Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Oh jeez, kid, you can’t stay out here! You’re in pre-heat!”

“I know, I-”

“...Kid, do you need me to call someon-”

“NO! I… I-I don’t ha-have anywhere else to go!”

“Not even a heat hotel?”

“Those need money. I, I can’t even buy a candy bar.”

“Oh jeez.”

“...I… I’m sorry. For trying to steal from your coffee shop.”

“Given your circumstances kid, I’ll let it slide. Just this once.”

“Thank you.”

“On one condition.”

“...What is it?”

“I’m gonna book you in for a heat hotel-”

“What?!”

“And you have to accept. Don’t let anyone but staff in your room, not even me.”

“I, why?!”

“I’m not done with my condition! After your time in there is up, you either have to call someone to tell them where you are and go home to them. OR you come back to my coffee shop and I train you to run the place.”

“...”

“Well kid?”

“Y-you’d do something like that? For someone like me?”

“What do you mean, someone like you? What bastard would leave an Omega kid on the streets?!”

“No, I mean I… I’m Quirkless, sir.”

“And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’?”

“I don’t get what the hang up about Quirklessness is. Why wouldn’t someone help you because of something stupid likd that?”

“...”

“Look, kid, I don’t care if you’re Quirkless or have All Might’s Quirk, I’m not leaving you on the street just before a heat. Now, can you give me a name I can give the staff?”

“...Can it be a fake name?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“...Forest, sir. And your last name, if that’s okay.”

“Consider it done, kid.”

“Alright kid, why’d you call me out here at 3am?”

“...”

“Take your time. It’s not logical to make you talk before you’re ready.”

“...Sensei?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I go Underground?”

“...”

“Just tell me if it’s possible.”

“Anyone can go Underground, if they use their Quirk in smart ways. Why do you wanna go Underground though?”

“...I can’t do this.”

“...”

“Sensei, I don’t want to be a top Hero. I just want to help people. But, it’s…”

“...”

“It’s so competitive and it’s hard to breathe and I can’t escap-”

“Hey… It’s alright. Breathe.”

“...”

“I mean it. It’ll be okay.”

“...My father will kill me when he finds out.”

“Are you going to let him influence every decision you make?”

“...”

“I just have to know if you’re serious about this. Do you really want to be an Underground Hero? Once you make that choice, you can’t make up the years you spent there, not really.”

“...Yes, Sensei. I don’t want to be a top Hero, always stuck in some stupid popularity contest or with the media mobbing me. But I don’t know any other way to be.”

“Alright then. In that case, you’re joining me and Shinsou for training tomorrow after classes, Todoroki.”

“...Thank you, Aizawa-sensei.”

Forest peers over the ledge, eyes narrowed.

It’s a dark night in downtown Musutafu, as usual really. The streetlights are flickering and only a few feet into each alleyway is the typical vandalism of graffiti dicks on the walls and moldy window sills. It’s a relatively cloudie night, with the full moon poking out now and again. This place is just as poor and miserable as it’s always been and an easy place for villains and regular thugs to do whatever the Hell they feel like doing. A place where the Pro Heroes dare not tread unless they’re Underground. 

Tonight, it looks like a small time convenience store robbery. No CCTV, he knows because this shop is one of the poorer ones that haven’t gotten around to replacing their last destroyed cameras. 3 petty thugs, all wearing black hoodies with a red cross stitched into the back, two sprinting in while one stays outside to be the lookout. They’re wearing black balaclavas with openings on the mouth and eyes, along with black jeans and sneakers.

It’s the Trigger Cross again. He’s been picking them off slowly, handing over the leaders of each branch to the police and then nabbing the leftovers. But this should be the last of them.

And once he has them dealt with, he can go home. To his little sister, probably waiting up for him again.

Forest’s eyes narrow.

He’s going home to her, no matter what.

So he jumps from the roof and lands on the lookout, hitting a pressure point on his neck to knock him unconscious. 

Yeah, definitely the leftovers. This should be easy.

Forest pulls a ziptie from his belt and quickly binds the thug’s wrists together. Just in case, he leans him against the wall and binds his ankles together too.

One down, two to go.

He stands up and peeks through the broken door, careful to avoid shattered glass.

The store is eerie in the darkness, like the moment in a horror movie before the monster attacks. The two thugs are hard at work, obviously.

“Hurry up, before the Pros arrive!” The tallest man hisses, waving his gloveless hands around. 

Now that’s just sloppy, who doesn’t cover their fingerprints when robbing a store?

The smaller one scowls. “Oh shut up and help if you’re in such a rush.” He goes back to breaking open the register. “Not like Ground Zero is gonna show up here.”

Forest scowls, just hearing that name.

So he steps in through the door and silently rushes them, keeping his breathing silent.

Taller turns around at the last minute. “Fu-”

Forest socks him in the jaw and he goes over the counter, falling behind it.

Shorter screams, grabbing the bag of money and making off with it. “It’s the For-”

Forest grabs him by the back of the hoodie and throws him against the floor, making him squeal like a pig. He sobs and whimpers, holding his head and curling up in the fetal position. 

Now that’s just pitiful. 

“Forest!”

He jumps out of the way of a blast of metal; Taller standing on the counter and pointing his right palm at him, metal spiking out of his skin.

“You’ve taken enough of us!” Taller screams. “AND NOW IT ENDS!”

He retracts the metal and Forest follows it. If he can’t send it out again until it’s retracted fully, then there’s a chance-

Taller holds up his left palm and blasts another blade at him.

Forest smacks it out of his way.

Taller screams and charges him, a shorter blade in his right palm.

Forest could do this in his sleep.

He socks the guy in the face again, making him yelp as he brings his blades back under his skin. Forest grabs his shirt and throws him over his shoulder, on top of his other buddy, who is still crying on the ground. 

Taller snarls. “Forest, I’ll kill you-”

Forest kicks him in the face this time, hard enough to knock him out.

Shorter whimpers and lies down fully on the ground, holding his wrists behind his back. “Please don’t hurt me, I give up, please, please p-”

Forest grabs his wrists and holds them tightly together, making Shorter cry even harder. He grabs a ziptie from his belt pouch and binds his wrists together, then binds his ankles.

