped back a bit into the tall one’s coat.

 

“JSL?” he whispered.

 

Hizashi smiled a little, “It’s something you use to speak without using words or writing.” He moved his arms and hands to show the sign for hello. “This means hello.”

 

The kid tried to copy the movements along with the tall one, bending both of their fingers to match what Hizashi showed. After a few attempts and Hizashi showing them it a few more times, they eventually managed to get it, much to the kid’s joy.

 

“See you got it!” he cheered, making a careful step towards them. This one they didn’t notice and so he kept there, waiting for a chance to close in. He didn’t know who they were but he had his suspicions, specifically with the kid.

 

“H-how do I learn m-more?” he asked, eyes more clear now and blooming with curiosity.

 

Hizashi kept a cheery smile on. “There’s lots of books on it, but if you want I can teach you some more.”

 

The kid seemed to light up when he mentioned books but when he said he could teach him, he must’ve realised how close they were and stepped back, the tall one moving with him. Hizashi made no sudden movements as the duo stumbled back, bumping into the trolley.

 

As they did, the kid seemed to bump into the leg of the tall one and his hood slipped a bit, a few locks of greasy dark green hair poking out. He seemed to panic and put the hood back on but it was enough for Hizashi to confirm who he was looking at.

 

‘Izuku Midoriya. He’s right here and alright.’ Hizashi couldn’t believe he just stumbled into him on a shopping trip. He didn’t know who the tall one was but he was sure they couldn’t be good. He needed to get the kid away from them.

 

The problem was how he could do it without risking the kid being taken hostage. He also didn’t like how still and quiet the tall one was. They haven’t made a sound, not even a gasp to breathe but then again, Hizashi’s hearing aids had been acting up a lot recently so maybe he’s just missed it.

 

He couldn’t say he knew who Midoriya was right away or that might cause something dramatic to happen, so he settled with being the concerned stranger for now.

 

“Hey kid,” he started, causing Midoriya to look up slightly at him, “Are you feeling safe with that person?”

 

He turned to the tall one and the kid looked up at them for a moment before nodding his head. The tall one didn’t react at all, unnerving Hizashi even more.

 

“Okay, well why don’t you both come with me? I can teach you more JSL?” he offered hoping.

 

Both of them took a step back, suspicion and distrust starting to grow in the boy’s eyes which made Hizashi’s heartache. A child should never have to make a face like that. It seemed the kid really mistrusted him and whether it was his own thoughts or the tall ones influence he wasn’t sure.

 

The two kept stepping back, ignoring the trolley clearly planning to run so Hizashi decided to try one last time.

 

“Midoriya, I know it’s you!” he called and it seemed to set off the two.

 

The tall one grabbed the kid and spun around to sprint, no rather scatter towards the other end of the alley. Hizashi took off after, leaving his shopping behind as he grabbed his phone to call Shouta.

 

“Sho’!” he yelled into the phone, “I think I found the kid Midoriya, he’s with someone unknown and I’m chasing them right now to Pinato Square.”

 

He heard his fiancee on the other end stumble, probably from their bed, and spoke back into the phone in a calm but clearly nervous voice. “I’m on my way.”

 

Hizashi kept chasing the two through alleys. It was almost impressive how they managed to avoid stumbling into as little people as possible. He kept calling after the two, telling them he meant no harm, hoping this was a misunderstanding.

 

Eventually, they reached a dead end where they were looking around for any way out. Hizashi stopped behind them, and readied for a standoff. He couldn’t use his quirk here or he might hurt Izuku and he didn’t know the state the kid was in under that raincoat. For all he knew he might be hurt.

 

The duo turned around and Midoriya was still held by the tall one to their chest, almost cradled like a baby. Hizashi made sure to note how the kid wasn’t fighting it but that could be due to stockholm or some kind of quirk. Right now he needed to separate the two.

 

“Look, just put the kid down and we can work this out.” Hizashi tried to negotiate. The tall one just stood there unmoving but by the shifting of its legs, he could tell they were going to fight. So he took the first initiative.

 

Hizashi moved in to strike, aiming a kick to try and sweep the feet out from under them but when he struck, he heard a loud clunk. Were they wearing armor? Nevertheless the person stood tall and responded in kind with a shaky swing of their legs which almost hit Hizashi on the chin. The raincoat had flown up and under he could see what he could tell was a bare leg.

 

This made the hero more determined to get whoever this is away from the child as the two started swinging at each other, parrying legs and just missing the tall ones head. The hood ruffled slightly and under he could spot something shining like a lens. What was more alarming though was how this guy seemed to keep up with him eerily well like he knew what his next move would be.

 

After a few seconds of being in a stalemate, the pro hero finally got an advantage when a puddle caused the tall one to slip. Using that he pivoted on one foot and delivered a kick to the head of the person. A loud crack was heard and the head came clean off, surprising even Hizashi as the person stumbled back, Midoriya still in their clutches.

 

The blond was expecting blood but instead he saw… water? Sprayed out from the stump before it seemed to just stop. He lowered his guard for a moment at the sight, thinking that he might’ve accidentally killed this guy when the headless body jumped and slammed their leg down on Hizashi’s shoulder, taking the fight out of the man as he was crushed to the floor with far too much strength for something that thin.

 

He also heard a crack then and felt water on the back of his head he thought was his blood when the person ran past Hizashi, grabbing their decapitated cranium and taking off. Hizashi was still on the ground, reeling from that last kick when he saw lying next to him was a mangled severed foot. He almost freaked out before he noticed it was made of plastic.

 

He rose back up and tried to chase after them but it was too late. Midoriya was gone without a trace just like the first time. A few moments later, Shouta hopped down into the alley and immediately ran for him when he saw him holding the back of his head. He checked for blood but it just seemed to be water he thinks.

 

“Zashi!” he called and he would’ve found it sweet to hear if he wasn’t wrestling with the most painful shoulder pain he’s ever gotten.

 

“He got away.” Hizashi groaned, now gripping his shoulder. The other man held him slightly to support him.

 

Shouta asked where they went but Hizashi assured him they were long gone. The speed that guy went, even with a missing foot, was far too quick for a normal human. It must’ve been a quirk of some kind.

 

“The foot.” Hizashi nodded, the appendage still there on the floor.

 

Shouta picked it up and looked it over and his eyes widened a little as he looked inside the socket. He must’ve noticed something but whatever it was could wait. After this, he was definitely going to have to see if his shoulder was dislocated, that kick felt far too powerful.

 

With the help of Shouta, the two made their way out where some police cars had arrived, Tsukauchi rushing out to ask where Midoriya went. Ultimately though, Hizashi felt awful and it was less about the kick and more about the fact he let whoever that was get away with the kid. 

 

He didn’t like how he failed when Midoriya was right there.

Chapter 5: Alone but Safe

Notes:

A bit shorter than usual but it's meant to be before a jump in time.

Also thank you for all of the nice comments, it really makes my day.

Izuku was shaking in the arms of Ana as she sprinted down the alleyways. He clutched onto her raincoat whilst he focused on moving her away. Hopping over trash, dodging people having their breaks out the back of their workplaces and cars taking shortcuts through the alleys. 

 

The blond man was still behind them, keeping up despite the difficult maneuvering. Izuku also noticed he was talking to his phone, probably to tell Hisashi that he found him. Yes this was all just terrible and Izuku needed to get out and back to the warehouse as fast as possible.

 

He didn’t know where he was going, just hoping that whoever that blond guy was gets tired and stops but a quick peek over Ana’s shoulder and Izuku could see he was still chasing. Thankfully the doll was probably going to outrun him unless he has a quirk that can keep up with her.

 

That is until Ana almost crashes into a dead end. It was a closed off alley with three buildings together to create a cage that was too high for Ana to climb up. At first Izuku contemplated throwing himself up to a fire escape but he didn't think Ana could reach it.

 

He was going to have to fight. Well Ana was the one to fight but there was no time to get into the specifics. The dummy turned with Izuku in her arms to face the man who stopped a few metres from them. He didn’t look tired and though he was breathing a bit, he didn’t seem out of breath.

 

“Look, just put the kid down and we can work this out.” he ordered, he tried to make it sound convincing but Izuku wasn’t stupid.

 

Ana moved to get ready to fight, Izuku drawing upon all the different fighting styles he’s read heroes use. He knew about some like boxing, karate and judo but he couldn’t tell how this person would fight at a glance.

 

The blond man rushed in, swinging a kick that surprised Izuku at first but it was clear he didn’t expect Ana to be that sturdy. He had her swing her foot up and attempt to make a kicking uppercut but he just got out of the way. The man jumped back and his stance immediately reminded Izuku of some fighting styles he’s seen some heroes use such as Present Mic and Midnight, mostly being kicks and punches meant to destabilise the opponent.

 

Ana made sure to parry each kick he could read and avoid the inevitable punches that followed when they were meant to knock her off balance. While maybe at the beginning when he was learning his quirk she’d fall, Izuku had since learned enough control to make her stance more solid.

 

It was a fast pace back and forth and it was clear the man didn’t want to hurt Izuku, probably so Hisashi can instead, but he seemed to really want to hurt Ana. Maybe because this is the first fight Izuku’s been in so he can actually feel the air between each blow. He makes a mistake though and Ana slips on a puddle. She doesn’t fall but it gives the other man the opportunity to give a harsh winding kick to Ana's head, knocking it off.

 

The dummy’s head bounced on the floor a few times until it rolled near a bin and Izuku could feel the fluid loss from that. He immediately pressed a hand to her chest and gave more spinal fluid to make up for it before he noticed the man was distracted by the head.

 

Using that, Izuku told Ana to strike, the doll jumping in the air, winding her leg up high and bringing it down on the man with enough force to disconnect her foot. The man slammed into the ground, yelling in pain and after he didn’t get up or retaliated immediately, Izuku had Ana grab her head and run for it.

 

He couldn’t risk getting the foot but even without it Ana could move faster than most people. For extra measure though, Izuku made sure to give more fluids, even though he got very dizzy and was about to pass out from the loss.

 

As they ran, Izuku thought he heard sirens somewhere but his headache was too strong to care so he just kept going until they got back to the warehouse. Once home, Ana brought him to his room and set him down before running to hide the hole with a dumpster, assuring his hiding place remained hidden.

 

The boy crawled onto the bed, holding onto Ana’s head and just closed his eyes, taking frantic breaths over how he could’ve been taken away then. He didn’t know what that man’s quirk was, but it must’ve been either too destructive to be used precisely or non-combative, otherwise Ana wouldn’t have been able to defeat him.

 

The fact he could’ve been snatched, back into the hands of Hisashi just made him shake, keeping Ana’s head close and breathing forcefully but the beating in his heart didn’t stop and the headache from quirk use didn’t help. The world felt like it was falling apart.

 

He felt so strangled that he couldn’t move and squeezed the dummy’s head until he was sure the broken camera inside cut his fingers. He couldn’t stop freaking out, he couldn’t stop spiralling.

 

He can’t go back outside. He can never go back outside. It was too much. Too risky. It would always have to be Ana now, even if her range is too short. He’ll find a way, he has to, he has to.

 

Izuku remained balled up until the sun started to set, still awake and shaking he eventually pulled himself up and walked to get some water and drank it. It helped calm down his weakening panic but the resolution from that still remained strong.

 

He can’t leave. Leaving risks being found. He needs to stay here and get stronger on his own.

 

- - -

 

“That was his quirk?” Hizashi said, lying on the couch with Dot, scratching her head.

 

“According to what we know, it’s likely.” Shouta added, doing the dishes in the kitchen.

 

The erasure hero had come back from the station after Hizashi had that encounter with kid  Midoriya. They made sure Hizashi’s shoulder got checked for anything lasting but thankfully it wasn’t dislocated, just going to have a nasty bruise that would fade with time much to both of their relief. 

 

At the station, Tsukauchi explained what he got from the hospital about the Midoriya's visit. Apparently the kid had manifested his quirk which resulted in Hisashi getting a swollen nose and Inko getting a punch to the face (though he didn’t quite believe that last one and neither did the detective).

 

He also found out what it exactly was and what the cerebrospinal fluid was for. It was used in his quirk and acted like a moss-like muscle to manipulate and control objects, effectively puppeteering them. It was a pretty strange quirk according to the analyst.

 

It seemed to strengthen a lot of materials, at least when in motion as explained in a report that mentioned a doll sending Hisashi, a grown man, stumbling back. Now that Shouta’s seen, second hand, what the quirk can do it was certainly one that can get stronger the better materials and control were.

 

“Either that kid had perfect control or his quirk works on autopilot.” the blond commented as he moved his hand away from the cat, earning a death glare.

 

“There’s a lot that isn’t known about the quirk. They never got a real chance to have a quirk counsellor look at it.” Shouta clarified, finishing up drying.

 

On top of that, that’s all they got on the kid Midoriya. After Hizashi lost him, the police tried to search for the child but found nothing. At this point either the kid is magical or he’s just incredibly lucky and magic doesn’t exist.

 

“At least we know the Dragon’s Roar hasn’t found him.” Hizashi stated, looking on the brighter side of things. “But still. I could’ve saved him.”

 

“You didn’t know he was alone.” Shouta argued gently. He circled around the counter that divided their living room and kitchen and sat down next to his fiancee. Hizashi didn’t reach out for him so Shouta did instead taking his head and pulling it onto his shoulder which the blond let. 

 

“It’s almost been three weeks, Sho'.” Hizashi stated, “He’s been out there on the streets alone for three weeks and I could’ve pulled him away from it all. Why…”

 

It was clear why he stopped. Why didn’t the kid just accept the help? Why didn’t he just trust the man in front of him instead of just running and even hurting him. Shouta can’t think of a definite answer but he can take a wild guess.

 

From what Tsukauchi got about the kid’s home life, he probably had to walk on eggshells around his father and as such grew up to be timid and quiet. That, on top of watching his mother die by his hands, the kid is probably terrified of people. In a way he’s like a cat who runs at the first sign of anything bigger than him.

 

He explained all this to Hizashi and the man just leaned more onto Shouta as he gave a quiet sad chuckle. “So he’s like a stray cat, huh? Even got the scratches to prove it.”

 

Shouta hummed at that. He just hoped they’d find this stray cat and get him somewhere safe as soon as possible.

 

- - -

 

Izuku made one final trip to the beach. His last one hopefully, at least for him personally. He came to pick up something that at the time was too heavy to bring back with a trolley, at least fully.

 

It was a wide monitor along with a few cameras that were next to it. Most likely what was once a part of a security console if the branding they all shared meant anything. He knew he needed this to replace Ana’s lost ‘eye’. It took the better part of the night. Ducking into alleys and avoiding people as much as possible until he finally got it back to the warehouse. 

 

The problem was getting it inside. The biggest thing he’s gotten in was a bed frame that just barely made it through the hole by taking it apart. But the monitor was very wide and couldn’t be taken apart, so after some careful movements and a few cracks, they just got it through.

 

Ana moved it to the bedroom and set it on the desk that was a part of the office. Hooking it up to the power, the monitor came to life but had no input. Thankfully the computer he’d gotten from his first visit could finally be hooked up and the screen finally showed what the computer was.

 

It looked to be having problems with crashes and stuttering but after Izuku thought back to the ‘Computers Made Easy’ book, it seemed that the computer had gotten a virus. Recalling what he read, he wiped the computer completely and restarted it, the virus gone and whatever was on it before gone too.

 

After that he had a working computer, there was just the issue with the internet. He knew it was something he needed to go online from how often he’s watched it drop from before. He knew he needed a box but he also knew that he’d need to pay for it. He was going to have to visit the library himself and find out how he can work around this.

 

A day later Izuku would do just that, opting to go early in the morning on a Monday in hopes of as few people as possible finding him. He didn’t wear his raincoat this time, instead wore a hoodie he’d seen at the dump. It wasn’t pretty, nor was it clean and he’s pretty sure there’s blood on it but it didn’t matter. Once he had what he needed, he didn’t need to worry about clothing for the foreseeable future.

 

He moved quickly, and intentionally avoided eye contact with the librarian. Indeed the walls felt cramped, especially without Ana. He felt vulnerable and alone and that he couldn't do anything. He could feel his heart start to beat fast.

 

He quickly looked for the computers here and opted to just search for what he wanted as fast as possible. A few quick lookups and he found what he wanted. While he couldn’t get a provider for his internet, because that needed money, he did find something called ‘Satellite Internet’. He remembered that he had a satellite dish in the junk pile he gathered but wasn’t sure how’d he work that out.

 

After taking a list of things he needed to do to make the connection work, he left the library quickly, not even stopping when the librarian called out to him. He ran back home and immediately went to work on what to do. He set up the satellite dish and connected it to the computer, linking it to the power and creating a network of haphazard cables that would be a fire hazard if he knew what that second word meant.

 

However, he knew the biggest problem about this was not the dish, the computer or the power, it was the actual satellites that were the problem. That problem being that they moved. Izuku wrestled with it for a while. He’d need the dish to be facing the satellite in order to connect to the internet but to do that the satellite dish needed to always move.

 

The boy wracked his mind to find a way to do this but realised he had the perfect solution. On the roof, he set up the satellite (thanks to Ana) and injected the dish with his quirk, feeding it spinal fluid. Then after a moment of testing, Izuku was shifting the dish around at will. He’d need to refill it every now and again but right now, it was perfect.

 

The boy excitedly checked the computer and after some checks, he opened a browser and boom! He had a weak connection. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to not need the library. That day, Izuku spent it getting more and more information. How to strengthen his connection, how to read better and most importantly, how to make money.

 

Indeed with all of this, he was going to be able to do a lot of things.

 

He’d never have to leave the warehouse, he’d never have to risk getting caught, he’d never have to worry about Hisashi or anyone for that matter. Yes here, with this, he was safe. Alone. But safe.

Chapter 6: Misunderstanding

Notes:

Hitoshi finally enters the story. Hope I did his character right. There's a lot more of him to come of course if you've read the tags.

Have a nice day everyone!

Shouta was going on a date tonight with Hizashi for the first time in a few months. Underground work, especially the night patrols, makes scheduling a nightmare for stuff like outings or getting drinks with friends. He knows Hizashi has been patient with him and he can’t love the man more than he already does.

 

He knows as well how down his husband has been about the missing Midoriya case. It’s been six months since the kid was last seen and Hizashi has been blaming himself more and more with every passing week there’s no news about him.

 

Hisashi’s, or whoever he was, trail has gone cold with no lead in sight, implying that he was likely a higher up in the Dragon’s Roar. Either way, the whole Midoriya case is going cold and soon there’ll be no reason for the police or heroes to keep looking into it. It’s just a sad affair all around really.

 

So Shouta’s planning to make things better for his blond loudmouth, at least for a night. The place he had gotten a reservation at was one that he had to get a few months in advance and tonight was that night. A night he explicitly made sure he and Hizashi would get off from doing any work.

 

At least that was the plan, but when he was checking the news that afternoon, he found out that the restaurant in question had a villain attack resulting in it needing to be closed for the next week. He still managed to get his reservation moved to that next week but having their night with just them delayed was a massive headache for the hero.

 

The two just settled for ordering takeout and watching a few movies. Not bad but that was what they were going to do after the dinner anyway so it could’ve easily been a better night. Shouta had made an order for their food and rested on the couch for twenty or so minutes with Hizashi until they heard their buzzer, asking for someone to be let in.

 

Letting the delivery driver in, the wonderful smell of fried chicken hit his nose as he opened the door. The covered up person was wearing a motorcycle helmet that had hidden their face but that didn’t concern Shouta. He just took the food and thanked the guy who just nodded back before turning to Hizashi to grace him with the wonderful treat of fried food.

 

None the wiser to how close Izuku was.

 

- - -

 

‘Another delivery done by Ana.’ thought Izuku behind his computer screen. 

 

‘He’ just completed his fifth delivery of the night and had already accepted a sixth, sending Ana back downstairs to grab her bike and head off to the next food place. Ever since he found a delivery app that didn’t look too closely into who their employees were, Izuku has been delivering food for them for the last three months.

 

It was rough at the beginning. Learning what routes were best, making sure he was on time and of course the biggest, learning how to ride a bike but he got it. It helped that he wasn’t the one doing the biking and instead Ana was the one running around Musutafu. 

 

Over the months he figured out how to get his connection stronger so that his video feed was better. He’s even gotten it to a point he subconsciously knew where the right satellites were at the right time. Of course he had to learn to work both Ana and the dish separately, which took longer than he expected but now he doesn’t have to worry.

 

Frankly things have been great for him. He hasn’t had to leave the warehouse since he got the satellite dish to work (besides going onto the roof to replenish it) and now he was thriving. For the most part.

 

He still had problems sleeping and would stay up days at a time but honestly, he had so much he could do now, and he was six! He’s much more grown up then he was then. His work arrangement was easy, especially with being able to have a second monitor that he bought with his own money. He was very proud of that one.

 

He’d also been improving Ana in terms of her body. Yes she was still cobbled together but with nicer parts. 

 

Izuku had gotten a mannequin torso to replace the anatomical dummy and it was a lot easier to keep fluids inside it. He’d also gotten some new arms, legs and to top it all off, enough tape to fully wrap her so that not a drop can slip out. He still had her head though. He didn’t want to lose it as it made Ana, Ana to him. 

 

He did clean it up though and even got some new rubber to wrap around to replace the ones that got shredded after the camera inside her head broke. He also didn’t need to worry about finding food banks anymore to feed himself, though he doesn’t really have an appetite in the first place.

 

It’s fine though, it’s mostly because when Ana isn’t working, Izuku’s learning a lot. He found this online schooling website and has been doing so well. He’s studied really hard and learned a lot. He just wished his mama could see how well he’s doing.

 

That’s another thing Izuku has been dealing with. He tries hard not to think about Mama because everytime he does, he gets that thing with his heart where it beats really fast and he starts having trouble breathing. But enough of that, how about we talk more about his home?

 

It’s still the same in terms of the warehouse floor besides a lot more junk in it, courtesy of the beach, but his bedroom has been a lot better. He’d collected a few dolls from some antique stores that Ana spotted and enjoyed using them for practising movements. Ever since that day that guy attacked them, Izuku has been learning how to protect himself if Hisashi ever found him.

 

He already studied heroes and quirks before so he was excited to pick it back up now that he didn’t have to worry about Hisashi stopping him. He could play with the dolls all he wanted and no one could stop it.

 

Truly he was happy like this. The only problem was he was now wondering what to do with his growing free time. He wanted to try sewing but he’d need a while to save up enough money to buy a machine. There was that other thing that he couldn’t escape, the one thing that he couldn’t have, no matter what he wanted.

 

Company.

 

- - -

 

Shinsou Hitoshi had just been moved to another home after his last one gave up on him. It wasn’t like he did anything. Literally he did nothing, but with a quirk like his. A villainous one. He couldn’t escape accusations and misconceptions or even downright manipulations some people would do just to hurt him.

 

What was the excuse this time? It was his fault that another kid hit a different one. Apparently that kid accused Hitoshi of using his quirk on them so now here he was, off to the next temporary stay like he’s a hot potato.

 

This one was in Musutafu with what he hoped this time would be someone who’d see him for more than his quirk but he couldn’t get his hopes up that high. He knew for the most part this was life for him and would be for a long time. No one wanted a kid who could take over you with just a few words.

 

Indeed just like that, he was given a bunch of ground rules the second he stepped foot through the door. No asking questions. No speaking without permission (which was never). Not even a sound, be it a sneeze or a cough, could leave his lips. And just like that he was welcomed into a new ‘home’.

 

At least this one he had to himself and didn’t have to fight with other foster kids pinning the blame on him for every wrong thing that happened. It was a small room he got, a broom closet practically, but at least it was his alone to sleep in.

 

And of course another school uniform for another school he’s moved to. He was about to start going to elementary school and it was honestly something he was not looking forward to. At least in his current grade, the childish insults actually came from kids. Soon he’d have to deal with people who were actually smart, not to say he was but at least he was wise enough to know how stupid some people could be.

 

After he'd settled in, he decided to immediately head out to explore. He didn’t like staying in the homes physically because it would always end up with him being blamed for something so he’d rather not make a mountain out of his first day. Musutafu was quite busy despite it being a Tuesday but Hitoshi didn’t mind. It made it easier to hide away and he didn’t mind the crowds.

 

Though he would mind some elbow room so he drifted to some of the more quieter parts of town. He knew Musutafu was close to the shore so he followed the scent of the ocean hoping to find a beach to just rest at.

 

What he got instead was a landfill site that was an eyesore to anyone passing by. At least he got a good view of the sun. It was almost October so it was setting faster and faster so he waited for the flaming ball in the sky to set. He didn’t really have much to do and despite the junk-filled surroundings, it was fun to look at and be shocked at what people had thrown away here.

 

After about an hour of resting, he heard the sound of shaky footsteps make their way towards him. When he turned, he spied a tall person in a green hoodie and grey sweatpants wandering towards him with a wheelbarrow in tow.

 

He did not like the way they stared at him.

 

Hitoshi stood up from the curb where he was sitting and eyed the stranger. He was a kid but not a fool. He knew about stranger danger and this stranger was looking right at him. He couldn’t see their face as it was covered with the hoodie and the drawstrings were pulled enough to hide everything but their eyes and they looked empty.

 

The wheelbarrow they were pushing was full of junk that Hitoshi didn’t know what for but nevertheless kept his guard up. He pushed himself to speak as right now they were in a standoff and the other person clearly wasn’t the talkative type.

 

“What do you want?” Hitoshi growled, making sure he sounded threatening enough.

 

The stranger didn’t flinch at his tone and instead moved their arms and hands in a few motions. They looked like they were trying to say something with them but Hitoshi didn’t understand what. After a few seconds of doing that, they stopped and instead reached for something in their pocket.

 

Hitoshi stepped back immediately, ready to run if this guy tried anything but what came out surprisingly was a notepad and a pencil. The figure brought it up right to the hole in the hoodie and wrote something down. 

 

‘Are they shortsighted?’ thought Hitoshi but stopped when the figure lowered their arm down to show what they wrote on the notepad.

 

Do you know JSL (Japanese Sign Language)? 

 

The writing was neat, almost textbook but it didn’t lower Hitoshi’s guard at all. “No, I don’t know that.” he replied, still keeping his distance.

 

The figure continued to write again right next to their face and lowered their arm down to show him their new message.

 

Why are you here?

 

“Because I wanted to watch the sun set? Oh and also be alone if you don’t mind." The last part came out snappy. Hitoshi still wasn’t sure if this person was a danger or not so didn’t want to get friendly just yet.

 

The stranger seemed to freeze for a moment before writing once more. When he showed the message though…

 

I like to be alone too

 

Hitoshi didn’t know whether to be alarmed or not. He didn’t know what this stranger wanted from him or why they’re talking to him. He stuck around only because it had been a while since he had a conversation with someone where he could speak freely.

 

“Why are you talking to me?” he queried directly, not wanting to beat around the bush. “Shouldn’t you have something better to do than bothering a kid like me?”

 

That second rhetorical question was a lot more aggressive and had a bit more emotion than he intended. Again it didn’t seem to scare or even register with the stranger and they just stared at Hitoshi, creeping him out until they started writing again.

 

I wanted to talk to someone and you seemed lonely like me. Also I’m a kid too!

 

Hitoshi read the first part of the message and every part of him said to run right now, only stopping just enough to read the second sentence. What did they mean they were a kid too?

 

“You can’t be a kid! You’re too big!” he argued childishly.

 

The stranger just stood there a moment, again eerily still, until they reached up to pull their hood back to show a distorted head. It looked vaguely like a woman’s but there was plastic wrap around it and what seemed to be a dome camera buried into the left side of her face. Her eyes were again lifeless and her lips didn’t seem capable of moving.

 

It looked distorted and disjointed. It was just realistic enough to be recognisable as human at a distance but it was distorted up close. Jilted, disfigured, monstrous. The fact it stood perfectly still like a scarecrow, staring directly at him put some kind of panic in his heart he only got when seeing a bug sneak up on him.

 

Hitoshi was afraid at what he was looking at and a normal kid would probably run at the sight of whatever this thing is. But for him, he was a bit frozen. The way that glaring camera lens bore down at him was almost pinning, daring him to move. He felt his feet fail to lift and just felt scared in a mind blanking way.

 

It felt like forever as he watched the stranger write once more. They didn’t write it up to their face, probably to keep an eye on Hitoshi. Once they were done, they showed him the notepad again.

 

I am controlling this doll

 

‘Doll? What?’ Hitoshi thought, confused and startled. 

 

From what this person is trying to say or at least Hitoshi could guess is that they’re controlling this… thing. That they were somehow, probably by a quirk, were puppeteering this thrown together, vaguely human, plastic, rubber and cloth coloured figure. 

 

But where was the kid? They said they’re the same age but Hitoshi can’t see them. Are they inside it? Are they off to the side watching this from a far? He noticed the camera once more and started to understand what he was looking at a bit more. They were watching him through that.

 

But that doesn’t prove anything about the stranger being a kid, it just proved what he was looking at wasn’t even the stranger. No this felt very risky and the kind of thing people make urban legends out of. The creepy doll man who snatches children away.

 

So when he noticed it’s been a while since anyone said anything and watched the ‘doll’ lift up their notebook once more, Hitoshi took the opportunity and ran. Sprinting fully and hoping that the stranger either couldn’t catch up or he was just too quick.

 

He was expecting to hear fast footsteps behind him. Like he was on the set of a horror movie about to get mauled in the street and left for some poor person to find. He didn’t want to be a victim, especially when he’s lived such a short and shitty life. 

 

He just kept going and hoping, until he reached someone he could hide behind.

 

- - -

 

Izuku didn’t know what he was doing. Maybe not talking with anyone his age for months was getting to him. Maybe not talking to anyone period was getting to him. But when he saw that purple haired kid with hair that looked like it was defying gravity perpetually, he found himself drawn to how downtrodden he looked.

 

Ana was just coming back from the beach dump with some more random electronics to scavenge when he spotted the kid staring out over the rubbish and trash, towards the sun. While Izuku never stayed outside long enough to watch the sunset, he definitely admitted that the junk, shadowed by the setting sun can actually be quite scenic.

 

It was just a bit more than that though that made him wander up to the kid who looked to be his age, maybe a bit older (Izuku using his own tiny size as a bad frame of reference). It was how tired his eyes looked, how thin he was and how he was here of all places.

 

Izuku has been to this beach many times and has seen enough people to match his number of fingers. This area was a deadzone where there were only three types of people. Either here to check out the beach and then immediately leave disappointed, here to dump something, be it old stuff or defective garbage and those who were less fortunate, scavenging the mess like him.

 

Someone here, enjoying the view willingly wasn’t something people came here for. So of course he had to go up and ask to find out what he was doing here. Curiosity and loneliness was getting the better of him. Ana set off on her way to the boy, pushing a wheelbarrow full of goods.

 

Ana moved towards the boy and immediately Izuku could see him stand up. That must mean he’s ready for a conversation, right? He said to Ana what it is she wanted so Izuku, after some hesitation, decided he was going to engage with him. Once Ana got close enough, Izuku ordered her to drop the wheelbarrow and start communicating with him. He had her sign ‘Good evening, do you know JSL?’.

 

Izuku learned JSL when he realised how useful it could be for Ana as communication has been the newer problem the dummy had. He got the idea (annoyingly) from that guy who chased them down months ago though he admits it has been very useful on one or two occasions.

 

Of course not everyone knows JSL but it’s better to be able to have it in case the opportunity presents itself. That’s why he has the notepad and pencil in Ana’s pocket after all. With it he can practically chat with anyone, not that he wants to.

 

The purple haired boy didn’t seem to understand when he made the gestures so it’s probably safe to say he didn’t know sign language. Ana reached into her hoodie’s front pocket and pulled out the notepad and small pencil Izuku bought in bulk for his journals. She brought the notepad right up to the camera lens so Izuku could focus on what it was he would be writing.

 

The fun thing about commanding someone to do things with your mind is that they can do it exactly to your parameters, provided they are capable of it. When Izuku gave the dummy the orders to write down ‘ Do you know JSL (Japanese Sign Language)?’ , it was done at the quality of a textbook example.

 

Showing that to the boy, he just stood there for a moment before he said that he did not. That dismayed Izuku for a second but it wasn’t an unexpected answer so he took out the notebook and began to write: ‘Why are you here?’

 

The other kid responded immediately and it would almost sound like he was snapping at Izuku if he hadn’t devolved socially over the last few months of isolation. He said he wanted to be alone and Izuku can understand that totally. He liked being alone because it was the safest thing for him.

 

He made sure to air this thing they have in common in his next note. ‘I like to be alone too’

 

The purple haired kid seemed to make a face that Izuku couldn’t read but he could tell he was getting uncomfortable. He must’ve said something wrong but it was his response that seemed to make things make sense when he asked why he was talking to him and that he clearly thought he was talking to an adult.

 

He wasn’t of course but Izuku could understand why he’d make that mistake. He needed Ana to look like an adult so she could do the delivery job but also because being taller is more advantageous. Biking was easier, you moved faster and she could carry more weight.

 

He did note though that the purple haired kid almost shouted that out. Which meant he’s probably as scared as he would be if he saw a strange adult talk to him. Heck he was in that state a few months ago. He quickly scrawled down an answer in hopes of comforting him. He doesn’t want to make him feel scared.

 

I wanted to talk to someone and you seemed lonely like me. Also I’m a kid too!

 

The other kid read his message and Izuku expected a happier expression than the one he had right now. Why was he getting more upset? Did he not believe him? He clearly didn’t, given how he said it out, stating that Ana was ‘too big’ to be a kid.

 

So Izuku decided to show instead of tell. Surely he can figure it out once he’s seen Ana’s a doll. He ordered her to draw back her head and suddenly the screen got bright now that it wasn’t looking through a pinhole. The doll shook her head a little in case the hood was still stuck and just looked directly at the kid to see if he understood or not.

 

Instead he just froze and Izuku thought for a moment that the camera died or the connection stuttered. Once he saw the other kid blink though he was sure he was just stunned. Ana’s beautiful you know? Izuku put a lot of effort into making sure Ana’s head looked as close to human as possible. Sure the camera lens ruined it and maybe he could’ve put more effort into laying the plastic but he couldn’t really melt plastic down… could he?

 

‘Something to look into later.’ thought Izuku as he quickly opened a tab on the second monitor to add plastic moulds into his to do list.

 

Just in case though the other kid wasn’t sure, Izuku wrote down in the notebook a clarifying statement. ‘I am controlling this doll’

 

Once he showed that the other kid seemed to be shook out of whatever thoughts he was having and his eyes started darting around the place. Izuku wasn’t sure what for but given how his face paled, the greenette realised that there might be a misunderstanding forming. Ana lifted up the notebook once more but as he did he watched the purple haired kid run.

 

Izuku realised that he may have messed up somewhere. He thought for a moment to chase the boy down and solve this misunderstanding, whatever it was, but then he just barely had enough clarity to think that that just might, maybe, make things worse. So he let him go, feeling dejected and sad that his first time talking to someone was a bust. Surely though he would get more chances in the future.

Chapter 7: Name/Colour/Quirk

Notes:

Hope this chapter is good, also it's Denki's birthday today! (He's not in the chapter though),

<3

It’s been a few weeks since Hitoshi talked to that creepy stranger at the beach. He still got creeps every time he saw a doll because it reminded him of that messed up plastic face it had. Thankfully that day it didn’t seem to follow him back to the house and he meant the house.

 

So far this place has been another, predictable, bust. The two adults haven’t laid a hand on him yet but they have been neglecting him. The only food he gets is dinner and that’s mostly leftovers, which is honestly better than some places so at least he has that going for him. It’s not as if you need three meals a day.

 

But of course that didn’t mean he didn’t want them! He constantly felt empty and hungry, even if it was a familiar feeling. At least when he goes to school, he might get some better food. It was Hitoshi’s first year in elementary school, not that he was hoping for much. He knew ever since he got this quirk when he was three that the world would always see him a certain way.

 

It was almost April and the cherry blossoms would be coming out in full force. Hitoshi only hoped that elementary would be different from kindergarten. 

 

He barely made any friends, both because of his quirk and the fact he kept moving from place to place because of his fostering situation. It honestly reached the point where he didn’t want to bother anymore. Why try when it was all temporary? It wasn’t as if anyone would want to keep him longer than a year.

 

Maybe he would be lucky though. He was still a kid and that spark of hope all youths had was still within him. These fosters at least didn’t go after him on purpose so here’s hoping he can make it a year because without that hope, Hitoshi doesn’t know what his future would look like.

 

When the day came that he got his uniform for the school, he could immediately tell that it wasn’t done begrudgingly by his fosters but also not done willingly. Hitoshi guesses that he probably won’t be getting anymore replacements should he lose them. Maybe he could find something at that beach he visited.

 

No actually, scratch that. Best not to risk stumbling into that creep again. He should just be extra careful with his stuff and hope no one takes his stuff or it breaks ‘mysteriously’. 

 

The morning of, he changed quickly into his uniform and set out for the school, not bothering to say goodbye because he knew he wasn’t getting a good luck. He didn’t have breakfast so already he was feeling lethargic. At least he got a full seven hours of sleep so that counts for something.

 

It was a while to Aldera Elementary School or rather the entire Aldera institution itself. The place was a mix of three different schools into one huge complex with elementary, middle and high all being together. It was quite extravagant all things considered but that might just be the idea, Hitoshi will need to see it before he makes any assumptions about the place.

 

The first day had come and orientation was given. Lining up with all those other kids along with the middle and high school students was something to behold. Hitoshi honestly had never seen so many people in one place so he was feeling intimidated as he was sure everyone else was.

 

As with all school orientations, there was the usual long winded speech from the principal. A meek looking man with a very obvious toupee on his head. Hitoshi was sure everyone could see it and honestly it would’ve been fine if the man’s toupee wasn’t a different hair colour than his actual hair to the sides of his head.

 

Maybe he intended that, maybe he didn’t, either way it was at least distracting for the first twenty minutes of the speech. It stopped getting interesting when he actually stopped to hear the man talking about ‘raising the strong of tomorrow for a brighter future tomorrow’.

 

Now that almost made Hitoshi groan. Anyone who talks like that are always the people to omit that the ‘strong’ are those who are chosen. Hitoshi’s quirk isn’t that strong in raw power but it was definitely dangerous in every other sense. He’s never got a chance to use it fully for longer than ten seconds but that was enough to get how powerful it could be.

 

Whether that coin landed on the side of good or evil though, was entirely up to public opinion.

 

When orientation finally ended, thank god, he could finally go inside to homeroom and sit down after an hour of standing. His seating arrangement put him towards the back of the class, something that Hitoshi would soon realise was on purpose.

 

When the roll call was being done, they had also played a game, one that Hitoshi could already guess was for one purpose. When someone had their name called out, they’d introduce themselves. Saying their name, their favourite colour and, of course, their quirk.

 

Hitoshi could already tell the faces that would turn when he said the word ‘Brainwashing’ to them. Having a mind control quirk triggered by just answering his questions was already hard enough to explain but also having that label synonymous with so many negative things, it was like he was being written up for failure, which in all honesty he probably was.

 

When the teacher got through everyone else, she called the class’ attention to him. Hitoshi immediately noticed that unlike everyone else, the teacher’s eyes narrowed at him. Standing up, he could feel her eyes judging to see if he knew his place so Hitoshi acted as calm as possible and just said out what was expected.

 

“My name is Shinsou Hitoshi. My favourite colour is purple. My quirk is called Brainwashing and I can control people’s minds if they answer my questions.”

 

- - -

 

‘That day went wonderfully.’ Hitoshi thought. 

 

Of course he was being sarcastic, something he had to learn in order to cope better with everything putting him down. Today was definitely one of those. The response to his quirk was as he tragically expected, with suspicion and whispers.

 

When lunchtime came, he was already alone, no one having talked to him probably out of fear of his quirk. And given how some people who weren’t in his class were giving him looks, that information has spread like wildfire.

 

The question now is how he will be treated? Will he be ignored by everyone, treated only with a ten foot pole out of fear or will some people mess with him because it’s the right thing to do to someone with a villainous quirk. That didn’t take long, when he was ‘accidentally’ bumped into several times in the playground probably to see how far they could go before he reacted.

 

They weren’t going to get a rise out of him. Not yet anyway. Even he had his limits but they were longer than most he hoped. At the very least he won’t have to worry for a little while. 

 

Everyone was still in the data collection portion of the bullying, knowing what’s quiet enough that the teachers won’t care. But given how every shoulder check was met with a glare at him by the teachers, it was clear that it was going to be a lot.

 

At least he can people watch before it gets worse. Class favourites were already being picked and it seemed that the biggest was a spiky haired blond kid from another class. Bakugou, if Hitoshi remembered right. 

 

He had an explosion quirk. Something perfect for fighting and defeating villains so Hitoshi can surely expect to meet him in the coming weeks once everyone is settled. Obviously he wasn’t looking forward to it. No one likes to be bullied, no matter what anyone tells you.

 

When his first day ended, no one had said a word to him but they definitely said words about him. He didn’t know whether to be flattered or depressed that he’ll be on the tip of everyone’s tongues for the next while. Of course it was all bad things. Who’d ever treat him differently outside of a guy with a villainous quirk?

 

- - -

 

It only took till Friday for his first incident to arise. He wasn’t sure why it took so long to get there but maybe being older made everyone more cautious than before. Hitoshi definitely knew as the years went on he was going to get more jumpy.

 

He was sitting against a wall in the playground, hiding in the shade away from everyone when a couple of kids from a different class walked up to him. Hitoshi could already see the shit eating smirks they had, that what was going to happen was nothing short of friendly. But maybe he was just being paranoid. Of course he would soon be corrected.

 

One kid was plump and had a shaved head along with what looked to be featherless wings coming out of his back. The other was a scrawny looking brat with short grey hair and spikes on his knuckles. If he remembered right, they’re called Tsubasa and Pangaki respectively.

 

“Hey Shinsou,” Tsubasa started, looking down at the sitting boy, “are you the guy with the villainous quirk?”

 

He laid it out as innocently as possible but of course couldn’t hold back his smile, clearly already knowing who he was and what his quirk is. Hitoshi knew it was meant to trap him so instead he just did what he always did and was direct with what he thought.

 

“No. You got the wrong guy.” completely calm but getting more stressed inside.

 

Tsubasa seemed a bit taken back when Hitoshi said that but didn’t for long. Pangaki decided to step in and make his opinion on Hitoshi’s quirk known. 

 

“But everyone says that you’ve got one.”

 

“Then I guess everyone’s wrong.” Hitoshi shot back as calmly as he could.

 

It was hard keeping up this facade. Again, no one liked being picked on, no matter what they say and while these can all just be ‘innocent questions’ it was all clearly trying to get a reaction out of him. He wasn’t going to let that happen, he wasn’t giving them the satisfaction.

 

Pangaki didn’t stop, just kept going onwards with his next attack ready. “But isn’t your quirk Brainwashing? That sounds really evil to me.”

 

He did that while raising his hands in a ‘just my opinion’ kind of way. As if that made it less obvious what he was doing. 

 

“Only if it’s used that way.” he argued, lifting up from the ground.

 

Hitoshi wasn’t a small kid despite getting so little food and sleep. His guess has something to do with genetics and someone in his family having a height quirk. He was probably the top three tallest in his entire class so the confident looks on Pangaki and Tsubasa seemed to shake when he stood above them. His wild flowy hair also helped in the intimidation factor even if he didn’t want to look more scary than he already was.

 

“W-well,” Tsubasa stuttered slightly, “how do we know you don’t use it that way, huh?”

 

“By maybe trying something called the ‘benefit of the doubt’ and being respectful.” Hitoshi countered, even if it’s wrong for a six year old to have to point that out.

 

“Why should we respect you when you’ve got a quirk like that?” Pangaki interjected and more aggressively now that it was obvious Hitoshi wasn’t going to let them walk all over him.

 

“Why should I when you’ve got a face like that.” Hitoshi spat, hoping that would beat him away.

 

The grey haired brat looked offended by that and scrunched his eyebrows. “Maybe it’d be better if a villain like you just stayed out of school altogether. It isn’t like you’ll need it.”

 

Pangaki clearly wasn’t putting up his innocent facade anymore if the snarl in his tone was anything to go by. Hitoshi was about to stab back again when they were interrupted by a teacher asking what they were doing. The teacher clearly didn’t care when Tsubasa and Pangaki were goading Hitoshi but when it was clear he wasn’t going to take it lying down, now he had to get involved.

 

The brats just said they were chatting and Hitoshi nodded along too, just wanting to go back to sitting in the shade. Thankfully the teacher left it there but not before giving the side eye to Hitoshi as he got back to supervising. For the rest of that break, the teacher practically hovered around Hitoshi, looking for an excuse to chastise the boy.

 

- - -

 

Things of course got worse as time went on. More taunts were made at him, especially on the way out from school, in hopes of getting him in trouble should he fight back. Soon these taunts turned into kicks in the back of his heel, which then turned to outright shoves in the corridors when the teachers weren’t watching.

 

Of course sometimes they were but it wasn’t as if they’d actually do something. That was clear to Hitoshi the first time it occurred. He couldn’t do it back, obviously. Second he did, a teacher would be right there with a detention slip and a stern talking to about bullying and not causing trouble.

 

Hitoshi even got his bag grabbed a few times but with how use to the boy was to such things, he always had at least one hand on his bag so they normally just get stuck between them in a momentary tug of war before they let go and run away like they didn’t just try to take his shit.

 

Honestly he couldn’t wait for summer break. If not only to be away from everything and everyone and just be by himself. He finally got a moment when a villain attack close to the school left them having to close early for the day, a small blessing for Hitoshi as he rushed home.

 

He’d put his bag away and tore off his uniform because it was getting far too hot for it. He headed to a small park  just to get some fresh air and isolation because it was all he had going for him in terms of hobbies. Finding little quiet spots like this always made him happy, especially when it looked like anyone rarely went there.

 

Unfortunately it wasn’t one of those days he could be alone when a group of kids he recognised from class, along with Pangaki and Tsubasa, went for him the second they noticed he was there. 

 

Hitoshi honestly considered just running, not giving the chance for them to make any remark or possibly grab him. He’s never had a beatdown before but he knew that look in their eyes when they closed in. Hitoshi made sure to stand up right away and stared them down, daring them to come closer than they already were. Thankfully that seemed to make them stop in their tracks but not in their pursuit.

 

“Hey Shinsou! Nice we ran into each other.” Pangaki called with a wry smile on his lips. 

 

“What is it?” Hitoshi replied, not even trying to sound polite.

 

One of the kids scolded at his words. “Rude villain. Doesn’t even know how to greet properly.”

 

Hitoshi looked over to the one who said that and it was a big kid who seemed to have some kind of white crystal growing out of his shoulders. When his eyes met Hitoshi’s, the kid’s brow seemed to furrow more than it already had.

 

“I agree, Shiosho," Pangaki agreed. “Honestly Shinsou, maybe people would like you better if you could be a bit more friendly.” 

 

Of course that last sentence was laced with fake concern, like he actually cared whether or not Hitoshi was friendly. People would always see his quirk first and everything else as secondary and it’s tragic that at an early age he knew he wasn’t going to be treated any differently.

 

But right now, Hitoshi decided to use their words against them and be polite for now. So with a weak smile and a daring look he responded to Pangaki with strained words. “Well can you please leave me alone? I kind of don’t want to chat right now.”

 

Pangaki’s smile got annoying wider as the scrawny brat opened his mouth some more in the most condescending way. “There? Was that so hard? Maybe you could avoid being a villain yet if you kept up that attitude.”

 

Hitoshi swore he was going to cut open his palm with how tightly he was clenching his fist. After a short breath longer than the rest, he just decided to go. It was clear these people weren’t going to leave him alone until they had their fill or Hitoshi left.

 

And he was doing just that, walking off without a goodbye because he didn’t want to give them the chance to provoke him anymore lest he actually get into an argument. He speedwalked away, where Pangaki called after him and he almost got to the park gate when a painful grasp got hold of his arm.

 

“We aren’t finished.” the person grabbing him growled. Hitoshi turned to see Shiosho gripping hard as small crystals formed along that arm and softly stabbed Hitoshi through the kid’s palm.

 

Hitoshi tried to move free of him but the white crystals hurt every time he tried to pull away making it fruitless. Also because of the half day, he didn’t get the school lunch so he was feeling more tired than he usually does.

 

Pangaki, Tsubasa and the rest of the kids walked after him and this time they didn’t keep back. They closed in and encircled Hitoshi and this is where he seriously considered breaking his vow on not using his quirk until he got into a hero course.

 

He always wanted to be a hero just like every kid his age did. But while most wanted the glory and reputation heroes got, Hitoshi wanted to be a hero so he could prove the world that told him he was something else. As such, he didn’t want to use his quirk until he could finally use it for good without anyone using it against him. 

 

But right now he was scared. Still keeping a defiant face but scared. He wasn’t sure how this would end but he knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. Either he used his quirk and they went crying to their parents, saying the mean villain kid hurt them or let the beat down happen. He didn’t want to do either.

 

But unfortunately, much like everything, life doesn't give you the luxury of choice more often than not.

 

“That was rude.” Pangaki sneered as he closed in. “Maybe someone needs to show you a villain like you how to behave better. But first, let’s make sure you can’t use that evil quirk of yours.”

 

He reached out to Tsubasa’s bag on his back and the boy took out… a muzzle. A dog muzzle to be exact. It wouldn’t do much to stop him from talking but it was never about his quirk. He shook a lot, at this point not caring about getting hurt but the other kids just grabbed him and forced his head up so they could strap the thing on.

 

When he kept struggling more, a kick to his stomach by Shiosho made him almost collapse if the other kids weren’t holding him up. 

 

Hitoshi was really scared, especially when noticed that this one had a lock so it wasn’t coming off unless they took it off, if they’d even do that. As the straps went around his ears he was ready to scream until someone else did it for him.

 

“What the hell is that?!” Tsubasa shouted, pointing to something being Hitoshi he couldn’t see.

 

The other kids turned and paled at whatever it was and let go of Hitoshi to step away. The boy fell to the floor, still feeling the kick, scratching his hands on the pavement and seeing minor cuts in his arm where Shiosho had grabbed him.

 

Clacking of shoes on pavement ran out behind Hitoshi as he took off the loose muzzle and turned to see the almost limping form of the stranger from a few weeks ago, their hood down and their vaguely human, definitely not, face staring down at the kids.

 

“What are you?!” cried Pangaki as he hid behind the rest of the kids.

 

The stranger stood there for a moment, probably whoever was behind that camera thinking about their next move. Hitoshi watched in utter, skin crawling horror as the stranger hunched down on all fours, twisted their back and crawled towards the brats far faster than it should’ve.

 

The kids screeched and ran, the stranger going after them before stopping once they were satisfied they were gone. Hitoshi was still on the floor in pain from his earlier scuffle and stared at the ‘doll’ wearily as they approached normally.

 

‘So this is how I go? Snatched away by a creepy doll monster. Guess it could’ve been worse.’ Hitoshi thought as he struggled to get up.

 

The stranger had already closed in on Hitoshi and he was ready to accept his fate when the thing showed its upturned hand towards him in a gesture to help. Hitoshi wasn’t sure what they were trying but he was already sure he couldn’t do much. His quirk wouldn’t work here because in all likelihood the person controlling them wasn’t here so he was truly at the mercy of whoever was watching him.

 

He took the hand and was lifted up to his feet and he would’ve ran just like that when he noticed the stranger hadn’t let go of his hand. The grip was tight; it didn’t hurt but it was clear he wasn’t getting away. 

 

The stranger moved their arm to look at his and saw the softly bleeding punctures Shiosho had made and dragged the boy away. They threw up their hoods to hide their face. Passing by a few people, Hitoshi wanted to yell out for help but he didn’t have the courage to but he was scared that if he tried, the stranger would hurt him.

 

They eventually arrived at a convenience store where they paid for something and sat Hitoshi outside on a bench where they finally let go to open their bag of stuff. Hitoshi looked around, hoping anyone would notice his scared face when a stinging pain came over him and he looked to see the stranger dabbing a cotton swab on his cuts before pasting a plaster over them.

 

Hitoshi watched in near awe as the stranger did this for everything, even the scruffs he had on his palms from when he fell. 

 

‘Are they… are they helping me?’ the boy thought confused. 

 

Once they finished, they put the stuff into the plastic bag they bought the stuff in and took out their notepad. On it was a message that had seemingly been prewritten and pushed it towards Hitoshi whilst looking around as if he was shoving over illegal documents.

 

Hi! My name is Izuku! My favourite color is green! My quirk is called Puppeteer and I can control inanimate objects!

Chapter 8: Only Friend

Notes:

Considering today is now Hitoshi's birthday, here's an extra chapter!

Hope you are all enjoying things so far. All of the comments you leave makes me feel happy and just want to write more.

Again, just to remind people, I post Wednesday, Friday and sometimes Sunday (I know I've posted many times so far but just in case I'm busy that day) so expect another chapter lined up tomorrow!

<3

Ever since that day with the purple haired kid, Izuku didn’t want to try again with anyone else. He understood that in retrospect approaching him without preparing how to talk was a massive blunder on his part. As such he made sure that for future reference, Ana would have a page in the notepad with his name and stuff.

 

Of course he knew that was dangerous. If Ana ever got hurt and couldn’t move, that information would be up for the taking which is why she only had it when she was out looking for a friend. Specifically the friend he tried to make that day.

 

However he couldn’t find him, try as she might, but he did realise that the start of the school year was now and Izuku remembered it would be his first day of elementary school. At least, it would be if mama hadn’t died.

 

Not that he blamed her! Hisashi was the monster and always will be. He would always blame him for her death. Of course, he’d sometimes put himself alongside the people who caused Mama to die. He knew that the reason Hisashi got worse was because of him. The whole reason Mama died was solely because of him but there’s no need to think about that now.

 

That was future Izuku’s problem.

 

Right now though, he had just saved that friend from some bullies who tried to muzzle him. Seriously? Why would they even do that? He scared them off by trying something he saw in a horror movie trailer and honestly it was quite fun watching them run away screaming. 

 

This time the boy also seemed to stay but Izuku didn’t want a repeat of last time so he had Ana hold his hand and took him to get patched up. He didn’t know much about healing people but that’s what the second monitor is for. After a quick search, Izuku found out what he needed and bought what he could.

 

After he was done and the purple haired boy seemed to calm a little, maybe, he took out the notepad and showed him the message. A simple one that hopefully broke the ice between them.

 

The boy’s eyes seemed to widen as he read the message but didn’t say anything until Izuku flipped the page over to show another message mentioning he’s six. A look of disbelief grew on the boy’s face and he looked ready to say something when Ana flipped over another page to explain that he either could trust him and be his friend or run away again.

 

A few moments petered by before the purple haired kid finally spoke. “So.. are you really six?”

 

They nodded and flipped a new page to quickly write, pulling the notepad to their face as usual to see what they were writing. 

 

Yep! One year younger than you!

 

The kid seemed to raise an eyebrow at that. “I’m also six.”

 

The ‘doll’ seemed to stop for a moment, digesting that information before they frantically wrote some more and turned the pad around keenly.

 

But you’re so much taller than me!

 

“Maybe you’re just shorter than everyone.” the kid said in an almost teasing manner, even if it was accidental.

 

Izuku was not short! Yes he had problems reaching stuff without Ana’s help but he was still a growing kid! Maybe he needs to start measuring his height to see if he’s gotten any taller recently. Besides that though, Izuku quickly made sure to clarify this to the boy.

 

I’m not short! You’re probably just super tall.

 

The other boy seemed to smile a little, something Izuku hadn’t seen before. It was a smile that used all his teeth to show and if Izuku wasn’t enjoying talking to someone when he hasn’t in months, he would think he’s messing with him.

 

“Nope. You’re probably just tiny. I’m pretty average for my class.”

 

- - -

 

Of course that was a lie. Hitoshi was taller than average but it was fun teasing this person. After the initial shock and fear of the doll had worn off, he realised that this stranger probably was a kid if their flustered writing and childish responses had anything to say about it and man it felt good.

 

He wasn’t sure why this person was here or who Izuku was but he could tell by now that if they wanted to hurt him, they would’ve done so already. Though the fact that, despite the flustered words they exchanged about whether Hitoshi was taller than most kids his age, the doll still moved eerily mechanical.

 

Before it wasn’t clear to Hitoshi that they were an object under that hood. He just thought at the time they were just stilted or had a bad back but with the knowledge now he just couldn’t unsee it. Not that it mattered right now when they’d gotten to talking about other kids' heights.

 

Their conversation went on for a while before Hitoshi’s stomach growled and made it clear he was hungry. Izuku seemed to notice this and wrote a message addressing it.

 

Hey, are you hungry? Did you miss lunch?

 

“Oh, uh yeah. I was meant to have the schools but they had to close for the day.” Hitoshi explained.

 

Stay here. I’ll get you something.

 

The ‘doll’ stood up and went back into the convenience store and Hitoshi wasn’t sure if he should take this chance to leave or not. He still couldn’t fully trust the other person as they might still be bad but then he remembered his own words he said a few days ago.

 

‘Maybe I should just give them the benefit of the doubt.’ he thought.

 

He felt that maybe he acted a bit rash and, dare he say, hypocritical. For all he knew Izuku really was a kid like him and had a quirk that was also slightly odd. Puppeteer and Brainwashing both didn’t sound like pleasant things so maybe he should practice what he preached and give the other person a chance.

 

It didn’t take long for Izuku to come out with a bento box and a bottle of water, handing both to Hitoshi. He honestly tried to tell him he was fine but another grumble and he couldn’t defend himself anymore. The food actually tasted quite good, or maybe it was the hunger talking. He hadn’t eaten since dinner last night and told Izuku as such in a passing remark.

 

Do you often not have breakfast?

 

“Y-yeah. I tend to just skip it.” Hitoshi answered between bites.

 

He didn’t want to say anything about his fostering situation. He’s had it before where kids made fun of him for it and didn’t want Izuku to do the same. The other one seemed to not want to drop it as was obvious with their next sentence.

 

Why?

 

“Because I’m normally too busy getting up. I have trouble sleeping.” he said carefully, not sure if his face whilst saying that was too little or too much.

 

Hitoshi always had insomnia problems ever since he was in the foster system. He’d sleep with one eye open for any kids who’d tried to take his stuff and would forgo it all together just to avoid tomorrow as much as possible. In the end it made him find it hard to sleep even if he did want to. It was annoying but he’s learned to accept it even when he really shouldn’t.

 

Izuku, or Ana, was it? Seemed to contemplate that for a moment before writing down a response.

 

I also have problems sleeping. If you want I can bring you breakfast every morning on your way to school.

 

Hitoshi didn’t know how to respond to that. He didn’t expect for Izuku to have that common ground. The offer for a free breakfast was tempting and honestly he was enjoying talking to him. 

 

“Sure!” he said a bit too eagerly. “I go to Aldera and normally go through that street towards the mall when I head to school.”

 

The doll seemed to nod along with what he said. Hitoshi then realised whether or not Izuku had a problem with that seeing as he was also a kid and probably goes to school too. 

 

“What school do you go to?” he asked. The doll seemed to snap back into being in control again and wrote down a simple message.

 

I don’t. I’m homeschooled.

 

- - -

 

I mean, Izuku wasn’t technically lying. The warehouse is his home and he was learning in it. Making it his school. He had registered online to a homeschooling application and was learning at a faster pace than the class intended so it’s not as if not going to traditional school was a problem. Yeah it was a bit lonely but Izuku was always lonely. 

 

He didn’t know if that was better or not but imagining himself in a small room with a bunch of other loud kids in person without Ana was nightmare fuel for him. So honestly this was the infinitely better option for the boy.

 

The other kid seemed to accept that and was finishing up his food. It was then that Izuku realised he hadn’t actually gotten his name yet and wrote down so to ask him for it.

 

I don’t know your name

 

The other kid put the bento box away and nodded towards Ana. “Shinsou Hitoshi.”

 

“Hi Shinsou…” Izuku whispered quietly in his room, smiling stupid.

 

It wasn’t a friend but it was an acquaintance. Probably Izuku’s first since Kacchan. He didn’t want to rush being friends right away in case he, Shinsou, wasn’t as friendly as he thought but honestly he didn’t look mean to him. 

 

The two kept chatting all the way to the sunsetting. From favourite food, favourite types of music to even learning that Shinsou always wanted a cat. Izuku never really thought about pets but always knew that they’d probably be difficult to keep. He was already feeding himself and now he was feeding Shinsou…

 

Does that mean he’s a cat?

 

Pushing that ridiculous thought out of his head, Izuku made sure to ask him about his quirk. The boy seemed to tense his shoulders at being asked that but Izuku didn’t notice. Eventually after a few seconds of silence, he opened his mouth slowly to speak.

 

“It’s called Brainwashing. I can control people if I ask them a question and they respond.” he said with a slight wince.

 

Izuku was amazed at such a thing. He can control people with just a question and answer? Imagine all of the ways he could do that. Imagine the amount of the possibilities that could be made with a quirk like? Negotiations would be a landslide, hostage situations would be easily done and any violent criminals too strong to be taken down can be defeated with just one wrong word!

 

Izuku wrote this all down in his notebook and showed it to Shinsou who just seemed to stare at it in awe. He blinked his eyes rapidly, as if he was in disbelief but why would he?

 

Then he slowed down and remembered what those bullies were saying earlier. Because of Izuku’s quirk not having a name, he looked up a bunch of ones online that were also about control. Most of them weren’t flattering and mainly referred to malicious or ominous meanings more often than not.

 

Even for heroes there were fewer still that mind controlled people so Izuku immediately realised what a quirk name like Brainwashing can do. Puppeteer also sounded nefarious but honestly Izuku didn’t really care when he named it that. When he was younger he did but after thinking about it, it sounded cooler than going with Object Control or Animate Object.

 

Shinsou seemed to smile at the words and look up to Ana eye’s, directly at Izuku. 

 

“Thank you.” he uttered in a way that made Izuku smile back.

 

- - -

 

Over the next few days, Izuku did what he said and gave Hitoshi breakfast every day, thirty minutes before he went into class. They’d normally chat a lot about what they liked and what new heroes were debuting and the likes. 

 

Izuku kept talking about Shinsou’s quirk and asking more and more about the specifics of it. The first thing he learned was that it didn’t work through technology so Izuku was, albeit a bit rude, thankful that he couldn’t get controlled. This was especially after Hitoshi said that the only way a person can be woken out of the state they had to be hurt.

 

The greenette can’t imagine what he’d do if he was frozen in his own room, unable to do anything. He wouldn’t have any way to break out unless someone happened to find him. Fortunately even if such a thing were to happen, Shinsou could only keep control of someone for thirty seconds at best.

 

Not that would’ve stopped him from hanging out with Shinsou. Well, maybe. But not because his quirk was villainous or anything! It’s just that he must always, always prioritize keeping himself hidden and safe over everything else. 

 

Except he was technically not prioritising that. Izuku told Shinsou his real name. Not his family name but still a name that could be followed. Not only that but his quirk is pretty unique so a thorough enough look can find Izuku and his missing poster with his face on it online.

 

For a while Izuku actually considered going to the police about those missing posters and telling them that he’s fine. After all, he's read online about the foster care system and how it doesn’t treat kids with strange quirks well. He also didn’t like the idea of one day Hisashi showing up like he did at the hotel and burning everything down around him. Izuku was a danger to others so he needed to hide away for the sake of everyone else. He didn’t want anyone to burn again.

 

But enough about that. Shinsou seemed to not want to dig further into Izuku’s past and it’s honestly the best for both of them. They are alone in their own right and have found comfort in talking to each other, not just before but after school too!

 

Izuku even helped Shinsou with his homework a lot. It also helped with him knowing where he should be in terms of his own education. So pretty much they were helping each other by doing this.

 

“Ugh!” Shinsou groaned, throwing down his pencil onto a worksheet. “I can’t get any of this. Why is it so hard to remember words!”

 

They were at the park where they usually did his homework. The same one they first properly met. This particular park was empty most of the time which made it perfect for doing something like studying or reading. Ana shifted her arms and wrote in her notepad, giving it to Shinsou.

 

Learning to read and write can be difficult at first but that doesn’t mean you should give up. We’ll get there I know it!

 

“You’re right…” Shinsou groaned, “...but how can you remember all these letters?”

 

The doll wrote. I normally have a system for remembering stuff.

 

“Gifted child.” Shinsou grumbled in a well meaning way.

 

The doll wrote again. How is that bad?

 

Shinsou threw himself back and closed his eyes. After taking a few breaths he lowered his head and spoke to him. “Okay. Can you show me how you do it then?”

 

Ana nodded and the two spent the afternoon that day going over a small system to remember the many strokes and lines of a few hiragana characters. Some more grunts of frustration came as they tested Shinsou’s memory but after a lot of tries and notepad pages, he finally managed to learn them all off by heart, at least until he’s tested again tomorrow.

 

They decided that was enough for today. Or rather Shinsou decided that that was enough for today and the boy and doll started to clean up after themselves. As Ana walked around and picked up some discarded notepad pages from when he was teaching Shinsou, the boy spoke up.

 

“Hey so I just wanted to ask but is there any way we can talk to each other quicker?” he asked.

 

Ana snapped around to look at him and the boy shivered a little. Izuku could tell that Shinsou (for whatever reason) still felt intimidated by the dummy. Even though he has gotten more used to its presence over time. Izuku had Ana write in her notepad a new message and handed it over to Shinsou.

 

There’s this thing called JSL. Japanese Sign Language. You use your hands and arms to convey messages quickly without speaking. It can be faster and easier than writing if you learn it.

 

“Is that what you asked me about when we met?” Shinsou recalled.

 

Ana nodded, writing once more and showing the paper to Shinsou.

 

I can teach you. According to many sources on education and languages, people pick up new languages better as children than when they’re adults.

 

“Oh. Okay then.” Shinsou agreed. “So how does it work?”

 

The two boys, with the medium of Ana, spent the rest of their time together that day teaching the other about JSL. It wasn’t as pressured as the earlier work as it wasn’t as if they couldn’t communicate without it. Shinsou seemed to enjoy it a lot which made Izuku smile behind the screen and a part of him aches at that for a different reason.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi has been doing well in school for once surprisingly. Pre school didn’t prove a challenge but then pre school isn’t meant to, but when he spent the first few days in elementary he could tell he was going to struggle. Not because the curriculum was hard, no, but you tend to struggle a lot when your teacher doesn’t answer your questions or outright chastises you for ‘speaking out of term’.

 

Thankfully though, Izuku was a good teacher. Even though Hitoshi had his suspicions of him lying about being a kid, over time he can see the little things. Sometimes Izuku's writing would get messier from its more textbook perfect way. His word choice would always be more kid-like, always writing informally besides continuing to use Hitoshi’s family name to address him.

 

Not only that but Hitoshi started to understand ‘Ana’ more. Even though the doll had no moving face and moved very stilted due to Izuku’s control, Hitoshi started to notice the ways ‘she’d’ reflect what Izuku was feeling.

 

Such as when Hitoshi told a joke, he knew it was a good one when the doll just stood there, immobile. The first time Hitoshi thought the opposite but Izuku would write how much he loved that. Something similar would happen when the doll was focused.

 

‘Her’ writing would be faster and ‘she’ would lean in, as if eagerly listening to Hitoshi’s every word. Honestly it was fun trying to read ‘her’. But all of this just made Hitoshi want to learn more about the person behind the camera.

 

He knew Izuku was short, if his reaction from when they first met was anything to go by and he knew he was homeschooled so there’s that. Hitoshi also knew he probably didn’t have a normal schedule. At times when school went out for an emergency, Izuku was always around meaning he didn’t have a normal period time table like him.

 

Of course Hitoshi could tell Izuku didn’t want to talk about himself. Every time he’d try to bring something up the doll froze for a moment before it wrote out saying it would rather talk about something else. A crude topic change but Hitoshi learned not to prod. He didn’t want to lose his only friend.

 

Soon enough, the boy had given the other permission to call him Hitoshi and if the doll shifting back is anything to go by, Izuku was shocked but happy. That day they didn’t do any studying and took a walk by the beach dump, Izuku signing to him about the crazy stuff he’s found there as practice.

 

Speaking of, Hitoshi has been getting good at JSL. Not as good as Izuku, that guy seemed to be a master at it from his perspective but they could have a conversation without needing the notepad. All in all, life was good. Really good. Except maybe one thing.

 

Teachers didn’t like how smart Hitoshi was, especially when it came to tests. He didn’t know why, precisely, that’s the case but given how the word ‘cheating’ was always muttered when he got his tests back it was obvious what they expected of him.

 

Hitoshi noticed it even got to a point where he was given a spelling test that seemed to purposefully be more difficult than the rest of the class. Thankfully, Izuku was a better teacher than them and still passed despite it, earning him a call to the principal’s office along with his foster parents to discuss this.

 

Most of it was his fosters eyeing him annoyingly as if he was at fault for doing well. Like they actually believed he was cheating instead of the better prospect that he was genuinely smart. The principal, that same man with the obvious toupee, explained to his fosters how unlikely it was Hitoshi could ever get these answers right. 

 

After what felt like ten minutes of him breaking down how Hitoshi was surely too stupid for this (not exactly that but it certainly felt like it), the meek man finally asked the boy himself about some of the questions on the test. 

 

Hitoshi did what he said and answered every question himself. It was a math test so Hitoshi made sure to explain his working out too for extra effect. It was clear at the end to the adults that he was smart but that didn’t matter because their minds were already made up long before the meeting took place.

 

So Hitoshi told the truth further and said that he was being tutored by someone. This made not just the teacher and principal’s head turn but the fosters too. 

 

“What do you mean Shinsou?” his foster mom, Chiyo, asked in disbelief.

 

‘Didn’t you notice how often I’m gone?’ Hitoshi thought but didn’t say.

 

“I go to a tutor after school and they always help me understand my schoolwork.” he answered truthfully and as innocently as he could, knowing it would rile them up more.

 

“Shinsou, we don’t have the money for that.” Ken, his foster father, had said, sounding almost like an argument.

 

“They do it for free.” Hitoshi said back, keeping his voice low and soft.

 

More questions were thrown at him about this mystery tutor and Hitoshi just kept answering. When they asked where he was taught, he said at the park where he met them. When they told him that he shouldn’t talk to strange adults, Hitoshi said they were his age. When they outright said they don’t believe him, he immediately answered that they can invite them over for dinner and they’d accept.

 

This left his foster parents and the teachers more and more frustrated with the boy, because no matter how they tried to argue against this, for some reason, he had the perfect answer to stop them in their tracks. Eventually by the end, they left with Hitoshi, telling him to go home himself and stopped talking about Izuku altogether.

 

However while his fosters may continue to be (thankfully) neglectful, the principal and teachers were far from that.

Chapter 9: Arms Race

Notes:

Hiya everyone!

We just hit 100 kudos! Thank you so much! I hope I live up to all the love you give me!

Now it's time to enjoy this next chapter!

<3

It was like an arms race. Teachers would make tests more often and more difficult. At first it was once a week, a simple spelling test or math test. Then it grew to being every couple days, where pop quizzes seemed to just be aimed at ‘catching’ him cheating or doing whatever they thought he was doing.

 

Some tests were even done on the same day but those stopped quickly when they must’ve realised that it hurt the entire class more than just Hitoshi. Honestly it was impressive how much they wanted and downright desired to stop Hitoshi from thriving. But no matter how the effort they put in for that, they couldn’t stop him.

 

And a lot of that was thanks to his ‘tutor’. Izuku had helped Hitoshi a lot with keeping up with this ever evolving attempt to make him look dumb. The boy doesn’t even think they know why they’re doing it anymore besides maybe getting a one up over a six year old.

 

Over the next few months, it’s just been fun for the two boys as they discussed what is likely on the next test that they’ll be throwing at Hitoshi. Izuku also had fun learning ahead in case they decided to start using higher grade tests but given how that’d mean the rest of the class failed is something that was unlikely.

 

But of course there comes a point when you reach the end of your wits and they can’t keep up with you anymore so they just abuse what little authority they have. Because they were aware that Hitoshi’s ‘tutor’ was after school, they held him back. Gave him detention. Anything to stop their sessions.

 

It was getting frustrating for both of them. One because Hitoshi hated being in school longer than a minute past what’s legally allowed and two, Izuku didn’t like waiting on Hitoshi. It filled him with some anxiety not having anyone to talk to especially when you spend the next sixteen hours alone with your own thoughts.

 

Of course their studies were fine. It never really stopped because no matter what, the two were always going to spend every chance and every day they got together but that’s exactly why things came to a head as they did.

 

Because once the targeted bullying began, the gloves were soon coming off.

 

- - -

 

It began with messages on his desk Hitoshi would find. Scrawled in about him being a villain and how that’s all he will ever be. They hurt, yes, but it was manageable for him until they started getting more aggressive. 

 

Mind Control Freak

Cheater

Evil Villain

No one cares about you

 

That last one hurt because it wasn’t wrong. Izuku was the only one who cared and that’s it. Not his foster parents. Not anyone in school. Not even his real mom and dad who gave him up when his quirk manifested. He was abandoned by everyone but at least there was Izuku and no one can take that from him.

 

Hitoshi didn’t know if the teachers were encouraging it or the other kids just noticed they didn’t stop them but they soon started getting more violent with Hitoshi. Bumps in the corridor turned into bashes. Prods transformed into shoves. And it all started to mount up more and more that Hitoshi could tell at some point, someone was going to throw a punch and he wouldn’t be able to stop it.

 

He kept this all hidden from Izuku of course. He didn’t want him to see him any differently. Not because his friend would leave him no, Hitoshi was sure Izuku wanted to be his friend but he didn’t want to be pitied. Izuku was already doing so much with tutoring him, talking to him, buying him breakfast and sometimes even clothes and dinner. He was a good friend and Hitoshi didn’t want to lose him because he wasn’t a leech.

 

But he was kinda. 

 

He couldn’t help but feel like he was taking advantage of Izuku’s kindness and even loneliness. He could tell just by how he’s always there on time, never a second late that he also didn’t have anyone. He was scared one day his friend would wake up and realise that he hasn’t given him anything back but company, leaving him alone forever. Hitoshi didn’t want that. He had nightmares about that.

 

‘I don’t want to be a burden on you…’ Hitoshi thought whilst he and Ana watched some pigeons eat bread they threw.

 

The park had become a sacred spot for them so he and Izuku were almost always there talking about their (mostly Hitoshi’s) day using JSL. It was truly the most important time of his day in his life and if he lost it he didn’t know what to do.

 

Though he hasn’t learned much about Izuku besides the fact that he loves talking about heroes, mostly their fighting styles and moves seemingly remembering them off by heart, he had come to see the faceless boy as a friend. One he didn’t want to lose despite how scary the medium they used to talk with.

 

“What’s wrong?” Ana signed, turning her head and body to face Hitoshi.

 

“I just… nothing.” the boy said quietly.

 

Ana stared at him intently and Hitoshi could see the camera lens shift as if it’s trying to read his face. Izuku seemed to have a hard time reading people from what he’s found so the fact they’ve noticed something's off with him means he was really looking bad.

 

He tried to avoid mirrors but he could see the bags under his eyes had gotten worse and his hair, normally fluffy and floaty, was ruffled in a bad way when a kid knocked him to the ground in the playground. He kept his hands in his sleeves as much as possible to hide the scratches and cuts from being knocked around.

 

The doll stared him down some more before signing. “Do you want some ice cream? I have money left over from a delivery.”

 

“Thanks.” Hitoshi said back and the two walked to the convenience store. 

 

Normally they’d just get a packaged lolly but Izuku got a whole tub of ice cream and gave it to the boy. It just made him feel worse because this is another thing he owes him for and it’s starting to make him really feel like a villain.

 

The two sat down at the chairs outside the convenience store and Hitoshi ate the food graciously before putting the tub away in the recycling. He then watched the doll stare off into space whilst he built up some courage to speak up.

 

“Hey,” he said nervously. “So, am I a good friend?”

 

Izuku seemed to be taken aback if by how quickly the doll’s head turned to him was any inclination. It took a moment for response but then they signed.

 

“Yeah. Of course you are. You always listen to me talk about stuff I know you don’t care about.”

 

Of course that's all it takes to be a good friend in Izuku’s books. He could tell the other kid didn’t get out much and there was a good chance he was as much his only friend as Izuku was to him. Didn’t make it any better with how much they gave and how little he gave back.

 

“Even when you’ve given me so much?” Hitoshi uttered, hoping that Izuku had already thought about this and he hadn’t just given him the realisation that he was a leech.

 

“Only because you’ve given me so much back.” the doll signed and Hitoshi just felt worse. He really hasn’t.

 

“But…” he stuttered but then stopped. 

 

He didn’t want to say more and couldn’t. He already was fine with this, at least for another week but a friendship like this never ended well where one person leaned on the other. Hitoshi knew what boundaries are and he knew that he had to be crossing them.

 

The two decided to go off on their own way after that. Izuku didn’t ask why, which meant he could probably tell Hitoshi was tired and just wanted to be alone. Walking off back to a home that didn’t want him there, the boy just felt heavy with how much was weighing on him and how much guilt sat on his shoulders.

 

- - -

 

Izuku watched Hitoshi walk off from the convenience store after saying goodbye and the boy wasn’t sure what to say about that. He knew his best friend was feeling down about something but he couldn’t tell what. It had to be something to do with school.

 

He knew the world bended to whoever had what quirk and Hitoshi was someone with a quirk most deemed to be ‘villainous’. Whilst Izuku could argue for hours to these people on online forums about what makes a person ‘villainous’ he knew he couldn’t change everyone.

 

Hitoshi’s teachers for example, who seemed dead set on setting his friend up to fail only so they could be proven right when they say that he will become a villain. After all, who wouldn’t turn bad when the whole world seems to work against you.

 

So Izuku decided to expand his skillset that day. He would learn how to get into those computers so he could find out what it was they were doing to Hitoshi behind closed doors and how he can help his friend get better. He knew he couldn’t change the people, but he could certainly make them leave Hitoshi alone.

 

Over the next month, Izuku worked to learn about cracking through security systems and breaking down firewalls so he could get into Aldera’s network and find out what it was they were doing.

 

He realised at some point he might be smarter than he previously thought but then again, when you have so much free time, the energy of a child and the determination to help your friend, you could do anything. And Izuku had the whole world’s knowledge at his fingertips.

 

After managing to trick a receptionist into giving him her username and password over an email pretending to be their IT teacher, he started to root around their files and made many discoveries about the inner workings of this school.

 

One was that Hitoshi kept getting detentions for unproven and sometimes fabricated reasons. Izuku knew he was late to meet with them but the boy always said it was because he was doing some after school activity. As well as that, Izuku watched through cameras and could see just how his friend was treated. Between shoved, bumped and hurt all while teachers watched and sometimes even smirked at his plight.

 

It made Izuku go silent, his mind going quiet as it started to go somewhere dark watching the way his friend was treated. He didn’t trust the police to help him if he sent this because why would they? If the teachers didn’t care why should they?

 

That’s when Izuku noticed something in the files about his friend. That he was in the foster care system and had been moved a bunch of times due to being ‘problematic’. The boy’s eyes got dull and his face near doll-like as he stared down the documents and thought many things.

 

Without anyone there to help Izuku, having no role model besides heroes he never truly met and a life spent constantly scared, the boy’s mind began to drift to ways of getting back at these people. If they were going to shove his best friend, he was going to shove them back.

 

Except shoving is a normal response for a child maybe, but right now Izuku was not that. He had so much pent up fury and stress in his heart that even he isn’t aware just how much it can get out of hand. 

 

‘No wonder his ‘parents’ aren’t helping him. They just aren’t.’

 

They didn’t care about Hitoshi and were just there for the paycheck they got for keeping him. At least they weren’t abusive like some of these people Izuku’s seen on his file. Seeing that though made him so much angrier. He’s gone through so much just like him and maybe that made him feel like this was personal.

 

Maybe some of that untapped fury was seeping into this ‘shove’ in his mind which is becoming more than.

 

The only question now was what he should do to stop them harassing him. He couldn’t just threaten them, that’d just be proving them right. He could blackmail them but then with what? If all these adults didn’t care about Hitoshi then surely none of them would so…

 

Then Izuku saw it. The addresses of every teacher who’s employed at that school. A still smile crept up on Izuku’s face and if someone was watching they’d swear Izuku looked like a creepy doll ready to curse you with something horrifying.

 

And maybe… that wasn’t far off from the truth.

 

- - - 

 

“Hitoshi…” Ana signed.

 

The boy turned his head to look up into the camera nestled away in the hoodie. He slurped up some of the convenience store ramen Izuku bought because his fosters had forgotten dinner again.

 

“Yeah.” he coughed out.

 

“What do you consider scary?” the doll signed, the boy on the other end ready to write down his thoughts.

 

The boy seemed to think through his answer carefully before he answered with a careful smile. “Ana is pretty scary.”

 

Izuku’s face dropped in confusion. How is Ana scary? Izuku made her appear as human as possible so no one could bother her. Yes she had to hide behind a hood but that was only because she didn’t blink and the camera embedded in her face would give her away. Maybe she’s uncomfortable to look at but Izuku never meant for her to be scary.

 

He even used an online picture of a woman to model after once he remade her with better materials. Even though most of the plastic scraps laid over had to be stapled on he was pretty sure in the right angle she looked alright. Maybe even cute as Izuku intended.

 

“Ana isn’t scary! She was made to look human!” the doll frantically signed back, showing the flustered person behind the camera.

 

Hitoshi just humphed and put his noodles down on the table where they sat. “She does not look normal. Either that or your definition of normal is weird.”

 

‘Ah’ Izuku thought but Hitoshi continued.

 

“She moves like a creepy doll, her head turning always makes me jump when it’s sudden and her face looks like someone strapped a melted halloween mask over a skull.” he criticised, leaving Izuku stunned.

 

He stared at his book he had there with him where he intended to write down his notes and was just left blank faced.

 

“Why are you asking?” Hitoshi asked, looking a bit unsure due to Ana not moving for a few seconds longer than usual.

 

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts and answered immediately. “Because I wanted to make a scary doll.”

 

“Please never show me that.” the boy pleaded. “If Ana is ‘normal’ to you, I don’t want to find out what looks scary in your world.”

 

‘Ah’  the boy thought again, once more taken back by Hitoshi’s brutal honesty.

 

“I didn’t mean too! I didn’t mean for Ana to be scary!" The doll signed again with a lot more emotion than before as they frantically moved their hands to convey what they wanted as fast as possible.

 

“Izuku, I had nightmares about you after we first met.” Hitoshi admitted comfortably.

 

Ana began to sign frantically. “I didn’t mean to do that, I was just trying to make a doll that was as human as possible for the purpose of making it easier to talk to people. I didn’t realise that anyone would’ve seen her as creepy or anything like that though in hindsight maybe I should’ve had Ana reveal herself so I could test to see what people thought of her appearance and then worked more on that instead of just assuming…”

 

The dolls arms flung wildly as they projected Izuku’s thoughts to the smiling boy in front of him, clearly finding this rambling funny but completely lost on what it is the other person is saying. Eventually the doll moves so fast, one of the thumbs fly off, causing a squirt of spinal fluid to come from the finger.

 

Ana dove to retrieve it and stick it back on with some duct tape she keeps on hand at all times for any on field repairs. Hitoshi just continued to watch the now much more emotive doll as they frantically stuffed the thumb back into place without accidentally putting it on backwards.

 

“Why do you want to scare people?” questioned Hitoshi, who shivered a bit when he saw the plastic thumb get twisted back on.

 

After securing said appendage back into place and testing it, Ana signed Izuku’s response. “I just want to scare someone who’s been annoying. I won’t say who.”

 

Hitoshi narrowed his eyes a little at that answer but seemed to accept it. “Well spiders are a pretty common fear. Oh! And I once heard someone say that ‘atmosphere’ is important too when scaring someone! Big things are scary and big teeth are scary too…”

 

The two boys spent that evening going through what scared them and what could be scary. Izuku made sure to write down everything Hitoshi said and even his recommendation to watch something called ‘horror’ movies, which were movies that had a lot of scary things in it.

 

That conversation about fear though made, not Izuku but Hitoshi realise that his friend seemed to be really scared of fire. He of course couldn’t know why but it was noticeable enough that he kept a mental note of it.

 

The day ended with both kids parting and Izuku excitedly starting to draw crude pictures and designs of what would be the most scary things, to show those teachers what happens when you mess with his friend.

 

- - - 

 

The next few days were a mix of researching horror movies, drawing up bad sketches of monsters and collecting the parts he needed to make the monster doll. It was honestly pretty fun for the boy as he seemed to absorb all the knowledge pretty well compared to most other things.

 

The horror movies especially were pretty fun, he went with a lot of the ones from the pre-quirk times when the world was more mundane. Even though they got a bit difficult to understand at times and other times there were scenes that felt were too inappropriate for him (not the blood and gore but the gratuitous sex), he found plenty of material to work with and be inspired by.

 

At least he assumed it was inspiring. Despite how Hitoshi said these movies are meant to be scary, none of them are, especially when compared to Hisashi. Maybe he’s right about Izuku being weird.

 

Of course there were moments he did get scared. The second a movie started to talk about fire or a fire related death scene, he turned it off immediately. He couldn’t see that again without his mind going back to Mama and how she looked and sounded when… she died.

 

It reminded him of how helpless he was and how he was so scared, always.

 

Anyway, after finding the right materials at the dump or buying them cheap online, he finally made his monster and he was really excited to show it to Hitoshi.

 

He laid it out on the floor of the warehouse, sprawled out so he could see it fully.

 

Its size was small, at least in motion but when sprawled out like a spider it was bigger than a double door and almost eight feet tall. It had a chunky torso and long spindly limbs that were made longer by Izuku attaching them to each other.

 

The limbs in question totaled to six. Two legs and four arms, and all were made out of bleached wood. Wooden mannequin limbs were harder to find and normally more expensive so Izuku had to look a lot for them but it works far better than the glossy black and white most department store mannequins were. 

 

The arms were arranged as one would expect with two on the lower torso and two where you’d expect to find arms on a person but these arms were long, extended by the mentioned sticking an extra set on, allowing it to touch it’s toes without bending. At the end of these elongated arms were sharpened knives acting like claws, both to scare and climb better.

 

The torso was misshapen driftwood from the beach, carved crudely with a knife to give it a more upside down pear shape. Izuku made sure the legs had enough room so the doll could do the splits for the sake of being flexible which he learned was something people found discomforting.

 

The whole thing was pasted with alabaster white paint  and given a glossy finish to make the creature look almost like a pale fleshy corpse. One you’d find from a morgue. It also didn’t help when some of the paint cracked making the thing appear like a broken, disfigured and diseased human but the best by far for Izuku was the head and face. Or rather heads.

 

From the stump of its neck, Izuku used two arms which split to hold two different heads. One was a mannequin wearing a mop head for hair and a styrofoam mask painted to look like a woman, beauty mark and all. That one had the camera inside, nestled behind the mask in its eye, a small red glow coming through the sockets of the face covering.

 

The other was borrowed from a thrown out playground rocking horse, hollowed out with the intent of fitting something inside. Not only that but its jaw was segmented so that it could be opened and after spending an alarming amount of money on it, a speaker set to play any sound effect he had on a soundboard.

 

As a final flair to it all, the creature wore a ratty green dress which covered the torso completely but left enough room to be shown if it moved fast enough. All in all Izuku was proud of his creation.

 

Of course the main problem now was waking it up and hoping it doesn’t fall apart. There was also the issue of how he would control Ana and this… Behemoth. It took Izuku a while to be able to control Ana and the dish separately. Even then sometimes he’d struggle if Ana was doing something strenuous like riding a bike.

 

“It’d probably be best if we locked you somewhere while I control them.” Izuku said to Ana, who was watching him go through the final touches.

 

Izuku sat down next to the chest of the doll, right next to where its heart would be if it were alive and stuck it with the tiny pricks on the tips of his fingers. He filled it with fluid and immediately got that sudden headache and weakness he felt when he lost a lot of spinal fluid.

 

By the end he almost passed out, needing Ana to be his legs and arms as she carried him back to see how his creation came out.

 

The spinal fluid acted fast, spreading through the driftwood and seeking out the limbs as the white duct tape covered joints inflated and pulled back to fit properly. Izuku saw the limbs and fingers twitch as he tested to see if it moved how he expected it to and observed as it stumbled to push itself up.

 

In preparation for this, Izuku looked up how six limbed, two headed and long limbed heroes moved and although no one had all three of those, he combined his studies of their fights and moves so he could better understand how to operate the doll. 

 

It took the better part of thirty minutes of Izuku focusing solely on moving the doll to get up. At first he was worried the weight might’ve been too much but he realised the problem was that the heads brought it off balance. So he tried something he saw a two headed hero do and had them hunch forward together to try and balance the weight.

 

This seemed to work and, with the support of the lower arms acting like a second set of legs, the doll was upright.

 

Whilst Ana held Izuku, that same dark smile came over his otherwise adorable childish face. Once he had managed to properly work out how to move the Behemoth, someone was going to have a terrible, terrible night.

Chapter 10: Fright Night

Notes:

Heya everyone!

Hope today is a good one for all of you! Hope you enjoy this new chapter!

<3

Tajima was coming back from work at school as an elementary teacher for Aldera Elementary School. She was a bit tired, what with today being Friday and a whole week's exhaustion weighing on her. She also needed to get a head start on marking tests for her first year class.

 

She didn’t like her job much. And she means job, there was no passion from the woman when it comes to teaching but did that really matter? She was getting paid so why would she give more than what she needed.

 

Though she didn’t hate teaching much, she did have many moments where she thought it was worth going into this career. Ever since she was young, she was taught that quirks meant everything and hers was perfect for being a teacher, or at least that’s what she’s been told.

 

It’s called Omniview and it makes it so she can see in all directions at any moment, making her literally have eyes in the back of her head. Not sure if a saying is enough to justify going into a career where you have to care for the lives you’re shaping but that didn’t matter to Tajima.

 

What did matter was making sure the right kids got the right education whilst the wrong kids with the wrong quirks didn’t. At first she thought it was strange when she first heard it in the breakroom during her first day. Teachers were talking about a kid in their class that had a quirk that made them able to spit poison and made their head look snake-like. 

 

They had said it was for the best that they slacked on her teaching as it wouldn’t matter when it was clear someone who looked like a snake and spat poison was going to be a villain. Tajima, the naive fool, disagreed at the time but after the wisdom of the years had washed over her she realised this is the best course of action.

 

Anyone with these quirks, villainous quirks, were already destined to end up villains just like she was destined to end up a teacher.

 

And honestly it was easy to do it. A lot of villainous kids were ignored or sometimes abused by their parents so it was fine if they also got ignored by her. Made work easier with one less person to grade properly. Not only that but when these kids did become villains, they’d wouldn’t have a good education so honestly she was doing the world a favour.

 

Even when she turned a blind eye constantly to the physical shoves and pushes other kids would give them. She’s never, in her twenty years of teaching, been punished for this so it had to be the right thing.

 

But then the new year started and that brat entered her class. A purple haired punk who had the truly evil power of controlling people. At first she did what she always did, ignore him whilst she smiled to herself knowing she was doing good work but when she graded his spelling test and found out he got the highest score in the class, it spooked her.

 

She thought it had to be a fluke but after the second and third she realised that the boy was actually learning. Getting smarter and she couldn’t let that happen. If the kid was competent intellectually then he was going to be dangerous in the future and she had to stop that.

 

So one day she tested him, just to see how smart he was. It was a math problem months from where they were and he managed to get it right. It was then that she knew he had to be cheating, he just had to and took him to the principal’s office to talk with his parents about this.

 

Thankfully his foster parents were on the same page with her. But after they interrogated the little shit they found out he had a tutor that his fosters didn’t even know about. And one his age too?

 

That’s ridiculous, no. He had to be cheating. So she made the tests more frequent and at some point, more difficult until she was in trouble with some parents when their kid came home crying saying their test was too hard. Now the brat was affecting her job.

 

So she began with giving him detentions. Hoping that whoever this tutor was, if they were real, wouldn’t get enough time with him to learn for the tests and then she could use it as proof he was cheating. But he just kept improving and it was driving her mad.

 

At times she’d even considered following the brat to see who his tutor was. She didn’t know what she was going to do with that information as apparently they’re homeschooled, but that was why it was only considered.

 

Anyway, that brat was a headache and Tajima was considering getting his fosters involved again or getting one of the other students in her class to hurt the villain in hopes he retaliates so she could finally suspend him and be proven right.

 

Right now though she just wanted to get home, finish the grading and have dinner. Probably watch some TV too. She parked in the driveway of her home and got out of the car and  grabbed her stuff.

 

It was almost summer and despite it being almost seven the sun was out but was currently setting, only a few minutes from night. Tajima loved summer. It meant not having to work as much and she only had to prepare her lessons for the rest of the school year. The gate to her driveway was locked behind her as she made the trip up to her front door.

 

On the way she locked her car with a beep. And after she reached the door she heard another beep.

 

It sounded identical to her car unlocking so she turned to see if it was but it wasn’t. The mirrors automatically pulled in when it was locked.

 

‘Must’ve misheard it.’ she waved away in her mind and stepped into the building. Once in she locked the door and threw her keys on the sofa.

 

She got to work on her grading. A lot of these kids had good strong quirks so naturally when they got things a little wrong she made sure to give them valuable feedback, complete with stickers. Others though, had to make do with her vague criticism. 

 

Once done, she left the stack of pages on her dining room table and went to make dinner. She lived alone, not that she minded. This was a good neighbourhood so it wasn’t as if she was in danger. She made some soba, putting the noodles into a slowly boiling pot when she heard something fall in the dining room.

 

The layout of her house made it so that you could see her dining room, living room and kitchen whilst standing in any of them. It was a very open plan where the ‘rooms’ were separated by a sofa and the kitchen counter. So when she turned, she could see the whole room and saw that her papers had fallen off the table and were scattered on the floor.

 

‘Did I leave a window open?’ Tajima thought, collecting her pages before taking a look around the house.

 

Checking every window on the first floor showed nothing but climbing the dark stairs to the next floor, she looked down a hallway at the top of the stairs to clearly see a window at the end of the hall. Wide open and curtains billowing a little with the wind coming in.

 

She doesn’t recall opening that. Oh well, it’s not as if someone could climb in; the climb was too high. She went to close the window but as she did, she noticed some scratches on the sill.

 

They were small but definitely weren’t something old. It didn’t look like it was a cat or bird but something larger and more sharper. Tajima took a single step back as she realised this and started to wonder carefully if this is something bad or she’s overreacting. 

 

Like seriously, who would want to break into her home? It wasn’t as if she had anything majorly valuable that you can’t find in other neighbourhoods. She got this cold tingling down her spine as she hastily made her way back to the stairs.

 

She slowly made it back down the steps and back to the kitchen. There was nothing suspicious on the way down until she looked in the pot she was still boiling. It was now bubbling as the soba became less rigid. 

 

Inside the pot though was something new that immediately caught the teacher’s eye. She walked over to it and looked in, noticing immediately what was wrong.

 

The water was red. Blood red. 

 

Tajima immediately used her quirk to see her blindspots and that is when her blood, unlike the pot, ran ice cold. Towards her stairs, peeking out from around a corner was a small pale face with long grey ragged hair, staring directly at her. Above it, a little ways up was a metal head with sharp teeth and something glossy down its mangled thin throat.

 

She couldn’t see anything more but it was enough to get the woman’s heart above hundred beats. There was someone in her house. There was something in her house. It was watching her and if she did anything wrong she might die. Oh god, she’s going to die.

 

Thankfully Tajima was a calm woman who pretended she couldn’t see them and just turned the pot off. She knows her front door is locked, her back door too. The keys were probably still on the couch, but when she looked over with her quirk they were gone. 

 

Her phone. It should be in the bag and it doesn’t seem like it was touched so she turned around after psyching herself up, watching the thing hide away right when she would see it with her own eyes and immediately went for her bag. She fished out her phone and dialed the police, hoping they wouldn’t attack and thinking she’s still in the dark about it being there.

 

“This is one one zero, what is your emergency?” the responder asked in a calm voice.

 

“Hi Shiba, just wanted to let you know I got home safe.” Tajima said into the phone. She saw this a few times on TV where you’d pretend to be having a different conversation on the phone during an emergency.

 

“Ma’am, this the emergency police phone line, is there a problem?” he said, clearly unsure but checking anyway.

 

“Oh, yes I know.” she replied with a nod.

 

“Are you in danger, ma’am?” he questioned, already getting what’s going on.

 

“Yes. That’s true.” she answered, a bit shakily.

 

“Are they there with you?” they asked.

 

“Correct.”

 

“Can you leave the building?”

 

She shook her head no. “Probably not.”

 

“Can you tell me where you live? Just the local area, any landmarks.” he continued to ask, keeping a calm face that is helping Tajima a lot.

 

“Yeah. Aldera Elementary has been good. Summer holiday is on the 20th.” referring to her block number.

 

The sounds of typing could be heard on the other end as, presumably, the responder was writing down her information. “Okay, ma’am. We need you to stay on the phone so we can track you. Don’t hang up, a hero should be there shortly.”

 

Relief washed over Tajima at those words. “Sure. I can talk for longe-.” 

 

The lights flicked off as the power was knocked out, throwing the room into near darkness, leaving the teacher to enter into a wide blown panic. She knew the circuit breaker was in the basement though, so she ran for the stairs and sprinted up them. If that thing was in the basement, she could get upstairs faster than it can reach her.

 

She almost slipped on the floor as she ran, heart beating out of her chest as a blurry ‘hello’ came through the phone. She thought maybe she’d make it until something happened that made her scream.

 

Halfway up the steps a harsh grasp on her ankle caused her to fall forward with a yelp. A stinging stab could be felt as she used her Omniview to see the pale head staring at her around a corner and a disgustingly long arm grasping her leg entirely. She had dropped her phone, the panicked operator on the other end but she didn’t have time to pick it up.

 

With a whelping kick, she swung into an elbow in the long arm, causing it to let go long enough for her to scurry upstairs, using her hands and feet. There, in the now dark corridor due to nightfall, she entered a full feral sprint as she heard rapid footsteps just behind her of what had to be several limbs.

 

She reached the bathroom, opening the door and slamming it closed, locking and barricading it with a cabinet before climbing into the bathtub. Her heart threatened to break free from her chest and her mind was imagining a will she can’t write as she accepted she just might die.

 

She didn’t want to die. She still had so many things to do. She also wanted to say goodbye to her mom, dad and even her annoying brother. But she can’t and she’s brought to tears with how much she doesn’t want her life to end in what had to be a brutal and horrific way.

 

She began to plead to whatever god was listening to save her because she can’t see any way this night won’t end with her showing up in the news next day.

 

A few dozen shaky seconds of torturous silence went by but for Tajima it felt like eternity. There were no windows in the bathroom so she was stuck, hoping that there really was a hero on the way. Just when she thought about everything she wanted to do if she did live, a man’s voice called out.

 

“Hello?! Is anyone here?! This is pro hero Eraserhead!” he yelled.

 

Tajima's heart beated quicker as she climbed out of the tub and shrieked out. “Yes! Up here in the bathroom!”

 

Frantic footsteps were heard climbing up the steps to her door where the man’s voice was closer. He tried to open it but it was still locked so Tajima went to unlock it for him.

 

- - - 

 

Shouta had just started his work for the night and was jumping between buildings, patrolling. He had a house move happening soon so he had been trying to get earlier nights so he wasn’t a complete wreck when the day finally came. Hizashi and him were moving to an actual house instead of an apartment and they’ve finally found a good enough place thanks to Nemuri, a dear friend he’s known all the way back in middle school.

 

Shouta was involved in the house hunting at the start but was kicked out by the other two when he picked out a single bedroom, no garden, single floored house. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want a proper home, it’s just that he didn’t see the reason to have any of those extra things if they weren’t going to use them. 

 

They weren’t planning to have children anytime soon, he thinks.

 

But he’s a victim. That blond cockatoo has his talons deep into Shouta and he couldn’t back out now, not that he would ever want to. So when his husband whined about them needing at least something big enough so that Nemuri and Tensei could stay over a night, he relented and got a place with two guest rooms.

 

First, though, he needed to fix his sleep schedule, at least for moving day. Long enough to not want to crawl into a sleeping bag mid packing to have a power nap or get tired halfway setting up the bed and needing to take a few dozen coffee breaks. That’s why he’s having his patrols earlier and earlier so his nights end sooner and sooner.

 

Speaking of, he had just gotten a call about a potential break in happening not too far from where he was. Apparently the woman was pretending to be phoning someone else whilst on the line. The call dropped though so the chances that he’s walking onto a murder, a kidnapping or a hostage situation was quite high.

 

He didn’t like to think that but so far in his career he’s seen enough to know to prepare yourself for the worse.

 

Reaching the residence, the first thing Shouta noticed was that the front door was wide open. Dreading the worst, he charged in, scanning around alert for anyone. There were papers scattered on the floor and a pot of boiled soba in the kitchen. He also noticed at the foot of the steps was a phone that was probably what she called with.

 

Shouta didn’t want to yell in case it gave away his position but time was of the essence clearly and he couldn’t wait. “Hello?! Is anyone here?! This is pro hero Eraserhead!” he shouted.

 

He heard a sound from upstairs and immediately ran up, clutching his capture weapon to strike out at any culprit should they attack. He saw the bathroom door was closed and ran up, reaching to open the door.

 

- - -

 

The man on the other end of the door tried to open it again so Tajima told him to wait as she got up out of the tub.

 

She was going to be fine! She was safe! She didn’t know what that thing was but with a pro hero here now, they’ve probably run off. Why did they even attack in the first place she did not know but then again how could she know what goes on in the mind of a villain? As she turned the lock on the door and opened it, she prepared herself to see a man on the other end but what she got…

 

…Was a pale face.

 

It had lipstick on and eyeliner but had no eyes and its expression was lifeless. The raggedy hair that hung off its unseen scalp looked grey and dirty as the head twisted like a dog does when curious. Its long thin neck was pale too and looked almost porcelain with how it glistened.

 

It drew its head back and she could see the whole thing there, crouched in her small hallway, as this huge monster loomed over her. It had two heads balanced on freakishly long pale necks. One was the pale face and the other was a fucked up horses head made of metal, covered in grime and rust.

 

It wore a sickly green dress that was torn at the edges and stretched to accommodate the ugly long torso it had that seemed misshapen and inhuman. Its limbs were the same bone pale and were thin with small cracks through them that made the creature look dollish. The arms were disproportionately longer than normal and bore sharp claws on its fingers, scratching the walls around it as it hunkered down to fit in the hallway.

 

Tajima’s mouth opened to scream but an arm reached to grab her throat and lift her up on her tiptoes. She grabbed at the arms, scrambling as she desperately sought escape but the grasp of this thing was iron and her mind started to accept that she was going to die here.

 

The sharp claws came dangerously close to her face as a quiet childish voice sang out of the horse’s head.

 

“ Mistreat any child again and the bogeyman will come back to hurt you~ ” 

 

And the horse's head let out a guttural high pitched screech right in the teacher’s face, causing her eyes to widen, her heart to scream and her actual ones to die in her throat.

 

Everything went black as she fainted.

 

- - -

 

Shouta broke down the door and rushed in to see a woman on the floor, unconscious and foaming at the mouth. He urgently knelt down next to her and looked the victim over, making sure she was alright and didn’t choke on her own saliva.

 

She was mostly unharmed it seemed besides the cuts on her neck and leg where something must have grabbed her if the accompanying bruise was anything to go by.

 

Soon, sirens rang out as the police quickly rushed into the building too, Shouta calling to them. Paramedics checked the woman and confirmed she had just fainted and wasn’t in any physical danger. The pro hero let out a sigh of relief at that and helped the police search the building.

 

They didn’t find anything. Their perpetrator was already gone, having accomplished whatever they were doing.

 

But little did the pro hero know then that this wasn’t the only call that night.

 

Over the course of eight hours, several break ins were reported at different addresses. All of them were adults who could only scream when their attacker entered their home and now were either unconscious or were hiding away in bathrooms and locked bedrooms, hyperventilating, panicking about some monster.

 

In total there were twelve victims. Nine of them were unconscious from stress and three of them looked like they just saw a horror movie that shook them to the core. The worst thing was they couldn’t keep up. No matter how fast they responded, the ‘monster’ was always gone by the time he, or any other hero, got there.

 

They were truly a boogeyman and sometimes some calls were only phoned in because a neighbour heard an ear piercing screech coming from the ‘monster’. Shouta didn’t know what the link between these people were yet but he did know there had to be a link given the message the thing gave to each of them.

 

By morning, the media had caught news of it and were dubbing this night of fear and terror ‘Fright Night’ and the named monster who did this?

 

The Behemoth.

Chapter 11: Birthday That Was

Notes:

Hi, just a bit of context but I had pre written up to chapter 15 when I first posted (because I wanted there to be a buffer in case I couldn't write for a week).

As a result this actually aligns a lot more with current time as of posting this (06/07/2025 for those watching this in future). Trust me it will make sense over the next couple chapters.

Anyway, hope you all like this one!

<3

Izuku trembled with excitement watching the faces of the people who’ve hurt Hitoshi turn in horror. He didn’t want to hurt any of them. He didn’t want to become an actual monster, just enough of one that everytime they hurt, not just Hitoshi, but any child, the boogeyman would come knocking again.

 

He hadn’t told Hitoshi yet what he had done, nor did he know whether or not he should. He knows he’s broken a lot of laws. Quirk usage in public, trespassing on private property and of course the hacking he did to get all of their information in the first place. His friend wanted to be a hero so he probably would turn Izuku in.

 

Which is also why he’ll probably never reveal himself to him, at least not fully. He knows he has to leave the warehouse eventually. Well actually, that’s still up to debate but yeah there may come a time where he has to go and he’ll have to find somewhere else to hide.

 

Izuku watched from his bedroom as the monster came back, using the skylight to climb in thanks to its claws. It’s mostly alright. Some scratches and dirt, but mostly alright. The biggest incidents were when the monster had to leave whilst the person was still conscious which felt awkward for the monster but to the person was proof that they were being spared.

 

He knows the police and even some heroes showed up at the places he visited. Tajima’s house having been the closest. When he pretended to be Eraserhead, he never expected the real one to appear downstairs. 

 

Having to scramble out the upstairs hallway window to get away left his heart beating even though he wasn’t even there. Thankfully he was more focused on the bathroom so the monster managed to slip away.

 

On the monster though, Izuku was starting to get tired of calling it ‘the monster’. He wasn’t sure what name to give yet but the ‘boogeyman’ felt too long for a name. From what he researched, monster names were always quick and snappy. Thankfully, the news gave him a pretty good name thanks to a vividly accurate description of the monster.

 

Behemoth.

 

Because of the hulking form, cracked skin and brutal methods of instilling fear that was what the media decided to call it, on top of that the many witness reports that described it as such. It was certainly more distinct and unique than the boogeyman and it fit the monster perfectly.

 

Anyway, enough on that and more on the news, it seemed that Hitoshi’s entire year will have to close for a few days because of it and get substitute teachers until all of the actual teachers recovered from the night. Izuku just hopes that they’ll be better than the others or at least heed the warning of the Behemoth.

 

His message that he sent through Behemoth was also being plastered in a lot of local news sources. It led to a lot of speculation online about what the message meant and it didn’t take long for it to all link back to Aldera.

 

Honestly Izuku didn’t mean for it to get this much attention but it seems that people enjoy a good mystery. He just hopes it doesn’t get traced back to him, or worse, hurts Hitoshi in any way. He knew it was important to stay hidden but if his friend was ever in danger… wait.

 

Would he actually reveal himself to help Hitoshi?

 

He’s known him for a few months, yes, but is that worth risking exposure and Hisashi finding him? He has built a friendship he doesn’t think he even had with Kacchan from before but is it enough to risk getting burned to death like Mama over?

 

No. He really doesn’t think so.

 

In that case why is he risking everything for him? What purpose does it serve other than helping him and solely him? Maybe it's more than helping him. Maybe Izuku is so lonely that he really is turning into a monster and maybe he actually enjoyed those terrified faces in more ways than just justice. 

 

The more he thinks like that though the more scared he becomes of himself so he buried it down and hoped it just isn’t true and he’s just over thinking things.

 

Now then, where was he? Yes. Showing Hitoshi Behemoth. It was certainly something he could do but now that he’s thought it through, ignorance is bliss. Having Hitoshi in the dark not only protects Izuku but him if he ever gets caught by the police.

 

With those thoughts away, he can move onto the more important things. Things related to the last word of that last paragraph. He almost had a fight with the heroes and police.

 

Again, Tajima was the closest out of all of them. He didn’t realise how well Omniview worked, otherwise he would’ve gotten her without the police getting involved but still he failed in that. Behemoth was hard to pilot, especially stealthy. That’s probably a design flaw he should fix but for now, he should focus on finding out what they think of Behemoth.

 

Izuku’s already got the police’s attention, so what’s the problem with a little bit of infiltration into their network?

 

- - -

 

Shouta had just entered Tsukauchi’s office where the man was looking through some case notes. They were most likely on the ‘Behemoth’ as it had been dubbed. There were still some classification issues on whether they should be classified as a villain or not but that will come to light after they’ve investigated why these attacks happened.

 

“Aizawa, did you see the summary of the interviews with the victims of the ‘Behemoth’ case?” he asked, turning his head up from the documents.

 

He looked tired. Well both of them are. A long night of running from house to house, trying to calm down panicking people all the while attempting to catch up to whatever was doing this made what should’ve been a short night long and arduous. Even now, a day after all has been said and done he was still tired.

 

“Yeah, most of it. Do we have someone making a sketch of this thing?” he questioned.

 

“Yes, we’re hoping that it’ll give us any clues on what attacked.” Tsukauchi answered, placing his files on his desk and taking a seat. Shouta sat across from him.

 

“What about the teachers? Any reason why Aldera might be involved?” the pro hero inquired. There was an undeniable fact that all of the victims were adults who worked in the teaching staff at Aldera Elementary. How that matters was yet to be figured out.

 

The detective took a drink of coffee and grabbed one of the documents on his desk and showed it to him. “We aren’t sure of an exact link but most likely it’s connected to the students in some way.”

 

“Maybe it is a student?” Shouta theorised.

 

“Maybe. But given how much they knew about the victims in terms of their address, it could also be a parent.” Tsukauchi countered, showing a list of parents for several classes run by the teachers involved. “I can’t see a kid having the intelligence or access to pull this off.”

 

They all had a different array of responsibilities, some teaching mostly math, others japanese. It all seemed to point towards there being someone who, or maybe their child, have all of these teachers teaching them. But try as he might to solve this, there was still an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed.

 

“Have we figured out what the message meant?” he asked the detective, who seemed to have been thinking the same.

 

“I might. When I was collecting these documents at the school, I noticed that the principal was looking stressed. More than he should be. I asked him about it and he said that he was worried about who was going to replace the teachers.” Tsukauchi recalled. “That came back as a lie.”

 

“So he might have an idea on why they were targeted.” Shouta stated, turning an eyebrow up at that. 

 

“And he’s scared he might be next.” Tsukauchi assumed partially.

 

It was certainly likely that the ‘Behemoth’ would attack again. If not to finish it’s message but because of the fame they’ve gotten. The pro hero has seen many people like that. They start off doing the right thing but once they’ve got an actual name and fame, they stray fast. 

 

People are still up in the air about what exactly this ‘monster’ is but that’s likely to come from what they find here in their investigation. “Maybe we should ask some students.” Shouta suggested. 

 

It might be a bit difficult interrogating children, especially elementary schoolers, but if there is something wrong with the staff at Aldera, then they’re the best lead. Especially seeing as it’s them who are affected if the monster’s message had any truth.

 

“That’ll be difficult.” Tsukauchi predictably said. “We wouldn’t be able to have them sit down without their parents.”

 

“Why would that be a problem?” Shouta asked, not completely sure why.

 

“We don’t know what is being hidden from us. For all we know, the children might be hushed or scared. There’s a lot of unknown here.” Tsukauchi explained. “We can do them, just maybe it might not be enough. We also have a long list to go through.”

 

“You have a long list to go through.” the hero corrected.

 

“Yes.” the detective sighed, knowing full well that Shouta was not suited for interpersonal work like interviews.

 

The scruffy faced man let a small amused huff at that. They really didn’t have much to go on unless they call in heroes more suited for investigation such as Seer or dare he say that devil in rats skin. But right now they should do the interviews first. 

 

“I’ll keep an eye on the principal. In case his fears are true and he is a target for the  ‘Behemoth’.” Shouta said, earning a nod of approval from the detective as they finished their chat.

 

He left the room and back out into the city, making sure to grab the information he needed for the new patrol. He knows Tsukauchi will make sure to inform the principal so there was no misunderstanding but then he’s sure that if the faculty of Aldera is doing wrong, he might think something else.

 

‘This is going to be a long few days.’ Shouta groaned in his mind.

 

- - - 

 

Izuku was waiting at the park for Hitoshi to arrive back from his first day at school with the substitutes. They had talked a lot between them, mostly making speculations about what they’ll be like. Izuku did some prodding around and from what he could see, it seemed most of them were good eggs. Then again, Aldera’s are ‘good eggs’ on paper so they might be rotten.

 

At the park, Ana waited patiently whilst Izuku went online to read more about the public's thoughts on Behemoth. It seems it’s mostly negative, at least in the local news, but there’s a more split opinion on forums. It all comes down to what the teachers had done to deserve being attacked and whilst Izuku would love to show them, the principal had deleted all footage from the school the day after of any signs of their abuse.

 

‘Note to self. Always copy data, even if it looks like no one will touch it.’ Izuku noted to himself.

 

Speaking of the slimy man, Izuku has been fighting on whether or not he should go after him too. He’s the principal of the entire elementary school so surely he would be just as evil as the rest of them. Not just to the elementary school but all of them. The middle school didn’t look any better, same for the high school.

 

Of course Izuku can’t scare all of them. The school would close down then, and Hitoshi would have to go somewhere else and Izuku didn’t want to have to find him again. Neither of them had phones but Izuku was working on that.

 

Recently he’s been trying to look into more lucrative lines of work but with very little of them needing to see the face of the one they’re hiring, he’s been stuck. 

 

‘Hopefully I’ll find something soon.’ the boy wished.

 

It was then he noticed his friend coming up to him at the park and sitting down. He seemed alright, at least at an initial glance.

 

“So…” Ana signed, “...how were the new teachers?”

 

“They were good!” he said, a smile on his face as he took out his work for today.

 

“Great.” Ana signed back enthusiastically.

 

“Yeah. My homeroom teacher didn’t seem to care about my quirk. They even told Tsubasa off when he pushed me!” the boy said excitedly. 

 

Izuku smiled as he saw his friends smile, feeling like that night of torment was worth it. At least for the moment. He doesn't know if the teachers will turn once things get more comfortable but he can only hope that they are as good as the people they are in their files.

 

The two spent their time continuing their studies and Izuku tutoring Hitoshi. Halfway through it though, the boy seemed to have a burning question on his tongue. He noticed it when he caught Hitoshi looking at Ana longer than he should with his mouth open. He thought maybe he needed to sneeze but after the third time it was clear he was trying to say something.

 

“What’s wrong?” Ana signed, stopping the boy from continuing his work.

 

“N-nothing. Why?” he stuttered.

 

The doll tilted its head slightly. “You want to say something to me.” 

 

Hitoshi set down his pencil and looked up at the doll. Right into the glare under the hood that the lens was and spoke with clear reservation. “Am I a bad friend?”

 

What? Why does Hitoshi think that? He’s a great friend. He keeps Izuku company, makes him laugh and is pretty much the only person he cares about right now. 

 

Ana shook her head a few times and signed hurriedly. “No! Why would you say that! You’re my best friend!”

 

The boy seemed to be a bit flustered at that but it wasn’t clear why to Izuku. “It’s just… You do so much for me and I don’t do a lot in return.”

 

“But… you do do a lot.” Izuku argued with his voice then with Ana. 

 

“Compared to how much you’ve fed me, helped me learn and been the only person nice enough to not see my quirk first?” he countered, his eyes getting a bit wet.

 

Izuku sat up on his chair and thought through how much he has done for Hitoshi. He really has done far more than he ever intended to do when he first set out to talk to someone. Was Hitoshi really feeling this bad?

 

“It’s fine, Hitoshi. I like helping you and you keep me company.” Ana signed.

 

“But I can’t help you. Or if you even need help. I don’t know what I could do for you so I don’t feel bad.” the boy rambled, tears starting to spill as he looked down.

 

“Hitoshi…” Izuku whispered.

 

“I know you don’t need help. But I want to do something so I can feel like your friend and not just a leech. I don’t like owing you so much.” he confessed.

 

Ana reached out and held the boy tightly in a hug. It was a moment like this that Izuku really wanted to be there in person, out of this warehouse, out of his comfort zone. He never realised how much Hitoshi felt a burden, even though he’s not.

 

Izuku thought through some things that Hitoshi could do that Izuku can’t and honestly there wasn’t a lot. Except… maybe.

 

Ana pulled away from Hitoshi to free her arms and lifted the boy’s head to see what she was signing. “My birthday. It’s coming up in a couple weeks. July fifteenth. I didn’t get to celebrate it last year for… reasons. I’d love to have you celebrate it with me.”

 

The boy looked up at the camera and sniffled. “You mean, in person?” 

 

Izuku went silent. So far he’s spent over a year hiding away. Scared to come out into the open. Scared of Hisashi finding him. Maybe that fear has gotten weaker but a new one has taken its place. People. Izuku was scared of people. Whenever he’d hear someone pass by the warehouse, near the hole in the wall, he’d freeze up. Terrified of them finding his safe place.

 

Maybe… maybe he could let Hitoshi in. Or maybe that would just get him hurt. He’d know where Izuku was and if Hisashi found that information out, he could hurt Hitoshi. This is his problem to deal with and he doesn’t want his friend to ever get hurt because of him. 

 

“No.” she signed, and for a moment Hitoshi looked down. “But… maybe… I can call?”

 

Izuku had Behemoth’s mic. He could probably buy a cheap speaker and have Ana carry it. Maybe then they could finally talk using words. That’s when an idea went through the boy’s mind and he came to a decision.

 

“Yeah. I can call.” Izuku affirmed.

 

That seemed to make a smile crawl on his friend's face as he pushed away the unshed tears. “I can’t wait to find you a gift.”

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi had been spending the last few days trying to come up with a gift for Izuku. He knew he wanted a card and had made it in arts and crafts. It was a pretty green one, where it said happy seventh birthday to him. He didn’t just want that though. He wanted to get Izuku a proper gift. One he’d get himself without needing Izuku’s or anyone’s help.

 

But what exactly? Hitoshi knew that Izuku had some liking for dolls, that much was obvious from their conversations but he checked how much dolls cost and well, he’s a kid. A neglected one so of course he could never match those price tags with that financial profile.

 

Then he thought about what else Izuku liked. He knew he loved katsudon, his favourite colour was green, he likes watching hero fights and he enjoyed horror movies. All of that was wildly different and not a lot of overlap, at least for two of those. And again, without money, he couldn’t get what he wanted even if he managed to find something that overlapped all of that.

 

‘What about art?’ Hitoshi thought.

 

While Ana was a terrifying freak, Izuku seemed really proud of her. Maybe Hitoshi could get some paints and he could make something nicer looking. Not saying Ana was bad just that she was a horrifying sight without her hood. 

 

Hitoshi was really not looking forward to seeing this scary doll.

 

Izuku told him about it when he was asking questions about what was scary. Hitoshi doesn’t want to know what monster his friend would make but if Izuku could make something as weird and as uncanny as Ana, doing something actually scary was going to be pure nightmare fuel.

 

Now that he thought about it more, paint really is a good gift for Izuku. A paint set would be nice enough and maybe doable. That’s a maybe but he doubts there’s going to be dumpsters full of complete paint sets. At least he’d try.

 

And that was how things went during the weekend before Izuku’s birthday. He checked mostly the mall for any paints that were looking to be thrown out but couldn’t find anything that he’d like. 

 

The boy let out a sigh as he looked in through the storefront window at a particular set of paints that included brushes too. He didn’t want to admit defeat but it looks like he’ll have to. He can’t waste anymore time trying to find a gift when it’s so close to the day. Maybe he could get a cake? Izuku wouldn’t be able to eat it there but he could take it home, wherever that was.

 

“Hey, little listener. Why so glum?” a cheery voice asked.

 

Hitoshi turned to see a tall lean man wearing black jeans and a yellow shirt. He had long blond hair tied up in a bun and seemed to be about to head into the store that the boy was looking at. 

 

He didn’t know what to say at first, a bit unsure why this guy asked him that but he was tired out from walking all day so he just answered.

 

“I’m trying to find a gift for my friend.” he said, turning back to look at the paint set. “It’s his birthday soon.”

 

“Totally cool! Does he like to paint?” the man asked.

 

“I don’t know. I was going to get a doll instead but the prices were too much for me.” he glummed.

 

The man looked at the paint set before deciding to continue. “How much do you have?”

 

“Nothing.” Hitoshi mused.

 

The man looked at him shocked in a bit too dramatic of a way. “Doesn’t your parents give you an allowance?”

 

“No… my foster parents don’t really care about me.” he replied sadly. “I don’t think they even know I’m here.”

 

Something in the man’s heart seemed to break as he heard that but didn’t let it show. “Does your friend mean a lot to you?” 

 

“They’re my only one. And they help me with my schoolwork and even buy food for me when I don't get breakfast.”

 

He swore he heard a sniffle come from the man but didn’t see it well because of his glasses. The man just smiled at him. “How about we make a deal?”

 

“What deal?” Hitoshi questioned shuffling back a little.

 

“I buy those paints for you to give to your friend and you can pay me back by helping me with my shopping today and next week on the same day. How does that sound?” he proposed.

 

It didn’t sound like a bad deal, as long as he didn’t need to get into any cars. He knows that you should never get into a car with a stranger so as long as he doesn't do that, he won’t get in trouble. This man also seemed to be alright. He didn’t look like someone bad but then again he could just be that way.

 

Even if something bad were to happen the mall was populated enough and on top of all that, all he had to do was ask ‘where are we going?’ and he could get away with his quirk. Honestly there weren't any red flags right now and even if there were, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t handle himself.

 

Hitoshi looked at the paints once more, imagining what he imagined was Izuku’s voice, thanking him for the gift and he pushed aside his fears and turned to the man.

 

“Deal.” he said confidently and pointed his hand up to the man to shake.

 

The blond chuckled to himself a bit as he took it. “Deal, little listener. By the way, my name’s Yamada Hizashi, but you can call me Hizashi.”

 

“Shinsou Hitoshi.” he replied back.

 

Hizashi, as agreed, went into the store and bought the set. Packaging it and making sure Hitoshi could handle it. Thankfully it came in a little case with a handle so it was easy to move.

 

And on Hitoshi’s end of the bargain, he helped Hizashi with his shopping that day and would help next week and the week after that. Even though it was just a lot of running around and carrying bags, Hitoshi felt he was being useful and wasn’t just taking advantage of someone’s kindness like he does with Izuku.

 

Of course he was alert the entire time. He still didn’t know what his man’s deal was. No one should be this chipper in public, it must be some kind of quirk he has. But he seemed alright and never did anything Hitoshi would deem weird besides the always happy and maybe a little too loud part.

 

They parted ways and Hitoshi went home not feeling like he was trading one debt with another. He doesn’t want to owe anything to anyone. He especially didn’t want anyone to worry about him, especially Izuku.

 

That’s why when the boy told him his birthday was a couple weeks away, he failed to mention that it was actually his birthday today, that day.

Chapter 12: Stuttering Voice

Notes:

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to apologise for some confusion over last weeks ending. I realised I might've misworded the last line.

To explain it better, what I meant to say what that it was Hitoshi's birthday the same day he and Izuku talked about his. I've edited the chapter to hopefully make that a bit more clear.

Just to note, their birthdays are the same as they are in canon, that being:
Izuku - July 15th
Hitoshi - July 1st

Again, sorry that I couldn't get that across right.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this next chapter!

<3

Hizashi had just gotten home after a slightly longer shopping trip than usual. He found the most adorable little kid at the mall looking for a gift for his friend and made a deal that he would buy it if he helped with his shopping for next week.

 

He didn’t need the help. Actually he wasn’t even planning on going to that mall next week but seeing that little face with those sad but hopeful eyes melted the blond’s heart. It didn’t help that when Hizashi bought the paint set, he smiled just like Shouta does.

 

Honestly he just wanted to scoop up that purple cat and bring him home. Actually, on that he said he was a foster child and a neglected one at that. Maybe if Hizashi could build his trust somewhat and find out more, he could see if he really is being mistreated. He can’t stand by and watch a child get hurt, even if it's through neglect.

 

The blond sauntered on through his apartment and entered the kitchen to put away groceries. He was humming away with glee over everything when Shouta passed by with Dot by his side, most likely looking for food after hearing Hizashi come back.

 

“What happened,” he stated. Something had to have occurred.

 

“Sho’ I just met the most wonderful kid today.” he chirped. “He looked seven and he was at the mall looking for a birthday gift for his friend.”

 

“Ok, so? I’m sure a lot of kids do that.” Shota deadpanned, stopping Dot from hopping onto the counter to look in the bags.

 

Hizashi huffed. “You didn’t see him Sho’. He was there alone and didn’t have any money!”

 

“Please don’t tell me you just gave him cash. I don’t want to have a husband that can get swindled by a child.” Shouta groaned.

 

“He didn’t trick me! We made a deal. I’d get him the gift, he’d help me shop today and next week.” Hizashi explained, finishing putting away most things and turning to Shouta.

 

The erasure hero let out a long drawn out sigh. “You can’t just make deals with random kids ‘Zashi.”

 

“He wouldn’t accept it otherwise. He says he’s getting the gift to pay back his friend. His only one Sho’. What was I supposed to do?!” he cried dramatically.

 

“Did you even get this kid's name?” Shouta asked.

 

“Yep! Little Shinsou Hitoshi! He’s also a foster kid from what he said.” 

 

Shouta’s nose seemed to scrunch up a little at that, something he only does when he’s made a connection or he has the cold. It was summer so it clearly wasn’t the latter.

 

“What’s wrong, Sho’? Name sound familiar?” He questioned.

 

Shouta seemed to be thinking through something when he left to go to his office. “I think I recognise that name from somewhere.”

 

Hizashi went after him, Dot stayed behind to hunt for the cat food some more. He arrived at his door, to see him looking at a relatively fresh looking file. He took a moment to flick through it before Hizashi saw his eyes flicker with realisation.

 

“Does he look like this?” and Shouta showed a picture of the same boy, slightly younger but with the same floaty purple hair and gloomy eyes.

 

“Yeah he does! Wait, why is he on your desk? Is he in trouble?” Hizashi said, alarmed, his mind briefly flashing back to Izuku all those months ago.

 

“No, he’s one of the kids Tsukauchi is going to be interviewing. The case of the Behemoth.” Shouta explained.

 

Hizashi heard about that one in the news. Some scary doll monster scaring a bunch of teachers so bad they had to be out of commission for a few days. A lot of people were wondering aloud about what the monster was and why it was related to the school. It got leaked that all of the victims were given the same warning to not hurt children.

 

He didn’t know what to make of rumors like that but he did have a rule he followed anytime he hears rumors. Being a radio show host, he hears rumors all the time and about seventy percent of them are always false so whenever he hears one, he doesn’t believe it, not until he can disprove or confirm it himself.

 

He knows Shouta’s been working on that case but Hizashi hasn’t been told much as he likes to keep his three personas as a hero, a radio host and Hizashi separate. 

 

“According to this, he has been having problems at school from… ‘disregarding authority’.” Shouta explained.

 

Hizashi was in disbelief. “He was the nicest kid when he was with me.”

 

“His quirk is called Brainwashing and it allows him to control people.” he elaborated in a tone lower than before.

 

“Ah.” Hizashi gasped as all the pieces fit together. 

 

He knew quirk discrimination was a thing, especially for those with quirks deemed ‘villainous’. Shouta also had those problems in his youth. Apparently having a quirk that erases others is scary enough to a lot of people to cry monster about. 

 

It was then he remembered again about the kid saying he only had one friend and Hizashi’s heart was breaking all over again. Not only was the kid in the foster system being neglected, but he was also a social outcast.

 

The blond wanted to get back out there right now and find him, give him the biggest hug he could and maybe… consider finding out how to become a foster parent. He says maybe because they’re moving into a new house with extra rooms… Ah! How does he solve this dilemma! 

 

“Hizashi…” Shouta warned, clearly able to read what he’s thinking.

 

“I know Sho’. But the kid says he’s being neglected and the school he’s going to is possibly sketchy too!” he argued.

 

Shouta just shook his head and put down the case file, walking up and grabbing his arms. “After the move, we can talk more about it. For now, just see if the kid’s alright. He might be fine on his own.”

 

“No one’s fine on their own.” Hizashi argued, not aggressively but more in a statement. He knows Shouta’s right, he can’t just make rash decisions.

 

His husband hugged him, humming in agreement as the two swayed a little as a way to comfort the other. For both of them, this issue hits them close to home. What with both of them being in that kind of situation when they were younger but he’d rather not think about that now.

 

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll talk with him during the first round of interviews.” he said into Hizashi’s ear.

 

“Thank you.”

 

A loud bang in the kitchen was heard as the two men rushed in to see Dot having thrown his food bowl around, Pepper watching, as the two were expecting food now.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi spent the next few days up to Izuku’s birthday studying with him and deciding what they were going to do for the summer break. According to him, Izuku doesn’t have one but that’s mostly because he has a very loose schedule. 

 

They decided on clearing out the beach, both so Izuku could find more parts but also so Hitoshi could start his training to become a hero, or at least start getting the strength for it. It was really icky at first wading through junk, especially without gloves but after getting used to it and learning what to and what not to touch, it got quite fun.

 

Okay maybe not fun, it was back breaking work, but it was satisfying seeing the beach become clearer. You could actually see the waves wash on the sand instead of plastic. It was also fun just being around Izuku/Ana. Though they couldn’t really talk while moving stuff, the company was good. It all felt good.

 

Not to mention there was so much weird stuff here, Izuku was right when he said people threw out things that should still work. He managed to find a generator that was perfectly fine, a go kart that only needed oil changed (according to Izuku) and a bunch of stuffed toys rotting in a box. Izuku took the stuffed toys because he said he likes those things whilst Hitoshi wondered if his foster parents would notice if he somehow got a kart into his room.

 

He didn’t know what he was going to do with it if he did but he just thought it would be cool and funny if he could pull that off somehow.

 

Before any more of that happened though, Izuku’s birthday was here and he couldn’t wait to show him the paint set. He had to hide it under his bed so his fosters didn’t accuse him of stealing. He’s certainly had that happened to him in the past and he wasn’t going to let it happen again.

 

On the day, they decided to meet at the beach during the sunset so they could watch it together. Hitoshi lugged the case around along with the card in his pocket and sat down on the steps leading down to the beach.

 

It seemed that Ana wasn’t there yet so he thought about everything that’s happened to him over the last couple months. 

 

It had been only a short time since he met Izuku at the start of the school year. He honestly never expected to find a friend when he moved to Musutafu, let alone one outside of school. Even though the time had been so short, he already feels somewhat close to his friend, or at least they to him.

 

Maybe he’s moving too fast and that he doesn’t feel the same way and it’s just Hitoshi being starved of attention, positive attention. Maybe that’s why he feels this closeness and shouldn’t get too attached, if not for Izuku but for himself. He wasn’t going to stay here forever.

 

He always left. He always moved onto the next home either because he was ‘too much to handle’ or ‘too expensive’. Apparently affording a school uniform and three meals a day for a kid was ‘too expensive’, as if they weren’t taking the idea of caring for a kid seriously.

 

But then again, maybe that’s twisted his way of seeing himself. That maybe he is actually too much or too expensive to be around. Izuku’s certainly bought enough food for him to be in the hundreds, he thinks. 

 

He just hoped he could try to pay that back.

 

His thoughts were stopped when he saw Ana in the distance, looking around for him most likely.

 

“Hey!” Hitoshi called, the doll's head snapping in his direction.

 

The doll waved and immediately turned to the box Hitoshi was carrying. “What is that?” they signed as they walked over.

 

“Your birthday present. Bet you can’t tell what’s inside!” he giggled.

 

The doll tilted their head like a puppy as they approached the boy and sat down on the steps where he was, staring at the box and clearly thinking of what they thought it was inside. Hitoshi kept the card hidden behind his back and set the box down, ready to present the card.

 

“Here!” he chirped, shoving the card to Ana. “Happy Birthday!”

 

The doll took the card and brought it to its hooded face, much like they did when they first met, writing in their notebook words for him to read. It opened the card and read inside. Hitoshi recalled the message he put in and he hoped his care was felt by Izuku.

 

-

To Izuku.

 

Happy Birthday!

 

Thank you for being my best friend. I hope you know how much you mean to me, even if we haven’t seen each other that long. I hope we can keep being friends so one day we can finally meet face to face.

 

From, Hitoshi.

-

 

It had a bunch of decorations at the end, with stars and glitter decorating the edges. Hitoshi was scared it might look stupid and was waiting with bated breath to find out if his friend liked it or not. Eventually the doll put the card down and signed out.

 

“Thank you Hitoshi. This means a lot to me.” and the doll pulled him in for a hug. They held it for a few moments, before they let go. Hitoshi grabbing the case.

 

It’s at times like this that the purple haired boy hated how he couldn’t see his friend’s face. He couldn’t tell if they were being nice or not. But he pushed through that doubt, moving on.

 

“And here’s your actual present! I didn’t know what exactly you wanted. I thought maybe you’d like a doll but they were too expensive for me to get so I found something else I think you might like.” he explained, handing the case over to the doll.

 

They opened it and inside were two dozen different paints, brushes and other utensils that can be used in painting. The doll seemed to freeze when it looked at them and once more Hitoshi was left scared if the gift was good or not.

 

The doll closed the case and locked it. Putting it to the side next to them as they signed. “Thank you so much Hitoshi. I love it! I wanted to do some painting!” He could tell it was enthusiastic by how the doll shook all over a little as they signed.

 

“You're welcome!” Hitoshi replied beaming, it seemed his doubt was for nothing. “I know you like making stuff like Ana and that scary doll you mentioned a bit ago. I wanted to get you something to make more stuff as well!”

 

The boy was happy. Really happy. He can’t tell exactly how much his gift meant to Izuku but he knew that at the very least he got this on his own and not by relying on anyone else. Next week he was going to do his best to help Hizashi with his shopping so that his debt there was repaid.

 

The two talked for a bit on the paints, Ana going through them and testing them. Some red paint was mushed on Hitoshi’s face making the boy giggle as he stole a brush and did it back to the doll on theirs, giving them a red nose. It made them more creepy but honestly, Hitoshi was getting over it.

 

“You know Hitoshi.” the doll signed. “All of my birthday gifts were normally given to me quietly.”

 

“Really?” Hitoshi asked.

 

The doll nodded. “My mama would have to sneak them past Hi- my father, because a lot of them he didn’t approve of.”

 

“What were they?” he asked.

 

“Dolls. I always liked them. I read it might have something to do with my quirk but I liked the way they looked and felt. It felt comforting playing with them and posing them and making them act like heroes. I know there’s action figures for that but none of them were as flexible or as pretty as the dolls.” Izuku explained. “Does that… make me weird?”

 

“No!” Hitoshi retorted. “It doesn’t. Your dad’s probably just a dumbass for not trying to understand you.”

 

“But it’s still weird though… right? Boys shouldn’t really be playing with those.” the doll signed slowly.

 

“Who said that? Your dad?” Hitoshi said, almost sounding like an argument.

 

The doll’s head looked away from him. “No. My friend… old one. Said it made me weak. And he was the strongest kid I know.”

 

“Well he’s stupid and not your friend. You’re not weak Izuku. It doesn’t matter if you like something everyone else says is weird, you like it for you.” Hitoshi countered. 

 

- - -

 

That line made something in the boy’s heart shake a little. There was so much to digest in that sentence in more ways than one.

 

One, the idea that Ka…cchan was stupid was nothing to simply say. He was always smarter than Izuku. When they’d go out to the forest, he’d always be the one leading and he’d always follow. But now he doesn’t follow anyone and he’s still fine.

 

Two, that he’s not weak. He is though, he really is. He’s hiding away from the world because he’s not strong enough to fight it himself. He cowers and slithers away into the dark. He does things with Ana through a screen tens of miles away. He’s scared of even stepping out of the warehouse, just the thought made him start to hyperventilate. But that’s okay, even though he’s not strong, he’s still fine.

 

And finally, the last thing he said. That he should like things for him and not let anyone else's opinion mess with that. He wasn’t sure what to say to that. Arguably he’s never let anyone’s opinions change him, even when Hisashi shouted at Mama he still wanted more dolls to play with. 

 

He was never truly sure why but he just did. Even right now, where he’s trapped himself in this warehouse, he does so because he wants to. He wanted to stay here and be here and live here. He doesn’t even see himself leaving because that was the smarter thing to do. So he’s fine.

 

Truly.

 

It doesn’t matter if someone says otherwise.

 

- - -

 

The doll sat in silence, probably digesting what he said. Hitoshi waited for them to speak back but after a moment he decided to move the topic on. “Is your dad still around?”

 

The doll’s head seemed to shake at that, not in a ‘no’ but more as a shiver. “No. He isn't. Mama isn’t either.”

 

“Wait, then where are you living?” Hitoshi asked, getting slightly concerned.

 

“I… live alone.” Izuku confessed.

 

“A-alone?! H-how? Are you safe!” Hitoshi panicked.

 

Izuku lived alone? But wasn’t he his age? If he’s alone then he must be living on the streets. How has he been surviving then? He knows he has money, so maybe he got some kind of inheritance from them? But that doesn’t make sense, he should have someone helping him.

 

“I am safe!” Izuku replied immediately. “I’m fine. I promise. I just like to be alone so don’t worry about me.”

 

“How can I not worry?” Hitoshi argued goodnaturedly.

 

“Look. I’m fine. Please don’t ask more.” Izuku worded forcefully.

 

“Okay.” Hitoshi dropped it, at least for now. He needed to know if Izuku was safe and not in danger.

 

The two left that topic alone for now and talked about some more stuff, such as Hitoshi’s new teachers still being good if not a bit stricter for a first year elementary class. The two were laughing about something they heard in the news when the sun finally hit the horizon and the golden hour began.

 

Hitoshi couldn’t stay for long as he had dinner but Izuku stopped him by having Ana grab his arm.

 

“Hitoshi. Before you go. I have a gift for you.” the doll motioned.

 

Those signed words immediately made his face drop. Why was he getting a gift? He just finished repaying Izuku back for his help, why was he being given something else? He didn’t want a gift. This was Izuku’s birthday, not his so…

 

The doll let go of his arm and inched down to his hand, clutching it tightly. Hitoshi was beyond worried he was going to be getting something really good just like always and it was going to make him feel awful and…

 

“Here.” they signed and handed over a cell phone. It was an older model but still a cell phone. That sight made the boy’s heart drop and every insecurity he had spiked back up after it was just put away.

 

It was something good. Something so much better than some stupid card and a box of paints he didn’t even buy with his own money. It was far better than anything he could ever get. Better than anything he could ever deserve.

 

“Izuku… I can’t accept this, I can’t!” Hitoshi cried. He didn’t want to owe him anything, he was just finally paying his kindness back.

 

“This is more a gift for me than for you.” the doll promised.

 

Hitoshi started to feel flustered as he felt upset about Izuku doing something for him when… “It’s your birthday! Not mine!”

 

“Not today. But it was a couple weeks ago.” Hitoshi froze. “I wanted to give you one a couple days later but I didn't want to up the bar.” the doll signed, emotions unreadable.

 

‘You already have.’ Hitoshi thought, mind a mess.

 

He turned around and held the doll’s hand tightly, tears welling up as he faced the setting sun. “I wanted this to be just for you. You’ve done so much for me and it feels like I can’t do much back. You’ve fed me, taught me and made me no longer feel lonely. It feels like I owe you so much and with everything you give me it feels like my debt gets higher and higher.”

 

“I’m an awful friend Izuku. I don’t deserve someone as nice as you.” he finished.

 

Hitoshi was tempted to leave but the doll's hands grabbed his shoulders, holding them tightly as the phone was set on his lap unwillingly. He looked into the glaring eyes of the doll, the camera staring back and he could almost swear he could feel the sadness in them.

 

Neither made a move. The doll didn’t seem to let go and Hitoshi was about to say another word when he felt his lap vibrate and he looked down to see the phone ringing. There was a moment of confusion before he remembered what was said two weeks ago when it was his own birthday. The wish he inadvertently made.

 

It didn’t show who it was but he could take a wild guess as the doll let go and allowed the boy to pick it up and answer.

 

“Hello? Izuku?” he said. Not too sure what to expect. It was the first time he would hear his voice, after months of speaking through the doll and pondering what kind of person would be on the other end. How’d they sound?

 

The other end was quiet for a few moments outside of some quiet humming of a fan. Hitoshi thought maybe it was the wrong number when he heard the faintest of voices on the other end.

 

“H-h-hi.” it whispered like it was unsure if it even wanted to be heard.

 

“Izuku… is that really you?” Hitoshi replied, not sure if he should whisper too or not.

 

It was silent once more before the voice sounded out in a warble.

 

“H-happy B-birthday, Hitoshi!”

 

It was a stuttering mess and as quiet as a mouse but hearing the voice of his friend who clearly has put a lot of effort into talking with him, he couldn’t help but let go of all the woe and self loathing. 

 

A teary smile grew on his face and he replied...

 

“Happy Birthday, Izuku.”

Chapter 13: Screeched

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Glad people liked the last chapter. I was really happy with it when I made it and seeing all of your positive reactions made me even happier.

Anyway, here is another chapter. There will be one on Sunday so stay tuned!

<3

Kashi had gotten more and more stressed ever since that night. Receiving twelve calls nearly all at once, telling that many of his teachers were attacked and couldn’t come back to school for a while, creeped him out alone. Then hearing about what exactly this ‘Behemoth’ reason behind its attacks was to do with the children.

 

But what issue? How can there be an issue? He has run Aldera Elementary exactly how he’s been advised by the overall superintendent of the three Alderas. He wasn’t even the harshest! The middle school and especially the high school were cruller than him so why go after him?

 

On top of all that, now there were police investigating the reason behind those attacks. He had to delete all of the footage and any evidence with a trace of their discipline on the student body. Now though, they’re asking to interview the students? He can’t stop them unless he wants to basically admit there is something there.

 

It’s not like there is. Not really. It doesn’t matter if a few kids get bullied for their quirks, that’s life! If anything he’s doing them a favour by getting them ready for the real world. Not only that but given how there’s always villains around wouldn’t it make sense that there’s some in his classes? Of course there are, it’s a statistical inevitability. 

 

Then again, Aldera has never had a future hero graduate from their school. No, that's ridiculous, that’s just a coincidence. When Kashi was teaching there were countless kids who surely grew up to be villains like that kid who could control darkness or that girl who could spit poison. 

 

Speaking of villainous brats, he’s sure one of them has something to do with this. He doesn’t know which one but he’ll find them and make sure they cough up what the ‘Behemoth’ is so he can finally get some proper sleep.

 

- - -

 

Tsukauchi had gone through his sixtieth interview of what is a list of eighty-four kids. He had to split his focus between different years and trying to convince parents to let their kid get interviewed was a monumental task. Most parents don't like it when their kids get talked to by a police officer, even more so if they start asking if there’s any problems with their school.

 

Especially if they have an idea there is something wrong with their school.

 

Over the last two weeks it’s been nothing but talking with parents and kids and Tsukauchi was honestly starting to break down. He has never broken down but being hounded at by some parents about their precious kid being treated like a criminal, even though there was never even any mention was something that, was driving the man up the wall.

 

At least he’s gotten a few things. 

 

He’s figured out that there’s definitely some kind of bullying problem going on in the school. To what extent is to be figured out but given how many kids are afraid of authority figures, especially at such a young age implies there's some negligence on the teachers' parts.

 

Whether or not that’s enough to warrant them being traumatised is up to how much they chose to ignore.

 

Speaking of those teachers, many of them are going to therapy as recommended by their doctors. Tsukauchi knows this because he’s been trying to interview them more on the monster and why they think it did this but none of them are having it and have shut up. Meaning either they’re too scared to speak up or are admitting that there’s a lot more than bullying problems going on.

 

He’s also tried talking to the principal again but he’s been ‘busy’ with a lot of his work getting new substitutes. Of course his quirk went off on that but he’s keeping that fact, and his quirk, in the bag until he’s gotten through these interviews.

 

On that, there’s one he’s been dreading for a while ever since he saw their name. The Bakugous. Apparently they go to this school too and their son's homeroom teacher, Tajima, was the first victim of that night and the only one who managed to contact the police about it.

 

The reason he wasn’t looking forward to it wasn’t because the Bakugou’s were bad or annoying, if anything given their last visit they might be more amicable than most parents. No, the problem was that they were going to ask that inevitable question.

 

“Have you found Izuku yet?” Mitsuki asked with a mix of fear and sadness. She was sitting next to her son, Katsuki, on the sofa in their living room. Masaru, her husband, was at work and couldn’t be there, leaving just the two of them to conduct the interview.

 

“Unfortunately, we have not found much from our investigations,” he admitted. And he hated it.

 

The trail was ice cold on Izuku. When he popped up for a brief moment when Present Mic in civilian attire found him, he thought that maybe more would come but it’s been over a year since then and not even a report of the boy has popped up. 

 

They tried seeing if they could get something on that doll, his quirk, but either something has happened to the poor kid or he has gotten incredibly good at hiding. Given the unlikeliness of the latter, the former is probably what has happened.

 

Of course that doesn't mean he’s given up. Keyword being ‘he’ because the case is on the verge of becoming cold with the odds being that Izuku is going to be declared dead if he doesn’t find proof that he’s still out there, even through his quirk.

 

Saying the news of Izuku’s continued disappearance seemed to make the mother in front of him sadder and the kid on her right growl with furrowed eyes. He knows they’re both likely going to resent him as time goes on but hopefully that can hold until the end of this interview.

 

“Please let me know if you find anything.” Mitsuki begged.

 

He gave back a curt nod. “We will. But an update isn’t why I’m here today as I told you over the phone.”

 

“Yes, you wanted to ask my son some questions?” the mother recalled.

 

“That is correct. I wanted to ask him some questions about his school.” the detective clarified. 

 

The young Bakugou seemed to be focusing more after that whilst the older one widened her eyes. “Is there something wrong with Aldera?”

 

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.” Tsukauchi explained. “Before that though, considering this is an interview and not an inquiry, I’d like to inform you of my quirk. It allows me to be able to detect when I am being lied to. I’m not expecting either of you to lie but it’s imperative that I tell you this before any interview can begin.”

 

The two Bakugou’s seemed a bit taken back when he explained his quirk. They always do. Learning that you can’t lie to someone tends to make people anxious and constantly second guess every sentence they say to you even if they have nothing to hide. Same thing tends to happen whenever you put someone on a polygraph but this one is much more accurate.

 

After a few beats, Mitsuki agreed to this interview and Katsuki seemed to be fine with it as well. 

 

“So then Bakugou Katsuki. How have your classes been?” the detective asked, saying his full name for the recording.

 

The kid huffed. “It’s been fine for me. Except the extras not shutting up.”

 

“Oi, Katsuki. What did we say about respect?” the mother growled as her face turned to scolding the boy.

 

“Well they are! They keep hanging around because of my quirk!” he shouted.

 

“Just the students? Does anyone else think the same?” Tsukauchi asked out of curiosity, though he’s been having his theories.

 

The kid turned to him, still growling at his mother. “Yeah. Teachers kept gushing about how great my quirk is. Which is damn right!”

 

Tsukauchi wrote down what was said into a small notepad, mostly for his own sake. Okay. Let's see where this line of inquiry takes us. 

 

“Do they all say you have a great quirk? Do they do anything else besides praise?” the detective inquired.

 

Mitsuki looked at him, clearly confused by what he was trying to get out of that question. Thankfully, Katsuki was kind enough to spell it out with his answer.

 

“Yeah! They say I’m going to be a great hero so they give me extra help and more time in P.E.!” he gloated proudly, a part of him peeking at his mom to see her reaction.

 

Right. So they favour children with good quirks. Let’s see if the opposite is true. Tsukauchi thought. “What about those who don’t have good quirks?”

 

“Pfft. I don’t know. Those extras just get ignored.” the kid said.

 

“By the teachers too?” asked the detective.

 

“Yeah. Especially the weak ones.” 

 

“Like who?” the detective follows up with.

 

The kid then lists off a bunch of kids in his class that are subject to being ignored. Making sure each name was recorded so that he can ask them later. A few of them were kids he’s already talked to and have admitted, either consciously or unconsciously, that they are picked on more than they should. 

 

It would be awkward to have a follow up questioning with some of these kids, mostly because of parents and scheduling but thankfully there’s a couple of these ‘weak quirked’ kids that he hasn’t questioned and are already scheduled for a chat. 

 

What’s most disturbing about all of this kid here, Bakugou Katsuki, and how much the teachers seem to praise him over just having a quirk that’s strong or good for heroics. It’s a bad mentality that will end with the kid getting a rude awakening should he ever come up against someone stronger than him, or even weaker and yet capable of beating him. Aizawa is certainly someone who comes to mind as someone who’s beaten a lot of types who were once this kid, arrogant and looking down on everyone.

 

Thankfully the kid is young, so there’s still time to make him someone better than what Tsukauchi’s experience tells him, he hopes.

 

The rest of the interview was mostly follow up questions. Getting specific names of teachers who were a part of this and it wasn’t a surprise at all when they all just so happened to be the ones targeted by the Behemoth. Before the proper end of the interview though, Tsukauchi had to check out a theory that has been itching in his mind since the start of this whole process.

 

“Thank you, Bakugou Katsuki. I’ve almost finished this interview but there is just one more question I need to ask.” the detective stated.

 

“What?” the kid said brashily.

 

“Has any of your teachers encouraged bullying of certain kids?”

 

It was a very direct question but it’s one that can’t really be asked without possibly being leading or giving an out for the kid from Lie Detector. He’s hoping that given the kid’s favoritism by the teachers…

 

He waited for the kid to answer and for the first time he seemed to not respond instantly like he always did. With that his mother looked down at her son, eyes shaking at that because anyone like him who would be stumped at such a question, surely was admitting a lot more than he could say.

 

Eventually the boy did let out an answer, albeit keeping his angry demeanor. “They never said but… they didn’t stop when some of the kids shoved and pushed and insulted.”

 

That was plenty. Enough to warrant taking this investigation further than it could. It proved there was a good reason behind the Behemoth’s attack. How close they are to getting to whatever truth behind Aldera’s ‘teaching methods’ is certainly becoming closer with this new revelation, and hopefully, by proxy, the Behemoth themself.

 

He wasn’t going to ask if the young Bakugou was also one of the kids encouraged, nor was he going to ask if he followed through. The silence afterwards made it clear that, given his attitude, he must’ve followed through on some of those encouragements. He had enough and could use this to force an interrogation with the teachers once he’s finished with the children.

 

“Thank you. Both of you for this interview. In case you're worried, you aren’t in trouble.” he said to the boy. “But someone is and we’ll be making sure they get what is coming to them.”

 

“Thank you, Detective Tsukauchi.” Mitsuki said, nodding. “You too, Katsuki.”

 

The boy seemed to hesitate before he spoke. “Thank you detective.” It was muted and it’s clear that admitting out loud what he’s been doing has certainly shooken the kid in some way. Whether that will last is something hard to say.

 

- - -

 

Over the last few days, Izuku has been fighting more and more on whether he should go after the principal. He was certainly a part of this to some extent and knowing that was bothering him. The problem was that he wasn't sure how he could get him. Heroes are surely watching him now so it would be a lot harder to catch him.

 

The only reason he couldn’t get the man the first time around was because he was too far away from the other teachers to make a reasonable path to. If he were close, Izuku would’ve made sure to get him. 

 

The boy stopped himself there at that thought process. ‘Get him’. What did he mean by that? He was enjoying this too much which is something he might admit to himself if he wasn’t constantly running away from his problems by pushing them back further and further into his mind. 

 

It wasn’t as if he could get therapy. Not that he would of his own accord. He was fine. Just a bit excited at the prospect of causing more fear in the ones who hurt his friend, now more than ever after his birthday.

 

Yes. With this line of thinking he probably will attack the principal. How was a different issue. He could wait for things to die down but Izuku wasn’t a patient child. Every time he’d go into the school files and look at this guy he became more and more determined to scare him. The whole school really.

 

It seemed to get worse as the years went up with kids Hitoshi and weaker quirked kids getting bullied viscously with no end in sight. He can’t imagine himself ever being in that situation but he can imagine the fear and helplessness those kids probably experience. He was always afraid of being found because of Hisashi finding him and those students probably feel the same way about their bullies.

 

Nevermind the later years though, right now he needed a plan. He didn’t know if there were heroes monitoring the principal but there had to be someone. It made perfect sense that the principal would be a target too.

 

Izuku sat in front of his computer and began to work his way through the police network. He has been trying to find a safe way in for a while but hasn’t noticed any holes yet. 

 

“If I can’t find one then maybe I can make one.” he muttered to himself. “If I can slip some malware into their system and make a password request, I can…”

 

After a few hours of researching the Musutafu police force, he’s found someone he could maybe go after. An officer in his sixties who didn’t seem very good at computers if what he’s said on social media was any hint. There’s also a chance he has a weak password too.

 

Finding his work email account on the Musutafu Police website, he sent in a simple email from a fake email address pretending to be IT support saying he needs to change his password urgently. Asking to confirm his password first before entering a new one.

 

Sure enough a day later, it worked and Izuku immediately took over his account, changing his password to match the one he sent in and having free reign of the police internal network. From there he found the case involving him and Aldera, and as he confirmed there was a pro hero watching the principal. Eraserhead.

 

His quirk was certainly dangerous, mostly because Izuku doesn’t know what it would do to his doll. If the erasure needed to be done on him or the doll to erase their quirk was something he needed to find out. But he had a theory.

 

Given his spinal fluid is still a part of him, there is a decent chance erasure would work as long as that fluid is exposed. He needed to make sure that the monster had nothing exposing the mossy fluid underneath.

 

After a while of making these changes to the monster, Izuku still needed to think of how he’s going to get around the pro hero. Just because he couldn’t erase the monster doesn’t mean he can’t beat it to pieces. He needed another weakness, a hole.

 

One that he could certainly make.

 

- - -

 

Shouta had been watching Kashi for almost three weeks now and it was getting a bit tiring. It seemed like the Behemoth wasn’t going to make another appearance, at least not yet. He wasn’t even sure what this thing looked like outside of the scared descriptions from the victims. 

 

He didn’t know its strength, speed or even its quirk. For all he knew it could be some kind of invisibility and the thing could slip past him. 

 

“Hah.” he sighed from the roof of Kashi’s house.

 

He really just wanted to go back to patrolling and not babysitting this guy. As far as what Tsukauchi had told him, the victims aren’t the most innocent people, meaning this guy is probably the worst but he’s a hero first and needed to do his job. He just hopes he doesn’t have to spend another night watching nothing happen.

 

That was when his comms sprang to life. 

 

“Eraserhead? Come in…” a slightly robotic voice came in on the other end.

 

“Eraserhead here. What is it?” he responded fast and professionally.

 

The voice was indeed kind of robotic sounding but for all he knew that might be someone’s quirk or even just whatever hardware they’re using speaking. 

 

“There’s an emergency over at block twenty three. A hero down.” they explained.

 

The voice didn’t need to say more before he was off. Block twenty three wasn’t far from here and if there’s a hero down he needed to move fast. He took off, using his capture weapon to hop from building to building, taking about five minutes to reach where he needed to.

 

Soon enough he was there. After heading down a few alleyways and checking some houses there didn’t seem to be anything wrong.

 

“I can’t find anything here.” he said into comms but the other side was silent. “Hello?”

 

After a couple minutes of trying he eventually heard someone over the comms in his ear, but it wasn’t the robotic voice from before. “Hello? What’s wrong?”

 

“Someone told me there was an issue at the twenty third block.”

 

There were a few presses of a keyboard and what he heard was a few people talking in the background before he got a response that sent a cold shiver down his spine. “None of us said anything was wrong with the twenty third block.”

 

He was immediately on his way, swinging back to the house as fast as he possibly could. Yelling into the microphone of his earpiece to send police to the Kashi residence. 

 

‘I’ve been duped. Completely damn it!’ he thought frantically, making sure he didn’t swing into a wall.

 

Shouta was panicking inside. He had spent the last three weeks watching this guy and the first time something interesting happened and he’s been lured away like he’s on a leash. He just hopes the guys are still there when he gets back.

 

As soon as the house was in eyeshot, he could see all of the lights were off in the house when they weren’t when he left. Swinging from a lamp post, he launched himself over a house and glided off some shingles until he heard something that made his heart jump back slightly.

 

An ear piercing screech. Not one of someone screaming in fear but a monster letting out a roar. He landed on the house a few seconds later and crashed in through a window, not caring about property damage. He was in the master bedroom where Kashi should be sleeping but he wasn’t there, the room being a mess and the door wide open.

 

The pro hero quickly ran down the stairs where he found the man in a closet under the stairs, unconscious, the door ripped open and tears wetting the corners of the man’s eyes. The hero looked around, after checking the man was still alive, and noticed that the back door was open. 

 

Knowing that the police were on their way and that Kashi was already gotten, he chased out into the night hoping to catch up with this thing. Scanning the rooftops, he couldn’t see anything at first until he caught the slightest of movements towards where some apartment blocks were.

 

Not taking any chances he chased, hopping from building to building and quickly catching up to whatever he was chasing. He watched a weirdly shaped figure crawl quickly down the side of the building into a few alleyways and leapt after it.

 

Soon enough he was on this thing’s trail, but after a few corners he lost it at a dead end. Or at least that’s what he thought. A large claw swung at him, causing him to dive back in a flip as a long twisting arm with sharp blades on its fingers pulled back to a creature far bigger than what he was chasing earlier.

 

It had a misshapen body with four arms, two longer than the rest and two heads. One was a pale mask of a woman and the other seemed like a mangled mechanical horse. The whole thing twisted as the heads seemed to stare down at the man almost curiously.

 

He says almost because right now this thing, in the dark, looked like something from a horror movie.

 

“Look pal, come quietly and we can talk about why you’re doing this.” he commanded, keeping a straight face so as not to appear disturbed or scared.

 

The thing just stared at him and the mannerisms were almost birdlike in how it tilted its heads. The two were silent for a moment before the far too calm voice of a little girl sounded through the horse head.

 

“We are scaring the bad people. The people who deserve it.”

 

He did not like that voice. It spoke like a child and it creeped him out. He’d always had a sadistic side to him and he did not like to be at the other end of that so this just made him shift and almost attack the thing right then and there.

 

“You could explain to us why they’re bad people. Just come with me and we can figure this out.” he reasoned.

 

“...No.” the monster said sinisterly.

 

An arm swung forth fast and the pro hero had to duck out of the way, hopping over a second arm as the creature dashed forward. Its lower arms reached to try and grasp at the hero but a kick forced them back as the thing now encircled him.

 

As the two large arms swung to scoop him up into a hug, he hopped up and bounced off the arms and onto the necks of the creature. He was about to take a swing at the masked one when the horse let out a painful scream that sounded far too close to a childs.

 

It caused him to freeze for a moment, giving the creature a chance to grasp him by his scarf and throw him into a wall. Shouta was stunned for a moment at the force of the throw and he sputtered a little bit when the wind got knocked out of him. He was still a hero though, so he recovered fast. Still hurt like hell though.

 

The hero pulled himself up, ready for a strike when the creature was gone. Shouta looked around, shaking a little at this thing before he looked up in time to dodge the creature falling on top of him.

 

In that he used his quirk, trying to erase whatever this thing had but nothing seemed to happen. 

 

‘It has to be mutagenic.’ he guessed as he threw his capture weapon and had it wrap around one of the creature’s arms. 

 

He pulled, throwing it off balance and immediately doing a kick into its chest, the sound of something cracking clear under the ratty green dress it wore. Another screech ran out and if he didn’t live with a cockatoo for a husband, it would’ve shaken him more but he jumped up in time to avoid the other arms striking at him.

 

With another twist of his scarf, he now had the other long arm wrapped and was now ducking under to try and wrap this thing up. He managed and soon this thing was writhing under the grey cloth, struggling to break out. All of its arms were wrapped up and pinned to the side of its body, unable to break free.

 

Soon enough he made another kick, this time to the horse head, intending to knock it out, and the sound of bending metal made the creature stumble and fall against the alley wall. The other head drooped and the thing seemed to fall unconscious as Shouta stood there, holding onto his capture weapon in case it was faking it.

 

The man let out a heavy breath as he relaxed somewhat now that the creature was stopped. He immediately reached for his earpiece and called in the capture. “Eraserhead here. I’ve captured the Behemoth. Please send transport to my position.”

 

He got silence on the other end and he was about to speak again when he heard the same robotic voice speak through that tricked him earlier. 

 

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” was what it said.

 

Shouta blinked and looked over at the monster who was seemingly still unconscious. “That isn’t you is it?”

 

“No.” it replied immediately.

 

“Who are you?” he asked in an almost demand.

 

“It doesn’t matter. The man has learned his lesson.” 

 

“Sorry but nearly giving people heart attacks isn’t the lesson you think it is.” the pro hero argued.

 

There was a pause for a few seconds. “There’s a lot of evil in Aldera.” 

 

“And we’ll deal with it within the confines of the law.” he shot back.

 

Shouta kept his senses alert. He didn’t know where this guy was and he certainly wasn’t going to lower his guard around the monster. Looking at it now it seemed almost like an object. A bunch of wooden arms and limbs cobbled together. Especially the heads which look like they were stuff on the end of two mannequin arms.

 

His focus though, came when he noticed something oozing out of the horse’s head he kicked. A clear liquid. A mossy one that made the man immediately think back to almost a year ago.

 

“Midoriya?” he uttered, and his focus slacked for a moment before the creature moved far too quickly than it should.

 

It closed the distance fast and soon enough he had no time to react before the whole thing crashed into him, still wrapped up. Shouta tried to push back but whatever strength it had before, it was clearly holding back as he was rammed into a wall, cracking some bricks and surely him.

 

The thing then ripped through the bindings by twisting its arms inhumanly out and ran for it, Shouta laid on the floor still reeling from the attack. He stumbled up to try and chase it but the thing was gone and his bones were protesting keeping up.

 

He felt battered and bruised and just decided to slide down the wall as he heard the distant sound of sirens falling on his position.

 

He looked at his chest and noticed the staining of some liquid, probably what was coming from the thing’s head. On the comms there was a simple apology muttered through by the robotic voice before the sudden rush of people from the police trying to reach him.

Chapter 14: Mind Made Up

Notes:

Heya everybody!

Today's chapter and the next few are going to be very fun. Especially as they all build up to something fun.

<3

A few hours in the hospital did a lot of good for the cracked ribs, at least that’s what he’s been trying to convince the nurses of for the last half hour. Of course they weren’t but he never liked being stuck in hospitals even if it’s for his own good.

 

Unfortunately Hizashi is there to stop him from actually sneaking out unless he wants to have the ire of his husband.

 

“Sho’ we have a move soon. I don’t want you collapsing after picking up a few boxes!” he argued quietly, making sure his quirk didn't ring out but still charged with care and annoyance.

 

“Hah.” the hero sighed, knowing that he won’t be able to leave here until the promised time of tomorrow. At least he has Hizashi here to keep him company.

 

Of course that and the fact that it’s possible he’s just confirmed another sighting of Midoriya Izuku. It would honestly make more sense if he was the now, non-monstrous, Behemoth. His quirk fits perfectly into controlling the messed up doll that was that thing.

 

He wasn’t going to tell Hizashi though, not yet. When they were still searching for him, he was the last one to see him and it left him almost depressed for a few weeks at the fact he could’ve been the last person to see the boy alive. He didn’t want to put his husband through that on a possible fluke.

 

It’s why he’s having the liquid he got from the alley and his jumpsuit checked for any DNA trace. With the help of Tsukuachi of course.

 

As for Kashi, the principal, he indeed was put out of commission due to having fainted and will likely, if not already, have woken up as a shaking mess much like his coworkers. This’ll probably not help with those people too as this confirms that the Behemoth is still out there on the prowl.

 

Shouta leaned back in the hospital bed he was lying in and just thought about it all and how if this is Izuku, how he’s been surviving for the last year. According to his record, he should be seven now and if that fact doesn’t break his heart then he doesn’t have an ounce of empathy in him.

 

A few knocks on the door happen before it is opened to a nurse guiding in a tired but definitely determined Tsukauchi, him waving the medical staff member off once he’s there. Clearly meaning that Shouta’s guess was right.

 

“The test won’t be done till tomorrow but they’ve confirmed that it is spinal fluid.” he stated, practically confirming that the odds of this being the kid is practically there.

 

“What? What does that mean? What spinal fluid?” questioned Hizashi, trying to piece together what the detective was saying.

 

Shouta shifted in the bed to sit up more. “It means that the odds of the Behemoth being Midoriya Izuku are high.”

 

At that, the blond whipped his head to face his partner with a shocked expression. “Midoriya?! You mean that little kid with the green hair?”

 

One curt nod from both the hero and the detective affirms that guess and there is almost a sigh of relief that leaves the blond man’s mouth. Even though Hizashi had gotten ‘over’ it a while ago, there was obviously still some fear over the fate of that child.

 

“So what are we doing?” he asked.

 

“Not much, ‘Zashi.” Shouta responded. “He’s already gotten what he wanted, we think. Unless he chooses to, we won’t see him again.”

 

“Is there no way we can trace his movements?” the blond man suggested.

 

“If we were more prepared, maybe.” the detective presented.

 

The bun-haired man fell back in the chair and sat next to his partner, head lolling back a little as his thoughts went through him. “So the kid just jumped back into our lives and now jumps back out.”

 

“And given what he’s done, probably worse for wear.” the detective said.

 

The two, well one really at the moment, pro heroes looked at him, wondering what he meant by that even though it was obvious what he was implying. Irrelevant of his age, Midoriya had still technically used his quirk illegally and though he hasn’t hurt anyone, physically, he still meets under the peripheral as being called a villain.

 

Of course that could be proven wrong and he would be marked as a vigilante instead but only if the investigation into the teachers comes out with anything worth someone going to jail for. Or rather can go to jail for. If not then the kid will be in much more trouble.

 

“You made sure the kid doesn’t go to Aldera, right?” Shouta questioned. 

 

The detective nodded. “I double checked when you asked just in case he was under a different name but no, no one in Aldera matches Mirodirya’s description.”

 

Then the question remains unsaid and unanswered about how the kid would know about what is going on in Aldera. The only possible reason being that he knows someone who goes to the school, which seems more likely now.

 

“I’m guessing if you’ve checked the roster then you’ve checked to see if all these teachers taught the same class.” Shouta assumed.

 

“Yes. All of the victims, barring the principal, teach a variety of different classes but all of them at least teach first year elementary. Same age range Midoriya would be.” the detective said sure of what the pro was implying.

 

“How many have you questioned?” Shouta wondered.

 

“A fair amount. They’re harder to schedule because of how young they are so about half the year is left.” he explained.

 

The pro and the detective talked more about what time those interviews could be done by the mention of one of the kid’s parents being hard to reach, explaining that they are foster parents and might have a lot of kids to look after. That being said, Shouta, having known him for so long, noticed that Hizashi was thinking deeply about something.

 

“What’s wrong?” the hero asked the other, knowing that he is bothered by something.

 

The loud blond pursed his lips, clearly thinking over everything when he turned to Tsukauchi. “By chance is one of those kids called Shinsou Hitoshi?”

 

The man’s eyes widened at his guess and nodded. “Yes there is. I haven’t seen him yet, but I’m hoping to drop by for a visit. Why?”

 

“The kid mentioned he had a friend. His only one. Might be a long shot but I’m due to have him help me with groceries this weekend. Maybe I can ask him to see?” 

 

Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow at that and the man had to explain how exactly he met Shinsou and their deal. The detective seems to agree to let Hizashi talk to him first to see if there’s any chance that he is the link to Midoriya they think he is.

 

“I’ll keep looking into the school in the meantime. I have enough to force a conversation with the teachers so I’ll update you when I’m through with that.” Tsukauchi explained.

 

And so the detective made his exit and Shouta was left with more of his husband fighting him from getting up. If only the cats were here then maybe he’d be able to sleep better but with his husband deciding to stay the night, he thinks he might just be able to make do.

 

- - -

 

It was a terrifying night last night for Izuku. He just fought a hero and won, technically. He did have to run away but that doesn’t stop the fact that he managed to beat him back. It was honestly thrilling as much as it was scary when he realised that he’d have to fight. 

 

Before the attack, he made sure to research Eraserhead and his fighting style. There wasn’t much online due to the hero being underground but there were a few camera captures of the hero in action by some people. He knew it would be a hard fight on top of the monster not being built for it. Maybe he should look into that.

 

Speaking of the beast, it had collapsed on its way back to the warehouse and so Izuku had to send Ana out to collect it. Thankfully it didn’t seem that the pro hero or the police chased after so they were pretty much in the home clear back to the warehouse.

 

The problem now was what the hero said when the monster was tied up. His name. When that was said, Izuku almost went stone quiet and could feel his heart about to rip out of him. He didn’t know they were still searching for him. He hadn’t even looked at his case file but after that he decided to.

 

The boy knew Hisashi wouldn’t have been caught but seeing it on a report just made him feel even more sure of his decision to hide. What was weird though was seeing his own face on a missing poster that was probably broadcasted a while ago. 

 

Sure maybe now the heroes could protect him but would they? Izuku knows what he did was right but that doesn’t mean the law agreed. He was a vigilante now, one that the police knew the identity of so what if he gets arrested and sent to prison? He doesn’t want that.

 

Not just that but he didn’t feel safe anywhere but between these four walls. Imagining himself outside of them made him itchy and light headed. He didn’t want to leave and probably won’t. He’s fine with that (he’s not) and no one can convince him otherwise.

 

They can’t track him. Especially now that he has taken the monster back. One of his fears is them finding the camera inside and using it to trace his location. Something that he’ll have to work on masking in the future. Thankfully he’s cruising his way through his online classes so he has time to look into some cybersecurity.

 

The question is what to do now on the Behemoth front. He has done what he needed to. So does he even need to rebuild the monster? The reason for it was accomplished so there was no purpose to putting it back together. All of the teachers who messed with Hitoshi have been scared away.

 

Sure there are higher years but does he seriously want to risk exposure just for the sake of helping people out? Maybe. But the police are looking into the school and there’s a decent chance they can deal with it themselves. He can trust them enough to do that. As for Behemoth, of course he’ll keep the parts but…

 

“The heroes might come for me one day. I need some kind of protection…” he muttered to himself.

 

He was right. He needed a contingency if he ever needed to escape. Maybe not building the monster the exact same, there were some changes that needed to be done but definitely something to protect him. Ana is alright and all but she is not combat ready in the slightest. He could use all of Behemoth’s parts to make something bigger and stronger.

 

But never mind that now, today was going to be a fun day for him and his friend. Izuku had saved up a lot of money from his delivery job. Naturally seeing as how he has no expenses or bills to pay so he is going to take him (or rather Ana) and Hitoshi out to a cat cafe for the first time.

 

The doll waited at their usual spot in the park where she saw the young purple haired boy walk up to her, waving. “Hey Izuku, are we ready to go now?”

 

The doll nodded and signed in agreement as the two walked across Musutafu to the cat cafe in question. Despite having a phone, Izuku still opted to speak through Ana, finding using his voice to be tiring and never working as well as signing. The two have been texting a lot though which can sometimes be problematic as Izuku has to remind himself that Hitoshi has a school life.

 

The two kids traveled the city, using the train to make their way around. Ana made sure to be extra covered up this time with long socks, a big hoodie tightened up and a hat for extra measure. Though it was arguably more eye-catching than just a hood it wasn’t as if anyone was going to walk up and question her.

 

On the ride over, the pair noticed a couple teens riding the train as well, in a school uniform, belonging to UA. It was the last day of school before the official summer break and the two were probably chatting about that.

 

Hitoshi felt a rumble in his pocket as he checked his phone to see what Izuku was saying.

 

CursedDoll: think any of them are in the hero course

 

TrollDoll: Maybe

 

TrollDoll: Do you ever want to go to UA?

 

CursedDoll: I don’t know. Probably.

 

TrollDoll: I do. They’re the best heroing

school in Japan. 

 

CursedDoll: Do you want help training

for them then?

 

Hitoshi looked up at the doll, who was completely static, jostling a little as the train moved.

 

TrollDoll: Yeah, if it’s fine with you

 

CursedDoll: Perfectly fine. I can’t wait

 

The two kept texting about UA and what they’ve heard about it, including how all their heroes are teachers and how the principal is a rat, mouse, bear creature. When the train halted and the two got off, they paused their conversation until they got to the cafe.

 

They were shaking, well Hitoshi was, as they spotted the clearly cat themed place up ahead and entered to immediately see a bunch of furry critters running up to greet them. Neither of them have ever had a pet so they were extremely careful to not touch them until they sat down in fear of accidentally hurting them.

 

They plopped down on a couple of beanbags where they were immediately swarmed by a couple cats, well Hitoshi was. Some of the cats got a feel of Ana and immediately backed off for some reason, making Izuku scared he might’ve frightened them somehow.

 

“Cat’s like heat.” Hitoshi commented as he was amused watching the doll stare down a few of the cats.

 

The doll looked up at him and the purple haired boy could feel the jealousy behind that glaring camera. Meanwhile he was basking in a half dozen cats and was careful to not move in case he hurt them. 

 

The two stayed like that for a while until Ana went up to the counter to get some food for his friend and something to bring home for himself. There were a lot of tasty treats available, most were probably selected so that cats won’t be tempted to eat them. 

 

Getting a sandwich for Hitoshi and some cake for both of them, Izuku gave the two and watched his friend enjoy the cats and food. 

 

“Couldn’t have gotten some coffee?” Hitoshi wondered.

 

The doll signed a response. “We’re in a cafe. I doubt they’d let a kid as young as you drink coffee publicly.”

 

“You say that like you aren’t five.” Hitoshi uttered.

 

That comment got Ana to sign furiously. “I told you I’m your age!”

 

“And yet, according to you, you’re about as small as these kittens.” he joked.

 

“I’m not that small!” the doll responded.

 

“Sure. When we meet, I’ll be sure to be looking down in case I step on you.” he smirked.

 

Izuku only said that one time he thought Hitoshi was older because he was so much taller than him. Sure it seemed now that most kids his age are actually taller than him but there’s no evidence that that’s true. It doesn’t matter that he actually bought a measuring tape for himself, compared it with his friend's height and immediately vowed to never reveal the results.

 

Okay, he might be a little underdeveloped but late bloomer and all that.

 

His friend was halfway through his sandwich when he set it down and spoke. “You know, it would be more fun if you were here.”

 

The doll's head zeroed in on his eyes and could see the immediate regret in saying that. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to pressure you or anything.”

 

“I can understand, but I don’t really want to come out.” The doll signed calmly but was immediately replaced by frantic hands as he realised that could be misinterpreted. “That isn’t because of you or anything!”

 

Hitoshi smirked a little at the doll's fast moving hands. He always likes it when Izuku gets flustered because a little of that comes through the doll and for a moment he’s sure that his friend is there with him. If only he could actually see his face and know what he looks like.

 

When the doll calmed down after Hitoshi said that he understood he didn’t mean any offense by that statement, he continued to push. He didn’t want to force Izuku to reveal himself to him but he has long been able to tell that his friend was scared of people. That much was clear when he said he lived alone.

 

“But I mean it. I really want to see your face someday. And not through Ana.”

 

The face he gave was determined and Izuku couldn’t help but feel a little guilty at that declaration. A part of him really did want to talk to Hitoshi face to face, nothing in between them but he can’t allow anything that could risk him being found. He was a criminal and Hitoshi had a ‘villain’s’ quirk. He didn’t want him getting in trouble by association.

 

“Hitoshi, I-”

 

“You don’t have to tell me where you live,” he promised. “It could be at the park, like always, or at the beach where we first met.”

 

Hitoshi knew he was risking scaring him away but he knew that at some point this conversation was going to be had and it’s better now with summer arriving than never. 

 

Izuku was about to sign again but Hitoshi was still speaking. “You don’t even have to appear properly. It can be you in disguise like Ana. I just want to know… you’re alright.”

 

Ever since getting this phone from Izuku, Hitoshi could tell that he was just as much an insomniac as him. The birthday night alone, they spent all night texting each other and chatting about cats, Izuku’s paints and the latest hero news. He also knew he lived alone and he wouldn’t be an aspiring hero if he didn’t worry for his only friend.

 

“I’m fine, Hitoshi.” the doll signed shakily. “I promise you, I’m okay.”

 

“Then it should be fine to see you,” he countered.

 

Izuku can’t argue that, at least not without having to explain everything to Hitoshi. How his mom is dead, how his father tried to take him and how he just recently terrorised his entire school teaching staff.

 

“It’s alright Hitoshi, I’m just scared of being outside is all.” he admitted.

 

The purple haired boy’s eyes focus in. “Can I ask why?” 

 

“No, just that I’m scared.”

 

“Then I’ll protect you,” he vowed. “I’ll make sure whatever scares you doesn’t happen.”

 

Hearing that vow over the microphone, those purple eyes staring through the screen with such promise. Izuku couldn’t help but feel his fear vanish a little, something in him caving slightly at that. For a moment he might’ve believed he could if he didn’t remember he was also a kid.

 

He’s known Hitoshi for a while now. Almost half a year at this point and this boy has been more a friend to him than Kacchan ever was. He’s never made fun of him, bad naturedly, never told him he was weak and despite knowing how Ana could be maybe seen as creepy (Izuku’s still not sold on that) he still wanted to be his friend.

 

The doll felt a tugging at her leg and she broke eye contact to look down to see a kitten playing with Ana’s pants, tugging. She picked it up and held it where it placed a paw through the hood and onto the rubber nose of the dummy. Little mews bleeding from its mouth.

 

How would it feel to be here to witness this? Be here with Hitoshi? He wondered how the warmth of this kitten’s paw would feel on his nose. How much sweeter the kitten’s cries were not digitised by a microphone and speaker, to eat the cake laid out in front of him not just alone in his room where it was silent besides the whirring of a computer and an air conditioner.

 

When was the last time he felt anything but that.

 

He thought about how’d it feel to be able to hear Hitoshi too. To see him from his perspective and not from Ana’s. They’ve established, reluctantly, that he was taller and for once Izuku would have to look up at him and not down.

 

There was so much that could happen, both good and bad, if he were to step out into the open.

 

He could be taken by Hisashi or found out by the heroes but at the same time nothing could happen and he could just be with his friend if only once. It was something that he would have to take a risk on and in truth, it’s probably a safer bet to just go and see Hitoshi finally.

 

“Maybe.” the doll signed.

 

Hitoshi’s focus dropped and a smile came over him. He had made some progress with his friend and he hoped that someday that ‘maybe’ would be a ‘yes’. Either way he was proud that Izuku was at least considering it.

 

Little did he know though that the boy’s mind was already made up. He was going to see Hitoshi, as a surprise, but mostly so no one would be ready when he re-emerged.

Chapter 15: Pay Your Friends Back

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're all doing good. Here's the next chapter. I don't normally talk about the next chapters but it's going to have the new doll Izuku's making, just as a teaser.

Hope you enjoy and have a nice day!

<3

Hizashi was driving his way to the mall for groceries and shopping that week, at least that’s the excuse he’s going to give to one kid. He didn’t realise it last week when he helped that random kid but there’s a good chance that he’s connected to Izuku, or rather that’s what his wishful thinking hoped.

 

It doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have done it either way. He still remembers that purple haired kid who looked so determined to pay him back, even though a kid his age shouldn’t even have to think about paying anyone back. 

 

On top of that the kid was clearly being neglected. Both by his own admission and the fact that he was at the mall alone. Who lets their seven year old kid go to the mall alone, even if the place was safe?

 

Once parked, the man headed in and waited at the hobby shop he found the kid before. They said they’d meet at ten and Hizashi made sure to arrive early to not keep the little guy waiting. Once the time came, he was afraid that the kid wasn’t coming until around a couple minutes later he could see the fluffy purple haired child head up to him.

 

Hizashi waved and the kid seemed unsure what to do and just did a small wave back. “Hey little listener! Ready to fulfil your end of the deal and help me with my shopping?”

 

“Yeah.” he nodded, not enthusiastically but more determined. He was clearly in a better mood than last time he saw him.

 

The two went around the mall, gathering food and a couple other things Hizashi needed for the house. He didn’t want to jump right into questioning, he’s learned that from Izuku, so he decided to ask a few questions here and there that are mostly used to fill the air and get more information from him.

 

“Hey, so did your friend like the gift?” Hizashi said, putting some eggs in the shopping cart at the in mall grocer.

 

Shinsou seemed to light up a little at being asked that. “Yeah! He’s planning to use it on something new he’s building.”

 

“Great to hear! Guess you got a good gift after all.” he smiled.

 

Shinsou looked a bit down after him saying that. “Hey what’s wrong? Did I say something?”

 

“No! No.” the kid shook his head, purple hair swooshing. “It’s just he also got me something as well.”

 

“Oh why? Thought it was his birthday.”

 

“Yeah but, I had mines a few weeks ago and he wanted to get me something then but didn’t have the chance.” he explained.

 

“What’d he get you?” the blond wondered.

 

“A cell phone.”

 

“A cell phone?!” Hizashi squawked and he had to immediately cover his mouth as his quirk just slipped out slightly. The boy clutched his ears slightly and there were a good few people looking over at him.

 

Hizashi bumbled a little. “Uh, let’s go to the vegetable section.”

 

On the way Shinsou looked confused so Hizashi explained his quirk to him a little and the kid seemed to get it. After that he decided to ask about that later and instead focus on keeping the kid comfortable and not feeling like he’s being interrogated.

 

‘But still, a cell phone? Is his friend really Midoriya? I can’t imagine him being able to afford that… unless he stole it.’ the pro hero thought, not liking his theory.

 

After the groceries were done, they moved onto some window shopping. Hizashi didn’t say he was doing that but he really didn’t have anything left to get, at least until he actually spotted something he wanted. A funky looking cat tower that hung upside down.

 

When he went to look at it and consider buying it, Shinsou spoke up. “Do you have cats?”

 

“Oh yeah!” the blond exclaimed. “Two! A black and white called Dot and a ginger called Pepper.”

 

The kid’s eyes sparkled at that and Hizashi had to bite his tongue to fight a squeal at how adorable that looked. He has always considered having kids, maybe much later down the line if Shouta ever warmed up to the idea but this kid was making him reconsider that. He should really look into fostering.

 

“Here. Want to see some pictures I have of them?” and the man took out his phone to find some pictures of his cats, including that time Shouta had to come back from a patrol early because Pepper had hidden away in his scarf somehow.

 

Shinsou looked at them and seemed to love the pictures as much as he did. With even a few ‘awws’ to accompany them. 

 

“Hey, do you want me to send some to you?” Hizashi offered.

 

The kid looked up at him smiling and alarmingly oblivious. “Sure!”

 

And just like that, Hizashi now had the kids phone number. In case the kid really was connected to Midoriya and he needed to arrange another meeting so that the two could talk more and of course for the kid in general. Hizashi was worried about him and having his number in case he needed help gave him peace of mind.

 

The two spent some more time window shopping before deciding to stop by the food court, Hizashi convincing the kid to have lunch as a bonus for how good of a job he did. He almost immediately regretted it when the boy asked for coffee. He knows what caffeine addiction does to a man, and though he loves said man in question he knows that coffee is too much for a child his age.

 

Though now that he thought about it, Shinsou’s eyes always looked heavy and he was definitely slighter thinner than a kid his age should be. It only helps to encourage him to look into foster care and get this kid away from what is probably a bad home. He knows he shouldn’t judge when he hasn’t seen it all but by god he’s going to do it.

 

“Have trouble sleeping?” he asked.

 

“No, but it’s alright. My friend always buys me coffee before school.” the boy clarified.

 

Okay it seems this kid is already a lost cause. And also how much money does this friend have? If it is Izuku then whatever he is doing to survive must be good enough to support someone else’s kid.

 

“Does your friend do a lot for you?” Hizashi questioned, keeping his tone casual.

 

Shinsou seemed a bit taken back by that question. He didn’t look shocked in the way he was accused of something bad but more like he was surprised someone knew something about him he hadn’t said yet. There was a moment of thought going on behind his eyes before he spoke.

 

The boy nodded. “He’s done a lot. He buys me breakfast and even dinner sometimes. He’s also helped a lot with school.”

 

“Are you having a hard time with school?” Hizashi asked innocently, aware that there’s something wrong with Aldera.

 

“Mmm.” he agreed. “I had a hard time at the start. All of the teachers didn’t like me or how smart he made me.”

 

“Is your friend a teacher?” Hizashi wondered.

 

“No. He’s my age.” Shinsou clarified.

 

Hizashi took a drink of some delicious tasting lemon soda. “So why did the teachers not like you?”

 

The kid seemed to go quiet at that and Hizashi knew why. He checked his file and found out that his quirk was one a lot of people would call ‘villainous’, the name certainly didn’t help. He wanted to hear it from the kid though.

 

“Y-yeah. It’s because of my quirk.” he admitted. “It’s called Brainwashing and I can take control of people’s minds if they answer my q-question.”

 

The poor thing wasn’t looking up at him, probably scared of Hizashi being weirded out or frightened or even angry. He wasn’t though. “Sounds to me they aren’t good teachers.”

 

Quirk discrimination is something that Hizashi is all too knowledgeable of, both his own experiences and his husband’s. When he was born, his parents gave him up for adoption, not wanting to deal with a kid who could shake the foundations of the house every time he got hungry or had a tantrum.

 

Thankfully he never had to experience the difficult hell that was the fostering system as he was adopted fast by a nice couple, one of which, his mom, had a quirk that made a room soundproof. It was certainly lucky but that didn’t stop as he got older and kids kept away from him because he was too noisy.

 

Eventually he became mute for a while, just so he could hang out with other people even though they didn’t like that he was too quiet. Same for teachers too. It wasn’t until UA and he met Shouta for the first time that he could finally come out of his shell and not be afraid of speaking anymore.

 

Shouta on the other hand was a different story. His quirk is a lot more special with how it can cancel out other quirks so he’s always been feared on the playground. When you have a society that looks down on others for having weak quirks, someone who leveled the playing field was treated like a rule breaker from the get go.

 

It didn't help that Shouta never hesitated to punch another kid when seeing someone get treated wrongly over their own quirk. According to Nemuri, who knew him vaguely in middle school, he always got into fights and almost couldn’t go to UA in the first place because of his record. Thankfully, the UA Sports Festival made it possible for him to be a hero.

 

Of course with the help of a certain teacher, now principal.

 

Though he can’t say he relates to Shinsou’s own life exactly, he can certainly say that theirs rhymes.

 

“Why would they not like you over that?” Hizashi asked casually, pretending not to know.

 

The kid looked up at him and almost sputtered but kept calm. “B-because it’s a villain’s quirk. I could brainwash you!”

 

“Kid, you asked me questions about my cats. Did you use your quirk on me once?” he asked.

 

“No…” he answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“Then I guess it’s not a villain’s quirk.” he said with a shrug.

 

Shinsou just looked at him or maybe up. The way he saw him right now made him almost think that this kid has never had someone say this to him in his entire life and it was making Hizashi want more and more to just take this kid home with him right now.

 

He opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Hizashi intervened. “Does your friend not like your quirk?”

 

“N-no!” he countered, maybe a bit too loudly. He shrunk a little when he noticed some people were looking at him. “He said it can be amazing for hero work.”

 

Hizashi gave a gentle smile at that last sentence. “Do you want to be a hero when you grow up?”

 

Shinsou nodded slowly, as if it was something he wasn’t allowed to admit. “He said it can help a lot of people.”

 

“It certainly can! Do you have anyone to help train for the entrance exam? I know it’s early but it’s never too early to prepare!” the blond said with a smile.

 

“My friend said he was going to help me, even though he’s already done so much.” he said a bit glumly.

 

“You feel bad about that, don’t you?” Hizashi guessed.

 

Shinsou nodded once more, but this time it was something that was more shameful than scared. “He’s given me so much and I haven’t really given him much back. I can’t help but feel like…”

 

‘A burden.’ Hizashi thought.

 

The boy never finished that line but Hizashi got it. It can be hard to have a friend who does so much for you and you can’t do anything back. It makes you feel useless. Whilst Hizashi can’t relate he can say he sort of got the feeling. All the way up to middle school, he got sad whenever his mom had to use her quirk in his room. He knew it made her more tired and he couldn’t help feeling responsible for that.

 

Every time her birthday or mother’s day would come around, he’d try his best to go above and beyond for her. Now that he thinks about it, maybe that’s why he approached Shinsou in the first place. He saw the boy staring hopefully but worried through the glass window of the shop and saw the times he did that.

 

If he could tell himself then what he knew now, he’d say…

 

“Shinsou, you can never be a burden. A kid like you shouldn’t be.” he stated.

 

“But he’s a kid too and he has so much going on as well!” he bursted, clearly having held it in for a while.

 

“Like what?” Hizashi wondered, still keeping things from feeling interrogative.

 

“He lives alone, he doesn’t go to school and I don’t think he even leaves his house.” the kid listed.

 

Hizashi cringed a little. It seemed more and more likely this friend was Izuku, but that wasn’t his focus right now. His attention was on making Shinsou feel better because a hero always prioritises helping who they can immediately.

 

“I think you do a lot more for him than you think.” Hizashi stated and before the kid could counter or ask he continued. “It sounds to me he’s lonely and probably needs a friend, someone he can talk to and who will listen. Seeing how much you’ve told me about him, it sounds like you listen a lot.”

 

Shinsou just looked at him, mouth open slightly as if he wants to speak but Hizashi doesn’t let him. 

 

“If you want to pay your friend back, give him something only you can. Your friendship. ‘Cause it sounds to me, he values it a lot.”

 

The boy’s eyes teared a little and Hizashi was quick to grab a napkin and offer it to the kid. He took it and wiped his eyes before giving the most teariest smile he’s ever seen. “Okay.” 

 

It was so low and quiet but it sounded like the boy needed to say it. Hizashi just smiled back, waiting for him to finish before they started talking again.

 

“What’s the name of your friend? Out of curiosity?” Hizashi questioned.

 

The boy sniffled. “Izuku.”

 

Hizashi smiled. “Well Izuku is lucky to have you as a friend.”

 

- - -

 

The two wrapped up their shopping trip and parted at the entrance to the mall. He offered a ride but the kid said he could make it back on his own. Hizashi understood, it was light out enough that he didn’t want to argue anyway and risk his… the kid, running away.

 

‘Not yet Hizashi. Not yet.’ 

 

On the drive home, he just kept thinking about Shinsou, at least for a little while longer until his mind tackled the confirmation of Izuku being his friend. He really wanted to just take that kid and give him a home where he doesn’t have to worry about being treated differently or like he’s a villain or anything of that nature.

 

He knows Shouta would like him, heck he even has that same cheshire smile the two have. It’s practically a match made in heaven. On top of that the kid wanting to be a hero was something both adults could get behind. Shouta and him recently got an offer from Nedzu to teach at their old highschool, UA, and were expected to start teaching next year, so helping this kid learn would also help themselves.

 

Hizashi let out a sigh. 

 

Now there was Midoriya. A kid probably in a similar situation to Shinsou. He didn’t know him well enough but given his mom was gone and his dad is a known murderer and criminal, he’ll probably be put into the same system as Shinsou, or maybe even something like juvenile detention seeing as he committed vigilantism at the very least. He wasn’t sure how things would go down should they ever catch him but, here’s hoping.

 

Once home, Hizashi told all of this to Shouta, who was waiting on him getting back as he too was hoping that Shinsou and Midoriya had a connection. When he gave the good news, Shouta let out a sigh of relief, then when Hizashi said about his determination to become fosters for Shinsou, his response was lukewarm.

 

After he told him about what he’s facing, the man seemed to agree somewhat that they should look into his foster parents and see if there’s a problem with them, which is good enough for him for now. He’ll wear down his husband with pictures of the kid and he’s sure just one chat would be enough to convince him that Shinsou is a good kid.

 

“So Midoriya and him are friends, and close enough to share their birthdays.” Shouta summarised.

 

“Yeah but it doesn’t seem like they talk in person, from what he was saying.” Hizashi stated.

 

The black haired man slumped down on the sofa where Dot immediately hopped on to cuddle with his scruffy face. “Must be using his quirk, just like when you last saw him.” 

 

“Maybe we can shadow Shinsou and whatever he is meeting with and follow that back to Midoriya.” the blond suggested.

 

“That sounds good. But it’s summer now. The kid won’t have a normal schedule until nearly September.” the man commented.

 

The blond sat next to his spouse, who was still slumped down and turned his body to face him as they spoke. “Should we wait then? ‘Cause I don’t want to.”

 

“Wasn’t planning on it. You have his number right? Maybe you can arrange a meet up. Offer to help him and his friend train to be heroes.” Shouta offered.

 

“That doesn’t sound bad. What if Izuku refuses to meet with me?” Hizashi worried.

 

“If it comes to that, we can always attach a tracker to the kid’s phone and see where he frequents.” Shouta responded and after seeing his husband’s face furrow at that he added, “It’s logical.”

 

Hizashi was a bit conflicted on that. He didn’t want to put a tracker on a kids phone but given how high a priority it is to find Izuku and get him safe and off the streets, it was something he’s going to have to compromise on.

 

“Alright. I’ll ask him and see if he accepts.” he hoped as he leaned into his husband, scratching Dot’s ears. He didn’t know where Pepper was but that was something expected from that cat. 

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, not in his usual deadpan but in a softer tone, knowing something was eating at Hizashi.

 

“Shinsou said he thinks Midoriya never leaves his house.” Hizashi uttered. “I can’t help but think I might be the reason behind that.”

 

Last time Hizashi saw Izuku, he thought he was with someone else. He didn’t realise he was alone until after so he can’t help but feel that when he ran it was entirely his decision and almost entirely Hizashi’s fault. Especially when he saw how spooked that kid was, like he was going to hurt him.

 

The fact no one has heard of him till now, probably because he has not left whatever hiding spot he’s curled away in, Hizashi can’t help but continue to blame himself. He wants to make it up to the kid but he doesn’t want to try himself in case he just makes things worse again.

 

Shouta knew all about this, Hizashi confessed it, and the two have been thinking about how he could’ve done things differently. Maybe his husband was right and it would be nice to have kids if only to make sure they were safe and not in danger. He certainly knew Midoriya’s power was dangerous, his ribs still creak a little from a couple nights ago.

 

Shouta wrapped an arm around Hizashi and pulled the man close. He wasn’t sure about having kids mostly because he didn’t think he’d make a good dad but also because he just didn’t like them in general. He says this as he’s set to teach a class next year but maybe Hizashi was right about this being a way he can learn to be more friendly with children.

 

The two men cuddle with their black and white cat. The little feline lapping up the heat as they both think about what could happen should they ever find Izuku and foster Shinsou.

Chapter 16: Metal Giant

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Wonderful new chapter here with a bit of combat and further insight into Izuku's condition. As well as of course a new doll.

Also there will be a chapter on Sunday (BST (UK))

Have a nice day! <3

Izuku was in the warehouse, sorting through some junk with Ana as he thought about how he’d make the new doll. He was planning to meet Shinsou at some point and he’d rather have something to protect him than Ana. He knew they needed to be more flexible than the long armed monster but still as stealthy so it could hide away.

 

He also wanted it to be able to take a few hits. He was planning to have Hitoshi use it as a practice dummy to train on and having it be capable of surviving punches was important.

 

Eraserhead’s kicks were deadly. The one in the chest nearly shattered the driftwood whilst the one to the head almost snapped it off and the camera inside. He needed harder material than wood and it needed to be easy to get.

 

Izuku tried a few different materials to see how they react to his quirk and there were certainly some important things to realise. Firstly, anything organic, besides wood and fibres, didn’t accept his quirk well. While it did animate it, it was nowhere near as good as moving other materials. 

 

He did want to try it on a living thing but, well, you know it's kind of hard to do that in his state. Speaking of, he had been getting weaker. He’s been having a hard time moving and needing Ana more and more to carry him. He didn’t mind it, it's not as if he’s going anywhere but it is messing with his mind.

 

He looked it up and apparently it’s a byproduct of not eating enough but honestly, Izuku’s fine. It’s not as if he needs to move much, all he needs is his hands and to move and everything is alright. Ana can handle everything else.

 

Despite that though he was still getting more and more terrified at what was happening to him.

 

Away from that and back to the important task at hand, he decided that he would have a mix of metal and plastic be whatever his combat doll was. He needed a weapon for it, probably sharp to scare anyone away, and needed to be able to mask itself like Ana.

 

It was certainly a lot but he was going to try. He has plenty of cash saved up and if this comes out right, maybe he could have it take over deliveries for Ana or maybe even participate in some fighting rings. He read about those online when he first started looking into different ways of getting cash but went with the delivery work as it was safer at the time.

 

After some research he decided on something close to a mechanical endoskeleton typically used for robots. It would be expensive but that’s only with the wires and stuff included and for Izuku, he needed none of that to get it moving. 

 

It would still be expensive though so he looked for the best one as it needed to be strong enough to resist blows but also flexible enough to dodge and hide. He eventually discovered one that was skeletal and had a nice sheen to it that made it look nice.

 

Next he needed to plate it with something. He had a lot of scrap metal so he could weld it on with the help of Ana but that too was going to take from his coffers. So maybe that’ll be hard but what he did have was hammers and a tireless doll, so with a lot of persistence he hammered the metal into a shape that could be drilled on with a hand drill which is much cheaper. Maybe down the line he could weld it on for better durability but that was for later. 

 

The ‘claws’ of Behemoth, the knives, were salvaged and broken apart to make them shorter and less clunky. He put them on the hands and even the feet for more grip when climbing and fighting. As for a proper weapon, Izuku was split between something blunt or sharp and in the end he found a simple pole would be good enough.

 

It wasn’t likely to be used much, the fists of this thing being good enough to crack concrete after an attempt but it’s always good to have a backup.

 

Finally for the head, he made sure the metal was shaped properly to make it a proper dome and had enough room inside to hold a camera and the speaker. He wasn’t sure what he was going to use that soundbox for but he wasn’t planning on giving it to Ana anytime soon so it would go with the new doll for now.

 

Once all was said and done, he painted the whole thing using Hitoshi’s gifted paints. He wanted to make the metal doll look more intimidating so whoever threatened Izuku might possibly run instead of fight. He used red on the metal teeth and eye holes so they’d appear almost visceral and used black to make tears that almost made the thing look like it was bleeding oil all over it.

 

All in all, the thing looked like a deformed tin toy, with sharp hands, rustic twisted flesh and a skull like head. 

 

Unlike the Behemoth and Ana though, it took days to fill it with enough fluid for it to move comfortably. The weight was a lot but with the amount of duct tape he has keeping the fluid in, it should be able to do a lot better than the monster.

 

Speaking of fighting better, Izuku had gone over the Eraserhead fight multiple times in his head. How he moved, how he struck, how he pivoted his feet. It was honestly fascinating to get a direct perspective on a fight with a hero, despite how terrified he was. Of course this fighting doll wasn’t going to be able to move like him so Izuku looked into other heroes to draw inspiration from. 

 

All Might was his first thought seeing as how they had the same body structure but he knew immediately that the doll wouldn’t be able to move as fast as him. It had heavy slow punches and would likely use a lot of grabbing and throwing. It wasn’t ferocious and needed to be ruthlessly efficient with its attacks.

 

‘Gang Orca’ Izuku realised.

 

The hero was a brawler and used a lot of punches and swings to fight and though he used his quirked sonic blasts, the combat doll could get a close second by screeching. Izuku spent time between filling up the doll, researching the pro hero and every fight he’s been in, tracing the attacks with Ana and using some dolls to practice some of his moves.

 

Once he was done, he raised the doll and it moved rigidly but it almost looked more human that way. Ana’s arms moved fast and still but the combat dolls arms were moving, like it breathed, the sounds of metal creaking sounding like growls.

 

“Now, let’s test you out.” the boy whispered.

 

- - -

 

In a distant alley, a man stood in front of a door. He was tall, almost six four and was broad. The typical bouncer in every sense of the word. He didn’t even seem phased at all when he watched the lumbering, over seven foot creature, move towards him accompanied by a smaller figure, more human sized. They donned huge black cloaks that covered every inch that seemed to have been once the bedsheet of a queen sized mattress.

 

They stopped in front of the man and the two held their ground, until the bouncer spoke. “What are you doing here?”

