Chapter Text
All horrible nights, Kusuo notes, start off quite peacefully.
Take today for example. Here Kusuo was, sitting comfortably on his bedroom rug with one hand holding his beloved coffee jelly and the other with the TV remote. The moon was full and rising fast, peeking through the space between his curtains. Besides the soft music spilling from the television’s cooking show, the house was pleasantly quiet.
Of course, this was due to his parents eating out at a restaurant for their ‘date night’.
“Kuu-chan! Are you sure you don’t want to tag along? They say that Kamui Woods frequently dines there! Who knows, we might bump into him!” Kurumi exclaimed, dressed in a long beige coat with her body latched onto her husband’s arm, “Wouldn’t that be exciting?!”
“Now Honey, you know Kusuo isn’t a fan of heroes,” his father said, waving a hand dismissingly, “He’ll be fine on his own. He’s a big kid now!”
-“Don’t call me that. Please just leave already.”
“Okay then Kuu-chan! Your Dad and I will be back in a couple of hours, call us if you need anything!” And with that they huddled out of the front door, still stuck to each other like glue.
A quick glance at his alarm clock told Kusuo that he only had around an hour left before his peace was disturbed. Treating himself to another bite of coffee jelly, he began to flick through the TV live broadcast programs. The news was rather boring; just the same old minor villain attacks that happen at least three times a week.
Some people still fear these attacks, but at this point they were as common as rain. Tiresome, but expected in a world mutated by the evolutionary phenomenon called a quirk. About 80% of people were born with one, or manifested it by age four. They could range from godly supernatural abilities to the definition of useless. It’s a draw of luck. Plenty drew the short stick. Superstrength, flight, even people with spray bottles for heads… nothing surprised anyone anymore.
The average person had a quirk. Just one. A neat little ability mostly determined by genetics - sometimes identical to their parents or even just a combination of both. Only rare cases proved otherwise, but even then, it was still one quirk. Simple. Manageable. Fit for the average person.
Kusuo set down his remote and used his now free hand to scratch at his head, specifically the spot directly beneath his right limiter.
Saiki Kusuo, no matter how much he wishes otherwise, is anything but the average person.
While everyone else enjoyed their one, singular quirk, Kusuo was stuck with abilities that were not fit for his desired life of normalcy. Mind-reading, telekinesis, petrification, invisibility, teleportation, mind control, clairvoyance, time travel… the list is practically never ending. In this world brimming with heroes and villains, there wasn’t a single soul who could match Kusuo in terms of power. Even Japan’s number 1 hero would still turn to stone at a glimpse of his unshielded eyes. Plenty of people would kill to hold even the slightest fraction of Kusuo’s divinity. He would've handed it all over without hesitation.
Without his limiters to suppress the majority of his power, Kusuo could probably destroy the entirety of Tokyo with a sneeze. How troublesome.
Though if he did do that, Kusuo would definitely be painted as the new large-scale villain of the decade; he doesn’t take off his limiters for a reason. If he ever made a mistake as big as that, the chances of him being found out would be higher than zero, which is far too high for his liking.
His parents often entertain the idea of Kusuo meeting someone just as overwhelmingly powerful as he is. Realistically, he doubted that would ever happen, but he wasn’t one to burst their bubble.
Kusuo only has one goal: to be average. He was going to do his best to blend in with the background. A nobody with a simple life-quiet, forgettable, and ultimately unremarkable. He’d graduate school with mediocre grades, then spend the rest of his life behind a desk, just like the majority. At least this way, he can try to ignore the invisible wall that sets him apart from the rest of the world.
Static hissing from the television snapped Kusuo out of his thoughts. Weird, the TV was fairly new. It shouldn’t be faulty already. Gently, he set down the half eaten coffee jelly and shuffled closer to inspect this newfound obstruction to his relaxation time. The screen was frozen on an image of a burning building in the city not too far from his house. Abruptly, the pixels changed, ecstatically flashing into little rainbows before fixating on the image of a face. A very, very familiar face.
“There you are, my precious little brother!” cried the blonde teenager, his voice as cheerfully fake as ever.
Good grief…
– · Ψ · –
Growing up, Kusuo never felt any brotherly bonds to his older and only brother, Kusuke. He’s certain that this feeling is mutual. Maybe if Kusuo had been born without all the extra quirks, their relationship wouldn’t have spiraled into… whatever this is. Technically they do love each other, - somewhere far deep down, locked and hidden behind years of one-sided rivalry - they just don’t show it in the standard way.
The cracks in their relationship started early. Very early.
In fact, Kusou could probably pinpoint it to when he was barely a month old and had begun walking on air.
Kusuke was confirmed to be quirkless after he was discovered to have the second pinky joint, just before his little brother was born. After being told you’re basically inferior to the entire world, having a younger sibling with that was the complete opposite of you must’ve been quite an eye opening experience.
Not that Kusuo would know.
But despite his quirklessness, Kusuke was a genius. If it hadn’t been for the multiple examinations and the doctor’s confirmation, his parents would have gone on believing that Kusuke was born with a quirk that increased his intelligence. In a way, Kusuo was extremely lucky. Without his older brother’s ingenuity, he probably would have accidentally destroyed a decent portion of the Earth by now. The invention of his limiters allowed for Kusuo to live somewhat peacefully, keeping his quirks from spiralling beyond his control.
Everything however, -as Kusuo has learned- comes with a price.
Kusuke may be incredibly helpful, but he was also incredibly annoying.
– · Ψ · –
Kusuo exhaled slowly, already predicting the size of the headache that was about to form.
-“What do you want?”
