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Rescue scenarios could vary greatly: from long, laborious work that lasted days to terrifying, split-second decisions that could affect a lifetime. When most people thought of pro heroes, they tended to focus on the heroes that were known for their villain takedowns and fighting skills, but the truth was that heroes were more likely to die during rescue work. It was perilous, often publicly unrewarding work, but the heroes that specialized in it never complained about the lack of attention.
If attention was all they wanted, then they needed to get the hell out of hero work. At least that was what Tenko thought.
He had never thought of heroics as a means to gain fame, glory, and money. It simply didn’t occur to him whenever he and Hana would gab about becoming a pro hero team together. He wanted to save people. That was the most important part about being a hero, wasn’t it? Heroes gave people hope when there wasn’t any - they were beacons of light in the dark – and that was what he wanted to be, no matter what his dad said about them.
And so Tenko became a hero – because if no one could save him, he’d learn how to save himself. It could have turned out disastrously, but his mom caught his quirk’s manifestation at the last second after he unintentionally disintegrated his dog’s favorite ball. That moment changed everything for him. He had a quirk. He could be a hero. He would be a hero.
Doing rescue work felt natural to him. His quirk was dangerous in battle, but he didn’t want to perpetuate a violent habit. He’d fought villains before and didn’t hate it, which was perhaps why he preferred rescue work. A part of him enjoyed that fighting, and it made him wary. It was better to rescue people than to fight villains. He’d leave that to the heroes that loved the limelight. Tenko did his best work when he didn’t have a camera shoved in his face.
There was no time for cameras right now. Publicity was the furthest thing from everyone’s minds as the villain destroyed the street. Moonfish was a bag of crazy cats let loose in a madhouse. He at least had a goal in mind with the desire to freaking eat people or some weird shit whereas the other villain, Muscular, just seemed set on breaking everything and killing people for the fun of it. Many villains had convoluted plans, but utter chaos and destruction were simple if not unpredictable.
“Aperture! We have to get out of here! That building isn’t going to hold much longer!”
Tenko swung his gaze to the hero carrying three unconscious civilians, two under his arms and one on his shoulder. With his lean body, he had a surprising amount of strength, but he wouldn’t have been able to manage that. This, however? He could handle this.
“Uravity is still under there!” Tenko yelled back, pointing to Ryukyu’s favorite sidekick. Small as she was, she looked close to passing out as she floated the building in the air with her quirk. Muscular’s attack had destroyed the base, leading it to topple over before she made the snap decision to leave the fight in order to give people as much time as possible to escape. Unfortunately, the weight of it must have hit her limit or maybe even surpassed it because she hadn’t moved since. “She’ll get crushed!”
“There isn’t time! You’ll get caught in it too!”
“Fuck that!”
“Aperture, stop–”
He didn’t. He bolted in the direction of the younger hero under the shadow of the building. Pieces of rubble, glass, and concrete broke off and continued to float, but he could sense it quaking. He didn’t know how long it would be before it dropped completely, but once it did, everything underneath it would be flattened, including the hero who saved them.
According to his boss, Tenko excelled at thinking on the fly and for himself, but he was a terrible listener. Hana said he was just a stubborn ass. She loved teasing him about all the times he got reprimanded for going off the cuff when he used to be such a timid crybaby.
By the time he reached Uravity, there was blood spilling from her nose. Her eyes were closed, and she was pale-faced save for the pink spots on her cheeks that stood out starkly, a puddle of puke next to her. The building had dropped to barely two meters off the ground, just high enough for people to run, but she dropped to her knees and was panting. The strain on her quirk must have been tremendous.
He didn’t even bother asking if she could run. He was lucky she was still conscious.
Tenko laid one gloved hand on her back, trying to bleed some reassurance into her that he didn’t feel. He could pick her up and try to run, but he didn’t think she’d make it before they got to safety. Fast as he might have been, carrying someone even as small as Uravity would slow him down and the building was tall if not too wide. If she passed out before they reached the limits, they’d die. He swung his gaze up to the building hovering just over his head. He’d never disintegrated something so large before or so quick.
