My Iron Giant
-Two Kinds-
Old fluorescent lights flickered to life, revealing a bar that has stood for decades against the years. It had a small number of tables and multiple couches facing a tv. On one side a wall of an assortment of collecting liquids showcased the various options that one could choose. The only barrier between a customer and them was the man robotically cleaning a glass.
This was his task, he was the barkeeper for an empty building.
No customers means no work.
It made him happy when the place was filled not too long ago, an assortment of characters each with their own stories to spill over a drink. Ever since he started his job he was granted permission to speak to them, to get to know them, but never reveal anything about himself unless what was already known. While others would share their past, his was a secret, not even he really thought about the kind of man he used to be.
That question was banned, no one not even himself could dare think about wondering who he used to be.
Now there was no one to talk to.
The silence hurt, the emptiness hurt, he needed to do something besides rewash the glasses a fifth time in a row.
"Kurogiri."
"Yes?" He answered, the misty man looking to the static filled tv in the corner.
"I saw your little interview recently, good work." The compliment hardly had any sincerity, just a forced mannerism to keep people that were ignorant in line.
Kurogiri was not ignorant, he just knew there was no other logical option.
"Thank you." He answered, there was nothing else he could say. There were plenty of things to say but none of them would make the other man pleased. If he wasn't happy, then no one was going to be happy.
"But"
There it was, he knew it was coming at some point. There was only one mood he would be in when he used that particular word in his vocabulary.
"I see you have not returned with Tomura, the one I requested for you to keep from harm. The sole reason I created you."
Kurogiri stopped wiping the glass, slowly placing it down until it clinked against the counter.
"He is dead."
"And where is his body?"
"..."
"Well?"
"It is gone."
"You lost it?"
"No, but I did not have the tools to retrieve him given the circumstances."
"So how did Tomura die in a way that you could not bring me the corpse?"
The red eyes, the metallic fist, it all happened so quickly he couldn't even react. All that he could do was watch as the knuckles rose from the ground, a smear of crimson mixed with skin still sticking to it. At the bottom of the crater, a gory mess of his remains completely flattened. Guts had exploded out of his sides, hair mixed together with his brains, he couldn't even make out where what remained of his eyes were supposed to be.
"He was...crushed. It was instant but had the same result of a hydraulic press."
That's all Kurogiri could manage to relay, trying to say anything else and he might vomit along with his words.
"Well, that is a shame. I did have high hopes for him."
So did he.
"With Tomura gone you must be wondering what use I have of you now."
None.
Kurogiri knew it was coming, it was only a matter of time before he was relieved from existence. What use was he if his single purpose was gone.
"I am prepared."
"So you are. After your announcement to the world there was only one option left."
That warp quirk would happen anytime now, a combustion of flames, or a torrent of lightning, maybe some creative combination of different quirks sentencing him to certain death. It was the only thing to look forward to now.
'I'm sorry Tomura, I failed you.'
"You will be the leader of the League of Villains."
"...Excuse me?"
"Your face is already plastered across the news, spreading like a California wildfire across the world. They are calling you a super villain. Quite the leap from caretaker."
Leader...he was no leader. He was at best a simple soldier following orders.
"A leader needs followers. Go and recruit allies to the cause, ones that are much better quality than the last."
Kurogiri had his orders, already he could think of a few people to reach out to in order to find those who would have joined Tomura in his quest to destroy the hero system. There was a certain perk to working as a bartender, he was always there to listen to anyone's drunken ramblings. Including those who hated some heroes.
"It will be done."
"Excellent. I was unsure about trusting one of my Nomu with such responsibility, but you have proven you are intelligent enough to handle it."
Nomu, Kurogiri hated that word. It was as if he was a different species. No, he was merely a human shackled by quirk experimentations. It was more accurate to call him and his brethren prisoners.
"Oh, and one last thing."
"Hm?"
"You are not the world's first super villain, no matter what others may say."
Ah, that's the root of his anger for today. It was slightly aggravating that it wasn't because Tomura had died. No, All for One was angry because someone else is taking his spotlight. It wasn't Kurogiri's fault that the man decided to rule from the dark.
"Yes, I understand."
