Old Bones

A cup of coffee sat between his hands, the steam from it making a trail that followed the direction of the cold wind of Tokyo at night, with another one on his side behaving the same way. He was glad he had brought his jacket. The sounds of people going back and forth on the main street his rooftop overlooked, either adults going home from work or young people going out with friends to celebrate the start of the weekend, felt far away enough so that he could look at the crowd with a critical eye, but close enough that he could discern the distinct characteristics of quirks and faces alike. He was fond of that spot. Enough battles had started in that street alone that had helped him make a name for himself, so he had made his job to protect this particular area of the city. And people recognized him. The coffee he held had been given to him by old lady Ariadne, as was custom for all those times he had stopped the body of a thrown villain when it nearly destroyed the little cart.

Kotsu did enjoy his life.

"I swear, if some Hero with a stick up his butt like Endeavour saw THAT smile, they would kick you into the crowd and yell you to start patrolling", came a voice from behind him. Kotsu turned to see Nova, her red and yellow costume making her very easy to notice against the rooftop's grey.

"And if All Might saw me, he would most likely accept this coffee as an apology, leaving you without it, Kate", mocked Kotsu, handing her the extra cup. She sat down on the border of the rooftop and let her feet dangle on the edge, while taking a sip without any regard for the hot temperature of the beverage. As she did, her eyes shined yellow, as her quirk absorbed the heat. "And also, I AM patrolling. Only there's a difference between you finding trouble by moving and trouble coming to you by staying put".

"Cut the charade, Kotsu. You know you would never hear me complaining", said Nova in between laughs. By adopting that mentality, her popularity had surge as much as his in that part of town, adding a couple of ranks to her Hero number. It was, indeed, an effective method.

A couple of minutes passed, both on the side of the building watching the crowd. Kotsu suddenly started to look a tad grim. His smile fell and a concern look came into his face.

Noticing, Nova put her hand on the Bone Manipulation user. "Now what's with the face?" she asked him. Her only response was a finger pointing to a group of younglings entering a karaoke bar. "Please don't tell me you're going senile!" she laughed, hugging her sides while her laugh echoed in the cement behind her.

A small smile came into Kotsu's face "You know, it has something to do with that. Today is my birthday", he admitted. He honestly couldn't blame her for forgetting, as he nearly did himself. Life as a Hero made one see each day at a time, not thinking too much about the next. "I was just remembering my life, and how it all came here. I love it, don't get me wrong. There's no better feeling in the world than helping the guys down there, and it makes it even better when they actually thank you. But… It has all gone so fast."

Nova nodded, a bit ashamed at forgetting his birthday. "One day you do the exam at UA, the next day you're at your first Sports Festival, then your second, then your third, and suddenly you found yourself in battle after battle after battle… I understand".

"And in between all that, you start to wonder… do the people in your life stay there?" said Kotsu with a sigh, looking how the young entered the karaoke place. Nova opened her eyes in surprise. "When was the last time the old gang hang out? Second year? And then third came, and suddenly…" he left the sentence incomplete.

"Suddenly you lose some friends to this profession of ours" finished Nova, now understanding where did Kotsu's 'mid-life crisis' mentality came. She herself always ignored those thoughts. It made her feel old. "And then some of the most affected ones by it either quit, or don't talk anymore, or follow Alexis' path". Alexis, after her girlfriend's death at the hands of a villain, had gone out of her way in search of vengeance. Even if she got it, the villain's group hadn't been nice to her.

"I just… remember the last time we went out? How much we enjoyed ourselves? Remember who Jones tried to kiss?" he mocked Nova, a shade of red reaching her face. "HA! You do remember", he laughed as loud as he could, with her joining in a less scandalous way. "I remember I nearly tried to kill the bastard after that, though failed completely because SOMEONE had put some European whisky in my drink, so I end up going through the wall and just lying there". At this point, Nova's red shade was because of her laughter.

"That truly was a night to remember" she said between giggles. "Always with that silly crush on me you used to have. But don't worry, I really burned the bastard". Jones couldn't sit down for a week without it hurting. Their homeroom teacher had him sitting either way, mainly because everyone had blamed him on the presence of alcohol in Kotsu's system. "And don't go faking your wannabe-white-knight attitude, you end up kissing Anne. She was very happy with it, what happened to you two, I've always wondered" she asked.

"She discovered I was drunk, and assuming I would only have interest in her in that state, she left me and we never talked about it ever again." said Kotsu. He sipped his coffee. "We then didn't talk for… was it 2 weeks? Maybe 3? Either way, after that it all went ok" he finished, leaving his empty cup behind him. He then proceeded to grow a small chunk of bone from his phalanges, tuck it out of his finger and start using it to scrape the cement he was sitting on.

