Chapter Eighteen: Late Night Chat

Keigo liked his ancient laptop. At least, he liked the fact that the laptop looked old—he was pretty sure if it was a good fifty years old—not from the dawn of the technology Spike, but, still pretty old. However, it wasn't old. One late evening, a year or so ago, he'd been extremely bored, and decided to retrofit all the parts from a newer laptop, into an older husk. He'd wasted a considerable amount of time and a lot more money than his frugalness usually tolerated, but the whole adventure had kept him entertained for a few weeks.

And the result had been—in his personal opinion—a very interesting, unique laptop of his own.

It was annoyingly heavy though, at least compared to the sleeker, basically weightless designs on the current market. It was more an issue when it came to weight restrictions for long flights. He always had to remember the laptop was about six kilograms, so if he had work to do, and he had to take it, something else in their gear usually had to be sacrificed. Rilo was getting pretty good at learning to live with a more minimalist outlook.

He glanced down at the Endeavour slippers he was now wearing.

Well—

Not when it came to hero merch.

Oh—it really wasn't just hero merch. It was cute advertising in general she liked. She liked raspberry cola because of the pink cherry blossoms on the can, she liked one brand of tampons because it had duckies on the box—even though it cost him a hundred yen more than the plain packaging box. Strawberry pudding was better than chocolate, not because of taste—chocolate tasted better—but strawberry pudding was pink, therefore, it was cuter.

She saw the world completely differently than the monochrome tone he'd tended to view it in, and gods—did he love that. Even now, she was still trying to hold onto that colour, even though he knew she was in pain, and the pain eroded the rainbow her prism cast.

"Um…Hawks…"

Keigo stirred. Shifting in his seat at the kitchen table. Oh—right—he was awake—he was totally awake—

He groggily peered over the top of his laptop, watching as Izuku padded quietly into the living room, hugging his own laptop and notebooks to his chest. The teen glanced briefly at Rilo, tucked up on the futon on the floor, before hesitantly looking back at him.

Keigo heaved himself out of his seat, staggering just slightly as he forgot to compensate for the weight of his loose wings. Oh—shite—he was tired—

He gave a soft laugh, holding the table as support.

"Okay, what was that?" Izuku asked.

"That was me forgetting to pick up my wings because I'm tired. It's like deadlifting a hundred kilograms by accident."

"You can forget? That you have wings?"

"They're basically limbs, Izuku. They fall asleep too. They're a normal part of my body…it's very weird when I lose them. It's like, they're there, but they're not…oddest sensation." Keigo headed for the coffee pot, putting it back to boil. "Can't sleep?" he asked.

Izuku shook his head.

"It is a real bluster out there." Keigo turned to the glass balcony doors. Every so often they rattled against the force of the wind. Rain clawed at the glass, fighting to get in. If the storm lasted into tomorrow, they were going to end up stuck in Mustafa—Bubbles would not be pleased—but more over—

Keigo glanced to Rilo.

This was the first time they faced the issue of not making it back to the powerplant by Monday morning. The irony them getting stuck at the one time when neither of them wanted to return—but they had too. There was a possibility they'd simply have to fly through the storm. What was fate trying to tell him? What where his wings trying to say?

Stay here—

Safe—

Or return—

Danger—

He really hoped the storm eased off in the early morning hours. He'd manage the storm himself, but, carrying Rilo through a storm—especially with her deteriorating health—wasn't ideal.

He frowned.

Wait—

Was that—

The point?

"Um…can I…can I…work with you?" Izuku asked,

Keigo startled. Oh—right—Izuku—Izuku was here.

"Sure, ah. Yeah. Yeah." Keigo poured himself another coffee. "I won't turn down the company."

He eased back into his seat as Izuku flopped his work across the table.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"Exam study." Izuku grumbled.

"Ah. Yes, of course, almost the end of the school year. Sucks to be you."

Izuku stuck out his tongue.

"Just think, next year is all about focusing on getting into U.A." Hawks sunk back in his chair, sipping his coffee. "These exams are just a steppingstone to greater things."

"I still have to pass them."

