Izuku Midoriya's life changed drastically in the span of a few hours. His life wasn't extravagant by any means. In fact, it was rather mundane, especially in a world where having powers was commonplace. He was not special. And in a world where everyone had something that made them unique, that was disastrous.
It started as most of his days did. With the burning shame of Kacchan's harassment and acid words engraved in his skull, Izuku trudged home. His notebook, one he had thankfully only just started, was dripping in his hand. The cover was smudged and he knew there would almost be no saving any of the carefully cultivated information. The only saving grace was that he remembered almost all of the information.
His day, already bad enough, didn't seem like it could get any worse. Of course, the second he uttered those words to himself, the universe just had to prove him wrong.
"Oh look! A flesh suit! Just what I need to get out of this stinking town." Something chuckled darkly behind him. Izuku turned halfway; it was all he was able to do before he was grabbed. Some sort of cold, sludge-like fluid grabbed him by the arms and forced them down to his sides. He tried thrashing, but the fluid held fast.
Against his will, Izuku found himself dropping the notebook and it fell to the concrete with a quiet splat. His mouth opened to scream for help, but before the sound could leave him, the sludge had traveled up his neck and held fast to hold his jaw shut. "Shut your mouth, brat! Just let me use your body to get out of the city and I'll make your death painless!" The villain seethed.
Izuku fell to the ground, cheek banging harshly against the pavement. He couldn't help it as tears flooded his vision and dripped onto the ground. Taking a deep breath in, Izuku forced it out along with a guttural, throat-ripping scream. He only hoped someone was nearby to hear. Someone who could go get a hero. Someone to save him.
His scream didn't go unpunished however as the sludge shot down his throat and clogged his airway with its foul viscosity. He gagged, trying to force it back out, but it wouldn't leave.
"Looks like I'll have to pilot a corpse out of the city! You stupid brat!"
Izuku regretted everything. His scream, walking this route home, letting Kacchan harass him for so
long, even just getting out of bed that morning. He couldn't get any air inside his lungs and they were starting to burn. The lack of air caused panic to arise within even as he tried to stay calm.
The feeling of weakness Izuku had was something he never wanted to few again. And with how his suffocation was going so far, it seemed like he'd get his wish. He wouldn't live to ever feel weak again. As the dark spots in his vision clouded over until he couldn't see anything else, Izuku almost thought he heard the sound of several gunshots before his hearing also faded.
"-id? Kid?" A slightly filtered voice called out to him.
Izuku tried to huff out a noise of acknowledgment but found his breath hitching as fluid caught in his lungs. His whole body jerked on a cough and suddenly there were hands moving hin turning him onto his side. There were a few moments before Izuku realized his eyes were closed and in those few moments, he had started to violently heave for breath. Fluid was forced from his mouth and onto the pavement with a gag.
"Let it out, kid." The voice sighed. Izuku didn't have much of a choice. "The paramedics should be here soon."
Paramedics? Izuku opened his mouth to question this stranger but found himself only gasping for air. In the next few minutes, there were hushed whispers that Izuku couldn't make out in his compromised state before a blast of wind and dust caused another choking fit.
The stranger cursed as gentle hands turned him over onto his other side away from the cloud of dust. "There we go, jus' a lil bit longer." Izuku noticed the voice was southern.
Not long after, there was the sound of an ambulance pulling up and Izuku was being moved onto a stretcher. There was an oxygen mask being put onto his face which delivered the sweet ambrosia of oxygen into his lungs.
"-Some kind of sludge villain nabbed 'im on his way home from school it seems. If he hadn't yelled out I wouldn't have heard 'im. All Might met me on the scene. Villain didn't put up too much of a fight an' he went to deliver it to the police while I waited for y'all to show up." The stranger spoke calmly and Izuku's head turned quickly to look for him.
"Hold still, kid. I need to get this IV in." The other medic huffed, laying a hand on his shoulder to keep him from sitting up.
But Izuku needed to see his savior. His hand reached up, poised to remove the mask from his face to speak. Before his hand could touch the plastic, however, heavy boots stomped onto the ambulance and a gloved hand grabbed his own.
"Ah! Might wanna leave that on a bit longer." Izuku's eyes darted over to see a familiar mask and hat. "Jus' relax."
The southern drawl, the hat, the mask, the gunshots. It all made sense. The young boy's eyes widened almost comically as he allowed his hand to be lowered to his side again. He barely noticed the prick of the IV going into his vein. This was Snipe! Ranked 25th on the hero leaderboard in Japan! And a less known fact, the husband of the most successful underground hero Eraserhead! Snipe seemed to notice Izuku's excitement as he let out a small chuckle.
"A fan, huh? Well let's just get you to the hospital first and once you get a clean bill of health I'll give ya an autograph. Jus' let the EMTs and doctors do their thing." Snipe seemed to pause before he dug around in one of the pockets of his suit. "Do you have someone I can call?"
Izuku immediately thought of his mother. Inko Midoriya was always a worrier and Izuku was already late to go home as it was. Snipe grabbed his limp hand and held it steady over the keypad of a small but sturdy phone. "I'll do all the talking, just type the number, kid."
Making sure to go slow so as not to mistype, Izuku typed in his home phone number. His mother would be home by then, eagerly or perhaps frantically awaiting Izuku's return.
He let his eyes slip closed as he could hear the dial tone of the phone buzz. He hadn't quite realized how exhausted he was until he was slipping back into unconsciousness right as his mother's voice came over the speaker.
"Yes? Who is this?!"
"Ma'am I'm a pro hero by the name Snipe. I was calling to let you know I'm currently in an ambulance with your son-"
"Oh my goodness, Izuku! Is he alright? Is my baby going to be okay?!" Izuku's breath evened out
until all sounds of frantic questioning faded away... _
Coming too in the hospital was much like waking up on the hard pavement. The only thing different was that Izuku was a lot warmer. Thankfully, he had been relieved of the face mask and instead given the pronged tubing up his nose that delivered a steady flow of oxygen. As his bleary eyes opened, he saw his mother fretting with the tuck of the blankets covering his feet. She spoke in a soft voice, not to him, but to Snipe who was somehow still there by his side.
