Chapter Text
It's dark out. Three men occupy a room on the sixth floor of an old yellow apartment complex. The first one leans by a window reading a crime novel. He glances out briefly at the sound of a passing car, then continues where he left off. It's raining tonight.
“I'm sick of this reconnaissance bullshit.” The second man grumbles from his seated position in the center of a gray couch, a cigarette in his mouth. He leans over the glass coffee table in front of him, staring down at the pictures of a green haired boy spread out across it. “Why can't we just fucking grab him and get it over with?”
“Why?” The first man flips to the next page. “We weren't ordered to.” He doesn't even look up from his book.
“I know that.” The second man pulls his cigarette out and jams it into an ashtray sitting on one of the photos. “I just think all this extra precaution is a little ridiculous.”
“You are aware of how many guys this kid's fucking killed, right?” The third man asks, pausing the torrented copy of Anchorman playing on his laptop. He currently sits at the dining table.
“I've heard rumors.”
“Well there you go.” The third man unpauses the film. “If we aren't careful we could end up like those suckers.”
The second man groans and ruffles his hair. “He's still just a fucking kid.”
“With super strength.” The first man glances up from his book.
“Exactly.” The third man nods. “Don't let this kid shit make you cocky. Kids are fucking monsters.”
The second man exhales. “If you say so.” He leans back and stares up at the ceiling.
There's a knock at the door.
All eyes snap over to it. The first man lowers his book and the second sits up, both reaching for their guns.
“Whoa, whoa, hold up!” The third man stands and waves at the other two. “I ordered a pizza!”
All tension deflates.
“You should've said something earlier.” The first one glares at him before lifting his book back up.
“For fucks sake.” The second one rolls his eyes and leans back again.
“Sorry.” The third one halfheartedly chuckles, then makes his way towards the door. He opens it, and is greeted by a delivery boy with horns sticking through his cap. A few moments later, the door is shut and the third man returns to his spot. He places the pizza box by his laptop.
“What kind of pizza did you get?” The second man looks over.
The third man opens the box and pulls out a slice. “Hawaiian.” He smiles, waving the slice.
“Oh fuck you.” He scoffs and looks back at the ceiling.
The first man shoots him a quick look of disgust.
“Not my fault you both have bad taste.” The third man takes a bite. “Mmm, pineapple.”
“Whatever.” The second man sighs.
“Did you at least order some drinks?” The first man turns another page.
The third man blinks, then grabs the receipt from his pocket. “I think I did.” He looks it over. “Yeah. There it is.” He taps the thin paper and shakes his head. “Dumb fucking kid. After I gave him a decent tip too.”
“That's what you get for ordering Hawaiian.” The second man smirks.
“Fuck you.”
There's a knock at the door again.
“That's probably him.” The third man gets up.
“Pretty fast.” The first man remarks.
“Well I'd be quick too if I fucked up.” He makes his way to the door again, and opens it. “Hey!..” A wet thunk is heard.
The other two blink and slowly look towards their friend. The first man closes his book, and the second one sits up. Their friend stumbles back a bit, then awkwardly turns around. A hammer sticks out of his head, the claw part had been lodged in a little over his forehead. The other two are frozen as their friend takes a couple steps towards them. His arms are hovering in front of him.
“I,.. I feel something in my head.” He mumbles, pointing at the hammer. Blood starts trickling out of his nose. “I'm gonna pull it out.” He reaches up and grabs it by the handle.
“Don't!..” The first man reaches out to stop him.
He yanks it out, and stares at it wide eyed. A piece of his brain sticks to the claw. “Huh.” He grunts, then stumbles forward and crashes through the coffee table.
The first man drops his book and the second one stands up, both have their weapons drawn and pointed at the front door. They stare it down for a good minute. The second man glances at the first. He nods in response. The second man looks back at the door and starts advancing slowly, the broken glass crunching beneath his shoes.
The door slams shut, and both men open fire, putting at least five shots into it.
There's a quick flack of a straight razor being pulled, and suddenly the first man has blood gushing from his throat. His gun goes off as he drops it, causing the second man to turn towards him. He falls to his knees, clutching the flowing gash with both hands.
“What the fuck?” The second man trembles, glancing all over the room. He doesn't notice the razor until it's already slashed his wrists. “Fuck!” He drops his gun.
