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~10 years later~
“Today, in Hero News, Number One Hero Lemillion—”
*Click*
“And here we see Uravity, Chargebolt, and Creati working together to take down Tremor, the villain who’s been terrorizing downtown Tokyo for the past month; in an incredible display of teamwork and—”
*Click*
“Welcome back, viewers! Here, we have the Number Four Hero, Duality, on our show for an exclusive interview~”
“Hey, Zu, Sho’s on TV!”
He poked his head out of the kitchen and scurried into the living room. Hitoshi looked up from his sprawled position on the couch and beckoned.
“What’s going on?”
“Looks like Sho’s giving an interview.” Hitoshi grabbed the remote and turned the volume up, setting aside the papers he was grading as he did so. He sat next to Hitoshi and leaned into his side.
“Well, let’s see what they ask him.”
If it’s too invasive, I might have to send complaints to the news stations again.
“Stop plotting to tear down the news stations, Izu,” Hitoshi scolded, although his queerplatonic partner’s eyes were shining with amusement. “They haven’t even done anything yet.”
“Yet.”
“Fair. Vultures, the lot of them. . .” Then Hitoshi shook himself and pointed to the TV. “They’re finally starting with the questions, shush.”
He swatted Hitoshi’s leg, but settled in to watch. On the screen, the third member of their relationship was sitting primly on a sofa, looking as calm as he ever did.
“How are you doing, Duality?”
“I’m alright, thank you.”
“Great. Now, you’re easily one of the youngest heroes to ever break the Top Ten, along with Uravity, Dynamight, Creati, Chargebolt, Red Riot, Lemillion, Suneater, Ingenium, and Phantom Thief. What’s the secret to your success?”
Shoto blinked.
“I had a bit more practice during my school years than most heroes can claim.”
“Right, you were a member of the infamous Class A, nicknamed ‘the Hell Class’, correct?”
“Yes.”
The interview proceeded fairly calmly—which was a bit of a surprise—but then the host started getting personal.
“You know, there are some rumors floating around about significant others in your life, and you’ve been spotted with the Quirkless Hero, Deku. Do these rumors have some truth to them?”
He shared a glance with Hitoshi.
How is Sho going to answer this?
On the TV, Shoto tilted his head.
“If you’re referring to romantic partners, then no. I do, however, have two queerplatonic partners that I care about very much.” Then Shoto gave his best attempt at a shit-eating grin, which was actually a tiny smile showing his teeth, and it was far more unnatural than Nedzu’s smile. “A quick message to any villains watching—I wouldn’t advise going after them. One of them was Nedzu’s personal student, after all. And possibly his secret relative—”
He stared incredulously at the TV as Hitoshi cackled beside him.
“He did not just bring up one of his conspiracy theories about me on live TV!”
“Oh, I think he did.”
He groaned and buried his face in his hands.
“That’s it. I’m not making him cold soba for the next two weeks.”
“Ouch.” Then Hitoshi pointed at the TV again. “He’s still talking.”
“Speaking of Deku. . .he’s very well known for his advocacy work, particularly in regards to bullying, Quirkless protection, and Quirk discrimination. Does this have to do with how he lost his Quirk as a first year?”
“It’s. . .complicated. But you should ask him, not me.”
“Ah. . .you said something about how he was Nedzu’s personal student?”
“Yes.” Shoto gave the same unnerving smile. “He exposed Endeavor’s crimes, as well as the old Commission—I don’t advise making him angry.”
The host’s smile became noticeably faker, then they continued.
“Duly noted.” Then the reporter turned to the camera. “We’ll be right back, after a quick break! So tune back in after ten minutes!”
Hitoshi muted the TV and pulled out his phone. Moments later, he felt his own phone buzz.
(Puppet Master): hey sho, when are you getting home?
(Living Thermometer): Thirty minutes, maybe
(Living Thermometer): An hour if I can’t get away from the interview
(Modern Batman): Sho, did you really have to bring up your theory about how I’m somehow related to Nedzu? On LIVE TV?!
(Living Thermometer): It’s the truth, I’m telling you
He groaned as Hitoshi snickered next to him. Then a different chat buzzed and he flicked to the 1-A group chat—which was still going strong.
