Down from the clouds
Guys, as usual, thank you so much for your support, it means THE FUCKING WORLD to me! As for the story itself, I know this might look like the end, but it's far from it. Something really, really big is going to happen until then, because I am very determined to make All Might's job as a parent really complicated. Also, for now it looks like I skipped some important parts of the story, but they will be brought up later, so you won't be missing anything good, don't worry ;)
Warning: mention of major character death
"Look, I know it sounds like a big deal, but I've been wanted for three years," Himiko says, eyes on the road and hands loose on the wheel. "Sure, there's shit you gotta do once you're on the run and moving is a pain in the ass more than anything. And I really liked this apartment, but… I've been renting it for over a year now, fuck it, time to leave it behind."
She's always so calm, so composed, so confident… if only Izuku could be like that too. If only he was that strong…
"Hey… is everything okay? We cool?"
"Uh… sure, why?"
"Well, I just think I sense that emo vibe again."
That would probably be the case if G.A.F. wouldn't do its job to keep it at bay, but as it is Izuku is just… apathetic. He's no longer scared per say, but feels weirdly drained, as if all energy has left his body. All he can do right now is to sit slumped against the car window, cheek pressed against his knuckles, staring outside with a blank expression.
"Nah, it's the hair."
None of them is particularly happy with the black dye, reason for which Himiko has chosen a washable product. It brings out Izuku's natural pallor in a striking fashion and with his freckles and the dark circles he's been sporting as of late around his eyes the effect is downright creepy. It hardly has the same effect on Himiko though, she's still stunningly beautiful and the gold of her eyes even more vibrant against the profuse, artificial black.
"I know it sucks that we have to rent a back room at Shigaraki's shitty place, but now that our faces have been shown on TV we can't go anywhere else, even with the fake papers. Not right now, anyway."
"The thing is… I mean, it's not that I think the place is shitty or that I don't trust him – which I don't - but Endeavor said he'd be going after the League of Villains now. So that kind of makes Shigaraki and his crew a target, no?"
Himiko clicks her tongue and sighs. "Yeah… But they can fight back and besides, if shit is to really hit the fan I have every intention to steer clear from it and let them handle their own shit."
"You mean like… we're not gonna help them?"
"Fuck no," the blonde says determinedly. "You see, Shigaraki wanted this. The spotlight, the attention, the publicity, he is actively looking for a fight, he wants to take on pro heroes. So by all means, let him knock himself out. Ah, here it is!"
"Here's what?"
She pulls over in the mouth of a back alley (probably illegally) and Himiko drags the boy over to a discrete side door, with a colorful, artsy sign hanging above it.
"NO!" Izuku cries, eyes wide in shock as he stares at it. "NO FUCKING WAY!"
She just laughs at this, gripping his wrist a bit tighter. "Really?"
"No fucking way! My mom's gonna kill me! SHE'S GONNA KILL ME!"
It's a tattoo parlor.
Himiko finally releases his hand, only to hug him from behind and rest her chin on his shoulder. "Mmmm, she gonna spank you?" she purrs, thoroughly amused as Izuku is shaking slightly under her touch.
"B-But… you don't have any tattoos. Right?"
She giggles and in the next moment the boy finds his back pushed against the brick wall, and Himiko's lips pressed against his hungrily, almost brutally.
"I want to try something new. With you."
The words sink into his every fiber like honeyed poison and he can't think anymore, any and all traces of reason instantly dissipating. But then there was no real resistance to begin with, he'll do anything Himiko wants, he only draws breath for her and because of her. He belongs to Himiko in a very simple, undeniable manner.
Himiko goes first, because apparently she already knew what she wanted, but doesn't let him see it. 'Later, I'll show you later, if you're good.' Izuku in turn takes a long time staring at the designs on display, his mind blank. Some of them are scary, others grotesque and then some really beautiful, but he can only think how they'd all look ridiculous on his tiny, scrawny body.
"It doesn't have to be a standard design if you don't want. Just think of something that defines you," the blonde suggests.
Actually, that's even worse.
"I-I really can't think of anything right now," he replies with a wry smile. "Other than completely fucked… Quirkless and fucked."
Himiko hums thoughtfully, once more resting her chin on his shoulder and appearing to ponder on something. "I've been thinking about this, you know," she says after a while, "In the time before quirks became a thing and everyone had them, being 'quirky' wasn't something good at all, on the contrary. It was like a flaw or oddity, but in a bad way. So by that logic being quirk-less is good, you know? Quirkless actually means you're perfect, Izuku."
…perfect?
Now, that's a surprising idea. Something no one would say in this day and age, except for Himiko, and she must mean it too, because she never says shit she doesn't really mean. Even so, it's not something he can wrap his mind around right off the bat, it's not like he hasn't taken absolute hell for years for this perfection of his.
