Category: Angst
Characters: Izuku Midoriya, Eri
Additional Tags: Vigilante!Class 1-A
Trigger warning for themes of child abuse!
Izuku's lips were curled into a cold, smug smile as his bright eyes beheld the lofty penthouse suite displayed by the floor-to-ceiling glass panes framing the luxurious condominiums nestled between the beach and the sprawled city complex. Izuku perched on the balcony railing of the adjacent condominiums' penthouse complex that he was currently sharing with twenty other young vigilantes looking to score a quick buck in the chaotic, unforgiving, cold-hearted world they lived in. They'd all seen terrible, horrible things that prompted them to turn their backs on society's definition of "hero" and carve their paths. To this day, Izuku marveled at the miracle of their coming together to form one of Japan's most notorious heist organizations.
"Has she left yet?" Katsuki grunted as he strode out of the open set of glass doors. His heavy boots thunked against the smooth stone bottom of the balcony. Izuku's emerald eyes remained fixed on the spread of clear glass several yards away, particularly on the thirty-something-year-old woman running a blow dryer through her voluminous brown hair. Izuku was mildly impressed with her haircare routine; even from the considerable distance, he could see the ripples of her hair gloss with the fluorescents' unflattering light. Her bathroom was as large as the standard bedroom, but that didn't mean the condos invested in slightly better lightbulbs.
"Not yet," Izuku responded without looking at his number-one partner-in-crime. "We still have fifteen minutes until her suitor is supposed to pick her up." Katsuki only grunted in response, watching with disdain as the older woman smoothed nonexistent creased from the sapphire blue dress that hugged her figure in every scandalous way possible. Izuku could almost hear her six-inch-heels clacking as she exited the bathroom to cross through the walls. She disappeared into the bowels of the suite to head towards the penthouse door.
"What's this broad do again that makes her richer than God?"
"She's the assistant CEO of a software development company specializing in programming high-tech support items." Indeed, the infamous burglars had targeted her after multiple magazine spotlights and television specials revealed her lavish life's intimate details, down to a complete tour of her pompous penthouse home. The exposés had been mainly focused on her widowed status, chronicling her tumultuous rise to fame after her husband's sudden death after only a few years of blissful marriage. Izuku remembered the bitter tears streaming from her eyes as she reminisced about her loving husband. The waterworks had cemented in his mind that she was the perfect victim for their newest scheme.
Katsuki and Izuku both straightened slightly as the receivers in their ears buzzed with static.
"Hey, hey!" Izuku could hear Denki's broad grin in the fuzzy audio of the transceiver. "The John's in the building and heading up to the penthouse." Izuku pressed the respond button to answer, still crouching on the railing by balancing on his metal-plated boots. Denki always served as their mole, because his easygoing and sunny personality just lured people into a false sense of security so easily.
"Is it time?" Hanta called as he poked his head out of the open glass doors.
"Almost." Hanta stuck out a thumbs-up before vanishing into the room, shouting for Ochako and Mina to go out onto the balcony for Phase II of the rob-the-rich-lady plan. Ochako trotted out onto the lengthy stone structure, chewing on a licorice candy as she leaned against the railing beside Izuku.
"If only I'd lived like that, life could've been so much different," the brunette mourned sourly as she tore off a large chunk of the red candy and crushed it between her teeth with excessive force. Izuku laughed dryly with a nod of agreement.
"I would feel bad because she's a single mother, but wait until the world sees the reports of employee abuse we mailed into the news networks," he laughed gleefully. Sure, they stole and occasionally beat people to a bloody pulp, but only people who deserved it. Many of the common folk revered them as a troupe of Robin Hoods, stealing from the obnoxiously wealthy and abusive to aid the poor and struggling. At least, that's what many of them told themselves to justify their questionable deeds. Try as they like to harden their hearts to their bitter realities, sometimes their human sides tried to nose back into their lives.
"She's leaving," came Denki's quick report in their transponders. Izuku could hear girlish giggling and the baritone droning of a man in the background of the audio. Denki, disguised in a janitor's outfit, whistled as stood with his mop and side-eyed them. "Heading up. Be there or be square."
"All right. Denki's moving in to disable the motion sensors," Izuku reported. Mina had joined them on the balcony, and she enthusiastically punched the air with her fists.
