ITS PARTY CHAPTER THE SEQUAL ELECTRIC BOOGALOO THE RETURN THE REVENGE!
Though there will be slightly less crazy antics this time around cos it's just dumb teens drinking in a home. BUT STILL. DRINKING.
So without further ado, lets get going, ONWARDS!
Izuku arrived at Hitoshi's home by around six o'clock.
He felt a little awkward. He had never visited the Shinsou home before, and he wondered just how much Hitoshi had told his parents about him. Did the lovely parents of Hitoshi know that their son was best friends with the prince of hell?
Probably not.
Izuku had briefly been home to pack a backpack with some lounge pants and some sleeping shorts. Izuku often slept in nothing but a pair of shorts because his body was naturally warm, so thin covers and few clothes were his preferred style of rest.
That was if he even chose to rest.
His record for staying awake was now three days in a row, without any noticeable loss in energy or focus. He had the distinct feeling that one day he would wake up and never go back to sleep again.
But he liked sleep. It was a welcome escape from the pressures of the world, and even if he wondered just what tangible benefit, he got from sleeping, he knew that simply putting his head down for a few hours and forgetting was a helpful weight off his troubled soul.
He knocked a few times on the door and waited politely.
A few seconds later, it opened, and he was greeted with the sight of a tall woman who conjured an immediate impression onto Izuku's mind, which was spoken internally by Nemesis.
"This is where he gets it from."
This woman ruled her house, and there was absolutely no question about it. She was short, probably an inch or so shorter than Aizawa. A straight, roman nose, wide eyes with dark eyeliner, long, straight black hair, and skin that was the same shade as old Arabic sand.
Her pupils were the exact tone of royal purple that Hitoshi shared, but unlike her obvious child, her eyes were not tired with insomnia but sharp and focused. They were eyes that saw all, and Izuku could almost feel them looking right through him to his yin-yang soul. She had the figure, stance, and overall aura of a woman who was used to giving orders and having them done. Slim, commanding, and to the point.
And she reminded him immediately of her son. They shared that sense of solidity, that sense of drive and purpose, that unshakable desire to push through no matter the task demanded of them.
She moved, a hip jutting out slightly as she placed a hand onto it, the other resting on the doorway. "You must be Izuku Midoriya."
She spoke Japanese well, but there was a notable accent to her words. It was one he'd heard before. He'd heard it any time Hitoshi had told them of the very few Arabic words he'd learned.
"Erm, yes, hello." Izuku wondered what he must look like. Dressed in mostly black, combined with his already black horns and swaying tail. He must have looked like a weird imp who had crawled out of the underworld and was doing a terrible job at pretending to be human. "I'm-"
"Izuku?" Izuku's heart lifted as the door opened wider and Hitoshi appeared. The resemblance between mother and son was obvious, and yet Izuku could already see that other than his eyes, it was clearly his father whom Hitoshi resembled them most. At least in looks, anyway.
The teenager smiled slightly. "Hey, come in, dude."
"Erm- may I?" He glanced at Hitoshi's mother.
"Ah, polite! 'Toshi didn't mention that." She smiled warmly then looked to Hitoshi with a frown. "Well? Introduce us!"
Hitoshi rolled his eyes. "Mum this is Izuku. Izuku this is my mum."
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Izuku replied with a respectful bow.
"My son is rude as well as trouble seeking." Hitoshi's mother shook her head. "My name is Farah Shinsou, and it's a true pleasure to meet the infamous Izuku Midoriya."
Izuku felt a ripple of flame over his scars. He was infamous?
Before he could react, the woman turned her back on the boys and walked back into the house, calling out, "well? Come on in!"
Izuku did as he was bid, though as Hitoshi closed the door behind him, Izuku gave him a quick look. "Toshi?"
"Shuddit."
"I wasn't going to say a thing," he grinned wickedly, "'Toshi."
Hitoshi only made a grim expression and handed Izuku a pair of guest slippers.
As Izuku made his way through the home he took a moment to look around. Only once, of course, but once was all he needed. He noticed pictures along the walls of a couple smiling while another was of a much younger Hitoshi standing in front of the Great Pyramid. He wasn't lying when he'd said he'd visited the thing.
As Izuku came into the living room, he spotted the man who had to be Hitoshi's father.
The man was tall and thin, which surprised Izuku who was used to seeing Hitoshi as the athletically cut young man he was. He had assumed his father would be the same, then again, he quickly reasoned that they were training to be heroes. Hitoshi's father was clearly not into working out.
The man looked very much like an older, more worn-out version of Hitoshi. He shared the same squarish jaw and his wild purple hair. His eyes were marked with crow's feet and exhaustion, but that somehow made him look more disarming than his serious-faced son. He smiled, and it was the exact same tired, yet genuine smile as Hitoshi.
A black cat lay curled up on his lap, though as Izuku came in, its head perked up. Eyes an almost hell-fire shade of blue looked sharply at him. Then it quickly hopped off the man's lap and vanished under a couch.
