This sucked.
Wearing his mercenary get-up, Izuku sat on the chair in front of the bartender desk. He'd been waiting there for hours, but Chisaki was no show.
Not to mention that the other mercenaries were too eager to pester him, whether it was about an arm wrestle match, or other macho shit that Izuku had no interest in participating.
Izuku had days to think this through. And after determining what his final decision would be, he called Chisaki's number written on that note. Too bad that the Yakuza wasn't exactly the most punctual person.
A person approached the table Izuku was in and sat there. He was shrouded under the thick layer of his coat.
'Best if I sit a bit farther,' Izuku thought as he tried to stand up to move seats; however, the man lifted his hoodie and revealed his face to Izuku before he could do so. The man then said to Weasel, "A round of," he squinted his eyes to look at the menu on the table more clearly; "the Merc with a Mixer? Really? That's the only name you could come up with for a mercenary in his caliber?"
Weasel scoffed, "For the record, he coined the name."
The man huffed. "Alright. Whatever. One round of the Merc with a Mixer. Oh, and make it two for that gentlemen."
Weasel simply nodded and went to mix the cocktail.
Izuku raised his brow. "Wow, grumps, you really have your way with people, huh? Insult a drink named after them before offering said drink to that same person that you just insulted before. I dig it. Stylish, if not a little insensitive. Really brings up the blatant social ineptitude that you have."
"It's finally nice to meet you again, Deadpool," the man smiled.
"Piece of advice: be more fucking punctual next time. My butt is a bit sore," Izuku reprimanded.
Chisaki raised his hand in mock-surrender, "You're the boss, Deadpool."
"And nice work making me throw up with that little spectacle you showed me a few days back," Izuku opened half of his mask, showing only the lower side of his scarred face, which was slightly obscured by the secondary metal mask resting on his collar, before taking a sip from his drink.
Chisaki shrugged his shoulders. "I had to get my point across."
"Let's just cut to the chase," Izuku said straightforwardly. "Why did you want me to come here?"
"I did say that we were going to have that talk, didn't I?" Chisaki asked rhetorically.
"Yeah, but then I screwed the mission up. Not exactly the best contender," Izuku pouted a little.
Chisaki's lips crossed into a smile. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"That's a load of bull, and it certainly isn't the type of shit you'd say when one of your elites screws up if Rappa's mangled fucking corpse was anything to go by," Izuku replied snidely. "Just be frank, alright? You have something up your sleeves. Otherwise why go through all this trouble?"
"As I said," Chisaki tilted his head to look at Izuku in the eyes; "I know potential when I see one. One failure among many successes isn't enough to hinder me from trying to acquire your service."
Izuku was silent, staring absent-mindedly at his glass of drink.
Chisaki sighed as he said, "You know, you're passing on the opportunity to become a hero, like you've always wanted."
Izuku snorted. "Yeah, yeah, you know who I am. I get it. And joining an organised crime doesn't seem like the kind of thing that a hero would do. At least the sane ones."
"On the surface, yes," Chisaki leaned to the left and said; "but what if I tell you that I've gathered some information that might change your mind?"
Izuku looked at him with a still expression. "I'll bite. Go ahead."
"You see, I've been on a little infiltration task as of late, and I came across one daunting truth about what LifeForAll is really planning. To carry out something that would leave a catastrophic impact on the world as we know it," Chisaki clenched his fists. "And I, for one, intend to stop them."
Izuku's eyes sharpened as he inquired more, "What fucking plan?"
"They've managed to convert the drug into gas form," Chisaki explained.
Izuku tilted his hip and looked Chisaki in the eyes. "And?"
"If they manage to do it, and they will," Chisaki's form tensed as he finished the sentence. "They will release the gas throughout the city. With enough time, the gas would probably cover the entire country, and possibly the entire world, leaving behind an empty, dead wasteland in its wake."
Izuku's fingers curled into a fist. "You're shitting me."
Chisaki's eyes sharpened. "Do I look like the type to jest in a situation like this?"
Izuku's gaze switched between Chisaki and the exit door. Without so much as another word, he quickly rushed out of the bar in blind panic. Reaching for the device in his pockets, he opened his messages with one Sir Nighteye.
'We need to talk'
Grey checkmarks. God, was this guy so out of reach. He couldn't even take his time to have a little discussion?!
Especially with the fate of everything that Izuku had ever cared about hanging on the line.
'The future you mentioned, I know about it'
Izuku decided to set the bait to get Sir Nighteye to respond.
'You can't keep this hidden forever, Prophet Asshole'
"Respond, damn it!" Izuku didn't even know that he was in an alleyway. With his mind trailing off somewhere, he smashed the wall with his fist, marking a decent-sized dent on it.
