Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

August 27

Izuku really hadn't meant for this to happen. It wasn't really his fault.

Well, it was now. Now that he was here, sitting on the sill of his open window in his stupid shoes and probably even more stupid jacket, metal bat that must've once been his father's clutched in his hands like a child clutching a beloved toy. He wasn't sure if it was out of fear or anticipation. Maybe both.

It had been an accident. And he should've left it like that, probably. A one time thing. A slight lapse in common sense where he'd played hero. He hadn't been playing. He hadn't even meant to do it. He hadn't meant to, but he did, and he couldn't just take it back. Even if Izuku knew he just got lucky the other night. Which was rare. Izuku wasn't exactly known for his stellar luck. His rotten luck, more like.

So, really, he shouldn't have even considered pushing said luck. Not if he knew what was good for him.

Izuku wasn't very good at doing what was good for him, as his teachers often said and his classmates often reminded him.

According to them, doing what was good for him would be biting his tongue and suddenly becoming invisible. Seeking as Izuku had yet to do either, he must've been pretty abysmal at it.

Again, Izuku wasn't good at that. It wasn't that he wanted to argue. He just couldn't bring himself to lie. He wasn't stupid; Izuku was aware it would only get him hurt. But he'd rather deal with bumps and bruises than give up. If nobody else was going to tell Kacchan what he was doing was bad, Izuku would have to. Nobody else was going to stick up for him, either.

Izuku always stuck up for people. Not because he wanted to fight. He just wanted people to know that, even if they hated him, he would still help them.

He slipped out his window, leaving it cracked open behind him as he carefully climbed onto the fire escape.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

It wasn't a long walk to the rough part of town. Five minutes and a few odd turns found the simple, mostly clean buildings and nice streets changing to run down stores and grimey alleys. There was an apartment building that he doubted was up to code, but it wasn't really his business. Even if he really thought people should care more to fix it up, no matter who lived there.

Honestly, he'd really expected somebody to take notice of him. A random kid who probably looked younger than he was wandering the streets at night had to be a bit concerning, right? Then again, he supposed odd characters weren't, well, odd around here. A kid out at night was probably the least of their concern.

And even if somebody found it odd, they probably didn't care enough to give it any thought beyond that. Strangely, it didn't particularly bother him. He was used to being ignored before Aldera. He missed being ignored. Teachers told kids not to hurt Izuku, then. At Aldera, they told Izuku to suck it up.

Boys play rough, his homeroom teacher had told him.

Izuku avoided what he thought looked like drug deals and other sketchy exchanges that he wasn't sure were even illegal. There wasn't much… Actual crime. Not at first. It was certainly dark out. Didn't crime happen at night? And it had been way earlier when he ran into the mugging the other day! Surely there must be crime everywhere, right?

Nervously, he gripped his bat tighter. Come to think of it, shouldn't the bat have drawn people's attention? Apparently not? He didn't really get it, even if he wasn't complaining. It probably wasn't the weirdest thing in this area, right?

Or maybe people did think it was weird and were just really good at pretending not to notice? Maybe they were intimidated? Except, Izuku wasn't very tall or very scary, or very strong at all, so that wasn't right. There was also a chance that-

A scream cut through the night.

It lasted only a second, shrill and full of terror, before being silenced.

In an instant, Izuku's feet were thudding on the ground as he raced after the scream. A thrill ran down his spine as he ran, blood rushing in his ears and panic thumping in time with his heart so quickly he thought he'd throw up. This was it. He couldn't turn back anymore. It was real.

Izuku skidded to a stop in the entrance of an alleyway, breathing sharp and fast, eyes rapidly picking apart the situation. The villain wasn't very big, so Izuku could only assume he was fast, which meant that whatever Izuku did, he would have to do even faster. The woman was scratching and kicking, nailing sinking into the hand covering her mouth until blood welled up beneath her fingers.

Just as she caught sight of him, eyes widening, the man pulled out a knife.

