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Shota Aizawa, also known as underground hero Eraserhead, was doing his routine patrol. This month he was put under the Musutafu District. Not much villain traffic, but he remained vigilant. 'Never lower your guard on patrol.' He reminded himself.
He showered the rooftops as he made his way. He suddenly heard a loud crash come from a nearby alleyway. "This better not be another drunk bastard..." He grumbled as he used his capture weapon to sling himself over to the source of the noise. He quietly walked into the alley, staying close to the shadows to remain undetected. A rustling caught his attention and he delved deeper into the alley.
He held his capture scarf at the ready as he was about to make contact with whatever is making the noise. "Halt! Who goes there?" He heard an 'Eeep!' and the source of the noise tried to make a break for it, but his reflexes were faster. The scarf wrapped around the runner and he pulled him back in a quick jerk. It took a lot less force than he thought it would.
"Ah! Ugh!" The captured person landed on their butt and now that they were in better lighting, Eraserhead could see them better. 'The hell is a kid doing out here?' The kid in question had a mop of greasy green hair, looking like he hasn't washed it in weeks. The same could be said for his clothes. He was wearing a school uniform of some kind. The sleeves and pants having a bit of wear and tare on them. "I'm s-sorry! I won't go rooting in your trash again! I s-swear!" The kid bent forward in apology, still wrapped up in the capture weapon.
Eraser has delt with many things. Drug dealers, petty thieves, and the like. However, he has only ever delt with one other kid out on the streets, and he is safe at home. Most heroes would say something stupid like, 'Why aren't you home young man?' Eraser had known better. He released him from his scarf. "You okay?"
"H-Huh?" The kid looked up confused.
"Are you hurt?" Eraser crouched down and inspected his arms, noting a few scratches and bruises. "Sorry if I caused these. I used too much force with my support gear." He removed the capture weapon from the kid.
"O-Oh... It's okay... You don't have to worry..." 'No one ever does...' The kid mumbled.
"Kid, I am a pro hero. It is my job to worry." Eraser spoke calmly, trying to hold back any sarcasm or sass that might be trying to bubble up.
"I am quirkless, sir. You don't have to." The kid tried to pull away, but the hero's grip held firm.
Shota sighed and lightly shook his head. "That just makes me worry more, kid." He rubbed under his eyes with a hand. 'Try to lower his guard.' "What's your name?"
The kid looked puzzled, like you just asked him to solve one of Nedzu's puzzles. "Izuku..." He spoke quietly, barely a whisper.
The pro was used to listening in from long distance so he heard it perfectly. "Nice to meet you, Izuku. You can call me Eraser or Shota if you want."
"I know who you are, sir-Eraser." Izuku curled up a bit, his knees being brought up to his chest. "You fight almost quirkless due to your quirk not having any combat abilities. It would fill me with hope when I was younger." His face held a smile that soon left as fast as it arrived. "That was before I ended up here..."
"I won't pry too much, but I bet you haven't had anything good to eat in a while." Shota grabbed something out of a pouch in his belt. "Here. It isn't much, but they get me through the day." He handed the jelly packet to the kid. "I got tons of them. Just unscrew the cap and squeeze."
Izuku debated taking it, but his stomach was nearly empty. "Thank you." He took the pouch and did as instructed. The taste of strawberry filled his mouth. He wanted to savor it, but the pit in his gut needed to be filled. He downed the jelly in no time. "That was tasty." He licked the inside of his mouth, trying to get every last bit that might have stuck to his teeth.
Shota gave a smile. "Yeah. They are also packed with nutrients. They have one glaring problem though." He took the packet back from Izuku and turned it over showing the nutrition facts. "They lack any kind of calories. Great for a diet, not so much for keeping muscle mass or a healthy weight." He raised his shirt a bit and showed the kid his very thin stomach, nearly looking concave. "My son has to constantly remind me to actually eat something. Which reminds me, I have my lunch break starting soon."
Izuku looked a little sad as Eraserhead stood up. "O-oh. Okay. It was nice to meet you, sir. I shouldn't take up your time any further." He stood up and did a bow. He was about to turn and walk away, but a hand landed hon his head.
"Who said I wasn't taking you with me?" Shota raised his brow. "Don't think I don't notice your ribs through that uniform, or you being way to light for your height."
Izuku turned back over to him. "I wouldn't want you to waste money on me, sir."
"Thought I told you to call me Shota or Eraser." Shota raised a brow.
"Right sorry, sir-Eraser." Izuku bowed again.
"And, I make more than enough. Spending a bit of cash on a kid who definitely needs it, I am not going to complain." Eraser loosened his scarf and wrapped it around his waist, leaving some slack. "Hop on." He bent down a bit.
"Huh?" Izuku was confused.
"The place I have in mind is a ways away. I can carry you no problem and it will be faster this way." Eraser reasoned. "Just get under some straps for extra grip and it will be like a piggy back ride."
Izuku, not understanding why, did as the hero said. He got under some of the scarf and Eraser tightened it. He felt scared/excited as he was carried. The hero jumping from roof top to roof top, like Izuku wasn't even there. He didn't even care where he was going, he was just enjoying the ride.
After a few minutes later, they arrived at a small diner. It looked a little worn down and the smell of grease was strong, even being outside. The windows showed that there was no one inside. Izuku's grip tightened a bit on Eraser's shoulders in unease.
"It is safe. They just don't get much traffic at this time. It is why I like going here. Low profile, good food, and okay prices." Shota undid his scarf and let Izuku down gently. "Trust me." He reached out his hand, and Izuku hesitantly took it.
