Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter…
Chapter Text
Patrolling around the east-side docks was never pleasurable; however, as he ghosted between the shadows (August’s oppressive heat still trapped between Musutafu and the grumbling storm-clouds overhead) cast by towering cranes, disused transport crates and looming, delipidated warehouses in his black-jumpsuit and capture weapon, he longed to be home.
The rolling thunder above him coupled with the threat of rain didn’t make the ¥20,000 he’d make for this Wednesday night patrol worth it, really.
However, a job was a job and, even though his son was only six, he had to think about the future; UA tuition fees weren’t exactly cheap even with the staff-discount he received plus, since raising his son and hero work were so time consuming, he’d had to take the longer, more-expensive part-time teacher-training course.
At this rate Hitoshi would be in middle-school before he was fully qualified and that was if he managed to complete the course alongside the marking, grading and other duties he already had at his Alma Mater.
Not that he wanted to sound ungrateful…
Not that he was, but…
Living in a shoe-box apartment (which he only maintained thanks to Oboro’s mother (she was doting obaa-chan; she’d been amazing, especially since he’d lost his own parents at a young age when a villain wiped out the office they worked at) alongside Hizashi and Nemuri’s generosity) was difficult…
Ensuring that his son had everything he could possibly need and want was pricey…
But…
But he’d never regret keeping Hitoshi, the last piece of Oboro that they all had to love, his beautiful smile, lilac hair and quick wit something he knew the alpha who’d sired him would love…
If only he’d survived…
Skidding to a stop beside a ramshackle maintenance-shed atop a rickety, thread-bare roof-top, Shouta leaned against the structure with a sigh, his right hand slipping into his utility-belt to snag and pull out his phone.
The lock-screen was an image of his son celebrating his sixth birthday (just three weeks ago) and now, the summer-holidays having started, the boy was happily spending the night with their next-door neighbours and best-friends.
God…
Midoriya Inko and Izuku had been a God-send; abandoned by her alpha, the green-haired woman had formed an alliance with him when he and his son had moved to the (allegedly) better part of town. They helped to shield each other (and their children) from the disapproving looks, whispered sneers and tuts of the other women and omegas who lived in the grey, apartment block.
She was a wonderful person (if he ever met Midoriya Hisashi he’d be sure to give the bastard a piece of his mind; it was one thing to lose a mate through death but to walk away from your wife and child for no reason? It made his blood-boil) with a winning smile, big-heart and tear-ducts that could flood like a river.
She was amazing and, as he quickly checked his messages (it was Sunday night, almost Monday morning; he would look after the boys during the day (since he was technically on vacation and she was still at work) whilst she watched them at night so he could patrol over these torrid, summer evenings), he couldn’t help his small smile.
She’d sent him a picture of the boys half an hour ago; it was an image of the boys in their Endeavour onesies.
It’d just gone 23:07 and, despite the humidity, the six-year-olds were splayed across Izuku’s futon, their arms star-fished as they snored in their miniature versions of the #1 Pro’s blue and orange costume.
Snickering (this was one for the memory-book he was building for his son; he hoped to present it to him on his sixteenth birthday; how… how could that be only ten years away?), he sent a quick text of thanks to his twenty-eight-year-old neighbour before re-pocketing the device and regarding the quiet, desolate docks he’d been assigned to patrol.
The expansive area of steel-framed buildings (in various states of disarray) smelt like rust, oil, rotten fish and decay (tch; amongst the other joys of being an omega, a heightened sense of smell was something he wasn’t particular thrilled about at the moment) at the best of times but, in this kind of heat?
Heh…
He was just glad that he’d had a light dinner coupled with a jelly-drink.
He’d probably be adding to the stench with his vomit, otherwise…
“Now there’s a pleasant thought” he mumbled to himself whilst adjusting the golden-goggles he wore as he straightened up and observed the immediate area.
This was a place filled with the lowest-form of criminal scum; drug-dealers…
The peddlers of misery and death who didn’t just destroy the people they sold their poison to but their families, friends and sometimes whole communities.
As far as he was concerned, that was far worse than even All Smite and his goons going on a rampage through sparsely inhabited areas in an attempt to rile up Endeavour and the top-five Pros (for whatever reason; sometimes, when he watched the news, he figured that the #1 villain was bored); however, that wasn’t what the news-hounds thought…
So long as drug-dealing was seen as something petty, something inevitable given illegal substance abuse throughout the centuries, he couldn’t see society changing for the better…
This was one of the reasons why he’d not given up on his dreams of becoming a Pro and working in the underground…
For Garvey, the criminal whose attack had laid waste to his friends and killed the man whom he wanted to mate and share the rest of his life with, had been hopped up on Trigger* when he’d decimated the neighbourhood he and his lover had been patrolling, the pair of them laughing and joking with some nursery-children and their teacher before…
Before the future he’d been stupidly dreaming up in his head crumbled and fell like so much masonry from a busted building…
And so, for better or worse?
If his limited hero-career could bring even a few of those assholes to justice then he’d scour every inch of cesspools just like this one…
It was the least he could do to avenge his partner…
It was the best way to ensure that children like his boy and Izuku wouldn’t have to contend with such horrors in their life-time, wasn’t it?
Nodding to himself, a flash of lightning momentarily illuminating the area, he dashed from the shed that’d been harbouring him to slink over sheet-metal rooves, sprint across exposed beams and dip into whatever holes, crevasses and openings he could find to scope out the insides of the buildings owned (and not) by private businesses that didn’t exist…
Filled with boxes and dust-sheet covered mounds hiding any number of legal and illegal things…
He couldn’t check them without a warrant, of course…
Not that he could get a warrant without due-cause…
Ahh…
Truly a logical and rational way to handle the men and women of organised crime-rings who clearly loved adhering to the laws that he and all other Pros and Police Forces were bound to…
Tch…
However, since moaning (albeit internally; it was a habit he’d not been able to break since childhood: Oboro was… one of the only people who didn’t mind his gloomy outlook, who smiled when he frowned, who comforted him just this his presence alone) wouldn’t do him or anyone else any good?
He chuffed out a sigh, lassoed an exposed girder overhead and swung to the next building, another bout of thunder hiding his landing and subsequent footfalls as the rain started to pelt, clang and splutter across the rooves…
~*~
As midnight approached, he was soaked through (at least he wasn’t cold) to the skin and, aside from photographing a few shady-characters milling around by the husks of beached, rotting cargo-boats), he had nothing to show for his efforts.
“Maa, Shouta-kun, there are worse outcomes than finding nothing on your patrols, you know? I for one pray, every time you head out there, that you don’t run into anything dangerous” Inko had told him a hundred times or more.
Heh.
He supposed she was right and, his night shift completed, he began to circle back the way he’d come until a flash of lightning illuminated a figure in the alleyway below him, their presence making him pause.
The man (tall, stocky, huddled under a cape of some sort) wasn’t what caught his attention though.
He was carrying one of those ‘Happy Meal’ boxes that Hitoshi and Izuku always asked for whenever they walked past that particular, western fast-food restaurant.
The brute hardly seemed the type and, his gut twisting uneasily (the thought of anyone harming a child always made him… more than a little blood-thirsty), he merged into the humid darkness and dogged the man’s steps from above.
He was approaching (and muttering curses which reverberated around the narrow, echoing passageway) a thick-set metal-door which barred access to one of the older (yet… oddly secure? There were new windows, holes had been patched up; shit, now he was looking at the structure it was obvious) warehouses.
With three, hardy-bangs (whomever these people were, they didn’t think anyone, let alone a Pro, would be skulking about in weather like this) upon the barrier, it creaked open before another, booming clap of thunder drowned out the sound.
Unsurprisingly, a child happy to see their father returning with a late-night treat was not the person who welcomed the sodden man in from the rain.
Gritting his teeth, he leapt from the gangway he’d been observing from to skirt his way across the ramshackle cladding which coated the large storage building’s roof, the mysterious delivery-man having disappeared within.
Again, the roiling storm overhead was blurring his motions and the any sounds his footfalls could make.
Heh; his costume was pretty effective when it came to masking his presence anyway but he couldn’t argue that the weather he’d previously been cursing was actually working in his favour.
For once.
Huffing, he began to cautiously peer through the holes, cracks and uncovered patches he happened upon as scouted carefully along the water-slick surface.
There were four or five people inside the first half of the structure; they were gathered around a small TV set that was being powered by one of their quirks.
A tall, slender man had grabbed the brightly coloured box from the hulking alpha who was shrugging off his soaked clothing and, as he followed him, he could see the man (dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, of all things) strutting towards another, smaller door.
Frowning, he continued stalking across the roof until he found a wider hole (that was gushing water down and into the warehouse, the flow cascading into and over a bucket) to peer through.
“Shit” he hissed, his eyes narrowing.
There was a child sat upon the mucky, damp-floor, her small form (she was around his son’s age, he was sure of it) loosely chained to a metal pipe.
She cowered as the man approached…
He dropped the box of food near her scraped knees…
He didn’t seem to care if she could reach for it or not, her small hands stuck together thanks to duct-tape binding her wrists…
Snarling quietly to himself (he’d love nothing more than to swoop down, beat up and knock unconscious all five of the pricks), he took a breath to steel himself.
He needed to think calmly…
He needed to approach this rationally…
His first port of call was to release the child and get her somewhere safe, especially since at least three of the men seemed to have mutation-quirks which added to their size and musculature…
Damn…
This seemed a little much for guarding a hostage; there were no high-profile child-abductions on the mission-boards shared across Hero Agencies and, considering she was simply chained in place, it was probably safe to assume her quirk wasn’t something they’d need to be wary of…
Setting those thoughts aside, he quickly looked for the nearest window he could access; once inside, he was agile enough to flit and leap around the bones of the building silently, his presence hidden by scent-blockers which concealed his gender and helped him to sneak around without an alpha’s knowledge…
With any luck, he’d be able to snag the child and get her the hell out of this nightmare in fewer than four minutes…
~*~
Creeping about the dusty-rafters, his eyes peering down at the little girl (fully-dressed (even if the jeans and t-shirt were dirty; she only wore one sandal), ravenously eating, her orange juice already drank, the bottle discarded), Shouta felt his heart twist.
Fortunately, the door from which the fiend had entered had closed and locked behind him; there were no CCTV cameras that he could see, no sensors or trip-wires, either.
From what he could tell, this set-up seemed to be a very hasty plan B or C.
Hmm.
Again, he stored that observation away for later as he abseiled down from a particularly sturdy girder thanks to his capture-weapon, his boots hushed upon the floor within the dimly lit room.
At least the bastards had given her a battery powered lamp.
Then, just as quietly, he carefully skirted into the girl’s field of vision, his right index finger placed to his lips as she blinked.
As she watched him, her beautiful, azure eyes started to brim with tears whilst her trembling fingers crumpled the empty burger-wrapping she clutched, her little nose sniffing before she covered her mouth to hide the hiccupped cries that could potentially alert her captors.
God…
What a bright, brave, intelligent child she was…
Sprinting over to her, his lock-pick in hand, he quickly and effectively opened the three padlocks which held the loops of chains about her waist and ankles before using the sharpened metal to slice through the duct-tape (which he’d remove later) and scooping her into his arms.
“Hold onto me as tightly as you can” he murmured gently whilst running back to the same place he’d previously landed; “my name is Eraserhead and I’m going to get you somewhere safe, okay?”
“O-okay” she breathed, her little face buried into his neck as her hands (that was… quite a grip) fisted into the loose material of his jumpsuit; “n-no… no police t-though, please?”
No police?
Frowning lightly, he gave her trembling form a gentle squeeze before launching his capture weapon and using its unique composition to pull them up and into the relative security of the rafters, his booted feet then padding them to the window he’d used to access the warehouse, his eyes checking on the door every so often.
There was no movement and, once they were back upon the roof, he ran the way he’d come and let out a small breath of relief when he saw the five kidnappers huddled around the TV set and guzzling down sodas, none of them the wiser that the girl they’d stolen had been liberated.
Small, small mercies…
Better still, the storm seemed to be passing and, using every inch of his advantage, he sprinted from rooftop to rooftop with his arms carefully encased around the precious cargo he carried…
Precious cargo that didn’t want the police involved in her abduction…
Shit…
That certainly explained why there were no ‘missing-children’ alerts, didn’t it?
Sighing quietly, he decided that now was as good a time as any to talk the kid around; “we’ve nearly cleared the docks” he told her over the quieter grumbles of thunder above: “there’s a roof-terrace we can go to dry-off, okay?”
“O-okay” she replied shakily, her body curled into him.
Hmm…
Then, the area he had in mind coming into view (it topped an old, closed down antique shop; the Underground Heroes were allowed to use it as a resting spot during shifts and, because of the weather? He was sure that they’d have privacy), he swung them three more times (from lamppost to telegraph-pole) before skidding to a halt upon the slicked surface.
After a quick look around, he walked them through the muted darkness and into a sheltered area beneath a faded-stripe awning.
“Alright” he murmured; “its dry here and there are tatami mats on the ground… so I’m going to put you down and, with your permission? I’ll check you over for injuries and we can have a chat… does that sound good?”
Feeling her nod (his gut was twisting again; his mind was racing through the situation and he was finding too many things just not adding up: it was rare for kids, especially ones this young, to be so composed whilst being clearly upset and genuinely afraid), he gently deposited her and crouched down to her level.
“You’re an incredibly brave young woman” he told her softly whilst she scrubbed at her eyes and tried to stifle her hiccups; “what’s your name?”
“I… I want to… to tell you” she managed, her body mostly dry compared to his as she fidgeted; “but… but you… you’re a… a Pro Hero, right? M-my… my daddy he… he didn’t… didn’t send you to… to get me cus… cus he would… would be here and… and…”
Oh boy…
“Hey-hey… don’t worry, that’s it… catch your breath” he encouraged, his hands shoving his goggles up and into his hair whilst she pulled herself together; “yes… I am a Pro Hero” he admitted (because, contrary to popular belief, children weren’t stupid and responded better to the truth): “does your daddy not like Pro Heroes, hmm?”
Swallowing thickly, the child attempted a small, wobbly smile.
“I… my name… my name is Yagi Melissa…”
Wait…
Yagi?
Yagi as in…
“… and my daddy, you… you’ll know him as All Smite…”
~*~
*Trigger (トリガー, Torigā) is a type of drug that gives a boost to an individual's Quirk, simultaneously weakening their sense of reason.
Chapter 2: For Better or Worse...
Summary:
Warnings include: keeping secrets, reflections on self-doubt, moral dilemmas, omega instincts, swearing, angst, internal conflict and feels~!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Considering he’d not had to fight this evening…
“…my uncle David he… he made me in a… in a lab, for him…”
He felt as though he’d taken a few All Smite styled hits to the gut…
“…he calls me Sunflower and… and he loves me so, so much…”
God; to think that a man known for wanton destruction and terror across Japan and America had asked one of his vile, inner-circle to make a child and that she knew what she was just didn’t add up in his mind…
She could be lying, of course…
But she could also be telling the truth…
Shit…
“…if you t-take me to the police and he… he finds out that’s where I am, he…”
“He’ll go on a rampage” he supplied numbly, his right-hand scrubbing across his eyes as the rain picked up again; why was life so fucking complicated sometimes?
Now what was he supposed to do?
He couldn’t abandon the girl here (morally and ethically he just… couldn’t) especially since the goons he’d freed her from (international terrorists with a death-wish; who the fuck messed with Yagi Toshinori on such a personal level and expected to live?) were still out there and she’d have no way of contacting her… father. Loaning her his phone, equally, was a bad idea (All Smite wasn’t just a powerhouse in terms of collateral damage, after all; he’d created his own pseudo-country, an island that was cloaked and floating around the seas like some technologically-enhanced pirate colony) as it could be traced back to him and his civilian identity.
No thank you.
Sighing, he dared to look at those terrified, unsure and worried azure eyes, his heart twisting.
What if this was Hitoshi or Izuku standing here? Afraid, shoeless, staring up at a stranger who could be more foe than friend?
God fucking damn-it…
“Okay” he breathed, his tone a soothing rumble which made her blink at him; “thinking about this situation logically? Here’s what I think we should do” he told her, a flash of lightning over head causing the poor girl to flinch. “It’s already very late at night so, how would you feel about me taking you to my home? No police, no other Pros… just a bath, something to eat and a safe place for you to sleep” he furthered whilst pulling out his phone, unlocking it and accessing his albums. “You can call me Shouta… this is my son, Hitoshi… I should imagine that he’s around your age, see?” he continued whilst showing her his device, her eyes widening; “I know that your daddy doesn’t like Pro Heroes or what we stand for but… we try our best to do good and to help people…”
“B-but you… I’m his d-daughter” she quietly protested even as she stared, in obvious awe, at the images of his son playing with their pet-cat Sushi, the two of them at the park, images from the birthday party he’d just enjoyed; “don’t… don’t you w-want to h-hurt me to… to get back at…”
“Yagi-chan” he cut in gently; “you’re not your father” he told her, the child’s mucky form stiffening a little at his words: “you should not be punished or hurt by me or anyone… you’re not responsible of him or his actions, alright?” he said because it was true.
Shit…
No kid should have to carry that kind of burden upon their shoulders…
However, he was willing to bet that, before her abduction, she wouldn’t have had to and, although the logical part of his mind that was a ‘Pro’ through and through demanded that he ask her questions, glean whatever information he could…
The greater part of him (who was a parent and someone who didn’t have a death-wish) just wanted to get her safely returned to the #1 villain without incident or reason for the blond menace to track him down, harass or hurt him or his family…
“You… you’re not lying.”
Finding himself blinking now, he carefully regarded her (shit; did she have a quirk like former detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, one of All Smite’s most devout followers?) and, in a move that had his more logical mindset railing, he let his guard down and nodded. “I have no reason to lie to you, Yagi-chan” he breathed; “if you come with me now, I can promise you a proper meal, a change of clothes and a few hours’ rest” he advised: “then, in the morning, you can have breakfast with me, Histoshi and his best-friend Izuku” he continued. “They’re great kids” he grinned; “we’ll call you Himawari* in front of them, keep who your father is a secret and then, when the mall opens, you can watch me buy a burner-phone for you” he stated, his plan coming together in his mind. “All Smite knows the villain Kurogiri, doesn’t he? Well… there is a small, relatively unused park I know of… I can give you the address, you can call your father and he can come to collect you from there, right?”
It was risky…
He didn’t want to involve the boys but…
To see how she’d lit up when she’d seen the other kids his omega instincts whispered that maybe she didn’t have friends her own age…
‘I-Island’ (as the #1 fiend had dubbed his floating oasis of villainy and crime) was a haven for people with powerful quirks who hated the constraints of ‘law’ and ‘order’, it was a place where (from what they could tell thanks to the few double-agents who’d been able to infiltrate the place) all manner of illegal experiments and activities took place daily…
It also utilised some of the most cutting-edge technology, science and engineering in the world…
All Smite had forcibly relocated all manner intelligent individuals to ensure that, too…
But still, that didn’t detract from the little girl (an innocent in all of this) still trembling before him, her face conflicted…
Maybe, just maybe, by showing her snippets of his homeland, she could take some positives of this experience back home with her…
If Yagi Toshinori was capable of love and affection (something that he found personally hard to believe; the man was a monster who’d sided with the ultimate evil known as All for One, the pair of them regarding each other as brothers united in a cause to liberate the world from societal restraints… with them sitting pretty at the top of a chaotic food-chain, of course), then…
Perhaps she could sway him away from the casual murdering of civilians he didn’t care about…
“Bleating lambs who mindlessly follow their shepherds would fall to such slaughter, anyway” he’d once boasted to a news-crew who’d dared to question him as he walked away from the wreckage of a neighbourhood he’d flattened accidentally after picking a fight with Captain Celebrity; “rise up, people! Stop looking to heroes to save you! Save yourselves!”
Tch.
That self-righteous, arrogant, posturing son of a bitch…
“Okay… Shouta-san I… I’ll go with you I… I think you’re right.”
Nodding, his reflection on the child’s parent and creator (and wasn’t that an unsettling thought? Was she the Nomu of the future? God; he needed to derail that thought train) quickly shoved to the side, he stood up and offered her his hand.
For better or worse, ensuring that she was safe had to be his number one priority.
It was the only way to prevent, he was sure, a massacre for, such ruthless acts of violence had been all over the news, lately.
Over the past week and a half, Yakuza bases had been razed…
Crime-lords in New York had been punched into New Jersey…
A Triad syndicate in Beijing hadn’t fared much better, either…
And now, as he cradled the little girl to his chest and prepared to spirit them both into the relative quiet and safety of Musutafu’s eastern-district, he was certain that finding her had been Yagi’s true reason for such wanton destruction and carnage.
Tch.
The last place he’d look was probably the small, back-water city he’d grown up in because it was too obvious, too cliché.
It made him wonder, as he transported them around the roof-tops in a combination of sprints, leaps and capture-weapon assisted swings, who in the world those rent-a-thugs he’d snatched her from were.
It spoke to him of someone higher up in the realms of organised-crime using people they saw as disposable to keep watch, just in case All Smite’s extensive network got on their tail.
Unfortunately, they’d probably end up dead, regardless.
Their employers probably weren’t the ‘forgive and forget’ kind of people even if Yagi didn’t get a hold of them…
~*~
Landing on the small balcony which led from his apartment’s living space, the tiles still damp (his boots’ grip held-true, though) alongside the clothes-rack he kept out there, Shouta kept his left arm braced around the girl whilst his right hand dug into his utility belt to retrieve his keys.
“Now, my home is nothing fancy” he tried to grin (lightening the mood wasn’t something he’d ever been good at but, regardless of where and how she’d been raised, Melissa had lived through an incredibly traumatic ordeal and, as a parent? As a Papa? He wanted to soothe her if possible); “but my son and I like it” he continued whilst pulling the now unlock, glass door aside.
Then, his fingers reaching for and flicking the light-switch, he stepped them into the warm-amber of the living-room-come-dining area.
It was a relatively small area and, although a minimalist at heart? He’d filled the space with as much light, love and laughter as he could for Hitoshi.
There was a moderately-sized flat-screen TV affixed to the wall to their right and before them stood their second-second-hand couch (heavily disguised by newer comforters in various colours and cat-related patterns); a kotatsu table (minus its winter blanket) rested behind it and a small yet functional kitchenette rested further back.
The walls, however, were dotted with framed photographs of their friends and family; artwork produced by his son and Izuku similarly featured alongside two desks (one big, one child-sized) pressed against the far-wall where his teacher-training books, ancient laptop, phone charger and wifi router all rested above Hitoshi’s school-books, manga collection and drawing-pad.
“Shouta-san… your home is smaller than my bedroom… oh~! S-sorry~!”
Chuckling good naturedly (“I should imagine it is”), he carefully placed her onto the tatami mats and crouched down beside her once more, his lips uttering a wispy “pss-pss-pss” to entice Sushi (who loved napping almost as much as he did) out from his bed that was currently tucked away on the opposite side of the couch.
Luckily, with medical advancements being what they were, no one had to suffer allergies anymore and, as he was hoping she would (he’d seen her eyes sparkle when images of Sushi adorably snuggling his son appeared on his phone earlier), she cooed and knelt at the orange-tabby’s approach.
“Shouta-san~! He’s so cute~!” she gasped whilst holding her hand out to allow the feline’s whiskered face to sniff and nuzzle at her fingers; “ano… how did he get his name?” she asked, her eyes brightening as she scrunched up her nose through a giggle.
“My mate found and rescued him when he was just a kitten” he replied softly, his mind going over… better times; “he was much too young to be eating solids but Oboro he… he kept slipping him fish from the sushi in his bento-box” he chuckled. “The name stuck when we all saw how much the little guy enjoyed it… heh, luckily some friends of ours managed to convince the school cafeteria staff to give us some milk until we could get to the pet-store and provide for him properly” he chuffed before standing back up with a stretch.
“Aww~! That’s even cuter” she grinned before, after looking to him for approval (which he gave with a little bow), she walked into the living area to gasp at the photos, fawn over the drawings regard the rest of the apartment.
Across from the kitchenette were three doors relatively close together with the front door (complete with expensive viewing screen; having a traditional peephole wouldn’t do, not when he needed to check every person thoroughly before letting them in: he wasn’t a famous Pro, sure, but you could never be too careful) directly before them.
“Okay, Himawari, would you like a bath or something to eat first? I should warn you that I’m not the best cook but my son and I haven’t gone hungry so far” he mused, his work boots shucked off as he scooped the still soaked capture weapon from around his dampened neck and stored it in the hidden compartment by the screen-door.
At least, in this humidity, everything would be clammy so he could shrug off the discomfort.
“That’s okay, Shouta-san I… I’m not fussy with food” she replied, her smile growing as she relaxed and realised that, for now, she was safe; “David-ji says I’m a growing young lady but I don’t know” she shrugged: “I just really, really like food, you know~!”
Chuckling (Hitoshi and Izuku were prone to saying such things, as well), he shook his head ruefully whilst his sock-clad feet padded over to the kitchenette; “okay, I tell you what” he stated: “I’ll go grab you some of my boy’s pyjamas and put them in the bathroom for you… there are fresh towels in there along with everything else you could need” he furthered. “And I’ll whip something up for you to eat as soon as you’re done, alright?”
Looking at him, her reddened eyes tearing once more, she nodded fervently; “t-thank you… Shouta-sa…”
~*~
She’d emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, her six-year-old form comfortably snuggled in Hitoshi’s older, green pair of ‘Neko-Neko’ pyjamas (his stupid, irrational secondary gender twisted in the odd way it did when his son and Izuku did something adorable) and a spare set of slippers.
Her previously matted hair was no shiny and dry, the bruises on her face, though, were still visible.
Luckily, he had an ointment that should treat, reduce and hopefully remove them by the morning.
Handing All Smite’s daughter back to him in anything less than pristine condition was not something he wanted to do.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked whilst gesturing to the kotatsu table with the ladle he’d been using.
“So, so much~!” she veritably chirped as she made her way to where he’d already set out cold soba, soy-sauce, a variety of pickles and a selection of store-bought onigiri; “these jammies are super comfy… ano, are you sure that Hitoshi-kun won’t mind?”
“Heh… that kid has got plenty of pjs” he assured whilst pouring their miso-soup into bowls and plating up the coated chicken-strips that the boys were so fond of for them to share.
As after midnight snacks went, it was okay.
Sushi, of course, was more than happy to eat; he’d slipped him some left over eel from the dinner he’d shoved down his throat before leaving for the fateful patrol that’d led him to this girl who, despite her father’s fearsome reputation, was politely sitting at the table and waiting for him.
A small, delicate hand petting the feline’s flank as he wolfed down his early-morning snack.
Then, once everything was laid out (“itadakimasu”), they ate together and talked about unimportant things…
Melissa could speak five languages…
She could read and write in three…
She was quirkless…
She had advanced senses (“I knew you were an omega before you told me, Shouta-san… those chemicals you use are good at hiding it but I could smell what you were… that’s… that’s also how I knew you… you didn’t want to hurt me; people who wanna hurt someone they… they don’t smell like you”) and an enhanced healing factor…
She liked cats and loved bunny-rabbits…
Her favourite colour was purple…
She preferred beef-burgers to more traditional, Japanese food (“umm~! But this is really good, Shouta-san~! I think you’re a great cook~!”) but Italian dishes were her absolute number one choice.
He’d had no idea that there were so many different kinds of pasta…
Then, their meal eaten, they’d agreed to stay in the living room; he grabbed his trusty, yellow sleeping bag whilst making up a comfortable bed for her on the couch which Hitoshi and Izuku had no problems napping on for extended amounts of time.
He’d not said out loud that he didn’t trust her but something in the way she’d looked at him suggested that she knew; if she got hold of his phone and called home (yes, she knew several numbers for her family members) then they could have All for One, Stain and Mr Compress joining them for breakfast alongside her father, couldn’t they?
Shit.
“Alright, do you have enough pillows?” he asked (he’d had a quick wash in the kitchen sink and changed into his jogging-pants and tank-top whilst she’d been bathing; when he’d gone to check the bathroom over whilst she gobbled up some syrup-smothered dango, he’d found no mess: she’d even washed the tub out) whilst turning the air-con to a lower setting.
“Yes thank you they… they smell like you” she said through a yawn, her eyelids drooping; “that’s really nice, you know… when I meet Hitoshi-kun tomorrow, I’m gonna tell him how lucky he is to have a Papa like you” she furthered before snuggling into the nest-like structure he’d made for her.
Stupid instincts…
She wasn’t even his kid…
She didn’t have a biological mother or papa…
God…
He didn’t want to think about how that made sense and so, after switching off the main light (he’d left the battery-powered lamp he kept for power-outages upon the coffee-table which rested between them), he slipped into his sleeping bag underneath the wall-mounted TV, set an alarm on his phone and listened to her slowing breathing.
“G’night, Shouta-san and… and thank you…”
“You’re welcome, Himawari-chan… sleep-well…”
Because he just knew he wouldn’t be getting any rest, himself, until she was safely far-far away from here…
And he could pretend that this entire incident had never happened…
Notes:
*Himawari – Japanese for ‘sunflower’.
Chapter 3: Himawari-chan~!
Summary:
Warnings include: anxiety/worry, swearing, moral dilemma, angst, planning, omega instincts and feels~!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
He woke before his alarm (nothing new) and, since the cat-bells he’d covertly set up by the front door hadn’t chimed, his phone was still in his hand and there was a six-year-old he’d prayed was just some fever dream produced by too much caffeine and too little sleep was still on his couch (adorably snoring), well?
It looked like they’d made it through the night without him being United-States-of-Smashed into next Monday.
Small, small mercies.
And so, after carefully dislodging Sushi who’d curled upon his stomach, he regarded the yawning cat before resettling him within his sleeping bag.
The wonderful feline had taken to snoozing on his middle ever since he’d become pregnant; the cat’s furry form had nuzzled his growing middle, back then, and provided him with much needed comfort as he’d struggled through his pregnancy at a dorm he’d been provided with at UA: as a sixteen-year-old orphan, he’d appreciated not being alone.
All things considered?
He’d been pretty lucky all those years ago…
Most omegas, especially those with partially formed bonds, didn’t survive their alpha dying…
Gritting his teeth and shoving the phantom aches (in his neck where an alpha’s bite-mark should be, in his mind and in his heart) that threatened to consume him some days aside, he tucked the yellow fronted sleep-sack around the napping cat before standing, stretching and checking in his phone.
05:00.
He had an hour before Inko would be knocking on his door, the sleepy-eyed boys at her sides looking for cuddles and paw-shaped pancakes for breakfast.
Shit.
Had he really brought the daughter of such an infamous villain into their home?
Into their lives?
‘It’s too late to back out now… by 11:00? You’ll get her to that park, she’ll make her phone call and this will all be over’ he told himself whilst shoving his rain-kinked hair into a bun at the nape of his neck and shuffling towards the kitchenette.
God.
He hoped he had enough pancake-mix to appease three hungry kids as opposed to two…
~*~
“Mornin’ Shouta-san.”
By 05:47, he’d had another quick wash, changed into a pair of his comfiest, black-jeans and a maroon t-shirt dotted with small, Hello Kitty heads (it was one of his favourites) and thrown on the frilly apron Nemuri had bought for him as a gag-gift a few Christmas’ ago, the mixing bow he used filled with batter alongside smaller bowls of chopped fruit and berries.
“Good morning” he replied with a polite incline of his head, a fond smile tilting his lips despite himself as the child stood on the couch and looked at him, his flaxen hair dishevelled and eyes droopy whilst she rubbed at them and yawned; “did you sleep well?”
“Mm-hmm” she nodded; “I… I’ve not really r-rested… since” she petered off with a little shrug, the smile she’d worn dropping.
Wiping his hands on a tea-cloth, he rounded the worktop he’d been stood behind to approach her before he knew what he was doing; “but you’re going home today, right?” he tried to cheer whilst she sniffled: “I’m willing to bet your daddy is going to make the biggest fuss over you, too” he soothed and then, before he knew it?
She’d vaulted into his arms and he’d caught her.
He was holding her as she wept.
Shit.
He suddenly wasn’t feeling so conflicted about those kidnapping bastards getting what was coming to them…
~*~
By 06:00, he’d managed to calm her down and sent her off to the bathroom with a pair of Hitoshi’s lesser used Pusheen-brand blue-shorts and matching t-shirt which hosted the iconic, grey feline merrily chomping on cakes, donuts and the like (which she’d squealed delightedly at) before going to his front door to greet his friend and their children.
“Ahh, see? What did I tell you, hmm? Here he is, safe and sound” the emerald-haired woman (dressed in her salary-woman skit-suit, brief-case and a day-bag for her son in hand) smiled warmly as the boys (both still in their onesies) latched onto his legs and squeezed them.
“Papa~! How many bad-guys did you get last night, neh~?!”
“Yeah Shou-nii~! Oh~! And did meet any new Pros you can tell me about for my data-books~!?”
Chuckling, he took the Endeavour brand duffle from his neighbour (“have a great day… I’ll have dinner ready for you so just make your way over tonight, alright?”, “oh Shou, you’re really too good to us… see you later boys and behave yourselves, okay?”) and then waved off with his son and Izuku.
Then (and thank good they were so young; they’d not presented as an alpha, beta or omega yet which meant that they wouldn’t be able to sent Himawari’s presence just as Inko, being a woman, couldn’t: tch, why quirks developing had to alter humanity’s evolutionary track even further he’d never know) he ushered them inside and knelt to their level.
“Um… Papa? Are you okay?”
Letting out a sigh (he only ever crouched down like this when they needed important talks, didn’t he; God, so much for trying not to worry them), he felt himself nod whilst placing his hands upon one of the small, delicate shoulders; “can you boys remember when we had to have a talk last year about keeping my hero identity a secret?” he asked.
“Sure we can” the freckled tot replied, his little face earnest and proud; “you said that, to keep you and Toshi safe, we had to keep you being Eraserhead a secret and that we wouldn’t be lying by not telling the truth because secrets like that were special-cases” he furthered, his brilliant mind recanting, virtually word for word, the justification he’d given them.
Heh.
Such great kids.
“Good” he smiled; “and because you’ve done such a good job? I’m going to trust you with another secret right now, okay?”
Regarding him owlishly, he stood up and nodded towards the bathroom (where Sushi was diligently standing guard, no doubt looking for further ear-tickles courtesy of their guest); “last night, I found a girl your age being held hostage” he began (because the partial truth was better than nothing), their eyes widening. “I managed to get her out safely but… due to certain circumstances? I couldn’t tale her to the police as I usually would” he continued; “her name is Himawari and, after we’ve had breakfast together, we’re going to help her get home” he stated. “She’s also had to borrow some of your clothes, Hitoshi and… because this is a very special case? I need to you promise that you won’t tell anyone else about her, alright?” he asked. “We’ll tell Inko-san all about this little… adventure tonight but, for now? Please treat her like anyone else your age, only use your first names, and make her feel welcome, okay?”
Watching as they processed the information, his gut twisting (this was why, he quietly reminded himself, so many Pros chose not to have children especially if they were single parents, like himself) uneasily (he shouldn’t be asking them to do this, after all; they shouldn’t be in this position, either) he sighed when they both gave him a firm nod.
“You got it, Shou-nii~!”
“We’ll make her real welcome, Papa, you’ll see~!”
God…
Whatever did he do to deserve such amazing kids?
Ruffling their hair fondly (the pair giggling), he then turned his attention back to the bathroom and called; “you can come out now, alright?”
A few seconds later saw the door slide away to reveal the villain’s daughter he’d saved; she looked (admittedly) adorable in the clothes he’d picked out for her (something told him that avoiding hero-brands was a must) and she’d made use of the spare, Hello Kitty hair-bands he’d offered her as well.
How could this sweet, shyly smiling little girl in perfectly bunched pigtails be the laboratory engineered progeny of Yagi Toshinori, #1 villain, All Smite?
“Himawari-chan? This is my son Hitoshi and his best friend Izuku” he introduced as she stepped towards them, her smile spreading; “boys? This is Himawari-chan… she’s your age and never had pancakes for breakfast before so, after you get washed up and changed? Why don’t you tell her what your favourite toppings are so she can decide what she’d like, okay?”
~*~
As he thought they would, the kids gelled together straight away…
“Aww~! They really do look like cat’s paws~! And they’re so… mm~! Yummy, too~!”
He’d had to tidy away the emerald haired boys ‘data-books’ (he’d had a quieter word with both of them in his son’s bedroom; he’d told them that heroes made the little girl nervous: they’d raised their eyebrows, shrugged and devested themselves of the #1 Pro’s onesies without complaint), of course but, other than that?
“Umm~! Here~! Try some chocolate-sauce on your strawberries~! It makes them taste extra good, doesn’t it Toshi-kun?”
“It sure does~! Oh~! And this is maple-syrup, Himawari-chan… my uncle Hizashi gets this for us from America when he visits there, see? It’s super runny, really sticky but it’ll soak into your pancakes and make ‘em yummier, see?”
