Now that he's thinking about it, Izuku has never been to Tony's Pizzeria this early. It's around three o'clock in the afternoon, an hour or so before Kacchan gets out of school.
(He doesn't know why he's keeping tabs on his friend all of a sudden, but the bullies' words are still ringing in his ears, and he wants to make sure Kacchan is alright, even though he knows he most definitely is.
The explosive teen won't let anything get him down; a trait that Izuku both envies and hates at the same time.)
Izuku usually only goes to Tony's in the evening, when it's already dark outside and he's about to go on patrol or head home. But since he was passing by, he figured it was time to break that cycle.
While he waits for his order of one Dr. Pepper and a side of breadsticks, Izuku pulls out his damaged notebook, along with a brand new one he just bought at the department store after getting the supplies to fix his costume.
It comes with two pens and some sticky notes, making it perfect for his analyses. And what makes it even better is that it was only a few dollars! The manager had given him a discount since he apparently has a surplus of them in storage.
Izuku thinks it might also be because he looks a little homeless, but that's besides the point.
He opens both notebooks and sets them beside each other, comparing the pages. It's safe to say that his original journal is destroyed beyond repair—the paper has dried pretty much completely, leaving streaks of black and red ink from where he'd written notes and stuff. He can read a little bit of it, as the puddle had only been so deep, but his sketches are all mostly ruined, along with his analyses on the more recent pro heroes and villains.
It's a good thing he doesn't care much about those. He's already memorized everything in those sections, after all. Every time he studies a new person or group, the information gets lodged inside his brain. It's more like common knowledge to him now.
The only thing he's worried about is the notes he'd taken on himself. Or, more specifically, on his quirks. He's still adding on to those sections little by little, sometimes every day and sometimes every other day. It just depends on his findings.
The thing about his quirks is that he doesn't know everything about them yet, so he still has to have a base line down for them in his notebook. He can add on to them easily that way. That's why he's prioritizing copying those sections over from his old journal to his new one rather than his other, less important stuff.
He titles the notebook #15-2, in honor of its original, and doesn't waste any time in transferring the information. The only good thing about this is that he now has the chance to sort through his scribbled notes and make a more detailed, neater version. He uncaps his blue ballpoint pen and gets to work, humming under his breath.
Property of Midoriya Izuku. If found, please return to the nearest police station :)
That's all he's going to write on the first page. It's not like he's going to put down his phone number or address—what address, he thinks sourly, the abandoned building he's taken claim to?
Izuku has a criminal record, albeit not a violent one, so if he loses it and it gets turned in to a police station, it'll most likely come back around to Tsukauchi. The detective will hold it for him.
At least, Izuku thinks he will.
He makes sure to write in code in case someone gets their hands on it and plans to use this information against him. Other than that, it takes a relatively small amount of time for him to get through the different sections.
Ms. Hanako brings him his Dr. Pepper sometime in the middle of his furious jotting, and she doesn't look the least bit surprised at the cat bandaid on his forehead. She has the good sense not to mention it, and Izuku makes a mental note to give her a good tip (he'll just have to run fast so she doesn't try to give it back). Speaking of, how much money does he have left? He might just have to cash in his checks later on at the club.
But that's a matter for later. At the moment, Izuku is enjoying his soda and finishing his writing. The pen is smooth when he drags it on the paper, so he's having a little more fun than he probably should be.
Extract (main)
• requires both hands to activate; skin-to-skin contact only
• NOT A COPY QUIRK!! Affects are permanent—cannot give back or away
• mutation of parent's quirk (could one steal the other? if so, would it superimpose on itself? will add on this later)
• cons: painful on both sides, immoral; pros: could save a person dying due to own quirk
• ONLY USE ON VILLAINS AS A LAST RESORT
A little bare for his liking, but it's only a rough outline for now. He makes sure to leave a lot of room between sections.
