Work Text:
Adam Start - Fic Telephone
On a hot summer day, Tenya Ida, aka the pro hero ingenium, was catching his breath. It had been a very warm day of patrolling. This was his first summer of being a pro hero so he had underestimated the heat.
So here he was, standing at the side of the road wiping sweat away from his forehead with one hand and holding his helmet in the other. And even more annoying then the heavily insulated hero suit he wore, was his empty water bottle.
He cursed himself in his head for not bringing more water then normal on a hot day like this. Still he had a job and if he didn't patrol someone might be in danger. So he composed himself and prepared to put his helmet back on and resume his patrol, despite his thirst.
Then he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He quickly straighten his back and turned to see the person.
Now he didn't know if it was the exhaustion or his thirst but when he saw a pair of floating hands where he thought a person was, he freaked out a bit. He lost his footing before quickly entering a combat stance.
Before quickly realising its just someone's quirk.
"Sorry my good sir for that disrespectful reaction. How can I help you?" He said to the floating pair of hands while bowing lightly. A moment passed and as Ida looked up he saw one of the hands where holding a bottle of water and was gesturing for him to take it.
"Worry not dear citizen, I am fine. You don't have to give me your water on a day like this, its yours and you should stay hydrated."
The hands did not relent, as it pushed the bottle against the hero, practically hitting the pro hero with the bottle.
After a short moment of the pro hero trying to refuse as the hands continued to gesture for him to take the water bottle, he swallowed his pride as a self sufficient hero and accepted the water bottle.
"Thank you citizen." Ida said and bowed towards the pair of hands.
The hands for their parts just flew away. Leaving Ida there a bit confused but thankful for getting a cold bottle of water.
Ida watched as the hands flew away before turning around a corner and disappearing behind a building. Then he drank and quickly resumes his work.
Around the corner leaning against a wall was a green haired boy. He was carrying a cool box with a strap, and had a backpack sitting on the floor next to him. At the end of his arms the shirt had been tied up in knots.
The hands quickly floated to him, and helped him get the backpack on.
The shy boy, took a look out the alley, checking for ingenium. Not seeing him he went out, the hands floating around him as he started to walk, wearing the cool box on his shoulder and a backpack.
"Id like to thank you," Tenya started, when the kid craned his head. It was a comical sight, like a cat facing its owner after knocking a glass off the table. The kid winced, almost like he expected to be reprimanded. Strange. Tenya clearly had enough insight to understand the situation and wasn't going to chastise him for using a quirk that was clearly more than just a quirk, and this kid helped him. "That was very noble. You'd make a fine hero someday, if that's an aspiration of yours, of course."
The kid winced, a strange reaction, but then realization dawned on his face. He had a round face, with puffy cheeks flushed two shades redder than he's expected for a person with this kid's deep tan, like he'd been in the sun for long enough to burn. Tenya felt his brows knit up. There is something about the kid that reminded him of Midoriya when Tenya first met him years ago. It's not the green hair, as this kid's hair is more spring-green and it's cut close to his skull, a mildly over-grown crew cut with not even a lick of a curl. No, the distinct Midoriya-esque nature of this boy is the watery vulnerability palpable in his coin-silver eyes, like there had been very few chances handed out to him, and even less praise.
"What?" The boy croaked, sounding raspier than Tenya expected. "You think I can be a hero?" He looked up at Tenya for a beat, and his watery eyes narrowed, going from owlish to hawkish. The Midoriya-similarities dissipated, if only slightly. Eyes still glittery and wet, but with a new glint of incredulity.
"Of course! The two most important things any hero should have are heart and determination. You showed both, when you insisted on delivering me water, very determined you are! And you have a heart, a pure one, to do something as mundane and helpful as giving water. True heroics are oftentimes boring. See, I'm simply patrolling to make sure your homes are safe, but seldom does any action happen." Tenya's first year gave him a false perception of heroics, even with his brother telling him stories as a child, Tenya quickly got used to how action packed his experience had been, and he can admit that he developed a sweet-tooth for the adrenaline.
Unfortunately, his work studies in his second and third year revealed patrol was more often than not a perfunctory and, sadly, boring ordeal. "I'm sure with training, you'll find that a handy quirk like your own will be a wonder for heroics." He expected a giggle, or at the very least a groan at his pun, but the boy blinked at him unamused. They began walking together, in the opposite direction Tenya had been going originally, but he would like to know if the kid is safe at least.
