Midoriya awoke to being shaken, his groggy eyes opening to Usagiyama standing in front of him. The sun was barely in the air, the green haired man assuming it was around 09:00 to 10:00 in the morning, the bright yet soft light causing him to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. The rabbit woman cleared her throat and proceeded to push him with her foot, a groan leaving Midoriya's mouth. He was currently running on minimal sleep due to passing out a few 5 hours ago.
"Get up. Ya got two weeks before the exam." Usagiyama pulled at the green haired man, dragging him off of the cushions and onto the ground with a loud thud.
"Fucking… God dammit…" Midoriya muttered to himself as he pushed himself off the ground, "Should've gone home…"
"Hey. I think my couch is great to sleep on." The rabbit woman poked at his stomach with her armored toes, "Come on. We're gonna patrol today."
"Ugh."
He was exhausted, slogging and dragging his feet around the woman's house as he prepared himself. It was really just splashing cold water on his face and wearing the SAW. The green haired man was at the level of fatigue where one's eyes felt a burning sensation- the kind of irritation that one doesn't want throughout the day. After a long and grueling process accompanied by the nagging of Usagiyama, Midoriya finally found himself prepared- the first step he took out of the sky-rise structure was followed with a glance at the environment around him. The streets were relatively full and eyes turned towards the duo's location due to the rabbit woman's prestige. Shaking his head and sighing, Midoriya opened the SAW's control panel and clicked at some of the switches, the pneumatics in his armor responding accordingly and preparing him to move- pushing off the ground and launching himself far into the air.
Close behind him was Usagiyama, her ears listening closely to any dangers in the near and far vicinity. After a while of hopping from rooftop to rooftop, Midoriya had completely woken up, the feeling of fatigue removed despite the lack of sleep from the night prior. He was still a little grumpy though. Eventually taking a short rest, the two landed and stared out at the cityscape- a familiar feeling they once held together months before. Usagiyama leaned herself over a metal railing whilst Midoriya sat down and detached his helmet. His eyes were stuck on the rabbit woman's flowing hair but not for anything perverse or lewd. The armored man just found himself lost in her appearance- a question that he'd wanted to ask for a while scratching at his skin and prompting him to speak.
"What's up with your costume anyways?" Midoriya leaned back, stabilizing himself on his palms as the woman glanced towards him.
Usagiyama took a moment, glancing down at herself and looking at her hands, "I look good in a leotard, duh."
"...Well, yeah I know that." He was a little amused by her response, "It just doesn't seem to add any… Protection."
"Trust me, I got enough protection." The rabbit woman turned completely and flexed her arms, "See, we both use guns."
Midoriya couldn't resist the urge to place his palm against his eyes, a soft chuckle following suit, "You're so fucking stupid…"
"Can't handle my steel, Fluffy?" She went back to leaning against the metal railing, a bright smile on her face.
He opted to not answer, closing his eyes and letting the soft breeze press against him. The two waited for quite a while in silence, Usagiyama's eyes watching the world around her. As her chestnut orbs gazed upon the tall structures, she held her own questions that she wanted to ask. Opening her mouth to speak, she found that she was cut off by Midoriya's own continuation.
"Hey, Usagiyama. Where did you go to school?" The green haired man leaned back fully until his vigil was only the cerulean canvas marked white by clouds above.
"Wha? Why do ya wanna know that?" It was genuine confusion of a response as she turned towards the man once more, "Uh… Well, I didn't attend U.A. if that helps."
"Not really."
"What about you?" Usagiyama took steps forward and squatted down beside the sprawled out figure, "Where'd ya go to?"
"Tokyo Police Academy, transferred to Russia for a while." Midoriya responded, his shotgun placed meticulously beside him almost perfectly parallel to his body, "It sucked."
"...Russia?" Her eyes narrowed at the mention of a completely different country during their topic of education.
"Yeah. Then they ha-" The armored man tried to continue only to be cut off by his comrade.
"You. Lil' Bunny Boy. Went to Russia." Usagiyama was clearly dumbfounded at the thought of Midoriya in the cold wasteland known as Russia, "Why?"
"First off, I'm not 'Lil Bunny Boy', I don't even know what that is supposed to imply." The green haired man was adamant in losing that nickname which caused the woman beside him to snicker, "Second, because Hayami wanted her operators to go train with the Spetsnaz."
