"Oh, boy."
Feet hit the concrete painfully, having been in this chase for nearly half an hour now. His hood had fallen off, something he had learned wasn't reliable when it came to his little hobbies. He had taken to wearing a bandana instead that was able to hide his hair.
After doing this for eight months, he also found that that wearing a mask and hoping to breathe while doing so was nearly impossible. He had managed to find one of better material, which took longer than he wanted to say but he eventually found one. He's had to buy nine new pairs of shoes though. So that sucked. As was avoiding the questions.
He turned roughly, trying to gain his lost speed in the open alley. He had almost made it to the ladder when somebody barreled into him.
"You are a problem child!"
Midoriya winced, the others knees digging in his shoulder blades and his arms were tied without care behind his back.
"Haha, you caught me. Good job! How about we do this again next week, yeah?"
The pro hero laughed shortly, "No. You are going to a station. We've been through this, Midorikari."
Izuku nodded, mind running on how he'd get out this time. Erasure head, the hero that's taken to tracking him down for the past month, had learned to prevent every way he had come up with yet.
He took his push knifes, which was annoying since he always had to make new ones. His arm guards, which carried a pin. A well as his utility pouch which carried the flash bangs. This hero was pissing him off.
But also made him happy, because he had reached a point where he escaped the police enough times for them to call in a pro hero. He had never thought that he would reach a level when they had to call in Erasure head of all people. Really, he was flattered by their efforts.
"Hey, do you know how hard it is to make those?"
The hero laughed, putting the push knifes into his own pocket. "Maybe you should stop then. Find a new hobby."
Izuku grit his teeth at the sirens. The tires squealed to a stop at the end of the road. He let out a breath when the hero got off him. His mind came to one last resort and he didn't want to do it.
But going to a police station sounded much worse.
He struggled for a minute, making sure not to move around too much. By the pinch in his hand, he found the right angle. His lip found home between his teeth and he bit. Hard.
…That hurt.
He took long, silent breaths as tears sprang to his eyes. He pulled his newly mangled hand out of the cuff. He froze at the footsteps that came up to him. He gave a small wince, looking up and met the eyes of a greatly amused police officer.
At least, he thought it was amusement. He didn't know what else it would be.
"Midorikari, small world. What are you doing around here?"
Yup, definitely amused.
Izuku nodded, pursing his lips. The cop laughed and he mentally groaned. He couldn't end like this. Not after everything and by some stupid joke.
"You ready kid?"
Izuku glared lightly at the officer before it dropped. His hand curled around an electronic flasher and he pulled it out, hiding another wince.
"I'm really sorry, Naomasa."
He activated it, pushing the small button and threw it weakly at the gravel next to him. His eyes shut tightly, already feeling sorry for the police officers and hero. The light that was flashing was bright and fast, he could still see it from behind his eyelids. He jumped to his feet, feeling along the wall and managed not to cry when his thumb hit bricks harshly. Finding the ladder, he climbed it as quick as he could.
The flasher only lasted thirty seconds.
The ladder wasn't the largest, but he found himself praying that he wouldn't fall to his death. Once he came to the roof, he opened his eyes. The city lights were pretty. He screamed.
Holy shit, his hand hurt like a mother –
Deeps breaths. Izuku ripped his bandana off, tying his thumb to his hand so it didn't move limply. He pulled the hood back up and ran across the roof tops. He made sure to jump at the right time. Six foot jumps took thought, timing and practice to land.
Lots and lots of practice.
All the while, the cuffs were still stuck on one wrist and the sound that followed was grating on his nerves.
Once he came across the same street that would take him back to the orphanage, he climbed down a ladder, one handed. It was hard. He slipped several times. His mind was racing and he could hear the sirens once more. Looked like the flasher stopped and they recovered. It was nice to know that they worked for what he made them for.
Maybe he should make them last longer though?
The teen willed away tears, shouldering the dumpster to move a couple inches before grabbing his backpack. He unzipped it with his teeth. He looked at the hoody inside and what he was wearing. Midoriya searched the sky pleadingly for any possible help but it fell short.
"Fuck!"
This was so stupid. Stupid Erasure Head. Stupid cops. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
He carefully took off the hoody he was wearing and cursed again. His eyes caught sight of the massive road rash along his stomach. That would explain why it hurt so bad. The chain mail had been grating short for a while and the hoody was rather thread bare. You could only be friends with a wall and gravel for so long it seemed.
He had no idea how he was supposed to do this.
In the end, the chainmail stayed on and he pulled the clean hoody on over it. The jeans went over the leather and he shuffled home barefoot. He couldn't climb the tree. Izuku was glad that everybody was asleep. He had been forced to pick the door open a couple times but he didn't particularly like doing it.
