Warning: This is a double update, so read the chapter before if you haven't yet!
Disclaimer: I do not own MHA (BHA)
Zero to Hero
Chapter 20: Turning wheels: Part 2
Water splashed out of the bucket as Tenko flung it at the cement floor. Putting the bucket back in the cart, he took the mop on it and started doing what every janitor of U.A. was supposed to do.
Clean the damn hallways marked with sweat, grit, and every kind of disgusting liquid served with justice with vigorous amounts of killer intent.
He had accepted the job roughly two years ago, and it still sucked balls. Granted, the pay wasn't bad, it was actually pretty damn good for a janitor (But then again, being the janitor of a school who tended to have training grounds everywhere definitely deserved that much), it wasn't like all the people were annoying (The mic guy was irritating because his voice grated on Tenko's nerves, the r rated woman always insisted on him attending their drinking parties, but at least Eraserhead left him alone, what a relief), but the little brats running around?
They gave him seizures. Couldn't they keep their garbage to themselves and stop destroying so much school property? He was the one getting rid of all the debris because his quirk was that useful, and because it was technically his job but still. He had a right to complain.
After graduating from high school, he'd never thought he'd ever be in one again. He thought his days of avoiding the 'popular kids' and staying away from kids in general were over.
Summarizing: life sucked, but he would suck it up for his parents. Urgh.
"Shimura-san! Shimura-san!"
And this was his cue. He slapped the mop back onto the cart and tried to wheel it away, but the blue haired brat had already caught up to him.
"Shimura-san! How are you doing today? Are your hands doing okay? Is your neck fine? You're not bleeding anymore right?"
Hadou Nejire. Second year brat and a Grade A nuisance. Noisy, a natural airhead, and just plain annoying. Tenko had to hold back his urges of dropping a bucket onto her head too many times to count.
"I'm fine, twirly brat. Now move, you're in my way," Tenko narrowed his eyes.
"Hadou-san…Don't bother Shimura-san too much…" A dark haired boy walked up to them, muttering lightly as his eyes swam.
Amajiki Tamaki. Also a second year brat and a Grade C nuisance. Quiet and reserved, but muttered too much and couldn't even hold a conversation. He made Tenko feel like shoving a bunch of takoyaki in his face far too often.
"Tamaki! Hadou! Wait up!" A blonde haired boy shouted cheerfully as he ran towards them, bowing once he saw Tenko. "Ah, Shimura-san! It's good to see you!"
Togata Mirio. The last second year brat that bothered talking to Tenko, but he didn't know whether he deserved a grade B or S of annoyingness. Tenko sometimes wanted to take a picture of his face and slap it on the body of a video game character.
"The feeling is not reciprocated," Tenko replied in annoyance. "Now move, damn it. I'm trying to do my work here." That wasn't a lie; he really had to clean Gym Gamma because fucking Hero Class B had to have that kid with the puking tendencies-
"But, but! I have something to tell you, Shimura-san!" Hadou swung her arms up and down, looking at him with an energetic smile.
"Ah…I actually do too…" Amajiki muttered, his hands shoved in his pockets.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me!" Togata brightened up, and the three of them shuffled around before they all stood in front of him in a straight line.
They bowed simultaneously, the deepest bow being Amajiki while Hadou was the shallowest.
"Thank you for helping us the other day!"
Tenko threw a bucket at their heads. It clanked lightly on Hadou's head before landing loudly on the ground. Hadou pouted as she rubbed her head. "Idiots! Don't make a scene in the middle of the damn hallway!"
Amajiki sunk to the ground, wrapping his arms around his legs. Tenko swore he could see a doom cloud form above him. "I knew it…I knew this was a bad idea…"
"Tamaki! Don't be like that! We all know Shimura-san didn't mean it!" Togata tried his best to cheer up his childhood friend.
"Ehh, he doesn't?!" Hadou put her hands to her mouth in surprise.
Tenko held his head in his hands.
Brats.
…That reminded him. He briefly wondered what the small green bean and half and half were up to these days. He hadn't visited that mini brat's grave in a while as well. He might as well drop off a box of pretzels later on, he mused as he pushed the cart past the three in hopes of getting away.
Hadou managed to block him once again with a cheery smile, dragging Amajiki by the scruff of his uniform with Togata still spewing out phrases that could exist in the all too famous shounen manga.
