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“Midoriya, with your lack of control over your quirk, you can not be a hero at this time. You are hereby expelled from the hero course."
"Take this,” handing the boy a slip of paper he continued, “report to the clinic to have your injuries tended to. When you’re done there go to the office, they’ll give you your new schedule. Starting tomorrow you’re in general education.”
Reaching numbly for the slip Izuku took it gently - he had to do everything so gently now for fear of breaking himself again - and turned away. Allowing feet he could no longer feel take him in the direction of the clinic he evaded Bakugo’s attack by rote memory, not even hearing the words, “USELESS FUCKING REJECT!!! CAN’T EVEN MANAGE A SINGLE FUCKIN DAY IN THE HERO CLASS!!!”
He didn't even notice when a second blast never came, or see as his one-time friend was dragged away from him, back to the teacher who had just shattered him, never heard him say, “Bakugo, with your attitude, you will never be a hero. Take this to the office. They’ll give you your new schedule, you are expelled from the hero course.”
He didn't hear the blond screaming about his own expulsion either.
Nor did he hear a shrill yelp as the girl with the ponytail lept away from the tiny groping hands that had slid under her skirt in the commotion, never saw the fury in the dark eyes as they burned at the now cowering kid with the purple balls on his head, never heard the kid whine, “It’s her own fault Sensei, dressin’ like that, she's just askin’ for me to give her a touch, it's not my faaaault!!!”
Maybe the cold words, “Mineta, you are hereby expelled from UA high school! You and you," he pointed to the two students that had, rightly so, pointed out that their classmate was wearing the school uniform! And even if she hadn't been, it didn't make any difference what she was wearing!!! "Take him to the office where you'll await the officers who will arrest and remove him for sexual assault upon a classmate, NOW GO! ” would have given him some comfort, but he never heard them.
He could barely hear his own thoughts, never mind any external sounds.
Filled with an icy void, legs a distant memory, his chest ached as he shivered, feeling cold sweat trickle down his back, ‘Failed, I failed, everyone was right, I really am useless, worthless, hopeless, pointless, never succeed, never never never….’
“Young Midoriya!” Those words drew him to a shocked halt, eyes lifted for a lightning moment, only to drop at the disappointment in the bright blue eyes staring down at him, the frown on the usually smiling face, “I am very disappointed in you young man, deeply disappointed!”
The ice was gone now, leaving molten lead in its place, boiling and heavy. Shame making it hard to even stand, when all he wanted to do was fall and keep falling, to fall and fall and fall and never even try to get up again but the towering figure was still speaking so, eyes nailed to the ground, he tried to pay attention. He had failed at everything else this day, at least he could still use his ears…maybe.
“Well, at least it's not a total loss, in fact….hmmmmmm….this might work out even better! Under-privileged boy wins sports festival! Yes, that's it, my boy! You will make your debut as the new symbol of peace when you win the sports festival!”
“B-b-b-bu-but I c-c-cant e-even use it ye-yet, I ke-ke-keep breaking my b-b-bones!!! Please, ple-please All M-m-might, how do I-I-I…”
“ Nonsense, my boy, you are doing fine! It's a big power to get a handle on,” (‘Although I had no problems with it!’) “but you are doing just fine! Now, remember to book a gym every day for after school! That gives you six days a week for the next twelve weeks so by then you should,” he frowned at the boy staring up at him, eyes wide with something he couldn't recognize,” be able to use the power I gave you. With it, you are sure to win the festival and then, yes, this is excellent, then you will be back in the hero class and everyone will know your name!”
“Now, don't disappoint me again young Midoriya! Work hard every day between now and the festival and we are sure to do this! Off you go, we don't want to keep Recovery Girl waiting, now do we?”
Grinning to himself at how he could turn such a disaster into a solid plan, he never looked back at his successor as they staggered slightly, recovering to continue their trudge to the clinic.
Shame, fear, shame, dread, shame, fear, they beat in time with his pulse and the pain in his hand as he shivered, Cold, he was so cold, yet drenched with sweat. How was he going to manage the extra training, and all on his own! Still, STILL, all on his own?
He had been training on his own for the last ten months, All Might had given him an exercise plan that was totally unworkable for his living conditions so he had adapted it, changed it as best he could until, at last, he had been given the DNA on the morning of the exam, despite having asked several times for more time to have it, to train with it, to learn to use it safely.
All Might had never even asked to see him working out, so as long as the results were clear to be seen, and he did bulk up, he did look stronger, he WAS stronger, fitter, faster, had more stamina, could go farther, longer, do more…
But it was his clothes that made him look bigger, everything he could do for working out added flexibility, stamina, speed, and control. The plan All Might gave him would have added nothing but muscle and, while he wanted to do it, wanted with all his might, (even his tired old pun couldn't make him smile now) to do as he had been told by his hero, he wasn't allowed out of the residential home for orphans and homeless children, unaccompanied by an adult, unless he was going to and from school.
So no jogging, no going to a gym for weight lifting, no cleaning a beach - and wasn’t that an argument and a half to convince All Might that he wouldn't be allowed to do it even if All Might himself asked and as they were trying to keep them knowing each other a secret he couldn't ask for him and that he could do just as well with all the other things on the list, he would just do more of it all to make up for it!
His one stroke of luck came when he was watching a fight on his way to the home after school just after meeting All Might and, out of nowhere, a heavy bag slammed into the side of his face, knocking him to his knees, chipping one of his teeth and giving him what felt like a sure to be three-day long headache.
Groping around he got hold of the mystery item. Staggering away from the crowd clutching the thing and his school bag, he finally managed to prop himself against the wall, unzipping it with fumbling fingers…
Money!
The bag was filled with money!!!
More than he had ever seen before. Raising his eyes back to the fight still going on he realized that he was holding the proceeds of the heist, that one of the villains must have thrown it away in order to not be caught red-handed, that now he was holding so….much…..money!!!
Hurriedly he grabbed a tissue from his pocket, using it to cover his fingers as he pulled out a bundle of notes. Estimating it to be about a hundred thousand yen, he shoved it into his own backpack, right down to the bottom. His conscience was screaming at him but his practical nature gave it a punch in the nose to shut it up, he needed this money, it would make all the difference to his life and plans!
Hurriedly tucking the tissue back into his pocket he ran his fingers across the very top of the money in the bag, just as anyone would do when faced with a bag full of money, then zipped it up again. This way his fingerprints would only tell a normal tale. Looking for the nearest police officer he pushed his way back through the crowd, tugging on their shirt once he reached them.
Watching the cop glance down at him, their eyes trail all the way down to his shoes, the mouth scrunch up in annoyance, - Seriously, the first thing he was going to fucking do when he aged out of the system was paint his goddamned shoes BLACK!!! - and the cop said, looking back to the fight in hand, “Beat it kid, get outa here!”
Forcing himself to say, using his best little kid voice, “P-p-please, I f-f-found th-th-this bag an’ it seems to h-have lottsa money in it, pl-please cuddja take a look at it s-s-sir?”
Yep, playing the little kid shtick did the job, as did the words LOTTSA money, and, after being forced to give his name and address he was finally allowed to go. ‘Good thing too,’ he thought, ‘my face is killing me!’
The staff had made a big fuss over him, even going so far as to call in the on-call medical practitioner so, for a change, even his chipped tooth was all better by that evening. They all took their jobs seriously, even if it was always at arms' reach.
‘Never mind,’ he thought as he gave the window sill a practiced kick. Lifting the now loosened board up to reveal the hidden pocket he kept his treasures in, ‘this is gonna make all the difference!’ Patting the money one final time he pushed the board back into place, at last allowing himself to lie down on the bed, only to have to get right back up again at the knock on his door.