Once he was in his room, he took the bandana off and inspected his hand. It was… about what you'd expect. A bit redder, bruised and swollen. It was huge. A small part of him was disgusted. The cuffs had dug into the skin and it had been bleeding apparently.
Midoriya would like nothing more than to sleep but found himself hunched over his laptop. There was no way he'd be able to go to the hospital. Not with the amount of bruises and crap he had. He wasn't stable enough to move homes again. That he knew for sure.
So, how to treat a broken thumb it is. Then how to make plaster. And so forth.
That night, he was only able to put it in a compression brace. He spent a whole two hours carefully disconnecting the chainmail down his chest before pulling it off. He shuffled out of his jeans – both of them – before putting on a pair of sweats.
He downed four pain pills dry and laid down. It took several minutes for his mind to calm down enough for him to go to sleep.
XXX
It took six weeks for a broken thumb to heal but honestly, the huge ass road rash he had across his stomach was hurting more than his finger. The school year was ending in a couple days and he was thankful.
However, he still hadn't picked a school for next year. The matrons were giving him until the end of the month to pick one, or he'd just go to the local one. To be frank, he couldn't care less about which high school he goes to.
Instead, despite his broken thumb and downing pain killers like candy, he spent every night patrolling the streets and the weekends at the trash yard. He found himself avoiding the calendar. He only knew the date because of school work.
Today was June twenty-ninth. He knew that. Midoriya was looking forward to the day the little numbers didn't mock him. They left a bitter taste in his mouth.
The bags under his eyes were getting deeper, he noticed. Waking up in a cold sweat whenever he did manage to get some sleep. They weren't nightmares, never were but memories. Always memories.
The fork pushed his food around uselessly. He really wasn't hungry. He wasn't sure when it was the last time he was.
"Are you doing ok, Midoriya? We're getting worried."
All the kids went to the same grade school. Most of them were at a sleepover. Midoriya thought the parents hadn't thought it out very well. Inviting the entire class for a sleepover. Twenty or so kids? Yeah, crazy.
Midoriya hummed in answer before standing up. " 'm not hungry. Sorry."
"Midoriya."
He gave the woman a smile but didn't respond. He went up to his room. He looked around his room blankly, finding it to be nicer than the one he had when his mom was alive. He immediately felt guilty for the thought.
Midoriya pulled the glove off of his hand, letting it breath for a bit before he would have to put it back on later that night. He opened his laptop. He checked the news feed before dinking around on a hero page. After twenty or so minutes, he found that it wasn't doing very good of a job distracting him.
Instead, he plugged in his flash-drive and opened the one of the files. Analysis 2.0.
When he first started the books originally, years ago, he focused solely on heroes. Now he broadened his studies. Heroes, villains, cops and laws. How a fight could change if one person did something different. If somebody went left instead of right. He journaled.
He quickly got used to typing with one hand. It was slower, but he didn't chicken peck.
That always annoyed him.
He typed the date and wrote about what had happened the previous night. Nothing much, stopped a couple of purse thieves but he came across a super cool memoir of his name. It made him happy that the locals were acknowledging him.
He saved it, an hour later and ejected the flash-drive before locking it in the safe box. It was after eleven, so everybody would be getting to sleep now. He changed into his uniform.
He had replaced some of the mail, since it was thinning, and added a zipper through the chest so it was easier to get on and off. His hoody also got replaced. He ended up raiding his knife supply once more.
It ended up being a calm night, which he was grateful for. His feet thumped against the building as he sat on a roof. His mask was pooled at his neck and he sipped on an Icee that a shop owner gave him in thanks for stopping a robber.
He found it almost funny how often those were attempted. It hadn't been working out well for them lately, much to his satisfaction.
He made sure to not show his surprise when somebody came up behind him.
"Midorikari, I've been looking for you."
The voice was eerie but young. Midoriya stood, watching the empty cup fall into the open dumpster down below. He pulled his mask up before he turned.
"And why would you be doing that?"
The older teen looked sick. He was pale, chalky and his skin seemed cracked. He wore an old black hoody and shoes similar to his own but black. He laughed and again, it sounded like he was sick. Both mentally and physically.
"I've heard all about you."
Izuku, or Midorikari, rose a brow. "Lots of people hear about me. Why are you looking for me?"
He didn't work underground. Not anymore and he wouldn't get involved in anything if he could help it. The other continued, ignoring his comment.
"People really like you, you know. Saving old ladies purses, stopping robberies. Protecting this little old city. Hell, you've even stopped a murder. You're a little hero."
He didn't show his unease. He didn't talk, only listening. Midoriya was prepared to run if he needed to.
