Naomasa's apartment is dark despite the fact that it's already well past noon. Sansa's in his kitchen, quietly sifting through his cupboards for tea to make.
Tsukauchi sits on the couch, staring blankly at the tv. They've been watching coverage of the festival, but he's barely been aware of it. Sansa has to explain to him after the end of the second event for the third years that Reo hasn't made it through. Sansa has to do everything for him. He has to read out the text that Misaki sends him that says Reo's friend made it to the third event. He has to change the channel so they can watch it. He has to point out Reo when the camera pans momentarily to the audience.
Naomasa feels numb. He feels empty.
Piper was only one of the many people he's failed as a detective over the years. But, somewhere along the way, Tsukauchi had gotten attached. He formed a relationship where he shouldn't have.
Somewhere along the way, he'd forgotten that Piper was more than just a kid. He was a vigilante, he dealt with dangerous people whose bad sides he was frequently on. Piper was not invincible no matter how much he tried to seem that way.
Sansa returns with two cups of tea, urging the second one into Naomasa's hands. The heat seeps through the ceramic mug, grounding him. Midoriya is fighting on screen, steel staff twirling between his hands. The detective watches the tv quietly. He does not drink the tea, he does not look away from the screen.
"He was still alive," Tsukauchi murmurs. "He was still alive when that letter was sent."
Sansa pauses mid-sip, sighing as he sets his cup down. He carefully takes the mug from Naomasa as well, gently placing it on the coffee table.
Angry tears blur his view of the tv. "He was still alive. We could've saved him," his voice cracks horribly and Sansa takes one of the detective's hands between his.
Naomasa had overheard the call Sansa had taken earlier, listening quietly to what updates there's been to Piper's case. He grits his teeth, bowing his head over his lap. "We could've saved him!" Spittle flies wildly from the detective's mouth, but Sansa does not so much as flinch. "We did nothing to help him or find whatever bastard was hurting him! And look what they did to him! Look what they did, Sansa! He died alone!" He slams his fist into the table, voice breaking. "They
took his teeth," he cries, "They took his eyes."
Sansa wraps him in a hug, pulling the detective's head into his chest. "I know," his voice is hoarse,
but determined, soothing. "I know."
Naomasa clings to the other man, sobbing into his shoulder. "A kid," Naomasa cries. "He was just
a kid."
Sansa holds him tighter.
"You fought hard." Those are Izuku's last words to Yaoyorozu before she's escorted away. Izuku lets out a relieved sigh as he turns, heading back towards the tunnel he'd come out of. Above him, the audience roars, cheering for the secondhand adrenaline rush he's offered them. Situated above the exit is a small walkway where he spots a group of his classmates. They all wave down at him.
"GO MIDORIYA!"
"Show 'em what 1-C's made of!" "You've got this, Midoriya!"
The unexpected words of encouragement catch him off guard, but he recovers quickly enough, smiling up at them brightly. "For 1-C!" He calls back, raising his fist in the air. He's surprised to find Yaoyorozu's staff still clutched in his raised hand.
Well, he supposes, I guess she won't be needing it anymore today. I wonder if they'll let me use it in my other matches.
He ditches the staff in his prep room, sprinting through the halls and up the stairs to the student section in order to make it to the stands in time to watch Shinsou's match.
He takes a moment to catch his breath at the top of the stairs. "Midoriya!"
Izuku turns to find Iida waving at him from one of the student sections. Behind him, Midoriya catches sight of Hagakure's head and shoulders peeking over his shoulder.
"Iida, Hagakure," he greets, smiling at the two of them.
"You did great out there!" Hagakure notes excitedly, "You were all like bam! Swish! Kapow!" She punches out at the air, imitating his fight.
Izuku grins. "I wouldn't have even had a shot at making it this far without the two of you."
"And yet," Iida states, "Without your planning, our team would have had a much more difficult time at making it."
"Iida's probably different, but I definitely wouldn't have made it to the third round without you! You even came up with a new way for me to use my quirk!" Hagakure laughs excitedly.
Present Mic's voice echoes through the stadium, drawing their attention back towards the field. "The guy with the power to make others do his bidding! From general education, it's Shinsou Hitoshi! Versus! Sorry, but it's the girl who didn't do much last round! Also from general education, it's Zheng Bao!"
Izuku frowns at Zheng's introduction, gaze catching on the commentator box as the crowd cheers.