He cursed in his head and had to remind himself that no matter how tempting it was, he was not allowed to fling his cart at another student again. Nezu made quite sure of that when he threw the damn thing against the group of shit stains who thought that ganging up on the Tin-tin looking boy and spineless octopus the other day in gym class was a fantastic idea.
There were two things Shimura Tenko hated the most in the world after all.
Mindless idiots, and worthless people who did absolutely nothing.
XXX
"Zero-chan!"
I let out a small puff of air as Alter crashed into me, her arms wrapping around me. She started rubbing her cheek against mine, but it wasn't strange or unfamiliar compared to the first time she did that. I supposed that I was getting used to it.
"Yo, Zero, what've you been doing? I saw you just now!" Double approached us and questioned, his head tilted. Before I could answer though, the door behind me opened, and Blister entered the room. My eyes travelled to the new burns on his arms and legs, and I wondered how he was holding up.
"Oh, Blister-kun! Are you okay? You look all wrinkled." Alter asked, her eyes flashing in concern.
"Yeah dude, are you okay? We weren't worried at all!" Double added in, the material around his forehead wrinkling.
Blister rolled up his sleeves and showed them to us. They looked bad; his once peach colored skin was purple and wrinkled, the crudely stapled on surgical staples standing out against the color. "My legs look about the same. Don't worry, I'm fine. My quirk just backfired on me and I miscalculated the amount of gunpowder in my new creation."
"You should be more careful," I pointed out. "It all happened during a mission. Your injuries would've been worse if the bomb didn't take all the enemies out. Do you have some sort of fetish with burns?"
Everyone in the room paused and turned to look at me. I blinked.
"Zero-chan, where did you learn that word?" Alter's voice was sweet like honey.
"I heard Double talking about it with Blister yesterday. Was I using it wrong?" I tilted my head. Alter turned to send an expression that was a mix of a pout and a glare, and Double started waving his hands around.
"I-I didn't say anything like that, I swear! My mouth was all loose!"
"Double-kun! You're at fault too, Blister-kun!" The glare-pout on Alter's face would not fade.
Blister let out a sigh that showed how troublesome this was for him. He rolled his sleeves back down and walked towards the entrance, grabbing a long black coat off the coat rack. "Whatever. I'm going to go out for a while."
"Can we come?" Alter asked, her expression going back to her normal one. "We've been doing nothing but lounging around and taste testing Haze-san's drinks all day!"
"I was getting bored too! Take us Blister! We have so much to do at home!" Double added in, already grabbing his hoodie.
"May I come too?" I asked, looking at Alter. "I was planning on taking a walk anyway." She smiled enthusiastically and nodded.
"Of course! Hey, let's all go out! Haze-san, do you want to come too?" Alter looked at the misty bartender who was wiping the counter.
"I'm afraid I must decline," His tone was polite. "Boss has requested my appearance at headquarters, and I must get going soon if I do not want to be late."
"Aww! Alright, promise you'll come with us next time! Come on Zero-chan, Blister-kun and Double-kun are already out the door!" Alter put on her navy sweater that was lying on the couch while I grabbed a black parka. She took me by the hand and pulled me along while talking about the new knife she wanted to get, following the two boys who were walking ahead of us as they talked about explosions and weapons.
I felt the edge of my lips twitch.
It's warm, the voice in my head sighed contently.
XXX
Midoriya Izuku had been through his share of frightening experiences.
But when his idol since childhood turned into a skeleton in front of his eyes, he was almost a hundred percent sure that the world was ending somehow and this was the start of some sort of apocalypse.
He wasn't sure how it all happened. He remembered getting attacked by a slime villain and All Might appearing only moments later to save him. He remembered getting woken up by rapid, yet surprisingly gentle slaps. He remembered feeling really happy when All Might remembered him from four years ago, and felt immensely embarrassed when it was because he saw the picture of Shouto, him and Ochako dressed for the gala that had slipped out of his pocket.
Then…he mentioned something about Ochako that Izuku couldn't hear about. He got closer to the big hero to hear him better, but All Might had suddenly mentioned that he needed to go, and took off. What he didn't expect was that All Might's foot had somehow snagged on one of the hooks and straps that were attached to his bag, and before he knew it, he was flying through the sky while dangling from the number one hero's foot.
That was an experience he never wanted to have again.
All Might had realized that fact only less than three seconds later, and landed on a nearby building to drop him off when steam suddenly started billowing from his mighty body, and he was suddenly all bones with no meat.
