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Shouta groaned when he woke up, swatting at a weight on his chest. A short ‘mrrow’ was heard but nothing else happened. Shouta made a displeased noise and pushed at what was crushing his chest.The weight hissed but finally moved and pounced off of him. Shouta exhaled and yawned, rubbing his eyes and pushing himself to a seating position, taking a cursory look of his surroundings.Then the damned weight curled back onto his legs. Shouta glared at the offending feline purring cheekily at him. An offending, overly fluffy with tiger stripes on the legs feline.Incessant beast.But with no excuse to go back to sleep, the man pushed the light-colored cat away and climbed down from the bed. The feline meowed grumpily and jumped out of the room.Thank god for small mercies, Shouta thought miserably, already missing the cat. Luckily, the Kurilian Bobtail returned to demand food while he brushed his long, knotted hair.Shouta sighed, but quickly set down a bowl of fish for the cat.Now that the troublemaker was busy, he grabbed boxers and pants from the pile of clean clothing - he never bothered folding his clothes. He was going to use them anyways, so what was the point? - and pulled them on while hopping towards the couch and snatching his long sleeved shirt and holster. In one swift motion, he pulled on his shirt and tied the holster over the side of his chest.He then strode towards the safe under the bookshelf and took out of it his disassembled gun. He quickly assembled it and slipped into the holster and secured it.He grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Hizashi about groceries, then headed towards the door — Shouta halted. He felt something missing. What did he forget… oh, right. He grumbled and went to get the cat.Only to find the area empty. Shouta cursed under his breath and went to locate the annoying cat.The Kurilian Bobtail was curled under the bed on top of a pile made from his utility belt and scarf. Shouta prayed for strength and went to the kitchen.Soon, the smell of another opened tuna can lured the damned cat out and gave Shouta the opportunity to get his belongings. He clipped the belt close and let the scarf settle over his shoulders.He checked on his cat and was met with annoyed mewls. Shouta sighed and crouched before the cat, giving the feline a hard stare.“Don’t ruin my house, little rascal. If you’ll be nice, I’ll bring a slice of fresh fish just for you.”The cat stared at him, unimpressed.Shouta shrugged and stood up. “Have a good night, Bob.”He received a mewl as a farewell. Shouta was jumping from the roof of a supermarket when the comm in his ear fizzled to life. The underground hero landed on a nearby building and pressed on the comm.“Eraserhead speaking.”The glitching noises that shot from the device and straight to his ear always sent an uncomfortable feeling down to his gut. It didn’t take long for Kaniyashiki’s cheerful voice to come through, “I have gotten reports on a meeting between a new broker and the leader of the rabid dogs gang.” Shouta scowled. He could already feel a headache bubbling behind his eyes. “Location and time.”
“District Gamma. Near the town of Matamata. It’s happening now.”
Shouta changed directory to the south. “And you told me this now why?” “It’s really hard to miss a gang fight going around.” Her voice was too chipper for his liking. But he soon found out the meaning of her statement.Gunshots and hints fire filled one of the buildings in the district.Of course.Never a peaceful patrol…He reported his findings and requested for backup and medical support, then he slipped through an upper window into the chaos.He circled holes in the floor until he reached one big enough that would let him see into the room where all the fighting originated from. Bullets were flying everywhere and someone was flinging furniture like a slingshot. He took a deep breath and jumped.He fell with an axe kick to a tattooed man’s head, using the momentum to place his hands on a burly thug’s shoulders and land on the floor, flinging the second man away. He slipped out his gun and fired two tranquilizer bullets - one in tattoo man and one in thug bodybuilder.The two went down hard and Shouta narrowly evaded a bullet fixated on him. He activated his quirk and the scarf floated and shot out, wrapping around a rabid dog gang member according to the dog tattoo on the shoulder. The gang member flailed, unable to use his quirk, crying out when he was flung into a wall. A crunch was heard and another man was down.Shouta punched a man aiming to his back.He shot another thug then ducked under a flying table leg.A table exploded and Shouta covered his head, flinging himself towards the ceiling and hanging from a surprisingly intact chandelier. He adjusted his goggles and spit a bit of mucus.A surprised shout was heard in between all the explosions and screaming.It sounded like a child.Shouta was immediately on guard, eyes roaming around to find the source of the shout.A silhouette was crawling from behind a destroyed table towards the exit. It was a really small form fitted in a ripped business suit…Was that them?Shouta took a quick scan of the scene and decided his best course of action was to dive to the child. Rescue came first for underground heroes, battling villains was secondary.He fell together with the now bullet riddled chandelier into the rising fire, putting back the gun and sending forward the scarf. He caught a frail wrist and snatched the body just as he landed on the floor.The form screamed, revealing themselves to be indeed the child Shouta heard earlier. The underground hero sighed in relief as he caught the kid and held them close. His eyes roamed the path to freedom and landed on a crashed window. He held the flailing child closer and hopped out of the building and used the scarf to fly towards the police station.The kid struggled, yanking at the scarf covering their wrist. Shouta tightened his hold, finding it harder to keep one hand on the kid and one hand on flying further from the building. “Stop struggling, kid. I’m not going to hurt you.”“Then put me down!” The kid sounded on the cusp of a panic attack. He pushed away from Shouta’s chest, breathing picking up to hysterical levels. “ PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT! ”Shit. He needed to calm the kid down before they fainted or succeeded at getting free in mid-air.He landed on a building not far enough from the burning meeting base, seeing perfectly the climbing fire while he placed the kid gently on the roof and knelt before him. “Kid? Listen to my breathing. Try to breathe with me.”The smaller head lolled down, the kid was unresponsive to his calming attempts. The kid’s - Shouta suspected a preteen from what he was able to see - breathing was too shallow and too quick.Shouta slowed his own breathing and thumbed the trembling shoulders. “Kid. breathe with me.”The kid stilled.The breathing stopped.Shouta narrowed his eyes and then cursed inwardly when he realized the kid isn’t breathing. He gripped the shoulders hard and shook them a bit. “Kid, you need to listen to me. You need to breathe .”For a second there was no response, but then the kid shuddered and drew a too quick of a breath, which resulted in the preteen coughing his lungs out a moment later, tears dropping onto the concrete under him. Shouta rubbed the smaller back awkwardly, gently brushing hair back so he could see the kid’s face properly but the head was hung too low to see anything.Shouta frowned. “Look at me, kid. Tell me what happened-”The kid raised their head.Shouta’s heart did a flip.An image flashed behind his eyelids.A childish face of an eight years old child. Fluffy mop of dark green curls. Wide sparkling green eyes. A huge grin filled with hope. Wearing an All Might t-shirt.The huge word ‘MISSING’ printed underneath the image.It was a case associated with the child killer since the last street cameras to catch the kid before he disappeared were the one catching the kid running away from the killer. But then no one could explain why the kid disappeared like a ghost afterwards. When the murderer was caught, they simply cried that their precious was taken away.They searched for a body afterwards.And found nothing.One of the veteran detectives was so anguished and guilty over their failure, they had retired shamefully and disappeared themselves.And now he was face to face with the missing case.It was like seeing a ghost, but the kid in front of him didn’t look like an eight years old missing child. They looked older. A deep scar over their lower lip. A cut over their lobe and a bleeding injury over their cheek. Soot and blood smeared over their suit, face and hair. They looked permanently tired with bags under their dull eyes. They looked a bit tanned.They looked alive.“...It’s you…” Shouta said dumbly.The kid blinked and the dull eyes focused on him, making direct eye contact. Wariness and panic mingling in the green orbs.“Me?” The kid croaked out, voice cracking in the middle. They coughed and looked around them, looking alarmed. “Listen, could you… please return me? My caretaker is probably freaking out.”Caretaker? Kidnapper? Was the kid a case of kidnapping instead of a murder?Shouta’s eyes narrowed, exhaustion pulling his eyelids down but duty keeping them open. “Are you, or are you not, Izuku Midoriya?”The reaction was instant. The kid froze, eyes growing wide and fearful. They wrenched themselves from Shouta and scrambled backwards.Shouta wondered if he came forward too strong. The kid was obviously not used to hearing his name. Did he hide his name? Did he became a villain? Or the kidnapper gave him a different name?The kid growled. “How do you know that name?”Alright. Hunch proven right.Shouta surveyed the kid for any more hints; a tailored suit, a hint of muscles. Learned to fight brutally or wisely? Dull green eyes studied Shouta back, intelligence glimmering within.Shouta recalled details about the missing child. Smart, studious, loves heroes.Two checked out. And the reaction to the name cemented the knowledge. The man sighed and sat down near the edge of the roof. “So you are him.” He said nonchalantly, gauging the kid’s reaction. He wasn’t a hundred percent certain, but if he did indeed find the missing child, he needed to bring them as quickly as possible to the police station. Who knows what will their kidnapper do when they realize the kid was missing?The kid’s eyes darted all other the place, calculating. “What’s it to you? What do you want from me?” The eyes zeroed on the door to Shouta’s right then at Shouta, flashing with determination and suspicion.A plan escape? Sadly, Shouta won’t allow him to go back to whoever took him. They needed a statement and information and to put them in a protection custody.Shouta sighed. “I want to know what and return you to your mother.”The kid stared at him quizzically for a long time and then green eyes widened. “Eraserhead…?”Shouta’s eyes narrowed, suddenly on edge. The kid liked heroes, but to remember him after four years? And how did they realize that so quickly? “And how do you know that name?”The preteen mirrored his gaze. “I was kidnapped to become a broker, it’s in the job description — ” His voice was even, and how Shouta hated being right, “ — Now, are you, or are you not Eraserhead?”Turning the question back at him, smart but annoying. Shouta activated his quirk and yanked the preteen forward with the scarf wrapped tightly around them, re-studying the kid.Too forward with their information. Was the meeting where he was being held or was he needed? Kaniyashiki did mention a new broker and the kid mentioned being kidnapped to become a broker. Was today his first rodeo? Nevertheless he had to make absolute certain this kid was Midoriya Izuku. He couldn’t fuck this up. He turned his gaze sharp. “I may have jumped the gun a bit. How do I know you’re truly Midoriya Izuku? I don’t usually find kidnapped kids wandering around at night.”There, now gauge his reaction.The kid scowled, upset. “They do if their kidnapper is testing their abilities.” His scowl deepened and a flash of hurt clouds their face. “He was supposed to wait for me and rush inside the moment thing went sideways. But instead , I get kidnapped again ! By you!”Shouta didn’t like the assumption that he was a kidnapper. But he did understand that in a sense, the child was trying to make sense of the mess they landed themselves in.Green eyes glared at Shouta accusingly while the man thought. “And now you think I’m lying ? I am Midoriya Izuku and I want to know if you had any reason at all to kidnap me. I’ve had enough of being used so you better speak up.”Shouta sighed, feeling his heart break a bit at the sob story he was hearing. He schooled his expression neutral to keep himself from hugging the kid or doing something mushy like that. Hizashi would be proud. The kid continued to glare at him so Shouta nodded in acknowledgement. Well, time to mess back with the kid for giving him a hard time. “Alright then, Midoriya Izuku. Why don’t we put this to the test? Am I, or am I not, Eraserhead?”The preteen pouted then shook his head and forcibly relaxed, tilting his head as if they were nonchalant.Shouta wasn’t fooled. He saw the tense line in these shoulders. But he remained silent as the kid searched for the words to answer his question.