*Izuku POV*
'It's so quiet.. this isn't normal for this time in the morning..'
It was about 7am and by now everyone is up on a Sunday. My shift didn't start till 8 am. on Sundays, so I had a lay in as I was drained. I was sitting on the end of my bed, my notebook beside me. It was open to a page containing information on gun skills as my knives weren't that good when i was in a light area as they reflected the light. I stood up and walked to my door, unlocking it and walking down to the kitchen, yawning widely.
"Suprise!"
I jumped as I opened the door, Toga launching herself onto me. I stumbled back as she rugby tackled me.
"Huh -"
"Do you not remember what day it is?"
She stepped back, tilting her head sideways slightly.
"Uh- uhm.. Its Sunday?"
Toga slapped her hand to her face.
"It's January 17th."
I looked at her questioningly. She sighed and dragged me into the kitchen by my wrist.
"Happy birthday, dummy!"
My eyes widened as I saw the kitchen covered in streamers and a small gift on the table. A large banner was hung above the oven, saying 'happy 17th birthday!'. Hawks and Dabi were standing together, grinning at me whilst wearing party hats.
"Happy birthday, Izuku!"
"Happy 17th!"
They walked over and hugged me before Dabi plopped a party hat on my head. I grinned at them. Today was one of the days that I felt truly at peace with the world, and the world was in peace with me.
"Here Izuku! We got you this!"
Toga was holding out a small package for me, tied neatly with a small ribbon. I took it from her and carefully unwrapped it. There on my palm sat a gold locket in the shape of a crescent moon. Reaching over me, Hawks pressed on the case and it opened up, revealing small photo of us all on oneside from when we first met and a more recent one from a few weeks ago when we went to a theme park for the first time.
I felt my eyes stinging at the corners slightly, and a small tear fell. Toga, seeing this, came over to me and hugged me. Dabi patted my head, amused by my reaction, and also intrigued how my hair was so bouncy even though it was so long. Hawks picked up the locket and put it around my neck.
"Happy birthday, Izuku."
Hawks then started hugging me as well, and Dabi also did.
Toga, being Toga, got so excited that she started jumping up and down, causing us to topple over onto her. I burst into laughter, not one of my maniac ones but a real laugh of joy. Dabi snickered, and Hawks laughed with me, Toga was trying to wriggle out from the bottom of the pile.
I stood up and brushed down my clothes before holding out my hand and helping Toga up. She was pouting and stood sulking in the corner of the room. Dabi soon walked over to her and stood next to her, mimicking her expression and pose. Somehow, Dabi managed to look at Toga at the same time Toga looked at him, causing me and Hawks to double over in laughter again. After calming down, Hawks set out some breakfast for us all, a waffle and some fruit, and we went to sit down. Toga stopped pouting as soon as she smelt the waffles and came skipping to her seat.
'You guys are odd, but that's why I love you all..'
I gulped down my waffle and stood up.
"I'm going to go get ready for work!"
Dabi protested loudly at this and added in about 2 curse words for every three normal ones.
'Impressive how much he can swear in a sentence.'
"Dabi, I need to! I'm already suspicious at work, so I don't want to miss a single day!"
"Ugh- fine.. but if you aren't back by 3pm, I will f[]cking kill you Izuku."
"I'll take your work for it!"
*Time skip brought to you by Izuku walking down the road to work merrily*
I walked up to the cafe, treading carefully as the ground had frozen during the night. I was looking at the ground as I walked near my workplace when I walked into someone. I lost my footing and went crashing to the ground, the person I walked into doing the same.
"Ouch.. oh my god, I'm so sorry!"
I got to my feet and helped the person up. They were a teenage boy about my age, with bright purple hair and black eyes. They stepped back after I helped them up and avoided eye contact, obviously embarrassed.
"Are you OK, sir?"
"Huh- Oh yes! Uhm.. are you a worker here? My dad told me to meet him here after his shift at work and I arrived early so the cafe wasn't open.."
"Yes, I am! Sorry, i will open up the cafe now."
