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aspenforest732 · 9 months

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Bello Licentiae Chapter 5: The Talk

Summary:

tw: anxiety attack, gang activity, death mention lots of dialogue this chapter, but some conversations needed to be had 'text' JSL Text thoughts

"I hope to build a relationship with the Blue Fang similar to how Fat Gum has with gangs in Esuha City," Eraser said while keeping his breathing precisely even. "How did you come across my civilian name? That's hardly public information."

Boss hummed and looked between them with a hint of curiosity swirling among her suspicion. "An underground hero takes one of our most paranoid and slow-to-trust members, a child, under his wing. Insists on them staying with him when things get rough. Of course we're going to find out what we can about him."

Boss poured them each a cup of green tea and allowed them to choose their cup. Mortis placed a hand up for Eraser to wait, to which he raised an eyebrow before Boss took a sip. With a nod of acknowledgment, Mortis removed their hand and drank. With a flash of recognition, Eraser followed suit.

"I'm well aware of the restrictions and benefits Esuha's gangs face under Fat Gum's protection. I'm also aware they did not have quite the sense of community the Blue Fang has. What makes you think we have the same needs or desires as those who need to be reminded of who they serve?" Boss' gaze sharpened as she looked to Eraser again, meeting his neutral but calculating eyes.

"I meant no offense with the proposition," Eraser said bluntly. "Per Fat Gum's counsel, I have been seeking to understand your group's needs and desires through both observation and Mortis. It's logical to glean what information you can before entering into negotiations. Clearly, the end result would be different, but the overarching goals of cooperation and mutual protection would be the same."

Mortis added, ' Eraser does operate with a high degree of reliance on intelligence gathering. I take the blame for not realizing he would go this far as our specialist on him. '

Boss looked between the two of them with narrowed eyes before locking onto Mortis with a request for permission. At their hesitant nod, she continued, "We are aware of your involvement in moving against the Wrens. Are you aware of the backup plans?"

"Yes, to kill those you cannot save." Eraser's gaze flicked to Mortis with a flash of uncertainty.

"And will you participate if Plan A fails?"

Mortis tensed, keenly aware of the new information they were still sitting on. Boss' gaze softened in confusion at their reaction, and Haru drifted closer, putting a hand on their shoulder. He rode out the slight flinch as Akira relaxed into the touch.

"Yes." All eyes returned to Eraser as Mortis blinked up in surprise. He frowned, "All of us are on board with Plan B and C as last resorts. If we were not, there would be no discussion of who the targets are."

"Mortis," Boss said firmly, intent gaze searching their small frame, "is there something you need to tell us?"

' There's... this isn't how I wanted to tell you, ' Mortis glanced at Eraser, whose face was alert with concern and some confusion. They took a deep breath and split their gaze between Boss and Eraser so they could properly gauge both reactions. ' There's been a development. Plan A has an 80% chance of success with minimal casualties if- if we use the resources offered by... ' Mortis tried to catch their breath, heart pounding in their chest.

A dawning look of horror spread across Eraser's face as he stared at them. "Mortis?"

' All for One, ' Mortis rapidly signed. Haru pulled back as if burned, and Boss' face scrunched up in confusion for a moment before the sign registered. She stood, knocking over her chair in shock. Eraser's face rapidly shifted between a series of emotions that twisted Mortis's stomach, so they looked back down at their lap. The edges of their vision started to pulse grey as blood rushing filled their ears.

Mortis breathed in shakily for seven counts. Hard, smooth wood of the chair. Scratchy, thin cushion. Filling out knuckles rubbing against back of wrist. Smooth, soft leather sitting against torso. Soft, fluffy faux fur resting against shoulders .

Mortis held their breath for four counts. Black, fingerless leather gloves. Pale skin of forearms and hands. Stop scratching, just rub. Pale, calloused hands gently taking hold of mine. Dark red rug under the chairs.

Mortis breathed out for seven counts and felt a shiver run down their spine as they registered Haru rubbing circles on their back and Aizawa was the one gently holding their hands. The rushing sound started to lessen somewhat. Aizawa murmuring that it'll be okay. Boss quietly talking with Au. Soft swish of Haru's hand against the mesh.

"You with us, kid?" Aizawa asked softly. Mortis nodded, carefully avoiding looking at Aizawa's face. "Hey, you're going to be okay. We'll figure this out, alright? Can you look at me?"

Mortis shuddered but pulled their gaze to his face, resting just beneath his cheekbones. Their breath caught at the open worry and pain on his face. They gently pulled their hands out of his to hurriedly sign, ' Without him, the risk is so high of civilians and innocents dying. I know he's... I- I just... '

"Hey, deep breaths," Aizawa said, exaggerating his own breathing for them to follow. "Can I ask a question? It's about your safety." At their nod, he continued, "Who knows about this right now?"

