My Hero Academia: Iron Blooded Heroes

by Stryker. AJ

Yosetsu Awase never did think that he could be a Hero, but then again, he never did think that he'd ever meet Mikazuki Augus either. Though unexpected, their acquaintanceship and mutual support of one another allowed them to go above and beyond in more ways than one, and in time, they will show the world what the underdogs are truly capable of, together as Heroes. (Slow Burn Story)

3. Home

"Say what now?"

That was more or less the only thing that Yosetsu was able to say in response to Mikazuki's random, practically out of left field, request, and though it was subtle, the boy's lips ended up twitching a little out of amusement as he processed his reaction. Not exactly the reaction that he had hoped for, per say, but it was a lot better than what it could've been.

IE immediate rejection, which was certainly far worse, so this was undoubtedly preferable.

"My friends want to meet you, Awa," reiterated Mikazuki as he shut his locker and locked it tight, with him ensuring that its lock was in place before he turned fully towards Awase. As with most other times ever since their first meeting over a week ago, the headband-wearing boy's face did contort a little out of irritation, though though it was less out of irritation and more out of a mild form of annoyance as he sighed and Welded his own locker shut. "So I'm inviting you to come visit us. You don't have to, but they're insistent on meeting you."

"Jeez, talk about a tough crowd, huh? Erm, no offense to your family, of course," quipped Awase as he rubbed the back of his neck, with him quickly assuring that he didn't mean to insult them in any way with that hasty addition, to which Augus shrugged indifferently, prompting him to sigh in relief. In truth, the boy sounded a lot more casual than he usually was. Typically, the tense boy would speak lightly, without too much humor as he enjoyed being more straightforward than most, though time spent with Mikazuki Augus, regardless of how many words they exchanged between one another, for as awkward as they may have appeared, did give him some time to get comfortable with speaking to him in a joking manner. Sure, they weren't exactly friends just yet… but even so, Yosetsu found that he could let his guard down around the diminutive blue eyed boy.

He had good reasons for this, of course. Augus never judged him for anything, not unlike a small handful of people that liked to tease him for his Quirk, what with it being less than stellar in terms of Hero duty, or those that found him off putting for his attitude. Whenever around the shorter boy, Yosetsu realized that he could say whatever he wanted to, rant about things and groan about his frustrations, and, though it never seemed that way, Mikazuki would always be listening, and though he tended not to respond, it was always nice to know that someone was listening to him in some way.

"They're a tough crowd, but they're my crowd, and they want to meet you," reiterated Mikazuki, with him steering the conversation back on track before they got too derailed. As he did so, he walked alongside Awase towards their class, with both ignoring the sideyed looks that they got from their fellow classmates all the while. "Will you accept?"

A mild huff was the only thing that Awase bothered to respond with as he shrugged, seeming rather intrigued at this proposal as he crossed his arms and walked up a flight of stairs with his acquaintance. Honestly speaking, this was rather tempting. Though he wasn't a friend just yet, Awase did put quite a bit of trust in Augus, and it was rather apparent to him that he did the same as well, as evident by how he was inviting him over to his 'house' in the first place.

With that said, however, Yosetsu did still remain rather skeptical over all this. Though he didn't wish to admit it, more so out of the kindness of his heart, he had to admit that there was something rather sketchy about the short guy, something that he couldn't quite put a finger on just yet. His Quirk was still a complete mystery to him, even now, as almost no one, barring possible the teachers, knew about it, and his attitude, whilst it was something that Awase didn't mind all that much, did make him a somewhat doubtful figure, so much so that his offer was made rather unappealing…

Even with that said, however, Yosetsu's worries in regards to Mikazuki eventually faded as he shrugged, with him reckoning that to judge someone like Augus based solely on his attitude, outwardly appearance and what his Quirk was still a mystery would be rather unfair, and he would know, as, a handful of times in the past, people have done the same to him! He wasn't a sentimental person, sure, but he'd rather not do that to anyone else, thank you very much.

So, not without at least some skepticism, Yosetsu rubbed his chin and offered Mikazuki a short and sweet answer.

"Sure."

And to that, Augus almost smiled a little as he shoved his hands into his pockets, with him nodding a little in approval before responding.

"When are you available?" asked Mika, with a small trace of enthusiasm being audible in his tone of voice as he spoke, to which Awase shrugged.

"Well, between the upcoming mid-terms and my personal life, I can't really say for sure, though I guess I can spare some time after school," assured Yosetsu, with him recalling how his mid-term exams were quite literally next week. He'd have to stay focused…

"Can you come after school today?" inquired Mikazuki as he stared up at his acquaintance, and to that, Awase shrugged and almost said yes, only to stop himself as he fully processed the words of his little pal, prompting his mouth to remain halfway opened as he stared down at him, shocked at his straightforward bluntness. This was certainly far from the first time where Augus had been incredibly straightforward with him, but just how blunt he could be will never cease to amaze Awase.

"Wait what?" muttered Yosetsu after recovering from his initial shock and staring down at Augus, who blinked as he tilted his head innocently, or as innocently as he could possibly get anyways, awaiting a proper answer from Awase, who winced as he rubbed the back of his neck. "T-That's a little fast, don't you think?"

"Everyone wants to meet you as soon as possible. They're interested in who you are," admitted Mikazuki as he shrugged. "You can reschedule if you want. Mid-terms are coming, after all, but if you find Ride staring at you through your window while you sleep, that's your problem, not mine."

"S-Seriously…?" muttered Yosetsu, sounding rather incredulous at that statement as he stared at Augus in shock, to which he nodded, prompting him to shudder. Bringing a hand up to his chin, the boy pondered on his choices…

Sure, he needed to study, that much was obvious… but even so, he was certainly curious about this family of Mikazuki's. Rhythmically, his finger tapped itself against his chin as he wondered what he should do in this situation, with his wants clashing heavily with his needs all the while, though before his head could begin hurting, Augus spoke up yet again.

"You can study there. We don't mind you bringing some books," commented Mikazuki, with him almost reading his mind as he spoke. Awase noticeably blinked in shock as he thought that he did have such a Quirk, as this wasn't the first time he had apparently guessed what was on his mind, though before he could think much on it, the blue eyed child continued speaking. "The others would love it too. They don't get to see someone studying that much."

"... not to be rude, but your living situation doesn't seem to be the best," admitted Yosetsu, prompting Augus to go silent for a short while as he averted his gaze from Awase. A tense moment of silence came by, with it being rather… worrying as a rather ghastly aura began to surround Mikazuki's smaller body. All the while, the back of his shirt began rippling a little as it felt rather invigorated by the boy's sudden surge in negativity, and likewise, through the shadows that clouded his eyes from view, a thin red streak became visible, signifying how he truly felt about that comment as Yosetsu gulped, thinking that he had crossed a line with that statement… "I-I'm sorry, Augus… I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine, Awa… it's fine…" assured Mikazuki as he shook his head and brought a hand up to his face. Rubbing swiftly at his eyes, Augus was quick to lower them as the rippling on the back of his uniform ceased, and likewise, the red glow ceased as well, with the young boy now staring up at Awase with his usual unreadable expression as he continued. By all means, this should've been a good thing… but after his bout of ghastly silence, Yosetsu couldn't help but feel… unnerved by his sudden reversion to his usual stoic self.

"O-Ok then… c'mon, let's just get to class already…" suggested Yosetsu as he motioned for them to get a move on, with him walking ahead shortly thereafter, and as he moved on, Mikazuki stared down at his palm and exhaled sharply, with him clenching his hand into a fist shortly thereafter.

"Yeah. Right behind you."

And as he said that, he clenched his fingers around the red smudge mark on his palm. Hopefully, he could clean that off before lessons started.

---

Several hours later

"Alright, I've decided."

"After over six hours."

Was that sass…. Coming from Mikazuki-Fucking-Augus? Oh god, the world must be ending… though considering how both of them were still alive, he highly doubted that. Even so, Awase ended up blinking a little incredulously as he processed that new tone of voice, though before long, he got over it and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I needed time to think, alright?" grumbled Yosetsu as he waved Mika off, to which he nodded in understanding as he shut his locker door. Classes had ended for the day, with Yosetsu pondering on if he should accept the offer for the better part of the past six hours, so much so that he couldn't focus too much on his classes, and thanks to all that, he was able to come to a decision on the whole ordeal, with him shaking his head a little as he welded his locker shut. "But yeah, I'll come. Today, I mean. I can spare some time."

And for as subtle as it was, Mikazuki did perk up a tiny bit upon hearing his acquaintance say that, with the corners of his lips twitching up a little all the while. These small bouts of emotion were quickly hammered down, however, when the boy shook his head and nodded in apparent approval.

"But still, I'll have to head home first. I've got a schedule to maintain and some things I need to sort out before I can visit," muttered Yosetsu, prompting Augus to nod understandingly.

"Okay," responded Mikazuki, with him reaching into his bag and pulling out his ragged notebook. Though he has seen it multiple times in the past, this was the first time Yosetsu has seen it up close, and he winced at how old it looked. If someone told him that Mikazuki had pulled it out of a warzone, well… Awase would've been inclined to believe them.