With that, Forest walks over to Taller and does the same thing. He picks up Taller and throws him over his shoulder, then goes to Shorter and picks him up the same way. He carries them outside-

“FOREST, YOU BASTARD-”

Forest barely dodges out of the way of the punch, dropping his two captives in favour of jumping out of the way, rolling and then turning around. 

He looks to see the lookout got a little bigger; he’s got a mild gigantification Quirk. Not big enough to be taller than the convenience store, but big enough to break out of the zipties. Might be a resistance Quirk of some kind as well, since he got up pretty quickly after Forest landed on him.

Great.

Lookout cracks his knuckles. “I’m gonna rip you limb from limb-”

Ice suddenly encases his feet from behind him and Forest barely jumps out of the way in time, to avoid getting encased himself.

Oh no.

“You won’t be harming anyone else tonight.”

A Pro Hero.

Forest lands a little ways away from the icy ground and looks up at his enemy.

White and red hair, perfectly parted in the middle, with a dark blue eye mask and wearing a dark blue jumpsuit. His left arm is on fire and his right hand is covered in frost.

Underground Hero Touya.

Forest narrows his eyes. Not good.

Touya is a strong Underground Hero, someone he’s kept an eye one since he appeared about 9 years ago. He tended to work with Eraserhead and Siren in the beginning, but he handles things on his own a lot more these days. But they’ll still team up when the situation calls for it and out of the three of them, Touya has objectively the strongest battle Quirk.

Touya walks over to him, fire still lit up, illuminating his blue and grey eyes peeking through his mask.

Forest reaches into his back pocket for a stun grenade.

“Are you injured?” Touya asks.

Forest blinks.

Touya is looking him over, quietly assessing his person.

Oh. Touya doesn’t know who he is.

Forest shakes his head and gestures to the criminals near Lookout.

“I see.” Touya turns his head towards them, then turns back. “Good job on capturing them.”

Forest nods and hopes to God Touya doesn’t ask him anything else.

Then Shorter screams-

Touya turns to him-

Forest tackles him out of the way of a spray of acid, sinking into the street where they once stood. They spin for a bit, Forest landing out on top, covering Touya with his body, glaring at the thug, inhaling deeply to snarl-

Peppermint and campfire. Touya’s scent. 

Shit, he’s an Alpha.

“Stupid vigilantes and their stupid-” Shorter goes on a rant, scowling him. 

Touya’s eyes widen.

Forest gets up and runs towards Shorter.

“Wait!” Touya calls.

Forest doesn’t wait. He throws his stun grenade at the ground, covering his mask.

The thugs scream while Touya grunts and Forest takes that opportunity to knock Shorter out properly. Once he has a gag around his mouth and Touya is still rubbing his eyes, Forest makes his escape.

He sprints down an alleyway across the street, climbs one of the fire escapes, travels through an abandoned building and returns to his base.

Only once the window is bolted shut, does he take a minute to breathe. 

Shit. 

Oh shit, it’s been so long since he smelt an Alpha that close to him. God, why does Touya smell that good? Is it just because it’s been a while since he’s smelt an Alpha? Shit, he’s so hot, fuck.

What would Touya have done if he caught him? Would he cuff Forest where he stands and haul him off to jail? Or would he force Forest to submit to him, growling at him, grindi-

No. 

No, he has to go back to his sister. He can’t stay here and be a horny mess just because he smelt an Alpha.

So he pulls off his mask, leaves behind Forest for the night and goes home.

Shouto stares at the street, blinking the spots out of his vision. Shit, what…

He can finally see clearly and it’s a fairly confusing sight. 

Three villains dealt with before he even arrived on the scene, only one encased in his ice, the other two with zipties keeping their hands behind their backs and their ankles bound together. The one who attacked them with acid has a gag in his mouth and is unconscious too. 

And the apparent vigilante is nowhere to be seen.

Shouto sighs and shakes his head. He should’ve been better than this. He needs to find out what happened here. And he needs to get in touch with the local police.

Shouto pulls out his phone and makes a call. 

“ Hello? ” 

“Officer Sansa, this is Pro Hero Touya requesting a couple of officers to come down to my location in front of the local convenience store. There’s three potential villains tied up and a frightened vigilante who should still be in the vicinity.” Shouto says in his usual monotone.

“ Understood, we’ll be sending a few officers with Quirk Suppressing Cuffs your way. ” Sansa confirms.

“It looks like we have someone with a mild gigantification Quirk, someone who can spit acid and the last purpatraitor’s Quirk is unknown, so be careful.” Shouto explains.

“ Thank you for your help. Just stay there and keep an eye on them until the officers arrive. ” Sansa says.

Then he hangs up.

Shouto pockets his phone and glares at the villains.

The only one still conscious, the one encased in his ice, huffs and growls. “Stupid fucking heroes. Stupid fucking vigilantes.”

Shouto lifts his hand and makes some fire, just for some light. He doesn’t say anything; as Aizawa-sensei said, how others react to silence can be very telling.

“Fucking Forest ruining our entire gang!” He continues to rant and rave. “I fucking hate him!”

Shouto goes to check over the villain with the unknown Quirk, performing first aid. He’s not badly injured though, given how violent vigilantes normally are. 

“When I get out of this ice, I’m coming for you too, pretty boy.” 

Shouto rolls his eyes and goes to check on the villain with the ability to spit acid.

“I’m gonna wreck Forest’s shit though. Little shit and his stupid fucking zipties and his stupid fucking sneaking and his stupid fucking bitching…”

Shouto sighs and ignores him, done with the acid spitter too. 

Not much longer after that, a police van arrived and out came 4 officers, Sansa included.

“Thanks for your help, Touya.” Sansa says, coming over to him.

Shouto nods. “No problem.” 

It’s much easier to deal with the police when he’s dealing with an officer he’s familiar with. He’ll always be thankful that Sansa gave him his number for professional reasons 7 years ago not long after he graduated. 

Shouto looks at the villains as they get properly cuffed and escorted into the van. “Do you know anything about a vigilante who works in the area known as Forest?”

Sansa’s whiskers twitch. “Why do you ask?”

Shouto narrows his eyes. 

So he does know something.

“One of the villains was complaining about him. I briefly saw him fight with one of the guys here, but when he realised I knew he was a vigilante, he threw down a stun grenade and ran.” Shouto looks in the direction he last saw Forest, curling his hands into fists. 

