Chapter Text
It had been months since Loud Cloud and Rust had left with Phoenix to a place where they could stay for a while.
Tenko—since he no longer wanted to be referred to as Shigaraki Tomura—had settled in surprisingly well with the Knights Errant. After they had settled with the new roles in life he and Loud Cloud both had applied for provisional licenses.
Phoenix had found it hilarious when Rust had failed the first time. Loud Cloud himself had found the memories they had of previous training useful, and the exam had been finished with ease.
Loud Cloud’s hero outfit was a leather bomber jacket over a white button up shirt. He had a light blue headband the same colour his hair used to be. He didn’t carry any weapons but he wore straight black pants with concealed pockets that contained many items.
Rust had chosen a trench coat with a dark rust pattern to it that embodied his hero name. It was over a slightly yellowed shirt and black and grey cargo pants. His neck and the lower part of his face was covered by layers of black scarf. Black combat boots rounded out his hero outfit.
While Loud Cloud had yet to meet Aizawa (or Yamada) in person, they had gotten into contact with them both and confirmed their identity. Even Kayama had spoken to them. While Loud Cloud wasn’t just Oboro anymore (they had vague memories from other people’s perspectives that Rabbit suspected were from those other quirks that had been used to make Warpgate within them), their old friends weren’t just the people that they remembered either. Time changed people, as did loss.
Even so, between their old friends, the Kinghts Errant and Rabbit the Doctor hadn’t stood a chance. He had tried to escape but with a well aimed knife, Vampire Lady had injured him so severely he had died in transit to a hospital.
All for One was still out there though, as were the threats that lay within the HPSC.
The Knights Errant currently sat around a meeting table in a room that was rented out just for this reason. Rabbit, though he should refer to him as his Hero name Valiant (the Questing Hero) while in costume, was idly spinning back and forth in a dark brown office chair as they waited for Twice and Phoenix to enter. The table they were seated at was made to look like dark wood with light grey legs.
Loud Cloud looked to where Vampire Lady and Rust were arguing with fond amusement. Vampire Lady was insisting that blood counted as an ice cream topping while Rust was arguing that it wasn’t.
Blood being a food topping or ingredient was a frequent argument of theirs when they were idle and in the same room.
Mr. Compress was playing with a marble and watching the argument like it was a tennis match from the other side of the table.
Loud Cloud idly scanned the beige walls that had landscapes hung on them with faux plants in the corners. The one floor to ceiling window was made of fogged glass but let in the gentle afternoon sunlight.
Phoenix and Twice soon joined them, with Phoenix carefully shutting the door behind him. Once they were both seated Rust turned on Phoenix.
“So when are we going to take down hero society? I was promised that when I took a job as your sidekick and I haven’t heard any plans,” Rust grumbled, looking ready to argue more.
Phoenix stared at him a moment. “You’ve had your license less than a week, of course you haven’t heard any plans.”
Rust bristled and planted his hands on the table, pinkies lifted. “I’ve been around far longer than I’ve had a license,” he hissed.
“Good thing that we’re here to discuss that anyway then,” Phoenix said drily, flipping open a folder. “Thanks to intel from Valiant, we know that the HPSC has been party to some… interesting training methods. Valiant has suggested that we take a look at one of the top heroes for more information.”
Phoenix slid folders around the table to each of them. Loud Cloud flipped his open to a view of Hawks on the first page.
“Hawks, a hero that came out of nowhere and rose too quickly to be normal. His ties the HPSC are blatant with the assignments he is given,” Phoenix said. “We plan on getting close to him to get him to help reveal the program he came from.”
“Some of the other heroes from it probably died or are imprisoned from what I heard,” Valiant offered, still spinning his chair, not touching his folder.
“We also included information on other heroes who seem to have ties with organizations like the Meta Liberation Army. It will be our checklist for the month to look through them and get them off the streets in one way or another,” Phoenix said.
“There’s a lot of people in here. How are we supposed to meet them all?” Twice grumbled.
“I’m going to help!” Valiant declared, bouncing in his seat.
“As a noncombatant,” Phoenix insisted, which seemed to amuse Valiant.
“You’re just scared of what my mom will say if I come back with a scratch again,” Valiant replied.
Phoenix looked haunted. “Inko is a terrifying lady,” he agreed.
“This doesn’t sound like the destruction of hero society.” Rust sounded aggravated, staring at the pages in disdain.
“The HPSC holds hero society together. We get enough dirt on them and the whole thing will crumble,” Valiant said consolingly.
“This is a pathetic plan,” Rust argued, slamming down the papers.
“The last page includes bases that we can probably destroy,” Valiant told him.
Rust picked the folder back up and turned to the last page.
Vampire Lady raised a hand, which contained a knife, and waved it around. “Does that mean we can stab people?”
As the table devolved into arguments about how the missions would go, Loud Cloud watched with a soft smile.
It wasn’t how they had pictured being a hero as a child, but it was very close to perfect anyway.