A/N: Oh, wow. Look at that, I'm still alive. Huh. Go figure that one. Sorry it's been a while, guys. ^^ Next chapter may take a tad longer, because while it's mostly written, I'm not satisfied with the way it turned out. The next chapter is not the Sports Festival, but it is important to the plot. I want to make sure it's the best it can be.
Also, to my readers. I'm sorry that the chapters in this story don't have line breaks. Whenever I put it in, it seems to vanish upon posting. I've tried squiggly lines, too, but those also vanish. I'm trying dashes this time, but I've little faith that it'll work. -_- At any rate, If all else fails, I'll do what I do on Wattpad (a string of words together that they've [for whatever reason] dubbed Linechan and Linkun).
As always, the fanart I've received from everyone is amazing, and has me dancing in my chair in joy. ^^ If you've got more, please e-mail me at aizawa and remember to add in your username or whatever name you'd like me to use to credit you~!
Someone's pointed out to me that Japan has a 6-day-long workweek, and schools only take Sundays off. I'm pulling a little liberty here for Izuku's mental sanity and saying that U.A. does Homeschool Saturdays, and lets Heroics Students come onto campus on those days to use facilities if they so choose (my high school did Homeschool Fridays, so it's feasible). And this also gives the teachers the excuse to load on extra wor. ^^ My English is failing me right now, so please forgive any inconsistencies in my writing. Oof. (Mostly because I'm listening to the Attack On Titan opening theme cover by Jonathan Young... [I don't really like AoT, but the music is cool])
Out of curiosity, how many of you would be interested in a crossover of BnHA and OHSHC? Like, say Haruhi is Quirkless, too, and she and Izuku were best friends that met on a Quirkless help group when they were kids? So they each have their own cannon events, but they're friends with one another, and Haruhi is always worrying over Midoriya because he's a self-sacrificial person, and Izuku's worrying over Haruhi's sanity being around so many 'damn rich kids'. Just an idea. Probably nothing serious, maybe a cute thing? Though I might semi-kill off Haruhi's dad for a bit more angst...
Nezu's tail flicked as he called the meeting to order. The teachers sat around the table with grim faces. "Has anyone found the sender of the note?" He asked.
"I've analyzed the handwriting, and I'm about 80% sure it's Hanatabi from General Education 2–E." Cementoss stated with a sour look.
"Then keep a very close eye on him. If we can catch him in the act, even better. I'll bring in Tsukauchi to ascertain his statement." Nezu said. He glanced around the room again. It'd been a full week since Midoriya had been given the note and lily, and he hadn't reported any other instances. Either he wasn't reporting them, or their students were being cautious. Nezu didn't like either option. The student responsible for shoving Midoriya down the stairs had been dealt with swiftly and without mercy—his deliberate action had been caught on one of Nezu's many school cameras.
But the flower incident had not, which bothered him. Hanatabi would make sense. The boy had a weak teleportation Quirk. He could teleport any inanimate object the size of a book or smaller to anywhere within a ten foot radius of himself. The better he knew the object he was transferring, or the destination, the easier it was to do. He didn't even need physical contact with the object. He could've easily teleported the flower from within his school bag to Midoriya's desk as he walked past the classroom.
Privately, Nezu thought the child wasted his Quirk. So many applications, and yet no drive. He'd claimed to want to be a hero when he started, but he never applied himself. He could've learned the inner workings of robots and teleported pieces or screws away, compromising the integrity of the structure! This kid could've brought down their Zero Pointer with little more than a wrist movement. But he refused to think outside the box.
(Quite the opposite of Midoriya, who could come up with creative solutions to many problems without the use of a Quirk.)
Nezu was very disappointed. Hanatabi had become bitter over the break about not being able to transfer to heroics. But Nezu refused to transfer someone who didn't show the proper drive or ingenuity. He'd only get himself and others killed. Still… the principal had hoped he hadn't gone far enough to teleport the flower and note to Midoriya's desk.
Nezu had asked the staff to keep a closer eye on Midoriya. All things considered, the boy may not notice half the bullying. It'd become so normal for him over his short life that certain actions, words, and gestures may not come across as threatening or harmful to him. The way Aizawa described his casual reaction to the lily only cemented this theory.
"And Midoriya? Have any of you noticed any unsettling interactions or negative treatment from his peers?" Nezu asked.