He didn’t see much of Forest’s fighting style. But he must have been strong to be able to detain three villains this quickly with minimal damage to the surrounding area. He’d looked it too; he moved like he was meant to protect, as if that was all he focused on. His black hoodie, jeans and jacket along with the full face mask gave nothing of the Vigilante’s appearance away in the dark. 

Sansa purrs. “I’m not surprised. He’s done a lot recently.”

Shouto turns to him. “Could you tell me?”

He hopes that won’t be asking for too much. 

“Certainly.” Sansa nods. “He’s been active for a while, but his paper trail has been pretty thin, so we’re not sure how active he’s been in the long run.”

Shouto nods. That’s typical of new vigilantes, unless they’re sloppy. 

“But somehow, he took care of the Trigger Cross gang.” Sansa looks at his clipboard, writing a few things down. “Bringing us the ringleaders and flash drives with evidence of their other crimes. These guys do the typical gang things, distributing drugs into the local area and robberies.” He looks up, smiling. “But thanks to Forest, they’re damn near non-existent now.” 

Shouto blinks. 

One vigilante took out an entire gang?

“How?” Shouto gapes at Sansa.

Sansa’s not the type to lie about these sorts of things, so it must be the truth. But it doesn’t offer an explanation.

Sansa shrugs. “We’re not sure. All we know for sure is one day he dropped off the ring leaders at various different police stations in one night and then for several weeks later, he started delivering us the leftovers, along with giving us thumb drives with information about their warehouses.”

Shouto turns to the police van.

One person took out an entire gang. Not just any person either, a quick witted vigilante.

Just who is Forest?

Shouto narrows his eyes and looks at the moon, bright and full in the dark night.

And why isn’t he a Hero if he’s so skilled?

Eri rubs at her eyes tiredly, stubbornly staying awake. She won’t go to bed until she knows he’s back. It doesn’t matter that he’s done this since before they even met. It doesn’t matter he’s got a base and a fully stocked first aid kit. It doesn’t matter that every single night he’s gone out for the past 104 days he’s come back just fine.

Because 1105 nights ago, he hadn’t been fine and that was the one night she didn’t wait up for him.

So she won’t go to bed until she sees him.

The front door opens.

Eri lifts her head from the wall she was resting it on, getting to her feet.

“Eri, what are you still doing up?”

Eri takes the moment to drink in his voice, pay attention to his scent, absorb the sight of him.

He’s wearing a blue hoodie, white jeans and his traditional red sneakers. His hair is as messy as ever, his eyes as green as his hair and his freckles as dark as usual.

He’s okay.

“Wanted to make sure you weren’t stabbed again.” Eri lets out the breath she was holding and smiles. “Welcome home, Izuku-nii.”

“Sorry I worried you, Eri.” Izuku-nii smiles at her and closes the door behind him. “I’m home.”

Eri walks over and Izuku-nii meets her halfway for a hug, falling to his knees. She buries her face in his neck and inhales the smell of forests and daisies, sweet and calming. 

Izuku-nii kisses her hair. “Come on, kiddo. Bed time.”

Eri frowns at him. “Izuku-nii, I’m 15. I don’t…”

She yawns, body betraying her.

Izuku-nii giggles and kisses her forehead. “Now, now. Even I need to be in bed by 2am, Eri. Let’s get you settled.”

Eri doesn’t protest. She hugs his neck and lets him carry her to bed, like he did when she was just 6 and he was just 16. She knows she’s too old for this, but it’s a nightly ritual that helps bring her peace so she won’t say anything. He pulls the covers up while holding her in one arm and then settles her into bed, pulling them back down over her.

“Goodnight, Eri.” Izuku-nii murmurs, brushing her hair off her horn.

Eri holds his hand and pulls his wrist to her face, so he can scent her. “I love you, Izuku-nii.”

Izuku-nii looks at her, all choked up like he always does when she says that.

Then he smiles at her, tears in his eyes and gently lays his head near her. “I love you too, Eri. To the moon and back.”

Eri smiles and gently brushes her wrist against his temple, brushing her apples and cotton candy scent over him. 

“I love you more.” She giggles and hopes her smells soothes him as much as his soothes her. “More than all the leafs on all the trees in the world.”

That’s what he used to say to her when she would cling to him and beg him not to go. He’d smile and whisper ‘I love you more than all the trees on all the leaves in the entire world, Eri’. Eventually, she’d been confident enough to play along, saying ‘I love you more than there are grains of sand in the sea’ and Izuku-nii would always laugh and giggle.

Izuku-nii giggles now and gently holds her hand, kissing her knuckles. “I love you that times two. Sleep well, Eri.”

Eri nods.

She grabs her All Might plushie, Izuku-nii’s plushie before he gave it to her, hugging it tightly while Izuku-nii goes to his own room. Mahoro may say they’re too old for cuddly toys, but she and Katsuma don’t care.

Eri sleeps peacefully knowing Izuku-nii came back safe from another night of being Forest.

Chapter Text

Shouto sighs as he walks down the street, at 6am. It’s been a long night.

After the confrontation with Forest, he ended up stopping a few other robberies and escorted an Omega home after she’d been assaulted by an Alpha, whom he arrested. Not to mention the pickpocket and getting a Trigger addict to the local rehab centre. He’s walking away with aches and pains, bumps and bruises, plus his palms in bandages when one of the people he fought managed to cut his hands. Sometimes, he wonders why he decided to go with Underground Heroics, constantly having to deal with the uglier side of Hero Society.

Then he remembers the press mobbing his house, hunting him down wherever he went when his father became Number 1, the terrifying thought of being trapped in that disgusting popularity contest for the rest of his life and thanks his past self for going underground.

He really wasn’t made for the spotlight, no matter what Endeavour thinks.

The cars drive down the streets and one or two pedestrians stumble past him in the light of the sunrise, either tired from waking up in time for their 7am shifts, or exhausted from getting back from their own night shifts. Having left his Hero Suit in the bag on his back and wearing his comfortable dark blue tracksuit, he doesn’t look much different to them, besides his distinctive hair.

He doesn’t look like a Pro Hero and that’s the way he likes it.

He likes what he does, but sometimes he needs to disconnect for a bit. Being able to walk in public without being recognised is a blessing he’ll always be thankful for.