“Well…” Their voice cracked. “For starters, you know my real name. My kidnapper wouldn’t know it and no other villains would have any reason to know. Therefore, you’re either someone from my past or you’re connected to the authorities. Since I don’t know you, my old life is out.”Huh… very observant. Shouta was intrigued. “...Go on.”The kid perked up and quickly continued. “Secondly, pro heroes are usually flashy and you’re not, but you’re obviously not a police officer; so underground hero. I know that this district overlaps with Eraserhead and Meadow’s patrol area, so that leaves me with two options.”They then gave a cheeky smile. The brat. “I know that out of the two, only one of them wears yellow goggles. Besides, Meadow is a woman.”Shouta internally snorted at the last sentence. Meadow was a woman indeed but she would be really upset at someone figuring out her gender so easily when she made sure to look as androgynous as possible. Besides, he wanted to tease the kid a bit more and stall for time until he’ll know what to do with them.He grinned. “I would give that deduction only ninety points.”The kid seemed to need a moment to process the reply and then he gawked, looking scandalized. “But I got it right!”Hook. Line. Sinker. Shouta nearly laughed at the hurt pride the kid exhibited. Despite trying to look all professional and mature, the kid was still a kid. Shouta couldn’t help but poke a bit more in the other’s cracks. “You haven’t told me your conclusion. Am I, or am I not, Eraserhead?”The kid groaned. “Really?”Too easy. “I’m waiting, Midoriya Izuku.”“Don’t rub it in! You’re Eraserhead, okay? I conclude that you are the underground hero, Eraserhead! Is that good enough?”Shouta relented, he snorted and unraveled the wraps from the kid. “I’ll give you that, problem child. I am him.”The problem child stared at the scarf, eyes wide that shone with unshed tears. “So you believe me now?”Believed all along, Shouta thought in amusement. “Believe is a strong word. But part of your profile detailed your ability to analyze and your habit to ramble. Coupled with your appearance and your reaction to the name, Midoriya Izuku, I feel that I can ‘believe’ you.”The problem child gawked. “You tested me?!”Shouta shrugged. “Can never be too careful. Now, I’ll be taking you to the police. Don’t lag behind.”That was the wrong thing to say. Instantly, Midoriya hackles rose and he shook his head, looking distraught. “I can’t!”Shouta stared at the kid. The kid quickly explained himself. “If I don’t return soon, my kidnapper will look for me.”Oh, that wasn’t a problem. “We’ll arrest him then.”“It’s not that simple.” Midoriya sighed, agitation palpable. “He has a lot of connections in the underworld. He wouldn’t give up until I was returned to him. He had put too much effort in me just so I could slip away.” He then brought a hand up when Shouta tried to reply. “But I have a plan!”Shouta conceded. He didn’t want the kid to become a flight risk if he was that terrified of being found by his kidnapper. What has the kidnapper done to him? “...I’m listening, but make it quick. If I don’t like it, I’m taking you to the police without any resistance, understand?”“Okay- okay…” Midoriya took a deep breath and began to expound, looking hopeful. “Giran — ” Wait, what? “ — is planning on letting me take over the deals and transactions. If I can convince him to join me in one of the meetings, you can crash it and arrest him. That way, no one would die and Giran would get arrested. Is that okay?” The kid finished and looked at him expectantly but Shouta wasn’t paying attention to the kid.Giran? That man is the kidnapper? He was a loner. He wasn’t someone to simply pluck a kid out of the streets and force them to become a broker.He cleared his throat “Giran? The underworld broker? Is that your kidnapper?”Midoriya paled and cursed, slapping a hand over his mouth and winching when that action touched his injured cheek. That injury should really be looked after. It could be infected… but more importantly, the kid seemed terrified of having letting the name slip.He needed to get the kid out now. He took a step forward, but the kid flinched and stepped back, alarmed.He scared the kid. He folded his arms in a show of non-offensive intents. “How did a kid like you gain the attention of that man? He’s known for being a loner.”Midoriya lowered his hand, uncovering a deep frown. “He… He saved me from the child killer four years ago and took me as payment.”“Just like that?”Midoriya growled. “Why the hell is that important for you to know? Do you still not ‘believe’ me? Just tell me if you’re going to help me or not.”Shouta stared at them for a long time before sighing and straightening up, tilting his head. “I get the feeling that you’ll escape the police station the moment I take my eyes off you. So here’s the deal—” The kid tensed up. “ — I’ll let you go back if you allow yourself to be monitored and provide me with all the information you have on Giran.”The kid relaxed and nodded. “Deal!” They stood more confidently and stuck their hand out. Shouta regarded the change for a moment before grunting and shaking the offered hand. Midoriya brightened up and eyes lit up in a childish hope. Shouta didn’t comment on it as he let them climb onto his back and took off towards the flames.He could only hope the kid knew what he was doing. He was not looking forward to fishing out a corpse at the end of this whole mess. Ambulances and a firetruck welcomed their return, paramedics and firefighters roaming the premise. The flashing sirens from the police cars gave Shouta a headache as he landed next to a nonplussed paramedic. He passed Midoriya to her hands and explained her that he had found him behind the building. The woman nodded and he left as she examined the kid.He flung himself to a nearby roof and crouched in place, keeping his eyes on Midoriya as he pressed the comm.“Eraserhead reporting.”
“Eraser! We were beginning to worry since you weren’t spotted and didn’t report back.”
The man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Yep, a migraine was forming alright. “I found someone you had been looking for, Detective.”
“Oh?”
“Been missing for four years. Went missing at the age eight. Has dark green curly hair. Mumbles a lot. Smart. Loves heroes. His mother was a constant fixature in the station for a year. Green for a name.”Silence. Then a deep sigh was heard. “...Midoriya Izuku… after all those years you found him? Alive? How?” “He wasn’t a victim of a murder like we suspected. He was a victim of kidnapping.”
“...That’s even worse in hindsight. Where is he now?”
“He is meeting with his kidnapper now.” Shouta watched as Midoriya walked away from the pandemonium. Suddenly the kid stopped and looked back, green eyes meeting his. Shouta ducked out of sight when he registered another presence limping towards Midoriya. He peeked out and growled when he spotted Midoriya swivel around and slump in relief when the familiar man addressed the preteen. The interaction following that was too far away for Shouta to hear, but the familiarity was eerie.Midoriya didn’t act like a kidnapped child. He acted like an annoyed child at their parent for forgetting to give them a ride home. And the gray haired man deflated after a moment of bickering and lit a cigarette, patting Midoriya’s back and leading him away from the scene. Acting too fatherly for Shouta’s liking.This whole exchange gave Shouta an unnerving feeling.
“Eraserhead?”
“...I think we have a problem.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The plain dark haired man sighed as he finished reading through the underground hero’s report, reclining back in his chair and looking up to the scraggly haired man hovering over him. “You really landed yourself in quite a pickle, Eraserhead.”Shouta nodded, looking extremely unhappy. “It had to be done. It was better to let him enact his own plan instead of facing Giran and his army. If the plan works then it’ll be clean and swift.”“Yet we run the risk that Giran will do something to the kid while we wait.”“From what I gathered while following them to their base, Giran wants Midoriya to choose to be with him. He acted too fatherly to the kid. Either he manipulated Midoriya to stay or he actually developed a lima syndrome, which I doubt. What do you think, Tsukauchi?”The detective processed the information for a moment and then shook his head. “It could be. Giran is known to be a loner. To keep a kid he kidnapped for four years? Either Midoriya has a use we don’t know yet of or he did begin to care for him. To be honest, I don’t know which one is worse.”Shouta shared the sentiment. Both cases meant that Giran won’t give Midoriya up easily.So how could they breach the base that was no doubt filled with traps even Midoriya might not be aware of…“Tsukauchi,” Said man looked up, “Can we get Midoriya a tracking device and a recorder? If Giran is training Midoriya to be a broker like him, they might leave their base for deals. That was the case last night.”The detective blinked and smiled in relief. “That is a really good idea. I’ll inform Haiteku to prepare them. Any specific of shape?”Shouta thought for a moment and then his eye caught the detective’s phone connected to a portable charger.Inconspicuous. Always used.Perfect.His grin might have been a tad insane, but Shouta didn’t care. “A portable charger.”Tsukauchi grinned back. “Very wise. From the point of contact you’ll be shadowing him until further notice.”“Roger.”“...Good luck, Eraserhead. Bring the kid home safely. I’m sure his mother misses him terribly.”“Will do.” Shouta bowed his head and strode out of the room.
Wait a bit longer, problem child. I’ll save you.
Shouta hated making phone-calls to his boss. The rodent always had this air about him that made the hairs on the back of Shouta’s neck rise. If he didn’t know better, he would have said that the principal was a snake.After the phone-call alerting the principal of his possible absence for the next several weeks, Shouta had received an email from Nedzu about recommendation students for the new year with a note asking him if he had thought of anyone fitting both for this year and future years.He swore Nedzu had an ulterior motive behind the ‘convenient’ timing.How did he even know?Shouta was beginning to worry that the principal had bugged him. Maybe he was paranoid, but the rodent was too smart to ignore.It was all Nemuri’s fault. Damn that wretched woman for forcing him into teaching. Two years into teaching and he could say with absolute certainty that teenagers were the worst.And no, Hizashi, he wasn’t being a grumpy old man.His phone rang. Speak of the devil...Shouta sighed, answering the horrible device.“Aizawa speaking.”
“HEY SHOUTA!”
Shouta held the phone far away, groaning into his hand. Just perfect…“What is it, Hizashi?”
“TSUKAUCHI TOLD ME TO KEEP YOU COMPANY WHILE YOU STAKE OUT THE KIDNAPPER! I’M SO HAPPY WE’RE GOING TO PARTNER UP!”