"All right! Let's bleed this bitch for everything she has!" the pink girl crowed. Izuku languidly stood up on the metal railing, balancing his center to stand at his full height with only the thin rail cementing him to the building. Ochako skipped over to touch Mina with her pink finger pads, and the girl immediately floated up a few inches from the balcony, giggling as she did so.
"I can never get used to how weird this feels!" Mina trilled, laughing joyfully as Hanta pushed the back of her head to make her body somersault in the air slowly. As she righted herself, Izuku grabbed her gently by the elbow to drift her to the balcony rail. "All right! The Mina Rocket is ready to go!" she declared. Izuku grinned widely, then flung Mina to send her sailing across the gap between the buildings. The few patrons lingering by the pool failed to notice the pink vigilante floating in the sky in the dark fringe of the lofty condos. Katsuki snorted as Mina bumped into the window with a gentle smack. She hurriedly grasped onto the building's thin stone rim before she bounced off. She hovered beside the building, staring at the red blip of light within the condo's dark recesses that indicated the security system was still armed.
"How are you doing, Denki?"
"Me 'n Yaomomo are almost in position." Momo had also been deployed to the condominium, posing as a member of the cleaning staff. By now, the security officer should be passed out from a sleeping drought so their bonafide genius could replace the camera feeds with loops and replaced footage to eliminate the evidence of their involvement before it even existed. The video would show that Denki and Momo had gotten off on entirely different floors, when in fact, they would proceed to the penthouse to assist in the heist. No one would ever be the wiser that two moles had been planted in the staff.
There was a reason they'd evaded Interpol, the Japanese Bureau of Investigation, and the Hero Commission for so long, after all. The young group of vigilantes dotted all their I's, crossed all their T's, and checked them twice.
"The cameras are set," Momo reported, whispering not to wake the slumbering guard. "The footage is good for about an hour. Let's make the most of it."
"Almost done," Denki hummed in the same channel. A faint crackling of electricity sounded as he essentially fried the security system controls. Faintly, Izuku could see the red light blip green.
As soon as Momo and Denki reported in, Mina melted the glass with her acid, reducing it to a goop steaming on the wooden floorboards. Mina worked quickly and efficiently to carve a large hole into the window, then daintily stepped into the living room to tut at the blackened, smoking area rug. As soon as she safely entered the penthouse, Ochako released her Quirk, allowing Mina the land on the plush carpet and appraise the lofty home.
"All right, guys, let's move in." Izuku used his Quirk to propel himself across the divide, bending the railing as he blasted off it. He'd bend it back later. He landed deftly in the center of the living room, clicking his tongue at the sheer obnoxiousness of the interior decor. It probably cost more than all of her employees combined made in a year. Disgusted, Izuku made a point to bend the metal floor lamp in half, exposing the wire to make sparks jump from the now-frayed metal pieces. While the others quietly used their Quirks to jump into the penthouse and Denki picked the lock so he and Momo could stroll in, Izuku set to ransacking the place to discover where the software mogul hid her stacks of cash. The others began pilfering everything valuable in sight; Tooru and Asui sprinted to the master bedroom, keen on scoring the jewelry the woman had been sure to show off in her many interviews.
Izuku ignored the triumphant hoots and hollers as he meandered down a hallway. Just to be thorough, he opened the side closet, disinterestedly pulling out the Egyptian sheets of every color and numerous comforters to fling them into a pile on the floor. Nothing hid behind the cottony masses, and he almost abandoned the effort until he spied a suspiciously square seam in the wood peeking out.
"Hello," he grinned and crouched down to pry the false floor up with his fingers. Izuku had been expecting a hidden stash of cash or coins, perhaps a safe containing embezzlement or fraud documents.
He was not expecting a pair of bright red eyes and a pale round face to be peeking up at him.
Izuku froze. He blinked, and the pale face shrouded by the darkness blinked back. He continued to hold up the small nook entrance, oblivious to Katsuki stomping down the hall toward him.
"Oi, what the fuck are you- what the fuck?" The blond hissed in a breath, making the small form within the crawlspace cringe in fright. With a flip of his index finger, Izuku bid Katsuki to turn on the hallway light. As he complied, the white light cascaded over Izuku's hunched form to crash into the small space, illuminating a very tiny, disheveled little girl. Her red, puffy eyes slowly blinked as she regarded Izuku with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
"Are you here to steal me?"