Hell Class Group Chat
(Jacked): *picture sent*
(Jacked): We’ve set the date, everyone!
“So one of them finally popped the question?” Hitoshi asked rhetorically, smirking down at the photo of Yaomomo and Jiro. He nudged Hitoshi playfully.
“Don’t be mean, Toshi~” Then he sighed. “You’re right, though. I was wondering when they would decide to take the next step, they’ve been dating since third year.”
“Are we going?”
He gave Hitoshi a deadpan stare.
“Yes.”
Hitoshi snorted.
“Chill, that was what I was expecting. While we’re on the topic, what other news does everyone have?” The underground hero scrolled through the chat log, humming softly. “Let’s see. . .Kiri and Bakugo are still going steady, oh, Aoyama’s back from France, that’s cool—Shoji did another talk about discrimination against mutation Quirks. . .oh, and Eri just started her apprenticeship with Recovery Girl!”
“Aw, how’s she doing?”
“Good, from the looks of it—we should invite her over sometime.”
“We should.”
Hitoshi continued searching his phone.
“Hey, look.” His partner showed him a news article with a very familiar face. “It looks like one Shigaraki Tomura has finally graduated from the rehab program.”
He couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face as he took in the image of Shigaraki, decaying rubble at a disaster site.
I knew he could be a good hero~
“Jeez, calm down, you evil genius.”
He blinked and looked over at Hitoshi. Then it clicked.
“Oh—was I doing one of my Nedzu smiles again?”
“E-yup.”
“Whoops. Sorry.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the TV change back to the interview set and he hurried to turn the volume back on.
“And we’re back again, viewers, still with Duality as our guest. Now, Duality, we got a little off topic earlier, so let’s get back to you~ Can you tell us why you wanted to become a hero?”
“At first, it was what my father wanted of me; he wanted me to surpass All Might.” Shoto’s voice was perfectly bland. “Later, it was because I wanted to keep people from hurting as much as possible.”
“Ah, yes—your father is the Former Number One, Endeavor, correct?”
Shoto’s expression was still calm. However, he could see how the man’s hands were starting to clench around the arm of the sofa.
“That is correct, although he was never much of a hero. I was extremely relieved when Deku exposed him for the wrongs he had done.”
“And this has led to your active stance on stopping domestic abuse.”
“Yes.” Shoto was definitely getting testy now. He sighed and started drafting a complaint. Then the host went even further.
“So this abuse is what inspired you to become a hero, in the end?”
Right. They’re dead.
“What talk show is this again?”
“Ah—oh. Talking with the Pros. ” Hitoshi grimaced. “Some of the others have had issues with them too.”
“Is that so~?”
Hitoshi rolled his eyes, but the wild smirk on his face spoke volumes.
“Here we go again. . .”
“You know you love it.”
“Yeah. . .I do. And so does Sho.” Then Hitoshi bowed mockingly. “Would you like some assistance, oh great Demigod of Chaos~?”
He swatted Hitoshi again, but chuckled and got off the couch to find his trusty tablet.
“You know what? Yes. It’ll make it more enjoyable. And I think I’ll invite Nedzu-sensei to dinner; get his opinion.”
“Oh, boy. . .this just got real.”
“Shush, you.”
****
He smirked to himself as he read the news article. Talking with the Pros had just been shut down after a series of massive lawsuits, all headed by himself and endorsed by multiple top heroes.
Haven’t lost the touch~
He glanced over to the couch, where both of his partners were sprawled out, napping, and couldn’t help the fond chuckle that escaped him.
Wow. . .if only my middle-school self could see me now.
He was shaken out of his thoughts by a particularly adorable snuffle from Hitoshi as the man’s arm flopped onto the empty portion of the couch, feeling around. He snorted and got up from his seat, plopping down next to the cuddle pile. His arm was immediately captured and he let himself be tugged into the pile. Before long, he felt his own eyes start to close.
His last thought before falling asleep was a surge of gratefulness that Nedzu and Aizawa had believed in him that day. His life was chaotic and messy, but he was a Quirkless hero, saving people with a smile, just as he’d wanted all those years ago; and he had his amazing friends and family beside him.
Really, what more could he ask for?
~Fin~