Chapter Text
During most early mornings, there was a quote that always came to Kamui Woods as he got situated in the agency break room.
'A hero is a device for turning coffee into salvation.'
Even back in his training days, he didn't like it too much. It was overselling the importance of coffee to a degree that probably wasn't healthy for anyone involved.
That being said, those were the days that he didn't drink the dark liquid, and he didn't have to wake up at five in the morning to get ready for his shift. Not a situation that any hero should complain about mind you; early hours and late nights were the unspoken standard.
Next to him, the coffee machine chimed, and Kamui Woods could at long last take a long sip of the hot beverage. His tiredness remained, but that would change soon enough after getting a few more sips and a lap or two on record. He left the break room, and if he was being perfectly honest, nearly screamed at the sight in front of him.
Mt Lady was sitting there, in her hero uniform, at the edge of the mess hall, sipping at a cup of coffee just like he was. He glanced down to the coffee. Did Death Arms spike it without telling him? Shaking out that ridiculous notion, Kamui Woods cleared his throat.
Mt Lady didn't even flinch.
"Mt. Lady?" Kamui Woods asked.
Again, nothing.
He sighed.
"Yu?"
That apparently got something out of her, given how much she gripped her cup and glanced behind her. She tried to smile casually, waving him over.
"Heya Shinji! What are you doing here so late?" Yu asks.
"I have a shift in half an hour," Shinji said, taking a seat next to her, "You're the one that's here late."
She blinked, and looked up at the clock. If there was a light on, Shinji probably would've seen her go as red as some of those boys that followed Yu around while she was on the clock.
"Oh, haha, guess I am."
She took a sip of her coffee, gagging at the taste.
"Cold?" Shinji guessed.
"Yeah," she said, pushing the cup away like it was poisoned, "I swear that I made it… oh, never mind."
If it were any other situation, Shinji would've rolled his eyes and started down a lecture about his co-worker's behavior.
But this wasn't just any other situation.
"Something wrong, Yu?" he asked.
Yu blinked, the surprise clear on her face. Tired as she was, she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag with how obvious she made it look.
"I-I don't know what you're-"
"Yu," Shinji interrupted, voice firm, "It's almost six in the morning, you don't have a shift until ten and I wasn't expecting to see you on the field until eleven anyway. But here you are, in costume, all but waiting to go out."
He put his cup down, and took off his mask, it would only make this awkward.
"So what's going on?" he asked, waiting maybe a minute, watching Yu as she wrestled with some thoughts, the choice of telling him bouncing around that pretty little head of hers like a pinball machine.
Eventually, she sighed, running both of her hands over her face.
"You ever get hit with a secret that you don't know how to deal with?" she asked, "Like, someone you know has been keeping a secret from you and that secret makes you feel like you've walked in on something big?"
Shinji couldn't help but frown.
"I feel like there's a story behind this."
"You have no idea," Yu said, taking a long drink of her coffee, apparently not concerned with the taste anymore.
She downed it in one go, all but cracking the table as she slammed the cup back down.
"And that's the worst part, there's nothing that I can say that can make it sound normal! I can barely believe it myself, but it's the truth!"
She buried her head in her hands.
"I know it's true, but every sane voice in my head is telling me that it's impossible and I have no idea how to deal with it."
Shinji couldn't help but stare. What the hell did Yu learn? The curiosity was building but Shinji kept it in check. He shifted in his seat, his coffee completely forgotten, as was his tiredness.
"Well…" he started, "It depends."
Yu pulled her head away from her hands just enough so that Shinji could see her raise an eyebrow.
"Is this information something that's… a crime?"
Yu pursed her lips, and slowly shook her head in the negative. Not the reaction he would've liked, but at least it was something.
"And is it something that they've never told anyone else?"
Yu didn't say anything, eyes deep in thought. For a few seconds, Shinji thought that she might've fallen asleep. She went very still. Eventually, she nodded.
"Alright," he said, "Then I guess that you just need to find a way to deal with it, I suppose."
Yu rolled her eyes.
"Great advice."
"Well you're not giving me much to work with," Shinji said, "Not as if we all get great secrets dumped on us everyday."
"But you're supposed to give me some great advice in order to deal with this!" Yu yelled, making Shinji flinch in his seat.
She stopped, head meeting the table harder than she probably intended.
"Sorry, I'm…"
"Going through some stuff," Shinji said, taking another sip, "Don't worry, I can tell."
"I'd rather you weren't able to."
Shinji rolled his eyes.
"Yu, you can't expect answers to just fall into your lap. Life doesn't work like that."
Especially the life of a hero. Villains were the easy part of the job, worrying about those you protect, keeping your life in check, those were the true challenges. Almost every day Shinji found himself admiring All Might more and more for that reason. For the small amount of time he might spend on patrols, the man no doubt knew exactly how much he could help before he had to return to other matters.
If Shinji knew All Might's secret on how to choose those moments, he'd tell Yu.
For now however…
"And before you get any funny ideas," Shinji continued, "You can't just ignore it either."
"I knooow" Yu whined piteously, and she almost sounded like she was about to cry. He gently put a hand on her shoulder, softly urging her to look at him. When she did, he looked as sorry as he could ever be.
"Look," he said softly, "You don't solve problems by pretending they don't exist. But sometimes you don't need to come up with a magic fix either. So just start slow, think how you can help first and find a fix second."
Yu didn't meet his gaze, her entire body shivering.
"But what if I…"
Her voice trailed off, and Shinji slowly removed his hand.
"If something bad happens, I'll buy you a drink, and you'll deal with that too."
For what felt like an eternity, silence reigned between them. Yu didn't look at him, and Shinji just looked forward.
"Thanks," she whispered.
The edges of Shinji's lips curled upwards.
"Any time Yu."
(X)
It was a strange, hated sensation.
The feeling of being completely and utterly exhausted right down to the bone and being incapable of finding sleep
His brain was on fire, his bones felt like glass, the skin of his palms was red and peeling, while his fingers were twitching with splinters of pain between the joints.
