Chapter Text
Shinsou Hitoshi has gone most of his life feeling like an outsider.
The world is unfair, in a lot of different ways. Like it or not, perception matters. People are quick to make judgments about others based on a first impression, and in this chaotic, superhuman society, the number one thing that people are judged on is their Quirk.
It’s not like Shinsou chose to have a power like this. Of all things, it just had to be a brainwashing ability. Something that sounds perfect for a villain, rather than a hero. Not that anyone’s necessarily accusing him of being evil, but given how his Quirk works, they can’t help but be wary. He’s even heard people say stuff like, “With a Quirk like that, you could get away with doing all kinds of things, without even getting your hands dirty! Just promise not to use it on us… okay?”
He doesn’t mean to dwell on it. Truthfully, he wishes he wouldn’t let it bother him so much. But it does bother him. It bothers him so much more than he would like to admit. Not only because of how people see him, but because his Quirk is the whole reason he couldn’t get into the Hero Department.
So, yeah. He’s jealous. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous of others with simple, straightforward Quirks—ones that are perfectly suited for becoming a hero. He’s always wanted a Quirk like that to call his own. He’s always wanted people to look at him with admiration and hope, instead of doubt and scrutiny.
And yet, here he is.
Eating with a bunch of students from the department he failed to get into.
“Guys, this is Shinsou Hitoshi,” you introduce with a bright smile. “He’s another first-year, like us. And he’s really nice!”
Shinsou stares at you in disbelief. He’s not sure how in the world you could possibly know whether or not he’s nice . You barely even talked to him. Although… it probably helps a lot that you don’t know what his Quirk is. He’ll try to keep it that way for as long as possible. So that you don’t start looking at him the same way everyone else does.
“It’s nice to meet you, Shinsou,” Izuku says, and although his smile is a bit more timid than yours, it’s still plenty blinding in its own right.
The table consists of you, Shinsou, Shouto, Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida. Thankfully, everyone seems really welcoming. It’s also not an absurdly large group, which puts Shinsou at ease.
Or at least, that’s how it starts off.
“Hm? Oh, hey, [Name],” Kirishima greets. He’s carrying a tray as he walks alongside Kaminari, Sero, and Mina. The sight of Shinsou sitting with all of you made him stop, though. “Who’s that guy? He’s not in our class.”
“This is Shinsou, another first-year student,” you happily introduce once again. You also make sure to add, “He’s really nice!”
Ah, well. Shinsou supposes there are definitely worse ways he could be described. It’s a nice change of pace, if he’s being honest. He can’t recall when the last time someone ever called him nice was.
“Cool,” Kirishima grins. “Actually, do you mind if we eat with you guys for lunch today?”
“Of course not. The more people, the better!”
While that isn’t necessarily always true, it’s obvious that you’re extremely social and extroverted. Unlike Shinsou, you’re used to being the center of attention. Most people wouldn’t have the guts to do a Chubby Bunny challenge in public, in front of god-knows how many students were in the cafeteria that day. Shinsou can’t even imagine. The thought alone makes him want to dig himself into a hole.
So, a couple more Class 1-A students join the table. They all seem really friendly, but again, Shinsou has yet to divulge what his Quirk is. That’s how it always goes. The moment people discover he has the ability to brainwash others, they start treating him differently. He doubts this group will be any exception.
Still. For now, this honestly isn’t that bad. He’ll probably continue to be jealous of the Hero Department students, but… yeah. It’s not that bad.
“Todoroki and [Name]! Oh, damn! You’ve got one hell of a group goin’ on here today, huh?”
Shinsou lifts his head in disbelief. No way. There’s more people coming to gather around you? Just how popular can one person be?
“Hey, Inasa,” you grin. “Yeah, we’re all eating together, and it’s been a lot of fun! This is Shinsou Hitoshi, by the way. He’s really nice!”
“You don’t have to keep telling people that,” Shinsou chuckles weakly.
“Why not? It’s true.”
You tilt your head slightly and frown at him, and although this is literally the first time the two of you have ever spent time together, you seem strangely convinced about that. It’s almost as if you know practically everything about him, from the inside out.
That obviously isn’t possible, though.
“Awesome!” Inasa exclaims. “I’m Yoarashi Inasa! S’nice to meet you, Shinsou, and all you other guys I haven’t met yet! I wanted to eat with Todoroki and [Name] anyway, so I’m just gonna—”
“Inasa!” someone snaps from across the room. Shinsou can’t help but wonder, what now ? He turns his head to find a blond male student approaching, with an irritable (and also rather conceited) expression. “What do I keep telling you, Inasa? You’re not supposed to fraternize with the enemy! Because of the USJ attack, 1-A is hogging all the spotlight. What about your fellow students in 1-B, huh? Don’t you feel guilty about betraying us?”
“Ah, ‘sup, Monoma?” Inasa simply greets. “I’m not really sure what you’re talkin’ about, but Todoroki and [Name] are my close friends! Apparently we can’t be best friends though, because that spot’s already been taken. It’s a damn shame!”
