Inko grimaced as she heard the phone ring, dreading the conversation that she had reluctantly started. She was vaguely aware of a 6 year old Izuku watching from behind the door, but whatever he might hear was going to be far better then if her plan went into action. She heard the ringing stop and a gruff voice answer from the other phone. "Inky? The hell are you calling after 7 years for?"
The mother gulped, remembering the faces of her old friends and envisioning this particular friend's displeased look. "G-Gareth, I-I know I-I h-haven't c-called in so l-long but I-I h-have no other o-option…"
She was cut off by a laugh, one marred by years of smoking and fighting if Gareth hadn't changed. "Come on, you calling me some kind of second-rate friend? Don't matter where you been Inky, you're one of us like it or not. Now, how can old Gary help you out?"
Inko sighed, rubbing over her arm where a mark had been permanently drawn into her skin. "G-Gareth, you know why I left r-right? My…"
She heard a grunt on the other side and she could almost see him leaning forward, his fingers curled around a cigarette now expertly manuvering it between his fingers. "Yer son, Izuku if my memory isn't a bitch like usual. You 'ad 'im with that pretty boy Hisashi right?"
Inko gulped, steeling her resolve before saying. "Y-Yes, but Hisashi left us a couple years ago. I-I need to work full time, but I can't afford care and Mitsuki's boy bully's Izuku… Gareth, can you take him in? Even just for a couple of hours a day?"
She heard absolutely nothing from the other side, silence, nada. She was worried they had just ignored her request, before she heard Gareth speak in a serious voice. "Inko, you realise the kinda company we are, right? We ain't the crowd a kid should be gettin' involved with. You realise that if yer boy comes around after suckin' his thumbs at school, he's going to be breaking thumbs in a couple months?"
Inko sighed, rubbing her eyes which had begun to burn with tears. "I-I know Gareth, I don't want it to be the only option, but it is. Izuku is Quirkless, he can't protect himself at those rowdy after-school centres even if I could send him there. I know he's going to be… One of you after a while, but you're the only one I can trust with this… You and the rest…"
Inko was about to dissolve into tears, worried that Gareth would refuse. She was shocked still when she heard him sigh and say. "Alright Inky, I'll take in yer little tyke. Where'dja want me to be after school, I'll take him to my bar and you can come grab him when you get in. Just remember, he won't be your little boy soon enough."
She sighed in relief, rubbing her eyes one final time before saying. "T-thank you Gary… I know I left you all behind, but I didn't want our life for my little Izuku."
Inko heard one final chuckle before some haunting final words. "Looks like he's getting it anyway. Violence is in his blood Inky, as is in yours."
With that Gareth hung up and Inko was left in the darkened corridor. Sighing, she put the phone back into the pedestal before turning around to see Izuku looking at her curiously from his room in his All Might onesie. "Mommy? Who was that?"
Inko walked over and wrapped him in her arms, embracing her son in fear. "J-Just your old Godfather Gareth. Now, you'll be going with him after school before Mommy comes to pick you up. Now then, time for bed."
She herded the fussy Izuku into his bed, giving him a kiss on the forehead once he was asleep. With one final look over her shoulder, she walked out of the room, fully realising that soon enough he would be much too mature then his age would suggest.
Timeskip, after school the next day
Izuku worriedly looked around the carpark of his primary school, searching for a man that could be Mr Gareth. He heard a triplet of laughs from behind him and turned around to see Bakugo and two of his friends standing over him. "So Izuku, where's your Mommy? Oh, she ain't here? I bet it's because you're such a useless Deku."
Izuku stood there, taking it in stride like he learned to. Kacchan was strong, he was weak, this was how things worked out. "Hey kid, you wana piss off?"
They all turned to see a massively large man next to them, looming over them and casting a shadow over them all. He wasn't built like All Might, but his body obviously indicated a fighter. He was in jeans and a t-shirt, his muscle-bound arms covered by a biker jacket while his right eye was adorned with a scar, framed by his dark auburn hair. Bakugo and his cronies seemed to piss themselves before scrambling off with their tails between their legs. With a sigh, the man watched them go before turning to Izuku. "Hey, your name Izuku?"
Izuku nodded frantically, still scared deeply by the man before he launched a yellow toothed smile at the young boy. "The name's Gareth, yer Momma tell you about me?"
Izuku nodded with a smile, this cool guy was friends with Mom! "Yep! She told me to go with you until she came to get me. It's nice to meet you Mr Gareth!"
The bear of a man huffed and looked away, scratching at his beard. "Come on kid, let's go and get back to the bar."