Everything hurt.
Right now, if it meant he'd sleep through the whole of the goddamn school year and fail he would take it and call it a bargain if only he could sleep.
But try as he might, he couldn't, brain still turning and churning, with myriad thoughts.
He trailed his eyes towards his alarm clock.
Five AM.
He wanted to stay in bed, but he didn't see the point of it if he was just gonna keep tossing and turning.
Forcing himself to his feet, Katsuki hissed as a slow, rolling pain made itself known everywhere. He tried to growl but it came out as more of a groan.
He'd never taken a pain pill in his life. But right now he was really considering breaking his personal rule.
Forcing himself to his feet, he gripped the bed frame to steady himself as the world swam and flipped before righting itself again.
He didn't think that he'd ever been this tired in his life.
Marching to the bathroom he stepped into the shower, keeping the water cool. He didn't even want to think about heat right now.
He stayed under the water, eyes closed and trying to will himself to find sleep even with the shower beating down over his head.
When that obviously didn't work he shut off the valve, stepping out and changing clothes before brushing his teeth for the fifth time in as many hours. He could still taste the ash at the back of his throat.
When he finally emerged from his room, it was almost seven.
He had a short fuse most days, he could acknowledge that, but today the fuse was nonexistent. Something in his face must have said as much because everyone gave him a very wide berth as he glowered his way towards the mess while people were still just emerging from their rooms.
When he made it there, he was surprised to see it nearly empty. Clearly people were still sleeping in after last night. Not even Gang Orca was here.
'Nearly empty' however, was the operative word.
Pony was sitting at a table.
Well... sitting was a rather generous term, the Japanese American girl was half-sprawled over it, face on the cool metal, arms not even bothering to be used as a pillow. He may have thought she was asleep had her head been turned away, but given the fact that it wasn't and she was staring at him with the same set of bloodshot eyes he no doubt had, she rather obviously wasn't.
Her blink was slow, almost languid. Like her brain was trying to process what it was seeing and was having some trouble.
"You look like hell." She spoke in English.
He didn't have much of an answer for that. She looked just as bad, if not worse, but judging by his mother's example, that was the wrong answer and he was too tired to get into a shouting match right now.
"Hn." He grunted.
Turning and walking towards the coffee machine he got himself a full, steaming mug. Black, no cream or sugar.
It wouldn't help him sleep, but it might help him crash later.
Before long he was sitting across from her, drinking in silence.
He'd downed half the mug before she spoke, still not picking her face off the table.
"You think this firefighting thing happens often?" She asked in Japanese.
He shrugged. He hoped not. Give him a villain to punch any day over that hellhole.
"You thinkin' of quittin' because o' this or somethin?" He mumbled, softly.
She snorted. "No. It's just not something I ever thought about ya know? Like, we've all seen that video of All Might crawling outta a burning building with a buncha kids. But guy didn't look like he had a hair outta place. Whatever I imagined being a hero, it usually involved some villains and the occasional rescue. And whatever I imagined in those rescues didn't involve..." She trailed off. "Something like last night."
He could agree to that. He hadn't imagined last night either when he was a kid.
They fell into silence again, shorter this time, before she broke it.
"Kinda amazing when you think about it really." She yawned, finally deigning to pick her cheek off the metal, folding her arms under her to rest her chin over her wrists, staring at him with tired eyes.
"What is?" He answered, a little louder this time due to a little more energy from the caffeine, and tried not to cough as the taste of smoke and ash scratched at the back of his throat.
"We did this once and we look like hell warmed over." She smiled. "Those firefighter guys do it all the time, and most of 'em were either quirkless or had a quirk that wasn't made for their job."
He felt himself go perfectly still.
"People don't think about that." She continued, eyes closing as she placed her head back down onto the table. "The heroes with the big flashy quirks get the spotlight, but those firefighters are just as heroic. You don't see anyone ranking them in the Top Ten, or giving them sponsorships and stuff." She yawned again "Kinda sad really. Quirkless or not I still say they're heroes."
Bakugo's grip on the mug's ring handle was tight, and his coffee was ice cold by the time Pony woke up and he remembered the ability to move again.
(X)
'Hero Killer Behind Bars! Hero Team Up Bears Fruit!' said the headline on the news channel as it played in the dingy bar.
"With the capture of the Hero Killer known as Stain, there's a sense of relief going around Tokyo this morning." The talking head with the shitty turtleneck mused.
"Indeed. It's been a hectic couple of days here in Tokyo through combining the Hero Killer's defeat and the Hosu attack." The horn dude spoke. "Those responsible for the incident are still unidentified, so many people remain uneasy. With a known serial killer off the streets, it is a step in the right direction."
"Hehehe…" Tomura chuckled as he sat in the bar lounge, an open box of cold pizza to his right and a shot glass to his left. "Make all the kills you want, but we all know who the real deal is…" He said, glaring at the TV screen.
"One thing we should take from this is that the ones who brought him to justice were none other than a Team Up between Top Ten Heroes Edgeshot and Mirko. And yes, I mentioned Mirko and Team Up in the same sentence." Horn dude spoke as the slideshow covered pictures of the two heroes. A spiky-haired ninja dude and some hafu Brazilian mutt with rabbit ears.
"Various outlets tried to reach the Mirko Firm for comment, but have yet to receive a response." Turtleneck bitch spoke.
Horn Dude said some shit as Tomura downed his shot, feeling the burn of tequila as he shook his head. He held out his glass, and Kurogiri obliged in pouring him another. "Both pros were reportedly aided in the capture by interns, fresh from U.A. high!"
U.A.?
Fresh from there too?
"Wait a minute…"
Tomura reached into his pocket, and began to surf on social media for latest news on his phone. The news station wasn't showing their names, but people would have surely taken some pictures of Edgeshot and Mirko before and posted them on their feed. As he found the results...
