Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA/MHA or any of its characers!
AN: This chapter may start out kind of boring, but it's important for knowing certain details about Izuki's quirk. Make sure to read and enjoy it too! Trigger warning!
Chapter 3: Purple Prince a.k.a. Indigo Idiot
Working at the register wasn't the best job ever, but he needed the money. Every once in a while though, a customer would make his workplace a little more interesting. They'd usually complain about the store or his appearance. He especially enjoyed when arguments broke out between the people in line. It was fun to provide his opinion on their argument and casually diffuse the situation by making himself their common enemy. His manager didn't appreciate the tactic, but the guy was seriously low on employees.
The store was small and the profits were coming in at minimum rate. Shinsou's register had almost no line for most of his shift. Since the isles were so empty, he was allowed to pass the time by watching the news on a dingy TV suspended above the register.
He yawned widely as the news reporter explained another villainous rampage. His tired eyes observed the monitor as it panned over a slimy creature engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, the heroes all stood along the heated boulevard doing absolutely nothing. Shinsou sighed at the suited queue of unmoving "inspirations" who wore the exact same panicked expressions as the fleeing crowd. Weren't they supposed to be the brave ones?
He smirked at their hesitation and thought that his quirk would've been perfect for the fight. He'd be able to walk right up to the slime and just tell it to surrender. The other heroes could put out the fire, and the blonde kid would go home free. He would've actually done it if he wasn't under age and currently working. He wasn't a hero, yet. Surprised shouts pulled his attention back to the screen.
A cute green-haired girl sprinted straight at the villain. She wore a determined look while dodging the flailing arms of goop. Her skillful strategy let her reach the blonde boy in an instant. Unfortunately for the girl, the slime didn't care about her attempts and easily wrapped around her as well. Shinsou kept himself from letting out a relieved sigh upon Midnight's arrival. He shouldn't care about those random teens, but they were still people. He also found himself admiring the small girl who held a shocking amount of courage.
Shinsou even felt pity for her when she was left unconscious beside the ungrateful blonde boy. Hopefully the explosive teenager would have at least enough sense to walk the girl home. He went back to work as a short line began to form. He lost himself in the tedious task until a sweet voice resurfaced his thoughts.
"Excuse me sir, could you help me out please?" He turned towards it with his usual bored expression, but it quickly changed to gaping surprise. The same girl who'd appeared on his screen now stood before him in all her disheveled glory. She tilted her head and smiled in the cutest way possible. She was way too cute. Her brightness made him want to poke her cheek to check if she was real, or if she was some sort of fanservice robot. He mumbled out a weird and practically incoherent phrase.
"Y-you're that girl." he maintained his relaxed posture, but his voice came out like he was choking. The girl frowned back at him in confusion.
"What girl?" He flinched at the sudden and scary change in her features. How could she get so serious so quickly? The new look didn't suit her as well as the smile.
"I mean, you're a hero." The girl's eyes widened and she took a step back. She pointed at herself doubtfully.
"Me, a hero?" Feeling the need to support his claim, he pointed at the TV.
"I saw you save your boyfriend from that villain. You were super brave. You moved when all the professianals were frozen." The girl's mouth fell open and her cheeks flushed.
"H-he's not my boyfriend." That was the one sentence she pulled out of his praise, really? He put a hand on his chest and continued to explain his admiration for her.
"Then you're even more worthy of being called hero because you risked your life for a person you didn't even know." His words came out clear and honest. He had the urge, for some unexplained reason, to encourage this brave but under-confident teenager. Her cheeks by this point had grown an even darker color red.
"T-thank you, uh…." He stepped forward and extended his palm.
"Shinsou Hitoshi, aspiring student and cashier at this fine establishment." She giggled lightly at his introduction and placed her hand in his.
"Midoriya Izuki, aspiring hero and customer of this fine establishment." He gave a small chuckle at her response.
"So, what did you need help with?" Izuki brushed a hand through her hair absently and reeled in the question she'd meant to ask earlier.
"Do you have a phone I could borrow?" He quirked an eyebrow in interest. Did she not have a phone? He found himself a little disappointed that he couldn't add this ray of sunshine to his contact list. She seemed so approachable and understanding.
"You don't have a phone?" She rubbed the back of her neck and gave him an almost shy look.
"I do, but I forgot it at home and I really need to call my mother. I think she's probably panicking after watching Kacchan and I get attacked by that villain." Shinsou connected the dots and realized the blonde guy must be this "Kacchan" she spoke of. He nodded to Izuki and handed over his phone. She smiled gratefully and typed in a number.
