Hey guys! I'm so happy about the reception from last chapter, especially Compress! BokuNoWriterAcademia on Ao3 was the one to suggest it, so pop on by to his account :)
Also, I've had more than a few people asking me about the rest of the League members. No worries! They'll all be making appearances at one point or another ;)
chapter nine: invitations
The late August heat was almost unbearable as he trudged down the road, on his way to Aldera. They had a big test coming in Mathematics and though he wasn't exactly confident in his abilities, he had spent the last week practicing with his mom and was sure he would score a decent grade, and he was hopeful that Kacchan wouldn't keep harassing him after he finished his own test.
(Quirkless people have no hope for the future, Deku.)
Shut up shut up shut up-
Wiping some sweat from his forehead, bushy hair slick against his neck, Izuku turned the corner, the last stretch of road before he got to the school gates, when he spotted an odd pair walking their dog.
The girl, who seemed to be his age, had bright turquoise hair, sharp canines peaking past her lips as she sucked on a straw sticking out of a...coconut? and weirdly enough, thick wool gloves on her hands and shades over her eyes, despite the unusual cloud cover for the warm weather, not even mentioning the bear mask hanging off one ear. She was skipping blissfully beside the older teen and dog, unaware of Izuku. The teen standing beside her was a few years older at the least, with dark navy blue hair, several face and ear piercings, staples around his eyes and mouth, and gaze wrapped around both his arms and neck and thick, black-rimmed glasses that looked comical with his emo appearance. Neither of them appeared to have any obvious Quirk Mutations.
The teen had an annoyed expression on his face as he picked at the bandages on his right arm, and Izuku couldn't help but interrupt their walk to ask if he was alright.
The older boy seemed startled by Izuku's sudden appearance, but just shrugged a little as he said, "Fine, shrimp, just the skin's a bit irritated. Gets that way with all the staples and all that.'' The way he said it was off-handed and casual, like he didn't find anything wrong with what he said.
Izuku, alarmed, didn't even notice when the little fluffy dog started sniffing at his ankles. "Are you sure you're alright? I can call the hospital and have them take a look at your injuries!" Without prompting, he began wrestling his phone out of his bag, but was stopped when the girl reached out and snatched his hand in a vice grip, seemingly without meaning to. When Izuku pulled back, startled, she was looking frantic and distressed.
"Please don't do—that; we're fine, honest! Right, Dabi?" she said, voice weak, as she shot a concerned look to her friend. The teen—Dabi—was looking a bit paler than before, grip weak on the dog leash as the dog went over to curl around his leg in an effort to comfort him.
"Yeah, uh, we're fine, kid, no need to wuh- worry," he managed to get out, hands a bit shaky, and Izuku immediately figured something was wrong, but decided it was best not to push.
"Well...if you're sure…" he murmured, adjusting his bag as he put his phone back in. "Anyways, what's with the coconut? Bit of an odd drink, isn't it?" he asked, before quickly backtracking—that might've come off as rude. "I—I mean if you don't mind answering, of course! We're complete strangers after all and it's none of my business on what you choose to drink! I'm sure they're quite good but as I've never tried one I wouldn't know! Geez, I'm sorry about this; people my age don't usually talk to me and-" Izuku rambled on in a panic, not sure if he offended her, but paused when he saw their amused expressions. The girl looked delighted by his enthusiasm, and the guy was more exasperated than anything.
"It's cool, shrimp, she kinda has to drink them for—reasons," he cut himself off abruptly, looking embarrassed that he somehow let something private loose. The girl snickered beside him.
"Dabs is right - they're not very appealing, but they're not too bad. Julie looked up different ways to make it taste better, so I'm managing," the girl said, taking another sip from the straw sticking out of one of the coconut holes. "Plus I wanted to feel like I'm on an island." She didn't seem to notice the Odd Looks the two were giving her.
"So what's your dog's name?"
"Oh his name's Megumi."
"..isn't that a feminine name?"
"Shhhhhh."
Izuku laughed a little as the girl made a comical gesture, spilling a bit of the coconut water on Megumi, but he didn't seem to mind. Before Izuku could say anything more, the bell for the start of school rang close by, and he was reminded about the test. "Crap! I gotta go!" he yelped, getting ready to rush off, when the teen stopped him.
"Hey, what's your name? It was nice meeting you; maybe we can talk again some time."
Izuku halted, surprised, as the two waited for his name. He had never met anyone so eager to talk with him again, especially after hearing him mumble like that, and the worst part was that neither of them knew he was Quirkless. If he didn't tell them, he was essentially lying to them, and after he told them they would mock or shun him, and Izuku didn't think he could handle that again after years of ridicule. Before his brain-to-mouth filter could properly process his words, he was saying, "Midoriya Izuku. School ends at about 15:00, if you're sure?" He smiled a little, but it was small and weak and awkward, like the rest of him.
