Chapter 1: Steeled and Ready (Finalized)
Chapter Text
I didn't ask for the world to end.
Yet, surrounded by those I call my friends- no, my family, I can't help but think that I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.
We've come so far, seen and been through so much together… We truly are a family, a family tied together by trauma, fighting to survive.
My name is Quinn Sethler.
And this is my story of how the world.
No.
Wait.
How the worlds shattered into pieces.
–‡—‡–
It was a completely normal Saturday at UA High, the sun dawned on a brisk but pleasantly warm morning, the newly budded Sakura trees swaying in the breeze. Spring was in full swing, and so was the end of our first year as Hero Course students.
Not everyone else was awake yet since it was the weekend. I was an early riser, along with Tokoyami and Bakugo. Of course, Bakugo wanted nothing to do with us, instead favoring training. This left Tokoyami and me to have a nice conversation over a cup of Yayorozu's tea.
"It's not really that difficult," I was saying, "All you need to do is simply put yourself out there. Confidence is key! And, soon you'll have agencies swarming to recruit you from all around Japan."
Tokoyami scoffed.
"I'd rather not, thank you."
He sipped his tea, taking his time before replying.
"It's bad enough that we had to fight in front of all of Japan. I really don't get how you keep this up, Quinn."
"It's all about a positive outlook, man! You can't get everywhere in life with doom and gloom."
I smiled at him before setting my tea down and taking out my phone. Not really to do anything, just to look back at my milestones.
The day I got accepted into UA,
The day I met class 1A,
The day that we moved into the dorms.
The day that Bakugo beat my ass in the UA festival.
The day that All Might officially retired.
The day my mom died…
All these memories, bittersweet and sugared poison, were recorded on my phone for as long as I chose.
I thought back to my elementary days when my parents were still together before we moved to Japan.
Sometimes I would give anything to go back in time… to feel that Tennessee breeze and not have to worry about anything. Six-year-old me had it made, just learning his quirk with a family not yet touched by tragedy...
I jolted out of my little flashback. Tokoyami was shaking me, concerned.
"Quinn? You zoned out there. Are you alright?"
I shook myself mentally. Now, 9, almost 10 years later, there was nothing to be afraid of.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… thinking."
We continued our conversation over tips to impress agencies and, as time ticked on, more and more of our classmates gradually trickled out of their rooms to grab breakfast. By 10:30, everyone (except for Bakugo) was all in the main room, talking, joking, and laughing over various breakfast foods.
It was then that all of our phones went off at once. Mr. Aizawa had sent out a message reading 'Practice field, 30 minutes, wear your hero outfits.'
"Wonder what he wants? It is a Sunday, after all…"
Denki. The class idiot, per usual. Several of us snickered at his slip up.
"You do realize that today is Saturday, right?" Jirou replied.
"Big deal!"
And with that, we finished off breakfast and, after cleaning up, made our way to get changed and meet Mr. Aizawa at the practice field.
–‡—‡–
20 minutes later, we were all surrounding Mr. Aizawa while he explained what we would be doing.
Eternally tired, per usual, of course.
"You all are probably wondering why I made you do this on a weekend," he drawled, "It's to test your response to a sudden call. A villain could strike, and before you're even ready, multiple people could be dead. And had this been an actual emergency, you all would have failed. Luckily for you, this was just a drill."
I glanced around. Jeez, everybody looked pissed. One of Mr. Aizawa's usual little tests it seemed… oh well. The only thing to do was learn from this.
But he wasn't done.
"But, I had another reason for dragging you out of your rooms today. A hero never takes an off day. So, we're going to be having some training today."
And with that, the entire class groaned.
"Come on, Mr. Aizawa! Cut us a break!"
Oh, Mina. Of course, she would say something back.
Mr. Aizawa froze, then the telltale red glare locked onto Mina, all the way in the back.
"Are you telling me that you'd rather go back to your rooms?"
Mina quickly shook her head no, and Aizawa moved on.
"Now, today will be a series of one-on-one matches, picked by yours truly. Now, I'll be pairing you based on your quirk and physical limits, so don't get mad if you lose your match. It just means that you need more training to catch up."
It was then that we noticed the box. Not anything special, just a regular box. But it still hit us with something… menacing.