“Oh, little brother, don’t be like that now! Come on, lighten up.” Kusuke clapped his hands together, eyes narrowing with the slightest hint of malice as he smiled, flashing pearly teeth, “It’s just been so long since I’ve talked to you… I was getting so bored.”
Great. Just lovely.
Kusuke leaned in, closer to the camera or whatever self-made gimmick he was using to film himself and override Kusuo’s television.
“Why don’t we play a game?” Kusuke asked, in an almost innocent manner, “Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
-“No.”
Kusuo had already walked over to the outlet, and with a single tug, that irritating face disappeared.
Finally, peace at last…
Unfortunately, God was never on his side. As quickly as it died, the TV flickered back to life, because of course Kusuke had tinkered around with Kusuo’s personal items. For goodness sake…
“Wow! That was rude! But I wouldn’t expect anything less from my cute little brother~” gushed Kusuke, still bearing that awful Cheshire grin. “Don’t you at least want to know what kind of game we are going to play?”
-“I said no. Go away.”
A manic chuckle erupted from the other side of the screen. It took a couple of seconds before Kusuke reeled himself in… once more focusing onto Kusuo completely.
“But Kusuo,” Dark green eyes pierced into purple, “I finally figured it out.”
…what?
For just a split moment, Kusuo wondered if he actually misheard. He stared at his older brother in concealed disbelief, mouth ever so slightly parted. His first instinct was denial, because there was just no way. Their past attempts proved it was impossible. But as twisted and cunning as Kusuke was, he never lied. Lying was beneath him, after all.
“So, little brother, I thought that now since I finally kept my word…we could play one last game…”
“Hide and seek.”
“This time, you’ll be the one to find me.”
“And Kusuo…if you win, like you always do, well…” Kusuke had stopped smiling now. His face was completely blank, and his body language didn’t even show his usual tells.
“I’ll get rid of all your extra quirks. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
– · Ψ · –
Kusuo stared at the screen, fingers twitching slightly. Darn it. He wasn’t supposed to think about this anymore, yet here he was. A familiar ache pressed at the back of Kusuo’s mind. He pushed it down. So annoying.
He may not be a genius like his brother, but there was one thing he did know.
-“What’s the catch?”
Kusuke chuckled, the eerily dead expression finally slipping off.
“Catch? There’s no catch, little brother! If you win, you get to be normal! For the rest of your life!” He stretched back into his chair, a casual manner that was never truly casual with him, “And if you lose… well, let’s just say you don’t want that happening!”
Kusuo’s eyes darkened as he glowered at his brother. That was definitely a catch. Tch.
-“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t you worry your cute little head about it! It’s not like you’re going to lose anyway, right?” Kusuke’s smile sharpened.
“Just focus on me.”
Mentally filing away his suspicious behaviour, Kusuo began to weigh the pros and the cons. Really, this wasn’t even a debate. The extermination of all those dozens of quirks was all he ever wanted since childhood - since the moment he realized he was more god than human. But Kusuke was dangerous. Even as family. Especially as family. No one knew him better.
But.
Kusuo has never lost.
Not once out of the 1,062 times that Kusuke has challenged him.
A perfect record. A 100% win rate. Statistically speaking, his victory was all but guaranteed. Kusuo breathed in slowly, letting the air fill his lungs and steady his mind. Knowing Kusuke, this would be his one and only chance.
-“Fine. Let's play a game. One last time.”
Kusuke’s calculating gaze locked onto Kusuo’s own. A smile tugged at the corners of his older brother’s mouth, before pulling back unnaturally wide. Creepy, per usual.
“Great! Isn’t this just so fun?!” Ecstatically, Kusuke clapped his hands together, “There’s only just a couple rules we have to follow!”
Swiftly, Kusuo sat back down on his bedroom rug, legs crossed and facing the television. He tilted his head slightly, his own way of telling Kusuke to go on.
“Really, it’s just your average game of hide and seek. I’ll be hiding and you’ll be seeking. You just have to find me before the deadline!”
So he’s on a time limit. Yay.
-“How long do I have? A week? A day?”
“Don’t be so silly, Kusuo! That isn’t nearly enough time for us to truly enjoy our last game together! You have until the end of your first year of high school. Hopefully that’s enough for you!”
Kusuo blinked. He had over a year to search for his brother? What kind of nonsense is that? That’s way too much time.
“Now, now! That’s really the only rule... the rest of what I must say are more of, hm,” Kusuke brought up a hand to his chin, exaggerating in a way that didn’t fit the sly curve of his eyes. “...suggestions rather than actual rules.”
“You see, I want this to be exciting for you! So instead of making this a game you can win in a matter of seconds, I thought I would be nice enough to make sure that’s impossible!”
“I’m even gonna give you a heads up, mkay? If you try to find my location by using clairvoyance, teleportation, psychometry, telepathy, x-ray vision, or even time travel if you really get that desperate, I can ensure you that I have enough precautions to make finding me with those abilities something that will never be able to happen!”
What a pain.
“Oh, and since I could be hiding in any corner, crook, or nanny in the entire universe, I figured I should give you a hint. Just so you don’t struggle too much!” Kusuke wiggled his fingers at Kusuo, face smug.
“It would really be best for you if you enroll in U.A. Trust me, it’ll make your role a lot simpler.”
…what.
-“What?”
“Don’t worry little brother, I would never try to deceive you. This advice comes from the heart! If you do as I say just this once, you’ll find that you won’t regret it!” Kusuke’s eyes drifted off to the side, to a place privy to privacy from the camera’s lenses, “It seems our time is up! It was good talking to you, brother.”
Ever so slightly, Kusuke’s face softened.
“Good luck Kusuo.”