Deika City(Long Story Short, I Joined A Cult)
"Since we're on a deadline, I'm reusing your mouthguard and the boots from your costume for Villain Day. Of course, you can change it if you don't like it, but you'd need to talk to a Support student about that shit. As for the actual costume, wear it and get used to it today. And I swear that if you rip my costume, I will send the entire Costume Department to hunt you down for sport." They threaten, shoving the case into his hands with a deathly serious expression.
Izuku shudders at the memory of Yanagi's threats, looking down at his silvery costume case with no small amount of trepidation. It had taken a moment to sink in, but he'd basically given them complete creative control over what he'd look like for at least a day, if not longer. Not knowing is making him nervous, but the thought of opening the case is making him nervous too.
What if he didn't like it? What if they'd made it a weird color? What if it didn't fit? What if it was never even made and Yanagi is messing with him?
He stops himself.
It's fine. Yanagi wouldn't do that to me...or at least, they wouldn't take it this far.
Besides, they'd been updating him(minus pictures, since they wanted it to be a complete surprise for him) on major points of the costume's construction and creation, along with a couple of sewing analogies and terminology he'd had to look up. So he's pretty sure that they actually made the costume.
You're overreacting.
The green haired boy grimaces and rubs his forehead, dispelling any doubtful thoughts. Yanagi is training to be a professional, and they wouldn't waste their precious time pranking someone like him.
Before he can think of any more horrible scenarios or outlandish situations, he flips open the latches and lifts up the lid.
He blinks.
Well, the color scheme is...sort of similar?
It's still green, red and black, but the white and blue gloves have been replaced by elbow length red and black gloves. Also, the green color has deepened into a forest green, so the black patterning along the sides doesn't stand out as much. He doesn't mind that, though. From what he remembers, darker colors have lower visibilities when you're moving at high speeds.
I'm an idiot for stressing about it so much.
Izuku sighs and shakes his head at himself. By now, the other boys were probably halfway to the training ground they were meeting on. Quickly, he reaches out and grabs the green jumpsuit—only to find a tiny piece of paper decorated with the number three pinned to the collar.
Oh, they need to be put on in a certain order.
After a few seconds of searching, he finds two articles of clothing that look like a two part bodysuit labelled 'one' and 'two'. He pulls them on, noting the ends of the leggings and shirt end in straps that connect them to his hands and feet. Next, he dons the sleeveless green jumpsuit with square black patterns on the sides and shoulders, noting the adjustable hems of his pants for later. When he turns it around, he notes that there is still a hood, though it doesn't appear to have any type of ears. He can feel some padding on it too, but not much. He'll need to talk to Mei about some type of body armor for his vital areas. The final pieces are the gloves, boots, mouthguard, and belt. All are donned easily, and once he's done lacing the boots, he takes a moment to use the limited space in the stall to move around a bit.
This feels really nice.
The green haired boy grins and flexes his hands, noting how the gloves are extremely soft inside and are just wide enough to conceal the power measuring bracelet on his wrist.
From the feel of everything, it's not all that different from his original costume, just has a darker color scheme and different material(that will hopefully not rip). He still isn't sure what the purpose of the two layers of suit is, but the black under bodysuit's fabric feels a lot different than the green jumpsuit.
Maybe it's some sort of armor? Would Kumo-sensei be able to make that? Well it is possible considering my Villain Day costume was—
"You done?" Hitoshi asks, knocking against the door.
He startles, head whipping towards the stall door.
"Y-Yeah! Give me a second!" Izuku rifles through his uniform, transferring everything to reinforced pockets(his only input on the new costume) before shoving the outfit into the costume case and flinging open the door.
Outside, Shouto and Eri are sitting on the benches in the middle of the lockers, talking quietly. Hitoshi is leaning against one, scrolling through his phone with a bored expression. Their heads all shoot up at his abrupt entrance, but he ignores this, rushing past them and stuffing the case into his locker and turning back to them.
"Sorry that took so long, I just commissioned a new costume and it took a while to figure out how to put it on."
Deathly silence.
"Dad, are we going to go to the dark room with a bunch of TV's?" Eri asks, sliding off of the bench and walking up to him.
"Actually, I think it's a different room today, but we're still going to be around the same people." He kneels down and adjusts the scarf around her neck as he speaks.
While Izuku is talking to Eri, Shouto is staring at a locker blankly, doing his best not to set himself and this entire locker room on fire. A small trickle of blood makes its way down his pink face.
Hitoshi is staring at Izuku's arms, a faint pink tinge to his cheeks as he watches the muscles flex underneath the fabric. He's quickly shaken out of it when he smells smoke, and looks over to see Shouto having a crisis, the left side of his body lightly smoking as he stares at the lockers.
I don't entirely blame him for that reaction this time.
"Are you sure everything is okay, Shouto? You're still smoking." Izuku asks, concern lacing his voice as they jog towards Ground Beta.
Shouto clears his throat awkwardly.
"I'm fine, Izuku." He looks away from the prying green eyes of his crush, pretending to admire the scenery.
