(Narrator POV)
It took hours to convince everyone to finally go home and for the Pines and Co. to either leave or rent a place to stay in. Surprisingly, they all chose the latter. Bill still doesn't know why, but perhaps they all wanted to visit Pine Tree one last time before going back to their world. Bill managed to get through their half of the paperwork just before bedtime and barely had time for a bath (which Izuku practically shoved them into to make them destress). They passed out as soon as they hit the pillow, but Izuku was sitting across the room doing the last of the paperwork under the small glow of candlelight. The soft sound of a pen scratching paper was white-noise to the two. It was a soothing sound. Somehow, even after all these years, Izuku never got tired of it.
It wasn't even about being useful anymore. He would always have a purpose as long as he was with Bill. He did not need to be dependent on Bill's praise, though it was still nice to have. Nowadays, all he needed was this peaceful bliss and the flickering glow of candlelight. He knew that as soon as he was done with his task, he would put out that candle, and moonlight would flood the room with its majestic blue glow, living in such a large mansion required private land which is what allowed the city lights to fade into the background as the sky lit up a beautiful canvas of various hues. Perhaps he could memorize the stars and put them in the mindscape. Then, he could stargaze every night with his whole family.
He spared a longing glance towards the window. The sky is clear tonight.
. . .
The next morning, Bill took the compiled list to breakfast and reviewed it as they ate. "Nice work Bunny. I'll take it from here, okay?" Bill told him. Izuku nodded and disappeared into the mindscape to rest. That was another thing the Void changed about him. Whenever he would enter or leave the dreamscape, it looked as if he vanished. But with the Void, it looks as if he opens a small black vortex and gets swallowed by it, then closes the portal with a tiny poof of black smoke. And now, when he walks through the dreamscape, a thin black aura oozes around him at all times. It even affected the clones!
It doesn't seem to damage anything, it's just... weird. Tad had noticed the change as well, but not Hisashi. It seems that only those with void magic could see it, which was rather convenient. Bill returned their attention to the list in front of them. The pile of papers they had the day prior had been reduced to only one sheet. They absentmindedly ate their breakfast of eggs and bacon while reading through the list. Summoning a quill, they scratched out a few names on the list and then used their phone to look up information on the ones they didn't recognize. By the time they were done, that list had been cut in half and continued to dwindle as they let themselves be driven to school by Chad the chauffeur. They thanked Chad and made it to class ten minutes early with only ten heroes left on their roster. A separate list of corrupt heroes to kidnap was recorded in Bunny's notebook. They could both review it later.
Bill sat at their desk and pulled out their laptop, doing a deep search of all the pros and cons of interning with the finalists. A few minutes passed, and their classmates began to trickle in. The chatter began to increase until Bill could no longer focus. Luckily, they had just finished their work and filled out their roster. They placed the paper in one of their folders for safekeeping to turn in at the end of class. And no sooner than they did, Mic walked in and announced the beginning of the first period.
. . .
The day of the hero internships came and everyone met at the bus station. Bill was scrolling through the news on their phone. All the articles pertaining to Mirko reported her usual heroic duties and a rare few interviews. Mirko wasn't very fond of media attention and often stuck to giving as little information as possible, which Bill could get behind. Less time in the media means more time in the field, and more time in the field means fewer problems to deal with later.
Aizawa was telling everyone the rules of the internships and to respect their elders. Bill nodded their head as Izuku listened intently. Aizawa glared at Bill's lack of attention until Izuku gave him a thumbs up. He sighed and waved for the students to get on their respective buses. Bill stuffed their phone in their pocket and boarded the train, quickly sitting in the nearest spot available. They turned to their side to see Izuku bouncing in the seat next to them, rambling about their newest adventure. He was excited to see new sights and do new things.
Bill smiled warmly at the bright sunshine child next to them, knowing full well that he'd get exactly that. It was moments like these that made them glad they came to this world.
. . .
Bill arrived at Mirko's hero agency and gave it a once over. It was a reasonably average-sized office building with a simple design. No colors or lights, just windows, and walls. It looked like a completely normal office building for some major firm company. And yet, this was the building of a combat-based hero. Bill wasn't usually made for combat, as they were used to relying on their quirk/magic to solve everything. And while their quirk was powerful enough to take down even the strongest villain, what would they do without it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Bill had already started physical and combat training when the plan to become a hero was first laid out, so they were fit enough to hold their own, but they didn't have any real fighting experience aside from the USJ, and even that required them to use their magic to its maximum power. They hadn't expected to be overpowered like that, but it taught them what they needed to know. They need to get stronger.
And that's why they were here.
Bill opened the glass door and checked in with the receptionist. Izuku stood quietly next to them as they scribbled their majestic signature. He sensed a presence coming towards them at dangerously high speeds and pushed Bill down, allowing Mirko herself to fly over them. She was quick to recover and jumped straight for Izuku, preparing a powerful punch. He was quick to block it and push her back with a void-filled pulse. Bill was quick to take control and go on the attack, but before they could clash-- "NO FIGHTING IN THE LOBBY!!" came the voice of the receptionist, causing the two to come to a screeching halt right as they were both about to hit the other. Bill was the first to retreat, and Mirko followed through seconds after. Neither wanted to disobey the scary woman at the counter.