"Kids glare at him in the hallways. Some of them don't even bother to hide it unless a teacher's around." Aizawa grunted. "Midoriya's taken to eating his lunches by the window in the east corner of the lunch room. I don't know if he consciously recognizes it, but the window opens easily and there's a sturdy tree right outside. It's a quick, easy escape route should he feel cornered. I fear he's falling back into what look to be some old habits, too. I've caught him hiding school supplies around the campus. I don't know if it's because someone's destroying his things, or if it's because he expects them to."
"He didn't have his text book the other day." Cementoss recalled. "I didn't call him out on it, and he didn't look overly bothered by it. Most kids would be somewhat embarrassed… It's possible that someone stole or destroyed it. He looked surprised when I gave him another copy and offered to go over the material with him again."
"The Little Listener probably hasn't had any teachers that bothered to care before." Present Mic grimaced. "He's gotten a little more skittish lately, have you noticed? And a bit more spacey, too."
The meeting continued for a little bit, before they started switching to more normal topics like school funds and lesson plans. Ectoplasm lifted his head. "Hm? Hold on, we've got a visitor." He stood up and opened the door.
"Uh… s-sorry. I didn't know there was a meeting." Midoriya shuffled a bit in place, obviously uncomfortable.
"No worries, Little Listener!" Present Mic grinned. "What's up? Need some help with the homework?"
"Er… n-no, I just…" His gaze flickered to Aizawa for a moment.
"Did you get another note?" His homeroom teacher asked, and the kid nodded.
"Yeah." He pulled out an envelope and a small box. "They were separate. The note was in my locker and the box was slipped into my bag."
"Has anyone done anything to your school supplies?" Cementoss asked suddenly.
"I mean, I found my literature textbook in the fountain the other day… Sorry I couldn't bring it to school today. I'm still drying it out. I'll return the copy you let me borrow when I can."
"Don't worry about it, Midoriya. We've got plenty of copies. You don't need to worry about the damaged one. And you can keep the one I gave you." He quickly reassured.
"I thought you said you'd report this stuff to me?" Aizawa sighed. His bandages were quickly dwindling down and he no longer looked like a mummy. At the very least, his fingers were individually wrapped and he could grab things again.
"Huh? What, you mean the textbook?" Midoriya looked honestly confused, and Nezu internally sighed as he realized that he really hadn't considered that wrong.
"Midoriya, that's still considered bullying. I don't care if it's after school hours or off-campus. Someone tried to sabotage your education and make you feel unsafe." Aizawa explained.
"Oh." He went a little red. "Uh… so my school supplies going missing…?"
The teachers all internally groaned. "That, too." Mic chimed in. "It's not your fault, Listener. That's why we're here—to help you." The kid blinked for a moment, as if he'd forgotten that detail.
"Now, what's this about notes?" Nezu brought the conversation back on track. The boy hesitated before handing it over to the principal, who happened to be sitting closer to the child than his homeroom teacher.
He opened the letter first. It was typed, he noted. 'I have no idea how a Quirkless waste of space like you managed to get into U.A. at all, let alone the hero course, but I'm sure you had to suck a lot of dick to get it. Tell me, little whore, was it worth it? It's the only thing you're good for, right? Watch your back, because my friends and I are going to get a lot of use out of you. If you don't decide to do everyone a favor and keel over first, that is. U.A.'s building is more than tall enough. You know the staircase by the gym? It's always unlocked. It'll lead you right up to the rooftop. Go ahead if you're brave enough. Freak.'
"Midoriya, I need you to let a staff member know immediately if you get anything else, okay?" He looked at the boy. "This is a very serious threat."
"I know… It's why I looked for someone after I realized the staff room was empty."
At least the boy knew that much. He wasn't so used to the treatment that he didn't recognize the danger this implied he was in. He'd order the staff to keep a closer eye on the boy, too. He did not want to risk the sender following through on this threat.
Nezu thought for a moment. "I've got something for you, too." He hopped down for a moment before he pulled something out of his bag. It was a small tie-clip.
"Sir?"
"An emergency button." Nezu grinned. "If you ever need us, and a staff member isn't around, press and slide the little button hidden here. It'll send out your location and an SOS to the staff."
The teachers shifted uncomfortably. They didn't know what was in the letter yet, but they recognized that it must've been bad if Nezu was giving a student something like this.
"Thank you, sir." Midoriya smiled before his phone pinged. He glanced at it with a wince. "Crap. I'm late. Keigo's gonna kill me."
"If you have something you need to go do, you're free to go." Nezu smiled, and the kid grinned back.
"Thank you." He closed the door softly behind him, and Nezu let his smile drop.
"All right, Nezu. What the hell was in that letter? You don't just hand out SOS beacons to students because of bullies." Snipe spoke up.