"Mm- Mom?" Izuku's voice rasped in a way that made him wince. But it got his mother's attention. Her head jerked toward him and immediately tears filled her eyes.
"Oh, my- Baby! Are you okay?! I was so worried? Are you in any pain? Do you need more blankets? Let me go get a nurse and-"
"Mom." Izuku wheezed again and her fretting halted. "Feel fine- just..." His words slurred. "Breathing's hard."
"That would make sense considerin' what happened," Snipe spoke up and Izuku's attention was immediately on him. "Do you remember anythin'?"
It took a second of wracking his brain for the memories o something other than just struggling with no air but Izuku was soon able to conjure the image of the sludge villain and then wake up on the cold pavement. Instead of wasting precious breaths, Izuku just looked to Snipe and nodded.
"Good. It seems as if the villain was trying to find some way out of the city, but when All Might found it in the sewers, it tried to possess the first person is found." Snipe summarized grimly.
"The first-" Inko stuttered. "But my baby doesn't even have a quirk! He's just a boy!"
Izuku felt a stab of hurt in his chest but knew she was partially correct. Izuku proved unlucky with most things. His genetics, his friends, this attack. But it seemed the villain was unlucky as well. He could have found someone like Bakugou with an extremely destructive quirk and wreaked havoc on the city...
"I understand, ma'am. And rest assured this villain will be handled accordingly. Once the kiddo is given a clean bill of health, we can start to put this all behind us."
Another 20 minutes passed before a doctor came into the room with a clipboard in hand. "Hello, you must be the Midoriyas as well as Pro Hero Snipe? Miss Midoriya before we proceed would you allow Mr. Snipe here to listen to your son's diagnosis?"
For a moment. A small moment. Izuku feared she would say no. Before Izuku could speak up, however, his mother spoke.
"Of course that's alright." His mother nodded immediately. "He saved my baby. Of course, he can listen."
Snipe even seemed surprised at this as he turned to look at Inko, but the doctor continued.
"It seems as if Izuku here had a build-up of fluid in his lungs. Most of it was expelled when the villain was defeated and when he woke up before the paramedics arrived, but some have been left behind. From our tests, the fluid is non-toxic. But to be safe we are prescribing some antibiotics as well as an inhaler to hopefully help him break up the rest of the fluid and expel it."
"How long?" Izuku muttered.
"Until your lungs are no longer full of fluid. But if all goes accordingly only two weeks. And in those two weeks, it'll be best if you avoid any strenuous activity. I'm prepared to write an excuse form for school if need be. And that included heavy lifting."
Izuku groaned only to feel a cough catch in his throat. Sitting up quickly he felt hands lean him forward and push a small bucket into his lap. With each cough, his chest rattled and it was hard to get a breath into his lungs. Finally, after the all-around unpleasant experience, Izuku wheezed and leaned back against the pillows now supporting his back. His forehead was sweaty and being dabbed at by his fretting mother while Snipe moved the bucket away from him.
"When it comes to these episodes, they will happen less and less frequently, but when they do it's best to not fight them." The doctor explained gently as they pressed a button on the oxygen machine and a faint bubble gum scent passed into Izuku's nose. "This is a breathing treatment similar to the medication I'm prescribing in your inhaler. Just relax and focus on deep breaths."
Izuku had no other choice but to do so as his mother asked a few more questions. But as the breathing treatment finished and Izuku was finally able to breathe again, he found himself looking to Snipe. "Sn-snipe sir?" He asked shakily.
Snipe immediately gave his attention to Izuku. "Yeah, kiddo?"
Now, Izuku doesn't know what possessed him to say the question he does. He had only meant to thank Snipe for being there to save and for spending so much time in the hospital. Izuku knew he could probably just leave whenever he wanted. Nothing was stopping him.
"Do you think-" Izuku took a deep breath both to soothe his lungs and to stall. "I could be a hero... Even-" Another breath. "Even without a quirk?"
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Izuku couldn't read anything on Snipe's expression as the cold muzzle of the mask obscured it. Immediately, he felt shame creep into his belly. Why would he ask that? Here he was in a hospital bed because he couldn't even defend himself against one single villain. Feeling his chest tighten, Izuku tried hard to keep his breathing steady but it kept hitching. This was what seemed to spur Snipe into action as he immediately grabbed Izuku's limp hand.
"Of course, you can, kid. You don't need a fancy quirk to be a hero. All you need is the right drive and determination and everything is possible." His empty hand formed a thumbs up. "You might not be up and baggin' bad guys tomorrow mornin' but with some training and a good costume, you can be the best hero Japan's ever seen."
"Even-" Izuku sniffled. "Even better than All Might?"
Snipe didn't hesitate as he squeezed Izuku's hand. "Even better than All Might."
It was then that Izuku's mother rushed over and pulled Izuku into a hug as best as she could. "It's going to be alright, Izuku. We'll get through this." She reassured him giving a small curious glance to Snipe.
Izuku didn't see the silent conversation they had, but he did hear Snipe stand and say, "I'll step out and get some pen and paper. I promised the kid an autograph."
Snipe returned almost 10 minutes later holding a small notepad of paper. Izuku was close to
drifting off to sleep but forced himself to stay awake long enough to see what it was.
"Hey, bucko." Snipe said fondly. "I gotcha something."
He set the notepad in Izuku's lap and Izuku saw Snipe's signature scrawled across the front cover in permanent marker. "I figure you can start a training log for when you're up and moving again. It'd be nice to see your progress soon."
"Thank you," Izuku wheezed, eyes filling with tears once more. He expected Snipe to leave right then, but the hero waited until he had fallen asleep finally. Izuku slept restfully, dreaming of being a hero alongside the hero that had saved his life...Gosh...nobody at school would ever believe him...
