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Izuku walks alongside Mirio as a sudden weight slams into his legs. Suddenly, he finds himself in Mikumo as he looks down to see a scared and hurt child.
Cold fire of fury rushes through his veins.
“Hey there, little one. Wanna tell me your name and who you live with?” His voice is soft, warm and gentle. Scared children lock up. He needs the girl to talk, needs a name for him to rain down his vengeance on.
“Eri.” Her voice is shaky, frightened.
Mikumo smiles at her and picks her up. “Well, Eri, it is nice to meet you. You don't look too good, do you mind if me and my friend here take you to a warm place while we wait for someone to come looking for you?”
Carefully he opens the jacket of his costume to get the girl closer to his body heat and protected by the padding of the suit. She clings to him and buries her face against his chest. Mikumo rocks her gently.
“Lemillion? I hope you don't mind if we go back to the agency now. But our little passengers could really use a good cup of hot chocolate first, and maybe a blanket too.”
Mirio smiles at him. “Go back on your own, I can finish the patrol without issue. See you at the agency!”
Mikumo nods and turns to leave. Whoever hurt the kid would be after her. He would need to be fast. He would need to be in the shadows. Except… the daylight doesn't have enough shadows to hide them both. But it does have people. Big groups of people. Izuku's hiding place.
So Mikumo disappears from the view and Izuku steps into the crowd a few blocks away. He moves naturally, not too fast, just with a clear goal. Not cagy, just protective, like an older brother.
And he makes it. Almost. Only a few less populated streets until he can hide in the NightEye Agency.
A person with a beaked mask steps onto the street behind them, visibly rushed and annoyed.
“Eri! There you are. You had me all worried. What are you doing out here, bothering all those nice people?” A masculine voice fills the air, smooth like snake skin, toxic like their bite.
Eri stiffens in his hold. Izuku doesn't hesitate to fully take off his jacket to bundle her up in it. His training and instincts tell him to comfort the child. To let no harm come to her, keep her safe. To bring her home with him and to teach her how to work the underground.
“Sir? You must be confused. This little girl said her name was Akatani Yugure. Not Eri. I am trying to find her parents and was on my way to the agency to have the files checked.” Mikumo is back in Izuku's place. He knows that voice. Knows who it belongs to. Slowly, he turns.
Overhaul shakes his head. “Eri must have lied to you. She is my niece. Her parents died years ago and ever since she is my ward. The name you just used for her is made up. Akatani is a family from stories Eri likes to hear. A myth, nothing more than fiction. A fun idea to make sure nobody breaks the underground moral rules. Every now and then a vigilante claims to be an Akatani. But the bloodline is nothing more than a fairytale.”
His blood boils. Not only is Chisaki Kai disrespecting the law of the underground, he claims his family to be fictional. Mikumo almost wants to spit his identity in the man's face. But he has no choice. “If you say so. I still need some form of ID to confirm your relation to her, if you don't mind. She's a very sweet girl and I don't want her to be kidnapped. It's basic protocol. And if you don't mind, she is terribly cold, running around without shoes or proper clothes.” He meets Chisaki's look without hesitation or a sliver of fear. “One could almost think she was a victim of human experimentation. I would like to get her a warm beverage to warm her up. My treat of course.”
He smiles like a weapon. His arms tighten around Eri. His sister, now that she has his family name.
“I wouldn't want to impose…”
Mikumo cuts him off: “Oh, no, really! She deserves a treat for her good behavior! After all, any child should know how to get help when they get lost, and this little angel here definitely got lost. You should have seen the alley she found me in! All dirty and unsafe! If she hadn't run into a hero student I don't know what might have happened to her. You have raised her very well if her first instinct is to hunt down a hero.”
Chisaki sighs, “If you must.”
Izuku takes over again. He grins sunshine bright. “Come with me! I know a little cafe just down the street, they have the best hot chocolate and my senpai swears on their matcha tea,” Izuku raves on. Carefully he opens one of his belt pockets to retrieve a miniature tracker.
He orders two hot chocolates at the cafe, offering Chisaki a drink as well but being declined. Carefully he slips the tracker into Eri's cup. “Drink up, little unicorn. I promise it's good and it will keep you warm until you're home.”