"I'll be drawing different battlegrounds out of the box, and whatever one I pull for your match is where you'll fight. For this exercise, try not to destroy anything, if possible. Not only will I be looking for strategy, but how suited you are to fighting in different situations. Especially for urban. Property damage tends to throw a wrench in daily life."
Mr. Aizawa started assigning the matchups and picking the places at random.
Jirou vs. Mina.
Denki vs. Kaminari.
Me vs. Midorya…
We'd all seen what he could do. How crazy he could go, and we all knew he hadn't even scratched the surface.
No wonder All Might seemed to like him so much.
While we got ready for the matches, I took a moment to slip into the bathroom. Knowing I was up against the (disputed) top of the class in terms of pure ability, I was… panicking. I couldn't even beat Bakugo, and Midorya has actually done it before…
I slapped myself. What the hell was I thinking? Getting myself in this mindset was only putting myself up for failure.
I wiped off the mirror, staring myself down.
I had all the experience necessary. True, I was at a bit of an advantage, being a bipedal lizard. My tail acted as an extra limb for attack and defense, and I had the training to use it well. Digitigrade stance also meant I was constantly on my toes, lending to dodging, which would be crucial in this fight.
I ran a talon over my face. Sky blue scales… lighter blue hair, almost white…
Damn, it was getting long. I needed a haircut.
And my eyes…
Those cobalt eyes…
I hid so much behind them.
Which is why I couldn't lose now.
I put my fedora back on and finished tying my scarf. Some might call the accessories cumbersome in a real fight, but they were sentimental to me. It seemed only fair to make them a part of my hero costume.
I had just finished when someone knocked at the door.
Speak of the devil.
Midoriya looked about as nervous as I felt, which was oddly comforting. He was fiddling with one of his gloves, an odd little tic of his. He offered a weak smile.
"So… you and me. This should be fun!"
I nodded.
"Fun… yeah. I hope you still think it's fun when I manage to beat you at your own game."
He gulped but didn't waver. He's come a long way from the jumpy kid from almost a year ago.
"Our match is next, so I figured I should grab you."
I didn't say anything, just nodded. I can do this. I will do this.
"Oh. And Quinn?"
I looked up, meeting his gaze. He clenched a fist, meeting mine with steely determination in those eyes.
"Do your best out there!"
Chapter 2: The Multiverse Has Left A Message (Finalized)
Chapter Text
I put in my earbuds.
I may have a stressful fight on my hands now, but I can't do it without my music. Call it my little oddity.
The wind was blowing, ever so gentle. Midoriya and I stood about 50 feet away, in perfect duel positions. The (simulated) city street didn't help, either.
We were waiting for Mr. Aizawa's mark.
One…
Two…
Three…
Midoriya was nothing but a speeding green bullet. He was much more coordinated and targeted than Bakugo's all-out brawl style. I could barely deflect his attacks, let alone even land a hit. He came at me from every direction at once, and every available surface became a weapon.
Well. We could change that.
I felt out the ground below me, using my quirk to search for weak spots while barely fending off Midorya's attacks.
There. That streetlamp has a weak point that, if done right, could cause a chain reaction.
Causing the entire building to fall.
Yes, yes, yes. Mr. Aizawa said to avoid property damage. But in life or death, you gotta do what you gotta do.
And so I did it.
A carefully placed shockwave through the ground below was enough to topple the lamp, causing a water line to burst.
Now it was a matter of time before a sinkhole formed.
Pause here. I can tell you're confused. 'But Quinn, what exactly is your quirk? You never mentioned it before now!'
I know, and my bad.
My quirk is 'Molecular Repositioning', or fancy talk for 'I can control atoms'.
Yeah, yeah, I know. 'But Quinn, that seems a little overpowered, don't you think?'
It may be, I don't know. But I also have some severe drawbacks.
I have to use existing atoms as they are, meaning I can't change an atom's makeup, only its bonds, and if I have a group of atoms, I can control their rate of movement, meaning I can heat them up or cool them down. It takes a long time to make any extreme changes, though. I can also make an object bigger or smaller at the price of the object's density.
But, I can't make new atoms (law of conservation of mass), and I can't control any atoms directly associated with someone else's quirks (e.g. anything Yayorozu makes, my quirk doesn't work on it.)
And with that little info session out of the way, you're back to your regularly scheduled commentary!
