Izuku's internship, as Aizawa had later explained, would require something the boy had only ever been able to dream of up until this point: a hero costume. The moment Aizawa brings it up to him he cries. Not willingly by any means, but when he mentions it so casually it makes everything feel real: like childhood dreams coming to fruition, like all his hard work finally paying off.
"It's funny," Izuku murmurs quietly, watching as Reo works. "You originally made my vigilante gear and now you're the one that's making my hero stuff."
Reo smiles, soft and warm. "There's an actual manufacturing company working on the suit," he reminds him. "I'm only making some of your stuff because you're on a tight schedule."
"Still," Izuku chuckles.
"I'm honestly worried," Reo states, voice dropping lower. "About what?"
The boy sighs, momentarily setting his tools aside. "I'm worried I'll make it too much like Piper's."
"You won't," Izuku reassures him, "but, even if you do, I'll consider it a homage. At worst they'll think I'm a Piper stan," he teases. In truth, however, he's also anxious. There's a lot that could go wrong with this and not simply because Reo's working on his gear. He's an ex-vigilante in a den of heroes, working alongside them like he's never been anything more. Aizawa had already suspected him before, had tried pinning him down during the sports festival before word of Piper's death had spread. A Piper stan certainly wasn't the worst people could assume. They both know that.
They laugh at the thought anyways. They were still teenagers after all, nothing more than kids that'd grown up too fast in the past year. Reo had been just as present for Iida's death as Midoriya had; had seen the fallout in the wake of USJ. He'd been there to piece Izuku back together after his death at the hands of Overhaul. Reo had seen it all, a witness in a different sense.
They deserved a break from the stress of it all. They deserved to laugh at jokes that couldn't hurt anyone. They deserved to be teenagers.
Reo would be graduating at the end of this year and Izuku would only get busier as he did his best to progress into the hero course. They'd get less time in the future to simply exist like they are now, confiding in one another's presence.
"I feel bad for making you work during summer break," Izuku sighs.
"It's all voluntary," Reo states, "It's not often you get to work on actual hero support gear outside of internships. There'll always be people that'll volunteer for it even if it means working over break."
"Nerd," Izuku teases.
Reo raises a brow, amusement clear. "Says the one with, how many hero notebooks was it now?" He bumps shoulders with him before pushing himself up with a grunt, stretching. "You've gotta be up early right? Are you gonna stay over again or–?"
Izuku smiles, soft and gentle. "I'll stay." For now, their problems will stay far away—hazy in the foggy warmth of each other's company. Tonight they will discard their blankets to escape the summer heat as a thunderstorm rumbles on the horizon. Tonight lightning will flash outside the window and they will watch it in the dark, taking in low whispers until someone eventually gives in to their exhaustion. And tomorrow, tomorrow they'll push forward and handle all the unspoken matters as they countdown the days before Izuku's internship.
Oboro smiles when Izuku pushes through his office door. "Midoriya." he greets, "Lots of morning appointments recently."
"Training starts at 10; I don't want to miss any of it," he responds with a soft smile, taking a seat in his usual spot.
"How's that been going?"
Izuku nods. "The training's hard, but it's good. Necessary. My hero suit is supposed to be coming in soon too." His excitement is palpable, but there's something else there too.
Oboro picks up on it immediately. "Are you having any conflicting emotions about that?"
"It's..." he falls silent, "This is something I've wanted since I was a kid. But... it's also something I already had, in a sense."
There's a pause as they both absorb the information, then: "Do you miss it?" Oboro asks, pushing gently, "Do you miss being Piper?"
Izuku's gaze shifts to his hands, absently watching as he fiddles with his fingers. "I shouldn't," he murmurs, "it was only a substitute for becoming a hero"
"But..." Oboro continues for him, "now that what you substituted it for is within reach–" "Everything is at stake," Izuku whispers. "Not that it wasn't before, it's just..." he trails off again. "There's more to lose," Oboro finishes.
Izuku nods sagely. "I have friends that I love, teachers that actually care, dreams that are finally within reach. That first night as Piper..." He shakes his head. "I didn't have any of that, not in the same way I have it now. I didn't have Reo or Shinsou and I had just been rejected from the hero course and I was completely ostracized at school. All I had was my mom and the dojo." He wrings his hands in his lap, nervous, distressed. "I used vigilantism to achieve everything people told me I couldn't and it worked... until it didn't. I became obsessed with that case I was working on and it got me killed. I shouldn't miss it," Izuku admonishes, shaking his head.
"It's okay to miss it. It was a big part of your life–" "It was my life," Izuku cuts in quietly.