"Oh please." Keigo scoffed, grabbing one of the workbooks. "You could do this with your eyes closed. Stop thinking you're an idiot. You've memorised all those hero workbooks I've given you, so what is a little schoolwork." He flipped through the book, scanning each page briefly, absorbing the information, and tossing to the next.

"No, see, I can't do that." Izuku protested. "You just look at a page and somehow seem to understand everything. How do you read so fast, is it part of your quirk?"

"While my quirk does give me increased processing skills, I could have squandered it and not learnt how to use it." Keigo turned the workbook back around, snatching for a highlighter from Izuku's pencil-case. He began highlighting select sentences. "The key is to learn how to find the important sentences in a paragraph, eliminate everything else, and then move on. It is highly likely you'll end up with just as fast a processing skill as I have once you inherit All-Might's quirk. Stop thinking of yourself as an idiot. You're extremely brilliant already, you just need to apply yourself."

Izuku sunk low in his chair, until just his nose touched the table. "Kacchan is smarter."

"Then be an arsehole about it and beat him in the exams, just for the fun of it. Do something wild. Be a little brat back at him. And then, when you get your results, look at him with that unbearably innocent expression of yours, raise your middle-finger and say, 'Fuck you.'" Keigo turned back to the email he had been writing, chasing up Mt. Lady about a possible catchup.

Izuku snorted. "Mum would kill me."

"But it would be worth it." Keigo muttered into his mug. "So worth it."

"Yeah…it kind of would be. Okay. I'll do it!"

"Whoo yeah, I am so going to be killed by Mum." Keigo grinned.

"She'll slipper slap you for sure." Izuku sat up in his chair again.

Keigo tipped his head. "Never been slipper slapped. Is it some sort of ancient ritual of mothers?"

Izuku laughed. "I'll just let this one play out. I want to see your expression when she does it someday."

"Hm. You're a lark." Keigo stared down into his empty mug. Now—how had he—how was it empty so fast? Oh well. That just meant more coffee. He summoned the entire coffee pot with a feather, grabbing it from the air to neatly pour out the still warm liquid.

Izuku propped up his head on his hands. "How do you drink so much coffee?"

"Really? I'd have thought you'd have figured that out." Keigo tucked a knee tight to his chest, tipping the chair back lazily. "With your keen interest in quirks."

Izuku frowned thoughtfully.

"Want a clue?"

"Okay."

"Since meeting Rilo, I haven't had to physically force myself to eat. I have begun to enjoy eating, as it is no longer wholly linked to my quirk's functionality."

Izuku blinked slowly. "Oh. It's your metabolism! Right, because you burn things like fuel, that's why Rilo's quirk is compatible with yours, she's a generator."

Keigo pointed a finger at him. "Yep."

"So you just metabolise coffee fast, that's it, that's the secret." Izuku pouted.

"Yep. That's it." He held out his mug. "I can metabolise most foreign drug substances within an hour or two, and that's if I haven't encountered it before. Something like coffee…it's become more just comfort really. Pretty sure it doesn't do anything, but I think it does, so…that's the important thing. It's all in the mind." He whispered conspiratorially, making Izuku giggle.

Keigo placed his mug down and frowned. "I don't like certain painkillers though." He motioned to Rilo on the futon by the couches. "I've got Rilo on some pretty hefty ones, things you wouldn't be able to get if you weren't a hero."

Izuku nodded. "I read about that in one of the workbooks, ah, I think medical stuff is covered in the last year at U.A."

"Hm, only the last year. That's not good. It should start sooner." Keigo dropped his head back. "There seriously needs to be more medi-heroes." He rubbed at his eyes wearily. "Anyway, for some reason, I've never tolerated anything that messes with my ability to process my senses. I can't even tolerate alcohol, despite metabolising it rather quickly."

Izuku looked up from scrawling in his notebook. "Do you think it's because you can't really turn your sense quirk off?"

"Hm, could be." Keigo shrugged. "Could also be an issue with how drugs interfere with the telepathy that links my feathers, and then, if I'm given any sort of painkillers, that dulls all my nerves, so, I feel very…disorientated."

He flashed a grin. "On the plus side, I can eat a lot of pudding."

