He came in late, nearly missed the train, spent most of the money he had for commuting, didn't pack a lunch and had to use the backup uniform he had stuffed away in his desk.
That was how his day started and it was proving to be worse since everyone in the office was staring at him and he knew exactly why. The marks of his neck were quite easy to see since his collar didn't go around up to his ears. His supervisor had mentioned it as a potential dress code violation, but let it pass so long as he covered it up come tomorrow.
Regardless there was still work to be done and numbers to crunch so Izuku threw himself into the task, blocking out the sneers, snickers and whispers of his coworkers like he learned to do in high school. Thankfully that had the side effect of having time zoom by and before long lunch rolled around. But he had no money on hand.
Sighing, Izuku sat at his table, instantly having vivid remenissions of last night. His gut still hurt like a son of a bitch and it looked more like an alarmingly sized bruise than actual skin, but he didn't regret it. Sure the pain blew and having to call her "Mommy" so many times that it might be permanently burned into his brain was uncomfortable, but damn did she look good in that dress.
He could still picture the look of her breasts and the flustered, debaucherous look on her face. Instantly he felt his blood rise and he exhaled like a bull as the sensations of that aftermath in her room came back. It was grand to hold her like that and be able to just please without restraint while she did the same for him. A finger traced the marks on his neck, hitting him with a quick shock of memory.
He may have not gotten exactly what he wanted at that moment, but he wanted it again. He needed it again and he was going to get it again. Because he needed her and she would always bargain with him.
Quick shame attacked him for only thinking about her in that light, but damn if she didn't fit perfectly into it. Himiko was a human being who helped him rebuild his life and actually made him grow a spine, if only because he wanted what she had. She was strong, confident, wise and more level headed then he'd ever be at this rate. Yet try as he might, Izuku couldn't divorce the two thoughts.
She was all those things yes, but she was also his first real case of physical, let alone sexual contact and he wanted more. That girl burned away the loneliness from him and she wouldn't leave so long as he kept giving her what she wanted. He twisted in his seat, anxious to get the rest of his shift over and return to her. Four more hours till he was able to see her again, just four more hours and then he wouldn't be alone.
His high was brought down however when his phone buzzed. It was his mother and she had sent him one text, which was considerate given that she knew his work schedule to a tee. Sighing he opened the message and scowled.
"Izuku, honey. I'm not mad about last night, it wasn't your fault. You were just in a bad situation with a damaged girl. Now I understand that I may have said some blunt things to your friend, but I only said them out of concern for your safety. She isn't completely mentally stable and you need to understand that if you still want to be around her. I won't forbid you from seeing her, you're an adult now and I can't do that. This is your choice so I will allow you to accept the consequences that follow."
She sent another message to make it manageable.
"That said, I'm worried you might be manipulated by that girl into doing very shameful things. I've worked with people like that before in my profession and they're usually not bad people, but the lifestyles they lead tend to leave scars upon the body and mind. I won't ask what happened when you left with her and I will always support you regardless of what you do. And if you ever need help I will always be there for you. But I ask that we meet up later after your shift to clear the waters, without her present. We can even go to the Mighty Bowl like when you were younger, my treat."
Izuku clicked his phone off and pocketed it. He loved his mother, but why...forget it. He had things to do that were more important than dealing with her. Besides having to explain everything that went on yesterday was not what he wanted to do ever.
Shaking his head, Izuku took note of the clock showing ten minutes left. He just wanted the day to end so he could move on, but he was foiled yet again by the arrival of Tensen, his red haired coworker. The man smiled with a hint of nervousness as he took a seat.
"So Midoriya, what's up with you man? Looks like you got busy last night, so what's the deal there?"
Izuku contemplated the question and shrugged.
"What I do outside of here is nothing of note. I simply spent my night as I saw fit. What about you?"
Tensen chuckled at the request and stared.
"Me? I just hung out with my little bro. Too bad I'm not a stud like you though, otherwise I'd be out painting the town every night."
Izuku sighed at his younger associate and stood up from his table.
"I appreciate the attempt, but truth be told, I'm going home."
With that the green haired man walked up inside his manager's office, filled out the proper form for a withdrawal of services and slashed off four hours of his PTO. Leaving the rest of the day to him as he walked out of the building and made his way to the metro.
He wanted to rush back over to her place as soon as humanly possible, but logically she'd likely be busy with work and his mother might be waiting at his apartment. He shuddered at the thought of being cornered after last night. So there was only a single place else he could go and it happened to be in the same direction.
The agency was empty this time of day, doubtlessly due to Sato making his rounds. Izuku slotted in his key and unlocked the door, waved his hero license in front of the scanner and made his way inside. It was quiet as Izuku's shoes tapped against the linoleum floors, taking in the orderly mess of things when he entered the main room which served as the gym. Moving to a hallway further down the left past the gym he saw four doors on either side of the twenty foot wide hall. On the right side was a door labeled "storage" while the door next to it read "Boss Man" in a wooden plaque bolted to the head.
To the left was much the same except with the non-storage room there was a wooden plaque reading "The Limit Breaker" bolted to the head of the door. Turning the knob, he entered the room to find the door hitting against a cheap framed twin mattress that looked brand new. The rest of the room was covered by drywall and illuminated by a lone light bulb dangling from the ceiling, casting a yellow glow when the switch was flipped on.
It was little more than ten feet across and wide, but the limited space was used effectively, with everything to a quarter desk, a folding chair, a radio and a squat dresser all packed inside while a single electrical outlet waited in the middle of the far wall. He supposed this was his new home for now, until he decided to return to the place he was paying rent for.
