Chapter Text
People jump in surprise as you roll into a landing, using the momentum to take off into a sprint. You tighten your grip on the plastic bag in your hand, your backpack jostling from the movement but secure nonetheless.
“Stop her!”
You duck your upper body low to further avoid visual detection as you hear thundering footfalls behind you. Bystanders gasp and scream at your figure as you weave between them.
Two pro heroes are in close pursuit after you, shoving people and objects out of their way, leaving havoc in their wake.
They’re careless. Good.
With your small, malnourished figure, it’s easy for the well-built and highly trained pros to catch up to you. However, just as one reaches to grab at your hoodie, you leap out onto the road.
Cars screech to a halt and toot their horns as you vault across the street. You hear the pros curse you as they adjust to the sudden change in directions.
People jolt to a stop as you dash past them, veering into the nearest alleyway. The two pros race after you, citizens yelling as they are yet again shoved out of the way.
The pair turn down the alleyway but stop short once finding it a bare dead end. Anger and shock mix in their features.
“Where the fuck did she go?” One asks as he scurries towards a pile of trash bags.
“I don’t know. Maybe she didn’t turn down this alley?” The other asks as he scratches his head.
The first one gets mad and glares at the second. “I saw her come down this alley!”
“Well we can’t see her here so where else could she have gone?!”
Just as the two get ready to brawl with each other, a taunting whistle causes them to snap their heads up.
Your peering over the edge of the tall building, too high for the heroes to even think about scaling up. A smile is spread across your lips, victory etched onto your face.
“Thanks for the run! Thought I was going to be missing out on my cardio today!” Your comment makes the pros growl in frustration. “Well, I better get going now. See ya!” You can’t help but laugh as you walk away from the ledge, the pros yelling and cursing obscene profanities at you.
You walk to the middle of the building before kneeling down and slinging off your backpack. The buzzing of your phone has you hastily unzipping your bag. Swiftly grabbing your phone from the inside pocket, you glance to the screen before accepting the call.
“Hey Dabi. What’s up?”
“You plan on coming back anytime soon?”
You hum as you stuff the bag of bread into your backpack. “Yep! Just snagged a jackpot full of bread. Even got a loaf of gluten-free. Their security is sloppy. It’s like they were asking me to steal the bag!”
Dabi chuckles. “That’s good. So I’ll see you in 15?”
“Yeah.” You take a quick glance at the time before returning the phone to your ear. “Kai should be finishing work soon so I’ll probably meet up with him on the way.”
“Cool. See you then.”
“See ya!” After hanging up the call, you toss the phone back into your bag before zipping it up. Securing the straps around your shoulders, you slide your gaze across the horizon.
You crane your neck to each side, the sound of it popping satisfying to you. Bouncing side-to-side, you sigh. “Let’s do this.”
You take off in a sprint towards the edge of the building, vaulting over the small fence with ease.
What awaits you is a large drop to the next building. Common knowledge says the fall can severely injure anyone. But you’re not afraid in the slightest.
The force of gravity pulls you into a faster descent, you feel it in your body, the way your insides seem to flutter with nervous excitement. The feeling is horrifying and absolutely amazing.
You have to squint in order to properly view below you. Your feet dangle in your vision as the cement roof gets closer with every beat of your heart. As soon as your shadow casts onto the roof, your eyes glimmer with the activation of your quirk.
The speed of your fall slows down drastically as you grip onto your quirk, fingers twitching with the effort.
Seconds pass by before you feel the soft press of cement beneath your thin-soled shoes. A smile spread across your face, heartbeat thundering with exhilarating adrenaline.
You take off once again, using your quirk to vault across and between buildings.
~*~
The bell chimes as Kai opens the door, leaving the bustling cafe and entering the busy streets. He adorns a loosely fitting black shirt which ruffles in the cool wind and tight-fitting jeans that look to be on the edge of throwing out. With a tired yawn, he lifts a hand to thread through his thick silver hair.
“I think it’s time you cut it.”
Kai snaps his dark gaze over to where you are, leaning against the wall beside the cafe entrance. He breathes out a light laugh. “You think?”
“Yeah! It’s on the brink of touching your shoulders again.” You reply as you spring off the wall.
Kai shrugs, standing beside you as the two of you merge into the moving crowd. “It’s only been five months.”
“I know, but your hair grows quickly. We should at least trim it back a couple inches.” You suggest, reaching up to ruffle his hair.
Kai swats at your hand. “Yeah okay. Are you happy to do it then?”
You chuckle as he fixes his hair to the side of his face. “Sure. How was work today?”
