#dadgum | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aspenforest732 · 5 months

Text

Mortem ad Wrens Chapter 14: To Break the Chains

Summary:

tw: calorie tracking, ed behaviors, food insecurity, intrusive thoughts, body flashback Internship starts

Notes:

DISCLAIMER: I’m not a nutritionist and am just trying to not throw complete nonsense in here. Please don’t take any of the nutrition plan stuff as advice, especially since I’m trying to adjust things to loosely make sense with Akira’s quirk. 'text' JSL text thoughts

“Amajiki!” Fat Gum called out, grinning widely as he made his way to the pair. “Good to see you again, and you must be Akira Mori. Let’s get you settled and then we can grab lunch!”

Akira grinned, bowing at the introduction. ‘I look forward to working with you, Fat Gum. Thank you for the opportunity.’

“No need to be so formal with us, Mori. You have quite the quirk, and I have some preliminary ideas to help with your drawback. Our patrol will start at six, so we’ll be showing you the ropes of paperwork.”

As Fat Gum talked about Esuha City and his community programs, Akira felt eyes on them. Without missing a beat, they started looking around more at the shops and sights Fat Gum described while flashing a quick ‘watching us’ to Amajiki. As the trio were stopped by a sweet bun shop owner for samples, Akira casually positioned themselves to look back on the street and spotted Mouse, one of Fat Gum’s sidekicks, in the crowd. They took an offered sweet bun, biting in before signing ‘clear.’

Fat Gum chuckled, “You’ve got good instincts, kid.” He signaled Mouse to move on, who to Akira’s pleasure looked surprised. “You want to be an underground hero, right?”

Akira nodded, ‘It’ll give the cover and flexibility I need to operate. I did briefly consider Twilight, but I need to avoid the media.’

“I’ll keep that in mind as we work on a nutrition plan for your quirk. We’ll be logging what you eat so we have a baseline to work with.”

‘I have been keeping track of that in a notebook since I started at UA,’ Akira signed and fished it out of their pack at Fat Gum’s excitement. ‘The first page has a breakdown of my current nutrition plan, and the rest is a daily log of calories, quirk use, and weight at the beginning and end of each day.’ Knowing how valuable his input could be, Akira had already adjusted the plan to what they actually ate for lunch and dinner instead of what the school knew.

Fat Gum spent the rest of their walk flipping through the notebook, grin falling slightly over some of the pages. “This is great, kid, but I take it you like jelly pouches?” he asked, grin a little more forced.

Akira ducked their head, ears flushing. ‘Eraser insisted on keeping my backup stash stocked with them. I was using pocky sticks before.’

Amajiki peeked up in surprise before tucking back into himself. Fat Gum laughed, “I’ve heard stories about that man and his jelly pouches. I’m glad you caught his eye; I see he also let you put him down as an emergency contact. Any relation?”

Akira shook their head as they slipped into the agency with the pair, ‘I didn’t make a good first impression, and by the end of the first day, Eraser just started helping me outside schoolwork for some reason. He offered to be my second contact since it was required for the internship.’

Akira’s head was on a swivel as Fat Gum gave them a tour of the agency. They met a few of his sidekicks, confirming their observations of brutes and changers comprising most of the hero’s agency. Akira also recognized a few former vigilantes who now lived at the agency full-time while working towards their license. Some were kids but others were in their late teens or early twenties.

After setting their duffle in their room, Akira sat on the bed, letting themself soak in the comforts while they could. I could get used to this, Akira thought bittersweetly. Come on, just let yourself enjoy while you can. You can have three years of this if you don’t ruin it.

Akira pulled their hair into a messy bun and made a couple adjustments to their braces, testing the give since the support company’s execution of Hatsume’s designs had only arrived the previous day. Akira put on their hero costume and restocked their snack pouches, including a protein drink in case patrol was particularly busy. Finally, they clipped their retractable forearm crutches into their utility belt. The aids would put less stress on their shoulders and enable them to lessen the pressure on both legs instead of just their worse one.