Was that a bullet hole running through the lower half of the thing, or was it just an incredibly large hole Augus had poked through it…?

Regardless, Mikazuki was quick to scribble some words into his notebook and rip the page off. Thereafter, he examined his handwriting real quick and nodded approvingly before handing it off to Yosetsu, who accepted the page with little issue and read it. Huh… the place Mikazuki called home wasn't too far off from where Yosetsu stayed. In fact, it was less than an hour's walk away from his home!

"You live a lot closer than I expected," admitted Yosetsu as he folded the paper and slid it into his pocket, to which Mikazuki shrugged a little, mildly amused at that statement. Admittedly, he was also taken aback by that statement, as he too was not expecting for him to apparently be living so close to where he was staying at either, not that he really showed his shock as Awase continued. "But I'll be over. Does five o'clock sound alright?"

"Ah," assured Mikazuki with a nod, to which Yosetsu nodded as he walked off with a wave of his hand.

"In that case, see you then."

"Don't get lost."

And for as ridiculous as that statement was, Yosetsu couldn't help but snort at it as he rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, with him thumbing the address of the place into it all the while, with him ignoring the stares of everyone around them in the process. Their classmates certainly didn't seem to be fond of just how close Awase and Augus have become recently, though that didn't really matter to either. Their opinions be damned, they reckoned.

Regardless, it wouldn't be too hard to find out where the place was, now wouldn't it? His phone labeled the place as Kobayashi Body Service shop, which specialised in car repairs. The place was mostly abandoned during the era of Quirks, leading Yosetsu into believing that it was repurposed by Mikazuki and his 'family' into a place to live in.

'It can't be too bad,' reckoned Yosetsu as he pocketed his phone and left school grounds, with him moving to prepare for what was to come all the while…

---

… and as he stood in front of the rather large and intimidating structure before him, Yosetsu couldn't help but twitch his eyes a little as he felt a small trickle of sweat fall from his forehead.

'O-Okay… it's gonna be a lot harder than I expected…' lamented the headband-wearing boy as he silently stared up at the two storey structure, with him tugging on his shirt collar in a rather nervous manner as he double checked the house address yet again to make sure that he was on the right track.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on perspective, he was at the right place, and that in itself only made him pale in fright. This place looked more like a prison than an actual house…

A quick shake of Yosetsu's head ended up dispelling those thoughts from his mind, however. It would be uncouth of him to judge someone's living condition, he realized, and though the two storey building looked to be something taken straight out of a horror movie, what with its dirt ridden walls, which were almost entirely covered with graffiti, cracked windows on the second floor and the burn and slash marks that marred its surface. A single sign hung above its doors, reading; Chryse Orphanage, leading the headband-wearing boy to believe that Augus was an orphan for some rather obvious reasons.

Before long, however, Awase ended up suppressing his initial feelings on the place and approached the door to the building, which looked ready to break at a moment's notice.

After taking a moment to adjust the sling bag that he had brought with him, and after he had dusted off his trousers and pulled on the collar of his white shirt, with the words Plus Ultra stuck on its front, Yosetsu huffed and stared over at the door with a mildly uncertain look on his face. Slowly but surely, he found himself bringing his clenched fist up towards its side, with him very much unsure on if he should do this all the while, though before he could think this through a little more thoroughly, Awase, perhaps a little too forcefully, slammed the side of his fist against the door.

On impact, the entire structure rattled against its frame, causing an unsavoury thump to be heard as Yosetsu flinched. Yeah, this house was definitely in need of a heavy fixer-upper, though he kept that thought to himself for now as he raised a brow at the sound of someone yelling out inside the building mere moments after he had knocked on the door, and the sound of something, or rather, someone falling onto the ground not even a second later ended up catching his attention, and though it did feel rather humorous, Awase couldn't help but sweatdrop a little when he heard the person cursing at nothing in particular from inside the building.

"Jeez, the heck was what?!" demanded the person in on the other side of the door as Yosetsu blinked a little. The guy sounded rather irritated at having fallen over, which was understandable, though he was quickly cut off when an older, gruffer male voice responded to his comment.

"That, Norba, would be the door. Go answer it, will you?" requested the older voice, to which the first voice, apparently belonging to someone named 'Norba', grunted as the sound of someone getting up to their feet could be heard. At that, footsteps could be heard coming closer and closer towards the main door of the building, and seconds later, after he overheard the fumbling of a keychain and the subtle click of the doorknob, the door itself swung inwards, with it having been opened up by a rather tall individual.

"Sup, you looking for an adoption or something?" greeted the tall guy casually as he opened the door fully and leaned against its frame. As he did so, he propped one of his hands up against his hip in an exceedingly casual manner whilst the other twirled the ring of the keychain. Staring up at him, found his eyes locking onto the taller teen's brown eyes, with him taking note of his messy mop of brown hair alongside the earring studs that were present on him. Fancy, Awase thought, as he saw the smile present on his face… and though it was probably him just imagining things, the aforementioned smile appeared to be rather… forced, so to speak, with it putting Awase a little on edge.

And yet… when Yosetsu's gaze slowly but surely trailed itself away from the taller teen's eyes, Awase was quick to find his mouth going dry when he saw the sight of what he presumed to be this teen's Quirk… and though he wasn't one to discriminate against any form of Quirk, be they Mutation, Transformation or Emitter Types, he still found himself tensing up a little when he saw what Quirk this guy had…

Thanks to his sleeveless shirt, Yosetsu was able to get a good look at his arms, his incredibly muscular arms that were lined with several hundred scales… magenta coloured scales to be precise, with his fingers sporting blunt claws that were lightly drumming against his hip as he stared down at the headband-wearing boy expectantly. The scales on his arms stopped near his elbows, which, starting from there, appeared mostly normal, with his skin transitioning from a mild shade of pink to suntanned near the bend of his arm.

Gulping a little at that sight, Yosetsu averted his gaze from his arms and made eye contact with the guy's face, though that ended up being a bit of a mistake as he found himself shuddering at the scales that also lined sections of his face, namely around his ears and cheeks, all of whom were resting atop pinkish skin like some sort of infection. Despite this, the most noteworthy thing that Awase saw on the older boy in front of him were his eyes… in place of the usual circular iris, this guy had a pair of lizard-esc, slit shaped irises, something that matched his physical abnormalities rather well.

There was no doubt about it… this guy had a Mutation Quirk, or at least a Transformation type that left him with a few unfortunate cosmetic defects, though there wasn't much time for Yosetsu to process that one thought as he flinched when the guy standing before him moved an arm up and snapped it in front of his face. The sudden snap was more than enough to make Awase wince as he snapped out of his trance, and at that, the guy stopped twirling the keychain in his hands and wrapped all his fingers around it, with him smiling all the while.

"Something wrong, kid? You're staring at me as if I'm gonna bite your head off or something, which, trust me, I won't, unless you want me to anyway!" teased the older boy with a smile as Yosetsu paled a little at that. Typically, such comments wouldn't elicit much of a reaction from the headband-wearing boy, but in this person's case, just being in close proximity to him made Awase feel on edge. It was probably his Quirk, he reasoned… and then, he jolted upright when he realized just how discriminatory that thought was.

Dammit, Yosetsu Awase was many things, a mobile gamer, a student of Kameshiro and a tense sonova gun, but what he was not was someone who discriminated against those with frightening Quirks! And with that in mind, the grey eyed boy shook his head intensely to rid those terrible thoughts from his mind and responded in a rather tense manner.

"N-No, nothing's wrong," assured Yosetsu rather abruptly as he shook his head and waved his hands in front of his face with a rather nervous disposition. The taller guy with the lizard-esc Quirk snorted in amusement at the sight, with him rubbing his chin absentmindedly as he nodded.

"I see, so why're you here, kiddo? Wanna adopt someone?" inquired the guy with a small smile as he spoke, and at that, Awase shook his head as he paled at the thought of having a younger or older brother, something that would not only mess up his already out of whack homelife, but it would probably be too much for him to handle! Yosetsu had enough on his plate right now, thank you very much! "Huh, well in that case, why're you here? It's rude to try out knock knock jokes and wake someone up in the process, you know?"

"Well… uh, Augus Mikazuki kinda invited me over, I guess? I have the right address, right?" blurted out Yosetsu as he scratched the back of his head. As he said this, however, the guy standing before him tensed up rather noticeably as his demeanor took a sudden change. His smile was still maintained, sure, but even so… there was something undeniably different about it now.

It was no longer a friendly, if not a little forced, smile, but rather, a cold and calculating one… one that told Yosetsu that, if he was caught lying about anything, he'd actually bite his head off without hesitation and make sure that nobody found the body thereafter, and upon noticing it, Awase felt a massive shudder to up his spine.

'Probably should've declined the invite… or at least rescheduled or something!' lamented Yosetsu mentally as he watched the guy shove both his hands into his pockets and stare down at him with a more critical eye.