Iida pushes his glasses back up the ridge of his nose. "It seems Shinsou and Zheng's match is about to begin."
Izuku nods. "Yeah, I've gotta go now, but I'll see you guys around."
"We'll be rooting for you!" Hagakure calls, waving excitedly as he disappears into a different student section a little further down.
Reo looks up as Izuku collapses in the seat next to him. "Cutting it close now aren't we?" "I ran into my teammates from the last round," Izuku huffs with a laugh.
"Well," Reo starts without preamble, nodding towards the field, "you were teamed up with both of them, right? Who do you think will win?"
Midnight's whip cracks. "Match nine! Start!"
"Shinsou's quirk is really powerful," Izuku responds, leaning against the balcony to get a better view of the field. "If he can get Zheng to respond to him then he'll win for sure. But, there are lots of ways that Zheng could use her quirk to beat him if he fails to get her talking." He can see that Shinsou says something, but can't hear what's said before Zheng is charging at him. "They announced it at the start of the first match after all. There's three ways to win. Knocking your opponent out of the ring, forcing them to forfeit, or immobilizing them," Midoriya states ominously. "Zheng's glue traps take time to set up, but if she's smart enough, there are other ways she could immobilize Shinsou. The match will be skewed in one of their favors, but whose direction depends on whether or not Shinsou can get her to talk."
The fight is quick to turn into an all-out brawl as soon as Zheng reaches Shinsou. It's not flashy, but it's brutal and dirty and just what a crowd like this craves. Shinsou takes an elbow to the face as the two of them try their best to push each other off the field. From their spot in the stands, Midoriya can tell that Shinsou's constantly talking, but without microphones attached to them, it's unlikely that anyone will be able to tell what's being said. Zheng is smart enough to keep her mouth shut throughout the fight, using her quirk to stick herself to the back of Shinsou shirt and doing her best to try and drag him out of bounds. But, it's not long before Shinsou finally says something that has Zheng snapping back at him in rage.
Her posture goes slack, face going blank.
"Did Shinsou win then?" Reo asks, watching intently from beside him. Shinsou utters a command and Zheng releases him.
Midoriya nods.
She walks off the field.
The moment Shinsou releases his quirk is obvious. All of the previous tension in Zheng's shoulders returns tenfold. She whirls around in confusion, fury written along every line in her face as she catches sight of Shinsou again.
"Zheng is out of bounds! Shinsou advances to round two!"
Reo jumps up from the seat beside him, cheering with the rest of the crowd. His smile is bright and
Izuku can't help but mirror it, standing up with him. They wave down at the boy as his eyes turn towards the stands, face flushed and surprised by the excitement crackling through the air like electricity.
Together the two of them start up a chant of the boy's name and soon enough the rest of the stadium follows suit.
Zheng Bao and her fury are forgotten.
Both Shinsou and Zheng are escorted off the field by medical bots. Zheng is facing away from them, but Shinsou's nose is bloody and broken and his face bruised to hell.
Izuku and Reo settle back into their seats, riding off the secondhand adrenaline like the rest of the audience as the next set of participants are called into the starting tunnels.
Reo nudges him with an elbow as they wait. He's wide-eyed and staring down at his phone in a mix of shock and confusion.
"What?"
Reo only tilts his screen, giving Izuku a glimpse at the reposted news clip that's being played. Izuku can't hear it, but the headline gives him all the information he needs to know.
Vigilante Pied Piper Found Dead at Dagobah
They share a brief look with one another. Izuku leans back in his seat, staring ahead. There's a mixed tangle of emotions squirming in his chest that he can't quite decipher.
"That's it then," Izuku murmurs.
Reo, on the other hand, looks nervous. "Who... who is it?"
Midoriya does not turn towards him. "Me, technically. The DNA matches at least." "What do you mean?"
"They made a clone."
"You gave them a clone?!" Reo whisper-shouts at him. He's quick to glance around for anyone listening in on their conversation, but everyone is too enraptured by the current match. It looks like it'll be a close one.
"It's fine, there's no reason for anyone to make the connection between us."
"And my uncle? What about him?" Reo asks incredulously.
"Even he won't be able to tell with how bloated that thing probably is after being in the ocean for so long. Not to mention the fact that a buzz cut does wonders, I couldn't even recognize myself to be fair."