 

There was a silence for a moment, before the cladded giant spoke in a rough mechanical voice. “I am here to fight.”

 

“Is this your first time?” the bouncer asked. The giant nodded slowly and intently.

 

The man looked the cloaked thing up and down. “Do you know the rules here?” Another nod from the giant.

 

“Then let me tell you, so there’s no excuse if I have to kick you out. No violence that isn’t allowed by the Theatre. No asking questions if no one wants to answer them. No saying anything about this place, the people you see inside or the things that happen. Violate any of that and you’ll never see the inside of the Theatre again, got me?” he explained.

 

“Yes.” the giant answered.

 

“Great. Welcome to the Darkest Theatre.” and the door opened to a corridor which stretched downwards with no stairs, instead being a slope.

 

The giant bent down to fit through the door and walked in, head just barely avoiding the roof. The other figure stepped in after, with the door shutting behind once they were confidently inside. The hallway had wooden panelling for its walls and the floor was an unclean checkered marble that reminded Izuku of those fancy old theatres.

 

Soon enough, that is the sight he comes across, or at least a part of it as the theatre was dishevelled and crumbling but despite its state it certainly wasn’t abandoned. There were all kinds of people around the place. Some wearing hoods, others not really caring who sees them, confident that no one would risk angering the most neutral of neutral territories. 

 

The Darkest Theatre is an underworld hotspot, where info brokers were reached from, arms sellers found buyers and thieves pawned off stolen goods. Underground heroes only knew of this place of course, and kept it that way due to how valuable it is as a source of information. It also had a fighting ring which is exactly where Izuku was heading towards.

 

He knew his options for fights were going to be limited. He couldn’t exactly have the doll remove the metal if armor wasn’t allowed but he made sure to check if there were some fights where it didn’t matter what you had. Indeed there was, and it was mainly meant for those with physical quirks or mutagenic ones, making it perfect for testing the doll.

 

Of course he didn’t send the combat doll alone. Ana was with it and though it was risky sending her here, he needed someone to collect the combat doll should they fail their test. It was hard controlling two dolls at once, like counting to ten whilst clicking your fingers off beat. It was a lesson in multitasking.

 

As the duo made their way deeper in, some eyes were following them, especially the giant. Whether to eye them up or simply acknowledge that they were here, Izuku didn’t have the people skills to tell. They found a desk where a plain looking man in a suit sat at, seemingly unperturbed by who was approaching him.

 

“You’re new.” he said. He was reading a newspaper and hadn’t even looked up yet.

 

The machine voice came through. “I am looking to make money.”

 

“Jobs?”

 

“Fighting.”

 

The man finally looked up from his reading and looked the giant and Ana up and down. “Quirked fights are in an hour. What’s your names?”

 

- - -

 

Both Ana and the giant sat down near a wall table and kept glancing around the room. Obviously neither needed to communicate so there wasn’t any conversation to be had, at least to the other patrons of the Theatre. There were many people coming in, Izuku even recognised some of the underground heroes from the police files. Especially one that almost made him jump out of his chair when he saw him.

 

“Eraserhead.” the boy muttered behind the screen.

 

It seemed he was after information if the conversation between him and the plain man was any inclination. Maybe it was for him or maybe it was for a different case he had, either way there wasn’t any fear of exposure unless he watched the fight.

 

Suddenly a different man approached their table and dragged a chair to sit up with them. He looked sleazy with short silver hair, stubble and a missing front tooth. He had a smile which made Izuku shift even though he wasn’t even there.

 

“Hello there! Couldn’t help noticing you’re new. Just arrived in the neighbourhood or?” he trailed off, waiting for them to respond.

 

“Arrived.” the giant answered, feeding false information.

 

“I see. Wait, where are my manners? I am Giran.” he said with a short bow from where he was sitting. “And you both are?”

 

“She is Zoe.” the giant pointed to Ana. “I’m Brutus.”

 

“Well, definitely foreign with those names.” Giran noted. “Mind telling me what brings you here?”

 

The whole conversation, Ana made sure not to lose sight of Eraserhead, the fun perk of having two sets of eyes.  

 

The giant stated. “I am here to fight.”

 

“I see. Quirked or quirkless?”

 

“Quirked.”

 

“I guess that makes sense. Can’t see under that… cloak you’ve got but I can tell you’re not normal looking.” he mused.

 

The three sat there, quiet for a moment until the man smiled. “I have to say as well, that’s an interesting voice. Trying to hide something?”

 

“Neither of us can speak without a speaker.” Brutus clarified truthfully.

 

“Oh so you’re both mute. Well if-”

 

“Why are you still talking to us?” the giant said aggressively, the robotic voice sounding more threatening somehow.

 

Giran’s smile fell a little before creasing back up. “I like to check out any new arrivals and let them know if they need anything, support items, information, anything like that then to come through me.”

 

“Support items?” the cloaked doll uttered.

 

“Yes, one of the few blackmarket makers in Tokyo,” he explained. “And I’ve got them on speed dial so if you need anything, be sure to reach out.”

 

At that point the time was drawing near for the fight. “We have to get ready.”

 

“Oh sure, sure. I’ll leave you be. I’d love to see how you fight.” Giran said with that still sleazy smile.

 

The man stood up and left the two there. Meanwhile Erasaerhead had sat down at one of the Theatre’s bar room tables and was waiting. That put Izuku on edge. If, no, when Brutus gets injured and he notices the ‘blood’, he’ll know it’s him. He knows the two dolls are safe here by the rules of the establishment but he’d rather not reveal himself at all if he can help it.

 

They could be followed out of the building and back home where Izuku could do nothing to stop him. It was a fear he needed to take into account now that he’s hurt a hero, especially this one. He still didn’t know how his quirk would react to him and he didn’t want to find out on the field.

 

Soon it really was time to fight and both dolls stood up to head down to the ring to prepare better for it. It was a cage naturally, but despite how that might obscure things, the holes in it were quite open, giving plenty of room to peer in and see the action. 

 

There were a few fighters set up there already, a lot of them looking to be quite experienced if their scars are anything to go by. Izuku was starting to feel pretty nervous. What if the doll collapses on the first strike? What if something leaks out of a crack? Actually he had an answer to that. Ana had a little doll repairing tool kit he put together for her to use if Brutus ever got injured.

 

Still, even with all that preparation he was still second guessing coming here. It hadn’t even been an hour and someone possibly quite influential was already checking him out and every second of that felt like he was exposing himself. Hopefully once he’s started to fight proper he might get some confidence in his work back.

 

When Brutus’ name was called out as the first fight, Izuku almost jumped right there in his chair. He was hoping to watch a few first before he went in but it seemed he was going in the deep end.

 

As the doll clambered up and entered the cage, on the other end was a thin, lithe but undeniably muscular man. His skin was grey and stony and he had a cocky grin on his face which worked in making Izuku feel afraid for his doll.

 

“Big fellas like you always tend to be full of air the second you get punched.” he mocked as the two waited for the bell to ring.

 

Brutus made no reply back, just waiting to act under Izuku’s orders which seemed to stir the other man a little. “Nothing to say? Guess I’ll beat some noise out of you.”

 

The bell rang and the man darted forward fast and swung a fist into the stomach of the giant before Izuku could react. The metal clanged and the man shrunk back, nursing his knuckles.

 

“What the hell? Are you wearing body armor under there?” says the man with a stone hardening quirk.

 

He dove in again to land more hits, this time to the face but now Izuku was ready. In a swipe the doll grabbed the man’s arm with one hand whilst the other immediately went for his throat, grasping them, his metal nails digging into flesh.

 

The man croaked and struggled in the grasp, punching at the giant’s face to no effect, even cutting his knuckles on some of the jagged skin. He even tried to kick the groin but of course that did nothing either. The doll was unfeeling and emotionless, holding the man up easily.

 

“What the hell are you made of?!” he shouted, his thrashing getting more severe.

 

The doll then let go of his arm, held the man up by the neck and threw him into the wall of the cage, earning a groan as the metal bent a little. The crowd cheered a little at that and Izuku was starting to feel a rush of adrenaline now that he could see that Brutus was more durable than expected.

 

The man began to pull himself up but was grabbed like a kitten by the back of his neck and lifted up on his feet only to be punched in the stomach by Brutus. The man’s eyes widened and Izuku was sure he heard countless cracking of bones and stone as his face paled and he keeled over, coughing red on the floor.

 

A small smile curled on Izuku’s lips whilst watching this, a small bit of glee at clearly winning and grabbed the man again, except this time hoisting him up and preparing to throw him. The audience cheered at that and gazed in wonder as Izuku launched the man onto the other side of the ring effortlessly.

 

The man was struggling to get up from the ground so Izuku helped him by hoisting him up again by the neck and holding him there, his feet dangling. The man’s eyes were desperate and full of fear, his nose bloody from the last throw and a large red bruise now forming where the giant punched him.

 

“P-please,” he choked.

 

As Izuku stared into his eyes through the screen a part of him had this crawling excitement at seeing someone else be afraid and scared. He always had that level of sadism with Behemoth in him but right now a part of that was egging him on to push it further, to break this man. The claw around his neck tightens ever so slightly and the man’s face blanches further, almost to the point of tears.

 

There was a moment where everyone watching held their breath just like the man lost his. His desperate face turned from white, to blue and then purple. Everyone was expecting something. A crack or a punch or maybe even another throw because for a moment the audience was convinced that the man was going to die.

 

But something in Izuku let the man go.

 

With just enough willpower to hold himself back from doing something actually evil, he drops the man to the ground but not before letting out a screech in his face to make sure he wouldn’t dare get back up. The crowd was silent at that but then thundered into cheers and shouts whilst the man sputtered and gasped on the floor, helpless and trembling.

 

The fight was declared over and the giant walked off, the other man helped by some people. Now that Izuku could focus less on one doll, Ana looked around and noticed that Eraserhead was indeed watching the fight. Whether or not he saw anything was something he couldn’t tell yet.

 

The two were paid for the fight and it was a sizable amount. Much more than a week at working deliveries. Ana looked over Brutus for any leaks and there didn’t look to be any, the metal held up really well and it seemed that there wasn’t much loss of fluids during the fight.

 

Honestly, it seemed Brutus could fight more and Izuku wanted to but that moment when the man’s face went purple was sticking in his mind longer than expected. He didn’t understand why but that image made him no longer want to fight. He didn’t want to see something like that, not until he calmed down a little.

 

The two were about to head back up to the main foyer when they were stopped by Giran.

 

“A great fight there! Not that I had any doubts.” he said like he knew for sure Brutus would win. “Let me guess. A pain nulling quirk? A durability one? Oh, maybe even a voice quirk?” 

 

The dolls didn’t respond, merely staring at the man.

 

“Alright, alright. Keep your secrets. I’ll figure it out sooner or later.” he chuckled as he left, knowing where there was no conversation.

 

The two made their way to the exit. Sure they could fight more but Izuku didn’t want to stick around with Eraserhead here… which he lost track of.

 

“Hey.” a low voice said behind the two.

 

Both dolls swung around to see the man he was fearing standing before them. Face half covered by his scarf and two black eyes trained on both of them.

 

“What.” Brutus said in an almost demand due to the tone of the mechanical voice.

 

The man’s eyes narrowed at the giant. “That scream you did. It sounded familiar.”

 

‘Oh’ Izuku thought as he realised that the screech he used on the man was the same one he used on Eraserhead when he attacked Behemoth.

 

“So?” the giant responded crassly, trying to sound more intimidating.

 

“Do you know anyone by the name of Midoriya Izuku?” he questioned and every part of the boy shrunk a little when he heard his name said.

 

“Never heard of someone like that.” the giant responded fast, maybe faster than he should’ve.

 

The man kept his eyes trained on the giant and Izuku was almost sure he was going to attack out of instinct until the man just sighed and shrugged. 

 

“Sorry. Must’ve misheard it. Thanks anyway.” he said with a sigh before he walked off.

 

The boy too sighed as the man really did leave, the two dolls not spending a moment more there before commanding them to leave. Once out they double checked every corner to make sure they weren’t followed all the way until they went home. The whole time, Izuku’s heart nearly beating out of his chest.

Notes:

Just as a side note, the Theatre won't be featured that often. It's mostly meant as a gateway to the underworld for Izuku for later on. We won't be getting too much into the details of how the establishment works outside of what Izuku needs.

Chapter 17: No Matter What

Notes:

Heya Everybody!

Hope you're all having a good day today. Here's today's chapter! We're getting close to something big, I wonder if some of you can guess what that is before the penny finally drops.

Have a nice day! <3

Shouta didn’t like going to the Theatre often. Even though it was quiet most of the time it was noisy in other aspects. From the eyes that watch you, both from the patrons and the staff. The suffocating sense that everyone around you has probably done awful things and there’s nothing you can do about it. The feeling that one wrong move and the whole building goes red and you’ll have to run for your life.

 

But he needed to go there for a lot of things. Police networks weren’t always capable of getting the information needed and pro heroes know this. It’s why a place like the Darkest Theatre remains untouched even though it’s a hotbed of criminal activity. It knew it too. A symbiotic relationship in a short way it is.

 

Tonight he was there to look for anything on Midoriya. He knows it’s unlikely, which is why he chased after the Behemoth name instead, hoping anyone would bite and know. Even a sighting could be useful in finding out where the kid was. Unfortunately there’s nothing, either meaning no one was telling or the kid was just that good at keeping in the dark. Seeing as how it’s been a year since anyone’s gotten hide or hair of him, he’d say the latter is true.

 

It doesn’t help that the kid's quirk basically made it so he never had to leave his comfort zone. It allowed him to send out whatever he wished and never have to risk himself getting caught except maybe if someone followed his monsters back home. 

 

He really needs to find this kid. He can’t imagine what’s going on with him and if what Shinsou, the kid whose Midoriya’s friend, was right, his life was on the verge of becoming a complete shut-in; if not already. 

 

Whilst he was at the Theatre though, someone caught his eye. A duo who seemed to be new if that info broker chatting to them was any proof. One was normal size and the other was tall, both wearing cloaks. He couldn’t see their faces but he got the feeling the entire time that they were watching him, and not in the ‘checking out’ way but like they were cautious of him.

 

People didn’t know Eraserhead much. He was still only a few years on the job and an underground hero to boot so he hadn’t built up anything much in these circles so it was all the more off-putting when he got the feeling they were staring at him. Then they went down into the cage and that was when things got stranger.

 

The big guy, Brutus as the announcer said, dominated his fight. There’s no denying that. He didn’t flinch no matter what the other guy did and was practically playing with his food with how much he tossed him around. Shouta almost thought he was going to execute, not kill, execute the man there but they dropped him, screaming in his face.

 

The smaller one though was more interesting. The entire time he expected them to be as excited as the crowd but they just stood there like a statue. Staring at the cage. Shouta almost thought they were dead but once the giant left the ring they sprung back to life. 

 

And then there was the scream. It sounded exactly like the one Behemoth made. It wasn’t too long ago since he heard it so it was still fresh in his mind and it was identical to when it screamed at him. That’s when he knew he needed to check out who they were, just in the off chance that they were more of Midoriya’s puppets.

 

He didn’t know the extent of the kid’s quirk, no one did except him so there probably is a chance he was controlling both of them. The only way to find out though was to check.

 

After they ‘chatted’ with the broker again, he stopped them and talked. Asked them if they knew Midoriya and the way they responded was clearly by some kind of AI text-to-speech voice. Just like the one Midoriya probably used when speaking through the monster and his earpiece.

 

What caught his eye more though was the small stray drop of a clear liquid that fell from the big guy. It could’ve been sweat, but then again he didn’t seem to break any during that fight so…

 

It had to be Midoriya, maybe, but the odds were there. He doesn’t know why they just showed up to the Theatre now but he didn’t want to think too much about that now. He could have thrown the hood off, seeing if they were just a mindless puppet but he also could be wrong and gotten beaten up and kicked out.

 

Either way, he needed to play it safe. If it was the kid, he needed to learn more and knowing where they’re going to be was useful.

 

He made sure to get their names from Giran. At a small price of course but he needed the names for next time. Zoe and Brutus. Foreign sounding and out of towners too according to what they said but for a kid, Midoriya seemed smart. Had to be if he’s survived on his own for this long.

 

He couldn’t tail them tonight. Too difficult, so he’ll do it once they’ve settled. Because by god he wasn’t going to sit back and watch a kid blindly walk down the path to villainy.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi’s home life was still much the same, even though school has been much better since the ‘Fright Night’. The substitute teachers don’t seem to care about quirks and just get their jobs done. Maybe there’s a bit less enthusiasm but honestly it wasn’t as if that passion was meant for him.

 

Not only that but they gave him compliments on his test! He’s never had that done before except by Izuku. The other kids were still annoying though. They still shoved him in the corridors and even kicked him in the back of the leg once. He didn’t want to risk disturbing this new found peace though so he hasn’t reported it. Maybe if they actually punch him he would.

 

Izuku, though, has been helping him with that. During the weekend he started working on doing runs with Ana. Even though the doll didn’t need exercise it helped encourage him to go further beyond his limits. 

 

His friend has already set up a full training regimen for him though it'll be difficult seeing as he can’t really control his diet. He’s also planning to show Hitoshi that new doll he made, the scary one, to train with. He still wasn’t sure how scary Izuku’s ‘scary’ was but he knew that when he becomes a hero, he’ll have to face monstrous villains every day.

 

Besides that he’s also gotten something else from his newer friend(?) Yamada. He wasn’t afraid of Hitoshi’s quirk and even offered to train him and Izuku! Even though his friend can’t really show up in person. He’s still working on that.

 

YamadaHizashi: Hey there lil’ listener! I wanted

to let you know I’m free on the Sunday at two!

 

ShinsouHitoshi: Okay, I haven’t told my friend

yet so I'll ask him soon.

 

YamadaHizashi: *thumbs up*

 

…

 

TrollDoll: Hey Izuku, are you free on Sunday at 

2?

 

CursedDoll: Sorry! I’m busy that day. Have 

need to test out the doll one more time.

 

TrollDoll: lol what are you testing it on?

 

CursedDoll: Swinging, running, jumping, blocking.

 

TrollDoll: Ok

 

…

 

ShinsouHitoshi: Can’t make it. He’s busy with 

something

 

YamadaHizashi: Alright then! Where do you want

to meet up?

 

ShinsouHitoshi: There’s a park me and my friend

frequent. Zanawa Park.

 

YamadaHizashi: Got it! See you then!

 

…

 

With those arrangements done, truly everything was going well for Hitoshi. So good he can’t remember when he felt this safe. Yeah his foster parents were still neglectful, they even stopped getting him dinner but he hasn’t told Izuku that, it was better than them being abusive in the physical sense.

 

The rest of the weekdays with Izuku went well with the two heading all over the place doing a bunch of stuff Hitoshi never thought he could ever do. He’s gone to the cinema, more cat cafes and today he was going to the arcade!

 

Of course Izuku paid for all of it but after that chat with Yamada, he realises that he doesn’t have to feel guilty. Okay, he still does but he knows there’s a lot he’s doing for his friend, especially as he gets to know him more and more.

 

Case in point, he knew that Izuku didn’t eat much even though he had no reason not to. Hitoshi doesn’t know why but he doesn’t want to question him in case it was a touchy subject, even if it felt like it wasn’t. He didn’t want to make his friend uncomfortable, especially when they’re currently on the train going to the more techy side of Tokyo.

 

On the way, they even spotted a distant hero fight. It was a giant villain who got taken down by a guy who could sprout trees from his body.

 

“Do you ever want to be a hero Izuku?” Hitoshi said to the doll as he watched the fight finish up. The train wasn’t crowded today so they didn’t feel insecure about talking/signing aloud.

 

The doll seemed to contemplate that answer before signing. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve always liked heroes and yeah I’ve always wanted to be one but I’m not sure I…”

 

“You what?”

 

The doll shook her head. “Nevermind. Our stop is here.”

 

Izuku always changes the topic every time he gets asked questions like that. Not being a hero but the future in general. He wasn’t sure except maybe his friend doesn’t know what he’s doing. He can only hope that he does want to become a hero, after all it means they could go to UA together when they’re older!

 

Indeed though it was their stop and the two got out to head to where they were planning to go. They could’ve gone to any old arcade but the one Izuku was taking Hitoshi to was super popular. Apparently the owner has a quirk that makes projections and makes the games pop out of the screen like they were real.

 

It was hard getting there though. Both him and Izuku hated mingling with people. Hitoshi was a natural introvert whilst his friend didn’t want his doll to be exposed because that’ll cause complications for him. Thankfully they didn’t have to rub shoulders for long as they finally reached the building. 

 

It was massive and colourful and everything inside was just as Izuku said it would be. Though they did get some looks, well Ana got some looks, when the two were playing together but they probably chucked it up to a big sibling treating their younger brother at the arcade.

 

There were all kinds of games. Shooters, car driving and even a built in bumper car ride that the two rode in. Honestly it was the time of his life and it seemed it was the same for Izuku too. He ate some chocolate that was bought at a convenience store and had some melon soda that was just perfect.

 

They even won at a bunch of claw machines, Ana always going for the cat ones that both of them adore. His friend tried to give them all to Hitoshi but he insisted that any prizes he won, Izuku could take home with him. It was kind of adorable seeing them hold this yellow dog plush they got in her hoodie, head poking up from under the doll’s chin.

 

He was at the pinball machines, watching Izuku try and get a high score, when he realised he needed the bathroom badly and headed there, letting his friend know he wasn’t going to take too long.

 

After he was done he stepped out of the toilets and on his way back he bumped into the last people he wanted to see today. Pangaki, Tsubasa, Shiosho with the salt crystals on their shoulders and a kid he remembered seeing in the other class. Bakugou.

 

The blond haired boy was the one who he bumped into and the flare in his eyes made every ounce of joy Hitoshi had five seconds ago completely evaporate. 

 

“Watch where you’re going, freaky hair!” Bakugou yelled.

 

“Hey wait! It’s Shinsou! That guy we told you about!” Tsubasa pointed out.

 

Hitoshi felt compelled to run at that moment but Shiosho must’ve noticed that and had already grabbed him, painful crystals from their quirk digging into him. “You’re not running this time, villain.”

 

As he thought of ways maybe he could break out the blond kid got angry. “Why the hell should I care about him?”

 

“Because we told you, his quirk is bad. Not to mention he hangs out with that weird monster.” Pangaki explained.

 

Hitoshi knew that the other kids saw  Ana. When school was on she walked him up every morning with the same outfit she wore from when she first scared them away. It helped stop the bullies from following him to the park as they didn’t want to go anywhere near that ‘freak face’.

 

“Monster?” Bakugou said and the kid nodded back in response. “I don’t care.”

 

The blond brat really didn’t seem to care much about him and just walked off, leaving his friends behind with Hitoshi. The boy hoped that would get them to go away but it didn’t as the trio still smiled a sickly grin and began to drag the boy further into the arcade despite his protests.

 

He couldn’t make noise due to the building’s ambience and because he was taken all the way to a room of the place where not a lot of people go, with a bunch of broken machines lying around. He was thrown to the tile floor as the other kids stood above him, leering down. 

 

“What the hell does a villain loser like you think you’re doing here? You don’t deserve to be in a place this good.” Pangaki spat. 

 

“Yeah! Someone like you shouldn’t get the good places when all you’ll be is a villain with a creepy quirk.” Tsubasa added, wings flapping.

 

Hitoshi felt afraid. Very afraid as all the kids, except for Bakugou, just insulted him and inched closer. He just wanted it to stop somehow, he hoped at least they wouldn’t start hurting him. But of course, if he was hurt already….

 

Shiosho with a smile said, “A freak like you should know your place.” 

 

They raised their hand up, small salt spikes growing in their palm as they grasped Hitoshi’s arm and the pain was instant. The stinging pains and the salt digging into wounds as he let out a pained shout. The flesh almost sizzled slightly as the brat pressed harder before they let go, Hitoshi immediately nursed his arm as he slinked back and layed under a broken arcade machine.

 

The viscous grins they gave made the boy feel even more like screaming and he almost did but he didn’t want to give them anything. He didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of making him truly scared.

 

So to push down his fear, he did what he always did when he was afraid. He deflected and pretended he was fine. That he was stronger than he looked. That he really was the bad guy who wasn’t phased by anything.

 

“Y-you know. Heroes don’t typically t-torture villains.” Hitoshi said shakily.

 

“Heh.” Pangaki chuckled. “What does a loser villain like you know about heroes?”

 

“N-not a lot but apparently more than you, y-you fucking bully!” Hitoshi sneered and it seemed to make the kid more angry at him as he gave a kick to Shinsou’s leg.

 

“Shiosho, pick him up.” Pangaki commanded and the tall kid grasped Hitoshi by the arm, then by the back of his neck as they pulled him up.

 

Hitoshi could swear he could taste the salt, as small crystals pierced his skin and stun like acid as he grasped the other boy's hand to try and pry it off with little success. Meanwhile, Tsubasa was giggling and Pangaki got close to look him in the eyes.

 

“I want you to listen here and listen once,” he snarled, “‘cause from now you’re going to get taught through pain just what you’ll always be. A loser villain. Someone who will just do bad and get beaten up by heroes because that’s all you’ll ever be with that quirk. No matter what.”

 

Tears started to brim in his eyes from the pain and the words that both stung more than anything. But he didn’t want to give in. 

 

“I won’t be a villain. I’ll become a hero and when I do, I’ll make sure to put guys like you in jail!” he growled, trying desperately to not break down.

 

Pangaki gave a little chuckle before he just punched Hitoshi in the stomach, winding the boy and causing his legs to go weak as he struggled to keep up, only aided by Shiosho’s grasp.

 

“You really think you could be a hero?” Pangaki laughed. “You’ll never be anything! Except a lonely,” a punch, “freaky,” punch, “villain,” punch, “for the rest of your life!”

 

Hitoshi felt like he was going to throw up. Every punch felt harsher than the last and he so badly just wanted to cry already. He wanted to, he really did. And maybe he would’ve a few months ago. He would’ve begged for someone to come over and save him because he didn’t have the courage to stand on his own fully but now…

 

Yamada thought he could be a hero. Izuku knew he could be a hero. And most of all…

 

“You’re wrong…” Hitoshi groaned. “Because… because…”

 

He took a breath.

 

“I will become a hero no matter what anyone tells me!”

 

And before anyone could react, he stretched his arm over ripped a salt crystal off of Shiosho’s shoulder, crushed it and then threw the salt into the kid’s eyes. He let out a yelp and dropped Shinsou who charged towards Pangaki and punched him hard in the face, sending the boy to the floor where he screeched.

 

He ran past a panicking Tsubasa and out to the rest of the arcade where he limped to where he last saw Ana. She wasn’t there so he kept running until he stumbled upon her at a whack-a-mole game and grabbed her leg immediately. He held on tightly as he heard the kids shout behind him.

 

Ana turned to look at him and saw his state and looked to the kids who were chasing. Pangaki had a bloody nose that he was nursing and Shiosho’s eyes were red from the stinging salt. Tsubasa was behind them, blundering as they caught up to the kid.

 

Ana pulled Hitoshi behind her as she crouched into a stance, Izuku on the other end probably seething as the kids immediately stopped upon seeing her, their faces blanching.

 

His friend didn’t need to know what was going on. He just saw his clearly hurt friend running from some kids so of course he was going to stop them from getting to him. The doll raised her arms and Izuku stared down the brats through the lens so hard he swore they felt it and they backed away immediately.

 

“T-this isn’t over mindfreak! I’ll tell my mom and everyone about what you did!” Pangaki shouted as he and his friends scurried away, leaving the doll and the boy alone.

 

Hitoshi relaxed immediately when they ran and the adrenaline was now starting to crash down and the pain along with it, his stomach aching and his limbs in pain from salt scratches and a kick respectively. He looked up at the doll, who was still staring out in case they came back but once Hitoshi’s grip slackened Ana immediately looked down at him with a snap.

 

She immediately scooped him up and carried him out of the arcade, taking him to a small pharmacy where she bought some stuff to help his bruises and cuts. 

 

They hadn’t said anything but that’s probably because of the urgent matter of making sure he’s safe before anything else. Thankfully Hitoshi had a lot to think about.

 

He fought back. He never fought back at least with violence and he even didn’t need to use his quirk! He did it all on his own, without Izuku, his quirk or anyone whatsoever. He stood up for himself and for once in a long time he was proud of himself. 

 

He picked up his phone and texted Izuku, too pained to speak without his stomach hurting. 

 

TrollDoll: they punched me in the stomach 

and burned my arm. But I punched them back! 

 

CursedDoll: why?

 

TrollDoll: they’re from my school. They were

the same guys who were bullying me the day

we properly met.

 

CursedDoll: did you punch that grey haired 

guy in the face?

 

TrollDoll: hell yeah

 

The doll looked at him and he could feel the smile behind the camera, no doubt just as proud of his friend as he was. He couldn’t help but give that cheshire smile of his back as his friend kept tending to his wounds. Apparently the spikes on Pangaki’s knuckles pierced his belly a bit and there was some blood seeping out hidden by his black shirt.

 

It hurt but with some painkillers it faded slightly and the doll made sure to bandage the cuts after sterilising them with alcohol swabs. His phone began to vibrate again.

 

CursedDoll: i can carry you home if you want.

 

TrollDoll: please

 

The doll knelt down, intending to give Hitoshi a piggyback ride as the two took off. Not wanting to hang around anymore seeing how bad Hitoshi was hurt. They headed to the train station and then back home. 

 

All the while Hitoshi was beaming. Yes he was beaten and battered, yes he was hurt. But he stood up for himself and what he wanted to be. No one was going to stop him from being a hero, he’d like to see the world try.

Notes:

I'm a bit unsure on how to write bullying scenes. I always feel like I write them to corny, let me know if I could've improved.

Chapter 18: Powder Keg

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

A shorter chapter today than usual but that's only because it is a build up to the end of a part of the story (but far from it's end!)

I hope you'll enjoy this one!

Have a nice day! <3

Izuku was still thinking about what happened at the arcade on the way home. Not what happened to Hitoshi. Okay yes that was one of them but there was also something else that caught his eye.

 

- - -

 

‘Almost there…’ thought Izuku as Ana continued to play away on the pinball machine.

 

He almost had the highest score on the machine and his adrenaline was going up because of it. One wrong move and all that progress was going to be gone so he was fully locked in. He didn’t even want to check Hitoshi because literally every second looking away could mean losing.

 

The small metal balls that danced around the set banged off the bouncers as after a tense moment of silence except the flicking of flippers and the dazzling dings from the machine he managed to get over the score and won.

 

“Yes!” Izuku cheered. He let the game end on its own, now satisfied and entered the name for the score as simply ‘ANA’. 

 

‘I know you don’t like taking credit Ana but honestly it was all you.’ he giggled.

 

The doll turned to look for his friend, he expected him to be just as excited as he was but he just wasn’t there. At all. 

 

‘Oh, right, he needed the toilet.’ Izuku recalled.

 

He contemplated waiting for him a minute so he could show his high score and leaned against a wall, keeping out of the way of other people moving through the arcade. Ever since he was determined to reveal himself to Hitoshi he’s been getting more and more excited to be spending time with him in places like this. 

 

Okay maybe not here. It was loud and noisy, even through the screen and Izuku can’t imagine standing there for five seconds without having a freakout. Other places though, like the cat cafe would be fun. He’s never petted a cat so it’ll probably feel like the softest thing ever.

 

Not to mention he’d finally be able to see the boy he’s been the friend of for the first time with his own two eyes. A part of him was scared though because the boy could see him back. Izuku was a bit self conscious about how he looked. He knew he needed a haircut and that he was maybe a bit too pale than someone should be but Hitoshi hopefully won’t judge him on that too much.

 

Watching a bunch of kids run around Izuku also got thinking about a lot of other stuff. Like what school is like. He didn’t want to be in a classroom, nope. Not at all but he’s wondered, maybe with the wall that is Ana or another doll, what the atmosphere was like. The energy of learning or a bunch of kids his age having fun.

 

It was then he thought more about him. Kacchan, and how he might be doing around now. He’s probably forgotten about… him…

 

As if the world wanted to give him an answer, he saw the small blond spiky haired kid with red angry eyes pass by Ana. He was slightly taller, not by much but enough to know he would be taller than Izuku, but then again who isn’t?

 

Watching the boy walk past, Izuku couldn’t not stare. He almost called out, even though it wouldn’t be heard by anyone but himself. He knew there was a chance, one day, he might accidentally stumble into him but he never thought it would be today.

 

The doll wandered after him, careful not to look like they’re stalking (because they are) and followed the boy back to a small restaurant in the arcade where people can eat. The doll didn’t go into it but instead stood a distance away. Both because they didn’t want to be seated but also because of who else he saw there.

 

Chatting with a few other parents was Auntie Mitsuki. She looked alright and when Kacchan approached she seemed to keep her smile up when the boy sat down at the table with them. He wasn’t sure what they were talking about but the sight made Izuku tear up a little.

 

Some part of him wondered whether they would remember him should he ever come back. Hell, would they even recognise him? He knows how different he looks now and how much he’s changed. 

 

He never liked Kacchan that much, not fully, but there was a familiarity there that he can’t help but find comfort in, even at a distance. Like seeing an old photograph and getting all of the experiences captured in it, good and bad. 

 

He wondered what would’ve happened if he ran to Auntie that night. How much would his life change? Would she let Izuku do what he wants and not fear having to hide away? Or would it just end like mama. The Bakugou residence set ablaze and everyone left from his old life turned to ashes.

 

Probably the second one. Or at least he couldn’t risk the second one especially when he could just as easily be by himself, no matter how hard that was. No matter how difficult it was.

 

No matter how lonely he was.

 

Tears began to hit the keyboard as Izuku realised just how silent everything was in the warehouse. How it suddenly felt like a tomb he couldn’t break out of and that he was going to die there. He couldn’t help the climbing tightness in his throat and the screaming in his head that he’s stuck here and trapped and every day here was another he lost a part of himself from time wasted.

 

His breathing hastened, his eyes bled tears and every part of him shook as he felt awful. How everything felt awful. How tired he was, how numb he felt and how cold everything was.

 

He just… he just…

 

He just doesn’t want to be alone!

 

And once more the world answered with someone grabbing Ana’s leg. The senses translated through his quirk and the doll’s head snapped so fast he was sure something broke there in her neck.

 

It was his friend. His only friend. With fluffy purple hair he hopes to one day see with his own eyes, staring up at the doll with a frantic look just as freaked out as his. The sound of kids shouting made him turn up to see a bloody nose, red eyes and three confused children looking up at Ana. 

 

And that’s when the bleeding arm of Hitoshi, his limping leg and the stomach he was nursing all snapped Izuku out of his panic and immediately thought to protect his friend.

 

- - -

 

It was a lot to think about. But now more than ever it made him sure that he trusted Hitoshi because, well, he had no one else. No one in the whole world he could put his faith in except for the boy. And he was going to help him with anything he wanted. If he was going to be a hero, Izuku was going to make him one. 

 

Izuku had decided then on the walk home that tomorrow was going to be the day he showed himself to Hitoshi. His friend. He told him that he was going to be doing something with finishing the combat doll by having it do another fight but that wasn’t the case anymore.

 

He was going to show up at the park where Hitoshi should be training alone and finally see him face to face.

 

- - -

 

Hizashi was preparing some stuff for tomorrow’s training with Shinsou. Just some simple stuff to see where the kid was at in terms of physical ability. Some jump rope, chalk to draw boundaries and a bunch of other stuff used to measure how he’s doing.

 

He knows he and Izuku were doing some stuff on their own and Hizashi was happy to see them take the initiative on becoming heroes even though he wasn’t sure what Izuku’s stance was on that. He hoped that when he sent that message to Hitoshi that the kid would come, despite how far off that may be.

 

Anyway, he did learn something new and really important. Apparently the park he will be heading to was somewhere the two frequented so if necessary, Shouta could watch the place and wait for Izuku to show up, probably as a doll, and follow him back to where he’s hiding.

 

He’s going to get that kid the clear help he needs and there was nothing anyone was going to do to stop it. He whistled cheerily as he put all of this stuff into a duffle bag so he can just grab it for tomorrow. He had to wrestle Pepper a few times as for some reason the cat kept trying to get inside it to suffocate himself surely.

 

“Pepper, stop that!” he said as he picked the cat up again to sit on the other side of the room, racing back to zip up the bag. 

 

The cat was faster though and every time he got back to the bag, he was already there, staring up at him in probable triumph if those eyes are anything to go by. Thankfully he had another set of hands in the room as he picked up the cat again, to a protesting meow, and carried the little furball over to his husband who took the cat.

 

“You could’ve done that from the start.” Shouta smirked, having watched the whole thing.

 

“If I did that then I’d be admitting defeat!” Hizashi explained, properly zipping up the bag.

 

Pepper let out a sad meow as he watched the bag was sealed and just slumped in the black haired man’s arms. “You still did it though.” he said.

 

“I know!” Hizashi whined. “But next time, I’ll be ready. I’ll be faster!”

 

The blond went over to the ginger cat and booped it on the nose as he said that, getting a little growl from it. Not a big one but one that sounded like the cat was accepting the challenge.

 

“Speaking of lost cats. Are you still thinking about the fostering?” Shouta asked.

 

Hizashi nodded. He was very much still on that and wanted to take Shinsou in. He knew doing something like that was irresponsible and impulsive but he saw so much of himself in that kid and Shouta too when he was in high school. Hell he even saw some of his husband now.

 

“Well. I’m still a little on the fence about it.” Shouta admitted.

 

“Mind me asking?” he questioned. Not in an aggressive tone but in one that his husband knew meant he was listening to everything he was saying.

 

“I don’t feel ready. Maybe you do, or maybe you are but I don’t know how to handle kids well. My underground work barely sees any.” he explained.

 

“You’re planning to teach next year though?” Hizashi countered passively.

 

Shouta sighed. “Yeah but that’s going to be different. I’ll only see the students throughout the day but a kid I’ll be there always. I’ll be raising him, not teaching. I don’t want to mess up.”  

 

“Aw Sho’...” the blond cooed as he sat down next to him. He pulled him into a hug, Pepper getting the chance to slip out and check the bag again. “You’ll do great. I know it.”

 

“Where do you keep getting that energy?” the black haired man mumbled.

 

“Well, not constantly drinking coffee helps.” Hizashi chuckled.

 

The man just groaned a sound of protest and he pushed gently free from the embrace, still sitting next to him. It was at times like these that the blond felt so special. Shouta was always confident and calm in an apathetic sort of way. He kept his cool no matter the situation, even to their friends like Nemuri but with Hizashi he lowered his guard. Let him see just how worried the man always was about making mistakes he can’t take back.

 

“Hey Sho’.” Hizashi said. The man looked to him to listen. “Do you want to come with me tomorrow? Just to see Shinsou and maybe give him some pointers?”

 

- - -

 

Shouta sat there next to Hizashi as he heard his suggestion. 

 

He really didn’t have much experience with kids. The best he had was his own personal experiences being one. High school was easier, after all they were more mature and also could take his criticisms better but little children were something else. They were more emotional, less controlled and unlike students he’d have to be around them always and he was scared that he wouldn’t be good at dealing with that.

 

People were already exhausting to him. His hero work too and having a kid on top of that he was afraid he might not do them justice, especially a kid like Shinsou who probably had a bad life from being in the foster system. He already knew he was neglected because of his quirk.

 

Maybe when he was older and wiser he might but now, at twenty four felt too soon. But maybe with Hizashi’s suggestion he might be able to find out if his worries were real or not. It was a risk. He knew how badly being dismissed was, he dealt with it when he was younger. Where he’d make a new friend only for them to leave him once they learned of his quirk.

 

He’d never do that to Shinsou, or anyone for that matter but in case he couldn’t handle being a mentor or a dad or whatever, he didn’t want to make the kid feel like that. It was one of his greatest fears of becoming someone who was that shallow.

 

But he trusted Hizashi, more than anyone, so maybe he could give this a chance. For him and himself.

 

- - -

 

“Sure.” he said, keeping his favoured deadpan.

 

Hizashi had his biggest smile and his husband squinted at the brightness he gave off. “Thanks Sho’!”

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was excited for tomorrow. He knew he was in pain from the punches but they didn’t feel as bad after Izuku gave him that pain killer. He knew he’d ask about the wounds but he didn’t want to postpone this day. He didn’t know who Yamada was, fully, but he looked athletic and even more wanted to help Hitoshi.

 

He didn’t know his schedule but for all he knew if he did cancel it due to his wounds, he might have to wait a whole week for his help to begin. Izuku was helping him but he was also a kid and he knew he didn’t have the experience with training so having someone who might was something he was looking forward to.

 

The boy shifted in his bed, smiling. Maybe he’ll say they’re from training with Izuku. But then that might make him suspicious of his friend and he didn’t want that. He could just tell the truth but then he might report it to the school and he could get in trouble for fighting back. He’s certainly had that happened before.

 

His phone buzzed a little and he picked it up to see a text from Yamada. It was only eight so he rightly assumed he was still awake.

 

YamadaHizashi: Hey lil’ listener! Just wanted

to ask if it’s alright I bring someone along. He’s

much better than me at hand to hand combat. 

You don’t have to say yes, I’ll still help you.

 

Someone else? Hitoshi wasn’t sure of it but when he read that they were better at fighting he was now mixed. He didn’t know who this guy was but if he could help Hitoshi become a hero then he’s going to take that chance. It’s not as if Hizashi had ever steered him wrong so far.

 

ShinsouHitoshi: Ok, as long as he’s not weird

about my quirk.

 

YamadaHizashi: Don’t worry. His quirk is also

one that gets treated poorly. Not to mention I

think you two will have a lot in common.

 

He also has a villainous quirk? Hitoshi was almost tempted to ask what it was but he knew from experience that he’d rather ask the guy himself. He only wished that Izuku was going to be with him, maybe he’d feel even better. He already said he had something to do so there wasn’t much he could do there.

 

Another text came in, heralded by the buzzing of his phone.

 

YamadaHizashi: By the way, seeing as how

he’s coming now, we’ll have to move the 

meet up to ten. Is that alright with you? I 

can make you lunch.

 

ShinsouHitoshi: Ok, that’s alright. I’m fine

for lunch. My friend sends me something 

every day.

 

YamadaHizashi: *thumbs up*

 

Yeah. He should go to, or try to, go to sleep now. His body needed the rest for tomorrow and he didn’t want to feel tired.

 

Surprisingly, Hitoshi fell asleep rather quickly that night. Dreaming about a lot of things. Him being a hero and Izuku being there in whatever shape he imagined the friend to be in, cheering him on. He can’t wait for morning to come.

Chapter 19: A Deer in Headlights

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you enjoy this one... I certainly loved writing it.

Another post will come out on Sunday.

<3

Hitoshi left the house early to make it to the park. He didn’t want to be late in the slightest so he put on his gym uniform, took his phone and filled his reusable water bottle and was out the door. Once he got there, he was half an hour early so he just stretched a bit and did a short jog around the park to get warmed up before he heard a car coming through the area.

 

Cars rarely came through this place at all so he knew that it had to be Yamada and whoever was with him so he jogged over and sure enough he saw the blond man there with the same careless smile he seemed to wear always. Getting out of the car with him though had to be the other person Yamada mentioned.

 

He had long black hair that messily gathered on his shoulders, a scruffy face with tired eyes and a ridiculous large scarf that looked more like a neck brace of bandages than anything. As soon as Yamada saw him, he waved, calling out and taking a duffle bag out of their back seat.

 

“Hey, lil’ listener! Great to see you here already!”

 

Hitoshi nodded and headed up to the two. “Hi, Yamada.”

 

“Oh please, call me Hizashi!” he insisted. Hitoshi wasn’t sure if to oblige or not but when he later called him Yamada again, the blond once more insisted so he just relented. 

 

The loud blond motioned over the tired man and introduced him. “So this is the guy I told you about! Shinsou meets Aizawa Shouta!”

 

“Hey.” Aizawa said lowly.

 

“Hey.” the boy said back with just a bit more energy than he did.

 

Hizashi just looked between the two and smiled as he carried the bag further along. “So Shinsou, you’ve had breakfast?”

 

No he hadn’t but he wasn’t sure if that’s alright so he was going to say no. “Yeah I ha-” But the bad timing of his stomach stopped that lie in its tracks. Both men just looked at the kid and he felt both mortified and embarrassed whilst Hitoshi immediately reached to scratch the back of his head and looked away.

 

“Kid, you can’t just skip meals.” Aizawa pointed out and maybe it was stating the obvious but right now he wouldn’t comment that.

 

“I didn’t have a lot of time.” he lied again. Izuku wasn’t there to give him breakfast today so he hasn’t had anything since last night when he gave him that convenience store ramen. 

 

“Well here.” the man said, handing over a granola bar. “This’ll do you for a while. We’ll get you a proper lunch later.”

 

Neither man seemed to ask why Hitoshi didn’t have breakfast and it definitely wasn’t because he fibbed well. It made him a bit anxious but then he remembered he had told Hizashi that his friend would buy him breakfast so they probably realised that he must’ve not been around. Wait, does that mean that Hizashi told Aizawa about him?

 

Pushing that line of thinking away, the trio got to a nice clearing in the park and they began setting up some stuff. The park’s lawn was recently trimmed so the grass wasn’t getting in the way and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky so there’s likely going to be nothing that’ll stop them from doing the training.

 

As Hizashi took out some stuff, he pointed over to Aizawa. “Sho’, mind telling little Shinsou here what we’ll be doing today?”

 

The man himself seemed to be squinting a little in the light and walked over to the shade where Shinsou followed too. He didn’t know who Aizawa was or what he did but given how also fit he was he must've exercised a lot too. He didn’t look like the kind of guy with that mentality though so he thought that maybe…

 

No, that was probably unlikely. Yes he was wearing that weird scarf but for all he knew that might’ve some kind of quirk. There’s no way he was going to be trained by a hero, that was impossible.

 

“We’ll be doing a series of tests to find out where you are physically. Seeing how your quirk is a mental one, you’ll have to sharpen your skills when someone doesn’t respond to your questions.” Aizawa explained.

 

‘So he knows what my quirk is?’ Hitoshi noted.

 

The man didn’t seem afraid of him at all but he did also look a bit impassive so maybe he just doesn’t show it. Then again he’s friends with Hizashi so maybe he also thinks that Hitoshi’s quirk is good for hero work. It’d be nice to have another person who believed in him.

 

Either way, he needed to be sure. “What will the tests be?” he questioned.

 

“A ball throw, toes touches, sits up, side steps…” the man listed the activities off without hesitating, responding to him despite knowing what his quirk was.

 

Normally when people first learn how it’s activated they stop a bit before speaking because they are scared of being brainwashed but he didn’t seem to care at all. Guess Hitoshi has found another person who sees his dream as possible and not just ridiculous.

 

“By the way. What happened to your arm and leg?” he asked.

 

“I tripped during training yesterday and got scratched up. My friend patched me up though.” Hitoshi recited from his rehearsed lie.

 

The man gave a slight look of disbelief before he zeroed in on one part of his lie, the truth that is. “Your friend?”

 

“Yeah Izuku. He’s really good at patching me up.” he said.

 

“So this has happened before?”

 

Hitoshi stopped at that, not realising his little slip there. Technically it was one other time, that being when he and Izuku first met. Okay maybe there were a couple other smaller times, like when he got pushed bad enough to slip and fall but those were only scrapes. Still he didn’t want to turn this into something big so he just lied again.

 

“Yeah, I trip a lot.”

 

The man just sighed and Hitoshi was afraid he said something wrong. “Kid, you don’t have to lie. I can take a guess and say school isn’t treating you right.”

 

“N-not really.” the boy hurried to clarify. “It’s only pushing at school.”

 

“Then where’d you get that? And the stomach wound I can see you nursing too.” the man inquired as well, making Hitoshi feel like he can’t lie to this man.

 

Hitoshi tried to think through some excuse before he just gave up and decided to speak honestly. “I got it yesterday. Some kids from school grabbed me at the arcade and beat me up a little.”

 

Aizawa seemed quiet at that, his face a bit unreadable. 

 

“But don’t worry. I fought back. Punched one in the face hard enough that his nose bled.” Hitoshi bragged slightly with an uneasy grin. He was still proud of that punch.

 

The man’s face was hidden by the scarf slightly but Hitoshi could’ve sworn he saw a slight smirk underneath. “Good.” He didn’t ask anything more on that which he was thankful for and the two just stood in comfortable silence as they watched Hizashi finish setting things up.

 

Once it was all ready, Hitoshi did a few of the tests. He threw a ball about forty metres, got through the grip test with an average score his age would get and even did well on the sprints but that’s mostly because of his long legs. Halfway through, he was slightly tired. That granola bar didn’t do much and he was feeling tired. 

 

“Here kid.” Aizawa offered a thermos of something warm.

 

Hizashi’s eyes widened a little as the thermos was given “Wait Sho’! Don’t give him coffee! He’s a-” 

 

“Thanks.” Hitoshi said and gulped it down, much to the blond’s lament.

 

It was black, and had the faintest taste of cinnamon, but that didn’t matter to him as he drank it all down in one gulp, the liquid going through him like lightning. He felt his energy returning as he got ready for the next few tests.

 

“Your right ‘Zashi. I do like the kid.” Aizawa commented, causing a mix of emotions to wash over the blond’s face over a matter of seconds.

 

After the last set of tests, Hitoshi was thoroughly tired. He hasn’t moved about this hard ever and the summer heat wasn’t helping him feeling less bad. Thankfully Hizashi had tons of water, cold water not like his plastic water bottle which was now lukewarm from the heat. The blond even offered to get him a proper water bottle and bring it next time they train.

 

'Next time…' the kid noted.

 

“Alright! Seems you’re in good shape, if not a little weak at strength exercises but we can work on that.” Hizashi commented, going through his phone where he kept the scores. “Next we can have a small spar. Sho’?”

 

The black haired man took a step out of the shade where he’s not left since the start of the tests and walked out into the light. Squinting once more until he pulled down these yellow goggles he had nestled in his scarf.

 

“I want to know how good you are fighting, kid. I’m not expecting much so don’t worry if you get knocked down a few times.” Aizawa said as he did a few simple stretches. “Just try your best.”

 

Hitoshi stood a few feet away from him, unsure of what to do, so he just raised his hands as Hizashi said go. He got knocked off his feet near instantly and the man was standing overhead. He didn’t even think his hands had left his pockets.

 

“Okay, first things first. You need to have proper form.” the man noted as he took a step away whilst Hitoshi scrambled to his feet.

 

“Don’t have your legs too close together, that makes your center of balance weak. Spread them out like this and make sure to pivot your feet.” he instructed, getting into a stance that the boy tries to copy.

 

“No. You’re too spread out. I can kick your feet out with no effort. You need them close enough to not slip easily but far enough to keep your center of balance low.”

 

The man corrected Hitoshi’s posture with a few gentle kicks to the feet, angling his foot right whilst making sure he wasn’t slouching. “Great. Keep it like that. See how you’re more stable?” he said, giving the boy a light push.

 

The two spent the next while getting Hitoshi’s form right. Moving and being able to take light hits without it breaking. Despite how unbothered the man was at first, he seemed to really care about him getting things right. The boy almost forgot he’s only met this man a few hours ago and already he felt like he’s trained with him forever with how well they worked.

 

“It’s okay to wince when you get hit but don’t let your enemy see it. If villains know their attacks hurt you, they’ll keep coming harder. The best thing to do in a fight is act like you can keep going all day.” he explained and Hitoshi more and more started to lean further into the hope that this man might really be a hero, if not, one who trained them.

 

Once the getting hit part was done, they moved on to him throwing his own punches. 

 

“Great. You’re a bit slow between swings though. Remember you could be up against anyone with any kind of quirk, you need to be at least faster than them.” 

 

All in all, Hitoshi felt like he was learning a lot. Aizawa was a good teacher and he could feel himself getting better with every bit of advice he gave. However the man could tell Hitoshi was getting sluggish and tired so he called it there for a bit.

 

It was around lunch now and the three had decided to have a picnic there. Hitoshi never had something like that before, unless you count the times he and Izuku (not really) ate at the park benches. It was a lot different, with a nice sheet they threw out in the shade and bag filled with food for him to have.

 

It was at this point Hitoshi got that feeling again. The same one with Izuku where he felt like he was getting more than he deserved. He knew he couldn’t just deny it but he can’t help but ask the question that’s been itching in his mind.

 

“Why are you doing so much for me?” he asked and he honestly wished he hadn’t said it.

 

The two men turned to him. Hizashi with a look of concern for the boy and Aizawa with near indifference besides that small focus in his eye. 

 

Hitoshi continued. “You haven’t even known me that long. So why are you doing so much?”

 

“Well… kid…” Hizashi started, but Hitoshi wasn’t finished.

 

“Please don’t tell me it’s pity.”

 

He did not want to be looked down on. Ever. He hated it, especially pity, he didn’t want to be seen as someone you had to help because you felt guilty.

 

“No! Not at all!” Hizashi rebuked, hands in the air waving. “I wanted to help you Shinsou because… well…”

 

The blond didn’t seem to know how to word his next sentence, so the other man spoke for him. “We know you’re a foster kid. You told us. We also know school isn’t great right now for you. You told us that too, but we also know that from reading your record.”

 

“My record?” Hitoshi was puzzled, not sure what that meant.

 

Hizashi gave Aizawa an unsure look but the man didn’t return it, instead he kept going. “Your school record. We have it and have been looking at it for a bit.”

 

Hitoshi was even more confused, his mind trying to figure out if this is good or bad but the man just kept going. Wanting to make sure there were no misunderstandings going on in his head.

 

- - -

 

Aizawa wasn’t sure where he was going with this. When he came here he wasn’t sure what to expect from this kid. Hizashi said that the two had a lot in common but he thought he might’ve been exaggerating but no, they really did. There was a lot of him he could see in Shinsou.

 

Not just in their tastes or general vibe but their life too. The kid was clearly scrappy like he was, even if not as much. When he talked about where he got those wounds, he couldn’t help but remember all the times he had to punch another kid in the face over something they said.

 

So what? Call him barbaric. Nemuri thought he was a little hellraiser and yeah he kinda was. He already knew he wanted to be a hero when he grew up and seeing some kids get pushed around and hurt because of their quirks made him do what a hero should. 

 

It did end with him not being able to go to the hero course initially because of his record but he won his way back in when he got first in the UA Sports Festival and the attention of the staff there. Having a particularly supportive rat on staff too also helped a lot in getting them to look past his record.

 

Okay. Maybe Hizashi’s illogical idea about fostering might not be so illogical anymore. Maybe it’d be nice to have a kid. Of course though he didn’t know the kid on many other fronts. There were so many spinning plates in both of their lives.

 

For one both Hizashi and him were heroes and he didn’t know what the kid would think of that except maybe a bit of excitement. Another thought was Izuku and how the kid is probably in the dark about everything he’s doing. At least he hopes. There’s always a chance he wasn’t which might be a problem.

 

Then there was Hizashi’s radio show, Shouta’s underground work, not to mention their teaching job coming up and the fact they’re married. He was scared he’d neglect him like his current fosters do or worse, upset him with whatever is going to happen once they find his friend. 

 

But maybe, instead of worrying about all of that. He should just start things step by step and see where they go from there. See how the kid reacts to one of those worries.

 

- - -

 

“We’re pro heroes” he said succinctly. 

 

Hitoshi just stared at the two there, mind completely blank on anything to say except repeating the three words that man just said.

 

“You’re…” he managed.

 

“Pro heroes.” the man finished.

 

“B-both of you?” he asked unsure. Purely in disbelief that he is currently having a picnic with two pro heroes.

 

“Yeah!” Hizashi replied, keeping a smile. “Though we didn’t want to say anything yet until we got more comfortable,” he admitted.

 

Heroes. Pro heroes were here in front of him. Talking to him and he didn’t even know! Well he suspected it from Aizawa but not from Hizashi too! Not just that but he was taught by two of them, and helped one of them with shopping as well. 

 

But he didn’t recognise either of them. He can’t really put a face to Hizashi or Aizawa so maybe they’re lesser known ones?

 

“What heroes are you?” he asked, trying to keep his cool and not totally faint.

 

The black haired man shrugged. “You wouldn’t know me. I’m an underground hero, Eraserhead. Don’t ask about the name.”

 

“And I’m more well known! Though you probably can’t tell, but I daylight as Present Mic!” Hizashi said enthusiastically.

 

Present Mic. The Present Mic. The same one who’s currently trending as one of the best radio hosts in Tokyo. He was here, in front of him, helping him train and he helped the man get groceries. He’s seen Present Mic’s cats!

 

It was just a chaotic wave of thoughts flooding through Hitoshi's head. A mix of being starstruck, alarmed, overwhelmed and in awe. Just barely holding onto his willpower to not start doing something stupid in front of them. 

 

After a few minutes of calming down and answering Hitoshi’s questions, such as what is an underground hero, he finally gets back on track. They technically didn’t answer his question about why they’re here, with him. And now the answer was more necessary than ever.

 

“Why are pro heroes looking at my school record?” the boy questioned.

 

The pro heroes both looked between each other, seeming to speak with just their eyes as they seemed to decide on whether to explain further. Eventually Hizashi is the one to speak up, taking the lead on that question.

 

“You know about that incident in your school a bit back. With your teachers?” the blond asked.

 

“You mean the thing with the monster? Do you think I have anything to do with that?” Hitoshi uttered, concerned.

 

He waved his hands. “No, not directly! But we do think there is someone related to you who is responsible.”

 

“Related? Like who… oh.”

 

It all clicked in his head at that moment. He didn’t know much about the attacks outside of what was whispered in classrooms (he didn’t exactly have the money to buy a newspaper and he didn’t have a phone then) but he heard that the reason behind it was something to do with the message it said. 

 

Not just that, but apparently a bunch of kids were being talked to by police. He was sure he was going to get talked to soon as well but they just didn’t call. Is it because they sent these pro heroes instead? 

 

Maybe. No probably. And there’s only one person he knows that would be of interest to them. Izuku. He knew his quirk made things come to life and that he was working on a ‘scary doll’. Apparently he already finished it and had it do its job.

 

But that can’t really be true. It makes sense that he would be responsible but, Izuku wouldn’t seriously break into a bunch of people’s homes to scare them just for him? That would be insane. 

 

“You think Izuku is the Behemoth, or controlling it?” he questioned, clearly not believing what he was hearing again.

 

Aizawa spoke up. “We don’t just think it, Shinsou. We know it. We found spinal fluid from it after I fought it. It was linked to Midoriya Izuku.”

 

He can’t believe it. His friend not just made a monster to attack the teachers but he even fought Aizawa using it? A pro hero! 

 

“Does that mean… he’s a villain?” he asked, voice shaky and afraid. His emotions were running high. First there was the hero stuff, now he’s learning his friend could be a villain.

 

“That… is still up to debate. He is at the very least a vigilante.” Aizawa stated. “He used his quirk in an illegal way against supposed criminals.”

 

“What makes it so he’s a villain?” the boy questioned.

 

“If we find nothing wrong with Aldera, the kid technically broke into several homes to traumatise and terrorise innocent people.”

 

“But they aren’t innocent!” he protested. “He did it because of me!”

 

The boy frantically started to explain what he experienced at Aldera and how Izuku helped him so much. He told about the teachers treating him badly, the students being ignored when he was being bullied and even the constant detentions for every little thing so he couldn’t actually learn anything.

 

He said it all, hoping it would convince them that his friend isn’t bad. The whole time the heroes’ faces turned to a mix of sadness and guilt that he wasn’t sure why. They needed to understand that they were wrong. If anything this is all his fault.

 

His quirk and everything that comes with it. That’s why this is all happening. Because he can’t just accept being alone and miserable. That he had to drive his only friend into getting into trouble for him. He can’t have that kind of guilt, he can’t have it because how can he ever pay that back? How could he ever make it up to him?

 

He really was an awful awful friend.

 

He felt something warm and wet slide down his face as he kept arguing even though his points don’t make sense and he’s barely legible. At that point, Hizashi couldn’t take it anymore and scooped the kid up in a hug. 

 

He just cried into his shoulder. Scared and confused about everything. He didn’t want to imagine Izuku doing those things for him but he couldn’t stop thinking that and in turn blaming it all on himself.

 

It took almost ten minutes for him to fully stop and even then he was still sniffling. Fighting breaking down all over again. He stopped hugging Hizashi but held onto his hand to keep himself grounded. He’d thank him if he wasn’t so wrapped up in other emotions.

 

After clearing his eyes he sniffled, “S-so are you j-just here to find Izuku?”

 

Hizashi squeezed his hand a little. “No, no. Not at all. We’re here right now because of you. Sho’ is too. When I met you in the mall I didn’t know you were connected to Izuku at all.”

 

“W-when did you know?”

 

“Before the second mall trip. Remember I asked you for your friend's name? I thought he might’ve been Izuku and, well, I was right.” he explained, keeping a firm grasp on his hand.

 

“Then why-”

 

Aizawa spoke up. “Because we wanted to. And we were considering… fostering you. No, we are going to foster you.”

That caused the boy to freeze. “W-wait. Really?”

 

Hizashi smiled whilst gently stroking the back of his hand. “Yes, Shinsou. I’ve wanted to since I first saw you. Sho’, I'm guessing, just came to his decision now.”

 

“B-but, you know my quirk?” he cried “It’s bad and I could brainwash you and-”

 

“We don’t care about that.” Aizawa uttered. “We can tell you’re a good kid. We want to help you, give you an actual home. If you’ll allow us?”

 

He didn’t need to ask.

 

Hitoshi felt like he was going to cry again. It’s just been too much. He just wants to keep weeping until he can't. Until it hurts. His emotions were a tornado of different colours and temperatures and he didn’t know when it would end.

 

All he could do was dive back again into a hug with Hizashi, the man accepting it readily and stroking the back of his head tentatively as he just kept whispering that everything was alright.

 

This time, he calmed down quicker but only barely held on. He can’t take anything else and after calming down he kept asking questions just so he wasn’t confused anymore. He asked about the attack and what happened. About who Izuku really was and learned his family name was Midoriya. He learned that they had been looking for him for over a year and haven’t found anything until now.

 

And at the end, there was still one question left. Probably the most important. “What’s going to happen now?”

 

Hizashi made sure to answer before Aizawa could. “Now lil’ listener, we’re going to call it a day and head home. You clearly need time to process this and we don’t want to push you anymore.”

 

A part of Hitoshi didn’t want it to end right now. He wanted to know how he could help Izuku and not let him hide away. He didn’t want to watch him become a villain or a vigilante or get arrested. He just wanted his friend safe and to talk about all of this with him. 

 

Most importantly though, he didn’t want to go home. He doesn’t want to be in a home where he’ll just sit in his room and break down for the next few hours. But other than Izuku, he didn’t know where else to go, except maybe…

 

“C-can I go with you?” he asked sheepishly.

 

The two men just looked at each other. “Sho’.”

 

The black haired man just looked at his partner for a moment, looked at Hitoshi and then closed his eyes. “Alright. But you can’t stay the night kid. Not without your parent’s permission.”

 

“They won’t even notice I’m gone,” Hitoshi countered.

 

 “That’s what I’m worried about.” 

 

The trio began packing up the stuff, loading it all into the duffle bag. Hizashi told him he didn’t have to do anything and he could just head to the car and wait for them. He did that but only because he was too tired to argue at this point and wandered there, thinking of everything.

 

Firstly, Izuku was a vigilante and maybe a villain according to the law. His friend. The same one who stuttered and squeaked his way barely through saying ‘happy birthday’ to him. That Izuku. It was still unbelievable but everything made sense. According to Aizawa he managed to evade him and even a whole year ago he managed to beat Hizashi in a fist fight using a doll.

 

Secondly, he was being trained by pro heroes, and because they actually believed in him and not because they pity him. He’d never believe it too if Hizashi hadn’t pulled out his phone to show him in his costume. Now that the two were shown to him, he almost couldn’t divide the two.

 

Thirdly, and as a follow up, these pro heroes want to foster him! Him! Want to! It was literally unreal that he had to be dreaming but the headache he got from all that crying proved otherwise. This was reality and it was insane.

 

Hitoshi reached their car. It was a normal blue sedan and the door was already unlocked by Aizawa’s remote key. The two were still packing up their stuff in the distance and probably talking to each other as he finally reached up to the car door.

 

“H-h-hitoshi?” a small quiet voice whispered.

 

The boy froze and then spun to look where the voice came from and in a small alleyway, carried by a dark figure in a cloak using their forearm as a seat for him, was a child.

 

A deathly pale child, with dark green hair that sunk down past his shoulders but not down his back. A messy mane of split ends and knots. A body a whole head shorter than him that he couldn’t believe they were the same age and a form so frail it looked like it was made of actual glass.

 

He wore a slightly too large pajama shirt and baggy shorts and had no shoes, just bare feet dangling from the arms of the terrifying beast carrying him.

 

His dull green eyes glistened barely as they looked at the other boy. He looked terrified and was shaking, holding onto the dark figure for dear life like he’d die without it.

 

It was Izuku. He had no way of knowing but he just knew.

 

“Izuku…” Hitoshi got out before he heard a yell behind him that shattered both of their focuses on each other.

 

“Shinsou! Why are you standing still-” the blond stopped. The man stopped. Everyone stopped.

 

Aizawa and Hizashi were staring directly at Izuku and the giant holding him. It was quiet, no one could say anything. It was like going on a forest trek and spotting a deer in the woods, both him and the animal freezing the second they saw each other as they comprehended what was happening.

 

“Izuku?” Hitoshi uttered.

 

“N-no!” the boy cried.

 

And the giant ran with Izuku in tow.

 

And it’s only after that exact moment that Hitoshi realised…

 

…he could’ve used his quirk.

Notes:

A 'Deer in Headlights' is an idiom used to describe a moment where someone freezes in fear, panic, anxiety or all three that typically leaves them wide eyed ana paralyzed. The expression is often used to indicate someone who gets surprised by something, often it being caught in the act of doing something nefarious or private and being accidentally exposed by an unexpected observer.

The idiom comes from the instances where deer would tend to freeze just before a car would hit them in the middle of the night, surprising both the deer and the driver of the car who didn't expect them.

Chapter 20: Tornado of Colours and Emotions

Notes:

Hiya everybody,

Here's the second last chapter of the arc! Hope you enjoy it!

By the way just to let everyone know, I had written far ahead (currently on chapter 40-50 to be exact). As such I wanted to ask about what y'all think about the future of this story in terms of relationships. I want to lay out the ground work for one with Izuju in the far future (obviously when he's in a better place) but won't if that's not what the people want to see. I'm fine with it, honestly, but I want to hear all of your opinions on it first.

If it's a no, it's a no. Don't hold back. I know how much of a downer it is to start a story and midway through something happens you weren't expecting occurs and you're completely taken out of it.

Anyway enjoy this chapter and have a nice day! <3

Today was the day Izuku was going to find Hitoshi in person and greet him as himself. In all honesty he was terrified and anxious which was why he’d been psyching himself up all morning, sitting at the hole in the wall that leads out of the warehouse and trying his best to leave.

 

He knew Hitoshi would be at the park training. He had something at two so he’ll probably be there. He must’ve wanted Izuku’s help with something but that was a lie of course meant for today. Him saying hello.

 

Brutus was going with him as protection but it’s likely he’s going to have to be carried. He hasn’t really needed to move much around before so finally beginning to after all this time, on top of not eating well, sleeping well and not having seen the sun in a year, he definitely wasn’t getting there on his own.

 

Just getting down the steps from his room was exhausting so after testing (procrastinating) ways Brutus could comfortably hold him, he finally reached the hole. The problem was Brutus can’t carry him through because it was too small, he needed to crawl through just as Izuku.

 

That meant it had to be him who made the first step out back into the world and that was the part he was hung up about.

 

‘Maybe I should make sure I’m dressed right.’ he thought, being carried back in by Brutus.

 

He was planning to wear a simple long hoodie with a pair of track bottoms underneath. Of course the bottoms were meant for kids younger than him and the hoodie reached his knees but it’s not as if he’s going for style here. Okay maybe he should. Anything to keep him putting off going out for longer.

 

After at least an hour of preparations, he was back down to sitting in front of the hole, fighting to move through. Everytime he raised his hand to move towards the exit, he felt every part of him freeze up and every fear and reason he hid in the first place came crawling back.

 

Hisashi found him and doing whatever awful things he had in mind for him to do and become.

 

Pro heroes capturing him and locking him away for what he did.

 

Hitoshi not liking how he looked, or how he sounded or anything like that.

 

‘If I give up, it’s not as if he would know. He can’t be disappointed if you never tell him you tried.’ Izuku tried to manipulate himself.

 

There were a lot of reasons for not leaving. It was safer in the warehouse, he was thriving in the warehouse. Leaving it would risk all of that and could end with him getting hurt. But what are the chances any of those bad things could happen? It’s just one day out, a few hours. It’s not as if he’s going to bump into that blond guy a year ago or Eraserhead walking around in the street. 

 

And what about all the good things that can come from this? He would see Hitoshi. Talk to him, sort of, and be able to do a bunch of things with him he never thought he could. Like, what did he smell like? Izuku doesn’t know a lot of scents, given the lack of experience he has. Even smells he did know were slightly forgotten, like katsudon.

 

All that he’s eaten is the bare minimum like bread and cereal. It’s not that he couldn't afford good food, it's just that he had better things to use money on and he didn’t really have much of an appetite in the first place.

 

Maybe he could work on that with Hitoshi. Maybe the first thing they do together is have chocolate. Izuku just barely remembers the taste of it and he remembered he liked it so, yeah chocolate it is.

 

And it’s not just experiences that should lure him out. Hitoshi said… he would protect him. That he wouldn’t have to be scared and hide and honestly that made him feel a lot more safer than expected.

 

He definitely had no reason not to trust his best friend. He read his file, his history and even watched him through traffic cameras a few times just to see how he was doing and it’s not as if he was setting this up for him. 

 

And on top of all that it was a surprise! No one is prepared for him to come out, not even him! Clearly by how he continues to procrastinate even now.

 

‘Okay. I can do this.’ the boy declared in his mind.

 

A tiny shaky hand reached out towards the hole and the closer it got the more it shook. A feeling of panic washing over him as his fingers graze the boundary of his safe place. He stopped, holding his hand there. Heart going a mile a minute and breathing threateningly on panting.

 

He was so scared.

 

“I just want to know… you’re alright.” the purple haired boy's words filled his head.

 

And so he pushed forward, his hand touching the concrete outside as he kept going forward, crawling through the hole until he was on the other side. In the alley he hadn’t seen in forever with his own eyes. Just as slimy and dirty.

 

Izuku let out a breath, a strangled one as he felt exposed immediately and grabbed himself to cover up, well, himself. But there was no one around. Just an empty alley in the shade and no eyes to watch him. He was alright. He didn’t die even though he feels like he will. Everything was alright.

 

Brutus made his way through the hole as well, quickly under Izuku’s orders and picked the boy up, hiding him behind its long cloak. It felt a lot better than being exposed so he nestled into the cold chest of the giant and ordered him to move, every step shaky and careful.

 

When the two walked out of the alley and into the street, the sun hit Izuku’s face and all of the warmth that came with it. It was as bright as he remembered but this warmth was something else. The fresh air too; it felt nice.

 

Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

 

‘O-ok. L-let’s head to t-the p-park.’

 

Brutus marched forward, down the street. Ducking into alleys to avoid people and hiding Izuku deep within the cloak. The boy had a phone with him that showed what the giant was seeing so he didn’t have to worry about steering with his actual eyes as they went to the park.

 

On the way, there were sounds he almost forgot existed. The microphone on the camera picked up a lot but one thing it never got was ambience. The distant sound of birds, the humming of air conditioners and cars far away driving down the street. It was Sunday so the streets were empty but they were far from quiet. Even the wind blowing the cloak a little and drifting over his face felt foreign but missed for some reason. 

 

Whenever he inevitably did have to pass by people, he curled in tight to Brutus and watched them carefully with the camera. Thankfully people were either too unbothered or too intimidated to approach the giant so Izuku remained largely unbothered until he got to the park.

 

He wondered what the grass felt like again, or how the rustling of trees sounded. He’d probably have to hide in the shade because his skin was paper and he knew the sun burned from what Hitoshi had said about it. Maybe he should’ve brought an umbrella. But there’s no turning back now, not when he’s made this much progress.

 

The walk, all in all, took thirty minutes but it felt like forever for the boy. One part of him marvelling at existing outside and the other paranoid and terrified of being discovered.

 

But all that wonder and fear evaporated the second he saw him.

 

Walking out of the park in gym clothes was his purple haired friend. Sweaty and tired looking. He must’ve been working hard today because he looked awful but that didn’t matter to Izuku, none of it did. Because he was in front of him, in person, no doll in between.

 

“H-h-hitoshi.” he squeaked out, surprised by how he said it so easily.

 

His friend froze and turned immediately to see him, eyes locking fast as Brutus slipped the cloak off a little from the wind passing through the alley they were standing in.

 

His purple eyes were really as vivid as he expected, and glistened slightly from seeing him. He looked even taller than he thought and wondered what they’d look like standing next to each other. 

 

His face was frozen, between shock, awe and… sadness? Fear? Izuku wasn’t quick sure. He knew he was bad at reading people but maybe now with Hitoshi he could learn a bit. A camera can only catch so much that you can feel emotionally detached from any situation so this could be the start of something new.

 

The boy opened his mouth a little and just pushed out his name before a voice spoke out that made every part of Izuku grow panicked and afraid. And the person who the voice belonged to, didn’t seem to help and neither did the man following after him.

 

- - - 

 

Shouta and Hizashi were just stunned as they looked at Shinsou and then over to the little child cradled in the arms of a giant metal thing cloaked in black. The kid was here, right now, in person and seeing as how Shinsou was just as shocked he didn’t expect this at all.

 

The greenette looked awful. His eyes were dull and he had eyebags heavier than even Shouta’s along with a size and weight that was clearly not healthy. It was almost captivating in a way, like seeing a deer in the wild staring at you with black glossy eyes. It’s here in front of you and you feel pinned by noticing it.

 

And just like a real one, it ran. The giant spun fast and sprinted with Midoriya. Shinsou stretched out towards him, screaming his name but Hizashi grabbed him, expecting Shouta to be the one to chase and sure enough he did.

 

Just as the blond had told him, the doll was fast despite its large size and maybe even quicker than when he fought the Behemoth. The entire time the black haired man’s scarf bellowed behind him, ready to strike. 

 

It was clearly Brutus. The size and shape were exact to the man he watched nearly snap the neck of that fighter in the cage. The same thing that was controlled by Midoriya and god he seriously needed to save that kid. He’s already done something illegal and now he was going to the Theatre of all places.

 

Which is why he needed a cut. A wound. Just enough to use his quirk on and shut it down completely. He didn’t know if he needed to see all of the fluid but he knew that a look could be enough for the thing to collapse.

 

During a particularly long stretch of alley, he grabbed his capture weapon and threw a strand towards the thing, wrapping around its leg. However it didn’t stop, even with his full weight the thing just kept charging so he grabbed a pole and used it as leverage, standing on it and gaining enough pull to halt the giant.

 

Its movements stopped and both it and Midoriya looked back to see Shouta and the scarf grasping them. Once they noticed that, the giant raised its clawed hand and slashed at the tape, shredding it and allowing them to keep running. Whilst it did though, Shouta’s eyes flared red, hoping to erase Midoriya’s quirk but nothing happened.

 

‘I need to grab Midoriya and knock him out. Erasing his quirk doesn’t stop the giant.’ he realised and kept up the chase. 

 

Soon they weren’t in the alley and now were out in a busy street, people jumping out of the way of the giant pushing through and him chasing straight after, yelling at the crowds to call the police. He knew Midoriya was probably in a panicked state, anything could happen with that kid and he didn’t want his rap sheet to get even bigger.

 

Thankfully back up had arrived in the form of another hero, Death Arms, he thinks he’s called. He was at the other end of the street and Shouta yelled out at him to help and the man got in a fighting stance as the giant stopped in front of him.

 

Now it was a standoff, with the two heroes sandwiching Midoriya and the metal giant with no clear way to go without going through them. Which is why he needed to talk him down before attacking like a cornered animal.

 

“Midoriya! You don’t have to do this!” he shouted, the unmistakable sound of a squeak coming from somewhere close to the cloaked figure. “No one’s going to hurt you! Hisashi’s not going to hurt you!”

 

The kid said nothing, hiding in the machine and holding what Shouta assumed to be a phone he was controlling the doll with. He needed to get that away from him too. Izuku also looked freaked out and was clearly going through a panic attack and a part of Shouta cried at that.

 

“We’re not going to hurt you! I know it-” but he couldn’t say anything else as the giant ran towards Death Arms, ready to fight its way out of here.

 

‘Goddammit kid!’ Shouta swore in his mind as he ran forth. “Death Arms! Be careful, there’s a kid in there who’s fragile!”

 

The hero gave a nod as he winded up a punch to throw into the head of the thing, noting the kid hiding next to its chest. However he must’ve expected it to be slower because the giant dodged and swung with its free hand into the man’s chest earning a grunt and a curse from the pro.

 

- - -

 

Izuku was in a state of complete fight or flight. Every part of his body shaking and his mind screaming at him to get away from it all. He didn’t understand why the guy related to Hisashi and the pro hero he fought were with Hitoshi but he didn’t want to find out. Right now though he was trapped between two pro heroes and needed to escape.

 

He was freaking out, his heart racing and barely able to breathe as all sounds just shrunk to a blur and his vision was locked on anything that could get him out. He knew Death Arms, he was one of the heroes he was studying for Brutus so he was aware of his strength enhancing quirk.

 

He knew he could outrun him but he can’t outrun Eraserhead. So he had two options. Take out Eraserhead and risk Death Arms crushing him, or risk trying to slip past the big hero and take out the other somewhere more isolated.

 

He went with the latter, charging forward and just dodging a punch. He knew Death Arms  attacks were slower and heavier so he had a hard time redirecting his punches more. He laid a hit into the man’s chest to push the air out of his lungs and sure enough it came out in a groaning curse.

 

The giant then ran around the hero, keeping out of his reach until another length of scarf wrapped around the giant's arm and swung it around just in time to get a kick in the skull by Eraserhead.

 

Thankfully Izuku made sure the tech inside the skull was well protected so nothing in there broke but the cloak did slip off with the force and the giant was now exposed. 

 

- - -

 

Shouta watched the cloak fall off and he could finally get a look at what he was fighting and in all honesty it was chilling. All metal with jagged misshapen skin and clawed hands and feet that looked like they’d give tetanus just by touching them. The whole thing was a rusted beast with red teeth and no eyes, instead sockets with something black coming from them like tears.

 

It was beyond off putting and eerie and that’s when he noticed the metal pole on its back as well in what seemed to be a weapon it couldn’t really use right now with Izuku occupying one arm. Speaking of, the kid dangled from that one arm; Legs and limbs and dangling like he was a cat held around its chest.

 

There were a few gasps from the nearby crowds who were watching this go down with their phones out and god this was one of the reasons why he became an underground hero. People gawking instead of running, making things so much harder.

 

The kid also seemed to hate it and was weeping terrified tears as they huddled even closer to the chest of the giant, not even bothering to look anywhere but his phone anymore. Brutus had shredded his grip on the arm but that gave enough time for Death Arms to recover and deliver a hit to the back of the giant, metal crunching as the thing tripped forward, catching itself enough to not fall.

 

It felt no pain of course so it was able to spin around and deliver a rounding kick to the hero’s head and send him stumbling a bit back. It took another opportunity to run but once more Shouta grappled its leg and pulled hard enough this time to cause it to stumble and turn around. This time he was ready to watch his scarf get torn again but instead it grabbed the cloth and pulled it hard, throwing Shouta towards the giant.

 

He just barely managed to dodge a fist to his face before it swung again and grabbed his leg, batting him into Death Arms like a club, who fell over from the force of the crash. It, of course, cut the bindings again and ran this time throwing the erasure hero to the ground and rushing towards an alley, police sirens in the distance.

 

But Shouta still had one chance and though it meant stepping on Death Arms, he threw his capture weapon towards Midoriya, grabbing the boy and pulling him out of the clutches of the giant. He knew he might hurt the kid badly with this but he can’t let him escape.

 

The boy let out a cry that was heart breaking and the kid landed in his arms, holding him tightly and checking he was alright. “Kid! Calm down! You’re-”

 

His voice died in his throat as a dark shadow loomed over him, the giant above him staring with empty eyes as it swung far too fast and fear widened his eyes. He was on the floor before he knew it with a bleeding head and just consciousness long enough to watch the giant fend off Death Arms to get away, escaping into the dark alley.

Chapter 21: This is a Plan

Notes:

Hiya!

So you may be wondering why I'm uploading now instead of tomorrow? Well for this week only I'm posting on Tuesday and Thursday. I have some things to do this week and I need the Friday completely free.

So hope you enjoy this early chapter!

Have a nice day! <3

The next time Shouta woke up it was in the hospital with a bandage wrapped around his skull and a headache that was killing him. He blinked his eyes wearily as he got his bearings of the room and noticed his husband sitting at the other side of the room, quietly looking at his phone.

 

“Did they get Midoriya?” he uttered out and his husband shook a bit and rushed over to his side.

 

“Sho’!” Hizashi genuinely cried as he checked him over. 

 

He looked like he was weeping a bit and he could understand. If he ever saw Hizashi get knocked out for a while then he’d be… 

 

The thought died in his mind as he felt that his face was slightly more scruffy than before and his clothes had been changed. He wouldn’t need this if he was just knocked out. He looked to his partner who was seeming to understand what the unsaid question was and answered it.

 

“You’ve been out for a week,” he answered and the words hit like a truck.

 

He’s never been out for that long. Did he go into a coma? How hard was he punched? He definitely felt bad but… did that kid really hit him that hard? His mind was swirling as he went through what he last remembered. The fight and the discovery and the emotions. 

 

“Your head was split open, Sho’. They said a bit more force and he would’ve cracked it completely.” Hizashi explained.

 

He really did almost die. He seriously could’ve been killed and he wouldn’t have been able to stop it in the slightest. The black haired man was shivering a bit at that realisation and the blond immediately held his hand, stroking it gently.

 

“It’s alright Sho’. You’re fine honey. They managed to fix most of it but it still needs to heal.” Hizashi consoled whilst he ran the nurses call button.

 

Shouta called down a little with that. “I had him ‘Zashi. He was in my hands and…”

 

“I know,” he agreed. “There’s a video of the whole fight online.” .

 

That’s right there were people recording the whole thing. That’s arguably worse not just for the fact that two heroes fought a kid and lost but that kid was now probably being plastered on TV as a villain. Izuku might never live a normal life now.

 

Before more conversation could be had, the nurse arrived to see Shouta awake and called for his doctor to come. Things were much more busy for a bit with a bunch of tests to check to see if everything was alright cognitively, all the while there were a dozen other things he needed to be caught up on.

 

Once the medical staff made sure he was alright in the head, they said that apparently he would be visited soon by a few people. Hizashi explained that it would probably be Tsukauchi and maybe Recovery Girl.

 

He knew the healing hero from his time in UA and relaxed a bit knowing he was in good hands there. Using a lot more quirkless combat, he had more visits than most to her office for bruises and cuts needing to be healed so he could get back to training, much to her chagrin.

 

It would be a while though and there was still so much more to talk about with Hizashi. “Where’s Shinsou?” being a good one.

 

“He should be at his foster home. I’ve been trying to get through the paperwork for becoming foster parents ourselves but it's a bit hard when one of them is in a coma.” he chuckled. “We should be able to get it once you’ve done your side of the work.”

 

At least there’s that. He was scared of that kid getting left behind. Ah, that’s right. He can’t imagine what he’s going through right now with everything that’s happened in just a short amount of time.

 

“How is he?”

 

“Holding.” Hizashi said simply but implied a lot.

 

“Has he made any contact with Midoriya?” he questioned.

 

His husband kept his frown. “No. Apparently he’s been blocked.”

 

There really was no connection left between Shinsou and Midoriya now. It seems the kid burned that bridge himself and probably doesn’t trust him anymore because of them being there. He really wants to check with him and see how exactly he’s holding up.

 

The door to their room soon opened and in came a few people. Firstly there was the good Detective Tsukauchi, always in his beige overcoat, taking it off and rolling it over his arm. Next was Recovery Girl though he had to look hard to see her given the angle of the bed and her height. The same could be said for the other person, someone he didn’t want to see, least of all right now.

 

Nedzu. The white rat with the intelligence quirk trotted along with them. It wasn’t that Shouta disliked the guy, it was just that he feared him. Not in the panic kind of way but the ‘oh no what’s going to happen’ kind of way. He was his student for all of UA before he became the principal and though he wouldn’t admit it he did get some part of his sadistic side from his time being mentored by him.

 

If he was here there was only one reason, especially given how he came here on such short notice. He was interested in Midoriya.

 

Despite the maliciousness that rat can emit, he was extremely insistent on giving people second chances and helping stop, children especially, from going down the path of evil. It likely had a lot to do with his own past and from being experimented on. He managed to put aside a reasonably justified hate for humans and instead grew to help them.

 

“Good evening Aizawa, Yamada.” Tsukauchi started.

 

The two men greeted him whilst the healing hero grabbed his chart and started looking through it. “Seems you got out unscathed according to the test. Surprising given how much damage was done.”

 

“Was it really that bad?” Shouta asked and the whole room turned to him in near disbelief at how calm he was asking that, or at least looked it.

 

“Bad? A bit more force and you wouldn’t have had a head!” she chided. “Seriously, I know no one could’ve guessed how strong that boy’s monster was but you should’ve at least not dropped your guard when you got him.”

 

“I didn’t know how else to get him to stop except maybe knocking the kid out but I didn’t want to risk that.” Shouta tried to explain.

 

“I know, I know. I saw the footage. Poor boy looks like a glass sheet ready to shatter.” she said.

 

“Speaking of,” Tsukauchi interjected, “I need to ask you if you know anything more about Midoriya. I already know the situation with Hizashi and Shinsou so I wanted to know if there was anything else I missed.”

 

Shouta nodded. “I saw the giant at a fighting ring once.” 

 

At that Tsukauchi frowned a little so he made sure to clarify. “It was at an underworld hotspot. No, I won’t be telling you where it is.”

 

“Why were you there?” the detective asked, making the right choice by listening to his advice.

 

“Funnily enough I was looking for some information on Midoriya. I spotted a couple people in cloaks watching me, then I saw the big guy fight. He did something that reminded me of my fight with the Behemoth and sure enough when I asked them about Midoriya they seemed to fit the bill for being puppets.” Shouta summarised in deadpan.

 

“And you didn’t stop them?”

 

“It wasn’t Midoriya, it was his puppets. Attacking them would've done nothing. I also didn’t want to follow in case I was wrong.” he clarified quickly.

 

“How well did they fight?” Nedzu asked, finally speaking up.

 

The question was a bit odd but he wasn’t going to ask. “Wasn’t really a fight. Other guy couldn’t even make it flinch. Thought the thing was going to kill him with how much it tossed him around.”

 

Nedzu didn’t seem to like that answer. Well no one in the room really liked it. Midoriya already seemed to be on the verge of doing something he can’t take back if not he’s already done it. Arguably he might even kill accidentally with how lethal that giant was.

 

“I also learned the ‘names’ of those things.” Shouta continued. “The big one’s Brutus and the other, normal sized one was called Zoe.”

 

“It might’ve been Ana.” Hizashi suggested at which the detective nodded in agreement.

 

Shouta asked what that was and the two explained that Shinsou talked to Midoriya through a puppet called Ana and after some descriptions involving height, it was believed that the two  puppets were likely the same.

 

“Does Midoriya go to these fighting rings often?” questioned Tsukauchi.

 

“No, according to a guy I asked, it was their first time.”

 

The detective made sure to get this all down in his notepad. Asking a few more follow up questions before saying he has nothing left to ask for now. 

 

“What’s happening now?” asked Shouta, turning to Nedzu. He already could tell what that rat was probably thinking behind those beady eyes of his.

 

The detective answered instead. “Unfortunately, in terms of finding Midoriya, not a lot. That kid is really good at hiding. We’re currently looking around but haven’t found much. But that’s probably not what you want.”

 

Nedzu nodded. “Yes. Unfortunately, due to this being more public than your attack, Aizawa, the HPSC has decided to designate the young Midoriya as being a threat that needs to be arrested.”

 

“So he’s a villain now?” he asked, voice shaky.

 

“Not for the moment. I’ve pushed them back on that word but the court of public opinion is harder to manage.” the small principal said.

 

Tsukauchi spoke. “We’ve had a conference to explain a bit of the context of the fight but that’s just led to people either being angry or confused at how a kid has managed to evade the police and heroes.”

 

Shouta didn’t say anything else. He just felt numb. Not just him but Hizashi too. They both felt like they failed on a lot of fronts. Between the blond losing Midoriya a year ago and him being beaten to near death they can’t both help but blame this on themselves.

 

Not only was he right there but he was arguably weaker due to having to have his metal protector keep him away. All he needed was a hole in that armor, some exposed fluid and maybe the whole thing would’ve collapsed and Midoriya would be safe and not causing trouble.

 

Now the kid probably had no trust in anyone and was going to be even more isolated.

 

The room was quiet all around. There was not a lot anyone could say in such a difficult situation. All of it hinged on finding Midoriya but no one had any idea how to accomplish that. It wasn’t as if the kid was going to get any worse at hiding. No things just felt stuck. That is, everyone except for Shuzenji and Nedzu. 

 

“Well are you just going to mope around? You need to get a headstart on your rest so you can get back out there and find him.” she chastised.

 

She continued. “That kid needs a home. A real one. And the only way he’s going to get it is if there’s someone to stop him. And the only one who can do that is you.”

 

The rat agreed. “Your quirk, from what we’ve found, is probably the only thing that can reliably shut down those puppets Aizawa. It’d make sense that you’re the only choice to go after him.”

 

“Of course you won’t be alone. I’ll try and push back the HPSC’s decision on what Midoriya is for a while and start dusting off some laws about rehabilitation just in case. I’ll even keep checking to see if I can trace him over the internet, seeing how he accessed the police database.”

 

As the two laid out what their next steps should be, Hizashi next to him began to smile. “It seems we may be getting more than one kid,” he whispered.

 

“You think we’re adopting him?” Shouta said back.

 

“Maybe,” he said, looking at his husband. “As long as you’re alright with it?”

 

Shouta just sighed. You know, at this point he might as well. Midoriya needed help and they’re right, he is going to go after him so he might as well give the kid a good home too. He brought home Dot before from off the street so how hard could it be for a kid?

 

“I’ve already gotten one. What does two matter?” he said but despite his lack of enthusiasm, Hizashi could tell he wasn’t really upset at the prospect.

 

They’ll give not just Shinsou but Midoriya a place in their home. Whether it will work or not, doesn’t matter. Shouta now had a goal and maybe it was hastily made in retrospect but one day he might look back on this moment and not feel an ounce of regret.

 

Yes. This was a plan he could get behind.

 

- - -

Hitoshi looked at his phone where he had sent at least half a dozen texts to Izuku just wanting a response but there’s been nothing. Just the constant note that he was blocked and that it was unlikely he was even reading his messages. That didn’t stop him from having tried every day for the last week.

 

Right now he was at his foster home, lying in bed late at night reading the news and anything related to Izuku. He got the update yesterday that Aizawa had woken up from his coma and Hitoshi was so grateful for it. He felt awful when he heard what happened from Hizashi when asked and couldn’t help feeling like he could’ve done more.

 

Not in protecting Aizawa but in helping Izuku. 

 

He knew there was something strange going on with him. He knew he lived alone, rarely ate and a whole other red flags he could’ve, should’ve looked into. But he didn’t and the reason was clear. He was scared of losing the only friend he had.

 

He never wanted to push into learning more about his friend who clearly didn’t want to be known further than his first name and voice. Especially after learning more and more about him passively, he knew if he pried there was a good chance he would leave and Hitoshi would be all alone.

 

Left in a foster home that had parents who didn’t love and back to school where none of the students liked him, cared about him and even hurt him. He didn’t want that. And now he’s paying for it. 

 

He didn’t know who Izuku was truly, or why he ran the second he saw the pro heroes but he knew from his perspective, he betrayed him. Even though Hitoshi didn’t do anything wrong by just being around Hizashi and Aizawa, he knew that from him asking about Sunday at two and trying to meet him in person…

 

He’d think it was a set up too.

 

And it seemed he couldn't convince him to trust him again, no matter what he sent. No matter how hard he tried to explain how it was all a misunderstanding. Hizashi was also asking him for his phone because they could maybe trace Izuku’s number but he was afraid of not getting it back and losing any chance of speaking to him again. 

 

YamadaHizashi: Hey Shinsou! Just checking in

to know how you’re doing.

 

YamadaHizashi: Sho’ has been doing better and

says hi btw

 

YamadaHizashi: Shinsou?

 

ShinsouHitoshi: I’m fine. Thank you.

 

YamadaHizashi: Great! Just wanted to let you know

as well we’re almost through the paperwork for 

foster care. 

 

YamadaHizashi: That is if you still want it?

 

That’s right. He still had that to unpack. The fact that two pro heroes want to take him in. The fact that anyone wants him at all was a lot. If he wasn’t already emotionally drained he might’ve smiled a little.

 

Of course he still wants it. Even though he’s only known Hizashi for a month and Aizawa for a day he felt happier with them than any adult he's been cared by. The thing was, he was still unsure whether or not they were really going to like him once they’d been around him long enough.

 

He’s never had a long term friendship with anyone but Izuku and look how that ended up. How was he so sure he wasn’t going to screw this up and hurt these two who wanted to foster him. It felt like something he didn’t deserve and he hadn’t earned the right to just go off and have a happy life whilst his friend was probably scared and confused.

 

It felt wrong and evil.

 

‘But what would Izuku think?’ a small voice in his head whispered.

 

He’d probably tell him to go. Aizawa and Hizashi seemed to be good people and Izuku knew how much he wanted foster parents who cared for him. He knew Izuku cared for him, between the tutoring, the outings they’ve gone on, all that food he bought and even sometimes clothes. 

 

And of course there’s the teachers, he didn’t need to do that. Didn’t need to risk being exposed (even though that isn’t a bad thing) which he knew was the last thing he wanted. He did all of that for Hitoshi and maybe he wouldn’t now but he knew that if Izuku just understood that this was a misunderstanding, he’d probably tell him to do it.

 

ShinsouHitoshi: yeah. If it’s not a problem

 

YamadaHizashi: Shinsou, it is not a problem

at all. We’d be happy to have you.

 

YamadaHizashi: Me and Sho’ are still doing

the paperwork but hopefully it should be done

soon. Let you know more when it happens!

 

It seemed that was that. He was going to live with the Yamadas. The Aizawas? He knew the two were married but they didn’t seem to take the other's last name. Maybe it’s to do with hero work or they’re attached to those names or something.

 

Anyway, now he can focus on everything else. He still had summer and he didn’t want to stop training. Not because he wanted a distraction, or maybe he did, but mostly because if he wanted to help izuku he needed to be strong. He knew they’d probably not let him help but that wasn’t going to stop him.

 

This was something good. This was a plan he could do.

 

- - -

 

New Child Villain defeats Two Heroes! Escapes leaving the Heroes Competence in Question.

 

Last Sunday afternoon, a fight had broken out between the pro hero Death Arms and another underground hero who will not be identified and referred to as Hero A. The fight occurred in the middle of the street between block five and four in Musutafu where multiple bystanders recorded the heroes attacking a ‘metal man’ carrying a small child.

 

According to a police conference released the following Tuesday, the child involved had a puppeteering quirk that was controlling the ‘metal man’. He was also revealed during that conference to be one Midoriya Izuku, aged seven. According to police chief Tsuragamae the child had been declared missing over a year ago after an incident involving a hotel fire.

 

Sure enough, our research had found that a burning of a hotel over a year ago was indeed related to the child, with the death of his mother, Midoriya Inko, with his father, Midoriya Hisashi, believed to be a prime suspect. 

 

From what our sources claim, no arrests were made as they failed to locate Midoriya Hisashi and there are even speculations that he has relations with the Dragon’s Roar, a large criminal gang that is based all over Tokyo. This has led to some speculation of the younger Midoriya being affiliated with the Roar but was disproven in the same conference by Tsuragamae when it was explained that the seven year old was believed to be acting alone.

 

When questioned on the reasons for the chase and not simply attempting to talk to the child, it was responded with the revelation that MIdoriya Izuku, using his quirk, is a prime suspect in the Fright Night incident over a month ago where several teachers from Aldera Elementary were stalked and traumatised by an unidentified monster.

 

In the end this Behemoth wasn’t caught but there have been reports of an altercation between the monster and a pro hero before their disappearance. 

 

This has led to many outcries over why the heroes have not captured Midoriya yet with many saying the dangers of the child controlling such a dangerous creature. Not just that but during the altercation on Sunday, the child had not only defeated, through their quirk, not just the pro hero Death Arms but almost killed Hero A after they had pulled Midoriya from the ‘metal man’ before being crushed by it.

 

 Reportedly Hero A was put into critical condition by Midoriya and had fallen into a coma that he has yet to awaken from.

 

Ultimately, there have been outcries over this child villain and how the heroes, despite it having been a year since his disappearance, had failed to locate and capture Midoriya before he became a threat with many quirk analysts noting the dangerous power of his quirk should it be used for more evil.

 

- - -

 

Izuku had barely moved in the last week. Only getting up on occasion to go to the bathroom, drink and eat scarcely. He was holding onto the small plush Hitoshi won at the arcade of a yellow dog and barely did anything but stare at the wall and occasionally look at his phone to see Hitoshi trying to talk to him.

 

He also knew that Ana was fired from her job because of him not ordering her to go in but it’s not as if he needed money right now. He didn’t know what he wanted right now. He’s already wept his heart out over all of it. 

 

Not only was Hitoshi with the man who chased him a year ago but he was also with Eraserhead. If that wasn’t him plotting behind his back then what was it?. What else could it be? He asked him over that day when those two would be around.

 

Not only that but he was attacked too. By both of those pro heroes. When he lost his grip on Brutus he panicked and before he knew it the hero was bleeding on the floor and there were screams all around. Now they were calling him a villain and honestly, now they weren’t wrong. He’s definitely going to go to jail if he gets caught and he doesn't know what to do.

 

Not only did he have to worry about Hisashi but now the pro heroes too and the stress was starting to freak him out. 

 

“What am I going to do?” he whispered, not meant for anyone but maybe Ana who was standing next to the bed. Brutus was at the door, blocking it in case someone broke in.

 

There really was nothing. He felt lonelier than ever and the walls felt like they were crashing in. He just wanted to hide further and further but every time he did he kept feeling lonelier and lonelier.

 

“It’s only a m-matter of time. Now H-hisashi knows I’m a-alive and…”

 

He stared at his phone and thought about many things. How the root of his problems was that he was always afraid and always hiding. It made him tired, alone and from the looks of things, evil. He hated it.

 

So maybe. He should just stop. Turn himself in and put an end to this. Finally just stop and let the world take him. But the fears were too strong. He almost killed a pro hero and it was disturbingly exhilarating. It disgusted Izuku a lot and it made him scared of what he was becoming.  

 

Maybe he is a villain, just like Hisashi. Maybe he could only be truly happy as one. He knows that he’s being hypocritical with all he’s done for Hitoshi but this isn’t about quirks it's about actions. 

 

“Actions.”

 

Actions. Action. To do something. But has he really done anything that wasn’t done in panic or defense. Maybe that was his problem. The whole time Izuku has been hiding away from Hisashi, that maybe. He beat pro heroes not once but twice. Not one but two and is still here to tell the tale outside of bars.

 

He thought ages ago when he first started that maybe one day he could be strong enough to fight Hisashi and bring him to justice himself. Maybe now was the time. To take the fight to him before he took it from him. Beat him down before he could find him and stop him once and for all.

 

Kill him and-

 

“No!” Izuku said aloud, surprising himself.

 

He wasn’t going to kill Hisashi. He was sure. Killing was a line he knew he was dancing with but he didn’t want to cross it and become just like him. He wasn’t that monster.

 

But maybe he could be one anyway. He already had experience stalking. He had experience fighting. Maybe he could become a monster that could hunt down him and stop him finally. For himself and Mama.

 

Izuku looked up at his computer. He remembered that guy, Giran, was an information broker. Maybe if he paid him enough, he could find Hisashi. He stepped up and settled next to his computer and with that both Ana and Brutus spurred to action, grabbing a pair of cloaks and heading out.

 

Maybe he could learn a lot and do something crazy and be brave not because he believed in someone else but because he believed in himself.

 

Yes. This was a plan he could get behind.

Chapter 22: The Doll and the Giant

Notes:

Hiya everyone!

Here's the next chapter as I had said. The next one will be on the Sunday. I have an exam tomorrow so wish me luck!

Have a nice day! <3

The streets were dead quiet around the old factory. It was the middle of the night and it rested in the lonelier parts of town so of course there wasn’t a sound. Despite that though the people inside the rotting building didn’t allow their workers out for smoke breaks or even some fresh air.

 

This was an expensive operation where Trigger was being produced by the batch load and though the Dragon’s Roar typically didn’t care who found their operations, this one had a lot of money behind it. Which is maybe why there were so many criminals watching the streets and patrolling the place either by foot or camera. 

 

One of those guys, Saisutsu, was currently in the furthest room in the building in what was the foreman’s office but was now his. He was here late to look through if the production quota was met and logged that information away to be sent back to the heads. 

 

He wanted to be up there some day, become one of those mysterious Dragon Heads and not have to lift a finger whilst an army of goons did all the work for him. Well, he was still doing that now but at least up there he’d get a high rise building and not some crummy factory.

 

Honestly though, he has been on edge recently. Typically heroes would knock out about two operations of the Dragon’s Roar in a fortnight but this week alone there’s been two and it’s making the whole gang antsy.

 

Communication has always been loose with the Dragons so there wasn’t much that can be said about why these raids are happening more often this week. Maybe there’s a snitch feeding the heroes information and will probably get sniffed out sooner or later. After all, the Dragon’s Roar was structured in a way that made it harder for rats to exist without being caught.

 

Hell, he didn’t, and probably many other operations, know their places were being raided until it made the news. That’s how little communication there was between the higher ups and the grunts.

 

Saisutsu in particular fell on either side. Whilst he was sure he was ‘higher up’ because he’s had more talks with the real heads over letters, emails, phone calls, whatever was the communication method that week, he was still out there in the thick of it. Naturally, he knew he was a bigger target as any information on those mysterious heads was better than none.

 

So yeah, patrols doubled and that’s meant pay’s doubled too to the large, balding man’s hate. He knew good, loyal men had deeper pockets and he wasn’t about to risk being forced to fight heroes alone just because he got stingy.

 

Anyway, besides all of that there was one more thing he needed to do, and another reason for all of the security. There was a client coming who wanted to take a huge batch of Trigger and they only wanted to visit at night. Made sense, most business dealings were done at night.

 

What didn’t was the fact they were apparently coming alone. Typically they’d have an entourage for these kinds of deals. This wasn’t a representative either, it was the same guy who made the call.

 

He took a look at a monitor to the side of the room showing footage of the place. He should be expecting them to arrive soon so he straightened his suit, practiced his sleaziest smile and made sure the horn coming out of his face like a rhino’s was polished.

 

Right on the dot, a cloaked figure walked across the street from the factory and stepped inside the gates after they were unlocked by a guard. Saisutsu couldn’t see who they were because of the cloak but it seemed they were thin and average sized. A part of him didn’t like that, he preferred to know who he was looking at before the meeting started.

 

He monitored the cameras and watched the figure carefully as they met with a guard who radioed to him that ‘she’s here’. That was a bit odd. He could’ve sworn the buyer was a man but if they gave the right signal then maybe he misheard the buyer.

 

The woman was escorted through the factory and straight to his office where she sat down on the chair across from him that the guard pulled out. Needed to keep things cordial when there could be hundreds of thousands of yen on the line here.

 

“Hello,” greeted Saisutsu in his deep, heavy voice, “it is a pleasure to meet you. The name is Saisutsu. And what might be yours?”

 

The cloaked figure was silent for a moment and he was irked a little. Not by the silence but the fact she was still cloaked. He really didn’t like doing business with someone he couldn’t see.

 

“Zoe.” the figure whispered.

 

The voice was quiet and nearly digital. It was probably a voice changer he guessed and it wasn’t the first time a client came with one. Those were usually the ones he hated the most.

 

“Well, Zoe, do you want me to take your cloak? It must be stuffy under there.” he suggested.

 

The figure just shook their head and that was even worse than if they just said no. But he can keep his cool for a little bit. 

 

“Well, let’s get to business then.” the large man uttered. “I know you are here for our latest batch of Trigger. Am I right in remembering you said you wanted all of it?”

 

“Yes.” she responded succinctly.

 

“Wonderful!” he clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Now typically our batches come up to about five hundred vials, is that enough for what you need it for?” 

 

“Is five hundred your usual batch, or can you make more?” the figure uttered.

 

Saisutsu let loose a wider smile. “Of course! And of course for that our rates are higher. How many did you have in mind?”

 

“One thousand. Are these really Dragon’s Roar quality?” she asked without missing a beat.

 

“We can certainly push ourselves to do one thousand.” Saisutsu stated. “As for the quality, I can assure you, every vial guarantees at least twenty five to thirty minutes of pure power in your veins.”

 

“Can I confirm this?” Zoe questioned.

 

“You should know you don’t sample Trigger.”

 

The woman seemed to go quiet at that but seemed to accept it. After a conversation about the price and some negotiations over how the stuff would be transported, he decided to find out more about his customer. He knows he shouldn't pry but it’s important to know who you’re talking with.

 

“Are you planning to resell this Trigger yourself?” he asked.

 

Zoe seemed to still. “No. It’s planned to be used in an operation.”

 

“What kind?”

 

“Infiltration.” she simply said.

 

“Awful lot of drugs for an infiltration. Where are you attacking? Tartarus?” he said jokingly.

 

But when the woman went silent he felt he might’ve hit right on the nail. He couldn’t tell though, cloak and all but he definitely felt he hit something. Before he could say more though, the power went out.

 

“What?!” Saisutsu said as he stood up. Zoe did the same.

 

“What happened?” she asked.

 

“Might’ve been a power outage.” and he took out his radio.

 

He called over the comms and it seemed everyone was alright though there was one voice that came through he didn’t recognise. And if Saisutsu is anything, he gets paranoid when it comes to things he doesn’t know.

 

“Who is that on line three?” he ordered.

 

The guy didn’t say anything and all alarms were run at the factory. The intercom was down so he settled with the radio, commanding all of his men to move towards the main factory floor that he can see through the office’s window. He watched as all of his men gathered there barring some whilst Zoe asked if there was something wrong.

 

“Some heroes might be lurking around here.” he grumbled. “We’ll be fine up here.”

 

Eventually the emergency power kicked in and the lights were on in a dim orange glow. The men all huddled together as the factory was now dead silent besides the hum of machines. Then came the sound of something distant, crushing, footsteps. 

 

Heavy footsteps that seemed to be omnipresent and no source other than everywhere, somewhere in the dark. A few of the three dozen men started to sweat at that, as though they weren’t sure where the footsteps were coming from, they were getting close. Thundering, now mechanical sounding steps growing louder.

 

All of them were armed with either knives, fists or quirks as they kept together as the sound of walking got heavier and louder until it felt like they were right next to them. The echoing of the large factory didn’t help but suddenly those steps stopped.

 

“Where are they?” one guy whispered.

 

It was the only sound now before a loud crack in the ground as the basement opened up beneath them to a giant hulking metal man pulled itself from under. At least a couple of people had fallen in, lost underground as the rest spun around to fight.

 

The metal man had hollowed eye sockets with black pouring like tears like they were crying. A few of the men stumbled back at the mangled metal giant and watched as it took out a long metal pole and swung it wide, hitting at least five different people in the face with a loud crack and sending them hurtling away.

 

Several of the thugs charged, stabbing into the thing, expecting the metal to pierce but it didn’t. One guy tried to jump back but his head was grabbed by the metal thing and he was swung like a weapon against anyone else who didn’t get out of its range.

 

A loud clash of metal rang out as a man with barbs for hair slashed at the big guy before, with frightening speeds, he was hurled into a wall and crashed into a few boxes of ingredients. Another reached out to place their fingers on the back of the giant but was kicked painfully without it even looking and he crashed into another thug.

 

About a third of the guards were down and not getting back up as the rest circled the giant. One man, with light green hair, called out to everyone to get back and breathed out a toxic green gas that overwhelmed the giant.

 

“How’s that?!” he screamed before through the smoke a fist slammed him to the ground with broken teeth.

 

A whip made of lightning latched onto that fist and soon translucent hands latched onto its other, dropping the metal pole. The thugs shouted to attack but in an audible click, gas started to spill out of the things eyes and mouth, filling the area with this dark green mist.

 

As some who ran too close breathed it in, they suddenly felt gigglish and calm as their adrenaline nose dived before they could reach the giant. That gave it enough time to grab the lighting whip and pull its user over to be grabbed by the neck and used to bash off the hand’s restricting its other arm.

 

They were then thrown to the user with that hand quirk and the rest kept fighting as this giant just kept taking down man after man with seemingly no effort.

 

“Fucking heroes!” Saisutsu swore. “Don’t recognise him so he must be underground.”

 

He’d been watching the entire fight and expecting to see more heroes but didn’t. As for Zoe, he assumed she was watching with him but when he turned around, he saw her messing with his desk and cabinets.

 

“What the hell are you… You're with them!” he reasoned as he charged towards the woman.

 

His horn was aimed towards her chest and seemed to pierce through it but before Saisutsu could celebrate, he realized it was a lure and was now blinded by her cloak. His hand reached up to rip the thing off only to find Zoe gone from where he saw her.

 

“Where did you-”

 

A zap of electricity flowed through him causing him to grit his teeth before he was forced to the ground, twitching at the shock. He was still conscious though, and looked up to see a disfigured woman who looked more like a puppet than a person. 

 

She had one eye that didn’t move or blink, the other one hollowed like the giant’s with more black paint drawn on it in the shape of tears. They had a long cattle prod that sparked in their hands and smoked a little from the flesh that it just seared. 

 

The creature delivered a kick to Saisutsu’s face and collected her cloak, ignoring the hole in it for now and continued to rummage through the cabinets. Meanwhile the metal giant was almost through with the thugs, having just used one as a shield against someone with an ice quirk.

 

‘I can’t let this happen…’ thought Saisutsu. ‘I’ve worked too hard to be taken out now, I’ll have to…’

 

- - -

 

Ana was thumbing through the documents, Izuku taking screenshots of every one to be looked at later. All the while he controlled Brutus who only had a few people left to dispatch. He needed to hurry up soon, the fighting had been loud and although it was a relatively deserted area someone had started to call the police. He stopped them by redirecting their call to somewhere else but it’s only a matter of time.

 

The doll was almost through the documents and the giant was almost through the people, even that guy with the horn mutation who he was warned about. It’s why he made sure to not be conservative with the cattle prod, he didn’t know what his quirk fully was and he wasn’t going to gamble on it.

 

But before Ana could get through the last documents, suddenly she was lifted by her leg and thrown through the window towards Brutus who managed to catch her before she crashed to the ground. Back at the office, a hulking figure pulled itself from the shattered glass. With a grey hide and a much larger horn, his suit was shredded to reveal a man much larger than before.

 

‘He must’ve used Trigger.’ Izuku reasoned, seeing the small needle in the hulking man’s hand.

 

“I will destroy you punks!” the man roared as he leapt down and charged towards the two dolls, concrete cracking with each thunderous step.

 

Ana ran, looking to hide, she isn’t built for fighting at least not directly. Brutus on the other hand…

 

Izuku recalled a hero, Greatquake, and ordered Brutus to get into a stance not unlike a sumo wrestler and prepared to meet the rhino. The man was on all fours, roaring and growling as the two giants clashed into each other.

 

The sound of creaking metal was heard as Brutus was shoved back a few feet, still holding onto the shoulders of the man to stop him. The rhino let out another roar and swung his horn into the giant's head but was stopped last second by Ana kicking the side of his face and hopping onto his back.

 

She stabbed the cattle prod into the beast, this time where his spine would be in the hopes of paralyzing him. They lurched and cried before bucking wildly, sending Ana off and crashing into a couple boxes.

 

He’d also broken free from Brutus and drove the horn into the giant’s chest, sending him hurling back a few feet as well. A hole was now present on the front of his body, exposing some muscle in the form of spinal liquid twisted like moss to hold the doll together.

 

‘Brutus isn’t strong enough to stop him on his own but Ana’s cattle prod isn’t powerful enough to stop him quickly.’ Izuku thought as he started looking online for anything on rhinos and weaknesses. Unfortunately it’s either brute strength or a killing blow but there was a mention about the underbelly.

 

‘It’d make sense, he’s moving on all fours instead of running. He’s preserving his weaker underside.’ the boy reasoned.

 

Saisutsu was still reeling from the shock, which gave Izuku enough time to order both Brutus and Ana to take out their recovery drinks. The spinal fluid couldn’t regenerate once it’s inside the doll and can only be redone if Izuku reinjected them at least, not unless he did something interesting.

 

Both of the dolls took out a plastic bottle filled with Izuku’s spinal fluid and poured it into their empty eye sockets, absorbing the liquid into their bodies and replenishing what was lost from the crashes.

 

‘Now, how do I get Ana to shock his underside?’ the boy thought as he looked around the room with Ana whilst Brutus kept his eye on the rhino who was recovering.

 

‘There.’ and she ran.

 

Saisutsu turned to the doll as she ran in his direction and he was about to chase her down but Brutus got to him first, ramming into the beast and knocking it down but not enough to topple him over. 

 

Concrete crunched as the rhino held his ground and with one hand, grabbed the giant and lifted him up to skewer him on his horn. Brutus reacted fast though and slammed down with both hands onto his head, earning an explosive yell before a sudden gas released by the giant’s eyes left the rhino blurry eyed and teary.

 

“Agrh!” Saisutsu yelled. “I’ll rip you apart for that!” 

 

He dropped the giant who immediately ran behind the rhino and slammed into the back of his knee, dropping him slightly as he gained more distance. The hulking man, tearing up a bit from the gas and having a hard time seeing, spins around to see a blurry image of the giant.

 

The rhino slammed the ground with his fists and roared as he charged towards the blurry giant, with more force than he ever showed and almost shaking the building with every step. The police were definitely on their way now and heroes too. Thankfully, the battle is almost over.

 

Brutus got into the sumo stance again and took the force head on, metal creaking heavily but he didn’t get pushed back, for this he needed to tank him fully. The hands definitely needed a touch up again but that was for later as just like before, the rhino was held by the shoulders who was on all fours as he tried to push forward to no avail.

 

“I’ll rip you both apart! I’ll tear you to pieces!” he yelled in the giant’s face and Izuku would be scared if he didn’t see what Ana was doing.

 

“You’ll be de-”

 

A powerful shock ran through his body’s underside, electricity pouring through as Ana, in the hole that Brutus made during his entrance, poked her prod through to stop him from below. The rhino was bigger than Brutus, so he wouldn’t fall into the hole provided he lure him right and because of the tear gas in his face, watering his eyes, he didn’t notice it either.

 

The man seized as lightning flowed through him, fighting the urge to fall unconscious but because of the shock, Brutus had enough room to let go of Saisutsu and deliver a final powerful slam to the rhino’s face, cracking the horn and knocking the man out entirely.

 

He collapsed, just as distant sirens ran out forcing the two to leave early. Brutus hopped down the hole after Ana and the two rushed through the basement, out a door and into the darkness of night.

 

Izuku watched through cameras whilst the police surrounded the building and rushed in, some underground heroes hopping in through the roof to see the mess he caused as he made sure that none of them saw the dolls leave. Once the coast was clear, they made it back home and rested whilst the boy poured over the documents.

 

It had been several months since Izuku declared war on the Dragon’s Roar. Of course they didn’t know that at first but definitely now they were aware someone was targeting them. He’s knocked out three of their operations in one week, far faster than the heroes but that tends to happen when you don’t care about red tape.

 

Before now though, he mostly looked to build up money either through fighting rings with Brutus or stealing stuff with Ana. Not stuff as in robbing banks but mostly getting documents and data from companies he was commissioned to target. 

 

He needed the money to improve his stuff, getting a better computer, better cybersecurity and of course improving Ana and Brutus. 

 

A lot of Brutus’ stuff was between getting him better and scarier armour and that gas emitter in his skull. So far, Izuku’s jumped between using nitrous oxide and tear gas to attack with to make big group fights like that easier. The armor though was mostly just having an actual blow torch to weld instead of a hammer. 

 

Ana was a lot more simpler. Besides getting a more flexible mannequin for her body to make her more life-like, the cattle prod was also a thing he realized he needed after a job stealing information led to him beating a man with a fire extinguisher. The voice box was also good at getting her into places, just like tonight.

 

Of course, all these upgrades were done by each other and not by Izuku. He’s gotten weaker, especially with the fluid recovery drinks he’s made. That and the fact his appetite was non-existent to the point he’s had to set a reminder for him to eat or he’ll die.

 

Maybe he was becoming self-destructive, maybe he just doesn’t like to eat. Who can say? A therapist? No. Nonsense, Izuku doesn’t need one when beating people up was more therapeutic than anything.

 

But that was at the back of his mind right now. Because for the moment, he had something else to deal with; that being these documents and the fact that he didn’t get all of them.

 

Indeed the Dragon’s communication network was confusing, on purpose of course, with different methods of talking and even different ways of delivering those messages. Thankfully, this guy, Saisutsu, kept good notes so he was piggybacking off of them but only to a point when he realized something in one image.

 

There was a file that was only partially captured that mentioned something about a meetup with a head. Why was it partially captured? Because of the next picture that showed Ana being tossed through a window.

 

‘I need to get that document. The police will have collected it by now but it’s only a matter of time before someone ‘loses’ it.’

 

It wasn’t that the police themselves would destroy the documents but Izuku could tell that the Dragon’s Roar didn’t get this far without someone in the police force to cover their tracks. Not unlike Izuku unless you count the fights where he’s been leaving hints of his presence. He wanted Hisashi to know he’s coming.

 

However this of course had an annoying effect. Izuku looked at the cameras of the factory again and saw that countless guys were being led out, the rhino having to be moved in a metal vest and a stretcher. There were also a few news vans outside, probably due to the loud roaring, who were reporting on the scene.

 

None of that bothered him. What did though was the man who just dropped in, hiding away from the media. Eraserhead.

 

For some reason the man showed up to every site he was on. Sure he was on his case but so were other heroes but he would always be there and the fastest too. Izuku didn’t like it. He probably wanted to get his revenge on him for almost killing him. That’s the only logical reasoning behind that.

 

Not to mention he found out in some records that they had tested his erasure quirk on that water bottle he left in the hotel and sure enough as Izuku theorised, it caused the liquid to fail.

 

‘He must really want to get back at me.’ the boy thought.

 

An assumption he would come to be wrong about.

Chapter 23: Just One

Notes:

Hiya everyone!

Hope today is a good one for you! Here's another chapter!

Btw thank you for all of the amazing comments! They really help make me write more seeing how much people enjoy my work.

Have a nice day! <3

Shouta was currently rushing over rooftops towards the more dead side of Musutafu. He had gotten a call from Tsukauchi that there had been another raid done by Midoriya. A cloak that looked like it belonged to the giant doll, Brutus, was discovered on site. 

 

He hopped down into the street, where there was a massive arrest of villains probably from in the factory and quickly rushed past the perimeter of the scene to avoid the press. He wasn’t camera shy but rather being an underground hero meant he was naturally someone who didn’t do well in the spotlight, either for personal or professional reasons.

 

Once inside, the factory within was smashed up. Broken crates, machinery and even what appeared to be a hole in the floor that led to the basement. The lights were off too but they flickered on as he stepped in. He quickly noticed the detective he was searching for in an office overlooking the factory floor.

 

“Detective.” he greeted, hopping in through the shattered window.

 

“Eraserhead.” he greeted back.

 

Shouta noticed that he was looking through some recordings on a monitor of what seemed to be some kind of fight. “Is that why you called?”

 

“No, I’ve just been looking through this footage now. Thankfully the cameras ran on the backup generator.” he explained.

 

“The power was cut?” Shouta questioned.

 

“Yeah. As you can see we just got it back on.” he said, motioning to the lights. “As for this footage, it’s clearly Midoriya’s puppets at work.”

 

He watched the footage too of what seemed to be both the big puppet, Brutus he recalled, beating up villain after villain without rest, seeming to release gas as well to disorientate them. Meanwhile an office camera for this room showed the other doll, Ana, going through documents right behind the head villain’s back.

 

He then proceeded to watch as the main guy used Trigger to boost his strength and fight the two puppets. Them fighting back with impressive tactical thinking, playing to their strong suits as well. It was impressive, if he didn’t get a bit shaky at the end watching the final punch by the giant into the man’s nose.

 

“Is he-”

 

“Yes.” said Tsukauchi. “He’s fine. A concussion definitely but thankfully Midoriya held back enough.”

 

Shouta then proceeded to watch the puppets both leave through the hole they made seconds before a pro hero came in through the roof. Then heading out an emergency exit and vanishing beyond the camera’s views into the night.

 

“We tried following on any other cameras but they all went down once they got outside.” Tsukauchi stated. “We’ve also learned that someone tried calling us earlier on one one nine but the call was interrupted.”

 

The pro hero nodded as he thought through how this has been the third attack on a Dragon’s Roar operation this week. 

 

After Midoriya was exposed to the world, he hid and went silent for months. Even at the Darkest Theatre he didn’t show or at least if he did, he made sure to avoid him. Shouta had tried to, with Nedzu’s help, track the phone number he used to talk with Hitoshi but nothing came of it, the number reaching a dead end.

 

However, he has heard whispers of Midoriya. The Brutus puppet isn’t subtle and given how he was captured on film, anyone who’d see the giant would know that that beast was actually being puppeted by a child. So he knew the kid was still around, at least in Tokyo. He also knew he did infiltration and stealing from part of his findings.

 

None of this however ever led to Shouta even seeing neither hide nor hair of Midoriya, or his puppets. That didn’t mean he was going to stop. He needed to do this. For Hizashi who’s been eager to get that ‘green bean’ home safe and for Shi- Hitoshi, who wants to see his friend safe and happy.

 

But he won’t lie and say he isn’t frustrated, at least until this week when these attacks came in. It was clear the kid was leaving hints it was him, probably for the Dragon’s or rather his father. That was something that scared Shouta. The kid was clearly going on a revenge hunt and people who do that normally don’t come back happy. Not to mention the fear that he might get hurt or worse, killed.

 

Hopefully with his revenge tour he’ll get sloppy and Nedzu will finally be able to track him down through his camera, the ones in the puppets he means. Their plan was simple. Apprehend a puppet, take out its wireless camera and use it to trace back to Midoriya before the kid can cover his tracks.

 

Now taking down those puppets was a different story. He definitely couldn’t fight the giant on his own without getting creative so his best option was the smaller one. As long as he could get that one alone, he’d be able to beat them. 

 

It’s why he’s been going to these scenes. Both the giant and the doll were fighting and if Shouta could just join them in the middle of a fight, the giant might be distracted enough to give him a chance to snatch the other away.

 

But it seemed tonight was a bust. They got away before he could get there but at the very least he should check to see what they took. “Do you know what they were looking for in the documents?”

 

“Besides obviously Hisashi? More operations. But we couldn’t find much as usual after raiding a Dragon’s operation.” Tsukauchi explained, then paused as he went to the desk. “Except for this.”

 

What he showed him was a simple message in an envelope marked as being received last night. An invitation to a meeting that mentions a lot about the higher ups. The address was clear and so was the timing. 

 

“It seemed Saisutsu, the man who this was for, didn’t burn it in time.” the detective assumed.

 

“Did Midoriya see this?” Shouta questioned, looking over the document.

 

“Part of it. On camera the puppet reading the documents was thrown out before they could fully see it. Midoriya might have enough though.” he theorised.

 

The pro hero set down the envelope and made a mental note of the meetup date. It was soon and given how it mentioned needing to be burned, after reading the very bottom, Shouta was sure they wouldn’t know they were coming. 

 

It also meant there was a chance, no, he was going to be there. The question was did Midoriya have that information yet.

 

Shouta looked through the footage again, going to the part where the puppet looked at the documents. The screen was grainy but he could see that most of the document was covered by another but it showed clearly what it was for. Everything except the date and place, which were at the bottom of the document.

 

“We could use this.” uttered the pro hero.

 

“How?” asked Tsukauchi.

 

“Midoriya didn’t get the important parts of the document. If I spread the word underground that I’m willing to trade it, the kid will bite.” he planned.

 

The detective’s eyebrows furrowed at that. “Are you saying you want to leak documents confiscated by the police to the underground?”

 

“Not leak. Just spread the word that I have something that Midoriya wants.” he clarified. “The kid is smart enough to know exactly what it is if he notices the document.”

 

Tsukauchi seemed to think that through before seeming to accept it. “As long as nothing actually gets out, that’s fine. We need to keep this top secret. I know there’s going to be a leak if we hold this information carelessly.”

 

“I’ll take it home then.” the pro hero decided, taking the envelope and tucking it away in his scarf. The detective agreed. It was safer in the hands of a pro than in the police station. Whenever they’ve gotten intel like this in the past it’s always ended up ‘misplaced’ and ‘missing’. The two went their separate ways and Shouta went on to continue his patrol and Tsukauchi to finish the factory.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was up late again in the living room. Watching TV whilst absent-mindedly petting Dot on his lap. He was nervous about tomorrow and what it would bring. Actually it was already tomorrow but that isn’t what mattered, what did was he couldn't sleep and needed something to take his mind off everything.

 

After being taken in by Shouta and Hizashi, he was pulled out of Aldera. That being for two reasons. One was of course the bullying he received making things hard for him to just be a kid but the other was the fact that, not just the school but the schools altogether were closed down for the year.

 

Even though Izuku hasn’t said anything to Hitoshi over the phone he still has, he did release a massive bombshell of a file online showing footage recorded over ten days of the goings ons in all three of the schools. Between the bullying, the unfair treatment by the teachers and the rampant discrimination, the education board had fired most of the leadership and was restructuring the school to be better.

 

It also didn’t help that his new… caretakers, used their connections to hammer in further the damage and make sure the school’s board was fired and had their teaching licenses revoked. All the while Hitoshi kept getting that bug in the back of his mind telling him that everyone was doing too much for the likes of him.

 

But that still didn’t answer the question on why he was so nervous. Well the answer was simple, he was going to a new school tomorrow. A private one meant for the kids of heroes which he is of two. He was afraid of going, both because he didn’t have Izuku to help him but also because the private school, Somei, was meant for rich kids and he was not at all exposed to that kind of culture.

 

And it wasn’t as if he could ask for anything different. He can’t, he’s scared too. He likes both Hizashi and Shouta and he doesn’t want to burden them anymore than he already has. He can’t be greedy, no matter how much Hizashi says it’s alright to call them his dads. It just feels too soon to tell he’s really here to stay.

 

Speaking of their relationship, he’s had a hard time adjusting to the two of them. Not because they were difficult, the problem was they weren’t. They were attentive, caring, friendly and it was something Hitoshi was not used to. He wasn’t used to waking up in a spacious room, smelling fresh pancakes meant for him. He liked it but it felt like something was wrong with that.

 

He knew he had self esteem issues but knowing that didn’t mean they went away. Of course he’s been to therapy with that but it doesn’t stop him from pushing people away out of habit.

 

Suddenly, the back door opened. It was the middle of the night so this should be a cause for concern if Hitoshi hadn’t gotten used to seeing Shouta come in after patrol. 

 

The pro hero just looked at him and a small sigh left his mouth as he greeted him. “Nervous  about tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah.” Hitoshi answered with a yawn back.

 

Shouta hummed at that response and took off his scarf. He then pulled out an envelope of some kind from it that he brought with him upstairs to his office. The purple haired boy thought that was it until he came back in and went to the kitchen, the sound of the coffee maker turning on.

 

He comes out three minutes later with two cups and hands one over to him. It was black coffee and he immediately took a sip ignoring the burning that came from it being fresh as the hero plopped down not next to him but on an armchair. The TV was still on in the background, going on about some news about a factory raid.

 

The man sat there for a moment, drank a sip of coffee, before turning to Hitoshi and with a bland tone just asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“Couldn’t have asked me that before you handed me the coffee?” the boy said.

 

Shouta took another sip. “Harder to say no.”

 

‘Of course it was,’ Hitoshi thought. Shouta was aware of his constant self guilt so forcing him to tell him what’s on his mind by bribing him with coffee was an obvious move.

 

“And also I was tired,” he added, both of them knowing that being tired didn’t mean they could sleep.

 

“Well thanks.” Hitoshi answered, both of them taking sips of their drink. 

 

After a small beat went by Shouta looked up to chat with him. “So want to talk about tomorrow or not?”

 

Hitoshi was quiet for a moment before he decided to speak up. “I was nervous about school.”

 

Shouta hummed. “So am I.”

 

“You are?” Hitoshi was a bit surprised. Does Shouta think he won’t be alright with the new school? Or was he nervous about Hitoshi causing trouble, or-

 

“I’m talking about my new job, kid.” he clarified, noticing Hitoshi’s slight spiral.

 

“Oh,” Hitoshi sighed, a bit relieved. “Why are you nervous?”

 

“I’m not a people person, in case you haven’t noticed.” he started. “I’m afraid of messing up the next generation of heroes. I have the training, yeah, but the experience is nonexistent. I don’t even know if I’m doing things right by you even.”

 

“I think you are, you’ve done a lot for me!” Hitoshi tried to correct.

 

“Thanks for the glowing review,” he said simply. “What about you?”

 

The boy took a longer sip of coffee, thinking of what to say. “I’m scared of things being the same in Somei, just without Izuku this time to help.”

 

“I’d say you’re doing fine with learning but that’s probably not what’s bothering you.” he guessed correctly.

 

“I don’t know if they’ll get scared of my quirk or not.” Hitoshi worried.

 

- - -

 

Shouta sat there for a moment, watching the TV. It was the news cast of the factory. They’d already found out it wasn’t the heroes who did the raid and are speculating. A press conference is probably going to have to be released on that given the frequency of these raids on Dragons going up.

 

He knows things would look bad if they said Midoriya did this. Nedzu was already keeping back the HPSC from declaring him a villain even though this would technically be vigilante work. They could just chalk it up to villains fighting villains for territory.

 

He’s getting distracted. Hitoshi asked him a question and he needed to answer it. He switched off the TV so he wouldn’t get distracted again.

 

“Kid, I hate to say this, but someone somewhere will be scared of you. It’s only logical.” he finally answered. “But it’s never about a popularity contest. Do you want to be a hero?”

 

Hitoshi nodded. 

 

“Want to be an underground hero?” he asked.

 

Another nod came from the boy. “I don’t really see myself dealing well with cameras and autographs, even though Hizashi makes it look easy on the radio.”

 

“Yeah, that cockatoo loves chirping away all day,” he joked in a slightly amused tone. “But seriously, you probably don’t need me to tell you that you need a bunch of friends to be happy. Even one can mean everything.”

 

He knew he was drawing a parallel there with Midoriya but he didn’t want to say anything and let the kid come to his own conclusion. That’s what some of the teacher training he got from Nedzu said.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi took in the advice. Shouta was right, there wasn’t a lot he could do to make people like him. There’s always going to be someone who’s scared, or angry, or mean about his quirk. It’s logical as he put it. But what happens if that’s everyone? What if everyone is all those things and no one will give him a chance?

 

“Hitoshi, do you really think me, ‘Zashi and Midoriya are the only ones in the world who don’t see your quirk as ‘villainous’?” Shouta argued, seeing his inner turmoil.

 

“N-no.” he stuttered, startled at being so easily seen through.

 

“Then find yourself a friend. At least one. Somei isn’t like Aldera. Never been myself but I have a friend whose brother goes there and he says things are good there.” Shouta argued softly.

 

Hitoshi nodded and accepted that challenge. If not for himself but to keep that promise to Shouta. He wanted to find a friend. He wasn’t going to give up on Izuku though, far from it. However, seeing as his mind is there…

 

“Have you found anything new on Izuku?” he asked, knowing he can’t say much if there really is something.

 

“Yeah. Just tonight.” he turned on the TV where the report was still on. “That was him.”

 

Izuku attacked a factory? “What was he doing there?”

 

“Looking for anything to lead him to his father.” Shouta explained.

 

Hitoshi already knew about Izuku’s situation. Hisashi had killed his mom and tried to kidnap him for his quirk, at least that’s what he assumed. After he was taken in, Hizashi and Shouta explained everything to him so he didn’t feel like his feelings weren’t being considered.

 

“Is he trying to kill him?” he asked because of course that’s a valid assumption.

 

“Maybe. I can’t tell.” he answered.

 

“Is it to do with that envelope you put in your office?” he questioned whilst studying the man’s reaction.

 

Shouta never showed much emotion besides utter deadpan, a smile whenever he was doing something with Hizashi or even him, or when he was focused on some work. The man just wasn’t emotive but when he was asked that question he got the ever so slight twinge of what could only be surprise.

 

“You’re not to touch it.” he ordered. “Or anything in my office for that matter.”

 

“Not even the door?” Hitoshi sassed a little. 

 

“Especially my door.” he warned, a bit less serious now.

 

“Ok, ok.” the boy relented. “Thanks for the chat, I’m feeling better now.”

 

He said that more for Shouta than him. He wanted him to know he really did make him feel more at ease and hoped he knew he really was doing a good job with him. Especially despite the fact both he and Hizashi have so much more important stuff going on in their life, soon to be even more after tomorrow.

 

Shouta didn’t have his scarf so he couldn’t hide the clear smile he had at that. “Alright kid, go to bed. ‘Zashi would kill me if he knew I was keeping you awake.”

 

“Okay, goodnight.” Hitoshi said as he carried Dot to bed.

 

“‘Night. Oh and Hitoshi.” the boy turned, “I was thinking we’d start training again soon.”

 

He gave a tired nod at that, sleep actually starting to fill him despite the caffeine in his veins as he went off to bed, resting his eyes to the hope that tomorrow would be a dream and not a nightmare.

Chapter 24: A Better Start

Notes:

Hiya!

Hope you are having a lovely day! I can't believe we hit 10,000 Hits! And 400 kudos! Thank you so much for all of that! I've been feeling happy about it all week!

Have a nice day! <3

Brutus and Ana walked into the Darkest Theatre under the orders that Izuku gave them. Passing by the now familiar bouncer, he stepped inside the underground hotspot to find eyes looking over the two cloaked things as they made their way in.

 

It was during the middle of the day. A time Izuku knew would mean he was less likely to run into Eraserhead and anyone for that matter as the place was quite empty. That didn’t stop the attention he got that followed them through the theatre lobby. They all knew who he was and that these seemingly human looking cloaked figures were actually just dolls.

 

It was probably as weird for them as it was for him. Knowing that the person who almost beat and choke a man near to death was actually being controlled by a seven year old.

 

He’s certainly had some people hound him on it. Criminals who think Izuku was easy and just a dumb kid only to find him completely terrified of getting close to anyone ever. It certainly left a few with broken bones and being kicked out for either acting too chummy, intimidating or chatty. 

 

Right now though he needed to find Giran. He didn’t like the man, he reminded him of Hisashi, but he’s supplied him with a lot of stuff. The gas emitters, the cattle prod and of course the information on Dragon’s Roar operations. However, that last one was given free which made him think it was a trap until he was obviously proven wrong.

 

The man was already there, waiting as if he expected him to show up and immediately launched into his businessman persona.

 

“Dollmaker! Great to see you.” he called out.

 

Izuku has never heard that name be used for him before. Normally it would just be the names of the giant and the doll. “Dollmaker?” Brutus asked. 

 

“That’s what they’re calling you now.” the man stated with a partial grin. “Especially after what you did a couple days ago. Here, let’s go somewhere more private.”

 

The three made their way to a private room frequently meant for meetings and sat down. The soft red padded couches and styrofoam covered walls made it so that no noise could get out making it perfect for meetings that involve private information.

 

Giran had gotten himself some rum and poured himself a glass. He took a short sip as he turned to the dolls. “Now. I have a few things to tell you but first, to answer your question. Yes, they’re calling you that now. Better than pretending these two…” motioning to the puppets, “...are alive.”

 

A part of Izuku took offence to that. These puppets are currently his most trusted companions even if they technically can’t think for themselves. But he won’t fight an argument he knows he can’t win. “Why ‘Dollmaker’?”

 

“Well ‘Puppet Master’ was thrown around but that name already has some associations with a villain over at Osaka.” he explained. “So they went with the next best thing.”

 

Ana spoke this time. “And who are ‘they’?”

 

“People here at the Theatre, some other spots and, probably what you’d like to know, the Dragons.” he said with a smile, knowing Izuku would like that.

 

And he did. It meant that there was a good chance Hisashi knew he was coming, which he wanted. He wanted the man to hide in fear just like he had to, he still has to. He knows he’s likely a higher up so it’s not as if he’ll run away from everything he built so there was no chance of him disappearing yet.

 

“Is that all?” Brutus questioned.

 

“Oh no, not at all. Someone’s sent a message to you.” Giran uttered.

 

A message? Is it a request for his services? Or something from the Dragons like a threat? “Who is it from?”

 

“A hero, a pro hero. Eraserhead.” he answered.

 

Izuku shifted slightly in his chair at that. He knew Eraserhead was searching for him, after all he shows up to every site he appears at, probably to catch him. It’s why he’s avoiding going to the Theatre, or anywhere that isn’t planned, at night. But he won’t deny that he was curious.

 

“What is it?” Ana demanded softly.

 

Giran seemed to take out a piece of paper from his coat pocket and slide it over to the giant. He takes it gingerly, picking it between his large fingers and unfurling the page. 

 

Midoriya,

 

I have information on a Dragon’s meeting. You probably know what. If you want it, meet up where you used to go hang out with your friend.

 

Eraserhead

 

‘He wants to meet me?’ Izuku thought.

 

Probably to kill him. The park was practically dead at night with no one coming by. But jokes on him, Izuku’s sending the puppets there. Wait, why is he going? He could sneak into the police station and just snatch the information himself. Sure it would be hard to but the perfect way in and out could make it easy.

 

But this was easy and what’s more important is that he doesn’t know how long he has until the meeting starts. It could be tomorrow, the day after or possibly even right now. It might be worth the risk to meet, but it would have to be on his terms like always.

 

“Tell him, I will meet with him, three at night.” Brutus answered and crushed the letter, handing it to Ana to burn later before they got back to the warehouse. He didn’t want the paper in case it was touched by a quirk that lets the user find it.

 

“Sure thing.” replied Giran.

 

Both puppets stood up and went to leave, Giran letting them. He had nothing left to tell them for now so he had no reason to stop them even if it was a bit rude to just walk out.

 

The dolls collected a canister of tear gas from a vendor they frequented before leaving. Brutus had used a lot and it would be a good idea to stock up if he was meeting with Eraserhead. Blinding the hero would be invaluable given his quirk and being able to work around that was integral.

 

‘A meeting with a pro hero. If I wasn’t so scared of him I’d be excited right now. There’s so many things I want to know about his quirk.’ Izuku thought to himself as the two dolls vanished into the daylight.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was nervous as he was driven up to Somei Elementary School. He was being taken early by Hizashi because he also had his own first day as a teacher to do at UA. You wouldn’t think that given how seemingly chatty he was on the ride over, not that he minded. He wanted the distraction and his foster father was happy to provide it.

 

“Excited for today, Hitoshi?” asked Hizashi.

 

‘Not at all’ was what he wanted to say but held it. He’s more nervous now than he was last year when he went to Aldera on their first day. The reason was because, A, this school has many kids who have heroes for parents and he was a guy with a villainous quirk going in. B, he was afraid of messing up, not for himself but for Hizashi and Shouta.

 

He didn’t want to disappoint them with how much they’ve given him. He also didn’t want to be moved to a new home if he screwed up. He still didn’t know whether or not he was here to stay, for all he knew the honeymoon period might be over and it was any day now he was going to be asked to pack up and leave.

 

“I’m scared everyone will be afraid of my quirk.” he admitted, trusting Hizashi enough to not be upset.

 

“Do you remember what Sho’ told you last night?” Hizashi said without a beat.

 

The boy looked to his foster father next to him in the car. “You heard that?”

 

“Oh, no! He told me this morning.” Hizashi said, turning away from the road for a moment before panicking when he realized he was still driving.

 

Hitoshi looked ahead at the road as well. “I know he said there’ll always be people who treat me badly, but that doesn’t mean I’ll always know how to handle it.”

 

“You don’t have to, ‘Toshi.” the blond said, the nickname throwing the boy off for a moment. “You’re seven, a kid. You don’t need to be fixing your own problems yet. If anyone bothers you, tell the teachers. If the teachers bother you, tell us and we’ll shut it down.”

 

A part of Hitoshi didn’t want to believe him. It felt too good to be true. That there is an adult who would stand up for him. But have they steered him wrong yet? But again, for the boy the problem was never finding their kindness, it was the fear of abusing it and being punished for it.

 

They finally arrived at the building and Hizashi made sure to walk him up to the gates. It was still early in the morning so there were barely any other kids there. That didn’t stop the looks though, not at Hitoshi but at Present Mic, who was in his full get up for work. The pair stood at the gate, not to wait but to talk more before Hizashi had to go to his own new job. 

 

“Hey lil’ listener, so are you alright to be here on your own? I can wait a bit if you need some hyping up!” he asked, tone light and encouraging.

 

“No, I’m alright.” he replied, hiding the subtle shakiness in his voice.

 

Hizashi didn’t seem to believe him but didn’t push it. Instead, he surprised Hitoshi. A warm pair of arms circled around him gently, giving plenty of room to wiggle out if needed. It was the first time he’s had a hug since he was smaller, and while he would’ve maybe froze, pushed away or panicked instead all of his worries vanished for a moment.

 

“You’ll be alright. We’re only a phone call away.”

 

He almost cried at how reassuring that sentence made him feel. He was already anxious, he didn't want to be embarrassed too. “Okay.” was all he said.

 

The blond pulled away and looked at his face, a wide smile on his face as he stood up from where he knelt down to hug him. “Wish me luck on my own first day?”

 

Hitoshi nodded. “Good luck.”

 

Another wide smile on his face came as he waved the boy off, heading back to his car to drive to UA. With that the boy went inside the school with his anxiety climbing up much slower than before as he looked for his homeroom.

 

- - -

 

It took a little while to find out where he was but he finally found his spot sitting towards the back of the room. He thanked whatever god he pleased that day for that and sat down, him being the only one there so far.

 

One part of him wanted to put his head down and rest for a bit but he didn’t want to leave a bad impression so he just slumped back a little as a couple kids entered the room. 

 

One was a blue haired boy with square glasses who took a seat towards the front, meanwhile the other one, a black haired girl with a ponytail sat near the back as well but on the opposite side of the room from him.

 

It was only the three of them there for the next minute, just quiet to each other. With only thirty minutes left until homeroom would begin Hitoshi was getting a bit bored. He didn't want to go over and chat because he has the energy of a lightbulb when it comes to social interactions and for all he knew the other two might be the same.

 

So he decided to take out his phone. He wasn’t sure if it was allowed out at school but it’s his first day so no one can fault him. He went online and started to look for some cat pictures to ‘aw’ at and temper his fear when the glasses boy noticed and rushed up towards him.

 

“Excuse me! You are not allowed to have phones out at school. They are a distraction to the class!” he alerted, hands motioning in a chop towards Hitoshi.

 

The purple haired boy didn’t know how to respond to that except how he always did automatically when someone confronted him. With biting snark and sass. “Sorry but class hasn’t started yet, has it? We’ve still got half an hour left.”

 

The other boy seemed to actually listen to that and think for a moment before bowing a little. “Apologies! You are correct. But please remember to turn off your phone once class starts.”

 

“S-sure.” Hitoshi affirmed, surprised that actually convinced him.

 

The girl seemed to be listening in to their chat but hasn’t said anything, mostly keeping to herself all the way up to class beginning. He did notice though that she had the face of someone who always wanted to say something but was unsure whether to say it. Like him sometimes when he wants to join in on a conversation.

 

The class filled in about ten minutes before the bell and everyone went quiet when the teacher came in. That was a massive difference from Aldera right off the bat. It normally took five minutes for everyone to shut up even if the teacher told them to.

 

Their teacher was a calm looking woman with a hair wrap on her head which looked like a bouquet of flowers. “Hello class, it’s wonderful to see you all again after the break. Though it does seem that we have a new face joining us this year.”

 

She looked directly to Hitoshi and immediately he could feel many eyes turn to him. His mouth almost opened and said something smart (dumb really) but he kept it shut, after all why say it now when you know the teacher is going to call you up to the front of your class.

 

And just as he predicted the flower lady motioned to the space next to her. “Would you mind coming up here?”

 

The boy complied despite every part of him filling with dread. He stood at the front of the class where the teacher once more motioned at him to introduce himself. Thankfully she never mentioned saying his quirk so he just chose his name.

 

“My name is Shinsou Hitoshi.” he stated.

 

He didn’t want to say anything else so he waited for the teacher to maybe force him to reveal his quirk but she didn’t. Just dismissed him and he went back to his seat, the weight of that introduction lightening a little. She must’ve not seen what his quirk was, otherwise she would have revealed it.

 

‘There’s still the rest of the day.’ he thought, getting back into his seat.

 

The homeroom teacher, who introduced herself as Miss Nataba, took the role call. This gave him the chance to learn the blue haired kid’s name being Iida Tenya and the girl being Yaoyorozu Momo. 

 

Once the roll call was done, Miss Nataba gave the class the chance to talk with each other so they could catch up and, tragically, to give everyone a chance to introduce themselves to him. Indeed, once the words were said and the teacher went to prepare for the lessons for today, a few kids came over.

 

One was an black haired boy with a white streak and eyes that were dark and beady as he made his way to his desk. “Hey, Shinsou?” he greeted, making sure he got the name right.

 

He nodded once to confirm.

 

“Great! Nice to meet you, my name’s Dachane.” he said. “I know this might be rude but I’d just like to know, what’s your quirk?”

 

Hitoshi was afraid of getting asked directly so he just deflected. “Sure, just tell me all of yours.”

 

 “Oh, sorry. Mine’s called Ostrich. I can run super fast and can even extend my legs slightly to run faster.” Dachane said, hiking his pant leg up to show the extension.

 

Soon all of the other kids who’d come over to say hi all introduced and showed off their quirks. Hitoshi never really cared for quirks or their logic behind them. He knew Izuku did though he was more focused on the movements that are done, maybe he would’ve loved to see all of these.

 

He was a bit lost in thought that he didn’t realise that almost the entire class was surrounding him now and he was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, especially when everyone was done and it was only him who needed to show his quirk.

 

“Alright Shinsou! Let’s see yours!”

 

“Uh…” he stuttered slightly, unsure how he could maybe dodge the question.

 

After everyone listened in further, well almost everyone, as Hitoshi was saved by Iida, telling everyone to give him space and not crowd him. Of course he said it more like he was chastising and not just being respectful but that seemed to be just how he is.

 

Everyone did politely give him space and he was thankful for it but it didn’t stop the question though. And as Hitoshi looked around the room he noticed that girl, Yaoyorozu, hadn’t shown her quirk so he pointed at her.

 

“I haven’t seen her quirk yet.” he stated, knowing how stubborn he’s probably appearing.

 

The girl seemed to jump a bit at being talked about and just composed herself for a moment before putting on a cordial and polite tone that reminded Hitoshi that he was in a private school. 

 

“My quirk is called Creation. I can use the lipids in my body to create any object provided I know its molecular structure.” she explained perfectly like it was rehearsed, which it probably was.

 

Just as she was finished with her explanation Hitoshi knew he couldn’t avoid it anymore and there was still a couple minutes left of homeroom. As everyone turned once more to look at him, he just decided to rip it off. It wasn’t as if one class would make a difference.

 

He explained his quirk and instantly he can see the shifts in facial expressions throughout the room. A mix of confusion, alarm and curiosity. It certainly wasn’t unfamiliar. It tends to be that way at first before it comes to either fear, aggression or just downright avoidance. Dachane in particular took a small step back once he heard it.

 

“So that’s my quirk.” he finished.

 

Before anyone could properly digest it though, the bell ran and the next class was starting to begin, everyone having to go back to their seats. It’s at that time Hitoshi thanked being at the back of the classroom because he knew if he was any near the front, the eyes he’d feel would be suffocating.

 

That didn’t stop people though. Occasional glances back and whispers he sure were about him. All par for the course with him. What did surprise the boy though was the glances that were made, not towards him but a certain two students instead, courtesy of Iida and Yaoyorozu. Hitoshi didn’t know what this guy’s deal with classroom etiquette was or why that girl is getting so much attention but anything to get the rest of the class to leave him alone.

 

By lunch, he was left to himself. He had a packed lunch so he didn’t need to wait in line, so he just found a table a bit away and sat down. He knew everyone would probably be unsure on how to talk to him at this stage so he accepted eating alone.

 

“Oh, I didn’t realise someone else ate here.” a voice said and Hitoshi looked up to see Yaoyorozu.

 

“Oh, sorry I can move.” he apologised, having been in a situation like this before.

 

The girl just sat down at the table. “No, it’s okay! I’m just not used to other people sitting here.”

 

“Why’s that?” he wondered.

 

“Well it’s just, people tend to only come to me when it’s to do with my parents.” she stated.

 

Hitoshi got a bit curious. “Why, are they heroes?” 

 

There seemed to be a bit of a look of surprise on her face. “No, they own a chain of hospitals that specialises in hero care.” she said a little cautiously. 

 

“Oh, I see.” Hitoshi took in.

 

He went to eat his food, leaving the girl to look at him even more shocked. At first he thought it was because of his quirk or something like that but what she asked instead was about herself. 

 

“You aren’t going to ask more?” she questioned.

 

Hitoshi looked up from his food, a bit confused. “Do you want me to?”

 

She raised her hands in front of her and waved them. “No, no! Just… nevermind.”

 

The two ate in silence. It wasn’t awkward or anything. Actually it reminded the boy of the times he ate with Izuku. Ana wouldn’t speak so they’d just sit in companionable silence whilst they just enjoyed each other being there. This was like that.

 

Once he was done with his food, he distracted himself with his phone, continuing off what he was looking at during the morning.

 

“Um…” Yaoyorozu muttered. 

 

Hitoshi looked up to see her and she seemed a bit alarmed that he heard her. He watched, wondering what she had to say, seeing she had the same face this morning where she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

 

“What were you looking at?” she asked.

 

“Just some cat pictures,” he answered.

 

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted a cat! But my mother’s allergic so we can’t have one in our house.”

 

Hitoshi smiled a little. “My house has two cats. One’s black and white and the other's ginger.”

 

“I love ginger cats! They’re quite nice looking.” she said excitedly.

 

Hitoshi showed her some pictures he took of them and the two chatted more about this mutual interest they seemed to have. The boy was so wrapped up in conversation that he forgot to realise that he was in conversation, only stopping to notice when he was asked if the two could exchange their numbers.

 

Yaoyorozu didn’t have a phone of her own, in fact Hitoshi had the only one in the class thanks to Izuku, but she still gave him her house phone should she ever want to call. The boy was happy at that as the two heard the bell and hurried back to class for their final lessons for the day.

 

After a few more where the teacher actually helped him solve a math problem he was struggling to understand, the day was done and he headed outside only to be stopped by Iida.

 

“Hello Shinsou!” he said emphatically, arms waving. “I just wanted to say that I hope our class has made a good impression on you. I ask that if there are any problems to please inform me. I’d be happy to help!”

 

“Oh, thanks.” Hitoshi said a bit confused. “I didn’t realise that you were the class rep.”

 

“I’m not.” he corrected. “There are no class representatives in Somei until middle school but I wanted to make sure that we foster an environment of learning for our class.”

 

The way he talked was far too serious for Hitoshi. He almost wanted to laugh at how genuine and determined the boy was. He’s never had anyone his age, besides Izuku, tell him they could go to them, let alone so honestly.

 

“Ah well, thanks again. I’ll let you know if there’s any problems in that area.” he uttered, changing shoes to his outdoor ones and leaving. 

 

Iida nodded, turning to grab his own shoes to leave but not before Hitoshi already did. He found Hizashi fast and headed back to the car with him. 

 

“Hey there ‘Toshi, so how’s your first day at Somei?” he asked, cheerily.

 

“...It went better than I thought it would,” he admitted.

 

It really did. He wasn’t sure if Yaoyorozu was technically a friend but the fact she gave him her home phone number was pretty hard to deny. She didn’t even bat an eye when it came to his quirk. It might be because she’s too trusting maybe, but was he going to argue with that? No.

 

And that other boy, Iida. He looked like the kind of kid who would hound Hitoshi every chance he could back at Aldera for being ‘’villainous’ (just existing) but that wasn’t the case at all. He even let him know he could come to him for help. 

 

The purple haired kid wasn’t a hundred percent sure it was genuine but the boy spoke with so much conviction that he couldn’t say outright he wasn’t being truthful.

 

And yeah, for the rest of the class things seemed obvious they were going to avoid him but from what he learned from Izuku is that you don’t need a lot of friends to be happy. Just one or two can mean everything.

 

“See! Told ya there was nothing to worry about.” he chirped.

 

‘Maybe not yet but certainly a better start than before.’

Notes:

I hope I characterised both Iida and Yaoyorozu right. I know kids make fast friends, I also see Momo as probably being a very trusting kid because of how she was grown up sheltered. Tenya though I hope I got what I hope was his character right.

Next chapter is called: Nightly Rendezvous

<3

Chapter 25: Nightly Rendezvous

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're all having a great day! Here's a chapter for ya. There'll be another one of Sunday.

Have a nice day! <3

“That’s why we hope to raise the best and the brightest during our tenure here at UA.” Shouta finished his speech in the teacher’s lounge.

 

“Please treat us well.” Hizashi followed with, both of them giving a short bow in respect to the other faculty in the room.

 

It was their first day teaching at UA and they were at different levels of preparation. For the blond, he was taking all of this like a fish to water whereas the dark haired man is finding the whole thing foreign and alien. 

 

He has all of his lesson plans ready, sure, but all plans go awry the second they’re enacted. So when he left the staff room to go to his own homeroom, a climbing sense of anxiety pushed through him. Thankfully his husband was walking the same way.

 

“What if I mess up?” Shouta stated like it was inevitable.

 

“How’d you mess up?” Hizashi eased.

 

A few scenarios ran through his mind. He knew he had high standards when it came to heroism. He’s seen many kids, both in his own time at UA and earlier, act like villains more than they ever hoped to be heroes. He’s afraid that with this power as the one who can give the red or green flag to a student’s future, their entire future, he’d use it poorly.

 

He can’t keep thinking about himself and judging his younger self. Would he be seen as a villain from his own standards? Sure he knew why he beat up punk kids who picked on the weaker ones but Shouta wouldn’t know that if they were separate people. What if there’s some in that classroom just like him? 

 

Misunderstood and needing someone in their corner like Nedzu was to him.

 

“You’ll do great. I know you will,” his blond gave him a reassuring hand tap, mindful of the fact they were in the school hallways. “Have a good first day!”

 

And Shouta was left on his own, standing in front of the huge doors marked with the ‘1A’ mark. He was already so tired.

 

‘Let’s rip the bandaid off.’ he thought and opened the door with a loud slam, mostly by accident. He forgot how loose they were.

 

But it worked in shutting the loud class up immediately as he made his way up to the podium at the front. There was still some chatter but it quieted quickly when another few students hushed them. He liked those students.

 

“Good morning. I will be your homeroom and heroics teacher, Aizawa.” he started off with, usual monotone accompanying it. “I hope that we can get you all to a level, over the next three years, where you can call yourselves real pro heroes.”

 

“Now then,” he continued. “Take a look in your desks. Get changed and follow me.”

 

He left the room immediately. He wasn’t confident about his lesson, not that he didn’t have one ready. He had an earlier talk with Nedzu about him and his class skipping orientation to do a test on his students athletic ability. The rat only giggled with glee and accepted it, stating that it was his plan and UA was a very flexible school when it came to schedules.

 

Shouta stood outside in a field where he had waited too long for his students to get out of the changing rooms. The fastest few were ten minutes and the latest were thirty. They’re only putting on clothes, how can it take that long? Even Hizashi with all of his hero gear and that stupid cockatoo hair could be done in seven minutes tops.

 

Speaking of him, he had to make a note to not wear his wedding ring in front of the students. He was asked by some of the early ones and knew he had to make sure to hide that in the future. He doesn’t want to be bothered by it because he knew there would be pointless gossip around it.

 

He had a series of tests planned based off of the same ones he did with Hitoshi. All with the exception that they can use their quirks. Each test was meant to target a different strength, that way he could test their own athletic ability, their creativity with their quirk and the strength of their quirk and see it all in action.

 

However, instead of taking it seriously, some kids were expressing excitement and there was a fear that they might not give him what he wanted and that was an honest effort. He can’t work with results that were done half-heartedly.

 

So he decided to do two things. Light a fire under their asses and test just how strong his authority was. He’ll tell the rat later and if he has a problem with it he can learn how to be better then.

 

“So you’re expecting this to be easy, huh?” he asked rhetorically, “Well guess what. Whoever ends up in the bottom rank is expelled.”

 

There was a stretch of silence as the meaning of what he said settled into the teens. The panic that ensued in the student body once it did was almost delightful to hear. He always had a sadistic side, and it seemed that part of him will be fed today. 

 

The whole test Shouta was constantly on the verge of faceplanting on the dirt. Both because he was tired but also from what he was seeing. There were several students who could pass these exercises with their quirks and were just not doing it. Probably from inexperience but still, it’s their quirk, they should know better.

 

He was going to have a lot to do later.

 

By the end of the test, he watched as one of the last place student had a freakout and at first Shouta was afraid he pushed things too far but he kept his cool and revealed the logical ruse. The way that same student reinflated was almost comical and definitely relieving. 

 

The effect of the whole ordeal seemed to work as, unlike before where students chatted quietly over him, they were now at full attention.

 

‘I’ll have to do this more often,’ he thought.

 

Especially because the actual results he got from that test were far from good for students hoping to be heroes.

 

- - -

 

Hizashi felt proud of the little purple fluff. Thankfully everything seemed to go well in Somei for his first day and he had the small smile to prove it. He was worried that Hitoshi might not talk with anyone and just stay away from the other students but he’s glad to see that he’s made some progress.

 

Of course it’s too soon to truly tell how things will go but Hizashi has always been an optimist. Then there’s Shouta’s own first day.

 

Which perfectly contrasts Hitoshi’s as he had the opposite of a good day (from Shouta’s perspective). The two had only chatted during lunch and before class but it seemed he was a bit frustrated over something that Hizashi would rather question when they’re back home.

 

Sure enough, the door opens and Shouta is in after with an angry twitch in his eye that he’s sure Hitoshi is misinterpreting. 

 

“Hey Sho’!” Hizashi called cheerily as he came in and threw his capture scarf over a hat rack.

 

The man immediately began to vent. “I seriously can’t believe this ‘Zashi.”

 

“What’s wrong? Bad first day?” he asked.

 

“Clearly. It’s logical when two of my students are clearly not going into this intending to be heroes.” he groaned.

 

Hizashi was a bit confused by that. “What do you mean?”

 

“They’re too relaxed, they clearly aren’t as invested as they should be and they don’t even have a training regimen.” Shouta listed.

 

Shouta made his way through the house towards him, when he saw that Hitoshi was also in the kitchen and momentarily snapped out of his listing. “Oh, hey kid. How was your day?”

 

“It was alright.” he answered. “Not as bad as yours it seems.”

 

Hizashi gave him some yogurt as a snack before the three of them went to the living room to rest, all the while the black haired man continued to rant about some of the problems he’s going to have to ‘iron out’ of his students.

 

Hitoshi seemed to be gazing in utter awe all the while Hizashi couldn’t help but see all of the nervousness he saw in his husband last night had melted away.

 

“Hitoshi,” Shouta eventually turned to the boy. 

 

“Y-yeah?” he replied.

 

“We’re starting your training properly this weekend. No excuses. I’m not letting you go into UA looking like they did.” he commanded with slightly more passion than he normally puts into anything.

 

The boy seemed to smile a little at that. Of course unaware of just how brutal Shouta’s own training can be. Hizashi wanted to say something about not pushing the seven year old too much but he trusted his husband not to go too hard, mostly.

 

And so their first day came out as a success. Hizashi’s own homeroom and day was as with everything for the blond, like a fish to water. He’s always been the type to have a knack for talking and although he knows not many of his students are that passionate about learning English, he’s going to do his best to teach them the language, ready to go plus ultra and beyond!

 

- - -

 

Shouta truly had an awful first day. He expected himself to fail but not his students! Hizashi kept insisting they’re just kids who need to be trained and he agrees with that to a point. In reality about two thirds of the class have had some kind of training regimen before entering UA. The rest had prepared for the practical test besides two who got in only studying the written exam and winging the practical.

 

By god he was going to change that.

 

Of course he can’t make them train themselves in their own free time but what he can do is make some ruses. He knows that Nedzu, after he told the rat about his test ruse, would love it if he threatened his class with expulsion if they didn’t get at least a pass on their end of semester heroics. He wouldn’t even be wrong. A kid was removed from class when he won the Sports Festival his first year to make room for him.

 

Speaking off, he needed to keep an eye on the rest of the classes. He knows those with mental type quirks or quirks not suited for combat are going to be missed by the entrance exam.

 

Yes, his first day was terrible because now he had so much to do. He had to whip these students into shape, start training Hitoshi, continue doing his hero work and find Izuku. All with about four hours of sleep. 

 

‘Maybe I could bring a sleeping bag in and sleep in the teacher’s lounge.’ he thought to himself as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

 

Right now he was on his way to the park, the same park where he saw Izuku face to face for the first time. He got his message from an info broker and needed to get there fast. He just hoped this wasn’t going to end with anyone getting hurt.

 

Once he arrived at the designated time, he saw a large figure standing in a field. Shouta landed at the edge and proceeded to walk towards them, the cloaked figure turning to watch him. It was them undoubtedly. The giant.

 

He didn’t like this meeting spot. Not the park but this field. Away from the trees and hence any places he could pull himself to using his capture weapon. It seemed this was their intention and he has to say he’s slightly impressed the kid thought of that. Or maybe he didn’t and it was just a coincidence.

 

He has to say, it was a bit frightening walking up to the giant, knowing full well that it put him in a coma for a week and almost crushed his skull. How it held back two heroes and beat down multiple villains in its time.

 

Of course that didn’t mean he was focusing on him. He knew there was another, the doll, who wasn’t there at all. They were weaker, yes, but far from harmless. They were a wildcard with cattle prods and whatever other things that were probably hidden under that cloak during the factory fight.

 

He kept a respectable distance from the puppet as he seemed to study him and his surroundings, the giant’s glass eye tucked away in its skull no doubt analysing everything for any potential setups.

 

“You came alone?” the giant asked in that cold robotic voice.

 

“Like you said kid.” the pro hero replied, making sure Izuku knows he’s talking to him and not the puppet. “I knew you’d rather speak alone.”

 

The puppet said nothing more and just vacantly stared at him. It’s at times like these that Shouta can’t help but be slightly creeped out by the hollow eyes of this thing. If he didn’t know a kid was controlling this thing he’d think it was a metallic monster straight from his worst dreams.

 

“Look,” started Shouta, “I know what you want. It’s that letter about that meeting happening soon.”

 

There was no response by the giant.

 

“And you want it because you want to find your da- Hisashi.” he corrected, knowing that the kid was definitely not looking for a friendly reunion.

 

It didn’t go missed though, the puppet shifted slightly, showing that Izuku’s discomfort bled through into the doll.

 

“We can handle it, Midoriya. You don’t have to fight this on your own.” he tried to convince. 

 

Shouta let his voice go a bit more gentler than he was used to. “If you’re scared of Hisashi, you don’t have to. Turn yourself in and I promise I’ll protect you, personally, myself.”

 

The giant had not moved and Shouta thought maybe none of that got through until the robotic voice sounded again. “I am better on my own. I don’t trust you. Now where is the envelope?” 

 

Shouta felt himself deflate a little but it wasn’t unexpected. He knew Midoriya wasn’t going to let himself get caught, not when he has no guarantees he won’t just be locked away, at least from his perspective. 

 

“Look, there’s a program that Principal Nedzu of UA-”

 

“Where is the envelope?” the puppet interjected, louder this time.

 

He didn’t want to hear it. Shouta could see how determined Midoriya was even through this unfeeling giant. Well if it’s going to be like that then he’ll have to go with plan B.

 

“Look kid, I’m not going to give it to you. But I can tell you the date and a place we can meet up to go after the Dragon’s ourselves.” he explained.

 

The idea there was to open up more opportunities for him to try and track the kid’s location using the camera connection. If he could just get that and find out where it’s being broadcasted to, they could get a better idea of where he was.

 

“You don’t have it on you.” Midoriya pointed out.

 

“Yes, I don’t but I-”

 

Once more the puppet interrupted him. “You’ll set an ambush. The police already know what’s happening.”

 

“Me and Tsukauchi know what is happening.” he stated. “I’m sure, seeing you have access to the police database, you could find out whether I’m lying or not.”

 

The giant went silent at that and it seemed at first he got through to him but then it spoke. “I don’t trust you.”

 

“Give me a chance. Just one, kid.” Shouta said, partially begging.

 

Midoriya was silent for almost ten seconds, probably deep in thought about everything he said and promised. He thought to say more to convince him but he knew he can’t prod too much. The kid has to come to the conclusion that he needs help on his own. That’s the best case scenario.

 

“We will talk at a later date.” the giant finally uttered.

 

That’s better than nothing. “What day? We’ve only got…”

 

“Until after the Dragon’s meeting; On May eighteenth, seven at night, at the Corrison Hotel in Hosu city.” the machine recited.

 

“What?” stuttered Shouta before he felt his phone begin to vibrate and suddenly everything hit him at once.

 

The other doll was still missing, he just admitted he or Tsukauchi had the envelope and Shouta wasn’t in his house. The giant unleashed a gas from its body before the hero could react, immediately causing Shouta to tear up. He was almost sure he was about to get punched or hit but instead he watched, blurry with teary eyes, the giant running away.

 

He couldn’t race after him without risking crashing into a tree, if he can even reach one. No, he was too disorientated from the tear gas, forced to let the giant run away again and Midoriya along with it. The information he already needed got from him and presumably the phone call still ringing was Hizashi telling him they’d just been robbed.

 

‘Dammit. This problem child!’ Shouta yelled in his head as he took out a water bottle and began rinsing his eyes desperately. He knew the kid had tear gas but it was still shocking to see it, well try and see it.

 

Once he recovered he took out his phone, which was still ringing, to see two missed calls from Hizashi. He picked it up to a panicked husband on the other side.

 

- - -

 

Izuku knew there was a chance Eraserhead had the envelope. The fact it wasn’t in the police files even though it was important meant it was being kept secret. He knew, from Eraserhead’s message, that he at least saw it so there was a chance he had it in his home too.

 

He figured out where he lived thanks to a previous case file where he kept a witness in his home for a couple days. It was a bit of effort but he had the address. He knew being an underground hero he was likely a loner and because he was also young he was probably not married or had kids.

 

Better to be prepared though, so he wanted to make sure he really did have the envelope first in the meeting and then once it’s been confirmed, to go in and take it. Easy. Well mostly. He’s never worked with two dolls at such a long distance apart before. He’s gotten better at working Ana and Brutus separately but using them in two different environments was a bit beyond his limits right now.

 

But a trial by fire is what his whole life has been.

 

He positioned Ana outside the house, waiting up on the roof to strike. Brutus did the talking but honestly he wasn’t expecting much from the pro hero. He was proven wrong though. 

 

He said a lot of things that annoyed Izuku, like how he can’t do this on his own. He can, he shall, he will. It’s the only way to guarantee he can be free, well mostly. He still had the heroes but that’s future Izuku’s problem (it always was). 

 

He also didn’t believe the hero when he said he’d keep him safe. Izuku almost killed him, how could he trust him to keep his word when he has all the right to hurt him. It didn’t make sense so it had to be a lie.

 

Just like how Hitoshi lied. He said he’d protect him but…

 

When Eraserhead slipped and called Hisashi his dad he squeezed his small hands into fists. He was not his father; They were related but not interested, at least Izuku wasn’t. Well that’s a lie, he was interested but not in the way a typical father and son would be.

 

He wants to hurt Hisashi. Badly.

 

The hero tried to convince him more, saying something about a program but Izuku didn’t care. He wanted to know if he had the envelope and sure enough he didn’t and that only him and the detective Tsukauchi knew its existence. That was all he needed.

 

Tsukauchi wouldn’t have it. It was too valuable to be placed in the hands of a detective. A pro hero would’ve been infinitely safer so he commanded Ana to go in and get it.

 

The doll hopped down the building and grasped for a window. Inside was his office, luckily enough, and tried to open the window from the outside. When he failed he decided to just smash it open and climb in, figuring it was unlikely anyone was home.

 

Ana tore through the office, looking for the envelope and found it quickly, showing it to her camera and Izuku taking its picture. She then tucked it away in her cloak to stop the hero from having it. There’s always a chance he could use it still.

 

Meanwhile the giant made it known that he had it, taunting him for all of that nonsense he said, and ran to escape, focusing fully on getting the other doll out.

 

But then Ana turned to an opening door and saw a blond man staring at him, phone in hand and a… a purple…

 

“H-hitoshi?” Izuku uttered weakly.

 

Immediately the blond man, the same one from the park, charged up and struck the doll in her confused state. He then got her arm and twisted it behind her back but unfortunately for him, Ana was, well, a puppet and easily twisted her body to grapple him instead.

 

She pinned the man to the ground and Izuku was almost tempted to taze him before she got another look at Hitoshi and the doll only then realised its hood fell off in the struggle.

 

“Izuku?” he uttered, fearfully and it broke his heart a little.

 

He didn’t know he was here, he never checked up on him, he just thought he was still with his foster parents… are these guys, Eraserhead and this man, his new foster parents? Once more Izuku was too stunned to think and that gave the blond enough time to break free and kick the doll back.

 

He needed to leave, now. He had to go. The doll crashed through the window and rushed out of the house. Crashing down into the street below but due to the light body, not much damage was done. 

 

He ran through the neighbourhood, escaping into the night, a thousand thoughts running through his head.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was still staring at the shattered window where he watched Ana disappear through. Hizashi was getting back up, and looked out, making sure she was gone before he called Shouta again. 

 

The office was a mess, but throughout it all he noticed one thing. It was an envelope that fell out of the doll’s cloak when it got tackled by Hizashi. She seemed to want it, so that meant Izuku wanted it and so Hitoshi drifted over to take a look whilst his foster father kept talking through the phone. He picked up the page.

 

It had a date related to the Dragon’s Roar. The name sounded familiar but what drew his eyes was the date, time and place labeled. For some reason that information burned into him and he immediately went for his phone to take a picture of it.

 

It was the same envelope he remembered Shouta had when he came in last night. The night he went after Izuku. He didn’t know what that date or place held but… he didn’t want to lose a chance at maybe learning more about Izuku and how he could maybe help.

 

Hizashi finished with his call and turned to him, guiding him out of the office and to the living room after checking up on the boy. Eventually Shouta came back but didn’t explain what happened and just went to bed, his eyes redder than usual.

 

Both of them did but not before convincing Hitoshi to go to bed too which the boy was fine with. After all, he had a bit of research to do and he didn’t feel like sleeping anymore. He had a long night ahead of him.

Notes:

Next Chapter Title: Don't Mind At All

Chapter 26: Don't Mind At All

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Here's Sunday's chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Have a nice day! <3

Hitoshi went to school exhausted the next morning. Hizashi never asked, probably assuming that he was tired from training yesterday but that was only half the truth. The other half is that he looked more into the Dragon’s Roar. He knew he remembered the name, it was who Izuku’s father was believed to be with.

 

Did that mean that maybe Izuku was trying to find him? To do what, hurt him? He can’t let that happen. Even if Izuku is strong he can’t let his friend do anything that could get him in danger or trouble. Just looking at these guys online on different hero forums told him they were very bad people.

 

And Izuku was running towards them at full speed.

 

Not just that but he didn’t know if his friend was going to do more than that. It might not just be a beat up and then handing him over to the police, according to what Shouta told him when he asked about Izuku when they took him in, his mom was killed by the man. There’s a decent chance he’s planning to return the favour.

 

And that would be definitely crossing the line from being a vigilante who fights crime, to a villain who maims and kills.

 

He needed to find Izuku. It’s not that he trusted Shouta, Hizashi or the police to find him but he doesn’t want to sit by and just let things happen. It had been a week since the raid and there’s only just over a month until the meeting.

 

Thankfully, Shouta made sure to follow through on the training, unfortunately he was a very strict but fair teacher and rendered him more tired with aching muscles. A lot but that’s not important, what is, is that he has to get stronger for Izuku, to be the friend he needed to be.

 

Besides that focus, Hitoshi has been finding school to be alright. The teachers definitely aren’t ignoring him, not in the negative way though. That didn’t mean the students were the same. 

 

They didn’t bother with him and only talked if they had to for group work, except two. Yaoyorozu and Iida. 

 

Yaoyorozu always sat with him at lunch at their corner table and chatted about all kinds of things. Hitoshi learned that she liked tea and although he couldn’t relate to that specifically, he was coming to really like coffee (to Hizashi’s continued torment). 

 

She never seemed to be bothered by his quirk or ever even brought it up. He wasn’t sure why but he’s happy with that though he should really ask. For all he knew she just didn’t know and he didn’t want it to seem like he was lying to her.

 

Iida was a different horse. He wasn’t friendly in the friend kind of sense but it was clear he didn’t seem to care explicitly about his quirk. He always made sure that Hitoshi was involved, even when the other kids clearly weren’t excited by that. He really liked that in him and whilst he can’t say they’re in good standing with each other like Yaoyorozu, he can say that the other boy clearly didn’t care about his quirk.

 

At lunch it was him and Yaoyorozu at the table as usual but right now she didn’t seem interested in talking, or rather she seemed deep in her own thoughts about something. Hitoshi was afraid she might be thinking about not coming to the table anymore because of his quirk but she didn’t seem to think that.

 

“Shinsou,” she started, “what do you want to do when you grow up?”

 

The question was a bit of a surprise but that didn’t mean he was going to answer it. He knew what he wanted to be, even if it might sound ridiculous with his quirk.

 

“I’m going to be a hero.” he said simply, but clearly with a bit of determination.

 

Yaoyorozu seemed a bit surprised by that answer and Hitoshi could guess why. A guy with a villain’s quirk becoming a hero was surprising even if he himself has been told he can still be a hero with it.

 

“I was thinking the same.” she uttered, looking a little sheepish.

 

Now it was his turn to be surprised. He somewhat expected that maybe she had the same goal but the way she sounded, it seemed it was something she couldn’t or maybe wasn’t allowed to do.

 

“Why are you asking?” he questioned, coming off a bit crass.

 

She picked at her food a little as she spoke. “I haven’t… told my mother and father about what I want to be. I don’t know if they’ll let me.”

 

“Why’s that?” he asked.

 

“Well,” she started, “we have our family business and I’m their only child. I don’t know if they plan to have me take over for them but it seems possible.”

 

‘So she doesn’t know if she can follow her dream or not.’ the boy thought.

 

Yaoyorozu stopped picking at her food and just ate a piece of bread, swallowing it down quickly. Hitoshi could relate to her not knowing if he could fulfil his dream or not, even now he is unsure because even though there are a lot of people saying you could, it doesn't mean you can.

 

“I don’t know if I can be a hero too,” he admitted.

 

The girl looked up at him and seemed to want to say something but he just continued. 

 

He continued to say his piece. “Everyone important to me says I can but that doesn’t mean the world will allow it. My quirk is one that’s dangerous and meant for a villain's life. Other kids have told me that and even hurt me for it.”

 

Yaoyorozu seemed to grow worried as he mentioned that last part but Hitoshi kept going.

 

“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop. I’m going to become a hero anyway not because someone says I can or can’t but because I know I’ll be a good one.” he finished, giving a smile that spoke of his own confidence. He was going to be a hero no matter what, even if he’ll be booed and hurt because of it.

 

The black haired girl just watched him declare his ambition, and seemed swept away with his determination. She smiled smally. “You're right Shinsou, I don’t have to listen to anyone. But I’m still afraid of what my parents would think of that.”

 

“Just tell them and work from there.” he instructed. “If they don’t like it, then how are they going to stop you? And if they do like it, then yippee.” he assured, the last word said in a sarcastic cheer, fist raised.

 

Yaoyorozu chuckled a little at that. “Ok, I’ll tell them. Thank you… um.” she looked down at her food again, unsure if what she wanted to say next was ok. “Shinsou, can I call you Hitoshi? It’s fine if you don’t.”

 

She looked a bit unsure when asking that, afraid she was being too forward. But the boy was all the more ecstatic that someone was asking to be his friend in an indirect way.

 

“Sure.” he replied back, hiding some of his excitement.

 

Her face lit up, immediately smiling with this sparkle in her eyes that weren’t there before.

 

“Wonderful!” she said, pressing the tips of her fingers together. “Please call me Momo.”

 

The two chatted the rest of their break away, talking about heroes in general. Yao- Momo, didn’t seem to know a lot besides some of the mainstream ones like All Might and Endeavour so Hitoshi made sure to tell her about the underground ones too, especially Eraserhead.

 

“By the way Hitoshi.” Momo started. “I saw you being dropped off by someone who looked a lot like Present Mic.”

 

Getting what she’s asking he answered, “Oh, yeah. He’s my foster dad. One of them anyway.”

 

There wasn’t a problem with saying that, Somei was a school where children of heroes and high brow business people go. Mostly for the sake of privacy for their kid to not be harassed by the media who would look to ask them questions about their homelife. Still he knows it’s not good to talk about that but if Hizashi went to school in his hero attire, that’s his fault not Hitoshi’s.

 

What he was more afraid of, was mentioning being fostered and how that might make his new friend look at him less. It wasn’t that he was, it’s just he’s had kids in the past bully him on that front when they weren’t going for his quirk. Instead though, what he got was another sparkle in the black haired girl’s eyes as she smiled.

 

“That sounds wonderful! He seems so friendly on the radio.” she exclaimed.

 

“Yeah, he’s very nice.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck habitually.

 

She seemed to want to ask something else but she stopped herself, clearly realizing that her question might be an invasive one. Hitoshi could hazard a guess as to what and just answered it for her.

 

“If you’re curious, my parents gave me up after my quirk manifested.” he stated.

 

Momo seemed to look a bit sorry and whilst it was better than being insulted or angry with, pity is still not a good feeling. So he made sure to clarify that he’s alright and doesn’t need it.

 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Hizashi and his partner are very nice and they’re even helping me train to be a hero.” he assured, making sure she got it and that he was not someone who should be looked down on. 

 

She seemed to accept that part but there was something else on her mind. She took a drink from a juice box and spoke it. “Does that mean you’ll be staying with them temporarily, or… sorry if I’m wrong.” she stopped herself.

 

That question was certainly one he’s been facing for a while. The longest he had ever been with a family was for a couple months. Right now it had been that but it didn’t seem they had gotten tired of him yet. 

 

Does that mean he doesn’t want to stay with them? Hell no. They were the best so far by a mile, even better than his actual birth parents from before his quirk, or at least from what he could remember. He definitely wished he could stay with him, for them to be his actual parents but, he can’t be pushy or needy. He’s fine with the distance he has because anymore and he may lose it all by being clingy.

 

And then he’d have to move school again, just when he found (what he hoped) was a new friend.

 

“I hope not.” was what he answered with and it wasn’t a lie.

 

“Well,” started Momo, “I can’t say much but it seems that your father quite likes you. After all, if he didn’t he wouldn’t have sent you here.”

 

Somei Elementary was a private school, yes, along with its accompanying middle school. That meant that Hizashi and Shouta paid money for him to be here. It was an investment now so maybe that meant he had until the end of the year before they considered him a bother or not.

 

Or maybe that in of itself proved they care enough about him to stick around.

 

But that idea of being closer. Calling them ‘father’ like Momo said or ‘dad’, it felt too soon for him. He didn’t want to be heartbroken if it all turned out wrong. The half year they were together was easy because he kept himself hidden away in his room. And yes they gave him space there and it helped but now he had to come out and be, well, a kid. Their kid.

 

Maybe he should test things.

 

- - -

 

Shouta was going to be picking Hitoshi up today. He didn’t normally because of schoolwork but he had to finish up early after a training exercise due to an accident. Thankfully no one was injured but he had to give out a detention to a student, the same one who’s been bugging him since the start of the year.

 

His quirk was too destructive. It released methane gas and he did it without much care for his classmates or surroundings. Despite how many warnings and detentions he’s had to give the kid so far, he hasn’t seen him try to improve or have the care to.

 

Frankly, Shouta didn’t want him in his class but he’s sticking it out and giving him a couple more weeks to clean up his act and hoped that today’s accident will make him listen.

 

It’s all that thinking that’s made Shouta realise how much he’s taking to being a teacher. He doesn’t know if he’s good or not or just strict but according to Kan he’s doing well. But that’s only half of his worries when it comes to children.

 

He’s worried about Hitoshi. Ever since the attack at their home last week, he hasn’t asked anything about Midoriya. Normally he’d question him when he got back from a patrol if he saw him. He’d answer truthfully but recently he hasn’t seen him that often.

 

Not just that but he's always been afraid that he isn’t doing the kid justice. He knew he had a hard life with the bullying he got over his quirk, his foster parents not being that great and his actual parents being dickheads for giving him up over nothing so he wanted to show him the entire world isn’t against him.

 

That was how he felt when he was his age. It took Hizashi, Nemuri and… Oboro, to get him out of that mindset and he’s always been thankful for it. Hizashi by marrying the noisy cockatoo and Nemuri by tolerating her teasing, especially recently when his husband finally blabbed about Hitoshi.

 

Now she wants to meet him and he wasn’t able to say no because that loud blond already accepted it on his behalf. Now they have a dinner in two weeks and even Tensei has been joined in to top it off.

 

‘Going to have to wear something that isn’t just my hero clothes too.’ he bemoaned mentally.

 

But back to his, his? Kid. He can’t believe he just had that thought. He knew he liked him but he didn’t know if it was too soon. He wasn’t sure if they were going to adopt him or not. Actually no, Hizashi did, just like everything he dived in face first over his emotions instead of acting logical like him.

 

It’s just, Hitoshi didn’t seem to want to get close to them. He can understand that but it’s been over half a year and he seemed to like Hizashi more than him. Maybe that’s why he’s going to pick him up. Maybe he wants that connection his husband has even a little bit because it’s what he would’ve wanted when he was younger.

 

Shouta was never close to his father. Tends to happen when he was barely around so he hoped to be different, if not just enough that he can say he’s trying to be better. Call that being lazy but he really didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t want to risk messing the kid up.

 

He parked outside of Somei and got out to wait by the gate. It didn’t take long though for some parents to look at him weirdly due to his, well, let’s just say someone called the school security to see about a homeless man waiting outside the school gates.

 

After explaining away that misunderstanding, he saw Hitoshi leave the school and was almost a bit shocked when he spotted him. He looked to be walking with a friend as well, a girl with a black ponytail. A part of that made him feel relieved because it seemed they were getting along well.

 

They waved goodbye to each other and Shouta greeted him as the two went to his car to drive off.

 

“So how was school?” he asked after a bit.

 

Hitoshi seemed to be thinking about something when asked that and snapped out of it when he spoke. “It was good, yeah. We were learning about English.”

 

“How was that?” he followed up with.

 

“It’s a bit hard,” he answered.

 

“Hizashi teaches English at UA, if you’re having any problems he’d be happy to help.” he advised.

 

He seemed happy at that or at least that’s what he got from a glimpse. He wasn’t like Hizashi and looked at the person he was talking to instead of keeping his eyes on the road. 

 

Shouta wanted to ask more, maybe about his friend but he didn’t know how to go about it. God, he was really bad at this. “So who was your friend there?”

 

The purple haired boy seemed to light up a little at that. “Oh, that was Yaoyo- I mean Momo. We just became friends today. She also wants to be a hero.”

 

“Great. She seemed nice.” he commented. “By the way, mine and Hizashi’s friend said they want to meet you, along with another friend. You don’t have to, so don’t worry about it.” he made sure to add at the end.

 

The kid seemed to think through that for a while before he eventually gave a nod, showing he was fine with that. “You’re not just saying that are you?” Shouta questioned.

 

“No, I’m fine with it really.” he stated.

 

“Right. It’ll be in two weeks on Friday.”

 

It was quiet once more in the car but it felt like there was still more to say. The problem was Shouta wasn’t sure what more to ask. He could talk about the training to do or why he hasn’t talked about Midoriya recently. Thankfully, it seemed Hitoshi had something to say himself.

 

“How long are you going to keep me?” he asked suddenly.

 

“What does that mean?” Shouta questioned, surprised, almost steering off road.

 

Maybe a part of him already knew what because he parked outside of his house instead of the parking lot to turn and face him properly. Hitoshi looked like he wasn’t sure how to explain it and he was almost tempted to just answer for him but he didn’t want to make it sound like he wasn’t being listened to.

 

He just kept an impassive face but interested face.

 

“I just… normally my foster parents would not do this much for me, or keep me around for so long.” he answered sheepishly, not looking at him.

 

He was probably afraid of being judged for it which is illogical and absurd. Tragically though, what he thought was logical or not didn’t matter. This kid has been abandoned for the pointless reason that his quirk is seen more often on villains. And yeah, that’s a statistic that can’t be flexed but he’s sure half of those guys come to be because the world crammed them into that box.

 

Like how someone with a healing quirk absolutely has to be a doctor or a quirk like Cementoss’ had to do construction. Whilst yes they were both good for their own thing, they didn’t have to be stuck on that route. Just because you have the talent, doesn’t mean you have to let the talent become your life.

 

“We’re not going to give you up, kid. Unless you do something really bad, which I’m guessing you won't because you want to be a hero.” he said.

 

Hitoshi made a face like he understood but Shouta knew better. 

 

“You don’t believe me,” he stated.

 

The boy looked up at him. “No, I do! But…”

 

The black haired man raised an eyebrow.

 

“But I don’t know what you get out of me being here. Sure you get the checks for fostering but…” 

 

That alarmed Shouta. “You seriously think we’re keeping you for money?”

 

“I… no?” he answered unsure.

 

The man let out a sigh. “Look Hitoshi, we’re not doing this for the reasons you probably think we are. We’re doing this because we care about you. Not because of money, not because of Midoriya and especially not because we feel sorry for you.”

 

He continued. “I know it might be hard to get, but we care. I know Hizashi wants to take things further and adopt you…”

 

The boy looked surprised by that, his mouth gaping a little.

 

“...and I can’t help but admit you remind me of me a lot.” he finished, letting the words sink in for a moment. “Don’t tell Hizashi that though, he’ll be screaming ‘I told you so’ all day.”

 

Hitoshi still looked shocked at the adoption stuff before looking a bit wary again. “So you really don’t mind me? Or my quirk?”

 

“Kid, the cockatoo’s been thinking of a birthday present for you since you didn’t want anything at Christmas. And I’ve been looking at training gear for you all week. We don’t mind you at all.” he assured him.

 

Hitoshi seemed to space out a little, a small wetness appearing at the corner of his eye before he took off his seatbelt and started to pull himself out of the car. Shouta thought he might’ve done things a little wrong or that the kid needed time to process this but then he went and said something that hit him right in the heart.

 

“Thanks, D-dad.” he stuttered a little and rushed out of the car with his bag. Heading up the steps of the house, where Hizashi was already back home.

 

Shouta just sat there in the car, staring at the space his kid was. His mind blanked and not because of Hitoshi’s quirk.

 

‘I guess things were going better than I thought.’

Notes:

I have a plan for Momo but like many things its being kept for later. I've always felt the original story never touched on her family much and wanted to explore that.

Next Chapter:
Black Cat

Chapter 27: Black Cat

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're all having a great day today! Here's a new upload.

<3

Izuku was sitting in his room watching Ana get to work on stitching together something. He needed to make a new doll for the meeting soon but also for someone else that has been on his mind.

 

Hitoshi. 

 

He really didn’t expect him to be there at Eraserhead’s home. He knew he interacted with him and Yamada but he never knew they had taken him in to foster. Ever since then he had been reading files online to do with the boy and finding out exactly what he’s been doing for the last half year.

 

After what happened half a year ago, Izuku didn’t want to look at anything to do with Hitoshi. He knew he was being texted by him but didn’t read the messages, instead needing to remove the SIM card to stop anyone from tracking the phone. He still had it though, he couldn’t bring himself to throw it out.

 

Maybe because he hopes one day to talk to him when he feels comfortable again or maybe he just didn’t want to lose that connection. Either way, things were complicated on how he felt with Hitoshi.

 

On one hand, he was still Izuku’s friend but on the other, he never informed him that he was talking to heroes. He knows that he couldn’t have known he was running from them but at the same time he still felt it was far too convenient that both of the people who looked for him were there at the exact moment he went out into the open again.

 

He was likely just confused and scared, which Izuku always was but there was a mix of betrayal amongst all of those feelings. Hitoshi said he’d protect him and… he didn’t feel safe that day.

 

But seeing him in Eraserhead’s home piqued his interest. He also needed to monitor the meeting place, Corrison Hotel in Hosu. Of course he could send Ana for both but she could only do so much without risking being found, even with a disguise. That’s why he’s having her stitch up something. 

 

He remembered vaguely his mama being good at making clothes and sewing but he couldn’t remember much of it. Thankfully the internet was always at his fingertips. It’s taken a couple days of practice and ruined clothes but right now his goal was to make a plushie.

 

A cat plushie.

 

He tried to make a bird but he couldn’t work out how to do the wings. Birds needed to be light and the spinal fluid was not. He also needed to factor in the camera, batteries and all of that and decided it would be easier to have a cat, something more simple, be his animal.

 

He made it a black one so that the more woven appearance of the doll will be hidden making it harder to recognise as something that could be spying on them. 

 

He already watched a lot of cat videos, with Hitoshi, and knew the movements he would need to mimic to make the creature convincing. He tried to watch more but every time he did, his mind kept going back to the boy and wondering what he would think of it and it made him sad.

 

He got sad a lot lately. That feeling of loneliness creeping into him like a quiet poison, depression following but he wouldn’t know that. Or rather he doesn’t want to confront that. That’s a problem for future Izuku (it always was).

 

Once the cat was complete, Izuku tested the waters on how well it could hold up. He had it take a tour around the neighbourhood and boy was it hard getting used to another doll. He felt he was already pushing it with Ana, Brutus and even the satellite dish he used for his internet but yeah.

 

He doesn’t think he can use this thing whilst also working with Ana and Brutus. In all likelihood, at least until maybe he’s older, it’s either the cat or the humanoid dolls.

 

Speaking of ‘the cat’ he decided a nice name would be Charlie. It followed the English naming scheme he was going for and even followed the nice little pattern he had with the other dolls. Ana being ‘A’, Brutus being ‘B’ and Charlie being ‘C’. 

 

Charlie did well moving around the neighbourhood at least until it rained where he had to wait a few hours for it to pass enough for the doll to rush home. The cat wasn’t looking good. Apparently running around in a dirty alley without shoes was a problem when you’re mostly made of wool.

 

So Izuku bought some cat boots online, the address set a few blocks from here, and got Charlie some nice black boots. They were a lot better at keeping him clean and after another tour around the neighbourhood, everything was great. Unless it was raining, at which he needed to hide.

 

Guess that kind of lines up with the doll being a cat though, so things work out.

 

Charlie’s first mission was to go out and find Hitoshi. He knew he was going to Somei Elementary so after an hour of jumping trains and avoiding being petted by strangers, he made it to the school… only to find out it was a Sunday.

 

- - -

 

Shouta felt like shit. Simple as that.

 

His eyes still stun a bit from having tear gas in them, courtesy of Midoriya or his ‘Problem Child’ as he now calls him in his mind. Not just that but he had a meeting today with Tsukauchi and a few other heroes about the planned raid on the Dragon’s meeting that will be coming soon.

 

Of course it wasn’t the meeting that was the problem, but rather who was showing up.

 

The pro hero wandered his way to a conference room where the first of two meetings on the raid will be held. One today to brief all heroes on the situation and another closer to the date to lay out the plan for the actual takedown. He was the last to arrive because he had lessons to do and as soon as he entered he immediately felt his head ache.

 

It was Endeavor. The flaming pro hero was sitting at the table, his burning beard blazing away as he watched him enter the room, a clear look of disdain coming from the man but not because they knew each other.

 

Shouta’s heard about the pro’s lack of restraint when it came to holding back from incinerating every brick, steel beam and glass window that was in his peripheral when fighting. He’s never had to worry about collateral damage so he can’t exactly argue to him how to do his job but he can say that for a hero he seemed to have a hard time bringing the villains in safely.

 

He had the highest number of hospitalised villains on record than any other hero but with a good PR team, who would stop him?

 

As for the burning man’s dirty look at him, he can hazard a guess it’s to do with him being underground. Endeavor was a proud man so a hero who hid their fame, efforts and even their tactics and quirk was seen as being ‘lesser’. 

 

Shouta would love to fight him, only to erase his quirk and show him who’s really ‘lesser’.

 

Besides him there were a few other heroes in the room. Only one he’s met personally but the others he’s certainly heard of. 

 

Backdraft was there, probably due to the multiple fire quirks both the villains and heroes will be using. Crimson Riot too which he was much better with. He knew the man had a strong sense of chivalry so hopefully he’ll be able to balance out the walking fire hazard. 

 

There was also a kid he recognised from UA. A third year whose hero name was Burnin’. With fiery green hair and a toothy smile the hero in training, probably Endeavor’s from where she’s sitting,was here as well.

 

Finally there was the one hero he recognised, Ingenium, or Tensei Iida. He was a friend of Hizashi’s back in high school who soon became his friend against his will when he kept being chummy around him despite his constant attempts to enjoy lunch alone.

 

Right now though he was thankful he was here because it meant there was someone there who could do all the idle chatter for him and he can focus more on the task at hand. 

 

He took a seat next to Tensei and thankfully not much was said before Tsukauchi came in to start the meeting.

 

“Thank you for all making it.” he started. “I am detective Tsukauchi and I’m the lead investigator into the Dragon’s Roar case.”

 

“Wonderful to meet you, detective!” Tensei exclaimed.

 

Backdraft and Crimson Riot both gave their own greetings and everyone turned to Endeavor and Burnin’.

 

The green haired girl greeted, “Hello, I’m Burnin’! It’s my first ever raid so please teach me well on how to do this right!”

 

Endeavor made no introduction, the pretentious bastard assuming everyone knew who he was already. Thankfully no one pushed that and just got on with it, Tsukauchi explaining the location. The noted ‘business conference’ that happened to align with the invitation date and some of the possible targets.

 

“Obviously not everyone there will be working for the Dragon’s.” the detective explained. “From what we have gathered, the meeting will happen during the evening dinner, the conference merely acting as a cover to root out anyone who might be looking into them.”

 

Crimson Riot spoke up. “Do we know who some of these people will be?”

 

“No.” responded Tsukauchi. “Besides one possible target, we have no way of knowing who in the meeting will be Dragon’s or not, except by their tattoo of course.”

 

“Who is the one identified target?” Endeavor spoke, his voice deep and intimidating on its own.

 

The detective, who had been using a slideshow this whole time to show some pictures of the venue, flicked it over to a picture of Midoriya Hisashi. “We believe this man, Midoriya Hisashi, is one of the Dragon’s and possibly a higher up one too.”

 

“Why has he not been arrested?” Crimson Riot inquired.

 

“That’s because he had gone underground after his identity was discovered. We also know that that name was fabricated so he likely goes by something else now. All that we know for certain is that his quirk is called Dragon’s Breath.” Tsukauchi summarised.

 

“Fitting.” commented Backdraft.

 

“So,” started Burnin’, “we just need to watch for this Midoriya guy and follow him to the meeting place?”

 

“We don’t know if he’ll be there. Just a guess.” Tsukauchi stated.

 

“There’s another problem.” Shouta noted whilst looking at the detective who nodded back.

 

“Yes. Besides the Dragon’s there’ll be another character at the hotel that night.” he explained. 

 

The slideshow changed once more, showing an image taken from when the giant and him fought. It showed Midoriya clearly in the puppet’s arm whilst bashing away Death Arms. He never got a proper look at some of the photos taken that day but this reminded him once more just how tiny the kid was, especially next to the hulking metal that shielded him.

 

He’s always feared all activity from Midoriya would stop because the kid starved or got sick and died. Hitoshi himself said that he admitted to not eating a lot.

 

“This is Midoriya Izuku, the son of Hisashi. If some of you are familiar with this image, it was taken in early August last year when Eraserhead and Death Arms attempted to…” he seemed a bit stumped at the exact wording to say. “...rescue Midoriya.”

 

“I remember that fight…” Backdraft said. “His father killed his mother, right?”

 

Tsukauchi nodded. “Yes. We haven’t been able to locate the young Midoriya due to him interacting with the world solely through his quirk, Puppeteer.”

 

A new slide showed the giant and Midoriya from a different angle where they were fleeing, the two heroes from before chasing after them. Shouta still regretted letting him get away. He will get Midoriya back safe and make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or anyone else before it’s too late.

 

The detective continued to speak more about Midoriya. “We know that he will likely be sending this puppet, named Brutus, to the party to find Hisashi and presumably kill him.”

 

“Will the kid himself be there?” Tensei asked, raising his hand first before speaking.

 

“No.” answered Shouta for him. “Midoriya is a complete recluse. The incident there was the last time anyone has seen him in person. Any other interaction has been through his puppets.”

 

“You sound like you know a lot about him.” Crimson Riot commented.

 

“I’ve been following Midoriya’s case since he first was reported missing two years ago. I’ve been trying to find him ever since.” Shouta clarified.

 

“A child that young, a villain?” Backdraft wondered.

 

“No, he’s just scared. He thinks in danger because of Hisashi and believes the heroes will arrest him because of what he did to a bunch of teachers last year.” he summarised.

 

“I seem to recall it better now.” Backdraft followed. “He was responsible for ‘Fright Night’ was it?”

 

More discussion was had about Midoriya Izuku and his motives and reasons for being there and what his quirk was capable of. Burnin’ being a bit naive, asked whether or not the puppet will really be dangerous if it’s just made out of metal.

 

“The puppets made through his quirk are stronger than the average human.” Shouta clarified.

 

“Yes,” agreed Tsukauchi, “we also believe a puppet called ‘Ana’ will be making an appearance as well.”

 

The slide changed again to show a video taken from the warehouse showing the two puppets in action, dancing around the giant Triggered up rhino and other footage of the giant taking down villains left right and centre with ruthless efficiency.

 

“As you can see, both puppets are dangerous but especially the giant one.” Tsukauchi stated.

 

Backdraft looked at Shouta and made a comment about what he remembered. “I believe you were almost killed by that thing too, seeing as how you fought it.”

 

Shouta only gave a curt nod to that before moving on to something much more important. “It’s important that if you encounter a puppet to not engage on your own. My quirk can stop them from working if the fluids inside them are exposed. We need them in one piece to find any electronics that can be used to trace back to where Midoriya is hiding.”

 

That last comment was made with a side glance to Endeavor. He knew that the man was a walking overkill and needed to make sure it was clear that he was referring to him.

 

The flaming hero just scoffed. “Why should I care about a kid and his toys?”

 

The erasure hero didn’t want to acknowledge that backhanded sentence that implied he was almost killed by a toy . A part of him wants to see what the guy would look like fighting the giant like he had. Actually, now that he’s had that thought, odds are the puppet would melt from the Hellfire quirk.

 

Detective Tsukauchi spoke up before things got more tense. “We need to find Midoriya. We believe he is in bad condition but is scared of showing himself in public.” 

 

Endeavor continued to hold his chin up but said nothing more, seeing that there is nothing more important to be said. 

 

The meeting moved on from that, looking into what the location of the meeting specifics were, the ideal method of attack. This mostly discussed having Shouta and Burnin’ be inside the meeting place due to them both being less known, Shouta being underground and Burnin’ being a student.

 

Everyone else would wait outside once the Dragon members have been identified and move in to arrest with the aid of the police. They still needed to do some monitoring though to make sure that the meeting was still on so that was it for that day.

 

Endeavor left immediately, Burnin’ rushing after. The rest of the heroes left too after saying goodbye except for Tensei who wanted to have a chat with him.

 

“So that Midoriya kid. What are you planning to do when he appears?” he asked.

 

“I’m going to take down his puppets and get their cameras. Simple as that.” he answered.

 

Shouta now knew that Midoriya was someone who couldn’t be convinced easily. The kid had zero trust in anyone but himself and the only way he could get him out of that was to show him through actions that he meant no harm. Of course to do that, he’d need to drag him out of hiding.