I walked up to the door and unlocked it, holding the door for the boy. I flicked on the lights, half blinding myself in the sudden brightness.
"I'm going to just sign myself in so you can make yourself at home at one of the tables if you like!"
"OK, thanks!"
*Shinso POV*
'Oh, come on.. I forgot to check the times and now I'm well early.'
I sighed and shifted my footing slightly, trying to keep moving so I wouldn't freeze. As I adjusted my scarf, something collided with my back, causing me to fall forward. I groaned slightly, the snow on the ground soaking the knees of my jeans. I turned over and sat on the floor for a second.
"Ouch.. oh my god, I'm so sorry!"
A boy was sitting on the floor in front of me, white hair blending into the snow. He hurriedly got to his feet and helped me up as well. I looked away, trying to avoid eye contact, and brushed down my clothes.
"Are you OK, sir?"
I blinked and looked at him.
"Huh- Oh yes! Uhm.. are you a worker here? My dad told me to meet him here after his shift at work and I arrived early so the cafe wasn't open."
"Yes, I am! Sorry, I will open the cafe now."
He walked towards the door and opened it up, holding it open for me to enter. After I was in, he closed the door and turned on the lights, the little cafe flooding with light.
"I'm just going to sign myself in so you can make yourself at home at one of the tables if you like!"
"OK, thanks!"
He nodded to me and walked into the back room, the little door swinging on its hinges. I walked over to a small corner table and shook off my coat and scarf, putting them on the back of the chair. I sat down and pulled out my phone. No messages yet.
'The old caterpillar is probably asleep.'
I was scrolling through a random web page when the cafe worker walked up to me. His hair was pulled into a ponytail underneath a beanie whilst some shorter bits fell down in front of his face. Looking closely, I could see a long white scar there.
"Hello! What may I get you today?"
"I'll have a coffee, please."
"What strength would you like and any flavours?"
"Extra strong and Hazel flavour if that's OK."
"Coming right up!"
He noted it down in his notebook and mumbled something to himself.
"Sorry, did you say something?"
"Hm? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking aloud! One of my regulars takes the same order every day, and I was just wondering where he was!"
'Yeah, that sense. Dad is always talking about the coffee here, and I like the same stuff as him, really. Except that weird obsession with vegan chocolate on tomatoes. Tomatoes of all things!'
The cafe worker gave a small snicker before catching himself and blushing red with embarrassment.
"Sorry.. I'll go get your drink."
He walked off, still mumbling to himself, shaking his head slightly. I leaned back and stretched before I heard my phone buzz. I picked it up and saw a message from dad saying he would be about fifteen minutes and he was bringing Eri and Pa as well. I smiled.
"Here you go!"
The boy was back and placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of me.
"Thanks.."
He looked embarrassed still, and I felt bad as I had a habit of making weird faces that cause people to laugh when I'm thinking about something.
"Uh- why don't you come sit with me for a while? It doesn't look like you have any more customers for the time being."
He smiled at me, "Sure, I'm just going to grab my jumper!"
He walked out of the room again and came back soon after in a jumper that looked like it was a part of the uniform, though it was old. He pulled out the chair and sat down, looking slightly awkward.
"What's your name?"
"My name.. oh, right.. I lost my name tag. My name is Neo."
"Cool! My name is Shinso."
He seemed a bit warmer now, not so awkward.
"Uh- I know this might be a weird question, but how old are you?"
It took him a couple of seconds to answer this, as though he had forgotten.
"In twenty-two today. That's why the cafe wasn't open earlier."
"Ah- well, Happy Birthday, Neo."
"What's your quirk?"
My face dropped. Neo's eyes widened, and he looked panicked.
"Did I offend you! I'm sorry!"
I smiled slightly.
"No, you didn't, I just don't really like to talk about my quirk, that's all. People don't normally like it."
"Can't be worse than mine."
"Huh- try me."
He smiled, seeing that my mood had changed.
"I'm quirkless. No quirk at all. Bullied and tormented for it, and I wasn't able to defend myself as no one believed the quirkless nobody over the others."
