SUMMARY: Months passed and autumn is coming to an end. The change of season brought unpleasant news to our boys. Aizawa Shota, also known as the Underground Hero Eraser Head, is brought in to help out with a missing person's case.

NEEDLES AND THREADS

It was a bright and beautiful day. There was gentle clinking as the man put the glasses on the rack to dry. He dried his hands on a towel and sighed. He then threw the towel over the back of a chair to dry and headed upstairs. He combed his unruly hair back with his hand, long thin fingers threading through greasy, knotted brown locks. He approached a door and entered the room, "Good morning, Haru."

There was no reply from the bed's occupant. The man approached the bed and smiled fondly. He pulled the blanket over the body on the bed carefully. He patted the blanket lightly and smiled, "I hope you have a good rest."

He went around the bed to peek out the window, watching a few people walking toward their destination, "It's a beautiful day today. I think I'll find the right one this time. Just you wait Haru. I'll find him."

The man sighed at the silence as he let the curtain drop. He walked to the door, "Rest well Haru. I'll be back."

He shut the door quietly behind him. The boy on the bed didn't move an inch and remained silent. The only sound in the room was the ticking of a clock on the bedside table. A photo was standing behind the clock. The smiling faces in the photo staring at the silent boy on the bed. The room was shrouded in shadows while the world outside shone brightly.

Hawks tugged at his collar uncomfortably. His hair was combed back neatly and he wore a crisp black suit with matching pants over a white dress shirt. He wore a polished black work shoes instead of his usual sneakers. A black-tie was hanging around his neck, untied. Katsuki smirked in amusement at the teen who was struggling with the tie. The teenager growled and then gave up, "Can I skip the tie?"

"No," said Ishikawa as he stood to the side, observing his charge.

"The tie is important to complete the whole formal look, y'know?" said Katsuki as he approached the teenager. He took hold of the tie and began knotting it, trying to remember how his old man did it for him.

Hawks whined, "But It's so… constricting! I can't breathe! And this suit is too hot! Why do I have to suffer?"

His guardian sighed, "Because you're attending a formal event. You need to comply with the dress code."

Katsuki stepped back and admired his work. He smacked Hawks' hand when the teenager tried to loosen it, "The tie stays!"

Hawks pouted petulantly, "How come Katsuki's not going?"

"Because he's still a hero in training. You, on the other hand, are officially an agent and a licensed Pro Hero. Congratulations by the way."

"I'm not going to be in a suit for my duties, right?" Hawks asked hopefully.

"No. You'll wear your hero costume when you're on duty unless you're addressed to comply to a set dress code."

"Oh, thank God! I don't think I could live in a suit every waking day!"

Katsuki scoffed, "Stop being such a drama queen."

Ishikawa glanced at his watch, "We better get going. Will you be alright on your own Bakugou?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm not a little kid anymore!" said Katsuki with an eye roll.

"C'mon, Hawks. We need to get to the City Hall before seven. You be careful out there, Bakugou."

"Check out my social media for some cool pics and commentaries," said Hawks as he winked at his friend.

"You better behave and not embarrass me."

The teenager put a hand on his chest, "Oh, Kacchan! Have faith in me!"

Katsuki took a swipe at the teenager who danced away with a laugh. Ishikawa rubbed his face and sighed as he followed the ever-jolly teenager. Katsuki heard the man mumbled, "I'm getting too old for babysitting duty."

Katsuki pulled up his hoodie's hood over his head and followed them to the elevator. The building was located in the medium class district of Musutafu and had decent facilities. The agency had rented the top floor apartment for Hawks so he could do his training or duty without being spotted by anyone easily. Most of the times, the teenager didn't bother to take the elevator and opted to just fly out of his apartment discreetly. He'd heard that the agency will help the young budding hero find a new place to live in the centre of the city, closer to crime heavy zones to help curb down the villain numbers. Katsuki couldn't help but feel sad when he realized Hawks wouldn't be able to spend some time with him since he'll be busy with his work. The teenager tried to assure him that he'll drop by whenever he's free.

He lightly kicked at his friend's leg when he caught him messing with his tie again, "Stop that!"

"But it's so hard to breathe!" whined the winged hero.