His friend breathes out a curse, leaning back in his seat. "I'm fine," Izuku reassures him, "Everything's fine."
pog-kemon reblogged snakes4hands
suzsuz:
[Gif 1: Aerial shot of Shinsou standing at the edge of the field as his match starts. His posture is casual, hands stuffed in his pockets. There's a sly grin on his face. "So, you really didn't do shit last round, huh?". ]
No one talk to me this kid is literally the definition of gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss
averyarts13:
why would you say this, no literally why would you say this to me now I cant unsee it
#UA #UA Sports Festival #i'm literally in tears someone help i'm—
132 notes
Shinsou joins them in the middle first fight of the second round, met by a warm round of congratulations from both his two friends and the assortment of students around them. Izuku laughs, clapping as the teen takes a seat beside them.
"You did great out there."
Shinsou huffs a laugh. "You too."
Izuku grins before they all turn their attention to the current match, watching as Ashido and a 1-B student, Bondo, continue to wear one another down. Their quirks are the antithesis of each other. Because of this, the match drags on for what seems like ages. It goes on for long enough that when Reo leaves to go to the bathroom and comes back the two are still fighting. It takes another ten full minutes before both of them have collapsed due to quirk exhaustion and the match is determined as a draw.
The start of the next match-up offers the return of Todoroki Shouto and the 1-B student, Yanagi Reiko. To be fair the girl puts up a good fight, using her quirk to break off small chunks of Todoroki's own ice and send them hurtling towards him. And while she does manage to nick him once, she quickly exhausts herself and sees defeat at the hands of Todoroki. Her fight, at the very least, lasts longer than Iida's match against the boy.
As the round ends and the next starts up Izuku's anxiety starts to get the best of him. A tension that only he feels sinks into his bones. He's been able to ignore the fact up until this point, but soon enough he knows he'll have to fight Shinsou for a spot in the semi-finals.
His leg bounces nervously to no one's notice except Reo's who gives him an encouraging pat on the back as Izuku stands halfway through the fight between 1-A's Tokoyami and 1-B's Kendo.
Shinsou snags his wrist as he leaves, staring up at him from his seat. "Do your best," he states determinedly. "I won't take any less than your best."
Verdant eyes meet blooming lilac. Midoriya nods stiffly.
Eneli / tied brosTM w/ charlie
@bigbrainsimp
Bro is UA just made up of pretty people because i'm— 2:47pm · 4/29/32 · Twitter Web App
16 Retweets 139 Likes
Saroth @pineappleisaberry · 1h Replying to @bigbrainsimp
RIGHT???? LIKE ICE BOY??? ELECTRICITY KID??? A C I D G I R L???
Eneli / tied brosTM w/ charlie @bigbrainsimp · 34m Replying to @m0thh0urs
ICE BOY MY BELOVED
ashy @catsofTokyo · 1h
Replying to @bigbrainsimp
THEY'RE ALL SO PRETTY AND FOR WHAT? THEY'RE GONNA STOP CRIME WITH THEIR LOOKS ALONE
Riass @riabun · 1h
Replying to @bigbrainsimp
The Yaoyorozo person is the prettiest person alive and no one can convince me otherwise /p
Azzy / all mighty stan @noticemeallmight · 56m
Replying to @bigbrainsimp
not a single person in this comment section is talking about that green-haired kid OR the spiky blonde and honestly that's a crime
goose @pukio · 34m Replying to @bigbrainsimp Todoroki Shouto my beloved
MMMB @mothman8myass · 32m
Replying to @bigbrainsimp
gonna become a villain once they graduate just so they can arrest me /j
Mouse (confused) @Tea_Beez · 12m
Replying to @bigbrainsimp
GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY, THE GIRLS!!! THE GIRLS ARE SO PRETTY!!!!!
Ryyan @youthp_ryyan · 1m
Replying to @bigbrainsimp
This is how dangerous parasocial relationships can form. Todoroki Shouto doesn't love you. He can't love you. Todoroki Shouto doesn't KNOW you. He can appreciate you but he can't fucking love you. /c
Izuku takes to wandering the tunnels beneath the stadium in an attempt to calm himself. He passes very few people as he walks, barely acknowledging them when he does. It's his absent-minded wandering that lands him in a situation that incurs an extreme case of déjà vu. It's the oddly familiar voice that Izuku picks up on first, pausing at the corner of a split in the hallway to listen in, trying to place it.
"You could've easily prevented that injury had you used your left side." There's a pause. "It's time to grow up, Shouto."