"Mika invited you over, huh? You got a name, kid? Cos so far, I only know of one person that he might willingly invite over, and you might call me paranoid over this, but I'd rather be a hundred percent sure that you're that kid before I let you in," interrogated the taller teen as he stared down at Yosetsu questioningly. Awase felt a shudder go up his spine as he felt himself shrinking a tad under the guy's harsh glare, with his smile all but gone at this point as he stared down at him, though to his credit, he didn't hightail it out of there just yet as he shook his head and responded accordingly.

"Awase… Awase Yosetsu," answered the headband-wearing boy as he paled a little, hoping that his answer would satisfy the guy with the magenta scales, and seemingly… it did. Upon hearing his introduction, the taller teen blinked and allowed his shoulders to slack a little as he repeated that name over and over to himself. After the third repeat of his name, the guy widened his eyes a little and snapped his fingers, a gesture that made Yosetsu blink at just how sudden it was before he turned back to see the guy with the scales smiling once more.

"Ah, I remember now! You're that kid Mika befriended the other time!" recalled the taller teen as he recalled that name being thrown around in Chryse several times over in the past, with him now offering a smile once more, a smile that, Yosetsu realized, seemed to be more genuine this time as he stared down at Awase in apparent approval. His thoughts in regards to the taller teen's smile were cut off, however, when he realized something…

"I wouldn't say that we're-" began Yosetsu, only for the older teen to cut him off.

"Jeez, I honestly didn't expect you to come, really, and not an hour ahead of schedule too. You told Mika that you'd be over at five, and it's four right now! You like being early, now don't cha, Awase?" rambled the older boy, with his words effectively cutting Yosetsu off as he winced a little. Had it not been for the pink scales that were very obviously a byproduct of whatever his Quirk was, Awase would've guessed that his unique ability was to swap personalities instantaneously, though he kept that thought to himself for now as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Well… first impressions are always important, I guess?" commented Yosetsu as he tried to get over the sudden shift in the older teen's demeanor. It was… difficult, to say the least, though he eventually got over it as the older teen laughed a little, with him leaning forwards and slapping the younger boy on the shoulder all the while. The scales that lined the palm of his hand scraped against his sleeve rather uncomfortably, though Awase didn't find it too bad as he watched the guy respond.

"You got a point there, kid. Why don't we start over, seeing as how I didn't make that good of an impression on you?" insisted the teen as he offered the headband-wearing boy a quick thumbs up. Awase blinked a little at that, with him nodding shortly thereafter, prompting the guy to step backwards and spread his arms out rather dramatically, as though he were showing himself off, which, honestly speaking, was probably the case. "Name's Norba, kid! Norba Shino, but to you, it's Norba for now!"

"Norba…" muttered the headband-wearing boy as he watched Shino hold his hand out, with him fully intending to shake his as a sign of mutual respect, and though Awase was skeptical about all this, rightfully so thanks to the guy's muscles, he accepted it nonetheless…

… or at least, he would've accepted it were it not for the large gloved hand that craned its way up to Shino's ear and began pulling on it. At that, Norba squeaked in pain as he was forcefully pulled backwards, shocking Yosetsu as he watched the guy squeal in pain. All the while, a rather intimidating looking man walked into view, with him looking rather annoyed at Shino for his antics as he gave him a deadpanned stare.

"Oi oi, Shino… what is it with you and flirting with what little guests we have, hm?" reprimanded the man as he pulled Norba behind him disapprovingly, with him staggering a little to the side all the while and allowing the guy holding onto his ear to step into view. Once he did, he finally was quick to release Shino's ear before turning to face Yosetsu, and at that, Awase blinked a little when he saw just what he looked like.

This guy was an engineer, no doubt, as evident by that belt that was wrapped around his waist with numerous tools strung onto it alongside his engineer-grade shirt and ragged pants. His skin tone was rather dark, leading Yosetsu to believe that he was of a different ethnicity to him, and he had a rather fancy beard that curved up towards his chin. Broad shouldered and muscular, this man most certainly held an air of authority around him, and Yosetsu would've been lying if he claimed to have not been intimidated by his stature, though as with Norba, his worries about the man were quickly laid to rest when he offered him an earnest smile, with him crossing his arms curiously as he stared him up and down curiously.

"Good grief, kid. Sorry about Norba's attitude, he tends to get a little gungho with visitors," apologised the older man with a gentle smile as he stepped in front of the aforementioned teen, who cried out in protest all the while. The guy willingly ignored his cries of indignation for now, however, as he clasped his palms together expectantly, a gesture that seemed practiced, so to speak, as he sighed to himself. "Hm, you're Awase, aren't you?"

"... yes? How'd you-" began Yosetsu sheepishly as he scratched his cheek awkwardly, to which the bearded man laughed a little, with his shoulders bouncing up and down all the while. His words were clearly amusing to him, and his response all but showed that.

"Kid, how old do I look to you? Don't answer that, it's rhetorical," quipped the man with a small smile as he crossed his arms. "But either way, I may be a little old but my hearing is just as sharp as ever!"

"I… I see…" muttered Awase thoughtfully as he chuckled meekly, and not even a second later, the older man rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he smiled at Yosetsu.

Mikazuki's been talking about you quite a bit recently, Mr Awase. He told me that you were going to visit today, though not an hour ahead of schedule… not that it really matters," pointed out the older man as he stared down at Yosetsu with a mixture of neutrality and… awe? Awase was probably imagining that latter part as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, with him not really used to having someone this old focus this much on him, though he quickly shook it off as he responded.

"Well, I guess I like to make a good first impression?" repeated Yosetsu with a mild shrug as he spoke, and at that, the older man laughed heartily as he stepped to the side, allowing him to see Norba Shino smiling in approval with a double thumbs up aimed at Awase. Heh, nice, that guy seemed to like Yosetsu, he noticed, though he didn't dwell too much on that for now as he motioned for the younger boy to step in.

"Heh, that's a good mindset, Mr Awase, but let's not stand on ceremony. Please, come in," invited the elderly man as he stepped back, giving Yosetsu enough space to enter the building all the while, and, while some doubt still lingered in his mind, he found himself smiling rather heartily as he stepped in.

"Thanks, I guess?"

---

If he were honest, Yosetsu wasn't sure what to expect when he stepped into the building, but regardless… he had to admit, it felt a lot more homey than the exterior suggested.

As with the exterior, there were still several burn and slash marks, among other things, present in the interior of the building, though it wasn't as excessive as the outside of the building. Awase himself didn't think much of them as he gingerly set his bag down near the door and had a closer look around.

The first thing he noticed, outside of the burn and slash marks, were the graffiti paintings that marred the interior of the building. Unlike the exterior, however, these graffiti paintings were most certainly a lot more artistic than one would expect, with one such painting catching Awase's attention. It looked to be a mecha of sorts, white, blue, red and gold in colour and with a somewhat demonic yet knightley look to it. Not bad…

Graffiti aside, Yosetsu also took note of a flight of stairs that led up to a second floor situated close to the far right of the building, a couch situated near the center of the room, with a handful of its springs exposed and its surface torn up, a single television that appeared to to be from the pre-Quirk era, several shelves that held books that were collecting dust and a small kitchen area near the far corner of the building. All in all, the place was rather quaint… not exactly ideal living conditions, not by a long shot… but still, it held the bare minimum for survival… a thought that didn't sit well with Yosetsu as he bit his lower lip uncertainly.

'So this is the condition that Augus and his family have been living in, huh…' thought Yosetsu as he shuddered a little. He really didn't like this… while Mikazuki's personal life was certainly of no concern to Awase, the headband-wearing boy still found himself slouching a little when he realized that, when compared to Augus, he may as well have been living a life of luxury.

His thoughts were quickly cut short, however, when he heard the door to the orphanage impact its frame, with it snapping shut as the oldest person present sighed and dusted his gloved hands off against each other. As he did so, Norba Shino smirked and walked up to Yosetsu, who remained mostly silent as the pink scaled teen placed a hand over his shoulder and poked him in the chest, a friendly, if not personal space invading, gesture that made Awase lighten up, if only a little, regardless of how uncomfortable he felt at Norba's close proximity.

"So, what do you think, Awa? Beautiful innit? Home sweet home!" joked Shino with a small smile as he poked his new acquaintances chest, and at that, Awase, in spite of his irritation at being called Awa by yet another person, found himself huffing a little as he offered Norba a small smile. It was partially forced, sure, though for the most part, it was rather genuine.

"It's rather quaint…" admitted Awase as he shrugged, only for Shino to raise a brow in confusion as he tilted his head curiously.

"The heck does that even mean?" asked Norba curiously as he rubbed his chin, deep in thought as he tried figuring out just what quaint even meant, and at that, Awase winced a little as he realized that, out of everyone that was probably living here, Mikazuki was most likely the only person to have received any form of formal education. Big words were definitely a big no-no whenever he was here…

"Ah… I mean that it's not too shabby," restated Yosetsu, prompting Shino to smile a little as he went aaaaah at understanding what he was just told, and as he spoke, the old man behind them sighed a little as he shook his head, clearly amused at Norba's actions as he walked up to Awase and placed a large hand over his back, a gesture that subconsciously caused Yosetsu to stand up a little straighter as he stared back at him.

