Chapter Text
“Yes, in fact, young man,” All Might spoke. “I am the number one pro hero.” His eyes ominously blinked, sending a shiver down Koharu’s spine.
Koharu folded into himself, glancing up at All Might. “What… are you doing here?” As Aya behind him moved, fear tracing her fur, Koharu adjusted himself accordingly. The puddly, cold sensation was rather unwanted, but it had to be done.
“I am just out on my nightly patrol, searching the city for crime.” His voice was terrifyingly empty, which caused Koharu’s distrust to shoot up like a weed in a garden of hope. “And I came across you, young man.”
He had to resist himself from smiling at the words ‘young man,’ as he’d never been shown the decency of being correctly marked. Nonetheless, a soft grin began to twitch at the corners of Koharu’s lips. From the outside, one would imagine it to be his resting face, but Koharu was having to hold himself together, preventing a nuclear (emotional) explosion of excitement. “Okay,” he said.
“So, young sir, what are you doing out here on a stormy night like this?” All Might didn’t seem confrontational, instead, his tone was dripping with a new emotion… concern, perhaps? Koharu raised an eyebrow, his lips turning downwards just slightly. How inexplicably odd this was.
“I was running away from some villains,” Koharu started. “But I asked a hero for help and he laughed at me and said I was trying to trick him. After that, I went here.” He pointed at the ground around him, and Aya slapped his hand with her white-socked paw. “Oh, and I found a kitty.”
All Might smiled at Aya before becoming serious again. “A hero did what?” Koharu flinched, sliding back about an inch. “That is absolutely unacceptable. Denying help to a child in danger of villains?”
Slowly, Koharu nodded in agreement, though he was still a bit wary of the hero’s tone. “He said it wasn’t worth it, which I can understand–”
“Wasn’t worth it?” All Might paused, laughing with exasperation. “It’s a hero’s job to save anyone in need,” he stated, pointing the flashlight downwards. “Did you happen to catch who it was?” And Koharu shook his head, rather disappointed in himself.
“I kind of wish I would have asked him before I ran off.”
“Ah, well, that’s alright, I suppose,” All Might mumbled, turning away for a moment. “Say, young man… Do you know where your parents are? Or– older siblings, maybe?” Anything would work.
Koharu’s muscles painfully tensed, and he curled into a tighter ball. Aya sat by his leg, obviously sensing his discontent. “My dad…” he tried to choose his words very carefully, biting his tongue with his abnormally sharp teeth to prevent any unnecessary word leakage. “I don’t know where he is, same with my mom and my sister…” Two out of three statements were half truths.
All Might whispered something under his breath before turning back to Koharu. “That’s… unfortunate, young man. Would you mind staying with me in the meantime?”
He hesitated for a moment, looking up at the stars in the sky, the pebbles of stray concrete on the floor, the whiskers on Aya’s face, and the little particles of dust revealed by the flashlight. “H…hh… Sure?” He didn’t sound very sure, however. Koharu’s eyes glimmered with an almost insecure tint, leaving him still and silent on the soaked concrete ground.
“Alright, then. Let’s get you– and the cat– home,” the hero spoke, his voice prominently echoing throughout the space, bringing confidence to any ears that happened to catch a hold of the sound.
Rain was still falling from the sky, but it was much less significant than earlier in the day. Walking down the street, Koharu held Aya in one hand, balancing himself with the other. On occasion, he would glance up at All Might, who didn’t seem to be paying much attention to him. That was as usual, though, so Koharu didn’t feel at all surprised. He sighed, feeling relieved that something was consistent, parallel to his time with the monstrous villains.
Aya meowed and squirmed around in his hand, bringing him out of his encapsulating trance. Koharu mouthed, “what, kitty,” before focusing on the road in front of him again. The kitten didn’t seem at all agitated, instead swinging at the raindrops around her. Perhaps she wanted Koharu to let her go so she could play? Or, on the flipside, Aya was suggesting that Koharu play with her? There wasn’t a solid method of knowing just yet.
A few more minutes of silent strolling through the empty streets ensued. It wasn’t by any means awkward, instead, still, silent… calm before the storm, maybe. Koharu couldn’t help but feel unnerved around the incredibly muscled, smiling hero. He felt unnatural in an unexplainable way. All Might wasn’t acting normal. He wasn’t acting like
“It’s best if I just distance myself from him for a little bit,” Koharu thought. “Or at least, until he starts acting normally.” He sighed, looking down at the floor as more solemn raindrops made contact with the recently cracked concrete.
Soon enough, the three of them reached All Might’s surprisingly humble home on the other side of town. Koharu didn’t express very much outward excitement, however, as he was soaked and grotesquely fatigued, as well as holding a scruffy, squirmy young kitten. “This is your house?” He asked, a curious twinge in his tone. His voice cracked, and he looked down at the ground again.
“Correct, young sir,” All Might’s voice boomed. He gestured for the door as he opened it.
Cautiously, Koharu entered the disturbingly clean building with walls of energetic gray, taking in the scent. He slipped his shoes off mindlessly, setting them by the door as his mind continued to aimlessly buzz. His eyes scanned the world around him, breath shaking as he took a few more steps. When he opened his mouth, a soft sweet taste ripped through his senses like a ruffled pair of scissors on thin printer paper. He held Aya to his chest and swiveled around in a disturbed wonder. The lights flicked on, revealing a lovely living room.
Koharu’s breath shook and he sniffled, looking up at All Might while blinking rapidly. He tried not to crush little Aya as this anxiety bubble grew. “I’ve never been in a place like this,” Koharu mumbled. He inhaled sharply and tried to avoid All Might’s eyes.
“Really?” All Might’s eyes were wide, but his tone only held a small crumb of surprise. As he walked in, he closed the door gently behind him. That too, was odd. Koharu was used to doors slamming left and right.