"Deal with it for about three hours!"

"You're one to talk! I bet you don't even button up your gakuran!"

"Boys, enough," said Ishikawa exasperated.

The two friends harrumphed and turned away from each other. The elevator dinged and Katsuki stalked out, "I'll see you next week."

Ishikawa gave a nod as he adjusted his suit. He turned to his charge who was pouting and pulling at his collar, "You better be in your best behaviour."

"C'mon, I'm always in my best behaviour."

Ishikawa raised a disbelieving brow at him. Hawks rolled his eyes, "Okay, not all the time. I promise I'll behave."

Katsuki stuffed his hands in his hoodie's pocket and started walking toward the train station. He navigated himself away from a group of teenagers who were chatting excitedly about a show he's never heard before. It was a cool night, the temperature dropping as the night stretches on. Autumn is coming to an end and winter will start soon. He huffed as he hunched his shoulders forward, walking faster. He pulled his new cellphone out and sent a quick text to inform his parents that he's on his way home. His mother replied and sent him a list of things to pick up at the store. His phone pinged and it was a text from Izuku. The boy was asking if he finished his mathematics homework and wanted to compare his answers with him. He huffed and texted back:

LordExplosionMurder: I'm out right now. Snap a photo and send it to me. Let me see what you got.

Deku: Ok.

Deku: *sent a photo attachment*

Katsuki downloaded the picture and he looked at his friend's scratchy handwriting. His eyes quickly scanned his work. He smirked and sent a text.

LordExplosionMurder: Do no.5 and 8 again.

Deku: What?!

Deku: I thought I got those right!

Deku: Where did I go wrong?

Deku: Kacchan, tell me!

LordExplosionMurder: No, figure it out yourself, nerd.

He chuckled when he received a string of sad emojis. He tapped at the screen again.

LordExplosionMurder: How's your training going?

Deku: I managed to run for more than 5km today!

Deku: Did 100 sit-ups.

Deku: Finished 50 push-ups.

Deku: 50 Dumbell floor press.

Deku: 50 Dumbell squat press.

Deku: I'm getting stronger! And I gained more muscle mass too!

LordExplosionMurder: Good. Make sure you take breaks every two days so you don't overexert yourself. An injury could be a big setback in your training. If you're up to it, try switching out your dumbbell to the 5kg one.

Deku: Ok!

Katsuki looked up when he heard the clang of an empty can in the alleyway he was passing. There was a man lying on the ground and his first instinct was to see if the man was alright. But he's not dumb, it could be a trap. He looked around the street but it was quiet with a few people going about with their business. His grip on his phone tightened as he cautiously approached the man, making sure to stay out of reach, "Hey! You alright?"

The man didn't make a sound and was lying still. Katsuki cocked his head to the side, "Hey! Talk to me!"

Still no response, Katsuki cursed and took out his phone. He dialled Hawks' number and brought his phone to his ear. It rang three times before he was sent to voice mail, "Hey, sorry kind of busy right now! The wind's too loud in my ears! Leave a message!"

"Hawks, I found a- Gah!" he was interrupted by a prickle on his neck. He slapped his hand over his neck, there was something there. He plucked it off and pulled his hand to see a sewing needle, "What the-"

"You must be the one," said a voice behind him. He turned around to see a man at the alley's entrance. The man stared at him with cold dead eyes. His face was thin and narrow and his skin had an unhealthy pallor. He was tall and lanky; his brown hair was unkempt as if he hadn't showered in days. Katsuki's nose wrinkled, yeah, he probably hadn't had a shower for days. Ugh, gross.

Katsuki swayed as his vision blurred. He shook his head, "Who're you?"

The man approached him and land a heavy hand on his shoulder, gripping tightly and Katsuki's knee nearly buckled at the weight, "You're going to pay for what you've done to Haru."

Katsuki tried to shrug the man's hand off his shoulder futilely, his body was going numb and the world was growing dark around the edge of his eyes. His phone clattered on the ground as his grip slackened, "T-the fuck… you talking… about? What'd... you do... to me?"