Izuku echoed his grin. "That was really good pudding we had for dessert."

"I know. I was very impressed with myself." Keigo glanced over at Rilo tucked up beneath the duvets. "And it was good, seeing her smile."

"Um. Hawks. Is it…is it bad? What's happening with you and Rilo."

Keigo sighed. "It is, but I also can't really explain it to you, Izuku. I'm having trouble processing it myself, and that's a new thing for me to deal with. I need a bit of time to sort my head space out…but…there isn't time…so…so…Rilo and I are just—"

"Not giving a fuck?" Izuku quipped.

"Okay, so, one, don't swear around Mum. I will get that slipper slap. And two…" Keigo tipped his mug at him. "That. We're doing that. At least, until tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?"

"That was our joint decision. We'd not give a fuck for a week, then, after that…well…haven't thought that far, cause it's not tomorrow morning yet, is it?" He glanced at his watch. "Nope. It's not."

Izuku sighed. "I just…I feel so useless. I can't help you."

"Oh, kiddo, don't put that weight on your shoulders, okay. Rilo and I will be fine."

"But you're both hurting, so much, and I can't do anything to make it stop."

Keigo hooked a knee under his chin. "Gosh, you're something, Izuku. I wish others had an ounce of the empathy you have, then maybe our shite society wouldn't be so shite."

Izuku pointed his pen at Keigo suddenly. "Okay. That, right there. Why…why is society so shit? I mean, from my point of view, sure, I got treated a bit bad for not having a quirk, but—I could cope—you cope—and we've got heroes who protect us. We can walk the streets knowing we're safe—"

"So, you walk outside, thinking…feeling…that you're safe?"

"Well, yeah."

Keigo leant forward, tilting his head to one side. "Izuku…what you are feeling is a very thin façade, carefully constructed around you, to make you think that the world you currently live within is perfectly fine."

Izuku's face began to pale, brightening his freckles.

"We heroes are part of that illusion. We are nothing more than puppets to those who rule behind the veneer."

"Rule…behind a veneer…" Izuku glanced hesitantly over to Rilo, still tucked up in the pile of blankets. "Who? Who, Hawks, who are you talking about?"

"You sure you really want the illusion broken, Izuku."

That fierce determination only clarified in the boy. "Yes. Of course, I'm going to be your apprentice, and All-Might's successor, I don't want you shielding me from anything."

Keigo sighed heavily, dragging his hands through his hair.

"Alright, well, where do you think those in our society who are quirk-less find their employment? In what areas do you think they'd most heavily populate?"

Izuku frowned at the seemingly off-topic question. "Well…everyone always told me to aim for the police force."

"Yep. That's one of the areas." Keigo tapped a pen on the table. "Overall, most quirk-less members of our society find employment in government run agencies. From the tippy-top down, all decisions about how our society runs, is entirely dictated by those who do not have quirks."

"But the Prime Minster has a quirk."

"Doesn't matter." Keigo shook his head. "I can assure you; the Prime Minster is little more than a figurehead and a mouthpiece."

Izuku sunk low in his seat. "Well…this sucks…"

Keigo leant forward. "I donno, you currently don't have a quirk. You could join the ranks of these powerful overlords. I could even introduce you to Madam, and you could stand alongside the True Lasting Humans…or something…something…I donno…" he tossed his hand about flippantly. "I get lost on their rhetoric." Keigo flopped back, straining his wings in a stretch. "Gods, can you imagine, a whole bunch of arsehats once got together, several hundred years ago, and just…decided…nah…we're superior because we're like…original or some shite. So, because of that, we're going to fucking run everything, so that nothing changes and technology remains stagnated...and here we are today…stuck in this slowly degenerating society that can't even cure cancer, but can fucking heal bones in an instant."

Izuku blinked rapidly.

"Oh."

"Yes. Oh."

"I never…I never thought of that."

"Why, Izuku, are there illness out there, that are still so bad…when we are quirks that can manipulate cell structures, or weave nerves…hell…Rilo's quirk alone has momentous opportunities to expand the human race, we've called her a generator, because that's what she does, but technically her quirk falls under electromagnokinesis."