"A suicide baiting and a rape threat." Nezu stated as he passed the letter around. Aizawa, in particular, looked furious. "Needless to say, we should make sure he isn't ever somewhere alone on campus. We can't risk that whoever threatened him has their ways of staying unnoticed."
"And what's in the box?" Hound Dog asked after a moment.
"Let's find out." Nezu cautiously opened the lid, noting that the seal had not been broken. Midoriya hadn't opened it, but the small little card attached to the bow read, 'For the Quirkless Freak'. The boy had obviously realized it wasn't a nice gift. At first glance, it was a very pretty bracelet with red and black beads. Nezu almost picked it up to inspect it closer, when his nose picked up on something.
He carefully closed the lid and put it in a sealed bag. If he were human, he'd probably be rather pale. As it was, his fur was standing on end. "Ectoplasm, make a clone and make sure Midoriya makes it to Hawks safely." The man nodded and did so without question. "Aizawa, I want you to send this to Tsukauchi. Tell him to open a case."
"A case?" Toshinori asked, coughing up a bit of blood.
"I can't identify which one it is, but that bracelet is definitely poisoned."
The room collectively flinched. "You mean someone tried to kill Midoriya?" Midnight asked in disbelief.
"It could just be a paralytic. But I'm not taking that chance." Nezu answered grimly. "Whether it was intended as a prank or something more serious, the fact that someone laced an object with a toxin of some kind and intended for Midoriya to handle that object is beyond worrying." He smoothed down some of his fur.
He'd handle this situation swiftly and without mercy. Whoever tried to hurt Midoriya would regret the day they decided to cross Nezu. Nobody hurts my puzzle.
Viridian was roof-hopping again. Covering for Shouta wasn't really much different from his own usual patrols, thus far—though he slept a lot less. At least Viridian knew the meaning of a day off. Time, how did Shouta do this?
He narrowed his gaze as he caught sight of a taped-off area. He silently dropped down near the police, who eyed him suspiciously—not that he could blame them.
"Sorry, nobody's allowed passed this point." He stopped him. Viridian's first instinct was to find another way in, before remembering the license. He pulled it out and showed it to the cop.
"Erm… I have a license?" The cop inspected it for a moment before staring at him wide-eyed.
"S-sorry! Please, by all means." He lifted the tape so the vigilan—Hero, he was a hero, now—could go in.
He didn't like what he saw. There was a dead hero laying in the alleyway. He recognized her as the Flower Hero: Poppy. She was relatively new to the scene, and a Limelight Hero.
Viridian's brows furrowed as he looked at her body a little closer. There wasn't much sign of a struggle. Sure, she was a long-ranged fighter, but… There was a small slice on her arm, and then the stab wound that'd killed her. It was made from the front, and something about it tickled the vigilante's mind.
Had she been knocked out first? No, her eyes were still open, and there would've been more of a struggle if she had. Her outfit was somewhat dirty, indicating that she'd been patrolling at the time of her death. Likely a relatively quiet patrol.
The alleyway had only one entrance, so what had she been doing in there? Viridian hummed to himself, stroking his chin as he looked closer. There were a few drops of blood on the other end of the alleyway, and a mark on the wall that seemed to have been made by a blade of some kind.
If there wasn't a struggle, then maybe she'd been knocked out by a Quirk, or paralyzed.
Paralyzed… paralysis… knives… "Stain." He realized. The man had the ability to paralyze his victims, and now that he was thinking about it, he'd only been paralyzed by Stain after he'd drawn blood.
That must be it. Either it was his Quirk, or he poisoned his blades, but Viridian didn't recall feeling any aftereffects that'd be associated with poisons or drugs. And many herbal toxins would've been rendered null and void by Poppy, due to the nature of her plant-based Quirk.
That meant that it was Stain's Quirk. He had to draw blood for it to work, then.
Naomasa approached him. "Any clues, Viridian?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is Stain's work."
"The Hero Killer?"
"That's the one. Remember when he almost killed me? He has this ability to paralyze people. Now I'm pretty sure he has to draw blood to do it, maybe even ingest it… his tongue did have rather large taste buds… So he ingests the blood and the victim is rendered unable to move. He then comes over and kills them at his leisure."
"I will never get used to how your mind works, nor will I ever stop being amazed." Naomasa shook his head. "But if the Hero Killer is still in Musutafu…"
"No, it doesn't fit his MO." Viridian shook his head. "Poppy was a kill of opportunity, not a hunt. Sure, she's not the most selfless hero, but she wasn't bad enough for him to come after, either. Nor was she famous enough. He must've just been passing through and happened upon her during her patrol. She died because of bad timing."