He stumbled and fell on the unconscious man on the ground when stinky Slenderman pushed him roughly. He tried to push himself up on shaky arms, he got a glimpse of the body on the ground and realized it was just a mannequin. He looked up when the lanky man loomed over him. He tried to crawl away, "B-back off, asshole!"

He attempted to summon explosion to his hand but the sparks merely sputtered for a moment before disappearing, "W-what?"

He gasped when the man slammed a foot down on his chest, "Yes, you have his eyes. You must be the one responsible."

Katsuki wanted to protest and curse at him but his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. His vision was growing fuzzy and the last thing he saw was the man's hand looming over his face. He cursed his luck as the world turned dark.

The abandoned phone lit to life, rock music resounding in the abandoned alleyway as it blasts from the phone. The screen showed a picture of Hawks and his name. It buzzed for a while before it died down. Then there was ding as it received a text.

"Hawks, what's wrong?" asked Kitamura who was sitting beside him at their assigned table. He had noticed the teenager growing restless. His knee wouldn't stop bouncing, a nervous habit, and he was gripping his knee until his knuckle turned white. He had noticed the teenager trying to call someone a couple of times but couldn't get through,

Hawks stared at his phone, worry rolling in his guts, "Something's wrong. I can't get a hold of Katsuki!"

"What makes you think that?" asked Ishikawa as he leaned forward across the table. The other guests glanced at the three curiously, noticing the tense atmosphere.

The young hero raised his phone, "He left me a voice mail. He said he found something but he got interrupted. There was another person with him and then there was a crack before the line got disconnected. I texted him and he's not replying. He's not answering my calls either."

Kitamura frowned, "We can't leave the building, the President is about to get on stage for her speech."

Hawks clenched his fists, "I know but-"

"I'll call someone to help check on him," said Ishikawa as pulled his phone out. He excused himself and went to the back of the hall. He punched in a familiar number and waited for the other person to pick up his call.

"What is it?"

"I need your help. We think one of our trainees is in trouble."

There was a sigh, "Alright, send me the details."

Ishikawa made another phone call, this time to the agency's IT department, "Wataru, track down Bakugou Katsuki's phone and send the GPS link over to Eraser Head as soon as you can. Send a photo of the kid as well so he could identify him."

"Yes, sir!" replied the young man as he tapped rapidly at the keyboard, "I've found his location. Sending the information to Eraser Head now. Anything else, sir?"

"Have Kitagawa check the surveillance in Bakugou's location. Report to me if you find anything important."

"Alright. I'll send an update to you as soon as we find anything."

"Thank you," said Ishikawa before he disconnected the line. He sighed as he stuffed his phone into his pocket and returned to the hall just as the MC announced that the agency's President will be giving her speech. He gave a reassuring nod to Hawks who was obviously getting more anxious, "We'll leave after the speech."

Hawks gave a stiff nod as he tried to still his beating heart. His stomach wouldn't stop twisting and turning inside. He looked down at his phone, it has been ten minutes since he received the voice mail.

Aizawa Shota reached the designated location in less than ten minutes. Luckily it wasn't that far from where he was patrolling that evening. He tugged at his scarf to cover the lower part of his face to keep it warm. He raised a brow when he saw a familiar face, "What are you doing here, Crawler?"

Haimawari Koichi startled as he turned to face the Pro Hero, "E-Eraser Head! I was just passing by when I heard this ringing in the dark. I found this! "

The young vigilante raised a cracked phone to show him. He nearly dropped it when it burst to life, rock music blaring. Eraser Head grabbed it from his hand, "This is evidence."

"Huh? Evidence? Oh no, I touched it!" said the young man as he shook his hands.

Aizawa turned the ringing phone in his hand before staring at the screen. It shows a picture of a beautiful woman, he feels like he's seen that face somewhere, and below was the name Old Hag. He swiped at the screen to accept the call and he flinched when his ear was assaulted by a screeching voice, "Katsuki, you damn brat! Where are you?! Why did it take you so long to answer the damn phone?! Hah?!"

There was another voice in the background, a man, asking the woman to calm down. He waited for a few moments, and when there was no more screaming, he carefully brought the phone up to his ear, "Hello?"

There was a long silence before the woman was screaming at his ear again, "Who the fuck is this?! Why do you have my son's phone?!"

