Ore no Yakuza Academia

by: Yidkirkin

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

SPOILERS

"Kid."

Aki mulishly turned to the living room and glared at the man his father had dragged into the house a few weeks ago and declared his tutor. Midoriya Ore was weird, and not just because he seemed to be the only adult around that could look at Aki and tell him he had the potential to be a great Kumichou one day. Ore only ever really spoke with Oyaji out of everyone and rarely actually came around, let alone taught Aki anything, but the effects of his suggestions around Aki's life were clearly felt. Just last week Aki had tested back into high school of his own volition following a rather sharply worded talk Ore had with him, and the week before that he had shown up in a whirlwind and deposited a gaggle of five other teenagers into Aki's living room.

He still had the bruises from the brawl that had devolved into, but he had also gone out to the arcade at Junta's invitation two days ago, so he wasn't completely sure what he thought about the development just yet.

"...yeah?" When Ore showed up unannounced Aki had learnt to be prepared for some crazy shit to go down, and it must have shown on his face because the man snorted and waved at the couch opposite him.

"Need to talk to you, c'mon." Aki sat down and crossed his arms against the way Ore inspected him; that was another thing, as the man always seemed fond of him even though they barely knew each other at all. "You've been a good student, Aki. I know I haven't actually taught you much, but you should be proud of what you've done even so. Okay?"

"Sure?" This was –weird, Ore was just plain weird.

"Ha, I'm probably not making much sense." He looked down at his wrist and fiddled with the old watch there, the gold of it striking against the green of his tattoo. "I don't think I'll be around much longer, kid, is where I'm going with this. So I wanted to leave you with some stuff while I can." He dug around in his pocket and fished out a little black book, which he passed over. Aki opened the first page and skimmed the numbers and names, and then a few pages later found some written instructions for... Hero agencies?

"What is all this?"

"People you can go to if you need help. Favours I'm owed that I've chosen to pass on to you." Ore said simply, but it just raised more questions in Aki's head. "I know your father really hates Heroes, so don't mention those ones to him, yeah? Use them in emergencies." Ore reached over and flipped to the back pages, where there were a few listed names and information of certain groups based closer to Tokyo, and one or two from further up north. "And these people are for when you become Kumichou, and you need allies you can trust. They're pretty much the exact opposites of those Shie Hassai-kai bastards right now, but look into them even still before you contact them –a lot can change in a few years."

Aki stared. "What? I don't –why are you giving me this?" he looked down at the book again and swallowed thickly –this was worth way more than anything his father could possibly be paying Ore for the tutoring. "I don't understand."

"... you remind me of my boss, Aki. A little flippant and arrogant, with a hell of a streak of bravado in him, but caring towards those he loved. Protective." Ore's eyes looked sad when Aki met them again, and Aki got a sudden, dreadful suspicion about what had happened to the man he was talking about. "A good Kumichou needs more than strength and charisma, which you have in spades. You need to have people you can trust around you, who keep you on track and don't let you bullshit them. So accept this."

"Thank you," Aki said quietly. "But –why, why can't you stay? I know Oyaji would love to have you."

Ore looked surprised, as if he'd never considered the option. "I've sworn my life to another, already." He sighed through his nose and rubbed at his forehead, but his cheeks turned deep red like he was embarrassed. "But, maybe. If this venture doesn't work out, I can come back here. Don't count on it, though!" Ore tapped the book. "You'll be a great Kumichou one day, Aki. You've just got to take it seriously. If I don't come back, go to Kugizaki Soga if you need someone to talk to; think carefully about who you want to support you in the future; and for god's sake, don't rely on third party couriers for important documents!"

"Huh?"

/

When Izuku woke up, he tottered into the main room just like any other day and followed the smells of their house guest's cooking to the table. A mug of tea woke him up just in time to see Ore stand up and place his mug in the sink, and with a sleepy blink Izuku registered that his older self was fully dressed in all but his shoes –he even had the small distortion around his ankle that meant he was wearing his gun. Ore caught him looking and gave him a tired smile, and Izuku recognized it from his own face for what it was.

"You're leaving?" Around the room, there was no trace left of his presence –the couch had been put to rights, the newspapers he usually read were stacked by the recycling, and he suspected that even the toiletries the man had accumulated were either thrown out or tucked away in the bathroom cupboard. "Where are you going? Are you coming back?"

