Chapter Text
Midoriya was sitting motionless by his window, staring outside. He had completed all his work and schoolwork for the day, including the "daily hour of bullying" he endured. His peculiar schedule had become more familiar to him. He would wake up at three in the morning and stay up until nine the next night, unless he had a busy week, in which case he would only get an hour or two of sleep. Although he was usually exhausted, he managed to hide his symptoms and odd behavior. It was easy for him to conceal how he felt, and no one seemed to care about his worn-out appearance.
It was disheartening to see that even his mother failed to notice anything was wrong. Perhaps she had noticed but didn't care. After all, Inko wasn't there for him when he needed her. Midoriya felt like his mother didn't care about him, at least that's how he saw it. His job was taking up more and more of his time, leaving little room for anything else. He was disappointed that he couldn't handle the work, as it was the only thing that gave him meaning in life. Kacchan's bullying hadn't improved, and the job was only helping him physically, not mentally. Speaking of work, it was time for him to check-in.
He stood up and plopped down on his chair in one swift movement. He quickly unlocked and opened his phone, and opened his emails where he clicked on the only unread one. Yes, he had another job. He could never catch a break. Midoriya sighed and shut off his phone before standing up. He put his shoes back on, which he had left by the door of his bedroom in case he had to make a quick exit. It had been a good idea. Now all he had to do was leave the apartment without his mom noticing. That was pretty easy since his mom made dinner and hummed to herself. She was completely oblivious to him creeping out the door behind her.
As Midoriya shut the door behind him, he felt uncomfortable in his button-up school uniform which he kept scratching at the collar. He had developed a habit of putting himself in dangerous situations, which was taking a toll on him. He knew that his way of thinking would inevitably lead him to death, so he decided to live on the edge instead of settling as a quirkless nobody. He was determined to be helpful in life and found his calling in taking on dangerous people with quirks all by himself. Though he knew he would get beaten up quickly, he had enough knowledge and weapons to fight back. Besides, the pay was pretty good too.
As Midoriya turned the corner, he headed towards a specific alleyway to collect a bag he had left there the previous day. The bag was heavy and filled with illegal weapons enough to raise the concern of the government. He lifted the bag onto his back and continued down the alley, though he didn't expect any fighting on this particular mission. It wasn't much of a mission, to be honest; he was just picking up some medical supplies to treat his wounds from the previous night's fight. The other vigilante quirkless people understood the loneliness of the world, and he had met a few other quirkless hunters when he was looking for a guild or league to increase his income. For a fourteen-year-old of his ranking, Midoriya was earning a lot of money.
He retrieved his phone from his pocket and glanced at the location displayed on the screen. He continued walking without looking up, as he already knew the way. He switched off his phone and returned it to his pocket, struggling to do so. The supplies lay just ahead and he hastened his pace to pick them up. Upon obtaining the supplies, he retraced his steps. It was unsurprising that no one was there to hand him the supplies. The guild was far too busy to deal with underage recruits like him and it was also unsafe to gather in the open. After all, vigilantism was a crime and if they were caught, they could all be arrested. He was surprised that he had not been caught yet, given his involvement in cases of aggravated assault, trespassing, underage drinking, drug abuse, vigilantism, breaking and entering, and other such activities.
Midoriya looked up and realized he had almost walked past his apartment. He glanced at the door and then at his backpack. He knew it wasn't a good idea to return home without his mother's permission. So, he decided to use the window instead. He carefully climbed onto the windowsill, since he was lucky enough to be on the first floor. He had left the window unlocked just in case he needed to do this. Then, he slid the window open and crawled inside, quickly throwing his backpack onto his bed and taking off his shoes. After that, he quietly closed and locked the window and breathed a sigh of relief. His heart was pounding from the suspense of the moment, but at least he had managed to enter the house without making any noise. He was getting better at this whole vigilante thing.
Midoriya was startled by the sound of his name. "Izuku?" It was his mother's voice.
He turned around to face her, "Y-yeah?"
His mother looked worried, "Did you just climb in through the window?"
He winced, "No?"
"Izuku," she paused, "I'm concerned. You haven't been sleeping or eating properly, and you come home bruised every night. And now, you're sneaking out of the house."
There was silence.
"I'm not going to force you to tell me what's going on," his mother continued, "but please don't hurt yourself. And when you're ready, talk to me."