"Well, regardless of what you think of the place, welcome, Mr Awase, to the Chryse Orphanage," welcomed the guy once more as he adjusted his gloves. It wasn't much, but the way he had said that name was more than enough to make Yosetsu feel rather welcomed, regardless of how run down the place was. "And I don't believe I've introduced myself just yet. Please, call me Nadi Yukinojo Kassapa, owner of this fine estate and a part time engineer."

The way Yukinojo, or Old Man Yuki, as Yosetsu would soon start to refer to him as had talked about his part time engineer status told Awase that he was trying to sell his services to him whilst introducing himself, though he was able to wave him off rather awkwardly as he nodded, much to the older man's chagrin, though regardless, Yukinojo respected Awase's decision as he removed his hand from his back and crossed his arms.

"But enough about me, an old sob like myself isn't exactly interesting nowadays," lamented Yukinojo rather sarcastically as he smiled and motioned towards Shino, who kept his arm wrapped around Yosetsu's shoulders as he spoke. "Shino here can give you the full rundown of the building, barring the second level and the basement, of course. You'll definitely meet some of the other kids here, though some of the younger ones will definitely be a lot more defensive around you."

"Gee, I wonder why…" quipped Yosetsu sarcastically as he acknowledged how younger children tended to be more nervous towards strangers, though he didn't comment much on that as he watched Yukinojo chuckle a little while Shino seemed rather confused, with Awase's little comment missing him entirely as he scratched his head curiously. "What about Augus, though?"

"Ah, Mika, he's out of town at the moment, visiting a friend. He'll be back by five thirty," assured Yukinojo as he stared over at the clock that hung above the television, with him grunting a little as he muttered something about a person named Haba and how her most recent employee was trying to steal Mikazuki away from him. Awase understood none of what he had just said, and as such, he chose to ignore it for now as he continued. "In the meantime, Mikazuki told me that you wished to study here, yes?"

"Well, yeah, if it's not too much of a problem, Nadi-San," replied Yosetsu awkwardly as he held a hand up as a rather unnecessary gesture, to which Yukinojo smirked and ruffled up his hair. Without his headband to keep it together, as he was now wearing it around his neck rather than around his forehead, Awase's usually spiked up hair ended up getting everywhere, much to his chagrin as he swiftly moved his hands up to get it back into position. Old Man Yuki snickered a little at that, as did Shino, though the former was quick to get over it as he nodded in approval.

"It's not common to see someone this dedicated to their studies like you, Mr Awase, though then again, you're the only person here outside of Mikazuki that studies on a regular basis…" praised Yukinojo, though as he said that, he ended up mumbling about how Augus had more of a tendency to fall asleep on his textbooks rather than actually read them, though that was besides the point. "You can have the couch for the day, kid."

"Uh, thanks, Nadi-San," thanked Yosetsu as he bowed a little to the aforementioned man, a gesture that made him feel rather uncomfortable as he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Jeez, you're a sappy one, kid," muttered Yukinojo, with him being rather unused to people bowing at him as he shook his head and sighed. At that, Shino was quick to straighten Yosetsu back up whilst snickering a little to himself, and at the same time, a metaphorical question mark appeared atop Awase's head as he tried to figure out why Old Man Yuki was acting so bashful. "But either way, Shino, tell the others that Mr Awase is here. In the meantime, I'll be outside, alright? We got a new client, and they really want their ride fixed."

"Gotcha, Old Man Yuki!" assured Shino with a playful salute before he rushed up the stairs of the building, with him disappearing before Yukinojo could reprimand him for calling him an old man yet again. A visible tick mark appeared on his forehead as he grumbled to himself, though before long, he got over it and turned towards Yosetsu, who huffed a little in amusement as he spoke up.

"Geh, brat…" grumbled Yukinojo with a roll of his eyes as he shook his head, though there was no form of malice audible in his tone of voice as he smiled a tiny bit. Thereafter, Nadi turned back towards Awase with a small smile on his face, and at that, he gestured towards the orphanage couch. "But regardless, Mr Awase, I wouldn't want to interrupt your studies, so I'll leave you to your own devices for now."

A quick bow from Yosetsu came as Yukinojo's response from the younger boy, and at that, and after he patted Awase's head once more, ruffling his hair right up with his massive gloved hand in the process, he exited the building via its backdoor, and as soon as it slammed shut, Yosetsu was left all on his lonesome as he stood near the center of the orphanage with a mostly neutral look on his face.

After a few moments of awkward silence, the boy decided that standing around and doing nothing was not exactly ideal, prompting him to sigh to himself before he retrieved his backpack and move towards the building's couch. Setting his bag in front of it, Awase plopped himself down atop the worn couch, with him wincing a little as it squeaked beneath his weight, and unzipped his pack. Reaching into it, the boy pulled out an English textbook and flipped it right open.

Leaning back on the couch, with him trying to ignore the audible creak all the while, Awase found himself scrunching his face up as he tried to memorise the foreign words that were scribbled onto his textbook. Again, how his classmates were able to memorise all this was beyond Yosetsu's comprehension, though for now, he dismissed that thought as he focused doubly on the contents of his textbook.

After a few minutes of reading, with Yosetsu having spent most of those minutes trying to wrap his brain around the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, a word that he downright refused to believe existed, a mild squeak ended up catching Awase's attention, with him perking up a little before he turned towards the source of the sound, which just so happened to be the stairs that led up to the second floor of the building.

Awase would've denied the amused smile that he had on display when he noticed how Shino was trying, and failing, to sneak down the stairs of the orphanage and surprise him, and by all means, Norba seemed to acknowledge that he had failed as well, as evident by how he had, rather quickly, dropped his dramatically exaggerated sneaking pose and stood up normally with a cheeky grin on his face.

"Ah shucks, that didn't even last close to how long I was hoping for!" lamented Shino heartily as he sighed and walked down the rest of the steps normally, with Yosetsu huffing in amusement as he watched his… acquaintance march up to the couch and vault over it, with his rear landing atop the cushions shortly thereafter and causing the whole thing to creak a little under their combined weight. Yosetsu was certainly unnerved by how the thing sank a little beneath their combined mass, though he didn't dwell too much on it for now.

"Hmph, well, considering how tall you are, I don't think you'd be the stealthy type, Norba-San," commented Yosetsu as he offered Shino the side eye, with his attention still fixed mostly on his textbook as he spoke. Norba snorted a little at that as he feigned insult, though Awase didn't notice it too much as he continued reading.

"Ouch, dude. I'll have you know that I'm properly stealthy!" shot Shino indignantly as he held a hand up to his chest pridefully, and to that, Awase shrugged a little, with him clearly not believing what the guy had told him as he eyed him yet again, with his gaze instinctively darting towards Norba's scaly growths before he recentered his attention back at his face. It was rude to stare at extraneous growths caused by Quirks, Awase recalled, and though he seemed friendly enough, Yosetsu was very much unwilling to risk upsetting or angering Norba by staring too much.

After all, his bicep muscles looked large enough to manhandle someone like him with very little effort, and though Shino didn't seem like the person to do anything malicious to anyone, Yosetsu really didn't want to risk it…

"Hmph, somehow I really doubt that," commented Yosetsu under his breath as he rolled his eyes a little, earning himself a mildly irritated glare from Norba, one that was offset by the shit-eating grin he was giving him. He seemed to like what little snark Awase had to throw around, and with that, he was about to offer a rebuttal as he opened his mouth, though before he could do so…

"In that case, Awase-San, you're a lot smarter than most of us expected," came a new, somewhat young, if a little emotionless, voice, one that made Yosetsu perk up a little as he broke his gaze away from Shino and glanced over at the speaker. At that, he blinked a little when he made eye contact with a boy that was undoubtedly younger than him. Neatly combed blonde hair sat atop a youthful face, with some of his bangs clustered up and obscuring his left eye, though if Awase focused hard enough, he thought that he could see an… eyepatch(?) covering up the blonde's obscured eye. What for, he had no clue, though what he did know, however, was that his one visible eye shone a brilliant blue shade, and his attire consisted of a white, sleeveless shirt alongside padded pants that were not too dissimilar to Shino's.

The sight of this young boy came as a surprise to Yosetsu, with him blinking a little as he tried to process his sudden appearance. Unlike Shino, the blonde was most definitely on point with his sneakiness, as Awase didn't even hear his approach until he had quite literally announced his presence to him. His initial surprise was quick to die down, however, when he found himself somewhat intimidated by the boy's piercing gaze. If anything, it felt almost as though the guy was looking straight through him…

Staring straight into his soul, if you will… and by all means, if the strange sensation in his heart was anything to go by… he might be doing just that…

Whilst Yosetsu remained silent as he stared over at the newly arrived blonde, however, Shino simply leaned his head back and stared the younger boy dead in the eye, and when he noticed this, the blonde turned towards him and raised a brow, though right as they made eye contact, the blue eyed blonde's face immediately reddened a little as he brought a hand up to his mouth, seeming to be embarrassed by… well… something. Whatever that something was, it was enough to force his previously intimidating exterior to be replaced by a flustered mess, something that bewildered Yosetsu. Norba, on the other hand, simply snickered.

