In all honesty it sounded like a conspiracy theory…..but the more she explained, the more he could see it. "-but the big problem I have is…..the level or organization on this scale means someone is controlling a large portion of crime that seems unrelated. And doing that would take manipulation from inside the system." She explained, finally taking a seat after walking through her board.
She was quiet for a moment, maybe for the first time since she first met him and saw the resemblance to his late father. And then in a quiet voice she said, "The Kingpin is real kid."
Izuku swallowed thickly, she looked over at him and then back to the wall. "….i'm gonna go after him."
Izuku blinked, "Wait, what?! Hodo-"
She shook her head, "I'm telling you this because I want you to stay away. If you hear anything else like what you told me, you forget it. Got it?" She told him sternly.
But Midoriya met her steely look with one of his own, "Hodo…I can't just look away when people are getting hurt….." he looked up at the wall, knowing that the kingpin was behind all of it made it feel like he was facing a giant that was never once moved from its throne…..
But it also pissed him off. "And I don't think my dad would either."
Hodo stared at him, her lips pursed together, she looked down at her knees. If Hissashi was here he'd say the same exact thing…..but would he be ok with his son being involved? Would Inko? "If you don't I'll tell your mom."
"Then I'll tell her that you're doing this." He rebuked, pointing at the wall.
…ok she was concerned for Izuku but she knew enough to be worried for herself if Inko found out about this. " Damn…" she cursed under her breath. She took a deep breath before letting out a groan, standing up from her chain, she pointed at him, "Alright you listen, and you listen good. You do not look into this on your own in any way, shape, or form. If I bring you somewhere, you're playing dumb and just taking pictures. Do you understand?" She asked him.
Izuku didn't hesitate to lie, "Yes."
She breathed out the rest of the air she had been holding. "Alright then…." She leaned against the wall. Looking up at him she blinked, "Shit, you came to me about those photos didn't you?" She realized, Izuku smiled and nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the pictures he printed out on his way there.
Hodo took them and flipped through them, humming impressively. "You'd getting better at hunting down Spider-Man." She pulled a photo that captured Spiderman on a ledge and slurping some noodles from a food stand. "Perfect, I can use these." She said before setting them aside. "I can give you probably 150,000 for them."
Izuku winced, "Um….could you maybe bump that up to 200,000? I um…..kind of need it." He sheepishly asked.
Hodo raised a brow, "For what?" She inquired.
"There's a gift I want to give someone for her birthday and it's a little more pricey then what I usually spend my merch money on and-" he began, but Hodo wasn't listening as she had locked in on one word. Her.
It was a girl.
A Cheshire Cat looking grin spread out over her face, "Tell ya what, I'll make it 250,000 for listening to me ramble for fifteen minutes." She said, making Izuku's eyes widen.
"What?! Oh Hodo you don't need to-" he began before she walked over and ushered him out to the door.
"It's fine, no worries. Just go see accounting and give them this." She said, quickly scribbling a check for him and handing it to him. Before he could protest, he was shoved out the door of the office and closed it behind him. Turning around she leaned against the door, took out her phone, and sent a text.
Me:
Hey Inko. Guess what? Your boy is getting a gift for a girl.
Inko:
…
…
MY BABY WHAT?!
"Heh." Hodo chuckled as her friend rapidly texted a response to the shocking news.
The visit to Japan had been kept secret, he knew that if the press caught wind of it that there would be no way for him to be subtle. But given that he was nearing the end of his second term, most of them assumed he would simply spend his final months in office hard at work like he has been for the past eight years. But this was important, the CIA had come across a number of groups connected to Humarise, a cult that spanned the entire globe. They had tear down labs set up in the rural part of America, more specifically the great lakes area right inside Michigan.
At first they thought they were using for drugs, selling it to the locals and then funneling the profits to the larger organization overseas. However when the FBI and local pros raided the labs they discovered that they weren't making drugs. It was a biolab.
Early stage development but the fact that they were in America's heartland and developing something like that there? Well, he couldn't let that stand. They managed to trace the payments they were making to a presumed sister cell in Japan. There were many options, he could hand the situation over to the Japanese government, which he did inform them of but asked that they handle this situation. It wasn't fair to put his own nation's problems on another. He also could have simply called in Star to take care of the situation.
And while Cathy was a good friend, this situation required a more….measured response.
And pretty much all of his advisors told him how this was a terrible idea and wasn't something he should be doing…what could they do to stop him from doing what was right?