The man stood up and moved closer, giving a quick bow to Izuku. "Don't mind Nedjem, she's always skittish around new people. Welcome to our home, Izuku. It's about time you were here as our guest." He moved closer to Hitoshi and gave him a small punch in the arm. "You've talked about him enough and now we finally get to meet him!"
Hitoshi again flushed with embarrassment. "Daaad."
Izuku felt awkward for a moment, wondering if he was fine to sit down or something before the man turned and looked at him again. "My name is Eikyo Shinsou. I'm told your mother is in the hospital?"
"Y- yeah." Izuku looked down and chewed at his lip. "She had a heart attack." He looked up again, suddenly. "But it was really mild, the doctor just wanted to watch her overnight. She should be home tomorrow."
"That's good to hear. But until then, feel free to make our home, your home." He suddenly reached forward and put a hand onto Izuku's shoulder. "From what I've heard, you're quite the young hero, even if you somehow manage to get my boy into more trouble than he's worth."
The man shot his son a wry smile, one which Izuku had seen on Hitoshi's face a dozen times. He knew that it was well-intentioned, and he could again see where Hitoshi got so much of his humor from.
"Daaad."
"But seriously, young Izuku. Just know that our home is always open to you, any time you need help, something to eat, or somewhere to go, you're always welcome here."
"Okay, right, enough embarrassment." Hitoshi began shoving his dad away. "Izuku let's go to my room before they break out the baby pictures."
"I'm sure your friend would love to see you as a child!" Eikyo announced as Hitoshi continued trying to shove his dad out of the room. The man leaned back against his son, causing Hitoshi to struggle. "Come on! We can even get out the old videos! I've got them all on a hard drive somewhere!"
"Dad, get lost!"
Izuku smiled, though inside he felt something… hollow twang within him. Hitoshi and his dad clearly had a relationship that he could have only imagined having with Lucifer.
Lucifer.
The very thought of his own father, so tall, darkly majestic, and terrible, only reminded him of how he would never see him again.
He had always gotten the feeling that Lucifer had wanted this kind of relationship, and yet that would have always been an impossibility. Lucifer had tried to joke with him, to connect with him, and yet in the same breath, he had mentioned crowns, thrones, legions, and vast royal responsibilities.
How the hell could they have ever had what Hitoshi had with his father?
Hitoshi soon stopped struggling with his dad and turned around, giving up in favor of grabbing Izuku's arm and dragging him out of the living room and up a staircase. "Come on, dude, let's go hang out in my room."
However, as they turned the top corner, Eikyo called out, "don't forget to say bye to your mother before she leaves!"
Izuku raised an eyebrow at that. "Your mum is going out?"
Hitoshi let go of Izuku and shrugged as the two walked down the corridor. "She works in an air traffic control room and she's on a night shift this month. It's a weird schedule, so it's just gonna be me, you, and dad."
"Oh." Izuku would have asked more, but Hitoshi stopped and opened his bedroom door.
"You're gonna be sleeping on the floor," Hitoshi announced as he stepped into his room. "Hope you don't mind."
Hitoshi's room was… cool. Izuku wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but some part of him was glad to see that his best friend's room was as cool as Hitoshi was. Along the walls were posters of metal bands and old horror movies. The unmade bed had a dull blue cover, and there was a desk where a large, wide-screen monitor sat with a computer humming quietly on a shelf under it.
The keyboard and mouse were on a raised tray beside Hitoshi's bed.
On the far side of the room, a bunch of heavy-looking weights were piled up, as well as a small whiteboard above it with a weekly diet routine written upon it.
Izuku quickly took in the smaller details. The figures of All Might and other heroes propped around the room. There was an entire shelf under the monitor filled with hero manuals, fighting guides, and other exercise books, and his hero costume was hung neatly on a hook on the wall.
Overall, it was an odd mixture of the punk rock sensibilities that he expected from Hitoshi with evidence of a dedicated, hard-working young hero hiding in plain sight.
In the center of the room, a bed had been set up. Nothing more than a floor futon, a blanket, and two pillows, but Izuku knew it would do.
"Hey, erm, thanks for letting me stay over."
Hitoshi shrugged as he sat on his bed. "It's all cool, dude. You'd do the same for me."
Izuku didn't argue because he knew it was true.
He set his backpack down and sat onto the futon with a slump. Then, without really knowing why, he put his head into his hands and gave a long, tired groan. He pressed his fingers lightly against his eyes before moving his hands away, rubbing his forehead then to his temples.
"… Everything sucks, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry to hear about your mum. Seriously, that sucks."
"Thanks, but she'll be fine. Apparently, we're all 'allowed to have one'." Izuku replied with obvious finger quotations. He then looked down for a moment before mumbling. "She… she said something else though. Before I left."
Hitoshi leaned forward. "Oh?"
"Yeah. I mean." He paused for a moment, weighing the knowledge. He had given his friends bits and pieces of what he knew, but never too much. He had never wanted to divulge secrets that could hurt them or hurt others.
But with Hitoshi? Yeah, Hitoshi could handle it.
"She said that Lucifer has her heart."
Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. "… like, literally?"