"Lil Bunny Boy." She couldn't contain herself, laughing at his adamance to not maintain the name which seemed to have worked against him.
"Please explain to me what I have done to deserve this."
"I dunno, I wanna punch you." The speed of her reply generated some anxiety in his body- he didn't think she wanted to hit him especially when they have been sparring for a collective five or so months.
"Mhm." Midoriya decided not to delve into it as he probably would've gotten punched if he did, "I like this."
"What? You like being called Lil Bunny Boy?" Usagiyama's expression was clearly in a state of disbelief, "Or… You like being punched?"
"N-No. I don't like being called anything or being hit." The armored man inhaled the frigid air, his nose slightly picking up on her scent as well due to their close vicinity- peaches, "It feels nice. There aren't people dying, there isn't suffering- just… Us. It almost makes me forget that I'm quirkless."
The rabbit woman relaxed herself and sat on her rear, a soft grin as she also proceeded to gaze at the sky. As her pupils dissected the grand blue she felt an odd floating sensation rush through her chest. Originally, she didn't really understand why others did this but perhaps it was because she didn't share moments like this with anyone- or even didn't feel the need to.
"Ya know, Midoriya. I don't care that you're quirkless." Usagiyama didn't avert her gaze from the sky.
The armored man took a moment to himself before deciding to speak, "I know. I'm glad that you aren't part of the many that would just throw me aside knowing that I don't have a quirk. It's… It's just hard."
The rabbit woman bobbed her head side to side slightly as if she was listening to a song, "It's fine, I got ya. Anyone fucks with ya, I'll send em flyin'."
"...Why are you so nice to me?"
Usually Usagiyama doesn't think before she speaks- she just speaks the words that her brain decided to put together on the fly. Sometimes it's reasonable and sometimes it's a hidden challenge request without realization. This time, she found herself pondering the answer to his question. Originally, she really was going to treat him as if he was a lesser person but found herself more and more enthralled by his potential- with large amounts of his appearance and mannerisms. Midoriya was starting to get concerned after a while because of the amount of time she was taking without responding, slightly pushing himself off the ground and resting with his forearms behind him, glancing over at the woman.
"I dunno." The serenity she emitted made his heart pump and perhaps that was all she needed to say.
Although it wasn't much for answering his question, Midoriya accepted it. Usagiyama slowly shimmied herself around as the armored man's gaze fell upon the tranquil skies, his head falling back. He expected his hair to brush against the hard cement floor but instead found it against some squishy yet oddly solid material.
"...I-Is this your lap?"
"...Y-Yeah, it is." Did she just stammer?
Upon hearing the woman struggle to get basic words out, he felt like it wasn't worth making it a bigger deal than it had to be. Needless to say, it took both of them a sizable amount of courage to not succumb to a panic attack as they attempted to relax. No words were exchanged for at least five minutes.
"I wish everyday was like this." Midoriya's tone was low and calm, "Silent, peaceful. I didn't have days like this when I was growing up."
"Eh. I can do without it, I love the thrill that a fight brings." Usagiyama brushed her hands through the man's green locks- oddly enough he didn't fidget or flail around, "Looks like today's a cold one though."
"I know you love a fight. For me, I have no choice. It's live or die and a single mistake could kill me." Midoriya responded, closing his eyes and savoring the moment, "I can tell you every scar on my body, how I got them."
He proceeded to place his right hand on his left shoulder, the armor plates covering up the limb but the figurative meaning was still there, "This one- got it just recently."
"I do remember that." The rabbit woman recalled the fight with Valchon and the massive hole in his shoulder practically ejecting blood, "Ya kinda scary when you fight, ya know that? If I wouldn't have known any better, I would've guessed your quirk was like… Not dying."
"...That's an amazingly dumb quirk. Why would you not want to die?" Midoriya snorted, which caused the tanned woman to slightly shift her head in surprise, "Although you would witness everything, you'd miss just as much. Everyone you know would live and then die, leaving you behind. I guess in my case it doesn't really matter though."
He paused for a moment and then continued his thought, "It would be a blessing for those who are charismatic- friends throughout the many generations that they would inevitably live. I guess it's both a blessing and a curse."
