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Waking up was not a formality that Shouta, formally known in the Underground as Eraserhead, was expecting. Hell, he's not even blindfolded! Blinking his eyes to adjust to the low lighting of the warehouse he's in, he finally registers voices yelling at each other.. right behind him, where he can't see them.
"I said no!" Ah, his 'favourite' vigilante, Atlas. Who he's also cuffed to, back-to-back. Just how he wanted to spend his Thursday night. He's so giving him a lecture when they get out of here.
..If they get out of here.
"I don't think you have much of a choice here, kid. It's either work for us or die." A different voice said, smug.
Wait, kid? Atlas is a kid?! Sure, he was short and acted a little immature, but that was news to him! Shit, he did not just bring a fucking kid to a raid!
… he totally did. This is going to be so much paperwork…
In his defense, he really hadn't known. At least Tsukauchi would have that. He feels pretty bad now, and that's not counting the likely concussion and bruised ribs.
Where has the kid even been living? Have his parents known and just not cared or something?
.. are they even alive?
Shaking himself mentally out of those thoughts, Shouta shifts slightly, to let the little menace know he's awake, hopefully. For all he knows, Atlas wouldn't even pick up on it, or just think it's normal for him.
"I'm really sorry, I mean considering your approach thus far? You've had us here for, what, hours? And you haven't even had us confirm what exactly we are!" oh, Shouta can already feel like this is going to be something either wonderfully stupid or wonderfully brilliant.
It ends up being a hilarious mixture of both.
"Well, what are you?" A different voice from the first time. Wonderful, it's probably a gang, or, if they were really unlucky, the yakuza.
"I'm a cancer." Atlas stated, and from the slackening of the cuffs that had them together, Shouta would hazard a guess that Atlas just picked the locks on both of their cuffs. Why didn't he think of.. that.. right, concussed. No wonder he can't focus on anything that's going on around him very well.
It also explains the very unlike him cackle that he just let out.
Hopefully.
Maybe.
Probably not. He can hope, though.
Shouta can feel Atlas lunge from his sitting position to, what he can only assume to be, one of the people keeping them captive. Shouta stands up as well, taking stock of his weapons as he does.
No knife, but these idiots left him with not only his scarf, but his goggles and the caltrops in his belt pouches. He feels a feral smile stretch across his face as his capture weapon snakes around two of the five, as he just now got to see, gang members, colliding them headfirst against each other and knocking both of them out.
These guys are from the Seahorse gang, what a stupid name. Shouta doubts it'll be standing for much longer if they thought it was a good idea to target him and Atlas.
Considering he just watched Atlas knock two other members out with extreme prejudice, he's going to consider himself correct.
The one member left looks terrified. He honestly should be, Shouta doesn't think he's ever seen Atlas this mad before.
wait..
Doing a double take, Shouta realizes that Atlas doesn't have his mask on, giving Shouta a pretty damn clear view of his face, even if it was a bit dark.
His face.. which looks like one of the General Education students in Hizashi's class..
Oh you have got to be kidding me..
Making sure all five of the gang members are knocked out, Shouta turns around and gives the newly dubbed Midoriya Izuku his most deadpan stare he possibly could. Considering he paled considerably, Shouta is going to assume it worked how he wanted it to. Good.
"So, Midoriya, do you want to explain why you've been playing Vigilante when I've offered countless times to join the Hero Course when there is a perfectly good spot open for you? I know Shinsou would appreciate having his friend in the same course as him again."
"Aizawa-Sensei, sir, even if I wanted to be a Hero again, I can't."
"Why's that?"
"I'm Quirkless, sir."