Izuku followed along, silently sizing up the man from behind him. He seemed to be genuine enough, but he was scary! Eventually they both reached a car, where somebody else was sitting behind the wheel with a glass of pure red liquid. Gareth opened up the back seat and helped Izuku up and into a seat, strapping him in before addressing the woman behind the wheel. "Heather, meet Inky's son. Izuku, this is Heather."
The woman called Heather turned around in her seat, not spilling a drop of liquid despite the quick acrobatics. Her blood red eyes glistened with mischief, framed by raven black hair. "Hiya! So your Inko's son, Izuku right? I'm Heather, I used to be your Momma's right-hand woman till she went domestic."
Izuku nodded, very curious of the friendly woman as Gareth got into the seat next to her. "Come on Red, let's get em back to Bolgia and introduce him to the others."
Heather pouted before getting back into driving position and draining her glass, smacking her lips before cracking her fingers and adjusting her rear-view mirror. Gareth grinned at Izuku in said mirror, giving a warning. "You like roller-coasters Kid? Cause you won't like this one."
Gareth's words held true, as the ride proved to be one Izuku would not forget any time soon. After a trip which made Izuku redefine his version of insane he let Gareth unbuckle him, before being scooped up into the arms of Heather. They appeared to be in a pretty dark part of the city, despite the sun hanging in the sky. She ran her hand through his hair, apologetically looking down at him. "Sorry Izuku, I get a little excited when I'm behind the wheel…"
Izuku remembered his mother teaching him to always be polite when somebody apologised. "D-Don't worry Ms Heather, I-I'm okay…"
Gareth sighed before walking over to the building they had parked outside of. "Come on you two, I've been sober for two whole hours."
Heather and Izuku grinned, with the older offering Izuku her hand which he took gratefully as they walked inside with Gareth. Inside the large room appeared to be clouded in a mass of smoke, somehow being kept to the ceiling and clouding the large light. The room itself appeared to be a stereotypical bar, but with a whole host of interesting people to the young Izuku. He felt himself be hoisted up by the arms of Heather, surprisingly strong as she proclaimed. "Inky 2 Has Arrived!"
All of the patrons raised their mugs with a cheer, drawing a sigh from Gareth who dropped into a barstool and was instantly served by the bartender. "Heather, you mind looking over him during introductions? I'm getting to old for this shit…"
Heather nodded happily and set Izuku down, taking him to the closest table which had three men seated. One feature Izuku noticed is that they were all missing something like an eye, a finger or an ear. "Izuku, these are Paulo, Reese and James. They're as thick as thieves they are."
The closest one to Izuku grinned at him, an eyepatch adorning his left eyesocket. "Nice to meetcha kid! Was a shame when Inky left it was."
The other two introduced themselves as boisterously before he was carted off to the next table where two women were sat. These two seemed to be rather gloomy, one drinking a pitch black liquid and shrouded in antipathy while the other was sitting surrounded by an aura of sadness. "These are my friends, Laura and Jen. Say hi you two."
The woman drinking the black stuff peered at Izuku over her glass before saying. "If he lives up to Inko's legacy, I will acknowledge him as such."
Izuku didn't pay her any mind, instead choosing to walk up to the sad and shy woman. "What's wrong miss?"
She seemed to recoil in fear, before stuttering out. "I-I-I'm o-okay I-Iz-zuku-u…"
Izuku nodded and flashed her his biggest smile. "Well, I hope your happy again soon!"
Heather giggled as the rest of the bar seemed to laugh uproariously at the young boy's action, drawing a quiet smile from the woman. The rest of the introductions went just as well, Izuku noticing something special about each and every one of them. Something he had noticed was that nobody seemed to care about his quirk and never offered theirs. It was… Refreshing to the young boy, a welcome change from the quirk dominated school he went to.
Eventually Heather dropped him off at the bar next to Gareth with a final hug. "I'm gonna go talk to the girls, you be a good boy now Izu!"
Izuku nodded obediently as Gareth hailed down the bartender. "Something light for the kid."
He nodded and poured out a glass of orange juice before dropping a shot of something into it. Gareth sighed, too exasperated to object as the bartender slid it over to Izuku, who took it with a quiet word of thanks. Gareth finished off his beer, watching Izuku out of the corner of his eye and smiling as the young boy sipped on the juice. "Mr Gareth, what is in this juice? It tastes really good."
Gareth laughed before shaking his head, scratching his beard. "Don't tell your Mom but it's soft liquor. Drink it nice and slow, this'll be your first time with booze, so we don't want you drunk. So, what do you make of everyone?"