Watching as the girl was fawned over, her cheeks pinking in delight with each new mouthful and taste, Shouta couldn’t help but think he’d made the right decision.
For, if she could see the value in civilians…
If she could like chatting with normal kids, then…
If her father loved her like she claimed then maybe she could sway his attitude towards wanton destruction?
Hell…
Anything was possible, wasn’t it?
~*~
After breakfast (all of them full) it was 07:30 and, the shops not opening until 10:00*? He switched on the TV, got them all settled on the couch with drawing-pads and crayons before cleaning up the kitchen, his ears picking upon on their conversations as he went…
“I’ve never just… drawn and coloured something before… am I doing it right?”
Alongside praying that she didn’t give anything incriminating away (the last thing they needed was to give All Smite a reason to see them as loose-ends fit for the tying) he couldn’t help but feel… sympathy for this child (that might not be a child at all… but she was) who’d clearly not enjoyed a normal childhood…
“There’s no right or wrong way to colour, Himawari-chan… I’m drawing my mom at her office, see, and Toshi, well… he just loves drawing cats~!”
From what little he could glean, she was mainly surrounded by adults (the way in which she spoke said as much; she’d not really understood some of the more colloquial words the boys had used which, in turn, had allowed them to show off a bit by explaining things to her) and the games she tended to play were more tactical, than anything…
“Ahh~! I get it… umm… oh~! I’ll draw Sushi then… if that’s okay? I think he’s the most beautiful cat I’ve ever seen and he’s real friendly, too~!”
Not that he could report back anything he was learning, now; it’d raise too many questions, cause too many problems and yet, as he dried the dishes and put them away, the Pro in him was waving numerous, bright-red flags.
All for One, All Smite and their Nation of Liberated Metas could be creating super-soldiers, child soldiers…
“Yeah, he is the world’s greatest cat, isn’t he? Oh… here, this crayon is almost the same shade as his coat and… if you mix it with this one, like this, you can make it kind’a like fur, see?”
Or, perhaps, Yagi Toshinori had just realised what a scum-bag he was, knew that any woman or omega in their right mind would never mate him and decided to make a kid because of his overwhelming, paternal instincts?
“Wow~! Hitoshi-kun~! You’re so smart~!”
“Maa~! I wouldn’t go that far~! Izu is the brains of our operation, you know~!”
“Toshi~! That’s not true~! You’re amazing~!”
Yeah… right…
~*~
At 08:30 he had all three kids sun-screened (across their cheeks and noses), daubed with hats and secured into sandals.
“Arcade? I… I don’t think I’ve ever been to one before… umm, Tomura nii-san has lots of videogames, though, and he lets me play with them sometimes…”
It was a beautiful morning and, with most of the people with traditional careers were safely in their offices and places of work, he figured the four of them wouldn’t draw too much attention; he was just an omega babysitting three kids, wasn’t he?
“Well this one is kind’a small but that’s why we like it; the bigger ones at the mall are full’a teenagers who hog all the best games…”
Three kids who’d created half a dozen images which he’d place into an A4 folder he had spare (so Melissa could have a memento of their time together; she’d teared up when the boys had insisted she have them), his hands tucking it into his faded, Present Mic tote-bag along with juice-packs, fruit-snacks, the clothes she’d been wearing (washed and dried) and his capture weapon.
Just in case.
“Yeah~! It has some great, retro-games, too~! There’s air-hockey, whack-a-tanuki, dance-dance-party and even some super-old games from when Papa was a kid…”
“Wow” he snickered as he locked the apartment door behind them (Sushi had been watered and fed and left to lounge in the unfettered cool of the aircon, his body stretched out luxuriantly across the couch), his hands reaching down to tickle his son’s sides; “I’m still pretty good at making you giggle for such an ancient, old man, aren’t I, huh?”
“A-ahahahahaaaaaa~! Pa-Papa~! I g-give… I give~!” his child belly-laughed as he scooped him up and pressed a kiss to his temple, his smile true as he put him back onto the corridor’s concrete floor and ruffled his head; “you young pups and your sass” he sighed dramatically: “back in my day kids respected their elders” he mockingly grumbled as the three of them chuckled.
“Well, come on then” he stated whilst readjusting his bag and nodding towards the stairs; “we’d better get to the arcade before they close it off and turn it into a museum, hadn’t we?”
Notes:
*10:00… when I visited Japan back in 2018, I was really surprised that the malls/more commercial shops didn’t open to the public until this time, so… ^_^;;
Chapter 4: Reunions...
Summary:
Warnings include: swearing, shock, anxiety, abduction, coercion, scare-tactics. All Smite, Mr Compress (they deserve their own warnings, you'll see), blackmail, possessive touching, sexism and ffffeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllsss~!
Chapter Text
09:00 saw the boys merrily leading a starry-eyed Himawari around their favourite haunt; unsurprisingly, she’d picked up the knack of every game they introduced to her within minutes, her nick-name rapidly climbing up the leader-boards as they all looked on, Izuku and Hitoshi’s mouths agape.
Then, the hour thoroughly eaten up? They’d ventured back into the sunshine to approach one of the smaller, Underground network approved electronics-stores.
The staff wouldn’t ask any questions…
The CCTV wouldn’t pick up on his purchases…
The burner-phone he picked up would be charged and contain just enough, pre-paid yen for a five-minute phone-call…
Not that the kids would know such things, of course…
“Okay” he said as they left, his sunglasses swiftly returning to his face from where they’d been placed atop his head; “boys? I’m going to take you to Roku-san’s café and you’re going to stay there and wait for me, alright?” he said whilst walked into one of the older, quieter parts of the city.
“Oh… is Himawari-chan going to go home now?”
Smiling down at Izuku (he and Hitoshi were walking with the girl between them, her little face conflicted by the joy of going home and disappointment; the three of them had really hit it off, hadn’t they?), he ruffled his hair to remove that similarly crest-fallen look he was wearing.
“Yes, that’s right” he told them; “she’s been really brave today” he furthered, those azure eyes blinking up at him, her cheeks pinking at the praise: “you wouldn’t think that she’s been homes-sick, would you, hmm? So, even though we’ve had a really nice time together? We need to get her home so her dad can stop worrying about her, right?”
And stop ripping apart anywhere he thinks his daughter is being held…
God…
“Right~!” the boys nodded as they looked to her, their smiles softening; “it’s… it’s been great to hang out with you” his son offered: “yeah~! And who knows, maybe we can meet up again some other time, you know?” Izuku added, his freckled cheeks similarly blushing.
Heh…
Such sweet kids…
“I… I’d really, really like that” the villain’s daughter returned shyly; “thank you, I… I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun” she added as they stood before the café which doubled as a kind of safe-house (he’d had to bring Hitoshi here a few times when an emergency requiring his quirk had popped up during such holidays), the three of them regarding each other.
“Can… can we give you a hug good-bye, Himawari-cha… ah~!”
Sighing (and feeling even more conflicted; shit, he’d be glad when today was over: he’d already cancelled his patrols for the rest of the week for… personal reasons), he watched as the children embraced (“thank you for the clothes Toshi-kun… and thank you both for the lovely pictures I… I always treasure them”) before pulling out his wallet and handing the boys some yen.
“Why don’t you get us some donuts, hmm? And try your best not to gobble them all up before I get back, okay?”
Blinking, nodding and pulling away from the girl who they’d probably never see again, they took the money and walked into the café whilst waving them good bye; after he’d locked eyes with one of the waitresses (who gave him a subtle nod in return before moving to greet and fuss over the tots), he looked down at All Smite’s progeny.
“Shall we go, hm?”
“Un” she nodded and, the move tugging at his heart-strings, she reached out for his hand.
He took it without question.
~*~
The park (it was actually just a small alcove of trees and grass between two, abandoned buildings; there was swing-set, see-saw and slide that he’d often brought the boys to when they were young enough to enjoy such simple pleasures), as he’d hoped it would be, was deserted…
“Alright” he smiled whilst crouching down next to her, his hands rooting around the tote bag; “here are your clothes, all of those great pictures you guys made today and the cell-phone” he stated whilst also fishing out a mini-tub of apple-slices and a juice-pack.
“Y-you… you meant it when you said… said I could have em?” she sniffled, her features disbelieving.
“I’m not in the habit of saying things I don’t mean” he told her whilst straightening the brim of the old, slightly wonky sun-hat he’d gifted her; “and you have been really brave, Melissa” he stated before pointing at the sign-post behind them which showcased the street address she’d probably need to provide.
Although, given I-Island’s resources, Kurogiri would probably be able to warp straight to her, wouldn’t he.
Shit.
He’d need to get the hell out of here quickly, wouldn’t he?
He’d texted Roku-san earlier that morning to ensure that, when he brought his boys to the café, they’d be walked to another safe-house location as soon as he left.
He’d told the older man, someone he’d once trained under, that he thought he was being followed and he, of course, hadn’t questioned it.
Small, small mercies.
“When you make your call, give that address and look after yourself, okay?”
“O-okay” she stated whilst wiping at her eyes; “t-thank you, Shouta-san.”
“You’re welcome” he breathed, his arms wrapping around her as she leaned in for a hug; “good-bye, Melissa” he furthered before standing up, turning and walking away.
He’d stay around the corner, just in case things went sideways (he had no idea who the people who’d abducted her were or what resources they had, after all) but, God willing?
The vaporous villain would appear, All Smite of one of his cronies would whisk her up and away and he could go about the rest of his life pretending that none of this had happened.
The HPSC already knew that Nomu were being created…
All of the Pros knew what to expect when fighting All for One’s liberated underlings…
Knowing that Yagi Toshinori had a child was really neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things, right…
~*~
As predicted, three minutes after the girl had sat upon the swings, checked the device over and punched in a series of numbers (her flood-gates had broken when the call had connected and, although he was too far away to hear anything, he could tell that she was relieved, that she, like all frightened children, just wanted parental comfort) that ominous, purple warp-gate swirled to life.
Shit.
It was somehow more horrifying up-close then it was on the numerous news-feeds and surveillance videos he’d watched in mission debriefings and, right on cue?
“Daddy~!”
“Lissa~!”
The hulking, blond menace was on her, the child’s small form somehow not crushed by the massive arms which enveloped her, shielding him from view as Mr Compress and Stain similarly made an appearance.
Swallowing a muttered curse (and thanking his rational, forward-thinking mind for his decision the throw on his capture weapon), he swiftly bolted across the deserted streets, into a series of alleyways he knew like the back of his hand before launching himself onto a series of inter-connecting fire-escapes.
He didn’t stop sprinting for a solid five minutes and, with no sign of any villains pursuing him?
He finally slowed down, took a breath and scurried into an abandoned apartment to text Roku-san.
Crisis averted.
Everything was fine.
He’d be at the safe-house in ten minutes to pick up the boys.
Small, small mercies…
~*~
Yagi Toshinori considered himself, usually, a man who couldn’t be shocked by anyone or anything.
“Izuku-kun is quirkless, just like me, but Hitoshi-kun and Shouta-san don’t care about that at all~! This is us, see? Did you know that you can draw things just for fun? This is all in crayon… do you like all of the different colours?”
Of all the ways he expected to find his sweet, clever, beautiful little sunflower… her being clean, fed and gushing over the Pro who’d saved her and two friends she’d made (her bruises treated and body wrapped up a cute outfit she insisted on keeping) certainly hadn’t been a factor.
“This is Sushi the cat… oh~! And these are Shouta-san’s paw-print-pancakes~! Have you ever eaten pancakes, daddy? We had strawberries and blueberries and peach-slices too~!”
She’d been abducted just over a week ago; a treacherous, snivelling beta had infiltrated their ranks, learned of her existence, set a virus unlike any David had seen before upon their systems and stolen her in the ensuing chaos with the intentions of scoring a huge ransom.
His death had not been a quick one.
“Did you know that people on the mainland have to live in places smaller than my bedroom, daddy? I was really surprised but they… they’d made it so cute and nice~!”
The little fucker had, admittedly, been a shrewd bastard though; it’d taken them less than nine hours to track him down and, in that time?
He’d already sold his daughter on…
His daughter who he’d been envisioning all manner of hideous things happening to…
His daughter who’d been slapped, bound and laughed at by a group of men who Shigaraki-sama was still taking great pleasure in disposing of…
His daughter who’d been barely fed, tied up and treated like a dog by another group who the High End Nomu had turned into chew-toys…
His daughter who’d been found, accidentally, by an underground hero, an omega who’d decided against causing a cataclysmic battle between his forces and the Pros and simply, bewilderingly, shown Melissa nothing by kindness, consideration and the kind of warmth he’d thought this senseless world filled with mindless sheep had forgotten…
“Can I still have my juice-box and apple-slices, daddy?”
“You can have anything you want, sweetheart” he murmured soothingly, his body sat within the executive’s chair at the head of his control room’s table with her little body cradled in his lap whilst they waited for Kurogiri to fetch both his master and David.
They, like him, had been worried sick about her.
“Here you go, Lissa-chan” Atsuhiro grinned, his clay-mask removed as he winked at her and handed over the food and drink (that’d been scanned; no bugs, no trackers, no tracers, nothing: it was all fresh and edible… he could hardly believe it) which she happily took with a pleased “thank you, ji-chan~! Shouta-san cut them into bunny-shapes, too~! Isn’t that clever?”
“Very clever, but not as clever as you, sundrop… heh, I’ve always wanted to meet Eraserhead but now I’m even more curious” Chizome admitted, his mask similarly removed alongside his weaponry, his body sat on the table close to his favourite niece. “Even before today he was on my top-ten true-hero list, you know? He doesn’t brag, he doesn’t sign-autographs plus he only goes after the scum the police don’t wanna know about and other Pros think are beneath them” he nodded whilst typing everything the child had told them into his tablet for later analysis.
Because, right now? He just wanted to hold and fawn over his girl; she deserved that much.
“Mm~! He is amazing~!”
Chuffing out a light sigh (hero-worship wasn’t something that he wanted to encourage in her, after all), he sagged a little more into his chair, the stress leaving him in smoky plumes until his seven-foot form reverted to his de-quirked six foot four, his arms now more able to cuddle Melissa properly.
“He’s not as amazing as I am, though, neh?” he tried to grin, his blue eyes meeting hers as she looked up at him.
“Oh daddy~!” she smiled fondly whilst leaning up to kiss his cheek adoringly; “don’t be silly~! No one is as amazing as you are~!”
~*~
Just over a week later saw Aizawa Shouta finally relax… well, as much as he ever would, anyway.
All Smite’s activity had dwindled…
No one suspicious had been cite in and around his apartment-block…
Inko and the boys had bought the story that Himawari was the daughter of a vigilante he used to know (which wasn’t a complete lie; after UA prodigy All Might had returned from America six years ago, he’d denounced his status as a Pro Hero and acted like a vigilante… for a while)…
That keeping her presence and identity a secret would ensure that she and her family would safe…
Tch…
Little did they know it was actually the other way around; however, he refused to feel guilty about it…
If he’d taken Melissa to the cops, Yagi Toshinori would have found out it was him who’d handed her over…
He’d seen evidence photos of what he and his associates did to their enemies…
Hitoshi… wouldn’t have been spared…
They wouldn’t have been able to effectively hide or leave the country, either, that much was certain; everyone knew he had moles in Police Force and HPSC…
Proving it officially and citing the double-agents, though, was something that no one had been able to do and, after the earth-shattering betrayal of Tsukauchi Naomasa two years ago?
Paranoia was running pretty high within the organisation…
Not that the public were aware, of course…
“Papa~! We’re ready~!”
Blinking out of his thoughts (he’d just put the finishing touches on their bento-boxes, his hands deftly placing them into his trusty, Present Mic tote bag), Shouta looked to his apartment door where Izuku and his son were standing, their sandals already on and sun-hats firmly in place.
“Good job” he praised warmly before grabbing a fresh bowl of water for Sushi and placing it on the floor for him, his t-shirt and jeans clad form still daubed in the silly, frilly, Hello-Kitty apron Nemuri had bought for him whilst he double checked the kitchen for anything he’d missed.
They were heading to an indoor activity park today (Inko had found a great discount code and, the Tuesday morning already heating up? It was better to let the energetic tykes run around and play in a place flooded with aircon out of the sun, wasn’t it?) and, both boys buzzing with excitement? He had to admit that even he was looking forward to it, and…
*Ding-dong… ding-dong*
Blinking, his head snapped to the apartment door, his hackles rising…
He wasn’t expecting a delivery and their mail-boxes were down-stairs…
“Hmm? Papa? There’s a man at the door with a huge bunch of flowers” Hitoshi called whilst he and his best friend stared up at the viewing-screen which flickered to life when the doorbell activated.
Scowling slightly (perhaps they were for his other neighbour; she often bought such things but… surely she wouldn’t have ordered them to be delivered while she was at work?), he gestured for the boys to move away as he stepped towards the barrier.
“Hello?” he greeted, his finger resting on the intercom-button.
“Hello?! Aizawa Shouta-san~?!” the delivery man veritably chirped; “I need you to sign for these, please~!”
“I think you have the wrong address” he replied carefully, his eyes trying to see the person behind the ridiculously sized bunch of blooms; “I—"
“There’s no mistake, sir~!” the mostly hidden delivery person assured happily; “these are a special-delivery from a not-so-secret admirer~!”
Baulking, his brows furrowing (that… that didn’t sound right), the raven-haired omega scowled slightly; “you can leave them there, thank you” he managed to get out, his tone confused even to his own ears.
This…
None of this made sense…
“Heh… alright” the person on the other side of the door chuckled; “have a good day~!” he called before placing the vase overflowing with blooms, grasses and shiny baubles, marbles and other trinkets, bowing at the door (he was wearing a cap, his head bowed so that the viewing camera didn’t catch his face) and walking off down the hallway.
Huh…
“Ooohh~! Shou-nii~! An admirer?! Who d’you think it is?!”
Looking down at Izuku (bless his sweet, innocent heart; he didn’t see any potential danger or threat here: he wasn’t sure that was a good thing) and reaching down to ruffle his hair (Hitoshi, however, looked as suspicious as he felt; he wasn’t sure that was a good thing, either), Shouta sighed.
“I’m not sure” he offered honestly; “so why don’t you two go into Toshi’s bedroom and double check you’ve got everything you want to take to the play-centre while I check it out, alright?” he pushed, the emerald eyed boy blinking at him before his son sighed, grabbed the other child’s hand and pulled him towards the room without question.
Shit…
Maybe Shirakumo-san was right…
Maybe he should have just given up on the whole Pro thing, his useful quirk be damned…
Oboro’s legacy shouldn’t have to live in fear, should he?
Gritting his teeth, he waited until they’d entered his son’s room before cautiously opening the front-door; when no explosions, sneak-attacks or villains appeared to validate his paranoia, he dared to look upon the bouquet, his brows rising.
It was certainly… ornate.
And expensive, too; he’d never seen so many blossoms in one place before.
Tch.
It’d have to go on their modestly sized coffee-table, he supposed, until he could dispose of it without further worrying the boys.
Two months ago, he’d been sent a box of chocolates by someone from Hizashi’s agency and, not knowing the name attached and not recognising the brand? He’d rushed them to the garbage-chute and punted them without realising how quickly he’d moved, how concerned he’d looked…
Or that the children had seen him throw out the candies as though they were poisoned.
Shit…
Sighing, he bent down to regard the varying shades of green which made up the leaves, his eyes looking for a card or gift-tag amidst the heady-blooms, verdant stalks and layer-upon-layer of ribbons; “tch…”
Finding it, he pulled the little message free, his eyes roving over the text:
“Aizawa-san,
This is a small token of my thanks;
I hope I can see you again, soon.”
Well, that wasn’t ominous, was it?
Damn, he’d been hit on once or twice by other Pros and it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone to get a hold of his address (especially if Nemuri or his other best friend had vetted them first; they were always trying to get him on the dating scene: loneliness radiated off of him, apparently), but…
He was still unnerved by the whole thing.
However, his misgivings aside, bringing the colossal mass of foliage inside couldn’t hurt in the short term; he and the boys would be out all day, he’d put Sushi in his bedroom (he didn’t want the curious feline nibbling at the leaves and accidentally making himself sick) and he could ferry the children into Inko’s apartment when they returned.
With the TV on and both tuckered out from a day of play, he could sneak back here and send this gift down to the recycling-bin, couldn’t he?
Nodding to himself, he grabbed at the ceramic-vase which housed the flowers and brought it inside, his legs walking it to the coffee table where its tall, wide arrangement hid the bottom half of their wall-mounted television.
Good-grief.
“Alright boys” he called whilst walking away from it; “grab your bags and check you have your bus-passes, okay?” he added whilst scooping Sushi into his arms, the clever cat happily moving to his shoulders so he could grab his water bowl and litter-tray. Fortunately, he kept a number of toys and scratching-post in his sparse room for their furry family member to enjoy plus his aircon unit (not as good as the ones in the living area and Hitoshi’s bedroom, of course) would keep him cool as the summer heat mounted outside.
“We’ve got ‘em, Papa” his lilac haired son replied as he passed the room; “is… everything, you know…” he asked whilst he and Izuku stood by the doorway.
“Heh, looks like your Papa is getting pretty popular, huh?” he told him (shit; he hoped his smile was reassuring); “do either of you need to use the bathroom again before we leave?” he furthered before rounding into white-washed, minimalist sleeping-quarters to set what Sushi would need to be comfortable down.
Allowing the kitten that he, his lover and best friends had sworn to raise onto his spread-out futon for a nap, the tabby purring on his way to the pillows, Shouta shook his head at him.
Oboro used to enjoy lazing around just like that…
Sighing, his shoulders slumping slightly, he stood up with a stretch, walked a few steps towards the kitchen, his mind clocking that he still had the frilly-apron wrapped around his body (it was probably covered in pollen now; great: who didn’t love to have more laundry to do?); he should probably remove it before they—
“You know, when Lissa-chan said your apartment was small, I’d hoped she was exaggerating.”
Freezing, his eyes shrinking in horror, the omega could only watch in some kind of morbid fascination as Mr Compress and (what his Pro-Hero recognisance and training told him was the quirk deactivated) All Smite, the ridiculous, blonde rabbit-ears of his iconic hairstyle almost brushing against the ceiling, stood in his living-room.
Oh God…
Oh no…
The kids…
Where the—
“Now-now, there’s no need to fret; the boys are fine… they’re just having a nap, that’s all” the hulking monster (dressed as a civilian in khaki, cargo-pants and a white t-shirt, of all things) offered whilst momentarily inclining his head a Compress (who winked at him; two marbles tauntingly balanced between the gloved fingers of his right hand).
The #1 villain hadn’t looked at him directly yet; his hands were holding a picture frame he’d been examining with a cocked brow (it was a photo of him, Hitoshi and Ms Joke; Emi got on his nerves, sometimes, but she was an excellent babysitter and good friend) before hanging it back upon the wall.
He did not like that glint in the fiend’s eyes when he finally appraised him, though.
“Heh… the few photos that exist of Eraserhead don’t do you justice, Aizawa-kun; that apron is adorable…”
“What do you want?” he snapped, his mind finally on-lining.
Shit!
Shit!
The stupid baubles on the bouquet! They were fucking hiding in them!
He’d brought the bastards into his home!
“Aww, don’t be like that~!” the top-hat wearer admonished before returning the white, black-lined mask back upon his face; “we’re all friends here…”
“Friends wouldn’t kidnap innocent children and use them to bargain with—”
“True” Yagi (mother-fucking) Toshinori cut in, his expression oddly considering, those muscle-bound arms of his (still massive even though he wasn’t clad in his full-cowling at the moment); “but friends would rescue kids in trouble, safe-guard and look after them before getting them home, wouldn’t you say?”
“I haven’t told anyone about her” he countered coldly; “I’ll keep your secret… now let the boys go and leave” he demanded hotly despite how stupid this was.
He had no power here…
He had no sway…
The grinning alpha could snap his neck in a split-second if he chose to…
Shit!
“There’s no need to be so cold, Shouta” the larger of the two alphas murmured whilst slowly, leisurely skirting around his love-worn couch to lean on the breakfast bar of his kitchen; “I know you haven’t told anyone, because I’ve checked” he stated, that handsome, angular face calm and neutral despite the lowering of his voice. “I also know that you took a very big risk in doing what you did… stranger still, you knew she was mine and you treated her not just like any other child, but you made no distinguishment between her and your own son… in fact you gave her his clothes” he added, his brows furrowing a touch.
“Heh… she’s not stopped talking about you, those boys or the activities you treated her to, either” he chuffed, his expression… perplexed?
Tch.
“The only thing I don’t know is… why?”
Folding his arms, his attention caught between the man looming nearest to him and the vaudeville-villain so playfully twirled those precious marbles, scrutinised his desk (there was nothing from UA or his hero-agency there, of course; everything to do with his jobs had to be kept under lock and key) and cooed at Hitoshi’s art-work, Shouta huffed.
“I thought that’d be obvious” he grunted, his shoulders tensing further when the fiend snorted in reply; “I did what I did because she was a child in danger… a child who’d been hurt, starved and was terrified” he continued, the other blinking at him owlishly. “She needed to feel safe and, until such time I could return her to you? I wanted to make sure that that’s exactly how she felt…”
“So, you didn’t do this out of fear of me? You didn’t think that holding such important information would put me in the position of having to hunt you down to buy you off or… send you off?”
Feeling his teeth grit, his hackles raising, Shouta was moving before he realised what he was doing…
“You can go fuck yourself if you think, even for one second, that I cared that you were her father!” he spat, his tone caustic as he stood before the startled alpha; “I couldn’t have cared less whose daughter she was! She was filthy and starving and alone!” he growled. “The only things I want from you are to let my kids go, get the fuck out of here and treat civilians with the care you give Melissa and, for the love of God, you have your own floating-nation, don’t you? Up your fucking security and make sure that no one does that to her again! She deserves nothing but your love and affection, so stop picking fights with Endeavour and give it to her!” he finished, his right index finger jabbing at the other’s expansive chest.
“Is that enough reasoning for you, ah?” he asked, his glower narrowed angrily at the rapidly blinking man, his hand pulling away the second he realised what he was doing.
Logically? If the bastard had wanted him dead by now, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be but it’d still been stupid of him to get so close.
He should probably step back—
“You… are not what I was expecting.”
Scowling when a hand, blurred by motion, snagged his wrist (the hold was firm but not crushing, not yet, anyway), he glared up at that neon-blue gaze appraising him.
He really didn’t like what he saw there.
“Alright then, I have decided what we’re going to do” he stated, his attention returning back to the masked villain who, instead of freeing the boys (it’d been stupid of him to think he would, he supposed), the bastard returned the nod he was sent and pocketed them…
“No—!”
“Oh, but Shouta-kun? You said so yourself, didn’t you? Melissa needs further protection and who better than you to provide that for her, hmm?” the alpha crooned whilst pulling him closer with a leer that was setting his hindbrain on edge; “you’re perfect for the job…”
“No! L-let go of me!”
“… and it couldn’t hurt to have an omega as lovely as you around the place, either… you and that apron of yours” the other smirked before, his body in the air as he was lifted and shoved off of his feet, the underground hero could do little more than gasp whilst the world whited out around him…
He’d just been compressed…
Chapter 5: Welcome to I-Island…
Summary:
Warnings include: swearing, threats, intimidation, abduction, mind-altering, innuendo, alpha typical behaviour, shock, anxiety, anger and ffffeeeeeeeellllllssss~!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Coming out of compression was like startling awake from a particularly vivid nightmare…
“Welcome to your new home, Shouta-kun.”
Only this nightmare was horrifyingly real…
“W-what?”
Standing in a room, a living-room his mind helpfully differentiated, the erasure quirk user couldn’t stop himself from baulking; it was four times the size of his old one. There was a huge TV and entertainment centre, all of their family-photos dotted the walls, Sushi was napping on one of the three, caramel-suede couches and, aside from such personal effects?
Everything was new…
Everything was western…
There was a mahogany dining-table behind him, its elegant form decked out with plates and silverware alongside eight-chairs (there was no kitchen, no windows, just a selection of five doors lined to his left; shit), three crystal-chandeliers dangled from the ceiling and expensive artisan throw-rugs covered an immaculate, imitation-wood floor.
Imitation wood that mimicked the grains and colours found within the kinds of trees (cedars?) that loomed across the portraits, photos and paintings of forests scattered across the chamber’s walls interspersed with images of himself, his boy and their friends.
Then, his stupefied eyes daring to look higher, he spotted slender, rectangular ventilation grids ringing the top of each, periwinkle-blue wall, too.
There were also piles of expensive, top of the range toys (games-consoles, robot-pets, puzzles and board-games, plush-cats) elegantly arranged in the vast room’s corners but what frightened him most (out of everything… and there was a lot) was a tall, wide clotheshorse dripping in luxurious nesting fabrics and materials by the backwall.
Oh…
Oh God…
“I found it… odd when Compress and I toured your previous dwelling that Hitoshi-kun seemed to have, by your meagre salary’s standards, so much and you… you didn’t even have a nest of your own” Yagi (mother-fucking!) Toshinori offered from where he and the prick who’d helped to abduct him were lounging on the second, expansive couch.
Shit…
Shit…
What the fuck was he supposed to do now?
The boys were nowhere to be seen…
One of the doors behind him had to be an exit but…
What did that matter?
He could feel incredibly subtle vibrations snaking up his feet and legs…
They’d brought him (and, given the toys and their cat (who seemed fine, thank God) his son and Izuku (fuck… Inko would lose her God damned mind if he didn’t find a way to get them all back home… somehow… by the end of the day… shit!!) to their infamous, invisible, floating-nation of the “Liberated” and All for One’s base of operations...
From what little any of their double agents lucky enough to make it back to the mainland alive had said, all manner of crazy experiments (on willing and non-willing test-subjects alike), illegal drug use and weapons testing took place here…
Considering that Melissa had had such a… restrictive childhood, he could safely assume that was the case…
He couldn’t imagine raising his son here (if that was All Smite’s intention), let alone Izuku…
They were innocent…
Life hadn’t been exactly kind to them (both were from a single-parent family, the emerald haired boy was quirkless and Hitoshi had a quirk that children on the playground taunted him for) but…
At least, on the mainland, they had opportunities and a way of life they enjoyed…
Freedom to be who they were…
“Maa, Toshi, if looks could kill I think we’d be in for it” the brunette (completely mask-less and smirking; he’d seen his face now: just another piece of evidence suggesting that he wasn’t getting out of here anytime soon… they were sharing things with him that he knew was compromising, after all) purred from where he lounged, wine glass in hand.
He’d only just noticed the opened bottle of the red, alcoholic substance on the ridiculously sized coffee table (the flower arrangement which’d led to his current situation mockingly posed there), his hackles raising further from where he was stood, his whole-body tense, on a thick-piled, forest coloured rug.
“Would you like a glass?”
“I don’t drink” he gritted out pointedly, the pair blinking at him.
“Oh come on, Shouta-kun, it might help you to relax a little” the blonde (still so casually dressed, his own nearly finished glass gesturing at him) grinned; “you seem a bit… on edge” he chuckled.
“I wonder why that could be” he all but growled, his arms folding tightly across his chest; “what’s going on here, exactly?” he asked, his mind running through ridiculous, illogical and irrational scenarios as he tried to calculate which door he should run to, the probability of it being locked, how comparable his speed was to a de-quirked All Smite…
It was useless, hopeless, but he couldn’t just give up, could he?
“You’re Melissa’s new care-taker, hadn’t we already gone over that?” the #1 villain mused playfully; “this is your new apartment… the boys’ rooms have been filled with their personal effects sans all of that hero garbage, of course…”
Of course.
“…your meals will be brought to you here; we can discuss what you’d like and arrange for you to access the kitchen from time to time, you know, to make those famous pancakes of yours…”
Tch.
“…and since you’re on probation, right now? You’ll not be able to leave here without an escort and, as I’m certain you’re aware? You’re under constant surveillance… should I feel, at any time, that you’re actively trying to harm my daughter, leave I-Island or communicate with your buddies, well? There’ll be consequences, do you understand?”
“Tch… do I know that I’m being held here against my will with my son and my dear friend’s child held as ransom alongside my own life and wellbeing? Yeah… oddly enough, I hear you” he heard himself say; “and at the risk of being kicked out of this incredibly hospitable cell for a real one? I need you to understand that I don’t care what you do to me” he stated, his eyes narrowing. “But please… I’m talking to you as a father, here… let the boys go back… Hitoshi has guardians who’ll take him should I die and Izuku… Izuku is all his mother has left” he breathed; “if Melissa wants to have them as friends, let her visit them… just don’t… don’t do this to—"
“Now-now… there’s really no need for all of this self-pitying sacrifice, you know?” the alpha sighed, his eyes rolling fondly before he nodded at the lackey so casually sipping beside him, the fiend grinning, swiping up a remote control and flicking on the expansive TV.
“Whoa~! Otou-chan~! This place is amazing~!”
“Ah~! Those strawberries are huge~! Are you sure it’s okay that I have some, sir?”
“Hitoshi-kun, you can have whatever you like… in fact, if you have a look down there? You’ll see the melons Melissa-chan has been growing and I think, if you ask her nicely, you can split one to share, how does that sound?”
“Ahh~! That’s a great idea ji-san~! Come on, you guys, my hydroponics bay is this way~!”
Baulking, his knees buckling, Shouta felt his head shaking in denial as he watched a tall, white-haired man (Midoriya Hisashi? He was a villain? A villain living here? A villain trusted enough by All Smite to act as a guardian to his daughter?) so snappily dressed in a dark suit, his white-shirt popped at the collar, happily trot after the boys and Melissa.
“W-what…”
“As you can see, Izuku and Hitoshi are better than fine” the blonde drawled after draining his glass, his smirk relaxed and pleased; “they believe that you’ve all moved here to start a better life and, I need you to remember this, they have no recollection of Midoriya Inko… and she has no recollection of them or you, you understand?” he pushed. “Outside of this conversation, her name is not to be mentioned” he added, those azure eyes locked on him; “unless you’d prefer that she was dead?”
“Don’t you dare try and turn any of this madness or its consequences around on me” he breathed, his attention torn between the children so merrily rooting around an ultra-violet lit pod filled with verdant produce, their little faces amazed, and the bastard who’d abducted them; “why… why have you done this?” he breathed. “What gives you the right…”
“Because I can” the behemoth shrugged, his tone the epitome of nonchalant; “and besides, the three of you are a very good fit for our country, wouldn’t you say? My dear friend gets to be involved in the life of his youngest son, your child’s quirk is far more suited to our purposes than that of the Pros and you’re just a veritable ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” he snickered, his glass clinking with a clearly amused Mr Compress’.
“I’ll not let you use him” he all but hissed; “I…”
“Oh no, no, no… you misunderstand” Toshinori cut in whilst waving his free hand at him dismissively; “we’re not about telling people what to do here, well, people who come to us willingly, at least” he mused, his smirk deepening. “Hitoshi and Izuku will be given a top-notch education, training so that they can defend themselves and then, when they’re older? They can choose what they want to be and where they want to go” he assured demurely; “well… if the world hasn’t drastically changed by then, of course…”
“Of course” he bit, his ire returning; “and no, you don’t tell them what to do… you change their minds for them” he all but growled: “so when can I expect to have my memory tempered with, hmm? I’d rather you not hang it over my head, if it’s all the same to you” he stated firmly despite the trill of fear tripping up and down his spine.
Shit.
Shit!
They could write him straight out of his son’s mind, couldn’t they?
God, he…
He wouldn’t even know it…
“And risk losing this kind of sparkling conversation? Oh no, Shouta-kun… I like that fire in your eyes and I think that having someone with a differing point of view might be good for us and how we’re moving our country and our plans forward” All Smite stated whilst leaning forward, his elbows digging into his thighs as he looked him up and down… slowly.
He…
He didn’t like the hunger he saw in those too blue eyes…
Or the smirk plucking his lips, either…
“You’re crazy if you think I’ll help you…”
“Oh you’re going to be helping us all we need just by taking care of those three lovely children and, with you and your teaching expertise here? Perhaps we can broaden out the number of young people we have… a fledgling country needs young blood to fuel it, wouldn’t you say?” he pushed, his brows lifting smoothly.
Shit…
They… they were going to abduct more people, more children?
“No” he breathed; “you can’t…”
“Actually, we can” the other mused with a shrug as he stood up, his smile confident whilst he grabbed up the wine bottle and shook it at him; “now, are you sure I can’t interest you in a drink?” he asked whilst stepping forward, his body (although currently de-quirked, his usual seven-foot stature now a less intimidating, muscle-corded six foot four) less than a foot away. “You look like you could use one…”
“Tch, and you look like you could be knocked down a peg or two, but what do I know?” he replied tartly, his eyes narrowing up at the electrified gaze peering at him so curiously; “when will my son and Izuku be brought back to me?”
“Mm? Well, that depends on when they’ve completed their tour” he hummed, a hand reaching out grasp his jaw (he refused to flinch; he wouldn’t), the bastard’s thumb running along his jawline, clearly testing how far he could push him. “Heh… you’re a very interesting man, Shouta-kun” he purred before releasing his face and walking around him, an incline of his head beckoning the chuckling, more slender alpha to get up and follow him, the pair of then heading to the larger of the doors behind him.