Getting through airport security wasn't hard, he came on a private plane, he would have preferred a commercial flight but it'd be easy for him to be recognized. Plus there was the chance of someone seeing the gear he was bringing. So he went from the runway straight to the car that had been put aside for him, driving on the left side of the road always took some adjusting to him but going with the flow of traffic helped.
He was close to the location that they had traced the money transfers to, it had to go through a few companies to do it but the people at Langley were good at their job. He was driving down a two lane road when it happened, the wall beside the car blew out! The car carrying the man went side over side and into the park that had been on the other side, crashing to a stop inside a jungle gym on a thankfully deserted playground. Out from the hole, a dozen cloaked figures in a brownish frock with white tunic that went over their robes with a hood, they each wore a mask that looked to belong to a knight of old.
"The jammer is up, we have about thirty minutes!" one of them said as they converged on the car.
"Are you sure that was necessary? I knew your curse was destructive but-" another one said, looking to one of their larger compatriots whose hands resembled cannons.
"You know who's in there, he'll be fine. Where's the syringe?" he asked. Another raised the medical syringe with a sterilized glove, "Alright, get the door off and drag him out. The sooner we get this done, the better." the leader of the group said as another member of the cult with the jaws of life approached the driver's side door which was now upside down.
TWHIP!
A web attached to the man's back and before he could react he was yanked backwards, knocking one of the men down as they all turned around in time to see their compatriot be slammed into the monkey bars by Spider-Man, who was perched atop the set. "Here I was, enjoying my day, going to the toy store. And what do I see but you all blow out a wall and ruin this playground! I mean granted this place is pretty old, pretty sure that merry go round is a tetanus shot city, but still!" the vigilante greeted.
"Brothers! Take the Diseased!" the leader with cannon arms ordered as the dozen men charged.
Spider-Man fired a web from each hand to the head of a cultist before pulling them into one another which others tripped over, "First off, diseased? I'd be insulted if that wasn't the most creative insult I've heard in the last month." he joked before lunging forward, grabbing the shoulders of one man he used his forward momentum to flip behind him and throw him overhead into another man. His spider sense warned him to dodge a punch at his head which he countered with his own, but when it buzzed again his instinct told him to dodge as a gunshot rang out!
There was a split second where he caught sight of one of the cultists aiming at him but he sprung into action, kicking another clear and leaping over to the side as the ranged attacker resumed shooting with the small submachine gun he had!
Izuku had, unfortunately, become somewhat used to people shooting at him, guns were RARE in japan but that was only legally, the ones he usually saw looked like they came from overseas. Like the one he was hopping around to dodge until they ran dry. Which they did a second later, which Spider-Man took advantage of by leaping over their head and webbing the gun before yanking it towards him while over the gunner's head, slamming the weapon into its owner's head. Catching it in his hand, Spider-Man turned to the nine others, "Alright I joke a lot, but guns at a playground?" He held up the weapon in his hand, and to both get his point across and demonstrate his disdain for the notion, crushed it with his bare hand, the front and rear of the weapon bending like paper in his steel grip. "Not a fan."
"Then you'll hate this!" Spider-Man turned to see the man with cannons aim at him, he leapt to get clear as the man fired, but the cannons hot out a beam of purple light into the ground where he was carried a much larger force than he anticipated, the shockwave knocking him off course and into the merry go round. Spider-Man rubbed his head where it caved in part of the ride, his Spider Sense rang and he looked up in time to see the man aim his other cannon at him. Thinking fast, he raised his hand and shot a webline to the cannon and flicked it upwards, causing the leader to shoot it into the air with a purple beam coasting through the air. "GRR! Hold him down!"
The others closed in on the Spider, running into him and grabbing at his limbs in an attempt to bring him down. But he would not go down, Spider-Man slammed his elbow back into one's head before grabbing another and throwing them off a few meters away into a tree. One who grabbed his leg looked up at him, "You don't understand! You're sick! We want to help you!"
"Oh yeah, the explosions and mayhem really tell me that!" the vigilante retorted he yelled as he was swarmed by the men, but he still would not fall. The leader grimaced beneath his mask, and then raised his arms. Spider-Man's lenses widened when he saw the cannon take aim at him, along with all the other cultists, "Hey stop! You'll hit your own men!" he shouted in an attempt to dissuade the leader, or scare the others off in fear of their lives.
