Izuku wished someone would punch him in the face. It would be far more pleasant then what he was currently doing. And as to what that was, he was walking down the dingiest street he had seen yet in a white robe that covered him nearly head to toe with a stack of pamphlets tucked under his right arm. He wasn't alone at least so there was that, at the moment he had the same guy who landed him the job supervising over him and that was about it.
Romeo, which had turned out to be his actual name, was pleasant enough company, but there was something so off putting about how upbeat he was in spite of the atrocious setting they were in (considering his profession it shouldn't have surprised him) and the fact that he just...smiled too often for it not to be weird. It was some ritualistic thing where he'd start grinning at random for no reason and mutter something under his breath that sounded like a prayer.
It was easy enough work, all he needed to do was hand out these flyers to anyone willing to take one while Romeo went on a rant about some feel good nonsense. Though the longer it went on, Izuku started to notice that their roles seemed more like a neighbourhood watch rather than a simple charity, meaning they purposefully went down dark alleys because that was in their job description, apparently. Granted they were joined up by other members who made sure everyone traveled in packs of four when they did this.
If anything it felt a little militaristic with how well disciplined the routines were, they ran like clockwork were they'd march along the populated streets in groups of two or more for two hours, preach for one and then meet up with another pair who were on the exact same schedule and circle the blocks within their routes.
Though the duty did fluctuate depending on if they were under or overstaffed for the day. However this wasn't the only activity of the day, no, they actually had to knock on peoples' doors and ask if they had a moment to talk about happiness. Which Izuku firmly believed would get them killed, but to his silent surprise, a lot of folks actually listened to the blond nutcase when he told them about how they could make life better, hell he even saw the dude cry a few times when he got really fired up and somehow this only made more people listen.
Then there was the other responsibility of keeping himself busy for the next four hours until his shift was over. Right now, he was four in so that left only half those hours before he could go back home to...do something, he didn't know what but it certainly had to be better than being stuck next to this lunatic. At least the crazy people he worked with in the past had a clear cut reason as to why they were that way and what they wanted from him, but this man was just too friendly without a purpose as to why.
Izuku had his own theories as to why this was, but honestly if it made his life easier then he wasn't bound to question it too much, until he starts to notice the signs of betrayal that is. They had been walking for a while after Romeo had finished his last sermon and Izuku handed out ten flyers, leaving him with twenty more that he needed to get rid of before the day was out. He picked at the scarf he wrapped around his face as the wind whipped around, nearly cutting through the layers he had on under the robe with the fresh snow under foot crunching as they walked about their route. Romeo for his part was silent with the cold not seeming to bother him as they went on their way, save for a mild shivering.
Eventually however, with the sun dipping lower into the horizon he shifted an eye to Izuku.
"Tell me brother, what troubles you so?"
Izuku blinked at the question, weighing his possible responses that would allow him to keep this job.
"Just getting used to the routine of stuff, that's all."
Romeo shook his head as he fell back from leading them both to walk directly beside Izuku.
"That wasn't what I meant, you have a certain...anxiety to your demeanor which worries me. Someone so new to life isn't meant to carry himself in such a way."
Izuku considered what he should say, when he found a believable answer.
"...Let's just say I'm used to bad things happening and leave it at that."
He nodded as they went on.
"Unfortunate, but sadly far from rare in some cases. Tell me, how exactly did you start to get used to such events?"
A murmur came from the former hero.
"I was forced into a bad situation and made some bad choices because I was too scared of the people around me."
Again the elder member nodded.
"I see. You're no longer in contact with these people?"
Izuku met his gaze for a moment, daring to see if he could find any hint of danger, but he instead found none. Reluctantly he answered.
"No, I left after I found out how badly those people treated me."
An eyebrow was raised by the man that made Izuku feel oddly embarrassed.
"And how did you find this out exactly?"
His teeth grinded as a sudden throb from his shoulder started to burn in that familiar way which was made worse by the layers of clothing between the mark and his hands. Slowly he found the will to respond as he had to mentally stop his free hand from grabbing at it.
"I was told by one of my supposed friends that my partner at the time was drugging me every night for over a year with quirk suppressors so I wouldn't think I could leave the situation they all dragged me into."