The two entered with a soft bell chime. "Well, was wondering when I would see you again. How long has it been?" A voice rang out from the back.
"About two weeks and three days." Eraser stated.
"Shinso wouldn't like to hear that." The owner of the voice, and the diner walked into view near the register. "I see you brought a new customer."
"Yes. Found him on my route. Izuku, this is Lunch Rush. He is a pro as well." Aizawa introduced him.
"Well, mostly retired now." Lunch Rush shrugged. "Sure I help out homeless shelters and I work at the U.A. cafeteria, but I haven't done so much in the flashy hero type stuff." He punched the air in a mock fight.
"You don't need a flash quirk to be a hero." Eraser stated.
"You don't need to skip out on proper meals and eating nothing but jelly packets." Lunch rush gave a rebuttal.
"Touché." Shota looked up at the menu. "Get me the chicken wrap. Get the kid the 3 4 5 0 special."
"You got it! One one big bawk burrito and a king's feast, coming right up!" Lunch Rush ran back to the kitchen and got to work.
Izuku went to the bathroom to wash as much of himself that he could, without looking drenched, and took a seat at a booth that Eraser chose. "What's the 3 4 5 0?"
Aizawa nursed the coffee Lunch Rush brought over. "It is a special that Lunch Rush has. It is mainly for those who are malnourished. Trust me. You will like it. My son did when I brought him here."
"What is your son like?" Izuku played with the straw of his soda.
"He is about your age. He actually goes to U.A. he wants to be a hero, but he is forced to be in gen ed for now. His quirk is also not very flashy or combat driven. I try to train him when I can." Shoat held a small smile. "He is a lot like you in some ways."
"How so?" Izuku took a sip of his drink.
"I found him the same way I found you." Aizawa let out a chuckle.
Izuku nearly spit out his drink, but swallowed. "Really?"
"Yep. Found him over in Saitama about two years ago. He was malnourished, just like you are, but that was due to a muzzle being strapped to his face and he couldn't get it off." Eraser explained.
"That sounds awful..." Izuku touched over his mouth.
"Yeah. The straps were locked and the straps were chains. He would have starved if I didn't-"
Lunch Rush slammed down two plates. "No talk, eat!" He cheered as he ran back to behind the register, but stared at the two, well, mainly at Izuku.
Shota grabbed his chicken wrap and started eating. His hands barely reaching all around it. "He does this every time I skip on meals." He mumbled as he saw the mass of chicken and bacon with only a little lettuce, everything was covered is spicy ranch.
Izuku looked at the mountain of a burger in front of him. It was three patties, toped with everything, oozing grease and cheese, curly fries surrounding it being soaked by it. "This... Does not look healthy."
"I assure you it is. It is full of nutrients, though it does have a lot of fat in it. Nutrients don't help if you don't have calories to put it to use!" Lunch Rush called over.
Izuku looked over at him then at the behemoth.
"You don't have to eat the whole thing. Just get as much as you can fit in your tiny gut. He has to go trays." Aizawa took another bite of his food, now reaching the halfway point of it. It was a surprise that he didn't have any sauce on him.
"O-okay." Izuku gripped the burger and took a slow bite. His eyes widened at the flavor. He took a few quicker bites. "Soh gowd!"
Lunch Rush pumped his fist. 'Nailed it!'
Izuku devoured about a quarter of the burger before moving over to the fries. The starchy, cheesy, greasy goodness filling him with happiness as much as cholesterol. He got to about half the pile before he stopped. His stomach feeling like it is about to burst. "So full..." He groaned with a smile. "I haven't eaten that much in months..."
Aizawa let the comment go for now. "Glad you liked it." He smiled.
The two left the restaurant. Izuku holding a heavy to go tray. "Come again soon! I mean it Eraser!" Lunch Rush called out.
"I will try to remember that." Eraser huffed.
Izuku's smile started to falter.
Shota noticed. "What's wrong, kid?"
"I guess this is goodbye..." Izuku looked down at his tray. "I really appreciate what you did, Eraserhead, but I know you have better things to do. I will remember this day for the rest of my life though. So, thank you." Izuku tried to walk away, but found the capture scarf wrapped around his midsection. "Huh?"
"Listen, Izuku, there is only a few ways this day is ending." Shota kept his grip on the scarf as he circled around to face Izuku. "As a pro, I can not allow you to just go back on the streets again. It would be illogical. You would either starve to death, get killed by a random villain, or eventually start committing crimes." He explained as he held up three fingers. "So you have three choices. 1. I take you to child services and they put you into foster care, 2. I ask one of my colleges to look after you for a bit till we find someplace suitable for you, and 3. You come home with me."
Izuku didn't believe what he was hearing. "Y-you would tolerate me living with you?"
"Tolerate wouldn't be the right word. I tolerate my cats being assholes. I tolerate my coworkers teasing me. I tolerate having to work under a rat that could rule the world if he so chose to." He leaned down so he was eye level with Izuku. "I WANT you to stay with me. At least for a bit. If you decide you don't like staying there, the other two options are available to you. I got an extra mattress that is under my son's bed. I could get a frame for you in due time. Before you say something, you two would get along great. He is a bit abrasive to new people, but if I have faith in you, he will too. I could even get you enrolled into U.A." He offered.
Izuku was silent for a few second, then he started to cry.
"Izuku? You okay?" Eraser was tackled into a hug by the preteen. He gently patted his hair and let him cry it out. "Guess you made your choice."
"T-thank you..." Izuku's voice was a broken whisper.
Lunch Rush watched form the window. Remembering a similar scene from two years ago. Still brings tears to his eyes. 'Just like Shinso.'