Now or never.

He rushed forward, slamming his bat into the back of the villain's knees and watching him fall. Before he even hit the ground, he was already aiming his knife at Izuku's legs.

Luckily for him, the past few months had instilled into him how to dodge. He leapt back, quickly bringing his bat down on the man's arm. He cried out, knife falling from his palm onto the concrete.

Thud.

The woman had whacked the man with a metal pipe.

She leaned back, raising an eyebrow smoothly even as her hands trembled on her makeshift weapon. "Bats are okay, but staffs are more versatile. Practical over fun out here if you do not want to get yourself killed.."

Izuku stared at the man, her words only a faint murmur over the rushing in his ears and the pounding of his heart. She had knocked him out, but he had still fought a villain. Without getting hurt at all.

"Are you all there?"

Izuku shook his head. Heroes didn't ignore civilians! (Although, she very well may not have been a civilian and Izuku wasn't actually a hero.)

"Are you okay?" he managed, somehow without stuttering at all, leaning his bat on the alley wall.

She- he really needed to ask her name!- smiled wryly. "I am fine. You look like you have just seen a real life ghost, though. What's a small thing like you doing out here at this time?"

"Uhm…"

"Never mind, pretend I did not ask. I get it, we all have a story. What can I call you?"

Izuku chewed his lip beneath his mask. He hadn't… thought that far ahead. "I don't know," he whispered, wringing his hands together.

"Fair enough. People call me Rosa. You should go home, Topino. When the police ask, I just got very lucky, yes? I will not tell them about you. Our little secret, Topino."

Rosa grinned then, with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Izuku had the vague notion that he'd just done something that would have consequences, but he wasn't sure how. He just knew that her smile, as terrifying as it was, was oddly comforting. She was smiling. And alive. And in some way, he had done that.

Izuku. Little Izuku. Useless, pathetic, good for nothing Izuku had saved somebody.

With a nod, Izuku grabbed his bat and took off again. He didn't go home like she'd told him to, but he didn't stay out very long. Nothing else really happened, but that was okay with him. He didn't want there to be bad things happening; he just wanted to stop the bad things.

It didn't matter, anyway. He had saved somebody. Two people, if he counted the other day. No matter what happened, he felt better knowing he helped those people. It felt like being a hero. Really being a hero, this time.

August 25

Izuku was always nervous taking this shortcut. It was through a broken piece of fence and let out into an admittedly sketchy alley. Even though the sun was always out, he still had a sense of unease every time. Usually, he was distracted enough by escaping his classmates that he didn't have time to dwell on it, but he wasn't doing that today. He was just coming home from a quick trip to the store to grab something for dinner his mom forgot.

Of course, he didn't have to go, and he knew that. But his mom had been on her feet all day at work and he would feel terrible if he let her trek to the store, even if it wasn't very far on foot. His mom was never keen on letting him go out alone, but Izuku promised to be careful and it wasn't far.

Then he had seen one of his classmates on his way back. They might not have even seen him, but Izuku really, really hadn't wanted to risk it.

So even though he knew his mom wouldn't approve of his shortcut, he took it. It wasn't like she had to know, anyway. It wasn't a big deal. He'd taken it dozens of time without consequence and while it was a shady part of town, it was still light out. Even if the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon.

He liked watching sunsets. It was nice to know that even the big, bright, brilliant sun needed a break sometimes to go and rest. It made him feel better about being so tired some days, for wanting to run away and hide for the rest of forever. He wouldn't ever do it, of course. Heroes didn't hide; All Might definitely didn't! Mama always said it was alright not to be brave all the time and it was okay to cry and be scared. Even she got scared sometimes, she told him.

Izuku was pretty sure he was too old to be scared now, though, so he shook his head and slipped out of the alley, nervously clutching the bag. He'd made the same trip countless times, so much that one of the shop owners regularly waved to him and told him to be safe. It was fine, even if the area seemed sketchy.