"Even still, we're implementing the buddy system again. I'll put out the alert."
"Probably for the best." Viridian sighed. Wait… isn't something with the Hero Killer coming up soon…? He wracked his brain, but only the name Hosu popped up. "Just a hunch, but have Hosu implement the buddy system, too."
"Hosu? You sure?"
"Yeah, call it a gut feeling."
Naomasa's eyes sharpened. "I don't know if you know this, Viridian, but a hero's gut feeling is actually legal reason enough to grant things like a search warrant and whatnot. Saying it's a gut feeling is just about as good as presenting evidence." He smirked.
"W-what?" He stuttered. "I mean, that's great and all, but… really?" His mind flashed to Tsunogami-san and her soon-to-be-dead husband. She was a coworker of his back in the First Run. They worked at the same café. They were good friends, having bonded over their mutual Quirklessness.
"Yeah, really." Naomasa went to walk away, but Viridian grabbed his arm. The man raised an eyebrow—it wasn't often that the vigilante initiated physical contact.
"Do you have someone at your police station named Tsunogami Ren?"
The detective blinked at the odd question before wracking his brain. "Yes? I believe he works in the field department."
"I know his wife, and I've got a bad feeling. Please… please don't let her husband die. She's Quirkless. If he dies, her son will go to the foster care system."
"The foster care?! But if she's able—"
"You don't understand, Masa." Viridian sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Quirkless people like us aren't human in the eyes of the law. Sure, for me it meant you couldn't arrest me, but go ahead and look at that law when you get back to the office. Tell me she'd be able to live with her son."
The next morning, Viridian would get a message from Naomasa that would comprise of an angry stream of curse words, all directed at the legal system.
It'd been nearly two weeks since he'd obtained his Provisional Hero License, and Izuku still couldn't believe that it was real. He'd already used it several times, and he'd given out a few autographs to people, but… He never would've thought that he'd ever be licensed. Keigo seemed just as excited as him.
The only real damper was when Ectoplasm informed Keigo privately to keep an eye out for Izuku. Of course, as soon as they got home, Keigo told Izuku everything Ectoplasm told him not to.
Ah, brothers.
Apparently that gift Izuku had found in his locker the other day had been laced with some kind of neurotoxin or something. It wasn't fatal, but it would've taken Izuku out of the Sports Festival for sure. He was glad he'd listened to his gut when it told him to just turn the whole box in to the staff instead of giving into his inner curiosity and looking.
Maybe Naomasa was right about hero's gut instincts.
It was strange to have the staff looking out for him, but it made him feel good. Of course, with this new development, his civilian persona now officially had an open case. Which was… not fun. Viridian was part of the team investigating, since… well, he was already watching 'himself'. (Keigo had gotten a laugh out of that when he told him.)
It was tiring, keeping up these two separate personas. At least he could be himself around Keigo. Plus there was the added exhaustion and stress of doing Eraserhead's patrols. The man was an independent hero, which was Izuku's only saving grace.
Independent heroes didn't work for agencies. Their pay was entirely reliant upon the criminals they brought in, but they got to work on their own terms. They could accept or reject cases as they pleased without having to explain their reasons to anyone. Though any collateral damage had to be paid out of pocket.
Heroes that had signed onto an agency, however, were typically given set schedules, and were on call nearly 24/7. They were paid by the hour, and the money from the villains they caught was added pay on top of their hourly wage. Collateral was typically covered by the agency, and the hero only had to pay a small percentage (kind of like insurance). And that was great and all, having stable guaranteed income, but they had to accept whatever case their agency assigned to them. They didn't really get a choice. And if their agency told them not to attack a certain person or villain for whatever reason, then they had to listen. No matter what.
Ultimately, Izuku was grateful that Eraserhead was independent. Not only did he get the pay (he split half with Eraserhead because he was a good person and didn't want to leave his friend without his income), but he wasn't chained to some shitty agency who tried to tell him how to do his job.
(Viridian had swiftly rejected all agency offers that he'd been extended. He didn't need the money—he just wanted to help people.)
Although the hours were killer; 9PM–5AM nearly every day of the week (why did Shouta do this to himself when he could set his own hours?!). Which meant his only time for sleeping was when he got home after school, around 4. Plus, he still had what would be three hours of homework if he hadn't already graduated college and obtained a PhD. Even still, he managed to get maybe four hours of sleep at most each night.
His teachers were starting to get worried about the growing bags under his eyes, but he brushed it off. Every time they asked about it, he'd just mutter something about nightmares or whatever. Considering the USJ and his supposed trauma, it was perfectly plausible.