A hand grabs his shirt from behind, and suddenly the room blinks out of existence. He finds himself outside, staring down at the street from real high up. It doesn't take him long to figure out he's on a rooftop and that the mysterious hand is the only thing keeping him from falling.
“Oh Fuck!!” The second man cries out.”
“That's a twenty story drop.” The stranger states bluntly.
“Fuck!!”
“Do you have a flying quirk?”
“What?!”
“Does your quirk let you fly?”
“No!” The second man glances back, only catching a glimpse of the figure holding him.
“Good.” The figure lets go. He watches the man scream all the way down until he splatters on the pavement. “Not durable either.”
Back at the apartment, the first man struggles to send a message with his phone. He's still clutching his throat with one hand, and the fresh blood interferes with his phone's touchscreen. Before he can get any further, the phone is pulled out of his hand. He looks up, and gets a good view of the figure.
All black clothes, boots, jeans, hoodie, gloves, and a mask. His pale blue eyes stare back coldly.
His hand crackles with blue energy, and he crushes the cellphone right in front of the dying man, who looks back with resignation. The figure nods and drops the ball of metal and glass. He picks up the second man's gun from the floor then steps up to the first man. The man closes his eyes and a moment later he's gone, laying face down in a pool of his own brain matter.
The figure turns on the faucet in the bathroom and starts rinsing the blood off his straight razor and hammer. He grabs a towel and wipes them off, then steps back out.
First he inspects the pizza, opening the box. “Hmm, pineapple.” He grabs a slice, then walks over to the shattered remains of the coffee table, stepping over the body of the third man before reaching down to pick up one of the photos. He sees a green haired boy walking down the sidewalk, accompanied by a blonde kid and a small girl with white hair. They seem to be happy.
“Glad you're doing alright.” The figure mutters to himself with a smirk.
He takes a bite of pizza.
…
“How are you feeling honey?”
“I'm feeling alright Dad. Although, I'm already missing you and Mom.” Ochako sits at the edge of her mattress. There are no sheets or pillows on it. In fact her whole room seems mostly barren, except for the boxes stacked against her wall, a desk, a chair, and a small cabinet.
“Oh sweetheart, that's normal.”
“I know Dad.” She smiles softly.
“How's unpacking going?”
“Uh, how's unpacking going?” She repeats and looks over at the stack of boxes, completely untouched. “It's going alright.”
“You haven't started have you?”
“No.” She lays back on her mattress and stares up at the ceiling fan. “I'm sorry.”
“It's fine sweetie, but you know you have to unpack at some point, right?”
“I know Dad, I know. It's just,..” She shakes her head. “I don't know.”
“You just need find a way to cheer up for a bit. You know, distract yourself.”
“How do I do that?”
“Get out, walk around a bit. Get to know your surroundings better.”
“I already know my surroundings Dad.”
“Well, get out anyways. Make a new friend. The fresh air will help you, I promise.”
Ochako sits up, and exhales. “Alright, I'll do it.”
“There, that's the spirit!”
She smiles. “Thanks Dad.”
“No problem. Now hurry up and get out there.”
“I will, I will.” Her smile softens. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Tell Mom I love her.”
“I will.” He chuckles. “Okay, bye sweetheart.”
“Goodbye.” She hangs up.
She sits quietly for a moment and takes a deep breath. “Alright, cheer up time.” She smacks her face a couple times. “You can do it.” She stands up.
“This isn't working.” Outside, she walks at a slow pace staring up at the clouds. “That one looks like a cow.” She mumbles. “Cows. Barbecue. Dad's barbecue.” She smacks her face. “Come on, what's wrong with you?” She grumbles.
A couple minutes pass by, and she can hear sirens now. “Wonder what that could be?” As she gets closer and closer, she sees the flashing lights of a couple patrol vehicles and a fire truck. She glances across the street at the old apartment complex. A couple windows on the sixth floor are blackened out. Looks like there was a fire. “Huh.” She doesn't look where she's walking, and accidentally bumps into someone, knocking them off balance. “Oh my god sorry!” She grabs his arm with out activating her quirk, and keeps him from falling over. He's wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans, red sneakers, and red fingerless gloves.
“Woah, it's no problem.” Izuku regains his balance, then looks at the brunette. “Thanks, and apologies, I shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the sidewalk like that.”