“I look forward to getting to know you better… now, why don’t you have a look around your new home, get settled and start building a nest for yourself, hmm?” he purred, his voice lowering an octave.
“You never know when you might need it…”
~*~
As the door clicked (and locked; fuck!) behind the men responsible for bringing him here (today? Yesterday? Last week? Fuck!), Shouta allowed the bravado he’d been stock-piling to simmer away into nothing…
Oh God…
What had he done?
Why hadn’t he just left Melissa on a rooftop somewhere?
Why hadn’t he taken her to a phone booth with some yen and run off into the night?
Why couldn’t he turn his back on a child in need…
Just as he’d walked away from Sushi that day, all those years ago, when he’d found him in the box in the rain…
The same day that Oboro had rescued him from that sodden container and handed his umbrella back to him with a wink…
‘We can look after him together, can’t we? It’s not his fault that his mother’s owner bailed on him but… but I think, between us? We can give him a home, right?’
Sinking to the floor, his hands trembling as they ran through his hair, he tried to suck in a level breath and stop shaking…
He couldn’t afford to break down…
His child and Izuku had had their memories altered…
If he didn’t tread carefully, he could lose them altogether…
Just as Inko had…
Not that she’d know it (or so All Smite had claimed) and, as he turned his burning eyes towards the TV…
“Umm~! Melissa~! This melon is amazing~!”
“O-oh? You really think so? I’m really… really glad~! Here, Izu-kun, would you like some more?”
“Would I ever~! Hey~! Tou-chan~! Here, let’s split this, okay?”
… he could imagine Hitoshi being just as oblivious and happy as the emerald haired boy who seemed so unphased whilst passing a slice of melon to the white haired, red-eyed man (he looked familiar… not from the Midoriya’s apartment (there’d been no images of the alpha there, he was sure) but from somewhere else) who smiled at the boy…
Smiled at him tenderly…
Smiled at him as though he’d missed having Izuku in his life…
Fuck…
What was he supposed to do with that?
How could he get the three of them out of here?
How could he get the word out to his friends?
Would…
Would they think that he’d betrayed them?
Had All Smite presented a scene at his home to suggest such a thing?
Was Inko actually alive?
Was she okay?
Could they truly rob her and her son of their kinship?
Covering his mouth the retrain the sob that tore from his throat, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the happily eating, smiling children, the three of them chatting so innocently under the crimson eyed man’s watchful gaze, his senses barely registering Sushi as the cat mewled at him for attention.
Shit.
“H-hey” he managed shakily, his arms opening to receive the feline who his mate had saved; “you okay, huh?” he murmured at the ginger-tabby purred and curled into his chest, that fluffy head butting under his chin in a familiar gesture that was intended to sooth him.
God…
This…
This was happening…
This was happening…
Notes:
Well, that's all I got for now~!
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has commented/left kudos~!
Comments help to inspire me, so I'm always up for a chat~! However, I can't promise regular updates... I have a 400,000+ fic that I'm devoting myself to, after all~!
XD
Ugh~! I can't believe (no, wait, yes I can... this is me we're talking about) that I'm penning ANOTHER story but... if I don't get the ideas written out of me, I can't focus~!
^_^;;
Chapter 6: Integrating…
Summary:
Warnings include: ANGST, CLIFF HANGER (because I'm mean~!), swearing, distress/worry/regret, coercion, All for One and ffffffffffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllsssssss~!!
Chapter Text
As it turned out, regardless of the situation?
He couldn’t just sit on the expensive flooring and have a nervous breakdown, could he?
Therefore, with a huff (and after swiping angrily at his eyes; he didn’t want the bastards no doubt watching him from cameras hidden in the walls and God only knew where else (he didn’t want to think about that, either) to see him upset), he got up and kept Sushi in his arms.
A further inspection of the living room didn’t reveal anything other than how expensive all of the furnishings were (the long dining table, however, did unnerve him; was he expected to entertain? Wonderful) and, after a sigh (whilst pointedly ignoring the racks of nesting materials) he went to investigate the bedrooms.
They were… huge.
Izuku’s room (and he had to be grateful, he supposed, that the child hadn’t been spirited away to cohabit with his… father) was a tranquil chamber awash with calming teals, blues and greys; again, there were no windows but there was a plethora of different lights and moving shape projectors cast a cloud dotted sky across the ceiling. He had a bed that could probably sleep four adults, its surface slathered with pillows, cushions, comforters and the few plush-toys he’d owned at his real home; there was a desk set up for studying, an entertainment centre rigged up with games and the back wall featured three tall bookshelves crammed with textbooks, manga and goodness only knew what else.
He had a ‘Quirk-Analysis’ nook, too; that was… concerning, wasn’t it?
Trying his best not to think about the implications, he instead walked to the two built in wardrobes full of clothes, shoes and accessories in a range of styles... there were even yukata, kimono and other traditional wears that could be worn to festivals, festivals that he didn’t think the Country of I-Island would celebrate.
Hmm…
And, as he ventured into Hitoshi’s room (he’d dipped into the bathroom which lay in between them; it was a marbled affair with four showers, three tubs (with spa-functions), a bidet, three sinks and goodness only knew what else) he found it was exactly the same in terms of furniture.
However, the walls were dotted with framed photos from their family album and the colour scheme was in purples, ambers and golds.
All of his toys (excluding the Midnight and Present Mic merchandise; his heart twisted at their absence) were present alongside the desk that’d once been in their living room and one corner of the chamber had been set-up with all manner of art supplies, shit.
Someone had put a lot of thought into this, hadn’t they?
How…
How long had he been compressed for?
Sighing and closing the door (his son’s name was artfully painted upon it, just as Izuku’s was on his), he finally dared himself look into the room he’d been given.
“God” he breathed, his eyes narrowing angrily as he surveyed the chamber that was straight out of some antiquated, sexist submissive omega promoting magazine.
The floor was covered in a thick-piled, sumptuous carpet (with the kind of fibres that wouldn’t cause friction-burns… shit!) in pastel swathes of fawn and doe brown until the floor sank, in the room’s centre, into a concave circle, a smooth basin that was meant to create the base of a nest.
No thanks.
However, just like the children’s rooms, the built-in wardrobes (they, like the walls, were a deep cream and lined with gold frames accented by gawdy fleur-de-leis; it was supposed to look grand, he just thought it was ridiculously lavish and archaic) was busting with clothes, shoes and… underwear.
Shuddering slightly (this… this was insane), he ignored the bookshelves which slanted across the wall for fear of what he’d find there, stepped back out of the space (with its own en-suite) and closed the door firmly behind him.
He’d be sleeping on the couches.
That was fine.
He’d slept on worse.
Heh… maybe if he behaved himself then they’d give him his sleeping bag back?
He had a sneaking suspicion that his Pro Hero uniform, capture-weapon, goggles and titanium knife weren’t things he’d ever be seeing again, though.
Tch.
But he could live with that.
He could adapt and overcome such things, he was sure.
“Meow?”
Blinking, he looked down at Sushi (who had a feeding station at one end of the living-room and a water station at the other, just as he should) and carefully scratched under the feline’s chin, the tension in his shoulders managing to ease a fraction.
“For what little it’s worth… I’m sorry” he told him gently; “and I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe, alright?” he murmured before nuzzling the faithful pet and depositing him to the rug dotted floor (near to the covered litter-box from their actual home) and turning to the clothes horse full of nesting fabrics.
Then, with a nod, he grabbed the structure and dragged it to the bedroom door (because he didn’t want the kids to see it) and shoved it inside (without damaging anything; he didn’t need anyone hassling him over tears or scrapes, thank you) before walking (his slippers from home still on with the fucking apron) to the wardrobe.
It took him all of five minutes to find the cheapest, plainest looking trousers and t-shirts (alongside some plain briefs, socks and one pair of sneakers; shit… how was he supposed to wash things? There was a laundry basket in all of the bedrooms did… was there a house-keeping service?) which he neatly folded into a pile. These would do and, to ensure that the kids didn’t worry (“they think you’ve moved here for a better life”)? He grabbed a tote bag (because he’d been given accessories, too) and loaded them into it.
From how he’d organised them, he’d made the pack streamlined enough to fit under any of the big couches to store and use.
That way he could sleep on the couches and effectively live in the living-room without causing them to ask questions, couldn’t he?
It’d have to do, for now.
Tch, and if the bastards thought that he was plotting an escape that was their problem.
He didn’t need or want a nest because he didn’t have a mate.
He didn’t have a mate because he was dead.
He wouldn’t mate with anyone else (and, thank God, his suppressants were a yearly injection; he had nine months to get out of here and back to Musutafu for another one without having to worry about being in heat or getting pregnant even if he was sexually assaulted… something he was pretty sure he couldn’t avoid… shit!) because he only wanted Shirakumo Oboro.
Because he’d given himself to him and would never submit to anyone else.
Because he’d loved him.
He still did.
And that’s exactly what he’d say when he was questioned about why he’d rejected these gifts if Tsukauchi Naomasa interrogated him later; he wouldn’t be telling any lies, would he?
Huffing, he got up and walked back out of the room (he’d shed his apron and hanged it on one of the freed-up hangers), bag in hand, and closed the door loudly once again.
He hoped whomever was watching him felt the reverberations through their equipment as he walked purposefully back to the couches, shoved the bag underneath the longest one and sat down on it, his eyes once more observing the screen that now showed the boys (pleasantly chatting with their new friend and Midoriya Hisashi, if that was his name) in a new area.
Fuck.
How was he going to keep himself together?
He’d be fine playing a long game for himself, but…
To have them being held hostage?
To know that they were on an island that could float anywhere, be anywhere, he…
This was beyond anything he could have prepared for.
Plus? Since he was being watched (he hoped that the bathroom had at least been spared… he didn’t relish the thought of anyone watching him and the boys; tch, at least All for One and All Smite detested paedophiles and wouldn’t tolerate them under any circumstance, so he felt assured that his children were safe from being violated) he couldn’t write any plans down.
He couldn’t try to map-out the place (if he was let out of his apartment) and jot down anything of importance (he had no doubts that he could retain valuable information in his mind, however, his mind was no longer a sacred place thanks to whomever the villains were using to screw around with memories), could he?
Shit.
Rubbing at his eyes (God, he hated feeling… helpless, his life (from how he worked to how he looked after his son) was all about movement), he sank into the couch with a huff and contemplated what would be the more irrational action out of screaming and trashing the place, napping or attempting to scale the walls to poke out any cameras he could find.
“Hitsohi-kun? I believe your Papa is awake now… shall we go back to your quarters, hmm?”
“That’d be great Shigaraki-san, thank you—”
W-wait…
What?
“Oh~! I can’t wait to see him again, and Sushi, too~!”
S-Shigaraki?
Shigaraki as in…
“Hey, maybe we could have a sleep-over tonight? What do you think, dad? Would that be okay?”
Was Izuku (sweet, precious, warm-hearted Izuku) really the son of All for One?
All for One, one of the greatest evils the world had ever known?
“I don’t see why not so long as Toshinori-kun doesn’t mind… oh, and while we’re walking, why don’t you tell me what you want for dinner tonight, hmm?” the fiend asked and then, a trill of terror rippling up and down his spine, he watched as the crimson eyes prick looked directly (but… but how?) at him through the lens.
“Oh, and I think pancakes for breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea, don’t you?”
~*~
The five minutes (there was a clock he’d failed to notice earlier, its gold-gilt face mocking him in roman numerals and a molasses-like movement of hands across a cream backdrop) he’d been pacing (and struggling not to pull his hair out) felt like five hours but, as the lock-twisted open…
“Papa~! Hi~! Look~! We’ve brought you some melon wedges and strawberries for you~! Lissa-chan grew the melons all by herself and they’re really, really good~!”
Shouta found he could shove his apprehension, fear and anxiety out of the way as he knelt down, deftly removed the fruit from his son’s hands and pulled both him and Izuku into his arms, his eyes momentarily closing whilst he breathed them both in…
“Papa? Are you okay?”
“Shou-nii?”
Exhaling, his eyes re-opening to level a meaningful look at the smirking alpha so innocently stood by the door, he pressed a quick kiss to the sides of their heads before pulling away to regard them; “I just missed you, that’s all” he promised, a smile easier to spread when he looked at them. “You weren’t here when I… woke up” he furthered, the pair seeming to buy what he was saying (thank God); “have you had fun, hmm?” he added when they relaxed and nodded enthusiastically.
“This place is huge, papa~! Oh, and there’re all kinds of people here and the technology is amazing” his pride and joy enthused whilst Izuku eagerly nodded along.
“Yeah~! And no one cares that I’m quirkless, either, Shou-nii~! Isn’t that great?”
Ruffling their hair (it was tearing at his heart to see them both so glad; he tried to comfort himself that them not knowing what was really happening to them was a blessing, an elaborate charade that he needed to play along with… for now), he then looked from them to Melissa.
Despite everything?
He couldn’t bring himself to be mad at her, really.
“Hey there, Himawari-chan… thank you for the fruit, I—”
Blinking, the girl now firmly in his personal space and holding onto him (he’d seen that she was apprehensive; she was a very bright little girl and, for whatever talks she’d with her father about him and what he’d done for her, he was pretty sure she’d been in the dark about the three of them being brought here) with a sniffle, Shouta gently hugged her.
“It’s… it’s g-good to see you again, S-Shouta-san” he breathed into his neck; “I… I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be” he murmured, his hand rubbing soothingly at her back before releasing the embrace she’d initiated; “thank you, again, for being such an excellent tour guide” he said instead, his gaze flicking back to Hitoshi and the freckle-faced child: “perhaps you can show me around later, hmm? That—”
“That is an excellent idea.”
Trying his best not to jerk at All for One’s interjection, the underground hero looked to the tall, ivory haired once more; “but, right now? Why don’t the three of you go and have a look at the boys’ bedrooms whilst Shouta-kun and I have a chat, alright?”
Somehow resisting the primal urge he had to snarl at the bastard and crowd the children before him, the omega could only watch as Izuku and his son whooped (after hugging his legs) and scampered excitedly off to the bedrooms with Melissa (a little reluctant, he noticed) in tow.
Shit.
“I’ve been led to believe that you’re proficient in English, is that the case?”
Huffing (he couldn’t exactly say no, could he? He was one of the only TAs at UA who was fluent and that, of course, was all thanks to the Hizash; he was the brains of their roof-top-quartet so many years ago and he’d coached them all through their exams in that language), he pulled himself into a stand after grabbing the melon and strawberries from the immaculately clean floor.
“You know it is” he replied tartly, his slipper clad feet walking him around the couches (away from the alpha so casually stood there, an amused glint in his eye) and to the dinning table to place fruit in one of the bowls there, his eyes tracking to Izuku’s room (where the children were ‘oohing’ and ‘awwing’) so he could keep tabs on them. “So, what do you want to discuss, exactly?” he asked, his arms folding; “it’s clearly something you don’t want my son and yours to understand but, if you’re going to threaten me? I think your favourite errand boy did a pretty good job of getting the point across” he added, his tone justifiably pissed off.
“Errand boy? Heh… well, that’s a new one” the ancient (not that he looked it; hell, he wouldn’t have put him a day past forty) prick snickered whilst he strolled to one of the sumptuous couches and sank into the upholstery with a pleased sigh. “Won’t you join me? If only to further hide that bag you’ve concealed with those exquisitely long legs of yours, hmm?”
“There are at least ten cameras in this room alone, Shigaraki-san” he quipped; “I’m not concealing anything from you, just the boys” he offered, his eyes narrowed: “I am not sleeping in that room, thanks” he continued when the other cocked a brow at him.
“Oh?” the crime lord chuckled; “so, you plan to sleep in here, then?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” he returned bluntly; “I do not need nor do I want a nest or anything else outside of the safety of those children, all three of them” he told him, his eyes narrowing: “so, is this the part where you threaten me some more? Take my quirk? Alter my memory or all of the above?” he challenged.
Watching as the bastard blinked at him owlishly before laughter bubbled up and out of his mouth (he shouldn’t let it rile him… he shouldn’t), Shouta contemplated the consequences of picking up a strawberry and launching it at the #1 villain’s mentor.
It was childish.
It was stupid, but…
“Why, Shouta-kun, how very interesting you are and no, no… I thoroughly agree with my protégé that you should stay exactly as you are.”
He was itching to do something.
“Hmm, yes… and about that quirk of yours… it might interest you to know that I did want to acquire it at one time but, with it’s current limitations, well? It’s useful to a certain extent; however, it’s not exactly special, is it?” the alpha mused lightly, his shoulders rolling in a shrug.
Shit…
He’d previously targeted him?
When?
“Ah? That’s got your attention, hasn’t it?” the fiend smirked; “I never did understand UA’s reasoning behind broadcasting that mundane little Sports Festival they host every year… sure, it shows off their talent pools for internships but it also draws the wrong kind of attention, wouldn’t you say?”
Narrowing his eyes (being on All for One’s radar since he was fifteen didn’t exactly fill him with comfort), he felt his arms tightening in the fold he’d set them in.
God…
He hated being this on edge…
He should imagine any doctor worth their salt would be horrified at his blood-pressure right now…
“And, for what little it’s worth? I am sorry that the death of your young man has—”
“No” he hissed, his legs moving of their own accord, his eyes flicking back to the freckled child’s bedroom before rounding on the now more reserved alpha; “you can taunt me all you like, you can hold my life and my mind to ransom, hell, you can beat me to within an inch of my life” he spat. “But you do not talk about him… I know that Garvey was hopped up on Trigger, I know that you make and supply that hellish stuff so you don’t get to be sorry” he breathed. “My little boy is fatherless, I am mateless because of you and your… cause” he growled; “so the very least you can do as a parent yourself, as someone who clearly hasn’t mated anyone by choice, is to keep his name out of your mouth” he demanded hotly.
“Ah… very well, I can concede that much” the alpha replied, his hands rising placatingly although that glint in his eye remained; “how would you feel, though, I wonder… if you knew that his body, at least, hadn’t gone to waste?”
Chapter 7: Truths and Lies…
Summary:
Warnings include: angst, swearing, shock, horror, anxiety, coercion, stress, canon-compliant character death, Nomu formation discussed, threats, All for One being sus as fuck, "All Smitten" (I love that! Thank you DarkAngelDiamond), plotting, scheming and ffffffffffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllssssss~!!
Chapter Text
He wasn’t sure how he’d ended up with his back plastered against the wall, his knees threatening to buckle again but, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Shigaraki whilst the bastard observed him with the same scrutiny he imagined a cat would regard cornered prey…
“You have seen and even had a brief encounter with my Nomu, Kurogiri, haven’t you?”
Wait…
The warp-gate user was…
“Nomu are one of my greatest creations to date, you know? It’s also a form of up-cycling, really” the fiend crooned, his shoulders shrugging slightly; “think of that young man who so tragically died, because he was dead, wasn’t he? You felt it through your fledgling bond, of course” he mused. “Yes… think of him, or his body rather, as a trellis for a plant… his form was the structure, his quirk and heart still of use and so my associate and I sewed more quirks upon that frame… each power interlocking and interweaving, like vines, to form something entirely new.”
Swallowing thickly, he realised he was quivering…
“Does he retain any memories from his life as your classmate and lover? It’s possible… but it’s just as likely that Kurogiri holds memories from the other people whose blood and… other parts were used to form him” he informed matter-of-factly. “And, as a Nomu? Though he appears alive and although he has a certain amount of… consciousness, let’s say? He has no scent, no dynamic, you understand? He is first and foremost a servant and the guardian to my successor… my successor whom I’d like you to meet and work with after you have… acclimatised.”
He…
He was going to be sick…
“This means there is no hope of you reconciling, I’m afraid… not that I’d stop you from talking to him if you would like… I’d just caution you from thinking that anything you’d want to, let’s say, rekindle with the boy you once knew isn’t on the table… I tell you that as kindness, especially since there is Hitoshi to consider.”
Sucking in a breath (he couldn’t bring himself to look at the photos on the wall, photos of him, Hizashi, Nemuri and … Oboro), he tried to push the horror and the mire out of his mind (he needed anger, he needed hate) and levelled his eyes at All for One.
“Why?” he rasped; “why t-tell me this? Why tell me at all?”
‘How much more do you need to hurt me before you’re satisfied?’ he thought, his teeth gritting.
“Because, unlike the society you mistakenly cling to? We are about the truth” the old alpha told him mildly; “the truth is ugly, harsh and cruel sometimes… but that’s what should be told, don’t you think? Would you not feel further wrath, further betrayal and heartache if I’d concealed this from you and you found out later? Surely it’s better that you know what’s true now, yes?” he asked.
“Oh… I’ve heard a lot about the truths you like to spin” he managed, the burning in his eyes thanks to the tears he was desperate not to shed spurring him on; “the world should be ruled by the strong… the weak are there to be subjugated… alphas and what they deem to be right should be at the apex of society, right?”
“Heh… that is a rather limited perception of our goals” he returned through a throaty chuckle; “and I find it a little sanctimonious that you, someone who was raised as a hero in UA and worked there, can find such fault in our doctrine when you send children out to fight, don’t you? Do I send out children to fight on my behalf? Do I kill the people whom I remove quirks from? Have I ever once not followed through on a plan of action, even a violent one, without making people in the immediate area aware, hmm?”
Feeling hysterical laughter trying to force its way up and out of him, he managed to swallow it down, his hind-brain firing up; “so… Melissa is just a child then?” he asked, his tone ruthlessly neutral. “And the people who aren’t able to get out of your way are merely collateral damage? The money that you steal, the technology, the people that you take are all owed to you, owned by you, is that right?” he countered.
“My my, Shouta-kun… you are everything I was told you’d be and more, aren’t you?” he mused whilst pulling himself into a stand, the motion instantly making him nervous.
The smirk the bastard wore didn’t help to ease his worry, either.
“Yes, I think that you will do well here… given some time” he offered whilst looking him up and down, not in the way that All Smite had but it was still… disconcerting.
“There’s no need to rush things, you understand? You’ll have no pressure from me to do anything other than look out for and after the children… you are welcome here and I will talk to you, from time to time, especially when it comes to Izuku… you have my sincerest thanks for your previous and continued care of him” he added, his tone softening a little.
And that?
That was frightening.
“You’re also free to defend yourself if you feel it’s necessary without consequence… and you can ask to speak with me at any time” he furthered, those words causing him to blink.
Fuck…
What was his angle?
What did he want?
Why was he being given all of this… special consideration?
It was confusing…
Maddening…
And that was probably the point, wasn’t it?
“I believe that your insights will be invaluable… yes, criticism, constructive or otherwise, is definitely something I think we can benefit from… so keep those eyes of yours open, disingenuously seek out my favour for your own motives and I’ll find ways to reward you… oh, and on that note?” the alpha quipped, his head inclining at him meaningfully.
“I don’t want you sleeping in this living room.”
Swallowing thickly, movement out of the corner of his eyes causing him to straighten (the children would no doubt come barrelling out of the freckled child’s bedroom at any moment), Shouta felt a snarl tripping up his throat.
“If you don’t want a nest, as ludicrous as that is? You don’t have to have one and so, when you next go into your room? And it is your room, Shouta-kun, you’ll find a bed and linen in there, alright?” he told him congenially before, a delighted smile oddly warping his features, he turned, floated over the couch and greeted the children as they spilled out of Izuku’s room.
“Ahh? Do you like it, my boy?” he asked, his Japanese flowing out of him with all the pleasantness of a parent fussing over his son.
“Yeah dad, it’s amazing, thank you~!” Izuku replied whilst the alpha effortlessly directed them to Hitoshi’s chamber, their eyes trained on him.
“Wonderful, wonderful… now then, Toshi-kun? Let’s have a look at your room, shall we?”
Watching as they went, he allowed himself to slide down the wall and curl in on himself.
This…
This was a nightmare…
But…
What could he do?
If he didn’t do his job he’d be disposed of…
All for One wanted him to essentially spy on everyone else?
To report back to him in exchange for… rewards?
Shuddering, his hands raking uselessly through his hair, he tried to quell the urge to scream, to cry, to howl and, as the edges of his vision blurred?
As irrational as it was?
He welcomed the darkness…
He could only hope that the kids, if they saw him in this moment of weakness, would forgive him…
~*~
“—apa?”
Humming in the back of his throat (he was warm, comfortable and resting on a really sumptuous surface), his nose alerted him to the presence of his son and Izuku and, partially awake, he looped his arms out from under the covers to grab at them and pull their giggling bodies into a hug, his form curling around them whilst his fingers sought to strum vulnerable ribs.
“P-Papa~! T-that tickles~! Hahahaaa~!”
“S-Shou-nii~! C-come on~! N-no f-f-fair~! Ahahahaaa~!”
Letting them go after placing a kiss at the top of their heads, he huffed and reburied himself under the covers (which… now that he was becoming more awake didn’t feel or smell like his) as the kids laughed and tried to tunnel after him.
“Papa~! Come on~! You gotta wake up so we can have dinner~!”
Dinner?
Wait…
Wasn’t it morning?
“Don’t you mean breakfast?” he said through a yawn (God; he felt like he’d slept for an age but was still, somehow, exhausted: shit… he needed to get himself in gear, didn’t he? There… there was a lot that just wasn’t adding up in his mind and he knew he hadn’t been drinking and he’d not been exposed to anything on a patrol, either… had he?), his eyes still closed.
“No, it’s definitely dinner-time Shou-nii… Yagi-san said he and Lissa-chan would be here at six thirty and its now… umm… six twenty, see?”
Wait?
What?
Rubbing at his eyes (shit; why did he feel like he’d been crying?), he poked his sleep-heavy head back out of the covers with a huff before reality, as it was wont to do, smacked into him with all the subtlety of a truck…
Oh… shit…
This wasn’t his room…
They’d been taken…
He’d been talking with (and been threatened by) a legendary evil who’d been trying to coerce him…
And then he’d fucking fainted…
Oh…
Oh God…
“Boys” he breathed, his arms reaching for them once more and curling them into his chest whilst he glared at the white, gold-gilt framed door as though it would burst open at any minute with yet another threat to his peace; “are you both alright? W-what happened after you… you looked at your rooms?”
“Hmm? What d’you mean, Papa?” his son blinked; “we’ve only just finished playing in them and, when we were done? Shigaraki-san said you’d gone to take a nap so we watched a movie with him and Lissa-chan for an hour… they left ten minutes ago so she could wash up and change for us to have dinner together” the lilac eyed boy furthered. “Why? Is… is everything okay?”
“Yes… yes, so long as you’re both alright” he breathed, his heart having gone from pleasantly beating to erratic to calmer once again (shit; he needed to ground himself and ground himself quickly… it wasn’t just his life on the line, was it?); “I… I’m sorry for… napping so much today…”
“Don’t be silly, Shou-nii… you work real hard and it must have been super difficult to move all of our stuff over here, too” Izuku smiled (and God, did it ever break his heart to see it); “I… I can’t believe that we all get to live together, you know? It’s… it’s a dream come true to have my dad here… and we… we can all be a family, now, right?”
Trying his best to smile back at the little boy who’d known such hurt as a quirkless child in such a prejudiced world, Shouta nodded and brought both of them a little closer to him, his omega pheromones soothing them since he was unable to, verbally.
Because how could he possibly look this innocent child in the eyes and tell him that his father (and shit… he’d scented both of them, there was no denying they were kin; fuck) was a monster?
That they’d been brought here against their wills for purposes he was still incredibly unsure about?
Fuck.
But still, he wasn’t afraid to be backed into a corner.
He did some of his best work under duress.
And no one, he didn’t care who they were, was going to hurt his children.
Not while he was still breathing, anyway which meant, as much as he hated all of this?
He’d play along.
He’d had his moment.
He could swallow his shock, his fear, his existential crisis because he’d lived through a lot of shit.
Shit that most people wouldn’t be able to think about, let alone live through.
He had.
He would and somehow?
Somehow he’d find a way to get him, his son and Izuku out of here in one piece and back to Musufatu, back to Inko and his other friends (he knew that Nemuri and Hizashi would never buy any bullshit about him just going missing or defecting) where he’d beg Endeavour until he was blue in the face to get them somewhere safe.
And that…
That would be made easier if he could gather pertinent information…
If he could sow seeds of decent…
If he could turn the glint he’d seen in Yagi Toshinori’s eye into an opportunity, couldn’t he?
He was pretty sure that Shigaraki wasn’t interested in a tryst or mating (he was, allegedly, immortal and probably manipulated women into his bed because he couldn’t bond with them… not like he could with a non-immortal omega in the throws of a heat or rut he couldn’t resist) but All Smite had looked at him with an intensity he recognised…
An intensity he could manipulate in turn… carefully, of course…
“Okay” he breathed, two more kisses pressed onto the innocent hairs on the innocent heads in his charge; “so… what did Yagi-san say he was bringing for dinner, hmm?”
~*~
Finding Hitoshi-kun opening the door hadn’t been surprising; however…
“Yagi-san? Lissa-chan? Please come in.”
To find Eraserhead (Aizawa Shouta) with his hair artfully tied up in a half-bun, his body now dressed in a pair of artfully cut black-slacks and a dress shirt (the two top buttons left tantalisingly open, exposing more of his neck and collar bone) in deep marron whilst he rearranged the dining-table, well?
“I hope that you’ve brought plenty of food… these two were about to start eating the couch-cushions, you know?”
That was unexpected, wasn’t it?
“Shou-nii~! That’s not true~!” his master’s boy giggled from where he was diligently folding napkins; “Lissa~! Look~! Shou-nii showed us how to fold them into swans~! Don’t they look pretty?”
Humming thoughtfully to himself, he nodded at the Nomu posted outside (to ensure that a certain, wily omega didn’t use his lock-picking skills for inappropriate reasons) of their latest residents’ residence before walking inside, his eyes briefly tracking the lilac haired boy and his own child as they tottered over the table where Izuku was displaying his freshly learned talent.
Hmm…
“I’m glad to see that you’re… feeling better, Aizawa-san” he greeted pleasantly, his own form dressed more casually in fitted, navy-blue jeans and a short-sleeved t-shirt in the same colour as he walked towards the table, his hands holding two large, brown-paper bags; “I hope that a selection of ten different noodle dishes will suffice?”
Watching as the raven-haired beauty (because he was a sight to see; he’d even used the hair-removal gel he’d been given (in lieu of a razor) to remove that smattering of stubble, he… he looked good) cocked an unimpressed brow at him, he felt an unexpected trill of pleasure trip up and down his spine.
Oh?
“It had better or you’re going to have to deal with them… and I certainly hope that you’ve brought dessert with you, as well?”
Oh… what an interesting turn of events…
“I’m sure that dessert can be arranged” he smirked, the deepening of his voice thankfully lost upon the children who cheered and hopped into the seats that the underground hero directed them to as he poured glasses of water for them from the pitchers his master had supplied for the table before he’d left to oversee other… business.
“Goodie.”
Heh…
The lowering of his tone wasn’t lost on the omega, though…
The narrowing of his eyes…
That flippant, sarcastic remark spoke volumes, didn’t it?
Hmm…
“Would you like me to help set the table, or…”
“Oh no… please” the former hero smiled, that expression more sharp and cutting than endearing; “I’ll dish up while you sit and take a load-off, alright?”
Chapter 8: Acclimatising…
Summary:
Warnings include: ANGST, reflections on the death of a mate/partner, reflection on alpha-based/sexist society, reflection on omega biology, threats, intimidation, anger, swearing, sexual innuendo, All Smite's A+ attempts at flirting, dealing with difficult circumstance for the sake of children and...
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Chapter Text
Spending the evening (which looked to be one of many; wonderful) faking pleasantries and small-talk for the sake of the children was a whole other hellscape for him to traverse…
“The school-room is currently being updated but, since it’s the summer-holidays on the main land, I don’t see why you shouldn’t all use this time to become acclimatised and settled, do you? Melissa did so enjoy the activities you showed her during her visit so, perhaps, you could all indulge in such things for the next six weeks, hmm?”
… All Smite, though he’d insisted on being addressed as Toshinori (there was no need for -san or any other kind of such formal suffixes because they were all family, now, and didn’t families speak to each other as informally as westerners did? Yeah… right) was effortlessly charming…
“Oh daddy~! I’d really like that~!”
… and, if he hadn’t have known who he truly was (or the devastation he was capable of wreaking at any given moment)? Then maybe he, too, would have been fooled and swayed by his flawless smile and congenial attitude…
“I thought you might, my dear… now then, who’d like dessert? I believe you’ll find these strawberry shortcakes some of the best you’ll have ever tasted!”
… however, even though he was an underground Pro (and a part-timer at that), he knew all about the charismatic brawler’s true intentions; he’d levelled Kamino Ward to dust last year, flattened a key-port in Kobe when one of the ships he used for smuggling things out of Japan had been stopped by border-patrol the year before that and, whenever his master asked him?
Off he’d go to merrily wipe out anyone and anything in his path because, whether he and the world liked it or not?
Yagi Toshinori was a one-man army with an actual army of talented individuals at his beck and call.
His quirk was like none other; he could float, create choking mist, lethal-black-whips and goodness only knew what else.
His skin was impervious to armour-piercing rounds.
Endeavour’s strongest flames did little more than scorch his ridiculous hairstyle.
Even Cementoss (who’d only encountered him once, their fight leaving his friend and colleague with life-changing injuries and consigning him to teaching for the rest of his days, the trauma of their spat still haunting him and depriving him of sleep) with a whole city’s worth of concrete to manipulate had barely escaped with his life…
“Umm~! You’re right, ji-san~! This is good~! Maa~! Papa~! Aren’t you going to eat yours?”
Returning from his thoughts, the smile he gave his son genuine, Shouta reached out to grab the butter-knife he hadn’t used to cut his cake into thirds; “why don’t the three of you share it, hm?” he offered, the look of joy colouring the children’s faces something he’d cling onto: “this is one of your favourites, right, Izu?”
And that, too, had quipped his annoyance.
The layout of his new home.
The inclusion of his family’s photos.
Photos of the boys as school, at their favourite park, during special celebrations, the image of them and him blown-up, the other people (his friends, Hitoshi’s grandmother) all… gone.
Hell!
Even the allowances made for Sushi, it…
It made him wonder.
It made him worry.
Just how long had he and the boys been compressed?
What did the world outside of this floating fortress know about their abduction?
He knew that Nemuri and Hizashi would never allow anyone to believe that he’d chosen to come here, let alone bring his child with him.
God.
And Inko?
Where was she?
Was she sat in some hospital room somewhere, the Police Force asking her about a son she couldn’t remember?
Shit!
“And what about you, Shouta-kun? What sweets do you like?”
Looking away from where the emerald hair boy (completely oblivious; it was a small mercy, he knew, but little victories were the only things he’d be able to cherish… for now) was merrily wolfing down his share of the sumptuous looking dessert, his little cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk’s, the Pro shifted his gaze towards All Smite.
Dressed like a civilian, he looked like just some other alpha who liked to work out.
It was almost unsettling to see him without the full-cowling of One for All because, although still tall and broad?
He could pass as man and not the monster he knew him to be.
A monster sat so calmly, pleasantly at the over end of the ridiculously large, ornate dining table which dominated this part of the equally spacious living quarters he’d been given, innocently asking him about his dessert preferences.
Tch!
“I don’t, really” he shrugged, his tone impassive; “I…”
“Emi nee-chan says it’s because he’s sweet enough already~!” Izuku chimed in, a giggle rippling between him and Hitoshi, the iris haired boy nodding after licking his lips; “yeah, she’s always cracking jokes like that… she also says Papa’s like a tootsie-pop cus he’s all hard an’ tough on the outside but super-soft on the inside~!” he laughed.
Snorting at their antics (“your big-sister says many silly things, I’ll agree to that much”), Shouta moved to ruffle his son’s hair, his mind momentarily forgetting where he was.
“Oh? So, you’re close to Fukukado-san, Shouta-kun?”
Until, of course, the beast of an alpha sat at the head of the table opened his fucking mouth.
“She babysits for me from time to time when I’m working, that’s all” he returned, his tone ruthlessly neutral; “the boys call her nee-chan in the same way that they call Hitoshi’s God-parents nii-chan and nee-chan” he continued, their eyes locking.
‘Leave Ms. Joke the fuck alone’, his glare hopefully suggested; “children are all about informality these days, well, children from the mainland at least” he furthered, the other’s smirk deepening with interest.
Tch!
“And you, Toshinori-san?” he began in an attempt to redirect; “what sweets do you enjoy, hm?” he asked, his right brow quirking as he tried to ignore the glances shared between his boys (because they were now; he would do everything in his power to raise Izuku as Inko-san would want) and Melissa.
God.
These family dinners were going to be illogically annoying and stressful, weren’t they?
“Ha~! Why, I favour sweets of all kinds~!” he veritably chirped, his own strawberry shortcake having been demolished minutes ago; “however, if I’m being perfectly honest? There’s a certain type I prefer… one that is very rare, in fact, you could say that they only make up 5% of such delicious things available” he grinned.