Before heading out, Akira texted the Mad Banquet chat that they made it to the agency. Other than Tokoyami, the others had long since arrived, train rides much shorter than their own. Tucking their phone away, Akira made their way to the cafeteria, drawing a few odd looks from the brightly colored heroes at their monochrome palette, yellow contacts providing the only splash of color.

They started heading to the self-serve feast laid out over a few counters and dispensers when Fat Gum waved them over to a table. “Based on your notes, we need to double your current base intake.” Akira startled, eyebrows shooting up. “Your quirk’s drawback isn’t as separate as your paperwork implied. My quirk has the physical limit of the fat stored in my body; my muscles alone won’t absorb hits. Your quirk doesn’t recognize the difference between fat and muscle, which is what causes the atrophy. Your idea of having a buffer is more accurate than you think. Your quirk should never have the choice between muscle and fat because which it chooses is variable.”

‘I can’t develop muscle? I need the strength and flexibility,’ Akira signed desperately.

“You can still work on muscle development,” Fat Gum clarified gently. “But we’re not talking about being a couple kilos over the average. To reliably use your quirk without the risk of starvation, you should be 45-50% body fat. It’ll take time, but your current eating structure of two main meals with snacks throughout the day is a good framework to start with.”

Fat Gum ran through the changes they’d be making and pushed over a written-out plan. Akira tried to focus, but they were reeling with how they’d maintain the plan once they were paying for it. The recipes Fat Gum gave them all required a kitchen to varying degrees, but their security deposit fund would be gone in the first week of this plan. Akira followed the hero to the feast, nodding as he pointed out everything he put on the nutrition plan and encouraged them to try what they could while here so they knew the options. Before starting to eat, Akira quickly jot down their meal and the sweet bun they had earlier, trying to ignore the twist in their gut at the amount of food.

“Are you alright?” Akira turned at Amajiki’s soft, concerned voice. Their eyes flitted to Fat Gum, who was talking with one of his ex-vigilantes off to the side.

‘Just trying to figure out how to make this work,’ Akira distractedly signed. They offered a small smile to the introverted teen, ‘I was hoping he’d be able to take a look at the plan, just wasn’t expecting… this.’

Nodding after a moment, Amajiki looked back to his own plate with a more normal amount of food but far more variety. After a few minutes of trying to do the math in their head, Akira flipped to the back of their nutrition notebook and started running numbers on their new budget range for each week while eating with their off hand. With the internship’s stipend, they would still be a few thousand yen short of a low-income security deposit by the end of next week even if they didn’t implement Fat Gum’s changes that week and ran deliveries for an extra two hours each night. Besides, with finals rapidly approaching, only getting two hours of sleep would spell disaster for their grades.

As Fat Gum walked back over, Akira closed and secured the notebook in its holster. The hero tried to start up conversation with Amajiki, but he seemed as anxious as Akira, mumbling and stuttering as the man energetically guided the conversation.

U̸̳̥͇̺̙͒͋͌͗̎͐͌n̴̩̯̜͔̮͍̗̲̤͓̏̃̇͜͝ͅw̷̢̭͎̦͎̼̤̯̫͍̘̔̽͊́̌̇̊͜ơ̸̢̛̲̞̯̰̭̻͚̮͈̾͋͗̏́̽͘͝r̴̢̡̘̱̙̼̗̮͙͓̬̫̀́t̶̛̛͈͕͕͇̝̫́̐̿̏̊͂̑̔̒͘̚͝͝h̵̢̧̜̠̟͕̼̣̀͐̿̅̊̅̾̀̇́̋ỹ̶͕̥̙̇̎͐̉̊̍͂̍ (Unworthy)

Damnit, not here. Akira subtly dropped their left hand into their lap to focus on the texture of their tassels and on eating as Fat Gum and Amajiki’s conversation faded into the background.

