At least the guy's chipper now as he tells him of his new teaching position at UA (UA again. Is the universe telling him something?) and how he's completely decided on using that as a way of searching for a potential successor.
It's a little unconventional considering there are bound to be dozens of students to choose from, but if there's one thing John can respect about All Might, it's that when he says he can do something, he does it. So he'll trust that he can find a good successor in due time.
Katsuki appears excited by the news, less slouchy and attentive, but John has another hunch that All Might has another thing to say, and god he's close to leaving and going straight home right then and there. But he stays.
All Might regards them both. "I know it's sudden to ask this, Young Midoriya, but is your friend —"
"The name's Bakugou Katsuki, and before you get any ideas, I don't want your Quirk either. I can climb to the top with my own power," Katsuki butts in, his bravado coming back as he raises his chin and crosses his arms, and John expects it as much. For all that he admires All Might, he's proud to a fault.
"Ah, no, I wasn't going to ask you that," the man affirms, not unkindly, grinning just a bit at Katsuki's bout of confidence. "I was going to ask if you two are taking UA's entrance exam."
"We are," Katsuki sends John a particular stare that says 'you better fucking go' before returning his gaze to All Might. "Why are you asking anyway? Gonna give us pointers?"
The man chuckles, "Well, no, not exactly, but I am giving you a different proposal." All Might stands just a little bit taller, his blue irises gaining a brighter hue to them when he continues, "While I'm not offering One for All to the both of you, I'd like to help you prepare for the entrance exams if that's alright."
What.
"What?!" Katsuki voices the same sentiment.
"I know it's strange, and we are pretty much strangers, still, but after witnessing Young Midoriya saving a life and Young Bakugou defending a friend from unjust treatment, as well as this conversation we had, I sincerely wish to help and see you succeed in becoming great heroes. The practical portion of the exams, as I remember, is difficult if you go in unprepared, so I'd like to help."
And All Might looks completely sincere about it too, his angular features not hindering the grin he bears. It's strange. A man who is idolized by many, feared by villains, and seen as the strongest one of all, viewed as untouchable, helping two young kids with no strings attached, even though he must be busy himself.
Perhaps John misjudged him just a little bit.
However, that's not to say he'll go along with All Might's suggestion.
But before he could even voice another decline to the man's offer, Katsuki hooks an arm around his shoulders with a bit of a jostle, not so subtly stopping him from saying anything by blatantly covering his mouth. And John can feel his chances to escape and go home slipping away. "This isn't some charity work bullshit you're pulling, is it?"
"It's not, I can assure you; I'm not suggesting this as All Might, but as someone who thinks you both have a shot at being wonderful heroes!" All Might answers with that familiar pearly-white smile of his, and John resists the temptation to massage his own cheeks.
Katsuki clicks his tongue, averting his gaze, but John knows embarrassment when he sees it. "Fine, do you whatever you want. At least we're getting some tips from a fucking pro. But we'll be doing most of the work!"
"Yes, yes, I understand," All Might says lightheartedly. "It's nice to see the youth being so high- spirited!"
He then clasps his hands together, and John knows that he needs to get out of this as quickly as possible before he could be dragged deeper, but Katsuki has a solid hold on him, so escape is futile. John, with enough regret to fill an ocean, stays quiet because he has accepted his fate as All Might declares in high spirits, "Well then, why don't we discuss the game plan tomorrow? It's getting a little late now, and I'm sure you're both tired from all the excitement today."
No kidding.
After exchanging phone numbers (John didn't pull out his phone, yet somehow the blond boy managed to slip it out of his pocket to give to All Might), and promising to keep in touch (that will be Katsuki's job. John will take no part in any of the back-and-forths messaging) the hero puffs up in his muscled form and says his goodbyes, with a bit of his usual flair that he shows off in public.
Once All Might is now just a distant dot in the sky, and they're left by themselves once more, John shoots Katsuki a look.
Katsuki, after being exposed to it for so long, doesn't react beyond a roll of his eyes. "You'll thank me for it later."
He won't. And that's a promise.
(It doesn't go unnoticed how quieter Katsuki's been as they make their way home for real. John also takes note of this building tension between them, but doesn't say anything about it.)
~
They arrive at the apartment he shares with Mom, and it's at that moment of removing his shoes John realizes that she must have seen the news.
"Izuku!" Mom is sobbing a waterfall by the time she reaches him and Katsuki, pulling only John into her special hugs that literally leave you breathless. But he's used to that particular form of oxygen deprivation, so he just lets her hold him.
He seriously doesn't like making her cry. "I saw the news, I was so worried, honey! I know you can take care of yourself but please don't do that again! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" His uniform is beginning to feel damp with her tears but honestly, it's the least troublesome thing to stain his clothes. At least it's just water.
She notices Katsuki watching it all happen eventually. "Oh! Katsuki-kun, hello! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," she offers him a teary smile. The blond only shrugs, giving her a brief nod.
"Hi, Auntie."
He gets pulled into a tight hug too.
~
There are things about Katsuki that John picked up quicker than most throughout the years, one of them being that when he feels a certain emotion, he lets it out, unrestrained to a certain degree.
When he's mad or irritated, he yells towards the high heavens, his hands sparking for more emphasis. When he's upset, he pouts and broods, and becomes a little more withdrawn until he isn't. When he's happy (not that he would even admit that he was), he wears this feral grin on his face, and his eyes become a lot brighter and expressive, his entire demeanor just a bit more open.