No wonder Aizawa napped throughout class whenever he got the chance. He'd never mock his teacher for carrying a sleeping bag around again. Izuku was damn near at that point, himself.
Hound Dog still hadn't been able to get anything substantial out of him, much to the counselor's ire. Not that he showed it, but Izuku could tell these things. He was good at reading people. And he knew that the man was wearing thin. So he gave him a few breadcrumbs the other day.
"Midoriya, we can't help you if you don't tell us anything." Hound Dog sighed, leveling Izuku with a stare. The boy sat there for a long moment, thinking. He was going to tell Shouta, Nezu and Hizashi (and undoubtedly Tsukauchi) soon, right? So what was the harm in letting a little bit slip?
"There's more than one type of Nomu." Hound Dog jolted. This was the first time Izuku had admitted to anyone other than Aizawa that he had prior experience with the beasts. He didn't dare interrupt for fear of Izuku clamming up again.
"I remember the first time I saw a White Nomu." He shuddered hard, reaching for a pen and paper on the table beside him. He sketched quietly as he spoke, the action helping keep him grounded a bit. "I'd been hiding in an overturned dumpster. There was another guy hiding in the alleyway across from me. I'd quickly realized that this type of Nomu was blind, and rightly assumed it had enhanced hearing."
His eyes unfocused a bit as the memory flashed before him. "It nearly found me. It was so close I could've reached out and touched its snout if I hadn't been petrified with fear. I was sure… I knew I was going to die." He looked Hound Dog in the eye, and the man stiffened.
"The other guy decided that he was going to run while it was distracted by me, but he moved too soon. It heard him and…" He flipped the paper over. It was a very detailed image of the White Nomu biting the man's head in half. There were no distinguishing features of the man, so Izuku felt comfortable showing it to Hound Dog, who was noticeably paler than before.
"You saw this?"
"I did."
"How old were you?"
Izuku gave a bitter smile. "You're never old enough to watch someone die."
He seemed to get the hint. Izuku had told him more today than he'd told him in several weeks of counseling. The dog-quirked man knew better than to push the issue, here.
Izuku knew Hound Dog was good at what he did. He was good at reading people just like Izuku was, and even better at piecing together the smaller details that his clients let slip. The time-traveler had little doubt that the man could help him with his trauma if he'd explained everything.
But he couldn't explain everything. Not yet. And therein lies the issue.
"I'm sorry, but… is it okay if we leave it at this today?" Izuku asked. "I… It's not easy to talk about, even if I look calm."
"I understand. Thank you for telling me, Midoriya." He smiled and ruffled Izuku's hair. He'd quickly picked up on the fact that Izuku liked positive physical touch. He liked hugs and hair-ruffles and things like that, so long as he saw them coming. "You're free to go for the day."
"Hellooo? Pre-apocalypse to Izuku?" Keigo waived a hand in his face, and the boy stumbled back.
"That's really nice. What if I'd been in a flashback?!"
"You have a totally different look when you're in a flashback. This was more like your 'I'm thinking about something really hard' face."
"You can tell my expressions apart that well?" Izuku raised an impressed eyebrow.
"I mean, we have known each other for… oh… I suppose not as long as I thought. I keep thinking it's been years."
"Me too." Izuku sat back down in his chair properly as he rifled through some papers. His Provisional License caught his eye again.
"It's real." The winged hero spoke up from around the doughnut in his mouth. "You can stop looking at it like it's gonna disappear."
"I'm sorry." Izuku stared at his provisional license again. "It's just… surreal." He smiled at his friend and bounced in his seat. "Some places are even relaxing their policies on Quirkless customers! I was able to go to the store yesterday and they only raised the prices by half!" He grinned.
"They shouldn't be raising the prices at all." Keigo frowned. "How often do they do this?"
"Er… always." Izuku shrugged. "It's normal. Usually they'll double the prices, though. So I was happy."
"Next time you go shopping, take me with you. I'll give 'em a real reason to raise those prices if they're bold enough to try it with me around."
Izuku snorted. "Honestly, I'd pay to see that." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "I wonder how Shouta or Hizashi would react if they saw someone discriminating?" He let an evil grin spread across his face.
"Well, you'd have to get them to a public location with you, first." Keigo pointed out.
"If I drop a couple of subtle ideas to Ashido, I'm sure she'll be able to plan a class outing or something. And of course, our ever-protective sensei would want to come to keep us safe and out of trouble. If I mention it offhandedly to Present Mic, then he's going to bug his husband until Shouta lets him tag along. Nemuri might even join us if Mic blabs."