“You can do anything you believe in your heart!” Hana would say when they played as heroes whenever their dad wasn’t around. She would also probably say he was an idiot for thinking he could jump the gun like this. He’d never even tried to push his quirk this hard, but Uravity probably hadn’t either. She had made the split decision without knowing the outcome or if it would even work.
Reaching up with his other hand, Tenko touched the wall with five fingers, pressing his palm flat. His quirk activated instantly at the touch, the concrete and metal and everything touching it turning into dust. It was hard to describe how his quirk grew or how he pushed it, but his mind went blank, and he struggled to stay standing as it poured out of him.
Decay was such an ugly, vicious quirk, but it was him. It leached from fingertips, turning everything it touched into dust.
Tenko gasped as the remains of the building clogged the air, choking his lungs, and then he dropped to his knees beside Uravity. He watched as the dust hung weightless in the air for a moment, a strange sight that caused almost everyone to pause to stare, before it began to slowly fall to the ground like snow. A weight slumped against him, and he turned his weary eyes to find Uravity passed out. She looked like a complete mess – blood, puke, sweat, and dust covering her – but she was breathing.
Letting out a sigh, Tenko pulled his legs out from underneath him and dropped on his ass. Normally, he hated it when people were in his space and touching him, but he didn’t have the energy to push Uravity off him or lay her down on the ground instead of his legs. He barely had the strength to keep himself propped up with his hands behind his back.
Shouting behind him forced him to tilt his head back and see Muscular going on another rampage. Anger and exhaustion bubbled inside him as he glared. Maybe he had a little strength left in him. That asshole wouldn’t be able to tear another building down if he didn’t have any arms. He glanced down at Uravity and furrowed his brow. What the hell was he going to do with her? He couldn’t just leave her here.
Shit. Rescue work came first.
*
Mina was usually on board with a lot of crazy and wild ideas, so Ochako didn’t know why she was so confused about this one. Her lips were twisted in thought as she tapped her chin, thinking over what she’d just been told. “So you’re saying Aperture saved your life and you want to…?”
“Thank him,” Ochako finished.
“So just send him a card? Leave him a message at the agency he works at?”
Ochako huffed. “This isn’t some courtesy call. I would’ve died if not for him.”
“I know that!” Mina insisted. “But that’s kinda standard for us, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but–” Ochako didn’t know how to explain it. Yes, she’d been in plenty of life or death situations before – that was par for the course of being a hero, especially since she preferred to work rescue – but last week had been different.
There had been times she had thought she might die, but that morning, she knew she was going to die. It was inevitable. The moment she decided to use her quirk to float the skyscraper, she knew it was over. She wouldn’t be able to move once she touched it, and the building would crash down on her the second she lost consciousness from overdoing herself. She’d only had a second to make the decision, but it was either do nothing and let countless people die or do something and give them time to escape.
She hadn’t even known it was Aperture who came to her rescue. She remembered someone’s hand on her back, the gesture only soft and kind in the middle of a horrific situation, and then the weight slowly lifting from her shoulders. Her quirk eased, but the toll it had taken on her body was too much even when there was nothing for her antigravity to hold onto. Dust-like snow brushed against her cheeks, and she passed out before she could even open her eyes to see what was going on.
It was only when she woke up the next day in the hospital that she found out what had happened. Cards, flowers, balloons, and more littered her room, but there was nothing from him, not even a note. It made sense. Aperture wasn’t a very flashy hero, and he had a reputation for arrogance and distancing himself from everyone except for his hero sister, but still…
She was supposed to die. She should have died. She wasn’t naive enough to think that other heroes were jumping to save her in spite of certain death. They all had to make sacrifices.