The conversation ceased abruptly when Romeo became still as a statue. He was now a good three steps behind Izuku, who had to turn back around to face him. For a moment he wondered what was wrong, then instantly he knew. Instincts that had been sharpened by nearly two years of his former life made him adept at noticing things most people never do and pay the price for not seeing. Slowly, he placed a hand by the side of his waist, fully expecting to feel his pipe's comforting heft when he recalled too late that he had left both that and his revolver back at home. Romeo's eyes remained fixed to a single point behind Izuku, who shifted to see what was behind him.
Two figures dressed in black robes stood before them, not three meters away. A red grinning maw was stitched into the chest of each one while their hoods stretched farther out than either of them, obscuring the faces of each as the hood drooped down slightly. There was something alien about the shapes under the cloth, be it the odd way the back of one seemed too wide or how the other's arms appeared too disjointed with how they twisted unnaturally.
The four stared at each other, neither making a single move before the one stranger with the disjointed arms spoke up in an off key voice which may have been female in pitch.
"Greetings brothers, we apologize for our rudeness, but it would appear that our duties for the night are soon to start."
The woman's voice held no hostility, it even sounded friendly with how she addressed them, but Romeo didn't respond for a moment. It was then his signature smile returned, though there was an undeniable hint of aggression in his words.
"Beloved sister, with all due respect, we can manage on our own. Our organization has provided aid to this community for over a year and not once have we failed in our responsibilities and to that point, there is at least three more hours of sunlight left and while I understand your own duties as well as my own, I humbly ask that you leave us be until then."
The second stranger with the extended back stepped forward, a slight bulge coming into his biceps as he moved between the woman and Romeo. The voice which answered back was a hearty tone which denoted the person as male instantly.
"We cannot, dear brother. Our orders have changed, as have your's."
The man reached into a pouch located around his belt and removed what looked like a letter on some kind of strange paper and handed it to Romeo. He took a few minutes to read whatever was on it and with a sigh, gave it back.
"So it would seem. I apologize for my brashness, I-"
The man held up a gloved hand to the preacher, cutting him short with a retort of his own.
"There's no need to apologize, though I would find it to be in everyone's best interest if things were left undisturbed this night. We-"
The man's head turned toward Izuku, taking in his existence for what may have been the first time as his eyes blazed with a dangerous light. At this the man addressed Romeo in a far more informal way.
"I take it he hasn't been assigned for very long?"
Romeo nodded, casually jerking a thumb at his trainee.
"Just started today, believe it or not. He's a good guy despite all appearances, little jumpy but that's nothing new with our folk."
The black robed man nodded in kind, his gaze lingering for a moment longer under that blackened cloth.
Izuku held what he thought was the man's stare, though upon seeing what was inside that cowl, he wished he hadn't. Through the darkness of the cloth, a single beam of light partially illuminated the man's face and it was a scaled mishmash of reptile scales growing at random atop the skin of the man while his eyes were nothing but black pupils.
Now Izuku had met more than his fair share of mutants, even before the world of heroes and villains became open to him, that was just a part of life in this age, and he had seen everything from mutants who were nearly indigestible from baseline humanity to people who looked like something out of a nightmare, and though their outer appearance rarely denoted what that particular person was like, each of them were an acquired taste which took a bit of time to adjust to seeing, and as such, he couldn't help but to flinch from the suddenness of it all.
The mutant didn't appear offended by his reaction and even smiled light heartedly at him.
"Sorry kid, guess you've never seen somebody like me before."
Izuku felt a blush spread across his covered cheeks against his better efforts. He lowered his head, figuring it be better to stop any potential for bad blood immediately then let it fester.
"I apologize for my reaction, I-"
The mutant shrugged, pushing himself forward with his companion as they made to move past the more baseline pair of men.
"Don't sweat it, we're here to help out those in need, same as you. Anyway, I wish you both a good day and goodbye."
With that they left Izuku and his supervisor alone on the rapidly chilling street while the sun began to set in earnest. Izuku stole a glance at his senior, who was still visibly upset by whatever that encounter signified. Romeo sighed, his fists popping as he did so.
"Goddamned…"
He muttered near silently under his breath before he noticed the set of eyes on him. Turning to meet Izuku's gaze, he smiled, though it felt far more forced.
"It seems that we're set to be relieved early today."
The tension in the man's face didn't sit well with the killer and as such he decided to act.
"So who are they?"
Romeo was silent for a time with the snow coming down ever so heavier, then he started to move back the way they came.
"Another group like the Smiling Saints, a charity by most definitions, only they're not so… official as we are."
Izuku raised an eyebrow at his coworker as they went forward.
"And what do you mean by official?"