Shaking his head in dismay, Izuku shut the door and opened the dresser to swap out his work uniform for a yellow sweatshirt and shorts. He wasn't there right now so why dress like it? Izuku emerged from the closet with a sense of unknowing about himself. His time was his for the day and that was that. No boss demanding his performance, no mother expecting him to behave, it was literally just him and his thoughts in this empty place that was meant to provide justice.
Looking around, his eyes locked on to a heavy bag in the corner. All the paperwork for the agency was completed to an acceptable degree, so why not take a break? Chewing on the thought, Izuku motioned himself over to the bag stand and strapped on some gloves, pausing when he remembered to stretch. Cracking some stiff joints in the process, the quirkless sidekick squared up to the bag and threw a straight. The tension and twist put upon his torso from the act made him wince, but he didn't stop when the results from last night came back to haunt him.
Combo after combo followed as more punches were thrown that were soon laced with an intermingling of low kicks. There was a rhythm to the random madness of attacks which soon took on a life of their own which overcame Izuku's higher mind when he slipped into his thoughts.
He didn't know what to really make of himself now that his life was partly uprooted, yet was that really the case? Everyone in his generation had faced far worse loss and change in those chaotic days of anarchy from the war so why should a simple disagreement be the end of things? Izuku loved his mother, truly he did as any good son did to a mother who provided him with everything she could to ensure his success, but...goddamn was she a bitch.
Whenever they argue about anything from what he wore to his choice of college, she'd either bring up how hard she worked to get him the opportunity, insist that he was being foolish or some other little guilt trip. Then if he raised his voice or god forbid, actually got angry at what she wanted, she'd burst into tears.
He cringed at the memory while he delivered a jab to the punching bag.
There were hundreds of ruined clothes from how his mother would cling to him in her sobbing fits, anchoring herself like a lead weight. Hell, there were times she'd beg him not to leave the house so they could watch stupid soups or some other nonsense. Growing up it was another thing he was envious of Kacchan for. He could argue with his mother and not once did that blond asshole back down even when Aunt Mitsuki was a viper in comparison to his own mother.
Bakugou simply had more spine than him and that's why people loved him and instead belittled or set Izuku with the bitch work they didn't feel like. Ah, it didn't matter now. You can't change the past and at least he told his mother "no" for once. Or did he?
Looking back he wasn't really in control of anything and hadn't done anything of his own choice. No, Himiko simply came into his own home, decided what the future would hold for him right then and there and laid both the reality of the situation before laying the only two options he had. Thinking on the matter, he was almost certain the choice of staying to handle the fallout with his mother was null since something told him Himiko would have just dragged him out of there if he chose so.
Izuku pursed his lips when he heard his own voice coming back in his head. Of all the things to answer that demand, of the endless responses he had the option to give, he said, in front of his own mother no less, to this girl "Yes Mommy." He would rather explain how his belly got messed up to his mother than that. God, what was she thinking now? What did she think was going on in his life? Was she going to tell Aunt Mitsuki?
Christ, he despised the thought of Kacchan hearing about that. But...what did he really care about anybody's opinion? Katsuki already considered him and everybody else less than shit already so it was hard to get lower, yet what did the words of a ghost matter? Kacchan had no influence on his life anymore then All Might at this point.
They were both grown men with lives to live and frankly Izuk had far more important things to concern himself with then some distant monolith the people accepted as their abusive savior. His mother was one thing, but everybody else was practically null. They already thought him to be a worthless, pitiable cripple of man so why should he care? Of course he had his own moral compass, but nothing they did was anything to worry about.
She wanted to hit him and be called a name while he wanted to grope the hell out of her. Win-win for both of them. Besides that night, it was the most he ever got out of a few hours in any capacity. Fuck money, it hadn't done anything to make him happy, that stuff however...oh boy.
How long had he labored for simple paper that let him just survive? He sacrificed most of his youth to get nowhere other than a dead end job to afford a shitty apartment. That wasn't living, that wasn't using his time well. Thirty loomed over the horizon and in the span of a few months, he'd lived more than his teens and early twenties combined. Yet Himiko, that girl had really lived. She made something of her time and had adventures and memories to draw from while he had just that one night.
Sure her life was rough, anybody could see that, but she was somebody instead of a drone. In a weird way he felt jealous of how different in life experience they were. Maybe if he zigged instead of zagged then he could have a life like hers, maybe they could have even met earlier.
He halted his workout, feeling the sweat drip from his forehead and his lungs pumping for more oxygen.
Did he ever really want to be a villain? To break the laws of society and live freely and dangerously?
The idea had crossed his mind more than once in his youth as a fantasy where he was a dashing rogue who saved the helpless and outsmarted the authorities while giving them hints and clues to larger crimes he had found. It was romanticized fiction, he knew that, but it was a glance of total freedom. But the simple word, "Villain" had far more evil meaning behind it. There were monsters out there, even after the death of that white haired devil and being lumped into the same category as them...that was something his honor wouldn't have.
There was a twinge in his mind when that idea came, it made him consider something he hadn't.
What kind of villain was Himiko back in the day? To how he saw her, she wasn't an angel and possessed some bad qualities like everybody else, but he liked her. Yet people change if they encounter enough shit. He had no clue about her past and if he thought about it, he didn't want to know. She was one of the few good things he had and to have anything that might change that worried him.
Looking logically at what he has seen of her, she knew how to fight and knew how to use knives. Which if that was bad enough, she could read people like a book. To top it off, she had done a stint in Tartarus of all places. You don't end up in a hell like that for little stuff.
Izuku ran a hand over the spots on his neck, feeling the slight pain the tender skin made and shook his head when he took a seat next to the bag.