Maybe that stereotyping, wasn't it? Just because it was worn down and a bit decrepit didn't mean the people here were bad. It wasn't their fault, surely? He couldn't imagine anyone actually wanted to live in this area. It always was odd to him how close it was to his apartment. A five minute walk with the right turns and it all changed from neat, simple buildings and clean streets to seedy alleys and grimey buildings. A few bars, too, which he always made sure to stay away from.

Mama said even nice people can be mean when they're drunk, so Izuku could only imagine how terrible a bar could be.

It was quiet for a few minutes. He was almost out of the neighborhood when he caught it and he was so sure he didn't see it that he actually had to do a double take to be sure. And yet, when he turned back to look in the alley he just passed, he saw it.

A man shoved against the back wall by another man wielding a knife. There were no heroes around. Izuku knew that. Big heroes didn't patrol neighborhoods like this and the underground heroes wouldn't be out until the moon was. Somebody had to do something, though!

Thud.

Izuku blinked, then blinked again. He scrubbed at his eyes, as though it would refresh his vision, and stared wide eyed at the man- mugger? villain?- on the ground and the metal pipe in his hands. He'd done that? He'd done that!?

He hadn't even realized he'd moved. When he squeezed his eyes shut to try and recall, all he remembered was his shoes slamming on the ground and almost falling as he scrambled to grab the pipe. All he knew was that he had to move.

Blood rushed through his ears. Or, at least that’s what he thought was going on. The voice beside him was distorted. Echoey. He’d heard of people experiencing this before, stories of everything going fuzzy when people had rushes of adrenaline. But that happened to people in danger. And heroes. Real heroes. Not Izuku. Izuku wasn't…

Izuku didn't do those things. He didn't save people. Didn't defeat villains.

Villain. Villain attack!

"Are- are you- okay!?" Izuku blurted, snapping his gaze up to the man he'd saved. Even in his own head it sounded wrong.

He nodded shakily. "Y-yeah. Thanks, Kid."

Izuku dropped the pipe, cringing as it clattered on the ground. He couldn't tell his mom about this. She'd be so worried.

Instead, he hurried to grab the grocery bag he'd seemingly dropped early. What was he meant to do about the villain? Izuku couldn't exactly call the police! They'd know it was him and they'd tell his mom. He'd just have to leave it? That didn't seem right. Then again, the other guy was… already gone? So he must not have cared much?

His phone dinged.

Mama: Are you almost home??

>You: yes!!!

Izuku all but ran the entire way home. His mom came first. Besides, maybe that guy had learned his lesson!

28 August

Weekends only, he decided. Friday and Saturday night, even if he really didn't feel like it was enough. He couldn't let his grades slip if he wanted to make it into UA!

Tonight, he still had his bat. But he had started a notebook, plain black and untitled, for… this. And his very first note, underlined four times, was staff. He trusted Rosa was right. She seemed smart and it really did make more sense.

Sure, his bat was effective. But Izuku was, much to his chagrin, small and still waiting on a growth spurt in mild denial. He could only do so much damage while maintaining his balance. It also didn't have great range. On the event he, say, had to fight two villains (he didn't really want to think about that), he would have to put enough force into his swings to incapacitate them while somehow avoiding leaving himself open to an attack. A staff would hopefully solve that. He was pretty sure it would, at least.

Until Izuku could get his hands on one, however, his bat would have to do. When he'd gotten home last night, Izuku had poured over videos of underground heroes, namely Eraserhead. Most were low quality, blurry, and taken from a distance, but Izuku didn't need a perfect video.

What he had noticed was that heroes stuck to rooftops and alleys, especially Eraserhead. Which made a lot of sense with his scarf. Which Izuku really, really wanted to pick apart. He didn't think it was a quirk, because he was fairly sure Eraserhead's quirk was some kind of cancellation quirk, but it was still so cool. Like Spider-Man!

Except with a lot less property damage.