"Good, now that we are in agreement that no one else achieved the status-"
Kurogiri never agreed with him on that, but didn't bother to correct him.
"-For your next efforts, you may make use of my asset."
"Asset?"
"Don't tell me you have already forgotten. I guess I could only expect so much of you."
He wasn't the one that kept almost everything a secret and referenced other pieces of his plan in vague ways.
"My pet tucked away in the woods."
Like that, vague, but enough for Kurogiri to recall.
"I am grateful, thank you."
"You will have to prove yourself to him though."
'I don't think that will be an issue.'
"Very well, is there anything else?"
"If you haven't already cleaned Tomura's room then no. You should have rooms for your recruits to stay at after all. Goodbye."
The tv turned itself off, leaving the misty man alone with his thoughts, his glass, and his orders. Opening the cupboard under the counter he gently guides the cup to its place among many others. It had been a while since he needed so many but each one held a drink at some point that made someone's life a little easier. Perhaps he could open up again to see more faces passing through?
It would be nice to have some company.
Izuku was facing a conundrum.
A horned owl had decided to try nesting itself on his hand. Why it decided to do this now, in the daylight, in the middle of February, on a giant metal contraption that he was moving on a regular basis, he did not know.
Little owl, this is no place for you, your nest will fall off.
'No, shoo, go away. Use a tree or something.'
He waved his giant hand, trying to get it to spook the creature away.
"Hoot!"
It took it as an act of offense, now trying to scratch and bite him to remain still. This was a brave owl, picking a fight with a hundred foot robot. Izuku didn't want to hurt it, but it wasn't giving him many options.
"Go."
His voice came out slightly harsh, and it caused the owl to stop and look at him. Ok, good, he got it's attention.
"Eeeeve"
He needed to work on his L's.
The owl flapped up to sit on his shoulder, using its large eyes to try and look into Izuku's own green spotlights. Just, no, go away. Izuku shifted, planting a hand in the snow to pick himself up. His movements could be heard a mile away in an urban area, but in a forest it would carry for much farther. Many nearby birds took off, disturbed by his movements.
Not the owl, no sir, he kept staring at Izuku.
Mocking him.
No, that's how Kach-Bakugo thought. Bakugo, not Kachan, not after what he did to you Izuku. All these years and you still treat him as a friend? Grow up kid….When did he stop thinking Bakugo as a friend? Actually, when did he suddenly have such resentment towards the explosive blond? Ever since they were little he looked up to Bakugo, held him in the living personification of victory. It's suddenly gone now, the respect, the admiration, now a simmering annoyance running in the back of his head anytime he thought of Bakugo.
"Hoot."
RIght, the owl.
Izuku turned his head to look straight to the bird that was clinging to his metallic shoulder covered in snow. It didn't seem to mind one bit that he was sitting in the cold, or something that could crush him. Where was this thing's survival instincts?
"Go."
"Hoot."
"P,P,L,L, Leeeave"
"Hoot."
Sassy little thing isn't he, or she, whichever it is. He brought his hand up, sticking out his finger to brush the owl off. It fluffed up its feathers and spread its wings to try and look bigger than the massive finger. When it got within a couple inches the owl started to peck his digit furiously. Izuku ignored it, still trying to move it off himself. Finally the bird got the message and jumped into the air, off him, and onto his finger.
'You're not making this easy.'
"Hey Izuku!"
Both him and the owl looked down to see Ochaco coming outside, shivering with hardly anything to shield her from the elements. "Can I come in?"
Yes, always yes.
He lowered his other hand, making sure to try and keep the owl as far away from her as possible. Izuku didn't want to figure out if this was a violent owl that might attack her, after all it did attack him.
Twice.
Once Ochaco hopped in his palm he hoisted her up, making her shiver even more from the rushing winter air over her skin. Once she was eye level with himself he reopened the passage from before, components of the eye shifting out of the way to make a tunnel for her to walk through. The chilly winds rushed into his warm little pocket, rushing past to brush his freckles. He expected to flinch, to shiver, goosebumps even, but nothing happened. It was there, he could feel it, but his body of flesh and blood didn't react besides his nerves telling him it was cold.