“Why are you apologizing? I shoulda been looking where I was going.” Ochako spots Eri holding Izuku's hand and peeking out at her. She gives a little wave. “Hi.”
“Hi!” Eri waves back with a smile.
Ochako smiles back, then looks back at Izuku. “Is she your sister?”
“Yeah, she is.” Izuku nods.
“She's adorable.”
“Aww, you hear that Eri?” Izuku looks at her with a grin.
Eri smiles at the compliment. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Ochako glances at the building. “Any idea how the fire started?”
“No clue.” Izuku shakes his head. “I heard they hauled a couple bodies out of here earlier though.”
“Oh my god.”
“Yeah, it sucks.” He looks at her. “I'm Izuku by the way.”
“Oh, umm, Ochako. It's nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
They stare at the building some more.
“My name's Eri.” She holds out a hand for Ochako.
“Aww, it's nice to meet you too Eri.” Ochako crouches down and shakes her hand.
Izuku observes the exchange, and thinks for a moment. “We were actually going to grab some lunch, if you want to join us?”
Eri gasps. “You should!”
Ochako puts her hands up in front of her. “Sorry, I can't. I don't really have the money right now,..”
“I'll pay.” Izuku holds up his wallet.
“Okay.”
“Sooo goood!” Ochako smiles, taking another bite of her hamburger.
“Yeah this place is great.” Izuku grabs a french fry. “Their milkshakes are the best.”
“Mm hmm.” Eri nods, taking another sip of her strawberry shake.
Ochako takes a few gulps of cola. “Thank you for taking me here.”
“Oh, no problem.”
“Are you sure you're okay with paying for me?”
“Yeah, of course.” He says with no hesitation.
Ochako smiles in return.
“Why are you holding your food like that?” Eri points out.
“Hmm?” Ochako notice them looking at her pinkies, which are the only fingers not touching her burger. “Oh, it's my quirk.” She places her burger down and grabs a plastic bottle of ketchup. “When I touch something or someone with all my fingers, I can make them float.” She demonstrates on the bottle. There's a pink glow and it starts floating.
“Cool!” Eri gazes at it, awestruck.
“I'm glad you like it.” Ochako chuckles. “I can also make it move around depending on which fingers I touch together.” She demonstrates this as well, and the bottle spins in the air, changing directions as she switches fingers. “And when I want to release it, I just press all my fingers together.” She does so, and the bottle drops. She catches it, but squeezes a little too hard, squirting a little ketchup onto Izuku's face and hoodie. “Oh my god, I'm so sorry!”
Izuku laughs and grabs a napkin. “It's alright, it's fine.” He wipes himself off. “You have a pretty cool quirk.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah, of course.”
She nods. “Do you think I can become a hero with this quirk?”
“I don't see why not?” Izuku eats another fry. “Are you planning on becoming a hero?”
“Uh-huh. In fact, I just finished moving here so I can attend U.A.” She shrugs. “Hopefully I can get into the hero course.”
“Well, why do you want to be a hero in the first place?”
She looks down. “It's embarrassing.”
“Come on, I doubt that.”
She takes a deep breath. “Money.”
Izuku and Eri blink. “Huh?”
Ochako covers her face. “See! I knew it, it's stupid!”
“No, not at all!” Izuku waves his hands. “Money's fine! I mean, we all need it to survive, and be happy and stuff.”
“No, well..” She uncovers her face and sighs. “It's not for me specifically. It's for my parents.”
“Oh.”
“We aren't the wealthiest family.” She has a somber smile. “My mom works at a convenience store, and my dad owns a construction business that isn't doing so well right now. Even still, they always took care of me and spoiled me whenever they could. Their the reason I'm even out here right now.” She looks at Izuku with determination in her eye. “I want repay them for everything they've done for me. So I have to become a hero for money, so I can give them the life they deserve.”
It's quiet for a moment. Ochako's confidence starts to fade a little, and she feels nervous, until Eri reaches out and puts her hand on Ochako's, smiling.
“That's, a wonderful reason.” Izuku looks at her. He's trying to hold back tears. “I'm sure you'll have no problem getting in.”
Ochako gives him a big smile. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Izuku nods. “You know, I'm actually planning to join the hero course too.”
“Oh, no kidding.”
“Nope.” Izuku shakes his head. “Me and a buddy have been training pretty hard for the entrance exam.”
“But that's still months away.”
