Disclaimer: I own nothing
It was nice to be back in Japan. Izuku spent some time with Eri, which was always nice. She wasn't very dependent. She kept to herself and was just the type of silent company Izuku needed when he was tired or tried to be a good role model for Eri. He knew he wasn't the best as he taught Eri to swear. He figured she deserved to swear given all that she's seen. That and he felt like a piece of shit telling her not to swear when he swears so regularly. The only exception to his anti hypocrisy rule was when he told Eri not to drink, smoke, or do drugs. Soon he planned on leaving Japan again. He wanted to go to Texas to look for the cowboy who's been shooting at criminals down there. But before he went back to the U.S. to look for some vigilante he might not even find, he was going to be on Present Mic's podcast. Giran had set it all up for him. He was going there tonight. He was just staring in the closet and trying on outfits.
"You still can't decide what to wear?" asks Toga.
"No, I don't much mind looking ratty on a small stage in front of a small crowd. I'm gonna be on the biggest podcast in the world tonight. I want to look nice." says Izuku.
"Wear your suit." says Toga.
"Present Mic met Ketsueki. He'd probably recognize me." says Izuku.
"What if you looked ratty on purpose?" asks Toga.
"... what do you have in mind?" asks Izuku.
"Don't wear a shirt. Show of your tattoos. Maybe wear a jacket but leave it open. You can control the way your hair grows right?" asks Toga.
"Yeah." replies Izuku.
"Keep the hair long and grow some on your chest and belly." says Toga.
"Okay, I'm not sure but I'll try." says Izuku as he grows out his body hair, he doesn't need to take a shirt off to show Toga he wasn't wearing one to begin with.
"I think… you're good. But you should wear a jacket. Luckily I went out and stole one just for this." says Toga.
"Wow thanks." replies Izuku.
Toga gives him a varsity jacket with no markings.
"Huh I like it but aren't varsity jackets usually a darker color like black or blue?" asks Izuku.
"What's wrong with pink?" asks Toga.
"Nothing. I like it. I'll wear it. Should I wear my studs?" asks Izuku.
"Yeah, the jade ones complement your eyes and hair." says Toga.
"Yeah, I'll go with those and I'll wear blue jeans with my signature red shoes." says Izuku.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" asks Toga.
"What do you mean?" asks Izuku.
"For the podcast, what are you going to talk about?" asks Toga.
"I don't know. I think it's like an interview. I'll just answer his questions and try to make myself look good. I don't want to lie though." says Izuku.
"Why not?" asks Toga.
"There are tons of fake people in the world. I wanna be a real one." replies Izuku.
"Good luck with that, I'm just gonna keep being fake." says Toga.
"Yeah, but you're fake in the real way." says Izuku, "Alright I'm gonna go clean myself up."
After a relaxing bath Izuku hung out around the house until he had to go to Mics hero agency where the podcast is made. Time passed by quicker than he liked it too. As he drove over to Mics he was nervous about going on the show. Second guessing his lack of shirt. He'd have to trust Toga. She was pretty good with these things. It was kinda funny to think about not too long ago he was jumping through windows chasing criminals but coming onto a podcast spooks him. It was time to stop pursuing that train of thought he was here. He should probably leave his gun and his knife in the car. The show comes on at seven so he came over at six thirty. He went into the agency. He'd never been into Mics agency but it was like most other agencies he'd been in. Except the second floor was sound proof for Mic's show. It was actually smaller than most agencies he'd seen come to think of it. A little while later he was sitting at the table where Mic hosts his podcast waiting for Mic to show up. When Mic showed up the spoke for a little while. It was just small talk. The real conversation was going to wait until the show, was kind of nervous wondering if Mic would recognize him or find his lack of shirt weird. He normally takes Toga's advice but this felt like a misstep. Especially with how skinny he's gotten since he became a vampire. His stomach sunk inwards but his chest puffed out with muscles. It didn't make his chest look bigger, it just made his stomach look smaller. Well he didn't have time to change the show was starting.
"Hello listeners. It's ya boy Present Mic with another episode of the Mic-cast. The only podcast ran by Present Mic. We have a very special guest today. A local musician named Izuku Midoriya. He's not super popular but I know talent when I see it." says Present Mic.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." says Izuku into the microphone provided for him.