Y̶̛͉͑͊͋͐̒̿͝͝o̶̢̧͕͕̖̟̲̣̭͕̙̠͕̗͛u̶̼̱̙̣̗̜̙̅͛͌͒ ̸̢͍̰͉̖͔̤̤̣͚̾͑̔̈̆͑̀́̇͝͠͠r̵̨̧̡̟̹͙̙͔͓͉͉̬͕̋͠u̷͔̜͖̗̇͌͂͑̄̂i̸͇̮̯͙̞̣̇̍̋̐̐̇͐͆͂̎̓̚n̷̯̱̪̫̬̼̳̪̜͕̯̳̱̖̑ ̴̧̠̩̬̲̙̭̗̤̭̟̻̉̅̆͆͒̍̉̈́̊̓̓̎̕e̵̛̤͉̳̯̘̮͎̲͚̮̓̓̈́̂̌͐́͆̃̅̕͘͜v̵̯̱͉̱̩̻̤̟̰̈́̉̓͊̑̾͒̿̊͛͋̉͜͝ḛ̴̛̖͉̮̘̠͉̣̈̄̓̃̽͒r̴̙̱̥̙̗̈́͗́̽̋̓̋̿͐̄̒͝ÿ̷͇͈͍̥̟̥́̅͘t̷̡̢̗̣͕͖̲̖̙͕͉́̉͆̅͂̎̌̽̋͒̆̒ͅh̴̢̧͎̻͓͈̬̜̩̼͋͘͜į̷͓̻̩̖̺͙̯͙̍͝n̵̨̻̫̺͎̥͎̭̥͔̗̰̓͛́̈͂̇͠g̸̝̩̰͎̣͛̎͋̀̅ͅ ̵̡̖̟̤͖͇̝͕̯͇̭̈́͐̒̇y̷͈̲͙̣̭̺͐͒́ō̷̬̈̈͒̓̊̂͑̄̓̈̄ư̴̧̛̦͉͍͎̬̖̯̰͇̗̰͎̦̓̈̿͐͋̓̂̈́̈́̔͠͝ ̴̼̝̩̦͉̱̹̝̯̘͔̌̐̒̚͝͠t̸̡̧͕̳̺͎̑͊͌̄̔̎͗̆ǫ̵̡̝̰̙̙͕̘̦͂͋u̷̲̲̙̲̽c̷̙̙̞͎͕̖̽͌͒̀̿́̇͛̕͜h̸̼̞͕͇̱̦̅͗͐ (You ruin everything you touch)

Akira shivered, remembering the burns that often accompanied those words.

Y̴̤̎̃̿̇̋́̈́̂̑̎̿͘̕͝o̶̢͖̿̄͌̅̈͌̾̐͌̓̐̃̃͝͝ṵ̴̫̝̞̥̥͇͝’̴̡̧̙̰̲͈̘̙͈̳̳̬̮͈͇̒̐͌͋̑͝͠l̵̡̰̩̞͓̩̝͎͎̜͈̟̝̜̝͂̂͒̅͗̔͝l̴͈̬̃͌͊̄̊́̎͘̕̕ ̴͈̙̣̬͔̭̜̥͙̇̋̉̚͜͜͜ŗ̷̘͔̝̩͙̬̥̳̈́̑̄̓̅́̂̒̒̒͝ͅù̸̡̡̧̧̺̝̼͈̣̩̩̰̟̯́͒̄̕͜i̴̢̡̢̬͓͉̱͚̫̮̝̖̗͉͛̈̿̚ń̸̖̭̝̳͔̗̺̹̼̭̳̐̀͒̃̍̈́̈́̚͠ ̶̭̺̎̐͌̌͛̀̚͠t̸̡̧̘̜̝̬͚̘̻͚̬͉̻̂̾͆͝h̵̗̍̈́î̶̹͗̇̈́̏͋̏̚͘ṣ̷̰͉̖̥̲̻́̂̑̾́̎̈͜͝,̸̛̦͖͎̫̯͎͓͇̝̫̜̹͛͑͒̈̀́͗͌̚̕ ̴̢̤͍͉͇͎̮̥̝͇̠̘̇̇̈̈́͋͗̀͒̀̅̔͘t̶̘͙͚̪̭̮̑̅̔̈̉́͊̚̚͠ǫ̵͚̹͌͋̀o̷̧̹̜͕͙͎̮̮̤̘̦̾̀͜ͅ (You’ll ruin this, too)

“…quirk analysis and encoded it.” Akira looked up as they forced themself to swallow the last of their heaping plate.