Force
• exactly how it sounds; forced quirk activation
• requires only one hand on skin; can touch them briefly for it to work, no need to hold hand there
• can be used on two at once since it only needs one hand for each person, after that can attack others
• cannot control input or output; pushes victim(s) to the limit, sometimes to point of exhaustion or fainting
• cons: painful to use, uses a lot of energy; pros: quick way to get someone out of the fight
Deflect
• for lack of better terminology, a transparent shield
• could be better described as invisible glass; seems to shatter at around 350 pounds of force or pressure
• activated when arms are crossed in an x shape. must be held there.
• cons: limited time to hold it—max time is seven seconds, will cause bloody nose and chronic migraines; pros: good for defensive measures and blocking projectile attacks
Izuku hasn't trained with this quirk a lot. He's used it before as Rabbit, but only briefly and when it was dark, so no one could really see it. It was more of an instinctive thing than anything.
If he trains more with it, the boy is sure he'll be able to increase the time limit.
Boost
• basic enhancements
• provides incredible supply of energy, allowing increased strength, stamina, speed, and hearing. perhaps sight (will need to conduct a test)
• used on the daily, almost always active
• cons: higher metabolism means normal medicinal doses will need to be tripled, along with food consumption; pros: useful in nearly all situations, offensive and defensive, and also for escape
He's starting on the last section when Ms. Hanako comes back over and places two orders of breadsticks on the table. "Sorry for the wait, dearie. Oba burnt the first batch, which should frankly be impossible with the setup we have back there. He managed to do it, though, so here's an extra bag."
Izuku dips his head at her in thanks, suddenly struck with that same uncomfortably warm feeling he gets in his chest when people are being kind to him. "I appreciate it! Today's been rough."
The older lady nods, putting her hands on her hips. "Got a new journal, huh?"
"Ah, yeah. I kinda ruined the first one, but I don't mind."
"Hm." She looks like she doesn't believe him, but instead of calling him out on it, she pats him twice on the head and walks away. "If you need me, just holler."
He munches on the breadsticks, sprinkling them with an ungodly amount of parmesan cheese and dipping them in marinara as he continues his work.
Pull
• weak form of telekinesis
• allows objects to be pulled towards me as long as nothing is blocking its way
• to activate, hold out one palm, have the object in sight, and imagine an invisible string attaching to it.
• can control how much force/speed to pull at, however it requires more concentration
• cons: can only pull a max of 300 pounds; pros: beneficial in both long range and close range attacks
Now that he's finished with those sections, he can throw away his old notebook since he has no use for the old information. He can start anew with different theories and such in this one.
He makes sure to throw a few extra bills on the table before leaving, calling out a goodbye to Ms. Hanako and the only other person working. He's not full by any means, but at least the breadsticks will make sure he's not starving.
Izuku has a few choices. He can go home and get his dirty clothes to go to the nearest laundromat, or he can go home and get his Rabbit costume to get an early start to his patrol. He's a little calmer than before, thanks to the food and the easy note-taking, so either of those options would suffice.
Hm. He might as well do the cleaning today.
The air is cool outside. It may be the afternoon, close to evening, but it's not nearly as hot as it could be. The streets are bustling with people, some of them in suits and some of them in casual clothing. Izuku spots a few heroes in the crowds, too. They look like they're off duty.
He'll go by the house, drop of his stuff from the stores, and get his laundry to go out again and clean it.
People give him strange looks as he weaves through the crowds, but it doesn't really make him upset. Again, he's used to it.
It is kind of annoying, but what can you do about it?
Izuku pulls out his notebook and writes little stuff down along the way. He passes by a few undercover cops and heroes, which serves as perfect practice for him to try and get out a quick analysis on people before they can disappear.
It's more of a hobby now more than anything. Come to think of it, his note-taking is kind of stalker-ish.
He decides to go down the tunnel he takes sometimes on the way to his building. It offers him more privacy than the usual streets do, and it also helps Izuku with getting more ideas for weapons and support gear.
The bridge is quiet around this time—no cars or people passing by. It's nice.
And this is where Izuku makes mistake number one: he lets his guard down.