Oh no… Tsukauchi, why? Just… just why? What had Shouta done to deserve this punishment? He tried to bring Midoriya to the police, he really did!“...Just don’t shout. I don’t want to blow my cover.”Why did he agree…Hizashi’s happy squealing was more than enough for Shouta to hang up and curl on the bed, hoping for a reprieve.Bob jumped on his back.He was hoping in vain. Shouta was back at the unassuming house before the sun rose, laying his surveillance equipment and black sleeping bag on the roof in the biggest tree near the house. He hated those neighborhoods just from the fact that there were no roofs to hide in. Everything was in the open and for the life of him he couldn’t fathom the reason why would an underworld broker and a kidnapped child live in this place. “It’s perfect if they want to mingle in,” Hizashi’s voice was, for once, normal. “Living here would attract no police scrutiny since it’s a ‘nice’ neighborhood.” Shouta tsk’ed, not liking the burst of logic from his old friend. “People are being difficult for no reason.” “Now where would be the fun without those ‘difficult’ people?” Hizashi sounded too cheerful for five a.m.Another migraine was blooming. Just peachy. “Any helpful information or can I go to sleep?” “Are you waiting for Giran to leave? ”“Yes. The windows are closed and curtains drawn, but if Giran leaves it gives me an opportunity to sneak in and talk to Midoriya. I’ll see if he checks for any traps as he leaves.”
“...I don’t like thinking of that kid being in his clutches for four years…”
Shouta sighed, “Neither am I… but problem child was insistent and he probably needed to have control over something according to Tsukauchi…” “How is he? ”Shouta watched as two silhouettes appeared behind the curtains, too vague to show what’s happening. But no violent hints… “...He’s a strange kid.”
“So you like him!”
The man blinked and frowned. “No.”
“You sounded so affectionate! You never sound like that towards your students, and you love them! Just admit it, Shouta! The kid got you wrapped around his finger and you only knew each other for a day!”
Shouta curled on the branch, turning off the comm mid-speech and closing his eyes, trusting his alarm to wake him up when the door opens.He was not fond of the kid. No way. Even if the kid showed more potential than two grades of hero classes.He hated teenagers.(He considered Izuku one no matter how young he was)And that was final. He woke up early noon from overheating in his spot despite the leaves keeping him shaded. The sky was clear and the sun warmer than earlier weeks. Good since no rain, but bad since heat and leaves blocking the wind. And he couldn’t run away from the heat because then he would be spotted and Shouta hated having to wear short clothing.He stretched as much as he could in his limited space and raised his binoculars, hoping to spot something of interest.No luck. No movement from within.He turned on the comm. Fortunately, the blond nuisance wasn’t talking. Shouta used the momentary peace to search up pics of cats and text to Tsukauchi about new leads on the case. The cold case had been re-opened and examined from all sides, hoping to unearth the reason for Midoriya’s extended captivity.Midoriya Inko would be notified only in case of a successful retrieval. No need to raise hope only to later crash it. But Shouta didn’t think she would have any useful information even if they had asked.He opened the file once again and skimmed down the known by heart at this point lines. He then looked over the section that soured his mood every single time he read it.The reason Midoriya was at the street the killer frequented.Bullying was always a sore point for the underground hero. But… to the point of daring the kid to go somewhere so dangerous just for a chance of a better social life? Kids could be so cruel. If they were any older, Midoriya Inko could have sued the bullies for involuntary manslaughter.A beep alerted Shouta back to the house, noting the door opening with Giran and Midoriya appearing at the entrance. The underground hero frowned, not having taken into account that Midoriya would leave the house as well.Fortunately, Midoriya seemed to protest against something before relaxing and smiling in exhaustion. Giran’s back was to Shouta so he didn’t know what face the man made, but then the broker ruffled Midoriya’s hair and left.Without checking any windows.Shouta could try entering from there but he would wait until the man disappeared completely before attempting coming near the house.But putting that aside, his suspicion of Giran developing Lima syndrome was becoming more and more concrete. And he was equally disturbed by how receptive Midoriya was to it.Four years is a long time. And if the man was acting so fatherly to the boy… it might confuse the kid and make him more susceptible to manipulation…It could make him return to Giran even when attempting to run away.That explained last night so much more…They needed to get Midoriya out as quickly as possible and reverse the manipulation.Twenty minutes passed since the broker left and Shouta allowed himself to slip down the tree, stalking towards the house. He surveyed the area around him - It was late noon and he didn’t want to be caught by wandering students or troublesome old ladies - and cautiously inspected the windows.Too new. Everything smelled of new and magazine houses. How long had they been here?A door opening had Shouta tense and peek from around the corner, only to snort to himself. The problem child had exited the house and was looking around, searching for something.Or someone.Shouta smirked and slipped into the house from the still open door. He took in the glam interior and the small signs of life in the shape of dress shoes in the shoe shelves and a suit coat hanging from the stand. He then swiftly entered the living room and waited by the kitchen counter for Midoriya.The kid already got points deducted from leaving the door open and not noticing Shouta slip in. But Shouta could forgive him for that, the kid was twelve and kidnapped to be a broker, not an assassin.He watched with growing hilarity as Midoriya entered the house with a dejected aura, robotically grabbing the broom and dust collector and venturing into the living room.Shouta waited until Midoriya was a feet away before opening his mouth. “Do you want roasted chicken or chicken salad?”And whoa… seeing the kid entering a combat mode was fascinating. The small body tensed and twisted in a mere second, the dust collector shooting out like a bullet at the same time the kid ducked behind the closest couch. Shouta dodged easily the projectile and lounged forward.Landing on the couch backrest, he forced Midoriya to leap back behind the second couch, broom held like a staff and body taut in preparation to fight back.The two stared at each other, tension running high.Then Shouta snorted and Midoriya relaxed, nearly falling to the floor but instead he skipped over the couch and sat down, rubbing his face. “Why? Just why did you feel the need to give me a heart attack?”Shouta grinned. “Not realizing I was inside before you heard me means that you need to work on your situational awareness.”“Thank you. I feel blessed,” Midoriya deadpanned.Alright, he took back the point deduction. Kid was a treat. He huffed and hopped back to the floor, heading to the kitchen. “We need to talk.”A beat. “So why are you going to the kitchen?”Shouta chuckled internally and looked back to meet green eyes. “I’m making dinner.” He said in his absolute deadpan tone.The kid blinked slowly at him like a cat. The underground hero raised a brow then opened some drawers, acting as if he owned the place. Soon he heard the kid shuffle forward and then the clink of the dust collector followed by sweeping.The silence was good, Shouta noted in relief. He was glad problem child wasn’t a rowdy child or he would have yanked him out of here and kicked him home. The kid realized there was something happening and wanted to give Shouta his time.Observant. Unless Shouta was mistaken by his own deductions. Always a possibility.He finished cleaning the chicken and placed it chest down in the pan, smearing the herbs over it and then placed it in the oven. He hoped Giran would think Midoriya made it because he was hungry. He was sure the kid would think of something. In the meanwhile, he wanted to make sure that Midoriya had a decent meal tonight.He cleaned the dishes, making sure not to leave any evidence he was here. The atmosphere amicable enough.Time to begin.“You seem to care about your kidnapper.”Instantly the room felt colder. Shouta didn’t look back.“I hate him.”Shouta would have believed him had his voice not broken into a whisper at the end.Crap.“Could have fooled me. Try again.”A thump. Midoriya was probably getting anxious. Shouta wondered if he was pushing him too hard — “I do hate him! I don’t care about him at all! I… don’t want to care about him...”“Meaning?” Shouta finally turned around, finding Midoriya clutching the table cloth like a lifeline, teeth gritted and eyes screwed shut. Maybe the kid wasn’t too far gone…“He kidnapped me. He took me away from momma and Kacchan. I hate him so much it makes me want to puke at times. And yet... and yet for some reason when he got hurt and nearly died, I panicked. I tried to save him and nearly died myself.”Midoriya inhaled sharply, looking as if he was about to burst into tears.Shouta nearly fidgeted in discomfort at the crying, but he was now here as an aid for the kid’s rescue. He couldn’t show the kid a reason to doubt him. But for everything that was good, that kid had been through the manipulation.Clear signs of Stockholm Syndrome.Shouta cringed at the name.Midoriya’s voice cracking drew Shouta’s attention. “He kidnapped me but he took care of me like he was my father. He trained me. He nursed me back to health when I got sick. He fed me. Hell, once I had a terrible nightmare and lashed at him, but he stayed with me until I fell asleep. I can’t remember my own dad but sometimes I think that if he had been Giran… I… I wouldn’t have objected too much.”The kid exhaled a bitter laugh. “I must be a lunatic. Who the hell thinks of their kidnapper as their father? I should have left him for dead when Bull Teeth attacked us, but my body moved before I could think. I want to get away from him but I don’t want him dead .”Midoriya clenched his fists, body trembling as he pressed his forehead to the table. “I hate him so much but I… I…”Shouta sighed and approached the child, hoping to reassure him. “He made it difficult for you to hate him… you were manipulated into caring for him.”Green eyes snapped wide and the kid gaped at Shouta. “Wh-what? I-I wasn’t subjected to any manipulation! Besides, that’s not the point!” He stood up, lost eyes suddenly burning with anger, and pointed at Shouta.Shit, Shouta overstepped the line. He didn’t want the kid to be scared of him. The kid was now like a wounded beast, cornered and terrified. He needed to tread carefully.Midoriya’s breath hitched. “You came here so I could give you a way to arrest Giran and get me back home! There was no reason to ask me about my feelings!”Shouta wanted dearly to just take the kid out of the house. He really, really wanted to say ‘screw it’ and take Midoriya back home. But then he would be the same as Giran in Midoriya’s eyes. And if there was anything that the underground hero hated more than Bob stealing his sleeping bag is to be seen like a kidnapper or a killer to children.He swallowed around a dry throat. God, he was really tired. “That’s true. But I had to make sure you wouldn’t back out at the last minute.”The kid bristled. “I won’t. Stop assuming shit about me. You know nothing!”Oh, Shouta knew plenty. “Then tell me.”The kid didn’t back down from the perceived challenge. “Why should I?”“You want my help?”The kid bit his lip, looking conflicted and still a bit angry. Shouta sighed. “How about an information exchange?”Green eyes glanced up. “Wait, if I tell you stuff about myself, you will too?”“Yes.”Midoriya mulled over it then his shoulders sagged. He gestured to the dining chairs in invitation. Shouta nodded and they both sat down. The kid fidgeted, a scowl on his face. “So… you know my name, but Giran calls me Ya’rok. I’m turning thirteen in July. I got kidnapped exactly four years, three months and twenty days ago by Giran. I’m… quirkless so he trained me in hand-to-hand combat and analysis. He wants me to become a broker as well since i’m his little project. I’ve got nothing more, so your turn, Eraserhead.”Shouta nodded numbly, introducing himself back as shortly as he could. He didn’t want to risk Giran recording and overhearing information. All he gave Midoriya was information easily found, useless information.Only the kid didn’t seem it was useless, judging by the awe flickering in the green eyes and jaw dropping. Honestly, Shouta found it a bit overwhelming. He thrived on not being noticed and gawked upon. He hated the press and hated fans. But he couldn’t really shove the kid away and fly out the window, he was here to help the kid get away from his kidnapper.
