Apparently daily updates are a thing - who knew! Just a quick headcanon to throw at you all, but I briefly mention that Aizawa teachers Hero Ethics as a class besides just his homeroom, which is something I picked up from Deafmic's stories over on AO3 and Tumblr. They're really good and they're usually about EraserMic and Aizawa and Shinsou father son stuff, so give them a read if you can!

Remember to check me out on ibelieveinahappilyeverafter on tumblr for a bunch more of my stuff!

Enjoy!

"Seriously? He actually went and made his own radio station?" Nemuri's shocked tone faded and was quickly followed by wild laughter that had Shota wincing as he dragged the phone away from his ear. Her laugh was often worse than the sound of feedback. "And he's still calling himself a villain! Does he even know what a villain is?"

"Probably not," Shota sighed quietly, settling back on his couch under a heap of blankets and a purring Jelly. It was one of his rare nights off work and he was grateful for the chance to rest. His last fight as Eraserhead had been more taxing than he would have thought - even Mic had taken it easy on him in their fight a few days ago. "At least he's not taking over radio stations anymore."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that - I think I managed to get reception to one of them, once!" There was a moment of thoughtful silence that Shota quickly realized wasn't thoughtful at all. "He sounds really smitten with you, you know."

"Please, his 'love' for me is just another game to play," Shota said quickly, rolling his eyes as Jelly yowled loudly and Nemuri started lecturing him. "As I was saying when I started this call, I don't know what to do about him."

"Fuck him." It wasn't said as an insult, Shota realized after a moment, and Shota remembered his kidnapping and the song and dance Mic had done for him. He then hid himself under his blankets. "Or let him fuck you. You could do to have something up your ass that's not a stick-"

"Nemuri," Shota finally snapped, grateful that he was alone in his apartment and no one could see the blush that was no doubt staining his cheeks. Jelly could, of course, but Shota had faith that she wouldn't tell on him. "I'm being serious."

"You think I'm not?" Shota needed new friends because Kayama Nemuri was going to lead to his downfall, one day. She would at least have the decency to kill him herself, he supposed. "Okay, okay. You said he's helping you on the Trigger case, right? Use that to get him more into hero work, maybe?"

"Possibly, but I doubt he'd be willing to work with any other heroes or even the police," Shota said, shaking his head. "He hates the entire system of pro heroes - and for good reason, it seems like."

"Ooh, a villain with a tragic past. Now you have me curious. Any idea behind all the details?" Nemuri finally sounded like she was taking this seriously, but Shota hesitated in telling her about the hearing aids Present Mic wore. That part seemed… personal.

"It seems he grew up in an area similar to mine and had problems with how people viewed his quirk like I did." Really, their stories were near mirrors of each other. They had started the same, but Shota had gone on to become a bitter underground hero while Present Mic had gone on to be a cheerful villain. "The more I learn, the more it seems we had the same start."

"Shota…" Nemuri was one of the few who knew about his past and his childhood, and if Shota had his way, then it would remain as just a few. "So, he's trying to change the system to make sure kids don't go through that. Jeez, he sounds like a hero, but he's going about it with a villain's strategy."

"Villainous heroics," Shota mumbled to himself, scratching Jelly behind the ear when she wiggled her way up his chest. "I've been listening in on his radio show, but I haven't learned much else besides what songs are popular."

"Shota, are you sure you're listening to this radio station just to gather information? Because it sounds like you just want to hear his voice after having a horrible week." That couldn't be necessarily ruled out as a contributing factor, he conceded. "Holy shit, is that really why-"

"Of course not, Nemuri, stop seeing things that aren't there. There is useful information scattered in there sometimes about active criminals in the area he lives in." It was subtle, but Mic seemed to be slipping tip offs into his show every chance he had in just a way that only someone who knew what to look for could pick up on it. He really was wasted as a villain.

"Aw, Shota, you have an undercover boyfriend, that's so cute!" At the cheerful tone, Shota reminded himself that Nemuri could never find out about when he had been kidnapped. "What's the name of his new radio station, anyways?"

"It's on 80.5," Shota sighed, looking to where his radio was playing music with a slight static tinge. "He's been calling it 'Put Your Hands Up Radio.'"

"I'd almost be willing to call that adorable. Well, at least he's well suited to being with you if he can stay up so late and still be coherent enough to host a radio show. How long does he host?"