It's then that Midoriya's able to place a name to the voice. The number two hero in Japan, the flame hero: Endeavor. Izuku tenses at the animosity in the man's voice.
"Rebelling like an impudent child will not allow you to surpass All Might. Understand this, you're different from your brothers. You're my greatest creation!"
Midoriya presses his back to the wall. Wasn't he speaking to his son? A cold fire crawls up Izuku's throat.
"Is that all you've got to say to me?" The venom in Shouto's voice catches him off guard. Midoriya peeks around the corner, catching sight of their backs. Endeavor is wreathed in flames
that illuminate Todoroki's retreating figure. "I'll win this with mother's power alone."
"That may be enough to win this festival, but it won't be enough to surpass All Might. You'll reach your limit soon."
Izuku watches as Todoroki strides down the hall, disappearing around the corner with a sour taste in his mouth. He wants to do something. He wants to reassure the teen, wants to lecture Endeavor about what it means to be a good parent. Midoriya eyes the fire extinguisher strapped to the wall across from him, a primordial temptation tugging at his gut.
"Midoriya Izuku. I've been looking for you."
Izuku feels a chill run through him. It's not Endeavor's voice, neither is it Todoroki's. Midoriya turns to find Eraserhead standing a few feet behind him. He glances back down the hall to where Endeavor had just been to find him disappearing around the same corner as his son.
He looks back at his teacher. "Aizawa Sensei." He tries for a smile. "Did Yamada Sensei send you with another message?"
"No," the hero states, "This is a personal trip. You reminded me of someone so I wanted to ask you something."
Midoriya has prepared himself for this moment, of all the people who had a chance of recognizing him after his little stunt in his first match, it was Eraserhead that was at the top of his list.
"You know anything about Pied Piper?"
Given his history, Izuku was expecting a more direct question but takes it in stride nonetheless. "You mean that vigilante?" He asks, gently tilting his head. "They were the one that got involved at the USJ, right?" Midoriya mentally shakes off the memories dancing against the backs of his eyelids, doing his best not to react to the ghost of the looming figure his mind conjures at the edge of his vision.
The hero only nods, eyeing him carefully from within his shroud of bandages.
If Aizawa had tracked Izuku down thirty minutes earlier, he doesn't think he'd be as calm as he feels now. Because thirty minutes ago the death of the vigilante Pied Piper had yet to be made known. "Didn't they um..." Izuku swallows thickly, "Didn't they just find his body this morning?"
In Aizawa's defense, he doesn't so much as flinch at the words, keeping just as calm and composed as before. He remains silent for a long moment. "This morning?"
"At the beach," Izuku explains carefully, "I saw online where they had the whole of Dagobah roped off. My friend showed me a news clip earlier."
It's in that moment that Izuku realizes his mistake. While their plan for Piper's death included a third party kidnapping after his escape from the USJ, it was the injuries that he'd sustained there, the injuries he received protecting Eraserhead that made their story believable.
"He—" Izuku trails off, "You–." Midoriya stops himself from saying more. "I'm sorry." Aizawa nods but says nothing.
He doesn't need to know that Izuku is apologizing on behalf of the guilt the boy had just seen spark in Aizawa's eyes.
I did not die for you.
"You should get going," Eraserhead tells him, "Your match will be soon."
Izuku watches as the hero continues down the hall, brushing shoulders with the boy as he passes. Aizawa does not return to the announcers' booth.
After parting with Aizawa, Izuku makes a b-line for his prep room. He barely has enough time to make it back and grab the staff he'd borrowed off Yaoyorozu before his name is being called over the loudspeaker. He hopes they'll continue to let him use the staff. He'd seen support students stacked with the gear they'd made as well as a hero student or two sporting support gear meant to stabilize their quirks, and really, for a kid without a quirk, this wasn't much different.
The mix of guilt he'd felt for Aizawa is quickly replaced by his pre-fight anxiety as he makes his way towards the field. Izuku drops into a crouch in the starter tunnel he's been assigned, releasing a shaky breath as he eyes the red light above him. Shinsou... Shinsou has a bright hero career ahead of him. After seeing his quirk in action Midoriya does not doubt that. It's a power perfectly suited to underground heroes. He could've saved Eri with that quirk.
Izuku shakes the thought off violently. You did all you could.
Whether Shinsou wins the sports festival or not Midoriya's certain that that path to heroism will
still be easy for him.