"You must be my new intern. Glad to have you, Illuminati. Though I would have liked to know about your partner in crime there," she said, pointing to the void/ghost child next to Bill. "Sorry to spring this on you, but we're kind of a package deal. Hope you don't mind," Izuku explained. Bill looked away sheepishly, now realizing they forgot to put that detail on their application. "Sorry, Mirko-san. It was a rather recent addition that I had forgotten to mention..." they added. Mirko gave an unimpressed look but shook her head. "Well, no use in turning back now. Besides, I think it'll be more fun this way. Now I get to make you two the most destructive duo ever!" she laughed. Bill relaxed at her acceptance while Izuku got stars in his eyes.
"Now, let's hit the gym, you two. It's training time!"
. . .
Bill will not admit that they got their ass handed to them.
They didn't get a single hit in, even with Izuku's help. But because Izuku had infinite energy, he was still training with Mirko. That's not to say he was winning, no he was just as bad as Bill, if not worse. The training was hand-to-hand combat, as expected, so both of them had to restrain from any quirk/magic use. Izuku put all of his power into making himself physical and only floating himself a foot or two off the ground. Izuku was progressing by leaps and bounds (pun intended) while Bill was over here passed out on the floor covered in bruises and welts. Mirko called time and they both stopped fighting. He flew off to the cooler and threw her a bottle of water while setting one next to Bill. Bill forced themself to sit up and take the bottle, hissing in pain as they did so. Izuku used his void to heal them-- which was much appreciated-- though that did nothing for their exhaustion.
"Not half bad for a couple of newbies. Your close combat skills aren't too sharp, but your teamwork is impenetrable. That should help we we go on patrol. Break Time is over in fifteen minutes, and you have ten minutes to get changed so we can head out. Don't be late, newbie," she told them, chugging down the last of her water. Bill watched her leave in both shock and awe of her strength. "Man, she sure is tough, huh?" Izuku noted. Bill nodded in silence and hurried to finish the drink and rinse off. They didn't have time for a shower, but they didn't want to smell bad on their first patrol so they splashed some water on their face and torso. As soon as they were clean, they shook the water off, got dressed, and pulled on their support gear as they ran to the door. Izuku grabbed the few things Bill forgot in their rush to leave and slipped them into their utility belt as they were rushing to the lobby.
When Bill arrived, Mirko was waiting at the door and looking at a timer, clicking it upon their arrival. "Fifteen minutes and twelve seconds. You'll have to be faster if you want to stay here," she scolded, looking at the nervous blonde and the floating greenette. Izuku didn't look tired in the slightest (what with him being a ghost and all) but Bill looked like they woke up late for school and ran a mile only to be late for class. She thought it was funny.
"Alright, let's head out, newbies." Mirko marched out the double doors with her two minions in tow, one already feeling the fatigue before the real work even began. Fortunately, their first patrol wasn't very eventful. It started with stopping a couple of store robberies and Izuku "helping" a cat down from a tree. Apparently, his appearance is scary enough to make the poor thing jump out of the tree itself. Bill caught it though, so it was all fine in the end. Every now and again, the press would show up and interrogate them a bit. Bill had long since gotten used to dancing around their questions and leaving them with just enough information to answer them but not enough to satisfy them.
Mirko was impressed with the display, and even more when they left not even five minutes later thinking their questions were answered. Izuku took this moment to relish the peace. He'd made himself invisible for the sake of everyone's sanity. Sure, he'd have to reveal himself at some point, but not today. It was far too early in the game to introduce Bill's first sidekick, much less Izuku's current codename that had already been announced to the world. Finding out that it was Bill who brought him back from the dead would lead to theories that were definitely not wanted.
Izuku needed a new codename.
. . .
For the most part, the week was going fairly well. But of course, nothing good ever comes free. Despite Izuku's best efforts to keep the League out of the way, they still took great advantage of the sudden influx in Nomu. Bill realized that, while they did tell All For One's possessed husk to create more Nomu for them, they never mentioned what to do with those Nomu. Additionally, the doctor was still capable of making the calls when it came to the Nomu. And while it would make a good distraction for the heroes, it was still a waste of resources. So when the alarm for a villain attack rang out, Bill could only stare incredulously at the crime scene.
Buildings were on fire (Izuku could use their pyrokinesis while they borrowed a healing quirk from All For One) and there were three Nomu causing havoc (no apparent healing quirks, that's good). Mirko was quick to join the fight and ordered them both the do what they could to help evacuate the civilians but also gave them access to fight if necessary. It was only when the area was beginning to clear out that Bill could see smaller details. The crowd of panicked civilians was suffocating and they couldn't think straight with all the screaming, but it was a bit easier now with most of them out of the way. It was then that Bill saw a small child crying on the sidewalk. Bill was quick to move in their direction when a Nomu appeared behind them.