Seriously, close your mouth, problem child.
Midoriya snapped his jaw shut.Crap, Shouta said that out loud. But at least the kid was back and looking serious. “So you’ll help me?”Of course, Shouta grumbled as he folded his arms, what does the kid think he was? “The police would want Giran behind bars anyways. Killing two birds with one stone or something… so—”
“Midoriya needs to have some control over something,” Tsukauchi said when Shouta was about to leave to Giran’s house. The underground hero turned around with a blank look, too tired to deal with anything.
“You said that already,” He said dryly.
Tsukauchi raised a brow. “You’re going to give him means to save himself but I know that your instinct is to just take him away. Now that I thought over it, it was actually a good call. The kid felt like he was being kidnapped again when you took him away. He probably wants to escape Giran on his own devices. That way he’ll know he truly escaped him.”
Shouta stared at the detective, waiting for the punchline.
Tsukauchi shook his head with a soft smile. “Just keep that in mind, okay?
Shouta grunted and left.
“—you got a plan?” Shouta finished lamely. Fortunately, the kid didn’t comment on his slip and only smiled in relief, slumping in his seat as he relayed all he knew about his next clients - the league of villains. Locations and the two members Midoriya interacted with and the rumors of there being a third. But since it would be a normal meeting, the kid was certain that it would only be those two members. The meeting’s location wasn’t finalized yet but a particular bar in Tokyo was mostly the meeting place.A bar…Why wasn’t Shouta surprised? It’s the perfect way to interact with other villains without seeming suspicious. Especially at night.He would have to take it up with Tsukauchi.Then, slowly, Midoriya’s rambling drew to a final cord and went silent. Shouta took a moment to catalogue and prioritize the information. What would he write in the report and what he would deliver personally to Tsukauchi in case of a leak.When he finished his internal musing, he fished out the charger and cable and placed them on the table and pushed them towards the kid. Midoriya blinked at him in confusion and then looked over the two objects, examining the innocently looking objects.“The cable won’t charge anything, but combined with the charger it can be used as a GPS. Another feature is a recorder, which would record everything straight into my computer,” Shouta explained. Connecting the USB end of the cable to the charger and showing Midoriya the small light beeping blue and then fading. “It won’t flash anymore to make sure it won’t draw attention, but it’s working. My guarantee.”Midoriya gently picked up the two objects, and then released a sob. Shouta let him release some of his frustration and fears. Goodness knew the kid needed a break.Then the preteen smiled brightly at Shouta, eyes crinkling and shiny with tears. “Thank you, Eraserhead. Thank you so much.”Shit… that kid… Shouta felt his shoulders relax. “You’re doing most of the work here, problem child,” He managed to say calmly, but then his hand reached out and ruffled the green curls. Shouta cringed inwardly at his overly affectionate action and moved to squeeze the smaller shoulder, hoping it wouldn’t seem as fatherly as Shouta felt. “Hang in there just a bit more.”Midoriya nodded and rubbed his eyes, collecting himself and attempting to look more professional than a scared child. “Y-you should probably head out now. I don’t know how long it’ll be before Giran returns.”Shouta had to force himself to nod and retract his hold, standing up and pushing the chair under the table properly. He then made sure no trace of his visit was visible before opening the window and slipping out, closing it quietly behind him. He jumped on the top of the house and searched for any witnesses.Finding none, he jumped down and swiftly moved to the tree, slivering up to his hideout.He took out a tablet and turned on the recording feed, catching the end tail of a broken laugh, followed by a whisper of ‘Take that, Giran’.Shouta didn’t comment on that.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Tsukauchi sounded pleased after Shouta filled the detective in through the comm about the situation. Shouta popped a Recovery-girl-approved-gummy into his mouth and chewed robotically, too preoccupied with his thoughts to listen to the detective’s response.Midoriya hadn’t seemed like a victim. He didn’t act like one. Hell, if he had met him and Giran on the street, he would have sworn the two were an actual pair of father and son.Shouta scowled and connected his wireless earpiece to the tablet so he could tuck in the tablet and still be able to hear while he packed his meager belongings. He didn’t think it would actually take him only a day to get the charger to Midoriya, but he wasn’t complaining. Nishiyaki had given him an address for a vacated apartment undercover agents used. It was at the end of the suburban neighborhood. Ten minutes of running if anything happened.Perfect for this mission. Even more perfect for his aching muscles.He kept one ear out while packing to make sure nothing caught him off guard, slowly losing himself to his thinking. An hour later, Shouta’s head snapped up when he spotted a car park far away and a silhouette exiting. The underground hero quietly separated the branches to watch as Giran grew closer and clearer, uncovering a troubled expression and a cigarette nearly burned all the way to the nub. Giran stopped at the entrance if the house and took out the nub, throwing it aggressively at the floor and crushing it harshly.Shouta placed a hand over his earpiece, not wanting to miss anything that would signal distress. At the moment, Midoriya was sleeping according to the soft snoring, and Shouta hoped Giran wouldn’t turn out to be waiting for a chance to harm the kid.The broker took deep breaths and then entered the house. Shouta let the branches fall back and concentrated on hearing, eyes closed and posture as relaxed as possible.
‘Steps. Steps growing closer and then stopping. Soft breathing from the kid. A deep voice humming and then stopping. Steps and a tap on glass. A swish of curtains.’
Shit. Shouta now realized that Midoriya might have forgotten to close the curtains. Did he figure out something was suspicious—
‘A loud snore from the kid. Silence. And then a snort from Giran. A shuffle and a clink of a lighter turning on and flame flickering.’
Giran smoked according to reports, so it meant he was calmer… hopefully.Shouta relaxed.
‘“I’m growing paranoid…” Giran sighed. A scratch of a chair and a thud. “Damn it. That bitch is making our life harder than needed.”’
Shouta frowned and concentrated.
‘“Just when I wanted Ya’rok to take the next step. Dammit, I need to talk to that manchild… hmm?”’
Shouta tensed.
‘“Ya’rok didn’t put his bag away… seriously, he really makes me work more than usual… that brat… so not cute…” A sigh. Background noises along with moving sounds.’
Shouta guessed the recorder was in the bag.
‘A thud. The kid’s breathing grew louder. “I’m not going to be doing everything, cheeky brat…” Movement. Grumbling growing fainter. A screech of oven door opening up. Grunting. “Looks good!”’
By then Shouta realized that he was in the clear and got as comfortable as he could in the cramped space. He would stay hidden until he was certain he wouldn’t be spotted - around midnight - and leave.His back complained at the torture.Shouta could already feel his mood souring. The underground hero was sipping on a juice bag while Midoriya and Giran were having a proper dinner. Shouta’s stomach was jealous, but the man himself was honestly glad he didn’t need to deal with the strangely awkward silence. Shouta didn’t know why Giran didn’t say anything to Midoriya about the ‘bitch’. Wanting to know more withstanding, Giran hinted that the bitch was connected to both him and Midoriya. The kid should be warned.Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on the reason), the dinner was concluded early and after shuffling, Midoriya’s voice crackled, loud despite the obvious whisper.Shouta was wide awake immediately.
‘“Giran seems a bit stressed. I think it’s about the information he searched for. He’ll probably tell me in the morning. It’s not the first time it happens, but it’s rare. It means it’s bad. I’m not too worried since he didn’t smoke all of his box, but I’ll make sure to tell you more in the morning. Good night, Eraserhead.”’
“...Good night, problem child…” Shouta mumbled, knowing fully well the kid won’t hear him, and let himself yawn.Two hours later the underground hero slipped down the tree and disappeared between the houses.He could use a really hot shower now. “ How’s the mission going? ” Hizashi’s voice echoed in the comm, oddly subdued. Shouta glared at the floor, covering his hair with a towel and wringing it free from any excess water. The underground hero was glad his friend was being more considerate than usual, but he was too tired for a proper answer.And his back was killing him.“More troublesome than needed. It would be much easier to just take the problem child and deal with the trauma later. But like the fool I am, I let the kid talk me into this plan. I’m sure Nedzu is going to laugh at me when I get back…”Hizashi laughed, the bastard. “ I told you. You grew fond of the kid. What’s happening now is basically a race who gets the kid; you or Giran. ”Shouta grimaced. “Don’t even joke about that. I’m not fond of the problem kid.”Hizashi giggled, not sounding convinced in the least. Then the man quieted down and gave a deep sigh. “ We didn’t make a mistake leaving him with his kidnapper… right? ”Shouta’s hand halted millimeters from his pj’s. The underground hero took a deep breath and released it steadily, slipping on the cat patterned shirt. “Maybe. But Tsukauchi was right. I made the right call. The kid should have some control over his life.”It didn’t mean that it was easy to agree with it. Shouta swore when he woke up and instinctively swatted at his chest, only for nothing to be there. The underground hero paused and cracked his eyes open, immediately noting the lack of cat on his chest.God, he missed Bob’s weight on his chest. The irony.Where was he… oh right, Shouta was monitoring Midoriya now… What time was it?Shouta turned onto his stomach and grabbed the earpiece and placed it over his ear. He made out sizzling and scratching chairs. So not early… How late was it…? Shouta glanced at his clock. Eight in the morning… okay, not so bad. Shouta was actually feeling well rested for once…Wait. Wait, no. It’s back. Okay, it's back. Yep, he was feeling tired again… false alarm, everything is okay, alright.Shouta groaned into the pillow. Where was his cat to force him up?A sound of choked coughing pierced his annoyed morning fog. Shouta sat up, hand flying to his capture scarf.
‘“Bull Teeth did what?!” Midoriya’s voice broke into more coughing. Water sloshing.'
Shouta’s eyes narrowed, hand resting on the cloth pile. What did he miss?
‘A long exhale. “The bitch hates being insulted in any way, shape, or form so now she’s looking for someone to pummel to the ground.”’
So that was ‘bitch’ from last night… Shouta slipped from his bed and quietly changed, not wanting to miss a sliver of information after losing the first part.And that's what happen when you oversleep, stupid.Midoriya’s voice shook a bit. ‘“Won’t she try barging in on our meeting then? She has shown that she will invade any place that has demeaned her and Bull Teeth probably wouldn’t like the reminder of our failure now that the League has rejected her... ”’ What failure didn’t matter in the long run, Shouta learned. Villains and underworld leaders hated any resemblance of mockery. And failure to many of them equaled mockery, whether it was warranted or not.So Giran screwed up a deal and now Midoriya was caught in the aftermath. Not good...