(John might've felt jealous of Katsuki, somewhat, for being able to express himself so openly. But he isn't. It's not Katsuki's fault he has the emotional capacity of a stone wall when it comes down to it.)
(He held the dark material in his hands, and he knew in that instant that he has returned to the shadows. He screamed.)
And when Katsuki is suspicious or doesn't believe a single word you say, he makes it obvious. So glaringly obvious.
"What?" John breaks the tense quietness in his room because Katsuki's glares are starting to become a bit more bothersome than usual, even with the hero-themed bedsheets he's sitting on mitigating his frown to be less intense.
"Why the hell didn't you accept All Might's offer?"
Oh, so that's what this is about.
"I said—"
"I know what you said, but I fucking know you, and I know you have another reason for that, so spill."
John sighs through his nose as he puts down his pen. He's not going to get anything done if he doesn't settle this sudden issue they seem to have as soon as possible.
He thought he made his choice clear, that he wanted All Might to choose someone else, someone far worthy to inherit a power that could save more lives than end them. He even said it without sounding cryptic or vague, hoping that All Might would understand (which he did). He thought Katsuki did as well.
He seems to have miscalculated.
"I didn't want his Quirk," he answers, simple as that. "I never asked for it."
"But—"
"Those heroes earlier," John interrupts. "They used their Quirks as an excuse when someone was in
danger and they couldn't help."
When Katsuki doesn't say anything, John takes it as his cue to continue, turning on his chair so that he's fully facing the teen, hoping this would quell any not-friendly fires from starting because John is tired of this particular subject already. And it's only been a mere few hours since the villain incident, even less of that for the whole All Might revelation.
"If having a Quirk means not helping someone because it's incompatible and you wait for someone else to do it, then I don't want one."
He makes sure to keep his composure and his tone as level as possible, enough to get Katsuki to understand and see John's reasons as they are. Otherwise, Katsuki will be in another one of his rare mood swings where he treats John with hostility in one instance and keeping him at a distance in the next.
John slouches forward, elbows on his knees, and sights trained on his friend. "I've never had high opinions on Quirks, Katsuki. And you know that I never wished for one since we were younger. I've been fine so far without one, so why would I accept All Might's Quirk now?"
Katsuki actually takes the time to ponder over his answer, lowering his red-eyed gaze, and John waits.
"You'd have a shot at being a hero," is the boy's reply, although judging from how his face scrunches up a little after saying it as if he ate something sour, he probably figured instantly that it's a feeble argument because he's heard John's argument before, repeatedly.
"But I don't want to be a hero," John counters evenly, and he will say it again and again like some sort of prayer to any higher being that would listen.
"I know that, and I still don't fucking get it." Katsuki lets out tiny sparks resembling those special sparkling candles before flopping his back on his bed with a rough sigh, "You've been helping a lot of people these past few years, Deku. That's what a hero does."
"It's what any decent person does."
"Yeah, but not any decent person can beat the shit out of a villain with a pencil."
"I had practice."
"Since when did Kachitsu-sensei's classes teach you how to do that, you trouble magnet fuck."
John doesn't reply this time, because he knows this conversation could go on in circles if he did. He has other reasons why he declined All Might's offer (he wasn't a hero, because he was a villain) but he knew they wouldn't be received well.
How do you even tell someone you used to be a hitman who buried too many bodies for a life of retirement and then later return to that life of death and decay from a single act of revenge, only to die and be reborn as a powerless child in a powerful world? There certainly aren't any guidebooks for that.
Right now, telling Katsuki the initial reasons is enough and within the realm of his current life as an average teenager in a superhuman society. It's as safe as it can be.
So John turns back to his work and begins writing again. The new code looks better this time.
After a brief moment where they don't swap the usual banter, he hears Katsuki sigh. "You really don't wanna be a hero?"
"No, I don't."
"And you really don't want All Might's Quirk?"
"No."
The blond wordlessly grumbles under his breath at that, and this time, it's John's turn to be annoying. Well, as annoying as he is physically, emotionally, and mentally capable of.
"Did you want All Might's Quirk?"
"The fuck?! I said I didn't, dipshit!" Katsuki hisses.
"Hm."
"Oi, fuck you, I said didn't want his fucking Quirk, I mean it! I'm gonna be number one without it!"
"Okay." John doesn't pause in his code-writing, somewhat satisfied with his work. At least Katsuki's stopped staring daggers at him and making it difficult to finish his notes.
Katsuki makes a sound at the back of his throat before he mutters grumpily, "You're one complicated son of a gun, you hear me?"
"That insult is new."
"Shut up, I'm a bastard, but I'm not a heartless dick, especially to Auntie!"
"Hm."
And from there, the conversation turns into different, lighter matters, with Katsuki doing most of the talking and John doing most of the listening, sharing a few opinions here and there out of habit. When Katsuki talks about what his training would be like after some time, John relaxes in his seat, finalizing his notes, while reminding himself to research UA in full.
He even takes the initiative to text their self-defense and martial arts teachers that they won't be attending their classes anymore, using the generic "exam preparation" excuse to cover for their training with All Might. While he isn't close to either of them, John is at least grateful for their guidance.
They don't talk about All Might or One for All, or their eventual training with the hero the rest of the night, which is all fine by John. He wouldn't even participate in the discussion if they did.
~
Katsuki stays for dinner, and while John had expected him to go home, it's not a surprise his friend wants to have a sleepover. He does this whenever John gets into some trouble whenever he's around to witness it or hear about it. He's caring like that, even when he says he isn't.