"Brrbbbrbrbr." Ochaco rubbed her hands over her biceps so fast Izuku thought they might actually catch fire.
As she took her last step to fully enter he closed his eye, or, opened it? His exterior left vision returned but the tunnel closed as the pieces of his optical unit reset themselves.
"Ahhh, it's so warm in here." Ochaco started to regain feeling in her fingertips, her pads especially being sensitive despite their durability. Random facts you learn when you basically merge your brain with someone else's.
Izuku resummoned the bean bag, Ochaco flopping down into it as soon as she saw it emerge from the floor.
"Yeeessssss." She sprawled her limbs, stretching herself into it as much as possible.
Izuku let the arm on his back take him over to sit in the air next to her. It didn't really take effort to keep his legs in the air, whatever mechanism inside himself could lock themselves in place so he could relax. He wasn't sure why she was here to check on him, last he saw she was having a conversation with Ragdoll and Pixie Bob. He didn't bother to listen in, thinking he might have been intruding in a conversation he wasn't a part of. Plus, he trusted the heroes, and his scanners alerted him of anyone that would enter in a twenty mile radius.
Yet just because he didn't try to listen, that doesn't mean he didn't hear them. Remembering their conversation his head became a strawberry. No! Bad thoughts go away! Go away with the owl and go find somewhere to build a nest and leave him alone!
"Izuku?"
'Yes?' He turned over to her, she had this weird look on her face.
"You know how we shared memories and all that?"
He nodded. Yeah, kind of hard to forget another entire life suddenly in your head.
"So…" She suddenly gained this super cheeky grin. He started to sweat, nervous about what she was possibly thinking of. There was his hero obsession, the notebooks filled with nearly every quirk he's come across, the hero names he gave himself, the fact that he sleeps fully clothed, all of them she could bring up.
"Ragdoll"
SHE KNEW! OH CRAP SHE KNEW HOW HE HAD THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON HER AS A KID WHEN SHE DEBUTED WITH THE OTHER WILD WILD PUSSY CATS PLEASE NO!
"Hoot."
The joints in his robotic neck whirred around, snapping his eyes to glare at the owl. Ok, this time it had to be mocking him.
"Pft! Hahaha!" Ochaco grabbed her stomach, accidentally making herself float and spin in the air as she laughed at his reaction. Now he was part angry at the owl, part flustered, but mostly embarrassment.
He let the girl float around in his headspace for a little bit more, waiting for her to finally stop laughing. When she started dying down, she took another look at him and started all over again.
"Hoot."
'I will eat your eggs.'
Turns out there is a limit to how long someone can laugh until their body eventually just gives out from exhaustion. Ochaco's laughing turned to weakened chuckling mixed with a tinge of pain. One of her hands was tenderly rubbing her diaphragm, the muscles overused in repeatedly expelling the air out of her lungs. "Hehe, he..ouch."
Izuku sent a command to the other arm to move over to her, giving her something to grab onto and pull herself to the ground before she released her quirk. Ochaco had a weak smile on her face, probably still thinking about a particular green haired heroine. She trudged over to the bean bag and plopped her rear into it, letting her body sink back into the heavenly cushion.
After waiting for a couple minutes in silence, Ochaco finally managed to find vocal strength to talk again. "So, the Pussy Cats put a report that they found us yeah?"
'Yeah.' She couldn't hear his thoughts, but without looking over to him she assumed he nodded or something similar. Not like he had other options of responding well.
"That means we'll get to go back to UA, and see our parents."
Oh, right, his Mom. He hasn't gotten to see his Mom since, well, since the morning of the entrance exam. Even if it's only been a little over a week since then, it's felt like a very, very, long time. So much has happened that it would probably take three months to get all the details right.
"Will you.." She stopped, taking the time to find the words she specifically wanted to say. Her sudden change in mood got his attention immediately, not even any particular avian creature sitting on his exterior shoulder.
He repositioned his body to be suspended right in front of Ochaco, intently listening to what she might have to say. With his sudden attentiveness it made her shyly look away, blushing a little more and fiddling with her pads.
"Do you...still want to do stuff together? Kind of like before?"
