Izuku's lips quivered as he braced himself to ask the man in front of him the ultimate question. The question that would alter the trajectory of his life from this day to the next. Opening his mouth, Izuku asked with an expectant gaze, "All Might.."
The scrawny blond man turned over to look at the kid earnestly. Although in a hurry, All Might may have thought that leaving a kid all stranded in a secluded rooftop would be a dumb move on his part.
Izuku blew the air from his mouth as he finally asked, "Do you think I could be a hero even without a qui-"
...
'Oh my fucking god, hold the phone! I thought I told you that we're not going to rehash the same turning point over and over again? Sure it might've dwindled any semblance of desire I had left to become a hero back then, but come on! Do better, author.'
'Anyway, ahem, sorry about that. We're not going to show that. But if you're insistent, the gist of it was: I asked that blond buffoon a question, he replied with the truth that I've been hiding from all along. I was distraught, went home sporting a hideous frown on my face--yes, even more hideous than the face that I'm stuck with right now. You know the bitch of it is? That one exploding pomeranian motherfucker from my old school went ahead and became the number one hero in my absence. Fuck. Would've been a blast if I were there to compete with the arrogant little fucker. But as you can see, I bailed out of the hero dream. Didn't make the cut at all because surprise surprise, I'm quirkless. Was, anyway, but we'll get into that. Anyway, I got myself a job. Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary, of course. I was just your average inconspicuous employee in a random no-name bar. This co-worker of mine, his name's Azure, but I usually call him Weasel. Because that's exactly what he is. A fucking dim-witted rasca-'
...
"Izuku, are you daydreaming again?" Came the voice of someone. Izuku's eyes shot open as he looked at the man who said it.
"Jesus fucking Christ, pipe down. I'm just pondering, 's all," Izuku groaned, sitting back down as he watched the customers do their thing.
Azure rolled his eyes as he added, "You best take a raincheck on that. Someone started another fight in the game tables."
"Game tab- oh my god, not again," Izuku ran his hands down his temple as he approached the table of playing cards. Lo and behold, two people were having a fight, just as Weasel had described.
"I knew you hid that fucking king somewhere in your sleeves, I saw it!" Macho guy slammed the table real hard as he said that. "If we're trying to uphold sportsmaship, for the sake of this bar's integrity, kick this fucker out!"
"Yup, and seriously, this is coming from the same guy that made some stuff up about his 'card indigo' ability. What a joke. Are you telling us that you somehow inherited the ability to discern cheaters from candid players?" The other guy laughed.
Macho guy clenched his fists as he took another step, "Wanna have a go?! You best hope I'm in a generous mood right now because-"
"Hey, hey, knock it off, you two!" Izuku stepped between the two men. "Take this fight somewhere else before you disrupt the other guests."
The other guy, who seemed to sport some sort of accent, replied, "Oh no worries kiddo. It ain't even a fight. Just a sore loser tryin' to fix things that ain't need fixin'."
"There's about to be if you don't admit that you've done a felony!"
"Nope," The other guy replied with a chuckle. "Pay up, bozo."
"YOU FUCK-"
Izuku yelled, "I said, no fighting! Take this outside."
Macho guy responded, but not in a conventional way. He struck Izuku in the face repeatedly, causing him to fall back into his arse pathetically. "I fight whoever the fuck and whenever the fuck I want to!"
The other guy grabbed a card from the table, somehow making it glow, before throwing it towards the macho guy's head. He collapsed onto the floor, his limbs limp.
Izuku looked at the display in mild shock, before getting back to his feet. "Is that even allowed?"
"Quirk usage in public?" The other guy laughed, before continuing, "Eh, I've gotten away with worse. They ain't call me the Gambit for nothin'."
Izuku was dumbfounded for a moment as the guy walked towards the exit. Then, he turned slightly to Izuku, smirking as he did. "Also, I did cheat."
Without further elaboration, the guy was gone in a flash, leaving Izuku and the unconscious macho guy sprawled on the floor.
What a fucking mess.
...
After the bar was closed for the day, Izuku walked home alone, taking his usual route. The stroll was a bit uneventful. Nothing much happened. But then again, Izuku shouldn't expect anything more than that. His life had always been uneventful. He had no friends. Hell, he didn't even have anyone that he could call an acquaintance, or at the very bare minimum, someone that tolerates him.
...
"Ouch, I'm hurt," came a familiar voice, causing Izuku to jump. He looked back and groaned once he saw who it was.