"You planned that out awfully quickly." Keigo shot him a suspicious look.
"What? It's for a good cause. If U.A. shows the public that it won't stand for Quirkless discrimination, do you have any idea how many more Quirkless kids would work harder to get into the school? Even General Education would give them an enormous leg up in the workforce. Trust me, I had one hell of a time getting a good job, even with the trade school I went to." He shuddered. "I had to go through fucking Overhaul to get a decent paying job, and the shit I had to do for him gave me nightmares."
"Overhaul!? As in the Yakuza?!"
"Yep. And lemme tell you." Izuku's eyes went dark. "The shit he's doing right now makes me sick. But we can't intervene just yet." He clenched his fist. "Not yet." I'm sorry, Eri. Just a little longer, 'kay? I'm almost done.
"O…kay?" Keigo looked like he wanted to push the issue, but he'd learned by this point that doing so could shove Izuku into flashbacks.
"Anyways, what kind of trip would almost definitely give me Quirkless backlash?" Izuku wondered aloud. "Hm… It'd have to be a popular place that wouldn't raise suspicions… The zoo?" He paused. "No, I've never been to the zoo a day in either life. Nobody would recognize me there. Though I'll put that on my 'to visit' list after saving the world. The mall?" He tilted his head. "Too vague. And there's no guarantee that they'd even recognize me as the Quirkless kid… Something that checks IDs, then…" His eyes lit up. "The movies!" He whirled around to face Keigo. "Movie theaters check IDs, right?"
"Er… y-yeah? What, don't tell me you've never been to a movie!"
"Um… Hello? Quirkless? No friends in the First Run? Why would I go outside and get sneered at if I didn't have to?"
"Fair enough." Keigo winced.
"All right… now for the fun part."
Shouta really didn't want to be here. He would honestly rather be just about anywhere else, actually. Fighting a villain, in a café, guest-starring on his husband's stupid radio show (again), hell he'd rather be doing paperwork.
But no. Ashido had the brilliant idea of taking the class out to see a new movie to help calm everyone's nerves for the upcoming Sports Festival. And the whole damn class had jumped on board with the idea.
With the league of villains out and about, he'd be damned if he let his kids walk around without a pro. That was asking for trouble. Shigaraki made it perfectly clear that he wasn't above targeting the class to get to All Might. The fact that he also singled out Midoriya was cause for even more worry.
But kids will be kids; and somehow, Shouta got roped into chaperoning them. And because God hated him, Hizashi somehow found out about the stupid trip and demanded he come along, too. Shouta knew he just wanted an excuse to see the movie in theaters.
Shouta wore his hero costume just about everywhere. It didn't matter if he was on the clock or not, it was more practical that way. Plus, it was comfortable—something he'd made sure of when designing it. He knew he'd have a lot of stakeouts as an Underground Hero, and would often times be stuck in one spot for extended periods of time. As such, he made sure his costume was warm and comfy. It was logical.
Hizashi was in his civilian dress, so he wore an old band shirt with ripped up jeans, his sunglasses, and a biker's jacket. He had his iconic hair down and pulled partially up into a messy bun.
The kids hadn't recognized him, and Shouta internally laughed. Midoriya was the one who'd pointed out who he was.
"Hi Aizawa-sensei! Yamada-sensei!" He grinned as Hizashi jolted.
"You've got a sharp eye, Listener."
"Woah. Present Mic?!" Kaminari's eyes were wide. "You look so different."
"That's the purpose of civilian clothing vs hero clothing. I don't always wanna be recognized, ya know?" He grinned. "Just call me Yamada for today. Drop the sensei, yeah?"
The kids started chattering excitedly about the movie they were going to see. Midoriya, however, looked uncomfortable. Shouta watched him with a sharp gaze.
Viridian had been keeping him informed of the kid's living situation. He was safe at home, and ate well enough. Hawks often came over to hang out and to make sure he took breaks from his studies. The vigilante hadn't said anything about abuse, and he'd assured Shouta and Tsukauchi that he wasn't living on the streets.
Though he had pointed out that it was perfectly possible Midoriya had run away in the past and lived on the streets before U.A.. It was a solid theory and one Shouta wasn't about to discount.
Though sometimes the Vigilante was way too specific with his observations. Shouta did not need to know what Midoriya ate for breakfast, or how he liked his eggs sunny-side-up, thank you very much.
He even sent pictures sometimes. Made him wonder if the vigilante had experience stalking people. He had little doubt that the other man was somewhere nearby watching.