Izuku nearly screamed and fainted.
He felt even worse when he had asked All Might what had happened, and when All Might explained his story.
"I'm…I'm so sorry," Izuku apologized regrettably, holding his notebook to his chest tightly. "I shouldn't have asked something so personal."
"It's okay, young Midoriya. It is my fault in the first place for letting you see me like this," All Might grunted as he stood up, letting go of his white shirt that fluttered down to cover his wound. All Might smiled lightly when he saw Izuku still looking like he had stomped on a squirrel.
"Then, how about a question for a question?" He suggested a way for the boy to feel less guilty.
"H-huh? O-Of course!" Izuku nodded frantically. "If there's anything I can do-"
"Now, now, it's just a simple question." All Might let out a small chuckle, wiping away the blood on his lip. "As I was picking up your notebook, I saw glimpses of what seemed to be hero information on it, but that wasn't all. There was a lot of information about the villain news, recent and old," His blue eyes narrowed slightly, and Izuku gulped.
"They seem to be too well written. There's even some information on there that isn't known to the public. May I ask where you heard about them?"
Izuku's hands were shaking when he took a small breath in, and started to speak. "I…I ask Shouto-kun about them. Since that his father is the number two hero, Shouto-kun sometimes hear his father talking on the phone at home. He just tells me the things he hears, because he knows that I…collect info."
"Why, young Midoriya? Why do you need that much information?" All Might's eyes narrowed even more until Izuku couldn't take it.
"Because I want to be a hero!" Izuku blurted out. "I-I know that I'm quirkless, but you told me that there are many types of strengths! You inspired me, and of course I had help from many people, and I just…I couldn't give up on my dream." His fists clenched as he looked down.
"I've already decided that I won't let my shortcomings take away what I want to do," Izuku muttered softly, tracing the outline of his pocket where his most precious memory was. "So, I'm trying to find my own way to fight, All Might. That's why I collect information. Because that's the only thing I can do now."
All Might was quiet for a moment. Izuku didn't dare look up, his legs were trembling and his hands were shaking as well, but he bit his lip and stubbornly focused on the ground. He heard rustling, and slightly looked up to see All Might standing and leaning on the fence of the roof.
"Young Midoriya," All Might's voice was soft. "I am glad that you took my advice to heart. What I said to you back then, I truly meant it, and I also do now. There are many types of strengths, and if you want to get stronger, you should find the weapon that only you can wield," His blue eyes dimmed.
"But there are monsters in the world that can and will destroy you, no matter how sharpened your weapon may be."
Izuku held his breath as All Might turned to face him, his eyes sad and full of regret. It was an expression that Izuku had never seen before, it was an expression that dug deep into Izuku's mind and scarred his brain to stay in there forever.
"Young Midoriya, I truly admire your spirit to be a hero despite your condition. But without a quirk, no matter how much information you gather, there is a higher risk of losing your life. I do not want to see that moment happen," All Might's tone was soft, gentle, and it made Izuku want to cry. "And I'm sure that young Uraraka will feel the same."
All Might pushed himself off the fence and started walking towards the exit. "The hero work is not the only noble job in the world. Take the police for example. Even though there are some who make fun of them, their job is as equally important as a hero's." He paused at the door and turned back to look at Izuku.
His lips lifted slightly, but Izuku could only stare at him. "Goodbye, young Midoriya. May our paths cross again someday."
The door shut with a click, leaving Izuku alone with his thoughts.
All Might told him that he shouldn't be a hero. He was worried about Izuku, but he didn't believe that Izuku could as well. All Might, his idol, the number one hero.
His hands couldn't stop shaking, so he gripped his notebook tighter to try and stop them. His thoughts spilled out in murmurs. "No. No. She wouldn't. Ochako-chan, she told me she knew I could be a hero. She believed in me to the very end. Shouto-kun feels the same way, I'm sure of that."
His voice was quivering. If he gave up here, everything that he had worked for would be for naught. All the days he spent data collecting, building his body, doing everything he could just to get even a step closer to his dream, he couldn't just sacrifice all of that.
He didn't want to give up.
His eyes were watery before he realized it. He sniffed, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his gakuran, and exhaled, looking up at the sky.
If Ochako-chan were here, he breathed. She would want him to try. She would want him to become a hero no matter what, because she believed he could do it.