“Come back, Inasa,” Monoma says. He turns up his nose and scoffs, derisively. “Unless you want to be known as a fickle man who turned his back on his own class.”
“Fickle? What’s that s’posed to mean?”
“Gah! Don’t reveal how uneducated you are to the enemy class! You’ll make a fool out of the rest of us!”
“Is this a classmate of yours, Inasa?” you ask, turning your head towards Monoma. Of course, you know all too well who this eccentric, juvenile, yet mostly loveable goof is. Some people in the fandom consider him to be annoying, but you always thought he was funny, to be honest. Plus, after dealing with people as complicated as Chisaki and Katsuki for many years, Monoma is child’s play by comparison.
Monoma crosses his arms. “Monoma Neito, from Class 1-B. I heard about you, you know. You’ve already made quite a name for yourself with that ridiculous marshmallow challenge.”
“Oh, neat. Did you watch the video?” you ask excitedly. “Apparently it’s been uploaded to YoYoTube. Did you see how many hits it’s getting?? I’m viral now!”
“Of course I didn’t bother wasting my time with that nonsense,” Monoma waves off. “It’s beneath me.”
…he’s lying, though. The truth is that he watched it more than five times, because he still can’t believe you managed to fit that many marshmallows in your mouth, without even being fazed.
But you don’t need to know that.
“Another poor, lost soul,” you mumble, shaking your head disappointedly. “Shinsou, can you believe it? He thinks the Chubby Bunny challenge is nonsense. Clearly, his heart has never known happiness.”
“I-I guess not,” Shinsou stammers.
“Poor guy,” Shouto then decides to sigh loudly, mirroring your disappointment. “I feel sorry for him.”
“Who are we feeling sorry for?” Kirishima perks up.
“Nobody!” Monoma fumes. “I don’t need anyone feeling sorry for me! Inasa—let’s go , already!”
“Nah, I’m good right here!” Inasa grins, and he promptly sits down at the table, along with the rest of you. “So, [Name], what’s all this Chubby Bunny stuff about? It sounds really fun! Can you teach me?”
“I can, but you should know it won’t be easy.”
“Damn, you’re gettin’ all serious about this, huh? That just makes me wanna do it even more !”
Monoma stands there in disbelief. He can’t believe what’s happening. Class 1-B is supposed to stick together against their natural adversary (not really), Class 1-A! This is the highest form of treachery!
“You can sit with us too, Monoma,” you offer, still smiling brightly. “And then maybe one day, everyone in 1-A and 1-B can have lunch together! Wouldn’t that be awesome?”
“No, it wouldn’t!”
Monoma grits his teeth as he stomps away. It kind of reminds you of all the times you’ve won an argument against Katsuki. Except Katsuki is obviously much worse at managing his anger. Monoma is just a goofy little guy.
“What’s up with him?” Shinsou can’t help but frown.
“Nothing,” you reassure. “He seems nice!”
“Uh, do you just assume everyone’s nice, or what?”
“Pretty much. Unless they give me a reason to think otherwise,” you shrug.
Shinsou’s not really sure what to say to that. He feels like Monoma kind of already proved himself to be a bit of an asshole, but he’s starting to realize that you tend to see the good in people, while he usually assumes the worst. It makes him feel even more insecure, to be honest. He wishes he wasn’t like this. He wishes he could be like you, and look past everyone’s presumed perception of him.
But maybe… he can ?
“Oh,” you blink, as if you’ve just realized something. “I totally forgot. I was going to ask you a very important question.”
“An important question? I mean… sure. Go ahead. I’ll do my best to answer it.”
Shinsou knits his brows together. Here it comes. It has to be that , right? You’re probably going to ask him what kind of Quirk he has. Honestly, it would be weirder if you weren’t curious. This is a hero school, after all.
Shit. He’s nervous now. He’s already dreading your reaction. You’re so bubbly, and although he still doesn’t know you very well, being around you just feels warm , somehow. He doesn’t want you to start avoiding him because of this. He doesn’t want you to think less of him.
But he’ll just have to bite the bullet and—
“Will you be my friend?”
“...huh?”
You’re still smiling at him. Brighter than ever, at that. And you didn’t even bother to ask what kind of Quirk he has. He can’t tell what’s going through your head, but he almost feels like, regardless of what kind of powers he’d have, it wouldn’t make a difference.
He feels like you’d want to be his friend anyway.
“Um, alright,” Shinsou says, and he blinks again, because he can’t understand why you look so happy right now. He still can’t even understand why you invited him to sit with you in the first place.
“Yay!” you grin. You don’t even wait to throw your arms around him, and Shinsou stiffens a bit, a warmth spreading across his cheeks. Meanwhile, a certain other friend of yours finds himself pouting.
Shouto predicted this would happen, many years ago. He knew you would just keep making more and more friends, one after the other. It’s okay, though. He has no reason to feel jealous. After all…
He’ll always be your best friend.