Shouto pauses and opens the front door of the Green Bean coffee shop.

His home away from home. 

The walls are painted a soft, pale shade of green, with a few pieces of abstract art on the walls. The seats are all soft, plush pieces of furniture, most of the chairs with cushions attached to them and the tables all circular, with tall windows letting in loads of natural light. This place has the quietest coffee machines he’s ever seen in action. Not to mention-

“Good morning Shouto-san!”

The cutest barista in the world.

He’s an Omega, with sparkling green eyes and a head of bushy dark green hair and dark freckles splattered across his cheeks like stars. He’s wearing a green apron over his black short sleeved shirt and jeans and smiling at him like always.

“Morning, Midoriya.” Shouto says.

Midoriya laughs. “You know you can just call me Izuku. You’ve been a regular here for at least a few years now.”

Shouto shrugs. If he did that, he might die. It’s already bad for his heart to hear Midoriya say his name like it’s something precious and soft he wants to protect in his mouth. If Shouto called him ‘Izuku’, he’d never be the same again.

“A rough night?” Midoriya leans on the counter. “You look a little more beat up than usual.”

Shouto shrugs. He often gets scraps on the job, though he’s done his best to be vague about his work so Midoriya doesn’t realise he’s a Pro Hero. 

“Just a work accident.” Shouto waves him off and reaches into his wallet. “I’ll have my usual.”

Midoriya smiles, poking his tongue out his mouth a little as he writes down on his notepad. “One hot chocolate coming right up.”

Shouto smiles just a little bit. He really is the cutest barista in the world.

“Go ahead and take whatever seat you like.” Midoriya points his pencil to Shouto’s usual corner. “I’ll bring it right over since there’s no one else here right now.”

Shouto thinks about it. Then says, “I’d rather watch you work, if that’s okay.”

Midoriya blinks, then nods. “Sure, that’s fine.”

Then he turns around and Shouto grants himself one of the rare pleasures he allows himself; watching Midoriya. Yes, it’s probably creepy. He knows from working with his Omega colleagues it can be unsettling to have an Alpha’s undivided attention. But he did ask Midoriya, who has refused him that request in the past, so it should be fine to watch.

It’s always so rewarding to watch him, too. If Kaminari were here, he’d probably describe Midoriya in two words: eye candy.

Midoriya hums to himself as he goes about making the hot chocolate, calloused palms and scared fingers moving and placing things wherever he deems fit. Shouto wishes he could learn where those scars came from, make sure whoever hurt Midoriya could never do so again. He’d do anything to keep Midoriya safe.

His arms don’t flex much, but when they do, his biceps bulge the slightest bit and it’s fascinating to watch. Shouto isn’t new to the concept of beefy Omegas, a third of his class were Omegas and came out of school very muscular, some even stronger than him. But muscles definitely suit Midoriya in a way that does things to Shouto’s heart. And his knot, but he tries not to think about that in public. Shouto is a gentleman, not an animal thank you.

His hair always looks extra soft and fluffy from behind, just gently tickling his neck that is as freckled as his cheeks. If Shouto really concentrates, he can pick up some of Midoriya’s scent. Something like daisies, he thinks. He wishes he could smell him better.

Midoriya seems not to mind wearing fairly tight shirts either. He can’t see his chest thanks to the apron, but his shirt perfectly holds his back muscles. It’s a nice back...

“Here’s your hot chocolate!”

Shouto blinks out of his daze and that’s it for that rare pleasure.

“Thank you.” Shouto straightens, taking out the correct amount of money for his favourite.

Midoriya smiles like sunshine. “Always a pleasure, Shouto-san.”

Shouto nods and goes to his usual corner of the store to drink in peace. It’s a nice way to end his night shift; sitting in the cafe, sipping a warm drink devoid of caffeine and basking in the morning sunlight. And of course, getting to enjoy the sight of Midoriya.

Shouto’s been coming to the Green Bean since he first began training as a Underground Hero. It had been a rough mission, his first real failure. He’d been a wreck, shaking and trembling with sadness and rage, his hair on fire and his fingers in frost. Aizawa-sensei had to erase his Quirk in order for him to calm down more than once. Then he’d dragged Shouto to the Green Bean, to teach him the importance of taking the time to process what happened on bad missions like that and not to blame himself, just to learn from his mistakes. It’s a lesson Shouto still struggles to swallow sometimes.

But he still comes to the Green Bean. Especially after Midoriya took over as manager. Shouto hadn’t caught more of him than glimpses when he was in high school, too busy unlearning the old man’s moves and figuring out his own ways to use his Quirk to help people in the Underground. Not long after he graduated as an Underground Hero though, he soon got used to seeing Midoriya’s face behind the counter.

The Omega really grew up beautiful and it’s not fair what that does to Shouto’s heart, watching him humming as he wipes down the counters and giggling to himself.

That smile is part of why he does what he does. So people like Midoriya can feel safe.

Shouto sips some more of his drink and his mind drifts back to Forest.

Shouto’s been an Underground Hero for roughly 7 years now, not counting the 2 and a half years of experience he had in high school. He’s run into a few vigilantes during his time. 

From wild people who were one step away from becoming Villains, to the terrified pedestrians who used their Quirk to save their own life fearful of punishment. Most vigilantism related crimes are done on a one off basis, with active Vigilantes usually caught and either punished as Villains, or sent to one of the reformation programs to get them licenced as Heroes. Though the reformations are usually out of the country, so it’s hard to really tell what happens to the Vigilantes after that. 

But that doesn’t fully explain Forest. Sansa said he’s been active for a few years, yet no one’s been able to catch him. No one can identify what Quirk he has either. He managed to dismantle a drug gang in a few weeks when it usually takes the whole police force months to compile enough evidence to bring in so much as one ring leader. It’s unusual.

“Izuku-nii!”

Shouto blinks and looks over. And his heart melts just a little.

Eri Midoriya is standing in front of the counter, wearing her high school uniform. Midoriya is beaming at his little sister with so much pride, Shouto wonders if his cheeks hurt.

“Are you ready for your first day at art school?” Midoriya beams.