Fearful red eyes look up at him with curiosity. “I don't know what a unicorn is…”
Izuku gasps in mock offense and sends a judgmental look towards Chisaki. “You… here, I will tell you! A unicorn is a magic being, it has a little horn on its head just like you! And magic powers. Unicorns are kind and gentle but they can also hurt others if they get scared. It is forbidden to ever hurt a unicorn or else the person who does is forever cursed.”
“I curse people?” Tears are welling up in her crimson eyes. Izuku rocks her against his chest.
“No, never. People curse themselves when they hurt a being so pure and innocent like you. You never want people to be hurt. And you know what, my little unicorn? If you are so pure and innocent that hurting you is a sin, then I am a dragon. Dragons are protectors. They don't mind making their hands dirty to protect the people they love. When a dragon loves someone the person becomes part of their hoard. A hoard is so precious to a dragon that the dragon would rather die than see their hoard hurt.”
Eri finishes her cup, the tracker disappearing into her digestive tract. Izuku would be able to get his unicorn back even if he has to let her go again.
“I would like to be in a hoard but I don't want anyone to get hurt. I want to be a dragon and protect others!”
Izuku rubs her back. “I know. How about this? You can be Eri the unicorn for your uncle here and when I see you again you can be Akatani Yugure, the dragon that hurts the mean people. Does that sound good? Can you be a unicorn until I come and see you again?”
“I can do that. I want to be Yugure someday.” Her voice sounds wistful and sad.
“You will, little one. Because Yugure means dawn and the dawn is the symbol of a new beginning.” Izuku fiddles with his cup, still fixated on Eri but always aware of Chisaki and his movements.
Eri's red eyes fill with tears. “So I can be just like you?”
Izuku shakes his head. “No, Yugure. You can be just like you. You can be two people in one body, the unicorn and the dragon. Just like I am. And like my mom is. And like my mom's family is. It comes with the family name. Everyone with my last name has two personalities, one for the light and one for the darkness. In the light I am always the hero Deku. And that's what people call me. But when it gets dark, I am Yamikumo, the person who keeps the law in the darkness. If you want, I can teach you that. Does that sound good?”
Chisaki chokes on air. “Yamikumo? The police informant?”
“Akatani Mikumo, underground law enforcement, actually. Yamikumo is just a nickname the police use to keep me separate from my other family members like Flora, my mother Dahlia. You know,” he chuckles “the woman that permanently paralyzed All for One. But that is such a gruesome topic, I don't think a child like Eri should hear such things. Now that you are reminded of the law and aware of what will happen to you if you break it, do you want to risk taking Eri with you or do you want to leave her in my custody? Heroes will still be coming after you because of the quirk drugs, but you can handle the legalities, can't you? But you can't handle the judgment of the underground.”
“She is my ward. I will take her with me. And you can't stop me,” Chisaki grits out.
Izuku lets out a sound of disappointment. “If you deem that action to be wise… but if she gets hurt one more time because of your negligence I won't show mercy. Have a nice day, Chisaki Kai. Brace yourself for the fury of a dragon.” His voice chirps. He presses a kiss to Eri's temple to wish her farewell. “Remember, Yugure, a dragon protects his hoard. And he comes for them. Just hold out. Soon nobody can hurt you anymore.”
Her eyes, brimming with hope, cling to him even as Izuku tries to collect the strength to set her down onto the floor.
“Do you want to keep her bundled in my jacket? It is rather cold outside and Eri getting sick doesn't sound pleasant,” Izuku offers.
“Keep the jacket. I don't want any trackers on her.”
Izuku smiles. Sharp. Weaponized. “If you say so. Goodbye, Overhaul.”
Eri keeps looking at him, her expression scared and pleading. But she goes with Chisaki.
Izuku winks at her and mouths a single word. Wait.
Hizashi sits in the teacher's lounge, humming softly to himself while grading. The past days have all been good. Midoriya had proven himself as a good informant, giving Hizashi just the right feeling of knowledge over his students.