It didn't matter. It was all in the past and even if she did kill those heroes like she suggested, it was likely just business. She was in a trade that used life as a currency and heroes were the tender. It was over now and so long as she wasn't an utter devient before, then he could take in the good with the bad.
That said, what was next for them? Were they an item? Did she want to be one or was this just her way of thanking him? Izuku knew he wanted more from the woman yet he knew it was edged by a heavy desperation. She was good to him usually, but did he want Himiko or did he just want a girlfriend? The idea of being alone again struck him like a knife to the neck, but they had only known each other for months and she was the only choice he had for intimacy or connection.
Should he jump head into it? His emotions screamed "Yes! She's yours, take her! There isn't a reason to be afraid!" to a frightening degree. Yet he didn't want to impose himself on her, after all everybody else has left him before even if they liked him. Why put all his heart in one act that had the potential to ruin him? This thing they had was the only sort of "love", if that was even the appropriate word to use, he had.
Yes, he wanted to grab her and make his intention known, but his underbelly was shown as well. She liked him, that was plain to see, but would she want to be only his? He didn't think she was seeing anybody else, but Izuku knew there was an intensity to him when it came to this. Case and point, when he pictured her with somebody else, he could see himself maiming that man. He wanted to own the person was with in body and soul so he could give himself totally without worry.
Yet that idea scared him. Sure Himiko was...interesting, but she would surely be uneased at the devotion he wanted to give after knowing her for such a short time. He had no one else, so she had all the power and he would happily give that so long as it wasn't betrayed. Maybe he should start interacting with more women just in case.
He wouldn't give them the same level of interest and he dismissed the idea of handing over a drop of intimacy to them so long as there was the chance of something between him and Himiko. It was just...romantic networking. Gathering a phone number here and there in case his desire for her was rebuked. If she dismissed the thought entirely or just wanted only a physical relationship, then he'd rip it off like a band-aid and move on because he needed to.
He wasted his teens hoping Kacchan would see him as a friend and that was a fraction of the emotional intensity that would happen with a romantic relationship. He had wanted to stab Kacchan when he left him behind, he was ashamed to admit, but he came to terms with the fury inside him. He hated to think how he'd react if things went bad with her and there was nowhere else to turn.
Sometimes it scared him how badly he needed someone to be with him, either as friends or lovers.Yet all he'd known was loneliness and ostracisation so that's why he'd do anything for anyone who just tolerated his presence and said a kind word or two. He knew part of him was vindictive and vengeful, but deep down Izuku also knew that he wanted to give his soul to somebody and not have it crushed. He had done the same for All Might, he spent likely thousands on his merch, watched his shows, joined his fan club, gave everything he had even when the man hadn't known he existed. And he knew how that ended when they finally met.
It was the same pattern of attachment, worship and then being discarded every single time. He wanted to trust and love and give, but nobody wanted it. Sure, some had used the pretense to gain something from him like money or less work, but when he asked for something, even the tiniest return on affection *BAM* they left. Or even worse was when they berated him about it and wouldn't leave, seeing him as a golden goose to be choked again and again.
He sighed at the demons in his head and sipped on a bottle of water he plucked from a cooler. Why couldn't he move on from this shit like an actual adult? None of those people even remember him, so why not get with the program? Nobody was going to be an emotional sponge to make it all better, he was alone unless he gave something to the people so it was best to not get too attached.
Honestly, who would wanna spend their life with a person like him unless he had something of worth? Maybe if he was rich nobody would leave him. Ah, he didn't care anymore, if he was going to be alone soon then so be it. That was just the rule which governed his life.
Crumpling the now drained bottle Izuku stood up and moved to return to his workout, but he snapped his head to the right when he heard the door open. Coming down the hallway was Rikido Sato, dressed in his signature yellow jumpsuit, complete with yellow bulletproof plating bolted to the fabric that covered his legs, arms, chest, neck and groin. There was a reek of sweat coming off the man and he looked exhausted when he finally managed to step into the center room where the gym was. He jumped back with a start however when he saw someone standing in his agency.
Taking up a fighting stance the Sugar hero glared down at the wouldbe invader, only to blink in confusion when he saw Izuku's shocked expression which looked like a man caught with his pants down. The sidekick was the first to speak as he slowly regained his bearings.
"Uh...hey boss, hope you don't mind that I decided to drop by. The office let me out early so I thought I'd stop by to get some stuff done."
Rikido lowered his guard and let out an exhale of relief which doubled when Izuku offered him a water bottle, which was taken and drained in seconds.
"Y-Yeah, no problem mop head. It's good to see ya."
Izuku darted his eyes to the floor, feeling like he should be doing something right now.
"Sweet...so what can I help you with? The paperwork is all caught up and you don't have anything to turn in, so what can I do?"
The hero smiled at the question, lowering the latex hood over his head and collapsing in a folding chair set against the wall.
"Ah, don't worry about it bro. Right now I think we should relax, I know I am."
A shine came to his eyes as he leaned forward in the seat.
"Hey you up for some sparring today? We've been slacking off on that."
Izuku jerked back at the mere suggestion, adding more abuse to his belly. His arms shielded it like he was pregnant and had an undeniable fear in his green eyes.
"No...No thank you Sato. I managed to get in enough of that last night."
The brown haired man raised an eyebrow at his employee, then his eyes focused on Izuku's neck. He noticed the purple bruises that were no bigger than a person's mouth.
"Did that "friend" of yours do something last night?"
Words couldn't describe the amount of embarrassment Izuku was feeling at the moment. How in the hell did Sato instantly figure that out!? Then he realized that his neck was still visible. A hand clamped over the right side as Izuku fought down a blush.
