Chapter Text
It was a week after the cultural festival at U.A., a week after Gentle Criminal had tried to break in, and a week after Eri had smiled for the first time. For once, the world seemed as peaceful as it was going to get for class 1A. Bakugou was still setting off explosions every second he felt he needed to, but the so called Baku squad was getting on with homework and keeping the blond distracted with their usual questions and jokes. Jirou was tuning her guitar, her confidence after the successful show already making a difference, and Yaoyorozu sat nearby reading a small book.
Midoriya, for his part, was on his way to the mall, Uraraka and Iida right beside him. The pair were mostly there to keep the greenet out of trouble as much as they could… not all because even Aizawa could admit that danger was attracted to the problem child like a moth to a flame. No, the pair were there to dissuade any who may try their hand at crime and hold the problem child back when he inevitably decided to intervene.
All in all it was a regular, peaceful Sunday. Midoriya was only out to buy the latest hero merch he had heard about… and a new recipe book for Sato… and the latest game for Kaminari… and, okay, so maybe he wasn’t just there for the hero merch, but there was no reason for them to believe the trip would go wrong. How wrong they were.
The trio walked through the crowd, visiting all the requested shops. Sato’s book had taken far longer than any of them had imagined to find, but Iida eventually spotted it. He had despised that the best way to find it was to pull each book off the shelf, check the title, put it back, and repeat. ‘Nature’s sweet treats’ had been half way down the shelf, and the class representative had started from the very top. During that time, Uraraka had drifted to the teen romance section, whilst Midoriya could be seen and heard by the heroes autobiography and bibliography section. They only purchased one book upon leaving the shop, not without an argument however.
The next stop was Kaminari’s game. Unsurprisingly, the blond boy already owned many party games like Mario Kart and Party. Even Just Dance had taken over the common area multiple times, a single game becoming a party due to the blond challenging anyone who dared to come near. The usual victims were the rest of the Baku squad, Ojirou, and Tokoyami. However in the privacy of his own room, Kaminari switched through a few different game series. He could let hours pass, losing himself in one world or another. The latest series had been occupying the blond well, and Kaminari had almost screamed upon seeing the latest trailer. (“OMG! You get a puppy!”) So after a quick stop at the nearest game store, the trio started towards their final destination.
As they walked, Midoriya bounced on his toes, barely holding himself back from rambling every fact he knew about a certain white rabbit hero. Suddenly to the left of them, an alarm starts blaring and a figure runs past, making a b-line for the nearest exit and interrupting their peaceful day.
Tucked under the thief's arm appeared to be a sealed box Before the others could react, Midoriya activated his quirk, lighting up with green sparks and turning on full cowl, before darting after the thief. Iida reached out to pull him back, but his hand closed around nothing. He bowed his head, shoulders moving in time with his deep sigh, before he looked to the final member of their trio. Uraraka in turn merely shrugged and gave him a small sympathetic smile before turning and heading after Midoriya.
Deku had managed to push through the crowd and had tackled the thief to the ground just before the exit. Deku shifted to put his full weight onto the thief’s shoulders and hold them down, moving his legs to trap the thief's thighs when they began thrashing below him. It was clear the thief was only lashing out and did not have the physical ability to get away.
In this position, he had a clear view of the thief’s face. He noted that they were male, maybe fifty years old if the grey hair was any indication, and a glance at his disheveled state made it clear that the man had been sleeping rough, so maybe the colour wasn’t natural. For some reason, he seemed vaguely familiar to Midoriya.
“Sir, please stop fighting. The police are getting here soon, and I really don’t want to hurt you, but I’m worried I might by accident if you keep fighting.” Deku tried to speak clearly, hoping that the tone of his voice would calm the man down. He adjusted himself so he wouldn’t add any extra weight or pressure where it wasn’t necessary to keep him still.
However, his words seemed to have the opposite effect. The thief had briefly stilled before he started struggling even harder than before. He thrashed around on the ground and shook his head violently, muttering, “Not the police! Please, I can’t go with the police! They’ll find me, I can’t do it, I can’t!”
Taken aback by the sudden shout at the end, Deku loosened his grip momentarily, but it was enough. The thief reached around and grabbed his bare arm, just as Iida and Uraraka reached them through the crowd, calling his name. As Midoriya pitched to the side, pain and a sense of loss overwhelmed him. Just before he lost consciousness, he barely registered an apology..
He heard something land behind him with a soft thunk, and then his world went dark.