“Eh.” Izuku shrugs. “Better to get a leg up on the competition now, you know?”
“Yeah.” Ochako nods. “That's probably a good idea.”
“We're actually going to be heading to our training area right after this.” He looks at her. “Do you want to tag along?”
She doesn't have to think for long. “Sure thing.”
“Cool.” He smiles as he bites another fry.
...
On the way there, Eri hopped up on Izuku's shoulders. Ochako walks next to them, smiling at their antics. The walk is mostly silent.
“You know, you're very pretty.” Izuku glances at Ochako.
She jumps and her face turns red. “What?! Where did that come from?!”
“I don't know.” Izuku mutters calmly. “I just felt like it had to be said.”
It wasn't the response Ochako was expecting. She tries to think of something else to say, but can't, and instead continues to walk silently besides him, blushing lightly.
Eri looks at the both of them, confused.
…
Soon enough, they arrive at the beach.
“You guys train at the beach?”
“Yeah, in fact that's our house right there.” He points at it.
“Oh. So you live in a house, by the beach.” Ochako deadpans.
Izuku notices the change of tone in her voice. “I didn't mean to rub it in.” He chuckles nervously.
“No it's fine.” She mutters. “I'll get over it.”
As they approach, they see Bakugo stretching on the sand. He's wearing a red hoodie, red sweatpants, and black sneakers. Jun stands next to him.
“Heyo Bakugo!” Both Izuku and Eri call out to him while waving. “Hi Jun!”
Jun smiles and waves back,
“You're late! Where the hell have you been?!” Bakugo shouts back. “And I told you to stop saying that!”
“We were getting lunch!” Izuku lifts Eri off of his back and sets her down.
“How long does it take to get lunch!” Bakugo pauses when he notices Ochako. “Who's that!”
“Oh.” She jumps a little. “My name's Ochako! I'm new in town!”
“Yeah! She's going to watch us train today!”
“Whatever! Just hurry up and get out here!”
“Alright, chill!” Izuku turns to Ochako. “Gotta go.” Then he runs into the house.
About a minute later, he runs back out, the only difference now is that he's wearing gray sweatpants instead of jeans.
“Come on.” Eri takes Ochako's hand, and leads her to the small concrete ledge overlooking the beach. She takes a seat, and Ochako follows suit, sitting next to her.
They watch as the boys stretch for little while first. After that, Jun pull out a stop watch, and the two boys start doing push ups for two minutes. Ochako looses count of how many Izuku does, but she thinks it exceeded a hundred. Bakugo appeared to do a little less.
“Bakugo's form is getting better, but it's still not as good as Izuku's.” Eri notes. “I think he'll catch up soon though.” She smiles at Ochako.
“Okay.” Ochako blinks.
Next are the sit ups. They appear to be more evenly matched this time around, but Izuku manages to overtake Bakugo in the end.
“Fuck!” Bakugo shouts as he pounds the dirt.
Jun flinches, putting a finger up to his mouth to quiet him down.
Izuku just laughs.
Ochako catches herself giggling at the sight.
The boys soon stand up and stretch their legs. After that they stand next to each other, preparing to take off.
“Go!” Jun starts the timer, and the boys start running. He watches as they get further and further away, before making his way up to the girls. “Ochako, right?”
“Yes sir.” She looks up at him. “It's nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He smiles, then takes a seat next to her.
“Are you Izuku's dad?”
“Foster dad, yeah.” He glances at her. “You can call me Jun though. I'm not much for formalities.”
“Okay sir, I mean Jun.”
“You'll get there eventually.” He chuckles. “So what brings you out here?”
“Oh, well I bumped into Izuku earlier today and he invited me to lunch.” She smiles thinking about it. “After I told him I wanted to join the hero course, he invited me here to watch him train. So I said yes, and here I am.”
“You want to become a hero?”
“Mm-hmm” She nods.
“What for?”
“I want to earn money to support my parents, and give them the lives they deserve.” She responds without hesitation.
Jun us taken aback a bit, and smiles. “What a lovely goal. I wish you nothing but the best.”
“Thank you.” She smiles back. “How far are they running anyways?”
“Oh about, two miles out, two miles back.”
“Four miles!” Ochako exclaims.
“Ah that's nothing.” Jun waves her off. “They do this every day. It's their warm up.”
“Really? Every day?”