He couldn't fight his own blush, a girl, a girl his age wanting to do things with him, a teenage boy. There were lots of things they did together though, he watched her, did what she said, defended her from getting hurt, there must be something particular she wanted. To easily express his desire for clarification he tilted his head, still managing to keep his eyes on her despite the urge to cover himself up with his arms.
"You know, stuff like, the movies we watched together, the training we did, maybe another picnic like before, and just...being together."
Whatever was pumping blood through Izuku's veins right now was definitely squeezed. The pure hearted desire she had stirred something inside, similar to electricity, wait, it could easily be electricity.
"Hoot."
'Oh shut up!'
He nodded fervently, wholeheartedly agreeing to spending time together. His enthusiasm perked Ochaco up immensely.
"Great! I've been thinking of a list of things we can do now that you're better. First, there's going camping in the deep woodland part of UA. I've been eyeing it for a while, but if we get permission to go outside now that you have control we could go somewhere good to stargaze! Yeah, we did kind of already go to space, crossing that off my bucket list. Wait, do you think we could get permission to go to space! That would be so cool!"
As she listed off several other things, Izuku nodded along with equal enthusiasm. All of these? He never got to do with anyone. Hell over half of them he didn't do period because he didn't feel like it would be fun to do alone. Now they were going to do so many things together, the beach, random street vendors, games, there was so much he missed out on.
He was going to share so many first time things with Ochaco.
"Hoot Hoot!"
'No! You're not invited, you live here!'
"Hoot!"
Ochaco didn't hear anything outside the head, including the owl thank goodness, but she noticed how Izuku's exterior eyes were focused on it from what the screen showed. She shrugged, resuming her ramblings.
'Midoriya! Uraraka!' A voice called from within their heads. Both recognized it as Mandalay's and Izuku's metal head turned to look at where she was standing below.
'We got in contact with UA, they're sending someone to come escort you guys back. Heads up though, you're going to have to put on another show for the media.'
Oh no, oh nonononono. The idea of hardly being mentally present and just mindlessly obeying orders suddenly sounded very appealing.
Monoma sat in his dorm room at UA, not being bothered by anyone at the moment. Everyone else that lived on campus was sent home because of the villain attack.
Everyone except him.
You see, when all of a sudden the rules of your quirk are ignored by some other quirk that has jury rigged your body to do whatever it wants with it at any given moment there's some concern. That concern turns to extreme caution when that quirk happens to be the same as arguably the most powerful teen on earth that just went missing after defeating a creature that killed the number one voted most powerful man on earth.
He wasn't upset at all about his condition, and he certainly wasn't salty about it. If anything he should be grateful to somehow have such power at his potential use if he chooses to use it. All it cost him was his ability to leave the campus for the unforeseeable future and a gag order to speak about his condition to anyone who doesn't already know about it. Even then he can't speak over the phone about it, and if word gets out UA could do hardly anything to protect him from being potentially drafted as a minor and locked away.
Alright, he might be slightly upset about the turn of events. It's not to say there wasn't hope for becoming a hero. Quite the opposite. If he manages to get a hold of this new aspect of his quirk and demonstrate control he would be allowed to use it within the laws of any other quirk. The first step was already being organized by the Principal, who was pooling together a team that would help study his condition and help him master it.
The second step though, depended heavily on a certain individual returning to the light.
Izuku Midoriya.
Since he is the original holder, his participation would be vital to learn about how much of his version of the quirk had transferred over and what changes were made. Until he shows up, or if he shows up, all he could do was wait and listen to the construction equipment moving across the campus. The Uraraka family company had been working nearly nonstop, able to ignore many neighborhood silence laws for construction because of the vast distance it covered.
He managed to catch a glimpse of the Urarakas from time to time while school was in session. They seemed like a hard working couple, taking advantage of Nezu's kindness and letting them spend some time with their daughter when both parties weren't too busy. Now though, they seemed rugged, tired, and focused. The disappearance of their daughter must be awful to deal with, so they threw themselves into work to distract their thoughts from spiraling down.
All they had was hope, hope their daughter would return from who knows where safe and sound.
It must be nice to have parents who care.
*Vrm Vrm*
Impossible, someone reaching out to him? The ego maniac of 1-B? He hoped it wasn't another ballsy reporter that managed to pry his number from someone and ask about Midoriya.
