He was wrong. In actuality, the internship turned out to go ten times worse than he thought it would. It was perfectly fine until late evening when Endeavor had gotten the call. Heck, he'd even be willing to say it went really well until then.
Right away in the morning, Endeavor had dragged the three of them--Sutorimu, Shouto and Izuku-- to his agency. Izuku and Sutorimu split off from them momentarily to get the analyst drones before returning and finding them in full hero gear. Izuku had assumed it would be a typical patrol up until they were outside. He'd memorized every patrol route Endeavor takes and the road they chose to go down wasn't apart of any of them.
"Where are we going?" he'd whispered to Sutorimu while they walked slightly behind the heroes.
"Nowhere in particular." Her eyes were flicking across all the pedestrians faces they passed, her large eye almost glowing at some points. "You've heard of Stain, yes?"
A sense of dread building up inside of him, he'd nodded. He'd more than heard of him. He was threatened by him. No part of him wanted to see him again any time soon.
"Endeavor despises him, like most do," Sutorimu explains. "There's been a rumor going around that he's still in Hosu after the attack he made on Ingenium. Endeavor wants to find him, and beat him."
It'd been then that Izuku realized the day was not going to end well. Of course, him of all people had to end up on the one intern trip where Endeavor would go after Stain. The same Stain who tried to recruit him just over a week ago and threatened him. Stain who stalked him for weeks and knows he's Revite.
Despite the underlying fear that stuck with him, the majority of the day went well. Through out it, Endeavor tried to show Shouto how to use his fire. Shouto, as far as Izuku could tell, was hesitant in doing so. He'd light a flame in the palm of his hands with ease but when Endeavor tried to get him to direct it anywhere, he almost always paused before shooting the flames in the direction he was asked.
It was clear he was good at controlling his fire, but he wasn't skilled with it. It was no wonder why he'd want to intern with his father. Learning from the pro would do him good. It doesn't stop Izuku from feeling bad for him when Endeavor occasionally speaks too sharply or commands Shouto.
There's a time when Endeavor shoves Shouto in Izuku's direction while he goes to talk to some informant about Stain, telling him to use his analyst skills to come up with a solution to make his son do better. Izuku tries his best. He points out the comparisons he's made between Endeavor stance and Shouto's, shows Shouto how to fix anything he's doing wrong (which admittedly isn't much), and pops out a few theories for how his fire could be stronger.
Sutorimu steps in once of twice to correct something Izuku says or to add an observation of her own. When Endeavor returns, claiming he has a lead, Shouto returns to his fathers side up front while the analysts stick to the back. Izuku asks Sutorimu what Shouto's weakness and strength are. She'd remained silent for a while, so long he feared she hadn't heard him, before telling him his strength was his passion and his weakness was his reluctance. Izuku had asked for her to specify what kind of reluctance, how the passion helped, but she'd only shaken her head and told him to pick his questions better.
It wasn't all centered around Shouto, though. There was a lot of running around back and forth across the city. Endeavor spoke to several people he promised were loyal informants, all of which gave what details they could about Stain's appearance in Hosu. Endeavor kept saying they were close, that he'd catch the hero killer. Izuku's worry grew more, even if it was clear Endeavor wasn't going to find stain that day.
The most interesting part of the day was watching Endeavor brush past civilians asking for help in favor of his hunt for Stain. There'd been one woman who was standing at the corner of a street, calling for a hero to help her find her son and another man who'd been robbed in front of their very eyes. Each time, Endeavor would turn of his flames and sink into the crowd, becoming alike with the dozens of other people moving through the streets.
Izuku had been surprised, to say the least. His insides had twisted sickeningly when they passed the woman who only wanted her son. A feeling of wrong settled within him. How selfish could someone be to not even try to help, especially when it's their job like with Endeavor? It made him wonder how he could possibly be the number two hero.