His room was tiny but, he glanced around in a bit of a panic even though it had been years since he had gotten into trouble for a messy room. 'Great, it's properly clean, good, no demerits!' Opening the door he saw Imada-san waiting, saying “C'mon down't the front office kid, there's cops wanna talk to you.”
Leading the way, he never saw Izuku panicking. Was he caught? He was! He had to be, he stole all that money, he was going to jail, All Might would never give him his quirk! He was a thief and a liar and a villain and…
By the time he actually reached the office, he was sure he was going to throw up from the stress of it all but, when the first cop of the two that greeted his eyes opened her mouth, she shocked him witless with relief!
“Hey, there's the kid that found the goods! Hey kid, good job today! Didja know anyone who turns in something like that gets a reward?” Numbly shaking his head, she laughed and continued as she tried to hand him an envelope, “Here you go, Ten Thousand Yen, all for you sport!”
The envelope was neatly intercepted by the staffer on desk duty that evening - he hardly bothered to learn their names anymore, they turned over so fast - as they said, “You know the rules Midoriya, no cash allowed. I’ll just tuck this into your folder and you can have it when you turn eighteen, think of it as an ageing out present.” They laughed at their own humor as they waved him off, “Go on, back to your room, the doc said you’re to rest until dinner.”
Hurrying out, he was more than ever grateful for his impulse to take the bank's money, seeing as how he wasn't allowed any of his own!
He only had ten months so, cursing his so often shitty luck, it was three entire days before he could take his measurements down to the hardware store and buy the items he needed, thankful that no one usually came into his room.
Of course, dragging a ten-foot pole and a bag of fixings the mile back to the home almost killed him but, as he threaded it through his window and lent it against the wall so he could go inside to drag it up and in, he was once again thankful he was on the ground floor, and not on the first one like all the little kiddies.
He was also glad that no one checked on him as he did his school work in his room, thus when he did slip from the home, he got away with it.
Reaching the sanctuary of his space he hurriedly pulled the pole inside, leaning it against the corner as he threw himself onto the bed, gasping with relief at having managed the task.
Step one, almost complete!
He spent the days he couldn't get to the store working on a poster dedicated to underground heroes. Smiling, he rolled it up and took it down to the maintenance section, showing it off with a big beaming smile, asking if he could borrow a ladder so he could hang it up in his room, promising to only use a few tacks and to not fall and blah blah blah…
Lugging it to his room, he kicked it into shape and wrestled his materials into the center of the room, it wasn't big but it had enough space for this, at least!
Two hours, a smashed thumb, and several skinned knuckles later and he had his pole securely attached top and bottom and he was throwing himself against it, trying in every way to shake it loose. When he failed he gave a satisfied, contented huff and dragged the ladder back to where it belonged.
Step one, complete!
Step two of course required him to learn how to use it.
Pole dancing, he knew, was often seen as nothing more than a way to objectify the human body but he had seen a short clip of a pole dancing competition once by accident as he searched for something online, he couldn't even remember what now, and he had been amazed and awestruck by the power, the skill, the grace of the dancers!
Falling down that rabbit hole he had spent days researching pole dancing and from that moment on, he had loved it, taking every opportunity to watch anything online he could find, being always careful to clear his history. The staff would freak, he just knew it, even though all they had to do was watch with an open mind to see it was all about power and grace, not about sex!
Right now, he needed both power and grace and stamina so, with only his room to work in at night, and the playground when he supervised the littlies, he had to improvise so pole dancing it was.
His first successful chair spin made him almost giddy with delight!
Several weeks into his new training regimen he had all his little kiddlies helping him on the weekends when he supervised their outside playtime, using the equipment as an improvised gym, all his little friends counting his pull-ups and push-ups and planks and jumps and sprinting in place and keeping a sharp lookout for him so that, if any adult came past, he was only seen keeping a watchful eye on them all.
They also all joined in with much laughter, making it so much easier for him to keep going when all he wanted to do was fall down and never move again!
No one even noticed his new room addition so, other than his increased appetite - which they just smiled at and said, “Growing boys need more food!” before piling it on his plate - his looser clothing preferences kept his changing physique undercover.
Sadly, even with all of his research on exercise, he never came across the term exercise addiction, so he never even noticed with his routine went from healthy, to obsessive, but, with the extra food and having to go to school and then he had to take care of his responsibilities on the weekend, he was forced to take long breaks each day, only allowing him an hour in the morning before he started his day and two hours at night, after he had finished all his homework and evening chores, so his burning desire to keep going, to not stop, to just…keep…going...was restricted and contained.
All he knew was that, with each new form he learned, each new upbeat song he discovered to work to, he felt good! He felt GREAT, he felt, dare he say it, proud of himself for a change. Believing he could do something was different from proving it to himself, one form after another, that he was able to do something that so few people could.
By the time he had worked relentlessly for the entire ten months, he believed fully in his strength and in himself. Despite what everyone in his life had ever told him, he WOULD be a hero!
The fucking robots and only having All Might's quirk for an hour said differently but, then, he got the letter and he was in, due to rescue points, he had made it into UA, he was in class 1A, he was going to be a hero!!!
*-*
Standing in the clinic, he sat when Recovery Girl said, offered his hand when instructed, felt distant relief when the pain went away, at least this way he could do his new routine tonight, his new wireless earbuds would let him up the volume to blasting with no one the wiser and maybe get some of the sick feeling of failure out of his chest and then when she handed him some gummies and sent him to the office, he obeyed.
Taking his new schedule from the nice lady behind the desk he wordlessly turned and, following the map, made his way to class 1C, trying to force himself back into his usual mindset. ‘Come on, All Might even said it, this is better, this way I have twelve weeks to get stronger, I can get back into 1A after the sports festival, he said it, I know I can do it, I already booked gym time every day of the week, other than Sunday, after school so I have to remember to tell the Home office that I have mandatory training after class and they can work with me on changing my schedule of jobs so I still get all my work done and I can do my school work after I eat and I know I can get by on less sleep so if I reduce it to six hours a night then I still have extra Pole time in addition to the gym time and…’
Almost passing right by the door he was looking for he dragged to a halt, stared at it for a long moment, nausea and dread pooling in his stomach, and opened the door.
“HEEEEYYYY there Lillt Listener, you my other new student today?” Present Mic beamed at him, making him, for just a shining moment, pleased with all the upheaval. Eraserhead scared him but Present Mic was simply wonderful and how could he not love that voice? He had been listening to it all his life on the tiny radio beside his bed, after all.
Until his eyes met the red glare behind the only empty seat in the room and the words hissed at him from one of the other students hit his ears, “Looks like another class 1A reject, whatsamatter, perfect quirk not as good as you thought? Can’t even keep your place for a single day?”
Hunching into himself at the double shock he was unprepared for the most easy-going hero Izuku knew of to stand fully upright, eyes hard and cold, and say, “Hano Yukio, UA has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, pack your bags kiddo, you are outta here!”
Slinking to his seat he watched in horror as, with much yelling and many tears, the kid was escorted out of the door, being met by someone he had seen in the office and led away. Knowing that Bakugo wouldn't attack him in class because then his own standing would suffer, he felt safe enough to at least relax enough to try to focus on his new homeroom teacher who had come up to him and quietly asked if he was okay.
Managing to stammer an answer, he was just grateful when the hero went back to his desk, perch on it and say, with a serious expression on his face, “Sooooo, now you know UA doesn't tolerate bullies! Nor is it anyone's business why any of you are in Gen Ed so, for your own comfort and the comfort of others, please do not ask prying questions of your classmates! Now, how about we mix this up a bit and introduce ourselves! Gimme your name, your pronouns, and a fun-filled fact about yourself!”
Pointing to Midoriya he beamed, watching as the clearly exhausted kid, much of his focus behind him on the explosive one, mumbled out his name, he/him, and that he liked quirks.