"Way to lay it on thick, Yamagi-Chan," quipped Shino as the blonde boy, Yamagi, as Norba had introduced him as, blushed that much deeper before shaking his head, and at that, Awase watched as he crossed his arms and continued speaking, sounding more flustered than annoyed all the while.

"I prefer to speak only the facts, Norba Shino, and you being fundamentally incapable of being quiet or sneaky is very much a fact," countered Yamagi defensively as he turned away from both Shino and Yosetsu, with the latter appearing intrigued by the exchange as he was no longer focused on his textbook whilst the former flashed a smile that looked somewhere between playful and predatory, one that deepened the red in the blonde's face.

"You say that, Gilmerton Yamagi, but do you really mean it?" joked Shino as he gently knocked the back of his hand against Yamagi's shoulder, with the gesture being more than enough to make him glance over at Norba with an annoyed look on his face, though even to Yosetsu, that look appeared to be rather fake. "But besides the point, why're you down here, Yamagi? Thought you'd avoid meeting the new kid!"

"Dante talked me into it," answered Yamagi rather dismissively as he crossed his arms rather tightly and huffed in annoyance. "He wanted to see if Awase-San was trustworthy, but his approach would've been too…"

"Straightforward?" quipped Shino knowingly as he smiled at Gilmerton, and at that, he ended up nodding a little, confirming his thoughts as he chuckled. "Called it."

"Hmph…" quipped Yamagi with a shake of his head as he glanced over at Yosetsu, who stared back with a rather neutral look on his face. Admittedly, however, his mostly calm demeanor ended up faltering a little when the blonde narrowed his eyes a little, with him focusing a little more on Awase all the while, though rather abruptly, his gaze softened a little as he huffed and approached Yosetsu.

Awase remained silent as he watched the blonde walked up in front of him, and after he stared down at him briefly, and a little judgmentally, Gilmerton snorted and extended a hand out towards the slightly older boy, who blinked a little at the unexpected gesture before he huffed and accepted his handshake offer.

"Gilmerton. Gilmerton Yamagi," introduced Yamagi more formally as he broke their handshake off, and at that, Yosetsu offered the blonde a small, lopsided smile as he rubbed his palm absentmindedly. His handshake was rather strong, especially for someone that was two years his junior, so much so that Awase had to nurse his hand a tiny bit, though before long, he got over the mild soreness in his hand and responded.

"Awase, Awase Yosetsu," echoed the headband-wearing boy gently as he nodded at Gilmerton, who huffed a little as he nodded, seeming mostly disinterested in learning more about Yosetsu, though at the very least, he did seem to want to ask him something… and yet, before the words could even leave his lips…

"Mass! Mass Ride!"

"Gah!"

Rather suddenly, accompanied by the sound of something quite literally popping into existence, a heavy mass dropped itself down onto Yosetsu's back, effectively forcing him to lean forwards and drop his textbook onto the floor all the while, and seconds later, a pair of small yet powerful hands snagged the older boy's shoulder and yanked him backwards, in turn forcing his back against the couch once more, and at that, he leaned his head back and blinked a little when he made eye contact with yet another young boy, no doubt younger than he was, who was staring back at him. Thanks to their current positions, from both of their points of view, they were upside down, though it didn't seem to deter the younger boy as he smiled widely, with Awase's irritated and mildly amused expression seeming rather funny to him as he grinned toothily.

Though his vision was reversed at the moment, it didn't stop Awase from getting a good look at the upside down boy that was smiling down at him. His ginger hair was styled up in an incredibly messy manner, something that reflected his apparent carefree nature rather well as he smiled down at Yosetsu. His attire was that of a sleeveless orange shirt and a pair of pants that were identical to Gilmerton's, though strangely enough, however, the teen's body seemed to be flickering at certain areas as he stared down at the headband-wearing child with a friendly disposition, though Awase ignored his unstable form for now as he maintained eye contact with the kid briefly, with his grey pair locking onto his brown set rather awkwardly, though seconds later, it was broken when the older child awkwardly looked away and opted to say hi to the kid, regardless of his discomfort at their current situation.

"Erm… hi?" greeted Yosetsu as he was rather unsure of what to say in this situation as he stared up at the upside down boy standing behind him. The ginger haired boy didn't seem to like his greeting, however, as he ended up pouting a little as he stared down at the headband-wearing boy, and at that, he sighed before a newcomer pinched his ear and forced him backwards, in turn causing him to lean back lest he wished for his ear to be torn right off.

"Ouch ouch ouch! What's the big deal, I'm just tryna greet him!" whined the young ginger as he was forcefully pulled away from Yosetsu, and at that, Shino had to hide his laughter behind his hand while Yamagi simply rolled his eyes at his friend's immaturity. As for Awase, however, he simply blinked in bewilderment when he saw who had pried the ginger away from him.

"What's the big deal? Ride, you were practically going in for a kiss back there!" chastised the newcomer as he yanked on the orange haired boy's, Ride, as the newcomer had called him, and as he had introduced himself as earlier, ear. As he did so, Yosetsu was quick to recover from all that as he sat upright and looked behind himself, with him seeing the one that had pulled on Ride's ear all the while.

He was tall, slightly shorter than Norba, sure, but still taller than Awase. His light brown hair was combed backwards, which allowed him to fix his annoyed gaze onto Ride Mass without any of his bangs getting in his way, and though he didn't seem too phased by the older boy's scolding gaze, Mass did, at the very least, have the decency to look sheepish as the newcomer eyeballed him with his magenta coloured irises.

"Kiss?! Hell no! I don't swing that way, Dante!" berated Ride as the older boy shook his head disapprovingly. There wasn't any real form of irritation being exuded by the older boy, however, as he appeared more amused than upset, leading Awase to assume that this has happened before, something that made him huff a little.

The place may be worse for wear… but at least the residents were lively enough to make up for that…

Rather abruptly, however, a distorted sound could be heard over Ride's protests to the older boy, and at that, Yosetsu blinked a little as he stared over at Mass, and thereafter, he widened his eyes intensely when he saw the younger child's form flicker intensely. It seemed almost as though he was struggling to maintain his foothold in reality, and before long, the older boy's fingers simply passed through Ride's ear as he quite literally disappeared from existence.

"W-Wha-" began Yosetsu as he jolted upright out of shock, only for Shino to keep him down with a hand that rested atop his shoulders. Awase was about to protest on that, though seconds later, Ride reappeared with a rather mild poof. Rather unfortunately for the guy that was reprimanding him, however, he had appeared directly above him, resulting in the younger boy landing atop his shoulders, something that infuriated the older teen to no end as he yelled out in shock whilst Ride began to playfully thump at his head.

"RIDE! FOR PETE'S SAKE YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT!" protested the older boy as he began staggering around a little thanks to the aforementioned ginger's added weight atop his shoulders, though his cries were all for naught as he ended up being ridden around the orphanage, with Mass laughing all the while, much to the amusement of his friends and acquaintances.

"Should we…" muttered Awase, with him taking a little pity on the older teen as he glanced over at Shino, who immediately snickered and held a finger up to his lips, effectively shushing him all the while.

"Trust me, this is tame compared to some of the other things that happen in here on a good day," assured Norba as he watched Ride… well… ride atop the shoulders of the taller teen. As he did so, Yamagi moved to get a stool, one that looked to have been repaired several times over by now, and placed it close to Norba before sitting on it, seeming rather content with their close proximity as he got himself comfortable. "Besides, Dante can handle him, so don't go worrying your little head over a non-problem… a-"

"Shino, if you even dare to make that pun…" warned Yamagi harshly as he glared at Norba with his single eye, and at that, the pink scaled teen blushed a little at that, with him smiling awkwardly all the while. Yosetsu sweatdropped a little when he saw the genuine look of irritation stamped onto Gilmerton's face as he glared at Shino in warning, and even with his red face the guy's stare still promised bloody murder if Norba dared to complete that sentence of his.

"Fine, party pooper," pouted Shino as he relented before turning back to see Ride leading poor ol' Dante straight into a wall, probably unintentionally as the older boy grunted and staggered backwards, towards the orphanage's backdoor as he began seeing stars. Awase silently wondered if things were going too far at that point, though before he could voice his worries out, the backdoor abruptly swung open, and seconds later, a dark skinned arm sprung out and steadied Dante before he could fall, and shortly thereafter, the younger boy that sat atop his shoulders stared down at the dark skinned teen with a sheepish look on his face.

"Ride, please stop being a menace to Dante," scolded the newcomer as he tiptoed a little and plucked Mass off Dante's shoulders, and as he did so, Yosetsu blinked a little when he saw the newcomer's elbows and wrist extend further than humanly possible, and as soon as he snagged onto the scruff of Ride's neck and pulled him off Dante, his joints abruptly snapped back together, abruptly pulling the younger boy down to ground level in an instant. Thereafter, he released the boy's neck, in turn causing him to fall to the ground with an oof, before he placed his hands atop his hips and shook his head disapprovingly. "We have a guest, after all. Would it kill you to show some maturity for now?"