"Fuck, you scared me," Izuku scrunched his nose. "And what did you mean by that?"
Weasel chuckled. "I know you from the inside out, 'Zuku. You think I wouldn't have a clue about what's currently stirring inside of that brain of yours? No friends, really?"
"Fuck off with the first name basis, will ya? And pretty sure you just used your quirk on me," Izuku rolled his eyes. "Stop scrutinising me every second of the day."
"Couldn't help it. Your mind's fun to read,"
"Clearly they haven't taught you basic decency," Izuku spat out. "Found any jobs for me yet? Something better than whatever shithole I got roped into right now."
"I do have one thing," Weasel said.
"Spill."
"There's a vacant spot for a janitor at UA. Might wanna give it a shot," Weasel said with a sly smile.
Izuku grunted. "A janitor. That's the best you got?"
"Well, it's either that or you get to become a contract killer. Besides, it's UA. Every job will start to feel like a privilege over time if you do it in UA," Weasel replied.
"I know some moves," Izuku replied, overlooking the second part of what Weasel just said.
"What?"
"That contract killer thing," Izuku said. "Not that I endorse that sort of thing, but I'm kinda bordering on desperation at this point."
Weasel shrugged, kicking the rocks on the ground as he walked. "You want in?"
"Maybe," Izuku slipped his hands through his sweater.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that again? You? Izuku? The paragon of all things heroic, a contract killer?"
Izuku snorted as shoved Weasel in the shoulder. "Fuck you mean by that. I didn't even make it to the first phase of the entrance exam all those years ago. Plus, it brings in the big bucks."
"You're pulling my leg right now," Weasel said in a tone of mild disbelief.
"The only thing I'll be pulling is your dick when I rip it off," Izuku said with a frown.
Weasel raised his hand in mock-defense. "Okay, scary guy. Chill. You want in, then?"
"I'll think about it," Izuku then stopped after reaching his destination. "You live a few blocks from here, right?"
"Yup. What about it?" Weasel asked.
"Lend me a vibrator tonight," Izuku said.
"Huh- wait, wait," Weasel frantically waved his hand. "Hold on. First of all, how the fuck did you know that I have a vibrator? Secondly, what the hell are you going to use it for? Thirdly-"
Izuku rolled his eyes and interrupted, "Just lend me the vibrator."
"You haven't even answered the first question and I have a lot to ask-"
"Gonna tell your girlfriend you have one," Izuku cut him off with a threat.
"Blackmail. Really. You've hit a new low this time, Midoriya Izuku," Weasel said. "Fine. I'll lend you it tonight. I just need to do a couple of stuff first."
"By all means, go ahead," Izuku then walked to the front lawn of his house. "I'm tired now. See you later."
"Err, see you, I guess..." Weasel awkwardly waved Izuku goodbye. As the greenett shut the door, Weasel's eyes trailed off somewhere. He stood there for a few more seconds before deciding to walk away.
...
As Izuku shut the door, he announced his presence ceremoniously, "I'm home!"
...
No answer.
"Mom?" Izuku's word trailed off to an empty audience. "You there?"
Again, no answer.
As if it wasn't concerning enough, there was a loud bump coming from where his mom's room is supposed to be. Izuku rushed in frantically, twisting the doorknob before finding-
"My cane. Where is it?" asked the clueless Inko. She seems to be wearing her usual black sunglasses today.
"Mom, you scared me," Izuku said with a relieved sigh.
"Well the feeling's mutual you bloke. You barge in here without even knocking, and I dropped my cane, god knows where it is right now," Inko mouthed indignantly. "Has your weird friend lent his vibrator yet?"
Izuku replied while also helping his mom look for her cane, "Nope. He will tonight though."
"Motherfucker. No devil's dandruff, no vibrator. How far my life has fallen," Inko said, feigning sorrow.
Izuku grabbed hold of the cane which was laying under the bed, before saying, "Here. Found it."
"Well thank you for being something other than a bloody useless son," Inko spat out before snatching the cane away from Izuku's hand. Izuku simply rolled his eyes, not minding the harsh words that were just uttered by his mother.
Inko navigated herself to the living room with the cane. She sat down and rested her head against the couch.
Izuku undressed himself, hanging his work clothes on the wardrobe.
"By the way, rent's due today. Some motherfucker claiming to be the landlord of this property knocked on the door this afternoon. I'm assuming you've already got the bucks to cover the bills?"
"Nope," Izuku said as he tossed his socks into the laundry bag.