But like everything, his time of contentment has to end. The door bangs open and Midoriya enters the room in a flurry of green lightning. The child slams into his body, sobbing.
Gently Hizashi holds him, allowing him to cry. He hums under his breath, allowing a small vibration of Voice into his action to calm the boy down. The emerald of his eyes becomes even more vibrant with tears.
“Sensei, I need help.” And Hizashi's time of serenity shatters. “Tonight he will catch me. I will let him.”
The voice hero strokes the green hair. “It’s okay. I will tell him. What can I do for you until then? What do you need?”
“The severed head of Chisaki Kai. I ran into him and his ward today. Or rather, the ward, an abused six year old girl ran into me. And she was scared. So scared. But she went back with him. I planted a tracker on her, we can find her and get her.”
A choked laugh bubbles out of Hizashi’s chest. “Oh my poor Greenie. Now I get why you are panicking. You really had to let her go back, didn’t you?”
Midoriya nods. “Either give her back or risk a mass casualty running away from Overhaul. I can’t risk civilians. Not against a man with a quirk stronger than Shigaraki. If it had just been a few hours later, I would have Eri here with me! I already gave her a name. I put my claim on her! I told her about unicorns and dragons and how unicorns are to be protected while dragons are protectors. And she wanted to be a dragon! She wanted to have a second persona, she wanted to be like me. And I wanted her to be my little sister.” Midoriya takes a shuddering breath “And I had to let her go back. I had to watch as she got cold again because Chisaki doesn’t even give her shoes or proper clothes. Her hair was knotted in so many places, like nobody ever brushed it. And so many bandages, she had more gauze on her than clothes. And she was so small and scared. And I had to let her go back.”
The kid cries again, sobbing pitifully as he sags into himself. “But you made sure we can get her back, Greenie. You made the right call. And when we talk with Eraser he will tell you the same thing, okay? It will be alright. You will get your baby sister back. I promise,” Hizashi soothes.
His eyes fill with hope. “Nighteye told me he will terminate my contract if I don’t step away from the case… Can you keep me on it? I… I know what to say to get her to fight back. I know how to talk to her. I promised I’d come for her. I told her to wait for me. That I would protect her. I need to be on the Shie Hassaikai raid. I could get us the intel to get us ready by tomorrow, if any of the heroes on the case would even remotely trust me. But they just see my age and write me off! I am not even allowed to speak up about my experiences!”
The door opens a second time. Shouta enters. His face shifts into a look of worry and horror. Midoriya is his Problem Child. The first person he looks for when he hears about an issue, knowing the kid would most likely be caught in the middle of it all. “Kid? What is going on? What are you doing here?”
Hizashi breathes. The boy breaks. Again. But now Hizashi isn’t alone anymore. Now his husband can swoop in and scoop up the kid, cuddling him between the two heroes. “Greenie, do you want me to tell the story for you?” Hizashi hesitantly asks.
He receives a confirming nod.
“Midoriya met Overhaul today. The current head of the Shie Hassaikai. He also met the person Overhaul claims to be his ward. A little girl. Her name is Eri and she showed signs of human experimentation. Midoriya had to let her go with Overhaul but planted a tracker on her. Nighteye threatened to terminate Midoriya’s contract if Greenie stays involved with the case.”
Shouta’s eyes glow red. “I need to have a word with him. That is not a responsibility to place on a child. It doesn't matter if you are training to become heroes, that is something your mental health can't do at that age. You are not risking yourself like that.”
Midoriya shakes his head. “He wants me to take the chance. Give him a reason for a termination. From the start he didn’t want me, only took me on because of my connection to All Might. And even then, he said I wasn’t worthy of the help. That All Might should have given his focus to Mirio instead of me.”
Shouta growls. "That's on him. UA is now terminating the contract with him. You can be signed in with Nightfall by tomorrow. I’ll just show the recording of how you dealt with Mineta and they will take you. Mention being trained by Flora once or twice and they will ask for your assistance. Nightfall is already in cooperation with NightEye for the raid, primarily for stake outs but I was personally requested for the raid as well. I can reserve myself the right to bring the agency’s work study students. You can get her out. You are our best chance to have her come willingly since you are the only hero she knows. You won't be left in the dark when you obviously care about her.”