He stretched over his recliner, yes he had a recliner in his room it's very comfy to study in, and grabbed his phone from his desk.
Unknown Number: Hey, it's me.
Monoma: If you ask me about my car's extended warranty I will block you.
Unknown Number: What? No, you don't even have a car.
Monoma: State your name and purpose and be done with it.
Unknown Number: Wow, I can hear the superiority from your texts.
Unknown Number: It's Kendo, and I'm going to ignore your rudeness given everything that's just happened.
Kendo, how exactly did she get hi-Club President privileges. Of course.
Monoma: You still haven't told me why you reached out.
Kendo: Class President stuff, figured I should check in on everyone.
Monoma: And here I thought for a second you were starting to care about me.
Kendo: Haha, very funny.
Monoma: That didn't feel very enthusiastic. Where is that Class President spirit we elected you for? Maybe I should have voted for someone else who would do a better job.
Kendo: So you did vote for me? Nice to know.
Kendo: And drop the act, we talked about this. When you try to pull off the "cool and confident" you end up acting like some rich boy bully.
Monoma: Well I am well off.
Kendo: Well off, not living in the Yaoyorozu mansion.
Monoma: That's a very different kind of rich.
Kendo: True, so is there anything on your mind that your Class President can legally talk with you about while she's stuck at home with her parents?
Monoma: How many others have you talked to?
Kendo: Just about everyone besides a handful, and two obvious ones.
Monoma: Have you saved the best for last?
Kendo: Don't
Monoma: Sorry, I thought that was funny.
Monoma: On a more serious note. Is anyone actually doing ok?
Kendo: There's a general vibe of grief. Most are in shock/denial, trying to wrap their heads around how this could even happen. The second most popular mood is depression, loss of direction, and general uneasiness for the future.
Monoma: That sounds about right.
Kendo: What about you?
Monoma: I've decided to skip the steps of grief entirely. No use dwelling on the past.
Kendo: You don't just skip feeling sad about All Might dying, or the post event panic from villains showing up out of nowhere.
Monoma: He was hardly intimidating.
Kendo: You faced the guy who went from nobody to being the guy who personally admitted to dealing the final blow to All Might. You aren't scared he'll just pop out of nowhere and get you back?
He had to set his phone down to steady his hand as he typed out his response. His fingers were shaking and his eyes glancing at every corner of the room. It was his fault she ended up saying it, he was trying to brush it off like it was nothing.
Kendo: Monoma?
Monoma: I'm here
Kendo: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up.
Why? It seemed like a perfectly valid response to his own. It's not like she could know how he was feeling behind the screen.
Kendo: I can't imagine how scary it must be for you.
Dammit woman, quit being so thoughtful and clever about things.
Monoma: They're making plenty of security measures to UA. When Midoriya gets back they have an idea about installing a way to prevent warping quirks or anyone who manages to find a way inside based off his quirk.
Kendo: You used when, not if. You don't normally give others that level of confidence.
Monoma: He's the only person to beat me, I have to respect that.
Kendo: That's something to write down to say in front of the class, and let Midoriya know that when he gets back.
Monoma: It seems you expect him to be back as well.
Kendo: You didn't see the way his fighting style changed in person, it was blended with some combat techniques using a mix of close combat and ranged tactics in a face paced environment.
Monoma: That sounds awfully familiar.
Kendo: It's the training that Uraraka was getting from Snipe. It wasn't one person fighting the Nomu, it was two sharing a body. Odds are very likely they beat the Nomu.
Monoma: That was very insightful. I might be able to use that for my own training.
Crap, that might have sounded a little more creepy than he intended. Why should he care what she thought though? Not like she could do anything with that information. He could deny anything she might assume from that or spread via rumors. Yet the thought of her thinking worse about him clenched his stomach.
Kendo: I think there's some things here that would need to be said in person.
Oh?
Kendo: I can find a way to convince my parents to let me visit you if it revolves around training at UA. Think they'd let me come over early?
OH?
Kendo: Of course, we don't have to train, we could just talk or something.
OH?!
Kendo: But if you need a good reason for me to come by we can train.