"Hi mom, don't worry I'm alive. Yes, I'm just getting those groceries you asked for. What, no! He's not my boyfriend mom! Why does everyone think that? Oh." Izuki's face reverted to red once again. Shinsou guessed that her mom had probably asked a bunch of embarrassing questions about the blonde teen. He smirked enjoyably at Izuki's responses. She glared at him and stuck out her tongue. She enacted revenge by taking her shot at flustering him.
"Yeah mom, I'm right next to the cashier, he's super hot." She smiled devilishly at him with a mischievous gleam lighting her eyes. He restrained himself from being shocked. This girl was scary because of the fact that her personality seemed to be tipping on the edge of a cliff. Would she fall to one side indefinitely, or would she continue swaying back and forth between cute and clever? He pondered the question while Izuki finished her important call.
She pressed the end button and swerved to return his phone, but she pulled it back before he could take it. She smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, if you don't mind, I have another call to make." Shinsou shrugged to show his indifference. His eyes followed her as she took out a piece of paper and smoothed its edges. He blinked twice at the flirtatious words written on the slip. She was really going to call a person who wrote like that? Izuki was just getting stranger and stranger. The girl's soft voice cracked his thoughts like broken glass.
"Hello, I just want to ask who this is and why exactly you left me a note while I was unconscious." She paused to receive her answer from the other line.
"Yup, that's me! Y-you're….no way! Oh my gods! You're my favorite hero! You're fighting style is so unique and awesome. Are you serious? Of course I will! Yeah, see you then." A dopey grin covered half of Izuki's face. A small tear of joy rolled across her cheek. She turned towards him with a bright and disbelieving smile.
"Shinsou, you won't believe this!" The purple-haired teen waited patiently for her to explain the situation. Izuki's eyes sparkled with admiration as she adamantly talked about the conversation.
"It was Midnight! She's so awesome. Her quirk is amazing and she has loads of confidence…." Izuki realized she had strayed off topic, so she got back on track.
"Well anyway, she asked me to be her apprentice! It's a dream come true! I mean she's my favorite hero, and…." Shinsou chuckled to himself as she continued on with her super cute fangirling. He didn't mention how surprised he was that Midnight had offered to train Izuki. Especially since Izuki was shy and easily embarrassed; she wasn't anything like Midnight.
Oh, the answer suddenly dawned on him. Midnight clearly wished to take advantage of Izuki's good looks and to teach her how to use her feminine wiles against male super-villains. He tried imagining what Izuki would be like after an apprenticeship with Midnight. The outcome could only be crowd killing.
He didn't know if anyone could handle her after that, and if she had a hero costume anywhere close to what Midnight debuted in…...every self-respecting man was done for.
Izuki finally returned his communication device and smiled,
"Sorry, I might've got a little carried away." She looked up at him through her lashes and waited for an answer. He gave her a teasing smile.
"I didn't know you were such a fangirl." Izuki twirled a strand of hair nervously.
"I suppose I could be called that, but I actually prefer analyzing quirks to chasing handsome heroes." Shinsou nodded approvingly. That made more sense to him. She did act like one of the more modest types. He guessed she was prone to improving herself without even realizing she had done so. When he stared into her eyes long enough he could see her burning desire to be a hero. He made a bet that she was a great artist too. She had an eye for detail.
Izuki finished bagging her groceries while Shinsou finished his thoughts. Without thinking any further, he walked over and transferred the bags into his own arms. Izuki tilted her head curiously.
"What're you doing?" He made the quickest excuse he could think of.
"My shifts ending and you've had quite the day. I want to be a hero too, you know. I figured I'd start with assisting a tired young lady home." Izuki's features sparkled in every way as she heard him relay his dream to her. She smiled widely and decided to let him help. He followed along with his own kind of smile.
"Thanks, you're very kind." She spoke lightly, but her gratitude hit heavily on his heart. He replied while observing her joyful face.
"It's no problem, like I said, I have to start acting more heroic if I want to catch up to you." Shinsou smirked playfully after making the declaration of rivalry. Izuki's smile grew even brighter at his teasing.
"So, what school are you going to try for?" This time, it was his turn to put on an almost fanboy-like face. His purple irises glimmered excitedly at her question.
