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If there was one certainty in life it was this: every goddamn time a new vigilante hit the scene, Tsukauchi was going to pass it on to him.
Shouta wasn’t going to complain about it, because he knew that the best chance these vigilantes had of getting help was through him, but he wanted his grievances noted.
As a teacher, his heart twisted in discomfort about how young some of these vigilantes ended up being. Like that one that had gone by the name of Ghost. They had gotten on the wrong side of a fight and ended up being killed in action. It was only once they were dead that they learned the kid had only been twelve. Another he had lost before being able to help had been a quirkless kid going by the vigilante name Nemo. They had ended up being killed on their way home from school by some quirkist assholes with nothing better to do - Nemo had only been fourteen when they died.
It was unsettling to see vigilantism stemming from such young kids. Shouta saw it as a glaring flaw in the current state of society. Because there was no reason there should be so many of them. He could acknowledge that some kids fell through the cracks no matter how many safeguards were in place. But not this many. This was a loud signal that something was very wrong and not being addressed.
So when Tsukauchi handed him a file on a vigilante duo that was still new to the scene, he felt his heart dip in his chest. The photos were few and blurry, but it was impossible to miss how small the two of them appeared to be.
Two more kids had taken to the streets and now they were his responsibility.
If there was one thing he'd give them, it was their ability to sneak away. They had only been cornered by someone from the Underground once. Otherwise they slipped away undetected, unless it was of their choosing. Which meant they weren't hopeless. Shouta would take the win. Survival instincts were the bare minimum for vigilante hopefuls. They needed to stay on their toes if they were going to make it.
He never headed out with the intention to run into any of his 'vigilante side quests' (as his husband liked to call them), but he would never turn down a chance of trust building. If it happened, it happened. If it didn't, he had all the time in the world to bump into them.
The sound of a distant explosion had him on guard in seconds. He glanced in that direction and could see a plume of smoke coming from an unknown source.
Well, wasn’t that just fucking grand.
He maneuvered his way to that area, on higher alert when he registered the sounds of a struggle or disturbance. As soon as he caught proper sight of the scuffle, he found himself frozen in place.
Because there were his two new problem children fighting off a small army of thugs.
What the fuck had they gotten themselves into?
Shouta debated with himself for a bit. If he stepped in too soon, they’d bolt before he could get any words in. If he waited too long, they might get hurt.
Even with their larger-than-life attitudes as they battled like a well-oiled machine, he could see the inexperience there. There were gaps in their defenses that a well-trained eye would exploit. There were flickers of hesitation after landing solid hits where they realized they were actually fighting people. It wasn’t as much as it should have been for young teens like these two appeared to be. But it was enough.
The kid with wings shot away from his partner and took a couple of cronies down with a well-aimed wing that knocked them into a nearby wall.
The kid with the explosion quirk was doing similarly with the minions in front of him.
It was fascinating to see them work. Their strategy was rough around the edges and unpolished but it had a solid foundation. They were holding their own despite the odds stacked against them. It was quite the achievement for them being kids.
Goddammit he could already tell these two were going to be a source of stress for him.
Like most vigilantes, these two had already been given names by the underground community - Nightingale and Sparks. Fitting titles given their quirks. Aizawa hated when they had a ring to them because it became less likely he’d see them lay such a name down.
Shouta continued to debate if he should step in when he saw them take a few hits that had to hurt. But he was also hyperaware that this would be the first direct confrontation. It would spell their expectations for every other interaction that arose in the future. He had to play his cards right.
It was only once he noticed Sparks getting cornered by a few too many thugs that he leapt into the fray. Shouta activated his quirk right as one of the bastards was going to strike one of his problem children with a direct hit.
The vigilante seemed shocked by his appearance but said nothing as they worked together to start taking down the remaining thugs. Nightingale swooped by a few times and he was just as surprised to see him. Shouta figured there would be a chance for him to speak his mind after.
He used his capture weapon to wrap up a group of the unconscious ones, noting that Sparks and Nightingale both applied some sort of cuff to the ones they were nearest to.
Once the dust had settled, he turned to survey his two new vigilante charges (not his kids, shut up Hizashi).
The two of them stood close to each other, their visible wounds going ignored for the moment.
Shouta held his hands up in a hastened show of placation. “I’m not here to arrest you, I just wanted to check on you. That was a brutal fight.”
That had been his most important rule when it came to handling young vigilantes, that Tsukauchi trust him to handle the situation how he saw fit. If that meant putting off any legality centered things until he earned their trust, then so be it.
Their faces were covered by masks but he could see their hair colors, blonde for the taller one and dark green for the other. It was a subtle show of confidence. Or perhaps absentminded planning? Hair could tell a lot about missing persons if they were missing. If they had styled it or they were wearing wigs, that was another matter.
Everything Shouta knew of them so far spoke of kids that were cunning. Which meant having their hair on display was a sign of confidence.
Nightingale climbed onto the back of Sparks and stared at him. "Do forgive us if we don't believe that a pro hero isn't here to arrest us, Eraserhead."
So they knew who he was. That was certainly an intriguing development. Shouta relaxed his posture even more. "Believe it or not, my assurance stands. Are you in need of first aid?"
Burning scarlet eyes bore into him like brands. Sparks said nothing but it was clear he was on the defensive.
"No. We can handle it ourselves."
It appeared that Nightingale was going to act as their spokesperson, then. Shouta wanted to applaud their astute planning. If only one of them spoke, it was less likely that they'd reveal something they didn't intend to. Smart kids, but goddammit they were going to be problems for him.
Shouta scraped a cautious eye over what he could see of them in the darkness but nodded his assent. "Fine. If that ever changes, let me know. I know how to triage in emergency situations."
Nightingale tilted his head in silent consideration but said nothing. "Let Detective Tsukauchi know that this group was planning a raid on the Epsilon Development Company. They were after gear before they struck out on a higher level."
Shouta did his best to keep the surprise off of his face. These kids were knowledgeable. He wasn't sure what kind of future that spelled for them just yet. "Alright."
Nightingale placed a gentle hand on Sparks's shoulder. The other vigilante nodded. Then those intelligent eyes flickered back to him. Nightingale smirked and tossed him something before the two of them took off. "Be seeing you around, Eraserhead."
He glanced down at the object he had caught and huffed in pure amusement. It was a tiny crochet doll of himself. Those little shits.