Today is supposed to be another joint training session with 1-B, and apparently, it was all going to be on some sort of outdoor observation deck(a terrible idea, considering how many people's Quirks are affected by factors that are more easily controlled while in a building). Also, he's somewhat worried about Eri getting cold. Aizawa told him about it ahead of time, and he'd made sure to give her extra layers, but with how thin she still is, he's worried that it won't be warm enough.
As they're running, they spot the tops of tall buildings and several heads of hair walking at a leisurely pace. All three boys slow down once they come within earshot of the other people and after Hitoshi checks the time, decide to just walk the rest of the way.
"—excited to fight the girl with the vines, you know, Ibara? Her Quirk is so cool!"
"I wonder if she, like, waters the vines to keep them that long, or if they're just always that long." Denki says, fiddling with the zipper of his leather jacket.
I wonder if they have the needs of real vines, and she has to spend a certain amount of time taking care of them every day. That could be possible, but then I have to take into account the roots of her hair and what kind of nourishment her body has to provide for them to grow and maintain their length. She probably eats a lot of supplements. What if she got all of the vitamins she needs from the sun instead, like an actual plant? Does that make her entire body a mutation Quirk, then? No, she doesn't have roots—
"Izuku, you're going to walk into Kaminari if you're not careful." Hitoshi rests a hand on his shoulder, slowing his increasing pace and intense muttering.
The green haired boy blinks, slowing down and nodding as he shifts the little girl in his arms.
"Sorry, I just got a little carried away thinking about Ibara's Quirk." He smiles apologetically.
"The girl with vines for hair, right? Her Quirk is neat." Hitoshi responds, hands deep in his pockets as a gust of wind cuts through them and ruffles their hair.
Eri shivers slightly in his arms, and leans a little closer, making him frown.
I really should've given her more layers to wear.
"Doesn't she look a lot like Kamui Woods?" Shouto asks with a gleam in his eye, suddenly a lot more interested in the conversation.
"Shouto, we've been over this. Kamui Woods is twenty-seven, no way he could have a kid our age." Hitoshi groans.
I see he's witnessed some of Shouto's secret lovechild theory madness.
Izuku's lips twitch.
"You never know with genetics these days. Perhaps Kamui Woods simply sprouted to life one day at full maturity and decided to become a hero. It is plausible that she would be related to him in some way."
As his friends argue, they walk through the archway for Ground Beta. Almost instantly, his skin prickles, and he holds Eri a little closer, keeping a close eye on the cameras that swivel to keep track of their every step. He keeps a neutral expression despite the tightness of his chest and light shaking of his hands as he walks closer and closer to his former mentor.
All Might has backed off since Izuku had attempted to jump out of a very high window to escape him and Gran Torino. That being said, he's pretty sure that the only reason his boundaries are being respected is because Aizawa is enforcing them with the threat of revealing the Symbol of Peace's true form to someone who shouldn't see it. On top of that, every single time All Might gets close enough to attempt to talk to him, Shouto is there, glaring at the man until he retreats.
"Dad?"
The green haired boy startles, and looks down to the little girl in his arms, an attentive look replacing the blank look in his eyes.
"Yes?"
"Could I please have your gloves? My hands are cold..." She asks hesitantly, eyes darting around the fake city.
Izuku twitches.
I must've made her nervous.
Quietly, he moves her so he has a free arm and fishes his everyday red gloves out of his pockets. When he hands them to her, her eyes light up, and she quickly pulls them on.
I need to at least act calmer. Showing weakness will only make All Might more determined and keep Nezu interested.
The green haired boy takes a deep breath and forces himself to relax, eyes flickering to five distinctive landmarks in the fake city as he repeats reassurances to himself.
It's fine. Everything is okay. It's fine. Everything is okay.
During the last joint training session, Aizawa and Vlad were there to supervise and help with assessment. Hopefully, that's what's going to happen today, too.
Izuku lets out a sigh of relief when he spots both Vlad King and Aizawa standing next to All Might, all discussing something at the corner of the observation deck.
Both 1-A and 1-B are scattered across the deck as well, clearly still unfamiliar with each other. Though, some of the more social members of each class were starting to congregate, and that seemed to ease the tension...
Until Katsuki and the blonde from 1-B start yelling at each other.
The green haired boy sighs.
Some things never change.
"Dad! We're so high up! Do you think that I could touch clouds from here?" Eri asks, wiggling excitedly in his arms as she looks around with sparkling eyes.
He looks around, noting the distinct lack of clouds and how unphased she seems with the height.
Of course she's unphased, she's probably been through worse than being on top of a high building.
Colors flicker around him, but he forces down the power that thrums throughout his entire body in response to his anger and smiles as the colors die.
"I bet you could! What do you think clouds would feel like?" He asks, keeping half an eye on the other occupants of the rooftop.
"Fluffy and soft, like Hitoshi's favorite blanket!" She responds happily as he sets her down, allowing her to skip to the nearest edge and peer out on the fake city. His large gloves flop adorably on her small hands as she leans forwards a bit, clearly entirely unbothered by the height.
He stands close behind her, ready to pull her back from the edge at any second. His nerves are buzzing, but at least there are less cameras here than on the ground and floors leading up to this observation deck.