He's so focused on sketching a prototype of a bōstaff that doubles as a katana that he doesn't hear what's going on behind him until it's too late.
There's a shift in the air, and a squelching noise is heard a few yards back. Izuku whips around, only to freeze in his tracks at the sight before him.
A large, slimy creature is crawling out of the sewer hole, seemingly manifesting more of its sludge out of thin air. That must be a quirk, Izuku thinks quickly. Which means this is a villain.
His thinking is proven correct as a face appears in the middle of the sludge, along with sharp, jagged teeth that sends shivers down Izuku's spine.
"You'll make a perfect skinsuit for me to hide in, kid," the creature grounds out, voice watery and dark.
And the next moment happens too fast for Izuku to truly process. He just barely manages to dodge out of the way when the sludge makes a swipe at him. He doesn't get a chance to breathe, though, as sludge shoots from the body and wraps around him quicker than lightning. He's being pulled in before he can do anything about it, quickly being enveloped whole by the green and brown slime. His notebook and bag full of supplies fly out of his hand, landing somewhere out of view.
What in the ass is happening right now, oh fuck—
Izuku feels like he's floating. His body is being held up by the disgusting sludge, and it slides down his throat like cold lava. He gags, his lungs trying to draw in air, but it's no use. It clogs his ears and nose, cutting off his senses.
He feels like he's drowning. But it's weird, because he's also flying.
Izuku can barely hear what the villain is gloating about now. Something about how he has to leave soon, how he hadn't expected him to be in town. The boy wishes he could ask who he is.
He's choking, and it's slow and weightless, but his lungs burn so badly that he feels like he's dying. And for a moment, he wants to close his eyes, he wants to give up. He suddenly remembers what that bully said to him before fleeing out of the alley, and everything seems to hurt ten times worse.
Surely there's a reason the boy said what he did. A reason for why he brought something from their elementary school days back up. But Izuku can't really think of one with the way his brain is reacting in this situation.
Izuku is trying his best to move around and struggle enough for the villain to let him go, but he's completely surrounded. It's not warm and comforting and safe like you'd think slime would be—it's cold and scary, and it hurts.
Just like the words the bullies spewed at him.
He musters up the last bit of his strength, calling on all of his quirks to do something, anything against the goo suffocating him. Black dots edge into the corner of his vision, and it feels like his lungs are about to rip apart.
Wow, I'm really gonna die here. At the hands of this sewer rat.
Just as Izuku starts to think that it's all over, that he's about to become a suit for this crazy man, the cold suddenly vanishes, and Izuku is being dropped to the ground.
His vision blurs, and he swears he sees stars behind his eyelids as he lays on the grass, as still as death.
He doesn't bother getting up; his body is already trying to restore its reserves of energy, so he can't delay that. He should probably take a nap. Or would it be weird, seeing as he's literally in the middle of a pathway?
Eh. He's slept in worse places before. He may as well—
A hand starts lightly slapping his cheek, rapidly and in quick succession. A hushed voice reaches his ears, and it sounds a little rough around the edges—or maybe Izuku really is losing it.
"Hey, wake up! Hey!"
Izuku blinks against the sun in his eyes, staring at the shadowed figure above him. He frowns. Who the hell has awakened me from my slumber—?
"Hah! Thought I'd lost you there!"
Izuku's vision clears, and he promptly lets out the most ear-splitting screech. Because there's no fucking way that All Might is standing three feet away from him. His first thought is oh my god, it's All Might! And his second thought is oh, fuck, it's All Might!
Izuku knows exactly who this man is. He'd be living under a rock otherwise. This is the Symbol of Peace, the pillar of justice. But Izuku also knows who he is in relation to Father. He knows everything that the hero in front of him stands for.
Which means Izuku should leave. He shouldn't be here. If his father found out he'd gotten within even a mile from All Might, he'd be—
No.
It's been four years. Izuku needs to stop worrying about Hisashi and what he'll think. The man probably won't even find out.
Though Izuku doubts that.
"Oh, looks like you're moving around all right!" All Might says, and Izuku realizes that he's still screeching.