After his mother left his room and closed the door behind her, Midoriya was left standing there with his face twisted in a grimace due to the overwhelming stress he was feeling. He had hoped that his mother hadn't noticed his frequent injuries, but he had been mistaken. He was surprised that she hadn't said anything earlier. On the positive side, she didn't ask him any questions. He sat on his bed and opened the bag of weapons and medical supplies. This time, he had been given a lot of supplies, including painkillers for the more severe infected wounds, topical antibiotics for minor cuts and scrapes, 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (which was a skin adhesive), and alevicyn gel for wound cleansing.
He was thrilled to have found such a useful item, applied what he needed to his skin, and stashed the rest under his bed. He had completed his last mission and finally received recognition from the guild. He had managed to complete eighty percent of the tasks they had assigned him. It was one hell of a mission, facing off against someone with a blade quirk, and winning was a huge achievement for him. The guild's job was to handle situations that were too complex for the police or unnoticed by the heroes. Being rewarded was the best part of the mission since he couldn't brag about it to anyone because it was supposed to be a secret.
Perhaps he could improve his rankings soon enough, but it would require the leader to stop being stubborn and acknowledge his potential. Midoriya was more experienced than some of the older guild members. He could likely defeat most of the quirkless ones in combat. Given the high bounties on villains' heads, it wouldn't hurt to increase his pay by a dollar or two. The guild was already wealthy, as evidenced by the bounties they received. Despite being the smallest guild in the city, they frequently competed with larger ones. Midoriya discovered that there were many other quirkless individuals like himself, and he appreciated that they didn't judge him. In contrast, the quirked-up guild members were often drowning in their pride and provided little assistance.
It’s time for that older guy to let go of his pride and accept he was wrong about that skinny thirteen-year-old who first joined the team. He has become much more capable now, but nobody seems to recognize his expertise. At first, he wanted to be a hero, but without a quirk, he couldn't help people. However, he discovered that he was good at his current job and enjoyed it. He had seen how powerful quirks could be, but knew how to defeat an opponent, especially when they were overconfident. He had become someone villains in the area feared because he had made around seventy captures in the past year, compared to only thirty the year before.
Midoriya doesn’t care about fame at all. He is always willing to help those who don't even know they need it. Being a weak background character in the lives of others doesn't affect him much, and he is content with defeating villains from the shadows without the pressure of maintaining popularity. He has enough money hidden in his room to bail himself out of jail if he ever needs to, but he hopes it never comes to that as it may damage the reputation of the guild. He doesn't even know any of the guild's members personally, despite meeting some of them once or twice. He only knows them in the context of their shared mission.
Midoriya often felt looked down upon by the older guild members. But he had grown accustomed to such treatment over time. Although he encountered some unkind people in the guild, he also met some kindhearted ones, which was a nice change compared to the bullying he faced at school. The guild had about twenty members, which was small compared to the one in the next town with fifty members. Midoriya never met any guild members outside of his job, which led him to believe that they didn't get out much. Most of the guild members were either ex-villains or ex-heroes. However, Midoriya thought that some of the so-called "ex-villains" were just people who stole money from a cash register and walked away.
Midoriya got out of bed, feeling discomfort in his body. He walked over to his desk and slumped into the chair. He immediately regretted not taking his painkillers and knew it would be a long and painful night. Suddenly, he heard a clawing sound at his window. When he looked up, he saw Pino, the small bird-like creature, trying to get his attention. Midoriya got up and opened the window, letting Pino in. As soon as Pino entered the room, Rody followed behind him. Rody was a guild member who had been with them for several years. He was holding a bag, which probably contained something related to the guild. Rody stood up and looked around the room, admiring Midoriya's bedroom.
"Nice room," Rody said, sounding amused as he looked at Midoriya.
"Thank you," Midoriya replied simply.
"So," Rody paused, "Boss told me to bring this to you."
"What is it?" Midoriya asked as he took the bag that was handed to him.
"I'm not sure," Rody said, "but I have a job that needs to be done before four in the morning. See you later."
Midoriya sighed and shut the window behind Rody after he had clambered out. It was not unusual for Rody to visit him through his window to drop things off for the guild. Midoriya and Pino had gotten used to their occasional visits. The guild mainly welcomed people who possessed less useful quirks or those who had no quirks at all. There were rumors that the boss was quirkless, but not many had met him to confirm this. Rody was like his right-hand man in many ways, which was probably true because most people in the guild were quirkless. The remaining twenty percent of the guild comprised people who did not have quirks and often struggled to find their place in society. However, they could find a sense of purpose here and change their lives for the better.