Izuku grinned, swirling his straw around in the drink as he said. "They all seem nice, why did Mom seem to be scared of you?"
Gareth sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Izuku, you should know this before you leave. We're not good people. We ain't villains, but god knows we're not good people. We fight, we get drunk and we don't like the rules that much. We're not gonna kick you out, but you better not rat us out to the cops. You got that?"
Izuku nodded, processing the revelation that some bad people weren't villains. "Um, okay Mr Gareth."
The man grinned at him, motioning for him to drink up. "Then enjoy yourself kid. Also, drop the Mister crap, you're Inky's kid, you're one of us."
Izuku grinned up at him, genuinely happy at his proclamation. After finishing his drink Izuku felt a bit woozy, obviously effected by the shot of liquor in his drink. Gareth felt a ringing in his pocket and brought out his phone and glanced at the darkened screen. Sighing he got up and wiped his mouth on his arm which was adorned with a tattoo of twenty lions biting each other's tails. "Come on kid, your Mom's here. You want to say goodbye to Heather?"
Izuku nodded and turned around to look at Heather who was at her table with Laura and Jen, sipping a glass of wine. She looked up and waved to him with a smile, which Izuku returned with vigour. Gareth smirked at him and lead him outside, where Inko was stood nervously looking around at the dark street. Izuku ran forward to hug her. "Mommy!"
Inko gasped before gripping her son in a hug. "Heya Izuku, did you enjoy your time with Gareth?"
Izuku nodded into her skirt, causing Inko to look up at the stoic Gareth. "Thank you, Gareth. Same time tomorrow?"
Gareth nodded before kneeling down to Izuku's eye height, ruffling his hair. "See ya tomorrow kid."
Izuku grinned at him and nodded. "Yep! See you tomorrow Uncle Gareth!"
He bashfully looked away before standing up, nodding to the two and walking back inside. Inko helped Izuku up and into his seat while asking about his day. Izuku prattled on about how cool Gareth was and about Heather and the rest of the patrons of the bar. Inko listened attentively as she drove back to their flat, reluctantly eager to see how her old friends were doing. Eventually they got back to the flat, she made dinner while Izuku went into his room to play around. Eventually it was ready, they ate and Inko helped him into his pyjamas and into bed where he promptly fell asleep.
As she was about to leave the room, she couldn't help but notice the little booklet she had bought for him to write his 'Hero Research' in open on his little desk. Walking over, she scanned it over and smiled ruefully at the crude sketches of Gareth and Heather on their own separate pages. They seemed to take pride of place at the front, being as bold as All Might's entry at the start.
Dropping the book down onto the desk, she left the room with a final glance at the few posters Izuku had and his action figures of heroes. 'Looks like they won't be around for too much longer…'
Timeskip, two weeks
Izuku was much quieter then usual, even by his standards. He hadn't responded as enthusiastically to Heather's boisterous greeting, was silent throughout the ride from hell and only nodded to the welcomes from the patrons. Gareth was honestly quite concerned for the young boy he had come to see as his nephew as he watched him drink his usual spiked orange juice. "Kid, you alright?"
Izuku jumped at the address, before nodding without a word. Now Gareth knew something was up and it spelt trouble for whoever caused the problem. He heard a loud gasp and turned to see the depressed girl Jennifer holding her hands over her mouth while looking at Izuku. Gareth realised her quirk must have activated, Emotional Appraisal. It allowed her to assess the emotional state of anybody she could see, along with a basic reason for their emotion like 'Tasty food' or 'Loss of Friend'. Gareth reached down and pulled Izuku's school jumper up, despite protests from the young boy. He was shocked to see various bruises and light burns on his torso.
Immediatly dropping his mug he turned to Izuku and bored his eyes into the young boy. "Izuku, who did this to you. By god I'll rip their fuckin spine out if I get my hands on them…"
Izuku help up his hands, waving it away as if it was nothing. "N-No need Uncle Gareth, just Kacchan up to his usual. Nothing to see here…"
Gareth growled at him, motioning for the Bartender to grab the first-aid kit. "Like hell there is Kid. This kinda shit can't continue, you'll be a fucking invalid before your 10. Your teacher didn't stop the little shit?"
Izuku quietly shook his head, fully aware everybody was watching him. "N-No, he doesn't really care much…"
He heard a small crack and looked over to the source to see Heather's fingers gripped around her table, now sporting a new series of cracks. Turning back Izuku felt Gareth pull his sweater off and begin to treat the wounds, slightly roughly but enough to stop any chance of infection. It was possibly the longest 10 minutes Izuku ever felt, feeling everybody's eyes on his body before Gareth sighed and handed him his sweater. "That should do kid. Now then, what to do about it."