He cuts off abruptly, his terror fading away to be replaced with excitement. Two idols. He's met two of his idols in just the past couple weeks alone.
Izuku is about to have a stroke.
The boy looks around quickly, eyes scanning the ground. "I've gotta get an autograph, holy shit. Where's my notebook? My pen?"
Izuku grabs his discarded journal, only to see that it's already been flipped to a page, and—
The boy screams again, this time out of delight. All Might's signature is scrawled across two whole pages in black ink, something that Izuku never thought he would ever get the chance to have.
"All Might, sir, thank you so much! I—" Izuku looks up, only to trail off as he watches the man walk away, tightening the lid of a bottle stuffed in his cargo pants.
He must be keeping the villain in there. Interesting. So it really is like slime; you just gotta contain it.
"I must get going, my boy! Goodbye now!" The hero crouches down, as if preparing for a leap.
Oh, wait! No! I have to ask him something!
And this is mistake number two.
Izuku grabs onto his pant leg, not really thinking about the consequences of doing so, and then the world becomes a blur. It's not until a solid five seconds after does he realize that he's flying.
"Hey, hey, hey!" All Might's voice is nearly lost to the wind, but Izuku still manages to hear him. "What do you think you're doing? I love my fans, but this is too much!"
Izuku grips onto the man's leg tighter, hair whipping across his face as the hero tries to dislodge him. "No, wait, I can't let go now! We're flying—I might die!"
All Might pauses. "Oh, yes, that's a good point."
I do not want a repeat of the helicopter incident.
Izuku is frantically trying to explain that he has a question he wants to ask him over the wind when suddenly they touch down on a roof. Shaking slightly, Izuku looks toward the man, who's trying to make his escape yet again.
"All Might, sir, please! I need you to answer this one question! Just one, I promise—!"
A cloud of smoke greets him, revealing a tall, lanky man with blond hair and piercing eyes.
And that's not All Might.
Well, it is. It's just the man in his deflated form. Kind of like a balloon, if you think about it. That's how Father explained it to him, anyhow.
Hm. I'll call him Small Might.
It seems the man's time limit is getting even shorter with each passing day. Izuku doesn't think the hero would let everyone know his secret willingly, so this must've been an unhappy accident.
Oh. That must be why he tried to leave so quickly. Izuku is now a little less offended.
"You're not freaking out?" Small Might's astonished voice brings him out of his thoughts. "Why don't you look surprised?"
That's right. Izuku shouldn't know about this at all. He should at least act like he's shocked. Should he scream again? No, that'll look fake.
Honestly, fuck it. Izuku can just lie through his teeth like all the other times. He's incredibly done with this entire day, so this might as well just happen.
"I, uh, kinda guessed?" Izuku rubs the back of his head. "I'm a big fan, so I studied your moves and appearances and made the connection that you have some sort of time limit?"
Small Might's mouth drops open, blood spewing from between his teeth, and Izuku hurries to correct himself.
"I didn't know about your other form, exactly! It just seemed plausible!" He wrings his hands together, hoping he looks nervous enough to be believable.
Once the hero stops coughing up a scarlet waterfall, he gives Izuku a grim look. "My boy, you must know that this is a very important, dangerous secret. Have you told anyone else know about this?"
Izuku doesn't know why he feels a little insulted at the accusation. "Of course not! I would never, I promise! It would ruin the whole world if it got out."
He gets a small thank you from the number one, and after a few moments of awkward—well, probably awkward to Small Might, not so much to Izuku—silence, the man speaks up. "Now that you know, you might as well ask me your question, young man."
Izuku flushes. "Well, it's not really for me. It's for a friend of mine."
"Go on."
He takes a deep breath. Just go for it. What's the worst that can happen? Actually, don't answer that.
"He, uh, wanted to ask if it's possible for someone with a villain's quirk to become a hero."
There's a pause. "A villain's quirk?"
Izuku shuffles, gaze on his feet. He kicks some of the gravel below them. "Yes, sir. Like a quirk that's thought to be more useful for villains than heroes."
