Before the summer days where the teens aiming to be hero's trained till bones broke, or symbiotes plotted to consume flesh and bone till it was full. . . Before any of this occurred. An single important day happened to a certain mask wearing tentacle armed child that he would always be reminded of when asked about his mask.
As, Shoji worked in the backyard of his grandmothers house using his impressive strength to lift up old pallets from their resting places in the dirt. Originally, put here in order to act as an makeshift porch for his grandmother a few decades ago.
He wasn't forced to do this, but with his immense strength and regenerative ability he found himself taking a liking to helping around his family's house. Digging in the front yard in order to plant some old bush, or helping replace the old broken window due to an treebranch his father had forgot to cut down before an windy storm came into town.
Despite his silence, and his relative relaxation Workin like this. Shoji enjoyed this- He enjoyed helping his family and even a few neighbor's fix or take care of things. He, liked if not loved being useful or helpful. It was one of the main reasons he wanted to be a hero.
Something, Shoji didn't love was his weird mouth. Almost lipless with more flat teeth then most people and wide open mouth that couldn't fully close and hide those teeth, through his life Shoji did buy those filter mask that use to trend back in the early 2000s even going as far to collect some of the cooler one's.
Besides his hobby of collecting mask, and Working in the backyard in silence he still hated how his mouth looked so- Unnatural. Like he was some sort of victim of an Horror themed psycho villain on his weird jutted out chin. As he grunted, finishing dragging the large palette across the yard he turns his head, hearing the back door slide open as he turns his head he spot's his small happy faced, white haired grandma scooting outside the door.
In her old, wrinkled hands was an bowl of steaming hot chicken noodle soup- Which was admittedly an favorite of Shoji's no matter the time of year his grandmother calls out "Oh! Dear, don't work yourself to hard. You need some water and an snack dearie. You're mother told me how much you love Granny's chicken noodle soup."
Shoji chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck as he approaches his grandmother gently taking the bowls and saying "You shouldn't have. Thank you." As his grandma huffs chuckling saying. "You're out here working on my backyard the rat nest that it is. You deserve a little snack, and maybe some soda if ya don't tell your mother."
The grandmother says mischievously, winking at her grandson who chuckle's and says. "I won't. I'll go grab me a can in a second." As shoji heads to the door, ducking alittle bit to slip inside of the door he feels his grandma gasp causing him to jump, and bump the back of his head against the frame of the door as he hears. "I almost forgot dear! I was gonna give ya something I think you'd love."
She says, slipping through the door and past the groaning Shoji rubbing the back of his head as she quickly scuttles her way past Shoji and towards an old little pile of clothes neatly folded side by side. Some of which, were probably from his Grandfather Shoji noted slurping on the broth of the soup.
As his grandma reaches into the pile, and grabs an rather clean and black new smooth clothlike material, Shoji finds himself a bit curious as he ask. "What's that grandma?" One of of his eyebrows raised as he finished the soup now idly holding the bowl in the small laundry room between the backyard and the rest of the house.
As his grandma approaches him, she smiles saying "I took a bit of my monthly checks dear, and started to save up ya know. We're not the richest, but it was still enough to get you these dear." His grandma says, taking the bowel from Shoji's hand and jamming the black almost silken spandex like cloth into Shojis hand who only ask.
"Um- Grandma? What's this for?" As he grandma scuttle's down the short hallway and dumped the bowel into the sink and opened the fridge to get an soda for her grandson replies with "Ya see dear, Whenever your mother was busy and you needed somebody to pick you up dearie well- I noticed how weird you were about how your face looks. So, I bought some really special tailored mask for you, just like that Ninja hero you use to love when you were smaller."
Shoji glances at his grandmother, hmming for an second before slowly fitting the mask over his head and letting it settle on his jaw, and his neck. Hiding his face, and adding to his own look he notes, staring at the old mirror his grandma kept in the laundry room for trying on new clothes. It felt- Snug.
Not in a bad way, snug as in reaffirming as he hears "You do so much for everyone else my little hero. I thought you deserved an reward. I bought six more with them, to get you an weeks worth before needing to wash em." Shoji, smiled eye's the only indicator of his joy as he got to one knee, and hugged his grandmother. Not hard enough to hurt her, but it came close. Shoji saying "Thanks." Plain, and simply as his grandmother laughs hugging him back as she says "You deserve it my little hero. You've done so much already for my backyard."
Not dramatic, but simply an touching moment that helped Shoji nail down his final facemask. But he'd keep collecting mask, it was still a good hobby he mused, as he finishes off the day and this memory with a "Being a hero's gonna have it's perks isn't it. Maybe I'll get Pecan pies from sweet old grandmas like you granny." He says, causing his grandma to scoff as she replies "It's in the oven already Mr.Spoiled." which, resulted the both of them chuckling a bit as they went inside to finish the pie and take a small snack break.