Instead to Izuku's horror they steeled themselves, "Purge him! The disease must be cured!" one shouted to their leader. Izuku looked up, his mind running though whatever possible options he had. If he jumped clear he'd take a few of the people with him,but the others would be either seriously hurt or killed by the explosive force! He wasn't going to leave people to die just to save himself, he tried moving his hands to pull the same trick as before, deflecting the cannon to shoot away but as soon as his arm moved another jumped on it!
"I'm trying to save you guys!" Izuku pleaded. But they did not loosen their grip, they were true believers….but he wasn't going to let them die. The only idea that came to mind was to muffle the blast, he wrenched his arms forward just enough to aim at the ground in front of him and poured on the webbing. A wall of the substance formed in front of them, this stuff was stronger than steel, this had to at least dampen the blast right? He saw the color purple.
And then another trio of colors flew into the cannon with a CLANG!
The arm was knocked aside, angling the beam off course and blasting away a bench as the tri-colored object ricocheted toward the vigilante, the web wall not tall enough to block it. As he braced for impact, the projectile instead hit the man holding onto the vigilante from behind in the face before flying off again. And that's when he got a clear view of the colors.
Red.
White.
And Blue.
The same colors as the man in the uniform who caught the shield which bore those colors. "I'm going to ask you this once gentlemen, stand down and surrender. Or I'll be forced to take you down." Captain America ordered.
….
….
….
That's Captain America. Spider-Man dumbly thought.
The leader raised his other cannon and fired it at the symbol of freedom, he angled his shield and blocked the purple beam with it which absorbed the blast entirely. Charging forward Captain America launched his shield at the leader once again, this time the larger man ducked, the shield sailing overhead and into the pole of a basketball hoop and bouncing off into the back of the leader. He stumbled forward as the soldier jumped up, slamming his knee into the man's chin while catching his shield in midair.
HOLY CRAP THAT'S CAPTAIN AMERICA! Spider-Man thought, finally getting over his shock and throwing the followers off him. The first superhero, the guy who fought Nazis in World War 2! All Might's inspiration! Izuku thought excitedly as he leapt to and stepped off one of the cultists. Oh yeah and current president of the United States, but who cares about that? He's Cap! The vigilante thought, aiming his wrists at a pair of cultists who had been knocked down and webbing them to the ground behind Captain America.
Landing with his back to the hero, Spider-Man let out a shaky breath, Be cool, be cool, be cool!
"Hi….I'm….Spider-Man." He managed to get out as though his mouth had turned into concrete slabs.
"Pleasure son. But introductions can wait." the living legend told him, one of the cultists charged at the pair with a syringe. The Captain grabbed him by the wrist and shifted his weight, threw the man over his shoulder and slammed him down to the ground, which Spider-Man webbed him to. Cap watched as the man struggled fruitlessly against the substance, his eyes going to the syringe before turning to the leader, "You wanted me to come here, didn't you?" he asked. "The labs in Michigan were just a ruse to draw me here."
The leader raised his arms, "It was only a small chance that you yourself would come but we decided to risk it Captain. Surrender a sample of your blood and we'll leave in peace." he told him as the remaining cultists gave the pair a wide berth. Spider-Man looked back in confusion but kept quiet as Captain America narrowed his eyes through his cowl at the leader of the group who gestured to the vigilante. "Quirks will be the end of us if his kind are left to take the world! We just want to save it like you!"
Izuku felt his throat go dry before looking back at the people around them, he thought he had recognized some of the details of their robes before but now he realized who these people were. Humanrise.
A religious organization founded on the belief that the end of the world would come from each generation inheriting more powerful and destructive quirks from their parents' mixing together. The Quirk Singularity Doomsday Theory was one posed years ago, and while it was true that some quirks melded together and created some more powerful versions it wasn't as though the kids that Izuku's generation would have quirks that would be like weapons of mass destruction. But there was still the fear that it could, and that was enough to make people without quirks flock to cults like humanrise.
Captain America gave him a hard stare. "When I went in the ice, I believed all men were made to be equal. And when I came out, the world wanted to prove me wrong." he stated. Izuku felt himself frown beneath his mask, that was a similar conclusion he had come to at a young age. "But if anything it showed me that I was right." Spider-Man turned to him in surprise but didn't dare speak. "It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what tongue you speak, or what you believe. We're all human beings, we're all people. Doesn't matter if you have horns on your head, wings on your back, or machines for arms." the leader flinched ever so slightly at the last remark.
"But I won't stand by and watch as people who think that their version of peace is the only way forward, who force their beliefs onto others. That we as a people are lesser for our differences than stronger. I've seen it before. I've fought it before. And today I'll fight it again." He defied proudly as he held his shield at the ready. Everyone in the area seemed to take a pause at the speech, that was until Spider-Man spoke.