"Obviously not," Izuku replied with a sharp glance before weariness took over once more. "But I… she'd mentioned something like it before. It was part of how I was made."
"Other than the usual."
"That's insanely gross."
"You brought it up."
Izuku again gave his friend a sharp look, but Hitoshi's disarming smile defeated him. He knew this was just his attempt to try and make him feel better, and he supposed it was working. Damn morbid sense of humor.
"But I mean. Lucifer isn't here anymore."
"You said he was taken to heaven."
"That's what I was told."
"Isn't that as good as dying?"
"I don't think so." Izuku frowned in thought, trying to piece things together. It was Nemesis who spoke next. "Father was not killed, they were captured. Their body remains, but it is simply not on Earth, nor is it in Hell. But if they are not here…"
"I'm sure your mum is going to be okay." Hitoshi reached forward and put a quick hand onto Izuku's shoulder. It was a small move, but it was enough to bring Izuku out of his quiet muttering. "For all you know it was just that, a mild heart attack. People do have them, you know. And let's face it, being your mother isn't exactly a stress-free job. Worrying about it won't make anything better, just let her recover, dude."
Izuku knew he should take the words as comfort, and in any other circumstance, he might. But things seemed too coincidental just to brush it all aside with a shrug.
Fire gathered in the very base of his stomach, but it was a nervous flame. A flame that didn't know where to go and what to do. It was a flame that would burn deep inside him until it burned right through his insides.
It was a flame that whispered that this wasn't the end of it, and they both knew it.
"… thanks." He said, finally. "I just… thanks."
Hitoshi was silent for a moment, only replying with a small nod, before quietly asking. "Hey, so… what happened. At the forest, I mean." Izuku looked over at him. Hitoshi didn't match his gaze and instead was looking at his hands, which he held before him, his elbows resting on his legs. He looked like a man getting ready to pray. "I'm… sorry. About everything."
"… what?"
"I'm sorry. I should have moved faster. I should have saved you." He gulped and took a deep breath through his nose. "I'm sorry. I fucked up, and because I fucked up all that bullshit happened and-"
"Dude-"
"No, seriously." Hitoshi looked at him. "Just let me speak, okay?"
"But-"
Izuku stopped. He stopped because Hitoshi's quirk had snatched his ability to speak from him. Immediately he felt Nemesis move through his blood, through his soul, angered at this shocking betrayal.
And yet Nemesis's wrath was calmed with the knowledge this wasn't some brazen attack, but a friend just trying to speak his peace.
"Because of me, people died. If I had been faster, been better, I could have stopped that girl from kidnapping you. And please, I know what you're going to say, it's not my fault, and I shouldn't blame myself and all that bullshit. I've heard it from my mum, and dad, and All Might but I don't care. I could have done better, and that's the end of it. You lost your dad because of me, a lot of people lost their dads, and mums and…" His jaw suddenly set tight and there was a tiny tremble to his hands. "… I'm not going to stop trying to be better or be a better hero. But I need to acknowledge my fuckups, otherwise, I'll never learn. So, this is me saying sorry. Don't fucking argue with me."
He let Izuku go, and Izuku allowed a wave of indignant flame to lick over his scars and flash behind his eyes.
"… are you done?"
"Yeah."
"Can I tell you something?"
"… sure."
"You saved the world."
Hitoshi was quiet for a long moment.
"You saved me, and you stopped Satani's plan. Dude, you saved the goddamn world."
Hitoshi looked shrugged. "I mean-"
"So don't give me this 'I'm sorry' shit. I got myself caught by fighting Himiko and you would have died if you had pushed yourself any further. So seriously, dude. Hitoshi, look at me." Hitoshi looked to Izuku, and Izuku felt Nemesis move into his eyes. "Shut up. Be proud. You are a hero, Son of Pharaohs, and you have our highest respect."
Hitoshi didn't flinch at the slow echo in Izuku's tone, or the darkness in his gaze. Izuku could hear that his heart didn't even pick up a beat.
Hitoshi had no fear of Nemesis.
The second lasted longer than it should have, before finally, a tiny smile ghosted Hitoshi's lips and he looked away. "They never tell you about this in the TV shows, do they? About how it feels in the aftermath."
"Yeah, I know." Izuku shrugged slowly. "Like you said, everything sucks."
"Ugh, we need to quit this pity party." Hitoshi flopped back onto his bed. "We're punks, not emos."
A beat passed Izuku asked, "wanna know what the celestials do after a big fight?"
"What?"
"They have this ritual. They call it honoring victory and saluting the dead and celebrating the living and all that, but in human terms, it's called getting piss-faced drunk."
Hitoshi paused and nodded thoughtfully. "… Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, let's do that."
Izuku was surprised. "Do you think your parents will let you?"
"Dad lets me drink. Sometimes. On special occasions. Mum is a bit stricter. But she won't be here so, I think dad will let us have something at least."
Izuku couldn't help but feel a little relieved at that. Perhaps doing something that would connect him to his celestial roots, the small, silly, but apparently important tradition of post-victory drinks would ease his mind.