"I've never heard of that quirk."

"No, I doubt you would have, but, if given the proper training, her quirk category could fly aeroplanes without the need for fuel, or, they could launch fucking rockets into space." Keigo slapped his hands together. "Skies the limit, really, when it comes to quirks. We've just not been allowed to think outside the 'normal' box."

"Do you really think it's made that much of a difference."

"I really do." Keigo looked over at Rilo. "Take the quirk compatibility issue Rilo and I have run into. There are no public records of the electricity class that Rilo falls under, hence why you've never come across it. They don't seem to exist. Until All-Might started going back, like, way back…hundreds of years, to the emergence of quirks, and there they were. Then. Gone. No records. World-wide."

"World-wide?" Izuku whispered in horror.

"World-wide." Keigo spread his hands. "Oh, this went global, it solved an energy crisis problem, apparently."

"An energy crisis problem?" Izuku made a face. "There was an energy crisis problem?"

"I know, right. Crazy. The oldest records I've found talk about the planet heating up…cause of an issue with pollutions in the atmosphere or some tripe." Keigo tapped his mug to his chin. "Ah. I think they called it Global Warming. It was a long arse time ago. The records are really vague. Been a view Upheavals since then. But…basically…there was a push to try and find other sources of power generation that wouldn't pollute the atmosphere." Keigo pointed to the ceiling with his mug. "Which…I presume worked, because we're all here, and not dead. It's just, that solution happened to be fucking insane and inhumane."

"Wait…wait…wait…" Izuku held out his hands. "You're telling me, when quirks first emerged, and electrical type quirks were found, the first thing that popped into someone's mind was…let's use this person as an energy source."

"Ah, well, I wasn't there, so I can't claim to know history."

"But that's probably what happened."

"Probably."

Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose, heaving out a hiss of air. "I don't care how bad some energy crisis was getting, that's not how you treat people."

"Okay." Keigo shuffled about in his chair. "So, your mistake is that you're assuming this ancient quirk-less society thought of those with quirks as human…actually…the term 'quirk' is a relatively new term, if we're going by historical standards."

"It is?" Izuku sat forward.

"Yeah." Keigo tucked his knees up, swinging back on his chair. "Have you ever heard the term, 'The Mother of Quirks'?"

"Um…wasn't she the woman who gave birth to the glowing baby?"

"Ah, a common misconception. She was not." Keigo shook his head. "She is the woman who is widely regarded as the one who originated the term 'quirk' when referencing the emergence of Meta Abilities in Humans. She had a son, during the age when meta-abilities were still uncommon enough to cause extreme prejudice, and she made a plea about how the meta-ability was simply…a quirk." He flipped his hand about. "Overtime the True Human's sought to regulate the growing increase of meta-humans, that's when we really started to see the suppression, and separation, in our society…and thus…the façade."

Izuku rubbed wearily at his eyes. Groaning. "Why is there even an us. Vs. them mentality to all this…it feels wrong."

"It feels wrong to you, Izuku, because you're a very kind person." Keigo fought back a yawn. "Throughout history, humans have treated each other with utter disregard. This does not change. This repeats. We do not learn. We are a species with a very short memory span. We may evolve, but we never learn."

"So…what…we don't even bother trying to fix any of it."

"We try to fix our time, and make the most of the time given to us, and hope that what we do is enough to shape the future for our children. That's it, that's all we can do."

"I don't get it, Hawks. How can the quirk-less even be in power. Look at you…" Izuku held out a hand. "You're…well…"

"Madam called us gods."

"Gods?"

"She thinks its poetic or some shite. Like, we're shackled gods, and they're the mortals who gained power…or some delusion like that."

"I think she's scary." Izuku whispered.

"You'll meet her, someday." Keigo sighed. "It is unfortunate, but you'll have too."

Izuku curled his shoulders. "She doesn't know about One for All, does she?"

"Oh, no." Keigo shook his head. "You small remain a Little Secret, even from her."

"Oh. Oh good."

"As for how the quirk-less hold their power…well…it was explained to me, when I was younger and began to question it all, that it was a way to even out the power disparity." Keigo held out his hands in a scale. "After all, those without quirks would indeed struggle to hold their own against those with quirks. You know this only too well, yes?"