"Ya know that's not what I meant." She didn't seem angry as his eyes opened and looked into her own orbs- a large bulbous mass known as her chest blocking a decent amount of his vision, he was not going to complain though. Or mention it.
"Kinda… Don't understand why ya struggle so hard." Usagiyama took a moment and thought about what she said, "And no, I'm not telling ya to die. If you die, I'll kill ya."
"...Okay, that doesn't make sense but in regards to struggling… You're not going to hit me for this, right?" His words prompted the rabbit woman to look down at his own verdant orbs.
"...Maybe."
"Then I guess I won't say it." Midoriya closed his eyes once again after Usagiyama scowled, "I'm not getting hit for this."
"Ya might because you're not answerin'." The now slightly irritated woman squeezed the man's cheek, forcing him to groan slightly, "Come on, spit it out."
"S-Stop it."
His request was not successful, the green haired man only slipping out of her grasp after a few moments. Wandering over to the railing, he hadn't realized how much time actually passed with the two caught in eachother's aura. Putting a little more thought into it, the sudden surge of temperature against his face was very apparent and visible, he had to calm himself down for a moment. Midoriya wasn't expecting to lay down Usagiyama's lap- actually, he wasn't expecting to lay down on anyone's lap for the next month. Or the next lifetime.
During his flushed state, his eyes watched the environment and spotted something interesting: Lemillion… and his kid? Swiftly turning to see a rabbit woman on her phone, he called out to her and got the woman to look up from her phone. Beckoning her to the railing, Midoriya pointed at the blond man who was near-skipping down the street with the small girl holding his hand, an ice cream cone in the other.
"He has a kid?" Usagiyama pushed the armored man's detached helmet into his hands, "Huh. Damn, kids are getting nasty real early these days."
"I'm mildly intrigued." Midoriya attached his helmet and vaulted over the railing, the rabbit woman sighing and following suit.
The two met up with the blond student, his comically developed eyes at this point didn't phase the older man. Mirio looked up with an excited smile, his free arm waving at the two while the smaller girl to his side slinked behind him. The armored man responded with his own wave as civilians in the close vicinity became aware of Usagiyama's existence.
"Hey kiddo." Midoriya's voice and face were masked by the slightly dirty helmet on his head.
"Hiya Mr. Green, Ms. Miruko! Were you two out patrolling?" The younger, albeit taller figure held a cartoon-ish smile.
"We wer-"
"Who's the cutie?" Usagiyama cut her partner off, squatting down and staring at the shy child, "Hey, kid."
There was a high possibility that the small girl was in elementary school, she had long combed silver hair somewhat akin to the color slate which was parted by a small horn feature. She was also about half the size of Usagiyama, which in itself was amusing, a tiny 110 or so centimetres.
"This is Eri!" The blond angled his head downwards with a bright smile, slightly prodding her forward, "Go on, they're nice people."
"...hi." Her voice was near silent as she gripped the taller figure's pants.
"Do you know who I am?" Usagiyama seemed very excited only to receive a head shake. Midoriya had never seen her so crushed in his life. It was amusing.
"I wasn't expecting you to be so sexually active, kiddo." Midoriya shifted his attention to the student across from him, "Are you out on break or something?"
Mirio chortled, a grand laughter that only a joke could generate- or in this case, one only Mirio can generate without looking like a lunatic, "No, this isn't my daughter. Come to speak of it, here he comes now."
He pointed past the two which prompted them to both turn, Midoriya was staring face first at Eraserhead, physically recoiling at the sight of the raggedy figure. It took him a moment to process the information- the black haired man holding a large stuffed bear in his hands.
"...Dude." The tanned woman beside him shared glances at each other, "Eraser, you got a kid now?"
"No." He answered fast enough for it to even be menacing- that and his overall stature.
"Haha, you're such a kidder, Mr. Aizawa." Mirio chuckled.
Eraserhead didn't respond. Instead, he walked over to Eri and crouched down, handing her the large plush, "Here."
"W-where did you get this?" She was pretty much whispering as she retrieved the puffy toy, "...thank you."
"...I bought it."