"One to five on Fridays," Shota frowned, reaching out to fiddle with the radio to try and get a clearer sound. "He plays music nonstop for forty-five minutes and then talks for fifteen before repeating the pattern."

"Oh, Shota… You really do have it bad, don't you?" The tone was soft and bordered on sympathetic, Shota feeling his heart speed up. Before he could defend himself, he heard Nemuri's victorious shout. "Aha! Found it!"

"And that was Utada's 'Unbreakable' which has climbed once again to reach number eight in the charts - as I told you dear listeners it would!" Mic's voice, loud and delighted, filtered through Shota's apartment and seemed to fill up every inch of empty space. Shota hated himself for how he relaxed back into his blankets and pillows.

"Shota," Nemuri scolded loudly, Shota forced to move the phone a few inches back, again. "You didn't tell me he had a voice like that! Does he look as good as he sounds?"

"Please return to hell," Shota mumbled, trying to focus back in on Mic's jabbering. It seemed he was taking in questions from his 'loyal listeners.' At least the man had the sense to use a burner phone to take in the calls.

"You're on Put Your Hands Up Radio, listener! What can Present Mic do for you?" It made sense as to why the man was a villain after Shota had learned more of his past, but he really could have been so successful doing almost anything else.

"Yeah, hi, listen, I need your help to settle a bet." Shota shot up, staring at the radio with narrowed eyes because he knew that voice. That was one of twenty voices he had to deal with every day.

"Shota." Shota could hear Nemuri's own suspicions. "Is that…?"

"Fire away, little listener! And then please get some rest - it's almost three in the morning, you know!"

"Yes, but this is important." Jiro Kyoka, one of his students, was calling into a radio show that was hosted by a villain. "What's your opinion on Kaya's new song 'Later Lover?' I need to prove that even villains can tell what music is actually good."

"She's getting detention," Shota decided, ignoring Nemuri's startled laugh. "What is she even doing up listening to this? There's no way she finished her essay for Hero Ethics already."

"You're so mean to your students," Nemuri gasped out, still laughing. Shota lowered his phone so he could focus on Mic's laughter, instead.

"Well, little listener, I have to say that 'Later Lover' is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! It's a lot different than what Kaya has done with her music up until this point, but I think the risk is really paying off! You can bet I'll be one of the first in line to get her new album, which comes out next month!"

"Thank you! See, I told you-" Jiro's voice cut out as the call ended, Mic still laughing, and it was so easy to picture his wide smile and scrunched up eyes that not even his sunglasses could hide.

"Alright, we still have a few minutes until the top of the hour, so let's take another caller! What can I do for you, dear listener?"

"Oh, um, hi- Hi! So, uh, I was actually a bit curious about your quirk." The new voice was almost drowned out by another burst of Nemuri's laughter, Shota burying his face in his hands. He was going to have to expel that problem child. What were all his kids doing up at three in the morning listening to a villain's radio show?

There was the quiet buzz of Midoriya's rambling thoughts on the nature of Present Mic's quirk, Mic himself sounding a little overwhelmed, "Oi, oi, just how many kids are listening to my show right now?"

::

Present Mic's radio show appeared to have become a weekly event - to the point he would find a way to do it even when he was out doing one of his attention-grabbing schemes to prove the failed system of heroes and villains. Lately he had taken to dealing with threats and criminals before Shota could get there, and when Shota did arrive, Mic seemed to delight in fighting him, as well.

"Here I thought you had actually taken to being useful." Enjoying how Mic jumped and scrambled off the bar counter he had been sitting on, Shota watched as he turned around and gave a wide grin.

"Aw, hello there, baby. Don't get jealous, now, you know this is the best place to get word out - and I have a radio show to publicize now, you know!"

"And that involves tying up bartenders and terrorizing patrons, does it?" Shota looked to where the bartender and possible owner was indeed tied up and gagged, looking annoyed rather than scared.

"Only if they get in my way." Mic quickly dodged Shota's next lunge, grabbing an old, dented microphone and holding it out towards him. "Anything to say to my loyal listeners, hero?"

"Only that they should find a station that's actually decent," Shota snorted, watching as Mic clutched his heart and put on an exaggerated pout. "And that the kids who are listening to this trash need to turn it off and go to sleep."