The blond pursed his lips for a moment as the words came to him.
"I mean that they're technically not recognized as a registered charity, the reason being that, well...let's just say they preferred to rarely be seen on account of how their main demographic is mutants who don't really have too many options.
It was then that it clicked into place for Izuku.
"Or in other words they're part of the Warren Blocks."
The Warrens were places below the surface of society where individuals whose mutations have rendered them at odds with the rest of the "normal" population and Izuku had the unfortunate fate of having to see exactly how people in these places live more times than he cared to admit. Hordes of disenfranchised vagabonds and drifters colloraled in together with families too malformed to blend in well enough without being targeted. Hundreds upon hundreds of people stuffed into sewers in the miles upon miles of forgotten infrastructure below every metropolis, just trying to get by. He had actually managed to liberate quite a number of these blocks from back in his days with the League, but he didn't really start seeing such a proactive approach by the dwellers to this point until now.
Romeo eyed him suspiciously, but dropped it with another crack of his knuckles.
"Bingo, they're not bad people once you earn their trust, but they have a bad tendency to be territorial, which I suppose is their right, seeing as they've been here far longer then we have. They ask us for help handing out food and such every so often and they're more than happy to repay the deed...but-"
Izuku answered back before the discomfort could linger in the man's mind.
"But certain types of people have a habit of vanishing if they cross them."
That was another feature of the Warrens that he had come to know and reluctantly appreciate in his crusade. They were places where the law never could seem to find a hold and as such, the Dwellers had to make their own justice which meant that if someone unwelcomed entered these communities then they were not likely to leave, unless they had managed to strong arm the residences into subservience.
Again Romeo eyed him, but said nothing as they approached the Smiling Saints building. They entered without much haste as Romeo regained his usual pep when greeting the other members doing much the same thing they were. Izuku was unsure if he was supposed to be doing some other task since he still had a couple hours until his shift was over, but not wanting to be rude he waited until both he and Romeo were settled by the breakroom. Seeing his expression, the senior member waved him off, saying it was best that they all returned home before it got too dark.
Izuku wanted to protest, as he very much needed every cent he could get, yet found it pointless when he saw everyone hanging up their robes in a communal closet they used to store their "uniforms''. Dejection was becoming a prime issue for him as he placed his in with the other piles and made his way towards the door, but that changed when he suddenly found himself nearly slamming into a walking stack of boxes when he turned a corner. On reflex he managed to grab a falling container before it contacted the floor and saw the person responsible for this.
Hazel eyes greeted him as he tried not to drop the items within the container. Hana stood right in front of him, an embarrassed smile growing on her face.
"Oh Izuku, I didn't see you there."
He finally got a proper hold of the box and relaxed somewhat, the excitement of the day adding to his crash.
"I'd say, where are you going with all this?"
She jerked her head a little ways to the left to a rather large pantry that was set further down the building, her red glasses swaying slightly as she did so.
"Holly needed me to sort out the old stock we have since we just received fresh donations last night."
He stifled a sigh as he helped her move the last of the boxes into storage and left the building with Hana in tow, a quiet grumble nearly escaping his lips while they walked home. The snow crunching under his boots, the same pair he escaped the League in, made Izuku want to grind his teeth. Everything just annoyed the hell out of him, from the snowflakes obscuring his vision, to the cold that brushed up against part of his face, to the half an hour long walk he needed to take to go back to that apartment where he didn't have his own space and not enough food to not feel guilty when he wanted to eat. It all got under his skin.
He was content to scowl at the world ahead in silence and brood over his own thoughts, wishing he had his pipe or his revolver, but he couldn't even get that apparently.
"You okay?"
Hana was suddenly beside him, right by his elbow just like Himiko used to do. Her glasses frosting slightly in the cold air while her puffy brown winter coat made her look oddly fluffy. She had a more curious expression rather than a worried one and that irked him even more. Glancing at her, Izuku inhaled deeply to get better control of himself."
"I'm fine, just tired from work."
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"No there's more to it, you don't act this grumpy without a good reason."
He opened his mouth to respond, unsure on what to politely say, when he decided to hell with it.
"Where did you think you'd be in life by this point? Like when you were a kid did you ever think you'd end up in a situation like this?"
Hana mused on the idea and shrugged.
"I thought I'd be in the national gymnastic association by now, but we get what life dishes out for us, best to be grateful for the little bit we do have."
Now that made him angry.
"You only say that because you can't get more out of life. Winners take what they want and strangle the world until it gives them that."