Izuku was about to tell him he had it under his control but balked under Gareth's gaze. Heather came up to them and dropped into the barstool next to Izuku. "Yes… What to do about my little Izuku gettin' beat up. Hey Gareth, you reckon he's old enough to learn 'bout his mother's legacy?"
Izuku leaned inward, interested in what they were talking about. Gareth grunted while grabbing his mug and taking a deep sip. "Kids much younger have done much worse, not to mention he's going to need it sooner rather then later. Kid, you know how we're kinda rough around the edges?"
Izuku nodded, willing himself not to grab his notebook and begin to write down everything he was saying. "Well, our Inko wasn't the salary woman she is now. We're all fighters, we just do it in the backstreets where the law can't see. Inky was one of our best, I doubt I could defeat her in her prime. She was known as the Musutafu Massacre, she was that vicious. What I'm proposing, is that you learn how to fight like we do, like your mother did."
The young Izuku gave pause for a moment, weighing up what he knew about heroes and villains. It sounded kinda bad in his ears, breaking the law, but it was with his Uncle and Heather… But then he remembered one of the strange heroes that had recently popped up, Eraserhead. People kept saying he fought dirty, so isn't it just a kind of fighting? Not to mention, without a quirk he would need every advantage he could get… "O-Okay, I'll learn it."
Gareth grinned as Heather grabbed him from behind in a hug with a cheer. Once the excitement had calmed down Gareth finished his drink and said. "Okay, I'll have your training equipment sort'd for tomorrow. I'll put some meat on those bones before we get to fighting, you got that Kid?"
Izuku nodded enthusiastically, finishing his orange juice in kind. "Sure!"
Gareth nodded and got up, now knowing the time when Inko usually got there as did Izuku. Walking over to the door, Gareth said prememptivly. "Don't mention this to your mother, she'll kick my ass and then the rest of their asses for letting you do this. Also, don't think about fighting those punks at school yet till we've got you on the right track."
Izuku nodded once more, left the building and greeted his mother. They went home, ate dinner, Izuku drew in his journal and went to sleep in anticipation of the next day. Inko had no idea, but this was the beginning of her little boy becoming what she tried to leave behind.
Timeskip, 8 years later
An older Izuku lounged in his chair, boredly listening to his teacher's speech on their future careers while thumbing over a scar he had on the back of his hand. His body was taut with muscle, but framed with scars and other battle memories that he so fondly loved. Each one was a reminder of a punk he had decided to slam into the ground whenever they so much as glanced at him the wrong way and he reveled in the feeling. He looked up to see the commotion of the class peak as the teacher went on about how they were all going to want to become heroes, fucking idiot.
From the corner of his eye Izuku could see Bakugo ranting to the teacher about how he was soo much better then the rest of them and scoffed. Obviously, the other boy heard him, but the lack of a violent reaction was indicative of times Izuku had put his lessons to use. Izuku fondly remembered the first time when he had managed to knee Bakugo in the teeth, knocking a few out and causing the young boy to wail. Heather had been so proud that day and Laura finally invited him to talk, letting the young boy fight her to improve his skills. Inko had obviously known what was going on to an extent, flinching when Izuku first told her that Laura had begun to talk to him.
In all honesty, Izuku really couldn't relate to his mother at all any more. Seriously, if you could give up the rush of watching a bunch of street thugs drop their wallets and run away pissing themselves then you were weirder then an alien to him. Gareth had half-heartedly warned him against going out alone to beat up punks but the warning was lost on him in response to the sheer volume of money he got from the deal. A new knife he like the look of? A night or two of fighting and it adorned his wall. A couple nights alone in a hotel so he didn't need to worry about his mother catching him? Hell, he could pay for it by the night.
And to top it all off, crime rates had plummeted in response to his little crusade. Most small-time street gangs were disbanded by the 'Musutafu Meddler' and the bigger crime syndicates were forced to do operations only in the large scale to stop Izuku from just taking them all out. Sometimes they had drawn guns, every time that happened they left in bodybags. Izuku never bothered to learn gunsmanship, finding it boring to point at something to kill it. Eventually Gareth had given up on stopping him from taking out street gangs alone, instead trying to get Izuku to head to a fighting ring near them so at least he could do it with him watching.