"Well, I want to go to Yuuei, but I know their entrance exams don't exactly work for my quirk so, I'm applying for their General Studies course too." Izuki listened to his hyperness, which didn't sound anything close to his usual monotone tiredness. Her smile could only grow larger after his ode to Yuuei. When he finished describing his future plans, she poked him playfully.
"Who's the fan now?" Shinsou grinned sheepishly at her.
"By the way, I'm aiming for Yuuei too. It is the top hero school, and Midnight works there." He was surprised with himself as he felt happiness fill him. For some reason he had labeled Izuki as his friend along the way, and the idea of having someone to stay by his side and support his dream seemed pretty amazing to him. He just found himself wishing, once again, that he had a different quirk. Spending more time with his new friend wouldn't be that easy if they were in opposing classes.
Then, he wondered what her quirk was. She must have an outstanding one if she was so confident about going to Yuuei. As if she'd read his thoughts, Izuki asked the exact question that had just come to his mind.
"What's your quirk anyway?" Shinsou began to answer, but stopped himself impulsively. How would she react when she heard about his "villainous" quirk? Everyone he told about it always labeled him as a villain. They said his quirk was great for a bad guy, but he'd never wanted to be the bad guy. He pushed down the depressing thoughts and got it over with.
"My quirk's brainwashing. If I ask someone a question, and they answer, then I can control them." He frowned at the explanation; it did sound evil. He looked at Izuki hesitantly, expecting to see a shocked or scared look upon her face. Instead, she smiled, one of those big, breath-taking ones. Her eyes took on a calculating appearance.
"Wow! That's an amazing quirk! Does it work on animals too?" Shinsou's mouth gaped at her completely casual and curious tone. She wasn't phased by his quirk at all; she didn't think he was evil! Izuki was acting normal; well, her own kind of normal anyway. Shinsou decided, right then and there, to place her near the top of his friends list. Even if it wasn't that long of a list, she would still be considered awesome. Izuki was even more accepting and trustworthy than he'd originally judged. Sweeping away his surprise, he finally answered her question.
"No, animals are immune to my quirk." Izuki nodded thoughtfully, then, her features changed as if she'd just come up with the best idea ever.
"I'd like to know more about your quirk, so….could you use it on me?" Shinsou immediately halted and stared at her in shock.
"What?!" His eyes were wide, and he wasn't sure if he'd heard her right. Izuki played with her ponytail obliviously.
"I want to know how your quirk works for future reference, so could you try it on me?" He shook his head in disbelief.
"You're kidding." Izuki frowned at him seriously.
"No, it's fine. I trust you." His heart gave a painful palpitation within his chest. That's a first. Her kind words along with her supposed innocence were starting to make his brain spin. Shinsou gave her a worried glance to relay his concern. She smiled and nodded in encouragement. Shinsou sucked in a breath to calm his nerves. No one had ever asked to be brainwashed. He hesitantly asked the required activation question, it was one he was actually curious about.
"What's your quirk?" Izuki's eyes flooded with sadness upon his inquiry. The pain clearly showed on her face. Just what kind of quirk did she have? He was about to take it back, when her quiet voice interrupted.
"I….I…." He was almost glad when his quirk took affect. Anything was better than her suffering, even the absence of emotion.
"Tell me Midoriya, what's your quirk?" Her tone came out steely and robotic, like a machine.
"When I'm under the use of suppressants, it is called Painful Contact. The full effect and proper name of my quirk is classified information, but I can tell you that it's medicated to insure the safety of everyone around me." Shinsou's mind filled with disbelief even though she could only answer truthfully. Suppressants were only given to people with highly dangerous or uncontrollable quirks. He listened in amazement as her tragic explanation continued.
"Due to an accident at a young age, I entered Quirk Dormancy Surgery to properly guarantee the survival of my friends and relatives. Recent activities however, have somehow created a fissure in the part of the brain that keeps my power dormant. Now, although I'm not back to my original range of usage, I have gained a surmountable amount of access. My current availability is around 15% of my entire capacity. Right now, I can successfully paralyze an opponent as long as I remain in contact with them for one minute. The affected victim can receive side effects such as nerve loss, sickness, nausea, and blurry vision. The victim's pain receptors can possibly become cut off for up to one week. Once gaining full accessibility to my quirk, I will gain a classified improvement to my power which will allow me to perform highly lethal attacks."