"Y-Yeah...you could say that."
Before the hero could respond Izuku pursed his lips and continued, seeing as this guy was the only sort of outside opinion he could get.
"Hey boss let me ask you something, if you bring a girl to your house to meet your mother and the meeting goes bad and you say something in front of your mother that you really shouldn't have, what do you do afterwards?"
The Sugar Hero was silent for a minute as he contemplated the question.
"Depends on what ya said. What did you do, call her a bitch?"
Izuku chuckled nervously at that, wishing it was only that bad.
"I didn't say anything to my mom...it was what I said to my friend."
The eyebrow remained raised.
"How so?"
Izuku was quiet as he thought about it and fought down the shame.
"Well...my friend wanted to leave and she was taking me with her so-"
The stronger man raised up a hand as he cut in, interrupting the flow of the explanation.
"Hold up, she was taking you with her? Like she asked to leave too?"
Izuku shrank back at the question, feeling like he had when he was forced to explain to his mother how "those" websites showed up on his internet history when he was a teen.
"No...more like she grabbed me by the wrist and was dragging me out the door with her."
There was a more serious expression on the hulking crime fighter, like he was listening to what might be a domestic issue.
"What happened next?"
An answer didn't arrive thanks to Izuku grabbing another bottle of water to buy him time to think before he faced the hardlined brute.
"She slammed me against a wall when I asked her what was up, told me in no uncertain detail how my mother had insulted the both of us by asking questions she had no right to ask and trying to set me up in an arranged marriage with someone I didn't know. Then she gave me a signal that meant I was supposed to call her something."
Rikido nodded unbiasedly as he processed the information.
"What did you call her?"
Izuku wanted to swallow his own tongue and vanish, but he needed some advice from somebody that wouldn't negatively affect his life and this was it.
"Swear to me you won't say I'm a degenerate."
A white glove was raised in the air when the other man spoke with every bit of sincerity that he had.
"You have my word."
The green haired sidekick stared at his boss for what felt like forever before inhaling to calm himself. He was unsure of how this would sound or what light this would paint him in, but he needed to speak. Once more he looked to the person who was the closest thing he had to a friend now and kicking the reserve away from his brain, answered.
"I called her...Mommy. My mother was a few feet away and she heard me call this woman that and I said it because she wouldn't have come otherwise. I left with that girl right after, spent the night at her place and turned off my phone. So now I have no idea how to speak to my mother again because that'll lead to having to explain things and...honestly things have been weird between me and this girl so-"
Rikido held up a hand with a slight show of disgust hidden in his eyes that blended with concern and a certain masculine quality Izuku couldn't name.
"All right, you made it clear enough. I don't know exactly what's going on with you and this girl, whoever she is, but right now you need to decide what YOU want, not her or your mother. It's your life you gotta live through not them, so you gotta be upfront and honest to them, even if it hurts their feelings. If you have a thing for this girl and you mom disapproves then fuck her, it's your life. If this girl is directing your life and you don't like it, then tell her to fuck off."
He reclined in the chair and wore a more callous attitude about himself.
"Life is too short for that bullshit. You manage to take care of yourself without anybody else, that makes you the leader of your own life because if you're getting up everyday and facing the world then why the hell not? You earn that right to tell other people "No I'm not putting up with your bullshit anymore." If you're worried about upsetting your mom, don't be. Be honest about everything going on and then you'll see the choices you have to work with. If you wanna keep doing whatever with this chick, so long as you aren't two timing somebody else, then it's fine."
The giant eyed him a little more before getting up to grab a soda from the cooler.
"Best advice I can give you is to not care and just go for it. That being said, I gotta ask, what's the deal with you and this woman you prattle on so much about? Nobody who's just a friend is gonna demand you call her something like that."
Izuku raised his arms up in the air in exacerbation, looking like he was losing his mind.
"I don't know. I go to see her almost every other day, I cuddle up with her every time I do, she lets me play with her tits whenever I want and lately we've been sleeping in the same bed and I was a hair's breadth away from screwing her! But I don't know if she sees me as someone special or she's a girl who just does that!"
The anxiety began to spike and his whole body began tense.
"I mean fuck, I feel something for this girl, but I don't know if she feels the same way or if I want her as a person or I want the idea of her. I mean she's drop dead gorgeous and she's normally great company, she was the whole reason I even got the idea to apply here in the first place. Sure she's weird and might get off on beating the shit out of me, but I can look past that! The problem is that I have nobody else in case this goes bad and she rejects me and it's driving me nuts!"
There was a wave of nothing but white noise and silence as the two men stared at each other once the rant had ended. Izuku standing there wishing he could delete everything he just admitted. While Sato was like deer in headlights as he haphazardly held his pop with the most bewildered expression ever, made even worse by his cartoonishly oversized lips.
The standoff lasted for a few more seconds until Sato broke it.
"What was that bit about getting beat up?"
Izuku sighed, suddenly feeling tired at the world.
"She wanted to flog me for pulling into my bullshit and I let her. It wasn't abusive or anything like that since she explained, showed and demonstrated what would happen and even asked if I wanted to quit a few times. It hurt, like a lot and I really didn't enjoy it all that much, but I wanted to do something for her and get to feel her up afterwards."
He put a hand to his chin as the more analytical part of his brain began to work.
"Honestly it was fucking worth it with what happened afterwards and I'm tempted to go again, but I kinda...can't since my gut looks like a big purple bruise. I could tell she liked it, really liked it and I guess it made me happy that I was able to use myself to make her that happy, but I guess that isn't really healthy mentally speaking."