Izuku nodded.

"Therefore, the minority needed to hold the position of…" he tapped the tabletop, fishing for the right word. "Supremacy, no, nope…influence, yep, influence, that's the much better word."

"Influence…" Izuku murmured.

"Yes, influence." Keigo nodded. "Slowly, over time, the quirk-less have simply infiltrated and gained influence where it truly matters. They have established themselves, over generations, and to uproot them now, would take an enormous Upheaval." Keigo heaved himself out of his chair, heading back to the kitchen to boil the coffee pot again.

"Lets swing back around to the concept of Pro Heroes themselves and the façade of safety they bring to our society. Professional Heroes were built entirely by, and built for, those without quirks to exert control." Keigo leant back on the kitchen counter. "The Heroes Public Safety Commission is nothing more than a face to an organisation that seeks to manage and maintain a hold on the most powerful quirk users of each generation—and if anyone breaks out of the mould—then, well, they are dealt with."

"Dealt with?"

"Yes. Dealt with." Keigo shrugged. "Usually with a feather, straight through the skull."

"Oh." Izuku popped his lips. "Right."

"I was made to be a weapon for the quirk-less powerhouses that shape our country." Keigo slouched back into his chair. "And you know, I could have lived with that…but then…" he glanced over at Rilo. "I caught a lightbulb before it could shatter, and found a whole torture ring buried deep down in the depths of civilization."

He sipped his coffee. "You don't turn away from that. You just don't."

"I won't turn away either, Hawks." Izuku lifted himself up in his chair.

"I know you won't, Izuku." Keigo shifted his gaze to the glass balcony doors, into the storm. "To be honest, Izuku…our oppressors are afraid, because they know, in the long run, it is only a matter of time. Perhaps not this generation, perhaps not the next, or maybe not even in a hundred years—but eventually—Meta-Human's will become the dominate species of not just this planet, but others too."

"Other planets?"

"Why do you think sludge quirks emerge? Maybe those humans aren't meant for this planet anymore. What about quirks that are capable of altering the very atmosphere, or those that can aid in plant growth. Hell—we've got terra-forming right there. What if the True Humans, by suppressing quirk society, have suppressed our ability to expand and grow in ways we could never have imagined possible. Imagine if we no longer had those shackles, Izuku."

Izuku smiled. "We could go into space."

"We could fly anywhere. We're heroes."

"It's nice…" Izuku rested his chin on his hands. "To dream."

"It is." Keigo sipped his coffee. "It really, really is."

"Can I have some coffee." Izuku asked.

Keigo snorted into his mug. "Feel free to murder yourself for school tomorrow. Ain't my problem."

Izuku shuffled off his chair and headed into the kitchen.

"Do you add milk to it?" he asked.

"I suggest you do." Keigo quipped.

A moment later, the kid returned, nursing his own All-Might themed mug. Keigo chuckled. "I gather you're rather happy with Rilo's gift."

"She's given me her whole All-Might mug collection!" Izuku gushed. "Have you any idea how rare the entire full set is. I can't believe she found the last one in Tokyo and finished the collection…and decided to give them all to me."

"She is very fond of you." Keigo smiled. "She's never had family, well, neither of us have really, but, she likes sharing something with you."

"I like having family too." Izuku whispered into the mug.

"Okay." Keigo leant over, fishing around in the gym bag by his seat. "Then I think it might be about time I gave this too you…oh…there it is…" He tugged out a small book, wrapped up in a protective plastic sleeve and several rubber bands.

Izuku placed his mug down, watching curiously as Keigo freed the book from the plastic and held it out to him.

"Here you go."

Izuku hesitated.

"Um. It looks kind of old."

"It's okay. You can take it." Keigo insisted.

Carefully Izuku accepted the small, old book, running his fingers over the faded, embossed title imprinted into the leather. "The Avian Aviator's Guide to a Good Life?" He looked up at Keigo.

"Yup."

"But…I'm not an avian, nor am I an aviator."

