Chapter Text
Z
Zanka knew that fighting on the edge of a cliff was a bad idea, even if it was only 10 or so meters tall. He told Jabber ‘If I fall, I’m bringing you with me’ and Jabber just laughed like they were sharing a little inside joke before letting Mankira extend to her true form. But Zanka is nothing if not spiteful. So, here they are, bloody and bruised, falling much further than that cliff was tall.
They fell in silence for a few seconds, all Zanka could see was Jabber’s aggravating pink eyes, and his beaming smile.
”I didn’t know you had it in you, Mr. Bad Attitude!” Jabber was way too cheerful for someone currently falling into a void with his rival.
This must have been what rudo felt like falling from the sphere. Except he wasn’t stuck with a masochist currently cheering like he’s on a roller coaster and not falling to what will likely be both of their deaths.
Zanka blinked, feeling dizzy. Everything was blurry, and Zanka’s head HURT. They must have finally landed. He opened his eyes, seeing what no one ever wants to wake up too. A manic smile and glowing eyes just inches from his face. Zanka throws Jabber off of him and gets a good look at the blue sky. Wait, Blue?!
He shoots up into a sitting position, making his head pound and sets the world spinning. He shakes off the pain and gets a good look at where they are. Yeah, he has no clue. There’s a blue sky, towering buildings completely intact, and no piles of trash. And a homeless looking guy yelling at them.
“What’s his problem?” Zanka murmurs to himself, pushing himself the rest of the way off the ground. He checks on Lovely before even glancing in Jabber's direction.
“This place mad crazy!” A moment of silence for the loss of their dignity? No such thing with ya’ boy Jabber!
“Can ya’ shut yer’ mouth?” Zanka snaps at him, still trying to figure out where they managed to fall to.
“What happened to-“ Jabber started, only to get interrupted by the hobo who was yelling at them from down the street. He had some weird scarf that was floating, and his eyes were glowing bright red.
Weird, Zanka thought, the first giver I’ve ever seen who’s Jinki doesn’t change at all when activated.
The end of the scarf was coming straight for him and Jabber, but it didn’t last a second against Mankira. Jabber's reaction time was fast as ever, even after falling who knows how far.
Somehow Zanka got wrapped up in the grimy fabric. He yelled, nothing coherent, just surprised and offended. His yell distracted Jabber for a millisecond and they found themselves bound together by the scarf. It smelled faintly like the air in a polluted area.
“What do the two of you think you're doing! You're breaking several laws out here using your quirks in public!” The hobo said, now right up in their faces.
What’s a quirk? Zanka gave Jabber a look, but he seemed just as clueless.
“Why are you kids out here fighting?” The weird man sounded like he deals with this kinda thing every day.
“We’re just having some fun! What’s wrong with that?” Of course Jabber just had to input.
“What’s wrong with..” the man sighed. It was one of those deep, disappointed sighs a teacher gives when the problem child has found another way to disturb the peace.
“You two are coming with me.” He said, leaving no space for argument.
“And who do ya’ think ya’are?” Zanka knew this guy wasn’t a cleaner, and there was no way in any world he could be a Hell Guard with that attire.
“Underground hero Eraserhead, and the two of you?” The man, Eraserhead, says.
“That’s a crazy name man!” Jabber is squirming where he’s pinned to Zanka, and only then does Zanka realize that Mankira is back in ring form. Even stranger, this guy called himself a hero. Who calls themselves that? Dreaming kids and egotistical pricks. But this guy seemed completely serious, like it was an actual legit occupation.
Their situation could not be weirder.
Zanka was wrong. It could get weirder.
Was his hair even real? How does it stand up like that?
“WHO ARE THESE LITTLE LISTERS?” The guy screams. Zanka didn’t think it was possible to get louder than Delmon, but this day brings a new definition to weird. Did Jabber just flinch?! Zanka swears he felt the guy flinch against his side, but when he looks over Jabber looks completely unbothered. He must have imagined it.
“No clue. Found them fighting in the alleyway, they look like they haven’t eaten or showered in months.” Eraserhead speaks to the eccentric blonde like Zanka and Jabber were stray cats he just picked up off the street.
“The name's Jabber! Jabber Wonger! And Mr. Bad attitude here is Zanka Nijiku!” Zanka scowls at Jabber. Why give out personal information to complete strangers!
“You two got any identification on you? School ID, passport?” Eraserhead asks, shooting a look at the loud blonde.
“Nope!” Jabber sounds so glad, like it’s exciting to be kidnapped by random weirdos in a back alley.
The black haired guy gave Zanka a look that says ‘what about you.’
“Nothin’ on me.” He didn’t even know what a passport is, but he’ll play along as long as Jabber does.
“Ok, we’re going to call your parents. You do have parents, right?” Both of the convicted teens shake their heads. Zanka has no clue about Jabber, but his own parents would rather him rot in a well then be safe and sound.