Snapping back to reality Izuku looked up from his desk to see that class had just been dismissed, leaving himself and a couple girls who were giggling on the other side of the room while taking suggestive glances at him. Winking at them he stood up, threw his bag over his shoulder and made his way out of the school grounds while enjoying the stares he got from most of the female population of the school. He fully realised that he had the 'Bad Boy' look going for him, Heather had told him as much when she told him that her niece Audrey had begged her to let her see him.
Making his way down towards the fighting ring he went to after school, Izuku took a moment to glare at the pollution filling the river. Somebody really needed to fix that shit, it stunk to high heaven. The sun went out of view as he walked through a tunnel, checking for any new graffiti on the walls. What he wasn't aware of was the writhing mass of slime that was gleefully smirking at him from behind. "Oh, now you will be a nice host…"
Now a lesser man might have frozen, a better man might have called the police but Izuku took the nice sweet spot of turning around and throwing up his fists. The slime monster pooled around at his feet, trying to immobilize him but Izuku had seen the kind of trick from a street punk before and dodged to the right. His upper conscious had left, letting his street smarts and intuition kick into overdrive as he assessed the arena. A couple bits of litter, nope. A bunch of rocks, maybe… A shattered glass bottle, fucking perfect! Grabbing it while rolling to the right Izuku got up and lunged at the massive eye on the beast, smiling as the shards embedded themselves into weak point. Jumping back Izuku watched in satisfaction as the monster screamed and whimpered at the pain as Izuku searched for another opportunity to attack. Just as he brought out his knife, he heard a voice from behind him boom. "Fear not citizen, for I am here!"
Izuku whirled around, knife at the ready to see All Might reeling back a punch. Dodging to the right barely managed to get out of the way of the blow which splattered the villain across the tunnel. Sighing that his opponent had been stolen Izuku sheathed the knife and said. "The hell is this?"
All Might turned with his normal smile. "Ah, merely a foe which has eluded me for some of the day. Fear not, for I shall bring him in."
Izuku sighed and began to walk away, throwing a wave over his shoulder. "Don't bother me none, see ya big guy."
As the teenager walked away, All Might couldn't help but feel offputted by the young man. He seemed remorseless at the damage he had done to the villain, regardless of if it was in self defence. The kid hadn't even been awestruck by his appearance as most teenagers would… It seemed like a case of bad parenting but something still seemed off…
Shrugging he got prepared for take-off after scooping the villain into a plastic bottle. In his reverie about the young Izuku however, he forgot to tie it to his belt and as he lept off into the air, the bottle came undone and dropped to the city below. It landed in front of a disgruntled boy with explosive anger issues and all hell broke loose from there.
Povchange.
Izuku groaned as his way to the bar was blocked by a crowd of people, apparently watching a fight between villains and heroes. Honestly this day was just getting so fucking dandy as it went on. Deciding to see if there was going to be blood, Izuku pushed and shoved his way to the front, not caring at some peoples yells of protest. What he saw shocked him a bit, before a predatory glance managed to weave its way onto his face. That slimy fuck had managed to escape the all so important All Might and had managed to take lil' Blasty hostage.
Realising that the heroes were doing nothing and that his knife was being blue-balled after not spilling blood the last time, Izuku decided to have some fun. Jumping over the police cordon into the area, he called out to the monster. "Hey Shitstain, remember me!?"
It looked down and seemed to recoil in fear. "Y-You! You were the one who messed up my eye you little fuck! Now then, let's see how this quirk does against you"
The mention of a quirk sobered Izuku, a small angry grimace on his face. "You think some firecrackers will do much to me Shitstain? Let's test that theory."
Hitting the release on the switchblade Izuku threw it at the monster's eye, landing home once again causing it to scream in pain and loosen its grip on Bakugo. Leisurely walking forward Izuku grabbed his classmate by the front of his clothes and wrenched him away, saying. "Oh hey Kacchan, nice new boyfriend you've got here."
Katsuki growled and was about to rebute him when he was pushed aside by Izuku. "Now then, how about a quick dance eh Shitstain?"
Izuku pulled out another knife, this time a much longer one and jumped up to the eye once again. Grabbing onto the switchblade already embedded in the eye Izuku drove the other into the organ, causing another scream to erupt from the monster. "Now then, you want to be blind forever or are you going to shut the hell up and turn yourself over?"
After a couple seconds of screaming, along with horrified looks from the heroes and spectators, Izuku twisted the switchblade. "Come on Sweetpea, I ain't got all night."