His face went dark saying this, but he still smiled, acting like he was fine, though i could tell he wasn't. I wasn't sure how to answer, so we sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Sorry.. I didn't mean to put that on you.. I'm fine now, really. I have a loving family and a nice job."
I looked at him, and he tilted his sideways slightly, looking at me like a cat would.
"Oh! Right, my quirk. Well, people think that my quirk is villainous, so, like you, I was bullied for it."
"No quirk is villainous. A villain is defined by his/her actions.. same as with heroes."
His voice went slightly quieter when he said this.
"What is your quirk? I can prove to you that it isn't villainous."
"My quirk is mind control.."
Neo's eyes widened, and his face brightened.
"That quirk is amazing! Think how good of a hero you could be! I think mabye a under-ground hero like ErasureHead would suit you really well! Just get the villains' attention, then make them hand themselves in! You don't even need to do hand to hand combat! Just use your quirk! So many heroes have quirks that need to be used in close or far range! Yours can be used in both! Oh god, I'm rambling.."
I grinned at him and had a sip of my coffee. Neo suddenly jumped to his feet and bowed his head.
"Good morning ErasureHead, Present Mic. I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in!"
I span around in my chair and saw Dad and Pa standing there smiling, Eri hiding behind Dad's legs.
"No need to apologise, Neo, and also thank you for explaining to our son what we have been trying to tell him for years."
Pa bowed his head to Neo.
"What do you mean, Present Mic? Shinso is your.. son?"
"Yes, and this is Eri, our daughter. They are both adopted. Shinso is 17, and Eri is 7 years old."
Neo nodded in understanding and turned to ErasureHead [Dad is ErasureHead, Mic is Pa].
"What can I get you sir's and miss?"
"Same as normal, Neo, what would you like, Mic?"
"Mocha, please, with Pumpkin syrup!"
Neo nodded his head and noted the orders down before crouching down.
"What would you like, Eri?"
Eri peeked out from behind Dad's leg and looked at Neo. She suddenly ran up to Neo and hugged him around the neck, causing him to topple over backwards. Dad and Pa rushed to Neo to make sure he was OK. I sat there in shock as Pa pryed Eri off of Neo.
"No!"
"No, what Eri?"
"He was sad the other day. I saw him crying and.. and I want to make sure he is OK and.. and.. he is really nice.."
Pa looked at Neo in disbelief. Neo, not used to seeing this reaction, stood up and brushed himself off.
"Uhm- is everything OK ErasureHead, Mic, Shinso?"
"Well.. uh.. Neo.. Eri doesn't normally run up to people like that.. and doesn't normally trust people.."
"Oh.."
I stood up and went to Eri, picking her up. She held me around the neck and looked at Neo, who was standing awkwardly at the side of the room.
"Oh, your drinks! I'm so sorry I forgot!"
He bowed and hurried to the back room.
*Izuku POV*
'Damn, don't cry! Stop thinking about mum! She is dead! She never cared about you!'
I slid down the down the wall, putting my head on my knees. I bit my hand and tried to stop crying. There was a knock on the door.
"Neo? Are you OK?"
I lifted my head and called out.
"Yeah, sorry! The coffee grinder is broken. I'll be out in a minute!"
I stood up and wiped my face. Sighing slightly, I went to the coffee grinder and pretended to fix it by flipping the switch on and off a couple of times and knocking a metal spoon against it. After that, I turned it on and made the coffee. I pulled down two large mugs and tipped coffee into both before making up some hot chocolate to put into one mug for the Mocha. After that, I grabbed down a little plastic cup with the cafe's logo on it and filled it with strawberry milk. I put the cups all on the tray, and, as a sudden impulse, I picked up a cookie and put it on a plate for Eri.
"Sorry for the wait. Here you go."
I placed down the mugs and the drink for Eri.
"Uh- thanks for worrying about me, Eri.. I'm fine though don't worry. Here, have this."