 

There’s also making sure that Midoriya never reaches Hisashi, if he does appear. He doesn’t know what he’ll do but he can assume it won’t be pretty. Not only will the kid become a villain but he’ll likely be too far gone. Seeing death from a young age was a lot, but actually killing? That kind of child never grows up well.

 

“By the way, for the dinner, is it alright if I bring Tenya along?” the engine hero asked.

 

“Sure.” Shouta says succinctly. 

 

‘Already got Hizashi, Nemuri and you in a room together, what’s one more headache?’ he sarcastically thought.

 

- - -

 

Today was a very difficult day for Hitoshi. Due to a problem with the cafeteria, he and Momo have been forced outside to have their lunch. Whilst his friend didn’t seem to mind the change of scenery much, the sun was far too bright and he’d rather be inside with the wonderful AC giving the comfort no one else in this world can.

 

Thankfully, Momo knew a small place in the shade under a tree they could sit near. It was under the cover of foliage, quiet enough and away from most of the other kids that they could watch videos on his phone without worrying about being interrupted.

 

His friendship with the black haired girl had gotten on quite well. He still hasn’t asked about what she thought of his Brainwashing quirk but seeing as how when he said it out again when he talked about his past, she seemed to not care somehow. Then again, she seemed a bit sheltered from some of the things she had said. 

 

It was still a surprise. When he was told he was going to a private school, he expected snobbish elites and while yes Momo was an elite she was definitely not snobbish. Even though every now and then she makes an accidental brag when she mentions her butler making her lunch or talking about how she’s going on holiday to Greece in the summer, saying it’s her first time flying in a commercial plane, in first class.

 

He knows they were accidental and the girl was just ever so slightly unfamiliar with the world due to her upbringing but, whilst it was a bit jarring at first, it slowly became a bit funny. It’s hard to get mad at her when she’s so excited.

 

Which was a lot different from how she was in class. One moment she was this bright and bouncy girl with a regal smile on her face, the next she was this cold, determined looking young lady who looked like she would only talk to you if she was forced to.

 

Right now though, he wanted to ask the girl a question. “Momo, how much do you know about Iida?”

 

“Why do you ask?” the girl questioned, looking up at him from some homework she was doing.

 

“My d- foster parents are planning to have dinner with a few people. They’re friends with Iida’s brother and they’re bringing him along.” he explained.

 

She closed her book to be mannerful and answered him. “I do not know much about what his personal likes and dislikes are but I know he admires his brother a lot and also wants to become a hero.”

 

Hitoshi could see that. He certainly had a stick up his ass when it comes to even a small violation of school rules so of course a guy like him wanted to be a hero. Doubly so because of his brother.

 

Momo continued. “I also know he doesn’t actually talk to a lot with people when they aren’t misbehaving. I think it’s because he doesn’t really have a filter when it comes to voicing anything he doesn’t like or ‘approve of’.”

 

‘Those weird robotic movements of his are probably another thing that weirds out people.’ Hitoshi thought.

 

The boy knew he couldn’t talk much. His quirk made him ‘weird’. Of course not in the same category as Iida but he can get him not having a lot of friends that aren’t also like him. He’s not saying he’d want to be his friend because of that, Momo was enough for him to not feel completely alone at school.

 

But with this dinner party coming up he’d rather be somewhat prepared for the three new faces he’s going to be talking to. God, he really should’ve said no to Shouta. Maybe he could just say hello for a few minutes and then sneak back to his room and stay there the rest of the dinner.

 

“Hitoshi…” Momo uttered, a little low.

 

The purple haired kid rose an eyebrow and noticed she wasn’t looking at him but past him. The boy turned and there he saw something that startled him a little but kept calm.

 

It was a cat.

 

A black one with one eye. He couldn’t tell if the other was scarred or not but the small black shadow had a singular piercing green eye that looked almost unreal. It was small but looked like an adult. Hitoshi was of course familiar with cats, Dot and Pepper living in his home and maybe because of that he felt something was… off with this cat.

 

He heard and saw a few sparkles come from Momo’s wrist as she created a small cat toy that she held towards the animal. It was a few feet away, hiding in the shade too and watching them intently if the fact it hadn't blinked wasn’t unnoticed.

 

It didn’t seem to care about the toy and merely stared at Hitoshi and then to Momo before turning tail and running, vanishing over a wall fence.

 

“That’s unfortunate.” Momo glumly said, retracting the cat toy. 

 

“Yeah.” Hitoshi agreed, still looking at where the cat went.

 

“I’ve never petted a cat before so I was hoping today would be the day.” she stated.

 

“Cats get scared if you stare them down. He was probably looking at our food.” he guessed, looking down at his bento box.

 

“How do you know the cat was male?” she asked, a little curious.

 

He didn’t know why. “Just a feeling.”

Notes:

Next Chapter Name:

Family of Three

Chapter 28: Family of Three

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you are all enjoying summer before it reaches its end. It's been hot in the UK recently and I have been dying because of it.

There'll be a chapter this Sunday and a surprise along with it...

Love you all and have a nice day! <3

Hitoshi was getting quite nervous the closer it got to the time for the dinner. He was a mix of excited and weary at meeting new people because according to Hizashi they were all heroes (bar Iida Tenya). 

 

But that was only the first thing in the forefront of his mind, the second was what he found about that invitation, the one he caught a glimpse of when Izuku broke into the house. The place on it was a hotel where a business conference was going to be but Hitoshi was smart enough to guess that it might be some kind of cover.

 

He needed to be there to see Izuku. He knows it’ll be through his dolls but even just one chat or conversation was all he needed to maybe convince that at the very least he was his friend. He didn’t know how he was going to do that, getting to the hotel he means but he had a few ideas on how to sneak out.

 

Shouta’s going to be training him on stealth between now and the meeting which is fantastic because he can use that to get out. He knows he’ll never be able to slip past him because of his constant vigilance but Hizashi was a different story. Without his hearing aids, it was much easier to sneak up on him if the yelps he makes when surprised by Pepper was any hint.

 

He also needed to be ready for whatever was going to happen there. He knew Izuku was going in for a fight. He had to, this was the Dragon’s Roar and from what he gathered he was waging a war with them. Not just that but there was a chance that his dad was going to be there or maybe definitely.

 

He still didn’t know what he was going to do with him. He never thought Izuku could be violent or mean, after all when he saw him and heard his voice he seemed like an angel but then again, that little angel of a friend was taking down factories of villains with ease.

 

There were a lot of unknowns but that didn’t matter right now.

 

“Hey, Toshi!” Hizashi called, “Can you help me with this sauce?”

 

The boy headed on into the kitchen where his… father was cooking. He hadn’t said words like ‘dad’ or ‘papa’ again since he did to Shouta a while back and he didn’t seem to hate it. He tried to say it again but everytime he did he got a twinge that he was still crossing a line even when he saw on Shouta’s face he didn’t mind.

 

That’s why he has an objective during this dinner. Be more ready to call him his dads. First though he needed to understand something.

 

After chopping onions for the better part of five minutes next to the whistling blond, Hitoshi spoke up. “Should I call you both dad?”

 

Immediately the whistling stopped, and Hitoshi regretted it a little just as fast. Hizashi had locked up in thought, before continuing with the sauce on his end and answering his question.

 

“You can call us whatever you want, ‘Toshi,” he uttered. Seemingly unphased now by what was asked.

 

(Of course inside Hizashi was screaming in delight inside at his kid finally opening up to them being their parents. He didn’t want to scare him though so he kept it relaxed.)

 

“Ok p-papa.” he muttered and the blond stopped again as he fought back the cheer in his voice as it would probably shatter the windows.

 

After the food was made, a nice western dish called a pasta bake, they set it in the oven to cook as Hizashi went to see if Shouta was awake yet. Sure enough the man was still in bed, sleeping off the last week of teaching during the day and pro heroing at night.

 

Hizashi gently nudged the other hero awake and after a small fight to actually wake up and not another five more minutes, Shouta got ready. And by ready it was throwing on a loose plain black shirt and a pair of jeans. Of course his capture scarf was on like every outfit he wore that wasn’t formal.

 

The blond was brushing his hair for him when a ringing at the door heralded their first guest, Hizashi springing up to go get it with energy both insomniac’s were always befuddled by and opened the door. 

 

“Nemuri!” greeted Hizashi. “Thanks for making it!”

 

“Thanks for the invitation!” the dark purple haired woman cheered back, taking a step in to hug whilst carrying what seemed to be a tupperware filled with her own food to offer. “I brought some pork curry for the dinner.”

 

“Sounds delicious! Come on in! We’re making a pasta bake.” Hizashi clamored back, letting the woman in before closing the door behind her.

 

The woman, Nemuri, had her hair tied up in a pony tail and had a pair of thin rimmed glasses on. The way she strutted around the room was filled with confidence and frankly that scared Hitoshi a little as she caught sight of him watching from the kitchen.

 

“Hey there kid! Nice to finally meet you after how much Hizashi talks about you.” she said, the purple haired boy a bit shocked by what he said.

 

“H-hopefully they were all good things?” he tried to say confidently back but his slight shake gave away he was feeling intimidated by how loud she was being.

 

He’s only just gotten used to Hizashi’s extroversion not too long ago so having to deal with another one, especially one who seemed a lot more careless in how others see her, was going to take some adjustment. Thankfully, she got the hint and lowered her voice a bit more and adopted a more nurturing tone in her voice.

 

“Yeah, the only problem is he won’t stop gushing about every little thing you do.” she answered, much more tame.

 

Hizashi just squawked at that and mused, “How could I not? ‘Toshi’s such a good kid, how can I not be proud?”

 

Alright now that was more surprising. He expected him to maybe say she was blowing things out of proportion or exaggerating but does Hizashi seriously talk about him a lot? He’s never had that before with any of his foster parents previously. They normally deny him being there to anyone except case workers.

 

Both him and Shouta have shown him nothing but support and honestly a part of it was tiring. Not because he didn’t like it, he loved it, but the problem was he was never sure if the penny would drop and all of the sudden he was onto another home. But maybe, just maybe they really do like him.

 

Maybe this dinner will give him a lot more on that.

 

The purple haired woman smirked at Hizashi’s response but something seemed to hit her and she turned back to Hitoshi. “Sorry, I should've introduced myself first. I’m Kayama Nemuri, but you can call me Auntie Nemuri if you’d like.”

 

“Uh, sure Nemuri. I’m Shinsou Hitoshi.” he responded, not feeling comfortable calling a stranger that when he’s barely getting used to the idea of calling Shouta and Hizashi his parents.

 

She didn’t seem to mind though and immediately went on to talk about something else. “By the way Shinsou, Hizashi told me you want to be a hero one day?”

 

“Yeah.” he answered, a little bit of excitement in his eyes.

 

“Great to hear! Your quirk is a powerful one and will definitely make you a great hero.” she cheered and the slight fear Hitoshi had about her thoughts on his quirk were gone.

 

The blond got excited too and agreed with her. “Totally! Toshi’s going to be a great hero when he grows up!”

 

“Can you both calm down?” Shouta ordered as he came into the living room from his office. “I might kick you both out if you continue to scream.”

 

“Shouta!” Nemuri called at which the man groaned, “How have you and Hizashi not adopted this little mini-you yet? He almost looks just like you.”

 

“We look nothing alike.” the man rebuttal. 

 

“I beg to differ, he has your eyebags.” she mused, a wider smirk growing on her face.

 

The man just let out a sigh, opting to go to a sofa and crash on it, Dot hopping onto him and lying there. Meanwhile, Htioshi was freaking out slightly inside at all of this. The mention of ‘adoption’ setting things off in his mind.

 

Would he like to be adopted? Yes he would. It meant he wouldn’t have to worry about being sent away. Especially from Hizashi and Shouta. Both have been the best foster parents he’s had, period. But would they really do that? Adopt him? The black haired man never answered Nemuri’s question so did he not want to adopt him?

 

He scanned Hizashi’s face and he didn’t seem to have been put off by that idea so maybe at least he wanted him.

 

Before he could finish the rest of his thoughts or ask questions, the door rang again and behind it was a tall young man with short blue hair. He had exhaust pipes sticking out of his elbows and next to him was clearly Tenya Iida.

 

“Great of you to make it Tensei!” Hizashi shouted and Hitoshi was sure he heard Shouta whine into the sofa pillow.

 

“Great to be here Hizashi!” the now third extrovert in this apartment replied back.

 

He entered in with some food too and handed it off to Nemuri after greeting her, taking it to the dining table whilst both of the Iida brothers took off their shoes to enter. The young Iida looked at Hitoshi and his expression was that of being very unsure. Maybe the brainwasher might see that as fear but he’s hoping the other boy would prove him wrong.

 

“Hey there, you must be Shinsou right?” the older Iida asked him. He had gotten down a little to be on his level.

 

“Uh, yeah.” Hitoshi answered, slightly more relaxed after meeting Nemuri.

 

“Cool,” he motioned the smaller Iida over and stood up as he placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Tenya, this is the kid I was talking about.”

 

The glasses boy, Tenya he’d call him now for sake of avoiding confusion, did a short bow. “Hello Shinsou, I had no idea that you were the friend’s son my big brother was talking about.”

 

The bow he made was very stiff, not helping with the robot rumors he’s heard some kids chat about when he was looking for stuff on Iida. 

 

“I didn’t realise. I was told you were coming.” Hitoshi responded.

 

“Oh, are you in the same class?” Tensei asked.

 

“Yes! Shinsou has been a very calm student. Whilst I can’t say anything for his grades yet he has shown himself to be very mannered.” the boy recited.

 

‘What makes him think I’m well-mannered? Is it because I’m quiet? I can see that.’ Hitoshi thought.

 

“We don’t really talk to each other in class.” the purple haired kid said. “I normally keep to myself.”

 

Tensei expression of being gleeful didn’t fade at all. “Well, maybe you two can learn a bit about each other during this dinner, huh?”

 

Hitoshi wasn’t really sure. Their personalities don’t really mesh at all. Momo was quiet and liked talking about cats, two of the three things he loved most (the third being coffee he’s not allowed). Tenya seemed to be the opposite. Not on the cat part but on the quiet. Maybe that’s just his first impressions talking.

 

Now that introductions were out of the way, the six of them set up around the dinner table. The three dishes everyone brought were set out and they all tucked in, mostly staying quiet with only little chats between the adults until the food was done. 

 

“That was wonderful, Hizashi.” Tensei started. “I loved the sauce!”

 

“Why do you think only he did it?” Shouta stated.

 

The blond chuckled a little. “Maybe because your entire culinary expertise is in jelly pouches and making coffee?”

 

“What else do you need in life?” he argued.

 

“A balanced diet? A proper sleep schedule? A hairbrush?” Hizashi listed off.

 

“All illogical.” he simply rebuttal.

 

The married couple continued to argue goodnaturedly over Shouta’s lifestyle choices when Nemuri turned to Hitoshi and asked him a question. “So Shinsou, do you want to learn how we met Shouta?”

 

There was a slight mischievous gleam in her eye as she said that and the two arguing immediately stopped, Shouta especially. “Nemuri no.”

 

“It was during the Sports Festival at UA…” she began to recite, dramatically waving her hands through the air.

 

She earned an immediate quirked glare from the man and although there was a slight shiver through the purple haired woman, she pressed on. “...Me, Tensei and Hizashi were already in the heroes course when a kid from Gen Ed blazed through the festival to first place…”

 

“Nemuri stop it.” Shouta warned.

 

“When we were all in our locker rooms in the stadium, it was Hizashi who got to the final when this guy walked in and stared him down.” she continued, jabbing a thumb at Shouta. “When we asked what he was doing he said, with a straight face…”

 

Shouta looked ready to jump out at her but was locked down by Hizashi, gripping his arm under the table, smiling menacingly. 

 

Nemuri recited the next line in an impersonation of the black haired man. “‘Just because you’re pretty, doesn’t mean I won’t go easy on you.’”

 

Tensei was letting out a little laugh at that but Nemuri wasn’t finished. “And then before anyone could say anything he turned red and ran out. No explanation. Bizarrest thing that happened that day. No reason why he did that. He didn’t even shi- bad talk me before my fight.”

 

The blue haired man continued it from there. “From then on, he won the Sports Festival, transferred to our class and every time we chatted, we’d always use that to break Shouta out of his steel wall of stoicism.”

 

“And I hate all three of you for it.” Shouta added, now just resigned to his fate because if one story has been told, sure enough there will be others.

 

What came out were many stories about their time in UA and other instances of something ridiculous happening to do with Shouta, including but not limited to him breaking a leg because he slipped from a lamppost he was dared to climb, the many times he got trapped in his own capture weapon during training and that one incident where he destroyed an expensive piece of equipment because he fell asleep on it, earning detention for a week.

 

That and other stories, reminded Hitoshi that heroes aren’t invincible and that his foster dad, albeit seemed to always be confident in everything he does, isn’t.

 

It makes him feel just a bit more closer to him. Hizashi too when Tensei told a story of a time he accidentally ruined an ice sculpture competition during an internship by using his quirk during it.

 

Tensei even showed some pictures of when they were younger. A clean shaven Shouta with barely any eye bags was something he’d never thought he’d see. Hizashi looked the same, besides the shorter hair, which was funny but what he noticed was that in most photos there was a guy with cloud-like baby blue hair.

 

He almost wanted to ask who that was but just assumed that if they weren’t talking about him or him not being here there was probably a reason.

 

That thought quickly went away when he saw Shouta in a pencil costume for a party. His head being where the eraser should be.

 

“I-is that where he got his name?” Hitoshi asked, slightly amused.

 

Nemuri smirked. “No, he had it before then. He got the actual name from us.”

 

“I didn’t care about a hero name. I already knew I was going underground.” the man clarified.

 

“So you like it?” Hizashi questioned, a face like he knew the answer already.

 

“No.”

 

Once the food was done, the adults decided to talk in the living room, leaving Hitoshi and Tenya to themselves. The two of them, with Tensei’s insistence, headed to his room to presumably chat.

 

Hitoshi’s room was upstairs and to the left. It was a big room. Certainly big enough to have two beds but that wasn’t what was in there. On Hizashi’s insistence, the walls were painted his favourite colour, purple. Call it obvious from his hair but he liked it anyway.

 

Besides that it was very plain in terms of furniture. There was a dresser, a desk, a shelf and the bed itself. The two decided to sit on the two different seats that were there, Iida on the desk chair and Hitoshi on his bed.

 

It was quiet for a short while, both probably unsure what to talk about with each other before Tenya decided to speak first, being a lot more social than him. 

 

“Shinsou, do you want to be a hero when you grow up?” he asked.

 

“Uh, yeah. I want to be an underground one like Shouta.” he answered.

 

There was a bit of excitement in his eyes as he agreed. “I do too! I want to be just like my older brother.”

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I recognise him. What hero is he again?” Hitoshi questioned.

 

“That’s understandable, his costume hides his face. He’s Ingenium.” he replied, the name of the hero filled with pride as he spoke it.

 

Hitoshi didn’t know a lot of heroes, at least compared to Izuku. He didn’t really have the internet and he couldn’t watch TV when he was with his previous fosters. Now though he had a lot more access to the outside world and one of those heroes he’s seen in the news was Ingenium.

 

The reveal gave him a slight bit of a shock at first. He knew he was a well known hero due to him always prioritising the rescue over attacking villains like some other heroes do. So he was slightly awestruck at first, Hizashi was a famous hero too but he had more celebrity fame than hero fame due to how his quirk was best used in big fights than alleyway crimes.

 

“Do you have his quirk too?” he wondered.

 

“Not on my arms but on my legs!” the blue haired boy stated, motioning to the small pipes on the back of his leg. 

 

Tenya always seemed to wear shorts, probably for these exhausts but Hitoshi has never really noticed them due to them being small. According to the glasses boy, they’ll get much bigger as he gets older, right now though he had a hard time controlling them or rather controlling himself during movement.

 

“I hope to become a hero one day, despite what everyone has said about me.” Hitoshi hoped, Tenya's eyes easing a little.

 

“My brother told me that it is never the quirk that makes you but how you use it. I think you will become a very admirable hero in the future, Shinsou.” the boy promised.

 

“T-thanks.” Hitoshi said, the words hitting him hard but keeping a deadpan facade like his foster dad does.

 

“By the way, if I may ask Shinsou…” Tenya started. “Why is it that you call your father by his first name?”

 

“Well, I’m still getting used to being here,” he said. He only just realised after, byTenya's face, that he doesn’t know that he’s being fostered by Shouta and Hizashi.

 

Seeing that he was quick to clarify. “I’m being fostered. My parents gave me up after I manifested my quirk. I was moved around a lot too. Shouta and Hizashi are the first two adults who’ve actually wanted me to stay with them.”

 

“That’s sad to hear.” Tenya said, then panicked a little. “The fostering, not your foster parents taking you in.”

 

“Don’t pity me, things are better now.” Hitoshi stated, still smiling anyway at the sympathy.

 

“Do they plan on adopting you?” the glasses boy asked.

 

“I- I don’t know.” 

 

“Well, I can’t understand people much but I can see that they like you.” Tenya assumed and how much he hoped for it to be true.

 

“Thanks, Iida.” he said with a slight smile.

 

The two kept up the chatting. It wasn’t major talk though things did pick up a lot when they discussed what their training is. Tenya was still working a lot on controlling his movement when his engines were active, apparently it was as easy as having them on as he ran. He also needed to consider what direction his legs were pointing. According to the boy, the first time he used his quirk fully, he crashed into a tree.

 

Maybe that was why he had stilted movements. He must’ve practiced a lot keeping his body rigid so that his engines don’t point in opposite directions and he’s forced to do a painful split. Doesn’t explain the arm gestures though.

 

The only thing he noticed though during the conversation was how most of what Tenya talked about was his quirk whilst he had no plan to train his. He hasn’t used his quirk again since forever. The last time he had used it was all the way back during the first time it manifested.

 

What would be the reason he would even practice it though? 

 

‘...it is never the quirk that makes you but how you use it.’ Tenya’s earlier words echoed in his mind.

 

He could’ve used it with Izuku. He even asked him a question, his name, when he first saw him in person. He could’ve taken control and maybe he’d be here right now and not out there. Maybe it would be a good idea to try out his quirk and train it, if only to control it. The problem was he had no idea how to ask that or how’d they even do that.

 

But maybe that wasn’t the problem. Maybe it’s him wanting to trust Shouta and Hizashi. He does, he really wants to stay with them.

 

He should ask. Find out once and for all if he is staying.

 

- - - 

 

“So what are your plans for him?” questioned Tensei, sitting across from the married couple on the sofa. 

 

Tensei was resting on the armchair whilst Nemuri had one of the dining room chairs be her seat. They had been talking about things that happened recently at first before the topic obviously jumped to Hitoshi and what their future was.

 

“Well I know I want to keep him.” Hizashi stated.

 

He’s wanted to since he first learned everything about him. Yeah maybe he’s a bit too young to be having kids but he wasn’t going to use that as an excuse to leave a child in the foster system like he almost was. 

 

But he didn’t know what Shouta wanted. He’d hoped that over these last few months he’s seen what he’s seen in Hitoshi and, well, it certainly seemed he had if that look in his eye that only he recognised as him being happy came through.

 

“I don’t want to do it unless the kid wants to first.” Shouta said.

 

Shouta had gotten more used to the idea of being a father. He was still scared of messing things up and there was a lot of apprehension but he felt hopeful. Hizashi was really right about him liking him. The kid was determined and passionate even when it didn’t show on his face.

 

He wanted to teach him everything he knows and will come to know as he becomes more of a veteran hero. 

 

It was just that fear of messing him up that’s holding back. Maybe that’s why he wants Hitoshi to come to him first and ask for it and not him. He wanted to know that the kid really wanted to be there with them and that he was doing something right. Hizashi always assured him when he had these doubts but they were still there.

 

Tensei looked at the man and his face went into thought for a moment before talking. “You know, he might not come out with it. I’ve seen kids rather let themselves suffer instead of burdening anyone because they’re afraid of the consequences.”

 

“I know,” started Shouta, “and Hitoshi is certainly one of them.”

 

“He asked what he wanted to call us.” Hizashi said, referring to before Nemuri arrived.

 

“He did?” asked Nemuri.

 

“Yeah, asked if he should call both of us ‘dad’. I said he could call us whatever he wanted.” Hizashi recalled.

 

“See!” Nemuri exclaimed. “He does want more. So what’s holding the two of you back?”

 

Hizashi looked immediately to Shouta, knowing fully the answer lies with him. The erasure hero just sighed for a moment before voicing his worries.

 

“I’m just afraid of messing him up. His quirk has much worse rap than mine and I know he's going to get shit on it probably his whole life. It won’t always be but it’ll happen. The three of you know I didn’t exactly channel those frustrations healthily.”

 

He referred to middle school, where he was suspended for getting into fights often. Because of which he couldn’t enter UA’s hero course right off the bat and had to make a deal with Nedzu to win the Sports Festival to be let in.

 

“That’s why I know the two of you can do better.” Tensei said.

 

“I don’t know. There’s so much that can go wrong with raising a kid. Not just that but me and Zashi both lead busy lives. I’m afraid of him being neglected like my dad did to me.”

 

“Shouta,” Nemuri said firmly. “The fact you are even asking this question is proof you do know what you’re doing.”

 

“It doesn’t stop it from being possible,” he replied.

 

“Sho’...” finally said Hizashi, “I know it’s going to be much but I know we can do this. It may be a bit hard at first but I’m sure we can work through it. I know you’ll be an amazing dad because you're an amazing hero, friend and husband.” the last part with a slight blush.

 

“...Fine. Let’s ask him.” he said.

 

- - -

 

As the dinner party ended, both the Iida’s and Nemuri left after saying goodbye. The three members of the household just sat in the living room, thinking things about themselves and their situation. Hitoshi looked across from the armchair to Shouta and Shouta was looking back towards him.

 

There was a moment of quiet, Hizashi looking between the two. Nothing had to be said that they were going to talk about something big.

 

“Shouta…” Hitoshi uttered.

 

“Hitoshi…” Shouta said.

 

“Do you want to stay here?” / “Am I staying here?”

 

Both insomniac’s shut up, their questions and tones making it clear what their answers are to each of their own questions. They stared at each other, stunned by them having the same thoughts before the laughter of their blond friend broke their shocked states.

 

“You really are meant to be father and son!” he laughed. He kept going before calming down to let them continue their conversation.

 

“You really want to adopt me?” Hitoshi asked sheepishly.

 

“Only if you want to kid.” Shouta answered.

 

“A-and not because you have t-to?” he questioned, voice getting a bit strangled.

 

“Because we want to. We want to make you our kid, Hitoshi.” Shouta stated.

 

The purple haired boy broke down in restrained tears as Hizashi rushed to hug him, motioning Shouta over too as the two embraced Hitoshi who cried into both of their shoulders.

 

- - -

 

He never thought it was possible. That there really would be someone who’d want him. 

 

- - -

 

He didn’t think he could do it. But the kid said he wanted to and how could he not try?

 

- - -

 

He always knew it was meant to be. Now he was going to be the best he could be.

 

- - -

 

And with that, the family of three was realized.

Notes:

Next Chapter Title:

Smoke

Chapter 29: Smoke

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're having a great day today because today's my birthday!

You know what that means? Two chapters!

Hope you enjoy them! <3

Izuku was scribbling away in a notebook he had gotten, which was filled with all the different heroes, fighting styles and information he had on villains, mostly the Dragons. 

 

There was very little known about any big players but there was a lot in terms of the little guys. It’s good to know and research just in case he’d ever stumble into them at the party. The hero information was also important. He knew there was definitely going to be a raid on the hotel and he’d managed to find out, after probing the police database, that there were going to be some big names there.

 

Ingenium, Backdraft, Eraserhead (obviously), Crimson Riot and arguably the most important one, Endeavor. 

 

Izuku is not confident against Endeavor. He was prepared for heat obviously, he was going up against Hisashi, but heat on his level was too much. If he wanted to stand a chance at, not fighting but avoiding him, he needed something important. 

 

He needed intel.

 

Maybe because it’s been noticed, but a lot of files, especially on the Dragon’s have been more and more restricted. Obviously they’re defending against moles but he’s also noticed that there hasn’t been anything digital uploaded.

 

Everything else for other new cases were fine so it can’t be a new system so they had to be doing this for him. Probably. The only reason he knew of the meeting was because he had been watching out for it, using the cameras to see who went in and out of the conference rooms.

 

He knew Eraserhead and Tsukauchi were involved with this, so all he had to do was wait for them to rally with a bunch of heroes and that was all it took to find out who were going to be at the raid. Of course he didn’t know what was happening in them but he could guess it was about how to raid the hotel.

 

So he needed that information, knowing where every hero and officer was stationed would be invaluable as well as any extra intel on the Dragons he might not have. The best way to get it is to either break into the police station and plant a bug (impossible) or break into another pro hero's home and raid their office.

 

He can’t do Eraserhead again, obviously. Backdraft is primarily a rescue hero so he won’t have those details he needed and instead will be more about where he specifically needed to be. Ingenium’s agency is built like a fortress and according to what he’s found, practically everything for their cases was there. Crimson Riot’s home address was something he couldn’t get a hold of so that left him with only one option.

 

Endeavor’s home was well known. Unlike All-Might above him or even Best Jeanist below him, Endeavor was extremely well known, at least in terms of information. His name, age, home address, all of that was public and free to look at.

 

It’s his defenses around his home and the stupidity of breaking into the Number Two’s house being the reason why no one has tried to even get in, at least to his knowledge. That’s going to change today because, using Charlie, he’s going to break into a pro hero’s home. Again.

 

Done with his notebook, marking out an entry point in the house he found earlier through scouting, he slapped a little pouch onto the wooly black cat. It had a few things, bugs, spy cameras and of course a small explosive meant to destroy him and the camera in case he gets caught.

 

‘You are going to do great!’ Izuku sang in his mind as he squished the cheeks of the plush.

 

So far the cat had been useful getting into places the other two dolls couldn’t. Somei Elementary School, for example. He’d seen Hitoshi there for the first time, sitting next to a girl called Yaoyorozu that he spent all night looking up to for some reason he can’t explain.

 

He was happy the boy was making friends and though there was a part that didn’t like him (he still betrayed him), he was glad he had… started to move on from Izuku. After all, it wasn’t as if they could be friends again, not after all of that and what was going on in both of their lives.

 

That didn’t mean he wasn’t any better, watching how he was being forgotten and replaced.

 

Sending Charlie on his way, the greenette piloted the little guy all the way to the Todoroki’s residence. He knew by the time he arrived, the hero should be out working. The problem was that he wasn’t the only one who lived in that house.

 

Izuku knew there was a daughter and two sons aged fourteen, eleven and seven respectively. From what he could tell, they never left the house besides the daughter who left for maybe two hours maximum before returning home with groceries and that was at least once a week.

 

This was going to be difficult even without the pro hero there so there’s a decent chance he’ll have to say goodbye to Charlie. Then again if there’s a chance, he might be able to fight off a couple people using the cat. Despite it being made that way, the black feline was still a doll and could easily stand upright and swing its paws like fists if needed.

 

Of course those ‘fists’ are made of wool but he had the rubber cat boots on so they’ll pack a little punch. 

 

Charlie made his way to the house, hopping trains to get to where he needed to go. Being a cat meant he was rarely bothered because no one wanted a scratch but that didn’t stop some people from reaching out to try and pet his plush.

 

Normally in those instances he just has the cat run away and if that doesn’t work, punching them lightly with the rubber boots normally startled them enough to give him a chance to run. It was honestly funny seeing the reactions when the cat they’ve been looking to pet befriend suddenly spins around and punches their shin.

 

After a few stops, Charlie arrived outside of the Todoroki household and it was always impressive to see. There weren't many traditional Japanese homes like this in Tokyo. Most of them tended to be destroyed either through villain attacks or just degradation over time leading to them being unmaintainable compared to more modern buildings.

 

Izuku himself never really thought about them, he was more into the gothic architecture of France or old London but that’s probably because he’s had more opportunity seeing them due to most dolls and puppets drawing inspiration from there. Either way it was a sight.

 

Using a route he scouted out a few days earlier, Charlie hopped onto a fire hydrant outside for leverage before getting over the walls of the estate. After, with the shadow of the house helping him hide better during the day, the cat rushed to a window he noticed was open quite often. It seemed to be the kitchen but there was no one inside so the feline jumped in and began to search around the household. 

 

There were some noises elsewhere, the sound of a TV he thinks, which meant there were likely people there so the cat made their way upstairs. He didn’t know if the office was upstairs but odds are it was. 

 

Moving across the sparkling clean wooden floor, Charlie began to carefully open sliding panel doors to peek in and hopefully find anything that could be an office. After a few checks and almost being caught by a boy with white hair, he had found what he hoped would be the office.

 

Sneaking inside and closing the door, the cat ran around checking cabinets and pages and taking pictures of everything. It’s good to have information in general and not just about what he wanted to do. After all, if it's safe enough, he could sell it to Giran for some easy money.

 

Going through most of them, he had found what he had been looking for. An almost finished plan for the raid on the hotel. It seemed that Eraserhead and a hero-in-training called Burnin’ were going to be the advance party and attend the conference as guests to search for all of the potential targets.

 

It was an interesting plan. Admittedly, Izuku’s was to have Ana and Brutus watch outside the hotel along with the traffic cameras to spot Hisashi but maybe if he had Ana dress up, she could get in and find him faster.

 

The other heroes would be on standby with the police in the hotel in rooms they have already booked ahead of time under fake names. Of course there were also reinforcements outside that he needed to be mindful of.

 

Mindful of for the sake of getting Ana and Brutus out of there once the fighting is done. He didn’t want to lose the dolls as he had become very attached to both of them, especially Ana being his first proper one.

 

Eraserhead certainly made things hard which was why he might need to ask for some help, at least with getting away. Izuku didn’t know how to drive a car so hiring someone to stand by who could would be great. 

 

Then he saw his name pop up in the file and he became very curious to see what they had on him. Sure enough it had a lot. Hisashi, Mama, himself. All of his movements before he disappeared and the dangers his dolls can pose.

 

There was one alarming detail though. A note made by both the lead detective, Tsukauchi Naomasa and Aizawa Shouta (who he knew was Eraserhead). It said to disable the dolls instead of destroying them in order to look through and possibly find something to trace his location with.

 

Izuku didn’t know if he could really do that but then again, there were a lot of quirks in this world. 

 

He still didn’t know though why the heroes, or rather Eraserhead specifically, wanted the boy to turn himself in. Obviously because he’s committing crimes but it’s not as if he can’t handle himself. Maybe he’s a bit thin and weak but his quirk has that handled.

 

With all the information he needed, Charlie walked over to the door to leave after making sure the office was how he left it. Opening it up the cat walked out, Izuku’s mind still sitting on the possible ways he could destroy any way to trace his location through quirks. He’d have to look up if there was any such person and how to counter it.

 

For now though, he just needed to get… out…

 

Izuku froze as he stared through the camera to see a bi-color haired boy with heterochromia staring down at him. Directly into the camera with an expression of complete muted shock.

 

It was at that moment as well that Izuku remembered that Charlie was still standing upright like a human.

 

- - -

 

Shouto wasn’t having a good day right now. He was expecting his father to be out all day but he was supposedly going to come back early in order to train him some more due to the man getting an injury that will leave him out of commission for the night. 

 

He did not like his father. In fact a major part of him despised the man. And a part of that hate comes not from his harsh training methods, restricting him indoors and making it so that he could never really develop any social skills (though all of that didn’t help). The other was how his mother was treated and what he had done to her.

 

He’s gotten used to his reflection and can only just barely look at himself long enough to not recoil at the burn across the left side of his face. For a while, he thought about covering it up, but when his father agreed he immediately decided not too. Of course this upset his father but realistically what could he do? 

 

Shouto was going to leave this house eventually. He was going to go out in the world and live the dream thrusted upon him before he was even born. The demon can't always hang around him, making sure he doesn't reveal his scarred face. Not to mention, his father despised those who hid behind masks, seeing them as not being fully committed to heroism.

 

Of course this was always despite the fact that many quirks work better with air filters or shades in case it’s something to do with light. Then again, barely anyone was on his radar besides the ones that either are under his ‘rule’ or above him (that being only All Might).

 

He’s just arrived. Barking out a roar in his name as the boy rushed downstairs to greet his father at the door. 

 

“Shouto,” he began, voice deep and authoritative, “have you completed your daily training?”

 

“Yes, father,” he replied instantly.

 

“Good. We will continue before dinner but first…”

 

He handed the boy a folder. It was probably a case file that he’ll need to pass up to his office. 

 

The flaming hero walked past him. “Take that upstairs and set it on my desk. Then immediately go to the training hall.”

 

“Yes, father.”

 

And so Shouto went upstairs, of course moving as slow as he could. It’s a childish thing but anything to even delay the viscous ‘training’ he’s going to be receiving is a welcome one. He passed by Natsuo, who just gave him a mournful look.

 

His brother also despised their father, seeing him as the reason their family was broken. They rarely talk though, if ever. Not just him but Fuyumi too mostly because Shouto barely has any free time to himself, perhaps on purpose.

 

It always felt like his father tolerated Natsuo being here. Sure Fuyumi also was one of his ‘failures’ but she was always… supportive. Maybe because she was scared or maybe because she has hope that he’ll change. Either way, unlike his brother, he wasn’t on good terms with her. 

 

Not good doesn’t mean bad though. She helps him after he gets hurt, or pushed beyond his limits but that just makes her faith in father seem all the more frustrating.

 

Shouto turned down some hallways towards the home office of Endeavor, his mind still dreading the thought of training and wondering. He’s been inside a few times so he wasn’t expecting anything when he came across a mind bogglingly sight standing outside of the office door.

 

A black cat on its hind legs, walking around like a human. 

 

It had a singular green eye that looked almost like a marble in this light. It’s other eye, or maybe where one should be, was black and almost… glossy? What was also quite weird was that the cat seemed to wear boots, had a pouch and had just clearly opened the door to the office in a way a cat shouldn’t be able to.

 

The two of them just stared at each other. One at the surprise of someone being there and the other at the fact there is a cat inside his house.

 

“W-what?” Shouto eventually sputtered out.

 

The feline didn’t blink and just got down on all fours like a normal cat, meowed in a weirdly robotic way and just turned around and ran.

 

Shouto thought to chase but…

 

“Shouto!” his father yelled from somewhere in the house. 

 

- - -

 

Charlie ran for an exit but the thing about houses like this is that due to the architecture, the windows were all too small for the yarn cat to push through. All of the upstairs windows were either wooden barred or completely covered with paper. He needed to go back downstairs and get out the way he came in.

 

Problem was the fact that the kid his age back there was, well back there and the shout he just heard reverberated throughout the house was definitely Endeavor’s. He didn’t know where he was but he wasn’t about to find out.

 

The cat peeked around corners, making sure it wasn’t followed but there was no one there. 

 

‘Did he just ignore me? Or is he getting someone’s help?’ Izuku thought.

 

Doesn’t matter. This was a chance as the stairs were clear and he could make a run for the kitchen. Sprinting down, Charlie managed to get back to the kitchen only to be shocked that there was now a girl in there making dinner, the window closed as well.

 

‘Great, now what!’ 

 

He needed to find a new way out but that was going to be hard. On the bright side though, the girl didn’t seem alarmed so there’s a good chance the boy hasn’t said anything, for some reason.

 

Izuku commanded the cat to continue to stalk through the household, hoping to find an open window or door, when he entered a large, mostly empty room. He was about to ponder what it was for before a different door opened and in came what was clearly the pro hero out of costume along with the bicoloured boy.

 

Quick thinking had the plush crawl up a wooden beam and hang from the roof, watching down from the dark as the man and boy continued talking to each other. Well actually it was more a one sided conversation.

 

“Shouto,” the pro hero said, “it is time we moved on to more extreme forms of training.”

 

He was carrying out what seemed to be a bucket load of logs and chopped wood.

 

The man continued. “As a part of our quirk, we must be careful of the things we create that can be caused by what we burn.”

 

He set the bucket down and Izuku started to dread where this might be going. 

 

“For today, we’ll start with smoke. Next week we’ll do steam. You’ll be experiencing both of them so that you won’t be perturbed by either.” 

 

He ignited the logs and wood, smoke immediately coming out and after a few minutes, the room became uncomfortably dark with the stuff. Thankfully being not alive, Charlie didn’t need to worry about breathing but he did have a problem with soot getting on the camera.

 

He could see enough though. Enough to see the boy, Todoroki Shouto begins to hack and cough at the dark fumes. Endeavor seemed completely fine but he seemed to be holding his breath, something he probably expected his child to do and surely wasn’t expecting him to just be alright with smoke, right?

 

Izuku thought that maybe this was a joke. That this man wasn’t about to give his son black lungs for the sake of getting stronger but… well, he wasn’t helping him. Even when the boy fell down and began coughing violently, the hero didn’t flinch. No, it seemed he was sneering.

 

Like he was disappointed.

 

Honestly, he should’ve known he wouldn’t help. Hisashi was cruel too. Maybe not in this way but cruelty was like ice cream. All kinds of flavours but in the end it was always cold.

 

What was he planning to do with steam? Was he going to try and burn him? Is that how he got that scar? The more he watched the more he became terrified of the pro hero and sympathetic to the boy. It was also a morbid curiosity that made it so he forgot to even look for an exit. Just gazed down hoping that maybe this was all a joke.

 

Ten minutes went by and the smaller Todoroki was on the floor, barely able to stay up when he threw up on the wood. It was a common thing with smoke inhalation from what Izuku knew (he researched it for Hisashi just in case). And at that moment he was tempted to just jump down and attack the pro hero, as fruitless as that would be.

 

Then he remembered he had something he could do. Take pictures.

 

And so he did. It was hard because of the smoke and the angle but he got some good images and clips of what was going on. He had to stop halfway through when the dark room, filled with billowing smoke and the glow of orange fire from both the bucket and the hero, started to make Izuku shake a little, remembering what happened long ago.

 

It should be enough but right now he needed to just… it was getting too much to watch.

 

Endeavor smothered the fire, scoffing at his now nearly unconscious son. He went to a nearby window and opened it, the smoke leaving and a way out made but that wasn’t on the puppeteer’s mind.

 

He was scared for the boy. He wasn’t moving much.

 

The pro hero then left, left his son and maybe it was to get help but he didn’t come back. Instead it was the girl from earlier rushing in with a first aid kid to help the boy. 

 

“Shouto…” she uttered, like this was a normal occurrence. “Why can’t he ever go easier on you.”

 

And that was all the confirmation he needed to start thinking about how he was going to want to take down this pro hero.

 

- - -

 

A few days after the infiltration, Izuku began to organise the images he had gotten from the training session into a single folder. He didn’t trust the police to do their job so he had to send it to someone who would actually take his words seriously. 

 

The first name on his mind then was of course Eraserhead but doing that might end up with him possibly trying to convince him again to reveal where he was and he didn’t want to deal with that. So what other hero could he reach out to who could maybe help?

 

Someone who would definitely feel sympathy. Someone who knew what it was like to be unheard. There was only one pro hero capable enough who could maybe fit that bill.

 

- - -

 

Typing away in his office, Nedzu was preparing for the incoming final exam for the first semester of UA’s school year. More often than not it involved robots and although he would rather prefer something more, the machines were certainly enough for the first years. 

 

Of course the years up would have different final exams. Second years would go through a week-long simulation of a real city with faux villains hired and faux civilians. It was a fun thing to watch from behind the screen and it was always exciting to see the many ways and approaches both the student heroes and the hired villains would do to win.

 

With a sip of tea, he marked down the final touches for the robot’s attack, making sure to keep in mind all of the first year students' weaknesses and strengths when he got an interesting email.

 

It came from an unknown email and at first he thought if there was a problem with his spam filter when he noticed this was intentionally aimed at him. After a quick check for anything nefarious, he looked through it.

 

It was a file with images, pictures and a report about Endeavor and how he treated his son. Honestly it was quite awful to witness. He thought at first it might have been doctored but then there would be no reason to go through all this effort.

 

The email also had a message:

 

Please look into this.

 

I know you can sympathize. 

 

Dollmaker.

 

This was certainly more interesting than preparing exams.

Notes:

For those of you concerned, no there won't be a ship between Shouto and Izuku. I had already decided they weren't before writing this chapter. Instead this, the knowledge that Izuku has about Endeavor, will be a surprise tool that he'll use much later in the story.

Next Chapter:

Living

Chapter 30: Living

Notes:

Hiya! Here's the next chapter for ya!

Hope you're all excited because next weeks chapters are all focusing on the raid.

Have a nice day everybody! <3

It had been a few days since Izuku had sent that email to the hero Nedzu. He knew of the person’s origins from researching him when he noticed that he was on his case. An animal with a quirk who was experimented on and had to fight not just for his freedom but his respect and rights.

 

He thought that maybe, because of this origin, he wouldn’t simply sit idly by whilst someone was being put through such brutal training methods. Mirroring the experiments he’s no doubt had gone through. That and him being an educator would both probably hit him in similar ways.

 

He hasn’t noticed any activity though. Outside the Todoroki residence, Izuku hasn’t seen anything that could be a stakeout. Did he still not trust his information? Endeavor had many enemies but surely with what he’s been given, the man’s reputation and the fact his kids are rarely seen should be enough to at least look into.

 

He just hoped that Nedzu wasn't friends with him.

 

Right now though he had something else to think about. The conference was coming up soon and he needed to get the right things to take down Hisashi. He already knew he had to get lots of fire proofing, maybe some extinguishers and of course restraints to hold him. 

 

He still wasn’t sure what exactly he was going to do once he got to the man. If he was going to turn him in or hurt him. 

 

Izuku does want to hurt him. Badly. Not kill him, no he needed to be punished with not just pain but a loss of his freedom and time(at least that is what he tries to tell himself). But how he will hurt him or rather fight him was a different story.

 

He doesn’t know how he fights, how he moves, how he works with his quirk. Does he use a gun? His fists? Or does he solely rely on his quirk to get things done. Either way, he had something planned and that was why he was at the Theatre in hopes of acquiring it.

 

“I have to say Dollmaker, I rarely have to make an order this big.” Giran commented, looking through a list of things Izuku needed.

 

“Can it be done?” Ana questioned.

 

“Course, no issue there.” he said with a partial toothed smile. “Just curious what you’re using this all for.”

 

“You have enough information.” Brutus said with a mechanical growl.

 

Izuku had used some of the files he had captured from the Endeavor household to make most of these purchases. He of course made sure the information wasn’t too compromising and was mostly on cold cases that the hero worked on.

 

“Okay!” the human in the room replied, hands up feeling the warning through the doll. “Can’t blame me for being a little curious is all.”

 

“We’ll also need transport for all of this on the day it happens.” Ana ordered.

 

The man set aside the note. “Where should we pick you up?”

 

“Hosu City, near the Kobayashi Shopping Complex.” the doll stated.

 

“And where are you going?” he followed up with.

 

Brutus’ lens flared a little. “That will be revealed on the day off.”

 

Once more the information broker got into a defensive stance. “Again, just a little curious is all.”

 

With those arrangements made, Izuku had his puppets depart the private room they were in to leave for home when he stumbled upon a sight that immediately troubled him. 

 

Eraserhead stood in the Theatre and was staring straight at the two as they quickly made their exit. He was hoping he didn’t notice them but his sudden change in walk made it clear he was going to talk.

 

“Midoriya.” he said to the dolls, focusing on Ana.

 

“No.” the giant simply said and was about to continue to push past him when the hero simply laid a hand on the cold shoulder of the titan. 

 

“I want to talk.” he said like it meant anything to him.

 

“No.” Brutus said again.

 

“I want to talk about all that’s happened.” the hero stated. “Just one chat and if there’s anything you don’t like, I won’t stop you from leaving.”

 

The puppets were still for a moment, their manipulator frozen in thought as he contemplated hearing him out for whatever insane reason. He didn’t have to humor this, he had too much to do and little time before the conference started.

 

“I’ll tell you how Hitoshi’s doing.” he simply said.

 

Ana turned her head to face him, a near two hundred and seventy degrees. “You will have ten minutes. And we’re not doing this here.”

 

A spark of relief seemed to wash over the hero. “Great. I know a good place.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku didn’t like this. He didn’t like how this feels almost intentional with what he’s doing. It was daylight, naturally as he always went out during the day to avoid Eraserhead but right now his dolls were walking alongside him, both in cloaks that were probably drawing a lot of attention. Brutus especially considering his size.

 

Of course though that wasn’t what was filling him with dread the most. When the hero said he’d take him somewhere he was expecting the police station but no, where he went felt a lot more personal.

 

The bell rang for the cat cafe as they all came in through the door. Brutus had to duck a little to avoid scratching his head on the door frame. It was the same cat cafe he went to with Hitoshi the first time they both went to one and the place looked the same as it did before.

 

The three sat down at a table and were immediately swarmed. Cats and kittens running to greet the new people here. One cat in particular snuggled up to Ana, sitting in her lap and rubbing itself against the tummy of the dummy.

 

“Why here?” Ana asked, keeping neutral for now.

 

“Hitoshi said you went here before.” he admitted and if that didn’t make Izuku feel a bit more angry then he didn’t know what the tension in his knuckles were.

 

This was the place where he was told by Hitoshi that he would protect him. That the worse case scenario wouldn’t happen if he revealed himself to him. It was also the place he steeled himself to go out and finally see him properly.

 

“Are you going to try and convince me like he did back then, in this same spot?” the doll guessed.

 

“It’s what I hope to.” he confirmed.

 

Ana would scoff if she wasn’t made of wood. “You won’t succeed.”

 

“I know,” he replied.

 

Izuku was a bit surprised by that answer. “Then why bother? Why are we here?”

 

“Because trust doesn’t happen in one conversation,” he answered.

 

“...What do you want?” the doll demanded.

 

“Black coffee and a liquorice cake. I know they sell both here.” he stated, purposefully ignoring what was actually asked of him.

 

There was a pause as the two stared at each other to see if the other one was serious before it was broken by Brutus getting up and going over to the cafe counter. Eventually the giant came back, after spooking the cafe owner a little, with a cup and two cakes held in its giant hands.

 

One was pitch black with a dollop of cream on top that the pro hero prompt removes with a fork, not liking anything that might be messy to eat. The other was strawberry and vanilla, intended for Izuku. What? He wasn’t going to let this trip be a waste.

 

The second cake was already packed to go but because of the plastic window it had, the hero could see inside what it was.

 

“You like cake?” he asked after taking a sip of his cup.

 

Izuku thought to just not answer but then again it wasn’t anything lost by saying this. “Yes. It’s one of my favourites. Katsudon as well but I rarely eat either.”

 

“What do you eat often?” the hero asked without missing a beat.

 

“...Cereal and… bread.” the doll answered, cringing at how bad that sounds. He knew he didn’t eat much but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. The boy just didn’t get hungry.

 

Eraserhead seemed to not like that, as expected. “Let me remove a word from that last question. Do you eat often?” 

 

“Why does that matter?” the doll said defensively.

 

“Because it’s illogical for a kid your age to be that small and thin.” the hero answered back. 

 

Ana shifted a little, Izuku’s discomfort bleeding through. “You don’t know what I look like now.”

 

“You’re right, it’s probably worse.” he said and well…

 

Izuku didn’t like looking in the mirror. Sometimes when his screen goes black and he spots his reflection for a moment he almost gets scared with how he looked. He knew he wasn’t healthy but it wasn’t as if he needed to care about appearances. Sure he was thinner than a kid his age should be and yeah he was shorter but that’s just genetics.

 

Mama was always shorter than most women, he’s probably inherited that from her (better that then something from Hisashi).

 

“I’m fine,” he said simply.

 

“Have you ever gotten sick?” the hero chased.

 

“No.” Brutus replied accidentally.

 

He has gotten sick a couple times but it wasn’t serious, really just a cold. Ana easily got some medicine and sure it was scary for a while but he was fine, really. He’s fine. Unfortunately the pro hero didn’t seem to believe him but didn’t say anything else, getting the warning tone that the giant had meant he was getting close to just leaving.

 

“What-”

 

“How about enough of your questions.” Brutus spoke again, mechanical voice cold and gravelly. “I deserve some of my own.”

 

The pro hero stopped; not because he was intimidated but because he knew anymore push and he’d lose Izuku. He made a start on the liquorice cake, taking a fork and pushing into it, then pulling down his scarf to take a bite before chasing it with a sip of coffee.

 

“How is he?” Ana asked.

 

The pro hero seemed to get who he was asking about and answered. “He’s doing well. School is treating him nicely and we’ve just recently decided all together to adopt him.”

 

Izuku already knew the first part so he wasn’t surprised. He seemed to be doing alright, especially with that girl he seemed to talk with every lunch whenever Charlie popped around to spy on him. He still felt weird about that but he’d push it aside for now. It was the second thing though that sent him almost falling out of his seat.

 

“You… Adopted?” both Ana and Izuku uttered, the latter in a complete stressed whisper.

 

A small smile came across the pro hero’s face, hidden away by his scarf. “Yes. The paperwork was done. We just need it notarized and that should be it. Monday is probably when it’s happening.”

 

He didn’t understand, why did this guy… why was… What was happening? Hitoshi was being adopted? He means, sure good for him, but why did this guy do it?

 

He wasn’t on good terms with the purple haired boy. He still felt betrayal at everything he told him here that day being a lie. That didn’t mean he wasn’t happy to hear this news though, that and… well maybe annoyed. In his head this confirmed he was working with the heroes to arrest him. That had to be it.

 

Wait, why was he even worrying about this? He didn’t care about Hitoshi, not anymore.

 

‘Then why do you keep checking up on him? Why are you even here? You came to know more about him.’ his thoughts realized.

 

The cat in Ana’s lap mewed and it took him away from those thoughts to focus on it. The doll reactively petted the feline, scratching the head and stroking the back to distract himself further.

 

“We’ve also started training him to be a hero, like he wanted.” Eraserhead added.

 

That made the doll's attention turn back to him and not for good reasons. Right now the word ‘training’ isn’t a good one in his dictionary after what he saw in the Todoroki’s estate. 

 

“Is he fine with that?” Brutus questioned, hostility leaking through.

 

“Yes, he wants to get stronger. He wants to be a hero. But his training is only limited to making him fit for now. I don’t want to push him. He’s seven, just like you kid.” the man uttered, the last line laced with concern though you couldn’t tell it from the deadpan tone.

 

“You aren’t hurting him?” the doll asked straight up, hoping the words might shock him into revealing something.

 

But instead he seemed to be prepared somehow and just said calmly. “No kid. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

He couldn’t tell if he was lying or not but he didn’t have time to think about how to question him further when the man turned his thoughts back around against him. 

 

“You care a lot about him, don’t you?” the hero pointed out and once more Izuku’s mind is fighting against itself.

 

Hitoshi lied to him but maybe he didn’t know. He certainly looked surprised when he saw him. No, that can’t be. The blond man was there, Eraserhead were there, both at the exact same place at the exact same time. It’s impossible, the chances are incredibly low.

 

‘Maybe it was a coincidence.’

 

It can’t be. You’re smarter than this Izuku. Hitoshi deceived him or at the very least failed him. There was no other way to see this situation. 

 

All this time thinking though made him forget that he hasn’t replied to Eraserhead’s question, just sitting there staring at the man who gave a knowing hum back. Ana quickly looked down at the cat in his lap once more, petting it to regain some focus. It was a calico with gorgeous eyes looking up as the feline wiggled on its back on the doll’s lap.

 

“You know, we have cats at home.” the pro hero said. “You can see them yourself.”

 

“No.” Brutus replied immediately.

 

“Your loss. But hey, maybe it’d be good if you could pet this one with your own hands at least.” He then began with.

 

The words reminded Izuku exactly what Hitoshi said and again, anger began to well up in him. It really felt like an annoying attempt to convince him to turn himself in and be put into the foster system or worse, locked away for being a villain. He wasn’t stupid.

 

“Your desperation is obvious.” Ana stated.

 

“Because I’d rather not have a seven year old spend another second alone with worse eating habits and sleep schedule than me,” he replied.

 

“As if I won’t be arrested.” the doll pointed out.

 

“You will. I can’t stop that but I can stop where they might send you. We can make a case that you’re still just a kid and that sending you to jail or prison will just make things worse for you.” he said, almost as if he had been waiting for this to come up.

 

“You really think I’d believe you?” Ana uttered, Izuku’s contempt coming through a little.

 

“No. As I said, trust takes more than one conversation.” he replied back, a hint of conviction in his tone that almost fooled him.

 

“And how exactly will you earn my trust?” the doll asked, Izuku genuinely curious.

 

“By helping you catch Hisashi,” he responded.

 

Ana’s head twitched a little. “You don’t think I can do it on my own?”

 

“I think it’s more logical working together instead of against.” the hero reasoned.

 

That made sense. Having Eraserhead on his side instead of fighting him could remove many of the obstacles in his way. His quirk could take out anything unexpected that came the Dragons tried so he could focus solely on Hisashi. Even if he did betray him he still had a contingency plan in place to bail his dolls out.

 

“And how exactly can that be done?” Ana demanded.

 

The hero finished his cake and was only left with his coffee. “By giving you an invitation to the conference. Probably more logical than breaking in.” 

 

He slid over a paper with the details for the invitation on it. Apparently everything he needed to get in was there not just for Ana but Brutus too. It’d certainly be easier than sneaking in amongst the staff like he originally planned. Maybe he could use this to his advantage after all.

 

“How do I know you won’t betray once all is said and done?” Ana pointed out, expecting an attempt to lie and say he wouldn’t.

 

“Can’t promise you I won’t try to, I know I can’t lie to you.” he confessed, earning a smile on the boy’s face for seeing how right he was. “I hope then that the offer will be worth the risk.”

 

The risk being Ana or Brutus being captured by the heroes and taken apart, their camera connections being traced by a fast enough hacker or quirk, finding the boy’s location and being arrested. Big risks.

 

But then again, he was confident in the plan he had before this conversation. It was going to be the same either way with the heroes. The only difference is that they won’t backstab him until after Hisashi was hurt, meaning he could use them.

 

He wasn’t sure how, yet, but cannon fodder is always useful when fighting in a room full of goons.

 

So he’ll take this chance, only because the prospects were good enough even if he was betrayed in the end. He could get away as long as the fighting remained in the hotel.

 

“I’ll follow you on this but one mistake and never again.” the doll warned.

 

“Never would even dream about it, kid.” the hero said back. It looked like that was the conversation but there seemed to be more to be talked about by him. “One more question though.”

 

“Why should we continue this?” Ana questioned, looking to leave now.

 

“Because you asked more about me than I did you.” he argued back.

 

“Fine.” the doll accepted.

 

The hero took one final drink. “What are you planning on doing after you defeat Hisashi?”

 

It was a genuine question he didn’t know how to immediately answer or debate. Theoretically, he’d just stay like this forever, hiding away from the world without a care. He had food, water, shelter, everything he could ever need within his or his dolls grasp. What more could the outside world offer him?

 

A hero license? He was doing fine as a vigilante. Friends? Who needed them when he had dolls. Family? He had none left. So really what was there this hero had that could convince him to go out into the world again?

 

He wasn’t weak, he could handle himself and no one could tell him otherwise. Sure like the hero said he was weakening and he couldn’t really move much anymore because his muscles had gotten so small that he couldn’t stand. And okay, he’s constantly terrified of being sick or rather just terrified in general but it… it…

 

He was fine. Fine fine fine fine. He needed no one. He didn’t need anyone. He had his dolls and that was all he needed.

 

“There’s nothing the world can offer me, my dolls can’t get themselves.” Ana said resolutely.

 

Eraserhead made a face. One Izuku couldn’t read well but it seemed to be disappointment. Maybe he was finally being convinced that there’s nothing he could say that can get him to turn himself in. Nothing at all. He was going to die in this warehouse as long as he was able to stay here and he was fine with that.

 

“I think there’s something the dolls can’t get that only you can.” the hero stated.

 

“What?” both Brutus and Ana said, Izuku’s emotions running a little high.

 

The hero got up and was about to leave when he said one word that almost shook everything in Izuku’s heart.

 

“A life.”

 

He left and the two dolls were left frozen there, their puppeteer also frozen not entirely getting what he meant until some meowing pulled his attention away.

 

The cat on his lap, the calico, he remembered from when he first came here. It was the same one that placed its paw on Ana’s nose. Back then it was a kitten that could barely walk. Now it was old enough to be a cat and could jump up whole bookshelves.

 

How much time has he let pass? How much of it is he wasting hiding?

 

…

 

‘N-no, I’m fine.’ he tried to assure himself.

 

He wasn’t.

Notes:

People tend to miss out a lot in their lives by avoiding everything. I had that happen to me a lot. I won't get into it for personal reasons but I missed out a lot in my childhood hiding away because I was scared of people. Not because of some kind of trauma like Izuku but because it was just easier not talking to people and being on my own. Never made the loneliness better, especially when I saw everyone else my age enjoying life better than I was.

Next Chapter:

Today's Preparations, Tomorrow's Infiltrations

Chapter 31: Today's Preparations for Tomorrow's Infiltrations

Notes:

Hiya everyone!

Thanks for all of the happy birthdays. It really made my day!

Here's a chapter for you. Next one is sure to be exciting!

Have a nice day! <3

Tomorrow was the day. Hitoshi was going to be heading to the hotel to hopefully find Izuku there. He didn’t have much of a plan beyond that but he did know he had the training now (at least he thinks that). He knew he would find Izuku there, probably through a doll, and attempt to reestablish a connection with him. 

 

He already knew what he wanted to say. It was clear what he needed to say. The problem was being able to have the doll around enough to hear it all. But again that was tomorrow and today he had more training to do, not with… Dad this time but Papa.

 

He was still getting used to saying that. It’s not that he hated it, he loved it but everytime he said it or even thought about it, he felt like he was about to wake up to it all being a dream. Hopefully overtime he can allow himself to say it often and freely without feeling a little red in the face.

 

Papa was going to have him train his quirk. It was his first time doing something like this, ever. Before then it was all physical with Shouta, learning how to run properly and efficiency, timing your breathing in rhythm and building up good stamina. Of course he also learned a lot of fighting moves.

 

The majority of it was mostly how to defend yourself and get away, as opposed to being more aggressive like a hero should be, but apparently it’s an important part of the basics. He’s certainly gotten good at it, even Dad’s agreed he’s gotten a knack for it. 

 

He’s hoping to one day use his capture scarf, because who wouldn’t? But according to him, he won’t be even touching one until he’s ten. You need a strong upper body, shoulders and core to wield it and neither was something Hitoshi had at the moment but was certainly working on.

 

But anyway, back to his quirk. His Papa was taking him somewhere and hadn’t said where yet, only saying that he wanted it to be a surprise when they got there. They weren’t driving long, only twenty minutes or so before they got to where they were going.

 

And what a place it was.

 

Hitoshi didn’t understand many things about the world. He still didn’t know how plants get energy from the sun or why the water at the beach gets closer when the moon is out but he did know this. The place he was arriving at through the teachers entrance was none other than UA.

 

The H-shaped building with enough glass windows to cover an entire village dawned over the boy and he couldn’t believe that he was seriously there.

 

“Papa?” he asked, voice a bit shaky from excitement.

 

“Yeah, Toshi?” he replied, a smile growing on his face.

 

Hitoshi kept gazing in awe until the car stopped. “Why are we here?”

 

“Well, I couldn’t exactly invite a student into my home, so why not bring you to them?” he answered as if it was obvious.

 

‘A student?’ the boy thought.

 

They both got out of the car and Hitoshi had to practically be dragged the whole way into the school because he couldn’t stop staring at the main building. They weren’t going there unfortunately, and instead were heading towards a building that was on the grounds.

 

Everything was big, even the doorways, and Hitoshi never felt smaller than he did then. He’s always been taller than most kids his age but here he felt like an ant walking through the halls of giants. 

 

He was going to be here one day, he hoped. No, rather he will. He will get here and become one of those giants. His place here will be earned despite what he’s been told and he will get it. Everyone he cares about thinks he can, so why can’t he?

 

As they walked through the grounds, he was sure he spotted a hero off across the way. A short man with yellow machinery around him carrying a tool box and throwing up panels to inspect them. He didn’t know what his name was but just seeing that reminded him that this was an epicenter for heroes even more.

 

At the building, the father and son made their way in to find it was a gym. A well equipped one with a pool, exercise equipment, an indoor running track. Hell there was even a room clearly meant for dancing with the giant wall mirror and all.

 

The whole time Papa kept giving him glances. Not bad ones but everytime he did he just looked happier and happier and that’s when Hitoshi realised he hadn’t stopped smiling since he came in. Who could blame him, he was walking through his dream school.

 

They reached their destination. A fighting room with mats that were typically seen in schools meant for martial arts. It wasn’t as themed as a real dojo probably was, prioritising function over appearance though that didn’t mean it hadn’t looked good. Everything was clean and incredibly well done.

 

His thoughts were stopped though when there was a student in the room who seemed to be waiting for them. Idly on their phone that they put away the second they fully enter the room.

 

Her face was perfectly symmetrical, with parted bangs. Her eyes were normal but her pupils were so huge that Hitoshi thought she had none until she looked over and he could see the whites in the corners of her eyes. Her hair was long and brown in a bob, meanwhile the eyes were pitch black. Lime reptile scales seemed to curl around her neck subtly.

 

“Hello, Mr. Yamada.” she greeted with a slight bow.

 

“Thanks for making it, Hebura!” Papa called. His hero persona on and active.

 

She looked at Hitoshi, and those eyes now being trained on him made him feel uneasy. It reminded him of when he first saw Ana and how her face made every part of him want to run away. Maybe it’s because of that experience that he didn’t run away right now.

 

“Is he the one you mentioned?” she questioned, looking back up at Papa..

 

“Yep!” confirmed Papa. “Hebura, this is Yamazawa Hitoshi. Toshi, this is Hebura Taekemi.”

 

He almost forgot that his name was recently changed to Yamazawa. It’s only been a week after all since the actual documentation was done and he could now legally call himself that. When they asked for a last name, he had a choice between Aizawa or Yamada but in the end he wanted both and after a back and forth bout of shyness, it was done.

 

At the very least it’ll make things easier for Papa. He’s sure if he came as either Yamada or Aizawa, things would be a bit complicated. 

 

Unfortunately, it seemed those eyes weren’t just wide but perceptive.

 

“Yamazawa? As in…” the girl openly said, her mind thinking.

 

Before she could finish her sentence, Papa stopped her. “Don’t think too much about Hebura. I’d also like to ask if you could keep Toshi here and his sessions a secret.”

 

Hebura seemed to get the hint and simply nodded. She then turned back to Hitoshi and stared down at him, a slight bit intimidating considering she was quite tall.

 

“Do you have a mind control quirk as well, Yamazawa?” she asked, her eyes empty of anything.

 

“Y-yeah.” he answered, still shaken by the look. “Wait, you have one too?”

 

“Correct.” she answered, a slight hiss to her voice. “My quirk is called Enthrall. As long as I can see someone’s whole body, I can control them. If any part of them, even a finger, loses sight though then my quirk doesn’t work.”

 

Now the eyes made sense. They were a part of her quirk. It certainly made sense given what he felt when she looked at him. Like every part of his body was only moving because she allowed it.

 

“My quirk is called Brainwashing. If someone answers me, I can take control of them.” he explained, a bit less scared now that he understood what was happening.

 

This girl was just like him. A quirk that was always active but is chosen to not work by the user. Theoretically, he could make every response he gets assume control but he doesn’t, just as every person in Hebura’s sight isn’t controlled because she willed it.

 

“As usual they never give us mercy.” the girl hissed. “‘Brainwashing’ as a name for a quirk is setting you up for failure.”

 

“Yeah it is.” Hitoshi said.

 

“Well!” Papa cheered with a clap. “Introductions are now out of the way so let’s get right into the training! Hebura, are you fine with me hanging around for a bit? I need to dip out for a moment at ten for a meeting.”

 

“That is fine. I think this will be interesting.” the girl uttered, clearly hissing on the last word.

 

Papa gave a thumbs up and a smile before stepping off to the side where he stayed standing. He didn’t seem to be leaving right now but rather wanted to make sure everything was alright with his kid before he could leave him alone.

 

It’s not that he didn’t trust his student, but being a dad now made him more alert to anyone who might be alone with his kid.

 

“Yamazawa.” the girl started. “I imagine you wish to train your quirk?”

 

“Yeah.” he affirmed.

 

She took a step over to a more clearer area, the boy following. “How much experience have you had with it?” 

 

The next few minutes were spent with Hitoshi going over every time he had used his quirk which was a grand two times. The first being when he had manifested it at four years old, when his… birth mother had denied him ice cream. He remembered how he had control over her and made her buy the food for him before he released his control.

 

The second was not too long after, when he tested it at a quirk counsellor who, the second it was used, immediately told him to stop and not use it again for the rest of the session. It only took another ten minutes to go by before he was slapped with the name and a terrified couple of parents.

 

Beyond then he hadn’t used it. Honestly he wasn’t sure how well he’d do. He can still feel the control he could have over other people but he was never tempted enough to do it, but by god was he tempted. Every time he’d have those thoughts though, he’d freak out.

 

“It seems you have gone through a lot.” Hebura commented.

 

“Yeah…” he replied, scratching the back of his head.

 

“My quirk… had a lot of problems too.” she started. “Not only are my eyes ‘unsettling’, my quirk still works through seven centimeters of clothing, meaning that sunglasses do nothing. I’ve had teachers blindfold me just so I couldn’t use my quirk. I had to learn braille.”

 

The muzzle back then came to his mind. It was never fully put on by the kids who grabbed him but he can feel the itchiness and tightness of it. He could never imagine being blinded constantly. The idea was daunting.

 

“I learned JSL. Though that was mostly for a friend.” he elaborated.

 

“A friend?” she wondered, tilting her head a little.

 

“I think..?” Hitoshi said unsure.

 

Papa still being there knew exactly what friend he was referring to but he seemed surprised. Not at the mention of Izuku but the fact that he knew JSL, well somewhat. He still had much to learn though he was still learning it himself. According to an article he read online, some heroes learn it to communicate without making noise during stealth missions.

 

He elaborated a bit further. “We aren’t talking right now but I’ve wanted to see him again.”

 

“I see.” Hebura said. “Are you scared of your quirk?”

 

It was a simple question but it was one that had a complicated answer. A part of him can’t hate his quirk because he knows how important it is to him. It’s a power that can help a lot of people and it’s something that can help him be a hero. That other part though was always telling him what would happen if he made a mistake.

 

He’s always avoided using his quirk because he was afraid that if he did use it, that fact could be used against him. The idea that he exerted power over someone, even if they did deserve it or needed it to happen because they were a danger to him or others, didn’t matter if everyone was horrified by it.

 

So in a way, he was scared of his power. He wouldn’t hesitate to use it but like a gun or a knife, he’d only want to use it as a last resort. 

 

“I’m scared how other people will see me,” he stated, the fear coming through in a tremble in his voice.

 

Hebura closed her eyes at that response. “Yes, that is a big fear for those of us with ‘villainous’ quirks but that should not stop us when it matters.”

 

Her eyes sprung open and this time he felt a sudden freeze come over him. The next words meant to be instructions.

 

“Ask me a question. Then use your quirk.” she requested.

 

Every part of him locked up and what came over him was a veil over his brain. It felt like having a weighted blanket shoved over you, your breath compressed and your focus entirely on the sensation. He can’t control his mouth as he speaks. 

 

“What is your favourite colour?” he asked.

 

“Doesn’t matt-” she failed to finish her sentence as her mind gets pushed out and Hitoshi’s comes into play.

 

Hebura’s eyes shrink and with it, the boy is freed from her control. Looking up at the student he’s just mind controlled, he felt very confused why she had done that. He couldn’t hold her focus for long, as unlike what he could remember in the past, there was a mind fighting back against him. It took only five seconds, twenty five less than what he thought, before she broke free.

 

“Did you feel that?” she questioned.

 

Nursing his head, he responded. “Yeah, you fought back.”

 

“That’s what happens when two mind control quirks collide. The stronger one wins.” she explained. “But even then, if someone has a strong enough will they can break free from yours. We’re going to fix that because it doesn’t matter if we train you in anything else if they can break free.”

 

“Why didn’t you ask me to ask a question?” he questioned.

 

“Because you need to be able to break free on your own. Also I need training.” she explained, stepping a bit away from him. “It’s rare to find another mind control quirk willing to train with you.”

 

Immediately then she ordered him once more to use his quirk and the two began what would be to any bystander a very weird staring contest. 

 

- - -

 

Hizashi watched the two battle each other in the mind or whatever went on when two quirks of that kind collided. He knew that Hebura was a calm and authoritative student and knew that she would be a great hero. He can’t stay for long though, so with a goodbye he left the two to their training whilst he went off to that meeting he had.

 

It was meant to be with Nedzu and supposedly he needed him due to his ‘understanding of humans’. Hizashi spends a lot of time around people, be it his radio show, being a limelight hero or a very sociable person in general, and he knew this was probably going to do with telling Nedzu ‘no’ to whatever insanity he was planning.

 

Shouta always had a better relationship with the rat due to the attention the principal gave him but that didn’t mean Hizashi didn’t know the rat at all or doesn’t frequently have to tell him that humans get bored easily, especially if you give them a three hour speech for orientation.

 

The doors to the office opened themselves the second he got there. Assuming Nedzu was watching through the cameras, the blond entered to find the rat on his computer, half focused on his entrance.

 

“Yamada, thank you for arriving on time. I hope everything is going well with young Yamazawa’s training?” he asked as if he wasn’t watching them the whole time.

 

Still, he’s cordial. “Yeah, the purple fluff is in safe hands with Hebura.”

 

“That’s wonderful to hear! Now onto the matters of this meeting…” he began.

 

“You can’t introduce flamethrowers into the Sports Festival.” Hizashi said before the rat could continue.

 

“Ho, ho, ho! Of course not… not whilst you’re around! But no, the Sports Festival isn’t why you’re here.” he stated, turning the monitor to face him. 

 

On it was an email sent from an unknown address, attributed to the ‘Dollmaker’. It had a few files on it that were already opened on other tabs and seemed to be directly addressed to Nedzu.

 

“A few days ago, I received this email from an unknown address. After I cleared it for anything malicious, I found files pertaining to the Todoroki family.” he explained.

 

Hizashi took off his shades and put on his glasses as he read the file more carefully. “Todoroki? As in Endeavour?”

 

The rat nodded. “There is a recording showing some rather barbaric training methods the hero has employed for training his eight year old son.”

 

The video indeed played something awful. Even with the context of him training to handle smoke better there are much safer ways to do this that doesn’t involve nearly suffocating your kid. It was nerve wracking watching it, even more when the man only stopped when the boy was on the floor spilling his lunch.

 

“Is this for real?” Hizashi asked.

 

“That is still something I am looking into. This is the number two hero. This could’ve easily been doctored and sent to incriminate him. We also don’t know if this is a one time thing or not.” Nedzu stated, turning the monitor back over.

 

“That didn’t look like a one time thing.” the blond pointed out.

 

“Indeed, but with matters like this a very delicate hand must be played.” the rat reasoned.

 

Hizashi thought over the email again. “Who’s ‘Dollmaker’?”

 

“That is also unknown. But after some digging, I have a theory, one that might interest you.” the principal explained.

 

“Go on,” he insisted.

 

“Midoriya Izuku.” he answered.

 

That name gave him a slight shock. He certainly didn’t expect to hear it but with the mention of dolls now, it made some sense. Some being a keyword. There was no reason for the kid to be at the Todoroki’s Residence, nor would he do something as risky as listen in on one of their training sessions.

 

Despite that though, he had a question. “Have you told Sho’ about this?”

 

“No. I’d rather have confirmation first before anything.” Nedzu said and it made sense.

 

They couldn’t just make assumptions and possibly give Shouta a false lead to follow when he should be chasing Midoriya. It’s better to make sure they confirm it really was the kid before bringing this to his attention.

 

But then Hizashi wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. Firstly, by knowing this he would have to not mention this possible lead to his husband and that made him a bit upset. He didn’t like hiding secrets, even if it was by omission.

 

Secondly, he couldn’t see much of a way they could make such a confirmation. It wasn’t as if they could ask Midoriya himself, that’d be impossible. The only way would be to know who took the recording but given the angle, it could be anything.

 

“So what do we do with this?” the man asked.

 

“If this footage happens to be true, not a lot.” Nedzu said sadly. “This was taken in the private residence of a hero. Even if we get this in a courtroom, it can be easily explained away as being manipulated.”

 

“What exactly would be solid evidence?” Hizashi asked.

 

“Either the young Todoroki himself or his sister seen helping him confirming the validity of the video,” he responded.

 

That’s a very tall order. Nothing much is known about Endeavors private life. It is public knowledge he has children, three of them if he remembered right, but none of them were public themselves. From what he gets from being on the radio from gossip, the children rarely leave the large house. Of course no one talks about it negatively. 

 

The media would spin it as more ‘mysterious’ and hence ‘cooler’. Either that or you would be shouted down for invading a hero’s private life. It was a difficult situation, especially if Midoriya is now in play.

 

“I imagine the problem I’m here for is Midoriya?” the blond guessed.

 

“Precisely.” confirmed Nedzu. “If this is young Midoriya, I don’t know how I would proceed with responding to him. I’m afraid if I tell him what I know, he might do something drastic to get more evidence.”

 

“You’re saying he might kidnap a Todoroki?” Hizashi said, shocked.

 

“It’s not at all unlikely.” the rat affirmed. “Personally, I believe our best course of action is to explain that we are now investigating it and hope he accepts that for now until he can be brought in.”

 

That does seem the best thing to do. Midoriya breaking into another pro hero’s home was something bad. Having him kidnap a hero’s kid though was something that was going to make it near impossible to talk down. 

 

The HPSC was already looking to label him a villain. The only reason they haven’t is because of the excuse that Midoriya was scared and frightened. But if he did this, he wouldn’t be scared and frightened, he is actively committing a crime and that’s something that can’t be explained away.

 

“Let’s do that. What do you want me to do?” asked Hizashi.

 

Typing a bit on his computer, Nedzu talked to the human. “Not much right now. I just felt it was important to tell you.”

 

“And not Sho’?” he questioned once more.

 

“I am not sure if you’re aware, Yamada, but Aizawa already has an incoming meeting tomorrow with the young Midoriya. I’d rather not burden him with anything else.” he explained.

 

Yes, Hizashi knew that tomorrow was going to be a raid on a hotel business conference and that Midoriya was going to be there. Though he didn’t want to accept the answer, he had to, at least until after tomorrow.

 

Right there, the meeting finished and he was dismissed. The whole way back down to Hitoshi, he kept thinking about what he could do to confirm whether or not it was Midoriya who took that footage. His mind wasn’t coming up with much though. 

 

Entering the training room, he could see his kid and student sitting by a wall. It seemed they had stopped for now, probably because Hitoshi’s headaches got too much if his hand on his head was anything to go by. As soon as he saw him though, the kid lit up.

 

“Papa, I managed to get to six seconds!” he exclaimed, more loud than he ever usually was. The pain was probably making him less reserved.

 

“That’s great Toshi!” he cheered. “How’re you feeling?”

 

The boy kept massaging his head. “Ok, the headaches are there but Hebura gave me some pain relief.” 

 

Hebura nodded and that’s when Hizashi noticed that she used the same stuff she does in her hero costume. 

 

“You wish to keep going?” the girl asked. “I can teach you some good commands to remember.”

 

“Yeah.” he nodded.

 

Over the next hour, Hitoshi kept training his quirk. Though the overexertion was concerning to Hizashi, Hebura assured that she would know if it’s too much. By the end, the purple haired boy could handle seven seconds against the hero student and after a test using Hizashi, a normal person for nearly over a minute.

 

By the end, he was exhausted to the point the blond was carrying him out of the gym despite his kid’s protest. He thanked Hebura, along with Hitoshi who gave a weary goodbye before they left, the father strapping the son into his seat before getting into his own.

 

“Are you doing okay, Toshi?” he asked gently.

 

“Okay, just head sore.” he whined.

 

The man let out a small chuckle as he began to drive out of the car park and back home, the sun setting over the horizon.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Impatience

Chapter 32: Impatience

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Got you a wonderful chapter for today. There will be one on the Sunday!

Hope you enjoy Izuku finally seeing Hisashi again.

Have a nice day! <3

The sky was bright with no clouds above giving a beautiful view of the Corrison Hotel in Hosu. A sign sat outside it, stating that there is a conference happening inside but on a closer look, one couldn’t find either a name or a guest list. That’s because there is more to that word ‘business’ than it innocently implies.

 

The day was mostly normal, with regular networking being done by people who regularly go to this conference. These aren’t strange people, they’re normal. After all, a legit face makes the seedy underbelly harder to notice. Whether these people are really there proper or have merely been paid to, is something only the Dragon’s Roar knew.

 

As the golden ball fell and sunset would begin for the next hour, that is the exact moment the final event of the conference began. A dinner. Reserved and with a very private guest list. That didn’t stop some people though from sneaking in. Three to be particular.

 

Izuku found it slightly amusing seeing the normally scraggy Eraserhead adopt a more clean shaven face and combed back straight hair. He almost would’ve missed him if he didn’t notice the small case he carried with just the smallest peek of his capture weapon inside. 

 

Brutus was the only one who would be at the party. Izuku needed Ana elsewhere as a contingency. He still didn’t trust the heroes, not at all. At the very least he knew where the other heroes and police on operation were and how exactly he’s going to get his two friends out should they… no, inevitably be betrayed.

 

The giant wore a suit. It took a bit to find one that fitted but thankfully with the cash he had he could get one. Honestly the big doll looked quite dapper and he wouldn’t be ashamed to admit he took a few hours doing the final touches. The head was covered with a short, green haired wig combed back and a mask that was as life-like as possible, courtesy of Giran.

 

Izuku wanted to make one himself but he doesn’t have the skills yet. He can definitely make something look human, in an ‘uncanny valley’ sort of way. Brutus kept any spinal fluid bottles in his pockets, though it did make him look bulkier. Finally, to avoid any unnecessary conversations, a normal medical mask was set over his mouth. Lips not moving and all.

 

Heading up to Eraserhead, the man immediately clocked him the second they entered the lobby. Next to him was a girl who at first he thought was unrelated before realising that it must be Burnin. Her fiery neon green hair was held back in a ponytail and glasses were on to try and make herself appear less remarkable. 

 

Brutus marched up to them, Burnin looking a bit scared seeing an eight foot tall man make his way directly towards her. 

 

“Hello.” he greeted, not in a robotic voice but more human.

 

“Hey kid.” the hero started. “Looking a lot more human.”

 

“It was expensive. Meaning this better be worth it.” the giant voiced, monotone.

 

“Uh, Eraserhead, who is this?” the girl stuttered.

 

The man leaned on the wall a little. “Kamiji, I told you when you’re here, don’t use hero names.”

 

“Ah!” she exclaimed. “Sorry, Aizawa.”

 

The man hummed in contentment. “Kamiji, this is Izuku Midoriya.”

 

The shock on the girl’s face was instant as she stared at the giant up and down. She seemed to go through some things in her mind before she came to a conclusion. “This is that big puppet, right?”

 

“Brutus.” the giant stated.

 

“Uh, yeah. But why is he here talking to us?” she questioned, alarmed.

 

“I don’t know. All I know is that we can’t stop him now or the operation will be blown. We’ll just have to settle with him being here.” the hero relented.

 

‘Did he not inform the raid team?’ Izuku thought.

 

Seemingly not. Meaning that whatever Eraserhead, or Aizawa, did was likely illegal. Not that it mattered to him. It just meant that there was a decent chance that this wasn't an ambush, at least in the way he initially expected. 

 

“Where’s the other one? And don’t say it got sick.” the pro hero asked, referring to Ana.

 

“She is elsewhere. Anything more is none of your concern.” Brutus responded.

 

Eraserhead pushed himself off the wall. “Feels like it might.”

 

“And what are you going to do about that?” the giant said and though there was no emotion a coldness seeped through.

 

“You’re right. I can’t. Didn’t hurt to ask though.” he said.

 

The three stayed there for a bit. It was still a while before the actual dinner began. Meanwhile Izuku was moving Ana through the halls upstairs. And by upstairs, he meant the vents. He was looking for something that will serve as an important part of tonight’s activities should things not go the way he hoped.

 

Of course he then turned his attention to the cameras. He’d already broken into the security and was flashing through the images, trying to find even hide or hair of Hisashi. Worst part was he can’t be sure he’d still look the same. He could’ve dyed his hair, got plastic surgery, using a quirk. Anything really.

 

That is, except for one thing. For all the time he avoided him when he was younger, he still noticed some things about the man. Like when he drank alcohol, his throat glowed a little, the substance igniting a little in his throat from his quirk. Another is how he preferred whisky over sake, or how he hated having the light shine on him when he ate.

 

All of those little habits Izuku remembered he is going to use to find him.

 

“How are you going to find him?” Eraserhead asked Brutus and Izuku had to turn his focus back to him.

 

The giant turned its head, having been focused on the entrance. “That is for me to know and you to find out too late.”

 

“And what exactly is too late?” he asked.

 

“I don’t like repeating myself.” the giant simply answered with.

 

Before more talk could be had though, the doors to the hall opened and everyone began to funnel in. Brutus made sure to be one of the last and the heroes seemed to have the same idea. Being at the front meant being more noticeable and even though the giant was, well, giant, he certainly wasn’t the biggest there.

 

All in, the three made their ways to their seats as written on their invitation. Annoyingly that meant he was stuck with the other two at the same table. That being a six seater, but one of the seats were empty due to it being intended for Ana. Brutus made sure to not sit next to either of the heroes, despite Eraserhead’s attempts.

 

The man tried to change seats three times before someone thankfully sat between them. He was still going to check for tracking devices later though.

 

At the table, Izuku scanned the hall through the cameras. There was only one in this room unfortunately and it was in a far corner meaning there were plenty of blind spots. The quality didn’t help either, meaning he would be entirely reliant on what Brutus can see.

 

And many things he can. It doesn’t take him fifteen seconds before he spotted a guy with a Dragon tattoo on his wrist, and another on his heel when his trousers hiked up. The meeting was definitely still on but the question was who was here for it.

 

After a while of scanning, Izuku counted nearly sixty people associated with the Dragons, more if you count any guests at their table. He was even sure the two at this table were Dragons. Honestly it was kind of shocking.

 

But no one looks or acts like Hisashi. None at all that he could see. Then again, food was coming soon and that might change. Eraserhead and Burnin seemed to be taking a call on their phone, likely the police talking about the Dragon’s Roar.

 

Once it seemed most of the seats were filled, the doors to the hall closed. Two men blocked them off with their bodies as food was brought out from a side room and given to everyone. 

 

“Hey, big fella.” the guy next to Brutus nudged. “Why ain’t you having your food? It’s good.”

 

The giant turned to him and pointed to his mask. “I came down with a cold this morning. I’m not feeling hungry, nor do I want to make anyone here sick.”

 

The man seemed to nod. “Ah, I get ye. Shame though, the heads went all out this year.”

 

Indeed they had. There was a lobster on every table and though Izuku’s never had one he can’t help but salivate, even in his zero appetite self, at the crispy red crustacean in front of him. Burnin enjoyed it though, to the point where Eraserhead had to nudge her to not get too carried away.

 

“So, which territory do you guys own? Personally I’m set up right here in west Hosu.” the guy from before asked, eating with his mouth full.

 

“North Musutafu.” Brutus stated.

 

“Oh, heard you guys got huge trouble because of that doll freak.” the guy said.

 

“Doll freak?” Eraserhead asked, obviously knowing who.

 

“Yeah, some guy’s been hitting our places left, right and center.” he sets down his knife and fork. “‘Parently, he’s the kid of a head. And from what I've heard, he’s trying to find him. Offering a big reward too.”

 

“Is that so?” the hero asked rhetorically.

 

“Yeah. Only thing people’s got though is that he makes dolls that can kill ya. And that he’s a little brat too. Won’t stop me from beating his ass and dragging him home to his pa for that reward.” His words almost made Izuku smirk if he wasn’t jumping after that last line.

 

“And is this ‘pa’ here tonight?” Brutus questioned. Eraserhead turned as if he could read the blank face doll’s expressions.

 

The man made a small laugh. “Boy, you must really be new. Yeah, he’s here tonight, just like every head. Won’t be sitting here with us plebs, you know?”

 

“Where would they be?” the giant questioned.

 

Before he could continue, the lights dimmed and on a stage to one side of the room a curtain drew back to reveal a large dinner table. On which was a meal, steaming and hot but no one there to enjoy it.

 

It’s then that an announcement was made on the loudspeakers as several cloaked people walked on stage, their faces covered with dragon heads that each took a seat. None of them sat with their backs turned to the audience and there were about seven of them in total. 

 

If these weren’t the heads of the Dragon’s Roar, he didn’t know who they could be. Which meant that Hisashi was one of those people and the second he figured out who, he wasn’t going to hesitate. 

 

The dragon sitting most central of the table stood and walked towards the front of the stage, a microphone in hand as an older female voice came out.

 

“Dragon’s! Thank you and welcome to another one of our meetings here. I know that some of you are here as new leaders of operations whilst others are here as protection to their respective members.” she boomed out.

 

“I know it has been a slightly more difficult year this year. We’ve had the rise of a new gang called the Shie Hassaikai, the influx of new heroes and the appearance of a new annoyance in our midst but we have weathered worse.” 

 

“Tonight we will discuss our new operations moving forward. Information, as usual, you are to take to your graves lest you be cut off from like. Information that you must memorise, not write down or even tell beyond what your respective drones need to know.”

 

“Now then. Let’s get to our first issue…” she said as she clicked on a projector.

 

- - -

 

Shouta never felt more on edge than ever. No one expected for literally everyone in this room to be a Dragon’s Roar member. No one certainly planned for all of the higher ups to be here. They did not have enough people for this though he could guess Tsukauchi would realise that. 

 

They had body cams hidden in his and Burnin’s ties and he could hear in his hidden earpiece that he was contacting as many heroes as possible for what could very well be the death of the Dragon’s Roar. Problem was he was at the centre of it with an eighteen year old who didn’t have the experience for something like this. Hell, he’s never been in such a crazy bust.

 

And to top it all off, the fact that someone up there at that table was Hisashi was another thing. By the way Brutus was dead focused on the stage, he knew the kid was either looking for an opening or figuring out which one was his father.

 

He still wasn’t sure what Midoriya was going to do. He hoped this wouldn’t end with the kid killing him but he seriously thinks he might do it. In that case he needed to be ready.

 

He was in the lion’s den and the cave was blocked off.

 

“Eraserhead.” Tsukauchi’s voice uttered. “We are getting some more heroes called here. It’ll take thirty minutes.”

 

At least the information on the Shie Hassaikai was useful. Same for how much they knew about some of the hero schools. Once the woman talking finished her speech and updates, a different man stepped up and took the stage.

 

“Hello,” he greeted and Shouta saw Brutus flinch. “I am here to bring attention back to a request I had sent out two years ago.”

 

“For those unaware, there has been a series of attacks made on a few of our locations in quick succession. Though we had thought then it was luck, we realise now that someone is hunting us out.”

 

The projector showed a clear image of Midoriya, the same one from Shouta’s near death experience. “This is Midoriya Izuku. My child. He has a useful quirk that can be an asset to the Dragon’s Roar and he has been attacking our operations with the intent of going after me…”

 

The giant began to shake. Shouta could sense a world of thoughts possibly going through the kid’s mind. He was here. And there was still too much time until reinforcements could get here. He needed to stop Midoriya from acting out yet. 

 

- - -

 

‘I will hurt Hisashi.’

 

There was a pure coldness in the eyes of the child as they stared down the man in the mask through the giant. A slowly growing rage brims within him that he only sees can be quelled by one thing.

 

‘I will hurt Hisashi.’

 

For everything he did to Mama. For making him so scared of the world. For filling him with nothing be fear and loneliness. He will hurt this man back for it all.

 

“Brutus.” a voice whispered but the doll didn't turn. 

 

He knew it was Eraserhead but he didn’t want to look away, only glaring at the man he was about to storm up and punch. He can’t lose him.

 

“Izuku, don’t. Just a few minutes. Please.” the man pleaded. His voice was a whisper but his desperation was growing loud. “I promise you we’ll get him. Just be patient. Just a little longer.”

 

He didn’t want to listen. But he sounded convincing. But he didn’t trust him fully. But he knew he probably wasn’t lying. But does that even matter?

 

“If you attack him, everyone in this room will stop you. Give us a few minutes and we’ll stop them.” he continued.

 

He… was right. As much as he wanted to punch Hisashi so hard right now, he wouldn’t reach the stage. Not without compromising Brutus’ body. He had to be patient, even if his lip was bleeding with how hard he bit it.

 

Ana’s seat was filled by the hero and though that might’ve made Izuku shift away, he stopped when he could detect a hand clasp around the giant’s. He couldn’t feel the warmth, or the tightness or the rough skin but he did feel the reassurance. The boy calmed down and so did Brutus, a soft sigh coming from the hero.

 

“Thank you.” the man whispered.

 

Hisashi went on about every detail they had about Izuku. It was surprisingly accurate, even tracing his movements through the Theatre and his title as Dollmaker. How he talked about him you wouldn’t even think he was talking about his own flesh and blood. Only using the word ‘child’ at the start and after only treating him like an asset.

 

That made things harder but the hand reminded him to be patient.

 

“...and with that, I hope the reward of becoming a head here at the table is encouragement enough to find him and bring him to me.” he finished and sat back down.

 

The woman from before stood up again but didn’t take the stage, instead just calling out that the second course of the dinner will be served before they moved on. And at that command, several trolleys are pushed out with food that is set on every table. Izuku still didn’t look away though. 

 

He knew he was staring and that was bad so to stop that he stood up and dragged him and Aizawa to the side of the room to chat, a confused Burnin watching them.

 

“How long.” the giant ordered.

 

“Ten more minutes. That’s all I ask for.” he once more promised.

 

“Why aren’t you attacking now?” the boy demanded.

 

“Because we don’t have enough people for this,” he explained.

 

“You have Endeavor, Crimson Riot, Ingenium, Backdraft and several officers at standby.” the doll stated.

 

There was a bit of shock in the hero’s eyes at him saying information he should not have, he pushed it aside though. “That’s not enough for this.”

 

Izuku thought for a moment. Weighing his own patience against his fury, and with enough willpower he came to a compromise with himself. “Ten minutes.”

 

“Kid, that’s not-”

 

Brutus went back to his seat, sitting down and crossing his arms. All the while he watched the table for the heads. He focused on the one that should be Hisashi and counted in his own mind the literal seconds until he could attack.

 

- - -

 

Shouta didn’t know what to do. He knew Tsukauchi had to be watching because he whispered into his ear. “We don’t have ten minutes.”

 

“You’ll have to figure that out yourself. I can’t stop him.” he replied.

 

He sat back down, not next to the puppet but with Burnin again. She was looking nervous and she had good reason to be. This could all get ugly and there was only the hope that the reinforcements could get here before Midoriya ran out of patience. 

 

Every second that passed, he heard the tapping of his foot. Heavy and metallic. It was hard to hear over the general chatter of the hall but it was loud enough that everyone at the table could hear it.

 

“What’s got you impatient?” the guy from earlier asked. “Would’ve thought no one here would have anywhere else to be.”

 

Brutus said nothing, but the guy followed his gaze up to the heads. “Oh, you want to get back to business? Huh, must be a workaholic.”

 

The food kept getting eaten and with it more and more time was being lost. Shouta could hear over his earpiece that things were getting more frantic on the other end. He heard a bunch of names being said but that didn’t matter right now, what did was that back up was coming.

 

“Eras- Aizawa?” Burnin asked. He turned his attention to her and could see the concerned look on her face. 

 

“Yeah?” he responded.

 

She went into a whisper. “What happens when the fighting starts? Do we get to cover or…?”

 

“Yes. It’s going to be hectic, so when that happens I want you to head to the door where this food came from and block it off so no one can escape.” he instructed. “Next…”

 

Her face immediately turned to panic as her eyes looked past him. It was face that filled Shouta with dread as he could feel in his gut what exactly that look was. He spun around, almost spraining his neck to see Brutus was halfway to the stage in a near sprint. 

 

- - -

 

Izuku was staring at Hisashi, his mind laser focused on every little thing he did. He could see his mannerisms. His favourite food on hand. It was him. His voice was his, his presence was his. 

 

He watched the man grow a pick frustrated at one part of his meal. It was finger food and it seemed a part of the costume the heads wore had gloves. So naturally he took them off and what the boy saw broke every restraint he had.

 

The chair cracked with the push he did towards the stage, the wooden floor snapping with every step as he made it to the foot of the raised ground. In one jump he was up and the weight caused the platform to crunch slightly.

 

The other heads turned fast but none could react quick enough as the table was thrown up, almost crashing into the ceiling as a fist went hurling towards the man. He only just raised his hands once more to see the sight that set him off. To know just how audacious and cruel this demon could be.

 

The glistening of a wedding ring. Of which was not his mother’s.

 

The metal collided with flesh, a loud crack and snap as both the fist and the man’s head went crashing into the ground, wood breaking with the force. The mask was smashed and he could see his face clearly.

 

He didn’t have the same hair, nor the same face, or even the same eyes but he could feel it in his heart. Because for all that could be changed, Izuku could never lose that fear in his heart just by looking at him.

 

It was a deafening quiet in the hall. Everyone didn’t know what had happened and why. Dust had been thrown up in the brutal blow but the hulking form of the giant was still visible. Brutus lifted up the man by his head, hand holding Hisashi’s skull like a baseball and there was so much temptation to crush it.

 

He was going to. He wanted to. He needed to.

 

This was it. He could finally end this and never have anything to fear again. He would avenge Mama. He could live happily by himself and the world wouldn’t be able to stop him. No one can. He was going to do it and finally be done!

 

Blood seemed to trickle out between the metal fingers, pressure rising as Hisashi’s hands raised to try and pry them off. Any more pressure and he would hear the satisfying squelch of a monster’s brain being squeezed. It would be so easy!

 

But he couldn’t. Not because he didn’t have the strength, nor the will. No, he was shocked. Not at the man he just crushed. Not at Aizawa whose hand was outstretched. Not at the police now rushing downstairs and heroes ready to crash through every door. Not at the hundred people in this room who were ready to fight.

 

It was the boy that was hidden under the table, looking up at him with pure fear in his eyes through a mask. Despite that though, he could never mistake that hair.

 

“Hitoshi?”

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Sorry, I'm Sorry

Chapter 33: Sorry. I'm Sorry

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope today is going great for you! Here's a chapter to end what is going on in the hotel. Hope there's some catharsis with this one.

Have a nice day! <3

Hitoshi watched his dad get ready for the day ahead. He knew where he was going. Why else would he be putting so much effort into looking nice. He didn’t even look this good when he was out with Papa on a date night.

 

It was the day he was going to the Corrison Hotel and he was going to go with him. 

 

Of course Dad didn’t know that. He would stop him if he did, which is why he thought ahead. He knew it would take a couple hours to get to Hosu by train so he made sure to have the excuse that he was going to hang out with Momo for the day.

 

Papa offered to drop him off, at which he declined. He can’t have them being suspicious, not even in the slightest. No one can know he was there or else he’d be in big trouble and he knew he didn’t want to find out what that would look like.

 

He took his backpack and filled it with some important things. Firstly a collapsible staff, the same one he’s been training with. He’s gotten good with it or at least that’s what Dad says but he thinks he’s biassed. According to Hebura yesterday, his dad was ruthless when it came to training people.

 

The next thing he had was some food for energy, then his phone, a rope also from training and most importantly, some pepper spray he bought. It might all seem subpar but he needed it all if he wanted to talk to Izuku, to let him know he’s sorry.

 

He left just after Dad, heading to the station as soon as possible and buying the day ticket to Hosu City. It was a bit pricey for a seven year old but he had saved up for this day. He boarded the train and rested as it made its way to his destination.

 

The whole time, he’s thinking about what he wanted to say and how he would say it. He had thought about this for months now. He wanted the words to come out right and not sound like he’s just apologising just because he felt bad not because he was actually sorry. 

 

He hasn’t seen Izuku in nine months besides the break in and he wanted to tell him so much. About his new friends, his new school. The training he’s doing and how he went to UA. How he’s been adopted and how he loves his new dads. He wanted to share it all with him and learn everything about what he’s doing.

 

He wanted to be there. That was all he wanted to say.

 

He slept a bit on the ride, waking up when his phone timer went off and the train sounded out on an intercom that they were arriving in Hosu. It was the first time he’s ever been somewhere so far from home. It was one part exciting and another part scary.

 

He got off the train and immediately used his phone to guide him to the hotel. It wasn’t actually far from the station and he quickly got there to find the business conference on. 

 

Of course he couldn’t just walk in as is. Why would a kid be walking in here unless one of the people were his parents. Well, technically one of his parents will be here but he imagines the staff won’t accept that for an answer. Instead he looked for a different entrance, anything he could slip through.

 

Dad taught him about stealth and how important it was to always get the drop on your opponents. He hasn’t been taught it much but he knew better than the average person. At an employee entrance where some food was being brought in, he waited for when the workers started to have a smoke break and ducked into the building.

 

His next problem was the cameras. He didn’t know where they were, which was a problem. That’s why he made sure to pack a mask and a hoodie to cover himself up. It was mostly hope that’s going to get him to where he needed to go.

 

The mask was something simple. He’d found it amongst some of Papa’s stuff. It covered up his face completely and even had a filter, though he can’t see himself using it. It certainly made him feel like he was going to do something dangerous.

 

He slipped through many corridors, avoiding people and cameras as best he could until he finally reached the main hall meant for conferences. It wasn’t easy and took the better part of fifty minutes but after arriving at a big conference hall, he knew he had the right place. The room was being set up for some kind of dinner with a huge dining table on the main stage.

 

There was no one around yet everything was set up, so he looked all over and could see the seating arrangements for everyone except for the stage table which didn’t have anything on it. Still he tried to check it before he heard a door open and he rushed into the only hiding place there was.

 

Slipping under the sheeted table, he heard a few people, probably staff, come in to set a few things up before the dinner. He could also hear rough voices giving orders about where to stand and go. He wasn't sure why but he knew he wasn’t moving here for a while unless he wanted to get caught.

 

So he waited. Waited for what felt like ages before he heard the sound of what had to be the curtains closing on the stage. Hitoshi thought it might be the time to get out but the sound of footsteps around him stopped that idea. Eventually he noticed that there was silence in the hall. He didn’t know why until a door opened and a few hundred footsteps entered the room.

 

‘This is bad.’ he thought.

 

He doesn’t even know if this is where he’s meant to be. For all he knew, wherever Izuku was going to be could be outside the hotel. Should he just get out from under now? Pretend he’s just a silly kid making a prank? No, if he did they’d call Papa and he’d be upset at him. Maybe he should just hope for the best?

 

The curtains moved again and there was a small applause as a few footsteps came around the table, several people sitting down. Hitoshi had to twist himself to avoid the feet stretching out to him under the table.

 

One person didn’t sit down though and they instead walked along the stage and spoke a bunch about… the Dragon’s Roar.

 

Oh. Was he here in the meeting? Did he accidentally stumble into whatever it was the heroes were going after? Or worse, given how he was under a table that was the centre of attention in the hall. Does that mean he was under a really important table.

 

‘Oh fuck.’ he swore in his mind.

 

This was bad. He knew the Dragon’s were a really bad gang and that they would probably kill him for being here. He cannot be caught no matter what. He just had to hide here and hope he doesn’t get discovered and an opportunity to escape comes up. Yes, that was pretty much the only thing he could do.

 

Then a man started talking about Izuku. And what was more concerning, he called him his ‘child’. He knew that his friend’s father was a part of the Dragon’s, does that mean he’s a higher up? No, it’s more than that. The man who hurt his friend and made him so terrified of the world and people was right here, talking about finding him and ‘making him an asset’.

 

That part made him nearly yell out at that. The way he spoke about Izuku was like he was just an object to possess. No familiarity, no relation or empathy. Once he was done, he sat down and everyone began eating and chatting. From where he was though, he could hear a lot more than most.

 

“So Roar, will this child really be an ‘asset’ or is that wishful thinking?” an older woman’s voice asked.

 

“Yes, Wings. His quirk has the potential to make assasination easy. Imagine it. We could send in puppets filled with explosives into a hero’s agency. Or a police station. We also don’t know what happens if he injects his fluid into living creatures.” he explained.

 

“And what if it’s all not up to snuff?” a different man asked.

 

“Even if his quirk can’t reach its full power naturally, there is always Trigger.” the man, Roar, stated.

 

Another different man’s voice spoke. “And are we sure you aren’t attached to this kid?”

 

There was a small chuckle. “No. Frankly I don’t even think he’s my kid. Think his whore of a mother cheated. Why else would he be so different from me?”

 

“Speaking of wives and lives.” the older woman, Wings, uttered, “How is your new one?”

 

“More useful. Hopefully she won’t turn sour.” Roar answered.

 

This was awful. The way they talked about Izuku and his mother, especially Hisashi or Roar or whoever he was. His voice was filled with disgust and vice, but he can’t do anything, not yet. He had to hope there was a pause or an intermission or any opening he could have to get out of here safely.

 

Unfortunately that decision was taken out of his hands.

 

There was a series of crashes, a thud and a table lifted and thrown over head as Hitoshi watched this giant of man in clear view, swing a huge fist into a man wearing a cloak and a dragon mask. He was sent thundering into the floor, wood chippings everywhere and a crack too before being hoisted back up by the skull.

 

Hitoshi was freaking out so much his hoodie fell off and his hair spread out. The giant man looked ready to crush the man’s bleeding head and he thought he was about to watch someone get murdered when the giant man looked at him and seemed to drop his guard before uttering out his name.

 

“Hitoshi?”

 

How did he know his name?

 

There wasn’t much else to dwell on as a slash was made to the face of the giant, shredding what he thought terrified was skin, before it turned out to be a prosthetic mask. The face then was metal, scratched and jagged. It was a doll, he knew it was, which meant that this person, seeing through those hollowed eyes, was him.

 

It was Izuku looking back at him.

 

The same kid who said ‘Happy Birthday’ in that shaky voice. The same kid who almost crushed a man’s skull right in front of him. He didn’t know what to say, nor could he say it. One of the dragon masks had sharpened claws that were being swung at the giant.

 

The second slash landed, shredding the suit a little but the third was stopped with a grab.

 

Soon enough though, the whole room was in a panic. Several people were either rushing towards the stage or an exit, quirks flaring and weapons unsheathing. He felt trapped as he was still on the floor looking up at all of this before he felt a shadow wash over him.

 

One of the dragon masks, with red scales on their arms, raised a hand to grasp him but was stopped by the wrapping of a grey cloth. 

 

“Kid! Get over here now!” a familiar voice yelled. 

 

The boy turned to see his dad there, his quirk now flaring but Hitoshi didn't move. He wanted to but his foot was stuck under the table and he couldn’t get out. Dad noticed this and, along with another woman with fiery green hair, ran up to the stage to help him.

 

The scales man though was stronger than he looked at with a pull, Dad was thrown forwards further than expected to be met with a kick, forcing the hero to blink. He blocked it but those scales must be hard as rock from how he gritted his teeth.

 

With that fighting though, Hitoshi looked back to Izuku to see him clashing with the claw man.

 

- - -

 

Brutus took many of the slashes with pride, raising his arms to defend himself like Gang Orca does during combat, using his size and body to corner the dragon. He honestly didn't know why. Right now his mind was going a mile a minute and he was controlling the giant as if it were his life on the line.

 

The dragon was fast but his armor was tougher, cuts barely even denting the metal as he got close enough to the guy to reach out and grasp him, his cloak used against him. With a swing, the man was thrown out into the hall just in time for Izuku to see the main lobby door swing open to a bunch of heroes charging through.

 

He scanned them quickly and could see Endeavor in the far back, walking up and he knew he didn’t have much time left before he seriously needed to run. Brutus spun around to check Hisashi only to see that he was standing back up. 

 

The mask had fallen off, pieces on the floor. His face was wrecked. Nose broken, teeth dislodged and an eye bloodshot but he was still up. He stared down Brutus and growled.

 

“YOU!” he shouted. “Goddam brat, little shit, fuck!” 

 

He yelled out profanities as he nursed the side of his face. 

 

“I’ll goddam kill you for that Izuku!” he roared.

 

His throat began to glow as fire burned within and let out a breath towards Brutus. The heat was intense if the slightly melting metal was anything to go by. The flames completely engulfed the camera’s vision, making thoughts run through the boy.

 

‘Is this what she saw before she died?’ he imagined.

 

He can’t feel the flames as they wash over and the paint on Brutus’ face cracked, the camera fogging a little and the metal twisting a little at the heat. Despite that though he could imagine the pain, the burning, flailing pain that she no doubt experienced and yet still had the strength to tell him to run.

 

He would’ve panicked if he was there in person no doubt. Fallen to the floor and curled up like he did then but right now he wasn’t there. Just seeing the danger through the lens of a camera, in the eye of a doll. A doll he can control.

 

Through the fire a fist came forth, red from the heat, and slammed into the forearm of the man. Hisashi had already raised them up in defence and unlike before, he was ready for a fight. 

 

The evil man reached into his cloak and took out something that looked like a tube of some kind. It was attached to a long hose that connected to a gas mask he connected to his face. One would think sealing his only method of using his quirk away was stupid but that was from it.

 

He breathed into the mask, and the fire moved from it to the hose and out through the tube, to a sword hilt at the end letting out a jet of focused flame, looking like a burning blade he was holding. He swung and Brutus dodged but given how powerful the fire was, the length of the ‘blade’ reached all the way to the back of the hall, searing an unprepared gang member in half.

 

It was horrifying to watch and everyone in that room almost froze, hero and villain alike as they reassessed who the biggest danger was. One horizontal slash and the whole room could be killed.

 

And of course that was Hisashi’s next move. 

 

With all of the dragon heads rushing behind him, knowing what he’s about to do it seemed, Hisashi readied his blade to swing. But the fire never came out much to Hisashi’s visible confusion, thanks to Eraserhead’s quick reaction time. 

 

The hero himself seemed to be doing okay. The scales man who fought him looked worse for wear but after Eraserhead was forced to focus his quirk on Hisashi, the villain retreated, joining the others behind the evil man. With the dragon heads all gathered, the old woman from before unfurled these humongous feathered wings. 

 

She was hidden behind the other dragons, seemingly aware of Eraserhead’s quirk somehow. As such he couldn’t stop her from whatever she was going to do. He did hear her yell something.

 

“Give me thirty seconds!”

 

Izuku couldn’t tell what her quirk was but given everyone was in front of her it’s likely something bad was going to happen once she flapped. Brutus charged towards her, Eraserhead too but he seemed to be more focused on Hitoshi who had finally broken free of the table and was running to his dad.

 

That caused the pro hero to turn his focus away from the dragons and onto his son, diving to grab him and pull him away. Unfortunately, that meant Hisashi could use his quirk again. 

 

His throat flared and flames travelled through the hose to the tube and once more the flaming blade was unleashed. This time though, he had his priorities straight. As the giant tried to land a strike on him, the scaled dragon jumped in to cushion the blow, giving Hisashi enough time to swing his blade, not towards Brutus but Eraserhead and Hitoshi.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi ran across the stage to get to his dad. He finally snapped out of his stupor after watching a man get bisected on the other side of the room. Dad seemed to notice him aiming for him as well because he redirected his run to grab him. 

 

The two clashed, Hitoshi gripping on, the mask shifting a little but remaining secure whilst Dad wrapped his arms around him to protect them. He seemed ready to jump back to safety and turn tail when both looked up to see a bright light coming down on them, every fibre of the boy screaming that this was it.

 

He was about to die. Not just him but Dad too and without a doubt this was all his fault.

 

He shut his eyes and what came was a loud screech like metal twisting. He sensed there was something in front of him and opened his eyes to the giant doll standing between them and the blade. 

 

He hadn’t parried it, no. Instead, given the tube sword was essentially a jet rocket, he was standing in front of it, using his body to absorb its burning force. Hitoshi watched as one of the shoulders of the giant was burned through, causing one arm to fall off.

 

There was a moment where the three parties froze. Hisashi looked on with mild annoyance, Brutus obviously not flinching at losing that arm and then there was him and Shouta that was watching on, unsure of what to do next.

 

Brutus looked behind for a moment, making eye contact with Hitoshi before turning around to see Hisashi ready to do another strike. This time though it was stopped not by a hero but by one of them. The old woman shouted at Hisashi to stop and he did, only after he glared at Izuku through the camera.

 

The giant was ready to keep fighting but the old woman’s wings flapped gracefully, covering the dragon heads. When they reopened, all of them were gone and the wings dissipated into a storm of feathers which burned in the air.

 

- - -

 

The greenette glanced around, turning his head to see if he could find them at all, and opened traffic cameras outside to see if they were out there. Frantically he scanned the entirety of the surrounding area in a matter of seconds and there was nothing.

 

He can’t have, seriously, he can’t have lost him. If he did then he’s lost his only chance he- he-!

 

Izuku slumped in his chair, tears forming in his eyes. That was it. Hisashi was gone. He could’ve fought harder but then… 

 

This was annoying. This was very annoying. He was supposed to stop Hisashi here. He had everything he needed to finish him off but now he’s gone and maybe forever, at least in terms of Izuku finding him.

 

Worst of all, Brutus was weak. He could just barely drink some more fluids but he’s taken a lot of damage. He needed to get out now. 

 

“Midoriya!” shouted Eraserhead behind him.

 

The giant turned to look and saw the pro hero was using his quirk. Indeed Brutus couldn’t move, the fluid inside him now, well, fluid. He can’t get out of here, at least on his own. 

 

It seemed that all of the dragons were being rounded up. Endeavor was stepping in as well after having to deal with a few gang members fleeing. 

 

But instead of struggling like them in vain, Brutus just remained there. He remained still, almost statuesque and was merely patient. Because there was a way out, he just needed to wait a bit longer.

 

Of course he put on a show of it. Everytime Eraserhead blinked, the giant made it a point to move towards the exit before being halted again, like a game of red light, green light. It isn’t long before a few heroes gathered around the giant looking ready to strike out in a fight as the erasure hero grew more and more dry eyed with every use of his quirk.

 

“Midoriya, just please stand down and stay where you are.” he stated. 

 

It was clear what they wanted. They could use the camera’s GPS to trace back to where the signal came from, and even if they can’t there are tons of tracking quirks out there. He absolutely cannot have Brutus captured, not unless he destroyed the camera.

 

A hero, Crimson Riot, began to reach towards the head of the giant. He seemed to be aiming to remove the head but it was at that moment he managed to have everything he needed in place. All of the heroes who could stop him were now inside the hotel.

 

A small explosion would be heard and all of the heroes would flinch, not sure what that was or where but Izuku did. Ana left the ventilation shafts as a burst of purple smoke came tumbling through and soon through every vent in a flood. It reached the hall and now all of the heroes were awash with a sedative gas.

 

All of them panic, some looking to escape whilst others rushed to put on filters they had such as Backdraft. That was when Izuku finally struck. Crashing from the vents, Ana dove down and took out those people with the masks, making sure they couldn’t escape the gas. She had to avoid a few bare misses but by the end she got enough heroes that they had to shift focus from the dolls to the unruly villains again.

 

The doll rushed to the giant and the two of them turned to rush out when the doll was stopped by someone grabbing her leg. Izuku thought it was a hero who managed to escape the gas but instead he looked down at Hitoshi, the greenette having forgotten about his own mask.

 

“Izuku!” he yelled. “Please just listen to me!”

 

Ana didn’t want to. Not because she didn’t want to hear what he had to say but because there was only so much time. She tried to shrug him off but his next sentence made both of the dolls freeze.

 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry I lied to you! I didn’t know who they were to you and that you were going to be there! But still I’m sorry! I didn’t protect you. I failed to make you feel safe.” he cried out.

 

- - -

 

He said it. He finally did. Maybe it wasn’t what he rehearsed but it got across most of everything he wanted to say. He just hoped his friend could understand that he was serious and sincere.

 

When the doll didn’t immediately move, he took that chance to continue.

 

“I can help you stop him. We can stop him and we can start talking again, right? I know you just want to hide from the world but please at least let me in!”

 

He continued. “Because everyday I haven’t seen you since then, all I’ve felt is guilt because I failed to be your friend. Please let me make amends! I want us to be friends again!”

 

He started to tear up a little. “I know you’re scared! Of Hisashi, of Eraserhead, of Present Mic. Heroes, villains, people in general but please, Izuku, please.”

 

“Don’t be scared of me!”

 

That last line was said with every part of desperation Hitoshi had to see his friend again. To hear that stuttering voice that wished him happy birthday. To play games and just chat about their day after school. To spend every hour of every day together because they were both kids who just wanted someone to talk to.

 

He stared up at Ana. She wasn’t looking but wasn’t moving either. He was thinking.

 

The doll uttered. “Thank you.”

 

- - -

 

And she shrugged off his hand and ran, the two dolls making it to their planned exit and rushing outside, down a few alleys to where a van rested with a driver inside to take them away. The giant and doll hopped in the back and with a bang on the car wall, the man drove off.

 

Brutus locked in place whilst Ana looked out through a window at the hotel. The building was swarmed with police cars, and confused employees and tourists alike as they were escorted outside. 

 

Ana crashed down onto the floor, not because she was broken but because her controller was breaking down. All of the emotions rushing through Izuku was like a fire in his blood. 

 

He was sobbing, clutching Charlie tightly as he cried into the wooly body. They weren’t small cries but loud, louder than he could speak, whines and hasty breaths as a panic came over him and he could do nothing but curl in on himself.

 

- - -

 

Hisashi let the wings unfurl and now all of the dragon heads were safe in their headquarters. There was a resulting grunt from each of them. Frustration in different forms for different things but the loudest was himself, the adrenaline dying down and the throbbing, agonising pain on his face coming back.

 

“I swear, when I get that brat back I’m going to break him so bad he won’t dare raise his hand against me again!” he roared.

 

“Roar.” the old woman, Wings, uttered. “You were correct on that child’s quirk being strong. What progress have you made on his search again?”

 

“Fuck all!” Hisashi yelled with a snap.

 

“Well you might’ve gotten a breakthrough.” another dragon head, Scales said.

 

The man lifted up something that immediately made Hisashi smile an obnoxious grin. “Yes… we have…”

 

He let out a smile and laughed imagining the ways to punish Izuku as he looked down at the arm of the giant who punched him. Some spinal fluid, and hence his DNA, resting within it.

 

“Let’s call the Bloodhound.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku spent the rest of that night lying in bed with all the plush dolls he could hold and just nursed them all as he fought back against the constant weeping. It got to a point where his head was aching and the world was too bleary to even think. All the while, one thought kept going through his head.

 

‘I’m sorry Hitoshi. I’m sorry I’m sorry…’

 

And it was that night he slept, dreaming for the first time in months something that wasn’t Hisashi, Mama or the things he feared. Just Hitoshi and everything they could do together, smiling and laughing and playing without any doubt or panic in him.

 

‘I’m sorry.’

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Four’s a Party

Chapter 34: Four's a Party

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're having a good day. I am. I received my results back for my exam and passed. I have officially finished university!

Anyways, besides that I'd also like to mention how someone made a story inspired by my work! Thank you nc_november, it made my day to see that someone was inspired by me! If you want a story about Izuku and a doll quirk that's a bit more macabre than check it out:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/69060981/chapters/178954161

Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Have a nice day! <3

It had been a few months since the hotel. The Dragon’s Roar has had, for what has felt like the first in their existence, slowed down. Whereas their operations would spring up just as others were shut down, the heroes were actually now keeping up.

 

That’s of course due in part to the raid. A lot of important people were caught even if none of them were the true heads of the organisation. Of course that’s why the heroes have been pushing hard in the hopes that this moment of weakness might allow them to properly slay this dragon once and for all.

 

That, unfortunately, relied on finding the heads. Ever since the attack, none of those people have been seen. It didn’t help that only one of their faces was confirmed and it was a beaten and broken one at that.

 

So right now they can’t stop them. At least not fully unless they can figure out where exactly they would be hiding. Thankfully, or maybe not, they have someone else who is just as determined to find where they’re hiding if not more.

 

Izuku had become even more withdrawn, if that was even possible. Before he would talk to himself or pretend to talk to his dolls but now it was as if he didn’t exist. That it was the dolls who were actually alive and he was just the brain that moved them.

 

Maybe he found that scary. Maybe he didn’t. Either way, everyday he’s locked in his room, only coming out for the barest of reasons like the bathroom, he’s becoming less and less like he’s actually there.

 

He’s mostly been on a one track mind to find Hisashi and has practically torn through half of their operations to get even a hint as to where he is. It’s certainly made the heroes' jobs easier, even though there have been a couple who have noticed a clear change in the scenes they show up at.

 

- - -

 

“Another one?” Shouta questioned, heading into the restaurant side by side with Tsukauchi.

 

“Yes.” the detective replied.

 

“This is the second one tonight,” he commented.

 

Tsukauchi cringed a little. “Third actually. There was an attack during the day.”

 

The buildings were beyond wrecked. Most of the windows were blown out, the front door smashed in and the kitchen looked like a nightmare. That wasn’t what worried him though. That would be the damage to the villains, not the building.

 

It’s been a slow curve but it’s noticeable now more than ever. Midoriya had paused for a while after the Corrison raid and only started reappearing a few weeks ago. Since then, it’s like the kid was going on a rampage at every operation and it’s starting to become genuinely scary seeing the direction he’s going.

 

Case and point, the blood that’s scattered everywhere in this latest Dragon’s Roar operation destroyed. 

 

No one was dead, thankfully, but he knows that so far three people have had to go to the emergency room with at least two of those needing surgery. Midoriya’s starting to spiral into a darker place and he knows that unless someone does something soon, he’s going to get worse.

 

Speaking of those injuries though, “Was there anyone severely hurt?”

 

“Thankfully, not this time. And I hope for everyone’s sake it stays that way.” the detective responded.

 

The two stopped in the very back of the building. The restaurant was your classic front for an illegal gambling ring. Most of everyone who was there has been arrested and all of the activities were shut down. There was one unfortunate detail though that put the pro hero into even more concern.

 

“There was barely any money in the safe.” Tsukauchi stated and the look he gave made it clear what he was insinuating.

 

‘The kid needs money somehow.’ he thought.

 

Shouta said nothing to that but the detective clearly didn’t want to let it go because there’s something that he wanted to say.

 

“Look, Aizawa. I won’t judge you or the kid but, this is getting dangerous and I will say that it’s getting harder to-”

 

“I’ll find him.” the long haired man reaffirmed.

 

“It’s not me you need to convince.” Tsukauchi said.

 

That’s clear. With Midoriya, or ‘Dollmaker’ as the media has taken to calling him, getting more aggressive with his attacks, news outlets were noticing him. Shouta almost spat out his coffee along with Hitoshi when they saw a shaky camera show an alley fight between the giant/doll and a gang.

 

That fact and how people are bringing up Shouta’s near death experience over a year ago now, has left people unsure of whether Midoriya was a brutal vigilante or a convenient villain. What he’s doing is good, yes, but little things like taking what should be evidence to spend for himself is not at all what one would call heroic.

 

Of course Shouta would argue all day with anyone who’d ever try to say Midoriya was a villain but he could only fight so much before the HPSC starts getting annoyed. And with the kid getting more and more brutal with his attacks, it feels inevitable that one day he’s going to be told Midoriya was now legally a villain and not a vigilante, making helping him so much harder to protect.

 

It’s alright chatting to a vigilante because that person is still alright from a moral standpoint but with a villain, someone who’s been defined as being against the law was much harder to justify. Not to mention the complications that would come after he was caught.

 

Honestly, at this point Shouta was tempted to just start looking into every building in Musutafu for the kid because he’s not getting anything from chasing these wreckages.

 

“I’ll find him. I have to.” 

 

He really needs some help. That’s something he’s not ashamed to admit right now.

 

- - -

 

Izuku was once again staring into the screen, fighting sleep he has come to combat naturally. He doesn’t think he’s looked anywhere else in over a day but his eyes don’t feel dry. He doesn’t feel many things really.

 

Ever since that raid where he lost and was hurt by what Hitoshi said. It wasn’t what he said that hurt him but what it all meant. That all of the lingering fear he had for his friend was for naught but a misunderstanding and it stun, and that wasn’t it.

 

When the table was flipped and he saw the face he made when he saw Brutus, it was as if for the first time Izuku looked in the mirror and saw what he was slowly becoming. Monstrous, destructive, terrifying.

 

But that wasn’t where the fear and hurt came. It wasn’t that. It was how he didn’t feel anything but acute elation when he realised that. That thought didn’t scare him, which in turn horrified him.

 

It’s like watching someone crush an ant under the finger. You see how impassive they are to killing something which was by all right was insignificant but the way that other person didn’t seem phased but instead happy was terrifying. And the worst part was you were looking in a mirror.

 

He doesn’t know why this was happening. If there was something inside him that was broken or this fear turned to rage for Hisashi was so strong that everything else was being pushed out. 

 

What he meant is, he tried to kill Hitoshi and Eraserhead. Kill them instantly without a second thought so how could he not be enraged. 

 

Maybe these emotions come from the fact he wasn’t there. That he couldn’t experience the sight fully of a man getting crushed by Brutus’ fist. That he can’t smell the burnt flesh from Ana’s cattle prod. That he can’t hear every scream, yell, cry, welp, whine and snap that every fight makes through the camera.

 

I think there’s something the dolls can’t get that only you can. A life.

 

Eraserhead’s words have been echoing through him every time he had these thoughts and it wasn’t going away no matter how much he pushed them down. He could do it with the other stuff so why can’t he do it with this?

 

Maybe because it’s so much more difficult to hide it now when he’s going further and further in this direction. Even though he can only just hold himself back from killing the people he hurts it feels like that point will be passed any day.

 

It’s like he’s not in control of his own self anymore and it’s just this emotion deep inside him that’s taken over.

 

The only reason it hasn’t won was because he kept promising. Kept insisting that he won’t kill anyone not because he doesn’t want to but…

 

…because he wants it to be Hisashi. He wants to kill him and only him.

 

It’s why he’s going faster. Doing more takedowns of operations to gather anything he can on where Hisashi could be. He was getting close to their base, he knew it. It’s just a matter of whether the dam of fury will break first or Hisashi will.

 

And after that… he doesn’t know. 

 

Maybe he could go after Endeavor. According to Nedzu, they were looking into it but it’s been too long and he can’t help but feel like he doesn’t care as much as he does. But he’ll give him a chance, at least until he finds Hisashi.

 

- - -

 

Brutus and Ana arrived at the Darkest Theatre. They hadn’t been here in months. Most of the business they had here, with Giran mostly, was over burner phones because they didn’t want to stumble in Eraserhead again.

 

Once entered, they both looked for the man who was surprised to see them. After a very brief introduction, they all went to a private room to chat about why they were there.

 

“So what is it you want? Need more knockout gas? Or are you looking for even more information on the Dragon’s operations? Cheap as always.” the man bargained.

 

Everytime they talked, Izuku got uncomfortable. He always disliked Giran. There was just something shady with him. Or rather ominous as shady was always something the man was going to be.

 

“Why do you always give me this information cheaply?” Brutus questioned.

 

The man chuckled a little and leaned back in his chair. “Let’s just say there’s a client I have who wants the board cleared, so to speak.”

 

That annoys Izuku that he’s being used like that but one problem at a time. Right now he needed something that wasn’t the Dragon’s. He needed to make another doll.

 

So far he had three and each one served their purpose. 

 

First there was Ana. His oldest and simplest doll. Her purpose is to act like a human for the purpose of infiltration but is perfectly capable of handling herself if she does get into combat. She’s not perfect for it, which is why more often than not during attacks she is hiding behind Brutus and only attacking when something gets in his blindspot.

 

Next there was Charlie. The plush cat. They were made solely for reconnaissance. Checking out places and making sure there’s a safe way in and out when traffic cameras can't see well. He can’t attack at all, being literally made of wool but he’s slippery enough to get away from most normal people.

 

Finally there was Brutus. The fighting giant. He was for fighting first and foremost and will likely only ever serve that purpose. He is big, armored and bulky and with the lost arm, it got replaced with someone much more tough and made of fire resistant tungsten sheeting too. He has a weapon but he’s only ever needed it when there’s too many people. His fists do plenty.

 

All of these dolls had their weaknesses and strengths but there was one thing amongst all of them that was lacking. Range. Sure Ana could carry a pellet gun or heck he might even be able to strap one to Charlie but none of them were dedicated to such a thing.

 

That’s why he needed to make something for that. With him getting closer to the Dragon’s heads he needs more than just two dolls fighting. He needed a third who could watch over all of them and attack people without needing to put themselves in danger. 

 

“I need a gun.” Brutus said and Giran’s mouth twisted upwards.

 

Back home, all that he had was laid out in front of him. He knew what he wanted to make and what it would look like so he got exactly what he needed and nothing more.

 

First for the body it was going to be a plastic doll, specifically a pure white department store mannequin. The others were all made of something different. Ana was wood (besides her head), Brutus metal and Charlie fibres so he felt it would be nice to have that variety. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t give the new one some armor.

 

The doll had segments in the joints of its arms as usual but an extra adjustment was done to the right arm, cutting it off up to the elbow and hollowing it out for what he plans to do with it. He wanted the doll to function as normal like Ana but when in combat it will change to suit the fight.

 

Of course to make such a doll is difficult, well until he made a discovery. When looking up long range shooting heroes like Snipe and Starbullet he came across a hero who was incarcerated a few years ago. She had this quirk that turned her arm into a rifle and could make bullets from her hair.

 

Izuku couldn’t recreate the hair part but the arm rifle thing was inspiring and what he planned to recreate. He can’t replicate it perfectly but he can get close, he’s sure. After some carving and tests, Ana loaded a gun into the doll's arm. 

 

It was an impressive weapon and he might've complimented Giran on it if he didn’t find the man so offputting. It was bulky at the base of the elbow, a large cartridge for bullets and a short barrel, at least in its rapid fire mode. With a simple click, the barrel got longer and it went from a submachine gun to a long range rifle.

 

Unfortunately, given the bulkiness of the arm, he wasn’t going to be able to have a whole limb so this doll was going to have to walk around with only one and cloaked like Brutus to hide the obvious weapon replacing its forearm.

 

The next thing was giving the doll mobility. If this was going to be a sharpshooter, they needed to be able to get up to high places and vantage points to be the most effective. That’s why she had a grapple gun embedded in her other arm.

 

This one could be hidden as it wasn’t as bulky and could easily be used by firing the hook through the palm. It was honestly quite cool watching it happen though it just meant that the doll would be fragile due to all the small parts inside and better kept as far away from the actual fighting as possible.

 

Finally, it was making sure the doll was light and mobile. If it was going to be avoiding fist fights it needed to be faster than the enemy so a few smoke grenades will help to get that distance.

 

Ultimately, he had exactly what he wanted. A ranged fighter who could provide support to both Brutus and Ana.

 

Of course he needed to pretty them up and had Ana go and pick up the paints…

 

…

 

Izuku watched through Ana’s eyes, who was in the same room as him, looking down at the paints. The same ones Hitoshi had gotten him. She opened them and stared at it. Inside was the birthday card he made for him, the sparkly glitter and all.

 

…

 

He has thought a lot about Hitoshi the last few months and wondered if he should reach back out. He doesn’t know if he should or if it might risk himself being caught but ever since that apology, he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about maybe making himself known at the very least.

 

On occasion he’s sent Charlie to watch him at school. He often talked to this ‘Momo’ girl he found was called Yaoyorozu and he had mixed feelings about that. One part of him was happy to see that he had found someone else to talk to, even if it’s just her and a blue haired boy who joined them every now and again.

 

The other part though felt even more lonely. Yeah Hitoshi came to apologise to him, risked his life too but seeing how happy he’d talking to these other people made Izuku feel forgotten. And, okay, that’s what he wanted most, maybe, but he can’t bear the idea of actually being lost to his friend.

 

‘Maybe I should visit.’ Izuku thought.

 

It would be nice to maybe make it known that he was watching. Maybe then he could just listen and feel included.

 

I think there’s something the dolls can’t get that only you can. A life.

 

‘Shut up.’

 

It didn’t matter if he was going to be there. He could just make it known, maybe using the voice box in the doll to say his name or maybe show that Charlie was one of his dolls. If he had a bad reaction, Izuku could easily get away and if a pro hero is called in an ambush later then that’s why the self destruct button existed for this plush.

 

Truly there was nothing to lose by just talking.

 

No… he can’t get distracted right now. He was building a doll and he needed to make it look nice. After all it’s the little things that keep you from going mad. Ana took the paints and moved to add the final touches.

 

- - -

 

It was a dark night. It was getting close to winter so the nights were getting longer and days shorter. The docks were quiet, besides the splashing of waves raised by the tide and… the moving of boxes.

 

A boat had sailed in. Not a small one but a freighter with a lot of big metal boxes on it filled with all kinds of different things from big furniture to cars and even the occasional rare painting or piano. Of course no one would know that so that’s why the Dragon’s were there, moving shipping containers filled with ingredients for Trigger.

 

This was spread over a few crates for extra security but nothing can stop a loose tongue and a greedy palm from selling out which one was which. To people like Izuku, of course. 

 

“Hey, what’s with all the extra security?” a man asked, noticing the heavy guard presence.

 

A woman responded. “Haven’t you heard? Dollmaker’s striking out at a lot of our operations recently. We need this.”

 

“Dollmaker? Who the hell’s that?” the first thug asked.

 

“A kid who makes these creepy puppets. According to news and what I’ve heard, he’s been going after us hard and has taken out twelve of our operations last week alone.” she responded.

 

“What the hell? A kid? Seriously?” the guy replied in disbelieving chuckle. “Why’s a kid a big threat?”

 

“You don’t understand. The kid never shows up but the dolls do and one’s strong enough to lift a car from what I heard.” she said.

 

The guy just waved his hand with a laugh. “Sure. If anything like that comes around, I’ll be sure to take out some candy to distract him with.”

 

“Your funeral.” the woman uttered as she turned back to her work.

 

Then there was a distant sound of smashing glass. Everyone froze at it and looked at each other and when they realised none of their own was over there they all got immediately ready. 

 

It was silent until another shattering of glass was heard. Then another. And soon out of nowhere one of the guard’s heads was thrown back by a rubber bullet pinging his skull. As everyone looked over to see where it came from, one guy close to the edge of the ship got grabbed from overboard by his hair and was pulled so that his head was hanging over the edge only to be tased by something.

 

Once more the thugs spun to look in that direction before the crashing of crates sounded as the thing most of these people had dreaded was here. A hulking metal giant ripping through wood and plastic, closing in on them at terrifying speeds.

 

“Dollmaker!” a guard cried and everyone prepared weapons and quirks to fight off whatever was attacking them.

 

Brutus was surrounded fast but his armor and several tanky heroes fighting styles had him blocking knives, punches and slams by quirks and tools alike. After he dispatched one guy though, a man with an ice quirk touched Brutus, spreading ice along his body.

 

The giant reacted fast and jumped back, running over a guy behind him as he checked over the damage. It wasn’t much but some of the ice made it through the cracks in his body and some fluid was killed.

 

When the ice guy charged again to strike, a confident smirk on his face, it was quickly wiped off when another bang was heard and a rubber bullet struck him square on his forehead, stunning him. That gave Ana enough time to hop on board and stab him with her cattle prod, taking him down before running to get away from the fight, Brutus continuing himself.

 

That didn’t stop some guys from going after her though, dashing between shipping crates and cornering her. She wasn’t helpless though, using her cattle prod and martial arts to bat, kick and slam some guys away whilst using the tight space between containers to climb up the wall.

 

Despite being on top now though, two guys with a climbing quirk and floating one joined her. She was fighting a two on one fight parrying with her long prod like a staff when a third guy leapt up out of nowhere. 

 

He had a massive jaw which unhinged wide enough to swallow Ana whole but another bullet from nowhere flew into the man’s mouth and pinged off his uvula in the back of his throat. He gagged immediately at the stinging pain before feeling more pain all over thanks to a quick jab with the prod.

 

The fight kept going and it was clear who was winning. The guy who didn’t believe the Dollmaker was a threat is now running to hide whilst what sounded like less and less fighting grew, as no one got back up.

 

Sitting there, hidden between two crates, he thought about how he could get out when a rubber bullet struck his arm.

 

“Ack!” he yelled, grabbing his limb immediately.

 

The pain was awful and there was even a small hole in his sleeve where the bullet hit, his skin underneath burned from the instant friction of rubber and skin. He turned his head to where it came from and saw a dark shadow approaching.

 

The other two puppets were scary in different ways. Ana was creepy, her still movements and sudden jolts along with her uncanny face made her seem like an actual human doll. Brutus was intimidating, his large form, sharp claws and hollowed bleeding eyes made him look like a nightmare come to life.

 

This one though was haunting.

 

It didn’t have a face, just a featureless white mask with a hole in the dead center where a camera lens peeked out making its whole bleach white head look like an eyeball. Its movements were weirdly graceful and the large gun on its right arm juxtaposed with the rest of its smooth and sleek features.

 

As the light of the lamps nearby glowed, its white plastic skin shone as the black cloak at its shoulders billowed behind it. Its body underneath that cloak though was wearing nothing and completely naked, smooth white fibreglass skin but it wasn’t unmarked as along it was drawn many white flowers marked out with light purple lines at the thighs, arms and chest.

 

It was as if she had tattoos etched onto her fake alabaster skin.

 

The mannequin closed in and the man sputtered before, with a yell, he swung at her only to be shot with a dozen red rubber bullets, sending him tumbling to the ground in a yell.

 

“What the hell are you things?!” he cried.

 

With a swift kick he was silenced.

 

All of the dolls gathered in the centre of the freighter, with as much of the documents they could find. Ana scanned the images so as Izuku could record them. Brutus made sure none of the Dragons woke up to interrupt them. Charlie watched from afar, providing coverage so no one crept up on them. And the fourth puppet?

 

Daphne, named after a flower known to come with little toxic red pellets, searched the freighter for anything else in Izuku’s hunt for Hisashi.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

We Can Still be Friends?

Chapter 35: We can still be Friends?

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope today is great for and you're looking forward to the weekend. There'll be an upload on the Sunday so I hope you're looking forward to it.

I know I rarely say much about the story ahead but I will say we are close to something big. Dominos are being set and this arc in the story is reaching its end. Hope you're as excited as I am. Also

Have a nice day! <3

Daphne has been a wonderful new addition to his collections of dolls. With the covering fire she can provide for the rest of the dolls, the haunting mannequin will be an incredible new friend to fight against the Dragon’s Roar.

 

It did take a lot of training though. Both to get accurate with her shooting and with manipulating her in general. He can control four dolls at once now and honestly he felt himself starting to reach a limit. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have much energy but he won’t admit that because that would mean he had terrible eating, sleeping and living habits.

 

Anyway, the information he’s been getting on the Dragon’s has been even more cryptic. He can tell it’s all for him. Hisashi knows he wants to kill him and is scared. The question was how long could he last until another one of their guys messed up and left an unshredded email out or a letter with a traceable address.

 

He’s getting closer now. He can feel it.

 

- - - 

 

They’re getting closer now. He knows it.

 

Hisashi smiled at the first report given in. It’s been a week since they finally got a hold of the Bloodhound. After a private meeting with the rest of the heads, he was brought on to use his skills and quirk to help track down where his lost asset was.

 

The guy’s quirk, Tracker, made it so that any DNA he consumed could be used to track back to whoever that DNA belonged to. Made him perfect when finding people who were trying to hide such as those in witness protection or in his case, an annoying brat who needs to be put to some actual use.

 

So far he’s been going through the entirety of Tokyo. That’s a lot of ground to cover, yes, but his quirk was good and thorough. It also helped that the big puppet’s arm was filled with that spinal fluid. It made for the perfect scent to track.

 

There are so many things he wants to use Midoriya’s quirk for. First was of course to see how far it could go. Knowing his limits was vital. Second was making sure he wouldn’t defy him again. That might be difficult. A free mind was always hard to break but he’s a child and that will be easy as long as he doesn't give him a chance to retaliate.

 

Yes. Any day now he was going to get a report. And then, he will get what was his back himself.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi had just gotten computer and phone privileges back recently after having been banned for a few months after the hotel fiasco. Admittedly he was angry at first, he just wanted to see Izuku but after thinking about it he was doing something incredibly stupid. 

 

He could’ve died. His dad could’ve died protecting him and he can’t really argue against that. If anything, he knew if he wasn’t punished, he would be beating himself up over how angry they must be.

 

Papa was beyond emotional. When he heard that he lied about going out with his friend and was actually at the raid, he had gotten into his car and drove all the way to Hosu to get him. Yes, it was good to see Izuku again but the face his blond dad made and the hug he gave him when he saw he was alright felt like a strike in the gut.

 

Dad on the other hand was clearly disappointed but Hitoshi knew that from how he didn’t let the boy leave his sight, that and how much he shook when he held him before the burning blade came down, that he was terrified of losing him. That hurt as well.

 

Because it meant he really did have people who cared for him now and that he just took that for granted by almost getting himself killed.

 

Originally he was going to be forbidden from going outside as well but after he explained why he was there and what he said to Izuku, they seemed to understand him. 

 

He needed to apologise to his friend. He wanted to mend that bridge and hopefully by doing so they can be friends again. He hasn’t had his phone to check but he knew that if he did get a message, his dads would’ve told him or at least not given his phone back.

 

“Hitoshi.” Yamada started. They were in the living room of their house. It was the end of October and the middle of the semester. “We have decided to give you back your phone now, seeing as how you’ve followed through on your grounding.”

 

“Okay.” the boy responded, nodding to show he was paying attention.

 

“We know that by giving you this back, that if Izuku does contact you, you’ll be sure to tell us.” Papa stated.

 

“Has he?” he questioned.

 

“No, but there’s always a chance. So please let us know.” he stated again.

 

“Okay.” Hitoshi affirmed.

 

“Forget that kid and do something crazy and you’ll lose it for a year.” Dad added.

 

Papa looked at him with disbelief. When he was handed the months long ban on phones, naturally that was Dad’s idea and not Papa’s. He of course argued it was too harsh but presumably after the two chatted about what could’ve happened he changed his mind.

 

“Sho’” he uttered.

 

“We talked about this, ‘Zashi. It’s illogical to try and see this as something small. Lives are in danger. Midoriya’s in danger. We need anything to help find him.” he explained. 

 

Papa seemed to accept that answer and let it go. Hitoshi was handed back his phone and he immediately went to check if it was true that he really didn’t get anything from Izuku. Sure enough they were right and no new messages had appeared besides from Yaomomo and Tenya before he told them he was grounded.

 

That was a bit of a conversation to have. He had told them both when they asked why he didn’t have his phone that he was grounded for a few months. Then having to explain why, the whole story of Izuku, was something else. At the very least it made for a fun conversation, not to mention he could brag that he’s friends with a vigilante even if that was still up to debate.

 

And now he might be able to get an answer. Sure he never received a reply but who knows. He might get one if he showed he wants to talk. He sent a message to the same number they had before.

 

Izuku. I’m sorry, I had my phone taken because of the hotel stuff. I still meant what I said. Please can we be friends again?

 

Now he only had to wait and hope.

 

A few days later, he was in school, having lunch with Yaomomo again. With his phone back of course the first thing he did besides that message was to start looking up more cat stuff. It had been a while since he’s had his phone. He was the only one in the group who had a phone on them, mostly because Momo’s parents and Tenya in general were strict with phones in school so he hadn’t used one in a while.

 

During the absence of his phone, he and Momo spent their time looking at school work and just chatting about their own training. She finally got the courage to tell her parents that she wanted to be a hero and for the most part they were alright with it but that didn’t stop them from treating it like a phase according to her. Well her father did, her mother seemed enthusiastic for some reason.

 

Tenya helped them a lot with hero stuff and they’ve become closer. When the three of them go to the park together, they train and spar. Of course they can’t really practice their quirks out in the open. 

 

Momo’s especially as hers has a lot of restrictions put on it. Apparently being able to make gold bars was considered something villainous, somehow. Then again if she wanted she could easily crash the economy by making anything an excess.

 

Still they got a lot of training done. In particular when they would go to the beach and do some heavy lifting of all of the trash there. That wasn’t Hitoshi’s only reason for being there obviously, he also hoped that maybe, just maybe, Izuku might reappear as Ana.

 

Of course they never did but he had hope.

 

It was a cloudy day during the lunch period and it was the three of them. Although Tenya rarely enjoyed lunch with them due to him policing the playground and running, he was there because things were quiet. Rain was threatening to fall down and every kid was just expecting it at this point.

 

Sure enough, a few drops came down and the whole grounds were soaked besides those in shelters, inside or under trees, like they were.

 

“I love the rain.” Hitoshi mused, smiling as he watched some kids freak out and run to avoid getting soaked.

 

“I do too.” Momo agreed for an entirely different reason.

 

Tenya shifted a bit closer to the shade. “I personally do not. I certainly believe we should head inside now to avoid getting soaked when it comes down harsher.”

 

“Cool your jets, Tenya. If it gets worse we can just stay out here.” the fluffy haired kid uttered.

 

“We’d need to return to class,” he checked his watch. “In thirty-four minutes.”

 

“That means we have thirty-four minutes until the rain stops. It’s not as if we’re getting soaked now.” Hitoshi replied.

 

“You really enjoy the rain.” Momo noted.

 

“It makes things quieter.” he explained. “No one around, just the smell and sound of rain.”

 

“I do agree, the quiet is nice.” she approved, leaning back against a tree.

 

It really was. And they did sit there for a moment to bask in that silence that will probably vanish the second they head inside for afternoon lessons. That silence though did have an interruption. A tiny one.

 

*Meow* 

 

All three of them turned their heads to the source of that and saw on a tree branch high up was a black cat looking down on them. 

 

“It’s that cat again.” Momo muttered, watching the feline.

 

“That cat?” Tenya questioned, keeping his eye on the kitty.

 

“It appeared a few times last year whenever we had lunch. We tried to lure them over with food but they just kept running away.” she explained. “We thought they might’ve vanished because they hadn’t appeared in a while.”

 

Hitoshi was already standing up. Slowly of course. He had much more experience with cats now than he did then thanks to Dot and Pepper. Momo was on it as well, already producing a small bit of leftover chicken from her bag that she was going to eat as a snack.

 

The purple haired boy motioned it over and the girl placed the chicken into his palm. 

 

“Here kitty.” he said quietly. Making sure he looked as non-aggressive as possible, only getting close enough so that the cat could see the chicken.

 

The black cat just stared down. It’s one green eye watching blankly before it meowed again and vanished into the trees above, leaving the two cat lovers to sigh in disappointment.

 

“There they go.” Tenya mused. “I think it’s for the best. They didn’t seem collared so they might’ve been a stray and attacked.”

 

“Yes, but it’s still nice to imagine. His fur looks so fluffy.” Momo commented.

 

Hitoshi kept his eyes down on the chicken in his palm, thinking about a few things before turning over to look at the other two. “I thought I was doing well.”

 

Tenya, ever helpful he was, spoke. “I don’t know much about cats, but I’d say it wasn’t anything you did wrong. Sometimes animals don’t like dealing with people.”

 

The flowy haired boy looked back down on his palm and then back at the canopy. “What happens if they were injured? Do I just let them be?”

 

“Well in that case, it would be important to inform the teachers so that they could be taken care of.” Tenya replied.

 

“What if the cat doesn’t want to come back out? Or won’t let themself be caught easily?” he asked. They were more rhetorical but he knew Tenya would answer them anyway.

 

“Well…” he stuttered. “I’d probably race and catch it.” 

 

“Even if you got scratched?” Hitoshi wondered, turning to look at his friend.

 

“Well yes. That’s what a hero does! Be it feline or human, it's a hero’s job to save everyone isn’t it?” he said with a smile.

 

“Even if that cat might hate you for it?” he uttered back.

 

Tenya was about to respond but Momo did instead, clearly getting what he’s talking about. “Hitoshi, something tells me this is more than just the cat you are talking about.”

 

The purple haired boy doesn’t respond so the black haired girl does for him. “It’s about your friend, isn’t it?”

 

“Are you in contact with him?” Tenya asked.

 

“No.” started Hitoshi. “I’m just thinking about whether or not I should. I don’t even know if I can reach out. And if he did, what should I do? If I told my dads like I promised, that might scare him away and I don’t want that.”

 

Both of his friends were quiet. Thinking about how to answer this seeming conundrum. On one hand it is the right thing to do and tell Dad and Papa if Izuku was talking again so they could use that to find him. On the other hand, what if it failed and he won’t ever talk to him ever. 

 

He’d say he would be alone but that’s not true anymore. It’s more than that now. He knows Izuku’s in danger and that he can’t stop him from going after Hisashi unless someone does it for him. He just wants to be there for his friend and he’s stuck between lying to his dads and betraying Izuku. And that’s all if he even forgave him.

 

“I just don’t know how I can be his friend.” Hitoshi uttered.

 

The rain kept coming down, slightly heavier than before. It only seemed to highlight the silence under the tree though. 

 

“I want to, but it feels like I wouldn’t be able to talk to him without disappointing someone else or hurting him.”

 

It was a longer silence. One that no one was sure would break but that’s why it’s good to have someone who had a hard time reading the room.

 

“I can’t understand your friendship with Izuku but I can understand ours. I know that you two haven’t pushed me away despite how… stringent I can be.” Tenya said. “I know that you two are probably my best friends besides my brother and I am thankful for it.”

 

He continued. “From what I can say between you and Midoriya, all I can tell you is that he is lucky to have a friend who is willing to charge into danger for him.” 

 

Hitoshi looked back up at the canopy again before turning down once more to look at Tenya. He had a very genuine smile on his face like he had for everything. It’s how you knew he couldn’t be lying. 

 

“I agree.” Momo nodded along. “Neither of you have bothered me about my quirk or my family ever since we became friends. Everyone before and even now with some minor acquaintances, they always ask for me to make stuff for them or be my friend because of my family name or quirk.”

 

She continued. “The fact you looked past that Hitoshi, tells me that you are a good friend and a good person. So whatever choice you would make regarding Midoriya, if he ever gets back in touch with you, I know it will be the best one for him.”

 

The boy glanced over at Momo. She held a strong and determined look, her eyes conveying that she believed in what she was saying about him. He believed what she meant.

 

He didn’t know if it was a fact though, that he was a good person or that Izuku was the lucky one to be his friend. If anything it’d be the other way around. Without him, he never would’ve gone to the mall and met Papa. Without him he might’ve never gotten the courage to say out loud that he wanted to be a hero.

 

There was so much he owed him and he can’t help but feel like he has the biggest debt to him for all he did, indirectly or not. He wanted to pay him back fully, if he even could.

 

If you want to pay your friend back, give him something only you can. Your friendship. ‘Cause it sounds to me he values it a lot.

 

Papa’s words from long ago echo in his mind. He really wanted that to be what he gave but he didn’t know how he could. Not without risking everything he had. He wanted to be Izuku’s friend but he also wanted him safe and both of those were mutually exclusive things to the greenette.

 

He could always lie but that’s just hurting someone else. He knew a child should never have to pay anything back to their parents but he can’t but not want to take what they’ve given him for granted. 

 

It’s not as if he didn’t disagree too. He wanted to know if Izuku was eating properly. Sleeping right. Not hiding from the world and turning into the monster his dolls so appear. He wanted him to live in his house where they can play all day, watch movies, talk and even train. He wanted him to go to school together so that he could introduce Momo and Tenya.

 

There was so much he wanted for Izuku but knew that he wouldn’t want that. 

 

He would get scratched. Like he would if he approached that stray black cat too closely. Like he understood it when really he didn’t know the first thing about it.

 

“So what should I do?” he said aloud, frustrated. The other two jumped a bit in how loud he was.

 

Momo’s face shifted to look more determined and once again got his attention, standing up to meet him. “I think you do what is best for him first. If it’s bad that he’s alone, make sure he isn’t. Be there and help him.”

 

Tenya stood up too, brushing the dirt off his behind before stepping towards him too. “As an aspiring hero, get him help. As his friend, keep him safe. It’s not as if both are mutually exclusive.”

 

“But they are to him.” Hitoshi muttered, unsure if he should even say that.

 

“It isn’t.” Momo countered. “Because if Midoriya has any sense at all, he’d see how much you care about him. And if he doesn’t, maybe he doesn’t deserve your patience.”

 

“Momo?!” Hitoshi stuttered, a bit surprised by her last statement.

 

“I am just speaking logically. If he doesn’t see the kind of person you are to me, then that makes me mad at him. You shouldn’t owe him anything if he refuses to accept your help.” she stated, again with that determination in her eyes to show she’s serious.

 

“I…” the purple haired boy stuttered, reaching his hand behind his neck to rub it. “Thanks. That actually helps a lot.”

 

The idea that he didn’t owe Izuku anything was crazy and yet, he feels like he believes Momo’s words. 

 

But then, has it always been about paying him back? Was his entire reason for going after his first friend really because he felt like he wanted to give back what he gave him? If so, does that mean there really was no friendship there? At least from his perspective?

 

…

 

No. 

 

“I know that I’m chasing someone who doesn’t want to be chased. I know he’s likely to scratch, kick and bite me for it but I care about Izuku.” he proclaimed. “I want to help him. Not because I want to be a hero or because I owe him anything.”

 

“It doesn’t matter how much he struggles, I’ll bring him home with me and make sure he’s safe. Because he’s my friend, whether he likes it or not.”

 

Both Momo and Tenya smiled, seeing their friend make up his mind. Maybe it’s not the most logical but it’s one that makes him happy. 

 

It’s then they notice that the rain had stopped and it was only a few minutes until class. Both of his friends run off to get inside, one faster than the other whilst Hitoshi hanged back for a moment to think over everything again.

 

*Meow*

 

He looked up and saw the cat there again. It was closer this time and leaned its head down a little. The boy reached over slowly and after some careful movements, he petted the cat's head.

 

It really was soft, if not a bit damp. No, actually it didn’t feel like cat fur at all.

 

“What kind of fur do you have…” he started, looking closer before he realised something about the feline.

 

Its black ‘fur’ hid the fact that it did have another eye. One black and shiny, with a glare of a lens from the camera embedded in its head.

 

“Izuku?” he muttered.

 

The cat jolted away and jumped up some branches faster than he could react. In the canopy, the black feline looked down, its unblinking green eye staring at the boy. 

 

“Do you really think we can still be friends?” a robotic childish voice came from the cat.

 

The purple haired boy looked up in wonder and shock before shaking himself out of it to answer the question of his dearest friend. 

 

“I do, Izuku. I know we can.”

 

After all, his dads never said anything about Izuku talking to him through dolls.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

How to Catch a Feral Cat

Chapter 36: How to Catch a Feral Cat

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

For some reason this chapter felt a bit shorter to me, maybe because it is a bit shorter than my usual but it still has a lot of important stuff in it. The next chapter though is sure to contain some interesting stuff, so stay tuned!

Have a nice day! <3

Hizashi was pacing around the staff lounge in UA whilst he waited for the time to come to have his meeting with Nedzu. It was naturally to do with the Todoroki problem and all of the delicate things attached to it. Firstly they had to find out the mystery of if it was Midoriya who had sent the video and secondly, following that, is making sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.

 

The third was actually a different meeting that would happen right after the first with Shouta, who, if it isn’t Midoriya, would be made completely unaware of the first one. 

 

Despite all of that though, in the end it was all to do with the green bean and the growing difficulty of making sure that the boy had a future that wasn’t tacked with villainy.

 

Fifteen minutes before the meeting, Hizashi made his way to Nedzu’s office. The rat was probably watching him waiting the whole time but that didn’t mean he himself didn’t have things to do. Sure enough it seemed the principal was just out of a different meeting on his computer just before this one.

 

The blond took a seat in front of the principal’s desk and the two began to discuss what each of them had found in their own respective ways on the footage that Midoriya gathered.

 

Hizashi went first. “From what I’ve got, it seems not at all unlikely that what we saw in the footage was real.”

 

“Is that so?” Nedzu questioned.

 

He explained that using his own connections with other heroes due to his wide spanning influence thanks to his radio show and general popularity, that Endeavor is seen as a very rough hero, more so the closer you got to him. He often fails to care about public infrastructure, damage to private property or even other people’s physical well being. 

 

Of course he doesn’t think any of this is on purpose but rather the man himself just has zero care for anything that isn’t a villain. He still has a respectable record in terms of captures, possibly even more than All Might but when it comes to rescuing people or aiding them he seems to entirely fall short.

 

It’s not hard to imagine how that lack of care can translate over to raising a child.

 

If Hizashi were to summarise the man’s attitudes to heroism, Endeavor was entirely under the belief that if you can’t carry yourself, be prepared to fall. That much is true with just one look at the footage.

 

Nedzu took a small sip of some tea on his desk. “He certainly seems like a destructive fellow. I wouldn’t have noticed it myself if his PR team wasn’t so immaculate at disguising his destructive tendencies.”

 

“Do you think he’s ever caused civilian casualties?” Hizashi uttered. He never heard of any but then again…

 

“No, I don’t believe so. Certainly hospital visits. I myself looked into it too and it seems at the very least he is careful to not hurt civilians directly.” the rat stated.

 

“And indirectly?” the blond wondered.

 

Nedzu let out a small sigh. “There seems to have been a few. Thankfully, it seems that his sidekicks are there to make sure most people are evacuated from the fight before anything can get worse.”

 

“That shows he knows though, right?” Hizashi pointed out.

 

“Yes but then again, his quirk is a very destructive one. I know we want to be emotional but I feel it's important to remember the good as well as the bad. The fact he has his sidekicks lead evacuations proves he is aware of the danger his quirk can cause.” Nedzu reasoned.

 

He didn’t like that answer but it made sense. His own quirk, Voice, is similar in terms of its destructive power. Sure he has his support item to direct that noise more precisely but even then he can’t just go blasting it. Endeavor’s Hellfire is even more extreme and unlike Voice can’t be directed as well.

 

But just because someone is a good hero, doesn’t make them automatically a good person.

 

And maybe that’s where Nedzu wants this conversation to go.

 

“Anything else you found in the footage?” Hizashi asked.

 

“Yes and no.” the principal replied confusingly.

 

The blond clearly was unsure what he meant by that so the rat took his monitor and moved it to face him. On it was the footage of the training session but has been segmented to show different points of the video. Many points were made, specifically about the angle of the shot, the movement of the cameraman and most noticeable, the outline of…

 

“Paws?” Hizashi uttered, even more confused.

 

“Quite so.” Nedzu started. “I believe this perspective has been taken from that of a cat.”

 

That left the blond even more befuddled. How can Midoriya control a cat? He thought that if it was one of his puppets it would be the human looking one, Zoe or Ana as Hitoshi called it.

 

“I can see your confusion so let me show you something else.” The rat noticed and changed the screen to show different footage, this time of a recent raid. By Midoriya.

 

“If you did or did not know, there was an attack on a freighter a week ago by the Dollmaker. Some witness statements pointed out that there was a new puppet within his usual lineup. What little people actually know, there was a fourth.” the principal mused.

 

The camera focused on something not just before but after the fighting that made Hizashi almost jump. It was like looking at one of those ghost sightings due to the footage also being black and white.

 

It was a cat. Vaguely. A black cat hopping around and almost scouting the scene out before the fighting began and after acting like a lookout, watching for anyone sneaking up on the others.

 

“As you can see, it seems Midoriya does have a puppet that ever so happens to resemble a cat. One that seems adapted to sneaking into places they shouldn’t.” Nedzu pointed out.

 

Hizashi turned to the rat. “So does that mean?”

 

“Yes. The likelihood of the footage coming from Midoriya Izuku is quite high.” he answered.

 

“So that means we have to talk about how we’re going to talk him down from acting out against Endeavor.” the pro hero worried.

 

“Unfortunately.” Nedzu said sadly.

 

It was one thing to go after villains but a pro hero would immediately get Midoriya pinned as a villain. They were already fighting that label being put on the boy and him going against the number two would make that fight impossible.

 

“So does this mean we can tell Sho’ now?” Hizashi realised.

 

“This would, yes.” Nedzu confirmed. “I’ll call him up now actually.”

 

After a few minutes, Shouta arrived at the office, coming in through the doors and looking a bit surprised to see Hizashi already there. 

 

He sat down beside his husband and after about fifteen minutes of catching him up to the situation, he understood what was going on. Though the blond could tell that he was feeling a bit annoyed at a possible lead on Midoriya being hidden not just from him but by his husband of all people.

 

He’ll make it up to him later with some of those licorice jelly packs, and an explanation of course.

 

“So the kid, we need to make sure he doesn’t do anything dramatic.” Shouta summarised.

 

“That is the most of it. Finding young Midoriya has been a task I’m surprised has been more difficult than expected.” the rat explained.

 

“What have you got so far?” Hizashi asked.

 

“Well,” Nedzu started.

 

“So far, we know he is likely in some place abandoned. I’ve scoured countless traffic cameras and though I have been able to track some of his puppets movements once or twice, they always seem to vanish.”

 

“It doesn’t quite help when the footage itself also tends to be messed with. Any time I do get a stable trail, the next cameras along their route are either destroyed from disrepair or presumably taken over by young Midoriya to avoid being tracked back home.”

 

Shouta grunted a little at that. “I’ve also had a hard time following them. It’s not that they’re stealthy, especially the big one but any time I would follow, there’d always be a crime happening nearby that I can’t ignore.”

 

“Well we know he has to be in Musutafu.” Hizashi noted. “It’s how he found Hitoshi.”

 

“We don’t know if he has moved since then though. After he appeared before you two and young Hitoshi, he could’ve moved. His operations certainly appear to be running that way.” the principal argued. “Then again, I have no evidence of this besides that.”

 

“So what do we do? We don’t know when the kid’s going to go off the rails.” Shouta stated. “The HPSC is looking to label him, he might attack a pro hero to guarantee that and he’s made himself a target for the Dragon’s Roar.”

 

Hizashi could see his husband’s worry. “It feels like most of our problems are not being able to find Midoriya fast enough.”

 

A small smile came over Nedzu. “That’s exactly what I’m planning to do.”

 

Both of the pro heroes look at him, one visibly unsure and the other confused at what he meant by that.

 

“Our biggest problem is that we can’t find young Midoriya, at least not timely.” the rat started. “So, if we cannot find him ourselves, we should simply attempt to lure him to us. Have him reveal himself.”

 

Shouta didn’t get his logic, or rather how it could be done. “The kid’s not going to reveal himself. From what Hitoshi told me and the look of the kid himself, he’s probably terrified of going outside.”

 

“Yes, agoraphobia, isolation and a fear of people.” Nedzu summarised. “All those make it impossible to lure him out. But what if we can lure his dolls into a trap?”

 

“What do you mean?” Hizashi asked.

 

“As you both know, it is important that any puppet captured should have whatever technology removed from it in the hopes it can tell us more about him. For it though, we must capture all of the dolls and I mean all of them for my plan” Nedzu laid out.

 

“You see, if Midoriya uses the same kind of equipment for all of his puppets he’s likely to order them online. If we monitor all of the different delivery networks and track if there’s a sudden purchase of those cameras and maybe even parts used for puppets, we can use that to track his location.” the rat said.

 

Hizashi seemed to understand. “So we need to capture all of the puppets to make that happen. That way it’d be more noticeable when he makes the order.”

 

“Yes.” Nedzu agreed.

 

“The kid’s not going to fall for an ambush though.” Shouta pointed out. “He’s paranoid. No invitation will lure him in.”

 

A further smile came over Nedzu. “But what if we had something he needed? Something he can’t simply ignore no matter what.”

 

There was a pause before the two pro heroes realised what he was referring to. 

 

“Hisashi.” both of them uttered.

 

“But even if we somehow capture him, what if Midoriya doesn’t care?” the blond argued.

 

“That’s unlikely.” Shouta regretfully uttered. “The way he acted at the conference… he wants Hisashi to hurt. I think he wants to kill him.”

 

“All the more reason we find him first.” Nedzu said.

 

And so a plan was laid out. Instead of putting resources to finding Midoriya slowly, they’d used them to find Hisashi fast. With the slow collapse of their network thanks to the kid in the first place, communications between them are likely weaker. Not only that but having one of the country’s smartest creature at their side, they might really be able to find him before the kid could.

 

They’d then leak his arrest to the public, knowing Midoriya will send out his puppets, destroy them and use that opening to find his location. It had a few chances to mess up, but there’s a better chance it might work. It also removes a dangerous criminal from the world so it also helps there.

 

“So we just need to find out where Hisashi is hiding?” Shouta stated.

 

“Yes. Something I’ll be starting tonight. I’ve already reached out to detective Tsukauchi to get the case’s information from him.” Nedzu said.

 

And so a plan came to be. A difficult one, but better than nothing.

 

It’s funny then that, as always, Izuku was closer than expected.

 

- - -

 

“So you didn’t mean any of it?” the plush whispered out in an ai generated childlike voice.

 

“No. I didn’t know you were going to be there at all. If I did, I would’ve told you.” Hitoshi explained.

 

The kid and the cat were both in an alley way tucked away from the crowds. It wasn’t as dangerous as it sounds and it was actually quite clean. It was after school when the two reconnected and Hitoshi had used the excuse that he was hanging out with Momo to avoid being picked up by his Papa.

 

He’d just told Izuku, through… Charlie? That he didn’t know he was going to be there, or that Dad and Papa knew he was going to be there. Even as he explained it, he could clearly sense the disbelief behind that camera lens. 

 

The cat was less expressive but the usual Izuku tells were still there. The lens pushing forwards, the shifting of the paws and even how the camera looks away. If anything it felt like he’s become more in tune with his puppets.

 

Maybe because that’s all he’s seeing the world through.

 

Flashes came over Hitoshi. The way Izuku looked when he saw him for the first time. The thin frame, the small body, the long messy hair filled with split ends and the nearly empty eyes that watched him. How much worse is he now if he hasn’t changed at all?

 

He wanted to ask but didn’t know if it might be too much too soon but then again…

 

Well… I’d probably race and catch it.

 

Even if you get scratched?

 

Well yes. That’s what a hero does! Be it feline or human, it's a hero’s job to save everyone isn’t it?

 

Tenya’s words came back to him. It wasn’t directed at Izuku but he can’t help but think that he should still ask anyway.

 

“Hey, um, Izuku…” Hitoshi started. “...Are you okay? Like physically?”

 

The plush cat paused a little and looked down. “Yeah, why?”

 

“Well it’s just, when I saw you back then, you didn’t look okay.” he answered truthfully.

 

The cat looked back up, maybe because it was surprised or maybe because it was annoyed. Hitoshi couldn’t tell. “I’m fine.”

 

“Are you sure?” he asked again.

 

“Yes.” the cat replied.

 

If only he could hear his voice. That small fragile voice that’ll surely cut out halfway through his sentence. Through a puppet. A doll with a computer generated voice he can’t tell if he’s lying in the slightest.

 

“Do you eat well?” he continued to ask.

 

“Yes.” the feline repeated.

 

“Do you-”

 

“Why are you asking so many questions?” Charlie interrupted.

 

The purple haired boy paused. He didn’t want to say anything else now because he was scared Izuku might run away. He didn’t but it seemed he wanted to make something clear.

 

“Hitoshi.” the plush began. “I am fine. I’m not in any danger.”

 

“Okay.” he nodded. “I’m just worried, Izuku.”

 

“Don’t be. I’m fine and doing well.” the cat stated.

 

He’ll believe him for now. For now. He knows he can’t be in good condition. He just hopes that nothing’s permanent when they do find him.

 

The two just sat there. Unsure where to take this conversation. Before they could talk about anything to each other but right now it felt like they didn’t know where to go. Hitoshi can’t say anything without immediately thinking about his friend’s well-being, meanwhile Izuku didn’t know how to hold a casual conversation anymore.

 

It’s been over a year since they had a normal talk with each other and neither was sure if the other was the same person then that they are now.

 

Hitoshi met new people. People who care about him. Two parents, two friends, an aunt (kind of), an uncle (also a maybe) and even another person just like him who is almost a hero. He’s had so much change in his life since Izuku left he didn’t know if he could talk to him again without comparing him to those other people.

 

Izuku’s gotten more isolated. Pushed away any kind of conversation, even with the few people he did talk to out of necessity and only ever chatted with his own dolls. He’s also a vigilante now, kind of, and that comes with its own world. That and the worsening sleep schedule and the nonexistent meals he’s been having, he’s practically no longer human, a stable one at least.

 

Both of them had changed so much from being the two boys at the park chatting about their day, studying and going to cat cafes that it’s hard to say if those two kinds of worlds could ever come back together.

 

All Hitoshi had ever wanted to say is ‘sorry’. He’s never thought about after.

 

…

 

Maybe then that’s the problem they need to tackle.

 

Hitoshi set his bag down, breaking the silence with the unzipping and rustling of papers before he took out a notebook.

 

Charlie watched on, confused about what he was doing before the cloudy purple haired boy began to write quickly on the paper. It took a moment but then he turned it around and said aloud what had been written.

 

“My name is Yamazawa Hitoshi. My favourite color is purple. My quirk is called Brainwashing. I can take over other people’s minds if they answer my questions and give them orders.”

 

The cat just stared at the paper and the boy. Hitoshi could tell they were a bit shocked with how the lens shifted. Then something happened that completely broke the boy out of any awkwardness.

 

The cat stood up on its hind legs like a human, took the notebook and the pen and wrote out his response like a person would. The sight was so weird and insane to look at as a cat lover and owner that he couldn’t say anything until the plush turned the notebook around to show what it had written.

 

With the childish voice it spoke.

 

“My name is Midoriya Izuku. My favourite color is green. My quirk is called Puppeteer. I can inject fluid from my fingers into an inanimate object to make it come to life and obey my commands.”

 

Hitoshi continued to stare at the cat, still holding up the book with its paws, standing easily on its hind legs and the eyes of this kind of real looking cat staring right at him for response so earnestly he couldn’t help himself anymore.

 

He laughed.

 

A genuine laugh that seemed to catch Izuku off guard until he must’ve realised how Charlie currently looked right now and sat back down like a normal cat would. But the laughter had already started and Hitoshi couldn’t stop until Izuku told him that it’s not that funny, but with the childish voice it clearly sounded like he was whining.

 

“Sorry, Izuku.” the boy giggled. “I just didn’t expect that from this doll.”

 

“I keep forgetting how Charlie looks when standing up.” the plush said, looking away as if a bit embarrassed.

 

After his laughter properly died down Hitoshi turned to the cat and so did he. “So, want to go to the park and catch up?”

 

Charlie sat there a while for a moment before finally responding. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

 

The two spent the next hour or so catching up fully on everything they had missed. Hitoshi did most of the talking of course but every now and again Izuku did chime in with something he wanted to talk about, specifically how he was still watching horror movies mostly because the boy wanted to scare criminals into submission without having to fight them.

 

He was even allowed to pet Charlie once they felt comfortable, only for a little bit before the greenette stopped him and checked for any trackers. It still seemed like he didn’t entirely trust him, at least not yet but that was alright. He was just happy to know that Izuku, at the very least, was ok.

 

That’s good enough for now.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Orange Light

Chapter 37: Orange Light

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Given the chapters ahead, I'll say that if you love this story then I hope you tune in on the Sunday. A big chapter will have been released then.

Anyway, here's todays chapter! Hope you enjoy!

Have a nice day! <3

Things were getting better with Izuku. It’d been a week since they got through that first conversation and things were starting to feel like back then.

 

Of course they didn’t meet everyday like they did THEN. Hitoshi had schoolwork, friends, training with Dad and Hebura whilst Izuku had… his stuff he’s doing. 

 

He knew that he wasn’t doing anything legal. He knew that he was sending his dolls out into the world and was trying to find Hisashi by any means possible. He’s seen the news casts showing the aftermath of his raids on old factories, restaurant fronts and even homes. He knew that his friend was doing a lot of dangerous stuff.

 

Should he have told his parents? Yes, absolutely. So why hasn’t he?

 

Well, because he’s afraid that if he were, Izuku would know and he’d vanish out of his life forever. The second he tries talking to him about where he was or what he was doing, he could feel the flight or fight response kick in for the plush cat.

 

It was honestly kind of eerie. Before his friend would just avoid the subject but now he was jumpy or at least that was how it looked to him. 

 

It made him want to find him even more and sure that was going to be a difficult task and it might end up with him hating Hitoshi forever but he needs this. Hitoshi is an aspiring hero and as one he’s going to help Izuku even if he doesn’t believe he needs it.

 

That’s why he has a plan brewing. He was going to find his friend, brainwash him and bring him home where he can be cared for properly and never be scared again. Is that foolish? Yes, naive too but honestly what more could he do to help him?

 

But how to actually find him is the problem. He can’t just follow Charlie. If Izuku can escape his Dad then he can run circles around him. Not just that but how can he brainwash him if he can’t speak properly?

 

He remembered his friend's fragile voice from lack of use. He can’t imagine him saying anything when they first meet or he surprises him. Maybe the better option is to knock him out? He’d have to be careful though, Izuku would be in a fragile state.

 

There was so much that could go wrong. Maybe first he should focus on finding him before anything else and the best way to do that would be through Charlie.

 

Despite talking again, Izuku hasn’t used his phone to text  him. He probably still doesn’t trust Hitoshi fully enough to not give his phone to his dads and use it to find him. Of course he would never do that, or rather, he wouldn’t give his phone to them. He’d track Izuku first and find him. 

 

Not just that but it worked out well for him. If he doesn’t text Hitoshi then he doesn’t have to bring that up with Papa and Dad. After all they said to let them know if he is ever contacted by Izuku on his phone. Sure it’s a cheeky loophole and probably wouldn’t mean anything but he’s a dumb kid.

 

Back to finding Izuku, the next best thing for it would be a tracker. A physical one he could stick onto the doll and follow. He’d need to get close enough to plant it on the plush discreetly and make sure it’s hidden well enough for him not to immediately notice.

 

The problem with that is finding a way to touch Charlie. 

 

He can get the tracker alright. A small one he can snatch from his Dad’s office that he uses but anytime he tries to pet the cat as a trick to plant the tracker, he always dodges. Like a real cat who doesn’t want to be touched. 

 

Sometimes he lets Charlie be petted but only after making sure there was clearly nothing in his hands. He was obviously paranoid about having one put on him.

 

Sometimes though he wasn’t sure if it was because Izuku was afraid of having a tracker placed on Charlie or it’s actually him not wanting his plush to be petted. It seemed like he was almost becoming one with his dolls.

 

That thought scared Hitoshi because he wasn’t even sure if the other boy was aware of it. Like a reverse pinocchio he’s losing himself as a real boy and just becoming a puppet.

 

He did have an idea though, a way he might be able to get the tracker on the plush but it would be difficult, not because of how but because of where.

 

“Hey, Izuku.” Hitoshi said, making sure the other boy was listening.

 

They were taking a walk home from school. Once more, he told his Papa he wanted to walk home and he accepted it. He used the excuse that he wanted more exercise in and he seemed to buy it.

 

The plush looked up at him and nodded to show they were listening.

 

“Do you…” he stuttered, “do you want to see inside my house?”

 

It was a complicated plan.

 

- - -

 

Charlie stared up at his friend. The boy looked a bit unsure if he was crossing the line and Izuku definitely felt he was. He knew Hitoshi has been trying to learn too much about him recently even though he’s perfectly fine.

 

He doesn’t know why Hitoshi is asking him this when he should know the answer by now. Honestly, he was having second thoughts about all of this. It was a risk. He could get ambushed or caught anytime, hell, Eraserhead could stun Charlie with his gaze and take the camera and put him in a tight spot before he could activate the destroy button for the plush.

 

But he’ll stick around. Because he cares about Hitoshi and… well. He needs a reminder that he’s still human.

 

“No.” the cat said immediately.

 

“It doesn’t have to be right now. My Papa is home so we can’t really anyway but my house is going to be empty next week.” Hitoshi explained.

 

“Still no.” the cat repeated.

 

The boy stopped walking and Charlie stilled after a few more steps. He looked back and saw the gears turning behind his friend’s eyes. Izuku didn’t know why he wanted him in his house but he wasn’t going to let it happen. 

 

He still had some… fears.

 

“They won’t be there. I promise.” the boy vowed.

 

“No, Hitoshi.” the plush said once more.

 

He seemed to think once more before speaking out. “Can I ask why?”

 

Because it’s scary. Because it’s risky going into two pro heroes’ house, both of which are currently looking for you. He doesn’t want to lose Charlie or risk himself being exposed. He can’t have it.

 

“I don’t want to risk it.” the feline uttered. 

 

If Hitoshi really did respect his wishes, he’d drop this right now. Otherwise, he’s just going to keep walking.

 

“Is there any way to fix that?” he offered.

 

‘...’ Izuku’s mind was quiet.

 

“Prove that you aren’t lying.” the plush simply said and continued walking. “End of conversation.”

 

Of course that was impossible to prove. After all, what is the point of even going to Hitoshi’s house? Can’t they just go to a cafe or park and hang out there? Okay the cafe might be a bad choice as a cat but other places work. There’s no problem with the location, just being together should be good enough.

 

Right? 

 

Was he being crazy?

 

Charlie went on and soon the boy followed. He didn’t say anything else until they arrived at where they’ve been parting since they’ve started these meetups. Not outside of his house but in the neighbourhood. He didn’t want to risk being spotted.

 

“Are we still good?” Hitoshi uttered, looking a bit afraid.

 

“Hitoshi, as long as we’re just talking… I’m happy. I don’t need help. I’m fine as I am.” the plush stated.

 

The boy never replied as the feline hopped away, leaping up a wall and running along a roof to reach the subway.

 

He wasn’t going to take any risks. Not again. After all, he had something important to do later in the week.

 

- - -

 

Shouta was hopping from building to building, heading off to a more deader part of Naruhata. He’s been here a lot recently with the sudden rise of instant villains and all of that chaos but right now his destination is an old waste treatment plant at the edge of the district.

 

He’s not alone, moving with two other underground heroes. Silent Night and Hack, for the purpose of attacking a Dragon’s operation. 

 

The location was grabbed by Nedzu after he spotted some strange trucks moving through the area as a part of his initial search of places Midoriya could be. It was the usual Trigger making operation but a lot of the work had halted due to Midoriya having stopped a massive shipment of ingredients a bit ago.

 

“Silent Night here, we’ve almost reached our destination. Are you on stand by?” the grey cloaked hero with a bell for a head uttered into his microphone.

 

He wasn’t talking to any of them but the police who were stationed nearby. Nedzu was going above and beyond for this as it was important to make sure no information slipped out or was destroyed. Just like the factory back then with the invitation, they needed to move fast before any incriminating documents could be destroyed.

 

“Copy Silent Night, we are in position.” Tsukauchi said over the line.

 

The three heroes part and head to different places to set up. Shouta was going to crash into the main office should something go wrong. Their plan is to have Silent Night use his quirk, where if his bell head rings it causes all sound in the nearby area to die out, to cover their tracks. After that, Hack would use her quirk, a gas she coughs up that causes people to be knocked out, to clear the plant room by room.

 

The erasure hero’s job was to act as backup in case anything went wrong. That and he’s here because this is his case.

 

The three heroes got in position ready to attack. They were on the second floor of the treatment plant and about to head inside when they heard a slam and a grunt. 

 

The trio stilled, then they opened a door from a catwalk carefully to see that the place was wrecked. Destroyed machinery, broken boxes and many, many thugs on the floor, taken out in a near brutal yet efficient fashion.

 

“Shit.” Shouta muttered.

 

“What?” asked Hack.

 

“It’s Midoriya Izuku.” he answered as he moved in fully into the building, sneaking through.

 

The inside of the treatment plant was how one would expect it to look. Of course on the outside there were the empty concrete pools where waste would go to be treated but in the actual buildings themselves there were old engines, storage spaces and other small rooms where workers would rest or do admin work. 

 

In this particular building though, it was a big long atrium where it seemed most of the old pumps and machines were removed to be replaced with Trigger making lab equipment. Equipment which was now in pieces on the floor.

 

And in the centre of that destruction was a shape Shouta was afraid he was getting too familiar with seeing. The lumbering form of the giant, slamming a man to the floor like it was getting dust out of a rug.

 

“Who’s Midoriya Izuku?” Hack asked.

 

“Isn’t that Dollmaker?” Silent Night recalled.

 

Hack seemed to immediately understand who he was referring to and paled a little when she realised she was facing down what was rumored to be a very dangerous person.

 

“What do we do? I think you know more about him, Eraserhead?" Silent Night asked the hero.

 

Ignoring the look of dread on his coworker’s faces he immediately reached for his earpiece to call Tsukauchi to bring in backup. There’s an opportunity here that if they have enough people, they could take down the puppets here and now even if the heroes involved aren’t suited for combat that isn’t ambushes.

 

Hack in particular will be useless here.

 

“Tsukauchi, Midoriya’s here. Call in the reinforcements and prepare for a fight.” the hero called.

 

There was silence on the other end before a voice came through that sent an annoyed shiver down his spine.

 

“No Eraserhead. He won’t be doing that.” a robotic voice chimed out on the other end like one you’d get from a spam phone call.

 

The other two seemed to have gotten the message too before there was a gunshot and Silent Night was struck in the head. He was fine though, his golden bell head being immune to that kind of force but that wasn’t the problem.

 

As his bell chimed, his quirk filled the space and now there was suddenly no sound. Shouta turned to use his quirk on Silent Night to switch it off but the cat walk they were on crumbled and the three fell onto the first floor right into the war path of the giant.

 

It was a dead quiet combat. No sound at all as the three heroes jumped into action against the giant, dodging its swings and looking for gaps in its armor to pry open and maybe have Eraserhead use his quirk on.

 

Despite the giant being built for close up fighting, even Shouta could tell that the majority of its fighting style was tanking hits and punching through attacks. If he or the other two heroes weren’t careful, it could shatter their arms with a single slam.

 

He tried to use erasure again on Silent Night, they needed Tsukauchi to hear the fighting to send in backup, but that’s when the giant let out a plume of smoke from its eyes and mouth and soon the space was filled with tear gas.

 

Shouta put on his goggles immediately and activated the glass covering for them. He doesn’t like having the glass up because it could get fogged and blind him but right now it was the better alternative to being actually blind.

 

Thankfully though, Hack was immune to most noxious gases and Silent Night didn’t have eyes to attack so they were mostly unimpeded. He erased the silence so that they could hear better and maybe Tsukauchi would know there was fighting going on but every time he did another gunshot was fired from somewhere and his bell would be forcibly rung again.

 

Leaping out of the giant’s range and towards where the gunshots were, Shouta could see a stark white puppet wearing a cloak and wielding a rifle of some kind from across the room up on a piece of machinery. 

 

He ran towards it, seeing the fibreglass skin, purple markings on its body and its chilling single eye in the dead centre of its face. Seeing the erasure hero no longer focusing on removing the silence, the gun puppet aimed to attack him.

 

It fired two shots, both missing. Midoriya was still a kid after all and he wasn’t going to be able to shoot Eraserhead moving at full speed. Shouta watched as the arm of the puppet twisted and the long barrel vanished into its arm to make it shorter and fired out a flurry of bullets.

 

They weren’t lethal but still looked painful, the hero noted as he stopped to leap behind a box to get cover for a moment whilst he reassessed what was going on.

 

Hack and Silent Night were still fighting the giant, the smoke seeming to hinder it more than them but that didn’t mean they were winning. The furious swings and near fatal hits were clearly going to be what will win the fight for it and Shouta couldn’t allow that.

 

Now he was pinned down by this other puppet who had stopped firing to probably save on ammunition. He carefully sneaked to try and close the gap between him and the shooter but everytime he got too close the puppet relocated to the perfect spot to avoid him, like it knew where he was at all times.

 

‘How does it know where I am?’ he wondered.

 

There weren’t any obvious security cameras so it probably wasn’t that. It was then he noticed that, despite being in the middle of a fight, the giant was still watching him.

 

‘He’s using the big guy to keep track of me. I need to hide from both of them to get the drop on the other.’ he reasoned.

 

Easier said than done. The room was wrecked so there weren't a lot of places he could hide that both can’t see. He’d have to try something else.

 

The hero thought through his options, looking over the room and noticed that the roof was weak, a particular metal beam looking rusted enough to maybe pull down. The problem was he needed a moment to do it.

 

Thankfully, he knew the perfect moment.

 

From his position, he used Erasure on Silent Night to once more fill the area with sound. It was a shock when it came back and with it, Shouta listened out and heard the clicking of machinery coming from the sniper.

 

Knowing that’s probably it changing to the more precise longer barrel, he took that chance to stand, throw his capture up to wrap around the beam and with his strength, pull it down, shattering the roof and making a massive racket whilst obscuring the sniper’s view.

 

Immediately, he could hear sirens and he knew they now had a chance to win. Until he heard a yelp behind him.

 

Shouta looked at his coworkers to see Hack had been thrown into a wall by the giant and Silent Night was now being held by it by his head. The doll shook it once, causing silence to come over the place again before punching the man in his stomach, taking the fight out of him. He could hear the ribs cracking from here.

 

With a throw, the giant tossed the man towards Shouta, forcing him to catch him before running past the pro heroes to where the sniper was, crashing through the dust and rubble. 

 

Eraserhead made sure that the other hero was alright enough before using Erasure on him and turning to chase after the two puppets. When he jumped through the wreckage he made, all he saw was a hole in the wall of the room and no one else in sight.

 

Naturally he ran to chase the dolls, immediately stepping through the hole leading outside and leaping up the building to see some cloaked figures ducking behind a far off building. Shouta chased and followed them until he entered a back alley where the three other puppets waited.

 

There was the previous two, the giant and the sniper but there was also the doll there. He didn’t see it during his fight but given how they were holding some documents, it was an easy guess what they were doing during all of that.

 

“Look kid, we don’t have to fight.” Shouta tried to reason, raising his hands up.

 

“No we don’t.” the doll uttered. “So let us go.”

 

The sniper had its barrel short which he knew was the rapid fire one. Meanwhile the giant stood in front of them, patient and ready should he try anything. 

 

“I can’t do that kid. Especially if you’ve got those documents.” he nodded to the files in the doll’s hands.

 

“Why should they matter?” the puppet replied.

 

“Because we’re looking for the Dragon’s hideout too,” he explained. “And we kind of need everything we can get for that.”

 

“We can do it on our own.” the doll argued, clutching the folder tighter.

 

“I don’t doubt you could but that doesn’t mean you should.” he said, hoping to convince him.

 

The doll thought to itself for a moment before turning and appearing annoyed. “No. I need to be the one to stop him.”

 

“You mean kill?” the hero corrected. All three of the puppets froze when he said that. “I know that’s what you want Midoriya. I know you want revenge but this isn’t how you do it.”

 

“Really?” the doll said, its female voice sounding almost sardonic. “Would the Dragon’s Roar have ever been this weak if I hadn’t started this?”

 

“I admit, you’ve done a lot more to stop them in the past year than most have in ten. That’s why I think you’ve got a good future as a hero Midoriya, but that can’t be given if you kill Hisashi. If you do that, there’s no going back.” the hero tried to talk down.

 

The doll was quiet for a moment once more. “What if I don’t want to be a hero? What if I’m fine just being alone? I’m doing well without it.”

 

“Are you sure about that kid?” Shouta questioned. “You’re telling me these last two and a half years have been good for you? That you could do another fifty?” 

 

The puppets froze, the information sinking in no doubt. Midoriya has probably never thought that far ahead in his life, only thinking of the present because he’s always afraid of what could happen right now.

 

“Look Midoriya, I know I can’t stop you here right now.” Shouta stated. “I can’t stop you from running or attacking me or what else. I can’t. That’s why I’m hoping you can understand that this life you’re leading is a lonely one. It won’t end well and that’s the harshness of it kid.”

 

“I don’t want you to suffer that kind of life. So just please, stop this and we can get you a nice home.”

 

The doll snapped up at that last word. “Do you think there is any better place than where I am right now!”

 

The voice was loud. Still the same tone as before but it was as if the volume was turned way too high and there was some crispiness to the audio.

 

“I do. I really do, kid.” Shouta said confidently.

 

“And where? Where would such a place be?” the doll shouted, arms waving a little showing the boy’s rage behind the camera.

 

Shouta took off his goggles and stared directly into the dead eyes of the doll.

 

“With me,” he answered. “My house, Hizashi and Hitoshi. All four of us together. We’ve had a room waiting for you since the day you appeared in front of us.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku stared through the screen at the pro hero, completely baffled at what he said. Did he seriously just say that? Was he lying? He had to be. This was just a ruse, a logical ruse. What else could this be? There’s no way someone… no one can be… he can’t…

 

NO!

 

He’s just lying. He is, he has to. It makes no sense why would he say that, he had to be just saying that to lower his guard he can’t actually want to take him in. He doesn’t want that he doesn’t want that at all. He was fine here he was fine.

 

Izuku looked once more at the pro hero, his black eyes telling him something. Deep down he believed him, or wanted to believe him.

 

He was… right. It had been so long since he’s calmed down fully. He would say he can’t remember the last time he ever felt peaceful but he wasn’t sure if his heart was beating at all. 

 

Would it be so easy to just give up now and let someone else handle everything else? Would life be so much more simpler if he let himself be taken? Maybe then he could feel some kind of warmth again that wasn’t artificial.

 

He was paranoid about many things, yes…

 

…But he was also tired too.

 

Maybe he should…

 

He almost let go of the folder, slipping out of Ana’s hands.

 

Then a streetlight came on behind the hero, an orange light glowing around his edges.

 

He remembered the hotel. 

 

He saw Eraserhead burn at the hands of Hisashi. Same for Present Mic.

 

Same for Hitoshi.

 

Just like Mama.

 

This wasn’t just about Izuku. He doesn’t want to watch someone he cares about being burned by Hisashi again. He didn’t care about Eraserhead or Present Mic the same way he did Hitoshi but a part of him knew, looking into those tired eyes that seemed to show he really did care for him, that he would if given time.

 

That’s why he needs to stop this conversation right now.

 

It was stupid to even humor the thought.

 

- - -

 

The sniper fired at Shouta, causing the man to duck out of the way and get to cover. He waited as he heard the other puppets rush away before looking out to see the trio was gone.

 

He failed to convince him which was bad and he got away with the documents to boot. He didn’t know why he took them but given how he probably knew the heroes were chasing after Hisashi too he didn’t want to give them the chance to interfere.

 

He walked over to where they were. He wasn’t going to bother with them now. He’d just lose them again and he’d be left even more tired and upset. 

 

He really thought he reached him. He seriously thought for a moment the kid really was going to give it up and finally come home and end this all right now but it didn’t. It was only just barely.

 

It would be another while before he’d get another conversation like that again. Another while longer and even more of that kid’s life will waste away.

 

Would he call this battle lost? Two pro heroes taken out, a warehouse full of unconscious and badly bleeding thugs and no trace of where Midoriya could be? Yes.

 

But the papers that slipped out of the dolls hands during their conversation that could help them find Hisashi?

 

The war was still ongoing.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Trust we Understand Each Other

Chapter 38: Trust we Understand Each Other

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're ready for this chapter. There'll be one on Sunday, one you'll probably not want to miss.

Have a nice day! <3

When Izuku’s dolls finally arrived home, he noticed immediately that some of the documents he should have had were lost. Without missing a beat he looked over Ana’s footage and saw that when he was… thinking, he lost some grip over her which caused her to drop some documents.

 

That was going to be a problem. Whilst typically he would take a picture of all of the documents he gets in order to record them, he didn’t have the time because of the hero's arrival. 

 

He spotted them with Charlie, seeing them land on the roof of the treatment plant and immediately knew he had to attack first if he didn’t want to have the police storming in. After a quick rewire of their comms between the police nearby and the heroes, he used one of the pro hero’s quirk, Silent Night, to cloak the fight better.

 

He didn’t know that particular hero was going to be there but he was thankful for it. Because of how much night time activities he’s had to do, Izuku’s researched a lot of underground heroes so he wasn’t surprised when one or even three in this case would show up.

 

The falling roof was a surprise though and completely caught him off guard. Some of the rubble even almost crushed Daphne but she was quick enough to avoid it.

 

Honestly, Eraserhead is just a problem. He’s saying too many things, him and Hitoshi both, that are messing with his mind. He understands where they’re coming from but he doesn’t need anyone’s help. He’s fine.

 

But now he had a new problem. Those documents he forgot could be important. He’d have to maybe break into their house again and get those missing pages back. It had to be at Eraserhead’s house because, much like last time, there was no mention on the report that those documents were moved.

 

Then again, they could just be hiding it from him but they should know that Ana can take pictures. They’ll assume he already has them.

 

The problem was the attack. Security at the Yamazawa household must be better than last time. He can’t just break in like he did before…

 

It was then he remembered Hitoshi’s offer. Of letting Charlie into the house and suddenly he could see a way he could get those documents.

 

He doesn’t want to do it, because it feels like using Hitoshi but he needs this. He has to get every little crumb of intel he could get his hands on if he wants to find Hisashi. He can’t miss anything that could possibly be the thing that brings a corkboard’s worth of information on where Hisashi could be together.

 

Izuku spent the night thinking of a plan to check Eraserhead’s office, fighting the exhaustion that always hung on his shoulders.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was walking home from school again, ecstatic about going home. Because this time he was going with Izuku. Well Charlie actually but still it meant his plan was going to go forth and he might actually be able to plant the tracker on the plush.

 

Dad and Papa won’t be at the house today. Papa was busy with work whilst Dad was going to be working with his students in some kind of cross class battle that will take a few hours.

 

That meant there was no risk of Izuku being exposed, meaning that he could come and not worry and possibly run away.

 

The two hopped up the steps through the threshold of the house, Charlie taking a moment to look around before going, and immediately the two were now standing in his home. Of course then they were greeted at the door by the cats.

 

Pepper and Dot were running up to greet Hitoshi home but froze the second they saw the plush cat staring at them. At first, the boy thought they were going to have a fight and it certainly seemed that way with how low the two felines got but they calmed down once they seemed to realise it wasn’t a real cat, even if Charlie did look like one.

 

They still kept their distance though, sitting in their cat scratch tower and looking down on the newcomer.

 

“That’s Dot and Pepper, black and orange respectively.” Hitoshi introduced the two cats to Izuku.

 

The black plush just looked up at them. “Were they here before you were adopted?”

 

“Yeah, Papa says they were both strays together before Dad found them and took them home.” the boy explained.

 

The cat just seemed to watch for a moment more before turning back to Hitoshi. Was he wary of them? Was controlling a cat doll making him act like an actual cat?

 

“You wanted to show me around?” Charlie asked, dismissing the other felines.

 

The boy nodded. 

 

Hitoshi showed Izuku around the house. The kitchen, the back garden, the living room, dining room and of course his bedroom upstairs. Before that though, his friend seemed to stop in front of the office door. It was closed so he couldn’t see in.

 

It was then that the boy remembered how it was almost half a year ago his friend had broken into his house. He still remembers Ana standing in the middle of the upturned office, fighting Papa before bailing out the window.

 

He wonders if Izuku was thinking about that as well.

 

- - -

 

This was the room he needed. This office had to be where the document was, just like last time. He had a way to get in there, the thing was doing it without alerting Hitoshi.

 

Obviously Charlie couldn’t be the one to go in, why would he be allowed in there? His friend probably wasn’t allowed in there either so what hope did the cat have? That’s why Ana was waiting outside, a bit away. She was on standby in case the invitation turned out to be a trap but so far it seemed his friend was genuine.

 

That makes what he’s doing right now even more saddening. Yeah he wants to hang out with Hitoshi but right now he was only half focusing on that, the other half on getting the documents. He’ll try his best then to make up for it by trusting the boy further and staying for longer than he expected to.

 

He followed Hitoshi into his room and was honestly impressed by it. He knew before his previous room was a literal broom closet with how small it was so he was probably very happy with his new room, no wonder he wanted to show it off.

 

All of the walls were painted the same lilac as his hair and his bed looked like a proper bed. He also had a desk with a computer, a nice carpet and a sizable closet in the back. He also had some posters up of both Present Mic and a large print photo of what was undoubtedly Eraserhead on patrol, taken like he was a cryptid.

 

Well, he likely had no official merch so he technically was a cryptid all things considered.

 

Comparing this to his own room was… the atmosphere was different.

 

Izuku’s room was bigger, yes, but it didn’t have a closet. Instead there was a large desk where he sat, two monitors blaring all hours of the day, a cushioned seat with so many pillows it was practically his bed. His actual bed was still the one he salvaged from the beach and hadn’t been slept in for at least two days.

 

Besides that, there was an array of discarded dolls, plush animals he liked the look of online and an air conditioner that was currently turned off due to it being early November.

 

There were windows though you wouldn’t be able to tell. Two huge blackout curtains smothered them completely, not allowing any light into the room besides the glow from the monitor and the warm colours of the fairy lights along the ceiling he had gotten in his earlier days.

 

His room had more stuff, yes but while Hitoshi’s felt lived in, Izuku’s felt…

 

…Died in.

 

Maybe the boy felt a sudden bit of jealousy at that, or disappointment in himself. Maybe his confidence fell a bit when he realised just how different their lives were right now and how he might just… want his.

 

No. He can’t keep thinking like this! He’s fine as he was and he will be. Sure things look better but that didn’t mean it would be better for him. His room was cosy, comfortable and safe. He didn’t feel compressed at all, if anything these four walls are where he feels the most free in the world!

 

Second being the bathroom and third being the hallway outside.

 

Hitoshi sat down on his bed after showing him the room, patting the space next to him and waiting for the cat to join him.

 

Charlie looked on for a moment, thoughts still elsewhere before the cat hopped up onto the bed.

 

- - -

 

Izuku was finally here! Well not him but he was here with him in his room. It was one thing to finally talk to him again after a year but having him be here, in his house where he can see just how far he’s come makes him feel proud.

 

The mood is only slightly dampered by the fact that he’s going to have to chip Charlie and use this meeting as a way to find Izuku’s location. He had an idea of how he could do that but it was still a bit from where he could try it.

 

“So Izuku.” Hitoshi started, “What do you think of my room?” 

 

The cat kept a noticeable distance and answered. “It looks nice. Did you paint it?”

 

“No.” replied Hitoshi. “Papa painted it, saying he wanted me to feel like he could do anything with my room. I said last December that I wanted my room to be purple and he painted the whole thing overnight.”

 

Charlie looked at him confused. “How did he paint it overnight? Weren’t you sleeping here?”

 

“Not in this room. I was in the other room.” he explained.

 

“There’s another bedroom here? Does that mean there were two guest rooms?” the cat wondered, sounding a little impressed with the house.

 

“They bought the place because they expected, well, Papa expected to have children later. Dad was still on the fence then.” he said. “Now we have no guest rooms.”

 

Hitoshi said that on purpose, knowing Izuku will take that bait. “What do you mean? There’s at least one other isn’t there?”

 

“No,” the boy started. “Because well, that’s going to be your room.”

 

Charlie, or rather Izuku, seemed to freeze when that was said. He knew that it was probably a shock to the boy so he decided to wait a bit before talking once more.

 

“Papa and Dad said if they ever found you, they were going to adopt you like they did me,” he recalled. “Of course you don’t have to, but…”

 

“No!” the cat said, the volume turned up a little. “I. I just. I’m fine.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku kept saying that. ‘Fine’. It was an autoresponse at this point to anything that might make him think too hard about himself. He didn’t like that and he knew every time he said it, Hitoshi’s face would look sadder. Like the weight of the word dragged his lips down.

 

But they really do want to take him in? He thought, in his scared mind, that maybe Eraserhead was lying. That he was just saying things when in reality he would be thrown into juvenile detention and be alone. Maybe it was him trying to convince himself he didn’t want that because he had everything he needed and everything he could want.

 

The experience of being there.

 

Those annoying words keep coming back. He doesn’t understand why he’d need that but maybe it was more than just FOMO. No, nevermind. He can’t let himself get weak, not when Hisashi could be within reach.

 

Though it wouldn’t hurt to look would it?

 

- - -

 

“Can I see it?” Charlie asked.

 

The boy couldn’t help but smile. “Sure!”

 

The two went just down the hall to a room in a quiet corner of the house. It faced the back garden, giving a lot of privacy compared to a front facing window and the street outside. The walls were all painted green and the bed was brand new. Not only that but there were some plush dolls on the bed, some of which they had earned from the arcade so long ago.

 

Hitoshi watched the cat step in and look around, its black lens taking in every detail. It was mostly bear but that’s only because it was devoid of anyone living there. Despite that though, there was no dust, like the place was waiting for its owner to come home today.

 

There were drawers as well and in them were clothes of different sizes.

 

“We don’t know what your size is so we got a bunch of them.” Hitoshi explained. “It’s only pajamas for now but when you get here we’ll find you all kinds of clothes to wear.”

