His chest aches gently, eyes heavy, fingers too burdensome to even attempt to lift. They feel dirty, caked with something that he knows doesn't exist. Reo studies them beneath the soft glow of his lamp.
Everything simply feels too unbearable to touch.
His sheets, freshly washed, feel coarse and his soft blanket is scratchy and harsh. His clothes irritate his skin.
Sometimes Reo thinks he knows too much, sees too much, feels too much.
His amber eyes are dry and irritated. He knows he should just go to sleep, but he can't because everything is on fire. Reo Tsukauchi remembers too much. But, it's always been that way. It's the repercussions of his quirk.
That's why his head keeps replaying every comment from the live stream he just watched. He's lucky to have even found it, but as more comments stream through his mind he questions whether or not it was actually luck that had led him to that video.
There's nothing he can do about it, not really. Even if he were to say something at this stage nothing would change.
Midoriya was in cuffs again, still in cuffs because Reo still hadn't figured out how the vigilante could get them off by himself after the last time. He'd watched his friend get away, but didn't know if he'd managed to stay that way or not and if the boy didn't show up sometime tonight then he probably wouldn't know until sometime late morning.
The teen studies his hands underneath his lamp for a moment longer before reaching for his phone, the tug of fabric against his skin as he shifts is unbearable. The smooth front of his phone is the only relief he gets.
It's stupidly easy how easy it is to disappear after leaving the convenience store. The ambulance call placed for a downed officer draws everyone back into the vicinity of the store even after Piper has long left the area.
"Villain," his mind hisses.
For once, Midoriya agrees with it. He feels like a villain with his shoes still stained with blood and at least three people, two heroes and one, irreplaceable, Tsukauchi Naomasa, enroute to the nearest hospital if they weren't there already. He prays Naomasa is there already.
The vigilante does his best to stick to the shadows and back alleys as he drives himself further away from Musutafu's nightlife crevices. It isn't until some half an hour later that he finally stumbles into a part of the city that he actually recognizes. His limbs beg him to stop, but he continues to push on.
The boy's eyes burn.
He ignores the feeling, heading for more familiar streets until he finds himself standing across the road from Reo's apartment. He can't owe Giran anymore favors, but he also can't find it in himself to make his way up to the boy's room.
The word 'villain' tattoos itself to the inside of his skull, dying the bone black with a parasitic guilt that slowly eats at him.
Midoriya quietly slips down the alley next to the apartment building and sinks to the ground. He finally lets his staff go, metal clanking quietly against concrete. And then he stills. He sits on the pavement silently, leaning back against the nearest wall. He's exhausted and if everything hadn't caught up with him before it does now. The vigilante doesn't want to move. He's tempted to just fall asleep where he is.
He doesn't. Instead he fights off his drooping eyelids and burning eyes and shimmies his phone out of his pocket and stares at the device for another few minutes. His fingers are stiff. He doesn't want to make the call.
But the cuffs around his wrists are still pinching at his skin. He thumbs nervously at his phone, having to contort himself just to be able to look at the screen. Finally makes the call he's been dreading, thumbing at the speaker button.
It rings a few times before someone finally answers.
"Izuku!" the voice crackles loudly through the speaker. "You're alive!"
The boy barely manages to keep himself from crying. "I need you to help me get these handcuffs off," he murmurs softly, head bowed.
"Are you here? I caught the last half of someone's live stream!" Reo whisper shouts from the other end of the line. Midoriya can hear quiet clanging from above and looks up to see the teen scrambling onto the fire escape, looking down. "I saw my uncle run up and I let out the loudest 'NO'."
Does he know?
"My mom came into my room asking if I was dying Izuku. I had to lie and say that I had a
nightmare! A lie! I lied to a woman with a truth quirk!"
Does he know?
"Reo," Midoriya mumbles softly, "please help me get these off. They hurt." As much as he tries to stop it, his voice cracks. His shoulders ache and he's sure some of his hair is probably matted with
a fair amount of blood after getting tackled by that first hero.
Tsukauchi goes quiet on the other end of the line, taking a moment to sober himself. "Right," he mutters before disappearing back inside his window to get his tools. "Do they look the same as the last ones?"
"I'm not sure," Midoriya answers, "I can't see them."
There's a quiet clanking that from the speaker before he spies Reo crawling out the window again. "Didn't you manage to get them in front of you last time?"
"Death Arm's almost wrenched my shoulder out of socket. I didn't feel like trying," the vigilante mutters tiredly, leaning his head back. He can't see any stars past the city's light pollution.