‘“That’s why I had contacted the manchild and requested a change in place.”
“To the warehouse?”’
Good, kid. More information.
‘“It’s secluded, so no chance of alerting heroes and it’s easier to evacuate and disappear from. Also, it’s outside of her turf so she wouldn’t be able to invade unless she wanted to anger some baddies.”’
That’s a relief to know, Shouta admitted begrudgingly. He finished strapping the gun to the holster and wrapped the scarf around his shoulders. He went to the living room and grabbed a juice box, slumping on the couch, ready to leap out at any given moment.
‘“But if she wants a turf war, it might be the perfect opportunity to challenge Acid Blood or the League.”
Giran snorted. “She would be suicidal to fight him and barge in on our meeting at the same time. She’s temperamental, not stupid.”
“Yeah…”’
Shouta frowned and fished out his phone, furiously texting Tsukauchi to listen into the recording. It might be good to request for backup whenever they go in for the arrest. Also to find out more information about Acid Blood and 'Bull Teeth' if they happen to present a risk to the operation.
‘“But she wouldn’t be smart enough to buy his silence, right? Acid Blood is always looking for more stash and she could always catch him by surprise later...”’
Shouta’s thumb smashed the send button harsher than necessary, body stiffening.Shit.Shit shit shit shit shit shit.This was actually bad. Really, really bad. Two apparent ring leaders joining together and attacking Midoriya? It could spell a massacre if the League was bringing only two members.Scuffling noises echoed in the earpiece and Shouta pushed aside his worries and listened.
‘“Clean up, Ya’rok! I’m not planning on dying because of that bitch!” Giran’s voice grew fainter. A moment later, very faint cursing sounded.'
Shouta owed Haiteku. His recording device was highly sensitive to distant noises and it made listening in much easier when he didn’t have to strain to hear. He’ll mention it to Tsukauchi at some point. A pleased Haiteku meant better equipment. A very logical reason.
‘Shifting. A bit of shuffling like a finger moving up and down metal. Voice low and heavy with dread. “Please bring backup. I can guarantee that it’ll turn messy.”’
Shouta suddenly had a strange notion of anger towards Haiteku for not installing a responding feature in the items, even if it was for lack of space. Midoriya was alone in a scary situation with no guidance and with manipulation threatening to overwrite every of his attempts.
‘Fabric shifting. Sudden sense of closeness. A steady heartbeat. A few steps and then a sigh. Clinking of dishes and sliding food, followed by dishes hitting each other. Probably a sink, it was after the meal after all.
A soft sniffling and breath hitching. But then deep breathing and a huff.
“Ya’rok! Come for a second! I need you to be top form!”
“Coming!”’
Shouta buried his face in his hands.He was regretting his decision more and more each passing moment.Damn it, problem child!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next week was a nightmare. Shouta was stuck in the apartment, glued to the tablet as he and Tsukauchi along with Nishiyaki and Hizashi poured over information regarding the famous underworld nightmare Acid Blood, and Bull Teeth - which appeared to be the villain nicknamed ‘Minotaur’. Her appearance certainly explained that nickname, Shouta mused to himself when he saw the photo. And the problem kid had to face her?When he wasn’t busy with information processing, he was listening to the comm. Sometimes he wondered if he was truly the man for the job. A therapist like Hound Dog would have been much more efficient in untangling the years of fear and manipulation. The Dog would have been able to explain to Midoriya the merits of leaving Giran.Shouta was way out of his comfort zone and he got reminded of that fact quite often.Another such reminder came days after Midoriya received the recorder. The kid was in training judging by the heavy panting and the nature of Giran’s orders. The exercise seemed to operate based on an invisible enemy situation, with Giran throwing every possible scenario to Midoriya, often telling the kid he had just died and how to fix it next time.Shouta was eerily impressed. This sort of training would explain the kid’s quick movements. But it wouldn’t do anything against a real person with their own quirks and quips.
‘“Stop throwing your cigarettes on me!” Midoriya sounded annoyed.
“You avoid them well enough,” Giran chuckled. “Got to keep your instincts sharp for the meeting.”’
Now that would explain the reflexes.And Shouta honestly could not decide if that was forcing Midoriya into a state of paranoia expecting unknown danger all the time or giving him a good sense of caution.Why was Shouta the one in charge of this case? He was a teacher, yes. He had received his teaching diploma and had went through a course of psychology, yes.But understanding a kidnapped kids’ needs?Way out of his pay grade. Midoriya sounded a bit off after that training session. If Shouta didn’t over-analyze anything said or done, he would have missed it.But nevertheless, Midoriya sounded off.And yet, Shouta could not do anything except to keep listening for any signs of distress. Fortunately, his answer came the next night.Muffled sobbing jolted the underground hero out of his nap. The moment the noise registered in his ears, Shouta snatched the earpiece and put it on, body tense and ready to bolt out the apartment.
‘“I-I’m scared, Eraserhead. I’m scared it won’t work and Giran or you would get killed. Or that I’ll be taken away again. O-or Bull Teeth would do something worse. I! I-I just want this to be over already. I can’t wait for a whole week, I’ll go insane.
Wha-what’s worse, we just discovered that Bull Teeth and Acid Blood held a meeting and now we know for sure she’s going to attack us at the meeting. Giran got really mad and nearly smashed his phone after the league refused to change locations again. He was screaming so loudly and I ran to my room. I don’t like screaming, I’m terrified… we’re going tomorrow to the warehouse to scout it out. I-I’ll tell you more when I know more…”’
While speaking, Midoriya’s sobbing slowed to a trickle only to turn into hiccupping and sniffles when finished. Shouta’s dead heart died a bit more when he listened to the terrified cries of a child he couldn’t just sweep in and save.Shouta’s fingers tightened over his blankets, knuckles turning white from how hard he was holding himself back. He knew Midoriya was just a child. He knew that Midoriya was putting himself in further danger the longer he stayed with that damned broker. He knew all of that!And he just left him there. Important for mental health, bullshit. Shouta was very close to snap and go kick Tsukauchi’s ass in a sad attempt to make himself feel better.The man groaned and buried his face in the pillow.Damn Hizashi for making him soft. “ You sound grumpier than usual. ”Shouta grumbled. “It’s getting messier.”“ ...You can’t go in and yank him out yet, Shouta. ”“I know that.”“ ...You can’t… ”“Shut up.”“ Shouta. ”Damn Hizashi and his bleeding heart.Hizashi had no right to complain. He wasn’t the one listening to the kid training and working so hard . He wasn’t the one hearing that damn manipulator fathering up Midoriya.He wasn’t—“ Shouta, ” Hizashi’s voice cut through his spiralling thoughts. “ Are you okay? ”“No.”“ ...Want me to do the usual? ”Shouta took a moment to resign himself and nodded, remembering a second later that he was on the phone and not an actual conversation. “Yes.”Hizashi took a deep breath and began talking about Nemuri and Tensei getting drunk last saturday. Nemuri then accidentally made the entire hero bar fall asleep and Tensei was screaming about his brother scoring first in tests as he fell asleep. Apparently Hizashi was able to avoid sleep by the fact that he needed to pee.Shouta tuned out the ridiculous shenanigans the three got themselves into and let the white noise push away his frazzled emotions. He reclined in his chair and stared at the ceiling, noting the faint cracks and discoloration spots. His eyes itched and he rubbed them, wincing at the wetness he didn’t notice before. He was too tired for this bullshit.Hizashi’s happy voice calmed him and he found himself more relaxed than he was since the moment he found Midoriya.He won’t ever admit it, but Hizashi knew him too well.“ Shouta, Meadow called. ”The underground hero was immediately on alert and snapped his head up, clutching his head when a wave of dizziness attacked him. He stared at his phone. “What does she want?”“ Tsukauchi sent them to the warehouse. Perhaps a report? You want me to call them? ”Shouta sighed. “No, I’ll call her in a second. We’ll talk later.”“ Will do! Don’t forget to eat! Gummies and juice diet is not good enough! ” The call ended and Shouta scowled at the phone. That damn parrot running away after that unnecessary comment. He was fine.But it was useless to linger on it so he opened the call app and dialed the number he recalled by heart.It picked up after two rings.“ I was expecting your call twenty minutes ago, Eraserhead. ”Shouta rubbed his itchy eyes. “Shut up. I’m not up to unreasonable chit chat. What did you see that needed a report?”Meadow chuckled. “ Impatient as usual. ”Shouta growled. He hated dealing with the sneaky hero but since their patrols crossed often, so he was often subjected to the woman’s blunt comments.“ The broker and the kid were setting traps by the warehouse. Pretty dangerous traps from what I saw. That kid isn’t so innocent. ”“He was kidnapped to become a broker, of course he isn’t.”“ Careful, Eraser, your jealousy is showing. ”“Do you have anything else to report?” Shouta gritted through his teeth.“ The place is pretty small. It’s actually a great location since it’s hidden by the woods around it. As expected by a villain. Have Haiteku find the traps before attempting to come near the warehouse. Bye, softie. ”The call cut.Shouta loudly groaned and chucked the phone at the bed. He grabbed a juice pouch from the desk and sucked on it unhappily as he mulled over the information.Giran was dangerous, he knew that, but hearing it was different. He wanted the man to be incompetent, but one doesn’t survive the underground by being stupid.