"Those two?!" Tomura hissed, gripping the shot glass and disintegrating it in his grip before it could shatter and pierce his dried and chapped hand. The Spider and Green Hair in their Hero costumes appeared, patrolling alongside the rabbit and the ninja tryhard across the city. Kurogiri was silent, reaching into the cupboard for another one.
Tomura ground his teeth as he began to scratch his neck. Even though the bottomline had quotes and comments about the Hosu Massacre, the media had to focus on… those two of all people!
He helped them grow by letting Stain get away! If he had just killed the noseless fuck then and there… they wouldn't be getting this level of praise! He just gave them Experience Points!
"I wanted Stain to die… To fail. Fall flat on his face." He seethed. "But not like this!" To those fucking two no less! All Might at least would have been expected! But…
THOSE TWO!?
"A monkey's paw to be sure, Shigaraki." Kurogiri added, earning the burning red eyes of the teal-haired man. Playing jokes, huh?
"Shut it Kurogiri." He slumped, fingernails digging into his skin. "I wanna kill them next." His red eyes glared hard at the highlights of Midoriya patrolling with Edgeshot, and the American shitter with bunny bitch as he scrolled across his feed.
"The Master says the time isn't right." Kurogiri droned, his golden eyes narrowed. "As much as I wish to aid you Shigaraki, he desires to rebuild his reserves of Noumu. He is also aiming to build something for you as well, but again, much like in creating the Noumu from his sources, that takes time and patience."
The leader of the League of Villains breathed hard through his nose. Teacher said that they couldn't attack their families. Not yet unless he wanted every single hero in Japan bearing down on him at this stage. Or if he could pick them off one at a time…
"Grrr…" He growled, turning around in his chair, glowering at the screen. "I need to get party members." Tomura uttered out as he felt a shot glass touch his hand. He took it, guzzling down some tequila once more. "Then I can kill who I want, when I want, where I want…"
"The Master is working on an arrangement as we speak." Kurogiri responded, earning him the black-clothed man's glance. "He will inform us of his plans in time. For now, we wait."
"Waiting sucks." Tomura said, his hand going around his neck as he finished by his neck's side. Usually the wrist of his father would be there, touching his knuckles.
His anger began to bubble, an audible growl present as he took another shot, drowning it in an instant as he glared at the TV.
If only he could feel his father, crushing his face… if only that goddamn Midoriya hadn't taken him away! If only if only if only!
Tomura stewed and sulked, gnashing into another slice and chomping hard, trying his best to find the delight in the highlights of the people running from downtown Hosu and seeing the high death count in the several dozens. It worked… but the lack of his father's fingers on his face, and that train of thought always leading to them…
Those goddamn U.A. brats.
…
All Might's time would come.
But first, those little shits would get what they fucking deserved.
Either by his Noumu, his party members, or by his own bare hands.
(X)
Izuku took a deep breath, looking at what lay between his hands as he focused his glare at him.
No more protein bars. He's eaten enough of them to last a year and frankly? He was SICK of them.
Focus…
He opened his mouth and deposited the rice and meat, even as lightning emitted from his body.
The taste of the rice mixed in with spices and meats was as barebones as could be, usually reserved for fast food rice bowl places but this…
The hero in training cried, moaning in delight at the taste. Finally… something that wasn't made in a factory line! "I did iiiiiiit~" He whined as he slumped in his chair. Across from him, Edgeshot chuckled as he went about his breakfast.
"Now now. No need to cry. We can always go back to protein bars if the rice isn't to your liking." He said playfully. Izuku perked up and looked back at his bowl, remembering how he was able to distribute the control of his quirk.
The last several days after Stain's capture had been devoted entirely to training, one which Izuku could surmise as both a way for Edgeshot to have him focus on his quirk and as a quasi-punishment of sorts in going after Stain, which was understandable.
Combined with doing various chores around the Agency using his quirk, Izuku was able to have an easier time. Scrub the floor, wash paper dishes, dust, clean the car, you name it! Whenever he called upon One for All as well, he noticed that he moved faster than he did before, and had higher stamina. He surmised that his base must have grown in some way. Before coming here, calling upon his Quirk was limited only to the Five Percent of its maximum power. But now?
Without a doubt, the usage of constantly using his Quirk for mundane tasks allowed him to reach new heights, or rather, a new floor. If he had to guess… He was around Eight or Nine Percent now. Almost to ten, and reaching a huge stepping stone.
"What are you thinking about?" Edgeshot asked as he ate, making the boy perk up.
"Oh! Uh, nothing." Izuku replied as he resumed his meal, glowing as he got back to eating, focusing on keeping up the same level of power as he added more rice and meat.
"You've come a long way, Midoriya." Edgeshot mused as he ate from his own meal.
"Thank you, if not for you… I'm not sure where I would be to be honest," Izuku replied, looking to the side as he went for another bite.
"You have the brain of a flytrap, you'd have been fine," Izuku perked up.
"A… flytrap?"
"Yep. A sponge can take in a great many things, but..." Edgeshot lifted his finger-chopsticks as he mused. "Squeeze it, and the water goes out. The flytrap is sticky, and whatever latches on stays there." His one eye settled on the green-haired youth. "See where I'm going with this?"
"Yes!" Izuku nodded, beaming. "It's a really good analogy!"
The Ninja Hero chuckled to himself. "Well, I'm sure you can keep applying these lessons even at home. Doing so while in class might be too much of an endeavor, lest you break all your pencils and pens."
Izuku finished taking in another bite, thinking to himself. Yes, doing so at school would be troublesome. The only reasonable way to improve was to utilize his quirk when at home, or whenever a battle facility was available. Keeping up his quirk during Hero Exercises was key too, even when not engaging in anything physical but simply keeping it active should help raise his level of managing it and-
"You're mumbling again." Edgeshot spoke, and Izuku blanched.
"Sorry…" He said, his shoulders slumping as he looked to the side with a blush. Edgeshot laughed.