"Aw, you do listen, then!" Mic's smile was the physical embodiment of sunshine and Shota almost wanted to squint his eyes at the sight of it. "Come on, baby, surely you want to give a few words of wisdom to my loyal listeners, here."

"If they're stupid enough to listen to this every week, then there's no wisdom in them at all." Snapping his scarf out, Shota smirked as it latched around Mic's arm, the man giving him a grin in return as he adjusted his headphones - the same ones that Shota had returned by throwing them in his face the next time they met after their fight at the radio station.

"Sorry, listeners, I have to send you all on a music break a little early. I have a hero to teach a lesson to." Mic twisted enough to loosen the scarf before kicking a loose bar stool towards Shota, the sudden action making him curse as he leapt out of the way. "See you next week, listeners!"

Shota wasn't sure how long they fought until he was kneeling down next to a wrapped-up Mic, the man pouting with crooked glasses and a few strands of hair falling out of that ridiculous style of his.

"You didn't say my name." Shota let Mic look confused until the man figured out his words - as Shota knew he would. Present Mic seemed to have the ridiculous talent of always knowing what Shota meant.

"Of course not," Mic tsked, shaking his head. "C'mon, Eraser." The tone switched to something teasing, Mic giving him a smirk. "It wouldn't be very nice of me to give out the name of an underground hero on a radio show, now would it?"

"Such a bad villain," Shota muttered back, propping his chin up on his palm as he balanced on the balls of his feet, trying to hide his small smile. Shota had never been wrong, at least, when he had first realized that Present Mic broke up his usual night time routine for something far more interesting.

"There's no need to go insulting me, hero," Mic said softly, voice quiet and warm as he gave Shota a smile that didn't seem faked or hidden behind too many secrets. "At least if I have to fight someone, it turned out to be you."

Staring down at the sweetly smiling villain known as Present Mic, Shota was realizing just how screwed he was.

::

"My, my, Present Mic, you have been difficult to get a hold of." At the average, friendly voice that wouldn't have ever stood out on its own, Shota suddenly knew that something was wrong. Looking up from where he had been filling out paperwork for the police station, Shota stared at the radio where it was tuned in to Mic's show.

"Oi, oi, of course I'm going to change numbers when some random person gets a hold of it!" Mic's voice was bright and cheerful and lightly scolding, but Shota could tell it was a front. Mic was worried or, at the very least, on edge.

"I take it our product hasn't been to your liking?" Product… Trigger. This had to be the man who had offered Mic the Trigger in the club - the polite one he had been talking about. "We do have others who detest the help themselves, I suppose."

"Hey, now, Present Mic works alone, you know! I'm not up for joining some little club when I've been doing just fine on my own!" As Mic talked, Shota dug around his papers and work until he found an old tape recorder, quickly turning it on and starting to record. This could be useful for the case, if nothing else.

"The way I hear it, Present Mic, you haven't been reaching your full potential. You've been in jail how many times this month alone? If you wish, I have associates who would be willing to help you finish dealing with your hero problem."

This wasn't just a Trigger dealer, then, but an entire operation of something that sounded far bigger. There had been an increase in villain activity over the last year or so… could this be a part of that?

"Jeez, you guys are really serious," Mic muttered, sounding curious, but slightly unsure - just how they would expect him to sound. "Oi, you said something about an offer to help me and all that. 'Shake the system of heroes and villains,' yeah?"

"Indeed. My associates and I are in your type of business, Present Mic. I, and others in my line of work, represent a group of people who are intent are dismantling the current system of pro heroes. It's really all quite messy, don't you think? To leave the safety up to people who only care about their rankings?"

"Well, now you're making sense!" Mic laughed, loud and dim and completely faked. "What kind of associates have you got? I might actually have to give that 'product' of yours a chance, now."

"Let's just say that we're a league onto our own." A league, huh… There was something dangerous rising up in the streets. "You still have my card. As I said before, this offer seems to appeal to you, doesn't it?" There was a click that let Shota know the man had ended the call on his end, the radio buzzing with quiet static before he heard a low chuckle from Mic.

"Interesting… Well, then?" Mic's voice was like a croon, low and deep and making Shota look to his radio out of instinct. "Did you get all that, hero?"

Fuck… Present Mic would have been a great hero.