"So for the most part you do covers of old songs from before quirks existed and sort of bring them back, which I like, but what I'm really interested in are your originals. You've only done one of them but I think it's my favorite song you've sang. I've gotta ask if you'll be doing more." says Present Mic.
"I've been writing a couple of songs. Some of them are done some don't feel quite right. I plan on showing them off, but I'd like to do it live on a stage. Most of my music is either online or played in bars. I'd like to get a crowd going before I show off more of my originals." says Izuku.
"Well as a fan I can't wait to hear more of your music." says Present Mic.
"As a fan of yours I'm glad to hear you're a fan of mine." replies Izuku.
"Oh you're a fan of mine." says Present Mic.
"Yeah, you're easily one of my favorite heroes right up there with fat gum,hawks, and Miruko."
"What about me puts me so high on your list?" asks Present Mic.
"I love the persona you put out for people to see. Usually I hate people that don't act the way they they really are, they feel fake. And like yeah you have a persona but it still feels authentic to you. like it's not an active choice you just slip into the role. " says Izuku.
"Well that's nice of you to say. Have you considered becoming a hero yourself?" asks Present Mic.
"I have and I sort of still do but I'm losing interest I guess." says Izuku.
"You'd rather make a living off of the music right?" asks Present.
"That's not it, cuz you juggle like four different jobs. I could manage two jobs. When I say I'm losing interest what I really mean is I'm losing faith. I think." says Izuku.
"Why's that?" asks Present Mic.
"Heroism is a beautiful idea when I think about it. It really is. When you put it into practice it falls apart. I really don't think heroes and heroism should be glorified." says Izuku.
"You don't think putting your life on the line for others should be praised?" asks Present Mic.
"I think it should be praised, naturally. I don't think heroism or heroes should be glorified when they should be normalized. I shouldn't have to wear a cape and spandex to save people." says Izuku before looking down at his bare and slightly hairy chest, "Hell I could do it shirtless."
"That's actually a really interesting train of thought. I'd like to pursue that, keep talking about heroism." says Present Mic.
"Anybody can be a hero in any way they chose. You want to be a licensed hero and save lives go for it. You want to be a cop and chase criminals go for it. You want to be a doctor and keep people in good health go for it. You want to be a family man and make sure your child lives a happy, healthy life go for it. You want to be a soldier and keep your country and fellow countrymen safe go for it. Heroism isn't a cookie cutter idealism. It can take all sorts of shapes, none lesser than the other. Anybody can be a hero in any way. Physical ability doesn't have any bearing on it either. Quirks don't have any bearing on it. A couple months back a classmate of mine was getting choked out by a villain. I ran in and I got him out of there. I did it all quirkless. Sure I was put in the hospital for a while but I'm still here, I'm still breathing. You can't really tell because I put concealer over all of my scars but that fight messed me up. I was in a coma for a while. If you asked me if I'd do it again, I'd say yes. I don't even like the classmate he's a bitch, But I'd do it again a hundred times over." says Izuku.
"Wow I was expecting to talk about music when I brought you on here but this ended up becoming an in depth discussion on the idea of a hero." says Present Mic.
"... We can talk about music if you want to." says Izuku.
"No, no. This is actually kind of nice. As a licensed hero I think there is always going to be some disconnect between me and people in other lines of work when it comes to my job. It's really interesting to hear what other people have to say." says Present Mic.
"I'm glad you're enjoying our conversation." says Izuku.
"So you mentioned that you're quirkless." says Present Mic.
"And damn proud of it." replies Izuku to which Mic smiles.
"Do you think people treat you differently because of it?" asks Present Mic.
"People treat anyone different for anything, but I've noticed people tend to treat me like I'm fragile. The ones who treat me like I'm fragile are the ones who's asses I could kick. The ones who treat me like shit are usually the ones that are a little stronger. I like to think of myself as a real tough guy who wins lots of fights. Which is true but I lose pretty often too." says Izuku.
"You get into fights often?" asks Present Mic.
"Yeah, but I've been cutting classes a lot recently. Can't mess with me if I'm not there. I hope my mom doesn't listen to this. If she does I'm still a straight A student I just don't go to class. I get my work done, I swear." says Izuku.