Just a little bit more…
They held the final briefing at the apartment. Shouta observed the crowd from the bed, a big file in his hands.The most notable participants were the heroes taking an active role tonight. Kamui, wearing a black jumpsuit instead of his usual blue one. Meadow, deceptible street clothes changed to a dark blue tracksuit. Nemuri, with dark pants and long sleeved undershirt, filling silently the dart bullets with her quirk.Umi, a new underground hero with a hydrokinesis quirk, was holding a bag of water balloons nervously. Yama, the earth hero, was trying to calm her down while playing with one of his suit’s buttons.Other than that, Tsukauchi had two units of policemen were on standby alongside a team of paramedics and two ambulances, all deathly silent. They didn’t want to alert any villains tonight.“Alright,” Shouta started, gaining the attention of all five heroes, “Our job tonight is to rescue Izuku Midoriya and arrest Giran. It’s a go in, go out mission. If we’re able to secure any extra villains, that’s a bonus, but Midoriya and Giran are the highest priority. Am I perfectly clear?”Meadow snorted and Nemuri grinned, but the other three heroes with the less experience simply nodded grimly.Shouta nodded. “Good. The meeting is scheduled to begin in an hour and we’re heading out in ten minutes. Delays are not permitted. Dismissed.”The five dispersed and Nemuri approached Shouta. “How are you?” She asked with a strained grin. Shouta huffed in reply and looked down to his file that held the details for the raid. Nemuri sat down next to him and concentrated on the bullets, which was preferable to being pestered so close to the meeting.Soon everyone gathered once more and filed into the van. Tsukauchi entered with them, touching his earpiece. “Alright, We’ll park at the edge of the woods so you’ll have to get to the warehouse alone. We don’t want to alert them.”“What if there is fighting already?” Meadow asked.Tsukauchi’s eyes hardened. “Then all secrecy is thrown out the window. We know where the traps are and Haiteku is waiting for the signal to disable them.”Meadow seemed pleased with the answer, so Tsukauchi moved to the driver's seat and started the van.Shouta buried his face in his capture scarf, closing his eyes.Showtime.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Meadow
Real name: Shizuka MedōAge: 38Appearance: black chin length hair, black eyes, dark skinned. Usually wears deceptive street clothing that hide many weapons but for the raid wears a dark blue tracksuit. Pretty tall.Quirk: silent steps - moves in complete silence.Abilities: agility and slippery. a knife and dart throwerPersonality: blunt and sarcastic. She’s also very mischievous and dark humored.
Umi
Real name: Umi MidoriAge: 20Appearance: wild curly moss-green shoulder length hair. White eyes. Wearing for the raid a scale like dark purple bodysuit with fins on the arms and calves. Pretty short.Quirk: hydrokinesis. Hard of seeing and mute but has great hearing. Uses water balloons on land for resource of water. Can use someone’s water in body to incapacitate them but it takes a toll on her so she doesn't do it a lot.Personality: gets nervous easily but slips into mission mode when missions begin because of the harsh training drilled into her. She speaks through sign language. Works under yama and they get along and fight together which is why he brought her.
Yama
Real name: Yamaguchi KohakuAge: 26Appearance: gold tinted earth like skin which depending on weather acts exactly like actual soil. On spring and summer has small plants growing on him but in summer he cracks and small pieces fall from him a lot. He’s big and solid to keep himself from melting into mud when overwatered. It’s actually a danger so even though rain is no issue, he would wear protective covering. He doesn’t feel temperature and pain the same as other people so it’s a hassle when he’s hurt. Fortunately, he’s able to avoid staying injured by wetting the area and pushing it together. Umi helps with that if needed. She also helps him avoid being too wet hence why they work together a lot. Wears a buttoned shirt and dress pants but goes barefoot. Like a golem in a sense.Quirk: mild geokinesis Abilities: strong and able get people stuck in his arm if he wets his skin since it then acts like mud.personality: Nervous as well, but years on the job had his nervous ticks limited to fiddling. he's a calming presence and empathetic. in a way he would be the team mom if he had a team.extra note i liked too much not to add: in a way he's one of the scarier heroes despite being a nervous sweetheart since when wet he trudges and looks like a walking monstrosity. he would beat orca at a looks like a villain poll if he wasn't an underground hero.
Haiteku
Real name: Haiteku RaitoAge: 18Appearance: scrawny, curly black hair and dirty, smeared with soot pale skin from being a shut in, goggles over his eyes (black sclera with toxic green pupils) that protect them from the strain of looking at screens all day. had been born with malformed legs so he's in a wheelchair he created himself that has a lot of tubes coming in and out of it and he uses as a core for his projects. wears compress gloves to prevent his hands from straining. wears mostly tank tops and shorts.Quirk: robotic mind. a bit hard to explain, but he's basically not only a wiz in robotics and hacking, he can basically transfer part of his conscious into them so he can see any issues or weaknesses or even spy. unfortunately it has the drawback of possible hemorrhage should he overdo it.Personality: basically if hatsume mei was a hermit that didn't speak much and didn't move... and didn't explode stuff. he tends to hyperfocus and forget to eat or shower for days. basically tsukauchi had taken to have his meals in the control room, where haiteku holes himself in, just so he could force feed the kid. he's extremely curious, likes to see where he could make anything better. if he had met canon izuku, he would immediately attempt to convince the poor kid to replace his so inadequate limbs to his invincible inventions that could withstand anything (his words)... so i would keep canon izuku away from him... but not my izuku XDextra notes: was recruited when he hacked into the hero commission servers in an attempt to bring up anything dirty on them since he didn't like how they manipulated the industry. the chief of the office tsukauchi worked at had just lost his own tech guy so had demanded haiteku to work at his place. haiteku agreed but demanded to have his own room and build whatever he need into it. the chief reluctantly agreed and then the control room was built.the control room is filled with multiple screens and servers that are all connected in wires and tubes to the wheelchair that haiteku built as a data core. he also has several stations with different machines and projects. he almost lives in the room since he is too preoccupied with everything. he technically lives with his parents but rarely sees them.he doesn't shower a lot, but he does shave his beard a lot because it catches with everything and itches and he hates it, which is why he also keeps his hair fairly short.(sorry for rambling on him, i love him!)
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The engine rumbled and the rattling of the van kept Shouta from a proper nap and by the time the van parked, he was irritated beyond measure. Nemuri nudged him, giving him a sympathizing grimace. Meadow, on the other hand, had no issue giving him an amused grin, unperturbed by his glare.Shouta groaned, body creaking as he stood up and slipped out of the vehicle. Umi and Yama were already outside, the former passing Shouta a bottle of water with a nervous smile. Shouta nodded in thanks and downed the water in two gulps.“Are you all ready?” Tsukauchi appeared alongside Kamui, holding a phone to his ear. Their group assembled in a semi-circle, weapons out. Tsukauchi nodded and said something to the phone.Whirring was heard and small balls with wings flew from Tsukauchi’s pocket into the woods.Shouta knew the disabling process would take a few moments so he looked around for anything interesting.And then his eyes landed on very fresh footprints.His heart leaping to his throat, he turned to the group. “They’re here.”As if waiting for the invitation, an explosion blew in the distance, the shockwaves reverberating in their ears.Immediately, Tsukauchi moved aside as the group of heroes sprung into action, running into the forest. He could only call out that the traps were disabled before they were swallowed by the trees.Shouta grabbed his capture scarf, trying not to show how agitated he was as he went faster than ever.“Shouta, don’t get ahead of us!” Nemuri yelled from behind him.Shouta ignored her, jumping from a branch to the ground, landing just before the last line of trees. Fire and smoke filled the space between the trees, many thugs littering the place. Kamui landed soon after, looking hesitant from being near flames. The others stopped there as well, sharing looks. Umi popped a balloon and soaked Kamui with water. The tree hero relaxed and everyone turned to Shouta. Shouta exhaled sharply. “Nemuri, come with me! Kamui, you’ll be the one to capture Giran. Meadow, Umi, Yama, take care of people outside.”Without another word, the group dispersed. The thugs screamed when Yama and Umi descended on them, going down with either a water bubble over their heads or a swift blow from Meadow.Shouta, Nemuri and Kamui slipped through the exploded front, meeting with mayhem.Minotaur was towering over Giran and Midoriya, who was pressing a piece of fabric onto an unknown teenager’s forehead. Waves of bloodlust had Shouta halt for a moment, but Nemuri already took charge and shot a sleeping dart at the bullheaded villain.Shouta held his breath.Minotaur roared, apparently unaffected by the drug and Nemuri prepared another dart. Shouta and Kamui dashed from the entrance in hopes to prevent the next attack, but then the roar was abruptly cut off. Shouta and Kamui stopped, not knowing what caused the silence.Minotaur held a hand to her neck and yanked out the dart, staring at it in confusion and then at them, eyes widening with feral rage before rolling back. The woman crashed onto the floor, revealing a wide eyed Midoriya.Kamui immediately sent his branches out and grabbed an escaping Giran, the broker screaming in rage, gaining the kid’s attention.Nemuri shouted orders and Giran looked betrayed, but Shouta had eyes only for the terrified kid. He rushed over and knelt before Midoriya, the kid only having eyes for Giran, a hand over his mouth.Giran looked at Shouta then at Midoriya. “Ya’rok… You…”Midoriya lowered his hand, exposing a wobbly smile. “I won this time, Giran. I’m going home.”Giran screamed with rage but Kamui silenced him and Shouta quickly moved to block Giran from Midoriya’s view. The kid seemed out of it, not acknowledging Shouta so he snapped his fingers and asked about the teenager in the kid’s arms, hoping for a reaction.The kid jolted as if only now realizing Shouta was there, eyes unfocused as the kid looked down and shook his head. “It-it’s Shigaraki. The… the one I told you I… We were meeting… Bull Teeth sprayed something on us that cancelled quirks--” He clutched his head, “--I… it had… uh… something in it to knock us out… I… I think.”The kid swayed in place, paling at an alarming pace. Shouta quickly grabbed the small shoulders when the kid seemed to be falling. Heart beating in throat, Shouta forced the foggy eyes to focus on him. “Midoriya, did you inhale some of it in?”A faint nod. The kid was mumbling an answer barely coherent but Shouta was able to catch the part the kid confessed to protecting Giran from the attack.Of course… that problem kid.“Problem child…” Shouta sighed and carefully pulled the kid away from ‘Shigaraki’ and picked him up, conscious of how small the kid felt in his arms. Midoriya weakly shrugged, going limp.Shouta was about to join Nemuri when Kamui gave a squeak and Giran’s voice boomed.“YA’ROK!”Immediately, Midoriya tensed, head rising. “Gir...ran?”Shouta gritted his teeth and squeezed the kid closer to him. “Don’t worry about him anymore. I’m taking you home.”Away from that monster.Back to where that kid belonged.Midoriya rested his head against Shouta’s chest, a deep exhale leaving him.