Author Note:
Sorry for the wait. I got caught up with work and school, So I haven't had much time to work on the chapter. I'm trying to maintain a schedule so I can regularly upload chapters. Sadly with the stuff happening in my daily life I can't promise that right now. But once I get that sorted out, I promise I'll maintain a more consistent schedule.
With that out of the way, Please enjoy the chapter
Pov: Issei Hyoudou
Turns out, Izuku couldn't be much help.
After his declaration on the street, I continued questioning him for answers. Sadly everything he told me was stuff I already knew, Or was completely useless to me.
He was, however, able to show me the way to a working payphone, I'm hoping I'll be able to contact my parents directly. So not all hope is lost, He even offered to spot me the cash.
Unfortunately, the payphone is a good distance away, so in an attempt to drive away the boredom, I decided to spark up some small talk.
"So who's your favorite superhero "
Honestly, Small talk wasn't my thing. And I couldn't really rely on my previous conversations with Matsuda and Motohama to help. All we ever seemed to talk about, Was breasts and girls.
Not that I'm complaining mind you, It's just I can't really talk about boobs with a fourteen-year-old kid. So conversations-wise, All I had to go by was superheroes and video games.
While I pondered the moral dilemma that was my social circle, Izuku looked up from what he was doing and spoke.
" Favorite hero? That's an easy one. All Might "
Izuku spoke As if the answer was common knowledge. I should've guessed he was probably a fan of his, The guy seemed pretty popular.
Thinking that was the end of that conversation, I tried to come up with more topics. If only to keep the silence away for a few seconds longer. Only to be pleasantly surprised when Izuku opened his mouth.
"I'm not trying to say he's the only good hero around. It's just I've admired him since I was little"
Izuku's full attention was now on me.
Realizing this was my chance, I pressed on.
"So besides All Might, Are there any other heroes that caught your eye " Izuku was obviously invested in superheroes, So it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that he had other favorites besides All Might.
Izuku was momentarily taken aback by the question, which didn't last long, Since in the next second he was bursting with energy.
"Of Course. If you want to talk about popularity, Then you have to mention the number three hero, Hawks. His quirk Fierce wings, Gives him the ability to fly at high speeds, While individually controlling each feather"
To prove his point, He proceeds to shove his notebook in my face. On the pages, Were detailed descriptions, Of Hawks and his abilities. There was even a drawing of him, in what I'm guessing is his hero costume on the left.
"And you can't forget about the number four hero, Best Jeanist. His quirk Fiber Master, Allows him to control all clothing fibers. With this type of quirk, he can easily subdue any villain with ease "
Izuku practically had stars in his eyes. With each hero, Quickly came a rundown of his or her abilities, And how their quirks were best suited in certain situations. Most of it went over my head, I was just glad we weren't walking in silence.
Then, Without any warning, He clamped his mouth shut with his hands. Before I could even ask what was wrong, He started talking.
"Sorry," His voice came out barely above a whisper, If I wasn't paying attention I probably wouldn't have heard it ." I sometimes, Get carried away when it comes to pro heroes "
Quickly closing his eyes he tried to, Make himself seem as small as possible.
That's concerning. I don't think I'm scary enough to cause that kind of reaction, So if I'm not the cause of this, what is?
Scanning Izuku's body a second time, I try to look for any hints behind his behavior. Only to stop when I caught a glimpse of what looked like bruises beneath his uniform.
So there is his, Erratic behavior, Cleverly hidden bruises, And Izuku's little habit of going on tangents about superheroes. Add all that up, And you get a typical case of bullying. Actually, I take the last part back, Going by the burn mark on his shoulder this wasn't a standard case of middle school roughhousing.
You don't have a reaction like that for no reason, You only react like that, If you have a genuine reason to believe you're gonna get hurt.
That's the reason I always flinch when I see a shinai. But in my case, it's deserved, I know the risk of peeking at the kendo club, And I accept even if it means I get beaten within an inch of my life.
But Izuku, Doesn't deserve that kind of treatment. I may not have known him for long, But I know enough to realize he's a good kid. He went out of his way to help a total stranger like me, He didn't have to do that, He could have just kept walking like everyone else, And called it a day. But he didn't, He asked if I was okay. He was patient with me, Even when I was unloading question after question on him. Yeah, he may not have been able to answer a single one of them, But at least he tried, and that's what counts.
So when, I looked at the fragile, And scared boy in front of me, I knew right away what I had to do. Walking towards Izuku caused him to flinch back, But that didn't stop me from grabbing both his shoulders and twisting his body to face mine.
I didn't exactly have a speech prepared for moments like these. So instead, I just said the first thing that came to mind.