Rikido inhaled and exhaled deeply, taking in all the information and trying to find a way to navigate it.
"Buddy, I have no idea what the hell you're into, but personally speaking I think you might want to start looking for other women because this does not sound like a very good situation. You said it yourself that this chick is all you really have when it comes to friends and given what you said about her, I don't think that's a good thing. Look, how about we head down to Toshi's tonight and I'll introduce you to one of the chicks I know?"
Izuku groaned, putting a hand to his head. Sato was right, he needed to get out there and meet more people. It wasn't like he and Himiko were officially a thing...yet, so he may as well. Besides, she's likely tired of him being so needy...or alternatively she's anxiously waiting for him to get back so she could do god knows what to his body.
He didn't know if he liked that thought or not, so finding a possible partner elsewhere seemed logical. Besides, it was just to talk and have dinner, he wasn't going to plow this woman, whoever she was.
Turning to his boss he resigned himself to his fate.
"Alright, when should we go?"
The hero nodded in approval as he began to undo some of the jumpsuit while walking out of sight towards his office.
"Around six, till then just relax and maybe make sure you got enough cash, it's bad showing to not pay on the first date."
Nodding at the directions Izuku felt his jaw clench. This would be the first time he was introduced to a girl, who on top of everything, would likely be a heroine. Praying to the god of fortune, he hoped he wouldn't mess this up.
Time came and went in a flash as Izuku readied himself once he returned to his apartment and made the proper changes to his appearance. A shower did him a world of good, but he had to only put the water on his back because he actually shouted in pain when the pressurized water hit it. Otherwise he was as presentable as he possibly could be, granted Sato suggested he go casual when his corporate instinct was screaming to show up in a suit.
Jeans, red sneakers, a plain white tee and a heavy coat were his attire and when he marched up to the bar with his employer/wingman at his side and a heavy wallet in his back pocket, he tried to summon some courage when that door was behind them.
The floor was sparse as it rightly should be on a Monday, with a few people filling the tables and chairs, all of whom were heroes. Looking at it now, Izuku was amazed that some villain hadn't attacked this place before or at least set up bugging equipment to gather every ounce of insider information this place had to have. Then again, it was filled with heroes most days and ever since the war very few villains wished to test the patience of heroes en masse. The things that happened to the PLA soldiers and those that capitalized on the chaos was enough to run the point home.
Still he couldn't believe how much of a goldmine this place could be in the wrong hands. Heck, knowing how people worked there had to be other places like this where heroes gathered, even they needed to relax and let their guard down.
Shaking the thought away, Izuku flinched as Rikido grabbed the attention of one woman in the bar who immediately jumped out of her seat with a smile to greet them.
"Hey Riki, long time no see!"
The woman walked over and hugged the goliath like it was the first time they met in years. The first thing that stood out about the girl was her skin since it was a light pink. Her quirk clearly lent itself to heavy mutation as seen by the yellow horns, black and golden eyes along with the pink hair. Izuku knew who this was and to his surprise she was higher rank than most. The Corrosive Heroine: Acid Girl or Ashido Mina.
She was around the same height as him and her voice and general energy had a happy, bubbly, air headed quality about it. She was dressed in a traditional leopard print jacket and jeans that did well enough to cover her modesty while white sneakers completed the look. However, standing as close as he was now, Izuku noticed a heavy smell of alcohol coming from her.
Gazing back at the counter he saw a barely touched half glass of white liquor. "Vodka at best." He thought to himself before two hands grabbed his cheeks and smoothed his face.
"Hey Riki, is he the smart guy you kept talking about? He doesn't look that bad now that I'm seeing him."
Blinking at his current situation, Izuku cleared his throat as his boss was about to introduce him, making sure that the hands were pulled away first.
"Izuku Midoriya at your service ma'am. I go by The Limit Breaker when on duty."
He extended a hand to the heroine, only for her to stare at it. Her cheeks expanded a bit as she tried to contain a laugh, but ultimately failed when she let out an admittedly adorable laugh.
"Holy shit, you sound just like Iida. How have you two not met yet?"
She continued to laugh before eventually regained her composure, meeting the hand and shaking it.
"Sorry about that, Mina Ashido at your service. I go by Acid Girl, it used to be Pinkie, but I had changed once the Calamity was over. Anyway, Sugarboy told me about you, he said you're quirkless."
Izuku glared at the woman, ready to turn right around if she dared to give him shit for that.
"Yes I am, what of it? I was born with a disadvantage and I refuse to let that define who I am. People need help so I do as much as I can because it's the proper way to live."
There came a shine in her eyes at that.
"That's so cool! So what made you want to be a hero in the first place? I honestly thought most quirkless people go straight for the vigilante route since people usually frown at them joining the ranks."
He shrugged, knowing the discrimination that folk like him face all too well.
"All Might inspired me ever since I was little. Admittedly I gave up on the dream for a while until a friend told me to go for it anyways. What about you?"
Mina giggled a little at his question, looking honestly flattered by his interest.
"Action movies were my thing. Growing up I watched tons of bad flicks from back in the pre-emergence days and over time I decided that maybe I could save the day like Rambo or Ripley."
Izuku mockingly raised an eyebrow.
"Did you expect explosions to be an average part of the job?"
She laughed again, waving a hand at him as if to ask him to jokingly stop.
"Maybe, but working with Bakugou like I used to kinda put a damper on the desire to be around things that go boom. I still got ringing in my ears from him."
Izuku smirked at that.
"Oh boy, tell me about it. Last time he showed up to do anything he managed to blow up a whole building in the process. I can't imagine a guy like that being pleasant to work with."
