So this chapter of Project Velocity comes with a bit of changes. First change, posting schedule, to give me more time to work on these stories and not have to jump so much from story to story, I will now only be posting on Sunday/Monday.
First/Third Sunday will be Electric Heart
Second/Fourth Sunday - Project Velocity.
Fifth Sunday- IDK. Most likely fifth Sundays will be freebies. I might post, I might not. Might be Electric Heart, might be Project Velocity, might be a new story that only get updated on fifth Sunday. We'll see.
Along with this change in posting, the chapter will be longer. So I'm switching my rule of a minimum of 2,500 words to between 5,000 and 6,000. This is to try and keep the amount of each story posted the same, while as stated above not having to jump between stories, plot, types of character so much.
With that, let's start with a bang
(This chapter does not hold to the new word count)
Over the next few minutes Izuku doze in and out of conscious. The heart monitor told Izuku Eri was still a alive, so he wasn't soo worried and it provided a steady beat for Izuku to relaxed too. Eventually he managed to doze off, the pain of his shoulder and ribs went to the back of his mind as he did so. Then after what felt like an eternity and only one minute, he was rudely awakened by the sound of hurried footsteps. At first he paniced and thought the Shie Hassaikai had followed him, but then he forced on the footstep. There was two pairs, with how important Eri seemed to be, the leader of the Shie Hassaikai would have sent more than just two person. And only one pair sounded liked it was trying to get to the room, while the other seemed to be trying to stop the first pair but was only successful in slowing them down. That told Izuku everything he need to know who was coming to his room.
"Mareo, I swear if you don't let go of me, I will…" Inko said as she didn't know whether Izuku was awake or not, not that mattered as she tried to think of a threat that was appropriate to say in front of her son.
"Mrs. Midoriya, your son is injured and if I let go you will run to hug him and will mostly injure him further," Mareo said as he struggled to hold Inko back. The only reason Mareo was able to hold her back was because of how rusty she was with close-quarters combat. Mareo was sure if Inko had gotten back into training, even for a month she would be dropping him to the ground in an instant.
"Hello, Sir. You can let go of my mother, I'm sure she can restrain herself." Izuku said, called through the door. Izuku heard a pair of shoes squeak and shortly afterwards Inko came running in. She locked eyes with her son, then dashed forward as if to hug him. Fortunately, as she got close, she dropped to her knee, never taking her eyes off of her son.
Putting a hand on his right shoulder, Inko began to cry and asked, "What happened? Where did you go?"
"I'm fine Mom. My shoulder was barely hit and my ribs weren't any worse than some days after training." Izuku said, hugging his mom with his right arm. Inko lightly hugged Izuku back as he tried to show that he was lying. Mareo then walked in and if Inko could sense him, and with her quirk Izuku was sure she could, she turned and looked at him.
"What mission did you exactly send my son on?" Inko said, her voice dripping with fury. Mareo knew that if he said anything other than the truth he would be put in an early grave.
"Word on the street was that a group of Yakuza was manufacturing a new type of drug. One that could temporarily erase a person's quirk. Due to the level of risk that produced, the HPSC council agreed that a mission needed to be done sooner rather than later. They needed someone to sneak into the Shie Hassasikai hideout and have a look around. Due to the short time period, your son was the only one with the level of stealth to complete the mission without a complete plan. He agreed to it." Mareo said, adding that last sentence to redirect the blame, showing he was fully prepared to throw anyone under the bus to protect himself from Inko's fury.
"I did. It was supposed to be a stealth mission and only a single complication arose. Then I came across Eri. With the information I heard from two of the members and everything I saw, I came to the belief Eri was key to the new drug. I did an audible and decided to get her out." Izuku said, then further explained the conversation between the two men and how he felt when he first laid eyes on Eri.
"That's very kind of you Midoriya. You saw a young girl who was being abused and wanted to help her. For now, we'll say slowing down the Shie Hassaikia became an additional benefit at that point." Mareo said and Izuku nodded, as that was what he cared about. He had slowed the Shie Hassiakai, great, but they still had enough blood to continue their work for who knows how long. But getting Eri out of there, had ended something for good, her pain and suffering.
"All I cared about was getting Eri to safety," Iuku said, standing up and walking over to Eri, with Inko and Mareo following, "Eri was so pale and thin, but the worst was when I looked under her bandage." Izuku slipped a finger under the bandage on Eri's left and pulled it all off. Revealing the many scars littering her arm. Inko held a hand up to her mouth while Mareo's eyes went wide, "When I saw these I remember how one of the men asked if they had enough blood for the next formula. Seeing these scars I figured they were referring to Eri's blood. A sweet little five-year-old who probably didn't understand what was really going on or why it was happening. But it's worse, she claims she run away before, I don't know how many times. But every time this man comes looking for her and kills anyone who's helped her."
Izuku had done a good job of staying focused and controlling his emotions, but as he talked about how he felt and his actions. He couldn't stop himself from crying, so Inko put a comforting hand on his back.