Still, the weight of everything sat heavily on him. One night's worth of drinking wouldn't solve that.
They were called suddenly from down the stairs and the two boys got up, with Izuku following after Hitoshi.
Farah was leaving, and she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek and her son a quick kiss on the forehead before telling Izuku to make himself at home. Then she was gone.
"Well, boys, looks like it's just us for a little while," Eikyo announced after the door was closed. "At least until everyone else gets here."
The two teenagers paused and shared a look.
Hitoshi turned and asked, "Waddya mean?"
"I talked it over with your mother and she's fine with it." Eikyo let out a sly grin. "We called your other friends and invited them over. I figured if you wouldn't mind having some extra company."
Izuku's heart filled with joy at the thought of seeing his other friends, especially when the last time they'd all been together was back at the hospital when he'd looked like death warmed up.
Hitoshi, however, had a slightly pale look. "Okay, first of all, how the hell did you get the numbers to my friend's phones? And secondly, mum said I was, and I quote, 'super-grounded' for sneaking out of the hospital."
His father walked past him, waving a hand. "You are super-grounded. But I persuaded her that your bravery should be rewarded! After all, you're going to be going to the U.A. dorms in a little while, and I'm betting that Mr. Aizawa guy isn't going to go easy on you. Plus, I'm going to be working all night on this app that Wayland-Yutani want done by the middle of the week, so you might as well have more friends 'round to keep you company."
Hitoshi again looked like he was trying to hold back a flush of embarrassment. Though it was also combined with the future threat of Aizawa's wrath. Izuku had to wonder just how that conversation had gone down in the Shinsou household. Farah had not seemed like the kind of woman who would cave into any demand easily, and he had no doubt that she had given the two teachers just as much hell as his own mother had.
"You- You still didn't answer the first question!" Hitoshi called as he stalked after his father, leaving Izuku to follow timidly behind.
"A good dad knows who his son's friends are." Eikyo had reached the kitchen and was opening up the refrigerator. Izuku spied a few bottles of familiar-looking liquids before Eikyo grabbed a bottle of beer and closing the refrigerator. He looked back to Hitoshi and gave him a warm, fatherly, loving smile while rising the bottle up. "My son, the hero! You deserve at least one toast!"
It turned out that Hitoshi couldn't really argue with that.
"You three are completely irresponsible!"
Tenya had been lecturing the three of them since he had arrived. His glasses were practically steamed with his absolute outrage at what Hitoshi, Shoto, and Fumikage had done.
Hitoshi sat back on his couch, a bottle of beer in one hand looking rather bored, while Shoto, as usual, held almost no expression. He simply looked at Tenya as if the young man was talking about the weather. Fumikage however at least had the decency to look somewhat remorseful at his actions. Dark Shadow had come out and now rested on top of Fumikage's head in their favorite position. Their eyes glared daggers at Tenya, but in a rather surprising move, they had yet to actually say anything.
The three of them, sitting side by side on Hitoshi's couch, reminded Izuku of a bunch of kids who were caught sneaking out of school. He supposed, in a way, they were.
"You could have died!"
"But we didn't."
"And you disobeyed the school's orders!"
"But it worked out."
"That's not the point!"
"You know they did save the world by doing that." Izuku offered calmly from his position at the kotatsu table. He sipped at the beer, which he had decided wasn't as good as mjod, and shrugged. "You know. That almost happened. Kinda."
"That's also not the point!"
"I dunno." Ochaco put a finger to her chin. She sat adjacent to Izuku, and a bottle of beer rested in her hand. "Seems to me that saving the world is always worth it."
"But-"
"Hell was almost brought forth upon the Earth," Fumikage added in a thoughtful tone. "I would say any price is worth it to stop such destruction."
"And Hitoshi brainwashed Satani," Shoto added in the same kind of tone one might use to inform someone that it was their turn to wash the dishes. "I don't think anyone has ever done that."
"I'm still amazed I did that." Hitoshi couldn't help a proud smile tug at the corner of his lips. "I mean, just sayin'. Totally did that thing. Brainwashed a celestial being. No biggie. Just puttin' that out there."
"It would be impressive." Dark Shadow cawed out. "If I had not already seen you do it with Prince Nemesis."
"That is not the point." Tenya chopped the air, the steam was almost visibly coming out of his ears. "The point is you disobeyed the school. You endangered everyone!"
"Tenya, come on." Izuku braved, bringing the wrathful gaze of his friend upon him. "It's alright. It worked out. The day was saved."
"Thanks to, the Powerpuff giiiirls, yaaaay." Hitoshi half-whispered, causing Tenya to turn back on him, glaring.
"Don't you get it? We were terrified you had died. We were all terrified all of you had died!"
His words quickly dampened any laughter that might have come out of Hitoshi's joke. Suddenly it seemed the two more defiant boys understood the fullness of their actions. Shoto leaned forward and took a soft breath, while Hitoshi simply looked away.
"I'm glad you're all, safe, I really am, but all of this, what you did… please, please, don't ever do something like it again, not at least without letting me know."
"So you can stop me?" Hitoshi looked up.