Izuku almost lost it. Literally. He become so infuriated that his Quirk jumped out, sending red streaks and green lighting blazing across his skin. Clenching his teeth hard and breathing steadily through his nose, he managed to force his power back into control and give the little girl a strained smile. It was just so hard not to go ballistic and tear the entire penthouse upside down, because this was the most pathetic little girl Izuku had ever seen. Her white-gray hair framed her round face and her red eyes glittered like blood moons in the light. A little horn protruded from her forehead. Why the hell was this child locked in a crawlspace in a goddamn hallway closet while the penthouse owner gallivanted off on a booty call?
"Yeah," Izuku smiled pleasantly. "Yeah," he repeated, convincing himself to commit to the radical change in plans. "That's right." His heart crushed in on itself as her eyes widened and she beamed brightly. She flung herself forward with a delighted squeal to wrap her thin arms around Izuku's neck, burning her face into his sternum. The girl immediately began bawling loudly, spreading snot and tears all over the spandex of his suit.
"Ungh… I… I'm so happy… I-I've been waiting so long for someone to know I was here… That I existed…" Izuku didn't have the heart to tell her that he had no earthly idea she was in the penthouse, let alone related to the woman. "Mommy… Mommy locks me in here because she doesn't want people to know. She hates me; she tells me so. She says I need to suffer, so I'm locked away to be forgotten. Just like everyone forgot Daddy, she says," she blubbered between wails and cries. Izuku's hands remained limply at his sides, too stunned with the cascade of events to properly comfort the girl. Her crying had attracted the attention of his cohorts, and they crammed into the small hallway to observe the strange happenings. She began to sob harder.
"I didn't mean it… I didn't mean to make Daddy go away. It was an accident. An accident." She palmed her small horn, sniveling, and it took Izuku a few seconds to puzzle out that the little girl's Quirk had likely manifested and killed her father. It wasn't common, but certainly not unheard of. Children with powerful, uncontrollable Quirks posed real and present dangers. The girl sniffled as she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm. "Mommy says it's my fault. She says that my punishment is to be locked away and feel what it's like to be forgotten. She tells me that one day she'll forget me too, and I'm going to die, all alone."
Katsuki began cursing profusely under his breath, sparks popping from his palms as his fury mounted.
"This is fucking ridiculous; are we gonna fucking stand for this? This bitch has her daughter locked in a fucking hole in the wall and is out there schmoozing some fuckin' asshole-! I can't; I fuckin' can't, I need- Ooooooh…!" As he grew more and more enraged, he stomped off into a side bedroom and began flinging furniture around with his herculean strength. Izuku had regained some semblance of his wits, so he hugged the small girl tightly to his person and petted her long silvery hair. Suddenly, she blinked at him.
"Wait… You aren't here to kill me, are you? Did my mom… Did she finally…?" As her red eyes flooded with fresh tears, Izuku hurriedly shushed her and pressed his cheek against the side of her head.
"No, no, that's not why we're here at all."
"That's right! We're thieves!" Tooru beamed theatrically as she jumped over, waving her gloves around ecstatically. The little girl's eyes nearly bugged out of her head upon witnessing an invisible woman for the first time. "We're gonna steal you away to happier life!" The girl's eyebrows shot up, and she craned her head to look at Izuku.
"That's right!" he confirmed with a cheesy grin. "Stealing is what burglars do best, right?" The girl squealed as he hoisted her up with his hands under her armpits. Her little legs kicked happily at the sudden rush of air around her. With a smile, Izuku plopped her against him, one beefy arm hooked under her comparably tiny frame. Her little hands rested on his broad shoulder, and her bright smile illuminated the condominium better than the sun ever could. When a few more loud crashes, thumps, and curses drifted down the hall, she looked worriedly towards the room Katsuki had stamped into.
"Is he okay?"
"Yeah, he's just sorting out his feelings," Denki laughed as he sidled up. "Hiya! What's your name, squirt?" he asked as he playfully shook her hand.
"Eri," she giggled.
"Eri! What a cute name," Kyoka appraised with a nod. The others greeted her jovially as Izuku carried her into the living room. Her eyes widened when she beheld the overturned and broken furniture.
"What are you all looking for besides me?"
"What kind of burglars would we be if we didn't take your mom's money?" Shoto quipped monotonously as he resumed emptying drawers. Izuku flushed with embarrassment at the boy's bluntness, and Eri screwed her face up into a frown.