 

- - -

 

His excitement was almost infectious. This room really did look like it was waiting for him. It was his favourite color on the wall, the bed looked comfy and there was a desk like Hitoshi’s. No computer though, maybe because they were expecting him to bring his with him.

 

The cat hopped onto the bed and looked at the plush dolls from the arcade. They looked just like he had remembered them. They were the same ones he gave to Hitoshi when they won those claw games. He never expected him to keep them when they were just cheap stuffings.

 

As if he was reading his mind, the boy answered. “I kept them because I liked getting them from you. I know they aren’t that good but, it’s not the actual doll but the memories it gives you that counts, right?”

 

“Yes.” the plush replied after a pause.

 

Hitoshi sat next to him on the bed and the two kept chatting, all the while Ana made her way to the front door. She waited for the right moment as Charlie asked if the other boy had heard any new songs recently. Of course he did and put on his phone some music that has been getting popular lately to do with some new idol in Naruhata.

 

The doll pushed through the front gate quickly and closed it, making her way through the front door only to be greeted once more by the two cats. Izuku paused for a moment, worried they might give away the doll being there, one seeming to slowly hiss a little at her entrance. 

 

“What was that?” Hitoshi asked, looking at the closed door of the room.

 

“Sorry,” Charlie started. “I accidentally hit a key on my soundboard.”

 

“You have cat sounds for your doll?” the boy questioned, seeming to buy it.

 

The plush let out a rerecorded ‘meow’ that immediately made him laugh a little bit.

 

Meanwhile downstairs, Ana had managed to placate the cats by grabbing some of their food from downstairs and pouring it into their food bowl, buying their silence. 

 

She headed upstairs, mindful of any creaks he saw when Charlie went up and reached the office. Opening it slowly, the doll looked in to see the room void of people. Lots of documents though that he immediately begins to look through. Funny enough, he was so distracted by the two things happening at once, that he failed to notice the motion detector in the corner.

 

- - -

 

“So, what kind of music have you been listening to lately? If you’ve got a soundboard in there then surely you’ve got a stereo.” Hitoshi asked.

 

“Oh, I don’t really listen to much. I mostly just listen to whatever happens to be on the radio.” Charlie responded.

 

“That wouldn’t happen to be Papa’s show?” the boy wondered.

 

The plush shook their head. “No, it’s more classical but I have listened in on his a few times.” 

 

“Well, that’s great! What shows have you…” the boy started but then stopped at the sound of a distant thud. “Oh no.”

 

“What?” Charlie uttered, getting slightly on edge.

 

“That was Papa’s car door. I didn’t think he’d be back till later!” he panicked.

 

Sure enough a few moments later the sound of the front door opening could be heard and the cheery sounds of his Papa rang out as he closed it quickly to stop the cats getting out.

 

Hitoshi hopped off the bed and ran for the door, opening quickly just in time to see the blond climbing up the stairs, shocked to see him come out of Izuku’s room.

 

“Hey there ‘Toshi!” he chirped. “What were you doing in Midoriya’s room?”

 

“H-hey! I was just dusting it a little.” the boy excused. “What are you doing back? Did work finish up early?”

 

His dad smiled a little when he heard that he was dusting Izuku’s future room. “Just for a moment. Forgot something in the office.”

 

“O-oh, I see.” the boy stuttered slightly, a little bit of relief washing over him as he hoped Izuku was still listening.

 

Papa seemed to stop for a moment once he reached the stairs, looking at his kid and seeming to notice something. “Hey, what’s wrong, purple fluff?”

 

The boy was a bit taken back, not at what the question was but because he was afraid the blond might’ve caught on to something being wrong. He didn’t want Izuku to be exposed because not only would that get Hitoshi in trouble but possibly scare his friend away forever.

 

“I’m… it’s nothing.” he tried to lie.

 

Papa looked past him at Izuku’s room and for a moment he was scared he might’ve spotted Charlie but the man just looked back at him. “Thinking about the little green button, aren’t ya?”

 

“No.” he replied but the look his dad gave him showed he didn’t buy it. “Okay, yes. I’ve been thinking about him a lot recently.”

 

“I’d be surprised if you weren’t.” Papa replied and put an arm around his shoulder and motioned him into Izuku’s room to sit on his bed.

 

Hitoshi was terrified, carefully looking around and hoping Izuku was somewhere well hidden before he saw a sight that completely baffled him. Sitting amongst the plushies was the cat, still as a statue and posed like its arms and legs were melded into the body.

 

“Oh, this one’s new.” the blond commented, picking up the plush doll.

 

The boy quickly grabbed it, almost snatching it away as he set it on his lap. “I-I got it just today! I thought Izuku might love it when he gets back.”

 

“Well he’s certainly adorable.” Papa commented, petting the inanimate cat on the head like it was real. His expression then turned to a more understanding one. “So ‘Toshi, you want to talk more about Midoriya?”

 

“Um, don’t you have work to get to?” Hitoshi asked, hoping this conversation would end quickly.

 

“I’ve got time, especially when it comes to something bothering you, purple fluff.” the man replied, smiling softly.

 

‘Papa, I love you but please not right now.’ Hitoshi thought as he subconsciously petted Charlie on his lap. Then suddenly an idea came to him. ‘Wait! I can use this position to plant the tracker on the plush doll!’

 

It would make for the perfect way to do it. He can’t right now though, he needs to get the tracker from his pocket first and then find a place on the plush to put it on discreetly. If he could get Papa talking, it might also distract Izuku too!

 

Hitoshi looked down at the doll, thinking of what to say before an idea came over him. Something he actually has been meaning to ask for a while.

 

“When I went to the hotel to see Izuku, was it the right thing to do?” the boy asked.

 

Papa seemed to immediately get what he was asking. He didn’t mean in terms of risking his life or disobeying his dads. He meant about Izuku. 

 

He shifted back a little, looking up at the ceiling. “If you want my opinion as a dad and a hero ‘Toshi, I think what you did was wrong.” the boy slumped a little. “But in terms of someone who cares about Midoriya, I think it was the right thing to do.”

 

“But he still ran away.” the boy pointed out. “He could’ve said anything instead of running but he didn’t. I… I still don’t know if he forgives me for lying to him.”

 

“‘Toshi,” Papa cooed. “You didn’t lie. It was a misunderstanding. I know out of everyone, you are the last person who’d ever betray Midoriya.”

 

“I know. I hope so, but how can he know?” the boy argued a bit, his hand quietly reaching into his pocket.

 

The man looked back down at him. “Sometimes you’ve just gotta believe in him. It’s a two way street. Not only does he have to trust you, you’ve got to trust that he knows that.”

 

“But,” the boy starts getting a bit emotional. “It feels like I can’t do anything. Izuku’s out there, in danger, alone and I can’t help him at all. I’m trying to be there like you told me but how can I if I don’t know where he is?”

 

“You can’t. But that’s why this room is here, isn’t it?” The man looked around the space. “This is here and ready for him the second we finally bring him home. That’s what we’re doing.”

 

“There’s really nothing else we can do?” Hitoshi questioned, looking directly at his father.

 

Papa went quiet for a moment, thinking carefully about what to say next. Making sure what he’s trying to get across is said. Hitoshi took that chance to slip out the tracker and get ready to plant it. He almost did it before his dad spoke again.

 

“‘Toshi, I know it’s hard to stop you from going out and doing stuff without our knowledge. Heck, for all I know you might’ve somehow gotten in contact with Midoriya again. All I can say to that is I’d want you to tell us if you do so we can all bring him home together.”

 

“We all want what’s best for him. I know it’s hard to give us that kind of faith but if you can just trust me and your dad, we’ll find the little green button.”

 

Hitoshi squeezed the plush a little, his hand getting a little wet from the spinal fluid seeped in the wool. “But if he were to ever reach out-”

 

Papa interrupted. “Then as a dad and hero I’d tell you to tell us… but as Yamada Hizashi, don’t do anything rash. The best case scenario we want is for Midoriya to come to us, not bring him home kicking and screaming, always looking for a way to escape.”

 

“Because, again, just as much as we need him to trust us, we’ve gotta trust that he understands us too.”

 

That’s what Hitoshi wants too but never really thought about it properly like that. Tenya said he’d take Izuku home even if it’d get himself hurt but does that mean it’s the best thing for his friend? Of course it was but did that work well in making sure he stays? Probably not.

 

The chip in his hand felt heavy. Like he almost made a mistake. It wasn’t bad enough that he couldn’t try and plant it now but he didn’t feel like it anymore. He didn’t feel it was the right thing to do now. 

 

Maybe he could trust that Izuku knows what’s best for himself, and that he’ll know the best place for him is here, to come home on his own. It was something so far-fetched he almost thought he was delusional but then again, Izuku was in this room too, on his lap and heard all of what Papa had said.

 

“Well, got to go now.” Papa said, leaving him there.

 

He could hear the office door open before it closed again, his dad peeking in through the doorway before he left. 

 

“Remember ‘Toshi, whatever you plan to do, remember there’s people who want you to come home safe too.”

 

He nodded and he could hear Papa leave, the front door closing. Both the boy and the cat were silent, even when it started to move again. It was eventually broken by Izuku.

 

“I’m going to leave now.” the plush uttered.

 

Hitoshi felt the cat jostle free from his arms and land on the floor. “But you’ll come back, right?”

 

- - -

 

The words of Presen- no. The words of Yamada were heavy in the boy's mind. Almost as much as Ana’s hands as she sat in Hitoshi’s room, having ducked in there to hide from the man.

 

He honestly didn’t know what to make of all of that. It certainly made his head hurt, thinking about how much he did trust his friend. If all of that was staged just to get Izuku to trust him a bit more than bravo because… well… it…

 

Izuku feels tired.

 

So much weighed on his mind. His exhaustion, his fear and his rage. His mind that went a mile a minute at even the slightest of inconveniences. His mind that almost goes into a panic attack if he hears anyone outside of the warehouse. His mind that is filled with so much hatred against Hisashi that it feels like even killing the man won’t suffice.

 

For the better part of a year. No, the better part of three he’s been so scared of everything that he can’t remember when he wasn’t. Even back then when it was just him and Hitoshi he never fully let himself out, only just a little bit when he left that warehouse to see him for the first time.

 

He wants to trust him. Not because he does trust Hitoshi but because he needed someone. Anyone he could share this weight in his head with.

 

Maybe Yamada was right. 

 

- - -

 

The silence stretched on for what felt forever. He couldn’t tell at all what Izuku was thinking right now. If it was what Papa said or the fact he was here or…

 

“Hitoshi.” the plush uttered.

 

“Yeah?” he almost whispered.

 

The sound of a door opening in a different room shocked him, scaring him into thinking Papa came back but what stepped into the room was someone he hadn’t seen in a long time. Ana.

 

She still had that awful looking face that unsettled him but right now that didn’t matter. He was more shocked why she was here but then it all came to him when he realised the reason for Izuku’s sudden agreement to go to his house.

 

“You were looking in the office,” he said.

 

Ana merely nodded once.

 

“For Hisashi?” he questioned, voice shaking a little.

 

The doll nodded again. “I’m so close now.” she uttered in a womanly voice he’s never heard from the doll before.

 

He looked immediately down at his hand at the tracker, thinking that he shouldn’t be mad. After all he wasn’t the only one with ulterior motives for meeting. It was still nice though to imagine that it was. That maybe they could just trust each other.

 

He should fix that.

 

- - -

 

“I haven’t been entirely truthful about meeting either.” Hitoshi admitted and showed a small device in his hand.

 

Izuku recognised it immediately. It was a tracking chip. He was going to attach it to Charlie and use it to find out where he was. He really should’ve never trusted him again…

 

…But he never put it on. He had a chance there, right there with Charlie in his lap to slip it on. He rarely ever checked the plush doll, hell he’d never expect Hitoshi to ever do something like that.

 

And the fact he’s telling him this here right now when he could’ve kept quiet. He didn’t know what to think of it. Except he did. It gave him a moment of madness, or maybe in hindsight it was clarity.

 

- - -

 

Both boys stared at each other. One from a room meant for Izuku Midoriya and the other locked in a cage of his own fears. They wanted to say so much to each other. Hitoshi wanted to convince his friend that he did trust him and hoped he did too.

 

And well… he did.

 

“Hitoshi.” Ana piped up.

 

“Yeah, Izuku.” the boy alerted.

 

“Can…” there was a pause. “Can I trust you to wait for me? To wait until I’m done stopping Hisashi?”

 

“...” the purple haired boy was quiet for a moment. “Of course. When you defeat Hisashi, I want you to come home.”

 

Ana was shaking. On the other side of the city, a boy took out a phone and with trembling fingers he typed something, regrets filling him before he even pushed a button. But he pushed on, because he knew deep inside that he needed this.

 

He hit send.

 

Hitoshi’s phone vibrated. A message sent, a message received and this one was one both boys had always fought over.

 

Immediately his eyes teared up as he read it, the other boy cried too but for different reasons. He looked up and with lilac eyes filled with happiness and a feeling of accomplishment.

 

“Thank you.” he choked. “When you’re finally ready, we’ll walk home together.”

 

The dolls quickly left and the purple haired kid cried fully onto the bed, his phone showing a simple thing. 

 

A map to his best friend. A way to bring him home.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Dancing with Dolls

Chapter 39: Dancing with Dolls

Notes:

Hello everyone!

20k views! Thank you all so much! You're comments, kudos and general support always keep me writing and motivated! Just in time for a chapter I'm sure will leave you wanting to find out what happens next. Hope you enjoy this and don't hate me!

Have a nice day! <3

Over a month had passed and Izuku had almost everything he needed. He had everything to find the Dragon’s headquarters. He knew where it could roughly be, had sent Charlie to map it out and found what appeared to be a place they could very well be.

 

The funny part was it was nothing like their operations.

 

It was an office space for a paper making company obviously meant as a front to the actual organisation. He ultimately found this out when he realised all of the documents were seemingly made from the same brand of paper.

 

That was incredibly hard to figure out and at the time he was clutching at straws but if it got him to where he needed to go, it got him there.

 

The snow was heavy now. The Christmas season was in full swing and decorations were put up at malls and couples events popping up everywhere. It was because of that it would be the perfect time to attack with the holidays coming up and the streets being empty on Christmas Eve.

 

He was going to attack the tower, find Hisashi and kill him. Simple as that.

 

From his findings, the actual base was on the top floor and from what he saw from some camera shots made by Charlie, there were bedrooms up there meaning people stayed. Hisashi had to be there and he was going to find that man and finally stop him for everything he’s done.

 

Then, he was going to trust Hitoshi and let himself finally be caught.

 

- - -

 

Shouta and Hizashi were meeting up with a bunch of heroes. There was a lot. Endeavor and Crimson Riot were back on the case again along with Nemuri and Tensei. There were even some from UA; Ishiyama, Snipe and Kan. 

 

That’s because after two months of solid work, a rat at full power, a determined couple of parents and the efforts of several underground heroes, they had finally located where the Dragon’s lair was. 

 

A high rise building in the middle of Esuha City and from what they had gathered after all of that intel was that it was the home of the Dragon’s Roar higher ups. Most of the heroes here didn’t know the base was discovered as it was important to keep that knowledge secret in case of a leak but it would be tomorrow, late Christmas Eve, that they’d launch the full raid.

 

The reason for the heavy reinforcements was because of how much resistance they were expecting from the Dragon’s when they attacked. In particular, the fact the building was in the centre of the city, in one of the busiest districts, meant that there was a massive chance for civilian casualties if things got out of hand.

 

This was also the chance they had to finally stop one of the most unkillable organisations in Japan and to do so they’d need to be sure there wasn’t a chance they could bounce back. They can’t allow even one of the higher ups to escape.

 

Of course they still didn’t know who they were, besides Hisashi, but they do know that they have a teleportation quirk that needs to be stopped first and foremost to cut off any escape. That’s why there’ll be an infiltration team that will look for that head first and take them out before the battle could begin.

 

That team being Shouta, Edgeshot and Silent Night.

 

Everyone in the room was of course updated on the Dollmaker situation. Nedzu wasn’t sure if Midoriya will appear but they can’t take any chances if he does. In specific, the intelligence hero gave the all ok that if any puppet is found, it is to have its camera removed and destroyed, falling in line with his plan on capturing Midoriya.

 

Most of the pros there were almost exclusively required to have at least a few years of experience. The only skirting exceptions being himself, Hizashi, Nemuri and Tensei but as they have a personal stake in this and each of their quirks and skills can prove invaluable, they were let on board.

 

“So then. Once all heroes have been set in position, the infiltration team will move inside and search out the dragon head we’ve identified as ‘Wings’.” Nedzu restated.

 

He continued. “After they are confirmed to be taken out of commission and apprehended, the rest of the teams will move in and begin the raid on the Dragon’s Roar.”

 

“I have a question.” one of the heroes, Fatgum, asked with a raised hand.

 

Nedzu nodded, giving him the ok to answer. “What happens if Dollmaker were to attack before us? Or during the infiltration? We know there is a decent chance he isn’t aware of the Dragon’s Roar base but in case he is…”

 

“Yes, the odds of young Midoriya attacking at the same time as us is quite low and him attacking between now and tomorrow is also low. In the case he does though, we can assume he is knowledgeable enough to go after ‘Wings’ like we will and take them out first.” the rat explained.

 

“So we’re relying on chance?” the large hero replied, not complaining but more worrying.

 

“For a rare possibility, yes. We know that Midoriya is quite smart if his activities are any inclination. He’ll make sure any method of escape for the Dragon’s heads would be taken down first.” he reasoned.

 

Fatgum seemed to accept that answer, though it was an unsure one. “Thank you.”

 

Once that question was done, Nedzu made sure to follow up with an important note.

 

“As something also to notify the room of,” he began, “we know that young Midoriya’s target is first and foremost Hisashi Midoriya, or ‘Roar’ as closer to his actual name. Aizawa, do you believe that his life will be in danger?”

 

Shouta was a bit surprised at being asked that but didn’t let it show and remained professional. “I believe that Midoriya will likely attempt to kill ‘Roar’ and maybe even leave once he’s been assured he’s dead. I know it’s an obvious thing to say but if you capture ‘Roar’, whose quirk can breath fire, please be on alert in case Midoriya appears.”

 

Another hero raised their hand but this time it was Tensei. “If we do apprehend Roar, should we remove him from the area as fast as possible?”

 

“Not from the area but from the building, yes. We’re planning to lure the kid out using him so we can finally capture him.” Shouta said honestly.

 

“Lure? Kid?” asked Ishiyama. “I wasn’t aware Dollmaker was young.”

 

Nedzu piped up. “Young Midoriya should be eight years old according to our records.”

 

There was a bit of chatter from some of the heroes who weren’t aware of that fact. Dollmaker, although still known in the media, was still a relatively unknown name. Because the kid always attacked during the night or chose quieter places, there was less footage of him in action so there was less attention.

 

That and he was going after the Dragon’s Roar, something the media didn’t really care about due to the kid being a vigilante. It wasn’t that it was popular to cover them but the more discreet ones rarely show up on the news.

 

Still doesn’t stop the few videos out there making Midoriya more known than most people.

 

Nedzu turned to Shouta. The erasure hero nodded and looked to the rest of the room. He explained Midoriya’s situation in the best summary he can, leaving out his son’s involvement by saying it was an ‘anonymous tip’ whenever needed. By the end there were some determined faces.

 

“Poor kid,” uttered Fatgum. “We’ve got to make sure he doesn’t get lost forever.” 

 

“But using a man as bait?” Ishiyama pointed out. “It could be risky for many involved.”

 

“It is.” spoke Nedzu. “But destroying all of Midoriya’s puppets in one swoop will make his replenishment more noticeable. We need to find him as fast as possible unless the HPSC is forced to label him a villain.”

 

“It sounds to me he already is.” Endeavor finally spoke up. “If you’re worried about him killing people, then how can you be sure he isn’t already?”

 

Shouta was about to say something, Hizashi too before Nedzu stopped both with a raised paw and answered for them. “Midoriya is still young. He is also scared and alone. I believe once we get him the help he needs, we can put him on a safe and stable path again before he’s tacked on a label that will follow him for the rest of his life.”

 

The flaming hero seemed to accept that answer or rather wasn’t bothered to continue talking about it. After a few more questions about Midoriya’s dolls, the Dragon’s lair and the plan the room finished their meeting and parted for the day, most likely not seeing each other until the raid in less than twenty four hours.

 

“Sho’.” Hizashi called in their hotel room.

 

“Yeah?” Shouta responded.

 

“Do you really think we’ll finally get Midoriya if this plan goes through?” he questioned.

 

“I do.” he affirmed.

 

His blond sat on the bed and looked down on the floor. They were going to sleep now so they weren’t tired later tonight. “Do you think he’ll want to stay with us? What if he doesn’t?”

 

That’s always been a question he’s wanted to know the answer to. Just because Midoriya needed parents, it doesn’t mean they were going to be those parents. Hitoshi was one thing, a kid with a lot of things both his dads share but Midoriya wasn’t like that.

 

Neither of them knew if they were the right person to give the boy what he needed. Maybe they were or maybe they’d be the worst. For all they knew he might hate them and not want to move in with them at all and then the kid would be lost in the foster system like Hitoshi was.

 

It was a scary thought but he didn’t think it could be true. He remembered the hesitation. The doll dropped the papers the second he said there was a home for him with them. He can’t read the dolls as well as his son probably can but that had to mean something.

 

At the very least he is sure he doesn’t hate them. Whether that would change after they brought him home was something they’d have to find out. 

 

“I think he will. I can’t be sure, but I think he will.” the man admitted.

 

Hizashi looked up at him, wanting to believe him. He’s about to say something before Shouta continues. “I know we can’t be sure but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. I know you’ve been a great dad for Hitoshi. And I know I’ve changed a bit too.”

 

The blond smiled. “You have. Only a little but I can see you and ‘Toshi getting closer everyday.”

 

“I still feel like I could do more. You’re better at talking than I am.” Shouta sighed as he sat down next to him.

 

“I am being paid due to my way with words.” Hizashi mused.

 

“Yeah, all that squawking on the radio was going to end up with someone paying you to be quiet at some point.” the other man joked.

 

The blond let out an indignant sound that almost sounded like a cockatoo before relaxing into a laugh. “And all that stoicism was surely the reason your students gave you a mug calling you the ‘Meanest Teacher in the World’.”

 

“I drink from that cup with pride.” Shouta argued. “It’ll help next year's class know who they’re dealing with.”

 

They both let out a small laugh before Hizashi stopped. “Do you think, after this is all over, we can take a vacation? The four of us?”

 

“As long as it’s somewhere quiet, I’m sure we can.” the scruffy faced man assured.

 

The golden eyed man leaned on him, resting his head on his shoulder. Shouta snaked an arm around the man’s shoulder to pull him in closer and the two laid back in bed, relaxing quickly into sleep for the next few hours before the time came they must get to work.

 

- - - 

 

All of the dolls were in place. Adjacent from the Dragon’s lair, there was another building. Not tall enough to reach the higher floors but enough to get past the front door. All of them sat there, patiently awaiting orders as the clock ticked away before the moment came for him to strike.

 

They were going to move in when it was at the darkest, midnight, when everyone was definitely asleep. Izuku watched as the building was completely dark besides a couple lights in the upper floors where he believed the Dragon’s heads were resting. Where Hisashi was right now.

 

This was it. Once he was dead, he was going to tell Hitoshi he was ready and he’d pick him up. The anticipation was loud in his mind. Was he even sure that he could leave this place? The warehouse he had stayed in for almost three years? That time felt so long. He can’t even remember what it was like feeling the sun on his skin anymore.

 

He can’t even remember how human touch felt, only memories that kept coming up were blurs of Mama’s soft hands soothing him after he was scolded or Hisashi’s painful grips and grabs that were a lot more clearer.

 

Either way, good or bad, he was just tired at this point. Everything was so heavy and felt like it was about to fall apart, like the only reason he was alive was because he wanted this one man’s death and if he didn’t get it he was going to collapse.

 

It scared him how the world would look on the other side. Will it be kind? Or will it be everything he had seen through the eyes of his dolls?

 

He can’t tell.

 

But he wants to know.

 

Daphne fired a shot from afar, making sure the gunshot wasn’t too loud as a zipline was established between the two buildings. The lights of the street below strangled the stars from the sky so it was just darkness as the four dolls made their way across the line.

 

Brutus was the hardest, his weight being immense but the line was steel wire and Ana went first to the other side to make sure the line was secure enough. Soon all of the dolls were set up in the building.

 

Ana was armed with her usual stuff. A repair kit, the long cattle prod and even a new gun just for her. Brutus was tweaked up to make sure he was well and ready. He had his tungsten arm and his metal pole was on stand by in case. 

 

Charlie was given some needles. Not drugs but simple knitting needles. The cat couldn’t fight well but having something for it at all was important. He wasn’t expecting all of the dolls to make it through this.

 

The four rushed through the building to a port where Ana plugged a USB into an unattended laptop. In an instant, Izuku began tunneling his way into their network and soon had access to the cameras, making them no longer a problem for the dolls. He scanned through everything and there seemed to be a separate network for the upper floors, confirming his suspicions further.

 

He was about to tell them to continue before he noticed someone waving at a camera outside. Izuku looked and saw… a hero, carrying a sheet of paper that had a number on it. Izuku looked into it and found an account in the office space that seemed to be coming from outside the building.

 

####: Hello Midoriya, this is Nedzu, a pro hero. I noticed you broke into the same system I have, can you tell me what you are doing?

 

The boy froze for a moment before he realised he was telling the truth. He could tell quickly there was someone else messing with this network and immediately realised that his time was now limited.

 

@@@@: I am finishing this. Don’t get in my way.

 

####: I’m afraid I can’t allow that. I don’t know what you are planning for Hisashi but we can’t allow you to kill someone if that is your intent.

 

@@@@: You can’t stop me.

 

####: Yes, it will be hard to stop you, but please reconsider this. 

 

Izuku checked the other cameras and quickly noticed that there were people moving through the building. Edgeshot, Silent Night and… Eraserhead. The boy then checked several cameras nearby and quickly realised that there was a raid about to happen and if he were to allow it to go through, he might never get the chance to hurt Hisashi again.

 

He can’t allow that.

 

The dolls moved, rushing to the stairs but not before closing some security shutters to make sure the heroes will have a harder time following.

 

####: Think carefully about this Midoriya. You can still turn back. We can work something out and get you the help you need.

 

What help? He doesn’t need help. Sure he’s going to turn himself in after all of this but that doesn’t mean he was sick. He was fine, he was just tired of being lonely, that's all.

 

@@@@: I am. After I kill him I’m going to turn myself in. 

 

That will probably get him to shut up. After all that’s all he should care about right? Killing Hisashi will allow him to let go and finally be better than ok. 

 

####: That isn’t going to do well for you. We’re planning on raiding the Dragon’s Roar now. We can capture him and give him the justice he deserves.

 

@@@@: Exactly. The justice he deserves. Goodbye Nedzu.

 

The tab was closed. He didn’t care when he saw some new messages pop up. Izuku wasn’t going to allow himself to be persuaded or manipulated because he had what he wanted in his grasp.

 

The dolls reached the upper floors and opened a door to find where the Dragon’s Roar was hiding. This section of the building was built like a hotel, with an entire lobby, a restaurant and even a bar. Of course none of this was in the building’s blueprints.

 

As soon as they came in, he could immediately see some guards on standby that reacted to them and immediately sirens began to blare. 

 

Four men charged forth but unlike the usual thugs that he fought, they all took out guns and began to fire without second thought. Brutus raised his arms and the rest of the dolls scattered to cover as gun fire rained down on the giant.

 

Several rounds were shot before a couple guys got taken down by Daphne and after a burst of cloud, the room was filled with smoke.

 

The bullets stopped and things were quiet besides the sirens and yelling before Brutus felt the punch of a man in his side, turning to see it was a man he recognised. It was that rhino guy from one of the first raids he did. The fact he was here and not in prison was another reason why he can’t trust the heroes with Hisashi.

 

The linoleum floor cracked as the giant was shoved backwards. Not by much as compared to last time though as the two duke it out in the smoke.

 

Meanwhile, Ana ran out, taking down a few guards with her prod before a mass of tentacles reached for her and restrained her in an instant. The doll turned to see a large woman, her mouth wide open and jaw unhinged as a bouquet of tongues was the source of her restraints.

 

Ana’s wrist was almost crushed when a bullet struck the woman in the face, blinding her into dropping the doll who immediately charged to stab her with the prod. With a shriek she lurched back but was not beaten as the two continued their duel.

 

After Daphne’s save, she got a lot of bullets fired in her direction. The mannequin dashed out, keeping low and almost crawling as she moved up a wall with the help of her grapple and immediately began retaliating, taking out minor chump after minor chump in the restaurant behind a bar counter where she ended up.

 

All the while this happened, Charlie was closing in. His small size let him slip through most of the fighting and get to where the rooms were. Following the sounds of arguing, the plush found a sight he was ready to intervene.

 

A room filled with higher ups, all wearing the same dragon masks as the conference, were gathered in a meeting room. One of them, the winged one from before, was using her quirk to make their escape. Remembering it took her a while to get away, the cat ran for the woman, surprising the room of masked men as it took out the needles and jabbed her in the arm, breaking her focus and dropping her wings.

 

“You little shit!” she swore as she ripped out the needle from her. “Destroy that thing!”

 

Charlie leapt under a meeting room table and dodged swing after swing after swing. Every time the woman tried to use her quirk again, he stabbed her once more, earning another screech. He couldn’t tell if Hisashi was amongst these people but he knew it didn’t matter at the moment, first he needed to stop her.

 

- - -

 

Shouta could hear the fighting upstairs as the three heroes of the infiltration squad ran up. At this point the battle had been called and suddenly six dozen thugs were all over the building's lower floors, coming out of the woodwork like a termite infestation.

 

The actual raid team had charged in and were battling their way through those lower floors as they made their way to the higher ones. He could hear his husband down below, his yelling reminding him that the fight was on.

 

After erasing a few guys' quirks on the stairs up, the trio entered the smoke-filled lobby to watch the giant toss a huge rhino quirked man over his shoulders and into a wall, shaking the room.

 

There were gunshots elsewhere as a mannequin-like puppet he hadn’t learned the name of yet had taken down at least a dozen guys on its own from the comfort of a drinks bar. The two looked at the three heroes and immediately they raised their weapons and fists to fight.

 

Edgeshot was naturally the first to act but despite how powerful his quirk was, against a target like these dolls that don’t have vital points, he was at a disadvantage. That’s why he shouted out an order.

 

“Edgehshot! Make a wound! I can erase their quirk if their fluids are exposed!” he yelled.

 

The shinobi hero made a sound of acknowledgement as he went for the giant first. Naturally being dead fast and the giant moving slowly it was easy for the man to immediately punch some small holes in Brutus’ armor, fluid leaking out like blood.

 

Some fluid leaked out and Shouta used his Erasure but the giant kept moving. It seemed he’ll have to see more than that to fully stop it.

 

Meanwhile, he and Silent Night fought the mannequin, dodging gun fire like he did when he first fought it. Unlike last time though, there weren't any roofs he could pull down. There was however smoke and he used that to get some cover as he made it to the restaurant it was holding up in.

 

He overturned a few tables as some bullets came his way before he heard some clicking and he looked up to see the long barrel was out. A shot ran out but it wasn’t aimed at him but instead Edgeshot as the man grunted when a rubber bullet struck him in the arm giving the giant enough breathing room to properly grab him.

 

Brutus hoisted the man into the air and, given his light body, easily slammed him onto the ground. The shinobi hero tried to slip out of his grasp using his quirk but the giant slammed him again to break his concentration every time he did to make sure he couldn’t escape. 

 

They were trapped with the giant bullying Edgeshot and the mannequin laying down hellfire the second he or Silent Night moved from cover. He wasn’t sure what to do before he remembered that these two people weren’t two. They were still Midoriya. And given how he could hear more fighting elsewhere, he can guess the kid was fighting other battles too.

 

“Silent Night!” Shouta whisper shouted to the other hero.

 

“Yeah?” he replied.

 

“Use your quirk, I have an idea.” he promised as he whispered his plan.

 

The two heroes, careful of gunfire, ducked behind the same table and with a shake of Silent Night’s head, the room was silent. Using the table they were behind as cover, they charged forward, earning the mannequins full attention as it prepared for the two heroes to jump out.

 

What came out though was instead only Silent Night, Shouta nowhere in sight. Midoriya having no clue where he was, the Dollmaker commanded his other set of eyes, Brutus, to turn around and look into the restaurant to spot him. 

 

The logic here being that he had to be hiding behind one of the tables that the mannequin couldn’t see from their angle but the giant could from its.

 

What Brutus saw though wasn’t two heroes in the restaurant but one right in front of him, throwing a ready punch into the eye of the giant. Shouta heard a crack as undoubtedly the camera inside the skull from his surprise attack was smashed and now the thing was blinded and couldn’t fight.

 

Sure it had the audio but with Silent Night’s quirk, he couldn’t even use that as the puppet began to flail wildly. 

 

The mannequin tried to be the giant's eyes for it but that only gave Silent Night the opening he needed to close the distance and kick the puppet in the head, earning another crack as its camera too was smashed.

 

Now both the puppets were blind and flailing wildly but now that Edgeshot wasn’t being focused on, he finally slipped free from Brutus’ grasp and along with another powerful kick from Shouta, broke open a wound big enough that he could finally paralyse the thing.

 

Once the metal puppet fell, with a twirl of his capture weapon, he wrapped a strap around the struggling mannequin's gun arm and yanked it over to him, Edgeshot stabbing through it and pinning them to a wall. Silent Night then ripped her gun arm off and now both of the mannequins were disabled, incapable of fighting back.

 

Brutus had his arms removed too after some effort and Shouta could finally drop his quirk as the puppets fell from fluid loss. Silent Night deactivated his silencing quirk and sound had returned to a now peaceful room.

 

“Wait…” Edgeshot muttered. “Shouldn’t there have been more fighting upstairs?”

 

The other two heroes looked at him and the three ran up the steps to a meeting room where the fighting was heard from before.

 

- - -

 

Charlie just leaped over another punch before at last someone grabbed the cat’s tail and swung it into a wall, cracking the lens a little. Despite the lack of combat skill, the feline managed to take down two of the masked men before finally getting destroyed. The winged woman was back to channeling her quirk but it didn’t matter as finally, Ana arrived.

 

Immediately taking one of the Dragon’s out with a taser, there were only three left including the winged woman.

 

“Scales, Claws, hold him off!” the woman commanded, the two men rushing forward to fight whilst she continued to channel her quirk.

 

Scales grew armored scuttles along his body and swung with a heavy fist towards the doll. She dodged him easily and stabbed the cattle prod in his direction. It was parried though by Claws, whose sharpened hands swung and made a gash on the doll’s body, some fluid seeping out.

 

“I admit kid!” the older sounding woman shouted. “Roar was right, you really could be a valuable asset for us. No way to convince you to join us willingly?”

 

Ana made no response as the two villains kept fighting her, the doll just barely keeping up.

 

Wings continued. “I’m serious. Compared to him, you are a lot more useful. We could kill him if you want and have you take his place? I know it’s unorthodox to have an eight year old as a leader but clearly you aren’t normal.”

 

The doll just kept ignoring her, managing to get a shock on the Claws guy, causing him to recoil enough to kick the Scales villain back and rush towards the woman. Just as she was about to stab her with the prod though, she dropped her quirk and in a flash she teleported behind the doll, grabbing her and throwing Ana over her shoulder in a Judo takedown.

 

Ana was pinned, the prod casted to the side as the three villains surrounded her. 

 

“The longer I channel my quirk the farther I can go. For just a short jump though it takes two seconds.” she explained, applying pressure with her knee to the doll’s back. 

 

“Now normally I’d just destroy your little toy here but I’d rather have it in one piece. Makes for a good model to base the next ones off of.” she said.

 

“We don’t have long.” Scales stated, holding a hand to his ear. “The heroes will be here any second.”

 

“Right. Then I’ll just teleport a few blocks away so we have time to go further.” she planned. “But first, can’t have you being a tattle tale.”

 

Wings removed the camera from the doll and threw it away, Izuku staring at a black screen in silence as he felt complete and utter panic at all of his dolls getting defeated. Well, all except one.

 

“Now then… let’s get goi- AGH!”

 

Wings screamed as her channeling was interrupted by a barely functioning Charlie who stabbed the old woman in the foot.

 

“Ugh! Can’t you things just stay down!” she yelled, kicking the plush cat, Claws giving one swipe and shredding the feline to pieces.

 

“Let’s go.” she ordered, having to restart her quirk for the umpteenth time.

 

- - -

 

But that was all the time he needed.

 

The three heroes bursted into the meeting room, Edgeshot taking out Claws instantly whilst Shouta erased all of their quirks. 

 

“Scales!” The woman barked, panicked,  and the scaled man charged forth. He was aiming for Shouta but was shoulder tackled by Silent Night who pinned him to the ground.

 

“Your reign is over Dragons.” the shinobi hero uttered as he began restraining them.

 

The old woman roared and screamed as she struggled, Shouta managing to catch her in his capture weapon. “I’ll get you all! You think I can be contained! I’ll break out and kill that little runt for this too!”

 

Silent Night used his quirk to create an area of silence around her as the three heroes collected themselves.

 

They did it. They finally did it. All of the villains were captured, all of the puppets were seemingly destroyed and…

 

The man spotted the shredded plush black cat in the corner. Even though the body was shredded, the camera was still intact enough that he was sure Midoriya was watching.

 

“Kid. We’ve got him.” he said into the cracked lens as he picked it up. “And we’re going to bring you home.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku stared into the screen, the only video of the scruffy hero’s face promising him. But it wasn’t. It was far from over. 

 

The boy typed it as much.

 

“What do you mean?” Eraserhead questioned.

 

It’s because he isn’t there. There were seven Dragon’s Roar heads but there were only six in the room. None of the others used fire which meant none of them could be him. He was still out there, he was still looking for him, he was-

 

“Found you, Izuku.”

 

The voice was rough and was teeming with sickening glee.

 

The boy turned his head, not as a doll, not as a camera but with his own. 

 

Because that sound wasn’t over his computer.

 

It was real life. The man, Hisashi, was here. Standing in his room, a sickly smile etched on his face.

 

He found him.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Found You

Chapter 40: Found You

Notes:

I hope you enjoy this. <3

Hisashi always was going to end up being a man who would do terrible terrible things. He knew ever since he was six, and used his fire breath quirk to wipe out a colony of ants from the inside of their hill. 

 

It was inevitable, and sure, there were maybe a few chances here and there where he could’ve changed if he met the right person but instead it was the wrong way around. At heart, he was a bully who learned from a young age that the only way you can escape that title is to become better than you were.

 

Not in terms of morals, no, but restraint and cunning. He knew intelligence and how important it was for him to use it to grow past being the kid who smiled at little burning ants.

 

It’s why he became Roar. Of course Hisashi wasn’t his real name. He casted that away when he had to flee Beijing and moved to Japan, taking his operation and people with him. Back then the Dragon’s Roar was merely a whisper, two words with no connotations attached except fire and pain.

 

You’d think it was a stupid move going to the most hero driven society in the world but the truth is where the light shines brightest, the shadows grow largest. 

 

It didn’t take him and his cohorts long to find a place in the country. It was also convenient that he managed to find his Hisashi cover. 

 

He knew he needed an heir at some point. He wanted the Dragon’s to go far, far beyond him. After all, with a name like Roar so obviously being the founder and leader, it was something that would permeate through history like that old All For One legend. He would become something just as big.

 

Naturally he needed to find someone who both had a good quirk but not too good that they would have a lot of attention, and hence that attention extending to him. He also needed someone who had a way of bending, both to him and the law. He found such convenience in Midoriya Inko.

 

A girl with no family or friends beside one blonde chick who she met in college. The same college where he met her. Hisashi has always had good surgeons. He could make himself appear a whole twenty years younger if he wished and that was how it was with Inko. A girl who didn’t ask questions, fresh from the arms of abandonment and a soft yet malleable mind he could make his.

 

And to top it all off, the telekinesis quirk was incredible. Sure it wasn’t the strongest but he wasn’t looking for a powerful partner but a powerful child. When they had Izuku, he was ecstatic. It was the first kid he’s had that wasn’t an accident and maybe there was some warmth there.

 

Maybe that’s why he never could hit him in the end. 

 

Honestly, he never cared how the child grew, he just needed them to be strong and ready. That’s why when the kid started idolising heroes and playing with dolls he felt that the legacy he aspired to have was in danger.

 

It was never the dolls that were the problem but what they represented. When he had Izuku, he wanted another him not another Inko and that was what the dolls did. Made him weak, compassionate, caring. Sure, maybe some of those are good qualities but they were hindrances when you were running a criminal empire.

 

He almost considered having a second child, taking them away and starting there from scratch. He seriously did. The only reason he stopped himself was in case the kid actually got a powerful quirk.

 

And that he did.

 

Pyrokinesis was something he was aiming for but instead he got something entirely different. Something rare, something unique. It had to be mostly Inko’s blood in him and while yes that pissed him off a lot it still meant he had a son with a quirk that could destroy a country if left to his own devices.

 

He could raise armies with it, command machines like they were his own hands, maybe even bend humans to his will if used right. He certainly had the means to test it all, hell, even the kid showed that potential with how he almost managed to single handedly disarm his empire.

 

Yes. He needed Izuku. He needed him back and if it took dragging him, beating him into shape and maybe even drugging him, that’s fine by him. God! He wants to know what Trigger does to him!

 

Would his puppets become stronger? Would his range of control increase? How would that look? Would he be able to inject his fluid into a car and make it run on command? Could he pilot an entire plane remotely if he knew how? How about electronics? How do they react to his quirk?

 

He was muttering again.

 

So many different theories, ideas and plans he wants to test out. It reminds him of the ant hill again. Watching the little brown dots run around in different ways depending on how hot he made it. Their little minds haywire under the heat of his breath.

 

The thing he hates though is how defiant this little shit was. Not only did he run away, but punched him, broke his nose in a way surgeons still can’t fix and even damaged his eye. Not to mention the amount of money lost from his little temper tantrum. When he gets his hands on him, he’ll be sure he knows what happens if he tries that shit again.

 

And now he did.

 

After months of hard work, he finally had that brat in his sight. Some dingy warehouse that he had to have some guys break the door of and storm in. Admittedly he was prepared to fight those puppets of his. Had guys with quirks specifically for each one but he never expected to hear that all of them were currently at the headquarters, along with the heroes.

 

It was a shitty situation. His empire was surely in the grave now and he was going to have to start over in a different country. Maybe America. He’s heard things have gotten slightly better there recently that there’s enough room for a new player to sliver in. He knows he’ll certainly have to leave the country before the planes close for Christmas.

 

But right now it was time to say hello to dear Izuku. It was time to bring him home.

 

- - -

 

Izuku stared in complete fear at Hisashi standing in the doorway to his room. His heart was daring to rip out of his chest and he couldn’t even move with how much he was shaking. He was here, in his room, he found him, he…

 

“Midoriya! What’s wrong?” Eraserhead asked again through the camera and suddenly he remembered that there was a hero listening.

 

In what could only be called a quickdraw, Izuku spun around and typed fast simply sending the words ‘He’s found me, Hitoshi knows wh’ before he was yanked up like a misbehaving kitten by Hisashi.

 

“Kid! Kid! Midoriya! What do you mean?! What!” the hero frantically asked, looking into the camera with almost as much fear as Izuku.

 

Hisashi smiled looking at Eraserhead’s panicked face, begging Izuku to reply. So instead, he did. Feeling cocky, he reached down and simply typed in, mimicking his first message, ‘I found him, hero.’

 

The sudden spark of confusion then realisation and next fear washed over the man and Hisashi clearly couldn’t help himself from laughing at that. “Such a shame about the Dragon’s Roar, but I’d say this can make up for it a little. What do you say Izuku?”

 

He was too terrified to speak and even if he could, his voice was so weak from disuse that he didn't even think he could scream if he wanted.

 

“Staying quiet you little brat?” the man growled, hand on the back of Izuku’s neck gripping harshly. 

 

He raised his hand, ready to slap before he finally got a proper look at his kid. 

 

He looked awful. Almost skeletal with how thin his body was. You could see his bones, his ribcage and even his pelvis clearly. He had circles so deep in his eyes that the skin looked dead and his legs just dangled from exhaustion and atrophy from years of inactivity. The kid was a doll. One made of porcelain so fragile that a slap might actually kill him.

 

Hisashi can’t have that. Not yet.

 

He lowered his hand. “Pft. Look at you. And I call you my son. You’re more like a walking corpse. One I’ll have to whip into shape.”

 

He lifted Izuku up, where he squeaked a little being brought up to the man’s face. It smelled like expensive cologne and tobacco, and he was sure the hand that was grabbing him was starting to bruise the back of his neck.

 

“You’re like a glass doll. Annoying because I have some anger I need to place but it’ll wait until you’re better. First, let’s make sure we can’t be followed.” he smirked as he turned to the computer.

 

With a cough, the machine went up in flames, fire destroying the computer and monitors, leaving it in ashes in a matter of seconds. The only hope he had at reaching out to someone to save him gone forever.

 

The fire crackled, spreading along the wooden floor. The room lit quickly and the fear and panic of it all rushed over Izuku. Images flashing of the hotel and Mama dying in front of him but this time he can’t run or hide or escape. He was alone and had no one.

 

He’s crying but unable to whine or scream. Just tears.

 

Hisashi never let go. Carrying Izuku out the door and towards a bunch of thugs who looked like they were ready for a fight. He was handed off to one of them, who was told to handle him carefully, and clipped on a pair of zip ties on him to make sure he couldn’t break free even though he can’t even move.

 

When he was put in the back seat of one of the black cars, he knew this was it. Every fear, every trauma and nightmare he had came true and now he was going to be taken away to suffer and be alone forever. 

 

He won’t be able to see Hitoshi, Eraserhead or Present Mic ever again.

 

He’s lost and he doesn’t know if anyone can find him.

 

Izuku laid there unmoving like a puppet without their strings when in reality he was now locked onto someone else's leash now and he can’t even scream out.

 

- - -

 

Shouta was freaking out. The camera’s light went out, meaning that whatever the footage was broadcasted to had either been turned off or destroyed. Hisashi’s found Izuku and he had no idea how the fuck he’s going to save him.

 

Then he remembered what the cat said, in its childish voice before the chilling one from the Dragon came through.

 

He’s found me, Hitoshi knows wh-

 

Hitoshi knows something? Of course he fucking does but he’s not going to ask or care right now outside of calling him as fast as possible. It was nearly five in the morning.

 

‘Please for the love of god, for once let your insomnia win kid!’ Eraserhead pleaded hearing the ringing on the other side.

 

And in a burst of relief, he heard someone pick up and his son groggily speaking into the phone asking him what’s wrong. “Hitoshi, Izuku’s in danger! Hisashi’s found him, he said you knew something?!”

 

Edgeshot and Silent Night looked at him in suspense. They weren’t sure what was going on exactly but they knew it had to be bad to get the usually stoic and calm Eraserhead looking like he might collapse. All the while Wings, who clearly knew what was going on, was laughing out loud in silence due to Silent Night’s quirk.

 

Elsewhere, Hizashi had just reached the current floor with the rest of the heroes in tow to see the frantic conversation between him and their son.

 

It was quiet for a moment before Hitoshi responded, his voice tired but clearly alert. “I know where he is.”

 

Of course he did. Of course. 

 

Shouta would be angry. Furious even if he wasn’t so wrapped up in making sure he found Izuku before Hisashi disappeared with him. He told him the exact location, a random street in Musutafu, far out in a dead part of town. He knew it. He had even patrolled there a few times.

 

He might’ve even seen that warehouse.

 

That doesn’t matter now. What matters is getting there. He orders Hitoshi to stay put because he knows he’s going to do something stupid and hung up. The problem now was somehow travelling an hour and a half train journey in literal seconds. Not even Tensei could accomplish that.

 

But someone in this room can.

 

He stepped over to Wings, still amused by all of this, the older woman’s grey hair dangling over her eyes. At this point Hizashi was also looking angry and seeing as how Silent Night was next to him he can guess he got updated on the situation.

 

He lifted the woman up. “Take me to Musutafu.” he ordered her.

 

The silencing quirk was lifted from her and the first words made him want to punch her. “Make me.”

 

“I damn well might.” Shouta nearly growled, grasping the front of her suit.

 

“Sho’.” Hizashi said, trying to stay calm himself but the coldness in his voice betrayed that.

 

“We won’t make it in time. We need her to bring us now.” the other man said.

 

“In that case, we can be sure to strike a deal.” said a voice in Shouta’s ear. 

 

It was Nedzu, and after he said that asked for him to answer his phone so he could put him on speaker. Shouta did reluctantly, knowing where this was going but he knew it might be the only way outside of getting violent.

 

“Wings, was it? I’d like to strike a deal if at all possible.” the rat uttered through the phone.

 

“Well at least one of you knows how to use your words.” she snarked, keeping eye contact with Shouta.

 

“Yes. First of all, I’d like to hear what you would want.” he said. “And I have to remind you to be quick with it.”

 

The old woman continued to smile. “Complete immunity of all crimes involving the Dragon’s Roar as well excusal from any trials involving them.”

 

It was a very daring request. She was effectively asking to be let go the second this was all over. It was something obviously bad, letting someone with a teleportation quirk this strong walk free knowing they were a criminal.

 

“That can be done. I have already recorded this conversation so it can be used as evidence of this deal, along with any truth telling quirks.” he stated. “In exchange you’ll transport Eraserhead, Present Mic, Ingenium and Edgeshot to where they need to go.”

 

Some of the heroes looked at the phone in amazement at how fast the rat agreed but they didn’t understand the gravity of the situation and how even every second mattered. He needed to catch up with Hisashi, for all he knew, they could be long gone from Izuku’s hiding place.

 

Wings seemed to contemplate it for a moment before realising this was the best she was going to get and agreed to the request. “Deal.”

 

The ropes were instantly removed and she immediately started channeling her quirk, angelic wings not like a dragon’s, sprouted from her back, growing bigger with every second she focused. 

 

Him, Hizashi, Tensei and Edgeshot stood next to her and placed their hands on her arms and shoulders as the wings kept getting bigger. “So what was that address again?” she asked.

 

Shouta made sure to recite it again, making sure each word was specifically said so she can’t monkey paw them. She was clearly intending it too with how she tsked when he said it so clearly and loudly.

 

“Make sure to close your eyes, it gets bright.” she says before with a giant flap of her wings and they were gone.

 

In an instant they were standing in an alley, close to their destination.

 

“Now then.” Wings muses. “I’ll be on my-”

 

She was immediately grabbed by Edgeshot, who seemed to have come along precisely to detain her. “Wings, you are under arrest for illegal quirk use.”

 

“What?!” she yelled. “You just gave me permission!”

 

Nedzu spoke up from the phone, still on speaker. “We gave you permission to transport the heroes. It was never specified that you were permitted to use your quirk.”

 

“That’s bullshit!” she swore. “That won’t fly in court!”

 

“Maybe not, but it gives us time to find out who you are. I’m sure given your age and what we know of the Dragon’s Roar that we’ll find that your criminal career didn’t start with them.” the rat said, clearly smiling on the other side of the line.

 

“This is! Fuck you! I should’ve dropped you all in the sea! I hope Roar gets away and mangles that brat too-”

 

She goes out like a light, Edgeshot taking her out with his quirk. He turned up to the other three heroes to see that they were already running, sprinting towards a burning building a few blocks away.

 

“Hope they’re not too late.” the shinobi uttered.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi had just hung up the phone. Or rather he was the one who was hung up on by Dad. He was pissed, he could hear it in his voice and he knew he was going to be in a lot of trouble.

 

Hisashi found Izuku? When? Just now? A sinking feeling came from within, and he felt like everything was swallowing him up in that instant. Was he gone? Did he fail to protect Izuku again?

 

Dad said not to go find him. He was also frantic when he spoke. Did that mean this was happening right now? He knew both of his dads were in Esuha City so that meant if this happened right now did that mean they were going to have to travel all the way here? Did they have time for that?

 

He needs to find Izuku now.

 

So, still in some loungewear and only stopping enough to put on his shoes, he ran outside and sprinted to the nearest train station. He checked his phone and noticed there was a very early morning train coming in a few minutes and it was the only way he could get to Izuku’s area.

 

The entire time everything felt like it was shaking. Every time he looked at his phone and saw another minute went past he felt like he was losing Izuku and the fear that this was all, unequivocally, entirely and completely his fault rose up within him.

 

He should’ve just told them the second he got the location. He should’ve he really should’ve but he trusted Izuku would come home on his own but now he can’t because… because…

 

Hitoshi arrived at the station, seeing the train was about to leave. He leapt over a wall, vaulted some fences and practically slid through the door just before it shut. Thank god, he had been training his parkour skills the last few months.

 

He finally had the chance to catch his breath. He didn’t even want to sit down yet, he had only a few minutes before he reached where he needed to go. There were some people on the train, early workers. They all looked at him funny, being a kid in checkered pajama bottoms, sweatshirt and looking like he just ran a marathon but he didn’t care.

 

He never cared about how they looked at him.

 

The doors slid open and he practically leaped from the train, charging down a route he already planned for whilst waiting and took off down countless alleys and dark roads before spotting the undeniable glow of a fire.

 

He raced towards it, running as fast as his legs could, ignoring the occasional guy he sprints past. He didn’t have time to feel fear when his greatest one was being realized. He stopped at the same street as the warehouse, where nearby he swore he heard some woman screaming before being silenced.

 

The building was burning and it didn’t look like anyone was inside. Instead he saw a few cars that looked like they were getting ready to drive off and he immediately saw Hisashi stepping into the back of one of them.

 

He didn’t know what he was doing, or why, but he ran up and was ready to fight even though he had no chance of winning. He was stopped though, when he heard his Dad yell out at the top of his lungs.

 

“Hitoshi! Get back now!”

 

That voice made everyone turn to the roofs where a battle ready Ingenium, enraged Present Mic and a pissed off Eraserhead, dived down on the cars and began to fight.

 

Immediately all of the cars tried to pull out and just drive off but the engine hero made sure they couldn’t, rushing by and destroying all of their tires before they could fully pull away. After several men rushed out of their cars to fight, Dad erased their quirks with a look whilst Papa let out a controlled yell that knocked out a few thugs immediately.

 

The fighting was wild and chaotic. It wasn’t clear who was going to win at an initial glance, that was until Hisashi finally stepped out.

 

“How the hell did you get here so fast?” he shouted. “You should be in Esuha!”

 

“You can thank a lucky pair of wings for that!” Ingenium called, taking on a guy with cannons for legs.

 

“Wings, that traitorous bitch. Fine then! If you want a fight! You’ll get one!” he shouted, putting on his mask immediately and bringing out that same hilt as before. 

 

His throat glowed as fire travelled from the mask, through a tube to the hilt, causing a blade made of jetting fire to apparate. He raised his weapon and made a swing, the heroes dodging out of the way, searing the buildings behind them causing them to either burn or crumble.

 

Despite the fury of the battle though, Hitoshi wasn’t going to run away. He really should but not until he’s sure Izuku is safe. He moved along the outskirts, hiding behind trash and even a bit of rubble until he could see into some of the cars. And in one, was a small ball of green fluff he could barely see from a far.

 

He made his way towards it, careful about the battlefield, until he finally reached the car and was about to open it before an explosion knocked them all off to the side.

 

One of the cars had exploded from Hisashi’s swinging, causing a chain reaction with the other vehicles too close to it and pushing the one Izuku was in away. The boy wasn’t deterred despite the massive scrape he got on his arm and just ran towards his friend.

 

But another explosion, this one less fiery and more like an earthquake threw him off once more. There was now smoke everywhere and things were quiet. A moment later he saw Dad and Papa staring down Roar who was now next to the car Izuku was in.

 

He couldn’t see Tensei but assuming by how he hears a few cars drive away, he must be chasing them.

 

The problem was that his dads weren’t in good condition. Papa was stabbed in the leg if the knife sticking out of it was anything to go by and Dad was bleeding from the head. He didn't know how he got hurt but he was also nursing his arm like it got hit.

 

Meanwhile, Hisashi looked fine. Maybe a few scratches on his clothes but otherwise unharmed. 

 

“You really think just three heroes are enough to stop me?” the man mocked. 

 

“You’re the only one left. And you can’t use your quirk.” Dad pointed out.

 

“Step down Roar. We’re taking the green button home.” Papa said in a bit of a choke.

 

“No. You won’t.” he said as he threw the door open and pulled out Izuku, squirming in his grasp. “I don’t know about you. But I’d say my dear son here is looking a little fragile. Almost like a punch could kill him.”

 

And he raised him up, dropping his hilt where it dangled from the mask on his face. Both of his dads flinched a little. They also seemed distracted by Izuku’s poor state. He really did look like he might die to punch.

 

“So how about you back off and maybe one day, you might see him again. At my side.” the villain warned.

 

Despite how Hisashi looked, he was fast. He definitely lived up to being one of, if not the leader of the Dragon’s Roar. Papa can't use his quirk without hurting Izuku and Dad’s capture weapon wouldn’t reach him before he’d hurt him.

 

That’s why…

 

“Hey! Shit breath!” Hitoshi shouted from the smoke.

 

All of them looked at him as he shouted. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?!”

 

“Who are-”

 

‘Got him.’ 

 

Hisashi’s mind locked in an instant, free will completely stolen as he gave out his orders.

 

“Put Izuku down gently and allow yourself to be arrested,” he commanded.

 

His mind was surprisingly strong. Resilient in a way that was completely unfair but he had a lock on it. He wasn’t going to let him get away.

 

He slowly lowered Izuku down and stood next to him, idle. Dad immediately threw his capture scarf and restrained Hisashi and punched him out faster than anyone could respond. 

 

His friend just sat on the floor, eyes wide and panicking as he was surrounded by people and was outside. He seemed like he was ready to pass out but for some reason there was a determination there. Something sharp that wasn’t focused on anyone… but Hisashi and his sword.

 

- - -

 

“Izuku!” Hitoshi shouted.

 

The small green haired boy grabbed the sword and injected his quirk into it, the hilt, tube and mask coming to life and with the tubing acting like a snake, wrapped around Hisashi’s neck like a vice.

 

“Midoriya!” Shouta yelled, rushing up to Hisashi. 

 

“Midoriya stop it!” Hizashi ordered, running up to him and grabbing him.

 

They can’t allow Hisashi to die. If he does then Izuku killed a man and they couldn’t have that, they couldn’t have him do something like that. Despite the voice hero grabbing his hands though, he couldn’t knock him out, he couldn’t risk doing something that might seriously hurt him.

 

The erasure hero grabbed the tubing and tried to rip it away but it had a death grip on the villain’s neck. If the material wasn’t rubber, the man might've crushed his throat already.

 

“Midoriya, stop it now!” Hizashi repeated. “Sho’, use your quirk!”

 

“I can’t! I can’t see the fluid!” he stated. He had his knife out and was trying to cut the tubes open but the rubber was built to resist fire hot enough to melt steel so it was barely making a dent.

 

“What about Midoriya?!” he suggested.

 

“It doesn’t do anything!” the erasure hero answered, showing by taking a glance over at the kid but it did not affect the fluid. “It must be something with the way his quirk works!”

 

Everything was frantic and Hisashi’s head was starting to go blue from the strangulation. No one knew what to do and it looked like Midoriya was going to kill him. So Hitoshi tries to reason with him.

 

“Izuku. Please, just let him go. He doesn’t need to die. Please.” he begged, kneeling in front of his friend who looked almost possessed.

 

He couldn’t read what he was thinking. He never truly could but he could tell he was scared just like always. He looked on the verge of crying and every part of him was shaking like he was feeling the world quake. In his mind he needed to kill Hisashi to stop it.

 

So he showed him a different way of stopping that trembling.

 

- - -

 

It is said you can remember things all the way up to when you were three or four years old. While Izuku remembered many things, he recalled most of all fear. He was afraid of his own father and how much he yelled at Mama. He was terrified when it felt like he might hurt her. He was scared of what could happen to him if she ever wasn’t there.

 

He found out just now. 

 

Pain. Panic. And of course fear.

 

Five years of his life has been nothing but a constant state of anxiety and stress and it was all because of this man. And now he had a chance to kill him. To banish him from this world and do it by his own hands.

 

The only other thing he did remember from then was Mama and her warmth. The favourite foods she’d make that would fill up his stomach and leave him sleepy. The warm clothes and blankets she sewed especially for him. The soft touches and gentle kisses she’d give to him every day before kindergarten and before bed.

 

Warmth and fear. Tangled together where there was no way to separate.

 

Because where there was that panic, there was comfort afterwards and where there was niceties, it was followed by the stress of losing it all. His childhood has been a tug of war five years long between the two and for a long time he thought fear might’ve won.

 

He locked himself away from the world and its people. Stripped away what made him a kid and replaced it with puppets and dolls who did harm. Dismissed any idea of change because all his mind was filled with was a fear that still came true anyway.

 

He was going to kill Hisashi. He was going to kill Hisashi.

 

Because fear was winning.

 

And then it didn’t.

 

Arms came over him and pulled him close. Holding his head carefully and pulling it into a warm chest where the sounds of a gentle heartbeat was all he could hear. Hands as gentle and as kind as his mothers with warmth he hadn’t felt in years as fingers washed over pale fragile skin.

 

It was a buzz. A shock. And welcomed. A voice pierced it all, so kind and caring.

 

“I found you so please don’t leave me.”

 

Then all that fear and panic and stress and dread he carried. The memories of Hisashi that haunted him. The screaming memory of his dying mother. The hours of isolation, loneliness and fear that pushed out all of his hope and joy. The life, day in and day out, he had suffered through for the last few years for the majority of his life... 

 

He let them all go.

 

And cried it all into him.

 

At last, warmth had won.

Notes:

Just to let you all know, this isn't the end of the story it's still going to go on for a while yet.

- - -

Next Chapter:

Pillow Fort

Chapter 41: Pillow Fort

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you loved the last chapter, I really enjoyed writing it. Now then, let's move onto the next!

Have a nice day! <3

The aftermath that was the death of the Dragons was a heavily publicised affair. With several high ranking pro heroes on the raid and the defeat of one of the biggest crime organisations in the country, it was bound to become a media parade.

 

That’s what made Izuku’s ‘capture’ more difficult to hide. He had already been through a lot and having the media breathing down his neck not just now but in the future was something that they didn’t want to add.

 

It was announced that Dollmaker was taken in peacefully. That was all that was said and anyone who asked more was told to respect the fact that the person involved was a child and that normally got them to shut up fast. No one wanted to be the guy who bugs kids just for a story.

 

Didn’t mean things were completely quiet though. Old stories were dug up the last time Izuku made the rounds, that being the near death experience for Shouta. Back then it was easier to call him a scared kid who needed help. That was a lot harder to do when you had a few dozen drug warehouses filled with beaten bloody thugs so there were many interested in what would become of the boy now that he was in custody.

 

It’s going to be a hard road in the future but at least the HPSC never got the chance to label him a villain. Can’t, now that he’s in custody and can’t make his situation any worse. That didn’t stop the next problem that came up from those guys though, but they’ll get to that soon.

 

Right now, Izuku was in the hospital where Shouta and Hizashi have taken turns watching over him. After the raid, he collapsed into Hitoshi’s arms. At first they were all terrified something bad happened but it seemed he just fainted from exhaustion.

 

Recovery Girl had been looking over him and checking the kid over for the last day before she finally came back to the heroes in his hospital room.

 

“How is he?” Hizashi questioned, sitting in a chair next to the bed.

 

“Awful. That child was practically running on fumes. I don’t think he’s had a decent day in a long time.” she summarised. 

 

All in all Izuku was severely malnourished. His muscles were so weak he could barely support himself and the lack of sunlight only made it worse. That’s not even counting how little he slept.

 

“That and him overusing his quirk without getting proper counselling has made his own movement weak. Being in such a state during the years when a kid is meant to be running around and being active is not good. He’ll need a lot of physical therapy to recover.” Recovery Girl also said. “Poor child has a long while before he can be normal again and even then, he won’t be fully.”

 

“What do you mean not fully?” Hizashi fretted.

 

She sat down and began to read over the board in front of the bed. “Muscle atrophy is typically something that can be reversed with enough time, exercise and food but because of his quirk overuse, it has led to some of it being permanent.”

 

“How bad is the permanent part?” the black haired man asked, dread creeping through him.

 

“Well the worst of it was his legs. I don’t think he’s felt them in years. He will walk again, as long as the therapy is done, but in terms of anything beyond that is a hard no.” she explained. 

 

She continued. “Then again we might get some surprises down the road. Maybe a few years and he might be able to do more than that but in terms of mobility, he’ll likely always need some form of help if it’s long distances.”

 

“What do you suggest we do?” Shouta asked attentively.

 

“Oh,” the heroine said in a bit of shock. “Has it been confirmed he’s staying with you already?”

 

Both of the fathers looked at her in confusion, thinking she might be joking but from her face it was not the case. Everyone should know they’re taking Izuku home with them but from the old woman’s face, something seems to have gone wrong. “What do you mean?”

 

“It means there’s a slight bump.” Nedzu answered as he came walking into the room. “Chiyo, how is young Midoriya right now?”

 

“He’s still sleeping. He’ll likely not wake for a while.” she replied, knowing the reason for the question.

 

“What do you mean ‘a bump’?” Hizashi asked, concerned.

 

“It means that you’re not the only ones looking to take Midoriya home.” Nedzu explained. “The Hero Public Safety Commission is demanding they take him.”

 

“Like hell they will.” Shouta immediately said, shooting up from his seat.

 

“Yes, yes. I don’t want this either. Young Midoriya needs to be in an environment where he feels safe. Taking him away from anything familiar will leave him stressed beyond measure.” the rat agreed.

 

“What excuse are they using?” the erasure hero asked, knowing it’s going to be something ridiculous.

 

“They’re saying that because of the potential of Midoriya’s quirk and his general mental instability, they believe it’s best for the commission to take him in and give him the best care he deserves.” the rat recited with a rare hint of sarcasm in the rodent’s voice.

 

Shouta was midway through cursing out the HPSC before Hizashi spoke up over him. “What can we do to stop that?”

 

Nedzu took a seat where Shouta once was and explained their plan. “Well, you two are already foster parents and there is the emergency foster license given to all heroes in the case of a situation such as this.”

 

He continued. “Because of that we can put him in your custody once he has been cleared to leave the hospital.”

 

“And after that?” Hizashi questioned.

 

“You must improve Midoriya’s condition. Prove that he is best under your care. Once that is undeniable, their hands will be tied.” the rat laid out. 

 

It sounded so simple but it really wasn’t that. They all knew that even the slightest fault, even if it was something understandable like a mental breakdown or the kid recovering slower than ‘expected’ they could use that.

 

“Why do they even want him?” Hizashi questioned.

 

“Officially they are concerned.” Nedzu answered.

 

“And unofficially?”

 

Shouta answered for him. “They’re looking to use him.”

 

The blond looked at him a bit confused, unsure what that meant. It was understandable. The majority of the heroes, no, not just them but the public too are unaware of how much the HPSC values maintaining the status quo. He himself has never been in their way, at least properly.

 

He’s heard about the rumors. Heroes associated with the Committee being less in service of the public and more in service to them and their ideals. There’s never been proof, of course. All of it would vanish but that doesn’t stop stories like Lady Nagant’s from circling around the underworld.

 

He doesn’t know exactly what they want to use Izuku for, but it can’t be good. Not just for him but in general.

 

“How long do we have?” he questioned.

 

“Until he is nine, in six months.” the rat said.

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“So we can use the defense that Midoriya has acclimated into your family and removing him from that would be hazardous.” Nedzu explained. 

 

So in conclusion, they needed to get Midoriya stable enough and well enough to show he is better in their care than anyone elses. Can’t say he wasn’t planning on doing that even without the HPSC breathing down their backs. 

 

“What can we expect from them?” Shouta asked.

 

“At least some visits from social services to check in on young Midoriya’s well being. Expect them to be scrutinising everything.” 

 

Great.

 

Hizashi turned to Midoriya, a worried but determined look on his face. “So we just give this green bean all the help he needs. Not that we weren’t going to do that already.”

 

“Yes, well… just be careful. I can see a promising future in Midoriya. A future I’m sure you two can provide.” Nedzu uttered. “I’ll leave you all be. I have a winged villain to look up to make sure she can’t walk free.”

 

He left, Chiyo following after explaining a bit more about what Midoriya needs. Now they were both alone with just a quiet sleeping kid, the beeping of a few monitors and the quiet determination that grew in the two parents.

 

“We’ll keep him safe.” Hizashi vowed.

 

“We will.” Shouta also swore.

 

- - -

 

It was a long dream. The longest he ever had. About fire that crackled brightly that was both scalding and comforting. A heat that made him feel a flurry of emotions he can’t handle but nethertheless he was confined by. 

 

It was choking until a sudden wave of coolness came over that pushed away the burning sensation but also the comfort.

 

He was embracing a block of ice amongst a volcano, like a koala, clutching on and shoving his face into the moist cold surface. There was no comfort here, it made him shift constantly to try and find some way of not feeling itchy so he let go and felt the fire again.

 

It was back and forth. Jumping between comfort and pain or unease and peace. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t have the best of both. Is it too costly?

 

“Ah.” he gasped quietly, opening his eyes.

 

He was in a room with a few seats, paintings, a window, a wall-mounted TV and beeping monitors. He didn’t recognise this room… he didn’t recognise this room.

 

The beeping on the monitors got faster. He wasn’t safe. He wasn’t in the warehouse, he was outside it where everything else was and he had no dolls to protect him, he was alone. He was stuck and in the dark.

 

He began to panic.

 

He tried to move his body but he couldn’t, his arms and legs still too weak to move. Instead he flailed as his vision blurred from the tears starting to spill out.

 

‘Where am I? What’s happening? Where’s my dolls?’

 

One by one he remembered. All of the dolls were defeated and he didn’t know where they could be. He couldn’t even feel his control over them, not even the satellite dish on his home's roof.

 

Next he recalled what he last remembered. Hisashi found him but then Eraserhead, Present Mic and Hitoshi found him. They saved him. And then he tried to kill Hisashi but he couldn’t. He let him go. He didn’t have the strength left to do it.

 

Finally he made sense of where he was. It was clearly a hospital but where? Which one? He didn’t want to look out that window. The idea makes him feel sick seeing outside. He tried moving so that he could get away until he remembered what he could do.

 

- - -

 

Hizashi was coming back from the cafeteria with lunch. He was currently in his civilian attire because he couldn’t relax whilst wearing his hero gear. The hairdo was hard to lie down with ok?

 

They weren’t sure when little Midoriya was going to wake up. According to Chiyo it was going to be soon, maybe even today. That’s why Shouta’s coming around later. Still, it’s been two days since everything went down. He just hoped the kid was alright.

 

He reached the door to Midoriya’s room. It had a couple officers outside it standing on guard. Customary for someone involved with vigilantism but seriously? He’s eight, what is he going to-

 

There was a thud inside the room and immediately the officers and him turned to the door. Hizashi swung it open to see Midoriya was awake and currently commanding the bed he was on to overturn, the blanket to wrap him up and effectively create a fort out of the two. The kid looked terrified.

 

The greenette spotted them immediately and moved the bed quicker though there wasn’t much room left to move, pinned to a corner now. One of the officers tried to step in but Hizashi stopped him and told them to call Eraserhead before he stepped into the room and closed the door.

 

Immediately he got down on one knee, trying to appear as friendly as possible and smiled. “Hey there little- Midoriya. Do you want me to call you Midoriya?”

 

The fort closed in on itself, only a small hole looking out as the kid remained inside like a hermit crab. He said nothing besides a squeak when he first spoke. The man would call it adorable if he wasn’t more concerned than he was.

 

“Um, my name’s Yamada Hizashi, but you can call me Hizashi.” he greeted.

 

He didn’t know if he was listening. All he could hear was sniffling and crying coming inside the fort. He can’t see in but he could see the smallest flicker of emerald eyes looking out, quivering. Hizashi really wanted to dive in and give him a hug and tell him everything was ok but he knew that would just make things worse, for now he needed to be patient.

 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. It’s me, Present Mic remember? Shouta’s on his way here. He’s Eraserhead.” he said, hoping that would be the kid’s nerves a little more at ease.

 

He still didn’t reply. Just keeping quiet with weak whines and cries. That’s when Hizashi remembered that he was probably mute from how little he used his voice. So he took out his phone and unlocked it, pushing it over.

 

“There’s a text-to-speech app in there, if you need it.” he supplied.

 

He then went into a kneel and waited. Minutes had passed, Hizashi looking around the room from where he sat and even grabbing a small magazine in the corner to read. He knew it was smarter to not look directly at Midoriya. If he thought he wasn’t paying attention, he might feel more safe taking his phone.

 

Sure enough, after some time passed, he spotted from the corner of his eye a small piece of fabric sliver out of the hole and coiled around the phone like a snake before pulling it back inside. Admittedly it was kind of eerie to watch but he didn’t mind that right now.

 

After he looked up and heard another squeak from inside the fort. He knew Midoriya was still watching so he was probably startled by his look. He only kept his focus for a moment, smiled, and then looked back down at what he was reading. Though in reality he was now watching the boy from his peripheries.

 

He noticed a small glow come from the fort now. He probably had turned on his phone. It was likely locked now so he looked over at the fort to give him the code. “The code is-”

 

“Please don’t call me Midoriya.” a robotic voice said.

 

That shocked him a little. “Wait, how did you know my passcode?”

 

There was the sound of frantic typing before a response came through. “People usually make codes based on birthdays. I tried yours and then Eraserhead’s and it worked.”

 

“Woah, remind me to make it stronger next time.” he said, a little bit embarrassed that a kid managed to break into his phone so easily.

 

After a moment Hizashi remembered what Mido- actually… 

 

“What would you rather me call you then?” he asked, just making sure.

 

There was a moment before he got a response. “Izuku. Just Izuku.”

 

He could probably guess why he wanted to not be called by his family name but he wanted him to speak more. That way he might get more comfortable. “Mind me asking why? You don’t have to but, just curious.”

 

The kid kept silent a moment, before finally typing out. “I don’t want to share a name with him.”

 

Hizashi nodded to show he understood and was about to say something else until M- Izuku spoke first.

 

“Where is Hitoshi?” Izuku questioned.

 

“Ah… well. He has school. He was here yesterday but you were asleep and he was also grounded.” the blond explained.

 

“Why?” questioned the boy, typing fast.

 

“Well, it’s just that he knew where you were. If he hadn't told us sooner, you might’ve not had to go through all of that at the end.” he clarified.

 

There were a few seconds where it seemed Izuku was thinking before he started typing again. It was longer this time. 

 

“He didn’t mean to. I told him I’d turn myself in once I stopped Hisashi. I trusted him to come get me after.” the boy stated.

 

“Were you?” Hizashi questioned, not in a manner like he didn’t believe him but just making sure.

 

“Yes.” Izuku assured him. 

 

He couldn’t tell if it was a lie or not but he’ll believe him. “Well, still. He should’ve told us. I know you’re here now and safe but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t have helped you sooner.” 

 

“You said it’d be best if I came to you first.” the boy noted.

 

Wait, when did he say that? Hizashi recalled a while ago when he was talking to Hitoshi about Izuku in his future room and remembered the plush cat he had in his arms. He recalled finding it odd because when he dusted the room the next day he couldn’t find that cat anywhere.

 

“You were the cat plushie.” the man said, a bit shocked.

 

There was no response but that just left more questions than answers. “How long were you watching us?”

 

“Only that day. Only for that conversation. I gave him my address after that then left.” he explained.

 

So because of what he said, Izuku trusted them enough to tell Hitoshi where he lived? Hizashi suddenly felt a weight drop from him. Even though that time has long passed, he can’t help but always remember when he failed to catch the kid the first time and how he could’ve ended it all there and then. Now it seemed he finally made up for it somewhat. 

 

He should talk to Shouta about lessening Hitoshi’s grounding.

 

Suddenly there was a knocking on the door and he could hear another squeak from the fort before a shuffling inside had the small window he made closed. Hizashi told him he’d check who it was and got up to go see.

 

Sure enough on the other side was Shouta, along with a doctor who was also alerted that Izuku was now awake. 

 

“Is it alright for us to come in?” Shouta asked.

 

“I’ll ask him first.” Hizashi answered. He then turned to Izuku’s fort. “Hey little green cotton ball, is it alright if Sho’ and a doctor were to come in?”

 

There was a bit of quiet before a digital voice came from the overturned bed. “Only Eraserhead.”

 

“You heard him.” he said, turning to the doctor, Azana, if he remembered right.

 

“It’s important we check on him as soon as possible now that he’s awake.” the dark haired woman said. 

 

“I mean, you can try but as a pro hero, I’d advise you to let him give you permission first.” Hizashi warned.

 

He knew Izuku probably didn’t want to be looked over, or looked at, at all. He’d be damned if he was going to let his kid feel uncomfortable. Not when he’s just woken up. That’s why he’s letting her in, just so they can see he’s clearly not in the mood.

 

Azana and Shouta both entered and immediately saw the overturned bed and blankets forming the little button’s fort. He could see a small smirk form on his husband’s face at the absurdity of it but the doctor wasn’t much the same. Slightly exasperated.

 

“Midoriya, would you please come out. We need to see if you are well.” she ordered non-aggressively in a gentle voice.

 

“No.” a robotic voice sounded.

 

She looked to them, asking for help with a look but both of them know it will be difficult to get him out of there without forcing it. And frankly neither of them want to do that anyway if it did. It didn’t hurt to try though.

 

“Hey Midori-” started Shouta before he was stopped by Hizashi. 

 

“Don’t use his family name. He doesn’t like it. Izuku’s fine.”

 

His husband nodded in understanding. “Izuku, do you mind letting the doctor look you over?”

 

“You can go right back into your fort. We can even get you more pillows.” the blond negotiated.

 

It took a while before another response came through. “I don’t want to be touched.”

 

“I don’t have to.” the doctor explained. “I just need to confirm you’re alright.”

 

“I’m fine.” Izuku immediately said through text.

 

“She needs to see it to believe it, kid.” Shouta argued softly.

 

It was a bit of a standoff. Every time they made an offer, Izuku shot it down saying he didn’t need it, stubbornly not allowing anyone to see him no matter what. He could tell the doctor was getting a little frustrated, meanwhile his husband was growing more and more tired. 

 

They tried offering cake, dolls, more pillows, a bigger room (he hated that), toys, even Shouta’s phone (suggested by Hizashi of course) in case he wanted it for some reason but he refused it all. That’s when an idea came over the blond. Something he might not say no to.

 

“We can bring you Hitoshi,” he offered. “We can bring him over tonight to say hi!”

 

This time there was a pause. Whereas before he just kept replying ‘no’ with a reason as for why, this time he very clearly stopped. “Will you?”

 

“Of course!” Hizashi exclaimed cheerily.

 

“Give me that, the cake, pillows and Eraserhead’s phone, and I’ll accept.” the child replied.

 

“I’m not giving you my phone.” Shouta argued.

 

“C’mon Sho’! Do it for him!” the blond tried to convince.

 

His husband looked completely confused. “Why does he even want it? Why can’t you give him yours?”

 

“I’ve already given it over.” Hizashi admitted. “What do you think he’s talking with?”

 

Shouta looked at the man he loved, and was flashed his cheesy wide, whole toothed smile and just sighed. He took out his phone and opened it. “I need to lock certain apps first… did you lock your messages?”

 

“No, why?” the blond asked.

 

There was a moment where even Azana looked at him, clearly understanding what the man meant by that and immediately Hizashi panicked. “Wait! Izuku! Don’t read my messages!”

 

A robotic voice came out. “I won’t. I know what couples send each other.”

 

The three adults look at the fort with an eight year old inside. A mix of worry, alarm and concern over what this child knew at such a young age before what he said next.

 

“I don’t want to see your lovey dovey messages. I don’t want to get sick from it.” he added.

 

 A sigh of relief came over. Hizashi still wanted to make his phone child friendly still though. “Do you mind giving me my phone back then so I can make sure you can’t see them?”

 

“...Ok.” and a tentacle made from a blanket set the phone outside the fort through a crack in its defenses.

 

After the promises and getting the two phones, Izuku spent ten minutes psyching himself up to reveal himself. The three adults held their breath as the bed shifted on its own and revealed the long green haired kid inside.

 

His hair did look really messy. There was enough of it to cover his face which he did allow, only a single dim green eye piercing through, trembling slightly. He was hugging a pillow to his side like it was his lifeline and looked ready to shatter if anyone tried charging at him.

 

He looked completely different from how he acted over text-to-speech but then again, you can’t really convey tone or intent through a robotic voice. 

 

The doctor knelt down and looked him over, Izuku staring her down the entire time like a cornered animal until she seemed satisfied and stepped away. As soon as she did the bed practically flung itself back between him and the world, hiding him once more.

 

“He’s alright but we’ll need him to put the IV back in.” she explained. 

 

“I don’t need it.” Izuku said through a phone.

 

“Well if you won’t have it then you’re going to have to eat three square meals a day then.” she said to him.

 

There was another quiet. “I don’t need that. I’m fine with just rice.”

 

“You need more than rice, kid.” Shouta uttered. “And I also mean more than one bowl.”

 

“I’m not hungry,” he replied.

 

“I can see your bones, Izuku. You need to eat.” he argued.

 

“...No.” the voice said.

 

“Kid-”

 

Hizashi interrupted. “Stop Sho’. We won’t convince him.”

 

His husband looked like he wanted to say more but he looked at him like he had an idea. “We’ll leave you alone now, Izuku. Me, Sho’ and the doctor here need to have a chat about something!”

 

“...Ok.” Izuku simply said.

 

The three adults let him be and stood outside in the hallway. “He needs to eat.” the doctor stated. “He won’t be discharged until he’s back to a healthy weight.”

 

“I know,” said Hizashi. “But we can’t convince him.”

 

Shouta sighed. “What are we meant to do?”

 

“It’s simple. We will get someone who can convince him.” the blond answered.

 

- - -

 

Izuku sat curled up in his little fort. He was clutching his pillow tightly and had more blankets now that he was given along with Eraserhead’s phone. He didn’t know why he wanted it but right now he had no technology or freedom on him so having anything connected to the internet felt good and reassuring. It means he can be away from here, if only for a little while.

 

After the initial shock of not being in his room anymore he calmed down enough to actually pay attention to his surroundings. He used the tentacle sheet to close the blinds because the sunlight was hurting his eyes and he liked the dark.

 

It meant he was more hidden and being more hidden made him more safe. He knew immediately the second he showed himself to the doctor and the heroes he didn’t like being looked at. He felt exposed and weak. Like he was vulnerable and anyone could hurt him from any direction.

 

With the covers and the bed, he felt protected and contained. Like his whole world was still again.

 

He doesn’t know what he’s going to do though. He can’t hide anymore, at least how he did before. He can’t run, not that he was sure he wanted to. Pres- Hizashi… he still can’t believe he can call the Present Mic by his first name, had said there was a room for him at their house.

 

He saw it, yes, but hearing it properly from the guy and Eraserhead nodding along with him he couldn’t really believe it. Then again. How is he going to get there? He doesn’t want to walk there, uncovered. Maybe they can get a cardboard box and carry him there? That might be better. Actually he’d trust Hitoshi to do that, Izuku was light enough and he was tall enough.

 

That was another thing. He’s going to see Hitoshi. Not over a doll but in person and he couldn’t run away from that. He was nervous. What if he didn’t want to be his friend anymore after he almost killed Hisashi? He wanted to be a hero and Izuku was almost a villain. What if he hated him?

 

Maybe it was a mistake to ask him over.

 

Right now though it was Eraserhead who was watching over him. The man was drinking coffee, he thinks. He doesn’t remember many smells but he thinks he remembers the one for coffee. Though he thought the stuff was meant to make you more active, instead he just looked tired.

 

Then again, Hitoshi drank it daily too but looked like he barely got any energy from it.

 

Speak of the devil and he shall appear is the next thought in Izuku’s head before he descended into panic as the door opened and in came his… friend.

 

Hitoshi immediately looked to the fort. He seemed to look completely confused by it until Hizashi explained that Izuku was there. He took one step too many over and on instinct, his blanket tentacle struck out.

 

The boy stumbled back, a bit startled, and Izuku freaked out. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean that.”

 

The monotonous voice of the text app didn’t help convey his panic so that’s when he immediately went to look for a voice with more emotion and grabbed a decent one from online.

 

“I’m sorry!” he repeated, now in a more kid-like voice that changed tone depending on the punctuation.

 

“It’s okay Izuku.” Hitoshi stated, grinning happily. “I’m just happy you’re safe now.”

 

“Alright kids! We’ll leave you two to get reacquainted.” Hizashi said as he and Shouta were stepping out the door. He set down what looked to be a tray of something that was covered with a sheet. “‘Toshi, make sure you try that thing we talked about.”

 

The purple haired boy nodded and Izuku was now confused. They both left and immediately he asked him what it was about. “What are they talking about?”

 

“Uh, nothing.” he said, reaching over and grabbing the tray. 

 

He pulled the sheet away to reveal some food from the hospital, as well as the most tantalising piece of cake Izuku had ever seen. It was strawberry, with frosting and even whipped cream on top. It was small too so he could probably eat it all.

 

It must’ve been the cake he was promised and immediately sent out a tentacle to grab it. But Hitoshi pulled away.

 

Izuku’s eyes immediately shot up to the other boy, giving a sudden glare even he didn’t know he could do. “Why did you take away my cake?”

 

Hitoshi couldn’t help but crack a smile at the glare. It made his friend look like an angry kitten, even without fully seeing his face.

 

“What do you mean? It’s my cake.” the boy professed, acting innocent when he clearly understood what he was doing.

 

“They said I’d get a cake.” the puppeteer pointed out.

 

“Must be a different one then.” Hitoshi suggested. “I can share mine though if you want, there’s too much.”

 

“...Ok.” he replied.

 

“But I also have too much food. Can you-”

 

“No.” Izuku replied instantly, knowing what the plan was here. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

 

“What’s that?” Hitoshi asked innocently and stoically.

 

“Hizashi told you to do this to make me eat.” the greenette pointed out.

 

“No.” the other boy said sarcastically.

 

The tentacle blanket shot forth, seeking cake but was batted out of the way by Hitoshi. The unfortunate thing about having only blankets and pillows to work with is that they were very weak for actual fighting.

 

After a few attempts and tries, Izuku gave up. “I don’t want to eat any food.”

 

“No, you do.” the purple haired boy argued. “Why else do you want the cake?”

 

He went quiet at that. He knew the answer, he liked cake but he didn’t like anything else but that and katsudon… which the other food was. 

 

“Why are you trying to make me eat? I’m fine.” the boy stated.

 

“They said you can’t leave the hospital unless you gain enough weight.” Hitoshi explained.

 

It made sense but that didn’t mean Izuku liked that answer. Sure he could eat this food here now but then how can he argue later when they bring him food that wasn’t cake or katsudon? It was a trap meant to… to… why was he fighting this again? He was unsure outside of just not feeling hungry.

 

His mind was always shaking so much but right now it wasn’t and he felt safe. It was hard to argue but he also didn’t want to let them win for some reason. He can’t understand it outside of relating it to the same feeling he gets whenever Brutus fought in cage fights. 

 

He doesn’t want to lose. Lose what? He doesn’t know.

 

“You know, if you don’t eat you’re going to remain tiny forever.” Hitoshi commented.

 

What? He wasn’t tiny. Sure he was short, especially now that he can see Hitoshi properly from his perspective but it was only a head. He can make that back in no time. 

 

“I’m not tiny.” the boy voiced his argument.

 

“Really? Because when I carried you to the hospital, you almost slipped out of my arms because you’re so small.” Hitoshi said back.

 

“I did not. You’re lying.” Izuku accused.

 

The other boy chuckled and took a bite of katsudon. “Don’t believe me? I’m sure Dad can get the security footage of it.”

 

“No, you’re just messing with me!” the NOT little boy argued.

 

“Really? Prove it. I can’t see you in there so show me.”

 

“Fine!” and the bed moved out of the way to show Izuku there, fuming. He typed frantically on his phone. “See! I’m not tiny.”

 

“I don’t know…” he grinned, “From here you’re still small. How about this? If your hand is the same size as mine, I’ll give you the whole cake. If not, you have to help me eat the katsudon.”

 

“Deal!” Izuku said, without a second thought.

 

Hitoshi set his fork down and reached his hand towards Izuku, stopping halfway. The other boy, completely forgetting that he didn’t like to be seen, reached forth and gingerly pressed his palm against his.

 

Izuku was annoyed. It was tiny.

 

He pulled his hand back immediately from a laughing Hitoshi and typed. “That’s not fair! You train and stuff. And you’re stupidly tall so of course your hand was bigger!”

 

The ‘hand’ of that last sentence was misspelt as ‘hadn’ only adding to his friends' laughter. Pale face turning beet red he pulled the bed back over and closed all windows in the fort.

 

The purple haired boy stopped laughing. “Hey! A deal's a deal Izuku. Don’t tell me you’ve broken it just because I was right?”

 

The boy huffed inside his fort, angry that Hitoshi was right. Even then he would rather die than admit it. He didn’t want to accept the punishment. The other boy didn’t relent but he did drop the deal, for the moment.

 

“Hey, Izuku.” he started. “Do you remember when we first went to a cat cafe?”

 

He did. It was the same day he decided to step out into the world for the first time before he fully locked himself away. 

 

“Do you remember what I said about the cake, and how’d it be great if you were there to taste it with me?” he said.

 

Izuku remembered but corrected him. “You didn’t say that. You said ‘it would be more fun if I was there’.”

 

He chuckled a little. “Yeah, and it is. I want to do so much stuff with you now that we can do it together in person. I want you to meet my friends, go to school and even go to the park, the same one we went to before.”

 

Izuku was listening. He wanted to do those things too. It sounded scary, meeting new people and going to new places but he wanted to. Maybe once he’s gotten used to being anywhere but the warehouse.

 

“But we can’t do those things if you’re stuck here,” he stated. “So please. Eat and get better. I want to do all those things with you.”

 

…

 

The bed moved slightly out of the way, allowing for Izuku to peer through. A blanket tentacle reached out and with the most sheepish of movements, picked up a fork, stabbed a bit of katsudon and ate it. 

 

It tasted… ok.

 

But the smile he got from his friend encouraged another bite.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Hairbow

Chapter 42: Hairbow

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope today is a good one for you! Here's the next chapter!

Have a nice day! <3

It had been a week and Izuku was slowly gaining some weight. He would have to stop at certain points due to his stomach not being that big (how things were explained to him by Hizashi) and his appetite near non-existent for anything that isn’t sweet or katsudon. 

 

Because it was clear he wasn’t going to leave the hospital anytime soon, they had him moved to a room with a bathroom attached to it. He absolutely refused to step out of his fort for anything unnecessary, let alone walking into the hallway and going to the toilet. 

 

Getting him from his previous room and the one after took a bit of effort though. Of course Izuku refused to be exposed during the transit to the new room so they had to get a bundle of blankets, wrap the boy up in them like he was a vampire in daylight, and carry that bundle to the new room. To say Shouta didn’t get weird looks carrying a ball of  quivering blankets would be a lie.

 

And just as quickly as he did then, the bed was overturned and one corner of the room was designated as Izuku’s space. At least the room was bigger so there was more room for an overturned bed, despite the boy’s initial annoyance at the increased space.

 

The two pro heroes both took turns watching over him along with Hitoshi who was there practically always. Thankfully it was winter break so they had some time before school started back up but they were going to have to figure out something for when it did. They still had a few days before Izuku could be deemed stable enough to be moved home.

 

He was still malnourished and according to the doctors, he’s likely to be that way until a few weeks of proper eating has passed though they also said it could take months due to his lack of sunlight and vitamin D. 

 

And that isn’t even getting started on the physical and general therapy.

 

Though he seemed to be doing surprisingly well mentally all things considered but during the night he could clearly hear the struggle that was him sleeping. That and they would also find out just how much stress there was inside that little ball of paranoia and anxiety when Shouta had to go to the bathroom for a few minutes.

 

Hitoshi and Hizashi were away getting stuff for the new year so it was just himself watching the kid. “Hey, I need to go out for a few minutes. Are you fine as is?”

 

“Yes.” A voice came from the fort, using the new phone they’d got Izuku. 

 

He stepped out and went on his way. Security had relaxed a little now that some time had passed, only one officer watching the door. Shouta greeted him once before heading to the bathroom, coming back just as he said a few minutes later.

 

On the way back though he heard a scream, coming from Izuku’s room.

 

The hero launched into a sprint, unsure of what was going on until he saw the hospital room door was open and the guard was nowhere in sight. He looked in and saw a woman, a nurse, backing away from the fort with a bleeding hand.

 

The officer was right by the fort, standing between the two whilst a blanket tentacle hovered around, carrying what looked to be a scalpel.

 

“What’s going on?!” shouted Shouta.

 

The nurse turned to him. “This little freak stabbed me!”

 

“Why were you in the room without me?” he questioned, knowing this was too much of a coincidence to happen right when he left.

 

“I wanted to check on the patient! Doctor Tsubasa told me!” she explained. 

 

The officer then spoke up, panicked, the second Shouta turned to him. “I only told her to look in from the doorway, she shoved past me and just went straight for the child!”

 

“How was I supposed to see him with all that shit in the way!” she swore, motioning to the fort.

 

“Why does Doctor Tsubasa need to be aware of Izuku’s condition? I thought Doctor Azana was in charge of him?” he noted.

 

“I-I don’t know!” she replied.

 

It’s then Shouta realised that there was a bit of a crowd forming in the doorway looking in and he could clearly see the tentacle getting more and more threatening with each new person.

 

“Officer, please get this woman out and clear the hallway.” the hero ordered the guard.

 

He nodded and asked the woman to leave, at which she did but not before flinging more insults in Izuku’s direction. The door was closed and outside he could hear the officer shooing the onlookers away. The tentacle relaxed a little but still kept a firm grip on the scalpel. Where did he even get that from anyway?

 

“Izuku,” he started, keeping his tone nice and gentle. “Do you mind handing over that knife?”

 

It was quiet. Not even typing but he could clearly hear the heavy breathing of a little kid panicking inside the fort. He was likely freaking out under there. The man wanted to give him a hug but he knew doing such a thing would probably earn him getting stabbed too.

 

“Hey, um, hey.” Shouta cooed, or tried to. “No one else is getting in here. You’re safe.”

 

He kept his distance, making sure he didn’t cross into any boundaries that would get him stabbed. He couldn’t help but realise that he had no idea what he was doing. Sure as a hero he was trained to help people panicking during emergencies but this wasn’t like that. Normally the emergency was an active villain or a crumbling building, not someone’s own anxieties.

 

“Look,” he said, pushing his arm out. “Just put the knife in my hands. I can’t let you keep that when you’re in this state.”

 

The heavy breathing slowed but he didn’t listen, keeping the scalpel no matter how much he tried to convince him. When he realised this he sighed a little and thought of just calming him down first. “Do you want me to do anything? I can get you some water?”

 

“...” he heard something say from the fort.

 

“Sorry, I can’t quite hear you kid.” Shouta said in a near whisper.

 

“Leave.” the text-to-speech voice ordered.

 

“I can’t do that kid. Not when you’re going through an anxiety attack whilst holding a knife.” he denied.

 

“I’m fine,” he spoke.

 

The hero frowned a little but his scarf hid it. “No, you’re not. I can hear you freaking out.”  

 

They were at a standstill. He really didn’t know where to go from here and he was tempted to text Hizashi for help. He should do it anyway, this was important but he really wanted to build some kind of rapport with the kid.

 

‘What would Hizashi do?’ he asked himself.

 

That’s when he got an idea. Taking what he knew of Izuku already, he took off his capture scarf and held it in front of him. “Here, do you want to trade? My scarf for your knife?”

 

The breathing halted for a moment when he realised what he was being asked. That had to be a good sign. The tentacle still flexed the knife around in its single limb like it was a cat baring its teeth to scare off threats, ready to strike should it be needed.

 

There was quiet, before a response finally came through. “I want your goggles too.”

 

Shouta squinted in shock at what he was just asked. He could get new ones but he liked the ones he had. One part because they were familiar, the other because they were given by… Oboro. But then again, he could just ask for them back like the phone. “Sure, but I’ll need it back when I leave.”

 

“...Ok. Deal.”

 

“Deal.”

 

The tentacle moved to place the knife into Shouta’s hands whilst the man took off his goggles and set them on top of his capture weapon. A scarf is a lot safer than a knife any day. The blanket arm took the scarf and goggles and both vanished into the fort where he heard rustling.

 

It stopped and he thinks he heard some sniffling as Izuku was probably calming down. 

 

“Why does it smell like coffee?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Because I need it to survive.” the hero answered out of habit. The amount of times he’s been asked why he smelled strongly of caffeine by Hizashi, his coworkers and even students…

 

“...Did you spill any on it?” the kid wondered.

 

The way the AI speech voice sounded, he swore he was implying Shouta was a clutz. “No I didn’t.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I can take it back if you don’t like it.” the black haired man said, accidentally sounding like a warning.

 

There was some quick typing at that. “No. It’s mine now.

 

It seemed he was calming down, which was good for his health. The problem was that it wasn’t good for Shouta’s because he suddenly started bombarding him with questions.

 

“Why did you become a hero?” he questioned after typing way too fast for someone q

With practically zero energy.

 

“Because I wanted to help people,” he replied.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because it’s the good thing to do.”

 

“Why?”

 

“That isn’t a question.” 

 

“It is. Why is helping people a good thing?” he demanded.

 

Shouta paused for a moment at the kid’s question. How can someone not understand that? Maybe it’s not that he doesn’t know but he just wants help understanding things better. At least that’s what he hoped. But explaining it was a bit difficult.

 

“You know how…” he stopped, rethinking before starting again. “You know how you helped Hitoshi?”

 

There was no reply so he assumed Izuku was listening. “Well, I’m sure you felt good doing that. Intimidating those teachers, helping him out with homework, taking him to nice places and giving him food, right?”

 

“...Yeah.” the boy acknowledged. “But that’s because I like him.”

 

“Could you say that back before you met him?” the man noted.

 

“Yeah, I was lonely and wanted someone my age to talk to.” he admitted.

 

“Okay… why do you think heroes do what they do?” Shouta asked, wanting to hear his perspective.

 

“I don’t know. I thought they just wanted money and fame.” he guessed.

 

‘He’s convinced everything’s about getting something in return.’ 

 

After thinking from a different angle he spoke, “How about this, why do you think me and Hizashi adopted Hitoshi?”

 

“Because you wanted a son.” Izuku immediately replied.

 

“In that case why did we adopt him? We could’ve adopted any kid but chose him.” Shouta posed.

 

The kid said nothing more, probably not sure how to answer that. That didn’t mean Shouta was finished, he didn’t know what was going on inside of Izuku’s head but he needed to make sure he wasn’t twisting anything.

 

“We adopted him, because we cared about him. That’s what doing good is. Caring about other people even if you don’t owe them it. Not everything needs to be a transaction.” he spoke, making sure to add that last part seeing as how that’s the kid’s mindset.

 

He kept quiet and after a minute of nothing, Shouta assumed something must’ve come through to him. He wasn’t going to add anything else. He’s not the preachy type to say lessons over and over again until they lose their meaning. He said things once and if no one, especially his students, listened, that was their problem not his.

 

Izuku remained quiet for an hour, worrying Shouta a little because he also hadn’t heard the phone inside go off. Suddenly he hears the familiar typing away on the phone he has gotten used to listening for.

 

“Are you adopting me?” he asked.

 

There was a pause between him typing and him sending that meaning he was probably afraid to say it out loud. Now that the black haired man thinks about it, he doesn’t think neither he nor Hizashi have said anything about that.

 

“That’s our plan,” he answered. “Only if you want to though. Do you?”

 

This was the moment he had been fearing a little. What if he said no? Would that mean the HPSC would get him immediately and there’d be no stopping them? Shouta hoped inside that the kid did want to be with them.

 

“I do.” the boy replied.

 

‘Thank god.’ he thought as relief washed over him.

 

“Then we’ll do it.” he said.

 

“When would that be?” he questioned.

 

Shouta explained to him how they would need to wait until his ninth birthday. When Izuku asked why they had to wait so long, he explained the whole thing to him. He knew he should’ve at least tried to hide some details, but he felt the kid would’ve noticed that and got suspicious of him. This way everything was out there.

 

“So, if I don’t get better then I have to go away with strangers?” he summarised.

 

Shouta nodded. “That’s if we can’t prove you’re better with us than anyone else.”

 

“I am. I think.” the boy said. “You don’t force me out of my fort.”

 

“Yeah, but you’ll have to come out at some point. The Commission's going to use anything they can to bring you to their side. If you’re too scared to go outside, they can take advantage of that.” he pointed out.

 

“But I can just use my dolls.” Izuku reasoned. “I don’t have to go outside if I use them.”

 

“Remember what we said about living?” Shouta reminded him.

 

“I can’t.” he denied. “I don’t want to show myself.”

 

The pro hero sighed a little. Not out of frustration but with the knowledge that he has a lot to work through. “I know, but it has to be done. You’ve got to be brave.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku doesn’t want to reveal himself. Yeah he’s fine being there, as long as he can keep himself hidden away. He doesn’t like people looking at him or acknowledging he’s there. He hates being uncovered or seen and it makes him feel like he’s being scrutinised and vulnerable. It’s something he always has on his mind.

 

But the HPSC… they want to take him away from Hitoshi and Hizashi and… Aizawa. He doesn’t want any of that. He knows they’ll probably not be as nice as they are and probably wants to do to him what he knew Hisashi was going to do.

 

He doesn’t know how much he’d need to show himself. He was not going back to school, at least not as himself. He can’t imagine going into a classroom full of kids, people who’d try and talk to him unprompted or otherwise. He’d probably freeze and need Hitoshi to help him constantly.

 

It was something he’s not compromising on. Sure he could be ‘brave’ enough for a few minutes indoors as long as he was covered up better. The hospital clothes are a bit cold and he’d want something bigger to hide himself in. But going somewhere like a school or mall for hours was a nightmare scenario, literally.

 

It’s not as if he needed school. He made plenty of money on his own and even if he can’t do that anymore it wasn’t as if he was stupid. He knows a lot of stuff about computers and machines from what he needed to do as Dollmaker. 

 

Maybe there were some gaps in that knowledge, such as knowing proper Japanese or simple subjects like biology but he could learn that all on his own. He was capable of that without school.

 

Maybe he could make a doll that looked a lot like him. A replacement. He could pretend it was him and no one would know better. That sounds like a better idea. He’ll have to find a way to get the components though.

 

According to Aizawa, all of Izuku’s dolls were taken in as evidence. It made him sad because they were likely not to be given back. He missed Ana’s head most of all so he asked the pro hero if he could get it back and he said he would see what he could do. He really wants her head back, if only to feel comfort. The pillow he was hugging would have to do.

 

Besides all of that he has been eating more. He still has little love for food but because Hitoshi ate with him every lunch and dinner for the last week he hasn’t really found an excuse not to. 

 

He kept making bets with him and annoying Izuku, who kept losing because they were all things he knew he couldn’t do like be taller or say a tongue twister (he still didn’t know why he accepted that bet when he was practically mute). He wasn’t actually annoyed though. If anything, he was happy whenever Hitoshi was around.

 

He knew though that school was coming back. According to the adults he’ll have to stay in the hospital a few days longer as he still needs to eat to get better. He didn’t know what to say to that except he really should eat more. He doesn’t want to be left in the hospital alone, especially when that nurse tried to touch him.

 

Hizashi and Aizawa said they would be with him for the first two days but on Wednesday there was going to have to be someone else watching over him he hadn’t met. That scared him until he found out who. 

 

“Nice to meet you!” the woman said as she stepped inside. 

 

She had long dark purple hair tied up in a ponytail and a pair of glasses that sat on her nose. Despite her appearing much more different than her hero persona, her tone and voice were still recognisable as Midnight, or as she introduced herself, Nemuri.

 

She crouched down in front of his fort where she tried to see in through the cracks but there was no way she could. He was nervous she might try and force open a hole like that nurse did but just smiled.

 

“I can’t see you in there but from what I heard from Hizashi you're a cute kid, aren’t you?” she cooed a little.

 

What did she mean? Izuku wasn’t adorable… was he? He certainly didn’t feel that way.

 

“Mind letting me see you just once?” she requested. “I want to see if it’s true.”

 

Now he got what was going on. She wanted to see if he was alright. Well he’s not going to. He doesn’t feel like it right now so she can just go sit in the corner for the next few hours and leave him be. 

 

“No.” Izuku typed into the text-to-voice speaker.

 

Her face went into a pout. “Aw, why not? Is it because you’re shy? That’s what Hizashi told me.”

 

The voice she used annoyed Izuku but not for the reasons that were obvious. He wasn’t shy, he just didn’t feel like appearing. He just didn’t like being seen, is that a problem? Why does he absolutely need to show himself for everyone to look at?

 

“Here.” she started. “Show me you’re doing alright and I’ll give you a gift.”

 

A gift? “What gift?”

 

“Can’t tell you, it’s a surprise.” she smiled.

 

Izuku narrowed his eyes. “In that case, no.” 

 

“Are you sure? Because I think you’d love it if what I heard about you was true.” she promised.

 

The boy took a look at what she had. There was a bag next to her, a shopping one but the logo was too hard to read from where he was. It looked like it had something big and boxy inside of it so it could be anything. It was there though so she definitely wasn’t lying about giving him stuff.

 

He looked back up at her and she kept giving a semi pleading look with her usual confidence the pro hero always adorned on camera.

 

‘Why is it so much harder denying people in person?’ Izuku whined in his mind. 

 

It was the same with Hitoshi, Hizashi and even Aizawa. He never worried about telling Giran or whatever info broker or client he was talking to go away. The dolls made things a lot less personal than just being Izuku.

 

‘I’ll only show a little. A moment is all she’s getting, then she can bug off.’ he planned, giving the command for the bed to shift and make a hole big enough to show himself.

 

He watched Nemuri’s eyes begin to widen and a smile grow wider as she took his appearance in. “Aw, you really are a cute kid! Like a little baby!” she cooed.

 

The window closed immediately. “I’m not a baby!” he argued.

 

“What? Don’t like being called that?” she mused, smirking.

 

“No!” he denied. “I’m eight!”

 

“And adorable!” she added.

 

“I’m not!” he typed back fast.

 

“Why? What’s wrong with being cute?” she asked, still keeping that sweet tone that sounds like she’s babying him.

 

It’s because, well, he isn’t! He knows he looks kind of bad. His hair was awful and overgrown, he was too thin and he had terrible eyebags. How was any of that ‘cute’?

 

“I’m not,” he said. “I can’t be.”

 

“Why?” she asked.

 

“Because I look awful,” he explained.

 

“Why?” she repeated.

 

“Because I didn’t eat or sleep enough,” he answered.

 

“Why?” once more.

 

Because… he didn’t know. He kept getting nightmares every time he slept so he just didn’t. It gave him more time to do important stuff anyway so it was easier to just not sleep. Eating though, he didn’t know. He just didn’t get hungry and he couldn’t tell why. He knows everyone else gets frustrated or annoyed over it but it’s not as if he doesn’t want to get better.

 

He just can’t eat well. Not without Hitoshi there. He even had to not eat lunch yesterday because it was his first day back at school. He didn’t know why. 

 

Same for sleeping now. Hisashi was gone, locked away forever. He was gone and couldn’t touch him anymore so why was he still scared of going to sleep? He slept only twenty hours last week and he doesn’t know how to fix that. He wants to.

 

“I don’t know.” he answered after all of that thought.

 

Nemuri seemed to think for a moment before speaking. “Do you want to look better?”

 

“I do.” he answered. Because it meant he was better. “But it’s hard.”

 

“I don’t see why it could be? Here.” she reached into that bag from before and took out a hairbrush. Brand new if the tag still on it was any indication. “Your hair could be brushed to look better.”

 

Tentatively, the blanket tentacle reached out and grabbed the brush from Nemuri’s hands, pulling it in. Izuku touched the bristles of the hairbrush gently. He never had one. He had long hair, yes, but it was a wreck. Everytime he washed his hair it would come out straw like and frizzy but as long as it didn't stop him from seeing the screen he was fine.

 

He actually liked the length. It made him feel more covered and safe. It was something he could always hide behind. He never thought about brushing it though.

 

The boy lifted the brush up to his head and let the bristles touch his hair. It was a hairbrush with a bunch of rubber stubs. It felt his head and he immediately felt uncomfortable but when he tried to move the brush it didn’t move, stuck in his hair.

 

He tried to use it but it didn’t brush, it just stayed tangled. He tried to then remove it but his hair had gotten wrapped up in the bristles and now it was stuck.

 

‘I can’t get it out! Is it stuck there forever?! Do I have to cut it off?!’ he panicked, continuing to try and remove the hairbrush.

 

He looked around his fort for anything that could help but there was nothing. He doesn’t know how to fix this.

 

“Izuku? Are you okay?” Nemuri asked and it shocked him when he remembered she was still there.

 

He picked up his phone and typed out his dire situation, asking for help. “The hairbrush is stuck. I can’t get it out. It’s starting to hurt. How do I remove it?”

 

She looked a bit shocked but then started to grin as an idea came over her. One that Izuku hated. “I can help you take it out.”

 

“No.” he replied immediately.

 

“Well I can’t help you much if I can’t see, can I?” she reasoned.

 

The boy thought through his options. He could just try and remove it himself but he didn’t want to do anything that might rip off his hair. He could instead leave it in but it was really starting to hurt and he didn’t like to feel pain. Otherwise… he could let her see him and guide him.

 

‘... Fine! Only until this thing was out of my hair!’ he reasoned, using his quirk.

 

The bed was moved and Nemuri could see him again. He stared her down though slowly wetting eyes and heard what he swore was a snort. “Just help me!” he typed into the phone.

 

“Ok, ok! Come here.” she tried to calm as she leaned over.

 

“No!” the speaker shouted, the bed closing a little. “Just tell me.”

 

“You won’t be able to untangle it without seeing it.” she explained.

 

“Just tell me how.” he reiterated.

 

And so she did. She told him to start by using his fingers to feel the stubs where his hair is tangled and gently unravel the hair there. He tried to but his arms kept getting tired and the pain was starting to get worse but he didn’t want anyone to touch him, especially a stranger he’s only talked to an hour ago.

 

Izuku got upset. He never got this frustrated over anything before. If he had Ana, she could’ve done this all easily but he didn’t. He looked over at Nemuri and knew what she was thinking. He wasn’t going to give in but he’s seriously starting to get angry with himself.

 

‘Why can’t I get it?’ he thought to himself, trying hard to follow the pro hero’s instructions but just couldn’t get the brush out.

 

He then got a sudden jolt of pain from his hair that made him whine out loud. He then heard a shuffling next to him and could see the woman get closer the second he did. Izuku shuffled back, unsure of what to do before she began to wordlessly reach into the fort, towards his head.

 

The blanket tentacle, along with a few new ones, shifted up defensively, unsure whether to attack as she carefully laid a hand on the brush. She looked a lot more concerned now that she realised he was actually hurting and without saying anything else, carefully removed the hairbrush from him.

 

Izuku felt a bit light headed. She smelt like perfume which made him feel woozy. Either that or it’s her quirk that he’s smelling. It was relaxing but he was no more alert to what was happening. 

 

Once the brush was taken away, Nemuri didn’t move, instead turning back to him to ask a question. “Do you want me to brush your hair for you?”

 

Her voice sounded a lot like Mama’s, not that anyone could ever replace her. Still, he felt a bit of himself lower his guard and just looked at her with a (definitely not) pouting face as he quietly typed his response.

 

“Ok.”

 

Nemuri reached in closer to the fort and Izuku shifted a bit closer so she could reach better. He didn’t want her in the fort and neither did he want to leave it so the window was made wider to accommodate that.

 

It took her thirty minutes. The entire time she told him all about split ends and conditioner, stuff he kept in his mind because he didn’t want to struggle with the brush again. There were some moments where he felt pain but she stopped immediately and asked him when he was fine to continue again.

 

By the end, his hair felt smooth and was even longer now that it wasn’t bunched up on his head. It went all the way down his back and all in all looked better than it did before. 

 

Nemuri took out her phone and switched the camera on to show him how he looked. It was the first time he’s ever properly seen his face in a long time. 

 

The dim green eyes, the faded freckles that kissed his cheeks and the long drags of dark under his eyes that made him look like a ghost. But then he saw the hair and how it made it look like he wasn’t a walking corpse. It made his appearance look like it’s somehow on purpose even though he had no part in that.

 

“Looking better?” she asked.

 

He nodded slowly, taking himself in more. 

 

“I know you can look a lot better with more sleep and food. Wouldn’t you look even better?” she pointed out.

 

He would, he thinks. He can definitely see he could eat more. In fact there was a lot he could do more. He knows sleeping is hard, but if it makes Hitoshi, Hizashi and Aizawa happy to see him get better, he might do it.

 

Nemuri then reached into the bag once more. “I forgot to give you your surprise gift!” 

 

She pulled out a box, the same one he must’ve seen, and took out a doll from it still in its boxy packaging. It was a humanoid green cat, the same shade as his hair and wore a butler’s outfit like he just stepped out of an English manor. It wore a huge red ribbon, wrapped around its neck and tied back like a bow.

 

“Here. Hizashi and Shouta said you’re like a kitten. Definitely can’t argue that now that I’ve seen you.” she said.

 

They see him like a cat? What? How did that make sense? He was clearly human.  

 

The cat doll was pretty though so he took it into his fort using the tentacles and hugged it. It was soft and just big enough to hold with both arms. Much better than the pillow even though it was still smaller than it.

 

Nemuri smiled dopily at the sight before having another idea that Izuku might’ve hated if he wasn’t still feeling woozy from the perfume. “Here put this on!”

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi had just come in with Papa. According to him Nemuri was looking after Izuku for the day before he was finally coming home. He knew they all couldn’t stay out of school long so they had her look after him. They weren’t sure what they were going to do when he got back home but that was something they’d need to handle he’s sure.

 

He admits he was a bit nervous. Nemuri, or Auntie Nemuri as she insisted him to call her, didn’t seem like the careful type. Don’t get him wrong, he knows she means well but she's really forward and Izuku doesn’t seem to take well to people like that.

 

They knocked on the hospital room door and heard Nemuri calling them in. They entered to see her sitting on the floor right next to Izuku’s fort. Closer than anyone but Hitoshi has gotten.

 

“Nemuri?!” Papa said, a bit surprised. “What are you doing right next to-”

 

“Shhh.” she hushed, bringing a finger to her lips to silence him.

 

The boy and the man both looked past her as she moved back to show them Izuku sleeping away in his fort. They didn’t know why he was sleeping but given Nemuri’s quirk there was a chance she used it but given the look on the other boy’s face it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

 

But what caught his attention more was the small green cat doll with a red ribbon wrapped around it. That, and a similar red ribbon tied up in Izuku’s hair too in a hairbow.

 

So many pictures were taken that day.

Notes:

I've always been a fan of Midnight, I feel like there's so many stories that could be written about her just from her theming being looked at from different angles. She isn't the focus of this story though, just someone besides the main family to help Izuku become more open to new people seeing him.

Next episode:

Homecoming

Chapter 43: Homecoming

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

It's the middle of the week! Wednesdays always feel the longest because it's the furthest from the weekends. Don't worry though, it's almost there!

Hope you enjoy this chapter and have a nice day! <3

Hitoshi walked up to the hospital after school, his dads behind him, excited because today was the day they were going to bring Izuku home proper. They had a few things with them to guarantee he gets there including a bunch of blankets to wrap him in. 

 

Izuku had said he wanted to be carried in a box instead but Dad had said no much to his friend’s dismay. Ultimately they had decided on just wrapping him up in blankets and having either him or Papa carry him on the ride over. It’s not as if Izuku was heavy.

 

Arriving at the room they saw someone standing outside of it. Nemuri was meant to watch Izuku again today and she was currently standing outside the room, talking to a suited man.

 

“Again, no. Only those Izuku allow in can be let in.” she argued with a twinge of frustration.

 

“He is a child. He cannot make that decision.” the man replied.

 

“Is there a problem?” Dad asked as they walked up. 

 

The suited man turned to look at them. He had sharp red hair, neatly combed and wore a pair of square glasses on his nose. “Are you Mr Aizawa?” They spoke formally.

 

“Yeah.” he replied.

 

“I am Aikani Eetay. Are you aware of the state of the room in there?” he asked.

 

State? Was there something wrong with Izuku’s room?

 

Dad answered his question. “If you mean the pillow fort, that is something Izuku made.”

 

“And nothing has been done to fix that? How long has that been up? He was meant to be recovering from malnutrition, not building forts with hospital equipment.” he argued, keeping an eerily stoic face that was nearly robotic like Tenya’s, but in a colder way.

 

Papa gently grabbed Hitoshi’s shoulder and the two moved towards the door. “Hey, ‘Toshi, mind telling Izuku to get ready?”

 

The purple haired boy wasn’t sure what was going on but he knew when Papa spoke like that it meant there was something he wasn’t supposed to hear. He didn’t argue, seeing Dad and Nemuri starting to get more frustrated with the suited man and just went inside. 

 

“Hey Izuku. Are you ready to go?” he asked, seeing the fort opening a window.

 

“What is happening outside?” the green haired boy questioned.

 

Hitoshi looked back at the door. “Papa, Dad and Nemuri are arguing with some guy in a suit.”

 

“He said he was from the Commission.” Izuku explained.

 

Hitoshi’s heard about the Commission, mostly from his Dad and Papa talking about them. Apparently they’re the ones who say who’s a hero so he’ll have to go through them one day. While he doesn’t know much more than that, he knows that they want to take Izuku away and that’s all he needed to know to not like them.

 

“Then Dad will probably scare him away,” he spoke. “Are you ready to go? I have the blankets here to wrap you up in. There’s also a change of clothes, new ones we got you.”

 

He handed them over to the tentacle who took the bag and pulled it into the fort. There was a rustling as Izuku looked through them all before he stopped and asked a question in a frustrated tone if the full stops after every word meant anything. 

 

“What. Is. this?” he typed, opening a window to reveal the clothes they got.

 

It was a cat onesie. The shade of green was lighter than his hair but they couldn’t find anything darker. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Why does everyone think I’m a cat?” he asked through the phone and Hitoshi knew it was probably in a whine.

 

“You act too much like one.” Hitoshi answered truthfully. 

 

There was a small huff. “No I don’t!”

 

“You scratch people who get too close, you’re fussy with your food, you like cramped warm places, you overturn stuff (see bed), you hate people-”

 

“Stop.” Izuku spoke, giving up and just putting on the onesie after the window closed again with the presumed help of the tentacle.

 

After a few minutes, the fort opened once more and there was his friend, snuggled in the green cat onesie, clutching the feline doll and smothering himself in a cloud of blankets. “Step in.” he typed.

 

Hitoshi did, scooching into the fort. There was a moment where Izuku instinctively moved back but stopped when he remembered that it was his friend and he wasn’t bad. “I’m going to pick you up now. Okay?” he asked.

 

There was a quiet nod before a gasp from the green haired boy before he was lifted upwards by the other. The blankets definitely weighed a lot more than he did. 

 

Quickly, the small boy curled in on himself, sinking into the blankets and onesie to hide his face as the hood was pulled over revealing a pair of cat ears.

 

“Let’s go home Izuku.” Hitoshi smiled.

 

“Ok.” came through the phone.

 

He carried him to the door and kicked it gently to signal outside to his dads that he needed someone to open up because his hands were full. It swung open and it seemed that the red haired man had left, leaving only his dads and Nemuri standing in the hallway.

 

“Hey there, little green button!” Papa smiled, seeing that Izuku did indeed wear the onesie.

 

“Are you good, kid?” Dad asked, making sure he was alright.

 

There was a simple nod, very deliberate and forced which got a smile out of everyone there.

 

“Remember Izuku,” Nemuri started. “If you ever need any advice on your hair, don’t be afraid to call me!”

 

“Hey, I can give him advice too!” Papa pointed out.

 

“Yeah, as long as it involves copious amounts of hair gel.” she mocked. “Izuku’s the kind of boy who actually loves his hair!”

 

The blond squawked. “Do you know how much love and effort goes into my look?!”

 

The two friends argued with each other more, fighting over who knows hair products better. Of course Dad wasn’t in the running because, well, his hair didn’t really have a style or anything to it. The man in question turned to Hitoshi and asked him if he’s fine carrying Izuku.

 

“I’m fine with him.” he answered truthfully, well mostly. The blankets were a bit difficult to keep together.

 

He then turned down to Izuku, who was peeking out a little but shrunk the second he looked. “Only have to hold on until we get to the car. Can you do that?”

 

There was another slow deliberate nod and the family of four were off, Nemuri waving goodbye as she had some hero work to do. There were a lot of strange looks given to the group as they carried around the pile of blankets. One would think they were carrying a giant baby from how it was shaped but he wouldn’t say that to Izuku. Not until after it all.

 

Dad said he had a few more things to do at the front desk before they left so Papa and him went on ahead to bring the green haired kid to the car. Once in, he set him down on a seat and told him they were safely in the car now.

 

Izuku peered out but kept his crouch until Papa convinced him to move his legs so that his seatbelt could be put on. 

 

“Hitoshi.” Izuku’s phone spoke.

 

The purple haired boy looked at him. “Yeah.”

 

“Can you hug me until we get there?” he asked and it melted his heart a little.

 

Not saying anything else, Hitoshi shuffled over to the seat right next to his friend and reached an arm around him, pulling the blanket pile closer to him. He could hear quiet breathing inside. Not frantic but fast enough to tell Izuku was feeling uncomfortable with where he was.

 

The other boy gently rubbed his friend’s arm and it seemed to calm him down a little. There was then the sound of a camera and Hitoshi turned to see Papa taking a picture. So far they’d gotten two. One of Izuku in the hospital bed when he first arrived and the second of him wearing the red ribbon whilst sleeping that Nemuri accomplished.

 

This one was probably going to be shown off to the people at his work, just like the pictures Papa took during Sports Day last year. The boy remembered being shocked when he saw his parent have a phone wallpaper of himself winning the baton race.

 

Now Izuku gets to go through all of that embarrassing stuff too.

 

Dad eventually got into the car and drove them back home after checking everyone was buckled in. The drive was a bit long due to the distance to the hospital and traffic but once back they carried the blanket pile in and set it down on the living room couch.

 

“We’re here Izuku.” Hitoshi said, stepping back from the pile. “There’s no one around but us.”

 

“Are we in the new bedroom?” he asked, peeking out the top of it carefully and looking around.

 

“No, we’re in the living room.” he explained, motioning to where they were.

 

Dad and Papa said they needed to do something upstairs as the cats came in and paused a little when they saw the weird lump on the couch. They seemed to be able to tell someone was in there but that just made them more cautious.

 

“Izuku, look.” Hitoshi said, looking over to the cats.

 

The blankets shifted and it seemed to startle both the cats and Izuku when they saw each other. “Is that?” he typed.

 

“Yeah, Dot and Pepper. They seem a bit wary of you though.” he commented.

 

Izuku wiggled a bit more out of the pile to see the cats better and it was really not helping the kitten allegations with how their looks practically mirrored each other. Eventually, the braver of the two, Pepper, moved up and hopped onto the couch, startling the boy and making him flinch back.

 

The orange cat just ignored him in favour of getting the scent of the new arrival and snuggling up to the base of the pile. The green haired boy’s eyes glistened looking down at the feline snuggling up to the blankets, what he wanted to do was clear on his face.

 

“You can pet them.” clarified Hitoshi. “Just make sure they know before you touch them.”

 

It took a few moments but a small hand pushed out of the pile and set itself on the back of the cat, touching Pepper once before flinching away in surprise. After a few more touches, the cat decided to force his head into Izuku’s palm, shocking the boy again but not enough to pull his hand away. 

 

He petted the cat and Hitoshi was sure he heard a giggle come from Izuku.

 

- - -

 

Upstairs, Shouta headed into their office, closing the door once Hizashi followed after him. They had to talk about Aikani and what he said at the hospital.

 

“We’ll be sending someone to visit you in the coming weeks to make sure Midoriya is adjusting well. If not, then we’ll not hesitate to remove him from your care.” the suited man said.

 

Shouta narrowed his eyes. “You mean you can’t wait to remove him.”

 

“We have Midoriya’s best interests at heart. It is the Commission’s belief that we can give the best care to him. The only reason you have been given a chance is due to… a particular nuisance.” Aikani explained.

 

Thank Nedzu (‘god’ the rat would probably try to correct) for making sure they got priority. If not, the Commission would already have Izuku, no contest. 

 

“Should we be worried about what he said?” Hizashi asked.

 

He was worried. Shouta was too. That whole conversation felt like a declaration of war more than anything. What other reason did he have for being there at that time when he could’ve come any earlier in the week?

 

“No. Izuku is best with us. At the very least better than the Commission.” he replied.

 

His husband was still worried. “We can’t let them take him.”

 

“We won’t. They’ll try to nitpick and cherry pick everything wrong with Izuku and treat it like it’s our fault when it’s no ones but Hisashi. We just have to be ready for that.” he said.

 

“And how do we do that? We need to lay out what we need to do to make it happen.” Hizashi planned.

 

What they needed to do was obvious. First and foremost was to get Izuku back to a more healthy condition. That starts with making sure he eats well and sleeps enough. They’ve already started that and it seems that as long as there were no problems down the road, he was going to be alright.

 

Next was school. There was no problem with grades, he doesn’t think. The kid was smart enough to break into hero networks and countless police files. He also knew how to negotiate from taking jobs in the Theatre and was smart enough to not get conned. 

 

The problem then was finding a way to convince the kid to go to the actual building. Somei was a great school, Hitoshi hasn’t had any problems there so Izuku should be fine as well. That is, if he even got into the building. He was still scared of showing himself and he can’t imagine him going to school let alone being in public.

 

Then there was the third thing. Walking. Due to the kid not using his legs, overuse of his quirk and general lack of energy, he needed to learn to walk again. That was going to be a daunting task because that meant going to a physical therapist (they’ve already reached out to one) and bringing Izuku with them.

 

Finally there was therapy. The psychological kind not the physical. He had to have seen a lot of bad things when he was Dollmaker. His mind kept going back to the cage match, watching the giant almost break the neck of some guy. That alone warranted looking into.

 

There was also another thing, not really related to the HPSC but still needed to be done. As Izuku is now safely in custody, Tsukauchi has asked them to arrange a meeting with a friend of Midoriya Inko. Bakugou Mitsuki. Apparently she has been wanting to see he was alright.

 

Actually, it might be easier to start with that. It’s obvious the kid isn’t a stranger to strangers. He didn’t know Nemuri that well and yet he was open to her touching his hair. Albeit he knew his friend can be surprisingly maternal when it came to little children. 

 

“We should first get in touch with the Bakugous and work on what we’re doing with the school situation.” Shouta reasoned.

 

“Alright, I’ll get in contact with them, you ask Izuku about school after dinner.” Hizashi planned. 

 

He nodded and the two headed back downstairs, to see the adorable sight of both Pepper and Dot snuggling up to Izuku’s blanket pile, the boy reaching out and petting them both with an adorably amazed look on his face.

 

- - -

 

Dinner that night was katsudon. They all sat at the dining room table because of it which meant Izuku had to leave his pile. The kid was clearly uncomfortable but still kept one blanket over him along with the cat doll. He didn’t know if he’s already used his quirk on it but seeing as how he has it with him constantly, he can assume he has and just not activated it.

 

The food was set out and Shouta’s suspicions were confirmed when the cat doll moved and grabbed a fork, picking some of the food and delivering it straight to Izuku’s mouth. He’d seen the puppets in action before but it’s still incredible to look at. There was still a problem though.

 

“Izuku, can you use your hands instead?” he requested.

 

It might seem a bit unreasonable but he had to think long term. If was going to use his puppet for just eating, who’s to say he won’t use it to write too? For all he knew, one of the main reasons he hasn’t walked is because he thought it was easier to have his puppets do all the work for him. That was a habit he would need to curb.

 

“I can’t, my hand is tired.” he typed out with said tired hands.

 

Hizashi jumped in. “Well, Izuku, when it comes to getting stronger, you get stronger the more you push through, especially when you feel like giving up.”

 

“But this feels better.” the kid responded, face looking a bit confused.

 

“Just because it’s easier, doesn’t make it better.” Shouta gently argued. “When we start helping you get your legs stronger, are you going to have a puppet carry you everywhere?”

 

“...No.” Izuku replied after a pause.

 

“Then try and use your hands.” the black haired hero asked. 

 

“If you can eat all of it, we can enjoy some cake later.” Hizashi offered.

 

That seemed to get a spark in his eyes as he reached for the spoon and shakily began to take in food and swallow it. The cat doll just sat down on the table, motionless but upright. He clearly didn’t like it though if the sour look on his face was anything to go by but it’s important to establish this early that he can’t be using his quirk for everything.

 

- - -

 

After the cake, Shouta took Izuku to his new room with Hitoshi whilst Hizashi reached out to the Bakugous downstairs on the phone to talk about arranging a meeting in the future. 

 

The new bedroom for the kid was very plain. They didn’t know what he was going to bring with him so there were shelves where he could put some stuff. There was also an empty desk where they planned to put whatever computer/laptop he was presumably using but apparently that got destroyed in the warehouse.

 

A lot of things got destroyed in the warehouse, most of it furniture and junk but there were some bits and pieces that survived. For example there was a birthday card from Hitoshi sitting on the desk (albeit a little singed) and a box of paints he got from the same birthday.

 

The second he was set down on the bed, Izuku immediately took to feeling the comforter and the bed sheets, as well as the many plush toys Hitoshi and Hizashi had gotten for him. It was at moments like these that he remembered Izuku wasn’t the Dollmaker who almost killed him but a physically and emotionally stunted eight year old.

 

“This is all mine?” the phone asked.

 

Hitoshi nodded. “Yeah, if you want, we can get some more stuff for you.”

 

The green haired boy looked over at the desk and had a small frown forming. Shouta made sure to let him know that they couldn’t salvage the computer. 

 

“Okay.” Izuku started. “I can just buy another.”

 

That’s right the kid should have some money squirreled away somewhere. He’ll have to find out what that is. Not to use himself, he and Hizashi weren’t hurting for money but he needed to teach Izuku the importance of saving. That and it’s also money gotten illegally, technically.

 

“We can work on that later, right now we need to have a conversation about tomorrow and school,” he began. He needs to rip this off like a bandaid.

 

“I’m not going.” he replied immediately.

 

Hitoshi looked at him sadly. “Why not? We can talk to each other everyday then.”

 

“I don’t like the noise and I don’t like being there in person.” he explained, a look of defiance on his face like he was ready for this conversation.

 

“Well you need an education somehow. And you need to get out more.” Shouta pointed out.

 

Izuku typed out a long response that almost seemed revised. “I can learn online. It’s what I’ve been doing so far and I haven’t lacked in any of my courses. I can show you my account clearly if you want.”

 

The man was about to say something before Izuku showed his phone to him revealing that he indeed had been learning online. He seemed to actually be ahead in some of his courses too. The problem wasn’t that though it was making sure he wasn’t still a shut in despite finally being in their custody.

 

“Izuku, it’s more than just your education. The HPSC is going to use anything they can to try and take you from us. If needed they’ll use the fact you’re scared of the outside.” he explained, hoping it could get across that this is important.

 

“Then can’t I just send a doll? We can make one just like me and send it in, right?” he replied, his face clearly filled with hope.

 

But they can’t do that. If they do and they’re caught it proves that they can’t convince him to readjust and be a normal human being with the Yamazawas. Maybe if they didn’t have the HPSC breathing down their necks they might consider online learning but they can’t allow anything that could be used against them.

 

“I’m sorry, Izuku… we-”

 

“When does Izuku have to go to school?” Hitoshi asked suddenly.

 

Shouta looked to his son and thought for a moment where he was going with this but he trusted him. “Until the start of February.”

 

“So that’s in three weeks, right?” the purple haired boy asked.

 

“Yeah.” he replied.

 

Hitoshi smiled. “Well in the meantime we can help Izuku get out more and show him it’s ok to go outside.”

 

“And if not?” Shouta asked. 

 

“We can get there when we get there.” the boy waved away.

 

Shouta rather not do that, it’s illogical not to think there was a decent chance three weeks aren’t enough to convince Izuku to go to school but let’s hear the boy’s opinion first. “Izuku, your thoughts?”

 

The green haired boy looked down and seemed to be thinking hard on whether or not he could do this. “I want to try.” came after typing. “But if I need to go, I want to take at least one doll with me.”

 

That’s better than nothing honestly. “Good. We can do that, as long as you don’t use your quirk to write your schoolwork for you.”

 

Izuku looked at him with pleading eyes and god was it hard not to cave in but he wasn’t going to let it happen and just kept his impassive face. “No means no. No amount of puppy eyes are going to work.”

 

The boy looked down and pouted a little. “But Auntie Nemuri said that would work.”

 

There was a freeze by both the father and son at those words. The two revelations that one, Nemuri was teaching his (hoping to be) kid how to manipulate people with his adorableness. The other that she somehow convinced him to call her ‘auntie’ in a single day even though Hitoshi doesn’t even call her that.

‘I’m going to have to limit their time together. I don’t want to deal with weaponised cuteness.’ he dreaded.

Notes:

New minor antagonist. Aikani Eekay will be the 'face' for the HPSC and act as their representative in more ways than one. Hope you hate him now because if you don't you will later!

Next Chapter:

You have to Try

Chapter 44: You have to Try

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

So last chapter some people mentioned how contacting the Bakugous without Izuku's thoughts was kind of rude and I admit I missed that when I wrote the chapter. I made sure to clarify some things in this one.

Have a nice day! <3

It had been a full week since Izuku moved into the house. A lot of that time was spent figuring out the rules of everything including banning using his quirk on any object that wasn’t approved. The windows almost shattered when Hizashi saw one of the cat toys shaped like a mouse was running around on its own.

 

There were also mobility problems to consider. From the start, Izuku had been using a blanket tentacle to get himself where he needed to go in a weird spidery kind of way (as he was still weeks off from standing again let alone walking). It was alright at first until he tried going downstairs using that and a new rule was established that he couldn’t do that without help.

 

A third rule was then born when a large package showed up outside their house. Several. They almost called the police, worried it was a bomb targeting a house with two heroes in it until Izuku told them it was a computer and monitors he bought online. No buying stuff without getting their approval first.

 

Although Izuku looked more annoyed every time a new rule was introduced he didn’t seem to take it personally, or at least that’s what his new foster parents hoped. They didn’t want to push him too far or else he might think about running away (even though such a thing was physically impossible at the moment.)

 

Besides that things have been alright. Leaving the green haired boy at home was something they couldn’t do so they enlisted a lot of help from Tensei and Nemuri, the four taking turns watching Izuku. 

 

Meeting with Tensei was new as he hasn’t met Izuku yet despite seeing him when they fought Hisashi. He was naturally his friendly self and the boy was receptive to it but he still stayed locked in his room the whole time until Hitoshi came home.

 

Despite them both being friendly though, the kid seemed to gravitate a lot more to Nemuri, which made Shouta and Hizashi dread the things she was teaching him. They knew she wasn’t going to do anything awful, despite being called the ‘R-Rated hero’ she knew when to draw the line between her persona.

 

No, the problem was that the two had been conspiring on ways to get the two fosters to do what he wants, typically by pretending to play dumb when he ‘accidentally’ ignored rule three and bought a human sized teddy bear that was no doubt going to be used with his quirk. Tragically, Hizashi fell for it.

 

Besides that, Hitoshi wanted to do something during the weekend with Izuku. Obviously the two had been getting along amazingly since they could finally see each other face to face. The green haired boy made the offer that he could watch him train because he was curious and the black haired man accepted, taking the two to the training room.

 

- - -

 

Izuku had been struggling a little. He’s hidden it from Aizawa and Hizashi he thinks but he knows there’s only so much he could handle before he might lash out a little. Well lash out as well as he could from his position.

 

The new rules that’s been thrown at him are certainly his biggest gripe. He didn’t appreciate having to have a set sleeping schedule, not being able to use his quirk as he pleased, being unable to buy what he wanted and the biggest of all, the looming terror that was school in just two short weeks.

 

He played nice with them, made them think he was going to go through with it when in reality he was scanning online for ways he could trick them. He didn’t have as much stuff as he did in the warehouse but he knew with some of the hair products, make up and other stuff he could fashion a doll out of a child mannequin that could look like him.

 

Yeah, he could do that and just hide under the bed so no one would know he was still in the house, at least until the building was empty. Then he could just puppeteer the doll from afar and never have to leave the house again. Simple.

 

Now that wasn’t the only development that happened during that initial week. Another was being asked whether or not he wanted to meet with the Bakugous. Apparently they were wondering how he was and wanted to know if he was alright where he was currently living. At first he contemplated saying no but after some thought he decided that he might.

 

They were familiar. He might be alright around them provided he could hide behind a bunch of other stuff like a blanket or four. Kacchan though was someone he might be able to talk to without that though.

 

He didn’t think much of the boy from when he last saw him at the arcade. Honestly his existence slipped his mind until he was asked. 

 

It’s not that he didn’t care about the blond, he did, it’s just that there were other things going on in his head that weren't friends. 

 

His opinion of him was that he always saw him as someone to look up to, mostly because he was far more capable and determined than he could ever be, at least back then. There were times where he made remarks about Izuku’s love for dolls but looking back it was less mean and more teasing.

 

After all, if Kacchan really didn’t like him then why would he let Izuku hang around him? They would talk about heroes and what they thought of them and the greenette would mimic their moves with his latest, not thrown out doll, whilst Kacchan used an action figure.

 

Ultimately, he’d say they were close. Kacchan was basically his only friend because no one wanted to be around the boy carrying dolls around or from a house with divorce waiting to happen. He imagined if they weren’t he’d be even worse with social situations than he was now.

 

Anyway, let’s stop zoning out and focus on what’s happening in the real world.

 

Izuku watched the two go through some training drills whilst he sat at the side of the small hall and took videos with his phone. He wanted to capture some of the movements because it’s been a while since he ‘fought’ and didn’t want to lose those puppetry skills.

 

It was honestly amazing to see it in person. The way a kick shifts the air and you can feel it, the loud bangs on a punching bag that sounds even louder up close and the breathing that isn’t picked up on the feed, made the scene more alive and some part of him felt he could imitate it better.

 

Eventually Hitoshi stopped for a break. Apparently the two were going to have proper sparring sessions today for the first time after months of the purple haired boy getting fit enough to keep up. Aizawa picked up a few mats and was laying them out whilst the boy sat with Izuku.

 

“You smell.” the phone uttered.

 

“That’s called sweat.” Hitoshi said as he leaned in a bit to look at Izuku’s phone better.

 

The other boy wormed away, typing quickly. “Get away. I don’t want to smell like you.”

 

At that, the purple haired paused before smirking as he inched closer. “What’s wrong Izuku? Scared of a little sweat?”

 

“Yes!” the phone cried as Izuku tried pulling himself away from Hitoshi who tried to hug him. 

 

“Oh come on Izuku!” called Hitoshi. “Just give me a hug!”

 

The purple haired boy tried to hug his friend to the other's lament. Izuku tried to bat him away with the blanket tentacles but it was futile as he only had so many. The green haired boy whined in defeat as he was wrapped in a disgustingly sweet embrace. It was nice.

 

“Okay, you two stop.” Aizawa warned. He had finished setting up the mats and motioned Hitoshi over to stand by him. “I want you to pay attention to this too, Izuku. I know in the future you personally might not fight much with your own two hands but it’s still important to know how.”

 

The fighting began and he could easily see how much Aizawa was holding back. He’d seen him in action and could tell his movements were intentionally slower to give Hitoshi a chance to actually fight and not be taken out immediately. The entire time he watched, he felt like he wanted to get involved too. His dolls of course, never him personally.

 

That’s when he got a bright idea.

 

After they finished a few rounds, Aizawa winning most of them of course, they took another break to give Hitoshi some time to breathe and get water. He left the hall and it was then just him and the pro hero there.

 

Izuku wasn’t sure what to make of Aizawa. For the longest time he’d known him as Eraserhead and fought him at least three times, only one of them resulting in the man’s victory. Even though he was fighting with other heroes and his dolls were already injured from other fights they still lost to him and that was something to consider.

 

Despite fighting quirkless and practically only quirkless he is just as capable as other heroes. Even though Edgeshot, a top ten hero, fought the same enemy, he struggled against Brutus whereas Aizawa was the one who dealt a mortal wound.

 

Then there was his personal life. Aizawa Shouta. He couldn’t tell half the time what the man was thinking with how little he showed expressions that weren’t obviously drained or monotone. It made it hard to understand him. 

 

He was married to someone loud and dramatic unlike him, he had a mug that said ‘Meanest Teacher in the World’ yet he was so patient when training Hitoshi. Then there was the way he treated Izuku. He gave all these rules to him, some fine, others annoying, but he never seemed to give them out of a want to restrain him.

 

It still felt restraining though, more so with each new one.

 

He didn’t understand the feeling he had towards the man. He knew he was the only person Izuku had yet to call by his first name despite being told he could. Actually…

 

“Is it bad that I haven’t called you your first name yet?” asked Izuku, using his phone.

 

Aizawa halted and looked over at the boy. “No. I know it can be hard to adjust to a new living situation.”

 

“But I call Present Mic, Hizashi.” the boy noted.

 

He didn’t know why he did it. Honestly. Maybe it was less so it was something the blond did though but more to do with Aizawa. Unlike Hizashi he knew the other man well before he got properly acquainted. For three years he’d only seen him through a computer screen so trying to be personable now felt weird.

 

Hizashi, on the other hand, only saw him on camera once, no twice actually. Both times when he was in this house, when he robbed it and, well, robbed it again. Their first meeting didn’t count because he didn’t know who he was then. Maybe that was the difference there.

 

He’d also had full conversations with him too. The midnight meeting in the park, the cat cafe, outside the water treatment. And it was always adversarial. They were always enemies in Izuku’s mind so suddenly it felt like there was some kind of wall between them. That’s the difference between Hizashi and Aizawa to him.

 

The man responded. “He can worm his way into anyone’s heart. I don’t expect you to like me right away.”

 

“It’s because we’ve only fought each other.” the boy typed out his thoughts.

 

Aizawa paused when he heard that idea. “That’s certainly something that’s happened.”

 

Now was the time to implement his idea. Kill two birds with one stone.

 

“Can you spar with me?” the boy asked.

 

The man blinked at him. “You can’t do that kid, don’t know if it’s obvious or not.” 

 

“I can use Fredrick.” the boy posited, referring to his life sized teddy bear.

 

Aizawa thought the idea through and looked like he was about to deny it so Izuku employed a move Auntie Nemuri taught him. Apparently he was an ‘expressionally stunted man’ in her words and taught him something that could break through it.

 

He typed out his response, turned his head down and looked up at him through his eyelashes. “Please Aizawa.”

 

The man froze for a moment and looked almost stunned at the masterful display of manipulation before him and closed his eyes. He let out a long sigh, shrinking an inch before just nodding. “We can do one match. Don’t get mad if your doll gets ruined.

 

Internally Izuku cheered as he watched Aizawa leave to go get Fredrick. So far he had two named dolls. Ezuku and Fredrick. Ezuku (Hitoshi named him) was the cat plush he got from Auntie and so far he had loved him with how soft he was. Obviously he was no Ana, or Brutus or even Charlie but he loved how much comfort he gave him.

 

The black haired man returned with the huge teddy bear, Hitoshi snickering behind him as he struggled to fit the toy through the door to the training hall. The purple haired boy slipped through whilst he struggled and asked Izuku what he was doing.

 

“I’m going to spar Aizawa.” he told him over his phone.

 

There was a sudden spark in the other boy’s eye. “I get to see you fight?”

 

Izuku nodded. “It might not be good though. Fredrick isn’t very strong.”

 

It’s true, the teddy bear wasn’t very stable and unlike Charlie, didn’t have solid feet to walk on. Still he wanted to fight the pro hero somehow and maybe drop that ‘pro hero’ perspective he had on him.

 

The logic being, if he can walk away from Aizawa after a fight normally instead of as enemies, it might make him see the man as something other than a past foe. Look, it makes sense in his head!

 

The bear came through and Aizawa made a huff as he set the doll down in front of Izuku. “Here.” he said.

 

The small boy reached out, the tips of his fingers where the small hair sized needles sticked up and dug into the doll. He already filled it up before (don’t tell Aizawa) so he needed to make a show of him doing it for the first time.

 

The other two looked on curiously. It was the first time either of them had seen the injection side of Izuku’s quirk and were even startled a little when the bear twitched a little as the spinal fluid filled it up to the brim.

 

The doll was slightly damp, the fibres not good at retaining the fluid but absorbent enough to not leak. The boy pulled on the invisible strings of the teddy bear and it picked itself off the ground and shakily stood up as he focused on getting its balance right.

 

“Great.” Aizawa uttered but Izuku could tell there was some awe in there.

 

“He won’t be able to hit very hard.” the puppeteer commented.

 

“That’s why we’ll give them boxing gloves.” the man said, grabbing some off to the side and putting them on the doll. Fredrick doesn’t have fingers to put them on himself.

 

The weight of the gloves almost felt like a shock but thanks to Izuku’s own training he managed to keep the doll from feeling off balance. The man and the bear both went over to the mats with the kids watching from the sidelines.

 

“Hitoshi, count us down.” Aizawa asked, keeping his eyes on Fredrick.

 

“Three… two… one…” the boy counted down. “Go!”

 

The bear and the man rushed to fight. Fredrick was the first to swing, making a punch at Aizawa who blocked it and returned one of his own, intending to push the doll back. 

 

He succeeded, the bear stumbling a little bit before being grabbed by the black haired man and tossed over shoulder. There was a resounding squeeze as the doll hit the ground but until he managed to pin him, he could still fight.

 

With strength only his quirk could provide, the bear kicked upward with its legs bent backwards. It wasn’t effective with some kind of footwear but it was enough to stop the man from pinning Fredrick and gave him enough time to get back up.

 

With a punch, Fredrick tried to swing at the man but the doll was still not fast enough and it went wide. That’s why he already had a second ready, managing to get a soft blow on the black haired man’s stomach, earning a grunt.

 

However the bear was slow to pull back, earning an arm grab and pull. The doll stumbled over a leg before a kick from Aizawa sent the bear heels over head and it was a quick pin from there.

 

Fredrick was trying to break free until Aizawa, using his full weight, crushed the doll and squeezed the spinal fluid out of it in a fatal but messy way. It would be a brutal defeat if it wasn’t the weirdest sight to see for a bystander, of which Hitoshi was.

 

“So weird.” he muttered, watching the small pool on the mat form.

 

“Izuku?” the man asked, checking if the fight was over.

 

The boy nodded. Fredrick had lost too much fluid to fight back. The bear was still soaked, most likely needing a wash now but that was something later to do.

 

“The punches were too soft.” Izuku typed.

 

“I know. Any stronger and I think my ribs might’ve cracked.” the man admitted, nursing his chest where the blow landed.

 

Hitoshi looked between the two. “Are you going to have a rematch?”

 

“No.” the greenette shook his head. “I don’t think we can fight better than that.”

 

“A giant teddy bear isn’t the best puppet for you to work with.” Aizawa agreed.

 

Hitoshi smiled a little, looking down at his phone. “But it’s going to be funny to watch again.”

 

The father narrowed his eyes before widening when he realised that his son had just recorded him fighting a life sized teddy bear. He must be thankful that the bear wasn’t any stronger unless he wanted footage going around of him getting his ass handed to him by a stuffed toy.

 

“Can you send it to me?” Izuku asked.

 

“Sure.” the other boy replied grinning, sending the video over.

 

“Okay, problem children, enough with the chatting.” Aizawa grumbled. “And Hitoshi don’t send that to ‘Zashi unless you want to be put through your paces.”

 

“...Too late.” the boy grinned but then turned to panic when he felt the thrill down his neck of Erasure.

 

“Up here now,” he ordered.

 

When the sparring session finally ended, the purple haired kid was wracked with so much exhaustion that for once he slept longer than six hours. To say he would try that same sleep inducing method though, was not something he was willing to do, especially with the aches and pains he got the next morning.

 

All this while Izuku kept thinking over the fight and how it felt going against Aizawa, Shouta? No, still Aizawa he thinks. He might need to do something more before he felt ready to be more personal.

 

- - -

 

It had been a few days since then. They had a shopping trip planned on the weekend to look for clothes and some stuff for Izuku but before that they had to get through the week. Today it was Aizawa’s turn to stay home and watch the kid.

 

The man in question knew that the greenette liked to keep to himself. That was the whole reason this mess happened in the first place but it was something he was concerned about, especially as the new school day comes closer. 

 

He hoped the mall trip would serve as a kind of feeler. To get an idea on just how severe his anxiety was when it came to being outside; he knew it was bad, just how bad was the question. He could tell Izuku was struggling with the idea because every time they’d mention it he’d look away, or stop answering questions for a moment and then try to change the topic.

 

They’d need to talk with him properly soon to see how he was feeling about it.

 

Today, the man planned to sit in his office and write some lesson plans he had to implement for the new school year. It amazed him. It would mean that he’s spent an entire year teaching.

 

At the start he was nervous. Afraid that he might make a mistake or wasn’t good enough to teach or didn’t have the charisma to actually get along with teenagers but even he surprised himself. Admittedly he wasn’t the nurturing type. He was strict, stern and what some of his students might call ‘malicious’ but it seemed like that was alright.

 

Hizashi has assured him he was doing ok. So were the rest of the teachers every time he would confide in them. He even built up a little bit of a rivalry with the other heroics teacher, Kan, but that was more on the other man’s side than his.

 

Ultimately, he can say he’s doing well as a teacher. 

 

Now it was time to think if he could be a good father.

 

He knows he’s doing right by Hitoshi, at least that’s what he hoped to think. He knew the right things to say and do because he really was just a kid version of him. A younger Shouta but more social and more expressive. There was an understanding there he could grasp but with his new kid there wasn’t much.

 

He knew of Izuku but he didn’t know him. Over the weeks he’s learned a lot he never would’ve expected about the kid from what he saw of Dollmaker. 

 

Firstly he was always flighty, looking at every place he could run to and hide. He knew there was still some lingering fear there about being seen but it still hurt his heart a little to see that kind of paranoia in a little kid.

 

Next was how much the kid talked when he was being sociable. Even if it’s over text-to-speech, it still spins his head every time he is bombarded with questions either about his work, students or quirk. Izuku was clearly an inquisitive kid and he’d have to think how they could put that energy to something productive for him.

 

Finally there was how quiet he got sometimes. It was dizzying when he got chatty but that was better than the bouts of silence the kid would go through. It’d happen at random where Izuku would be downstairs with Hitoshi and the two were watching a movie together. Shouta would notice how the boy looked.

 

It was slightly absent, like he was a puppet with no strings, not reacting to anything in front of him. He understood though it was because he was deep in thought. Deep enough to practically vacate his own body and leave himself looking like a doll. He didn’t know what thoughts he had but he was hoping they were nothing serious.

 

Maybe that was the wrong mindset to have actually…

 

Shouta’s stomach grumbled, announcing it was time for lunch and the pro hero stood up to head downstairs. On the way though he noticed that Izuku’s door was slightly open. That wasn’t normal, so he peeked in to see the small green kid commanding the giant teddy bear to drag in a box.

 

It was clearly something he bought that he didn’t want anyone to see.

 

“Izuku.” Aizawa called, opening the door and the boy squeaked out loud as the bear collapsed. 

 

The box was not small at all. About the size of the bed and looked like it would’ve been difficult to get up the stairs. 

 

‘How the hell did he get this up here without me hearing?’ the man thought but dismissed it for now.

 

“What is this?” he asked, lacing the words with a stern edge. “We told you, you can’t buy anything without our approval first.”

 

The boy sheepishly shifted in the bed he was sitting on, pulling up the duvet to hide himself a little whilst he typed. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

 

“Great. What is it?” Shouta questioned. He’d decide if it was going to be a surprise or not.

 

“I don’t want to say.” Izuku responded.

 

“Kid, tell me what it is right now or I’ll open the box and find out for myself.” he said, raising his voice a little to let him know he was serious.

 

He didn’t want to but he knew he couldn’t let Izuku do as he wanted. He was still technically in custody and as such they needed to know what he was doing. If not then it could be used against them by the HPSC later. It also wasn’t good to let him do whatever he wanted and laying down these ground rules was to remind him the law existed.

 

“I just wanted a mannequin to move with,” he finally admitted.

 

Whilst he could believe that the box was big enough for it, he could tell it wasn’t a full sized mannequin. He went out and down to the kitchen to grab a box cutter, coming back up to get whatever was inside out and found that it was as he expected.

 

It was a children’s mannequin. 

 

“You can’t just send in a doll and say it’s you.” Shouta immediately argued, more gently now that he understood what was going on.

 

“Why can’t I?” Izuku typed, clearly looking upset.

 

He released the box and headed over to the bed, plopping down. The boy was further back on the mattress, curled at the wall but it was close enough for the conversation to feel personal. 

 

“Remember what I said about ‘living’?” he recalled, referring back to almost a year ago.

 

The boy gave a curt nod as he pulled his legs up and shoved his face in them, typing on his phone behind them. “I know but it feels like everything’s moving too fast.”

 

Shouta paused, thinking through exactly what that meant so he could understand him. “What do you mean?” he asked just so he knew he was listening.

 

“I’ve only been here a week and I’ve had to do so much stuff I never had to do before. I've always bought what I wanted. I’ve always used my quirk on anything I want. Now I can’t but I have to do a bunch of stuff I don’t want to do too.” he explained.

 

“Izuku, you know that the HPSC…” he watched as he went further into his sentence the boy got more frustrated looking, “...will be looking for anything to use against you.”

 

The kid started typing fast. “Why does it matter if everything does feel like too much? I don’t want to go outside. I can handle the stuff like not being able to buy what I want and the therapy but the other stuff too? I don’t want to go to school myself. Why can’t I just send a doll?”

 

Shouta tried to think how he could help him. He really didn’t know what he was doing, he and Izuku were alike in one small way and that was they didn’t like people. That was the only fact and even then there was a difference of degree.

 

He didn’t like people because he disliked being social. Izuku didn’t like people because he has spent the last three years making it second nature to fear them. He can’t compare to that. He can’t compare their two experiences like he could with Hitoshi, they were too different.

 

And he was right about the rules. Maybe they were a bit pushy. But this wasn’t about trying to make Izuku ‘normal’ for the sake of being so but because people were going to force him in a lot worse ways if they don’t. He can’t imagine the HPSC will have any patience or tolerance for him.

 

‘What the hell am I thinking? That’s still wrong. He shouldn’t be forced into anything… but then what could be done to help him?’ he thought.

 

Maybe that isn’t a question for himself but rather Izuku. The kid was a kid, yes, but he knows what makes him feel the most comfortable and he needs to know that Shouta does care about what he thinks.

 

“Look. I can’t think of an answer. It’s a hard situation we are in and it’s no one’s fault but the HPSC’s. There’s no solution to this that I can think of but maybe you have an idea?” he said. He kept his tone as passive as he could, especially on the last line so Izuku knew he wasn’t being snippy and was trying to find an answer alongside him.

 

- - -

 

He just doesn’t understand. Why can’t go at his own pace? He knows there is an overarching time limit to him ‘getting better’ but why does he have to change completely? And so quickly too? Can’t he just be the same as he was before?

 

‘What I was before was alone, depressed and paranoid. Now I have a chance to change that.’ he reasoned in his mind.

 

That’s right but everything feels like it's going a mile a minute. Before days were slow, with just the quiet of the warehouse feeling like a void with the only window out being a computer screen. Now there were sounds he hadn't heard and people who were looking at him, not his dolls.

 

Maybe this was all a mistake…

 

Then he heard Aizawa offer him the chance to give his own solution to the problem. A problem that only exists because he is trying to be happy and not alone and miserable. His problem is wanting to not be face to face with other people, to go back to how he was before where everything was handled through a screen and a doll.

 

‘Through a screen and a doll… mobility… looking at- ah!’

 

An idea weaved itself together in the boy’s mind and immediately he picked up his phone to put it into words.

 

“I have an idea that satisfies all of us.” he typed, “But it needs your trust.”

 

Aizawa nodded. “There’s no harm in saying it.”

 

Izuku fiddled with the phone, wondering if the idea was too farfetched or ambitious considering that odds were they were going to need some help for it. He still typed it in anyway because if he doesn’t try then what’s the point of any of this anymore.

 

“What if I made a doll I could hide inside? Like a mechsuit that was vaguely human?” he asked, studying the black haired man to see his attitude towards the idea.

 

“Would that be legal?” he questioned, not fighting the possibility but making sure the idea was feasible.

 

“I need some form of mobility to move on my own. Technically if we can get this doll to be labelled as a ‘mobility device’ then yes. That and the quirk use.” he reasoned.

 

That way he can hide behind a screen inside the doll and no one would be looking at him but the doll instead. Not just that but it gave him a doll to play with, a way to move on his own and a way to go outside without panicking.

 

Because he’d be inside, always.

 

- - -

 

Shouta looked down at his kid and could clearly see how desperate he was for this to work. The idea was admittedly a bit crazy as it stretched a lot of laws. Then again, if anyone could stretch laws it would be Nedzu and he was in their corner. If he could convince the rat to help them with this, they could find a way to make it possible.

 

“I’ll ask Nedzu and see what he thinks.” he promised, taking out his phone to make a call.

 

It was picked up near instantly and after a short chat about the feasibility of such an idea, it seemed there was a very real chance they could do it. All they would need is to convince a judge to sign off on the quirk use, which would be easy for the rodent’s network of connections.

 

“There’s a decent chance it could be done.”

 

And if those emerald eyes lighting up brighter than gemstones didn’t stun him, he's never known the feeling.

 

"Thank you Shouta!" the boy typed into his phone.

Notes:

A new puppet will be made, a very unusual one.

Next Chapter:

...With Something Only You Can

Chapter 45: ...With Something Only You Can

Notes:

Hey everybody!

Hope Sunday's been treating you well! Hope this next chapter is one that you'll love!

Have a nice day! <3

There were advantages to being so small. Your hands can fit into places others can’t reach. You never have to worry about an outfit being too restraining because everything feels larger on you. Finally, if you were short enough, you could crawl into a mechanical puppet, hide inside its chest and control it like a mech from the inside.

 

Of course that last one was something not everyone is able to do but Izuku can. It took a few days but they managed to find a large enough endoskeleton to fit a small kid into. Once they did they got to welding a form onto it. It was hard what direction to go first but after some drawings made by the greenette and a bit (lot) of help from a certain support course teacher, a new doll was born.

 

- - -

 

“They’re beautiful.” typed Izuku, gazing at the new doll.

 

“It’s certainly something.” uttered Aizawa, also looking at the beast.

 

“I still don’t think this is going to work.” Hizashi doubted.

 

“Not with that attitude.” Hitoshi argued.

 

The metal beast was like Brutus in many ways. They were both tall , intimidating and could hold a small child in their arms with ease. This one was different though. Thanks to the fantastic work of Majima Higari and the (curated) blueprints made by Izuku, they managed to make something a lot more family friendly.

 

Firstly, the mechanical skull from before had a porcelain mask, metal plated cranium and given two green orbs for eyes that showed where it was looking. Its body was still metal but now had less jagged skin and more flat and solid, giving it the vague outline of a human, especially with how its arms were thinner. The torso was still bulky though for the needed room inside. 

 

It wore a simple robe over itself to hide most of the mechanical parts so as not to scare children but left enough metal exposed to make it obvious at a close glance it was some kind of machine. Its hands had silicone over it to make it have a better grip. Originally they thought to have the face be silicon too but one look at the uncanny valley nightmare that came out from that and they decided not to do it.

 

Besides the face, they were also given a wig to cover its blank scalp that consisted of long green hair of the same shade as Izuku’s except a lot straighter and more organised than the boy could ever achieve. 

 

The feet were shaped to allow for most shoes to fit over it (they can’t be tracking mud everywhere) and with the green robe over it, the whole thing genuinely looked like a normal human being with thin limbs, a tall frame and an obvious mask on their face.

 

The thing people won’t be seeing though is the compartment in the chest, a cockpit almost, that had a small monitor inside that connected to the eyes and mouth. It was just big enough for Hitoshi to fit in it and was intentionally built to expandable should its occupant ever grow bigger. 

 

Ultimately they had the perfect doll for Izuku to go out in. The only real flaw was that it was seven foot four inches and towered over most people but in the world of quirks a sight like that wasn’t rare. 

 

It was awkward though, imagining in the future this titan of a puppet sitting in a classroom with nine year olds but they had reached out to Somei about it and they had said they can arrange for something to be done.

 

The only thing left for it was a name, something that Izuku insisted on. It was at that moment that Shouta had learned that the shooter puppet had been named Daphne and that there was also a cat puppet named Charlie (that was apparently in his house at some point).

 

“Gala.” the boy typed.

 

It was an English word that Shouta didn’t know but Hizashi did, seeming to get the name's meaning immediately. “So a word used for a social event?”

 

Izuku nodded and smiled, happy he got the reference. “Gala will be used for talking to people and stuff so it makes sense. Also I’ve been going through the english alphabet with the names for my dolls, so it’s keeping with my theme.”

 

“Will this really work?” Hizashi uttered. “It’s just… it’s so big.” Shouta coughed a little at that comment, earning a side eye from the blond.

 

“It’s only the limbs.” Izuku noted. “They can be bent easily to fit in anywhere. The doll doesn’t have to worry about comfort or anatomy.”

 

The little kid, with the help of Hitoshi, was brought over to the puppet where spinal fluid was flooded into its body. Like a balloon inflating, the limbs began to twitch to life and the chest looked almost like it was breathing in as the thing went from lying on the floor to sitting up.

 

It stood up and after some checks to see if all the right parts were moving, the chest opened up and Izuku excitedly dived in. The placement of the compartment was intentional so that if this thing does make it to school, it was at eye level with the desk sitting down so the kid could write whilst sitting inside of it.

 

Once he was in, the compartment closed up, locking the boy inside securely and now he was fully ready to go outside. The robe placed over ‘Gala’s’ body and marched onwards towards the door, two parents and a friend looking on in a mix of exasperation, amazement and concern.

 

- - -

 

Admittedly the car ride over was a bit awkward. Being so tall and lanky, Gala had to contort her body to fit better in the backseat, twisting herself in all kinds of ways. Once they did find a way though, they were off. The robe had a zipper in the front that allowed for Izuku to reach his little arms out to write with (Shouta refused to compromise on that, he needed to work without the aid of his quirk).

 

“How are you feeling ‘Zuku?” Hizashi asked, the name surprising Izuku a little.

 

“‘Zuku?” Gala wondered. The voice chosen was very neutral and plain, kid sounding but with a certain air of dignity attached to it.

 

“What? You don’t like it?” the blond asked.

 

The shell shook her head. “No. It’s fine.”

 

He didn’t mind the nickname. In fact it made him feel a bit giddy hearing it. He never expected that but it made him feel like he was a part of something. But then he’d remember that Hizashi hoped the same from him. Hitoshi called him his ‘papa’ but Izuku wasn’t sure he was ready for that yet.

 

It felt a bit soon. It was only a month ago that the boy was still hiding away in the warehouse, preparing himself to kill Hisashi.

 

“But. Yes. I am fine right now.” he made sure to add after.

 

“Your fine or actual fine?” Hitoshi looked up at Gala.

 

“Actual fine,” he admitted.

 

He was. Whether it would remain that way was up to debate. He didn’t feel scared leaving the house but he did feel like everything was on edge. Like he was in a submarine at crushing depths but in that there was the feeling of excitement at being in such a situation.

 

The three of them got out of the car once they reached the mall. Shouta wasn’t here because he needed to sleep and couldn’t take the time out to go with them. It made the greenette a bit sad because he wanted him to see his idea in action but he guessed he’ll just have to tell him later.

 

They entered the mall, at which they were almost immediately pulled to the side by security. After some explaining and a quick flash of Hizashi’s hero license, the three were able to keep going in.

 

“Alright kids, first things first. We’ve got to find some clothes for ‘Zuku and something better for Gala to wear.” the blond instructed. 

 

The boy and the beast both nodded, listening. They went over to a few of the clothing stores and started perusing around the place. Admittedly it was a bit boring, for one of them that is. Hitoshi never really minded what he wore as long as it was functional and Izuku was mostly the same until recently.

 

He wanted to dress up Gala. Make them something nice to look at and though he might be hard pressed here trying to find something for a seven plus foot lanky giant he would still take a look.

 

He also wanted to look nice for himself too. Auntie Nemuri had gotten him a fashion magazine and he never realised how much clothes can make the difference. He would’ve loved to dress up Brutus in a dapper suit, Ana in stylish clothes and Daphne in elegant wear fitting her name.

 

He of course thought of himself but the problem with that was actually going out in them. That and how he needs to think about how he’d change as he grew. He wanted to look nice but he didn’t know if there was really a point.

 

Push those thoughts away. If they came up again he’d ask Hitoshi but for now he’s going shopping.

 

At the first store, they were shown around and found the children’s section to start looking for some clothes for Izuku. A lot of them were a bit too childish for Izuku’s taste as well as the hero merch that felt a bit much. He did find a Present Mic hoodie though that he liked.

 

Hizashi found some other stuff. Shirts, a couple jeans and even a pair of shoes the blond insisted on as well. He already had plenty of pyjamas back home, most of them being cat onesies that have been forced upon him. He wouldn’t admit it but he actually liked them a lot. They made him feel completely covered even when he doesn’t have a blanket or doll to shield himself.

 

“Okay ‘Zuku. Now’s the time to try them on.” Hizashi said, guiding him to the changing rooms.

 

“What?” Gala uttered. 

 

“Well we can’t just buy any size. We need to check to see if they fit or not.” the man responded.

 

Izuku started to worry a little. “Can’t we just try them at home and return them if they don’t?”

 

The purple haired boy seemed to get what was going on and reached out to place a hand on the doll’s hand. “Don’t worry Izuku. I’ll make sure no one gets in to see you. You can even bring Gala if you’re scared.”

 

“Can’t we just go with my idea?” the boy asked. 

 

Hizashi seemed like he was going to push but he must’ve realised how he was acting and backpedaled a little. “Ok, we can do that. In the meantime we should get the Gala puppet some clothes to try on instead.”

 

Izuku let out a sigh of relief within the shell. He was afraid he might’ve been pushed into changing clothes in a foreign place but it looked like the blond understood him. That’s happened quite a bit recently, especially after Shouta agreed to help him make the new doll. “Ok.”

 

They looked around and found a section that was catered to people with mutations. There were some cosy looking clothes there such as a blue jumper with the clothing company’s words across the chest as well as trousers that were longer than the boy’s entire body.

 

After picking out a few items in the doll’s size, Izuku actually got quite excited to see Gala in them. “Can we have the doll try these on now?”

 

“Sure! Let’s go ask an employee where the changing rooms are.” the blond cheered, the three of them heading over to a person putting away some hero merch.

 

“Excuse me, do you know whe-” he stopped, freezing when he saw what the merch being put up was.

 

“Is that…” Hitoshi stared, smiling slightly in disbelief.

 

“Oh.” the employee said, ‘Takama’ being their name given the nametag. “Yes this just came in.”

 

It was a series of hoodies clearly designed after Eraserhead, the neck being clearly coloured white to look like his scarf. Not just that but there was more Eraserhead merch in the cart. Goggle’s designed to look like his were in there as well as actual scarves designed after the hero’s own capture weapon.

 

“Oh, I want them.” Hitoshi cheered, already eager to see the defeated look his dad would inevitably have.

 

“Are you a fan of Eraserhead little guy?” Takama asked.

 

“You could say that.” the boy said.

 

The person smiled. “Well I’m surprised. Not many kids know him, heck not many adults too.”

 

“Who made this all?” Hizashi questioned concerned, wondering how merchandise of an underground hero could be made. 

 

“Just some clothing brands. He’s been seen a few times in the news and I guess someone wanted to take advantage of that popularity.” the employee said.

 

They grabbed some of the stuff there and then. Hitoshi getting the full set and planning to wear it all home for the man in question to see. Izuku liked the look of the scarf and took it as well. After that they headed to the changing rooms to try on some of the clothes.

 

“Alright kiddo.” Hizashi said, looking a bit distracted. “I’ll be right out here whenever you’re done changing. Let me see Gala in it so we can both give our critique of it.”

 

The curtains shut. Frankly he would’ve preferred doors but the place didn’t have any. Now he was thankful that he wasn’t going to be changing himself.

 

Gala took off the robe and began throwing on some of the outfits. There were some that worked well with them, such as the long boot cut jeans or hoodies that made the tall being appear almost statuesque. The ultimate verdict, after he and Hizashi looked over some outfits, was that anything loose looked good whilst anything tight made the doll look weird.

 

Hitoshi stepped out of his changing room in the full Eraserhead outfit, wearing the same expression on his face that Shouta normally wears. It earned a snort from Izuku and Hizashi rapidly taking pictures that he would no doubt be showing off to everyone much to the black haired man’s chagrin.

 

“Alright, time to wrap up! I’ll be waiting outside the rooms for you two, ok?” the blond stated and both kids nodded as they went back inside to change.

 

Back inside the room, Izuku took note that one of the outfits that were picked out for him personally was lying there. Maybe it was the fact he was feeling brave, maybe it was trying on all the clothes for Gala but for some reason he wanted to put it on right now to see himself.

 

‘Maybe just quickly. A few minutes outside.’ he reasoned. ‘Gala can block the door.’

 

The doll unzipped up their robe and there was a click as the compartment opened up to let Izuku out. The atmosphere change was immediate and he felt like his skin was crawling the second he was lifted out by the beast.

 

‘It’s ok. It’s ok. Everything’s fine. You’re safe. You’re safe.’ he repeated to himself.

 

Slowly the clothes were put on after taking his others off. He never felt more exposed whilst doing it, the entire trembling but not as bad as he thought. He knew Hizashi and Hitoshi were out there waiting for him and he knew if anything invaded his space Gala could hurt them.

 

“‘Zuku, are you done yet?” asked Hizashi from outside the changing rooms.

 

“Almost.” Gala said.

 

Izuku looked in the mirror to see how he looked. It was a simple green jumper that hugged him nicely with a pair of jeans to go with it. The pants fit alright but the top was a bit too big but it worked in a way that made him look adorable. It was nice.

 

No, it was more than that. Because it wasn’t just his outfit he was looking at, it was everything. He can’t remember the last time he looked in a mirror and got a good look at himself.

 

His cheeks were slightly sunken and his eyes were rimmed with black circles that made him feel bad for himself. He was pale in an unhealthy way and he was sure that he had freckles but his skin must’ve been too light to notice them.

 

‘Is this really how I look?’ he thought to himself. 

 

He thought about how he could be better, look better. All of it revolved around him taking better care of himself, getting better sleep, eating full meals. All things he struggled with but right now he wondered how he looked before he was captured. Was he any worse? Could he look any worse than this? 

 

‘Maybe I should try better.’

 

He tried on another few outfits that were quite different. There was one with khaki pants along with a nice white shirt that said ‘Wearable’ on it for some reason, one that had shorts which he hated because the exposed legs made him feel exposed and another with a nice jacket and shirt that he was alright with.

 

Ultimately he liked the most outfits that covered him up and he could melt into better. The jumpers and hoodies served that purpose perfectly and he especially loved the ones with a more pastel colour to them. In the end they all fit, provided he had a belt.

 

“Are you okay in there ‘Zuku?” Hizashi asked. 

 

“I’m okay. Just trying on a few things myself.” the doll admitted.

 

“Wait, really?” he heard the blond utter. “Are you able to show me?”

 

“I’m still a bit nervous so no.” Gala replied bluntly.

 

That didn’t stop the smile Izuku could hear coming from Hizashi. “Alright, well me and ‘Toshi will be waiting out here for you. Let me know which ones you like.”

 

“Ok!” the doll said, feeling a bit more confident.

 

The boy started to quickly put on his owned clothes, starting with his pants first before putting on the shirt. He was just finishing putting everything on when the curtain suddenly was thrown open and he turned terrified to see a woman staring down at him.

 

“Oh.” she said in a kind of disappointed tone before she tried to close the curtain again.

 

Unfortunately Izuku’s instincts acted faster and Gala had immediately grabbed the woman and shoved her out with too much force, sending her crashing into a clothes rack with a scream.

 

Gala shut the curtain and immediately opened her compartment, Izuku scrambling in as he heard the rush of footsteps as Hizashi and Hitoshi called out to him.

 

“They hurt me!” screeched the woman, nursing her shoulder. “They punched me!”

 

Some employees were now coming along with Takama. “What’s going on?”

 

“That guy in there punched me!” Izuku could hear, zipping the robe fully up and covering Gala down to their feet.

 

“Izuku, are you ok?” Hizashi called.

 

The boy was shaking inside of the shell and carefully typed into his phone to send a message out the doll’s mouth. “She opened the curtain.”

 

Gala opened the curtain, her towering form stepping out. The woman cried again, stepping away. “I was only checking if someone was in there! I didn’t know there was a kid!”

 

The employees tried to calm the woman down but apparently she wasn’t having any of it. She just kept saying she was punched even though that was not what happened. Not only that but she kept saying she only peeked and that was not at all what occurred and Izuku was starting to feel really stressed and panicked and-

 

“‘Zuku.” Hizashi said, looking up at Gala. “Can you tell me what happened?”

 

“She opened the curtains fully. I panicked and shoved her away.” he spoke truthfully though he can’t be sure he would believe him.

 

“He’s lying! I barely opened them!” She continued to spout and the boy was almost tempted to just run. He hated the screaming and yelling. It sounded too much like Mama and Hisashi fighting and more bad memories were coming up because of that.

 

“Hey!” Hizashi yelled, keeping his quirk controlled. “If my kid says you threw the curtain open, you threw it open.”

 

“Kid?!” the woman guffawed looking into the changing room. “What kid?!”

 

“The one obviously in front of you. Izuku, Hitoshi, let’s go.” he commanded and the kids followed, heading towards the checkout whilst the woman yelled behind them.

 

“I’ll call the police! I’ll sue you!” she threatened. 

 

Hizashi stopped for a moment, turning around and looking ready to get into an argument with her. He was stopped though by the message he just got on his phone, sent from Izuku. One he looked at, gave him a smile and stepped back over.

 

“You will, will you?” he grinned.

 

“Yeah!” she shouted.

 

The blond just took out his phone and played the video he was sent, taken from Gala’s camera showing the entire thing from the doll’s perspective, clearly showing her doing everything Izuku said. Her face dropped just a slight bit.

 

“Try it. I’m sure you’d win.” he said sarcastically, continuing to the checkout with the other two. “Let’s go.”

 

“Let me get that.” Takama said, catching up with them. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. We’ve had a problem with her for a while with her being nosy in the changing rooms. We banned her a few days ago but she somehow got back in.”

 

“Seriously, what’s wrong with some people?” Hitoshi said, sticking close to Gala and gently holding their hand.

 

“I know right. By the way have a little discount, as long as you send that footage to us. We can use it to get her banned from the mall altogether.” he asked.

 

“Sure.” Hizashi said, taking his phone out and sending the video over.

 

The three then left the mall early. Izuku said he wanted to go home the second they left the store and Hizashi agreed. He’d already been through enough for the day. The car ride home was much quieter and a lot more awkward because the greenette didn’t want to speak. 

 

Because despite how calm the doll looked on the outside, the kid inside was still freaking out.

 

- - -

 

Hizashi wasn’t sure how to approach this. After they arrived back home, Izuku immediately went to his room and hid away. Right now he and Hitoshi were downstairs unpacking a few things and still thinking about what happened.

 

“Is Izuku going to be okay?” asked Hitoshi. 

 

“I think he just needs some time alone ‘Toshi.” Hizashi replied.

 

“How long will that be?” his son asked, worried. 

 

He could only say the truth. “A while.”

 

The stairs thudded as Shouta made his way down them and immediately picked up the much quieter mood than normal. “What happ-”

 

He froze when he saw what Hitoshi was wearing and let out the longest groan the blond had ever heard. “What is that?” he asked.

 

“Doesn’t matter right now,” Hizashi tried to steer the conversation, “There was a problem at the mall.”

 

He was about to explain more but his son beat him to the punch. “Some rude lady opened the curtains to Izuku’s changing room. Now he’s being quiet.”

 

“Okay.” Shouta said simply, probably taking it in first. “What else happened?”

 

“Actually, ‘Toshi, do you mind heading upstairs and checking in on ‘Zuku?” the blond asked.

 

The boy seemed to get that they wanted to have a private conversation but knew they probably weren’t going to tell him what it was about. He just said ‘Okay’ and went upstairs, hearing a distant knocking before a door closing soon after.

 

“What else happened?” Shouta immediately questioned.

 

“Well, besides the annoying lady who tried to sue us, there was a lot of merchandise out on you.” the blond said.

 

“There’s always going to be those fans who make that kind of stuff.” his husband uttered.

 

“No Sho’ this wasn’t some homemade stuff. It was mainstream, smack dab in the middle of a department store.” Hizashi clarified.

 

Shouta’s eyes widened before they narrowed. He immediately got the same suspicions as he did and if he also came to the same conclusion he had, it could only mean they were right. 

 

“We need to talk to Nedzu.”

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi knocked on the door. He wasn’t sure what to listen for until it opened itself to Gala looking down on him. He looked past her and could clearly see a small bump on the bed where Izuku was likely hiding.

 

“What is it?” Gala asked, letting him inside.

 

“Izuku,” he started, looking towards the lump.

 

“Please look here.” was all the doll said, stepping between him and the bed.

 

‘He must really be affected by this.’ Hitoshi realised.

 

He knew Izuku didn’t like to be seen. That was obvious. Even when he’s gotten comfortable with him, Dad and Papa he never fully shows himself. He had made sure that the second anyone came home he put on the baggiest clothes he could find to drown himself in, avoid looking at people when they noticed him and even take deliberate shifts away if he felt his space was invaded.

 

He always thought it would go away with a bit of time but it was clear this was something he was going to have to shake after a long while. Dad said that while Gala was a good idea she can’t be a permanent one. 

 

Quirk use laws dictate that quirks shouldn’t be flagranted used without a license and whilst this law really isn’t enforced all that much unless it’s something extreme it could be used against them in a court of law. Unless they found a way to allow Izuku an exemption, he won’t be able to use his dolls to hide him.

 

According to Papa they were mostly planning to use a therapist's note saying that because of Izuku’s social anxiety he is exempted but that required him needing to see a therapist first. They did have one he was going to soon but that was still a bit away. They also had the ‘mobility device’ loophole they’re hoping to extort too with the help of ‘the rat’ (Hitoshi didn’t know who that was).

 

Even then though, it still hurt their case in keeping Izuku. If he can’t resolve his agoraphobia, then those HPSC people are going to use it. Even though it's stupid to expect his friend to get over three years of hiding in six months.

 

So they had to find a way to work around it and even then they had to show they were working towards him being properly acclimated with society. That might be a long while longer but they need to make some progress to show it can be done.

 

“Izuku,” he started again, turning to Gala, “Are you ok?”

 

“I am fi-”

 

“Fine? No you aren’t.” he interrupted or tried to. Can’t interrupt a pre-written message. “You don’t have to lie about being okay anymore. I want to help you, that’s why I’m here.”

 

The masked doll looked at him with blinking eyes for a moment and walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Hitoshi went to sit too but Gala pointed to the desk chair and he understood it was still a bit too soon.

 

He took a seat and moved the chair to face the shell. He thought he would need to say something first but it seemed Izuku had more to say.

 

“I keep forgetting that Hisashi can’t find me anymore. That he can’t.” the doll uttered. “At least that’s what I tell myself. The reason why I freak out when people see me.”

 

Gala’s eyes shifted and it was almost eerie how lifelike these clearly fake eyes moved. “I never thought I’d ever be found. By you, by Aizawa, by Hizashi. I just accepted it and thought that this loneliness in me was going to be something I had forever.”

 

“I hated that I accepted it. I wanted to do so many things with you Hitoshi. Now that I can though I can’t even do it properly. Because even though I hated being alone, I liked never having to see people.” the boy continued.

 

“I could speak. Say no, be brave. I could fight a warehouse filled with villains and go to the store on my ‘own’. I felt like I was me and not just scared, weak, little Izuku. I was Ana, Brutus, Charlie, Daphne. I was Gala today and it was so much easier having that mask on and being myself because I knew…”

 

“...I knew people weren’t judging me. They couldn’t. Because they were judging the dolls, not the one behind them.”

 

Hitoshi listened because he knew that was all he could do. “Why are you scared of people judging you?”

 

“Because I’ve done so many bad things.” the doll answered. “I almost killed Aizawa, I caused so much trouble for both of them too. Just today Hizashi could’ve gotten in trouble because of me. I get all of you in trouble because I’m too scared…”

 

“Izuku…”

 

“And now there’s the HPSC and what if they take away their licenses? What if I mess everything up and they don’t just take me but you too? I can’t be strong. Everything just feels so suffocating when I’m outside or talking to people or just being seen and I don’t know if it can be fixed. If I can be fixed. I just feel like…”

 

“A burden.” both him and the doll said at the exact same time.

 

He knew what he was feeling. He felt the same when he first moved in with Dad and Papa. That he’d be better on his own than pulling everyone else down around him. The problem was that this wasn’t the same kind of burden. It wasn’t feeling indebted to those around you.

 

It was feeling like you’re just bad altogether. That he’s a problem no one can help. And maybe Hitoshi felt some of that the same way but right now he knew it wasn’t the same. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t try and help him.

 

“We all know you’re trying your best. Dad and Pa-”

 

“Am I?” Gala said, response delayed due to the typing.

 

“You are. And you want proof?” the boy asked rhetorically.

 

He opened the window, wide enough to fit him through it. “Let’s go for a walk.” Hitoshi ordered.

 

“Why?” the doll questioned.

 

“Just trust me. Let’s go.”

 

- - -

 

The two left, taking a train. Izuku didn’t know where he was going or why they needed to sneak out through the window. Well actually he did, it was because legally he wasn’t allowed to leave Hizashi or Shouta’s side. To cover their tracks though, Fredrick and Ezuku were keeping watch, aided by a camera Izuku installed in his own room (because he was paranoid).

 

He didn’t know where they were going but halfway through, Hitoshi had taken off the Eraserhead scarf he bought and used it to cover Gala’s eyes. He said it’s meant to be a surprise and the boy trusted the other enough to not do something bad.

 

“Alright. Here we are.” His friend said out loud. “You can take it off now.”

 

The scarf was removed and all he could see was a sight he thought he’d never see with his own two eyes.

 

“It looks just as awful as always. Doesn’t it?” Hitoshi uttered, taking a seat on the sand.

 

It did. Gala sat down beside him hesitantly as Izuku gazed out across the junk filled beach. Waves crashing nearby.

 

“How is this supposed to help?” wondered Izuku but he thinks he already knew.

 

“Look around. No one in sight.” the boy pointed out. “No one to judge you. No one to see you.”

 

“I don’t know.” Gala worded.

 

“Come on. You’re not going to leave me to smell this trainwreck on my own? Right?” he pleaded.

 

It was quiet for a moment more, the question hanging in the air before Izuku opened the compartment and carefully unzipped the front of the robe. It fell ever so slightly, exposing just a little bit of the outside world to him.

 

He pushed his head out carefully, constantly looking around before he was fully distracted by what he saw.

 

He never actually had seen the ocean until that point. And if he did he didn’t remember. It was hard to get away from living with Hisashi, and Mama was always too busy to leave the house. Maybe he did see the sea, waves crashing and foaming, salt hanging heavy in the air, when he was a baby.

 

What he definitely never saw, with his own two eyes, however was the sun setting. He’d always be asleep by then or locked away in his room. He’d seen it hundreds of times through the eyes of the internet or his dolls but never like this.

 

The sky was gold and red. All of it was. Fading to a dark purple then black as the night sky grew behind him. He pulled himself out further to see it all. The way the junk piles casted twisted shadows in the sand, the distant sight of ships travelling along the waters.

 

Are those people on those boats able to see him? No, they’re too far away. All of it was but at the same time it was so close.

 

He pulled his body out and placed his foot down, supported by Gala, onto the sand. It was so much colder than he expected. No, not just that, the sun… it felt amazing. The warmth was like no other. It felt so real compared to home heaters.

 

Did the sun always feel this good?

 

“I want to do so much stuff with you.” Hitoshi said. “And with you. Izuku and only Izuku. I know it’s going to be a journey to that point but I wouldn’t be trying if I didn’t know you could do it.”

 

“So can you Izuku? Can you do it?”

 

It was quiet for so long. He didn’t know what to say at first but he knew how he wanted to say it. So instead of thinking or worrying he just let the word come right out of him.

 

“Y-y-yes.” he muttered so quietly. “I-I w-w-will.”

Notes:

I always loved seeing sunsets. When I was younger I was normally avoided going outside at all because I was too terrified of being out in the open so I never got to see many. When I do get the chance though, I always stay out a bit longer than I should.

Next Chapter:

School Days

Chapter 46: School Days

Notes:

Hiya everyone!

Today I learned that google docs has a character limit. I just hit it with 276,000 words unexpectedly when I was writing some future chapters. Also, I couldn't help but feel like I wrote this chapter weirdly, I know I don't normally but I think it's to do with how I had to rewrite some stuff.

Anyway, hope you enjoy and have a nice day! <3

“It does seem to be intentional.” Nedzu confirmed with the two heroes across from his desk.

 

“The HPSC should be stopping any merchandise made on underground heroes that are too open.” Shouta recalled. “And yet we have at least three major store chains with clothing based on me.”

 

“Why are they even doing this? It doesn’t even mean anything unless they’re seriously trying to get Sho’ hurt.” Hizashi theorised.

 

Underground heroes were the way they were for two reasons. Either they were people who didn’t want the spotlight and just wanted to save people or they had a quirk that relied on it being kept secret. For Eraserhead, he had both of those as his reason.

 

Shouta hated the media but he also knew that he couldn’t be a good highlight hero. His quirk, with its sight as its condition, could be abused. Other heroes like Endeavor or All Might had quirks that didn’t rely on much thinking or preparation. Meanwhile, all it would take to render Erasure useless was a smoke bomb.

 

Arguably it was possibly even dangerous. If villains or even assassins wanted, they could use that condition against him. Flashbangs and tear gas were a bitch, especially when you were trained to keep your eyes open for as long as possible.

 

Not to mention how some quirks could take advantage of his, such as one that could turn someone to stone like Medusa. All in all, his quirk could be exploited easily and he sees that whenever his students are up against him.

 

So getting popular meant that special conditions were more well known. And more well known meant villains could be better equipped for it.

 

“I doubt they actually wish ill of Aizawa but this is certainly them trying to intimidate you.” Nedzu concluded.

 

“Why do they even want ‘Zuku so bad? I know his quirk is a strong one but is it worth it tangling with two of their own?” Hizashi wondered.

 

“The potential of Puppeteer is immeasurable when you consider we don’t know the full lengths it could go.” the rat stated.

 

“I thought it could only control inanimate objects?” the blond questioned.

 

It did. Clearly it did; but the question was what constituted ‘inanimate’? It didn’t mean organic because the kid could control fibres and wood with ease, so why did it have to stop at that? What about meat? Skin? Bones? How far can his kid’s quirk go?

 

Maybe he couldn’t do it to them when they’re alive but what if they’re dead? Could he puppet corpses? If he can, could he then take control of their quirks and use them? And from there what if someone were to go full Frankenstein and make a monster out of multiple quirks?

 

There were so many possibilities for the kid’s quirk that haven’t been answered. Nedzu suggested they do some tests in the future to find out now so nothing bad were to happen in the future.

 

‘God there was so much needed done.’ Shouta dreaded. Of course he’ll still do them. He wanted the best for Izuku but it was still a long list.

 

HIzashi was still talking to the Bakugou’s and arranging a meeting. It was set for late April from now when the kid would hopefully be in a better spot. Then there was the therapy. He had no clue how they were going to do that without a doll involved. Maybe they could ask Chiyo to do it. She had a way with kids. Inui was going to be handling his therapy so what’s another hero?

 

Finally there was getting the dolls out of the picture altogether. The illegal quirk use was something they needed to be careful with. They had discussed with Nedzu about registering Gala as a kind of really strange looking wheelchair. It would be a roundabout way of doing things but it was feasible according to him.

 

If they could do that, it would solve a lot of problems. At least until he got strong enough from physical therapy to not need it but by then he would be theirs.

 

“By the way, Aizawa, Yamada, I have finally received the date.” the rat stated.

 

“What for?” Shouta questioned.

 

“Why the date for when you should be expecting a home visit from HPSC.” Nedzu answered. “April 7th”

 

Hizashi looked at the mammal like he was joking. “That’s like, the first day of class!”

 

“Indeed. And a Monday no less. It seems they want to pop in at your busiest.” the rat noted.

 

“And when we’re more likely to have less time for housework.” Shouta added.

 

Nedzu took a brisk drink of his tea, swishing the cup around after. “I tried to have it changed but by then they said it was already ‘too late’.”

 

“What should we expect?” the black haired man questioned, wanting to know what they were up against.

 

“You can expect the same man you saw in the hospital, Aikani Eetay. From what I’ve found, his quirk allows him to record videos with his eyes and project them the same way.” Nedzu stated.

 

“I imagine they can be taken out of context.” Hizashi uttered, familiar with tabloids exaggerating everything.

 

“Not to worry. As long as things don’t look actually bad, which I hope they won’t, ‘your’ lawyers can fight it.” the rat replied even though the blond didn’t mean that as a question. “Of course you’ll get the day off so you can be there. I’ll have Kan cover your classes for the first day.”

 

“So what do we do about the merch?” the Voice hero pondered, that answer still not decided.

 

“We just keep to ourselves. I’ll make sure to ‘remind’ the HPSC to do their duty and even do some work myself if need be.” Nedzu instructed.

 

And with that, their meeting that day ended.

 

- - -

 

Gala sat down on the chair across from the large man in front of her. Izuku would be intimidated by the dog-like man if he hadn’t fought a rhino in the early days. That and being inside his shell, he was a lot more sociable.

 

“Izuku,” Hound Dog, the hero in front of him, started. “My name is Inui Ryo but please call me Ryo.”

 

“How does this work?” Izuku asked, not sure how this will help him.

 

He never knew therapy. Well, he knew what it was but he never understood exactly what happened in a session outside of what one would see in pop culture. That tends to be either meant for crazy people or useless in its goal. He knew that was mostly for the drama of it all or something there other so he isn’t really sure what to expect.

 

One thing he can say that’s different so far from the media he’s consumed is that this gruff man, who was almost as tall as Gala, is far from the ‘soft sounding therapists’ or the ‘ apathetic worker’ that he’s seen.

 

Despite his size he didn’t feel intimidating. The mask looked more like a fashion choice than an actual functioning muzzle, his body language was open and non-judgemental and most importantly he was calm. Something Izuku sorely needed if he was going to talk honestly.

 

That’s because of another thing that was happening besides therapy. He was in UA. He was in the school where heroes were born and it’s crazy he’s going to be visiting here every week for the foreseeable future. Even if he’s only meant to go straight to Ryo’s office.

 

It was near the end of the school year so it was clear things were frantic. A class graduating, new ones being moved in, exam results being published and retakes being arranged. The whole place was lively from the few looks he got.

 

Today was his first therapy session and it was honestly something he was excited about because of all the mentioned reasons. 

 

“We simply talk,” he stated. “We can talk about how you feel or about anything you want.”

 

Gala fiddled with their fingers, or rather Izuku ordered them to. “I don’t know where to start.”

 

“We can talk about why your puppet was doing that with its fingers.” Ryo noted. “I don’t suppose you accidentally did that.”

 

“No… or yes. I don’t know.” the shell uttered.

 

The man wrote a little on a clipboard he was holding. “Do you do little idle things like that often?”

 

“Yes. I think. Hitoshi said so.” he recalled. “He told me ever since I turned myself in I’ve become more connected to my dolls.”

 

“Do you feel more connected? Like they’re now an extension of yourself?” Ryo questioned, writing a bit more.

 

“I don’t think so. No I might.” Izuku corrected. “I can sometimes forget myself.”

 

“Like forgetting you exist and it’s only the doll?” he added.

 

Gala shifted a little. “Yes. Along those lines.”

 

“Do you like it?” 

 

“Yeah. It’s easier to be me if it’s through them.” the boy answered.

 

Ryo creaked his chair a little as he leaned back a bit. “Is it hard being you?”

 

Izuku hesitated at first. “A little. When it’s just the doll, I don’t think about how people will look at me.”

 

“And what kind of looks do you think they’d have if they saw you?” the man asked.

 

“I’m not sure,” he admitted.

 

He did know but he felt it sounded a bit hypocritical. He didn’t like being judged or told to do what he didn’t want. The second part isn’t bad, it's the first one. In truth he’s seen a lot from the cameras he’s watched through. It’s easy to be critical of others when no one can see you. He never voiced it but he thought it and it’s those thoughts that he sees in others.

 

It was honestly easier to have a buffer. 

 

Ryo’s eyes narrowed. Izuku wasn’t sure if he could tell that was a lie but if he did he seemed to let it go. “Can you tell me more about what happens when people do see you?”

 

“I freeze and immediately think about how to get away from them,” he stated. “Sometimes that means hurting people.”

 

“Is there a recent incident that comes to mind?” Ryo questioned.

 

Izuku explained what happened at the department store. How the woman completely ignored basic common sense and threw open the changing room curtain without thinking first. No, maybe she wasn’t thinking, maybe it was intentional and she was just doing that to hurt him.

 

“Why would you think that?” the hero puzzled.

 

Gala looked a bit away. “It doesn’t make sense otherwise.”

 

“Sometimes people do stupid things, other times there’s a reason but it often only makes sense to them. While I can say that the woman from the mall was certainly the first, I’m sure you can see how the other is possible.” he explained.

 

“Like how?” the boy questioned.

 

“Like how you feel people don’t understand why you want to be obscured.” Ryo worded. “I can’t understand your reasons, albeit they might be obvious to you.”

 

“But I thought I made it obvious?” Izuku said, confused.

 

“I know you have a problem with your self image. Just earlier you said you ‘turned yourself in’. Whilst certainly you are under custody of the Yamazawa’s, that is mostly for your own safety first and foremost.” the man recalled. 

 

He continued. “You also seem to place your dolls between yourself and anything that can be dangerous to you. I can’t understand what’s dangerous to you but I imagine you know those reasons better.”

 

“...” Gala was quiet. “Does therapy normally make me feel this exposed?”

 

“Sometimes. Is that alright?” the hero wanted to check.

 

“No. It makes me feel noticed.” Izuku typed.

 

“In a good way?”

 

“In a good way.”

 

The rest of the hour they had in therapy was… interesting. They talked more about what else makes Izuku panic and at first he was constantly judging Ryo’s face if he found it annoying or not but he seemed to listen and give his own thoughts on it all. It was certainly nice to be listened to like this. 

 

- - -

 

“So do you have everything ready?” Hizashi asked, checking over the Izuku.

 

It was the first day he was meant to go to Somei. Izuku would be going in his doll of course but he still needed to wear the uniform for some reason even though he hated it. It felt too cramped and he wanted to take it off, especially the tie which he fumbled a few times.

 

“Can I not wear the blazer?” Gala spoke. “No one would even see it.”

 

“Still need the complete uniform.” the blond said, looking over the kid but not touching him without his permission. “Here let me check your hair one more time.”

 

Meanwhile Shouta and Hitoshi were watching the whole thing, both thankful that Hizashi’s attention on clothes was away from them. Hitoshi liked being fussed over by the blond because that meant he cared sometimes it could be excessive. 

 

The purple haired boy was also doing something on his own, mainly getting Gala dressed. Obviously they couldn’t wear the robe so they had the idea of using the high school uniform for Somei to clothe them. 

 

At first they wondered, given the neutral gender of the doll given by Izuku, whether or not they should give it a female or male uniform. Shouta said it wouldn’t be logical to give it the skirt but the greenette liked the look of it so much on Gala that he refused to let it be changed.

 

Ultimately they wore a long beige skirt, big enough to reach down to their ankles because according to Hizashi, they would look shorter than if they had their legs exposed. 

 

The front of the shell’s chest had a button unbuttoned that allowed for Izuku to reach out and write comfortably with. It only exposed his hand which felt safer than having his whole body out and although it looked weird watching a tiny arm come out of the chest of a seven foot pale faced humanoid machine doll in a school uniform, it was better than nothing.

 

For the last week, the greenette has been trying to convince his foster parents to just use Gala to write but they wouldn’t have it. At least without a compromise he wasn’t capable of fulfilling yet. 

 

That being he was meant to practice writing with his hands every day to show he could. As well as doing arm exercises to build up his upper body strength. People underestimate just how much strength you build from flexing your arm, wrist and hand muscles every day.

 

The reason he wasn’t ready to do that yet was because… well… he actually didn’t know how to properly write. He could spell, yes, and do so perfectly, and he could read well but writing was not something he knew well. What with all of the habits and practice he didn’t have so he’d need to actually learn that first.

 

“I am fine. Please can we just go?” Gala said for him.

 

“You sound like you actually want to go.” Shouta commented.

 

Both the doll and the boy turned to black haired man. “No. I just don’t want to keep dealing with Hizashi’s worries on top of mine.”

 

“Sorry ‘Zuku. I didn’t mean to stress you out, I just want to make sure you look good in the picture.” the blond said, alarming Izuku.

 

“Picture?” Gala questioned calmly, misconstruing the slight panic on the greenette’s face.

 

“It’s just for the family. Only us, Tensei and Nemuri will see it.” he reassured. “Probably…” That last part was missed by Izuku as it was muttered under his breath. 

 

The Somei uniform was a mix of beiges and blues. For the most part it was a simple uniform with a blazer, button shirt, pants and brown shoes. Izuku added a nice ribbon to tie up his hair so it wouldn’t get in the way inside the doll. Hitoshi didn’t have anything remarkable looking about his clothes, unless you credit the eyebags and cloudy purple hair as being a fashion choice.

 

“Ah!” cried Hizashi. “Look at you both! So cute! Line up here and we can get the picture taken.”

 

Reluctantly, both Izuku and Hitoshi stood side by side with each other. The greenette stood a little back, using the arm of his much taller friend as a cover for himself. 

 

“C’mon lil’ listener’s! Give a smile!” the blond cheered.

 

Both of them smiled, the purple haired boy giving a teeth filled grin whilst Izuku’s was a lot shyer, struggling to look directly into the phone camera.

 

Today was going to be a long day.

 

- - -

 

Momo was more excited than she usually was when it came to the new school year. There were a few reasons for that. Firstly it meant she could get out of the house. She loved her parents and all but they were out most of the time and the mansion was so big that it felt like it was always empty.

 

Second was how her mother was getting weirdly more interested in her hero dream. At first she liked the support but it started to feel less like hero training and more like model work. Even though her quirk uses her lipids and she needed more energy than most people, her mother had been policing her food.

 

It was weird but hopefully she’ll grow out of it.

 

The next exciting thing though was that Hitoshi’s friend was coming to school. She heard so much about him and the fact that he was technically a vigilante and fought villains was exciting to hear. She wanted to ask him so much about it all, in a respectful way of course.

 

She wasn’t sure what to expect but she definitely wasn’t expecting a towering porcelain masked robot to be what he looked like. Obviously she knew it wasn’t him, he was inside the thing according to their teacher’s explanation but it was still weird to watch a puppet who towered over all of them wander over to the desk next to Hitoshi’s and plop itself down.

 

It didn’t take long for the rest of class, with the freedom of homeroom, to rush around the towering shell and start bombarding them with questions.

 

“Why are you hiding inside a costume?”

 

“Why is it wearing a skirt?”

 

“What do you look like?”

 

“Can we see you?”

 

The mechanical eyes of the doll blinked as it looked down at all of the crowding kids. It was hard to tell if he was being overwhelmed or not but from the glances made over to Hitoshi, she got the idea that he was unsure how to proceed.

 

“Hey.” Hitoshi called, bringing the attention of the kids to him. “Stop bothering my friend. He can’t answer you if you’re all crowding around him.”

 

“I agree!” Tenya concurred, chopping his hands. “We cannot overwhelm our new classmate, please give them space and allow them to answer questions in their own time!”

 

With the aid of both the robotic acting boy and the lazed purple kid, the small crowd parted. Being near the end of the year, there were fewer things being done in class. Meaning it might be better to wait for then instead of now.

 

For the entire rest of the homeroom it seemed like Midoriya only wanted to talk to Hitoshi. Momo wanted to talk as well but she knew if she did it’ll cause other kids to go over so she’ll leave it to lunch.