Then, a clicking noise was heard. There was a response.
'I'm right behind you'
Izuku tilted his head to his back, only to find the familiar tint of those tacky glasses Sir Nighteye always wore.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Izuku jumped back, startled by the man's sudden appearance. "You can't just appear in an alleyway out of nowhere! I'm not a part of the fucking Wayne family!"
Sir Nighteye remained composed, crossing his arms as he waited for Izuku to stop ranting.
"And how did you even get here?! Weren't you in Shizuoka or some shit? Not that I'm not thankful for the quick response, but shit is still-"
Sir Nighteye cleared his throat, interrupting Izuku. "I used my quirk on you. I knew you were going to meet that man back at the bar, and you'd run off here trying to wring some answers out of me."
"First of all, you used your quirk on me without my consent. Secondly, I seem to vividly recall your word about your quirk being 'indisposed'. Was that a fucking lie? Thirdly-"
Sir Nighteye interrupted again, holding his hand up. "I don't have time for this."
Sir Nighteye approached Izuku closer, his glaring intensifying every second. "I know you're confused. Anyone would be. But whatever it is inside of your mind: do not interfere with what is going to transpire."
Izuku's brow lowered down as he said, "What do you mean I shouldn't 'interfere'?!"
"Because you will die," Sir Nighteye's eyes sunk as he continued; "and your efforts will be rendered futile at the very end. I've seen it."
"Oh, don't talk with me about dying. I can't die even if I tried, so that's out of the table," Izuku insisted. "Now tell me everything that I need to know. Whatever LifeForAll is planning, I'll stop it."
Sir Nighteye simply scoffed. "You can't stop it."
"What do you mea-"
Sir Nighteye gripped Izuku in his shoulder and said, "Ever since One for All was lost, I've been trying to salvage what little hope this world has for a chance of survival. But no matter what I did, the future remains the same. Since then, I've changed my plans. Stopping whatever they're planning is out of the table. Minimising the damage that would come, however, is still possible."
"You keep saying about minimising damages," Izuku said, ignoring how tight the hero's grip on him was. "How's that going for ya?"
"I have my fair share of dark secrets," Sir Nighteye confessed. "The gas only works on those who have a quirk."
"Which means it will have little to no effect on those who are quirkless," Izuku finished with a sense of dread. "It works on mutants as well?"
Sir Nighteye nodded. "They're unsalvageable."
Izuku's eyes squinted. "I think I know what you've been up to. You had your hands on the drugs before, didn't you?"
Sir Nighteye uncrossed his arms. "Yes. I've gathered hundreds upon hundreds of people with quirks who volunteered themselves to have their quirks removed. I told them that the future has no place for quirks. I couldn't convince everyone though. Not everyone is open-minded to the thought of them having such a disability as many quirkists were led to believe."
"So what, your grand plan is to rid everyone of their quirks? Really? You do realise that there will be ramifications in doing this, right?" Izuku inquired.
Sir Nighteye huffed. "It's either that or face annihilation."
"And what about the mutants? Are you just going to let them die?" Izuku pressed even more.
Sir Nighteye sighed. "Not all of them."
"So I'm an exception. As much as I'm flattered like a blushing bride on an unparalleled streak of unsolicited seductions, I don't think this plan is perfect," Izuku countered.
Sir Nighteye loosened his grip on Izuku. "Your accelerated regeneration will prevent you from dying upon contact with the gas."
"Then why can't I just track whatever means they're using to release the gas and take the brunt of the force?" Izuku volunteered.
Sir Nighteye shook his head. "Because you'll be taking the entirety of the gas, and as powerful as your regenerative ability is, it can't take that much strain to it."
Izuku's eyes widened a little. But then, he asked again, "You seem to know so much. I'm guessing that you knew all along that the drug won't work on us? So why bother with the gesture then?"
Sir Nighteye clenched his fists. "I was...I was desperate to know if I could change the future. That maybe my quirk is flawed. That maybe...I could still give back to you the normal life you've wanted."
Sir Nighteye closed his eyes with a sigh of resignation. "As it turns out, fate cannot be tampered with."
"What about my mom then?" Izuku clenched her fist. "What is her fate? Can I save her? Can I use the quirk exterminator on her? Please, do tell."
Sir Nighteye remained silent.
"Talking's not always been your strongest suit. I get it. But this is important," Izuku stepped closer to the hero. "What is her fate?"