The building was already starting to lean, and Midorya obviously saw it was unstable. He took a moment to regroup, but it was all I needed.
I knew his weaknesses. He needs open spaces with lots of surfaces to vault off of and catch his opponent off guard. Close combat would turn the tables nicely.
And when he went in for his next direct attack, time slowed down. I twisted, vaulting straight over him and taking a titanium ball out of my pocket.
This was my actual support item, demonstrating its use as it quickly extended into a quarterstaff.
Perfect. I had Midoriya right where I wanted him.
I launched my own volley, intending to end this quickly.
A flurry of close-quarters martial arts attacks, keeping him at the end of quarterstaff's reach while delivering devastating blows to the head and chest. Not enough to wound but intended to stun and leave some nasty bruises.
But he wasn't all out of tricks yet, it seemed.
He grabbed the staff, yanking me within reach, and aimed an air blast directly at my chest. The blow knocked all the wind out of me and would have very well blown me away. Had it not been for the asphalt, I would have my feet quickly pulled up from under me.
Damn. That actually kind of hurt.
Midoriya took the opportunity to leap out of reach and plan his next move.
Shame he never got the chance.
The building in question, already on its last legs from constant abuse by hero course students, decided now was its time. It tipped, the sinkhole having proven too much for it. We both dove out of the way to avoid being squashed by tons of falling concrete, glass, and steel.
Coughing, I tried to get my bearings. The dust cloud thrown up from the wreckage made it nigh impossible to see anything. Judging from the hacks and coughs a little bit away, Midorya was nearby.
Damn. I should have thought twice. This building dust was probably toxic. Hell, asbestos was a real issue.
And that was when the buzzer sounded, followed closely by Mr. Aizawa's voice from the loudspeakers.
"Your match time has expired. Meet me back at the control room to discuss your… performance."
Oh, dear lord. Looks like asbestos was the least of our problems.
–‡—‡–
"That was probably the worst match I've seen out of you, Quinn. Blatantly disregarding any property. What if there had been people in that building? There's a reason I said to avoid damaging anything. You really need to work on that.
But you did manage to scope out Midorya's movements and use them to your advantage. So it wasn't all a swing and a miss."
"As for you, Midoriya. Good use of your surroundings and decent execution of using your enemy's strengths against them, but you left too many openings, and Quinn used that. Try to keep your movements tidy and clean up loose ends.
"Overall, both of you demonstrated a somewhat mediocre performance. Had this been a real villain fight, you'd both be dead in the street."
Battered, bruised, and demoralized, Midorya and I trudged back to the bathroom. Mr. Aizawa was right; it was mediocre. But both of us had been holding back somewhat, seeing as we were friends. Our mistake.
"I thought you were pretty good, using the building against me. Made it hard to use Full Cowling. You did that on purpose, huh?"
Midoriya wiped his cheek, the blood leaving a slight smear on his face. Both of us were in rough shape after that collapse, one of my… finer bouts of destruction, really.
"Yeah… figured if I cut down on the number of surfaces you could use, that would impact your options. Too bad that backfired."
I turned one of the sinks on, splashing water on my face to wash the dust and blood off. Swirls of blue and grey spiraled down the drain along with the last of my energy. That shockwave took a lot out of me.
"And that close flurry attack caught me off guard! I almost had no way of countering that at first."
He began taking off his gloves and mask and splashed water on his face too. He looked like he just had the time of his life, while I felt… really dejected.
"Your Full Cowling right out the gate had me barely above water, Midoriya. You really know how to knock an enemy off their feet, literally. I just returned the favor!"
We both looked up at each other and smiled. Mr. Aizawa might criticize how we did things, but we both knew we tried our best. That was what mattered.
20 minutes later, the last match between Bakugo and Tokoyami ended with an overwhelming victory for Bakugo. And when they returned from the field, Mr. Aizawa gave them their feedback (criticism), and they made their way to the bathroom to cool off.
Once they returned, Mr. Aizawa mentioned that we all did poorly.
Whoopee. Rub it in our faces, why don't you?
As we trudged back to the bus, wanting nothing more than the comfort of our dorms, I found myself next to Todoroki. I never really understood the guy, but his whole "daddy issues" thing was something I related to a little too heavily, so we sort of… became trauma buddies, in a way.