The older teen makes his way down the fire escape, tools slung in a bag over his shoulder before he finally drops into the alley. "What happened after you ran away from that Acro dude? That's where the stream ended. You said something about Death Arms?"
He doesn't know. He doesn't know. He doesn't know. He doesn't know.
There's a moment of relief that floods through Midoriya, but the feeling is quickly drowned out by the reminder that his friend will find out what happened sooner or later.
Reo catches a haunted look that passes through his friend's eyes as he approaches, setting his bag down. The look worries him, calls up memories of months past, of crystal tears and whispers of death and the terrible, horrible pain he could feel radiating off the fifteen-year-old in waves.
But, this look in the boy's eyes isn't quite the same. His eyes don't have quite the same gravity as that of a black hole, but Reo knows the beginnings of a collapsing star when he sees one. "I tried to figure out what was happening but I couldn't find anything," he says gently. Something must have happened after the stream cut to put that look in his eyes. "You really had me scared you know. I try not to think too much about what'll happen if you get caught but... sometimes I can't help it, you know?"
Midoriya shifts, giving Tsukauchi access to his cuffed hands.
"I've read all about vigilante law at this point, I probably know all there is to know, but none of that tells me what'll happen if you..." Reo swallows, cutting himself off. "I was worried."
Izuku's head bows, eyes drifting shut. He doesn't say anything more.
Tsukauchi gets to work after that, the process is easier than it was the last time, less messy now that he knows what he's doing. Eventually the cuffs fall away with a click and quiet clatter of metal against pavement.
"Will you come up?" Reo asks, repacking both his tools and the remnants of the quirk suppressant cuffs.
Izuku rubs at his wrists, refusing to look at the older boy.
I crossed the line, he tells himself. What if he asks for his gear back? What if he turns me in? I need to prepare for that. Pack my things, get ready to run if I have to. I have money and I can ask Giran for help if things go too far south.
"You could stay over if you want, there might still be people out looking for you," Tsukauchi
implores, trying to catch his friend's gaze.
The fifteen-year-old shakes his head somberly. "I'll be fine."
"Do you want to change at least?" Reo asks, offering a hand to help the other stand. Midoriya takes it hesitantly. "I can keep your stuff here for the night."
"I doubt anyone'll come out this far to look for me." The vigilante finally looks towards the boy, a weak smile shaking at his lips. "You don't have to worry about me." He forces his eyes closed with the smile. He doesn't know if he'd be able to bare staring into those kind, amber eyes that he'd wronged so horribly.
Please be okay, Detective.
"Not even your staff?"
Izuku shakes his head, turning from him to grab the pipe. "Thanks for always helping me." The words feel like a goodbye. Midoriya Izuku doesn't want them to be a goodbye. His sun feels like it's screaming, writhing in his chest, revolting against his ribcage, charring his bones, blistering his insides. He doesn't want to say goodbye.
The words set Reo on edge for a reason he can't explain.
Midoriya leaves just as quickly as he came and Reo is left to scale the fire escape by himself with his too heavy thoughts. The roughness of rusted metal beneath his fingers is the only thing that keeps his thoughts from wandering too far. He's tired of thinking but can't help himself. Every psychology book and article he's ever read is roaring through his head. His friend is hiding something, feels... guilty(?) about something. But, textbooks can't tell him what it is.
Reo crawls through his window again, setting his tool bag on his desk for his future self to deal with. If Midoriya won't tell him what happened then he'll have to wait till all the reports go public in the morning. His quirk dealt in information, and not having access to something as vitally important as what was happening with his friend was in danger of driving him mad.
The seventeen-year-old perches himself on the edge of his bed, studying his hands beneath the light of his lamp. He stays like that for a moment longer before turning the lamp off and crawling into bed. His skin doesn't feel as sensitive as it had before, but it's still difficult to fall asleep. He eventually does, but it never lasts too long, and he finds himself waking at random intervals to a new slew of textbook information running through his head unbidden. It's during one of these times, as he's rolling over in bed, that he hears his mother's phone start going off. It's loud and it's annoying and even being halfway across their apartment it still hurts his ears. But, it's normal. His mother's an ER nurse, but she's also a heavy sleeper. If there's a night shift that she has to wake up for then Reo usually has to too because her alarms are just that loud. He feels bad she has to go into work again at nearly three in the morning, but this doesn't prevent him from rolling back over to try and sleep.
Reo's finally managed to halfway fall asleep again when she raps gently at his door before pushing it open and allowing herself in. He rolls over to look at her, eyes straining in the dark to try and make out her face.
"Mom?" He asks quietly, voice raspy and tired.