“It’s important to me that he gets the recognition he deserves,” Ochako mumbled as she played with her fingers in her lap. “I wasn’t scared that I might die – I knew I would – so to wake up here and not even be able to look him in the face and thank him… I need to do something.”
“Oh, hon.” Mina leaned forward and grabbed one of her hands to stop her from accidentally activating her quirk on herself. “I’m sure he knows you’re grateful – who wouldn’t be? – but if it means this much to you, then go for it.” She bit her lip in an attempt to stop herself from smiling but utterly failed. “Besides, when’s the last time you’ve gone out for dinner with a guy? Maybe you two will hit it off. It’ll be the perfect story. He saves your life and then you save his reputation of being a grump!”
Ochako flushed. “That’s not– It’s a ‘thank you’ dinner!”
Mina let go of her hand and dropped back in her chair dramatically. “You’re no fun. Live a little! He saved it, after all, right?”
Seriously, Ochako didn’t know why she told Mina. She should’ve talked with Deku or Tsuyu about this. They would have understood and wouldn’t have teased her in the process. Besides, Ochako had made it a rule that she wouldn’t date a hero again, not after her last disastrous attempt. She was twenty and needed to be serious about her work if she wanted to go pro by twenty-five; she didn’t have time to worry about a guy’s ego about her being higher ranked or working more than him.
*
To be honest, Tenko had been somewhat surprised when he trudged back to the agency and found Uravity leaning against his desk. She was in civilian clothes – black jean shorts, a flowery top, and a pair of sandals that looked close to disintegrating without the help of his quirk – but he would’ve recognized her anyways. Those cheeks of hers were too distinctive. Plus, she’d been on the news this past week, and the world was eager to see her back in action.
Hana nudged him in the side with her elbow, a sharp grin at her lips that he didn’t like. “Look at you, Tenchan. You’ve got an admirer!”
Tenko swatted at her, but she dodged him easily, too familiar with his moves. “Shut it. She’s probably just here to pay her respects or whatever.”
“Aw, c’mon, you saved her life!” Hana whined. She wiggled her eyebrows and laughed. “Maybe she wants to do a little more than that.”
“What does–?” Tenko scowled at his sister. “Would you stop being weird? I’m tired.”
Hana pressed a hand against her heart. “I’m the weird one? I am perfectly normal, thank you, even if I didn’t go the bride route Dad wanted.” She pointed at him. “You’re the one that hides away from the public whenever you’re not working. Work with me here, little brother. Maybe she is only here as a courtesy, but would it kill you to be pleasant for once? You were such a friendly boy.”
He had been friendly as a kid – and he could be friendly now when he wanted to. Hana often remarked that girls said he had the nicest smile, which was an utterly embarrassing thing to hear his sister say. She loved to tease him about that. Sometimes, he didn’t know why he’d agreed to become a hero duo with her when she was such a brat.
Shoving his sister away from him, Tenko made his way to his desk and greeted, “You look good.” Uravity spun about, her eyes wide and surprised. He cleared his throat and gestured at her. “You know, compared to the last time I saw you with all the blood, puke, and sweat.”
From her desk, he heard Hana whisper, “Oh my god,” and fought the urge to roll his eyes or disintegrate the floor so it would swallow either her or him whole. Who let them work together? They were disastrous when around one another.
Instead of being insulted, however, Uravity laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, I bet I looked like complete shit. Trust me, I felt like it too. I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a train.”
No shit. After the strain she’d put on herself and her quirk? Tenko was kind of surprised to see her on her feet. It might’ve been a week, but Recovery Girl hadn’t traveled from UA to see her as far as he knew. Not that he’d been keeping tabs or anything. He didn’t check up on everyone that he rescued, just the notable ones that were in precarious situations. Heroes had saved people that died later on at the hospital and never even knew it. He hated the thought of something like that happening.
“Well, I’m glad you’re doing better,” Tenko settled on saying. That seemed neutral enough.