And later in the night, when he's close to slipping into meaningless dreams, he hears Katsuki
whisper into the dark, a pledge born out of a desire to challenge him.
"I'm gonna blow the entrance exam out of the fucking water, Deku, so don't half-ass it either, or else I'll blast you to fucking Australia."
John decides to concede with Katsuki's expectations just a bit. Just so he won't have to be "blasted to Australia".
"Sure."
~
Yagi Toshinori, Bakugou Katsuki, You
Yesterday 8:09 PM Yagi Good evening, boys! This is All Might, but Yagi Toshinori is my civilian name so pls refer to me as that when I'm not in my muscle form and out in public with you, thank you (and pls don't leak it) Good news, I've found a good place to start your training! It's not exactly conventional but I know for certain it can help :D (did I do the emoticon thing right? I'm not sure) Anyway! If you're available, come meet me at this location at 7 AM tomorrow! PLUS ULTRA [sent a location]
When John woke up to the hero's messages that morning, he thought about the choices that led him to this point.
He stewed over it, wondered what he could've done differently so that he and Katsuki wouldn't have crossed paths with All Might and end up being involved in...whatever this is. All Might and Katsuki call it "training", but John calls it a kick in the ass from the universe.
Eventually, though, and with a ton of effort on his part, John accepted that what's done is done.
He's...training with Katsuki and All Might for the entrance exams. And he can either back away and risk Katsuki being a lot more aggravating for the next few months or go through with it and finish what has been started.
However...
"All Might, what the fuck are we doing here," Katsuki deadpans, and if he listens hard enough, John could hear seagulls flying overhead.
And All Might, in his muscle form, laughs jovially, "You're here to train, of course!"
"Yeah, I get that," Katsuki says with a certain tenor, and John instinctively braces himself for the impending noise, "but WHY A FUCKING TRASH BEACH?!"
Dagobah Municipal Beach is, for a lack of a better term, a mess.
Everywhere you look, there's a large pile of trash and scraps. You can barely see the sand underneath broken appliances and tossed soda cans. There's even a wrecked Volkswagen in the distance, sitting prettily on top of a particularly high summit of other machine parts, and John pointedly ignores the weird scent that's a mixture of sea salt and waste.
He's only ever heard of this beach from peers jeering at him that if he ever ended up homeless, he could find a good home at the illegal garbage dump beach. At first, John brushed it off as another one of their usual petty taunts but looking at the mountains of junk and other unwanted contraptions now, he's starting to reconsider.
How long has it been like this anyway? Longer than John had been alive in this world, probably.
It's no wonder All Might chose this place as their training grounds; at least then, no one would find them with a deflated All Might and cause a ruckus.
"You see, Young Bakugou," All Might, in his muscle form, begins, patting the top of a run-down refrigerator. "Heroics wasn't always about fighting villains and standing in the spotlight."
John sits through another heroic speech, and to the man's credit, it's enlightening enough that it gets Katsuki to look rather contemplative. While John still doesn't hold All Might in the same regard as Katsuki does, he will admit, the man can be inspirational when he needs to be, especially with this.
"Now then! We have ten months to build up a solid foundation for you boys before entrance exams. You think you can clean this place before then?"
"Hell yeah," Katsuki says with a wild smirk, hitting his fist against his palm. John just nods.
Soon enough, they get to work, with All Might acting as an onlooker of their progress. (Sometimes the man throws in words of encouragement; a little odd for John's taste, but whatever makes the guy happy.)
They, of course, start small, carrying things like discarded boxes, wrecked kitchen appliances, and other questionable garbage, building up from there over time. Fortunately, All Might had the forethought to bring in a truck large enough to store the trash they've collected and take them to a legal dumping site.
As he carefully lifts a broken microwave (seriously, isn't there a specific area for things like this?), John thinks back to his own training before becoming Midoriya Izuku.
In the Ruska Roma, training is usually a lot less lenient. They don't take kindly to blunders, and they make certain that you never make the same mistakes twice. (The Director always sought perfection.)
This is mostly the case for the younger members, where their minds are easily adjustable. Once you've grown older with more lessons and corrections drilled into your head, you train with your peers with the instructors observing. It's never an experience of mindless brutality in the training rooms; it was always that of mutual respect on and off the mat.
John knows this, yet he can't help but recall the subtle looks he got from his past adoptive brothers in those rooms. He was never close to any of them, but he can still see the animosity underneath their practiced facades of detachment. Like they wanted to kill him for existing.
But he never cared for that. He sparred with them, won most of the matches, and never minded the
cold stares. Eventually, he transitioned to solo training. It was easier. It was quieter. He was left alone.
Then he left and enlisted, and he became better, with every drop of blood trickling from his knuckles, every aching muscle in his body, every waking moment feeling as if a gun was aiming at his head. ("Fortune favors the bold," the tattoo engraved on his back said.)
Training by himself could still be different here, he muses.
He wouldn't need to condition his body the way he used to; just enough to help him with the entrance exams. Enough to keep him from being another body count for villains. Enough to keep his mother from worrying. Enough to keep himself—to keep Midoriya Izuku—alive long enough.
With that idea set in stone and away from Katsuki and All Might's knowledge because they don't need to know, John continues hauling from his non-specified pile, the echoes of Katsuki's range of angry clamors and occasional explosions serving as background noise.
This is going to be the longest ten months of his life.
~
It's four months into their training/community service when Katsuki approaches him.
"Oi, Deku."