"Chaaaaaad, I'm plenty mature!" whined Ride as Dante staggered off towards the couch, with him sighing a little as he sat down next to Yosetsu. His rear dropped down onto the empty space beside him as he grumbled a little to himself, ignoring Shino's snickering all the while as he massaged his head. Yamagi remained completely neutral all the while, though as for Awase, after he acknowledged Dante sitting next to him, turned back towards Ride and the newcomer, who was staring down at the shorter boy in amusement as Mass attempted to justify his immature 'assault' on Dante.

The aforementioned newcomer was a tall one, perhaps a hair taller than Dante, with dark skin and some rather unpronounced cheekbones. His chocolate brown hair was neatly combed, for the most part, though Awase did notice how there were splotches of dirt and oil, among other things, splotched onto his attire (namely a grey sleeveless shirt and padded pants), skin and hair, telling him that he had just returned from performing some maintenance work. He's seen his parents coming home from work enough times to recognise how oil splotches and grease stains look like…

"Hey, kid, something bothering you?" came Dante's voice rather abruptly as Yosetsu jolted upright, with him yelping in surprise as he turned towards the aforementioned teen swiftly as he held his hands up defensively. The brown haired teen was clearly amused by his reaction as he snickered a little, as did Shino as he had to hide some of his laughter behind his hand, though not long after, the headband-wearing boy blinked a little before nodding, with him clasping his hands together and twiddling his thumbs against one another.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought for a moment, I guess…" assured Awase with a mild huff as he trailed off, with him wondering what he could call Dante. To refer to him by his actual name would've come off as rude, Yosetsu reckoned, though luckily enough, the older teen seemed to catch his thoughts, so to speak, as he smiled and wiped at his nose.

"Mongro, kid. Mongro Dante," introduced Dante more formally as he offered Awase a two fingered salute whilst his other arm propped itself up atop the couch's backrest, causing it to squeak a little as even more weight was put on it. Thankfully enough, however, it didn't give way, though it was only a matter of time, at this point…

"Ah. I'm Awase-" began Yosetsu, with him offering a tense smile to Dante as he spoke, though before he could finish that sentence…

"Awase Yosetsu?" finished the dark skinned newcomer rather abruptly, with his words catching everyone's attention as they turned towards him. Yamagi had to bite his knuckle a little at the sight of Ride's cheek being pinched by the guy in order to keep his laughter down, though the older boys didn't acknowledge it that much as Awase blinked a little.

"Oh, you already know me…?" inquired Yosetsu, with him once again trailing off as he didn't know who this person was, and as if reading his mind, the teen smiled gently and released Ride's cheek, much to his relief as he rushed off, moving as far away as humanly possible from the guy all the while.

"Yes, yes we do, Awase. In fact, we all know about you, at least by name, anyways," confirmed the older boy as he walked towards the aforementioned boy, with him extending a hand towards him for a handshake all the while. Yosetsu accepted it, and he was relieved to know that this guy's handshake wasn't as tough as Shino's as they shook hands. "Chad, Chad Chadan. I have to say, Mikazuki has told us quite a bit about you. Good things, of course. He's not the kind of person to badmouth people behind their backs."

"... really?" muttered Yosetsu incredulously as he blinked a little at Chad, and as he said that, Shino smiled a little wider than usual and placed a hand atop Awase's shoulder, a friendly gesture that more or less confirmed Awase's thoughts. As he did so, Ride got a chair from somewhere and moved it to sit beside Yamagi, with him ignoring the stare from Chad that told him that he was still not done with his reprimandation just yet. He'd hear more from him soon, and he wasn't looking forward to it…

"Yeah! The guy seems to have taken a real shine to ya, Awa!" confirmed Norba as he smiled widely at Yosetsu, who grumbled a little at the use of his unwanted nickname once more, though he didn't complain about it for now as Shino continued speaking. "Why do you think we were so keen on meeting you, anyways? You're, like, the only person in the previous three schools that's even bothered to give him the time of day!"

'Three schools…?' thought Yosetsu incredulously as he stared at Norba as though he had grown another head, though his reaction wasn't unwarranted, as he's never heard of anyone jumping from school to school that much prior to now. Even so, he said nothing on it for now as he simply nodded, suppressing his curiosity as he listened to Shino speak.

"Which makes me curious, Awase… very curious…" added Shino as his tone abruptly took on a rather sharp edge. It came so suddenly that Yosetsu was taken off guard by it, though he didn't let his unease show as he simply listened. All the while, Yamagi narrowed his single eye at Awase as Norba spoke, and likewise, he could feel both Chad and Dante silently judging him, with their stares burning figurative holes into the back of his skull, and though he seemed mostly carefree about the whole situation, Ride seemed to be on guard as well, a sight that made Yosetsu gulp a little. "Why are you so interested in Mikazuki…?"

"..."

No response from Yosetsu as, if he were completely honest with them, he wasn't particularly interested in Mikazuki Augus. No, if anything, it was the other way around. After that incident with the dodgeball, the blue eyed boy has been following Awase around like some sort of stray dog, wishing to learn more about him whilst also being reluctant to approach him. It would've been cute if not for just how stone cold Augus was… though for the sake of his well being, Yosetsu refrained from saying that out loud. These guys looked like they'd tear him apart for badmouthing their friend…

"... what makes you think I'm interested in him, anyways?" inquired Yosetsu uncertainly as he bit his lower lip worriedly. He needed to speak carefully, he reckoned, as he felt as though he was just a hairs length away from being mobbed, and while he didn't like to think the worst of people, one had to forgive him for expecting that much out of a group of muscular teens that looked like they could choke the life out of him with just their pinky fingers.

"Well, it's pretty obvious why, Awase-San," piped up Ride, with him holding an index finger up into the air as he spoke, catching everyone's attention all the while. He seemed to like that, honestly, as his lips curled up just enough to be noticeable, with him clearly enjoying the attention the older kids were giving him as he continued. "Mika-San is almost never interested in, well… anyone, really, and for him to be so interested in you… it tells us that you're special, so to speak…"

"Special… but I'm just a kid, aren't I? And Augus, he's just a kid as well, isn't he?" pointed out Yosetsu rather matter-of-factly as he held one of his index fingers up into the air, with his words apparently coming as a bit of a surprise to everyone present as they noticeably flinched at them. Did he really just say that…? Apparently, Awase took note of their surprised expressions, as evident by how he slowly brought his hand up to his neck and rubbed it awkwardly, with him continuing shortly thereafter. "The way you guys are talking about him makes it sound like he has something wrong with him… and honestly, I don't know what's wrong with him, if there even is anything wrong with him in the first place, but I do know that he's a kid, that he's a human, like I am. Am I wrong to treat him with as much respect as I would anyone else?"

And right as he finished that statement, unbeknownst to Yosetsu, both Chad and Dante were quick to share a delighted look between themselves while Yamagi, after focusing a little intently on Awase, found himself nodding in approval of his words. Ride and Shino, on the other hand, found themselves taken aback by what they had just heard, with the former smiling incredibly widely as he got ready to celebrate for whatever reason, only for Gilmerton to slap a hand over his mouth and force him to sit back down. Meanwhile, Norba found himself smiling a tiny bit at Awase as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Only… this wasn't one of the smiles that Awase had grown rather accustomed to seeing ever since he had stepped foot into the orphanage… no, this smile was a little more… solemn, so to speak, one that reflected no small amount of thoughtfulness as the teen stared into Yosetsu's eyes, as though trying to judge his sincerity as his slit eyes bored into the younger boy's grey pair.

"To treat him with just as much respect as you would anyone else… heh… yes, that's good, that's very good! I like that!" proclaimed Shino enthusiastically as he clenched his fist in approval, with several of the other Chryse orphans nodding in agreement with Norba's words. As he spoke, the magenta scales that lined his arms and cheeks flared outwards, signifying his drastic change in mood, before they flatted down against his body once more. His smile shrunk a little at that, with it turning solemn once more, though it didn't stop him from continuing. "But there's still one thing I'd like to know, Awase."

"And that is…?" muttered Yosetsu awkwardly as he clasped his hands together in a rather tense manner, with him genuinely fearing just what was going to be asked of him all the while. As he spoke, Awase acknowledged his fight or flight reflexes kick in as he shuddered a little under Shino's hardening gaze, and shortly thereafter…

"I want to know… what do you think of potentially villainous Quirks, Awase Yosetsu?"

That was certainly a question that Yosetsu was not expecting to be asked, especially now, as he found himself gulping a little as he brought his hand up to stroke his upper arm. The gesture was more than enough to tell the orphans that he had mixed feelings on the matter, though out of some respect for him as Mikazuki's first… friend, so to speak, they didn't speak up until he had answered.

In truth, Awase had to admit that he was a little scared of 'villainous' Quirks, namely Mutation, particularly powerful Emitter or overzealous Types, which tended to fit the bill for 'villainous' Quirks even more so than most others.

Mutation Quirks, as the name suggested, mutated their host bodies to suit the Quirk they were given, something that could be seen as being parasitic to a certain degree. Mutations could range from mild to a full body alteration, and because of just how… monstrous some of these mutations could be, those with such Quirks tended to be shunned by society for their physical appearances.