Usagiyama and Midoriya shared a look at eachother, the green haired man pointing at the ticket stubs in Eraserhead's back pocket. The rabbit woman covered her mouth with her hand in an act to hide a growing smile. Clearly, Eraserhead was a lot different than what Midoriya had originally thought.
"That's adorable." The two said in tandem only to receive a glare from the scruffy figure.
The group started to walk, Usagiyama and Midoriya decided that because of how slow everything had been, they could tag along. Although it was a decently sized group, the two found themselves still secluded from the other three, the green haired man feeling the need to take off his helmet because seeing everything in variants of green as well as the stuffy air sucked.
"I didn't know you were good with kids." The green haired man inhaled the crisp air as the two followed close behind, "Well I'll be."
"I'm not. Fuckin' hate kids." She rolled her eyes as she responded.
"Didn't look like it." Midoriya's head turned to look into a cafe, "I think you're underselling yourself and trust me, I would know what that looks like."
Usagiyama wasn't too ecstatic with those words but didn't find them aggressive or anything, "Ya kinda weird, ya know that?"
"Ouch."
"Ooo, they have ducks." The rabbit woman pressed herself against a window to a chinese restaurant with hanging peking ducks on display, "I like ducks."
"...Are you hungry?" Midoriya leaned inward as well, looking down at the shorter figure, "Maybe you want to eat some duck with Mirio over there."
"I don't give a fuck who I gotta eat with, I'm getting some of this duck." Usagiyama pushed open the door to the structure and wobbled inside, her partner calling out to the other three and beckoning them over.
"What's up, Mr. Green?" Mirio turned his head to his side and saw the tanned woman sitting at a table, eagerly sitting at an empty table on her own, gesturing the others over, "...Eri, do you know what duck tastes like?"
"...no."
"Well, kiddo-" Midoriya squatted down and gave the small girl a bright child-like smile, "Let's try some. It's very good."
Eraserhead audibly exhaled as he reached around in his pocket for a wallet, opening it up and sighing once again. The armored man was very intimate with that kind of reaction, extending his arm and placing a hand on his shoulder, "It's okay. I'll pay."
"How… How did you spend all your money, Mr. Aizawa?" For the first time in Midoriya's affiliation with Mirio, he saw actual confusion.
"..." Eraserhead didn't respond, he instead decided to enter the structure which prompted everyone else to as well.
"Nice of ya to join me, Green." The rabbit woman patted the seat beside her, the armored man sitting on the cushioned chair, upon doing so, he leaned towards the woman and whispered.
"How much did you spend?"
"22k."
"Excuse me for a moment." Midoriya took a deep breath and brought his helmet up to his head, attaching it and pressing a few buttons on his thigh's control panel, "Visor off, Internal noise suppressor off, External noise transmission off."
The rabbit woman angled her head towards the random movements, only able to hear the first two sets of words, upon reaching 'External', no words were heard.
"Is he alright?" Mirio looked at the now blacked-out visor.
"I…I'm not really sure. Green?" Usagiyama tapped on his helmet for no response, "...G-Green?"
He was screaming. He had never spent that much money on a meal in his life, especially because he could barely taste a single thing- ever since those beets, he didn't want to taste anything anyways. He fucking hated beets. After a while of unadulterated screeching and curses, Midoriya undid his settings and detached the helmet. The three in front of him seemed completely unaware that he just had a mild panic attack but Usagiyama was staring at him like he was insane… which wouldn't be wrong.
"What the fuck…" His partner was clearly bewildered by the action as Mirio kicked into gear and covered Eri's ears.
"What?" Midoriya looked down at the woman, his face going blue for a moment as he remembered that she was a rabbit and had immaculate hearing, "I'll tell you about it later…"
The small party found themselves talking about random things but it was mostly just questions about Eri and Mirio, the green haired man learning about the small girl's predicament. Midoriya wasn't there for the Shie Hassaikai raid as at that point he was on a different mission with his team in Hokkaido. He came to the realization that the material that he pilfered from police resources was made from her suffering- in turn causing him to question if he should even use the ammunition he fabricated. It was an amazing quirk and it created an equally amazing weapon. Mirio lost his mentor, Nighteye, that day and barely managed to keep his own quirk from being eliminated- he was sure it was hard luck and perhaps he was right.