 

After the end of homeroom, everyone hurried out for an assembly meant to highlight the best students in their class (one of which will be her). Most students didn’t like the speeches the principal did but the girl liked them. Sure others might find them boring but she enjoyed taking apart their word choice and coming up with better synonyms for them. 

 

Having a quirk that requires remembering atomic compositions forced her to learn different ways matter can be formulated and she found herself constantly thinking of different, easier formulas to use. This just happens to extend to everything now, especially as she trained her quirk more.

 

Despite that though, even she knew they were taking longer than usual, using some metaphor to do with books and trees that she wasn’t sure about. The entire time she noticed how many of the other years were looking over at Midoriya, probably just as confused as she initially… no still was.

 

After all of that, the class returned for a free period (they had finished their English classes) and finally some of those questions could, hopefully, be answered. The teacher decided, for Midoriya’s sake, that the period should be spent so everyone could introduce themselves to the boy and passed around a ball so that everyone would only speak when they had it.

 

Most introductions were normal, Hitoshi’s quirk naturally got looks from kids who clearly didn’t like him, but besides that everything was ok. But after every introduction, though, everyone would ask Midoriya a question on what he is. Surprisingly, he answered them all quite well.

 

“I don’t like being looked at.”

 

“Gala, my doll, looks nice in them.”

 

“Green hair, freckles, green eyes.”

 

“No, you can’t see me.”

 

Then it came around to his introduction. Midoriya looked down at the ball and blinked using the machine's eyes before turning up to speak.

 

“My name is Midoriya Izuku. Please call me Izuku. I like the colour green and my quirk is called Puppeteer. I can animate objects using my spinal fluid.”

 

That earned some oohs and ahhs but also some strange looks when they heard the name ‘Puppeteer’. Maybe on its own it wouldn’t mean much but given how those same kids glanced over at his friend, the brainwasher, she could tell they were having some stupid thoughts about both of them.

 

But to her surprise, his question wasn’t for his friend but for her. She slightly shivered when the metal eyes shifted in her direction due to how real they looked. 

 

“Yaoyorozu, what are the limits of your Creation?” the vaguely robotic voice asked.

 

“Oh,” she exclaimed, “well I can create anything as long as I know the atomic composition, I have the available lipids and enough surface area on my body.” 

 

Something in the doll’s, Gala’s, eyes glowed. “So you don’t need to know the function? If you were to make a phone for example.”

 

“I never tried it but I would assume that none of the software would be on it.” she explained.

 

“Are you able to write software as part of the composition? Discs are made by marking in data onto them, are you able to make those kinds of details?” Izuku questioned.

 

“Well… I’m not su-”

 

“Momo, Midoriya, please remember there are other people who need to introduce themselves.” Tenya notified, snapping the two out of their sudden Q&A.

 

“Ah!” Momo gasped. “I’m sorry.”

 

“I am sorry.” Izuku apologised as well.

 

The introduction than continued on and the conversation they had was left for now though Momo was sure it would pick up when they broke for lunch.

 

- - -

 

Izuku was in a constant state of vigilance here. He was nervous going in but now that he was inside the building he felt even more alert. He couldn’t explain why but it was likely because he was in constant conversation and unlike the mall or in the house, he can’t just walk away from it all or hide somewhere.

 

Gala was a lifesaver. He can’t imagine lasting thirty seconds being asked all those questions if he wasn’t hiding behind them. He’d probably freak out, have a panic attack and need to go home early. 

 

At first he was a little bored. He had the monitor inside though and it had internet access as good as a phone’s so he watched some videos whilst he multitasked paying attention to the general gist of the award ceremony.

 

The icebreakers after were also tiring. Being constantly asked something about himself and needing to answer felt like he was being exposed, it’s why he kept his answers punchy and to the point so he didn’t have to say much.

 

Then he got distracted by Yaoyorozu’s, or Momo as she permits him, quirk. The idea of it was phenomenal. He wanted to learn so much more about it. It was the same for everyone else in that class. There were so many quirks he wanted to dive into and find out the mechanics behind them.

 

Admittedly some of those thoughts were a bit graphic, like wanting to cut open Iida’s calf to see the engine better. 

 

When lunch broke out, he kept close to Hitoshi. He knew who his friends were but didn’t want to act like he knew them right off the bat, letting them be the ones to introduce him. 

 

“There’s a spot over by the trees we normally sit at.” Hitoshi explained, holding Gala’s hand to lead them along.

 

They both sat down at the edge of the playground, where a few trees were clustered together, resting on the grass. Despite how it had rained earlier, the ground was dry under the shade which was good.

 

Soon enough they were joined by Momo and Iida, the two sitting over by Hitoshi first due to them probably still being as weary as he was.

 

“Hello.” Gala greeted, waving their hand.

 

“It is a pleasure to meet you Midoriya.” Iida greeted first, bowing his head a bit.

 

“Call me Izuku. I don’t like Midoriya.” the boy stated.

 

“Apologies!” exclaimed Iida. “I did not know. In that case please call me Tenya, I hope to be friends with you like I am with Hitoshi.”

 

“Thank you, Tenya. I hope so too.” Gala replied.

 

The doll then turned over to look at Momo. “Do you know the answer to my disc question?”

 

“Uh, yes. I don’t know if I can do those kinds of exact details.” she stammered a little before seeming to give some more thought into it. “...Actually, my nesting dolls are kind of like that.”

 

“So it’s possible?” the boy questioned.

 

“Possibly.” she replied.

 

“Ok, Izuku, remember you need to eat lunch.” Hitoshi reminded him. He needed to continue building up his strength.

 

Gala reached for the box with his lunch in it and opened it, all the while Tenya and Momo watched curiously on how exactly he will eat when he’s inside the doll. Their faces jumped in shock when the button up shirt of the doll opened up a little and a small pair of hands pried it open just a bit, enough room for a fork full of rice to fit through.

 

“You’re really staying inside there?” Momo commented.

 

“I don’t like being seen.” Gala stated, turning their head to look at her.

 

“Izuku just prefers things this way.” Hitoshi explained for him.

 

The girl nodded and they all continued with their food. The next few minutes of lunch were quiet mostly because everyone was focusing on eating. The packed katsudon Hizashi made helped him feel less pressured at the exposure to the open air. 

 

That quiet didn't last long though, when as soon as they were finished with their meal, Izuku and Momo went back to one questioning the other. He honestly never expected to actually have a conversation the first day but the girl’s quirk was so fascinating that he couldn’t help but ask more and more questions.

 

Thankfully he doesn’t think she was annoyed by it, he thinks. Maybe she is and is just hiding it well. Either way he wasn’t going to stop until he was told to.

 

Or someone interrupted them.

 

Whilst Hitoshi was busy napping a little and Tenya looked through his tests he got back for the year, a few kids had walked up to them.

 

“Hey!” a boy called, who had black fluffy hair and a white streak through it. He jogged up to the trees with a small group of people. “Izuku, is it?”

 

The doll turned their head to face them. The sight of a bunch of children crowding around him always felt stressful. More often than not kids don’t hold back, he should know he is one. “Yes.”

 

“Does your quirk work on people?” he asked, Dachane he recalled his name being.

 

“On the living, no.” the doll replied. “Why?”

 

“Oh, nothing much. Was just worried we were going to have another brainwasher walking around.” he answered, taking a momentary glance at Hitoshi who stirred from his nap the second he realised someone was talking to his friend.

 

“Why should that be a worry?” Gala asked, knowing the answer already.

 

“Well, it’s just,” he sputtered a little at the question. “It’s a scary quirk isn’t it?”

 

The purple haired boy was sitting up, ready to probably bite back. Momo and Tenya looked the same with each of their own arguments but Izuku had the three of them beat with a response none of them expected.

 

“My quirk can be scary.” the doll said coldly.

 

Everyone paused at the mention of that. The cold and calm robotic voice of Gala probably makes that statement come off a lot more threatening than expected. Dachane just stood there, clearly nervous at the statement.

 

“Wh-what do you mean?” the monochrome haired kid uttered.

 

“I mean…” and the doll was commanded to stand, bringing them up to the seven foot height they were, dwarfing every kid there. “...all quirks can be used for something dangerous. It’s just a matter of how it’s used. Like how I can use mine to cause a school tie to strangle the person wearing it. You understand what I mean?”

 

“I- W-well-” he stammered, shrinking a little at the way the doll stared him down.

 

Gala leaned a little, as if they were looking to hear better, their pale porcelain face staring down at the offending boy. “I'm sorry, I can't seem to hear you. What were you saying?”

 

“B-be… be…” he stuttered, shifting back ever so slightly. “F-forget it! I don’t want to say anything else!”

 

And he turned and quickly walked away, the other kids after him. With them gone and probably too scared to bother them again, Gala sat back down on the grass and turned their head to Momo.

 

“Theoretically, could you create a body part with your quirk?” Izuku immediately picked up the conversation before he was interrupted.

 

The friends just looked at the doll, three different expressions amongst them. Tenya looked slightly at a loss at what to say, unsure whether to chastise him or not given how he didn’t do anything wrong. Momo was stunned, looking a little whiplashed at being asked a question like what happened was nothing. 

 

And then there was Hitoshi who just froze for a moment, creased his lips to a grin and let out a short laugh before turning over and going back to his nap.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Dark Fairy

Chapter 47: Dark Fairy

Notes:

Sorry for the late upload! AO3 maintenance and stuff. Didn't know it was back up until I got an email saying one of the fics I'm reading got a new chapter. Anyway, here is a new one!

Also, I've been thinking about writing something else (don't worry, I'm still writing this and won't be finished any time soon). Not sure what though. I have a bunch of ideas but I'm not sure what to do with them. Should I talk about them and see what you all think or should I just upload them and surprise yall.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and have a nice day! <3

“So how has school been?” Ryo questioned. “It’s been a week, hasn’t it?”

 

Gala nodded. “Yes. It has been interesting but also difficult.”

 

“It has?” the canine questioned, not surprised but considerate. The doll nodded. “Well, let’s start with the good, how is it interesting?”

 

“I never said it was good.” Izuku made sure to clarify. 

 

Ryo corrected himself. “Ok, then how has it been interesting?”

 

In many ways. Besides that first day confrontation there hadn't been any other problems there but it was clear everyone in the classroom, besides his friends, were giving him a wide berth. Be it in the hallway or during group work, he’s always talked to as a ‘last resort’.

 

It didn’t hurt him as much as one might think, he had Hitoshi after all, but even then he couldn't help but feel it more personally on Friday when he was paired with another kid who just ignored him the whole activity. Hitoshi was in the same situation but given how he’s used to that (he shouldn’t be but that’s just how life is) and Izuku wasn’t, he still felt it more.

 

There were also the eyes he got during lunch and when he was writing. The classes where he had to open up Gala’s shirt a little and poke his arms out to write, made everyone hold their breath. He didn’t know why but from what Hitoshi told him when he asked, it looked creepy watching a small pair of pale hands stretch out of a seven foot tall doll.

 

One night they watched a horror movie, well Izuku watched one Hitoshi slept through most of it. It was a pre-quirk one that had shown a pale woman with long wet black hair climbing through a TV. His friend happened to be awake during that part and pointed out how it looked just like Izuku did when he stretched out of Gala.

 

The greenette didn’t understand. Sure the movie was ‘scary’ (inspiring is a better word he’d use) but surely he wasn’t as ‘creepy’ as the girl on screen?

 

He voiced this all out to Ryo, who listened to it all and looked amused when the boy ranted about horror and how he didn’t understand how it could be scary. “It looks like you don’t like being seen as scary, but at the same time you do.”

 

“I’m fine with Gala and my dolls being scary but I don’t like it being me.” the boy rationalised.

 

It was true. He didn’t want to be seen as scary, to those who he cared about but to everyone else he wanted to be that way. It felt easier when there were less people to think about and keep track of.

 

“How do you want to be seen?” Ryo questioned, writing on his clipboard as always.

 

“I want to be seen as me. Not like a monster. I want people to like me.” he explained.

 

The canine halted in his writing a moment. “Everyone?” 

 

“No. No. Yes. I don’t know.” Gala stated his thoughts confusingly. “I like it when Hitoshi, Hizashi, Shouta, Nemuri and Tensei all call me adorable.”

 

The boy inside the doll blushed a little as he said that. He wasn’t sure why but given how Ryo wrote down something almost immediately he seemed to have an idea. “Okay, now tell me what is ‘difficult’.”

 

“That there is nothing interesting.” Izuku stated.

 

“That seems a bit of a contradiction.” the hero joked.

 

Gala looked down into their hands and twiddled their fingers together. “Besides writing and history, there’s nothing really interesting about school so far.”

 

“Well, you’ve only just begun. I’m sure in April you’ll be getting much more difficult work.” Ryo reassured.

 

“But I’ve already done third year math and science. How is it any different now?” he whined through the doll.

 

The man across from him narrowed his eyes and seemed to close them in thought as he set down his book. “Izuku, how far did you get in your online education?”

 

“I mostly focused on anything computer so I did a lot of the math courses.” he explained. “I also did some of the science because they were fun.”

 

“And how much was that? Math I mean.” the hero clarified.

 

“Up to second year middle school,” he answered.

 

“Okay…” Ryo uttered. “I’m going to have to chat with your parents about that.”

 

- - -

 

“And that’s why I have different math homework than the rest of you.” Izuku explained to Tenya, Momo and Hitoshi.

 

“I see.” the girl simply said but her expression was that of amazement. 

 

“It is commendable how far you have gotten in your studies Izuku.” the boy with glasses remarked.

 

The greenette flushed a little at the compliment but the doll said differently. “I merely needed to know it for when I was seeking out the Dragons.”

 

“Then that just proves that being educated and knowledgeable is vital when combating villainy.” Tenya nodded along enthused.

 

The four of them were at their usual spot, enjoying the shade. They hadn’t been bothered ever since Dachane made those comments about his friend. Though Izuku always had his phone and Hitoshi’s, he’d rather watch the other children play or chat with either Tenya or Momo about their respective quirks.

 

Tenya’s quirk fascinated him in its fuel source. Orange juice. According to him, carbonated drinks stalled his engines. That made the puppeteer wonder what would happen if he drank carbonated orange juice and apparently, according to the boy, the answer was an engine failure that usually required medical attention. There was so much wondering on how exactly his quirk worked.

 

It also helped that because of the Iida’s long history of having this quirk, many of them could be answered on the spot. Apparently vitamin C is the main fuel source and fruit drinks are the easiest way of acquiring them outside of supplements. Supplements, of course, were disliked because who wants to swallow tablets and pills when you could drink something tasty.

 

It did make him wonder if there was a way to put vitamin C into things that weren't fruit. Or maybe a way of compacting the vitamins in a pill that can turbo charge his quirk. Like nitro.

 

But enough geeking out. There was a new problem that came up and it deserved his full attention.

 

“Tenya,” Momo started, “I’ve noticed you haven’t gone on your runs anymore. I, of course, welcome you here with us but I can’t help but notice that.”

 

The blue haired boy looked a bit surprised she noticed that but turned sheepish when he explained. “Some of the older kids had settled where I regularly run through.”

 

“Why haven’t you told them to clear the way?” Hitoshi asked, looking up from his phone.

 

“I have tried but they refused.” Tenya stated, slightly frustrated. “I had talked to a teacher about it but they said that they can’t tell them to move just so I can run through there.”

 

“Where is this?” Izuku questioned.

 

“Just over there.” he pointed towards a small crowd of kids. The way they were gathered, it would be hard to get past them. Tenya’s quirk was about him going top speed and pushing that limit, speed bumps would hinder his training. 

 

“I can try something.” the greenette stated, not like a question but as if he was going to do it with or without his approval. 

 

The blue haired boy quickly shook his head. “No need. My brother and I still go on our evening runs when he’s available. Thank you anyhow, Izuku.”

 

“Still,” Hitoshi uttered as he sat up from where he was lying on the grass. “They’re kind of blocking other kids from getting past them.”

 

Tenya nodded in agreement. “It is but as long as they are not being intentionally disruptive, nothing can be done.”

 

‘Nothing can be done...’ thought Izuku. ‘Maybe not by doing things normally.’

 

- - -

 

“Shouta, can I buy some dolls?” Izuku typed into his phone, looking up at the man using the same puppy eyes he had been taught and trained with.

 

They were in the living room, the man and him were sitting on the couch, helped onto it by Gala. Ezuku was sitting between the two humans, mostly for Izuku’s own desire for personal space.

 

The man in question rubbed his eyes at the sight. “That depends, are these dolls the normal kind or your kind?”

 

“Normal.” he answered. Truthful on a technicality.

 

Shouta narrowed his eyes on the boy. “Are you planning to use your quirk on them?”

 

“No.” Now that was a lie.

 

“Kid, I don’t know what to say but you’re obviously lying.” he commented with a sigh.

 

A slight look of shock came over Izuku’s face. “No I’m not! I swear! How do you even know?”

 

“I can’t tell you that because I know then you would stop doing it.” he argued softly. “Now what do you want for dinner?

 

“I want cake.” Izuku stated. “You owe me it now.”

 

The black haired man looked down at the boy with a twinge of confusion. “How does that make sense?”

 

The greenette rocked a bit as he typed out his response. “It’s how you’re going to make it up to me for being such a disappointment.”

 

There was a sputter in the kitchen, Hizashi almost dropping a cup he was washing after hearing his response. Thankfully it was what he needed to piggyback off of to bring the conversation to where he wanted.

 

“See, Hizashi agrees.” the boy stated, laying out the bait.

 

Shouta glanced between him and the kitchen, the divider between the rooms letting him see the blond looking over to watch their conversation. “How is nearly smashing a glass a ‘yes’?”

 

“You don’t understand. Hizashi!” the phone said at high volume. “Help me!”

 

“Hey ‘Zuku!” he chimed, leaving the dishes as he answered to his foster son’s cries. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Shouta isn’t letting me buy a doll.” he said, obviously aware he was listening to their conversation the whole time.

 

“Why do you need a new doll? Is little Ezuku not enough?” he asked, reaching down to pat the green doll on the head.

 

Now it was time to employ a tactic he saw online after he researched more into ways he could get people to do what he wanted. After grabbing his cat doll and pulling him close, turning the feline’s head so it faced the blond and finally making sure the jumper he wore was one of the bigger ones, he answered.

 

“B-b-but Ezuku i-is l-lonely. I w-want him t-to have some f-friends.” he stuttered, using his own voice whilst his lips formed a pout.

 

It was instant how fast Hizashi’s face scrunched up from the sweetness of his attack. For what he needed to work, he had to have both of his foster parents aware he was getting a new doll. That way if they find it later they won’t be having to have this conversation again.

 

The blond turned to his husband, eyes fighting back from giving in. “Sho’, surely one more wouldn’t hurt?”

 

“Hah…” the black haired man sighed, he was weak to anything Hizashi suggested, much more than his. “Fine. But we need to see what it is before you order it.”

 

‘Success.’ thought the boy.

 

He immediately picked up his phone and looked up what he already picked out. It was a simple plastic doll meant to be a part of a massive chain. It was of a blond woman but after he was done, they will be something else. Something transformed.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was stepping out of his room after putting on some new clothes. He just had a shower after training and was about to head down for a snack when he heard some sounds coming from Izuku’s room.

 

‘That’s odd. He normally used his headphones when listening to stuff.’ the boy recalled.

 

He walked up to his door and knocked a few times, hearing the sounds stop and Gala asking who it was. “Hitoshi.” the purple haired kid answered.

 

“Ok.” the doll said, opening the door for him.

 

Izuku was sitting on his bed, blanket wrapped around him and emerald green eyes watching him as he entered. He had his monitor for his computer turned towards the bed but a quick look he saw that a new tab had been opened, probably done to stop him from seeing what he was doing.

 

It was normal. His friend usually didn’t like people knowing what he was doing, even when it didn’t matter or it was something small. Dad had to take him aside and tell him that he didn’t need to sneak to the bathroom every time he needed to go or leave it. 

 

That lecture was done when Papa was forced to wait thirty minutes outside the bathroom because Izuku didn’t want to leave with someone out there.

 

It was a weird thing but he wasn’t going to question it. He knew there were things that he would never understand when it came to Izuku and he was fine with that.

 

But right now, despite everything seeming normal, there was this tension in the air. Not hostile but like he needed to hold his breath. “What are you up to?”

 

“A surprise.” the greenette answered, hands shuffling under the blanket.

 

“Oh, for who?” he questioned.

 

Gala picked up the desk chair and set it in front of him. “Sit down.”

 

Hitoshi stared at the chair for a moment, not sure where this was going but accepted anyway and plopped down onto the seat. He didn’t know what Izuku was messing with on his bed but he got the feeling he was going to find out real quick.

 

“Ok,” the purple haired boy uttered once he was settled. “What is it?”

 

“Remember when I told you I wanted to show you one of my scary dolls but never got the chance to?” the doll spoke for him.

 

“...Yeah.” Hitoshi said nervously.

 

He watched the greenette shift under the covers and looked up at him for a moment, as if to contemplate whatever he was about to do. It felt like the same tension you’d get when watching a horror movie. The moment where you’re left holding your breath, just before a telegraphed scare.

 

“...Think fast!” Gala yelled and Izuku lifted the covers to throw something at Hitoshi.

 

It was dark and had long spindly arms and skittered around his body like a spider the second it touched him. He almost shrieked when it went straight for his face and immediately jumped off the chair and shook it off.

 

When he got to the other side of the room he couldn’t see the thing anymore, vanished out of the air. “What was that?!” he shouted.

 

“It’s my new doll!” Gala said elated, the high volume still up. “Did you think it was scary?”

 

“Where did it go?!” he panicked, looking down at the ground for where it could be.

 

Both Gala and Izuku looked up and it was almost with great reluctance that he did too. But he did anyway and the sight that caught him was something you’d get from a nightmare. Spiders were terrifying creatures, there was a reason they were a symbol of fear, their long legs and dark body but what was most terrifying was their speed.

 

While this thing wasn't a spider in the typical sense, it matched those three things well. 

 

It looked like a barbie doll that had been dyed black, her hair once a gold blond now a dirty oily charcoal. Her limbs too were marred ebony and the entire thing was naked, any clothes stripped making it look like some dark creature. It had no extra limbs but it did have something on its back. They looked vaguely like…

 

“Isn’t it cool?” Izuku typed through Gala.

 

“It’s creepy as hell. Why did you make it?” he uttered, still staring up at the thing as it skittered along the ceiling and landed next to the puppeteer on the bed.

 

There was a change on Izuku’s face as soon as he gave that response. “Did I scare you too much?”

 

“I…” Hitoshi stuttered as he realised he was still shouting a little. “...yeah. Just please don’t do something like that again.”

 

“O-oh.” the greenette himself muttered quietly. He typed into his phone and Gala spoke. “I’m sorry. I wanted to have fun.”

 

“Thank you…” he replied, still eyeing the spider doll cautiously. “Why did you make it again?”

 

“Her name is Halo, and I made her to scare some people.” the shell explained.

 

“Scare who? You know you’re not allowed to do that to anyone outside of the house.” the boy was ready to chastise.

 

Ever since Izuku has been taken into his dad’s custody there have been some legal rules he’s had to follow. Any puppets created must be done with express alerting of either Dad or Papa; and besides Gala, no puppets are permitted to be shown in public or used in public in any way. 

 

Izuku shuffled a little in place. “No one will know Hitoshi.”

 

“Izuku, seriously this will get you into a lot of trouble,” he argued.

 

“But I wanted to scare those kids who stopped Tenya from running!” he tried to explain.

 

Did he mean those older kids? He didn’t think Izuku was still thinking about that. Tenya himself had said it was fine because he trained with his brother. “Tenya doesn’t need help, Izuku.”

 

He walked over to the bed and tried to sit down next to him, still eyeing the doll, Halo, in the corner of his eye. The greenette threw the covers over himself, hiding as he was clearly annoyed. He typed on his phone.

 

“I thought you’d understand.” Gala spoke for him.

 

“What would I understand?” he questioned, reaching out and setting a hand just next to the lump that was Izuku. “C’mon, tell me.”

 

“You know I scared all of those teachers,” he reminded him.

 

Yes, Fright Night. He genuinely has almost forgotten that. It felt so long ago now that he remembers it. Izuku did all of that for him, scared all of those teachers just because they didn’t do their damn jobs and be adults. 

 

“I’m grateful Izuku, really…” he started. “...But I still think you shouldn’t have done that.”

 

There was a visible jump under the blanket. “Why?”

 

“Because…” 

 

It wasn’t the right thing to do. Sure it was good to do something like that morally but it didn’t matter if it was when it went against the law. There might be some flaws with the law but it’s needed to keep order. Was he happy about what happened because of Izuku’s actions? Yes. But was he happy about what he did to accomplish that? No.

 

Hitoshi knows the system fails. Both of them do. They’re made by imperfect people, people he’s seen fail him but that doesn’t mean there isn't some importance to it all. But that wasn’t the main reason.

 

The main reason was, he didn’t want Izuku to get in trouble. Either with the law or something in himself. He doesn’t know what goes on inside his head for the most part but he can tell he has a weird sense of justice. One where everything is like a deal. 

 

Hisashi killed his mom, so he planned to kill Hisashi. Aldera’s teachers bully him? He’ll put the fear of god in them. Some schoolyard bullies call Hitoshi creepy, he’ll creep them out.

 

It was technically fine. But it could easily get out of control. They only just barely stopped him from killing Hisashi. If he did succeed then, he would definitely not have come home and would already be in the HPSC’s clutches. They’re on thin ice already so why risk it? At least until he’s finally a Yamazawa.

 

The problem is Izuku’s convinced he can get away with it, and maybe he can but that won’t make things better. So what he needs to say is…

 

“...doing that will make you just like them.”

 

“Why is that a problem?” Gala questioned.

 

The purple haired kid shuffled a bit and looked down at Izuku, knowing he was watching through Gala’s eyes. “Because those kids are bad, aren’t they?”

 

“...Yeah.”

 

“And they act like villains.” he reasoned.

 

“...Yeah.”

 

“So doing what they’re doing to other kids, scaring them away, will make you a villain too, right?” he explained. 

 

The greenette was quiet. “Like Hisashi?”

 

Hitoshi nodded. “Yeah, like Hisashi.”

 

The covers ruffled and were thrown up as his friend turned to look at him. “But how do I fix it?”

 

“Izuku, there’s nothing to fix.” the purple haired kid assured.

 

His emerald eyes looked at him, confusion clear on his face and maybe what seemed to be a bit of frustration as he typed. “But there is! Tenya can’t run around the playground anymore!”

 

“And he’s fine with that,” he explained.

 

Izuku looked at him with clear disbelief. “You can’t know that.”

 

“Then how about you ask him tomorrow?” Hitoshi suggested. “If it turns out he is bothered by it, and I mean really, you can go ahead with what you want to do. If not, then just leave it be.”

 

“...” the greenette glared before reaching his hand out to grasp his. “Promise?”

 

He took it.

 

“Promise.”

 

- - -

 

The next day at lunch, Hitoshi could see Izuku practically tremble inside the doll as he was clearly waiting to ask Tenya the burning question. The second the blue haired kid sat down to open up his lunch, Gala practically jumped up from where they were sitting.

 

“Tenya, are you still bothered you can’t run?” he questioned, completely ignoring any pleasantries.

 

Tenya looked up from his meal, obviously a bit taken back by the lack of greeting but knew that Izuku didn’t really do greetings. “No.” he answered.

 

Gala froze and Hitoshi swore he could hear a record scratch from inside the doll. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yes. While yes it is unfortunate, I’ve actually found another route to do my running on.” he answered.

 

“Oh, where?” Momo questioned, seeming curious. “Wait, does this have to do with you talking to the teacher?”

 

The blue haired kid nodded. “Yeah, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I can run in the gymnasium. It’s smaller than the playground but I can go full speed without having to worry about bumping into someone.”

 

The two friends continued to chat about that topic whilst Hitoshi just watched Gala from his napping spot. She wasn’t looking at Tenya anymore and was instead gazing out to where the older kids were. He couldn’t tell what he was thinking but shuffled up next to the doll to talk with him.

 

“See. Problem’s fixed itself.” he told him. 

 

“Did you know?” Izuku questioned, an undertone of frustration prevalent.

 

“No, but I had an idea. I also noticed him talking to the teachers yesterday.” he answered. “But I couldn’t have known until it was asked.”

 

“So you just ask?” the boy repeated. 

 

“Sometimes. Other times you’ve got to act but that’s only when you’re sure talking doesn’t work anymore.” Hitoshi explained. “I know it might feel easier to just act first, ask questions later but I know just talking can do a lot. It helped you after all.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku continued looking out at the kids. He always avoided just speaking because it was easier to get what he wanted by doing it. Having his dolls do all the work, either intimidating, fighting or punching.

 

The idea that there were other ways to get what he wanted… no. He’s kind of already seen that. The lady at the mall and how he shut her down with a recording, how he manipulated Shouta and Hizashi into giving him Halo, how he scared off that ostrich quirked kid. Even far back like how he lured the erasure hero away from what he wanted twice, first time from the principal of Aldera to the documents in his office.

 

There was so much he could do without having to actually hurt people to get it. Maybe he should do it more often.

 

Maybe a new idea has come up in his mind.

 

“Thank you…” Gala uttered, this realisation drawing upon him. “...for telling me that. You’re right. I don’t need to force people to act with my actions.” 

 

Hitoshi smiled. “Great to hear that.”

 

‘Because I can do it much better with my words.’ the boy thought to himself.

 

Later that night, Izuku opened his bedroom window and let out Halo. As she stepped on the windowsill, a mini camera and microphone in hand, she jumped out. On her back, plastic flaps from a flying spin toy sprout and she takes off like a dark fairy fluttering through the night.

 

Where does she go? Only Izuku knows. And if all goes well, only he will know in the end.

Notes:

It's time to finally get into more of the puppeteering aspect of Izuku.

Next Chapter:

The Future

Chapter 48: The Future

Notes:

Hiya everybody! Hope this weekends treating you good.

We surpassed 200k words by the way with this so yay!

This chapter is a lot more fluff before we get into something more serious. That and setting the ground work for something in the future. Hope you enjoy it!

Have a nice day! <3

Tenya was coming back from his lunch. He had been running around the gymnasium as per he had arranged with the teacher. It was almost the end of the school year but in all honesty the only thing that will change is the new subject material and the different classroom. 

 

It would be their third year that they’d start taking tests to see how they’re doing in their education and he intends to be fully prepared for it. He’s going to be a hero after all so he needs to be on top of his game if he wants to get into UA, even if that is six years away.

 

That school only holds the best of the best and so he needs to get a head start on everyone. Even his friends Hitoshi and Momo were doing their own training. He didn’t know if Izuku was though. There were many thoughts about him that he had about the boy. 

 

Firstly, he knew that it would be hard for him to become a hero due to him being afraid of people, or rather being physically exposed to them. Having a friendly and comforting face for those in need is necessary to becoming a good hero worthy of the title. Be that with calming words, soothing charisma or an aura of confidence. 

 

He can’t understand the reason for his fear of people but he knew that it is something he shouldn’t judge. He doesn’t know if Izuku wants to be a hero or not, but with his experience and skills it would be a loss if he didn’t. So odds were, he was planning to be a hero and if so he must find a way to be more sociable, even if it is through a puppet.

 

Of course that was his view before talking to his friends about his thoughts. According to Hitoshi he said that sociability wasn’t as necessary as one thought for heroism. Apparently there are many heroes who don’t interact with the public at all besides pleasantries. He asked Tensei and he agreed and even showed him some. 

 

Heroes like Overlord, Saneki, Nighteye and Nedzu are all heroes who do stuff where people don’t see them and from what he said they were important in a lot of raids you hear about on TV. Does that mean Izuku wanted to be one of those people? Likely.

 

All of these thoughts and more he’s had during his runs. It’s what keeps him from feeling bored when sprinting until he gets that moment where he starts feeling fantastic. ‘Runner’s high’ his brother called it.

 

He was just coming down from that and leaving the gym when he accidentally bumped into someone he recognised. “Apologies Dachane!”

 

The black and white haired boy fumbled a little. “Oh, hey Iida. I was just looking for you.”

 

“Ah! You were? Do you need something?” he asked.

 

“Well…” he looked a bit nervous and looked around before leaning in a little and whispering. “Is Midoriya a bit weird to you?”

 

“What do you mean?” Tenya questioned, whispering too for some reason.

 

“Well it’s just, it’s weird that he hides inside that creepy doll you know?” he asked rhetorically. “I mean, don’t you want to know what he looks like under it?”

 

It has certainly been a thought he’s had every day since he met him and seen him but if Izuku doesn’t want to leave his puppet, Tenya will not pry. He does have an idea on how the boy looked though.

 

“I imagine he doesn’t look any different than how he is expected to look.” he replied, referring to the news report on Izuku a couple years back.

 

“Wait, you know what he looks like?” the other boy wondered, surprised.

 

“Not currently. Did you not know he was on the news a few years back?” he clarified.

 

“No? When was that?” he uttered, very curious now.

 

That’s when Tenya caught himself saying something he probably shouldn’t. His brother told him about keeping things from the press and not spreading rumors around. He had to because those journalists tend to be vicious. He shouldn’t talk about this, not without Izuku’s permission.

 

“I am sorry, but I can’t say anymore. If you want to know more, I suggest you talk to Izuku about it.” the blue haired kid ended.

 

“Aw, c’mon dude.” Dachance whined.

 

“Sorry, I will not talk about my friend behind his back.” he chastised. “Now I must return to class and you should too. The bell is about to ring.”

 

And he walked off, feeling a bit bad that he still made a mistake and gave up information in the first place. Oh well, it isn’t as if he can get anything from just that.

 

- - -

 

Hizashi was getting excited today. That was because today marked the halfway point to them getting proper custody and Izuku and adoption. It was exciting stuff. Especially when the kid had been doing so well.

 

According to Inui, he had been moving along nicely in therapy. They haven’t touched much on the isolation stuff and being afraid of people in deep detail but according to him he is keeping that until Izuku has fully settled.

 

Meanwhile on physical therapy, they had started some last week. They decided that seeing as how they are in UA for his other type of therapy, why not do both there? It certainly makes things easier for Izuku. Chiyo has been fantastic as she always was but even she’s having troubles getting the kid to listen to her.

 

For one, he doesn’t like stepping out of his puppet for anything unnecessary and unfortunately he’s convinced himself that walking isn’t necessary. And even when they finally did manage to get him out, through a promise of more plush dolls, they could only do so much when he was fighting against getting better.

 

So progress there has been slow but here’s hoping things will get along nicely soon. There’s still some worries about his mobility. Muscle atrophy was still prevalent. Thankfully the room they had had a pool available to do the strengthening with. Over time he will get better but he can see too that things will be difficult for him in the future.

 

But enough of those thoughts, today was meant to be a fun day out. It was the break before the new school year and to celebrate they were going to a theme park to celebrate. 

 

The kids had been excited for it all week and it was going to be all four of them, like a family. No, are a family. He had a family now. He still can’t believe in just three years he’d end up with two kids. Not that he was complaining.

 

Shouta didn’t want to go at first, being the unfun grouch he was, but with the power of both Izuku and Hitoshi’s pleading, he caved and was now having his third coffee in just three hours to the blond’s lament. He loved his husband, which is why he hates seeing him test his heart with how much caffeine he pumps into it.

 

The worst part was Hitoshi was slowly picking up that habit too. At least his little green bean hated coffee.

 

Gala was wearing a jacket and jeans combo outfit Izuku excitedly picked out for her. They couldn’t find much else to fit the doll at such short notice but it certainly looked wonderful with how it fit over the puppet. 

 

‘Geez, even I’m treating the puppet like an actual person.’ Hizashi noted.

 

Meanwhile, today was the day Hitoshi decided to torment Shouta by wearing all of the Eraserhead merch at once again. They weren’t able to have fun with it the day they got it due to Izuku’s trouble and the merch stuff in general. The man hasn’t seen it yet because the kids got in the car before he did and was currently driving so he didn’t notice. 

 

When they pulled up in the parking lot at the park, they stepped out and he swore he saw his husband do a double take once he finally saw what Hitoshi was wearing.

 

“Why are you wearing that?” he asked, slightly exasperated.

 

“Oh!” the boy uttered, looking down at his clothes nonchalantly like he didn’t know what he was doing. “Just some clothes. Why?”

 

Shouta looked at the others. Hizashi was giving the biggest smile he could, watching the energy from the coffee his husband just drank get completely drained from him. Meanwhile Izuku was focusing on the man’s face, likely recording the whole exchange given the angle he had.

 

“Do you feel proud?” Shouta asked the blond.

 

“Absooolutely!” he chirped.

 

“What’s wrong Dad? Don’t I look great in this?” Hitoshi asked, giving a little spin to show it all off, the scarf swirling in the wind. 

 

“Yeah! He looks just like you Sho’!” Hizashi compared.

 

Shouta let out a long huff. “These-”

 

“...Problem Children!” Hitoshi finished, imitating the man. “It’s illogical. Stop scratching the couch Dot. Where’s my ninth coffee?”

 

The father just let out a long winded sigh at the others' antics before just turning around and walking over to the entrance to the park. Of course none of them missed the barely fought smile creeping under his own scarf.

 

The four of them got their ticket and were admitted into the park. After giving the kids some ground rules, such as not to leave their side and to go to security if they do get separated, they were off.

 

The whole park was filled with people. It was hard getting through the entrance but once they managed to get past the initial crush that was the ticket gates they had enough elbow room to not feel completely swarmed. 

 

Hizashi was of course in his civilian clothes so hopefully no one recognised him. He didn’t want his family to be bothered by fans.

 

They went on all kinds of rides, games and events. 

 

The haunted house, where Hizashi almost blew out the windows if it wasn’t for his husband keeping his eyes open the whole time. The carnival games that both Shouta and Hitoshi dominated at. Apparently using a capture weapon and training for it used the same muscles and coordination as the hoop toss. The face on the operator was priceless when they won almost half of the prizes to a cheering Izuku.

 

The rides too were fun. Izuku loved all of the smaller ones. Having his puppets do all the actions made him forget what it’s like to actually be on a thrill ride and he could hear giggling inside him every time he came out of one.

 

The one ride he didn’t like though was the theme park ride.

 

Surprisingly they were all able to go on the rollercoaster thanks to Gala being beyond the height minimum. They made sure to ask the ride operator what the height requirement was for just in case and Izuku was fine.

 

Unfortunately after it, the kid had rushed to the bathroom, Hizashi chasing after to find the doll, scaring everyone out so he could get out and vomit. His body wasn’t really ready for that kind of thrill but the blond made sure to hold his hair and help him recover with some water after.

 

“Hey green button, are you good?” he asked after the worst of the heaving was over with.

 

After another drink of water and some breaths he nodded shakily. He typed into his phone with some trembles of his fingers and Gala, who was in the bathroom, answered for him. “Is it meant to feel like that?”

 

“Some people get that way.” he chuckled a little. “I threw up on my first rollercoaster ride.”

 

“How did you get better?” he asked.

 

Hizashi rubbed the kids back gently, noticing how he was leaning into him a little. “I took a break, drank some water and had some small snacks. After that I was much better, green bean.”

 

He typed a little and at first he thought he was going to ask him for something but… well he did but not the question he was expecting. “Why do you call me that?”

 

“What, ‘green button’?” he questioned.

 

The greenette nodded. “You sometimes call Hitoshi ‘purple fluff’ but you’ve called me ‘green button’ more.” He observed.

 

“Well, I just like giving little names to things I find adorable.” he stated. “Like Pepper or Dot or you.”

 

He looked up at him for a moment, probably gauging whether or not he was lying, a little blush on his cheeks that he gets whenever anyone calls him cute. According to Inui, he believed that Izuku was starved for affection, which was probably why he enjoyed all of those compliments. 

 

Well if he’s starved then Hizashi’s going to be the one to fill him up. 

 

Eventually the boy did speak again, this time with something else. “Why did you like me?”

 

“Because we care about you.” he answered, voice soothing.

 

“But why?” Izuku asked. “I’m so much trouble and you’ve had to spend a lot of money on me. I don’t understand.”

 

“‘Zuku, sweetie,” the blond cooed. “You don’t need a reason to care about someone. Me and Sho’ both love you and care for you. We don’t need anything else but for you to get better and be a part of our family properly.”

 

There was a shock in the boy’s eyes which widened so much he swore he could see sparkles. “You love me?”

 

“Because you’re our kid.” Hizashi answered, pulling him a little closer and hopefully into a hug. “We don’t need a reason more than that. You’re a kid and all kids deserve a parent.”

 

There was a clear moment of hesitation from Izuku, clearly noticing the silent question for a hug. He carefully reached his arms out to show what he wanted and the blond leaned in, hugging his son, the legality of that statement be damned.

 

The embrace lasted a few dozen seconds before they pulled away, he thought that maybe they were done but the kid had one more surprise question for him, this one making his heart melt. “When am I able to call you my dad’s like Hitoshi?”

 

Fighting the urge to squeal, he forced the energy into a smile and answered. “Whenever you’re ready, green button.”

 

“Then can I hold off a little longer?” he asked, looking down now.

 

“Of course.” he said as he rubbed Izuku’s shoulder. “Now are you good to head back outside?”

 

The boy nodded, grabbing onto the blond and looking up expectantly for him to pick him up. He did of course and after making sure to wash their hands, he set him into Gala’s arms who helped him back into the compartment.

 

The two headed back outside to Shouta and Hitoshi talking about something to do with their training. After reassuring them that Izuku was alright, the four of them headed to one of the restaurants to get some food. They made sure to find a private booth to eat their food so customers weren’t weirded out by the hand coming out of Gala’s chest to eat.

 

After a few more thrill rides (the adults took turns getting on with Hitoshi whilst Izuku stayed on the ground) and an animal show where Hitoshi and Izuku got their pictures taken with a python on their shoulders, the four went onto the ferris wheel.

 

They decided that the adults will go to their own compartment so the kids can have one to themselves and enjoy the ride. The sun was setting so it would look beautiful from the top of the ride.

 

A few seconds in of gentle swaying, Hizashi couldn’t help but take this opportunity to appreciate everything he had. A stellar career as a DJ, a hero and a teacher. A loving husband and now two kids.

 

“Everythings going great. Isn’t it?” the blond mused, looking out the window.

 

His husband across looked at him and Hizashi could tell he felt the same with how much appreciation was behind those eyes. “Yeah. It is.”

 

“I hope it goes on forever.” he wished.

 

“I do too.” he shared the same thought.

 

“You know,” Hizashi started. “Izuku’s been thinking about calling us his dads soon.”

 

“When did he say that?” the man questioned.

 

“Just there. After he threw up. He asked me when he’d be able to do that and I said whenever he wanted.” he explained.

 

“He’s not ready.” he guessed correctly was his response to that,

 

“Yeah.” Hizashi smiled a little. “But it has to be soon right?”

 

Shouta hummed in agreement but the look in his eye told him he had something else to talk about. But it was also the same look he had when he wasn’t sure whether to talk about it now or not.

 

“What’s up, Sho’?” he asked, a tender tone coming out.

 

“...Do you ever worry we’re not the best for Izuku?” he said.

 

“Sometimes,” he answered honestly.

 

There’s many times where he’s second guessing what he’s doing. There are some instances where he knows what to do, mostly because it overlaps with his hero and teacher training but others he’s just not sure. Like whether or not they were being too lenient with him and his dolls when they should be harsher, or they were putting too much pressure on the kid to be ‘normal’ (government’s words, not his).

 

The blond continued. “I feel like we could do more to help him, but it feels like doing that would just…”

 

“Make things worse.” his husband finished for him.

 

“But then…” Hizashi said.

 

He knew there wasn’t anyone else who could stand up for him. Okay maybe that’s a bit narcissistic but really it’s true. They had Hitoshi, the only human he doesn’t freak out around and not only that but they’re the ones who have been chasing him the whole time he’s gone missing.

 

They had access to the best facilities, the best education they could get and a promise that they would do their best. Sure there may be people out there who can help with Izuku’s exact problems but would that person do it? That was the important question.

 

He can’t imagine the boy going through the foster system. It would be hell for him. Always moving around, never a single safe space he can call his and undoubtedly, just like Hitoshi, he’d be singled out for his quirk. Just the idea of someone abusing Izuku made him angry and sick.

 

“...I know we’re the best he’s got.” he finished.

 

Shouta tilted his head up, like he was trying to empty the thoughts out of his mind. It’s times like that he gets to enjoy just how handsome his husband was and how comforting he always sounded, his voice not smothered by his scarf. “I still worry about everything that’s going to happen. The HPSC, school and even his future. How is he going to be a hero if he can’t run with his own legs or throw a punch?”

 

“He might not want to be one.” Hizashi commented.

 

“Maybe, but odds are he will.” Shouta assumed. “Kids like Izuku tend to go that way.”

 

“In that case we’ll find a way.” he answered his previous question. “His quirk can help do all of that.”

 

“But it’s also what’s made him that way in the first place,” he argued softly.

 

“That’s why we’ll figure it out together Sho’.” the blond uttered, placing his hand on his, rings clinking together. “That’s what we’ll always do.”

 

They always get through it together, ever since they became friends and eventually started going out together. When they went out for their first date to this very theme park, Hizashi threw up after a ride and felt like he was going to die from embarrassment. When they were fighting side by side just the provision license exam and Shouta almost failed because he accidentally dropped a ‘wounded’ civilian.

 

When Oboro died and they were left mourning and almost broke apart because of it.

 

It was something they were going to get through no matter what, as long as they were there for each other.

 

“You're right.” Shouta agreed. “It’s only logical.”

 

They spent the rest of the ride just leaning against each other and enjoying the other’s prescence. It had really been a while since they got a moment like. Maybe they could ask Nemuri or Tensei to babysit for a night. They haven’t had a date in a while.

 

They got off the ride, spotting their kids already having gotten out a minute beforehand, waiting for them at the side. Izuku was carrying a bag full of prizes on his back and going through them, apparently naming each one after a mismatching colour for some reason. Hitoshi just seemed to be watching him do it, finding joy in him being happy.

 

And he was feeling the same.

 

“Well kids, it’s getting late now. The firework show should be on soon.” Hizashi noted.

 

Both of their eyes (well only Hitoshi’s technically) lit up at that and quickly gathered up the plushes inside the bag to head off. The family of four went on to enjoy the rest of their day, eating cotton candy, seeing adorable mascots and a nice dinner until the dark sky was lit up in an array of pretty colours.

 

The blond heard the small click of Gala’s compartment opening up and a little poof of green hair and glistening eyes pushed out through the head of the zipped up jacket. Izuku was clearly scared for a split second until he looked up at the sky and watched it get painted in lights.

 

Hizashi reached out a hand carefully, setting it softly on the boy’s head. He jolted a little before he realised what was going on and relaxed immediately as the blond ruffled his hair.

 

Surprisingly, on the car ride home both of the little insomniacs were out cold, the excitement of the day having taken them out completely. It took some effort getting Gala inside and more effort getting a sleeping Izuku out but they set them both on their beds and made sure to tuck them to sleep. 

 

Of course not without a picture first, something he’ll add to the scrapbook he was slowly making. After snapping it he gave them both a kiss on their forehead each and went to bed himself, exhaustion taking both him and Shouta as they settled onto bed.

 

As Hizashi closed his eyes, the two holding each other, he never felt more happy in his life than right now.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Hotseat

Chapter 49: Hotseat

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

A super long chapter for today. 6000 words. Didn't realise how long it was until I checked. I hope you do enjoy this one!

Have a nice day! <3

Hitoshi felt great about the new school year. Well, waking up early is always a drag but it’s not bad when everyday is like that. His dads have been looking into that and apparently it’s a problem caused by his quirk. Something to do with a mutated circadian cycle? He might’ve gotten that name wrong but it gives him the excuse to nap during breaks.

 

Anyway, it’s been a couple months since they brought his friend home and Izuku has been doing great. There have been some bumps but so far everything was going well. The only problem was the looming fear of him being taken away by the Commission. 

 

He didn’t know why they wanted his friend but it can only be for bad reasons if the conversations he’s eavesdropped on involving his dads have anything to say about it. And according to a recent one, apparently some guy is going to be coming today to check out their house. 

 

They’ll be at school of course but apparently he and Izuku will be talked to individually. He knows they’re probably going to put words in his mouth, that’s how all social workers tend to act to him. He’s only met one or two who’ve actually cared about him and they’re for different kids he’s met.

 

So naturally he knew what to say. The problem was how they were going to change it to fit whatever story they’ve already made up long before they’ve met him.

 

- - -

 

Shouta was running around, checking everything over for the second time that half hour. He had to make sure there was nothing hazardous lying around that could be ‘perceived as a threat to the children’. 

 

He knows any self-respecting person won’t see a hammer sitting on the kitchen counter as hazardous but they’re not taking any chances with this. Hizashi was still dropping off the kids at school so he was in charge of making sure their home looked perfect.

 

He already knew Kan was going to be handling his class for today, which was annoying. Because of this he won’t be able to do the quirk apprehension test he started doing every year. Fortunately, they can suffer from Nedzu's orientation speech as an appetiser for tomorrow’s hell.

 

Besides the downstairs, he also made sure to check upstairs too. They installed a lock on the office precisely for this because Izuku was on record for stealing sensitive intel and knew if it didn’t have a lock, they could say he was at risk of something or another.

 

Of course he looked over the kid’s rooms too, especially Izuku’s. Besides the growing collection of stuffed animals on his bed, there was nothing for a cause of concern. Just to be safe though, he made sure to check that the child lock was still on the computer.

 

All that left him sitting down in the living room and petting Dot who settled on his lap. He’s never felt so nervous in his life except for when he had his first date with his husband. The quiet only lasted ten minutes though before he heard the car in the driveway and Hizashi hopping out and stepping inside.

 

“I think I saw them up the street,” he shouted. “Did you get everything?”

 

“Best it can be.” Shouta answered.

 

Hizashi lifted a hand to him. “Great, let’s do this.”

 

They waited and there was a knock on the door that they answered nearly immediately. On the other side stood the same bright red, neatly styled haired, red eyed, square glasses wearing man. Aikani Eekay. He had a briefcase to his side and a clear focus in his stare.

 

“Hello, Aizawa, Yamada. May I come in?” he greeted, formality brimming in his voice.

 

“Sure.” Shouta said, putting on his usual monotone.

 

The man stepped in and immediately started looking around, scanning the space around him. His eyes were glowing red as he observed. “Can we sit down in your living room? There are some specifics I need to go over before the home investigation can begin.”

 

The black haired man nodded and showed him to the living room, all the while Hizashi asked him if he wanted tea or coffee. 

 

“Tea.” the red head requested, sitting down on the couch and immediately spying the cats. “Are they usually that aggressive looking?”

 

Shouta wasn’t sure what he meant until he looked over and noticed how Pepper and Dot looked. They were clearly on edge looking at the man, not in the weary kind of way but the ‘I don’t like you’ kind of way.

 

He wasn’t sure why. They rarely ever acted that way unless messed with, not even when being given baths. Hizashi might say they can tell them when they see them but Shouta was not sure it was a case of feline intuition. He’ll have to ask Nedzu about it later.

 

“No, not usually. But they do get cagey when they see someone with red hair.” he said, sure that his camera was going to pick it up.

 

“Hopefully the same doesn’t happen when they see green.” Aikani uttered.

 

Shouta was about to say something else when Hizashi arrived with the tea in tow. “Here you are Aikani. And some sugar too, I didn’t know how many.”

 

“Thank you.” he thanked, picking up the tea as is and sipping it. Hizashi had sat down on the couch, spaced out from the red head whilst Shouta took a seat in the armchair.

 

“Now, the first thing I need to do is alert you to the nature of my quirk.” the man began. “It is called Recording and it allows me to record everything I see and project it later as a video through my eyes. It can’t be edited and only the audio and video are taken.”

 

Of course both Shouta and Hizashi both knew this from Nedzu. The HPSC probably assumed they did too but this wasn’t for clarification purposes but to make sure that the footage was legally obtained as with quirks like ‘Lie Detector’.

 

“As well as that, I will need to inspect every room in this house to assure Midoriya rehabilitation is proceeding smoothly and learn if this is the best environment for him. I will also be returning later here so that I may question both him and your other child,” he explained.

 

“Shinsou Hitoshi, who is also almost nine years old.” Shouta made sure to say.

 

“Yes.” Aikani nodded. “Do you both consent to all of this and acknowledge you are aware of my quirk?”

 

“Yes.” both parents said.

 

“Then let us begin.”

 

The house inspection was quick downstairs. Every now and then the man would ask a question about some minor stuff like power outlets, exposed kitchen utensils and other hazards expected to be looked at on a home visit. Even though some of those things felt like they should be meant for younger kids.

 

It was upstairs though that the real challenge would begin. 

 

Once they made it to the landing, he immediately noticed the lock on the office door. He probably didn’t know it was an office but knew it wasn’t the bathroom because there was another locked door there.

 

“What is that room?” he pointed out.

 

“That would be our home office.” Shouta answered.

 

“May I see inside?” they asked.

 

Hizashi jumped to answer that. “With all due respect, Aikani, there is some sensitive material in there.”

 

“Which I’m sure being good heroes are all stored away securely in filing cabinets.” Aikani countered passive-aggressively with.

 

“Yeah…” Shouta uttered slightly stressed, unlocking the door to let him in.

 

Thankfully the office was cleaned up before Aikani arrived. Shouta made sure all files were indeed put away into cabinets and drawers, all of which were locked and the key firmly in his possession. The window was also locked too. And all of Hizashi’s work stuff for his radio show is kept tucked away. The only thing that could be a problem, however, was…

 

“Do you store all of your hero gear in this room?” Aikani questioned, pointing out the closed lockers to the side of the room.

 

“Yeah,” Hizashi answered. “None of the kids are allowed in here.”

 

“And you have cameras to assure that?” the man asked.

 

“No, we do not.” Shouta said not sure where this was going. “Why would we need cameras when we have the locks?”

 

“While for most kids, Aizawa, the locks would work well but Midoriya’s quirk can be used to Puppeteer them, can it not?” Aikani pointed out.

 

“Yes…” he gritted slightly.

 

“So this room isn’t completely secure then against him?” the red head stated.

 

“I didn’t realise we were keeping a priso-” he stopped when Hizashi gently stomped on his foot.

 

Aikani turned to look at the two’s interaction. “Need I remind you two that Midoriya is, by law, under your custody? Not care, custody. He is a vigilante and responsible for the hospitalisation of over two hundred people. At least until after the court hearing, it is expected you treat him with caution.”

 

“We know.” the voice hero nodded, putting on a serious face rare for the man. “We make sure to check the office every night in case something happened.” Hizashi added, trying to cover their bases.

 

“And I’m sure the guards at Tartarus leave all of their equipment sealed behind two measly locks..” Aikani uttered sarcastically. “Midoriya isn’t in your care, he is in your custody. There is a difference there because it is expected that he will be treated as if he could escape any time.”

 

“This isn’t Tartarus.” Shouta nearly hissed.

 

“No, but he was one accidental death from ending up somewhere like there. Am I wrong?” the red head stated, keeping his ever formal demeanor.

 

“We believe he-”

 

“It’s not about whether you ‘believe’ it or not. You cannot say for certain what is going on in Midoriya's mind. Now please show me his room.” The man lectured as he wrote down some things onto a clipboard from his case.

 

A vein in Hizashi’s face bulged a little at that cheek but his years of radio just barely stopped him from showing how frustrated he was and just nodded in understanding. “Sure thing. Just this way.”

 

The three stepped out of the office but not before Shouta made sure to lock the door again because he knew Aikani would record that. They opened up the door to Midoriya’s room and showed him inside.

 

The red head made sure to immediately inspect the computer on the desk, walking up to it and checking it out. “Does this computer have parental controls?” he asked.

 

“It does, here we’ll log you on.” Shouta answered, typing the password and opening it up.

 

Aikani started going through it, checking online and typing in a few results that would trigger the restriction. He then went over files on it, looking for anything incriminating or could be incriminating before he paused on some code that was written.

 

“Is this Midoriya’s work?” he questioned, making sure to inspect all of it for the record.

 

“It is. He has a talent for it.” Hizashi answered. “He has to be assigned more math homework because he’s good at it.”

 

“So you are telling me if he wanted, he could break the parental controls?” Aikani assumed, making the insinuation that they didn’t know what Izuku was looking at.

 

Thankfully Shouta was expecting this kind of question and had already prepared an answer. “Our phones are alerted whenever the controls go down.”

 

“Are you sure he wouldn’t be able to bypass that?” the man argued.

 

“I think you overestimate what an eight year old can accomplish.” Shouta countered.

 

“I think you underestimate him too much. This child evaded capture for three years. Every precaution must be taken.” Aikani bit back with.

 

“Well parental controls wouldn’t be parental controls if they were bypassable by a child.” the black haired man finished with.

 

Aikani looked like he wanted to say more but held back, opting to just continue to go through the computer. It went on for a few minutes of just him going over it all until he finally decided he’d seen enough and closed it down again.

 

He started walking around the room, checking under pillows and the stuffed dolls until he stopped at the wardrobe. When he opened it there was something that immediately had caught his eye.

 

“Why are there outfits here not suited for a child of his size?” Aikani noticed, referring to Gala’s clothes.

 

“They’re for the kid’s dolls.” Shouta responded.

 

“Dolls?” the man questioned, actually looking confused.

 

“It’s what Izuku calls his puppets.” Hizashi clarified.

 

“I see… wait, has he been using his quirk?” Aikani asked, a clear glimmer in his eye that wasn’t Recording.

 

“He has but under strict supervision and he’s only allowed to use most of them in private.” The blond made sure to clarify more.

 

The red head’s eyes narrowed. “Most?” 

 

“I believe we have on file using a puppet as a mobility device.” Shouta supplied, making sure to use the correct legal terminology.

 

“And this has been legally approved?” Aikani said, opening his briefcase and going through some documents.

 

“It has.” the black haired man answered, seeing him pull out a copy of a form he remembered filling in February.

 

The red head looked it over. He didn’t show much emotion but from the look of the slight twitch in his eye he can’t do much to prevent this. That is until he saw an image of the ‘mobility device’.

 

“Why is it shaped like a humanoid? Is Midoriya fully covered inside of it?” he fired off a bit too keenly.

 

“The reasons are written there in the document.” Shouta pointed out. Thank god Nedzu helped him with the specifics otherwise he would be in bigger danger now.

 

“'Debilitating agoraphobia?’” he read, referring to some of the reasons why.

 

“He’s currently in therapy for it. He wouldn’t go to school otherwise without some form of cover.” he explained, sure to mention the therapy on the recording.

 

“And does this ‘doll’ have a way for it to be tracked? And not tamperable?” He fired off two more questions.

 

“Yeah! The puppet was made by UA and includes an unbreakable tracker courtesy of Power Loader. Can track him from my phone here.” Hizashi responded, taking out his phone and showing him that Izuku was indeed at school right now.

 

“I see.” Aikani muttered, which both heroes was sure for ‘shit’ in his head. “It seems there are no issues currently with this, or his room.”

 

The rest of the tour from there had no other issues. Besides maybe some aggressive questioning about the training room and Hitoshi’s own room there wasn’t much else to be scrutinised. They met back down in the kitchen, going over some questions about Izuku and his home life.

 

Most of them were simple and were answered truthfully, although there were some questions that were clearly fishing for a specific response such as how much sleep he got, probably referring to how Shouta led a very loose sleeping schedule. It was batted away, though that made them nervous about Hitoshi.

 

They could easily say that his sleeping habits had rubbed off on him and could do the same for Izuku but even if he did, they had a written report that his insomnia is being caused by his quirk which should hopefully cover them. Hopefully.

 

After all it’s not about having one or two problems, that’s fine. It’s about having too many.

 

“Now what about your respective jobs?” started Aikani. “Yamada, you work three technically, is that correct?”

 

“I do.” the blond agreed.

 

“And you, Aizawa, you work two. Both as heroes and teachers, with Yamada being a radio personality?” he stated.

 

“We have a schedule that allows us to never not be in the house when the kids are.” Shouta stated, ready to bring it up if need be.

 

Indeed he did ask for and looked it over. For the most part, they are stretched thin with all of their work. Naturally because of school they’re occupied from seven to four every weekday but thanks to some arrangements that were made, one of them can leave at three to pick up the children.

 

After that though is when things get tricky. Shouta’s patrols are from ten to six, giving him barely any time to sleep between hero and school work but he thankfully does most of his hero work during the weekend. Hizashi though had a lot more on his plate. 

 

Besides Friday and the weekend, he does his radio show at his agency but for every other day besides Tuesdays and Thursdays, he’s here at the house doing it from the office. They had to make it that way since they got Hitoshi, soundproofing the room and getting the right equipment in for it.

 

It’s awkward at times, especially when anything else gets fitted in there like family events or, funny enough, people popping by like this, but it has been going well. 

 

“This schedule seems well organised, tell me how you two arrange yourselves,” he asked.

 

“What do you mean?” questioned Shouta.

 

He set the clipboard down on the space next to him, careful to make sure its contents were covered. “What I mean is it’s important to make sure that Midoriya is growing in a stable household.”

 

“Are you saying there’s a problem with a relationship?” Hizashi almost shouted, just holding back when he saw his husband’s glare.

 

“No,” responded Aikani dignified and calm, “But I am wondering if from this schedule that it gives you little time to spend together. I’ve seen many households fall apart when the parents fall out of love. It can be very stressful for Midoriya.”

 

“The state of our marriage should not matter.” Shouta argued.

 

“But it does.” the red head chastised. “Midoriya came from parents who were in an awful marriage. And with a villain as a father, I can imagine it wasn’t a peaceful household.”

 

It was technically logical but it was ludicrous. He and Hizashi would never end up like how Hisashi treated Inko. But he knew that this ‘concern’ wasn’t for them but for the court to see later and their reactions too. Neither of them were going to give them what they wanted.

 

“Our marriage has been perfect.” Hizashi swore. “And I’m sorry if I found your question ridiculous.”

 

“Clearly.” Aikani commented, face still as ever. He dropped that line of inquiry.

 

Another twenty minutes go by, about the type of therapy he’s receiving and how he is doing at school from their perspectives. Apparently they’ll be talking to Somei as well about Izuku but he hasn’t had any problems so that should be alright.

 

Eventually the man left but said he would return later when the children came back from school. Once he did leave, there was a sigh of relief from both of them, and an immediate shout from Hizashi.

 

“Can you believe that?! Where does he get off questioning our marriage?!” Hizashi yelled, his quirk held back by Shouta’s. “And can you believe how he spoke to us on the lock stuff?! And the stuff about Tartarus?! They’re treating Izuku like a criminal!”

 

“He still is,” the black haired man commented but quickly added more, “but he definitely was acting out of line. The marriage question was to rattle us.”

 

The blond slouched on the couch a little as Pepper hopped up and climbed over his body to get to his napping spot next to him. “What is he going to try with the kid’s?”

 

“I don’t know, but we can assume he’s going to try and put words in their mouth or get them upset like us, especially Izuku.” Shouta noted.

 

“How do we handle that?” Hizashi asked.

 

The man picked up Pepper and put him on his lap. The ginger cat made a fuss at first but relaxed when he realised he was in an even better spot than before. “Hitoshi knows how to handle social workers and he’s used to people accusing him of stuff he didn’t do, he can probably keep his cool as long as one of us is there.”

 

“He won’t let that happen though.” the blond pointed out.

 

Shouta nodded. “Which is why we’ve got to trust him. Izuku though, I’m not sure. The kid is smart but he refuses to compromise unless there’s something for him. What if Aikani wants to speak to him face to face, or worse, speak.”

 

“We can just say his voice is poor from disuse.” Hizashi suggested.

 

“He won’t accept that…” the black haired man argued, thinking more on what they could do.

 

The blond man joined him and seemed to get an idea almost immediately. “Does Aikani know sign language?”

 

“He should. Does Izuku know it?” Shouta questioned.

 

“I think he does. I remember ‘Toshi telling me about it once.” he recalled.

 

“Send them a message during lunch. We can check it and see if he knows it.” 

 

- - -

 

In the training hall, doors closed and chairs added for comfort, Hitoshi sat across from Aikani Eekay. He’d only just stepped in the front door before he was taken to the room to have his interview with the HPSC man. His eyes glowed scarlet as they began to talk.

 

‘He feels just like the others.’ the boy thought.

 

There was always a vibe, an instinct, he got when an adult was going to treat him right or not. He wouldn’t know for sure until they did something but right now he got it from this guy clear as day. He doesn’t have Hitoshi in his thoughts, neither his care nor empathy. He was here to get Izuku and he’ll twist his words to make it happen.

 

They’re not going to take his friend.

 

“Yamazawa,” the red head began, “Can you tell me how things have been with your parents?”

 

“Good. They’re the best parents I’ve ever had.” he answered truthfully. “Much better than anyone in the foster system could give me.”

 

Aikani’s eyes glowed a little brighter. “You sound angry about something.” 

 

“No. Just disappointed that it took a coincidence to end up with a loving family. I’m lucky to be with them.” the purple haired kid said.

 

He wasn’t going to let the man rile him up. He’s had it done before where kids would poke and prod him, trying to get the response they wanted. 

 

“Mmm.” he hummed, writing some things down. “Can you tell me how school has been?”

 

“Good.” no need to say more than that.

 

“Has any of the work been difficult?” he questioned.

 

He shook his head. “Nope. Papa and Dad always help.” 

 

“And how are your friends?" he asked, a clear twinge of frustration growing on his face.

 

“Got two great ones. Yaoyorozu Momo and Iida Tenya.” he made sure to drop their names, knowing that he’ll recognise the two big families. 

 

Aikani seemed to close his eyes for a moment, the red glow still coming through his eyelids. He recomposed his thoughts but before he did that Hitoshi made sure to relish in his frustration. “Is there a problem, sir?”

 

“No.” he replied. “No there is not. Can you tell me more?”

 

Hitoshi made sure to go into his friendships in great detail. Talking about how he met the two of them and how they eat every day together under the shade, chatting and studying. When he asked about if he had any other friends, he said he didn’t really need any others when he already had two great ones.

 

All in the most obnoxiously positive voice he could muster.

 

“And there’s been no other issues? According to your record you’ve had a lot of problems in previous foster homes.” he talked, forcing his neutral tone.

 

“I did. It was hard having a villainous quirk. Everyone would blame me for anything that went wrong.” he made sure to add.

 

“Are you sure? According to here you’ve used your quirk multiple times. Mind telling me about that?”

 

“Sorry sir, but I’m sure that record of mine doesn’t have any evidence I’ve ever used my quirk illegally. I’m willing to swear on that.” he interrupted. 

 

“Well yes evidence here is a bit light,” Aikani agreed begrudgingly, “but besides that, according to your record Midoriya had committed the ‘Fright Night’ incident because of you.” 

 

“You’re saying that like it’s my fault.” Hitoshi pointed out.

 

The red head spoke. “I just feel there should be some clarification on that front on record.” 

 

“Well, for the record,” he said emphatically, “I didn’t know he did any of that until he was spotted two years ago and ran away.”

 

“You’re referring to the time he almost killed your father?” Aikani recalled.

 

Despite the second attempt at riling him up he kept his cool and pushed down the outrage the boy just felt the urge to release. “Yeah, that would be it.”

 

“How did that incident make you feel?” he asked.

 

“I didn’t know my dads well then but I did feel bad and responsible.” he answered, carefully choosing his words.

 

“Why responsible?”

 

“Izuku met the conditions for my quirk to trigger but I didn’t use it.” he stated. 

 

“Why?” Akani questioned, curiosity gleaming.

 

“Because I was scared of my quirk, everyone always told me never to use it so I didn’t. Another consequence of living with a villainous quirk.” he replied, knowing it was probably not the answer he was looking for.

 

“I see.” he said, turning back to write on his clipboard.

 

The rest of the interview from there was simple. Some more goading questions were thrown his way but he had worse tossed in his face and kept cool through it all. Of course he kept up his usual aloof attitude so they couldn’t say he was being too emotionless. God knows some foster parents called him a sociopath in the past.

 

Eventually they were finished, Aikani thanking him for his time and sending him off, Hitoshi bearing a triumphant smile on his face. “Thank you, sir.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku was sat down on the chair by Gala, wrapped up in blankets from his bed. He felt nervous in the face of this stranger this exposed, especially one where he knew he was trying to take him away from his friends and… family.

 

When he was told he had to have the interview without the cover of his dolls, he felt freaked out. That’s why he refused to come in without all of his dolls and some cover. The only exception of course was Halo, mostly because no one but Hitoshi knows she exists.

 

He’d been having her do some stuff for him. The power of flight can do amazing things even though she was much slower fluttering than walking. He had a goal in mind, whether or not he’d use what he got from that was a different story.

 

He wasn’t going to let the HPSC take him. No matter what.

 

Today’s battle though was making sure they can’t use anything to take him now so with Fredrick sitting on the floor next to his chair, Gala behind him and Ezuku hugged in his arms, he was ready.

 

“So Midoriya,” Aikani began. “I know there has been some difficulty with speaking, am I correct?”

 

The greenette nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the man in front of him as hard as he could though it felt difficult the longer he prolonged it. 

 

“And I was also told you know how to use JSL?” he asked.

 

Izuku moved his hands up, leaving Ezuku on his lap as he began to slowly and carefully make the signs out to confirm it. All the while he had Gala do the same just so there wasn’t any argument about what he was saying.

 

“You don’t need to have your puppets do the same,” he stated.

 

“I don’t want you to misunderstand me.” Izuku signed. “I also have trouble signing certain words.”

 

“Yes, your atrophy. Mind telling me for the record what you know about that and what has been done to help you?” Aikani questioned.

 

The boy went on to explain what has been done so far between the physical therapy with Recovery Girl, Shouta and Hizashi making him go to school to get better at writing and in general helping him a lot. He made sure all of it was done with glowing reviews mixed with feigned childish innocence.

 

“I see. And how about therapy outside of that.” He asked, referring to Ryo.

 

“Hound Dog has been ok. He’s the reason I don’t get bored in school.” he explained.

 

“You excel in math, yes?” the man questioned.

 

“And science, well mechanics. I had to learn a bit to make the dolls stronger.” Izuku said. “Not these ones though.”

 

“Do you have plans to rebuild your lost puppets?” Aikani wondered, looking more curious than before.

 

He has thought about it. There was a plan to rebuild them. Of course not exactly, there’s flaws that need to be rectified about all of them. Brutus’ exposed eyes is one flaw he found out. Ana also needed better strength to keep up with the rest and Daphne could do with more close range options.

 

He wanted to be a hero of course, that was a path he wanted to go down. Why though, was a reason he isn’t sure others understand yet. Despite it all there was still something in the boy. A desire to play. Watching his dolls act and move how he wants them to, just like the heroes whose skills he idolises.

 

Does that make him not the ideal hero? Someone who doesn’t have their heart in it truly? Probably did. He also knew he was probably never going to be a normal hero. He can’t fight, not with his own two hands but then again there are a few heroes like that. Nedzu.

 

Yes, that rat. He’s wanted to talk to him ever since he turned himself in. He’s only talked with him truly once and that was during the Dragon’s Roar raid. The other technical instance was when he sent those emails about the Todoroki situation.

 

Speaking of them, he had to find out what the progress was on that investigation. For a couple reasons now…

 

“Yeah. When I’m older and going to UA.” he responded.

 

“You seem confident you’d get in. Why is that?” Aikani questioned.

 

“Because I know I’m capable and smart. And my quirk is strong enough to beat pros.” he explained, smiling to himself a little.

 

Aikani seemed to narrow his eyes at that second sentence. “You certainly seem it. So you want to be a hero?”

 

Izuku nodded. It would make the most sense for his situation, even though that would mean going to a classroom everyday. He’s warmed up to the idea of school again but only to a point. He doesn’t like the schedule he’s had to follow mostly because he hadn’t had a proper one for years.

 

Thankfully, Shouta, Hizashi and Hitoshi still give him moments during the day when he can just be alone with himself. He wants connection but that doesn't mean he wants constant company. Some time alone feels great and it helps him recharge.

 

“I want to be a hero, yes. Is that a problem?” he inquired, giving a weak glare.

 

Aikani blinked. “Not at all. I think it would be great if someone like yourself would become one. Though I have to wonder whether you would be able to.”

 

Izuku’s eyes narrowed immediately, sensing the teasing question. “What do you mean?”

 

It took a moment to notice but he realized Aikani wasn’t using his quirk anymore. His eyes no longer glowing red and were just their normal shine. “I mean, to be a hero you have to have strength, not just with your quirk but popularity and sociability. I can’t tell you much but it seems that you might struggle with both of those.”

 

Izuku has never met a social worker before but he’s ninety-nine percent sure this was not something one should be talking about. He still lets it happen though, because two can play at this game.

 

“I don’t need to do all of that. There’s underground work isn’t there?” not that the greenette was sure that kind of work was for him. Not that he loved the spotlight, opposite actually but rather knew he wanted some part to be recognised for what he does. 

 

A vanity in him he can’t seem to push away. He wants the world to see him use his puppets like the world was a stage, his creations the actors. A play that lets him show off his favourite thing, dolls.

 

Aikani leaned back in the chair, notepad still being written in. “Yes, that is true. But you still need some interaction with the public, don’t you?”

 

“What is this? What are you trying to say?” asked the boy bluntly.

 

“What I’m saying is, Midoriya, I know you are an intelligent kid. I’m sure you can see that you’ll be haunted by your past. Some might forget it but there’ll always be that video of you almost killing a hero and a long record of fighting others.” he explained.

 

He continued, his voice growing colder with each word. “It might make things difficult if this footage were to resurface at inconvenient times. Such as just before your entrance exam or elsewhere in your life.”

 

“Are you threatening an eight year old?” wondered Izuku, keeping himself calm by having Ezuku hug him. He pulled his legs close to his chest, it was different talking to people like this face to face.

 

“I’m merely stating a dreaded possibility.” 

 

“And how do you propose it be averted?” he asked, coming up with reasons in his mind.

 

“Not much, just that we at the Hero Public Safety Commission can provide you with a lot more than your current guardians.” he offered.

 

“You’re trying to make a deal with me.” Izuku pointed out. “That’s why you stopped recording.”

 

“As I said, you are a smart child. And I’m sure you know that if things get difficult for us we might be forced to get more aggressive with our investigation.” he explained.

 

Izuku shifted uncomfortably in front of him. “How?”

 

“We may look into whether the Yamazawas are acceptable parents to Shinsou. We might ‘accidentally’ leak some documents about their marriage, or their address or otherwise. We could find it hard for them to keep fighting for you by making their lives difficult.” he threatened. “So many things we can do… and it would be because of you.”

 

“Why?” the greenette uttered, clutching onto Ezuku now with his hands whilst Gala did the translating. “Why do you want me so bad?”

 

“Your quirk has been in our minds ever since you first made your debut. With your power you could make an army of heroes all by yourself. Sleepless, foodless, emotionless heroes that can do so much good for the world.” Aikani explained. 

 

He continued. “We can give you so much Midoriya, we can give you the tools to do everything you need and the best part? You don’t have to show your face. You can keep your isolated lifestyle, no one can fight it.”

 

“You’re hoping I accept.” Izuku guessed, looking more fearful.

 

“I’m hoping that you’d understand.” Aikani corrected. “We only have the best in mind for you and society.”

 

He readjusted his glasses and flipped another page on his clipboard, starting anew. “Now, I am going to turn back on my quirk and we’re going to finish this interview. I want you to think about what I said when the trial finally comes around. Do you understand me?”

 

The boy nodded, shaking a little to the man’s satisfaction. “Good.”

 

The interview wrapped up and it was almost jarring to watch the cold tone the man had before immediately snapping to something warm. He thanked Izuku for his time and stood up to leave, the boy being left to himself in the training room.

 

Quietly he thought about all of that. How aggressive the man was, how he was more sinister than he ever expected. He didn’t like it, he was still shaking a little.

 

He didn’t know it was going to be that bad. He thought talking to guys like Giran would’ve prepared him but he was not. He was a different kind of manipulative. He used the fact that Izuku was seen, noticed, exposed with clear weaknesses in the form of his family.

 

He didn’t know what to think, other than…

 

‘I have so much to learn if I want to win… I can’t wait to put you in the hotseat yourself.’

 

Because Izuku had a plan. One he was certain now would win.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Still the Same

Chapter 50: Still the Same

Notes:

Hiya everyone!

Here's another chapter with one planned on Sunday!

By the way, I'm sorry if this chapter is a little weird. I don't quite know how to write Bakugou but I hope I at least did well enough. There'll be a bit more later.

Have a nice day! <3

Shouta felt a wave of relief wash over him after the red headed bastard had left. The man seemed to be a mix of annoyed and frustrated which was something he took glee in drinking in. 

 

After he checked up with the kids and the whole family (he still can’t believe he actually has a family now) about what they talked about and what happened. According to Hitoshi and Izuku, everything went alright and they made sure not to give him anything.

 

He hoped it would be enough though. They certainly wouldn’t be able to take him with only an issue with some locks and they’ve been keeping up with the kid’s therapy so everything should be good as long as no big surprises happens.

 

He doesn’t know what the HPSC has in store for them but he knows they’ll be ready for it.

 

Now if only he could get Izuku ready for the next big thing happening in his life.

 

The meeting with the Bakugous was closing in. Izuku had agreed to it when they had made contact with the family to let them know he is safe and well. Shouta knows that the family was a bit loud from what Tsukauchi’s told him but as long as they’re understanding and don’t mess with his kid, everything should be alright.

 

The next couple weeks leading up to it was uneventful, besides Izuku’s plush craze getting out of control. He was afraid there’d be more dolls than room once the kid was through with it and it didn’t help that he wanted to take up sewing again. That and forcing either him, Hizashi or Hitoshi into one of his tea parties.

 

He hasn’t lived it down, sitting on a chair surrounded by half a dozen stuffed critters. It didn’t help that some of them were under the effects of his quirk, or at least he thinks that’s the case. The amount of times he looked away for one moment only to find all of the dolls in attendance had suddenly changed seats was creepy enough. 

 

Nemuri hasn’t stopped teasing him since she was shown a picture of it and he’ll strangle Hizashi if he tries to take another picture like that again.

 

Hobbies were good, it kept him out of trouble but he can’t help but be alarmed at how fast this kid made clothes for his little friends. Then again, it wasn’t him making them but Ga- the doll. 

 

He’s been forgetting more and more that the porcelain faced thing is actually just an inanimate object and not a human being. It throws him off so much. Seeing Puppeteer in action every day and seeing how life like it made its targets was hypnotising. He wondered if the kid ever got confused.

 

He probably did. He was a kid still and had an overactive imagination, just like every other. Still, it brought a frown to Shouta to imagine the greenette sitting alone in that warehouse talking to the dolls like they’re real people. Then again, maybe that’s what kept him from going completely mad.

 

Anyway, the Bakugous. He had to prepare for that. The meetup was happening at his house for Izuku’s sake so he isn’t afraid to leave Gala. He isn’t sure how the meeting would go down, but he hoped it wouldn’t end in disaster.

 

- - -

 

“Do we have everything?” the hag asked the old man. 

 

“Yeah. Should be.” the man said, looking over their bags.

 

“Great! C’mon Katsuki, let’s go.” she called upstairs. He was already at the top of the stairs looking down at all the preparations.

 

He was going to see Izuku again and he wasn’t sure what to do with that information. He’s known him since he was baby. The hag practically forced them to be friends just because her and Auntie Inko went to the same college or something.

 

He had a lot of mixed feelings about him. On one part he always thought he was weak and at times girlish because of how much he liked dolls. That and how much of a crybaby he was whenever something bad happened, either a scrapped knee or being tired.

 

But on the other hand, he loved heroes. He studied them to a creepy degree and could tell Katsuki the top fifty off by heart. That was cool but at the same time it made him jealous. He had this passion so clearly whilst he didn’t. Maybe that led to him being more aggressive towards Izuku to make himself feel better.

 

But that was the Katsuki then. The now was sure he wouldn’t know him. He certainly didn’t when he saw that news report of his old friend being carried by some fucked up metal monster. One that almost turned some hero’s heads into mush on the pavement. 

 

According to what the hag had said, he’s some kind of weird in the head. He doesn’t understand it but he’s scared of going outside or being seen. Why the hell would anyone be like that? Who can be scared of being looked at?

 

Then again that was in line with the crybaby he knew. Maybe Izuku was the same, or at least some part of him.

 

He’s apparently being fostered by some dudes. He didn’t know more than that he also had a sibling, technically. A part of that made him mad for some reason but he didn’t know why.

 

Either way it’s not as if Katsuki hasn’t changed too since then. When Aldera closed down for almost a year he had to do a lot of homeschooling with his old man. That sucked but at least he made sure he kept up with his studies unlike those hack extras at school who gave him a medal for just existing.

 

When he realized, thanks to that experience, that he was going to be seen as someone meant to be a hero instead of one deserving to be a hero, he wondered if that was what he wanted. He kept thinking maybe he could be something else, or rather if he could. 

 

He picked up some hobbies, like cooking and a bit of fashion from the hag but in the end he knew he wanted to be a hero. At least then he knew it was his choice and not someone else's. It was then he realised that when he came back to Aldera he needed to seriously think about how he’s going to go forward.

 

He could stick around with those extras who follow him around and pat him on the back for every little thing but then how would he know he actually deserved it? That’s why when he came back, he made it known that unless they actually gave a shit and weren’t just lackeys, he wasn’t going to even remember their names.

 

That made them realise quickly they weren’t going to be riding on his coat tails so they split fast. The new teachers were also good, actually helping him learn instead of assuming everything he did was good.

 

It did, however, cause a new problem to come up. One he would never admit out loud.

 

He was getting lonely.

 

Because of all these revelations, and the fact he was doing great in school and his training, he was not only distracted from actually enjoying his childhood but actively avoiding people. After all, how could he know if they were actually his friend or just looking for someone to follow.

 

He wanted someone he can look at as an equal and knows they feel the same way. He didn’t know what that person would look like but he hoped he’d find out soon. 

 

They arrived in front of the house. The one Izuku was inside of. He saw the hag take a breath, clearly unprepared for whatever she’d find inside. Katsuki took a breath of his own for some reason.

 

When Auntie Inko died, she was quiet for a week. Something rare for the woman as she was always active and moving. Even he got concerned, especially when Izuku was not found yet and possibly dead too. He remembered the day he appeared on the news, it was like seeing a cryptid, everything freezes as you wondered whether what you were seeing was actually true.

 

The days spent after her calling the detective on his case about what was happening with the investigation was the most keen she’s ever been. Don’t get him started on how she was when they finally found him. She almost demanded the address of where he was staying but was stopped when she was told he was in an ‘emotionally unstable state’.

 

Now he was here, in her reach. He wasn’t sure how she’d react but it had to be a lot.

 

They walked up to the front gate which connected to a wall that surrounded the house. The building looked expensive, not a millionaire’s expensive but certainly more than their house. The gate opened with a buzz and they stepped in and up to the front door.

 

Before the hag could knock, it opened to… the man from the news report. What?

 

“Hello, is this the Yamazawa’s residence?” asked the hag.

 

“Yeah, come in.” the black haired man uttered tiredly, showing them through the door and closing it behind them.

 

Heading into the living room they were met with another man, a blond dude with long hair tied up in a bun. “Hey there Bakugous! Name’s Yamada Hizashi. Want me to get you something?”

 

The family sat down on the couch together, Katsuki next to his mom as her and his dad politely asked for some tea. The blond man smiled in a way that felt familiar to him and left to the kitchen, making their stuff.

 

Their living room was spacious and had a bunch of cat stuff lying around he thinks. It’s when he makes that assumption does he spot the two felines watching them from around the corner, sizing them up in a way that could only be described as a stare down. He almost glared back out of habit but had enough willpower to stop himself.

 

“You have cats?” the hag asked, curious.

 

The black haired man stepped in. “Yeah, two. Are any of you allergic?”

 

“No.” the old man answered. “Excuse me but what’s your name again?”

 

“Aizawa Shouta.” he answered, Yamada coming back from the kitchen with cups.

 

“Aizawa, Yamada.” the old man uttered. “You don’t share the same last name? I thought you were married.”

 

“We are but we kept our last names for personal reasons.” Aizawa clarified.

 

That’s when Katsuki finally spoke up. “It’s because you’re a hero, aren’t you?”

 

Both Yamada and Aizawa were quiet whilst his parents looked at him like they hadn’t expected him to speak up like that. But he was sure the black haired dude was the same guy from the news report. The blond he wasn’t sure about but the odds were likely he was a hero too.

 

Aizawa let out a sigh. “Yeah, I am. I’m guessing you got that from the report?”

 

Katsuki nodded. He knew he was right and a part of him felt proud for putting that together. Now he had to know why this man, the same one that was almost killed by Izuku, was currently caring for him.

 

“Wait,” the old hag uttered, “Does that mean you’re-”

 

“The guy who almost got killed by Izuku? Yeah. It was my fault, not his.” he made sure to clarify.

 

He began to explain how he had been the hero leading the investigation on Izuku from the start. Apparently he had intended on taking him in to be with his family. He wasn’t sure what to make of that besides maybe some relief. At least he didn’t have to find a new home, or probably worse, be adopted by the old hag.

 

It’s not that he hated Izuku but he didn’t see him as someone he’d get along with living with. He also, despite the loneliness, likes to have his own space and enjoys being an only child even if he sometimes wished for a little brother or sister.

 

“So you’re planning to adopt him?” the old man wanted clarified.

 

“That is what we’re hoping for. Right now he is waiting for a ‘custody trial’ type arrangement to be done.” the black haired man explained.

 

“Custody trial?” the old hag questioned.

 

Yamada spoke up. “Due to Izuku’s complications with the law, there’s a decision to be made on whether he is fit to rejoin society. If all goes well he can stay with us.”

 

“And if it doesn’t?”

 

“Then the Hero Public Safety Commission takes him,” he answered.

 

“To jail?!” Katsuki asked, surprisingly concerned enough to shout that.

 

The Yamazawas looked at him. “Not exactly kid,” Aizawa assured, “He’d more go under their rehabilitation.”

 

“But it would be nothing like a normal life for him. We just want to give ‘Zuku what he’s been missing and the HPSC won’t be able to give it to him.” Yamada said.

 

“And you think you can?” questioned the old hag, not quite disbelieving them but clearly questioning whether they are fit for the task.

 

Aizawa spoke up. “Izuku is still legally in our custody. He violated several laws including two near murder attempts.”

 

“W-wait,” the hag stammered. “Two?!”

 

“The second one can’t be charged as he never got close enough to accomplish it.” he explained. 

 

(Shouta’s intentionally leaving out the part where Izuku almost strangled him to death as no one but he, Hitoshi and Hizashi is aware of that.)

 

“Who? What?” she continued to panic, stunned a little.

 

The black haired man then went on to explain about Hisashi. They already knew he was an important figurehead in that gang he ran and that he was arrested the same time Izuku was found but they didn’t know that the greenette was actually trying to hurt him.

 

“He’s not going to be allowed to stay with anyone but a hero, and because I was the one leading the investigation, we got him.” Aizawa explained.

 

The old hag eyes narrowed a little, not out of mistrust but unsureness. “I’m sorry Aizawa, Yamada, but forgive me if I’m skeptical. You seem like respectable people but I’ve known Izuku since he was a baby and see him like a nephew, forgive me if I’m a bit wary.”

 

“That’s understandable.” he uttered. “I’m a teacher at UA and my husband also does hero work.”

 

So the other guy is confirmed a hero too? Or does he just do the work like in an agency or something? Katsuki wasn’t sure, he couldn’t tell if the guy was built like one but he certainly looked a bit skinny.

 

The old hag nodded along. “Am I able to talk with Izuku?” she asked.

 

“Of course.” Yamada stated, getting up to head upstairs.

 

A minute passed where he could hear some talking upstairs, all the while Aizawa continued to answer questions about Izuku’s well-being. Apparently he’s very weak and will be for a while, makes sense given how he always was that way but apparently he can’t even walk right now which made the boy feel more concerned than he expected.

 

He still drifts back to those moments when he and him talked about All Might and how he’s the greatest hero ever. He remembered when they talked about being heroes in the future and what their names would be and what kind of quirks they’d get. Would he be able to do any of that if he can’t even throw a punch?

 

Then again, do they both still have that same dream? Or has he moved on?

 

Several footsteps came down the stairs, a couple too many for what should be just the blond and Izuku. The man entered the room first and after that some tall kid with purple cloud for a hair. He had eyebags that made him look like a panda and for some reason Katsuki got slightly judgemental when he realised who he was.

 

“Bakugous, this is Yamazawa Hitoshi, our son. Hitoshi, this is Mitsuki, Masaru and Katsuki.” Yamada introduced him.

 

“Hey.” he said and Katsuki could immediately see some resemblance between him and the black haired man, at least in their attitudes.

 

“And here…”

 

Stepping into the room was something the platinum blond haired boy wasn’t expecting. A seven foot tall white masked person with long green hair and wearing a black robe covering their entire body. The eyes behind the mask blinked mechanically like they were real and scanned him and his entire family in an almost scrutinising way.

 

“...Is Izuku. He’s inside the puppet.”

 

The hag and old man stood up, both unsure what they were looking at as well. Did he just say he was inside that thing? Like some kind of mech?

 

“What do you…” the old man trailed off, looking the thing up and down. 

 

“Hi.” the puppet uttered, startling the Bakugous. “I don’t like people seeing me. I’m sorry if that offends you.”

 

What?

 

- - -

 

After about a few minutes of explaining everything, between Izuku’s fear of being seen by people and how he uses puppets to do everything, including walking and even talking, Katsuki was just left confused by it all on why. 

 

He understood the why, of course. Idiot didn’t use his voice or legs for years, of course they’d get weak. That and the fact he didn’t eat properly probably didn’t help. The why question was more for why did this all happen. He didn’t know what would’ve happened if Izuku didn’t run away but he imagined it wouldn’t have been anything like this.

 

Right now though, curiosity was gripping the boy. What did Izuku actually look like under there? His mind kept going back to the news report of a tiny child clutching onto a giant looking like a mouse in size compared to it. He looked weak and tired but so scared all the same.

 

“Are we able to see you Izuku?” asked the old hag.

 

The puppet looked over to the Yamazawas, the black haired one giving a nod. “No, I mean. Not yet. I’m still a bit unsure. I knew you, yes but I don’t know you now, so…”

 

“I get it.” the old hag uttered, turning then to the Yamazawas. “Can we talk to Izuku alone?”

 

They nodded and got up to leave the room, heading upstairs. Once they were out, she immediately stepped up to hug the thing. 

 

“Izuku, we’re so sorry about what happened to your mother.” she began to tear up. “I should’ve pushed your mom to leave him more. I’m so sorry.”

 

The puppet gingerly put its arms around her, pulling her in. “It’s ok. It wasn’t your fault. I think Mama didn’t want to get you in trouble.”

 

“Well that’s bullshit.” Katsuki said. “I could’ve beaten up your stupid old man.”

 

“Katsuki!” his old man chastised. 

 

“What it’s true! He wouldn’t have stood a chance against me.” he gruffed a little, trying to hide the fact he was still asking the question internally of why.

 

“I don’t know what Mama was planning,” Izuku uttered, “but I knew she was trying to get us into witness protection.”

 

“Well, please Izuku, tell us everything that’s happened.” the hag asked, bringing the puppet over to where they sat.

 

The next ten minutes was just the puppet talking about everything Izuku had done over the three years they were gone. From running away to making dolls, how he met that panda faced kid and what happened the day of the news report. 

 

The hunt for Hisashi and the gang he ran and the way he had fought heroes and villains alike. That part intrigued Katsuki, it meant that maybe there was a way they could still fulfil that promise they made to each other.

 

Apparently he and the Yamazawa’s have known each other for a long time, almost… no as long as he’s known Izuku. There was that feeling of… frustration? inside of him again, like something was missed and the loneliness he felt crawled back in. He really didn’t understand his own feelings, they just felt like a mess.

 

“Izuku,” the old man started. “Do you think this is the best place for you?”

 

“Yes.” he replied without hesitation. “I feel very safe with Shouta and Hizashi and Hitoshi.”

 

“That’s great to hear.” he smiled. “Don’t you think Mitsuki?”

 

The old hag looked up at the thing and watched its eyes blink at her. She seemed to accept the answer as is, for the moment at least. She had that unsure look in her eye she got whenever she was unsure about an outfit from work. “Ok, Izuku. Also, have you visited your mother’s grave?”

 

“No, I forgot about that.” he stated. “I’ve been busy and it has slipped my mind.”

 

“Then we can visit together later.” She let him go and stepped back, a slightly pained look in her eyes. “Can you call Yamada and Aizawa back down? Katsuki, why don’t you go upstairs with Izuku and catch up?”

 

“Why do I gotta-” he complained.

 

“Katsuki.” she said sternly.

 

“Tch. Fine, show me the way.”

 

- - -

 

He didn’t know what he was expecting when he was shown to Izuku’s room. He’d seen his old one. It was filled with posters for all kinds of heroes and merchandise for All Might but he wasn’t sure if his friend even cared about that stuff anymore. He hoped he did because it meant they’d at least have something to talk about.

 

When the door was opened up though it was far from anything he had expected. The whole place looked like a yarnball threw up with how many plushies and dolls were around. The walls were painted a teal green and there were posters up for a few heroes like Present Mic. 

 

It wasn’t as extreme as his old room but what he lost in that he made up for in how Katsuki can’t look anywhere without spotting some kind of fluffy toy. There was even a teddy bear that was taller than he was, sitting in the corner of the room.

 

“Fucking hell Izuku, could’ve calmed it with the dolls?” he said. “Room looks like a toy factory crashed into it.”

 

“It’s how I want to keep it.” Izuku stated, the puppet sitting down on the bed.

 

Katsuki heard a click and the sound of something opening as soon as it did and under the robe he could see something worming under it. The lump in the clothes snuck under the bed blankets and after a bit ruffling the sheets moved up to reveal… Izuku.

 

He looked a lot different. Actually no he didn’t but maybe that was the problem. He was smaller than he was and his cheeks weren’t as full as he recalled. He remembered the mention of malnutrition from the hero. He couldn’t see his body under the blankets but he could tell from his hands that he was probably thinner than he should be.

 

Then there was the hair that seemed to stretch chaotically around him. He looked ridiculous, almost like Rapunzel with how it spilled out, fluffy and curly. His eyes still looked the same, though there was a clear cautiousness in them that wasn’t there before. Then again, maybe they always were and he just never saw it.

 

“I like all of the dolls. They’re cute and fun to play with.” the puppet behind him uttered.

 

Katsuki blinked, trying not to let the sight distract him anymore. He did look alright. Definitely better than the news report he poured over a dozen times but he didn’t want to let him know he actually worried about him. 

 

“So you like playing with all of this girly stuff? I thought you liked heroes?” he questioned, looking at all of the pastel coloured creatures.

 

“I can like both.” he pointed to a stuffed seal plush that looked a lot like the hero Selkie. There were a few others like it, a whalelike doll Gang Orca, a fluffy rabbit that seemed to be based on that new hero Mirko and an eagle that was fashioned to look a lot like All Might.

 

“Fine, I get it. So you want to be a hero still?” Katsuki questioned. 

 

Izuku tilted his head a little. “Like we both promised we would?”

 

“Yeah…” the blond kid hoped but wouldn’t have made it clear.

 

The greenette looked down at what appeared to be another cat doll, coloured the same as his hair. He held it tight in his arms as his fingers typed. “I’ve thought about it. I probably am but I’m not sure what kind I can be.”

 

“What the hell does that mean?” Katsuki wondered. “We both wanted to go to the top!”

 

“You wanted to, I’m not sure I do. Not now at least.” he replied. “One part I don’t like talking to people, or appearing in front of them. I don’t think I ever will. So I don’t see myself being a limelight hero.”

 

“What kind of bullshit is that? Of course you can! You just showed me you can!” he argued. “You can just hide behind your quirk.”

 

“Maybe… I don’t know how that would work though.” he admitted. “But it’s fine, I like not being known.”  

 

‘Then am I just going to have to fight to the top on my own?’  he thought.

 

Katsuki has paid attention to Izuku ever since he reappeared into the world. How he’d taken down Dragon’s Roar goons and taken them out all by himself. He was good, better than Katsuki despite how hard that pill was to swallow. 

 

That’s why he was the perfect thing to push him further, to be better. But right now it was clear he was doing better than him too, at least on the surface.

 

He was alone and thrived whereas right now Katsuki was the same but was drowning. He felt alone when he trained, when he pushed people away because he didn’t know if they were honest. When he would spend most of his free time working towards his life goal, his mission at this point he’s tasked himself with, he felt even more isolated because he wondered ‘what’s the point if no one ever saw him?’. Saw the growth.

 

He wanted to surpass All Might. Surpass everyone. How can he do that if he can’t surpass Izuku? How can he do that if no one saw him rise above what he was?

 

“We can still be heroes together though.” the greenette typed. “Just because we won’t be the same type of hero doesn’t mean we can’t fight together.”

 

“...Whatever.” he sighed, grabbing a chair and sitting down. “Have you been training for UA?”

 

“No. I’m not allowed to make fighting dolls until next year.” he stated.

 

“Because you broke the law,” Katsuki said. “And almost became a villain.”

 

“No I-”

 

“You almost killed someone. And then tried to kill someone else.” the blond snapped. “I can get you being stupid the first time but the second?”

 

“I wasn’t stupid.” he typed, the voice of the puppet getting serious. “I was emotional, there’s a difference.”

 

“Doesn’t matter, still almost got sent to jail,” he replied.

 

“Well I’m not, am I?” the puppet spoke.

 

It was at that moment that Katsuki realised that this really wasn’t the Izuku he knew. He talked back and argued where the other one would’ve just accepted what he said or squirrelled away like a rabbit.

 

“You really aren’t the old Izuku, what next? All Might isn’t your favourite hero anymore?” the blond suggested.

 

“Actually no, it’s Present Mic and Eraserhead.” he admitted.

 

“Who the fuck is Eraserhead?” said Katsuki, confused. “And you can’t have two favourites, that isn’t how it works.”

 

“It can if I want it to. So it is.” Izuku stated, a stubbornness to the puppet’s tone. “And Eraserhead is the best underground hero ever.”

 

“Wait, is it that hobo downstairs?” he wondered.

 

“Yeah he is.” the greenette replied, completely accepting the hobo description.

 

‘Hold on, does that mean… no way.’ he thought.

 

“Is that blond guy Present Mic?” he uttered, a bit taken back by that revelation.

 

A small smile came across the boy. “What? Jealous?”

 

“Fuck you I’m not!” he shouted. “But seriously a hero like Mic married to that guy?”

 

“I know, I didn’t understand it either. Then I saw them have breakfast together and it all made sense.” he explained.

 

The two then chatted away, occasionally shouting at each other as they slowly learned more about the new them, either directly or indirectly by how they talked. By the end, Katsuki actually liked this new Izuku. He didn’t cower when he shouted and even yelled back through the puppet when he felt in the right.

 

It was honestly great to talk to someone again. A kid his own age he meant. It felt like he was finally getting a release that he’d been bottling up for a while and that was having someone listen to him. Actually listen to him, not just a ‘yes man’ conversation with him.

 

By the end there was still a question he needed answered though. One he’s had since the start. They’d just finished talking about Katsuki’s training regime when he steered the conversation to where he wanted.

 

“Izuku.” he started, his throat getting a bit tight as he thought the words to say. “Are we still friends?” 

 

The greenette was quiet for a moment before he looked at his phone and carefully typed out a response. He deleted a lot of it at first, making Katsuki think he was going to be told no but what he got was a simple answer instead.

 

“Yes. I think we are.”

 

Relief washed over him. “It took you a minute to type that out?” 

 

“I needed to think carefully!” the puppet yelled.

 

“It was five words.”

 

“Oh so you would’ve been satisfied with just a ‘yes’ then?” the boy sassed.

 

“...Yeah. I think I would’ve.”

 

Before their conversation could go on, there was a knock on the door. The doll rushed over, opening it to show that same purple haired panda eyed guy from before. “Izuku, they’re asking for your friend downstairs.”

 

“Ok.” the doll nodded.

 

A bit reluctantly, Katsuki stood up and walked over to the door. He assumed it was only going to be for a moment, otherwise they would’ve asked Izuku down too. He also needed to say something to this guy.

 

He didn’t know panda eyes well (he forgot his name), but from what he could tell he was like his dad. Quiet. Maybe that was the wrong assumption to make so he needed to really see if this guy was deserving of being Izuku’s brother.

 

“So you’re his friend?” he asked, looking slightly up at the taller boy.

 

“Yeah. Why?” he turned his head.

 

“Are you going to be a hero too?” 

 

“Yeah, why are you asking me this? This isn’t twenty questions.” the lilac eyed boy stated even more befuddled.

 

“Just checking.”

 

Dead eyes looked even more perplexed. “What? You think I’m not a good friend?”

 

“Yeah.” he said bluntly. “Izuku’s super strong now. He won’t get better though unless he has someone strong enough to challenge him.”

 

“What? You’re strong enough to fight him?” Hitoshi said, in slight disbelief.

 

“‘Course I’m stronger! I’d smash all those dolls of his with ease!” he exclaimed, hands crackling a little.

 

“As if. Those little sparklers wouldn’t even leave a scratch on Brutus.” the panda eyed boy snarked.

 

“Really? How about I show you how big these fireworks can get?” he growled, the explosions getting slightly bigger.

 

The purple haired brat narrowed his eyes and raised his hands as if they were ready to fight when suddenly there was a shout from downstairs. The tired hero was calling them down. They both stared each other down a little bit more before Panda Eyes walked past him downstairs. Katsuki followed a few seconds later after scoffing to himself.

 

The hag just wanted to tell him about how Izuku’s been, outside of what he can tell him himself. Once all of that was said and done, Katsuki was let back upstairs to Izuku, completely ignoring the purple haired boy.

 

They talked some more and even played a bit like they used to with the dolls before an hour had passed and it was time to go.

 

Both boys were left to their goodbyes as the Bakugous departed from the Yamazawa household. Things were better on the way back. There wasn’t the stress and fear that came with finding out if an old friend was alright, just the relief and excitement at what could come next with a little bit of aggression towards the taller boy.

 

“How was he, Katsuki?” the old hag questioned.

 

“Fine. Slightly different but still the same… Can we visit again some other time?” he asked.

 

A wide smile came over her as she turned in the front seat to look at him. “Sure! I’ll ask the Yamazawa’s tomorrow.”

 

And for once in a long time Katsuki doesn’t feel that alone anymore.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Eating Habits

Chapter 51: Eating Habits

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope this chapter's a fun one. Also starting the build up of something that will come into play later (you can probably guess what).

Also, seeing as how we're about to hit 30k hits, I'll say thank you now instead of next week. So...

THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!

Have a nice day! <3

Momo was about to head out to the car waiting for her after school. Her usual friends who walked out with her: Tenya, Hitoshi and Izuku, all had already left. She was staying after school to discuss with a teacher about her beginning to learn more science, specifically chemistry and how it could help with understanding matter better.

 

Because of her power, she’s always needed to have a smart head on her shoulders. Naturally then she always kept up with her work. Mother has also helped a lot on that though even if sometimes she can’t help but feel like she was a bit too keen on this. She’s happy, of course, but Momo can’t help the feeling that there’s something more there.

 

Either way, she was on her way out when she noticed there was a kid she recognised still in the downstairs shoe lockers. It was one of the boys from that group of kids who blocked Tenya from doing his outside runs.

 

He was tall, taller than Tenya and was clearly older by a year. He was a bit rough looking, with clear cuts on him and plasters on his knee. His short brown hair was unkempt and he certainly didn’t look like a kid you’d find in Somei. 

 

Then again, there’s all kinds of kids expected to be here. Children of heroes were one of them and they tended to be more… eccentric, at least in her experience, that being her friends. She wasn’t going to judge, though if she remembered right he had a really interesting quirk.

 

She got to see it there when she watched him reach into his shoe locker, the door still closed and locked, phasing through the metal. It was some kind of permeation quirk but only worked on his hands and could allow him to pull stuff through.

 

Momo ignored him and went to put on her outside shoes. She had just locked her locker when a tap on her shoulder pulled her attention away.

 

Again, this boy was tall and older so she immediately felt a bit nervous when she turned around to see him standing behind her. “Um, hello?”

 

“Are you the girl that hangs out with the masked thing?” he asked.

 

“Oh Izuku?” she guessed, “Yes, I am.”

 

He remained stony faced as he kept talking. “Does he ever leave that thing?”

 

“Well as far as I’m aware, he only leaves Gala when he’s at his house.” she stated honestly. “Why? Do you want to become friends with him?”

 

“No…” he uttered. “Thanks.”

 

He walked off, leaving her standing there confused and watching the brunet get farther away. She didn’t understand what on earth he was talking about. Why did he want to know that about Izuku? Was it just curiosity? Oh well. She had to get back home to do her homework so she could train faster.

 

Speaking of, she and her friends had planned a training session together with one of Hitoshi’s fathers soon. She can’t wait for that, especially considering Izuku had said he might show himself.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was in the house, doing some light stretches as he waited for his friends to come over. He had been waiting for this a while and wanted to maybe do some sparring together. Dad was the best fighter but he had told him that it wasn’t good to only ever spar with one opponent. He needed experience with other fighters or he’d start copying him.

 

Was that so bad? He’s planning to learn his capture weapon so why not learn a few of his moves? Of course that part of their training won’t be until middle school. Not because Dad didn’t think he was ready but because Papa thought he wasn’t. He was likely scared of Hitoshi hurting himself.

 

It’s just cloth though! How can he hurt himself with a bunch of cloth?

 

Anyway, besides stretching he’s also talking with Izuku about their upcoming school trip to the zoo. His friend was currently sitting in the training hall with him, surrounded by animated dolls running around doing a bunch of different actions.

 

Whilst the greenette wasn’t allowed to do combat with his dolls, as long as he wasn’t excessive with his quirk, he was training his control over them. According to him, he had a hard time controlling multiple dolls individually beyond just four so he was working on doing more than that.

 

There was also a problem he had involving activating his quirk’s control on all of his dolls at once. When he assumed control of one doll, he took control of all of them so he was working on not doing that too unless he wanted to strap down most of his puppets every time he wanted to control a few of them.

 

“Do you think there’ll be tigers there?” Izuku asked, his phone speaking for him.

 

“Obviously,” Hitoshi said like there was no doubt in his mind, “They’re like the zooiest zoo animals.”

 

The greenette giggled a little at his own thoughts. “Could we pet one?”

 

“That’s probably going to be difficult. They might eat us.” he replied.

 

“Not if I send a puppet in first.” Izuku proposed, picking up one of his dolls to play with himself. “I can send in Ezuku and a panda plush to pet it.”

 

“Why a panda?” pondered Hitoshi.

 

“Kacchan said you looked like a panda.” he pointed out.

 

The purple haired boy froze for a moment in disbelief. “Do I?”

 

His friend took out his phone and showed it to him, the camera on and in selfie mode. “S-see? P-p-panda.” Izuku muttered himself forcibly, reaching a finger up to pull on his own faded eyebags.

 

Trying not to make a big deal out of him talking in case he scared him into silence, he looked at himself. The dark circles around his eyes did make him look slightly like a panda but surely that wasn’t all there was. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not black and white.”

 

The greenette pulled back his phone and typed. “But you’re sluggish like a panda. A little lazy like one too.” 

 

“No I’m not!” he almost shouted in pure denial.

 

“Hizashi had to take your blankets off your bed to wake you up before school. Three times last week.” Izuku pointed out.

 

“The bed’s nice to sleep in. How can I not?” he argued.

 

“You tricked Tenya into doing your homework by convincing him you had a sprained wrist.” the boy recalled.

 

“I had to write a lot that morning. He was being a good friend.” he excused. “And hey, I’m not the only one acting like an animal. You’re practically a little kitten.”

 

“No I’m not!” the greenette typed in, speaking just like Hitoshi did earlier. 

 

“Really?” the other boy grinned. “You hate people, you surround yourself with yarn, you hide away in small spaces, you scratch anyone who gets too close to you, the other cats always snuggle up to you first and you’re always up to mischief.”

 

He finished it off with: “And you always wear the cat onesies we bought for you every time you come home.”

 

Izuku just sat there for a moment, stunned completely by all of that. He looked down at his hands, which held the green cat Ezuku amongst them. His wide green eyes trembled as Hitoshi was sure he was watching his friend’s world crumble.

 

“I-I’m a c-cat.” he admitted quietly, like some earth shattering revelation.

 

“Yes you are, Izuku. Thank you for catching up.” Hitoshi agreed.

 

Dad entered the room, carrying some equipment as he paused to look and see his kids going through some kind of serious conversation. At least that’s what he thinks from looking at Izuku’s bewildered expression. “Hitoshi, have you finished your warm up exercises?”

 

“Yeah, Dad.” Hitoshi called, turning away from his mind blown friend.

 

“Good. I think your friends are here.” He then turned to the greenette. “Izuku, are you fine with them seeing you?”

 

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and turned over to the man, quickly typing away on his phone. “Yes, please help me get some more blankets.”

 

Dad nodded, leaving the room with Hitoshi to go to Izuku’s room whilst he went downstairs. At the door he could see Papa talking with a couple people at the door and was showing them in when they spotted him.

 

“Hitoshi!” cheered Momo, dressed in more athletic attire. Expensive attire he noticed. “You have such a lovely house.”

 

Behind her was Tenya, wearing a compress shirt and shorts. “It is quite nice. Spacious as well.”

 

Papa left them to go to the kitchen. After the three of them chatted for a bit, Momo gasped when she turned to see a couple heads poking around a corner from the living room. “Hitoshi, is that?”

 

The purple haired boy turned to see Pepper and Dot watching cautiously. “Yeah, that’s them. Want to pet them?”

 

“Yes, if it’s possible.” she requested, eyes glittering at the prospect.

 

After some coaxing with some treats, courtesy of Papa, Momo petted the ever brave Pepper and he swore he could see the girl tremble with joy. He spied Tenya watching on. He remembered that the Iida’s don’t have cats but they do have dogs, odds are he hasn’t met a cat properly either.

 

“You can pet him too, Tenya.” Hitoshi said.

 

“Is that alright?” the blue haired boy asked.

 

He nodded and Tenya inched forward next to Momo to pet Pepper too. However as he drew his hand near, the orange cat must’ve smelt the dog on him and jumped back, almost scratching the kid before running off.

 

“Ack!” exclaimed Tenya, slipping back a little.

 

“Oops! Sorry lil’ listener!” Papa said as he rushed up to check on him. “Pepper can be a bit unpredictable at times. Did he scratch you?”

 

“N-no.” he said, still a bit startled. “Did I do something wrong or-”

 

“I think he could smell the dogs you own.” Hitoshi suggested. “It must’ve scared him.”

 

“Ah! I’m sorry!” apologised Tenya with a quick bow. “I did not mean to startle him!”

 

“It’s alright Iida,” Papa eased.

 

After some calming down the three kids went upstairs to the training hall. It’s called a hall when really it was just a big room meant for quirkless combat which both Hitoshi and Dad have to learn.

 

After a quick show of his room, they head on in to see Dad standing there with some long training staffs and a suspiciously Izuku shaped cluster of blankets off to the side. As soon as they stepped in, Tenya and Momo immediately turned their attention to the pile.

 

“Is that meant to be there?” Momo questioned.

 

“I have a name.” Izuku’s phone called from the pile.

 

Both of the kids jumped in shock as a small poof of green fluff poked up and out of the pile to reveal Izuku. Only for a moment as he slinks back down the second he was satisfied with how long he was out for.

 

“Is that you Izuku?” Tenya wondered as he stepped over cautiously to the pile.

 

“Yes.” he typed, only a pair of green eyes peering out now.

 

“Will you be training with us?” he asked.

 

“Maybe. Shouta said I might get to fight you.” the greenette replied, seeming to rock back and forth if the shaking pile had anything to say about it.

 

“That’s only if I approve of the two of you enough to warrant a spar.” Dad commented. “Iida, I know Tensei has been training you himself on occasion, so I know your warm ups are likely well practiced. Yaoyorozu I need to see how you prepare before training.”

 

“Yes, Aizawa sir.” she said, a look of determination coming over her.

 

The two went through their usual stretches and light exercises to loosen themselves up so they don’t pull something mid training. Momo seemed to be training to use a staff so she does movements to help ease any tension in her wrists before picking up one of the wooden poles to use. Tenya, on the other hand, focused on his knee joints and feet as was the nature of his quirk. 

 

The first hour of their training was mostly focused on doing their own routine and Dad giving advice on how they could better it. From Tenya being told to incorporate some spins into his attack so that his kick can have more quirk aided momentum to Momo being told to improve her spatial awareness, something that she seemed to lack according to him.

 

After that was done, they moved onto some simple quirkless sparring. The first match was between Hitoshi and Momo.

 

Both of them stood across from each other a bit away whilst Tenya and Dad sat to the side with Izuku who was still watching on. At the man’s go ahead, the two moved to fight each other.

 

Momo used the wooden staff like a spear to keep the other kid from closing the distance and every time he would break past the tip of the pole she’d swing a kick to drive him back. Hitoshi was left standing outside of her range, keeping a steady stance as he thought through how he could break her guard.

 

Despite him having more experience fighting, Momo was better when it came to staff combat. He couldn’t get a swing with his own stick without her already striking so he decided to break the rules of the spar a little and get creative.

 

Still standing a ways away from her, he noticed she wasn’t moving from her spot. He didn’t know if she was being cautious or just acting too defensively; a quick glance over at Dad and he could tell it must be the second one. 

 

In that case he’ll shock her as he took his staff and snapped it over his knee, breaking it and then throwing one of the ends at the girl, surprising her and hitting her square in the right arm as she tried to block it.

 

She flinched, giving him the chance to close the distance immediately and though she made a blind attempt to bat him off, he slipped under her swing and kicked her feet out from under her. From there he stood over her, making sure to kick the pole she had out of the way whilst making it known he could go in for a finishing attack if he could.

 

“Hitoshi wins.” Dad called it, the two stopping immediately.

 

“I didn’t expect that.” Momo groaned, taking Hitoshi’s hand and being pulled up by him. 

 

“I noticed you weren’t being aggressive so I knew I had to force you to act first.” the boy commented.

 

Dad stepped forth, picking up some of the broken staff on the ground. “It’s called being reactive, and it’s something you shouldn’t be doing,” he said to Yaoyorozu. “As a hero, more often than not, most villains will avoid the attention of heroes. That includes running away. If you only act when they attack, you’ll end up constantly chasing after the smart ones who run away.”

 

“I see.” she uttered, looking a bit down but still had that look of wanting to be better.

 

“Make yourself the problem for them to try and solve, not the other way around.” he finished with. “Iida, Izuku. Both of you up now.”

 

There was a wave of excitement that seemed to emanate from the blanket pile as Tenya stood up to step towards the center of the room whilst Hitoshi and Momo sat down at the wall. 

 

“Aizawa, sir, how will we be fighting?” the blue haired boy asked. “I don’t want to accidentally break his method of mobility.”

 

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Dad stated. He turned to Izuku’s pile. “Send out the bear.”

 

It was hard to tell from the pile but there was a moment of shock from all three of the kids when the blankets shifted to show Fredrick pulling himself out and free like a zombie from the dirt. He already had gloves on that the fluffy ursine used during spars and wandered its way over the centre of the room.

 

The look on Tenya’s face was priceless. Momo’s too as they watched the stuffed animal ready itself in a stance that would make one think that it was a costume and not a puppet. Nevertheless, the blue haired boy didn’t let himself underestimate him and kept his guard up.

 

At Dad’s call the two immediately moved towards each other. Tenya made the first hit, making a high kick at the bear’s head only for it to duck down far faster than one would expect. It then wound up a punch and slammed straight into the boy’s chest, making him cough out.

 

Fredrick then pivoted on his foot, delivering another two blows that knocked the boy back a little. Despite the hits, Tenya recovered just enough to block the next few, grunting behind the blows that landed.

 

There was a stalemate for a moment of just the bear digging into the boy. Hitoshi knew that by now Izuku probably would’ve had him taken down the same way he did Momo but he remembered that this was still a teddy bear with fluff for muscles and not a human being.

 

Tenya did finally get some elbow room when he used his size and weight to push through the hits and shove back the bear, staggering it for a moment before he reached out to grab Fredrick by his hands, using the fact he was a doll to overpower it and stop them from throwing more punches.

 

He pulled the doll back, rolling onto his back and using his legs to launch the lightweight bear across by kicking it in the chest. Fredrick practically flew across the room and crashed into a wall, a distinct squeak coming from the doll before it stumbled back up, looking less coordinated than before.

 

Hitoshi noticed the wet splatter of presumably spinal fluid on the wall and dripping around the plush, implying that kick squeezed a lot out of it. He didn’t know how much the bear could hold but seeing how sluggish it was now, probably not a lot.

 

Tenya moved forward, looking to finish off the bear before he saw Fredrick’s head loll back whilst its legs crouched into an intense squat like he was going to jump. The boy didn’t stop though and stepped forward, ready to kick when, a split second before, the bear launched itself straight into his face, moving almost like a bullet.

 

Hitoshi and Momo flinched as the force left Tenya almost bent backwards from the force but instead he was knocked down on his back, Fredrick lying to the side, inanimate and out of fuel.

 

Dad seemed to wait a moment before calling the match, waiting to see if Tenya got back up. He did and so the match was called in his favour, though not because he finished it himself.

 

“That was close.” the boy huffed, the wind from the punches still affecting him. He watched the bear for a few moments more, expecting it to get up until she remembered it wasn’t a person.

 

“I’m sure you know it would’ve been your loss if the puppet wasn’t made of fur.” Dad noted.

 

Tenya turned to him. “Yes.” he nodded, acknowledging his defeat in that regard. He then looked at Izuku's blanket pile. “You are an incredible fighter, Izuku. I didn’t expect you to pull out that final attack.”

 

“Thank you.” he typed in reply, a couple dolls rushing out from the pile to go grab Fredrick.

 

Dad got Tenya’s attention again, not finished with what he was saying. “This goes for all of you here. As hero hopefuls, you’ll be going against villains whose quirks and techniques you’ll be unfamiliar with. On the other hand, for those of you planning the limelight, they’ll know all of your tricks.”

 

He continued. “That’s why it’s important to not let yourself get predictable. Yaoyorozu with your reactive stance and Iida with how you charged towards the puppet without thinking how he could retaliate. A real pro doesn’t have only one fighting style at their disposal.”

 

Both Tenya and Momo nodded along, taking the information in as Dad finished his lecture.

 

“Good. ‘Zashi has lunch downstairs waiting for you. Eat up and we can finish your training with a few more rounds.” he instructed.

 

All of the kids rushed downstairs with the exception of Izuku who stayed behind, holding Fredrick and presumably resupplying him with fluid. The trio headed to the dining table where some food was waiting for them courtesy of Papa. “Eat up, lil’ listeners!”

 

The group sat down and enjoyed their meals, Izuku didn’t seem to join them but from the looks of Dad coming down and grabbing some rice and chicken to bring back up, he was likely still a bit scared of eating with the rest of them. He’s sure he’ll join them without a doll eventually, he believes that.

 

Enjoying their meals, they had some fruit as they talked about what they learned. Momo going over how she wanted to try adding a shield to her arsenal and Tenya saying he is going to try and incorporate weights to his daily runs to strengthen himself.

 

“By the way Hitoshi, your father is a wonderful teacher. He works at UA does he not?” Tenya asked, setting his food aside for the conversation.

 

“Oh, yeah he is. A strict one I’m pretty sure.” Hitoshi added.

 

Momo finished swallowing an apple bite to speak. “He didn’t seem that strict when we were training with him.”

 

“He’s expelled nine students over his course at UA.” he immediately said, a grin coming across his face at seeing their shock. “And he’s only been there a couple years.”

 

“His standards must be extremely high then.” Tenya commented.

 

“A hero’s job is to save lives.” Hitoshi stated. “You want to be saved by someone who’s serious about helping people, not someone who just scraped by.”

 

Both of his friends listened intently to him. Momo uttered, “Is that what your father had said?”

 

“Yeah, not the exact words but like it.” he answered. “I mean he’s not wrong. Don’t want to be saved by someone who got a C- in math or can’t hold their own in a fight.”

 

The robotic boy agreed. “That is right Hitoshi, I entirely agree. My brother always says that you must do everything one hundred percent or none at all!”

 

Momo looked between the two in awe. “Both of you have heroes for family members. It’s quite fortunate. No one in my family is a hero.”

 

“Hasn’t your mom been helping you with your training?” wondered Hitoshi.

 

“She has but… it doesn’t…” she stumbled, trying to think of the right words to say. “It doesn’t feel like she’s helping me so to say.”

 

“What do you mean, Momo?” asked Tenya.

 

“It just feels more like she’s doing this for her and not for me.” she stated. “Like it’s her dream and not mine. Not to mention…” she trailed off.

 

Both boys looked at her to continue but she didn’t. She then stuttered into an excuse. “You know what? Nevermind, it’s ok. I can always ask you two for help if I need it.” 

 

She smiled and before either of them could ask anything she gave her plate and leftovers to Papa and went back upstairs, leaving the two of them behind. “Is she ok?” asked Hitoshi, looking towards where she left.

 

“I think she is. Though she did seem to have more to say.” Tenya commented.

 

“It sounds like she needs a moment alone, you two.” Papa said, cleaning up the plate that was handed to him. “It’s as she said, if she needs you, she’ll find you.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku was resting a bit inside his mound as he waited for the others to get back. He wanted to join them downstairs but still felt a bit afraid to show himself properly in front of Momo and Tenya yet. He trusted them, sure. Well actually no. He still remembered that conversation they had about him when he was using Charlie.

 

He had just swallowed down the last of his food when he settled for a short nap. His sleeping has been getting better lately. Now he’s able to take naps even if they’re for a few minutes before he shakes awake again from a bad dream. He settled into one until he woke up to hear the training hall door open.

 

The greenette looked out and expected to see everyone coming back in but it was only Momo who was entering. The girl called out to him, checking if he was there. Izuku fumbled a bit, trying to find his phone when the girl muttered out loud that he must’ve not been and sat down next to the pile.

 

The boy was about to type on his phone that he was there when he noticed her take out her phone. She had opened some kind of note taking app and typed in what appeared to be what she ate downstairs, writing out the amount and even how much energy it gave.

 

‘Is she doing that for her quirk? That’s so smart!’ the boy though, carefully spying over her shoulder.

 

But then he noticed the other notes. All of them were alarmingly… little for someone whose quirk relied on their lipids. From just one look, it seemed she barely had any snacks. Only eating exact meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

“She’s not going to be happy about the fried chicken.” she muttered to herself as she looked over her notes.

 

“Why?” Izuku typed into his phone, causing the girl to panic a little as she lurched back from the blanket pile.

 

“I-Izuku?!” she exclaimed, staring at him.

 

“Yes?” he replied.

 

“I-I d-didn’t realise you were there!” she shouted slightly.

 

“I was napping. Who wouldn’t be happy about eating fried chicken?” the boy questioned again, curious to the answer.

 

“I-It’s nothing.” she tried to deflect, putting her phone away. 

 

He didn’t believe her. “Aren’t you eating too little? Your quirk needs a lot of energy to work.”

 

“I know but my mother said it’s best if I don’t eat much.” she answered, looking a bit uncomfortable with the conversation.

 

“Is she a quirk counselor?” he wondered.

 

“N-no, she just thinks…” she trailed off a bit.

 

She seemed to think over what she wanted to say, like she was unsure of how to exactly put the words for what she’s trying to prove. The girl looked to be fighting another thought before she just breathed out and settled once more next to the blankets.

 

“She thinks that you need to look good to be a successful hero.” she uttered. 

 

“That’s nonsense.” Izuku typed. “I’m planning to make all my dolls scary looking so villains will run away from them.”

 

She laughed a little at that. “Yes, but it feels like I can’t really do that like you can. I mean, look at Midnight or Uwabami. They’re both high-ranking heroes and both of them use their appearance to get that attention.”

 

“Do you want to look pretty?” he asked.

 

“Of course.” she replied, “But I can’t help but feel like my mother forgets I want to be a hero too. Not a model.”

 

“Then tell her that.” he said, like it was the simplest thing to do.

 

She sighed, letting herself deflate a little. “It’s hard to. Every time I try to get a word in she’s either finished talking or moving on to another topic.”

 

“Well, you’re only nine. How’s she going to notice if you just lie to her? She’s not seriously checking your weight every day.” He frowned when the girl gave him a look. “Seriously?”

 

“I don’t even know why she wants this. When I told them I wanted to be a hero, my mother was the most excited. I thought things would be great but it feels like I’m having the fun being pushed out of me” she explained.

 

Izuku sat there for a moment thinking through his brain on what he could do, unaware how his head was now poked out of the pile and was face to face with the girl who was looking at him slightly bewildered. After a beat an idea came over him. “Do you know what weight scale she uses?”

 

“Yes.” she nodded.

 

“Do you think you could make one just like it with your quirk?” he asked.

 

“Yes, why?” she wondered.

 

“I have an idea.”

 

- - -

 

After the training the kids spent the rest of their time chatting and playing games in the living room using a console. Momo has never had as much fun as she did that day. She’s never had the time to enjoy video games like this so it was nice to be spending her time with her friends.

 

She found it especially funny when during a racing game, Tenya kept driving off track because he kept trying to cut through parts of the road, not understanding it slowed him down more.

 

After the day was over she went home, her bag heavier than when she arrived, both from her nervousness at what she was about to do and the new addition inside. When she walked in through the front door of her mansion, she kept her bag instead of giving it to a servant and brought it all the way up to her room.

 

She immediately went to the hall where she did her training and replaced the scales the family owned with the one she and Izuku made and hid the other just in time for her mother to come in.

 

“Momo, sweetie, how were your friends? Did Mr. Yamazawa teach you well?” she asked in a sweet voice, hand out and already expecting her phone.

 

“He did, Mother. I had learned a lot from him and from sparring with my friends.” she explained. She handed the phone over, slightly anxious if she would believe it.

 

She scanned through the notes, seeing what she had for lunch and dinner and smiled. “That sounds wonderful, and it seemed you made sure to eat well too.” 

 

Momo then stepped on the scales, hoping she wouldn’t see through the slight difference between it and the old one. They showed her usual weight and her mother smiled once more. “It seems you are doing well, Momo sweetie. When you grow up, you’ll be a great hero.”

 

“I will, Mother.” she replied, smiling away the fear of being caught.

 

She marked down the weight in her own notes and left but not before wishing her good night and closing the door to the training room. She had a gala tomorrow night so she had to sleep early to get as much energy before the event. As soon as she was gone, Momo breathed a sigh of relief and even a small laugh.

 

She had no clue she had chocolate ice cream today for the first time in three months.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Zoo Trip

Chapter 52: Zoo Trip

Notes:

Hiya Everyone!

Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

BTW thanks for 900 kudos! Here's hoping this fic reaches 1000!

(I've also been thinking of having a double upload soon. Mostly because the next few chapters would benefit from having a specific upload schedule).

Have a nice day! <3

A few weeks had passed by, Izuku enjoying the idea of school more and more with every day he’s there. Sure he still itched at the idea of ever leaving Gala during school hours or at any time outside of the house but he’s been slowly improving. Ryo was starting to help dig into ways he could conquer that fear and though it’s been scary he’s gotten far enough to be able to leave Gala for their sessions.

 

He was still nowhere near going outside though, far from it, but that’s not in his mind right now. He was going to the zoo for a class trip before the summer. It was near the end of May and things were getting hotter. Thankfully Gala was built with a cooler inside to keep him from overheating, to Hitoshi’s jealousy.

 

“I can’t believe you get to be completely fine whilst I’m here sweating to death.” he complained in the car.

 

It was a hot day today. Hotter than it should be for May but they said it will cool down for a while after which made it the perfect day for going out… in a doll.

 

“Well maybe if you weren’t stupidly tall we might make another one for you.” Izuku typed, whilst he rocked back and forth inside the doll.

 

They were in the car being driven to school by Shouta. He’d really started to warm up to the man and had been thinking for a long time about what to call him. The name ‘dad’ still held some bad connotations for him so he wanted to be sure and comfortable that he really was there to keep him safe.

 

“Make sure you both drink enough water. Especially you Hitoshi.” he commented, pulling across the street from the school.

 

“Okay Dad.” the boy said, checking over what he had before stepping out of the car. “Are you coming, Izuku?”

 

“I need to talk with him before he goes.” Shouta stated in the greenette’s surprise. “You can head on, he’ll catch up.”

 

Hitoshi just shrugged and walked over to Somei’s gates and went in, leaving the man and the boy in the car. Shouta twisted in his seat to look at Gala directly. “I heard from Recovery Girl you managed to walk a few metres.”

 

“Yeah.” the doll nodded. “It was really hard but I did it.”

 

“Well, me and ‘Zashi were thinking if in the future, when you get stronger, we could make a new puppet to cover you.” the man suggested.

 

The idea was a bit confusing. What did he mean by that? Izuku said nothing but just tilted his head to the side to show he was unsure what he meant by that.

 

“I was thinking, instead of having Gala like a mech, you could have a costume? Or something like that.” he clarified. “That way you could walk around and still be covered. It’s your choice in the end though.”

 

“I think I like it better inside Gala. It makes me feel safer.” Izuku answered, keeping firm in his own choice. “But… maybe.”

 

“Alright. Just wanted to let you know of that option.” he eased. “Now go, before the bell rings.”

 

The greenette commanded the doll to slip out of her seat and out of the car, stopping just before to hear Shouta speak. “And Izuku…” the boy’s attention turned to him. “...Have fun with your friends.”

 

- - -

 

The bus trip was a bit boring from Izuku’s perspective. The only entertainment he got was getting to sit next to Tenya and watching him rant about how he’d arrange everyone’s seating on the bus if he had control over it. It was nice listening to the boy because he always spoke with such honesty.

 

When they arrived at the zoo, they were all loaded out and arranged into pairs of two to watch the other. Thankfully he was put with Tenya again so he didn’t have to buddy up with a virtual stranger. The same couldn’t be said for Hitoshi though as he got matched up with that black and white haired kid.

 

Izuku sent him a text with his condolences for getting paired up with him and set out to the zoo. Their class wasn’t the only one there as there were also the years above and below them here too, practically being a day out for most of Somei which was nice, though he was sure he couldn't name ten of his classmates if he had a gun to him.

 

On the way through, he and Tenya got talking about some of the animals they saw. He told the boy about his idea to have one of his dolls go pet the tigers only to enter a debate with the blue haired kid over whether that would be allowed or not.

 

“The signs clearly say ‘no petting’.” Tenya argued, pointing to some of the signs scattered around for some of the smaller animals.

 

“That’s only for the animals within reach. No one can reach a tiger.” Izuku countered.

 

“It is implied.”

 

“Even if it was ‘implied’,” the doll did some air quotes, “the little picture clearly shows a human hand. Gala isn’t human, they’re a doll.”

 

“That… is true, but…” the boy stuttered, trying to think of a way to argue against the greenette’s absolute and flawless logic. 

 

He continued to watch Tenya try and think of a way to discourage him but in all honesty, Izuku didn’t want to risk Gala becoming a chew toy, especially seeing as how he’ll be tossed along too. Still it was fun messing with the other boy.

 

“It’s ok Tenya, I won’t pet the tigers.” the doll assured.

 

The blue haired kid breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” 

 

“The lions on the other hand…”

 

“Izuku!” he chopped.

 

The boy giggled inside the doll, reassuring that he wasn’t going to be doing that. Tenya accepted it just in time for the class to reach a building where there’ll be some kind of show inside. All the while Izuku kept an eye on his other two friends to see how they were doing.

 

Momo had been paired up with another girl who seemed entirely uninterested in talking to her and was more busy talking to her own friends than her. It clearly left the dark haired girl looking lonely but seeing how she was gazing in awe at some of the animal exhibits she likely hasn’t cared that much.

 

Hitoshi on the other hand was clearly trying to ignore Dachane who in turn was doing the same. He knew the monochrome haired kid didn’t like him and it made Izuku question if it was at all on purpose but seeing how random the whole pairings were for the calls it really was just bad luck.

 

In the doll, the greenette sent a text his way to see how he was handling it.

 

CursedDoll: How’s the buddy, buddy?

 

TrollDoll: Stellar. Has only made 1 snide

remark so far

 

CursedDoll: Lol. Momo looks lonely, maybe u

can ask the teacher to let u switch wth her?

 

TrollDoll: Probably not but I’m sure if I just

walk with her, teach might not notice 

 

CursedDoll: Go for it

 

Izuku watched Hitoshi head over to Momo and talk with her for a moment, completely ignoring any looks from other students. At least he would be if anyone actually cared… Which one particular kid did.

 

“Hitoshi should be with his trip buddy!” Tenya next to Gala noted, looking ready to step over and tell him. 

 

“It’s okay, Tenya. No one really cares about the system right now.” Izuku tried to convince him.

 

The blue haired boy looked back at the doll and back at Hitoshi, like a dog who was unsure which owner to follow when they went in different directions. “But… the system,” he uttered.

 

“You can enforce the system later, right now we need to sit down. You don’t want to get yourself in trouble, do you?” the greenette pointed out, hoping that’ll get him to ease up for now.

 

“Okay, you’re right. I’ll inform them of the mistake after the show.” he said, sitting down on the floor next to Gala just like everyone else was.

 

They were inside a building that seemed to mostly be for small shows. That show being a man coming in, pushing a cart filled with reptiles, bugs and creepy crawlies alike for the kids to be educated on and awe at.

 

Besides a moment where the animal handler looked at Gala weirdly, wondering what was going on there, it was great. There were many animals and bugs he never thought he’d ever see in person and even some that creeped him out a bit, which he especially loved. 

 

Tarantulas, slugs and centipedes all gave him a slew of ideas on future dolls he could make and though it might take a bit to work it out he loves the idea of making a doll like Behemoth again.

 

The most fun, however, was seeing his friends' reactions to some of the critters. Being in a doll, Izuku doesn’t have to feel creeped out when one of them is placed in his hand. In fact he held them all, even the ones no one wanted to handle, like the huge slug that was bigger than the boy’s head.

 

But the others were more fun. Watching Tenya freeze up when a lizard creeps up his arm and onto his head almost made the greenette burst out laughing with how frozen he was. Momo’s eyes sparkled when she held the chinchilla in her hands only to scream in panic when the thing had peed out of nowhere. And Hitoshi held a staring contest with an iguana that he only broke when the lizard flinched at him, causing the boy to jump back a little.

 

When Izuku was handed over a bunny, he decided to not have Gala do the holding but him instead, scaring the trainer with the small hands that pushed out between the buttons on the shirt the doll was wearing. It felt heavenly and the heat coming from the rabbit made him want to take it home with him.

 

‘Shouta probably wouldn’t allow that. Hizashi would be easy to convince though.’ the boy though, forgetting to hand over the rabbit to Tenya and having to be reminded by the boy that they were there for a limited time.

 

Izuku quickly handed over the small creature to him and retracted his arms. None the wiser to the eyes he got from a few of the kids, one Dachane in particular. What did those looks hold? He never got a proper look enough to tell.

 

Finished with the lesson in critters, the class moved on to the nearby reptile exhibit and it was then that Tenya remembered what he was meant to do before the show. He looked ready to head over to Momo and Hitoshi to let them know they have to return to their respective buddy’s but thankfully Izuku was there to save them all the trouble.

 

With genuine interest, Izuku asked, “Tenya, why do you want to be a hero when you grow up?”

 

The boy turned to him and if the face he made wasn’t one of pure excitement at getting to talk about his dream then Izuku didn’t know the word ‘joy’. “It’s because I hope to be like my brother when I grow up and continue the Iida family legacy!”

 

“But why?” he asked, curious on why he would want to do that.

 

“Well,” he started, pausing to think through his reasoning. “It’s because it's my dream. I aspire to be as strong and good as Tensei is and do great things for the world.”

 

“But why do you need to be a hero to achieve all of that?” Izuku pondered. “You can do all of that without having to get a license or go to school or stuff like that.”

 

The two had sat down on a bench across from a snake exhibit that showed a huge anaconda resting on some branches. “Maybe it could be done, but that would be vigilantism and frankly I don’t want to break the law.”

 

“But if you could get away with it you would?” the greenette suggested, wanting to hear the answer for this.

 

“No. I wouldn’t.” he answered.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because then I’d know I did something wrong.”

 

“What would that be?” Izuku questioned.

 

Tenya paused to once more think carefully over his answer. The doll could tell he wasn’t entirely sure of what to say, other than the obvious ‘guilt’ but he must’ve realised what the next question would then be. 

 

He shifts back on the bench. “I’d be going against what I vowed to become. A good person and a hero.”

 

“Then what if,” the boy started, wanting to find out how far his conviction went. “Your brother was hurt badly by a villain and they got away with it? Would you chase after them to get revenge or would you just let them go?”

 

The question seemed to cut deeply into him and Izuku started to feel bad when the face of his friend turned at the idea of his brother ever getting hurt. The greenette thought of what would happen if the same occurred to Hitoshi and immediately felt nothing but a growing fury like before he was found brewing to the surface.

 

Actually, maybe not just Hitoshi anymore. He was sure he’d feel this way if Tenya or Momo were to get hurt too. Maybe not the same rage and emotion but still furious. What about Hizashi and Shouta? Yes, that was something closer to the same level as Hitoshi.

 

They had given him so much patience and care despite barely knowing each other truly. The love they seemingly gave him unconditionally reminded him so much of Mama and the idea that he can get that attention without the fear of Hisashi felt incredible. Like he was free in a way he could never imagine.

 

He still had fears. Fears that they might turn the second they were legally family. Like an apple going sour, the stretch of time where they had gotten used to him has passed and they don’t like him anymore now that they knew him. It felt like a mistake, that he was being too hasty.

 

Another fear was Hisashi somehow getting out, despite how impossible that might sound. Tartarus is an extremely secure prison meant for the worst of the worst. The idea that he’d get out was unlikely but still there. The utter horror of turning around and seeing the man standing there, ready to take him away from everything was a nightmare he often had.

 

Eventually, Tenya answered him.

 

“I don’t know what’d I do if that happened.” the blue haired boy admitted. “But I’d hope that whatever I do, that my friends will stop me from doing anything stupid.”

 

Izuku said nothing to that response, letting the words sink in. He’s technically already had that happen to him.

 

They couldn’t continue the conversation though as they were both called away by their teacher, planning to go to the next few exhibits.

 

He kept thinking about how much he himself wanted to be a hero. It was something he’s always desired when he was younger. All Might was still one of his favourite heroes but he’s seen that not all of them are perfect. 

 

Eraserhead acts like the cool, level-headed hero most people see at an initial glance but really he was mostly too tired to care or be emotional. Present Mic is loud and hip, and whilst that’s still true behind the mask it wasn’t all he was. He can be quiet and thoughtful, also terrified of bugs.

 

Then there were some that were so much worse. Endeavor seemed standoffish and brutal and he was every part behind the mask as he was with it on. He still finds himself shuffling at the thought of that boy suffering at his hands. He wants to help him but he needs him for something else.

 

And that’s mostly where the crux lies. His plan and what he’s going to do in case the HPSC doesn't play nice. It’s an immoral plan by most people’s standards and something a little kid shouldn’t even think of let alone commit to.

 

That’s why he knows he can’t say anything about it. He can’t tell friends or even… family what he’s doing because he knows they’ll stop him. Because it’s very very stupid, at least from a hero’s perspective.

 

Then again, he could be wrong. Maybe good can win out and he won’t have to do something he’ll surely live to regret…

 

An hour goes by of the class walking around and seeing all of the animal exhibits. The elephant enclosure, the giraffes and the adorable meerkats are all oohed and awed at; Izuku takes pictures of all of the beasts using Gala. 

 

Still no tigers however, tragically they aren’t available right now because they’re sick which makes the boy sad that he can’t see them. He could tell Hitoshi felt the same with how he also looked sad when they passed by their outdoor enclosure, seeing that there was none inside and instead gathered in the building where they slept, hidden from their sight.

 

Still the penguins were fun to watch and the sea lions too! They reminded him a lot of Selkie and the plush he had of the hero back at home. He wondered how their fur felt but that was something he didn’t want to find out because that’d meant getting in the water.

 

Thankfully he didn’t need to. After a short water show, one of the seals (not a sea lion but close enough for Izuku) hopped up in order to take pictures with some of the kids. The boy managed to get one with Tenya, Momo and Hitoshi all together and though he didn’t have the time to pet the seal with his own two hands it was still so cool being near one.

 

Then they finally had lunch, sitting down in a park area where there was a playground nearby to mess with. He sat with his friends and enjoyed having lunch together, chatting about all of the animals they had seen and the shows. Hitoshi and Izuku voiced their disappointment at not being able to see the tigers but thankfully the puppeteer had an idea.

 

Halfway through lunch, Gala pulled aside Hitoshi. “We could sneak off and see the tigers.”

 

“Won’t the teacher notice we’re gone?” the other boy whispered.

 

“Not if we’re back before they need to go. We have thirty minutes, that’s plenty of time.” Izuku pointed out. “Not just that but all of the classes are here, there’s no way they’ll notice us missing.”

 

“Maybe not me,” he said, “But they’ll notice the seven foot kid has disappeared.”

 

“Not if we use the excuse that we were looking for the bathroom.” the greenette uttered through the doll.

 

Hitoshi seemed to think through it for a moment, seeing if there was any flaw in an otherwise flawless plan. There had to be none because he nodded. “Should we get Tenya and Momo?”

 

The doll shook her head. “No, Tenya wouldn’t let it happen and Momo isn’t the best at being sneaky. Me and you are though.”

 

And with that plan in place, Izuku walked up to the teacher and asked her if he could use the bathroom. She of course let him go, his alibi made as he snuck out of the picnic area, Hitoshi after him.

 

The zoo was surprisingly unpopulated, likely because it was a weekday and the school probably rented out most of the tickets so there wasn’t a risk of strangers bugging the children. They only had to hide from a couple of zoo keepers but that was easy given their collective experiences and training.

 

They ended up at the tiger enclosure again, seeing there was a viewing room to see inside the building that the cats slept in. It was cordoned off but they could just step around it. Heading inside, they stepped up to the glass window overlooking the room the tigers slept.

 

In the corner of the room, a camera beeped but it wasn’t of their concern. They didn’t have to worry about being seen, they’d only review the footage if there was a reason to and they weren’t going to do anything that warranted that. 

 

The inside of the room was a bit dark but they could see the oranges, whites and blacks of the large predators lounging around the space.

 

“Look at them Hitoshi!” Gala pointed in the dark. “They’re so fluffy!”

 

“Yeah!” the boy said excitedly, taking out his phone to snap some pictures.

 

“Look at that one,” the doll looked. 

 

He noticed a big one resting, looking up a bit to notice them. The ambers were staring at them curiously but it wasn’t that what got their attention. It was the tiny cubs that jumped over their body and trotted up to them.

 

“Baby tigers!” Hitoshi cheered, taking pictures of them and awing at how they stepped up to the glass, wondering who they were.

 

“I want to pet them so bad.” Gala uttered, Izuku seriously considered finding a way inside, legality be damned.

 

The tiger cubs then looked past them and Izuku saw in the reflected glass a few figures walking in, both of the boys turned around to see a few kids having followed after them. It was some they recognised from their class but others were from a year up. He remembered a couple from the kids who stopped Tenya’s running route.

 

“What are you two doing sneaking off?” the black and white haired kid, Dachane he finally recalled, asked. “Yamazawa, I thought we were meant to be buddys.”

 

Hitoshi responded dully, stepping in front of Gala protectively despite the doll being twice his size. “Found better company. What do you want?”

 

“We just wanted to take this time to talk to you two alone.” he stated. “Mostly Midoriya but we also have some questions to ask you too.”

 

The children started to get closer, some of them taller than Hitoshi but that didn’t make the boy flinch. It did Gala though. He didn’t like the tension he was feeling but if they just wanted to ask some questions, he’s fine with that as long as they don’t push too much.

 

“What are they?” the greenette asked, stepping up a little.

 

“We just want to learn more about you. Like, how was it almost killing a hero?” the boy uttered.

 

Both of the best friends pause, giving mixed reactions to what exactly was being implied there. Hitoshi was a bit shaken but Izuku was undeterred, he knew something like this might happen one day so he decided to just answer honestly, despite his instincts telling him to just leave.

 

“It was awful. I hate myself for what I almost did.” he admitted, calmly thanks to the tempered voice of Gala.

 

The kids stopped just before them, keeping a few feet back. “And yet you still get to walk around free for almost murdering a hero.”

 

The greenette was quiet, unsure of how to respond to that. What he’s said is technically true. He has been given barely any repercussions for that. Then again that’s mostly because the person he almost killed was now his willing parent but that didn’t feel like a reason, more an excuse for why he’s free. Like he was given an exception.

 

“What is your problem?” Hitoshi yelled, kind of hoping someone would overhear them and come in to send them all back to their teachers.

 

“Look, dude, we’re just curious why we have to be in the same class with not just one but two villains.” Dachane replied, keeping up his casual demeanor.

 

“That shouldn’t be any of your business.” the purple haired kid argued.

 

“It is when we all have to look at some weird creepy robot puppet thing everyday and wonder whether we’re all being brainwashed into thinking that’s fine or not.” he argued back, taking shots at both of them.

 

Izuku decided to just answer their questions. Knowing if it wasn’t now it was going to be later and he’d rather not test what they’re willing to do to find their answers. “I’m at Somei because I’ve been given a second chance. Hitoshi is here because he was never given one in the first place.”

 

“Without considering how that might affect us?” Dachane countered. “I don’t want to be in the same room as a potential killer.”

 

“Then maybe you should move class.” Izuku suggested, getting a bit frustrated now.

 

“Well that won’t solve anything. These kids here feel the same. We don’t trust you to behave.” he stated. “After all, how are we meant to know you won’t just be like your dad?”

 

That comment made something in the child turn. “I am not like that man.”

 

“How are we supposed to know that?” he argued. “You could just be lying to us. Your quirk is called Puppeteer right? How do we know it doesn’t extend to people?”

 

“I am not him.” Gala said coldly, anger growing within them with each accusation.

 

“Then-”

 

“Izuku, let’s go.” Hitoshi said, grabbing the doll’s hand. “Let’s leave and just head back to the rest of class, we can talk about it with the teacher later.”

 

The greenette looked between the purple haired kid and the group in front of them. He wanted to argue more, because how dare they imply he was anything like Hisashi. The very idea was filling him with so much rage he… might do something stupid.

 

He needed to go. He can’t let himself do something he might regret. “Ok.”

 

The two walked around the group, or at least they tried to. “We’re not done yet!” Dachane yelled, reaching out to grab Gala’s arm.

 

Hitoshi was grabbed too by another kid on his side and both of them couldn’t move away, at least not without getting violent. “We don’t want to talk anymore. Let us go.” Izuku ordered.

 

“Or what? You’ll hurt us?” he guessed, and at this point the greenette was tempted to say he was right.

 

“What is even your problem?!” Hitoshi shouted. “Can’t you just leave us the fuck alone?!”

 

“No. Not until we show you two what happens if you try anything.” he said, looking up at Gala.

 

Hitoshi tried to pull himself away but couldn’t. The doll easily could and was looking for a way to grab his friend and run. He’d just noticed the perfect way to do it when…

 

Cold. Coldness on his shoulder. Not Gala’s but his. Izukus.

 

A hand had phased through the back of the doll, courtesy of one of the older kids and… was pulling him out. The big kid who did it was looking down at him, a mix of surprise and scrutiny seeing the much smaller kid captured in his hand.

 

Being held there, all of the fury Izuku had melted away in a near instant and was filled with panic and fear. The hand on his shoulder hurted, the lights in the room were too bright, the kids in the space were all looking at him, him and not Gala. He felt everything was crashing in and that he was exposed, in danger and was going to be hurt, he was hurt.

 

He was stunned for a few seconds, mind racing on how to react and unsure how to move or even scream. Everything felt like it was strangling him and he didn’t know what to do to make it stop.

 

All voices were blurs, he didn’t know what anyone was talking about but when he felt himself be yanked again by the kid at his shoulder, a bit further away from the doll. He wanted to get away from the danger. He will do so by any means necessary.

 

- - -

 

The poor kid never stood a chance when Gala spun around and with the force of a twister, raised a fist and came crashing down like thunder straight into the older boy’s head.

 

A painful crack was heard, as the punch continued until he was on the floor.

 

The doll then grabbed its puppeteer and sprinted away with him.

 

As far as possible. As fast as it could.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Hobbies

Chapter 53: Hobbies

Notes:

Hello everybody!

Here you are, two chapters back to back. I had decided to upload them as the next few chapters are better done working with the schedule I have. Hope you enjoy them!

Have a nice day! <3

Shouta was driving near frantically towards the zoo. He had just gotten a call that something bad happened involving Izuku and he was getting there as fast as he could. Hizashi was with him too, both not saying anything besides the blond who was on the phone talking to Hitoshi about what happened.

 

When they arrived outside of the zoo, an ambulance was there too, paramedics seemingly already inside rushing to wherever they needed to go. 

 

“You follow them, I’ll find Izuku.” Shouta instructed, taking out a tracker that was installed on the Gala puppet when it was built.

 

Hizashi said nothing and just ran after them, him doing the same and following the tracking on the device that told him the kid was nearby. Following the path past some enclosures, he eventually ended up at the apiary, birds fluttering around above. A quick glance around and he could see the tall figure of the puppet hiding in a darker corner of the room.

 

“Izuku?” he called, carefully stepping towards it whilst making sure he was known. Unlike the giant, he was sure he could take the puppet on seeing how it was more hallow compared to the former. He didn’t want to take any chances though so he treated this all like approaching a wounded tiger ready to pounce.

 

He inched closer, ready for any sudden movements when he saw the head of the doll swivel around to look directly at him. The calm features hiding how alarmed the person puppeteering it truly was feeling.

 

“Izuku? Are you alright?” he asked, stepping around and seeing the small form of the kid nestled in the chest of the puppet, not inside but curled up next to it. The hands of the shell were holding him and rubbing his back gently to try and ease the frightened child. Izuku wasn’t looking at him, just staring into his phone as hands shakily typed out some words.

 

“The y didnt leace us aone.” the doll uttered, words jumbled because of the boy’s distressed state.

 

Shouta knew he needed to calm him down first. “Hey, Izuku, just look at me. Breathe with me. No one is going to hurt you.”

 

He could hear sniffling and heavy breathing coming from the poor kid. Izuku looked like he was shaking and could barely keep himself calm enough to think. Despite it though, Shouta could see him trying to calm himself down, following his breathing seen through the doll.

 

“It uhrt alot.” the doll spoke, words still jumbled.

 

The man knew he couldn’t ask questions until he calmed down so just focused on giving support. He didn’t know what to do outside of what he did for stray cats and just stayed there, waiting for Izuku to come to him if he needed it.

 

It took all around twenty minutes for him to finally calm down, meanwhile Shouta got a text from Hizashi. Apparently it wasn’t good. The kid that got hurt was being rushed to the hospital as they spoke. Thankfully there were security cameras in where they were so if what Hitoshi is saying was true (he believed him, it was just whether other people did), there should be proof of them provoking him and Izuku.

 

Shouta made sure to tell his husband to stand outside of the apiary and make sure no one came by. The last thing he wants right now is some random zoo keeper walking in and scaring the kid.

 

“Hey,” he said as gently as he could. “Are you feeling better?”

 

Gala nodded at the same time Izuku did. He typed, much better than before. “He grabbed me and it hurt me. I didn't mean to punch him.”

 

“I know.” he agreed, still keeping his distance. 

 

“I didn’t think, I didn’t hesitate.” Gala uttered, before he watched the already pale child’s face blanch further. “Did I kill him?”

 

“No, you didn’t. He’s on his way to the hospital.” he answered truthfully.

 

“So he could still die?” the boy fretted.

 

Shouta can’t promise him he won’t. According to Hizashi, it was really bad. Bad enough that they had to carry him out on a stretcher. The Gala puppet wasn’t Brutus but it was still strong enough to smash wood, he can’t imagine what a punch like that can do to a child’s skull.

 

He settled on just being honest. It was illogical trying to hide anything from him if he’ll find out more later. “We can’t be sure, but it still wouldn’t be your fault.”

 

“It is.” the boy started to cry again as he typed. “It is and it’s because I’m a monster.”

 

“Izuku, you didn’t me-”

 

“It is. It is. It is. It is.” the doll repeated over and over again, the child tearfully typing the message again and again.

 

Seeing him in such a distressed state, Shouta abandoned all sense of self preservation and got down on his knees and moved closer to Izuku. The puppet ignored him, not caring even when the man wrapped his arms around the child and pulled him in. The crying came out in full force the second he did, quiet sobs into his chest.

 

“It isn’t.” he whispered into the child’s ear. “I’ll make sure they know it isn’t your fault.”

 

The strangled cries got slightly louder when he said that, as if he was trying to protest but was too emotional to properly fight it.

 

Some words did push through though, from the kid instead of the doll. “I-i-it f-feels l-like I don’t-t d-des-serve it, a-and-”

 

He wasn’t sure what he was referring to, if he was talking about whatever the kids did or something else entirely, but to make sure he didn’t say anything that might upset Izuku further, he just patted his back, whispering that everything was going to be ok.

 

Eventually, after some amount of time, Izuku fell asleep, exhausted from all of the emotions being let out. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about all of this but he knew that no matter what he was going to make sure his child was ok.

 

- - -

 

In the end, the kid survived, but not without some massive damage. The boy who grabbed Izuku was obviously heavily concussed once he had woken up. His nose was broken and almost smashed whilst he lost five teeth from the crash onto the floor. Unfortunately, unlike Shouta, his brain was in worse condition.

 

Due to being a child and not having the reflexes of a hero to brace for that kind of hit, he was given a traumatic brain injury. They don’t know the exact consequences of it yet but all they know is that it’s not good for a kid his age to be getting those. Not only that but there are likely going to be some long term effects for him, such as issues with consciousness or reasoning.

 

That part wasn’t talked about with Izuku, in fact most of it wasn’t. They only told him he was going to survive. Thankfully the boy never thought to dig deeper. Maybe he did but knew deep down it would destroy him. He would realise that he’s injured a person in a way that could have ruined their life.

 

It didn’t mean he was alright. The opposite. 

 

Once Izuku got home he holed himself up in his room and refused to leave, using Gala to do everything outside of it. The only time he did leave that room was to rush to the bathroom (inside the doll) and return immediately once he was done.

 

That would make school difficult, that is if he had any. Reflex or not, a kid was in the hospital and whilst Shouta and Hizashi did try to fight it, they couldn’t. Izuku wasn’t expelled thankfully, but put on suspension until after summer.

 

That in of itself made things difficult for the Yamazawas, on top of everything else. The whole point of Izuku going to school was so they didn’t have to have one of them stay home everyday when they should be at work.

 

Thankfully, a suggestion was made.

 

“You want to look after Izuku?” asked Hizashi, not in surprise but mild shock.

 

“Only until the end of his suspension.” Nedzu had clarified, sitting across from them in his office. 

 

Right now Tensei was watching, well, being in the house with the kid. 

 

“He refuses to leave his room. Not even Hitoshi can get inside and on top of that the doll refuses to speak.” Shouta explained, mostly to show the rat the idea that they can’t just bring Izuku to UA.

 

“That’s quite alright.” Nedzu said with the raise of his paw. “You have an office in your home, do you not Aizawa?”

 

“You’re suggesting doing your work there.” Shouta stated, knowing the answer.

 

The rat nodded, agreeing with him. “Yes, though of course it would be with your permission. I know it is rare for me to leave UA, let alone consistently, but I know it’s better than losing one of my most trusted educators.”

 

“Of course.” Hizashi permitted, turning to Shouta who nodded in approval.

 

“Wonderful. I haven’t seen the boy’s quirk in person yet so I’ll have that to look forward to as well.” Nedzu said. “On the other hand, we must think of how bad this makes Izuku’s case look.”

 

It’s true. Everyone in that room knew the HPSC were likely salivating the second they got wind of this. A child getting a brain injury at the hands of Izuku was near impossible to defend. It proved he was dangerous, volatile and prone to violent breakdowns, irrelevant of the therapy he’s receiving. Of course no one in that room would dare say those things about him but… it’s hard to deny.

 

“How can we defend against that in court?” Shouta asked the rat, hoping for some kind of answer he wasn't seeing.

 

Nedzu took a brisk drink of tea before answering. “On your end? Making sure Izuku keeps attending his appointments. On ours? Using the footage of what happened that led to the incident to try and excuse him for it.”

 

Obviously it was going to be hard to do both of those. Right now the boy was in full shut out mode. So far the two fathers hadn’t seen him in three days with no sign of it stopping soon. The other is that anyone could say that the ‘victim’ was just being a kid, and well it’s true. It’ll be hard to convince a judge otherwise that what happened was an appropriate response to being grabbed as despite having video, they did not have audio.

 

“This got harder. The kid was doing so well too.” Shouta noted, remembering how open Izuku was to the idea of not using Gala to hide himself.

 

“It has. Unfortunately all we can do is keep going forward and hope for the best.” Nedzu said eloquently, setting his tea down having finished it. “Now, let us leave that for today and get back to work. We should try our best to get the summer exams done and over with.”

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was standing in front of Izuku’s door again, dinner in hand. It had been a few days since he holed himself up inside his room since the zoo. He’d been doing this for the entire time, delivering his dinner for him every chance he got.

 

He reached up and knocked, hoping he’d get something. Something actually good but instead he just got the usual. The door opened to a very dark room, Gala poking her arm out, mechanical eyes deader than usual, taking the plate and closing the door immediately.

 

The problem with that was it was clearly just a formality. Whenever they’d get the plates delivered back by Gala, they’d always be half eaten despite their already small portions. It felt like things were going backwards and there was nothing he could do about it but just stand there and watch.

 

He sent messages from his phone that were being read but never replied to, talked in front of the door for hours to absolute silence and tried talking to Gala anytime she stepped outside of the room to probably bring Izuku to the bathroom.

 

None of it got a response, just silence.

 

He went back downstairs, a part of him feeling defeated and tired, more tired than usual. Dad and Papa were sitting down there in the dining room, talking to each other when they paused once they saw their son.

 

“Anything, fluffball?” Hizashi asked, filled with a glimmer of hope.

 

“No. He hasn’t said anything yet.” he replied, sitting down and eating his own dinner slowly.

 

Dad let out a short sigh. “We have to trust that Izuku can approach us himself.”

 

“What if he doesn’t?” Hitoshi questioned, a growing worry in his voice. 

 

“We’ll give him until Monday next week.” he stated. “That should be enough time for him to cool off.”

 

It was such a long time. Ok, maybe not that long but for him it was. He’d have to pass by Izuku’s door everyday, seeing that he hasn’t come out yet. It makes him scared to wonder if he’s left, vanished from the world again and they’d have to chase him all over again.

 

And the worst part, once more Hitoshi was kicking himself.

 

“I should’ve done better.” he muttered to himself, the words just slipping out but being the kid of two pro heroes it was sorely unmissed.

 

Papa set down his utensils, “‘Toshi, this isn’t your fault. It’s not anyone’s, arguably even the kid who pulled him out wasn’t entirely at fault. You’re all still kids.”

 

“I know,” the boy admitted. “I know no one can really be fully blamed but I should’ve stopped them from scaring him.”

 

“‘Toshi…” the blond uttered.

 

Dad spoke up, “There was nothing much you could’ve done.”

 

“But there was!” Hitoshi almost yelled in an outburst. “I know how to defend myself, I could’ve used my quirk, I could’ve told Izuku to stay away from them instead of going near them. There was so much.”

 

“Hindsight is twenty twenty,” the man started. “There’s been many times where I’ve known I could’ve done better. Saved people faster, stopped villains quicker. Do I kick myself for it? Yeah but that doesn’t mean I dwell on it. There was no way you could’ve known any of that was going to happen going in. ”

 

“Then what do I do? I feel like I’ve failed.” he admitted. 

 

It felt like he had. There was so much he could see that should’ve been done better. They should’ve just left the second they arrived. Brainwashing, although it would've gotten him in trouble, was a far better outcome than Izuku almost killing a kid and possibly being taken from their family… god he didn’t even know what would come from that.

 

“The only thing you can do is learn to be better for next time.” his dad explained. “Experience is a teacher. Imagining how you could’ve done things differently is good but not if you stay stuck in the past.”

 

“Shou’s right.” his papa nodded along with him. “The best thing you can do is try to make things better in the future. Right now, that’s being patient and hoping the little button gets better soon.”

 

“Ok…” he muttered, still feeling bad. He felt better but still couldn’t help but feel the nagging sensation of failure in his neck.

 

He finished his dinner without saying anything more. Papa tried to fill the air but Hitoshi wasn’t in the mood to talk much at the moment. When they finished, he put away his dishes and headed back upstairs.

 

The boy stopped in front of the door once more, listening inside to hear anything. It was still quiet, only light footsteps of what were probably dolls walking around the room. He wanted to knock, chance the possibility of Izuku answering the door but he knew he would probably get nothing.

 

- - -

 

Izuku stayed curled up inside under his bedsheets, scrolling through his phone absent-mindedly as he looked over the messages Hitoshi sent him. 

 

He felt awful, twisted inside for once again, almost killing someone. All because he can’t control himself at all. How was he meant to stop that? Therapy with Ryo was cancelled that week but he was unsure if he should even go back.

 

Going back meant going outside and going outside meant someone could get hurt, by him. How was he supposed to do anything without the fear that he might hurt someone. Everything was better before, when it wasn’t him and it was just the dolls. Maybe he could still do that.

 

He doesn’t want to run away. He can’t really. Gala was his only doll capable of that and there was no way he was going to hack into the tracker on them without anyone immediately noticing. Still he was tempted to try.

 

Because now things were difficult. The HPSC were probably going to take him now unless he did his original plan but then what is the point of that? How long would that plan give him and the awful thing he’d have to do because of it was making him think so much about whether what Dachane said was right about him.

 

He wasn’t a villain like Hisashi but that didn’t mean he wasn’t one in general.

 

He didn’t know who to turn to. He can’t talk to Hitoshi, he’ll just tell him he isn’t awful. Shouta and Hizashi were the same. They’d all just try to comfort him instead of telling him the truth. What he should be doing and what should be right, even if it might hurt him.

 

MidIzu: Can you help me with something?

 

BakKat: What? 

 

MidIzu: I’ve hurt someone. A kid at school during a 

field trip really badly. Everyone says it’s not my 

fault but I can’t help but feel it is.

 

Kacchan and him had added each other's phone numbers when they met a bit ago. Ever since then he’s come over once or twice to talk, mostly about what Izuku did as the Dollmaker. In a way it was therapeutic because unlike everyone else in the boy’s life he had no knowledge about what was going on with him.

 

He knew bits and pieces but never the whole story and that, on top of him never caring about being polite, meant he’d just say things. Sure sometimes they might come out as insults but it was a slap in the face to some of the dumb stuff he did.

 

He didn’t know what kind of response he was going to get. He always knew that Kacchan was brash and barely held back when it came to what he thought. He would give an honest answer.

 

BakKat: It sounds like you’ve got some

shit to work out.

 

MidIzu: That’s obvious, but I don’t know how to 

do that. I feel like it is still my fault for the punch.

 

BakKat: When you disappeared, I didn’t

care about it. I just thought it was good that I 

didn’t have to be stuck with you anymore.

 

That was harsh but Izuku could see that. Kacchan was always put together with him just because of their parents' relationship. On one hand it meant they’d always have a ‘friend’ in each other but at the same time it left them without any skills at making friends.

 

The blonde had them, yeah, but it was clear they were never ‘friends’, just followers. In the short time he was with Kacchan after he awakened his quirk it was clear the only reason he got popular was because of it. That and how he had told Izuku that he didn’t have many friends because he never really had to make one himself.

 

BakKat: After a while though, I started 

to realise that I missed you. Not you, you but the

fact that you were actually a friend. Not like those

extras.

 

BakKat: It took me a while to realise 

that. Then I started to blame myself for taking 

you for granted. Maybe it’s because I never

thought you’d ever not be there.

 

MidIzu: That isn’t your fault.

 

BakKat: See what everyone else means?

It doesn’t matter if you tell me that, it means nothing.

I still feel bad about never treating you like a friend

and more like a problem.

 

MidIzu: Then how do I fix it?

 

BakKat: I don’t fucking know. Ask a therapist?

All I know is that I don’t want to mope around. I was

still going to follow my dream, didn’t matter what you

were doing. Sure it hurt to imagine you not there

but my whole life isn’t about you.

 

So he’s saying to just not dwell on it? How is he going to do that? The only thing he can think of doing that is by keeping his mind occupied. But how? He didn’t have school to focus on, he didn’t want to leave the house or even his room. How does he pull himself out of that?

 

MidIzu: How do I do that?

 

BakKat: Do what.

 

MidIzu: Distract myself.

 

BakKat: I don’t know, find a hobby. 

I did cooking and stuff when I got bored.

 

A hobby? Like cooking? Izuku didn’t know how to cook. He didn’t know how to do much besides coding and making dolls. Neither of which he can do without some kind of approval. Dolls bought need to be looked at by Shouta or Hizashi first and if he buys a lot of them they might think he’s doing something.

 

Coding was a bit less restrictive but besides getting better he can’t think of anything to do with that. He could make a game? But he never really liked video games. Truthfully the closest he could say he had as a hobby outside of those was… something not really a hobby, or legal or morally good.

 

He liked it when he manipulated Shouta into giving him the parts to make Halo. It felt fun, like a game. Not just that but other times too. When he lured him away from the principal to scare him, when tricking people to move how he wanted them, when he made people act or do something in his favor.

 

But he can’t do that. That wasn’t something he could just do. Where would he even do that? That wasn’t something heroic. 

 

But maybe he should try to, at least to see. The idea, now that he thought about it, was enticing. It made him feel a way he rarely felt. A kind of fire. Is that passion? 

 

MidIzu: Thanks Kacchan. I think I have an idea.

 

BakKat: Good, can finally go the fuck

to sleep.

 

A weak giggle left the boy’s lips. He then closed his phone, turning to look out of his bed and at his monitor. He asked Gala to pick him… no. 

 

He pushed the covers off and tried to get there himself. The doll hovered around him, ready to catch him if he fell. He made his way over slowly to the computer and sat down, opening up and looking up exactly what he wanted, careful to not make his searches overt.

 

That’s when he noticed a word to describe what it is he wanted to do. It led down a rabbit hole of things he liked the look of.

 

‘Social engineering,’ he thought.

 

He followed countless links and opened many tabs. He had a long night of research ahead of him.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Manipulations and Meetings

Chapter 54: Manipulations and Meetings

Notes:

Here's the second chapter of the day!

Hope you enjoy! <3

It was strange for Shouta to see Nedzu show up at his door every morning for the last three days. He already sees the rat at his workplace and now he has to see him at home too. Well, actually now technically things were reversed.

 

Still, it is strange to have your boss and former principal babysit your kid, even if it doesn’t feel that way between them. Shouta has known the rat for years and in some parts he would call him an uncle, maybe. Reluctantly.

 

He knows he’ll get used to it and it’ll be good because it meant they could all talk everyday with Hizashi about the progress on the court case or any new movements by the HPSC. Apparently they had been going over the footage from the zoo and pouring it over, getting hospital records and even statements from witnesses.

 

It’s been a worry, he knows the kids will tell the truth or even if they didn’t, they’d have no reason to lie in their favour. He wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were saying Izuku was a villain and that Aikani was there, recording it all to be played in a month's time.

 

Speaking of a month’s time, there was so much he needed to do. Setting up tests for his classes, the practical exams and the planning done for the summer trip to improve quirks. It’s all daunting and he’s getting a headache just thinking about it. That, along with Izuku was just…

 

…Exhausting. 

 

He hopes once they’ve finally gotten the kid as theirs, things will get better.

 

- - -

 

Nedzu found it quite a fascinating experience being in a family home like this. In fact, it was rare he’d ever spend time, longer than a meeting, inside someone else's house. 

 

After his tumultuous past, he never really liked being outside of UA, not because he couldn’t handle himself outside the school but it felt like he was away from his territory. Animalistic instincts and all that.

 

So being here he knew it was going to be a challenge, but there were always silver linings and that was the curious quirk of Midoriya Izuku. He’s only seen the power on paper and on video so seeing the giant pale faced puppet walk through the living room to drop off a half finished lunch, he can’t help but stare and analyse every part of it.

 

The fluidity of movement, the way the feet pivot so naturally. If there was a puppet made good enough, he was sure Puppeteer could create faux humans so life-like that no one could tell the difference.

 

But it was more than just the power that intrigued him. It was the boy too.

 

When they first met, he saw the puppet do a double take. There was a brief silence where the two of them just looked at each other. Nedzu wasn’t sure if he was analysing him or not but the scrutiny coming through those mechanical eyes spoke for him.

 

“Hello there, am I a bear? A mouse? Or a dog? I’m Nedzu!” he gave his enthusiastic greeting, the same one he always gave whenever he wanted to appear friendly.

 

The puppet stared at him a bit longer before it uttered a short response. “Why are you here?”

 

“Why it is to watch you whilst your parents are away at work,” he explained.

 

“Won’t that be inconvenient for you?” the boy asked through the doll.

 

“Not at all.” he replied. “In fact, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a while, Young Midoriya.”

 

“Izuku.” the puppet corrected.

 

“Of course.” he nodded, making a mental note. 

 

The doll then just walked away, heading back upstairs and to Izuku’s room. It wasn’t much for a first greeting but it was better than nothing.

 

It was now Friday and not much else has changed for the young child. Apparently he has improved somewhat and was now talking again but only in simple requests for what he wanted for dinner or lunch. The Yamazawas seemed pleased by it but the principal could tell there was something more going on.

 

Firstly, he wanted to know more about the mind of Izuku. More importantly, what is going on in it. More specifically, what are his thoughts on the whole Todoroki affair. He’s waited months for some kind of response on that from the anonymous email address he had gotten before but alas, there has been nothing.

 

He thought maybe, in the end, it really wasn’t Izuku who sent that email but then he would’ve gotten a response by whoever it was by now. He decided that for today, he’d try and learn more about it and maybe confirm if it was truly him in the end.

 

During lunch, he heard the doll step out of his room and walk downstairs, passing by Nedzu enjoying his own lunch in the living room. Food was already prepared for him by Yamada, so he just took that and was about to leave when Nedzu made sure to stop him.

 

“Young Izuku, do you mind me asking you about your thoughts on Endeavor?” the principal wondered.

 

Once the name Endeavor was uttered, the puppet froze, clearly getting to the boy. It spun around and looked down at him. “Why?”

 

“You see, I was asked not too long ago by an anonymous tip that there was something happening with his family that earned my attention,” he explained. “I wanted to hear your thoughts on it, being a past vigilante and all.”

 

The doll observed him, keeping the gaze on his own beady eyes before deciding to answer. “He is dangerous.”

 

“What makes you say that?” the principal wondered.

 

“He causes an alarming amount of damage. He funds their repairs but he should be less destructive in the first place.” the boy stated.

 

“That doesn’t seem enough to warrant calling him a fraud though.” Nedzu countered.

 

There was a quiet. The boy wasn’t typing and instead once more studying his expressions. “You know.”

 

“I do indeed,” he replied.

 

“Then how is your investigation?” the doll said, keeping the analytical look.

 

“That depends. What are your thoughts?” he asked.

 

“I am the birth child of a man who shoots fire from his mouth that I almost killed.” the doll said sarcastically, impressively despite the lack of tone. “What do you think?”

 

“I think it’s surprising you haven’t followed up on it.” Nedzu noted. “I’d have thought by now you would have sent a check up.”

 

The puppet continued to stare and it was at that point the intelligence hero had an idea as to why. It responded, “I was busy with being caught.”

 

“True, but not enough to send a single email?” he questioned.

 

“You would’ve known it was me who sent that email.” the doll responded.

 

“That’s also true,” he agreed, “The Yamazawas connection would’ve been easier to locate than your secure one.”

 

“If you know this, why do you persist?” Izuku quietly demanded.

 

“No reason, I’m just curious about you Young Midoriya, especially about what you have been looking at recently.” the principal explained.

 

Over the last few days, Nedzu noticed some curious search results appearing on Izuku’s computer. He knows this because, as the boy is under custody, has monitoring apps placed on any electronic he’s given. However, seeing the results, one would not think what he was looking at was bad.

 

“It is clever,” the mammal started, “To search for mental health articles then use the bibliography links to end up where you want to go.”

 

“I was curious.” the boy excused.

 

“For some of these, curiosity can be forgiven, others seem more nefarious.” the principal said, then referring to articles that involve the topics of gaslighting and social manipulation.

 

“I was curious,” he repeated.

 

Nedzu took another bite of the sandwich he had prepared himself for lunch. “You are not in trouble, Young Izuku. I want to know why you would looked into those things in the first place.”

 

There were few possibilities he could be researching this for. The boy doesn’t appear to be malicious in nature but then again, it was hard to tell what he had experienced during his isolation. Exposing himself to the criminal underbelly of the world and being able to navigate that without sinking meant he had to have some street smarts.

 

But not just street smarts but all the likely a warped view of the world. He had seen death, his mother likely the worst and that in of itself would warrant looking into but Ryo should have that covered. 

 

What Nedzu is seeking though is not mental instability but moral instability. He cares for Aizawa and Yamada but he’s seen humans be flawed. For all it was known, Izuku might be manipulating them. It’s unlikely but a thought he needs to have going into this conversation.

 

He’s a child with experience with villains. One who almost killed for the sake of vengeance, and twice by accident. And he was an impressionable, intelligent young youth who had a barely developed moral compass. These are facts he should factor into this talk.

 

So when the response he got back was one he didn’t expect, he had to give more follow up questions.

 

Izuku answered, “I’m doing this as a hobby.”

 

“Really?” the principal questions.

 

“Shouta uses logical ruses all of the time for his class. He tells me them.” the boy excused.

 

“Aizawa’s ruses are mere tricks with no long term consequence. What you are looking at goes beyond that.” Nedzu pointed out.

 

The boy seemed to think for a while, weighing what to say next and just bringing the conversation to a further standstill. Eventually, the sound of a door opening was heard upstairs and careful footsteps made their way down.

 

It was his first time seeing Young Izuku after his capture. He looked much healthier, he had more full eyes, his hair was less ruined and instead wrapped in a bow and was currently using another puppet, a giant teddy bear, as a support to help him downstairs.

 

He brought himself to the chair opposite of the principal, the pale doll pulling the chair for him and pushing him in. “What is this?” the same puppet asked, typed in from Izuku’s phone in front of him.

 

“Firstly, nice to meet you properly Young Izuku,” he started, “Secondly, may I ask you to elaborate?”

 

“I mean this conversation. What is your end goal? Are you going to tell me to stop and don’t say you’re just 'curious'." the boy typed, the last line sounding snappy.

 

Nedzu smiled, “To tell you the truth, I am rather concerned about your moral health.”

 

“I want to be a hero.” the boy stated.

 

“So did Endeavor and look where he is.” the principal countered.

 

Although Izuku was wearing some kind of hoodie over himself, the hood up, he could still see the growing frustration in the boy’s eyes. “You’re an intelligence hero, you should understand.”

 

“Is that what you want to be? An intelligence hero?” Nedzu questioned.

 

“In a way, yes.” the boy responded.

 

“So I wasn’t entirely right?” he wondered, keeping his neutral face.

 

The young child nodded a little as he typed. “My dolls are too strong not to be used in combat.”

 

“It’s true. You could arguably form an entire team by yourself. Maybe even an entire agency if trained well enough.” the mammal commented. He then leaned in a little bit, both paws on the table, “And if that’s the case, why do you need to learn what you want to? Aren’t your dolls enough to keep you company?”

 

The boy typed in his response but kept deleting what he wrote, going again and again until he finally got a response he was satisfied with. “I do it because I like it.”

 

“Is that so?” Nedzu tilted his head slightly.

 

“There is a research paper that states there is a link between quirks and personalities.” Izuku referenced.

 

“Indeed,” he nodded, “I saw that in your history and I’m plenty familiar with the concept.”

 

“Then you should understand.” the boy reasoned.

 

“I do, just that I hope you would never use it for anything nefarious.” the principal informed. “Like say on the Yamazawas.”

 

The greenette’s eyes widened when those words were said, as if the very idea that he would do such a thing was shocking. It was then that Nedzu realised that the boy wasn’t planning on using that skill on anyone he cared about. That made him smile.

 

“I’d never do that.” he typed quickly, still in slight surprise.

 

“I can tell. You care about them a lot.” the mammal pointed out.

 

Izuku seemed to sink into thought, eyes losing focus as he thought through everything he had seen and done with the Yamazawas. Nedzu can’t tell what exactly he was thinking, but a soft smile came over the boy. “...I do.”

 

“And yet…” Nedzu started, “...you push them away.”

 

“I’m scared of hurting them.” the boy admitted. “Of hurting anyone.”

 

“And that’s why you look up those articles? To control yourself?”

 

The boy shook his head, gently. “No, it’s to control them. The ones who’ll try to control me.”

 

“The Commission.” the mammal guessed.

 

“Their representative threatened me by threatening Shouta and Hizashi. By threatening Hitoshi. He never said it to them but to me only.” the greenette explained.

 

Izuku explained what had happened during his interview with Aikani Eekay. A grown adult attempting to blackmail an eight year old is apprehensible but intentionally trying to manipulate them to acquire custody of them was even worse. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any recording because the man had stopped using his quirk.

 

“Would you ever go to them?” Nedzu asked, already feeling like he knew the answer.

 

“Never. It would be exactly what would’ve happened if I went with Hisashi.” the boy denied.

 

The principal felt immense relief at that, it would be troublesome if the young child were to be considering that offer. The strong rejection he just gave proved he really wasn’t even considering it. “Is that why you are looking into manipulation tactics then? To fight back against the HPSC?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Can you tell me what it is?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why?” Nedzu questioned.

 

“Because you’d stop me.” Izuku answered.

 

“Well now I need to know.” the mammal frowned.

 

“Well unfortunately you won’t.” he rejected. “And there’s no stopping it either. All cogs are in motion.”

 

Now this was making Nedzu very intrigued in this boy’s mind. He didn’t know what this plan could be but he had a few ideas. Unfortunately, not many of them would be effective and if Izuku was as intelligent as he thought he was, he would see that. The question then is how extreme is his plan.

 

“Then instead of stopping you, how about I help you?” the mammal promised.

 

“I won’t tell you anything.” the boy once more rejected. 

 

“You won’t need to.” the rat accepted. “Just give me something I could do that might help you.”

 

Izuku seemed to actually consider that offer, looking away for a moment before coming back to focus on him once more. “I want, on the day of the court case, to be inside Gala for the entirety of the case.”

 

“That can be arranged. May I ask why?” Nedzu inquired.

 

“To focus better. That is all you need to know.” the boy answered.

 

He reached out quickly to the teddy bear before any more conversation could be had, and slowly made their way to the stairs, all puppets together. Nedzu wanted to make one final, well not inquiry, but reassurance.

 

He called out to him, the boy turning around for a moment to look at him. “Izuku, I want you to know that the Yamazawas care about you a lot as well. They’re all fighting for you.”

 

Izuku tilted his head to the side, as if to ask ‘why’.

 

“Just make sure to show your appreciation. It’s important when maintaining a relationship with others to show you care about it. Otherwise they might make silly assumptions.” he explained.

 

The boy seemed to consider this but not long enough to linger more than a few more seconds. He returned upstairs, the sound of the door shutting quietly.

 

Nedzu then went back to finish his meal. This time digesting more than just bread and cheese, there was a child with so much potential that’s living under this roof, and though it may be a while before he could cultivate it, he knew once he flourished, he may be unstoppable.

 

“I can’t wait to see what he has planned.”

 

- - -

 

Aikani stepped into the elevator on his way up to one of the higher meeting rooms in the building. He had visited the zoo near east Musutafu in order to grab the footage of the incident of Midoriya Izuku attacking another child and hospitalising him. It will make good for assuring his acquisition for the Commission.

 

The red head had done this kind of job for many years, scouting children out from orphanages, fostering situations and even the rare case like this one where he must help guide these kids to the side of good. 

 

Well, there is an arguable amount of evidence that leaving the child in the hands of two pro heroes was already a good thing but surely they could do better? These heroes haven’t even cared for a child longer than a year when they had taken in Midoriya.

 

On top of that his quirk was too good to ignore. The details on that for later, because right now he was at his stop. 

 

Aikani left the elevator, moving down the hallways with near perfect movement, his shoes ringing off the linoleum floors until he reached the room he was looking for. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, some people already sat down and ready to begin.

 

It didn’t take long for the Madam to arrive and take her seat at the head of the table, turning on her screen attached to the desk and logging on.

 

The meeting was mostly about what new possible acquisitions had been found, some by Aikani and others by some other coworkers. As usual, he was the best for it, always providing highly accurate information thanks to his quirk, Recording. It’s why he was given the Midoriya case in the first place.

 

His previous successful acquisition, Takami Keigo, was moving along nicely and was on his way to becoming a skilled double agent and hero altogether, his superior showing examples of his training. One wouldn’t be able to tell it from his completely static face, but he was excited to one day get another success story in Midoriya.

 

Speaking of, the topic finally moved onto him. Left to last due to how close the court case was for the custody battle. It was veiled like the Commission was showing concern to Midoriya and were making sure the Yamazawas were his best fit. In reality of course, they were going to drag them through the mud if necessary. Puppeteer is a powerful quirk.

 

“Aikani,” the Madam started, “Have there been any updates on the Midoriya case that are worth noting?”

 

“There is.” he replied succinctly, presenting the USB stick containing the recording. “I have here a legitimate recording of an incident that happened a few days ago involving Midoriya.”

 

He used his quirk to show what he had seen of the recording, not needing to use the USB stick. His eyes glowed and like a projector, he shone onto a wall in front of them all the full recording.

 

It showed clearly the young child being pulled from a puppet and, acting on instinct, punches the puller, another child, so hard the pain could be felt through the image. Midoriya then ran with the puppet, ending the recording.

 

“Why did that happen? And what was that thing?” Mera questioned, another worker but not one in Aikani’s line of work. 

 

“That was Midoriya’s quirk animating a puppet. He uses it to move around as a substitute for a mobility device.” he explained. “His agoraphobia is severe enough that any kind of exposure ends with violence.”

 

“Just like the Eraserhead attack.” Mera commented.

 

“And possibly Hisashi Midoriya.” Aikani made sure to add.

 

They knew something had happened with the Dragon’s head member. When he was picked up and arrested, there was a note that he had what appeared to be strangulation marks around his neck consistent with the plastic tubing used in his weapon. 

 

Unfortunately they couldn’t find any spinal fluid inside, it had a hole, but that hole seemed to be made purposefully. It led to a possible theory that Midoriya had attempted to strangle his father using his quirk and was stopped before he could succeed, the evidence destroyed by Yamada and Aizawa.

 

It’s a shame. If they had found spinal fluid in the tubing they could’ve taken Midoriya right there and then. Not even Nedzu would be able to fight an actual near murder. Sure there was a chance he stopped of his own volition but the odds of them proving that to a court room, over all evidence to the contrary would be impossible.

 

“This is excellent, Aikani.” the Madam stated. “We can definitely use this in the case.”

 

“Speaking of,” one member at the table, Seijin, said, “Are we still sure we can do to Midoriya what we have done to Takami? That boy was younger than him when we began training, won’t it be harder to work with this one?”

 

“It will,” Mera answered, “But according to the report from the home visit and this video, he isn’t mentally stable.”

 

“On the surface he is,” Aikani started, “And in most situations he is in he is but without his puppets and safety of anonymity, he becomes extremely unstable.”

 

“Won’t that make things more difficult?” Seijin questioned.

 

“Not if we approach this differently than Takami.” the red head answered.

 

There was some chatter around the table. None of them like to change up their tactics. Everyone in this room is here because they’re looking to help maintain the stability of society. Snuffing out any threats that could possibly threaten the delicate balance of order and justice they’ve fought so hard to create.

 

The Madam shut them all up with a hand raise. “Explain Aikani.”

 

“Midoriya is more intelligent than the average eight year old. He is experienced with deals and contracts. I believe we could take advantage of his agoraphobia and offer him something Aizawa and Yamada cannot.” he answered.

 

“And what is that?”

 

“Validating his paranoia,” he said.

 

He then ceased his projection, sitting down and bringing up the report from the home visit. “From the home investigation, I had made the boy an offer. If he were to accept us quietly, we would provide him with an isolated environment and give him exactly what he wanted.”

 

Seijin piped up, “We can’t work with him isolated.”

 

“His quirk completely nullifies that. If anything, having him not involved in the public would be better.” Aikani countered.

 

“I see what you’re getting at.” Mera agreed. “With Puppeteer we could create multiple heroes with the right support items. All of them appear independent and unique when in reality they are all under one mind we control.”

 

Aikani broke a small smile at that. “Yes, and with it we could arguably create a hero for any suited need we want. Rescue, support, underground, limelight, we could even create vigilantes if we require something more… confidential.”

 

“Aikani,” the Madam started, “With all of this hard selling, I imagine you have more than just an offer?”

 

“Of course,” he replied. “I had also threatened that the Yamazawas may suffer consequences should they go against us. That way if he did have any hope, he wouldn’t take it for their sake. I also have a contingency should all else fail of course.”

 

“Excellent,” she smiled. “In that case I hope the next time we meet Aikani, it will be to discuss how we utilise Midoriya’s quirk.”

 

“Yes, Madam President.”

 

There the meeting ended, all respective parties leaving once the Madam left first. Aikani took the elevator to his office where he had a meeting with some lawyers. He had a long couple weeks ahead of him but he was sure by the end he would have another success story.

 

Especially with the trump card he had just in case.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Monster

Chapter 55: Monster

Notes:

Hiya everyone!

Next week will have the last chapters for this arc before we move on to the actual start of the manga/anime. I really hope you enjoy this chapter because I teared up a little bit writing it.

Have a nice day! <3

Hitoshi was sitting out at lunch, thinking about Izuku. He wanted his friend to know that all of what happened wasn’t his fault but he couldn’t. The greenette was stubborn and near impossible to convince. After all, that was how they had gotten into this situation in the first place.

 

Maybe he could try something else. Maybe instead of trying to convince him he isn’t guilty, to trick him into saying he wasn’t. Hitoshi was at fault too, not just those jerks who dared to lay a hand on his best friend.

 

After the trip everything had been quiet, outside of the teacher explaining what happened with Izuku. According to Dad, Somei’s school board was deciding on expulsion for his friend, something that was illogical considering it wasn’t done intentionally. 

 

If anything, the kids should’ve known that exposing Izuku to the outside would cause something bad to happen. They literally said they read the article online where he did the same thing to his dad for the exact same reason.

 

Dachane had been dead quiet. He won’t even look at Hitoshi, none of the other kids do except for Momo and Tenya who have stuck by him. The boy thanked them for it, them replying it’s what friends do and he can’t be anymore happy to have them. 

 

The reason the other kids weren’t looking at Hitoshi though wasn’t because of the usual disgust or caution the boy got like he did before but fear. They were scared of the boy who was related to the kid who put another in the hospital. It was the kind of schoolyard stories that would be told until he left Somei altogether.

 

That’s good. It meant he won’t get bothered unless some new kid gets uppity and acts brave like he was standing up to the ‘big mean villain kid who was all talk’. Of course if someone ever did get up in his face about that, he would do as he always did and bash them away with sass and sarcasm. That and his friends giving him more confidence to stand up for himself.

 

Turns out, having an obscenely rich daughter as one friend and a rules stickler for another made it kind of hard to approach him and give him any shit without fearing the other two. 

 

Anyway, this silence was good because it meant he didn’t have to think much of anything besides just the problem right now with Izuku.

 

He doesn’t know the condition of the kid he hurt but according to Dad his situation is mostly dependent on chance. Whether he is alright is entirely up to a flip of a coin and frankly he hated anything when it came to chance.

 

After what happened, he updated Momo and Tenya about the situation, receiving a small, half-hearted lecture from the blue haired boy about sneaking away and going to the off-limits tiger enclosure. Besides that, both of them seemed to be unsure of what to think about Izuku.

 

He knew it was because they were in some parts afraid of him. It was one thing for someone you didn’t know to get hurt, it’s another if you actually knew the person. Yeah he was a year up and Hitoshi can’t remember his name for the life of him but they have seen him, talked to him, known him.

 

He’s chatted with them both and of course he got support from his friends but he wasn’t sure how far that support went when it came to Izuku. Hopefully it was just the weirdness of the situation that’s got them acting that way and that when time has gone by and Izuku’s suspension has ended, everything will get back to normal.

 

Besides that, he talked to Dad and Papa, outside of the house in case Izuku overheard, and came to a decision. It wasn’t one that the greenette would like, maybe he’d receive it well but they were right, some things need to be done to keep him safe.

 

He was afraid that Izuku might not see it that way. He was scared the boy might see it like a punishment and use it to confirm that what he did that day was his fault.

 

The court date was close now. Hitoshi won’t be in the actual room with them because he’s too young and instead will be at home with Nemuri. It will be annoying but he knows he can’t be there otherwise he might make a racket when that red haired man starts spitting out nonsense about his family.

 

Hitoshi leaned back, resting his head fully on the tree. ‘I hope Izuku knows how much we care for him.’

 

- - -

 

It was the day after his conversation with Nedzu that Izuku decided to go back downstairs and finally talk to everyone about how he was feeling. He didn’t know if the mammal had talked about what they talked about, but he is going to go into this conversation assuming he didn’t.

 

It was nearly dinner so instead of sending Gala down, he made his own way down, carefully using Fredrick as a support. He knew they must’ve heard the difference in footsteps because the humming from Hizashi and the small conversation Hitoshi and Shouta were having before then stopped.

 

When he rounded the corner, still using the teddy bear as a crutch, he kept his head down until he was sitting down at the table, feeling the eyes on him. There was already a plate for him, probably planned to be brought upstairs by Hitoshi but couldn’t anymore because, well, he was here.

 

No one said anything but Izuku could hear the scraping of a chair, most likely Hizashi’s, as he sat down too. He didn’t want to look up yet, he still felt awful about everything. No matter what happened before the punch, he still did it and still sent someone to the hospital. And it was all something that could’ve been avoided had he just been better.

 

He typed slowly onto his phone. “I’m sorry for worrying you for the last week.”

 

He continued, already having pre-written what he wanted to say. “I still feel like the whole thing was my fault and that there is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise. I know you care for me and want to see me happy, I don’t want you acting like it wasn’t my fault I punched that kid.”

 

It was quiet for a moment. The others in the room were probably waiting in case there was anything else to be said but there wasn’t. Eventually, Hitoshi is the one to speak up.

 

“I know it wasn’t your fault, Izuku,” he said. “But I can’t tell you how to feel. I made a mistake too. A part of this lies with me.”

 

Izuku looked up to see Hitoshi whilst he typed, muscle memory making it so he didn’t need to see what he was inputting. “You couldn’t have done anything. I could’ve.”

 

“No to both of those, but I’ll tackle the first one.” he refuted. “I could’ve stopped you from talking to them. You shouldn’t have to defend yourself on your own when I’m there.”

 

“I could’ve fixed all of it myself.” the greenette argued.

 

“No you couldn’t. That kid would’ve still grabbed you and pulled you out of your doll.” he countered. “I should’ve punched that kid the second he reached for you.”

 

“‘Toshi!” Hizashi said in shock.

 

The purple haired kid turned to the blond. “What Papa? It’s what I should’ve done.” 

 

“Sure he deserved a wallop, but don’t say that out loud.” he advised.

 

“I didn’t need you to do that.” Izuku jumped back into the conversation. “I should’ve just shrugged him off and moved on.”

 

Hitoshi turned his sights back to him. “But that wasn’t what happened.”

 

“You’re right, it wasn’t.” Shouta piped up with. “There’s no point in both of you going back and forth on this. If you want my thoughts, neither of you did anything wrong. If you won’t accept that, then instead of thinking about what you could’ve done, think about what you can do in the future.”

 

“Sho’s right you two.” Hizashi agreed. “Both of you need to learn from this that sometimes you’ll be bullying yourself over things you could’ve done differently.”

 

“But this isn’t a life lesson!” Izuku typed in exclamation, the voice from the phone reflecting that punctuation choice. “Because of this, the HPSC has stuff to use against us. Not just that but because I’m out of school, they can use that too.”

 

“Button,” the blond uttered affectionately, voice softening, “You’re still just a little kid. You don’t gotta worry about all of that. Me, Sho’ and a bunch of other people have that handled. You just need to get better for us, don’t worry about them.”

 

That was a lie. He knew it had to be. There was no way they had the case fully handled, if anything the boy’s future was more uncertain than ever. That’s why he has his plan in his place, ready to fix his own mistakes.

 

“But I’ve done so much in the past. I could do so much more, I know it.” he typed.

 

“It doesn’t matter who you were, Izuku.” Shouta started. “You’re still a kid now. Your only job is to enjoy being one.”

 

Both of their voices were calm, all the while the frustration brewing in Izuku’s heart felt like he was almost being strangled. He didn’t feel like a kid at all, not in any way. He’s broken into buildings, nearly killed dozens of people, made dealings with info brokers and villains alike, and fought heroes all by himself.

 

He wasn’t a kid… but he wasn’t an adult either. He was…

 

“I do so much with my dolls! Please just let me help and I can fix my mistakes!” he typed.

 

“Izuku,”

 

‘No.’

 

“‘Zuku,”

 

‘No!’

 

“I’m not a kid.” he typed, the stress getting to him more. “I can fix this, I can fix my own problems. I helped myself when I was alone. I learned to fix computers, set up tech, make dolls, and break into buildings. I’m capable, I can fix this myself.”

 

“Izuku.” Shouta uttered, this time more firmly and forcefully than before, a tone he’s rarely heard. It was the same tone used when they established the rules for what he was allowed to do in the house.

 

Because of that, Izuku stopped typing immediately. Pausing to instead focus on the man entirely. 

 

He continued, “This isn’t your problem to fix. It is ours. I know that might be hard for you to grasp, but you need to know that this isn’t your problem. We know you are able to do a lot but that doesn’t mean you should.”

 

He was ready to type to argue that but instead he was immediately stopped when the man reached over to grasp his hands continued. “We don’t want to have to do this, but until you realise that, until you can trust us to help you, we’re going to limit your access to Gala.”

 

‘What?’ the boy thought, slightly stunned.

 

Hizashi looked a bit upset but didn’t jump in to disagree. “He’s right ‘Zuku. In the past we’ve seen ‘Toshi do things behind our backs like going to that Dragon’s meeting and hiding your location from us. We know if he can do that, so can you.”

 

“You’ll only be allowed to use Gala for your therapy sessions and for the court date.” Shouta explained. “Anything else will be prohibited and the doll will be kept at UA whenever it is not in use.”

 

It was madness. How could they do this to him? What did they mean when they said that he might do something? They were right, yes, but it still told volumes that they didn’t trust him but wanted him to trust them. It meant they were seeing him more as a problem… a problem. A problem!

 

And they were right. So right. He was the problem.

 

He was…

 

But that didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt to be told you can’t do something. “Do you not trust me?”

 

He could see the small heart break in all three of their eyes as the phone sounded those words out. Hizashi immediately jumped in to reassure. “‘Zuku we do trust you. It’s just we know that you are capable but that a child shouldn’t have to be. We know you’ll try something to help us and we love you for it but you’re still a kid, let us adults handle this for you.”

 

“You shouldn’t have to fight your battles alone.”

 

Izuku’s mind closed itself in, thinking through what he could say to convince them but no matter what he couldn't see a way to. They just don’t see him as being able to help because he was a child. But he wasn’t, he really wasn’t. 

 

That’s because he… he was…

 

The boy commanded Fredrick to immediately carry him upstairs. He just wanted to leave this situation. It was too much and he regretted coming down here at all. As soon as he did, the blond raised to stop him only to be halted by Shouta, placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him seated.

 

Hitoshi wasn’t though. He was already standing up, ready to go after him but Izuku didn’t wait to see anyone right now.

 

He rushed upstairs, closing the door behind him with Gala whilst Fredrick dropped him on the bed. He threw himself under the covers, holding Ezuku and a few other plushes close to him as he thought back tears.

 

A few moments later, he heard some knocking on his door. He didn’t answer but instead of just going away, it opened anyway. Despite that he made no move to stop them and instead waited until it shut. Something sat down on the bed, dipping towards them.

 

“Izuku…” Hitoshi uttered softly, reaching over to place a hand onto the boy’s back and rubbing it softly. “You know Papa and Dad care about you a lot.”

 

“I just wanted to help.” the greenette typed, continuing to fight the sadness fighting him.

 

“You are. By showing those HPSC morons that you’re a thousand times better with us than with them.” he assured.

 

“Can’t I do both?” he hoped, knowing that it was never about whether he could or not.

 

The boy felt a hand on his back, rubbing gently. “You know why they won’t let you help, even if you could.”

 

“But I’m smart! They say so, they give me more work, I lived on the streets for years without problems!” he typed furiously.

 

“Izuku, you almost starved to death, you can’t walk properly now and you were almost kidnapped by villains.” he listed, bringing up what were arguably true facts, at least to a point.

 

“I would’ve been fine! I would’ve killed Hisashi the first time if I wasn’t distracted saving you!” 

 

It took a moment for the words to settle. What he just said was as if he regretted saving Hitoshi, like he’d rather him be dead than be where he was right now, with him and his family. It was awful, it was disgusting, he- he-

 

Tears and fear crept into him and hit him like a sandbag from above. He couldn’t see Hitoshi’s face but he knew by how his hand stopped rubbing his back and stayed there. He freaked out, a despair he had locked inside coming out like a geyser and making everything suddenly feel worse than it already was.

 

He began to breath fast, unable to type and just began choking out words as he desperately tried to apologise but the words got caught, his weak throat strangled by his panic. He can’t speak, just choked and shifted around to look at him. He looked up at him.

 

“H-hit-toshi I-I d-d-didn’t m-mean t-that, I-I’m sorry!” he cried, the words barely making it through.

 

The purple haired boy’s face was blank, darkened by the room that was already dim from the blackout curtains to begin with. Izuku couldn’t tell if he was shocked, angry, sad or all at once. All he knew was that either way, he hated it and didn’t want to lose him.

 

Then the other boy’s hand dropped from his back and the crash Izuku felt grew worse. That pit in him opened as everything he had pushed down over the years welled up, denying that he was ever a bad person, a broken person, causing him to spiral.

 

He wasn’t a child…

 

…he was a monster.

 

A monster who made dolls and sent them out to hurt and main whilst he sat consequence free behind a screen. Who took pleasure when he was choking a man near to death in a boxing ring, the boy who smashed Eraserhead’s into the pavement and got a rush from it like no other, who relished in the pain filled screams of Hisashi when he punched him.

 

He was the tormentor who loved it when he terrified those teachers, even if they did deserve it, he did it with a glee someone good shouldn’t have. He was the puppeteer who dressed his dolls up like he was playing with them before they went smashing peoples faces into the pavement. He was the bully who almost made a doll solely to terrorise children just because they were a minor nuisance to a friend.

 

He was the monster, who put another kid in the hospital. A kid who will likely live the rest of his life altered because of something he did. Who will wake up with nightmares about him every night for months and every while for years. He knows. Because he’s experienced that kind of trauma himself.

 

He was awful. They were all right. He was a villain, evil, sadistic and twisted.

 

But most importantly he was a monster.

 

That was an immutable fact.

 

And now he had hurt someone else. His friend, the only friend he’s got, maybe the only person he truly cares about too. He said the worst thing he could to him and did so without second thought, without remorse, until he could hear just how far he had truly gone.

 

He let it all out, more violent and painful than Hisashi, for that was mourning his mother. This was his own mourning. 

 

He wasn’t a child because children had innocence. And his had been dead for a long time.

 

He cried and cried, shaking and trembling as all of these emotions hit him at once and it felt like nothing could help him. He didn’t know what to do but cried and couldn’t see anymore because of it, his whole world warped and blurry, colour drowned out by his own self hate.

 

Then arms wrapped around him, so tightly that it immediately reminded him of when he was found. The same warmth as before but this time it was tighter to the point of searing. It wasn’t treating him as fragile but instead as something precious.

 

Izuku tried to push away, he didn’t want this, he didn’t deserve this but struggle as he might, he can’t get away. He won’t let him.

 

So he began to punch, lash, shake out, anything to get him away because this pain was what he deserved and he doesn’t get to be comforted after everything he’s done. The arms just got tighter and a hand on the back of the boy’s head pushed him into the other’s shoulder, wetting it with Izuku’s tears.

 

“I know you didn’t mean it.”