Nova nodded, looking at him with a smile. "Well, happy birthday anyway" she said. "You know, we could try to contact someone and celebrate a bit after our shift has ended. We could include your brother or someone from the old gang. Let's go to a bar and get a couple beers, that will cheer up your old bones" she said.

Kotsu smiled at her, though with a sadness in it that really showed that, even when young, he had lived enough. "My brother doesn't talk to me, and I doubt that anyone would want to come. It doesn't matter, but thanks for the offering, Kate", he stated. He knew he was being grumpy, but, at this point… it was what every birthday felt like when he finally realized it was that day.

Nova turned her body around to face him, with a hand on her chin and a thinking pose. Suddenly, she just placed her hand on his shoulder and said "You know what, then let's just go the 2 of us." She stated. "And I'm buying. See it as part of the gift for being a good friend through all these years".

"Hey, that is always an honor, Kate".

"Oh, is it? Then I have another think to thank this day. You just keep one-upping yourself, and see where that gets you" she laughed, hitting him hard on the back. Kotsu suddenly felt as he lost his balance, starting a fall to the ground. His quirk suddenly activated, 2 bone stingers from each forearm, lodging him to the side of the building. He generated a claw from each foot and use them to climb up.

"I hope it doesn't get me to a hospital, Kate" he laughed, as he sat down at her side, absorbing the bone structures back into his body. He turned to watch her and found her face very near his, with a glint on both of her eyes. Both his breath and his sense of direction stopped at that moment. Now that was a situation that could get any Hero killed, he thought, before his brain went haywire as her lips suddenly found his. She had closed her eyes, so he allowed himself to do the same.

Her lips were warm. He felt dumb just by thinking of it, due to the nature of her quirk, but it was the only part of his brain that had a thought that could be translated to words. The other parts where fighting between an impulse to run, to hug her, or to just scream in joy. He had forgotten his feelings for this woman. That 'little crush' that he had left forgotten truly had never died out. She started to push her weight onto him, so he just put an arm around her and pulled like his life depended on it. He started feeling her body heat, as well as the feeling of her chest near his. What was happening to him? He really hoped this wasn't a dream, or he would have the weirdest attitude when the real Kate found him the next day.

Suddenly, she stopped the kiss, pulling back with a smile on her lips and redness in her cheeks. He just could watch her as she put her hand on her cheek, and started giggling. "You look so confused" she said, obviously trying to hold back a laugh.

"I am" Kotsu admitted. He covered his face with his hands, looking at her through his fingers. He was at boiling point.

"Let's just say… I wanted to do it for a while, but never had the chance nor had that much interest in it. But you actually made me wondered, and I asked myself 'why not?'" Nova said, looking at the crowd. Letting out a contained breath, she continued "And today just felt right, you know? Or you didn't liked it?" she mocked him, turning her gaze to him and acting like she was trying to imply she was hurt.

"I…" Started Kotsu, when suddenly, an alarm came out of her pocket. She had to stop him right there with a hand gesture, while she took out a cellphone and brought it to her ear.

"Yes, sir? Ok. Yeah, I'm close. It will be an easy one, don't worry" she said to the phone before hanging' up. "So… Work calls. An ice villain to the west of here" she stated, standing up. Kotsu stood up as well. "I will have to go, but it's going to be a fast one, so let's meet at 10 at that German place where they serve the beer you like, ok?" She started to turn in the direction of the problem, when she spun on her feet and took a glance at Kotsu. What she found nearly made her roll laughing:

Kotsu had started to reach with his hand in her direction, old-movie style. He had frozen in that position, with open eyes and a full scarlet face. "I guess you DID liked it, didn't you?" flirted Nova, taking a step towards him.

Kotsu had the biggest and most annoying knot in his throat. Not a word or sound could escape it. He could have gone mute and there wouldn't have been a difference. He had to grab what was left of Kate's coffee, swallow it, and shout, in the higher tone he could "DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO GO?!"

Seeing Kate's shocked expression, he quickly said, now in a normal tone: "Sorry. Kinda hoped we could just go to the bar after this." He admitted. Nova was now smiling at him, with a hand on her hip. "But I understand, so… its ok" he continued as she take a step towards him. She then pulled his head towards her and kissed him again, a short kiss that felt even better than the first.

"Hey, if you want more, then come find me at 10, ok?" she said with a smile, while turning around and starting to sprint. When she had reached the speed necessary, her whole body was covered in flames and she was flying, like a meteorite. "German place, ok?" she said as she flew away. Kotsu couldn't help but stare, a smile finding its way into his face as she flew away to whatever battle she had due.