"Mommy isn't a nice person. She takes money from the company and robs the workers; I hear her say so on the phone. She laughs about it." Eri glanced concernedly up at Izuku. "What are you going to do with the money?"
"Uh! Oh, um, we're not gonna do anything bad," he reassured as he strolled over to the gaping hole in the window. "We're honest burglars. We steal from bad people and share it with good people." It was true. They'd made anonymous donations to charities and underfunded schools and local businesses, built a children's park overnight for a low-income neighborhood, and committed countless other good-Samaritan deeds. Of course, some of that they pocketed for personal interests and paying off essential figures, but hey, it was an investment for more heists and more good deeds, in the long run. At his explanation, Eri hummed satisfactorily and hugged his neck, her cheek squishing against his.
"I see. That's nice!" She then inhaled slightly as the wind whistled through the window, ruffling her hair and nightgown. Izuku smiled sympathetically as she gulped, peeking down at the ground so very far below. "Are we… Going to jump?"
"Yeah, but it's okay. It's how I came, you know. We can make it! I'm going to hold on real tight to you," he reassured her jovially. Eri nodded slowly, rotating her head to peek back at his friends, who had resumed rummaging around the apartment. Katsuki had satiated his ire and stalked back into the main room to oversee the operation. "Don't worry about them. They're just finishing the job. They'll probably stay a little while, because… Well, as we like to say, one good turn deserves another."
The tone in the room shifted immediately. It grew dead silent as Izuku's unspoken order dropped the temperature of the room several degrees. His grin and emerald eyes were eerily bright as he eyed them over Eri's head. "Right, guys?"
"Right," Tenya whistled as he picked up the sheets in the hall and began shredding them into thin strips of cloth. Silence descended as the vigilantes began searching the penthouse once more, but their minds were no longer on cash and evidence, but something else entirely. Eri blinked repeatedly as she struggled to grasp the shift in the tension and gave Izuku an inquisitive stare.
"Don't worry about it," Izuku smiled and patted the top of her head. "When tomorrow morning comes, everyone will know you exist." Eri's blood moon eyes widened as a big grin slowly spread across her round face.
"Really? You mean it?"
"Every word," he promised. "You gotta swear, though, to keep a secret." Eri nodded vigorously. "You can't tell anyone about who rescued you. It'll be a secret between just us, okay? Pinky-swear." Izuku held up his scarred pinky, and Eri readily looped her tiny one with his, linking them in an eternal promise. "Good. Remember, one good turn deserves another. We saved you, so you help us keep our identities safe so we can keep helping other people." With that, Izuku hugged her tight and activated his Quirk to once more spring between the two buildings. She inhaled wondrously as the wind rushed through her hair, and looked up to see the starry night sky after so long deprived of their soft, simple light.
As Izuku had promised, Eri's story was blown wide open alongside the software mogul's scandalous finances and business practices. Izuku and the others had left Eri asleep in the penthouse suite with all their documents and scathing evidence of Eri's abuse and the money the woman had stolen from her business partner. They dropped an anonymous call to the police to inform them of the girl's location, and then retreated to a safe distance within the city to watch the media massacre unfold.
The woman was discovered first. She was brought out by police not visibly harm but clearly scared within an inch of her life. Being suspended from a penthouse with only a decorative chair and some Egyptian cotton sheets to anchor you to safety would do that to a person. Next, when Izuku and the others dropped the call, the flocks of the press began to babble theories as the police swarmed into the adjacent penthouse. They'd also given anonymous information to the news media, who immediately jumped on the tragic tale of the little girl. Eri's eyes were huge as the cop carried her carefully out of the condo, amazed by all the noise and activity developing around her. Izuku could just tell by the teary smile on her face that she was thinking, They know I'm here. They're happy I'm safe.
When one of the reporters shoved a microphone into her face and demanded to know who her rescuers and mother's assailants were, Eri just smiled sheepishly.
"It's a secret. I can't tell. You know, one good turn deserves another."
Izuku grinned to himself, biting down on his bottom lip in satisfaction.
Sure, they weren't saints. They'd stolen, and assaulted, and publicly slandered plenty. However, seeing that little girl's smile broadcast on the big screen for the world to see, ready to leave an arduous life behind her and step out into the light, reminded Izuku of why he'd turned to such an existence in the first place.
Real heroes made real change through whatever means necessary. Because, as he said… One good turn deserves another, and one bad deed brings down righteous fury.