Chapter Text
HITOSHI
Hitoshi glances at his sensei and blinks at him in confusion. He looks down to the cup of coffee (his eighth for tonight) and back up to the man staring at him with expectancy. “Aizawa-sensei, I can’t do this.”
“Hitoshi, you’re ready,” the man states simply in a gruff tone after taking a sip of his own steaming cup.
Hitoshi’s eyes widened incredulously, “You can’t be serious…I’m nowhere near qualified for this.”
Aizawa runs a hand down his face and through the scruff of his beard thoughtfully and leans back in his chair, crossing his arms and staring at the ceiling. “Hitoshi, we can’t even get close to him. He can spot a hero a mile off and smell an underground hero from even further. We can’t even scratch our own asses without him knowing. We believe he even has informants inside. We’ve got to try something we’ve never done before. You’re not on anyone’s radar yet and I trained you myself. I know you can handle this. Only you, me, and the uppers would know about this mission.”
Hitoshi rubs the back of his neck and groans, “I literally graduated a month ago and this is my first official mission? I’m not stupid. This is a goddamn suicide mission.”
“I know it seems that way, kid,” Aizawa says quietly. “You have a unique set of skills that we need though. Your quirk could be enough to force him out in the open. We have the unexpected benefit that NO ONE knows who you are. We just need you to get in close enough. You’re still green enough that he’ll never know that you’re a hero.”
“And how the fuck do you propose to get me close enough? It’s not like I can just waltz up to THE GROUND ZERO and ask him to nicely surrender himself to authorities,” Hitoshi snipes.
Aizawa shrugs, “Well…you could. Or you could seduce him.”
Hitoshi stares at him dumbstruck for a moment. “Excuse me?” What the fuck?!
Aizawa takes another sip of his coffee and slinks further into his chair like he can’t even believe the words that just flew out of his mouth.
“You want ME to seduce Ground Zero?” Disbelief must be written all over his face because Aizawa raises a brow at him pointedly. “I’m literally the most awkward human being on the planet!” He yells when Aizawa remains silent.
“But you can dance, Hitoshi. Your skills on a pole are unrivaled…enough that you could leave heroics to pursue it professionally in my opinion. That’s your way in.”
Hitoshi thinks he may very well lose his eyebrows in his hairline at this point. “You picked me because I can dance?”
Aizawa smirks at him, “No, I picked you because you’re a damn good hero, you’re buried under the radar, have an extremely powerful quirk, are an attractive young man, and you can pole dance. You’re the perfect package of dynamite to bring down Ground Zero.”
Hitoshi glares at him, even though the praise makes him feel warm inside. “Is Ground Zero even gay?” Hitoshi rubs the back of his neck.
Aizawa glances at him over the rim of his cup with a smirk, “Very.” He takes a drink and then sets the cup back down. “Hitoshi, you’re right up his alley. Every week, he’s got a pretty boy on his arm, has a thing for the dancers in his clubs. All it would take is for him to notice you for five minutes and you could snag him in your quirk and be done with it. Quick in and out…and you could take down the number one villain in a single night.”
“Sensei, while I appreciate the compliments, I think you are drastically overestimating my rizz-factor here. He probably won’t even notice me. It’s not like I stand out in a crowd. Dancing is one thing, seducing is an entirely different matter. He’s got guards around him all the time. Even if I were to get his attention, there’s no way one of them won’t notice if I use my quirk on him.”
Aizawa chuckles, “I’m not overestimating anything Hitoshi. You’ll just have to get him alone. Trust me, he’ll want to get you alone. You just have to line up the opportunity.”
Hitoshi sighs long and deep as apprehension tingles up and down his spine, “If he doesn’t notice me, then you’ll put someone else on this right?” Something about this whole thing makes Hitoshi’s nerves churn. Ground Zero is literally the most dangerous man in the country and they seem to think he has a shot at taking him out? Yeah, Hitoshi doesn’t think that highly of himself.
“Yeah, kid. You’ll be fine. This is all gonna work out. I have faith in you.”
Hitoshi picks under his fingernails nervously, while his leg bounces under the table, “I hope you’re right about this, Sensei. When do we start?”
***
Hitoshi takes a long drag of his cigarette and stares at himself in the dressing room mirror. He’d pulled out all the stops for tonight. His hair is slicked back, shining a beautiful lilac luster with a thin sheen of oil over the top so that it will really catch the stage lights. The black glitter spandex shorts are already riding up his ass and he resists the urge to light them on fire. He’s got a matching set of suspenders over his bare chest, his nipple piercings glinting in the light with purple gems that he purchased specifically for tonight. His makeup is light, just a smattering of purple glitter eyeshadow, kohl liner and concealer to cover his dark undereye circles. Even he can admit that he looks good. He laces the straps on his heels and prays to the entertainment gods that he doesn’t fall. They’re a relatively new addition to his routine. He’d always dance barefoot when alone, but at this point, he’ll just be grateful if he doesn’t break an ankle tonight…
He stubs out his cigarette in the ashtray, stands and wobbles for a moment until he gets his bearings. He needs a fuckin’ drink (or maybe five) to go through with this. The loud sounds of the crowd gathered in the club filters through the doorway, so he gathers his courage and heads toward it with only one destination in mind. He steps through the doorway and is immediately greeted by the smell of cigarettes, stale alcohol, sweat and too many perfumes. There’s something comforting in the smell. It’s the smell of bad decisions and anonymity. He’s always been good at blending...well, more like hiding in plain sight and being ignored.
“Hey beautiful, why don’t you come sit with me?” So much for blending. A balding older man greets him as soon as his heels make the steady clack on the marble floor immediately outside of the dressing room. Hitoshi eyes him briefly, but opts to ignore him in favor of making a beeline toward the bar. He’s only got one mark for the night. He’s not here to make a quick buck.
“Hey, I was talking to you boy,” The man rises and grabs Hitoshi by the arm. Gods give him strength.
“Sorry handsome,” he purrs. He can’t afford to make a scene this early in the night. “I’m onstage soon and was just on my way to get a drink. It’s my first night and I’m nervous,” he says, making a timid gesture of tucking his hair behind his ear. He resists the urge to make a gagging noise as his very limited “seduction” training kicks in.
The man’s eyes light up. “Oh precious, let me buy you a drink then!” Far be it from above Hitoshi’s morals to accept free liquor.
“Awww aren’t you sweet. Thank you hun,” Hitoshi layers on the innocent act. The man releases his arm and pops out his elbow in a faux act of chivalry. Hitoshi reluctantly accepts it and follows the man to the bar.
It’s when he’s heading back to the dressing room, when a sudden hush falls over the crowd that the hair prickles over his neck. He turns to see the cause of the noise and promptly deduces that the police sketches and rare photos of Ground Zero do NOT do the man justice. Even with Hitoshi’s heels, the man would tower over him. Hitoshi can’t take his eyes off the blonde man with his undercut and shaggy blonde spikes. His ruby red and intense eyes gleam in the dance floor lights. Stacked muscle is artfully hidden beneath a sharp black suit that makes Hitoshi’s mouth water. Nope, not going there…