"No, so I can go with you." Tenya stiffened for a moment, then his limbs seemed to sag. "My… my older brother's back was broken because he went off on his own, without thinking, and I wasn't there to stop him. He lost the use of his legs, his quirk, and I should have- I should have been there. I could have saved him from…"
He took a long, slow, steadying breath and ran a hand over his forehead. "You survived the encounter, but any one of you could have died. And even if you didn't, you could have suffered injures so traumatic it could have ended your careers before they had even started. Please, don't ever go off again. Not without me."
The silence grew deeper, longer, before finally, Hitoshi stood up. He reached over to the table where Tenya's untouched bottle of beer sat. He picked it up and held it out to the young man. Tenya paused, then reached out and took it.
"I'll promise on a drink." He announced calmly. "I won't do anything so reckless again."
"Well, I…" Tenya looked to the beer. He had been shocked that Hitoshi's dad had left them the bottles, as well as permission to get the other beer from the cupboard. But not the wine or the whiskey, that was 'for us' as Eikyo had put it.
"Don't promise on a drink." Izuku suddenly announced, standing up. His voice took on the slightest hint of an echo as he added, "promise on a fist bump." His eyes met Hitoshi's. "You can't go back on those."
Hitoshi's eyes went wide for a moment before he gave a smile a nod. "You're right. Fist bump promises are forever."
Tenya slowly curled his free hand into a fist and held it out. "I guess it's as good as anything."
Hitoshi moved his fist forward, bumping it into Tenya's and locking his gaze. "I promise. No more insane antics. Next time the world is in danger, I'll bring you along."
"Same." Shoto's fist suddenly joined the two. "I apologize, Tenya. It was not my intention to worry you. I only wished to do what was right."
"I also apologize." Fumikage had stood up and now joined them. "Saving the world is all well and good, but such victories are bitter indeed if all you end up with are ashes."
"Yeah!" Ochaco's fist joined the group. "We'll be in it together! The Goth Crew for life!"
"I'm not even a goth!"
Dark Shadow swirled down from atop Fumikage's head and planted their cold, unlight fist beside the others. "I swore service to Nemesis's court, therefore, I will pledge to fight with you. But not because I actually like any of you, of course."
Izuku's fist joined in last, and the little circle was at last complete. "Goth crew for life." Nemesis spoke through his lips. "No one, not even the celestials, fight all their battles alone."
With a great cheer the others lifted their fists up as one, and finally, Tenya seemed to smile. He looked to the cup of beer, raised it to his lips, and took a quick sip. His face screwed up at the taste, but the soft smile remained. "I suppose I can't argue with that."
An hour had passed. Most of the party was now two bottles in. A few scattered paper plates held host to still hot, melty slices of pizza, ordered in especially for the impromptu party. The smell wafted through the air, and Izuku couldn't help but reach over and take another bite of his fourth slice before wiping his hand on a piece of paper towel.
Then, he glanced down to the cards in his hands, studying his options before looking up and trying to read the expressions of the other players. Ochaco looked sneaky, her big, brown eyes glanced at him for a moment before she frowned and hid behind her own cards.
Tenya was clearly thinking through every possible scenario, Izuku could practically hear the cogs in his mind grinding against one another as his brain tried to calculate the moves of his competitors.
Hitoshi looked bored, but Izuku could see by the way his foot would twitch in his lap that it was a bluff. He was completely invested in the game, determined to win, as he was determined to accomplish anything he set his willpower towards.
Fumikage looked flabbergasted. This was clearly not his kind of game and it was very, very obvious. That was fine, he was losing anyway. Izuku supposed the two bottles of beer he'd drank so far weren't helping. Dark Shadow kept looking over his shoulder, then whispering things into his ear, which Fumikage mostly frowned and shook his head at.
And then there was Shoto. Shoto, who sat directly across from him. Shoto, who hadn't even smiled once during the entire game.
And yet was winning by a nice handful. Not enough that Izuku didn't believe he could catch up, but enough to be concerned about.
He looked to his own cards. This would be a tough one. He had to pick something good, something great even. After all, the bigger the reaction, the better the points.
Internally he and Nemesis had already discussed a few combos, his own brain jumping at the chance to do something interesting and different.
And most importantly, funny.
Ochaco moved first. She drew out a white card, slammed it down, and slid it into the center of the table. Hitoshi followed next in a lazy motion. Then Izuku, deciding that surely this would make Shoto laugh. Then finally, Tenya and Fumikage.
Shoto leaned over the kotatsu table, gathered the cards up in a pile, and shuffled them about before finally laying them out in front of him, one at a time. He then held up his own card, this one black, and he read aloud, "alternative medicine is now embracing the curative powers of…" He then flipped the first white card.
"God." This got a few laughs, though Izuku only smirked.
"Free samples." Tenya snorted.
"Invading Poland." Hitoshi grinned and his shoulder shook with mirth.
"Academy Award winner Meryl Streep." This didn't get many laughs, as no one was quite sure who Meryl Streep was.
"Alcoholism." Fumikage only raised his bottle up and shrugged.