Iida Tenya was at a loss. He stood in front of a growing crowd, looking at Midoriya’s unconscious body. Just as concerning was the form beside him that had appeared to split from the boy as he fell. It had all happened so quickly and he was struggling to follow the series of events which had occurred in the last five minutes.
They had arrived at the mall at 10:05 as planned. First, they stopped at the bookshop for Sato, then the game store for Kaminari, and had just left the hero merchandise shop after buying the Mirko figurine by 11:20. That left them a good forty minutes to return to U.A for lunch with an agreeable five minutes to spare.
This… he should have seen something like this coming. Tenya knew Midorya. He knew he would get involved in any criminal activity that was happening, and respected his classmate and friend for doing so. Yet some days he wished his friend understood he was not responsible for stopping and helping everything and everyone around him.
So now Tenya barely registered the thief that had caused all this, getting up and making a dash for the exit with Ururaka giving chase. Someone had to stay with Midoriya and Tenya trusted their fellow hero in training and friend to catch the individual. So turning to the crowd he quickly starts encouraging people to step back but not leave, the police would be there soon and may need their statements after all.
Turning back he kneels between his friend and the new mystery person, reaching out and he checks for a pulse. Tenya relaxes when he finds it, a sigh of relief escaping from a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. He does the same for the other and nods to himself once he finds another pulse.
With almost practiced ease the blue haired boy reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone and calls the third person on his speed dial list. The tone sounds twice before being answered, the voice on the other end sounded gruff, tired and yet alert and concerned.
“Iida. What has happened?”
“Aizawa Sensei. I believe I should inform you that at eleven twenty-one Midoriya gave chase to a thief at the mall and has come in contact with the thief’s quirk.”
He keeps his voice calm and information relevant to the situation. Just like delivering a report after an incident or patrol after all a hero was never really off the clock.
There was the sound of movement on the other end of the phone as Tenya could only assume Aizawa was preparing to leave U.A and meet them.
“Which mall are you at? What effects has the quirk had on Midoriya? How bad are his injuries? Are the emergency services on their way? Have they been called?”
“Kiyashi Ward shopping mall. Midoriya doesn’t appear to be injured sensei, merely unconscious at the moment. Emergency services are answering the alarm from the shop though I believe a civilian may have called for an ambulance as well. As for the effect the quirk has had…”
Tenya trails off as he takes a good look at the additional figure on the floor. They appeared to be female, slightly shorter than Midoriya himself though she had matching freckles on her cheek. The light purple hair was spread over the floor behind her, displaying its length and wild curls, so similar yet contrasting with his friend's short, wild, dark green hair. He couldn’t tell much else from simply looking at her other than she appeared to be wearing the same outfit to his classmate.
“Iida! What did the quirk do to Midoriya?”
The voice of his teacher quickly snaps Tenya out of his thoughts and he focuses on delivering the best he can.
“My apologies sensei. It would appear that the quirk created a female upon making contact with Midoriya, roughly our age with purple hair and features similar to Midoritya’s own. She too is unconscious for the moment.”
“…”
Other than the sound of rushing wind the line was silent for a long moment so Tenya waited patiently, or at least as patiently as he could. Thankfully for the teen Aizawa responded only a few seconds later.
“What about yourself and Uraraka? She is with you, correct?”
“Uravity is currently in pursuit of the thief as they ran as soon as Midoriya fell from their back. I remained with the unconscious pair to be here if either should awaken sensei. Neither of us were close enough at the time to be affected by the quirk.”
“Call Uravity back. Until we know what the side effects of the unknown contact quirk, it is illogical for her to give chase. I shall be there soon, keep me updated. Stay together!”
Then a soft click ends the call. Lowering his phone from his ear the class representative scrolls his contacts to find Uraraka. A quick glance around the area he can tell many of the civilians had remained though giving the space he had requested. A glance at the clock on his screen told him the time was now 11:25.
The police would most likely arrive in five minutes and Aizawa in a further ten.
Pressing the call button on Uraraka’s contact, Tenya quickly puts the phone to his ear once more. She picks up after the fourth tone to his relief but he doesn’t give her a chance to speak before passing on the orders as told.
“Uravity. Eraserhead says to stand down and return to Kiyashi Ward. He will be joining us soon.”
“Message received. However I have caught the thief already. I shall return with him.”
Hearing her voice assured Tenya Uraraka hadn’t fallen to the effects of the same quirk. To hear she had already caught the thief had him feeling pride for her. She was becoming a very capable hero and it was clearly showing for her to have caught him so quickly.
“Understood Uravity. Is the thief restrained? Do you need assistance?”
