Ace and Luffy were sick of this. Sick of being chained to the campus. They weren't allowed to go anywhere, they couldn't step foot outside of the gate. So, they went as far as they could without breaking the rules. Everyone was gone again on their internships. And they hated it. Everyone was growing stronger while they were stuck.
There had been no trace of the League of Villains or any nomu, yet they were still trapped. And salt was rubbed into the wounds when they found out the spots they would have had at Nighteye's agency had been filled. They were absent after all, and they couldn't keep the seats waiting for them forever. Mirio had contacted them and told them the bad news.
"I'm so sorry, guys. After all you did here, your spots have been filled. You two were amazing partners, and I'm sorry we had so little chances to work together," he said over the phone.
Luffy said, "Not your fault. But thank you for telling us. And we couldn't have had a better partner to find Eri than you were. How is she?" Mirio responded that she missed them. But he said that the hospital was preparing to move her someplace else, as she couldn't stay there forever. "Do you know where?"
Mirio said he didn't. Ace and Luffy deflated. "Thanks for telling us, Mirio. We appreciate it," Ace said. They hung up, and both of them sighed. They were sitting high in the air on an air block, high above campus. They'd probably get in trouble for it, but they wanted to be totally alone and this was the way to do it.
"Everybody is getting stronger. We need to catch up. We're still fit and practicing the fighting, but we need to show we aren't just sitting on our asses. I'm so tired of this bullshit," Ace said angrily. "There's been no sign of the League for forever! How long are we to be trapped and isolated?" Luffy put his chin on his knees.
Luffy replied, "It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't the only ones stuck here. Everyday, they come back talking about their work study. Did you see how well Midoriya did in the competition between class A and B? We won our match, but still. Now he's getting better. I'm not jealous, and I'm happy for him that he's improving, I just wish we could get some real experience, too." Ace nodded and leaned against Luffy's side.
"We have to catch up. Maybe we can advance our armament haki. Somehow, something only we can do. We can already aim and project the nuclear laser. That was our main super move. We need another one. Something only we can do," Luffy said strongly. "I mean, the main problem is that we have to keep the League away from us, right?" Ace nodded, wondering what he was thinking. "Haki can be solid for us. When I use it on my air, it hardens. It's strong and fast.
"We'll use it to repel somebody away. Maybe then they'd let us out. Maybe we need to prove that we're good enough to be on our own. I mean it's been a month since work studies restarted," Luffy grumbled. "We need to show we can take care of ourselves and be of help to others!"
Ace nodded, agreeing. "Let's go down and practice then," the older twin said. Luffy created stairs down, and when they were haki imbued, Ace could sense them. It was something nobody really noticed, that he could sense where Luffy's clear air blocks were. They both walked down the steps easily, dropping down onto the grassy field.
They started trying to put haki into their hands, but it wasn't working. It would concentrate in their arms, but there was always too much to force into their palms. It was useless, and they felt they'd wasted 3 hours they could have been doing something else with.
Ace tugged on the arm band he was back to wearing. That feeling of confidence with seeing the handprint had faded after awhile, and the hatred of the mark had come back full force. He hated seeing it. Hated it so, so much. So he covered it. Nobody said anything to him about it, which he was glad of.
Their classmates felt pity for them, which was embarrassing. When they walked into the dorm and heard Todoroki and Midorya talking about their time, both of them balled their fists. "That's it. I'm done, I'm done with being chained here," Ace hissed. "Let's go, we're going to beg to be let off. There's been no League activity and no sightings of nomus anywhere in the damn country. No sighting whatsoever.
They stormed to the main building, not caring that it was late, and made their way to the staff room. No one was there, so they made their way to the principal's office. He was the highest on campus, he could decide to let them go or not.
Ace knocked on the office door and they heard Nezu invite them in. "Ace, Luffy," Nezu said in surprise.
"We're tired of being chained here. Everyone is improving while we're just stuck here, not getting any experience or helpful advice to being better heroes. Every single person other than us is doing work studies. Please, what do we have to do to prove we can leave without dying?" Ace asked, sounding angry but also desperate.
Nezu said, "It's not the problem of your strength. You both are above all those your age at the moment. It's the unforeseen danger of the League of Villains." Ace pointed out that there had been not a single sighting of them in weeks. Plus, no nomu sightings either. Luffy said they were going stir crazy, seeing everyone else leave every day besides them.
The principal looked pitying. "I can understand how you feel."
"Then why are we being trapped here? Mirio told us our spots at Nighteye's agency have been filled since we weren't able to return. We barely got any time there before the mission against the Shie Hassaikai. We were big players in that, and yet we're just shoved aside while everyone else progresses into better heroes," Luffy said.