Eri nods, smiling just as wide with a little suitcase at her side, no doubt filled with brushes and pencils and paints and paper. She drew most of the art on display in the cafe after all.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be!” Eri hums, then tilts her head. “Are you sure you can look after the cafe all by yourself today?”

Midoriya smiles and reaches out to pet her head. “Eri, I’ll be fine. If I really need the help, I’ll call Himiko-kun and Jin-kun.”

“Okay. Please try to take it easy though.” Eri frowns just a bit. “You didn’t sleep much last night.”

Shouto blinks.

That’s unlike Midoriya. For as long as he’s known the Omega, Midoriya has been a morning person who sleeps through the night. What could have kept him up?

“Have fun, Eri!” 

Shouto blinks, turning to see Eri waving from the doorway.

“Bye Izuku-nii! I love you!” Eri giggles.

Midoriya’s smile practically melts. “I love you too, Eri.”

With that, she closes the door and it’s just the two of them again. Shouto’s almost finished his hot chocolate, just the bit left over that’s lukewarm at this point.

Shouto gets up and walks towards the counter.

“You want a refill today?” Midoriya giggles, smiling at him.

When Shouto pays closer attention, he can see the hint of exhaustion in Midoriya’s eyes, the way his skin looks the slightest bit paler than usual. If Shouto wasn’t trained in reading people by Aizawa-sensei and if he wasn’t paying attention, he wouldn’t have noticed it.

“Shouto-san?” Midoriya blinks, tilting his head the same way Eri did only a few moments ago.

“You didn’t sleep well last night.” Shouto inquires. “May I ask why?”

Midoriya laughs. “It’s true. I, got a little caught up in one of my hobbies and next thing I know it’s 2am. That’s all.”

Shouto narrows his eyes. He can tell Midoriya isn’t lying, but he’s not telling the full truth either.

“Are you sure?” Shouto tries to keep his voice soft. “If you need help, you can always tell me.”

He is a Pro Hero after all. It’s part of his job to ensure people feel at ease with him. It’s the kind of Hero he wants to be more than anything. 

Midoriya smiles a little softer at him. “I know, Shouto-san. And I appreciate everything you’ve done for us over the years. But I promise I’m fine. Just a little tired, is all.”

Shouto looks Midoriya over, just to be sure. But he nods. “I understand. I think you should call in one of your employees though. Unless you’d rather I stay for the day and keep an eye on things, make sure everything is okay.”

Midoriya blinks at him and waves his hands nervously. “I’m fine, Shouto-san, really, you don’t need to trouble yourself with us! Plus, I know you just got off the night shift, I couldn’t in good conscience ask you to stay here when you need rest.” He grins and puts his hands on his hips. “Besides, I’m well equipped to take care of myself.” 

He flexes one of his arms and Shouto’s in heaven. God, muscles suit this Omega.

“You know I work out, Shouto-san!” Midoriya beams at him. “So don’t worry about a thing, just go home and rest.” Midoriya lowers his arm. “And I’ll make you hot chocolate at the start of your shift if you come in after sleeping for 8 hours.”

Shouto blinks. “You know I don’t get that much sleep.”

Midoriya hums. “I don’t see why you couldn’t try. Plus, I’ll make it for free.”

Shouto looks at Midoriya, tries to count the freckles on his cheeks, looks at the glimmer in his eyes, imagines the texture of his hair.

Shouto sighs. “Alright then. I’ll try.”

“Excellent! Rest well, Shouto-san!” Midoriya smiles.

Shouto offers Midoriya a nod of acknowledgement and smiles slightly. Then he walks out of the Green Bean, towards his apartment where he can hopefully crash into his bed for a while and not wake up until a few hours later.

Midoriya’s hot chocolate is worth it.

Izuku sighs as he watches Shouto leave, holding his hand over his heart.

Oh good grief. It’s not good for his heart to have Shouto in his shop. Especially not after he caught the Alpha’s scent last night and could still smell it when it was just the two of them, alone in his shop. He’d known for years that Shouto Todoroki was Underground Hero Touya, but Izuku had always hoped those two worlds wouldn’t collide any time soon.

But he’s been a Vigilante for roughly 8 years, not including the 3 years where Homura-sensei taught him everything he knows and he did some basic things. Oh well.

Frankly, Izuku’s surprised that his two worlds haven’t collided sooner.

“Alright, Izuku, get a grip.” Izuku straightens up, grabs his cleaning supplies and goes over to where Shouto was sitting. “Time to get to work.”

Izuku sprays the table with cleaning fluid and goes about whipping it in circles and his mind wanders a little.

He’s been living in the Green Bean for 11 years now, ever since Homura-sensei found him in that pitiful state he’d been, a 14 year old Quirkless, homeless, runaway Omega about to go into a heat with nowhere safe to spend it. It was only a year after he started living with the man that the coffee shop soon became a frequented spot by Eraserhead and his interns; Siren and Touya.

Izuku didn’t get to know any of them that well in those first three years, too nervous around people his own age to confidently serve them drinks or talk to them behind the counter, leaving most of it to Homura-sensei. But he’d learned enough from observing them to know that they were good Heroes.

Siren, just Shinsou-san at the time, was a little grumpy and always sleep deprived, but he  was fond of cat puns and the worst thing he ever did in the shop was sass Homura-sensei. He was fairly strong as far as Omegas and people with non-physical Quirks go and he always made Izuku relax in their few conversations back then.

Eraserhead, just Aizawa-san when he wasn’t in costume, was almost exactly the same, preferring the company of cats. He was gruff, yet soft with his interns. There was something almost fatherly about him in how he treated Siren and Touya, similar to how Homura-sensei treated him and eventually Eri. Eraserhead was fairly typical for an Omega, hard working and clawing his way to be recognised for his own abilities rather than being forced to stay at home by an Alpha. But he always listened to people and was kind to Izuku.

Touya, just Shouto-san even back then, was always quiet. He didn’t really speak unless spoken to and seemed to prefer listening to Aizawa and Shinsou being sassy. But when he did speak up, he was always kind and considerate. For an Alpha, he seemed to almost hunch in on himself a lot, as if trying to make himself as small as possible so he wouldn’t be a threat or make someone else uncomfortable. It was sweet.

As Izuku had grown older though, they’d remained frequent customers, even when Aizawa would be getting a little too injured to be Heroing or when Shinsou would joke that he’d rather be in the cat cafe in Naruhata.