Shouto-kun wouldn't have gone through so much trouble if he didn't believe in Izuku as well. He was the one who suggested his training, who pushed him to his limits and never held back because he knew Izuku was capable. His mother was always thinking of his health, making balanced meals to fit his training schedule. She was there to pick him up when he was down, she was there when he just needed someone to talk to and be comforted.
He had people who believed in him. If that wasn't enough, what was?
Izuku clenched his hand into a fist, determination flooding into him.
XXX
Deku wanted to go to U.A.
Fucking Deku had the guts to stare back at him without flinching.
Was Katsuki okay with that? He sure as hell wasn't, but he wasn't going to show that in front of his lackeys. He had sworn to ignore that little nerd because he couldn't spare any time to care about him, if he broke that oath now, it would make Katsuki seem like an idiot.
Deku looked less puny now, a small thought echoed in the back of his head. He looked taller. Less flimsy.
He already fucking knew that. If Deku was getting better, then Katsuki had to push himself to the absolute limit. There was no way he would let that nerd get the upper hand.
Fifty pushups, run for an hour, sixty sit-ups-
Plunk.
Huh? He felt like he had kicked something awfully heavy.
He looked down to see a plastic bottle with something green inside, but that was all he could see when the green suddenly popped out of the container and engulfed him, blocking his view. Something was curling, molding around him, something cold, wet, and slimy and it felt horrifyingly disgusting.
The last thing Katsuki remembered doing was opening his mouth to scream.
XXX
We were in the middle of shopping for miscellaneous items when the store next to us blew up.
Most of the customers in the shop ducked behind a shelf or something for cover, while some stood stupidly while holding their hands up and screaming. The blast was strong enough for some debris and such to fly and break into the store we were in, shattering the glass and spreading it everywhere. The normal people in the shop decided that this was not their time and bolted out almost immediately when the blast settled down, and in no time at all, we were the only ones left.
"Well," Blister started, brushing the off the dust on his shoulder. "That was unlucky. I was planning to go to that store next."
"Woah, that was a big blast! Should we get out of here?" Alter pouted as she laced her fingers behind her back. "Why did this have to happen today?"
"Damn, is this karma? I've only done good things in my life!" Double added in, his tone a little sullen and disappointed. It was a little unnerving to see the normally energetic man be down.
Another blast occurred right across the street. Blister rolled his eyes and stepped over the glass shards, heading for the door. "You guys can go back. I'm going to loot around and swipe anything I can find."
"You're going to try and steal in this situation? Totally chill bro!" Double did a thumbs up as he followed Blister.
"Flashy, unprofessional villain attacks are usually the best times for another criminal to get to work," Blister shrugged, his eyes darting behind to find Alter, Double and I following him. I looked up at him.
"Lead the way," I said. "We might as well accomplish what we originally came here for."
"Go, go, go!" Alter cheered, throwing her hands up in the air. "I wanna go to the butcher's! Maybe there's a knife there for me!"
"Let's do our stuff! I'm completely fine doing this alone!" Double pumped his fist towards the ceiling.
It might have been an illusion, but I thought I saw Blister's mouth twitch ever so slightly.
XXX
Izuku saw smoke. He saw smoke, which meant something big was happening near the area he was in, and that called out the immense urge in him to check it out. The conversation with All Might before echoed faintly in his mind, but he shook his head and took out his notebook and pencil. He rushed towards the black tendrils coiling up in the air, maneuvering through the streets expertly.
He could smell it before he saw it.
Fire. The whole street was most likely covered in fire. There were a lot of people crowding, just watching while the crime scene happened, like this morning. He tried his best to push through the gaggle of people, eyes scanning and his brain straining to recognize the situation.
"What the hell is that?!"
"The whole street is burning!"
As he'd expected, the entire street was covered in flames. Buildings were on fire, some parts of the street were blackened and burnt, and all in all, it looked like a scene out of a fire pit hell.
"What are the heroes doing? Why aren't they doing anything?"
"Maybe they're waiting for backup?"
There were three heroes, all of them whom he'd seen before. Kamui Woods, Mt. Lady, Backdraft and Death Arms. They were saving the civilians, helping them out of the burning area, but they were not doing anything else. Why weren't they attacking the enemy?
"Look, there's the villain!"
Then, his gaze focused in the middle of all the destruction, and the notebook dropped to the floor.