Taking a long drink from his water (that he could only hope hadn’t been tampered with in one way or another) to hide his glower, Shouta then offered the man a smile that was a little too toothy.
He knew what the other was getting at.
He knew that the alpha was making (and masking, thank goodness) a dirty-joke aimed at him and his rare gender.
Knot-heads like him saw omegas as nothing more than breeding-stock and bed-warmers.
It was the natural order, apparently.
“Ah, well that’s a shame for you, isn’t it?” he mused with a shrug; “although, you being the man you are, I’m sure you’ll have no problem enjoying the other ninety-five percent of such things” he said before, his eyes shifting purposefully to the clock: “but, in any case… it’s getting late” he stated, his tone broking no arguments.
“Heh… that it is” the behemoth admitted, an expression that anyone who didn’t know any better would associate with fondness daubing his face when he turned to his own child; “well then, himawari-chan, let’s be on our way, neh?”
“Um~!” the girl (who could be the first in the new generation of Nomu for all he knew; shit!) replied happily; “thank you for hosting dinner tonight, Shou-nii~! Maybe we could have dinner at our apartment next time, right daddy?”
Struggling not to grit his teeth when All Smite beamed at him, the low rumble of “that’s an excellent idea, Mel” purring out of him, the part-time Pro nodded stiffly whilst his boys gasped excitedly, the all-powerful villain pulling himself into a stand whilst the blue-eyed kid slipped off of her own.
“I’ll check my diary and see what I can do” he mused as they headed towards the door, a flicker of something crossing his face; “Kurogiri will be by in about five minutes to clear the mess away, alright?”
Swallowing thickly, Shouta tried to keep the food he’d choked down settled; “that’s… fine” he managed, the older man nodding.
“Well, good-night then… sleep tight boys~! We’ll take your Papa on a full tour tomorrow, neh?”
“Okay~!”
“That’d be great, ji-san~!”
And then, Melissa having already skipped out, the three of them were left alone (for now), the sound of five locks clinking ominously not lost on his boys (shit) who blinked at the sound.
“Ano… Papa?” the iris haired boy began; “how come the door’s locked?”
“It” he tried whilst getting up himself, his form walking to stand between their chairs; “it’s just to keep us safe, that’s all” he partially lied (because, hell, ‘sorry boys, I got us abducted and now we’re fucking stuck and I’ve pretty much boomed us all, too’ wasn’t the right response just now): “I-Island is full of, umm, some very powerful people” he added. “That? And you’re some of the only children here, right?” he asked, the pair nodding (they surely would have noticed such things whilst scampering around earlier; fuck! While he was still compressed); “so? You’re young and precious and adorable and we don’t want anyone getting in here to argue that, right?” he tried to deflect, his hands ruffling their hair.
“Wah~! Shou-nii~! That tickles~!”
“Hahahaaa~! Okay, okay we get it~!”
Chuckling (or at least trying to; tch… this whole thing was going to be trying, wasn’t it? Shit… but, he wasn’t a quitter, he’d survived all but impossible situations before, hadn’t he?) he smoothed his fingers across their scalps.
“Good” he smiled; “now, come on, go get washed up and changed into your jammies” he told them; “then we’ll have a play of some of those video-games before bed, how’s that?”
“Cool~!”
“You’re the best, Papa~!” the pair pipped, their excited forms already dashing off to their new bedrooms.
Their very own gilded-cages.
Shit.
He had to calm down, he needed to think.
They were in a long-game now, weren’t they?
Tomorrow, after he got the lay of the land, he’d have more to work with; sure, the fiends wouldn’t allow him access to anything confidential and, should escape-pods, life-boats or anything else he could use to get them all safely away exist then, well?
He’d have to figure out where they were himself.
This, he reasoned, shouldn’t be too hard given his line of work; he’d always excelled, as a student, teacher and Pro, at analysing lairs, bases and building schematics, especially since he’d been helping Thirteen create her USJ Project.
Sure, I-Island was, supposedly, unlike anywhere else you could find, but?
Villains, for all intents and purposes, were incredibly predictable, especially those who swore that they weren’t.
Serial-killers followed patterns…
Thieves hoarded their ill-gotten gains…
Killers were, 9/10, drawn back to the scene of their crimes…
Therefore, knowing what precious little he did about All for One, his disciples and their merry-band, these were his current truths:
1. They’d been spooked by Melissa’s abduction, so security would be heightened
2. Heightened security also led to higher levels of paranoia
3. Paranoia would only make them more nervous
4. Nervous people made mistakes.
The latter, of course, was what he could use to his advantage, so long as he was clever about it; plus? He was being underestimated.
Shigaraki-sensei had offered him a warning disguised as a boon; the old man (who knew just how ancient) saw him as some fragile, emotional wreck he could take advantage of (tch; his ego detested the fact but, logically, it’d do him no favours to ignore such things) and had offered him opportunities to approach him.
To spy and, genuine or not?
He could try to work that angle, too.
He’d try to work every angle that he could.
Because that’s what he did, that’s what’d allowed him to run rings around the drug-cartels in Naruhata and bring in countless criminals despite his small Agency, resources and gender.
And All for One overlooking that (because “what good have you done?”) meant that he was overlooking his years of training, hard-graft, determination and drive because he’d be damned if he and the boys were still here before summer let out and…
“Pardon the intrusion, Aizawa-sama… but I was told you’d be expecting me, yes?”
Jerking out of his thoughts, Shouta snapped his head to where the spectral-figure (who’d so unobtrusively warped into the living-come-dining area, a deep-tray in hand) had appeared, his eyes narrowing coldly.
“No, I wasn’t” he breathed, a cautious glance sneaking to the boys’ rooms (they were yelling to each other about which new set of PJs they were going to wear) before stiffly folding his arms and looking the man (the Nomu, no-doubt nothing but sewn-flesh and obvious stitches beneath the infinite cloak of shadows which hid him under that fancy suit). “Do you know who you were… who the person that once lived in your body was, to me?”
Watching as the servant (little more than a yes-man under Shigaraki’s control) narrowed those powdered-lemon eyes, his hands deftly picking up plates and cutlery alike, he let out a sigh.
“I am aware” he answered plainly, all of Oboro’s joy, excitement and charm no longer present in that deep, rolling and educated croon the un-dead thing used; “what of it?”
Oh…
Oh!
Seething, but calling upon his higher-than-average pain-threshold and the patience he’d crafted over a long career of being looked down on, the Pro steadied himself; “you owe me” he said, his words causing the other, this stranger, this monster he’d like to tear to piece with his own bare-hands, to chuff.
“How so? I wasn’t responsible for his demise…”
“But you walk-around, eat, sleep and breath in his skin” he countered hotly; “therefore, since you’re in possession of my mate’s body, you owe me” he added, the other now stood before him, no doubt using his height as some kind of intimidation method.
Tch.
How typical.
How illogically predictable.
“I owe you nothing” he sneered, his tone cruel and biting; “now step aside so I can finish my job…”
“Listen to me” he whispered harshly, his body stepping into the other’s personal space, a hand having gripped his tie to yank him down, using a physical strength that the other (by his blinking, sputtering) wasn’t expecting. “When this shit hits the fan, which it will, and things go south? You get my boys out of here… you get his son out of here” he snarled, a plume of omega pheromones wafting from him, their presence a clear sign that what All for One had told him, sadly, was true…
“I…”
That his mate, the love of his life, the boy who’d made him not only believe in himself but believe that happiness was possible…
“And I don’t care who you tell, you understand? You can tell as many people as you like! I’m sure they’ll be quite surprised to see how much sway a little, do-gooder like me has over one of their main modes of transport and sure, I could have kept this a secret and sprung it on you later but we’re all about honesty here, aren’t we, hmm?”
Was truly at the centre of this living yet not bastard of a warp-gate user, their bodies (souls) calling out to one another thanks to a bond they’d once shared, the jagged, ragged edges of it sparking now in an attempt to repair itself…
“Just promise me, swear to me, now or later” he stated firmly, his hand releasing the (somehow, despite not having a face; tch, and that was a mercy: he’d lose what was left of his sanity if saw… if he could see…) tie he’d had a death-grip on, the Nomu servant stumbling back as a consequence. “Because, if you don’t? I’ll make your life, if you have one, a hell unlike any other because I-Island might be big, you might get to leave it but I’ll find you and this? Every time we’re so much as ten-feet away from each other, this is what you’ll experience; tch! This agony? It’s awful, isn’t it? It feels like you’re being stabbed all over, doesn’t it? Your bonding glands are enflamed, your throat is dry and you suddenly feel a cold unlike anything else all over, don’t you?”
“H-how?” the other rasped, his left hand (that’s been picking up the dishes) rubbing at his neck feverishly whilst he hissed in discomfort.
“Tch… that’s the pain I deal with almost every day, especially around the heat-cycles I’ve had to block for my sanity and times when my boy is sick… I’ve had to suffer this since he died… it’s my punishment for living; heh… I hardly notice it anymore, really… but you? This will continue as long as I’m pissed off with you” he shrugged before turning his back to the hissing creature, his legs striding purposefully towards Hitoshi’s room.
“Now hurry up and get out of here… and take the rest of the garbage with you.”
Chapter 9: Of Deals Struck…
Summary:
Warnings include: ANGST, worry, anxiety, SCIENCE (seriously, that is a warning all by itself~!), physical/emotional trauma through broken-bonds, references to mating/mpreg, secrecy, the weaponising of children is referenced, grief, upset, reflections on death and...
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Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Letting out a sharp, low whistle, Yagi Toshinori couldn’t stop his gaze from following the lithe, ballsy omega he’d snagged and employed into his son’s room (thanks to the surveillance screens he and the members of I-Island’s Governing Council could use to see everywhere in the sumptuous apartment aside from their newest family’s beds, toilet and bathing-facilities) with a smirk.
“Well-well-well… isn’t that an interesting development?” he heard David muse from next to him, the scientist’s glasses flashing against the monitor’s light whilst they sat together in one of the control-rooms his genius, former side-kick had built; “bonds between alphas and omegas really are incredible things” he grinned ruefully. “I’d like to study this… phenomenon for a while, if that’s alright?” he asked, his mind no doubt milling away with theories to test and analysis to process as the Nomu in question, still quite shaken but able to complete his task, warped away.
Heh.
Some things never changed and, he was very pleased to say, his beta best-friend’s love for all sciences was one of them.
Plus?
His previously award-winning research (which the cretons of the civilised-world saw fit to quash, their silly-ethical rules and moralistic-standards blocking his curiosity and limiting what he could do, the fools) had come in handy several times during their shared venture of crafting a better, quirk orientated world, hadn’t it?
A quirk orientated world that his daughter and dear, sweet little Izuku were going to blow clean out of the water when the time was right.
Oh yes!
There was still so much to look forward to, wasn’t there?
“I don’t see why not” he shrugged pleasantly; “I’m sure that Garaki-san would like to be involved, too… especially since Kurogiri is one of his greatest creations to date” he reasoned, his neon-blue eyes resting upon the delightfully feisty man now ushering his boys into the bathroom to brush their teeth and wash up before playing games and sleeping.
How prettily domestic…
How utterly charming…
What a good Papa he made…
Hmm…
“You sure?” the brunet beside him quipped knowingly, a sharp elbow (that he could barely register) jabbing at his side from the comfortable, executive chair the slightly older man lounged in; “you seem particularly enamoured with this one, so I thought you might be a little… protective of him” he snickered. “That? And you’re not exactly trying to hide it, either~!”
Snorting, his impressive arms (even without One for All’s full-cowling active) folding across his broad chest, Toshinori didn’t bother concealing his smirk; “he’s quite the catch, isn’t he?” he chuckled: “it’s been a very long time since anyone outside of our inner-circle dared to stand up to me” he reminded whilst he continued to observe the scene before him.
The tender way that Shouta looked at the boys…
The smiles he offered them…
The way they reached for his hands to cling to, it…
It made him realise what his own daughter was missing out on…
It made him wonder what it’d be like to actually have a mate…
To bond…
To knot…
To feel the swell of a new life stretching and rounding the middle of his omega’s body…
Hmm…
“Yes, well, it’s been a very long time since you allowed anyone to do that, at least” David agreed through a grin; “in any case, I can see why you’re so… smitten” he admitted, his tone indulgent whilst swift bendy fingers began to rapidly tap and skitter across the keyboard before him. “Which means that I’ll tread carefully in my meddling and mainly take any data I want from Kurogiri, okay?”
“Heh, that’s why you’re the best, Dave” he praised, a friendly hand capping the other’s more fragile shoulder; “now, if you’ll please excuse me?” he said whilst walking towards the dead-locked, reinforced titanium door (the likes of which safeguarded all key rooms within their inner-circle’s compound): “Melissa is waiting to be tucked in…”
~*~
After a round or two of some racing game or another, Shouta switched off the video-game console (the latest model of a popular brand, apparently) and ushered the boys (Izuku in a green, rabbit onesie and Hitoshi in a fuchsia kitten suit; he didn’t want to hate how adorable they looked in them) into his room with one of the picture-books from their old home…
Their old lives…
Which he proceeded to read to them in the low, soothing croon which never failed to send them off to sleep, their bodies curled into his sides under the blankets, his own form still wearing the maroon shirt and black, tailored pants he’d picked out earlier to play along as they snored and snuggled into him.
Like they were safe…
Like nothing was wrong…
Shit.
But… at least they could rest…
At least the true horror of their situation wasn’t a factor…
God…
He wasn’t quite sure what he’d do if the pair of them were terrified, weeping and begging to go home…
‘Small, small mercies’ he thought with a tired sigh, his eyes tracking to the wall clock (a generic, white framed thing; his favourite, Felix the Cat clock, however, was merrily tick-tocking away in the living-space) to see that it was only 22:00.
Of the longest fucking day of his mother fucking life…
Tch…
And who’d have thought that the love of his life dying could ever be topped in terms of sheer, bloody-awfulness…
Shit…
It was going to be hard but he couldn’t afford to dwell on this…
To dwell on anything…
Tomorrow, after all, would be a new day and, with no hope of a rescue or anyway to make contact with his friends back home currently available?
He’d have to daub the crueller side of his Eraserhead persona…
The fierce, logical brute who shut off his emotions to get the job done, well, when he wasn’t with the boys at least and that?
That hopefully wouldn’t be for a few weeks, at least; All Smite wanted them to enjoy their summer and, although he’d do everything he could not to harm Melissa (who was a child, regardless of whatever altered DNA she might be harbouring), his boys were going to be the only thing he lived for right now.
And that?
That would keep him going.
It always had.
He just hoped that he could… he would be enough for them.
“If you’re listening?” he quipped to the room at large; “I’d prefer to have a… tour of this place whilst the boys and Melissa are playing” he said, his eyes casting about for the cameras he knew were observing him, his hands still gently combing through the sleepers’ hair.
“I want to see your country for what it really is without any cover for innocent eyes, understood?”
~*~
The next morning saw him waking up characteristically early; however, with the boys still sleeping (Hitoshi had somehow splayed himself over his chest whilst Izuku had star-fished next to him; heh, such good kids) and no need to get up to make breakfast?
Aizawa Shouta could only sigh and shift a menacing glare towards the clock.
05:47.
Great…
Wonderful; the children wouldn’t wake before 07:00 (which was a blessing, really; he’d never been great when it came to sleeping and resting (growing up in a care-centre had made such things nigh on impossible) so he wanted to do everything in his power to ensure that Hitoshi didn’t follow in his footsteps) which meant he was stuck here…
With his thoughts…
All of his regrets…
And time to plan; if his message had been received (and he had no reason to think otherwise) then he’d hopefully be given a no-holds-barred tour of I-Island which meant he’d have more to work with.
Information, after all, was key.
This was a chance that he couldn’t afford to waste.
A chance that could potentially lead to him finding a way to get them all out of here, especially since Kurogiri hadn’t bent to his will last night, but…
That could change, too.
He still had a lot of cards in his hand.
There were still multiple factors at play and, knowing what he did about villains?
Finding out key information shouldn’t be too difficult given his skill-sets (which seemed to be greatly overlooked; oh the joys of being underestimated) and, if he was lucky?
He could come across opportunities to showcase a few moves to make the people living here think twice about harassing him…
Or harassing his son…
Izuku, he should imagine, given who his father was (and God, how the hell had that happened? When had he and Inko ever crossed paths? How many more unsuspecting femmes had married (clearly not mated; only alphas and omegas could bind themselves in such a way) him and birthed children over the years, decades, hell! Centuries, maybe?) would be fine…
Hitoshi, though, was merely the son of a part-time Pro Hero and glorified baby-sitter.
He was small, young… vulnerable and, although his quirk was potentially powerful?
That was no guarantee for his child’s safety; he’d found it odd that Shigaraki hadn’t taken his boy’s power or his own, but, the threat of that still hung over him, over them both, didn’t it?
Great.
Wonderful, he…
“So, you are awake?”
Trying his best not to jerk, the snoozing boys thankfully not reacting to the spike of shock and horror that lanced him, Shouta shifted a wrathful glare to the foot of his bed where (heh; his suits wasn’t quite as perfect today: good) Kurogiri had manifested, those powdered-lemon eyes narrowed to seething-slits.
“Sleeping’s difficult, isn’t it?” he mused quietly, a smirk pulling his lips despite himself; “I’m not exactly an expert when it comes to what you are but, considering how disgruntled you sound? I take it that trying to get comfy in your test-tube or whatever wasn’t easy last night, was it?”
“You will cease and desist however you’re doing… this” the spectre huffed out haughtily; “I have duties to perform and I will not be slowed by you and your petty grievances… ah…”
Cocking an unimpressed brow at him, the part-time Pro shrugged a little; “you’ve not realised that you’re doing this to yourself for the most part, then?” he sighed through a yawn: “the more you get annoyed by me, the worse it’ll get” he mused, their eyes locking. “The body you’ve nested in loves me and it doesn’t want you to hate or dislike me” he reminded; “so? Have we got a deal? As it happens, there’s probably only so much I can do to make you feel better anyway, but wouldn’t it be nice to have some relief, hm?”
Oh…
He shouldn’t be so vindictively pleased by the way the other curled his fists…
Or thrill at the sight of that amorphous clump of shadows that swathed him darkened and flared…
“You ask for the impossible…”
“I only ask for a favour” he returned mildly; “from what I understand, your primary job is to safeguard Shigaraki’s mysterious successor, right?” he pushed, the other’s glower sharpening: “in the event of something terrible happening here? You’d get him safely to the mainland, wouldn’t you?”
“I…”
“You’d do everything you could to keep him safe” he continued (because, even though their exchange was reopening his own painful, psychological wounds, he could feel that he was striking at the right nerves); “and all I want is that for them” he said, his tone softening whilst he regarded the sleepers fondly.
“I… that’s… I-Isalnd cannot fall…”
“Melissa couldn’t be abducted, either” he shrugged, the other’s sharp intake of breath quipping his lips a little; “nothing’s infallible, Kurogiri-san” he murmured, his mind trying to push as much of the heartbreak he felt through the fractured, broken bond that was still trying to spark between them: “and there’s no such thing as being untouchable, either” he furthered. “Do you think that I ever thought I’d be here, like this, at any point?” he attempted to chuckle, the sound of it hollow; “I’m a nobody, my quirk is too limited and I’m not even a full-time faculty member of UA” he stated. “And hell, I should have given up the whole hero thing when our… when my son was born” he admitted, his flinch mirrored by the other as he let the guilt hit him full-force; “but I didn’t and now? Here we are, alone together and suffering” he grinned.
“And if not for Hitoshi? I could probably live with that” he told him because, actually?
It was true.
He’d given up caring for himself, about himself after the body stood so rigidly before him had been pulled clean of the rubble left in Garvey’s wake.
“I… look” the Nomu tried, his body vibrating; “we are not having this conversation” he said and, as he made to challenge him, the other waved at the corners of the room.
Wait?
“Have you…”
“The cameras are looping images of the three of you sleeping” he explained, the others words causing his brows to lift.
Now that was a skill he was certain his masters didn’t know about.
Hmm…
“You have your deal” he added, his tone heated; “and, to properly secure it? I want you and the children to endear yourselves to Shigaraki Tomura… and, just as you’ve asked that I look out for the boys? I want you to look out for him…”
Oh?
“Wait” he breathed, his tone incredulous; “isn’t he the golden child of your group?” he asked, his mind trying to connect the dots: “shouldn’t that mean…”
“Aizawa-san” the taller cut in, his words whispered quite harshly; “it is his status that puts him in the kind of danger you’re doubtlessly worried about concerning these boys… that? And he’s an omega… an omega with a purpose I’ve not been told about but it… the secrecy, especially since it’s also being kept from him? It doesn’t sit right with me” he huffed.
Blinking, he felt his eyes widen before they narrowed in keen understanding.
“I worry about why he has been chosen…”
I-Island was a scientific-hub…
The “Good Doctor” (a ridiculous alias but currently all they really had to go off) was infamous for the experimentation, creation and butchering of what most people in the world saw as the natural order of things.
He was All for One’s left-hand (with All Smite being the right) and, together?
They’d come up with the whole Nomu scheme.
And, knowing what he did about the mysterious alpha who sought world domination?
He’d want his heir to be perfect.
To embody everything he wanted.
To go beyond what was natural.
“And I… as his caretaker? I do not want to see him hurt, I…”
“Holy shit” he murmured, his voice softening when Izuku stirred a little; “heh… my mate would have felt the same, I’m sure” he sighed, his body deflating under the weight of this new information.
“Fine” he nodded slightly, the other slumping a touch in clear relief, the frayed-edges of their bond dulling; “just like you? I can’t commit to any definite actions, but” he continued, their eyes meeting once more.
“I don’t like the sound of what you’ve just said and I… I can feel your worry” he affirmed, his eyes screwing shut as a headache started to skuttle around the back of his head; “I’ll see what, if anything, I can do.”
“That… is appreciated, thank you” Kurogiri replied after a beat, his shadows softer in the dimmed-lighting of the room (that he hadn’t gotten up to shut off after the boys fell asleep); “the cameras will see me appearing here momentarily to ask you for your breakfast selection” he stated, his tone once again prim.
“I’ll also get you some aspirin for that headache, too…”
Notes:
Next stop?
The grand tour of I-Island~!
Chapter 10: A Grand Tour… Part 1
Summary:
Warnings include: references to sexual assault/rape-culture/sexism/"old fashioned" views of non-alpha people, swearing, angst, being trapped in a dangerous place with dangerous people, feels and cliff-hanger~!!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Somehow managing to mask his apprehension as the boys (adorned in cat-themed shorts and t-shirts with matching backpacks) merrily skipped out of the apartment’s door with Melissa and All for One (who’d quietly and platonically expressed that he hoped he would enjoy his tour, the smug prick) to do some gardening in the hydroponics bays…
“See you soon, Papa~!”
“We’ll bring lunch back with us, Shou-nii~!”
… the part-time Pro had showered and changed into a pair of athletic-styled, black sweatpants, matching ebony trainers (some expensive, American brand or another) and an azure, cap-sleeved t-shirt; he’d shoved his hair up into a high ponytail and wrapped bandages around his knuckles, too.
Just in case.
Shit.
This wasn’t his hero gear, sure, but?
He still had his quirk.
He still had his skillset.
He still had Shigaraki’s blessing to protect himself and so, the doorbell chiming?
He walked out of his walk-in-wardrobe (which was ridiculously excessive) and strode towards the door, his mind hoping (oddly; this… this whole situation was hard to swallow but he needed as many allies as possible, didn’t he?) to see Kurogiri’s amorphous form; however…
“Hey~! So you’re Eraserhead, huh? That’s a pretty stupid name, don’t you think?!”
… the person (unless it was one of his clones) who greeted him was the masked beta known at Twice; he was a serial fraudster with a penchant for conning people, stealing identities, madness and instability, plus?
He was one of All Smite’s chief lieutenants, someone who, despite his mostly unpredictable and almost comedic nature, was a true and utter fanatic to their ‘people should live how they want’ cause.
Wonderful.
“A friend of mine chose that alias for me” he shrugged nonchalantly as he regarded the tall, mostly black-suited figure with a deadpanned boredom his students had come to flinch at; “but we’re not here to talk, are we?” he furthered before brushing purposefully past him, the door to his new home closing in his wake.
“Ooo-hoo-ooo~! So you are feisty, neh?! I already love that about you, omega-chan~!”
Purposefully ignoring the other’s ranting (he had no real reason to pay him any mind, especially since the bastard was already measuring him and protesting against such things would be an illogical waste of time; he was their prisoner and worse fates than his current arrangements were just around the corner if he didn’t behave), Shouta looked around.
Sadly? All that greeted him was a featureless, steel covered corridor.
No windows.
No other doors.
A dead end to his left but another corridor branching away to his right.
Of course.
He’d not been expecting anything different; hell, he and the boys were probably deep in the heart of I-Island, all escape routes doubtlessly long and virtually impossible to traverse.
But still, he couldn’t afford to think in such negative terms.
Not yet.
He wasn’t known for giving in and he’d beaten tough odds before now, hadn’t he?
“Okay then~! Right this way, your feistiness~! Don’t go tryin’ to be cute and heroic, now~!” his guide offered after a dramatic bow and a giggle.
Tch.
This was going to be a long day, wasn’t it?
~*~
“Over there is the Scientific Research Centre… you do not want to end up in there, let me tell you~!”
I-Island was everything he’d feared it would be…
“Oh~! And that building there is a warehouse hosting various workshops and quirk-augmenting equipment… the Doctor loves your fancy scarf-thing, by the way~!”
… for, after they’d made their way out of a veritable labyrinth of identical, featureless, metallic corridors?
“Then there’s the training facilities which are super cool~! There’re shooting ranges, hard-light battle simulators and you can pre-program some of the virtual-reality suites to feature any Pro you really wanna smack down on, you know~!?”
… the country itself (from where they were stood on the seventh floor of what he assumed to be a residential block) was vast and, as they stood upon a wide balcony, his guide pointing out various points of interest?
Shouta couldn’t quite believe his eyes…
“That’s our hospital… umm… the mall is there and the water-based training facilities are to the right of it, see? But you don’t wanna go swimming in there unless you like Great White sharks~!”
… this invisible, untraceable floating fortress was probably the size of a small city; the sky was some kind of dome that projected a sky across its inner surface, there were trees and planted beds interspersed between various buildings or peppering courtyards and villains of all sizes, shapes and descriptions prowled, walked or flew about…
“So this is a quirk-enabled society, huh?” he asked, his arms folded across his chest; “it’s a good job your boss creates all the water, electricity and fuel you need, isn’t it?*” he mused, his right brow quirking when the villain baulked at him.
“E-eh?! W-where… how… you’re not supposed to know that~!” he sputtered inelegantly, an index finger jabbing dangerously close to his face.
Not that he reacted it to.
People like Twice, who were ruled by emotions above all else, were relatively easy for him to read most of the time.
“What else do you know, ah!? No one likes a know-it-all, you know~!”
Humming, his shoulders lifting and falling in a shrug, he kept his face ruthlessly neutral; “I didn’t know until you confirmed it, just now” he offered, the other flailing his limbs in a mixture or distress and annoyance. “The PHSC has theorised about how this place can run, how all of these people can be supported, and knowing that your leader is a quirk stock-piler, well?” he mused. “It was the only logical conclusion; most of the people who’ve pledged their allegiance to him are from disadvantaged backgrounds due to our society’s failures to help and support them which means, aside from your American genius and a few others? You can’t be relying on the populace to maintain such a place” he reasoned.
“Tch! What are you, huh? Some kind of detective?! It’s a good job other Pro Heroes haven’t got your smarts~!”
Somehow restraining his sigh, Shouta continued his observation from this relatively high vantage point; unlike other cities, there were no temples or plants and streams that were purely for aesthetics.
No.
It was all clean-lines, uncluttered streets and buildings purpose-built to sustain, train and bolster an army.
Shit.
Everyone in the Pro Hero community was aware, of course, that any full-scale invasions of countries was something All for One and his inner-circle were working towards, but hell…
Seeing this place was like a punch to his gut.
“Well? Shall we head on down? Lots of people are gonna be super excited to see you~!”
Grunting in the affirmative, the UA tutor rolled his shoulders to loosen himself up a bit whilst following the man (who seemed to be carrying on a conversation completely with himself) to an elevator, his eyes watching as the other placed his hand upon the biometric key-pad to call the carriage up to them.
He had a sneaking suspicion that all methods of transport would feature similar safety measures.
Wonderful.
“Next stop?! The food-hall~! Cus you’re such a snack~!”
~*~
Walking on the (oddly immaculate; he’d not spotted a single pothole or crack) clean, paved streets, Shouta was keeping tabs on where they were, who they passed and any points of interest he could access or run to in a pinch…
“So, what d’you think? It’s real impressive, right?!”
… whilst they approached a large, one-storey building that was flagged up as a cafeteria in languages other than Japanese, too; the pair of them were being given a wide berth by whomever had been on the same streets as them as well, many of them alphas who were quick to look him up and down before moving onwards…
“It’s a city” he responded flatly; “there’re just fewer people out and more courier-robots, that’s all” he replied, his tone the height of boredom whilst the man (probably closer to a boy, really; he couldn’t be older than eighteen) beside him deflated dramatically.
“You’re no fun… and your attitude stinks” he pouted through a childish huff, his left arm wildly waving at the neat, bricked buildings, street-lights and gleaming trashcans; “this is a utopia compared with the rest of the world… you could eat your food off of this floor~!” he exclaimed before gesturing that they cross the road.
A road just as empty and immaculate as everywhere else.
“What do people actually do around here?” he heard himself ask, his gaze momentarily following three people flying overhead. “For a place that says you can live how you choose? There doesn’t seem to be much… living going on” he critiqued, his ears picking up on boisterous conversations accompanied by the banging and clanging of dishes and plates.
Hooray…
“W-well~! That’s because everyone’s busy, obviously~! Yeah~! Just because we can use our quirks for everything doesn’t mean that we’re a bunch of slackers or anything~!” the young beta tried to defend, his grumpy demeanour souring further in a way that he, as a teaching assistant, blinked at.
“Wait” he said, both of them stopping just shy of the cafeteria the size of a bus-station; “you… you’re disappointed that I’m not in awe of this place, aren’t you?” he pushed incredulously, the others flustered baulking all the answer he needed.
“W-what?! N-no! I couldn’t give a damn if you liked something we’ve all worked so hard to build~! It’s not as though I think you’re cool, or anything~!”
Letting out a sigh (because this? None of this made a lick of sense; shit… he should have asked Kurogiri to slip him two more painkillers for the road, shouldn’t he?), he looked to the other’s whited out-eyes, a modicum of… sympathy momentarily reaching him.
Shit.
This man (kid; not much older than the third year UA students he did intervention lessons with) was probably going to get into strife if he didn’t play along and, although this villain was wanted for all kinds of fraud and grievous-bodily harm?
His mental-health issues weren’t being treated; hell, if anything?
His mania and instability was being celebrated here.
Fuck.
Not that he was surprised to meet other people in this place who needed saving (he had been keeping an eye-out for anyone matching Shigaraki Tomura’s description even though it was probably too soon for him to find or meet him) but hell.
He needed to stay focused.
He needed to find allies without tipping the rulers of this place off, so why…
Why was he allowing empathy to taint him now; he needed to be ruthless, blank…
Careful.
“Alright” he breathed; “look… you’re doing a good job as a guide, okay?” he told the other who blinked at him (which was… odd considering none of his actual face was visible): “so… let’s see this food-hall you’re so proud of” he offered, the other’s whole posture straightening at his words.
“Heh~! You got it, Eraserhead~! I still think that’s a stupid name, though~!”
~*~
“Damn!! Now there’s a fine piece of omega ass!!”
Walking through the cafeteria (that reminded him of food-courts you’d seen in malls around the world), Shouta deftly tuned out the cat-calls, lewd looks and wolf-whistles (he’d been beyond annoyed to find no scent blockers in his bathroom; his heat-control pills, however, were still there) and instead chose to look for things he could use.
“Woo~! Twice-kun~! You’re gonna introduce us, right?!”
The cutlery he could see was, sadly, bamboo; the knives and forks were thin and blunt whilst the chopsticks seemed brittle and thinned-out the longer they were (he’d never seen so many shapes and sizes of such things but, then again, these men (he thought he spied a woman or two in their number) mostly sported mutation quirks) which, wasn’t helpful at all.
“Hey there cutie-pie~! Why don’t you come and sit right here on my lap, neh?! There’s plenty of room for you to get comfortable warming my dick~!”
The tables, too, seemed oddly fragile; he was sure that food-fights would have led to brawls here, from time to time, especially since the majority of people he could see were bulky, knot-headed alphas who seemed to be sharing one, primitive braincell amongst them.
“Baby-baby-baby~! Stop walking and join us~! You’re gonna need your energy if you’re gonna join the pleasure-district, right~?!”
There were, however, a wide scattering of windows, fire-exits and large vats all bubbling away with various stews, soups and broths (that were being dished-out by pale, wary-eyed men and women; tch… he wouldn’t have put it past them being her under some kind of duress) relatively close to the path he and his guide were walking down.
In a pinch, he could probably leap over the serving counters and to snag knives or maybe even kick one of the bigger cauldrons over; either way, getting regular access to this place could be something to angle for, couldn’t it?
“Oi!”
Allowing his sneakered feet to stop (Twice seemed even more tense now; it looked as though him yelling at his comrades to settle down and be nice had fallen on deaf ears), Shouta regarded the tall, hulking blond alpha who was only a foot or so away from him with a bored, pitying expression.
“Now-now, princess” the brute (somewhere close to All Smite’s stature in terms of build but not quite reaching the #1 villain’s seven-foot height) grinned, his expression feral whilst muscles and tendons started to snake out of his skin to wrap around his arms and torso like some kind of pinked, brawny armour. “You’re not being very friendly” he furthered, the smirk he wore broadening to show too many white, pearly teeth; “s’been a while since any fresh-meat walked through here, let alone looking as fine and aloof as you” he snickered.
“You’re one of ‘em new omegas, aren’t ya, huh? All huffy and self-entitled, walking around like you aren’t desperate to get bent over the nearest surface and fucked until you can’t walk” he cooed, the rest of the men grouped in their tables laughing, chuckling and shouting their approval of his words.
Because of course they were.
“Just so that we’re clear” he said, his tone demure whilst the other (who, again, was younger than him by a few years, he was probably eighteen or nineteen and obviously eager to… assert his dominance before this crowd of older, hardened criminals); “you’re threatening me with sexual assault, yes?”
Watching as the other blinked, a hush momentarily falling across the large space (that was only 40% full based on the amount of free tables and chairs he could see), the part-time Pro titled his head at him condescendingly; “because you’re one of those old school alphas who doesn’t believe in consent, right? It’s your right to take what you want, when you want it, isn’t it?” he mused. “Because you don’t have anything else to offer, because you can’t ask or be considerate or provide for a mate in any other way, can you?” he stated before taking a step towards him.
“So, come on then, alpha” he offered whilst getting into the other’s personal space, his demeanour calm, his pheromones no doubt soothing; “here I am… why don’t you rip my clothes off? Show me how big and strong you are compared to my pathetic, little body? Rape me and tell me I asked for it” he instructed.
“W-what?”
“You want to give your buddies a show, don’t you? Hell” he shrugged, his right arm gesturing at the baulking fools regarding him with wide, shocked eyes; “why don’t you guys start forming a queue?” he asked and then, with a speed he was sure none of them had been suspecting?
“Oooooffffff~!!”
He activated his quirk, slammed his left knee (with calm, rational proficiency) straight into the bewildered male’s crotch and, as he fell disbelievingly towards him with a squeal of agony?
“Wwwwaaaahhhhhhhh~!!”
He jumped back and delivered a particularly brutal (he had a lot of pent up… aggression to release, after all) roundhouse-kick into the bastard’s temple when that melon-head (completely devoid of his quirk-based muscle shield) lowered enough to come into range.
“H-holy shit! Holy SHIT!!”
The cracking sound he heard shouldn’t have been so satisfying and, as the other’s unconscious form skidded a little across the dull, linoleum floor?
“Anyone else want a piece of me?”
He rolled out the few kinks in his ankle, shoulders and hips whilst casting his bright, bloody gaze around them, the gasps of shock and horror rippling across them as their various powers stalled and stopped, many of their mutated parts flopping, flailing and becoming otherwise useless sweet music to his ears.
“Well?”
“N-no man…”
“S’all good…”
Nodding, his eyes blinking back to normal, he scowled at them once more; “then sit back down and eat your food” he ordered hotly before continuing down the walkway he and Twice (who now seemed to be caught between praising him and taunting the blond who was twitching on the floor, a pool of drool collecting at his mouth) had been following.
Shit.
He knew that that whole exchange could have gone the other way, of course, but?
If he was going to be stuck here for a while, it was better to have a reputation.
It was better to show that he wasn’t afraid.