Oh?
Kendo: If you want me to come by of course.
Every message she sent made his head spin again. Too many thoughts, too many feelings, no way he could tell her everything. Maybe he would take up Hound Dog on that offer and sort some things out.
Kendo: Say something!
Monoma: Yes, I'd like some company. It can be boring over here.
Kendo: Great! Se
Hm? Was that it? Maybe she accidentally sent send a little early. But she wasn't saying anything or correcting her error. The waiting was starting to drive his mind wild again, much more than waiting for mastering control of a powerful quirk. No he was just getting stirred up over a text from a classmate.
Kendo: TUrn oN thea wnaes
The what now?
*vrm vrm*
A notification came up on his phone, some news vlog he followed that seeked to get all the dirtiest secrets on heroes. They reported alongside the big stuff as well and gave their opinion but this was live. Not understanding what Kendo sent he hoped she would see the mess of a text and clarify it. For now he was curious about this notification that was titled 'Defender of Hero Society Crowds the Streets for Attention.'
That could be a lot of different things, obvious bait to the weak minded for more views. Yet he knew the type of content posted by this person, so he knew what to expect and opened the app to see his latest story.
Ok, he could be wrong. He did not expect to see a shaky zoomed in video of Ochaco in an improved version of her hero suit standing on Izuku's metal shoulder walking down the road with plenty of armored cars in front and behind him with crowds of cheering people. It was like some parade.
K, I'm tired so I didn't focus too hard on writing something here.
I recently discovered a story that has taken the robot Izuku idea and done their own thing with it. It's called "Beauty and the Titan." and it's written by Xyrothor. Go check it out!
For simplicities sake I'll reply to comments that ask questions or brin up interesting points. I love all of them though! Just because I don't respond to it doesn't mean I don't appreciate it!
Any questions, comments, or jokes are welcomed. As long as they're funny.
BlazingVictini09:
Hrm, I don't know if I personally like that idea right away. Maybe I'm thinking of it differently than how you are. If you let me know about your idea in depth then I could understand where you're coming from.
Xyrothor:
I'm glad you got the reference! Fallout is one of my favorite video game series besides Bioshock. I also recently saw the story you wrote and when I read the bottom where you referenced "My Iron Giant" my heart was touched. It's going great so far and I can't wait to see where it goes!
Reishin Amara:
Actually, that's the kind of story that Xyrothor wrote. Go check it out!
Team5dsforever:
We are going to go into Endeavor's self development earlier than normal. I toyed with the idea of Izuku being related to Endeavor through his father's side because of the fire quirk.
Saramus92:
I love the drawings you have made! I might end up asking for a certain version or two later on but right now I'm tired and writing these reviews on minimal energy.
Zabkiel:
I'm glad you're liking the break in stress right now! These folk are not getting enough time to unwind and that's what they need the most.
Animeguy1101:
Yep! I'm still trying to figure out Shoto's personal feelings about Izuku robot cousin, but seeing as how he's being compared to All Might so often probably doesn't help out.
The entrance exams were in February, and it's been just over a week from then so it's still winter. There's more snow over in the mountain areas during that time of year, and that's where the Pussy cats are at.
JotSomethingDown:
Tenya is going to finally get some of the focus he deserves and character perspective. Without Izuku to talk with him and help him be more open to questioning people's motives and reasonings he has remained in his assumption like state and had no development. Luckily he still has his dependable brother.
It would be a shame if something were to happen to him.
RunOnSentences:
Yeah, I tend to bleed that into my stories a lot. I think it might be repressed emotions leaking into my writing. I'm going to try and balance that out.
StarSaber10:
I mean, they're both big and intimidating? Shouldn't they follow the same rules? We have a couple other options for enemies, but expect to see Nomu's get a different treatment in their creation process.
Gotta be honest, sometimes when I write this I put the Pacific Rim theme on replay and write listening to it.
SonicMax:
Well, he definitely won't turn into a girl, but there was this one time I thought about writing Izuku with a tank quirk just going around shooting things and blowing stuff up.
Lord White Fang :
Maybe, I'd have to look more into that one. I'm going to say off the top of my head prior to research that he probably could, but I might not write it in.