As silent fell around him, he heard a sharp whistle from the streets below. Looking down, she could see old-lady Ariadne, a smile and a look of satisfaction on her face that made him chuckle, as she gave him a thumbs-up. That nosy old lady really was one of his favorite people.

With an idiot's grin in his face, he started to sprint, and, in a couple of seconds he was parkouring on the rooftops, using his quirk to help him jump and climb. By doing this all those years, it came natural to him, leaving him free to wonder on nicer thoughts, like what had just happened that night. Patrolling with this kind of feeling really was a different, much better experience.

. . . . . . .

After a couple of minutes, he heard a cry for help. Reaching the alleyway where the shout had originated, he saw a businessman being thrown to a corner by a guy who looked old enough to be in college. He jumped down and, using his quirk to reinforce his bones in both composition and structure, he fell with enough strength to crack the ground.

"Hey, dude, I know it's a nice night for a bit of stealing, but last time I checked, it was illegal" he said with a smile, taking away his jacket to reveal a bare torso. His hero costume only consisted on shorts. It allowed him more versatility in battle, though the action of taking the jacket off when fighting did had an I-can-take-you air to it, so he always enjoyed watching the fear or the confusion it produced. However, going serious, he realized he had achieved neither.

Turning around, the attacker came into light, revealing a distorted appearance. He had black hair and a tired glance, but what immediately took Kotsu's attention was the huge amount of scar tissue that covered his neck and face, as well as some sort of rushed stitches between each patch of skin and scar. He looked as though he was bored, not wanting to be here. Without a word, he pointed a finger to Kotsu, looking him dead in the eyes.

Fearing an eye-contact based quirk, Kotsu closed his… until every nerve in his skin cried because of the sudden surge in temperature. Growing and exo-skeleton from his jaw, ribs, arms and legs, he protected himself from the dark fire that the villain had created in a heartbeat. Half a second later and he would have been ashes. Creating 2 small holes that would allow him to see, he tried to look for the Fire-user, however, he had already moved from his place. He was close, though, as the fire was still being generated from somewhere. At this point, the alleyway was a raging inferno.

First things first, though, saving the civilian. Locating him behind some dumpsters, Kotsu disassembled his bone armor, while also generating a surface similar to a riot shield on his left arm. Running in the man's direction, he pulled an ampoule from his belt, injecting himself with more calcium. Last thing he needed now was a case of deficiency. He grabbed his unconscious body and pulled him onto his shoulder. He needed to get him out of here. In the best case scenario, he was a coward and had passed out because of fear or shock. In the worst case scenario, he had monoxide poisoning, and was in need of medical attention. He started to run, while making the bones in his legs and his spine increase their durability, making it easier to cope with the extra weight. He started running to the exit of the alleyway, when his eye caught a weird color in against the wall. It was blood.

Leaving the businessman against the opposing wall, he approached the blood, noticing that it came from a ragged suit. A suit that, for some reason, rang a bell. Because it had belong to someone he had seen recently. Oh, right. It was the same colors as the one worn by the… businessman.

Kotsu didn't react fast enough to withstand the blow. A crying pain in the back of his head and suddenly his vision became blurry, as well as generating a ringing in his ears. He fell to the ground, cursing himself for not being able to at least increase the durability of his skull on time. He wasn't going to let that happen again, increasing the thickness of his skull. At the same time he hit the floor, however, another hit came, this time breaking his nose and some of his teeth against the ground. Great, now he had blood making breathing hard. WAS THIS AMATEUR HOUR?! Another strike came, but he was so confused now that any protection he had generated before had already gone away. And another. And another. Head, arms, torso, all hit by what he guessed was either a hammer or a baseball bat.

Turning around with the little strength he could muster, while also trying to generate enough bone thickness in some critical spots for some surprise attacks, he turned around to face the second attacker, and what he saw… what's the weirdest thing he had seen all day.

While the scar´s guy was looking down on him from a distance, the nearest person was a crouching down… naked girl. Girl just by guess, as the lack of clothes did made it somewhat difficult to guess an age. She was blonde, and was blushing as she smiled like she was high. She was holding a metal bat very close to her, as she covered with her arms, while she also talked to the Fire user.

"...want to kill him…"

"…mura asked for fighting types..."

"…looks cute, I want to kill him…"

"…can beat him to a pulp, but leave him al…"

"Come on, kill me." Kotsu mumbled, which startled the blond. "Do it, or I'm going to give you both hell, you assholes!" he shouted, with rage in his voice. He wasn't going to let anyone take him anywhere. He had always fought on his terms, and he would rather die on his terms that do any other thing.