He didn't quite catch what the new blond muttered at that so he couldn't call him on it but the green-haired kid clearly did, flinching just enough for him to see as he slid back into his seat.
Keeping an eye on the class later he watched for the ones that stealthily packed their bags for a strategic getaway aaand yep, he was expecting the green kid but the purple one too? That was a surprise but he didn't interfere with their plans, only watched as they bolted at the bell.
Calling the office he requested all twenty records for his new class, he needed to see what he was dealing with.
When he heard the stealthy rustle of cloth he said, without even looking up, “Why the hell did you send me your bone breaker child AND the explosive one Shou?
Looking up at the silence that met his words he saw the expression and sat right up as Shouta said “What the fuck? I didn't send him here Zashi, I sent him to the office with clear instructions to be placed in class 1D! I know he isn't a good match for you and with the Midoriya kid coming in here I didn't want them anywhere near each other.
“The blond attacked Midoriya unprovoked and the only reason he’s still in UA at all is because I want him forced into anger management classes which he’s now booked in for three days a week as his continued enrollment condition. If he breaks it, or attacks another student, he’s out of here, no more chances!”
“Now, let me find out why the fuck he was sent to you!”
Listening to Shouta ripping into the idiot new hire who thought it was a good idea to disregard his orders for class placement because “Well, they came from the same class in the same school so I thought it was a good idea for them to stay that way.” he went back to reading his new classes files.
Closing the folder on the almost totally normal, and unremarkable, Midoriya Izuku - slightly above average intelligence, easy to work with, works well with others, takes direction well, nothing special, late bloomer a bit surprising but not alarming, quirk - strength enhancement, came in at age seven - he opened the next one. Heaving a deep sigh as Shouta stormed off to ensure his directions would be regarded as law by the office staff, he wished for a mug of coffee deep enough to drown in as he continued to read.
At least he didn't have to deal with the explosive blond, class 1D’s teacher, who looked like a puff of wind would take her out, had that honor. He spared a savage grin at the thought of the first time Bakugo ran full tilt into her. She may look weak but she was cunning, incredibly powerful, and borderline sadistic so he was in for an even ruder wakeup call there than he got today!
‘Hmmmmmm, I wonder if anyone would take the bet on his not lasting the first six weeks?’
**********************
Izuku made it back to the home but he couldn't remember any of the journey. Muscle memory alone got him onto and off the train, down the potholed road, and finally, somehow, into his room. The staff had already been informed about the change in his classes so no one stopped him, allowing him to get to the privacy of his room to deal with it on his own. They were never cruel, but he was no one's favorite. Being quirkless in the system he was a ward at risk, kept in the home for ages two to six for his own safety.
So while the children came and went, as did the staff, Izuku was a long-term fixture, known by all, cared for by none. The little kids got the attention, he just helped out and, one day, they all thought he would simply become a member of staff himself, despite his thinking he could become a hero.
Now he had a quirk, somehow, some way, they didn't know what he would be but having been kicked out of the hero program on the first day, it looked more than likely that he would wind up in a menial position somewhere. Maybe in the support industry? The kid was smart enough to get top grades, after all.
Until then, they would go along with the request he had made when his quirk came in so unexpectedly, of quirk suppressant bracelets. They couldn't argue with his logic, if his quirk broke his bones then the little kids in his care might be in danger so, at the home, he would wear suppressors until he was happy that he had enough control to be safe around everyone.
****
Grateful that he had no homework yet, Izuku put his earbuds in, turned on his favorite playlist, and lost himself in the movements on the pole, letting their names roll through his mind as he swung and spun, flying through them…
****
Waking up to his alarm he was momentarily confused, why were his legs tangled around his pole, why the fuck was he on the floor? ‘Did I sleep here? I don't remember falling asleep but my head feels fine and my neck doesn't hurt so I don't think I knocked myself out like that one time so I musta just fallen asleep.’
Sighing he dragged himself upright, glad to have his pole to use, feeling the soreness in his entire body, the raging hunger that had him almost bent double. ‘Fuck! I feel like shit!’ he thought, ‘Sure hope today is better than yesterday! I need to look up routines and things I can do in the gym after school to make the best use of the time I have between now and the sports festival! Now,’ grabbing and draining his bedside glass of water, he pushed his earbuds back in place, ‘I have an hour and a half before breakfast so I’d best get back to work!’
*****
Three weeks into the new school year, he was still trying to get used to Bakugo not being in his classroom. That first morning was a shock but he kept it to himself, not daring to ask so catching sight of him later at lunch he was relieved, a bit anyway, that he was still enrolled at UA. Sure, he had a few scars from him and they hadn't been friends for years but, of all the kids from his old school, at least those scars were from accidents when they were younger.
The home had put a firm foot down when he first started getting bullied, threatening the school with all kinds of hell if they didn't police their own halls so, at least at school, he was safe enough, even though he never did get any friends after Bakugo pushed him away.
It was between school and the home, or well, school and the train station anyway, that the trouble really existed but when, after he started getting more confident simply through getting old enough to think past the things he had been told all his life, the bullies noticed and came down even harder on him, he realized he was in actual danger of being killed like so may quirkless kids were, before ever getting a chance at living their lives.
Taking the rusty star head screwdriver he had found in the gutter one day and picked up for no real reason, he sharpened the points of its star to a razor's edge and practiced with it, imagining an enemy gabbing him, how and where to strike back. Carrying it tucked into his pocket until, only a few days later, he was cornered in an alleyway by one of the biggest of his bullies.
One of the stupidest too, he was grateful to see, as they chose to come at him alone.
Letting the hulking kid grab him, he stabbed him four times in the thigh as he kicked himself free, waiting until the kid finished screaming before saying in a voice cold as ice, “Touch me again and I’ll kill you!”
He took three controlled steps away before turning halfway back, saying “Pass it on!” and then strode collectedly away.
He made it less than a quarter mile before having to duck into another alley to be violently sick, vomiting until he had nothing left to give, finally curling up to sob himself to a state of calmness. Managing to scrub the blood off his hands and get back to his room without anyone finding out what he had done, he dreamed that night of blood and fire, as he hadn't done in years.
It took three more attacks, each one not much different from the first, before everyone got the message, leave the deranged quirkless kid alone.
By the time he was a few months into his new training routine, even the much more dangerous ones like older brothers and cousins hadn’t managed to corner him again, his new speed and endurance were his new best friends.
Now in UA, he was glad that Bakugo wasn’t expelled but he was so fucking relieved that he didn’t share a classroom with him anymore, just...so...relieved!
And Present Mic was a fantastic teacher, so funny, so loud! And despite how comical he seemed, Izuku could see the intelligence shining from his startlingly green eyes so he kept his head down, did his work without fail - even if he lost sleep over it - and spent the day simply waiting for his time in the gym.
****
Standing in the gym, praying All Might would come the way he said he would but almost never did, he ran at the rope, jumping and starting the climb. He had done his warmups, done all the martial arts forms he had copied from the videos he was studying as he commuted to and from school, and was now doing the climbing rope because it was the only thing that was fun in the entire, huge, lonely, room.
Not noticing the person watching him he made it to the top, giving a small crow as he carefully wrapped the rope around his waist and rolled all the way back down, giggling at the dizziness that had him holding to the rope until he got his feet back under him.
Feeling the gaze on him at last he glanced carefully behind him, making sure it was just the purple kid, Shinso he thought his name was, he hadn't bothered learning any of his classmates' names, they none of them wanted anything to do with him. Well, why would they, a failed hero student wasn't exactly friend shaped, he knew that, so pushed how that felt away and kept focused.
He HAD to succeed in the sports festival!