“It’s really big,” he muttered. “And it isn’t super cold,” Koharu continued, “It also has some furniture!” His voice wasn’t incredibly loud, but he still filtered himself and his tone. Koharu almost smiled, but he still avoided the hero’s dark eyes. “There isn't a lot of dust…” he sniffled.
“Dust? Cold? No furniture?” All Might said, his smile turning into something just slightly more exasperated.
“Y…yeah?” Koharu turned his head to the side.
Just then, A cloud of mist enveloped the world around All Might, soon revealing a shriveled, dumbfounded figure. Koharu stepped back, holding Aya with a protective tightness that one would have to fight to undo. “What… the…!” His backwards steps were increasingly faster. “An… Impostor?” This explained his odd behavior– everyone around him had said that All Might was the ultimate oppressor; the ultimate monster alongside all of hero society.
“No, no, young man. Don’t worry,” All Might reassured hastily as Koharu glanced around the room. “That muscly form is just a side effect of my quirk. Now that I’m losing control of it, I can’t stay buff for very long.”
“Huh…” Koharu paused, frowning deeply. “I still don’t trust you, though,” his eyes narrowed.
All Might gives the boy a concerned glance. He thinks for a second before looking down at little Koharu. “I don’t think I ever caught your name, young sir.”
“It’s Koharu.” He hated either last name he had the opportunity of gaining, so he refused to air them out. Keeping secrets was fun!
“Hm, interesting,” said All Might. He glanced down the hall into a small, empty bedroom. “Do you think those villains will be looking for you? Have they done something like this before?”
A swift nod escaped him as he fabricated more lies to make him seem like less of a monster. It would all add up and crush him like a barrel of bright, ripe bricks soon, but why not keep stacking onto it and continue poking the bear? “They’ve been targeting me since I was really little,” he further explained, one of his eyelids pointing upwards to mask his insincerity. “They targeted my family, too.” Just to hammer the nail further into the dilapidated wood.
All Might looked a bit surprised. “That’s actually impressive, young Koharu. Taking the time to run and hide away from some dangerous villains,” he continued rambling about. “It’s incredibly bold. Brave, even.” He certainly wondered, how many times had he done this before? How many occasions was it necessary to flee with nearly nothing but the clothes on his skin and a squirming, snively moggy?
That somewhat explained the sentiment that the boy had been unfamiliar with such a large, uncluttered area. Part of it gave him some joy and comfort; the idea that Koharu saw this place as cleaner than usual. It was as organized as All Might was willing to make it.
“It is–?” Koharu blinked in momentary surprise. “It is,” he repeated, as if allowing the words to solidify like concrete in the city of his mind. The boy himself didn't really believe it, no, he was still aiding and abetting a group of monsters just by breathing.
They would find him, and they wouldn’t let him go ever again. He would be stuck with a body he couldn't breathe in, wrapped tight with skin that wasn't nearly as malleable as it was right now. He was an accessory to crime, and he would pay.
The world would pay.
"It sure is, Koharu. Really dangerous, as well. You definitely need to get some new clothes, too. Go to the room at the very end of the hall and there might be some clothes that'll fit you," All Might instructed. "After you're done, I'm heading out to complete my daily hero patrols."
Daily. Noted. Wait, no, what was he doing? Why did he still have this draining, spiked villain mindset?
Koharu nodded in understanding and immediately walked down the hallway, Aya still sitting in his arms. He closed the door behind him, setting Aya down on the floor. In an instant, she began to wander around the room, touching and rubbing up against any physical surfaces in the area. She scuffled along, excitement brimming in her eyes.
He opened up a closet to the side of him, curiously eyeing the surfaces. Soon enough, he was pleased with the sight of a pair of folded brown clothes. Unfolding them with his hands, Koharu felt his muscles contort into a smile as he felt the comfortably soft texture of the fabric. It wasn't too soft, of course. Just to his liking. Koharu turned to look at little Aya, who wasn't paying a penny of attention to him.
Swiftly, he changed his clothes and left the old clothes on the floor in a neat little pile. The garments were slightly too large for him, but he enjoyed this sensation. It made him look more like the heroic boys, the hero students he'd seen in the news before, while watching with some of his father's acquaintances.
His eyes closed in pure delight. With an excited delight, Koharu swung the door open and slid out into the hallway, his bare feet sliding on the carpet. "All Might! Hey, look!"
But no other ears (with the exception of Aya's two fluffy ones) were there to address his excitement.
He would seldom admit it, but Koharu was rather disappointed that the hero wasn't there to greet him and his new look. His eyelids concealed half of his eyes, and his irises pointed to the feet he stood on. The glossy finish on the floor was subtle, but a disgus– comforting touch nonetheless. It made his stomach ominously bubble with confusion.
This place was terrible!
Koharu looked up at the ceiling, his mind nearly twisting, warping, splitting, and quivering with horror and defensiveness. He felt himself disconnecting– going overboard from tangible and mental existence for a moment, instead wafting out shore and stretching his arms out. Metaphorically, he fell and the entire world went dark.
He felt his lungs poke out a little bit, and Koharu's eyes became broad again. His breathing was sharp again, and he continued looking at the ceiling, trying to grasp onto reality with a firm set of hands again. Unlucky for him, his palms were beginning to sweat.
How disgusting of him to even think of All Might. How disgusting of him to not see the blatant manipulation he was being subjected to! This is what he was previously warned of. What was he doing? Why was he going against the orders of everyone he knew– everyone he'd built a solid bond with?
This was all too confusing. Koharu turned back around without another word, walked inside the guest room, and laid down on the floor. Disregarding his need for a blanket, he forced his eyes shut as Aya continued exploring her surroundings. He curled into himself and tried to stabilize his breath.