“We’ll have time before patrol to start going over it and look at improving the encryption since you already have a good system for food tracking and the initial nutrition plan adjustments are done.”

Akira nodded, ‘I use the same system for practicing analysis of others, so improving it is a good idea. It only took Sun Eater fifteen minutes to decode it on the train.’

Fat Gum grinned and ruffled Amajiki’s hair despite the boy’s disgruntled look. Akira smiled as they noticed him slightly lean into the touch despite himself. “I knew you’d get it once you got out of your head!” Fat Gum praised and asked more about the process as Amajiki shrunk into his seat.

‘I think that was a compliment,’ Akira signed, briefly catching Amajiki’s downturned gaze before continuing, ‘I start with a Caesar cipher then use a Polybius square.’

“Wonderful! A two-part cipher like that would slow down would-be readers. Are you using a static or variable key? Well, the easiest way to add another layer of difficulty would be to make the Polybius key variable. It could be based on a book you like, a website or newspaper, or even a radio show. If you haven’t done so already, you’d need to start dating the pages. I’d recommend using a written material to save time looking for your daily key.”

The trio made their way to Fat Gum’s office, and Akira felt themself relax marginally at the massive window opposite the door. “When it’s just me, I do paperwork in the main area, but I thought you might enjoy the quiet more, like Tamaki.” Akira startled at the use of his first name. “While we’re patrolling, call me Fat Gum and Tamaki Suneater. When we’re off duty, I ask everyone to call me Toyomitsu or Taishiro if they’re comfortable, and my call sign is Sunny D.”

Akira nodded, ‘My call sign is Reaper if we need to communicate nonverbally off duty.’

Fat Gum pulled out a stack of forms, a few liability wavers at the top of empty reports. “Once you sign these, we can start going over what reports will look like. Tamaki and I usually don’t have to worry about property damage, but it’s good to know what that looks like in case it does occur. Even if the villain was the one causing damage, it’s important to file the report so there’s a record of what happened.”

Akira paid rapt attention as Fat Gum went over the various types of reports they might need, appreciating the extra time he took explaining ones that applied more to underground work. They were left with two hours before patrol, which they took to decide on a forum that followed Wren fights with the day of the month determining which post – sorted by recent – to pull the first five letters from. They also changed the plain text to classical Latin to add a layer of not quite encryption but difficulty… and maybe a clue for Asami to realize they were alive.

As they wrote the plain text to the side to restart encryption, Fat Gum – right, Taishiro and Amajiki read through the notes. Once Akira was primed with their keywords and square – a temporary aid to get used to the new method – Taishiro asked, “From what we’ve read so far and your talk on the train, you recently had an awakening or mutation, right?”

Akira hesitated, ‘Maybe? As you can tell from the beginning, I didn’t have enough buffer to experiment much when my quirk first manifested, so it’s possible the movement aspect of my clones didn’t have enough energy available to be noticeable.’

“The journal only dates back two years. Did you not keep track when it first manifested?” Fat Gum asked gently, curiosity shining in his eyes.

‘My quirk forcibly manifested when I was 13. With Stranger such an unknown variable in quirks, it’s possible that component was my biological quirk with an activation that would be difficult for me to encounter. The trigger fit secondary Master just as well and I have family history of it, so I originally used that classification.’

As they started re-encrypting their notebook, Akira noticed the room was completely silent and, out of the corner of their eye, they saw a paper drift back to the desk. Akira glanced up in confusion and flinched into themself at the rage in Taishiro’s eyes and horror in Amajiki’s.

“Who?” Taishiro ground out. Akira briefly glanced up, confused. “Who tortured you?”

‘Oh,’ Akira signed. ‘My family. Abuse seems to be 2 for 5 with the other kids of heroes I’ve met. Although, I don’t know if Blank counts since he was abused up until he got placed with heroes. 50/50 if he doesn’t.’

Amajiki looked sick and Taishiro’s expression softened, although his voice remained hard. “I’m going to need the name of your family and the other kid’s family, then. Preventing abuse, especially Forced Quirk Manifestation, is one of the main reasons I foster a sense of community. The kids feel safe enough to expose the underbelly groups that do it.”