"So you're a straight A student... I know you're unsure about being a hero but U.A. has a good general ed course if you're interested. You should be fine but you can't get into any fights on or off campus while attending U.A. If you'd like I could recommend you to the principle." says Present Mic.
"I'll think about it. I've considered attending Shiketsu but I've heard they're real strict. I'm not the best when it comes to stuff like that." says Izuku.
"You seem like a good kid, you seem passionate. I've always believed that passion was what drove my career as a hero and as a teacher. If you choose to go to U.A. I'd gladly put in a good word for you." says Present Mic.
"I appreciate it. I really do. What was U.A. like when you went there?" asks Izuku.
"I had a good time. My friend group was pretty small but it was really tight. Two of the people I hung around with ended up being teachers with me." says Present Mic.
"That's real nice." replies Izuku, the conversation was starting to slow down, they were kind of out of things to talk about this. Maybe the show would end soon?
"Well I'm sorry to tell you this my lovely listeners and wonderful guest but it is now eight and it is time for the show to end. I wish you all the best. Have a great life and I'll see all of you again next week." says Present Mic.
Wow that hour went by quickly. That was actually kinda fun. Mic was a super cool dude to talk with. Izuku thinks he'd be really fun to talk to even if he wasn't doing it for the show.
"Hey I really enjoyed talking with you. You brought up a lot of really good points. Most people I bring on here don't talk about the hero system. The ones that do don't really say much or they don't say anything smart. You've clearly put a lot of thought into this. If you do pursue heroics I'd take you as a sidekick. I've never had a guest ballsy enough to take a shot at the hero system. Atta way big man. Hey here's my number. If you're down to talk again just call me." says present Mic.
"For sure man. I'll keep in touch." says Izuku.
Present Mic only knew the number of Ketsuiki's burner phone so Izuku could talk with him without worrying. The phone Izuku uses for everything he does as Ketsueki is untrackable. There really are quirks for everything these days.
"See you around." says Present Mic.
"Yeah, I'll text you later." says Izuku.
'Nice kid.' thinks Present Mic.
Izuku didn't quite know it at the time but this episode of the podcast was gonna blow up. People with no quirks or just weak quirks were able to relate to Izuku a little. Some would take inspiration from what he said and become better because of it. It was a pretty fun night. Looking back on a lot of things Present Mic definitely was his favorite hero.
Authors Note
I am actually pretty happy with the way this chapter turned out. Especially because I rushed this so much. I normally space out my writing so I can work on it throughout the week. I wrote basically the whole chapter today,all of it except for about three hundred words, which I think is sort of neat. My back is starting to get sore from hunching over my lap top. I don't want to get up until I hit three thousand words. Maybe trying to force a certain amount of words onto each chapter is stupid. Maybe I should just write until it feels complete and call it a day. Never mind I hit three thousand words. Now onto my actual notes. This chapter felt like filler while I was writing it. I tried to have Izuku really show some of his colors and ideas in this chapter. Izuku doesn't like opening up or really talking with someone so he normally stays colorless or pale. I'd like to build up on his character by having his colors shine through from time to time. Not enough to tell you everything but enough to put it out there for any one who thinks about it. They way I describe my writing makes it seem a lot better than it is. Although I still think what I say is true to an extent.
Next Chapter is going to follow Izuku going out to Texas and show Izuku meeting with another vigilante. The one based on Arthur Morgan and John Marston from read dead redemption. He's also going to visit Hisashi's brother. I might have him work on his uncles ranch a little bit. I think that would be pretty neat. I don't want everything in the story to be just super exciting cool stuff, I want a level of monotony in Izuku's life where he can really rest. Even if he is working it's still a rest of sorts. So that's the basic layout for the next couple of chapters. Also the Vigilante Izuku is looking for is gonna be a cowboy so could you guys give me some cool cowboy sounding names. If so that'd be pretty cool. Cowboys are super cool. I like them a lot.
one quick thing I can't get out of my head. Hisashi is a Japanese American. He's from Texas so he has a southern accent. Izuku learned bits and pieces of English from Hisashi so Izuku speaks English with a southern accent because he thinks that's how you're supposed to do it. None of the Johnsons asked about the accent because they thought that it was pretty cool.
James Birdsong: I'm super glad you like it dude. I really like writing it. I get really focused and spaced out when I write but it still manages to feel pretty good. I'm gonna try to keep the tale nice.