Izuku really doubted he could jump across rooftops yet, as much as he thought it would look cool. Heights never bothered him, but with his luck? He'd fall immediately. Izuku didn't really want to become a pancake! Maybe he'd practice parkour for a while first.

Instead, he kept to back alleys and focused on listening for any signs of trouble. His hearing was pretty good, all things considered. He'd always thought he'd end up deaf or something from all of Kacchan's explosions. Izuku really wouldn't be surprised if Kacchan was already partially deaf from his own quirk. Not that Kacchan was trying to do that. He probably didn't realize how loud it was. Sure, Kacchan could be mean, but he knew when it was too far. He'd never purposely hurt Izuku more than roughhousing.

It was quiet for the first twenty or so minutes, which served to calmed him down a bit. His grip, which had been painfully tight on the handle of his bat, loosened, the bat resting on his shoulder. He wished he had somewhere else to put it, because he liked having his hands free to fidget, but it wasn't a big deal.

A bottle shattered nearby. Izuku jumped, shoulders tensing in anticipation for a fight.

He shuffled past the building he'd been passing behind, immediately noting the open briefcase of some kind of powder he didn't know. He didn't want to know, either. One man stood over another with a small pocket knife. The other man, on the ground, held a broken beer bottle out to defend himself.

Izuku shifted. Gripped his bat.

Ran.

He slammed the bat into the first man's legs. He crumpled to the ground. Man #2 took that as a signal to get up, brandishing his makeshift weapon and spouting a slew of profanity.

Izuku groaned. Why wouldn't he just leave!?

"Got a problem, Punk!?"

Izuku squeaked, taking a tiny step back. Man #1 took that as a sign to scramble to his feet, charging at Man #2 with his knife. Izuku once more swung his bat, knocking Man #1 flat on his ass.

"Really!?" he shrieked. Were they trying to get killed!?

Man #1 blinked. "Sorry, what?"

Izuku thew his hands up in frustration, forgetting he had a heavy metal bat and nearly falling as the weight shifted completely to his right arm. "I- I just don't get it! Why didn't you run when I knocked him over!? And why didn't you run when you got up!? It's like you want the other guy to stab you!"

Man# 1 looked intently as his knife. "Why do you care?"

"Because I don't want people to die!"

Man #2 squinted. "…Fair enough? Still don't get why you're running around out here."

"Somebody has to!"

The two men seemed to stare at him for a few minutes. Izuku shifted his weight anxiously, index fingers tapping away on his bat. What if they decided to- to team up and kill him!? He should've just knocked them out and- and called the police? He couldn't call the police! They'd trace his phone!

Man #2 tossed his beer bottle away. "You got guts to do that, y'know that? I'm Iwane."

"What you are is a fuckin' murderer!" Man #1 roared, immediately lunging for Iwane again. Izuku, for the third time, swung his bat, tripping the man with shocking ease.

"Sir, seriously! He doesn't even have a weapon!"

Man #1 scowled. "He ain't need one."

"I didn't fucking murder anybody! Who the hell do you think you are!?" Iwane cried, face twisting in what Izuku could only assume was outrage and shock.

"Who do you think he murdered?" Izuku cut in before they could start fighting.

"My name is Frank Rogers and he murdered my goddamn niece! She was 21!"

Iwane frowned. "Man, I'm sorry, but I didn't kill anybody! I'm a dealer, not a murderer!"

"Your drugs killed her!"

Izuku winced. He couldn't begin to imagine how painful it was to lose somebody, let alone in that way. Iwane's frown deepened. Izuku thought he looked… sad. "Look, I just… I deal, man. What people do with it after isn't my business, cold as it sounds."

"Why the fuck would you deal shit anyways!? It gets people killed! Do you just not give a fuck?"

"I got three kids and a bitch of an ex-wife who isn't fit to be a mother, Man! I gotta afford a lawyer somehow! I can't just leave them with her!"

It baffled him.

It really did.