"I'm, Obsessed with women's breasts "
Just as the words left my mouth, I could see the fear in Izuku's eyes shift to full-blown confusion. Stunned by my sudden revelation, His brain only allowed him to make out one word.
"Huh"
Sadly for Izuku, I didn't allow him the chance to recover.
"Busts, Bosoms, Knockers, Jugs, Or even balloons. You can call them whatever you want, The fact remains, That I love them all the same "
Izuku's imitation of a human tomato was good. Maybe a little too good, I don't think humans should be that shade of red. Lucky for me there was no one else around to hear my little speech, If there was, I'm sure the cops would probably already be on their way.
"I have been in love with breasts since I was a kid. They are the reason I wake up every day, Cause I know deep in my heart, No matter how bad the day gets, There will always be a nice pair waiting for me when I get home "
"Wh...why, Are you telling me this " Izuku was now looking side to side. He was just now realizing that we were alone. Meaning he was stuck listening to what I had to say, whether he liked it or not.
"I'm telling you this because we are the same you and I. Both of us love something, So much we get constantly belittled because of it " That last part caused him to hang his head, But I won't allow him to wallow in self-pity.
"But that does not mean we stop, We don't let the hate get to us. Even if we are harassed, Beaten, And openly shunned by almost everyone we know "
Since he was looking at the ground, I couldn't tell what kind of face he was making. But going by the clenching of his fist, I could tell my words were having a reaction.
"We keep pursuing what makes us happy, Be it your love for everything heroic, Or my love for Bo..."
"Do you think a person can become a hero without a quirk"
Izuku abruptly shouted in the middle of my speech.
First off, Rude. Does he have any idea how long it took me to come up with this..., I'm actually making this up as I go, But that's not what matters, He could have at least let me finish, I was just about to get to the good part.
And second, How the hell am I supposed to answer that? I mean sure, I could name a few superheroes off the top of my head that don't have any powers. A certain caped crusader who likes to stalk city streets and punches the mentally ill. Comes to mind.
But those guys are either super smart, Or just stupidly rich, And ninety percent of the time they have both. And not to be mean, But with just one glance in his direction, Tells me Izuku isn't exactly rolling in cash.
But this question doesn't even make sense. I mean sure, Every kid wanted to be a superhero at one point in their childhood, But as they grow older they begin to realize that the dream, Of fighting against evil in tight spandex and flashy poses, is nothing but a figment of their imagination.
And yet, Here was this scrawny fourteen-year-old middle schooler, Who was probably getting bullied on a daily. He asked a guy he met on the street not even an hour ago if he could become a hero.
" I don't see why not "
Of course, I said yes, I mean how could I not?
It took a second for my words to sink in, It was as if he was so used to receiving one answer all his life, The thought never crossed his mind someone would actually say yes.
"Wha...what did you just say "
I could see the droplets of tears begin to hit the ground, I decided not to comment on that and answered his question.
"I believe that you could become a hero without a quirk. Now don't get me wrong, There's a lot you have to do before becoming a hero, Like getting fit. Not trying to be mean here man but you could use some meat on your bo"
It seems that Izuku has a knack for interrupting me. Although to be fair he didn't cut me off mid-sentence this time. Instead, the green hair missle that propelled itself into my stomach just knocked all the air out of my lungs.
Luckily for me, I didn't have to worry about standing up straight, Since Izuku was doing a pretty good job of that for the both of us. That and soaking my shirt with what I assume are fresh tears.
Not trying to be a buzz kill, but we couldn't really continue standing like this. Someone might get the wrong idea, And I kinda need to call my parents.
So with that, I slowly push Izuku off of me. It wasn't that hard, The kid barely had any muscle. Something that he would need to change if he wanted to take this whole hero thing of his seriously.
"Ok dude, Love the touching moment and all, But I still need you to guide me to the payphone remember?"
After five minutes of trying and somewhat succeeding in calming Izuku down, I managed to get him in a somewhat coherent state.
"Ok we're all good, Got all the tears out "
Izuku simply nodded his head in confirmation, I guess crying all those tears took a lot out of him. "Great, I need to hurry, I'm sure my mom is probably worried sick "
The rest of the walk was silent, But I didn't mind it so much this time. I was both mentally and physically exhausted from today's events. The endless walking, The spectacle from this morning, And now the emotional bomb that was Izuku.
All I wanted at this point was to hear the sound of my parent's voices, To assure them that I was alright and that I was trying to find a way home.
As we walked under a bridge, I began to imagine their voices scolding me for my recklessness .
Only for my pleasant daydreams to come to a halt, As a foul stench assaulted my nose.
Before I could even comment on the smell, Izuku stuttered out two words. Two words that froze me in place.
"A villain? "
.