 

He tried to argue, to deny, to maybe even insult him again and just get away. Izuku didn’t deserve happiness, not anymore. He would be miserable and alone just like he decided, just like he wanted.

 

“And I know you’ll try to deny it.”

 

It’s his fault for all of this, if only he didn’t run away, if only he just gave up!

 

“Which means you won’t accept my apology.”

 

He hated himself. Every part of him.

 

“So all I’ll say is…”

 

Nothing will work.

 

“...Is that I love you. My brother.”

 

…

 

…

 

He cried harder.

 

He didn’t want to believe it but those words felt like everything was brighter. His world, now lighter. It was instant and he shrilled out a barely legible response that sounded coarsely like a ‘why’.

 

“There’s no reason why. There doesn’t have to be. If you don’t think you’re a child too, sure, think that. Just know then that no matter what, whether you’re a hero, a villain or something else; You’re my brother. Something I will always fight you on.”

 

This time he cried in pure relief, that Hitoshi cared for him so much and he didn’t stop until ten minutes later when he finally was too tired to keep going. The boy, no, his brother stayed there the whole time, hugging him and whispering how much he cared for him and how he would always be there.

 

Izuku never knew what it was like to have a brother. He never knew what it was like to have a best friend until he met Hitoshi. The closest he had was Kacchan who was more of a cousin than something close like a brother.

 

He knew that because right now, he understood what it meant to have one. He knew Hitoshi was his brother and that he was his in return. Irrelevant of how he saw himself.

 

When he finally stopped, Hitoshi left him alone for a moment to get some water, taking longer than he should probably because he was updating Shouta and Hizashi on what happened. It didn’t matter though because right now everything was so fragile and sensitive that he needed the moment to breathe.

 

He loved Hitoshi. Cared for him so much and that love extended to Hizashi and Shouta too. He knew they saw him as their kid. Their son. A title he never thought he would ever be given again after Mama died.

 

Now more than ever he wanted to be their son for real. To be Yamazawa Izuku and that was when his determination was steeled.

 

After a quick drink of water, he went downstairs with Hitoshi, Gala and Fredrick in tow.

 

He gave the pale faced doll away to them, trusting them to keep them safe. But that was only because he knew he could trust them to keep them safe. 

 

And trust them he did but he was still going through with his plan, not because he didn’t trust them to succeed, no, it was because he loved them and wanted to be with them forever. He would not be taken away from them and he would kick and scream and fight the entirety of the HPSC if he had to.

 

He’d even be the monster he knew he was if he had to. 

 

Because even if he was Hitoshi’s brother it didn’t mean all of that went away. All of the hints and evil that pointed to him being everything those bullies called him. That the media called him. That the Commission called him.

 

He would become a monster to save his family.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Court Date with Destiny

Chapter 56: Court Date with Destiny

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Just as a clarification before this chapter, I have no clue how courtrooms work. Most of my knowledge comes from media so please forgive me if none of this makes sense legally.

Now besides that... I hope you enjoy this chapter! With a fun little twist at the end.

Have a nice day! <3

Shouta aired out the collar of his button up shirt as he prepared himself for what’s ahead. It was stuffy and he felt naked without his capture scarf around his neck but he needed to look his best for today. For today was the court case on what to do with Izuku.

 

Feeling over his face, smoother than it had been in months due to needing it shaved, he looked over to see Hizashi preparing himself as well, tying his mess of blond hair into a bun. Shouta was brushing his hair back with a comb and slick with some gel as it was important for the both of them to not appear like they usually did, which was nowhere near what a typical parent would look like.

 

Admittedly though, seeing the blond in a suit was always enchanting to see. The last time he wore it was for the wedding, same as him, though of course with the capture scarf to everyone’s amusement. 

 

“You look good.” he said, stepping over to the man to help him with his tie.

 

“Thanks Sho’, so do you.” he smiled back, making the stoic man hum inside. “Have you gotten Izuku ready?”

 

“He struggled with the buttons but we managed. Even if he’s going to be inside the doll for most of the day.” Shouta answered.

 

Nedzu had apparently arranged, without them knowing, the ability to have Izuku stay in the doll for most of the day. He didn’t know how he did that or what made him do it but he was thankful. One of the worst things that could happen was the kid having a panic attack in the middle of the courthouse.

 

The case itself was a private hearing so, besides those involved, no one was allowed to see them. Another saving grace. He didn’t know how the kid would react to strangers watching him, nor would he know how they’d react to the dolls.

 

“Sho’,” Hizashi started, his voice growing in concern. “Do you think we can do this?”

 

He knew how scared his husband was. There was a very real chance that they could lose Izuku. It wasn’t a chance he wanted to consider but it was there. They didn’t know what Aikani and the HPSC was going to pull but he knew they weren’t going to let their kid go without a fight.

 

He won’t let the blond worry though. “Everything will be fine. Nedzu has the best legal team on his side to make sure the Commission doesn’t pull any tricks. We just need to show how much we love and care for Izuku.”

 

Hizashi let a small smile climb up his face. He seemed better but obviously he didn’t believe him. He wouldn’t either. So he decided to cheer him up. “Anyway, even if the kid won’t get to show off how much effort we put into those buttons in court, we could always do it at the restaurant later when we celebrate.”

 

“Wait, where would we be eating?” the man questioned.

 

“Just a nice Italian place I got a reservation for,” he explained. “The one near the mall.”

 

“When did you get that?” Hizashi asked, surprised. It was a difficult place to get into.

 

Shouta smiled a little inside at seeing his husband think about something else, if even for a moment. “A week after we got the court date. I wanted to make sure we had a place to go out because I imagined us being too tired to cook.”

 

“That’s wonderful, Sho’.” he said, giving a kiss to the other man’s cheek. “You know, it’s easier on my lips when there isn’t a bunch of stubble in the way.”

 

“Maybe I’ll try to shave a patch on my face for you.” he wondered out loud.

 

“Why a patch? Why not just shave it all?” Hizashi mused, laughing a bit at the image of Shouta only shaving one side of his face whilst the other remained stubbly.

 

“I have to keep up my ‘vagabond’ aesthetic that everyone loves so much.” the man joked in deadpan like it was intentionally how he looked. 

 

“Not everyone…” the blond fake pouted before smiling. “Thanks, Sho.”

 

“No problem, ‘Zashi.”

 

After another kiss the two headed downstairs to see Nemuri already inside the house. She was currently in the living room, helping brush Izuku’s hair and tying it in the red ribbon he loved so much, whilst the boy rocked back and forth. 

 

“Looking good you guys!” she complimented when the two men stepped in.

 

“Wow,” exclaimed Hitoshi, sitting on the armchair, slightly sarcastically. “Didn’t think that stubble could even come off. I thought you had it to hide an embarrassing tattoo or something.”

 

“Give it a few years and see how you’ll handle having to shave everyday.” the man responded, looking away from him to see how his other son was doing. 

 

Izuku typed into his phone whilst Nemuri did the final touches to his hair. “I don’t like it.”

 

“Good because it isn’t staying for long.” Shouta assured, trying not to smile at the fact that his kid liked him despite how ‘dishevelled’, as some people called it, he looked.

 

“So are we ready to go, green bean?” Hizashi asked.

 

“Do I look okay?” the greenette asked, looking a bit timid.

 

“Adorable.” the blond responded, giving his biggest smile.

 

The kid blushed a little and smiled before turning to Nemuri. “T-thank y-you A-auntie.” he muttered to her.

 

“Anytime, Izuku!” she grinned, desperately holding herself back from hugging him and having to do his hair.

 

The boy pulled himself off the couch and shuffled carefully towards Gala who opened up her chest compartment to let him climb inside. The doll itself was wearing a suit too, bought by Izuku in order to better match with the surroundings. It was a simple black green suit with a tie that Shouta had to do himself because for some reason the kid struggled heavily with it.

 

“When are we going?” Izuku asked through the doll, a more neutral voice coming through instead of the personable sounding one Gala usually had.

 

“The earlier the better.” Shouta stated. “The case starts at nine sharp.”

 

“Then better get going now! I know how you love punctuality, Shouta.” the dominatrix noted. “I’ll keep little Hitoshi here until you three come back as a family!”

 

At that, Hizashi reached out and grabbed both his husband and future kid by their hand. “In that case let’s get this show on the road!”

 

With another goodbye, the three stepped into the car and drove off, dread filling each of them in different ways the closer they got to the court. 

 

- - -

 

Hizashi was so nervous. He really didn’t know how the day would end. The man hoped he’d be going home with his son, both legally and emotionally. No, he was already emotionally his kid, it didn't matter what the HPSC or a judge could ever say.

 

The entire drive over he tried to fill the air to keep the little green button from feeling down but being inside Gala it was hard to tell how he was feeling. He just hoped Izuku knew how much they loved him and how they were going to fight for him until the bitter end if needed.

 

Parking outside of the court house, the trio made their way in to meet with the legal team that Nedzu had assigned for the case.

 

The details of it are all muddy for the blond man, he was a hero not a lawyer, but he did know the important stuff. Firstly this case is about the placement and consequences for Izuku’s time and to technically go over whether he constitutes being a proper villain or not. Legally he is a vigilante but the question of villainy was something to be discussed.

 

It was because of Shouta being on Izuku’s case the longest that he got to have custody over him for the months leading up to the case and according to Nedzu, the HPSC made a massive fuss about it that he had to shut down. 

 

That’s ultimately what this day is about. To prove that Izuku is on the path to rehabilitation, both physically and mentally, and to prove that he is in better company with them, and that it would be damaging to remove him from them.

 

They couldn’t just say they were better, they had to have proof of the kid’s better health. If not, the judge could deem Izuku too unstable and leave him to the custody of the HPSC than to them.

 

So despite it being an ‘us versus them’ situation, it’s legally a health check and deciding the long term for Izuku seeing if the Yamazawas could ‘handle him’ or not.

 

Of course that was not what was discussed behind closed doors. It was about what the Commission is going to do to paint Izuku as being too unstable for normal life and needing to be placed in their care. A care they’re sure will be far worse than anything they dredge up.

 

“Pardon me, Yamada, Aizawa?” an older woman with silky white hair questioned.

 

They had arrived in a lobby room meant for legal parties to discuss in private with their clients and they were currently chatting with their legal team. “Hey there, is everything alright?”

 

“Yes. I just wanted to greet you. My name is Shinji Shiyuri, I’ll be your legal representative during the proceedings.” she explained, looking quite stern and cold but clearly putting on a professional face.

 

“How are things going?” Shouta questioned, a serious tone in his voice Hizashi only heard when he was nervous.

 

“The HPSC representative is the same one who did your house call. Aikani Eekay. I believe he also has the footage from the zoo incident we were informed about. He’s submitted it for the case.” Shinji answered, keeping as informative as possible.

 

“So it’s bad?” the blond uttered, keeping his voice low. Izuku was in the room but he was sitting down, looking more idle than he usually did.

 

“Nothing we can’t handle, provided nothing unexpected comes up.” she explained.

 

“This is all closed doors, right?” Shouta wondered.

 

The white haired woman nodded. “Mr. Nedzu will observe through a live feed in the room along with the HPSC higher ups interested in this case. Besides that, there should be no one in there who isn’t directly involved with the case.”

 

“Good. We don’t want the kid to have any of this following him when he grows up.” the erasure hero uttered.

 

The three turned over to Izuku, who was still frozen in place. Hizashi wasn’t sure if he was deep in thought or not but most likely he was looking at something through his phone they can’t see.

 

“Hey, button.” Hizashi called as he sat next to him.

 

There was some silence for a moment before Gala’s head turned to look. “Yes?”

 

“Just checking to see if you were nervous or not,” he clarified.

 

“I’m fine. I am sending messages to Hitoshi.” the boy responded.

 

The blond smiled. “That’s good but, you know you can’t have your phone in there. Right?”

 

The puppet nodded. “I know, I’m just sending the last few messages.”

 

After a moment the sound of the compartment opening was heard under the doll’s clothes. A bit of fiddling later and a phone was pushed out and shoved between the cushions of the sofa they were on.

 

“Why did you do that?” wondered Hizashi, a bit confused.

 

“Safe keeping. I don’t want anyone to touch it. No one checks between the cushions.” he replied, standing up after the compartment closed. “Are we going now?”

 

“Yes,” Shinji responded first. “It is important we be in there before the judge, let’s go.”

 

They left the private lobby, the legal team following along with the Yamazawas towards the courtroom. Stepping in, it was almost eerie how empty it was. Like how Hizashi felt when it was after school and there was no one around but him.

 

They all took a seat on their side of the room, the team taking a step back whilst Shinji acted as the one who will be leading the defense. Shouta, Hizashi and Izuku all took a seat next to her. They placed themselves so there was enough room to accommodate any of them moving up to the centre of the room to speak on their experiences.

 

Despite how empty the room was, there were still some people around in the gallery, mostly as people of interest. Shunzenji and Inui for example who will be talking about Izuku’s physical and psychological health respectively.

 

There was also, alarmingly, the mother of the kid who Gala had punched, accompanied with who was likely to be either the boy’s parent or a relative.

 

Just moments after they settled down, that was when the doors opened to find Aikani making his entrance, the red head sitting across from them on the floor with no one else but himself and a couple of assistants to carry and organise his documents.

 

With all parties present and the clock about to hit the time the court trial began, some cameras were arranged for those relevant parties that won’t be there. Once all was done, the door to a side room opened and everyone stood for the entrance of the judge, a greying ginger haired man, who took his seat at the head of the room.

 

“Now then,” the judge, Seijikan, announced. “Let us begin the court case pertaining to the long term care of Midoriya Izuku.”

 

- - -

 

Nedzu sat in his office as he watched the proceedings go forward. The reason he had decided not to attend in person was for two things. One was because he was a recognisable mammal, unlike Aizawa and Yamada in civilian clothing, anyone can pick him out of any outfit and seeing as how this trial is best served being done in secret, they’d rather not have that attention.

 

The second though, and probably the most important, was so he could study what the HPSC is going to do. He had Shinji on speed dial if he happened to spot anything she missed or needed to send in something that she might need. That and recording the whole thing so that if the Commission tries anything strange, he can have it on film.

 

He didn’t know what that was but he had an idea, especially considering the judge they had on the case.

 

Seijikan was a bit of a figure in the hero world. Typically he tended to be vicious when it came to villains however at times there have been instances he had been unfair, especially when the HPSC was involved. He’s hoping that nothing will happen but given young Izuku’s past, he has to consider the man having a potential bias.

 

Either way, the case has begun and it’s naturally started with everything that had happened from the first day Izuku ran away till now. Detective Tsukauchi stepped in to provide the Dollmaker case and everything it had held.

 

From the fire that was caused by Midoriya Hisashi, leading to Inko’s death, Izuku’s hiding away and the subsequent effects of that all. All the way up to when he reemerged, nearly killing Aizawa and hiding once more.

 

“If I may ask…” Seijikan began to address the room. “If these puppets are quite as dangerous as has been laid out here, then why has Midoriya been permitted to create more in his supposed custody?”

 

“Well, your honor,” Shinji piped up with, “As has been shown in his medical records, Midoriya Izuku lacks the physical ability to move properly due to his extreme sedentary lifestyle and quirk overuse prior to his capture.”

 

She took out some notes and handed them up to the judge and then to Aikani, even though he probably already had a copy. “As you can see here, we have the relevant documentation detailing that the puppet, labelled as ‘Gala’ for convenience, is classified as a mobility device.”

 

“I can see that here.” the judge uttered, looking over the document. “But wouldn’t it be more suitable to use a mechanical alternative and not one used by his quirk? Like a wheelchair?”

 

“For that, I believe his physical therapist can answer that for us better as to why it is preferable to use a puppet.” she answered.

 

…

 

“Midoriya Izuku has severe physical atrophy caused by his malnutrition, lack of sleep and quirk overuse during his time in isolation.” the pro hero nurse explained on the stand. “It is because of this that his body is quite vulnerable and fragile.”

 

“Wouldn’t a power wheelchair have sufficed?” Aikani argued, standing up. “Wouldn’t making a puppet merely encourage his condition? 

 

“Typically, I would advise that but there was a secondary problem that made that difficult to do.” the old woman responded.

 

“And what was that?”

 

…

 

Aikani flipped through some notes as he stood in front of Inui, sitting at the podium. “So what is being said here is that because of Midoriya’s time spent in isolation, he had developed an intense form of agoraphobia to the point of being incapable of going outside?”

 

“He is able to go outside, just not in an exposed manner.” the canine man responded, keeping a calm demeanor befitting of a therapist.

 

“Would a mask not have been more beneficial to such an end?” the red head suggested.

 

Inui let out a small huff. “Midoriya’s idea of exposure, I believe, is not the same kind that involves merely hiding behind a sheet.”

 

“Then what is?” the man asked.

 

“It is his idea that any kind of exposure of himself, his emotions or appearance, is what he is afraid of.” he responded. “It is not enough that he needs to be unseen, he needs to be unrecognisable, or as close to as possible.”

 

“And have you made any progress on that front in your sessions?” Aikani questioned, the answer obvious in the room.

 

“To people in private, he has been more open.” Inui answered.

 

“And in public?”

 

The canine hero frowned. “There is still some work needed to be done, howe-”

 

“Despite having five months go by since you began your sessions?” Aikani pointed out.

 

“Therapy is a long process, it is absurd to imagine that years of living in a hermit-like mindset could be undone in a manner of months.” the dog man defended, keeping himself calm whilst doing so. “Many people spend years learning to get over even ten minutes of trauma, let alone the amount Midoriya has gone through.”

 

“Which would mean his care should be in better hands than yours?” the red head said.

 

“I did not say that.” Inui nearly growled out.

 

“No, but I’m sure even you can say with the students of UA, your own hero work and teaching and practicing of psychology, that you are not fully prepared to handle such a large case. Am I right?” he explained.

 

But before the dog man could respond with a rebuttal, Aikani continued. “I’m sure you are highly qualified, Inui Ryo, but I’m also sure you are not vain enough to admit that there are therapists better than yourself. Ones that can be and are, within reach of the government.”

 

“He would not need something so extreme,” he countered.

 

“But you said it yourself. Midoriya has had his mother die in front of him, lived years only interacting with the world through puppets, tangled with villains and even almost killed a hero. Sounds like he is an extreme case to me.” the man finished with.

 

Nedzu could see the frustration in Aizawa and Yamada grow. Even noticing the Gala puppet clutching its hands a bit.

 

…

 

“What can you tell us about Midoriya Izuku and how he is with school?” Shinji questioned the boy’s teacher, Nataba.

 

“He is a wonderful student.” she praised. “Despite how odd his ‘transport’ is, he is an excellent and attentive student. He is well behaved, mannered and is polite with everyone.”

 

“Besides the zoo incident, would he have had any other issues?” she asked, dancing around that problem until later.

 

The woman nodded. “Besides that, no, there have not been any other incidents. The closest we had gotten was a minor argument during class over seating arrangements. That puppet can block some children from seeing the board. But then so are some other students so I have him sit at the back of class.”

 

“Thank you, Nataba.” thanked Shinji, turning around to sit back down.

 

Aikani then rose up to approach her with his line of inquiry. “Nataba, you have stated that the puppet Midoriya moves around in can be disruptive?”

 

“Well, I wouldn’t say disruptive…” she answered.

 

“But it is distracting your class?” he followed up with.

 

The woman shifted in her seat a bit. “Well, it can be but it wears off after a while.”

 

“But not enough for some students to become curious?” the red head question, clearly building to the zoo incident.

 

“Yes, there was some curiosity from the other students.” Nataba admitted.

 

“And it’s because of that curiosity that led to the zoo incident, resulting in a child being nearly killed and possibly suffering long term effects from that?” he fired off with near perfect eloquent speech, like he was practicing for it.

 

“Well… yes.” she said, causing Shinji to turn to her team and talk to them.

 

Aikani then turned up to the judge. “In that case your honour, if I may bring this case to arguably the biggest incident that had occurred during Midoriya’s custody period.”

 

“Of course,” he replied.

 

…

 

This part of the trial was brutal, having the mother of the kid take the stand was always something Nedzu knew was going to hurt a lot but, wow, it was hard. It was unfortunate what happened to the boy but in the end, they could still say that it was mostly no one's fault.

 

There was no way Izuku could’ve stopped that from happening, neither did the boy who got hurt knew what would happen to him when he did that. It was just an unfortunate accident, one that can be used against them.

 

That was especially when they went over the damage. Apparently the person with the mother wasn’t a relative but the boy’s doctor, who explained the whole medical report to the judge.

 

Thankfully the boy had woken up recently and was mostly okay but they’ve noticed some early issues involving his attention span. Meaning that there is likely to be some long term damage from all of this.

 

After what had to be the most rough forty minutes of their life, the judge clearly was looking slightly alarmed anytime he looked over at Gala.

 

But that wasn’t the end of the tirade, because Aikani had one more thing to hit over their heads. 

 

“So then,” the man started, having brought Nataba back to ask a follow up question. “If I may ask about this incident, who was it that was responsible for Midoriya being in such a situation in the first place?”

 

“What do you mean?” the teacher asked, genuinely confused, as was most of the room.

 

“I mean, from what I had gathered, the incident had occurred at the tiger’s enclosure during the designated lunch time period. Not only that but the area was closed due to the tigers being unwell. Am I right?” he questioned.

 

Nataba was quick to defend herself once he saw where he was going. “I was told by Midoriya that he was going to the bathroom, so when he disappeared during that time I hadn’t noticed.”

 

“Yes, he had lied and instead wandered off with another student, Yamazawa Hitoshi, to the tiger enclosure.” he continued for her.

 

“..Yes.” she answered.

 

“Would you say that such an idea was Midoriya’s or Yamazawas?” Aikani wondered.

 

Shinji stood up immediately. “Might I ask what the relevance of that has to do with this?”

 

“Quite a lot.” the red head stated. He then went back to his desk to grab a few documents, handing them out to the relevant parties. “It is my belief that the young Yamazawa might be disruptive to Midoriya’s rehabilitation.”

 

Nedzu could see on the screen, once more, the three family members grow tense as Aikani continued. “This document, given by the foster case worker in charge of Yamazawa from before his adoption, states that he was frequently disruptive, instigated fights and was in general a problem for most families.”

 

The man continued on, ignoring the hostile glares he got from the heroes in the room. “Whilst I can’t say for certain this is the fault of Aizawa and Yamada, I can say that this child could pose to be a terrible influence on an already vulnerable mind.”

 

“But Yamazawa has been a quiet and polite student. He has had no other problems since he enrolled in Somei.” Nataba tried to defend him.

 

“Unfortunately, records do not lie and we cannot say for certain that there isn’t some fear of him inhibiting Midoriya’s growth.” the man finished with.

 

Nedzu was focused on the judge, namely when he started to read through the document. Based on where his eyes were zeroing in on, and the fact he had a copy himself sent in by Shinji, he knew where he was looking. The boy’s quirk.

 

“If I may argue,” Shinji piped up, “Yamazawa hadn’t had a positive role model in his life before. Now that he has parents attentive to his needs, I’m sure if you were to check his records and attitudes since coming under their care, you can see how much he has changed since then.”

 

Shinji followed that up with another argument, this time more vicious and aggressive. “And if I may add, irrelevant of who made what decision that resulted in them being in that tiger enclosure, it should not be what decides whether or not Midoriya requires government care.”

 

Aikani looked to respond but the white haired woman didn’t let him. “Additionally, it is precisely because of the young boy that we were able to capture and rescue Midoriya, both from his hiding space and from his father. All because they have a trusting bond that I’m sure will be more damaging to Midoriya, should we separate him from his most trusted confidant.”

 

She finished what she had to say and it appeared like it might’ve actually made the red head shut up. But he was a drone of the HPSC for a reason and fired up his own argument. “If the connection between Yamazawa and Midoriya is one that determines their continued living together, purely by merit of emotional attachment, then I accuse this council of favouring the desire and opinions of them over what is actually most beneficial for Midoriya.”

 

“Midoriya’s connection to the Yamazawa’s is entirely the reason we are able to have this court case today. It has high relevance as it is clear to anyone who has met the boy properly that they are important to him.” she argued. “Trying to say that Midoriya’s emotional health is somehow less important than his physical and mental health shows that you have nearly no consideration for what is best for Midoriya.”

 

They were swordfighting using language as blades, words being thrown back and forth, debating who would be best for Izuku and in the end, Shinji won, finally forcing him back.

 

The man, for the first time since anyone in that room had seen him, appeared ruffled and slightly annoyed from the back and forth he did before taking a seat and breathing in. “Your honour, as a part of our argument that Midoriya’s care would be best with the HPSC, please allow us to present one more new person of interest.”

 

That caused Nedzu to widen his beady eyes. What new person? He had a list of everyone who would be there today and they all had their turn to speak. Not only that but this shouldn’t be allowed, typically all evidence and persons are presented to both parties before the case begins.

 

That is… unless the judge allows it.

 

“Of course.” he nodded.

 

‘Of course.’ thought Nedzu.

 

Aikani seemed to make a phone call, contacting someone before closing it and saying that they’ll be present in a moment. What happened was something that Nedzu knew was not going to go down well and almost made the mammal jump out of his seat and call the HPSC immediately to yell at them.

 

The doors opened and being brought in, a mask around his face in an orange jumpsuit, was Midoriya Hisashi.

Notes:

Hisashi comes in, making one final stab at Izuku before disappearing from his life.

Next Chapter:

The Ultimate Test in Puppetry

Chapter 57: The Ultimate Test in Puppetry

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

I really, really hope you enjoy this chapter. It's one that I have been building up towards for literally the entire story. There will be more after this, a lot more but for now enjoy what is essentially the finale of an arc.

Have a nice day! <3

Izuku was stunned. Seeing Hisashi once more, sitting at the podium, filled him with an emotion he had become extremely familiar with today. Frustration.

 

Between the attempts to call him unstable, treating him like he wasn’t able to control himself and trying to say it was everyone else's fault for it was beyond infuriating. Now he had this, this man, forced to be in the same room as him and worse of all, having him be used against him being with his new family.

 

Shinji tried to argue what purpose asking him anything was going to do, but the judge let it go forward for whatever insane reason had to be cooked up in his mind. The masked man immediately clocked Gala, most likely assuming Izuku was inside her. He didn’t know how much the man knew but he had to have been caught up on what was going on.

 

Once more the white haired lawyer tried to argue about what the point of having this man on the stand when his words couldn’t be trusted. Unfortunately for them though, they did have someone who can prove his words.

 

“Detective Tsukauchi, your quirk can tell whether or not someone is lying. Am I correct?” Aikani asked the man, still in the room in the gallery.

 

“Yes,” he said simply, a tad bit unsure what was going on.

 

“Then may I ask, swearing on being a servant of justice, help with any inquiries into the validity of Mr. Gao?” the red head requested, referring to Hisashi with his actual last name they had gotten from their investigations.

 

The detective nodded, accepting to do so and sitting much further up in the room so that he may be heard better. Again, Shinji tried to fight this but the judge shut it down, saying that all avenues must be looked into.

 

Flanked by a hero, specifically Edgeshot who seemed a bit confused by the current situation, stood by Hisashi’s side as he began to explain who he was to the judge.

 

“I am Muyang Gao, or in this case Midoriya Hisashi. I am that boy’s father and I was one of the main leaders of the Dragon’s Roar for forty years.” he introduced himself.

 

According to his file, he’s almost seventy but you wouldn’t have been able to tell. The man had enough changes done to his face, either from plastic surgery or quirks, to make himself look thirty years younger.

 

“Mr Gao, can you tell me why you were brought here today?” Aikani questioned.

 

The villain coughed. “I was asked to tell the judge here today that my son deserves only the best treatment that can be given to him.”

 

“That was a lie.” Tsukauchi immediately said.

 

“I assume so.” the red head agreed. “Mr Gao, I know none of your intentions are pure. I believe that everyone here can agree. But irrelevant of who you are, you are still a person with rights. Am I wrong?”

 

“No.” he replied, his voice a bit more gravelly now that Izuku realised.

 

“Wonderful,” Aikani exclaimed quietly, “Do you mind telling us what happened the night you were captured? And the night Izuku was found?”

 

“Of course,” he said, his eyes smiling.

 

He explained everything that had happened that night. How he had left the tower immediately just a few hours before the raid because he got a call that someone he employed had tracked down Izuku.

 

About how he had rallied enough men with specific quirks meant to disable and stop all of the puppets from fighting back. How he was surprised to find none of them there and just the greenette on his own.

 

He talked about carrying the boy to the car with the intent of leaving the country, having received then a call about their hideout being exposed and under siege. How he had to make the quick calls to make sure all of his personal assets were moved offshore so that they weren’t collected by the heroes.

 

Then he moved onto the important part, when the heroes arrived with the aid of Wings, completely defeating them and knocking Hisashi to the ground.

 

Everyone thought he would end things there but… that wasn’t what happened. What occurred instead was that he continued.

 

‘Wasn’t he knocked out at that point?’ Izuku thought.

 

Oh no.

 

“So you were hit hard but not knocked unconscious?” Aikani asked, making sure Tsukauchi could hear that statement.

 

“Yes. I was disorientated, confused and almost unconscious but I was still able to hear and feel.” he explained.

 

After the detective nodded, confirming what he said to be the truth, Aikani asked a question that everyone in the room knew then he was going to ask. “What happened during that state?”

 

“I was almost murdered by my son using his quirk.” he answered, looking directly at the greenette.

 

There was an immediate quiet in the room. Not because of the fact Hisashi knew he was almost killed, no it was because he was almost killed. Because no one in that room but Shouta, Hizashi and Izuku should know. And beyond that only Hitoshi and Nedzu knew. They had thought he was unconscious for it all but it seemed he wasn’t.

 

Izuku remembered his mask. It completely covered his face so they wouldn’t have been able to tell he was awake. That and the fact Shouta had restrained him with his binding cloth meant they wouldn’t have noticed he was struggling to survive. All of that meant there was a very real chance he was awake during Izuku’s attempt to strangle him.

 

At the time, no one thought to say it because of how much trouble it could cause. How it would be very difficult to defend that. Almost killing a hero because you’re scared was one thing, doing the same to a kid because you were traumatised was the same but almost murdering a man, despite him being defeated, restrained and surrounded by heroes, was something else.

 

It implied intent to kill and sure he didn’t go through with it but just because you stopped almost murdering someone didn’t mean you were fine in the head.

 

Shinji immediately took out her phone, probably to text Nedzu but it seemed the principal had already sent a message. Tsukauchi was wide eyed for a moment before nodding and confirming what he said was true. “That is what he believes.” he made sure to clarify.

 

“Can you explain to us how exactly he did that?” Aikani asked, smiling ever so slightly.

 

Hisashi huffed, coughing a moment. “I was wearing a mask that covered my face. My quirk, Fire Breath, allows me to breathe fire so I used some tubing connected to my mouth to breathe flames through a hose to create a sword made of fire.”

 

He continued, sounding like a frog as he croaked. “He used his quirk to create a puppet out of that tubing, wrapping it around my neck and strangling me.”

 

“How did you find out he had actually choked you?” the red head wondered.

 

“One of the doctors said they found spinal fluid in my throat and all over my mouth. Some of it went back up the tube, it was disgusting. That and because of how hard he grabbed me, my larynx was damaged.” he coughed a little.

 

Tsukauchi confirmed all of it to be true, Aikani providing the medical records to match, but not without speaking up himself to ask a question. “I was on the investigation for the Dragon’s, why was I not made aware of this?”

 

“Well that’s because, detective,” Hisashi went to answer, “I didn’t know what had happened until I realised my throat wasn’t healing properly. I got a second opinion and it was then they found my throat and quirk factor had been damaged harshly.”

 

“That still doesn’t ex-”

 

“You were not informed, detective Tsukauchi, because the HPSC didn’t believe it was important to listen to at the time but after the incident in the zoo, we took a second look and decided to believe him.” Aikani interrupted.

 

The black haired man’s face dropped when he undoubtedly confirmed that statement to be true. Meaning that if Izuku hadn’t made that awful mistake back then, they would’ve just ignored Hisashi.

 

“As you can see your honour…” the red head started, turning back to the judge. “Midoriya Izuku had attempted to kill his father and was only stopped due to the heroes around him preventing him from doing so.”

 

“I’m sure if none of them were there, Muyang Gao would not be here to live and tell the tale.” he continued. “And I’m sure by this testimony, you can see many things. That is why I’d like to add more to it. For my last and final person to talk to, to complete these proceedings, are the caretakers in question.”

 

“Why would that be?” Seijikan questioned, ignoring Shinji’s attempts to halt the proceedings.

 

“Because they were the heroes who had defeated Mr Gao and found Midoriya that night and I’d like to know why they didn’t make this attempted mureder immediately known to the police and instead hid it.” he stated.

 

“Very well,” he said. “Yes Mrs Shinji?”

 

“We’d like to have a recess.” she requested.

 

“Under what grounds?” the judge asked.

 

“Mr Aikani has presented new information that we need a moment to go through. I feel it is imperative we get a chance to discuss this revelation with Mr Aizawa and Mr Yamada.” she explained.

 

There was a moment of contemplation in the judge’s face before he looking over at Aikani who didn’t seem bothered by it at all. “We can allow for one.” he permitted.

 

- - -

 

Things were frantic the second they entered the private lobby room. “Why were we not made aware of this?” Shinji was demanding over the phone to Nedzu who was speaking over a call.

 

“At the time we did not think it would harm our chances.” the rat explained. “We had no idea that Gao was conscious during the attempt, nor did we know that some spinal fluid got into his throat.”

 

“You could’ve informed me just in case!” she argued.

 

“We were sure that Hisashi was unconscious. He must be assuming what had happened based on the marks.” Shouta stated with. “Not just that but the HPSC could’ve used a memory quirk to make it seem he was telling the truth.”

 

“What do we do?” asked Hizashi, looking nervous about everything. “That judge is clearly leaning more onto the Commission’s side, can’t you do anything about that?”

 

“Unfortunately not at this time,” Nedzu answered. “Despite his favoritism he hasn’t done anything openly enough to be accused of it. If anything by permitting this recess he has made it seem like he is being fair.”

 

“Bullshi-”

 

“Shouta.”

 

The man and most of everyone else in the room turned to the puppet. Standing there looking nearly cold and dead inside. “Are we going to lose?” the boy asked.

 

“No. We aren’t. We just need to be careful with what happens next.” Shouta answered, looking up into the eyes of the doll.

 

“Should I go to the bathroom? So that you can talk to yourselves?” the shell wondered, obviously not believing him.

 

“Of course, Hizashi?” He turned to his husband.

 

“Let’s go, my little green button!” he exclaimed, trying to appear less shaken than he was.

 

They both left, leaving the room and everyone in it to themselves. Shouta turned back to Shinji. “What should we do?”

 

“It might be fruitless, but we must appeal to the judge with how much Izuku cares for you.” the white haired woman answered. “Seijikan won’t look at you nicely for hiding such important information. That’s why you’ll have to convince him you did it because you cared about Midoriya more than your own careers. Is that something you can convince yourself?”

 

Shouta paused once he heard what she said. To sacrifice everything he had done over the years of his life all to help protect a kid. A kid who appeared into his life out of nowhere, hid from him for years and only finally gave up when he finally felt safe. A kid who trusted him and Hizashi enough to push down his fears because they trusted him to keep him safe.

 

Someone who clearly cared for them and wanted to be a part of their lives fully. Who had slowly become not some random kid who appeared into his life from tragedy but someone Shouta actually cares about.

 

He had only known him a few years. Barely anything and yet it felt like this has taken up so much of his time. Like if he doesn’t see it through or have Izuku become a part of his family he won’t know what direction his life was going anymore. He knew Hizashi felt the same way, Hitoshi definitely did too.

 

Izuku was a kid.

 

Not just a kid.

 

His kid.

 

And he was going to save him and give him a happy life.

 

“I would.”

 

- - -

 

Back in the courtroom, Izuku watched through Gala’s eyes as Shouta stepped up to the stand. He was going to go first in Aikani’s questioning.

 

“Aizawa Shouta, can you confirm to the judge and Tsukauchi that you and your husband, Yamada Hizashi, chose to ignore police and hero protocol to hide the fact that Midoriya had almost killed Muyang Gao?” he questioned.

 

“If you are asking whether I protected Izuku from being potentially arrested for his own emotions, yes.” he answered.

 

“Why?” Aikani wondered.

 

“Because I knew at the time he wasn’t in his right mind and was feeling emotional and acting illogically.” Shouta responded, keeping his face as stoic as ever.

 

“That does not warrant going against protocol and you know it.” the red head stated.

 

“I do.” he admitted, “But not against what I wanted”.

 

A look of surprise came over the red head. “What does that mean?”

 

“I have known Izuku for the last couple years and have gotten to know him and how much he has been through. The constant fear he’s lived in, the trauma from seeing his mother die, the terror of being found by the monster who killed her. I’ve learned all of that and knew that if I were to tell the police what had happened the kid would be in a whole new world of pain.”

 

“And what would that be? Are you saying the HPSC wouldn't have been able to treat him right?” Aikani questioned.

 

“Yes.” Shouta stated. “They wouldn’t have been able to give Izuku the proper care he deserves.”

 

“And what makes you believe you can do better than an entire governmental body?” the red head said, sounding almost indignant.

 

“The fact we are what Izuku wants and needs.” he said. “A family. Something the Commission can’t provide.”

 

“I’m sure there are plenty of families the HPSC can find that are well suited for him.” Aikani argued.

 

“But none that know him as well as we do.” he countered.

 

The red head’s eyes glared a little. “That is besides the point. We are looking for the best placement for Izuku.”

 

“He’s already found it. Sure he has had problems but you’re telling me the HPSC wouldn’t have those same issues?” Shouta objected.

 

“We wouldn’t have allowed him to pilot a puppet. Nor would we have permitted him to have access to any such things in his home residence.” Aikani countered.

 

“Because you don’t care about him. You only see him as something dangerous to be controlled.” the black haired man shot.

 

The man huffed. “He is a danger. There is a child that has been injured by him, all because you didn’t consider how hazardous his quirk could be.”

 

“Aren’t there thousands of kids out there that are equally as, if not more dangerous, than him?” Shouta noted.

 

“There are,” Aikani agreed, trying to think of how to argue that, “But they have all grown and continue to grow as kids normally should. Midoriya did not go through that.”

 

“So the HPSC’s suggestion is to take him away from anything familiar and give him to a family that won’t know how to handle him? Who’s the family?” the pro hero questioned, sounding more aggressive.

 

The red head grinded his teeth a moment before turning to the judge. “Your honour, as you can see Mr Aizawa is clearly emotionally attached to Midoriya and can’t be trusted to have proper clarity and know what is best for him.”

 

“I’ll tell you what’s best for him,” Shouta refused to let him go, “He needs a family who’ll be there for him. Who knows what it is that’s too much or too little. Who he can trust not because they’re adults but because he knows them.”

 

He continued. “He knows me. He knows Hizashi. He cares about us and the fact you are ignoring that opinion on this matter shows that you do not know what’s best for him. The HPSC just wants him for themselves.”

 

Aikani was furious, though you couldn’t tell unless you saw the smallest vein bulge in the corner of his wrinkless forehead. “You dare accuse the Commission of not knowing what’s best for Midoriya?”

 

“Yes. I am.”

 

“You realise such a flagrant accusation in a courtroom could end with you getting your license revoked?” Aikani uttered, voice strained.

 

“I do.”

 

“That was all we needed to hear.” Aikani said. “We won’t need to question Yamada Hizashi. I assume his sentiments are shared?”

 

“Very much are!” Hizashi agreed smiling but with an equally as determined look on his face.

 

“Very well, your honour, unless Mrs Shinji has anything else she needs to say, I believe the government has nothing more to say on the matter.” he said, sitting down on his side of the room.

 

“If that is the case,” Shinji started, “Then we’d like to have Midoriya Izuku talk for himself and confirm what has been said.”

 

The doll turned to the lady. “What do I say?”

 

“Just tell them how much you mean to us, button.” Hizashi told him.

 

The shell stood up and walked over to the podium, feeling more eyes on him than ever. He planned to speak his mind fully on what he thought of the Yamazawas and if this was a normal trial, he might’ve even left Gala to prove a point of how much he’s changed. 

 

But this wasn’t a normal trial. Maybe not everyone in this room knew it, but this trial was rigged from the start. Nedzu probably knew the judge would favour the HPSC but even Izuku knew there wasn’t enough pessimism in that mammal to think that Seijikan, the judge, had already been bribed to give a favourable verdict to the Commission.

 

That doesn’t mean he won’t try though. And as for the reason Izuku couldn’t leave Gala to hammer his point home, well, that’s because….

 

…he wasn’t even inside the doll in the first place.

 

- - -

 

Izuku made sure to pick up his phone from the couch before leaving for the bathroom with Hizashi. The blond was holding Gala’s hand, even though he didn’t need to. He was probably trying to soothe the greenette, because he knew that things weren’t looking good for their future.

 

“Will everything work out alright?” asked the boy.

 

At the bathroom, a single room with a lock, Hizashi stopped with him and looked up at the doll. “It will. Me and Sho’ won’t let you leave our sight. We’ll all go home together, pick up Hitoshi and head to eat at this wonderful Italian place we reserved. I know it.”

 

Gala turned around to open the door and she was about to close it before she looked at the blond once more. “...Do you love me?”

 

Hizashi gave the sweetest of smiles. “Like the flowers love the sun.”

 

‘Then they’ll forgive me if they ever find out.’ he thought.

 

“Thanks Papa.” the doll responded, closing the door quickly, noticing the spark of joy appear in the blond’s golden eyes.

 

Once the door was closed and locked Izuku took a deep breath and opened the compartment for Gala, climbing out. He had Ezuku with him for support, emotional, that is, because he’s about to do the scariest thing he’s ever had to do.

 

He waited a few minutes before flushing the toilet, washing his hands and then hiding as he sent Gala outside alone without him. The boy watched on his phone and waited until they were back in the courtroom before he enacted a plan he had been preparing for months.

 

In the small bathroom, the greenette reached for the door handle to leave. His hand shook almost violently, his body jerking because he needed to leave this bathroom and go find somewhere better to hide for the next part of his plan.

 

To do that, he’d need to go out there, where people could see him and walk past them. He’d need to be exposed.

 

His breathing laboured slightly, feeling heavier the more he twisted the handle. Izuku almost thought something would jump out and attack him the second he opened the door. He knew Hisashi was in the building too so there was that fear.

 

He struggled so much and almost gave up, only to hear Shouta’s voice coming through his phone.

 

A family. Something the Commission can’t provide.

 

‘I can do this, for family!’

 

He forced the door open, breathing out in a rattle as he stepped carefully out into the halls. A hand pressed against the wall to support himself as he walked all the way over to the private lobby where everyone was before. It should be empty now and be empty for the entirety of the case.

 

It was a long walk for him, trembling with every step until he finally reached the room and forced open the door with Ezuku’s help. He didn’t see anyone out there, he was glad he didn’t because he knew he would’ve freaked out.

 

The boy sat behind the couch, taking a moment to calm down as he saw that Shouta was almost finished with his speech and how he was fine with losing his license if that meant Izuku would be with them.

 

‘Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll protect all of us.’

 

He changed his feed, going from Gala to another doll, one he had been using secretly for the last few months. Halo.

 

The black plastic doll, with wings on its back opened its eyes. Well, its camera turned on. The fairy itself had no ‘eyes’ like Izuku’s other dolls and instead carried a camera in her hands everywhere she went and a lot of places she had gone indeed.

 

For example, the place she was in right now was in a ventilation shaft, directly above the boardroom where the HPSC higher ups were watching the court case. The fairy listened in, hearing the indignant scoffs at Shouta and Hizashi’s accusation, before kicking open the vent, startling everyone in the room.

 

The doll hovered down like a humming bird, camera over her shoulder as Izuku spoke through it. “Hello.” a childish, giggling voice spoke through befitting of a pixie.

 

“Who the hell are you?!” one person yelled.

 

“Why it should be obvious.” the doll said in an almost purr. “I am the one you’re trying to acquire.”

 

“Midoriya Izuku.” a woman said who seemed to be the most important. He knew her of course, she was the Madam President, calm on the outside, calculating on the inside. “What indignance are you going to try here?”

 

“It’s simple. I have been very busy over the last few months. Visiting all kinds of places!” the fairy said with much enthusiasm.”Seen many things…”

 

The dark puppet flew over to one of the screens on the table and stabbed a USB into it. Some members shifted in their seats, ready to grab her but some quick words calmed them down. “I wouldn’t do that. Trust me when I say you want to know what I’ve got.”

 

The doll tapped on the screen and brought up what appeared to be over a hundred different video files. The thumbnail for each of them appears to show a blurry image of something red and orange.

 

“Want to see my pics?” the fairy giggled.

 

- - -

 

Gala stood up at the podium. He knew they had to buy time for Halo to make her deal with the Commission but for that he needed to split his attention entirely. One half in a courtroom, matching the emotions and tensions of everyone else. The other half, in a board room three miles away attempting to force the HPSC to let him go.

 

All whilst he was in neither. It was the ultimate test of his skills in puppetry, both human and doll. Tugging on the heartstrings of everyone there with Gala, whilst pulling the puppet strings with Halo. Splitting his mind in two different directions but he can do it. It’s for his future and for his family.

 

- - -

 

“The life I lived before all of this was always destined to not end well. My birth father was a villain, a crook, a monster. He had no love in his heart for anything but his own power and legacy. It was why he had me.”

 

“The only love I knew back then was my mama’s. She took a risk the day my quirk manifested. Running away from everything she knew and cared about because she wanted to keep me safe. And she paid for it dearly with her life in the most brutalest of fashions.”

 

“It was because of that, any strings I had to anyone else in the normal world were cut and I ran and hid. I was scared, alone. I was filled with trauma and sadness. I did not understand when it came to me in the form of sleepless days and starving nights all because I couldn’t handle the outside world anymore.”

 

“Because I thought there was no reason too. Because it was easier to hide than to confront my fears.”

 

“But that all changed when I met a boy my age, Hitoshi. He made me feel not so alone. He would tell you I did so much for him when in truth he did everything for me. Because without him, I never would’ve lasted as long as I did. I would’ve crumbled and crashed.”

 

- - -

 

The files were all videos. One played on the screen interrupting the footage of the court case. What came up horrified the Commission. It was a compilation of Endeavor’s training he had done for the smaller Todoroki. Hours and hours and hours of it, enough to be impossible to call fake.

 

That wasn’t it though, he also had a video of the judge in his home receiving a bugged phone call from the HPSC talking about today’s case, a video of Aikani threatening Izuku during the home visit and a video of the Commission talking about Izuku and what they had planned for him, taken from the vents.

 

It was the motherlode of all bombshells. Releasing it would attack the HPSC in two directions. One by going after the number two hero and presenting him as the child abusing monster he was, destroying his public image and lending to a massive reputation damage to the most powerful hero that wasn’t All Might.

 

The second by showing the HPSC as a manipulative, controlling, evil organisation that will separate children from their chosen families so that they may use them themselves. Even going as far as to threaten heroes with stripping them of their license should they get in their way. That and a clip showing they were aware of Endeavor’s ‘training methods’ was the icing on the cake.

 

It would be devastating if it got out. There’d be protests, demands for them to fix this and who knows what else would get out from the chaos. They’d all lose their jobs maybe even go to prison.

 

The Madam made a look of frustration as she glared up at the laughing pixie, twirling around in the air. “Let’s make a deal!” the doll squealed.

 

- - -

 

“I know I am not stable. Not in the way other kids should be. I freak out and even the slightest feeling of unfamiliarity will cause me to explode if someone does something that exposes me. Every time that’s happened though, they’ve always been there. They’ve always helped me try and pick up the pieces and be better for next time.”

 

“I know some mistakes will be made along the way. It’s normal for a difficult child like me but to be anywhere else but with them… I know it will be far far worse.”

 

“When I was asked once, whilst in isolation, what I wanted to do for the future I didn’t believe I had one. I thought my life would be spent locked in one room forever, my tomb. I was so sure that I refused to believe any other alternative.”

 

“I didn’t want to trust anyone else. It felt impossible to. Impossible for anyone…”

 

“...Except them.”

 

- - -

 

The deal was simple. Izuku wouldn’t release the videos online for the whole world to see and in exchange they’ll call the judge and rig the trial in his favour instead. Then after that, they leave him and everyone else in his family alone forever.

 

Of course he’ll still keep the blackmail. He doesn’t trust the HPSC to follow through on any deal made on words in the slightest. Despite that though, it meant he had to commit a terrible crime.

 

Not blackmail, no.

 

But allowing the abuse of another kid to go onward. Blackmail is only as good as it remains a secret. Revealing what Endeavor was doing to the Todoroki boy would ruin it and the Commission would go at them full force with a vengeance. Maybe not to take Izuku but get retribution on Shouta and Hizashi.

 

They already shone a spotlight on Eraserhead, making him more obvious to the world and putting his life at risk by not guarding his status as an underground hero. Who’s to say they won’t leak more, like his home address or the fact he and Hizashi were married?

 

What about Hitoshi? They could stop him from getting his hero’s license or force UA to not accept him or Izuku. There was so much they could do with the power they had and they’d be helpless to stop it.

 

That’s why he needed this.

 

It’s why he’s practically throwing this other boy into the fire to save himself and everyone he loves. 

 

Maybe one day he might help him too, but for now he needed to be the monster to fight these monsters.

 

“Fine then.” the Madam said, begrudgingly. “You get your wish.”

 

- - -

 

“Because despite having lost my mother and thus losing any kind of ties to normal society, I’m back. Because that love that was lost has been replaced and paid back in kind.”

 

“By Hitoshi Yamazawa, my older brother who is always there for me and will always have my back.”

 

“By Hizashi Yamada, my papa who’s light and love pushes me to try better than I did yesterday.”

 

He looked over at his fathers. A smile washing over the two.

 

“By Shouta Aizawa, my dad who never gave up on me despite how much I pushed him away.”

 

“So if you want to take me away from them, from my family that I’ve come to love, then clearly you do not care for me in the slightest. I love them all and to imagine a future now without them, I am completely lost.”

 

- - -

 

Once the judge left to come to a decision, everyone stayed in the courtroom. It shouldn’t take too long but for some reason it did. Izuku knows why. Well, him and the rat who happened to spy the boy when he had run through the halls through the security cameras.

 

He had broken into his phone discreetly and saw everything that happened between the fairy and the board. How one child managed to single handedly bring them all their knees and give him the verdict he asked for.

 

The mammal was blown away. How had he not seen this? He thought he might’ve been going crazy until the judge returned and declared that the boy would be best left with the Yamazawas.

 

‘This pup…’ he thought exasperated and grinning.

 

Was he blown away? Impressed? Maybe even a little scared how it had all been done without a single soul noticing? He certainly didn’t know until just then.

 

All he knew was that when he saw the boy smile from his phone camera, staring down at the screen and watching his parents almost jump out of their seats in celebration, that whatever happened, it had to be something to be happy about.

 

At least for the moment.

 

“Congratulations, Yamazawa. You got what you wanted.”

Notes:

Puppetry is defined as both an art form and a form of manipulative action. To control a marionette, one must focus on many different aspects at the same time. The practiced finger movements and motions, the right script and tone of voice to take, the correct clothing and mannerisms.

The most important thing though, is remembering what the audience sees. If what they notice is what you want them too and to hide the blemishes of the performance to convince them that there is no man behind the curtain at all and everything is moving on its own accord.

After all, at the end of the day puppetry is not about controlling a figure but controlling your audience too. That goes for both dolls and people.

Next Chapter:

Congratulations, Yamazawas

Chapter 58: Congratulations, Yamazawa

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

This is the last chapter before the timeskip to the main canon. It took a while longer than I expected but we've arrived. I hope you look forward to it!

Have a nice day! <3

Izuku opened his eyes wearily to the sun gently peeking in through the curtains. It took him a moment to realize, but it was tomorrow and by that he meant his birthday. His ninth to be exact.

 

It had been two days since the trial and everything had gone on without issue. The HPSC has either given up on him or are biding their time in the future whilst they figure out how to work around his deal. Whichever way it was, right now, everything was alright.

 

He quickly pulled himself out of bed, Gala stirring to life to help him up and guide him to the door as he opened it to head to the bathroom. It was still weird, waking up at a set time and going to sleep the same. It took a while to get used to it but now things felt good. Not fine, good.

 

The doll splashed water on his face and proceeded to brush his teeth for him whilst he fiddled with his phone, rechecking the messages he got from all of the people he knew congratulating him and saying they’ll be over for his birthday and the proper adoption.

 

Besides it being his own birthday, they’ll be celebrating the day together with Hitoshi’s. It won’t be the same every year, just this year because of how hectic everything was. Back before the court case, he tried to insist they should celebrate but even his brother admitted that he’d want to do it when they were truly siblings and Dad and Papa were really his parents.

 

Well, now was the time. He didn’t know what was planned but most likely just a simple party with everyone. He’d probably bounce out and head to his room the second he had shown his face but he knew everyone understood. Anyway, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t have Gala do all the partying for him.

 

After his face was washed he went back to his room to put himself in the outfit he had chosen for today. A nice frilled shirt he loved the look of and some simple black trousers to match with it. He normally didn’t dress up much but he was excited for today and wanted to put the effort in.

 

Once Gala finished tying his hair together with a hairbow, the two made their way downstairs. He noticed that the house was eerily quiet but he just assumed it was because it was morning and outside of Papa, no one else in the house was a morning person at all.

 

Izuku rounded the corner into the living room, Gala right behind him, as he stepped into…

 

“Surprise!”

 

The sudden loud cheer and a few party poppers caused the greenette to jump back in a squeak, Gala instinctually stepping forward to shield him as all of the sudden he was in front of his family. All of them cheered and a few laughed at the panic as they all said happy birthday.

 

“Shoot, did we go too far?” worried Papa, still holding one of the poppers.

 

“Kid, are you alright?” asked Dad, not in any kind of worry but just typical concern.

 

Hitoshi didn’t seem concerned at all, merely stepping over to throw an arm around his brother. “I’m sure he’s alright, right Izuku?”

 

The greenette quickly typed into his phone. “Yes I am. I liked it but please don’t do that next time. I almost panicked.”

 

“Sorry about that, ‘Zuku.” Papa apologised, setting aside some of the unpopped poppers.

 

“It’s ok.” Izuku repeated, then turned to Hitoshi. “H-h-happy B-birthday.” he whispered but loud enough that everyone could hear it.

 

“Thanks Izuku, Happy Birthday to you too.” he hugged.

 

“When is the adoption?” the greenette went back to typing.

 

“We should receive a call sometime today saying the paperwork has all been processed.” Dad answered, picking up Pepper who was still shaking from the poppers.

 

“That’s wonderful. Who’s going to be coming today?” he asked, going towards Papa to offer him a hug.

 

The blond took it, bending down to do it, saying ‘Happy Birthday’ as he did. “Well button, it should be Nemuri, the Iida brothers, Yaoyorozu, the Bakugous and even Tsukauchi and Nedzu, though they’ll probably only be here for a moment to congratulate us.”

 

“In that case, let’s get everything ready.” Izuku typed, commanding Fredrick to life as him, along with Gala’s help, began setting up the place for the party.

 

- - -

 

It was around late morning, almost lunchtime when everyone started to arrive. First came the Iidas, twenty minutes earlier than when everyone should be arriving, probably due to Tenya’s insistence.

 

“Happy Birthday Hitoshi! Happy Birthday Izuku!” the blue haired boy said, carrying a couple gifts to hand over to each of them.

 

Izuku was back inside Gala, who was wearing a delightfully nice outfit consisting of a billowing black coat with green ribbons decorating it, accepted the gift with glee. “Thank you Tenya.”

 

“Thanks Tenya!” Hitoshi thanked as well, accepting his present too. They weren’t planning to open them now, instead doing so when everyone had gotten here.

 

Soon after they were joined by Momo, still early but much better than the Iidas, carrying in a gift for each of them. Well, rather, she was trying to. What she had gotten was clearly something sizable if the wrapping had anything to say. After almost dropping one of them, Papa rushed up to her, helping carry one whilst she set the other down with the rest.

 

“Yaoyorozu,” Papa began, a tad bit concerned, “You didn’t happen to buy anything majorly expensive did you?”

 

The black haired girl turned to him after setting down her gift. “Oh, no Mr Yamada. I made sure to limit it to only twenty thousand yen (£100/$135).”

 

“Right.” he uttered. 

 

“Did I do something wrong, Mr Yamada?” Momo asked, completely innocent to how expensive her gift probably was for a simple birthday (his own gift was still quite expensive).

 

“No issue, little listener!” he defused, showing her to her friends.

 

Then on time came the Bakugous. Kacchan put on his best ‘I don’t want to be here’ face so that he doesn’t have to admit how happy he was to see Izuku. The boy made his way to deliver his presents, setting Izuku’s down normally before, for a reason the greenette couldn’t understand, dropped Hitoshi’s like it was a burden before heading over to the rest of them.

 

“Why did you drop Hitoshi’s present like that Kacchan?” he asked, genuinely curious.

 

“Only came here because of you.” he grumbled, sitting down next to the doll. “The hag forced me to get a gift for Dead Eyes.”

 

“Do you not like Hitoshi?” wondered Izuku aloud.

 

The blond looked over at the other boy, a mix of unsureness coming over him. “I don’t fucking know. Just something about him rubs me the wrong way.”

 

“Well maybe if you got to know him, you might like him better. Might like all of them better.” the greenette suggested, rocking back and forth inside the doll.

 

Kacchan just kept looking over. Hitoshi was chatting with Momo and Tenya, the three of them seeming to laugh about something the blue haired boy had said, probably not by his own intention. 

 

“I’ll introduce you.” Izuku said.

 

“What? No, fu-”

 

But it was too late by then, the doll had grabbed the blond, easily thanks to the strong arms of Gala, and was carrying him over to the trio. It took a second for Kacchan’s brain to reboot, probably not used to being picked up at random but once the shock wore off he began to shout at Izuku to put him down.

 

“The fuck Izuku! Put me down!” he yelled, trying to wrestle free of the doll’s grip.

 

“Tenya, Momo, Hitoshi.” the greenette started. “This is Kacchan. He's been my friend since when we were babies. He also wants to be a hero.”

 

“Ah, that’s wonderful!” Momo exclaimed, “Kacchan, are you also hoping to get into UA?”

 

The blond continued to struggle for a moment then stopped the second he heard UA. “‘Course I fucking am! I’m going to be the best hero ever, even better than All Might! And don’t fucking call me Kacchan! I’m Bakugou Katsuki, better remember that!”

 

“Bakugou, you shouldn’t be using such expletives!” Tenya chastised, getting flustered over all of the swearing.

 

“Fuck off Glasses! I do say I want!” he bit back, finally wrestling free of Gala and standing next to her.

 

“Don’t bother Tenya,” Hitoshi began, “Pomeranians tend to bark a lot.”

 

“The fuck you say, Dead Eyes?” the blond growled.

 

“See?”

 

“Right you shitty fuck! You, me, fight right now! I’ll show you who’s all bark!” bursted Kacchan.

 

The kids migrated to the training momentarily, to watch the two battle each other out. Obviously given Hitoshi’s training with Dad, he won the first spar but after a few rematches, it became more even at the end with Kacchan quickly learning the other boys moves and getting more experience himself.

 

By the end, Hitoshi was even getting a little heated not wanting to lose, ending up with Dad having to restrain the two with his scarf to stop them when both boys looked wrecked.

 

“We’ll call it a draw for now.” Kacchan huffed, looking satisfied for the moment once his adrenaline died down.

 

“Won more matches than you though.” Hitoshi taunted, sporting a small bruise on his head.

 

“You wanna go ag-”

 

“Both of you behave.” Dad said coldly, quirk flaring.

 

Both boys looked away from each other, Kacchan mumbling and Hitoshi looking like he was still raring to go. Meanwhile, Izuku was talking to Momo and Tenya before turning his attention to Papa.

 

“When is Auntie Nemuri coming? Hasn’t it been a while?” the boy wondered.

 

“I’m not sure ‘Zuku. I’ll send her a message.” Papa answered, doing what he said.

 

It turned out that Nemuri had accidentally gotten the wrong time, arriving an hour later than she should be. Seeing the flustered woman looking like she had to rush through her morning, earned her a sigh from Dad and a chuckle from Papa.

 

“You said eleven!” she huffed, bringing the gifts over to the pile.

 

“We sent a message yesterday saying we were moving it to ten.” Dad responded.

 

“I didn’t get one!” she argued, taking out her phone.

 

“It says you read it.”

 

The woman looked flustered the second she saw she did. “Well I was distracted during that time and must’ve not read it properly.”

 

The black haired man sighed, not even going to argue against someone he knew couldn’t be convinced of ever being wrong over something minor. Especially considering he had known her since high school.

 

“So.” she started. “Have you received word on the adoption?”

 

“Not yet.” Papa answered, “Probably soon though, maybe even in the next hour.”

 

“Is he going with Yamazawa?” she wondered.

 

“He does. He didn’t want to be called ‘Midoriya’ anymore because it reminded him of Hisashi too much.” Dad responded.

 

Nemuri smiled, feeling happy at that news. “Bet neither of you thought you’d be getting kids so early in your lives.”

 

“Honestly, I didn’t expect any.” the black haired man agreed.

 

“Obviously I wanted kids, but I never knew they’d come this soon.” Papa said.

 

“Do you regret it at all?” she wondered, obviously not being serious because she knew how much they loved them.

 

“Besides coming home from work at three in the morning to find a seven foot tall puppet staring at you in the dark whilst they get a glass of water, not at all.” Dad answered, hiding the smile on his face in his scarf.

 

“Same here! I can’t imagine the two not being with us now, even if I have to deal with two coffee addicted insomniacs now.” Papa joked, earning a soft nudge from his husband’s elbow.

 

With Nemuri here, everyone headed downstairs to start opening presents, gathering in a circle in the living room as the two brothers began to go through their gifts one by one.

 

Tenya had gotten Hitoshi a pair of new running shoes, a brand specifically meant for parkouring and athletics, in his favourite purple. Meanwhile Izuku was given a felting kit in order to make some of his own plushes which the greenette loved the idea of. They both thanked the blue haired boy, him beaming with joy at seeing them enjoy what he got.

 

Momo, for her gift, was much more elaborate, getting the purple haired boy a case containing a collapsible bow staff, one that was well made and even had his name on it. Izuku had gotten, instead, a small sewing machine, the boy trying to map out in his head where on earth he was going to put that in his room. Either way, they both thanked her and she too smiled so brightly at how well they received her gifts.

 

Then there was Kacchan, who had gotten Izuku an incredibly difficult to find All Might action figure, one that was extremely flexible with multiple joints and small parts so that when it was animated it moved almost like it was an actual shrunken down All Might. 

 

The greenette hugged Kacchan for it, saying he loved it, not seeing the triumphant look on the blond’s face as he looked over at Hitoshi. The boy gave back a bored but clearly disgruntled look, unwrapping his gift to find a purple coloured pillow in the shape of a cat’s head. He still thanked him all the same to be nice, that and it actually was quite a soft pillow.

 

Finally, for the guests that were there, Nemuri had gotten them something in the form of clothes. Hitoshi receiving a very well made hoodie that was just the right length to snuggle up in and Izuku getting a soft green jumper that was made to make it impossible to itch with the help of a quirk.

 

The boys thanked her both, the woman smiling and bringing the two into a hug, Hitoshi being unfortunately crushed by the two towering individuals he was being smushed up against.

 

Now that those gifts had been gone through, all they had left were the two from their dads and the two they wanted to give each other.

 

“You ready Hitoshi for your gift?” Papa questioned, handing over what seemed to be a wrapped up box.

 

The boy nodded, taking it and ripping it open to find inside something that made the brainwasher go wide eyed. “Is this…!”

 

He picked up a long piece of cloth, a strip of fabric just like Dad’s but given a sharp purple line through it to differentiate the two. 

 

“I was thinking of training you with it once you were ten.” Dad said. “It took me three years to properly get the hang of it. Meaning by the time you get to UA, you’ll probably be better than I was back then.”

 

“Wait, so I can’t use it yet?” Hitoshi asked, turning to the man.

 

“I said I was thinking about it. We won’t be doing anything fancy but we’ll be doing the basics until then.” he explained.

 

The boy rushed over to his dads, hugging them both whilst still clutching onto the capture weapon, cloth dragging a little on the floor. “Thank you!”

 

Both of the men smiled, one trying to hide it whilst the other just grinned fully, hugging their son back.

 

“And for ‘Zuku, we have this!” Papa said, handing the doll over another box shaped present, which made a lot of noise as it was placed down.

 

Gala opened, really not sure what it could be and found inside a… toolbox? Filled with mechanical wrenches and items he knew the names of just from when he used to outfit contraptions onto his dolls…

 

The connection was made and he looked up to see his dads smiling at him.

 

“The toolbox is obviously not the only thing we’re giving you,” Papa started. “We’ve talked with Nedzu and after some discussion, we’ve decided to let you learn how to make support items, seeing as how it’s something you’ll need to know in the future!”

 

“You won’t be able to fight much yourself, kid. That’s why you’ve gotta make up for it with what you make of your puppets.” Dad added. “Starting next week, you’ll be heading to UA every Saturday for a private lesson with the support teachers.”

 

Izuku began shaking inside the doll with excitement. He’d get to not only make dolls again but make them even better than before! There were all kinds of things he wanted to add to Brutus and Daphne but didn’t have the know-how and experience to do it. Now he would be able to!

 

“Thank you.” Gala uttered, in a much more muted response though anyone could see how much the doll was trembling from the excited pilot inside.

 

They went in for a hug, grabbing the two dads, smaller than the tall doll, and lifting them up slightly to their surprise. 

 

“You’re welcome, kid.” Dad said.

 

“Glad you love it, green bean.” Papa uttered affectionately.

 

Now what was left was Izuku’s and Hitoshi’s gift to each other. However, neither of their presents were in the room.

 

“I have mine with me here.” Izuku typed, opening the compartment under Gala’s clothes to pass up a small box.

 

The doll handed it over to the boy who opened it up to find inside a silver necklace with a cameo of two cats. One was black and white and the other a ginger. It was beautifully ornate, with amethyst on the outer rim of the charm.

 

“Izuku…” he uttered, amazed at how beautiful it looked.

 

“I had found it online and immediately thought how perfect it was for you.” the greenette explained.

 

He put it around his neck, smiling like a fool the entire time. “Thank you. Mine isn’t as fancy but I know it isn’t a competition. Dad, can you help get it?”

 

The man nodded, much to the confusion of Papa who didn’t seem to know what Hitoshi’s gift was. The two left the room, heading upstairs for a few minutes before coming down to the sounds of the two slowly making their way down with something.

 

It was a big gift, about three feet tall, the biggest so far. Despite the size it looked to be somewhat heavy if the grunting Hitoshi and Dad had anything to say about it. They both carried it in and set it down on the ground, along with a second smaller gift that they set next to it.

 

“Two gifts?” questioned Izuku.

 

“Technically the same.” Hitoshi answered. “I suggest you open the bigger one first.”

 

The greenette was unsure what that meant but still went ahead with unwrapping the big one. He tore off the wrapping paper to find a brown cardboard box underneath and some writing that took a bit more tearing before he realised what it was.

 

Everyone looked confused when they too realised what it was but Izuku was happy, smiling excitedly as he tore open the top of the cardboard to see inside. Gala reached in, pulling out the item and setting it down in front of everyone who seemed to get a mix of concern and awe at what they were looking at.

 

“Hitoshi. This is amazing. Thank you, thank you so much.” he cheered, hugging the boy tightly.

 

“You haven’t seen the best part!” he choked.

 

The boy turned to the smaller gift and, with the clues he had about the bigger one, he knew what it had to be. “You didn’t.”

 

“It took a bit of paperwork to get it out of evidence but Hitoshi told me it’d be worth it. Seems he was right.” Dad said, smiling much more. Papa next to him seemed to realise what he was talking about, before turning shocked at what the whole room was about to be forced to witness.

 

Izuku dug into the smaller box, opening up the cardboard. The second he saw that cold dead eye he squeaked out in excitement. “A-Ana!”

 

He lifted up the severed head of the anatomical dummy, the same he first animated properly. The same one that had been with him since he first started down this arc of his life. She had the same, stapled on rubber skin. She had lost her camera, probably removed for evidence and was just ever so slightly burned which meant it was one hundred percent her.

 

He hugged the head to Gala’s chest, feeling so happy he had gotten her back. The next doll he was going to build he was going to make it for her.

 

‘But wait!’ he thought.

 

The other gift, the bigger one, was an anatomical dummy. A new one but without a head, a stump where one should be but wasn’t.

 

“Want a stapler?” Hitoshi asked, having one already there.

 

“Thank you.” Gala replied hastily before taking it and stapling Ana’s head onto the newer dummy.

 

It was perfect. It was beautiful. Before he thought his family was complete but now it was, fully.

 

Everyone who wasn’t a Yamazawa was beyond confused and slightly scared.

 

“What the hell is that?” Nemuri asked quietly, looking completely flabbergasted.

 

“It’s Ana. My first puppet.” Izuku explained. “She is my oldest doll but got taken in as evidence during the Dragon’s Roar raid. Now I have her again.”

 

That didn’t seem to help with the slight fear at seeing a deformed, human, lifelike head be treated by a nine year old like his favourite doll but then they knew by then that Izuku was odd in the first place.

 

“Are you ready for the cake?” asked Papa.

 

“Not yet.” Gala spoke, “I still need to do something.”

 

The blond looked confused until the sound of a compartment unlatching was once more heard and a hand poked up and out of Gala’s chest, after unzipping the front of the coat. It reached for the dummy, touching the face and the boy activated his quirk to fill in her head, then doing the same to the body.

 

It stirred to life and if the room wasn’t scared of Ana before they were now when she started wiggling in place, having no arms or legs to shake.

 

“That is beyond horrifying.” commented Tensei.

 

“She’s worse when she has all her limbs.” Hitoshi added, remembering the sight of the doll moving on all fours. The room gulped at that. 

 

Izuku began to withdraw his arm into Gala once more until someone knocked at the door, Papa immediately answering it to find Tsukauchi.

 

“Ah! Tsukauchi! Nice of you to join us.” the blond exclaimed, letting the detective in.

 

“It’s nice to be here.” he said, entering the living room to greet everyone. “Happy Birthday, Hitoshi, Izuku.”

 

He paused for a moment when he saw the dummy, still wiggling (writhing) in place, his brain probably freezing at what he was looking at before rebooting and getting back on track. “Anyway, I apologise I can’t be here long but I have a gift here to give.”

 

He reached into his bag and took out what appeared to be…

 

“Got a friend to give it to me so I can give it to all of you.” Tsukauchi explained, handing it over to Papa who looked at it with absolute joy in his eyes. “Happy Birthday again, Yamazawas and congratulations to all of you.”

 

Papa showed what he was given to Dad who then showed it to Hitoshi and then…

 

Izuku jumped out of Gala, not caring about the eyes on him as he dived forth to hug Hitoshi and Dad and Papa. He cried as he held the papers in his hand that confirmed he was adopted, certificate and all.

 

He was now a Yamazawa. 

 

He was now truly a part of their family.

 

Izuku grinned wider than he ever has in his life, tears wetting his eyes as he felt no joy like he did right there and then. Today was a wonderful day, the best birthday he’s ever had and he can’t wait for what the future will hold for him and his new family.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Six Years Later

Chapter 59: Six Years Later

Notes:

Hello everybody!

Here we are, end of the first big part and onto the next. And with nearly 1000 kudos along with it! It'll probably peak over from this one so I'll say this in advance:

Thank you so much! Seeing so many people enjoy my writing makes my day and seeing all of your comments makes it even better! Thank you again!

And now back your regularly scheduled reading...

Have a nice day! <3

Neito walked through the front gates of UA into the school grounds. Today he was doing his entrance exam for UA and was feeling confident about it much like most of everything he felt in his life. It was a state of mind that was instilled in him, one where he knows his limit and recognises it.

 

But no need to go into those specifics, right now he had to get through today with a smile at the end. It’s his goal everyday to end it that same way. Smiling and on top.

 

The blond boy walked through the halls guided by a pro hero, Ectoplasm he recalls or more likely one of his clones. He’s always wondered how a quirk like that would work with his. Neito’s quirk was called Copy, allowing him to copy the power of anyone he touches with his hands and use them for himself.

 

His quirk can only copy from DNA that is connected to a live host, meaning he couldn’t just have a lock of hair or a vial of sweat to steal power off of. He needed to get it fresh from the source though if said sample was fresh enough (freshly spilled blood for example) he could use it.

 

Neito can handle holding three at once, well rather he could store three at once for five minutes each. It was a quirk that required perfect timing and planning, something he had long come to be quite sophisticated in.

 

Well that’s what he likes to think, his best talent is in making people riled up and ready to fight, either with him or against him. He says this now as he needs to keep an eye on anyone whose quirks he could borrow for the practical exam ahead.

 

And he’s spotted a couple already.

 

Undoubtedly that boy over that has something powerful, his attitude screams it. 

 

“Fucking ‘Zuku! Tell your friends to quit following me!” he yelled, drawing the attention of other people passing by.

 

“Bakugou!” a blue haired boy shouted, chopping his arm, “We are in front of UA now! Please be mindful of your attitude! We do not know if they are watching us!”

 

“Quit sputtering Glasses! I can act however I want! I’m going to blow those teachers away!” the blond shouted back.

 

“How hard was your test, Momo?” a tall purple haired boy with fluffy hair asked the tall girl walking with them, a ridiculously big ponytail static behind her.

 

“Well, there were higher expectations for us so I’d like to imagine it would be harder but Izuku had said the odds are, it’ll be roughly the same.” she replied.

 

“And how bad was it?” he questioned.

 

“The difficulty or the length?”

 

“Length.”

 

“About four hours?” she calculated in her head.

 

“Wonderful.” he replied a bit nervously, “I seriously should’ve slept properly. I don’t think I can stay awake that long.”

 

Turning away from his argument with the blond, the glasses boy faced his other friend(?). “Hitoshi, you realise how imperative it is for you to get proper sleep, especially now that we are going to be working twice as hard from now on!”

 

“Hey, if Dad can survive on four hours of sleep then I can too.” the boy, Hitoshi, said.

 

Neito watched the conversation continue all the way into the building, the group of four were followed closely behind by a fifth and sixth? Person? One was carrying the other in their arms, almost like a ventriloquist puppet but their face was hidden by a hood that completely obscured them so he couldn’t tell if they were a real person or not.

 

Either way, the five of them went into the exam hall, the ponytail girl waving them goodbye outside. She definitely seemed to look strong, Neito was used to sizing people up and despite her conservative attire he could clearly see the signs of built up muscle on her. She was either not participating or…

 

‘Maybe a recommendation student? Or just an older year?’ he guessed in his mind.

 

He passed by her. His quirk doesn’t tell him what he can do when he copies another, he has to watch for the other person to use it before he does so there wasn’t a point bumping into her to find out what she could do. 

 

Besides them, there were a few other people who caught his eye. A boy who was covered in hair and looked like a beast, a girl who he saw use her quirk to save a student from falling and a guy who seemed to have a speech bubble for a head coughing. He could take a guess on what each of them did just by what he saw and kept them all in mind for the future.

 

They were his enemies as well as his tools.

 

- - -

 

Izuku felt very nervous as the group entered into the main hall where they’d be doing their written exam. He needed to be outside Gala for it to avoid accusations of cheating but still needed them to help him go long distances. 

 

Thankfully everyone of his friends were keeping close to him and despite the fact they had their own worries, they kept glancing back at him to see how he was handling the stress.

 

Over the years he had gotten better at going out in public, to a degree. He could handle a few hours but that was it and even then, by the end he would be exhausted, feeling like he just put in a mile of effort into just not freaking out.

 

For this exam, he had been given a private room to complete his tests to avoid the stress of being in a huge room filled with people doing theirs. He was thankful for that and it certainly made things easier to focus on even if he knew he was being watched by a camera in the room, keeping an eye over his work.

 

It’s not as if he would cheat, in fact everyone was sure he wouldn’t but it was important to have the proof if it were ever to become implied he did get into UA due to nepotism. His dads were the teachers after all and the principal was their friend. Stuff like this was necessary.

 

Gala stood outside the room as they set Izuku down, the boy walking in upon Ectoplasm’s instructions and taking a seat. 

 

The greenette threw off his hood, letting the green curls fall behind him as he tied them back with a ribbon he used his quirk on. The spinal fluid soaked ribbon snaked through his hair and tied itself perfectly, making his view of whatever exam was going to be in front of him unobstructed.

 

Once the test was delivered he dived in, finished a few hours later thirty minutes before time was up.

 

The written exam would be the easy part in all of this. He wasn’t Momo or Tenya but he was certainly smart, especially when it came to anything mathematical or about hero law. That’s because over the last few years he’s gotten more and more interested in becoming an intelligence hero, one who deals in information and planning.

 

After having that same packet taken away from him, Gala stepped in to carry him once more as the green hood was thrown over his head again to help make him feel less exposed.

 

‘Now comes the harder part.’ he thought.

 

Rejoining his friends, Hitoshi said how surprisingly easy it was to stay awake during all of that. Probably because he was stressed the whole time to finish the test, though he didn’t admit that. Tenya said it was exactly the kind of difficulty he expected from UA whilst Kacchan was cocksure he did perfect on it.

 

Heading into the new room, a big auditorium that looked a lot like a lecture hall, the four sat together towards the middle front of the room, mostly on Tenya’s insistence. Gala had to be mindful of the people behind them because of their height but thankfully the seating was elevated the further back it went like a theatre so they didn’t have to bend down much.

 

As the lights went dim and the room went quiet with anticipation there was a flash of a spotlight and a huge screen lit up to show the UA school logo. There was a yell out as Papa took the centre stage. 

 

The greenette’s eyes lit up in excitement, he didn’t know his dad was going to appear today but then again it’d make sense to have the radio host be the announcer for the exam.

 

Izuku nudged Hitoshi who was already looking at him. It took the smaller boy to immediately realise what that look meant. “You already knew?” he signed.

 

“Course I did. Papa told me a while ago he did the announcements every year.” he signed back.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he wondered.

 

“Because then I wouldn’t have gotten to see the surprise on your face.” he said, earning a weak punch from the greenette.

 

Papa continued after some leaflets were passed out, explaining how the practical exam went down. Izuku would need to destroy multiple robots until the timer went out and have a high enough score to enter the class. According to statistics and rumors, UA has an acceptance rate of less than one percent. 

 

Whilst that seemed to imply that there were at least a few thousand people he had to compete against, in reality that statistic only talks about general admittance. There were still multiple courses where people would only apply for that weren't Heroics. Ultimately, that meant the number of competitors were actually smaller.

 

Nevertheless that didn’t mean he could relax, just looking around the room he could at least count at least a thousand people. That meant the odds were still in the single digits. Still not good.

 

Why is it important he keeps this in mind? Well that’s because Gala is not permitted to participate in the practical. Even though she is a product of his quirk, she is a doll that is technically a tool, something that goes against the rules everyone else has set for the exam.

 

Sure the wheelchair card could be played but it’s important to also remember that the doll was made by UA, making things muddy there too. 

 

Izuku looked over the bots. The smart thing would be to hijack one with his quirk, command it to move on his behalf and destroy other targets. For that though he’d have to find one that was destroyed but not too badly that it can’t fight well.

 

The smarter thing though would be to quickly fashion a doll on the field using some junk lying around, not during the exam but before it. The question was how he would get the materials ahead of time and would he be fast enough to make them into a doll.

 

If he could do that, even if he killed just one small robot, he could make a doll and work from there.

 

“Excuse me Ya- Sir, I have a question!” called out Tenya, startling the boy out of his thinking. 

 

A spotlight shone on his friend, causing Izuku to shrink away naturally, especially with all the eyes on him considering he was sitting on Gala’s lap. 

 

“Hit me!” Papa replied back, keeping up his hero persona.

 

“According to the documents here there are four types of robots that will be on this exam, not three as you explained. With all due respect, I’d like to know if this is an error or not and if so to have it known that it is shameful.” Tenya continued, keeping a straight face as he seemingly chastised the blond hero.

 

“Geez, Tenya’s taking this extremely seriously.” Hitoshi whispered to Izuku, trying to avoid his friend hearing him.

 

“Alright seven one one one, thanks for that request and good eye on noticing the detail.” Papa complimented, “That fourth bot on the list is an obstacle, too crazy powerful for anyone to actually be expected to beat. ‘Course you could but then again, there really is no point putting that kind of effort in.”

 

“I see now!” the blue haired boy replied. “Thank you for answering my query and apologies for the interruption.”

 

So there is an obstacle bot meant purely to get in the way of everyone else? What would be the point of having such a thing in the exam? If the main criteria for getting into UA is destroying the robots and raking up a high score then what is the point of having such a thing on the battlefield?

 

There were a few possibilities and whilst he won’t list them because irrelevant of what they could be they all lead to one thing. A different scoring system that is unseen. The question was what was that extra metric?

 

‘The zero pointer villain is meant to act as an obstacle. One most people are expected to run away from. Points might be earned there for choosing battles carefully but then how would they gauge such a metric?’ he thought.

 

If there was another point system it needed to be something visible and obviously a choice that takes skills. Destroying robots doesn’t take luck but running does. There was also another thing to consider with the hidden point system.

 

‘The zero pointer can’t be the only source of these points. If it were then most people wouldn’t even get any. From these measurements, the robot is humongous but also slow. Odds are a good part of the test takers won’t even notice it until it’s too late.’ he reasoned.

 

What that meant was that these points aren’t exclusive to the zero pointer. You could earn these everywhere but the big robot provided more of an opportunity. The only opportunity he could think of though would be causing damage and…

 

‘Saving people caught in the chaos.’ 

 

It is a hero exam after all. It would be ridiculous to judge someone purely on their ability to destroy.

 

The greenette nudged the boy next to him, Hitoshi turning to see what Izuku had to say. 

 

“There’s likely a second point system. One based on how many people we help during the exam.” he signed.

 

“That does make sense.” he whispered. “I’ll keep that in mind for the test.”

 

The breakdown of the practical exam wrapped up with Papa asking for a Plus Ultra from a group of teens here to pass what is likely to some the most important exam of their life. The silence was deafening but Papa was deafer (literally) and pushed on without issue.

 

- - -

 

Neito was still thinking over the many ways he could pass this exam. He was still keeping tabs on anyone he could borrow a quirk from during the practical and had pretty high hopes. That’s a lie, he’s actually crazy nervous inside but, hey, let’s not look into that too much or else he might crack a little.

 

Anyway, he had gotten test site E for his exam and he spotted a few people who did too from his vantage point at the back of the room. He was just thinking when would be a good time to copy their quirks when that group of people he saw at the start of the exam had one of theirs, the tall one with glasses, stand up and ask questions.

 

‘He was obviously getting to that. Geez, some people are just too impatient.’ Neito bemoaned in his mind.

 

When he glanced to the side though, he had realised he had a better view of the hooded one’s face. It was still difficult in the dark room but he could see the glints of green. He didn’t know why he was so interested in this person in particular. Maybe it was the fact he was sitting on the lap of what had to be not a real person.

 

‘I can’t tell what kind of quirk they might have. Is it to do with the thing behind them? A sentient quirk?’ he wondered.

 

It won’t matter much. Unless they happen to be on the same test site it shouldn’t really matter in the end. 

 

Then he noticed how he was moving his arms. He was speaking JSL and whilst Neito wasn’t that proficient he still got a few words in to get the idea he was informing the guy next to him about something he realised about the exam.

 

‘A second point system? One on helping?’ the blond pieced from what he got. ‘Wait, he and Present Mic are related? I must be misunderstanding something.’

 

It’s useful information either way. Of course he’s not going to use it unless it was convenient to save someone, otherwise he’s going to focus on the thing that was obvious and that was destroying robots.

 

‘Still, if it turns out he’s right in the end I might just have to keep an eye on him.’ he mused.

 

After all, anyone who was smart enough to call such a thing out had to be passing this exam. It’s just how it went in a story like that where a guy sees through the secret lesson of a test and uses it to his advantage.

 

Once Present Mic gave another enthusiastic attempt at exciting the room, Neito was away and driven by bus to the test site. Funny enough that green eyed boy came with, without that pale faced person though so maybe in the end they were separate people?

 

He seemed to avoid being too close to anyone and it was obvious to the blond that he clearly didn’t jive well when it came to being surrounded by people.

 

‘If he can’t handle something like that then maybe he shouldn't be a hero. After all, if you get stage fright in the middle of a villain fight, any poor bystander in your care was as good as dead.’ he thought. ‘UA wouldn’t have time for people like that.’

 

He got off the bus with everyone else. The beast guy was close, as well as a girl who seemed to have vines for hair that was… praying? He made sure to keep close to those two so he could snatch their quirks the second the fighting began so he could maximise his time with those quirks.

 

Everyone was waiting for the moment that the doors would open and they’d enter the grounds. It said they had about three minutes till starting so Neito took another look at his competition.

 

Besides the ones he was close to, there was also a frog looking girl, a red haired guy and… that hooded boy once more. 

 

He was…

 

“Hey,” the red head uttered to the people around him. “Is that guy disassembling the bus’ engine?”

 

The small boy was leaning into the bus’ opened engine, ripping out parts and pieces and throwing them to the ground. One look at the driver showed that either this was allowed or he didn’t care about his job that much.

 

“Is no one going to stop him?” wondered the frog girl.

 

Once enough parts were taken out, only the ones that weren’t screwed in, he threw them together to create a small… doll? Most of it was tubing with the caps still on but he assembled what to be a little man of some kind.

 

He then picked it up and despite supposedly being a punch of parts on the floor, it somehow stayed together. The hooded boy held it to his chest like it was a precious thing and shyly joined everyone else at the door, trying hard to ignore the stares.

 

Neito caught a glimpse of his face. It was soft looking with pale skin and freckles arranged on his face in a diamond, his eyes more clear than before were shiny and almost glistening like gems and features which all contributed to him looking near like a doll, unnervingly so. He felt himself stir a little at the sight, especially when for the briefest of moments the eyes focused on him.

 

He felt judged.

 

Neito shook his head. ‘Whatever he’s doing, he clearly has some kind of plan.’ he guessed. Either that or he was crazy.

 

“Alright listeners, green lights on so get a move on and go, go, go!” Present Mic yelled from a high tower and the doors swung open, everyone rushing out.

 

He tapped the beast boy and the vine girl gently, earning a weird look from both before they just brushed it off. Neito ducked down a street, looking for a bot to bash when he immediately came across the hood once more, facing off with a three pointer.

 

‘They’re way bigger than the video made it seem!’ the blond thought, or maybe it was how small the boy was in front of it that made it so huge.

 

The machine pointed a weapon at the hood, seeming ready to fire when something rocketed into its head at a speed too fast for the copier to see.

 

“What was that?” he said aloud.

 

He saw, embedded in its head, that it was the same doll he made earlier, crushed and leaking fluids of some kind. The robot fritzed a little, stuttering before it shut down, netting the guy three points.

 

‘What the hell quirk was that?’ he wondered, trying to work it out.

 

Was it telekinesis? A wind quirk? It was definitely an emitter.

 

‘Ugh, no time. Need to focus on my own test!’ 

 

He moved on, finding a bot he tears apart with the vine hair. He needed to keep moving and quit rubbernecking.

 

- - -

 

Izuku had managed to kill one. It cost a doll to do it but he did it and now he had a mostly intact robot to himself. He heard someone behind him, a flash of blond but he didn’t care right now as he charged and hopped on to use his quirk on the dead machine.

 

He rapidly pumped in spinal fluid, stretching out like muscles and filling the wires within like veins. Once he was satisfied with the result he commanded it to flex to be sure he got it right. The robot acted as he ordered and it was all he needed to start running towards the battlefield where more robots laid.

 

Using the weaponry on its shoulders, blasts were fired out and used to destroy one robot after another, making sure to only go for the head. With each one he did fell, he would jump off, rushing over to make another puppet to go buck wild. He did this again and again until eventually he had a small horde moving on his command.

 

The problem with using the robots however was trying to stop other competitors from destroying them, thinking they’re still alive. After a girl with a shrinking quirk made one of his dolls disappear, he realised he needed to start with another part of his plan.

 

After getting a decent amount of bots together he started having them tear into each other whilst he sat on top of the scuffle, building a massive landslide of metal beneath him.

 

‘Let’s see if this works.’

 

- - -

 

Neito had torn through his tenth three pointer and twentieth robot overall when he heard the rumbling through the streets and people screaming. A wave of dust and dirt flew past his face and once it cleared, several red mechanical eyes stared down through the streets as a humongous robot rampaged.

 

‘That thing’s bigger than the buildings! Where does UA get this kind of money?!’ he thought in his mind as he ran back.

 

Everyone was too, trying to avoid the crashing rubble falling from above. Some people got stuck and Neito had to borrow a girl’s quirk to telekinetically move some of the debris to get them out but that was only because they were on his way and he needed a new quirk.

 

‘I need to get out of here and find some other robots to fight, I think I’ve only got forty something.’ he thought in his head.

 

There were some more people trapped behind him but he didn’t mind them for now. UA wouldn’t seriously hurt people, they’d never survive the lawsuits. No, the only things of theirs that would be hurt are those guy’s pride and chances at being heroes. Honestly it was their fault for getting too close to the zero pointer.

 

Just as he thought everything was alright, he heard some screaming ahead of him. 

 

“Another zero pointer!” someone screamed, running past Neito.

 

‘Huh?! There should only be one!’

 

What came around the corner of the building though was something definitely not the zero pointer. It was much worse.

 

It looked like a hell mesh of metal and wires, sparking and curling around several creaking limbs. It wasn’t as tall as the zero pointer but came a close second. As it stomped around on three legs it picked up parts of robots like it was some kind of Katamari ball rolling up pieces of junk to get even bigger.

 

The metal twitched like it was alive and the wires swung around like there were tentacles as it reached out and started picking people free of the debris and pulling them away from the battle into nearby buildings.

 

On top was the hooded boy from before, wrapped up in a tentacle of his own for some reason but it was clear he was the one controlling the metal clod.

 

‘An object controlling quirk?! Or is it just limited to metal?!’

 

No! Neito’s getting distracted again! And by the same guy too. He just needs to move on and…

 

An eardrum shattering series of explosions happened behind him, causing another scream from nearby people as the blond whipped his head around again to see what that was.

 

“Shit! Wait!”

 

- - -

 

Izuku had managed to gather up enough metal to form something one might call a metal horror. His quirk had gotten more effective at arranging parts together so that he could cobble a doll out of almost everything.

 

As part of his own training, he’s been working on increasing the number of dolls he can control as well as manipulating more abstract ‘dolls’ much like this mass of metal and wires. It was like piloting a spider, twisting the three legs so that it moves along without tripping over itself.

 

He still had the same drawbacks as before. When he used too much of his quirk he lost most mobility due to the debilitating headaches he would get and the sudden weakness of all of his muscles.

 

Izuku tried to train his muscles to be stronger, somewhat, but after going at it for three months with the help of Dad and Hitoshi he barely had any improvement and trying to push himself only left him with constant pulled muscles, leaving him huddled on the floor for minutes at a time.

 

Anyway, so that’s why he had a wire, disconnected from any power source, wrapped around his waist and carrying him along like an accessory. The high vantage point helped him see what was going on and he could move the wire so that he was under the towering three legged beast to see if anyone was trapped.

 

There were some so he had the doll begin chucking debris away and using wires to pull them out and to safety inside the nearby buildings. The giant robot was still coming though, metal treads grinding through the streets.

 

‘How about we put you down?’ he thought as he commanded the metal mass to fire all of its rockets, lasers and anything else ranged at the zero pointer.

 

A wire snaked around his head and cushioned his ears as a barrage of missiles and explosions smashed into the face of the robot, shredding metal and crunching the red lights that made its cameras.

 

The machine crumbled back and twisted from the devastating assault, secondary explosions blasting out and spewing rubble and metal everywhere. Reactively, the greenette had the mass cover him and any stragglers by tanking the falling debris.

 

‘That should net a lot of points, even if saving people isn’t the second point system, whatever that system is has to be triggered by all of this.’ he thought in his head.

 

Suddenly there was a weightlessness that came over him and he was falling down. He only had enough time to look up for a moment to see that some of the falling debris had hit the doll enough to cause the wires carrying him to snap off and drop him down.

 

Immediately he ordered some new wires to fire out and rescue him, the fall was great enough to allow for them to reach him. At least it should. Apparently the crashing debris had pushed the doll down a bit and he was closer to the ground than he thought.

 

Sure, technically being closer to the ground was a good thing but this doll was still a towering behemoth. Even while crouching a fall is a fall and given how his head seemed to be going first, it won’t be a pleasant one.

 

‘This is going to hurt!’ he yelped in his mind, seeing the ground get closer.

 

“Shit! Wait!” a voice sounded out and the greenette couldn’t see who made it before suddenly he was levitating off the ground.

 

A glowing pink aura enveloped him, obviously some kind of quirk, and kept him in place in the air a mere foot from hitting the hard concrete. Izuku didn’t know what was going on until he saw a blond haired boy, more yellow than Kacchan’s platinum, with an arm outstretched and clearly the source of this power.

 

“Brace yourself!” he yelled and suddenly gravity returned but with much less momentum as Izuku fell down, back first on the ground. 

 

It still hurt, but a lot less than what would’ve happened.

 

“Hey next time, keep a better eye on what you’re doing!” he shouted, running off and not bothering to see if Izuku was actually ok.

 

‘Thanks whoever that was.’ thought the boy as he ordered new, much more secure, wires to pick him up like a puppet and nestle him closer to the underside of the giant metal thing.

 

He began to clean up any other robots that were in the area. Turns out the terror at seeing the zero pointer made everyone avoid going back over to its area. That meant there were a ton of robots just sitting around, waiting to be smashed and consumed by the mass.

 

Another ten minutes went by and by the end, the metal giant was as big as the zero pointer, so much so that no one was approaching him because they just assumed he was the giant robot. Even when he went back to the entrance, people were screaming that the robot was on the loose until Izuku descended into a wheelchair provided by some medical bots.

 

‘Goodbye friend.’ the greenette frowned as he released his control of the doll, causing it to collapse like a house of cards.

 

He was pushed all the way out, sent towards the nurse’s office where Gala was waiting alongside a slightly miffed Recovery Girl. “Did you see how close you were to getting yourself hurt young man?” she chastised.

 

Once he was inside he used Gala’s voice to speak. “One of the wires would’ve grabbed my ankle.”

 

“And possibly twisted it!” she argued. “You’re lucky that blond boy saved you, otherwise you might’ve been in here longer.”

 

“I apologise.” the doll said, trying to appease the old hero.

 

“Apologise by keeping clear of this room! You shouldn’t be getting hurt at all!” she shouted. “I’m going to have a word with Nedzu, he should’ve allowed you to send the Gala doll in instead.”

 

“Dad tried but he said he couldn’t convince him.” Gala commented.

 

“Then I’ll give that chimera a good talking to myself next time he’s around here.” she vowed, turning away to go tend to more patients. “Now be on your way. None of your friends are here so no need to dilly dally.”

 

After being shooed out by the small woman, Izuku made his way back to the front of the school, seeing all of his friends already gathered. Momo included.

 

“There he is…” Hitoshi started. “How was it for you? Seeing as how you’re in Gala, I’m taking it you’re tapped out?”

 

“I destroyed the zero pointer so that it wouldn’t distract me.” Gala uttered simply.

 

“Yeah, that’ll do it.” his brother chuckled.

 

“So did I.” Kacchan obviously said, “Damn thing was giving me a headache with the explosions.”

 

Hitoshi scoffed lightheartedly, “Don’t you make explosions?”

 

“Mines are better.” he growled at the purple haired boy. 

 

“Better at giving me deafness.” Hitoshi said aloud, intentionally riling up the blond.

 

“Got something to say, Dead Eyes?” Kacchan said as he rasied his voice, hands crackling.

 

The other smiled that cheshire grin. “Just saying maybe for your hero outfit you should pack ear plugs. Might save everyone from covering their ears with all the noise you make… oh and your explosions too.”

 

Kacchan stabbed a finger into Hitoshi’s chest. “You, me, gym! I’ll show you something deafening!”

 

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” he replied, “Always fun watching you flail around like an angry bomberanian.”

 

“So Tenya, how was your exam?” Izuku wondered, ignoring what was going on with the other two. 

 

“Excellent. I do admit though, UA must have an absurd amount of funds to support such blatant destruction of their own property.” he explained. “How about yourself?”

 

“I had to make a doll out of engine parts to get my first takedown. After that I used the robot and newly defeated ones to get more points.” he answered the five of them beginning to walk away from the school.

 

“Are you alright, Izuku?” Momo questioned, referring to being exposed.

 

“It was hard. A lot of people were looking at me. The hood helped a lot though.” he responded.

 

“How will things work in UA?” she wondered aloud.

 

“Dad has been talking with Nedzu and they have some ideas. I still don’t like being exposed but in a room of twenty people I might be better. I will likely still be in Gala most of the time.” he explained.

 

“Either way, we’ll still give you any help you need!” Tenya smiled, offering a thumbs up.

 

“Thank you…” he said, before turning back to his brother and Kacchan, still arguing, “...all of you.”

 

“I’ll punch that stupid smile off your face, panda face!” the blond argued.

 

“Still be better than that feral grin that’s just sure to make any citizen run to you for help.” Hitoshi bit back sardonically.

 

They kept arguing back and forth from each other, Hitoshi keeping his carefree face and Kacchan getting more and more feral looking with every sentence deeper into their conversation they got. All the while the other three in the group just frowned.

 

“We’re going to have to deal with this a lot more in UA, aren’t we?” Momo sighed.

 

“Tragically.” Izuku assured her.

Notes:

Trust in the process. I have things planned for Neito. Big, crazy things.

Next Chapter:

Welcome to UA

Chapter 60: Welcome to UA

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope this chapter is a good one for you. It's fun going over the canon events even though I feel like I'm making things longer than they should.

Have a nice day! <3

Hizashi smiled as he watched his kids excel at the practical exam. He admits he was worried about them because of how they both were at a disadvantage for different reasons. Izuku couldn’t bring any puppets with him into the fight and Hitoshi couldn’t use his quirk at all during the exam unless he got creative.

 

Seeing how they each did fantastically despite that put a smile on the proud father’s face. The whole exam everyone kept sending the two compliments their way and he was sure he was beaming, especially as he saw their scores rise up higher and higher, guaranteeing that they’ll pass.

 

“Yamada, Aizawa, you’re kids are remarkable. Especially the purple haired one.” Ectoplasm commented, referring to Hitoshi’s combat skills and how he took out most of the robots with near perfect kicks and punches in their weak points.

 

“I imagine you’re taking them.” Kan guessed, looking over at Shouta through the corner of his eye.

 

“Obviously, I know what their limits are and what I need to do to push that. It would be illogical to think otherwise.” the man replied, hiding the proud smile he had in his scarf.

 

“In that case, that’s at least two for you decided already.” the white haired man replied.

 

“Wait… isn’t there a risk of favoritism?” a voice wondered.

 

The room turned to the newest addition to the staff they had this year, All Might or Yagi Toshinori as was his true name. He was currently in his ‘weakened’ form, his physical condition explained to the whole teaching staff before he joined them. 

 

“Aizawa is the strictest teacher on staff here at UA.” Nedzu jumped in. “I assure you Yagi, the Yamazawas will be given the same amount of work as everyone else in 1-A.”

 

“If anything,” Nemuri began, “he’ll be even harder on them. I know the whole reason you started training Hitoshi early was because you didn’t want him to be as bumbling as most kids when they got to UA.”

 

“Damn right.” Shouta simply said. “Neither of them will be given any breathing room. I’m expecting them to become their absolute best over the next few years.”

 

Yagi looked between the other teachers in the room, thinking for a moment before seeming to accept that answer. “If that is the case then I guess there is no issue.”

 

The exam went on, screens flickering between children of interest whilst Kan and Shouta continued to pick out who they’d want the closer they got to the end of the exam and it was clear who was passing and who wasn’t.

 

“That walking ball of explosions is your problem.” Kan said, referring to Bakugou.

 

“In that case you’re taking the vine girl. I don’t need to deal with morning prayers every homeroom.” Shouta stated even though he was going to take the blond anyway for his kid’s sake.

 

The blood hero scanned the roster, looking over anyone who got his eye. “That guy with the copycat quirk…”

 

“You want him?” questioned the eraser hero.

 

The other man seemed to be thinking through his decision. “Maybe…”

 

“Wouldn’t he be better with Aizawa?” Snipe suggested. “His quirk seems like it could get out of hand fast.”

 

“He clearly has a good handle on it though.” Thirteen noted, watching the boy lift some debris off a trapped girl.

 

Before any further discussions could be made though, a rumbling was heard as the screen cut over to Izuku. His metal nightmare he made using his quirk was stomping its way like a three legged spider towards the zero pointer.

 

“Why’s he going towards the thing? He doesn’t seem like the glory seeking type.” Powerloader wondered.

 

“I believe he’s figured out the hero points.” Nedzu answered. “See how he’s immediately rescuing people?”

 

Indeed the metal puppet began to free people, moving them to nearby buildings for their safety whilst the zero pointer got closer.

 

“Should that be allowed then?” Ectoplasm asked. “The reason for the hero points is to reward altruism, not to be exploited.”

 

Shouta looked tempted to send a glare his way but thankfully Nedzu jumped in before he could follow through with that thought.

 

“Whilst it would be logical to maybe reduce the amount of points young Yamazawa may receive, realistically we have no way to prove that he isn’t being altruistic and I’m sure the young one would deny the accusation the second he was asked.” the rat argued in favor of Izuku.

 

Ectoplasm accepted that response, nodding. “I see. By the way, Aizawa, Yamada, why are both your kids here in the first place? I would’ve thought they’d go through the recommendation exam?”

 

“‘Toshi wanted to get into UA on his own merit and little ‘Zuku didn’t want to compete with Yaoyorozu for a spot in the recommendations.” Hizashi explained, gleeful as he could be.

 

Ectoplasm nodded again but said nothing more, instead turning back to the screen to refocus on the exam. Meanwhile, the blond couldn’t help but notice that All Might was looking through the recommendation students. Maybe he wanted to know more about his potential pupils.

 

After watching an impressive display of firepower by the metal mass, using the robot's ammunition to decimate the zero pointer, Hizashi couldn’t help but well up in pride a little watching how effortlessly he took it down. As the machine exploded to pieces, Izuku commanded that giant puppet of his to block any falling debris from hitting anyone.

 

“His quirk is always impressive to watch.” Kan uttered.

 

“Hmph.” Shouta grinned, showing he too was impressed.

 

A bit disgruntled with complimenting his rival on anything, the blood hero continued. “In that case I’m taking the comic boy and the giant hand girl.”

 

“Gravity girl. Mini Ingenium as well.” the erasure hero followed up with.

 

Before more could be said he noticed a gasp coming from Nemuri and Hizashi turned to see Izuku falling from the puppet. A part of his heart drops for a moment and almost yells out (probably deafening the room) until the boy stops in the air, held in place by a purplish pinkish aura.

 

The screen pans over to show Monoma using a copied quirk to accomplish that, only holding the greenette up for a moment before dropping him down safely.

 

“That was close.” uttered Snipe, watching some wires go to collect Izuku.

 

A small grin came over Shouta. “I want the copier now.”

 

“What? Why?” Kan questioned. “Is this because he saved your kid?”

 

One part probably but Hizashi knew his husband to be logical and argued the same way too. “He’ll need a skillset that will enable him to get close to a villain. I can teach him that better than you.”

 

There were a few moments where it looked like the white haired man was going to fight it but after looking at the screen some more he decided otherwise. “Fine, but I want the sugar one you took earlier in exchange.”

 

“Fine by me.”

 

And so the exam came to an end with the scores tallied up and the decision on who’s coming and going decided. Once the paperwork was done, they would send out the results to everyone who passed and alert all those who failed.

 

- - -

 

“So, are you ready for today?” asked Papa, brushing through Izuku’s hair.

 

“Y-yes, P-papa.” he uttered, keeping his head still whilst he focused on Ezuku in front of him, playing patty cake with the doll. Little games were good practice for his dolls.

 

“Are you going as yourself or Gala?” he questioned, moving on to the ribbon.

 

“G-gala.” he said simply, already having come to his decision overnight.

 

“You’ve made sure to dress them?” his father asked, completing the bow keeping his hair in one long bushy pony tail.

 

“Mmm. The tie is a bit too long.” he commented.

 

Papa stood up and helped Izuku up as well, giving a look over one more time before accepting that the uniform was perfect. “We can look into getting a shorter one.”

 

Whilst letting his dad smooth over some creases in his blazer, Izuku made one final attempt to convince him of something he had been trying to do for the last week. “D-do I e-even have to w-wear this t-t-then?”

 

“Still trying to convince Papa to let you go casual?” Hitoshi asked, walking into the living room where they were, looking immaculate despite probably climbing out of bed half an hour ago.

 

“I-it’s too c-constricting. I-I don’t like c-collars.” the greenette complained, fixing and ruining the smoothness of the shirt by giving himself more neck room.

 

“You’ll get used to it, green bean.” Papa tried to comfort him.

 

“Y-you n-never have to w-wear t-ties.” Izuku pointed out, fighting his dad’s continued attempts to strangle him with the tie.

 

“That’s a perk of being a grown up!” he replied cheerily, ignoring his son’s fighting and secured the tie anyway. “Now don’t mess with it Izuku, remember the class policy states you must look your best.”

 

“I a-always do l-look my best.” he grumbled. “I j-just don’t like button up s-shirts.”

 

He finally let Izuku loose, after making sure he wouldn’t fiddle with the tie and buttons again. The second the greenette tried to, he got a look from the blond similar to the ones Dad gave whenever Pepper was about to knock a glass off the counter. It convinced him enough to not mess with it… for now.

 

“Are we good to go?” Dad asked, joining them all in the living room. “I’d like to be there by half seven.”

 

That’s right, they were going to have to wake up much earlier than usual now. Before for Somei they would only arrive at eight, meaning that Izuku could sleep in, usually until seven thirty. Now he had to be awake around six and he hated that.

 

The worst part was he couldn’t protest, especially when he had two insomniacs for family and a morning person to boot. He was the only one in the house who loved sleeping.

 

It’s been something he’s gotten a lot better at since he was isolated. Before he was scared to sleep because that meant he’d see awful things in his dreams but now, after enough therapy, he had grown past that and now actually enjoys it very much. He even has some incense he uses to help sleep more soundly.

 

‘Now those sweet long nights are going to get a lot shorter from now on.’ he dreaded.

 

He hopped into Gala who was dressed in a regular uniform slightly baggier than his to hide any metal. That, along with a very lengthy skirt to hide further any odd movements, the family of four loaded themselves into the car to drive off to school, for the first time together. Normally it was either Dad or Papa driving them to Somei but now they could all go as one.

 

“By the way Izu,” Hitoshi started, “How is it going to work with your support lessons? Is it going to be the same as usual?”

 

Ever since he was adopted, due to Izuku’s own physical weakness, he’s been having support tool classes every Saturday with Uncle Higari (Nemuri convinced Izuku to call him that to the man’s chagrin). He needed to have something to level the field if he wasn’t going to be training like his brother.

 

They’ve been mostly about learning the basics or circuitry and mechanics but now he was going to be going further now that he could test his tools on the field.

 

“Some of your heroics classes will be entirely without quirks and mostly physical training. It is during those classes that I'll be working on my mechanical skills,” Gala explained for him.

 

“You’ll have a lot on your plate then. Good thing your quirk makes you good at multitasking.” his brother commented.

 

The doll nodded once.

 

‘I’ll get to prepare the new dolls for heroics. I can’t wait to finally see them in action!’ he cheered in his mind.

 

It has been a few years since he’s made another proper doll. The closest he got was updating Gala to accommodate him as he grew. Thankfully, or maybe not, he hasn’t grown that much since he was smaller-er. He’d only just barely reached five feet before he seemed to stop completely.

 

According to Chiyo, there are two reasons for this. The first and most obvious is that he was stunted for most of his childhood where he should’ve been getting taller. As such his growth was slowed altogether. The other reason was more fortunate/unfortunate (depends on the situation), that being genetics 

 

It appeared that he took more after his mother than just her greenish hair, round face and wide eyes. He didn’t know what her own height was but from memory he knew she was shorter than Auntie Mitsuki and she was five seven. He was much shorter than her so he might be around her height, maybe.

 

Hopefully not.

 

On one hand he was happy about being small enough to hide inside Gala. On the other hand, he hated having to ask every time for something from a higher shelf whenever Gala was unavailable. It was fine if it was Papa but Dad and especially Hitoshi were clearly laughing inside seeing how much he struggled. 

 

It was a dilemma, one that will hopefully solve itself at some point (it won’t).

 

Pulling into the teacher’s parking lot of UA, everyone got out and made their way towards the main building. It was earlier than any student should be walking about so there wasn’t much to see besides the occasional student coming in super earlier on the first day… like Tenya.

 

“Hitoshi, Izuku!” he called out. He seemed to have walked the whole way there if the lightly ruffled clothes from the wind was any inclination.

 

“We’ll be on our way,” Papa started, him and Dad going on without them. “Good luck on your first day!”

 

They walked off, just in time for their friend to reach them. 

 

“I see you are coming as Gala, Izuku.” the boy said, looking up at the pale masked doll.

 

“I wanted to become more used to the classroom and classmates first.” the much more humanlike puppet explained. “Even then though, I’m sure you know that I don’t like being exposed for too long.”

 

Gala has been improved a decent bit, at least in terms of not appearing as uncanny as they used to be. They still have that vaguely ‘Izuku’ appearance with the long green hair and wide eyes but are a lot more human. The androgynous plastic face was closer to being real and although he can’t make many expressions with them the shell could be mistaken as a person from a distance.

 

Distance being a keyword. Up close anyone can see that Gala is not human and just looks scarily close, like an animatronic in a theme park.

 

The blue haired boy nodded. “Of course. In that case let me know if there’s any way I can help.”

 

“Thank you Tenya.”

 

Hitoshi smiled. “Wow, already angling for that class rep position.”

 

The engine quirked boy looked immediately bashful and began to shake his head. “No! Not at all, Hitoshi. Though the class representative position is one that I seek, I am merely telling my friend here he can rely on me with anything.”

 

“I’ll vote for you come election day.” the purple haired boy smiled.

 

There was a moment where Tenya repeated in his head what Hitoshi said before beaming out his response. “Thank you for the vote of confidence! I’ll be sure to do my best if I am chosen!”

 

“In that case, you have mine too.” Izuku typed.

 

“Thank you both.” he smiled. “Now let us head to class, it is best to be at least half an hour early!”

 

Tenya marched ahead, leading the two of them to head inside to go to their class. It was honestly amazing how large the doors and halls were in UA. One might wonder why the need for such expansive entryways but one look at Gala or anyone with a size enhancing quirk or mutation and they’ll see why immediately.

 

The classroom was completely empty, devoid of any life meaning they were the first inside. The three headed over to the seating chart to check for their place in the classroom and came to discover that their friend group was mostly spread out.

 

“Thank god,” swore Hitoshi. “I’m on the opposite side of the room from Bakugou.” (Seat One, Katsuki at Seventeen).

 

“It’s for the best that we are separated so we don’t distract each other, not that I expected either of you to talk during important class time.” Tenya stated, being more towards the front of the class in the centre (Seat Eleven).

 

“I am placed towards the back of the classroom.” Izuku noticed (Seat Five).

 

“Dad probably placed you there so that you’ll step out of Gala more.” Hitoshi reasoned.

 

Gala nodded. “I can’t imagine being in the middle of the classroom, let alone the front.”

 

“It appears Momo’s in the back as well.” the blue haired boy noticed (Seat Twenty).

 

They really did have them spaced out around the room. Does Dad really think they’ll talk to each other instead of doing class work? Maybe he wanted them to make friends with other people, or rather he wanted him to make friends with other people. 

 

Either way, that was that.

 

- - -

 

Neito was swimming today, never felt on cloud nine did he than right now. Admittedly when he got that envelope from UA he thought he was going to pass out. Finding out whether he failed or succeeded and the consequences thereof was the most nerve wracking experience he’s ever felt in his life so seeing that hologram of that obnoxious idol tell him he’s in?

 

As he said, he was on cloud nine.

 

Admittedly though he was being a tad bit late for his class. He had his usual problems that morning with his relatives so he missed his train so right now he was speed walking to his classroom. 

 

The halls were mostly empty, probably because everyone was already inside their respective rooms waiting for the day to begin proper. Neito made it with just a few minutes to spare as he stared up at the huge 1-A sign that was waiting for him. He was here in the best heroing school in the country and sure he wasn’t here to play nice but a boy could have fun can’t he?

 

The doors were pushed open and inside he could see a mostly full classroom and some sights that made his eyes narrow. Not in a bad way but in a way that had him scrutinise every person in the room to work out their quirks from first impressions. It was important to get ahead of the competition after all.

 

Besides the obvious like the tentacle arms and the invisible girl there were some that were discreet. A purple haired chick with earjacks for ear lobes, a boy with engines for calves and bird guy whose quirk was sheepishly hiding away under his desk.

 

Yes, there were many things there he could borrow in the future.

 

Including that pale faced person… robot, girl, boy? Whatever they were. He still didn’t know what that thing was but he assumed it had to do with that hooded boy’s quirk. Speaking of, he couldn’t spy him in the room.

 

‘Was I wrong? Were they two different people after all?’ he thought as he made his way over to the seating chart.

 

Wonderful, it looked like he would be getting his answer earlier than he thought. He had been given the only seat next to them (Seat Ten) so he’ll likely be forced to interact with them. 

 

Refitting his bag on his shoulders, he walked over to his seat and sat down.

 

After thinking over what he wanted to say, he turned to face his neighbour. “Why hello there! My name’s Monoma Neito, may I ask for your name?”

 

The head of the pale faced person turned and the blond flinched a little by how smooth and fast it snapped in his direction. “I am Yamazawa Izuku. It is nice to meet you. I am currently inside of this doll called Gala.”

 

‘Doll? So it is his quirk. And he’s inside of it? Well he certainly looked small enough and it is definitely big enough.’ Neito worked out in his head, feeling less shock than one should at being told something like that..

 

“What’s your quirk, if you don’t mind me asking?” Neito wondered.

 

“It is call-”

 

Unfortunately he couldn’t hear what Yamazawa said next as all sound was drowned out when there was a shout and an argument brewing towards the side of the classroom.

 

“Please have some respect for the students who came before us, Bakugou!” a tall boy with glasses chastised. The guy he was talking to was that explosive blond from the entrance exam. In fact he recognised both of them from the entrance exam, they all came together with dollface over there.

 

“I place my feet wherever I damn well wish, Glasses.” he growled, ignoring the other boy’s plea.

 

“Bakugou, if you don’t remove your legs you might get in trouble for such an action!” the ‘glasses’ boy warned.

 

“If the hobo has anything to say about it he’ll say it!” the blond, who Neito was now sure he would come to dislike, shouted.

 

The arguing continued on and most of the class was watching in spectacle. It was like some kind of bad comedy act where the insults and excuses Bakugou gave for keeping his feet were getting more and more insane sounding whilst the other boy kept making these weird robotic gestures at him.

 

All the while he almost failed to notice the slow entrance of a giant yellow cocoon who shuffled its way to the front of the class. Most people didn’t see it at first, Neito catching on the second he entered the room, until the pink skinned girl at the front of the class yelled out in shock when it came into her peripheral.

 

“Gah! What the hell is that?!” she screamed, causing everyone in the class to turn and gasp at what they were looking at.

 

Immediately the slithering cocoon twisted itself up and after a tense moment where it looked like something might burst out of it, a zipper was pulled down to show a disheveled man’s face poking out of it.

 

“Jirou Kyoka, Yamazawa Hitoshi, Yamazawa Izuku, Shoji Mezo, Todoroki Shouto, Monoma Neito. Only a quarter of the class noticed me entering the room, the rest of you failed to. I’d say it’s a good start but then I know at least two of you were going to notice me anyway.” the man said, staring blankly out at the room.

 

No one made a sound, everyone was still unsure what it was they were looking at until the cocoon finally shook itself off and what came out was… not a pretty butterfly but what could only be described by Neito as a lost dumpster diver.

 

“I am Aizawa Shouta, your homeroom teacher.” he introduced himself. “Now take these,” he threw out haphazardly some gym clothes to the centre of the room, stashed away in his sleeping bag, “and meet me outside ASAP.”

 

And just like that he left. The class still has not said a word. It continued like that for only a few moments more before two students shot up and left, only one carrying gym clothes. A purple haired guy with baggy eyes and Yamazawa, or should he say Izuku now that there were apparently two in this class?

 

Once they left, everyone realised they were still gawking and rushed to find their own pair of gym clothes. It wasn’t one size fits all so they scrambled a bit to find the one with their name on it written on a tag in the neckline. Neito had no clue what was in store for him yet but headed down to the changing rooms, mostly by following the crowd.

 

- - -

 

“I don’t need to change.” Izuku typed for Gala to say as they stepped into the field.

 

“It might be for the best until we can do introductions.” Dad said, walking a bit ahead of him.

 

“You could’ve done it then.” the doll suggested, “Or even now.”

 

“It would take too long and then we’d be forced to go to orientation. I also don’t like icebreakers.” the erasure man stated, stopping in the middle of the track. “Now stand over there. I don’t want anyone in the class to know we were talking.”

 

“You don’t want them to know you have a husband and two kids.” the greenette assumed.

 

The doll placed herself to the side of the track, standing tall and ready. “I don’t want the student body to gossip or bother me about it. Nemuri’s enough.”

 

“You want to look mysterious. That way it will make you look more feared and respected.” Izuku guessed, watching the stoic man’s face for any sign that his guess was true.

 

“Stop analysing me.” he warned though it was light hearted. 

 

Soon Hitoshi joined them, taking about a minute and a half to catch up. Dad seemed impressed, not that you could tell from the blank look in his eye. “Next time, be faster.”

 

“It took a moment to find the changing rooms.” the purple haired boy excused.

 

After another few seconds, Kacchan and Tenya joined them, soon after by Momo followed by the girls that she was leading. After that, the rest of the class came out one by one, taking another ten minutes before everyone rallied.

 

“Five minutes.” Dad began, “It took most of you five minutes to get ready, ten for the worst offenders. Most crimes are over and done with by the time most of you put your shoes on the right feet and whatever victim was made during that was already hurt.”

 

He glared a little, causing some of the class to shift uncomfortably. “Next time, be here in less than five like some of your classmates were.”

 

“But sir!” one boy, with deep yellow hair with a block bolt through it, said, “They didn’t even get changed!”

 

He was pointing towards Gala. It made sense they would think that or at least it would if you were anyone but Izuku and those in the know.

 

“Ok, don’t want this misunderstanding to go on longer than it should. Show yourself kid.” Dad asked him.

 

“Only for a moment.” the shell specified.

 

“Only for a moment,” he repeated.

 

With a command, Gala began to unbutton their shirt earning a shocked gasp from everyone. They all kept watching, thinking it would end after a few buttons but it continued until the shirt was fully off and showing underneath was the clearly metal skin underneath.

 

“Wait, you’re a robot!” cried the invisible girl.

 

“No, I'm a doll. My name is Gala” they clarified, opening up their chest slightly to reveal the compartment underneath, just enough for Izuku to poke his head out.

 

“This is Yamazawa Izuku.” they continued, nodding to the head poking out of their chest. “Or rather I am Yamazawa Izuku.”

 

It was like watching a cat poke its head out from around a corner. The suddenness of it all made everyone jump back a little before leaning in a little to see if what they were seeing was really there.

 

“My quirk is called Puppeteer. It lets me inject things with spinal fluid from my fingertips and control them like they are an extension of my own body.” he explained. “I am using Gala like a vehicle because I am quite physically fragile.”

 

“Please respect my need for privacy.” the doll said once more before he pulled his head back inside and resealing himself within. “Any further questions can be asked later.”

 

A few questions bubble up from the class, most asking more about both him and Gala. Meanwhile some others were clamoring about how he looked adorable, causing the boy inside to turn a little red at the compliments. It would’ve all been overwhelming if the height of the pale faced doll didn’t make everyone look tiny in comparison to him besides a few.

 

Thankfully he didn’t need to answer them much now because Dad wanted things to get a move on. With a quirked glare that silenced the whole class, he began to talk. “You can ask any questions during your free time. Bakugou, here.”

 

The platinum blond haired boy trudged on over, taking a hand out of his pockets, to grab a ball he was being offered by the teacher. After that he was instructed to stand over in the middle of a circle in the field that looked almost like a shot put ring.

 

“Now then, how far could you throw a softball in junior high?” Dad asked Kacchan.

 

“Sixty seven meters, I think,” he responded.

 

“Do it again, this time with your quirk.” he ordered.

 

A smile came over Kacchan’s face, one that might be called terrifying if you weren’t Izuku and could clearly see the excitement in his eyes. Winding up his right arm and doing some jumps to get heated, the boy threw back his arm and with a death roar, tossed the ball with an explosion.

 

It was loud, startling those who weren’t prepared and the smoke made it hard to tell how far it had gone but after three seconds of waiting a result came through on a device Dad was carrying.

 

“Seven hundred and five point two.” He recited, showing the result to everyone whilst explaining how they were going to go through a series of apprehension tests to see where they were with their quirks.

 

Everyone babbled away, some amazed at Kacchan’s power, others excited at the idea of being able to use their quirks without holding back. Izuku and his friends would be chatting too but they knew Dad by now and understood that nothing is easy, especially when it came to hero work.

 

As the pink girl cheered that it’ll be fun, the erasure hero just smiled his favoured sinister grin and made her regret those words. “Fun you say? You have three years to become heroes, some of you think you have time for fun? In that case let’s thin out the herd to separate those who are serious and those who aren’t. Whoever’s last place at the end of these eight tests totaled will be expelled immediately.”

 

There was an immediate uproar within the class. “What? How is that fair!” a brown haired girl shouted. “We just got here!”

 

“You’re right it isn’t fair,” Dad agreed. “But so are many things in life. You think criminals fight fair? You think natural disasters are fair? Being a hero means going up against unfair odds every time you step outside. Got a problem with that? Head home now and save me the trouble.”

 

That quieted most of the crowd down and anyone left still complaining was shot down with another quirked glare from Dad.

 

“Alright, let the tests begin.”

Notes:

This is effectively starting from zero in terms of any build-up so sorry if things feel a bit slow, I'm planning to have a lot more fighting now that we're in UA.

Next Chapter:

Making Acquaintances

Chapter 61: Making Acquaintances

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Here's the next chapter! Battle trials are up next! Hope you enjoy!

Have a nice day! <3

The first of the tests was a fifty metre dash. Speed wasn’t Izuku’s forte but it certainly was Tenya’s. Sure enough having the frog girl race alongside him made that difference as clear as day. 

 

He’s only seen the boy at full speed a few times and knew that despite getting less than two seconds that was still not his peak, but that’s less because he wasn’t trying and more because he had to start cold.

 

Momo employed an elegant solution. Being paired with Kacchan meant she was going to have to get creative so before the gunshot was heard to signal their start, she created an electric scooter built for all terrain. Revving it up just before it was time to go, she was almost as fast as Tenya as she flew over the finish line. Still couldn’t beat Kacchan though.

 

For Hitoshi he employed the help of the engine boy, with the use of his quirk, to have him carry the brainwasher to the finish line, earning some confused looks from the class.

 

“Wait, what was that?” Monoma called out, saying what everyone was thinking.

 

“My quirk’s called Brainwashing. Got a problem with that?” Hitoshi answered, looking ready to argue however dared follow him up on that question.

 

The blue eyed blond seemed shocked over his response before milling it over in his mind and just smiling in a way that came naturally to him. “No, none at all.”

 

The rest of the class seemed to be fine too though that might’ve just been because of Hitoshi’s glare. The greenette will keep an eye on them.

 

Now onto Izuku’s turn, he ordered Gala to stand at the starting line. Typically, the reasonable thing to do is to sprint like most people did to get to the other side the fastest. Though with his quirk, he could get there faster in a different way than most people would expect.

 

Crouching down and getting on all fours, Gala scuttled their way to the finish line like a beetle, earning the gasps and cries from all those unfortunate enough to witness it. Thankfully the doll’s skirt was long so it didn’t look too creepy but what little legs did poke out made them appear near spider-like.

 

“Something that size shouldn’t move like that!” whined the yellow eyed blond, Kaminari, he would learn to be his name.

 

Once that test was over, they began moving onto others like the grip test. Hitoshi used his Brainwashing once more to order a grey haired boy with multiple arms to do his test for him. Momo employed the use of a hydraulic press to crush her test completely and Tenya used a powerful quirk charged kick on his one.

 

Meanwhile, Izuku did something slightly more creative. Once more opening Gala’s chest to poke his hand out, he used his quirk on the gripping machine and commanded the object to crush itself, earning a score almost as high as the tentacle armed boy.

 

‘If Brutus was here, he’d crush this easily.’ he thought to himself as he handed the device over to Monoma.

 

As he did though, his hand was brushed up against by the other boy causing a shock to go through Izuku at the sensation. 

 

“Sorry about that! Just wanted to borrow something of yours!” Monoma said, digging his hands into the grip test and doing the exact same thing as the greenette did, though not as well.

 

“You have a copying quirk.” Gala noted, Izuku concealed back inside.

 

“What? Gonna call me a thief? Copycat? Unoriginal? Heard it all before.” he said, focusing on controlling his own spinal fluid. “This is harder than it looks.”

 

“You flex it like a muscle.” the puppeteer supplied, helping him out.

 

“Can’t say I’m familiar with having muscles.” the boy joked, clearly referring to his more lithe form.

 

Despite that though, he still clearly had some. “I wouldn’t say that. You show signs that you’ve worked hard on your physique.”

 

“Oh? Have your eye on me, huh?” Monoma smiled in a teasing manner.

 

“Not in the way you are implying.” Gala made sure to correct. Izuku didn’t mean for what he said to sound that way and thankfully the pale doll’s poker face hid how flustered he got from that comment.

 

“And what way might that be?” he questioned.

 

“Your quirk, how does the science work behind it?” Izuku answered and asked.

 

The blond kept up his smile a little as he explained the logic behind his quirk, or at least tried to. “From what I know, my body produces stem cells to a large degree. Whenever I make physical contact with someone, my hands scratch off some of their cells and uses their DNA to replicate their quirk through the stem cells.”

 

‘That must be why my hand feels like it’s burning a little.’ Izuku realised. “Then why does it have a time limit?” 

 

His smile faltered slightly. “How did you know there was a time limit?”

 

“I imagine there are better quirks than my own at crushing objects.” the doll reasoned.

 

“Heh, well you’re right. From what I can tell, the time limit is a defense mechanism to stop me from turning into a genetic mess.” Monoma recalled.

 

“Interesting.” Gala uttered. “What about your family? How did your quirk come about?”

 

“What is this? Twenty questions? Let me be a little mysterious here, huh?” the blond deflected, spinning around to rejoin the class for the next test.

 

‘I’ll just interrogate him later. His quirk is interesting.’ the greenette thought.

 

The rest of the tests were easy to get through with just Gala. The long jump was simple with their legs. One hop and a loss of spinal fluid from the pressure later and they were on the other side. A decent amount of people cleared the sandbox as well, the only ones who didn’t were those without mobility granting quirks.

 

Except for Hitoshi and Momo of course, one brainwashing a classmate to move them across and the other using a pole to vault themselves over the sand bank.

 

The sidesteps were a bit more tricky. No one had a quirk that could do it the fastest so people were just putting in the physical effort, except for Izuku of course. Gala was actually perfect for the task, able to repeat the sidesteps over and over again at high speed without straining a muscle, literally.

 

Back on the ball throw for the fifth test, Hitoshi made the brown haired girl, Uraraka, he heard someone call her, use her gravity quirk on his ball and threw it into orbit, tying her for first place. He made sure to fire a smug grin in Kacchan's direction after, knowing it would set the blond off and it did.

 

Next it was Izuku’s turn. “When does the ball record the distance?” questioned Gala to Dad.

 

“Once it stops moving.” he said, guessing what was about to happen.

 

Sure enough Izuku did what he expected and used his quirk on the ball, throwing it a short distance and then using his command over the tool to roll it away up the field for a few minutes, earning him an easy third place.

 

The last three were probably the easiest though, mostly because he did not need to do any of the actual work, instead Gala doing it all for him. The seated toe touches and the sit ups were easy done easy go and the endurance run ended in him getting first place.

 

Although Momo used a solar powered scooter much like the dash, Gala could hypothetically  keep going after sundown so after almost thirty minutes of just the two of them running around in circles, Dad called the tests there.

 

“Alright, here’s your scores. I don’t have the time nor the patience to go through it all so just look for your score and accept it for what it is.” he said, bringing up a hologram showing the results.

 

Momo was first with himself a very close second. In truth though he probably only got that close because of the final three tests otherwise he might’ve been in fourth. In third was… Todoroki, and in fourth place there was…

 

“Hah! See how I’m better than you, Dead Eyes!” Kacchan yelled, earning a spiteful scoff from Hitoshi.

 

“You’re shorter than me, it’s more effort doing situps.” he excused, the two beginning to dive into an argument.

 

Izuku’s eyes weren't on them though, it was on one Hakagure who looked (he thinks) to be panicking. He can’t tell the extent of her freakout (due to her being invisible) but he assumes from the shaking she wasn’t taking things well, thankfully Dad finally jumped in to put her worries at rest.

 

“By the way, no one’s getting expelled. It was a logical ruse to get you to do your best.” he explained with a smile that betrayed how serious most of the class was before.

 

A wave of relief and exasperation washed throughout the students, the invisible girl especially had fallen to her knees from the relief that she wasn’t going to be expelled on her first day. Soon enough they were dismissed and everyone went to the changing rooms to get back into their uniforms.

 

Along the way though, he went over to Hitoshi to ask him something that was on his mind. “Was it me or did it feel like someone was watching us during that?”

 

“What?” he replied, “No, I didn’t notice anyone.”

 

“It must’ve been my imagination then.” Izuku stated.

 

Far off to the side of the school the number one hero was currently looking over all of the students for class 1-A again.

 

- - -

 

“Hi there!” a brown haired girl said to Neito.

 

“Why hello!” he greeted, putting on his (what some might call) smug smile. “I’m Monoma Neito.”

 

“Uraraka Ochaco. You’re quirk’s so cool!” she said, earning a slight pause from the blond boy.

 

‘That’s something I don’t hear everyday,’ he thought, looking the girl up and down. ‘Then again, she looks like an airhead.’ 

 

“Your quirk is also cool too, Yamazawa!” she said, turning to the towering puppet.

 

“Thank you. Is your quirk really Zero Gravity or is that just what it was called?” he questioned.

 

She reached a hand to scratch the back of her head awkwardly. “Yeah, it’s kind of deceptive, isn’t it? It started off being that but now it’s more like levitation then anti gravity.”

 

“Are you planning to change it?” Yamazawa questioned.

 

“No, not really.” she replied. “I’m planning for my hero theme to be space orientated, like Thirteen.”

 

‘Then does that make her a space head instead of an air one?’ Neito thought to himself, watching the two converse. “You could try and be more creative instead of borrowing someone else's style.”

 

Uraraka turned to the blond, furrowing her eyebrows. “What’s wrong with feeling inspired?”

 

“If you want to make it as a hero you can’t be treading over already trodden ground.” he explained. “If you want to stand out and get attention you have to bring something new to the table that the media will lap up.” he said and though it was helpful, the way he said it made it sound like he was talking down to her.

 

“Okay then Mr. Know-it-all, what did you submit for your hero costume?” she asked with a slight annoyed pout.

 

“I’m inspired by the gentlemen and gentleladies of thievery seen in pre quirk media.” he answered, faking pride and arrogance as he talked about himself.

 

“Gentlemen… thief?” she repeated.

 

“A phantom thief is another word to call them,” he said.

 

“But you’re not stealing anything… you’re a hero?” she stated, confused.

 

With a bit of dramatic flair he threw his arms out. “It won’t be riches I steal but the hearts and attention of all those who bear witness to my magnificence!"

 

He let out a joyous laugh that caught a few people in the class’ attention, making them wonder what they were talking about. Uraraka just seemed a bit weirded out by him but then again most people were. Not their fault they can’t understand what it truly means to live a life like he has.

 

“Anyway,” she said, trying to move on. “What’s up with your… dolls? Puppets?”

 

The girl was talking to Yamazawa now and it seemed she wasn’t the only one who was listening. Because of Neito’s laugh, everyone was paying attention to their conversation and was curious about what exactly his situation was.

 

“You may call them puppets or dolls.” he answered, speaking louder to address the class.

 

“You called the puppet ‘them’ though. Are they alive like Tokoyami’s quirk?” she wondered.

 

“Alive in the same sense as his quirk, no.” he answered. “They are controlled entirely by myself.”

 

“In that case why is ‘Gala’ dressed up?” Uraraka asked in a genuinely curious way.

 

The puppet tilted its head like it was confused too. “Because I like to dress my dolls up in nice outfits. Is there a problem with that?”

 

“Oh no! Just curious!” she exclaimed, smiling and raising her hands up. “Wait, is there more than one?”

 

“I have a total of five dolls available to me. Three combat dolls, a scout and Gala.” Yamazawa explained.

 

“You can control that many?” she asked, amazed. “You’re practically an army!”

 

“Theoretically, yes. Right now I only have enough strength to control a squad of dolls.” the puppet clarified.

 

‘He can control five at once? When I used his quirk for a moment during the tests I could barely get the grip test to close.’ Neito thought, listening to the whole conversation.

 

“Hey, ‘Zuku,” Hitoshi started, walking up to his desk. “Ready to go for lunch?”

 

“Oh, so you two are related in some way?” Neito inquired.

 

“We are brothers.” the puppet uttered and the copier couldn’t help but note how expressive the robotic voice of this thing was. “Let’s go now.”

 

The pale faced thing stood up and grabbed their bag to bring with them. As expected they joined up with the first place girl in the test, Yaoyorozu, the noisy blond, Bakugou, and the wannabe Ingenium, Iida.

 

Neito didn’t bother to go after them, or anyone really because he didn’t like talking to people. He wasn’t an introvert per say, just knew that any kind of friendship with him normally ends up with both parties getting burned. It was much better being alone than having to face such an inevitability.

 

- - -

 

“Hey ‘Zuku, who was that guy?” Hitoshi asked his brother whilst they ate around the lunch table.

 

“That was Monoma Neito. He is very… He is friendly.” Gala explained, sitting idle whilst the greenette’s hand poked out of the chest to pick at some rice to eat.

 

“He sounds loud.” Bakugou said, chewing through his food in a surprisingly orderly manner. Then again, this stuff was really good, anyone would want to savour it.

 

“Kettle, pot, black.” the brainwasher uttered.

 

“You’ve got something to say, Dead Eyes?” the blond growled a little, hands crushing the knife he was holding a little.

 

For some reason, Hitoshi really enjoyed seeing the explosive boy flip his top every time he poked his volatile personality. “We’ve already met our quota for loud blonds in this group. Then again, I’d say we’re over capacity.”

 

Bakugou only grabbed another fork full of food and bit down. “Guess you’re still pissy after I beat you in the apprehension test.”

 

“I’m the angry one? Have you seen your resting bitc-”

 

“So Momo,” Izuku chatted over them with Gala, “Have you talked with anyone else yet?”

 

“Yes,” agreed Tenya, “I did see you talking to that girl with the earphone jacks.”

 

“Jirou?” she said, looking a bit flustered in a good way. “I don’t even know how it started. She just asked me my name and then we dove into a conversation from there.”

 

That made Hitoshi proud of his friend. Momo was always a person who didn’t initiate things first and instead just reacted to what happened around her instead. It was something that even bled into her fighting style. Something that Dad has been trying to break her habit of. 

 

Sure this was still just her reacting to being talked to but from the chats he’s seen her have, she normally just shuts down any further talk by speaking too succinctly. Like when you ask her name and she only says ‘Yaoyorozu Momo’ before waiting on you to carry the rest of the conversation.

 

So to hear that she actually held a conversation, one that she seemed to enjoy very much from the look of her reciting it, it made him feel happy to see her chat and make friends with people other than themselves.

 

He still needed to check in on her though. “You’re sure she isn’t going to be a leech?” 

 

That referred to someone who wanted to be friends with Momo because of her parents and/or money. “No. I don’t think she recognised my name at all. I don’t think anyone in class has.”

 

“Make sense.” Hitoshi he nodded, “It’s more of a rich kid thing. Same with me.”

 

“Does that mean they might change when they do learn who I am?” she asked, looking for advice on how to go forward in that situation.

 

“I don’t know.” Izuku spoke up. “Be yourself and if they change, just show them the door.”

 

“Thank you.” she smiled. “I really do hope I make new friends here though.”

 

Hitoshi put his hand over his heart and feigned looking heartbroken. “It’s finally happening! My dear friends, Momo is leaving us behind to go off and find our replacements!”

 

“Momo!” Tenya exclaimed, faked too, something that Hitoshi taught him to do mostly by proximity. Shit. Was he a bad influence? “You aren’t seriously considering abandoning us?”

 

“Yeah Momo.” Izuku joined in to hammer home the joke.

 

Flustered, she put her chopsticks down and almost faceplanted into the table. “I still wonder why we’re friends.”

 

“Because we’re family first!” Hitoshi wrapped his arms around Tenya and Momo next to him and pulled them close. “Bakugou, get lost.”

 

“Fuck you.” he said spitefully.

 

He saw Gala lean over to the blond and whisper something into his ear, causing the boy to explode. “I know that! It’s just Dead Eyes here gets off on saying stupid shit.

 

“Bakugou!” Tenya chastised, obviously upset over the less than PG language used. Well, less than usual.

 

Bakugou has been a weird fit for their friend group. For the most part he has been standoffish and Hitoshi could get that, he was like that too. His problem though was that he clearly looked like he thought he didn’t belong, something that he has been trying to show he did belong by being friendly with the asshole the best way he knew how. 

 

Teasing, back and forth and riling (hyping) each other up.

 

Why does he bother? Because for some insane reason Izuku is friends with this volatile pomeranian who can’t help but bark the second someone looks at him wrong. At first he thought he might’ve had a crush on him but one conversation said otherwise and it was clear they only wanted to be friends with each other.

 

“Don’t worry Tenya, Bakugou’s still pouty from getting fourth this morning.” Hitoshi assured.

 

Bakugou turned in his seat to look away from the group, grumbling about him probably. Meanwhile, Izuku went back to chatting with them, this time about the apprehension tests and commemorating Momo for how well she did.

 

‘She’s definitely gotten better.’ he thought.

 

All of them were. At the start, the one who was most ahead of them was Izuku due to his vigilante past. Now though he’d say it was more fair. Realistically, his brother would probably still beat them, all of them and with one doll to boot but that’s only if said doll was built for fighting and it was the giant one.

 

Even then, they’d give him a fight. Tenya’s speed especially, any faster and he might be able to beat Brutus all on his own. Of course when it’s a full group, they get absolutely demolished. Speaking off…

 

“Izu, when do we get to meet your new pals?” he asked.

 

Gala turned their attention to him. “I have a meeting with Uncle Higari after school to go over what I’ll be doing. That and some finishing touches, they should be ready for tomorrow.”

 

“I can’t imagine the amount of work you’ll have to do.” Hitoshi wondered, remembering one time seeing Izuku fiddling with some electronics when they were younger. He could never keep up with all of the technical jargon the greenette would mutter to himself.

 

“It’s not a priority. I already have enough knowledge to do what I wish. The lessons are just for more advanced stuff I might want to do in the future.” he explained.

 

“It’s an admirable thing, Izuku.” Tenya stated. “Your dedication to heroism is an inspiration.”

 

“Thank you.” he replied.

 

- - -

 

Izuku has been thinking a lot today. Firstly there was the excitement of being at UA as a student, going through the steps of becoming a hero, an exciting prospect for anyone. Secondly, there was meeting new people and the new quirks and personalities that come with that.

 

Thirdly though, it was the elephant in the room that was…

 

‘...Todoroki’ 

 

He didn’t know he was going to be in his class. He didn’t expect him to reappear in his life at all. Well that’s wrong, more like he never would have to interact with him so closely. One might ask what exactly he’s going to do about it and the answer is simple.

 

He isn’t going to do anything.

 

Sure, he had the proof and documents to prove that he is and still was likely being abused by his father along with his siblings. He could do that but at the same time, doing such a thing loses his leverage against the HPSC. He was too old to be on their radar anymore but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get revenge.

 

They could stop his license being received, Hitoshi’s too. Unless he found a new kind of blackmail to hit them with, Endeavor was going to have to fall on his own without Izuku’s help. He imagined the HPSC would be ready if he ever tried to get more ‘fresher’ blackmail on the man. If anything, hands off would result in the best case scenario for him.

 

‘Best case scenario for me. Todoroki on the other hand… It’s still making me feel guilty though.’ he thought, especially when he saw the boy exclusively using only his ice during the test.

 

Anyway, enough of that. He can push that all to the back of his mind. This was his secret to keep from everyone to protect the people he cared about the most. As long as he can keep the veil up and stop himself from feeling too guilty, he can move on (even if doing so means Todoroki can’t).

 

In the support lab, he stumbled in after a pink haired girl shoved past him carrying a box filled with parts and an attitude that screamed ‘goblin’ to him. From the look Uncle Higari had, it was obvious he wasn’t having the best first day. That and the fact the room was smoking from one corner and drenched in fire retardant.

 

“Finally a responsible support student.” he uttered, seeing the doll step in. “Excuse the ruins.”

 

“Hello, Uncle.” Gala said. “I am here to do the finishing touches for the dolls.”

 

“Oh yes, that’s tomorrow.” he muttered. “Here.”

 

He showed him to a work room in the back which had three dolls hanging from hooks. It would look terrifying to anyone who wasn’t expecting them, especially considering how life-like their silhouettes were in the dark. 

 

“Thank you.” Izuku thanked him.

 

“Just make sure you’re done by five.” the mole man said as he went back to his desk to look over some of his work.

 

The workshop door was closed and the greenette was left to his own devices. The new dolls were obviously inspired by the original four. However, because he was leaving behind that past he decided to rename them. Just like how he was now Yamazawa, they were given a new name too.

 

First there was Daphne or as she was now named, Lily in reference to the Lily of the Valley, a poisonous white flower that symbolizes a return to joy and happiness. She was built virtually the same, with alabaster fibreglass skin and flowers drawn like tattoos on her body. Besides that though, she was completely different.

 

The single camera that was in the centre of her head was still there but now beneath that glaring lens there was a mouth and lips, all stark white of course, that gave her a porcelain feel. She also had a decorative set of short white hair and a wide brimmed hat with feathers on top not unlike a noble woman from old England.

 

It wasn’t just the head though, her body was now fully dressed instead of being stark naked like before with a wonderful dress not unlike that of a Victorian lady. It was made more compact of course, only going up to her knees to give her plenty of leg room and was mostly to fit with the theme the rest of the dolls had.

 

Her arm mounted gun was remade to allow for her to fully conceal it inside her limb along with a surprise in her other one. A sword that can be unsheathed from her palm anytime. He hasn’t had much practice with her or any of these dolls but he’s been training with Gala in using swords so hopefully he’d do well.

 

Next was Charlie, or Kat as they now were. There wasn’t much of a change between the two from then and now other than a knife being added to the underside of Kat for them to pull out in a fight. That is if it ever came to it.

 

He was given some claws that would allow him to climb up walls easier and move about better and even work as actual claws should the need arise. Beyond that though, besides now having two proper looking eyes instead of one marble and a camera, there wasn’t much to say about him.

 

That left him to continue to Ana. He was fighting between changing her name or not but after some thoughts, he decided to go through with it. Now she was Ida. The most human out of all of the dolls and used a body completely different from the original. 

 

He still had the original’s head, the old burnt one in his room, but he didn’t want to risk losing that in a fight so he made an entirely new one. 

 

This doll was built from a wooden body with a steel skeleton underneath. Her face was carved well and had rubber put over it to make her seem more life-like which worked for how she was meant to be the ‘face’ of the dolls. A wig of green hair was put on her, tied up in a bun and the outfit she wore was inspired, much like Lily, by the English Victorian era.

 

However, whereas Lily looked like a noblewoman, Ida was dressed like a servant, a maid in particular. Wearing a white and green outfit that matched the shade of his hair, she carried around a broom that deceptively had a series of tasers at the end to shock people much like the old cattle prod. She also had a bunch of other tools tucked away in her skirt pockets that he won’t get into now.

 

Her eyes were always closed, something that he wanted for a reason he can’t say and if one were to look at the doll some might note there was some kind of resemblance between the boy and the puppet, almost looking like mother and son. If he were asked to comment on that, he would deny it.

 

Finally, there was the one he was most excited about. The actual combat doll. Brutus was renamed Julius, after the historical ruler that was known to be an impeccable general. Despite those Italian roots though, he wore a nice suit giving him the air of a butler. A very big, wide, muscly looking butler with a head made of metal and hands that could crush you like a grape.

 

His steel frame was made to be much more reinforced, meaning he could take more hits and could actually move faster without the jagged metal cutting into him. His metal pole was replaced with a proper weapon in the form of a long metal baton. 

 

He still had that frightening presence and was almost the same size as Gala, seven feet six inches, but it was less horror and more authoritative which to some people might be worse. 

 

Of course all four dolls had bottles on them. Glasses filled with spinal fluid he’s been saving up for the last few months. Because he needed to be careful with overusing his quirk, he can’t be recklessly expending all of his fluid too often or his atrophy might get worse. That and Shuzenji would lecture him for hours on it.

 

Everything was ready for tomorrow. Besides making sure his dolls had their abilities tested, the Servants were ready and prepared to make their debut.

 

‘I can’t wait to see you all in action.’

Notes:

All Might lingers in the background. What is he doing? You can probably guess.

Next Chapter:

Clothes Make the Pro

Chapter 62: Clothes Make the Pro

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope today is treating you well. Halloween is not too far now! I'm planning to go to a party dressed as a haunted doll. You can probably guess why.

Have a nice day!

Shouta was heading to the teacher’s lounge before homeroom for what should be the first day of heroics training. He doesn’t know what All Might has in store for his kids but he assumes that he knows what he’s doing. 

 

That’s something a teacher would normally say, yes, but Yagi was more than just a normal teacher. Before the start of the year, he had met with Nedzu and discovered that All Might did not have his teaching license, something that completely floored the man until it was explained that the reason he was here was to look for a protege and due to his poor health (his injury) he didn’t have a lot of time left. 

 

Even then, he was still being taught how to teach by Nedzu and would get his license by the end of this year.

 

That’s why he’s only teaching heroics…

 

Indeed. It’s why he was observing your class yesterday to see if any one of them fit the bill.

 

He better not approach my kids. Hitoshi wants to go underground and Izuku would shrivel up in a spotlight like All Might’s.

 

Yes, neither of them would be good as a successor but he has taken interest in one of your children’s friends.

 

What? Who?

 

Yaoyorozu Momo.

 

It was a pick he wouldn’t have expected. Yaoyorozu was more of the thinking type, not the fighting type. He’d expect Iida and maybe even Bakugou but her? She was more privy to making plans and going slow, not fast and hard like All Might did for every fight he’s seen and heard the man has been in.

 

‘Maybe he’s not looking for someone just like him. Maybe he’s trying something different.’ he theorised, even though it made no sense.

 

Either way, he’s going to keep an eye on the blond hero now. Yaoyorozu may not be his kid but she is his student, both now and before UA with the training he put them all under. It’s not that he didn’t trust All Might but you can never be too sure, especially with what he knew about Endeavor.

 

That was another headache he was going to have to fight. Todoroki was in his class and in UA. There were things they could do to assure his safety but only if they had proof of abuse. They still had the recording Izuku sent in all those years ago but it wasn’t strong enough evidence, a good lawyer could easily crush it.

 

For some reason though, Nedzu hasn’t touched much on the subject, Izuku too. He would’ve thought the kid would be all over that the second things settled down after the adoption but the topic of the Todoroki’s never came back up.

 

At least, until today. He noticed how much Gala avoided the half and half boy. He didn’t know why but he knew it wasn’t something he could talk about with him. Well, he could but knowing Izuku, he’d deny it easily and act like he was the weird one and then deflect elsewhere.

 

It has been a growing worry seeing how good his son was getting at playing at people’s strings. Just the other day he somehow managed to talk his way into being given a bigger allowance by Hizashi just by telling the man that he wanted to make gifts for everyone in his new class.

 

Sure he was going to do it, but after it wasn’t as if Hizashi could just go back to the old cash he was given weekly. In effect, Izuku had gotten more money just by spending a little bit of it on something he could probably make without.

 

Worst of all, he knew the rat was involved in that dangerous growth. He doesn’t know how or why, he just does.

 

Shouta pushed open the door into the teacher’s lounge. There was All Might there in his deflated form looking over some documents. He thought it might’ve been the lesson plans he had for 1-A and B but it seemed to be some files on each of the students.

 

“Ah, young Aizawa!” Yagi exclaimed.

 

‘Young? I’m thirty. Nemuri reminds me every time she complains about her own age,’ he thought.

 

“Yagi… what are you doing with those records?” Shouta questioned, having a good idea as to why.

 

“Oh! I’m just making sure I know my students best before the lesson today.” he answered.

 

The black haired man hummed acknowledgement then turned to go to his own desk before being stopped by Yagi calling out to him again.

 

“Sorry young Aizawa, do you mind helping me with something here? One of these students is confusing me and it just so happened to be one of your children.” the blond asked, motioning the man over.

 

Shouta turned around to face the number one hero again. “Who?”

 

“Yamazawa Izuku. I don’t quite understand his situation. According to his records, it’s not suggested he fight in heroics training directly and for any quirkless training to be entirely excused from.” he explained his confusion. “It says in his medical record too that he has muscle atrophy.”

 

“Okay, and?” he asked, maybe a bit more apathetic than usual.

 

“I am aware of his quirk but surely having him go into combat, even inside a doll, would be unwise. I’m not sure how I can teach a student who can’t enter a fight.” Yagi stated, seemingly to be genuinely unsure.

 

“Izuku won’t be going into fights himself. His puppets will.” Shouta explained, hoping he got it.

 

That seemed to only confuse the blond more. “What happens if he gets into a fight without them?”

 

“That would be near impossible. Izuku doesn’t go anywhere without at least one puppet with him. Even then, I’m sure you saw how he did without one in the entrance exam.”

 

The man looked to think over what was said, coming to a conclusion in his own mind before lighting up a little in what was a clear ‘light bulb’ moment for him. “You’re right! Thank you, I’ll try and take that into account during my lessons.” Yagi thanked.

 

He didn’t seem to have a bad idea for what it’s worth. Shouta couldn’t tell for sure though because he’s not a mind reader. He accepted it either way with another hum by him as he finally went over to his desk to do some work.

 

‘Hopefully there’ll be no issues today.’

 

- - -

 

Izuku sat at his desk along with the rest of the class whilst they all waited excitedly with bated breath. It was after lunch and everyone was in their seats. Dad had just left after telling everyone to wait for their next teacher to arrive. 

 

They all knew that All Might would be teaching, at least that’s what the hologram showing their results said. Izuku’s friend group knew he definitely was but there was still an air of uncertainty whether the number one hero of the entirety of Japan and maybe even the world itself would really be teaching them.

 

All of the sudden, their classroom door swung open and in came a voice loud enough to compete with Papa’s. 

 

“I AM HERE… coming through the door heroically!” he yelled, causing many people to light up and cheer. Even some of the more reserved ones like the rock headed boy, Kouda, and the earphone jack girl, Jirou, looked excited but did so in a more quiet manner.

 

All Might was one of his top five favourite heroes. First being Present Mic and second being Eraserhead (in that order because he knows it bugs Dad in a funny way). Third was Best Jeanist, he liked the man’s quirk funny enough, and fourth was Gang Orca, mostly from how much he studied the man for Julius’ fighting style.

 

“He really is here…” Monoma muttered next to him, causing Gala to turn their head in his direction.

 

“Is he one of your favourites?” Izuku asked, causing the boy to snap his head to him looking offended.

 

“Hah. As if. A show off like that? Someone who only fights in big flashy battles with no thoughts behind those eyes except punching would never be in my good books.” the blond answered.

 

“You make that sound like a bad thing.” the doll pointed out.

 

“I just think some heroes should learn to be more eloquent in their work.” he rebutted. “What’s wrong with holding the title of number one hero to the highest standard?”

 

Izuku hasn’t known Monoma for long but he could tell that he was definitely some kind of arrogance. Not narcissistic, at least not from what he could tell so far, but definitely arrogant and slightly stuck up, at least from the way he speaks in a manner that sounds almost condescending.

 

Despite that though, he couldn’t help but find it entertaining to watch. It feels the same as when he’s watching Kacchan go off the rails. It fills him with a giddy excitement seeing someone act so blatantly and direct, no careful wording or language involved.

 

“In that case, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I hold you to those standards too.” Gala stated, continuing the conversation as All Might explained the exercise.

 

“Be my guest!” the blond grinned, “I’m sure to knock your socks off.”

 

From one side of the classroom, furthest from Izuku, several shelves opened out with numbered cases in them. He recognised those boxes immediately as the same ones where he put his own costume and equipment in yesterday.

 

All Might told them to grab their cases and head to the changing rooms to get their costumes on, before stepping out and leaving. The greenette does notice that he doesn’t dawdle and takes off quickly without any delay but dismisses it for the moment.

 

Because now was the time to have fun.

 

Taking his case he followed the rest of the class as they all excitedly entered the changing rooms to get ready. Gala took a cubicle. It was already stressful enough being looked at by strangers but whilst wearing minimal clothing too? He wouldn’t have made it.

 

After he was done changing, he had Gala jump into their own costume. It wasn’t as flashy as the rest of the dolls as they weren’t intended for fighting but that didn’t mean he hadn’t equipped them with weapons to protect themselves and him by proxy.

 

They wore a fireproof, kevlar made black robe with green trims that looked almost sacred and nun-like with a hood up to hide their head and a mask to shield it too. Because they were the only doll allowed to move about freely, they needed something so that, in the future, he wouldn’t be bothered by civilians when he’s just going about his day. Like Papa and his civilian clothes. 

 

What they wielded was much more intimidating than their attire. Continuing to borrow from the gothic church appearance, they carried a hammer with a bell shaped head meant to be used to protect themself and Izuku if ever they got into an actual fight.

 

With everything ready, he decided to go out in his costume in person. Mostly because he was so proud of it he wanted to show off a little, even if he might be uncomfortable with the attention.

 

His outfit was, like everything else his dolls wore, inspired by old London and the Victorian styled clothing dolls tend to be associated with. A white ruffle shirt with flared sleeves and a large and pretty green bow tie with ribbons stretching down the front. Accompanying it was a well ironed suit vest and a large well fitted suit jacket because he wanted to feel cosy inside of Gala.

 

He had some simple, flexible suit pants, all coloured his dark green of course and some deceptively comfy and easy-to-move-in heeled boots which hugged his feet nicely. On top of this, and on top of his head, he had a nice small top hat with its own bow on it meant to make him appear even more formal and darling.

 

He wanted to look nice and pleasant, to appear as something disarming and charming, after all the only time anyone should see him was when he was out of combat so why the need for function?

 

The last thing in his costume was a tablet, hooked up to all of the dolls and the internet so that he didn’t need to use his phone for everything.

 

Naturally all of his clothing had ruffles. They were comfy and made him feel better than skin tight fitting clothing that would otherwise cause him to feel awkward and exposed. Once he saw how he looked in the mirror and was happy, he had Gala carry him outside, the bell hammer in a holster on her back.

 

Heading out to join the rest of the class, some of them paused when they saw Gala carrying Izuku. Yesterday they only had a brief glimpse of him but now that he was out and visible, everyone could get a proper look at him.

 

“You good?” Hitoshi immediately whispered, walking over to him.

 

He wore something not unlike what Eraserhead would. His brother aspired to be an underground hero and as such didn’t really have a theme to his costume. Besides the jumpsuit with light body armor and padding for protection there wasn’t much to say. The only thing of real note was the mask he wore, an intense looking one with mechanical nozzles.

 

Hearing his question, Izuku commanded Gala to hand him his tablet and typed out a response. “For now. I wanted to show off my outfit.” he explained through the doll's voice, which was now more sombre to avoid it being recognised.

 

“Let me know the second things get too much.” he provided. It didn’t need to be said, Izuku knows he can ask him for help anytime he needs it but he knew how protective Hitoshi can get with him, especially the second Izuku was clearly out of his comfort zone.

 

Tenya came over with Momo and Kacchan, accompanied by some of his other classmates to check out each other's costumes and Izuku’s. 

 

“Momo…” Tenya started, “Isn’t that costume a bit… light?”

 

She had a chest window that was far bigger than one should be, stretching all the way down to her belly button. One might say it was needed for her quirk but the fact she lacked a back window, a place with a lot more surface area than the chest, showed that wasn’t a priority here.

 

Her face said it too. “My mother… she switched out my other costume application without me seeing.”

 

That was all she had to say. Recently, Momo’s mom had gotten worse the closer they got to UA. Thankfully the weight trick with the scales was still working so she was still free to eat how she pleased. As part of her quirk, her fat compresses itself so that she can carry more without losing shape, meaning that any fat she does put on is completely invisible to the naked eye.

 

Momo’s mother had her set her weight to be around eighty kilograms, factoring in muscles and her height. Insane considering her quirk was so demanding in terms of energy. In reality though, the ponytailed girl was about a hundred twenty, a big portion of that being compressed lipids.

 

But just because they got past one hurdle, didn’t mean they could get past them all. With Momo now in UA, her mom will likely be even more of a helicopter parent.

 

“Are you able to change it?” the glasses boy asked.

 

“Thankfully yes, I’m already planning to send in my original design.” she answered.

 

The conversation shifted away from there when Uraraka jumped in to talk to Izuku. “Wow, Yamazawa! Your costume makes you look like a prince!”

 

“Elegante!” a very sparkly blond boy said. “It’s wonderful to know there are others who share in being pétillant!”

 

“Dude, how are you going to fight in that? You too Monoma!” the red haired boy, Kirishima, said, looking between the two classmates.

 

Monoma was dressed, surprisingly, in a similar manner to Izuku. Much like the boy said yesterday, he was wearing a full suit. Tie and all. Though it wasn’t Victorian like his it was definitely close with the long coat tails that billowed in the wind and white cuffs that made him appear like he was going to a ball.

 

Izuku’s been told (by Papa) that wearing a suit can make a person appear more handsome and that certainly seemed to be the case with Monoma. He didn’t look bad at all in it.

 

‘Wait, why am I thinking that?’ he thought, confused.

 

That thought was dismissed quickly, tucking it away in his mind whilst he typed up a response for Kirishima. “I don’t know about Monoma but I won’t be doing much of the fighting. Preferably, I’d rather not have to lift a finger or throw a single punch.”

 

The copier then jumped in, in his defense. “As for my explanation, my quirk makes it so that I can’t prepare around it like many of you can. So naturally I don’t have any kind of bulky equipment besides these watches to keep track of my quirk.” 

 

“That still doesn’t answer the suit.” Kaminari stated.

 

“What? Can’t a guy look good when saving people?” Monoma responded with a brush of his hair. “I could easily say the same of you and those bulky headphones.”

 

“Hey! These have a use! I can call for backup with them using my quirk!” the yellow haired boy argued.

 

As the whole class talked about their costumes, All Might had arrived, calling out to them to approach him. The whole class did, eyes glistening at remembering that they were about to be taught by the number one hero.

 

“They say the clothes make the pros. And you lot certainly prove it." He complimented everyone's costumes. 

 

His eyes seemed to settle on Izuku for a moment, looking a bit surprised by his appearance but dismissed whatever thought he had in his head quickly. A hologram was set up where the teacher was, showing what they’ll be doing today for the heroics lesson.

 

He started off with talking about the types of villains they would meet, in particular ones that are known for their intelligence. Izuku couldn’t help but think how much of that would’ve applied to him when he was younger, it made him wonder what would’ve happened if he ever wasn’t found.

 

“That’s why for today, the majority of you will be doing two on two indoor battles.” All Might continued to explain.

 

“Isn’t that a bit advanced?” wondered Asui, the frog girl, concerned. Izuku would be too if he wasn’t more excited at the prospect of finally having a proper battle.

 

“They say the best kind of training is the one that earns you experience. You’ve all fought robots so far but now you get the chance to combat another person and see where you stand with your own skills.” he answered though the reasoning was a bit shaky.

 

That of course led to a lot of questions being asked.

 

“Sir, will you be deciding who wins?” Momo questioned.

 

“How much can we hurt the other team?” Kacchan asked. Of course.

 

“Do we need to worry about getting expelled for losing?” Uraraka worried.

 

“What did you mean by ‘majority of you’?” wondered Hitoshi.

 

“Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?” Tenya asked.

 

“Isn’t this cape trés chic?” Yes it very much is.

 

All Might was clearly a bit overwhelmed with all the questions and uttered in a strained voice that he wasn’t finished with his explanation. When everyone went quiet so he could continue his instruction, he pulled out a small book, clearly a script, but no one dared to speak out besides a few whispers.

 

“Is that seriously a script?” Hitoshi whispered to Izuku.

 

“It’s his first lesson so he’s probably not used to teaching yet.” the greenette whispered back.

 

Even the best have flaws.

 

The battle trials were simple. In a five story building, a fake bomb sits that is the central objective of the scenario. One side, the villains, are goaled with protecting the bomb and preventing the other team, the heroes, from touching it until either the timer runs out or the enemy team has been incapacitated. The heroes’ goal is to do the same, except they must touch the bomb instead of defending it. Effectively ‘disarming’ it.

 

There would be a ten minute wait where the heroes must stand outside whilst the villains prepared any defenses and plans they had inside the building. Ultimately it was a very simple game.

 

Besides one small caveat.

 

“Time is short so we’ll be deciding who’s on who’s team by drawing lots!” All Might proclaimed, taking out a box.

 

“Isn’t that a bit unsophisticated?” Tenya asked aloud.

 

“We don’t choose who we are paired up with in a real combat scenario.” Gala spoke behind him. “Having it be random teaches us to be adaptable.”

 

“I see. That does make sense. Forgive my rudeness for speaking up out of term.” the armoured boy said with a bow.

 

Lots were drawn and quickly teams were decided:

 

* * * * *

 

TEAM A: Monoma Neito + Hakagure Toru

 

TEAM B: Shouji Mezo + Kirishima Eijirou

 

TEAM C: Ojiro Mashiro + Tokoyami Fumikage

 

TEAM D: Jirou Kyoka + Yaoyorozu Momo

 

TEAM E: Kouda Koji + Aoyama Yuuga

 

TEAM F: Bakugou Katsuki + Yamazawa Hitoshi

 

TEAM G: Uraraka Ochako + Sero Hanta

 

TEAM H: Ashido Mina + Iida Tenya

 

TEAM J: Todoroki Shouto + Asui Tsuyu + Kaminari Denki

 

* * * * *

 

“Um, sir?” Kaminari spoke up. “I think there’s some kind of mistake, there’s three J Team ballots and no I Team.”

 

He’s right. For some reason Izuku was told to wait until last to pick up his. At first he thought something funny was going on but now he understands what’s about to happen. 

 

“Why of course, young Kaminari! That’s because one of you will be fighting a three on one battle in order to make things fair!” he explained.

 

Everyone started chatting to themselves, going through who that one in that match would be and after some quick thinking, all eyes turned to Izuku. Instinctually Gala threw up their robe a little to shield him.

 

“How is that fair? Sure Yamazawa has that tall puppet but it’s still three on two. So not manly!” Kirishima said.

 

“Actually, he should have three extra puppets on standby ready for combat!” All Might stated. “Am I correct, young Yamazawa?”

 

“You are.” Gala spoke. “I can command them to come here.”

 

The blond hero raised up a single hand to stop him. “No need! I had them transported here during lunch.”

 

The door into Ground Beta opened, revealing a bunch of service robots pushing the stands for Ida, Julius and Lily over to them. The rest of the class watched on, amazed, as the additional puppets arrived.

 

Once they were in front of him, Izuku moved over and used his quirk on each of them, topping up their spinal fluid for the battle ahead. With a simple thought, all three jolted to life and stepped over to accompany him.

 

“As you can see, any team with young Yamazawa would be at a distinct advantage compared to the other side!” All Might told them.

 

“Some of them don’t look that dangerous…” Kaminari said shakily, only being wary of Julius who stood tall and formal with his mechanical chest puffed out a little. It also didn’t help that his new eyes were made to look stern and serious with a glowing red. Like a disapproving grandfather.

 

The blond boy’s confidence shattered a little when Ida sparked her ‘broom’, causing him to flinch back even though electricity was his forte.

 

“Now then! Let us begin!”

Notes:

Izuku's outfit was inspired by a lot of gothic era clothing and culture.

Next Chapter:

Heroes and Villains

Chapter 63: Heroes and Villains

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Happy Halloween! Some of you may notice a little change to the fic in that it is now a part of a collection. That's because I'm releasing a small work set in the time skip between chapter 58 and 59. It's Halloween themed and isn't meant to be that serious. It will be released later today after I finished editing it so look forward to that!

Have a nice day! <3

Shouto didn’t know many quirks beyond his own. Or rather he never bothered to learn of many other quirks that weren't his or ones that are powerful enough to rival his own, at least on the surface. 

 

Admittedly that was because his old man, Endeavor, instilled in him or tried to, the idea that any quirk not good for hero work was a ‘weak’ quirk. An obviously stupid sentiment but not one he doesn’t subconsciously share.

 

Despite every person in class 1-A having proven themselves in their own respective ways, he couldn’t help but judge each of their quirks. The rock headed one, Kouda, for example had a power that would be useless in most urban environments. Of course that didn’t mean he would be working in them but if a hero can only thrive under certain circumstances, then they weren’t a strong hero.

 

Another example would be the Yamazawas, both of them.

 

One had a quirk that only worked on people and while that could be powerful it was arguably useless in any other scenario without it. Honestly he had no clue how he managed to get past the entrance exam considering, from what he heard, it was entirely robots.

 

He might’ve been skilled with martial arts but in the face of a powerful quirk, such skills were useless. They only go as far as beating street level thugs until you get to the actual problems. The city levellers, the mass murderers, the supervillains.

 

The other Yamazawa was the same. Sure he managed to beat Shouto in the quirk apprehension test but so did Yaoyorozu and he was sure he could overwhelm her easily with his quirk. So what if his little dolls were slightly stronger than the average human? Could they escape being frozen?

 

He didn’t know how his quirk worked but there had to be something inside them. They came to life when he touched them so there has to be some kind of fuel. And if it was liquid, he could freeze it.

 

As for the boy himself, he didn’t understand how someone who can’t even throw a punch themselves could ever aspire to be a hero. It felt like an insult to everything that has happened to Shouto. It’s even more of an insult when he’s been given the extra teammate like they even matter to him.

 

That’s why this victory must be absolute. He’ll just freeze the building, touch the bomb and make it clear that he was not to be treated in the same league as a normal hero student.

 

- - -

 

Everyone was in the observation room, seeing the site through the many cameras both inside and outside the building. After some additional lots, who will be fighting who had been chosen and for the first match (to avoid Izuku injecting fluid again due to the amount of time that would pass between matches) it was going to be Team J vs Team I. He was chosen for the villain’s team.

 

He’ll admit, he was a bit out of his depth. If he was on the Heroes Team, he’d be soaring. The amount of warehouses he’s crashed into and raided was enough to tell him he would’ve dominated this battle but that wasn’t the case here. He’s never had to defend something before.

 

The closest he ever got was when he was protecting himself from the heroes when he was, like, six.

 

“Now for this trial, young Yamazawa will head to a different room to operate his puppets from.” All Might instructed. “That way, we can have a fair match between the teams.”

 

Izuku made his way to a small room, a kind of rest room for after training, and sat down on Gala’s lap as they themselves sat on a sofa chair. After he got comfy, he brought up his tablet and commanded the Servants, as he’s now calling them, to head down to the battle area. 

 

His tablet was connected to the observation room so All Might could contact him and alert him if there was a need to stop the exercise, same for the enemy team but with ear buds instead.

 

The puppets all passed by the enemy team and Izuku made quick work analyzing what their fighting styles would be.

 

First there was Asui, quirk Frog. Her power was a mutation one so it naturally gave her strength beyond what a normal person could do. Her legs especially so it was likely she would incorporate a lot of kicks into her attacks. Then there was her tongue. If he wasn’t careful, she could disarm Ida and Julius or throw them off balance during a crucial moment.

 

She is also very flexible and can likely stick to walls. She’ll likely climb up the building to reach the top and find the bomb from out there. Odds are she’ll be their scout and fighting her from a distance, beyond the reach of her tongue, would be ideal.

 

Ultimately she would be a difficult fight. Best doll would be Lily as she would be able to maintain that distance consistently with her tools. 

 

Next there was Kaminari, quirk Electrification. His power electrified himself and the area around him. He didn’t use it during the Quirk Apprehension Test but he mentioned it when everyone was introducing themselves.

 

One look at the boy and one could see he isn’t that physically well built and scored eighteenth place on the test yesterday. Odds are he wasn’t that well trained and will likely rely on his quirk. Despite that though, one touch and he could wipe out a doll and kill all of the fluid inside it.

 

Ultimately he would need an instant shutdown. Best doll would be Ida as she had some shock absorption built in due to her broom.

 

Finally that left… Todoroki, quirk Half Cold Half Hot. A hybrid quirk that acts like two separate ones. He hasn’t seen the fire side but he can expect it to be deadly from how much Endeavor probably… instilled onto him. If he wanted to… If he…

 

‘Don’t get distracted. Morality later, tactics now.’

 

If he wanted to beat him, he’d need to have all three dolls on him. Problem was, he couldn’t, not with the other two. That’s why he needed to be creative and remove the other two from the situation before they entered a confrontation. Either that or take him out immediately.

 

Ultimately in that scenario… Best doll would be Julius who could survive both his fire and ice.

 

The Servants all gathered in the room with the bomb. It was much bigger than Izuku expected but was actually light enough to be moved like he was carrying a plank of wood. The size was probably so that people couldn’t hide it on them and turn the trial into a game of tag.

 

Right now it was on the third floor so naturally they moved it up higher to the fifth. It was an obvious thing to do but that wasn’t the only thing they did. Having Julius on the fourth and third floor, he got to doing some demolition work.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi watched his brother through the cameras command the new giant/butler doll to smash the entirety of the first, second, third and fourth floor to pieces, practically turning the four levels into one huge room with few pillars supporting the building.

 

“Why is he doing that? Won’t the building come down if he’s too careless?” the tape guy, Sero, asked.

 

Hitoshi wasn’t entirely sure either. He could be trying to make the area more open so that Lily had more breathing room but making the room bigger meant there were more ways for the heroes to touch the bomb and finish the exercise.

 

“Honestly, I thought when I got to UA I’d find some minds like mine but it seems some of you are still lacking up there.” Monoma babbled on.

 

“What did you say?” Ashido spun around to face him along with the rest of the class.

 

“I’m saying you can’t see he’s doing more than just opening up a few rooms. He’s intentionally making it unstable too.” he explained. “He’s on the villains team, meaning he doesn’t have to worry about structural damage but the heroes do, especially with the bomb there.”

 

“How does that help him?” wondered the invisible girl, Hakagure. “This isn’t a real battle so it doesn’t really help him here.”

 

“Not yet… you’ll see.” he smiled, turning back to watch the battle begin.

 

Hitoshi didn’t like Monoma for some reason. He was clearly some kind of arrogant and sure at times the purple haired boy could be sassy but he never looked down on people. The blond was different. You could somehow feel how little he thought of the class, whether he’s a good actor or genuinely felt that, he couldn’t tell.

 

He wondered how their match would go. Having two invisible people walking around could be bad, but he knew Bakugou was (like) a dog when it came to things he can’t see. Even the smallest change in the wind and the blond would be firing off explosions in their direction.

 

As for him? Dad made sure to instill in him his perceptiveness. He doesn’t know how skilled Hakagure was in stealth but he can imagine she had some natural talent but definitely not trained. The apprehension tests prove that.

 

“Heroes, you may now enter the building!” All Might boomed into the mic.

 

- - -

 

Ida stood at the base of the second floor, waiting to hear footsteps coming up so she could ambush them. What came instead was a wave of cold and ice that completely encompassed the building. It got the maid first but because of his years fighting all manner of quirks she dodged it by leaping over, Julius and Lily doing the same.

 

‘That’s a lot more power than expected.’ he thought, commanding Ida to keep an eye out.

 

The fun thing about being a doll was that Ida didn’t feel the cold so she wasn’t affected that much but it was a problem for the enemy team. After a few seconds where the ice didn’t dissipate, Izuku realised that frost wasn't going to melt anytime soon.

 

‘So what? Is Asui just expected to sit and do nothing?’ he thought. Assuming the girl was cold blooded like any frog was, that along with her costume, she’d be at a severe disadvantage here. 

 

Lily checked out the windows, making sure not to trigger some of the traps she set, and couldn’t see sight nor slime of the frog girl. Either that meant they were already in the building or were still outside waiting because of the frost.

 

‘What is their…’ his thinking was stopped when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. A single set.

 

Izuku gazed in confusion as Todoroki and only Todoroki walked up the stairs. Kaminari wasn’t even with him. Not just that but his guard was down and had clearly assumed that all of the dolls were taken out in the first cold snap.

 

‘Does he seriously underestimate us that much? I’ll make him regret that.’ Izuku plotted, commanding Ida to withdraw into the shadows.

 

As the boy made his way to the fourth floor, Julius carefully hid himself away on the fifth whilst Ida crept in from behind the boy. Having Lily stand in front of the bomb, pretending her feet were stuck in the ice, the boy coolly stepped in only to be stabbed from behind by the taser mop.

 

Todoroki’s body jerked for a moment, stumbling and almost slipping on his own ice before Julius crashed in through a wall in a nearby room and tossed the boy upwards. 

 

The ice travelled around the building without him knowing whether it hit its mark. That meant odds were he couldn’t fire ice in the air like a projectile. That meant he needed to be off the ground and Julius did it finely.

 

Then with a near perfect execution, Lily unfurled her weapon and fired a rubber bullet straight into the boy’s stomach as he was tumbling mid air. This causes Todoroki to yowl before hitting the ground, disorientated from the gas now being emitted by the butler.

 

He slammed a hand on the ground and made another surge of ice, completely surrounding the bicoloured boy and jutting out in violent icicles causing Julius and Ida to hop back and reposition. Lily used her grappling hook to jettison herself away to get some distance from the frost prince.

 

The boy kept us his defenses whilst he recovered, a hail of gunfire coming down upon him whilst Julius searched for an opening. The maid went for the windows, making sure the other two weren’t coming in and just managed to catch Asui, with Kaminari holding onto her, crash through a window.

 

“C’mon man! You said you had it handled and yet here you are pinned down!” the yellow haired boy chastised as he climbed off of Asui who immediately went for the bomb.

 

Lily switched to her submachine mode and fired in the frog's direction causing her to jump back from the shots.

 

‘Time for the plan to go ahead,’ he thought.

 

Dodging another blast of ice from Todoroki, Julius charged towards the bomb and slammed the ground under it, causing the floor beneath it to shatter easily and for the giant explosive to fall down. Because of the fact the lower floors were also destroyed, it fell all the way to the first, ice crunching and dust being thrown up in the crash.

 

Now Izuku didn’t need to worry about the objective and could focus on fighting.

 

The Heroes team watched and questioned what they should do, all the while Lily turned her shots back on Todoroki whilst moving slowly towards the hole. Asui, seeing she was no longer focused on (intentionally) took the chance to dive through the hole the bomb fell through to try and go after the objective and win the battle.

 

Seeing this, the mannequin immediately stopped shooting and jumped in after her, the two free falling four floors. The frog girl tried to use her tongue to touch the bomb early but, whilst mid air, Lily fired her grappling hook to latch onto the small hero student and pull them both to each other.

 

Asui yelped from being yanked upwards, turning around to be met with the puppet taking out her arm blade and holding it to her neck whilst another grapple was fired to stop them from hitting the ground.

 

She tried to wrestle free but Lily had her wrapped up like a spider, making sure her legs weren’t able to kick by using some wrestling move unbefitting of the noble lady looking doll. She gave up and petered in and out of consciousness, the ice and cold finally getting to her.

 

- - -

 

Todoroki could barely keep up with what was happening. One moment he was walking through a door, seeing the bomb and a frozen doll in the center of the room. Next he was currently cowering behind his ice, protecting himself from an onslaught of punches and bashes, courtesy of the large puppet.

 

He thought Izuku was just an inexperienced student with a bunch of weak dolls but every punch that shattered his ice proved otherwise. 

 

‘I didn’t know they were this strong!’ he thought, trying to keep a cool head through his panicking mind.

 

Elsewhere in the room, he could see Kaminari unleashing an indiscriminate shock to try and get the maid puppet but with a speed he could barely keep up with, the yellow haired boy was taken down with… a spray bottle? Some kind of gas sprayed in his face and a kick to the stomach took him out before he could fully use his quirk.

 

That sight distracted him long enough though to be immediately crushed in a single blow by the giant, the last of his ice shattered as a fist drove through and completely crushed the boy.

 

His consciousness faded as over the loudspeakers, Izuku was declared the winner and the match was finished.

 

- - -

 

Everyone in the observation room were watching on in a mix of awe and fear watching how easily the puppets took apart the other team. The sight of the bomb falling made the whole class gasp, wondering if it was cheating but after a quick explanation by Momo about how bombs of that make are specifically built to resist crashing and falling over (as long as it didn’t hit the tip), everyone refocused on the fight.

 

“Tsu was so close!” Uraraka groaned and indeed she was. A milisecond later and her tongue would’ve touched the bomb, winning it for the heroes.

 

“Man those puppets are crazy!” Kirishima stated, watching the final blow of the match go through, Julius taking out the ice prince in a single hit.

 

Hitoshi couldn’t help but smile at all of the compliments. He knew Izuku would love them too, especially when Ashido started talking about how scary some of them looked. With the fighting over, everyone returned to their room. 

 

Kaminari and Todoroki were unconscious, one by being punched, the other through being gassed by Ida. Asui was completely unhurt despite getting the closest to the bomb and sat with the rest of the class as Izuku stepped in with his army of puppets behind him.

 

“Now then! Who can tell me where the Heroes Team went wrong in their raid?” All Might asked.

 

Momo, naturally, was the first to raise her hand to answer. “That would be when Todoroki used his ice on the entire building and entered assuming all threats had been dealt with. Even if he had somehow froze all of the puppets, for all he knew there could’ve been a plethora of traps he could’ve walked into.”

 

“Additionally,” she continued, “because of his flagrant frost attack, Asui was left at a disadvantage going into the fight due to her biology being weaker in colder climates. Not just this but Kaminari was too, ice is an insulator so his range and power would be weakened greatly despite being indoors.”

 

All Might tried to get a word in but either Momo didn’t notice or was too busy with her battlefield analysis. “Despite this though, Asui deserves to be commemorated for realising her weakness and still proceeding with the battle trial. She realised that their team was at a disadvantage right away and prioritised the main objective over fighting. It is unfortunate for her that Izuku was prepared for such a possibility.”

 

She took a short breath, finishing her explanation. Most of the class stood there stunned whilst Izuku felt a pang of pride surge within him from her compliments on his strategy. The silence was cut short when Asui spoke up, slightly flustered from the commemoration, to ask that Momo call her Tsu.

 

“Ahem!” All Might pardoned himself. “T-thank you young Yaoyorozu for that thrilling analysis! Now let’s see to the next rounds!”

 

The next couple battles were interesting to watch. Despite only having a quirk that talks with animals and maybe creatures, Kouda was surprisingly well versed in fighting. Apparently his mutation did more than just make him look like a rock person but also made his skin tougher too. When asked after he signed to say his mutation was meant to make him feel like a smooth rock in the sun, the perfect sleeping spot for birds and small animals.

 

Tokoyami’s quirk was interesting too. He wondered at first if his power was like his in that Dark Shadow isn’t ‘alive’ but feels it to him. After he heard the sentient shadow talk though, he was sure that it wasn’t the case and they were genuinely two separate minds.

 

The next match that got his attention was Momo and Jirou against Tenya and Ashido, with the latter being the heroes team.

 

Watching his friends battle it out with each other in a much wider setting than a gym or the beach was something he was ecstatic about. There’s things that can’t be done in such settings without all of the battle scenario’s props and buildings.

 

As expected, Momo was in her element going on the defense, turning the building and especially the area near the bomb into an iron fortress. That, coupled with Jirou’s information gathering the battle was grossly in their favour.

 

That didn’t mean Tenya and Ashido were to be beaten easily. He really wants to ask the pink girl for some of her acid because that would be amazing to have in Ida’s arsenal. The way it melted their way to the heart of the building was impressive, even if she clearly got weaker the deeper they got in.

 

When they reached the bomb room, Momo and Tenya immediately went for the other, the latter intentionally drumming up the theatrics and calling the black haired girl a ‘sworn cur on society’. 

 

It’s a shame then that he still got beaten in what was an incredibly entertaining fight with Momo using her quirk to slick the entire room in lubricant, effectively causing the too fast boy to crash into a concrete wall and almost break his leg (thank goodness for the armor!).

 

After that, she took him down with a perfect polearm slam and though Tenya did get a kick in leaving the girl with a massive bruise on her arm, he was apprehended. Jirou and Ashido’s fight went similarly, with the former taking her down in an improvised wrestling move.

 

“Villains win!” All Might shouted over the mic, declaring their match over.

 

‘Now next was Hitoshi and Kacchan’s match.’

 

“Hey Yamazawa,” a voice next to the boy said.

 

He turned to see Monoma, looking up a little at him due to Gala carrying Izuku in their arms like a doll. “Yes, Monoma?”

 

“In your opinion, what do you think about that match? Specifically about how Yaoyorozu took out the tin man there?” he questioned.

 

“Iida,” Gala started off with, “should’ve predicted that Momo would attempt to trap the room against him. He should’ve gone for the bomb, using the oiled up surface to get there quicker even if it meant crashing.” 

 

“Why oil though? Why not caltrops? Wouldn’t that fix the issue, or better yet a spike strip?” he suggested.

 

It was clear from a battle trial standpoint but in reality such a thing would’ve been better used. “She didn’t want to risk hurting someone.”

 

“But she’s on the villain’s team, shouldn’t it matter if a little bit of blood gets spilt?” he asked, keeping a smile that made Izuku fiddle with the edge of his sleeve..

 

“What are these questions? You’re clearly trying to get to a point.” Izuku assumed.

 

He acted like he was innocently saying things. “I am. Don’t you think that villains have been getting more aggressive lately? I’m just thinking about how one could fight a bad guy fairly when they don’t play by the rules at all.”

 

“As long as it aligns with the law, I don’t see any issue in how one makes an omelet.” the doll explained, the greenette still unsure what brought this conversation up.

 

“Exactly! Just like how you destroyed half a building just to capture one guy.” he listed as an example.

 

The puppeteer narrowed his eyes a bit. “You’re planning on doing something similar.”

 

“No, I’m not a copycat!” He laughed a little. “I’m just saying, I find you to be intriguing considering we’re a bit alike.”

 

“I don’t see it.” Izuku argued.

 

“Oh I think I do…” Monoma smiled. All Might called for his team to head out. 

 

The greenette briefly looked up at the shouting adult before continuing their conversation. “And what are you thinking?” 

 

“Not thinking, connecting.” he said walking away but not before saying something that caused Izuku to widen his eyes in minute shock.

 

Monoma waved lazily as he walked off. “See you in a bit, Dollmaker.”

Notes:

I hope the action was alright, I was a bit fatigued when going over this so there might be a bit of weird writing in there.

Next Chapter:

Phantom Thief

Chapter 64: Phantom Thief

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

We just hit 40k hits! Another milestone reached! Soon we might get to 50k!

Also, some of you might have noticed a change to the tags...

It's going to be a ride so buckle up and remember, seatbelts save lives.

Have a nice day! <3

Neito doesn’t know much about Yamazawa, or should he say Midoriya? No, he’ll be polite. A gentleman thief needs to be a gentleman first and foremost and if he couldn’t do it for such an interesting person then he might as well burn his suit.

 

He doesn’t know Yamazawa personally but he did make the connection that he was the Dollmaker. The moniker would’ve been long forgotten if the footage didn’t exist of him in action. Otherwise no one would know he was a kid vigilante/runaway who got caught and had all of the consequences thereof managed behind closed doors.

 

Neito remembered seeing the news story, a hulking puppet of metal almost killing a pro hero in a single hit. The image could still be played perfectly in his head, how terrifying that kind of strength was to be coming from a child. He was jealous of him for being able to do that. To have that kind of strength to do as he wished from such a young age.

 

Don’t get him wrong, he loves Copy. Well some parts he could do without but that’s a different conversation. Having a quirk with no real identity, no real theme or…

 

Uh, he’s not getting his point across right. Ok. Let’s go with an example.

 

First we have this invisible girl, Hakagure. Think about all of the things that have happened in her life all because of her quirk. How much does she know about hair? Has she ever brushed it? What about makeup? Does she even bother to buy any or does she do it because that’s what’s expected of a teenage girl in this day and age?

 

And that’s only the surface level stuff, the visuals. How is she treated? Honestly, she’s lucky she was born a girl. Imagine being a guy with that quirk? Sure women can be pervs just as much as guys can but… come on, how many people are going to think of that when they think of her?

 

Not a lot. It doesn’t leave that area though. He’s sure anyone who saw her for the first time wondered about if she ever bothers wearing clothes at all. Sure winter is a no go but summer? What’s stopping her?

 

How everyone is looking at her.

 

Perception. Judgement. Expectation. All of these things come back to that. Everything does.

 

A hero looks after their appearance. Even Aizawa, he’s sure, didn’t just throw on a bunch of black clothing and got lucky they worked well in the dark. It’s always about how people are seen, whether they want to be visible or not.

 

Villains too. Appearing scary and intimidating, classy and sophisticated, smart and crafty. People wear who they are no matter what they try.

 

So how does this relate back to his quirk?

 

Well… that’s the thing, there’s nothing there that can be explored. He only exists as a second, a double, a duplicate of someone's entire personality, and yes he means personality. That’s what quirks are and he won’t take ‘um actually’ for an answer.

 

So naturally, he is filled with jealousy. He is envious of a lot of things. He wants things but knows he can’t have them. Other people's grades, physique, capabilities, and of course their quirks. It’s what’s made him so…

 

He’s not blind. He knows he’s unlikable. 

 

He can be an ass and won’t even know it until after the conversation. Loud and arrogant, that’s who he is! Because that’s what he is. He can be anything and yet he is nothing without someone to give him something.

 

Makes sense given where he comes from.

 

Ok, he’s rambling away in his head now. He should really get to where he’s going so let’s do some rapid fire questions:

 

One. What do quirks have to do with him?

 

Answer, he has none without taking it, making him naturally envious.

 

Two. How does being jealous matter in this conversation?

 

Answer, because that jealousy is what allows him to do things other people can’t. Like Yamazawa. 

 

And finally. What does this have to do with the Dollmaker?

 

It’s simple. Despite how that puppeteer looks, just like him he is actually something much more degenerate. He knows it, he just needs to sift through that act. They’re the same, aren't they?

 

So with that analysis, one might ask how it helps in this upcoming match? It doesn’t, it’s for later so let’s get to the fun part and exercise a little while he’s at it.

 

- - -

 

“Better not get in my way, Dead Eyes.” Bakugou growled, walking up the stairs to the bomb.

 

“Right back at you.” Hitoshi said back.

 

The two had ten minutes to organise and ready themselves but odds were that wasn’t what was going to happen. Hitoshi will admit it, he and Bakugou are like oil and water in that they barely get along at all. They argue, shout and butt heads constantly. 

 

It’s natural when you’ve got someone who is needlessly competitive, aggressive and reactionary; and someone who is laid back, introverted and ever so slightly sassy. 

 

But that’s not why they’re not discussing plans, no not at all. It was because they both already knew their strengths and weaknesses. Treating the match like a real scenario, Bakugou couldn’t be near the bomb because of, well, simple logic.

 

Meanwhile, Hitoshi needed to keep himself in the dark, ready himself for ambushing the enemy. The thing about having Izuku as a little brother is that you learn you can never have too many tricks. Odds are Monoma and Hakagure were going stealthy so he set some tripwires and spike traps around to act as a way of monitoring chokepoints for movement.

 

Their unsaid plan was simple: Bakugou would patrol the lower floors whilst he kept the bomb’s floor secure. It might seem stupid to have the bomberanian go alone against two invisible people but if he knew him, and he did, they would never get the drop on him.

 

‘God, it’s almost like we trust each other.’ he dreaded the thought.

 

Because anything outside of now would probably end with an insult competition or a spar or anything competitive just so they could settle whatever dispute they had right that second. Honestly he doesn’t even know what on earth he’d called the blond and he had. Friendship? Comrades? Sparring partners? All of them felt off.

 

After setting some more traps here and there, updating Bakugou as to their locations. He heard a simple grunt as a response and an update that he was on the second floor. Once the timer ticked down and the horns rang, Hitoshi waited in hiding, keeping his eyes peeled.

 

- - -

 

Katsuki didn’t understand many things when it comes to people. He understood their emotions (keyword ‘their’). For example, one time when they were all out at a cat cafe Glasses was looking tired from studying. He acted like hot shit and said he was fine but he made sure to call him out on it and make him admit he was feeling burnout.

 

That’s one of the things the blond excels at and likes to do good at, telling people the obvious because they can’t work it out themselves. 

 

He’s done this with all of his… friends. One time Ponytail was having her usual ‘I’m not good enough!’ routine so Katsuki reminded her how skilled she actually was by fighting her. Izuku was freaking out over a repairman seeing him accidentally so he shut him up by making some katsudon for him.

 

All of that understanding stopped when it came to Dead Eyes though. Katsuki couldn’t read him well like he could other people. He knew despite being laid back he was always focused when it came to the things you should put your effort into, like sparring or studying. He knew he was genuine despite sometimes being the number one cause of migraines for the blond.

 

What he doesn’t know though is why. Why him in particular, why does he make Katsuki more pissed off then normal. He doesn’t get it.

 

At first he thought it was because of Izuku, how they were brothers. He admits he was jealous of that. Before Izuku vanished he always saw him as his kid brother despite being the same age. Sometimes he would make fun of or prod at how he was soft but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about him.

 

So seeing this new guy, some purple haired, tall as fuck guy who apparently knew more about his best friend then he did felt like he had lost somehow. Maybe that’s where it all started. He wanted to be better so he chose the strongest person he knew to be that drive.

 

What then is his exact reason for being pissed off at Dead Eyes? 

 

It’s because he was better than Katsuki. He did better than him. He saved Izuku and did so whilst he did nothing but twiddle his thumbs and sat on his ass, blissfully unaware of what was going on in the world.

 

That’s why he fights him, because he, maybe, aspires to be stronger than him. Or maybe at least just as strong.

 

‘I need to focus on the battle. Copycat and Invisichick should have arrived by now.’ the blond thought in his head.

 

He started his patrol on the second floor. There were two different sets of stairs up to the higher floors where it became only one once you reached the fourth. Logically he should patrol there but then he’d be too close to the bomb. He needed to space himself out for a fight.

 

Thankfully, because he knows his enemies capabilities, he can destroy one set of stairs up. He could break two but then that would force the enemy to take a different route, one he might not be able to cover. At least here he can funnel them in one direction.

 

So he’s watching, moving from room to room and most importantly, keeping every fibre of his body ready and on edge. 

 

‘They’re not getting the drop on me.’ he thought.

 

A couple minutes went before he felt it. Someone else’s presence. He knows they’re nearby but he can’t tell where so he kept his guard up but looked calm. The two extras shouldn’t have any weapons unless Invisichick can make them invisible too. 

 

But then if she could, she would make her clothes disappear instead of wearing that DNA suit he heard her talking about during the costume checks.

 

‘Copycat’s probably naked now that I think about it. In that case I don’t want them to touch me even more.’ he thought, still keeping his ears sharpened.

 

His hearing aids were specially made for him. They lower their sensitivity whenever they hear a decibel too high such as his explosions, muffling the sound and protecting his eardrums. That way he can keep listening without having to worry about hurting himself from having them cranked too high.

 

After almost a minute of that feeling of being watched, Katsuki was sure they were waiting for an opportunity to strike. Well unfortunately for them, he had been mapping out where he thinks they are. Based on his gut, he can guess they’re somewhere behind him so he took off down a hallway, expecting them to follow and sure enough they do.

 

So he stepped around a corner, waiting patiently and just when it seemed reasonable for them to catch up, he went back around and fired off an explosion down the corridor. The sound of a girl yelling was heard and from the smoke he could clearly see the outline of the Invischick. He tackled without hesitation.

 

Pinning her down, he scrambled for a moment to find where he should grab and locked her arms behind her back. He tried to reach for his cuffs but that was when he felt something touch both of his ears.

 

With insane reaction time, he swatted at it but the Copycat was faster and before he knew it he couldn’t hear out of his ears anymore, everything now sounded like it was ringing.

 

‘This fucker stole my hearing aids!’ he cursed in his head.

 

The distraction gave the Invisichick the moment she needed to break free and hit him in the face with the back of her head. He felt a bit of blood seep out before he struggled back and let off a few wild explosions to give himself space.

 

When the smoke cleared he glanced around, looking for any trace of the asshole who took his hearing aids but it looked like they were gone. He immediately reached for his earpiece to alert Dead Eyes but they had taken that too so he needed to head up to him in person.

 

- - -

 

In the observation room, there was tension over how little they could tell of what was going on. Having one team completely invisible made the whole thing feel like a horror movie where you’re expecting something to jump out at any second.

 

When Kacchan made the first explosion, some people flinched because it was the first sound made in a long while. The instant takedown on Hakagure, Izuku assumed from the yelp, was impressive but not as much as Monoma’s plan that was slowly being revealed.

 

“Did he just take his hearing aids?” Ashido questioned, watching the invisible blond snake away with them.

 

“That’s so not manly! Taking advantage of someone’s weakness!” Kirishima exclaimed, though he’s sure Kacchan would’ve beat him over the head for daring to call his disability a weakness.

 

“Why did he take them? Just to get the drop on him later? Couldn’t he have taken him out now?” Asui- no Tsu said.

 

Izuku sat quietly in Gala’s arms, listening to the chatter when Tenya looked up at his slightly elevated position. “Do you have any idea why he did that?”

 

Momo also looked at him, she seemed to have a theory but didn’t want to voice it until she heard from him. 

 

“I do. It’s how they’re going to win.” he typed, causing everyone to look over at him. He shrunk a little into Gala’s arms, the doll raising her free arm to hide him better.

 

“You think they have a chance of beating Bakugou and Hitoshi?” Tenya questioned, looking a bit skeptical. He was right to be, the current matchup was a bit poor for the Heroes side, especially if you knew their opponents well like they do.

 

“Firstly,” Izuku started, “To answer Tsu’s curiosity, there is a reason for stealing both the hearing aids and the earpiece. Secondly, to answer Tenya’s question, their plan is quite smart.”

 

Though for some reason, he thinks it’s Monoma’s. He’s getting the scheming kind of vibe from him.

 

“What is their plan?” Kaminari asked, everyone curious to hear the puppeteer’s words.

 

“By removing the earpiece, Kacchan is put into a position where he can’t reach out to Hitoshi. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue but because he lost his hearing aids too, he can’t learn whether or not he is under attack so he must go to him and guard alongside him.” he explained, all through Gala.

 

“How is that better than just taking him down?” Tsu asked again.

 

The greenette continued to answer. “Because Mon- (last word deleted) the Heroes have likely found out that the path to the bomb has been trapped by Hitoshi. They could try and navigate it but they’ll just get hurt doing all of that.”

 

“So they’re having the path be revealed to them.” Momo finished.

 

“Yes. By forcing Kacchan to retreat back to the bomb, he will inadvertently reveal the safest way to the bomb. And because of the loss of hearing, he’ll have a harder time realizing he’s being used that way.” Izuku added.

 

“How does that mean they’ll win though?” Tenya inquired, referring to Izuku’s earlier statement.

 

“You’ll have to see,” he uttered.

 

It was unfortunate but right now the odds were in the Heroes’ teams favour. After all, Monoma was clearly ready to do something the other team wasn’t able to do. Despite how it looked, Monoma was actually hit by that first explosion, or at least he should’ve been if he didn’t throw Hakagure in the way.

 

He could just see their movements through the smoke. To the girl it might seem like a coincidence but Izuku was sure it wasn’t the case. He actually used his teammate as a meat shield against Kacchan’s attack.

 

‘I wonder what other lengths you’ll go to?’

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was waiting quietly near the bomb when he heard Bakugou call out to say he was coming up. He didn’t know why he wasn’t using the earpieces so kept quiet and hid in case it was a trap. After a minute, he saw the blond arrive in the room.

 

Hitoshi stepped out of his hiding spot. “What happened? Where’s your radio?”

 

The other boy squinted as he tried reading the brainwasher’s lips. “Bastards stole it and my hearing aids.”

 

“They got the drop on you?” the purple haired boy signed with his hands rhetorically, surprised.

 

“That Copycat bastard is slipperier than he looks.” Bakugou complained. “Might have my quirk too.”

 

“In that case we should remain together, that way-”

 

Their chat was stopped when they heard a scream down the halls and the sound of one of Hitoshi’s traps going off. Immediately he signed that news to Bakugou and he headed off to find them whilst the purple haired boy secured the room better, covering the area around the bomb with even more caltrops and tripwires then he already had.

 

‘Bakugou’s quirk could easily blow this all away but right next to the bomb it would be stupid to do that.’ he reasoned, listening out for any fighting.

 

He heard some distant shouting, shortly followed by a couple explosions that almost made him want to check on his teammate but he trusted Bakugou enough to handle himself. He can’t leave the bomb alone even with all these traps.

 

The blond came back in, carrying someone invisible over his shoulder and throwing them onto the ground. He saw a floating pair of handcuffs and guessed the other one was still out there.

 

“Which one is this?” Hitoshi asked the other boy

 

“The girl extra. The other one is still out there.” Bakugou answered, looking down at the unseen figure.

 

“I have a name you know! You mean villains!” Hakagure shouted, thrashing around and even kicking the purple haired boy’s feet a little with an unseen foot.

 

“Quit being a sore loser!” the blond looked down on her.

 

“Can you say the same when I beat you?” a voice mused somewhere in the room.

 

Hitoshi was the only one who heard him so he shot his head up immediately. “Wha-”

 

And gone. Nothing. His mind was now blank in a way he never thought possible. His quirk, somehow he had gotten it. When? How?

 

‘That kick, was it not Hakagure but was actually him? Would he do something so risky right in front of us?’ he thought.

 

In his mental stupor he tried to figure out how he could’ve been touched but couldn’t find anything besides maybe that kick. Nevermind that, now he needed to break free and take Monoma down.

 

It took him just a few seconds to snap out of his state naturally thanks to the training he did when he was younger. Seeing things normally again he opened his eyes to a sight that surprised him. He was falling forward, probably at the blond’s command, straight into the caltrops decked around the bomb.

 

Hitoshi swore and tried to catch his fall, just barely placing his hands forward to stop him from getting a face full of spikes. He heard Bakugou behind him fire off an explosion, presumably in Monoma’s direction. The sounds of something breaking were heard before something started sprinting towards the bomb.

 

“Get back here bastard!” he heard his teammate yell.

 

Hitoshi was about to push himself up and join the fight when he felt something hit his bag and shove him down. With the sudden weight he collapsed onto his own traps and got covered in tiny spikes and caltrops alike, immediately feeling a stinging pain mostly on his forehead which was the only thing that was unprotected.

 

‘Did he just step on me?!’ he grunted in his head before hearing All Might’s voice come over the intercom.

 

“Heroes Team wins by objective!”

 

The boy lifted himself up wearily, pain from having a bunch of caltrops stabbing into him still there, and looked up to see no one touching the bomb. At first he thought the number one hero somehow made a mistake but then he could see the slightest form of a dust covered body hugging the bomb.

 

“Seems this round is mine!” he heard the invisible boy utter and he swore he could see the shit eating grin he had despite the quirk. “Don’t be a sore loser!”

 

Oh he really doesn’t like this guy now.

 

- - -

 

*A Few Minutes Earlier*

 

Everyone watched Kacchan return to the bomb, Hitoshi stepping out to greet him and discuss what they were going to do about the hearing loss and communication problem. All the while Izuku kept an eye elsewhere, trying to locate the invisible team. 

 

As he predicted, they followed his friend’s route to the bomb and were now just outside the room watching the two. The slight disturbance in the dust on the floor was enough to tell him they made it.