Sir Nighteye began to speak, his tone betraying his seemingly stoic expression, "When All Might almost died to that monster, he insisted on continuing his job as the Symbol of Peace. That decision didn't sit well with me. I had tried to make him concede, to hang up the mantle and rest easy. But then, I stopped. Do you know why?"
Izuku kept listening.
"Because I saw the future," Sir Nighteye continued. "He was going to die. I didn't know how to process that. I loved him like a brother, and I couldn't...bear the thought of him ever dying. But my quirk has always been accurate. Coping with the thought that the person I held dear was going to die.. hadn't always been easy."
Izuku's heart rated spiked as he heard the story. "Where is this going exactly?" he asked, dreading to hear what the hero's point was.
"Izuku," Sir Nighteye said his real name for the first time ever. "Please promise me that you won't do anything rash once I tell you."
Izuku's expression hardened as he replied, "What is this?"
"Izuku-"
"Spill the beans," Izuku grabbed Sir Nighteye by his collar; "or I'm gonna blow your fucking brains out."
Undeterred by the physical threat, Sir Nighteye spoke again, "The truth is, even if you get rid of her quirk...as long as All for One lives, and as long as his plan is carried out..she will..."
Izuku's grip began to loosen as he took a step back. Losing control of his breathing, Izuku's knees buckled as his back slammed against the hard concrete wall. Clutching his chest, Izuku tried his hardest to get a grip of himself.
Sir Nighteye, realising his mistake, approached Izuku and tried to get him up, but he slapped his hand away. "Get the fuck away from me."
"Izuku-"
"You're telling me," Izuku gritted his teeth. "That I'm about to lose everything. My mom. My looks. Weasel, possibly. The only things I have, the only things that kept me strong all these years."
"It's hard, I know-"
"No fucking shit it's hard!" Izuku could feel his tears soaking the fabric of his mask. "They're the only things that I have! And they're gonna be ripped away from me! EVERYTHING! I just..I couldn't..I need to stop it. By any means necessary."
"You can't-"
"WHY EVEN FUCKING BOTHER?! You did see my death in your visions, right?! So why are you trying to change things? One way or another, I'll try to stop them!" Izuku gritted his teeth. "And there's not a fucking thing that you can do to stop me."
"Please-"
Izuku pushed Sir Nighteye away before he could plea even further. "Don't try to stop me."
Izuku tried to run, but Sir Nighteye wasn't a slacker himself. He caught up to the boy, apprehending and pinning him to the floor. "You need to listen to reason for once!"
"GET OFF ME!" Izuku screamed to the top of his lungs.
"I'm not going to," Sir Nighteye's decision was resolute. "You're not in the state to make decisions. Try to calm down."
Izuku yelled back, "I don't give a shit what happens to me if that's what you're concerned about."
Sir Nighteye countered, "But the people around you will!"
"Big whoop. They're gonna lose one annoyance in their lives. What could they possibly feel?" Izuku retorted in a bitter voice.
Sir Nighteye's heartbreak was palpable in his expression once he heard that. "You're not thinking straight."
"Always have been," Izuku used both of his legs to kick Sir Nighteye away. He rolled on the ground and recovered, watching as Izuku tried to make a run for it.
Sir Nighteye caught up to him, gripping Izuku by his wrist and spun him around, pinning him against the wall. "This isn't going to work out. Even if you tried to stop them, your death will be in vain. It'll be the same as if you never tried to stop them at all."
"So you're suggesting that I don't try anything at all?" Izuku spat back.
"...yes. It is the logical choice," Sir Nighteye said.
"And be useless, that it?" Izuku was half-sobbing as he went on. "As I've always been?! You want me to remain stagnant and be nothing but a fucking thorn in everyone's side?"
Sir Nighteye shook his head. "You aren't useless."
With a newfound strength, Izuku broke free and pushed Sir Nighteye away once again. "That's what everyone keeps telling me. But ding ding ding! Survey says the contrary! I haven't done anything to help anyone in my entire life! Not even the fucking guy that I promised to help! Just.. I'm just an annoyance. A blight. A weak link. A... I'm nothing."
Sir Nighteye's eyes widened, his expression melancholic.
"I need to do this," Izuku's voice was soft, reaching out for the confidence that he never had. "I need to be the hero for once. If not, what the fuck am I even going to be? Just a guy who spew out jokes to cope with the bad shit he faced? Who never made it in the hero gig? Who was born with what everyone sees as a disability..?"
Sir Nighteye's hand instinctively reached out for the boy, but he stopped. He let the boy pour out his heart, even if he didn't mean to do it.
"A dishonest, dishonourable mercenary," Izuku finished.