Using what he had left, he controlled the bone of his canine, making it grow stronger and sharper, and launched it like a bullet in the direction of the male. However, as soon as he did, he knew that it wouldn't be enough. The guy just generated his black flames and reduced the projectile to cinders. Clearly annoyed, he stated "Knock him out while I call Kurogiri", and turned around. For some reason, the girl blushed, and the last thing Kotsu felt was how the bat connected with his jaw, making some teeth fly and knocking him out cold.

. . . . . . .

What brought Kotsu back to his senses was the smell of blood. Opening his eyes, he realized the darkness was nearly absolute, only source of light was a couple of skylights very high up, and the moonlight it let pass. His mouth and nose were covered in coagulated blood. Trying to move, he realized that he had his hands inside a metal contraption. Examining it closer, he realized they were the anti-quirk handcuffs. These things were used to hold Strength Enhancers. Bone manipulation was going to be useless against it. His legs were on the same boat, as well as chained to the wall. "Well, now that's a problem".

Looking at his wristwatch, he realized it was 9:40. As bad as the situation was, he couldn't stop himself of thinking about his date. "Talk about a sense of priority, dumbass", he said to himself, rolling his eyes. First things first: damage control. He used his quirk to mend any broken bones the psycho girl had left. As it all clicked into place, an idea formed into his head. One that would hurt. Like hell.

Placing himself on his left side, he started to control a rib. A single rib on his right side, making it grow on size. Starting to feel some pain as his skin started to stretch, he realized that he would have to reduce the duration as much as he can, so trying to avoid screaming, he made his rib grow and change structure until it ripped out of his chest, bloody and still carrying muscle. "GOD! FUCK!"

Breathing with difficulty, he rolled so that his rib was pointing to the chain, and with a single thought, he willed it to be expelled out of his body, pulling and cutting all the nerves.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Kotsu nearly blacked out again. Holding onto consciousness, he turned his hand and saw he had been successful. The chain was broken. He was going to pull himself to his feet, when the last thing that he wanted to happen came true. The sound of a metallic door opening, near him, from the dark.

Going silent, Kotsu hold his breath, not knowing how to continue. The likeliness of the new guy being a savior was minimum. The possibility of it being one of the attackers, or related to them, was huge. He was at a clear disadvantage in that case. He could still fight by using the bones in his torso, but using those wasn't as effective. Also, he was now bleeding, and he wasn't going to use his calcium reserve on regenerating the lost rib. Immerse in thoughts about strategies and fighting styles, he suddenly saw a man came into the light.

The man was… unusual, to say the least. Dressed in a suit, he stood tall, with a pose that showed some class. However, he had the weirdest, most overkill helmet on him. Black, it had a lot of tubes, and a dome where the face should have been. 'Classic villain outfit', Kotsu thought

The man approached him, without any shown worry. Kotsu waited, a drop of cold sweat running down his face. Every part of him screamed in danger, for him to run away.

"I'm getting out of here" he stated, to the surprise of the dark figure. Controlling the bones in his restrained legs, he jumped against the man as precise as he could, hoping to tackle him. However, the man just raised his arm. "Strength times 10" he said, with a cold voice and an evil, calculating tone. When Kotsu met his hand, it was like being hit by 10 trucks. He fell backwards, into the wall, and vomited blood all over his torso. Looking up, he saw the villain approaching him. He needed to do something fast. Raising his arms, with the restraints making it harder, he willed two of his ribs to shoot out like daggers in his attacker's direction, the adrenaline stopping him from shouting as hard as before.

Calmly, the mysterious man answered with a single sentence: "Shield times 1". Immediately, the bone daggers bounced of the air, landing on the ground. Rising his hand in Kotsu's direction, his fingers elongated at max speed, piercing Kotsu's torso. He opened his eyes in shock, as he felt a sensation akin to that of anesthetics. Just what was this guy's quirk?!

"You will do. You have a very interesting Quirk, young man. You should consider this an honor. However, I wouldn't be so cruel as to doom you to a quirkless existence. No, I'm afraid your journey ends here."

Quirkless? Honor? His mind leaving him, Kotsu couldn't make sense of this statement. He no longer felt any conection to his arms or legs, less of all to his bones. Looking up to the moon, barely visible through the skylights, he let out a sigh.

"Kate, sorry I won't make it. I had a good run." He said, thinking of their kiss. As the darkness took him away for the last time, the bone manipulation user let out a last smile.

. . . . . . .

So... yeah, first upload ever. Had an idea about a story with All for One, so I sacrificed one of my OCs ideas for it hahaha. Hope you liked it. Leave some feedback, even if its to tell me the flaws. Wear your seatbelts. Peace!