The slime villain. It was the same one that had attacked Izuku, but why was it here? Didn't All Might capture it in a plastic bottle? As Izuku's thoughts churned and processed, he came to the deadly conclusion that the hero must have dropped it while flying, but he was too distracted by Izuku to realize that.
Although it was an accident, it was practically his fault, he realized. It was his fault that the villain got away, his fault that this had to happen, and now, because of him, some poor guy was probably suffocating in the slimy liquid like he had-
"There's a kid in there! Was he taken captive?"
"Somebody do something!"
The world around him stopped.
Blonde hair. Red eyes. With hands sparking like fireworks, his teeth gnashed against each other, the boy he'd known since they were little was trying so, so hard to break free on his own. The slime swirled around him, jerking him back by the mouth with only his eyes revealed. When his crimson gaze focused on the increasing crowd far away, Izuku knew that he would've recognized that look anywhere.
Because a long time ago, when he was sure the world was against him, he'd seen that look everyday in the mirror.
Kacchan.
His legs moved on their own.
XXX
We were in an alleyway, that much I could register.
"This is amazing! There's so many stuff people left behind!" Alter grinned as she admired the butterfly knife in her hand, her cheeks pink and her eyes hazy.
My gaze was focused.
"Get a load of this! I'm not gonna show you anything!" Double whistled as he dug around in his pockets.
My heartbeat, I could hear my heartbeat drumming in my ears.
"I got the stuff I needed," Blister commented, his tone calm with a tint of relief. "This'll last me for a while."
My head, it was spinning. Why was the world spinning?
"…Zero-chan?" Alter's bright yellow eyes popped into my line of sight. I could faintly see the concern reflected in them, but I couldn't look away from the scene in front of me.
The one I assumed that was the villain responsible for this mess was a green blob of liquid. Its eyes and mouth was the only solid looking thing in its body. The green liquid coiled and curled around a boy- he was wearing a gakuran, he couldn't be younger than a junior high student- and I couldn't tear my gaze away from them no matter how much I willed myself to.
The boy, he was a blonde. His hair was spiky, untamed, explosive-looking like a puffer fish. His eyes that swam around in panic, in fright, were a crimson red. He was shouting, screaming, pleading for help even though not a word of that sort escaped his mouth.
…Who…was…he?
XXX
People were screaming, the heroes were shouting at him to get back, 'What was he doing?' he thought to himself, but it was as if his body was on autopilot. His legs surged forward, his eyes automatically scanning for any kind of opening, when he noticed that the only solid thing was the villain's eyes and mouth. When one eye noticed him and the villain hesitated, Izuku took that opening and threw his huge bag at the eyeball, managing to make it flinch with an angry roar.
Izuku managed to reach Katsuki before the villain could react, but now that he was here, he had no idea what he was supposed to do next. He really, really should have thought of something better.
Katsuki was able to free his mouth in that moment. His voice was raspy and shaking. "Deku?! What the fuck-"
It was Kacchan, it really was Kacchan. His thoughts spilled out of his mouth without second thought.
"Don't!" Izuku screamed, his vision blurring as he clawed away at the liquid. There had to be some way, some kind of way to get him out. "Don't call me that! Don't say anything! I know! I know what you want to say!"
Katsuki gritted his teeth, his eyes livid with fear and another emotion Izuku couldn't point out. "Why are you even here?! You're quirk-"
He knew. Of course he knew.
"I know I am! I know I'm crazy, I know I should be happy seeing you like this!"
He should've been happy, delighted even. The person that had caused him to jump off a building was in pain. He was scared. He was finally feeling a fraction of what Izuku had felt for years. In his mind, he knew that what Bakugou Katsuki did to him was unacceptable, unredeemable, and that this was supposed to be his punishment for all that he had done to Izuku.
If it were any other person, they probably would feel so.
But he couldn't. He didn't.
"But I can't!" He cried, his green eyes looking up to glare at Katsuki. His eyes were wet, his lips were trembling, but his voice rang out loud and clear.
"I just can't leave someone who looks at me like that!"
He just couldn't. Even if that person was Bakugou Katsuki.
XXX
Vibrant, dark green. Green, curly, shorter hair, green, shining, wet eyes-
Alter was shaking me by my shoulders. Blister's and Double's voice were fading into the background. All the noise around me was dissolving into gray, fuzzy disturbances.
I couldn't hear, I couldn't think, all I could do was watch.
The green haired boy who ran recklessly into the blazing fire, he was clawing helplessly at the liquid. His feeble attempts meant nothing, the green slime still intact.