Looks like Hitoshi and Shouto are still arguing.
Though, others from both classes seem to have joined in on the argument, and while it seems friendly, Shouto is definitely determined to win this. Izuku can tell because he's pulled out his phone and is shoving it in Hitoshi's face pretty aggressively.
A smile tugs at his lips as he turns his attention back to Eri. She seems content where she is, and there's a small, quiet smile that only comes on her face when she reads to herself or talks about something she likes with him.
Wind whips through his hair, chilling his exposed, freckled cheeks. He rubs them absentmindedly, wondering if he should just go ahead and put it on. It helps when All Might stares at him too long, and it hides his expressions from others...
As he reaches up to pull it on, his phone rings.
He pauses.
That's the League's ringtone.
Ever since All Might and Gran Torino had chased him down in full view of several hundred cameras and Nezu didn't bother to do anything after he caused property damage. Even then, something about the rat was off in a way that made him want to avoid the rodent at all costs. Either way, he'd developed paranoia about someone sneaking through his personal belongings and taking something important. So he'd started carrying around all of the important things on his person, rather than leaving it unguarded in his room while he was distracted with class.
Hang on.
Why are they calling me? They usually call around nighttime or dusk, since that's when they're all awake.
"Midoriya! Your phone is ringing." Jirou calls, sounding annoyed by the loud sound.
Izuku frowns and plucks the phone out of his pocket. As he stares at the screen, something tingles in his gut, warning him that something isn't right.
He presses accept.
"Hello?"
"IZUKU! Thank god you— SCHLUCK —picked up!"
The green haired boy stiffens at the sounds of a large, angry crowd coming from the other side of the line, alarm bells going off in his head.
"Shuuichi, what's going on? Do I need to check the news?" Anxiety rises in his gut at his own words as he does his best to ignore his classmate's stares. There aren't many of them, but he has a feeling that the people that do hear this conversation will have some questions.
"—can't—NO! No, don't—WATCH OUT!" He twitches at the sound of a large explosion in the distance, sliding into a defensive posture at the urgent notes in Spinner's voice.
He's clearly distressed. Could that mission Magne have mentioned be going wrong? But how? Kurogiri is there.
"—need you—call Doctor—"
Doctor?!
"Is someone hurt?" He can't keep the alarm out of his tone this time, and Eri turns to face him with a curious expression on his face.
"Not yet—need—reinforcements—Jin—kidnapped—"
"What?!" Colors dance around him, but he barely notices, entirely occupied by the person on the other side of the line.
"—no time! They're trying to corner—CALL ZERO THREE FOUR SEVEN FIVE TWO NINE EIGHT SIX THREE—DON'T—"
The line cuts off, leaving Izuku standing there, phone in hand, with a blank expression on his face. His chest feels too tight and heavy and it's getting hard to breathe—SpinnerMagneHimikoDabiTomuraCompressTwiceTwiceTWICE—
With shaking hands, he dials the number Spinner screamed, praying that it was Kurogiri or the heroes or someone that could help them. Eri is watching him now, a confused expression on her face. The line rings, and by now, he notices just how bad his hands are shaking. He doesn't care, the world narrowed down to his held breath and the sound of the call.
Pick up, pick up pick uppickup—
Fresh and old emotions swirl in his chest, ones he ignores. He needs to get through to this 'Doctor', and now. The colors are flickering so violently that he can see afterimages of them hanging in the air despite the clear day.
Click.
"I'm very busy at the moment, and it's important I'm not disturbed, Tomur—"
"Where are they." He asks, tone flat and emotionless despite the colors flashing around him. Someone is talking to someone, and dimly, he registers someone calling his name.
"...Sensei...No, you...Who are you?"
The 'Doctor's' voice is sharp and prodding. They're clearly wary of him, but there's an underlying threat below the tone that might've made him shiver on any other day. Not today. His family is in danger, and he'd be damned if he didn't do anything to help them.
"Izuku Midoriya. Now, I don't know why Shuuichi gave me your number, but you're going to help them out and tell me exactly where they are." The 'or else' hangs in the air as One For All flickers for a moment, the buzzing in his veins ebbing before coming back full force.
"Ah, you're their little hero friend. Why should I listen to you? Yo—"
They're just dragging this out. People he cared about could be getting injured and even dying, and this asshole doctor was just dancing around the subject.
"You have thirty seconds to tell me where the fuck they are before I hand this phone to a pro and have them trace it to your location." He spits out the words, lightning sparking off of his skin in response to his anger.
There's another long pause, one that sets Izuku's teeth grinding.
"...I don't know where they are, exactly. However, I can send...someone to their last known location to check on them."
"That's not enough."
"Well that's all I can do at the moment."
The finality of the Doctor's tone is enough to know that Izuku won't be getting anything else out of this person.
Cheapskate bastard.
"Fine." He bites out, anger no less present. "But I want you to tell me their location once this person finds them."
"That won't be an issue."
Alarm bells go off in his head, and Danger Sense flares, but before he can react, something wells up in his throat, making him double over as oil colored slime bursts from his mouth and envelops his entire body.
The last thing he sees is Eri's horrified expression before everything goes dark.