She placed her hands in her pockets and shot him a look.
"Well it's better to be a good person doing good things with nothing then an awful one who has everything."
Izuku stopped and turned around to face her.
"If you can't help yourself how the fuck can you help others? Being weak and pathetic isn't a show of good character, it's a justification for the lowly to never try to overcome the strong. What you're saying is slave morality made by a bunch of bureaucrats who want all the control and the failures who couldn't cut it in the world."
She creased her brow at him.
"Oh and how do you know what's right?"
He jabbed a finger her way.
"Because the only guy I ever knew not to be a slave to society told me this and he was right. If you don't have power, then you don't have shit. Instead you're waiting for the scraps the slave masters throw down your way while people like him laugh their asses off."
She glared at him, the snow now firmly staining both their clothes in the fading afternoon sun.
"Then if that's the case why aren't you getting that "Power" then if it's the only thing worth having?"
Izuku wanted to say something, but it would be too difficult, so he kept it brief.
"Because I have too much to lose if I go after it."
The glare remained on her face.
"Like what?"
He snapped forward.
"You for one. Then there's Gentle and La Brava to add to it."
The anger disappeared from Hana's face as a wave of flustered blush colored her face. Then after a moment she eyed him with worry.
"You forgot to add yourself to that."
Izuku scoffed at this, turning away and resuming their walk.
"I don't care if I die or not, I already died two times before this, what's one last time gonna hurt?"
Hana flinched at his words, watching him walk away before running after him. Her hand reached out to grab him which made Izuku react to muscle memory and try to slip from her grasp, but to his utter surprise, she moved faster then he could and reacted quicker then even Himiko had during their sparring sessions.
"What happened to make you like this? You were a pro hero candidate who was one of the best at the greatest hero schools in the world and you're saying stuff like that?"
He jerked his arm away, intent on getting home, but Hana moved directly in front to block his path.
"Tell me what happened, because I'm not moving from this spot until I get a straight answer."
Her demeanor was serious which made Izuku scowl even more.
"Why the hell do you care?"
"Because I care about you. I've seen people get like that before and it never ends well, so I'm asking so I can help, now please tell me."
Against his intentions, Izuku felt a blush crawl over his face which he quickly shook off.
"It's simple, I'm a rotten fucker who did horrible things and enjoyed it, so I may as well be dead for what it's worth."
His voice was harsh, yet Hana didn't back down.
"No you're not! You try your best to help people Izuku, regardless of what you may have done, a bad person wouldn't even try to help once they hit rock bottom and you are far from that!"
Izuku blinked and allowed himself to retreat inward, not wanting to handle the unease he was starting to feel.
"Can we get home now please? I don't feel like arguing until we freeze to death."
Hana was silent for a moment, then she moved aside with her gaze still set on Izuku. They made their way home as the light was fully vanishing by the time the journey was complete. With the key in hand Izuku undid the first lock located in the doorknob, then he waited until everyone of Gentle's security systems gave the okay to enter with a green flash of light by the deadbolt. Slowly the door opened as both of the pair entered their home and the first sight they saw was La Brava in a set of pajamas, typing away at her laptop. The short villainess turned away from her work and regarded them with a mild look of suspension.
"You guys are back early."
Izuku shrugged as he placed his coat on the rack and started to stretch while Hana planted herself on the couch and continued to observe him.
"They made us go home early due to some agreement the bigwigs made with another group."
The purple eyes of their resident computer wiz narrowed at this, then sighed and pointed to the kitchenette as she returned to her task.
"When you both get settled in, there's some stuff in the kitchen that needs to be done."
Izuku nodded. It was only fair since he was the one who usually made the mess (not to mention the only one who knew how to make anything edible in this place). Once his boots were off, he looked to his tiny foot locker by the far right corner of the living room and moved to open it. The few things he had left inside gleamed out at him, reminding him of victory and glory and pain and anguish with those few seconds. A few paperback books laid on each corner of the chest while cheap notebooks lingered under them. In the center was a smaller black box with a padlock which was a little larger than his hand and next to it was his mask and pipe.
He reached inside, taking the blunt instrument out and feeling the comforting heft of it as the chain connected at the end was threaded into one of his belt loops. There wasn't a way to describe to him why it made him feel this way, but it did and that made going about his chores easier enough. With his responsibilities done for the day, Izuku slid himself down onto the couch next to Hana. He had taken one of the books from his foot locker and started reading, but it did nothing to limit his feelings of bitterness.