Ore huffed in amusement and leaned on the table, his arms crossed casually. "If I do come back, you'll know. There's someone I have to check on in the next prefecture."

"And you're not going to tell me any more than that, huh?" Izuku guessed, but was surprised when Ore shook his head.

"Ah... I felt kinda bad for jerkin' you around all this time." Even saying that, he didn't look recalcitrant. "I spoke with Okaa-san about this last night. But for you, I made up a notebook."

"Like my Hero Analysis notes?" Izuku asked, unable to keep the interest out of his voice.

"I titled it, 'Yakuza Analysis from the Future'." Ore laughed at his own play on words, and Izuku flushed red at the poking fun at his old naming conventions. He hadn't actually titled anything 'for the future' since Middle School. "It's certainly not as thorough as what Nedzu put me through, but you'll get some answers, I expect. Including a few of Katsuki's exploits."

"Perfect."

While Ore laughed at his enthusiasm, Izuku took in his appearance –he had practically reverted to an exact copy of their first meeting. He'd been here nearly two months now, and he'd gotten his hair cut back to its shorter, tucked back style over that time. He was still tall and broad, but maybe a bit more filled out with how much of Okaa-san's cooking he'd eaten over his stay, and he certainly seemed to be more at ease in general, less tense in the shoulders. His outfit from that first meeting made a reappearance –black dress shirt and grey pants and suit jacket, with the black dress shoes and the necklace and watch from Ojii-san and Otou-san respectively.

"You'll be good, Boku-kun, trust me," Ore said confidently, less of the guilt and sorrow in his expression than when he'd broken down in the Hospital.

"Thanks, Ore-san. So will you, okay?" Ore nodded easily, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders for a brief hug before he pushed Izuku back in the chair and headed for his shoes by the door.

/

"Oi, kid. You're Ueda?"

Tomoharu blinked at the man who had spoken to him from the other side of the street –he glanced around at the empty patch of sidewalk and then pointed at himself, and the man snorted.

"Yeah, you. Ueda Tomoharu."

Maybe Tomoharu should be worried that a man so obviously in the Yakuza knew his name, but he couldn't really bring himself to that. He chatted with the punks and delinquents at school enough that he knew they weren't all bad, despite the very definite criminal element to their livelihoods. So he nodded slightly and crossed the road to be able to hear the man speak without a raised voice –he couldn't help but notice as the man's face and therefore his big facial scar twisted in a wry grin.

"Can I help you, Yakuza-san?" His question prompted a bark of laughter, and the man shook his head.

"Nah, it ain't you that can help me." Tomoharu frowned a little at the odd phrasing, but waited for the stranger to go on. The man pushed a hand through his messy green hair and levelled him with a considering gaze. "You won't remember, but you helped a kid I care a lot about. Wanted to repay you for that."

"Ah, there's no need!" Tomoharu searched his memory for someone he might have helped recently, but as the man predicted there wasn't anything popping up. Was it something he did unintentionally? "Um, I probably just did what anyone else would do. You shouldn't trouble yourself."

The stranger raised an eyebrow at him, his expression tinged with disbelief. "You're certainly different," Tomoharu let out a noise of confusion –nothing was making sense –but the Yakuza waved him off. "Heard you're fixin' to be a cop."

"Who exactly did I help out?!" Tomoharu normally considered himself pretty laidback, but he was only in high school –he hadn't told many people about what he had planned for his future, certainly not any of the more rough and tumble types he considered his friends.

"Not important," the Yakuza said flippantly, and then pulled an envelope from his pocket and tossed it in Tomoharu's direction –he caught it on instinct and it was heavier than he thought it'd be. "That's a reference that'll get you into a good school. Swear on my life he's as straight-laced as any detective you'll meet, so don't worry about any bad reputation or whatever. But if you choose not to use it, no skin off my back."

Wide eyed, Tomoharu looked at the envelope –it was sealed with actual wax and had the rough, thick consistency of really expensive paper. The man grunted suddenly like he was in pain, and Tomoharu whipped his head back up to see him clutching a hand to his sternum and hunched over.