Sir Nighteye began to protest, "That's not-"
"Don't even bother," Izuku said weakly as he slumped against the wall, sliding downwards slowly against it. He sat on the floor, his blurry eyes trained to the soiled ground. "I just..."
Izuku sniffed, his strength waning due to the emotional turmoil he was facing. "I'm losing my grip on the things that I once believed. With what you told me, and what's been...happening."
Sir Nighteye didn't speak a word as Izuku continued, "I'm not a hero, yet I want to be one, need to be one. I'm not cut out for this at all."
Izuku slowly stood up and said, "Don't try to follow me."
"I'm not gonna do anything stupid," Izuku cut him off before Sir Nighteye could say anything. "At least...for now."
Before Izuku could walk away entirely, Sir Nighteye said, "Izuku."
Izuku stopped, tilting his head to barely hold Sir Nighteye's gaze, ridden with guilt. "Try to live, you got it?"
Izuku slowly met Nighteye's gaze fully. Then, without saying anything, he walked away.
A line of tear swam down the hero's cheeks as Izuku went out of sight entirely.
Izuku opened the door to his room only to find Bakugo sleeping there. Odd. It wasn't like him to be so willing to sleep in here.
Think of it, Bakugo had been insisting on sleeping with him ever since...well, ever since the whole thing with the drugs.
And the nightmares..
He'd been having a lot of them lately for whatever reason.
Not that he minded the whole predicament. Izuku was more than happy to accompany him, of course.
But the nightmares he'd been having..
It scared him to a degree. It made him feel helpless.
Useless.
Izuku decided to put this aside for now. He had a lot of shit brewing inside of his already tattered mind. A world-ending threat is on the horizon.
Most of all..
His mother was going to die.
He knew that Sir Nighteye's predictions were always accurate even to the smallest of details.
Letting out a sigh, he decided to crash into the bed with his mercenary suit off and pajamas on. But before he could drift to the world of dreams..
He could feel the bed moving. Izuku looked to the right, only to see that Bakugo was thrashing around beneath the blanket.
Oh no.
"It wasn't me..." Bakugo began to say. "Old man..It wasn't me.."
The claws were out of his knuckles. "No. No! No no no no!"
Izuku sat back up, not knowing what to do to help with the whole situation.
"FUCK!" Bakugo thrashed around the bed even more.
Izuku reached out to wake Bakugo up, but instead of easing his suffering..
He amplified it even more.
"YOU KILLED HIM!" Bakugo immediately opened his eyes and dragged Izuku out of the bed, pinning him against the wall with his claws.
"K- Kacchan-" Izuku choked out.
"DON'T LIE TO ME, YOU SACK OF FUCKING SHIT!" Tears were brimming in Bakugo's eyes, a sight that Izuku had never seen since he first made himself known after years. "YOU KILLED ALL MIGHT!"
"Kacchan!" Izuku mustered enough strength to push Bakugo away. "STOP IT!"
Bakugo stopped in his tracks, eyes regaining the life they once had. Taking a step back, Bakugo fell on the floor with the horrifying realisation of what he'd just attempted.
"Kacchan-"
"Izuku," Bakugo said. Izuku tensed at Bakugo calling him by his name.
"I- what did I do? W- why are you bleeding?"
"I'm okay," Izuku tried to reassure him. "Don't think much of it. It was just a nightmare."
"I- I tried to kill- I tried to kill you!" Bakugo said. "A- are you-?!"
"Relax," Izuku held his hands up. "Or are you forgetting that I can heal from almost anything that you can dish out to me?"
Bakugo seemed to calm down. He slumped down to the bed, rubbing his temple.
Izuku sat down besides him and asked, "The hell was that though?"
Bakugo looked at the floor; he was equally as clueless as Izuku was. "Beats me."
Bakugo then looked at Izuku with a look of remorse. "I tried to kill you."
"You did too before, and I was fine, wasn't I?" Izuku said, attempting to sooth Bakugo's misplaced guilt.
Bakugo's posture wavered. He stood up and walked straight to the door. However, Izuku was nimble enough to grab him by his wrist. "Nope. Where do you think you're going? You need rest."
"No, I need a drink," Bakugo said bluntly.
"You haven't been sleeping well," Izuku said, referring to the visible black marks on Bakugo's eyelids.
Bakugo spat back, "Like I care."
"Well obviously someone has to care," Izuku retorted.
"I don't need you to coddle me, Izuku," Bakugo said dismissively.
Izuku raised his brow. "On a first name basis already now, are we?" he said with a teasing edge on his voice.
Bakugo ignored that and started to walk towards the door, forcing Izuku to release his iron tight grip.