“You are nuts Eraserhead~! And I really like that about you~!” the body-suit wearing beta next to him praised as they finally exited through the other side of the food-hall amidst a skittering or whispers, mutters and murmurs.
“Call me what you like” he huffed, his arms once again folding over his chest as they walked down another copy-paste street, the buildings around them lacking stores, cafes and other things that you’d expect to see in a city; “who’s in charge of security or, hell, medical-responses here?” he asked, his gaze briefly shifting back the way they’d come.
No one, it seemed, was moving to help the punk he’d floored.
“Security is All Smite-sama’s domain… he took it over when the former dickwad in charge let cute, lil Melly-chan get snatched” his guide dutifully replied as they approached a small, seemingly decorative square that featured neatly cropped trees, a few water-fountains and four raised beds full of growing vegetables. “The medics are only called out for really bad situations, though~! This is a place for the strong, so it’s expected that all regular citizens can get to the hospital by themselves cus if you can’t look out for yourself then you really shouldn’t be here~!”
Frowning at those words (not out of surprise, just more disappointment; strength, he’d always believed, wasn’t just about physicality: however, logically? Such a rule was probably a way of keeping these lawless criminals in check, the consequences of a slow, painful death no doubt a deterrent when it came to squabbling), the omega rolled his eyes.
“That’s…”
“N-no! No please! D-don’t take me to… to the labs!! Please!! D-don’t—!!”
Blinking, Shouta snapped his head back towards the cafeteria where, to his horror and surprise, the stupid alpha he’d laid out flat was being dragged out of the building and away by some truly hideous looking Nomu.
Oh shit…
Oh no…
Sure, he didn’t like the prick but the fear he heard…
“Hey!”
… it had him moving before he realised what he was doing…
“O-oi! E-Eraserhead! Hold on a sec! Are you tryin’ to get yourself eaten?!”
… his form skidding in front of the oozing, rancid creatures with his teeth-grit; “put him down” he snapped: “he…”
“Ho?” he heard from above them, his hackles raising further when All Smite himself dropped down from some kind of ultra-quiet, jetski-looking hover-craft (that was being piloted by the former CEO of Shield Industries from what he could remember of the American’s face in the mandatory villain-update meetings he attended every month), his body daubed in his traditionally dark, spike-shouldered regalia. “But he insulted you, Shouta-kun” the masked blond reminded from behind the strange, horny-helmet, his voice menacingly warped whilst gloved hands made a show of cracking knuckles before the sputtering, muscular villain he’d knocked out.
Shit!
“And, since you’re someone under my direct employ? I cannot allow that kind of… disrespect to go unpunished…”
Notes:
*Manga Spoiler~! Ignore if you don’t want to know~!
So, according to All for One? His end-game is to wreck society so that everyone is dependent on him/his quirks for survival, essentially making him a God on Earth in Japan with 100% control of the population…
Yeah…
Good for him, I guess~! ^_^;;
Chapter 11: A Grand Tour… Part 2
Summary:
Warnings include: angst, swearing, threats, intimidation, grief, worry, shock, innuendo and cliff-hanger ending~!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’
He wasn’t sure which twisted deity (not that he believed in such things) had decided to fuck his life over in a myriad of new, twisted and illogical ways but, as he stood upon this immaculate street, the sound of a fountain spluttering in the small, empty park he’d nearly entered with Twice, Aizawa Shouta was finding his last-nerve very much frayed.
“Yes, yes you can” he deadpanned, his eyes narrowed on the towering alpha in his (quite frankly ridiculous) uniform; “this is your house, your rules” he reminded. “And I’m not offended… hell, if every alpha-bastard who made inappropriate comments and gestures towards omegas and femmes was dealt with in the way you’re implying there’d be very few of you left” he huffed. “And besides, I’ve dealt with him, myself… you’ve employed me to protect Melissa, right? Well? Consider what I’ve just done as doing my job by showing that I can handle myself” he stated, his hands waving at the bulky-moron (visibly trembling; shit) still very securely held by the Nomu.
“If you kill him then not only doesn’t he learn a lesson but you’re undermining someone who’s meant to be strong enough to keep our children safe, right?” he pushed, the older man folding those colossal arms across his broad chest and, although he couldn’t see that other’s face?
He had a feeling the bastard was smirking at him.
The prick.
“Alright then, Mr Bodyguard, if you’re sure” he crooned out, a snap of fingers causing the Nomu to grunt and drop the shuddering alpha-brat to the dirt-free floor whilst Twice visibly deflated next to him.
Tch.
How…
Why would people choose to live here?
In fear of this bastard and the ruling-class?
Sure, there were things to be frightened off back on the mainland but, by in large?
The Police Force did a good job.
Education and career opportunities (though not all equal or well paying, he supposed) were available to everyone.
You had choices you could make without the worry of imminent death or whatever awaited you in the labs.
Fuck, he hoped he never found out what went on in there.
He’d never allow the boys to know, either.
“Now then, *Imasuji-kun, what do you say?” All Smite virtually purred whilst the undead things scampered back off to wherever it was they’d come from.
“I… I’m sorry-y and t-thank you… thank you s-sirs” the man (boy, really; he was somewhere between seventeen and eighteen; just like the third-year students he tutored… used to tutor, fuck!) stuttered out whilst bowing at the both of them from his position on the floor.
Fuck.
“Good… now run along and get on with your work” the sun-kissed (not that you could tell underneath his western-styled costume) dismissed with a wave of his hand; “and remember that there are no second chances~!”
“Y-yes sir, thank you sir!” the youth sputtered before getting up, at speed, and high-tailed it not to the cafeteria but further beyond it, a small group of other (no doubt low-ranking) criminals swift to follow him to wherever their jobs awaited.
God… I-Island was looking more like some demented Neverland filled with lost boys than anything else and he’d be damned if he was stuck in the role of Wendy for too long.
Not that he had much of a choice.
Not right now.
“You seem… upset, Shouta-kun…”
“Pissed off is what I am, thank you” he countered hotly, his eyes narrowing on the goggles which shielded those of the other man; “that alpha was just a kid…”
“He’s man enough to live here and behave in a way that suggests he’s ready to take a mate, isn’t he?” the broader crooned, those massive shoulders rolling; “you’re not dealing with children here, Shouta… they know what the rules are, they know what’s expected of them” he reminded blithely. “They all signed up to live under our conditions, unlike in the mainland where they have to follow the rules made foolish old men who think they know better, who are allegedly elected into power fairly” he snorted.
“You should not waste that bleeding heart of yours on any of them” he said before removing his helmet and throwing it to Twice; “I’ll show him what’s left to see, Jin… so why don’t you go on ahead and see how Tomura-sama is getting on?”
“Oh… ugh, sure thing, boss~! Bye Eraserhead~! Be good, now~!”
Wonderful…
“Heh… isn’t walking me around a little below your pay-grade?” he quipped as the black-silver suited teen skipped off with a wave, his white boots all but soundless upon the flat-paved roads whilst he tried his best not to let the alpha watching him with those (really fucking intense) neon-blue eyes know just how uncomfortable he was.
And hell, considering how massive this place was?
He felt quite alone with him; hell…
Shield David had flown off into sky somewhere, anyone who might have been looking at through any windows were similarly long gone and now, here he was.
Standing a metre or so away from his abductor.
Shit…
“Nonsense… I was going to give you the tour myself, only there were some… other things I needed to attend to first” he grinned, his towering form offering a grand, sweeping bow the way he’d been originally going before those undead freaks had nearly carried a stupid kid who clearly didn’t know better off to a fate probably worse than death.
“So… shall we?”
“Fine… sure” he breathed, his shoulders slouching a touch as he made to follow in the other’s currently quirk-active, seven-foot-tall wake.
‘It’s not as though I’ve got a choice, is it?’
~*~
Wandering through the clean, pleasant streets whilst freshly-purified air filled his nose and lungs, Yagi Toshinori couldn’t help the tinge of excitement that quivered up and down his spine as he also picked up on the younger man’s omega scent.
It…
It’d been a long time since someone so (independent, fierce, innately-caring and beautiful despite his scowling) enticing had walked alongside him and hell.
The fact that Aizawa Shouta wasn’t falling at his feet (in fear or adulation; he’d been used to both in recent years, the latter always preferable, especially from femmes and omegas for, although he was many things, a rapist wasn’t one of them… an alpha like him didn’t need to be) did add to his intrigue, though.
Not that a man as fine as him needed anything else to add to his allure, of course.
“Back in the cafeteria, many of your… followers talked about a pleasure-district…”
Blinking out of his musings (they’d been in silence for most of their jaunt aside from him pointing out buildings and areas of interest), All for One’s most trusted disciple cocked his right brow at the other.
“… on a scale of one to ten? How badly do I not want to know?”
Chuckling, his right hand indicating an area further east, one of the most feared men in the world couldn’t help his mirth; “I can promise you that it’s not as… sinister as you’re imaging” he said, the pair of them wandering down one of his favourite streets which featured the various gyms, massage parlours and onsen he liked to enjoy in his limited downtime.
“So… it’s not an area filled with people who pander to the needs of your alpha army, then?”
“Army?” he laughed, his eyes rolling even as he waved at the various attendants who’d usually be welcoming him in for a rub-down and a bath; “you’ve seen the people here, Shouta… do they seem like trained soldiers to you?”
“Sure, they’re not wearing uniforms” the other countered, those creamy-skinned arms still so defensively crossed over his muscular chest; “but you’re not seriously telling me that you’re not amassing forces here for whatever reason” he mused.
Heh.
Clever, clever hero-san.
“You’re not… entirely wrong” he admitted, their legs stepping in sync down the paved-street amidst some of David’s electronic bees and butterflies (because crops still needed pollenating and their need for heightened security meant that they could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak) fluttering past. “But not everyone here is a fighter… some merely want a chance of living that they can’t get in your so-called civilised society” he explained. “You think us cruel… barbaric” he mused; “but there’s a lot to be said for living in a place where you’re free to be who you are, as your biology dictates you to be without fear of reprisals, prejudice and hate” he said, his head nodding at a few more obviously mutated-men making their way to one of the power-plants.
“Everyone here is judged by only three criteria; are you loyal, can you follow the rules and can you do your job?” he stated firmly; “we ask for nothing more…”
“And the femmes, omegas and whoever else is in your pleasure district?” the younger man countered, his tone peppered with an annoyance he could understand.
Who wouldn’t feel vulnerable in his situation?
Who wouldn’t be concerned, especially at this early stage of his new life amongst them?
“All there by choice, I assure you” he replied, any mirth that’d previously coloured his words long gone; “there are many omegas, femmes, betas and alphas who enjoy the more… carnal side of life” he reminded: “here? They know that there are no STIs, ample contraceptives and Nomu guards who’ll assure their safety” he said.
“Plus? Anyone who wishes to leave, can… anyone who wishes to mate can” he furthered as the other huffed; “in fact? We have more people coming to us so as to live there than we do anywhere else… it’s not perfect, of course, however? The people who live in that district want for nothing” he told him, firmly. “And, although I’d hope that more of them would want to mate and raise children here? That is not down to me or anyone else other than them” he shrugged; “sex crimes, to the people of I-Island, come with very… severe punishments” he advised, the omega blinking at him.
“Oh? You’re surprised? Did you think what nearly befell Imasuji was done just for your benefit?” he snickered, the other’s cheeks colouring adorably before he got a hold of himself.
Heh.
He supposed it was only natural.
He’d ensured that the other, though able to access suppressants ensuring he didn’t have a heat-cycle unless it was on his terms, was no longer on those God-awful scent-blockers.
Hmm.
He’d rarely come across an omega that’d only had one partner before, his scent mostly himself.
It was.
Tantilising~!
“Forgive me for not seeing all of this through your rose-tinted glasses” the shorter quipped, his tone deadpanned; “for all of the main-land’s faults, we at least have processes where people get a chance to defend their actions—”
“Oh yes, the justice-system” he grinned, his eyes rolling; “do remind me how innocent people walk free whilst the guilty don’t simply buy their way out of problems with legal-teams, bribery and status, won’t you?”
And, as he prepared a counter-argument for whatever the younger parent had to say, he couldn’t help his surprise when the other sighed.
“Touché” he admitted, though he could tell that it irked him.
Heh.
Perhaps helping the former Pro Hero to assimilate wouldn’t be so difficult, after all…
~*~
Forget Peter Pan, he was fucking trapped in Wonderland; it wasn’t the tame version his son and Izuku had watched thanks to Hizashi’s archaic taste in American movies, however, but the terrifying one from the book by that creepy, British guy from hundreds of years ago.
“So… since we’ve still got a fair distance to cover? Why don’t we talk of other things?”
‘Like how abducting people and holding their children to ransom is wrong?’ he heard his mind respond as they continued, so blithely, down some kind of high-street that was selling everything from tailor-made support gear to quirk enhancing stimulants; ‘or maybe you see this as some kind of meet-cute scenario? Fuck…’
“Such as?” he dared, his eyes narrowing at a group of mostly female criminals (many of whom he recognised from various missing briefs) as they skittered out of one of the many bars he’d seen in this area of I-Island; none of them seemed intoxicated (which made sense; doing crimes drunk wasn’t exactly smart and All for One prided himself of his intelligence) but they were loud…
“All Smite-sama~! Good morning~!”
“Hey-there handsome~! Why don’t you stop by our habitation block later huh~?!”
… and brazen.
Hmm.
“You can bring your snooty lil friend along too, if you like~!?”
“Ahahahahaaaa~! Thank you, my dears… we’ll think on it~!”
‘No we fucking won’t’ he thought, his headache mounting; shit…
What he wouldn’t give for Kurogiri to magic-himself here with more painkillers and a really convenient excuse for him to get the fuck out of there.
Tch.
“Hmm? You’re not one for socialising, are you, Shouta-kun?”
“Working two jobs and raising a child single-handed will do that to a person” he replied glibly, his shoulders shrugging as the hulking monster known only as Gigantomachia turned into the street they were travelling, his body at least twelve feet tall and stoic as he padded towards and past them with barely a nod.
His radio was blaring some kind of obnoxious tune he seemed to be humming to.
Fuck!
Trying to escape with kids from a man of that size would be nigh on impossible; even if he could get them out of this city and onto a boat of some kind?
The giant-man was an expert swimmer.
They’d be caught (potentially drowned) in seconds, wouldn’t they?
“And yet… you don’t regret keeping your child, do you?”
Huffing, his teeth gritting, the omega resisted the urge to snap at the alpha (because, on top of it being pointless? He seemed genuinely curious, almost as though he was asking another question, maybe something that a person like him, with his skewed morals (and possible, probably definite, brain-washing) would struggle with) and rolled his eyes.
“You’re right” he stated whilst they walked into another copy-pate row of shops and parks; “do I regret some things? Sure… having a baby so young came with all kinds of problems, problems that an orphan who won a UA lottery due to a useful quirk and a sob-story didn’t need to deal with, but?” he breathed, his eyes momentarily closing. “Hitoshi is… he’s the greatest thing I could ever achieve in this world… and the last piece of his father’s, given what Kurogiri is and isn’t” he mused, a shudder running through him. “He amazes me every day, and… although there’ve been times that I’ve thought he probably would have been better off… had a better life if he’d been adopted by a mated couple who knew what they were doing… who had a home with a garden and money, well?” he murmured.
“For better or worse? I chose to keep him… I’d hoped I could love him with everything I have in me, make him happy and keep him safe” he said, his arms tightening further; “but I’ve failed him, catastrophically, in that respect” he breathed, his head shaking: “and now I can never forgive myself for not…”
“You really are being much too hard on yourself, Shouta-kun” the older cut in, his tone oddly neutral.
Because of course it was.
The man probably wouldn’t know what guilt or empathy were if they smacked him across his stupid hair-style.
“You are safe here, you have my word” he furthered; “and your son will want for nothing… you can have whatever you want, all you need do is ask” he assured smoothly after briefly checking his phone, no doubt because he was only half listening to him in the first place.
Tch.
‘You don't care at all, you bastard' he thought, his angry gaze refocusing on the bugs flitting around some raised vegetable-beds lining the car-less, vehicle-less road they were traversing; ' and yeah, I can have anything I want… aside from getting to leave, right?’ his mind continued, his senses only half realising that the other had stopped walking, a pleased hum thrumming between them.
“And besides, if you’re feeling homesick? Then maybe those two can help you alleviate such feelings, perhaps?”
Blinking, his head snapped away from the strange, seemingly mechanical insect that’d perched on his bicep to see a familiar set of red-wings and ivory white hair.
Oh God…
“Oi~! Aizawa-sensei~! Welcome to I-Island~! You're going to help us do some more training this summer, right~?!”
Oh no…
“H-hey… stop tugging me along, you feather-headed moron! I can walk just fine and stop yelling! You're clearly freaking him out and totally blowing our reputations out of the water!”
Takami Keigo was here with Todoroki Touya?
The same Todoroki Touya who the #1 hero, his father no less, had said was doing his hero-work in the States?
What in the world were they doing here?
Had they betrayed Endeavour?
Betrayed everything they'd been taught (and in Takami's case still being taught; he was one of their best second-year students, he was on track for becoming #1 in his own right in a few years, wasn't he?) at UA?
But how?
“Why?” he breathed.
Notes:
*Muscular’s 'real' name is Imasuji Goto
Chapter 12: Truth vs. Perception
Summary:
Warnings include: ANGST, canon-typical shady shit from the HPSC, swearing. disbelief, Aizawa does NOT get paid enough for this shit, planning, scheming, childhood trauma, shock (yeah... have you noticed that THAT'S a recurring theme, here?), power-play, physical and emotional child abuse is referenced but NOT explicit and...
FFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLSSSSS~!!
Notes:
For the… double-posting debacle during the last update? I am sorry to:
Nathrezim
brithannie
Suneater10Because not only did I publish roughly the SAME CHAPTER TWICE but the comments you wrote there have gone, too~!
I've got them on email, though~!
Thanks for telling me what I'd done~!
*Smacks head into wall*
^_^;;
*Hugs*
Chapter Text
If… when he got out of this place? Aizawa Shouta was going to solemnly swear never to complain about anything in his small, mundane, overall pleasant life ever again.
“Boys? Why don’t you take your sensei to Gym 4J, hmm? It’s free right now and… private” the close to seven-foot-tall wall of muscle offered mildly, that (irritating) smile still in place; “I believe that you have much to discuss, yes?”
Allowing his shock to die away (which was… hard), the cold feeling of anger (betrayal) sliding in to take its place, the part-time Pro, part-time UA teaching-assistant couldn’t help his withering glare.
The fact that Keigo had the decency to look… sheepish was doing little to help, too, especially when the eighteen-year-old (or was Touya… Todoroki-kun nineteen now?) so artistically slouched next to him in casual-clothes (he’d never seen either of them without their UA uniforms or hero suits) was regarding him with an odd expression.
The same odd expression he’d spotted being levelled at him from time to time back in the few months he’d known and taught him; the newly minted Pro (or… was he?) was only a few years younger than him but the other had always carried himself as though he was older.
Hell, the more he thought about it (as the four of them stood here, on a deserted street overlooked by flawless windows and a clear, blue dome of a sky surrounded by mechanical insects) he’d only been assigned to help the cremation-quirk user’s class in the third half of their final year but?
Although training sessions had been intense and cram-school lessons long, he…
He’d never been able to read that young man.
Like so many of his 3A peers? He’d no doubt been (shocked, surprised, curious)… dubious about the infamous Eraserhead’s credentials as a teaching assistant, let alone a Pro because the tales of him being a mate-less Papa (not truly mated, let alone married before Oboro’s death) had done the rounds.
Not that the rumours had bothered him; having Hitoshi alongside his studies, the light of his life born not in a civilian hospital but under Recovery Girl’s careful, watchful eye was something he was proud of regardless of the third years having eaten up the scandal.
Unlike them (with their low-key sniggers and sneers probably echoing their parents’ snooty attitudes)? He saw the hard-path he’d followed as a source of strength.
Something that had given him the confidence to knock several of the more… snide and vocal kids of that class on their asses during one of the first training sessions he’d assisted them with.
Touya… Todoroki hadn’t been cruel or even snarky to him, at the time, even though those were two traits that defined the aspiring hero (from what he could remember) with a flame quirk so much stronger than his father’s.
A father who’d been oddly… absent from parent-teacher conferences, festival and tournaments due to his… busy schedule; tch…
“Maa, you wouldn’t mind us stealing him away for a bit, Yagi-sama~?!”
Blinking back to the present (his eyes pulling away from the impassive, turquoise gaze that’d been locked with his), a huff leaving his lips, he refocused his attention to the young omega (so calm, so casually charismatic and smiley even now; and wasn’t that worrying?) whose wings had puffed up despite himself.
He always did that when he was feeling… subconsciously self-conscious.
It was a tell he was still working on hiding.
Hmm.
“Not at all, my boys… all I ask is that you bring him to my apartment for lunch—”
“… no thanks…”
“—at oh, let’s say 13:30? Our children will no doubt have lots of fresh-salad leaves for us to enjoy and I wouldn’t want them to spoil” the #1 villain continued as though he’d not said anything (the prick), that ever-present smile not dimming; “so, I’ll be off, then…”
“You can’t just—”
“Ja ne~!” the other continued before, with a crackle of blue and an almost ungodly power?
“S-shit!”
The hulking-bastard bulked up and sprung into the sky, the flickers of One for All almost knocking him over and shoving Keigo’s crimson, fierce-wings back.
The white-haired alpha had also narrowed his eyes; shit…
Wait…
Did that mean he’d not liked the show (probably put on for his benefit) All Smite had put on?
Were these young men… these vulnerable boys (each with their own struggles and difficulties; Hawks in particular based on his student file: his home life, his childhood had been even worse than his own in many ways… that was one of the reasons they’d gravitated towards each other and why the sixteen-year-old regularly attended his catch-up sessions) double agents, here?
Had Endeavour sent them on such a (risky, dangerous, suicidal!) high-level mission?
No…
No, that couldn’t be right.
Could it?
~*~
Watching the omega carefully (a man who, quite unwittingly he was sure, had earned his admiration where hundreds of others hadn’t), Dabi released a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.
He’d… not expected to see Aizawa again.
He’d found himself, originally, blistering angry when he’d been told how he’d been brought here, too.
He was a good man.
A brilliant and dedicated parent.
And it’d been that thought which had shifted his ire… somewhat because him being here (though it was wrong in so many ways; at least he and Hitoshi (who he and his classmates had met and become very fond of; seeing their teaching assistant interact with the boy had made him realise a lot of harsh truths about his own family) as Melissa’s body-guard was…
“Umm… so? Ugh… this is totally awkward, huh?”
… an opportunity he could seize for his own brothers and sister, wasn’t it?
“Awkward is one way to put it” the teaching-assistant replied, his tone spiked with the usual, smoky sting of annoyance he and his partner (in more ways than one; they both knew, with his own tragic history, that the highly-skilled omega would understand their love and connection more than anyone) had come to recognise as trouble; “what in the world are you two doing here?”
Looking to Keigo (who was wilting under the scrutiny), the former Todoroki huffed out a sigh.
“We can’t talk here” he advised, his hand gesturing around at a few curious onlookers ambling past them; “we…”
“D’you know what?” the raven-haired man (only a few inches taller than them but he’d somehow developed a technique which allowed him to loom over anyone and everyone he wanted to dress down) partially growled. “Ever since I was abducted every person I’ve come into contact with here seems hellbent on telling me where I should go and what I should do” he grunted; “and I’ve just about had enough of it” he furthered bluntly, his arms crossing tightly across his chest: “but you’re not being held to such account, now, are you?”
“Sensei…”
“Don’t” the other bit out, his eyes screwing shut for a second; “let’s just… just get out of here” he grumbled: “being the new star attraction of this place isn’t doing wonders for my blood-pressure or my desire to strangle someone…”
~*~
Arriving at the gym (that looked more like an aircraft hangar from the outside and hell, for all he knew? There probably were planes or any number of high-tech vehicles lurking beneath the vast expanse of shiny, laminate flooring) that, just as All Smite had promised, was devoid of other people, Shouta felt himself deflate a little.
Which was stupid.
Dangerous.
He clearly didn’t know these boys.
Not like he thought he did and that?
That was just another blow to his psyche.
Shit.
He wasn’t sure how much more he could take, but still.
If there was any chance of helping them? Of saving them?
Then he’d try.
It was the least he could do as a teaching-assistant who’d clearly overlooked some sort of warning signs that one or both of them had to have been throwing out before they came here.
Whether that was the own choice or not.
“Okay, I’ll bite” he offered, his body slipping onto the padded bench to a weight set he wasn’t even going to attempt lifting (each of the circular weights set up were 500lb); “what the hell is going on?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as the winged boy perched on a vaulting-horse to his left whilst Todoroki Touya slouched against a large, weight A-frame.
“Um… well? It’s kind of a… long story” the sandy blond tried to grin, his tone still sheepish.
“Tch, does it look as though I have anywhere to be?” he countered bluntly, his dark eyes casting around the room for cameras he knew were watching them (he could feel other eyes on his skin, making him itch) and finding nothing (of course); “but okay, sure, let’s break it down a touch” he huffed: “are you double agents?”
“Not in the way that you’re implying, Aizawa-san” the ivory haired youth replied carefully, the flame-control collar he wore flashing and brighter blue (he was glad to see the other was using it even without his costume, now; he… he’d seen him in Recovery Girl’s infirmary one time too many with burnt flesh that was almost scarring) as he swallowed. “You… as a TA? How much information are you given about your students, exactly?”
“I’m not discussing that” he stated, his tone sharp; “that’s…”
“Not what he meant, either” Takami offered, his original nervousness dying whilst his wings drooped; “but what you’ve just said, in itself, is all the answer I need… you’re always so… fiery when you’re protecting kids, aren’t you so I… I don’t believe that you could know about him… about me and where we come from” he breathed.
Wait…
What?
“Or under the circumstances that we came to know each other” he added with a light shrug in this space that was too bright, too… clean and spotless to be an actual gym that hulking great villains used on the regular.
And God…
Fuck!
How he wished people would stop talking in riddles all around him!
“I… I’m not going to like this, am I?” he sighed.
“No, sensei” the cremation quirk user replied, his own shoulders deflating; “no… you’re not.”
~*~
He’d never liked feeling… conflicted; he was easy-going, by nature, always had been.
Inui-sensei (a counsellor who he’d actually liked talking to), during one of their sessions, had suggested that it was a coping mechanism to help him navigate his childhood trauma.
Heh.
The gruffly-spoken hound-quirked man didn’t even know the half of it, either.
“Let me preface this by saying” he began after a nod from his alpha (because he was; they hadn’t done anything too physical, they wouldn’t until they had all of their ducks in a row but… Dabi was his future: of that, he was certain); “that, although you have no reason to trust us? Everything I’m about to tell you is true” he breathed.
Watching the dark-haired man (a veritable rockstar, to his mind; who the hell climbs out of the foster-system to become a hero, a real one, with a babe in arms after losing his alpha in a drug-fuelled nightmare of a villain encounter) nod slightly, he suddenly felt…
“Noted.”
Better than he had when he first saw him.
Just like his partner? He’d not been thrilled when they’d been briefed about how and why the older man had come to be here in what, to them at least, was a haven.
“Okay… so” he began, his wings laying flatly across his back.
Keeping him grounded.
Almost hugging him.
“My UA file is, ugh… sketchy, at best” he admitted; “I was sponsored, you see, to enter that school” he told the other omega: “I was sponsored by the same people who’ve been… who had been supposedly looking out for me since I saved a group of people who could have died in a car crash” he said, his eyes closing briefly.
“You know them as the HPSC but me and him? We knew… we know them as a bunch of gutless, emotionless, cruel bastards who scoop up kids with decent quirks to train for their own, nefarious purposes” he breathed, his hands squeezing into fists as his wings puffed up. “We… we were like dogs to them” he added, his teeth gritting; “I thought… I hoped that what I was being asked to do was right… I believed in the cause… I knew that being a hero wouldn’t be easy, but…” he chuffed.
“After the first few months? I… I think I was nine or ten, at the time, I… I started to see cracks… fractures in what they were saying… what they were teaching me and others… others like him… that… that’s where we met” he explained, his head lifting to look at Dabi.
Formerly Todoroki Touya.
The first failed prodigy of Endeavour.
Endeavour, who he’d once looked up to…
Endeavour, who he’d believed was a man working diligently and honestly to become #1…
Endeavour, who he’d come to learn wasn’t the ideal alpha pursuing heroics for the sake of others and the greater good…
Endeavour, who he now knew treated his wife as a broodmare, his children like test-subjects, the desire to establish a legacy that would echo throughout the ages his only concern, he…
If he’d never met Dabi?
If the man he loved, only four years his senior, hadn’t been booted (literally; he could still remember, in vivid, horrifying detail, the day the then fourteen-year-old had joined him and his fellows in the Future Pro Initiative) into his life, then…
He’d probably be as oblivious as everyone else.
“We were meant for a higher purpose, you see” he tried to laugh, his head shaking whilst his eyes rolled; “good little soldiers trained to do the dirty jobs… jobs that the public didn’t need to know about… jobs that included assassinating people and groups that the Government had deemed dangerous” he grunted, his eyes sharpening angrily.
“We… we were kids, we are kids” he reasoned, his tone hot; “we… we didn’t know any better… we thought what we were being told to do… what we were being trained to do was right!” he snapped, his wings spreading: “but it was wrong, sensei… so very, very wrong…”
~*~
At this point in time?
“Our days began at five a.m. and finished at ten p.m.”
Aizawa Shouta was beginning to realise that his dilemma was actually nothing compared to some peoples’ experiences…
“There were beatings, of course… how else are you going to get teens and pre-teens to do what you want, right?”
And they were experiences; hell… he could practically see the shadows of trauma dancing around Takami Keigo’s face as he continued to talk…
“Rationed food… heh, unless you were good… ano… target-practice, espionage lessons, socialisation classes so that you could be popular and fit-in, the works~!”
How…
How had Nedzu missed this?
Was…
“We went out into the field and were told to befriend kids in parks.”
Was he in on this madness?
He’d been tested on, he’d been mistreated so no…
“We went on faux shopping trips, played games and spied on each other for extra benefits like bigger pillows, softer blankets and free time outside for an hour.”
No…
He wouldn’t be the pawn of the HPSC, surely…
Not like this…
“And, before Touya arrived? Before he told me that heroes shouldn’t be thrown into dark rooms for days at a time for breaking a rule or starved because they didn’t score 90% on a test I… I didn’t know any better, I mean… my parents, they… they didn’t care about me… I was a nuisance… in the way…”
Never like this…
“My father hated me so I… I liked being at the barracks… I liked being noticed, being praised for being special, you know?”
Shit…
Fuck…
How was this happening?
“We… we kind of fell in together, sensei… both of us had been brought into that initiative because of our potential when the other kids they… they’d been sold into it; we… didn’t get to work with them much… Endeavour thought that we could make a good team despite my father being a thief.”
How did no one know about all of this?
Or, rather… why were they doing it in this first place? Japan (like most places in the world) was saturated with heroes who just went through the normal channels…
Didn’t they?
“I… I don’t think I would have survived without him and I… we think you, umm… you could maybe understand that kind of bond… you know… seeing as how you and Hitoshi are…” the other trailed off lamely, a small smile trying to pluck his lips.
“So… umm? Will you hear us out… help us out, Aizawa-sensei?”
Chapter 13: Trapped between a rock…
Summary:
Warnings include: swearing, ANGST, uncomfortable situations, realisations, propositioning, worry, anxiety, Aizawa is SO done, anger, upset, ultimatums, reliving past traumas and...
FFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLSSS~!!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
And just what, exactly, was he supposed to say?
‘No, of course I’m not helping; the two of you being recruited, traumatised and abused by the people who oversee Pro Heroes in our country means nothing to me’?
Or would ‘yes, sure I’ll help you; hell, I wasn’t that invested in being a hero or living in Japan, anyway’ be better?
Tch!
“Boys” he said (in the tone his classes affectionately called the tired-Papa-voice), his hands rubbing over his eyes; “I… I don’t even know where to start with this… with all of this” he tried before appraising them through parted fingers. “And I feel for you… I believe what you’re telling me—”
“But?” the Todoroki boy cut in, his defensive form becoming even more rigid.
“But” he sighed, his head shaking; “to side with All for One? To join his cause? You know how powerful he is, what he’s capable of, what he’ll do in order to get his own way” he reasoned through a huff: “he and All Smite are mass murderers and—”
“Yeah, well, the HPSC and every Government across the world are, too” the cremation quirk user snapped; “at least the League of Villains is open and honest about their agendas, at least they don’t want people to be… sheep just blindly doing what the ruling classes and people like my bastard, misogynist of a father tell them to!”
Running his hands over his hair (a nervous, anxious habit he’d developed in childhood and hadn’t been able to shake), Shouta regarded the turquoise eyed alpha carefully.
“I know that you’re hurting” he placated gently, his hands now raised in surrender; “and I clearly don’t have all of the details, either” he admitted: “and… since everyone around here seems to be such a fan of the truth? That’s what I’m giving you” he offered, the younger people sagging a little in relief.
“Arguably? I could have played along with you just now, I could have made you all kinds of insincere promises… but I won’t” he furthered whilst the white-haired youth nodded at him, his actual and figurative fiery anger dampening; “you’ve asked me to hear you out and to help you and I… I want to, truly” he sighed.
“I just don’t know what good I can do here” he tried to laugh; “I… did you come here, both of you, willingly?”
“If by willingly you mean that we felt that there was no better option?” Keigo perked up, his wings flaring a little; “umm… kind’a, I guess? We… we didn’t just wake up one day in the barracks and decide to track these guys down and insist that we join, or anything” he continued sheepishly. “We were desperate, it’s true” he allowed; “and we couldn’t risk going to Nedzu-san, I don’t have any family, neither of us have friends, well… real ones who know who we really are, anyway” he tried to smile. “Plus? With Endeavour being #1? He’d have buried us… ugh, well… metaphorically, I hope… you know, if we tried to speak out against him and his bosses, so” he said, his hands gesticulating a little; “when we were out on patrol we made contact with Twice and, ugh? The rest, as they say, is history” he stated.
Humming thoughtfully, Shouta tried (he really, really did) to empathise; sure… they weren’t wrong about not having anyone to turn to thanks to Endeavour’s… monopoly over Pro Hero society, but?
It was still hard to swallow.
It was still… awful to think that they’d been hurting… been hurt and backed into a corner, he…
“Did you mean what you said just now, though, right? That you do want to help?”
Blinking back into the room (God, his mind was spinning so fast he may as well be riding one of those awful waltzer rides Nemuri and Emi loved so much), the teaching assistant regarded Todoroki Touya carefully.
He’d seen that pensive, calculating expression before.
The other was concocting something, he was sure; he’d always been at the top of his class when it came to mission planning and implementation and, if he remembered rightly, he usually got what he wanted not because of his father but his own indominable will.
“Yes” he replied, his tone quite hesitant even to his own ears; “why?”
Watching as the other straightened, the teaching assistant wasn’t sure what he was hoping for; the other surely wouldn’t reveal he was a double agent, least of all here, and—
“Then… you’ll support Keigo and me when I bring my younger siblings here, right? We… we’re not exactly versed in the whole… parenting thing so helping them to adjust is something we’ll struggle with and Shouto he… he’s your son’s age and I think… I know that they’ll like you, sensei.”
W-wait…
What?!
Taking a sharp inhale of breath (because of all the things he’d been preparing himself to hear, that wasn’t it!), Shouta all at once felt something akin to an actual pain (that stung like betrayal and smelt like his own stupidity) shoot through him whilst All Smite’s smug voice rang through his ears…
“… you’re not dealing with children here, Shouta…”
… and his blood ran cold; fuck…
“Umm… are you okay?”
… how? How could he have been so stupid? Why had he allowed himself to think, for even a second, that he wasn’t simply here to be used?
“No, not really” he stated, his tone blank; “you want me to play babysitter then sure, fine” he continued, his demeanour frosty: “or, better yet? Why not make it official? Speak to your boss and add that responsibility to the other ones I’ve been brought here to carry out—”
“S-sensei it… it’s not like that—”
“And don’t call me that, anymore” he furthered whilst getting up; “it’s very clear that I’m just the hired help” he said while walking back towards the doors without giving the boys… the men a second glance: “and don’t bother following me, either… I’m sure someone else will be along to make sure I don’t exercise any free will I have left” he called over his shoulder.
Because yes, it was childish.
It may even be considered cruel but he’d used up his empathy quota for today and he couldn’t… he wouldn’t condone more children being brought to this gleaming utopia to be raised as soldiers because hell!
He knew Endeavour was a gruff-brute and selling his child into a HPSC run scheme was inexcusable, but?
How could being in a place like this be better?!
How was dragging children to a place filled with criminals (with any number of them having committed sexual offences) the best way forward?
Why did they think that him being here would automatically make such a move more viable?
He was a nobody.
He was just a struggling, single parent.