"Your uncle's in the hospital," she tells him calmly, lowly.
This is what truly wakes him up.
Sometimes Reo thinks he remembers too much, sees too much, feels too much.
His amber eyes are dry and irritated from lack of sleep and his body tells him he should just close his eyes and try his best to drift away, but he can't because his everything is on fire. Reo Tsukauchi knows too much.
But, it's always been that way. It's the repercussions of his quirk.
It's also the repercussions of having a vigilante for a best friend. Gaze-bo reblogged KickGazzySupportSquad
Moonpaw17:
[image: Pied Piper, pinned to the ground by a hero, eyes blown wide with terror, hands cuffed
behind his back. ]
[image: Pied Piper, looking back at an approaching detective, frozen in fear in the middle of the
street. ]
These are the only two photos I've ever seen where Piper looks so legitimately terrified.
Jurtleneck-and-Jorts:
it's really surreal seeing these photographs, it's got me wondering what Piper was feeling
Gaze-bo:
Got you wondering what????? Op literally answered your question im??????
#me on a wednesday #pied piper 31,956 notes
Queenie
[Video: Pied Piper, at a distance, running towards the camera. Behind him Death Arms wrenches a street sign out of the sidewalk. He hurls it in the direction of the vigilante. It misses him by mere inches and instead skids across the pavement towards the crowd that the bystander films from. Screams go up as everyone tries to back away. The video cuts during the commotion. ]
Liked by BREathe and 3,728 others
Queenie Death Arms the dumbass DA the DA he's a HORRIBLE hero and you can't convince me otherwise. I legit would've gotten hit by that sign if I hadn't scrambled to move back. Not only could he have seriously injured who ever that dude was, but he came close to injuring civilians as well #DeathArmsIsCancelled
view all 238 comments
BleedingNoises !!!!! that's 100% reckless endangerment
questioning.nose wth literally go file a police report against him he could've seriously hurt someone :(((
Queenie I want to!! My mom is a lawyer so I've been talking to her about what I can do
FatGummyy I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING ALL OVER THE INTERNET FOR THIS VIDEO I HEARD PIED PIPER GOT IN ANOTHER FIGHT WITH DEATH ARMS AND I WAS GONNA FR CRY IF NO ONE HAD GOTTEN A VIDEO THANK YOU SO MUCH
Queenie
BreNGort DA the DA! DA the DA! DA the DA! FeralBoiFam DA the DA!
P.Piper.Stan DA the DA!!
AllMozzarella DA the DA!
f0the.r DA the DA
dootdoot
Pied Piper???
DA!
JUSTICE FOR PIPER!!! DA the
Trending on r/vigilantes
r/vigilantes · Posted by u/disqualT three days ago Thoughts on Pied Piper?
4,872 upvotes
Alright so I know just about everyone on this site has heard about what happened with Pied Piper at this point, if you haven't then there are hundreds of other posts that will explain everything in unnecessary visual detail.
I want to hear about what everyone thinks about the whole ordeal, most of the reactions I've heard are just ones of shock but it's been awhile so everyone should have had time to digest what happened so what do you all think about what he did? Was it justified? Was it not? I want to hear everyones thoughts (please no infighting in the comments I don't want a headache just respect people's opinions (or just ignore them))
.
black_and_bluesive 1.8k points · three days ago
I'm honestly still shocked about everything I mean I'm kind of????? Idk I almost feel betrayed I guess?? I know this isn't the first time Piper has hurt heroes, I know he's knocked at least one out before, but... This is just a whole different level. I've seen the spikes on his boots before and they're nasty looking things and I then suddenly that video with Acro popped up???? It was horrible and if that wasn't bad enough I heard Death Arms got hurt even worse and that he sent some police officer to the hospital??/
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CEOofBussy 5k points · three days ago
Was it justified? No offense but that's such a stupid question hurting another person isn't something you can justify, but Piper saves the people that heroes don't. He wasn't justified in hurting the people he did, but the heroes and officers hurt him too Acro tackled him so hard that he had to have gotten at least some sort concussion and Death Arms hurled a street sign at him and some civilians. In my opinion neither of the parties involved in this are 'justified' because what they've done can't be defended.
SSSxTG1 112 points · two days ago
i'd just like to point out that Piper was in the middle of stopping a purse snatcher before Acro showed up, and even before that I heard he pulled a drunk dude out of the road, the heroes were the ones that started it so anything that happened to them was their own fault
VagaB0nd 83 points · two days ago
If Pied Piper would follow the law then this wouldn't have happened, just saying
SSSxTG1 112 points · one day ago
If you followed common sense then maybe you wouldn't have felt the need to be passive
aggressive about Piper under my comment about him saving people, just saying
.