"Wow. I'm not even surprised," Inko curtly said. "If I hadn't been blind, I would've gotten my ass up and looked for a job."
Izuku sighed before saying, "Mom, relax. I've been saving money. Even sold all of my All Might merch, and you know I loved those."
"Loved," Inko chuckled before continuing, "Shit, I never thought the biggest nerd of the hero industry would eventually turn out to become it's biggest hater."
"Never said I hated those pricks," Izuku sat down besides Inko on the couch.
"You know that's an oxymoron, right?" Inko inquired.
Izuku shrugged. He laid his head against the soft texture of the couch, rubbing his temple as he did so. "Today's rough. Been wondering how I wound up in this god awful circumstance to begin with."
"Well if you stopped jerking off you'd know the first thing about what's wrong with your life," Inko bluntly said.
Izuku glared at his mom, saying, "Oh wow. I definitely haven't heard of that one before."
Izuku then breathed out a sigh of melancholy. "No but seriously though. Remember when my biggest problem was to figure out how to make it to UA? Now it's trying to break up a stupid scuffle between two junkies in a bar. I wouldn't have complained if it happened once, but nope. That place is a penchant for fucking trouble."
"Told you to look for other jobs. You've got enough achievements on your hands that you could use to your advantage," Inko suggested in an oddly soft demeanour.
Izuku looked at her for a moment, before asking, "Don't remember having any achievements at all."
"Ahem, academic achievements, I meant. You scored a perfect GPA in your university," Inko exclaimed.
Izuku then blurted out, "If only it were that simple. Apparently quirks are also one of the deciding factors on whether you get accepted into a job or not."
"Oh wow," Inko mouthed incredulously. "So basically, what you're saying is you're royally fucked beyond relief."
Izuku simply responded by groaning. Then he replied ominously, "I'll figure something out. Eventually. Maybe hustling will do."
"Motherfucker, hustling?" Into asked with an incredulous tone.
Izuku shrugged. "Yeah. Don't worry about it, I most likely won't follow through."
Inko squinted her eyes, meticulously discerning what was going on inside of her son's mind. "You know, when you talk like that, it's usually because you're about to do something stupid."
"Nope. Not at all."
"Bullshit."
"Mom-"
"Izuku I will pluck both of my nonfunctional eyes out of their sockets and burn them to a crisp," Inko threatened.
Izuku looked at her with an amused expression, "Why though?"
"To make an offer to the gods so they can dissuade you from doing whatever the fuck it is that you were going to do," Inko replied.
Izuku half-heartedly laughed at the prospect of her mother offering her inoperable eyes to a possibly nonexistent higher entity.
"Don't you fuckin' laugh boy because I'm being serious right now!"
Izuku held his hands up as he said, "Okay, okay! Let's not pluck our eyes out, alright? Take a deep breath, sniff something intoxicating or something."
Inko's breathing settled as she rested her head once again against the couch. "I'm marking you, Izuku."
"What, like a cat with it's territory?"
Inko shoved Izuku in the shoulder. "You know damn well that's not what I meant, you filthy delinquent!"
"Chin up, Grumpy Mother of the Lord. If taking something seriously is your equivalent of sucking up cocaine, you'd be high beyond the barricades of heaven by now." Izuku laughed as he said that.
"Just don't do anything dumb," Inko curtly stated.
"Fine, I promise I'll do something even dumber," Izuku said with a sly smile.
Inko clenched her fist and shoved it in front of Izuku's face, though it was a bit off-mark. "See this? This is coming straight to your ugly mug."
"Ouch. Ugly? C'mon. I know I usually look plain but if I put some effort-"
"That's besides the point, you asshole," Inko interrupted.
Izuku rolled his eyes before saying, "Alright, alright! I promise."
Inko put her hands down. She then said, "Good."
The conversation died shortly after. They then rested against each other's shoulder for the rest of the night.
...
Oh right. The vibrator. Forgot again. Fuck!
...
The following day wasn't so good either. Nothing happened. Izuku sat besides Weasel, who was soundly asleep. The bar was about to be closed anyway, and there were hardly any customers. Nobody used the game tables for the entire day, so that was a bit of an upside.
Izuku turned up the television to occupy his mind. The boredom was killing him already.
Then, not even a few seconds, a news headline was already plastered at the bottom of the screen.
"The Ferocious Protectors, tragically killed in their basecamp yesterday. Is this a ploy by the villains?"
If Izuku could raise his brow higher than he could, he'd rip apart his muscles. His arms tensed as he read the news headline.