The girl grinned, canines flashing a bit as the sun started coming out behind the clouds, and the heat began to pick up a bit. "Great! I'm Himiko, and this is my brother Dabi."
—
Himiko was having a rather good day, in her opinion, as she gently shifted Dabi's arm over to get at a better angle. Dabi winced as she poked the tender skin with the needle, but she just shushed him and hummed a quiet tune. He was still wearing those hilarious glasses from when they walked Megumi, and he looked to be hating every minute of it, silently glowering at nothing.
Himiko laughed a little as he jolted in her grip, reflexively pulling back from her as a few drops of blood dripped down to stain the hem of his hoodie. "Quit moving, you big baby," Himiko whined, "else I'm gonna poke a lot more holes…" It was tempting to lick up the blood herself as it trailed down his arm to drip from his fingertips, but the coconut substitutes Julie had been getting for her as she tried to think up ideas to curb the bloodlust helped to dull the urge, to the point where Himiko only almost pricked the needle on her tongue. Boy was she glad Julie taught her how to sow.
Pulling the needle as gently but firmly as she could, Himiko began the next line of stitches as Dabi bit down hard on a piece of chocolate crunch. Thinking back to earlier when they got home as Dabi fixed his glasses, accidentally smearing some chocolate on the rims, Himiko was happy to have met Izuku that morning. They normally wouldn't have been out as early as they were, but Megumi had eaten one of Dabi's contacts, and he was forced to wear his big dorky glasses he had to get on a lost bet. He hated the things because of the thick, black rims and wide lenses (and because they didn't change his eye color), but without them he would tumble off a cliff and think it was the stairs.
Threading the suture through the damaged, darkened skin, Himiko grinned to herself as she thought about catching Izuku after school ended. The thought of being so close to a junior high school again made her queasy with dread after her last encounter with school kids, but at the very least Izuku didn't recognize her, so there wasn't a chance anybody else would either. Izuku seemed amazingly perspective when he first caught sight of her and her brother, eyes studying as he took in their appearances, categorizing them into friend or foe. Himiko knew the look from every time she walked through the front door of her parents' house (because it never really felt like home), and the stony looks on her siblings' faces as they went about their chores. She saw it in the way Izuku's eyes had found every escape route in the road (just like Himiko did when she made her first friends) and the way Tenko and Dabi avoided mentions of Heroes on the news.
(She saw it in the way Julie's eyes widened in distress every time Tenko and Dabi were hurt, but she wasn't her daughter. Not yet.)
"Ow! Himiko, please watch the fucking stitches, I don't really like the sight of my own blood, alright?" Dabi whined, rubbing his forearm just above where she had poked it sloppily.
"Dang, sorry," Himiko muttered, pulling at the thread just a little more gingerly, then tying the knot once it was through. "There, all done," she announced happily, carefully niping the thread and putting away the suture and needle. Taking his arm again as he muttered a relived "Thank Kami," she examined her work, making sure every stitch was in place and the skin wasn't pulled tighter than it should be.
"Oh hush," she grumbled with an eye roll. "Try stretching out your arms and legs to see how it feels." As Dabi did as she said, she kept an eye on the stretched skin, making sure it wasn't pulled too taut or crinkling by the healthy skin. Dabi would not be too happy if she had to do them again. "How is it?" she asked.
Flexing his newly-stitched arm a bit, he grinned. "Sore, but I can manage. Don't suppose you got any lollipops on you, nurse?" he just grinned wider at her stuck-out tongue.
"Actually, yes." Dabi laughed as she pulled out a dark green lollipop. "Now shoo."
Dabi just shoved her gently and went to sit on the couch beside Tenko, backseat driving as he told their brother everything he was doing wrong in Mario Kart. Smiling, Himiko packed up her gear, then went into the kitchen to get herself another coconut. The cravings weren't as bad as they had been after her birthday a few weeks ago, but she found, late at night, that the bloodlust got to its height. Julie had found, while in a panic to keep Himiko from losing control of herself, that coconut water can be a substitute for blood, and though the water itself wasn't too appealing, she had researched different ways to make it more tolerable, even if it didn't fully sate her. She was currently finding a solution to help Himiko manage, and she hoped for everyone's sake it would be soon.
—
Hours later, after she raced Dabi and Tenko in Mario Kart and got her ass thoroughly beat, Himiko was on her way to Izuku's school to see if he was still up to talking to her, Megumi bounding happily beside her. They usually didn't walk him twice a day, but they wanted to make sure he passed the contact so he wouldn't need surgery, even though it was rather small.
