When I woke up, everything hurt and I had no idea where I was. I groaned and heard a giggle. Had I not hurt like hell, I'd have sat straight up, but instead I only snapped my eyes open. I came face to face with a pair of wild looking yellow eyes and a fang-like set of teeth, bared in a grin. I could vaguely remember that same grin from before I lost consciousness. Those features belonged to a blonde girl with messy hair haphazardly pulled back into a bun. A part of me felt a little disappointed I had woken up at all, but that was a small part. I felt better than I had in months, I felt light and free.
"Takahashi, he's awake." The girl said. I looked around the dark room, lit up by only a few monitors and a soft light pooling from beneath a curtain. The curtain drew back, and a tired looking man in a white coat stepped through where it had been a moment before. He gave me the slightest look of scrutiny for a moment, then checked a clipboard. This wasn't a hospital, I realized, feeling the need to check to see if I still had both my kidneys. I groaned and sat up, my back ached, it was stiff, but I was surprised to find my body seemingly intact.
"Good, it seems that the operations were successful. Though I recommend taking it easy, your spine is practically half metal now." The doctor said, "or keep moving, I suppose someone suicidal enough to jump isn't too concerned for their well being."
"You must have an amazing Quirk if you were able to fix me up completely already." I said, my voice raw from disuse.
"Observant, no signs of brain trauma" He leaned over and flashed a light in both of my eyes. "or signs of concussion." He was a tall man, slender, with glasses over his upturned nose, a bit of long brown hair falling into his face as he leaned over me.
"Hi, I'm Toga Himiko, nice to meet you." The blonde said excitedly. She had a wild look in her eyes, which I had to admit were surprisingly stunning despite the color.
"Down, girl, I still need to do some finishing touches." Said Takahashi, then looked at me. "I spent so much energy repairing your spine that I wasn't able to fix up the scrapes and bruises on your face." His eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed as he leaned in closer to me. He tilted his head, as if seeing something he had missed before. "Not all of this was from the fall. Were you in a fight?" I nodded, turning my head away slightly. The doctor was uncomfortably close.
"Do you really need to fix him up?" The girl, Himiko said.
"I will never understand you." Takahashi muttered, a hand pressing against my cheek. I groaned, then whimpered as the pain of my bruises and cuts sharpened. A few moments later the pain was gone completely. "My Quirk allows me to fuse organic material together." He explained. "Perfect for healing, but I could also fuse your hands to your ass if I chose to." He stood upright and sighed, producing a pack of cigarettes from beneath his coat.
"Where am I?" I asked, clutching the sheets.
"Where indeed." A deep, melodic voice said. My head turned to look at the newest arrival. He was tall, dressed in black, a long coat outlining his strangely slim build. He was even taller than Doctor Takahashi. He had messy black hair that had been swept back carelessly and looked like he had missed a few days of shaving. What struck me the most about him was his accent, he was definitely american. "Hello, little one, and welcome to one of my safehouses." He stepped past the doctor and the girl and right up to my bedside. I noticed the cane tucked under his arm, with a silver knob handle and a sleek black shaft. "My name is Brandon, Brandon Fitzgerald." He said, placing his arm over his chest and leaning forward in a bow. I shifted back a bit, the top of his head was uncomfortably close. He looked back up at me, only his head moving. He had a warm smile that reminded me of a trickster from old folktales. There was a gleam in his amethyst colored eyes. "My my, you were right, Toga, he's a real cutie."
"He's also not even in high school yet, so cool it." Takahashi said, looking passively irritable. Fitzgerald spun right around and put the knob of his cane under the doctor's chin and leaned in so close that I thought that he was going to kiss the doctor at first. Takahashi's head was forced to stay tilted upward and face the owner of the cane's gaze.
"No need to be jealous, Shinra." The taller male purred. "No matter how many lookers I meet, you'll always have my eye on you."
"That's…" Takahashi went pink and swallowed. "That's not what I meant, just stop being a creep, the kid's got enough to deal with as is."
"And I had my eye on him first." Himiko pouted. Fitzgerald stepped away from the doctor and let the point of his cane hit the floor.
"You have good taste, I would say we have about the same eye if it wasn't for that barbaric fetish of yours." It seemed like teasing between friends. Feeling forgotten, still sore, I groaned and got out of bed. All eyes turned back towards me.