Nezu sighed and sat in his chair. "Please, we feel like we're trapped in a tiny fishbowl. Let us go somewhere and do something helpful." The mouse looked at them with sad eyes. "We're already so behind if we do ever get to start work studies. Let us go before we're too far behind."
"It is for your safety that we keep you here. But I recognize that it is cruel for all of your fellow first years to be out while you are the only ones left behind. You're making great progress with your abilities. I can see if there are any open spaces anywhere." Both of their faces lit up.
"Anywhere would be great. Anywhere, please," Luffy said and both of them bowed, pretty much begging.
The mouse said, "You two are skilled in fighting but also stealth. And teamwork, you have multipurpose skills. I'm sure you'd fit in anywhere. I will do some looking tomorrow for you. Oh, there is also something a little more sensitive I had to tell you. Might as well tell you now, right?" They both exchanged glances and sat in the seats.
"What is it?" Ace asked slowly.
"We got a call requesting to meet with you or talk over the phone. From your biological parents. They called the school yesterday." Both of their faces hardened into angry masks. "I told them it was up to you whether you wish to speak to them or not. I didn't give them your numbers or email addresses or anything of the sort."
Ace asked what they wanted. "To speak to you about personal things. I know you already have a legal guardian, and they abandoned you. Quite frankly, if they showed themselves in person, they could go to jail for neglect and child abuse."
Ace and Luffy shared angry glances. "We don't want to speak with them. If they call again, it's crass, but could you give them a message from us?" Nezu nodded, probably already knowing what they'd want to say. "Please, kindly tell them we said to fuck off."
Nezu nodded. "I did not think you would wish to speak to them based on what I know of your pasts. I just wished to tell you since it is your choice. I will call you tomorrow evening about any open slots for work studies late."
They both stood and thanked him from the bottom of their hearts, and hurried out. Both of them were happy they'd be let out somewhere with someone, but were angry at the gall those assholes had. To call their school after 8 years. Fuck them.
"Stop that right now!" mom snapped, smacking Ace across the face when he lit his birthday candle with a finger. Luffy started crying, and their dad spanked him for it, making him cry harder. They were five at that time. Ace had just been able to make little flames on his finger tips while Luffy made a paper airplane fly all over the house.
Their parents were being mean lately. When they didn't have their quirks yet, they seemed nice. They yelled, but they also said nice things sometimes. When they manifested their quirks at four, the two had been so happy they didn't have to live in shame if their children were quirkless, or had some strange deformity other than their blue eyes.
The neighbors told them their eyes were pretty. And their mom would take photos of their cute faces and sold them to an industry that they never really knew about. They just thought mom and dad were taking them to the park to take pictures to make a scrapbook. Not as photo shoots to make money.
They didn't realize that at every opportunity, they were taken advantage of to make some quick cash. They were featured in commercials when they were babies due to their eyes and Ace's cure freckles on his baby face.
But when they were four, their parents were so excited when Ace was able to grow nice and warm and Luffy could make little bursts of wind with his finger tips. They were all happy, thinking things would be to that extent and they would get no stronger. But when Ace started to be able to make tiny flames that were bright, and Luffy started making bigger airflows, then that was when things started to change.
Mom and dad were no longer warm. They no longer got to be with their neighbors, they were kept inside except to go out into the small backyard of their two bedroom house. They were banned from going anywhere.
They were trapped at home so nobody would see their quirks. They didn't think they were so bad, and tried to make their parents happy. Ace lit the fireplace for them, thinking they'd like that. When it was hot, Luffy would make cool breezes inside.
It was after Luffy was burned by hot water that they started to realize something wasn't right. They were five when that happened. They took the boys to the hospital for Luffy's burns, making it seem like it was a complete accident and that mom hadn't purposely poured boiling hot coffee onto his back for drying the dishes with his powers, wanting to make mom proud.
Dad hated them, always sent glares at him. But then, their parents would completely turn around and express love, successfully making them unsure of what was happening. If they were a good mom and dad or if they hated them.
But then, when the power went out and Luffy and Ace combined their powers for the first time, making little light balls to carry around in the dark, the real abuse started and it was no longer unclear whether they were loved or not.
But those two were all the twins had, so they continued to try and impress them, making them happy and proud of them like they once were. They had no idea what the problem was, as their parents never outright said anything to them. Didn't say they didn't want to see the quirks Ace and Luffy were proud of.
Then they started to be denied food as punishment. Sometimes they were so hungry, Ace tried to eat his own flames. It didn't work. They also found that Ace's flames didn't work on Luffy. And when Luffy was covered in flames for the first time, and they didn't know if it would kill him, the two said nothing. Lufy was crying and Ace was screaming apologies. But once it was clear the flames weren't burning his twin, they had punishments on their backs. Cuts, burns, bruises.
And nobody was able to see the abuse as they were not allowed to leave the house. Finally, when Ace warmed up a cold bath for them was when they learned that they were hated because of their abilities. Dad yelled at them to stop showing off their quirks.