“Yeah, me too,” Uravity replied. She hesitated, playing with the pads of her fingers like some sort of game, tapping them together but not all at once. Oh, yeah, she had an all finger touch quirk too, so she had to be careful as well. He didn’t think she wore gloves on the field like he did. “Actually, I came here because I wanted to thank you properly for what you did. I know not many would have done that.”
Tenko waved her off. “Eh, it was my job.”
“I know, but it still means a lot to me,” Uravity said. “I didn’t want your actions to go unacknowledged. I was kinda out of it and couldn’t thank you at the time, but a call or card felt like they were lacking.”
During his time since training to become a hero, Tenko had had a lot of people thank him for saving them, even when he was just a UA student doing an internship. It was always right after the fact or maybe during an interview on TV, like he slipped their minds once he was out of sight. It didn’t bother him as much as people might’ve thought. Still, he’d never had someone show up a week later to thank him. She sounded like not being able to properly thank him had bothered her.
Which, in turn, made him squirm uncomfortably. Maybe Hana was right about him needing to get out more often, but he would never admit that.
“I thought, um, maybe I could take you out for lunch or dinner?” Uravity continued anxiously. “As a thank you! To extend my appreciation for saving my life.”
“Eh?” Tenko raised his eyebrows. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. Like I said, it was my job–”
“I know the other heroes told you not to try to save me,” Uravity cut in smoothly. She wasn’t upset. There were no tears in her eyes, no look of betrayal on her face. It was simply a fact. A more experienced hero had told him not to save her – to let her go – but he couldn’t do it, not when he’d known in his gut that she jumped in knowing it could only end one way for her. “We’re always taught to listen to those above us, but I’m grateful that you didn’t.”
Before Tenko could figure out what to say, Hana threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close, a huge smile on her face. “He’d be delighted! The dork doesn’t know how to say yes.”
Tenko struggled to shove her off him, but she was so damn strong. “Hana, what the hell?”
“Nice to meet ya!” Hana said, reaching out with her free hand. “I’m Shimura Hana, his big sister, the one always getting him out of trouble.”
“More like into trouble,” Tenko grumbled, seeing as how she had just told Uravity that he’d go out for lunch or dinner with her. He could still back out since he himself hadn’t agreed, but then he’d really look like more of an asshole than he already was. Eh, it was free food, and Uravity didn’t seem so bad.
A bemused expression on her face, Uravity took Hana’s hand and shook it. “Uh, Uraraka Ochako.”
Hana finally released him and put her hands on her hips, looking quite smug with herself. “I’ll let you two hammer out the details.” She patted him on the head. “It’s so nice of you to do this! Tenko doesn’t get a lot of attention, but he’s a great hero.”
“Oh, I know,” Uravity – Uraraka – said. He peered at her curiously. “I’ve seen him on newsreels. He’s one of the best rescue specialists in Japan.” She blushed a little when she caught eyes with him. Yeah, he was well-known enough to go pro a few months ago, but more people paid attention to Hana. She was the flashier of them, after all. “Okay, so I kinda pay a little more attention to rescue heroes. It’s really cool that you’re working with Thirteen!”
“Yeah, uh, I got lucky,” Tenko said, feeling like he was wading into uncharted waters. He could be really social when he wanted to be, but Hana was giving him this weird sideways look that he really didn’t like. “They were a third year at UA when I was a first year, so I sorta knew them. Not as many heroics student want to specialize in rescue.”
“I always wanted to do rescue work, but I swear half my class was obsessed with becoming the Number One Hero. It used to make me feel kinda embarrassed.”
Tenko made a face. “Nah, that’s a stupid goal. The rank doesn’t matter as long as you save people.”
“I don’t know,” Uraraka said thoughtfully. “Rank affects my paycheck.”
“That’s even dumber,” Tenko added with a frown.
Hana rolled her eyes and pat him on the back. “Don’t even get him started. You’d almost think he didn’t like heroes from the way he complains sometimes!”