“Not that bad actually.” Kai switches from his annoyed tone to a happier tone. “The old lady came in today and gave me a loaf of the gluten-free bread.”
“That’s nice of her. I assume you got work tomorrow as well?”
He shakes his head. “No. He gave me a couple days off. I don’t work till next week.”
“Ahh. That’s too bad. You got paid today, right?”
“Yep. He gave me a little bit extra as an apology for being late.” Kai informs as the two of you turn a corner.
“Fucking finally! That dude had me worried he was turning into an asshole.” You say as you step out of the way of a man as he runs through the crowd.
Kai laughs as he agrees. “So was I.”
Topics of conversation pass between the two of you as you walk among the crowd. Every street you pass and every corner you turn gets more secluded as you walk. Thirty minutes pass and the environment has drastically changed from the bright eye-soar of the bustling city, to the gloomy, deserted area of the abandoned industrial part of town. The only people that occupy the streets are the homeless and the outcasts.
A cry from a dark alley reaches your ears and you abruptly stop your conversation and pause in your steps, eyes snapping towards the looming darkness of the alley. Kai, having also heard the noise, follows your actions.
“Sounded like a child.” Kai speaks softly.
You hum in agreeance, sliding off the straps of your bag. “Stay here. I’ll go check it out.” After handing your bag over to Kai, you quietly walk into the dark alley.
As a supplement to your quirk, you gained the genetic ability to see clearly in the night with barely any effort, making it much easier to peer into the dark alley. As a result of this, your eyes glow faintly in the dark.
You quietly creep deeper into the alley, surveying every object in the cramped area. With a twitch of your eye, you activate your quirk, amplifying the way you see. You feel the cold shadows of the dumpsters and litter throughout the alleyway. The bricks of the dark walls also have their own shadows despite already being in the dark.
It’s the presence of two human-like entities a few feet ahead of you that you focus on. One is slumped between the dumpster and the wall while another, smaller one kneels beside it, shaking with violent shivers. You deduce that it’s the one crying.
As you deactivate your quirk, your peer around the dumpster.
Laid against the dumpster lies a woman covered in blood, clothes torn to shreds and bruises littering her skin. Her brown eyes are half-lidded but full of fear, more so as she glances at you. Beside her kneels a child, tears steadily falling from their eyes, clothes equally torn but not as badly. Blood spots are scattered across them, but it doesn’t appear to be theirs, only a few bruises marking their skin.
The two instantly gasp and try to cower further into the wall.
You hold your hands above your shoulders as you squat before them a few feet away. “It’s okay. I mean no harm. I only wish to help you.”
The woman, presumably the mother of this child, releases the tension in her body. “Are you really?” Her voice is quiet and shaky though her tone is apprehensive.
You nod, lowering your hands to your lap and smiling. “Yes. My name is (Y/n), I can take you somewhere where we can take care of you. I’m not sure what you know about this neighbourhood, but there’s a place nearby that can help you. It’s usually referred to as ‘The Mall’.”
The mother takes a shaky breath. “I… I remember hearing… about that place. You… it’s a place where… people go when they have nowhere… else to go. They say you… take in those who are… forgotten and left out of society.”
A gentle laugh escapes you. “That’s the gist of it yes. They also say that we are the edge of villainy.”
She nods. “Yes. I heard that too. Are… Are you villains?”
Shrugging your shoulders, you answer: “Yes and no. There’s a lot of us who have managed to get a job. We use that money to get survival essentials, such as food, water, medications if necessary. We try to prioritise what we can.”
She sighs in relief. “That’s good.”
“Although, there are a few of us who the society would dub villains. I am one of those few.” This sentence raises tension between you two. “We go out and steal money and other things such as food from others.”
The child cowers closer to his mother, hands shaking as they grasp her shirt.
You continue, despite the tensions of the atmosphere. “But we have our own special rules about doing it, the main one being we only steal from those who are clearly above the average pay grade or are more than capable of supporting themselves.”
The mother laughs lightly. “Serves them right.” You laugh along with her. “You steal to survive… Something a lot of people… take for granted.” You nod and smile at her.
You watch as her eyes avert behind you, widening with a fresh wave of fear. You already know who it is, having tracked his shadow as he entered the alley. “There’s no reason to fear here.” You assure, smiling as he kneels beside you. “This is my friend Kai. He’s also from the mall.”
“Hello.” Kai greets, head bowed slightly.
The mother instantly relaxes, patting her child’s head. “So you do… whatever it takes to survive?”
You nod in agreement. “Yes.”