And Midoriya clutches at Shouta. “Thank you. I promise you won't regret this.”
It is faint but Hizashi knows his husband better than he knows himself. Shouta smiles. “You say that like I had a choice. I know you'd be there one way or another. And I like to keep the charges for vigilantism to a minimum concerning my class.”
Midoriya giggles. And the teachers meet eyes over his head, silently communicating their relief at the action. “So, vigilantism is off limits… What is the stance on attempted murder?”
Shouta fondly rolls his eyes as he replies: “Kid, if you don't manage to kill a person when you try to then I quit my job because I clearly haven't taught you well enough if you can't do an unseen hit and run.”
Emerald eyes sparkle with mischief. “You are training us to become assassins for you?”
Hizashi snorts. “Of course he is, Greenie. He needs to get world domination somehow after all!”
His husband shakes his head disapprovingly. “World domination, Zashi? What in the world makes you think I want world domination? So much work… no, I need my class of assassins to give me uninterrupted naps.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Do you want it to be?”
“Can you flirt less while I am sandwiched between you?”
Hizashi and Shouta shut up immediately and look at the kid who grins brightly. The little minx knows exactly what he's doing.
Shouta growls: “Not a word. From both of you.”
“Is that a threat?” they both shoot back at the same time.
Shouta's gaze turns red in warning, his amusement barely hidden behind the anger. “You two spend too much time together. Zashi, you have corrupted my student.”
He gasps, “Me? Oh, no! You’ve corrupted him! He came here all innocent and sweet, yet the moment he joined your class he became a schemer! Just as much of a manipulator as you are!”
Midoriya giggles. “My mom taught me that when I was three. Told me I was cute and to use that among every other trait I have to my advantage. Dad let me watch cartoons way past my bedtime ever since,” he admits.
Hizashi takes in Midoriya again. He's trying to find out what traits are exaggerated to help him with his goals and what traits are hidden to brandish like a secret weapon at another point.
“I knew your mother is a scary person, but every time you mention her, I get a bit more terrified.” Shouta's tone is joking, but the underlying honesty makes Hizashi perk up.
“Greenie, who exactly are your parents?”
Midoriya bites his lip nervously and Hizashi has to hold back his instincts of making the kid stop the subtle self harm. “Well, my mom is Midoriya Inko, she works in a law firm, Rose Co. She is responsible for high profile cases, usually heroes, politicians, and celebrities. My dad is Midoriya Hisashi, he left to work abroad when I was seven, got personally scouted by David Shield to work on I-Island for a while before he started at Reinvention Labs in the US. I learned how to analyze from him, especially quirk analysis. He made the micro trackers I have in my hero costume.”
The pieces click into place. “Shou, he's a genius and we are keeping him. Nezu can't have him. Like ever. He's ours now.” Hizashi pouts at his husband, waiting for confirmation.
Shouta sighs. “I already call him my Problem Child, don't I? If he consents, you can go all out with your parental affections. Just remember that for legal purposes, you only mentor him. Keep a professional distance because favoritism is frowned upon.”
Hizashi beams. “This is why I married you.” He jumps up on his feet, bouncing with excitement. “Midoriya, I am hereby officially allowed to put your talents through my polishing. Will you entrust yourself into my care?”
Midoriya looks between him and Shouta back and forth. “How did I come in here, distressed over a little girl being abused, and end up gaining another set of parents? That wasn't even my goal!”
“So that's a yes on analysis training?”
Shouta snorts.
“Of course it's a yes! I would love to share analysis and tactics with another person!”
His husband’s fingers pat fluffy green curls. “Like you would ever say no to extra training.”
“What can I say, I have too much energy in my body and need to burn it somehow. Causing the demise of people I dislike isn't very effective when I can't leave school grounds too often.”
Hizashi laughs softly, his hand carding through Midoriya's hair again. “Just be patient. Soon Eraser can take you out for evening patrols, Greenie.” He knows what those patrols would look like. How his husband would go out for games of tag with his Problem Child over rooftops.
Speaking of… “Shou… you slipped first. You called me Zashi in front of a student. You have to do the dishes for the month.”