Tenko glared. “I thought you were leaving.”
“I am! I am!” Hana held up her hands in surrender and backed off before slinking back to her desk. She wasn’t truly gone since he knew she was still trying to eavesdrop. She was good at sneaking around but terrible at hiding her tracks. How many times had he gotten in trouble because of one of her ideas?
Uraraka’s eyebrows were raised over the interaction, but she didn’t make a comment even if she probably thought it was a little weird. He did like heroes! His father hated it, but he’d been born with that seed of heroism in him, planted in his blood. Some heroes just sucked, unfortunately. Touya ranted enough about Endeavor for Tenko to know the Flame Hero was a piece of shit. She was a good hero, of course – she showed her worth more than most pros.
Tenko scratched at his neck before catching himself in the middle of the nervous habit. “So, uh, when’s your next day off?” She blinked. Damnit, he needed to be clearer, but he didn’t want to talk about this around Hana. “For the dinner or lunch or whatever, I mean.”
“Oh, I’m on ‘medical leave’ until Thursday.” Uraraka pouted. “It’s boring.”
“Wednesday sound okay?” He wouldn’t have to worry about Hana bugging him since she would be at work. It would drive her crazy to not know what was going on. She was so nosy.
Uraraka beamed and gave him the most awkward thumbs up. “Sounds good!”
“Cool, cool.” Tenko took his glove off and shoved it into his pocket. He hadn’t realized he was still wearing it until he scratched his neck. “Where we going anyway?”
“Don’t worry,” Uraraka joked. “Even if my rank isn’t that high yet, I won’t take you to McDonald’s. I don’t think that’ll show my appreciation enough.”
Tenko pointed at his sister without even looking at her, stopping her from making a loud comment about how much he loved junk food. He heard her giggle snort and go back to work. Even Uraraka smiled, clearly amused by their antics. He was not. Why did Hana have to be so embarrassing? Was it a big sister’s job to torment their little brother even as adults? He was just trying to talk to a colleague, and she was making a big deal out of nothing.
After he and Uraraka exchanged numbers, she said goodbye to them both, even giving him a polite bow, and then bounced out of the room. He swore that she actually bounced. He watched her go all the way to the elevator and then shook his head in bemusement before collapsing behind his desk. He had a report to write and was not looking forward to it, but he was a little distracted thinking about what happened.
“Hey!”
Tenko jumped when Hana slapped his desk. “Good fucking– What is wrong with you?”
“I can’t believe you’re going on a date,” Hana laughed.
“It’s not a date! It’s a ‘thank you’ dinner – and it’ll be better than your shitty cooking.”
“You thought she was cute,” Hana teased, cruel as ever. “You were gawking at her, and I could tell you were nervous.”
“I was not,” Tenko snapped. He was just confused. He’d never had anyone want to take him out for dinner. It was supposed to go the other way around, but his forte had never been with any gender. Even Touya was better at it than him, and he was a jackass.
Hana shrugged. “I thought it was adorable. You two got along almost immediately and you’ve got some stuff in common. There was a spark - chemistry ! I saw it.” He shook his head and leaned forward to boot up his laptop so he could start on his report. Whatever. She could come up with however many conclusions she wanted. With him ignoring her, she popped upright and whipped out her phone. “I gotta tell Touya.”
“No!” Tenko threw himself over the desk in an attempt to grab her phone, but she jumped away from him, laughing as she started to text. “Hana, you better not! He’ll be an ass about it!”
The last thing he needed was Hana and Touya gabbing about how he was going on a date with another hero because he wasn’t. It wasn’t a date. It was some unnecessary dinner of appreciation. He hadn’t gone out in a while and Uraraka seemed nice enough. She had been in the same grade as Touya’s little brother and All Might’s successor. He’d have to make sure not to tell them where they were going. He didn’t need them scaring her off.
Seriously, Tenko didn’t know why he dealt with them.