"Hm. That's an interesting question, indeed." Small Might clears his throat, and Izuku is suddenly aware how different his voice is in this form. How much lower. His hands itch for his notebook. "Why does your friend want to be a hero, might I ask?"
Just tell him the truth.
"To help people, I think? To be someone that the people can look up to and know that they're not in danger anymore."
Small Might studies him silently, his eyes glazing over briefly, seeming to think about something that Izuku is not privy to. "I believe anyone could be a hero if they tried hard enough. A quirk does not make you who you are."
Izuku's stomach does this weird, swooping thing that makes his heart jump out of his chest. Okay, that's better than he—
"However. It's very hard to deal with the discrimination that comes with villainous quirks. Sometimes it's better to just look into another profession." He tips his head in thought. "Like police work, or even a doctor. There are other ways to be a hero."
Oh. That makes more sense.
He's basically telling him to go for something easier.
"So, to answer your question. Yes, I do think it's possible. Though I do not think it should happen, as a lot of the time those aspiring heroes often face terrible struggles from those around them and from the inside. It'd be better if they went for something else, for everyone involved."
It's the way the man says they that has Izuku's mouth running dry. "Oh," he says quietly. "Okay."
Should I really be surprised?
He doesn't know how long he stands there, eyes focused on nothing, really, but when he comes to, All Might is gone. Just like that, leaving Izuku alone on the building's rooftop.
Izuku doesn't know what to think. He didn't expect any sort of real answer when he first asked the number one hero the question. But he also never thought he'd get this sort of a reaction.
He's right, though, isn't he? You've known it yourself, all this time. You just never wanted to admit it.
Something heavy settles in his stomach, making the boy regret eating those breadsticks. He wants to throw up.
Hearing those words from one of his idols? It's just strengthened the walls around his mind and heart.
He shouldn't care so much. Why is he so upset? And why is he so sad? So angry?
Izuku asked. All Might answered. So who's really at fault?
Great. He started out having a shitty day and had breadsticks to try and make it better, only to have those efforts ruined just a few minutes later. That's just his luck, right?
The walk home is short. It takes him only a few minutes to get there from where All Might left him. He retrieves the bag of supplies he left by the bridge and trudges up the ten flights of stairs—it's broad daylight; he can't climb up it.
He feels too upset to do laundry, so he just puts on his Rabbit costume and turns right back out the door.
You know what? Fuck All Might. Who needs that bitch.
Going on patrol makes everything better. He can forget everything for a few hours, at least.
That last part was a lie.
Izuku's fantastic luck strikes again only twenty minutes into his patrol.
By that point, he'd already stopped two muggings and helped an older man cross the street, so that's cool.
Now, however, he's gliding across rooftops and relishing in the feeling of cool air hitting his face.
There's commotion a little ways away. He extends his senses and finds a lot of quirks grouped together near an open alleyway, making him frown. A villain fight, huh?
It takes him less than a minute to have a bird's eye view of the scene. The first thing he notices is, well, the star of the show: the villain.
The villain that All Might should have brought to the fucking police station. The one that Izuku nearly suffocated in not even an hour ago.
That green and brown sludge is unmistakable. It's definitely the same guy.
All Might must have dropped it when he flew away. Or he lost it on the way to bringing it to the station.
Arrogant and stupid. That's what All Might is. Izuku is stupid too. He should've seen it. He should've known that the villain wouldn't give up so easily. He's been trained for this kind of stuff, and yet he still somehow missed it.
The second thing he notices is that quite a few heroes are already on the scene. Except they're not doing anything. The heroes are standing there. Does the villain have a hostage or something? Why are the heroes trying to keep back the press and civilians instead of trying to take down the fool and minimize property damage?
Aren't they going to help?
The idea of a hostage becomes a little more realistic as he catches sight of a figure near the front of the goo. Izuku hops onto the corner of the roof to get a better look.
And that's when he sees it; a tuft of spiky blond hair peeking out from the sludge, along with a familiar school-issued uniform.