He loved the fact he was still free after all that happened and he certainly did hold the three dear to his heart, but he was just getting tired of feeling stuck with these demons running around in his head. That and he wanted to be able to find some breathing room where he isn't in sight of everyone to be judged.
Setting the book down on the coffee table, he pulled out the burner phone Hana gave him. The only number on it was Shoto's and seeing his name made him feel oddly good, in the distracted, far from worldly issues way that one gets when something new happens. Still he felt grievances for wanting to, what business does he have to bother someone who had a far better life? For a second he almost wished that Dabi was around so he could get a physical reason as to why not, the guy was protective of his siblings to a fault if anything and strangely that sentiment carried over to him sometimes.
A twinge of light reflected to his right, where Hana was looking over his shoulder with a rather hard look on her face.
"You should talk to him."
Izuku moved his sights to the quirkless girl with something between annoyance and anxiety resting on his face.
"I don't think he'd appreciate me bugging him at this hour."
She shifted herself closer to him, the brown of her eyes drilling into him.
"He hasn't seen you in years and nearly got into a fist fight with you over if you'd come back with him, I'd say he's more than eager to hear from you."
Izuku shifted his eyes away from her, the proximity not bothering him as much as the authority she seemed to have.
"I already texted him this morning, so there shouldn't be a reason-"
A glare was sent his way with that same energy that made it so hard to talk back.
"You're lonely and you miss your old friend, that should be reason enough."
He found the will to retort as the image of the discomfort on Shoto's face came clearer into his mind.
"But-"
He was cut short when she interrupted, her voice sounding almost matter of factly.
"But nothing, you need something good to focus on that isn't just work and money."
It was at this moment that Izuku realised that no matter what he said, Hana would not give up until he did or would just make things awkward between not only them, but everyone in the house. With a huff he hit the call button and raised the phone to his ear. The single thought in his mind being that there was no way Shoto would pick. That was soon to be proven wrong when the line connected.
"Hello?"
Izuku froze, the sudden voice of his classmate surprising him into flinching at the noise. He was silent for another second or two before finding his footing.
"Hey Shoto, how've you been?"
There was a similar pause on the other end which pleased Izuku to no end.
"Fine, how's work going?"
Despite himself Izuku felt the beginnings of a smile tug at the sides of his lips.
"Well, I'm pretty sure the place I work for is more than just some regular charity. Me and the guy supervising me ran into another group of robe wearing weirdos and since the higher ups signed some agreement with 'em, I had to go home early on my first day. What's new with you?"
There was yet another pause on the other end and when Shoto spoke again, there was a palpable worry in his voice.
"Are you aware of what happened with Stain last week?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow at the question.
"No...what happened? Did he get executed?"
A tenseness came from the Shoto's end as he spoke.
"He escaped."
Izuku launched forward from the couch, his feet hitting the floor with a slam.
"What!? But he was in Tartarus, how could he have gotten out with all the security they have in that place!?"
"Nobody knows, the security cameras just went pitch black for a second and then he was gone. No one has seen him or who took him. The only reason we know is because the Public Safety Commission thought that Iida would be one of his targets since he and I had a hand in his arrest.
Izuku fought down a surge of panic building inside him, taking note of the pause that followed Shoto's explanation until it clicked.
"And you think I might know where he is, don't you?"
"It may have...crossed my mind."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Izuku sat back down next to Hana.
"I'm sorry but I haven't a clue. I can tell you he wouldn't be with the same assholes I was involved with considering that Tomura and him hate each other in equal spades. What about his target base? Has there been any homicides that would fit his MO lately?"
There was a nearly visible pain to what the half and half hero said next.
"There has, but lately...they seem more dedicated towards you."
Izuku blinked, utterly unsure if he heard correctly.
"Come again?"
"The most recent slayings of heroes and villains for the past year have nearly always had your symbol at the scene of the crime, so it makes it difficult to tell who to point blame at since...you can't be in two hundred places at once."
Again he blinked, a sudden flush of anger bubbling in his blood.
"Two hundred!? You mean to tell me that-"
Taking a moment to pour out a cup of jasmine tea and allow the brew to calm his nerves, he picked the phone back up and reseated himself at the dining table.
"Whatever, that all aside, how are things at UA? You've been doing anything new?"
Shoto responded much later than Izuku would have thought possible for even someone as icy tempered as him.
"I've been getting acquainted with lots of classical music lately...and my dad came to see me yesterday."