It was weird for Midoriya. He was watching the small girl call her own quirk… a curse. He knew what a curse- a burden felt like on the soul, let alone one that had barely walked the earth for a few years. One thing that was apparent in both Horizon and Midoriya was that they detested those who hurt children, no matter their age. It's been months since he shot and killed the 16 year old he later found out was named 'Phil Akaifuku' and he still couldn't forget the filling he had as he pulled the trigger. Even though he's dealt with people who've done worse than he has- pedophiles, dead beats, and the sickest of mother fuckers, Midoriya felt that he belonged in that tier of disgusting creatures that were less than people. Perhaps, it was one of the reasons why he felt they didn't deserve redemption- that they deserved death. Such is why he created Horizon.
"Hey." Usagiyama didn't know and had never seen the expression or tone of voice her partner had but his words felt so… true- "I think your quirk is amazing, Eri."
Sure. He was jealous. He had jealousy for those with quirks for years now but he knew that some people don't deserve to share that sentiment with him. They deserved better, and yes, perhaps he did have a double dose of stupidity like Usagiyama said but martyrdom was enough for him. It was enough for him to right his wrongs- after all, it was the best he could do.
"See, Eri? Mr. Green thinks your quirk is awesome!" Mirio reassured the young child, a big toothy smile on his face and he received a slight grin from hers as well, "I'm sure that Sir thinks your quirk is awesome too."
Midoriya hadn't realized that Eraserhead was looking at him with something akin to a glare but without any forms of aggression or distaste. Eventually, the group's food was served and the green haired man could practically see Usagiyama salivating as she looked completely uncontrollable. He didn't expect her to like duck this much- or maybe it was a craving. Or maybe both. He wasn't expecting much as everyone started to eat- well, everyone but him and Eraserhead who stared at each other for a long moment until one of them gave in, which was Midoriya's loss by a long shot.
Taking a bite, it was a faint taste but it was a taste nonetheless so his low expectation was met perfectly within standard. What he did want to taste was a drink, a quick gesture to a waitress was enough to get him such- a tired grin on his face. Before he could even attempt to begin drinking, the rabbit woman halved his alcoholic volume and gave him a glare- a sentiment that he returned. Needless to say, when the bill came and it had to be paid, Midoriya was in a pensive state as to why he promised he would pay- at least seeing Eri enjoying the food was nice.
Upon finishing, the party left the establishment with the sun a little past 17:00. Before splitting, Eraserhead asked to talk to Midoriya in private, the two going into an alleyway with the green haired man drawing a cigarette and looking at the professional. The shoddy man leaned against a cement wall with his hands in his pockets- a frightening glare from his eyes. An incredible tension was built between the SAT captain and the Pro Hero- a heart stopping experience that Midoriya didn't quite understand.
"You're interesting, Green. The way you fight, the way you act, the way to move." Eraserhead hadn't moved his hands in his pocket as he leaned against the concrete wall behind him, "You throw everything aside to defeat villains."
"What about it?" The armored man spoke.
"Unconventional tactics. Resourcefulness." Eraserhead responded, "You're smart, too. I'm very familiar with these motions and aptitudes."
"A lot of people have the ability to do things that I do." Midoriya responded after exhaling the grey cloud of smoke.
"Not police officers or special ops." His eyes were like daggers, "Especially not the way that you move."
The green haired man didn't take another puff from his cancer stick, his eyes narrowing at the professional across him, "What are you implying?"
"I knew it the moment I saw you, Green." Eraserhead kept his dead eyes locked into Midoriya's own verdant orbs which have reduced to pinholes, "You're quirkless."
The armored man didn't respond, his cigarette hand falling to his side and his other hovering over a phantom pistol- an instinctual reaction to him.
"Why would a quirkless man need a Hero License?" He continued, his stare boring into Midoriya's soul, "More importantly, why would a quirkless man leave 39 villains in body bags?"
His heart rate hastened as he crushed the drug in his hand, his eyes widening and his face furling into an aggressive scowl. Despite this, he still tried to feign ignorance, "I'm not aware of what you're talking about."
"I'm not stupid, Horizon. Neither are you."
"...What do you want, Shota Aizawa."
Eraserhead's own eyes narrowed into a frown of his own at the sound of his real name, "I want to know why. You're a good person, Midoriya. So why did you do it?"