"You threw caution to the wind and used a whole building as a weapon against Midoriya. Risky, but calculated."
He wouldn't meet my eye.
"I felt like I had no other choice. You know firsthand how tenacious and crazy he can get."
We walked in silence for a bit before Todoroki spoke again.
"You're a lot smarter than Aizawa gives you credit for. You don't do things unless you know it's safe. Sometimes, I wish I could do the same."
I stared at him. Wh- what exactly did he mean? He was really clever and powerful- a dangerous combo. And I said as much.
"Stop putting yourself down, man! You, Bakugo, and Midoriya are this class's big 3 powerhouses. I'm just glad I get to be associated with such raw power."
And there, I almost ran into Sero, who had stopped in front of me. I bounced off of him with an indignant "Hey!" before realizing the entire class had stopped.
Mr. Aizawa was looking around. Looking for something. With one quick motion, he snapped his eye goggles down.
"Something's not right. Stick close to me… I don't like this."
"Oh, trust me, Eraserhead. You won't."
All around us, a dozen swirling black voids spiraled into existence, surrounding us, blocking us in.
And that voice?
It came from behind us.
But we didn't even have to turn around to know who that voice belonged to.
Shigaraki.
–‡—‡–
He didn't even have any backup.
It was just Shigaraki, and Kurogiri stepped out of the portal not a moment after.
The other portals were all for show…
Or to box us in.
"You didn't think that we'd let you through without saying hi, did you? How rude… looks like these heroes need a lesson on manners, Kurogiri."
Even behind that hand, his unhinged smile chilled us all to the bone. Demented, obviously mentally unstable, and we all knew the extent of what he was willing to do to get to All Might, even if he was retired.
Kurogiri, on the other hand, was completely silent. The flickering mist surrounding his entire body denoted nothing, not even a hint of emotion he may have locked up.
Polar opposites. Shigaraki is deranged and unable to sit still. Kurogiri is absolutely still and silent.
"Kurogiri got a few new toys since we last met. You remember I Island, don't you?"
I Island…
Where Midorya and All Might had taken down a villain gang trying to steal a quirk enhancer. Or the gist of it, anyway. But… what did that have to do with…?
Of course.
Those reports of missing equipment after the attack. They must not have been destroyed. Shigaraki must have gotten his hands on them!
"You villains never know when to give up. All Might may be retired, but that doesn't mean whatever this is will work."
Mr. Aizawa couldn't defend all of us, and he knew that. He must have some kind of plan in mind to be riling the villains up.
"Oh, yeah? You really think that, don't you, Eraserhead? If you're so high and mighty, look me in the eye when you talk!"
Shigaraki issuing a direct challenge…?
What was he playing at?
Whatever Shigaraki was looking for, he got it. Mr. Aizawa pushed his way through the group until he was directly in front of Shigaraki. When he passed Todoroki and me, he whispered, "Defend the flank."
"I don't like your tone of voice, Eraserhead."
Shigaraki scratched at his throat.
"I don't like it at all. What do you say we teach Eraserhead some manners, Kurogiri?"
"If it is what you wish, Tomura."
Kurogiri's voice… was different from the USJ attack. Harsher, and it seemed to be… doubled. Something was definitely wrong.
"It was nice knowing you, Eraserhead."
Some instinct grabbed at me, and I caught the back of Aizawa's scarf. I did not like where this was going. Shigaraki wasn't the type to spout empty threats to intimidate… he had a way to back them up. And that in itself was dangerous.
Mr. Aizawa glanced back at me, his red pupil boring into mine as I stared him dead in the eyes.
It was all that Shigaraki and Kurogiri needed.
At once, every portal surrounding us began to let off a blinding light, and we all squinted. I felt Mr. Aizawa turn back towards Shigaraki before taking a step back. I blindly lunged forward when he tripped, trying to catch him…
He was gone.
His scarf, now abandoned, fluttered into my outstretched arms. And when the light died down and we regained our vision, the entire class stared at it, at me in horror, trying to process what just happened. Where did our teacher go? Surely he didn't disappear?
Shigaraki let out a maniacal laugh, scratching his neck with more vigor.
"Who's next? Which one of you brats wants to follow your beloved teacher? Step right up! Step right up!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Three words and barely a second later, Bakugo came rocketing out of the back before anyone could stop him.