The mutant continued to wave her hand as a smile creeped up on her.
"Oh you have no idea. He was such an arrogant, narcissistic asshole who thought he was the top of the walk just because he had a good quirk. Honestly I never knew what Uraraka and Kiri boy ever saw in him. Though I guess they did do the right thing when they stepped in after Mineta started to kick his ass. Who woulda thought those balls of his would work so well against heat? Then again nobody really stepped in after Bakugo made that comment about Shoto's mama to be fair and that was a hell of a beat down.
She blinked upon realizing she was getting lost in old memories, evident by the confused expression on Izuku's face. Putting a hand to his shoulder apologetically, she gestured to the counter.
"Sorry about that, I tend to go on about history. How about we get acquainted over a few drinks? I'll buy the first round."
Izuku stole a glance at Rikido, who was pleased with how things were turning and offered a thumbs up as he left the bar, leaving them to their devices. Looking at the woman he shrugged, why not?
"Sure, but just to warn you I'm a lightweight."
A punch landed lightly on his arm when she nudged him towards the counter.
"Ah don't worry Tiger, we'll take it slow for now. Anyway, the booze aside, what do ya do for fun?"
Taking a seat at a stool next to her Izuku mused on it as he signaled for a beer.
"As of this moment? Hero work. It's only a part time commitment right now...which consists of the same thing I do with my regular job, but it gives me a break from the 9 to 5."
The woman shook her head while she took a sip from a fresh half glass of whisky.
"Dang dude, we gotta get you a hobby. Hero work is damn stressful on the worst of days, I deal with it through break dancing and yoga. Used to do a little amateur film work but...that's behind me now. What do ya like to do?"
Izuku shrugged as he took a sip of the bitter drink.
"I don't know honestly. All I've ever really done is work, sure I like the typical normal stuff, books, movies, flims but I don't do anything that sings to my soul, you know?"
Mina smiled at him while she tipped the glass.
"That's a really beautiful way to put it. Maybe I can help ya find that thing that makes the soul sing? Ain't like I got a lot of other things going on since Kiri left for the States."
He squinted at her words.
"I'm sorry, who?"
A look of embarrassment came over the girl before it became one of melancholy.
"My old boyfriend Kirishima, you'd probably know him better as Red Riot. We were together ever since the seventh grade and...one day he told me he had enough. Packed up his stuff and left for the US the same day. I don't blame him though, I was a hellion with how often I jumped him and kept fighting with Bakugou. Hell, that fucker probably was one of the main reasons why he left."
Izuku suddenly felt very uncomfortable at all of this. There was still clearly a lot of emotional attachment there to this person. He knew about Red Riot and knew the man was up standing in every regard as both a person and hero, but there was never any word on him being close to Kacchan.
Seeing his expression Mina pursed her lips in apology.
"Sorry, it isn't you. I just get wrapped up in the past often and he was always a big part of it."
The green haired man chuckled nervously at her, hoping to figure out some way to change her mood.
"Hey, that's fine to dwell on the past, who doesn't from time to time? But I've learned one thing in life and it's that you gotta keep moving forward no matter what. Because no matter how great the past was there's no reason the future can't be even greater. I mean I never would have thought I would have ever entered the hero industry and look at me now."
The heroine studied him for a moment after she heard that, a small smile growing on her lips.
"You're right, I guess the future will be bright. Though with a guy like you I'm interested to know what traps you at times, you seem so...put together."
Izuku gave another shrug as his drink started to sweat.
"It isn't anything major, just some bullying from when I was a kid."
A scowl crossed the mutant's face when she heard him.
"That sucks, kids can be so cruel at times. Mind if I ask what happened?"
The man rolled his shoulders to get a *pop* out of them when he thought back on his past.
"Nothing big. Some beatings, some name calling. The usual stuff."
Concern played out on Mina's face as she leaned over and put a hand to his arm.
"That isn't normal. Nobody should be treated like that ever."
Izuku regarded her casually when he took a swig from the bottle.
"It just happens to people like me. I get burned and beat and abandoned because of what I am, there's no changing the hearts of people and... pardon the crude language right now, but "If you look like a pussy, they're gonna fuck you."
He continued as a thought came to him.
"I mean think about it like this, the whole reason you're able to be such a good hero is because you have a powerful ability that you mastered. I couldn't do the things you do because I can't make acid out of my sweat, so I'm stuck playing second fiddle to the lowest ranking hero and I'm grateful for it. Sato's a great guy and I own him a lot, but it still stands that if you have the ability to dominate the will of others through force or cunning then the world opens up to you."
Izuku tapped the area around the middle of his back.
"That's why the guy who burned my skin off and told me to jump off a roof so I can get a quirk in my next life is successful in a way I never can be. People overlook his nastiness because he can get results and he has power ingrained in his DNA. He gets away with stuff while others don't because he simply has more value as a human being to society."
Mina said nothing at all when he finished, instead she latched on to his arm, pulling him close and gripping both of his arms once he was fully facing her. There wasn't an exact way to describe the emotion on her face. Disgust, horror, anger, pity, worry and more flashed through those golden pupils and it showed in her voice as if imploring him to believe.
She stared right into his green eyes and made sure to speak clearly.
"You have value Midoriya, regardless of whatever loser made you think otherwise. You're a human being just like everyone so you deserve love and respect. Riki said so many great things about you and he showed us some of your notebooks. You're a genius when it comes to understanding quirks and nobody can take that from you, understand?"
A mix between a tremble and a scoff came to his body as he gently removed her hands.
"If you insist. Now it's been great talking really, but I need to get going. Home's an hour away and I got to work in the morning."