"Isn't Bakugo a part of that team?" Izuku said with a slightly horrified expression. "Does that mean he-"
As if on cue, the news reporter interrupted him, "We've also heard numerous reports concerning one Bakugo Katsuki, also known as the number one hero Dynamight. It was said that he wasn't present at the time of the massacre."
...
Oh.
"Hey, what drilled up your ass this time?" came that obnoxious voice once again. Izuku ignored Weasel, and continued to pay attention to the news.
"Hey? Earth to Izuku? Do you read me? I don't remember the communication signal being jammed this time around-"
"Shut the fuck up for a second, will ya?" Izuku said in irritation.
"Okay, fine. Hope you feel better or something," Weasel said as he went back to sleeping a few seconds after.
Good.
As Izuku tried to pay attention more to the news, suddenly, the door opened, revealing a guest with a brown hoodie slung over his head.
Izuku raised his brow. It was odd that a customer would come to their bar at this time.
Weasel's sleeping too, so he had to tend to this forlorn customer all by his lonesome. "May I take your order?" Izuku politely asked.
The mysterious person sat besides the bartender desk, tapping the table before saying, "Whiskey please. Make it double."
Izuku simply nodded as he poured a bottle of whiskey into a moderately large glass. He placed it in front of the mysterious man, who started hounding on the alcohol like he hadn't drunk for his entire lifetime.
"Again," the mysterious man requested.
"Right away," Izuku poured the whiskey once again.
The mysterious man downed it in one go. Izuku was about to instinctively ask if the guy was okay, but he held it back in.
That would be incredibly odd.
"Again," the man requested with an aggressive tap to the desk.
After dozens of consecutive requests to refill the man's drink, Izuku finally gained the backbone to ask, "Pardon me for being presumptious, but are you alright?"
"None ya fuckin business, now pour me another drink," the mysterious man demanded.
Izuku was about to protest, but he held it once again and poured another drink.
The man looked like he was about to pass out after he drank what seemed like the fourtieth time.
Izuku then pulled the alcohol back from the table and said, "Alright. I think you've had enough."
"Nope. Pour me another one," the man demanded once again.
"Sir-"
"FUCKING DO IT!" the man screamed as he slammed the table. What seemed to be some sort of fiery sparkle was visible in-between his hands.
"I don't think so," Izuku said.
"Are you fuckin' looking down on me?! Think I can't take it?! Don't you fucking know who I am?!" the man screamed, his words starting to sound like they're slurred.
Izuku held his hands up in an attempt to pacify the man. "Look, it's not that I look down on you. But we have a policy to not let our customers get too drunk in our premises."
"Yeah, and you know what!? Fwuck ywour..policy!" the man's sentences began to grow more and more unintelligible as he kept speaking. The alcohol was taking effect on his body. "Pour..me...another one.."
Izuku rushed in to the man's side, "I could get you to the hospital instead."
"Fuck off! I don't need your help!" the man screamed once again, but his legs were buckling. It was clear that he was close to passing out on the floor.
Izuku held the man by his shoulder, leading him outside. Weasel was awoken by the whole fiasco. "Hey, what the hell is going on?!"
"Keep watch on the bar, I won't be for long," Izuku said as he closed the door, walking away with the mysterious man's hand slung over his shoulder.
...
Being stuck trying to help one of his drunken customers was not what Izuku expected how his day would go down.
As he helped the man walk down the vacant streets, he said, "Drwop me ouffh...or I'll fukin kiill youh..."
Izuku paid no attention to his empty threats. For some reason the safety of this man remained to be his top priority.
"I don't..dueserve no heulp..."
Izuku raised his brow at that. He kept listening to the man's almost incomprehensible rambles intently.
"Left tyem allh...I..deseve toh diey..." the man began his slurred speech, coughing as he did so. "Huert a lout of pioeple...maed mai chidhood fwriend giev up..contyemplatw suicid.."
Izuku shifted his hand slightly to rub the man's back. What could he do honestly? The man's drunken state caused him to reveal a lot of information that a stranger like him shouldn't know about. The best he could do was pretend like he hadn't heard any of it after all of this was said and done.
"Desve toh die.." the man was full-on sobbing now. Izuku didn't know what to do with that fact. He just kept leading him down the streets, to the nearest hospital.
But before he could reach his destination, something struck him from behind. Izuku collapsed into the ground, leaving the mysterious man to fend for himself.
As the darkness enveloped his vision, the last thing he saw was the men who struck him from behind dragging the mysterious man away.
Then, all went black.