' Wildfire, Raven, the League, and... someone who I don't think is willing, ' Mortis hesitated. At Aizawa's eyebrows shooting up, they continued, ' Raven realized I left something out when talking with the Detective. He would've approached me with Mad Banquet if I didn't talk with him first. '

"Okay. Okay..." Aizawa looked lost for a moment before schooling his features. "Is the last person a student?" At their hesitant nod, he swore under his breath. "Is it Bakugo?" The confusion returned as they rapidly shook their head.

' I just want to speak with the person before exposing them, ' Mortis explained. ' I don't know anything about their situation other than their involvement. ' They snapped their hands back to their lap as they realized how much that already gave away.

Boss returned to their field of vision with Au, both expressions cagey and worried. Boss righted her chair and sat back down before sighing. "Kid, you've gotten yourself into a real mess here. Before we discuss next steps, what's your plan as it stands right now? All for One is in the most secure prison in Japan, and the League is on the run."

Mortis took a shaky breath and steeled themself. ' The first plan was to use All for One and advanced nomu to reverse the brainwashing process. There were a few files that in combination had a high chance of success. Now, if All for One isn't out by the time I go independent, the plan is to get in contact with The Doctor. The League doesn't have a way to contact him right now, so it'll be some time before they realistically expect anything of me. '

"When did you contact the League?" Boss asked as Aizawa and Haru sucked in a breath.

Mortis glanced away before forcing their gaze back. ' They were at our apartment today to officially meet me. Wildfire didn't know what had happened before they showed up since I haven't had the chance to contact any of you without the potential for eyes or ears. '

Haru awkwardly chuckled and shrugged at Aizawa, "Sorry about the whole sneaking out thing. We've just been worried about them."

Aizawa blinked but nodded, gaze sliding back to Mortis. They offered a small, sheepish grin to which he lightly shook his head. "It's alright. Nothing serious, I take it?"

Boss' eyes narrowed in intrigue, but the hero offered up no other hints. "Have you given them anything yet? Have they threatened you?" she asked after a moment.

' I offered analysis of their quirks after they grew agitated at my refusal of analysis on the students and teachers. Toga got a sample since her lack of quirk awareness is harming her. ' Mortis paused, reviewing their interaction. ' And I don't think so? Some of their behavior was probably meant to be intimidating, but there were no direct threats. '

Aizawa frowned, "May I see your analysis?"

Mortis shrugged and fished out the two notebooks. ' It's not much, but since it seemed most of them never got quirk counseling, it would be a decent offer. '

Aizawa flipped through the villains notebook first, an eyebrow raising as he paused over Shigaraki's page. "Dehydration?"

Mortis nodded thoughtfully, ' It's probably already noted somewhere, but I thought the scar patterns were a little odd for a disintegration quirk. From a closer look at his skin condition, I believe his quirk to be dehydration-based instead of pulling any molecules apart. It by no means changes the danger level but does provide more insight into how it works. '

"Are all your analyses like this?" Aizawa asked before handing the journals to Boss.

' Yes and no, ' Mortis eased into the familiar topic. ' For students and heroes, I can usually go into more detail since there's more footage and personal experience to draw from. I encode those analyses, though, since there's potentially damaging information. The League is more interested in Deku's analysis since his is far better than mine, but the other student seemed sufficiently cowed by the idea of them having analyses in the first place. '

"Is that why you think they're not doing this willingly?" Aizawa asked, eyes calculating.

' In part, yes, ' Mortis admitted. ' His... ' they quickly stopped signing with a wince, realizing the quirk piece of the puzzle could either condemn the wrong person or incriminate Aoyama immediately. Very few students had sufficiently self-destructive quirks.

Aizawa sighed heavily when it was clear they wouldn't continue, "Will you come to me when you do speak with the student?" At their nod, he continued, "I can live with that for now. How may I refer to you?" he asked Boss.

She gave a predatory grin, sharp teeth glinting in the light. "Cheshire." Turning back to Mortis, her expression hardened. "We've told you not to hide information from us that would prove dangerous to our community. Would you have told us if I didn't ask?"

Mortis nodded as their hands started to shake again, ' I was planning to tell you once I had a better understanding of the situation, but yes. '

Boss tsk'd, and Haru's hand disappeared from their back, leaving a cold ache. "I will let you off with a warning this tim , but you'll do well to remember the connections you have before you rush to new bridges."

Taking the dismissal, Mortis stood and bowed deeply before putting their crutches back on and waiting for Eraser. He bowed deep enough to be respectful but not underneath Boss, which she seemed... not displeased with.