Izuku will always be glad to have them all as regulars and he does his best to help them out as much as he can. Be it giving them an extra shot of espresso for free, or slipping a thumbdrive of evidence to them in their bags.

The bell rings and Izuku spins around. “Welcome to Green Bean! What can I get you?”

He can think about his ‘hobby’ later. 

For now, he’s got a daytime job, bills to pay and art supplies to supply Eri with.

Shouto looks around the roof anxiously, gritting his teeth. He was chasing a villain up here, but he’s lost them. This isn’t goo-

BAM!

Shouto gets slammed in the back, skidding across the roof, barely constructing a small icewall to stop himself from falling off.

But his attacker keeps coming, slamming into Shouto and smashing up his icewall.

Fuck, he’s gonna need a hospital after this.

The Villain, someone with a minotaur Quirk, grabs Shouto by the throat and lifts him up, dangling him over the roof. Shouto gasps and tries to get in whatever breath he can, panic scratching at the Villain, trying to burn or freeze this guy but he doesn’t even flinch.

“Night night, Hero.” The Villain growls.

Shouto is lifted higher as if about to be thrown to the ground-

TWIG!

The Villain screams upon getting hit in the shoulder with an arrow.

They loosen their grip enough for Shouto to breathe and summon up his ice, freezing his opponent fully. They finally completely release him and Shouto makes some ice to keep him from falling to the ground, sliding onto the roof.

Shouto kneels on the roof for a moment, taking deep, gasping breaths, trying to recover his lost air.

Then he notices an odd sound, like a belt sliding against nylon.

He looks up.

Forest is sliding across a phone wire using a belt, then lets go of it and starts falling to the roof Shouto and the Villain are on. He lands in a roll and then runs over to him.

Forest stops in front of him and then starts moving his hands, signing. “Are you hurt?”

Shouto blinks.

All Pros are required to learn Japanese Sign Language, since it’s a useful and silent form of communication for stealth missions. It’s not a well known fact, but Forest acts as if he knows Shouto would know it.

“No.” Shouto replies, getting to his feet and shaking his head. Then he signs as he says the next things, just in case Forest is deaf. “Why are you here?”

Forest shrugs and signs. “Helping.”

Shouto narrows his eyes, moving his hands as calmly as he can manage. “It’s dangerous for civilians to help Pro Heroes.”

Forest rolls his head as if rolling his eyes, signing flippantly. “I’ll let you get choked to death next time if you really want.”

Shouto blinks.

So he’s the one who shot an arrow at the Villain?

“I really want you to go home and let the Pros handle this.” Shouto signs, but he does offer a smile. “But thank you.”

Forest suddenly walks over to him and grabs Shouto’s arm, inspecting his bicep. Shouto follows his line of sight.

Oh right, it’s still bleeding from when Shouto first bumped into the Villain.

Forest opens a pouch on his waist and rips the fabric of Shouto’s sleeve a little wider.

“I can do my own first aid, thanks.” Shouto says.

Forest rolls his head as if rolling his eyes again.

Ah, so he isn’t deaf. Likely just mute then.

Forest cleans up his cut and presses a large plaster to it.

Forest steps back and signs. “Sorry for ripping your costume.”

Shouto blinks in surprise, just speaking this time. “It’s fine.” Then he decides to crack a joke Kaminari taught him, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “You can just buy me dinner to make it up to me.”

Forest snorts.

Shouto blinks in surprise.

Not mute then?

Forest slams their hand over their mouth.

Shouto doesn’t want them to be afraid of him.

“Or you can stop being a Vigilante, if dinner is out of the question.” Shouto offers instead. “There’s rehabilitation programs out there now. I could get you in touch with some.”

Forest shakes their head, signing frantically. “I wouldn’t qualify, thanks. Bye.”

Then they run to the other side of the roof, jumping down before Shouto can say anything else.

Shouto sighs and looks at the Villain.

Guess he’s on clean up duty.

Great.

Izuku huffs as he finishes tying up the nasty bastard. Now that girl won’t be stalked anymore.

He ignores the bleeding wound in his leg as much as he can. It was a necessary sacrifice to ensure the girl could get away and that this guy wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again. She probably called the authorities on her way, if he’s lucky.

“Forest.”

Izuku turns around, slamming his mouth shut.

It’s Touya, again.

Great.  

Touya looks over the situation and makes his conclusions, signing and speaking. “I take it you defeated him?”

Izuku nods, signing back warily. “Sexual assaulter. Stalked a teenage girl.”

Touya scowls. “Where’s the girl?”

“Not here. She left.” Izuku signs, tilting his head to where he saw her run. “Beat him before he could touch her.”

“Good job. I’ll take it from here.” Touya replies.

Izuku nods to himself. It’s the best he could hope for.

He tries to run around the pro, but his leg buckles beneath him and he crashes into the ground. Great job.

“Forest!” Touya runs over to him and assesses him. “Your leg is injured.”

Izuku shakes his head, trying to deny it.

“I can see it bleeding.” Touya huffs. “Can you sit up?”

Izuku sighs, but reluctantly does as what’s asked of him.

“I’m going to lift your clothes so I can tend to the injury.” Touya warns him, pulling some disinfectant from one of his first aid capsules. 

Izuku leans back against the wall and lets him.

Touya narrates everything he does, giving Izuku the chance to protest or stop him, but he doesn’t. He lets Touya disinfect his leg and wrap it.

Izuku gently taps Touya’s shoulder.

Touya looks up from his work.

Izuku signs to him, cautious and slow. “Why haven’t you arrested or restrained me yet?”

Honestly, any Hero would’ve done that by now if they actually did their job. Izuku knows he shouldn’t have just let Touya touch him, but he’s just…

A teeny tiny bit touch starved and Touya’s hands are strong but gentle and it feels really nice, okay don’t judge him.

Touya shrugs and looks back at the wound, finishing his wrappings. “You did save my life. Let’s call this returning the favour. Besides, it’d be too much paperwork. Even if I arrested you, who’s to say you’d actually stay in police custody?”

Izuku’s eyes widen in surprise.

He’s seriously not going to arrest him?

Izuku narrows his eyes and kicks Touya with his good leg, making him look at Izuku as he signs. “And how do I know you aren’t lying?”