Still confused, Akira flinched at the quiet fury in his voice. ‘That’s just more proof that it’s common. The other kid is Shoto Todoroki; I can guarantee his father is abusive, but I lack proof without the children’s testimonies, and their quirks point to the only potential forced manifestation being Natsuo given his weak Brute quirk. With time, Shoto could be given justice or break free, but the Commission is involved in the cover-up as usual. My family is too large and connected to reach.’

“That’s why you need to avoid the media… Just because it’s common doesn’t make it right,” Amajiki murmured.

‘I know, it’s just confusing when people are surprised by it.’

“Since they haven’t found you yet, I take it your last name isn’t Mori. So what is their name?” Taishiro pressed.

‘Like I said, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing you can do to them, and if you refuse to work with them, that will just put more potential focus on me. I have a plan, but it’s going to take years.’ Akira huffed as they thought if I even survive that long.

“Will you at least tell me if any members of my agency are part of your family?”

Akira chuckled humorlessly, ‘Being a limelight is a requirement in the family, so none of them would dream of working under a Twilight hero.’

Something clicked in Taishiro’s eyes, and Akira straightened warily from their writing position. ‘Don’t-’

“The Wrens.”

Shit.

Notes:

Akira’s notes are in English so I could use ciphers I’m familiar with (cryptography was one of my hyperfixations) I was trying to find a call sign for Fat Gum that wouldn’t be weird when I got to Sunshine Dad, which turned into Sunny D. The D does still stand for Dad, but people are usually more comfortable shortening it to the brand name at least when they’re first taken in. Also sorry I didn't upload this yesterday; wasn't feeling well and didn't write anything for Libertias aut Mortis either 😅

Akira: panicking Amajiki: what is wrong with this child Fat Gum: I’ve got another kid! Akira: casually mentions trauma Amajiki.exe has stopped working Fat Gum: who do I need to kill

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

2 notes · View notes

aspenforest732 · 3 months

Text

Bello Licentiae Chapter 20: Curiosities

Summary:

tw: trauma, ptsd, flashback, gang mentions, court proceedings, child abuse mentions, torture, psychological abuse A little fanart at the end 'text' JSL Text thoughts

The next day, Mad Banquet set out for Curio, a shop nestled in the midst of cafés and boutiques that comprised the historic district of Musutafu. Inside hung a variety of artworks and handmade knickknacks, and deeper in the shop lay crystals, stones, and a variety of paraphernalia for Christianity, Shinto, Buddhism, and what Akira assumed was Pagan. Out back, a small group of people dressed in autumnal colors stood around a cookout and drank what almost looked like honey.

"Excellent, you've arrived," Fumikage made his way over as Dark Shadow emerged to say hi to the group. He led them to where covered dishes spread across one of the tables and a few of the older ladies sat.

"Ah, are these your friends? Pleasure to meet you," an elderly woman wearing a flowing dress with drooping sleeves smiled at them. "My name's Den Ban, she/her. I lead our little group for celebrations. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me or any of our members."

The group bowed in respect, and Fumikage introduced them to the other members of the community. Most seemed to follow different paths, although one of his moms also practiced death work. Some followed non-pagan religions in addition to their path, and others worked with deities from a few cultures. Overall, it was a pretty casual affair centered around celebrating the turning of the year, community, and the harvest. They were invited back for the group's Samhain ritual that was scheduled for October 30th so people could still go to costume parties.

"It still hasn't disappeared?" Yamada asked as the pair paused for water.

Akira tapped their crutch twice and rested both against one of the tables on the tea room's patio. The only changes they'd picked up on so far with Midoriya was that the clones took more energy to maintain the further away they were and didn't last as long. Eri had a doctor's appointment, so Yamada volunteered to be their escort off campus.

Since there wasn't much Akira could do to respond without text messages, Yamada shared stories of mostly the rooftop squad in his days at U.A. Akira snorted at the idea of Aizawa thinking he was terrible with kids, and it was fascinating to hear how Oboro was before All for One. After Akira warped their clone again, the pair walked for a few minutes past the tea shop when they felt it drop. They immediately stopped and sent a quick text to Midoriya with their coordinates including elevation.