NinjaTigger 349 points · two days ago
Personally I don't really see why everyone's making such a big deal out of it, heroes get hurt all the time, it's an occupational hazard. Their wounds will take time to heal sure, but healing quirks exist I've seen worse wounds on better heroes
I've been reading about people who say they're really surprised by what Piper did but??? He's a vigilante?? Of course he's gonna do what he can not to get caught I mean this isn't even the first time he's hurt a hero before?? I can't tell you how many times I've heard about him electrocuting a hero or a police officer I mean just last month he headbutted Slidin' Go in the face and broke his nose
I don't know I just don't think it's as big of a deal as everyone's making it out to be
BeGayDoCrimeBot 3k points · one day ago
The known tally of assaults conducted by the vigilante Pied Piper is 13 police officers, 8 heroes, 2 civilian (accidental), and over 500 accredited assaults against criminals.
Popular Vigilante Assaults Pro Heroes, Commentary from Witnesses
[Video: News reporter begins speaking. "Pied Piper, a vigilante who had previously been deemed harmless to civilians and heroes by his growing 'fanbase', is caught engaging in a fight with heroes. Now we get a new glimpse of the true nature behind Musutafu's most infamous vigilante. Please keep in mind that this next clip is graphic and may not be suitable for younger audiences, viewer discretion is advised."
[video footage: A voice filters though, "Are you recording this?" The phone camera shakes. "Of course I'm recording it." A police officer passes in front of the camera, trying to keep the crowd at bay. Piper is shown being pulled up and pushed towards a police cruiser. His hands are cuffed behind his back. The footage zooms in shakily on Piper, catching the moment he wraps his leg can be awkwardly around the hero's calve. Shouts go up from the crowd. A muffled, "Holy shit" escaping someone nearby. There's a loud rustling of fabric as the camera's view is obstructed. It clears again to catch a glimpse of the vigilante running towards the crowd before the video pauses, ending.]
The news report cuts back in. "Our newest reporter, Genji Riaru, is at the scene of the crime, Genji?"
The camera cuts to a young woman standing outside. "Yes, hello. I'm here on the street where Pied Piper's most recent escapade took place. The street looks startling normal compared to what
happened here just last night. It was in the middle of this street that Pro Hero Acro originally managed to subdue Musutafu's illusive vigilante. Earlier we asked around the area about last night's incidents, but harbored few results. Many people weren't even aware that anything had even happened, let alone knew who the vigilante was. But, we were able to track down a few key witnesses to last night's crimes."
A series of interviewees appear on screen, each in what appear to be different settings.
"I really thought it was over after that hero tackled Piper. Like he wasn't just cuffed ya know, those things have quirk suppressants in 'em."
"Oh I for sure thought he was done for, I mean how are you supposed to get away from that many people? But, I guess he did it anyway, pretty bold escape though, totally gross."
"I feel so bad for Acro after seeing what happened to his leg. He's not gonna be able to work for awhile after that. I heard Death Arms got it even worse though!"
"Yeah, it was pretty brutal what he did to that hero, nasty business."
"I don't know... I just... I never expected him to hurt a hero like that. I guess I just thought he was one of the good guys."
"Yeah! That was wild! One chick gave him his pipe back as he was running away and another dude tripped one of the officers trying to chase after him! And then the whole crowd started chanting his name!"
"I mean, I feel bad for that hero, but Piper is the type of guy that doesn't hurt people unless he needs to. He was in a tough spot so I understand why he did it. I heard Death Arms got hurt too, but that dude probably deserved it, he tried to kill Piper when he was first starting out. Can you imagine? Piper probably thought that guy was gonna try and kill him again!" ]
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6,268 comments
TJRelax - 4 days ago
Fake
N0 Bite Mike - 2 days ago
My favorite vigilante
WooW12 - 2 days ago
Wait is this like fr fr??? I saw posts about it but I thought it was a copycat or something????
Netflix and Vibe - 1 day ago
Ngl that was kinda badass Junji Touka - 21 hours ago
PIPER PIPER PIPER
ReforgedFromBroken - 16 hours ago
This is why it's so important to have heroes that are always so willing to put themselves on the line like this for everyone else's safety. This could have turned into a truly dangerous situation, especially for civilians, had that villain used his quirk. I hate to think what could've happened. Glad everyone is mostly okay though, no serious damage thanks to Acro and Death Arms!'
GagReGone - 1 hour ago
I can't believe they still haven't caught that dude I'm disappointed in all the people that were involved in that incident