"I thought mommy and daddy liked them. I like them, Ace. Is it wrong? Did we do something wrong?" Luffy asked one night in their shared twin bed. Ace hugged him and said he didn't know, but maybe they shouldn't use them anymore. "But I like being warm and cozy. And it's fun to make the paper airplanes fly."
"I know, Lu. I like it, too. But they want us to stop, right?"
Luffy asked if they'd love them if they stopped. Ace said it was possible. Luffy was always the crybaby of the two, but also the one who smiled the most. Ace was the more serious one that took care of his twin. They were the same age, but not mentality.
Finally, after another year of abuse, Ace and Luffy lost control when they were upset. A wall of flames was put up around them to protect them from a very angry dad with a newspaper to spank them with. The next day, they were dragged into the car for the first time in many months, and taken to some place they'd never been to or recognized, far from home, and dumped. The car drove away, the two running afterwards, crying and screaming not to leave them.
Luffy started crying. They were seven. "Why don't mommy and daddy love us?" he had sobbed. Ace hardened his mind and swore to take care of Luffy.
"We don't need them, we'll take care of each other. They don't want us anymore," Ace said quietly. Luffy cried some more, and they found the first town. The slums they would be trapped in for the next five years until an angel would come and save them from that hell.
"Why the fuck woukd they contact us now? Why try to do it now, it's been 8 years," Ace hissed. Luffy didn't know. He was angry, too. He didn't want to see or hear from them, ever. Not after how they treated the twins, how they'd abused them, neglected and abandoned them for just being themselves, being happy with the quirks they were blessed with, and the control they had over them.
"I don't know. And it's been a long time since we were on TV. Or when my article came out about being tortured," Luffy replied as they walked back to their dorm building. Everyone was there already.
"Yo! How'd your day go?" Sero asked.
Ace and Luffy made a movement with their hand that was so-so. They asked where they'd been so late. "We begged Nezu to let us go to an internship. Nighteye's was full now. Our spots were filled since we've been barred from going. He finally said he'd look into some places to take us. Are any of yours free? Anywhere is fine, we need out."
The others looked at one another. The brothers started to panic when they said no slots were open. They put their heads in their hands and sighed deeply, taking deep breaths so they didn't explode. "Endeavor might accept you two. Everyone knows you're strong. We already work on our own alright," Todoroki said.
"That would be great! Anywhere, anywhere is fine!" Luffy cheered. Todoroki said he'd talk to him about it. Tsu asked what else was bothering them, since they looked tense still. "Nezu said our biological parents called them and wanted to get in touch with it. After they abused us and ditched us cause we had strong quirks. It's been 8 years, we don't know what they're doing," Luffy replied honestly.
Ace said they were a bit pissy about it, which was what was most negative about the day. The others scowled at that. Ojiro asked if they knew what they were going to say. "Nothing. We asked Nezu to give them a message from us. 'Fuck off'."
"It's so weird hearing that from you two," Momo said, sipping a mug of tea. "There's still some tea left if you'd like any." The two thanked her and went to get a mug of tea. She asked what they would do if they tried to talk to them over any social media sites or with direct mail.
Ace and Luffy shrugged before Ace said, "Probably ignore it and delete or burn it and not look at it. We have no interest in talking to them. We already have a parent, and it sure isn't one of them." Luffy nodded in agreement.
They drank the tea before making some simple sandwiches for dinner before heading to bed after doing some homework in advance.
When they woke up, Ace found he had an email. It was from an unknown mail. Tigerbait2376. No idea who it was. He debated opening it before he closed it. He woke Luffy up for class. They showered and dressed before heading downstairs and to the living room. They were happy today, thinking they may be able to get a hero work study.
They were in a great mood during class, looking forward to being accepted anywhere. It was lunch time when they got a message from Mirio. Maybe it was something about Eri. They hoped she was doing well. They spoke to her over the phone the other day. She sounded a lot better.
"Mirio?" Ace answered, putting it on speaker phone so they could both hear.
"Yup, it's me! Sir said to contact you! He's opened two more seats for you both if you'd like them!" Ace and Luffy jumped up and said they wanted the seats, to hold them for it. Apparently Nezu contacted them. They were so grateful. They'd much rather be with Mirio and Nighteye than Endeavor.
Ace asked if there was anything more about Eri. "Yes! I was told today, I was going to relay it to you! Eri is coming to U.A.! She can't stay in the hospital forever, after all. You'll both get to see her!" Both of them were so happy. "I love giving good news!" they both laughed and grinned.
"Thank you for telling us all of this! You just made our day," Luffy said brightly. Mirio said it was his pleasure and they deserved something good to happen. He knew about the nomu attack because they trusted him and were honest. They hung up and Ace and Luffy grinned brightly. They would see Eri safely! They couldn't wait to try and make her happy. It wasn't fair they hadn't seen her in way too long.