Ignoring Shinso, the way he had for the last three weeks as they used the gym too, he stood, calling the feeling of All Might's quirk to him. He spent the last thirty minutes of each day at school doing this, trying to feel what he was doing wrong, to figure out why it broke him. All Might said it was easy, that all he had to do was clench his ass and yell smash but, remembering the pain when he tried that, he froze in dread.
Standing alone, he glanced at the door one last time, praying All Might would show up, they didn't help, made it all worse really but it just felt better to have an adult there when he tried this, it scared him so much, it hurt so much when he got it wrong, he was so afraid…
Forcing that away, he took a deeep breath and summoned the feeling of the quirk, focusing it all over, a prickle of dry heat, a pressure inside, turning it off when it got too hot. He had been thinking about it for as long as he had had it and thought he might be going wrong with thinking about it in just his arms or hands so maybe if he had it all over him he could use it like that?
It seemed to be going better, at least he hadn't broken anything, and even though he was only just trying the new way, he was feeling so much better about it so that was, of course, when the purple kid suddenly decided to speak.
“So, why are you even trying to get back into the hero course? Isn't one chance enough for you? I mean, you blew it, you have the perfect quirk for heroics and didn’t bother training it so you fucking failed, why are you still trying to take someone else's place? Just, like, give up already and let someone else have a go.
Letting the quirk fizzle out, he stared at the angry eyes glaring at him, trying to keep breathing. It didn't matter what anyone thought, it didn't matter, it didn't it didn't it didn't it did though because the acid of the words burned away any feeling of accomplishment, well, what had he accomplished anyway, so what if he didn't break anything today, he had yesterday and had had the full thirty-minute lecture over it.
But so what if this kid thought what everyone else thought, that he was lazy, that he was stupid, that he was worthless, pointless? Keeping his eyes wide open, forcing the tears back, he opened his mouth, trying to speak, failed totally and ducked his head, managing to grab his bag as he ran from the gym, dodging around the kid as they said something, reaching for him but he was out the door and stumbling into hiding, he couldn't breathe for the tears but at least, if he stayed in the hiding place he had scoped out earlier, at least no one would see or hear him as he lay on his back, mouth stretched wide, crying silent sobs to an uncaring sky.
*****
Hitoshi had been using the same gym as the bone-breaking kid for the last three weeks and he had to give it to him, he never stopped. From the first moment he stepped into the gym until the “GET THE FUCK OFF UA GROUNDS bell rang - yeah, he named the bell, so fucking what? - he worked until he dripped with sweat, worked until he practically had to crawl out of the room but he kept…breaking….his….bones.
Never big ones thank fuck or else Hitoshi would have had to help him but he finally couldn’t take it anymore, who was this kid kidding? He was never going to be a hero student again, he had the perfect quirk for heroics and had, what, just never trained it? Burning resentment finally broke him, if the kid wouldn’t stop then Hitoshi was going to stop him, it was stupid to smash yourself over and over and over, the kids should just keep the bracelets he put on as he left the gym and never take them off.
Letting the words roll off his tongue he watched carefully as he said, “So, why are you even trying to get back into the hero course? Isn't one chance enough for you? I mean, you blew it, you have the perfect quirk for heroics and didn’t bother training it so you fucking failed, why are you still trying to take someone else's place? Just, like, give up already and let someone else have a go.”
He expected anger so he was ready for a slanging match, well, he was always up for one of those anyway. He was ready for just about anything other than the kid to freeze, eyes wide open, filled with shame and fear, for the kid to grab his bag and eel past him as he cried out for him to wait, to miss his grab as they fled, stood there in shock as he understood exactly what that look meant…
And how badly he had just fucked up!
No one looked like that who wasn't trying, and not just trying but trying so hard they bled for it, cried for it, no one looked like that who had help and he should know, he wore that look himself most days as he too fought for his dream, bled for it, cried for it! And no one EVER looked like that who hadn't been trying for a long, long time!
Bolting from the room he ran, trying to find the kid, no one who looked like that needed to be alone with his poisoned words!
Running past the corner of the building he caught the whiff of gardenia from the bank of them growing against the mellow brick walls, he didn't even give them a glance until, skidding to a halt, he used his eyes at last. No sign of the green hair anywhere, despite having a clear line of sight to the main campus building itself. So where the fuck had the kid gone?
Scanning carefully as he turned a full circle he suddenly knew exactly where the kids was, and knew even more that. Despite how it looked, this kid was exactly like him because only someone like him would even be able to spot a hiding place to use that was right out in the open.
Moving carefully to the row of sweetly scented bushes, he knelt down, right to the ground itself, and peered under the thick dark green leaves and he was right there, between the brick wall and the tangled branches, on his back, crying deep ugly sobs, totally soundlessly.
Yeah, Hitoshi had seriously fucked up because no one cried like that that wasn’t just like him.
Pushing into the well-clipped jungle, he made it to their side, simply taking the clenched hand in his own, and waited.
*****
“I'm sorry.” were the first words he spoke, when he thought perhaps the green-haired kid might be able to hear him.
“Why,” he got back as the kid dragged himself into a sitting position, “you only s-said what everyone th-thinks. It's no p-p-problem really, just, you can go now, sorry you had to see that, I'm good, you c-can go.”
When neither moved he repeated, “R-r-really, I’m good.” But when he tried to move, he sagged back down, too tired to even try again.
“Yeah, you look great,” snarked the other boy, “look, I’m an asshole, I get it, but I’m not so much of an asshole that I get to be totally fucking wrong about you and then just piss off and leave you to deal with the fallout.”
“I may be a fucking villain in the making but even I’m not that bad!”
Silence and the sweet scent of waxy white flowers met his words and for a long moment, nothing else happened.
“W-what do you m-mean, a villain in the making?”
Gazing at the green kid he huffed a laugh, “Seriously, that's what you took away from that?”
“Uuuum yeah, i-it makes n-n-no se-sense. You're at UA, you ca-cant b-b-be a villain in the ma-making! Anyway, no-one is a vi-villain until th-th-they do-do-do something villainous so h-h-have you?”
“Have I what?”
“D-d-d-done anything villainous?”
“What the fuck? No, of course, I haven’t! Unless you count driving a classmate into hiding under a bush while they have a nervous breakdown cause if you count that, then yes, yes I have.”
The weight of guilt lifted a tiny bit when, unexpectedly, the green-haired kid gave a watery giggle. Saying, “W-w-well then, I don’t th-th-think you're a very good villain ca-cause you're sitting h-h-here with m-m-me!”
“Yeah,” he ducked his head but couldn't hide his tiny shy smile,” well, I guessed if you were hiding it'd be in here and if I was the jackass who made you feel like hiding in the first place the least I could do is sit with you for a bit. I can go be a baby villain later, UA's a hero school so I can at least try to not fuck with people while I’m here. Well, I can try and fail at that, I guess.”
“Look,” he suddenly turned and faced the green kid, “what’s your fucking name anyway? I can not keep calling you the green kid in my head, it's getting old already!”
Getting a sigh for the ages in return the green kid finally said, like it was a national secret, or something, “Midoriya Izuku, hi, I’m th-the f-f-fuck up th-tha-that couldn’t e-e-even keep my-my-my place in 1A m-more than an hour!” and held out his hand.
Taking it, Hitoshi said, “I’m Shinso Hitoshi, I’m the fuck up with the brainwashing quirk that doesn’t work on stupid robots and didn’t even get into class 1A, nice to meet you!”
****
They talked, under the bushes, for a long time, long enough that when they went to go out the gates they got an automatic notice of detention for overstaying their allowed time on campus. “Un fucking believable!” Hitoshi (call me Hitoshi, it's only fair, “Okay, then you g-g-get to call me Izuku!”) grouched, “can you believe that shit?”
“Yeah, I really can!” Izuku laughed.
“So, what way do you go home? I'm on the green line, headed west.”