Shinsou was the main reason Izuku had been able to make it past the first round, he owed him for that. Even so, Midoriya can't afford to simply let this opportunity go for the sake of fairness. Nothing in his life has been fair. There's no reason to force himself to conform to a standard that wouldn't meet him halfway.
Izuku pushes himself up, breathing deep. Shinsou was the one that asked him to go all out. Izuku would not lose to him.
The light above him flashes green.
The moment he sets foot outside the tunnel, Present Mic's voice booms through the stadium as he makes his way towards the edge of the starting field. "The boy with the ability to brainwash! Versus! The kid toting around his new staff like a trophy! Both from general education! It's Shinsou versus Midoriya!"
Izuku is good at waiting. That's why, when the match starts with the crack of Midnight's whip he stays where he is, waiting to see what Shinsou will do, to see how far he'll go to win.
"So," Shinsou calls, "you already know what my quirk is. Are you disgusted by it?" Midoriya opens his mouth to respond before quickly snapping it shut again, catching himself.
Shinsou smiles, pushing on. "People usually are, I understand if you feel the same. It's a villain's quirk after all."
Izuku can tell right away that this is Shinsou's tactic to get him to talk. Shinsou knows, after spending so much time around him, that Izuku would be the last person to agree with such things. But, Izuku can hear the genuine undertone of curiosity, of anxiety, that permeates the question. Izuku can see the 'what if's looping through his friend's head.
Izuku has fought real villains, has died to real villains. Despite this, never has he thought that any of their quirks were villainous. Shinsou would go on to do great things with his quirk as long as he's given the opportunity to do so. If Shinsou loses here, if he's as determined as Izuku is to become a hero, then the hand that Reo extended to him, Izuku will gladly extend it to Shinsou as well should he need it. Together they can carve a path to heroism outside this bigoted school system.
Izuku grins and the sight catches Shinsou off guard. Izuku takes up his staff and dutifully carves a single word into the dirt.
NO.
Losing here would not mean failure for either of them. Izuku wants to reassure him of that.
Midoriya charges forward. He feels guilty in a way with how easy it is to beat Shinsou. Izuku has been taught how to fight since he was nine, but it's obvious that his friend has never seen anything outside of a schoolyard brawl. The one punch that Shinsou manages to throw is easily deflected as Izuku pushes him back, closer to the edge of the field.
"Hey, hey!" Shinsou grunts, trying to stall, "What's worse than finding a worm in your apple?" He stumbles back another step waiting for a response that doesn't come. "Being robbed."
Izuku falters in his next attack, a laugh of disbelief escaping him. "What—" His body stiffens. Shinsou grins.
There are lots of things Shinsou could've probably said to rile Midoriya up. Something about his scars, something about his quirklessness, something about his obvious past with the kid with the explosion quirk. Izuku would understand, he thinks, if he'd gone that route out of desperation. He'd understand, but Shinsou doesn't think he'd be able to forgive himself for doing so. This wasn't Zheng he was up against, he knew too much about Izuku.
The anti-joke had thankfully worked. There's no longer a chance for anything darker to slip out in his desperation, there was no longer any risk of ruining their friendship.
Izuku's, in the unstable position that he's in, sends his body careening towards Shinsou's chest. The staff falls from his hands, kicking up dirt as Shinsou's eyes widen. He braces himself to catch the boy, firmly planting afoot behind him as he catches Izuku as gently as he can. A fall from this height would be enough to break out of his quirk.
Midnight's whip cracks loudly, startling him. "Shinsou is out of bounds! Midoriya Izuku wins the match! Moving onto the Semifinals!"
Shinsou's eyes travel numbly down at his feet. The roar of the crowd is reduced to a noisy hum as blood rushes through his ears. His back foot is mere inches over the boundary line. Something
inside him crumbles.
He releases his quirk's hold on Midoriya.
Izuku comes to with his face pressed against Shinsou's chest. The stadium is loud as his friend helps him find his feet again. He looks around in confusion. It feels like he's just been pulled from a dream.
"You won," Shinsou explains softly.
Izuku looks up at him in surprise, head still a little hazy. "But, you—"
"Stepped over the boundary line," Shinsou finishes for him.
Izuku blinks, glancing down at their feet. "But-"
"You won," he states, more firmly this time. "You have to keep winning for us." Shinsou's hands fall heavy on his shoulders, grounding Izuku. "You have to show everyone what 1-C's made of."