An elderly woman cowers in the back of an alleyway, shopping bags fallen to the ground, with their contents spilled. She hugs her sides and trembles uncontrollably, more and more tears streaming down her cheeks.
“P-Please,” she gasps. “My daughter… just had a baby. I’m a grandmother now. I-I’m supposed to meet my grandson for the first time tomorrow… so, please . Please don’t do this…”
Unfortunately, it’s futile. Her pleas fall upon deaf ears. The villain gradually approaching her couldn’t care less what she has left to live for. He wants one thing, and one thing only.
He wants to watch her bleed.
“Say your prayers, old lady,” the villain cackles.
Terrified, the woman squeezes her eyes shut. She’s afraid. So, so afraid. But if nothing else, she got to live a full life. She got to see all of her children grow up, she fell in love with a kind, gentle man… so, it’s okay. She can’t say she hasn’t experienced enough happiness to carry over into the afterlife. She’s grateful for what she had. She’s grateful to have lived this long. That’s what she tries to tell herself.
Even so, it doesn’t change anything.
She’s not ready to die.
Moments later, a deafening, agonized scream rings out. Except, strangely enough, the woman isn’t the one who screamed.
When she fearfully opens her eyes, the villain is lying on the ground, dead.
“Get out of here,” a deep voice commands. She looks up to find a different man standing before her. He’s fairly young, by the looks of it. Although the gold-embroidered plague mask he wears makes it difficult to tell his exact age.
The woman blinks away the tears in her eyes. “I-I’m—”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Chisaki glares. “ Leave . Don’t make me ask you again. And don’t you dare tell anyone what you saw.”
She doesn’t need to be asked again. She stumbles as she rises to her feet, but nevertheless, she runs away without ever looking back, just grateful to be alive.
Once Chisaki is certain she’s gone, he crouches down and uses his Quirk to bring the villain back to life.
“W-What happened?!” the villain cries out. He looks around in a panic, gasping for breath. “Just now—I swear I was just—”
“Do you know where to find the League of Villains?” Chisaki asks.
“Huh?”
“The League of Villains,” Chisaki repeats, eyes darkening. “Are you, or are you not, affiliated with them? Have you ever met the man known as Shigaraki Tomura?”
“It was… it was you ,” the villain grits out, and his eyes flicker towards the end of the alleyway, but Chisaki steps in front of him and blocks his path.
“I asked you a question,” Chisaki warns. “Unless you want me to kill you again, I suggest you answer me.”
“I-I don’t know! I have no idea what the hell you’re even talking about, so just—”
“Then you’re useless to me. Die.”
Chisaki kills the villain a second time, scowling irritably at the gruesome, filthy sight. He’s about to walk away and leave. His job here is done. This man has no clue how to find the League, and he was clearly a violent criminal, about to murder that woman, so the world is better off without him anyway.
But then… Chisaki remembers. He remembers how you pleaded with him to revive that former Shie Hassaikai member. Even after he bashed your skull against the ground and left you there to bleed to death. You’re so unbelievably kind, you’re such an angel , that you would even beg for the life of someone who nearly succeeded in killing you.
It goes without saying that Chisaki is going to hide this from you. He never planned on telling you about this in the first place. But the longer he stares down at the villain’s bloody corpse, the more he can practically hear your sweet voice echoing in his ears, begging him not to end someone’s life. Time and time again, you’ve told him that you don’t want him to become a killer.
He can’t help it.
His love for you is simply too strong.
“Kai, I kept a lookout, as promised,” Kurono says, turning into the alleyway. “As far as I could tell, nobody saw you—oh. You’re not done yet? I thought you would’ve killed him by now.”
“I did,” Chisaki replies. “Twice. But I brought him back. Instead of killing him, I decided it would be enough to paralyze him for life. He won’t be able to speak about what happened here, and he won’t be able to move and inflict pain upon anyone ever again. Being trapped within the walls of his own mind, for the rest of his life, is a punishment even worse than death or prison, if you ask me. Also… [Name] wouldn’t like it. I know she wouldn’t want me dirtying my hands.”
Kurono’s expression drops. What? Why does that even matter? This whole idea is ridiculous in the first place. Kurono only went along with it because of how fierce his loyalty is, but if he were to be honest, he thinks it’s a joke. What is a member of the yakuza doing, hunting down villains? Why is a criminal targeting other criminals? Why is he concerning himself with cleaning up the streets and making them a safer place?
And why should he care who lives or dies?
“Time to leave,” Chisaki says, already walking away. “He didn’t know anything about the League either. He serves no purpose. But at least this way, there will be one fewer villain around to jeopardize [Name]’s safety.”
Kurono doesn’t say anything. Lately, he feels incredibly unsettled. More so than ever before. In fact, that’s an understatement. He feels sick. Sick to his fucking stomach.
Refraining from murder and defeating villains for the sake of protecting someone… isn’t that what a hero would do?