“Oh gosh, I'm on th-the green line to b-but I'm headed east!”
“That sucks, here, gimme your phone, I can give you my number!” Seeing the suddenly red cheeks he figured out, even before the words were out of his mouth, that Izuku didn't have a phone. “I don’t ha-have one y-y-yet b-b-but I can get one tomorrow on th-th-the way back to the home, there's a phone store on my wa-way! You can gimme your number th-th-then, o-o-okay?”
Noticing that his new friend's stammer seemed linked to his emotions, he decided to totally ignore it and said, “Izuku, why don't you have a phone and yet can get one tomorrow? That makes no sense, you do know that, don't you?”
Laughing a bit Izuku agreed, saying with a yelp as he caught sight of the time on the UA square clock, “OMG I’M LATE!!! I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, I promise!”
The last words were almost lost to the wind as the kid speed off, leaving Hitoshi with so MUCH to think about, most notable how his new friend? said THE HOME rather than home.
“Is he in care like me too? No way, shit like that doesn't happen in real life!"
****
But, after meeting up at the train station the next morning - Hitoshi had keen eyes when looking for something he was interested in and green fluffy hair was not that hard to spot, even in the early morning rush - he got a bit more explanation from his new friend and yes, they were both in care, one as the late blooming (14, holy fucking gods, no wonder he can’t use the fucking quirk!) quirkless child at risk and one the villainous quirked child that had to be conditioned and controlled so as to never fulfill that prophesy.
Izuku was as horrified by the muzzle as he was by the breaking bones and no help so they decided to be a club of two, the Fuck Everyone and Become a Hero Regardless club!
When they caught Yamada-sensei's eye walking in together they went silent immediately, heading for their seats on soundless feet, giving him even more reason to worry about them. He had never had two students with more red flags, it was like they were waving them at him but, he had already checked their records, looked into the care homes they were in, and, other than the children themselves and the way they behaved around adults, they shouldn't be anything wrong!
It was great that they were talking and laughing together but why would they act like that was going to get them in trouble? He wondered if it was something to do with the detention for being late leaving campus yesterday notice that was sitting in his inbox. He knew they both used gym Zetta every day after classes so, maybe they had just gotten talking and lost track of time?
Well, maybe he could use the detention to get to know them a bit better? Other than them both being smart as whips and reluctant as cold charity to show it in class, he didn't know much about them so this might be a golden opportunity. If it didn't pan out he was going to start watching the gym footage and maybe get an insight on them that way.
Because something was seriously wrong with those two and he was going to find out what it was!
Shelving the problem he got ready for the day, the little listeners had a test coming up and he wanted to be sure they would all pass it, English was a great language and all but it was a bitch to learn!
*****
Detention turned out to be worse than the boys had expected, and oh so much better!
They both loved Present Mic but damn, he was persistent with his questions, chattering on about everything under the sun, and then, wham, a tiny harmless question would be hiding in the noise, waiting to trap them but, thankfully, after a while, they both caught the other's eyes and grinned, they could work with this!
Hizashi laughed to himself as he watched them walk away, they had agreed that there wasn't enough time to bother with the gym today and they would just use the time to get Izuku a phone of all things - how did a kid his age not have a phone? - and go to a cafe so he was relieved that they were both doing normal things for their age, instead of obsessively training for a school event, even if it was an important one.
The cheeky little devils though, giving him evasive answers, or cheeky ones, or snarky and any number of answers. Other than no outright lies, they hadn't said a word of truth between them, which takes some amount of skill. Colour him impressed!
Entertaining as it was though, it was just another red flag to add to the mix, as was the way they both flinched when All Might came to the class, asking some asinine question he should have known the answer to. Not only did they flinch but the green one, Midoriya, had ducked his head down and not lifted his eyes until the man had gone. And how All Might had stared at him, with a deep frown? Yeah, that was all kinds of wrong!
He knew Shouta insisted there was something going on between the two of them but until now he had been unsure and simply waiting to get a better idea. Now he was certain of it and he was headed to Nezu because damn, he didn't like where this was going, not at all!!!
****
The meeting with Nezu went as well as expected but, without the fucking symbol of peace working with them, all they had to go on was a relatively clean school record, and an even cleaner residential home record that backed the first one up perfectly - maybe too perfectly? - and the gut instincts of three experienced educators.
Not enough to demand the answers to any hard questions yet so, for now, all they could do was watch.
*****
Heading to the gym together Izuku was excited for the day, Hitoshi had some really good ideas for his training All Might's quirk (because he had told him all about it, whispering the secret behind his hands, hidden in a quiet corner of the train station coffee shop), and he had some ideas for helping train Hitoshi’s to so together, they were sure to make some breakthroughs.
‘No fucking pun intended!’ he groaned to himself, finally having to tell Hitoshi what he had thought of, only for him to groan at the pun too. “Well, I did say it was stupid but you insisted I tell you so it's your own damned fault!” he laughed as he ran, knowing if his friend caught him he would use his unfair height advantage to ruffle his carefully brushed hair.
Why he would be so cruel as to undo so much careful work, Izuku was baffled but he would evade as long as possible.
*****
Walking into the gym with wildly messy hair, he pouted at his friend, “Hitoooooooshi, Hooooow could you! Look at me, I’m all messy now!”
“Well, the first time we talked was under a bush so that's what you look like now, a bush!” Holding him off with one hand he said, “Now now bushy boy, there's no time for messing around, we only have eight weeks left so, let's get to it!”
Working with Hitoshi’s quirk was wonderful, Izuku thought as he floated, peaceful and contented, in his mind as his body ran through the things he had asked Hitoshi to try to get him to do. He knew he should fight it but he didn’t want to, he just wanted to float forever.
Feeling the control snap at last he sighed and stretched, asking, “How'd it go?”
“Well,” running through the list, they discussed each one, finally getting to the one where he was supposed to break out which didn't happen because, “I just don't want to break loose when I’m under Toshi! It feels all floaty and nice and then it's over and I still haven't even tried, I’m sorry, really. Maybe tomorrow you can command me to try to break out? Would that work?”
“Maybe? I dunno. Now, slacker, let's see you get some work done, yesterday you held your quirk for fifteen minutes without straining so, today, it's time to try some forms while holding it, no contact punching or anything but go on, let's see how it goes.”
“Right, stand back Toshi, I’m doing it now!” Calling the energy to him with practiced ease, it didn't feel quite so scary now he was used to the feeling. But, as Toshi had said, it was time to do something other than just turn it on and off so, carefully sliding into a wider stance, he started with the first form.
Instead of hard martial arts, he was using Tai Chi as a way to try gently moving while his quirk was activated and, it worked incredibly well, filling him with energy, making him buoyant, his moves smooth, controlled, effortless…
He loved tai chi, especially imagining he was playing with a giant soap bubble. He could see all the pretty colours in his mind and he tossed and caught and rolled and danced with it, his mind supplying the bubble, his body the dance!
Lifting his right arm high in a blocking maneuver to bounce the imaginary bubble up and into the air, he brought it down again to catch it with both hands as his feet moved him gracefully forwards. Then, when he flicked his hands up and away to toss the bubble back into the air, without warning, his wrist blossomed with pain as, with a sharp crack, it broke.
Falling with a cry to the floor he gripped his wrist tight to his chest, whimpering, as Hitoshi crashed to the ground beside him. “Shit, oh my fucking gods, oh shit oh shit oh shit you broke it!” he babbled until Izuku said, with a groan, “No shit, Sherlock!”
They stayed on the ground for a moment, both looking at his now discoloring wrist. “Here, if I help you up,” Hitoshi got behind him and lifted, “then we can walk together to the clinic, I know Recovery Girl is there, even this late, cause of all the students training extra to get ready for the sports festival!”