"You know what? Fine. I know just the place," Izuku resigned.
But Bakugo had other ideas. He said, "I'm not going out. Weasel said he has all sorts of alcohol stashed in his attic."
Izuku was dumbfounded by that fact. "A...whole ass collection of strong beverages in the fucking attic?"
"I've always said that your friend is a bit..eccentric," Bakugo shrugged as he opened the door. "You're free to sleep. No need to watch over me like I'm some sort of child in need of supervision."
"I mean, not gonna lie, that's exactly what you are," Izuku mouthed off, earning a snarl and a glare from Bakugo. He quickly corrected himself, "To a certain degree, of course.."
Bakugo's glare ended as he went to the attic to look for alcohol. Izuku decided to wait in front of the house as he assumed that was where Bakugo was going to drink.
And he was right. Bakugo came back with two bottles of alcohol with a glass containing a cube of ice. He poured the beverage down on it, before downing a round. Letting out a sigh of satisfaction, he slumped against the seat, taking in the view of the lawn.
Bakugo then began, "I think whatever that drug did, it somehow brought some of my memories back."
Well that was abrupt.
Izuku replied, "You think so?"
"How else would you explain...all of that?" Bakugo continued.
"I guess," Izuku said, words betraying him. Dammit, he wasn't a fucking therapist, but Bakugo clearly needed solace.
"Whatever it is that my past is hiding from me," Bakugo's voice sounded shaky. "I'm starting to reconsider my resolve to get it all back."
Izuku's eyes narrowed. "I can understand that."
"What did I say?" Bakugo asked. "When I..was in that state."
Izuku wasn't sure if he should say it. He said it anyway. "You said that it wasn't you, whatever that meant. Looked like you were talking to an old man."
"All Might," Bakugo said.
"Right, All Might," Izuku repeated.
After a long while of silence, Bakugo insisted again, "Just go back to sleep, please."
"Nope," Izuku declined.
"You don't need me to dump all of this on you," Bakugo pressed again.
Izuku shook his head. "Uh-uh-uh, I'm staying here until you sleep."
Bakugo was about to say something to convince Izuku to just drop it and go back inside, but stopped himself from doing so.
It seemed that he knew that he was fighting a losing battle.
"Suit yourself," Bakugo sighed as he downed another round.
Izuku looked at the night sky and smiled a little.
Bakugo jumped on the opportunity to ask, "The fuck are you smiling at?"
"Nothing, just a distant memory," Izuku replied. "Last time we were like this, sitting together under the night sky...well, it was when we were kids."
Bakugo took notice and began to try to listen.
Izuku laughed to himself as he continued, "You had a sleepover at my house. Pretty sure Auntie Mitsuki was there too. She was pretty insistent about keeping us in the bed when night dawned."
Izuku reminisced even further down the memory lane, "Of course, we were rascals at the time. We snuck out of the bedroom and played together outside in the middle of the night. It's fortunate that mom and Auntie never found out, otherwise they would've killed us," he laughed at the last part.
Izuku then pointed at the ground, "Then we sat in front of the house, gazing at the sky. Pretty sure the light was polluted as it has always been. The stars were...beautiful."
Bakugo slightly nodded, sipping another fill as he listened.
"Actually, we made a promise together," Izuku added.
"What promise?" Bakugo asked.
Izuku looked at Bakugo with a twinge of sombreness. "That when the time comes for it, we'll be heroes together, helping people however we can while we kick ass and take names. It was before...well, before I was diagnosed quirkless."
Bakugo frowned at that. "I really was an asshole, huh?"
"Can't blame you," Izuku's hands slumped down.
Bakugo's brow furrowed as if he knew what Izuku was thinking, but he didn't say anything.
"That was just a stupid, childish dream," Izuku said mostly to himself. "Not really anything notable. Was just, you know, thinking what could've been if..if I had just.."
Izuku held back a sob. "Excuse me," he said while turning away.
Bakugo bit his lips as he said, "You're none the worse for wear. You should head back to bed."
"No-"
"Izuku," Bakugo's voice tensed. "You're not in a good condition yourself. Go back to bed."
Izuku protested, "I'm not sleepy."
"Well at least do something else besides coddling me. You've got to take care of yourself sometimes," Bakugo suggested.
Izuku stared at him for a moment before relaxing himself against the seat. "Nah, think I'll just do some stargazing instead."
"You're so fucking stubborn," Bakugo groaned.
"And you love me for it," Izuku teased.
Bakugo decided that he was getting used to Izuku teasing him every second of the day. He then relaxed against the seat as well, as the both of them stared at the opulent night sky.