Izuku felt both his teeth and hands clinch in both anger and concern for his classmate. Gingerly he spoke, finding the right things to say before this evolved into that same situation he had with Dabi when he confessed his issues regarding that bastard.
"Oh...I see. What did he want exactly?"
"He wanted to check on me, make sure I was safe as he put it."
Izuku didn't know if he should gag or laugh at that.
"The safest place for you to be is away from that sham."
"He's in a wheelchair now after what your...what the League did to him."
An eye roll came to the former villain despite no one being able to really see it.
"Even that's too kind for that animal, if I had the tools and the time he wouldn't be able to-"
"Izuku, please stop, you're making me uncomfortable."
He scowled at that.
"No, you are not going to defend that bastard after everything he did to your family. What he made his mother do to you and what he did to your siblings. God Dammit to hell, you sound just like that other motherfucker when I suggested we do something about him, finding nothing but excuses as to why it's best to wait and how you and the others need his money while bitching endlessly about what he did like some broken fucking record when the answer is just to-"
Shoto cut back with a raised voice that wasn't angry per say rather it held an urgency that took his former classmate off guard.
"You said that I sounded like my brother the last time we talked, what did you mean?"
Izuku's jaw locked on the spot as he began to breathe rather lightly to combat the sinking feeling in his chest.
"I...that's...you see, I may have met a guy claiming to be one of your siblings. Not saying that person is in the League of course, but at this point I wouldn't know. But, umm, I had a few dealings with this guy and yeah, that's about it."
The air became thick as Shoto remained silent on the other end of the connection. Then it receded as he spoke in a way that Izuku found to be nearly identical to how Dabi sounded when he was about to burn someone, or rather threaten to burn someone.
"What was this guy's name?"
A light chuckle came from the One For All user as he placed a hand behind his head, suddenly realising how much the board had flipped.
"I...can't tell you since I made a promise."
For a solid minute nothing was said by either of them until at last the son of the former number two hero responded.
"I see, Izuku would it be a problem if I came over this weekend?"
For an instant, a mere instant, a happiness he hadn't known in a long while flooded him, but just as quickly he saw a threat in the request.
"You'd be coming by yourself right?"
A sound like indignation came from the youngest Todoroki that caught Izuku off guard with how frank it was.
"I kept that because even if I think you're making a dumb choice, I care enough to keep my promise so long as you do the same, now like I asked, may I visit you this weekend?"
The green eyed youth looked back towards the two women behind him, who were both staring at him with the sort of bewildered expressions he had sadly gotten used to seeing in the past. La Brava met his gaze as he covered the lower part of the phone.
"Would it...be an issue if I had Shoto over this weekend?"
The hacker kept her frozen expression, but slowly ran a hand down her face as the words registered in her ears. She spoke not in a harsh or hostile way, but it made clear that her tolerance had run thin at last.
"No, I'm sorry, but right now we need to get things in order and having a hero...your old classmate hanging around would be another problem we don't need. Maybe in a couple weeks, provided we don't need to move again and there isn't another major issue we need to address, but judging by what you just said, I'm assuming that's not the case."
For whatever reason, Izuku felt ashamed for asking as he saw just how worn out his comrade was from the stress he had put them all under. Nodding to his senior, he put the phone to his lips and did his best to be tactful about what he needed to say.
"Sorry Shoto, but right now we need to get things in order over here and-"
The hero cut in with an almost incessant quality to his tone.
"If money is an issue then I'd be happy to help, how much do you need?"
Again Izuku looked back to La Brava, studying her body language to figure out how to answer when the lady moved from her computer chair and yanked the device from him.
"I apologize, but we're fine at the moment. We all appreciate your generosity Mr. Todoroki, but our goal is to find our footing and get into a stable routine, once we get that going, you're more than welcome to visit, provided nothing unseen happens."
She handed the phone back to Izuku, making it clear with hand signs that she wished for him to hang up the thing.
"Yeah, anyway Shoto, I gotta let you go."
The other end was quiet for another few seconds before answering back.
"I'll talk to you later then."
With that the call ended and Izuku slipped the thing back into his pocket and made himself a fresh cup of tea, right as La Brava's voice rang out.
"Care to explain what that was about?"
The young man rolled his shoulders, taking a bit of pressure off them as he passed out two other teacups to the women and filled them before doing the same to his own.
"That's a complicated question, but the most immediate fact is that Stain has escaped Tartarus and nobody knows where he is. As for the rest, that's just old history that has no bearing on things."