"Yakuza-san?" he made to go closer to help, but the man held up a hand. He was panting and jolted a little like he was being shocked, and the edges of his body had gone a little... hazy.

"Nah, kid, this is supposed to happen," despite the obvious pain on his face, he was smiling and didn't exactly seem worried. "Thought I'd have a little more time before the Quirks wore off, but oh, well. I'm just... going home, now. So keep what I said in mind, Ueda." Tomoharu nodded quickly, and the stranger's body kept doing whatever it was doing –it was almost like he was unravelling, and Tomoharu got a split second to wonder whether this was some weird new transportation Quirk before the man gave him a two fingered salute and was gone completely from the street.

Alone again, Tomoharu looked at the envelope in his hands. He wondered what he could've possibly done to help the man's kid that would warrant something like this being dropped in his hands. He hoped that whatever it was, he would be able to figure it out someday.

/

"Okay, come on So-kun..."

"Nnnnoooo..." Soga grumbled, refusing to unwind his arms from around Izuku's neck. Raputo and Moyuru were already passed out on the couch, the larger boy drunk under the table by Takihaze in their enthusiasm over Izuku's return. "I wanna stay with you..."

"Don't you have class tomorrow? You need to go and get your uniform at least." Izuku tugged gently at Soga's iron grip, hoping his spikes didn't pop out unexpectedly –when had he gotten so strong? "You don't want to have to miss a day, right?"

"It's not like it matters anyway, I dropped out." Soga 'tch-ed' and his forehead creased severely. "An' you just got back... I'm drunk... I dun' wanna haveta deal with fuckin' Grandpa Fist or that Cruller asshole or be all alone..."

"Alright, alright..."

"Izuku? You're still –oh, I see." Aki grinned as he walked into the living room. "How sweet."

"It would be more so if I wasn't getting stabbed from this." Izuku glanced down only to find that Soga had passed out still clinging to him. "He really should be at home."

"Why don't you leave him with me and get going yourself? I'll send him off tomorrow." Aki came closer and dislodged the teenager from his person as easily as if he'd done it dozens of times already –and maybe he had, for all Izuku knew. "I kept it clean, so you shouldn't have any trouble-"

Aki paused in the process of lying Soga down with his two friends, Izuku's hand wrapped around his shoulder preventing him from getting very far. He looked back to see Izuku's face scrunched up in an expression he'd never seen him wear before.

"N-No. Please, Boss, I-" Izuku tried to swallow some of his building panic by focusing on the blue-grey of Aki's shirt, but he could also see his hands shaking. "I can't go back, not yet. I can't."

Aki stared at him for a long moment without saying anything, until finally he nodded once and shifted Soga around until he could easily hand him right back to Izuku.

"I'll be up in a minute, so take Soga to my room, okay?" Izuku murmured an agreement, his face a little flushed in embarrassment, and left Aki to do whatever he needed to.

"...Ueda?"

"Aki –is everything alright?" Tomoharu yawned on the other end of the line, obviously he'd been woken up by Aki's call.

"C-Can you come over to the house tomorrow afternoon?" Aki asked as he stepped carefully around the members of the gang that slept sprawled on the floor. "It's important."

"I can come after five, maybe for dinner? Should I mentally prepare?" Tomoharu joked, and Aki couldn't help but smile fondly.

"Maybe. I want you to meet Izuku." Aki could tell that he'd snagged his lover's full attention. "He's... I can already tell he's changed a lot, so if you don't come 'round tomorrow I might not be able to see you for a while, while he gets settled..."

"I want to meet him. I'll come, I'll be there." Tomoharu said decisively. "I'm glad he's out, Aki. Be there for him as long as he needs, I understand."

"...thanks, T-Tomoharu. I love you."

Aki hung up before he could say anything more embarrassing and made his way up to his room, stopping only briefly in the washroom to change into some sleep clothes and brush his teeth.

"Boss," Izuku greeted him the moment he got to his room; he was sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed in the same clothes he'd been released in, turned just enough that Aki assumed he'd been watching a snoozing Soga, who was tucked underneath the covers. Aki stood still for a minute and just looked at his friend, practically his brother –why had this happened to him out of any of them?