He placed the bag on the floor in front of him, took a seat, and unzipped it. At first, Midoriya was not sure what it was, but after a closer inspection, he realized that it was a suit, just like the one a hero would wear. The gloves were designed to keep his hands from getting hurt, and the leg supports would aid him in running faster. The suit was green in color, with a red belt that could be used to store small knives or even a gun if required. The mask would successfully conceal his identity. Midoriya felt a sense of pride within himself but tried to push it away. He put on the costume, ensuring that everything was buckled in place. It seemed that the boss had finally recognized his talent. He slid on the mask last, which had ears that looked like those of a mutated bunny.
Midoriya turned around and grabbed the nearest shiny object to admire his reflection. A mask that would perfectly conceal his identity and even give off an eerie glow, which would be great for intimidating villains. For a moment, he felt pleased with himself, but then self-doubt crept in, and he set the shiny trophy down. He opened and closed his hands a few times, feeling proud of his new hero suit. With this suit, he could now conceal his identity and even walk around in public without anyone knowing who he was. As long as he kept his vigilante identity a secret, he would be safe wearing the suit out in public.
As Midoriya double-checked that everything was on properly, he realized that this would be the perfect time to head outside and try out his new hero costume. He then exited through the window and scurried into the street, heading towards the direction of the city. Though he wasn't one to seek attention, he wanted to see what it would be like to order food in his vigilante hero costume. This was a special occasion that deserved it. He knew it probably wasn't ideal, but at that time he wasn’t thinking straight. Walking around in the hero costume he had received made him feel more prideful than he had before. The suit was heavily equipped and difficult to get used to, but once he did, it was quite comfortable.
As he walked around, he noticed that some people were looking at him, but not in a hostile way. He figured they didn't recognize him as a hero, but were still somewhat interested in seeing one. He wasn't trying to cause any trouble, just hoping to find some villains to stop without getting in trouble for interfering. The city was quiet at the moment, and he wondered if this was how lesser-known heroes felt while walking around. Despite not having his actual hero license, he had a forged copy that his friend Rody had given him the day before. It was convenient that Rody had it with him, which made him think that Rody had known about his plans all along. As long as he had the fake license with him, he should be able to avoid any legal trouble. All he had to do was avoid any nosy citizens.
Midoriya heard a startled yelp from behind, followed by a store window shattering loudly. He turned to see a villain running away with a cash register. Midoriya quickly assessed the situation and realized that the villain's quirk probably involved gravity manipulation, given the speed at which he was running. Without hesitation, Midoriya sprinted forward, leaped onto the villain, and easily brought him to the ground. The defeated villain began to cry. Midoriya felt bad for making him cry, but he deserved it for attempting to steal a cash register that held very little money. Midoriya snatched the cash register away from the man and tucked it under his arm. He hoped that people wouldn't see him as careless.
Two policemen approached, and one of them pulled out handcuffs. The villain had already given up, but the officer had no issue with restraining him. Midoriya stepped away after the man was handcuffed. Not knowing what to do, he stared as they arrested the man. It was disheartening to watch the officers finish the arrest for him. He had just done all the work, maybe he should buy some handcuffs so he could finish the job next time. He wasn't even getting paid for Pete's sake – cut the guy some slack. He fidgeted like the nervous fourteen-year-old he was.
The second officer, who caught Midoriya off guard by speaking to him, asked, "You okay, kid?" Midoriya wished the officer had been wearing a costume, so he could have identified him as an experienced villain hunter. "Yeah," Midoriya replied, straightening himself out and attempting to deepen his voice. He wished he had gone through his growth spurt earlier.
"How old are you?" the officer inquired, noticing Midoriya's young appearance.
"Uh, fifteen," Midoriya answered, hoping it wasn't too far off from his actual age. He knew he was a little young to get a hero license.
The officer raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about your quirk, son?"
Midoriya hesitated for a moment before responding, "I'm quirkless." The man looked surprised, and Midoriya's heart sank.
"How did you get your hero license then?" the officer asked, pressing further.
"It's a long story. I can't explain everything in a sentence," Midoriya replied nervously, taking a step back.
The police officer nodded as if he was dismissing the matter, but Midoriya was still anxious. He had not expected to be questioned by an officer. He took the opportunity to walk away, but the officer called out another question which he ignored as he turned into an alleyway and climbed up a building to avoid further questioning. In less than twenty seconds he had reached the top of the building and jumped to the next one just to show that he was perfectly fine. From the rooftop, he surveyed the area and started hopping back to his apartment building. He hoped his mother wouldn't start asking questions about his whereabouts.