"Why am I here?" I demanded, far more bold than I had ever dared to be. Fitzgerald smirked at me and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Toga brought you here, she has a thing for beat up looking guys for whatever reason." He explained. "Shinra patched you up, free of charge, and I have an opportunity for you." He picked up something from the corner, I clenched my fists as my eyes fell upon my school bag. "You have quite the eye, don't you think? A mind like yours would be so wasted on suicide."
"I didn't jump!" I snapped, and surprise filled me when he laughed slightly.
"The way you landed, you and to have been dropped, I assumed it was assisted suicide, but now it seems you have a fire in you." He offered his hand to me. "Well, will you at least hear me out then?" I glanced at his hand for a moment, hesitantly, I shook it. "Right this way." He ushered the other two out of the improvised medical room and led me out. My body was stiff, and I was limping in slight pain, but I could walk.
The safehouse, as he called it, was a strangely well furnished warehouse. In fact, it looked more like a rundown apartment than an abandoned industrial building. Takahashi sat on the couch near a staircase loading to what I assumed were some bedrooms, clipboard in hand again. As for Himiko, I could practically feel her eyes on me as I followed Fitzgerald. Rugs made it seem more home-like, though there was a conspicuous amount of weapons around the place. Guns, knives, baseball bats. Fitzgerald set my bag on the coffee table, earning a glance from the doctor.
"I hope you don't mind, but your journals caught my eye." He said, twirling his cane lazily as he spoke. He turned to face me with that mischievous smile on his face. "Interesting work you've got here, you certainly have a keen sense of observation." He sat down and set the cane aside. "Though, such a talent does make me curious, especially when seeing it put to use in such an interesting way." His tone was gentle, friendly even, but it felt like ice to me. It was a chill running down my spine and a coldness that froze me to the core.
"Where are you going with this?" I surprised myself, I sounded much stronger than I felt. However, what surprised me more, and scared me most, was how calm I felt. That same grin, like a cunning hunter with no need to give chase to prey that had already been caught, prey that didn't even know it. For some reason, that cunning intelligence actually put me even more at ease.
"I'll cut straight to the chase then, kid, I have a job offer for you." Fitzgerald said, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He put one in his mouth and lit it with a zippo lighter. "I could use someone like you on my side, and I have enough connections to get you a solid foot in a whole new world." He took a long drag of his cigarette and tilted his head back as he exhaled. Himiko sat next to him, while Takahashi continued to go over some notes on a clipboard. I was surprised, clearly these weren't upstanding folk, but my mind didn't immediately shut the idea out. In fact, that part of my brain that I had felt snap was….extremely interested.
"You don't even know who I am," I said.
"Izuku Midoriya." Fitzgerald replied.
"Age fourteen, almost fifteen, straight A student, stay at home mom, father works overseas." Takahashi listed.
"And quirkless." Fitzgerald finished. I swallowed, a long silence following. While they knew about my life, I knew nothing about them. Either they were small-timers, or they were good at staying hidden, the latter of which meant they were extremely dangerous. "But you don't need a quirk to be exceptional, now isn't that right?" he continued. I gritted my teeth, it was almost seductive the way this man spoke to him.
"You must realize that the reason that I write these is because I idolize heroes, right?" I said, my voice weaker than the last time I tried to speak. I swallowed again.
"Police report, You got that scar over your eye when you attempted to save a woman from a mugger, she was less than thrilled." Takahashi said. "Observation of your teachers, constant harassment from a likely hero candidate, Katsuki Bakugo." My fists clenched and my shoulders tensed.
"That bully of yours is expected to easily make it into UA. However, and this is just my own personal theory, he was the one who you were fighting with on that roof, wasn't he?" that damn grin. I couldn't speak, my throat was too tight, so I just nodded. "That boy is going to become a hero, while someone like you won't ever get recognition, despite your talents, so why don;t you come work with us? We can show this world that heroes aren't what they used to be, eh?" I was shaking slightly, knots forming in my stomach. Despite it all, I found my resolve.
"I agree with you on some things, but no matter what you can do to prepare me, I'm not cut out for it." I said, slowly standing up. Fitzgerald watched me, his smile never leaving his face. For a moment, I was reminded of All Might, but the pang of sadness brought me back to reality. I turned to look for the exit, but then he spoke again.
"If you prove yourself, we know a way to give you a quirk." he said. I froze. He had to be lying now, right?
"You're lying." I said, my voice cracking.
"Quirks come in all types. I know a few things about All Might's, his quirk which he inherited, as well as a man who can steal and give them." he said. "This is your one and only chance to learn more, and to rise above where this cruel world has beaten you to." I bit my lip, then very slowly I turned around.
"Alright." I said. "Where do we start?"