He didn't fill out his clothes properly –he was too skinny in some places and more muscular in others. His hair was dull and his eyes sunken, his freckles almost faded, and the injury on his face had obviously been infected at some point by how gnarly the scar tissue was in a few areas. He had always been bigger than Aki –maybe not in personality, but in height and bulk and Aki would swear his heart was bigger than anyone else's –but now Izuku looked small, vulnerable, less than he had been before.

Aki approached and couldn't stop staring at the visible proof of Izuku's absent year. How long would it take him to recover from just the physical effects of his prison sentence, let alone the mental and emotional ones? Aki sunk to his knees and grabbed Izuku's hands in his own, bending forward to hide his face.

"Aki...?" Izuku sounded so lost, and dammit, Aki was in his own room in his own house, he shouldn't care about acting strong anymore!

"I-I'm s-sorry... I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything, Izuku!" Aki sobbed and gripped Izuku's hands as if they would disappear any second. "I couldn't get you out, I couldn't help Jodouji or Inko-obasan or Soga... all I could do –all I did was go on with my duty and my life while you were gone! I feel like I've cheated you out of so much...!"

"Aki!"

Izuku had started crying too, but he was different even in this –his sobs were more air than actual sound, and only a few droplets came from his eyes as opposed to the waterworks it used to be. Aki sobbed harder when Izuku dropped down to his level and fiercely hugged him around the shoulders.

"Don't blame yourself, Aki, please." Izuku pleaded, unable to stop himself from moving closer, from holding on tighter. "I don't blame you for any of it, of course I don't. You're –You're the only family I got left, the Gotouda-kai's the only home I have now. Please, I –I –just... just don't make me go back yet. Don't make me leave."

"I won't. Never. Take as long as you want, take longer, I don't care. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

It wasn't long before Aki fell asleep, but Izuku lay awake for a few hours more, sandwiched on the bed in between Aki and a snoring Soga. He almost couldn't believe he was here –warm and overfed, throat sore not from yelling in anguish but from laughing too much. Izuku shifted to lay on his side so he could stare at Aki, and it was a little disorienting that no one barged into the room to force him to lie on his back.

/

Izuku fell from a few feet up in the air, somehow, and crashed down onto a small cafe table in broad daylight, sending patrons around him shrieking in shock at his sudden appearance. The table wasn't exactly structurally durable, and so 180 lbs of extra weight sent the legs buckling and the whole thing collapsed into a heap in between the two people who'd previously been sitting around it. Izuku had a few moments of groaning pain to be thankful that there hadn't been any plates or knives on the surface, before a very familiar voice shouted in his ear and arms flung around his shoulders.

"IZUKU!"

"Aki," Izuku twisted up and got his own arms around his boss' neck and pulled him in tight, and he ignored all the chatter and worried fretting of the waitress as he gasped for air. "I'm back, I came back."

"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO?!" Aki's dulcet tones made his ears ring, but couldn't block out the terror in Aki's tone. "I –I came to get you, you said you'd be waiting, but we couldn't find you! Fuck, it was like last year all over again you bastard!" From where he'd buried his face in Izuku's shoulder, there was a steady patch of wetness spreading. "You'd better have a really fucking good explanation, so help me, Izuku-!"

"Ah, s-sorry, Aki," Izuku hiccupped and gripped his friend tighter, and tried to swallow around the lump in his throat. "I didn't mean to, I didn't. It –it was a Quirk. I got hit by a Quirk."

"No shit?" Aki pulled away, his face a blotchy red.

"No bullshit, promise. I'll tell you all about it at home," for the first time, Izuku really looked around, and tensed a bit at all the patrons watching his and Aki's little reunion from the other tables. Then he noticed who was speaking quietly to what was probably the owner of the cafe, when he turned around and levelled the pair of them on the ground with a tired, relieved look.

"Ooooh, Ueda's with you. Makes sense why I dropped in, then," Izuku waved at his boss' husband. "'Sup, Ueda? Sorry for the flashy entrance."

The cop let out a startled laugh, "Just glad to have you back, Midoriya-san. Everyone's been worried."

Izuku sniffed and let Aki drag him to his feet, and finally felt his heart settle. It was going to take a lot of explaining to smooth over his two month absence, but he was so relieved to finally be back he couldn't even begin to care. He was pretty sure with his own life as it was, his family would readily accept any suitably contrived set of circumstances that had led him away and back again.