"These things are, indeed, true." Keigo chuckled. "But that doesn't mean you won't get anything out of this little nugget of ancient quirk journalling. The info in that little book has been passed down through generations of avian aviators. It finally got compiled into that little thing."

He watched as Izuku's chest expanded with excitement at the prospect of a whole book full of quirk secrets. A whole book written from the perspective of generations of similar quirk users, for the soul purpose of passing that information down. It was a rather fascinating thing, and he'd fully expected the kid to understand just how amazing of a little book it was.

"Usually avian aviators have pretty tight-knit family units." Keigo shifted about, his wings fluffing up. "Not sure if it's a biological component to our quirks, but it most likely is an innate tendency to flock together. Due to this, most of our traditions tend to get passed down orally."

"I had no idea that quirk categories even had traditions, or…families…or…history…" Izuku frowned, looking over at his school workbooks with great dissatisfaction.

"We are our history." Keigo tapped his mug. "It's always good to know where we came from, and how we got to where we are. Sadly, whatever history my family had, has very much ended with me."

"Why?"

"Well, my father wasn't one to pass on knowelage, if he had any to begin with." Keigo sighed, leaning heavily on the table. "So I had to seek out my own path, and make my own history. If I didn't know who, or what I was, then I simply had to create that person until they were me, and I was them."

Izuku nodded slowly.

"So it's okay, Izuku." Keigo offered. "You don't have to feel like you know exactly who you are right now. I'm pretty sure, even in ten years' time, I'm still going to be figuring it out myself. Hopefully by then, Rilo and I will have like, a kid or two, and you'll be a Pro Hero, and I can fucking retire and stop abusing my knees."

Izuku held the book tightly. "Thanks Hawks…I…I…I'm so glad…I'm really…I'm really glad you…you said yes to training me…"

"Hey, it's okay, Baby Birdie." Keigo eased out of his seat, coming to kneel beside Izuku. "Did I overwhelm you with all my doomsday talk?"

"No." Izuku shook his head. "Actually, it's something really silly."

"Nothing is silly, Izuku."

"Could All-Might and Mum have a kid?" Izuku blurted the sentence out in a rush.

Keigo choked on air. He almost toppled over, forced to grab Izuku's chair to steady himself as he struggled to breathe.

Izuku pouted. "I'm being really serious, Hawks."

"Oh, I know you are." Keigo clutched at his aching chest.

Wow—that was—wow—he had not been expecting that question to hit him—ever—that was worse than getting punched by a villain.

"Okay. Okay. I'm fine. I'm good."

Izuku frowned. "Is it…could they?"

"Well…Izuku…technically, the answer is yes, but—" Keigo held out a hand. "This is really something you need to bring to them."

"What, no. Ew. I am so not talking to All-Might and Mum about any of this. Hawks…" Izuku grabbed his arms, shaking him. "All-Might is dating my Mum. Do you not see how insane that is. He is All-Might, and she is my Mum."

"Okay. Let's break this down." Keigo took the hand that gripped his arm, giving it a firm squeeze. "Are you feeling all wound up because it's All-Might, or do you think you'd feel this way if your Mum started dating anyone."

Izuku looked down at his All-Might slippers.

"I think…I think it's just because he's All-Might…and I'm having trouble making that work in my brain."

"These things feel really intense in the moment, Izuku, but they have a way of just sorting themselves out. If you just let your Mum and Yagi have their space, they'll be all adult about it and this awkwardness you're feeling, it will fade away."

Izuku shuffled. "It isn't that its not great, I mean. I really love having everyone around. I love having a family."

"I know you do." Keigo assured. "But we're putting a lot on your shoulders, baby bird, and asking you to deal with a shite ton of things all at once. You're allowed to freak out. When you feel like its getting to much, like tonight, we'll always be there. Just because All-Might is dating your Mum doesn't mean he stops being All-Might."

"No, but it does mean he can ground me."

"That is true, but, I can also ground you, so, you're kind of up shite creek there, kiddo."

Izuku pouted. "You wouldn't though."

Keigo arched an eyebrow. "Want to test that theory."

"No." Izuku squeaked.

"Then how about you start studying for those exams."

Izuku thumped his head on the table, groaning.