"While we're out, do you need anything in town?" Yamada asked, eyes sparkling.

' What did you have in mind? ' Akira huffed, knowing that look.

Yamada grinned and launched into how winter was fast approaching, they didn't let the couple get them much last time, and blankets would be good. Akira sighed in exasperation, knowing from the past few months with the couple he mostly just wanted to spend time with them. Akira froze as he mentioned their upcoming birthday, memories crashing into them at the reminder. Yamada stopped a moment later, turning to them in concern.

"Mori, are you okay?" Yamada asked softly, crouching in front and a little to the side.

Akira's breath caught before they shook the memory back. Come on, you know him. After a steadying breath, they signed, ' I don't celebrate my birthday. Please don't bring it up. '

"Okay, little listener," Yamada said with a hesitant smile. "Would you like me to tell anyone else so they know to avoid it?"

After a moment's hesitation, they nodded. ' Sleepy Cat. ' Akira still went with Yamada to the small shopping center servicing this outer section of Musutafu. He did talk them into some admittedly practical long johns and grabbed a pair of fuzzy cat socks they looked at a little too long. It still felt weird that Yamada and Aizawa didn't want anything in return, but they were gradually warming up to the idea.

On Tuesday, Mad Banquet made sure Shoto knew they were available after his testimony, and Akira promised to check in after their patrol. Dabi's testimony was slated for the last slot on Thursday, although the recording should be enough. Fragments left of the gangs under Shie Hassaiki were still a concern in Esuha, comprising most of the blue-collar crimes.

Akira settled in front of the tv in the common area as the news switched to live at the courthouse. The defense had moved to dismiss Dabi's evidence and testimony if he didn't come in person to prove his identity, so the media was of course trying to get a picture of the elusive Toya. With Aizawa escorting him, he managed to avoid showing his face until they were almost at the door and an especially bold vulture got just the right angle.

Akira sighed as a plate smashed and the small talk stopped. They turned to the rest of their classmates in various states of shock and signed while Koji translated, ' I'm sure you have questions. One at a time. '

"Dabi is Toya?" Midoriya asked almost to himself. "That makes so much sense..." he started muttering up a storm.

' Yes, although his preferred name is Dabi, ' Akira clarified.

"You've been living with a villain?" Kirishima asked, hardening and unhardening in spots reflexively.

' On a technicality, yes, he's an informant. '

"Wait, did you know about this?" Mina turned to Mad Banquet and Katsuki in confusion and hurt.

' I only told them what I needed to based on their own observations and unfortunate circumstances, ' Akira quickly corrected. The others didn't deserve the suspicion they brought on themself.

"Were you ever going to tell us? Does Aizawa know?" Sato asked, anger and uncertainty seeping through.

Akira shifted slightly away and thought about it for a moment. ' No, I wasn't going to tell you unless I had to. Yes, Eraser knows. '

Yaoyorozu frowned, looking over Akira like seeing them for the first time. "Why were you living with a villain when you're an Inoue?"

Don't react. Don't react. Keep them safe . Akira carefully kept their expression neutral as anger boiled up at the name. ' I haven't been an Inoue in years. '

"Were they like Endeavor, ribbit?" Tsu asked.

' No. Any more questions about Wildfire or can I go? ' Akira stiffly signed. No one seemed convinced, but only Ida started to say something. Midoriya quickly jostled his arm, stopping him with a look. Akira retreated to their room, only stopping briefly and grabbing a blanket before heading back to the elevator to the roof. They shot off a text to Aizawa as they opened the door. Akira pulled the blanket tighter around their shoulders against the biting wind.

The cold helped keep them in the present, although after a couple hours, they had to stiffly get to their feet and head back inside as their chronic pain flared. A pigeon glided back down to Koji's balcony, making a small smile slip onto Akira's face. It turned into a full grin as they saw the news and sent congrats to Shoto and Dabi. Messages flooded in from Blue Fang members, checking in on the brothers and Akira with how close to home the trial hit.