"Izuku, you did well tonight and you'll be able to give the HPSC more than enough reason to get a search warrant. Leave everything to me and I'll coordinate with the heroes, the raid should be ready by the first of the new year. And with everything we'll fine, with everything stacked against them, the trial will be quick and all of them will be in jail before you start high school. I can promise you that." Mareo said.
"What about Eri?' Izuku asked, looking away from Mareo and back down to the white-haired girl who was sleeping between the three of them.
"That will have to be played by ear, my team and I haven't exactly dealt with children in this kind of way." Mareo paused for a bit, some thoughts flashing through his mind, "However, there is something that can help speed up the process and I'll need you to answer honestly. At any point during the rescue, did she awake and meet you? Not just see you, but talk to you, hear your voice?" Mareo asked, pulling out his phone.
"Shortly after we arrived. She looked at me and yelled to let her go, that's when she told he about the man. She said people were going to die. That she was going to be destroyed and rebuilt. After that I knocked her out using a blue bullet." Izuku said with a hallow breath.
"Destroyed and rebuilt' Sounds like a quirk, I'll have someone take a look through the files of known Shie Hassaikai to find a match." -Mareo then opened his phone and looked at Izuku- "Despite how scared she was, she most likely imprinted on you. She saw you in a safe location, away from her capturer. She's going to associate that feeling of safety, not matter how little, with you and this hospital. It might take time but eventually, she'll feel safe around you. With anyone else, that progress will be three times as long." Izuku nodded as he remembered that section of training that he and Bakugo went through. People would hold onto the first hope they got in a dangerous situation, which was the risk of being the first hero on the site of a disaster. The first hero to arrive needed to be the last one to give up.
Traumatized kids tried to hold onto any sense of safety, whether that was a person, location or even an object like a stuffed teddy bear. It was a method to feel safe and distract a kid from their trauma. Eri might not feel safe, but she would begin to connect that feeling with Izuku. Making her feel safe around only him.
"So it would be best if I stay in the hospital for the time being. Be here for when Eri wakes up. To make her feel safe." Izuku said and Mareo nodded, "What about school?"
Mareo gave a dry chuckle then said, "You've been a straight-A student since the second grade. I'm sure you can miss a few days. Besides it's only Thursday and Friday then your Christmas break. If needs be, a deal will be worked out until you can return. Bakugo can bring you homework to do after school." Mareo closed his phone having made a list of what he and his team would do. It was important, but it could wait until tomorrow morning.
"I'm sure Kacchan will like that idea." Izuku said. Bakugo was always pushing himself and Izuku into their training. Once Bakugo learns of Izuku's recovery he would most likely talk about how he would become better and come out on top.
"I'm sure Katsuki will be happy to visit you and Eri in the hospital," Inko said. As soon as the call had ended she jumped into her car and tore out of the nieghborhood. It didn't take long for Mistuki had called her asking where she was headed in such a rush.
"Midoriya don't worry about anything else besides recovery. You did well tonight and you deserve the chance to rest. Besides you've got the UA entrance exam in a month and a half, won't want you going in there with an injured shoulder. So that's what you need to focus on for the time being." Mareo said. Izuku nodded and walked back to his chair, noticing that Inko looked like she wanted to say something but she stopped herself.
She had seen how protective Izuku was acting towards Eri, her motherly instincts had flared up when she saw how scarred Eri's arm was. Yet despite how wounded he was, all Izuku could focus on was protecting Eri. Even if that meant not getting much sleep as he slept in a chair. Mareo also noticed and said, "Midoriya, with the Shie Hassasikai on the lookout for you and Eri...'
"None of them saw my face." Izuku pointed out as he got comfortable in the chair. Maybe a few had got a quick look at his face in the alleyway, but it was dark and his helmet was on before any could memorize his features.
Mareo nodded as he continued, "Noted, but you're just one person, even with your training you're still healing. I'll have a HPSC agent posted outside your room for the coming day, until the main head of the Shie Hassaikai have been arrested and accounted for. Now get some rest, you might have won the fight, but there's still the war to finish."
"Thank you Sir. Thanks Mom. I'll see you tomorrow then." Izuku said he leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. He had had a long night and was ready to go to bed. Once Izuku closed his eyes, his body quickly began to fall asleep and soon he joined Eri in the realm of dreams.
Inko watched her son sleep for a bit before turning to Mareo and nodding towards the door. Without so much as a single word before they walked out of their room, leaving the young hero to rest after a long night. Yet while Izuku had done his part, Inko and Mareo now needed to do theirs. That began with making sure Eri was going to be safe and part of a loving family.
As the two walked to their respective cars, Mareo pulled out a cigarette and slipped into his mouth. Pressing his index finger and thumb against the tip, a small orange glow formed. Inko noticed and said, "I thought you gave those up years back."