“You don’t.” Touya leans back, giving him space. “I just felt like arresting you while you’re injured wouldn’t be fair.”

Izuku stares at him.

Just what kind of a Hero is he?

“You make no sense.” Izuku signs, shaking his head and resisting the urge to sigh.

Touya grins and it’s not fair how charming he looks. “Very few things in life make any sense.”

True enough.

With that, Izuku decides to save his flashbang and just runs away. And when he gets a decent enough distance, he checks the bandages for tracking devices or microphones. Checks the rest of his costume and even his hair as well, just to be careful.

But there’s nothing.

Izuku’s heart squirms and quivers and he tries to stamp it out, leaving the bandages on for now.

“Todoroki.”

Shouto blinks as he looks up from his paperwork. Aizawa-sensei is standing there in front of his desk, giving him a flat stare. 

“Sorry, sensei. I was focused on my report.” Shouto puts his pencil down.

Aizawa raises an eyebrow. “This is only the first time I called your name, Todoroki. And I’m not your teacher anymore, you don’t have to keep calling me sensei.”

“With all due respect, Aizawa-sensei, I don’t think any of us will ever stop calling you that.” Hitoshi calls from the other end of the room, smirking as he sips his mug. “You’ve taught us so well, you’ll always be our teacher.”

Aizawa scowls. “Great.”

Shouto smiles slightly, watching the two have their usual banter. He knows they’re not comfortable telling him that Shinsou is Aizawa’s secret love child, but he doesn’t care about being in the know so long as the two of them are able to have a good relationship. 

Besides, it’s obvious anyway, even when they deny it.

“Todoroki, we’re taking a lunch break.” Aizawa orders. “Did you bring a lunch with you?”

Shouto holds in his wince. He’s not the best cook and he doesn’t always remember to make lunch. Especially after an intense few nights where he spent the last of his shift struggling to write his reports.

Aizawa gives him another flat stare and sighs. “Alright then, guess we’re going out.”

Hitoshi smiles as he finishes drinking the last of his coffee. “Good. We’re out of coffee anyway, Shouto can buy more.”

Shouto narrows his eyes. “Since when was I the designated coffee buyer?”

He bought it the last few times too.

Hitoshi shrugs. “Hey, you’re the one with access to the Number 1 Hero’s bank account. Use it wisely to treat your coworkers right.”

Aizawa scowls, a warning growl. “Shinsou…”

Hitoshi shrugs again, with a Cheshire Cat grin.

Shouto smiles and stands up. “In that case, I’ll happily stock us up for a month.”

Hitoshi turns around and grabs his jacket. “Sweet. Get that expensive kind just to fuck with him.”

Aizawa rolls his eyes as he trudges out of the office. “Problem Children, both of you.”

Shouto shrugs as he slips on his own jacket over his Hero Costume and he follows his coworkers out of the building they’d claimed as their base. Aizawa didn’t have any kind of Agency when they were in school, but he’d gotten a hold of the cheap, almost broken down three story office building so they would have a base of operations. It’s still a cheap, almost broken down three story office building, but it’s theirs and that’s all it needs to be.

Together, the three of them walk down the streets. The one just outside their agency is almost always deserted, thanks to the fact it’s a rougher neighbourhood with a small population and no shops to speak of for a few buildings. In many ways, it’s an ideal hide out for a bunch of Underground Heroes who are used to working in the shadows.

“So, heard from Sansa you bumped into Forest again.” Hitoshi says, as they walk the deserted street. 

Shouto groans and looks at the sky. “Don’t remind me.”

That damn vigilante is so confusing. First he protects him with his own body, then he throws a stun grenade at him, then he saves his life from a Villain and then he leaves him to babysit while he runs away again. Not to mention the fact they only use sign despite not being deaf or mute as far as Shouto can tell.

“It’s odd. Forest normally isn’t this active, based on what Sansa has been able to tell me about his case.” Aizawa hums, walking ahead of him.

Shouto turns to him. “You’ve been asking about him?”

Aizawa nods, looking over his shoulder. “A couple of my informants underground have talked about him being active for a while. Some even think he’d been active for 7 years.”

Hitoshi whistles.

Shouto winces. Geez, that’s as long as Shouto’s had his licence. Has it really been 7 years since he graduated from UA?

“He’s been in the field as long as us, huh?” Hitoshi grins, turning to him. “Ugh, makes me feel old remembering the edgy little shit I was in high school.”

Shouto smiles remembering where his friendship with Hitoshi began. “Remember when you said you weren’t here to make friends when I joined the Underground lessons?”

Shouto knew then and there that Hitoshi would be his first friend. They had so much in common.

Hitoshi groans, rolling his eyes. “Don’t remind me. I was an ignorant little brat back then. But so were you.”

Hitoshi often made unkind remarks about Shouto’s status as Endeavour’s heir and successor. Shouto sometimes made unintentionally rude barbs about Hitoshi’s Quirk. At one point Aizawa actually had the two of them sit down and explain to each other why those things were hurtful and why they didn’t want the other person to keep saying such things.

“So we’re even.” Shouto smiles.

And they’ve been best friends ever since, even if Hitoshi denies it.

Aizawa groans. “You’re both a headache, that’s what you are.”

“And yet, you continue working in the same agency as us.” Hitoshi leans forward, catching up to Aizawa. “Even though you should’ve retired a long time ago and made that cat cafe you want.”

Aizawa huffs and ignores them.

Shouto smiles and follows the two of them.

“Speaking of cafes…” Hitoshi leans back and smirks at Shouto. “I saw you at the Green Bean making heart eyes at Midoriya again.”

Shouto trips over his own feet.

Hitoshi laughs. “Oh wow, you are down bad for him.”

Shouto scowls at him, standing up right. “Shut up, Hitoshi.”

Hitoshi pokes his tongue out at him. “Make me.”

Shouto rolls his eyes. “You’re not my type.”

“I should think not, green isn’t my colour.” Hitoshi puts his hands in his pockets. “Maybe you should try asking Forest out, since you’re too chicken to do anything with Midoriya but stare at him.”

Shouto sighs and looks down. “And when would I have the time to do anything but stare at Midoriya?”

“You make the time, that’s what you do when you want to pursue a relationship with someone.” Hitoshi shrugs, starting to list things off on his fingers. “Arrange to take on fewer shifts, spend less time on paperwork, sleep a little less.”