Shoto paused for a moment before finally holding up 'Free samples'. Tenya grinned in victory and held his hands up. "Yes!"
"What!" Hitoshi protested, waving his arms in the air. "How is that funnier than invading Poland!"
"Invasions aren't funny," Shoto replied flatly.
"But- that's- I-" Hitoshi made several more protesting noises before finally slumping down again and drinking more beer. "I hate this game."
Now that finally got Shoto to smile.
"So, what is Hawks exactly?"
Izuku blinked, looking over to Hitoshi. "What?"
"I must admit, I have been curious about that also." Fumikage mused as he sat on the couch, leaning back. Dark Shadow had moved forward and now held a controller in their clawed hands.
Hitoshi had brought his 'high spec gaming computer' down for them to all play on. He had been so proud of the rig before Shoto had pointed out that he had one just like it, except with more ram, a better CPU, and a graphics card two generations above what Hitoshi had.
And he didn't even play video games.
They were all very much comfortably drunk by now, except for Izuku, who could probably drink everything in the house and feel nothing. Not that he was willing to do so, of course. He was more than happy simply hanging out with his friends and enjoying the night.
But he was glad that it gave him the extra edge on Blob Wars 3. On the screen, the four little blob-men dressed in various silly costumes ran about trying to throw each other off things. Ochaco laughed maniacally as her character picked up a chair and whacked it over the head of Dark Shadow's character.
The demon howled in annoyance and only held the controller tighter.
Hitoshi, who was trying to dislodge Tenya's character from the top of a truck, shrugged. "You keep talking about him doing all these things, but you haven't told us how he's involved with everything. I mean, you said the guy talked to Lucifer, right?"
"Yeah."
"So, he's gotta be some kinda supernatural big-wig."
"He can't be a demon, he's too… good for that. No offense, Dark Shadow."
"None taken, mortal." Dark Shadow hissed back before hammering a clawed finger on the controlled. "JUMP YOU STUPID THING!"
Izuku sheepishly looked to one side. "I dunno guys, I kinda promised I wouldn't say anything."
"What about if we guess?" Hitoshi grinned as his little blob-man managed to defeat Tenya's blob-man. Tenya only frowned deeper, pushed his glasses up his nose, and kept up the fight. "Cos here's the thing, I figure eventually we're gonna end up talking to the guy and, as the next number one hero, I want to make a good impression."
"Wait, how is he the number three hero?" Ochaco asked with a frown. "He's behind Endeavor, but he's gotta be way stronger than him, right?"
"The rankings are based more on actual hero work than popularity, or at least they claim they are." Shoto mused as he calmly watched the fighting. "In truth, a popular hero will always get further up the rank than a not-so-popular hero, even if they do equal amounts of work. Despite being… him, my father is still incredibly hard-working and resolves more criminal cases than any other hero, so he ekes out his second- well, I guess now first place."
"That is true. My family's agency manages several lower-ranked heroes, and even though we distribute work out to them all evenly, some of them are higher in the rankings than others based purely on how many people like them. I don't particularly agree with it, but I do understand it. Having a popular, well-liked hero top the charts means a better reception overall for the HPSC."
"Who?"
"You know, the HPSC?" Tenya turned to look at Ochaco. "The Hero Public Safety Commis- AH!"
Ochaco grinned as her character jumped onto Tenya's character, picked him up, and threw him into oncoming traffic. The blobby man was bumped way off the stage, and another life ticked down on Tenya's counter, leaving him with only one left.
"HA!"
"That was a dirty trick!"
"Bitch, I live dirty."
"That sounded way grosser than it probably did in your head," Izuku added with an amused smile.
Ochaco only grinned before taking another quick sip of her beer.
"Anyway, so, Hawks. What's his link to your dad? High-level demon? Another celestial?"
Izuku said nothing.
Dark Shadow looked over to the teenager and a wide grin stretched over their shadowed beak. "That's it, isn't it? They're one of the Celestial Lords."
Izuku continued to say nothing and simply looked away, the picture of innocence. Or at least he would be if his tail hadn't instantly wagged back and forth at the mention of Celestials.
"So, which one is it?" Dark Shadow grinned wider. "They can't be a Fallen, otherwise they would have never cooperated with King Lucifer. So, it has to be one of the Archangels. Which one was it? Zalaphon the Caring One? They do have a lot of fans after all. Or perhaps Israfel the Wanderer?"
"I feel like you just pulled those names out of a hat."
"Actually, I've been doing some studying on the Archangels," Tenya announced as he desperately tried to stop Hitoshi from hitting his character with a bowling ball. "Zalaphon is one of the Archangels. Called the Caring One for their love of humanity, but also the Sorrowful because they weep at the destruction we level at one another- HEY!"
As Tenya battled for his very blobby life, Fumikage took over. "Israfel is known as The Wanderer for they are said to walk the earth, inspiring great philosophers and thinkers, always questioning and meditating on the meaning of God's creation."
"That's not Hawks." Izuku cut in. "Seriously, guys, I don't want to break his trust. But I'm sure if you ever meet him and ask, he'll let you know."