The mutant stared at him a little while longer before she pulled out a pen and paper. Hastily she scribbled something on it and handed it to him.
"Here's my digits in case you need to talk. I...really had fun chatting, you think maybe we could meet up again sometime?"
Taking the paper Izuku shrugged as it was folded into his pocket. He took the pad and wrote down his own number for courtesy sake.
"I wouldn't mind that actually. I just probably won't be able to get back to you right on the dot since my job eats up most of my time. That being said, I'll try to hit you up Friday, if that works for you."
Mina nodded with a slight, relieved smile.
"Sure, and Midoriya?"
He raised an eyebrow at her again.
"Yeah?"
A soft, understanding kindness nested deep in her eyes.
"If you ever need to talk about anything whenever, I'm here."
Izuku returned the smile in full.
"Thanks Ashido."
That exchange lingered in Izuku's mind while he held onto the railing of the cart. Little more than an hour had passed and he was close to home, but he couldn't stop thinking about how fortunate he was to have met someone so nice. Ashido knew he was quirkless and instead of pitying him or thinking him as lesser, she found his determination impressive and worthy of praise.
It was like he said, the future always had the potential to be better than the present. Still his mind was brought back to Himiko, it was late now, too late for him to stop by and to his shame he hadn't bothered to drop a message since he killed his phone to stop his mother from contacting him. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset about him ghosting her for a day. He already felt bad enough about it, but she was infinitely stronger than him so it probably shouldn't be enough to leave her phased.
He'll just call in tomorrow after work and let her...do whatever weird shit she wanted to make them even.
After a few more minutes of commuting once the train had pulled into his stop, he arrived at his apartment complex. It was dull and shitty as ever, but right now he wanted to get inside his home and gather his thoughts before the next day began.
Yet as he approached the floor of his apartment, his nostrils were assaulted by the stink of both an unwashed body and strong booze which only got stronger the closer he got to his apartment. The reason for this would become self apparent when he saw someone squatting to the right side of his front door with a very large paper bagged bottle of something.
They were dressed in a long brown overcoat flooded with little brown stains and he felt his breath flattened out of his lungs when the person's yellow cat-like eyes regarded him with venomous hate.
It was Himiko.
Izuku froze when they made eye contact and immediately she got to her feet, lurching from side to side in the unsteady walk of the drunk. Yet despite this there was still an edge to what she did and he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that this woman could still very well kill him if she wanted. There was a look of betrayal in her eyes, a look he knew well because he had that glint of raging, murderous hate before countless times. Her hand retreated into her coat pocket, but came out empty as it balled into a fist.
The words she used were slurred and sloppy, but not so much he couldn't make out what she was saying.
"W-Well, looks who fina-final came back home. You th-hought you could get rids of me lik-ke that? T-That yous can just feels me up and go? Welp, he-here's reality asshole, you still owe me-"
She paused when she took a step forward, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. Soon her face shifted to one of shock then to unrivaled, cold anger as her eyes narrowed, sobering her in the process.
"Why do you smell like perfume?"
It was clear, concise and to the point with a heavy underpinning of violence in the tone.
Izuku felt like a man about to be mauled and knowing what she could do with a knife, he didn't doubt it. Yet in a strange way he was glad to see her. Sucking in the voice telling him to run and never look back, the man placed a hand on her cheek and caressed it. This had no effect on lowering the sensation of homicidal rage burning from her, but it made him feel better.
Smiling like this was silly, he displayed his teeth and kept touching her.
"I was out meeting one of Sato's old friends from high school. It was just an introduction for work and maybe a little bit of social networking. We shared a few drinks, told stories and swapped numbers. That's it."
Slowly he put an arm around her torso and pulled her close with an earnest spark of relief at being in her presence again.
"I'm sorry I didn't call, but my mom kept blowing up my mobile so I turned it off a while ago. I just thought that after everything that happened last night, you would want a day to yourself to try and sort it out."
The murder left her eyes but the anger was still there in droves. Her hands grabbed his collar and pulled him down to where they were eye level. Her lips were torn back in a snarl with her fangs on full display.
Her voice was now loud and domineering, like a hammer made to smash anything in front of it rather than a lethally sharp and quiet blade.
"YOU WENT OUT WITH SOME WHORE WHILE I WAS STUCK WONDERING WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU!?"
His back was slammed into the wall when Himiko smashed his body into it repeatedly, still looking like a resident of hell.
"I WANTED TO TAKE IT SLOW AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO TO REPAY ME!? YOU TRY TO GET INTO THE PANTS OF SOME RANDOM GIRL WHO GIVES YOU THE TIME OF DAY!!"
A punch landed in his gut, the injuries of the previous night making it endlessly worse as he was kept up right by her holding him up.
"DID NOTHING I DO FOR YOU MATTER!? ALL THAT TIME, EFFORT AND ENERGY TO GET YOUR ASS SOMEWHERE JUST GONE IN THE DUST BECAUSE I REFUSED TO BE AN EASY LAY!?"
People were starting to come out of their apartments now, looking down the hallway at the scene. This was bad, very, very bad for them both. If this gets put online or worse, the police get called then he'd have to deal with a mark on his record and he didn't even wanna think about what would happen to Himiko. Quickly he turned away from the woman who was still shouting and punching at his back like she had been wronged in the worst way imaginable. Fumbling for his keys he opened the locks and swung the door open, grabbing her by the shirt and hauling her inside before shutting the door behind him.
More strikes came at his back as he turned around and attempted to calm this raging madwoman. Quickly he grabbed her arms and locked his hands over them, preventing her from doing any further damage to anything.