Izuku leaned on him for a moment, saying, “She’s gonna yell at me again. Why, why Toshi, why does everyone get to yell at me? I'm doing the best I can and no one’s helping other than you so,” he gave a dry sob, “I don' wanna go.”
“Shit, I know, I know Zuzu, but you're grey! And sweating, and you can hardly breathe, I don’t know how to get you to a hospital and you need help and even if everyone is so fucking stupid at least Recovery Girl can make the pain go away, I’ll stay with you the entire time, I promise! And even if she yells then you won't be alone, I promise! Okay?” he knew he was crying as well as his friend but, at last, he got a tiny nod and they started the long long walk to the clinic.
Halfway there he wrapped his arm around Izuku’s waist, helping him along, keeping the pace slow and steady, praying for a teacher to see, to know that they needed help but no such luck, ‘Never a teacher around with you need one, he thought bitterly, 'they're only around when they can get you in trouble!’
Getting Izuku to step through the doors of the clinic was harder than the entire rest of the walk combined but he finally managed it, whispering in his ear, “I'll be right here, I won't go anywhere, I promise, I’ll stay, she can't yell too much if I’m here, I'll stay…”
Seeing Recovery Girl purse her lips in annoyance (there was worry there too but neither boy saw it) and say, “Good heavens, sit him down right there! I’ll call his homeroom teacher, you can go now he's here, I’ll take care of it!” Hitoshi grimly sat down beside his friend, expression one of “Try to make me leave, I dare you!”
Seeing it she gave another annoyed sigh. Having dealt with eleven other students getting themselves injured for no good reason already today, she was fed up and in no mood to deal with another one. Calling Yamada she said, when he picked up, “Your student is here, looks like he broke another bone! Yes, Midoriya, yes….I know……..right, I’ll tell him…….goodbye!”
Turning to the students she said, “Right, he's on his way, now, let me have a look at it, Dearie.”
Hunching over it, Izuku shook his head stubbornly, growling out, “It’s not that bad, I c’n go home, it jus’ needs ice, ’m fine!”
Tutting in frustration she marched over to the bed, reaching out with an impatient hand as she said, “Nonsense, let me see it please!”
What she expected was the stubborn child to give her his hand, her to kiss it, give a brief lecture on better self-care, and her day to finally almost be over.
What she didn't expect was for both children to flinch violently, for the green one to curl up with a sharp cry behind the purple-haired one who shoved her back sharply, yelling “Leave him alone! Why can’t anyone ever just be nice for one fucking minute? Is that too much to ask?”
And she really didn't expect the clouds of calmness to blanket her mind when, in sudden sharp concern - fully cognizant of her misplaying the entire interaction - she said, “Okay, okay, I'm backing aw….”
Obeying the command that suddenly echoed in her mind, she did her best to “Just fucking GO AWAY!!!”
*****
Hurrying to the clinic, Izuku’s file still in hand from his rereading it once again, - he had already read and set aside Shinso's file for the umpteenth time - trying to sort some kind of order between the kid it portrayed and the kids he had in his class, Hizashi was totally unprepared to see Recovery Girl walking zombie like to the door, not even seeming to see him as he gently caught her. Holding her in place he looked at the bed, seeing his worst fears as large as life, both boys were sobbing, clinging tightly to each other, one curling around his wrist and the other one curling around him.
Reaching, he turned his hearing aids up a few notches, trying to hear what was being said…
It broke his heart.
“Zuzu, you were right, you were right, we shoulda gone to the hospital, I fucked it up, I’m sorry, we’ll both be expelled now and it’s my fault, you tried to tell me but she’s a hero, she’s supposed to be good, why doesn’t she want to help you? It's not your fault you can't use your fucking quirk, no one is even trying to help you! Doesn’t anyone care? And now I’ve fucked it up so bad and I’m sorry Zuzu, I’m so sorry!!!”
And, mixed in with Hitoshi’s torrent of words, he could hear Izuku trying to answer him, “It’s not your fault Toshi, it’s not, I dunno why, maybe I’m not worth it, All Might keeps saying he’s gonna help but he never shows up and when he does it's just to tell me to work harder, that time’s running out, that I have to be ready for the sports festival and it’s not your fault Toshi, it’s not, it’s mine, I’ve had the quirk long enough now I should be able to do fucking Tai Chi with it and not hurt myself, I’m just fucking stupid and he’s gonna want it back now cause how many times can I mess it up and him keep believing I can do it?”
Feeling the warm safe presence of his husband come in behind him he gently shook the old woman in his arms and when that didn't work, finally looked over his shoulder to signal Shouta to erase the kids' quirk.
Seeing Hitoshi feel his control snap, watching him lose any remaining colour in his face, seeing him clutch Izuku, trying to shield him from view, gave a much better picture of who these kids were than their folders and files, as did the almost inaudible words, “They’re never going to take the muzzle off after this, ever!”
‘Oh HELL no!' He was inhaling to speak when he saw Izuku look at his wrist with surprise, trail his eyes up his arm, and then his eyes roll back in his head as he went stiff as a board and then started to jerk wildly, only held on the bed by Hitoshi’s panicked grip!
Recovery Girl barked “Grand Mall Seizure!” as Shouta moved, picking Hitoshi up out of the way, holding him when he struggled, crying out to get back to his friend.
Hizashi rolled the kid to their side and kept them from falling off the bed, holding on against the wild jerking of their surprisingly strong body, as Recovery Girl grabbed his arm, holding the broken wrist in a solid grip to prevent it being damaged any worse than it already was, both of them simply keeping their position until the seizure finally ended.
Watching the kid's eyes flutter open, hearing his slurred voice demanding the phone, he had to make a call, “where was the phone? I need it!!!” he marveled at how the human brain worked as it wove weird fantasies between shutting down and coming back online again as, with a little more time, the green eyes cleared of their confusion, and Shouta finally released Hitoshi, allowing him to climb carefully back into the bed with Izuku, glaring daggers at anyone who looked like they were coming closer.
***
Staring at the pages littering the bed Izuku reached out with his uninjured hand and when, seeing his name, he started to read.
Anything to try to forget, for just a moment, how badly he had fucked up just now. Breaking his arm was bad enough but to have a seizure over it? He really was useless, wasn't he? But, as he read the words he frowned and muttered, “this isn't right.”
Confused, Hitoshi said, “What isn't Zuzu?”
“It’s got my name on it, right here Hitoshi! But it's all wrong! Look, it says here that Ichimora-sensei says I’m a good student but they hated me, they used to lock me in the cupboard if I answered three questions right in a row cause they said I was cheating! And here, look here, it says I work well with others but the teachers always said I was a disruptive influence in the class and I had to sit in the corner away from all the other kids when we had to do a group project!”
Reaching for more pages he suddenly jolted with a sharp gasp, “Look,” he wheezed, “look at what it says, look right here!!!” He frantically shook the page, now trembling like a leaf, “look at what it says about my quirk!!!”
“What the fuck?” Hitoshi mumbled, “why would it say your quirk came in when you were seven Zuzu? It only just came in, you told me that! You didn't lie, did you? I know you didn't so why is it lying, it's a school report, see, it's even on official letterhead and everything!”
“I don't knoooooooow!” Izuke wailed, “I don't understand Toshi, I d-d-don’t understand, it came in on the entrance exam day, it did, I swear it, H-h-he said I ne-ne-needed to get st-st-strong enough to hold it, why does it say I've had it for years? YEARS!!!” He shook the paper savagely until he gasped and clutched his wrist again, sobbing, “No wonder, no wonder no one would help me Toshi,” his broken voice drove nails right through Shouta’s heart, “they think the same thing you did, that I'm lazy and useless and pointless and nothing!”