"Exactly," Oboro pushes, stressing the importance of the idea, leaning forward in his seat. "People all across Musutafu and beyond are mourning Piper's loss." His brow furrows gently with some indescribable emotion. "It's okay for you to mourn with them."
Oboro lets the words hang there, studying the distressed line of Izuku's shoulders. "I didn't want to leave like that..." he says after a time, voice hoarse, "I didn't–I didn't think so many people would–"
Oboro remains quiet, letting him work through his thoughts.
"Would care," Izuku finishes lamely. He buries his fingers into the hem of his shirt. "I figured people would forget, and they will, but... it's taking longer than I expected. It's not like I'm All Might or Hawks. I just helped a few people."
"You said it before, that day you first told me about Piper," Oboro reminds him softly, "You said, 'Anyone can save people'. And you're right, but not everyone cares enough to keep saving people: to do so without recognition, without pay, without any sort of notable benefits like you did. They cared because you cared," Oboro states, "Piper was a hero for those forgotten. People won't forget that as easily as you think."
He chews at the corner of his lip. Reo said something similar in the wake of Piper's death. Izuku had given it six weeks. Six weeks before Piper would be forgotten by those mourning him. Six months until traces of him disappeared from the internet altogether. But, people continued to surpass his expectations.
Izuku hadn't expected the Piper memorials scattered around the city. After two weeks they were swept up by city cleaning crews, but onlookers refused to let them stay gone for long. Their items continually replaced by mourners new and old; swept up again and replaced and swept up and
replaced in a vicious cycle until only a few items remained: a handful of ribbons and dead flowers scattered along the Dagobah fence line. He slips into the maze of towering garbage late that day for time to think only to find more tokens of mourning people had tossed down to keep hidden from the sweepers. Bouquets of dead flowers, bottles still full of tea and water, an assortment of foodstuffs; offerings to the boy who'd saved lives.
It's proof of Piper's existence beyond just the people he saved. Piper had inspired people too, given them hope of better days to come. People would forget eventually, as is human nature, but Piper had left behind a legacy bigger than himself.
Piper is a secret Izuku fully intends to take to his grave, but he can't help but continue to remember Oboro's words in the following days, watching as Aizawa goes over a few things from their last sparring match with Shinsou. Because people cared, people have always cared. The detective cared. Aizawa cared. Each had mourned his loss in their own way, clueless to the irony of their situations.
He was so close to them and yet—
Aizawa calls an end to their training for the day, waving the two teens off to pack and get cleaned up. Izuku and Shinsou had teamed together to beat Aizawa during their sparring match today, but it'd been a hard-fought battle now that the hero was more than familiar with their tricks and fighting styles. It'd been a good challenge for the two of them, learning to work in tandem with someone else. They'd won, eventually, barely. But it'd been enough for the two of them. A silent cheer, victory sparking in their eyes like meteor showers.
"Midoriya," Aizawa calls, waving him over.
Izuku parts from Shinsou with a reassuring nod as the other boy heads out first. Izuku figures this is something about today's training, perhaps something about his upcoming internship.
"Your suit came in," Aizawa informs him. And like the birth of the universe there's an explosion of stars forming in the boy's eyes, a coming together of dust and superheated gas, a collision of galaxies. But, Aizawa does not stop there, "I'll be collaborating with a group of heroes two weeks from now, and though I'm aware it'll take time for you to get acquainted with your gear, I'd like you to join me as part of your internship."
Izuku's heart beats rapidly in his chest, adrenaline like a supernova in his system.
"Let me be clear," Aizawa's voice drops a note, dark eyes fastened to Izuku's, "that this is a dangerous mission, especially for someone without a lot of first-hand experience. I'm not forcing you to join, I'm giving you an option, but I want you to be aware of the risks." Izuku readies himself to answer right away, but Aizawa stops him with a raised hand. "Give yourself time to think about it."
But there is no thinking about it for Midoriya Izuku. His answer had been decided at birth— like the predestined turn of the universe.
"Eraserhead confirmed he's bringing an intern," Naomasa sighs. He looks better now. The dark circles under his eyes have faded now that he finally has something to focus on.
Nighteye had seen the disrepair that'd marred his face the first time Naomasa came to work on the Shei Hassaikai's case. After All Might's fight with AFO Nighteye kept his distance from people outside his own agency. He preferred to handle all the planning and paperwork on his own, or at
the very least in the quiet privacy of his own office. But, he'd been friends with the detective in the past. He'd even been in attendance at the hero's wedding. Nighteye doesn't look up from his paperwork. "Who is it? I didn't think he usually took interns."