He’d not even been raised by his own family (who were dead) and was, by his own admission, all but making it up as he went along with Hitoshi; sure, he’d taken parenting courses and yes, his love for the boy couldn’t be stronger, however that didn’t make him some kind of child-protecting-guru.
Shit!
Shit!
What he wouldn’t give to just grab his boys (Shigaraki’s biological claim to Izuku be damned) and—
“Hey, whoa… you tryin’ to annoy me, or something?”
Not even deigning to respond to the person he’d virtually barged into after shoving the gym’s door wide open, the underground Pro (tch… former) continued down the seemingly endless, immaculate pavement surrounded by plain, innocent looking buildings that were probably habitation blocks, or whatever they called them.
“Tch… fucking rude much?”
He wasn’t heading anywhere (because there was nowhere to go), of course, and what did it matter when everywhere looked to same?
What did anything matter, anymore?
“Oi! Get back here, you little runt! I’m talking to you!”
God.
If not for the kids?
He’d probably do something reckless.
“Hey! You deaf or just plain ignorant?!”
He’d probably look for an out that ended up with his body going to the labs that stupid kid (man) had been so terrified about, but? Being the rational, logical man he was?
He wouldn’t go that far, and the bastards who ran this place knew it, too…
“Bitch! This is what you get, you… you’re—"
That didn’t mean he couldn’t use this stupid place’s own ridiculous, chauvinist laws of power over common sense to let off some steam, though, did it?
“A-Aizaw—oooooofffffffffffffff~!”
Igniting his quirk (not that he needed it; his hind-brain had sensed the attack coming and his subconscious had identified who (another traitor) the thick-set beta who’d been bawling at him was), he spun and planted a particularly vicious upper-cut straight up *Sensoji’s stupid chin.
Then, not giving his bulky opponent (an old bully from his own High School days; he’d been one of the only people from their class who hadn’t been surprised that Mr Blaster had swapped saving people for blowing up ATMs) time to recover?
“Wwwwwwwaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~!!
He slammed into the other’s gut with a ruthlessly sharp elbow before crouching down to sweep his legs out from under him.
“Ppppaaaaahhhhhh~!”
And, staring down at him imperiously, his hair straining in its ponytail, he allowed the other’s eyes to meet his.
“W-w-wha… what’re are y-you doin’ h-here?”
Tch; “it figures you’d be so far down the social ladder here that you didn’t know” he said dispassionately, his senses keenly aware that they had a bit of an audience gathering across the street and behind them (Keigo and Touya were there, he knew, he just couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge them); “now stay down” he huffed.
“A-ah… ahahaa… you were always-s too merciful, Aizawa” the orange haired buffoon grunted whilst pushing himself up on his elbows; “but your w-weak gender just can’t help it, right?” he grinned after a wheeze.
“S’bout time someone put your snooty, stuck-up ass in its place and you’ll soon learn who and what you are here regardless of how you reached this place… Oh yeah, that’s right Aizawa, you’ll not get away with being all haughty, snobby and aloof here, you know, because alphas are alphas here… and true men are true men, so you better take that bleeding, omega heart of yours somewhere else if you don’t wanna get trampled!” he smirked.
Shrugging, he turned around and kept walking the way he was going; he didn’t have time to waste on idiots.
Even if he now had nothing but time.
No schedules to follow.
No cooking or cleaning.
No early morning rushes.
No lessons-plans to write.
No homework to grade.
“Y-yeah! Yeah, that’s right! Walk away! That’s all you ever do, Aizawa! Fighting someone without a backbone isn’t a loss for me, you hear?! It never was!”
Tch; and now he felt even more dejected.
He shouldn’t have given in to such childish impulses; fuck…
Was he already stooping to the level of these people?
Was it really such a short distance to fall from grace?
Sighing, he turned a corner and spotted one of the parks, this one containing a fountain (and immaculate trimmed trees, shrubs and rose bushes humming with those… mechanical insects) with benches lining its boxed-off walls.
He may as well go and take a seat at one of them, hadn’t he?
At least, that way, none of the higher-ups that ran this place could accuse him of breaking the rules, trying to escape or, heaven forbid, be a hero or a saboteur, could they?
~*~
“You know? If I knew you better? I probably wouldn’t be so quick to think that you were sulking, Shouta-kun.”
He’d probably been alone for all of fifteen minutes (there were no clocks in this place, he’d noticed and the pseudo sun was a fixed point in the domed, camouflaged sky that shielded I-Island from view in every sense of the word didn’t give the time away, that much, either) resolutely staring at the generic vase shape sputtering out water. “Think what you like…” he replied quietly, his knees drawn to his chest; “and don’t you have anything better to do than check-up on me? Your people are going to think you’re playing favourites with the stupid bitch who doesn’t want to be here, you know” he reminded; not that he cared.
Not at all.
He’d not been surprised that the so called #1 villain had been the one to come and collect him, though.
And that?
That was… worrying, wasn’t it?
“Now-now, there’s no need to be like that” All Smite chuckled whilst taking up the bench next to his; “would it kill you to crack a smile, hmm?”
“If only” he shrugged, his tone demure as the other continued to lounge, that stupid mask still not concealing his face despite him wearing the rest of his… uniform.
“The reunion I scheduled wasn’t as… joyous as you’d hoped it to be, I take it?”
“So it would seem” he mused, the water (which could have been a hologram or the real thing; he’d not bothered to check) still gurgling into the oddly quiet ambiance of this mostly quiet town…
City?
Island?
“D’you know what you need?”
“Oh please do enlighten me” he quipped, but there was no bite to his words; he… still had a lot to unpack in his mind.
He had a lot of hopelessness and self-inflicted idiocy to get over, too…
“You need to unwind a little” the older man helpfully supplied; “your posture is so closed off and rigid that your muscles will start to cramp if you don’t de-stress soon” he advised: “and, since you don’t drink? Let’s go to the onsen before lunch, why, we could even have the children meet us there~!”
“Sure, why not?” he replied, his lack of enthusiasm prevalent as he continued to stare at the fountain; “or maybe we should fuck, instead? That relieves stress, doesn’t it? That’s one of the reasons I’m here, right?” he asked, his posture unchanging.
His tone uncaring.
He was so done.
“Shouta…”
“Why should it keep hanging over my head like the proverbial sword of Damocles?” he asked, his right brow cocking at the other; “you say you don’t need to force the issue with anyone, then fine… why not see what a terrible lay I am for yourself because I’m offering, so we can just get over it already” he offered. “I’m here to be used, after all, so why not take this to its logical conclusion sooner rather than later, hmm?” he furthered, their eyes locking; “then we can just get on with living our lives here” he said, his tone resolute.
“Me, the simple nanny and you the antihero going about his world-conquering… ah, sorry… world-saving ambitions” he furthered whilst the other raised his brows at him.
“You’re… serious?”
“I’m tired” he stated bluntly; “of this, of everything” he admitted: “so why shouldn’t I just give up and give in, hmm? I’m on contraceptives, I’ve not had sex since before Hitoshi was born and you’re more than happy to get your knot wet, right?”
Notes:
*For those of you who don’t know, there’s a BNHA prequel called “Vigilantes”; this is where we meet Shirakumo Oboro… and watch him die. We also get to see Aizawa, Yamada and Kayama when they were students and UA in Class 2A; Sensoji (aka Mr Blaster) is a bully from class 2B who looks down on Eraserhead/begrudgingly acknowledges that he’s kind of skilled after Oboro dies… he’s not one of my favourites~!
Next stop?!
SMUT~!
XD
; 3
Chapter 14: … the devil…
Summary:
Warnings include: ANGST~! Reflections on society, on what IS right/wrong, scheming/tactics, plotting/planning, swearing, physicality, attempted humour, power-differences, world-domination-machinations, genetic experiments (referenced, NOT explicitly so) and feels~!
Notes:
Ahh...
Did I say next stop, SMUT?
Sorry about that~!
^_^;;
It'll happen NEXT chapter, though; they just kept TALKING and the plot kept DEVELOPING and I've had a VERY busy week at work and...
*Sighs*
Shutting up now, please enjoy~!
XD
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Having committed to the task at hand, Aizawa Shouta had clearly and calmly resigned himself to getting on with it for not only the reasons he’d told the other, but two more besides:
a) He’d assisted in sex-ed classes at UA, his input (as someone who’d nearly fully mated and had been pregnant at sixteen), experiences and opinions valued by the students because he was a living, breathing example of what potential consequences lay before them; what he’d learned, however, was how that sex could clear the mind and relax the body.
b) This move was also… strategic; for him? Any sexual encounter now that Oboro was dead would (he believed) always be meaningless, however? Alphas were ruled by their knots for the most part and this… act could earn him some favours or leniency from All Smite, couldn’t it? Plus? Ingratiating himself was something he could do; he didn’t have an ego or any sense of pride, after all, no.
He’d lost such airs and graces the second he’d dragged Hitoshi and Izuku into this hellscape.
“Heh… that’s one way to put it, I suppose~”
He was living for their safety now, not his…
“And, whereas I am… flattered by your offer, Shouta-kun” the brute managed after a beat, the pair of them stood in the quiet of the older man’s utopia; “you do know what you’re getting yourself into, don’t you?” he stated, a large hand cupping his jaw. “I’m not one for… one-night stands or other such dalliances, especially with someone who has been brought into my inner-circle…”
“And I’m not going anywhere, apparently” he shrugged, their eyes locking; “you’re a foot taller than me and fuck only knows how much more powerful” he furthered as the other’s brows raised a fraction: “and you’re clearly interested in me, for whatever reason” he continued, his tone neutral, his posture relaxed. “So I would much rather meet you in the middle then allow anything to… escalate” he stated; “and besides, in terms of getting to make my own decisions? This is one I can make…”
“Tch… under the feeling of my presence and power coercing you to do so?” the older grunted before moving to pull away.
“No” he replied, his own hand pressing against the other’s gloved one; “don’t misunderstand me, I accept that you and your people are thoroughly against the use of force, physical or otherwise, when it comes to such things” he stated, the other huffing slightly. “You’ve already proved that to me more than once; hell, if you were going to force me, if you didn’t care about my consent? You’ve had every opportunity since yesterday to take me, haven’t you? There was no need to give me my own room or allow me to be with the boys, I… I’ve helped to bust two sex-rings operating in shady brothels during my career, I’ve seen what coercion looks like” he reminded.
“I am consenting of my own free will, alright? Therefore, it’s better to just get the whole thing out of the way so there’re are not what ifs, no more… needless tension between us because it’ll make me feel better… I think” he shrugged; “my mind’s all over the place and, as much as I hate to admit it? You’re right” he sighed. “I’m a bundle of nerves and I can’t remember the last time I was this… stressed” he allowed, his shoulders slumping slightly.
“And sure, I don’t know if doing this will make things better or worse but I… I don’t want to see anymore of this place, not today” he said, his tone open and honest, the tension he’d seen flash across the other evaporating; “as for doing this more than once? I can’t commit to that for several reasons but… I won’t rule it out, either” he told him.
“If that’s acceptable to you? Then we have a deal of our own, of sorts, don’t we?”
~*~
Of all the ways this afternoon could have gone?
“Ha~! Alright then~!”
This was better than he could have hoped; sure, this wasn’t exactly… kosher but the young omega was a firebrand to be sure, an asset in the making and a caring-nurturer at his core and so it would be his honour, of course, to make him feel better…
“And I take it that you have no objections to us getting… ah, started sooner rather than later?”
Because, despite the other’s sour expression?
“Hm? Ugh, no… I guess not… so long as we do such things in private—”
He intended to make him moan…
Keen…
Unravel beneath the deft exploration of his hands, fingers and tongue…
“Good~! Hold on tight, then~!”
“W-what? H-hey! P-put me d-down… you… wwwaaaahhhhhhhh~!”
… and, with that very entertaining thought in mind? He scooped the other up (something he’d been fantasising about since he’d first met the adorably-gruff omega; that frilly pink apron he’d been wearing in that tiny apartment had been so cute~!) into his arms and leapt towards the nearest, seven storey building…
“W-w-wha-t t-the f-f-fuck are y-you… doing?!” the younger snarled, those milky, muscle slaked arms having thrown themselves around his brawny neck for balance; adorable~!
“Why, merely taking the quickest route to my home, of course~! I figured you’d not want us to… relax in your territory where the boys could detect our scents mingling and ask questions, right?” he answered happily, his booted feet skidding a little on the gritted, flat-roof of the apartment-complex before he bounced to the next one…
“I-I did-dn’t a-agree to… to t-this!” he countered hotly, the speed and velocity of his jumps (something he was used to) whipping the other’s raven-hair this way and that as they bounded through the empty skyscape where only a handful of his followers were similarly flying, gliding or bounding through the air in order to reach their destinations…
“Ah~! But you did agree to starting sooner, rather than later~!” he quipped with a knowing grin before launching himself to the east, the block where all of them lived (though Shouta didn’t know they were next door neighbours; he’d asked Melissa to keep it hush, just in case such knowledge added to the other’s obvious… discomfort with his new home) now in sight…
“Y-you’re u-using that as… as an e-excuse to… g-grope m-me!” the shorter (so cute~ in his ire; he’d not used his quirk to stop him, though: hmm…) sputtered indignantly, his eyes screwing shut whilst he curled (deliciously) against him to shield himself from the air pressure…
“Am I now?” he grinned, his right hand squeezing a captured thigh (for stability’s sake) whilst the left was pressing, maybe a little too hungrily, around a firm, smooth pectoral (heh; he’d seen a few videos of Eraserhead in action: his soon to be bed-mate was toned, agile and… flexible which would make their coupling all the sweeter, he was sure~!), hmm…
“Y-yes you are! W-w-w-whoa~!”
Chuckling as the other yelped, his body having veered to land successfully upon their intended destination, Toshinori couldn’t hide his grin (or his leer; sure, this wasn’t the best of starts for what he hoped to be a long-term relationship (all three of their children would surely be happier with two parents, he was sure)… eventually) or smug sense of satisfaction because, well?
This was… progress.
This was the result of a logical man choosing non-violence and tactics over outright stupidity and suicidal ideation…
This was the result of an omega weaponizing his biology and sex appeal to his advantage and, rightly or wrongly?
He respected that.
This was the kind of behaviour the future needed.
This was what he and his fellows ultimately believed in, what Shigaraki-sama was trying to teach them, enabled them all to do because humanity couldn’t develop past where they were now unless they all worked on adapting, overcoming and prioritising beneficial goals for the many over the self.
Oh yes~!
And he’d make a believer out his Shouta-kun yet, he was sure~!
“O-i! You can put me down now…”
“Ah, but of course~!” he grinned whilst allowing the other from his grasp (for now; not that he’d ever force the issues, not at all, but he did thoroughly intend to show the other what he’d been missing in terms of carnal pleasures which was, admittedly, a… weakness he wished to exploit), his body bowing towards the booth-housed emergency door which led inside the building.
“Tch… what is it with you, this place, and theatrics?” the former (he’d get used to the idea, he was sure; looking after children, rearing them to their full potential, was such a grander idea than flitting around back-alleys at midnight and locking thugs up for a few months, wasn’t it?) underground hero tsked; “you…”
“We” he cut in with a grin whilst following after him; “dislike being anything other than ourselves as we are~!” he chuckled, the pair of them soon heading down a concealed staircase, the pheromone-count in the air doubling: “being flamboyant and alive, why~! Is there any better way to live?” he asked with a smirk.
And oh~!
Oh~!
Shouta’s look of distain was—
“Living a full life, a descent one where you balance your wants and desires against the laws of the land and the greater-good, means that one should curtail such things…”
Oddly breath-taking~!
Ah~!
He almost couldn’t wait to show him how wrong he was…
To help his let loose~!
To indulge in the right of his power~!
To strut as he should as a man of skill, courage and strength…
As a bastion of what a freed omega, with an utterly amazing quirk and disciplined body, could look like…
“So you say” he murmured with a light shrug; “but, for now? Let’s forget about the… politics of our situation and simply enjoy the moment, shall we?” he said whilst they continued on their way down the emergency stairwell to the seventh floor: “speaking of which, since you’re such a stickler for rules… what boundaries do you want to set?”
“Boundaries?” the younger quipped, his arms tightly folded across his chest; “isn’t fucking straight forward?”
“Heh… not if you’re doing it right” he smirked; oh… how prettily the other blushed: maybe… this attention wasn’t as unwanted as the other had claimed, after all?
How very… interesting~!
“W-well, I’m not in heat and on the pill, so the chances of me getting pregnant are slim to none if you’d prefer not to use a condom” he shrugged; “is that what you meant?”
“I… umm, that is appreciated, thank you” he replied, his brows lifting to his hairline; “but I… I was thinking more about foreplay, safe-words, kissing and…” he broke off when the shorter male blinked at him, the silence yawning out between them a little… unsettling.
Until he blinked in a sudden, stark realisation.
“You… you’ve never—”
“The boy I was in love with he… he and I were just stupid kids during my first and only mating” Shouta murmured after a swallow, his cheeks burning before... sorrow took him over…
“My heat triggered his rut, or the other way around, one day when we were alone in my apartment and we… we’d messed around a bit, you know, before then… and we’d kissed a few times but I… I was an introvert coping with abandonment issues and an inferiority complex and Oboro?” he sighed, his head shaking. “He… he was like the sun, to me… he was everything I wasn’t and for some crazy, stupid reason? He… he saw something worthy of his time, in me” he furthered honestly, those dark eyes staring vacantly at the fire-door across from them.
“I… I can’t even remember our coupling that well, really… we were unsupervised, dumb and horny and it… we went too far, we couldn’t have stopped ourselves, I know… and I wouldn’t have wanted to, either it… it was nice to be wanted, for a change” he added quietly.
Allowing the other to talk, Toshinori could feel the foreign sensation of… sympathy butt against his thickened skull and hardened heart.
He was sure he knew what that kind of loss was…
He was certain he’d experienced it before Shigaraki-sama had saved him…
He’d been beside himself to find his precious sunflower-girl missing, but?
The emotions flitting across the omega’s face before they vanished, just as quickly, made him feel sorry for the other…
Sorry that he had to deal and wrestle with such things…
“And now I just… ache for him, for us and what we could have had” he admitted before pointedly walking to the door, his form once more closed off than it had been; “so go ahead, do whatever you want with me” he shrugged: “so long as I’m not physically injured or have marks I can’t explain to the boys? I really couldn’t care less…”
Nodding (and choosing not to snap off a jaunty salute; such brevity would be… unwelcome after hearing such a confession, wouldn’t it?), the alpha opened the stairwell door and ushered his soon-to-be bed-mate into the apartment proper whilst making a silent vow to himself.
A vow to help the other forget about such sadness, even for a little a while…
A vow to work on banishing it all together and replacing it with something… sweeter…
~*~
Walking down yet another vacuous, eerily familiar corridor (they… lived in the same building, didn’t they? Tch… but of course they did), Shouta allowed (heh, as though he had any power or sway here beyond his own imagination) the older man to guide him to an unmarked door.
“Huh… I figured you’d live in a fancy penthouse, or something” he said, his right brow arched whilst gesturing at the plain, featureless entryway; “I mean… this doesn’t seem like a grand hide-away for one of the most infamous men alive” he furthered when, at a press of the other’s hand upon a panel next to it, the barrier gave way with a chime.
“Ha~! Well, in my younger, non-parenting days I suppose you’d be right; heh! I do have a few properties… elsewhere that are probably closer to what you’re imaging~!” the other allowed as they left the beige, featureless corridor to enter what looked to be a duplex apartment.
A duplex apartment whose downstairs living space was… not what he’d been expecting.
“I… see” he managed, his eyebrows reaching for his hairline as he took it all in; there was a lab (it took up the entire corner of the room to his right and was loaded with beakers and Bunsen-burners, computers and soldering-sets, microchips and four heavy bookshelves brimming with textbooks) on one-side and a gym on the other.
No TVs…
No entertainment centres…
No recreational trappings of any kind; hell, the kitchen was austere, too. The large, open space housed a relatively small table with two chairs, a huge refrigerator (you couldn’t maintain a body like All Smite’s without piling in the calories, of course) a knife rack (which… was terrifying; did the older man really need that many cleavers?), rice-cooker, fish-grill and a larder bigger than his old home’s bathroom…
“Hmm?” the other prompted; “I appear to have defied your expectations once more, don’t I?”
“Yeah… that’s one way to put it” he returned, the vast, dove-grey space setting his nerves on edge, he…
People… didn’t live like this.
It was almost as though Yagi and his daughter were so far removed from normality (and that… would explain a lot) that they didn’t know or understand how to create a space that nurtured and soothed.
Tch.
No wonder that sweet little girl had been so blown away by crayons and Sushi.
No wonder Shigaraki was so keen to keep tabs on his prodigy.
Was… was he on such a tight leash or was he here willingly?
Hmm…
Shit; now he had even more questions, precious few answers and further moral dilemmas about mind-washing, brain-tampering and fuck only knew what else…
Shit; he really needed to clear his head, didn’t he?
“I just… I mean” he tried, his hands gesticulating as he looked from one blank, featureless wall to the next; “I’m a minimalist by nature but… where are your photographs? Keep-sakes? Celebrations of your daughter’s birthdays and other milestones?” he asked whilst looking to the other. “It’s obvious that you both live and spend a good deal of time here and I know you adore her, so I… I’m just shocked by how impersonal this all feels, hell” he baulked; “what activities do you even do together, as father and daughter, in here?” he asked before blinking at the other’s curiously pleased expression.
“Ah… sorry, that’s not any of my business and—”
“Heh… it could be” the other all but purred, those words momentarily startling him before he was directed towards the carpeted stairs; “my personal suite is up here and my dear Melissa’s bedroom is just through that door, so we needn’t worry about her picking up on what we’re about to do… maa~! If you’re still interested in relaxing this way, of course~!”
~*~
Ahh…
David, Mirai, Naomasa and Chizome had been right (again), hadn’t they?
He really did need a Papa’s touch in his life (because yes, it wasn’t lost on him that the home he shared with his child could be more… homely) and Melissa’s, of course~!
It…
It had been wrong of him, in hindsight, to bring her into the world (fully formed at four from a Nomu-tank, her DNA made from his own and altered to be perfect without a quirk, her half-siblings hopefully the cure to Garaki’s *quirk singularity; having Izuku brought here so soon was a blessing, too, in that respect) without a nurturer, hadn’t it?
“Oh… ugh, no… that’s fine” the other stumbled (which was, admittedly, adorably cute~!) before stepping towards the stairs whilst rubbing the back of his neck in a (sweetly) sheepish gesture; “I’m fine, I just… I need to not think for a while…”
Nodding (another slight twinge of something that tasted like sympathy but smelt like excitement pricking his hindbrain) because he knew such feelings well (he was… well liked by many of the omegas and femmes of the pleasure district, after all; getting off was such a fun way to de-stress~!) he smiled and reached for the other’s right hand.
“Umm…”
“Come along, then” he urged and, when the other didn’t pull away?
When he (shyly) averted his gaze?
When he nodded a little in return?
When he followed his lead?
Toshinori knew that winning this young man over was one of the most important things he’d done in… quite some time because, well?
To have him here?
To have him nurturing the younglings that would be arriving soon and the ones yet to be… born?
That would make their integration into the so-called civilised societies of the world so much easier~!
Their duties as double-agents to their cause made simpler because they’d know how to act~!
They’d know how to blend it~!
They’d be perfectly placed and completely hidden, just as he, Naomasa and Mirai had been~!
Heh; and having him as something… more than a notch on his bedpost would be pretty nice, too… if he’d be open to such a thing, wouldn’t it?
Hmm…
Notes:
*Dr. Kyudai Garaki presented this theory in his youth, according to which, as the generations follow one another, Quirks blend and evolve, producing stronger and more complex Quirks. However, with this increase in power, the Quirks will also become more difficult to control, since the human body doesn't evolve quickly enough to keep up.
Eventually, there will come a point when Quirks will become too overpowered and complicated, and no one will be able to control them anymore...
Ooooohhhhhhhh~!
XD
Chapter 15: and a hard place…
Summary:
Warnings include: SMUT (which is clearly flagged up; there is... plot(?) beforehand~! I swear~!), hot, VERY DESCRIPTIVE alpha on omega shower-sex (with knotting, biting, possessive language, Shouta getting wrecked... you know, my usual fuckery! XD), swearing, angst, regret, self-doubt, self-flagellation (mentally, not physically), moral-dilemma, moral-conflict, internal-conflict, sexual-tension/excitement, realising that there's nothing wrong with getting-some (Shouta deserves it!) and...
FEELS~!
Notes:
Ugh!
This chapter has been fighting me for ACTUAL months~!
^_^;;
Chapter Text
Allowing himself to be led upstairs (he still had the choice to say no which was, he supposed, something; tch… there was no telling about how long this good-will would last though and that? That was hopefully something he could prolong with these… stringless trysts, wasn’t it?), Shouta tried not to sigh.
Selling himself was one thing, sure, but what else was he supposed to do?
But maybe?
Maybe this would help…
It would also (hopefully, possibly… please) absolve him of the guilt, or at least part of it, clawing at his mind and heart, he…
“I think we’ll start with a shower, then a bath and see how we go from there, neh?”
Blinking out of his thoughts, the omega cocked a brow and regarded the brawler walking closely (so closely) behind him; “um… sure” he replied with a light nod, his tone more than a little bewildered because what he’d thought was going to be a ‘hit-it-and-quit-it’ scenario seemed like it was going to be… anything but.
Unless, maybe, the other just didn’t like his scent?
Heh.
That wasn’t too surprising, he supposed; he’d almost bonded with someone at an early age, the lingering, sour-links between him and what was now Kurogiri potentially something that a person like Smite, a supposed apex or S-Ranked alpha, could scent.
Plus?
He wasn’t exactly in the… mood.
Hell, despite this… situation and what he was choosing to do? He was actually (stupidly; what was it about this place and the smug prick behind him that made his thinking so irrational?!) feeling quite…
Nervous…
Self-conscious; shit!
Not that he cared about… performing or looking good for the man now leading him towards what he assumed to be a private bathing chamber with a hum, no.
Alphas (from what he knew of them besides Hizashi and Oboro who were anything but stereotypical), for the most part if movies, TV shows and the special sex-education videos shown to omegas and femmes to warn them were to be believed, took their pleasure (while boasting) and fall asleep afterwards, so he had no worries there.
He just…
As stupid as this all was?
It… it’d been a long time since he’d thought of himself as, well, a… sexual entity; raising a baby whilst being a part-time support hero and a part-time learning-assistant didn’t really leave him with much time for anything outside of catching up with his friends (which was usually thanks to their insistence), really.
Tch; he couldn’t even remember the last time that he masturbated, for crying out loud, he…
“Here we are.”
Barely suppressing his snort because of course the greatest threat their civilisation had ever known (outside of his virtually omniscient, global-power craving master) would have something as close to an onsen that you could build indoors (let alone in an apartment block) as his private… bathroom.
“Impressed?”
“Yeah, let’s go with that” he replied, his shoulders struggling to shrug under the weight of two large, warm hands resting upon them in what he thought was meant to be a soothing gesture; “I thought that you guys were against capitalism and whatnot…”
“Um? Oh yes, that’s true” the older man grinned whilst somehow (because even without his quirk active Yagi Toshinori was still an impressive six foot four inches and ridiculously broad besides) slinking past him; “in the world we’re hoping to build upon the ruins of the old? Everyone will have access to such things” he smiled. “It’ll be a place where a true-communism works, a system designed to be fair and equal to everyone, well… everyone who joins us after the dust settles ah, but surely this isn’t the best pre-pillow talk, huh?” he chuckled before strutting into the room (like the preening peacock he was), tugging his (way too tight) t-shirt off as he went.
Cocking his brow once again (because sure, he wasn’t made out of stone and yes, wrong as it might be, there was no getting away from how physically attractive Yagi was), Shouta rolled his eyes before pulling the t-shirt he’d been given (amongst so many other items) similarly over his head before tugging the bobble from his hair. Then, not really paying attention to the other man (he could hear the shower starting up), he shoved his yoga-pants and underwear down without preamble, stepped out of them and looked around for a laundry basket. Surely the alpha had one around here somewhere; “ano, where should I put my— whoa!”
Trying to take a step back (which was nigh on impossible since there was a large, tanned hand cupping his left-hip), the omega could only stare up into incredibly intense, neon-lit blue eyes as the other unceremoniously tossed his clothes and shoes (that he’d just picked up with the mind to move them) to the side. “And what, exactly, do you think you’re doing, Shouta-kun?” the older man asked, a mixture of lust, surprise and shock tainting his words.
Huffing (and clearly not realising the kind of danger he could potentially be in; heh… what was self-preservation, again? Had he really given it all up for a shot at some strange sense of atonement?), the Pro tilted his head to regard him candidly and without fear (he was past that, now); “you weren’t expecting me to shower fully clothed, were you?”
“Ha! No” the other crooned out darkly, his free hand now sliding up his neck to his jaw; “but this? I wasn’t expecting this, either” he mused, a quick tongue slipping out to run across his lips: “you’re so… bold for someone initially so opposed to the idea, now, aren’t you?” he smirked, his tone peppered with devious delight.
As though he’d done this for the criminal’s benefit.
Tch.
“Bold, huh? Heh, you were expecting me to what? Be all shy? Act all coy? Strip sheepishly for your entertainment because I’m so emotionally stunted and fragile?” he pushed, his eyes slanting back to his pile of borrowed belongings before regarding him once more. “Well, sorry to disappoint you but that’s not who I am” he shrugged; “and a deal is a deal so, Mr #1 Villain? Are we showering, or what? Because you’ve got a lot of grandstanding to live up to and thus far, aside from the view?” he quipped pointedly whilst the other blinked.
“I’ve yet to be impressed.”
~*~SMUT is inbound, people! All sane and consensual… well, given the circumstances, anyway~! ^_^;; So if alpha on omega sex with graphic descriptions isn’t for you? Then please back arrow out of here~!~*~
Pulling away from the other with a boisterous laugh, his right hand snagging the omega’s left to pull and spin him (ha! The younger man yipped so delightfully in his surprise; however, due to years of training? Shouta didn’t stumble once as he made to dance them towards the waterfall-shower he’d set into motion) around, Toshinori couldn’t help his good mood.
“W-whoa!”
Not only because the idea of slowly but surely unravelling this man (who looked like he’d been sculpted from alabaster, his smoky eyes and quick-silver wit only making him lovelier) was going to be a delicious use of his time, but?
“Well then, Shouta-kun, let’s see if I can’t impress you, hm? I do have certain… reputations to uphold, after all~!”
Maybe it was his arrogance (he wasn’t above admitting such things; he had a lot to be confident about, he had a cause he believed in and wrongs to right, wrongs that fell to or beneath his power for the majority of the time), however, there was no denying the thrill of having to… pursue someone, was there?
“T-tch! If you’re leading with your dancing skills, then I think you better rethink your strategy.”
Chuckling (ah! But it’d been so long since someone had spoken to him like that, his mind’s eye flashing up the image of the other berating him the other day in what had used to be his tiny apartment), he spun him once more to the edge of the wide, rectangular sunken basin slurping up the steamy jets of water they were to bathe in. “Is that so?” he preened; “I’ll bear that in mind, now… how’s the temperature, hm?” he asked whilst guiding the other to step down, his smile broadening when the omega blinked and regarded the floor curiously.
“Is… is this moss?”
“Of a kind” he replied cryptically; “it’s on the walls, too” he purred as the other (so oblivious, it seemed, as to why such soft, velvety surfaces would be needed outside of aesthetics if his bewildered expression was anything to go by; ah… how cute~!) stepped further in, the warm water bubbling across his arm whilst he felt the verdant, textured surface.
“Huh… I’ve never seen anything like it” the other admitted and, while he was distracted?
The alpha quietly shucked off his own pants (an alpha of his size found underwear… restrictive, so going commando was a given) and followed after him at a respectable distance in the large, bathing area that was probably 1/3 of his (not captive; he’d see it soon) special guest’s old apartment because, foreplay aside? Fair-play was more important here for, as much as his hindbrain was demanding that he take what was being (so tantalisingly) offered?
He wasn’t an animal.
He wasn’t a rapist.
He wanted, needed the younger man to see that he had choices and that he was, despite his current dissociated, depressive and dispassionate outlook someone of value, someone who could be so much more to him, to them, than a wetnurse for the children, plus?
He could see himself very much wanting to repeat the encounter he’d dreamt up in his mind, that he was getting ready to action, over and over and over again… and a willing omega was very much a part of that vision, wasn’t it?
Hmm…
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” he purred whilst leaning against the shimmering-greenery swelling up and burgeoning out beneath the velvety water cascading from atop the three walls which made up his preferred bathing area; “we have this in our public onsen, too” he mused when the other regarded him over his shoulder.
“Heh, of course you do, I… ugh…”
Ah~!
“Impressed now, are you?”
Ohh~!
The blush that stained those previously creamy cheeks was worth the wait, though, wasn’t it?
“Y-yes, well… now what? Are we finally going to get this over with, or—”
“Not quite, not just yet” he returned, his sultry tone carrying over the gush of warm, jasmine scented water bubbling down and around them; “you did offer yourself to me unconditionally” he reminded: “and a promise is a promise, right?” he snickered as the Pro he’d ensnared huffed and crossed his arms in a very telling gesture.
“S-so what, then?” he challenged, or at least tried to, his inky-black hair kinking into more defined waves thanks to the humidity misting all around their naked bodies.
“I’m going to keep my promise” he replied, his smirk sharpening; “of showing you how very wrong you are about sex just being a, what did you call it? Biological function?” he continued airily: “and we’re going to start with a massage, alright?” he added as the other’s blush intensified.
“T-that… that isn’t n-necessary…” he sputtered-out, his head shaking lightly as he back-stepped further into the bowels of the cavernous water-feature; “c-can’t we just… can’t you just…”
“Nope, sorry~!” he replied with a shake of his head, the golden rabbit-ears of his infamous hairstyle slinking down to frame his face thanks to their watery environment; “now be a good-boy, face that wall and grab a hold of those two clumps of moss there for me, won’t you?”
~*~
Floundering (because God damn fucking everything! He was not supposed to be reacting to this, to anything!) but refusing to lose face (because he was irrational and insane now, apparently!), Shouta grumbled under his breath and desperately tried to ignore the tanned cock, not even erect, hanging so… visibly between the other’s powerful thighs.
Shit!
“There you go, see? This isn’t so bad, right?”
And, out of everything that annoyed him the most?
“A-aahh… that’s… n-nnghhh~!”
The hands he knew to be capable of bending steel-girders, tearing down buildings and punching through boulders were turning his back and shoulders into pleasure-softened putty; f-f-f-fuck!
His toes were curling into the moss (some kind of synthetic creation of Shield’s he was willing to bet; hell, he wouldn’t put it past the genius to have laced it with some kind of aphrodisiac or something!), his eyes were rolling back and although none of the other’s motions were sexual in nature?
“My goodness… these knots in your shoulders, Shouta-kun, how long have they been all… bunched up like this, hm?”
He was getting…
He was feeling…
“Ooohh…”
Turned on!
Shit!
“Can I touch you… lower?”
Humming his consent (because his brain was clearly boiling and getting ready to drip out of his ears, his own cock hardening and jutting into the damned sex-moss whilst All Smite played him like a harp, his fingers strumming down his ribs, tripping down his spine and curving around his ass), Shouta closed his eyes and bowed his head.
Damn…
“How would you feel about me fucking you in here, hm?”
Ooohh… that… he shouldn’t…
“Your body all relaxed and supple and… wet, hmm?” the other murmured silkily whilst gently kneading all around his lower back… and across the globes of his ass-cheeks… and between his thighs, causing him to spread his legs wider with a keen he wasn’t quick enough to swallow down.
Fuck!
“Uunnn…”
He was so embarrassed at himself!
How?!
How was this happening?!
“Is that something you’d… like, Shouta-kun?” the older man murmured, his taller, broader body leaning in to him, that expansive chest pressing against his shoulders, that sinfully tempting mouth whispering at his right ear whilst he panted against the misty-steam and fragrant foliage he was being gradually swallowed-up by. “Come on, now, where’d my fiery, little omega go, hmm? Surely, you’re not losing yourself to such… simple ministrations, right?” he taunted smugly, his tone so knowing, his lips so close!
“F-fine!” he attempted to snarl, the whitened knuckles of his fists bleaching out further when he realised what he’d said actually sounded like a whine; “y-you… you were r-right, okay?! Is that w-what… what you w-want t-t-to hear?!” he grumbled, a tremor running through him whilst his hardened cock started to twitch in complaint.
“Oh no-no-no” the older purred; “what I want to hear is you asking me to take my fingers” he crooned: “to jerk you off and open you up whilst I worship your neck, jaw and lips with my own” he replied, his words spiced with something that made him shake and whimper out in growing, sexual frustration.
“D-d-amn you, I… I… w-wan-t…” he somehow managed between gritted teeth, his forehead burrowing into the soft, moistness of the living wall (his imagination going into overdrive thanks to the sensory overload of everything going on around him, causing him to ask for something he couldn’t name); “I… p-please I… I n-need… I w-want…”
“Heh; close enough… for now.”