Suddenly jerking up to look at Shouta in dawning horror he said, “No wonder you exp-exp-exp-exp-ex-ex- threw me away! No w-w-wonder you h-hate me, I’d h-hate me too, I ca-ca-can’t…”
Voice trailing off into silent sobs, Hitoshi stiffened as Recovery Girl went to come closer, baring his teeth in a snarl, as he growled, “I don’t know what kind of fucking shit this is but it’s wrong, it's wrong, you hear me, Izuku doesn’t tell lies and he’s only had his fucking quirk for a few weeks, so I don’t know what your playing at but you can fucking fix his wrist and we are LEAVING!”
He shouted the final word, filling it full of spite and defiance, looking like a kitten spitting at a very large, very dangerous dog, eyes filled with despair and a dull longing as Hizashi finally tried to find some words to try to deal with this.
“Hey there kiddos, I can see how this is really confusing for you both, cause it’s kinda really confusing for us too but, how about if we start by having Izuku all fixed up so he isn't in any pain and then we can try to sort out the truth from the confusion, ‘kay Lil ones?”
He thought he had diffused the situation at least a little bit when Izuku bolted upright, scrambling off the bed as he backed desperately away at the sound of heavy footsteps hurrying their way, saying with frantic gasping breaths, “He can’t find me, he can’t, please don't let him, he's gonna take it away, he's gonna take it back, I failed him again, please, please don't let him take it I can't be quirkless again, I can't, please, please don't let him!!!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Striding down the hall All Might was deeply annoyed and frustrated, as well as disappointed. He had been having doubts about his chosen successor for quite a while now but had been giving him until the sports festival before taking his quirk back.
Given that the kid hadn’t bulked up the way he had instructed him to, and that he kept breaking his bones - after all, Toshinori hadn't had any problem with One For All, it was a dream quirk, especially for a quirkless nothing to be gifted with, the kid clearly hadn't worked hard enough before being given it - but this? This was the final straw!
He had been keeping his eyes open once the school year started and thought that Bakugo Katsuki would be a better fit anyway, even though Aizawa had expelled him from the hero course too. But his energy, his drive, even his brashness, the kid made him laugh, thought he was funny and was totally respectful, strange that the other teachers didn't see that!
Funny too how he had settled on the wrong kid after the sludge incident but better late than never! Now he just had to take his quirk back. Well, Midoriya wouldn't be a problem, he practically worshiped the ground All Might walked on.
Huffing in anger he thought about how much money and time and work (albeit done by his employees) his choosing Midoriya had cost him. The principal of that crappy school had charged an enormous amount to fix the kid's records and don't even get him started on how much the record keeper at the place the kid lived at charged to change their records, and now all of it wasted?
Well, at least now he wouldn't be wasting any more time, he thought, as his feet made solid thud thud thuds against the tile floor, now all he had to do was take his quirk back and move on to the better kid, the one with a proper hero’s attitude!
Reaching for the door he was already planning what to say to make the kid do as he was told…
~~~~~~
Sharing a lightning quick glance with Hizashi, Shouta lept for the door, blocking it right before the buff form of All Might tried to enter, only his surprise at the sudden appearance of another teacher allowing Shouta to shove him back outside again, slamming the door shut on the now angry voice raised in complaint….
****
“Now,” Hizashi’s voice like warm honey as he said, “Hitoshi, how about you help Izuku sit down again, Aizawa-sensei will NOT let him in here so you are safe Midoriya, I promise, he is not coming in here and whatever it is, he is NOT taking it back!!”
“If he gave you something, it is YOURS! That's what giving means, ya dig?”
Letting them settle again he carefully approached the bed, using all the care he would as if an injured tiger was on it, rather than two frightened boys, asking “Is it okay if I sit on the end of the bed here? It's been a long day and I’m really tired!”
When he got a nod he smiled softly and sat down, reaching up and removing his directional speakers with a sharp click. Cracking his neck he sighed with relief as he set them down on the bed, well within Midoriya’s reach. Knowing how interested in heroes and support items he was, he prayed he would take the bait and gave an internal sigh of relief when the kid reached out and poked the clunky things.
“Stupid,” Izuku muttered, voice so low as to be almost inaudible if not for hero-grade hearing aids turned right up, listening not just to the kid but to the altercation going on in the hallway, the kid's eyes fixed on the item weighting down the bed, “It’s stupid for them to be that big. You can get micro speakers now that would reduce the weight by ninety percent at least and up the efficiency by a further seventy-five percent so why does he keep them like this, it’s stupid…”
Looking up, clearly not totally with them, he repeated in a louder voice, “Why do you keep these things?”
“Well now, how about you let Recovery Girl tend your arm and I’ll tell you all about branding and brand appearance and being locked into contracts with the HPSC and all about the things we teach you to avoid, ‘kay Lil Listener? I’ve got lots of dirt I can dish but first, we gotta get you all fixed up, ya dig?”
Feeling nothing but relief when not only Izuku nodded but Hitoshi did too, he gestured Recovery Girl closer, holding himself totally relaxed and nonthreatening as she first gave a diagnostic kiss, allowing her quirk to scan the greenettes body and then, when she was sure the wrist didn't need any surgery to align the bones and that the kid had enough stamina for the healing, she kissed him again.
Watching the kid go limp he caught him, starting Hitoshi with his speed - so many people forgot that Present Mic was a highly trained hero - settling him back onto the bed in a more comfortable position.
“Now, how about we have Recovery Girl do the same for you Shinso, you seem to be favoring your right side a bit more than I like.” It didn't take long for the undoubtedly exhausted kid to cave and, as he watched the tired purple eyes close after the kiss, he ground his teeth in frustration at being right, the kid had three cracked ribs and massive bruising on his stomach.
Consistent with being either kicked or punched by, judging by the bruising on his lower arm where someone clearly restrained him, an adult, one who, as he carefully wiped the concealer from the now passed out kid's face, was probably the one muzzling him too.
After all, he had matching scars and covered them up the same way too so who better to spot the tells.
Hearing the door open and close quietly he smiled at Shouta, beckoning him closer where he kissed the bloody grazes on his knuckles before getting up to find bandages. He always knew All Might had a hard head but hopefully he now had a broken nose to go with it!
They had lots to talk about going forward but at least now, now they had some real answers to be working with and if they got both boys to a safe place, maybe they could get to the bottom of it together.
****
And together they did!
It turns out that, if given almost unlimited money and an unscrupulous and secretive mind, it is relatively easy to get a brand new school record created, and it was almost as easy to get the one at the home adapted as well to show that Izuku was a late bloomer but only by three years, not ten.
Having the number one hero of Japan arrested for child endangerment was a shock but one they were well able to deal with. If shortly after that the number two hero was taken down for child abuse and murder - because like calls to like and both Izuku and Shinso recognized Shouto as one of them - then it was time the industry started having more transparency in its dealings with the public and this was the catalyst needed!
Using the turmoil Nezu hit the HPSC where it hurt. After all, All Might was number one on their say-so alone, forcing several changes into place. One of the biggest ones that they had been fought tooth and nail against was body cameras, the way pre-quirk emergency services workers had to wear.
Every hero, if they wanted to keep their licenses, now had to wear them. Fans even got up a petition and managed to convince several top pros to go real-time public with their footage, creating an instant smash-hit show, Hero Cam!
Societies faith in heroes briefly faltered but in the end, really, what people mostly want in life is for tomorrow to be the same as today so, with a bit of grumbling, they agreed that the changes to the way heroes worked was better, well, who argued against more accountability other than those hiding from things in their past, anyway?
So, with body cam footage being a guarantee of model behavior from their heroes, new training for all graduating classes, better transparency in the industry, and a few heads rolled by Nezu in the HPSC, people went right back to their lives, happy to trust the people who had kept them safe for so long.
And two boys got a new start on their own lives, with the kind of help they had needed all along and been denied. And if they got a new family out of the deal, then everyone was a winner on that one.