He's trying to save him. He's trying to get him out.
They were talking, screaming, crying at each other, but I couldn't hear anything. My head was ringing, my vision was blurry, but there was something buried deep in me, something was trying to reach out, to tell me something- but I had no idea what this feeling was.
The slime was reaching out. I realized that its target was the boy with the shining tears and brave cries.
No. Stay away, go away, GET AWAY FROM HIM!
My hands moved before I could think.
XXX
"Huh…You, get away…It's just a bit longer…" The villain groaned, recovering from Izuku's cheap shot. "So…Stop getting in my way!"
The slime moved towards him, and Izuku braced himself. Katsuki roared, tears glimmering in his eyes.
XXX
The building next to me was crumbling, getting torn apart because of the fire.
I activated Zero Gravity on it to rip a sizable chunk off, the cement weighing lightly in my hands.
With my aim locked on the villain, I swung my arm back and threw with all the power in my body.
Deactivate, the voice inside my head muttered as I smashed my fingers together.
XXX
Something happened. Something entirely miraculous, unbelievable happened right in front of his eyes.
A chunk of debris flew towards them and nailed the villain in both of his eyes. The sharp edges dug into them, causing blood to flow and for him to scream in pain. The villain's grip loosened, the liquid no longer coiling around Izuku.
He didn't miss the chance. He grabbed Katsuki's arm, and pulled.
Katsuki aimed his arm behind him and let rip a strong blast. That was enough for the two boys to be free of the slimy, green liquid and send them tumbling across the road. With the two of them panting on the ground, their clothes torn and tattered, Izuku only had a moment to realize that he was still holding onto Katsuki's arm before the villain let out another roar.
He directed his fearful gaze back to the slime, and the feeling of dread caught up to him when it glared furiously at them, its eyes only slightly open with red dripping down onto the concrete.
"YOU!" It roared. "I will not let you get away! You're the perfect vessel! Get back here!"
Izuku's legs trembled. He couldn't stand.
Was this how it all ended?
He felt Katsuki pull his arm away from his grip, and he turned his head to look at the blonde.
"Ka…cchan?"
"Deku," His voice was shaking; quivering as were his hands, but Katsuki somehow managed to push himself up to his feet. He couldn't believe his eyes when the taller boy staggered, pushing himself to stand in front of Izuku, his arms out and his waist lowered.
"Get up, nerd," Katsuki was forcing himself to speak. "Get up and run. Get away."
"B-but!"
"I SAID GET UP AND RUN, QUIRKLESS IDIOT!" Katsuki yelled, his voiced strained and raspy.
If he was who he had been, there was no doubt he would have.
But he didn't spend all that time training for nothing.
His legs stopped shaking. He managed to get up, but instead of turning tail and fleeing, he stumbled next to the blonde, his body forming a stance that was already too familiar to his body. His right feet positioned behind his left one. One arm placed under his chest with the palm facing up, another arm pushed outwards.
It was a pose that he'd seen Ochako done many times when she was sparring against Shouto.
"No," He whispered, only soft enough for Katsuki to hear. "I'm not going to leave you alone."
This was a stupid idea, his thoughts chimed. But it was the only thing he could think of.
The slime broke in their direction. Katsuki palms sparked and Izuku's eyes spotted a piece of debris he could use.
It happened too fast for him to comprehend.
Because the next thing he knew, he was being pulled behind by the arm while a ridiculously strong wind blew from behind, and a laugh that was the most reassuring sound he'd ever heard in his life rung out loud.
"I AM HERE!"
All Might.
He came.
XXX
"Zero-chan! Zero-chan!"
"Ah, the fuck- we need to scram now!" Blister yelled and picked the little girl, tossing her over his shoulder as they made their way out of there.
Fuck, shit, hell, Blister cursed in his head as he put an arm on Zero to make sure she didn't fall off his shoulder. What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly pull a stupid-ass move that was risky as hell? Why did she seem like she was seeing a ghost when she stared at the damn crime scene?
So many questions were swimming around in the black haired man's mind, when he felt her grip tighten on the back of his coat.
"I…I…"
"Save the shit for later, short stuff," He said gruffly, keeping his eyes trained on the path in front of them. They weren't too far from the hideout; it would only be a few more minutes more.
"Zero-chan! Are you okay?! Were you hurt?" Toga had noticed that the girl was awake, immediately jumping to his side to look at her.