“Okay…” The kid was barely conscious by the time Shouta left the storage house, the flashing lights irritating his eyes. Umi and Yama were dealing with the leftover mess, thugs looking more like deformed mud statues than humans. Nemuri was with Kamui, putting Giran to sleep while Meadow was showing Shigaraki and a strange neck brace to Tsukauchi.A paramedic approached Shouta, honing a calm expression as she gently took Midoriya from him and to a stretcher. Shouta gave her a quick report on what Midoriya inhaled and what to expect. The paramedic nodded and called for her co-worker and they rushed to the ambulance.Shouta inhaled deeply, feeling strangely empty. He shook his head, knowing he was being irrational over it, and turned to join the other heroes.“Eraserhead!” A voice stopped him. Shouta looked back to see the paramedic beckon him closer. Frowning, he approached her and she calmly gestured at Midoriya.Who was breathing too quickly for a barely conscious child.“He keeps murmuring your name. He’s probably scared,” She explained. “Could you perhaps accompany us?”Shouta sighed. He should have known better than to hope for a quieter night. “Alright. I’ll just notify Tsukauchi.”And without waiting for an answer, he left.Tsukauchi agreed immediately, smiling knowingly at the grouchy man. “I’ll deal with the rest. Midoriya needs a safety net for now.”Meadow smirked at him. Shouta glared back. She snorted. “Who would have thought. A child besting Eraserhead.”“Shut up.” He was not ‘bested’ by a kid.Meadow’s smirk grew, but then fell when she looked behind Shouta, eyes growing wide. He swiveled in place, hairs on the back of his neck rising.Two cops, who had the job of carrying Shigaraki to a barred police car, were instead chest deep in dark pools. Shouta activated his quirk and searched for the culprit, but found neither the culprit nor Shigaraki.“A mist!” Kamui called. “Those are portals! The villains are getting away!”Shouta leapt towards the cops, stomach twisting in a dawning dread.The pools snapped close, the trapped cops screaming and vomiting blood, their lower bodies bitten off them.Shouta changed trajectory and ran to the ambulance.Please not the kid!The paramedics were surrounding the stretcher, one holding Midoriya’s arm as security. The kid was hypervilenating, clammy to the touch when Shouta gathered him in his arms.Shouta frantically looked around him, alert for any signs of mist.Stupid, stupid, stupid. The raid was concluded too easily. He should have known something would have happened.He won’t let Midoriya be taken away again. He promised the kid that.“Shouta, deep breaths.”Shouta’s head snapped up. Nemuri was hovering over him, a waft of her quirk clouding his thoughts. He shook his head and glared at her. “What?”Nemuri smiled with relief and pointed to his chest. Shouta frowned and looked down, startling when he saw the small body held tightly by him. The kid’s breathing was deep, signalling that he finally calmed down.And yet Shouta felt faint.“Shouta, the kid is fine. Let him go. The paramedics need to assess his condition. Don’t worry, he’s safe. Please, Shouta. Hizashi is coming to the hospital so everything is fine.”Shouta closed his eyes, his body finally registering the warmth spreading over his chest and relaxing. Midoriya was safe.How illogical, getting so worked up over a kid. How could he properly work as a hero if he panicked so easily over a kid’s safety?“Shouta.”“I heard you, Nemuri.” Shouta took a deep breath and reluctantly released his hold over Midoriya, letting Nemuri gently lower the kid onto the stretcher. The paramedic then pushed the two away and began checking Midoriya.Shouta looked around the cramped ambulance, noticing that the vehicle was actually moving.How much did he miss?Nemuri pulled him to sit on the ground opposite the stretcher, taking out a carton of juice from her pocket and handing it out to him. Shouta accepted the pack and unhappily sipped from it, looking away from her.“You know… It’s not a sign of weakness to show affection.”Shouta ignored her. He was not in the mood to deal with unnecessary conversations.“He grew on you. Hizashi told me how much you worried for him. I think one stumble shouldn’t make you feel as if you are useless.”Silence.She sighed. “Midoriya Izuku. He is smart, curious, loves heroes. But he’s quirkless. He went missing because of bullying. Raised by villains for several years.”“Your point?”“He’s reminding you of yourself.”Shouta clenched his fists, not wanting to admit defeat and look at her. “He’s too optimistic and demanding. He’s a crybaby.”A snort. “Totally you.”“I wasn’t like that.”“Really?” Nemuri came closer, her mischievousness rolling off her in waves. Shouta wondered if he could run out of the ambulance without risking deaths as he curled into himself. Nemuri cackled. “You won the first sport festival and got into the hero class, that’s optimistic. I remember how teary you got when we got our licenses and when Hizashi called you his bestie in front of his family, that’s a crybaby. And for demanding? Well, you’re always demanding, especially as a teacher.”“You’re seeing things. It’s illogical to assume when you have no proof. He’s just someone who needed help.”Nemuri chuckled, finally withdrawing. Shouta wished his glare could kill her instead of just erasing her quirk. She smirked when she caught his eye, her eyes betraying her relief.Shouta scowled at that and he uncurled, resting his head on the vehicle’s wall, letting the rumbling and bumps fill his senses.Having said her fill, Nemuri remained quiet.The paramedic smiled at them and gave an affirming nod, sitting down and jutting some notes in her clipboard.Shouta finally let the tension leave his body and he maintained constant eye contact with the stretcher until fatigue caught up with him and he fell asleep.
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“Sadly, we could not save officers Ishiyama and Koushiro. The neckbrace had appeared to be the mist villain Midoriya had warned us about. I should have figured that was the case. I apologize for wasting the chance to apprehend those two.”Shouta slumped in his seat, his eyes feeling heavier than usual. He really couldn’t catch a break. “So what now? Should we pursue those two? They are attempting to begin a ‘league of villains’. There is also the matter of the third member Midoriya mentioned.”Tsukauchi interlaced his fingers and rested his forehead on them. “I wish we could but there was no trace left from them. Haiteku tried tracing their quirk signal, but to no avail. I would imagine the mist user teleported them as far as possible, possibly even out of the country.”“So basically, no chance and a waste of sources.”“Unfortunately, that would seem to be the case. Currently we have no choice but to wait for them to make the next move before we could do anything. For now, I contacted Midoriya-san.”That piqued Shouta’s attention and he straightened up. “Did you tell her we have the kid?”Tsukauchi shook his head. “She should hear it from you. I believe you shouldn’t let her into Midoriya’s room yet.”“Until we explain it to her?”“Until she is checked out.”Shouta mulled over the answer a bit. Tsukauchi raised his head and gave a sad smile. “I just need to make sure of something.”“You think the mother was part of it?”“After everything I saw with this case, I don’t want to leave anything to chance. I would also restrict information about Midoriya and the case.”“The kid was being raised to become a broker, so he probably knows some important info that could land some big names in jail.”Tsukauchi nodded, grim faced. “Meadow did some undercover recon and found out that 'Ya'rok' was becoming a well known name in the underground. Minotaur had her eye on him, which means he was noticed by the likes of Acid Blood and Killer.”Shouta suppressed a long suffering sigh. “Problem kid is proving to be more hassle than I’d like.”Tsukauchi chuckled. “Well, it’s not all hopeless. I contacted Nedzu since it seems you’re the only one Midoriya trusts in the hero community.”“I’m not a babysitter.”“Not a babysitter, more like a mentor. The kid would need a stable environment to slowly integrate him back into society. When he wakes up, we’ll have him undergo a psychological assessment and then an exam for a grade placement.”“I’m not exactly a pinnacle of society. Too troublesome,” Shouta muttered half-heartedly.Tsukauchi raised a brow. “You do realize I can call your bluff, right? I don’t even need to use my quirk to know, you’re already considering a teaching curriculum. The kid impressed you.”Shouta winced. How annoying, he shouldn’t be placed in charge of a kid’s education and safety. He already knew he was lacking in that department from the stakeout. He didn’t know how he could help Midoriya’s mental state and trauma.Tsukauchi looked exhausted. “Listen, Shouta. You’re the best person I know for this job. I know you doubt your skills since you’re so used to interacting with children in a controlled environment.”Here he placed his hands on the table and lowered his head in a bow. Shouta could only stare at him incredulously. “Uh...”“Please help me. You’re the best man for this job.”Shouta blinked and then groaned as loudly as he could, slumping even further down in his seat. “Fine, fine! But if the kid is worse after dealing with me, don’t come to me with complaints.”Tsukauchi released a breathy laugh and raised his head. “Of course. I know better than that. Thank you, Shouta.”Shouta won’t admit the heat rising in his cheeks as he shrugged and stood up, leaving the office in a hurry. “Midoriya-san?”A small plump woman jolted and spun around, her green hair bouncing off small tense shoulders.She looked so much like Midoriya that Shouta had to remind himself the kid was still unconscious in the hospital. He let his face fall into its neutral weary expression and pushed his hands into his pockets, strolling towards the anxious woman as casually as possible. He nodded to the entrance door that lead into the interrogation room. It was the only room he knew was safe from outside influence. Tsukauchi already made Haiteku block all radio waves and surveillance cameras coming in and out of the room. In a way, it was close to kidnapping, but it was done to keep Midoriya’s information as quiet as possible.“Um… Is there a reason I was summoned into the station?” Midoriya Inko asked timidly, voice laced with restrained hope and eyes full of fear. The woman probably figured it had to do with her son but didn’t know what to wish for, a rescue or a body. Both options meant her son suffered and both options meant closure.Shouta nodded and silently entered the interrogation room, holding the door open for her. Midoriya Inko looked behind her and then squared her shoulders and briskly followed him and walked into the room, jumping when the door closed.She turned to him and folded her arms, shivering. “What took you so long? Why the secrecy? Where is he? Did you even find him?”Shouta sighed. “We found him. We were searching with the incorrect information. Please sit down, it’ll be a long explanation. Listen until the end and then you can ask questions.”She clasped her mouth shut and took a deep breath before nodding and sitting down, clutching her hands to her chest. She was like a rabbit about to experience a heart attack. Shouta really didn’t want to explain to Tsukauchi why he had a dead woman in the room after working so hard to save her son so he sat down as well and took out a picture of Midoriya sleeping in the hospital, tubes and all, handing it to her.Midoriya Inko gasped and snatched the picture, holding it close to her face. She looked at Shouta then back at the picture, back at him and then back at the picture. She then released a loud sob and held the picture close to her as she wept, nearly bent over.“Izuku! Oh, my baby! I’m so sorry for taking so long. I’m sorry for giving up. My baby!”Shouta awkwardly let her weep for a moment before clearing his throat. Midoriya Inko sat up and furiously wiped her eyes and looked at the picture. “Wh-what happened? Why are we… why am I here and not with him?”Shouta leaned back and looked up to the ceiling, not wanting to face her. “He was kidnapped the night he disappeared--” He didn’t bother looking down to see her expression, the squeak was the only indication he needed, “--Reason you’re not there is because he’s not awake yet and risk of leaking information prevents us from doing anything more with you until you’re cleared.”