Naomasa scratches at his chin. "One of his first years." Nighteye does look up at that. "A first year?"
"He vouched for their abilities," Naomasa explains, "so at the very least, they must be able to hold their own. I doubt it's a decision he made just for fun. He should be sending his info over in the next few days."
Nighteye hums, eyes flickering towards his computer screen. The face of Kai Chisaki stares back at him. He fiddles absently with the ring on his finger. Everything was finally coming together, all the pieces were falling into place.
Together they count down the days until the operation.
Midoriya Izuku,
This letter is to act as a brief summary of your costume's design features. Specifics for each item will be listed in a separate sheet. The suit is split into three different pieces, the undershirt, vest, and pants, all of which can be put on in a timely manner. The elbow pads you requested are built into the undershirt to shorten change time. Your knee pads and shin guards are the same. All materials used in the production of these pieces are a high mesh, tear-resistant fabric that can protect against most basic slashing attacks from knife-like weapons. The boots have been reinforced with steel toes and fitted with climbing spikes along the front seam and, upon your request, retractable knives have been added at the back of the heel. The mask has been equipt with respirator filters, comm systems, and a few other additional features discussed later. Your gloves have been fitted with brass knuckles and rubber palms to assist with grip.
Activation methods for all features are listed on their respective pages.
Other essential gear had been included in a separate case at the bottom. You can find a comprehensive list of any items not mentioned above can be found on page two. Please make sure to read the entirety of this letter before experimenting with any of the gear as servals of the included items can be dangerous to the user if mishandled.
We sincerely hope you are able to put this gear to good use. Best,
H eg e
Izuku reads the entire letter three times in his excitement: skimming over the list of gear, rereading their functions. His eyes frequently find his name at the top of the letter, slipping back to that first page and checking again and again that this is his letter, that it's meant for him— that this is his gear, his costume. The entire time his grin is an unmatched thing. His fingers curl gently into the paper, crinkling the edges. He'd had dreams crushed by letters like these, this time was different.
He's alone in the locker room as he sets the papers aside. He hadn't taken any of the gear out yet in favor of reading the letter, partly out of nerves, partly out of respect for the designers.
The first piece, laid out on top, is what he assumes is his undershirt. It's mostly black, turning dark gray where the elbow pads have been attached. It looks skin tight, extending down to his wrists and up a good quarter of his neck where he spots a zipper at the front. There's no hood.
He pauses at the thought.
Piper's hood had always been a bit of an inconvenience to him, even if it was necessary to protect his identity. But, he didn't have to worry about that now. He didn't have to change his eye color, didn't have to hide his hair.
The pants are next. It sticks with the same dark color scheme— turning lighter at the knee pads but darker still where there's a more protective material that wraps his thighs.
There's a belt— it's a simple design: light gray and scattered with pouches and loops to hold weapons, supplies, the occasional late-night snack should he wish. He snorts at the idea.
Something else inside catches Izuku's attention, a splash of color. He pulls out the next piece reverently. He'd left a majority of his costume's design elements up to chance, leaving it up to the team that was working on it. The piece he pulls out is the vest they'd mentioned in the letter, not too unsimilar to Piper's bulletproof one, though this has clearly been crafted with more care. There's sections of matte armor plating secured across the front and back, following the line of his ribs and spine while still leaving gaps for flexibility. It's all dark shades of gray, but there, in the center of the chest is a large red spot the size of his hand. He holds it tight. The rest of his gear is mostly black and gray; the red the only real pop of color on anything, perfect for the underground hero work he expects to be doing in the future. It's most likely meant to represent Japan's flag, like the rising of the morning sun over a still dark sea. But for him, for Izuku, all he can see is Piper's eye, Iida's, Eri's .
He runs a thumb over the material. It's lightweight, durable, perfect.
Below it are his boots. Similar to Piper's but different in the ways that matter. There's a splash of red on the toe caps and Piper's metal spikes have been replaced by three dark ones that aren't attached to, but rather extend out as a part of the front outsoles. And, if he studies the backs close enough, he can see a glint of metal through two identical slits in the heels.
Beneath the boots are two secondary carrying cases. He opens the first one to find a second note. It's much smaller than the last, clearly torn out of the corner of a notebook. It reads: try not to electrocute yourself this time :)
He feels a smile twitch at the corners of his lips. It's Reo's handwriting.