“Yeah, excluding Sundays of course. They do this first, and then whatever is scheduled for the day. Cardio, muscle building, sparring, quirk training, and quirk sparring.”
“What's today?”
“Regular sparring.”
“And they do this every day?”
“Six days a week.”
“Wow.” Ochako says with awe. “That's amazing.”
Jun smiles and looks at her. “You should join us.”
She blinks. “What?”
“You know, come train with us. I've only known you for a couple minutes and I already want to help you succeed.”
Ochako looks down, thinking.
“It'll be hard work. You'll be doing everything they're doing everyday as well, but it'll pay off in the end. I promise you that. Plus, I think they'll be happy having someone else to work out with.”
She nods, and looks at him. “Can I think about it for a bit?”
“Of course, we've got plenty of time before the entrance exam starts.”
She smiles. “Thank you for the offer Jun.”
“No problem, I hope you accept it.” He stands up. “Do either of you want something to drink? It'll be a minute before either of them get back.”
“I'll have an orange juice.” Eri raises a hand.
“And for you?” He looks at Ochako.
“Just a water for me.”
...
It takes them about half an hour to get back. As they approached, Eri and Jun started cheering for them to sprint. Even Ochako found herself joining them, smiling as she did so. The boys sprinted back as fast as they could, with Izuku just barely managing to overtake Bakugo at the end. He slows himself down to a stop, then hunches over and vomits into the sand.
“You eat to much for lunch, you idiot?” Bakugo breathes heavily, leaning against the concrete.
“Shut up, you dick.” Izuku gasps, then vomits one more time.
“That's pretty normal.” Jun points out for Ochako, who can only nod in response. He stands up and walks down to meet them.
They take a couple minutes to recover before their sparring begins. It was like watching a dance. Every attack thrown was countered perfectly by the other, with only the occasional hit landing, such as a headbutt from Bakugo, or a knee to the gut from Izuku. Ochako had never seen anyone fight like this in her life, and she was enthralled.
“Did Jun teach them to fight like this?” Ochako asks Eri.
“Mm-hmm.” She nods. “Izuku's been doing it longer, but Bakugo got the hang of it real quick.”
“Wow.”
Eri looks at her. “He can teach you to fight like that too, if you end up joining.”
Ochako thinks about that, as she continues to watch the boys fight.
...
Hours pass, as the sun starts to set. The boys are bruised, battered, sweaty and covered in sand. Eri takes care of any noticeable injuries for them, and then Bakugo prepares to walk home.
“See you tomorrow.” He fist bumps Izuku.
“Yeah, of course.” Izuku grins.
“And don't be so god damn late this time.”
“I'll try not to be.”
Bakugo rolls his eyes, then as he's about to leave, he looks at Ochako. “Are you coming back here too?”
Ochako jumps at the unexpected question. “Uhh, I might be?”
“Huh.” Bakugo nods. “See you later then.” And he walks home.
Izuku walks up to Ochako. “Hey. I hope you weren't too bored.”
“What are you talking about, that was amazing!” She turns to him grinning.
“It wasn't too barbaric was it?”
“Not at all.” Ochako shakes her head. “I used to watch boxing and MMA matches with my mom all the time.”
“That's nice.”
“She would always call it man on man action.” Ochako laughs.
“MMA.” Izuku starts chuckling, then full on laughing. “I get it.”
“Come on Ochako, let's go watch some man on man action!” She laughs some more. “Dad always hated that, but I think that's why she kept on saying it.”
“I mean, it straight up looks like it sometimes.”
“Yeah, just with more blood.”
Izuku cracks up again. “Just with more blood!” He repeats.
“It's true!” Ochako wipes a tear from her eye.
They continue laughing as Jun approaches the two of them.
“Hey Izuku.”
“Yeah Jun.”
He points at the house behind him. “Why don't you hurry up and take a shower so you can walk her home.” He looks at Ochako. “You don't mind, do you?”
“Oh, not at all.” She shakes her head.
“Cool.”
“Can I go too?” Eri asks.
“No, sorry Eri.” Jun frowns. “I need you here to help me with some things.”
“What things?” Eri deadpans.
“You know,” Jun scratches his head. “Things and stuff, and..”
Her face doesn't change.
“Just get in the house.” Jun sighs.
Eri huffs. “Fine.” She looks at Ochako. “It was nice to meet you.”
“It was nice to meet you too Eri.” She smiles. “I hope to see you again soon.”