"You're fine, the fact that you're doing this shows you're taking this seriously. Now, go and finish breakfast using your quirk, then take a shower. If I recall, your train departs before noon, yes?"
Izuku lifted his head and nodded. "Yes, is… there any more to learn?" the Pro Hero shook his head.
"Always." He smiled. "But baby steps. For now just continue to apply what I have taught you here. Use this method, and your level of control will increase. And," Edgeshot smiled. "Learn from your experiences, and add that to yourself, so you can better yourself."
Izuku finished swallowing another bite from his rice bowl, this time with the egg attached as he heard his mentor's explanation. His explanation… Experiences.
He furrowed his brow, remembering that time days ago when he met All Might in the park… His words, what he could have done…
"Right." Izuku replied as he took a sip of tea.
Say…
Edgeshot looked at his watch that day before All Might got there. His eyes rose, seeing his watch. It was a smartwatch too.
Wait a minute… Izuku's eyes widened.
Did he… figure it out? Was Edgeshot aware of All Might's condition? What was-
"Well, look at the time." Edgeshot said aloud as his watch vibrated, looking at it. "I need to go over some proposals on how to improve the training area." He stood up. "You finish up and clear the dishes please. I'll see you out, Midoriya." He said with a smile as his eye crinkled.
"W-Wait, Edgeshot-sa-"
"Ta." Edgeshot cracked, zipping away at the speed of sound, leaving Izuku alone in the kitchen. The boy looked at his meal and sighed.
He finished his breakfast and cleaned up the bowls before going up to his room. He checked in on his charging phone, seeing his messages.
There was a text from his mother, and Izuku bit his lip. After his shower he'd call her to inform her of his train schedule, and to ease her worries about the Stain Capture again.
(X)
"Hup!" Momo grunted out as she poked and thrust out her custom wooden shaft. A blade formed at the end as the image of the bokken handle as she swung her sword. Then from her open palm, a can of mace appeared and she sprayed in the general direction once. She promptly tossed it aside as she gripped her sword again, swinging each time. Each motion of her swing conjured a new blade to sprout up from within the handle and pushed the other out as it clattered on the floor.
Her mind, solely focused on the creation of an item. Then following through on that motion. Then utilizing the item. All of it used within a second of each thought. She had done this process again and again, with each day her mind becoming ever more clear and empty, with nothing but the immediate action to take before her.
"That's enough." Musha said, and Momo relaxed. She looked to the side, seeing her armored mentor sitting on his knees as he observed her. He walked over, bending over and picking up one of the blades she had created, inspecting it.
Where he was sitting before was a robot that had two legs, and some kind of laser at the top. From Musha's gauntlet, a holographic visual could be seen.
She noticed his cheeks rise up in a small smile. "You've grown during your time here, Yaoyorozu. Your speed has improved."
Momo collected herself, wiping her brow clear of sweat as she stood up and bowed in respect. "I couldn't have done it without your guidance, Musha-san."
"Indeed." He turned off his display and crossed his arms. "I trust that you'll keep up this form of training when at U.A. or at home, yes? I understand that your quirk requires lipids and food to consume in order to function."
"I have the resources, it is of no concern."
"Good. I cannot wait to see how you perform in the future." Musha nodded as he touched down, picking up the speed radar robot. "Everything Hero Creati." He said with a nod as he stepped aside.
"Musha-san?"
"Apologies. I am going on a patrol and then attending a conference today, so this will be our last time seeing each other until the future." He bowed lightly. "Teaching you has been a rewarding experience, Creati."
Momo took a deep breath, then bowed respectfully in turn. "And learning from you was invaluable, Musha-san."
"Keep up the good work and your training, and before long, I have a feeling that you will take my place amongst the Top Ten." The busty brunette perked up as the old man chuckled. "Don't be so shocked. By the time you ascend and surpass my peak, I will be gone and forgotten, as all unneeded relics should be."
"T-There's no need to be so… ummm…" Momo didn't know how to react. He wanted her to surpass him now!
Well, pressure wasn't something new to her at this point in her life, but still…
"I have faith that you will. Don't be so hard on yourself, and believe." The old warrior mused. "Farewell." He got up and walked down the hallway, leaving Momo alone.
The girl sighed as she looked at the mess of blades she had created. Her limo was due to pick her up in a half-hour, so it was time to shower and clean up.
And with the sound of her stomach growling, have one more of those special shakes from the cafeteria to go.
After a nice shower, getting dressed, packed, and thanking the people she worked with for the past two weeks with a big to-go calorie shake in hand, Momo was outside of the Yoroi Musha Agency, walking to the curb as she saw her parents' limo. She saw the driver, an average height man with long bloodhound-like ears on his head bow.
"Yaoyorozu-san."
"Matou-san."
"Shall we return home?"
"Yes please." Momo let him handle her luggage as she got inside, closing the door as she looked out to the castle that had been her home for two weeks.
She opened her hand, and it glowed and from it instantly came a matryoshka doll. One of her favorite toys as a child and one of the earliest things she could create. Before, it took just under a second or so to conjure one, as it took little of her resources.
Now she could make one within the blink of an eye.
Smiling, she leaned back and looked up at the sunroof. She heard Matou settle in the driver's seat after she placed her bags in the trunk and started up the limousine, going onto the main road. Looking at her phone's map, it would take about an hour and change to get back home, what with Tokyo afternoon traffic and all. After that, she would return back to classes.
Hopefully everyone had a good time at their internships.
Oh...
"Iida…" Momo remembered his screams, his weeping when he was loaded onto the ambulance that night. She'd heard how downtown was a warzone too… it would take months to fix the area.
And honor the dead too.
'Hopefully Todoroki is okay.' She thought as she scrolled through her phone, seeing another news article title about the capture of the Hero Killer. The one's responsible for bringing him in were Edgeshot and Mirko? With help from their interns fresh from U.A.?