' Gentler, ' Akira demonstrated rubbing along Eri's scars again while Yamada interpreted. ' You should be able to feel the movement of your fingers on your skin but not uncomfortably so. '

Eri frowned, trying again before realization crossed her face. "Like this?"

Akira nodded with a sad smile, ' Exactly! ' They helped her with a few more grounding techniques they'd found helpful during derealization episodes before their deconstruction scars faded. The burning tearing she felt was different from the burning vibrations Akira experienced, but they suspected that was just the different ways deconstruction-construction quirks manifested.

Akira, Togata and Hitoshi played with Eri for a bit longer before she was off to nap time. Togata frowned thoughtfully once she was out of earshot and mused, "The others affected by Overhaul didn't have lingering pain, and from what Sir has explained, that seems to be the norm."

' Oh it is, ' Akira clarified as Hitoshi glanced at them. ' The first thing you learn before you can use your quirk on people is how to construct with little to no pain. With their experience, it's absolutely intentional to leave the victim with pain around the scar. '

"Hey, Mori?" Midoriya shuffled over, fidgeting and glancing over his shoulder as the rest of class filtered out.

Curiosity piqued, Akira signed for Mad Banquet to go ahead to the changing room. He'd been full of nervous energy the whole day, and they couldn't see what set him off. ' Can I help you with something? '

"You've been hanging out with Aoyama for a bit, right?" Akira slowly nodded. "Does he ever... just give you cheese? Like out of nowhere?"

Akira laughed and nodded, grateful it wasn't anything serious for once. ' Yeah, I think it's his way of trying to make friends? Sparkles really likes cheese, and I think it's like Blank sharing their space. '

Midoriya sagged in relief and chuckled, "Oh thank kami. I was so confused and then he left cheese on my balcony last night, and...sorry, I'm rambling again. Thanks."

In Heroics, Akira focused on reaction time and doing different things with different hierarchy levels of clones. Progress felt slow compared to what most other students were already capable of, and Akira kept having to remind themself that they started much later than the others.

"We're going to have a school festival," Aizawa announced. As he went on to explain the importance of the event for business, gen ed, and support course students, and Akira bit back a chuckle as he "fell asleep." It seemed most of the class still hadn't caught on that he never let his guard down that much in the classroom.

Everyone had drastically different ideas, making Akira increasingly confused about what the festival was even supposed to involve. A quick search on the forums mostly turned up results for the other courses' presentations. By the end of homeroom, the list of options was a conflicting mess, and Aizawa threatened the class with a public lecture if they didn't figure it out by the next day.

As they were getting ready for patrol with Kirishima and Taishiro, Akira checked the class group chat and looked up at Kirishima confused. ' Was a concert one of the options? '

"Huh?" Kirishima finished attaching one of his shoulder cogs. After checking the chat, he laughed, "I don't think so? But it does sound pretty manly. Mina was showing off her dance moves earlier, and Jiro practically had a music store in her room."

"That sounds like fun, kiddos!" Taishiro beamed as he waited for them to finish getting ready. "It's too bad the festival's closed to the public this year; I'd love to see you in person."

' We can probably get it recorded if you want, ' Akira offered. Nezu had eyes everywhere.

"That would be great!" Taishiro grinned and swept Kirishima into a hug, offering an arm for Akira as well.

After a brief hesitation, they thought fuck it and stepped into the embrace. Surprised at the warmth, Akira relaxed further into his leg, grounding themself in the softness of the fabric and the smell of warm lavender to remind themself who they were with. All too soon, Kirishima pulled away, and Akira followed suit.

Mortis cringed back as people kept wishing them a happy birthday, forcing a pleasant smile on their face as they took the sweets and extra servings thrust upon them. Thankfully, Fat Gum caught on when their façade presumably cracked enough after the first several gifts and started intercepting the well-meaning civilians. Red Riot grew increasingly confused at their discomfort but tried to keep himself between them and the crowds. The occasional graffiti and murals they were able to ignore before now loomed over them, reds turning to blood and odd angles turning into ears and eyes.

About halfway through patrol, Mortis slipped into an alley to get away from the pressure while Fat Gum and Red Riot talked with a store owner. Leaning against the wall, they took a few steadying breaths while tuning the city out for precious moments.