Going home was hard for Izuku. Not because he didn't want to, but it seemed like every 5 steps he was stopping to catch his breath. His mom was very patient, always offering his inhaler whenever he paused in the hall. It took 10 minutes to finally get into their apartment when it would usually only take 3.
"Let's get you into bed, sweetie. You've had a rough couple of days." Inko cooed to him as she helped him shuffle towards his bedroom. Izuku drew the line at her helping him dress. Instead, he asked her to wait outside and peeled the shirt and shorts she had brought up to the hospital off. The only setback was having to go through his dresser for pajamas.
Soon though, he was sitting up in bed while his mother delivered him a bowl of warm broth that would help release the fluid from his lungs. "Izuku, baby, I have some news for you." She spoke as she settled onto the edge of his bed.
"Mmm?" Izuku questioned as he sipped the broth.
"That hero, Snipe was it?" She doesn't pause for him to answer. "He left a business card behind before he left. Did you know his agency offers self-defense classes?"
Izuku didn't know that. His expression must have perked up as his mother smiled. "I called before we left the hospital. They're just some basic safety classes taught by instructors hired by his
agency, but it might be good for you."
Izuku nodded quickly, not trusting himself not to start coughing if he started ranting. Even if the class wasn't taught by Snipe himself, the opportunity to train under people hired by his agency?! would look so great on his UA application!
Inko pressed a kiss to Izuku's forehead. "But you can't start till after you've been cleared by the doctor, okay? You have to take it easy."
"I promise, I'll be so careful, mom!" Izuku swore, eyes alight with excitement.
And he was. For the next two weeks, Izuku was on his best behavior, always taking things slow, never pushing himself too fast. He hated the coughing, but he never resisted it. Even after a long hot shower, he would wait patiently in the bathroom so that he didn't make a mess of his room. Even the doctor was surprised by his progress. So much so that he was cleared to participate in the safety classes a week sooner. He still kept his inhaler on him at all times just in case, but he seldom ever used it.
Kids at school must have heard about the villain attack or were warned to leave Izuku be because even Kacchan backed off of him for the time being.
And then came the fateful day when his classes started.
Izuku walked in after school, eyes wide trying to absorb everything around him. The lobby was sterile and wide open. There was a small waiting area with couches and chairs that Izuku walked through to get to the receptionist's desk. Embarrassingly, the desk was almost to his shoulders. "E- excuse me," He asked, waiting until the nice-looking woman leaned over to look at him. "I'm here for the self-defense classes? I'm not sure where to go?"
The woman cooed to him as she clicked on the computer for a moment. "Is your name Izuku Midoriya, sweetie?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Surprisingly, the woman pushed back from her computer and walked around the counter. The desk seemed to be on some kind of platform because when she appeared around the desk, she wasn't as
tall as before. This time, only about 6 inches taller with the help of a pair of heels she wore. "Follow me, sweetie."
Izuku followed the receptionist down the hall where there seemed to be several offices. The doors were mostly open and there were people at various computers or bookshelves going about their lives easily. Not what Izuku expected at a hero agency. Then again, he supposed the entire staff couldn't be made of heroes.
The receptionist stopped outside a set of double doors marked 'Men's Locker Room'. "I can't go any further, but if you go through here and walk right out the other set of doors, your instructor should be waiting for you, alright?"
"Thank you," Izuku said immediately because he could have easily just walked down the hall himself.
"It's no problem, kiddo. I jump at any chance to get up and stretch my legs." The woman smiled as she turned and started to walk down the hall. Izuku didn't waste any more time as he walked through the locker room. There was nobody inside at the moment, which Izuku expected. He walked passed the walls of lockers and benches towards another set of double doors labeled 'Training room'. Pushing the push bar, the doors swung open easily and Izuku was greeted by what looked like a small gym. There was a large pad insert into the center of the room bordered by soft mats. On the edges of the room were small bleachers and folding chairs. On one of these chairs sat a familiar, albeit casually dressed, hero.
"Ah, Midoriya, you made it," Snipe said as he stood up. He was barefoot but wearing the pants of his costume. He had a white, sleeveless, undershirt on and was missing his signature red cloak. But, Izuku noted, he was still wearing his mask, although his black dreadlocks were no longer tied back. "How have you been?"
Izuku was at loss for words for a moment. He had expected an instructor, not the number 25 hero of Japan! "I-I'm fine. I was cleared by the doctor for exercise as long as I have my inhaler." He explained. "I didn't know you would be here! Well- It is your agency, I just thought- Well my mom just told me it would be a hired instructor!"
Snipe laughed and it rang through his mask. "'M glad to see you've got some energy now. You were pretty bad off last time we met. I was worried for you." Snipe reached over and ruffled Izuku's hair. "I originally had you set with a regular instructor, but I wanted to check in on you myself and see how you were doing. The first session is usually just for talking anyways. Come on, let's take a load off."
Snipe led the way towards the center of the room and sat down in the middle of the mat. Seeing
Izuku still in the same spot, he patted the mat in front of him. "Come on, buckaroo. I don't bite."
Scrambling over, Izuku took his backpack off and set it down beside him before he too sat down on the mat. "Are you hungry?" Izuku was taken back by the sudden question.
"Oh, uh- Not at the moment. Thank you though?" Izuku answered awkwardly. His shoulders were tensed up as if he were afraid of doing the wrong thing. He knew it was foolish. Snipe had seen him at his worst. There was probably nothing he could do to embarrass himself more.
For a moment, they sat in silence. It was Snipe who broke the tense silence as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Kid...I can't tell ya how glad I am to know you're alright."
Snipe fiddled with his fingers nervously. "Truth be told, the way I operate leaves me to not have many civilian rescues on my hands. I usually stay back and handle villains at a distance. But when I heard you scream..." He trailed off. "Anyway...you sure you're alright?"