The monster blubbered out what Izuku could only assume to be a 'Yes.' and jumped down, taking his knives with him. The sludge villain had curled up in a ball, not responding when the authorities were arresting him and instead blubbering in pain. The heroes tried to detain Izuku for questioning, but got a middle finger in the face as the young man walked off towards the bar. What he didn't notice was All Might watching from a rooftop, his body deflated into his true form. 'That was… Harrowing. The boy has skill, but it is used for pain and not apprehension… It would be prudent to inform Tsukauchi, lest he fall to villainy.'
Izuku had just walked into Bolgia, the bar owned by Gareth, and was greeted by various calls of greeting to him by the patrons. Gareth was nowhere to be found, making Izuku grin as he walked over to the bar and called out an order for his usual. The bartender had become his greatest friend, staunchest ally and taker of wealth in his time fighting and he proved it by sliding the drink over to Izuku as a note flew into his hand.
The bar was quite empty tonight, but a figure sat down next to him causing him to turn his head slightly to look at them. It was Laura, his most vicious sparring partner who had a glass of dark wine in her hand. "Izuku, the news has said that a villain was mutilated by a green haired, armed vigilante. Why?"
Izuku grunted and took a mouthful of his drink. "Fucker tried to kill me before, just finishing business."
Laura nodded as she sipped her own. "Well it looks like the hunt for you is on. I would finish you drink and get out of here. Also, Heather sends her regards."
As his drink was reaching completion Izuku asked. "California right? Visiting family if I remember."
Laura nodded, continuing. "Yes, said that her niece wanted her to be there for her birthday. Granted, she asked after you initially."
Izuku shrugged, not really caring for the girl's crush on him. Audrey looked a nice enough girl, but too rich for his blood if he ever talked to her. "Alright. Thanks for the message, pass it back for me would you? I'm going to hit the ring, I like the look of a new Butterfly."
Laura nodded, watching as Izuku slid his empty glass over to the bartender before standing up and leaving. He walked through the humid air, relishing in the relative cleanliness of the streets that he had enforced by his own two hands. The path he walked was a familiar one, dropping down a alleyway and heaving over a wall into a large circular clearing with a pit in the middle. It seemed that a couple people were already in there, ripping at each other with claws as a rabid crowd screamed them on.
Looking through the crowd he didn't see any people looking suspiciously out of place, which ment no undercover cops. It was at that point he felt a breath on his ear and twisted out of the way of a knife that flied for his side. "Sup Toga."
The blond girl smiled sweetly at him as she sheathed her knife, now swaying her hips in place as she leaned on him. "Heya Izu-zu! Ready to spill some blood?"
Izuku barked out a laugh as he said. "As long as your giving me my cut of the profits, sure."
Toga nodded, showing a ticket that had a large '10,000 on Midori' stamped on it. "Yep! 40/60 as usual, 1.5x return. Also, I was wondering if…"
He sighed and nodded. "Yes, I'll come with you to get cheesecake."
She cheered before slapping his behind forward, signalling for him to get into the ring. "You go boy!"
Izuku walked forward, shoving the bystanders away as the last fight was cleared up. Jumping down into the pit he saw a large man crash down as well, wielding a large metal pole he whacked the floor with. "Ready to play Little Rabbit?"
All the goliath received in return was the sound of a switchblade opening and a savage grin. "Let's tango."
Timeskip
Twenty seconds, twenty seconds is all it took. The crowd was aroar as they looked down at the weeping Goliath who had about 40 cuts on his face alone. Izuku muscled himself up and out of the pit before getting rushed by Toga who had a plastic bag full of paper bills. "Izu! You would never guess it. When they saw Goliath against you they raised your bet to 2.5x! I also managed to… Get some extra tickets from some suckers…"
Izuku sighed, ruffling her hair before spying the angry looking crowd around him. "Let's head Toga."
She was about to protest before he looked into her eyes and said harshly. "Now."
Toga relinquished before yelping as Izuku brought her into his arms, rushing through the crowd and jumping out of the Ring. They heard some angered yelling from behind them but Izuku never looked back. Eventually they were out of the ring, but they never noticed a scarved man watching them from the roof of a building. A communicator on his chest asked quietly. "Aizawa, do you have confirmation of target?"
He slowly lifted his hand and hit the 'open mic' button. "Yes, he is with subject Himiko. They appear to be familiar with each other."
The communicator said again. "The patrons of the Bolgia Bar have denied any connection with the subject. Inko Midoriya however claims that the target has frequented the bar since he was young due to circumstance. Do not move to apprehend, we will apprehend tonight."
Aizawa grunted and responded. "What of Subject Himiko, Tsukauchi?"