 

He observed curiously as Hakagure got trapped in a rope trap set up by Hitoshi, shouting about something he was sure Monoma was responsible for. 

 

‘He pushed her into a trap? No he just tricked her I think.’ 

 

Poor Hakagure…

 

Kacchan bought the bait, charging out to seek her out and after a slight scuffle with some handcuffs he came back with the invisible girl in tow, throwing her to the ground. All the while the greenette kept his eyes peeled for Monoma.

 

Theoretically, one would’ve taken the chance of the two being separate to attack Hitoshi but it seemed he wanted him for something else. The traps around the bomb were a big problem and from what he got from the long jump yesterday, he couldn’t make the leap to the bomb.

 

‘Hitoshi must’ve done that on purpose. If Monoma wants to reach it he’d have to blow the traps away with Kacchan’s quirk.’

 

But he couldn’t, not without setting off the (hypothetical) bomb. He’d need to be more delicate with his approach.

 

When Hakagure kicked Hitoshi, he was sure something happened. Most people wouldn’t have noticed but Izuku saw the slight shifting of his purple hair. His brother will probably assume he was kicked but that was unlikely, Monoma only seemed to be able to copy quirks using his bare hands if his costume was anything to go by.

 

‘After all, why theme yourself after a fancy thief yet not have any gloves? It’s the same for my outfit too, we both need to use our hands for our quirk.’ 

 

As for how he made the touch, it was honestly Hitoshi’s own fashion choices at fault. If his hair was shorter and not as delightfully fluffy, he might’ve noticed.

 

‘He really is like a thief in that sense.’ 

 

A few seconds later, the screen showed Monoma… appearing… around the corner of a nearby room, sitting on the floor and knees held tightly to his chest. His bare chest. Because he was still naked.

 

Thankfully his chosen position hid anything private but it still didn’t stop the shocked gasps and the mini shriek Jirou let out due to being right next to the screen.

 

The blond taunted Hitoshi into his own quirk and then immediately gave a command. “Jump into your own traps!”

 

He then went invisible again and ran towards the bomb. Kacchan, having caught what happened, began firing off a wild explosion in random directions but it seemed Monoma was as evasive as he was clever and slipped past the other blond. 

 

Hitoshi broke free of his quirk, catching himself from falling but that’s when Monoma used him as a springboard, bouncing off the boy’s back to get the height and momentum he needed to make the jump to the bomb.

 

“Heroes Team wins by objective!” All Might called the match.

 

Immediately everyone felt bad for his brother, picking himself up and having blood pour a little down his head from getting jabbed by his own caltrops. Kacchan seemed just as pissed as him, shouting out in his direction.

 

They couldn’t hear what he was shouting but they could take a guess. 

 

After a few minutes everyone was back in the monitor room, Kacchan and even Hitoshi looking upset with themselves whilst Monoma seemed all smiles. He couldn’t tell what Hakagure was thinking, because she was invisible, but he could guess she was buzzing a little from the battle.

 

“Now then, who can tell me what went wrong with the Villain Team’s defense?” asked All Might, already turning to Momo who had her hand raised.

 

As she went on with her post battle analysis, Izuku couldn’t help watching Monoma’s face. He’s still thinking about how he knew he used to be Dollmaker. The boy wondered what he had to gain by letting him know he knew. It’s not as if he cared, his past was in the past; if someone found out and told the media he wouldn’t care, he was used to hiding away, so pesky journalists wouldn’t be any different.

 

Momo called the copier’s tactic of removing Kacchan’s hearing aids as ‘exploitative’ and ‘dishonorable’ for a hero. He loves Momo, she’s his friend but he knows that in a fight every advantage can mean life or death. 

 

Does that mean Izuku would’ve done the same if he was in Monoma’s position? No, this is a training exercise not a deathmatch. He wouldn’t do something so rude to one of his friends. She also talked about using Hitoshi as a springboard to the bomb, earning a clear low sigh from the purple haired boy next to Izuku.

 

“Y-y-you have to a-admit, that was f-funny.” the greenette whispered shakily.

 

His brother had some plasters on his face to stop the bleeding from the spikes. “I imagine it was hilarious from your angle.”

 

“V-v-very. Might t-tell D-dad.” he added.

 

Hitoshi gave him a look of disbelief. “You wouldn’t. He’d make me do push ups with you sitting on top of me so I don’t fall again.”

 

“I d-don’t think me a-and Monoma a-are the same weight.” Izuku pointed out.

 

“You sure? You had all that cake last week.” he teased.

 

The puppeteer's eyes widened. “A-Auntie N-Nemuri said i-it’s called a c-cheat day! I’m a-allowed to have one!” he whisper shouted, keeping his voice down but still raised enough to get his anger across.

 

His brother just grinned at him, clearly feeling better after his lost which Izuku was thankful for even if he was a bit upset. Hitoshi turned to Momo who had finished her explanation. Izuku did the same but for Monoma. He couldn’t see how the blond was looking during her analysis because of his chat with his brother but it didn’t matter, he’ll ask him himself later.

 

The whole training exercise wrapped itself up with All Might giving some slightly vague advice. Izuku got changed back along with Gala and the two rejoined their friends as their first heroics class came to an end.

 

All the while being left with a lot of questions in his head. How did Monoma work out he was Dollmaker? What was he planning to do with this information? How can he act so brazen in how he treats people? Who exactly is he?

 

Despite all of these questions though, one thing was very clear. He was interested in Monoma, and wanted to learn a lot more about him.

‘Let’s make some new friends…’ the boy decided, excited for tomorrow.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Rivals, Friends, Partners

Chapter 65: Rivals, Friends, Partners

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Got a new chapter for all of you today! Hope you enjoy it!

Have a nice day! <3

Hitoshi was annoyed. He lost and in a way that wasn’t all that dignified. He fell victim to his own quirk, got stabbed by his own traps and on top of that he got stepped on like a footstool. All by a guy that was starting to rub him the wrong way.

 

Monoma didn’t really matter to him day one but now he did after all of that. Especially seeing that Izuku was paying attention to him too. He didn’t know why but he knew it had to be because of something he said to him.

 

It wasn’t just him who was also feeling bad about themselves though, Bakugou was clearly feeling it too. In their afternoon training the same day he went far harder than he normally did and it almost left Hitoshi with a burn or two. It took using his quirk on the other boy to stop him.

 

“What’s wrong?” the purple haired boy asked, releasing his quirk.

 

Regaining focus the blond just growled as he threw down the wraps around his hands. “We shouldn’t have lost that! We shouldn’t have!”

 

“I know.” Hitoshi agreed.

 

“We should’ve curb stomped that copycat! Bastard didn’t even use my quirk and he still won!” he said as he started to pace around the room.

 

‘He wouldn’t be able to win against us twice.’ is what Hitoshi almost said but held back. 

 

It was hypocritical to think like that, his quirk relied on people not knowing what he could do. He could only ever win with his power once against someone unless he set things up well. Not just that but in the real world it is only ever one fight. If you win, the villain goes to jail; if you lose, you’re dead.

 

What they can’t do is take this loss personally, no matter how irritating that guy was. That’s how you get in your own head and start messing up more and more. The problem wasn’t him though it was Bakugou who takes things a lot more personally than he does. “You’re right. That should've been an easy win.”

 

“But it wasn’t. We were messed and fucked with!” he complained. 

 

“Look,” Hitoshi started, “do you want to keep moping about for the next hour, asking what if? Because I’ve had some experience with that and let me tell you, it gets you nowhere unless you actually do something about it.”

 

“Like what?” Bakugou turned to the other boy, eyes flared but less aggressively and more like he was keen to hear an answer.

 

“Like making sure your hearing aids don’t get taken again.” the boy suggested. “Have you made the request to make them more secure?” 

 

The blond looked away, the answer clear. Hitoshi continued, “Alright, I’ll tell my dad that.” He took out his phone to send the message out so that it could be done by the next heroics class came around. 

 

“Do you think we’re good enough?” Bakugou asked in a tone that surprised Hitoshi. He didn’t often hear this kind of attitude from the blond. It was quiet and genuine in a way that felt like he was invested in hearing his response.

 

“We are.” he answered simply. “We all are. Why? Do you think you aren’t?”

 

That last sentence caused the boy to snap back to how he was. “Course I fucking don’t! I’m going to be the best hero there ever is, was and will be! Not going to let some up-his-own- ass extra think he can be better than me.”

 

A strand of capture scarf stretched and wrapped itself around Bakugou’s wrist courtesy of Hitoshi. “Then let’s see if you are better.”

 

The blond let out a feral grin as the two dived back into a spar, the explosions ringing out of the training hall.

 

- - -

 

Things have been weird since starting UA for Momo. She can’t help but feel like ever since she’s stepped foot on the premises she’s been watched by someone from afar. She can’t quite say who it was but she can definitely say it wasn’t another student.

 

Occasionally she’d get the feeling when walking through the halls on her way to lunch. At first she thought maybe it had to do with being a hero course student but that wasn’t the case, she thinks. There was always this flash of yellow every time she pinpointed the feeling and whatever was watching her was gone.

 

It was creepy and at first she thought to tell her friends but maybe it would be better to ask a teacher just in case it happened to be something normal in UA.

 

Early in the morning, Momo made her way to the teacher’s office to find Aizawa so she could voice her worries. She also had to hand in her costume change so he should already be expecting her.

 

Her mother doesn’t know she’s changing her costume and frankly she’d rather have it stay that way, especially with how invested she now was in knowing what’s going on inside UA. Specifically what she is doing and how she was presenting. But that problem was for a later moment in her life. Little problems first before she got to the big ones.

 

She knocked on the door to announce her entering and found the place surprisingly empty. All of the desks had no one present besides a single one where a skeletal man wearing a suit sat. He glanced over in her direction and seemed surprised for a moment before standing up to talk to her.

 

“Is there a problem, young Yaoyorozu?” he asked.

 

“I’m sorry to bother you sir at this time but do you know where Mr. Aizawa is?” she explained, assuming he knew her name due to being a recommendation student. “I have something to talk to him about.”

 

“Some reporters had appeared outside suddenly and he went to deal with them, it should be a while before he comes back. I can pass on anything you need him to know.” he explained.

 

“Thank you sir. I have a costume change here and a concern I’ve had since the start of the year.” she told him.

 

The man (she still didn’t know his name) took her documents for the new outfit, taking a brief glance. “This is quite different from your current one.”

 

“My mother… had accidentally sent in the wrong costume concept. This is the one that was meant to arrive.” she answered his curiosity.

 

“She did? If that’s the case then I’ll inform Aizawa to double check with you on every decision made with your costume. Your outfit here is certainly a lot more practical.” he agreed.

 

“Thank you, sir.” She nodded and that’s when she realised: “Excuse me, but I don’t believe I know your name?”

 

“Ah, apologies. I’m Mr. Yagi. I’m a teaching assistant for All Might.” he replied.

 

‘I didn’t know he had a teaching assistant. He must’ve been busy yesterday if I didn’t see him.’ she thought, remembering back to yesterday’s training. “Thank you Mr. Yagi.”

 

“What was that other thing you needed to tell him?” Yagi questioned.

 

“I feel like someone is watching me.” Momo explained, a bit unsure now that she was saying it out loud. 

 

Honestly, the more she thought about it, it might just be the cameras she was feeling. Then again, that doesn’t explain the yellow blurs she sometimes sees that disappear around corners.

 

“You do? What can you tell me?”  he asked curiously.

 

“When I’m going to and from class for breaks and lunch I get this feeling someone is watching me. When I try to find the source though, it usually vanishes.” she responded.

 

“I-is that so?” he said, stuttering a little.

 

Momo could immediately tell he had some idea what she was going on about. “You know what I am talking about?”

 

“U-um, not quite but I’m sure it has to do with some of the students… checking out your class?” he suggested. “Hero course students tend to be looked at by other students ahead of the Sports Festival. Typically it dies out after a day or two.”

 

“I see. In that case, thank you for your help.” She bowed and walked out, heading back to her class.

 

On her way back she noticed how some of her classmates were on their way in. Indeed just like Yagi had said there was a crowd of reporters outside that were practically ravenous for any kind of comment on All Might. She knew one day she would have to deal with these kinds of people, especially with the direction mother…

 

‘Is that what you want, Momo?’ she asked herself.

 

She’s excited about being a hero, she was but she couldn’t help but dislike the idea of becoming a celebrity. Mr. Yamada was one such hero, a limelight one, and she certainly didn't dislike the idea of being looked at as anything more than someone saving lives.

 

But Momo wanted to do good in the world first and foremost, so is following what her mother wanted for her really the best way to achieve that?

 

‘Maybe I should have a proper conversation with her.’ she thought.

 

“Oh, Yaoyorozu!” a voice called out to her.

 

The black haired girl turned to see her new friend that she made recently. “Jirou, you’re here earlier than usual.”

 

“Normally I have to help my mom set up our cafe but she’s not feeling well so the shop was closed.” she explained, catching up to her.

 

“Your parents own a cafe?” the creator questioned.

 

She smiled a little and Momo couldn’t help but smile back at that. “Yeah, we can head over some time?”

 

“That sounds wonderful!” she exclaimed. It meant being away from mother a bit longer, though she would never admit that to herself. “I can bring my friends along.”

 

“Oh, yeah that’d be great,” she replied, with a little less energy than before but still excited. 

 

The two kept chatting as they made their way to class. Momo has never had a proper female friend before, only ever being surrounded by boys. Mother was the closest thing she had to that but she was more overbearing and not really someone she enjoyed being with. She punched herself in her head for daring to think that.

 

Jirou was nice. She was different and kind of like Hitoshi in how laid back she was but had this energy he doesn’t have, at least when talking to her. Momo knows she’s friends with Kaminari and the two were very much alike in their attitudes with the guy being much more excitable.

 

As the two of them continued on their way to class, she wondered if she could become friends with her other female classmates.

 

- - -

 

Izuku was ever thankful that he got driven to school, straight into the parking lot, without having to deal with those reporters. Gala could keep him from feeling overwhelmed when outside but in a crowd of people, not even the safety of the doll comforts him. 

 

They were half an hour early for homeroom so the greenette took the time to visit the support department to oversee the minor repairs being done to the dolls. It was quiet due to the early hours and he wasn’t expecting much going into the workroom until he heard a small pop and what sounded like an explosion coming from inside.

 

It’s then he noticed Uncle Higari coming around the corner, rushing to the same workshop Izuku was heading towards. 

 

“What was that bang?” asked Izuku through Gala.

 

“The newest pain in my neck this year.” the man dreaded, opening the door to a plume of smoke pouring out that the doll had to crouch to avoid getting smoky covered eyes. 

 

Every year that Higari gets a new class, there’s always at least one person he deems the ‘mechalomaniac’, a student who always tries to push the limits of both technology and the support teacher’s sanity. They tended to be quite smart and highly eccentric but typically it would take a couple months before one would pop up, apparently this year it took two days.

 

He learned this during his support lessons. He never saw these students personally but the amount of times, during a weekend lesson, the ginger would go off on a tangent about the latest one was always a sight to see. 

 

“Hatsume! What did I say about workshop opening times! It’s too early for this!” he yelled over the sounds of a secondary explosion, this time coming from what looked like an attempt at making some kind of backpack.

 

The girl currently putting out her own fires was the same pink haired girl he bumped into on his first day on his way to the dolls. She was covered in grease of unknown origin, a smile that was somehow whole despite her hazardous work and eyes that screamed crazy.

 

“Oh hey sir! I was just doing some tweaking of this baby I started yesterday!” she hollered out and despite the growl of the fire extinguisher she was using, Izuku could hear her perfectly.

 

“Doesn’t matter if it’s a tweak or an upgrade. No using the workshop without my supervision!” the mole man ordered, sternly.

 

The girl seemed to finish cleaning up her mess, sort of, before she was distracted by Gala. In an instant she was standing in front of the doll gazing up. “I haven’t seen you around here, except during after school when I see you peek into one of the workshops. Are you a year above me?”

 

“No, I am-”

 

“Wait! That voice!” she exclaimed, leaning further up and eyes widening when she realised that Gala wasn’t human. “You’re not a human, you’re a robot aren’t you?!”

 

“Incorrect but close,” Izuku typed. “I am a doll. A quirked creation of the one inside of me. Yamazawa Izuku.”

 

The girl took a glimpse down at Gala’s torso, probably realising how bulky the puppet was and mapping it out in her head what the animated object might look like under their clothes. “Wow! What can your quirk do?”

 

Izuku explained his quirk and he thought that maybe Higari would be annoyed with him dawdling but it seemed he was fine with it as long as it kept the mechalomaniac distracted. After giving the pink haired girl all of the details, he could immediately see the lightbulbs lighting up behind her crosshair eyes.

 

“That sounds incredible! Think of all the babies we could create together!” she yelled and laughed to himself how inappropriate that sounded out of context. 

 

“Not babies, dolls.” he corrected.

 

“Tomato, potato.” she waved him off. “Now tell me, is this your only one?”

 

For a moment Izuku considered not telling her, if only because he knows if he does she’ll probably want to see them. But then again, it would be nice to have another brain when it came to making dolls with him. “I have made three combat dolls and one reconnaissance. I have been considering another but I have yet to think of a proper role for it.”

 

He can control a total of five dolls with his quirk at once. Up from the four he had in the past. Not just that but he could be selective with his control, unlike when he was younger and could only control them all or none at once.

 

As such, he could have either Gala or Kat shut off whilst another, completely new doll, jumped into the frey with the Servants. The question was how would this new doll fit in?

 

Julius was the close-combat offense, Lily the ranged defense and Ida the flexible all-rounder. He could have one focused on support but it wasn’t as if that role couldn’t be filled by the maid or the noble woman.

 

He explained all of this to Hatsume who listened intently whilst he showed her where the dolls were kept. Once more those citron eyes flared up in excitement the second she saw the dressed up dolls.

 

“These are incredible!” she complimented. “But they could be even better! We could strap rockets to one of them and give them air mobility!”

 

“They are fine on the ground.” the boy explained. “Typically the fluid and their equipment weighs them down a lot. I’ve tried making flying creatures before but they’re normally too weak to consider.”

 

“Not with me around!” she argued. She scaled up the front of Julius and looked into his eyes as she babbled to herself about what she was looking at before she snapped back to the conversation. “How fast are these things?”

 

“The fastest in vertical mobility is Lily,” he pointed to the noble. “The best lateral movement is Ida but that’s because she’s the lightest. Kat is the best overall but in combat they’re useless.”

 

Hatsume hopped over to where the cat was, lifting up the plush and not batting an eye when she felt the moisture of the fluid in its fabric. She studied it and Izuku decided to activate the doll and have it look at her to show how his quirk worked. “I see! So you don’t need your babies to be human shaped, right? Have you done anything else with that?”

 

“I have not, except for one doll I made when I was younger called Bigs.” the boy answered. He didn’t want to say ‘Behemoth’ because he didn’t want to have to deal with too many people knowing what he did when he was younger. Not that he was ashamed of it, just didn’t want to talk about it now.

 

“What did they look like?” she asked.

 

Izuku explained the doll and how it worked. It was built to inflict maximum terror and intimidation as well as being flexible enough to slip into most places. The more he got into the design of the monster, the more the pink haired girl seemed to smile.

 

“I think you’ve got your answer on what kind of baby we could create together.” she grinned.

 

“What do you mean?” he questioned.

 

She had grabbed some papers off of a nearby desk and began drawing on it, making a pretty accurate sketch of Behemoth based on Izuku’s description. “It sounds to me that your babies lack mobility, or at least one of them.”

 

She was right, Julius was awful at moving around. He was slow and sluggish.

 

“Tell me,” she continued. “How are you planning to patrol with all of them? Or chase after the bad guys if they’re all so slow?”

 

‘Wait, she’s not suggesting…’ he started to realise. “Are you saying that I should make a doll that acts like a vehicle?”

 

The girl threw on some goggles, the lens flaring as she got to writing. “Just give me the specs for your dollies and then leave it with me!”

 

Izuku couldn’t help but smile inside of Gala as he realised he was dealing with someone with as many cruel ideas in creation as he did. “Of course.”

 

And it was that day a partnership formed that would eventually lead to many villains ending up having nightmares for years, all due to their hellish creations.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Gambler

Chapter 66: Gambler

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Happy Friday! Hope you're feeling relieved because the weekend is finally here.

See you all again on Sunday!

Have a nice day!

Tenya arrived in class like he always did, thirty minutes minimum before the start of class. Some might call that ‘overkill’ but being punctual and on time is a virtue for a hero, one that should be a habit ingrained on each and every one.

 

He understands that some people might not be able to keep up with such a vigorous schedule but they were training to be heroes! Their ability to time keep and work on schedule is what decides whether someone lives or dies and it’s something he takes very seriously.

 

It’s why he’s ecstatic to have Mr. Aizawa as their teacher. He knows the man is strict, focused and most of all punctual. It made it so that everyone in the class had to be on time or face repercussions. 

 

Ok, that might make him seem a bit too stern but it all comes back to being heroes. This is a serious occupation where lives are on the lines. You wouldn’t want to be in the middle of a disaster zone and the hero on call was someone who was never on time for class would you?

 

The best of the best. That’s the kind of heroes that leave UA. Just like his brother and hopefully, one day, just like Tenya.

 

That doesn’t mean he can’t relax though. Well, kind of. He knows he’s a stickler for order and what Bakugou calls a guy with a ‘stick up his end’, but he can still enjoy being with his friends. Hitoshi, despite appearing laid back and unworried, is always striving for excellence and Momo was just like him when it came to knowing the importance of school and education.

 

Izuku was also someone that helped him ‘ease up’ a lot from being seen as ‘stuck up elite’ (another term of Bakugou’s) by constantly asking for his input on his latest ideas for dolls or even the times when he somehow manages to convince everyone to let him dress them up.

 

That Halloween was certainly a memorable one. The holiday wasn’t as popular in Japan as it was in the west but they all still went to the Yamazawa’s residence to celebrate it, eat candy and enjoy some horror (courtesy of the puppeteer). Izuku helped dress him up as a type of robot, a ‘terminator’ as it was called.

 

Despite that though, he always felt there was a slight modicum of irony coming from his friend. Not enough to actually be of note but Tenya couldn’t help to notice how the one who causes the most disruption around them, with Gala’s unusual appearance, was also the same person who seemed to love control.

 

Others might not notice, no rather, he might be the only one to pick up on but Izuku seemed to naturally desire having control over most situations. Such as when he helped Momo with her mother; he suggested that idea immediately and prepared the solution all by himself. That might not seem controlling but when you look at him as a whole…

 

It’s not a problem. Honestly, it wasn’t. Though it can be an issue whenever they play games like Monopoly.

 

People began to come in and, as usual, there was something to chastise Bakugou for. They completed their slowly forming daily ritual of a short argument over the untidy way the blond wore his clothes before returning to his seat just before the ringing of the bell.

 

At the final ding, the doors shot open and in came Aizawa delightfully on time. He walked up to the podium and set some papers down as he went over some of the results from the battle trials. Well actually it was only Todoroki who received them as he wasn’t there to get them yesterday due to being unconscious.

 

“Todoroki, your quirk is powerful but you let that power get to your head and left yourself exposed,” he explained. Tenya couldn’t see him due to their seating but he knew it was a valid critique he should take in stride. 

 

“On top of that, your failure to account for your team mates weaknesses is what likely cost you the match. If Asui wasn’t slowed by the cold, there was a decent chance she could’ve reached it with her tongue before Yamazawa could get to her.” he continued. “Next time, don’t let your arrogance overtake you.”

 

“Yes sir.” the boy said behind Tenya. It was hard to tell but he could sense the small tinge of frustration in his voice. Whether it was at his loss or being called out on it, he couldn’t tell.

 

“Alright, with that out of the way we can get to something much more important.” The man nodded slightly. “The thing that will decide the future of your time here at UA.”

 

The whole room tensed for a minute, the man clearly soaking up the dread of another sudden death test before he plainly stated something that sent a wave of joy through the blue haired boy. 

 

“You will be picking out a class representative from amongst you,” he uttered.

 

Immediately there was a burst of excitement as everyone began to demand they be voted as class representative. It was inspiring to hear how eager the whole class was to take on the role and responsibilities attached to being the face of their entire class.

 

Unfortunately, with this many candidates they would have to devise a way to make such an election feasible and no better method was there then doing so democratically with a vote.

 

With his loudest voice, the blue haired boy yelled out over the chatter. “Everyone please be silent!”

 

He stood up, his height allowing him to see the entire room as he turned around to face the quieted class. “The class representative is not a role just anyone can accept. It is a title given to the one who can handle the many responsibilities expected of a leader. And to be a leader, you must be trusted by those you lead.”

 

He continued. “That is why for this position, we must use democratic means to accomplish a successful nomination. We must vote to elect our representatives.”

 

Tenya did all of this whilst he had his hand raised in the air, something he instinctively does when he wants someone’s attention like a teacher or his class in this instance. Everyone seemed to misinterpret it though as him seeking to be voted (he did but it was not his intention in this instance) and clearly thought it in their heads.

 

“We’ve only known each other for a couple days,” Asui, or Tsu as she was insisting, said. “How can we trust each other at this stage?”

 

“Yeah, everyone will just vote for themselves.” Kirishima added on.

 

“Then just make it mandatory that everyone votes for someone else.” Izuku suggested it through Gala.

 

“How would we do that?” Tsu wondered.

 

Monoma stood up from his seat. “We simply have everyone write their name on the ballot and then the name of those they want to see elected. Here, I’ll handle the votes-”

 

“Like hell you will!” Bakugou shouted. “Like we’d trust you to handle that.”

 

“I’m hurt.” the copier feigned offense. “You think I’d rig the voting in my favor? I’m perfectly fine with backing out of this rat race.”

 

“In that case I will too.” Izuku agreed, surprising Tenya. “I’ll act as a second counter. That way there’ll be no accusations of rigging the vote.”

 

“Are you sure Izuku?” the blue haired boy asked, curious why he’d want to back out of such a possibly prestigious position.

 

“I’d rather not have that attention.” the doll answered.

 

“Sounds good to me! Means less competition!” Hakagure exclaimed and soon the rest of the class was nodding along to the decision.

 

“Great,” Aizawa said, curling up in a sleeping bag and falling to the floor in a soft thud. “Don’t wake me up until you’re finished.”

 

Using some paper given out by Momo using her quirk, the whole class began to talk about who they would want to vote for. Some wrote their answer straight away and passed it into the ballot box (also made by his friend) whereas some students, in particular Kaminari, began making ridiculous promises he would be unable to fulfil if he was elected.

 

“A vote for me is a vote for longer lunches, shorter class times and a free smartphone with every ballot in my favor!” the neon blond proclaimed.

 

“Wait seriously?” Ashido questioned.

 

“Of course!” he said with a hand behind his back and his other over his heart.

 

“He has his fingers crossed.” Jirou stated, causing the boy to sputter as he immediately tried to deny her.

 

Meanwhile, Bakugou was being more aggressive with his campaigning; by outright threatening others for votes.

 

“Oi! Shitty Hair! You better vote for me or else!” he growled.

 

“What a flattering attempt at getting people to like you better.” Hitoshi commented, earning a growl from the boy.

 

“Hah?! You think you can do better Dead Eyes?” he taunted, stomping up to the purple haired boy leaning on top of his desk.

 

“Yeah but not going to try. Class Rep is too much noise for me.” he reasoned.

 

“Weak.” the blond stated, walking away with a glower, not seeing the rude gesture Hitoshi made behind his back.

 

As for Tenya, he was assisting with the voting process, keeping track of who was left to vote and made sure to appear like he was excellent at organising and coordinating the class. You know? Letting his actions and efforts speak for him. After all that is what people look out for the most in a leader don’t they?

 

After about ten minutes of deliberation, all votes were cast. Izuku and Monoma began to count them, first the blond and then the greenette so that they could compare the results. After a tense minute, they turned up to look at the class and announce the result.

 

During Izuku’s look through, he was sure he could hear the boy sigh from inside the doll and a clear smirk form on Monoma. “For class representative, with a supermajority of sixty percent, we have Yaoyorozu Momo.” 

 

“Really?!” the girl herself said, looking all too surprised at the nomination. 

 

“You’re, like, super smart!” Ashido said, explaining her vote.

 

“And you’re strong too.” Sero added on.

 

“A tactical mind worthy of guiding our league.” Tokoyami said.

 

All the compliments made Momo blush and get flustered over the attention. 

 

Tenya was happy to see that, even if he was a little disappointed over not being the one nominated. Though surely with his friend getting sixty percent of the vote, meant that he had to have gotten the remaining forty percent.

 

After all, he had shown himself to be well versed in guiding this process, suggesting the election and even showing how he was the voice of order in the classroom. He had to have at least gotten the vice rep.

 

“And for the vice representative, we have…” Izuku read over the results, “Asui Tsuyu.”

 

What.

 

The frog girl croaked in astonishment. “Really?”

 

“Yes, you received twenty percent of the votes.” Izuku elaborated.

 

Twenty percent? As in four votes? 

 

Tenya was at a bit of a loss. Sure this wasn’t something he needed but he can’t say it wasn’t something he wanted. He dreamt of being given such a privilege…

 

‘No. Don’t get down. Be proud of my classmate and friend for acquiring their position. Momo through her incredible skills and thinking and Tsu with… with…’ 

 

He wasn’t sure what Tsu had over him, not to say he thought of her less not at all. But for a role like this… he just must’ve not been worthy.

 

- - -

 

*A Few Minutes Earlier*

 

Izuku sat at the back of the class, sitting beside Monoma whilst everyone began to decide on their vote. The blond had his chair parked next to his desk where the ballot box sat.

 

“So who’s your vote?” he asked.

 

Although they were in the classroom, no one was paying attention to them. It was the first time the greenette could talk to the other boy alone-ish since yesterday. He wanted to ask about the battle trials, wondering why he made the mention of his past.

 

“Why did you mention Dollmaker?” Gala questioned, ignoring Monoma’s inquiry.

 

“Wow,” the boy feigned shock, “Wouldn’t have expected you to jump right in. Someone’s eager to talk about their glory days huh?”

 

“I wouldn’t have called them glorious.” Izuku argued.

 

Monoma smiled. “I guess they weren’t, considering how awful you looked in those videos people took of you.”

 

That hurt Izuku’s vanity a little. Ever since he had gotten better (along with his family’s encouragement), he’s started to enjoy looking nice and being appreciated for his looks despite how little he showed himself. 

 

This and the fact that back then his emaciated state showed just how unwell he was mentally… It was something he felt shameful of but that didn’t mean he could erase it. Those videos will be on the internet until the day he dies when it won’t be a problem anymore.

 

“Did your parents never teach you to not make such comments on another's appearance?” Izuku so eloquently put it. 

 

“What my old man taught me is to always see the bigger picture and the one of you makes me question you being here.” he stated.

 

“I’ve earned my right to be in this class, as you no doubt saw in the practical exam.” the shell uttered, voice raised a little to show aggression.

 

Seeming to enjoy getting a rise out of him, the blond continued. “I don’t mean merit, I mean motivation. Why waste time being a hero when you can do a better job as a vigilante?”

 

“I’d rather not be on the run, thank you.” Izuku responded to that whilst he nudged the ballot box forward for Kouda to put his vote in.

 

“Oh come on. It’s not like your quirk couldn’t easily circumvent that. Hell, for all I know you’re not even in UA right now.” he said, his tone light.

 

“I’m very much here.” the greenette clarified. “And even if I weren’t, it would be because I’m sick. I like to be there, in the moment.” 

 

“Moment of what? Watching these chumps who’ll probably never break top fifty decide who is the most likeable of them all?” the boy uttered.

 

Gala looked down at the blond, not aggressively but just as a way of showing he was paying close attention. “You’re trying to get a rise out of me.”

 

“Just want to see the same Dollmaker who crushed our dear teach to near death.” he grinned.

 

“So I can crush you?”

 

“Is that a threat?”

 

“Make of it how you want.” The doll looked away, back towards the class.

 

The two sat in silence for a moment, watching the class and their own individual antics. Izuku didn’t know much about Monoma but he can certainly say one thing about him. He likes to make people angry at him, he doesn’t know why yet but it certainly has him interested in finding out.

 

Maybe it’s from dealing with Kacchan or just being himself with his history, but knowing why someone does bad is always something he loves to look into. Endeavor, for example, had gotten his eagerness to be the best most likely from his father’s death. From what the boy read, those who pursued power so single mindedly tended to have been at one point without any.

 

Sure enough with a lot of digging, he found an obituary, buried and dusty on some local news website talking about Endeavor’s father’s, and the girl he tried to save, death at the hands of a villain. A tragedy that the young hero student at the time was a witness to.

 

Doesn’t mean Izuku felt any more empathetic towards the man. Trauma, whilst can be used to excuse someone for doing something awful, does not excuse him of the mental and emotional abuse he subjects Todoroki to. 

 

‘Then why do I let it continue? To stop the HPSC from retaliating against me?’

 

Yes. That’s why. 

 

And that’s what makes him an awful person on the inside. The fact he can do it so easily and lie so well about it. He barely felt a twinge of guilt. Should that make him feel bad? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he was allowing Shouto’s continued suffering for his own advantage against the HPSC.

 

It was fine though because it was his problem. He created a problem so he has to deal with the price for rectifying it. A price of wisdom, knowing that someone in his class was getting hurt.

 

The boy was zoning out with each thought he had, his mind whirring away and thinking about too many things at once. All of them were bad and he was beginning to feel overwhelmed until a voice and a question made him focus back in and pay attention to the blond next to him.

 

“Want to make a bet?”

 

After processing what he said, Izuku typed. “Elaborate.”

 

“We guess who the class rep and vice rep will be,” he clarified.

 

“And what are the stakes?” the greenette pondered.

 

“The winner decides one thing the loser has to do.” Monoma answered.

 

The doll narrowed its mechanical eyes. “I’d rather not do something embarrassing or perverted, thank you very much.”

 

“Like I’d waste such a thing on that!” he laughed. “Though it would be amusing to have you do something absurd.”

 

“In that case, still no.” the greenette rebutted.

 

“Fine, fine. I promise my demand won’t be anything weird.” he vowed, hand on his chest and the other in the air like he was making an oath.

 

Izuku considered it for a moment. He didn’t know what he’d ask of him if he won but he did have some ideas. Not really useful or practical ones, but ideas. It wasn’t as if he would ask something absurd of him even if he was lying.

 

“Momo for class rep, Tenya for vice.” the shell betted.

 

The blond let a wide grin climb on his face. “Yaoyorozu for rep and… Tsu for vice.”

 

“You think she has a chance?” the puppeteer questioned.

 

“This is a popularity contest, sure Yaoyorozu will be voted highly thanks to her showing off her smarts, but the one they’ll think second will be the frog girl.” he explained his gamble.

 

It made slight sense. People would trust Tsu more than they did Tenya. She also had that commemoration from Momo so their classmates would see her as competent too. That and the fact she has been nothing but friendly and social since the first day has undoubtedly left an impression on everyone.

 

Meanwhile, his race horse, whilst appearing suited for the role, had made himself out to be stuck up. No offense to Tenya. But he trusts in his friend, even if that meant it could just be his bias getting in the way.

 

Objectively Tenya was brash. Still, he had this confidence about him.

 

The votes came in and Izuku watched the blond’s smile when he finished taking his tally. An eeking of dread coming from the greenette as he counted through the results on his end. 

 

Sure enough, he found there were only three votes for Tenya and four for Tsu. One of those votes being himself and the other two being Momo and Hitoshi. There was one vote that made him sigh and it was Monoma’s which said ‘Izuku’ on it with a small heart.

 

‘He was so confident that he forfeited his vote.’ the boy mused in his head.

 

The results were announced and Izuku could see the immediate disappointment the blue haired boy had. He felt bad for his friend, it was a role he always talked about and was excited for because his brother held class rep all three years when he was in UA. 

 

Both Momo and Tsu came up to the podium in front of the class. His friend seemed to be accepting her role already, keeping her usual poise and authoritative elegance she seemed to carry every time she got serious. 

 

The frog girl on the other hand looked unsure and a tad bit nervous. 

 

“As our class representative, I’ll be sure to guide our class well!” she proclaimed.

 

“Kero, I still don’t know why I was elected but I’ll try my best to not let anyone down.” Tsu also steeled herself a little but it was clear she was conflicted over her position.

 

Maybe Izuku could use that. Especially considering how Dad said right after that if any changes were to be made, that they had to be made before the end of the day. 

 

“Seems I won our little wager.” Monoma teased. “As for what you’ll be doi-”

 

“Double or nothing.” the doll interrupted him.

 

The copier paused, staring at the shell like he was joking but after making it clear Izuku wasn’t he agreed. “I never took you for a gambler! You think Asui will resign?”

 

“Before the end of the day, yes. And Tenya will take up the mantle.” he proclaimed.

 

“I knew I’d like you.” he said, the words and how he said them making something weird stir inside of Izuku’s stomach. “Deal! If you fail, you’ll owe me two favours and if you win I’ll owe two in return.”

 

The shell nodded and that was when Papa came in to give their English lesson for today. He’d have to make his approaches both in between classes and during lunch when he’d have to make his biggest moves in convincing Tsu to resign and to hand it off to Tenya at that. It will be difficult but there is a way he can see it happening.

 

Izuku got to do some of the work Papa was handing them, oblivious to the fact that Todoroki had listened in to his and Monoma’s conversation from the start.

 

- - -

 

Tenya was not feeling good. He was still sore from that loss and knew he wouldn’t feel right until he told his brother how he lost the class rep position. He knew Tensei would be disappointed in him, he should be. 

 

He was going to follow in his brother’s footsteps and although his older brother always said he could make his own path, away from the Iida’s, the boy knew he wanted to follow after Tensei. It was his dream to run alongside him, to work at his agency and combat villainy together.

 

So losing something he wanted so badly, a position he thought of as being one of the steps to becoming a worthy Iida, had left him deflated. Not even Yamada’s high energy could pull him out of it.

 

“Tenya?” Hitoshi said as he and the rest of his friends (minus Bakugou) approached his table. “You good?”

 

“Y-yes. Just a bit… shocked is all.” he stated. “It won’t put me down for long though.”

 

“We’ll make you one of our class officers if you wish.” Momo offered.

 

He smiled at her comfort. “Thank you for the offer. Right now though, I’d rather be left to my own thoughts.”

 

His friends looked at each other, questioning if that’s alright but it really is. This isn’t something major but it’s still a let down. He’ll get over it eventually, hopefully.

 

“I hope because of this you won’t give up doing what you do for this class.” Izuku said, Tenya turning his head to him.

 

“I-I wouldn’t dare.” the blue haired boy replied.

 

“Good. As for the class officers, you should show you’ve earned those positions rather than being given them by Momo.” Izuku suggested.

 

“You think that?” Tenya asked.

 

“Yes.” he nodded. “Maybe the reason you weren’t voted was because no one knew of your determination to be the class rep. I’m sure if you were to express that side of you more, they might see you better and vote for you next semester.”

 

“I see…” the boy muttered to himself. “You’re right Izuku, I must try harder than I have!”

 

He’s right, maybe the problem wasn’t that he was trying but that he wasn’t making his efforts clear enough. Perhaps if he shows his enthusiasm, both for his role as an officer and in general for the class rep position, maybe he can receive it next semester!

 

“I’m happy you’re able to pick yourself back up.” the greenette said.

 

“Yeah Tenya, I’m sure you’ll get it next time!” Momo smiled cheerfully.

 

Hitoshi said nothing and instead was looking over at Izuku, his expression unreadable. He then turned to him when it was clear everyone was waiting for his thoughts. “O-oh, yeah. I’m sure you can do it.”

 

- - -

 

Izuku sat back down at his desk just as Ectoplasm entered the room to begin their mathematics lesson. He didn’t fail to notice the way his brother looked at him when he gave Tenya that much needed push in a certain direction.

 

Monoma definitely knows what that push was. 

 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d call what you did there support.” he said.

 

“Assume what you wish. Tenya needs to be reminded of his own determination and diligence.” the greenette stated.

 

“And what happens when Asui starts getting imposter syndrome when the tin man starts stepping on her toes?” he mused.

 

“That is something only I need to know.”

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Connection

Chapter 67: Connection

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope today is going great for all of you!

Here's the last chapter for the week and a wrap up for the bet between Izuku and Neito. Hope you enjoy!

Have a nice day! <3

Outside the school, many reporters were rallied around the front gate, all seeking to get in and get their prized comment on All Might’s teaching situation, maybe even get a picture of him in class with students. The problem was the physical obstacle that is UA’s defenses.

 

That and the threat of police that was made by the shaggy faced teacher they all met earlier in the morning. Just when they thought their energy might dampen down from the lack of any new information, a whole bunch more reporters suddenly crowded the front gate.

 

“What the hell is going on?” one reporter uttered, nearly being squashed by the sudden wave of people. “Did something big happen?”

 

Some were looking at their phones, hoping to find out why there was this sudden influx of people. They would find nothing as what was truly going on behind the scenes was someone setting things up for an infiltration.

 

“Shigaraki, according to our spy, lunch will be in twenty minutes.” a voice whispered from an earpiece.

 

An earpiece buried in the ear of a sky blue haired man, with thin limbs and pasty dry skin. “Wonderful. Tell our little friend to get into position.”

 

‘Let’s see if this school’s security is as good as they say it is…’

 

- - -

 

The bell rang for lunch and everyone in the class headed down to the cafeteria. Ever since Izuku told Tenya to put himself out there more, he has been doing just that. When Ectoplasm was passing out worksheets, the blue haired boy offered to take them and pass them out himself.

 

When Midnight taught her Art History and asked for answers to her questions, Tenya made sure to raise his hand for every single one, showing his eagerness to participate in class.

 

Meanwhile, he could see how Tsu is looking slightly nervous about something. He knows what he’s doing is bad and he feels for her but he has a bet to win and he knows Tenya deserves this role.

 

More than her? Well he can’t argue with the popular vote but can you blame him for being biased towards a friend?

 

For lunch, he needed to give her a push. That’s why he’s told his friends he was going to talk with everyone else in the class to get more acquainted with them. Momo and Tenya were happy for him, being more social but he was sure Hitoshi could see through him. Kacchan too but unlike his brother, he made no move to stop him.

 

“What are you planning?” the purple haired boy asked, walking up to the canteen with Izuku.

 

“I am being more social. Isn’t this a good thing?” Izuku asked rhetorically.

 

The boy let out a small hum that almost sounded list disapproval. “I saw you talking to Monoma a lot.”

 

“He is my only neighbour next to me. That and we were a part of the tellers for the vote.” the greenette answered the implied question. Hitoshi was looking to say more but Izuku beat him to the punch. “Not jealous, are you?”

 

There was a sound of indignance from his brother that was more exaggerated than serious. “That clown? Why would I be jealous of him?”

 

“Because until this year we always sat next to each other in Somei.” the shell explained.

 

“Well I’m not. Just saying how you looked invested in whatever you two were talking about.” he uttered. “That and what you were doing with Tenya.”

 

“What was I doing with Tenya?” Izuku asked, Gala entering the line for food.

 

“Saying more than you usually do.” Hitoshi answered, grabbing a tray. “You always just say the bare minimum. The only time you speak like that is when you’re trying to convince our dads to let you do something stupid.”

 

“You think I’m manipulating him?” the greenette accused.

 

The boy seemed surprised and looked ready to back off. “No, I didn’t mean that. I know you’d never do that to a friend.”

 

A small part of Izuku’s mind wanted to say otherwise because right now he was but he didn’t say anything. Instead he put his trust in his brother. “Me and Monoma made a bet. I said Tenya would be vice rep. He said Tsu would instead. He was right so now I’m doubling down.”

 

Hitoshi looked at him in surprise, like he’d never thought his brother would ever accept anything like a gamble. Then again, he couldn’t say what was going on in his head. “For what?”

 

“A favour, now two when I win.” the greenette stated confidently.

 

“When you win?” he repeated, “What makes you so confident?”

 

“Tsu is conflicted over being made vice rep.” the doll stated.

 

“Is that a fact or a hope? Also, back up. What do you mean a ‘favour’?” the brother questioned, growing more concerned with every new bit of information he finds out.

 

Inside the shell, Izuku pouted a little at his sibling’s clear dislike for what he was planning. “First of all, it is a fact; she is clearly unsure whether or not she is suited for the role. Second, it was agreed upon that any favours owed to him won’t be inappropriate or improper.”

 

Hitoshi would’ve likely massaged his forehead to soothe the coming headache if it weren’t for his hands being occupied by an almost filled tray of food. “Izuku… no. Just no.”

 

“It is too late. I have already made the gamble and I refuse to lose.” the greenette argued.

 

“Why did you even accept it in the first place? What did you even want from him?” he asked, slightly exasperated.

 

He… wait… what did he actually want from him? Izuku didn’t actually think that far. All he remembered was that he wanted to accept it and that even then he hadn’t had any serious plans if he won. 

 

Honestly, now that he thought about it, what would happen if Monoma won? Would he ask Izuku to step out of Gala in a very public place? It wasn’t a weird request on paper but it was still a terrifying thought. 

 

“Boredom, perhaps.” Gala suggested.

 

Hitoshi narrowed his eyes a little. The greenette couldn’t tell what he was thinking but it can’t be any good. He only made a serious face like that when he was focused on something, like when Dad told him that if he managed to successfully ambush him, he would give him ten thousand yen.

 

“I don’t like Monoma.” he simply said.

 

“That seems to be a common opinion of him.” the shell nodded as they left to find a table. 

 

Well Hitoshi did, Izuku was searching for Tsu to enact the next part of his plan. At least until a hand grabbed the doll’s arm and held them back. 

 

“Yeah no. You’re coming with me.” he ordered.

 

“I need to give Tsu the push she needs to consider resigning.” Izuku said.

 

“She ‘needs’? Izuku, remember when we were younger and you almost sent a doll to attack a bunch of older kids just because they blocked Tenya from running?” his brother recalled.

 

The shell stood there for a few seconds. “...Yes.”

 

“Remember how that situation fixed itself, without your meddling?”

 

“...Yes.”

 

Hitoshi sighed a little, “Then you should know not to do this. I shouldn’t need to tell you that destroying the confidence of your classmates just so you can win a bet is not a good thing.”

 

He was… right. It wasn’t a very nice, good or heroic thing to do but it wasn’t going to be that bad. It’s not like he was going to tell Tsu that she wasn’t suited straight up. He’d just wedge himself in, highlight Tenya in subtle ways by mentioning how down he was over the loss and how much he wanted the role, and then question the frog girl and ask her what her plans for the future were.

 

It was a simple three pronged attack. Make Tenya look suited for the role, make him look deserving of it and make Tsu feel like he is the better option over her by ‘unintentionally’ highlighting how she is unprepared for the role. Simple.

 

And if she is affected emotionally by that, he could pick her up easily. Like he did with Tenya earlier. It was what he was good at, picking people up when they’re down (especially when he put them there in the first place).

 

But saying all of that out loud, or rather thinking it… yeah it sounded a teensy bit mean. But Tenya was his friend, and he wanted to win this bet over Monoma. It felt like he had something to prove to the boy even if he didn’t know what. Even if he didn’t want his approval.

 

Hitoshi was right though. He tended to be, at least when it came to people and doing the right thing.

 

“Ok. I’ll sit away from her…”

 

“Thank you.” Hitoshi sighed in relief.

 

“...And go sit with Monoma.”

 

“No! Not that either.” he stopped the doll by grabbing their arm and tugging.

 

“Why? Is there a problem with me making new friends?” the boy questioned, almost sounding sarcastic.

 

Hitoshi dragged the doll by the arm over to a table with Kacchan and some of their classmates. Momo was chatting with Tsu and Jirou elsewhere whilst Tenya seemed to be having a lively conversation with Uraraka. 

 

“Maybe not that kind of friend.” he stated.

 

“What’s wrong with him?” Gala questioned, pulling back a little to stop.

 

Hitoshi stopped for a second, trying to figure that answer out for himself. “Think he might be a bad influence on you.” he eventually concluded.

 

“Kacchan could be called the same.” the greenette noted. “You let me talk to him and are even friends yourself with him.”

 

“He’s not a bad influence, just a loud dog who barks at anything that moves.” he compared, a distant shout distinctly Kacchan sounding coming from somewhere in the cafeteria. “See? Him though, I can tell he’s an actual bad influence.”

 

They finally sit down, Gala at the end of the table with Hitoshi across. Next to the doll was Ashido who was currently talking to Sero over something or another. “This is because you lost to him, isn’t it?”

 

“Maybe a little.” Hitoshi admitted. “But I do get a weird gut feeling from him. Especially when he’s talking, like everything about him is fake.”

 

Well, he’s not wrong. Izuku can feel it too. There was something odd about Monoma that pulled him in. Maybe it was meeting someone with a mind like his, who didn’t care about the rules of the game and bent them until either they broke or he did.

 

But that just pulled the greenette in even more. And with this bet, it was like he was proving something. The copier knows who he was. He was the Dollmaker, and instead of inquiring or telling the whole class he kept that fact to himself.

 

He knows Izuku in a way a normal stranger wouldn’t. That made him feel exposed and judged, the two things he hates the most. 

 

All of that, on top of the fact he was new (and with that smile, shiny too) in Izuku’s life, there was the curiosity of discovering and learning about who he was and what made him tick. Especially with what he learned so far.

 

Admittedly, after yesterday he looked into Monoma but could barely find anything. He didn’t have a social media account despite his whole spiel on public perception. Either that or it was under a name he couldn’t find. 

 

Using a reverse web search of his face taken from Gala’s camera got him nothing either but doppelgangers and look-alikes. He really was a phantom and that made learning about him all the more enticing.

 

Perhaps that should be his favours. Something to learn more of him by. It would certainly be him getting his own back over the boy, Even though Izuku didn’t really care that Monoma knew he was Dollmaker, it’s the principle that he knows Izuku more than Izuku knows him.

 

“You have your opinions, I have mine.” the greenette agreed to disagree.

 

“Just saying. I’m your older brother so it’s my job to worry over who my little brother decides to hang out with.” he uttered.

 

“Older by fourteen days!” the doll protested, attracting the attention of the girl next to him.

 

“What was that?” Ashido asked, pulling the table’s conversation to them.

 

“Nothing.” both boys said at once. The pink everything girl shrugged her shoulders and turned to her own food to eat before looking back up to face Gala.

 

“Hey Yamazawa, how do you eat if you’re inside the puppet?” she asked.

 

To answer, he merely opened up the chest of the shell from the inside and unbuttoned the shirt from within, leaving a small enough opening for him to pull his head out to eat anything passed to him by Gala. 

 

“Well that just answered it.” Sero said, chuckling a little.

 

“Dude, I wish I could have something to feed me and carry me around. Never want to do anything again.” Kaminari wished.

 

“I require myself to be moved around by them. I can’t quite defend myself without a doll nearby to assist me.” the greenette explained.

 

Kirishima tilted his head a little to see past everyone and look at Izuku. “You don’t look like you need help moving around.” he noted inquisitively.

 

“Short distances, yes. Long however and I start to feel exhausted.” he supplied a response.

 

“Is that because of your quirk?” he asked.

 

“Yes. Overuse when I was younger, along with some other health issues, has made it so that my muscles are nominally weak. My bones as well are slightly more delicate than they should be, my spine in particular.” he explained.

 

“Aren’t you worried about not getting enough exercise?” Ashido questioned. “All that inactivity can’t be good.”

 

“It can be, but my Dad is particular about being… active so I’m alright. I also have a diet I follow as I’m sure a few of you do too.” the greenette answered.

 

Most of everyone at the table nodded, the one exception being Kaminari who then said that he would go on one too so as not to fall behind the rest of the class. The rest of the conversation at the table was nice. There were more questions asked about Izuku’s quirk and he was happy to answer them, that is until something loud happened.

 

“So Izuku,” Ashido started, “what kind of skin products do you use? Your’s is so clear.”

 

“I use a-”

 

Alarms blared, immediately startling the entire table and everyone in the cafeteria. A voice over an intercom called for everyone to evacuate in an orderly fashion but it was clear from one look that wasn’t going to be the case.

 

“What’s going on?!” Sero shouted over the shouting.

 

“Someone must’ve broken through the UA Barriers!” an older student answered him.

 

Instantly Izuku was inside Gala, sealing the compartment up tightly whilst they buttoned up their shirt before following the crowds. Unfortunately, with the amount of people nearby the greenette started to become stressed, especially as they got to the corridors and everything became a crunch.

 

It was truly like being in a submarine, the water outside clanging and pressuring the space within, the shell’s head acting like a periscope above the waves of humans. He looked around for anyone to help him, Hitoshi was lost somewhere and he hasn’t found him yet.

 

Looking around he spotted a window that gave him a clear view of some reporters being stopped by Dad and Papa, that was when he knew that it must’ve been the cause for alarm.

 

‘I need to get this information out!’ the puppeteer grunted in his head.

 

Izuku thought at first to turn up Gala’s voice to high and speak out over the crowds but with how robotic it sounded, people might just assume it was the intercom repeating the message again and ignore it. That was when he spotted a tall figure in the crowds.

 

‘Tenya!’

 

Taking a deep breath and wrapping his arms around Ezuku hidden in the shell, he commanded Gala to push forward and force their way to their friend. Once through, they tapped on his shoulder.

 

- - -

 

Tenya didn’t know how this all got out of hand so quickly. One moment he was talking to Uraraka and Tsuyu in order to get to know the two better, next there was an alarm and now he was being crushed alive. He’s had to save a gen ed student with purple balls for hair from being trampled.

 

‘What is even going on out there?!’ he demanded, inching his way to the window.

 

Pressed up against the glass, he saw reporters outside harassing Aizawa and Yamada. Was all this chaos caused by them? Does that mean there’s no danger?

 

“I need to tell everyone!” he proclaimed. “Everyone-”

 

He couldn’t get a word in edge wise, not with how he was being shoved and pushed every ten seconds by another elbow or shoulder barge. If he wanted to calm everyone down, he needed to get to the front of the crowd.

 

Tenya forced his way back through the river of people, trying to get to the front but could barely get far with how packed everything was. It was then he felt an intentional hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Gala behind him, shaking slightly.

 

“Izuku!” he shouted. “Are you okay?!”

 

“It’s the reporters Reprotyers oieside.” the puppet said, clearly a mistype by the boy within.

 

‘Izuku only mistypes when he’s in too much distress. I need to stop this now for the sake of the safety of others and my friends!’ he determined.

 

“I know,” Tenya agreed. “But no one will listen.”

 

“Front of the cwrdd.” was uttered by the doll.

 

“I can’t! Not with-” he stopped, seeing behind Izuku was Uraraka, practically fighting for her life not to fall under the crowds.

 

‘That’s it!’

 

He moved past Gala, reaching towards the girl. “Uraraka!”

 

The brown haired girl heard him and looked in his direction. “Iida! What’s going on?!”

 

“Use your quirk on me! I’ll calm down the room!” he commanded.

 

She listened without question and tried to reach for the boy’s hand but it was just too far and they were left struggling to make contact. At least, that’s how it was until Gala grabbed Tenya’s legs, and hoisted him up and held him over to her, whilst he used some of the people’s heads to climb over, giving just the reach he needed to touch her hand.

 

In an instant, he floated up and after ‘elegantly’ flying across the entire corridor to the end, he landed (crashed) on an exit sign and began to address the room.

 

“Everyone!” he hollered, shouting the loudest his lungs could handle. “There is nothing to fear! The break in was caused by reporters! We are not in danger!”

 

His voice bounced throughout the room, voices quieting as they paid attention. Tenya scanned the room for where his friends were, seeing that most of them were alright. Once he noted the students were (mostly) listening to him he continued addressing the masses.

 

“We are UA students! We are the best of the best and what is happening in this corridor is not our best! Remain calm! Keep your hands to yourself! And move in an orderly fashion towards your class' designated assembly point!”

 

There was a small round of chatter as everyone talked about what to do(?) when Momo called out to say that the police had arrived outside and were handling the situation. This calmed the people further and soon enough, the room’s volatile energy before quieted down completely.

 

Tenya hopped down the sign to stand in front of the exit door. It hadn’t opened due to a student's quirk welding it shut due to being shoved into it and being unable to get back to the door to undo it. After organising things a little, that student, a boy from class 1-B, was finally able to deactivate his quirk and allow the people out.

 

The entire time, Tenya kept at the door, soon joined by some of his classmates who helped organise any small panics and moved any injured students to Recovery Girl’s office. 

 

Izuku was taken away by Hitoshi who ushered his brother somewhere quieter to help him fight a near anxiety attack. Meanwhile, Momo was helping Jirou who too was overwhelmed by all the noise along with a few other students who had sensitive hearing.

 

It took another twenty minutes for things to properly calm down and by the end, everyone was practically looking to Tenya as the one organising the whole thing. Thankfully he didn’t need to handle that kind of pressure as soon enough, teachers had arrived to help solve the situation better.

 

‘What were they doing during all of this? Was the media really that bad?’ he wondered.

 

- - -

 

It took a while for Izuku to calm down after the whole hallway crush ordeal but after some comforting by Hitoshi and a hug, he managed to avoid the worst of a breakdown. Now that he was back in their classroom, he could properly calm himself down.

 

Didn’t stop his brother from glancing over at him, Izuku making sure to nod to show he was ok. 

 

In reality though he was tired. Honestly he wanted to go home and sleep.

 

“So? Seems the clock’s running thin on Asui’s resignation.” Monoma commented. “Hope you’re feeling nervous.”

 

Suddenly getting some energy back, Izuku jumped into a much more confident persona, The puppeteer turned Gala’s head to look down at him. “I can assure you, everything is on track.”

 

“Whatever you say.”

 

Dad was standing at the front of class, wrapped up in his sleeping bag. “Alright, I’m sure you all know what the reason for the alarm was. The vultures somehow wormed their way in through the school barriers which caused the school’s defenses to go off. It’s all been handled now though, so I don’t need to tell you anything else.”

 

“Seriously? All that craziness over some news people? I almost got crushed!” Hakagure complained.

 

“Je suis d’accord, my hand was almost broken.” Aoyama nodded along.

 

Uraraka made a hum of agreement. “Yeah! If Iida hadn’t calmed everyone down, I think I might’ve gotten squished!”

 

“Yeah man! We would’ve been in trouble if he hadn’t reassured everyone.” Kirishima also agreed.

 

“Wait what happened?” Monoma said.

 

“Did you not see what Tenya did during the panic? He quelled all of the crowds.” Izuku explained.

 

“Yeah but that can’t seriously be enough right?” the blond said nervously.

 

‘Wasn’t it him that said the perceptions of others were the most important?’ Izuku recalled but didn’t say anything on.

 

“Quiet down hellspawn. Yaoyorozu, Asui, come up here so you can assign your class officers.” Dad commanded, already lying back down on the floor.

 

The two girls stepped up to the podium and it was clear Tsu was looking more conflicted now than she did before. As Momo began to talk about positions, the frog girl made a move to stop her. 

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m suited for this role.” she said. “Personally, I feel Iida is much better for it than I am.”

 

She croaked a little. “He is much more authoritative and commanding than I could be, more diligent too. I feel I don’t have the ability to handle this position responsibly knowing that there is someone far more suited to be vice rep than I am. If possible, I’d like to nominate Iida to take over my position.”

 

The class considered what she said and quickly, those that voted for her in the first place began to agree.

 

“If Tsu’s vouching for him, then I agree too.” Hakagure said.

 

“Yeah, he totally took charge when all of us were just running around with our heads in the sand.” Kaminari also joined in with.

 

Tenya’s face lit up over the glowing commemorations and if he was a more emotional man, he’d probably tear up at the trust given to him. Once it was clear that the class was behind him taking over as vice representative, he vowed to do his best.

 

“I will be sure to work well alongside our class rep and pledge to fulfil my responsibilities to the best of my ability!”

 

Standing next to a smiling Momo, Tsu sat down looking more relieved and with the energy of a more coherent class, it seemed that today was a good day for everyone involved. Everyone except, of course, the boy next to Izuku.

 

The entire time the greenette watched Monoma and saw as the boy’s face dropped a bit in alarm when Tsu first started her speech, something he hasn’t seen from him since the start of the school year. His mouth was slightly open hearing Tsuyu’s resignation and even more so when everyone in the class began to agree with her.

 

“Be careful, you might catch flies with your mouth open like that.” Izuku teased, the blond boy snapping out of his stupor and falling back in his chair with a forced smile.

 

“I see you managed to give them both a shove in the direction you wanted them to?” he asked, clearly trying to keep himself from looking frazzled. 

 

“Tenya, yes but Tsu, no. That resolved itself thanks to my friend’s efforts.” the puppeteer explained. Sure that wasn’t the plan at all but Monoma didn’t need to know that.

 

The blond scoffed, “You almost sound like you trusted him entirely to win you your bet.”

 

“No, but it is certainly easier to let other people walk into the answer themselves then force it onto them.” Izuku argued.

 

As officers were elected, they kept up their conversation. “So,” Monoma started, “You have two favours over me. What’s your plan for them?”

 

“I’m not sure yet… I could use you for a footstool if ever I’m bored.” the shell mused.

 

“Hey, according to the bet-”

 

“You can’t make me do anything weird. Yes, that was a condition. We never said that applied to you though.” the puppeteer smiled inside the doll.

 

There was a staredown, Monoma trying to see if Izuku was serious about what he requested until Gala just threw their arms up in a shrug. “I’m not serious. Just finding your plight amusing.”

 

“Why stop at a footstool then? Surely you could demand to use me as a chair?” he grinned.

 

“You’re making it sound like you want that to happen.” the shell noted.

 

“Believe what you want to believe,” he said.

 

“...” Izuku thought for a moment. “How about your contact details?”

 

“Are you confessing something?” he turned with a smile.

 

“No. Just wish to know more about yourself. You have no social media presence.” the doll reasoned.

 

“Stalking me are you? Didn’t realise I made such a great first impression.”

 

“And yet you know who I once was. I doubt you got that information without looking me up online.” Izuku said, keeping their voice down now that Tenya and Momo were done.

 

As Dad took the podium, his friends sitting back down, a note was dropped onto the floor next to Izuku’s chair. Gala pulled it over with their foot and took a quick look, typing the digits into his phone and sending a test message.

 

YamazawaIzuku: Is this you, Monoma?

 

UnknownNumber: The one and only! 

 

“Monoma.” Dad called, “Please keep phones away during class time, don’t make me say it twice.”

 

“Sorry, teach.” he nodded.

 

And with that, a connection formed between the two tricksters.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Tossing and Turning

Chapter 68: Tossing and Turning

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you had a nice weekend. Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!

Have a nice day! <3

The next day, everyone was going to be doing some quirkless sparring so Izuku was free to skip out on it and focus on improving his dolls. It was something he was excited for because he hadn’t had full access to the workshop before due to most of the equipment being tucked away during the weekends.

 

He wanted to learn some things that he could use to improve his dolls, each in their own way. First though, he wanted to hear from the heroes their opinions first, so on the car ride over to UA he asked them.

 

“D-dad, Papa, how do y-you think I should improve the dolls?” the puppeteer questioned from the backseat.

 

He had gotten more comfortable speaking himself over the years. Even if he can’t speak out loud publicly, he can still talk to his family and close friends without feeling too flustered. 

 

“Whilst all of your puppets fight well together, you need to consider the advantages of having them spread out.” the black haired man supplied. “I can see a major weak point in each of your dolls, especially if they fight alone. Making up for that in them will do you good.”

 

Izuku typed this out into Gala’s built in computer, taking in the advice. “Anything in particular?”

 

For this, Hitoshi spoke up. “Julius has no ranged attacks does he? Maybe something like that should be added?”

 

“I can’t have any delicate machinery inside him when he’s going to be taking hits.” the puppeteer countered. 

 

“Then don’t make it inside him. Make a weapon for him to carry.” he said, leaning over to Izuku to peek at what he was typing.

 

The advice was sound but he already had something carried. The large baton. Maybe he could combine that with something more ranged. Maybe a cannon? Would that be too heavy? Maybe Hatsume could help here.

 

“Who’s Hatsume?” Hitoshi wondered, Izuku muttering the last part out loud..

 

“Isn’t she that new student Maijima was complaining about yesterday?” Papa asked Dad who nodded with him.

 

“She is as chaotic as he says. She’s already promised to help me resurrect Behemoth in a new form.” Izuku typed and explained.

 

“Wait, do you mean the same puppet that scared all of those teachers?” his brother questioned.

 

The greenette nodded. “It’ll likely be bigger and even more ferocious than the first iteration. It is planned to have it act as transport for the other dolls.”

 

“Just don’t make it too intimidating.” Dad noted, “Remember, you are heroes. Civilians need to be comforted by you, not scared.”

 

“Says the homeless looking man.” Hitoshi snarked, earning a glare from the man and a laugh from both Izuku and Papa.

 

“So have you both been making many friends in UA?” the blond asked.

 

“I know ‘Zuku’s made some.” the brainwasher responded. “Monoma.”

 

“Who’s that again?” Papa wondered.

 

“The blond kid, copy quirk.” Dad answered him. “I saw you talk to him a lot during the class representative vote.”

 

“H-He’s interesting to t-talk to.” the greenette explained. 

 

“You also won your bet against him, didn’t you?” Hitoshi asked.

 

“Bet? What bet?” the erasure man interjected, with ever so slight concern.

 

“I-It’s nothing.” Izuku tried to divert.

 

Unfortunately his brother wasn’t going to let him get away from that conversation. “He and Monoma made a bet on who would be vice rep. He said Tsu, ‘Zuku said Tenya.”

 

“What was it for?” Dad questioned.

 

“A f-favour. Two because I d-doubled down.” the greenette jumped in to take back the conversation. “A-And yes, I did win.”

 

Izuku explained quickly what the whole thing was, mentioning how it came up during the voting process and how he doubled down when Tsuyu won the first selection. Speaking to his confidence in Tenya and the frog girls unsureness over her new found position. 

 

He made sure not to mention his attempts at manipulating both his friend and the girl, leaving that out and making it to be like he had complete faith in his prediction alone.

 

He eyed Hitoshi and could see him thinking, probably wondering if he should speak up about that but he didn’t, probably leaving it alone for his sake. Izuku was thankful for that.

 

“I understand cash…” Papa started, “...but ‘favours’? What are you even going to use them for? Homework?”

 

“N-No. It was all M-Monoma’s s-suggestion. I d-didn’t know what I-I’d use mine for at the t-time.” the puppeteer responded.

 

Dad looked at him through the rearview mirror, inquisitive if not slightly curious. “That implies you do know what you want now.”

 

“I u-used one yesterday to g-get his p-phone number…” he trailed off, slightly sheepish because he knew how that could sound.

 

Immediately the three other people in the car turned to look at Izuku, Papa having to turn his attention back onto the road to avoid steering off. Izuku was quick to clear up any misunderstandings before someone made up their mind on why he wanted those details.

 

“I-I wanted to t-talk to him more! W-We have similar i-interests!” 

 

Unfortunately that didn’t seem to convince them, Dad and Papa sharing glances whilst Hitoshi was clearly thinking about something. “I-It isn’t how it looks!” he shouted, voice cutting out a little at the end.

 

“Isn’t how what looks?” Hitoshi asked, clearly looking to tease.

 

“D-Don’t play dumb! I j-just want to be friends with M-Monoma.” Izuku clarified, Gala getting more and more threatening looking with every second.

 

“Okay, okay. Just messing with you.” his brother eased. “Still think you shouldn’t be making bets or stuff like that though.” he muttered under his breath.

 

They turned into the parking lot. The media was much more suppressed this time around, it seemed the police gave enough of a scare that most of them left, seeing their soundbite potential wasn’t worth the risk of getting arrested. No one wants ‘breaking into a high school’ on their record.

 

They all got out and departed, each going their own way for the day after saying goodbye.

 

- - -

 

Momo had managed to get her costume redone despite the far too late deadline. Thankfully, it’s expected at the start of the year for costume redesigns to happen so her request wasn’t too big. 

 

She didn’t even know why her mother wanted her to wear something so bare outside of just pure vanity. The amount of times she tried to tell her mother that she was a hero, not a fashion model, was too many to count.

 

Mostly because every time she would make that argument, she’d immediately refer to heroes like Midnight or Mt. Lady. It wasn’t that Momo didn’t want to look good, she did, she just didn’t want that to be her thing. 

 

No disrespect to the heroes who enjoy that kind of spotlight but she would rather be seen as someone mature, knowledgeable and graceful. She wants people to look at her as a force for good and reliability first, her appearance second.

 

Her new outfit was something that was almost a compromise between her old costume and her new. It still kept the same color scheme but was less like a scantily short dress and more of a modern day knight’s costume, minus the armor that she’d probably create mid combat to suit the situation.

 

The layout was mostly the same, the chest window, short sleeves and exposed legs but there was no actual skin exposed, instead using a mesh utilising her DNA so she can create through those parts. It was woven to almost look like chainmail and was as durable as the stuff.

 

She also had some elbow and knee padding, some metal on her chest and thighs for protection while also covering up a bit, and finally on her feet she wore much heavier looking steel capped toe boots, all made of course to match her knight theming.

 

All in all it looked a lot more professional and less promiscuous which was what she was aiming for.

 

She was excited to wear it today until she came to remember halfway through lunch that it was going to be quirkless sparring so she’ll likely not be using it. 

 

“Hey, maybe you can wear it tomorrow.” Uraraka said, swallowing down some rice.

 

It was lunch at the moment and she was sitting with all of her friends as well as some of their own. For the first couple days, her friend group decided to spread out and make new friends instead of sitting together, Tenya saying that it was important to build connections for later in life, something she agreed to.

 

Despite that though they were all still at the same table but that was mostly because it was a large table and the majority of the class was already there. As such they were more spread out amongst it, sitting next to their new classmates.

 

“Yeah it sounds pretty cool.” Jirou agreed, sitting across from her in the booth they were at.

 

“Didn’t Mr. Aizawa say something about a trip tomorrow?” Tsuyu recalled.

 

“Yes,” corroborated Tenya, “During our homeroom he said that it’ll be a short trip meant to show us some of the facilities we’ll be using during our time here at UA.”

 

“Why would they be doing a tour at the end of the first week?” the frog girl wondered. “You’d think they do it on the first day.”

 

“Maybe they didn’t want to overwhelm us with everything at first.” Izuku guessed, the puppet Gala speaking for him a few seats down.

 

Everyone nodded along like it made sense. It did seem reasonable that they didn’t want to show everything the school had to offer on the first day, after all they were already wrapped up in that Quirk Apprehension Test day one. Then again, for all she knew class 1-B already had their tour done whilst they were still to catch up on that.

 

“Speaking of this afternoon, Yamazawa,” Kirishima started, looking at the puppeteer, “how will things work for you? Will we be fighting your puppets?”

 

“No. I’ll be doing maintenance on my dolls, as well as working on improvements. I do any kind of melee training by watching and mimicking what I see from other heroes.” he explained.

 

The red head nodded in understanding but the questions weren’t finished, but instead of them coming from him they came from Tsuyu. “Yamazawa, I can be a very blunt person so I typically say what’s on my mind.”

 

“What would you like to ask?” Izuku already asked, knowing where she was going by saying that.

 

“Well, you seem to be able to walk well despite being carried around by your quirk. I won’t press if it’s personal but I’d like to know why you need your puppet with you everywhere you go.” she asked, keeping her tone neutral.

 

Momo was genuinely curious whether or not Izuku was going to answer, given how he was sort of exposed, eating lunch whilst sitting inside of Gala’s chest. Sure as one would expect, he shrunk in a little, pulling his arms and legs into the puppet as he typed.

 

“I can walk short distances but get exhausted going any further. I have weak muscles due to overusing my quirk when I was younger along with a variety of other conditions. It’s resulted in me being incapable of defending myself without my quirk there to help.” he explained. “My strongest punch would likely hurt me more than it would hurt you.”

 

“I see, is that also why you’re also small?” the frog girl asked as well.

 

“Yes, genetics too, but I don’t see how you made that kind of leap in logic.” the boy uttered.

 

“Well, it’s just that your brother is much taller than you. Everyone in my family is around my same height so I figured the same must be for most people.” she noted, looking over to Hitoshi who was now paying attention.

 

“We’re not related by blood.” the brainwasher piped up with. “We’re both adopted.”

 

“Really?” Kaminari said in slight surprise. “You both have, like, controlling quirks don’t you?”

 

“Only in name.” Izuku started with, “Hitoshi’s quirk is entirely mental whereas mine is technically a transformation quirk.”

 

“What, like mine?” Kirishima asked, holding up a hand to show off his hardening.

 

“Yes. I release spinal fluid through my finger tips. Whilst on their own it means nothing, when activated or ‘transformed’ they become closer to being like muscle fibres. I can still control them like they’re a part of my own body.” he explained, holding up his hands to show the needle-like hairs at the tips of his fingers.

 

“So can you control people with it?” Jirou asked.

 

“We tried to test it a few times, the usual result was that the fluid would be attacked and destroyed by the body’s natural defense system. Maybe if I used it on someone with a compromised immune system, but for the most part no, not really.” he continued to answer.

 

“I don’t imagine there’ll be many villains like that walking around.” the blond, shrugged. “My quirk is so much less complicated than yours. With a big drawback too.”

 

“Your quirk can do a lot to work around that problem.” Izuku argued. “While yes, a full release of your quirk can be dangerous for allies and yourself, you could use that seemingly endless source of energy to power weapons. I believe there is some laser weaponry that would be powerful in your hands.”

 

“Laser weapons? Do those things actually exist?” Kaminari pondered.

 

“You didn’t see them in the entrance exam?” Jirou questioned, shocked a little.

 

“Oh, wait yeah but those things were huge. I don’t think I’ve seen a hero use something like that before.” he recalled, trying to remember.

 

“Typically they won’t.” Momo picked up the conversation before Izuku could continue. “Such weaponry tends to require large batteries to be any kind of useful. Those robots can carry them but in something like a handheld object like a pistol or a rifle would prove too difficult to manage. Izuku’s proposal though would circumvent that issue by making yourself the battery.”

 

“I see… I guess I’ll be looking into that! Thanks you two!” he cheered with a full smile.

 

“Ooh! Do either of you know how I can use my quirk better?” Ashido asked.

 

The rest of lunch was spent with her and Izuku giving their thoughts on how they could better improve their quirks. It was nice to hear other people pitch in too like Tenya and even Bakugou at one point when Kirishima asked about his. Soon the period passed by and everyone was on their way to their afternoon classes.

 

To the girl with the brain of a genius, she practically zipped through them all. Every word said by Mr. Ishiyama went in through her ears and out through her pen as it was all scrawled down in immaculate writing. There were many things she didn’t like that her mother forced on her but neat handwriting was one she was thankful for.

 

After their classes were done, they got changed and headed down to Gym Beta  to start their training at Aizawa’s command. As expected, Izuku wasn’t there, resulting in some questions being asked and answered by both one of their teachers (All Might) and some of their classmates who weren’t with them during lunch.

 

Thankfully everything was cleared up when Aizawa explained the situation to them.

 

For their first lesson, they took things a lot slower than they did their normal heroics. Maybe because Aizawa was here as well but he and All Might told them to focus more on getting certain techniques down first. Arm throws, tackles and even some judo moves was what they were taught and it was further in the afternoon before they got to actual one-on-one spars.

 

“Alright,” the black haired hero started, “Next we’ll be putting you into groups of two to practice what you’ve learned today.”

 

“But sir, there are nineteen people here!” Kirishima notified.

 

He smiled a wide toothed grin that always brought a chill down Momo’s spine. “In that case, one of you will have to work with me. Now find a partner in your weight class and begin.”

 

Momo looked around, at first for one of her friends before realising that most of them were  either heavier than her (Tenya and Hitoshi) or lighter (Jirou and Uraraka). She thought of going to Ashido as they were the same but she had already grouped up with Hakagure.

 

Dreading training with Aizawa, she thankfully found someone within her range, Bakugou. 

 

Despite how the boy looked, he was actually much lighter than one might think, intentionally training to be lean and less bulky so as he could propel himself more easily with his quirk. When Momo found he was alone, she headed over to him to invite him to be her partner in training. 

 

The problem was he might not be any better. She knows she was looking for her friends but Bakugou was more of an acquaintance than a friend. While they have certainly trained together in the past, neither really talked to the other. They just didn’t share many interests.

 

“Bakugou?” she called, approaching the explosive blond.

 

“What is it Ponytail?” he barked, turning to her.

 

“I had wanted to partner up with you.” she answered, brushing off the fact that his nickname for her was her hairstyle. 

 

‘At least he likes it, probably.’ considering what he calls Kirishima.

 

“Sure. I’m not in the mood to fight the hobo.” he agreed, walking off to the mats, hands in pocket. She followed after him, the two lining up to fight, face to face.

 

They took turns practicing tackles and throws on each other, the defender usually trying to strain their body so that they could fight it. It was an easy session all things considered, this wasn’t the first time they had training like this together at the Yamazawa home or at the beach.

 

Tossing Bakugou was unsurprisingly difficult. Not because of the weight but the resistance. She knew the blond despised losing, even in the simplest of things so every time she made a throw he’d always push back. At least it made for much better practice on her balance.

 

Halfway through the training, they stopped to catch their breath and get some water. To her surprise, Bakugou was the one to get their drinks for them, tossing her reusable water bottle at her.

 

She thought they’d just sit in silence until the next stretch of clashing until he spoke up. “You realise All Might’s watching you?”

 

“What?” she asked, surprised at both his words and the fact he was talking to her.

 

“He kept looking over at you during our tossing.” he clarified, a bit annoyed, though it was because he was frustrated at having to be more clear.

 

She looked behind herself, looking for the star spangled hero and found him glancing away just as their eyes connected. What? “Are you sure he isn’t looking at you?”

 

“I know what I see Ponytail!” he growled. “All Might’s been looking your way for some reason. And not just this session. He was also doing it yesterday too.”

 

He was? Why would he be watching her… wait, was he the reason she got the feeling of being watched before? He regularly wore a yellow suit, he would certainly be fast enough to be a yellow blur. On top of that, after she told Mr. Yagi about her thoughts, the feeling stopped.

 

Did he inform All Might to stop watching over her? But why? Why was he doing that in the first place? She wasn’t that remarkable, at least compared to her classmates and friends.

 

Maybe it was her quirk. It was certainly unique; Creation could do literally thousands upon thousands of things but it wasn’t anything close to what All Might could do. She wasn’t physically skilled like others but she was intellectually gifted, she would understand more if someone like Nedzu was watching her.

 

“He might be curious about my quirk. Most people tend to be.” she theorised, turning back to look at Bakugou.

 

“Why’s he watching you spar then?” he argued. “No quirk shit going on over here.”

 

“Then what do you think he’s looking at me for?” Momo asked, curious to hear his thoughts. 

 

“I don’t know.” he admitted. “Just keep an eye out.”

 

“Are you… concerned?” the creator said, slightly shocked.

 

“Shut the fuck up!” he yelled, startling Kouda who was paired with Shouji. “Can’t I just say shit to Izuku’s friends?”

 

“We could just be friends in that case and cut out the middle man. We’ve been acquaintances for long enough.” Momo tried to ease the blond’s sudden rise in anger.

 

Bakugou grumbled a little. “I thought we already were.”

 

“You never say my name.” she pointed out.

 

“‘Cause I give everyone names!” he argued.

 

“Not to Izuku.” she noted, causing the blond to pause.

 

“He’s different,” he finally said.

 

The girl closed her eyes, thinking on what to say next. She said she’d try to make more friends in UA. It might be cheating to make friends with a long time acquaintance but it would be a good start. “How?”

 

“I’ve known him longer.” he answered weakly, not that you could tell by how confidently he said it.

 

“You’ve known us for a while too.” she countered, keeping up the conversation.

 

“Fine!” he huffed, “I’ll call you Yaoyorozu or however the fuck you want me to call you.”

 

“Yaomomo.”

 

“Sure! Now get up.” he ordered, Aizawa calling for the class to finish up their breaks. “If we’re going to be ‘friends’ then I’m not going to be holding back anymore.”

 

Indeed he wasn’t. She could barely make a proper throw, the blond either resisting it or reversing it back on her. Meanwhile his tosses got more brutal, taking the wind out of her with every slam. Soon their combat went from simple training to near full on sparring, attracting the attention of some of their classmates.

 

Sensing the attention, she got more aggressive herself, going for stuff that wasn’t what they were taught today to throw off the blond at which it worked. It earned a small cheer from Ashido’s direction.

 

This made Bakugou even more competitive, rushing her and performing a full on tackle, knocking her down and causing her to groan in pain before she felt something almost pop in her shoulder. 

 

Hearing this, the boy immediately got off her, giving her space as she quickly checked to see if anything was dislocated but given the fact she wasn’t in howling pain, it was likely just some air between the bones. Like cracking your knuckles. Still hurt though.

 

“Alright, alright. Enough roughhousing.” Aizawa called, walking over from his battling with the unlucky Sero. “Yaoyorozu, got to the nurse’s office to get that shoulder checked over. Everyone else, start looking for a different partner.”

 

Momo nodded, not arguing with the man cause she knew there would’ve been no point. Heading out of the gym and into the halls of the school, she could definitely tell her shoulder was slightly in bad shape. The pain made it obvious.

 

After a quick stop, a short lecture that should’ve been more meant for Bakugou than her from Recovery Girl, and a draining kiss later, she was heading back to the gym. Thankfully the pain wasn’t that hard to fix though the nurse’s quirk did take her energy out of her.

 

Before she could reach the gym though, she almost bumped into the sight of a massive man. All Might.

 

“Ah, young Yaoyorozu!” he called. “Do you mind having a private conversation with me?”

 

“U-uh,” she stuttered, half starstruck and concerned. “What is it you wanted to talk about, sir?”

 

“This is a conversation better had in the teacher’s lounge.” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “Would you mind following me?”

 

“Would Mr. Aizawa be alright with that?” she questioned, afraid of what would happen if Aizawa thought she was skipping out on training.

 

“I’ll let him know after we’ve had our chat. I assure you, you’re not in trouble.” he promised.

 

Well, she had no reason to deny him. It wasn’t as if anything bad could happen and her intuition was telling her it was okay. “Alright sir, let’s go.”

 

They entered the teacher lounge, no one else inside but them. After closing the door and locking it for some reason, he turned and took a seat on the sofa across from her.

 

“Now then young Yaoyorozu, do you know why I might be having this conversation with you?” he asked, not serious but there was this growing tension in the air the second he sat down.

 

“I believe it has to do with why you have been watching me all week.” she answered, trusting Bakugou’s observations.

 

“Wait, you’ve noticed that?!” he spilled, surprised.

 

“A classmate informed me.” she explained.

 

“In that case I’ll cut to the chase, young Yaoyorozu.” he said.

 

‘What is it that he wants?’ she wondered. It could be a thousand things. He might want her to make something for him, something to do with her parents, one of her friends. There were so many possibilities as to why the man was talking to her right now. 

 

None of them anticipated this outcome though.

 

“I wish to make you my successor.”

Notes:

Yes, this is happening.

Next Chapter:

A Secret Kept From the World

Chapter 69: A Secret Kept From the World

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

I've got another chapter for you all today! And there'll be another one on Sunday to finish off the day before the USJ. Hope you're all excited!

Have a nice day! <3

Izuku stepped into the support department and headed up to the workshop where he’ll be making some changes to his dolls. He was planning to go through with Hitoshi’s suggestion on Julius needing more ranged options, by making some kind of weapon. The problem was what kind of device he could make for such a thing.

 

He walked into the class, Uncle Higari spotting him as Gala made their way to their own workspace. It was the first time he’s been here during school hours so there were other students who all looked curiously at the tall pale-faced doll.

 

Of course Hatsume was there too, her head popping up out of a pile of machinery and snapping to him the second he entered the area like some kind of meerkat. She bounded over, almost toppling a drill despite the support hero’s frantic yells.

 

“Puppet boy!” she shouted, “I’ve got the schematics!”

 

“Hello Hatsume. I think it would be better to talk about this after school and not in the middle of Mr. Maijima’s class.” Gala suggested, still moving towards the room containing his dolls.

 

“Nonsense!” she waved away his thought, “I need to see if you’ll agree to this final design!”

 

They entered the room and switched on the lights to show the Servants. They had been patched up from a few heroic lessons. Ida had a finger dislodged from a bad fall that needed to be replaced and Lily lost one of her shoes somehow that he needed to remake.

 

“In that case place it on that desk. I need to brainstorm ideas.” he ordered, walking up to Julius to inspect him.

 

She did so, dropping what looked like a mountain of paper on his desk. “Whatcha planning to build?”

 

“I need a ranged option for Julius but I can’t have it built inside of him.” he explained, already telling that she’s the kind of person to always be curious.

 

“Ok! What’s the parameters?” she asked, ideas already filling in the back of her head.

 

He explained it all to her. He couldn’t have an external weapon, at least not one too bulky. The polearm was already there and having anything more will just end with him getting too clunky. He can’t have any weapon inside of him as it would just get banged up as he was a natural brawler and tank.

 

Finally he needed something expendable, like bullets but less lethal than that. It also needed to be powerful enough to knock a distant or flying villain down.

 

Finishing his explanation, he waited for Hatsume to give her own thoughts. He didn’t expect much, he didn’t know her but he knew she was a first year support student. An enthusiastic one, yes, but still new to the world of support items.

 

At least, that’s what the puppeteer thought.

 

In her eyes, yellow crosshairs for pupils, she immediately had an idea. She rushed out of the room, knocking something else over if Uncle Higari’s cries were anything to go by, and returned with her phone.

 

“Here… why not try this?” she said, holding it up to the tall doll’s camera.

 

It was a video of a sport, an old one from the pre-quirk era, that showed a man picking up a disc, twirling in place and throwing it across a field. Discus throw it was called. Immediately the idea popped into his head and he knew exactly what he wanted to make for Julius.

 

“If you make them heavier and made of metal, your baby could easily carry a dozen of these on him!” she said.

 

“Flying plates.” Izuku uttered inside of Gala.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Flying dinner plates and platters.” he elaborated through the doll. “He is a butler that throws deadly flying china. It’s perfect.”

 

“You really like the posh western aesthetic, don’t you?” she said but she was already writing the idea down somewhere on a new piece of paper she grabbed from somewhere.

 

“I like the old gothic theme,” he excused.

 

“You mean you like everybody treating you like you’re important.” she said and he almost sputtered a little to respond.

 

“I do not!” the doll argued, louder than he might’ve intended. The shell picked up a pencil and began to write themself, Izuku already thinking out the design and appearance.

 

“We were shown what your hero costumes are.” she stated. “Yours is a fancy one. Those ruffles and ribbons aren’t exactly useful in combat.”

 

“I know. I’m not meant to fight, my dolls are. I’m not fit for fighting with my own two hands.” he explained, continuing his sketch. “What has that got to do with me wanting to feel important?”

 

Hatsume handed over a page containing some measurements for what the discs could be. “My mom does hero costumes and she’s told me there’s three types of heroes when it comes to how they look. There’s either the ones who go full practical, Eraserhead, Cementoss, Vlad King. They only want the most practical thing first, everything else second.”

 

She continued, Izuku stopping to listen to her. “Then you’ve got those who go half and half. Endeavor with the fire resistant kevlar but has those gaps meant for fire. Snipe with the utility belt that meshes well with his western theme and even Mr. Maijima with all that equipment that looks like construction stuff, yeah?”

 

“Yes.” Gala nodded, showing he was listening.

 

“But then you get the third type. The people who don’t think practical at all. Midnight with her dominatrix stuff can be ok for her quirk but the whip is too much effort to learn. That and a feather fan? Why not use an industrial one? Same with Thirteen. That huge bulky suit? Sure it protects against the elements but surely there’s more slimmer stuff they could wear.”

 

Izuku was starting to get lost. “What’s your point?”

 

“I’m just saying that the third kind of people, more often than not, care a lot about how people see them. Thirteen might be self-conscious from people seeing them and Midnight might like people seeing her as someone attractive.” she finished.

 

“Why does it matter?” 

 

“It doesn’t. It’s just a fun observation. If Midnight wants to use a whip and can make it work, let her. Makes for more fun babies to come up with for that kind of fighting style.” she gleefully said.

 

“I meant the ‘important’ part.” Izuku asked.

 

“Huh? Oh, that’s because you dress like you’re above everyone else. Like ‘hey look at me fighting in a suit whilst you’re all in tights and spandex’!” 

 

He didn’t argue with that because it would’ve been pointless. If that’s how she saw him then that’s probably how most people would see him. Then again, was there really a problem with that? Izuku wasn’t saying he was above anyone else, not socially at least, but Hatsume was right in that he could be more practical in his costuming.

 

Sure he might never fight but who’s to say he won’t get into one. Maybe at least a taser or a knife would do him good.

 

‘This conversation has me thinking about Monoma. He also wears something elaborate.’

 

A full suit with coattails and all. He wondered what Hatsume would think of that, especially if she knew what kind of personality he had. Did Monoma think he was above everyone else? Truly? From the interactions they had, yeah it certainly seems like that way kind of. 

 

‘Then again maybe like me it’s some kind of misunderstanding.’

 

“By the by! Make sure to check out my Behemoth redesigns, puppet boy!” the dreadlocked girl called as she left him to his own devices.

 

He pushed his thoughts out for now and just got to work making a prototype for the discs. Thankfully the parts weren’t hard to find, there were a lot of circular metals around the place so it was easy to find and assemble them. Engraving a design might be an issue though so maybe using paint would be better.

 

‘I can probably get a few finished by the end of the lesson.’ he thought, using Gala and Ida to help with the task too.

 

Halfway through the work, he got a message from Hitoshi.

 

TrollDoll: Honestly u should be here. No 

one here is as good as us, except maybe

that tail dude

 

ScaryDoll: Ojirou u mean

 

TrollDoll: Ojirou, yeah.

 

TrollDoll: BTW, I got paired with 

Monoma and got back at him for the battle

trial loss

 

ScaryDoll: ‘Got back at him’? For what?

 

TrollDoll: He literally stepped on me or 

did u forget that you showed Dad that?

 

ScaryDoll: Oh yeah. What did u do?

 

TrollDoll: Well, he’s weirdly good at fighting

and he started to say shit about my quirk

 

ScaryDoll: Wait, what did he say?

 

TrollDoll: He kept making insinuations and 

stuff like that. Why? Reconsidering your friendship?

 

Maybe, he might. If he said anything about his brother then he might have to show him what happens when they mess with his family.

 

ScaryDoll: That depends.

 

TrollDoll: Well it wasn’t anything bad but still

got me pissed enough to put him in a chokehold.

Dad had to stop us because Monoma almost 

passed out.

 

ScaryDoll: And I imagine you’re in time out right now.

 

TrollDoll: Guessed right.

 

ScaryDoll: Is Monoma the same?

 

TrollDoll: Yeah, why?

 

ScaryDoll: Nothing. I need to get back to work.

 

Immediately he swiped over his contacts to Monoma, looking for the blond boy so he might get to the bottom of this.

 

YamaIzu: What did u say to Toshi?

 

MonoNei: Let me guess, he came crying to 

you about the little things I said?

 

YamaIzu: No. It came up in the conversation

 

MonoNei: Well for the record, I only said about

how hard it must’ve been growing up with a quirk 

like his

 

YamaIzu: Why should u care?

 

MonoNei: Didn’t see you as the protective type.

Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Not the little

puppy defending the big doberman?

 

YamaIzu: Only when it comes to people I care about.

 

MonoNei: See that’s what I was wondering too. 

Anyway it doesn’t matter now. It was simply a little

trash talk. Nothing to get your hair in knots over. 

 

MonoNei: That and I knew it’d make its way back 

to you and I’d get something more interesting to do 

then watch amateurs toss each other around

 

YamaIzu: I still have 1 favour left. Try me and

I might just follow through with the chair suggestion

u gave me before

 

MonoNei: I didn’t realise you were this eager to 

sit on my lap

 

Izuku squawked like his Papa in confusion at what he just read. He did not- he didn’t…Where did he even?!

 

YamaIzu: I DIDN’T MEAN THAT! AND YOU KNOW
THAT!

 

MonoNei: Wow, never took you as someone who

enjoyed facesit-

 

He closed the messaging app immediately. Refusing to read the end of that message and almost screaming out in frustration as he felt his face burning up at what he almost read. 

 

‘What is wrong with him?! How can he say stuff like that without getting embarrassed?! Does he have no shame!’ he thought frantically.

 

He needed some air. Outside air that’s not scented with workshop grease and oil. Gala stood up, rigid and walked over to the door whilst the pilot inside tried to calm down his confused, alarmed and flustered thoughts over the conversation he just had.

 

After briefly telling Uncle Higari he needed to go to the bathroom, he practically speed walked out and across the school to get to the quieter part of the building. He’s never thought much about that kind of stuff besides when he had that really awkward conversation all parents have with their kids at his age.

 

So having it thrown in his face like that… he desperately needs some air.

 

Passing by some classrooms, he could see the door to a small courtyard ahead. It was class time so odds were it was going to be quiet and isolated enough that he could open up Gala to breathe.

 

Sitting down on a bench, he opened a few buttons to let some air in. The cold air hit his face and he realised just how red he looked when he touched his cheeks and felt the heat coming off of them. After spending some minutes calming down, thinking about anything else to distract him and taking simple breaths, he got back inside of Gala and sealed them up.

 

Back inside he thought about the design for the plate discs but was stopped when he noticed a small cleaning robot sitting in the middle of the corridor. It looked up at him and he wasn’t sure what it was trying to tell him before it went up and bumped into Gala’s foot before driving off somewhere.

 

It kept looking back and that’s when Izuku realised it was trying to get him to follow it for some reason.

 

‘Who is controlling this thing?’ he wondered, walking after the bot.

 

They went up an elevator, and stepped out a floor above where he needed to go and wandered over to what seemed to be the teacher’s lounge where…

 

‘Why is Momo going into that room with All Might?’ he asked himself.

 

He took out his phone, intending to ask Hitoshi about it. After getting red cheeked again at seeing Monoma’s text briefly he opened up his messages to his brother.

 

ScaryDoll: Is Momo not with u guys?

 

TrollDoll: No. She got hurt during training and

Dad sent her to the nurse

 

TrollDoll: BTW, was Monoma texting

u or something? He was on his phone for 

a bit there and suddenly started laughing to

himself

 

ScaryDoll: Ignore him

 

Izuku put the messaging app away and commanded Gala to move towards the lounge. Momo should be in the nurse’s office so why was she here? Why did All Might need to talk with her and why do it in a private lounge room? Surely if it was to do with training he’d tell her during the training and not out of class.

 

The shell reached the door and put their ear against it, trying to listen in but the door was too thick. He couldn’t tell what was going on. 

 

The boy searched around and noticed a vent just above the door to the room. He opened it up using Gala’s strength and opened the compartment to send in Ezuku who he always kept with him at all times. He gave the humanoid cat doll his phone and watched it walk inside the dark vent whilst he got the phone’s footage up on Gala’s internal monitor.

 

- - -

 

“I wish to make you my successor.” 

 

The words almost didn’t register to her as she tried to figure out what he meant by that. Successor? What? What did he mean by that?

 

“I-I’m sorry sir. But what did you mean by that?” she stuttered a little, trying to keep her composure.

 

All Might stood up. “First, let me start by saying whatever you hear in this room must stay in this room whether or not you accept my offer. Is that understood?”

 

It wasn’t said in a dangerous way but in more of a serious way. Like he was about to tell her a secret that would shatter her perspective on the world and coming from him it felt like he might just say that.

 

But she was composed. Postured. She could handle keeping secrets provided they didn’t hurt her or the people she cared about. “I will try my best, sir.”

 

With a deep breath, he let out a heavy sigh and with almost instant shifting, the once tall big chested, muscled to the max hero of the world was now suddenly… a skeleton with tired eyes and, whilst still quite tall, had lost most of the size and presence he had before.

 

“Mr. Yagi?!” she gasped. The yellow suit was loose for a moment before some kind of technology inside of it pulled it taut so that it fit him better.

 

“Yes. It is I, Yagi Toshinori. I am All Might and as you can see this is how I look most of the time these days.” he said, his voice less boisterous and bold, now more tired and gravelly.

 

“‘Most of the time’?” she wondered. 

 

“Yes.” he rolled up his shirt, revealing a massive wound along the side of his abdomen. “This happened five years ago, almost six now. I had defeated the most dangerous villain in the world and lost my stomach and half my lung to accomplish it. Because of that, I can only keep my strength up for three hours before I run out of power for the day.”

 

Momo sat there, hissing a little when she saw that wound and cringed when she heard exactly what the damage was. That was when she made a connection in her mind. “That’s why you’ve been showing up less frequently.”

 

“You noticed that?” All Might, Yagi, said, dropping his shirt back over the wound and fixing his suit.

 

“No. Izuku and Bakugou talked about it. They noticed you were making less and less public appearances and speculated why. Bakugou said it was because you were getting older. Izuku theorised you were having a kid.” she explained.

 

“A-A kid!” he gasped, coughing out blood a little and grabbing a tissue to calm down.

 

“Sir!” Momo got up to help him but he stopped her with a raised hand.

 

“I’m fine! I’m fine. Lung issue.” he grasped his chest, taking a few breaths before he turned back up to focus on her. “As you can see, I don’t have much time left before my career, and maybe even life, comes to an end. That’s why I got a job here at UA. I’ve been looking for a successor amongst your class and found you to be the best fit.”

 

“W-why? I’m honored but why?” she asked, just remembering that he did offer her to be his successor.

 

“For many reasons. For one, your quirk is a powerful one. Capable of so much and the versatility to go with it. Second is that you know how to fight well. Your battle with young Iida was evidence enough to show you are certainly a very capable person. The third is your clear ability to lead and the wisdom to make use of people.” he explained.

 

“Surely there are other classmates that are better?” she questioned. “Like Bakugou or Tenya or Hitoshi!”

 

“Young Bakugou would be a good successor but lacks the sociability needed to be a Symbol of Peace. Young Yamazawa is much the same in that he takes after his father. Young Iida already has a legacy of his own to live up to and I did not wish to burden him anymore with something just as great.” he reasoned.

 

“Then what about Izuku?” she thought and said aloud. “He is all those things you said or at least can be if he used his quirk well.”

 

“He was also considered, the problem there was that his body is too weak.” he stated.

 

“Why should that matter?” she questioned, feeling there is more to be said on that.

 

Suddenly, the air had gotten heavier as Momo felt something big was about to be unveiled to her. “When I had asked for you to be my successor, I hadn’t just meant that in the metaphorical sense. I meant it physically too.”

 

He told her his quirk. One for All. A power that passed down previous users' quirk and power by transferring the energy through the hair or DNA of the user. It had gone through eight people before her, including All Might. If she were to accept, she would be the ninth.

 

“When one receives this power, the energy can cause them to go out of control. A weak body would shatter under its strength.” he said.

 

“And that’s why Izuku can’t have it.” she muttered.

 

“Yes. I am one hundred percent sure that if he were to receive this power, he would perish. On top of that, One for All enhances a user’s quirk if they have it. I am not sure what it would do to yours but I can imagine it would be something incredible.”

 

Creation was already a strong quirk. The ability to make anything from just lipids. It broke physics and even to this day she isn’t sure how her quirk works on a scientific level. Having that already powerful ability pushed to a new limit seemed almost impossible. How would Creation evolve?

 

“So then young Yaoyorozu. I must ask again, will you become my successor?”

 

This was a lot to drop on her on a random Thursday afternoon. The ability to become a hero like All Might was daunting. The power too. What would she even do with all of that? Strive to become the best hero she could be? Yes but… wow. It was like being given something grand and…

 

“Would I be able to tell my friends?” she inquired, this maybe being a deal breaker.

 

Yagi seemed to ponder her thoughts, trying to think of what best to say. “I will not lie. There is a reason I am unmarried and without kids. This power puts a massive target on your back and on those you love. I cannot stop you from doing as you please once I’ve given you One for All but I will say it is best to keep your circle of those who know to a bare minimum.”

 

So he wasn’t saying no but he wasn’t saying yes at the same time. It was a secret. A big one like that of a secret identity. Could she tell Hitoshi, Tenya and Izuku? Maybe even Bakugou?

 

‘Would I tell my mother?’ she thought.

 

It was a question. She knew as a child she should consult her mother on this. She didn’t know what she’d say but she had a good idea it would likely be a ‘yes’. Becoming the Symbol of Peace is probably the best thing she’d want for her. 

 

But does Momo want this?

 

This weight. This responsibility. She couldn’t take it on with just one conversation. She needed time to consult her friends. Maybe not tell them what it is she’s going through but maybe just enough that they could help her come to a decision.

 

“I need some time. This is a lot to think about.” she said, resounding herself to think about it some more.

 

“I understand. Preferably I’d like an answer before the Sports Festival if that is ok?” he requested.

 

“Yes, I’ll have an answer by then.” she promised.

 

He showed her out the door but he stayed in the room. The corridor was empty and emphasised how isolated she felt with this new information. A legacy spanning over a century, a secret hidden from the world and the information that the current Symbol of Peace was dying.

 

‘I don’t know what to do with this but… this is a responsibility I need to treat seriously.’ she vowed in her mind. Even if she didn’t accept One for All, she knows it exists and that in of itself was a weight. 

 

Momo headed back to the gym, still reeling in her mind about everything that was side. All while a green cat doll crawled its way out of a vent and into a spying greenette’s hands.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Distracted by Thoughts

Chapter 70: Distract by Thoughts

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

This is probably the shortest chapter I've made in a while so sorry if you were expecting more! Next week we'll have the entirety of the USJ and all three of those chapters are almost five thousand words each if I recall.

Hope you're excited!

Have a nice day! <3

Izuku quickly made his way back to the lab, breathing a bit heavier than he could control. What did he just listen in on? A quirk that allows a user to pass on power from another user? Something going back likely far before their current society even existed? And it was all offered to one of his friends?

 

This was crazy. Insane. Forbidden knowledge to the highest degree and he found it out at school of all places. A secret so grand and dangerous that if it were to be revealed, the whole world would likely spiral. 

 

After all, if you found out you could have all the power of the number one hero wouldn’t you chase him to the ends of the earth? Give him everything he wanted or worse, use quirks like Hitoshi’s to force him to hand over the power? 

 

It’s insane. Does the government know about this? They have to. It’d be insane to not be aware of such power. Then again if they did know why would All Might choose a random girl from UA for the task? The HPSC could create their own ‘champion’ and have that take the power.

 

That meant that either no one but him, Momo and a few people not yet known are aware of this quirk or they are but All Might is too strong to have it taken from him forcefully. Maybe his quirk makes him immune to mental quirks.

 

Oh god, who else knows about his quirk then if it’s the first one? Sir Nighteye had to know, he was his sidekick. David Shield? Maybe. 

 

‘Nedzu definitely knows.’ 

 

That is an immutable fact. There’s no way he stumbled into such a crazy secret by accident. That janitorial bot he followed was nowhere in sight now, meaning it had accomplished its mission. Only the chimera would be able to direct it. In that case why did he want him to see all of that?

 

Does he want Izuku to try to take it for himself? Encourage Momo? Blackmail All Might of all people with it?

 

‘One thing’s for certain. He wants me to go to him.’

 

And it’s what’s going to happen. He won’t go to Nedzu, no, but he’ll certainly wait for the chimera to come to him. That way if this truly was a coincidence then he won’t give away such valuable (and dangerous) information to him.

 

‘How much does everyone else know?’

 

After all, that three hour time limit is far too short to be teaching in UA. The other teachers have to know, his dads have to know about All Might’s time limit. Definitely not ‘One for All’ but they would have to know he can only ‘work’ for about three hours a day, not including hero work.

 

‘Is that another reason he came to UA? To avoid the public?’

 

Certainly not a bad idea and one that makes sense. It would make the change easy. He’d still be in the public eye but through his students. All Might would be present but not at the same time, the fruits of his labour being his PR.

 

Izuku arrived back in the lab, speedwalking past the support students and getting to his workshop in the back room. He thinks he heard Hatsume shout something but he wasn’t paying attention.

 

‘Ok, ok. I’ve digested this to a degree. Now there’s two big questions I need to answer. First…’

 

How does he use this?

 

This kind of secret truly was one that could turn the world on its head if used right. He wouldn’t even have to risk his identity as the revealer. All he’d need to do is censor Momo, show the whole thing he recorded from start to finish and release it to the presses and chaos would ensue.

 

Could he do that? Yes. 

 

Would he do that? No.

 

There’s no gain. Chaos isn’t what he needs right now. He doesn’t even need this secret right now. He’s a kid enjoying high school, hoping to be a hero and making new friends along the way. This isn’t like when he was younger and things were a lot more precarious.

 

So does he just let this information rot? Well, not rot but go to sleep. He had no qualms with All Might so there is no need to blackmail him. He wouldn’t even know what he’d ask in return…

 

‘Why am I having these thoughts? Why is my first thought when learning this information is how it could be used and abused?’

 

It was a moral question he only just barely stopped to ask himself. Why is he thinking about all of this? He should just stay quiet and if a problem pops up where it might be handy, then sure. He’ll take advantage of it.

 

Now he had the other question to worry about:

 

‘Should I tell anyone else about this?’

 

Hitoshi, his dads, Kacchan, Tenya. These are the people he’d likely tell but should he burden them with this knowledge too? What would they even say? How would they react?

 

‘What are the consequences?’

 

He doesn’t know All Might. He really doesn’t. Nor does he know the people in his ‘circle’. They might kill to keep this secret, Izuku certainly might. The hero might have connections in the HPSC who could cause a lot of problems should it be known his secret got out to someone.

 

In that case, the less people in the know, the better for him and his loved ones.

 

‘I should take precautions to be safe. Nedzu knows I know, or at least that’s what’s assumed. I should prepare something in the situation a worst case scenario happens.’

 

Then again, All Might didn’t stop Momo from leaving. Izuku imagines One for All can be forced on someone so even if she said no, he could’ve made her take it and bore the secret. Instead, he’s leaving everything on a promise.

 

‘He said she had until the Sports Festival. That’s a lot of time.’

 

For Momo to break and tell someone the secret.

 

Izuku climbed out of Gala, climbing onto a chair and resting a hand on his forehead, covering his eyes. “This is a lot.” he muttered quietly to himself.

 

He hasn’t even thought about whether he’ll tell Momo he’s aware.

 

“What am I going to do?”

 

- - -

 

Kyouka just got knocked on her ass for the third time in twenty minutes, partly thanks to being unluckily paired with Ojirou. The guy’s practically a black belt in Taekwondo or whatever martial art he practices. Well, that’s her main excuse for being beaten so easily.

 

In reality though, she was a bit distracted when she saw Momo come back in after being sent out by Aizawa. It took longer than one would expect for a simple checkup but it wasn’t her place to be nosy.

 

She did notice though how she looked troubled by something. Kyouka has always had her ear…lobes close to the ground so she usually picks up on things faster than most people. Right now though, she could tell something was up with her crush.

 

Friend. Friend! Her friend. Not the other thing at all. At least she doesn’t think… so.

 

“Hey, are you good?” Ojirou asked, stopping their fight.

 

“Yeah, why?” she replied back, realising she was a bit too deep in thought.

 

He swiped some sweat off his forehead. “Nothing, just you seem distracted.”

 

“Don’t worry, just feeling off.” she said, getting ready to fight properly again.

 

“Alright, let’s go.”

 

Kyouka is not a very curious person despite her quirk making her the perfect kind of nosy neighbour most people would dread being around. She knew how people valued their privacy, after all she liked music a lot but was embarrassed to show off because a lot of her favourites were in rock, something that might not be seen as ‘lady-like’.

 

Not that she cared, except well she does. It’s hard to say. 

 

‘Maybe I should chat with her friends.’

 

But right now though, she’s feeling concerned for her friend and wants to find out what’s got her looking slightly distracted. She hadn’t known Yaomomo long but so far she can get she’s the kind of person to rarely lose focus, being a recommendation student and all that. Super smart too.

 

So if anything’s troubling her, she’d probably have to-

 

“ACK!”

 

Knocked on her ass again.

 

- - -

 

Izuku wrapped up everything for today and went back to the gym to catch Hitoshi leaving the changing rooms. Hatsume had shown him the final design for the Behemoth doll and it looked incredible, both in appearance, size and function.

 

He’d also finished the discs too. Well about three of them. He’d need to make some more later but for now they’ll be going on the inside of Julius’ suit, tucked away like a pocket watch.

 

“Hey ‘Toshi, how was the sparring?” asked Izuku, seeing his friend.

 

“Good. After getting timed out, I got paired with Tenya and I was finally able to let loose a little.” he answered, just stepping out of the changing rooms.

 

“Your leg work was impressive as always, Hitoshi.” the speedster said, coming out just after him. “Any more and you might’ve had a meaner high kick than me.”

 

“Thanks.” the purple haired boy smiled.

 

“Barely anything worth my time.” Kacchan grumbled, pushing past the two of them.

 

“Well then maybe you should fight someone like Ojirou or Shouji. They’d knock you off that high horse of yours.” Monoma stated as he too pushed past both Tenya and Hitoshi, more intentionally this time.

 

Stepping out, the copier shot a glance at Izuku and a sly grin along with it. “Hey there Yamazawa, what happened? We were having a nice text conversation when you suddenly ghosted me? How rude can you be to a guy?”

 

The shell side eyed the boy, something even Izuku wasn’t aware Gala could do. “Don’t send messages like that again, thank you.”

 

“What messages?” Kacchan asked, turning between the two.

 

“Nothing.” “None of your concern.” both of them said at the same time.

 

The explosive teen looked between the two, failing to judge if he should ask any further but either he was tired or he found nothing wrong and just scoffed, walking away. “Dead Eyes… Shitty Hair and Dunce Face are joining us for practice at the gym later.” he called over his shoulder.

 

“Sure.” Hitoshi called after, still talking with Tenya.

 

Momo had finally come out from the girl’s changing rooms, seemingly still distracted but chatting with Jirou and Hakagure despite clearly not focusing on the conversation. 

 

“Momo, is everything alright? You seem distracted.” Izuku pointed out, causing the girl to snap out of her thoughts whilst her friends paused to listen.

 

“Huh? Oh, I’m just thinking about the.. cafe trip tomorrow. Are you three still able to make it?” she asked, referring to something apparently Jirou invited her too and said she could bring them too.

 

“Of course.” “Sure.” “I’ll be there.” Izuku, Hitoshi and Tenya said, respectively.

 

She smiled. “Great.”

 

“By the way you guys…” Hakagure spoke up, “Do any of you know what’s going on tomorrow? Mr. Aizawa said something about a trip.”

 

“It’ll likely be to the USJ.” Izuku reasoned. 

 

“The… huh?” the invisible girl asked, perplexed.

 

“Unforseen Simulation Joint. It’s a UA facility meant for rescue work.” the greenette further explained. “It’s a good bit away from the main building so they’ll likely have to drive us over.”

 

“Wow we get to do rescue work!” Uraraka said, overhearing them.

 

“Likely.”

 

“Then I can’t wait for tomorrow!” she said, bouncing off ahead of the class.

 

“By the way, I should get going. My folks need me to watch the cafe.” Jirou said, walking off ahead after saying goodbye.

 

“Need to head out too.” Hakagure uttered, heading on as well.

 

Now it was just the friend group alone with themselves. That and Monoma who was clearly still lurking around the corner, leaning against the wall. “Got anywhere else to be?” Izuku pondered, hinting at the blond to leave.

 

“Now I do.” the boy said, leaving them be.

 

Maybe it was the tone from Izuku’s last words, maybe it was just something in the air but everyone felt like there was something to be said. Or rather the puppeteer wanted to say it. “Are you okay Momo? It’s rare to see you unfocused.”

 

“Yeah, I’m with Izuku. When you came back from the nurse you were looking kind of zoned out.” Hitoshi agreed, seeming to pick up on that too.

 

Of course Tenya didn’t but he looked to be concerned now if his two other, much more observant friends, caught onto it.

 

Izuku obviously knew why she was distracted. Clear as day it was because of what All Might had told her and offered. He couldn’t read her mind so he didn’t know how seriously she was taking this information. 

 

During his lab work, he came up with a way of getting through this without revealing he was eavesdropping. If Momo admitted what occurred then he could discuss what was told and maybe think of some way to help his friend. He doesn’t want her to be burdened with a secret like he is shackled with one himself.

 

One he feels pangs of guilt for every time he sees Todoroki.

 

If not, then he knows she’s seriously thinking about this and would likely say yes to All Might’s proposal. After all, the only reason you’d tell your closest friends about an offer like this was if you were undecided and wanted some input. Either that or she took his serious words about secrecy to heart.

 

Either way it would mean the number one’s getting what he wished. Whether that’s a good thing or not needs to be determined.

 

She really seemed to think on it a moment, before just shaking her head. “It’s nothing, really. Just a weird thought that shouldn’t be talked about..”

 

“...Ok.” Izuku uttered, the other two accepting that she doesn’t want to talk about it.

 

It seemed like he would have to ask her when she’s alone. Properly alone, preferably without any cameras or otherwise nearby. Information is power after all and keeping a lock on it was key.

 

The four of them headed on, departing from UA and eventually parting at the gates, each having their own thing to do after school. Tenya trains with his brother, Momo being driven home to start her study, Hitoshi going to the gym to join Kacchan and Izuku taking the car home with his dads so he can pour over the designs for newer upgrades.

 

It was a crazy day, at least for one hour. Now Izuku wanted to get home so he could unwind his mind.

 

‘Hopefully tomorrow will be more chill.’

 

- - -

 

Momo arrived home, her mother already waiting for her in the main atrium to tell her what it is she needs to get done today. 

 

“First from five to six thirty, you’ll be doing your studying for English and Japanese Literature. Then from six thirty to seven you’ll have your dinner, after that we’ll go through your usual training regime.”

 

“Yes mother.” the girl replied, nodding along though with a slight damper in her spirit.

 

The woman doesn’t even acknowledge it, barely paying attention to anything that isn’t what was most immediate and most important to her. “Now then, I believe there’s been a problem with your school. According to the school they said that you sent in a costume change, is that right?”

 

That caused Momo to stutter a little. “Y-yes. I sent it in. I felt like the other costume wasn’t fitting well.”

 

“What do you mean? It fits your exact measurements.” she said, almost sounding like an argument.

 

“Well. Not like that I meant in terms of the theming I want to go for.” she said bravely. “I wanted to be seen more as a knight-”

 

“A knight? Isn’t that a bit too boyish Momo?” the woman reasoned to her, “You can’t be dressing up like that. I need to call them and have it changed back.”

 

“But you haven’t seen the outfit yet! Everyone says it looks good!” she lied because technically no one has seen it yet, not even her.

 

Mother eyed her from the corner of her vision, seeing if this was really something Momo cared about. “Fine. But you must take a picture of it and send it to me tomorrow so I can judge if it fits the direction we’re going for your hero gimmick.”

 

She walked away, leaving Momo there to breathe out in relief. She could keep the costume, at least for a few days longer.

 

- - -

 

“The arrangements have been made. Tomorrow at thirteen hundred and twenty hours, all of the conscripts we’ve contacted should rally at the warehouse.” a man made of purple smoke uttered, wearing a dapper vest and cleaning glasses behind a bar counter.

 

“Excellent. This along with the player guide we’ve got of all those hero brats quirks, we’ll be able to make a massacre on top of killing the Symbol of Peace.” a pasty, dry skinned man said coarsely.

 

“Indeed, young master.” the smoke man said. “Tomorrow will be just perfect for the debut of the League of Villains.”

 

“And the start of the end of this hero plagued society as we know it.”

Notes:

I know some of you are worried about the OFA negative effects on a quirked user. Don't worry...

...I know.

But they don't.

Next Chapter:

Not the Time for Banter

Chapter 71: Not the Time for Banter

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

USJ starts this chapter so I hope you are ready! I know I enjoyed writing these chapters.

Have a nice day! <3

Izuku put on his costume and snaked his ribboned shoes on before having Gala in their dark robe carry him out of the changing stall. He was feeling very confident today in a surprise to even him.

 

He woke up early just like Papa and even got prepared long before Hitoshi or Dad could get out of bed. Got to the workshop early and managed to make a bigger pocket for Julius’ discs so he could carry more later when he had the time to make some. And to top all of that off, he had a clearer mind to tackle the big problem that came up yesterday.

 

He was simply going to tell Momo he knew. 

 

Obviously he won’t say it straight up, that’d be strange. Instead he’ll get her alone, preferably during the cafe meet up after school, and tell her then. She might get upset over him spying on her but honestly it was worth it to make her not feel alone in her decision.

 

He thought about what would happen if he was offered One for All and he too would want at least one person he could consult with on it. Izuku certainly knows that Momo won’t be talking to her mother about it seeing how their relationship was a bit… awkward, from what he can tell from the bits of information she relays.

 

Most of the morning and lunch whizzed by, nothing really of note besides a surprise pop quiz courtesy of Ectoplasm that left Kaminari and Ashido complaining how it was their first week. Honestly it wasn’t even that difficult of a test, just some basic quadratic equations.

 

After that, for lunch, Lunch Rush (the cafeteria cook) had made katsudon in a pleasant surprise and even some raspberry cake to go with it so he was truly elated.

 

The shell and the puppeteer stepped outside, flanked by the rest of the Servants and Kat snuggled around his neck. The sun made him freeze for a second but his good mood managed to briefly push back some of his fears.

 

“You’re planning on being outside for today?” asked Hitoshi, looking up at his brother who was currently sitting on Gala’s left shoulder, supported by their arm on his lap.

 

The boy typed quickly on the computer pad in his hands. “Yes. I’m in a good mood.”

 

“Well at least that makes one of us.” he said, looking over at the lightning blond and the acidic pinkette, still looking depressed from the morning pop quiz.

 

“Never got a good look at you before.” a sly voice uttered, Monoma being the source as he looked over Izuku. “I never knew someone could be so pale, is it to do with your quirk or just poor lifestyle choices?”

 

Hitoshi looked ready to make some biting remarks but his brother beat him to it. “Neither. It’s a fashion choice.” the boy typed proudly.

 

A bit surprised by the response, he replied back just as unexpectedly. “Well it certainly looks good on you.”

 

“Is that a compliment?” Gala said almost incredulously, the tone of the boy conveyed through the robotic voice.

 

“Perhaps,” he shrugged. “I’m just someone who says it like he sees it.”

 

“And how do you see it?” the greenette asked, smiling a little from the back and forth.

 

“Ok, enough of this.” Hitoshi interjected, ushering the shell away. He didn’t understand what this was he was caught in the middle of but he didn’t like it one bit.

 

Taking a few steps away, Monoma shrugging it off with a lazed smile and a quick brush through his hair, the purple haired boy guided the doll his friend was on top of somewhere a bit more quiet.

 

“What was that?” he asked in a whisper.

 

“What? We were just talking.” the shell replied.

 

For some reason his brother looked at him confused, glancing at him up and down a few times before shaking his head. “When did you get all chummy with strangers?”

 

“He’s not really a stranger to me.” Izuku answered.

 

“You’ve barely known him for a week.” Hitoshi stated.

 

“Well he’s quite charming and fun to talk to.” the greenette defended.

 

He looked him over again. “Really? Him? He even sounds like a scumbag.”

 

“Yeah, that’s why I’m humoring him. He’s entertaining to talk to.” the puppeteer argued.

 

“Whatever.” Hitoshi just sighed, “Just don’t…”

 

“Don’t..?”

 

“I don’t know. Something feels off about him, that’s all.” his brother said and just walked off.

 

Izuku watched him head over to Kacchan who seemed to be watching them but not listening in or rather being too far to hear. 

 

‘Why does he care? It’s not as if Monoma’s some kind of bad guy. Just crafty.’

 

Like him.

 

Everyone was organised and rallied onto the bus. Tenya tried to set up some kind of seating arrangement for everyone but the whole thing was an open plan layout like a shuttle so it was fruitless. Izuku kind of felt bad seeing his engine calved friend visibly droop at the sight of the seats lining the walls of the bus.

 

Due to the limited spacing, Izuku sat down at the back of the bus. He was confident but not enough to sit in an enclosed space with twenty other people, most of which are still relative strangers to him.

 

At least that was his plan, until he saw both Monoma take the left side back seat and Todoroki take the right side back seat. Knowing that Hitoshi wouldn’t like him sitting next to the blond so soon and the bi-coloured boy still being on the ‘avoid whenever possible’ bracket of mind, he decided to sit close to the front where his Dad was. His dolls surrounding him like a makeshift veil.

 

The bus started and immediately had difficulty moving and the answer was obvious.

 

“Yamazawa,” Dad started, “your puppets are making the bus list. Spread them out.”

 

He could see in his father’s eyes that he was reluctant to do this but Izuku knew it would be fine for the most part. Wow, he must really be in a good mood.

 

The Servants scattered, making the weight distribution for the bus more even and it took off. Some of the students looked uncomfortable with the dolls, especially Ojirou who was sitting right next to Julius who was built for intimidation but after a while they’d gotten used to it.

 

“Hey Yamazawa, is that a cat?” Ashido asked, referring to the woolen feline around his neck.

 

The greenette held up the doll like an actual cat, legs dangling beneath it. “Yes. His name is Kat and he’s primarily used for scouting.”

 

“He’s adorable!” Uraraka exclaimed, reaching over to pet him. “Oh… uh.” she pulled back her hands to find them slightly damp.

 

“Sorry. My quirk gets soaked inside his fibres so he’s not that fun to pet.” Izuku apologised, Ida taking out a handkerchief to hand over to the girl.

 

“Thanks,” she said with a grimace, cleaning her hand.

 

“Yamazawa, Yaoyorozu, Iida, Bakugou,” Tsu called out to, getting the attention of most of the bus. “Seeing as how we have the time, I can’t help but notice from day one all of you seemed to be friends. Did you all go to school together?”

 

The friend group, minus Kacchan who was staring out a window, looked at each other before Tenya was the one to speak up. “Yes. All of us, minus Bakugou, went to Somei Academy together.”

 

“Wait, that's that super rich school isn’t it?” Kaminari pointed out. “Didn’t know we had some big shots aside from number two back there.”

 

He jabbed a finger back towards Todoroki, who side-eyed the blond from where he was sitting. Barely paying him any attention besides that.

 

“It isn’t that rich.” Hitoshi piped up. “It’s just private, meant for kids of heroes or big shot rich kids like Momo.”

 

The black haired girl seemed a bit embarrassed but didn’t deny that was the case. Meanwhile Aoyama seemed to think for a moment. “Intéressant! I recognise Yaoyorozu as being associated with hospitals. I’m not sure where Yamazawa and Iida come from.”

 

Without missing a beat Tenya takes this chance to show his family pride. “That’s because my family is that of heroes. Tell me, have you ever heard of Ingenium?”

 

The boy explained the legacy to his family, clearly showing his admiration for heroism and his desire to follow in both his brother’s and family’s footsteps. Some people looked on in slight awe, Uraraka especially who seemed enamoured with his dream.

 

“In that case, what about you two?” Tsu croaked, glancing between Izuku and Hitoshi. “We already know you’re family. Seeing as how you’re both training to be heroes, I’m guessing you were both raised by one.”

 

Izuku suppressed the urge to look over at his Dad, knowing doing so might give something away. Instead he looked to Hitoshi so that he wouldn’t make that mistake instead. They talked to each other quietly, almost having a conversation as they judged whether or not to say anything.

 

Tsuyu, thankfully gave them an out. “It’s okay if you can’t say anything. Just curi-”

 

“It’s Present Mic, isn’t it?”

 

The whole class turned to the back, Monoma obviously being the one to figure it out. Izuku set to already type his response but paused when he saw he had already gotten a message from the boy.

 

MonoNei: The other’s Aizawa, isn’t it?

 

Izuku made a face accidentally, one that would’ve given away that he was right. Thankfully Monoma was the only one to catch it when Hitoshi was the person who got the classes’ attention. “That’s an assumption.”

 

Both of the brothers knew it was important to keep relationships relatively hidden in the hero world. Present Mic was a big figure with a lot of fans and attention on him. If it was discovered he had a husband, they’d start trying to find out who and plaster that information everywhere in whatever tabloid that got the scoop.

 

It’s inconvenient, frustrating and frankly invasive so it’s best to keep things as private as possible. The Iida’s are open about it because they have a long history and the cash to protect themselves and whilst Dad and Papa certainly have money, they prefer not to live in a snobbish gated community, no offense to the Iida family. This is especially considering Eraserhead being an underground hero and preferring to patrol the seedier parts of town.

 

“It is but might I point out during English, the two of you are practically fluent in it?” he pointed out. 

 

“How does that make sense?” his brother countered and Izuku wanted to scream at him because the fact he’s arguing proves he has something to deny.

 

Monoma smiled. “Well, you both said you were adopted. I’d doubt you both came from English speaking parents so it must’ve been whoever adopted you two. Not many heroes who are that fluent AND can teach well.”

 

Izuku was sending a text over to Hitoshi to (as his lawyer in this situation) to be quiet and let him speak. Fortunately his brother wasn’t able to as Kaminari was the one to pipe up. “Dude, that barely makes any sense.”

 

‘Thank goodness.’

 

“If anything, Aizawa is more likely to be their dad.”

 

‘Noooooo!’

 

He could see the growing grin on the copier. “What makes you say that?”

 

Izuku watched Dad carefully and could see the man sinking into his scarf a little. He was clearly listening but didn’t want to say anything that might sound like acknowledgement.

 

Kaminari went on with his theory. “Well, both Hitoshi and him use that weird scarf thing. Not just that but you two also look alike kinda; Speak like each other too.”

 

“Yeah, even their name sounds almost like his.” Ashido commented.

 

Everyone not in the know seemed to ponder on it when one of them came to a startling conclusion. Sero raised an eyebrow as something came to mind. 

 

“Hey wait a minute. Our teacher’s name is Aizawa… Isn’t Present Mic’s family name Yama-”

 

“We’re here. Time to get out.” Dad cut in, the bus abruptly stopping and those unprepared jostling in their seats.

 

That didn’t stop some people putting together what Sero put down. who are now looking at the two Yamazawas to see if there’s any acknowledgement. Meanwhile, Izuku was giving his best glare to Monoma but it was barely effective on the blond who just laughed to himself and shrugged it off.

 

YamaIzu: Still have that favour.

 

MonoNei: And I know your a prude so I

don’t have to worry much

 

YamaIzu: You’ll eat those words

 

Tucking away the pad, the dolls all gathered with the class. The USJ was a huge building shaped like a dome and was practically the size of a stadium fit for a championship. The inside was even more impressive with smaller domes inside of the big dome with all kinds of different environments one might find themselves in during rescue.

 

It was truly incredible and its resident teacher and surprise guest was equally as enthusiastic.

 

“It’s Thirteen!” Uraraka was the first to gasp. 

 

Izuku already knew they were on the school faculty from Papa and Dad chatting about them. He didn’t know much about the galactic hero, mostly because they weren’t a fighter he would be interested in studying, but he certainly was aware of them.

 

As they were shown in, Dad walked up to the space hero and asked where All Might was. The only thing he got from their conversation was the astronaut holding up three fingers, something most people wouldn’t get but Izuku and certainly Momo would get from the way her eyes seem to widen for a moment.

 

‘It looks like the teachers are aware of his time limit.’ Izuku noted, keeping that information banked for later.

 

After an impassioned lecture by Thirteen on the importance of using quirks safely, something Izuku has certainly learned the hard way in the past from a few incidents, they laid out a bit of what they’ll be doing at the USJ for the afternoon. Fridays had longer heroics lessons so they were certainly going to be here a while.

 

Before they could really get into it though, the lights for the dome began to flicker, attracting the attention of everyone there. It was then that Izuku noticed there was a sudden tension in the air, something akin to a danger lurking right around the corner. Dad seemed to get it too because he had spun around to spy something dark pooling in the air in front of the fountain.

 

‘This is not meant to happen.’ the greenette clocked.

 

A gaseous portal formed, pulsing and waving like a storm as dozens of people who were clearly not meant to be here came marching out. Izuku even recognised one or two from long ago when he was Dollmaker.

 

“What’s going on? Has the exercise already begun?” asked Kirishima.

 

Dad seemed to mutter something under his breath, something Izuku just caught as being to do with the press a few days ago. Is he saying that it wasn’t the media who broke in but them? 

 

‘It’d make sense. UA’s alarms should’ve gone off by now. They’d need to be prepared for that to stop them.’ the greenette noted, looking around to double check that assumption.

 

Momo figured that out too, asking the space hero why the alarms weren’t blaring. Todoroki spoke up, showing he too was thinking that too as he talked about how there must be a villain with a quirk that’s disabling any forms of communications.

 

Communications…

 

“Ah!” Izuku gasped aloud, taking out his computer pad.

 

“Yamazawa, Kaminari, can you contact the school?” Dad shouted back to them.

 

His pad had zero connection, both outside of the building and to any of his dolls meaning that he couldn’t have them too far from him or else he won’t know what he’s doing. “I don’t have a connection.” he typed into the computer pad, using a wire he connected to the back of Gala’s head.

 

“Neither do I!” the electric blond agreed, tampering with his headphones. “I think something’s messing with the radio waves!”

 

Izuku’s father took a step forward, putting on his pale yellow goggles. He was clearly gearing up for a fight. “Thirteen, escort the students out and alert the main campus.”

 

The space hero agreed and began to corral everyone back towards the main door. Hitoshi and him were having none of it though.

 

“Sir!” Hitoshi shouted, “You can’t take them all on your own! This isn’t your kind of fight!”

 

“Mr. Aizawa, I can have my dolls help you! You don’t need to fight this alone!” Izuku called after using Gala.

 

“Remember what I said about being predictable? Never let them know all your moves and certainly don’t be a one trick pony.” he said as he dove down into the mess, taking down three villains almost instantly.

 

‘Dammit! Cockiness is also a fault, Dad!’ the greenette swore, preparing to send Julius in or at the very least Lily to take some shots. Tenya stopped that though by ushering him away.

 

He wouldn’t have the time to protest that as in a swirl of black smoke, a villain (presumably the one who created the portal) was before them. 

 

“I am so dearly sorry but we can’t have you leaving yet. The League of Villains is very much interested in assuring the deaths of not just All Might but each and every one of you.” the smoke said in a distinctly male voice. “Though I see no All Might with you. There must’ve been a change of plans, oh well, I still have a goal to complete.”

 

Thirteen opened their fingers, ready to use their quirk when Kacchan and Kirishima both charged in, blasting and slamming into the warp villain, disrupting his thoughts and the space hero’s attack.

 

“You really think we’re just going to sit here on our asses and let you do as you please?” Kacchan growled, hands sparking whilst Kirishima stood by his side as a shield.

 

The astronaut ordered them to get out of the way so they could use their quirk on the villain who reformed, seemingly unaffected by the attack. Izuku did notice the metal brace around the area where his neck should be though.

 

“You should be careful of how you use your powers…” the warp man said ominously. “...You might just get hurt!”

 

Suddenly a wave of purple mist blew past the whole class. Reactively Izuku commanded all of his dolls to gather and shield him, having no clue what’s about to happen. 

 

“I’ll just scatter you and place you in the most inopportune spots. Once there, I’ll have my comrades skewer and slay you!”

 

Izuku suddenly felt lightless, losing connection with his dolls for a brief moment before everything came rushing back and suddenly he was in a vertical slant. No, it was a landslide.

 

He glanced around, noticing he was far away from the entrance but could still clearly see the centre of the USJ where Dad was fighting and the fact that there were a few people still at the entrance.

 

‘I need to get to the centre to help Dad! I also need to help everyone else too!’ he thought, searching around.

 

Suddenly, his instincts kicked in and Julius raised his arm in front of Izuku’s head to block a blast of fire from a villain. He was surrounded by what seemed to be a few dozen of them, all gathered and notably all set up like they were waiting for him.

 

“There’s our kid!” one villain yelled.

 

“Be careful! Shigaraki said he’s one of the more dangerous ones!” another shouted.

 

‘They know who I am? They must have intel on all of the class. In that case I really need to get out of here and help them!’

 

Gala grabbed Izuku, there wasn’t any time to sink into the compartment, and held him like a ventriloquist doll on their arm. 

 

Immediately a few villains charged and Julius was the first to act, immediately taking out his polearm and clubbing two villains faster than a bullet with a satisfying clang. A few raised their hands, likely emitters, so Lily opened fire, laying suppression as she couldn’t aim that accurately right now.

 

Because Izuku had no wireless connection, he couldn’t see through her eyes so he can’t see what she sees when she aims her rifle. He can make vague guesses though. He sent her to stand on top of a building swallowed by mud as Gala made their way to more stable ground with Ida.

 

All the while Kat remained curled up around his next, ready to strike should anyone get past all of his defenses.

 

The puppeteer kept his eyes on each of his dolls, practically having to keep his head on a swivel to make sure each doll was focused and not exposed. Julius almost had a guy’s steel tail pierce him because of that.

 

After Ida took down a guy with her electric broom, Izuku had finally gotten his bearings and fully began to focus on taking down all of the villains there. The butler crushed at least a dozen villains at that point, even using one of the discs to take out a distant one who kept escaping his reach.

 

The noble lady laid down more gunfire and even tossed a few caltrops to cover her flanks as she kept repositioning so a villain couldn’t sneak up on her through Izuku’s blindspots. Finally the maid took care of anyone aiming for their young master, twirling the broom like a spear and stabbing any who even dared get too close.

 

A few guys would get past her, leaving Gala to have to take out their hammer and beat them down in a quick swing whilst Izuku hid behind them. It was a short fight, scrappy and chaotic due to the sloped terrain but it ended with their victory, some villains even retreating when they realize they won’t break through.

 

The puppeteer looked down at the pile of unconscious and bloodied bodies around him.

 

‘Excellent. Now let’s see about getting somewhere.’ Izuku thought as Gala picked him up in their arms.

 

He was about to climb into the compartment when there was a sudden chill in the air that made him snap immediately in the direction of its source. A wave of ice coated the ground, freezing his dolls feet in place and leaving the boy panicked as he ordered them all to break free of their restraints ASAP.

 

“Oh, it’s just you.” a voice said. A familiar one at that.

 

‘Ah, of course.’ Izuku dreaded as he turned around to see Todoroki there, a fierce look in his eye.

 

The greenette took out the computer pad and connected it to the shell once more. “Do you mind freeing us?” he typed, climbing back onto Gala’s shoulder.

 

“Stay still.” was all he said as he stepped forth and placed a hand on the frozen ground. Quickly the temperature went up and the ice melted with ease.

 

“So you can use fire.” the shell uttered.

 

The boy glared at the puppeteer and Izuku shivered a little at the intensity of it. He didn’t like it one bit but thankfully he kept his wits. Todoroki spoke, “I only use it for this.”

 

“‘Only’ and ‘this’ implies you could do more with it.” the greenette noted, his dolls shaking their feet to shake off the water.

 

“This isn’t the time to analyse me,” he warned. He took a look around at the felled villains. “You are more dangerous than you look.”

 

“Beating you wasn't enough?” Gala reminded him. He said nothing at that so they just moved on. “Some of them ran away when they realised they weren’t going to win.”

 

“Then we’ll find them.” he uttered, turning to go down the landslide.

 

Izuku followed, the dolls creating a perimeter around him whilst he continued resting on Gala’s shoulders so he could see all around them. He can’t enter Gala yet, not when things are still too dangerous. It’s easier to wait until he was in an enclosed space first.

 

“That cat…” the bicoloured boy started, looking at Kat around his neck.

 

“What about him?” Gala asked.

 

“Can he… stand on his hind legs?” he wondered.

 

Izuku didn’t understand what he meant until he suddenly made a connection he didn’t realise until now. ‘Shit. He recognises him from when I broke into his house.’ he put together. “He could.”

 

Todoroki just hummed, as if content with that answer. Izuku didn’t like that. “Do you know if there’s an underground control room?”

 

“Obviously there should be. Not sure where it could be though. You think the jammer quirk is there?” Izuku questioned. He nodded, clearly finding the idea of talking unneeded. “There should be maintenance tunnels for a place like this. I’m not going there though.”

 

“Because your father is currently fighting in the centre of the USJ?” the bicoloured boy guessed though it wasn’t really a guess at this point.

 

“I will k-kill Monoma for saying all of that.” he muttered under his breath.

 

“So you don’t deny it?” he turned back, causing the dolls to stop too as the boys looked at each other.

 

“Why should that matter to you? I got into UA fairly. I have the video and physical evidence to prove that both me and Hitoshi earned our places here.” the greenette typed and argued.

 

Something seemed to glisten uncharacteristically in the cold prince’s eye. Almost as if he felt justified or vindicated or something there other. “I just wanted to know if I was right.”

 

‘What? Right about what? Is he saying he already theorised me and ‘Toshi were his kids?’ Izuku thought, confused.

 

Suddenly there was a yell and in an instant two villains were restrained. One frozen by Todoroki effortlessly who tried to ambush him from behind and one that tried to kill Izuku but was grabbed by the neck by Julius before he could even take a swing. The man restrained by the butler clearly had a quirk with a wing mutation so unless he had anything unexpected, he wouldn't break free from his grip.

 

“All of these guys are corner street thugs or dive bar delinquents. I doubt they seriously believed this is enough for All Might.” Gala rattled off, as Julius brought the restrained man closer to Izuku, holding the villain's arms tightly.

 

“They’re obviously cannon fodder meant for us and the other teachers.” Todoroki surmised. “They must have another plan in place.”

 

Both of the men tried to break free from their respective restraints but neither were successful. Meanwhile, the ice prince raised a frost bitten hand over his guy’s face. “Your cells are slowly dying so unless you want to live your life with partial amputations you’ll tell us what you’re planning.”

 

‘Harsh but then again they didn’t come here to play either.’ Izuku thought as he turned to his own guy, Ida stepping closely with the stun baton broom sparking.

 

“You have seconds to spill everything or you’ll find out what fifty thousand volts does to the human body.” the greenette too warned, eyes darkening like a dolls as Ida held the broom close to the man’s face.

 

To say they got an answer quickly would be an understatement.

 

After their light interrogation, they left both men unconscious as they continued down the landslide. Izuku spotted a door, one that was told to him by the guy they captured, which should lead to the maintenance tunnels and eventually the control room. “There’s your stop.”

 

Instead of stopping though, Todoroki walked past the door. 

 

“Hey-”

 

“I never said I was going down there. You can handle it.” he said, walking off.

 

‘Are you kidding?!’

 

Izuku looked appalled as he glanced back and forth between the boy and the door. It looked like he really was leaving Izuku to deal with the small fry whilst he took down the big guns and saved Dad. He really is like his father.

 

‘And whose fault would that be?’ a guilty voice in his head whispered.

 

Reluctantly, he commanded Julius to kick down the door to the tunnels and the dolls made their way through until they reached a large room with many screens. He heard someone looking through one of the monitors, showing what was currently going on in the USJ.

 

‘The building must use a wired system. Maybe I can have my dolls spread out and keep an eye on them here.’ he planned.

 

Julius went storming up to the large chair the person was sitting on and spun it around seeing…

 

“M-Monoma?!” the greenette gasped aloud.

 

The blond seemed just as shocked as he was, looking back over at the puppeteer whilst the butler loomed over him. “H-Hey! Fancy meeting you here?” he almost squeaked in a surprising look of panic.

 

“When did you get here?” Gala asked as the dolls made a sweep of the room.

 

“A-A few seconds ago. Was dropped over by the Mountain Area and made my way here.” he said, cheeky confidence coming back in an instant.

 

“Have you contacted the outside?” Izuku typed, Gala setting him down on one of the other chairs.

 

“No. The guy with the jamming quirk is still out there. The cameras are wired but the comms aren’t, unless you want to get the attention of everyone in the USJ?” he explained, shifting a bit back to let the greenette work.

 

Izuku flicked through cameras, checking and hoping that everyone was alright. After some very quick look throughs, he can see that, thankfully, no one in his class is dead. Some are injured though.

 

Despite the warp villain’s best attempts, Tenya, Uraraka, Sero and Ashido are all still at the entrance with a wounded Thirteen. Izuku only just caught the tail end of his friend escaping the building thanks to a combination of the pink girl’s acid melting the door, the black haired boy throwing Tenya and giving him a boost and gravity gal’s quirk being used on the teleporter to push him out of his friend’s running path.

 

‘It’ll take around ten minutes for Tenya to get back to UA and another ten to twenty before they’ll arrive. Thirty minutes maximum.’

 

Unfortunately that was a long time, especially for some people.

 

Hitoshi and Kouda were on a boat in the middle of the flooded zone, the ship sinking and them having no way to get to shore. 

 

Kacchan, Kirishima and what he thinks is Hakagure are practically fighting like hell in the downpour zone, the water making it impossible for his blond friend to get a good explosion off and the invisible girl being not so visible soaked in water. That and the villains they were up against didn’t bode well.

 

Momo and Jirou had trapped themselves in a mineshift, dozens of villains trying to burrow past the creator’s defenses to no effect. All of this over in the mountain zone.

 

Shouji and Ojirou were also in a tight situation. The ruins zone offered very little means of getting around. It certainly didn’t help that most of their opponents had great mobility. They had just managed to find a crevice between two felled buildings to hide in whilst chaos was happening outside.

 

None of that chaos though compared to what was going on in the conflagration zone. Tsu, Aoyama, Tokoyami and Kaminari were all there, fighting viciously for their lives as the burning buildings of the area fought against them, the crow boy and frog girl especially.

 

“Everyone’s been placed in the worst spot possible.” muttered Izuku quietly.

 

“Seems so. They know all our quirks it seems.” Monoma guessed.

 

This was bad. This was very bad. His family and friends were in danger and he had the best quirk to help them from his position. Fear brimmed in his heart seeing Hitoshi’s worried face as the ship sank further into the water and that’s not even touching on Dad who looked more tired by the second.

 

He needed to help them. He needed to do it fast!

 

‘Julius needs to go to the ruins, Lily to Hitoshi and Ida over to the fire.’ he immediately decided.

 

Even then though, two other groups needed help. Kacchan isn’t fighting at full strength and neither was Hakagure. Momo and Jirou were also in a bind.

 

“Monoma,” Izuku typed, the boy turning to him. “Can you go and help Momo and Jirou?”

 

Julius, Lily and Ida were already charging out to their respective points, guided by the many many cameras that lined every inch of the building. Thank goodness his quirk made him a master at multitasking.

 

“Even if you send me, you’ll still have the downpour folks alone.” Monoma countered.

 

“Not quite.” the greenette uttered. He turned off the rain and fire in the downpour and conflagration zones respectively. Gala took out their hammer and made their way out of the room, charging over to where Kacchan was.

 

“You’re leaving yourself defenseless?” the blond uttered in slight disbelief. 

 

“D-Doors c-can be l-locked.” he uttered quietly, not really caring about appearances right now when a lot of bad things were happening.

 

“So you ca-”

 

“M-Monoma Neito, are you moving or not?!” Izuku practically barked at the boy, voice giving out slightly.

 

“I-” he paused at the genuine death glare the puppeteer made. Izuku was not in the mood for banter. “O-Of course.”

 

He ran off, heading down the halls towards the mountain zone. As soon as he left, Izuku sealed all the doors so no one could sneak up on him without making some noise. He really was defenseless right now, only Kat to protect him. But one thing he certainly was not…

 

…is useless.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Stretched Thin

Chapter 72: Stretched Thin

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

I was so happy to see the last chapter so well received. Hope this next one is just as good for all of you!

To say Hitoshi was in a bit of a jam right now would be an understatement.

 

After being swallowed by that portal, he genuinely thought that was it and he was going to die along with everyone he cared about minus Papa who’ll have to be alone. A cynical thought but when you think you’re about to die, that’s typically your first thought, remembering those who’ll be left behind.

 

Instead what he got was a faceful of cool water and some fish looking dude biting into his shoulder all before he could realise he was still alive. Thankfully Kouda was surprisingly skilled at moving through the water and after a quick scuffle to get the fish guy off they were now on a boat.

 

A boat that was sinking.

 

Frankly he always wished that if he were to die on duty it would be instant and not with a whole gaggle of villains laughing at him as they watch him sink. He can’t even use his quirk because every time he tried they all just went silent meaning not only is he in a bad spot but the bad guys knew what he could do.

 

Great. Fantastic even.

 

Hitoshi grunted as he reached up and nursed his shoulder where he was bitten. Thankfully it wasn’t his right arm or else he won’t be able to fight properly either. Kouda had found a first aid kit on the boat and was currently cleaning and dressing the wound as the two of them devised a plan on how they’re getting out.

 

“Are you not able to talk to bugs?” Hitoshi groaned, cringing a little when the wound was cleaned.

 

“This place is empty of them.” the rock boy signed. Kouda was selectively mute and knew JSL which was good because he did too. Not just that but he was surprisingly good at patching him up.

 

“You’re good at this,” he said, noting the excellently done wrapping.

 

After securing the bandages, Kouda signed. “Sometimes animals come to me for help. I’ve learned to patch them up quite well.”

 

“Thanks. I know first aid too but it’s always better to have someone else do it in case you miss something.” he thanked the other boy. “Got any other hidden talents that might help us out right now?”

 

“There’s no fish so no.” the rock boy frowned as he shook his head.

 

Wonderful. 

 

There wasn’t much he could do with his capture scarf or his persona cords. Neither were good because for the first, there were no footholds he could grab to in the middle of a pool and for the other, no one was responding to anyone. They were really keeping their mouths shut.

 

‘Maybe I could have one ask the other when they should attack.’ he thought.

 

It wouldn’t do much besides get one or two guys on their side. His brainwashing isn’t that good for having people fight others as any kind of tactical thinking is lost on those that fall into it. It was more of a shutdown tool than anything.

 

‘I really hope everyone else is ok.’ he thought to himself.

 

There were explosions, probably Bakugou’s, going off in the downpour zone just next to theirs. Meanwhile he could see the landslide area and saw what he thinks is Todoroki freezing half the area.

 

He doesn’t know where his brother is but he imagines he’s safe as long as he's got his dolls. Dad on the other hand… he can’t see much from where they were due to some trees but he could clearly see guys get launched presumably by his capture scarf all the way at the fountain plaza.

 

‘I need to get there to help him out. He won’t be able to keep things up forever.’ he thought to himself.

 

He stood up and Kouda backed off to give him space. Right now they need ideas. “Do you think we can drive this boat?”

 

The other boy shrugged. “I don’t know. They might’ve destroyed the propellers already.” No they definitely did. He would do the same. Then again maybe there was something they could still do there.

 

He rushed over to the controls and looked over for anything. The horn worked, the radio didn’t and just as they suspected the engine could run but nothing was moving. “Got any ideas from what we have?”

 

Kouda shook his head.

 

“Then how can we get out of-”

 

A loud series of gunshots ran out from somewhere high up and close by. Kouda and Hitoshi ran out to see a figure standing at the very top of the waterslide, looking down. The brainwasher squinted, trying to figure out what he was looking at when his eyes widened.

 

“Izuku!” he called out. 

 

It was Lily, meaning Izuku had to be nearby in order to see what she was doing. The doll started to move her hands to do sign but the distance made it hard to read. Thankfully the two of them together could translate what was being said.

 

“I am in the control room.” they signed. “I am using the cameras to see you. It’s only Lily.”

 

The two boys looked around and noticed off the side of one of the waterslides there was a security camera aimed at their boat. Hitoshi signed it. “What do we do?”

 

After exchanging what both sides were capable of, the three of them were left stumped as there wasn’t much that could really be done. The villains must not understand what they’re saying because they haven't made an attempt to go after Lily yet.

 

It was also a high climb so it would’ve been too far but because of that, she couldn’t come down either without them turning on her.

 

“Hitoshi,” Kouda started by nudging him. “Could you use your capture weapon to carry us out?”

 

“Yeah but there’s nowhere to grapple.” he pointed out, showing the length of his scarf.

 

“Well…” he trailed off, looking a bit shy.

 

“No wrong answers.” Hitoshi assured him, because right now anything was better than nothing.

 

Seeing the trust in his eyes Kouda felt more confident in his suggestion. “Izuku’s puppet, that one, has a grappling hook right? Maybe if you both fired your shots at the same time, you could… grapple onto his grapple?”

 

It was a crazy idea, one Hitoshi wouldn’t have thought the other boy had in him. Then again he knows Izuku and it’s always the quiet ones that are the most crazy in his experience. “That just might work.”

 

They signed their idea to Izuku who seemed to agree with it. The only other problem was that they were just out of reach still. Even if Hitoshi threw the entire length of his scarf and Lily used her whole grapple, the distance was still too much without her getting too close.

 

Not only was she high up but they were also far from the waterslide anyway.

 

‘We need to cut the distance somehow…’ Hitoshi thought.

 

The ship was getting lower. They didn’t have a lot of time left. He needed to think a lot. Like his Dad would. What would he do in this situation?

 

‘He’d do the most logical thing. The thing that makes the most sense.’ he reasoned.

 

That is when a really really stupid and crazy plan came over him. One that could be argued as ‘logical’ but also just too insane and risky to pull off.

 

Then again, so was the grapple thing.

 

“Kouda,” he looked at his new friend. “Let’s cause an explosion.”

 

- - -

 

One of the villains dived down into the water, the tactic that would allow them to speak in case Hitoshi took them over.

 

“You think they’ve got a plan or something?” one guy, a fish man, asked another under the water.

 

“Nah, if they did they’d do something by now.” another said, with a breathing mask on.

 

“By the way, what are we going to do with the broad up there?” wondered the fish man.

 

“You weren’t paying attention during the meeting? That’s a puppet. Apparently one of the kids could make them.” the masked guy said.

 

“Oh yeah. Wait, shouldn’t they be in the landslide zone?”

 

The masked villain folded their arms. “Guys must’ve messed up over there. Not our problem though.”

 

Suddenly there was a huge explosion, startling all of the villains present. Many gasped and raised their arms to defend themselves as the ship’s engine blew apart and suddenly there was something soaring high into the sky.

 

It was a metal plate, one stripped from the roof of the helm courtesy of Kouda’s and Hitoshi’s efforts. Right now both boys were using the metal roof as a shield against the explosion as they were launched up high above the ship from the knockback.

 

The brainwasher didn’t know much about machines but his brother did so after messing with the engine enough to make it overheat (which was easy to do seeing as the point of the USJ was to have constant disasters) they had a launchpad at which they could close the distance.

 

“What are they doing?” shouted a guy in the water.

 

Kouda gripped tightly onto Hitoshi, the boy getting ready to throw his scarf. It would be a difficult bind but his dad was anything but easy in training him. Lily fired the grapple at the perfect time and with the distance they had…

 

“YES!” the boy screamed out as the two ropes connected, the capture scarf wrapping around it tightly as it was built to.

 

Immediately the two boys started climbing up the scarf to the grapple, all whilst the villains below looked up in awe, some having to dodge the metal roof as it came crashing down into the water. 

 

“What are you all gawking for? Get up there!” one villain ordered and all of them started swimming to shore.

 

But just as some were about to reach land, suddenly they were pulled back as a whirlpool began to form in the centre of the water. 

 

“What the hell?! They said this wouldn't happen!” one villain screamed as they were sucked in.

 

The boat crumbled under the force as all the villains clashed and cried from being batted around both above and underwater. Meanwhile the two hero students reached the top of the water slide.

 

Lily signed, unable to use her voice due to Izuku not having a connection. “You two good- Hitoshi!”

 

The puppeteer frantically looked over him, spotting the wounded shoulder and panicking. Hitoshi could only smile at how happy he was to see that his little brother was ok. “I’m fine. Kouda patched me up. How is everyone else?”

 

The doll stopped fussing over him, starting to sign again. “It’s…”

 

- - -

 

“Shitty Hair! Invisibitch! Get down!” Katsuki yelled, having finally gotten his hands dry thanks to Izuku’s maid puppet. Funny enough the cleaning doll had a drycloth on them so he had wiped his hands of the rain and dried up so he could sweat without any of it being diluted.

 

“I said stop calling me that you jerk!” the invisible one cried as she leapt out of the way of a full on blast courtesy of the blond boy. She then hurried over to the maid as well to get dried off.

 

“Man, be a little less crazy with that!” the red one yelled over the bang.

 

A crowd of villains, now feeling a lot less confident than before, were blown away. The start of this fight may have been in their favour and yeah they were backed into a corner for a moment but now they can’t cheat. Now Katsuki can have a real fight.

 

“D-Don’t get cocky Kacchan.” Izuku warned over the intercom.

 

“Fuck off I know!” he yelled, still charging in anyway because he does know what he’s doing.

 

“Yamazawa can you dry me off too?” the invisible girl cried, still soaking wet and visible thanks to the water.

 

The maid handed over a towel, the girl drying herself off before rushing away to presumably find a safe place to hide… no she’s going in for a fight. Good.

 

“‘Zuku, get in here too! Whoever gets the most punks down wins!” Katsuki roared.

 

The villains would end up in the hospital after what happened in the downpour zone.

 

After a tense fight that almost became fun halfway through, the four of them walked out of the downpour zone. The invisible girl is keen to get back to the entrance where it’s safe but Katsuki had different ideas. He was going to the center where the action was.

 

“Hey man, where are you going? Entrance is that way?” Shitty Hair said, obviously not as confident in himself as Katsuki thought.

 

“We’re heading to the center. Right ‘Zuku?” the blond responded not looking at the puppet but he knew it was nodding. He’d be surprised if his friend didn’t want to save the hobo.

 

“You can’t be serious.” the red head uttered. “We need to make sure everyone else is ok!”

 

“‘Zuku and the others got it handled. He’s the one that turned off the rain.” Katsuki stated.

 

“He did?” Hakagure wondered. The maid turned to give a thumbs up. “Wow! You’re amazing Yamazawa!”

 

“You trust your friends that much? So manly!” exclaimed Shitty Hair, deciding to follow after the two.

 

“Well if you three are going, guess I am too!” the invisible girl proclaimed, going after them.

 

‘These extras aren’t half bad.’ the blond thought, internally commending the balls on them.

 

- - -

 

Shouji and Ojirou were crouched down in the half ruined lobby of an office, keeping any invading villains out the best they could. They don’t know how long they’ve been like this but it’s felt like the longest game of whack-a-mole ever.

 

Suddenly, the two of them heard crashing and yelling outside as a villain, who looked like a gecko climbing the side of the building, got pelted by what looked like…

 

“A dinner plate?” Ojirou said aloud.

 

They both crept close to the window and using Shouji’s arms, they peeked outside to see one of Yamazawa’s puppets, the biggest and scariest one, taking on a whole bunch of villains. 

 

“What should we do?” Ojirou asked, consulting his friend.

 

Shouji looked down and saw one of the ‘dinner plates’ thrown earlier. It was clearly a discus of some kind and from the looks of where he was, the giant didn’t have many of them. 

 

Julius was being slightly overwhelmed by the incoming forces. He had run out of plates quickly due to the amount of agile villains using the ruined buildings as vantage points. He’d just used his pole arm to bat away a villain with a fruitfly quirk when suddenly one of his discs struck the villain clean out of the sky.

 

“Catch!” shouted Ojirou as he and Shouji threw not just some discs but rubble too. Big enough to pack a punch.

 

The butler picked a clump up and with the force of a giant, threw and utterly demolished a poor villain who wasn’t quick enough to dodge. Quickly things turned into the humans finding ammunition for Julius to fire and it was so effective that the villains stopped coming quickly.

 

Not because they weren’t still out there, they were, but they knew it was smarter to stay out of sight of the scary butler.

 

“Let’s go!” Shouji commanded, the three taking the opportunity to make a break for it to safer lands.

 

- - -

 

‘Thank god the fire stopped.’ thought Denki as he helped Tsu up. She has been getting better since the fires suddenly all went out all at once and the sprinklers turned on.

 

The dry air was quickly becoming humid, practically reenergizing the frog girl and within seconds she was back in action, leaping and taking down a guy who’s been chasing the two of them for a while.

 

Meanwhile, with all this rainwater and without having to carry Tsu, he could finally let loose and do some real damage. Firing out an electric shock, he had to have taken out at least three guys before he had to stop to avoid short circuiting.

 

Tokoyami is doing a lot better if he’s hearing things right though it’s clear all of them are still exhausted from the fighting. Thankfully they had someone else join them in the fight. “Thanks Yamazawa, you’ve been a great help!”

 

The puppet just nodded as they delivered a brutal hammer swing to one guy who tried to ambush them. Honestly Kaminari is thankful he went up against the nicer looking maid one over the other two scary ones.

 

‘I wonder if Yamazawa ever’s done anything weird wi-’ 

 

He couldn’t finish that thought when a guy almost shot him with some kind of built in catapult in his wrist. Thankfully before he could, a blast of light sent them into a wall.

 

“Don’t get distracted now.” Aoyama said before immediately trembling from his own quirk.

 

- - -

 

At the mountain zone, Momo was really starting to regret not taking All Might’s offer. Surely if she was just a little bit stronger she could save herself and Jirou from this situation. 

 

At first they were doing well. Jirou was just as cool as she was fighting as she is normally, something the creator envied a lot. However at some point a guy who had the quirk that caused him to breathe a poisonous gas had shown up and her friend accidentally inhaled a bunch of it.

 

Now they were trapped in a mineshaft, barricaded in to keep the gas out as villains on the other side with masks tried to hammer their way in. Momo had made filters for the two of them so they should be fine from the poison but Jirou was still hacking away and looking a bit paler than one would hope.

 

“A-are you okay?” Momo asked, concerned even though she herself was trembling.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” she coughed, raising a hand to assure. “Feel awful though.”

 

The girl made a bottle of water for her to drink. She took it and practically downed the whole thing in one gulp. She was fine spending her energy making things like that because she had the strength to spare as she had a heavy lunch.

 

“Jirou, d-do you know what's going on out there?” Momo asked.

 

The purple haired girl plugged her quirk into the earth around them. She listened out, seeing if there was anything of note. “I think they’re getting all their guys together.”

 

This wasn’t good. They were sitting ducks down here. They said when they arrived that they knew what their quirks were but they knew nothing about what they could do. For all they knew one guy could spew lava or flood the shaft and leave them drowned or melted.

 

Seriously, what is she going to do? What is she supposed to do? These walls felt so tight and everything was dark. She should’ve taken the offer, maybe then she could have easily gotten out of here. Her friend wouldn’t be in so much danger and-

 

Jirou must’ve noticed her worry because she placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be alright. UA has to know what’s going on right?”

 

The purple haired girl’s voice was a blur, far and distant. She tried to respond but she was in her own head so much she couldn’t pull herself out. 

 

That hand on her shoulder tightened. “Are you okay?”

 

The girl stuttered a little, trying desperately not to break down from the stress of it all. “No… there’s j-just been so-so much happening.”

 

“Want to talk about it?” she coughed, even though now was far from the time. Then again, they weren’t doing much either.

 

“It’s t-that there’s so much happening at on-once for me.” she quietly said, fighting back from actually sobbing. “First there’s my mother and the co-costume and how overbearing she’s being, t-then there’s the offer he made a-and how I don’t know how to talk about it with a-anyone, and then there’s this now and I can’t think.”

 

“Ok, ok.” Jirou soothed. “Let’s talk through these. What’s up with your mother?”

 

“A-A lot.” Momo accidentally said. “She didn’t like my costume and preferred the other one. B-But it’s not just that… it feels like she wa-wants me to be something I don’t want to b-be.”

 

The other girl just listened intently, despite the pain she was in. “Ok… well, I like your costume and think it’s great. I also like the Yaomomo you are now. Do you like her?”

 

She does. She likes being smart and capable. And whilst she does like being seen as ‘nice’ when it comes to her appearance, she doesn’t want to be defined by that. She just wants to be a hero and help people.

 

“Alright,” Jirou nodded, Momo now focused on her a lot more than the ground. “Next then… what’s this offer you were given?”

 

“A h-hero said they w-wanted to m-mentor me.” she explained succinctly, still remembering the importance of the secret.

 

“That’s incredible!” the girl exclaimed, before immediately divulging into a coughing fit. “Why haven’t you taken it?”

 

Because she thinks it’s too much responsibility for her. That she’d be going into the deep end with barely any experience. She’d be carrying a legacy on her shoulders that weren’t hers but would have to fulfil and she didn’t know if she was suited for the task. “I d-don’t know if I can handle it.”

 

Jirou kept her eyes on her, seemingly thinking about something before speaking. “Look. I don’t know you that well. I don’t know how things are normally with you but I can say that you are, like, one of the strongest and smartest people I’ve met. I don’t know the hero who made the offer but I know if they went to you, that says a whole lot more about yourself than you think.”

 

“If you want to take it, take it. If not, don’t. Either way, you’re still Yaomomo in the end.”

 

It wasn’t that good of a speech, her voice was croaky from the gas and the close proximity made things awkward but it was enough to get her focused. She was capable and smart. She can do things. She can. She can!

 

She can’t.

 

‘No Momo! Don’t despair! Pull yourself together! Remember all of the training you’ve done, now’s not the time to fall apart.’

 

Think. She needed to think, but she couldn’t with all of the things going on in her mind. Jirou was still coughing despite the drink and for all they knew could be dying. This was an awful situation to be in right now and-

 

“Hey, Yaoyorozu.” Jirou uttered, “I hope that new costume’s doing you well. It’s certainly a great test drive for me. These shoes are too small.”

 

Momo looked back at the purple haired girl, feeling more calm despite how bad their situation was. She knew what Jirou was doing. “It’s q-quite well fitting. Much better than the old one.” she admitted.

 

“Certainly like the look of it over the other one.” the other girl replied.

 

“T-Thank you.” she smiled, her mind becoming more focused.

 

“Now do you have plans on getting out of here?” Jirou asked more seriously.

 

Plans… She looked around. They were currently in a dead end for the mineshaft and had a massive steel barricade blocking the only entrance in. On the ground there were rails that lead under the barricade, likely meant for carts and the like as the whole zone seems to be based on. There wasn’t any such thing there but the tracks looked good and could carry a great bit. “Jirou, are you able to tell where these tracks lead?”

 

The other girl nodded and stuck her jacks into the earth, trying to pick up anything. “I think they lead all around the mountain range.”

 

“Does any of those tracks lead outside of the zone?” 

 

“Don’t know. Might do. By the way, those guys outside are starting to gather weirdly.” Jirou noted.

 

“What do you mean?” Momo asked.

 

“Well I…” she paused and looked to be listening very intently for something. “I think someone is trying to talk to us.”

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“Morse code? …It’s Monoma!” she exclaimed before continuing to listen. “He says he’s going to make a distraction for us to get out in five minutes.”

 

This was perfect. Now they didn’t have to worry about leaving the mineshaft. They still needed to get out of the zone altogether and back to a place where they can have reasonable help. “Ok, I have an idea.”

 

- - -

 

Neito was sitting outside on top of a mountain, tapping his finger on the ground slightly above where the girls should be. He was mostly doing it halfheartedly because he was still stuck on what Yamazawa said to him, how he snapped at him in a way that was surprising.

 

He didn’t know how to feel about the greenette. He wasn’t at UA to make friends but for some reason he takes enjoyment out of chatting with the puppeteer. When he practically barked at him to get out and move, Neito was as surprised as anyone when he did move and listen, especially considering how the shortstack’s voice broke half way through.

 

‘It was kind of cute actually.’ he thought to himself.

 

It’s a shame. Maybe if he was more brave he’d prod the greenette a bit more then, see how angry he could get. Then he might see his Dollmaker shine through, it certainly did when he gave that command.

 

He looked down at the crowd of villains gathered. One of them was the jammer. It was obvious by his attire. Seriously? Can’t you hide yourself a little better? He doesn’t know if he should tell the girls or not. It doesn’t really help their situation against these dime-a-dozen thugs and ruffians.

 

As promised though, it was time to cause a distraction. He stood up and threw his hands wide and started to let out a laugh. “Look at you losers! Seriously, if I knew we’d be fighting low tier scumbags like you I wouldn’t have worn my good shoes!”

 

Most of the guys looked up, spotting the copier on high. “There’s another hero brat we’re meant to kill! Get him!”

 

They began to charge up the side of the mountain, all of them in fact. A rather stupid thing to do all things considered. He hopped off the rock he was on and started making his way to somewhere further from these punks.

 

‘Hopefully they heard my message, otherwise I’m about to get myself killed for nothing.’ he laughed to himself.

 

Suddenly there was a boom that shook the entire mountain and the sounds of an engine roaring as something flew out of the mineshaft at high speed. It was a…

 

“Holy, is that a train?!” Neito gasped loudly.

 

It wasn’t a proper one but rather cobbled together from a minecart, a car engine and a thruster on the back, rocketing it and its two passengers along the rails.

 

Immediately the villains all stopped and turned to chase after the cart. The tracks led all over the mountain so they’d have plenty of opportunities to strike but at the same time so did he.

 

Hopping along the mountainside, he found a safe piece of track the cart would be reaching. Timing it perfectly he dropped down and fell into the makeshift train, startling the two girls.”Fancy ride, didn’t know they made trains like these.” he smiled.

 

“Monoma!” Yaoyorozu exclaimed, “Thanks for the-”

 

“Incoming!” screamed Jirou.

 

One of the villains had gotten on the track and was looking ready to meet them and stop their joyride. He clearly had a power type quirk if the arms were anything to go by. In an instant Yaoyorozu threw her arms up and a metal sheet with sharp spikes on it came out and she plopped it in front of the cart like a battering ram.

 

Immediately the villain yelled, realising what was about to happen if he stayed and jumped out of the way, arm scratched by the spikes. That rocked the cart a bit causing the trio inside to worry but thankfully it didn’t derail.

 

“Where are we going?” Neito shouted over the engine.

 

“Out of here! Can you see any tracks that go out of the zone?!” Yaoyorozu shouted.

 

“No! But I do know there’s some tunnels under the USJ we could take cover in!” the blond shouted.

 

“I think I sensed them over there!” Jirou agreed, pointing where there was indeed the entrance door to the tunnels.

 

The three ducked down, having to dodge a villain using his quirk to slash above them as they passed by him. “How do we get down there?!” Neito asked, making sure to tap both of the girls to get their quirks refreshed on him.

 

Jirou looked around. “This route should take us to it!”

 

“Not if they have anything to say about it!” he argued, referring to the fact that some villains had started throwing rocks onto the track. In about thirty seconds they were going to derail and crash. “Is there any way we can destroy it?!” 

 

“Yes!” Yaoyorozu shouted. “With a cowcatcher!”

 

“A what?!”

 

“Those metal grid thingies at the front of old locomotive trains!” she shouted. “I don’t have the lipids for it though!”

 

“Then tell me how to make one!” Neito asked, intending to use his quirk.

 

After a rapid fire explanation of the chemical composition of iron, steel and the exact framing they’d need to be in for the quirk to work, the blond focused hard and managed to create the object just in time to crash into rocks, sending small boulders flying. Now they were close to the exit but…

 

“Why is the cart shaking!” Jirou yelled, the makeshift train rocking back and forth in a way that felt far from natural.

 

“They must’ve done something with those rocks!” the blond guessed. “We need to get off soon so start braking!”

 

“We can’t!” Yaoyorozu admitted.

 

“What do you mean we can’t?!” Neito and Jirou shouted at the same time.

 

“I had to save on lipids. I’m almost out now and I imagine that cowcatcher took a lot out of you Monoma?!”

 

It did, he was feeling a bit empty inside from what felt like his lunch vanishing in an instant. His suit was also feeling a little loose now. “Then what?!”

 

“Monoma, Jirou, can you use your quirks to cause the cart to crash?!” she asked.

 

“Are you crazy?!” Neito shouted.

 

“Yeah!” and Jirou already had her ear plugged in. 

 

The blond, not to be outdone, just relented and did the same, causing the cart to vibrate at the sound of their hearts and making the already tumultuous ride practically destined to crash. Yaoyorozu yelled out. “Get down and huddle as close to me as possible!”

 

They did so, huddling tightly as the creator grabbed the spike shield from earlier and using it to cover the top of the open air cart, the whole thing derailed. There was a solid twenty seconds of tumbling and crashing, the trio holding on so they didn’t fall out and soon the whole thing came to a stop.

 

“Quick, we need to get out!” the crazy girl ordered, climbing out of the crashed cart and helping her friends. The villains were still chasing them but they had a bit of a head start now.

 

Neito stumbled out and followed after her, Jirou was being carried by Yaoyorozu who was looking kind of green. They stumbled over to the maintenance tunnel doors and stumbled in, running down the hallways as they heard the villains chase after them closely.

 

“Yamazawa, open the door!” Neito yelled but as they turned the corner to the control room it was already wide open, Izuku expecting them.

 

The doors slammed shut the second they were in, sealed tightly and even better than Yaoyorozu’s barricade.

 

“Holy shit we made it!” Jirou cried as she crashed onto a chair. “Yaoyorozu, you’re amazing and I love you!”

 

The creator blushed a little but took a short bow as she tried to catch her breath. “Thank you. And call me Momo. I can’t believe that it all worked.”

 

“A-And g-got it o-on f-film too.” Izuku muttered softly.

 

Jirou paused when she heard the greenette speak, almost as if she just saw a cryptid step out in front of her. “You can speak?”

 

“He doesn’t like to.” Yaoyorozu explained. “Izuku, where’s Gala?”

 

“All of the puppets are spread out across the USJ. I’m managing them here.” he explained, watching the monitors.

 

“So how’s it going?” Neito asked, walking up to the greenette and leaning over him.

 

He shuffled back a little out of habit before bringing up what he was looking at on a bigger screen. “E-E-Everyone is o-out. S-Safe. O-Only A-Aiza-”

 

There was a loud crash on screen as everyone turned to look. It was footage of the main plaza where Eraserhead had finally reached Shigaraki. The two had fought and it was then three of them in that room watched in horror as the pasty man had grabbed the hero by the elbow and started disintegrating his arm.

 

They watched the fighting drag on. Yamazawa, with a terrified expression on his face, continued to direct his puppets to the centre of the facility. They were still a ways away though when something was said by the decay man and suddenly the nomu charged forth and utterly crushed the pro.

 

“D-Dad!” the greenette screamed as he continued directing his dolls.

 

All the while Neito felt the smallest pangs of…

 

…guilt.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Count This as a Favour

Chapter 73: Count This as a Favour

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're excited for this chapter! It contains something that someone had suggested a while ago.

Have a nice day! <3

Shouta backed up from the villain that damaged his elbow. It was stinging like hell but thankfully it looked like he got it away before the disintegration quirk could reach his bones. He can’t afford to die here. If this guy were to go after his class, after his kids… he doesn’t even want to humor that thought.

 

“I have to wonder,” rasped the villain, covered in severed hands. “How your students are doing, Eraserhead. At least half of them have to be dead at this point… if not, then you’ve got some crazy RNG on your draft this year.”

 

Shouta scoffed. This man’s been spouting off video game analogies every five seconds. If he didn’t have some kind of idea what he was saying, he might’ve thought he was babbling in tongues. “You realise fights usually don’t involve this much talk.”

 

“With some normal NPCs, sure, dialogue gets skipped but right now this is a main quest. Let a villain monologue, why don’t you?” he said, a sadistic teasing tone to voice as he clearly enjoyed the hero’s grunts of pain.

 

“Shigaraki Tomura.” the warp villain said, manifesting beside him. “One of the students managed to get out of the facility. The heroes will be here any second.”

 

“Kurogiri, did you at least kill Thirteen?” the decay villain, Shigarki now named, asked.

 

“No. But they have been incapacitated.” the teleporter, Kurogiri explained.

 

Shouta breathed a short sigh of relief. At least there was that. Hopefully his class is the same.

 

“If you weren’t my warp gate I would’ve killed you by now!” the head villain rasped, writhing in his own frustration before immediately calming. “Oh well. It looks like we’ll have to leave this battle and play again next time. But before that…”

 

The horrible man next to them, purple skinned, bulging eyes and a head shaped like a bird with an exposed brain, twitched a little. He hasn’t done anything for the entire fight so Shouta assumes it’s probably a main guy just like them.

 

“Nomu.” Shigaraki uttered. “Break him.”

 

Suddenly the monster charged and the hero barely had time to use his quirk before he was slammed into the ground, the hulking man over him and grabbing his arm painfully. Shouta let out a yell as the beast began to scream in what could be either agony or glee, he couldn’t tell.

 

Blood pooled over his eyes as he was sure his arm just got snapped and had his head slammed down in the concrete again. He was getting dizzy. 

 

‘I can’t… I need to stay up…’ he willed himself, trying to focus.

 

Suddenly there was a flash of white and suddenly everything got cold. He wasn’t sure what was going on but he thinks it was Todoroki freezing the monster. A pang of fear came through the teacher as he dreaded the fact one of his students was here. And if they were here, odds were…

 

“Dad!” he heard from somewhere. It was undoubtedly Hitoshi.

 

‘Why is he here? That stupid boy.’ he groaned in his mind, as he fought back against unconsciousness.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi watched as the horrible villain, Nomu, as he heard the pasty guy call it, broke free of the frozen coffin Todoroki locked him in. He charged towards the bicoloured boy, who immediately created some ice walls to hold it off as he backed up to find safer ground.

 

The brainwasher was ready to run up to his father and help him and Izuku seemed ready too as Lily sprinted out ahead of him. He glanced around and could see more people arriving along with most of his brother’s dolls.

 

He was about to run over too when suddenly in a heartbeat the pasty villain was right in front of him, reaching forward with a sick smile on his face. Hitoshi didn’t understand what was going on but he knew it was bad, he could feel death behind those fingers. He lurched back, just barely avoiding one swing of his hand but another grabbed his cheek and…

 

Nothing.

 

“You really are so cool Eraserhead.” the villain rasped as he looked behind him. His dad had erased the man’s quirk. “Nomu, kill Eraserhead.”

 

The monster screeched as it spun around from fighting Todoroki to start charging towards Dad. Meanwhile Hitoshi pulled himself from the hand man’s grasp and backed up whilst Kouda punched the villain clean in the chest.

 

The boy watched as the beast closed in rapidly on Dad but before he… no it… could reach him it was tackled by Julius, crashing the thing into the floor whilst all the others arrived. The brainwasher took the chance to reach his father and help him up off the floor whilst Kouda and soon Hakagaure helped him.

 

“Can you guys get him out of here?” Hitoshi asked, the other two nodding as they carried him out with the additional aid of Tsu who seemed to catch up with them too. Hitoshi then turned back to the battlefield to see what was going on.

 

Julius was currently in a sumo battle with the Nomu, the two vying for dominance as both tried shoving the other one over. Meanwhile Kaminari, Tokoyami, Aoyama, Shouji and Ojirou were just arriving, having to catch up to their respective dolls. Finally there was Bakugou and Kirishima who had somehow pinned the warp villain by the neck.

 

“Might as well start crying now!” mocked the blond. “It’s over!”

 

It really seemed like it. The biggest threat was the Nomu but if Julius could keep it pinned then Todoroki could properly freeze it. And with everyone else involved, they can deal with this pasty bastard in front of Hitoshi right now.

 

But what he expected wasn’t what he got as the hand man just sighed. “To think mere children could beat you twice, Kurogiri.”

 

“I’m sorry, Shigaraki. I didn’t expect them to figure out my weakness so quickly.” he excused, grunting under the popping threat of Bakugou’s palm.

 

“Then it seems we’ll have to get serious.” Shigaraki said like it was a chore. “Nomu. Destroy that tin can.”

 

With a hellish screech, Nomu, with strength that definitely wasn’t there before, proceeded to embrace the butler in a bear hug and started crushing it slightly. Lily and the rest of the dolls acted, firing a torrent of shots at the beast whilst Ida leapt up and stabbed the brain of the thing with the electric broom.

 

That caused the thing to shake and let go, giving Julius the chance to punch rapidly into the beast. But despite landing hits that were definitely strong enough to crush a normal man’s skull, the thing didn’t even flinch.

 

“Ah, it seems you’ve discovered one of my Nomu’s quirks, Shock Absorption.” the villain said with barely hidden glee. “Any hits your toy makes will be useless against mine.”

 

And with that the monster grappled Julius and began to try and tear off one of his limbs. The sound of metal crunching could be heard but before it could succeed, Lily had moved in, sword arm ready, and slashed the eyes of the thing called Nomu. Ida followed up with another target shock on the brain, hoping to give it a seizure.

 

The thing lurched back, releasing the butler and giving him the chance to punch the monster away and get some ground. All of the dolls rallied behind him, watching and judging.

 

“A whole party, huh? But where’s your leader?” Shigaraki wondered while looking around.

 

The pasty man must’ve noticed the other students had finally arrived, on top of Hitoshi moving in to fight because he spun around and went sprinting towards the one called Kurogiri. Kirishima acted, taking up the defense but the villain was deathly fast and before he knew it, a hand had grazed the boy’s back leaving a bleeding crack in his skin.

 

The red head let out a yell from the pain and was pulled away by Dark Shadow as Tokoyami just arrived. Using this opening, Shigaraki charged up to Bakugou and made an attempt on his life. Thankfully the blond was smart and backed off, just barely evading a grab thanks to Hitoshi using his capture weapon to hinder the villain.

 

The warper teleported immediately, bringing himself and Shigaraki a distance away from the students.

 

“Good. Now that I have my teleporter back… Kurogiri! Thin out this mob rush!” the decay man commanded.

 

“Yes, young master.” the purple mist agreed, unleashing a wave of dark fog that engulfed most of the students much like before. 

 

Most of them were caught, Tokoyami and Kaminari lacking the speed and Kirishima being injured. Shouji and Ojirou were caught out as well when another portal grabbed them and sent them somewhere else. (It would be found later they were all moved to the complete other side of the USJ).

 

The only ones to avoid the move were Bakugou with his explosive acrobatics, Hitoshi by locking himself down with his capture scarf and Todoroki riding away on top of ice beyond the initial wave of purple mist.

 

Now it was just the dolls, them and the villains. The fight between Izuku and Nomu happened during their confrontation and now the beast had lost one of its arms as well as its eyes and brain melted from a combination of lightning and stabbing.

 

It was horrific and disgusting.

 

Unfortunately though, the dolls weren’t unscathed. Ida also had lost an arm at some point in the scuffle and was just drinking one of Izuku’s spinal fluid drinks to make up for it. The other two dolls were fine but Julius still sported more wounds than before.

 

At the sight of the doll drinking, Shigaraki laughed. “I didn’t know NPCs could use items. Guess it’s only fair we do some healing too.”

 

Once that was uttered, the Nomu’s wounds began to bubble and before any of them knew it, the damage was healed, completely. Arm regrown and eyes back and focused.

 

“Regeneration is another one of its quirks. This along with Shock Absorption makes it the perfect weapon to kill All Might with.” Shigaraki rasped off.

 

‘This thing has multiple quirks?! How’s that possible?! Is it like Todoroki?’ the brainwasher thought. “How is that possible?!” he yelled out, hoping the villain took the bait.

 

But silence. Utter fucking silence. 

 

‘Goddam, does the whole world know what I can do?!’ he complained in his mind. He grabbed his scarf and began to engage, throwing a strand in the direction of the decayer.

 

Meanwhile Bakugou screamed from above as he launched himself over the two villains with a flip, grabbing the pin of his grenade arms and unleashing an insane kaboom from above down onto them. The warper shielded the blast, redirecting it towards Todoroki who tried to freeze the Nomu again only to be forced to defend himself.

 

All this whilst Ida, Lily and Julius continued to beat down on the monster, all aiming for the brain now that they realised there is no point going for body shots. But no matter how many times the maid liquefies the brain or the butler uppercuts the beak of the thing, it still keeps moving. Like some horrible nightmare.

 

Allowing Hitoshi’s capture weapon to wrap around his arm, Shigaraki disintegrates the strand, musing at the doll's attempts to kill the monster. “Our tank’s weak point isn’t its brain. You’d think we’d leave such a glaring target on our weapon? That thing’s practically cosmetic with how brain dead my Nomu is.”

 

‘He’s treating that thing like an object.’ Hitoshi noted. ‘So is it really some kind of weird messed up experiment? I’m going to have nightmares after this.’

 

If he gets out of this.

 

- - -

 

Izuku stared at the screens, frantic as he tried to think of a way to break this thing. Momo tried to give helpful insights but most of it is for naught. Right now they can’t leave because it would be unwise to do so but with Hitoshi out there he isn’t sure what to do.

 

Gala had just arrived back, having climbed down so that Izuku could just have them here as moral support. The shell would do better upstairs but he didn’t want to risk not having an extra doll if things got really bad.

 

“We should go up there.” Momo uttered, looking more and more concerned.

 

“Are you crazy?” Monoma said, “We’re safe down here. We can rely on Yamazawa’s dolls to-”

 

“L-Let’s go.” Izuku uttered, reaching over to Gala and plugging in his computer pad.

 

He had just watched the hand man give something away that he might be able to use against him. It would be insanely risky but if he lets this go on, his dolls will fall and Hitoshi, Kacchan and Todoroki will all be dead in seconds.

 

“Why?! We’re safe!” the blond argued.

 

“I kind of agree with Monoma.” Jirou nodded. “The teachers have to be almost here.”

 

“But will they be able to stop something like that?” Momo said, effectively reading Izuku’s thoughts aloud. “Could All Might even stop that thing?”

 

“What makes you think we can then?!” Monoma said, exasperated. “Stay here! If they’re smart, they’ll run away and leave your puppets to distract that thing!”

 

But there was a chance. The warper could teleport his friends right back in place or worse, into an even more disadvantageous position. He can’t let them fight out there on their own, especially when there is a chance he could turn this all around.

 

“Momo, can you make a syringe?” Gala uttered.

 

“No. I’ve used up all I’ve got from earlier.” she frowned.

 

“Then I’ll have to go out there and deliver it myself.” the shell uttered, Izuku looking for an opportunity to leave the cameras.

 

“What are you even trying to accomplish?” Monoma asked, completely perplexed before his mind started to piece everything together. “No… wait. You’re not actually…”

 

“My quirk doesn’t work on living material due to their immune systems fighting against it. However, it is clear this creature is not biologically stable. Its brain is exposed, it can survive such extreme damage and is even immune to pain seemingly. It is likely alive thanks solely to the regeneration which is probably in constant overdrive. If we push it, it might compromise elsewhere.” the shell rattled off, confusing some of them.

 

“What does that mean?” Jirou asked.

 

“If I hurt it enough, my quirk might be able to control it.” he stated.

 

“That’s a lot of ‘ifs’.” the blond noted.

 

“It is but I’d rather not risk anyone I care about dying. This battle is being lost.”

 

“You’re taking that gamble?!”

 

Izuku looked over at Monoma, briefly focusing on him. “I thought you said you liked that kind of stuff?”

 

The cheek, normally done by the copier was used on him and for a moment the greenette was sure he saw a flicker of something burning deep in his eyes. 

 

“If I don’t try, even if it seems stupid, then I might as well never have hoped for anything different in the first place.” Izuku said, continuing to look into the boy’s eyes.

 

And as if on cue, due to unfortunate positioning, the Nomu knocked back Julius giving itself enough room to go charging for the wounded Ida. In a single swing, the doll is sent crashing and with most of her body crushed around the chest.

 

Gala waited no more and picked up Izuku, charging out of the control room through an opened door but not before having Julius tackle and hold Nomu from behind. He didn’t need it to hold for long, just enough so that he could get there.

 

Climbing up a ladder to the surface, the shell reached the plaza. Julius was still holding onto the Nomu but was about to lose his grasp. Hitoshi barely had any scarf left to use, most of it melted away by the decay man and Kacchan was now missing one of his gauntlets, wisps of it scattering to the wind in the villains claws.

 

The only one doing well was Todoroki but that’s mostly owed to him keeping his distance. But because of that, along with the warp villain’s quirk, he hasn’t gotten a good hit in. Gala rushed up next to him, surprising the boy.

 

“Yamazawa,” he said. The entire right side of his body was cold and freezing. If he keeps going as was without using his fire, he’ll get hypothermia.

 

“Are you able to trap it? One more time like you did at the start?” Gala asked.

 

“Not with that villain, Kurogiri, in the way,” he said, heaving a little.

 

“Do you think you could cauterize Nomu's wounds? Or is your fire still a touchy subject even when it’s life or death?” Izuku typed, already knowing the answer but needed to be sure.

 

“Only ice,” he said gutterally, glaring at the puppeteer.

 

“Then make this next one count. Send a wave out wildly, the same one you used during the battle trial.” Izuku ordered.

 

“It’ll hit the other two.” Todoroki said.

 

“It won’t.” Gala said charging forward. “Wait on my say.”

 

The shell, with Izuku on their shoulder. made their way towards the battlefield, passing by some villains who were slowly regaining consciousness. That is going to be a problem soon if they don’t take these guys down right now. They made their way up to the Nomu which was still grappled by Julius from behind.

 

Lily slinked around it, ready to restrain Nomu properly. She stood to the left of the monster whilst the puppeteer came from its right. “Hitoshi, Kacchan…”

 

Both boys glanced over, noticing Gala was on the field, speaking at max volume which was loud enough to echo through the USJ. Once he was sure they were paying attention, he continued. “...Todoroki now!”

 

With the attention on Izuku, they were both also looking in the direction of Todoroki. As such when the boy released his ice along the ground throughout the entire area, along with Kacchan and Hitoshi’s reaction times, they both jumped out of the way. The blond flew upwards whilst the brainwasher used what was left of the capture scarf to pull himself up a tree.

 

Gala on the other hand used their strength, Lily as well, to jump upwards far higher than a normal human should. Julius stayed on the ground, willing to get frozen if it meant that Nomu didn't get a chance to evade.

 

Kurogiri tries to intervene, creating a huge portal between the bicoloured boy and the fight but a sudden blast of sound waves disorientates and stops him from doing it in time. Jirou stood on the outer rim of the battle, still affected by poison but was being supported by Momo.

 

Todoroki’s attack succeeded and although Jirou and Momo also got caught in it too, so did Nomu and Shigaraki. The hulking beast had its legs frosted over and iced and although it won’t do much it will buy time for what’s next.

 

‘Do it Lily! Lethal rounds! Julius! Break it!’ he thought and commanded.

 

The noble took out her firearm, switching the magazine to something more lethal, and let loose on Nomu, firing endlessly into its back neither caring for Julius being caught in the crossfire nor the screeches the creature made as it was shredded. She made sure to target typically hard to heal parts like its knees and femurs.

 

Meanwhile Julius opened his jaw and although this wasn’t an intended attack in design, he chomped down onto the brain of Nomu, crushing and squeezing out countless juices of disgusting greymatter.

 

Finally, Gala landed on the chest of the monster, using all of their strength to break its jaw, adding more broken bones, flesh, nerves and ligaments for the creature to try and rebuild. It won’t hold for long but that is all Izuku needs. 

 

Climbing down from Gala’s shoulder and clinging to the monster’s chest, he placed a hand on its skin and with as much focus as possible, dumped as much spinal fluid as he could all at once.

 

Immediately he could feel a fight the second he tried to force control over the thing, regeneration clearly trying to push the foreign quirk out but Izuku just went onwards. He’ll likely be limp by the end of this but he’ll have won the war.

 

The force fighting back was absurd, like trying to wiggle your way through a weighted blanket that weighed the same as a gorilla. Everything was fighting against him.

 

‘I don’t think I have enough fluid!’ he dreaded, feeling like he might not be able to keep up with even the weakened immune system. Lily was almost out of bullets, Julius was starting to weaken from the cold and even Gala’s fingers were snapping off from the punches.

 

Then suddenly a hand touched the back of his exposed neck. At first he thought it was the hand man and that was it. He was dead. But instead a black suited arm followed his on the chest of the monster.

 

“I know I’ll regret doing this so consider this my second favour repaid.” Monoma said, using Izuku’s quirk on Nomu too.

 

The greenette couldn’t help but smile a little. “T-That’s f-fair.”

 

With the aid of having the quirk applied twice, the regeneration was overtaken and the beast was now squirming as the fluid poured into its veins.

 

“C-Cause all its organs to crush themselves!” Izuku yelled, focusing on the fluid within.

 

“Got it!” the blond shouted, doing the same.

 

Inside, the lungs were flooded with fluid that began to tear it apart by expanding them too far. Rib bones were puppeted and forced to drive themselves through the kidneys, liver and stomach, acid pouring over the intestines that themselves began to contort and wrap around themselves to strangle the other.

 

Finally the heart was reached, the fluid crushing it from two sides and squeezing the last of the blood that isn’t coloured by Puppeteer, to pour out inside the body.

 

With a final hellish screech, Nomu shattered Julius’ arms around it and had them come crashing down to bear hug the two boys only for Gala to tank it and be crushed in turn, leaving the boys pressed up closely as the pale-faced puppet behind them got crunched. 

 

“Now the nerves!” Izuku ordered and both of them focused on every nerve fibre on the creature’s body, shredding it and replacing it with fluid, flooding its system and completely-!

 

As the monster’s limbs squeezed the shell, they suddenly went slack and dangled to the monster’s sides.

 

From the outside, it looked like Nomu had simply stopped moving.

 

But inside, it was a gorefest.

 

Blood seeped out of the beak and Izuku watched the bleeding eyes of the beast go still and dull as what cursed life it did have was now gone. Completely snuffed out from the inside.

 

Leaving only its shell left behind, a shell that was now under his control.

 

The greenette fell back but was caught by Monoma who just had enough strength leftover to keep on his feet. Gala collapsed back in a hunk of metal and wood, Julius completely switched off and Lily ceased shooting.

 

“Did we get it?” the blond uttered, stumbling back a little whilst still holding Izuku in his arms.

 

“Y-Yes.” the puppeteer uttered, feeling his influence inside the monster. “N-Now… Nomu…” he said as he looked over at Shigaraki and Kurogiri, as well as a few villains that recovered.

 

“...Destroy them.”

 

The beast lurched to life, shattering the ice in an instant and with the insane muscles already present on this thing it was practically Julius times ten. The decayer’s eyes widened as his weapon was turned against him, leaping out of the way just as a crushing blow came down on him.

 

“What the hell?! That’s cheating! I wasn’t told you also had a necromancer!” he screamed, diving and rolling away from Nomu.

 

The thing was at half its strength but still plenty dangerous. Despite technically having no quirks, its Shock Absorption skin was still there along with what Izuku no doubt knew had to be some kind of power quirk in its skeleton.

 

The monster swung widely around, many of the small-time thugs and villains fleeing to avoid the horrible bleeding zombie chasing them down. Some tried to fight back but the speed this thing had paled in comparison to anything they’ve got.

 

With renewed hope, everyone still up moved in on the two leading villains. Todoroki was too cold but still managed to make an ice spike that pierced the leg of Shigaraki as he dodged another Nomu swing, causing the man to let out a horrible yell. 

 

Kacchan dove once more, ready to use his remaining gauntlet to utterly devastate them whilst Hitoshi turned his focus from them to the goons scattered around. Making sure none of them could escape from this fight.

 

“Get ready to die!” screamed the explosive blond, pulling the pin on his grenade and unleashing a bang loud enough to shake the USJ.

 

That caused Kurogiri to fall down once more but because of the knockback, Kacchan couldn’t pin him again. “We’re leaving now Shigaraki!” the warp villain said, already creating the gate beneath them.

 

“Not that easily!” Jirou shouted, using her speakers again to disrupt the warper.

 

The mist man groaned in pain but powered through the pain anyway, the two beginning to vanish. 

 

“This isn’t over!” Shigaraki roared, glaring across the way at Izuku and Monoma. “Especially for you!”

 

And just as quickly as they arrived, they were gone. The whole space silent besides Hitoshi battling villains to the side.

 

“We did it…” Momo muttered in disbelief.

 

“We fucking did!” Jirou cheered.

 

“Not over yet dumbasses, still got small fry to crush!” Kacchan yelled, referring to the remaining villains.

 

That shouldn’t be a problem, especially when they heard a boom come from the entrance of the USJ.

 

“I AM HERE!” shouted All Might, overlooking the whole facility, an angry look on his face.

 

‘He’s two minutes early.’ noted Izuku.

 

Now he could finally rest, a massive headache coming down, leaving him drowsy and tired.

Notes:

I always had it planned that at some point he'd use his quirk on a person. Never thought of a nomu though until someone suggested it. Now it makes a lot of sense in my head to have it go that way. Hope you're excited for the next chapter, especially considering how much everyone so clearly loves Monoma.

Next Chapter:

Don’t Fly too Close to the Sun

Chapter 74: Don't Fly Too Close to the Sun

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're excited for this next chapter!

Have a nice day! <3

Once All Might arrived, any threats still in the USJ were practically dealt with. As soon as the hero was assured everyone at the plaza was ok, he rushed off to clean up shop. Kacchan tried to go after him but was quickly restrained by Hitoshi who dragged him back with them.

 

Slowly making their way back, their classmates all stood at the door, Tenya in the distance along with a whole slew of teachers rushing after him. 

 

“We’re safe!” Momo breathed, collapsing a little causing Hakagure to step in and support Jirou.

 

“Are you all okay?” Thirteen asked, practically missing half their body but still clearly well enough to talk clearly.

 

“I breathed in poison.” the earjack girl coughed. “It’s been slowly getting worse I think, but I’m fine for the moment.”

 

“Wait…” Hitoshi started, still keeping the scarf tied over Kacchan who was continuing to thrash against it. “...Is Aizawa ok?!”

 

“Y-Yes is h-he al-alright?!” Izuku stuttered, having no doll to speak through as Lily didn’t have an attachment for the computer pad. He had almost forgotten from all of the stress of the situation that his father got slammed into the ground countless times. 

 

“Kouda did some first aid with Thirteen’s help.” Tsu explained, pointing over to the man lying on the floor. “He should be fine enough before the professionals get here.”

 

The purple haired boy ran over to his father’s side. Izuku, still being carried by Monoma, grabbed the blond boy’s arm and with what little strength he had left, pinched him until he knew what he wanted.

 

“Ow! Ow! Ok! I’m going!” the copier fussed, heading over to join Hitoshi. “Guess you don’t care for appearances much at the moment.”

 

Izuku was tempted to grab his hair and pull. He was certainly in range for it. Sure it was a bit embarrassing to be carried like this by someone who isn’t a doll but he can have that freak out later. Right now he needed to check on his dad.

 

The man was in bad shape. His face had been cleaned somewhat by his shirt from the looks of things and he clearly had a broken nose and maybe even a jaw. Either way, he was not in good condition. There were some simple bandages on the minor cuts but it was clear that his right arm was completely snapped, his left not too far behind.

 

Hitoshi leaned in. He was almost tempted to listen to Dad’s breathing just to be sure but it was clear from the rising chest that he was alive and that was beyond reassuring for the two of them.

 

“He’s going to be okay.” Momo assured them from behind.

 

‘Hopefully.’ is what was left unsaid.

 

- - -

 

The teachers soon arrived and right after the ambulances too. Dad was swept away, Papa staying behind to make sure the two of them were ok too. Hitoshi’s wound was still there and needed to be treated properly in case there was any kind of infection. 

 

Monoma had carried Izuku over to an ambulance to rest due to the loss of spinal fluid that he needed to replenish. That and the fact the copier too was on the verge of exhaustion from both lipid loss and fluid.

 

Of course he did this after Nomu was released from Puppeteer and the corpse collapsed like a sack of potatoes, fluid spilling out of any holes it may have had in a way that made anyone watching immediately feel ill. It was restrained, just in case it was somehow still alive but it was clear to anyone the thing was just a sack of meat now.

 

This caused some worried eyes to drift over to the greenette. A mix of awe and fear, especially as some of the officers got statements on what went down during the whole ordeal.

 

Honestly there were so many questions about it. About all of this. Why were those people here to kill All Might? Why do it at UA? How did Nomu have multiple quirks? How will-

 

“Hey, green button.” Papa started, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.

 

Right now he was in an ambulance, next to Hitoshi who was being looked at. With Gala down and out, he could only sign. “Yes?”

 

“Are you doing alright with all these people?” he asked.

 

He hadn’t realised until now. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the weakness felt from losing too much fluid but he hadn’t really noticed until it was pointed out. Once he did realise though, he immediately curled in on himself and began to freak out.

 

“Ok, ok!” Papa stilled, reaching around for anything to cover him up and make him feel unexposed. “Do you have a blanket?” he asked the paramedics.

 

“Here.” Monoma offered instead, taking off his waist coat and handing it over. He was weirdly less playful than he usually was and seemed more… remorseful for some reason.

 

“Thanks, listener.” the hero smiled and wrapped it over Izuku, bringing immediate calm to the panicking boy. “It won’t be long.”

 

The rest of the day was spent calming down from the rush that was the USJ. After Hitoshi was cleared of his injury and Izuku got more strength, they went to the hospital to see Dad. He was currently being looked after by the hospital and wasn't able to see him for at least a few hours until he was allowed visitors.

 

“Dad!” Hitoshi yelled, rushing into the room. 

 

“Are you ok?!” Izuku asked using his phone, moving slowly after him but still with urgency.

 

He was awake but just barely conscious. His eyes light up a little when he sees his kids and his husband all safe and sound. One would think then he would reassure them he was ok. That was not what he did.

 

“Hitoshi… I have half a mind to expel you for being out there with me instead of hiding.” he slurred. No one was sure if he was serious or not due to the bandages completely covering his face, arms and body.

 

“Go ahead. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” he dared the man, laughing tearfully. “Also, Izuku did arguably worse.”

 

“I was saving you!” the greenette shouted using his own voice to his own surprise. He immediately went back to typing. “That thing would’ve killed you instantly.”

 

“Nah, I could’ve handled it.” Hitoshi grinned confidently, trying to wind him up and distract them from the current situation. 

 

And it was working. “No you couldn’t. You practically had no scarf left!”

 

“What did you do?” Papa asked, concern growing on his face and Izuku knew it was going to get bad.

 

“He used his quirk on the bird villain. Directly.” the brainwasher worded, looking at Dad’s reaction.

 

Immediately the black haired man sat up and looked a lot more awake. “Izuku, you went close to that thing?!”

 

“I had all my dolls restrain it. See?” He waved his arms around and showed he was fine. “I’m unhurt!”

 

“That’s still stupid.” Hitoshi flicked his forehead, earning a yelp from the greenette. “What if it failed? You would’ve been dead.”

 

“So w-would you!” Izuku whined, rubbing his forehead. “W-Why didn’t y-you run away o-once I had N-Nomu distracted?”

 

“Because I knew Bakugou would’ve gotten himself killed.” he said and it… was a really good argument. “Also, couldn’t Monoma have done it by himself?”

 

“H-He refused t-to l-leave the control room so-”

 

“Wait… hold on, explain this all to me.” Papa asked.

 

The two recited what happened at the USJ from each of their own perspectives, starting when they were teleported to separate places, to the final showdown at the central plaza. Including all of Izuku’s perspectives throughout the entirety of the USJ.

 

“So let me get this straight.” Dad began. “You were in arguably the safest place in the USJ for you to be and to use your quirk… and you left it?”

 

“Ye-Yes.” Izuku uttered, a bit embarrassed now that he was saying it all out loud.

 

The bandaged man just stared at him, completely seriously. “You’re both grounded.”

 

Both of the teens were about to argue, ready to fight this because they had no choice but to go in. Their family was in danger and sure as hell they weren’t going to sit back and watch. They didn’t get to make their case though.

 

“You’re wrong Aizawa Shouta.” Papa uttered and the thrill that went down all three of their spines at the use of his actual name was chilling. “‘Cause as far as I can tell, you were the first one to jump in and fight without backup, weren’t you?”

 

Dad froze, realising how reckless he himself was. “I needed to make sure the villains couldn’t escape.” he said, an ever so small amount of shakiness to his voice.

 

“Sure, I get that… but according to the kids' tale of events Ashido could’ve melted the door and everyone would be out scot free.” the blond smiled unsettlingly.

 

“I…” the black haired man stuttered but the look Papa gave him made him stop defending himself. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Please never scare me like that again.” he said, reaching down to hug his husband, making sure to be careful of his injuries.

 

“I promise.” Dad vowed.

 

“Good.” the blond smiled cheerfully with a few tears in his eyes.

 

A knock on the door came, and the family of four all turned to check it. Papa went to open it to show it was Mr. Tsukauchi who was looking for them. “I hope I’m not interrupting something.”

 

“Not at all! Come on in!” the voice hero grinned, letting him past. “Just checking in on us?”

 

“Yes but I actually need to follow up on something and give you an update on the situation.” the detective said.

 

“What situation?” Hitoshi wondered. “Did you catch the pasty guy and the warp villain?”

 

“No, we’ve lost them completely. We’re talking about the situation with the one called Nomu and the fact he was killed.” Tsukauchi clarified.

 

“We didn’t have a choice.” Izuku typed on his phone, holding the waistcoat closer to hide better.

 

“That is unfortunately debatable.” he said and there was a new tension in the room that replaced the fear of Dad’s wounds. “After a quick look through of the footage at the USJ, it is hard to call your actions as being done in self defense, especially when you had pinned down Nomu to accomplish it.”

 

“Tsukauchi.” Dad said in a warning tone. The man was broken but that fact won’t stop him from glaring at the man.