Sutorimu had placed a hand on his shoulder during that brief moment. It had surprised him almost as much as Endeavor moving past those people, shying into the crowds. He's gotten used to knowing the woman as someone closed off and not for touch, but the warm, weighted hand on his shoulder said otherwise. She gave him a look, something akin to understanding and encouraged him to keep walking.
He shoved down his guilt and anger for her sake. She no doubt had been speaking highly of him to Endeavor lately. If he made a fool of himself, it hurt her reputation too.
They took a break from searching around noon and ate lunch. Their group stopped by a local park where Endeavor and Sutorimu ran off to get food. Shouto sat next to him on one of the many benches and asked him for advice on how to use his fire. Izuku had told him to be passionate and use that feeling as fuel for the fire. He himself didn't know what it meant, only taking Sutorimu's words and reiterating them as his own, but Shouto seemed to understand well enough.
"I talked to my mother," Shouto had blurted not three minutes after the two adults left them alone.
The confession taking him by surprise, Izuku only replied with a simple, "Yeah?"
He'd nodded, eyes trained on the sidewalk in front of them. "I didn't want to use my fire without her knowing. I hadn't talked to her since I was five before a few days ago. I was glad to see her."
Again, Izuku wondered what makes Shouto so compelled to tell him these sorts of things all the time. He's been told he has a welcoming aura before but this seems too far for it to just be that he seems nice.
"She was glad I'm using my fire again, as long as it was to help others and myself heal." He paused for several moments, then faced Izuku. "What you did at the sports festival, it led to me talking to her. Thank you."
There'd been such a relief to the words, a weight Izuku was just beginning to understand, but he hadn't gotten to respond before Sutorimu and Endeavor returned with food in hand. He's almost glad they showed up. He isn't sure whether what Shouto said needed a response or not.
The first bit of the afternoon when their break ended had gone well too, relatively. It wasn't much different from the morning. They ran around the city, Endeavor getting more and more frustrated as they received less and less clues to Stain's whereabouts. By sunset, Izuku had to stop himself from turning around and heading back home as Endeavor furiously kicked at a wall.
"Where is he?" the hero roared, his flames growing in size slightly. Izuku stepped away from him while Sutorimu rolled her eyes from next to him. Shouto watched in a bored manner, seeming used to this.
"We'll find him soon," Sutorimu reassured though she gave Izuku a disbelieving look that contradicted her words. "There is still the rest of the week. Besides, he's known for working in the night. Lets give it an hour or two more before giving up."
Endeavor glared at her. "I do not give up."
"Call it a break then," she corrected herself. "We can continue tomorrow, maybe later in the day so we can stay out longer into the night."
That was when all hell broke loose.
Izuku used to tell himself when he was younger that if you expected bad, you couldn't get worse. When he aged a little more, he learned that wasn't a very healthy saying to live by. He'd adjusted and stopped thinking that but still had yet to have it proven wrong. Now, his expected bad intern had turned into a worse chaotic one.
It started out with a scream followed quickly by a crash. Their whole group turned their heads to where it had come from. In the distance, a single plume of smoke was rising over the roof tops of buildings. Izuku frowned, taking in the daunting sight of it rising into the darkening sky. A fire?
Endeavor was on it, running towards the source before Izuku could think twice, Shouto hot on his heels. It impressed him, their reaction time. He was left still standing there trying to figure out what on Earth had just happened and what was causing the smoke. It's Sutorimu who yanks him into motion, hand curling around his wrist and pulling him in the same direction Endeavor and Shouto had gone.
The first thing Izuku realized when the rounded a corner to the source of the smoke was the dozens of people pushing past him, desperate to leave the area. There were screams that made his ears hurt enough for him to wince. Fires were scattered across buildings, climbing walls and over taking streets. It was a sight, that was for sure and at the center of it was Endeavor, his own fire incomparable to that around him swallowing the streets.
It wasn't the hero that caught Izuku's attention, but rather the figure standing in front of him. Tall, so much so it nearly reached the tops of the lampposts, and bulked out like some sort of discolored Hulk. The most alarming part-- and coincidentally the most familiar-- was the exposed brain at the top of it's head. Izuku's blood ran cold.