The detective simply returned. "Leave her, Midoriya could be good leverage against her later on."
The hero turned off the communicator and watched as Toga was set down and brought out a bottle. Midoriya sat down on a free bench and let Toga massage the brown contents of the bottle into his hair, each strand getting progressively browner with each press. Eventually Izuku's signature green hair was now a chocolate brown. Standing up, Izuku offered her his arm which she happily took as they went over to a cozy looking café.
Izuku sat down at a table with a sigh as Toga happily began to browse the menu. Grabbing the bag he began to count out their shares. True to the deal they had struck, he took his 40% before sliding over a neat pile of notes worth 60% to her. "Good doin' business with ya Toga. What're you getting?"
She smiled coyly as she put her chin in her hand, leaning closer to him. "Oh, what to get indeed. How many cuts did you get on 'im?"
He barked a short laugh before saying. "49."
Toga mock-swooned before turning back to the menu, counting down the list until she got to 4. Turning to a free waiter she said. "Strawberry Cheesecake please!"
The waiter nodded and went back to the kitchen as Izuku pulled out his phone. 4 new messages. Opening the app he saw three by Gareth and one from Heather. Opening Gareth's contact Izuku read them with a grimace.
Gareth: Four police at Bolgia looking for you
Gareth: Stay clear for tonight
Gareth: Go and stay with Toga or something
Sighing he typed back a quick 'Ok' before turning to Heather's contact and opening the message. Inside was a picture of both her and her niece at the beach, who was obviously trying to make herself look as appealing as possible. Sighing he typed back. 'Nice, say hi to Audrey for me.'
Dropping it back into his pocket he looked up to see Toga with a spoon held up to his mouth, a chunk of cheesecake offered to him. Rolling his eyes good-naturedly he took it from her, watching as she grinned happily before going back to devouring her slice. Today had been tiring as hell in his eyes, and since he couldn't drink it away he turned to another waiter and said gruffly. "Could you get me a coffee?"
He walked over to the bar, expertly pulling a coffee and bringing it over to Izuku and placing it infront of him. Izuku drunk it in silence, watching Toga over the lip of his mug as she swung her legs beneath the seat. She was an enigma wrapped in a blood-stained mystery to him, and he remembered his first encounter with her.
She was sat on a corpse, slowly running a knife over its spine when Izuku found her. He had just gotten back from taking down a small drug ring, and he was already pretty cut up from a couple stray knives. He was only just able to dodge the knife thrown at him, but one look at her face instantly told him she was insane. A game of cat and mouse continued for a couple hours, Izuku hiding in buildings with Toga's crazed humming and false cooing making the night like a horror movie.
Eventually the day broke, and he was just about to escape back to Bolgia when she struck. They wrestled over a knife for a bit, before it managed to draw a line over his cheek. The girl's distraction was enough for him to flip the tables, but she wasn't even trying any more. They talked for a bit, and eventually they reached an accord. She got to see him cut up, he got to live.
Once she was done with her cake Izuku said. "Hey, I need a place to crash tonight. Do you mind?"
Toga shrugged and responded. "Sure, but no funny business."
Izuku nodded and dropped a couple notes on the table before standing up, offering her a hand. They both left arm in arm, and Toga lead him down into an alleyway before opening up an innocuous door. He walked in and perused the room, depressingly bare with a few markers of living. "You know, we could probably go and grab a place in town after a couple nights Toga. Share the rent, we both have a place to crash."
She nodded before sighing. "Maybe, but it's closer to the ring here and I have a couple friends around that I need to stay near. Anyways, want to take the first shower?"
Izuku nodded gratefully before shrugging off his clothes, ignoring Toga's stare before walking into the derelict bathroom and turning on the water. It was cold, but he knew that she was off the grid. Eventually he finished and walked out with a towel, watching Toga scrub off their clothes in the sink with a couple jugs of water. She was in her underwear, and her shivering was indicative of the coldness in the air. Grabbing a blanket he walked over and placed it over her shoulders, saying quietly. "I'll handle it, you go and warm up."
She nodded, hiding the few tears that threatened to fall. "Why is it like this Izu? Why are we the dregs?"