He glared at a rooftop when he thought he saw a shadow move. Damnit Viridian. You're laughing at my pain, aren't you?
He missed the gleam of mirth in Midoriya's eyes.
The kids stepped in line and one-by-one bought their tickets. Midoriya hesitated, though. "Go on, Problem Child." He encouraged. Had the kid never been to a movie theater before?
"S-sorry, sensei." He muttered as he pulled out his ID.
The man at the window looked at Midoriya with mild suspicion, as if he was trying to recognize him. "I'll have one ticket to the 5 o'clock showing, please."
"All right. Price is on the board, please pass your ID."
The kid hesitated but obeyed. The man looked at it and his expression changed to a sneer. He all but threw the ID back at the kid.
"Sorry, we don't sell tickets to your kind."
What?
"P-please? I have the money."
"What's going on over here?" Shouta asked, walking over. Midoriya shook a little as a manager came out of the building. Hizashi was standing next to Shouta and the other students looked on in confusion.
The manager, a woman with short black hair and tiny red horns, stalked over with an angry scowl on her face. Before Hizashi or Shouta could do anything, she walked right up to Midoriya and backhanded him so hard that he fell to the ground, before pouring a soda over his head.
Every person froze in shock, Shouta included. That did not just happen.
"Quirkless filth. We don't serve your kind here." The moment the words left her mouth the bystanders who'd gathered in curiosity or concern continued on like it was normal. Like this was something to be expected. Shouta felt sick. Someone even laughed and snapped a photo.
Shouta then stepped between the woman and his student, bodily shoving her back with a tad bit more force than necessary.
"You know it's Quirkless, right? I told it if it ever came back, I'd send it packing." She hissed.
Shouta was beyond pissed. He had heard horror stories of how Quirkless people were treated, but said people were so uncommon and such introverts because of their treatment that he'd never seen this kind of thing in person.
Until now.
He was appalled. With treatment like this, it was no wonder Viridian looked at their kindness with wary eyes and kept them at arms length. It was no wonder Midoriya looked at the bullying like it was to be expected. The bullying was likely tame in comparison to some of the shit he'd gone through if this was how he was treated for trying to see a goddamned movie.
The thought suddenly occurred that Viridian might not notice some of this treatment as wrong, considering he was Quirkless, too. He could be just as used to it as Midoriya, meaning he wouldn't report it to himself or Tsukauchi. They'd need to rectify that later.
Shouta reached into his pocket as calmly as he could and pulled out his Hero License. The woman stiffened a little. "This, is Midoriya. He is my student. If you say or do one more thing that hurts or belittles him in any way, I will hurt you. This is your verbal warning. If you proceed to provoke him or me, I can and will arrest you." He growled. Unfortunately, it looked like the woman was more intelligent than he'd given her credit for, because she backed down. He wished he could do more than fine her for Quirk Discrimination, but legalities state that he had to give a verbal warning first. She backed down, so he couldn't legally beat her to a pulp.
Though if he was being honest, if his students weren't watching, he'd say 'fuck legalities' and kick her ass anyways. Hizashi would bail him out of jail.
"Fine. You will give my students refunds for their tickets, and Midoriya an apology."
"I have no obligation to do either." She glared back, but he saw the shine of fear in her eyes.
"No, no you don't." He let a bloodthirsty grin stretch across his face. "But technically you attacked a hero-in-training in front of his teacher. Under the law, I can treat you like a villain." And damn do I want to. Shouta felt Hizashi's hand on his arm, and that was the only thing that kept him from springing forward and knocking this bitch's teeth out. The woman paled.
"Tch. Fine, take your money back. We don't want your service anyways." She huffed. He let his eyes flash red, and she flinched.
"Apologize." He growled out through clenched teeth. Hizashi's grip would probably bruise later, but he was far too angry to care.
"S-sensei, it's fine. I…"
"Midoriya, it's not fine. What she did was far out of line." Shouta argued. He thought he heard a small whisper of 'I'm used to it', but he couldn't be sure.
"Fine." She looked at Midoriya with the most disgusted expression she could muster. "I humbly apologize for my actions and words." She said with a stiff, shallow bow. "Happy?" She turned back to Shouta for a moment before retreating inside.
Oh, how Shouta wanted to beat her black and blue for what she'd done to his student. But he couldn't do that in broad daylight with so many witnesses around. Another reason to hate daylight.