"You really think I can be a hero?" The case of waters shifted with the boy's shoulders as he asked the question. It felt obvious to Tenya. The kid was already a good samaritan at the young age of what?“ nine? Ten? Enduring the oppressive August sun just to deliver water to passersby? But the words decayed in his throat when an alarm rippled down the street.
Tenya whipped his head around. The Department Jewelry store was barely a block away. He didn't regret talking to a child, but he regretted succumbing to distraction. He hated to say goodbye without a word, but duty called. He ignited his engines.
He ran down the block, buildings and cars blurred together in his field of vision, but he skidded into a harsh stop when he heard the honking of several cars behind him. He'd be remiss not to inspect the ruckus, in case of it being a runaway car from the very robbery he intended to stop. And indeed a jet-black van, without a license plate, was sluicing dangerously through traffic without any care. On the back a bumper sticker said 'The Hidakas' Handyman Service for Villains.'
And then there was that same boy using his quirk by latching the floating hands around his ankles, suspended up in the air, floating towards the van. Tenya should never have told the kid he could be a hero. Dammit.
The door of the van opened, and a different floating hand jutted out and latched to the kid's shirt. Tenya's heart dropped. But the kid bellowed out a laugh, and he called out over his shoulder. "You're odd Mr. Knight-Guy! But I'm no hero!" He disappeared into the van.
There was no time to lose. Child or no, that was a family of villains attempting to escape! Tenya was a hero, and thus could not allow them to get away; it went against his professional pride.
"Here, hold this, citizen!" Tenya shoved the water bottle the child had given him into the hands of a nearby civilian and shoved his helmet back onto his head with nary a moment of thought at all. There was no time to lose; the longer he dawdled the more likely it was that the villains would successfully make their escape. The engines in his calves started up with a roar, the familiar vibrations suffusing his body and helping him to narrow his focus.
He was off like a shot, weaving between cars on the road with practiced ease, desperate to keep that villain family van in his line of sight. Even through his boots, he could feel each footfall against the pavement, necessary moments of rebellion against gravity that slowed him with the frictitious contact betwixt sole and asphalt, pounding loud and yet silent as his eyes tracked the villainous van.
He wouldn't let them get away.
Left. Right. Avoid that car, dodge that bike, faster, faster, faster—! Less time in contact with the ground, more time in the air, go go go go go!
He wasn't quite paying as much attention as he ought to to where they were going, too focused on the careening van and the myriad of cars, trying not to run anyone over or be run over himself. He just had to keep moving, keep following, and soon —
Oh.
Oh no.
In his single-minded focus on the villainous van, he'd followed them into the Middle City, with it's rolling fogbanks and cracked pavement. Shapes in the fog became indistinct, and then stopped being identifiable altogether. He chased after what he thought was the van in the fog, only to have to pull up short before he ran headlong into an abandoned building.
He wasn't quite sure what it used to be, curling kudzu blanketing the walls, leaving only a gaping maw that Tenya assumed used to be a door. It was wide, though, and far taller than he'd realized through the fogcover. Standing before it felt oppressive, especially since Tenya wasn't sure — where had the van gone?
Had it vanished into this monolith of kudzu?
Apprehensive but lacking in other ideas, Tenya approached the green curtain. He brushed a bit of it to the side, revealing the doorway to be wider than it first appeared. Perhaps the van really had driven in here.
His footfalls echoed in the darkness, the walls far enough away that he couldn't quite make them out. Tsking to himself, he fumbled with his vambraces, trying to turn on the flashlight he'd had built into the one on the left. Come on, come on…
Click.
Just as Tenya flicked the flashlight on, the floor beneath him gave way, and he plummeted into the dark depths.
Wind — not wind — whistled as he fell, further and further than should even be possible. He tried to activate his quirk in order to save himself from the fall, but his engines only sputtered and stalled.
Panic raced through him as the ground, wherever it was, got closer and he knew time was running out. With a final burst Tenya felt his engines sputter to life and he shifted his body so he was aiming upwards to slow his fall.
It was too little too late as he felt his back slam into unforgiving concrete and was grateful for his armor even as the air was forced from his lungs. His back was going to be littered with bruises by the end of the day, but there was no time to dwell on that now as he groaned and forced himself to sit up.
The darkness made it nearly impossible to see, but he stepped forward, reaching his arms out for walls or a door or anything really.
After a moment of fumbling his hands brushed over damp earth and what felt like a poorly constructed stone wall. With no visual clues to work with Tenya chose left, for no other reason that his right side was more sore and he did not want to walk in that direction if he didn't have to.