"I'm Pro Hero, Eraser Head. I was sent to investigate your son's whereabouts."

"W-what? What are you saying? Where's my son?"

"That's why I'm here. Ishikawa from HPSC sent me over to check on him on a suspicion that he got involved in something," said Aizawa as his keen eyes roamed the alleyway. Koichi, or as he dubbed himself as The Crawler, was standing at the entrance nervously. The young man was wearing a suit and he had a briefcase in one hand.

"Did you find him?"

"Well… I don't see him. There doesn't seem to be any signs of a struggle here and the only evidence that he was here was his phone that a civilian found."

"Oh, God," whispered the woman. She continued, "Ka-Katsuki's not a weak kid. If he was attacked, he would fight tooth and nails to defend himself."

Aizawa didn't doubt that statement since the kid is training under HPSC, "What's his quirk?"

"E-explosion."

Aizawa looked for any signs of the boy using his quirk. There was no scuff mark, no soot, nothing. He bit the inside of his cheeks, "I'll have the agency contact you if we find anything."

"Please, find him."

"I'll do what I can."

Koichi approached the hero, "Do we have a case?"

Aizawa turned to him and gave him a warning glare, "Don't get involved. Leave this to the pro."

"But I wanna help!"

"Look, I get it. It's in your instinct but you're not a licensed hero. It's illegal for you to get involved in official hero duty, remember? Besides, this isn't even your zone. Go back to Naruhata, Crawler."

"If you need help…"

Aizawa stared at him silently. Koichi sighed and stood straight, "Just tell me. I can ask the others to help gather information too!"

"I appreciate it."

The Pro Hero watched the younger man leave toward the train station. He sighed as he pocketed Katsuki's phone. He walked further in the alleyway and stopped when he saw a glint on the ground. He knelt to look at it closely and found a sewing needle, there was a bit of dried blood on it. Aizawa's eyes narrowed as he got to his feet. He spotted a dumpster and went to investigate. He quickened his face when he saw a foot sticking out beside the dumpster. When he got a glimpse of who it belonged to, he was left confused to find a mannequin. The mannequin was dressed in a blue t-shirt, stained with what he hoped was not blood, and a pair of light grey jeans. There was a crude smile drawn on its head and red thread stitched over the drawn smile in a crisscross. There was a cardboard propped up on its chest, and written with thick black marker were the words: HE WILL BE SILENCED AND HE SHALL NOT HARM OTHERS WITH HIS TONGUE.

Aizawa sucked in a deep breath, hissing between his teeth, it was a familiar message found on more than a dozen victims. Mostly young boys with light coloured hair. The missing boy had ash-blond hair. He cursed and whipped out his phone, he quickly dialled for back up as he thought desperately, we'll save the kid! We won't let him kill another one!

Katsuki groaned as he regained consciousness. His body felt heavy and stiff when he tried to move. He blinked blearily as he looked at his surroundings. The floor was cold and hard beneath him. There was water dripping somewhere and it ticked him. He struggled to sit up, the skin around his mouth hurt and itched badly. He tried to open his mouth, to curse, but pain assaulted his senses. Tears prickled his eyes, what the fuck? W-what? Why does it hurt?!

He raised his hand to his mouth, there was a clinking of metal and he realized he was cuffed. He ignored it for the sake of investigating why his face hurt so much, especially the area around his mouth. He froze when his fingertips brushed something over his lips. He tentatively touched on the threads and his eyes widened in horror. He tried to open his mouth and again there was intense pain as the threads pulled as his skin, causing blood to leak from the tiny wounds, down his chin. His panicked breathing echoed in the dark and his rapid heartbeat was drumming loudly in his ears. He clawed at his mouth desperately, no, no, no, no!

There was a creak and he looked up when light filtered in the room, his eyes squinting at the brightness. There was a click and the room lit up. Katsuki flinched at the sudden brightness. He carefully opened his eyes and realized he's in what looked like an office. He couldn't help but shudder at the sight of framed insects on the walls. The man from the alleyway walked into the room, approaching him slowly, staring at him with his dark cold eyes. Katsuki tried to make himself look small, pressing himself against the wall. He snarled at the man and flinched in pain as he pulled at the threads around his mouth.