"Peter-san and Midoriya?" They had a hand in stopping Stain? The thought made the black-haired girl feel relieved. The murderer was off the streets now.
Hopefully Iida would be okay…
Tomorrow would be school, and this week should be the one before the Final Exams next week. In all likelihood, this week would probably be best used to study up.
She felt her phone ring as she saw who was calling her. Momo sighed a bit and answered. "Hello Mother."
"Momo. Matou informed me you're safe and on the way home. Do you have an ETA?"
"Two hours at most from my maps."
"I see. How was your internship under Yoroi Musha?"
"Fruitful, Mother."
"Good. I heard you were in Hosu the night of the attack." Momo heard her pause a bit. "How… are you holding up?"
"I am alright, Mother. I was with Musha-san the whole time."
"Were you hurt at all?"
"No, I'm fine."
A pause.
"You can talk to me. I've been in situations like those in the past before I met your father." She spoke. "If you wish to talk about anything about that day… I'm open."
…
"Thank you Mother, if I am troubled you will be the first to know."
"In any case, your father and I are going to a conference on I-Island this summer, in August." Momo perked up. "Do you have any… plans that month?"
"I do not." The girl was intrigued as she leaned forward.
"Well, we thought that we should bring you along. A… vacation of sorts. We haven't been on one together in a while." Maiya said on the other end. "While your father and I will be talking to others, you could go enjoy the island. They have quite the amusement park along with the I-Expo taking place during the conference we will be attending."
"Will you be able to have fun at the park and Expo too, Mother?"
There was silence on the other end.
"I… haven't been there in a while. They should have new attractions. We'll see Momo." Maiya replied. "There are also plenty of Inventors and Support Companies across the globe there, not to mention the best in the world in the Shield Foundation. I'll set you up for some meetings so you can demonstrate your quirk and potential as a hero. It pays to have connections and use them."
"I understand, thank you Mother." Silence reigned again for a moment.
"You're welcome. Your father and I will be out late again. We're in Osaka on our way back from Deika City in Aichi."
"From where?"
"A conversation with the head of a Civilian Quirk Support company. They have promise. We're thinking of becoming an Investor for Detnerat."
"That's good to hear."
There was silence again on the other end.
"Momo?"
"Yes Mother?" Momo asked, wondering what she was going to ask.
Silence again. "It's nothing. I'll see you tomorrow. If I remember, your syllabus states that your final exams are next week. Is that right?"
"Yes. I've been meaning to set up a study group with my classmates since before our Internships started." An idea popped up in Momo's head. "Mother, if it is at all possible, may I host the group at the house? We would use the library to focus on studying." But she didn't stop there, remembering her training with Musha as she looked behind her at the fading Edo Period Castle nestled between the skyscrapers. "I will also be using the backyard as a training ground of sorts too."
"Oh?"
Silence ensued at the other end.
"I…" Momo looked to the side. "Is that a problem?" She prayed not.
"No," Maiya toned. "Very well. Bring this study group of friends over. In a way, you teaching them is another form of study for yourself. You may use the credit card for ordering whatever food you like," There was silence on the other end, and Momo could hear Dad talking. "And… your father is proud of you."
Momo let out a soft laugh, smiling. "Thanks Dad."
"In any case, I will… keep in touch." Maiya uttered. "I'll see you tomorrow Momo."
"Goodbye mother. Dad." She hung up, and sighed. While resting after some training this morning to show how she improved before Musha was in the cards, Momo would need to make plans when she got home. Looking at her phone, she had the email sent to herself of the list she made as well. Patent attorneys not connected at all to her family in any way, but well known.
Still, this was how she can be the best hero-no. The best friend she could be.
(X)
Yagi Toshinori ran a hand over his face, his gaunt features feeling uncharacteristically more pronounced as he stared at the phone in front of him like it was the scariest villain that he'd ever seen in his life.
Quite the accomplishment considering the villains that tried to defeat the Symbol of Peace on a daily basis. Most of them paled in comparison to the being that he was planning on calling. The number was already on the machine, all that he needed to do was press the call button.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright Toshinori, you can do this, YOU ARE HERE MAKING A CALL LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" he declared, One for All elevating his stature till the fabric of the suit he was wearing screamed in protest.
And on the first ring, his form reverted back as the gravity of the situation hit him like a truck.
Oh, what was he doing!? This wasn't Toshinori trying to fight against a villain or saving a hostage, it was him trying to get advice on teaching for god's sake!
His old mentor would've kicked him through a wall for asking something so simple!
"Toshinori."
"S-sensei!" Toshinori declared, a small amount of blood rushing out of his mouth, "I'm glad to hear from you once again, but I have a request to make of you!"
There was a shuffle at the end of the line, as well as a groan.
"You don't have to shout Toshinori," the older hero complained.
Toshinori swallowed nervously, he probably could've held it back a little bit.
"Kinda surprised that I got your call," Gran Torino said after a pause. "How long has it been since we last talked?"
"Y-yes, I apologize for not talking to you sooner..." Toshinori said slowly, "But for now, I've called to ask for some… advice."
"...Advice?" The old man repeated.
"T-teaching advice," The skeletal blonde clarified.
He closed his eyes, and reflexively prepared himself for the verbal beatdown. A second passed, then two, yet the tongue-lashing that lived on as a phantom memory within Toshinori was as silent as his living counterpart.
The only thing that came was a gruff humph, and the sound of something shifting on the other end of the line.
"Took you long enough, the way that boy was throwing around One For All in the Sports Festival against Endeavor's boy was disgraceful."
There was that Detroit Smash to Toshinori's self-esteem that he remembered.
"Forgive me Sensei. I taught him as best I could, but I clearly failed in several areas!"
"Don't need to tell me that," The older hero said, "The way that he fought in the festival reminded me of you in your early days, without the backlash of course. Speaking of which, what were you thinking letting that boy fire off blasts at 100% without training him enough to withstand the backlash?"