"These? They are filled with herbal leaves. My wife's concern over my health came back to bite me in the butt a year ago. She's been trying to get me to drink more tea, but found I go through my herbal supplements faster by smoking them." Mareo said then blew out smoke that was colored brown, "Guess my old habit made it more natural to be smoking throughout the day."
Inko nodded then before either of them took another step, she pivoted on her foot and slapped Mareo across the face. More than hard enough to knock the lit cigarette out of Mareo's face, and hard enough to leave a red imprint of her fingers on Mareo's cheek. Mareo stumbled back a bit to keep his feet under him, "Damn it, Inko. You already assaulted me when we first got here."
"That was before I learned how wounded my son was. You promised not to send either of them on a combat mission until they graduated." Inko said. Mareo reached into his pocket to pull out another herbal smoke, but Inko used her quirk to rip the box out of his hand.
"Really. I explained it already, it was supposed to be a stealth mission, in and out, no contact, no one the wiser that your son was there. But you saw why he had to break protocol, he was the only one available with the skill, to do so, to complete the mission without much preparation." Mareo said, rubbing his jaw. It might have been a while since Inko trained to be a pro hero, but she always had a strong right hook. Mareo was sure if it had been a punch he would be on butt on the ground.
"There were plenty of other heroes you could have called. People who are actual government-supported heroes." Inko said. She would have started to list some off, but she knew Mareo got her point.
"Heroes that won't have been able to attack without proof. That's why Midoriya went in, to get solid proof and bring it to the HPSC. So it could be handed off to a hero agency that could handle the Yakuza. That's what Project Velocity teaches their heroes, how to bend and act outside the law when it's needed. To act when no one else can. If Izuku hadn't gone in then that little girl would still be in the hands of someone that saw her as nothing more than a means to an end. Izuku saved Eri because he's a good person and has the skills to be a great hero." Mareo said, his voice raising a little towards the end. He took a deep breath before continuing, "Both you and I know how the world of heroes is, its the reason I started the program. Because most become heroes for fame or fortune, but Izuku Midoriya." Mareo paused then continued with, "Izuku Tsutsumi is one kind of hero that only happens once in a lifetime. He wants to be a hero for the sole purpose of protecting those around him. That drive was why I was so adamant on training him, to see him rise. And that's the reason why, alongside All Might, he'll be a hero history never forgets."
Inko took a few deep breaths of her own before tossing Mareo's herbal smokes back to him. "I'm sorry. All I can see in him is a growing boy. Barely the same age my sister was when we joined Project Velocity. I don't want his career to be cut short like Kaina's. He is so wounded but fighting so hard to get Eri to the hospital, prioritizing her life over his own. Acting like a hero before he should have to. He's not a little boy anymore."
"That kid, he'll grow up but he'll always be your son. He'll need you for the rest of his life. Maybe a lot in the coming days." Mareo said, lighting another cigarette, "We'll have the hospital run a blood test on Eri, see if we can connect her back to her family. But until, maybe even after, if the test doesn't give good results. But for now Eri is going to recover the best under the watch of your son. As I said earlier she imprinted on him, the first time she's felt safe in some time. She isn't going to want to leave his side anything soon and you're gonna have to help me with that."
Mareo slipped into his car and then rolled down his window, "As strange as this is going to say and sound, Izuku Midoriya just became a surrogate father to Eri. So I guess, congratulations, you're a grandmother."
"Haha. Don't make me feel old. Izuku's going to start high school soon, he isn't going to have the time to take care of Eri." Inko said.
"Then the best way to help your son is to make Eri feel safe in your presence as well. Give her another guardian to be around so she won't cling to you son as much. I suggest starting out by buying her a treat." Mareo said.
"I thought you didn't have any children of your own." Inko said as Mareo turned on his car.
"I don't. You forget my wife used to work at a daycare, the first trick she learned was how to get a kid to shut up. Stick something in their face. Good Night." Mareo said as he pulled out of the hospital parking. Inko stood by her car for a bit before getting in, as Mareo drove away. She looked back at the hospital and quickly spotted the room Izuku was staying in. She had a feeling that life in the Midoriya household was about to get the flipped-turned upside down.
Now let me take a minute, as you read this story. And I'll futher explain how this story goes.
In the Hospital of General Musutafu, safe and sound. In the room of 115, Eri and Izuku will spend most of their time. Recoverin', sharing in their pain. Leaning how to trust each other.
*cassette tape cuts*
I think I had officaly reached a new low and for that I apologize. When I wrote the last line of the chapter, I had just re-re-discovered Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the opening line were repeating themselves in my head. So as I edited this story over to FanFic, I decided to see how far I could get.
Not that far, as you can see.
But in all seriousness, next week: As Izuku recoveries from his wounds at the hospital, Eri will express her worry and her fears. And Izuku at the age of 15, learns how to become a father. They'll explore the hospital a bit, as Izuku tries to show Eri how safe she is and that she doesn't have to worry about Overhaul.
So Next Time: You Maybe Not Be The Father, But You Are The Dad.
Review and tell me what you think.