"Alright, alright, fine." Hitoshi rolled his eyes and reached for his bottle to take another drink as his character helplessly fell off the stage thanks to Dark Shadow's attack with a folding chair. "But just tell me this, is he as cool in real life as he is on TV?"
Izuku chuckled softly. "Yeah, he's really cool."
"Okay ssso. When do you think they'll finally hook up?" Hitoshi leaned heavily onto the table. His words sloshing around in his mouth as much as the beer in his bottle. "Cosh they gotta do it sometime or anouva."
"Uuuugh why are we talking about them?" Ochaco's voice rose in pitch as she spoke. She then took another swig of her beer and leaned onto Izuku, who, with a rather amused smile, held her in place for the moment. "They're laaaame."
"I think." Fumikage announced, swaying a little on his perch on the couch. "I think that… Ibara will make the first-" hick "-move."
"What makes you think that?" A red-cheeked Tenya asked. Other than Izuku, he seemed to be handling the alcohol the best. Possibly because of his size, possibly because he was simply the best at holding himself together.
"It is obvious." Fumikage burped but managed to hold most of it back. He then leaned forward and placed his bottle on the table. He then picked up the crust-end of a piece of pizza and nibbled on it as he spoke. "Shesh represhed."
"Refreshed?"
"Repressed."
"Refreshed." Ochaco giggled. "She's very refreshing."
"I agree with Fumikage." Shoto added in a quiet, calm tone. His voice seemed steady, but the way his movements were a little too exaggerated spoke of his own drunkness. "I wasn't raised religious but- but I get the repressed thing. Being raised strict always makes you want to act out."
"I guess you got experience." Hitoshi added before nudging him. "No offensh or anythin'."
"My dad is a prick. He's a prick." Shoto pushed with a deep frown. "… but he's a good hero. So, I gotta… learn what he can teach me." He looked to his bottle of beer as if it would tell him all the answers to his problems. "Then I'll never have to talk to him again."
Hitoshi leaned closer to Shoto and put an arm around him, drawing him into a half hug. Izuku raised his eyebrows at that. A bold move, all considering. Shoto didn't seem to react other than drinking more beer. Hitoshi, however, clearly smiled as if he'd won some small but important prize. "Don't you worry. I'll kick his ass if he ever does anything to you."
"He did do something to me. We still dunno what."
"Did we ever find out more on that?" Ochaco looked over to Tenya. "Weren't you doin' researches into that thingamajiggy?"
Tenya nodded several times too many. "I was! And I found… nothing. Yet. But I'm getting close!"
Izuku opened his mouth. He wanted to say how Touya, the fire-user in the Heralds seemed to have a similar problem to Shoto, a soul that had seemed cracked and a fire that had been oddly familiar, but he decided now wasn't the best time to bring it up. After all, everyone was getting drunker by the moment, and it was basically up to him to keep an eye on things.
He'd let them know once they were much more sober.
"We'll figure it out." Fumikage announced. "We're… we're the Goth Crew. We shave the world!"
"And don't afraid of anything." Izuku added with a wry smile.
"Yeah! We don't afraid of anything!" Hitoshi cheered, sitting up again. He raised his bottle and the beer sloshed inside it.
This was quickly joined by more cheers, and Izuku could only shake his head.
"Okay, ssso, I've been thinking."
It was almost one in the morning, yet they had yet to actually get any sleep. Instead, some old movie played on TV, and by old, it was practically ancient. It was about some guy? Who apparently had the powers of a puma? And could fly for some reason? Also, some other, bald villain was trying to control people with a paper mache mask? It was very difficult to make out exactly what was going on.
"Okay?" Izuku looked over to Hitoshi, who was curled up on one of the futons on the floor. He had brought down Izuku's futon from upstairs a while ago and had set it out in the front room along with his own blankets. If they were going to have one more night of sleeping together on a floor, he had reasoned they might as well do it all together.
Izuku himself had curled up on the comfy armchair, feeling awake but lazy. It was good to feel lazy. It meant he could afford to sit and do nothing for a while, which was always a nice feeling in his chaotic life.
Shoto had moved to put his feet under the kotatsu and an hour ago, but now slept under it, as did Fumikage from the other side. The bird-headed teenager even snored softly, which was something Izuku was sure he'd not done at camp.
Tenya was still awake, as was Ochaco, but from the looks on their faces, it seemed they wouldn't have long until they too fell asleep.
"Lushifur isn't around anymore, right?"
Izuku nodded once. "Yeah."
"Ssso." Hitoshi looked over to Izuku with an unfocused gaze. "Doesh that make you the King?"
Izuku blinked. "… I have no idea."
"You're a king?" Ochaco asked, lolling her head on the couch to look at him. "How'sh about you give me some cash?"
"I- erm."
"King Izuku the… first." Hitoshi chuckled drunkenly as he looked back to the screen. He raised his empty bottle and announced. "Long may he reign!"
"Kanpai!"
"Shussssh." Tenya quickly frowned at the girl. "You'll wake- ahem- you'll wake everyone up."