Kacchan?
School's been out for half an hour. They're a few blocks away from the Bakugou household, which is around thirty minutes from Aldera Middle School.
The time stamps match up. It could very well be him. And the heroes still aren't doing anything.
Izuku is moving before he can stop himself, his muscles burning from the sudden use of his enhancements. Suspended in midair for a fraction of a second after his jump, Izuku hikes up his knee and digs a knife out of his boot.
His precision is deadly, and light reflects off polished metal as the blade soars through the air and hits the villain's exposed eye.
The sludge recedes briefly, just enough for Izuku to see more of Kacchan's body and skin.
The vigilante brings his leg down on an outer piece of the sludge, tearing a large chunk off of it and sending it far away from the villain's grasp.
He hits the ground running, hand already reaching for his friend's. Wide, panicked crimson eyes meet his, and Izuku yanks. Kacchan is almost fully out of the sludge now; his leg and torso are the only things still stuck.
Izuku rears back with a cry and aims another kick at its face, shoving the knife further into its eye.
The screech he gets in reply grates on his ears. He feels a tiny bit of satisfaction at the noise.
He uses Pull on his friend yet again, knowing that his back will obscure what his hands are doing from the cameras. Kacchan is jerked forward slightly, and he frantically lets off a few large explosions to try and break free the rest of the way.
What can I do, what can I do—
Izuku fumbles for the small grenade in his belt, nearly dropping it as he pulls the pin and chucks it at the far side of the villain, as far away from Kacchan as possible.
This grenade isn't like his pink bomb, which is made for detaining smaller criminals and heroes who are chasing him. No, this is the grenade that Izuku uses for the Big Boys.
This is his last one, too. It cost him a lot to make.
The sludge absorbs it immediately, as Izuku had hoped, and the boy can see the moment the villain realizes his mistake, as he lets out a frantic yell.
It's too late, though, as the sludge then implodes, effectively destroying the base and causing some of the goo to dissipate. Thank god for science.
Kacchan slips free, stumbling to the ground and coughing up black liquid. Izuku darts forward and tries to drag him away, only for a furious roar to make him look up.
The sludge has expanded to twice its original size, and it's now looming over the two boys, bearing down on them monstrously.
Oh, fuck. Please. I can't use any of my other quirks—
His desperation and fear wins over all his other emotions, and Izuku crouches down and throws his arms up in an x.
Deflect comes to him naturally, and Izuku waits for the blow, waits for the sludge to envelope them both. He's aware of the heroes and crowd screaming something behind him. They must've been screaming the entire time, he just never realized it.
The blow never comes.
The ground shakes. Izuku doesn't risk letting go of Deflect as a large shadow washes over them, and not even a moment later a familiar, booming voice shouts out, "Detroit Smash!"
All Might.
Izuku is left with a striking feeling of déjà vu as the sludge villain suddenly explodes into a million pieces, and it's only by instinct that he grabs Kacchan before they both go flying. The shockwave is large, and chunks of sludge smack Izuku in the face like the ultimate bitch slap. They both land with a thud on the concrete, rolling forward a few feet.
The boy covers Kacchan with his body until the wind dies down, and he can't help but sigh in relief at the realization that Kacchan is safe, he's not dead, thank god. He flops onto his back once the commotion dies down, stills a little dazed.
I lied, All Might. I do need you, holy shit. I fucking love you, dude. All homo.
His euphoria is interrupted by Kacchan socking him in the shoulder. "Why the hell did you do that?" The blond barks, eyes flaming. "We would've both been dead, dumbass!"
Izuku sits up and chuckles, making sure his mask and hood are still in place. The last thing I need is an impromptu face reveal.
"Glad you're still alive," he says quietly, making sure no one else can hear them.
"Shitty nerd, I'll kill you!" Kacchan reaches for him again, but Izuku dodges out of the way, already on his feet.
The explosive teen would've chased after him had a hero not run forward and grabbed the boy's arm, directing him to the nearest medic. Everyone starts to crowd around the teen, asking him if he's alright and telling him how brave he was, staying calm under such circumstances.