John looks up from the lunchbox All Might had unexpectedly prepared for them to find Katsuki, in all his grimy and perspiring glory, peering down at him with an odd expression on his face.
"What?"
"You're going to the Hero course with me."
Like a minefield, Katsuki's metaphorical bomb of a declaration comes out of nowhere. But John is used to those, so he returns to eating his lunch as he calmly says, "No."
And like before in the classroom all those months ago, Katsuki reacts with a confused/angry noise leaving his lips. "Why the fuck not?!"
"I'm not going for the Hero course."
"I'm gonna need a lot more than that, dickhead."
Ignoring that familiar wave of emotion whenever he deals with a probing Katsuki, John responds, unfazed, "I'm going for Gen Ed."
Katsuki grouses, "Fucking why?"
"I don't—"
"You don't wanna be a fucking hero, yeah, fine, I got that," the blond gripes with a heavy sigh, crossing his arms and later dropping on the bench beside him.
John lets him have his little pout fest for a while. He doesn't mention the fact that the blond teen told John specifically that he didn't care which department he ended up in, just as long as he attended UA. Instead, he waits for exactly three minutes, eating a piece of egg in the meantime, until he asks, not glancing at Katsuki but towards the horizon, where the sea has started to become a bit more visible due to the decreasing pile of trash, "What is it?"
"...It'll be annoying as fuck if you went to Gen Ed," is Katsuki's answer. "You have the skills and shit to beat up villains. You've saved a lot of people. Hell, even the fucking police like you."
"No, they don't."
"More than that," Katsuki ignores him. "You got bigger balls than those fucking heroes with the sludge villain bullshit, so it'd make more sense if you went to the Hero course. Plus, you're the only one who can fucking go toe to toe with me without being a shit coward, Deku."
Silence permeates the air between them as John lets the boy's answer sink in. To put it short, Katsuki just wants a rival. Either that, or he still wants to "keep an eye on him" in case he starts trouble. It's a bit of a ridiculous thought given that John only involves himself in it, not ignite it.
Still, going to the Hero course was not a part of his objectives. Going to UA is one thing, but attending it to become a Pro Hero is another matter entirely. He doesn't want to be people like All Might or learn to be like them like Katsuki. And yet...
("I know you said you don't want to be one, but I think you'd make a great hero, Midoriya.")
("You've been helping a lot of people these past few years, Deku. That's what a hero does.")
("I just found him to be a worthy successor of my Quirk because of his heroic spirit and heart.")
And yet there are moments like this, giving John the impression that he has no choice in the matter.
"I'll think about it," he eventually sighs, having accepted that this path is inescapable, no matter how many u-turns he takes to get away from it. Besides, struggling in quicksand will only make you sink faster.
"Fucking awesome." He can practically hear the smirk in Katsuki's reply, but he ignores that as he packs away his lunch, and proceeds to clean up his half of the garbage beach, allowing the feeling that he made a horrible decision to wash over him until it vanishes into the glistening sand.
~
John researches UA thoroughly, close to five months into his "training" with Katsuki and All Might.
It's not that difficult to find the official website, but it is a little overwhelming seeing its contents, organized in plenty of links and sections. Though, considering it's by all accounts one of the most prestigious schools in the country, he's not surprised.
The information on the school's website is pretty straightforward if a little theatrical with its opening statements. Apparently, it started accepting Quirkless applicants ten years ago, so there's
one problem resolved.
He carefully reads the most important info on the main page before delving into the courses the school offers.
The Heroics department is unmistakably the main program of the school, with branching areas ranging from Rescue to Underground heroics (the latter seems promising, but he'll get to that later).
The standard subjects are still in the curriculum, with the addition of Hero Fundamentals and training into the schedule (it feels so jarringly familiar to read but he keeps that thought away in a box for later).
There are also classes in handling weapons such as guns and knives among others (too, too familiar), but only for the second year and unless you sign the needed papers saying you require the training during your first year. John files that information away for now.
The General Education department is pretty much just a regular course with the main subjects, as per the department's name. According to the description, it's where applicants who didn't pass the practical entrance exam end up, and where applicants who don't want to be a hero attend just for the high school education.
John would have decided to go here if it wasn't for the fact that Katsuki will give him even more grief and explosive tantrums for the decision, and he honestly doesn't want to deal with that.
The Business department is as it says on the tin, offering courses in the advertisement of heroes and their merchandise. Well, this explains the number of posters and toys of the Pro Heroes here (All Might especially). Definitely not John's forte, though.
Lastly is the Support department, where it offers classes in support item development, costume design, and analysis. Aurelio (and perhaps even the Sommelier) would've loved attending this one if he were in John's situation, but as it stands, he isn't. (And John will admit, that thought sits heavily in his stomach, but he pushes it away.)
After poring over the rest of the information on the website (he raised a brow at a particular passage that the practical entrance exam uses robots rather than people) John releases a faint, exhausted breath, closing his laptop and massaging his eyes.
So far, he has two options.
The Heroics department and the General Education one. If he chooses the latter, his explosive friend will quite literally explode in his face and demand he goes with him to the Hero course instead. If he chooses the former, John will practically launch his plans to be a regular citizen with a normal life out into space and risk being thrown back into a world where death is always near.
It doesn't hurt to look at the bright side of things sometimes, honey, Mom would tell him.
Hm.
He taps his fingers in a random tempo on his desk, stealing a glance at UA's brochure that All Might had given to him and Katsuki a few weeks ago.