"Midoriya, are you okay?" He turned his full attention to his student, who looked at him with wide eyes. There was a darkening bruise on his cheek where she'd hit him, and a small cut from one of her many rings. He was shivering a bit—it was a tad chilly out—and he was covered in soda. Hizashi's jacket was draped over Midoriya's shoulders, and the kid clung to the edges for warmth. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
"Midoriya?" Uraraka asked, the first of the students to speak up. "What… what was that?"
"That's so wrong! How could anyone do something so unmanly?!" Kirishima growled. Even Bakugo looked mildly surprised.
"Guys, it's… it's fine. Don't worry about it. People don't look at Quirkless people the same, ya know?" He gave them a smile. And though it wasn't a bright grin, it looked far too real. "I'll be fine. Just a little sticky. You should go enjoy the movie, and lemme know how it is!"
"Tch." Bakugo glared at Midoriya. "If you really fucking think that we're going to waste our time at a shitty place like this that treats people like that, then you really are a fucking idiot."
Midoriya looked completely taken aback. "B-Bakugo?"
The blond flinched a little at the name. "It's not right. She didn't even treat you like a goddamned human."
"I mean… that's normal." Izuku tilted his head like he was honestly confused. "There are just some places I can't go. Stores up the prices for me all the time when they recognize me, and I've even had heroes—" He quickly shut up and Shouta had a very bad feeling. He'd come back to that later. With Hizashi. And probably some other people who could keep Shouta calm because he really didn't want to go to jail for manslaughter—Zashi didn't have enough money to bail him out from that.
"Mic, you stay with the kids, I'm going to get Midoriya cleaned up."
"R-right."
"You don't ha—"
"Finish that sentence, Problem Child, and I'll give everyone a pop quiz on Monday." He mentally sighed in relief when the kid shut his mouth again.
He led him over to the gym across the street. They were affiliated with heroes, and let them in with no questions once Shouta flashed his license. He allowed Midoriya to wash up in the shower as he rinsed the boy's clothes in the sink and used the spin-dryer to get them as dry as possible. They were still mildly damp, but it'd have to do. Hizashi's jacket would keep the kid warm, at least.
He stepped out of the room as his Problem Child changed back into his clothes. "I'm sorry." He apologized. Shouta sighed.
"What're you apologizing for, Midoriya?"
"You're… going out of your way for me." He flushed red and looked away.
"Look. What happened may be normal for you, but that doesn't make it any less wrong. You are my student. And I will stand by you." I'll protect you.
Midoriya looked up at him with a plethora of emotions swirling in his eyes. Shouta couldn't even begin to name them all. "Thank you." He said as the tears started to fall. He wrapped his student in a hug as he cried.
For the briefest of moments, his mind went to Viridian, crying in Tsukauchi's office after obtaining his Provisional License. He wondered if Midoriya would be just as emotional, when he obtained his. Midoriya pulled away after a little bit and they started walking out of the gym.
"You mentioned something about heroes earlier." The kid stiffened. "Would you rather talk about it later?"
"Please?"
"I need you to let me know if something like this happens again. Record it on your phone. Text me. I don't care. It's wrong, and technically illegal. Though the most we can do for most of that stuff is fining, if a hero discriminates, they can lose their license."
"I… erm… Yeah."
"Was it a teacher at U.A.?" He needed to know.
"NO! Time, no! No, no, no, it wasn't a U.A. hero! I promise!"
Shouta briefly wondered about the odd phrasing. Time? As opposed to God? He brushed it off, though. There were far too many religions out there to pay attention to, and whatever this kid believed in, it wasn't any of Shouta's business. "All right, then. I'll let it drop for now."
"Thank you, sensei."
"We're not in school right now, Problem Child. It's just Aizawa." He ruffled the boy's hair without thinking about it. Hound Dog said the kid liked physical contact. That he thrived off it. And while the boy stiffened for a moment, he melted into the touch not long after.
"Aizawa-se—Aizawa." He corrected himself. They could see the rest of the class up ahead. Shouta turned his gaze lazily towards his student, though he was keeping a sharp eye on the people around them.
Now that he was looking for it, he noticed the way passersby would glare at Midoriya (word must've gotten out about him being Quirkless from the commotion earlier, then). The way people kept a distance from him like he was contagious (he doubted most of the crowd even knew why they distanced themselves around a kid, but one person did it, so the crowd would follow). Shouta found it simultaneously ridiculous and heartbreaking. The kid looked so used to it. He'd have to inform Hound Dog and the rest of the staff later.
"I wanted to thank you. Nobody's ever stood up for me like that before. I won't forget it." He sent Shouta a grin before he ran off to re-join the class like nothing happened.
Shouta's heart broke.