What kind of world was it he lived in where a father had to deal drugs just to protect his kids? It wasn't right. None of it was. These were the problems heroes needed to care about. Not flashy fights and ratings. Police, too. He wondered how real heroes would deal with this. How an officer would.

Would they have arrested them both and called it a day? Would they have arrested Iwane for dealing? He doubted they'd fix it. He doubted they'd care. It didn't make sense. They were only solving problems on the surface instead of tackling them at the root. How many people robbed out of desperation? How many people turned to drugs to escape things nobody saved them from?

(Was that his future? He was right there, at the bottom of the social ladder. Small and meek and quirkless. Worse than a 'weak' quirk, worse than an 'evil' quirk. He couldn't even apply to UA. Quirkless students couldn't take the exam. How was he really going to be a hero? Would any school take him? Would any place hire him? Would he end up like the people in this neighborhood? Selling drugs and stealing to survive?)

Izuku shook his head. He didn't want to think about that; he couldn't think about that. Anybody could be a hero as long as they tried.

"What if- What if I could help you?" Izuku asked hesitantly.

Iwane raised an eyebrow. "How are you gonna help? You're like, twelve."

"Thirteen!" he blurted, belatedly realizing he shouldn't have just spat out his age to two strangers. "And I can help, I promise!" He didn't know how yet, but he would. He had to.

Frank scowled. "Doesn't bring my goddamn niece back!"

"Look, I feel bad, but if she didn't buy from me she would've bought from somebody else!"

"He's right. I- I mean I'm truly sorry that happened, but hurting somebody else… it won't bring her back either. It's- I mean, it's… It's not really Iwane's fault, is what I'm saying. Selling drugs is, uhm, pretty bad, but Iwane's probably not the only one doing it. So she- she probably had options. This won't solve anything!" Izuku rambled, as though he had any idea about anything to do with drugs or addiction or revenge. Or, like, anything happening right now.

Frank crossed his arms, shuffling on his feet. "…You're right."

Izuku breathe a small sigh of relief, genuinely surprised that worked. He hadn't thought he was making much sense at all. "You should both go home."

"What about you, kid?"

"Still got work to do!" he declared with perhaps a drop too much cheer. Before either of them could ask anymore questions, Izuku took off down a small side alley.

August 29th

It was well past midnight when Izuku crept back in through his window, careful not to let it creak. His arms hurt where he'd blocked a few punches. Poorly. At least they didn't get his face.

He all but ripped the mask off, throwing it onto his desk, next to the phone he'd never seen, and flopping face first onto his bed. He was exhausted. He didn't realize how tired he'd be. He wasn't even out that long! Or, well, he was. But it wasn't nearly as long as pros patrolled. Izuku didn't bother to consider that he wasn't a pro. That was irrelevant, obviously.

Wait.

Izuku scrambled up, nearly tripping as he all but lunged at his desk, falling and barely catching himself on his chair.

The phone was plain black, smaller than the phone he had. There was a thick, sturdy looking black case on it. Next to it lay a folded sheet of paper. The nice kind that people used to write letters in movies.

Cautiously, Izuku took the paper, flipping it open and reading the messy kanji quickly, a skill from his own terrible handwriting.

Dear Topino,

It would be a great shame if you got caught, but it would be a greater shame if the criminals you take care of wake up and walk free. Here is a solution to both problems.

Good luck.

Sincerely,
Rosa

(P.S. Do not leave your window open.)

Izuku looked between the note and the phone. He probably should've been more worried about the implication that a strange woman had climbed through his window while he was out, but he wasn't. This felt like a real start. Not just a kid running around in normal clothes playing hero. It was professional, in a weird way.

Next Friday couldn't come soon enough, he decided.

Chapter Text

Colored sketch (First week of October)


Monochrome Sketch (August 4th)

i do NOT wanna talk abt how long it took me to get those to work. and if they dont work right after this i WILL have. i will. there. this. it's gonna affect the tour. mhm. yeah.