The sun had come out more in the time she was giving Dabi his stitches and the heat had gotten worse, but Megumi didn't seem to mind as he pranced around in the grass like the little bastard he was.
Just as she was rounding the corner, Himiko heard voices.
"Like anyone would willingly talk to a worthless, Quirkless, Deku like you," said a loud, rather arrogant voice that had Himiko stopping in her tracks. Peaking around the side of the building, she saw four boys. One of them was Izuku, who was cowering beneath the other three, meaner-looking and certainly asshole ones. Another of the boys, clearly the leader that reminded her only a little of her distant cousin, had his palms smoking and disgusted, red eyes. "Quit fucking around, Deku, it's pathetic," a sneer stretched his face in an ugly look that had the other two boys laughing, and Himiko couldn't take anymore. She was tired of people judging others based on their Quirks—or lack thereof. She was tired of people being looked down on just because they were disfigured or different, and she was tired of doing nothing to stop it. In a blind rage, Himiko rushed forward without even thinking.
"Who the hell are-" SNAP!
"Katsuki!"
"Run!" Himiko grabbed Izuku's hand, not even in the right state of mind to process the fact that she had just broken a stranger's nose in a single punch, or that Megumi was currently taking a chunk out of his leg.
"YOU STUPID-" she heard, but she didn't stop running, because this time she was running away to save someone.
—
Himiko just punched Kacchan, Himiko punched Kacchan, Himiko punched Kacchan, Izuku thought, in a daze, as the girl dragged him left and right, Megumi hot on their tail as they raced gods-know-where. Never in his whole life had he seen someone stand up to Kacchan, or ever think he would live to see someone step up to him (seriously, Quirkless suicide rates just kept climbing latley), but there she had, a girl that was hardly his age, a complete stranger had broken his nose.
Izuku could laugh.
(He did.)
"Wow!" he exclaimed (hoping and praying she hadn't heard the Quirkless part), a grin stretching across his face before he could help it. "That was probably one of the coolest things I've ever said, right after All Might, of course. No one's ever had the guts to stand up to Kacchan before, even the teachers! I mean- where are we?" Izuku halted, struggling to catch his breath. Megumi was pawing at his uniform leg, begging for a pat, and Izuku couldn't find it in himself to deny him. The three of them had stopped beside a simple one-story house painted a pale bluish color, wide windows in front, and wooden panels along the ridges. It looked rather American for a Japanese house.
"Oh, it's my house!"
His face went red.
"W- what?" he stuttered, fingers fidgety because what the hell? "Uh—uh w- why?" he stammered. Himiko just looked confused.
"We didn't have anywhere else to go and Dabi wanted to play video games..?"
Deciding he had nothing better to do and he could just text his mom he was coming home later, he shrugged and followed Himiko and Megumi as she unlocked the door.
—
"Are you sure there isn't anyone I can call?" Julie asked carefully. Across from her sat Shinsou Hitoshi, a junior high student with gravity-defying lavender hair and thin stature.
Shuuichi-kun had dropped him off earlier, worried about his safety, and Julie wasn't one to turn kids away. He was fiddling with his thumbs nervously, glancing every now and then towards the door. If Julie looked close, she could see paper-thin scars (the sight of them made her chest ache in sorrow) around his wrists and deep bruises under his eyes. From the next room over, she could hear Tenko raging at the TV as he got his butt whooped in Mario Kart.
At the sound of her voice, Hitoshi startled.
"Uh- uhm, n- no," he managed to stammer out, clearly uncomfortable with her attention. "I can—I can just leave, if you'd luh- like me too…"
"No, honey, that's okay - you can stay for as long as you like, but I should call your guardians to make sure they know where you are," Julie assured him, gingerly reaching out to rest her hand over his. He flinched at the touch but didn't pull away, eyes downcast as he answered.
"...my parents are out of town, but my aunt wouldn't care as long as I'm back before midnight," he said, voice meek. Julie raised an eyebrow, grip on his hands tightening just the slightest. He didn't seem to notice.
"Your aunt doesn't care what time you're home? What if something happened? Do you even have a phone?" Hitoshi shook his head. "But how are you supposed to contact her if you were in trouble?" Julie asked, tone getting an edge to it as her eyes narrowed in anger. It appeared he had a troubled home life, and she wasn't going to stand for it. Kids didn't deserve to go through that shit - no one did. Hitoshi just shook his head again.