But this time, we got a front-row seat to the show.
A second before Bakugo reached Shigaraki, the light was back. Except, it emanated from a portal conjured directly in front of Bakugo at the last second.
And there was no way to stop him blasting right into it.
The portal closed behind him, leaving no trace he ever existed.
More maniacal laughter from Shigaraki.
"You see? You see how you're all helpless little brats? The perfect bait to lure someone like All Might in! We'll finally have his head this time!"
The entire class took a step back. I, however, stood up, Mr. Aizawa's scarf clenched tightly in my talon. I turned to face Shigaraki.
"You may take away our teacher. You may take away our comrades. But you will never touch our spirits. For as long as we live and breathe, we will always fight against people like you!"
And with that, even knowing what was coming next, I swung my staff, extending as I did so. Hey, you know what they say, go out with a bang, right?
The portal felt… comfortably warm. Surrounded by that blinding light, I closed my eyes for just a moment, feeling my feet leave the ground.
I was falling. Falling into an endless sea of white. I saw Shigaraki's face, so far above and rapidly getting smaller.
And the last thing I remember before I blacked out was Mr. Aizawa's scarf trailing above me, a flag to mark the monument to all my sins.
Chapter 3: MIAMI STYLE
Notes:
Jesus Christ. This took way too long.
Pennies had a lotta life stuff going on, so this took quite a while to get back to me. But I'm glad they eventually got around to doing it! Better later than never- but of course it's not their fault.
This is gonna be the last upload for this work for a while, I'm gonna take a break from writing this story for a bit. Just kinda burned out.
Anyways, enjoy!
Chapter Text
Quinn gradually lifted up from unconsciousness in stages, becoming aware of the ground he was laying on, then the sounds all around him, followed by the light drifting through his closed eyelids. He took a moment, just laying there, taking in the soft sunlight, listening to the birds chirping, and feeling the grass he laid on.
After a while, he opened his eyes. The sunlight shone directly into his eyes, and it took a moment for them to adjust. When they did, he could see the waving branches of a tree above him, dancing in a hot summer breeze. And above that, nothing but clear blue skies.
He sat up, groaning from the impact of the fall. Aizawa's scarf was wrapped around him; he took a moment to unwind it, and wrap it around his own neck. Seeing as his own scarf was somehow missing, this wasn't a problem.
Assessing his surroundings, it looked as though he had fallen into some kind of marsh. He had luckily fallen onto dry land, but a few feet behind him lay a marshy swamp, going back as far as he could see.
'Where the hell did that drop me?'
He rubbed his eyes, pinched his cheek, and even tried smacking himself, thinking maybe it was all just some bad dream, but alas, he didn't wake.
This was no dream. This was for real.
'Shit. I better go and find help, wherever help is. Stupid Shigaraki and his stupid plans.'
He got up, the feeling in his legs also coming back in stages.
Once the pins and needles receded, he stumbled his way towards the tree. Nothing special, just a tree, but the road it was next to caught Quinn's eye.
Road meant civilization. And civilization meant people who could help him.
Assuming they spoke the same language.
–‡—‡–
He had been trudging this same goddamn dirt road for hours. Following the city skyline in the not-so-distance, the unforgiving sun beat down on him, a constant suck at his energy, but determination and sheer will kept him stumbling forward.
Not a single car had passed him. Not one.
His ear twitched, and he turned, hearing the sounds of a car approaching.
Well. Maybe one car would pass him.
As he jumped out into the road in front of it, flagging it down, he saw the driver slam the brakes, causing the entire car to lurch. Quinn hobbled over to the driver side window.
"Thank god, you're the first car that's come along in hours! I really need a ride back to the nearest city, wherever it is."
He leaned heavily against the side of the car, a silver Hummer, barely able to stand.
The driver, an African-American woman with long, dark hair, sunglasses, and a doctor's coat on, opened the door, grabbing something from the inside of the car and handing it to him.
Oh thank god! A water bottle!
He took thirsty gulps, having not had a drink in as long as he'd been here. He sat down in the shadow of the car, trying to cool off the best he could by splashing water on his face and neck, and freezing it.
The driver sat down next to him. She took off her glasses and cleaned them, then put them back on, all the while looking completely stumped.
"Thank you."