The man crouched down to meet his eyes, "I want you to apologize."

Katsuki blinked in confusion at the man's request. He glared at the man, shaking his head, I don't even know you!

The man grabbed him by the front of his hoodie, "I will make you apologize to Haru. You will atone for your sins."

The boy growled deep in his throat and glared, trying to convey his thoughts, fuck you! I have no idea what you're talking about!

Katsuki was jerked to his feet and he stumbled as he was forcefully dragged along by the man out of the room. He struggled futilely against the man's grip but he was still feeling weak, a side effect of whatever had knocked him out in the alleyways must still be in his system. The man opened the door of another room, it was dark and there was a body lying on the bed. Katsuki didn't have time to adjust to the dark when he was shoved toward the bed.

He caught himself against the edge of the bed and he recoiled when the stench of decay assaulted his olfactory sense. He pushed himself away, taking a few steps back but the man had his hands on his shoulder, forcing him to approach the bed. Katsuki's eyes adjusted to the dark and his eyes widened at the sight of the decaying dead body on the bed. He felt sick to his stomach and he could feel his stomach rolling with nausea. The man whispered by his ear, "Say you're sorry. You did this to Haru."

Katsuki flinched and shook his head vigorously as he fought back the nausea. He can't vomit, not with his mouth sewn shut. The man squeezed his shoulder, "Open your eyes and look at my Haru! Say you're sorry!"

Katsuki's hands sparked in his panic and there was a small explosion knocking him back against the man's chest. He twisted and ran for the door when the man released his hold on him. He could hear the man running after him. Katsuki's eyes were wild with panic as he scanned the hallway, exit! Where's the fucking exit!?

He ran for the stairs on his right. He rushed down the stairs, but in his haste, he missed a landing and tumbled down. His vision darkened for a moment when pain exploded from his left shoulder. He landed on the floor hard and he wanted to scream but the stitches wouldn't allow him. He saw a door, an exit! Breathing heavily, he forced himself to his feet. He pushed through the pain and staggered to the door. His kidnapper slammed into him from behind and he let out a muffled cry when he landed on the floor hard. He wheezed through his nose. Fuck, that hurts!

Tears of frustration and pain were streaming down his face freely. His tears stung the wound on his face. He couldn't be bothered to be embarrassed when he let out a sob. Everything fucking hurts and he just wants it all to go away. He was forced to roll onto his back, the man loomed over him with a crazed look in his eyes, "YOU'RE NOT LEAVING UNTIL YOU APOLOGIZE TO HARU!"

Katsuki shoved his cuffed hands in front of him, to the man's face. Both he and the man were blinded when there was an explosion. The man let out a pained cry as he clasped at his face. Katsuki used his feet to push himself away from the man. He looked over his head, he's so close to the exit. So close! Taking a quick glance at the wailing man, Katsuki took the risk. He got up shakily and ambled for the exit. His heart drumming loudly in his ears as he neared the door. So close! Freedom is just in front of him!

He grabbed the doorknob and yanked the door open. He wanted to laugh because it wasn't locked at all. He stumbled out the door, the cool air caressing his sweat-soaked skin and he let out a relieved sob. He felt sharp pricks on his left leg and suddenly he was falling as he completely lost the feeling in his leg. He landed on his knee, wide eyes looking back at the man in fear. The man glared at him with one eye, his face was bleeding, skin peeling from the burns he had caused. The man staggered toward him and Katsuki tried to crawl away. He flinched when needles landed on his back. He fell on his front, breathing rapidly as dread overwhelmed him, No, I'm so close!

He stretched his arms out, his hands sparking weakly. Please, someone, please… save me.

Before he lost consciousness, he forced himself to make a big explosion. Hope bloomed in his chest when he managed to create one explosion, though he wasn't sure how big it was since his vision was fading. He felt the man grabbed him by the back of his hoodie. He was dragged back into the house, Hawks... save me.

A/N: If you don't know who Haimawari Koichi (The Crawler) is, read Vigilantes: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals (My Hero Academia Vigilantes). Yes, I plan to bring in characters from both the original series and the spin-off!