Hana was the next one to speak when her eyes went wide in wonder.
"But that's literally impossible! Tartarus is one of the six most heavily secured prisons in the world, you'd need an army to even make a dent in the walls alone, much less get someone out alive with all the traps they have."
Izuku shrugged, taking a sip of his tea and setting the kettle up to brew a new batch of golden tips in place of the jasmine which they had drained.
"I don't know, and nobody else seems to either so I don't care. I gave up all the heroes and villains stuff so it may as well not matter to us."
La Brava lifted her cup and pointed a pinky finger towards him.
"But it will start to matter if that psycho comes after you since you were one of the heroes who arrested him."
Again Izuku shrugged as he took a sip and enjoyed the strange bitter taste.
"I doubt it considering he thought I was a "True Hero", but regardless, I fought him once and won back when I was pulling my punches. Now, now I'm no longer inclined to be so gentle to people who want me dead."
La Brava eyed him, seeing a spark of something dangerous. Then she hung her head low as she powered off the computer and marched down the hall to the master bedroom.
"Just...Just don't do anything stupid and keep your head down, I don't feel like moving again. I'm going to bed so please don't wake me up unless it's urgent."
The next thing that happened was a soft click as the door was shut, leaving the two teens by themselves. Izuku returned his attention to his tea, undisturbed by things he honestly couldn't care that much about, when he noticed Hana staring at him.
"What did you mean by being gentle?"
Izuku took another sip and thought about how to answer her.
"I tried my best to subdue him last time, if he becomes a danger to us, then I'll just make sure he won't."
She asked with a much more inquisitive note to herself.
"How do you intend to do that?"
He put the cup down, making sure to empty both of the ones not in use and set the kettle aside as he rinsed them out before returning to the living room.
"A number of ways. I could sever his femur in half, slice his achilles tendon."
He unchained his mace from his hip and allowed the weight to tip it down in his hand while a small percent of his quirk crackled out as he gave a light hearted swing.
"Or I could just hit him over the back of the head with this, or maybe I could snap his spine in two with one strike."
She looked away with apparent unease at the sadistic joy in his words, before finding something more to speak of.
"What did it feel like when you first caught him? Stain I mean."
Izuku ceased his mad ramblings to consider the question, legitimately trying to remember a time he did his best to forget. He examined the corroded steel of the weapon as he did so.
"I was scared out of my mind. I didn't know at the time just how much of a scene this guy had made with people, to me he was just some serial killer with a lunatic ideology to justify what he did that was trying to kill my friend. Hell, we almost did die that night if it wasn't for all of us ganging up on him, but even then it was a close call."
She kept staring at him.
"But you had to have been happy once it was over, right?"
He looked back up at her, then found his eyes drawn to the scar across one of his palms
"I...I don't know, back then I was so...I don't know, repressed? Withdrawn? Something like that, that I didn't know what to feel. Though that may also have to do with the fact that this was the second time in a year someone tried to kill me, so I kinda felt numb to it until I met everybody again."
Hana listened intently until she found another question to ask.
"But you have a happy memory, don't you?"
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Of UA?"
She waved a hand in the air.
"About anything, just tell me if you can remember what you consider your happiest memory."
Izuku mused on the concept while cradling the head of his bludgeon and soon smiled at one such thing.
"Yeah I have one, I was going to this run down amusement park with an old friend of mine, it was the cheapest option around and it didn't really have security so we just snuck in one night when we had nothing to do. It wasn't much to write home about, it had three roller coasters and a boat load of those rigged carnival games, but...but she made it all the better with just how goofy she was. I managed to win her one of those tiny plushies by some miracle and she was over the moon about it and then she was hanging off my arm, pulling me close and…"
He stopped as the memory went on and reminded him of all the lies he was fed. He looked at his roommate and gripped the handle of his weapon.
"Can I ask you something weird?"
Hana gave him a "go ahead" with her hands.
"By all means."
He shook his head as the frustration started to grow anew.
"Can you love someone, I mean like deeply love someone to the point of overlooking horrible things and hate them with a passion at the same time?"
"Of course, it's human nature to be that conflicted. I loved my father for all his flaws but I learned that no matter how you wish things to be, it doesn't change the reality of the situation. I tried to talk him out of the drink and he did try to set it down, but it came to a point where I had to figure out if I valued my safety over the image I had of him in my head. You can't force people to change so sometimes the best things to do for everyone is just to leave."