He didn't have an answer to that, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I don't know Toga, but once you're done with these 'friends' we'll go and get a real place. A fireplace, couple bedrooms, shower with hot water…"
Izuku knew that Toga needed to hear these promises for her sanity, clinging to hope gave her hope. He had to do this a couple times before, but he never regretted it. He and Toga were just two outcasts, they had to stick together or they would fall apart. Maybe this was love, but Izuku didn't really know what it was supposed to look like. "Yeah, maybe a cat. Maybe we could have a bath too…"
He didn't know how long they stood like that, but when she fell asleep he walked over to the couch and tucked her in. Walking over to the sink he finished scrubbing the clothes before hanging them over a chair. Grabbing a t-shirt and joggers from the old wardrobe he threw them on before lying down on the other sofa, the sound of Toga's snores comforting him in the cold air. Little did he know as he nodded off, he wouldn't be waking up to her excited smile.
Timeskip
Izuku groaned as he blinked awake, the bright light of the room telling him that he wasn't in Toga's place. The walls were a baren white, and he appeared to be chained to a chair that was sat across from a blurred figure. All of a sudden a rush of cold overcame him, courtesy of a bucket of ice water that shocked him awake.
The figure became clear, a large man with bulging muscles and blond hair. "All Might?"
All Might nodded grimly. "Yes Mr Midoriya, or the 'Musutafu Meddler' to some. You were arrested in the night for vigilanticism, consorting with criminals, participation in illegal gambling and fighting. As a young adult, you would be granted a familial contact but unfortunately your mother has requested not to be contacted. Is there anyone you wish to speak to?"
Izuku gritted his teeth at the news that his mother had given up on him. He couldn't contact Gareth or Toga, they would instantly become targets. "No."
He nodded, leaning forward on his arms. "Okay, let's begin. Normally you would be thrown into Tartarus for a sentence of 20 years. I don't want that to come to pass, but you will need to co-operate with us for that to happen."
The young delinquent shrugged, not particularly bothered by the idea of prison. "It's not happening. I've got nothin' waiting for me out there. I'm a street fighter, Quirkless, delinquent and truant. I ain't got a place in society."
That got the heroes attention. "Quirkless you say? How has this effected you?"
Izuku boredly returned. "A few scars when I was young before I toughened up. Still means I ain't going anywhere outside of beatin' up lowlifes."
All Might inwardly grinned. His early days consisted of much the same. "I see. Have you considered bodyguarding or acting as a bouncer?"
Best not to jump straight to hero, Midoriya would probably write him off as some tacky councillor. "Maybe, but nobody's gonna want a kid just outta highschool without a quirk. I got some skills, but they ain't enough to convince a big important club owner."
All Might hummed at the point. "What of hero work? You may be aware of Eraserhead? He fights essentially Quirkless."
Izuku scoffed at the notion, kicking his feet up. "Now that's the rub ain't it? I gotta lotta friends who ain't going to be pleased I went domestic. And if I'm going to get fucked over by the law I'm not gonna go an' mess up my friends. You never helped us, I ain't gonna go and leave my family."
All Might sighed, unhappy that he needed to pull the one card his friend had allowed him as a back-up. "You have a relationship with Toga Himiko as far as I'm aware?"
The fierce eyes stabbing into him gave the aged hero a sinking feeling. "What the hell are you implying there?"
He held up a hand in a sign of peace. "Don't worry, she is still free. What I am proposing is a trade. You will attend U.A in the Hero Course, with minimal interruptions to the class, and simply see if you would ever try a legal life. In exchange we will ignore Toga Himiko, pardon her of all crimes she has committed, and have her shipped to another country."
Izuku rubbed his forehead, getting more and more frustrated with each point. "U.A is a maybe, but Toga can't be solved by movin' her. Her quirk demands blood, an' she's gonna come after me until she gets it."
All Might motioned for Izuku to continue. "Alright Superman, I'll give you a crash course in urchins. Toga needs blood to stay sane, I gave her that blood by goin' to fight rings and cuttin' up idiots. We share bettin' money, go and grab somethin' to eat and head home. We both understand that she only wants me to give her blood, and you can't reason an animal can ya?"
The hero shook in frustration, this was all too complicated! "I see, so you were making sure Ms Himiko was not attacking others for blood?"
Izuku nodded. "Kinda, but it's also cause she needs help. She can't head to school or getta job that won't leave her naked on the streets, but she can bet on a fighter she can rely on."
All Might nodded before revising his points. "Okay, how about this. You will have the same conditions for going to U.A. Himiko will not go to prison, but will be privately tutored by a hero under house arrest. Once a month you will be permitted to see one another and… Sate her quirk. Once you are both finished with your tutelage, both of you will be free to do as you see fit."
Izuku nodded, causing All Might to sigh in relief. "One more thing big guy, how am I supposed to get through U.A? Still not got a quirk over here."
The hero grinned down at him. "Why, I think I have just the thing."