“Me too.” Eri beams. “Have a safe trip home.”
“I will. Bye bye.”
“Bye!” Eri runs back in the house.
Jun chuckles and looks at the two kids. “What she said.” He winks and strolls into the house as well.
The two stand silent for a moment.
Izuku looks at her. “Alright, I wont take too long, okay?”
“Okay.” Ochako smiles. “Hurry up and get started already, you smell.”
“That's the smell of hard work.” He starts jogging backwards with a grin.
Ochako laughs, as he heads inside.
...
She stares at him as they walk together. He's wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans, red sneakers, and red fingerless gloves.
“Are these different clothes?”
“Yeah.” He tugs his hoodie a bit. “See. No sweat or ketchup stains.”
Sure enough, he wasn't lying. They smelled fresh too.
Ochako chuckles. “So, do you have a closet full of matching clothes or something?”
“Yeah.”
Ochako blinks. “Are you serious?”
“I'm not very fashionable.” He looks off to the side, clearly a little embarrassed.
“That's fine.” Ochako looks off to the side as well. “Maybe I can help you out with that, at some point.”
Izuku blinks, then looks back at her. “That would be pretty cool actually.” He smiles.
Her eyes meet his, and she smiles too.
They keep walking in silence for a few minutes.
“Did you mean what you said earlier? When you called me pretty?”
“Yeah, of course I did.”
Well, thank you for that.” She blushes. “You're pretty handsome yourself.”
Izuku feels his heart jump. He glances at her quickly then back forward. “Th-thank you.”
His cheeks are a little pink now as well.
Ochako smirks, satisfied with getting a reaction out of him.
...
Eventually, they make it to her apartment.
“Well, this is home.” Ochako presents her door. “It's not like a beach house, but it's comfy.”
“No, I like it. It's quaint.” He looks around. “Are the neighbors okay?”
“I haven't had any problems yet.”
“Well if you ever do, let me know. I'll scare the shit out of them.”
“My hero.” She giggles, and then unlocks her door. “Well I'll be seeing you then.”
“Yeah.”
She opens her door and steps inside. Izuku catches a glimpse of her room.
“Have you unpacked yet?”
Ochako freezes. “Uhhhh, yess?”
Izuku frowns. “Do you need help unpacking?”
“Noo, noo. I don't need help.” She shakes her head.
His face doesn't change. “Do you want help unpacking?”
“Yes, yeah.” She nods and opens the door for him.
“Okay.” He steps inside.
He starts placing the sheets on her mattress. “Who's your favorite hero?”
“Oh that's easy, Thirteen.” Ochako starts putting her clothes away.
“Thirteen huh? I wasn't expecting that. Why them?”
She chuckles. “When I was really young, I had dreams of going to space.”
“Aww. That's adorable.”
“Shut up.” She smirks. “Anyway, Thirteen kind of looks like an astronaut, so I was always drawn to that. Plus I think their quirk is really cool.” She smiles. “I hope I can become a support hero like them someday.”
“I think you're more than capable of doing that.” He starts putting the blankets on.
“Thanks. What about you? Who's your favorite?”
“Mine's kind of generic.”
“Is it All Might?”
“Ding ding ding.”
She laughs. “Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. He's amazing.”
“Yeah he is.” His smile falls a little. “He inspired me during some very tough times.” He looks at his hand. “He makes me want to use my quirk for good.” He makes a fist. “And that's what I plan to do. I owe it to him.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ochako looks at him, curious.
“I don't know.” He shakes his head. “I feel obligated to help people with this quirk. It would be wasteful otherwise.” He blinks, then looks at her. “Sorry, didn't mean to get existential there.”
“It's alright.” Ochako nods. “We all get a little existential sometimes.” She looks at her bed and her eyes go wide. “Holy crap!”
“What's up!” Izuku jumps.
“I've never seen my bed look that nice before.” She walks up to it.
The corners are tucked in tightly, and the blanket is folded near the top. Like you would see in the military.
“Even when my parents used to do it, it never looked this nice.”
“Well, I've had a lot of practice.” He chuckles nervously.
“Are you sure you'll be good walking home so late?” Ochako places a photo of her parents on the cabinet.
“Yeah, it'll be fine.” Izuku sets up her laptop on her desk. “If it gets too late, I'll just call Jun and let him know he needs to pick me up.”