"Zero! What was up with you back there? I couldn't care less!" Double's voice was laced with worry as well.
"My head… it hurts…" She muttered, her voice tight with pain. "It feels like something…is trying to tear me apart… I…I…"
They reached the hideout. Blister slammed the door open without any warning, and scanned the bar. No one was there, not even Haze at the counter, so he suspected that the man was still at headquarters.
He dumped her on the couch before gripping the counter and throwing himself over it to reach the shelves. There has got to be something in here, he told himself as he rummaged through the neatly lined bottles. He saw Double doing the same, searching the other side, while Toga had rushed to Zero's side, taking her coat off and trying her best to talk to her.
A bottle caught his attention. It wasn't like any other; it was small and white with a blank blue label. He reached for it and looked inside to see small, white pills. They looked familiar somehow.
He recognized them as the pills that he saw Haze feed Zero, the pills that he felt that they were more than just simple medicine.
He took one out and snuck it into his pocket, closing the bin and putting it back where he found it. After rummaging some more, he finally found some painkillers. To his surprise, Double had already gotten a glass of water ready, and they headed on over to the couch to find that Zero had already passed out, her face deathly pale.
After putting the glass and medicine down on the coffee table, Blister let out a deep sigh and sat on the couch across from her, leaning back.
"Alter-chan? Did she say anything before she woke up?" Double asked, sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Toga was sitting on a chair nearby, her knees tucked into her chest. The normally smiling girl was frowning, her eyes narrowed and voice uncertain.
"She said that she knew them," Toga muttered. "She said she saw them before, but she fainted before she could say anything else."
She paused before looking at the two males in the room. "Blister-kun, Double-kun. I think, there's something wrong with Zero-chan. And it's not only her. I think there's something wrong with…"
She trailed off, her arms tightening around her legs. Double was silent for a surprise, facing the ground with his expression hidden behind his mask.
Blister let out another sigh, covering his eyes with his arm.
Tell me something I don't know, he muttered in his mind.
He supposed it was time for some real snooping now.
XXX
Izuku was walking home alone, buried deep in his thoughts as he gripped his yellow, slightly burnt backpack.
He received a scolding from the other pro heroes at the scene after All Might defeated the villain. They told him not to be reckless, that he could have lost his life. In contrast, they praised Bakugou for his courage, for his determined will because he didn't give into the villain in the end.
He stopped walking. He bit his lip as his eyebrows furrowed.
Why did he pull that reckless stunt anyway? It was Bakugou. He wasn't someone who needed pity, or anyone to save him. He was strong, arrogant, mean and so, so frustratingly thick-headed.
Maybe that was why Izuku couldn't hold himself back when Bakugou made that face, that face that screamed 'Help me!', because Bakugou Katsuki was never one to ask for help.
He let out a frustrated sigh and continued walking. He had dropped his notebook and it got loss in the fray, and when he checked earlier, the picture that he had held onto dearly was missing from his pocket as well.
Well, this day couldn't get any worse, he thought glumly.
"I AM HERE!"
"Waaaah!" Izuku let out a nearly girlish scream as All Might suddenly rushed in front of him.
"All Might?! What are you doing here?! Weren't you surrounded by reporters?" Izuku asked, his tone still slightly high pitched from the shock he received from earlier.
The hero was as gallant as ever with his pearly white teeth shining against the rays of the sunset. "Haha! Shaking them off if nothing to me! After all, I'm All-" His speech was cut off by harsh coughing and blood spilling out of his mouth as his muscled form steamed away to reveal the bony stature of the number one hero.
"A-are you alright?!" Izuku asked, his tone slightly panicking as he worried for the tall man. "Should I get you a first aid kit or something?! Maybe you need some rest, I'll be on my way so that you can-"
"Hold on, hold on," All Might wiped the blood off of his mouth. "I'm fine, young Midoriya. I thank you for your concern, but truly, I am okay."
"If you say so…" Izuku trailed off, his brow still furrowed in worry. "Um, so, why are you…?"
"Young Midoriya," All Might's tone was firm, and it caused Izuku to straighten his back. "I've come here to thank you and revise what I said earlier. After seeing you today, I have decided that I was wrong in what I thought of you."
"…Huh?"
"You were the one that spurred me into action," All Might continued. "I do not know if young Uraraka have told you this, but during our second meeting, I told her that I would sacrifice myself if it meant I could save thousands. If it weren't for you, I would have gone back on my word. I would have been nothing but full of lies. So I thank you, Young Midoriya."