“F-f-or w-wha— aaaahhhhhhhhhhh~!” he cried out, his whole body jerking in shock and (damn it all!) pleasure as the alpha adjusted himself in a split second to wrap about him like a second-skin, that hungry mouth suckling the lobe of his ear whilst one hand lightly gripped his straining erection (t-tugging it!) and the other…
“Aaaahhhh-aaahhhh-aaahhhhh!”
… slinked between his legs to slide long, clever fingers against the frilled-opening of his secondary-sex, two of them rhythmically stroking, parting and dipping (but not entering; oh! Come-on-come-on-come-on!) into parts of him he never touched outside of cleaning…
“Hmm? You like that, don’t you?”
… the maddening sensation only heightened (causing his body to try and rock despite being trapped in the vice-like clamp of the other’s arms) when the fiend preening behind him slowly started to pump his cock a touch quicker, a light sting of teeth near his surgically-covered mating glands snapping him back to partial reality…
“N-no… no m-m-marks!” he rasped, his head tilting to the side despite himself; “no m-marks…” because he couldn’t face Hitoshi if…
He wouldn’t know how to deal with…
“Shh-shh-shh… I hear you, Shouta-kun… I’ll not leave any hickeys” the older replied, his voice sounding more than a little wrecked (which he shouldn’t feel proud about!); “well… that anyone will be able to see on you, at any rate…”
“W-w-wha— aaaaahhhhhhhhh~!” he keened, his fingers now uselessly scraping at the mossy wall he was melding into when, another sharp nip (at his collar-bone, this time, that son of a bitch!) making his quake as he was slowly, finally breached. “Aaahhhhhh…” he cried (again!) as the alpha pressed in deeper, a growl rolling up and out of that broad chest before a second and third digit were sent to help stretch the boiling, velvet softness he’d not…
Not since…
Never since Obor—
“So good… so sweet for me…” Toshinori (because his mate was… his mate wasn’t…) praised warmly, his own neon-eyes rolling as the other clenched down on him, his body trying to twist as he roiled in the pleasure.
He… he couldn’t wait any longer.
“S’not e-enough-h-h…” the omega heard himself moan; “m-more…”
Rolling his shoulders (as if to centre himself and calm the frenzy of pheromones thickly coating the moist air between them), the broader man pulled away and rubbed his slick coated fingers (so sweet and spicy) across his thickened girth, his body shuddering at the thought of having the quivering omega beneath him.
“I… I’m going to take you now, S-Shouta-kun” he breathed; “and then I’m going to keep show-wing you h-how good you can feel… you’ll never have to be a-alone… not again… not if… if you don’t w-want to because I… I am here… I am here for you… you’re very m-much wanted… d’you h-hear me?”
Whining in the back of his throat, the younger fighter could only strain and tremble in place; oh… but he needed, he needed, he needed, he…
“P-p-please…”
Smirking, the villain held his cock steady as he pressed the fattened, pre-cum smeared helm to the red, glistening entrance, his teeth biting into his bottom lip whilst he pushed inside the scorching, slippery channel, a loss of rational thought having him thrust all the way in, the movement jarring, causing the Pro to cry out and him to snarl lowly.
God… he’d never know such bliss…
Leaning in closer, his body spreading possessively overtop the lither frame of his lover, the blonde wrapped his right arm under the other’s abdomen as he pressed his forming knot against that quivering flesh whilst his left curled under the other’s well-defined chest, holding him closely.
“Aaahhh…”
Then, his omega thoroughly trapped within his embrace, both of them gasping for air, the taller man craned his neck to bring their faces closer to steal their first kiss (hot, desperate but not bruising… not yet… he couldn’t break that trust they were building… not yet) before tearing his mouth away to latch onto that ivory neck.
Which…
Was…
A mistake…
“D-d-don’t…”
Once his tongue sampled the pheromone rich oils seeping from that beautiful skin, all thoughts of being measured, of breaking the other man in gently flew out of the proverbial window.
“S-Shou-t-a-a-a…”
It just felt… too good…
Hips rolling in a deep, harsh rhythm (his knot already desperate, growing, hardening), the tanned criminal clutched his whimpering submissive close to him, his smaller, similarly desperate cock trapped against the mossy wall to be milked and he could tell by the other’s cries that he, too, was losing himself to the feeling of their coupling.
“Ahh! Ahh! Aaaaahhhh!”
For the omega’s legs, quaking though they were, struggled to keep him upright whilst he balanced on trembling tiptoes as he continued to pound into that clenching heat, his phallus sliding out by only a handful of inches before gliding back in as though it pained him not to be buried in that slickened fire.
And the taste of him?
Oh, he could feel his incisors lengthening into fangs, preparing to lay the bite which would lock them together in a bond that not even death could break.
He needed that reassurance, he must have it…
“Aaahhh… ahh… ahhhh~!”
Angling his hips a little more to the right, the grind of their bodies pressing together helping to bring the omega close to the edge, Toshinori grunted, his eyes rolling as he sucked at the flesh he’d captured, the pace he’d created maddening as Shouta continued to cry out.
“Nngghhhh~!!”
Smirking as he felt the man (who would one day be his mate, this encounter had only solidified the idea in his mind) cum between them and inside, a gush of slick cocooning his pulsing dick, the blonde slammed sharpened teeth to break purpled skin despite the metal-plating there stopping him from claiming the other… for now.
“Aaaahhhh-a-a-a-ahhhhh~!”
Then, the other sagging against him, he returned his lips to the delicious job of kissing the other into a deeper, senseless stupor before, his hips giving, four, five, six hard rolls, he slammed home, his knot scraping past straining, slippery walls before inflating and locking them together.
“Nnnggghhhh! So tight… s-so p-p-perfect-t-t-t-t, my S-Shouta…”
Chapter 16: Clarity and Perspective…
Summary:
Warnings include: heavy-petting, manipulation, coercion, power-play, secrets and lies, dystopian-utopia, dirty-talk, oral-sex discussed, dub-con, trust-issues, indoctrination, plots and schemes, frustration, anxiety, upset, canon-typical threats/threats of violence and feels~!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Waking up in a strange place not knowing what the fuck was going on shouldn’t be his default setting; however?
“—ave the children taken to garden plot 34B for a picnic; tell them that we’ve been delayed but we’ll join them at Melissa’s training facility at three so they can meet Tomura-kun… it’s only right that Izuku-shounen should meet his adopted older brother and I’m sure that his father wouldn’t mind—”
Life on I-Island was what it was and he just had to suffer it… for now, at least.
“—ell Dabi-kun not to worry so much… I mean, our newest member of the family didn’t attack him physically, after all, and so I’m sure everything isn’t lost in terms of his siblings being brought here and cared for—”
Not that he was particularly suffering at the moment, of course; sure… he was sore and achy in places (though certainly more relaxed, physically, despite the tingling dancing all over his skin, doubtlessly spiking where the other had bruised him… inadvertently or otherwise) but he’d not been harmed or restrained, either.
“—at Sensoji bastard? Yes, see that he’s dealt with until I arrive and speak with him, myself—”
No… he was lying (and very considerately positioned; he’d been bolstered up on large, sumptuous pillows) upon a bed, his hair mostly dry and an oversized t-shirt (one that Smite no doubt wore in his infamous muscle-form; shit… it was a good job the other could deflate himself to a more reasonable size) was covering him down to his mid-thighs.
“—sandwiches will be fine and yes, for the fourth time, that will be all; he isn’t yours to worry about, not anymore, not that he ever was… or are you forgetting yourself, again? You know what that’ll mean—”
Mid-thighs, he noticed, that seemed to have hand-prints on them; hmm.
“All hail me, king of bad decisions” he murmured whilst daring to sit up, a flinch running through him from his neck (ugh… the bastard had tried biting him, hadn’t he? He’d need to nip that in the bud real quick, especially since the old, broken bond he shared with the Nomu inhabiting Oboro’s body was sparking a little sharper than usual) and down his spine.
Tch.
Then, the sound of a door closing shut (downstairs; yes… Yagi lived in a duplex, didn’t he?), Shouta steeled himself and looked around the infamous alpha’s bedroom and noticed, with a blink of surprise, that it was just as featureless as the lower level.
Plain walls (a pale grey), built in wardrobes (the wooden doors were a darker grey; how… interesting) and ceiling lights which, although he’d been a minimalist before Hitoshi was born, really struck him as odd.
Not only because All Smite’s persona was loud, brashy and arrogant but?
This…
This room felt like outside…
Like an enclosure, a mockery of how people lived, a kind of set-up that aliens would assemble in a zoo after only observing humans from afar and sure, to have the common, lowly grunts of Shigaraki’s army live that way wasn’t surprising but the blond power-house was All for One’s right-hand.
Did…
Had the other been brain-washed into not wanting to live like a usual, modern person?
Or…
Had he always been this way, his life of fighting against the man (who’d now subdued and remade him so utterly, who’d messed with the minds of his kids! Potentially himself, too, because… how would, how could he know for certain?) whom he’d now sworn himself to now… allowing him to rest in a place long enough to decorate it?
Hmm…
“Feeling better, I take it?”
Jerking slightly (shit; regardless of his body (he… had denied it relief and been inadvertently building sexual tension for years) being looser he was still exhausted) because he had not sensed the other man approaching (he… should have heard him walk up the stairs or stride across the landing, right?), Shouta regarded him carefully.
“A little, thanks” he admitted (because it was mostly true) as the alpha leaned on the doorjamb, those neon eyes observing him with an intensity which set a few more red flags flying at the back of his mind; “have I been… umm, out long?”
“Forty minutes or so” the older man shrugged, his body dressed in charcoal sweat-pants and a black tank-top whilst he sipped at a can of something; “you hungry?”
Blinking, his stomach rumbling, Shouta felt his cheeks heat-up despite himself in abject embarrassment whilst the other chuckled.
“We’ll have a selection of sandwiches to choose from shortly but, in the mean-time” he grinned, his left arm (that’d been partially obscured behind his back) coming to the fore; “Hitoshi-kun told me that black, salty liquorice was your favourite treat” he offered before walking over and sitting, very closely, to him on the large, western-styled bed.
Also in grey.
Hmm.
“Thank you” he said carefully when the box (a premium brand, he noticed; shit… was this meant to be a courting gift? No… surely a man like Yagi wouldn’t want to settle… surely Shigaraki wouldn’t allow that) was presented to him; “you shouldn’t have gone to the trouble—”
“It’s no trouble, I assure you” the blonde winked before he placed his cola-can on the similarly pale bedside table (featuring a bland, dull-metal lamp with matching shade) stretched out and lay beside him as though this… whatever this situation between them was, was just a blissfully domestic moment shared between lovers.
But they weren’t.
They couldn’t be.
He was here against his will.
His son… sons were being held hostage.
He’d only instigated the sexual encounter they’d shared earlier to avoid any kind of forced situation later and because sex was meaningless to him.
Because anything even vaguely romantic or linked to desire was impossible for him due to his fractured-bond (which, logically, wasn’t such a barrier; another alpha claiming him and him returning the mating bite would solve it instantly since his first mate was… dead) and re-bonding, itself, was painful besides, but?
“What other things do you like?”
He… was completely shut off to such emotions and wants; when Oboro had… died? Carrying Hitoshi was what kept him alive after the initial, mind-cracking shock and he was sure that when the cloud-quirk user (his… soul? Did he want to believe in such things?) ceased to be as a… person, that his ability to love anyone else as partner ceased, as well.
“I… ugh… nothing, really.”
However?
“Come now, Shouta-kun… you don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”
He also needed to be… careful around this huge, powerful man and co-ruler of an illegal country full of villains because one wrong move (regardless of any reassurance he’d been offered; these people were criminals, after all) could result in brain-washing at the least and slavery at the worst.
“I… don’t tend to think about things for myself” he countered slowly whilst looking down at the bronzed man (God was probably a better descriptor, though, given everything) lounging beside him, his own fingers toying with the box of treats he’d been given. “My son comes before everything else but… I’ve always had a soft spot for cats” he tried before looking away from the other’s searching gaze whilst he tried not to fidget or appear as uncomfortable as he felt. “I don’t like overly sweet things and I can’t stand the taste of horse-meat* or mackerel” he shrugged; “but other than that, I can’t say I feel particularly strongly about anything” he mused whilst observing the weirdly windowless walls.
Just another disturbing feature.
Another reminder that the supposed freedom I-Island offered was fake, an illusion crafted by All for One to ensure that his followers stayed in line.
“And you?” he tried when he felt the other reach for him, those long, ridiculously strong fingers toying with the hem of the t-shirt he’d been dressed in while he’d been unconscious…
Vulnerable and completely at the other’s mercy… not that being awake made much difference, he supposed.
“Oh, I like the usual things” the older man crooned; “drinking nihonshu** in an onsen under the stars, enjoying the… company of beautiful omegas and femmes, conversing with my friends, tending to Melissa and smashing Endeavour or Star’n’Stripe through whichever city they stupidly challenge me in” he smirked. “Heh… now that is fun… it’s a shame they’re both too arrogant and stubborn to team-up and fight me together, though” he shrugged, a chuckle rumbling through him; “that would at least make our little spats somewhat… challenging” he grinned.
Regarding the older man quietly, Shouta tried not to let the anger-spiked horror he felt colour his scent…
“Ah… but Enji is a misogynist and Kathy, my former little protégé, is American through and through, her feminist ideals and egocentric sense of justice in the eyes of her country’s laws could never reconcile with his values… so there’s no chance of them doing what they should… not that it’d matter, I’m sure.”
… because, although the other was speaking so conversationally about the vast differences in power the #1 heroes had when measured against him, he couldn’t mistake the underlying threats and sheer, bloody arrogance (which seemed so genuine that he wasn’t sure if Shigaraki had brain-washed him at all) floating from the other’s mouth…
“And it’s not that I mind, really, as it wouldn’t make that much difference… especially since Sensei is happy enough to take world domination at his leisure; heh… when everything’s changed? When countries cease to exist and a quirk-enabled world without borders blooms as it should? All of these… petty squabbles will be forgotten even for her, even for any other enemy who has opposed us but not Todoroki, never him, not after the crimes he’s committed” he sighed before reaching for, taking another swig of his cola, and putting it back again.
Hmm.
“I… see” he managed for lack of anything else to say.
Shit, he—
“You doubt that we’ll be victorious, Shouta-kun?”
Blinking (fuck), the omega swallowed thickly before regarding him again; that very intense look was back: shit…
“I… don’t doubt that that’s what you believe” he said, the alpha’s fingers still playfully messing with the t-shirt’s hem, exposing more of his thigh; “and I think, for what it’s worth… that you believe in what you’re doing and that what you want for the world is right” he added, those too blue eyes sparking. “But peace… a forced kind of peace based off of everyone’s fear and deference to Shigaraki who is taking… who has taken what he wants at any cost? Is that really peace and, if so? Is the price really worth it?”
“Oh, it’ll be worth it, you’ll see” the bronzed man winked; “now… about those lessons I offered you earlier” he murmured: “feel free to say no; however? We have a few hours to kill before we meet up with the kids and, not to seem pushy, or anything, but I wouldn’t be averse to another round… especially since you’ve been neglecting yourself for such a long, lonely time” he purred.
Tch.
“How very… generous of you to be thinking of me” he retorted flatly, his eyes rolling whilst the other laughed.
“Heh~ there’s that fire” he cooed; “so… it’s a no to round two, then?”
“Your libido is ridiculous” he quipped, his eyes rolling whilst he gestured at himself; “tch… if we’re doing this again…”
“…I promise to be… gentle…”
“—if we do? No biting…”
“A-ah~! Hahahaaa… I was only teasing, I swear~” the other laughed, his eyes glittering with mirth as he rolled atop him (despite his indignant huff); “and besides… it was only a little nibble…”
“Oh really?” he grumped; “so if I were to look in a mirror” he hummed his head tilting to the left to expose the metal-patch still (thankfully) shielding his mating glands: “I wouldn’t see redness and bruising?”
“U-ugh… well…” the alpha tried, his tone a weird mix of bashful and predatory; “maybe some?”
“Umm-hmm” he grumped, his eyes rolling before he narrowed his gaze at the other, his arms folding across his chest because he was done being (afraid, worried, anxious) cowed and hell, if he could lead Yagi around by his knot then submitting to his concerns (despite how tired and trapped he was) wasn’t a logical choice.
Not that logic had served him well, recently.
“Okay, fine… you want to fuck me then fine, but that’s all that’s happening here, alright?” he quipped whilst the other smirked in a way momentarily shook the bravado he’d tried to build; shit…
“If that’s what you want, Shouta-kun” he purred, his larger frame settling on him more heavily; “I’m more than happy with that” he said, his right hand smoothing up his thigh, under the shirt he wore, to caress his hip in a way that spoke more about intimacy than the rudimentary exchange of meaningless pleasures.
Shit.
“I… I mean it” he breathed when he was pulled (gently) further down the pillows so that the other loomed over him, his legs trembling a little as he had to part them further to make way for the alpha’s bulk to rest between them, his breath hitching slightly; “t-there’s nothing m-more… I can’t give you a-anymore than that—”
“I know, I hear you” the blonde assured, those fingers rubbing soothing circles into his skin, sending goose-bumps from his hips to radiate all over him; “I’ll also hear you say that you want to stop at any time regardless of how far we go, alright?”
~*~
Watching as his omega (and future mate; probably sooner than the other would realise: who’d have thought he’d get to enjoy this delightful man on his first official day as a citizen of I-Island, their union further ensuring that he was a part (a crucial one, more so when he was with child) of the new world order’s ruling family) shudder, Toshinori felt…
“Ugh… thanks… I j-just want us on the same page, that’s all.”
“Of course” he effortlessly lied, his tone lacquered with the same, false geniality he used to use as All Might because even then, the fawning-masses so simpering and helpless had, aggravated and annoyed him because they (unlike himself and his true followers) just expected to be saved and he, because UA had taught him…
“Now… you have no objections to me taking you like this, do you? I would like to see your face, this time, and kiss you if you wouldn’t mind?”
Because that fool Torino and Nana had taught him that service with a smile was what would save them all, well?
“If that’s something you want? Sure… but I’m not well-versed in such things…”
He’d played the part.
“Something tells me you’re a natural, Shouta-kun, especially if our little tryst earlier was anything to go by.”
He’d created the role.
“Y-yeah well… come on… j-just, just get on with it…”
He’d told him that all would be well because he was there.
“Ah-ah-ah… you promised that you’d let me relax you, right? Well, you’re not exactly loose now… ah, well, perhaps that’s not the correct term, hm? You took me so well in the shower, didn’t you? So I should imagine that you’re quite—”
Because not a single, lily-livered one of them had dared to do otherwise and hell! He’d even done such stupid things when he was quirkless, hadn’t he?
“D-d-don’t… don’t say things like that~!”
Tch.
“Oh? Are you… blushing? Hmm… we’ll have to add dirty talk to the list of things that turn you on, won’t we?”
Not that his Shouta was such a fool he needed to put a show on for, no... he was like a wild colt who feared his inevitable taming, a lonely man who’d shouldered his imposed solitude nobly to avoid the inevitable life of a truly bonded mate (a life he deserved, a life he was born to have, a life he was made for) he’d come to love and enjoy… eventually.
“N-no!”
“Hahahahaaa~ you’re a riot, Shouta-kun… now, let’s start with some kissing, mouth to mouth” he grinned; “then I’d like to kiss your nipples…”
“Y-you… what?”
“… before taking your cock in my mouth” he furthered as the other blushed and fidgeted beneath him in the most adorable, almost virginial way; “if that’s alright with you, of course?”
~*~
Sitting on the picnic blanket, a plate of vegetable batons and an onigiri resting upon it untouched, Yagi Melissa wasn’t sure how to analyse, understand or even categorise what she was… feeling, right now.
“Ooohhh~! Your quirk is so cool, nii-san~! Would you mind if I asked you about it s’more? Oh~! Can I take notes, please?”
Because she… she’d never been exposed to something which had caused conflict in her mind, before.
“It… it’s not that great; the main-land society doesn’t think so, no it… it’s just meant to destroy… and that’s what I’ll use it for, when the time comes.”
A conflict born, she feared, from her talking so animatedly about Shouta-san and the two new friends she’d made, two new friends who were sat with her now, neither of them remembering anything about their past lives (she’d… subtly checked) other than they’d lived on the main-land but decided to move here so Izuku could know his father. So that all of them could have a better life in a place where they’d be safe, no one would pick on them anymore; her own father had said that people were… cruel to the quirkless and demonised some mutations; that’s why Shouta-san’s kindness had been such a pleasant surprise.
“Ano… what do you mean, Shigaraki-senpai?”
And speaking of Hitoshi’s Papa? He… was nowhere in sight and her own father so suspiciously absent and not fretting over her not being under his watchful gaze less than ten days after her abduction; it… it was unheard of for her only parent to make plans to meet with her and then simply not attend.
“That’s my purpose… Sensei says that it’s my destiny to help him tear-down and reform the world and, well? Now that you two are here, you’ll be helping me… all three of you will help me when he’s ready to save everyone of those sheep-like fools from themselves and their hypocrisy.”
She… she wasn’t sure what to think; on the one hand? Having friends was (amazing, incredible) good because she didn’t feel (lonely, odd) like the only child in the world, anymore, even despite being so different from them in terms of experiences and outlook.
“W-wah?! Nii-san?! Are… are you saying that we get to be heroes?!”
On the other? She knew that Shigaraki-sama could and did influence people but she’d always thought that it’d been for their own good, that he was helping them to move on from trauma or to accept things they struggled with because Garaki jii-sama had told her as much when she’d witnessed their leader alter someone last year. It’d been interesting, from a scientific point of view (she did so enjoy learning and was glad she could share such pursuits with Izuku and Hitoshi since both seemed so eager to develop their intellects) and she knew that the kindly country-leader would never use his powers to—
“Tch! No! Heroes are a cancer on this world! How dare you say such a disgusting thing?!”
Blinking, her eyes narrowing in surprise, Melissa was on her feet in seconds as Tomura-kun snarled and snapped, his taller body stood over a shocked, frightened and deeply upset Izuku who Hitoshi was clinging onto, their eyes tearful under the teenager’s sudden wrath.
“Shigaraki Tomura” Kurogiri soothed, his regal form swirling to interpose himself between the boys whilst she stumbled over to them; “this simply will not do” he gently chided whilst the pale boy hissed, his body stiffening in afront within his oversized hoody and baggy sweatpants, the crimson of his eyes glimmering. “You should apologise…”
“You should tell those brats the truth and get them training instead of acting like this is some sort of summer vacation” he retorted in kind, his hands balling into fists which he shoved into his pockets with an annoyed huff; “I can’t believe that I paused my game to be here, you know? Yagi-senpai couldn’t even be bothered to join us and Sensei isn’t here, either, so what’s the point?” he spat.
“Tomura-kun…”
“Tch! And don’t you start, Melly” he stated (because he… they had never really gotten along; her father had said that Tomura was jealous of her and not to worry about it and so she simply hadn’t, but…) gruffly; “your daddy went and grabbed some friends for you to play with, right? So stop bothering me and do your job, for once” he told her before stalking away, his red sneaker-boots soundless on the artificial grass whilst she stared after him.
“Boys? Are you alright?”
What?
“U-um yeah… I just… I don’t really understand what’s going on, Kurogiri-san, I… why did he say those things? What did he mean?”
They’d not been… grabbed for her, right?
“Hitoshi-kun, Shigaraki Tomura is simply a little stressed, that’s all, and he’d not used to talking with young people, so please don’t take anything he’s said to heart, alright?”
That wasn’t the right adjective or the right sentiment and, wait…
“T-that… that s-s-still doesn’t e-explain w-why my nii-san's so… so mad-d at me, I… I… what d-did I do w-wrong? D-does he h-hate me… now?”
Do her job?
“Izuku-kun, please do not fret so; I believe he was simply lashing out at you because he’d prefer to play video-games, that’s all… now come on, why not have some of the ice-cream you asked for, hm?”
What job? She—
“And then I’m sure you’ll all feel better, okay?”
Notes:
*Yep, for those of you who aren’t aware, horse-meat is very common in Japan and, should you ever go there/visit a restaurant where the English menu just says ‘meat’ (which is often the case and translation apps sometimes can’t read fonts properly) it’s always best to ask your server which meat is in the dish you want to order before buying it.
**Most people in the west know ‘sake’ as the traditional rice wine (in its many, delicious variations) Japan is renowned for; however, in Japan itself? The word ‘sake’ simply means ‘alcohol’ and so, should you be in Japan you can ask the bartender for the type (such as Junmai; my personal favourite) or simply ask for nihonshu = the alcohol of Japan.
Chapter 17: To be in Over your Head…
Summary:
Warnings include: SWEARING, SMUT-ISH to start (rutting, possessive language, Shouta is asleep and knotted and Toshinori is awake and horny, what're you gonna do? ^_^;; Me? I'm just gonna throw ANGST at it! It's what I do~!), children being upset, cracks in AFO's control be showing, Twice isn't weightist... he's just comic relief, I swear~! Kurogiri be doing a malfunction (hooray?), Aizawa is SO DONE~! JUST DONE, I SAY~! Shigaraki Tomura is NOT having a good time (but he's going to think Earserhead is cool because that piece of canon gives me LIFE!), protective Aizawa, BMAF Aizawa, worry and FEELS~!
So...
The last update was in March, huh...
Huh...
#lol? #sorry?
^_^;;
Ugh... my life SUCKS right now so... here~!
Have some angst and smutty-stuff~!
XD
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
After fucking his delicious intended-mate into his bed…
“A-ah-aahhh-aaahhh~!”
“T-that’s it… let it a-all out-t, s-sweetheart… s-sing for me… j-just like-e that-t.”
… to the point where the raven-haired beauty passed out once more (he’d be all the better after another nap, his body slowly but surely succumbing to the inevitability of them mating no matter how hard his mind and sadly broken heart might deny it), Yagi Toshinori revelled in the feeling of gently rutting between those supple thighs, his knot slowly emptying…
“And to think that you either value yourself so little or are choosing to trust that I am not truly interested in you so much to lie there so unguarded and vulnerable” he preened, the thought of his seed filling the other unlocking the more primal parts of his brain. “Heh… for all you know? I could inject you with all manner of things… bring on your heat-cycle, pump you full of aphrodisiacs and have you beg me to mate you” he murmured, a smirk tugging at him lips whilst he appraised the sleeper.
“Ah, but would I, could I do such thing?”
So lovely.
“Is that how a true alpha would secure you?”
So soft, pliant and naive.
“Is that what someone as courageous, strong and brave as you deserves?”
So ripe for the taking but no…
“No” he whispered fondly, his tone sincere whilst he regarded those unguarded features, that slender, pale neck and the irritating sheet of metal hiding the mating glands he’d soon pierce with rut-lengthened fangs.
“How could I use such tricks, how stupid would I be to take from you when I want you to give yourself to me freely?” he breathed, his azure eyes alight with mischief. “No… I think I’ll let you run on a long-leash for a while yet” he purred, his bigger body moving to rest completely atop the lightly panting sleeper, his hands moving from the hips he’d been gripping to smooth up his sides before slinking under his shoulders to converge under the nape of the omega’s neck.
Mm~
He could stay like this fore—
*Bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz*
Blinking, a disgruntled sigh leaving him (how typical that he should be disturbed now, the prospect of a light nap still buried in the pretty-hero he’d recruited one that’d been so deliciously appealing before his phone (had he not ordered his subordinates to leave him be?) started buzzing), Toshinori glared at his bedside table.
*Bzz- bzz-bzz-bzz*
Hmm…
*Bzz- bzz-bzz-bzz*
If he waited long enough then maybe, just maybe it would—
*This is an emergency call… this is an emergency call…”
Grunting, his brows lifting a fraction, the alpha leaned over (his lover clearly too exhausted to be roused by the swift, yet considerate roll of his body to the right; he wouldn’t be pulling out of the other unless absolutely necessary, the swell of his knot still pleasurably fat) to snag the device to find Kurogiri’s imperious countenance staring back on the caller-id.
Oh?
“Yagi-sama” the Nomu intoned (shit… he could hear sniffling in the background?) the second their call connected; “the children’s meeting with Shigaraki Tomura has not gone as planned” he continued and what the hell?
What the fuck?
“How?” he heard himself veritably groan; “it was a picnic, so how could…”
“Izuku-kun mistakenly likened young Tomura to a hero—”
Well, shit.
“—and his reaction was rather… volatile.”
Fuck.
“I see” he sighed, his eyes rolling in the wake of his good-mood being so thoroughly spoiled; “take the children back to Shouta’s apartment and we’ll meet you there” he huffed, his eyes sliding to the man he’d fully intended to fuck again before making a fuss of their children. “Give us about thirty minutes, okay? Oh, and have more food ordered” he furthered, his thumb now flicking through his contacts, the frown he wore darkening when he came across his *kohai’s number.
“Because you'll pick us up with Tomura and he will apologise properly” he stated firmly, his eyes narrowing at number he was about to call.
“Whether he wants to, or not…”
~*~
Pensively sitting in their living room (this new one so much bigger and so much nicer… well, in some ways; now… he wasn’t quite so sure), Aizawa Hitoshi nestled his brother (because he was… even if Shigaraki-san was the freckled boy’s father, right?) between himself and Melissa (who was their friend… wasn’t she?) on the largest of their new couches.
“Perhaps… it would be better for you all to play a game? And if there is nothing here that suits, well, I can always find you something else?”
He… knew they were safe (for some reason, he really liked Kurogiri-san, Yagi-san and Shigaraki-san and his Papa was here, too… somewhere) and everyone (other than Tomura-nii… if they could really call him that, especially after he’d been so mean) had been so nice to them and yet?
“Or… would you prefer to watch a television show? We have all channels available and I’m certain that there are many dedicated to things young people like to watch.”
Sitting here, the sound of Izuku sniffling clashing with Melissa’s sudden but irrefutable silence, he was starting to think, more and more, about the hows and whys of, well, everything.
“And Shou— your Papa, will be returning shortly… there will also be more food and, um, chances to talk as well, of course.”
Because, although he’d never really stopped to think about this before? Wasn’t their sudden move from the mainland, well, sudden? Hadn’t he… hadn’t they had lives before? Weren’t their people (family?) he should be missing, remembering beyond vague flashes of faces, names and special occasions? Was this why his Papa seemed so sad, even when he tried his best to hide it?
“You… you mustn’t take Tomura’s demeanour to heart, you understand? He has a great many responsibilities and, like you? He is a young, he is… still learning and I’m certain that, when you all start mixing together properly? You’ll become very good friends.”
He… he wasn’t quite sure what to think or how to feel, especially since their (nanny? Butler? Child-minder? Kurogiri seemed to be a lot of things, his quirk enabling him to be in many places at once, it seemed) current guardian was pacing like In— like… like someone, a woman with green hair(?) used to do when she was… worried?
“Yes, of this I’m certain… our nation cannot be a true home, a true place for all enlightened people without children and without those children being happy… because children, you, are the future.”
Was… was that right? Or had he dreamt it?
“Ah… I believe that the food is here, um, please remain seated… or make your way to the table, alright?”
Blinking, his eyes tracking the usually composed (was he? How long had he known him, again?) man as he steadfastly glided to his home’s(?) door; he… where had they lived before? He knew it was on the main-land (whatever that meant) and now they were here where it was safe and they’d be taken care of and…
“Do you or our master’s wards require anything else, Kurogiri-san? Man, they sure eat a whole lot~! I couldn’t believe that you’d ordered more food after that gut-buster of a picnic~!”
Frowning more so (because who was their master, exactly? He… he and Izuku certainly weren’t wards, either… they were their Papa’s sons… weren’t they?), Hitoshi narrowed his eyes at a man (was that a whole-body suit? He’d never seen anything like that before) he didn’t know as he stood jovially in the doorway, bags of food in hand.
“That will be all, thank you Twice.”
Hmm.
“If you say so~! Bye kids~! Don’t go getting fat, or nothing~!”
And then, with the closing (and locking, he was sure he’d heard it; was it for their protection, right?) of the front door, he watched as their current guardian ghosted back to the expansive dining table behind the couches he and his friends sat on, the newly delivered packages and cartons soon distributed.
“T-Toshi-i?”
Turning back to his brother, his friend, the lilac haired boy strengthened the hug he held him in; “s’okay, Zuku” he murmured gently, his gaze meaningfully shifting to Melissa: “me, you, Himowari and Papa? We’re gonna be okay” he told him firmly, the blonde (who’d seemed just as distressed as they were, earlier) swallowing but nodding resolutely.
“Cus heroes are real, they are cool, and our Papa is one of them… and we? We’re not gonna forget that, alright?”
~*~
Being roused (washed again? His hair was damper than he remembered it being, his skin now smelling like fresh lilacs as opposed to sex) and so gently, Aizawa Shouta felt, was probably more disconcerting than it should be…
“Feeling better, I take it?”
“Marginally… where are we, exactly?”
… because he was trapped on an island full of (criminals? Brain-washing victims? The deluded? The deranged?) people in a copy-and-paste utopia which seemed anything but, his body (especially lower down) slightly sore but definitely more relaxed thanks to All for One’s indominable right-hand…
“Hahahahaa~ why, we’re in your bedroom, of course… hm, it’s not surprising that you didn’t notice since you seemed so hellbent on sleeping in your living room, I suppose~”
“I see… and Kurogiri brought us here, right?”
… who had made quick work of fucking him senseless which, he supposed, hadn’t been one of his brightest ideas. However, not having a threat of something sexual that he didn’t instigate hanging over him was (important, reassuring) good and he might have also lulled one of the most powerful alphas known to man into a false sense of security, his testosterone fuelled brain now probably thinking of him as a sap than a threat…
“Um, but don’t worry, he can activate portals remotely so our children haven’t been left unguarded~”
“That’s good… wait, they’re here, they’re in the apartment?” he chuffed whilst trying to push himself up, a grunt leaving him when a strong, sun-kissed hand atop his chest lightly kept him in place.
“Don’t go rushing around just yet” the alpha intoned with a grin; “you’re bound to be a little sore—
“—thanks to you—”
“—so let’s take this slowly” he chuckled before leaning away, the fleeting thought that his room had now been scented by the man who’d just fucked into actually senselessness (shit; fucking was one thing, but this was meant to be his space, his alpha-free, child-friendly refuge in this den of inequity and, worse still? He couldn’t be mad because, this way? His boys would think he’d just been napping again) souring him more.
“How long have I been out, exactly?” he asked, his eyes flicking around the still minimalist space (that he’d not paid that much attention to before now; shit, had anything been changed? Had Yagi slipped anything in here to maintain his scent, his presence once he left? He’d have to check everything carefully, later) warily.
“Twenty minutes or so” the blonde quipped whilst rolling off of the bed with a grace that shouldn’t be possible given his frame and stature (but he was to epitome of Shigaraki’s perfectionist-complex wasn’t he? The ultimate golden-boy and poster-child for I-Island and the New Era they wanted to spark) to stand and offer him his hand.
Tch.
Purposefully ignoring it (because they’d had sex, that’s all it was, and he’d be damned if the other perceived him giving-in on something that meant so little to him as a sign of weakness or… submission) to roll the other way, Shouta pulled himself into a stand with less discomfort (a testament to other’s self-control if nothing else) and huffed when the older man let out a low-whistle.
“There are very few people who can enjoy such a… carnal- workout with me and pull themselves together so flawlessly” he complimented with a wink.
“I’m sure” he replied glibly, his eyes rolling as he began to round the bed and approach the bedroom’s door; “but you’re keeping our… workout strictly between us, still, right?” he asked whilst he made to walk past him, his left arms suddenly and firmly gripped, causing him to still and glare at the preening prick so smugly holding him.
“Is that still what you want?”
“Yes” he veritably hissed before giving his limb an experiment tug to no avail; “it was a promise we made… or are you going back on your word?” he asked hotly, his body almost stumbling when he was released.
“No-no, nothing like that” the other grinned with that irritatingly attractive smile of his, those broad shoulders rolling in a shrug as they continued their stand-off in what should have been a room of peace and tranquillity; “I was simply testing the waters, is all… plus? I had a great time, you had a great time—"
“—even if you do say so, yourself—”
“—so I’m just letting you know that my door, figuratively or otherwise, is always open… for sex and potentially more should you ever change that incredibly closed-off mind of yours~” he offered before beating him to the door, those azure eyes roaming over him in a way that made him shudder despite himself.
“I’ll head out first” he told him, that smile tugging into a smirk; “and you might want to change before joining us” he commented blithely, his own eyes widening as he finally looked at himself; shit!
“Although, since we’re being honest? I’d much prefer you didn’t~”
Sucking in a breath, his cheeks heating in a mixture of anger and embarrassment, Shouta glared at the over-sized (but not on its original owner; tch!) t-shirt (and nothing else, not even fucking underwear; shit! How had he not noticed?!) he was wearing before turning and stomping back to his ridiculously large, clothing-choked wardrobe even before the alpha left.