Toshinori sighed, sitting down on the couch as he rubbed his forehead. "W-well, the two of us were on a time crunch-"
"That's not an excuse and you know it!" Torino barked, making the Symbol of Peace recoil as if the phone were a pit viper. "You should've walked him through the simple steps first, given him some way to get the fine control of One for All down before he broke every bone in his body! I'm almost certain that if you didn't have Chiyo patching those students up he'd be in the morgue by now! And bye bye One for All and everything Nana and the others before her died for!"
Toshinori swallowed nervously, a recent memory flashing through his head as he felt his heart clench.
"He's certainly taking after me, for better and for worse."
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
"... What did he do?"
News footage played like a reel in Yagi's mind. He sighed into the mic.
"I meant what I said when I said for better and for worse," he said, regrettably.
There was a pause.
"Talk to me, Toshinori. What did he do?"
Toshinori bit his lip, his dark and blue eyes looking to the side as he was unable to talk. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can I… talk to you about it later?"
Young Midoriya was a smart boy. He was an amazing learner, but unfortunately, he had incredibly poor taste in idols. It was a small miracle that he managed to get the internship of Edgeshot, hopefully there was something the ninja hero could pass on that had helped him in a way that Toshinori couldn't.
And even then, that was no excuse to stay complacent. Just like how he taught Young Midoriya that day in the park, he too must also learn from his mistakes.
Toshinori owed it to him and the other students within his class to be better. Because if someone thought that he was doing a good job with his students, there was a news story that he would have to show them.
"He'll certainly be your successor," Torino said.
Toshinori winced.
"But if that's where you're at, I can only assume that you need some pointers on how to go from here?"
"Yes, I'd be grateful for anything that you're willing to give me."
"Oh stop it, you're talking like I'm some wise sage," the old man grumbled, "I've just been around long enough, you know that."
Toshinori heard something shift on the other line, and then a page turned.
"Alright, I picked up from the gossip that he got Edgeshot as his mentor for his internship. If he was his intern, guess he was involved with Stain then."
"Quite the accomplishment for a first year," Toshinori commented with a small amount of pride and a larger amount of trepidation at that last line.
It wasn't just quite an accomplishment, and in fact, there was a not so insignificant part of Toshinori that was beaming with pride from the fact that four of his students managed to secure internships with the Top Ten. Most third years couldn't boast that feat. More than ever, it showed the potential within the class.
All the more reason to go beyond when gaining the tools needed to help them excel.
"Edgeshot will figure out something for the control," Torino continued, "But you got to find out what it is. Talk to the kid, figure out what he was taught from that young ninja and capitalize on it. Get him to push himself in ways that he needs to use what control methods that he's gained in order to get him through his school days."
"B-but the other students will notice if I favor Midoriya over them." The skeletal blonde frowned. "I was brought to U.A. to teach the next generation, not just Midoriya."
"There's plenty of ways to give the kid some experience without making it look like you're favoring him. And besides, I favored you when I was at U.A. back in the day on Nana's request. He has One for All, Toshinori. You can make exceptions." The rail-thin man looked up at the ceiling as he arched his neck. It was true in what he was saying… but he couldn't ignore everyone else! Young Kirishima. Young Yaoyorozu.
And especially Young Bakugo and Young Parker...
"How?"
"It's this rare idea called using your head, Toshinori."
Toshinori coughed up a bit of blood, but he couldn't blame his sickness. He'd walked right into that one.
"And one more thing, this is the most important part," Torino stressed, "Stop coddling those kids."
Toshinori nearly coughed up another fountain of blood.
"S-Sensei, you can't be serious."
"I'm dead serious," the older hero said through the phone, and the Symbol of Peace could feel his glare. "You need to act like me when I was training you before you graduated and went to America, you remember that, right?"
How could he forget? The training that Gran Torino put him through in those months could only be described as pure hell.
But there was no comparing the two situations. These students were in their first years, and he was in his Third Year training to fight… him.
Toshinori shook his head, ridding himself of the memory before it could envelope him.
"I-I'll try. I-I appreciate your advice Sensei, but isn't that too much?" He asked.
"Don't be fooled Toshinori, these are dark times. First the attack on the USJ, now Hosu. Situations are escalating and if you don't put those kids through hell to match that escalation, they're going to run into a situation they can't handle and you don't need me to tell you how that will go down."
Toshinori nodded, fighting down the feeling that came with the knowledge of exactly how that type of situation would go down.
"I'll do my best, thank you for the advice."
"Call if you need anything else, and before you go Toshinori…"
Toshinori raised an eyebrow at the way that his old mentor's voice trailed off. It almost sounded like.. He was sad.
"Something wrong Sensei?"
"... nothing, just an old man remembering things that didn't happen."
And with that vague answer, he hung up. Strange, but where was Toshinori to question the man? Heroes didn't live as long as him without being a little weird.
Hell, no one became a hero without being a little weird.
Either way, he was going to need to think on this. A lot.
(X)
The last of his gear was stuffed into the duffel bag with a grunt, the zipper closing after a bit of pressure and applied weight. Katsuki gave the room one last lookover to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, having already opened every drawer and checked between the mattress sheets just in case.
Nothing.
Nodding to himself once, the blonde bomber moved to heft the bag up and over his shoulder, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door of his room.
He turned. "Yeah?"
The door opened and one of Orca's sidekicks was there.
"Oh good, you're both still here!" The Scuba-suit wearing man exclaimed, and Katsuki could spy Tsunotori waiting out in the hallway, dressed to leave like he was.
"Come on!" The man cried. "Gang Orca needs you both quickly, won't take long."
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, curious and a little confused. The man hadn't tell them to gear up so it clearly wasn't an emergency, but if not that then what could Orca need them so urgently for?
He got up and marched out, tossing a look towards Pony with an eyebrow raised in puzzlement but got only a shrug in response. She apparently knew little more than he did.