 

“Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.” the man reassured them all. “Whilst typically, there would be debate about this, we had some preliminary results from an autopsy of the man that shows that… well…”

 

“He’s a zombie, isn’t he?” Hitoshi uttered, remembering his initial impressions of the thing.

 

“Yes. In a way, it was technically not alive. All signs point to some kind of lobotomisation procedure along with some other disturbing things done to the man.” he explained. “There’s more but that will have to be told confidentially, for now though, just know there should be no repercussions for its ‘death’.”

 

The last line was said with clear air quotes around it. Even though it was reassuring there should be no problems with what Izuku did. It still left no end to the questions he had about ‘Nomu’ or if it even was named that. Now that he looks back, odds are it was called nomu in the naming sense.

 

‘Does this mean there’s more of those things then?’ he worried in his mind.

 

It’s highly likely. After all, if one exists why wouldn’t there be more made? Maybe not at the same level as the one today but certainly powerful. Izuku wondered if it was like a monster from Frankenstein, cobbled together from different quirk body parts.

 

‘It’d certainly explain why it still had its quirks postmortem.’ he noted.

 

His mind then flashed back to what he heard Shigaraki say…

 

“This isn’t over!” Shigaraki roared, staring down across the way at Izuku and Monoma. “Especially for you!”

 

Odds were, he was going to return. All Might was his target and he failed to even see him let alone fight him. Now that the hero was going to be in UA for most of his day, odds were the school would be targeted again, if not for the Symbol of Peace, then for him who ‘cheated’.

 

‘My dolls must become stronger.’ he determined to himself.

 

Tsukauchi said his goodbyes, not wanting to keep them any longer. After he departed, Papa clapped his hands together and turned to face the kids. “Right then! Now that we know you’re alright for the moment, we need to get changed into something more comfortable!”

 

“Oh yeah…” Hitoshi uttered, looking down at his very much bloodied and damp clothes, courtesy of his own wound. It wasn’t as bad as Izuku though who was covered in a mix of Nomu’s blood and spinal fluid. “...I feel slimy.”

 

“I feel awful.” Izuku typed, looking over himself though he couldn't see much of himself with the coat over him.

 

“Izuku, where did you get that coat?” Dad asked, referring to the waistcoat.

 

“Monoma gave it to me. All of the dolls were destroyed besides Lily who was too weak to move, so I couldn’t hide away.” Izuku explained.

 

“It was so nice of the listener!” Papa exclaimed gleefully.

 

“It was. It was thanks to him too that I was able to control the villain.” the greenette mentioned as well.

 

“Okay, okay. Enough of the praise.” Hitoshi eased. “Dad, do you have your capture scarf?”

 

“Here.” the man nodded to one side of the room, having an idea on why he wanted it.

 

Immediately the brainwasher grabbed it and plopped it down on the puppeteer’s shoulders, all whilst the waistcoat was removed. “You won’t need this then.”

 

“Why? What’s wrong with the coat?” Izuku typed, not sure what was going on. 

 

“Don’t worry about it.” his brother said, holding the thing like it had offended him somehow.

 

And though Izuku made no further mentions, he told himself that he would thank Monoma for effectively saving his brother, Kacchan, Momo and himself as he would’ve likely immediately died if he failed to kill and control the nomu.

 

‘Even though I’m sure he’ll just flaunt around the second he hears it.’ he thought, smiling to himself.

 

It has been a crazy day.

 

- - -

 

Today was a day far more crazy than Neito expected. Well that’s untrue, he knew things were going to be a mess. It was just not how bad of a mess it could be.

 

Honestly, he was just going to hide in the control room, let everything blow over and climb out from the ashes unscathed but then Yamazawa jumped in and turned that all on its head. All of it.

 

When he immediately saw through the villain’s plans, how he arranged in his mind a counter for it all using his resources, the rallying of all hero students in the centre and though in the end it was a gamble, the death of the nomu and the subsequent forced retreat of the League of Villains.

 

He felt conflicted then.

 

But right now, he felt frightened.

 

Neito was in an alleyway, waiting patiently as the clock got close to six. He knew he would have to explain himself when he got back but honestly, he wasn’t sure if he would’ve done things differently. Could’ve done things differently.

 

“If I don’t try, even if it seems stupid, then I might as well never have hoped for anything different in the first place.” Izuku said, continuing to look into the boy’s eyes.

 

Those eyes were ridiculous. Seriously, how can they be so big and feel like they can see through your soul too? It was so frustrating. He’s lucky he won that bet because there was no way Monoma was bailing someone so suicidal out of something they threw themselves into.

 

Something apparated before him, a swirl of purple mist that coalesced into a portal. Knowing he had only seconds to step through, he took a deep breath and put on his best mask. He was going to need it.

 

It was always strange going through a portal. Neito’s been through a couple in his life but this one was by far the most comfortable to walk through. The others he’s experienced were never pleasant.

 

On the other side, he was suddenly in a dim bar. Red brick walls, wooden board floors and the general air of seediness in the air. He hated anything that wasn’t proper but he couldn’t argue with how quaint and cosy this place felt.

 

Before he could make out anyone in the room, a hand reached out and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, pulling him up slightly to see the rabid red eyes of Shigaraki. He was without the hands that usually adorned his body and he looked beyond pissed.

 

“You, this is all your fault!” he rasped violently, voice coarse and rough. “If you hadn’t helped the heroes, we would’ve killed All Might! Instead you broke my nomu!”

 

The man had only four fingers on his collar, the fifth dancing carefully around where his throat was. Neito would be more terrified if this wasn’t the first time such a thing happened. No, this was a frequent occurrence when it came to this manchild. “Hey, that thing was under your control! Not my fault you lost out to that pipsqueak.”

 

A hand reached out but was interposed by a portal, courtesy of the ever faithful and diligent Kurogiri. Wrapped in a tailored vest, the blond always felt bad he had to deal with this complete psychopath in need of therapy. 

 

“Young master Tomura, I’d advise you strongly not to disintegrate him.” the mist encouraged, voice firmer than it should be.

 

“It isn’t fair!” Shigaraki whined. Neito noticed that the pierced leg Todoroki caused had been patched up somewhat. “Because of this traitor we failed to even see the final boss! Now the whole world’s going to think the League of Villains are just nobodies!”

 

“Tomura.” a voice said from a TV in the bar. He hated that voice. Hated it with a passion even if he’ll never say it out loud. “Release Neito at once.”

 

With the same tone as a master telling a dog to drop his toy, Shigaraki reluctantly let go of him. “Master, if it wasn’t for him we would’ve succeeded! All Might would’ve been dead!”

 

“That is debatable,” the voice said, continuing to fray the blond’s last nerve. “But it is true we never got to see if the nomu could defeat the Symbol of Peace there and then. It was, however, interesting to see how those children managed to outplay it. That wasn’t your intention though, was it Neito?”

 

The boy shook his head, trying his damndest to keep up the facade that he didn’t want to run away and hide. “No. I merely wanted to assure the survival of Yamazawa Izuku. I feel like his quirk and ability would be of great use to you.”

 

“Yes…” the voice said deeply. “There was a time when I had the doctor look into the boy but that was also when I had my near fatal scuffle with All Might so we had to put it on hold. You had copied his quirk, yes?”

 

“I did.” Neito nodded. “It made me weaker after but besides that, there were no other known consequences to using it.”

 

“Marvelous. Though this is one I would not take myself, I’m certain the doctor could use it well.” the voice uttered. “What did you mean by ability?”

 

“I think there’s a chance to convince him to jump ship.” the blond said confidently. He only believes that somewhat but in reality he was saying this so that he had a better excuse for doing what he did.

 

“Is that so?” the voice asked, scrutinising his opinion.

 

“He’s bent the law before when he was a kid, has a tragic childhood that most villains would be born from and has a penchant for doing things recklessly.” the boy listed, reciting what he knew of the boy. “Typically people with that kind of life just need one really bad day to become a monster.”

 

“Mmm, it’s true.” the voice considered. 

 

“And he killed without hesitation.” Neito added. “He killed the nomu without even knowing it wasn’t alive. If that doesn’t scream loose morals I’m not sure what does.”

 

“He would be an asset to the League of Villains.” Kurogiri commented, trying to help him with his sell.

 

The voice was quiet for a while, the man behind it fully digesting what he said. He could only hope it would be enough to let him off this time. “Very well. If you believe this boy could be convinced, then there is no harm done in letting you off.”

 

“But master-”

 

“Tomura,” the voice interrupted, a mix between caring and forceful. “All great revolutions never begin with a bang. They start small and snowball into something greater. Whilst today may feel like a failure, just know that you are now on the board. In time they’ll learn how much of a threat you truly are.”

 

“Yes, master.” the decayer nodded with a bow, hesitancy in his voice.

 

“Good. Now then, your next step is to gather allies. Comrades. Companions. Much like Neito here who is thinking ahead, now you must go from quantity to quality.” the voice instructed, Shigaraki listening with fervor. “Find these allies. Build up the League of Villains. It’s only then can you start doing real damage to this fetid society.”

 

“Yes master, I will!” he agreed, his zealotry out in full force.

 

“Wonderful.” the voice said. “Now remember this, both of you. I am here not just as the one who cares for you, but your teacher and a resource of wealth and knowledge you can call upon. All I wish for you is to succeed, so rely on me when you are lost. Is that understood?”

 

Both Neito and Shigaraki nodded. If they were there in person, they would’ve both likely bowed.

 

“Good. And Neito?”

 

The boy looked up. 

 

“Be careful. Don’t fly too close to the sun, my boy.” he said almost affectionately.

 

“Yes…”

 

Neito gulped. “...father.”

Notes:

Yes... Neito is the traitor. And with it there'll be a whole bunch of fun things that'll happen in the future so I hope you're excited.

Next Chapter:

Nepotism

Chapter 75: Nepotism

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Another long chapter. Surprised myself with how much I wrote. Hope you enjoy it!

Have a nice day! <3

UA was closed on Monday due to the whole USJ fiasco which was good as Izuku needed the time to patch up Gala so they could be up and running again. The damage report on all of the dolls totalled, showed that the one who got the worst of it was Ida and the least damaged was Lily.

 

The greenette had to spend the entirety of the week day they had off putting together the shell because he knew that when tomorrow came around, he and Hitoshi were going to be badgered. Why? Well, because of the fact that it was revealed that they cared about ‘Aizawa’ a bit too much for simply being students.

 

That and the little theorycrafting session Monoma gave before, effectively meant the cat was out of the bag. Then again, maybe they blanked that all out… Fingers crossed.

 

During the time off though, their friend group did all chat with each other. Tenya had to be caught up with what happened as he wasn’t at the USJ when the fighting happened in the central plaza. He found it all to be terrifying to hear that whilst he was running, perfectly safe, his friends were all fighting for their own lives.

 

Kacchan called his woes ‘stupid’ and he didn’t have to worry about what they were doing. Of course it wasn’t as gentle as that; it had a lot more swearing but all of them knew how to speak the blond’s language by now. 

 

Momo had been quiet. He can’t be sure, but he thinks it’s to do with One for All. He doesn’t know if she is considering taking it but he can certainly say that she must be considering it. After such a big fight in the USJ, she is sure to be feeling things, especially in how she was backed into a corner with Jirou and needed Monoma to help them out.

 

Frankly, Izuku says that shouldn’t be an issue. Relying on other people is good! (He said, full of hypocrisy) She shouldn’t need to solve all of her problems on her own. He hoped though that soon he could talk to her about that and maybe learn how she’s taking it all in.

 

Thankfully there may be such an occasion. Since Jirou’s original cafe meetup was effectively cancelled, it was rearranged for after school on Tuesday, this time with as much of the class as possible.

 

Whether things will go well with the talk with Momo or not, time could only tell.

 

- - -

 

Shouta already knew he was going to have a rough day when he came into class to see many of the students looking at him funny. Well he did look funny. He was covered head to toe in bandages courtesy of Recovery Girl. He wasn’t meant to work today so when he came in the woman practically forced him into them as a compromise which he accepted.

 

Now he was regretting not staying home.

 

Because on top of the weirded out looks there were the ones that were clearly looking at him and his kids and wondering about any kind of resemblance between them. Hitoshi and him being so alike was not helping.

 

Honestly he doesn’t care. Cats out of the bag now. Maybe he should put his foot down on the issue and say that if anyone believes his kids don’t deserve a spot in this course, then they can take this to the field and have a sudden death match. Loser gets expelled.

 

“Alright hellspawn.” he said to a quickly silenced class. “Before we get on with anything serious, I just want to make things clear. Irrelevant of my being the parent to Yamazawa Izuku and Hitoshi, they are in no way less deserving of being here than any of you, any argument-”

 

“Wait so you were lying?!” Kamniari shouted, turning back accusatorily at the puppeteer.

 

‘What?’ the man thought.

 

“Yeah, you said he was just your teacher.” Ashido nodded, too turning back to look at the doll housing his kid.

 

‘Did Izuku manage to convince them we weren’t related?’ he realised.

 

From the glare he got from his ither son, that seemed to be the case. As the class all turned on the puppeteer, barraging him and eventually Hitoshi with questions on their relationship to him, Shouta immediately sent a quirked look, silencing the class.

 

“Again.” he said firmly. “Any argument you have about their placement here in the hero course can be settled with a fight. Loser get ultimate consequences. Am I clear?”

 

“Yes sir!” the whole class said, immediately shutting up about the topic. Gala still kept an annoyed look in their eye that reminded the man of how Hizashi was sometimes when Shouta did something illogical.

 

‘Going to have to apologise later.’ he thought, already making it up in his head. “Now then. Although this fight is over, there is still another to be fought. One that’ll be important in your future careers as heroes.”

 

The room waited in anticipation, some even muttering themselves about more villains. “The UA Sports Festival.”

 

Many eyes lit up around the room as excitement came over the whole class.

 

“Hell yeah! Let’s show them what we’ve got!” Kirishima roared but was calmed down by Kaminari.

 

“Are we sure that’s safe to do?” Jirou asked. “We were just attacked by villains, won’t they try again?”

 

“Yeah, especially considering they failed.” Sero added on.

 

“The administration believes that by holding the festival it will show that the school is safe and that any threats can be handled. They’re also upping the security for the event too just to be safe.” he explained, paraphrasing what he was told by Nedzu.

 

Frankly he agrees with them, something he rarely does with the school board. The festival is an important event not just for the hero class but also any other student in general ed, support or business who may have slipped under the radar due to their quirk not being suited for the entrance exam. 

 

It’s a difficult choice to make but there’ll be many losses both financial and educational for their school. 

 

He says as much to the class, minus the veiled hate for the school administration board. He liked Nedzu (kind of), maybe the only one up there but the others weren’t heroes. They’re bureaucrats who don’t know the first thing about proper hero work but he can’t argue with their decision in this case, even if they might have different reasons.

 

“Our sports festival is one of the most watched events in the world. Ever since the dawn of quirks, physical competition has gone from simple athletics to all out battles intending to show off what the next generation of heroes can do.” he said. “For all those who care about competition, there is only one tournament that matters.”

 

It also meant they’d have a greater chance at being noticed by big pros who may want to take them on. Whilst he knows Hitoshi is certainly going underground like him, he doesn’t know what Izuku wants to be just yet. 

 

He clearly wants to be an intelligent hero but more often than not those kinds of heroes rarely take on placements unless a student does something that really stands out. 

 

“That means none of you can slack on your training. You only get three shots at this so make each one count.” he lectured, earning a ‘yes sir’ from everyone in the room.

 

“Class dismissed.”

 

- - -

 

After a few classes, lunch had arrived. All of them were expected to be going down to the cafeteria but right now everyone couldn’t help but think about the Sports Festival and what it could mean for their future aspirations as heroes.

 

Some were excited, hoping to show themselves off to the world. An important first step for any hero's career. Kaminari complimented Shouji for his quirk and how it’ll get him noticed, the tentacled boy saying how it is more important to show what one could do rather than how they appear to be.

 

Upon hearing that though, Monoma scoffed, earning some of the attention of his neighbours. “No one's looking out for how well you can do. All they care about is how you look doing it.”

 

“Like how? Aren’t they looking for who places the highest?” Hakagure asked, drawing some more people’s attention.

 

“No offense,” the blond boy started, “But do you really think anyone would notice people like you?”

 

“People like me?” the invisible girl questioned, slightly unsure where this was going.

 

“The ones who aren’t flashy. The ones who barely have any kind of boom or pizazz to our quirks. Sure you can fight well but in the end we all know who’s going to get the most attention.” he said, eyes glancing over to a few people in the room.

 

“I can get noticed!” Hakagure proclaimed, feeling defensive.

 

“Sure. Maybe one or two people but compared to someone like the Bomberanian or Mr Freeze over there, most of our class will likely be left in the dust.” Monoma explained. “And speaking of…”

 

He looked at Todoroki, the boy quickly furrowing his eyebrows. “What are you implying?”

 

“Just saying. Daddy Todoroki being the number two hero is sure to be the first thing everyone thinks of when they see you, right?” the blond grinned.

 

“Monoma.” Gala uttered, trying to reign the boy in. Izuku knows that’s going to be a sore spot for the boy and sure enough the glare from the bicoloured boy was sharper than before.

 

“I’d have to disagree!” Tenya stepped in. “I believe that through enough effort, everyone here can be recognised for their place here in UA.”

 

“Says Ingenium’s little brother.” the copier sneered. “Be realistic, you think someone like Kouda’s going to be noticed? He’ll have to work twice as hard as you, especially since he’ll likely won’t be able to use his quirk at all for most of the tournament.”

 

The shy rock boy, shrunk a little, clearly feeling the weight of those words. Hitoshi offered a reassuring look to the boy before walking over to the blond. “Are you getting to a point or are you just trying to make people feel bad.”

 

“Hey, I’m just saying. Curb your enthusiasm.” he shrugged. “For all we know, some of us might get removed from the heroics course if we do too poorly. Case in point…”

 

Monoma looked over at the classroom door, some people looking in who were not from their class. Uraraka was the closest and jumped back when she saw a whole crowd forming outside in the hallway. “What the? Why’s there so many people?!”

 

“‘Cause it’s just like the Copycat said.” Kacchan growled, looking to get out and get lunch. “These extras are scouting us, seeing who’s the weakest link.”

 

That comment made some of the students look at him angrily, shouting at Kacchan over being called the explosive boy’s favourite word when describing people he barely bothers remembering. He didn’t care though, making sure to, as was typical for him, to proclaim that he was better than all of them.

 

“See? It’s survival of the fittest out here and sure some of you will naturally do well, but at the end of the day it’s about who’s both the strongest and the flashiest. If you’ve got neither, then what are you even here for?” Monoma said dismissively, getting up to head down to the cafeteria leaving the class to chew on his words.

 

The atmosphere now was very dampened. Most of Class 1-A, especially those who fell under what Monoma described, were feeling the pressure of needing to do well. It was always an uncomfortable feeling. Maybe not to Izuku who would be closer to strong and flashy than the opposite but then that just proves the boy’s point further.

 

“Do not fear everyone!” Tenya began, noticing the downtrodden vibe of the room. “I’m sure if we all do our best, we’ll each get our own chances to shine.”

 

“Yeah!” Ashido perked up. “Who cares what that pessimistic jerk says, everyone here is already impressive to me!”

 

“We’re going to knock the socks off everyone at the Sports Festival!” Kirishima joined in and soon the room was feeling more excited than nervous. 

 

Some people started to arrange training with each other, planning to use their time after school to make themselves stronger leading up to the event. Izuku can’t really do much practice right now besides patching up the dolls but that’s basically what he was going to do anyway even if they were all fine.

 

“Hey, is it just me or was he going a bit harsher than normal?” Hitoshi asked Izuku, turning the puppeteer’s attention to him.

 

“He certainly didn’t sugarcoat his words. He might be feeling the pressure too.” The greenette theorised.

 

“Yeah right, I doubt that guy has ever felt nervous in his life.” his brother waved off.

 

‘Didn’t seem that way in the USJ. Then again, I still don’t know him that well to say he’s acting odder than usual.’ the puppeteer thought. 

 

“Wanna head for lunch?”

 

The shell stood up. “Yeah, let-”

 

Suddenly a message popped up in his apps. One sent from an unknown number that was certainly not spam because he blocks most of it out automatically. 

 

Unknown#: Come to my office. I believe it’s time for a chat.

 

‘Now he’s finally reaching out to me.’ Izuku realised. “Actually, I need to talk to Mr. Ishiyama about something I didn’t understand.”

 

“Sure, see you later then.” he said, joining Kacchan and a bunch of other people as they pushed past the crowd outside.

 

Grabbing his stuff and heading out too, he made his way to the principal’s office using Gala. Once there, they reached out to knock on the door only for it to open by itself, shocking him a little. 

 

‘Of course he knows I’ve arrived. He probably has cameras everywhere.’ Izuku assumed.

 

It was an unnerving thought, knowing your every move was being tracked especially by a being so much more smarter than you. He couldn’t do anything about it though, he can only just accept it and move on.

 

“Ah, young Yamazawa. How nice of you to join me for your lunch.” the principal said, acting dumb to the fact he asked him up here.

 

He wasn’t going to humor it. “Why have you asked me up here, sir?” Gala questioned him as they took a seat in front of the desk of the chimera.

 

“Firstly, if I may ask, would you mind stepping out of your puppet? I’d like to speak with you face to face.” the white rodent requested.

 

“Why? Shouldn’t this be enough?” Izuku typed.

 

“I’d much prefer to see you. Don’t worry, no one unexpected will come by. You have my word.” Nedzu vowed.

 

Izuku saw no reason to deny him. He’s already seen him normally so there was no harm. But the very fact he was making such a request in the first place was suspicious all on its own. Maybe he should just deny him.

 

‘Then again, I’ll probably be in Gala the rest of the day so might as well stretch my legs somewhat.’ he reasoned in his head.

 

The shell unbuttoned their shirt, letting the boy slip out and sit down on Gala’s lap. Instinctually, the doll started combing through his hair, something he does whenever he was exposed like this. “Better?” he typed onto his phone.

 

“Thank you. Now you probably have a good idea on why I may wish to talk to you?” Nedzu asked.

 

“One for All and All Might. Why did you show me them?” the greenette inquired, narrowing his eyes at the chimera.

 

“First, let’s enjoy some tea. It is still a lunch period and I know you have a lot of rebuilding ahead of you for your puppets.” he said, nudging over a cup of tea along with a small cake tray. Of course he prepared strawberry.

 

Having Gala grab a piece with a fork and feed it to their puppeteer, Izuku typed. “Again, why did you show me that?”

 

“I wished to learn your thoughts on it all.” Nedzu stated, taking a sip.

 

“You mean you showed me all that just so I could give you my opinion? A secret that could possibly get me killed?” the greenette said, a tad bit aggressive, using Gala’s expressive voice.

 

“I assure you young Yamazawa, if All Might were to discover your knowledge of One for All he would not harm you. He’d be at the very least annoyed, but more at himself than you.” the white rodent assured. “But no, the reason I showed you all of that was not solely for your opinion, though please do humor me.”

 

Izuku still didn’t trust the idea that such a powerful man would simply be annoyed at such a massive secret being exposed but then again, All Might seemed to be the kind of man to wear his heart on his sleeve. Fine, he would give this some thought and offer an opinion:

 

“I find it daunting and impossible to wrap my head around. A several decade long legacy, baked into a single quirk and all completely secret too. If such a thing as a quirk that can be transferred gets exposed, especially as it's the same power the number one has, everyone would want it.”

 

He continued. “There’d be active begging, manipulation, maybe even blackmail. No, definitely blackmail. All so they could get their hands on quite possibly the strongest quirk in the world. It may even start another quirk war.”

 

Nedzu listened, nodding along to some of the things he was saying. “Indeed. It is incredibly important that a secret such as this remains so. Why, then, would All Might reveal such a thing to a possibly random student?”

 

“No one would believe them.”

 

“Precisely. But that’s not the case for you, is it? You have proof that such a quirk like that exists.” the white rodent said, referring to the recording of their conversation.

 

“You would be correct.” Gala said, not denying he had it.

 

The chimera took another sip of tea, then set his cup down on a saucer. “Now, why do you believe I showed you this incredible, unbelievable secret?”

 

It wasn’t for the video he took. He has no doubt Nedzu had cameras in that lounge so that was not what he wanted. Izuku wasn’t a candidate, he was too physically weak to handle such a dangerous quirk so that was off the table. Maybe then it isn’t to do with him but the user? Why not call in Hitoshi then? He’s known her longer.

 

“I’m missing something,” he concluded. There has to be something he doesn’t know.

 

“You would be correct.” the white rodent smiled, happy to see the boy admit when he has no clue instead of simply making shots in the dark. 

 

“One for All is a quirk that has a long and lonely history. Most of its users end up becoming isolated due to the nature of their power needing to be a secret. It is only recently that a user has been more open about the quirk.” 

 

Izuku immediately realised something. “It’s because All Might is the first user to become so popular, am I right?”

 

“Correct. From my own research, most of the One for All users were either isolated or underground. Yagi is the first to use the quirk openly and so brazenly, at least consistently." Nedzu explained.

 

“How many know?” Izuku asked.

 

“Why don’t you take some guesses?” the principal quizzed.

 

Well, there was Nedzu right off the bat. Not that he knows but that All Might knows he knows. He was around when the principal was just a teacher at UA. That and the fact he became a teacher so suddenly, meant he and the chimera must have some kind of understanding with each other.

 

Second was Sir Nighteye, All Might’s ex-sidekick. It’s not well known publicly but infamously the two had some kind of falling out, or at least that’s what’s rumored on some old forums he’s researched. 

 

The time of their split coincides with the number one getting into that awful fight he fought. If Nighteye wasn’t in the know, he’d still be with All Might now because why else would he leave him if he didn’t know about that big fight he had? 

 

For some reason, Izuku has an inkling that the fight that caused that wound was more relevant to One for All than what was let on.

 

Thirdly, and this was an actual shot in the dark, but detective Tsukauchi. It’s well known in the community that he is the one you go to when you want to find All Might. That, coupled with his Lie Detector quirk, it’s illogical to think the two could be so closely associated and yet not know at least something about One for All.

 

Finally there was David Shields. He didn’t have much to base this off but considering the two had worked closely for a while during All Might's debut, all the way up to his golden age, odds were something had to be known. Ultimately, he and Tsukauchi were the ‘maybes’ of the guesses.

 

“Sir Nighteye, Tsukauchi Naomasa, David Shields and yourself.” the shell said, though Izuku was sure he mumbled some of his thoughts aloud.

 

“Interesting.” Nedzu uttered, face unreadable.

 

“Was I correct?”

 

“Mostly. You didn’t get them all but you certainly got three of those right, including me.” the principal smiled.

 

“Who did I miss?” the puppeteer wondered.

 

“Firstly, whilst Mr. Shields is aware of All Might's faltering state, he is not aware of his quirk. As for those you missed, there is Recovery Girl and one Sorahiko Torino, a past teacher of the number one’s.” Nedzu explained.

 

Recovery Girl was a surprise, then again, odds were he reached out to her for help with his wounds. But then he would’ve done the same and kept it secret from the elderly hero. Maybe she was in the same situation as Torino and happened to be in close proximity. There has to be some experience there when All Might said One for All was volatile.

 

“So what? You’ve given me more information. Are you hoping for me to become one of these allies but for Momo?” Izuku guessed.

 

“That is correct. I believe young Yaoyorozu having a friend her age aware of her new quirk would be of great help. I dread the idea of her isolating herself to protect the secret of One for All.” he explained.

 

The greenette’s eyes narrowed at how final this all sounded. “You’re saying this like she’ll accept. Like it’s already set in stone.”

 

“Yes. It’s certainly not set in stone but even if she were to say no, odds are someone in UA will. Maybe not in your class but I’d rather have at least one student in the know to offer support instead of their entire network consisting of adults twice, some three times their age.” the principal reasoned.

 

“I’m not exactly the social or reassuring type. If anything, the opposite.” Izuku argued.

 

“I would like to disagree. You were definitely inspiring enough to encourage young Monoma to act during the USJ.” the white rodent said, turning his monitor to show…

 

Immediately the boy flushed at seeing himself threaten the blond to go and help Momo then cutting to after, showing him explaining his reasoning for going out to fight the nomu. God, he hated seeing himself because then he’s just going to start criticising how he looked. Why is his hair so dry looking there? He was saying so much embarrassing stuff too!

 

“P-Please don’t release that!” the boy outburst.

 

The rat smiled (now he knew why Dad called him that). “Don’t worry. I assure you this video has only been shown to your parents.”

 

“Dad and Papa saw that?!” the greenette sputtered.

 

“Yes. When you practically ordered young Monoma to act, Yamada said he was ‘scared of ever upsetting you again’. Meanwhile, Aizawa was quite proud if not critical of you sending a student out somewhere dangerous.” Nedzu recited.

 

Izuku held his cheeks in his hands, burning up. Seriously they saw all that? He prays they never bring it up with him. “Why are you showing me this?!” Gala demanded.

 

“It’s because these two videos show both sides of your social capabilities excellently. One where you reassure and inspire, the other where you threaten and coerce your pieces where you need them to be.” he explained. “Much like how you did in court and with the HPSC.”

 

What.

 

“What are you talking about-”

 

Another video played. What is this? Izuku’s greatest hits? Because what it showed was him in the courthouse all those years ago, rushing across a hallway before the next cut showed what Halo saw as he threatened the HPSC to bend to his will.

 

“Y-You know…” Izuku himself uttered.

 

“I know.” Nedzu said back.

 

A small weight seemed to lift from the greenette's shoulders, not enough to make him feel less guilty over the Todoroki situation, but still. “What are you going to do?”

 

“Question you, first of all. Why?” the rat asked.

 

It was immediately then Izuku realised the reason for him being outside of Gala. It was so he couldn’t hide his reactions. His expressions. His thoughts. He couldn’t lie nor could he keep a straight face. He was pinned and couldn’t twist his words because it’d be obvious.

 

“There was nothing else that could be done,” he admitted.

 

“I won’t deny it, I had thought that the judge was clean. I knew he was biassed but had I known he was rotten too, I would’ve immediately called another.” Nedzu stated. “I did not expect the Commission to be corrupt enough to bribe a public official.”

 

Izuku shifted in the shell’s lap. “Then you know I’m not guilty in this.”

 

“That’s an odd way to put it but yes. You had little other choice but to do such an awful thing as taking advantage of the Todoroki’s abuse.” the white mammal agreed.

 

He said it. The thing that’s been chipping at him for the last few years. He had taken advantage of someone’s abuse only so he could live happily. He couldn’t reveal anything, otherwise the HPSC might retaliate. Even now things were still shaky.

 

“What was I supposed to do?” he asked, hoping that there was in fact an alternative.

 

“Yamazawa,” Nedzu started. “It is too late to ask what ifs. Now is the time to see what can be done. Have you ever considered releasing what you have now?”

 

“No.” the greenette denied. “The HPSC would know it was me. Not only that but I am afraid.”

 

The mammal frowned. “Afraid of Todoroki hating you for what you did.”

 

“He’ll hate the person who released the information. That and I’m eighty percent sure he will connect it to me. He’s seen Kat before accidentally when I infiltrated his house one time.” Izuku explained.

 

“I’m sure he wouldn’t remember.” the principal reassured him.

 

“He asked me questions about the doll during the USJ. Specifically whether it could do things he saw only my doll was capable of doing.” he recalled.

 

“That’s unfortunate then.”

 

“What have you been doing?” the boy inquired. Surely he's made some progress with his own investigation.

 

“Not much I’m afraid. Due to Endeavor isolating his family and young Todoroki, it had been near impossible to gather information that can be acted on. Unlike you, I can’t quite break the law.” he frowned. “At least, until now.”

 

That caused the greenette to lighten up. “What’s your plan?”

 

“Once more that involves you talking to another student and showing off those social skills.” the rat said with a hint of teasing. “Since he’s now here at UA, I’m hoping to find signs of abuse. After the USJ, all students who aren’t in therapy are mandated to have a psych check to see how they are holding up. Unfortunately there we could not find anything actionable during his check.”

 

“You want me to convince him to go to you.” Izuku surmised.

 

“Yes. I need you to convince him to trust us to help him.” Nedzu confirmed.

 

“That will be difficult.” From what he got from Todoroki so far, he had talked to no one and so far has made no friends. Much like Monoma in a way seeing as he rarely sees the boy in the cafeteria outside of grabbing a snack and vanishing.

 

“It will be, but I’m sure you can do it.”

 

“So is this what this whole meeting’s about? Giving me all these tasks to fulfil? What is it for? I want to help Todoroki, I want to be there for Momo. But you still haven’t answered why me. Why should I be involved so much?” the greenette questioned.

 

Nedzu jumped off his chair, walking over to the huge office window he had and looked outside to see the woods surrounding UA. He motioned for Izuku to look out with him. He obliged, hopping off of Gala and walking over to stand at his side. “Tell me Izuku, what kind of hero do you wish to be?”

 

“An intelligence hero. Like you.” he typed on his phone instead of Gala, text to speech saying it out loud.

 

“Do you know how far and few such heroes are?” he asked.

 

Very much so. Out of all the types of heroes: underground, limelight, twilight, support, healing and rescue. Intelligence was some of the rarest, healing being the most. But even then, healing heroes were rare because their quirks were rare. Intelligence heroes were rare for a different reason though.

 

Those who have quirks that increase one's IQ tend to not become heroes. After all, why risk life and injury when you could become a scientist, a politician or an engineer? Hero work was rough, dangerous and more often than not got you killed. That kind of risk far outweighs the reward.

 

That being very little for what it’s worth. Intelligence heroes are paid the same as a typical hero is, minus the brand deals, merchandising and all the big moneymakers other heroes got. You can’t really be flashy, flexing your brain, especially considering most of the time you’ll be behind a screen making plans rather than patrolling or doing typical hero work.

 

Nighteye and Nedzu are rare cases of intelligence heroes being well known by the public, for their own reasons. Nighteye because he was All Might’s sidekick and Nedzu because he is a principal and is practically a walking mascot given his appearance, something he has no doubt cultivated over years of effort.

 

So whilst intelligence heroes are some of the rarest, intelligence aiding quirks aren’t as much to that extent. It’s easier going into finance or research with that kind of stuff over risking your life for a virtually thankless job that won’t get you much recognition publicly. Something most people would want going into hero work.

 

And though Izuku’s quirk isn’t an intelligence one in the conventional sense like Nedzu’s, his Puppeteer is the reason he can stretch his mind across so many topics. Multitasking to an extent most people could never hope to accomplish, much like Nighteye’s Foresight, his quirk gives him an expected intelligence.

 

“They are rare,” he replied.

 

“Indeed. Yet they are vital in combating the greatest villains that have ever roamed the world. That ‘greatest evil’ All Might almost died to? He had only sniffed that man out thanks to my and Sir Nighteye’s own efforts.” he explained. “Without us, I’m sure that monster would still be alive today, wreaking terror onto the world… at least, that’s the hope.”

 

That caused Izuku to turn to him. “What?”

 

“The nomu… whilst I had never seen such a creature, I have seen one like it. Created by the very man who All Might should’ve killed. Now though, that has been cast into doubt.” he feared.

 

“Who is he?” the boy asked, feeling the sudden pressure in the air.

 

“All for One. A villain who can take quirks and use them himself or give them to others.” he explained gravely.

 

“Why are you telling me this?” Izuku asked, pushing past the horror in that sentence. “I still don’t get it.”

 

“If that man is alive, out there, creating these monsters, making moves. Then we need all the help we can get. Especially with All Might near retirement and a new user on the horizon.” he uttered, still looking out.

 

“What makes you think I can help?” he asked, not as if he wouldn’t want to help but rather if he could help.

 

“Because I can see so much potential in you. Many people do. Good and bad.” Nedzu spoke. “I’ve no doubt once you’ve matured, Puppeteer will become more than just the name of your quirk.” 

 

“It’ll be you in your entirety.”

 

…

 

Izuku looked out at the whole of UA. A promised place that pumps out the best of the best. Hope in human form meant to be the thing that brings peace not just to Japan but to the world in its entirety.

 

He can’t imagine the kind of weight such a responsibility is to the small mammal next to him. Not including the knowledge of knowing such an evil could be out there, ready to throw the world into utter chaos.

 

“I-I understand.” Izuku stuttered.

 

Sharing the knowledge of One for All, letting him know he knows his secrets, talking about the future of this world and the heroes who will have to protect it and what that means. The act of reaching out. To hopefully find someone who can maybe share in that burden, even if they may appear like it doesn’t affect them at all.

 

He was asking for hope. That the future isn’t as scary as it looked from all the way up here.

 

“Thank you.” Nedzu said and the boy was sure it was breathed out like relief.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

You're Feeling Rebellious

Chapter 76: You're Feeling Rebellious?

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're all ready for another chapter! Next week we'll be getting into the very beginning of the Sports Festival Arc where some cogs will start to turn.

Have a nice day! <3

“I still need some more time sir, I’m sorry.” Momo apologised.

 

“I understand.” Yagi nodded, standing up and showing the girl out. “I hope you come to a conclusion soon.”

 

All Might had asked her to join him in the lounge during lunch to ask her about her decision on One for All. She of course still needed more time to consider as this obviously wasn’t an easy decision for her to make. It would change her life forever, possibly even beyond by whoever were to next take up the quirk.

 

She can’t lie, it was all tempting. Especially after the USJ when she felt powerless at the hands of the villains. But she can’t just take it because she feels like she is weaker now. She can get better, she knows it.

 

But still, the power of the number one was something anyone would want even though there was also a legacy that came along with it. She knows well from friends and family alike, that with legacy comes responsibility and burden. She didn’t know if she could handle such a thing right now.

 

Then why was she still considering this? Well, because it’s All Might. It’s the promise of being trained by him, mentored by the most popular hero on the planet, period. Anyone would be stupid to not consider taking the offer.

 

If only she could talk about it with someone. Not Yagi but one of her friends. That way she can stop feeling this pressure and actually think rationally instead of emotionally.

 

Anyway, tomorrow was the new day for the cafe meet. And…

 

‘Ah! I forgot to tell my mother about it!’ Momo realised.

 

She needed to tell her right away. So after school she said goodbye to her friends, declined Izuku’s invitation for some extra training and headed home. Entering the mansion, her mother was already waiting for her, ready to tell the girl what was ahead of her for the rest of the day as she always did.

 

Momo wondered if her mother did anything else besides this, especially now considering how she was always there to greet her at the door.

 

“Hello darling, first off we need to start your regimen for the upcoming Sports Festival. I’m sure your teachers have already made you aware of such an event?” she asked, barely looking at her.

 

“Yes mother, but first there is something I must ask you.” the girl began.

 

“Hmm?” the woman hummed, her eyes peeking up at hers over her glasses.

 

“Well,” she started, immediately getting nervous. “As you know I was scheduled to have a cafe outing with my friends on Friday but due to the USJ it was cancelled. So I was hoping that tomorrow-”

 

“Momo, dear, darling.” her mother cooed. “The Festival is in less than two weeks. I’m sure I’ve told you that this event is one of great importance.”

 

“I know mother-”

 

“It’s your hero’s debut!” she exclaimed, slightly raising her voice but not aggressively. “Everyone will be competing to see who outshines the best and right now we need to focus on you being the best for the competition. Agencies will be scrutinising you. Your looks, how you present, your final placement. All of it!”

 

“Mother-” Momo tried to say but was interrupted once more.

 

“I’m sorry dear. But no. Not with how close things are.” she said, shutting her down. “Maybe after you can have your outings but now is not the time.”

 

“I-I…” her mother gave her a look. “I understand.”

 

“Good. Now your new costume is surprisingly good, except maybe too much padding. You look too bulky and almost like a knight.” she criticised.

 

“That’s what I was going for.” Momo hoped to argue.

 

“It was?” mother exclaimed, slightly shocked. “Wouldn’t you prefer to dress more feminine sweetie? You look so nice, why hide it behind something so rough?”

 

“I-”

 

“No, this won’t do.” she tutted. “We can keep the mesh but some of the bulk has to go. The boots need to be toned down too.”

 

“Mother it’s how I want to look.” she forced out.

 

“Dear, you realise you can’t be too heavy. You’ll be running around a lot. It’ll all just get in your way.” her mother argued, voice slightly raised. “You’re not telling me you want to make things harder for yourself?”

 

“No, but-”

 

“But nothing. We’ll make some revisions and order a new suit.” she said in a final kind of way. “Now let’s go, we’re wasting time talking about this.”

 

“...Okay mother.” she uttered, her head slightly down.

 

“Momo don’t frown.” her mother said concered, reaching up to hold her chin in her hands. “You’ll get wrinkles.”

 

And she turned to walk away, expecting her daughter to follow her. 

 

And she did.

 

- - -

 

Izuku took a drink whilst his friends frowned at the unfortunate news.

 

“Why can’t you go?” Hitoshi asked Momo. 

 

The creator sheepishly looked to the side. It was lunch and most of the class was enjoying their food relatively close together. After the USJ, it’s clear everyone was feeling closer than they had before due to either having to fight alongside or supporting each other. It certainly made things slightly more cozy for the greenette as he sat nestled in Gala’s compartment.

 

“I have something to do after school.” she apologised.

 

“That sucks…” Jirou bemoaned. “What do you need to do?”

 

Once more the girl looked unsure on what to say, opting to just be honest. “My mother wishes for me to study more for my quirk leading up to the Sports Festival. She oversees most of my training.”

 

“Can you not do it with us?” Tenya wondered. “I’m sure you can do your revisions in the cafe, can you not?”

 

“Sorry. She… hasn’t allowed it.” she frowned.

 

Izuku could tell she wasn’t being entirely honest. She clearly wanted to join them but neither had the confidence to go against her mother’s wishes, nor did she have the will to even imagine it. 

 

‘If she can’t handle this then odds are she’ll likely not take One for All.’ he surmised.

 

Not that it mattered if she did or not. Nedzu still wanted him to aid whoever All Might chooses in the end and accepts it. Though, things would be easier if one of his friends were to be the one to take it.

 

Still. It’s obvious Momo wants to join them. Maybe he could convince her to, against her mother’s wishes. She did it once before with the scales, who’s to say he can’t cajole her into doing it again? It can’t be him that does it though, not because it’d be harder but he didn’t want her to feel like he’s around every corner, especially if she accepts One for All.

 

Like how uncomfortable he gets imagining Nedzu watching his every move through the cameras, it’s not like he dislikes the mammal, just that it can feel difficult to approach someone who’s seemingly always watching you. That and he tried talking to her yesterday by taking her to some private training but she said no.

 

“‘Toshi.” Gala whispered over to his brother. He had a mouthful of rice and nodded to show he was listening. “I think Momo really wants to go to the cafe.”

 

Hitoshi finished swallowing his bite. “Got that too but, what can you do? Can’t force her to tell us what she wants.”

 

“Not if someone talks to her and asks.” the puppeteer typed, enjoying some food himself.

 

“What? You’re going to be the little devil on her shoulder?” he joked.

 

“No, you are.” Izuku uttered.

 

Hitoshi looked at him confused. “Why me? Aren’t you the master at pulling people’s strings?”

 

“I’d rather not be seen that way by my friends, thank you very much.” the greenette reasoned.

 

“So you’re using me to do your dirty work?” he said, not really serious.

 

“Please?” Izuku asked, poking his head out from Gala’s chest and giving his best puppy eyes impression.

 

The purple haired boy sighed. “You’re lucky I’m your brother.” 

 

He then smiled, earning one back from the puppeteer. He took a few more bites of his meal before standing up and heading over to the girl. “Hey, I need to talk to you about something.”

 

Momo looked up at him. “What for?” she asked, passively.

 

“Private conversation.” he answered, putting his hands in his pockets. “C’mon let’s go.”

 

She was still confused but listened, following him out of the cafeteria and out to a small private quad where the two could speak quietly away from anyone listening. All the while a green cat wandered along some window sills above.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi sat down with a groan, his knees still tired from doing long distance runs yesterday with Bakugou. Momo placed herself next to him, resting quietly in the shade under a tree. 

 

“What is it?” the girl asked, a bit more impatient.

 

“Why can’t you go?” he asked, repeating what he said earlier.

 

Her lips lowered a little. “I told you, there were some prior arrangements made with my mother.”

 

“Made with or made by?” Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. “C’mon Momo, we both know you want to go.”

 

“Hitoshi,” she sighed. “I really can’t go against her like that. She really wants me to do well and-”

 

“She can forgive you for one day!” he uttered loudly. “It’s not like doing this suddenly makes you weaker.”

 

‘It does.’ she thought to herself, just barely keeping the thought in.

 

She does want to go. Really wanted to. Everyone was so excited and Jirou especially looked down when she said she couldn’t. But no matter what kinds of thoughts she has they all turn back to her disappointing her mother, or worse, hurting her by not considering the effort she’s put in for her.

 

Momo remembered it well. Before she showed interest in heroes, her mother and especially her father barely paid any attention to her. He was busy with work and she was busy with social events. When she finally told her parents what she wanted to do with her life, her mother practically changed her only focus in life to be Momo and it was wonderful. 

 

All the attention felt great even if it did get a bit much.

 

A lot of much. Especially right now.

 

“I can’t Hitoshi, really. I asked her and she said no.” she said, more firmly than before.

 

“So what? Just ignore what she wants and go anyway.” he suggests because really, it should be that easy. “You know I did it all the time when I was looking for Izuku? My dads weren’t happy but by the end-”

 

She looked ready to argue. “It’s not that easy for me! I don’t want to disappoint her.”

 

“You’re not.” Hitoshi said firmly, reaching over and holding onto her shoulder. “If she’s disappointed in you being a teenager, doing teenage things, then she’s being ridiculous. It’s illogical for her to get mad at you over something like that.”

 

“You don’t… I can’t… You see…” she stuttered out, trying to respond. An argument on why she had to listen to her mother, like she’d die if she didn’t do everything she said.

 

“It’s not the first time you went behind her back. ‘Zuku told me about the scales.” he referred to the weight trick. The creator looked at him alarmed. 

 

He continued, shrugging his shoulders. “What? You think me and him don’t tell each other stuff? Especially when it concerns our friends? Momo, for just one day be a rebel. Be sporadic. I know a lot of your life is about forward thinking but what’s the point when you can’t also live in the moment?”

 

“I’m just…” she looked down, her head leaning forward as she stared at her lap. “...I’m not brave enough. I don’t have your confidence Hitoshi. Or your audacity. There’s so much going on in my life right now that it feels easier to just go with what’s already planned.”

 

The girl reached to hold her own shoulders, rubbing them slightly. “Being given an option like this… to go off track. It feels like it might break something between me and my mother. I’ve always listened to her and she always expected that of me. Going against that now… I can’t decide between what I want and what’s needed to do what I want.”

 

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

 

She gripped herself tightly. “To be a hero. To help people. To have… lots of friends and be popular and well liked for who I am. To have fun.”

 

“Then do it. Because what’s to gain doing only some of those things? Be greedy. You only live once after all.” he said.

 

“And what if I make a mistake? What if I fail because I wasn’t good enough?”

 

‘Ok… I have a feeling there’s something more here than just the cafe but that doesn’t mean I still won’t help her.’ he realised. “Momo, you’re the smartest person I know, you’re a genius with a quirk that’s perfect for you and you’ve got the skills to go along with it. You’ll make mistakes, sure but you’ll never fail. I believe that.”

 

The girl just stared at him, eyes slightly wide and what was likely a thousand thoughts running through that head of hers. Hitoshi knows she can do anything she sets her mind to. He’s not sure how this all relates back to the cafe stuff but he’s guessing that she has some other stuff going on in her life he’s not aware of. ‘Might ask Izuku about this later.’

 

Whatever was going on in her mind though, she seemed to have decided on what she was going to do. She smiled. “Thank you. I think I'm feeling up for going to the cafe.”

 

“You mean you’re feeling rebellious?” he grinned. 

 

She laughed a little. “Yes. Let’s go back. I’ll tell everyone… I’ll go.”

 

And the two headed back to their classroom, lunch almost over, and told those who’ll be attending that Momo managed to reschedule. She will be going to the cafe and it was clear on her face she was happier for it.

 

- - -

 

After the day ended, everyone in class 1-A had left together. Monoma and Todoroki were the only exceptions, one saying he had ‘much better things to do’ and the other not even saying anything. That ticked some people off, especially because of how Monoma said his excuse but Izuku’s got the feeling he was lying and just didn’t want to be with them. 

 

Not because he disliked his classmates, at least he hoped not, but because of something else.

 

The greenette won’t pry though, right now he was seated; wedged between the wall and Hitoshi in a booth sitting on Gala’s lap. Jirou’s parent’s cafe was quite cosy despite the size of the place. They were also quite high end too, seeming to be some kind of jazz place during the off hours.

 

Right now though they had the whole place to themselves. Still had to pay for any drinks or cakes, not that he was complaining. It’d be an insult to his love of confectionery to not pay for such a wonderful treat.

 

Despite the booth set up though, people were mingling. The walls were short enough to allow for people to lean over and talk to people on the other side; that and the constant switching of seats made it impossible to be ignored. Especially and unfortunately, Izuku and Hitoshi.

 

“So Yamazawa’s, uh actually, can we call you guys something else?” Kaminari started. “I’d rather not have to specify who I’m talking to everytime.”

 

“I’m fine with just Izuku.” the greenette permitted, using Gala’s voice.

 

“Same. Call me Hitoshi.” his brother also allowed.

 

“Great. So… your dad is really our homeroom teacher?” the blond asked, his voice causing the whole room to hear it. Soon enough everyone was listening in even if they didn’t want to.

 

Izuku looked at Hitoshi, talking to each other with just looks alone on who would take the lead on this. Eventually one nod would tell that he was the one who was going to take questions on this. “Yes. I had lied earlier because I know how much Dad values his reputation as being a brutal teacher.”

 

“Wait, is he not like that at home? All scary and intimidating?” Ashido wondered, leaning over a partition to speak to them.

 

“No. Well yes, he can be grouchy but most of the time he’s just low energy from all of his work.” the greenette explained. “Like a cat.”

 

“A cat?” some people uttered.

 

“I can’t really… no wait. I can kinda see it.” Sero stated, clearly trying to picture it in his head.

 

“You’re just like him, in a different way.” Hitoshi stated, taking a sip of coffee.

 

Izuku smiled before typing. “And you’re exactly like him in every way.” 

 

The two grinned to each other before it was interrupted by Kaminari speaking up again. “Are you sure you two aren’t related by blood? I can’t imagine both of you being adopted.”

 

“Not a drop between us. Don’t need it though.” the brainwasher hummed.

 

“Sooo…” the blond boy continued, looking a little coy. “Is Present Mic and Mr. Aizawa together?”

 

Izuku let out a small sigh before typing. “Yes. But please don’t bother either of them about it. They don’t wish for their relationship to be made public for safety reasons. Same for everyone here.”

 

He raised Gala’s voice so the whole room could hear and there was a unanimous yes to it. Hopefully they’ll all keep their word.

 

“What’s Mr. Yamada like? Is he really as loud at home as he is in class?” Jirou asked surprisingly. She must be a fan of Papa.

 

“Sometimes. He’s very outgoing and friendly but he drops most of his radio talk when he's just Papa.” Izuku explained.

 

Some people shifted a little, no shivered. Why? Was it something he said? He looked at Kaminari for an answer as he was one of the people who was talking the most. “Sorry dude, it’s not what you said. Just weird hearing your puppet say ‘Papa’. Like something out of a horror movie.”

 

“You think that’s bad?” Hitoshi started. “You should see his room. You’d never think you could have so many dolls crammed into one space. Like walking into a nightmare.”

 

“It’s not that bad!” Gala argued. “And not all of them are dolls, most of them are plushies.”

 

“With eyes beady enough to see into your soul.” his brother said dramatically. “One time I was in your room talking to you and I noticed all of your dolls were staring at me.”

 

“That’s because I used my quirk on them. You know this. And stop being dramatic!” the puppeteer complained.

 

“The hellish tea parties where one second I’m having coffee with a bear, the next all of the sudden I was drinking with something else.” he recalled, making a face like he was reminiscing something awful.

 

Izuku looked to his friends for help. “Tenya, Momo, Kacchan. My room isn’t scary, right?”

 

Tenya immediately looked unsure of what to say, coughing into his hand and looking away. Momo was trying to avoid eye contact, taking a sip of her tea and hoping he wouldn’t ask her directly. Kacchan though wasn’t as shy. “Your rooms a fucking nightmare. I don’t know how you sleep surrounded by all those things.”

 

That caused the greenette to sputter, trying to come up with something to make it all sound less… less… “I-It i-isn’t that bad!” he whined, with his actual voice this time which surprised a lot of people there.

 

“Wait, you can talk?!” Kaminari exclaimed.

 

“I thought you were mute like Kouda!” Hakagure stated, the rock boy turning shy when some eyes drifted to him.

 

“Your voice is kinda cute. You should speak more often!” Ashido suggested, earning an immediate blush from the greenette. 

 

“I just don’t like people looking at me. I prefer it being Gala.” the boy typed as the shell reached to cover him a little, earning some ‘awws’ from the room which did not help him feel any better. (He did actually enjoy the attention a lot but he wasn’t going to admit something so embarrassing.)

 

“Back to your dolls though…” Kirishima steered the conversation.

 

“Please leave it. I give up. Misinformation won.” Izuku relented.

 

“Only misinformation if it’s untrue.” Hitoshi argued, grinning before wincing when Izuku started pinching him. “Stop that you little- ow! I’ll hang you by your legs if you don’t stop!”

 

“Do that and I’ll destroy the coffee maker.” he dared him.

 

“You wouldn’t dare. Dad would ground you for a month.” the boy called his bluff.

 

“Mutual destruction.” the greenette threatened and continued pinching him.

 

The two boys started getting aggressive with each other, Hitoshi trying to grab Izuku’s hands to stop him only for Gala’s to grab his and force him to endure his relentless assault on his nerves. The whole class watched on, laughing and even encouraging the one or the other to win like it was a wrestling match.

 

Despite it all though, Izuku always kept Momo in the corner of his eye. He’d noticed she was looking at her phone every few minutes. Probably her mother. He didn’t know what the girl was saying to her but he can assume it’s either lies or the truth. If it’s the former, odds were she was still going to refuse One for All. If it was the latter though…

 

He’ll have to wait and see.

 

- - -

 

Momo arrived home after giving her driver her location. Mother tried to get it earlier, probably to drag her home but she wasn’t going to let her. When she arrived, she was furious but the girl didn’t care. 

 

“Yaoyorozu Momo! I can’t believe you would skip out on training during such an important time of your hero career! I had thought better of my daughter!” she chastised. Is it her or does her mother look shorter than she remembered?

 

“I was out with my friends, mother. What’s wrong with that?” Momo said firmly. 

 

“What’s wrong is that you’re now behind schedule! We've less than two weeks until the festival and if you aren’t at your peak, how else will the world notice you?” she shouted, clearly not enjoying her daughter’s attitude.

 

“Isn’t the point of being a hero to help people? Who cares what people think of me?” the creator replied, keeping her composure.

 

“Who cares? Who cares?! Heroes are more than just beating villains and saving people! It’s about reassuring the public, giving hope to the common people, inspiring who comes after!” she argued, still all out yelling. “And all of that is tied to how they’ll see you out there! What hero agency is going to want to take you on if you aren’t showing your best face?!”

 

Momo felt the weight of the words, not what they meant but who they were coming from. She has never seen her mother this furious and in some part she almost wanted to apologise, kneel and beg for her to forgive her and that she was wrong. But another part couldn’t keep Hitoshi’s words from popping back up in her head.

 

Sure some of that was about One for All but the part about her being better. Reassuring herself on what she actually wants to do with her life. It’s making her feel brave.

 

And so she utters words that are sure to scare her mother. That shows how serious she is and that she’ll put her foot down on this if needed. “What if I want to become an underground hero?”

 

The woman looked at her for a moment, perplexed. “What?”

 

“What if I don’t want the spotlight so I can focus more on saving people?” she asked in more detail.

 

Mother shook her head as words came out of her in breaths. “Momo, what are you talking about? Why would you ever want to do that?! Haven’t we been building up to this for years? Making you a famous hero?”

 

“No, I haven’t. You have. I’m not against being in the limelight, but not because I like it.” Momo said. “I want to be a hero to help people. That’s what I’ve been building up towards. Everything else is secondary.”

 

“But…” she looked around herself frantically, trying to collect her thoughts. “What I’m doing is that! I’m training you to be the best!”

 

“Yes. But not for the reasons I want. I want to save people but I also want to have fun in my life. I want friends and I want to go out with them.” she stated firmly.

 

Her mother started sputtering trying to make a coherent sentence but failed. Momo walked past her, heading to her room at a walking pace. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a bath.”

 

The woman made no attempt to reach out to her, still stuck in her head on something but it didn’t matter to her right now. Once she reached her bathroom, she shut the door, drawed a bath, undressed and plunged in.

 

Before immediately having a short panic attack on what she just did, not believing she actually talked that way to her mother..

 

The woman in question made no other attempts to talk to her that night, effectively proving that she made her point loud and clear. The next morning, Momo would find that she continued not to say anything, failing to join her for breakfast before she had to rush off to school.

 

That didn’t stop her feeling confident and brave. As soon as she arrived at UA, she found Yagi, took him aside and gave him her answer. She will take One for All. Because she knows she can do it and most importantly…

 

…It’s what she wants.

 

She wants to be the best hero she could be and One for All will help her accomplish that goal.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Cunning and Understanding

Chapter 77: Cunning and Understanding

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Hope you're happy with todays chapter! By the way, I didn't realise it until just now but this fic has apparently hit 50,000 views! I honestly never thought I'd get this much, let alone with a first fic. Thank you all so much for enjoying everything I've wrote so far!

Have a nice day! <3

He’s sure she accepted it. He can feel it in his gut.

 

Momo came into class slightly later than she usually did and was clearly happier and bouncier than she’s ever been. She even said ‘good morning’ to Kacchan which was rare… for Kacchan because no one said that to him besides Izuku and occasionally Hitoshi. Even the blond was shocked.

 

“What the hell’s got you in such a good mood?” he asked, almost treating her greeting like it’s not real.

 

“Oh, nothing!” she exclaimed. “I just have a lot of energy this morning. Why what’s wrong?”

 

Kacchan just dismissed her with a grunt, going back to setting his feet on his desk and relaxing up until the start of homeroom. That almost confirmed it for him then. She has accepted One for All and odds were he had an effect on that by having Hitoshi build her confidence up with that conversation.

 

Does that make him responsible? Well no, at the end of the day everyone has free will. The only exception to that is for people like Hitoshi with a quirk that controls minds. He doesn’t have that though, he just has his wits and a talent for telling people the right thing to push them in the direction he wants.

 

Monoma sat down, arriving at the same time he usually did. “Well, Class Rep looks excited about something.”

 

“She is, isn’t she? None of my business though and certainly not yours.” Gala spoke, taking out some of his work for the first period.

 

“Woah, what’s got you so upset about little old me?” the blond said feigning offence.

 

“You weren’t there yesterday. At the cafe.” Izuku typed. “Everyone else was.”

 

“What’s wrong with that?” he asked, shrugging. “Don’t tell me you enjoy my company that much?”

 

“No. I just can’t help but wonder if you think you’re above talking to the rest of the class. I’ve noticed you’ve only said anything to me so far.” the puppeteer observed.

 

So far everyone has talked and made friends with at least one other person in class. Izuku pays attention to this of course because as an aspiring intelligence hero, one that specialises in people, it’s important to train his ability to read and understand human behaviour. Knowing who has what friend is helpful to that study.

 

It’s why he knows that Monoma hasn’t spoken to anyone besides him. Even Kouda and Todoroki, two very quiet people, have become friends and acquaintices with Shouji and Tokoyami respectively (Although Todoroki is still very isolated, something he wants to help him with after talking with Nedzu). 

 

Meanwhile, the blond has only reached out whenever it’s to either bring down the mood or because he absolutely must. Either way, it intrigues Izuku because surely anyone would get lonely having no friends. He should know.

 

“What?” Monoma laughed a little in disbelief. “You think I can’t make friends?”

 

“I never said that.” Gala clarified. Their face and as such Izuku’s were unreadable. “I was merely saying that it’s clear you’re choosing to avoid people.”

 

“I don’t need you to psychoanalyse me please.” he waved off. A look of discomfort, the first Izuku’s ever seen, etched itself on his face. Then it was gone. “Why should I associate myself with a bunch of hero wannabes who’ll likely only end up as B-listers in later life?”

 

“You don’t think everyone here has the potential to be great?” the puppeteer wondered, trying to read the other boy’s true intentions.

 

“No.” he bluntly put it. 

 

Izuku waited for more to be said but nothing came. “Not going to say who?”

 

“So you can criticise me or debate on whether they could be great? Sorry, no.” he shut down and unfortunately he was right. On the guess that is. Everyone here has got the potential for greatness, they do. Everyone can be something better than they ever were now.

 

“Then why not me? Will I ever make it to this ‘A-list’?” Gala questioned, eager to hear this response.

 

“What? You want to be flattered?” he scoffed mockingly, “Want me to tell you how much of a genius you are? How skilled you are? How pretty you are? What an ego!”

 

“Answer the question. Or are you scared of hurting my feelings?” Izuku dared.

 

The blond stared at the shell, trying to tell if the one hiding behind that mechanical face was truly serious. He shrugged his shoulders and decided to humor him. 

 

“I think that there will come a day, sometime in the future, where you’ll have to do something awful. It’ll eat you up inside, consume your mind and drive you mad. And the worst part is, no one will ever know that you did it and no one can ever know you did do it. Otherwise, you’ll lose everything you’ll have left.” he said, voice the most genuine he’s heard it.

 

Gala stared at him. “What makes you say that?”

 

“Because I saw it at the USJ. Eyes that tell me everything.” he uttered. “You have the capacity to do something awful. And you won’t hesitate to do it when necessary, especially when it comes to your friends.”

 

The bell rang and the classroom door opened sharply. Dad walked up to the podium and immediately began the role call after quietening the class. Izuku and Monoma turned their attention to the front of the room. The greenette was left to his own thoughts, letting what the other boy said sink in.

 

He can’t help but feel as if there is some truth to what he said. The life that he will lead will properly be one where he either outlives all his enemies and die happy like Nedzu probably will or end up crushed by his own schemes and machinations. Ploys, routs, gambits and tricks. All of these are what he wants to learn but one can’t learn them normally.

 

Experience is the only teacher and so far he has a small deal worth. That alone was a weight on his shoulders.

 

One of Gala’s eyes peeked over at the blond. Because although what was said about him was true, he couldn’t help but wonder if the other boy shared in such a fate. Must be, he sounded all too familiar with what he was talking about.

 

‘Maybe then, we can help each other.’

 

That was a hope.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi’s been noticing Izuku has been talking more and more with Monoma. Ever since the start of the year, he’s had the displeasure of meeting that guy (and losing to him) which has gotten him nothing but the feeling that there’s something wrong with the copier. Sure, anyone could say that just by talking to him but it’s different for the brainwasher.

 

He doesn’t trust him. He doesn’t know why. It’s a feeling he gets deep in his gut like there’s something dangerous following the blond. A lingering scent of danger. Call it paranoia but Hitoshi’s never been like this around anyone except when he was facing off against that hand guy.

 

‘Am I holding a grudge?’ he wondered.

 

It’s possible. But then why would he be looking to stop his brother from talking to him? What else could it be? He doesn’t know. Maybe he shouldn’t even bother humoring those thoughts and just push on. Izuku isn’t his to order around, he can take care of himself now and he doesn’t need him judging his friends like some overprotective brother.

 

Right now it’s a training exercise. Well actually it’s more of a game in all honesty. At least that's how it feels with the premise. A game of tag meant to help them learn how to manoeuvre better, evade incoming attacks and hide themselves, as well as being able to track, pursue and catch villains who may escape their sight.

 

One chaser had been chosen, Tenya obviously, as no one would be able to keep up with him if he was a hider except maybe Sero. When the chaser catches someone, they become a chaser too and must help find the other hiders before the clock runs out. Simple. They were placed into Ground Beta, in the suburban area with less high rises.

 

Izuku hadn’t rebuilt his dolls but he didn’t need to. Gala was enough to do something like this and so when All Might declared the chase had begun, everyone scattered whilst Tenya remained, stretching his legs.

 

Some people had an obvious advantage, the biggest being Hakagure who everyone was probably expecting to win as her whole thing was hiding. Meanwhile there are some who didn’t, Shouji being the largest in the class makes it hard for the boy to hide himself fully.

 

They had ten minutes to find somewhere to hide. The brainwasher had crashed into a laundromat, taking to hiding behind some washers with a window nearby ready for him to crash through should he be found.

 

Sirens blared and All Might declared that the game had begun. It took all but thirty seconds before it was announced that Ashido was the first to be found. Likely due to the fact she was bright pink.

 

‘Maybe I should have something to keep my hair down like a hood.’ he figured, catching his reflection in the glass of a washing machine.

 

A couple minutes go by and some more people are found. Shouji, Kouda and surprisingly Tsuyu. He would’ve thought she’d be one of the last few caught. Bad news for him.

 

‘Kouda too. He’ll be able to sweep whole areas on his own.’ Hitoshi thought.

 

*Coo*

 

Speak of the devil…

 

On a windowsill sat a pigeon, eyeing him and twisting its head to reconfirm what it was seeing before flying away. He needs to get out.

 

Walking out a backdoor, Hitoshi scanned the alley he was in. He was in probably the tallest part of the area so once he stepped out into the street, he’ll be obvious to anyone on the buildings. After checking everything was alright, he dashed out, aiming to duck into a house across the street.

 

He just barely got through the front door before he heard Ashido shout his name. Adrenaline came through him as he looked to escape and did so by running towards the sliding door into a backgarden. Instincts stopped him though as he lurched back from a tongue coming down and Tsuyu along with it.

 

Immediately without dallying he sprinted up the stairs, just catching Ashido running in the same way he entered. “Hey! He’s going upstairs!”

 

Once he’s up, he runs into the bathroom and locks the door. It won’t hold but it’ll buy enough seconds for him to open the window. Climbing through, the door was melted by the pink girl as she ran to grab him before he fell out. “He’s outside!”

 

Falling onto the grass, he just barely dodges another tongue and uses his capture weapon to coil around a lamp post and swing himself over a neighbouring house. He wasn’t going to get away with Tsu on his tail so he needed to lose her first and foremost.

 

Using more lamp posts to gain distance, he knew it was only so long before he ran into Tenya. Then it’d be game over. He could see Sero was currently being chased by him in the distance, the blue haired boy doing insane feats of mobility to keep up with the tape boy.

 

Another frog tongue came licking at him, and this time it caused his throw to be off and he fell onto the pavement. He sticks the landing but Tsu is right on him, diving in with her webbed hand out to grasp him. Hitoshi just barely lurched back before turning around to run. He knew he couldn’t out run her but he had a plan.

 

Focusing his senses he listened out for the sound Tsuyu makes before she sends out her tongue and dodged, but not by much. As the pink appendage overshoots, he uses his capture weapon to wrap around it before using that same strand to tie it to a lamppost, cutting the end connected to him off with a knife.

 

The frog girl tried to pull her tongue free of the wrapping and retract it but she couldn’t. “Sorry Tsu if I was a bit too rough with the tying!” he shouted as he ran.

 

“He has me trapped!” she yelled, slightly garbled due to her situation.

 

Hitoshi ran, ducking into and around a few bends to avoid any birds and after a tense thirty seconds, he found himself inside of another house. Sero had been caught, Momo and Jirou too leaving twelve people left and still fifteen minutes on the clock. It has only been five.

 

‘I need a better hiding spot!’  he thought as he took breaths.

 

Climbing up the stairs to the second floor, he opened a bedroom door and closed it, placing a chair from a desk against it before looking around for anywhere to hide. 

 

‘I should close the blinds too!’ he reasoned, rushing over to the window before a voice startled him.

 

“Don’t do that you idiot! Someone will notice the blinds are shut!”

 

The brainwasher spun around and scanned the room before realising that Monoma was here too, hiding under the bed. “Okay, okay! Where do I hide then?!” he whispered.

 

“Not my problem!” the blond exclaimed quietly. “Get out!”

 

Outside he heard a shout and without thinking he climbed under too, the copier unable to say anything lest they be caught. Nudging the other out of the way to make room, Monoma gave him a glare that would’ve been effective if he didn’t have a dad who could do it ten times worse.

 

The two waited with bated breath before the sounds outside quieted and they were able to whisper again. “They’re gone,” Hitoshi breathed.

 

“Good, now get lost. I’m not having you ruin my spot.” Monoma ordered.

 

“Yeah, no. I’m staying here. Sero was just caught and Kouda’s watching the streets like a hawk. No.” the brainwasher denied, nestling into his own space so he isn’t forced to be too close to the other.

 

“Then stop moving! If it’s not Kouda it’ll be Jirou who catches us!” he hissed, shifting his leg up like he was threatening to kick him.

 

The two tusselled a little before quietening down when they heard a distant explosion. “Bakugou Katsuki has been caught!” All Might shouted over the mic. “Kirishima Eijirou and Kaminari Denki as well!”

 

“Seems most of your friends have been caught.” Monoma snarked, stopping and accepting that he’s there.

 

“At least I have friends.” Hitoshi bit back. “Don’t see anyone teaming up with you willingly.”

 

“Your brother might.” he muttered aloud, driving the brainwasher up the wall.

 

“I don’t understand why he even talks to you. Must be because you’re sitting together in class.” the purple haired theorised aloud.

 

“What? Doesn’t my loveable personality and incredibly stylish looks give enough reason for him to chat to me?” the other boy wondered, voice bemused.

 

“Oh yes, you’re as charming as a prince! Dressed to the nines like one too!” Hitoshi exclaimed sarcastically. “Get over yourself.”

 

On the floor under the bed, Monoma placed his head in the palm of one of his hands. “Go on then. If it’s none of that then why do you think he talks to me?”

 

“Because you’ve somehow convinced him you’re something you’re not.” he stated but the other boy took it as a guess.

 

“Wrong!” he said with a slight sing to it. “Try again.”

 

The brainwasher sighed. “Just tell me if you’re going to be a shit about it.” 

 

He leaned in and Hitoshi almost lurched back instinctively before he whispered low and teasingly. “I know he was the Dollmaker. Told him so.”

 

He knew who he was? Why hasn’t Izuku told him anything about this? He’d thought he’d say so to him if it ever happened. Hitoshi’s face paled a little as the kind of stigma one can get from having such a troubled childhood can follow one all the way to adulthood. Especially for the lifeof a hero, where the media is always looking for the next top story.

 

“So what? You’re blackmailing him into talking to you? Wow, how pathetic.” the brainwasher said, trying to recover from this news.

 

“Blackmail?” Monoma stuttered incredulously. “No such thing. I merely told him that I know. Never made any demands and yet he still came to me to chat.”

 

Before Hitoshi could say more there was a smashing of a few windows outside. They heard a yell and a callout mentioning his brother and he slithered out from under the bed to see despite the blond boy's shouting at him to stay hidden. 

 

Peeking out he saw Gala in the middle of the street, surrounded by the chasing team. Some on rooftops, some on the ground and others setting up barricades to stop the doll from escaping.

 

“Now Yamazawa, just surrender and come quietly.” Kirishima tried to placate, approaching the tall doll like they’re a feral cat. “We don’t want to break your puppet.”

 

“Die!” Bakugou yelled out of sight and dove in straight for Gala.

 

Immediately the doll pivoted on their feet like a dancer and after having gotten a car hood from somewhere during their chase, slammed it into the explosive blond, batting him back.

 

“Everyone charge!” Ashido shouted, the whole group rushing in at once.

 

The shell took out their hammer and began to swing it around wildly, batting off most ranged attempts to grab them whilst dancing around on their tip toes to avoid being tagged.

 

“I wonder how many people saw that before they woke up in the hospital.” Monoma mused, having also crawled out and joined him at the window.

 

Gala did a twirl, the cloak billowing as they leapt up over most of the carnage and landed on a roof. They were still surrounded though, from all of the preparations the others made and was battling off against Tsu and Sero whilst Bakugou got back up and rejoined the fray.

 

“Do you care?” Hitoshi asked genuinely.

 

“No. It’s not his fighting skills that impress me. Same for him I imagine.” the blond shrugged.

 

“Then what is? And don’t say something stupid like personality or looks. We both know that’s not it.” the brainwasher demanded.

 

With an unceremonious crash, Bakugou was sent through the roof of the building. Unfortunately it cost Gala’s hammer, snatched away by Tsu. So he, to avoid being overwhelmed, jumped over to a street light and rode it down like a fireman’s pole, using the car hood to block any ranged hits.

 

On the floor the doll continued to dance, using the robes to mislead and obscure their body underneath as it slipped and dived in between attacks.

 

“Well that’s a lie.” the blond stated.

 

“What is?”

 

“I very much find him to be quite nice to look at. When he isn’t hiding behind those dolls.” he said, staring at Hitoshi as waiting for his reaction.

 

The brainwasher looked at him, questioning if he was serious or was just trying to rile him up. If he was, it was working. “Then what is it? The thing you think he finds interesting about you?”

 

“Well that’s simple…”

 

A crash on the concrete. Gala was pinned down at last by Tenya who ran all the way there from across the grounds after realising the trouble. Everyone dogpiled, those close grabbing a limb to stop the shell from struggling free.

 

“What the hell?! Why isn’t he calling it?!” Ashido shouted, noticing how All Might hadn’t declared Izuku caught.

 

“We must need to touch him personally.” Tenya guessed, reaching under the cloak to open the compartment.

 

The compartment opened, the blue haired boy ready to reach in and lightly tap his friend when…

 

Monoma smiled. “...It’s our shared cunning and understanding.”

 

Tenya looked startled. “Wait… He’s not even here!”

 

The shell went slack as some people looked in as well to see that there was no puppeteer inside the puppet. The whole thing being a decoy to waste their time. 

 

“What the hell?! Is that fair?!” Sero asked.

 

“It very much is.” the shell said. “You shouldn’t have assumed I’d be inside the actual doll.”

 

“He got us sooo good!” Ashido cried, grabbing her hair in agitation.

 

All Might then called over the speakers. “Five minutes until the end of the chase!”

 

“We don’t have enough time!” Tsuyu said, looking around.

 

Both Monoma and Hitoshi ducked down, hoping they weren’t spotted. Unfortunately they were and a sudden explosion shattered the building and room they were in. 

 

“Saw you fuckers!” Bakugou yelled, tagging both boys.

 

“Damnit!” cried Monoma.

 

“It is what it is.” Hitoshi relaxed.

 

Immediately everyone in that neighbourhood spread out and although it was very close, they still managed to find almost everyone. Two people left untagged.

 

“Our winners are young Yamazawa and Hakagure!” All Might proclaimed, handing them both a sash to wear each.

 

“Where were you two hiding in the end?” Kaminari asked, looking between the two.

 

“Why don’t we show it?” the number one hero said, bringing up the recording for both of them.

 

The footage for Hakagure showed the invisible girl climbing up a tree in a park, spending the entire twenty minutes perched on a branch and keeping herself dead still. You wouldn’t have thought she was up there if the thermal vision didn’t show her outline.

 

Izuku’s though was far more interesting. It showed him hiding in a toy store, one clip having Kaminari and Ashido coming in, frantically looking around. Completely missing the greenette who was sitting out in the open in plain sight.

 

Why was he not noticed? Well, there was an entire shelf filled with dolls…

 

“Dude you were one of those things?!” the blond shouted.

 

There his brother was sitting stock still amongst the rest of the toys. He had his legs tucked under him so he was kneeling, keeping his legs hidden and making himself seem smaller than he actually was. That, along with his pale, freckled skin, general attire and the incredible ability of remaining perfectly frozen meant anyone could mistake him as an actual doll.

 

“I didn’t even notice!” the pink girl exclaimed.

 

Everyone chatted away as they watched both Ashido and Kaminari walk past the doll shelf at least a dozen times before deciding to leave, Izuku immediately taking out a tablet and presumably piloting Gala. 

 

“That’s amazing Izuku!” Momo congratulated her friend.

 

“It’s kind of creepy though.” Uraraka uttered before clarifying, “In a fun way!”

 

The whole class was buzzing, talking about their match and how their own experiences went before All Might hushed them. They still had a bunch of time left so they started to do more rounds, one with Sero as the first chaser, then Tsu before finally ending with Todoroki.

 

By the end, Hakagure was the only one who didn’t get caught once as one would expect, completely acing the matches. Even Izuku couldn’t keep hidden forever.

 

At the end, Hitoshi was still thinking about what Monoma said. He couldn’t catch him again during the match to continue their chat and what he meant by what he said on his and Izuku’s ‘shared cunning and understanding’. He didn’t know what any of that meant. 

 

If he was implying his brother was anything like him, he’s wrong. Sure Izuku used tricks and tactics but so did any intelligence hero or even him. Everyone does it at some point, to think smarter and not go into things guns blazing, and the puppeteer was no different.

 

Well actually, he does employ a lot of psychological trick to his moves. Look at Tenya, if he hadn’t stopped him, he was going to manipulate both his friend and his classmate into doing things he wanted them to do. Actually now that he thought about it, this isn’t the first time either he’s done something like that.

 

Sometimes at home he’d get Dad or Papa to do something for him just through words alone. Hitoshi thought it was just them humoring him or falling for his puppy eyes but now that he thinks about it more…

 

And then there was when they were younger. Fright Night and that doll, the black one that looked like some kind of messed up flying spider. He was going to use that to scare kids away just so his friend could play in a certain spot.

 

‘No. No. Don’t let him get in your head. Izuku is nothing like him. First off he isn’t annoying.’ he argued in his head. 

 

He’s kind, he’s understanding. He cares about his friends and family. Sure he might get misguided and see people as dolls to play with and pull in ways he wants to but that’s why he’s there. As a big brother, it’s his job to make sure he doesn’t turn into a monster.

 

Leaving the changing rooms, he spots the blond heading on to leave school. He chases after, calling him and dragging him somewhere a bit more private.

 

“Mind telling me what you’re doing?” the blond asked, letting himself be dragged away.

 

“Why do you think Izuku’s anything like you?” 

 

For once the boy looked genuinely offended. “What’s wrong with me? I get I’m not well liked but seriously. What’s your problem?”

 

He… he doesn’t know. He just doesn’t get it. It’s like there’s this instinct that’s telling him that there is something wrong with Monoma. A danger he can’t quite sense but could tell all the same was there. Like a horse walking into a minefield and sensing the threat, getting uneasy just being there.

 

There’s no source. No proof. No justification. He just can’t get it.

 

Maybe there’s something wrong with him. Maybe he is being paranoid after all and he’s just deluding himself. 

 

“Look.” Monoma started, snapping Hitoshi out of his stupor. “I’m going to take a shot in the dark and guess that you and Izuku didn’t have a lot of friends outside of Yaoyorozu, Iida and Bakugou, right?”

 

The other boy didn’t answer but he made it clear with a look he was right.

 

The blond nodded, an easy smile etched on his face that filled him with unease. “Maybe, and listen to this, maybe you’re jealous of me since he’s made a new friend?”

 

‘Jealous?’ the boy thought confused. “What?”

 

“Hear me out.” he begged, “I bet you didn’t have this feeling until the start of UA, right? Yamazawa started talking to me the second day in. So maybe, just maybe, you saw that, me and him getting along well, and felt threatened that your friend wasn’t hanging out with you as much?”

 

‘What is he on about? He’s… jealous? How-’

 

“I know you two probably have a close relationship as brothers thicker than blood but you’re both teenagers now.” Monoma said. “Sometimes people drift apart, especially at this point in our lives where we’re meeting new people every day.”

 

Hitoshi continued to stare at the other boy, perplexed, feeling as if he doesn’t understand what he's saying. Or maybe trying not to on purpose.

 

“Look, Hitoshi,” he placed a hand on his shoulder. “I get wanting to look after him. He’s lived a rough life but you can’t be by his side forever. One day he’ll find a whole new bunch of people to talk with. Different cliques, different hobbies. Can’t you at least give him the freedom of being more independent?”

 

“Or are you scared of him disappearing or something?”

 

That last line hit him. Has that been why he’s so aggressive towards Monoma? He’s just been… afraid of losing his brother?

 

They’ve certainly been spending less time with each other. Izuku spends some days at UA making his dolls whilst he goes training with Bakugou and his friends. Momo’s also the same, reaching out to other girls her age who don’t care about her family name. Tenya too is getting more focused on his duties as vice class president.

 

Were they all drifting apart? Is that it?

 

And he’s scared of losing that. Losing Izuku. Like how things were before where he could only talk to him through dolls and never see his face. No different than speaking over the phone…

 

Pressure on his shoulder caused him to snap out of his thoughts. Monoma pushed past him, not aggressively but enough to startle. “I know it can be a hard thing, change. But if you really trust Izuku, really, then maybe give him some freedom to hang out with whom he wishes. Okay?”

 

And with a lazy wave goodbye, he was gone. Leaving Hitoshi behind with a mountain of thoughts.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

We're Friends, Aren't We?

Chapter 78: We’re Friends, Aren’t We?

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

6000 words written for this one. Honestly I don't know how I keep writing this much, especially when I feel like I'm not writing enough. Anyway, next chapter will be the start of the Sports Festival, so I hope you're excited! It's going to be the start of many gears moving. I've kept at least 20 chapter ahead in terms of what I have ready I'm very happy with. I hope you all are too!

Have a nice day! <3

Morning came and Neito pulled himself awake for what would be another long day. He got up, showered, got his uniform on and ignored breakfast because he didn’t feel it. Once he was ready for the day he went out of the apartment he had been given to act as his ‘home’ for his time in UA. 

 

It was a painstakingly arranged place, with love and care put into it being as loving and caring as it could look. He supposedly lives with his grandfather who is always out due to his job doing research in the arctic. If need be, he contacts the doctor to stand in as he always had that impeccable ‘kind old man’ guise that is near impossible to see through. Even for him.

 

He hated this place. It was always cold and the furniture felt sterile and clean. He can’t ‘live’ here. This is a front and all fronts eventually get busted down so there is barely anything he can call his in this home besides the stain counter tops from where he had tried to cook something but gave up halfway and just ordered in food. 

 

Kurogiri cleans the place daily, making sure the apartment was in tip top shape even though he could take care of himself. The quasi-braindead nomu ignores whatever he says and just does it anyway. At first he thought he was putting up cameras, hidden eyes so that his father could watch his every move but after setting his own up, it genuinely seemed like he was just cleaning.

 

He even made sure all of his clothes, what little personal items he had, were pressed and ironed. Sometimes he wondered if the mist man might actually care about him. It’s impossible but it’s still a thought he likes to have.

 

Another reason he’s sleeping in this apartment rather than the main hideout is because of his ‘cousin’. Shigaraki despised him and in turn he did too. They were like cats and dogs under the same roof if one cat was well mannered and sophisticated whilst the other was a mutt on the verge of biting anything in reach.

 

He never understood why father chose him. Chose him for what? No clue. He just knows he has to have something awful planned for Shigaraki down the line. After all, if he needed a successor, why does he exist?

 

That answer’s obvious. He’s a failure. Been drilled into him since birth. His father tried to have a child with his mother to create another ‘All for One’ and it failed. He failed. He only got something vaguely resembling the quirk with a much weaker time limit.

 

His quirk is inferior, truly, because just like All for One, both required touch and at that point why Copy for a limited time when you can take it permanently?

 

Maybe there is one merit. Having two people with the same quirk can be useful but with the time limit and other requirements, what’s the actual point?

 

That’s been everything in his life. What is the point of going to UA if he’s just going to burn it down in the end? What’s the point of putting effort into school if he could never really ‘attend’? Why should he make friends…

 

…if they’ll eventually die or live long enough to hate him?

 

That’s been his approach in the best hero school of Japan so far. Keep everyone at a distance and always be just bearable enough to talk to whilst still seeming off putting. Simple.

 

Except not so simple when it comes to his classmates. Or rather classmate, one in particular.

 

Neito takes the train to school, arriving half an hour later at his destination. He steps out, walking all the way to the front gates of UA and stepping inside. Checking his watch he is exactly on time as he always was. One might call moving in a perfect schedule was tedious but it gave him some form of control over his life.

 

It was the closest he had to a hobby, timekeeping. Not a good one but with his quirk he can naturally count to five minutes perfectly without even a missed millisecond.

 

He walks into class and sets his bag down and it is barely ten seconds in before his neighbour starts talking to him.

 

“How are you preparing for the Sports Festival?” Yamazawa asked through that puppet of his.

 

Neito always found it funny how someone so clearly particular about their own looks would lock themselves away for no one to see. He can’t tell if it’s a confidence issue or pure arrogance. “Some long runs on the beach and some workouts in the gym. All after school.”

 

“Do you not train your quirk?” wondered the puppet.

 

“With no one to work with, I’m not left with a lot of options.” he replied, immediately regretting what he said. ‘Shit. Why did I say that? He’s going to think I need help and then I’ll have to deny him somehow.’

 

Sure enough he did just that. “Why not ask someone in class to help you. Todoroki for example.”

 

Yamazawa motioned to his other neighbour, the red and white haired loner who has probably spoken a grand total of four times in the short stretch of time Neito’s known him. The ice guy turned and had this look on his face the blond can’t quite describe. “I am busy.”

 

“Doing what?” the puppeteer questioned.

 

“That’s none of your concern.” the other boy told him.

 

“If it’s training, then it’s redundant to not do it with other students,” he stated.

 

“I can do it at home.” he continued to deny him and it was impressive watching the puppet continue to push.

 

“I see. Endeavor would make for a better sparring partner, wouldn’t he?” Yamazawa said rhetorically.

 

That, for some reason, got Todoroki to shut his mouth. He looked almost split between saying something or just going back to staring at the front of class, pretending not to be listening in on everyone’s conversation. There was a quiet moment of contemplation before he finally responded.

 

“I’d rather not train in public.” he clarified.

 

“Wonderful! We can use the gyms here at UA.” Yamazawa cheered a little.

 

“No, I mea-”

 

“There, just booked them for the three of us.” the puppet said, shocking both of the other two boys. “What were you saying Todoroki?”

 

“When did you book them?” Todoroki inquired, probably asking the same questions in his head as Neito was. Did he book them in advance or…

 

He was quick to answer. “I did it through my phone. You can claim a training space on UA’s app.”

 

“There’s an app?” the copier wondered aloud because this was news to him. “Wait, why am I invited along? I have things to do!”

 

“Your running and working out? We can do it at the gym. Better wifi too I imagine.” Yamazawa said through the doll, already moving on from the conversation.

 

“What has wifi got to do-”

 

The door opened as the bell rang, Aizawa walking in to start homeroom meaning that everyone had to shut up or get glared at. Neither Neito nor Todoroki could say anything now as the conversation was left there.

 

The blond’s pocket vibrated and he peeked ever so carefully to see a message from the puppeteer.

 

YamaIzu: I hope to see you then!

 

Yamazawa Izuku is not simple to deal with.

 

- - -

 

Shouto normally has no clue what’s going on most days besides what’s been scheduled the last ten years of his life. To ‘inherit’ his father’s wish of besting All Might, a dream he does not care about nor does he wish to fulfil anymore than he wants any association with the man.

 

So today, out of nowhere, to suddenly be invited to a training session with two of his classmates, was definitely different. Honestly he shouldn’t go. He has a strict schedule to follow and any deviation is liable for extra one-on-one training with his ‘dear old man’ which he loathes.

 

He’s never been physical, at least in the way one would think. It’s through training he pushes Shouto to limits that leaves him wondering if any normal human would survive, at least emotionally. He knows he’s stunted in a lot of places, it’s obvious now more than ever now that he’s attending UA, his first school.

 

People talk about things he thought were pointless, like costumes or just simple things like what’s on TV that they find funny. Maybe there’s something wrong with his humor but he can’t get many of the jokes they share with each other unless the punchline is blatantly obvious.

 

It left him feeling isolated. More so than he typically felt. It was one thing to never see kids his age, now he can and yet he doesn’t feel up to talking. He’s not intimidated, at least that’s what he thinks. He just doesn’t know how to ‘add’ himself to the conversation when he doesn’t know what’s going on.

 

Maybe that’s why he’s going then, to the training session, despite all other reservations. He’s been listening in to Yamazawa’s and Monoma’s conversations and he can tell they’re easy talkers. Maybe he’ll do better interacting with them then someone like Kaminari or Kirishima.

 

This is one reason for going, the other is to do with the puppeteer himself. 

 

The cat he carried during the USJ was practically identical to the one that entered his house all those years ago and vanished without a trace. The one that stood on its hind legs and walked out of his father’s office like it was human. 

 

He knew Yamazawa’s quirk could control puppets. Maybe if he saw his quirk up close or maybe if he saw that cat again, he could confirm something.

 

But then what? Why would he have gone to his house? And when he was young too? What would he have to gain by being there? Shouto didn’t have many hobbies but what he did enjoy was mysteries. Natsuo once said he was like a ‘conspiracy theorist’ when it came to finding solutions to problems.

 

He says he ‘makes them up’ but that’s not true. Since day one he’s suspected the Yamazawa brothers to be related to Aizawa, especially after the costumes. Lo and behold, theory proven true and Shouto feels a buzz of vindication.

 

He doesn’t have a theory on the puppeteer yet and why he would be in his home but there were some things here and there.

 

“Todoroki, are you okay? You look like you’re spacing out.” the boy himself asked as the doll he sat in towered over him.

 

Right now it was the end of class and the school day, meaning it was time for him to tag along (dragged along) by Yamazawa. He doesn’t know what he’ll be doing, beyond just repeating what he usually does at home but he really wanted to look more into who the puppeteer was and if they were truly related to the cat.

 

He saw Monoma try to leave, getting up from his chair and walking on before a long metal limb grabbed his shoulder tightly. “I still didn’t say yes to going.” he said.

 

“Go on then. Say yes.” the puppet asked as its hand clearly clamped down tightly onto the blond’s shoulder. “I’ve already put your names under those who’ll be in the gym this afternoon. If you fail to attend you’ll be fined for wasting gym space.”

 

“That’s a thing?!” the copier questioned only to get a tighter grip in return.

 

“Yes. It was created due to the number of students training for the Sports Festival. We’re not the only ones you know?” he replied.

 

“You know maybe I’ll just take the blow an- AH!” Monoma yelled as he was picked up like a plank of wood and carried over the shoulder by the puppet, Shouto following after, amazed at the thing’s strength.

 

The blond said nothing, only having a blank look of shock as he was carried through the school with ease before he was unceremoniously dropped down in front of the changing rooms. “See? Now we are here. It’d be a shame if you were to leave now and waste such an opportunity to train and make new friends.”

 

The copier snapped out of his thoughts. “I don’t want to make new friends!”

 

“Nonsense. Everyone wants friends. Both of you head in and get changed. I’ll be waiting outside.” the puppet ordered.

 

“Don’t you need to change?” asked Shouto, looking up at the thing.

 

Yamazawa shook the puppet’s head. “No. Gala and another doll will be doing the training with you.”

 

Now’s his chance to ask. “Will the cat one be with you?”

 

For once the puppet froze, stunned by what he said and left wondering if he really was the cat plush thing he remembered from his youth. “No. There is no need to bring Kat.”

 

“Are you able to? I want to see it again.” he asked straight up, knowing when it comes to people like Yamazawa you can’t dance around things.

 

“...Very well. Now go, we’re wasting time.” the puppeteer shooed them away.

 

- - -

 

Neito doesn’t like to be touched much. Funny considering his quirk demands he does so to others. Maybe it’s just a quirk of his or maybe it comes from living with a guy who can kill you by grabbing your arm, but he always gets on alert whenever someone would put their hands on him.

 

When that puppet grabbed his shoulder tight enough to almost hurt, he had flashes to some times when Shigaraki would mess with him, tapping him with just four fingers whilst the fifth danced overhead. He hated it because he was older than him so growing up he was always taller, at least until recently.

 

It was unnerving but what was shocking was to also be picked up like he was a sack of potatoes and carted off against his will somewhere else. He knows what Yamazawa was doing. He thinks he’s some charity case to work on, like he can’t make friends on his own so he sets him up with the other loner in class.

 

It’s stupid and yet why is he humoring this?

 

No not humouring, that implies he has some kind of will. Why is he allowing this is more inline with what’s going on. He’s sure he could make a racket, be serious and put his foot down on this and Yamazawa would listen but for some reason he doesn’t want to.

 

‘God this changing room is cold.’ he thought, swapping to his UA gym uniform.

 

Walking out he follows Yamazawa, Todoroki behind them, towards their gym for the next couple hours. He hopes this doesn’t become a regular occurrence because frankly he really does have better things to do than this. He can get better training with Kurogiri than a couple of high school students, especially with one being physically inert.

 

They were in a medium sized training hall, one definitely big enough for the bicoloured boy to let loose but it’s clear to him this training is going to be something else. Inside were a few other figures. The collection of puppets Yamazawa called his ‘dolls’ and…

 

…Is that a CPR dummy?

 

“I’d like to train the fighting styles of each of my puppets. They aren’t fully equipped so they won’t be working at maximum capacity.” he explained to the sounds of machinery opening up and Yamazawa hopping out.

 

He walked up to the dummy, slamming its stomach like it was a car. “This doll is called Ana. She is the most beautiful doll in the world. I want to use her to test out some new moves and possibly even do some quirkless spars if neither of you mind.”

 

It’s face was… questionably deformed. Like someone had melted the head of a human and put it back together with duck tape and hope. It was mangled and twisted but despite that though… it was weirdly nice to look at. Like a misshapen piece of modern art.

 

“Quirkless sparring?” Neito said incredulously. “I know you haven’t been to our lessons when it comes to that but I’m fine in that department.”

 

“Todoroki needs it though.” Yamazawa stated, still using the puppet to speak. “Hitoshi told me that you are lacking in hand-to-hand combat, right?”

 

The bicoloured boy was focused on something else for the moment. Following his eyes, Neito saw he was looking at the gathered dolls. He didn’t know which one but he could guess it was the cat. He doesn’t know why he cared about it so much because he definitely wasn’t looking to pet it if those eyes meant anything.

 

He was scrutinising it.

 

The puppeteer asked for his attention again and the boy turned to him. “My old man mostly worked on improving my quirk. Everything else was seen as secondary.”

 

“So someone like Aizawa could easily beat you in a fight.” Yamazawa said.

 

“Theoretically, I would be at a disadvantage.” he uttered, not admitting that he would indeed get his ass kicked without his quirk. “The same would be for you though, wouldn’t it?”

 

The greenette nodded. “Yes. It is bad for me to ever engage in direct combat. It’s why I’m planning to be an intelligence hero for the most part. That’s not the case for you two though is it?”

 

“I’d flourish in the limelight!” Neito proclaimed, obviously knowing such a thing could never come true. Todoroki nodded as well but less enthusiastically.

 

“Interesting. Now. Enough talk. You two stretch whilst I prepare the dolls for combat.” Yamazawa instructed. At this point he was behaving more like a teacher. Makes sense seeing as how he’s the kid of two.

 

After some short exercises to warm themselves up they went straight to sparring, starting with Todoroki against the deformed dummy. Looking at the thing it had mismatched wooden limbs compared to the rest of its body, making you think it would stumble like some kind of zombie but no.

 

The second the battle started, the thing moved like a trained martial artist immediately going in to tackle and pin the other boy. The bicoloured boy tried fighting back without using his quirk but in the end he barely lasted five seconds before he was restrained.

 

“Okay, I might’ve started a bit too fiercely. Do you want me to dial it back so you can have some room?” Yamazawa called from the bench he and Neito were sitting on.

 

Picking himself up off the ground, swatting away the offered hand of the dummy, he rose and straightened his back as he got into a new stance. He said nothing else but gave a fierce look at the thing.

 

“I g-guess not.” the puppeteer quietly muttered next to him.

 

Many matches later and Todoroki hadn’t gotten close to taking down the deformed mannequin. Closest he got was managing to knock it down before getting his legs swept out from under him with a kick. It was clear he was getting more agitated with each loss, especially as every time Yamazawa made an offer to adjust the difficulty.

 

Eventually after one bad tumble, he got up immediately, swatting the puppet’s hands away and storming over to the puppeteer. “Quirk.”

 

“What?” the boy asked through his doll, tilting his head slightly.

 

“Let me use my quirk.” he demanded.

 

“Ok.” he agreed, a neutral expression on his face as instead of the dummy, the giant butler puppet stepped forward.

 

Todoroki went back too, standing ready to fight. Once the battle began a surge of ice blasted towards the butler, freezing the thing over instantly. He immediately looked to Yamazawa, ready to say something before the ice shattered and the giant was free, charging towards the much smaller by comparison boy.

 

He could barely react before a hand completely palms his skull like an orange and hoists him up, leaving his feet dangling. Meanwhile Izuku shouted using his puppet. “Don’t let your guard down! You don’t know what my dolls can do!”

 

With a throw, the bicoloured boy was tossed across the gym onto a mat, earning a cringe from the blond at how a little dust kicked up from the crash. The giant stood ready on the other side of the gym, prepared to charge the second Todoroki recovered.

 

The boy did and with some fury in his eyes unbefitting the otherwise cold face he had before, raised his hands violently as ice spikes struck out towards the puppet. It dodged each stab and was scarily agile for its size as it closed in, smashing ice barriers and sometimes even using them for cover.

 

Because as Neito had predicted, despite his quirk allowing him to make ice, he seemed to only have control of its initial formation, not the ice itself. This was useful information for the copier.

 

The giant had fully closed in on the boy and much like the battle trial he could only raise his arms in defense as he was picked up again and tossed, crashing into his own rough ice.

 

“Your fire would be useful right about now.” Yamazawa shouted but the bicoloured boy refused to listen, instead unleashing a massive blast of ice towards the giant, big enough to cover the room.

 

In an instant it seemed like everything was over but the sounds of something tunneling through the ice sheet could be heard as smashing through a wall, frosted over, was the butler.

 

Todoroki raised his arms to attack once more but that was when he crumbled a little, bitter cold and exhaustion hitting him.

 

Yamazawa decided to call it. “Okay, that’s enough.” 

 

“No.” he refused, even though he looked half frozen himself.

 

“Todoroki, you’ll get hypothermia. If you aren’t going to use your fire-”

 

“I won’t use it.” he practically growled, causing both of the benched people to freeze.

 

“Ok, time out for you.” the puppeteer declared, the giant heading over to restrain the boy.

 

After a brief struggle, some blankets and a half delirious Todoroki, he was wrapped up like a baby on the bench next to Izuku, shivering due to his own quirk. The boy was disgruntled, clearly not enjoying his predicament but with the pale faced puppet standing overhead he couldn’t really fight back against being cared for.

 

“Now then Monoma. Your turn. How often do you train with your quirk?” asked Yamazawa.

 

A surprisingly little amount. He’s only really practiced it with Kurogiri but there are limits to how many times he could get proficient with portals. The mist man did once say that he has far more proficiency with his quirk than he was but he’s unsure if that’s a Copy thing or a Neito thing.

 

Obviously he won’t say that though, instead, he’ll be simple. “As much as one could get. Unlike you, I didn’t get to train it in the field.”

 

“Now’s your chance. Todoroki, do you mind offering your quirk to him?” the puppeteer requested.

 

Still shivering, the boy looked up at Neito and he was sure the boy was looking at him the same way as he did the cat earlier. Why is he acting so weird? “Fine.”

 

“Don’t mind if I do.” Neito said as he playfully booped the nose of the bicoloured boy once, earning a scowling look from him.

 

With Half-hot Half-cold in his possession, he steps out onto the mat. He used the fire side of the quirk to melt the ice so that they’d have the place freed up again. Once all was set, he stood across from the butler, its intimidating frame dwarfing his and readied himself.

 

- - -

 

He was more suspicious now of Yamazawa than ever. Seeing that cat once more confirmed what he suspected, it really was the same plush thing that he saw in his house all those years ago. Now he had to figure out the why. Why was he there and at such a young age too.

 

He recalled Monoma and Yamazawa once talking about vigilantes and a ‘Dollmaker’. It was when they were making some kind of bet on the student rep election. He couldn’t hear all of it but it got him thinking a few different things and few theories on who the puppeteer truly was.

 

Maybe he was hit with a quirk that makes him appear younger than he should. That would make sense. What little he saw of Yamazawa showed he had a naturally doll-like appearance and face. It would make sense if his face was sculpted to look like that.

 

Wait, sculpted. Maybe he is a doll! Maybe he is just a realistic looking one. Maybe that’s who ‘Dollmaker’ is! It could be the one who made him! It’d make sense why he goes inside of the puppet then, people can’t look at him for too long or they’ll see the cracks. Yes, that makes sense.

 

It was also clear that Yamazawa was far more skilled than he should be. Todoroki hates this fact but he was trained by the number two hero and as much as he loathes his father, he knows there are very few teachers who can teach him better in fighting.

 

But it was so one-sided. He couldn’t even damage the thing at least not externally. He knows there is some kind of fluid aspect to Yamazawa’s quirk and was hoping he’d freeze that but either the giant had padding or was too airtight.

 

He hates that he lost. Not because he doesn’t like losing. He’s fine with that. The problem is that he has a goal during the Sport’s Festival; to win only using his mother’s quirk and not his father’s. His father might call this a ‘rebellion’ but in truth this is a decision. He’s never going to use his father’s quirk anymore than he needed and that was that. 

 

So to lose to someone he’ll be going up against. An obstacle to his goal so strongly against him and so easily able to take him apart… how could he not get upset? He wants to win, to prove to his father and himself that he didn’t need his quirk. Yamazawa is someone he needs to figure out, both as a person and as an opponent.

 

Now he has something more. There’s this new piece of information that Monoma gave him. That Yamazawa’s done some kind of ‘field work’ if his comment was anything to go by. It might be nothing, it might be something more. Either way he was suspicious of the two of them for different reasons.

 

He stares at the greenette, scrutinising him, seeing if his ‘doll theory’ was correct but so far he can’t see anything that might be a mask or seams. The puppeteer squirms uncomfortably, before the shell sits between them, blocking him from view of the other boy.

 

‘I’m onto you.’ Shouto thinks.

 

It’s only a matter of time.

 

He focused back on the oncoming spar. He doesn’t know Monoma at all but he knows he’s cunning. Anyone can see that from the battle trials and just interacting with the guy in general. He had a sly tongue, an easy smile and a clear look in his eye that tells Shouto that he’s always watching.

 

“Please be gentle with me.” the blond teased right before the match began.

 

The greenette very visibly rolled his eyes along with every other doll in the room before beginning the match. 

 

Immediately a burst of fire came forth and engulfed the giant, washing it over in red flame that caused Shouto to itch as he felt stressed at seeing his quirk get used. But it seemed on top of being insulated, the butler is fire proof too and swung past the fire to try and grab the head of the blond much like he did to Shouto.

 

Monoma dodged, ducking out of reach before making a frozen wall in front of him. Surely it’s not that easy to use his quirk, right? Perhaps Copy makes him good at other people’s quirks? Make sense.

 

Just like his match, the giant smashed through any defences like it was candy glass, making another grab for the blond only to get a flash of flame. That does not deter it and an arm grabs the blond’s wrist, earning a groan. 

 

Ice coursed over that arm, freezing the butler instantly and wrestling it free before stumbling back. “I think it’s time to get serious.” Monoma smiled as he unleashed a wave of ice across the floor.

 

Once the giant was free, the blond charged at him in a first for him. Yamazawa leaned in to focus more on the fight only for his opponent to unleash a wave of fire around him. In an instant, the icy ground evaporated and mist completely enveloped the gym, denying everyone vision.

 

Quickly he heard the puppeteer grab something in his bag but it seemed he wouldn’t get it out on time. A blast of flame ignited in the centre of the room, causing both of the benched boys to look up to see the mist spread to show Monoma with his legs around the butler’s neck and a hand inside of its mouth, blasting the interior with fire.

 

Both of them watched in awe as the puppet fell, completely defeated in a way neither of them foresaw. The blond just stood at the foot of the felled giant, grinning ear to ear as he looked over at the puppeteer.

 

“How’s that? Looks like this one’s mine.” he said, strolling back to the bench whilst other puppets rushed to tend to their fallen brother.

 

“You did better than expected.” Yamazawa admitted, a strange smile forming on his lips.

 

“Such high praise! Surely I deserve a medal for doing what the number two’s protege couldn’t!” Monoma exclaimed much to the bicoloured boy’s annoyance.

 

Shouto glared at the boy, earning an exaggerated scoff. “Use your words.” the blond said.

 

He didn’t want to say anything more and just shifted a bit more in his blanket, trying to wrestle free only for the puppet Yamazawa called ‘Gala’ to grab another blanket and wrap him tighter. “I didn’t want another one!”

 

“Oh. I thought you did with all that struggling.” the greenette typed, not even looking in his direction. “Monoma’s right, you should use your words.”

 

This was why he was suspicious of the two of them. He’s overheard them talking to each other a few times and every time they seemed to bounce off of each other like they’d known each other for years. Especially considering the copier never talked to anyone else.

 

Maybe they’re both in on whatever conspiracy is going on at the centre of this. They’re both crafty and tricky, that and the mention of ‘field work’... 

 

Wait… are they both secret government agents?

 

Now it makes sense. The suits, the fancy dress. Maybe Dollmaker is actually a codename and when they were talking about ‘vigilantes’ it was also code for their real jobs. It’s just like those old pre-quirk spy movies Fuyumi watched with him. They must be at UA for some reason and it must be a similar reason as to why Yamazawa was in his house. 

 

He hasn’t seen a lot of films, mostly pre-quirk stuff on physical hardware like discs, but he knows that spies are taught from a very young age to be super agents. Maybe that’s what was going on, Yamazawa was sent to his house to take some of his father’s intel for an assignment, maybe his ultimate test to see if he’s good enough.

 

Yes. It’s all coming together now.

 

It would also explain why they’re better than him at fighting. He has the training but lacks the experience, something they both seem to have. If he wants to beat both of them in the Sports Festival he should watch them more closely, study their moves and be ready to take them out.

 

The only missing piece though is Yamazawa’s brother and parents. Is he not actually their kid and is in reality a placement? Was there some kind of arrangement done to have him temporarily be a part of their family? He’ll have to research Present Mic and Eraserhead to find out more, hopefully he’ll get something there.

 

For now he must watch and learn.

 

- - -

 

Neito never really expected to actually take down the butler. It was a surprise even to him when he watched that hulking metal giant fall over like a sack of bricks. It gave him a rush of adrenaline he hadn’t had since charging up against the nomu and helping Yamazawa take it down.

 

A lot of things seemed to get more interesting when he was around. Despite all of his best attempts, either at being rude or standoffish or antagonistic, the puppeteer still talked to him and, dare he say, might even want to be friends.

 

He can’t have friends. It’s absurd to even dream it because it’s not just a pipe dream, it's impossible for a villain like him to ever live a normal life. Especially with a father like he has and a cousin who will kill whatever friend he had just to hurt him. 

 

No. No friends. He doesn’t like watching people get hurt and though he sometimes does that with the things he says it’s far better seeing someone emotionally hurt than watching someone physically in pain. Neito imagines Yamazawa in such a state and shivered a little because to think of him in pain was something he didn’t like.

 

Anyhow, being friends with Yamazawa is something he can’t do. Sure they can chat, talk and banter as if they were pals but he can’t actually use that word on him. It’s too dangerous for both of them.

 

‘What if I successfully turn him though?’ he thought.

 

What he said to father, his lie about thinking he could turn Yamazawa, was something he never actually considered seriously. He wasn’t at UA to find budding new villains like a scout at a baseball game, he was here to spy on All Might and the school so that they might maximise their impact on society.

 

As little as he actually cared about that goal.

 

Don’t get him wrong, there are a lot of things that could be better in their current ‘golden age of heroism’. You could walk down to any public school and find a plethora of actual future villains born not by their own merit but by everyone else who failed them.

 

The brainwasher Yamazawa was a skirted case. No doubt if he wasn’t taken in by two heroes and placed in private school he’d surely already be out there, being a miscreant and doing all kinds of damage with his quirk. Because at the end of the day, no one cares about what’s within, only what’s on the surface.

 

Flashy quirks, villainous quirks, heroic quirks, weak quirks. So much weight is put on something no one can control and no one person can fix. Someone has to step in and do something before someone like his father steps up and shakes the whole table.

 

And that duty falls on the previous generation. A generation that so far hasn’t done much because they’re either uneducated on these issues or perpetuating them at which point there really needs to be a rule breaker.

 

Yamazawa seemed to be one, or at least one waiting to be unleashed. When he found out who he was, when he learned he was the Dollmaker, he grew curious about what kind of damage such a childhood can do to someone. The answer is a mind much like his own. 

 

Flexible, both morally and when it comes to law. Able to see the bigger picture and act without hesitation when it comes down to it. There was still one difference though that separated them. 

 

Courage.

 

He’s not about to play dumb and say Neito and him were exactly alike. At the USJ when he charged out to fight the nomu with nothing more than an insane plan based on some crackpot theory he made up on the spot Neito was sure he was the dumbest moron he ever met.

 

But then he saw him grasp the nomu, actually try his crazy plan and something in him pushed him to charge. He tried to say it was payback for the favour he owed him but he knew better. He assumed Yamazawa did too.

 

He didn’t want to see anyone hurt. Funny considering he was placed by Kurogiri in that control room to turn on all of the hazards to weaken the students. Hilarious considering he gave the villains the perfect plan to easily kill all the hero brats. Ridiculous when he is the bastard child of one of the greatest evils there has ever been.

 

That was another thing. Watching the puppeteer completely neuter and dismantle his strategy and making any and all efforts made completely void. The risks he took getting that intel by sneaking into the teacher’s lounge during lunch still makes him wonder if Nedzu was just biding his time or really did have no clue he was a traitor.

 

‘If I could convince Yamazawa to join us. Maybe we could actually be friends.’ Neito hoped.

 

Then what’s stopping him? Let’s be the little devil on his shoulder. He’s already kicked his angel off a little with what he said to his brother. With a bit more isolation and a lot more conversation then maybe, just maybe, they could both agree on the same thing entirely.

 

And lose that bravery of his and become as cautious and terrified like him.

 

Would that be asking too much?

 

- - -

 

The three of them continued their sparring for a while longer, switching between puppets until they eventually ran out of time (and spinal fluid) and needed to wrap things up. By the end, Todoroki and Monoma were very much out of breath and tired whilst Izuku hadn’t broken a sweat much to the other two’s slight annoyance.

 

“You know, it’s not fun watching you sit all pretty and fine whilst me and ice prince here are practically winded.” the blond said in between breaths after having taken on all three puppets at once.

 

“Well unfortunately I can’t quite do any of the strenuous stuff you two do.” the greenette replied, having what little of the working puppets he had left to start moving them back to his workshop.

 

“And why’s that?” Todoroki wondered after taking a sip from a bottle. “Shouldn’t a hero course student be able to fight without their quirks? Your dad literally says that.”

 

“When I was younger, I had a troubled childhood.” the puppeteer started reluctantly. “I overused my quirk and underused my own muscles leading to some problems with my development. I have naturally low stamina and atrophied muscles. Yes I’ve tried getting better, no it did not work.”

 

“What kind of childhood?” the bicoloured boy asked, eyes narrowing a little.

 

“That would require us being friends. I’d rather not talk about my past.” Izuku shut down.

 

“Like Monoma?” he questioned, turning to the other boy. “You both seem to be friends with each other.”

 

A small laugh left the lips of the copier before he spoke, the puppeteer speaking too.

 

“Friends? That’s the impression you get?” / “Yes we’re friends.”

 

The blond turned to the other in confusion. “What?”

 

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Izuku stated, looking serious at what he said.

 

“Hey, when did I say-”

 

“C’mon Neito, we’ve talked to each other practically every day. Surely we are friends.” the greenette proclaimed, Monoma left stuttering at the use of his first name.

 

“Hey!” the blond gasped incredulously. “When did I say you-”

 

“You can call me Izuku.” He beat him to the punch. 

 

The puppeteer was picked up by his creation and carried towards the exit of the gym, leaving the two behind. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. I’ve reserved the gym for us for the next few weeks until the Sports Festival. Be sure to be here.”

 

And like a summer storm he was there one second and gone the next, leaving devastation in his wake. Monoma left confused and stuttering whilst Todoroki had a mountain of theories he wanted to find the evidence for.

 

‘I swear he’s acting more and more like a brat.’ Monoma swore in his mind.

 

‘Troubled childhood. I’ll be sure to find out more.’ Todoroki planned.

 

When the Sports Festival rolled around, things were certainly going to be interesting.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Ready, Set, Go!

Chapter 79: Ready, Set, Go!

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Here's Sunday's chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy it!

Also, I had watched the latest episode of MHA anime and it's making me sad the closer and closer we get to the end. Happy that the story is reaching an ending though.

Have a nice day! <3

The next two weeks went by quickly with everyone doing their own thing to prepare for the day of the Sports Festival.

 

Monoma, Izuku and Todoroki continued their own training after school, the blond and the bicoloured boy giving their own reasons for attending. Neither admitted though that they enjoyed the greenette’s company in each their own ways.

 

Hitoshi continued his own training, jumping between his dad and Bakugou, mixing up styles whilst also training with some of the new friends he’s made with Kaminari, Ashido, Sero and Kirishima. Battling a variety of different fighting styles was great for him especially considering how all of them had different ones.

 

Kaminari relied on long and close range shocks, Sero worked similarly to Hitoshi’s binding cloth but was more flighty, Kirishima was a stack of bricks that needed to be worked around and Ashido was as flexible and evasive as she was bubbly. All of that, paired well with giving him the best fighter he could imagine in Bakugou, he felt prepared for what’s to come.

 

Iida kept mostly to himself but did some sparring with both Tsu, Uraraka, Jirou and Yaoyorozu, mostly through racing each other and doing quick, frantic fights to test each other’s limits. Of course no one ever got serious, they can’t, because at the end of the day they will be going against each other.

 

Speaking of Yaoyorozu though, she has been doing her own training. So far One for All hasn’t appeared despite the passage of time. Mr. Yagi had told her that it takes a while for the effects to be obvious and given how long it’s taking, odds were her quirk was being augmented in some way.

 

She has no clue what Creation would look like juiced up but she can imagine it’ll be insane given how powerful her quirk already was. She’s been tempted to reach out to her friends and tell them but she doesn’t feel she has to if nothing has appeared yet. That and she isn’t sure how she could explain all of this to them seeing how important it was to keep One for All a secret.

 

For Izuku, besides working with Monoma and Todoroki, he’s been plotting working with Hatsume to create the new Behemoth (name still pending). The doll, or baby as the inventor kept calling it, was something incredible and after some private tests, it was certainly the ‘vehicle’ he needed to transport the Servants.

 

Of course it’s super strong too. They did a crush test and managed to squeeze a small two seater car with ease though having it fight in combat would be ill advised. One part because of the amount of fluid it needed and how big of a target it was.

 

Still. It’ll serve well for evacuating civilians and mobilising Izuku and the dolls.

 

Besides Behemoth Two, the rest of the dolls got some minor improvements done to them. Julius got more discus’ to throw and was made much lighter to be less lethal. Lily received some smoke grenades meant to help in the Sport’s Festival seeing as the battle field will be rather open.

 

Finally, Ida got herself a mop. Yes a mop. Accompanying her electric broom, the mop had its head replaced with whip-like tassels that can elongate not unlike Kayama’s whip. 

 

He’s taken some lessons from her and studied her moves and although it is slightly different using a full stick to swing with instead of a handle, the doll can manage it enough to be effective in combat.

 

So each of them were ready in their own right. An objective to prove themselves to the world and to each other that they truly are the best of the best, worthy of being called future heroes and although some are more or less ambitious than others, one thing is for certain. 

 

Everyone wants to do their best.

 

- - -

 

“Yamazawa.” Todoroki said, walking up to Gala which contained him therein. 

 

All of class 1A in the changing room beneath the arena turned to see what was going on. It was minutes until the start of the Festival’s opening ceremony and everyone there was hyped and ready. Naturally nerves were high so everyone was waiting in silence for someone to get back to them and say it was time.

 

“Yes, Todoroki?” the shell nodded, showing they were listening.

 

“From an objective standpoint, your quirk when compared to mine is weaker.” he stated like a fact.

 

“Objectively, yes.” Gala agreed. With no external factors like ready made dolls and tools his quirk wouldn’t be that effective.

 

“However, over the time I have known you and the times I have been beaten by you I admit that quirk strength doesn’t matter. It’s about how skilled you are and how you can use your power.” he continued. “Despite that though, and whatever past you may have that gave you the skills you have today, I will defeat you.”

 

Hitoshi shot up out of his chair and walked over, sensing the rising tension from the bicoloured boy. “Hey, it’s just a tournament not some death game. We’re all classmates aren’t we?”

 

Todoroki stepped away. “I am not here to make friends, despite your best efforts Yamazawa. I will beat you, that is that.”

 

Izuku wasn’t going to let him go so easily however. “I was told that my quirk had the potential to do something great. And though you’ve probably heard this before, your quirk has lots of potential too. And sure, in some ways I am weaker compared to you, it doesn’t give you the right to treat me as the only obstacle in your path.”

 

“Everyone here has the potential to win the Festival and get noticed. That I can say for certain.” Izuku proclaimed, Gala keeping their eyes trained on him. “So don’t just make your declaration of war on me. Though you aren’t here to make friends, at least treat your peers with some respect.”

 

The shell’s words rang out through the room and everyone soaked it in. The question was, does Todoroki take them to heart or does he dismiss them and move on. 

 

Over the training he did with Neito (the blond gave up fighting him on the name) and Todoroki, he had hoped that the boy’s icy exterior would melt somewhat. He hoped too that he’d see a little less of Endeavor etched into him and more of his own self but he can’t say for certain that’s true.

 

Though it is clear now more than ever he refuses to use his left side because of his father, resentment can turn someone just as bitter and cruel as Endeavor. He hopes to stop that, even a little bit, even if saving him would only be done to alleviate some of his own guilt.

 

Todoroki settled on the other side of the room, leaning back against a wall and keeping to himself. Meanwhile, Izuku took to sitting with his friends.

 

“Where does that bastard get off saying he’ll beat you. That’s my job.” Kacchan said as he leaned back in his chair.

 

“Yamazawa,” Jirou started. “Were you serious about what you said? That anyone can win this.”

 

“Winning is subjective in the Sports Festival. Yes, you could get first place and ‘win’ but ultimately victory is owed to those who stand out the most. Best way to do that is to stay in the competition the longest.” he explained.

 

“And you can do that by giving it your all!” Tenya added, giving a determined smile.

 

“I’m sure all of us will.” Momo joined in, putting a hand on the earlobed girl's shoulder, startling her a little.

 

It seemed everyone felt invigorated after Izuku’s speech, making him smile a little even though he himself was feeling stressed right now. His brother could tell. “Hey, you’re going to be ok out there?”

 

“Millions of people Hitoshi. Both in the stadium and at home. All of them watching me, scrutinising me, judging me.” Gala voiced, quieter so they were whispering. 

 

“It’s not just your phobia’s talking, isn’t it?” he guessed and right he was.

 

The shell turned to face him, leaning a little in. “What if they learn about who I was? I don’t want that kind of attention. I know I said I don’t care if anyone finds out but I don’t want their pity or their questions.”

 

“Look at these guys,” Hitoshi motioned around the room. “You think any of these folks care about that? Sure some might pity you but then you tell them not to. Simple as that.”

 

“And what about you? The world might not treat your quirk kindly, just like in the past.” Izuku worried.

 

“Don’t care. ‘Cause I have you, our dads and our friends. Don’t need the world to like me, just those I like.” he said, as if it was so easy but odds were he was just as nervous.

 

“You don’t have to keep the tough guy act, I know you're scared too.” the greenette joked.

 

“Hey, it’s got you out of your head hasn’t it?”

 

Suddenly over the loudspeakers, Papa’s voice could be heard telling them to begin making their way to the stadium. Immediately the room shut up as everyone quietly got up, got in formation according to Tenya and Momo, and marched outside. Everything was set and all the stakes made clear, now let’s see where the dice land.

 

- - -

 

Hizashi watched from on high in the announcers booth, Shouta sitting next to him in a rare pairing up. He knows his husband isn’t the most social or engaging man, so that’s why it’s a pleasant surprise to him that he’s helping host the Sports Festival this year. Then again, he doesn’t seem to like it so odds are it’s the rats fault.

 

“You think the kids are going to be okay, Sho’?” the blond asked him.

 

“They’ll be fine. Izuku filed all the paperwork for his dolls and Hitoshi has been training non-stop. The rest of the class has been working hard too.” the erasure man assured.

 

“You’re right, you’re totally right.” he nodded, slightly distracted by his own thoughts.

 

Of course Shouta picked up on this. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Just… we haven’t been spending as much time as we used to with the kids. I’m just afraid that… that…” he sniffed a little, eyes tearing up.

 

“What?” his husband huffed, knowing it was going to be something stupid and it was.

 

“They’re growing up too quickly!” Hizashi cried. “Why can’t my little fluff and little button stay little forever!”

 

Shouta let out a long sigh. “It’s illogical to think they won’t grow up.”

 

“A dad can hope Sho’!” the voice hero said.

 

Suddenly there was a small message received on both of their phones, telling them to start the opening ceremony. Immediately the two locked into their roles, Hizashi as his radical and loud radio host self and Shouta as… well, Shouta.

 

“Let’s make some noise people!” the blond yelled over a mic, the stadium’s cameras showing his face. The crowd roared as they realised the games were finally beginning. “You know what time it is? It’s time to start this year's first year's Sports Festival! Can I hear a ‘YEAH’!”

 

Cheers and ‘yeahs’ erupted from the absolute horde of people lining the seats of the stadium and he has never been more worried about Izuku. He knows that he has Gala to shield him but he knows he’ll feel the pressure of having all these eyes on him.

 

He’s been so proud of his little button ever since they first went out to the mall together and he managed to leave his doll for ten minutes before he went back in. That day he was grinning ear to ear knowing Izuku was improving everyday. Now look at him.

 

“This year we’ve got, as usual, the best and greatest competing head to head and though these UA students might be a bit wet behind the ears, I can assure you this year’s got some special zing to them! So all I have to ask is ‘are you ready?!’” he shouted, getting the audience more and more hyped up as he watched the cameras.

 

He could see classes all walking towards the open air stadium and he needed to time his introductions for maximum dramatic effect. Once they started stepping outside, he needed the audience to go crazy, especially for his babies. They deserve nothing but the best.

 

Trumpets began to roar as the first of class 1-A steps out, Yaoyorozu of course leading the pack with little Iida right behind her. He’s always been impressed with those two’s composure, it’s not easy walking out on stage where everyone’s watching you. Bakugou was clearly grinning, excited for what’s ahead.

 

“These students are the same ones who had to deal with a gnarly villain attack on UA’s on soil and got out completely unscathed! They’re skilled, they’re dazzling and most importantly… They’re the hero course class, class 1-A! The shining stars in this festival so keep an eye out on all of them folks!” he announced, tacking on a bit more than necessary. 

 

“Don’t let your bias show.” warned Shouta off camera, just quiet enough for only Hizashi to hear. He couldn’t respond though as the camera’s were on him.

 

Both of them watched their kids step out onto the stage. Of course most of everyone in their class was bewildered, seeing hundreds of thousands of people looking down on them. Neither of the parents were focused on them but on their own children and how they were holding up.

 

Hitoshi seemed generally fine, if not a bit shocked looking up and around. Still tried to play it off by acting aloof to it all but Hizashi can tell that he’s feeling the energy by how he’s flexing his fingers. Izuku on the other hand was a different case.

 

Gala was walking straight forward, calm and collected and though anyone would think he’s holding himself together fine, a father knows. The doll’s hand was hovering around his brother’s, clearly tempted to grab it but wouldn’t because Izuku knew he’d be embarrassed about it later even if he shouldn’t.

 

That and how the puppet is walking ramrod straight with absolutely no mistakes in their movement, tells Hizashi his kid is trying to keep calm. Quickly he looked over at his husband, nodding, the man taking out his phone to send a message down to see how he’s holding up.

 

Meanwhile he should continue the announcements. “Next up folks we got the other hero course class and although they don’t have quite the merits, don’t you dare underestimate them. They’re just as talented and skilled as their sister class. It’s class 1-B! Rising stars in their own right!”

 

He continued, his energy still up but his enthusiasm slightly down as he announced the rest of the course. “Then we have the wonderful students of classes C, D and E. The genius minds of F, G and H. And finally the sophisticated folks down at I, J and K!”

 

“Let’s raise the roof and scream for the first year contestants! YEAH” he finished, the cameras leaving him and focusing on the students below now.

 

‘Thank god. I like the cameras but I’m more of a radio guy.’ Hizashi sighed internally.

 

He looked over at his husband and the man showed him his phone.

 

GrumpyDoll: You doing okay, kid?

 

ScaryDoll: Yes. It’s a bit much but I can

handle it. I’ll let you know if I need a bailout.

 

GrumpyDoll: Good. Good luck and send a 

message to Hizashi before he starts texting you.

 

ScaryDoll liked this message.

 

Sure enough on Hizashi’s phone there was a text from the button telling him he’s alright for now. It’s reassuring but still, he can’t help but feel anxious for him. “Sho’, we should go to a restaurant after this.”

 

“Already made a reservation for one.” he replied, one step ahead of him.

 

“How are you always ahead of me?” the blond questioned, exasperated.

 

“Because I’ve known you for over a decade now.” he smiled a little, though you wouldn’t see it with the scarf in the way.

 

Hizashi let out a light laugh at that before turning back to watch Nemuri begin the announcements. “Do you think they’ll be alright? Sho’?”

 

“‘Zashi, you’re thinking too much.” the man said.

 

“I am, aren't I?” he admitted. “I’m still concerned though. It’s the first time they’ve ever been out in the middle of a crowd like this.”

 

“He said he’ll tell us if it’s too much.” Shouta recalled.

 

“How are you able to stay so focused?” the blond questioned.

 

“I’m not. I’m scared for them both too.” his husband clarified. “I’m just don’t overreact, unlike you.”

 

“I think Izuku’s holding hands with one of your students.” Hizashi lied.

 

“Who? Who is it?” the man practically jumped out of his seat, trying to get a look down in the stadium. Once he realised he was lying though he gave his husband a glare before plopping back down in his chair, grunting when his wounds stung.

 

“Who can keep cool now?” the blond grinned. 

 

Ever since the Festival started closing in, the two of them started feeling nostalgic. They watch the sports event every year and Hizashi announced the last one but it doesn’t compare to knowing they were all here as a family. His kids were literally walking in their footsteps.

 

That also means they’re at the age when the two of them first met, first got crushes on each other and everything after that. He’s wondered if his kids have anyone they like, not that he’d ask that. That would be embarrassing for them and he should know, his parents asked him about Shouta and he remembered almost spontaneously combusting on the spot.

 

He knows his husband’s interested though, from a cautious parent’s perspective. It’s always been a rule of his to discourage dating in his class so they could keep focused on becoming heroes. Ironic given their own time at UA. 

 

That policy has been focused on more than ever now that Izuku and Hitoshi were involved. Even the slightest mention of handholding sets the man off. Nemuri’s been having fun with it.

 

One time she said she saw Yaoyorozu and Hitoshi sneak off somewhere during lunch and though it turned out they were just encouraging each other, Shouta was still out there watching them, ready to police anything. 

 

He doubts there’s anything of that sort going on with his kids. Or rather he can’t imagine it really. They still look like the little fluff and button he’s always seen them as, even if Hitoshi was getting a bit tall. That and Izuku’s own situation he’s generally unsure what a relationship would look like for them. That part worries him a little.

 

Love is a wonderful thing, everyone should feel it once either platonically, familial or romantic. Of course he wants his kids to know what it’s like to be in love.

 

‘But I just can’t stand the idea of them growing up! Especially because they’re clearly reaching the independence stage of teenagehood!’ 

 

He can’t remember the last time either of them gave him a hug. (It was a week ago but it used to be more often.)

 

“Now then! For the student pledge, we have Bakugou Katsuki!” Nemuri announced.

 

Typically, whoever came first in the entrance exam would get the honour of doing the pledge. Izuku was the one who got it, Bakugou a very close second but ultimately it was handed over to the blond due to the greenette’s obvious aversion of having a direct spotlight on him.

 

He walked up on stage, hands in pockets before standing in front of the mic.

 

“I’m getting first place. That’s all I needed to say.” he said, already turning and walking away with zero fanfare.

 

Fury sparked amongst the student body in an instant and the classes started shouting at him only for the blond to scoff and turn his back to them. This made them even more angry. Little Iida chastised him, his disapproving voice coming out clear over the booing only for Bakugou to say something they couldn’t hear that set the students into even more of a frenzy.

 

“He just doesn’t feel fear, does he?” Hizashi mused slightly exasperated. The audience was chattering, probably wondering what he meant by that and if he was actually serious or not.

 

“He’s putting a target on his back, as well as everyone else in his class.” Shouta explained, making more sense now.

 

“So he’s taking his opponents seriously, at least those who have a real chance at beating him.” the blond guessed.

 

His husband hummed, resting a bit in his scarf as he pushed a few buttons to bring up the screen to show what the first event will be. Despite how it may seem, with the flashing lights and spinning slots, all of the events have been pre picked. The first one is an obstacle course and the second will be a cavalry battle.

 

Still, one of the reasons for the Sports Festival was entertainment and they needed to keep all the listeners in suspense.

 

“As long as you stay on course, you can finish this race by any means!” Nemuri finished explaining the rules, only for someone to raise their hand to ask a question. “Yes?”

 

It was Izuku, Gala shrinking a little when he realised everyone was watching him. “Does it matter if you are moving over the track or under it?” the doll asked, people in the crowds noticing them and getting confused on how strange the shell looked.

 

“No issue! Flying, tunneling, driving. As long as all the paperwork was filled out before the Festival today for any necessary tools and items, anything goes!” she answered, understanding somewhat why he was asking that.

 

“Thank you.” the shell replied, shuffling to hide behind some of their classmates. Pretty much only Shouji and Kouda though due to the doll’s height.

 

Everyone rallied at the starting line, some standing at the front like Iida, Bakugou and Momo whilst others lingered in back like Hitoshi. Hizashi spotted him already using his quirk on some people to help him get across the field and he was so proud of how far his little floof has gone!

 

“Wait,” the blond uttered, noticing Gala far back behind everyone. “What’s ‘Zuku doing?”

 

“He might be waiting on his dolls. I know he has a new one but I haven’t seen it.” Shouta explained. 

 

“Any idea what it looks like?” Hizashi questioned.

 

“No, but I do know he worked with a student in the support course on it. Higari was complaining about what they were making being ‘horrifying’ and ‘a freak of nature’.” he recited, looking paler as he went on.

 

“Oh boy.” he muttered.

 

He knows Izuku has a talent for scaring people, both accidentally and on purpose. Here’s hoping the little listeners at home don’t get nightmares.

 

Lights above the starting post flared, three lights that went off one by one. 

 

Nemuri counted down. “Get ready…” 

 

Two lights.

 

“...get set…”

 

One.

 

“Go!”

 

And they were off! Immediately Hizashi grabbed the mic to start his commentary but before even a word could get out there was a scream as something shot out of one of the corridors from the changing rooms, the same one the students come from.

 

“What is that thing?!” Hizashi accidentally shouted over the mic. Screaming at how it looked because… because…

 

- - -

 

Izuku smiled seeing his puppet approach. The debut of his new doll. He was so sorry to Papa because this one plays directly into his fears.

 

It was built like a millipede, and sported many hands and arms as it moved far quicker than it should. There was the sound of rumbling and the unmistakable scream of a train whistle.

 

‘Metro, it’s time to tear the competition apart.’

Notes:

Did anyone expect the centipede train?

Also other names I considered for Metro:

Mash
Millipede
Monster
Massive

Next Chapter:

Finish Line

Chapter 80: Finish Line

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Sorry for getting this chapter late to you all! I was busy doing something exhausting yesterday (on my feet the whole time) and slept in. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Have a nice day! <3

Metro. There was a reason Behemoth was renamed to this. The first reason was because they weren’t one doll, in the conventional sense, but multiple. A mish-mash of puppets welded and fused together to create one long train of bodies.

 

He was inspired by what he did in the entrance exam, making a metal horror over the course of the test. That, along with Hatsume’s vision for making a vehicle doll he had made something truly special. The screaming crowds proved it.

 

With a command, they rushed out of the space where he stored all of his dolls, body scraping and scratching the walls of the corridors before reaching the open air of the stadium.

 

What the people saw was something terrifying. Papa just screamed over the mic and he couldn’t be more happy hearing such a glowing review of his creation by his own father. The panic and freakouts by the crowds and unaware students only filled him with excitement as Metro zeroed in on his position and reached an arm(s) out to grasp him.

 

They were built like a centipede and a centaur, a long snake-like body with a green cloth stretched over the back like tarp and a large human-like body at the front with two heads much like Behemoth’s. Thousands of limbs sprawled out from under the rubber and cloth covers, twisting metal, wood and plastic limbs along with legs, heads and torsos that made it all up. 

 

It slithered and snaked, the thousand limbs battering off the ground like a stampede was coming his way. The upper body, the ‘human’ part of the half-man half-centipede was built to look too human, with ripped up denim green overalls and clothing that was reminiscent of an old west train driver.

 

It certainly sounded like a train, the roar of the creature’s metal and the smoke generated from the hidden engines under the cloth tarp undoubtedly gave that impression as the human torso raised a long sharp fingered arm to grab Gala and mount them on his back.

 

One face was bandaged, wearing a simple hat and goggles reminiscent of an engineer. The other held the camera buried in his face like Lily but also had lights around it powerful enough to shine like a spotlight, helpful when they’re going somewhere dark.

 

Students screamed and scrambled to get to the front of the pack as it made its way towards the tunnel but that wasn’t where it was going. Auntie Nemuri said that as long as you were on track, it didn’t matter about elevation.

 

So the doll did something even more insane. As soon as he reached the tunnel, instead of going through, he climbed up over and into the stands to scale the stadium altogether.

 

Audience members panicked as the centipede stormed up to where they were sitting and scrambled to dodge the mammoth doll rumbling past them. It continued, all heroes in the audience having no clue what to do as the thing kept going, climbing higher and higher until it finally reached the end and started climbing up the walls and ceiling to get to the opening above the stadium.

 

Meanwhile, Dad had taken over the announcing after Papa almost passed out. “That is Yamazawa Izuku for those wondering. His quirk is called Puppeteering which allows him to control objects. I’d advise you not to touch his puppets though, he can get possessive.” The warning and alert was enough to tell any brave enough heroes to get out of his way or get run over.

 

The monster scrambled across the roof, scratching the metal in a way that’ll be left for years before finally reaching the edge and looking down at the obstacle course. Some students, mostly class 1-A had gotten out of the tunnel and were now charging ahead. Any other students were either frozen in fear at the sight of Metro above them or literally frozen by Todoroki who was taking the lead for the moment.

 

Loud rumblings were heard as Metro climbed down the top of the stadium, jumping off when he spotted a clear area they could crash onto. Izuku saw a drone flying next to them, meaning odds were the audience were watching so he had Gala wave before the monster hit the ground with a loud crash before scrambling forward in a quake.

 

“Don’t let that head of yours get too big ‘Zuku!” Kacchan yelled above him as overhead the explosive boy launched himself forward, taking over him as he moved to catch up with Todoroki.

 

Elsewhere he could hear the sounds of a bicycle as Momo bikes just behind him with Tenya already surpassing Metro in speed. Gala spun around, trying to find Hitoshi. He can’t see him but he can spy a familiar purple wave of hair poking up from behind a large boy with hair all over him like a beast.

 

‘’Toshi must’ve taken him over. Hope he can keep up!’ Izuku smiled as the monster bolted forward, dust clouds forming with every step.

 

- - -

 

Shouta eagerly watched the race as it went on. Hizashi finally regained his composure and was doing most of the commentating now so he could really pay attention. 

 

“Class 1-A takes the front with Todoroki in first place after that bone chilling display of sabotage! He won’t get far though, not with what’s up next!” his husband said over the mic.

 

A student with purple balls on his head bounced up and looked ready to hit Todoroki with some kind of attack before he was battered out of the way by a giant metal fist that wasn’t Izuku’s new toy.

 

On an open field, there stood countless robots that were leftover from the entrance exam. Naturally a lot of them were zero pointers that didn’t get taken out and were mostly ignored but that didn’t stop the bicoloured boy for a moment, as he froze one of those huge machines with a wave.

 

“Holy smokes people! Is it me or did things get even colder! That’s one huge popsicle!” Hizashi gawked at the instant takedown.

 

It wasn’t just an amazing display of power but technique too as the frozen zero pointer started to crumble just as Todoroki snuck past it, leaving everyone else to deal with the crumbling aftermath. There is a gasp as the cameras showed a couple students get crushed but thankfully there was no cause for alarm.

 

“No need to worry folks! These two are made of harder stuff!” the blond reassured the crowds as Kirishima and one of Kan’s students, Tetsutetsu, broke free from the wreckage and barreled on, the red head tearing up for some reason.

 

Bakugou flew overhead, easily wiping out two zero pointers with ease whilst some of his students chased after, using his openings to get ahead of the pack. Despite how intimidating things looked before, class 1-A was cruising past the first challenge.

 

Well, most of them he thinks. He can’t find Monoma.

 

The boy disappeared after the race started and he has no clue where he is. Hopefully he isn’t trying anything and is just hiding himself amongst the chaos. He knows that kid is creative with his solutions so odds were he was trying something where no one can see him.

 

Momo blasted another couple zero pointers with ease, using cannons that she discarded immediately once she carved out a safe route for herself. Tenya in an incredible show of speed started scaling some of the robots, climbing over some and kicking to pieces others that got in his way like they were mere speed bumps.

 

Izuku though… he was doing something.

 

“Oh god, that’s so weird…” Hizashi uttered.

 

“It’s not weird if it works.” Shouta commented.

 

The audience watches uncomfortably as the centipede doll Izuku made crawls up a zero pointer. Seeing it on this scale compared to a robot makes it proportionally look like an actual bug climbing up a human. It gets even more grizzly when the head of the robot gets burrowed into and smashed out the other side.

 

‘He has to be doing this on purpose.’

 

The centipede skittered down the back of the exploding robot and skittered along the ground, steamrolling any threats in the process.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi was both amazed and in awe of his brother. Just when he didn’t think he could get any less sleep he dropped what had to be something that’ll keep him awake for a week. He was a bit behind right now, mostly because he had to grab Kouda (not with his quirk) and help him to the finish. He owed it to him after how he helped him and practically saved his dad at the USJ. 

 

The two were on the back of some guy from 1-B, Shishida he thinks his name is. He’s certainly fast and so far, besides the ice at the start, has been the perfect vehicle for him to get to the finish. 

 

That was until they reached the next obstacle.

 

“If they fall in, they’re out! So you’ll have to get creative with this one! It’s The Fall!” Papa announced just as Hitoshi caught sight of the massive gorge in his way.

 

There were stony pillars with tightropes between them leading all the way to the other side and besides that there was no other way around them. Hitoshi and Kouda hoped off the beast man and walked over to the edge. It was pitch black down there.

 

‘There’s nets down there… right?’ he gulps staring down into what looked like certain death.

 

Across the obstacle he could see his friends already making their way across. Tenya was soaring over the ropes in a ridiculous balancing act while his engines went full throttle. Meanwhile Momo was using a grappling hook to swing from pillar to pillar. She didn’t need to waste her lipids for this but they’re here to show off what they can do.

 

Not that he’s going to do that.

 

“See you at the finish line.” he said to Kouda before he took off his shoes and began walking along the rope. He knows it’s easier to just hang from below and scoot across but (A) that was slow and (B) he would look ridiculous. He wanted to be unnoticed, not unselected for an internship.

 

The sounds of scraping metal indicated Izuku arrived too and he watched in near terror as the giant centipede used its many arms and legs to balance along the tiny in comparison ropes. Like a spider it skittered across and anyone unfortunate enough to be on that same rope would be knocked off into the abyss.

 

‘Taking no prisoners, huh?’ he mused, getting halfway across.

 

He looked down to focus on his footing and could see a girl with pink hair underneath, cackling as she grappled to the pillar he was walking towards. He quickly sped up.

 

She landed in front of him and said something about babies before he interrupted her. “Your inventions are incredible, aren’t they?”

 

“‘Aren’t they?’ of course the-”. Though he can’t see her eyes behind the goggles, he feels his control takes over her.

 

“Help me the rest of the way won’t you?” he commanded and the girl nodded, kneeling down to let him piggy back off her.

 

Using this girl that he doesn’t even know the name of, he rockets to the other side of the obstacle course. There were a few close calls where he was sure he was going to fall in but this chick must be a genius because all of her gadgets work on automatic.

 

Once he got to the other side, he gave her a light flick on the forehead, snapping her out her stupor. “Huh? What happened?”

 

He didn’t say anything as he went his merry way, leaving the confused girl behind as he headed onwards.

 

- - -

 

Katsuki had almost caught up to the Half-and-Half Bastard. The last obstacle in this race was a minefield. Easy for him, not so much for others. Blasting over the obvious piles of dirt he caught up to the bicoloured boy and began shoving him, hoping he’d get caught by the mines.

 

He doesn’t like this guy for a few reasons. One was that he was quiet. He hated quiet people, despite how he might avoid them like Dunce Face and Weird Hair. Funny enough he prefers people like Dead Eyes, just quiet enough that he doesn’t get a migraine but loud enough that he can actually hear him.

 

That's another thing, he likes people who actually speak up and everytime he hears this guy he gets nothing but murmurs. Can’t he see the hearing aids? 

 

Then there’s the clear air of superiority he’s got over him. He knows ‘Zuku’s been training with him the last couple weeks for some reason so either the puppeteer managed to trick him or the Half-and-Half Bastard isn’t as strong as he looks. That and his little declaration of war on ‘Zuku has him pissed off.

 

He jabs him with his arm, hearing a grunt from the ice prince before a bitter cold bursted on that elbow and he’s left shivering but not stopping. He’s not going down easily and he’s going to have to try harder than that.

 

“Hey bastard! Your declaration was to the wrong person!” Katsuki yelled, shoving hard and sending the other boy almost stumbling into a mine.

 

The two duked it out, slowing down a lot but still steadily making their way across the field. Katsuki can’t see behind him but by the sounds of the explosions, no one is catching up to them anytime soon. Even Izuku’s weird centipede thing was too wide and heavy to run into a minefield.

 

Shoulders cracked and aches were given as they made their way across. For once, he can see that Half-and-Half bastard start to sweat and he’s starting to smile more and more as he sees victory in his future. He wasn’t one to get ahead of himself though so he didn’t relent, ready to full on kick the boy if needed.

 

He couldn’t though, as a sudden quake shook through the arena. Both of them turned back because it wasn’t an explosion of a mine that made that shaking, it was Izuku.

 

“What the heck’s this folks?! It seems Yamazawa’s monster is… dancing?” Yamada uttered over the microphone confused and it certainly was.

 

The doll was standing in place, stomping on the ground with all limbs fast and hard causing earth shaking vibrations to pulse out from it. No one knew what was going on until the person sitting on it gave a command.

 

“Alright Metro! Now jump!” the pale faced thing ordered.

 

It was incredible watching such a massive thing leap upward. Everyone was staring in awe but despite the command and what one would think it did not attempt to leap over the minefield. No, instead it intentionally leapt into the minefield, right into the center and as it touched down with its full weight, a wave of shock ran through the whole field.

 

Just enough to set off every mine there.

 

If Katsuki wasn’t going deaf before, he would’ve started now as a loud bang big enough to blow him and Half-and-Half into the air along with any other poor sucker in the field. The whole thing was lit up bright and covered with pink smoke but despite the chaos, ripping through the smoke was the centipede, completely undamaged by the blast.

 

‘How the hell did he avoid it? Unless that thing is sturdier than it looks.’ he theorised, raising his hands to start launching himself because hell he wasn’t letting Izuku get ahead. He has bravado to fulfil.

 

- - -

 

Izuku commanded Metro to go onwards. Honestly he’s surprised that plan actually worked given how typical mines are shock proof for the most part. He dug up one and inspected it to see how it worked and though it took him about thirty seconds to see how fragile the trigger was both by inspecting it and having the monster stomp a bit to see how things shake. 

 

He found that one good shock should be enough to set them all off. The only problem was not getting caught in his own explosion and to do that he’d need some kind of shielding or another creative solution. And boy, did he have the latter.

 

‘I will have to time this perfectly and be faster than a literal bomb going off. I know you can do it Metro!’ Izuku wished, having Gala pat the wrapped up head of the monster.

 

In a leap, the whole thing flew up into the air using their powerful body and with the height he could see where he should land. As he approached the ground, arms shot out from under the centipede aiming for the mounds where the mines are. He wasn’t going to trigger them though…

 

As the doll slammed down, shockwaves pulsed through the whole field and like fireworks it all went off at once. The whole field sounded of deafening screams and gasps of other students who were caught up in the chain reaction. 

 

Izuku froze for a second, seeing if any damage was done to Metro and indeed there was not a scratch. The mines didn’t go off directly under them.

 

Why? Because the trigger for the mines were still being pushed down, the pressure plate held tightly by the hands wrapped around them.

 

Immediately the monster ripped them out of the ground, holding them tightly and close to their body as they rampaged forward to the end. Above, he could hear a yell:

 

“Fucking ‘Zuku! Don’t think I’m giving it to you that easy!” he roared, flying through the sky. To his right he could see Tenya sprint past, the open and clear field now perfect for him whilst Momo cruised past on her bike now suited with a small engine to keep up. Ice shot forth as Todoroki must’ve finally recovered and was coming up on the monster’s left, trying to get his lead back.

 

All of them were shooting for the finish line, along with countless other mobile students like Ashido, Sero and some students from 1-B too. It was a mad sprint to the finish.

 

The final tunnel was dead ahead and though it was just big enough to allow Metro to wiggle through, that didn’t mean people can’t slip past. He needed to have an undeniable lead and the best way to do that was obvious.

 

‘Sorry everyone if this is a bit mean!’ Izuku apologised as right at the mouth of the final stretch he had the monster release and throw all of the mines to the side of him.

 

Several explosions surrounded the entrance, blasting people back and away as the monster charged forward, metal scraping and sparking on the walls but despite taking out most of them, Kacchan was still dead behind and threw himself at Gala, causing the two of them to fall off Metro as the doll rampaged on to the finish line alone.

 

“Cute trick! Fucking useless against me though, ‘Zuku!” the blond laughed as he landed a blow across the dolls face as he tried to climb over them.

 

As he raced for the light, Gala shot up and chased after him, intending to stop him. Seeing that the blond will beat him in a footrace he decided to use the shell’s trump card, one he’s been saving for a situation just like this.

 

‘Gala! Quadrapedal form activate!’ he commanded.

 

And just as the command stated, the doll got on all fours like a cat and began sprinting like a cheetah towards the exit, zooming past Kacchan and just barely beating him to the light…

 

Roars.

 

The audience cheered seeing them exit and out into the arena. Izuku made it, he made it, he was first! First! He glanced around and saw Metro was standing still at the finish, already having crossed the line and waiting for him.

 

“You did amazing!” he screamed as he rushed over and hugged the human part of the centipede.

 

He really couldn’t have done this without Metro. He couldn’t have done this without Hatsume actually. He really hoped she makes it to the next round. But right now that doesn’t matter because he won! He won!

 

He- / “First place Yamaza-”

 

“No, he isn’t.” Dad stopped him.

 

“What?” Izuku said aloud, the crowd quietening too at what he said.

 

Kacchan looked confused too, he was sore about second sure but to him it was just a lost battle in a war he was going to win. Both of them looked around, trying to find out who first place was only to find no one.

 

Papa seemed to agree. “What are you on about? There’s no one els-”

 

“Under the centipede.” Dad said.

 

And as if on cue, crawling out from under the doll was…

 

“Woo!” Neito breathed a sigh in relief. “Scared me when you jumped up in the air, thought I was going to seriously die there but it looked like you had it all under control, didn’t you Izuku?”

 

The boy stood there, grinning and ruffled from the ride he hitched under Metro. His hair was no longer the smooth combed blond but purple and had these balls growing from them. Izuku recalled there being a general studies student who had the same quirk.

 

“When did you hide under?” Gala said, sentence incomplete because of how frazzled the boy inside was.

 

“Since you crashed down from the top of the stadium,” he explained. “Grabbed some chump’s quirk and used it to hitch a ride!”

 

“What the hell?! That isn’t a win you damn copycat!” Kacchan shouted, stomping and looking ready for a fight.

 

“‘Course you would disagree, third place.” Neito snarked, not even flinching when the boy grabbed him by the collar.

 

Immediately Izuku snapped out of his stupor.

 

“Kacchan.” Gala stated, stepping up to place a hand on his friend’s. “He won. There’s nothing that can be done now.”

 

The boy looked between the two, seeming to debate between the sweet joy of punching Neito’s shit eating grin in or potentially getting disqualified. Izuku knows that if there’s one thing the explosive blond hated was people winning unfairly, especially if it’s riding off someone else’s success.

 

He seemed to accept the plea though and dropped him, just in time for some more people to arrive. Kacchan turned to walk away but not before making a point clear. “I’ve never liked you.”

 

“I’m heartbroken.” the copier faked heartache, clutching his chest and swooning a little.

 

Once he was gone, Izuku immediately turned to him. “What happened to showing off? Isn’t this going to make you look like a freeloader?”

 

“First of all, I prefer the term ‘opportunist’. Second, that’s for later. Now is the time for fun. After all it’s just like Kirishima said, these are all just games, right Izuku?” he grinned, looking up at the doll.

 

“This is because of me using your first name.” Gala uttered, realising it was the first time he’s used his own name. 

 

“Partly.” he shrugged.

 

“Well good. It means we are definitely friends now.” the shell said, showing a smiling expression on their face which was probably more creepy than assuring.

 

“Call me whatever you want but remember we aren’t friends.” he discouraged walking away.

 

“Sure, Neito.” Gala said, still smiling, turning back to go check on their friends.

 

After forty two people finished, the race was called and all of class 1-A and 1-B made it in with one person from the business course and Hatsume making it for those two additional spots.

 

“Tenya, Momo! What place did you get?” the shell called jogging over to them, Metro rumbling after them like a golden retriever, a very big one.

 

Students rapidly dispersed to avoid the metal centipede as it approached, terrified of the thing as was the audience still.

 

“I-Izuku,” the creator shivered at the sight of the thing but still kept her smile up. “Didn’t know you made a new doll.”

 

“They’re incredible, aren’t they? My biggest creation yet.” Gala said gleefully. “Over three hundred arms and legs used in their creation.”

 

“Y-yep. Um.” The black haired girl looked at Tenya for some reason.

 

“Izuku, it’s a wonderful puppet you have made but, maybe you could’ve dialed back the intimidation a little bit.” he suggested in an open manner like he didn’t want to be pushy.

 

“This is dialed back. Uncle Higari had revised the plans and forced me to remove the sawblades and pikes. We also couldn’t fit on the cowcatcher and the chimney to fit the train theme in time so he’s actually incomplete.” the boy explained.

 

“I-Is that so?” the blue haired boy replied, probably seeing the incredible vision he has for Metro .

 

“Hey!” Hitoshi called as he joined them, Kacchan behind him.

 

The group waved as he approached. Tenya and Momo must’ve been anxious to see him because they both gave a sigh of relief. “What place did you get Hitoshi?” asked Tenya.

 

“Twelveth. After what you did ‘Zuku I got a chance to just run between everything.” his brother explained. “Who got first?”

 

“Copycat did.” Kacchan answered for him, clearly still displeased as he said it.

 

Hitoshi’s face went sour and Izuku couldn’t help but notice how negatively his friends viewed his friend. Sure Neito’s victory was a bit cheeky and shallow, and yeah he can be a bit of a teaser but it’s not that bad if you understood how most of that was probably just how he was, probably.

 

Might be wrong but he finds him entertaining so they can have their own opinions and he can have his.

 

“I got second. Kacchan got third.” Gala uttered, earning a grunt like pain coming from the explosive boy.

 

“What happened to first place?” the brainwasher asked, turning innocently to the blond. “You were so sure you were going to win.”

 

“Can it, Dead Eyes! It’s only a race. I’m winning the whole thing by the end.” he proclaimed. “And don’t act like I didn’t see you lacking behind everyone else. You could’ve easily gotten tenth.”

 

“I was helping Aoyama, he got caught in the explosions.” Hitoshi explained, getting more irate.

 

“Excuses. Don’t want to see weak shit like that in the next round.” he said in a demand.

 

“You realise we’re meant to be hero students?” the purple haired boy started to raise his voice.

 

“And? I’m here to win. Not waste time with losers like you.” he snarled, looking down at the boy from his nose.

 

Hitoshi kept his nonchalance on his face but his voice got more aggressive. “You’re just asking for an ass beating, aren’t you?” 

 

“Why? You’re offering? ‘Cause I know you ain’t got what it takes.” Kacchan started to grin mockingly.

 

“You want to see what I got? Come next round, you’ll be eating dirt like the dog you are.”

 

“Yeah?” the blond yelled as he butted heads with the other boy, the two pushing against each other with angry looks on their faces.

 

“Uh, should we stop that?” asked Uraraka, hopping up to the other half of the friend group.

 

“What? They’re just showing good competitive spirit!” Tenya smiled, turning to face the newcomer.

 

The girl looked between the other two to see if he was joking and only got nods in return. To their surprise though her face lit up. “That’s incredible! It’s getting me fired up too!” She turned to Tenya. “Hey Iida! I’m going to crush you next round and grind you to shit!”

 

“Uraraka!” he gasped, Momo the same after hearing the expletive. 

 

Meanwhile Hitoshi and Kacchan had temporarily called off their trash talking to laugh at the blue haired boy’s shocked face. “Yeah Glasses! Get ready to have your world rocked!”

 

As the conversations continued, Izuku had his focus split between them and Momo. Despite her paying attention, he noticed she was looking out towards where the teachers sat. He looked in the same direction and could see All Might’s deflated form, not staring back but looking down at the field.

 

“You know Mr. Yagi Momo?” Izuku asked, shocking the girl out of her gaze.

 

“I- No. I mean yes!” she corrected. “He helped me with a complaint I had over…”

 

“Someone spying on us?” Gala finished for her.

 

“Y-You know?” she stuttered, probably thinking he was talking about All Might spying on the students and while yes, he did mean that he’s not going to say knew more than that.

 

“Yes. Principal Nedzu has cameras everywhere besides the locker rooms and the bathrooms. Can’t help but feel constantly watched.” he lied, enjoying messing with his friend a little.

 

“Cameras? Oh yes, cameras.” she smiled. “Um, I’m going to chat with Jirou before the next round.”

 

“Alright then.” the doll nodded, watching her step away a bit too quickly. Maybe he made her a bit too flustered. Hopefully that won’t affect her performance.

 

‘She still hasn’t shown signs of the new quirk. Is there something I’m not seeing?’ he wondered.

 

All thoughts were halted when the sirens sounded indicating it was the next round. They all rallied in front of a stage where Auntie Nemuri started explaining the next round's rules. Gala placed themselves next to Neito, mostly by coincidence but also to mess with him because for some reason the boy was scared of friendship and he loved messing with people.

 

“Awfully close there, aren’t we?” the boy uttered, looking up at the shell.

 

“Just want to hear Midnight better, friend.” the doll said.

 

The next round was a cavalry battle where students of two to four group together to steal headbands from opposing teams. The team must form a ‘horse’ with at least one rider on top at all times that will carry the headbands. No fighting is to be done but quirk use is allowed provided it wasn’t unnecessary to the game. Simple.

 

“I’m not your friend. You can keep trying to force the word onto me, Izuku, but it’s not going to work.” Neito huffed. Looking like his teasing is actually wearing him down.

 

“I doubt that. We’re too alike, just like you said.” the doll doubted.

 

“‘Opposites attract’ is what you’re looking for and you’re right, we’re not opposites…” he uttered, Nemuri speaking over him.

 

Each person is assigned a point value relevant to their place in the race. Last gets a measly five, with next getting ten, and then fifteen and so on until they reach second. “As for the points for first place…”

 

“...But go on, it’s funny watching you try.” 

 

“...Ten million points!”

 

…

 

Neito froze. Completely froze as his brain stuttered to try and process what exactly the point count was. Immediately a dozen stares barreled down on him and he obviously felt the weight of the predatory glances because he shook slightly.

 

He slowly looked up at Gala. “H-hey friend! W-won’t you team up with me?”

 

“Good luck, Neito.” 

Notes:

Next Chapter:

It's a Centipede, not a Horse

Chapter 81: It's a Centipede, not a Horse

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Cavalry battle today. Managed to fit it all into one chapter, honestly proud of myself for doing that. Hope you enjoy it! Especially with the action. I'm not normally good at describing scenes so I hope this isn't that much of a mess!

Also, there'll be a chapter on Sunday so look out for that!

Have a nice day and love you all! <3

Neito should’ve just lingered towards the back. Really it makes sense, they wouldn’t cut too many people during the first round, it wouldn’t be a fun game if they did. He’s seen the festival in the past and there’s always enough spaces to let both heroic classes in and a couple other classes to keep things interesting.

 

Honestly he should’ve done that. Why did he get first? Just to mess with Izuku? It didn’t even seem to work, or maybe it did because right now he’s begging his dear ‘friend’ to try and join up with him.

 

Now one might ask why he’s so keen to continue on in this competition. It shouldn’t have any stakes in his life, but it did. He’s been given an order by his father and he will fulfil it because if he doesn’t then he might not live long enough to see tomorrow.

 

His father holds no love. He shows it with Shigaraki and pretends he cares but in truth he has nothing in that black beating heart of his except his own self interests. Neito has zero doubt in his mind that should he ever prove ‘useless’ he will either dispose of him or do something far worse. The nomu are the worst.

 

I need you to grab the audience’s attention, my boy. Be the star they look up to only to burn them in the end with what is to come.

 

He basically wants to instill false hope only to tuck it out from under them later. It implies a lot. For one it means that this arrangement is one hundred percent temporary. Well, it always was but he never actually realised that none of this is his life, that his connection to Izuku and maybe Todoroki is… temporary.

 

It’s not the first time he’s pushed people away. It won’t be the last. It’s just something he has to deal with and deal with it he must in order to survive. Heroes can’t save him against a primordial evil such as him. He’s seen too many ‘vanished’ saviors to know that some things are better…

 

…Left to rot.

 

So back to the action. He needs to get as high a place as possible, just enough to satisfy the devil himself. Simple. Bronze or Silver should be enough, maybe even get awarded if he got first… No, he can’t be too ambitious. It wasn’t his thing to have too much hope.

 

As such he can’t do this without Izuku, for this round at least, because frankly no one’s teaming up with him because they either prefer their friends, fear the shining ten million hanging over his head or they just don’t like him. For a few people it’s all three.

 

“C’mon, what happened to all that talk about being friends? Right Izuku? We’re friends?” the copier pleaded with the puppeteer, who was doing some kind of checks on the centipede puppet.

 

“Really? I never would’ve guessed from how stern your rejections have been.” the other boy had his puppet say. “Still. Maybe I need some proof of friendship to really consider whether or not we truly are pals.”

 

‘Is he bargaining with me?’ he stared at the pale-faced thing who just stared back. ‘Of course he is.’

 

“Fine, what do you want?” he asked, painfully trying to keep up an agreeable tone.

 

“An outing, sometime in the future. Some of my friends, maybe even Todoroki, at the mall or an arcade or whatever we decide on.” Izuku offered, turning towards him.

 

“Can’t it be just between me and you? I’d rather talk to someone I know than a bunch of lose- strangers.” he negotiated because he really didn’t want to interact with people.

 

“Never took you for an introvert.” the puppeteer noted, electing to ignore what he almost called his friends.

 

“I’m not.” Neito clarified. “I just like to keep my social circle small.”

 

The shell looked ready to question further, maybe digging into what he meant by that. The copier gave him a look, daring him to try because frankly, he’s getting nothing from him. Thankfully, Izuku was smart enough to realise that and leave it. “We start the outing with friends, but we splinter off-”

 

“Why are you so keen to be buddy buddy with me?” he finally asked.

 

The puppet stopped, quiet between them with the chatter of the stadium in the background. “People get lonely.”

 

“I’m no-”

 

“Everyone gets lonely. You’re not above it.” the shell talked over him. “So you’re not going to convince me, whether that fact is true or not.”

 

He was stern, very. Neito thought maybe to fight it a bit more but it was clear that this was the end of talks. Either he walked away and got assigned to a random group (maybe even disqualified) or he gets short term success for a later consequence.

 

‘It’s not that bad. Izuku’s not bad. His friends are loud and his brother has it out for me for some reason but as long as I don’t have to deal with them long…’

 

He really doesn’t like those kinds of people, hellbent on becoming heroes or obsessing over them like idols. All that talk reminds him too much of his father and how he sometimes spent hours prattling on about the ‘false bravado of justice’. Even being here, at the sports festival, reminds him of how he called this whole thing a ‘a gladiator ring for children’.

 

But if it’s just a moment, he’ll survive. It’s good to get outside, you know?

 

“Fine.” he agreed, raising a hand to shake the puppet’s.

 

“I’ll give you notice of when a date has been decided. Now look behind you.” Izuku said through the doll.

 

“What?” he turned, only to find-

 

“Hello there Mr. Ten Million! Mind if I join your team?” a pink haired girl from the support course was standing right in front of him.

 

Immediately Neito swung around to look back at the puppeteer. “No backing out of the deal, friend.” they said.

 

‘He knew I had a teammate waiting for me the whole time?! This goddam brat!’

 

Scratch that, Izuku is bad.

 

- - -

 

Hitoshi watched his brother chat away with Monoma. He knew he’d leave him be because… well… Okay, he still was suspicious of that blond but he’s right, he shouldn’t be hanging over Izuku’s shoulder. Also this was the Sports Festival. Everyone’s competing, irrelevant of class or relationships. Case in point, Tenya’s not teaming up with them.

 

“What do you mean, Tenya?” asked Momo. So far it was just the three of them as Bakugou went off to make his own team.

 

The blue haired boy looked down and thought of what he wanted to say. “Since we first met Hitoshi, Momo, and became friends, I've always looked up to both of you.”

 

“Your natural talent and way of thinking.” he said to Hitoshi. He then looked at Momo. “Your incredible intellect and tactical mind. Both of you are amazing, which is why for this I’d like to prove myself as being just as capable and even then push further.”

 

The two looked at him, then each other where they nodded once before looking back. “That’s okay.” Momo said, “We wish you luck!”

 

“Hope to see you in the finals then, Tenya.” Hitoshi agreed, putting on a grin.

 

“Thank you,” the other boy smiled. “I wish both of you good luck!”

 

And he went off, leaving the two of them there to their own devices. They had enough for a team but given how Momo is best as a horse and he’s a bit too heavy for her to run and fight at the same time, they needed someone else.

 

“Should we try to convince Bakugou?” the creator suggested.

 

Unlikely. “No, he’ll want to compete against me.”

 

She then looked around, trying to find someone that caught her eye. “What about Izuku? I haven’t seen him.”

 

“He already has a team of three.” he pointed out, the two glancing over to see him discussing tactics with Monoma and a pink haired girl.

 

They didn’t have a lot of options, especially with their quirks. Momo was a great horse but not on her own and she needed someone with synergy to bounce off her creations. Hitoshi did not have that synergy, his quirk being useless to most of the class who pay attention to how it works.

 

Thankfully, someone found them.

 

“You.” a voice called, drawing the two of them to look at it.

 

“H-huh?” Momo gasped, realising who it was.

 

“Todoroki?” Hitoshi answered.

 

The bicoloured boy was walking towards them, Kaminari being dragged behind him, seeming to also be a part of his team. “I need you Yaoyorozu.”

 

“Sorry, I’m already in a team with Hitoshi.” she denied. “If I’m going, he is too.”

 

“What she said.” he nodded along with her, thanking her internally for being such a good friend. He honestly wouldn’t know what to do if he was on his own.

 

Todoroki looked at him, maybe for the first time now that he thought about it. Honestly, he thinks this is the only time he’s seen him talk and not just say a few words and that be it. The bicoloured boy studied Hitoshi and he would feel nervous if he didn’t care what other people thought about him. 

 

He knows this whole festival is bad perception wise but then Dad got first place in the Sports Festival his first year and everything worked out fine. He could afford to be a bit indulgent in the challenge, after all when is he ever going to get the chance to show his efforts off in public?

 

He’ll probably get beaten after round one of the main fights so, hey, why not have some fun?

 

“Your quirk…” Todoroki started.

 

“Mostly useless here. Unless someone from 1-B attacks us, we’ll have a hard time using it.” he explained.

 

“Can it be used on Kaminari to let him shock more?” the other boy asked, pulling the blond closer up.

 

“Huh, what?” asked Kaminari, confused.

 

“Maybe, the problem is his quirk will knock him out of mine. That and in his…” he looked at the blond who stared up at him slightly cringing at what he might say. “...Exerted form. He might not have the capacity to answer my questions. They only work if someone understands what they’re being asked.”

 

Izuku did a lot of tests on him. For one he could basically make anything a ‘question’ by just toning his voice. For example: ‘Look over there?’. He raises the tone of his speech right at the end, like he’s unsure about what he’s saying. Even if the question makes no grammatical or contextual sense as long as it sounds like a question it works.

 

Todoroki seemed to accept him anyhow and just called the three into a huddle to discuss what exactly they’ll be doing. Hitoshi will be at the front, Momo on the back left, Sparky on the back right and finally ice prince as the rider.

 

‘Let’s do this.’

 

- - -

 

Several groups rallied together, getting into position as they waited for the final countdown to happen. The announcers had done some commentary to entertain the audience on the last round, picking out moments the cameras might’ve missed such as Shouji using his quirk to fly across the Fall or a girl from class 1-B carrying a bunch of her classmates across with her splitting quirk.

 

When time ran out and the team building had been done, everyone had a partner. Some were two, a few were three but most were gathered in fours, all ready to charge at first place the second Midnight swung her fan.

 

Speaking of number one, their team were all gathered on top of the Metro doll which itself was decked to the nines with a bunch of different support gear. Its many feet and hands had been equipped with some special shoes and jetpacks were latched on like thrusters elsewhere. No one knew what they were planning but they knew they were going to be the hardest to take down.

 

The rest of their team was hanging out on the back, holding onto some handles built into the doll. The blond sat in the middle, protected by the other two around him from anyone who might steal his headband whilst also giving him reach of their quirks.

 

“Okay, remember. Always running.” Gala reminded the other two, which got him serious looks from both as the tension in the air rose.

 

Elsewhere, Todoroki’s team got in formation. All of the horses were wearing electric powered roller skates courtesy of Yaoyorozu’s quirk. At the advice of Hitoshi, the rider also had several other ‘headbands’ which were meant to be fakes to trick anyone who managed to get too close.

 

“Remember my callouts.” the bicoloured boy stated, at which he got a silent nod from each of them.

 

Finally there was Bakugou’s team consisting of the boy himself as the rider, Kirishima as the front horse, Iida on the back and Uraraka in the center with the rider balancing between the red head and her shoulders so she could reach everyone with her quirk. It was more of a three man team with the engine student behind them, ready to use his quirk to give them one hell of a boost when needed.

 

“Round Face [‘It’s Uraraka!’] be ready to lighten me when needed, Weird Hair tell us when you need a break and Glasses tell us when you’re ready to use your move.” Bakugou commanded the rest of them, momentarily talked over by Uraraka.

 

“Got it.” they all said and nodded.

 

And with that, the battle would begin.

 

At the blare of horns almost everyone on the field charged towards the centipede, quirks firing as the ground immediately sunk beneath the giant doll.

 

“Whose quirk is that?” asked Monoma.

 

“Doesn’t matter. Everyone prepare yourselves!” Izuku said, the other two holding on as immediately the ground shook. Jet blasts from the shoes and packs blew as the entire centipede took flight off the ground. The sheer amount of force caused anyone too close to the centipede to jump back away from the burns as the whole thing blasted up into the air.

 

Yamada was not happy watching that. “Eraserhead, have I ever told you my worst nightmare is a flying spider?”

 

“That’s called a mosquito." he replied.

 

“No it’s not! They don’t have those creepy teeth at the front of their mouths!”

 

The doll was in the air, quickly making its way to safer ground whilst threatening anyone under it with being crushed. All the while Izuku couldn’t help but compliment the support course girl for her work. “Your babies are amazing!”

 

“Of course they are!” she smiled, hanging onto the handlebars.

 

“Both of you, focus!” yelled Monoma as the doll began to fall.

 

Meanwhile beneath, Bakugou leapt off his horse, blasting upwards and towards the centipede. He roared as he reached for Monoma ready to snatch away his headband with feral glee. “Here’s for stealing first you Copycat bastard!”

 

“Yeah, no.” the other blond said, taking out one of Hatsume’s inventions, a net gun, and shooting him out of the sky.

 

He had no time to react and was sent plummeting to the ground, thankfully caught by Iida who broke away from their horse to catch him and bring him back. There was a question whether that was allowed but Midnight stated that as long as the rider doesn’t touch the ground, it’s A-OK.

 

The doll finally crashed onto the ground, the earth shaking under its weight as it marched on, avoiding expertly anyone who got close. You’d think a thing of Metro’s size would get surrounded fast but their twisting body and surprising speed made it near impossible to pin down without force.

 

That force came in the form of Todoroki’s team, rushing towards the doll whilst Yaoyorozu created a pole for him to freeze the ground with. Team Monoma was looking to jump away again, only for one of the shoes for Metro to get stuck on something. Izuku used his cameras to see some kind of purple ball under one of the shoes and the blond was quick to explain what it was.

 

“It’s the guy whose quirk I borrowed from the first round! You’re not going to get that off!” he supplied, scanning around for where the purple boy could be.

 

They didn’t have time to decide so Izuku cut his losses and had the puppet detach that leg, leaving it wiggling in place as the rest of the doll flew upwards. It was janky, not helped when Jirou stabbed upwards with her earphone jacks. Thankfully in the air there was more elbow room and Gala swung under the centipede like a monkey to bat off the girl’s attempts to damage some jets.

 

They landed a bit away, landing rougher due to the lost engine and continued barrelling onwards around the battlefield to get away from people like Todoroki or that earth sinking guy. It was difficult but they managed it for a minute before they were stuck in a new situation.

 

“Shiozaki!” a ginger haired girl cried out and suddenly Metro was wrapped up in vines.

 

“What the hell?!” Hatsume cried as she immediately reached for something burny.

 

“That hellish beast of yours will find itself torn asunder.” the girl and culprit of the restraints uttered.

 

As green ivy threatened to crush the centipede, a rush of yellow vines struck out to counter, shocking both teams. Thankfully, Monoma’s quirk worked through the vines so he was able to finally have a quirk he could use and actually fight. He wrapped up their team, even using it to steal one of the headbands they collected before the support student could finally burn away the vines.

 

“We need to get away now!” Hatsume shouted, noticing team Todoroki getting close with Bakugou right behind them.

 

“We can’t. There are still some vines in the joints!” Izuku explained as Gala crawled under the doll to remove some themselves.

 

As the other teams closed in, Todoroki gave his orders. “Yaoyorozu, Kaminari! Prepare for shock! Yamazawa, get ready to move!”

 

They all acted without argument, the creator making a tarp to cover the rest of her teammates whilst she made a grounding rod to safely channel the lightning into the earth. The blond sparked up and immediately team Monoma scrambled to work around it.

 

“Everyone! Get on top of Metro ’s back!” Izuku yelled, commanding Gala to do just that.

 

The doll’s back was made of rubber, meaning that all of them should be fine as electricity struck everything around the blond. Many teams collapsed under the pain but most of Monoma’s team was fine, the exception being the centipede who had lost a lot of fluid.

 

Immediately Gala’s compartment opened, Izuku shooting out a hand to the other boy on the doll. “Take it and refill!”

 

“Got it!” the copier replied, clapping the puppeteer’s hands and immediately replenishing the lost fluids with his own. “How the hell do you control this thing?!”

 

The movements were very poor under the blond’s control but thankfully with the removed vines, all he needed to do was cause the jets to fly. They launched themselves over the fight and away once more but unfortunately they were caught mid air.

 

“Bakugou, I’m doing it now!” Iida shouted, causing all those in Team Bakugou to still.

 

“Round Face! Gravity! Weird Hair! Battering Ram!” the explosive boy ordered, all of which were followed by a ‘yeah’.

 

Aiming for the underbelly of the doll, Uraraka made everyone in her team float as Iida’s engine’s burned brightly. “Reciprioburst!” he shouted and the entire team launched upwards like a rocket aimed at the centipede.

 

Kirishima hardened himself as best he could, going face first into Metro and completely severing the centipede in half, knocking all of its carriers off in a scream. Bakugou jumped off and aimed for the blond, using the panic to make another grab for the ten million whilst his own team fell gently back to the ground.

 

“Get the hell away!” Momona yelled as he was tackled mid air by the boy.

 

“Sure! Once you give me that headband, Copycat!” he shouted back, grasping for his neck.

 

“Back off!” Gala shouted, using their hammer to bat away the boy and grabbing both Monoma and Hatsume and landing on the ground safely thanks to their body.

 

Kirishima caught Bakugou in his arms and returned him to their group as their efforts were renewed to get the headband, broken Metro all around the battlefield now.

 

‘I’m sorry my baby!’ cried Izuku internally, seeing his doll in pieces.

 

Gala began running with their teammates in their arms, Hatsume swinging around onto their back whilst Monoma remained in the doll’s arms to use both Vine Hair to fend off other people. Meanwhile, all around them people were rushing over seeing that the ten million team was in shambles and vulnerable.

 

“How long have we got?!” Gala shouted.

 

“Four minutes left!” Monoma replied, not even looking at the clock cause he knows by instinct.

 

Gala showed off their incredible acrobatics, dodging countless attacks in a near dance like matter. When tape, courtesy of Sero, and glue from another student came flying to catch the doll they threw Monoma into the air and crawled under the attacks on all fours as Hatsume held on. 

 

The audience roared in excitement when they saw the pale-faced shell catch the blond once they made it past, earning looks of shock, awe and a very disorientated Monoma.

 

“Never do that again!” he nearly begged.

 

“Can’t say I won’t.” Izuku typed as they continued to dodge attempt after attempt to stop them.

 

As they were slowly forced into a corner, suddenly a wall of ice surrounded them and the three were now trapped alone with Todoroki’s Team. Bakugou and his group were elsewhere, dealing with their headband being taken by one of the other teams and Iida’s sputtering engine.

 

“All of you,” Todoroki started. “Get ready to-”

 

“Wait.” Hitoshi interrupted. “I have something.”

 

The rest of the team looked at him, wondering what he was saying. The brainwasher had been watching Izuku’s team closely all match and though he doesn’t know if his plan will work he knows it has a good chance. If he pulls this off…

 

“Momo, can you make something?” he said, focusing his mind and tenseing his throat for what he was going to do.

 

“What are they planning?” Monoma asked, looking over at how still they were. “Is Yaoyorozu making something?”

 

“I don’t know…” Izuku typed, trying to judge what was going on. There were sparkles just like hers behind them but he can’t see because of the angle they were at. The girl was on the back right of Todoroki whilst they were keeping on the boy’s left side to avoid his ice.

 

“Damn Copycat!” a voice rang out and from behind their team an explosion was released and what seemed to be Bakugou rising up into the air. “You think you can get away from me?”

 

Monoma groaned. “Can’t you just give up alrea-”

 

And suddenly he was blank minded. Izuku had no time to think as he realised the ‘Bakugou’ that flew over Todoroki’s team was a scarily accurate doll. Before he could question how Hitoshi mimicked his voice without a mask, his brother gave an order.

 

“Blast your way over here using Bakugou’s quirk!”

 

‘Wait, his quirk? When did he copy it?!’ Izuku tried to recall.

 

During their scuffle mid air. It can be assumed that Monoma would’ve taken the chance to snatch it away and he certainly had, seeing as how the boy in Gala’s hands exploded outwards.

 

They tried to grasp for him but it was too late and the boy was launched at high speeds towards them, shocked out of the brainwashing by his own blast.

 

“Now!” shouted Hitoshi as the team rushed in, hopping over the fake Bakugou that crashed on the floor and going straight for the flying Monoma.

 

Gala tried to sprint after but could only stop him from falling to the ground before Todoroki reached out and grabbed the headband, ripping it off the copier’s neck. “Got it! Kaminari, shock!”

 

Team Todoroki leapt back, preparing for the electric shock and barely giving the other team time to react. Izuku thought this might’ve been it when Monoma used Vine Hair to make a shield against the electric shocks, sparing them from the blast.

 

The puppet immediately pushed through the wall of thorns, ignoring the scrapes and scratches caused by the thorns (and the yelps by Monoma and Hatsume) and dove for Todoroki with reckless abandon. “Give that back now!”

 

“As if!” Hitoshi shouted as he groaned when the doll placed a solid foot on his head.

 

Todoroki, shaken a bit by the vicious look in Gala’s eyes let himself flare a little, his arm sparking up but that didn’t make Gala retreat only diving further for the points. Flames sputtered as the doll grasped a headband and they were about to back up when Yaoyorozu used the last of her quirk to fire a spike that smashed into the ‘eyes’ of the pale faced doll, causing them to let go.

 

One of the rough parts of being so in tune with your dolls was that you felt the same hits they do, even if you don’t feel the pain. 

 

Gala crashed forward without a headband, Team Todorki moving to run away while over the ice Bakugou, the real one, came flying out and towards them. “I saw that! Give the band over, Half-and-Half!”

 

The doll recovered, missing an eye, and made a stride of their own, shooting at speeds far faster than it should whilst Monoma and Hatsume continued to hold on for dear life, screaming a little. 

 

Both of them aimed for Todoroki, one thing on their minds as they both grasped for the ten million.

 

“AND THAT’S TIME!” Yamada yelled over the mic, sirens blaring as all three teams froze.

 

Bakugou crashed face first into the dirt whilst Gala tumbled from the momentum they had and their whole team crumbled into a pile. 

 

“We lost?” Monoma groaned, picking himself up. “After all that!”

 

“I’m sorry, Neito.” Izuku said. “I should’ve powered through that hit.”

 

The blond looked at the downtrodden doll, looking ready to say something only to deflate a little before shooting back in mirth. “N-no issue! I let myself get tricked by a simple puppet.”

 

The two lamented their losses as Yamada announced the results. “For first place we’ve got… Team Monoma!”

 

“What?!” they both said before a cackling pulled their sights to Hatsume.

 

“You really think I can’t do anything without my babies?” she said, holding the ten million triumphantly in her hands.

 

“H-how?” Izuku said himself, loud enough for some to hear outside the doll. 

 

Monoma answered that for him. “When we dove for the ten million, you grabbed it as we crashed…”

 

“Yep! By the way, even if you did get the one you were aiming for, Izuku, it was a fake. This is the real one!” she said, holding it up in her hands for them to see better.

 

“Hatsume you’re amazing!” the puppeteer cheered, running up and hugging her with the doll.

 

“At this point call me Mei!” she said, hugging back.

 

The two cheered as the rest of the results were given. Team Bakugou was second, having three headbands to their name. Team Kendou was third, gathering enough headbands to stay in the game and finally at fourth was Todoroki, who only had their own points giving them their victory.

 

“Can’t believe we almost lost…” Hitoshi said, looking up at the scoreboard.

 

“If the team beneath us had one more headband, even the five point one, we would’ve been out.” Yaoyorozu glumly uttered, staring up with him. Kaminari was still dizzy behind them, struggling not to fall over.

 

Meanwhile Todoroki was looking down at his hand, feeling the burn of nearly losing and the burn on his left arm. He then scanned up at Izuku, watching the puppeteer celebrate their victory and feeling the need to say something. He’ll ask him in a moment because now there’s a lot of things he needs to think about.

 

“Goddamit! Fucking! Shit!” Bakugou swore violently at losing another battle. He knows he’ll be fighting to win the whole thing but still he felt the scorn of defeat once more. He’s getting better though, first he was third, now he was second and soon, he’ll be first. And right when it mattered too.

 

“Bakugou please remember we are on international television!” Iida chastised trying to stop the blond from swearing. The engine boy was proud of the place they got. Yes, he could do better and he wants to but that doesn’t mean he can’t see the efforts he’s done so far. ‘I hope my family’s proud of me.’ he smiled internally.

 

And with that the second event of the Sports Festival came to a close, with an hour's break and then another hour where special events were played for all those who needed another chance to shine. It would mean a lot of preparation, Izuku especially as he gazed out and saw Metro in pieces and Gala missing an eye.

 

It’s time, not a lot, but enough for all of them to catch their breath.

Notes:

It saddened me to take out Metro so soon but don't worry! Dolls can be rebuilt and its not the last you'll see of him!

Next Chapter:

What Could've Been

Chapter 82: What Could've Been

Notes:

Hiya everybody!

Happy Sunday, hope you're all dreading tomorrow when the week starts back up again if none of you aren't there already. Here's another chapter in the meantime, hope you enjoy it!

Have a nice day! <3

Despite the near loss, Momo was feeling great about everything. She’s managed to reach the final event of the Sports Festival and has stood out well in her opinion. Next she needs to shine on her own, without someone backing her up and telling her what to do. That way, she’ll truly have introduced herself to the world.

 

Checking her locker in class 1-A’s waiting room, she takes out her phone. Her mother was calling and she’d be a fool not to answer. Picking it up she immediately hears a calm and dignified voice on the other end.

 

“Momo, sweetie. You made it! You actually made it to the next round!” she said. “You’re going to get so many offers if you keep this up! I can already see your shining future ahead of us!”

 

“Yes, mother.” the girl said back, a bit surprised at how talkative she is considering how quiet she was the last couple of weeks.

 

“At first I thought you might fail, given how much time you wasted with your friends but it seems so far you’re passing well. Could’ve done far better than fourth though…” she continued.

 

‘There it is.’ Momo noted. 

 

“But I’m sure you know what you’re doing. Even if your mother knows best.” she finished with.

 

The black haired girl still had more to say. “Is… is father watching?”

 

“Hm? Oh sweetie, you know he’s far too busy for that. I’ll send some clips for him to maybe see but you know how he is. Perhaps in your third year he might watch and only if you do good too.” she replied, dampening Momo’s spirits a little bit.

 

She’s not wrong. Momo has only seen her father a total of twelve times this year and most of it was when he was either coming home or going out the door. Half the time she isn’t even sure if he knows she’s in UA, or training to be a hero. 

 

She needs to stop this conversation or else she’ll actually get depressed. “Thank you mother. I’ll talk to you after.”

 

“Love you.” she said.

 

“Love you too.” and she was hung up on.

 

Now it was just her screen, quiet besides the distant roars of audiences in the stadium.

 

‘She didn’t even say ‘congratulations’ or ‘’good luck’.’ she realised, putting away her phone. She’s just forgetful like that, she’s sure.

 

Momo walked on, stepping out of the room and heading to the cafeteria but not before she was stopped in the hallways by Yagi.

 

“Ah! Young Yaoyorozu! Glad I caught you. Congratulations on making it to the final event!” he said with a grin, filling her with some warmth.

 

“Thank you Mr. Yagi.” she gave back a wobbly smile. “I almost didn’t though.”

 

She looked down at the ground, unsure what the man would say to that. She still didn’t know the man all that well but surely being the number one hero, his standards were infinitely higher than her mothers and especially her fathers, it’s unfathomable to think that such a thing is-

 

A hand clasped her shoulder. “My girl, you made it. That’s all that matters. And though you could’ve done better, don’t get down. Only think about how you can do better next time. Even if you get knocked out in the first round, you’ve still got farther than most and that’s something you should be proud of.”

 

Her head shot up to look at the skeletal man. Nothing in his eyes was telling her he was lying or being passive aggressive or anything of that sort. Just genuine and honest, something that she can’t help but feel lifting her spirits up.

 

She gave a proper smile. “Thank you sir.”

 

“Again, no need to be formal with me. Just Yagi is fine, at least while I’m like this.” he requested. “Tell me, has ‘the power’ done anything yet?”

 

She then looked down at her hands. It was hard to tell during the event but thinking back, when she made that Bakugou dummy she felt something… strange wash over her. Like there was this feeling under her skin that was crackling and trying to tear free as if she could do more than she should’ve.

 

She explained this to Yagi, who just nodded along as he listened. “I see. If it’s unfamiliar to you, then it must be it. Your Creation must be close to fully evolving, if not already.”

 

“How would I know when it’s ready, or even then what it is?” she asked.

 

“I cannot tell you. You see… I didn’t have a quirk when I received One for All.” he said, causing the girl to be shocked.

 

“You don’t?” she looked up at him.

 

“Shocking, isn’t it? Nowadays, being quirkless is near impossible with how quirks are so ingrained in us. I also know life is hard, especially now for people like that.” Yagi stated, seeming to think back on something in his life.

 

She’s never met someone who was quirkless. It feels impossible in today's age with how quirks are practically present around every corner. Even so, she can imagine the kind of life being powerless might be. Hitoshi himself shows what it’s like to have a society dubbed ‘villainous quirk’, she fears what it’s like not having one at all.

 

“I’ve helped the quirkless who still are out there through charities I’ve set up. At first I thought maybe I could pass One for All to them but it would be irresponsible of me to do so. Suffering does not merit power. Heart, wit and courage do and I can’t let my experience and bias affect my decision on who gets, got, this power.” he uttered to her.

 

“Sir- Yagi. I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you telling me this?” she asked, curious about where this was going.

 

Snapping out of his reminiscing, the man looked back down at her. “Oh, nothing just… remember: Anyone is capable of anything Momo, as long as they put their mind to it. But if you find there is a limit to what you can do, don’t worry, you’re still growing.”

 

He gave her shoulder another pat before walking past her. “Good luck in your next battles!”

 

And just like that he was gone and suddenly everything Momo was down about before had been forgotten. She took another look at her hands, creating a simple metal bolt and felt again that feeling of being able to push her power further. She doesn’t though, right now she needs to get her energy back.

 

Heading to the cafeteria, she joins her friends at a table with a plate filled with a lot of food she got from some food stalls. She was quite frankly famished. 

 

“Ah! Momo! It is nice of you to join us. Have you seen where everyone else is?” Tenya asked as she sat down.

 

Hitoshi, Izuku and Bakugou were nowhere in sight. She didn’t even notice when she walked up but she hadn’t actually seen them. “No. Why, where are they?”

 

“Bakugou went off somewhere with Yamazawa Hitoshi.” Uraraka said. “No clue on his brother.”

 

“Hmm.” Momo hummed, eating a takoyaki ball. “How strange.”

 

- - -

 

Shouto managed to drag Izuku, inside his puppet, over and away to some quieter part of the stadium. Everyone was going for lunch so unless someone was hanging back on purpose, no one should bother them.

 

He needed to talk. For some reason, when he saw this thing, ‘Gala’ he recalled, climbed up and lunged at him with such recklessness and desperation, he reacted in a way he never thought. It was on instinct, an awful instinct to use Endeavor’s fire, something he hasn’t done for literal years.

 

His father spent those years pushing him, pressuring him to an almost intense degree to get him to work more on that side. But he refused. It doesn’t matter how many times he shouts at him and orders him to obey, or calls his oath a mere ‘rebellious phase’. It wasn’t. Not in the slightest.

 

And yet all of that effort was undone. That streak of keeping to his word has now all crumbled thanks to this literal nobody, or at least that was what he would say at the start of the year.

 

Yamazawa was an enigma at the beginning and still is now after he found out more about him. His ‘dolls’ were more than just a way for him to move; they were masks to stop everyone from seeing what he saw. Knowing what he’s thinking and where he was looking at.

 

He knows this because from what he’s seen of him, the boy under the puppetry was far more readable than he thought. He had ticks and tells, would shift when he was uncomfortable and sound less confident when you could see his face. It was like a hermit crab in a way, all rough exterior but inside was something weak and vulnerable.

 

He can’t have that right now though but that doesn’t mean he can’t see some tells even in this form. How the doll would pause after certain questions for slightly too long, how the thing would vibrate a little showing the one inside was happy or even when something unexpected happened, he was as still and calculating as a pro.

 

“Todoroki, why have you called me here?” Izuku asked through the puppet.

 

It was still worth a shot though. “Can we speak face to face?”

 

He seemed to think that through before coming up with a response. “I’d rather not. If this is to get back at me for beating you, I’m sorry you feel that way.”

 

“This isn’t. I’m not petty. Just let me talk to you.” he asked in an aggressive kind of way.

 

“No. That’s final.” the puppeteer denied him, not budging.

 

“Fine.” he accepted. It would’ve been better but this will have to do. “You overwhelmed me and it made me break a promise I made many years ago. Your brother, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari. All of them didn’t feel it but I did. When you chased me there was something there that can’t be taught through lectures or training. You had ferocity and drive.”

 

“What I’m saying is, you have experience fighting that surpasses mine by a mile and many people in class too. So Yamazawa, tell me…”

 

“...were you really once Midoriya Izuku, the Dollmaker I’ve read about?”

 

The puppeteer was silent for too long, meaning he was either right on the money or he was confused. Yamazawa was never confused though so it had to be the latter. 

 

He looked into him ever since he heard about that ‘field work’ comment Monoma made. At first he thought he was a spy or some kind of agent but it looked like he was not that. A child forced into hiding due to a criminal father, the one who killed his mother and the same one he hunted down.

 

The vigilante who bordered dangerously close to being a villain and had almost killed a pro hero along the way who was now his adoptive father. The boy who was in a situation vaguely similar to his own, complete with his birth dad using fire too and scars that will follow him the rest of his life in the form of his frailness.

 

It was too perfect to his own life, that’s why he needed to know if it was true.

 

There was a click and the compartment on Gala’s chest opened, letting the greenette slip out and stand face to face with the other boy. His eyes were quivering a little but they were determined. Why the odd combination? He had no clue, all he knew was that those eyes burned like his with a halfhearted glare to boot.

 

“There’s no point denying it, is there?” Izuku typed on his phone, holding his gaze somewhat as his eyes kept darting away every few seconds. Shouto nodded once. “Yes. I am the same person that you read about. Dollmaker. Some articles might embellish a little but a majority of what is said is true. Why are you asking me this?”

 

The bicoloured boy steeled himself inside, ready to talk more openly. “Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?”

 

That clearly caught the boy off guard but not in the way he thought. “Yes, unfortunately I am aware. Though I have no proof and my situation may not really qualify as such, I was likely born with the intent of taking over my birth father’s criminal empire. He sought my mother out for her telekinesis quirk.”

 

“Then you could probably guess my situation, with this… quirk, that I’m the product of a more ‘official’ one.” he assumed.

 

The other boy nodded, looking like he wanted to say something but kept his fingers stilled at the last moment. Shouto continued. “My mother was arranged to wed my father, after he gave a generous sum of cash to her relatives in order to get access to her quirk and produce a means to ‘defeating All Might’.”

 

Yamazawa just listened quietly, letting him say his bit. He was thankful for that. “I didn’t want to be used as a tool by him. Especially after what happened with my mother. Every memory of her is just one in tears and fear. Of pain and sorrow.”

 

Shouto looked at his hands for a moment before looking at Yamazawa. His face was far paler than usual and he looked ready to throw up. “You know what I mean? My last memory of her was when she called my left side ‘awful’ and poured boiling water on my face all because it reminded her of my father.” he said as he reached up to touch his scar.

 

“I picked you out as an enemy, a threat, because I see you in the way of me proving I don’t need him. That I don’t accept him as my father and his power he’s forced on me. I’ll take first place with only my mother’s quirk.”

 

The puppeteer was shaking. He must feel the same. He understands where he is coming from. The contempt and hatred one can have for a person who was meant to be your carer, your rock, your idol and your guardian only to hurt you.

 

Shouto laughed a little, thinking over what he said. “It’s funny. You must be glad you look nothing like your father or his quirk. Meanwhile I’m here with his eye and hair as clear as day, resemblance to him so obvious…”

 

He then turned to the boy once more. “Why were you in my house? Were you just trying to find information or were you…?”

 

He waited for the other to answer, but they were shaking too much to type so he decided to take his leave. He just wanted to know that out there, someone could understand what he was going through, that someone could know-

 

“W-Wait!” a small voice squeaked.

 

- - -

 

Bakugou and Hitoshi stood around the corner from where Izuku and Todoroki were talking. Both were dead quiet, trying not to breathe too loudly or flinch when stuff got heavier than expected. They followed because they were worried for their friend, 

 

They didn’t know the bicoloured boy that well so when he took aside Izuku after his near loss, the blond suggested he was going to do some shit and he had to be there. No one was going to hurt his brother whilst he was around.

 

But then it turned into this and now he can’t decide between walking away or listening further. 

 

He doesn’t know Todoroki that well. On first impressions alone, he can see a boy kind of like himself in that he likes his own company. From the battle trials, he was cocky, trained yet inexperienced and most of all arrogant.  In the USJ, he held his own and though he never saw he assumed he looked out for Izuku too in the landslide zone.

 

Now he was seeing a whole new side of the boy and the number two hero. He knew he was a rough man, a bit too self serious but wow, bottom of his ‘most hated hero’ list. Bakugou seemed to share that sentiment with how serious he looked.

 

Now Izuku has stopped Todoroki. To say what? He didn’t know.

 

He couldn’t see him, but he knew he was shaking and fighting the need to run away and hide. “I k-know how easy it is t-to lose yourself. To let hate wi-win. But Todoroki… t-though I can a-agree you father is ba-ad… you won’t br-break free from him if you go-o down this path!”

 

His voice was a quivering mess and quiet enough to not break a decibel. “M-My birth father, I know he’s l-lived a long life. F-for all I know, I could have a dozen half-siblings out t-there. I know he’s probably killed th-thousands of people by his hand alone. I s-saw him burn my m-mother before me and cast her aside like a discarded t-tissue.”

 

Something in Hitoshi’s chest hurt. Izuku didn’t waver. “And it hurts. A-All of it, all those little t-things and big things. Knowing he was hunting me, knowing I c-couldn’t live, knowing he was out there. It b-burned inside me for ye-years and all I wanted to do was make him feel what I felt.”

 

“I wanted to kill him. I almost did it too.” the boy said coldly, his stutter fading the further he got into what he wanted to say.

 

“B-But then, I was shown I could let go. T-That I could let the people around me solve the issue for me or with me even.” he continued, a warmth blooming in Hitoshi. “It helped me find a way to move on from my m-mother’s d-death and realise Hisashi… my father… was controlling me beyond just scaring me.”

 

“He s-scarred me. Made etches in my mind I’ll never get out. H-He’s gone but, he’ll always h-haunt me one way or another. It’s bad. S-Sometimes I do something strange and wonder ‘would Hisashi have done this’? ‘Am I just as bad as him?’ ‘Should I stop to be safe?’”

 

“Even though I’m safe from him, he st-still controls me. Just like how Endeavor is controlling you. Y-you’re not doing what he wants but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t got a grip on you. Your every decision, thought, is about him. E-Everything you do is with him in mind and you can’t stop it.” Izuku continued.

 

Shouto spoke up, interrupting him from talking further. “Then how do I stop it? How did you stop him?”

 

“I didn’t. I just said he’s still there, influencing everything I do. I can’t stop it.” he to all of their surprises. “B-but… I found a way to make him quieter.”

 

“How?!” the bicoloured boy asked, raising his voice.

 

“I replaced his thoughts with others. About m-my brother, my dads, Kacchans, Momo, Tenya, Auntie Nemuri, Uncle Higari, all of them. They a-all talk over him. They drowned him out because their warmth burned brighter than his inferno.” he said.

 

There was quiet. Bakugou and Hitoshi looked at each other, both unreadable expressions but there was the smallest, clearest hint of pride and joy. The knowledge that they mean that much to Izuku, that just being there was helping him feel better; It felt as good as a fireplace in a winter kissed log cabin.

 

They heard something, the smallest voice that wasn’t Izuku’s before footsteps sounded out as Todoroki walked away. Followed a minute after by his brother climbing into Gala and walking out as well.

 

Bakugou rested his back against the wall and let out a breath as he slid down it to the ground. Hitoshi did much the same, the two just sitting there thinking over what was said and what it meant.

 

To them, not much. They can’t do much but…

 

“Should we tell the hobo about this?” the blond was the first to say.

 

“About what? How the number two is an abuser? Or how Izuku was inside his house at one point? I didn’t even know that.” the brainwasher uttered.

 

They stayed there in silence for a bit, each having their own thoughts about it before Bakugou spoke up. “When we were kids, after the zoo ‘Zuku asked me about what to do with his guilt over it all. I told him to just accept it and find a way to forgive himself even though he wasn’t the one who fucked up. I know that isn’t the same as what he said there but, I can’t help but feel good knowing I’ve helped him.”

 

It was a bit nonsensical. Maybe even out of place to say all that right now but he got what he was trying to say. There are times in life where something will happen that you can’t help but blame yourself for, even if everyone denies it to the world and back. It’ll eat you up inside. Guilt was a slow killer, frigid and freezing, that breaks you down piece by piece.

 

“I wonder if Todoroki feels guilty about being born.” Hitoshi said. “I’ve always wondered what life would’ve been like if I didn’t get my quirk and got something more normal instead. Would I still want to be a hero? Would I even care about that stuff?”

 

Bakugou interrupted him. “Don’t say that.”

 

“Why?” he knew why, he just wanted to hear it in words.

 

“Because if you didn’t have your quirk or didn’t have mine or if anything was changed about us, odds are… Izuku wouldn’t be around. At least how he is now so don’t go thinking like that, it’s stupid.” he answered.

 

“You’re right.” Hitoshi agreed softly, gazing up at the ceiling.

 

For a moment more they were quiet, in their own heads when Bakugou finally talked once again. “Do you think… I’d ever get like that? I mean, I know you won’t but…”

 

“Get like what?”

 

“Endeavor,” he uttered. “He’s determined to be the number one hero and so am I. What happens if-”

 

“Never going to happen.” Hitoshi shut down. “I’d be there… we’d all be there to give you the kick in the head you need to not become like that asshole.”

 

The blond let out a small laugh. A genuine, gentle one. “Like you could hit me that easy.”

 

“You’re right. The balls are more effective.” the brainwasher joked a little.

 

“Maybe we could give a kick like that to the flaming bastard.” he suggested, continuing to chuckle to themselves quietly.

 

…

 

Another bout of silence, more thoughts in the back of their heads surfacing. “Thanks.” Bakugou said.

 

“For what?” Hitoshi asked, almost tempted to tease but knew this was a proper moment.

 

“I know me and ‘Zuku are different. It’s hard to imagine the two of us being friends. Weird to imagine anyone being my friend but… I can’t help but feel we’re friends by proxy. Like if we met as complete strangers now, we’d never get along.” the boy explained.

 

“I get it. Even though I’m his brother, half the time I don’t get what’s going on inside his head. Especially when it’s through a doll. It feels like you’ve got to be in the know, to understand him.” the brainwasher agreed, looking over at Bakugou.

 

“For you though… okay this is serious and don’t be a little shit about it but… I tolerate your company. Better than most extras.” the explosive blond said, a clear cringe in his voice.

 

“What? I’m still not a side character in your epic saga?” Hitoshi asked, but unlike what he said he was kind of serious. He wanted to know if they really are friends or not. They’ve spent time training together, a good bit too but just because you spend time with someone doesn’t mean you have to like them or for them to like you back.

 

“I don’t know what you are.” he answered before jumping into a swear. “Fucking goddamit. At this point fuck it, you’re a friend. There, the bandaid ripped off.”

 

Bakugou continued to admit they were friends and he looked ready to bite back against any witty remarks Hitoshi had on it but that’s not what was coming. Even he was surprised by what came out of his mouth. “Can I call you Katsuki then?”

 

“Hah?” the other boy said, looking at him like he’s crazy. “I… sure. Fine. Do whatever the hell you want. I’m not your mother. Or father.”

 

“Then you can call me Hitoshi. Only fair." The brainwasher gave him permission.

 

Bak- Katsuki stood up, brushing off his clothes. “Let’s fucking get lunch. This moment’s getting too sappy for me.”

 

Hitoshi did the same. “Do you think we should say anything about what we heard?”

 

“No.” he said. “‘Zuku can handle himself. We saw that clear as daylight. If he’s got a problem, he’ll tell us.”

 

“And if he doesn’t?”

 

“You already said it. We give him a fucking kick in the head.” Katsuki said, walking on.

 

And the two went on their way to the cafeteria, leaving behind something old about themselves and coming out changed in how they see each other. How that’ll change as the tournament goes on, Hitoshi’s not sure. Their fight could be the first or the last or they might not even fight at all. Either way, one thing is for certain.

 

They’re friends. Shaky maybe but definitely friends.

 

And that left a small spark of warmth in both of their chests.

Notes:

Next Chapter:

Good Luck

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Dollmaker - MHA