Quinn looked his mystery savior in the eyes, eternally grateful for the kind gesture.
"I don't know how I would have survived much longer without help. You might just have saved my life…"
He held out a talon for her to shake. She shook it hesitantly, as though he might attack her.
"What… What are you? I've never seen anything like you before-"
The mystery woman finally spoke. And judging from the tone of her voice, she was hella confused.
Quinn coughed, then took another drink.
"What am I? A bit of a- weird question, dontcha think?
What do you want me to say? If you're asking me if I'm a villain, I'm not, so don't worry there."
He took another sip, hearing her get up, and go back over to the driver's side door. His ear twitched again as he heard her talking to someone inside.
"We should take him back to the lab, H is definitely going to want to see this."
H.
Every single alarm in his brain went off at once. Nine times out of ten, criminals used letters for names, and the extremely powerful ones at that.
She was a part of something. He didn't know what, but he knew that he probably wasn't going to like it.
He made no moves as she approached him again. Better to stay on high alert, and surprise them later.
"We'll be taking you somewhere that you can get checked out, make sure everything's alright. The backseat is a bit… cluttered, but I'm sure you'll fit just fine."
She opened the back door, motioning for him to get in. The backseat was indeed cluttered, with boxes carefully labeled, and their contents all separately labeled as well.
Police evidence.
This could not be good.
"The name's Alexx. Alexx Woods, and my partner in there is Calleigh Ducaine."
Quinn looked at Alexx, halfway through getting into the backseat. With a sinking feeling, he realized he needed to play along in order to lay low.
"Quinn. My name is Quinn Sethler."
And with that, he hopped into the backseat, and Alexx shut the door with a final-sounding thud, sealing both him and his suspicions inside the car.
–‡—‡–
About fifteen minutes later, the marsh faded into a sprawling downtown area, but Alexx didn't delve into it. Instead, she turned off, pulling into a circular unloading area in front of some sort of office building. Only a few stories high, it made a gentle curve around the entrance, and the front was almost nothing but glass, allowing Quinn to see inside. Or, at least he could have if the glass wasn't tinted.
There was also some sort of marker when they pulled in, but Quinn's eyes were too blurry to read it right now. He could just make out the shape of a six-pronged star, above the smeared letters.
Awfully conspicuous place for a criminal ring. But then again, criminals tended to use sprawling cities like this as cover.
Alexx stopped the car, and turned off the ignition. She and her passenger ('Calleigh?') got out, Alexx opening the door for Quinn while Calleigh started going through the evidence boxes.
Quinn hopped out.
It was now or never.
As soon as Alexx closed the door behind him, Quinn hooked his foot in front of Alexx's, causing her to trip forwards into the car. Not waiting for her to recover, Quinn slammed his arm into the back of her neck, pinning her against the door.
"I don't know what you do here, or who you work for, but I am not going to let you rope me into it. 'H' isn't going to be very happy, I'm afraid."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Calleigh through the windshield, gun raised, pointed directly at him. He saw three more people behind him in the wing mirror, all dressed in brown police uniforms. All three had their guns raised, too.
Four. Five, counting Alexx. Could he really take four guns, possibly five, by himself?
And that was when he heard the click of a safety being released, right behind his head. He froze.
"I don't appreciate you assaulting my M.E. like that, son. I suggest you back away from the vehicle, and nobody gets hurt."
He saw the guy's reflection in the window. Looked to be in his middle years, with thinning sandy hair, dark aviators, and a black suit. What concerned Quinn was the 9 Mil. pointed at the back of his head, though.
Wait.
M.E.?
Quinn quickly wiped the sweat out of his eyes with his free hand. That wiped away the blurriness, and finally, he could read the words on the side of the Hummer.
'Crime Scene Investigation'.
Oh no.
He had just assaulted a cop.
Realizing this, he let go of Alexx in horror. The man behind him wasted no time in wrestling Quinn to the door now, putting his talons behind his back, and handcuffing them. Quinn made no moves to stop him, or to resist.
Quinn had made his bed, and now he was going to lie in it.
This wasn't a normal holding cell, there was too much glass for that. Bulletproof, as Quinn had already tested the molecular structure when he was forced in. No, it may not be normal, but it sure wasn't any less secure.
He sat on one of the benches inside the cell, a cop having removed the handcuffs right before he was shoved in. He turned over his predicament in his mind, the events that led to this moment.