They followed the sidekick down the halls, and he recognized the path as leading to Orca's office, seldom used in his experience, the Pro-Hero detested paperwork.
Katsuki felt his curiosity grow.
Finally, they reached the door, the sidekick stepping to the side and bowing lightly to the both of them before knocking.
"Come in."
The sidekick opened the door, the latch clicking as he turned the knob. When Katsuki moved to step through, he felt himself all but freeze at the door frame, Pony similarly stiffened in shock.
Orca was sitting at his desk, and in front of him, were four people.
Two he didn't know.
The girl and the boy he and Pony had pulled out of the fire, on the other hand he did recognize.
Orca's large eyes swiveled towards them. "Ahh, here they are."
The family turned at the sight of them, and the little girl, who he'd blasted out of the building with, let her face light up like a Christmas tree at the sight of him, tugging at her mother's hand.
"Tsunotori, Bakugo, this is the Hasegawa family. They have come to offer their personal thanks for your efforts."
It was the mother, a rather plump woman that stepped forward first, he expected a bow, perhaps a handshake and profuse thanks, but the lady, instantly started bawling her eyes out like Midoriya Inko would.
Unlike Midoriya Inko however, the woman was... tall. And strong. The 'hug' that the blubbering lady offered the both of them was downright crushing and Katsuki didn't know if this constituted the legal definition of an assault, which would allow him to defend himself. His spine certainly felt like he needed to fight back.
He saw Tsunotori awkwardly pat the lady on the back as she wheezed out pained comforts. "It's alright ma'am. No trouble."
The father was a laughably skinny guy next to his wife. And he joined in the efforts of trying to pry the lady off of the two would-be heroes in training.
Finally, after a handful of minutes in which the woman finally let them go, the conversation could continue, or rather begin.
The father, Mr. Hasegawa bowed low at the waist. "On behalf of my family, I can do nothing more than offer my most sincere and deepest gratitude for your actions. There is nothing I could ever do that would repay what we owe you."
"Oh, that's alright." Tsunotori said awkwardly, smiling with a tinge of nervousness.
"S'no problem." Katsuki felt himself mumble. This was... strange.
He was used to praise. He was used to adulation.
Gratitude, sincere and unfettered... it was beyond strange.
The woman kept sniffling, though her crying was quiet now.
The boy was younger than them, probably eleven, twelve at most, the little girl even younger than that. When the father urged them to give their thanks both children shuffled forward awkwardly and bowed to them, the boy was red-faced and blushing, and Tsunotori smiled as she bowed back.
Katsuki was too busy looking at everyone around the room to respond, at least until Tsunotori's hoofed foot kicked him soundly in the shin.
He grunted, glared at her and bowed stiffly to the girl.
She beamed, and then darted forward, hugging his legs tightly.
What the hell was with people and hugs today?
He looked down at the top of her head quietly. He felt a muscle in his jaw twitch.
"Don't stand there like a stiff board, you ass." Tsunotori hissed quietly beside him in English, probably as to not swear in front of the kids.
"Mind your own business." He snarled back in her tongue before reaching down to pat the girl on the head.
"She's grown a bit attached, I'm afraid." Mr. Hasegawa chuckled. "In her mind, you're the Number One Hero in the world."
For the second time in a single week, Bakugo forgot how to breathe, his hand going stiff and unmoving in the girl's hair. He looked down, seeing her look up at him.
The look in her eyes…
Was like his whenever he looked up at All Might.
"When I grow up! I-I wanna be like you, Bakugo-san!" She exclaimed.
His heart was clenched now, jaw unmoving as his eyes widened.
"Awwww that's so sweet." Pony smiled, sincerely at the child, before she turned her eyes over to him, becoming significantly more saccharine. "You've got your first fan!"
His teeth clenched so hard that he could have sworn they were about to chip as he ground out the words. "I. Will. Kill. You." Katsuki growled, unmoving. Pony did nothing but giggle in impish glee.
(X)
It was good to get into a routine again. Peter didn't know how much he missed it until he found himself with nothing to do.
At first he walked around the city, taking in the sights and just wasting time while Karen gave him little factoids about the places that he passed. He was thankful for her trying to fill the silence, but he felt guilty for not really listening to her most of the time. After the first day he made it a fact to go incognito in wearing shades and a breath mask. Being a brown-haired American foreign transfer student who won the Sports Festival made it hard to go about without being noticed.
How Mr. Stark got by with all this attention...
After the second day, Peter was strolling by a community center and found the place to get his hours. They needed a hand after all.
The proprietor was a kind man by the name of Kamikawa Hiroshi. They'd lost their janitor to retirement and several of their volunteers had to go elsewhere. When Peter revealed himself and offered his services and asked if he could check and log his hours to U.A. High, he was ecstatic for the help from the Sports Festival First Year Champion.
From that day on, from before opening the doors at six in the morning to closing at nine at night, Peter did his work around the Center. Karen memorized his notes, downloaded his class syllabus, and found material worth studying that she could drone in his ear. Two birds with one stone as he got acquainted with maintaining the few sanitation robots and went about cleaning each room of the center.
It was actually rather exciting to work on robots. Peter even did a little dumpster-diving outside of a mall and got some necessary parts to put some spring into their gears. He used his web shooters to propel him to the ceiling to access the hard to reach places to clean up as well, all while making sure the entire establishment was clean. Windows wiped. Floors mopped and vacuumed. The toilets were flushed. It was all a good distraction.
Then there were the daily events. Youth Sports Tournaments to Senior Bingo Nights to Auctions, Peter was around and incognito, ensuring the center was going well. He assisted the event managers and their assistants by setting up tables and preparing food. Everything and anything Kamikawa-san asked for, Peter did.
All the while Karen listed off in his ear on why the United States became fifty three states, bringing in Puerto Rico and finally the Bahamas and Virgin Islands. Fifty three just seemed… wrong.