Following the makeshift wall he eventually touched wood, and lowering his hand Tenya felt for a doorknob at hip level, hoping that was what he had found. A smile ticked the corner of his mouth as his hand wrapped around a handle, turning it and bracing himself for the anything that could be on the other side.
What was waiting on the other side was a brightly lit room that took his eyes long minutes to adjust to after the pitch black he had just left. Thankfully it was an empty room, or he would have been an easy target.
As he took in the large room he noticed a familiar looking van, as well as a few other vehicles, and realized this was an underground garage. He also knew that if the lights were still on they could be coming back, so he beelined to the van to see if he could find any evidence or anything left behind from the robbery.
The van was empty, but upon turning around Tenya saw a small green stone on the ground, likely dropped from its setting in a piece of jewelry. That was at least a start for evidence, and he picked it up, putting it in a small pocket in his hero uniform before continuing his search. There was nothing else that looked like it could be from the robbery, but the door leading out was nearby. Tenya knew what he had to do.
Moving forward slowly he slipped through the other side, into a darker hallway (though it was much better lit than the first one he'd been through).
After a few minutes of silence he started to hear voices, loud voices. Voices that were clearly angry. As he got closer he started to realize that they were arguing about him.
"-right there!"
"We got away didn't we?"
"Thanks to the fog! No thanks to you!"
"I did what you said! I distracted him!"
"Then you taunted him!"
Tenya knew one of those voices, it definitely belonged to the green haired kid he'd met in the alley.
Ida looked around before going up to the door the voices where coming from, and checked around the corner as stealthily as he could. He was in luck, the 3 figures in the room where mostly facing away from him, all three of them rummaging through a big bag. He Quickly scanned the room, identifying the potential threats.
First was a decently muscular guy, with a trace of mist leaking from his mouth, most likely the source of the earlier mist. The second person had a single eye and was huge, 250cm tall and noticeable strong muscles. Lastly was the kid from earlier, his floating detached hands holding the bag up.
Ida's heart sank a bit upon realising what was happening, a poor kid being led onto the path of villainy by these two no-gooders. Still recognising the gems where most likely stolen he knew they had to be brought down now. He quickly and as quietly as he could tested his engines. The familiar warmth and blue flames told him they where ready to use.
He pressed a button on the left of his hero suits helm, before quickly readying himself.
The mist villain was still yelling at the kid, when he noticed a blue light out of the corner of his eye. His brain barely recognised the figure before it was to late. In the span of a second Ida blitz the villain, traveling over ten meters and delivering a kick that launched the villain into a wall on the other side, knocking him unconscious instantly.
The cyclops villain regained his composure first, attempting to throw a punch downwards towards the hero. Ida quickly used his quirk to sidestepped the punch, watching it fly past his face.
Quickly he gripped his hand on the villains triceps, using it a support while he fully activated his quirk. His legs launched upwards, turning his entire body upside down as he hit the villains jaw with his foot.
The villain staggered back, but Ida did not stop. Still somewhat in the air, Ida yelled "Recipro Burst" as he brought his full power and leg down onto the villains neck.
The unconscious villains body hit the floor with a loud thud, followed by the clank of Ida's silver colored boots hitting the floor. Then Ida turned to the kid, the only one still standing.
The kid was in panic, barely having time to gather himself. He had just witnessed a pro hero take down two villains in less then half a minute, and said hero was now staring at him.
"Please kid, surrender." Ida said, still holding a combat stance.
The kids panic was made worse as loud police sirens where heard from outside. "NoNOno, I'm not....." Ida saw the floating hands grabbing glass bottles for defence, floating them in-between him and Ida. His breathing had almost turned into hyperventilation.
"Kid, please listen to me. Calm down." Ida saw how the kid was eyeing the unconscious villains. Probably the closest thing he had to a family, and now they where going to get arrested.
"I just want to help, please put the bottles down, and surrender. Your life doesn't have to be a villainous one."
"Nono, il get arrested, i'l lose brother and and and..." The kid was stammering as tears started to flow down his face.
Ida interrupted him, "I know its scary to have your life change, alongside the idea of losing your brother. But trust me, we just want to help. You will still be able to live a life and to see your brother. Just take my hand." Ida stretched his hand out, while relaxing his stance.
The kid was sobbing, but after a few minutes dropped both bottles. He slowly walked to Ida, his hands wiping away tears from his face. As he got close Ida reached out and pulled the kid into a hug.