Unlike talking with Usagiyama, he knew that it would be a lot more complicated for him to thwart the pro hero in an argument. More importantly, he disagreed with the fact that Eraserhead called him a good person- after all, that's all the heroes know, good people.
"We live in different worlds, you and I." The armored man slowed his breathing and subsequently his heart rate, "You, a hero who lives in a world of quirks and mystics. I, a quirkless person who doesn't exist in your society-"
Aizawa didn't respond as Midoriya continued to speak, "Do you know what it feels like to lose all hope, to lose your dreams? It hurts even more when your very own paragon tells you that you're not worth a single thing. That you'd be forgotten because you got unlucky."
"I should've died many times over, Hero. Yet here I am- scarred and bruised because of people like you. You don't feel pain. You don't feel empathy- you seek glory, fame, power." It was a lament of nothing but fury, "I know of only one hero that can understand my anguish."
"I did my homework before I got here." The black haired man stabilized himself and took a step forward, "I know a lot more about you than you think. I've dealt with vigilantes like you- Knuckleduster, Popstep, The Crawler. They've been under the radar for far less time than you."
Midoriya took a step of his own as Aizawa continued to watch his eyes, "The thing is, they inevitably leave vigilantism behind or they become the same villains they look to defeat- like Stendhal. Yet villains is a loose term for a criminal who uses their quirk for evil. What does that make you, Horizon?"
"A criminal. That's who I am and that's all I'll ever be, Aizawa." It was a sickly fatigued smile that replaced his anger, "I'm haunted by people like you. By people who were able to do my dream because of something I couldn't control. Plagued by the constant knowledge that I could never attain that dream and no matter how much I try to leave it behind, it always comes back."
"Then, we fought Valchon. That was when I knew I wasn't a hero and that everyone was right. You said it yourself, Eraserhead." It was a pitiful grin, "I was going to kill her- I was going to crush her skull with my hands because that was a victory for me. Villains cause nothing but pain, they hurt, they kill, they slaughter, they massacre indiscriminately. It would only be fair if I avenged those that they murdered."
"You don't realize how lucky you are that Mirko stopped you." The Pro Hero shook his head and started to leave the alleyway, "You also don't realize how lucky you are that the Commission President doesn't want you locked up."
"What do you mean?" Midoriya followed behind with a decent amount of distance between each other, "The HPSC?"
"...You're probably guaranteed your Hero License. You just don't realize the cost." The words didn't sit well with the green haired man as the two left the alleyway, "If you kill a single person, Green- I will find you and arrest you, regardless of what the President wants. This is your only warning."
A short walk and the two regrouped with the others in a park, Usagiyama sitting on a bench and staring at her phone only looking up occasionally to sign an autograph or so with her legs crossed. Mirio was busy playing and interacting with Eri a decent yet close distance away from the rabbit woman. The two acted as if nothing happened with the small girl spotting Eraserhead and scurrying over to him, opening both of her hands. Her foster father crouched down and let her climb onto his back, when the child balanced herself, both him and Mirio started to leave.
"See ya Mr. Green! Ms. Mirko!" The blond teenager was still as comical as ever as the group got further and further. Eventually the group was far enough to the point where Midoriya felt comfortable sitting down beside Usagiyama.
"So what didja talk about?" She looked up from her phone and uncrossed her legs, "With Eraserhead."
He took a mount to think before he said anything. Midoriya knew that he could trust Usagiyama but he wasn't sure if now was the perfect time, "Nothing."
"Well, what about when you were screamin' in ya helmet?" The rabbit woman continued her digging to no avail but this was a question he could answer without feeling too stupid.
"Oh. Yeah, I said I would pay- which I did."
"Hah. That's pretty funny." She snickered at the response and leaned into the bench more comfortably, "I could see that ya liked the Eri girl."
"I guess." Midoriya's eyes scanned the area, occasionally people would glance over at the two, "I think kids are nice- well, most of them at least."
"Nah, they're so fuckin' touchy, feely." The reply wasn't too far from what he was expecting her to say, "Always grabbin' at shit."
"You'd be surprised to know how many kids look up to you."
"Never said I'd break their hearts."
"I know you won't."