Emitter Quirks were a whole different beast in their own rights. A good example of an Emitter Quirk was Yosetsu's Weld, which didn't alter his physical appearance too drastically. Even so, excessively powerful Emitter Quirks were a hassle to contain, even by their own users, making them walking time bombs, sometimes in the literal sense of the word.

Transformation Quirks were rather hard to pin down, as by default, they were all incredibly rare, especially when they tended to be mistaken with Mutation Quirks at a glance. The ability to physically alter one's own body was rather off putting, to say the least, and depending on the effects of the Quirk, the world around them would most certainly respond differently, for better or for worse…

All in all, Awase reckoned that he had full reason to be, at the very least, wary of those with 'villainous' Quirks, or at least those with especially dangerous ones, as they could very easily put him six feet under at a whim… but even so, he wondered… was that even fair?

No one asked to be born with the Quirks that they had, and by all means, the same applied to those with overly powerful ones that made others shun them or view them as major threats to the world they lived in. To judge others based on their Quirks and nothing more than that… it felt wrong, to say the least. Yosetsu, for as antisocial as he was, still saw merit in seeing others beyond their flashy abilities and, for as difficult as it could be at times, their physical mutations, and instead see them for who they were.

After all, past their superhuman abilities and physical abnormalities, they were all people, weren't they? Humans… and as fellow humans, even those with dangerous or disfiguring Quirks deserved just as much respect as anyone else…

And right as he thought that, Awase, before he could voice his thoughts out, missed the small look of shock on Yamagi's face as he stopped focusing on him. His momentary bout of shock was quickly lost, however, as Gilmerton looked away from Yosetsu and bit his lower lip a little, feeling somewhat conflicted about what he had learnt, so to speak, thanks to the use of his Quirk… though for now, he kept those thoughts to himself for now as Awase responded.

"I… don't like to think that the term villainous Quirk exists, Norba-San," muttered Yosetsu quietly as he eyed Norba awkwardly, and to that, Shino's smile widened a tiny bit in approval while Chad and Dante shared a quick look… and then, they smiled. "There are some Quirks that are dangerous, sure, but honestly, it's not the Quirk that makes a person. It's… well, the person… that makes the person…"

"Erm… I don't get it," admitted Ride as he stared at Yosetsu with a confused look on his face, with his words snapping everyone's attention towards him as they gave him the stink eye for ruining the moment, with Yamagi bumping him over the head with his knuckles in annoyance.

"Of course you don't, dumbass," grumbled Gilmerton as he sighed, prompting Mass to pout in annoyance as he wished to rebut, only for him to cut the ginger off as he turned his attention back towards Awase, who was surprised to see that he was… smiling a little at him? It was a small smile, sure, but it was still there… "But I have to admit, for someone who's not from this orphanage, you're a lot more… accepting of those with villainous… or I suppose, those with Quirks that're more dangerous than most others…"

"Well, I know how Quirk Discrimination works, Gilmerton… it's not exactly localised, after all," admitted Awase gently as he scratched the back of his neck a little awkwardly, and to that, the small group around him blinked a little at just how soft he had become. His words told them that he knew more than he was letting on about as he ended up going a little silent, though not long after, Shino ended up smirking a little as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders and gently squeezed his shoulder, a sign of friendship as he snapped the younger boy, alongside everyone else present, out of his mild trance as he blinked a little. "Norba-San?"

"... you know, around here, all of us like to believe that Mikazuki has a good eye for quality, Awa," began Shino rather solemnly as he maintained the smile on his face, and at that, Yosetsu, after ignoring the use of his unwanted nickname once more, raised an eyebrow curiously as he listened to Norba speak. "And know what, considering how he's taken a shine to you… I'd say that we're still correct about that!"

"Why, though? I just said what was on my mind, the things that I thought were correct… nothing more than that," pointed out Yosetsu dismissively as he raised a brow, only for Chad to shut him up by placing a hand atop his head and ruffling up his spiked up hair, much to his dismay. "Gah, Chadan-San?!"

"Heh, well, you were stating what you believed to be true in your heart, now weren't you?" inquired Chad as he released Awase's head, with him crossing his arms shortly thereafter whilst the younger boy fixed his hairstyle back up. Dante offered a mild snicker at that, finding Yosetsu's dedication to his hairstyle to be admirable as he continued to speak. "You don't sound like you were lying, and I like that…"

"No, we like that, Chad," corrected Yamagi, with his words surprising the aforementioned young man quite a bit as he blinked and flinched a tiny bit as he processed the words that just left the short blonde's mouth. The same applied to everyone else present as Gilmerton, shockingly enough… smiled a little at Awase. It was a small smile, sure, but it was a genuine one, which was incredibly rare for someone like him… and yet, before long, their shock was replaced with delight when they realized that Yamagi meant it when he said that he liked Awase… and if he liked someone, then it meant that they were trustworthy for more reasons than one.

Of course, Gilmerton's smile was quick to fade away when he realized that everyone present was staring at him with shit eating grins, prompting his cheeks to redden a little as he grimaced and looked away in embarrassment. His hands immediately went up to his golden locks as he ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to dispel his embarrassment, though it was all for naught, even as he covered the lower half of his face with his hand, as Shino caught onto his bashfulness and leaned towards him, draping an arm around his shoulder before he leaned his cheek in close to his and laughed.

"Shit, Awa, what kinda madlad are you, even?! You got both Mikazuki and Yamagi to like you!" proclaimed Shino, awed at all this as he eyed Yosetsu cheekily. Likewise, Ride was staring at him with his mouth agape while Chad and Dante remained silent at all this, even if their cheeky smiles said enough about how they felt about this situation. As for Yosetsu, however, he found himself being at the center of everyone's attention to be rather… embarrassing, all things considered, prompting him to redden a little as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I… didn't do anything…" muttered Yosetsu dismissively as he hugged himself, with him ignoring the rising feeling of… pride that was growing in his chest. This was certainly incredibly new to him, what with him never having any real friends prior to now, and sure, the orphans that he was currently speaking to were more acquaintances than anything… but they were certainly a lot friendlier than most other people he knew of in the past. "I just treated them like I'd treat anyone else, that's all…"

"And that's probably why he likes you, Awase-Kun. Why Mikazuki and Yamagi like you," pointed out Dante as he pointed an index finger up towards the ceiling with a smile, and at that, Yosetsu felt a chill go up his spine. It wasn't a bad sensation, however, as, alongside the mild chill, he felt a rather nice warmth welling up in his chest… "You don't exactly 'wear your heart on your sleeve', but at the same time, you're not one to look down on others for something that's out of their control. You're a good kid, and honestly, it's no wonder that Mikazuki and Yamagi like you…"

And at that, Awase felt his face burning right up as he slapped both his hands over it and grumbled into his palms. Great, just great… he wasn't good at accepting praise, praise that came from someone outside of his parents, no less… and because of this, he was unprepared for any of this as he resisted the urge to shout. Beside him, Shino didn't seem to understand what was going on with Awase as he poked his shoulder, and Ride stepped in front of Yosetsu and snapped his fingers in front of him, trying to snap him out of his trance as he tilted his head awkwardly, wondering what had gotten into Awase all the while.

Conversely, however, Yamagi found himself biting his lower lip in amusement as he held back a snicker or two at just what was going through Yosetsu's mind. Ah, it was probably incredibly rude of him to do so, that, and it was also a massive invasion of Awase's privacy, but who could resist the urge of invading another person's mind at a time like this? Yamagi, for as self controlling as he usually was, couldn't claim to be that in control of his curiosities…

Meanwhile, however, Chad found himself sweat dropping a little when he saw steam erupting from Awase's ears. Connecting two and two together, he found himself raising a hand up in order to stop his friends from teasing or prodding at him any further lest they wished to overheat him via embarrassment…

… and yet, before he could even begin to say that, the front door to the orphanage swung open, with its mild squeak being loud enough to catch everyone's attention as they turned towards it. Awase did so as well, though his hands were still glued onto his face out of instinctual embarrassment all the while. When he turned around to see who had opened the door, however, Yosetsu's index and middle fingers were quick to part, allowing him to peek through and spot a messy blonde and brown haired boy dressed in a thick brown sweater and a white undershirt and a pair of padded pants that were identical to everyone else's.

As he stepped in, the blonde blinked a little at the sight of everyone gathered around Yosetsu, and within seconds, his light green eyes locked onto Awase's face. The guy had to blink a little when he momentarily thought that the guy was a gal thanks to how femenine he looked, though before long, the blonde shook his head and scratched the back of his sweat stained hair in an awkward fashion.

"Am… am I interrupting something?" asked the blonde awkwardly as he peeked in through the door with a nervous smile on his face, and to that, Shino smiled gently at him as he shook his head, with Ride and Yamagi swiftly getting up to their feet to welcome their friend back. At that point, Yosetsu found himself widening his eyes a little when he saw that the blonde was holding onto something… a very large something… that seemed to resemble an engine block?! Those things routinely weighed up to nineteen kilos, and here this kid was, holding onto one as though it weighed nothing as he stepped into the building.

"No, no you're not, Takaki," assured Chad as Ride and Yamagi moved to help the aforementioned blonde, Takaki, hoist the engine block into the building. As they did so, however, the blonde's eyes locked onto Awase's for the briefest of moments, and within seconds, his once curious expression turned into one of worry as he turned towards Norba.