“Thanks for the warning, asshole!”
“You’re very welcome, sweetheart~”
~*~
Emerging from his room no less than five minutes later, his body now appropriately covered in loose fitting black trousers and a similarly baggy, sky-blue Ganriki-neko t-shirt (his hair definitely down because the son of a bit HAD bruised his neck a little; tch!), the omega wasn’t quite prepared for what he saw when he opened the door.
“Ah~ there he is, see~ all rested and absolutely fine~”
“P-Papa~!”
“Papa!”
“W-whoa, hey… hey are you guys alright?” he gushed, his boys having bolted towards him (each child having attached themselves to his legs in a grip that suggested something beyond their general time apart had upset them; shit!) and, his hands soothingly placed against their backs, he found himself glaring at their… guests; “what’s—".
“Aahahahahahaaa~ well, it seems that making new friends, even in a wonderful place like this, can be difficult at times… right Tomura-kun?”
Scowling, his gaze slipping from Yagi (casually munching on a sandwich with Melissa sat on his lap, her little face trying to force a smile; shit) to Kurogiri (silently standing across from the blonde-fiend, his powdered lemon eyes flickering a little when he sent his anger sparking across their broken bond) to a white-haired teen who similarly scowled, his arms crossing defensively.
“I said I was sorry, okay? S’not my fault that—”
“Ah-ah-ah~ you don’t follow up an apology with an excuse now, do you?”
“Tch… no senpai.”
Feeling his hackles raise, Shouta narrowed his eyes further; “you’re a little old to be upsetting kids and pretending that the hurt you’ve caused doesn’t matter, aren’t you?” he challenged, those naturally-red irises meeting his with a sneer and a curl of chapped lips.
“What’s it to you, Eraserhead?” he snipped whilst the butler-Nomu stiffened and All Smite picked up another sandwich, his keen gaze sharpening as though he wanted to see this interaction play out.
Fine then; if he wanted a show, he’d give one.
“Nothing much, really” he shrugged whilst guiding his sons to stand behind him; “but to you? It’s going to be a lot” he stated firmly, his shoulders squaring: “because you and me? We’re going to be having problems if this happens again” he told him frankly and, when the teen laughed?
“Ha! Problems?! Problems? Fuck you, hero-prick! You can’t touch me but I can touch you and you best believe that—”
“Prove it” he shrugged whilst stepping forward, the tension in the room spiking as he gestured for the children to stay put (because he was through with pussy-footing around and, even when Kurogiri’s aura darkened, he continued to approach); “if you’re old enough to talk shit then you’re old enough to back it up, right?”
“You fucking bet I am” the younger omega replied darkly whilst standing and stalking around the table; “and it’s nice, you know, to see that there are some Pros with balls” he smirked, his hands raising in a way he supposed was meant to look menacing.
Tch.
“I’ll make sure that’s written on your grave-marker— whoa-the-fucking-shit?!”
Moving quickly, erasure already blazing, Shouta made short work of grabbing, twirling, restraining and forcing the cocky little shit to the floor, his right knee now placed at the centre of the gasping, bewildered teen’s shoulder lower back, his right hand clutching the other’s wrists together and pushing them towards the shoulder-blades in a classic, stress-position.
“A-ah! Oowww! What the actual fuck-k-k-k!?”
Then, those fingers (desperately trying to reach him; wow… who the hell had been training this kid? He’d given away where his quirk emitted from so arrogantly and easily that he’d clearly thought he was untouchable) nowhere near him, the older man rolled his eyes and released erasure’s effect.
“Shut your mouth before I start breaking bones”** he cautioned dryly, his tone the epitome of bored whilst the other’s temper-tantrum ceased under the growing pain of having his arms so firmly wrenched, the side profile of his skin-cracked face he could see (pushed into the carpet and fanned by lank, dishevelled hair) creased with shocked-pain.
“Y-y-you— you son of a bitch! Senpai! Kurogiri! I demand that you—"
“They’re not going to help you, not this time” he said, his dispassionate gaze meeting the narrowed (angry, scared, a look he’d seen a thousand times or more… sometimes even in the mirror; shit, the entity which inhabited his mate’s body was right, this teen, this boy was in trouble and shit-tonnes of it, too) glare the other sent him.
“F-f-fuc— Ow! Oooowwwww! O-okay, okay! I’m s-shutting up just… just d-d-don’t…”
Ebbing the pressure on the wrists he held slightly (because he wasn’t stupid; he may not know what Shigaraki Tomura was capable of, per say, but he was his master’s would be successor and that meant he couldn’t let up, not when he had his own children and their safety to think about), Shouta nodded.
“So, you are capable of listening and learning? Good, that’s your first step” he intoned, his tone still ruthlessly neutral as he leaned a little closer to the (not if he could help it) future villain; “from now on? You’ll address me as Aizawa-sensei” he said as Tomura blinked and baulked.
“Because your master has charged me with the task of teaching you to make the most of yourself, the best of yourself regardless of your gender and, under my watch?” he furthered, the straining eye of his captive widening is surprise.
“No one will ever get the better of you, like this, again… well, not unless you piss me off and upset my kids, you got it?”
Notes:
*“Senpai refers to the member of higher experience, hierarchy, level, or age in the organization who offers assistance, friendship, and counsel to a new or inexperienced member, known as the kōhai, who must demonstrate gratitude, respect, and occasionally personal loyalty.” – Wikipedia. Again, it has been A WHILE since I updated but I did have Tomura call Toshinori his senpai… so, reciprocation of respect for the win? XD
**Let us all NOT forget that, during the training-camp arc, Aizawa caught Dabi’s clone and began slowly but methodically breaking his arm whilst interrogating him… because Eraserhead IS BNHA’s equivalent to Batman and sure, he doesn’t kill… he just maims you to the point where you wish you were dead *laughs nervously~!* - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP_SyCEJc1o
Chapter 18: Our New Normal…
Summary:
Warnings include: angst (this should be my username ^_^;;), swearing, threats (both overt and obvious), coercion, intimidation, the duality of lying; can lying ever be a good thing? Frightened children, treading on metaphorical eggshells, accepting unescaped truths and feels~!
Notes:
So... it's nearly been a year...
^_^;;
My apologies to anyone who may have been waiting; my life is an absolute dumpster fire... and it has been since the beginning of 2024, so getting time to myself, let alone time to write has been a real struggle.
This is also quite short but it's the best I can do right now.
Thank you for reading; people even just dropping a little comment to say "hi" seems like such a little thing, but it feels so much to someone trapped in circumstances beyond their control, you know?
*Hugs*
♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤♡ ♥💕❤
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Sitting through one of the most awkward dinners of his life to date…
“So, what kinds of things should I be eating to build up muscle like yours, sensei? I doubt trying to emulate senpai’s diet will work out for me since I’m an omega, right?”
“Maa-aa, who’d have thought you’d finally take an interest in training after all of these years, neh? Shigaraki-sama, our true teacher, will be pleased, kohai~”
… Aizawa Shouta was struggling (a long running theme in his life, as of late, and one he was certain would haunt him for years to come; shit) to keep his responses measured and composure in check…
“It… it’s not as though I wasn’t, you know, interested before and Sensei has never tried to—”
“Hahahahahahaaa~ tell that to poor Jin~ why, you must have disintegrated fifty or more of his clones over the years whenever he offered to take you to the gym~”
… because sitting here, around the table of his home, his boys and Melissa beside him with All Smite and Shigaraki Tomura across from them, did not a stress-free interaction make…
“S-Senpai! Stop embarrassing me in front of him, would you?! Ugh! You’re so not cool, right now!”
“Wari-wari*~”
… especially when someone other than himself was the first to break into the pleasant conversation the two villains were indulging in whilst he and his kin feigned picking at their sandwiches…
“Ano… what is that I’m meant to be training for, otou-san?”
Blinking (and nearly inhaling the crumbs he’d been toying with to pass the time), Shouta felt his hackles stand on end whilst he and everyone else looked towards the little blonde femme who, instead of using the endearment of ‘daddy’ with the starry-eyed enthusiasm most children of her age were known for, was regarding her parent carefully.
Her parent who, after wiping the look of bewilderment from his face, chose to narrow those neon-blue eyes (alight with power and annoyance) squarely at him.
Shit.
“Melissa-chan” the power-crackling criminal began slowly; “just what has he…”
“Tomura nii-san is the one who told me about training” the girl hurriedly cut in, her words causing the white-haired youth to baulk and slump in on himself; “he… he said that I had a job to do” she added quietly amidst the growing tension in the room.
“So… what is it?”
Shit.
“Ahh~ my darling girl~” the alpha recovered smoothly (after narrowing a look at his young protege who, at least, had the good grace to bow his head in shame); “I’m sure that Tomura only meant—”
“No” the child challenged, her eyes tearing as she sat up straighter in her chair; “you… you promised that you would never lie to me, otou-san” she managed, her small hands balling into fists: “is… am I some kind of… kind of weapon, too?” she pushed, her lips quivering.
“Is… is that what ji-chan wants? Is… is Izuku also meant to be… like me because he’s quirkless, too?”
Sucking in a breath (he’d not realised he’d been holding it; however, a quick look at the boys he cared about (both paler than they should be; fuck everything!) confirmed that they were very much tuning into her distress, as well), Shouta silently willed his naturally calming omega pheromones to kick in as he cleared his throat.
“Melissa” he began gently, her paled face (pinched with growing anxiety and fear) shifting to view him; “you have every right to speak your mind and look for answers, especially since whatever happened between the four of you whilst your father and I were away seems to run a lot deeper than what Kurogiri-san suggested” he added whilst the Nomu in question flickered and darkened.
Tch, calling the bastard (so stoically and quietly stood near the couches like some fucking ghoul from a horror-movie) out on his deception would, at least, help to keep Tomura (who perked up a little now that the blame for this… situation was being shared out); “what is it that’s worrying you so much?” he continued despite Yagi tensing. “Is it the thought of helping your father and grandfather or feeling as though they’re keeping something from you?” he pushed because, if nothing else, her response would give him a better idea of how far he could potentially trust her as he endeavoured to find a way off this blasted island for him and his boys.
“O-oh, well, I… I just” she managed, her hands now wringing the napkin she’d shoved onto the table; “I… I don’t…”
“In that case” he soothed, his eyes slanting to the hulking alpha who’d zeroed that caustic, analytical gaze upon him once more; “I think that this may be more of a family matter” he said as she blinked: “a family matter that you, your father, Tomura-kun and maybe even Shigaraki-sama should have in private” he suggested whilst she sniffed.
“B-but… we… we’re all family now, aren’t we?” she asked, her lips trembling once more.
Shit.
“Be that as it may” he carefully redirected as the tension in the room continued to prickle and mount; “I have a feeling that your father may want to speak with you without the… um, pressure of an audience” he tried, the excuse hopefully enough to persuade her. “And besides… Hitoshi, Izuku and I? We know who you are to us… you’re their best friend and I couldn’t have a better opinion of you and how strong, brave and smart you are and that? That’s enough for us to know… we couldn’t see you any differently” he added with a smile that he prayed didn’t look strained…
Even as Izuku nodded…
“Maa~ we… we’re kind’a like cousins, too, right? I… I know it’s… it’s kind of scary to not know things… so, after you talk with your dad? I… we’re here if you want to talk after… that, that might make me feel brave enough to talk to my dad, too, you know… at some point?”
… and Hitoshi grinned…
“Y-yeah, and if you do have to do some kind of training, well, we’ll be here to help you because Papa is, well, he’s kind’a gonna be teaching all of us anyway, so it’s only logical… and, ugh, we like you for who you are and… well? Anything your dad tells you about yourself won’t change you as a person, right?”
… the Pro (who couldn’t be prouder of the kids beside him despite the crushing guilt he felt for dragging them into this situation) wasn’t quite sure what he’d do if she didn’t take the hint, and…
“I… o-okay” the young girl (and God, watching her innocence melt aware under whatever conspiracies and questions were eating at her was hard but, given her intellect (and he’d always prided himself on his son’s outstanding IQ for his tender years), he was pretty sure Smite wouldn’t be able to bull-shit her, either) relented, her eyes still dewy but calmer; “okay”.
“Ah, well, if that’s the case then perhaps we should take our leave… all four of us, and leave Aizawa-san and his boys to enjoy some family time before we join Shigaraki-sama at the Arena for tonight’s big show, hm?” the alpha called out merrily whilst standing; “it promises to be an evening that we’ll all enjoy, so please make sure you’re well rested in case you want to take part in any of the games~”
~*~
Biting his tongue to stop the spilling of his many questions (what Arena? Since when were they going to any kind of event, let alone one being hosted by (a suspiciously absent over the last few hours; although, running a criminal empire had to keep him busy, tch) Shigaraki and at night?), Shouta graciously (and quickly) walked them out.
“Remember what I told you, Himawari-chan” he heard himself say when she hesitated by the doorjamb, his new pupil (who kept flicking looks at him as though he held all the answers; that kind of desperation was dangerous: shit, no wonder Kurogiri had accepted the bargain they’d struck so readily) having walked ahead with his Nomu guardian. “We’re here… and you’re welcome to come visit whenever you like, okay? We know that you won’t lose sight of yourself and who you are—”
“And we couldn’t be more happy to receive such kindness on your part, Shouta-kun” her father (the look in his eyes a little warmer but analytical nonetheless; he didn’t like the thought of the brute not underestimating him, either: he couldn’t afford to lose anymore advantages) answered in her stead. “A kindness that I’ll be certain to repay~” he added with a wink that should have been jaunty and carefree.
It was anything but.
However, his tongue receiving another bite for good measure, the omega didn’t tell the villain (who’d abducted and kept his family to ransom) bastard to go fuck himself (because that could be an invitation he’d regret… not unlike earlier; shit… what had he been thinking?) and merely ducked his head with a “thanks” before he shut the door.
Fuck…
“P-Papa?”
Stilling, the relief he felt at All Smite’s exit tragically short-lived, Shouta turned and looked down at his boys (both teary eyed and only a step or two behind him, their lunch long forgotten) as Izuku stumbled his way into the open armed crouch he dropped into on instinct, his eyes widening.
“P-P-Papa… I… I’m n-not your… you-r s-son, am I?” he sobbed, the question causing him to baulk and tighten the gentle hold he had on him.
“Izu” he breathed, his eyes closing after he beckoned Hitoshi to join them, Shigaraki’s poorly veiled threats hanging over his mind like the sword of fucking Damocles**; “I… in every way other than biological? I am your Papa, well, if you’ll have me, okay?”
“U-um” the child sniffled; “b-but who… who is…” he sobbed, his quaking arms tightening around his neck: “w-who i-is…”
Sighing, the omega briefly looked up at one of the many cameras monitoring them; he knew that All for One wouldn’t hesitate to take his quirk, murder him (maybe his birth-son, too; a thought he couldn’t bear) and erase the freckled child’s memory… so he needed to tread carefully…
“Izuku…”
… and choose his words precisely in order to keep them all as safe as he could…
“…when we lived on the mainland? Hitoshi and I were your neighbours and you lived with your Mama” he said as the child pulled away from him a little, their eyes meeting; “like you? I… I don’t remember leaving” he said (because it wasn’t a lie, per say; they’d all been compressed, after all): “but I do know that your father wants you to be here and be happy…”
“B-but…”
“And I know, that wherever she is, your Mama loves you too, okay? I… I promised her, on my life, that I would always be there for you and she made me the same promise for Hitoshi” he said, a true smile trying to prick his lips: “she is strong, brave and wonderful like you… ano… but because she’s gotten to spend six wonderful years with you?” he added, his expression straining a touch. “I think that your father… I think that it was decided” he rephrased whilst gently wiping the child’s tears away; “that you should get to know your dad… you’re a big boy now, and I’m sure that you can see just how busy he is, right?”
“Um” he nodded through another sniff; “he… he’s really important, here, isn’t he?”
“Heh, well… that’s one way of putting it” he tried not to snort, his momentarily levity clearly a sign of the hysteria he was struggling to hide and, after a swallow (Izuku’s earnest desire to find comfort a need he couldn’t overlook), he pushed a smile he reserved for missions (because he’d spent hours developing it to look genuine) across his features.
“But, despite how busy and… important he is… he’s managed to find time to spend with you, hasn’t he? And he’s certainly made sure that our new home is really comfortable… I mean, the bedrooms that you boys have now? It must have taken him quite a while to pick out everything and put it all together” he relented (because a gilded cage was, arguably, better than a barren one) gently.
“O-oh, oh yeah… yeah, that’s true~” his adopted son responded brightly until, after a minute to think: “but I… I still don’t get why she… she isn’t here and that I can’t” the boy dithered, his frown returning; “I can’t remember her…”
Shit.
“I wish I could tell you why you can’t… I wish I knew; however, with security around this place being so strict? Maybe your father thought it would be for the best that you can’t… for now” he tried to reason softly (because Shigaraki, his powers and motives, were well above his pay-grade) whilst regarding them both. “And getting used to that, getting used to our new-normal it… it’s probably going to take a while” he reasoned as the children seemed to relax a little more (they’d clearly been sitting on pent up anxiety since their failed picnic, earlier) and fold back into his arms.
“But, whatever happens next? I swear to you that I’ll do anything and everything to keep you both safe and well, okay?” he told them, his arms tightening his hold even as his mind whispered that his word meant precious little here…
That everything he’d just said could be misconstrued, resulting in him vanishing from their lives too.
However, since no dark aura loomed over them and the fiend himself hadn’t materialised, then maybe he’d managed to avoid such a fate…
For now, at least.
~*~
“Okay sun-drop… what’s on your mind, neh?”
When she and her father had entered their home (Tomura had met up with his friend Spinner (a lizard quirked, considered harmless beta who, due to their shared love of video-games, had been allowed to be the omega’s companion) and left with a quietly murmured apology in her direction) she was, somehow, unsurprised to find her ji-chan waiting for them.
After joining her daddy in greeting him, the three had wandered to the living area and taken up their preferred seats as Kurogiri (his ghostly presence equally unbothersome; he was never too far from the ruling family) proceeded to brew and pour tea out for them.
“I… I have some questions” she stated because regardless of the fear she sensed spiking from Shouta-san (who she’d been so stupidly happy see, her father having initially told her that he had decided relocate to I-Island), she didn’t fear Shigaraki-sama or their family…
“About me… and what I am…”
… because they were family, just as Shouta had admitted of his own volition; “and what it is you want me to do.”
Notes:
*“Wari wari” is an informal apology. Something you might use among friends instead of the more formal “gomen-nasai”.
** If you say that someone has the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head, you mean that they are in a situation in which something very bad could happen to them at any time. As with most sayings from antiquity, this one stems from Roman mythology where King Dionysius, upon hearing one of his courtiers (Damocles) gush about ‘how great the life of a King must be’, graciously offered up his throne to the man… and had a sword, hanging by a thread that could snap at any time, hang over it. The moral of this tale? “For Cicero (the main teller of this tale), the tale of Dionysius and Damocles represented the idea that those in power always labor under the specter of anxiety and death, and that “there can be no happiness for one who is under constant apprehensions.” The parable later became a common motif in medieval literature, and the phrase “sword of Damocles” is now commonly used as a catchall term to describe a looming danger. Likewise, the saying “hanging by a thread” has become shorthand for a fraught or precarious situation.” - https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-sword-of-damocles
Chapter 19: Fun(?) and Games… Part 1
Summary:
Warnings include: angst, canon-typical child endangerment, canon-typical manipulation, canon-typical power-plays, swearing, deception, secrets, AFO being the MASTER of word-play, cat and mouse, references to past sexual activity/regret, power imbalance, implications, trust-issues and feels~!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Sitting next to his truest disciple (the keeper of his dear little brother, no less), his darkened heart warmed by the resolve of Aizawa Shouta (oh yes, he’d readily agree with Toshinori’s judgement of his worthiness to serve amongst their ranks; he was shrewd, perceptive and paternally protective which, to his mind, made him a perfect tutor and protector for their young), Shigaraki Zen* could only smile at Melissa.
“You, my dear, are to do exactly what you please, whenever and however it pleases you” he replied warmly, his crimson eyes gleaming; “you and my darling boy are our collective hope for the future… a future that your Garaki-ji has predicted will be incredibly painful for humanity, well… those burdened with increasingly troublesome quirks” he allowed, his expression dulling.
“When your father approached me seeking guidance, answers and a way to make the future what he imagined for mankind… we did speak about the repercussions of bringing you into the world but, when we thought about creating a child, about creating children able to lead us into a future where genes became stable once more? We couldn’t deny the need or the want of you… because you, Yagi Melissa, may be quirkless but you are strong, strong and stable on a molecular level that most humans today are not” he praised, his hands gently resting atop her shoulders.
“Your very essence, though crafted through the will of your father, my abilities and Garaki-ji’s genius is much more than that because, low and behold, you are a person, Melissa~ you think, feel and live all while carrying the hope for a cure to the quirk-singularity doomsday theory for, you see… quirks are slowly but surely destroying mankind” he sighed, her eyes widening as she gasped. “Oh yes… with each new generation? With every new child born as an individual with the DNA of their families mixing and entangling in different ways, mutation quirks are on the rise and people are transforming into all manner of harmful things and suffering terribly for it” he stated firmly.
“In all good conscience… I, we could not stand idly by and watch this happen… not when we have the power to change the future for the better… and that future is you, my girl… you and Izuku are the first and, as you grow and mature? Your stable cells will do the same… and from you we can learn which genes will be best to use when treating people so adversely affected by the quirks they were forced to bear and, should you both consent? Your blood could very well be used to craft vaccines that will save millions” he told her whilst she clasped her little hands together in wonder.
“R-really?”
“Truly, my dear… ah, and this was… is a truth we never meant to keep from you, you understand? We just wanted you to enjoy a childhood, a time where you could grow and develop into your own person” he said, his smile warm; “and you can continue to do so even now, alright? Your father and our citizens will ensure it and then, when the time comes? We can all return to the mainland to save even those who aren’t ready or are unable to perceive that they need saving” he said, his voice rich and assured.
“That is… if you’d like to?”
One beat.
“I…”
Two.
“I… I’m so sorry, jii-chan” the girl breathed, her eyes tearing; “I… I’m so sorry that I thought, that I’d started to think that you… that you and tou-san weren’t-t-t” she managed whilst rubbing at her face.
Hiding the smirk that wanted to split his face, Shigaraki instead patted her shoulder delicately with one hand whilst fishing an immaculately clean, patterned silk handkerchief from the inside pocket of his blazer to gently dab her tears away.
“There-there, my dear~ we live in very confusing times and you’ve just been through a terrible ordeal before suddenly having a larger family and a better understanding of your differences to get used to” he soothed whilst she sniffed; “plus, Aizawa-san and those two wonderful boys come from the mainland with so many different ideas and… points of view, don’t they?” he reasoned. “So, it’s only fair that they’re wary, wouldn’t you say?” he offered compassionately.
Gently.
“I… please don’t be mad at him, ojii-chan… I really like Aizawa-san—”
“There-there, my darling girl~” he actually chuckled (for her innocent mind couldn’t hope to realise just how useful he believed the former hero to be and for reasons that were developing all the time), his head shaking ruefully; “could I be mad at a man so willing and able to look after you and my own adorable son, hm? Ah~ and young Hitoshi too, of course~”
“Oh… oh, I’m so glad~” the fair-haired child breathed, her azure eyes sparkling before she looked towards her parent; “and you, tou-chan? You’re not mad at him either, right?”
Hiding a chuckled behind his hand as Toshinori laugh-snorted, his tanned cheeks momentarily pinking, All for One stood from his crouch as his protégé beckoned the child towards him, those massive arms curling about her tenderly whilst he managed to say: “I promise you that I’m not mad at Aizawa-san, himawari-chan~ maa~ if anything? I think I might like him a little more than you do~”
~*~
Pensively awaiting to be escorted to the Arena (a name so vague and ominous that the thought of going there was tying his currently empty stomach in knots; Kurogiri had arrived an hour or so ago with food (he’d made sure the boys had eaten) and advice that they dress in ‘sportswear’), Aizawa Shouta struggled not to bite his nails.
“Papa? Are you sure you don’t want a cream-bun? They’re really good~”
Or scream (for what good it would do any of them) or punch a wall (because injuring himself was illogical and would serve no purpose) because such actions were irrational.
“And they’re your favourite, Izu, so please enjoy them… I’ll eat some of our leftovers later, okay?”
Not that rationality had been working in his favour, as of late; save a kidnapped child? A rational choice even if he wasn’t a hero… as was finding a way to get her home (unharmed, well-fed and hopefully less traumatised) without All Smite rampaging through Musutafu.
“I’d feel better if you ate something, Papa… you still look real tired…”
Making a deal with a dead man walking around in the mangled patchwork of his mate’s body? Rational given the situation; letting the #1 villain fuck him consensually to avoid later attempts at assault and potentially currying favour with one of the only people who had the power to free him and his boys? Rational… until he’d done it; shit… the way Yagi had been looking at him since (and then realising that Kurogiri was even more enslaved than he was, the Nomu’s very being literally tied to All for One’s will; could he actually act of his own accord… or was this yet another trap he’d fallen in to?) was definitely concerning.
“I promise I’ll eat later, Toshi, alright? Just… just try your best not to worry too much, okay? I promise that I’ll do everything I can to keep you… us safe, okay?”
Not that he hadn’t (he only admitted begrudgingly) enjoyed the alpha’s (clearly experienced; he was still reeling from how the other had made his body feel) skilled-attentions, but now he couldn’t help but think he’d made a huge error… a lapse in judgement with repercussions he’d yet to face; shit.
“S’hard not to worry about you havin’ to do that, Papa…”
Stopping his pacing (ugh! Why was he being so fucking careless around his boys?! He’d feigned wellness a thousand times or more, for his son’s sake and his sanity, hadn’t he? How could he start coming apart at the seams during such a crisis?!), Shouta turned to the boys pretending to draw on the paper he’d laid across the now empty dining table.
Shit.
“I’m sorry” he sighed, his head shaking ruefully as he approached them, the expensive sneakers cladding his feet whisper quiet across the plush rug beneath the table; “I guess we’re all a little on edge, huh?” he tried to smile, the children sharing a look as their stiff shoulders relaxed a little.
“Mm… I… is it wrong that I want to speak with my tou-chan about, well… everything?” Izuku breathed, his young face pinched with apprehension; “would… do you think he’d listen to me, if I did… I… I felt so sure, you know, before this afternoon that he would” he breathed, his eyes screwing shut. “B-but now… I… I don’t know” he admitted quietly, his teary eyes locked onto the image he’d been drawing (a house with a small, green haired stick figure and a regular one accented by a question mark); “do… do you think I can t-trust him, Papa?”
Swallowing thickly (because fuck, shit! On top of being watched a scrutinised by fuck knew how many cameras that this lovely apartment had veritably sprinkled all over it, he needed to factor in the freckle-faced child’s needs and handle this situation carefully for his sake), the omega took another step closer to the boy, a hopefully comforting hand gently resting atop his unruly mop of emerald hair.
“It’s not for me or for anyone to tell you trust or not to trust him, Izu…”
Hair, now that he thought about it, was not so dissimilar to Shigaraki’s; hm.**
“… and, as I don’t know him? As I only know what he’s done through documented history and what I have learned during my work as a hero, honestly? I can’t advise you beyond those biased views I have… and those views will be prejudiced because he isn’t my father” he breathed as the boy sniffed.
“Growing up knowing a parent is one thing… but getting to know a parent you haven’t lived with that? That with will take time” he added, his own shoulders sagging; “as a parent? I would like to think that you can trust him eventually if he’s earned that right… that, perhaps, he’ll offer to you the kindness and empathy a father should… but I can’t be certain” he said, his tone bitter.
“I would also argue that and— bringing us here wasn’t—”
“Knock-knock~! Hey kiddo’s, did you miss your Twice-nii-chan, neh~? I totally WOULDN’T care if you didn’t~!”
Baulking, the three of them startling towards the door to their (prison) apartment, Shouta felt himself sliding into a defensive pose on instinct with the children behind him, their eyes all zeroed in on Bubaigawara Jin (still in his villain garb, his masked face somehow sporting a wide grin) as he veritably sprung into their home. “Hey-hey~ what’s with the long faces~?! Didn’t Smite-senpai tell you tonight was going to be fun~?!” he asked, his exuberant tone belying the potential danger they’d be facing now he’d arrived to escort them.
“I’ve found that your boss’ idea of fun and ours is drastically different” he stated firmly, his hands shoving up and into his hair in order to tie it back (because it was either that or rushing the young alpha before him and, Twice’s mania and abilities aside, he knew there were countless Nomu lurking close by, as well) as he regarded the costumed intruder. “I’d also appreciate it if you knocked and waited for me to open the door, in future” he added whilst beckoning his boys to slip off their chairs and stand behind him; “surely you can understand why any sense of security my kids have needs to be protected, yes?”
“Maa-aa~ yeah~ sorry~ I’m just SO excited to get going~ you guys are going to LOVE the games Lissa-chan has set up for you all to play~” the villain veritably gushed; “ooohhhh~ I wish I could take part in those activities, too~ but Shigaraki-sama wants us boring, old grown-ups to do some actual exercise, you know, to keep fit and show off~?” he sighed.
Shit.
“So… I’m being expected to take part in some kind of tournament, then? I—”
“No!”
“No way!”
Blinking, his hands too slow to catch them, the boys were suddenly in from of him, their arms spread in a vain (yet well-meaning and heart-warming) attempt at forming some kind of protective barrier between him and the masked man who was frantically waving his hands in an abortive gesture.
“Hey-hey, kiddos~ it’s nothing dangerous, like that~ well, it kind’a is like that BUT it’s not dangerous, I swear~!” he tried to explain, his split tone less then convincing while he tried to gently gesture and move the children behind him once more.
“Define ‘kind’a’, if you would—”
“Um? What’s this? Are we feeling a little… shy all of a sudden, Shouta-san?”
Steeling himself, the omega tried to relax his posture as Shigaraki swept into their home, his regal form draped in a plain, mist-grey track-suit (of all things) that matched the current colour of his irises***; “maa~ I seem to recall you being quite… eager to fight or rather, exercise some of that pent-up energy earlier today…” he trailed off meaningfully.
Seething (because of course the bastard would use his weaknesses against him like this!), the younger (by how many decades, centuries possibly) man huffed; “all I… we are asking for is a little clarity, thank you, Shigaraki-sama” he stated starkly whilst the fiend grinned.
“And have, it you shall~” he crooned before crouching (like some benevolent old mentor from a tale made for children) to fondly observe the boys still clinging to his legs; “what’s say we make our way over to the Arena to meet with Melissa and have some ice-cream, hm? I assure you that everything is alright but, if you’re too overwhelmed, you’re welcome to stay here” he stated with a light shrug.
“It would be a shame to miss all of the fun, though, wouldn’t it?”
Feeling his hackles prickle (there was something about the tone the other had used that’s made his eyes itch), Shouta took a breath and looked from the smiling menace to his boys, his own expression softening; “it’s okay” he told them, their eyes narrowing a little. “Izuku? This might be a really good time for you to have a talk with your father” he added before slanting a glare (causing the old prick to smile wider; fucking asshole!) at the alpha; “if you have enough time to come and fetch us personally then you can’t be too busy to answer his questions, right?”
“Most certainly~” he chuckled whilst pulling gracefully into a stand; “and, while we’re talking? Young Hitoshi and Melissa-chan can get to know each other better” he offered, the playfulness of his tone belying the true meaning (because of course he’d be in favour of such a thing) of his words. “I think it’s only… right they get used to each other since you and her father are becoming so close, don’t you?”
Bristling at the implications (and struggling not to lash out because what good would that do?), the younger man swallowed thickly, his hands gently tousling the hair of both children (to reassure them, to reassure them all) before carefully easing them forward; “I’ll see you both soon, okay?”
“P-papa? I… I don’t know…”
“Are… are you sure, Papa?”
“I’m sure” he soothed gently, his eyes now deliberately moving from them to the snow-haired devil; “if Shigaraki-sama wanted to harm us, in anyway, then I’m certain he would have done something by now” he said, the other’s grin now sinking into a smirk: “a demon-lord doesn’t need to flex his powers so secretly, after all…”
“Hahahaha~ why, Shouta-san, what an endearing compliment~” the bastard snickered, his hands flexing in a clear gesture for the children to take one each; “well, come along then, my boys~!” he called warmly, the pair reluctantly shuffling forward at his urging: “your Papa will be along with Jin-kun shortly, I assure you~”
~*~
After he’d been thoroughly measured…
“Aww~ you’re so protective of those kiddos~ I can’t fucking believe that’s what actual parenting looks like~ I mean, I was kicked out of my dad’s house at fifteen when I failed to get into high school****, you know~?!”
… by the fiend (potentially brain-washed; it was getting harder to tell who chose to live on I-Island and who hadn’t) wrapped from head to toe in his villain costume, Shouta stood back up (because lying down made the other’s mysterious and God-like quirk easier to apply) and brushed himself off.
“As sorry as I am for you” he stated, his tone gentler than it should have been; “you are aware enough to understand why cooperating with your boss is…”
“… real-fucking-hard?”
“… difficult” he huffed, his eyes narrowing; “so… do I finally get to know what I’m in for, this evening?” he redirected whilst moving to follow the younger man out of the door.
“Oh~ yeah~ right~ totally~ Um… you ever watch Wrestling or MMA or Fuun!Takeshi-jō*****?” the other asked as they traversed the maze of corridors (somehow different to the last time he’d been escorted out of his home); “well~ it’s kind’a like that~ Shigaraki-sama says it boosts morale whilst ensuring that we’re all in peak performance~ plus~ it’s fun~” he veritably cheered.
Fun.
Right.
“And you’ve been asked to make clones of me, because…"
“Hah~ wouldn’t you like to know~?!”
Rolling his eyes (at his own stupidity, mostly; Twice was still present enough to be a ‘good soldier’, after all, so he shouldn’t be surprised that the other wouldn’t give up answers easily; shit) the dark haired Pro folded his arms and instead chose to observe the beige, well-lit hallways; “will Nomu be taking part in these games?”
“Um, probably~ the doc’s gotta test ‘em somehow, I guess~.”
“And there’ll be a range of events including team-based activities?"
“Heh~ now you’re getting it~ come on, you’re a skilled guy, so you can’t tell me you aren’t even a little excited to make your official debut here, can you~?”
Blinking, his eyebrows furrowing (debut? Shit… he probably wasn’t on a pay-grade high enough to know if Shigaraki filmed and posted these games to parts of the internet where Endeavour and the other higher-ups could see them but, if his hunch was right? There was no escaping being compromised now, even if he could get back to the main land), Shouta frowned.
“Do you think I’ll be so eagerly accepted by your League?”
“Dude~! You’re like a legend around here already~ I mean, Stain-san is like your number one fan and you’ve made quite the ruckus when you went out on your tour~ that and Yagi-sama has been paying you lots of attention and that hasn’t gone unnoticed, you know~?”
Scowling, his arms tightening in a self-soothing gesture, the erasure-hero (could he even call himself that, anymore?) grit his teeth and focused his anger into a store of energy that (because fuck it) he would unleash on whoever or whatever these bastards had in store for him.
Notes:
*His ACTUAL name as confirmed by Horikoshi-sensei~!
**https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/51298883250732216/ - because, if you squint? It kind’a is~! XD I will put my hand up and admit, cliché though it would have been (but COME ON! BNHA IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY STAR WARS~!), that I was GREATLY disappointed when AFO WASN’T (or, at least, Horikoshi has said Midoriya Hisashi is a person/working in America) Deku’s dad… like… why couldn’t he have had the FRECKLES?! ;_;
***It’s not canon (or… IS IT?!) but I swear the anime (in particular) be out here giving this evil man red-eyes, then fully black and grey in the latest season, so… yeah… to me? This guy can TOTALLY change such things whenever it pleases him~!
****Yeah, so… if you don’t make the grades? You don’t get into High School in Japan: “In Japan, students typically enter high school (upper secondary school) by passing entrance examinations after completing junior high school. These exams are usually held in January or February and cover subjects like Japanese, mathematics, science, social studies, and English. High school in Japan is not compulsory, meaning students need to pass entrance exams to be admitted.” – Google.com. And failing to attain this level of education is, sadly, seen as shameful as this usually means you can’t access University… This is VERY different to the UK/many European countries as, especially in the UK, ‘children’ MUST be educated to 18-19 years old in some form of College or apprenticeship… I mean, it’s a right/legal requirement for our kids (not that most see it that way -_-;;) to get an education up to Degree level in Further Education… not that many are grateful for this… -_-;;
*****Fuun!Takeshi-jō or, what I knew it as (they used to show re-runs of this on the Comedy Channel in the UK/mid to late 90’s; as a very young child, I thought it was a fever dream but no, it was a whole THING~!) Takeshi’s Castle, was a Japanese game show that changed obstacle courses forever. A now cult classic game show, it saw players partake in outlandish challenges to become the winner and take the castle, earning themselves 1 million Yen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tC3Fsl_fvg
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