The other tsked. His voice turned stringier, like he was whining.
"But not everybody thinks that. I'm sure you know. You've had the police and pros on your tail for months. But you're smart. You don't get caught."
Ha, that was funny. He got caught, yes, but he escaped. He always escaped.
"But it'll end one day. You'll get caught. You'll go to prison and all your efforts will go down the drain. I can help you."
Midoriya startled, "What?"
The others eyes glinted, "Oh, my. I never introduced myself, how rude! My name is Tomura Shigaraki. I work in the league. The League of Villains."
Izukus stomach dropped and sweat broke out his temple. The other stepped closer.
"I want you to work for me, little hero."
Midorikari met red eyes. His voice firm. "I'm not a villain."
The other laughed, voice taunting. "But you aren't really a hero. Are you?"
Midoriya straightened but didn't respond. The other patted his shoulder and with a jolt, he felt the wind caress his skin. He didn't have to look to know that the fabric and metal was gone.
The other merely smiled, offering a card delicately between two fingers. "Let me know when you've decided."
Midoriya knew a warning and he took the card, careful not to break eye contact or touch the other. The pale teen snorted, and the vigilante watched as somebody warped up to the roof.
They both disappeared, leaving Izuku alone. He let out a ragged breath, hand to his heart.
Hesitantly, he looked at the black card. The lettering was silver, metallic looking.
46 Kyoto
He pulled his mask back down roughly and wiped his face. He looked at the card for another moment, not tempted but wanting to know what the hell he was should do with it. What he was supposed to do with what had just happened.
The League of Villains?
That didn't sound good at all.
XXX
"Put the gun down."
Guns had been illegal for years. Ever since the hero system had come into play. The only people who could use them were heroes, the military and the government. Otherwise, the only way to get one was through the Black Market.
Midorikari had ran into a woman who was terrified. It happened a lot. Short story Short, she had escaped from a local jewelry store which was under a hostage situation. He came as soon as he could.
The woman laughed and the male snorted. Based on their trust, Midoriya wouldn't be surprised if they were married. They were wearing matching masks
"And why should I do that? I'm not surprised you showed up. But I was hoping for a hero. Life is just full of disappointments."
He learned not to be offended with statements and jabs like that. Midoriya rose his hands up non-threateningly. His voice stayed level, eyes on the criminals. He didn't look at the people who were shielding their heads in fear.
"I get that. Life sucks. I couldn't agree more. Why are you doing this?"
Through the womans mask, Midoriya could tell the woman was surprised. The male turned to him, gun still pointed at the people on the floor.
"Why am I doing this?"
Midorikari swallowed shortly. "No, why are you both doing this? What happened?"
To his surprise, tears sprang to their eyes. The male stepped forward, waving the gun to make a point.
"What happened? Our lives were ruined! Ruined! We lost everything!"
Izuku swallowed, he had messed up. Instead of showing his unease, he nodded.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But -what are your names?"
The woman sniffed wetly. "You think we're that stupid?"
Izuku shook his head, "No, I don't. You're not stupid, I know that. I just want to know what to call you, that's all."
Midoriya knew this wouldn't end well no matter what. The woman who first told him what had happened had already called the police. They should be here at any moment. He just had to stall long enough for them to get here and prevent any casualties and get out of here himself.
The two thugs glanced at each other.
"Zetsubo."
Izuku licked his lips. Despair. That sounded tragic.
He nodded, "Kay, I'm Midorikari. How about we talk about this, Zetsubo? Just put the gun down. Leave these people out of it. You can tell me what happened. Just us."
They hesitated for a minute, something resembling clarity entering their eyes and they lowered their weapons for a moment. Midoriya let out a breath, the people on the floor openly sobbing in relief.
There was the familiar sound of police sirens.
Izuku cursed, stomach coming up to his throat as the weapons were raised again. The rifle and the handgun were shaking.
"This is police! We have the building surrounded!"
The two were panicking and Izuku tried to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. Fast.
"Hey – hey, Zetsubo. Don't listen to them. Look at me. Look at me."
Their eyes were wild their guns were aiming at everything and everyone. He pulled his mask down.
"Look at me!"
They looked, tears falling down the masks and he took a quick breath.
"Put your guns down. If you walk out willingly, nobody will get hurt. Your time will be shorter, there's nothing you can do. Put them down."
The woman let out a scream of frustration and the teens heart pounded. They were calm before. Frustrated before. Now they were desperate.
People do stupid things when they were desperate. He knew that very well.
"Just put them down and nobody will get hurt."
"Arms up!"
The doors swung open and shots were fired. Midorikari jumped.
The world went dark.