“The thief is… he’s restrained. No assistance needed. We’ll be back soon.”
“Understood. The police should be here in the next three minutes to take him, please return swiftly.”
“Roger! Uravity out.”
With his phone going quiet once more Tenya can only wait for Aizawa, the police or Uraraka to arrive. As he waits he watches over his friend and their ‘Hanako Yamada’, the name would suffice for the moment.
Soon Uravity had returned holding the shoe of the thief as he floated above her. Smiling, she uses her free hand to wave at him and closes the distance before stopping between the crowd and him. She gives him an apologetic smile before calling across the space.
“Don’t want to get too close. He hasn’t used his quirk again but I don’t want to risk it.”
The thief, from what Tenya could tell, wasn’t fighting as he floats above the teen girl. Instead he was glancing around frantically whilst his arms were folded. His hands appeared to be tucked into his sides as though he was afraid of touching anyone else. Raising his own hand as a gesture of understanding Tenya nods.
“Good thinking Uravity. One incident is enough for today. The police should be here any moment now to take over.”
Aizawa Shota had known something had gone wrong the moment he saw Iida Tenya’s number light up his phone. The boy never called for anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. So as he picked up his phone the hero had already started reaching for his capture scarf. The resulting report had done nothing to make him think twice about jumping to the conclusion he had.
Midoriya Izuku… it was always Midoriya. The problem child always managed to get involved with whatever crime was happening near him, if he wasn’t the target in the first place. Even the apparent Deku squad didn’t seem to be able to stop it.
With boots on and scarf sat around his neck, Shota leaves U.A at a sprint, only slowing down to pull himself up onto the nearest roof once he’d left the ground. From there it was a race across the rooftops towards the mall and to his students' sides.
It takes him just under twenty minutes to get there… not his worst time.
Upon his arrival he can see the crowd of civilians, police and the ambulance. A quick scan and he almost smirks at how easy it is to spot his class’ representative, arm chopping as he talks to the police. Beside him Uraraka was speaking to another but Midoriya, the thief and mystery girl were nowhere to be seen.
So with a flick of his scarf Shota lands between the crowd and his students. Hands tucked into his pockets he walks over and stops between the pair, nodding to the officers speaking with them.
“Iida, Uraraka.”
He maintains the usual tired annoyance in his tone as he looks between them, the pair having spun towards him as soon as he spoke. He hoped it would give a sense of comfort, besides the fact they probably didn’t need it at this point. Damn problem children. The lot of them.
“Aizawa sensei!”
“Sensei!”
The pair speak in time, Uraraka giving her usual smile whilst Iida tips his head in respect. It was subtle but they do relax now he has arrived and it was pleasing to see they hadn’t grown too experienced in this area of heroics just yet.
Tucking his chin into his scarf a little and relaxing more into his usual slouch, Shota glances between them again before speaking.
“What’s happened since the call?”
Direct, to the point. The teens were in a hero mindset so he would treat them as such. Comfort and the review will wait until they are back, safe in U.A’s grounds.
As expected Iida starts with a chop of his arm.
“After the call ended I called Uraraka as requested and passed on your command. Uraraka informed me she had already apprehended the thief and would return with them restrained. She returned minutes later with the thief floating above her, where he stayed until the police arrived and placed quirk suppression cuffs on him. They then took the man into custody and the ambulance arrived for Midoriya and Yamada.”
Shota holds up a hand, silencing the teen. His eyes had fallen closed as he listened but now he opened them to peer through his hair at his student.
“Yamada? Explain?”
“Of course Sensei! I assigned the name Hanako Yamada to the mystery girl that appeared. Being apparently the effect of a quirk it was unlikely she had a name.”
“So you named her Hanako Yamada?… fitting.”
With a soft sigh Shota gestures with his hand before tucking it back into his pocket.
This time Iida gave a bow before standing up straight once more.
“Yes Sensei. Once the ambulance arrived the unconscious pair were placed on stretchers and taken to the vehicle. They have been there since. We, meanwhile, have spoken to the police.”
Shota nods when Iida finishes then turns to Uraraka.
“Do you have anything to add?”
For her part, Uraraka looked like she was ready to fight. Her hands were clenched in fists by her cheeks whilst she wore a determined expression.
“Yes sensei. After Deku went after the thief, we chased after them both. We saw the moment the contact was made and Deku collapsed to the side unconscious. I… didn’t really notice the girl as my focus was on the thief themselves.