If he does end up in the Hero course and becomes a...Pro Hero, then at least he has a stable job in the future. A job that's fairly apposite to what John is capable of. He's not even sure if he has any hobbies outside of stopping crooks and shady people from assaulting other innocent bystanders that can be lucrative.
(Plus, maybe he'll make a friend or two as Tsukauchi suggested. Or not. He's not exactly good at making friends, and he doubts that anyone—barring Katsuki— would be willing to befriend a Quirkless kid, as society showed him already.)
He might not like it. He might not enjoy the journey All Might and many other heroes have taken. He might return to that dark place again if he slips up, and it'll be a manhunt for his head all over again.
But, well... He's just going to have to wait and see.
In the midst of his backup-plan brainstorming, he hears Mom call for him outside the door, "Izuku, dear, could you run by the store for me, please? I'm running low on a few ingredients for dinner."
"Sure."
~
Hitoshi was only just finding good cat sweaters for Udon and Ramen to try because the weather was nice.
How in the hell did it turn to shit so quickly?
Oh, right, he probably disrespected some ancient god in his past life, and now, karma's coming back to bite him in the ass for such transgressions. Or maybe he just forgot the fact that his old school was around the local shopping district he's currently at and familiar faces just happened to be in the area and managed to spot him.
Coincidentally. Yeah, that might be it.
(The Dads are so gonna mother-hen him like crazy if they find out about this, but only if Hitoshi tells them. Which he won't.)
"You thought you could get away scot-free, villain?"
An old face from his old school whose name Hitoshi can't bother to remember pins him against the wall of an alley (alleys. Why is it always alleys? Why can't it be like, an old warehouse or an abandoned pier or something?) with a hand clenched around the front of his jacket (at least it's his least favorite one). The other old faces with names he doesn't recall surround him on both sides, eyes sharp and sneering down at him.
Well, kinda. Hitoshi grew a couple of inches in the past year or two, so he's pretty level with them —
A punch to the gut stops his stupid thoughts from distracting him with today's little problem.
"Oi, oi, you thought you could ignore us too, huh? What, your stupid brain can't remember us?" He feels the hand on his jacket tighten, making it a little hard to breathe through the sudden jolt of pain in his stomach.
And like an idiot, because he had forgotten a few things he learned before and is incorporating the things he picked up as of late into this one unfortunate interaction, Hitoshi snarks before he could
even think about it, "Sorry it's just that seeing you made me do a double-take if I was in hell or something."
Another jab to the gut, but then it's followed by a clip to the face. Yep. That's gonna leave a mark.
"You really got a lotta nerve, brainwashing bitch."
Wow, how original.
Hitoshi eventually just succumbs to the familiar shield of numbness, a shield he didn't think he'd need again so soon, but that's life, he figures, as the three stooges take a turn in walloping him in the alley where there aren't any witnesses. Huh, no wonder creeps like alleys so much.
In the midst of it all, as he absently covers his head because that's the most important thing to do when being walloped like a cockroach, Hitoshi mentally apologizes to the Dads for the amount of bullshit he'll undoubtedly spill just so they won't go off on a little hunting spree. Because y'know. That's illegal. And Dad and Pops are morally bound not to do anything illegal such as but not limited to murder. Especially when it's aimed at children who have apparently "disrespected our boy". (Pops' words, not Hitoshi's).
That wouldn't be very cash money of them—
And then, the beatings stop completely for some reason. Next thing he knows, Hitoshi hears the sounds of people getting their asses handed to them.
"Hey, what are you—ack!"
"Yoshimi—ugh!"
"You're gonna pay for that, you—argh!"
Hitoshi, now realizing that he's on the floor (ew, alley water), slowly pries his eyes open, his body pretty much feeling like a canvas of bruises and scrapes galore as he eases himself into sitting. When focus comes to him, well...
Either he's concussed, or he's seeing the kid who beat the shit out of that robber with an umbrella a few years ago beating the shit out of his old bullies with the grace of a vengeful green swan.
What the fuck.
The main bully—Yoshimi? Yeah, Yoshimi—tries to land a lucky hit on Corner Store Kid from behind, but he makes the mistake of announcing his arrival with a yell (what is he trying to be, an anime protagonist or something?), and the green-haired boy easily side-steps and grabs his arm, pulling him along to shove him on top of the other two goons on the ground.
What the fuck.
Yoshimi and Co. all groan in pain, with Corner Store Kid eyeing them all like some kind of warden of ancient times, and it's probably why Hitoshi doesn't feel terrified for his life. Because that stony glare isn't aimed at him.
Eventually, Yoshimi and Co. get up, sporting fresh, red marks on their faces as if they simply just got slapped around like crazy. If Hitoshi wasn't so dazed from the pain, he might've laughed. As it is, he can't, but he does in spirit. "You're gonna fucking pay for that!" Goon #1 hisses.
"Yeah, you think your foresight Quirk's tough shit, huh?" Goon #2 adds with misplaced cockiness because...duh, who is it that slugged them to the ground first?
For a moment, it's eerily quiet, save for the bustling noise of people from a distance. Hitoshi can feel the air becoming slightly colder, but that's probably just him. Until...
"I don't have a Quirk."
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Dad's so gonna adore this kid, he can feel it, but Hitoshi is fortunate to be the first one to mentally declare himself as Corner Store Kid's number one fan the first time.
Even after being flung literally to the ground just minutes ago with Hitoshi as a witness, Yoshimi cackles haughtily because he's an idiot, apparently, "A Quirkless chump, huh? Well, looks like we have a chance, after all, guys."