Izuku rolled his eyes at the others before quietly announcing. "I have no idea. No one's told me anything, so I'm going to assume I'm still just a Prince."
"Boooo." Hitoshi closed his eyes. "Beer makes me sleepy. Good to know."
The others fell quiet once again as they refocused on the terrible movie, though the thought now wormed into his mind. If Lucifer was gone, who was ruling his realm? Did that really make him a King?
The thought of being King of Hell didn't sit well in his soul. He remembered when he had approached that dreadful throne in that room of darkness and maudlin sorrow. The throne that had seemed so simple yet was raised above all others.
The throne that had whispered his name, calling to his blood.
He shook the memory off and tried to refocus on the movie.
Tonight was not a night where he would think about such things, even if it was just another thought that now sat, ugly and haunting, in the back of his mind.
Everyone was asleep.
Ochaco was dozing on the couch, resting her head on a pillow on Tenya's shoulder. Tenya himself slept sitting, his head lolled back on the sofa.
Hitoshi was now asleep on one of the floor futons. Well, he was technically asleep on two of the floor futons, his legs stretched across them.
Eikyo had already come in to check on them a few hours ago, as he had a few times that night, but he seemed satisfied to let them on their own.
The trust the man had in his son, and the friends his son had made, was impressive to Izuku. He was positive if this was at his own home, Inko would have probably stayed around them all night, worrying over them and making sure everyone was well fed enough.
He sighed and leaned back against the chair he had curled himself into. The blanket he was supposed to be sleeping in had been wrapped around his shoulders. Not that he needed the warmth, but simply that he wished for something to cocoon himself with.
This was the downside of requiring so little sleep. He had time. Time for his mind to start wandering endlessly on every crystal clear memory he had.
He kept recalling images of his father, especially ones towards the end.
He would never be able to forget the images of him that were stored in his brain. But the ability of perfect recall was not always a blessing. He now looked upon those memories and wondered. Did his father know he was going to be imprisoned, even then? Even on their one day out? Was that why he had been so instant on spending that time with him?
Did that play into his decision not to dispatch Kuroiro with him to the forest? Did he believe his imprisonment in Heaven to be inevitable? Izuku frowned slightly and turned his eyes to the window, where, through a small crack in the curtains, he could see the street before him.
It had to be about two or three in the morning now. He wasn't exactly sure when.
He sighed and snuggled deeper into the chair.
That's when he spotted something moving, silently, through the dark room.
He smiled softly and held out a hand. Nedjem slinked towards his hand like a living shadow. Izuku could see her just fine, however, even in the darkness. Her eyes seemed to glow softly and reflected back at him in that odd way cat's eyes always did in the shadow of the night.
She edged towards him, then sniffed cautiously at his hand.
"Hey." He whispered to her in the night. "You don't happen to understand millennia-old super-beings, do you?"
The cat looked to him, as if judging his very soul, before hissing at him and moving on, cautiously stalking away from him and towards someone she knew, Hitoshi. There she moved by his head and curled up next to him as if protecting her owner. Her blue eyes flashed in the darkness as they watch Izuku with clear distrust.
Izuku only sighed. Animals not liking him was a theme he'd long since accepted. It seemed even with his soul starting to heal, that wasn't about to change. At least she wasn't trying to bite him, like some other animals he'd tried to befriend.
He looked out towards the window.
The future was out there, waiting for him. A future where he was now more unsure than ever at his exact place in the grand scheme of things. His father was gone, his throne empty, and Izuku was the prince who was no doubt expected to inherit it all.
He could be the very King of Hell, right now, sitting in this quiet house with only his thoughts for company. But he… he didn't want to be King of Hell. And yet he knew if the responsibility was placed upon him, he would not be able to refuse it.
It was times like these he wished, as he had wished before, that he had someone on his level that he could talk to. Another Half-Celestial who knew what it was like to be so annoyingly caught between two worlds.
Not for the first time since the War in Tokyo, his mind drifted to Himiko Toga, but soon those thoughts drifted.
She was most likely dead, just another in a long line of victims caught between the politics of two beings who barely registered her existence. Another bloody smear left on the rubble of the battlefield.
He snuggled deeper into the chair, and in a room filled with his sleeping friends, he felt the deep pang of a lonely demi-god.
So did ya all enjoy the very contained chaos? Originally this chapter was actually held IN UA itself, with the entire class getting drunk and having fun, playing games, etc. There was even a surprisingly Izuku/Momo moment, cos Momo out-drank everyone except Izuku cos... Momo.
But in the end it proved to be too wieldy and also, alcohol on campus? After everyone just got back? Eeeeh too much of a stretch to make it fit, even for me. So the big party got shortened to a more private affair, and it worked out better. It was fun to have the gang just do dumb teenager stuff, even if it ended with Izuku feeling lonely. If only there was another half-celestial around to stay up drinking with him... hum. Maybe one with blonde hair and a love of gory movies... ahh well.
Anyway, next chapter we move into UA, and also start working on new lessons, also, a familiar face pops back up again! So until next time my peeps, keep safe, keep healthy, and peace out!