Feeling himself relax at the humanity being shown to him, Izuku nodded. "I'm good. The doctors were impressed by how fast I recovered. Besides the inhaler, I'm all better...and thank you. I don't think I ever did thank you before for saving me..." Izuku spoke honestly. "I was scared when I thought nobody was going to come to save me. But you were there. And you stayed with me even when I was in the hospital. You didn't have to do that."
"But I wanted to." Snipe said immediately. "Not only is it protocol to make sure you get to the hospital safely, but that villain was a slippery son-" He cut himself off before clearing his throat. "He was crafty. And he evaded All Might almost all afternoon. Part of me was making sure he didn't break out and come back for ya..."
"And you gave me your autograph...Even answered my stupid question." Izuku's voice grew quieter as he spoke. Snipe had done so much for him. Even now, Snipe had taken the place of his instructor just because he wanted to make sure he was healing alright. What other hero does that? Especially for a quirkless nobody?
Snipe gives a long sigh but says nothing. Instead, he stands and stretches. Izuku can hear as his knees and elbows crack. "Ya ever thrown a punch before?" Snipe asks him suddenly.
"Uh-" Izuku was stunned by the sudden change in topic but scrambled up to stand as well. "No?"
"We'll start there then. Here, throw a punch." Snipe held up a hand in front of him as if telling Izuku to 'stop'. Izuku was hesitant to punch Snipe's bare hand, but... the man was a pro hero. Surely he could take a middle schooler punch? Izuku took what he thought was the closest thing to a fighting stance and pulled a fist back. As he thrust it forward hoping to make contact, he was surprised to see Snipe move his hand away. He couldn't stop his momentum though and Izuku quickly stumbled.
His only saving grace was a firm hand gripping him under his arm and holding him up. "Whoah there, bucko, your form is all wrong. If I woulda let you follow through with that punch, you probably woulda sprained your wrist." Before Izuku could feel any shame though, he continued. "But it's about what I expected from a middle schooler with no experience. So we'll start from the ground up."
The next 10 or so minutes were spent correcting Izuku's sloppy stance until he could stand firmly without being pushed over. Not that Snipe was that rough with him. Snipe mostly took to light pokes to Izuku's shoulders and ribs to cause him to stumble until finally, he stood firm. "Very good, kid." He praised causing Izuku to smile widely.
"Now do I learn how to throw a punch?"
"Sure." Snipe was still wearing his mask, but Izuku could tell he was smiling. "Now, do you know why I'm teaching you how to throw a punch first?"
"Because I need to know self-defense?"
"Sort of." Snipe walked over to the edge of the mat where there was a bunch of supplies Izuku hadn't seen before. From the supplies, he took a roll of some kind of wrap. "Very few heroes have a quirk that can help them in hand-to-hand combat. And nowadays as quirks develop more, people don't see hand-to-hand combat as important. After all, why throw a punch when you can freeze someone where they stand or electrocute them with a thought? But the thing a lot of people aren't understanding is that..." Snipe trails off as he walks back to Izuku. He gently takes Izuku's right hand and starts to wrap the wrap around it. "Emitter types can rarely use their quirk when you're face to face with them. Not without risk of hurting themselves anyway."
Izuku badly wishes he could take notes because that was genius. Of course, hand-to-hand combat was important. For Izuku, it would be his main attack. Except of course support items. But that was why underground heroes like Eraserhead were so successful. He essentially fought quirkless every day. And by disabling people's quirks, they were left with nothing to defend themselves with. It was heavily rumored that Snipe and Eraserhead were secretly married...Izuku wondered if that was how Snipe was so knowledgeable with this kind of thing without using those techniques himself.
"Will you ever teach me how to shoot a gun?" Izuku asked suddenly.
Snipe paused where he was tucking the tail of the wrap into itself. He was silent for a moment before he spoke once more. "Tell you what, you learn how to hold your own against me, and I'll take you to the firing range. Heck, I'll even let you shoot one of my guns."
"Really?!" Izuku asked excitedly. "That would be awesome!"
With that, Izuku had the motivation he needed to dedicate himself to training. _
Over the coming weeks and then months, Izuku absorbed every tidbit of information like a sponge. Everything Snipe told him was written into one of his many notebooks dedicated purely for his physical training.
Every few days Snipe would have Izuku spar with him. At first, Izuku was easily defeated. He tried not to feel too discouraged as he fell onto the soft mat below them, and Snipe tried his best to cheer him on while also critiquing his moves. But as time went on Izuku was better able to keep up until one-day Izuku finally showed his progress.
He had come in after school, as usual, placed his bag and uniform into a locker with his name now printed onto a plaque on it, and started wrapping his hands as normal. He started to notice his hand muscles improving. The veins are more defined. All over him, it seemed he was becoming more muscled. He was nowhere near being a bodybuilder, but his progress was obvious.
Snipe came out in his usual attire and readied himself without comment. Their spar was much the same as it had been for weeks. Izuku would go over his basic moves before actually trying to overpower Snipe. He knew Snipe was holding back. He had to have been. He was a pro hero with years of experience under his belt. That didn't stop Izuku from smiling as he saw Snipe take a couple of steps back as their spar went on.
His cockiness kept him from seeing the open-handed tap land on the side of his head. Like any other time, Izuku would usually stop for a breather and ask Snipe what he did wrong or what he could improve on. But something spurred him on this time.
Moving his head along with the jab to absorb the non-existent impact, Izuku then quickly leaned into the direction the hit had come from. He was right to do so as another open palmed hand reached to tap his other side. But Izuku raised his arm, causing it to block the tap. He didn't stop. Instead, Izuku felt his left hand pull back and deliver a quick jab up into Snipe's unprotected ribs. The man had not returned to his stance after the first tap.
Snipe's breath hitched as his hand reached up to press against the spot Izuku had just hit. "Oof, okay, you got me." He chuckled dryly. Izuku immediately dropped out of his stance with wide, worried eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Snipe, sir. I didn't mean to hit you! I just saw that you left yourself open and I-"
Snipe held a hand up to stop his ramblings as he took a small lap around the center mat. "Never apologize for taking an opening. That's how you win in combat. That's how you end the fight. Most times in the field, the villain will be aiming to kill. You need to follow your reflexes and take any opportunity you can to avoid casualties."