Bill was in front of the kid before anyone could blink and tanked the attack with a bit too much ease. "RUN KID!" Bill screamed, pushing the creature back with a sudden pulse of void. Izuku was here. Bill didn't give the monster a chance to recover and attacked again, the second hit latching onto the brain and killing it instantly. They burned it to a crisp before it could recover. It was a waste, but it was better safe than sorry. They turned to get back to work only to see the child still standing there dumbly. Bill was about to scold them again when their parents came back and took off with the kid. Good, that's one less problem.
"Bill, something's going on in the alley over there," Izuku informed. Bill nodded and ran off to investigate. They had to dodge a flying truck and duck when it collided with another car and exploded. The Storm Hero: Manual used his quirk to draw the water from a fire hydrant and douse the fire, lessening the heat and cooling Bill off. Bill was quick to recover from the shock and return to their search. The sound of metal hitting metal rang out from a dark alley and Bill sped up when the clashing changed to a thump. Rounding the corner of the alley, they blasted a blue fireball upon seeing a ninja-looking villain. The man quickly dodged the attack, forcing him to back off from his prey, Pro Hero: Native. Izuku was quick to shield the two so Bill could heal him, blocking the knife the villain threw in retaliation.
"Sir, are you alright?" Bill asked the wounded man. "I can't... move my body... I think it's his quirk. Kid, you need to run," Native warned. Bill ignored his pleas and healed him. "It's okay, now. Meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero!" Izuku bravely declared. Izuku could handle himself so they left the fighting to him. Looking closer at the villain, it became clear who this was. A torn bandana mask, red eyes, lots of worn swords and knives, and a torn red scarf. This was the Hero Killer: Stain. "Child. You have nothing to do with this. That hero needs to be culled. Leave before I kill you," Stain warned. Izuku grinned, "You're a bit late in that regard, Stain."
Izuku dashed forward, his translucent form too fast to see. Going completely invisible, he landed a Void punch on Stain's torso, blasting him backward. Stain coughed up blood but didn't get a chance to recover before the next attack came. A kick to the head, a punch to the ribs, a swipe to the left arm. Stain did his best to sense the next attack but it was pointless. There was absolutely nothing to indicate his opponent's moves. Izuku made no sound, not so much as a heartbeat, and Stain couldn't understand it. Stain shut his senses down and switched on his aura. Using it like echolocation, he sensed Izuku's presence but threw up as soon as he felt it. This was no human, this was a demon. His aura was so dark and unsettling that not even he could compare. It felt like Death itself was here to take his soul to hell for his sins.
There was no winning this fight but he'd still try.
He dodged the invisible claws, ignoring the burning pain all throughout his body. His heart raced as his body begged him to stop. He pressed on, dodging the next blow and avoiding becoming a smear on the broken cement that shattered under the black fist of the monster. The feeling shifted and Stain opened his eyes to an eldritch abomination. A black figure as tall as Nomu and thin as a skeleton, the mouth a crooked line and the many red outlines resembling eyes. The arms were lanky and longer than they should be, the legs just as much. The claws were like knives, long and thin but clearly meant for ripping apart the flesh of its prey. The creature of shadows reached its claws out and disappeared.
Stain didn't get a chance to move before Izuku appeared behind him and slammed him into the ground with such force that the killer let out a gurgled gasp. He was barely hanging onto the last string of life at this point and Izuku knew it was time to stop. He let the man fall pulled the blood from his lungs and wrapped him in a nearby rope. How convenient that such an item was in this alleyway.
Bill got to work on using a minor healing quirk on Stain while Izuku changed back to his six-year-old appearance. They didn't want Stain to recover, but they also didn't want the man to die. Not yet, anyway. No, they were going to add him to their list of experiments. Well, they could come back for Native another day. For now, they'd just have to keep an eye on him. Izuku wondered what they would do if he reformed.
Well, that was a problem for the future. Izuku waited for Bill to finish and opened a portal under Stain leading to the hidden room in the store's basement. It was a good thing the guests had finally left and hadn't found the basement. Sure Mabel knew about the basement in the mansion, but she hadn't seen The Room yet, so there was nothing to worry about there. Still, they should add another layer of security just in case. It was fine before, but Dipper had proved that their home security wasn't entirely foolproof. It's better safe than sorry, after all.
Izuku watched Bill pick up Native and leave the alleyway with the man on his back as he followed close behind. Manual saw the trio as soon as they left the alleyway and ran to them, checking them both for injuries. A few other heroes in the area began to gather around them as well. Seeing that Bill was scratch-free, he moved Native to the nearest medic and was about to run to the next fire when a screech echoed through the night air. Following the direction the sound came from, they all looked up to see a winged Nomu flying straight for them. And before anyone could react, it latched onto Bill with one of its sharp eagle-like talons and flapped its wings.
"BILL!!"
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(Okay, getting back around to this! I've fallen into the rabbit hole that is the DP phandom. My current favorite has to be "Robin's Egg". It's so funny and wholesome and I love it so much. I've considered moving some of my books over to ao3 when they get good enough. But I figure that I should try and understand how the website works before I do that. Don't wanna make a story when I don't even know how collections work. So yeah, I'll put that on my to-do list.
Anywho, thanks for reading and I'll see you all soon!)