Watching them storm to victory in the Sports Festival, Hizashi and Shouta didn't even try to commentate without bias, it was their kids winning the damned thing, after all!
BONUS
All Might had been arrested which was horrible and wonderful and amazing and freeing and frightening, all at once! After living in so much fear that he would take his quirk back - and even, sometimes, that Izuku might be made to disappear entirely.
He knew some frighteningly secret shit now, after all - it felt like the weight of the world was off his shoulders once they had locked him up.
But, even though he wasn't going to be called to the stand, he did have to give an incredibly detailed statement which sucked because now he had counseling and therapy like all the time but he also got to meet True Man so that was pretty cool.
Plus the fact that the counseling and shit made him feel so much better, even if he didn't want to admit it.
And after a while, the craziness of the trial eventually began to die down and life got back to some kind of normal, well, as normal as it could be with two pro heroes training him and Hitoshi to get them back into the hero course, until, out of the blue, he got an email.
---------------------
Hey kid, I see your bastard got what's coming to him. I wonder if you can help me do the same to my bastard? Yours was bad, mine is worse.
Ashes
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He stared at it for what felt like hours, knowing he should give it to someone, anyone. A total stranger had his email address, not his school one but his private one, this was all kinds of bad but what was worse? He was burning with curiosity! Who was emailing him and how was there a bastard out there worse than his?
And how could he help!
----------------
How did you get this email address?
Green
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It took thirty seconds to get a reply, they may as well have been texting by this point!
___________
Called in some favors
Ashes
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Why would you want to talk to me so badly? How do you think I can help you?
Green
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Cause your bastard is rotting in Tartarus and mine is still hurting me. I wanna meet, please.
Ashes
-----------------
Fuck, he thought to himself, a cry for help, he never could say no to one of those!
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How about the mall? Lots of people around so less chance of any funny business.
Green
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No, too dangerous for me and you to be seen together by so many people. And I don’t really do crowds.
Ashes
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Can you disguise yourself and we meet at a cat cafe? It would be quieter and make talking easier.
Green
----------------
Yes to the disguise but no to the cats, I can’t touch them or else I might hurt them, my quirk is touch-based and stupid dangerous, I can’t really touch anything safely.
Ashes
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Okay, The Magic Bean coffee shop, 11:00 tomorrow, I’ll be wearing a black hoodie that says If Found Return To Eraserhead.
See you then
Green
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I can do that but your hoodie might be in danger, where did you get it and how do I get one too?
Ashes
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I made it myself and I gotta go, time to eat and do fucking math homework
C ya
Green
-------------------------------
He’d been sitting in the cafe nursing a long-gone cold hot cocoa when a kid in an absolutely ginormous - on him anyway - hoodie blazoned in bright pink letters If Found Return To Eraserhead! walked in.
Hearing about it was one thing, seeing it was another.
He HAD TO HAVE IT!!!
From never even knowing such a thing was possible to not being able to live without it? The time was too short to even measure!
‘Would the kid make me one? What would it cost?’ He waved a small gesture, catching the big green eyes instantly. ‘Prey or predator?’ was his first thought, well, after the entire lusting after the hoodie thing, that is. The kid's alertness was one or the other though, no normal person would have spotted so small a gesture, even when expecting to meet someone.
After all, the kid was almost an hour early themselves.
Watching as the kid eeled through the tables, he was leaning towards prey but, as he knew they were a UA student, maybe they were trying to change that, after all, what prey would willingly meet someone like him?
Sliding into the booth he saw the moment when the kid recognized him, KNEW what he was, knew what he could do, knew what he HAD done, and was totally unprepared for what happened next…
“H-h-hi Ashes, I brought something to h-h-help with your not b-b-being able to pet cats so once I’m d-done we c-c-can go to the cat cafe, I kinda need t-t-to p-p-pet s-s-s-some ca-ca-cats like n-no-now.”
Taking two rolls of bandages out of his pockets the kid reached for his hand, only to have him jerk it violently away, hissing “Tha fuck you doin? You lookin to die today?”
“N-n-no nononono I guessed it’d be y-y-you so here,” he reached for the hand now hidden under the table, snagging a bit of sleeve to try and tug it out, “I p-p-promise this’ll work!”
Reluctantly handing (he blinked at his inadvertent pun) his hand over, he watched as the kid wrapped the bandage around his wrist, the palm of his hand, and individually his pinky and ring finger, making sure to not go too tight and that the bandage would remain in place, even tugging at it a few times before nodding in satisfaction.
Snapping his fingers he said, "Next please!" With a small grin and just as careful, just as thorough, the second hand was done.
Looking a bit bemused, the older of the two stared at his hands. Looking up he asked, “What the fuck do I do now?”
“Well, try to disintegrate your cup, see if it works.”
Feeling the acrid taste of his quirk on the back of his tongue, he clenched his fingers around the cup only for nothing to happen…
“Holy fuck, it worked? Why did it work? There's no way something like a fucking bandage can stop me, I wreck everything.” Eyes wide in shock and pain he stared at the kid who slowly, so slowly, reached out and caught his hands, tightening his grip as he tried reflexively to jerk away.
Bit by bit, he relaxed into the hold, as, hands shaking, he closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel the sensation of being held, even in this small way, for the first time in years.
“Why? Why did no one ever try this with me?”
“Because your bastard is an even bigger bastard than mine?”
And then they were laughing, helpless as years of pain mingled and fled away. Someone knew, someone else knew their pain and understood what it meant!
Friendship needs many different things to start but sometimes it could be as simple as shared pain and a pair of bandages.
After being kicked out of the cafe for being too loud, Izuku - they had switched to real names, instead of tags, shortly after falling on the floor in a heap of uncontrollable laughter - led him to a cat cafe, a thing he had heard about but never, in a million years, thought he could ever experience.
Triple-S ranked villains don't get to do shit like cat cafes, they just don’t!
But sitting in a bean bag chair, three kittens in his lap, one on his chest, and an old, long-haired cat wrapped around his throat - and didn't it feel nice, the fur making the ever-present crawling feeling under his skin melt away - and the purring was strong enough to make his bones vibrate and he wanted this!
Wanted so much more of this!!!
Maybe some cats of his own? Maybe having friends that didn't hurt him? “How do I get free?” He asked idly as he ran his fingers through soft orange fur. Not expecting an actual answer, expecting more along the lines of, "I dunno, life sucks, can you run away or something?”
What he got was, “If we go to Aizawa-sensei and tell him where your bastard is, he can get a crack team of heroes together and take him out, I bet. Then, cause you were the one who gave us the intel you can cut a deal, I bet Nezu-sama will help too. Is there anyone in the League you wanna save or should they all be locked up?
****
One moment of curiosity when watching the news about All Might being arrested for child endangerment led to his calling in a favor to get a name which led to a meeting in a cafe which led to a meeting of pro heroes which led to a raid which led to the capture and arrest of the highest ranked villain on the planet which led to…
Two angry and controlling men, bitter and twisted in different ways, glaring at each other across a sterile hallway in the depths of Tartarus, locked in transparent cells crafted from the strongest quirk canceling construction known to exist, snarling and snapping at how their chosen successors had failed them, had betrayed them, and how it was “ALL YOUR FAULT YOU BASTARD!!!”
It also led to a brand new cat cafe, just on the edge of UA plaza, called Furtastic Gamekatz, where a former villain and the never going to be number one hero (because fuck that!) opened - with Nezu's financial backing - a combined cat and gaming cafe which soon had a waiting list a mile long to simply be allowed in the door.
Oh, and they had to take in any cat that Eraserhead brought them in the dead of night, no matter how old, no matter how young, no matter how batshit crazy.
After all, it was part of his parole as an ex-villain to never turn any kitty away!