When he got up and ran I gave chase. Leaving the mall I followed him down a few streets and into the alleyways. There I think he tripped, I was soon close enough to make contact with his back and activate my quirk. Iida called just after to say I should come back.
Having caught the thief I did, holding his shoe so I was out of reach and returned. There the police took him.”
Shota can’t help but simply glare at her for a moment then sighs and nods. He could discuss mistakes with them later. For now he had other things to focus on.
“Alright. We’ll discuss this more back at U.A. but for now, know you did a good job. Return to U.A, I’m sure one of the officers will drive you back. I will go with Midoriya.”
He could see the arguments as both of them took a breath to protest. Quickly activating his quirk he feels a little satisfied when they deflate.
“Return to U.A. the both of you. We don’t know what effect the quirk had on Midoriya, nor do we know the state he will be in when he wakes. It is best if you wait at the dorms and visit when we know it is safe.”
The two nod in agreement, even though he sees Iida still wanted to argue and Uraraka was pressing her fingers together in a nervous gesture. Turning away from his students, Shota gives the officer a nod, trusting them to get them back to the safety of the school grounds. His focus was now on the problem child.
Crossing the distance to the ambulance he is met by a paramedic waiting outside. Reaching for his wallet, Shota pulls out his hero's license as identification and displays it.
“Aizawa Shota, hero Eraserhead. I am the homeroom teacher of Midoriya Izuku and acting guardian. What can you tell me?”
Briefly reaching the license, the paramedic checks the information and nods. Picking up the report they give a soft sigh and smile.
“I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear that we currently can find nothing wrong with the boy. Outside of the scars he already had, Midoriya is in fine health. However, with the report that he has been affected by a quirk and the girl has no record we can find, we are going to take the pair to hospital to keep under observation. Once we are sure there are no unseen side effects we can then focus on reversing the effect of the quirk if possible and releasing the boy.”
Thankfully the report held nothing Shota hadn’t already been prepared for.
“That is good to hear. I’ll stay with my student and take responsibility for contacting his mother about what is happening.”
He didn't make demands or commands, nor did he ask questions. Instead he simply stated what he was going to do and the paramedic seemed to understand that… or his reputation had preceded him as they simply nodded and gestured to the open door of the ambulance. Shota climbs in and quickly takes a free seat, eyes taking in the problem child’s form.
Just as the paramedic and Iida had said the boy didn’t appear to be injured, merely asleep.
Inside the ambulance was a little cramped as a second bed had been maneuvered in, this one the female, the Hanako Yamada. She, as Iida had described, appeared no older than any of his students. Her features were close enough to Midoriya’s that the pair could be mistaken for siblings, twins even, except for the conflicting hair.
This definitely gave the underground hero plenty to think about as they drove to the nearest hospital. Midoriya Inko would need to be informed of her son's experience, Nezu should be informed and they would have to come up with a plan to deal with a teenage girl, who thirty minutes ago didn’t exist. It was going to be a long day and honestly he just wanted his sleeping bag.
Across the city, in a top floor office, arctic eyes open and look out of the floor to ceiling windows. They take in the buildings, the clear sky and the goings of the civilians many floors below. It was a pleasant day, very pleasing indeed.
Looking away from the world outside, the pale eyes roam the room around them. A mix of pale browns, creams, whites and a hint of gold here and there accenting all the right areas. This was his domain, his place, his right. He had worked for many years to get where he was, to make it just right for him.
After all, with a quirk like his, why shouldn’t he have what he desired? He was a god amongst men, amongst heroes ~
Standing from his desk, he walks slowly around the table and over to the seating area. Planned, designed and created to provide a false sense of comfort. A soft cream sofa with tan cushions, so soft that when one sits down it is hard not to slouch and relax. A fine glass coffee table, perfectly decorated with a vase of red and pink lilies for a hint of colour, denying a chance to hide any weakness. Then his own arm chair, comfortably firm, with a little extra lift to keep him above any guest he may entertain. Just the way he liked it.
He continues to make his round, enjoying the spacious room he called his office before stopping at a window. Turning his attention to the world outside once more, his thin lips turn up into a pleased smirk. Far out in the distance was a large building, a mall. Something had happened there. Something he could take full advantage of. It was a shame to know however he was likely not the only one looking out over the city at that moment. Not the only whose attention had been caught by, what might seem to others, a rather insignificant event.
However he had the power, pull, and drive to get what he wants… and if another were to fall into place at the same time? Well he would be a lucky man indeed.
A god amongst men. That he was. Above all and with the most powerful beings in the palm of his hand… and most didn’t even know it~