Seriously, what an idiot.
The three of them go on to charge at Corner Store Kid again, but it was over with the green-haired boy evading like a natural and scoring some effective maneuvers until they all go down once more. And it's the most awesome thing Hitoshi's seen ever, probably second to seeing Dad socking his old foster dad in the face in self-defense.
Hitoshi is attempting to stand (ow, bruised rib) when one of Yoshimi's goons later gasp. "Wait a minute...you look familiar."
Oh?
The other goon sucks in a sharp breath as well. "Holy shit, you're- you're the Viridian Devil!"
The Viridian what now?
Corner Store Kid doesn't seem fazed, though. His eyes are narrowed, brows lowered to give him the look of a patient predator, perception locked onto his prey. So fucking cool.
Yoshimi soon chokes, "The fucking what?"
"We gotta scram, man!"
"That guy's gonna kill us, come on!"
And just like that, Yoshimi and Co. scramble to escape, knocking against each other in the process, but ultimately, they leave the alley, the two nameless lackeys whose names Hitoshi won't even attempt remembering dragging Yoshimi with them. Whether or not they're running to tell a cop or a hero doesn't catch Hitoshi's attention. What does catch his attention is Corner Store Kid—or as those guys called him, the Viridian Devil, which is a pretty sick name, in his opinion—dusting himself off before turning to Hitoshi.
"You okay?"
For a split second, Hitoshi blue-screens, his limited knowledge on how to interact with people not feeding his brain properly, but he eventually manages a, "Yeah." It's a total lie, but it's basically a honed skill for him. A skill that Dad and Pops are trying to help him mitigate, but old habits die hard.
"Are you sure?"
"Yep."
"…Alright," Corner Store Kid doesn't look convinced, but Hitoshi could hardly care about that. What he does care about is the fact that…he doesn't know the other boy's name. And he's not saying that to be creepy or weird, he just wants to know the kid's name because it feels a little mean just calling him "Corner Store Kid", even if it's just in his head. Because he helped him and all.
When Hitoshi gains more of his bearings and can stand on his own with a bit of a wince at the effort (he hopes he protected his face enough), Corner Store Kid gives him a once-over before he asks, "Will you be okay walking on your own?"
Hitoshi startles a little before he quickly composes himself, "Yeah, I can just call one of my dads. Or my aunt. Thanks."
"Sure." Then...Corner Store Kid goes on to pick up a few plastic bags from the floor a few ways away, no doubt going home.
And Hitoshi still hasn't gotten his name yet.
"Hey, wait!"
Hitoshi didn't know what came over him when he reached out, but he's somewhat surprised that the other did stop and wait, turning to him and regarding him with neutral green eyes.
"I, uh," Hitoshi goes for it, but he starts as a nervous wreck as if he's talking to a crush or something. But he pulls through with it when he sees that Corner Store Kid isn't judging him. Outwardly, that is. "What's—" He almost, almost bites his tongue at the question, more out of habit than anything else. Asking questions these days has been less...painful, and Pops told him that it's okay to ask questions.
It's a part of navigating this crazy game called life, and Hitoshi simply wants to navigate it easier as well. "What's your name?"
An awkward start, but a start nonetheless!
Corner Store Kid blinks, expression unchanging. "Midoriya Izuku."
Huh. Now that's a peculiar name. But fitting. Green hair, green eyes.
Hitoshi then replies, thinking giving his name too would be fine. "Aiyama Hitoshi."
The kid nods, adjusting his grip on the plastic bags. Hitoshi knows he should just let him go home, that way he can go home and likely risk his parents finding out why he's limping or favoring his side a little, but somehow, a spirit of some kind just straight up possesses Hitoshi to ask, "Can I get your number?"
Fucking superb, you awkward insomniac.
When Corner Store— Midoriya, blinks again, Hitoshi fucking scrambles his mental cabinets for a reasonable explanation.
"You see, I was just, uh, wondering if- y'know, if you'd be up for..." Come on, brain, just function
like any normal organ! "If you'd be okay teaching me those moves you did earlier?" Smooth. "I dunno, it's fine if you don't wanna, I was just- I just got, uh, curious. And your moves were seriously cool, so, um, yeah." Real smooth.
While Dad has been teaching him how to properly defend himself against others, Hitoshi never quite knew what it'd be like if someone his age taught him how. Like a change in perspective. So he crosses his fingers and hopes for the best,
The quietness returns but it's quickly broken by Midoriya nodding again, "Sure."
Aiyama Hitoshi wins at socialization once more!
Containing his budding excitement over making a new friend (eh, "friend" is probably too soon, but what the hell does he know?) with that friend being one of his inspirations to become a hero, Hitoshi fishes out his phone (thankfully undamaged).
After exchanging numbers, they both decide to walk out of the alley together. The sky's now a cool shade of purples and pinks, with some oranges and yellows, and Hitoshi has to remind himself that he's only been out for an hour, not enough time to get Dad or Pops (if he's home) worried and start a search party for him.
Turning to Midoriya, who only had just begun walking in the opposite direction, Hitoshi says, "I'll, uh...see you around?"
Midoriya pauses in his step, turning his head just slightly enough for him to notice the short bob of his head, "See you around," before resuming.
Hitoshi, meanwhile, watches the other boy's back getting smaller and smaller until he can no longer see him. A stray cat passes by his feet. Right, right, cat sweaters... Eh, he'll find better ones next time.