Izuku nodded but wrung his wrapped hands together anyway. He shifted from foot to foot, still running off the adrenaline of a spar. "I didn't hurt you, right?"
Lowering his hands, Snipe shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine. It's gonna take a lot more than 'Baby's First Bruise' to take me down." He chuckled before crossing his arms. "But with that said, I think you're ready."
"Ready?" Izuku asked hopefully. "For the firing range?"
"Mhm. And if you manage to even hit the target, I'll take you somewhere special for an after- training snack." Snipe walked over and put a hand on Izuku's shoulder and started to lead him to a set of doors.
Snipe revealed one of his guns to Izuku inside the firing range. It looked older but well taken care of. He went over gun safety and had Izuku put on earmuffs and safety glasses as he went over the rules. They were standard. Do not point the gun at anything you aren't prepared to shoot, finger off the trigger until you're shooting, when not in use make sure the gun is not loaded. It was a lot to remember, but Izuku nodded seriously.
"Now this is an older model. Much older. It had nowhere near the power of the guns I use nowadays." Snipe said moving the gun around in his hand. "But still, the recoil is very strong."
He took a while showing Izuku the correct stance to shoot a gun until finally, he slipped the gun into Izuku's hand. Izuku made sure to keep his finger off the trigger until Snipe said. What he wasn't prepared for was Snipe stepping in close behind him and wrapping his hand around Izuku's on the gun. He braced Izuku's shoulder with his own. "I'm gonna help you hold into it okay? I wasn't kidding. The recoil is no joke. If you aren't careful a gun can fly out of your hands, discharge more bullets, and even hit you in the face if you aren't careful."
Izuku nodded seriously.
Together, they aimed at the target. Izuku took a deep breath as Snipe told him and placed his finger over the trigger. He took another breath before he pulled the trigger once. Izuku flinched at the sound of gun discharging. His shoulder jerked back but Snipe was firm and stable behind him. Snipe's fingers tightened around his on the gun and Izuku was grateful because he wasn't sure if he could do that himself.
Heart pounding, Izuku watched as Snipe unloaded all the bullets from the gun before he set it down on the counter and turned to Izuku. "You alright, buddy? Shoulder okay?"
Izuku rolled his shoulder back slowly to make sure everything was fine. He was sure it would be sore the next day, but for the moment it was fine. He told Snipe as such who nodded. Snipe pressed the button to bring the target closer to them. Izuku was afraid to look. His grip had faltered when he took the shot. He was so sure there was no way the bullet hit the target.
But Snipe gave an amused huff of laughter as he held the target up for Izuku to see. At first, Izuku saw nothing. The entire bull's eye was clear. But before he could be embarrassed, Snipe pointed to something. Izuku had to step closer to see it, but it was there.
Right there on the edge of the paper, almost indistinguishable, was a half-circle tear in the target that shows that Izuku's bullet hit. Just barely. But it hit. "Ya made it by the skin of your teeth, but you hit," Snipe said happily. "Looks like I got a promise to uphold."
To Izuku, it was weird to see Snipe without his mask.
After the firing range, Snipe had sent him off to the locker room to shower. "Where we're going
you need to be in tip-top shape." He had said.
Izuku didn't question him, but he did a doubletake as he stepped out into the training room to see Snipe dressed casually with no mask. Izuku paused for a moment taking in the new sight. Snipe seemed unaware of his surprise, but Izuku couldn't help but stare.
Snipe's face was a rich brown color that was, while more seen nowadays, uncommon in Japan for the most part. Izuku could now see the ethnic relation to the dreds that made up Snipe's hair.
Snipe seemed to finally realize why Izuku was so quiet because he gave a small grin. "Well, I can't always go out with the mask on. I have to have some measure of privacy."
That seemed to be that as he led Izuku out the door. At first, Izuku thought they were going to a restaurant. But instead, they walked towards a more residential area. The only shops around were a few food marts or the occasional hobby store. Snipe led him into one of many apartment buildings and straight to an elevator.
"Uh, Sir, where are we going?" Izuku asked.
"A friend of mine makes the best sandwiches. Even better than the deli can make." Snipe seems so sure as they enter onto a floor. He guides Izuku along with a hand on his back towards a seemingly random home. Snipe digs into his pocket and pulls out a jingling set of keys. He slid one into the door and swung it open wide. "Honey! I'm home!"
Snipe stepped inside with no further warning leaving Izuku to awkwardly follow behind. There was a loud groan from the kitchen.
"I've brought a guest so be nice!"
Suddenly, a head poked out of the kitchen. Long blond hair pulled back into a bun and a familiar mustache. It was Present Mic!
"...Is that a child?" Present Mic stepped out of the kitchen fully and Izuku could now see he was wearing an apron and stirring something in a large mixing bowl. "Why would you bring a kid here? You didn't steal him did you?" Present Mic cast suspicious eyes on Snipe as he continued his stirring.
Snipe dropped down onto the couch, hand clutching his heart. "Oh, Hizashi, you wound me! I can't just come over to my best friend and coworker's house for a quick chat?"
Present Mic once more sent a curious look to Izuku before he sighed. "Let me put this away..."
Izuku slowly sits down beside Snipe on the couch, sitting ramrod straight so as not to disturb anything. He still couldn't believe he was sitting in Present Mic's living room!
Almost as if he could hear Izuku's thoughts, Present Mic walked back into the room without the bowl and apron on. He was carrying a tray with teacups and bottles of water with cold condensation dripping on the side as if they were fresh from the fridge. He set the tray onto the coffee table, took a cup, and went to sit on the loveseat across from the couch. "So...you were saying?"
Snipe smiled widely with teeth at Present Mic. "This is Izuku Midoriya. I've been training him recently. He's been doing so well that I promised him a late lunch of one of the best sandwiches in all of Japan."