Good. At least they're doing something now. After the fact.
Izuku glances around and notices that All Might has already given the villain to the police, and he's answering questions from the press with an awkward hand rubbing at the nape of his neck.
Now it's time for me to leave.
He picks up his discarded knife from the ground and wipes the remaining sludge on his costume, figuring that he might as well seeing as he's going to wash it later.
He's about to leave when a hero calls to him from beside a police officer, stepping forward pointedly. He's obviously hesitant to capture the boy after what he just did, but also not willing to let him go.
Izuku holds his knife threateningly and turns on them, his voice icy as that righteous anger comes back to him in full force. "Are you all fucking blind or something?"
Everything comes to a standstill. The chatter from the heroes and press stop at once as everyone snaps around to stare at the vigilante.
"He was suffocating!" Izuku gestures in the air with his blade, pointing at the man now restrained in the police car. "That bastard over there was going to kill him, and you all just sat there and did jack shit!"
He's breathing heavily now, and he vaguely notices all of the cameras being turned on him, the reporters holding out their microphones. All Might has disappeared from view, though Izuku can still feel his quirk nearby.
A woman to the far right of him shifts on her feet, jutting her chin out defiantly. "None of our quirks were suited for the job. We would've made the situation worse—"
"Worse? What situation is worse than letting a kid die because your quirks weren't suited for saving him?" Izuku walks forward, flipping the knife repeatedly in the air out of nervousness. "Is that what heroes do? Let kids die?"
Another one with hoses for hands shakes his head. "Of course not! We had a plan."
Izuku ignores him, not wanting to waste his breath on a walking fire hydrant. "How fucking useless are you guys? I'm not suited for dealing with a villain like that either, but at least I tried. You guys were okay with doing nothing as he suffocated, huh?"
No one interrupts him this time. Most of the heroes and policemen look ashamed, uncomfortably moving around and looking at the ground. It's kind of funny, Izuku thinks, how they all look like they've just gotten scolded by their parents.
He's only a little surprised that no one is trying to capture him. He just helped save a boy—not just anyone, Kacchan—from a villain, and the cameras most likely captured it all. If they were to arrest him now, there'd probably be some sort of protest.
Izuku crosses his arms, the knife held tightly in his grip. "Did hero school teach you guys nothing? Or the police academy? You're supposed to help people. Not wait around for someone like All Might to save the day." He has to wrap this up. He can see Kacchan glaring at him from the corner of his eye. "I can't believe how shitty the system is these days. It doesn't matter what quirk you have, or lack thereof. You could be quirkless, or even just a mutant for fuck's sake—it doesn't matter. What really matters is your brain and how you use it."
Izuku doesn't know why he's ranting like this. Maybe because All Might's words are still fresh in his mind, along with his bullies'. He's getting too passionate about this. It's time to go.
He lets the silence after hang in the air for a few moments, as if to let what he'd said sink in, before blowing out an annoyed breath. "You're all a bunch of pussies."
Boom. Mic drop.
Shakily, Izuku lets some extra energy flow to his legs and jumps onto the nearby café, running along the rooftops until he's out of sight, ignoring the calls of his vigilante name behind him.
Fuck. He said too much. Stupid, stupid!
His phone is buzzing nonstop as he runs, but Izuku is too angry to answer the texts.
It's probably Kacchan. He heard the blond's voice among the others calling after him. He probably wants to yell at him again. Or maybe it's Tsukauchi, as Izuku might've just been on the news yet again.
This time was purely accidental, though. Well, sort of.
Doesn't matter. He can't do anything about it now. Now it's time to hurt some bad guys. That always cheers him up.
A few miles away, in the break room of a thankfully quiet police station, Detective Tsukauchi shivers, glancing at the blank TV screen in anticipation.
"Rabbit's done something stupid again, I can feel it."
Whenever Izuku is upset, he sleeps on the floor.