Izuku ground his teeth and sighed, turning his knuckles white as he held the mace.
"But what if you have reminders of that person everywhere? What if you can't stop thinking about them and in some weird, messed up way you missed them and how they treated you?"
Hana hands traveled up to her short cut blue hair and brushed the top bangs away to show something, it was a faded scar no bigger than the first digit of her pinky finger that started at the root of her scalp.
"My dad managed to get a piece of glass lodged into my skull when I was ten when he got too angry and that's just the first one."
She lowered the sock on her right leg to reveal a scar that started at the base of her heel and ended near the bumps of bone on either side.
"This one's from when he tried to make dinner and dropped the knife since I was walking around."
Then she turned around and lifted up her shirt to where the lower bit of her back could be seen and the footlong scar that went across it.
"And that's from when he tried to hit me with a rake."
She turned back to face him.
"So I know what you mean, I also have one on my chest from back in school when some crazy girl slashed me with a box cutter, but that's another story."
For some reason Izuku felt a little better, but there was an overwhelming feeling of shame as he saw how Hana was smiling at him, how it was so much like…
"But what if you...willingly let them do things like that? Not because you were scared...most of the time, but because they somehow put it into your head that it was something you...enjoyed?"
She blinked at him in confusion, right as understanding dawned on her.
"Oh...I...what did they do exactly?"
Izuku looked away, the shame growing even stronger as he forced a laugh.
"Well since you showed me yours I guess I'll do the same."
He looked away as he lifted his shirt and shut his eyes for ten precious seconds to let it all be soaked in, then he opened them and saw exactly what he thought he'd see. Hana's face was covered by her hands in an open show of shocked fear that increased with every scar and bite mark she found on his torso.
Regret filled his soul as the shame matched the beat of her shock and he made to put his shirt back on when Hana grabbed him by the wrist, forcing him to look her in the eyes.
"Who did this to you?"
She asked in the deadly serious way one on the verge of doing very dangerous things did right before they acted.
"My old girlfriend, she was...well for lack of a better word, she was a sadist and I mean that in the most literal way where she'd try to make me bleed when we...got intimate and I'm trying to forget, but it's hard when your body is like this. I guess this is like that old saying of never tattooing someone's name to yourself."
He laughed as best he could, but Hana's demeanor was like a raging fire and pulled him close into a hug.
"It's okay Izuku, you're safe and you'll never have to see anyone like that ever again, just let it out."
He felt her hands caress his back, the scar tissue blocking out some of the sensation as she did so. Tears teased at the edges of his eyes, yet as he felt his emotion threaten to give way, he used a single percent of his quirk to slowly pull the arms around him away without any effort.
"I appreciate it, but I think I'd rather talk about more pleasant things for now, you know since crying never did good for anyone."
Hana watched him, her eyes following his expression behind her red square glasses and despite giving him the space he asked for, there was still a fury inside her so grand that it almost could be felt. Shaking her head, she picked up a novel of her own and moved past him, bringing a chair into the kitchenette behind her.
"I'm sorry Izuku, but I need to cool down, otherwise I'll just start getting angry."
She stepped closer to him, edging right on the border of his personal space.
"If you ever need to talk about this, I'm always willing to listen, but you understand something right now. You are better than whoever did this to you, you're a hero, a person who does good in the world and still finds the will to smile and laugh in spite of everything you faced. Whatever sort of worthless trash did this to you isn't worth a damn and I want you to know that."
He smiled warmly at her, pointing to the stove top right by her chair.
"I do, however would you mind if I made a pot of tea?"
He spent a good couple of minutes brewing this new batch and grabbing the proper dining pieces as there was a click and a snap by the front door as the security systems unlocked to open the entrance to their home. Gentle marched in, a weariness to him that Izuku couldn't help but sympathize with as he waited for the old gentleman to settle in. A few minutes later he handed him a fresh cup as La Brava entered the living room and immediately crowded the man. That night they talked and laughed the worries of the night away, Gentle even suggesting they go show Stain what true villainy was meant to be, in the joking tone only he could make, yet as the night wore on Hana remained in the kitchen, not saying a word as she flicked through her book.
Izuku made to check on her once everyone was set to sleep, but as he met her eyes in the low lighting, there was a vengeance in her eyes that nearly made his blood run cold as they both retired for the night and as he laid there on the little section of the floor he selected, he heard from the couch her mutter a single word.
"Vampire."