I placed down the cookie in front of her, and her face lit up with a wide smile. I looked at her blankly for a minute before smiling back at her. The others were silent, and when I looked over at them, I saw complete shock on their faces, so obvious you could have written it in red marker, and it still wouldn't be enough.
"Are you guys OK?"
"Oh yes! Sorry! We just aren't used to seeing Eri smile outside of the house."
"Oh.. okay.. I'm going to go do the washing up, call me if you need anything."
My voice cracked slightly and I hurried out the back again, wiping my face.
*Aizawa POV*
'I hope he is OK.. he is acting oddly but, then again, he has never seen me with anyone but Hawks in here really and he was tackled by a kid.'
I looked at Shinso and saw him looking after Neo. Confused I looked over at Mic who had a twisted smirk on his face.
"Are you in love Shinso..?"
Shinsk jumped slightly and went bright red.
"No! I'm just wondering how he got Eri to like him so much.. he even got her her favourite drink and he looked in complete shock when he first saw her.. his face also went dark after Eri mentioned him crying on the street the other day."
He was right. Neo's face had suddenly dropped when Eri had said that and it looked like he was on the verge of breaking down.
"I'll go check on him then, so you can stop worrying. And also. If you do like Neo I don't allow it. He is way to good for you and you need to finish your studies before you date."
"What the hell dad! I don't like him!"
I got up and walked behind the counter.
I looked through the door and saw Neo hunched in a corner of the room, his breathing heavy and rapid. I hurried inside and kneeled next to him.
"Neo..? Are you okay?"
He jolted upright, a petrified look on his face. Neo pushed himself closer to the wall, eyes shaking side to side, not focusing. I reached put my hand to him and he recoiled from it slightly before his eyes focused on me.
"Don't worry Neo.. its only me.."
I moved myself next to him. He didn't move further away from me but he still had a look of terror and distrust around him. He then placed his head on his knees again, tears running down his face.
"I just c- can't take i- it any m- more.."
His voice was cracking and he was trembling uncontrollably. I moved closer to him and put my arm arm around his shoulders. He tensed for a second. I thought he was going to push me away but instead he leaned against me slightly, covering his face with his hands, silently screaming into his jumper.
"Shh.. your okay Neo.. your safe.. I promise.."
He sniffed and curled into a little ball.
"Do you want to talk?"
He started to shake his head before pausing. He lifted his head slightly, his eyes showing above his knees. Neo stared straight ahead, as if not sure what he was looking at.
"My mum died.. that's why Eri saw me crying a few weeks ago.."
His voice was hoarse and weak, but he sounded like he wanted to say it all.
"She came up to me and a- asked kf I was OK.. I got scared and ran after I saw she was with you.. but as she said it today a- all I could think was what if I was there.. then m- mabye she would've have died.."
He looked at me, cheeks stained with tears. His hair had shifted slightly, revealing scratches across his face. My eyes widened.
"Did she hurt you..?"
Neo's eyes widened.
"No! No, she didn't.."
His gaze shifted again, eyes unfocusing.
"It's all my fault.. if I was there for her.."
He returned to his small ball, it seemed to me it was how he felt safest.
"If you was there you might have died aswell. None of it is your fault.. I promise.."
AN: I'm so close to finishing the book now, I'm kinda sad but I also have anoughter book published that is kinda the preview for my next one! Here's your fact, well not really it's something I picked up that is kinda sad. [MANGA AND ANIME SPOILERS]
So in the MHA series, Aizawa and Mic are visiting Kurogiri, who is suspected to be their friend. During that episode we can see a scene where Aizawa's friend has a little kitten on his shoulder. In the manga, the author writes that Shota Aizawa loves cats. So, Aizawa might like cats because of his friend. This is just a small detail that links them more closely together as we don't see much of them together through that flash back.
We also learn that Aizawa's friend dies in a fight in this and that's how he became Kurogiri after he was found. It is also stated that as a teacher, Aizawa expelled his whole class as they 'weren't gold enough'. This might be because he didn't think that they were ready and, because of this, he didn't want them taking a risk in fights and ending up as his friend did.
Have a good day/night/etc! <3