Would being arrested get him expelled from UA? Get his Hero License taken away? The cops had already confiscated everything he had on him, his phone, wallet, support items, even Aizawa's scarf. It was only a matter of time before they called UA, and then his dreams of being a hero were over.
He didn't look up as the door was unlocked. Didn't look up as the person sat down next to him. The only thing that made him look up was the voice.
The same voice that, twenty minutes earlier, had been pointing a gun at the back of his head.
"I wanted to talk to you for a moment, Quinn. Yes, Alexx told me your name.
I believe… that this may have been a misunderstanding. Your belongings rather intrigued the officers, and I was wondering if you could shed some light on them."
He held out a hand for Quinn to shake, and the feeling of deja vu hit him from nowhere. Half an hour before, Alexx had done the exact same thing… and Quinn had messed it up. He was determined to set it right if at all possible.
He shook the man's hand.
"My name is Lt. Horatio Caine, and I'm sorry we had to meet that way. But I still don't appreciate what you did to my medical examiner, who is doing fine, by the way. Nothing lasting. I hope you don't plan on doing that again, because you might not be so lucky next time."
Quinn chuckled.
"H. So you're the one Alexx had mentioned…
You're right. It was a misunderstanding. I heard Alexx mention H, and panic mode set in. I thought you were a criminal organization or something. Lieutenant, I truly am sorry for what I did to her, I didn't realize you were the cops."
Horario thought that over for a few minutes, then took off his sunglasses, folded them up, and put them in his front pocket.
"If you thought we were criminals… then why did you get in the car?"
Quinn froze. He had to pick his next words very carefully, or risk making Horario even more suspicious than he undoubtedly already was.
"I figured… that if I reacted in that moment, if I refused to get in that car, then Alexx or Calleigh may have shot me then and there. I found that playing along, then turning the tables later was the better course of action."
More silence as Horatio turned that over as well. But he seemed satisfied with that answer.
"Y'know… that's a very smart tactic. One that we have to use often, here in the CSI team. Shows real grit in the face of danger."
He got up, then discussed something with the guards at the door. When he came back, he had a tub in his hands, full of Quinn's belongings.
"Now that we have that out of the way, we can talk about your belongings. The officers were confused as to what this is, could you tell us?"
He pulled out the titanium ball, and handed it out to Quinn. He took it, then extended it out into his staff. Horatio took a step back in surprise.
"It's my support item. None of your officers could use it because it requires my Quirk to work."
He shrunk it back down into a ball, and handed it back to Horatio, who took it gingerly, as though it was radioactive.
"Next… the contents of your wallet were rather unusual. Care to explain what exactly a 'Hero License' is? And what does the 'Quirk' section on your ID mean?"
Horario held out Quinn's wallet this time. He took it in complete confusion.
'Why was he asking me what these meant? As a police lieutenant, surely he knew...?'
"Hero License… You know, the license hero course students get when they pass the Provisional Licensing Exam, and it lets them use their quirk in case of an emergency. Surely you'd know this, seeing as you are in the city…?"
Quinn looked at Horatio, trying to read his expression. Both of them were very visibly confused.
Something wasn't right here.
"Oh… kay. And the part about your 'Quirk'?"
This one had alarm bells ringing in Quinn's head. How could a police officer not know about Hero Licenses, let alone Quirks?
"..."
He didn't say anything. How do you explain a Quirk to someone who doesn't know what it is, let alone someone who could arrest you if they thought you were lying to them?
"Horatio, sir… what I'm going to say next is going to sound crazy, maybe insane.
But I think… that this may be a completely different world than the one I came from."
It did sound crazy, now that Quinn said it out loud. But even now, it had a ring of truth to it. How else would he explain Horatio's lack of knowledge about Hero Licenses, even Quirks?
Horatio stared at Quinn, as though he had gone insane. But after a moment, Horatio seemed to consider it.
"It… it does make sense, actually. You, appearing out of nowhere, looking like something straight out of a fiction novel...
"Tell me… where is it like, where you come from?"
This confirmed his suspicions. Horatio's words only solidified that Quinn was, indeed, somehow no longer in his own world.
But…
'Fiction novel?'