Mic was finally starting to relax as he rolled his eyes, a small grin tilting his lips. "Careful or else Shouta will think I'm trying to steal his man."
"The gossip blogs would have a frenzy." Snipe agreed. "But in all seriousness, Izuku, this is Hizashi. Or you may know him as Present Mic."
Izuku cleared his throat and forced his stiff arm to reach up in a small wave. "H-Hi! It's such an honor to meet you. I'm a big fan of your radio show. I listen to it almost every day when I can." Izuku bowed his head respectfully and only raised it when he heard a soft 'aww' noise come from Mic.
Present Mic had his hands clasped in front of him and a genuinely happy smile stretched across his face. "It always makes me giddy to meet fans! And so polite! Maybe your mentor here can learn a thing or two from you." Mic gave Snipe a small glare. "My husband Shouta is asleep at the moment. He works nights. Hopefully, you get to meet him as well." Mic finished his tea and stood.
"Tell me, Midoriya, how do you like your sandwich?"
"Anything is fine. I'm not picky." Izuku didn't want to bother Present Mic too much, although he was hungry.
Izuku was better able to relax as time went on. Present Mic came back with a platter of sandwiches and carrots for the two of them and they ate in the living room in comfortable silence. It was only disturbed when the creaking of a door was heard down the hall.
All heads turned towards the hall to see a heavily disheveled man with long black hair stumble out. "Good morning, dear," Mic said cheerfully even though it was well into the afternoon. "We have a guest. Go get ready and I'll have coffee ready."
Without saying a word or sparing a look, the man turned around and shuffled back down the hall. "Poor Shouta always looks like a zombie when he wakes up," Snipe chuckles.
"Get fucked, Snipe!" Comes a gravelly shout from the hall.
Snipe opened his mouth to give a retort but Mic beat him to it. "There is a child here!"
"Mmm. Sorry." The man, Shouta, sighed before the door closed once more.
For lack of anything better to do, Izuku ate another sandwich. Snipe had been correct, they were amazing. He debated asking Mic if he could even take a couple of home for later but pushed the thought away as Mic returned with a tray of drinks and the hall door opened again.
Instead of shuffling, the man returned with his hair pulled into a low tie. He was no longer wearing pajamas, instead, he wore pink sweatpants and a long-sleeved black shirt. He waited until he had the mug of steaming liquid in his hand and had sat down on the couch before acknowledging Izuku at all.
"Snipe...Why is there a kid here?"
"Shouta, Darling, the light of my life-" Snipe started as he leaned over to throw an arm over Izuku's shoulder. "This is my new mentee. Izuku Midoriya. This is the sludge kid I told ya about."
Sitting up straighter, Shouta blinked. "Oh?"
"He's a quick learner, although he's gonna need more practice before he can get his hands on a firearm."
Mic squawked on the couch beside Shouta. "You can NOT give a child a gun!"
Snipe waved him off. "There are ways around it. He can start with peashooters until I can get him licensed. It's fine."
"UA students are not permitted guns until they reach their second-year work studies." The couple argued back.
"Which is why a peashooter would-"
"Still be considered a gun!"
Izuku had just about enough of it. "I need all the support items I can get if I'm gonna be the first quirkless pro hero!" He blurted out. "I don't have to be able to make a kill shot. A CO2-powered tranquilizer dart gun would work just fine until I can pass a firearm exam."
The three adults were silent, staring at Izuku. Izuku ducked his head down shamefully. His face was bright red as he felt Snipe pull him a little closer into what could be considered a side hug.
"I'm getting him into UA." Snipe said with conviction. "I don't tell y'all this so y'all pity him. But he's gonna need more than just my help. And he could use some teachers in UA in his corner from the jump."
"It's going to be hard," Shouta says immediately. He sets his cup down and leans forward to look Izuku in the eye. "Maybe even the hardest thing you've ever done. Very few people will believe in you if they find out you're quirkless. They'll talk down to you. They'll try to talk you out of it. They may even sabotage you. Are you prepared for that?"
Izuku nodded immediately. After all, he's dealt with it all his life. "I am. I won't let them stop me. I want to be the greatest hero ever."
It seemed like that was the correct answer as, after that day, Present Mic and who he now realized was Eraserhead started to make appearances at his training sessions with Snipe. They helped him by letting him study their support gear as well as giving him tips on fighting villains with quirks. Not only that, but when it came time for the UA paperwork to be completed, they helped him with that as well.
Izuku had to have a fair amount of accommodations. Firstly, most of the support gear he requested was considered to be weapons. He needed to prove he knew how to use them. And then his least favorite, the entrance exams. He wanted to take them like all the other students trying to get into UA, but his small group of hero mentors told him that that would hurt his chances of getting in. He offered to take the recommended student exam but they were hesitant about that as well.
"It's not that we don't think you could pass them, little listener," Mic told him after seeing his downtrodden face. "You've come so far, you're probably ahead of most of your peers at this point."
"Hizashi is right," Aizawa added. "You see, even if you were first place in the entrance exam you chose, student admission is still judged by a council of sorts. Legally, they aren't allowed to discriminate on quirks..."
"But they could make up just about any excuse they wanted to deny you based on your quirklessness." Snipe summed up.
Frowning, Izuku sighed. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
Snipe dropped down to sit next to him on the mat. "Well... there are two ways we can do this." Izuku couldn't see as he looked at the other teachers.
"Either, we tamper with your paperwork to make it seem like you have a latent quirk-" Mic suggested.
"Or you have a private screening with the council to prove you have what it takes to be a hero. Of which would still require some lying to make it seem as though you've been an intern of Snipe's since you were in Junior High." Aizawa sighed in a tired tone.
Both plans had merit. Both plans were hard. Izuku looked up to Snipe, silently asking his opinion.
For once, Snipe seemed to be flustered and hesitate. "Well...about that...I found that the first option works wonders."
It took an embarrassingly long moment for the information to finally click into place. When it did, Izuku gasped. "You're quirkless?!"