Dark eyes widen with disbelief. “No, you slipped. You started teasing me. The kid figured out you were flirting with me.”
Midoriya snorts. “I knew for a while. You aren't subtle when you are distressed and it's not hard to connect the tells. You know, wedding rings on chains, tattoos, all that.”
Hizashi looks at his husband. He almost raises an eyebrow in question. But that would tip Shouta off and end the game earlier than both players want. It would be too easy.
Shouta huffs. “Yeah… we might have to work on subtlety…”
“I think you are subtle enough. I only know because I am trained in behavior analysis. And as long as Todoroki doesn’t pick it up in his conspiracy theories, I believe nobody really pays attention to it,” Greenie disputes.
Shouta mouths “Conspiracy theories?” towards Hizashi and the blonde can only fondly roll his eyes and smile. “Don’t worry, it’s disturbing but harmless.”
“Do I even want to know?”
Two mouths speak at once: “No!”
Come hunt me for one last time. I have answers for you. But I need your help. Find me. Catch me. See me. Aid me.
~Yamikumo
Shouta stares down at the note. It is everything he wanted from the game of cat and mouse but at the same time he feels dread creep up his spine. After tonight, the game would stop. He wouldn’t have to keep his eyes focussed on his class to find Yamikumo. He wouldn’t get to find small notes in his belongings inviting him to chase.
It would all be over.
And he doesn’t want it to be over. Not yet. Not when the hunt gets to make him feel alive in a way he only could feel while training with…
He shakes his head, dispelling the thought. He refuses to think about old times. Refuses to remember.
Instead he checks over his costume, making sure the laces of his boots are tight enough and tucked away well, straightening out his scarf, securing the ring necklace under his shirt. Then he kisses his husband goodbye. “Don’t wait on me, it will probably be a long night.”
He nods but his bright green eyes glint with knowledge. “Just bring the listener home. I know I have some questions that need answers. And if I know, I can help.”
Shouta can’t hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Promise you’ll try to sleep. I will wake you up when I come home.”
The blonde buries his hands in his hair while pulling Shouta into another kiss. “I promise. Get home fast.”
He wants to soak up his husband’s warmth and care, but the sun is already setting. So instead of following his body’s desire for comfort and sleep he opens the door to the balcony and jumps down to the ground where a figure is already waiting for him. The figure flashes with light for a moment almost like covered in lightning. Shouta feels his quirk activating, his hair levitating and his eyes reddening in response. “Let’s end this, Yamikumo.”
A masculine voice replies: “An end to the chapter is not an end to the story, Eraser.”
Shouta growls, a manic grin taking over his features. Maybe the chase wouldn’t have such a bad aftertaste for him after all. Maybe he could enjoy the challenge Yamikumo gave for a bit longer.
The figure bolts away.
Shouta hunts after him.
They run through woods, the hero only losing the informant for short moments before a flash of lightning clues him in again. Slowly, he gets clued in to all of Yamikumo’s methods- how he stays under big pieces of foliage until Shouta starts looking around beyond the bushes and ferns, how the kid scales trees and jumps between them soundlessly. Every trick in his arsenal that he had used to lose Shouta in previous chases is laid out in front of him.
And then they leave the woods. They get closer to the training grounds.
Yamikumo scales the balcony of a building belonging to ground beta and Shouta feels exasperation swell up in him. His hellions have a thing for the training ground as it seems. It’s where All Might made them have their first battle simulation, where Midoriya and Bakugou went to fight after the provisional license exam, where Yamikumo leads him for the last anonymous chase.
It makes everything feel so much more important. So much more final.
His scarf flings out to wrap around Yamikumo, a misplaced loop whipping away the beanie that concealed their hair. Shouta catches the fabric in his hand, already rushing forwards to pin the kid against a nearby wall.
Bright green eyes framed by wild green curls meet his quirk red ones and Shouta releases the Problem Child and his quirk on instinct. “Midoriya?”
A grin that rivals his and Nezu’s spreads over the kid’s face. “It’s Akatani Mikumo in the underground, Eraserhead. I look forward to working with you.”