He has a lot he wants to tell Dad.
~
The sight of Tsukauchi slumped completely over his desk as if his soul just got sucked out of his body isn't anything new. Shouta has seen different phases of the detective, the most frequent of the bunch being Complete Exhaustion. Relatable.
"Thanks for coming, Eraserhead."
It's also no surprise that the guy knows Shouta's here. It's like he has a built-in sensor or something.
"Mm." He takes a seat on the chair. "What did you need me for?"
With a breath, Tsukauchi rises from slumping over his desk and gets to business. Except, it isn't actually business, but more of the detective utilizing his contacts for his benefit because the man slides a cup of coffee fresh from the pot towards Shouta's direction. There's a reason Shouta tolerates him way better than most flashy heroes. The guy can be cunning when he wants to.
"Just be a listening ear," Tsukauchi replies with a faint impression of a tired grin on his face. "I'd ask Sansa, but he knows who I'm gonna be talking about anyway, and I'd like for someone who doesn't know to just listen to me ramble rather than make fun of me at my expense."
"Who?" Shouta isn't one to be concerned over something like this, but with the way Tsukauchi is nursing his own cup of coffee as if he's about to tell some long, forgotten tale, he's admittedly becoming a bit curious.
"I'd rather not say their name since I have a hunch you'll meet them eventually, and I don't want my opinions to shape your judgment."
"I don't let opinions shape my judgment, Tsukauchi," Shouta says because the detective knows that about him.
"Yeah, yeah," the man waves a hand and then uses it to rub his face, a sign that he's preparing to air out whatever's gotten him this exhausted. Probably a vigilante or two, who knows. "It's about this kid."
Oh no, it's about this kid.
"For the past few years, I've been seeing them in areas where small crimes happen, such as a store robbery for example," he starts. "And the thing is," he chuckles and it's a familiar sound of exhaustion and hysterical exasperation all at once. Poor guy. "The kid's the one who takes care of those before the police could handle it."
Hm.
Shouta sips his coffee. Tsukauchi continues.
"And I know what you're thinking, that's vigilantism, but it technically isn't, because the kid is, well... They don't have a Quirk, to begin with."
Ah.
Shouta takes another long sip, mulling over this kid who's apparently able to handle small crimes efficiently, especially without a Quirk. Do they know about the loophole in the Vigilante laws? Probably, if what Tsukauchi says about meeting them for the past few years is true. But he's not going to overthink it, he's just here to be a listening ear. Even though he'd much rather spend the remaining hours before his patrol napping.
"Unlike some teenagers and young vigilantes I'd meet, the kid is surprisingly civil whenever I ask them to come down here for more questioning and clarification. They don't complain, they don't deflect; hell, they answered all of my questions without being sarcastic or trying to lie despite my Quirk."
Another swig of coffee.
"Sure sounds like a decent kid." And he says that as a high school teacher. He had decent students before, but this year, he got a cluster of overconfident brats who think being heroes is all about glamour and looking good for the camera, so he did the most logical thing and expelled all of them. He'll re-enroll them soon anyway, as per Nedzu's request, but he's gonna enjoy this one year away from being a homeroom teacher.
But that's not relevant to this conversation.
Tsukauchi sighs, "They are. They have a good head on their shoulders, they really do, it's just... I tried to get them to not be involved. You know, let the police and heroes handle it. Or at the very least, call for help first before doing anything extreme."
Shouta nods in solidarity because he's had one student before who would that, jumping in on a problem at a moment's notice. He's got a good head on his shoulders, but sometimes he can be just too reckless. But he's a second-year now, and he's learned a few things, so hopefully, this kid that Tsukauchi's talking about could improve too.
"Jeez, I remember this one time he got kidnapped again—" Again? "—and it ended up being resolved in less than a few hours, it was crazy," Tsukauchi recalls, and there's a nostalgic kind of smirk on his face as he massages his temple, not at all noticing Shouta's internal dilemma that this kid has somehow been kidnapped before but it is, apparently, a common occurrence. Common enough that Tsukauchi isn't that bothered about it.
"You should've been there, Eraser," Tsukauchi says with a small quirk of his lips. "The guys at the station couldn't believe it, but I was there, and I saw it all go down in the daylight."
Tsukauchi takes a sip of his coffee before he relays what Shouta personally thinks is a joke but the fact that the detective sounds serious about it changes his mind.
"I saw that kid take down four men in an apartment building with a lawn chair."
What.
"I know, it's crazy, but you know I suck at telling fake stories," Tsukauchi points out with an incredulous but amused huff. "When we took those guys in, they looked like they've been run over by a speeding truck. We thought that maybe someone else was kidnapped and had a strong Quirk but lo and behold, it was just a teenager holding a lawn chair."
Shouta has heard plenty of exaggerated tales before from plenty of people with a range of imagination. Some of them were more believable than others. This one, though, sounded too good to be true.
But this is Tsukauchi Naomasa, the guy who sucks at faking stories no matter the day, and if what he's saying is true, then by god, he hopes this kid isn't seeking out trouble intentionally nowadays.
Otherwise, Tsukauchi will get ulcers, based on the fact he sounded like the lawn chair event wasn't the first he's seen of this kid.
"Then there's another incident with them, and it started around a few months ago," Tsukauchi says, rising from his seat and heading over to the bookshelf behind his desk, where he pulls out a thick green ring binder with a label, "V.D."