His shift at the Community Center came to an end. Kamikawa-san was distressed when he told him that he was going back to school to focus on Final Exams and his Hero Course, and understood it. Peter made it a note to contact him whenever he found some free time to kill and wanted to help.
"And thus signed the Treaty of Luka in Cairo, Egypt, for the establishment of a new and updated Suez Canal between the United Kingdom and Egypt." Karen spoke in his ear as he walked into the door of his and Yu's flat.
"Got it. Treaty of Luka… Egypt… Cai-Oh!" Peter perked up, seeing Yu on the couch watching TV. "H-Hey Yu."
She turned towards him, and the blonde smiled.
"Heya Peter, how was the community center?"
"It's something," Peter answered with a shrug, "How about you? How was work?" Was it going to be the same old as before?
Yu rolled her eyes.
"Oh you know, more of the same petty thugs that think they can get away with anything because they have a cool quirk and think that no one is around."
Peter shrugged, throwing his stuff on the small bit of the counter that he'd long since claimed as his own. As he approached, Yu scooted to the side, letting him sink down on the couch next to her. He let out a small groan as he stretched, his tense muscles slowly unwinding. The TV was on the news, but neither of them really cared about what was being said. Standard weather report with a few crime watches, most of which was talking about All Might and his involvement.
"Let's talk," Yu said, swallowing.
"About what?" Peter asked, trying not to cringe. Trying to pretend.
He was good at pretending.
"About…" Yu paused, shifting in her seat. She took the remote from Peter's hand and shut off the TV. "... that thing you told me about."
He stared at the black screen of the TV, and shifted to the edge of the couch.
"About what?"
"About what?" Yu repeated in disbelief, "Peter, you... you basically told me that you died!
He winced.
"It's not like we can do anything about it."
She stood up, marching closer before kneeling in front of where he sat. Her eyes met his sternly.
"Peter. You talked to me about this. A few days ago, if you didn't feel yourself reaching the end of your rope then you wouldn't have talked at all. So don't pretend that you're "just fine" and that this is all just gonna blow over because you know it's not and I know enough to know it won't either."
She was right.
He knew she was right.
"What are you suggesting?" He asked, smiling weakly. "I don't think they make pills for this."
She flushed, embarrassed. "I... hadn't really thought of anything yet."
There was an awkward silence between them for a moment, though the awkwardness seemed to stem from her and her admission more than anything else. His smile was sad but understanding.
It had been a lot to take in.
Finally she snapped out of it, shaking her head. "Ok... let's. Go step by step. After Stain, what was it that bothered you the most that night, if you had to name one thing?"
He paused, thinking. It wasn't so long ago as for the memory to fade, but rather that there was so much he'd done wrong. He thought of Midori. Mirko's words.
"Putting others at risk?" It sounded like a question.
"Why did you put others at risk?" Peter looked in front of him.
"Because I went after Stain alone."
"And why did you feel like you had to do that?" Yu inquired, probing further.
He turned his eyes upwards to the ceiling. Thinking.
Self-evaluation was not an exercise he particularly enjoyed.
"I don't think... it's about me doing it that bothers me, Yu. I think I did the right thing. I think it's more about how I didn't even think about any of the risks. They didn't even factor in. I… did the right thing… the wrong way." He shrugged, letting it off his chest.
"Alright!" She exclaimed, and then hesitated. "So. You know what's bothering you the most so now you just need to figure out why-"
"I didn't think of the risks because I didn't want to." He said, guessing her train of thought as he spoke. "Because it's easier to not think about the possibility of dying when you've died once already."
There. He'd said it. He'd acknowledged the reality aloud.
She stopped, startled, and then her eyes grew incredibly sad. She seemed to deflate where she knelt before bringing her arms up to press her palms to her forehead, fingers gripping her hair. Peter felt guilty then and there, feeling his heart tighten up.
"I think I'm screwing this up." She murmured.
"I'm sorry." He meant it too.
She looked at him, their eyes meeting and the absurdity of their shared sentiments elicited a small laugh from the both of them.
"For what it's worth, I don't think you're messing things up." He reassured his guardian, putting a hand on her shoulder...
She snorted out a laugh. "Because clearly we're both experts, eh?"
There was another bout of silence, thick and pregnant with thoughts, though not as awkward as before.
Finally, she took a deep breath, bunching up her shoulders like she was gathering her nerves.
"Tell me something about your world."
He blinked, startled. "What?"
She looked a little sad. "I... don't really know how I can 'fix' this Peter. But maybe it'll help if you just talk about things. Good things. So every day I want you to tell me one good thing about what you remember from your world. Remembering the good might help you deal with the bad."
He smiled, shrugging. "Not sure how much I can say that you'll get. I don't think you've ever had a Philly cheesesteak."
The look on her face confirmed his suspicions.
She did understand one word there though.
"Cheesesteak… oh! I'm down for teppan!" Yu beamed. "I was thinking about going for sushi instead at this new place, but teppan? Absolutely!"
He chuckled. "You sure? I'm in a steak mood."
"Hmmm…" Yu put her finger to her chin in thought. She clapped her hands as Peter saw the metaphorical lightbulb turn on in her head. "I know a place that does both downtown!"
"Okay," Peter nodded as he got up and walked past the blonde woman, turning back and looking at her. He saw her go to her room on the other side of the flat. "Hey Yu?"
"Yeah?"
Peter gave a soft and warm smile, even with his eyes red and near the point of tears. "Thanks."
The curvy blonde gave the biggest grin. "It's what Big Sisters are for!" She said with a thumbs-up, going back to her room with a skip to her step. "We can ask them to put cheese on the steak too! I'll demand it!"
Peter laughed, and it felt good. "Sure. Let's do it!"
He closed the door leading to the bathroom and saw his reflection in the mirror. Saying the word from a simple streetside greasy cheesy meat sandwich, uttering that… Never felt so good.
He smiled, and got busy getting cleaned up. He had a Quasi-Cheesesteak Teppan Style with his name on it waiting downtown!