He felt an indescribable emotion grip at him as All Might smiled, his sunken, blue eyes glinting.
"But…I couldn't do anything in the end," Izuku confessed, his hands shaking. "It was all pure luck…And it was my fault in the first place that it all happened!"
"It was an accident," All Might said firmly. "It was not your fault."
"But," He felt his lips tremble. "I caused so much trouble for so many people…Indirectly or not, I was one of the reasons that it all happened. I'm…I'm so sorry, All Might."
He bowed his head deeply, his heart squeezing in guilt. There was a small pause before the number one hero spoke up once again.
"Young Midoriya," All Might's voice was soft and gentle, the same way he spoke to Izuku on that rooftop. "What do you think is needed to become a hero?"
He didn't even need time to think. He already knew deep in his heart, what kind of hero he wanted to be. "The will to help people. That you feel like you will overcome anything to save the people in need no matter what happens."
He lifted his head slightly to see All Might serious expression. "Most of the top heroes show signs of greatness even as children. Many of them claimed that their bodies moved before they could think!"
Izuku's heart thumped in his chest rapidly as All Might spoke, his gaze never wavering from his.
"That was the case for you back there, was it not? Your strong spirit, your will was the reason you could move without doubting yourself! If that is not potential, then I do not know what it!"
All Might held out his hand towards the younger boy.
"Midoriya Izuku, you can be a hero."
Emotions gripped at Izuku like nothing ever before. For a moment, he was stupefied; he was stuck in place as All Might stood there, his words replaying in Izuku's mind.
You can be a hero.
Oh, Ochako-chan, Izuku felt tears pour out of his eyes.
Thank you for believing in me.
XXX
Katsuki slammed his door shut, shutting out any noise from the world outside. The old hag was still yelling at him from the other side, but Katsuki wasn't in any mood to deal with anything right now.
He dumped his bag on the ground and face planted into his bed.
His fists tightened, his hand bunching up the fabric under them.
"I just can't leave someone who looks at me like that!"
What the hell was that?
"I won't leave you alone."
What in the fucking hell was that?
Him? Made the face of someone who needed saving? Did Deku even know who he was talking to?
He didn't saving. He didn't need anyone to stand by him. Why did that dipshit even pull that stupid-ass stunt when he was the one without a quirk? When he was the one who was below him?
"God fuck," Katsuki pushed out, his eyes feeling wet and strange and nothing like he was. "Why did that fucking nerd even do that…?"
He stuffed a hand into his pocket and pulled a crumpled piece of paper out. It was a picture. It was a picture of Deku, round face and half and half. They were dressed in fancy looking clothes. Round face had her arms hooked around the two boy's necks, pulling them together with a bright smile. Half and half was smiling at the camera. Deku was the only one who wasn't.
He was looking at her, his cheeks flushed, his eyes shining with a certain warmth that Katsuki hadn't seen in a long, long time.
"Fuck," Katsuki murmured, the hot, salty tears spilling out of his traitorous eyes. "Fuck Deku, fuck round face-fuck everything!"
He threw the picture to the ground before his hands sparked.
He hated Deku. He hated how the nerd looked at him; he hated how he seemed to see through all of Katsuki's walls ever since they were little. He hated how he was always there; he hated how he made Katsuki feel inferior to the quirkless idiot.
The image of Uraraka entered his mind. The first ever person to stand up to him, the first person besides himself to stand by Deku, who protected him when everything else (He) was out for him.
Fuck Uraraka. Fuck Deku.
Why did they have to mess up everything? Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
White hair. Pale skin and faded milky eyes, and tormented cries of help.
Why couldn't the everybody just leave him alone?
That night, for the first time in a long, long while, Bakugou Katsuki went to sleep with tears dried on his cheeks.
CANON. Has arrived.
Somewhat, sort of. Introducing the Hibiki family, a bunch of ice pricks except for a few. Introducing Tenko the janitor along with a few familiar faces.
A lot of stuff went down since I mixed the first episode of BHA with one of my original scenes. It turned out to be too long so I split it into two chapters, so double chap update!
Izuku is an amazing little bean that must be granted power. Shouto is the best friend ever. Katsuki earned character development! Zero is having major revelations, and the League are up to something!
Thank you my readers, I love you all, and see you next time!
~LunaricFairy12~