And so he explained. Everything. About Quirks, about heroes, about villains. About him, his life, and his history. About UA, about 1A, and the staff.
And about the events that brought them to this moment.
It took two hours. When he was done, the sun had already set, leaving them with the fluorescent lights in the ceiling.
Horatio leaned back, taking in the magnitude of everything that Quinn had told him.
"It's the most insane thing I've ever dealt with, and I've seen some shit in my time. Yet, all the pieces fall into place, and I can't deny that. My only option is to believe you, Quinn."
Horatio stood up, the tub in his hands, and motioned for him to stand up too. Quinn did, confused.
"I'm not pursuing any action. I've seen that you didn't do it intentionally, and the circumstances back that up. However, I do expect an apology to Alexx."
He discussed something with the guards again. When one of them spoke up to argue, Horatio stared him down until he quieted.
"I believe these belong to you."
Horatio handed the tub to Quinn, who wasted no time in returning the items to their rightful pockets, and Aizawa's scarf back around his neck. Quinn felt the guard's stares as he did so, and the feeling only intensified as he passed by. Quinn handed the empty tub to one of them as he passed.
"I believe this is yours, if I'm not mistaken."
And with that, Quinn followed Horatio through the lab, feeling like maybe this turn of events was for the better after all.
–‡—‡–
30 minutes later, Quinn was on the front steps, trying to piece it all together. It had all gone by so fast-
He couldn’t even figure out what had led to what, it was all so confusing. He pulled out his phone, fully expecting it to be utterly useless.
But to his complete surprise, it turned on, just as normal. It even had a very small amount of cell service.
With this, he decided to go out on a limb and try something, anything.
He opened his messenger app, and shot Midoriya a text saying, simply,
‘Dude.’
It sent.
Or, at least, it said it did. The little ‘Delivered’ next to his text had his heart racing. How on earth could his phone connect to cell service from another damn universe? Would it even connect back to his world?
So many questions, and yet, every single one of them was instantly answered as he got a reply.
‘QUINN!’
Quinn stared at his phone in absolute disbelief.
There was no way.
‘Midoriya! How-
How the hell? Are you alright? What about Mr. Aizawa?’
Midoriya’s writing became more and more frantic, like he had been panicking beforehand.
‘You, Bakugo and Mr. Aizawa are both missing- we reported what happened to the other teachers as soon as we managed to get out of there! You’re the only one we’ve managed to get contact with, though-’
Quinn’s heart pounded. Missing?
Whatever Shigaraki had managed to get his hands on, whatever quirk booster he had given Kurogiri- it had amplified his quirk far more than it normally was. And it was a serious contender to begin with.
‘This is going to sound crazy. But I want you to keep in mind that I’m still the exact same as I was when I left.
Midoriya.
I think whatever Shigaraki gave Kurogiri lets him open portals across dimensions.
All of us, me, Bakugo, and Mr. Aizawa are all floating out there in different universes. God, I just hope that they managed to figure it out.’
On and off. The little indicator saying that Midoriya was typing was currently having a seizure, as Midoriya turned that over in his head. Eventually came the reply.
‘What?’
And so, Quinn explained everything. Explained his meeting with Alexx and Caleigh, the misunderstanding, meeting H (But he omitted the gun to his head; he’d rather forget that part.)
By the time he caught Midoriya up to speed, 30 minutes had melted into an hour.
And when it was all over, radio silence.
Midoriya made no replies, didn’t even type.
He worried that his friend thought he was crazy. Or, worse, that he was being forced at gunpoint.
‘All of that… really happened?’
‘All of it. Every last detail.’
‘And you’re ok?’
‘I think so- No lasting damage that I can see. Just- really confused.’
It was a moment before Midoriya replied. Every second that Quinn waited for a reply was another shot in the back, another agonizing dagger of worry.
‘I’ll- make sure to tell the others that you’re alright, and what you told me. I doubt they’ll believe you, though.’
Finally,
Relief.
Quinn sat back on the steps, taking the first real breather he had since being plopped straight in the middle of god-knows-where.
He was safe.
He had established contact with his friends to tell them that he was safe, and what had happened.
And he was no longer in immediate danger of screwing everything up.
Maybe everything would work itself out in the end.
Just maybe.
q40tc8og (Guest) on Chapter 3 Fri 16 Jun 2023 06:57AM UTC
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