“Will he be okay with that?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Okay.” She nods. “Is he single, or does he have a girlfriend, or a boyfriend or something?”
“You know, I've honestly never seen him with anyone. I think he's happy being alone right now. I've never really asked him about it.”
“Huh. Well he seems like a cool guy.”
“He is.” Izuku smiles. “He's a real good dude.”
Ochako walks up next to him, and sets some speakers down on her desk. She plugs her phone in. “You ever listen to The Dead Milkmen?”
“No I haven't actually. What kind of music do they play?”
“Punk rock.” She smiles, and selects the song Serrated Edge.
“I think we're just about done here.” Ochako looks around her room. It feels much more homey now.
“I just texted Jun. He'll be here pretty soon.” Izuku looks at the empty boxes. “You want me to do anything with those?”
“No thanks.” Ochako shakes her head. “ I'll probably keep them in my closet for now, just in case.”
“Alright then.”
Ochako sits at the side of her bed. “Do you want to sit down?” She eyes the spot next to her.
Izuku stares for a moment. “Uh, sure.” He takes a seat next to her.
She looks at his phone. “Hey, while your phone's still out.” She pull out her own. “Let's exchange numbers.” She smiles.
“Yeah, sure.” He smiles back.
They do so.
“You know,” Ochako starts. “Jun asked me if I wanted to join you guys for training.”
Izuku looks at her. “Did he now?”
“Uh-huh.” She nods.
“Did you come up with an answer?”
She nods. “I think it's a yes.”
“Oh, cool. So we'll be seeing a lot more of each other then, huh?
“I guess so.”
“Cool, cool.” Izuku nods, trying to contain his delight.
“Yeah.” She does the same. “Be sure to tell Jun that when you see him.”
“Of course.”
...
They're standing at her door again. This time though, Jun sits waiting in his car nearby, with Eri sleeping soundly in the back.
“Welp, goodbye for real this time.” He waves.
Ochako walks up and gives him a hug. “Thanks for the help tonight.”
“It's no problem.” It takes Izuku a moment to process what's happening, but he soon hugs her back. It feels, nice.
Eventually they separate.
“I'll see you tomorrow.” She smiles, and shuts her door.
“Yeah.” Izuku chuckles to himself, and makes his way towards the car.
Inside, Ochako stands by her door for a little while. She then jumps on her bed and hugs her pillow, blushing and thinking about the days events.
Izuku gets in the car, only to find Jun staring back at him with a big grin on his face.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Jun shakes his head.
Izuku blinks. “She said yes by the way.”
Jun keeps staring.
“What?”
“You stud.” He nudges Izuku's shoulder.
“What are you talking about?” He gets flustered.
“Nothing.” Jun shakes his head and looks forward. “Nothing at all.”
“Just,..” Izuku sighs. “Just drive.”
…
Back at the yellow apartment, the owner sits at the front desk reading a newspaper. He takes a sip of coffee, then flips over to the comic strips. He's an older man, a little fat and balding. He has a large gray mustache and wears a white tank top, sweatpants and a pair of flip flops. The air conditioning is currently busted, so he has a small electric fan blowing on his desk.
The front door opens. A man and a woman enter the lobby, both wearing large coats and gloves. The man has short, messy black hair and a scar on his right cheek, while the woman has long, straight and blonde hair and wears dark eye shadow. They both appear to be scoping the place out, looking at all the cameras.
“Can I help you?” The owner asks, lowering his paper.
“Yes, you can.” The man approaches him. “There was a fire in this building last night, correct?”
The owner scowls. “Yes sir, unfortunately.”
“Very unfortunate.” The man nods without blinking. “Do the cameras in this building work?”
“Last time I checked.” The owner leans back, and looks to his right.
“How is your surveillance footage stored? Disks or on a hard drive?”
“Sir, what are you asking me?”
“Disks or hard drive.”
“What do you want sir?”
“A friend of mine died in that fire, I want to know what happened? Disks or hard drive?”
“You should go talk to the police then, and stop bothering me sir!” He raises his voice.
“No need to be rude. I'm only asking for help.”
“Sir it's been an awful long day and I'm tired. So either you two get a room, or you get out before I call the police!” He slams his right hand on his desk.
What looks like a blade made of bone pops out of the man's left palm, as he quickly thrusts it down, sticking it through the owner's hand, pinning it to his desk. He starts to scream.