Exiting into the main room, Mortis relaxed marginally at the members filtering in even as Eraser stiffened beside them, hands twitching instinctively. Mortis paused by some of the parents to check on their kids, most of whom were fully or almost recovered from the bout of meningitis. Eraser barely hid his surprise at each member immediately recognizing and thanking him, to which Mortis smiled slightly and signed that they'd explain once they left.

"Little Shadow!" Isao called out as he approached from the bar. "It's good to see you again, unfortunate circumstances, truly."

Mortis grinned and tucked a crutch under an arm to clasp his arm. ' Truly, Muscle Man. This is Eraser- '

"Ah! Big Shadow, what a pleasure to meet you," he stepped forward. "Tell me, are you a hugger?"

Eraser glanced to Mortis, who laughed. ' He'll take your lead. '

"No, I'm not a touchy person," Eraser drawled, keeping hands in his pockets.

"Ah, no worries!" Isao bowed slightly, which Eraser matched. "Little Shadow has been quite taken with you. We were quite thrilled to hear our very own Eraser Head would be training them up." He lightly clasped Mortis around the shoulders as they blushed.

' Shh I haven't gotten to that part yet, ' Mortis signed, ducking out from his grasp. They lightly tapped his arm twice to let Isao know they weren't hurt, just needed space. They winced at Eraser's dry look and huffed without any heat, ' Fine. You're not from the district, but you've done enough for the community to be an honorary member of it. You're our safe hero, the one everyone knows to go to if they need that kind of help.

I was going to explain once we left, ' Mortis lightly glared at Isao, 'so you'd be spared the pressure. '

After a moment, Eraser startled out of his thoughts and bowed to Isao, "What I have done as their teacher you folks have done tenfold. Thank you for keeping them safe when I couldn't be there."

"Hey kid," Isao said as they went to leave. "This isn't goodbye, right?"

Mortis smiled and shook their head, ' No, I don't think it will be. I'll visit again when I can. '

His brow furrowed as the smile didn't quite reach their eyes, but he accepted it. "Let us know if you need help, okay, Little Shadow?"

' Always ,' Mortis slung an arm around their old partner in a quick side hug to his surprise before heading for the door again. They blinked back moisture from their eyes as they hadn't spent their last night with the gang for a while in celebration but in tense negotiations.

Akira brought them onto the rooftops, the danger now passed as the remaining gang members made their way back to base. They gave the pair a wide berth, mere shadows against distant roofs and distant, soft patters and thuds. Akira pointedly shoved down the tumultuous emotions violently swirling in their gut as they roof hopped, barely acknowledging Aizawa's presence as they tried not to explode. After a few minutes, they emerged from the dwindling protection grid, and Aizawa slowed to a stop. "Am I taking you back to your apartment or are you staying with us tonight?"

Akira blinked hard, sucking in a breath and fighting to keep their expression flat as they turned toward the hero. At the confusion seeping into his face, however, something snapped and they sharply signed, ' You just ruined the last night with my family for a long time, and you expect me to just roll over and let you into my personal space? '

Aizawa frowned and took a half step back in confusion. "Why would this be your last night with them? You can sign out of the dorms on weekends."

Akira shot him a look of disbelief. ' And where exactly would I sign out to ? ' they asked harshly. ' I highly doubt child services would be happy if my guardians let me sign out to just the district, and no way in hell am I giving people our address. And I'm not risking everything I've fought for to sneak out from the dorms or wherever I sign out to. If U.A. drops or loses custody, that throws everyone involved into direct line of fire and me into the Legacy Holders. '

"You agreed to the dorms," Aizawa pointed out.

Akira threw up their hands in exasperation. ' I recognize it's the safest option for everyone right now. That doesn't mean I'm happy with the restrictions. I've always had to be independent, and that only increased when I was on the streets. ' They sagged against the access hutch as the day's events fully hit them. Aizawa went to step closer, but Akira snappily waved him off. ' Now, it feels like I can't even breathe without permission. '

"I think I know what's going on," Aizawa sighed and sat on the roof a little to the side, leaving a clear path to the nearest roof. At their cautious glance over, he smiled in what seemed like it was meant to be a reassuring way but came off more pained than anything. They chuckled, feeling a little bit of tension drain from their shoulders at the effort. After a moment, Aizawa continued, "If you take care of yourself for long enough, anyone else trying to do so feels like an invasion. I can't back off the safety restrictions, and I think you know why, but I can be there to listen or create space for you to take a break."

Akira nodded, ' I wasn't expecting you to just ignore... all that. '

"Do you want me to tell Shiro for you?"

Akira hesitantly nodded. ' I was trying to figure out who to tell, and Sunny D was the hardest to figure out time and location for. You have more of an excuse to meet with him. ' Pushing off the wall, they signed, ' I'm heading back to my apartment. Follow if you need to, but Wildfire won't want visitors. '

Notes:

Akira: *throws door open* Dabi: *readies fireball* Akira: this bitch

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