It's completely ridiculous and totally irrational to an outside person, but it's a habit he picked up after his mother left him. The first night with his supposed father, Izuku laid on that hard mattress and stared up at the dirty ceiling with tired eyes.
And it was that moment that everything changed. Nothing felt certain after that.
Even these days, nothing ever feels right.
Izuku just needs something concrete to hang onto every now and then, so he curls up on the floor and sleeps.
He used to do it all the time under the care of his father, used to require the comfort of a hard floor beneath himself, something sure to cling onto in the midst of his spiraling thoughts and splintering words, as he'd surely never be given that comfort by anyone else.
It doesn't make sense, but these things never really do. They just are.
And so Izuku paces the run-down kitchen on the top floor of his building, his head pounding. This building hasn't had anyone live in it (legally, at least) in two decades, so the boy doesn't know why he's stressing so much. It's not like anyone is going to waltz in here and demand he leaves.
Maybe because he's just put himself under All Might's radar, both as Midoriya Izuku and as Rabbit.
Why can't I just keep my mouth shut? Everything would be so much easier.
But no, Izuku just had to start ranting about a flawed system of heroes and police. How having a certain quirk defines your worth and your duty.
He was only able to patrol until midnight before his thoughts took over. He could barely concentrate the entire night, earning him a few more bruises than he honestly should've earned, skillfully speaking.
Kacchan could have died. Died.
Every time Izuku thinks about it, he starts to shake a little more. His only friend, the person who has stayed by his side for far longer than his own mother and father had.
He could have died. Would have, if not for Izuku's small distraction and All Might's quick save.
Izuku should have been faster. Should have realized the sludge villain still posed a threat to civilians even with the Symbol of Peace holding it. If he'd been a few moments later, Kacchan would have suffocated.
And those heroes just stood by and did nothing. They watched. They kept back the reporters and tried to calm everyone down, which would've made Izuku a little less angry had Kacchan not been in immediate danger with no one willing to help.
It'd be foolish to blame those heroes personally, though. Rather, Izuku points the blame at the system that allowed this to happen.
And he said as much, in front of everyone, in front of the cameras yet again. He spewed out his distaste, aware that if he didn't leave soon, the heroes would try to capture him.
He was stupid. He should've left when All Might took care of the situation. He should've disappeared as soon as he made sure Kacchan was okay.
But he didn't, and there's nothing he can do about it now. His alter ego is trending on four different social media platforms. He's in the public eye.
Izuku can't tell if that's good or bad. The only reason he's kept his identity a secret so far is because he's avoided cameras. The more he talks and acts out in front of people, the more chance there is of someone connecting Rabbit to Midoriya Izuku.
The chance is slim, but it's still there. And it's enough to make Izuku panic even more.
So many things have happened today; he ran into some of his old bullies, met All Might, then the same man in his deflated form, and then helped save Kacchan from the same sludge villain that tried to wear his skin as a suit.
It makes Izuku's head spin, and that's how he finds himself laying on the cold ground next to his couch. He doesn't have a bed, since those things are expensive, and he'd rather not pick one out of the garbage. The couch is where he usually sleeps, but sometimes it gets too soft for him. Like now.
It's one of those days where he needs to have something hard beneath him. Something concrete.
He probably won't be able to fall asleep, though, but that's the least of his worries.
There's a slight, gnawing pain in his stomach all of a sudden. Now that he's thinking about it, he's felt it ever since the sludge villain attacked him, just not this bad.
That's right. I haven't eaten since those breadsticks. And they barely filled me up.
He should probably make himself some of that instant ramen. It'd just be cold.
Well. He could put iced coffee into the ramen to give it more flavor. Maybe to distract him from the fact that it's cold.
Hm. Maybe when I'm more awake.
He stares at the dusty ceiling and thinks about how this day could've been better. The only highlight was the food.
"This sucks," he says aloud, to no one in particular.
The silence he gets in return drapes over him like a blanket, and Izuku closes his eyes to continue pretending to sleep until the next morning, hoping tomorrow will prove to be a little better.