"S-Shino-San… is… is he alright?" asked Takaki as he begrudgingly allowed Ride and Yamagi to hoist the engine block out through the backyard, and as he spoke, the one he was referring to blinked a little, surprised at the fact that he would ask about his status before knowing who he was, though before he could think too much about it, Norba found himself smiling a little as he waved the blonde off.

"Kid's just unused to being praised is all," dismissed Shino with a smile as he patted Awase's head, much to his chagrin as his cheeks went back to their usual shade once more, and at that, Takaki smiled and nodded, with him removing the absurdly thick jacket that he was wearing and slinging it across his shoulder before he moved in close to shake Yosetsu's hand. Awase accepted the handshake with very little issue, and thereafter, Takaki offered him a warm smile.

"I see. You must be Awase, Awase Yosetsu?" greeted Takaki as Yosetsu shook his hand rather awkwardly. The blonde's rough skin mixed rather badly against Awase's relatively smooth one, though Yosetsu didn't voice that thought out as he nodded in confirmation, and as he did so, Takaki somehow smiled even brighter before introducing himself with a stiff bow. "I'm Uno, Uno Takaki. It's an honor to meet you, Awase-San! Mika-San has been talking about you a lot, and when I heard that you were visiting, I just couldn't wait to meet you!"

"Erm… yeah… feeling's mutual?" muttered Yosetsu rather awkwardly as the two of them broke off their handshake, and as he spoke, the backdoor swung open once more, allowing Ride and Yamagi to step back into the house as Awase continued to speak, with him still feeling a little awkward over all this, that and the eagerly friendly attitude that Uno had was something Yosetsu was very much unused to… so much so that his cheeks ended up reddening a little in embarrassment, though before long, he snapped himself out of it by turning towards Norba and blurting out: "Hey, where even is-"

And right as he asked that, the sound of metal impacting dirt rang out through the air, catching Yosetsu off guard as he winced a little at the unexpected sound. Meanwhile, Shino snickered a little as Dante rolled his eyes, and all the while, Chad leaned against the closest wall and shook his head in mock annoyance.

"Jeez, what a showoff. Would it kill him to stop acting like a Hero whenever he's around us?" grumbled Chad with a mild roll of his eyes as he spoke, eliciting laughs from Dante and Shino whilst also making Yamagi roll his eyes at the improbability of that happening. Takaki was quick to make a counter-argument, however, as he held his balled up hands up to his chest and responded.

"He's not trying to be a Hero, Chad-San! He's just trying to be helpful!" protested Takaki, confusing Awase as to just who this person was as he listened in on their conversation, and before long, Dante chuckled and butted in on the conversation.

"What, like the last time when he helped you lift an entire fridge back from the junkyard? Without Akihiro's help?" reminded Dante, prompting Uno to redden a little in defeat as he recalled that one incident. As he did so, however, Yosetsu found himself growing a little impatient as he bit his lower lip uncertainly, and seconds later, he blew up in a metaphorical sense.

"Alright, who even is this guy, anyways?" asked Yosetsu as he turned towards Shino, what with Awase being the most comfortable at receiving his answers from the pink scale Quirk user as he stared at him expectantly. At that, the guy he was speaking to blinked a little in surprise, bewildered at how Yosetsu didn't know just who they were talking about based on context clues alone, though before he could answer, the very person that the headband-wearing boy was asking about walked in through the backdoor, with him pulling off the leather gloves that were he was forced to wear by Old Man Yuki all the while.

"Oi, Takaki, the oven is in the backyard. Akihiro is pulling it apart now," came the rather familiar voice of Mikazuki Augus, with it stopping any and all words that wished to escape Yosetsu's lips as soon as he heard his voice. Shortly thereafter, he peeked past Shino and stared over at the backdoor, and once he did, he found himself widening his eyes quite a bit at what he saw…

'H-Holy Stinking Supercrap…!"

That… would be an understatement, honestly, and by all means, Yosetsu knew that he was straight… or at least he thought he was. Then again… if anyone, regardless of sexual orientation,were presented with the sight of Mikazuki Augus whilst he was standing before them, drenched in sweat and wearing nothing more than a sleeveless dark blue shirt, they'd probably be drooling at the lips, and considering how Yosetsu was able to keep his drool from leaving his lips, he'd say that he has a lot more self control than one might expect.

With that said, however… Awase didn't have enough self control to stop himself from growing silent at the sight of those muscle-bound arms that Mikazuki had somehow managed to keep hidden from everyone in school. Those long uniform sleeves really did a good job at hiding just how ripped his arms were, as Yosetsu reckoned that there was little to no residue fat left in them. All of it was probably lost in training at this point, as, for as young and short as he was, Mikazuki still looked strong enough to snap a fully grown adult in half with just a flick of his wrist…

The fact that the sweat that was on the boy had made his shirt stick onto his stomach, allowing everyone present to see the chiseled lines of the powerful six pack that was etched into his stomach, didn't help matters at all for Yosetsu. If anything, it only served to make him feel a tiny bit inadequate as he subconsciously brought his hand up to his own belly and rubbed it awkwardly.

"Whoa…" was the only thing that left Yosetsu's mouth as Takaki smiled widely and bowed respectfully at Augus, who stared at him as he grabbed onto the towel that was wrapped around his neck, with him using it to wipe the sweat from his brow shortly thereafter.

"Thank you, Mika-San! I'll get to work on stripping it down right away!" assured Takaki as he bolted out of the building within a handful of seconds, and not long after, both Ride and Yamagi followed suit, with the former clearly more enthusiastic than the latter as they rushed out. And, surprisingly enough, Dante followed suit as well, with him shaking his head all the while.

"I'll keep em from cutting themselves on the sharp edges again," assured Dante as he left the building, with him waving goodbye to his friends before doing so, and at that, only Shino, Chad, Yosetsu and Mikazuki remained, and as soon as the door clicked shut, the shortest person in the room turned his attention towards Awase, who blinked a little as they made eye contact.

"Oh, you're here," commented Mikazuki, sounding a tiny bit surprised as he slung the towel around his neck and grabbed onto both ends of it as he approached his acquaintance. Awase simply nodded silently as he kept his gaze fixed on Augus' face, and shortly thereafter, the shorter boy turned towards Norba, who smiled a little.

"He came here some time after four. The guys like him so far," explained Norba, short and sweet as he nudged Yosetsu with his elbow as he spoke. Turning towards Chad, Augus sought him out for confirmation, which he got almost immediately when Chadan nodded, and at that, he huffed a little and shook his head.

"You didn't have to come so early, Awa," muttered Mikazuki as he exhaled sharply and glanced over at his acquaintance, who appeared mildly sheepish as he shrugged. By now, he was able to suppress the envy he felt towards Mikazuki's physique, and as such, he simply nodded a little as he scratched the back of his neck.

"First impressions are important, right…?" muttered Yosetsu sheepishly as he shrugged a little, to which Augus raised a brow. That… wasn't a bad point, honestly… and by all means, Mikazuki seemed to approve of that reasoning, as evident by the mild nod of his head, and likewise… something shuffled around a little beneath his shirt, with it offering a silent shriek of approval as well. Chad went on guard upon hearing the mild shriek, however, though he stood down when he realized that it wasn't about to go crazy again, prompting him to sigh in relief whilst Shino simply tensed up a little.

Neither of them wanted a repeat of last time, after all…

Awase, on the other hand, didn't even acknowledge the sound as he watched Mikazuki bring a hand up to his chin and rub it gently, and seconds later, he nodded yet again, once more showing his approval as he snorted a little.

"I see…" muttered Mikazuki before shrugging. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll talk to you later."

"Uh, ok?" responded Yosetsu as he raised a brow at Augus, with him silently wondering why he'd tell him that. As for Norba and Chadan, however, they found themselves blinking in shock when they heard him say that…

After all, while Mikazuki wasn't one to disregard his cleanliness, especially after she barged his way into his life… the boy would typically spend his time working out after a particularly harsh outing before he cleaned himself up, with him usually only going straight to the showers right away only when he wished to do something important…

And with all that in mind, the silent looks of shock and awe that Chad and Shino were giving Yosetsu made sense… to everyone except Yosetsu, anyways, as he found himself shrinking a little in utter confusion beneath their stares.

"Uh… is something wrong…?" asked Awase as he stared between the two older boys with an awkward look in his eyes, and seconds later, Shino broke the awkward silence as he pinched himself on the forearm. Hard.

And when he confirmed that he wasn't dreaming, he found himself blinking at Yosetsu once more.

"Yeah… what kinda drugs did you give him to make him like you so much?"

"What?!"

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New chapter, with some very familiar faces!

I'm updating this very frequently because I have enough material to share right now, and I was particularly excited for this chapter! What are their Quirks? Well, some are obvious, and others are carry-overs from the old draft!

All shall be revealed next chapter!

Review replies!

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alerx09: well good to know

Guest (Karma): the irony is not lost on me

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I woke up at 6 to get this up. Kind of a weird feeling to be up this late and not have to leave the house.