“Wh-what? I-I… Why my son? Cleared? I… I’m a simple citizen. Sir hero, please--”Shouta raised a hand to silence her. “Those are my orders. And I haven’t finished.”She sniffled, her distress radiating from her. “Wh-what do I need to do to be cleared?”Shouta sighed and finally lowered his head, exhaustion pulling his eyelids down. He really missed his cat. And maybe Hizashi. He just needed sleep so badly. “Right now what you need to do is go through a background check, give your testimony of that day to a detective and answer his questions. We also need to know how he was before being kidnapped. Any medical condition the kid has would be appreciated. It is taking a bit of time to get his medical forms. That brat is seriously a pain...”“I-I understand…” Midoriya Inko fidgeted for a bit before looking at him and smiling nervously. “Thank.. Thank you for rescuing my son. I’ll do my best to quickly be cleared. Look after him.”“Why do you think I rescued him?”She looked puzzled and raised her hands in apology but then shook her head and clutched her skirt. “You have a fond look when you talked about what he needed… Am I wrong?”Shouta nearly gawked at her but managed to simply cough and cover his face with one hand. “He’s just a brat. But he was the one who rescued himself. I just helped him.”“Thank you… thank you so much.” Shouta startled when he saw her bow her head, hands on her knees. He didn’t like being bowed to by so many people and he didn’t know how to respond to that so he stood up and rushed to the door.“He’s… not too bad,” He managed to croak out before exiting, missing Inko’s teary smile.“Thank you, Hero.” “Shouta!” Hizashi exclaimed as he hugged a half asleep Shouta the moment the latter entered his apartment. “Bob was getting too rowdy! I thought I’d be cat food soon! Thank you for saving me!”“Shut up…” Shouta grumpily pushed the annoying blond away and stumbled to his bedroom, distracted by Bob mewling from his seat over the fridge. Shouta gave the annoying cat a half-hearted glare and extended a hand. Bob looked at it and went back to his grooming. Shouta huffed and stomped the rest of the way, pulling off his clothing and throwing them alongside his bag into the hall. He pulled a clean t-shirt and sweatpants and quickly put them on just in time to drop on his bed and fall asleep.When he woke up what seemed to be weeks later but in reality was simply an hour, a familiar weight bore down his back and familiar fingers were playing with his hair. Shouta groaned and turned his head to see Hizashi donning an unusual fond expression. Said man smiled warmly when he noticed Shouta looking at him. “How did you sleep, kitten?”Shouta scoffed. “Don’t call me that. And fine, I guess. Now help me get this nightmare off my back.”Hizashi chuckled. “No can do. Bob is the king of the house after all.”Shouta grumbled but didn’t move, the warmth over his back a welcome change from the almost too cold apartment he had spent the past week and a half at.Hizashi resumed carding his fingers through Shouta’s hair. “How are you now that your kid is safe?”“He’s not my kid,” Shouta mumbled. “And I’m tired. I don’t know what possessed Tsukauchi to make me into the problem kid’s mentor. I’m no good with victims. I teach kids to become heroes, not to become part of society, whatever that means.”“I think you’ll do a great job. You care for this kid a lot. I haven’t even met him yet and I know he’s a good kid. He’s lucky to have you as a mentor.”“Damn cheezy cockatoo.”“I love you too,” Hizashi chuckled. “Nemuri asked when she could come over to celebrate a job well done so I told her tonight.”“You don’t even live here, what gives you the right to use my house?”“I have a key.”“For emergencies. What are you doing here?”“Helping my friend and buying food for you is an emergency. For goodness’ sake, you have nothing! Why do you even keep a fridge and an oven if you have no food?”“... I was away for almost two weeks. Also, Fridge is for juice packets.”“Of course…” Hizashi sighed dramatically. Shouta closed his eyes, chest no longer aching with emptiness.He rescued Midoriya. He got the kid safely away from Giran. He felt… peaceful for the moment. Hizashi’s fingers lulled him back to sleep.‘Welcome home, Shouta’ Was the last thing he heard before sleep overtook him. “Cheers!” Nemuri exclaimed, knocking a beer glass to Hizashi’s cup and gulping its contents in record time. Hizashi cheered her on and Shouta simply rested his nose on the edge of his half empty cup, staring absent-mindedly at the yellowish liquid. He wasn’t so much an alcohol person as much as simply drinking whatever was placed before him. He wasn’t a light-weight so he wasn’t worried about hangover. He was, however, worried about dealing with two drunk babies he will be forced to babysit.“Shoouuutaaa!” Hizashi nudged Shouta’s side. “Come oooon! We are celebrating!” “Let me die in peace…” “Not allowed! We are the best heroes!”“Ugh…”Nemuri cackled. “Shouta~ how does it feel to be a dad?”Shouta wondered if he could claim self-defense for killing a fellow hero. “I’m not a dad. I don’t even date. I would know if I knocked someone up.”Hizashi roared with laughter. Nemuri laughed as well. “I meant that kid, Shouta. You are basically a mama bear when it came to protecting him. I swear you almost squeezed him to death!”“I didn’t.”“You did. I saw it all~ you can’t lie to big sister~” Nemuri drew her flushed face closer to Shouta. “It’s okay~ paternal instincts are good for you~!”“Shouta is the first out of all of us! Nemuri!!! We are being left behind!” Hizashi now began to cry, reaching to hug Shouta, who grabbed the blond’s face and pushed it away. “Shouuutaaaa!!! Don’t leave me!”“You two are too annoying.”“You love us, grumpy old man~!”Shouta wondered how it went from celebrating a successful raid to a nightmare. Oh right, it was never a celebration. He prayed for strength and downed the rest of the beer.“Yoohoo! Our boy is getting it on!”“You go, Shouta!”“Shut up…” “From what the doctors say, he should be awake soon.”Shouta nodded, too exhausted to verbally reply. Tsukauchi gave him a knowing look and opened a file and began to read through it aloud. It was the evaluation of Midoriya Inko and the medical examination of the kid.“I interviewed her and she didn’t lie even once,” Tsukauchi bashfully commented. “I don’t think I ever met such an honest human. And well, I think I understand how Midoriya had turned out the way he did.”Shouta grunted, raising a brow in question. The detective smiled. “Despite the bullying on top of growing up in his most important years with a villain, Midoriya hasn’t shown an ounce of villainous intent. She seems to be his mental base.”“Cleared then?”“Of course. Take her tomorrow to see the kid. Perhaps you’ll get the chance to see him wake up.”Shouta hummed and lied down on the couch, letting himself take a nap.He won’t ever celebrate anything by drinking with the other two again. Ever. Midoriya Inko was crying with relief when Shouta relayed her the news, having been asked to meet him at the hospital where the kid was being kept at. It was a special hospital for heroes and such was guarded heavily. Shouta showed his license to the main gate guard and a guest tag for Midoriya Inko, the guard scanning them briefly before letting them pass. The woman was muttering ‘thank you’ over and over as they walked through the hospital. They took the elevator and stood before a door bearing no name but a simple red dot, meaning occupied.Shouta finally turned to the woman. “Could you please stop with all the gratitude? I’m not the one who cleared you. I’m just here to check on the problem kid and then I’ll let you have a moment and then we’ll leave. You’ll come back when he wakes up. Is that understood?”Midoriya Inko opened her mouth and then shut it, seeming to swallow her words in before exhaling and nodding, clasping her hands together as she waited by the entrance. Shouta sighed in relief and entered the hospital room and turned on the light.Shifting from behind the curtains in the room had him pause and increase his pace before he pulled back the curtains.Wide eyes stared at him. Shouta froze, registering the tense body slowly relaxing and the kid smiling with relief.“You should be sleeping,” He blurted out.What a way to go, hero.Midoriya fixated him with a half-hearted glare. “It’s too white.”The kid sounded like an old man with such hoarse voice. Shouta took pity on him and sat down, taking the kid’s hand in his and squeezing it in comfort. Izuku’s eyes widened and he looked at Shouta with such adoration and trust, the man had to take a moment to remember how to breathe. “Soon,” He finally croaked out, not knowing what he was replying for.Nonetheless, the kid seemed to take it as an answer and had a moment to take the tubes and the IV in before asking for water. Shouta wanted to hit his head, he should have done that first. Fortunately, a cup and water bottle were already placed on the desk. He quickly filled the cup and gave it to Midoriya. The kid gulped down the water and took several deep breaths before wetting his lips and voicing his questions, shaking fingers clutching at the plastic cup, crushing it. “Giran… Shigaraki and Kurogiri… Bull Teeth…” His voice cracked. “What happened to them?”Shouta frowned, not happy with whom Midoriya was worried for first. “Your kidnapper,” He emphasized the words, “is in custody. Bull Teeth… you probably mean Minotaur - she is heading to Tartarus and her underlings, who were outside, are already in prison.”Shouta watched Midoriya’s expression go from anxious to relief and then joy and clenched his fists. The next part was not as joyous as he wanted them to be. No need to mention the deaths, though. “Shigaraki and Kurogiri, the mist guy I presume, managed to escape.”Midoriya tensed, all color draining from his face.“We hadn’t thought too much of the neck brace Shigaraki was holding, which was our mistake. He created a portal under them and they disappeared before we realized what happened.”“...Oh.”“I apologize for wasting the chance you gave us,” Shouta mirrored the words Tsukauchi had said, lowering his head in apology. He heard Midoriya sputter and raised his head up when the kid hissed in pain. He sighed and ruffled the messy hair, eyes feeling heavier. “It was our fault. But it’s not your concern now.”He will protect the child that didn’t deserve to be thrust into the villain world like that.Midoriya bit his lip, conflicted. Shouta let the kid absorb the information as he kept playing with the hair. He knew he should tell Midoriya Inko to come in, but he needed to finish dealing with the report first. He didn’t want Midoriya to think that Inko heard everything.He hoped she didn't.“...So… What now?”“Tomorrow, you’ll go through a psychiatric evaluation. Later, you’ll have to give your statement to the police about the past four years and last night, but that is not a pressing matter,” Shouta added when he noticed the kid tremble. “For now, your mother is here so you’ll get time with her before anything happens.”Shouta decided it was a good time, leaving Midoriya by himself for a moment as he stood up and stuck his head out and gestured for Midoriya Inko to come.The woman, wide eyed with hands clasped over her mouth, rushed to him. She probably realized Midoriya was awake by the noises. He looked back inside and saw Midoriya bent down on the bed, shaking.Crap.He immediately sat back down and placed a hand on the child’s back, gaining his attention.“Midoriya.”The small head snapped up. Shouta gestured to Inko and the kid followed his hand to her, eyes growing wider and wider until they resembled plates. Shouta stood up and let the woman take his place.At first, she fidgeted, her eyes hidden from Shouta but he figured she was crying from the sniffling. Midoriya, as well, looked like he was on the verge of crying as he extended his hands to her. Inko’s breath hitched. “Izuku… is it really you?”The kid nodded and let a small whimper out, his composure breaking. Inko cried and flew into his arms, startling Shouta into reaching out to stop her but Midoriya seemed to reicoprate the action and clung to her, body shaking and whimpering muffled.Shouta stepped back, taking in the happy reunion for a moment before turning and leaving the room.He was no longer needed.Mi… Izuku would be fine. Fin.