In the case there are a handful of things to fill the loops and pouches on his belt: handcuffs and smoke bombs and flash grenades and something else . He picks it up carefully. It's small, closer to the size of one of his previous tonfa. He'd read the letter; he knows exactly what this is. That doesn't make him anymore prepared to see it. Izuku already has a staff; it's retractable, still new, a gift from Reo after he'd taken second in his martial arts tournament.
Seems like Reo thought it wasn't enough for hero work.
With a press of a button the staff expands out on either side. Izuku takes a step back, giving it a careful spin. He studies it with an awed sort of reverence. There's a lot more tech on it than he's used to, completely different to any he's owned in the past. He passes it to one hand, getting a feel for the weight of it when he feels a second button give way under his thumb.
There's a crackling flash of electricity from both ends of the staff.
Izuku jumps, first startled, then amused. He lets out a laugh, a tangle of mirthful disbelief. "I electrocute myself one time." He gives the staff another twirl, now conscious of the button placement before sitting down on the bench, looking again for the button to retract it down to storage size. It retracts, shrinking to the size of a short staff— a more manageable size for close- quarters combat. He smiles pressing the button once more as it finally returns to its original size and he moves to put it back.
In the second case is his mask. He tenses, heart rate spiking because for a moment it's not his mask — for a moment he's staring down at Piper's mask and Piper's staff and the suit in the case is Piper's, not Midoriya's. And he's terrified that it's too much; that once everything's combined it'll be too similar. That he'll be found out the moment he puts it all on. With his staff and his boots and his mask. His silhouette would be near identical. He pulls the mask out slowly, carefully, studying the distorted reflection of colors in the absence of a mirror finish. It's got the same arrow tipped front over his mouth and nose. But where Piper's had ended just before his ear, this comes up and over. There's a switching of material here to something matte and black, littered with a handful of unlit LEDs. The part that covers the top of his ear spikes out towards the back of his head— reminiscent of some cybernetic wing or antenna.
He takes a breath.
Piper was dead. No one who knew this would expect otherwise. There's nothing remarkable about his suit, nothing that screams, 'Piper's alive'.
Thus, he begins the slow process of donning still unfamiliar gear. Tying shoes, buckling belts; in the mirror he slots the mask over his face.
Aizawa knocks, slipping in to lean against the doorframe. He watches Izuku from behind, quiet for a moment before speaking, "It looks good."
Izuku turns to him. He clenches his fists, unclenches them, clenches again— getting a feel for the gloves. He nods, too awed to respond with words.
Aizawa lets out a low hum, still watching him. There's no special reaction to seeing him, no glint of recognition in his eyes. "I guess all you need now is a hero name."
But Izuku already knows— already has an answer for him. He'd known the moment he'd opened that first case. He turns back to the mirror. Surprisingly he doesn't find Piper in his reflection. There's someone else in his place, neither Piper nor Midoriya. Someone new, untested but strong . In the mirror is a hero, one that would eclipse his old self, become stronger than the person he was before.
Within him burns a sun, a red eye that is both his and not. He studies the Hinomaru on his chest. He debates his decision only a second longer.
"...The Eclipse Hero," Izuku starts softly, confidence growing as he speaks, "Red Sun."
There's a hint of a smirk that flickers at Aizawa's lips. "Quite the theme you've got going there." He motions Izuku towards the door with a nod of his head. "We'll run it by Midnight later, see what she says. For now, let's take your gear for a test run. You got everything?"
Izuku reaches down, slotting his new staff into place on his belt. He gives a nod, striding after Aizawa as he turns to leave.
"For what it's worth," the hero adds, "I think you've landed yourself a pretty solid name there, kid."
Izuku only grins in response, smile hidden behind his mask. They had work to do.
Name: Midoriya Izuku Alias: Eclipse Hero: Red Sun
Age: 15 Height: 165cm
Affiliated Agency or School: UA High School - General Education
@lilacminds
I doubt most people will remember, but I'm here to remind people that Piper actually got his name because he went around beating up bad guys with a literal pipe
4:21 PM · 7/18/32 · Twitter Web App 26 Retweets 132 Likes
VBCHAMP @vsverus · 2h Replying to @lilacminds
PLEASE WHY HAS NO ONE EVER TOLD ME THIS GEJSGSNSVEN
Yerum Replying to @lilacminds
THERE'S NO WAY LILAC, TELL ME YOURE JOKING RN
Kami @portcharge · 1h Replying to @lilacminds LMAOOOOOO
@OboroFollower7 · 39m Replying to @lilacminds
Kouyou Hanaki @kyhole · now Replying to @lilacminds
Bro you've gotta stfu about Piper no one cares my guy