A door slammed open as they heard club music pour out from where there had been no indication of such a place. Mortis went on high alert as they looked around and saw a drunk person stumble out, bottle in hand. Curious, they moved at the edge of his senses, counting on his lack of awareness to check through the door and see a dive bar through the open doorway. Before the door could swing back closed, Mortis sent a quick text to Fat Gum with their location and a pop-up or hidden club.

Slipping inside, Mortis winced at the pulsing bass and mass of people on the dance floor and the various patrons they wove through. They recognized a few from wanted posters of varying severity and others from the gangs Fat Gum worked with. No one had noticed them so far due to their height, but Mortis knew they couldn't rely on that for long.

The point was proven as they recognized an underground hero at the same time as she spotted them, her eyes widening for a moment before she signed ' Follow. '

Mortis cautiously followed Jinx to a quieter area, steering clear of her quirk's radius. ' Sorry if I'm intruding on something, I wasn't aware this place existed. '

' You're the big man's new intern, right? ' Jinx asked, respecting the distance and keeping an eye out towards the patrons. ' He's probably worried about you. This place has signal blockers. '

Mortis winced but nodded as they realized this was more than just a club. ' Does he know about this? '

Jinx chuckled humorlessly and tensed. Her eyes tracked one of the patrons Mortis had clocked earlier as he headed towards one of the private rooms. ' No, tell him Jinx sent you off and he can explain what this is. I have work. '

Mortis inclined their head and quickly signed before she stepped away, ' I'm aware. Thanks for your time. ' They slipped back through the crowds, narrowly avoiding the gaze of one of the bartenders before slipping back out. Their phone immediately started buzzing and dinging constantly as they quickly turned the sound off, grateful the alley was empty at the moment. They quickly activated their coms and said, "I'm back and safe. Same location."

"What the hell happened?" Fat Gum immediately replied, concern dripping from his voice.

Mortis exited the alley as they heard him approach and replied, ' Info Hub. Jinx sent me off. '

Understanding and fond exasperation passed over Fat Gum's face as Mortis deactivated their transmission of coms. Red Riot looked between them confused and started to ask a question when Fat Gum said, "I'll explain later, Red Riot. Of course you would stumble into one when Jinx is involved."

Mortis chuckled at the irony and turned to Red Riot. ' Jinx is an underground hero who has a constant aura of bad luck around her. She's learned to work with it, but it has given her a bit of a reputation. '

Eventually, they returned to the agency, and Taishiro walked Akira through the paperwork of unintentional interference with an information hub while explaining what they were to Kirishima. They were excellent tools for intel gathering and underground heroes due to being filled with underworld denizens. Info Hubs were viewed as safe spaces for anyone with information or money as long as they didn't bring twilights and limelights into the space and didn't make active moves against members in the hub. Information gained from the hub could be used outside at the risk of the individual. The hubs always had signal blockers to enforce the isolation and were usually nigh impossible to get into without a connection or leak.

Since Jinx was an underground hero, the best way to contact her was through one of her many dead drop locations spread throughout her territory and a little beyond. As Akira's mentor, Taishiro would be making the drop, but Akira did agree to give their number in case any complications arose from their presence.

Back at the dorms, there was a sign-up sheet on the wall with various roles and instructions for the work study students to write their name next to whatever role they felt comfortable with doing or learning. After a moment, Akira wrote their name under Keys, Dancer, and Interpreter while Kirishima added himself under Singer and Special Effects.

Before they fell asleep, a message came through from Dabi. "Doctor wants Hand Job to prove himself. We'll be off grid for a while."

Notes:

I work with Loki, Artemis, Apollo, an St Cyprian. Curio is inspired by a shop I found while exploring my neighborhood back when I first moved here. The grounding Akira shows Eri how to do is actually how I end particularly stubborn voluntary hyperphantasia episodes. Sometimes works on involuntary, but depends on the source. The timeline on the villain arc is really weird so figured I'd just go ahead and start it Is the art comment too weird? I couldn't figure out a better spot to put it and didn't want it to just suddenly be a thing in Libertias aut Mortis.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

0 notes