The man shares another look with his partner. “You two are going to have to come with us.”
“We don’t got much choice, do we now?” Jabber says, nodding down at the scarf still binding them together.
Eraserhead sighs again. Seems like a pretty normal thing for him. “I’ll put you down as long as you follow us. And no fighting.”
He addresses the two like they were cats. Jabber looked at Zanka, and Zanka at Jabber. They nodded, mutually agreeing that the smart move would be to figure out where they are without angering the person who managed to capture both of them in under a minute.
“Ok, we’ll follow you.” Zanka answers for the two of them.
A
Aizawa just keeps picking up strays this week. Monday he picked up a little orange kitten that was crying just off of UA’s campus, Wednesday he had to give Uraraka a ride home because her parents had to work late. Now he was taking in two kids who were definitely not from around here. Their clothes were so dirty and torn, and the style was like nothing he had ever seen before. He already knew the two of them were problem children. They couldn’t have been older than 17, they were so skinny.
“Sooo where we going?” The kid with the wicks, Jabber, asks.
“School.” Aizawa thought the best person to take these strange children to would be Nezu, the guy knows everything. Guy? Rat? Ehh same thing.
“Huh?! I thought you’d be wayyy outa school man! I really gotta work on reading people jeeze” This guy was definitely the kind of person who takes nothing seriously. It’s going to be a longgg day. At least he’s got Hizashi with him.
“We’re teachers.” Aizawa already knew he was going to end the day with a migraine. The blonde kind, Zanka was his name, was a lot quieter than the other guy. At least only one of them was going to contribute to the headache.
It was about a two kilometer walk to get to UA from here. Aizawa could either hope these two have the patience for that, or send Hizashi to go fetch their car that they ditched when they saw kids falling from the sky. It would be a better way to get to know these strange strays through walking, but Aizawa didn’t really want to have to walk back to get the car after they got this sorted out.
“Could you grab the car and meet us there?” Mic nodded, breaking off from their group and turning back, officially leaving Aizawa outnumbered. He let out another exausted sigh, walking ahead and trusting that the two were smart enough to follow.
“Heyyy Mr. Bad Attitude~”
“What.” The blonde sounded tired of his antics. They have an interesting relationship. Not quite friends, not quite dating, but they act like they’ve been through the pits of the underworld together. He also looks like he wants to bash Jabbers head in.
“Ya wanna fight when we get back~”
“No.” Aizawa answered for him. That’s why they were so beat up then. Sparring without someone nearby to heal you is both stupid and dangerous. These two were definitely problem children, he was going to keep a close eye on them.
“You're no fun.” Jabber pouted, but there was no protest from Zanka that he could tell.
“We’re almost there.” They could see the top of the building on the horizon. About another 3 minutes. Aizawa pulls out his phone and sends Midnight a text, telling her to warn everyone else he’s bringing two kids with no identification on them into UA.
“That’s a school?” Zanka asks, the first full sentence Aizawa thinks he’s said this whole time.
“That UA hero school, you’ve never heard of it?”
“Nope!” Jabber sounded excited. Weird, Aizawa’s never met someone who hasn’t heard of UA. These kids just keep getting stranger.
Aizawa pushes open the front gates, holding them open for the kids to pass through. Midnight and Present Mic are waiting right inside the door.
“I’m Pro Hero Midnight, and the two of you are?” Midnight says with the flourish she always has.
“Zanka Nijiku, nd’ this is Jabber Wonger.” Zanka introduces the two of them this time, with a glare at Jabber, daring him to input.
“Found them in an alley after falling about 5 meters out of the sky. It looked like they were sparring.” Aizawa explains, leading the way into the building. They passed a few students, but as class was in session and there weren’t many free periods at UA no one tried to stop them.
The two looked unbothered to have been caught doing something that is well known to be illegal. Under most circumstances, they would be considered dangerous individuals, but they were just kids. Malnourished kids with no parents, no identification, and if Aizawa had to guess, no schooling.
“Nezu know we’re coming?”
“If he didn’t know yet, he knows now. There’s cameras everywhere in here.” Midnight hadn’t told him yet then. She’s right though, it’s pretty much impossible for anything to happen in this school without him noticing.
Zanka’s shoes clicked loudly in the hallway, his strides were even and confident, more confident then even Bakugo. Brave kid.
“We’re going to meet the principal. I will warn you, he’s a little… strange.” Aizawa warned them when they were about ten paces from Nezu’s office.
“Not the first time I’ve been sent to the principal's office!” Jabber jokes. He really was completely unbothered.
They reach the door and Midnight knocks.
“Come in! I’ve been expecting you!” Nezu’s voice was a little more squeaky than usual, the way it gets when something exciting is happening.
Aizawa sees Zanka and Jabber share a look while he holds one of the doors open, Midnight holding the other. He guessed it was a little weird to see a talking mouse next to the ‘Principal Nezu’ sign on the desk. Great first impression on the top hero school in all of Japan.