Rubbing the back of his neck, Snipe sighed. "Yeah...Yeah, kid. I am."
"And you never told me?" Izuku tried not to sound so hurt.
"It's not that I didn't want to tell you. It's just that things were different when I was younger. It was easier to fake your quirk status. I didn't want to undermine your success of being a quirkless hero." Snipe explained desperately. "I've had a fake quirk for so long I never had to live with the discrimination you've had."
Izuku could understand that at least. But that didn't make his heart hurt less. "I want to fake a quirk. My mom has mild telekinesis. My dad breathed fire. Maybe something like that could translate to firearms. I'll fake it long enough to secure a spot in UA, but I will be known as a quirkless hero."
He wasn't expecting the hug he was squeezed into by Snipe. Nor did he prepare to hear Snipe's choked whispers. "You're gonna be amazin', kid."
Getting into UA was frankly anti-climactic. Eraserhead, Present Mic, and Snipe had done their best to make sure his paperwork was legit and in order. He had taken the usual exams and, with his modified peashooters, managed to get a decent amount of points. He had even made a friend as he did so.
Izuku would never forget the look on Shinsou Hitoshi's face as he grabbed him by the hand and
dragged him towards the parking lot where Snipe (out of costume of course) came to take him home. Upon Izuku asking if they could take Shinsou home too, Snipe was more than happy to agree. Only, they were both surprised at the state of the house they pulled up to. Thankfully, neither commented on it as Shinsou got out. But Snipe promised Izuku that he would do some research to make sure Shinsou was living in a good home.
All too soon, his career at UA started. It was also the first time Izuku ever recalled an interaction with Bakugou since the sludge villain incident. Bakugou had jumped up out of his seat as soon as Izuku walked into the classroom, but he must have seen the holster on his hip and decided to rethink his decision. Izuku wasn't even sure why, the peashooter was empty. He was only required to have it on him seeing as how it counted as support gear for his 'quirk'.
His quirk is some scientific spiel about controlling the gunpowder reaction inside a gun. It's stupid but somehow works. And his mom signed off on it, so Izuku can't complain too much.
As soon as Aizawa entered the classroom, he had them all change and go out towards a small track area with several stations set up. The entire class had broken up into several groups to talk among themselves.
"Well, howdy, y'all!" A familiar voice rang out into the air. Izuku's head jerked back to see Snipe strutting onto the track in full costume. "D'y'all think you could start the party without me?" He spun one of his specially made guns.
Aizawa gave what, Izuku knew to the others, sounded very put upon. "Snipe is here to supervise the class because there is a firearm classified support weapon among you. Do not be worried. This is only a formality for the first class."
Izuku blushed as several eyes turned on him. But they were right. He was the only one with a gun. Snipe walked over and threw an arm around Aizawa's shoulder. "We set up all these stations to get a gauge on y'alls handle on your quirks. So have at it. Have fun. Be safe!"
"Oh, em gee that's such couple goals." An invisible girl beside Izuku squealed as Aizawa looked up at Snipe and muttered something under his breath. He had almost forgotten about the widely believed rumor that Snipe and Aizawa were a thing. He had seen so much of Mic and Aizawa being an ACTUAL couple that he couldn't see the other pair as anything but platonic.
Later as Izuku shot small pellet's from his gun into a small foam target, Snipe walked up behind him to start giving critiques. Izuku didn't find out until their first Sports Festival that a certain son of a number two pro was watching him like a hawk and had picked up on something very odd.
"Is Snipe your father?"
The question took Izuku off guard. "U-Uh! What?"
Todoroki narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. He had pulled Izuku to the side into one of the exit tunnels of the arena they stood in and had just asked the question, no preamble at all.
"Your father. Is it Snipe?"
Izuku's face grew red. Sure, Snipe had been somewhat of a father figure to him since he hadn't had one growing up, but he was nowhere near being Izuku's father. "No! Why would you think that?!"
Todoroki didn't look like he believed him. "You both have similar gun-related quirks. Anytime he shows up to training he always pays more attention to you. And I heard him tell Aizawa that you were 'his kid'. So how does that not mean you're his son?"
It would have been funny if it weren't so embarrassing. Soon enough though, Izuku broke down and explained the basics of the truth about his situation. NO, Snipe wasn't his father, but he had been mentoring him since before classes had started. They were pretty close. But it was close in the same sense as Shinsou and Aizawa.
Although, Izuku would never expect Snipe to legally adopt him like Aizawa was attempting for Shinsou. And his mother most likely wouldn't like that idea either.
"So he isn't my dad." Izuku reiterated as Todoroki dropped his crossed arms.
"...I still think the resemblance is way too much. But if you say he isn't your father...fine." Todoroki sighed. "Don't expect me to go easy on you because you're quirkless-"
"Shhh!" Izuku hissed out. He frantically looked out for cameras that might've heard. "Don't just go
throwing my secret around! If they find out I faked it, they could kick me out!"
Todoroki rolled his eyes but promised to keep the secret. He ended up kicking Izuku's ass in their battle, which Izuku was almost grateful for. It meant Todoroki wasn't going easy on him.
Snipe drags him by the cape of his hero costume into the firing range at his agency. Izuku squeaks and tries to break free to explain himself better but Snipe doesn't seem to care.
As soon as Izuku's feet plant in front of the stall, Snipe is pushing something into his hand. Looking down, Izuku sees a smaller model of one of Snipe's guns. Relatively new and free of damage. "Shoot it." Snipe demands.
"Wha-"
"Fire the gun." Izuku had never seen Snipe so serious before. Not even after the sludge villain. Then again, Izuku hadn't been attacked by a LEAGUE of villains then. He hadn't almost been kidnapped at a school event then. He hadn't run out of ammunition mid-battle then.