Julie stood up, hands leaving his to rest on his shoulders, pulling him up with her and giving him a brief hug (she made sure to keep it as loose as possible in the chance he wanted to pull away. He didn't). "Alrighty then, kiddo, you're staying the night—fuck what your aunt says. ...we're still calling her anyways, though," Julie added as an afterthought, dragging him from the room in a loose grip and into the living room right as the front door banged open, a loud "We're baaaaaaack!" following after. Julie looked closely at Hitoshi as she sat him down on the couch to watch his reaction, but the boy didn't so much as flinch.
"Glad you're back, Himi-chan, I was about to call a family meet-" She paused, spotting a kid she'd never seen before standing behind Himiko. She groaned. "Oh God, please don't tell me you kidnapped someone in broad daylight."
"You saying it'd be better if she kidnapped someone in the dead of night?" Dabi asked rhetorically, lazily pressing the buttons on the controller as he effortlessly passed Tenko's racer. Tenko made a strange gurgling noise.
"Possibly," Julie said. "But that's not the point." She pointed an accusing finger at Himiko. "The point is that Himi-chan might have kidnapped someone or somehow made a friend. Either way I say alert the frickin' media." Himiko gave her a dirty look. The boy behind her just looked confused.
"I- I'm sorry, she just kinda dragged me here after she broke Kacchan's nose. Should—should I leave?" the boy asked, fiddling with his backpack straps as his large green eyes darted around the room.
Julie flapped her hand absently (completely ignoring the first half of that) as she took a seat beside Hitoshi, conscious to give him space so she wasn't touching him. "No worries, kid, take a seat." Dabi just waved. "Hey, shrimp."
"But you said-"
"Don't worry, seriously. Himiko, why don't you introduce us to your friend real quick then we'll get started."
Himiko grinned widely from under her mask, appearing not to notice that she was still wearing it. "Sure! Izuku, this is Julie, my guardian, and Tenko, my creepy older brother!" She leaned over and stag-whispered, "Sometimes we braid each other's hair." At Izuku's questioning look, Dabi laughed.
"They totally do," he said. "I got the pictures to prove it." Tenko just flipped him off without taking his weirdly-focused eyes off the screen as PikachusInbredCozin49 passed him.
"Anyhow," Julie said cheerfully, "this is Hitoshi. He's gonna be staying with us tonight because he's got a troubled home life and his aunt's a bitch." Hitoshi stared at her in almost-horror, but she ignored the look. "Izuku, do your guardians know you're here? I don't wanna worry them," she said.
Izuku startled, looking worried and guilty. "N- no, not yet. I got caught up in the excitement of Kacchan's broken nose and forgot to call her. Excuse me.." Izuku mumbled something to himself the rest of them couldn't catch, pulling his phone from his backpack and stepping back into the hallway. "Hi, Mom? Yeah, sorry I'm late. I'm at a friend's house…" As he moved further away, they lost what he was saying, and Dabi turned to Hitoshi, who was looking absolutely lost on what was happening and kinda worn-out. Mood.
"So you got abusive parents? Can relate," he said, almost casually, before turning back to his controller. If Julie didn't know him so well, she would think he wasn't affected by his trauma, but she saw the way his shoulders hunched and curled in on himself, how his hands clenched and shook around the controller, the vacant look behind the glasses.
"Isn't the expression 'can't relate'?" Hitoshi asked hesitantly.
"No," the four of them coursed. Hitoshi looked uncomfortable.
"SO," Julie started loudy, and Hitoshi was the only one that jumped. Aww, her kids were already used to her vibrant personality. (She ignored the way her heart warmed at the thought, and the little smile pulling on her lips). "You cool with staying the night, Hitoshi? It won't be a buren, I promise," she quickly tacked on when she saw the conflicted look on his face. He hesitated.
"I...I wouldn't mind if you're sure...but I still want to contact my aunt so she doesn't call my parents. I don't want to bother them…" He sounded so unsure and troubled, it hurt her heart.
"Of course!" Julie said with as much enthusiasm she could muster. "I'll call her real quick, then we'll be all set." Hitoshi still looked uncertain, but he nodded anyway and followed her into the hallway as she pulled out her phone. As she did, they passed Izuku, and he was smiling for the first time since he got there.
"My mom says it's okay if I stay for a bit, but she wants to meet you tomorrow; if that's alright? I- I know it's quick, but I don't have a lot of friends-" Izuku said, but Julie cut him off.
"That's great, kid! Himiko doesn't really have any friends either and I don't have a rally to attend, so why not?" Julie grinned, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder before gently shoving him into the living room, where Himiko quickly pulled him to the couch so he could play Mario Kart.
Turning back to Hitoshi just as Tenko screamed about Izuku passing him and Dusting his third controller of the month, Hitoshi put the number in her phone and it rang.
The person on the other end picked up.