"Y-You think?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, you could have snail eyes or shark teeth or… just something really fucked up! You were lucky!"
Lucky. Yes, that he was. He still is, incredibly so.
"So this was… like… two or three weeks before, um… before the bar was stormed."
Izuku stops and bites his lip hard, short nails digging desperately into his small, thin hands. By now he's really sick, rising nausea mixing with the chill which has settled into his limbs. He'd probably be shivering anyway in the thin, standard issue grey jumpsuit, and the cold and somewhat rough shower he's been given earlier didn't help either.
He's done talking. The rest is not something he'd share with anyone, and definitely not in an interrogation. It isn't relevant either, they already have their mind made up about Himiko – to them she was nothing but a ruthless, cold-blooded murderer who took pleasure in seducing men and subsequently cutting their throats, so the fact that she ended up breaking her own rule with Izuku the very night before everything was over can't possibly mean anything. Just the same, there'd be no point in trying to explain to them that she took both his guns so that the police wouldn't find him armed and have a reason to shoot him down like they did her.
"Well, at any rate you're in very big trouble, young man," the officer states sternly, in conclusion. "Aside from the multiple charges of theft and property damage, you've also injured a security agent and you even went as far as to fight two pro heroes. That's extremely serious and it officially qualifies you as a villain. Do you understand?"
So then, he's a villain now.
It's a bit unfair though, it's not like he wanted to fight the pros, on both occasions he was only trying to escape! Surely it can't be the first time someone kicked Kamui Woods straight in the face and that thing with Endeavor was just ridiculous, the guy practically fell on his ass. Okay, through a shop window, but that was only because he's so big…
"Bullshit," the boy mutters under his breath, but still audibly, gaze lowered into his own lap. He doesn't want to argue, or defend himself, he refuses to even think of it, to go over what happened two days before, because if he does he'll just fall apart, break into a thousand pieces.
Izuku doesn't even notice All Might leaving his seat, or resuming his usual hero form, just feels the man's large hand descending into the narrow space between his shoulder and neck, nearly brushing against the delicate black gothic letters decorating the teen's pale skin just below his jaw line, spelling QUIRKLESS. He flinches violently upon being touched, finding no comfort in it whatsoever. Quite on the contrary, the sheer, raw power emanating from those fingers seeps into his body, melting his bones with fear. After all, All Might has no reason to be gentle with him, Izuku is a villain aside from being a personal disgrace for the man, so maybe he'll even-
"Hey, are you feeling ill?" the blond asks softly instead, visibly taken aback by the expression of pure horror in the boy's widened, red-rimmed eyes as he looks up abruptly.
Izuku nods weakly, still expecting the worst and completely unsuspecting of the other's painful cringing at the sight of what this cruel, glamour and power-avid world has done to his helpless child. "I-I think I'm going t-to-…"
He doesn't know what exactly he's going to do though, and the last thing he's vaguely aware of is those incredibly powerful arms wrapping around his small body and lifting him off the chair before everything just slips away.
"You know, they say you haven't fully experienced fatherhood until your partying teen child hasn't thrown up all over your good suit at least once," Tsukauchi observes, leaning against the wall and giving the blond a once-over. "Both my girls did it, but it looks like you dodged this too, you lucky bastard. It's really unfair, you know, no diapers, no flying food, no toy shop tantrums, and now your suit emerged unscathed. Damn…"
All Might struggles to muster a small, wry smile at his friend's attempt to lighten the mood. He really doesn't feel like he's dodged anything though, more like he's been punched in the face. "Yeah, he just fainted… he's in really bad shape."
The detective nods, having watched the whole interrogation from the other room.
"It was an ugly business," he says with a sigh, peeling himself from the wall and falling in step with the blond. "The League of Villains has been wreaking plenty of havoc lately and unfortunately the police was all fired up too, that's why they shot down that girl without warning, just because she was armed… I guess we can say that your kid was lucky, even if Kamui bruised him a little. We'll have to go over that tomorrow too, after the doctor checks him up."
The pro hero's shoulders are hunched, hands stuffed awkwardly in his pockets. "So… what did you think?" he asks the one known as the Human Lie Detector.
"Well, he wasn't holding anything back, nor did he lie about anything, I can tell you that much. And the kid's not evil either, I do believe he was just scared… But he did what he did and like I said, it's an ugly business and Endeavor is out for blood, too. You know there are some rumors going around about how he's not exactly the best husband and father… And now these kids beating him up - in a liquor store no less - made him look really bad. Someone's gotta pay for it and I don't think the girl's death will be enough."
All Might nods, tired. "When will his mother be allowed to see him?" he asks numbly.
Like I said, don't worry, you'll find out what Himiko's tattoo was. Also, things will get kind of dark from now on.