“Be quiet.” The man punched the owner with his free hand, then grabs his head and slams it on the desk. “I tried to be polite about this. I really did.” He lifts the owner's head up a bit, so he could see the smaller, curved bone claw growing out of the man's right index fingertip. He sticks it in the nostril of the owner's broken nose. “So let's try again, shall we? Disks or hard drive?”
“Disks! Disks!” The owner sputters.
“There we go. Cooperation.” He smiles, glaring at the owner intensely. “Now then, do you have the disks from last night?”
“No! The police confiscated em in the morning!”
“Confiscated?” The man's smile fades. “No no. This wont do at all.”
“I'm not lying!” The owner sobs.
“Quit crying. You're getting snot on my finger.” The man growls. “You don't keep any copies around here?”
“No!”
The man exhales. “You know. This place is a real shit hole.” He pulls the bone through his nose.
The owner cries out, and sobs more.
“Amaya.” The man wipes his claw with the newspaper, before retracting it. “Work your magic.”
A disembodied hand flies from the woman's coat, and grabs onto the owner's face. It's nails are painted black.
“I'd rather you not use my name while we're working.” Amaya glares at the man.
“I can't help myself. Code names are so,” He thinks for a moment.”childish.”
“Kane.” She growls.
“Ah! You used mine. Now we're even.”
She says nothing, and the disembodied hand glows purple for a moment.
“Well?”
“He's not lying.” The hand flies back, and crawls under her coat.
“Hmm.” Kane looks at the owner. “Good for you.” He pulls his bone blade out through the side, splitting the owner's hand in two.
The owner falls back out of his chair, crying.
Kane grabs the newspaper and starts wiping the blood off his blade. “Surveillance?”
“I'm on it.”
A second hand crawls out of Amaya's coat, this one looking like it's made of stone. It flies around, smashing all of the cameras before flying around the front desk. The owner watches as it smashes all of the monitors and snaps all of the disks, leaving nothing of his security system unscathed. The hand returns when finished.
“Done.”
“Good.” Kane retracts his blade. “Have a good night sir.” He turns to walk out the front door.
A woman holding a brown bag of groceries walks in right at that moment. She freezes, hearing the cries of the owner and seeing the blood on his desk. Before she can scream, Kane grabs her scarf, yanks her in then pushes her against a wall. Her bag drops, and oranges roll out onto the floor. Kane pops the blade out of his right palm this time, and leaves the tip hovering in front of her eye.
“Hush now.” Kane whispers.
The owner grabs the shotgun from under his desk. He stands up with a bloodcurdling yell, resting the barrel on his wrist with his left hand on the trigger. “FUCK YOU!!” He fires it at Amaya.
A third hand pops out in front of her, this one wrapped in bandages. It opens, forming a barrier. The pellets stop in mid air, floating there until the barrier disappears. The owner watches hopelessly as the pellets fall onto the floor. He looks up at Amaya, who tilts her head at him, before all three disembodied hands fly at him. The bandaged one grabs his throat, while the one with black nail polish grabs his face, pinning him to the wall. Meanwhile, the stone hand slams into his arm with enough force to break it. His muffled screams are heard as he drops the shotgun. The stone hand picks it up, and points it at the owner's face. The nail polish hand, crawls out of the way, allowing the stone hand to stick the barrel into his mouth, and hoist him a few feet of the ground with the shotgun.
“How are you doing Amaya?” Kane asks, staring into his hostage's eyes.
“Peachy.”
The bandaged hand releases the owner's throat, and pumps the shotgun, ejecting the spent shell.
“Good.” He releases the woman's scarf, and pulls his bladed hand back. “Where are we going from here?”
“To the police station it sounds like.”
“Okay. Let's get going then.” Kane swings his arm up, bisecting the woman's head diagonally.
“Right.” Amaya has the stone hand pull the trigger, splashing blood and brain matter all over the ceiling and wall.
The owner's body falls to the ground with a wet thud, then the stone hand drops the shotgun, and returns to Amaya with the other two. Meanwhile the piece of the woman's head slides off and splats on the floor, while her body slides down the wall and into a seated position next to the piece.
The pair walk out of the building into the night.
Kane looks down at his blade, frowning.
“Amaya, may I use your coat for a moment?”
She glances at the bloodstain he keeps staring at.
“Use your own.”