Ace found his phone had another email from the same person, and finally opened it. He didn't scowl, as he was sure it wasn't their abusers. He'd thought it was one of them due to the timing. Instead, it was a link to a website, the message from this person saying: I thought you should know about this. I've found your email from Nighteye to alert you.
The older twin frowned in confusion, but trusted whoever this was to not be spam if Nighteye had given his email. Nobody knew their personal emails besides the agency and their fellow students.
The link he clicked on was what seemed like a fan website about both of them, with photos taken of them that they weren't aware of. Photos of them training. Since they hadn't seen or felt this person around, that meant their camera was incredibly well at taking long distance shots. And whoever made this site was at U.A. based on where they were taking the photos of.
It seemed fairly new, as the photos only dated back a few weeks. Ace frowned. "Hey, Lu. We officially have our first stalker."
"Huh?!" Luffy asked, taking his phone. He looked at it and frowned. "That's not cool," he said angrily. "And it's someone from school, too." They scrolled through the website, seeing it had many fans, but there were also comments telling the creator to take it down. Many had reported it apparently. And they told the principal about it.
Ace said, "Why don't we not think about it today? It's supposed to be a happy day, right?" Luffy nodded and they closed it. After classes, they were summoned to the headmaster's office and sat in the chairs silently.
"Nighteye has said he will welcome both of you back. You may continue the work studies, but must come back before dinner time. You are not allowed to be out after dark. If we're letting you out, we still must be cautious."
They nodded, swearing they'd abide by those rules, and thanked him profusely. He said they were starting tomorrow and to be ready. He then told them about the fan site, and that it was taken down in the last hour due to illegal reporting on heroes in private. "We're keeping a close eye to see if they reform the website. I'm sorry that is causing trouble." They said it wasn't his fault, they didn't blame anybody.
"You're biological parents called again. I did not give your words because I am the principal and it would be unbefitting for me to say such a thing, but I have told them you are not interested," the mouse explained. Ace and Luffy nodded, thanking him. Hey left to go back to the dorms to do homework now that they'd be back to work studies.
Many of their classmates were still gone, but those that were there were so excited for them, so they'd be in better moods. Aizawa had approached them and told them they'd be worked to the bone, as they'd still be training their haki on days they didn't have work studies. They nodded, knowing they could hold everything just fine.
When they cooked dinner, grilled cheese sandwiches with some sort of lunch meat in them, they told their friends about the stalker site. "No way. You don't need that right now!" Kagakure explained. They both nodded in agreement. But at least the school shut it down. They said that sucked, and that it was unlucky they couldn't sense whoever was doing it.
"Yeah, we don't want them knowing anything about our haki," Luffy said, serving the first batch. Midoriya, Bakugo and Todorki walked in, looking exhausted. "Dinner's just about ready if you want to go change," Luffy called to them. They had noticed, gladly, that Bakugo was even less hostile now that he was in an internship with Midoriya.
It was nice they didn't need to stand up for him anymore. They weren't best friends anymore, but they weren't enemies. Sometimes Midoriya would see them laughing with one another and wear a sad face. They didn't change their minds about the break, still not knowing if things would go back to how they were before. Ever, if things would change.
When Todoroki came to get his food, he told them Endeavor agreed to let them join, but they both smiled and told them the good news, that they were going back to Nighteye. He'd opened more seats for them, perhaps feeling pity, perhaps just wanting them back after they got close to Mirio and Nighteye himself.
Then they told the newcomers about the stalker they seemed to have. Bakugo started laughing and pointing at them. They scowled at him, not finding it funny at all.
Before the shield went up, they called Gunhead to tell him about their day, the good and the bad. The good that they were going back to work studies and that Eri was coming in reach, and the bad about the stalker and their abusers. "I'm sorry you're under so much pressure at the moment," he'd said. "I wish I could live with you again and truly help. But after the nomu attack, it's clear you won't be leaving campus for a while to come visit."
Luffy said, "Sometimes, I wish we hadn't enrolled here. So we could be at home." Gunhead sighed, and said they couldn't change it now, and to not think about it too much. There was nothing they could do, and what-ifs weren't healthy. He asked Ace if he had considered going back to counseling.
"If the nightmares come back, I'll try it again. Promise," Ace swore. Gunhead said that was enough, and he was proud of both of them and how they overcame trauma well. Luffy pointed out that they were still traumatized from the nomu attack.
"Anyone would be. It's completely understandable." They nodded. That's what All Might had told him when they expressed that feeling after one of the hero course classes. The shield was going up and they had to hang up. "Sleep well, boys. Tell me all about your work studies, alright?"
Ace promised they would.