Raising the gun, Izuku prepped his shoulder for the same amount of recoil as the first time he tried to shoot one of Snipe's guns. However, when he pulled the trigger and let out four shots one right after the other, He found his grip was solid and unshakable on the weapon. As he put the gun down, Snipe called up the target only for them to see 1 hole left near the bullseye of the target. "Did...I miss?" Izuku asked shakily.
"No." Snipe's face finally melted into a look of satisfaction. "You're grouping is amazing. You went through the same shot four times."
Izuku's eyes lit up as he went to hand the gun back to Snipe. But Snipe shook his head. "Keep it. It's yours. One of yours."
Apparently, Snipe had been hoping for the day that Izuku could prove himself in the firing range. He had several support weapons made by the top designers. Two sidearms, one backup, and one for emergencies tucked into the holster designed in his boots. On top of all of that Snipe gifted him a brand new bandolier to carry both real ammunition and several substitutes like tranquilizer darts,
smoke darts, and flares.
Izuku looked up at Snipe with bright eyes as he accepted every gift. "You really- for me?" He was almost in disbelief.
"Of course, kid." Snipe helped Izuku set all the gifts aside only to immediately pull him into a tight hug. "For transparency's sake, I put a tracker in the heel of one of your boots. I don't ever want you to be in that situation again, but I understand it's part of the territory."
Izuku cried harshly into Snipe's chest. Not out of sadness, but out of happiness that someone cared about him so much.
Izuku realized his relationship had gone beyond just a mentor/mentee arrangement when he came home from Shinsou's (which was really Mic and Eraserhead's) place to see Snipe sitting in his living room with a bag sitting beside him. His mom greeted him at the door with a kiss on his cheek. "How was it at Hitoshi's, baby?"
"It was nice...What's going on here?" Izuku asked as Snipe stood with the bag in hand.
"Hey, Bucko, let's go into the bathroom, yeah?" Snipe motioned for Izuku to follow him which he did with confusion. Going into the bathroom Izuku saw that it had been cleaned and everything removed from the counter. There was also a tall stool sitting in front of said counter. Izuku sat down when Snipe motioned for him to. Snipe sat the bag of things on the counter and took a deep breath.
"Izuku...I'm gonna teach you how to shave."
Izuku's eyes widened. He had noticed the pricks of facial hair growing in on his chin recently but didn't think it was anything major to worry about. If anything, he would have watched a video tutorial online if he felt it was bad enough. But here Snipe was with apparently all the supplies to learn right now. "O-Oh, okay."
Nodding, Snipe reached into the bag and pulled out a small red pad of some kind and an orange bottle. "First step is to wash your face. It's best to shave right after a shower, but you don't have
much hair growth yet. So just shave whenever you feel necessary, about once a week." He then pulled out a black band to hold Izuku's hair back.
Izuku leaned over the sink and used the red pad to soap up his entire face with the new face wash. As he rinsed and patted his face dry he noticed the face wash left his skin soft and smooth. "Good," Snipe noted as he felt Izuku's cheek. "Now, the shaving cream."
Snipe guided him through applying just enough and not too much all over his face even though the hair was on his chin at the moment. As Izuku was doing that, he reached into the bag and pulled out a brand new razor. And expensive-looking one with its own stand at that. He opened up the cabinet above the sink and put in a box of refills for blades.
This went on with him pulling out a new item and showing Izuku exactly how to use it down to aftershave. When Izuku was finished, Snipe had a pleased smile on his face. "Good. As a pro hero, you have to look professional even if you're on the battlefield. And especially in interviews. And that starts with personal hygiene. That being said..." Snipe reached into the bag and pulled out two similar-looking bottles. "Let's tame that hair."
"Oh- I've tried to for years already, it kind of just- Does its own thing?" Izuku said softly.
Snipe gave him a look in the mirror. "If there's two things I know for certain in this world, Izuku, it's guns and curls. Let me be the judge of what's unmanageable."
For his hair, Snipe mainly did everything all while explaining it to Izuku. He wet the boy's hair thoroughly. Izuku leaned over the sink as he did so, thankful for the towel around his neck. When his hair was soaked, Snipe squirted a dollop of shampoo in his hand. "It's important to work from your scalp. Don't just rub it in, comb it through."
Izuku was surprised to feel that the shampoo was helping to loosen the knots and curls enough to where Snipe's hand passed through it like water. Snipe helped him rinse it out as well before applying the conditioner. "Now you have to let this sit in your hair for a bit, so when you shower, this is the time to wash the rest of you and shave if you want."
That too was delicately rinsed out and Snipe pulled out a small spray bottle. "This stays in your hair. You don't rinse it out." He explained and sprayed down Izuku's wet hair.
"And don't use a towel to dry your hair. Use a cotton t-shirt. If you want it bone dry, use a
blowdryer on medium heat." Snipe scrunched at Izuku's hair until it was mostly dry before pulling one last item for the bag. It looked like a large piece of cloth.
"This is a headscarf, it's to wrap up your hair and keep it from getting smooshed. It's very good for your curls so wear it after a shower and while you sleep." Snipe guided him through tying it onto his head and smiled when all was said and done. "There we go. I'll show you how to comb it when it's dry."
An hour later, sitting in the same spot, Izuku watched in amazement as Snipe combed through perfectly formed curls. There was no snagging or tangling or frizziness, it was just...It looked great. Izuku began to feel somewhat emotional as he watched Snipe in the mirror gently parting and combing with great determination. It was actually longer now than it had been before. Izuku would need a haircut soon, he realized.
As Snipe finished, Izuku surprised him by pulling him into a hug. Taking a shuddering breath, Izuku felt Snipe's arms wrap around him. "What's wrong, kid? Do you not like it?" He asked worriedly.
Izuku gripped onto him tighter. "Thank you."
Snipe's hug grew softer. "Anytime, Bucko. Anytime."
And Izuku believed him. The man had done everything in his power to make sure he was protected and confident in himself. And even went through all the trouble of teaching him how to shave and wash his hair correctly. Completely unnecessary as a mentor but it showed he cared an awful lot about him. It was nice. Izuku loved it.