Nomu.
His heart stuttered in his chest and he took a subconscious cautionary step back. Next to him, he heard Sutorimu gasp even over the sound of screaming civilians. Her hand grips his wrist tighter.
Endeavor stands with no fear visible, head held high and fists raised. He shouts, "Will you fight or just stand there?"
It won't respond, Izuku thinks but doesn't speak. Luckily, he doesn't have to; not when Sutorimu is seven steps ahead already calling a warning.
"Endeavor-san! That's a Nomu! You can't fight it!"
"Like hell I can't!" is all he responds with and Izuku is briefly reminded of Kacchan.
There are other heroes there who aren't helping, only encouraging Endeavor to fight them. He knows logically Endeavor is their best bet, but he still can't shake the feeling this won't end well.
The other heroes are scrambling in their attempts to push back the public and keep the Nomu from attacking anyone. There's so many people. So many lives. It feels like the USJ all over again. He blinks and then thinks for a second Endeavor is going to punch the Nomu when a shout stops him.
It's Shouto. He's doesn't say anything, only screams. It's enough to pull Endeavor's eyes away for a moment, Izuku's too. The boy is by one of the buildings, ducked low as a terrifying shape flies over him, talons brushing his back but barely missing. Horror ascends Izuku as he realizes with a start what this new flying creature is with it's cream coloured skin and expansive wings. Another one.
"Shouto!" Both Sutorimu and him shout in unison. He's never heard so much emotion in her voice. Shouto, thankfully, is quick on his feet and darts to the nearest wall, far away from the new Nomu. Endeavor's glaring at both Nomu's then.
He's already trying to think of ways out of this, running over the weaknesses he knows for the Nomu's and how the others can use them to their advantage. Their's no Kaminari this time to stop them. Could they escape, lead the creatures away from the city somehow? There's an exit back the way they came that could be useful if only--
He's snapped out of his thoughts by Sutorimu as she grabs his shoulders, surprising him. She stares him down, expression stern. Her eyes search his for something, he doesn't know what. It's sudden when and rushed when she speaks.
"Go," she says. "Go back to the agency."
Briefly, he feels insulted. He tries to protest. "I can help--"
"Not like this," she yaps. "You can't help like this."
Her eyes hold his, gaze stern. There's some kind of message she seems to be trying to pass, something she can't say out loud. He tries to decipher it, struggles to read between the lines.
You can't help like this.
Like this. . .?
It hits him like a wave crashing into shore, sending his mind tumbling while at the same time feeling like a piece clicking into place. She knows.
The next time she tells him, "Midoriya, go," he listens, nodding before high tailing back to the agency. He understands.
On his way, he has to pass by Endeavor and just barely catches the sound of him picking up the phone. It's such a strange sight that he hovers for a moment, wanting to know what's happening, especially when Endeavor hangs up and marches away from the Nomu's.
"Endeavor!" one of the other heroes says, trying to stop Endeavor from leaving. "Where are you going! We need you!"
"Out of my way," he snaps and shoves past them. The hero can only stare in shock.
Shouto pipes up. "Father, what's going on?"
Izuku keeps running. He doesn't have time to sit around and listen. He has to get to the agency so he can help. Even as he runs past Endeavor, he can hear what he says and it fills him with dread, reminds of him of the man he hope someday call brother and the hero he's with. His two allies that he can't loose, who were in Hosu to look after him.
"Hawks found Stain."
He runs faster.
[A/N: I feel very disappointed to have to say this, but there has been an influx in negativity in the comment section for this story. There were several instances these past weeks that were upsetting. Not that this was the only case, but I had some readers telling each other to go 'fuck themselves'. Though minor and not a huge deal, I don't want that in my stories. This story is here for the purpose of positive entertainment and any comments that go against that will be deleted, and if the situation comes to it, I will mute users so they can't comment at all. You know who you are, and this may seem like an over reaction to you, but please head the words you've been told before: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. Thank you.]