Shinsou's brainwashing must've been satisfied with the long narration, because Izuki was pushed back into consciousness. Her face was slack and her expression dazed. He was frowning at the depth of explanation she'd just giving. It was clear how well she could analyze quirks. He was quite sure anyone else would've stopped explaining after about two sentences. Shinsou also wondered what caused the doctors to resort to Dormancy Surgery. It had to be something terrible.
It also dawned on him that her quirk could be considered quite villainous as well, so she must've been through a similar struggle for trying to become a hero. A sympathetic look fell across his face as Izuki regained her composure.
A few droplets of salty water trailed down her face. The sinking rays of the sun's light refracted within the tears. They sparkled like one thousand tiny fairies were attempting to escape their sad imprisonment.
Shinsou reached out to catch the morsel of pain before it could fall from her delicate chin. Izuki reacted on instinct to his movements. Her hand shot up to capture his wrist, allowing the synecdoche of her long-term suffering to splatter onto the gravelly ground as if it was worthless.
Shinsou's mind screamed at him for letting it go. Some hero you are! Even though his brain told him it was bad, Izuki's face told him it was good. She needed to let the tear go.
Izuki wanted to shove her past into the trash, so a garbage truck could come and take it away. She wanted it to rot within that heap of waste and be forgotten forever. Instead, the cruel fates decided to laugh at her and cause a fluke. Her trash destined memories accidently fell into the recycling. They went through her brain like reusable plastic through a melting machine. They were revisited time and time again. Never corroding until she did; her thoughts consumed by burning flames of despair.
Her eyes started to get blurry from the introduction of fresh sadness. She gulped determinedly and wiped her cheeks. She applied a restrictive smile to her lips and turned back to Shinsou. Unable to contain his longing for someone who shared similar difficulties, Shinsou asked a dire question.
"So, how many times have you been called evil or villainous then?" Izuki flinched, but answered anyway. Her eyes glazed over as if she was looking into the past.
"Only once, a long time ago." She peered at Shinsou and grimaced at his shocked features. He looked as if he was about to burst.
"Only once! How'd you get them to back off?! Nothing I ever did made people stop." Izuki poked her fingers together in an act of hesitation. She'd already told him the story that only the doctors, her mom, and herself knew. Why not tell him everything else too? She probably couldn't be anymore vulnerable to this guy then she already was anyways.
"Well, when I found out I'd be taking suppressants, I was scared of how my best friend would react, so I told him and everyone else that I was quirkless. I thought it'd be better if, rather than being feared, I'd be pitied. I found out later just how wrong I was." Izuki let out a sigh of content. It felt good to finally release her emotions. For once, someone would know her entire struggle, not just one side of it.
Shinsou looked taken aback by her confession. People actually believed this brave girl was quirkless? He imagined that this childhood friend of hers must've not known her that well at all. Her old friend probably hadn't taken to well to her whole quirkless charade either. He made that guess based on Izuki's tear-filled eyes. He felt a mixture of anger and jealousy toward her long-lost friend. She clearly deserved better. He remained silent for the rest of the walk, leaving her with the freedom of understanding.
…
Izuki came to a halt in front of her door. She turned and grabbed the groceries from Shinsou.
"Thank you." She bowed politely to him and smiled with gratitude.
"See you at Yuuei, Mr. Shinsou." Smirking playfully, he gifted her a slip of paper.
"And you, Ms. Midoriya." The indigo-haired teen put his hand up in a wave and walked back in the direction they'd came from. Izuki watched him disappear in the fading light of dusk. Then, she unfolded the second note she'd been given that day. She found herself blushing at the contents. When did he find time to write this? She read the familiar words scrawled on the parchment,
"Call me sometime cutie, I look forward to it ~" Once again, a phone number was accented sweetly with a miniature heart at the page's bottom. Despite his flirtatious words, she found herself placing his name on the Friends list in her contacts, along with Midnight's.
Izuki reminded herself to meet with Midnight tomorrow upon her request. She squealed excitedly in anticipation, she'd begin her training with Midnight tomorrow! Today, she'd gained confidence, a friend, and a new mentor. Despite how depressing the morning news had been, she was now filled to the brim with enthusiasm for her fresh start. For tomorrow, it'd be the day that all her dreams came true.
AN: I am NOT pairing anyone yet! Yes, I have done a bit of suggestive pairing, but there won't be any official ROMANTIC pairs until around the Sports Festival arc. I hope you know the difference between romantic and friendly relationships. Thank you for reading! Also, thank you to the few people who noticed the glitch!