“Don’t you dare.” Aizawa turns to them. “You need to be in top shape and sleep is required for that.”

“Says the man who never sleeps.” Shouto remarks.

Aizawa glares at him. “I’m still your boss, Todoroki. Watch your mouth.”

Shouto pokes his tongue out at him.

Hitoshi rolls his eyes harder.

They continue walking to the family diner they started frequenting recently.

And even though he can argue with the two of them sometimes, Shouto will always be grateful he gets to be an Underground Hero with the likes of Hitoshi and Aizawa.

He really is lucky to be here.

“That just about does it!”

Izuku slides out from under Jin’s car. He stands up, whipping the sweat from his brow, ignoring the fact he’s probably getting more stains on himself. He doesn’t mind getting dirty.

“Try it now, Jin-kun.” Izuku suggests as he steps back.

“Sure thing!” Jin calls out, then whines. “I’m not starting this car!”

Nevertheless, Jin turns the key and the car finally makes the noises it’s supposed to.

Himiko cheers and jumps on the opposite side of the car. “Yay! Thanks so much Izuku-kun!”

Izuku smiles, rubbing the back of his head. “Well I can’t just leave you guys without a car.”

Not long after Izuku took over the management of the Green Bean, Jin and Himiko both burst into his life in their own special ways.

Jin was stumbling around with a paper bag on his head and had broken into the shop while Izuku was out on patrol. Eri had knocked him out. But when Jin woke up, Izuku and Eri got to know the old Alpha better and helped him learn some different coping mechanisms to deal with his personality disorder. They also let him stay and work in the shop. Eventually he got enough money for an apartment and the Green Bean was able to up his pay so he could continue to afford it. He’s worked for them ever since.

Himiko meanwhile was a vigilante like Izuku. But she was also assaulting regular civilians due to a side effect of her Quirk requiring blood, making her crave it. Izuku managed to subdue her one day and took her back to the Green Bean. Steadily, she made friends with Jin, Izuku and Eri while recovering from her blood deprivation by drinking their blood. The Beta steadily got more on her feet and started rooming with Jin. She still lives with him now.

“Still, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to repay you for always looking out for us.” Jin smiles, then he scowls. “We don’t owe you anything shortie!”

Himiko giggles and jumps over the car, cuddling Izuku. “If you ever need anything from us, please don’t hesitate to ask! You know I’d kill a man for you Izuku-kun.”

Izuku laughs nervously. “I’ll keep that in mind, Himiko-kun.”

Izuku knows that Himiko has murdered people in the past due to issues with her Quirk. But personally he’d rather she not do that again.

“Hey everyone!”

“ERI!” Jin and Himiko squeal, running over to her.

Eri laughs as the two of them embrace her tightly, Himiko hugging her shoulders and Jin hugging the two of them. The three of them have always cared about each other since they met up and got over the initial road bumps in their meeting.

Now they’re all family. A very odd, dysfunctional family, but they’re Izuku’s family nonetheless.

“How was school, Eri?” Izuku asks, walking over to the three of them.

Eri smiles wide. “It was awesome! I got to work on my first real canvas! It’s drying at school right now, but I took a photo!” She pulls her phone from her pocket, showing it off. “Here.”

It seems she’s started working on a sunset backdrop. What she’ll draw on top of it, he’s not sure yet, but Eri’s always been fond of collages, building up her pieces bit by salvaged bit, taking from the cheap art supplies Izuku got second hand wherever he could for free. She’s always been good at improvising, so he’s excited to see what she’ll do with all the tools she could ever need at her fingertips.

“It looks beautiful, Eri.” Izuku reaches out, petting her head a few times with his least greasy hand.

Eri grins, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Oh? Ya know what else is beautiful?”

Izuku blinks, taking his hand away. “Who?”

Eri giggles. “Shouto of course! He came into the shop this morning, right?” She leans a little closer. “Did you talk about anything fun?”

Izuku feels a blush crawl up his neck, remembering the heavy weight of Shouto’s gaze on his back as he made him hot chocolate. Since Shouto forgot his wallet, Izuku just made the hot chocolate for free. Not to mention Shouto was wearing a black eye because he’d taken a projectile hit for Izuku when they were patrolling.

He would’ve felt like a dick if he hadn’t given Shouto the free drink.

“Ah, not really, ya know?” Izuku forces a laugh. “Just normal stuff.”

And it’s the truth, they didn’t really talk about anything that interesting. Just the normal small talk.

Eri’s mischievous face falls a bit into a softer smile. “Izuku-nii, you do know it’s okay that you like him, right?”

Himiko’s eye widen. “Hang on, you mean Izuku-kun has a crush?”

“Oh, it’s that Touya Hero, right?” Jin hums. “No, dipshit, his name is Todoroki Shouto!”

“And he’s way out of my league, so even if I did have a crush on him, nothing would come of it.” Izuku huffs, walking away from them so he can put things away in the tool box.

Nothing could come of it and it may even get him arrested if Shouto finds out his Vigilante identity.

So he could just shove all his feelings in the box and get over it.

“Izuku-nii, I mean it!” Eri comes running over to him, pouting. “Having a crush isn’t a bad thing. You taught me that.”

“Yes but this is different, Eri.” Izuku puts his tools away. “He’s a Hero. I’m a Vigilante. If I’m not careful, he could arrest me.”

Eri giggles. “But Izuku-nii, you’ve never been caught!”

“And if you are caught, we can break you out!” Jin shouts, running over. Then he huffs. “You can break yourself out.”

“We can be your alibi too!” Himiko giggles. 

Izuku sometimes wishes he didn’t surround himself with law breakers.

“I became a Vigilante so you guys wouldn’t have to do that stuff.” Izuku closes the tool box. “So I could protect you and the place we live in.”

He became a Vigilante thanks to Homura-sensei teaching him everything the old Beta knew. But he continued to be a Vigilante because he wanted to protect his friends. He wanted to keep their home safe. And he wanted to help people.

But a small part of him wanted to be strong. To ensure he’d never be that crying kid again.

“It just wouldn’t work.” Izuku says.

No matter how much a part of him wants to have Shouto’s scent on him again.

It just wouldn’t work.