He doesn't know what or who V.D. is, but he has a hunch that Tsukauchi will explain. And Shouta will probably gain a headache out of it.
"There was a villain rampage in a local shopping district in downtown Musutafu, a sludge villain."
"Yeah, saw the news, but only the aftermath of it," Shouta comments, having a slight idea of how this will go. "What about him?"
The exasperated look on the detective's face is still there when he answers, "Well, believe it or not, the kid was present at the time. And witness reports state that they just rushed in there to help the victim involved even though Pro Heroes are on the scene."
Ah, so this kid is that kind of problem child, then. No wonder Tsukauchi looks ready to sleep for the next century. Shouta can understand that.
"And, by all accounts, they got on top of the villain and managed to subdue him with a pencil."
A fucking what.
"A freaking pencil, Eraser," Tsukauchi repeats with a dry chuckle, rubbing a hand tiredly down his face, although he still has that grin plastered on it. Oh, he's attached. Figures. The guy always was soft on the well-meaning troublemakers, especially those who aren't being difficult in following directions.
"It was so ridiculous when the reports came in, yet- yet I know that if there's anybody crazy enough to pull it off, it'd be the kid."
Jeez, this one sounds quite a handful now. If this keeps up, the poor detective will unquestionably retire before 40.
Shouta nurses his coffee, letting all the information sink in, and he has to admit, Tsukauchi's doing a good job so far keeping it together whilst keeping track of this trouble-magnet of a child. He should know, he's handled far worse trouble-magnets in his career as a teacher and as a Pro Hero.
"Is that what's bothering you right now?" Shouta goes on to ask, because looking at the man now, he's certain there's more to this informal meeting than just hearing him ramble.
Tsukauchi blinks, seemingly surprised, but he huffs lightly, "Nothing gets past you, huh?"
"I'm an underground hero, I don't let anything get past me if I could help it."
"Of course, you don't."
There's a transient minute of silence, with Shouta listening to the background noise of officers and staff bustling outside the office before the detective sighs, "I know it's not much to go on, but I have a hunch this kid's gonna be at UA next year."
Oh, joy.
"'S that so?"
"Yeah. I suggested they'd go actually. I thought it'd be a good idea at the time since they...don't seem to have that many friends in the first place aside from one. And, I'm hoping that UA would be a good place for them. At least they'll learn how to tone down their tendency to get into trouble once they're there."
And that Shouta can acknowledge. UA has a reputation for helping students in cultivating and improving their capabilities while mitigating their bad habits for their sake and others. While Shouta won't promise to oversee this kid's progress since he's not even sure if they'll even be in the Hero course, he does hope that they'll stop giving Tsukauchi near aneurysms with their stunts.
Shouta sips the remaining drops of his coffee. "I see. Do you...I dunno, want me to watch him?" He won't admit this even under pain of coffee deprivation, but he's now fairly interested to see who this trouble-magnet is and how well they can handle themselves.
"Well, I mean, I don't want you to do anything out of obligation or anything, Eraser," the detective insists, but Shouta waves a hand dismissively.
"It's fine. I'm used to dealing with Problem Children. What's one more?"
Then, he hears the familiar chime of his pager. Ugh, right. While he's free from teaching duties, he still has patrol to get to. Putting down the empty mug on the desk, Shouta rises from his spot, feeling the pops in his joints (god, he's not that old to have aching joints, whatever the hell Hizashi or his own kid jokes about sometimes). "I gotta go. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for your kid."
"Thanks, Eraserhead."
Shouta grunts. It's honestly the least he can do for the guy; the man always seemed to be swamped with a lot of paperwork. And even though Shouta can be a bit of a hardass, he's not needlessly vicious to leave a struggling man to handle the load by himself. Just before he reaches the door, he hears his colleague call for him, making him pause.
"And Eraser?"
He turns back to meet Tsukauchi's eyes.
"Just..." Tsukauchi leans forward on his desk, supporting his head with a hand. "When you see them, make sure they don't do anything too drastic. As I said, they're a good kid, they just need some guidance sometimes."
"Right."
As Shouta leaves the precinct, he thinks about the discussion, about this unnamed kid who knows how to fight even in the most unconventional of ways (fighting villains with just a pencil, who the fuck can do that?), and he tamps down the urge to find out who they are.
It's not exactly his problem. There's nothing to be gained from learning their name, anyway, and at the end of the day, Shouta is simply offering his assistance to the one who's actually connected to the kid.
But still, he finds himself a little thrilled (and maybe just a tad exasperated through osmosis).
He shouldn't get his hopes up, he knows this; who knows, the kid could probably end up in the Business department or something and Shouta wouldn't know.
Yet he can't help the prospect of watching over a young kid who has no doubt been dealt bad cards in life but still manages to push through it and come out a little bit stronger. (Shouta was once that kid too. But he's a hero now, and he came out a little bit stronger.)
Shouta honestly can't wait to see what they'll do, even at the expense of him getting plenty of migraines and gray hairs.
After all, he has a bit of a soft spot for the underdogs.
edit: I made a fic cover!!! :D and shameless plug, here's my tumblr!
https/athenoot./
Chapter End Notes
oof ok imma be straight w you chief, this chapter has been a kick in the ass mainly bc of editing, and that I didn't know how to transition the scenes smoothly lmao. I especially had a tough time ending the first segment of the chapter bc I kept asking myself "How can I get John to train with Katsuki n All Might?" until I just decided like "Get Katsuki to Deal with It" and BOOM problem solved \o/
an alternate scenario to that would be this: