Chapter Text
Ren screamed as the monster jumped out and started ripping the idiot teen apart.
Akari rolled her eyes. “If you can’t handle the jump scares don’t watch the fucking movie with us,” she snapped.
Ren crossed his arms and leaned deeper into the couch. “I can handle it.”
Akari noticed he kept his eyes focused on her and not the screen. She snorted. It was her Halloween tradition to watch the goriest grittiest horror movies she could find. Yuriko Kaminari and Kenji Todoroki were with her, obviously, and they were going out to one of the street parades when it got dark.
Ren had begged to be included. He had wanted to hang out with them. It wasn’t her fault if he didn’t like the movie.
The tv clicked off.
Akari turned around to see who the culprit was. “Hey! I was watching that.”
“It was shitty.” Katsuki stood with the remote in hand. “Besides, you need to start getting ready, considering you’re going to have to swing by Sero’s and pick up Isamu.”
Ren perked up. Kenji and Yuriko wisely turned to their phones and stayed out of it.
Akari rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to go pick up Isamu.”
“Didn’t ask,” Katsuki snapped. “Both your Dad and I are on call tonight, as are Isamu’s parents, so you have to keep an eye on Ren and Isamu tonight at the parade.”
“I don’t want to fucking babysit.” Akari sunk into the couch. She knew she was being pissy, but she wanted to spend the night hanging out with her friends, not babysitting her younger brother. “Make him go on his own. He’s old enough.”
“Absolutely not,” Katsuki said. “Of course if you don’t want to watch him at the parade you can always all stay home for the night.”
“No,” Yuriko said. She jabbed Akari with her cord to make her shut up. “We can pick up Isamu and watch him and Ren at the parade. It’s no problem.”
Akari grumbled under her breath, but didn’t argue. She doubted Katsuki would keep her from going to the parade because she talked back, but she didn’t want to risk it.
Eijirou walked in the room, already half dressed in his hero costume. “What are you two arguing about now?”
“Nothing,” Akari and Katsuki said at the same time.
Eijirou raised his eyes but didn’t push. “Are you guys going to get ready here or over at Sero’s?”
“Or you could actually go to your own houses for a change,” Katsuki muttered, eyeing Yuriko and Kenji. Most days in the Bakugou-Kirishima house you could find Yuriko and Kenji lurking around somewhere. Katsuki complained about them being here, but he always cooked them dinner and brought them snacks.
“Here,” Kenji and Yuriko responded together.
“Well I’ll be here for the next half hour if you need any help with your costumes,” Eijirou said.
“I can do it on my own,” Akari said shortly.
Akari thought about going as Dynamight, but decided it was too cheesy to go as her dad at thirteen. Then she’d thought about dressing up as Deku, but every extra and their mother would be going as the number one hero. So she ended up going as werewolf from one of her horror movies. Her costume was a cheap thing she’d bought at a Halloween store, but it had fake blood and sharp fake teeth so it was badass enough.
Kenji was dressed as the old hero Hawks. It seemed innocent enough. Hawks used to be pretty popular, even getting up to number two for a while, but that’s not why Kenji had chosen him. Hawks was notorious for his work with Endeavor during the War of Liberation and his double agent work with Dabi Todoroki. Essentially it was a costume designed to very subtly piss off his father.
Yuriko had thrown subtlety out the window with her costume. She refused to tell Akari and Kenji what she was going as, no matter how they pestered her about it. So it was a complete shock to them when Yuriko came out with a blond wig and tan sweater.
“You’re going as Toga?” Akari asked in shock.
“Like Toga Himako from the League of Villains?” Kenji added. “One of the people who nearly killed our parents?”
“Yeah.” Yuriko spun around to show off her costume. “She was cute, don’t you think?”
Akari just rolled her eyes. This is why everyone saw them as delinquents.
In the living room, Eijirou helped Ren put the final touches on his costume, which was some character from a video game he liked. He smiled softly when he saw Akari dressed like a werewolf, like it brought back some fond memory. His smile fell when he saw Yuriko. “You all look nice,” he said in a strained voice.
Katsuki walked in the room, now fully dressed in his hero costume. He scowled when he saw them. “What the hell is that, Demon?”
“My costume.” Yuriko grinned. “You know in America it’s common to dress up as scary or evil things.”
Akari watched Katsuki closely. This is where he would either blow up or understand Yuriko was just being rebellious to test their limits.
Katsuki’s narrowed eyes twitched, but all he said was, “You four ready to go?”
On the train to get to Mina and Hanta’s, their group was on the receiving end of many judgemental stares. Akari gave them all withering glares and most people turned to mind their own business.
When they got to their stop Akari stalked out of the train, only glancing back once to make sure Ren was still with them. With his red wings and tail he was easy to pick out in a crowd, but that also made him easy to identify as a Dynamight and Red Riot’s son. Both their parents had enough enemies to make him an easy target.
It was Mina who answered the door when they got to their flat. She greeted them with a bright smile, ushered them into the apartment, and pulled each of them into a tight hug.
“It’s been too long since you kids have come by. Ren’s got acne now, Kenji I swear you’ve grown three inches, and Akari I love what you’ve done with your hair.” She didn’t say anything about Yuriko. Whether that was because of her costume or because she simply had nothing to say was unclear, but Akari had her own bet. “Isamu,” Mina called into the small apartment. “Ren’s here. It’s time to go.”
“I'm almost ready,” a high pitched voice yelled back.
Mina rolled her eyes dramatically. “I told that boy you were coming at six and he’s still late.”
“Sounds like his mother.” Hanta entered the hall and gave Mina a kiss on the cheek. He was dressed in his hero costume ready for patrol. His agency specialized in drugs trafficking which meant he’d probably be very busy tonight. “You kids, be careful. Don’t try any freaky shit.”
“And if you do, make sure you do it at home,” Mina added. She glanced pointedly at Yuriko. “Or come over and do it here. We won’t tell.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Yuriko said with a wide grin.
Mina grimaced. “Don’t call me Ma’am. I’m not old enough for that.”
A boy slid out from around the corner. He looked like a younger copy of Mina, with pink skin, little horns starting to poke their way through his pink fluffy hair. Akari didn’t know who his dad was, but the only quality Isamu inherited from him was his light blue eyes.
“I’m ready,” Isamu said. “Hey Ren! You like my costume?”
“I love it!” Ren squealed. “The jersey looks so manly.” Isamu was going as some volleyball player from an anime. Akari hadn’t watched it, it looked dumb as fuck, but they both seemed to enjoy it.
Mina snorted. “Come on, I’m going to take some pictures then you guys can run off and have fun.” They all groaned, but nobody protested too much. They all knew better than to try to argue with Mina.
After what felt like forever, they were finally free to go out and join the parade. It was one of the biggest Halloween parades in Japan. It was the place to be tonight. People were dressed up as heroes, cosplaying, or wearing western costumes. Akari even spotted some undercover heroes in the crowd, which made her feel better about letting Ren and Isamu wander away from them
She led Yuriko and Kenji through the crowd into the thick of the celebration, making sure she kept one eye on Ren’s bright wings. They were enjoying their favorite pastime of judging people around them.
“That man right there,” Kenji pointed to one of the many Deku’s in the crowd. “Four out of ten. He’s built like a twig, any villain could snap him in half, but the jump suit is fairly accurate.”
“Eh, I’d give him a three,” Akari said. “The jumpsuit is too stretchy. It looks cheap.”
“What about that girl over there?” Yuriko pointed out. “I think she’s supposed to be Iron Fist. I give her a six out of ten.”
Akari craned her head to see who Yuriko was talking about and ran into a Dynamight. “Hey watch where you’re going,” she snapped.
“Sorry Akari,” the other person said cheerfully.
Akari whipped her head around to actually look at who she’d run into. Hideo Midoriya. Of course the fanboy was decked out in full Dynamight gear. The spikey head gear and menacing mask looked kind of ridiculous with his fluffy hair, big eyes, and soft face. Ten out of ten.
“I’m so glad I ran into you,” Hideo rambled. “Well not ran into you ran into you. I’m not glad about that, but glad I get to see you. I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Hideo,” she cut off his rambling. “I get it.”
“Ok good,” Hideo let out a deep breath. “Oh hey Yuriko, hey Kenji. Kaito!” He called over his shoulder. “Guess what? Your brother’s here. So are Yuriko and Akari. Isn’t that awesome?”
Kaito appeared out of the crowd at Hideo’s side. He was dressed as some pretentious amine character Akari didn’t recognize. As soon as he saw them, his smile pressed into a flat line. “Akari, Yuriko,” he nodded politely. “Kenji.”
“I didn’t know you would be here,” Kenji said.
“Hideo wanted to come,” Kaito offered as his only explanation. “It is interesting to see the way heroes patrol a crowded area where many civilians are obscuring their identity.”
“Oh get the stick out of your ass,” Yuriko said. “We’re at a parade.” She sidled up close to him to make him uncomfortable. “Relax. Let loose. Have some fun.”
“Well now that we’re all here together,” Hideo said. “We should hang out and enjoy the parade as a big group.”
Kenji looked like he would rather hang out with the League of Villains, but Hideo was looking at her, and Akari nodded. “Yeah sure. Safety in numbers or some shit. It’ll be fun.”
“You know what would really be fun?” Yuriko asked. Her face spread into a grin that always meant she had a bad but very entertaining idea. “I could shut off all the lights so it would be pitch black and then we all scream like we’re being murdered.”
“Why would we do that?” Kaito asked. “Wouldn’t it just ruin the parade and make things harder for the heroes?”
“Yeah but it would be fucking hilarious,” Akari pointed out. “Come on Hideo.” She bumped his shoulder. “Live a little.”
Hideo looked torn. Akari couldn’t believe he was actually considering it. He found all their pranks funny, but he never joined in. He was too much of a goody two shoes for that.
“Hey, when’s the last time someone saw Ren and Isamu?” Kenji asked.
Akari forgot all about the prank and scanned the crowd. Usually Ren and Isamu were easy to spot considering one was pink and one had giant wings. Unfortunately, with a giant crowd and everyone in costume, Akari couldn’t see them anywhere.
“There.” Hideo pointed out. “Isn’t that Ren?”
Bright red wings flapped so you could see them above the crowd. Akari took off in that direction. Yuriko and Kenji raced after her.
The scene was fucking awful, but not unfamiliar. Two young highschoolers had Isamu backed into an alley, two more stood around him laughing, and two held Ren back. It didn’t matter who they were or what led up to this, Akari was going to make them pay for touching her brothers.
It was three on six. Almost a fair fight.
Akari focused on the ones holding Ren. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Kenji attack the boys surrounding Isamu and Yuriko go for the other two.
“Akari!” Ren shouted. “I’m sorry, I-”
“Shut it,” Akari snapped. Lava flowed off her hands and forearms. “Let him go now.”
Goon One and Two shoved Ren to the side. They had a bigger threat to focus on now. Akari waited until Ren scrambled safely behind her before throwing a big right hook.
“Hey kids,” a deep voice barked. “Stop it.”
The fight was already over. Two kids were popsicles, two moaned on the ground, their skin scattered with burns and bruises, and the two smartest of the six had already fled.
Akari gave Goon Two a last kick in the stomach for good measure and then turned around. Real Steel stood there looking down at them sternly. Hideo and Kaito stood behind him.
Shit they told. Even worse, they told her dad’s hero partner.
“Akari, you better start talking.”
“Half a dozen high school assholes were ganging up on my brother and his friend. What did you want us to do?”
“Is this true?” Tetsutetsu asked.
Ren, who was still huddling behind Akari, nodded. Isamu pushed himself off the wall. “They recognized us and thought we had money. When we told them we didn’t, well…”
“Ok.” Tetsutetsu nodded to himself. It’s not like this was the first time this has happened. “Todoroki unfreeze those two, and then I’ll take you kids back to the agency-”
“I can’t,” Kenji said.
“What do you mean you can’t?”
Kenji shrugged. “I make things colder, I can’t heat them up.”
“Don’t worry,” Kaito said rather smugly for someone who hadn’t helped during the fight at all. “I can free them.”
“I want to try.” Akari shoved past him. She didn’t want to give Kaito any opportunity to feel more smug than he already did. Besides, she really did want to try. She didn’t have much practice being gentle and precise with her quirk. There was no time like the present to learn.
She succeeded in unfreezing the two bastards, Tetsutetsu helped the other two to their feet. “That girl’s crazy,” Goon One said. “She’s completely jumped us. You need to arrest her.”
Akari snorted. Tetsutetsu wasn’t going to arrest her. He would take them back to the station, call their parents, Eijirou would probably shake his head and take them home. When they heard what happened, her dads’ might even tell her they were proud of her.
Yuriko would get off easy. Denki and Kyouka weren’t very strict and fighting in an alley was definitely one of the tamer thing’s she’d done.
Things would be a little worse for Kenji. Shoto and Momo were strict about weird things. It didn’t help that Kaito was there and would have his own version of events, but even he would probably get off easy considering it was just Tetsutetsu who found them.
None of that made Akari any less pissed than Hideo and Kaito had told. Fucking jerks. She was never trusting them again.
“I’m sorry, Akari,” Ren whispered to her as they followed Tetsutetsu back to the agency. “I should’ve fought them off, I should’ve-”
“It’s fine Ren.”
He walked too close to her all the way back to the agency. Akari would’ve normally shaken him off, but she could tell he was really rattled. “You’re not a fighter. You don’t have to be. I’ve got your back.”
“Ok.” Ren bit into his lip and nodded. “Yeah ok.”