Kai speaks with a gentle voice. “We can guide you back to the mall, care for your wounds-”
A wet cough erupts from the mother, blood splattering everywhere and pooling from her mouth. The child whines and clutches tightly to her arm. She shakes her head twice. “No. It’s too late for me.”
“Mommy?” The child whimpers, new tears pooling at their eyes.
The mother's brown gaze brim with single tears, locking onto your own gaze. “Promise me… You’ll take care of my son?” She lightly gestures to the child who only quivers beside her, eyes squinting with tears and disbelief.
You nod, but Kai answers for you. “We promise we’ll do what we can for him.”
The mother smiles and lifts her shaky hands up to her neck. She fiddles with the chain of her silver necklace until she finally manages to unclasp it. With shaky movements, she carefully offers it to you, the rose engraved pendant dangling below.
“Take it. Please. Let him...have it… as a way to… re-remember me by.” Her frail voice all but begs.
Nodding, you reach over to take the necklace from her fingers. Her hand drops as soon as you take it, closing your fist around it protectively. She then peers over her son, a smile gracing her bloodied lips.
“My dear Michi…”
The boy, Michi, coughs out a sob. “Mommy.”
The mother moves her hand to cup his cheeks, the hold shaky and barely there. “My brave boy. I… want you to live… your life to the… fullest. Don’t… cry over me for… too long… I promise… that I’ll be… w-watching you… from above.” She breaks out into an airy cough, blood dribbling down her chin. Her hand drops from Michi’s cheeks, but not before swiping the few stray tears from his eyes. “I love you Michi.”
You watch as the light from her eyes fade to a dull colour. Her body is no longer twitching, chest no longer moving as her muscles give out.
Michi sobs loudly, body curling in on his deceased mother. He wails and screams, begging for her to come back despite the fact that he knows she’s gone for good.
You and Kai stay still, heads hung low in silent mourning as well as a silent promise. Neither of you move to take him away. You let him mourn the loss of his mother, not wanting to rip this moment away from him. After all, you both know it’ll be more detrimental to him if he doesn’t have this opportunity.
More than twenty minutes pass by sluggishly, nothing but the sounds of broken sobs and scream filling the air.
Eventually, his cries soften. He lifts his head up from his mother's stomach, eyes bloodshot from his continuous tears, face a sickly gray, most likely due to the amount of energy he spent.
He looks to you, brown eyes staring into your own until they peer down to your hand.
You smile and open your hand to reveal the necklace. “Would you like me to put it on you?”
A shiver runs through Michi’s spine, so violent he looks to be flinching.
“You don’t have to. I can give it to you to hold.”
Michi shakes his head and speaks with a low, worn out voice. “Can… Can I wear it? Please?”
You nod once. “Of course.”
Slowly, he stands up. His legs are shaky, his pants ripped beyond belief, barely giving him any protection from the cool air of the alley. He takes small steps towards you, eyes downcast, fingers twiddling with each other. Once he’s within your arms reach, he turns around to have his back face you.
Carefully, you bring the necklace around his neck, clasping it on with ease. You return your hands to your lap.
Michi turns around, and to your surprise, he wraps his arms around you. With little hesitation, you lightly wrap your own arms around him.
“My mommy trusts you. So, I will too.”
You can’t help but smile and tighten your grip. “I’m happy to hear that. I promise I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you.”
Michi tightens his own arms around you, shivering as cool wind brushes past.
“Are you cold?” Kai asks. Michi peeks his eyes over your shoulder, looking at Kai. He nods shyly.
Kai briefly takes off your bag in order to ease off his jacket, placing it over Michi. You move your arms to hold the jacket to him, tucking it around him.
“Are we going now?” Michi asks.
“It’s up to you Michi.”You reply.
Michi looks back towards his mother, his hand reaching up to grasp the pendant that hangs from the necklace. “She told me not to cry too much.”
“But you’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to feel sad that she’s gone. Where we’re going, no one will judge. I promise.” Kai assures him, smiling at him.
“I know. But she wants me to live and be happy.”
You thread your fingers through his black hair. “If you’re ready to go, we can. But don’t feel like you have to.”
He stays quiet, staring at his paling mother with glistened eyes. A few more minutes pass by with him simply staring at her. He then turns to look at you. “She said she would be watching me from above. She never breaks a promise.”
Neither you or Kai can stop the smile from spreading on your lips. With small movements you reach up to tuck a strand of black hair behind his ear. “Then let's show her you can grow to be a strong man.”
You see him smile before burying his face in the crook of your neck, exhaustion clearly overtaking him from the way his body practically melts into yours.
Kai helps you stand up straight, ensuring Michi stays comfortable and relaxed. With only a few seconds of hesitation, the three of you exit the alleyway.