"Himiko calm down! It's alright, I'm here!"
She struggled like a wolf in a trap, but soon began to falter as her hands began to curl. Her steps were forward moving and before long she crashed into his chest. The volume, intensity and edge was gone from her voice, sounding more...broken as she gripped at the collar of his shirt like it was the only thing keeping her up.
"I'm...sorry."
He leaned in, not quite sure if he heard right from how quiet she got.
"What?"
Her arms wrapped around him, holding him in a death grip as if she was afraid he would vanish.
"I'm sorry that I'm not normal. I tried holding it in for so long, but I can't...I just can't. I love blood and seeing pain. I know it's wrong, but if I try to hold it in, it just gets worse. I know you can do better than me, that you deserve better than a freak like me…"
She dug her head into his chest and kept it there.
"That I'm a monster, but...please don't go."
There was a slight tremble to her now as Izuku held her to keep her from falling down. There was a sharp, ragged intake on air and soon there came a wet sensation gathering on his shirt.
Her voice was small and mousey as she held to him like he was a lifeline.
"I don't wanna be alone again and you...you're so good to me that I get worried when you aren't around and I love those quiet, soft moments where we hold each other and I'm grateful that you're willing to suffer for my sake. I adored it when you touched me in that bed, you made me feel loved and wanted and alive. I wanna feel that again with you any chance I can."
She clutched tighter at his shirt, tearing to tear it with her weight.
"I would have given it to you. I would have laid back and let you make me yours, I wanted to, I really did. But there's things about me, dark, dangerous, disgusting things that haunt me every waking hour and...I couldn't live with myself if my last shred of innocence was taken by someone who can't accept me forever. If I give that then I'll never let go and I don't wanna have my other half vanish."
A sob came out once more, choking her breath and making her wheeze. She couldn't stand up on her own now, evident as she fell to the floor with a soft *thump*. She closed her eyes and made herself into the fetal position, trying to shut the world out.
Izuku stared down at the girl before him and in that moment, he saw not a lethal master of life who had graciously allowed him into her domain of existence, but a scared, lonely woman who was reaching out to him the same way he had done to so many others.
Her voice echoed again before it melted into a wail of sorrow which grated his soul.
"Please don't go...I need you. You're all I have left in this world now since my family died. I...I…"
Izuku buried the emotions that told him to scoop her up and act as an over-inflated character of a hero. Instead he moved to the light switch for the living room, turned it off, flipped on his phone, set an alarm for seven and dropped to the floor next to her.
Carefully he nudged into her ear, letting his breath coil down as he caged her within his arms and kissed her neck only once to let her know he was there.
"It's alright Darling. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Just relax and listen to my heartbeat."
A hand reached out from her and firmly held his arm, clutching it like it was keeping her afloat.
"C...Can we just stay here?"
He nodded, running a hand down her cheek in the darkness and kissing her gently on the side until her trembling stopped.
"Of course. We can stay here as long as you want."
She calmed by a factor after hearing him. Nothing was said for a few minutes as they lay there, hearing only the breathing of each other. Then Himiko grabbed at his hand, squeezing it while her rough, calloused fingers rubbed against the skin.
"C...Can you turn over p-please? I need to hold you."
Izuku released his hold and flipped himself over on the floor from the left to the right, pulling her arms over his chest and wincing as both her arms and legs wrapped over him, putting pressure on his injured belly.
He reached out to grasp her hand, feeling her return it in kind. Izuku said nothing as he was subjected to her needs, but eventually he spoke up quietly.
"Himiko?"
She nuzzled her cheek on his face, the two of them nearly mounting sideways.
"Yeah?"
Carefully he moved her hand to his mouth and kissed the knuckles, caressing them like they meant the world to him.
"Can you suck on my neck for a while...and maybe run your hands through my hair again...please?"
He still sounded awkward requesting her attention, but he felt a lot more certain and forward about it and what he wanted. She didn't respond for a minute, content to just hold him for now.
"Sure...Can you suck on my tits again? I like that."
He stuck a hand down her shirt, feeling the soft warmth of her body and gradually started to remove her shirt while she handled her bra. Never once moving from the ground or really separating as they began to passively work on each other.
Izuku felt around until he found what was looking for, but elected to kiss her a few times on the front of the belly before working his way up while Himiko ran her fingers through his curls. Soon enough he was clamped down and she had done the same to the spot above his jugular, feeling the blood pass by as she sucked.
They both lacked the raw, frustration fueled drive of the previous night. That was still in the back of their minds like always, but as they lay there on the cold, hard floor with only each other for warmth, it was more communication oriented. A way of expressing "I want you to know I'm here and always will be."
As the minutes passed Izuku could feel the claw of sleep reaching over him and he welcomed it. He wanted nothing more than to slip into a beautiful slumber with this woman and he could tell the same was happening to her as the sucking on his neck slowed. He put a hand to her back, pushing her towards him and forcing some of her breast past his teeth in the process.
As he continued to passively suckle with his eyes growing heavier, Izuku realized something in the leaving parts of his conscious psyche before he slipped into the realm of the unconscious known as dreams.
It was that this woman meant more to him than he thought. She needed him, actually needed him, but he knew he needed to step back. He couldn't let his emotions run wild until he understood himself more and what he wanted, both from Himiko and his life. Yet a concept entered his mind, one that in the empty place of his mind, where the constructs of the personality fade away and only the barest most honest of thoughts presided, sounded like the most truthful thing he had ever heard.
He believed he loved this girl in some way and that he would kill anyone that wanted to take her away from him. Because she was worth it to him and he'd gut anything that tried to hurt her, regardless if he'd live or not.