"You just got scolded by Captain America, I don't think you'll ever recover from that." He replied bluntly, the soldier smirking a little before the Cultists rallied and charged at the duo.
Captain America turned his head to Spider-Man, "I got the big guy." He said before charging at the leader.
The masked vigilante Nodded and leapt into the fray while Captain America charged the leader, something he noticed when the cultist leader was fighting against his now ally was that after every shot of his cannons it took around thirty seconds to fire another. As though to confirm this, the Cult leader raised his cannon and fired at the soldier's feet, Cap dove forward and angled the shield down, the blast being blocked by the disc and launching him forward by the angle he had been launched from.
Rolling in front of the leader, he hoisted his shield to block a swing at his head, returning the strike with his own to the man's stomach with enough force to make them stumble back while swinging his other hand. Cap deflected it with his shield, spinning into it and coming back around before bashing it into the masked face of the cultist with enough force to make a sound that sounded like a bell being rung.
The leader fell back, catching himself on his back foot before raising his cannon once again as Captain America drew his shield back before slamming it into the barrel of the cannon just as the purple light began to glow.
The other thing Captain America noticed? Once he charged his shot, he needed to fire it.
The blowback from the explosion sent the leader flying back and smashed into the overturned car he had caused to crash. The man let out a weak groan as the soldier rolled his shoulders. "Not bad old man." he said to himself before turning around, ready to join in the fight….only to see that it was actually already over. All the remaining cultists were secured in place with webbing. Tied to each other or the ground with the substance while Spider-Man poured a generous amount on some who were still struggling. "Huh. That's handy."
Spider-Man looked around at his handiwork before turning to Captain America, "Y-Yeah! When I realized they were quirkless I figured I should spare them some bruises and just web them. This stuff lasts a few hours, plenty of time for the police to get here." he stuttered as the soldier approached him. He still couldn't believe it! Captain America! Here!
….wait a minute why was Captain America in Japan when he was the president of the United States? "Um, not that I don't mind lending a hand sir but….why are you here?" He asked before looking around, "Or the uhh, guys who work for you and protect you?"
"The Secret Service are overseeing prep for my work here but it looks like Humanrise beat them to it." He said, looking over at the Cultists as they struggled against the webbing, a pair that had been webbed together back to back tried to pull themselves apart only to snap back together. "We discovered a series of labs that Humanrise was developing. We thought they were drug labs, using profits from drug trade to pump into the organization." He explained as he led the masked teen away from the scene.
"However what we found at the lab indicates something more sinister." He said as they walked to the fence of the park that the car he had been taking smashed through.
Spider-Man looked back at the members of Humanrise, he knew about the 'organization' and what their beliefs were. And he knew the frustration they must feel, of not having a quirk like everyone else…..of being different from everyone else. He could see how that could turn to anger, how frustration over being called and treated differently can boil over into something that extreme. It made them feel unlucky…..like the world itself was against them.
Izuku knew this because he too had those feelings, but all of his frustration wasn't directed at people who were lucky enough to have quirks, it was to the inability to change it. And when he had finally been given the choice to have powers he took it, but seeing those who weren't given one….he couldn't help but feel guilty about it. "I…is there something i can….." he began to ask, but trailed off.
Captain America looked back at the cultists, then back to the masked vigilante, though he couldn't tell his expression due to the mask, the change in his posture and the tone of his voice told him all he needed to know. "It's always my hope that with time and understanding, people can learn to accept one another." Spider-Man turned to him, "And while I'd like nothing more than to help those men change their lives, I don't have the skills to do that. All that you or I can do is get them in a place where they can get the help they need." he explained.
Izuku felt some of the burden be lifted off his shoulders, not all of it, but some. "...um, not that I'm complaining but, this is usually the part where the pro hero tries to arrest me and you haven't done that." he pointed out.
The old hero chuckled, "True. But I'm a foreign pro hero who still needs to register with the local authorities that I'm here." he explained as he sling his shield over shoulders and onto his back. "And besides, a mutual friend of ours informed me of your situation." he explained. Izuku tilted his head in confusion, what friend did he have that would even…OH! "Reed sends his regards, saying I might run into you over here."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head, he hadn't spoken to the FF in a while, part of him had been afraid that news of his 'exploits' had reached them and any day they might change their mind about him and come back not only for the suit but to put him away. "I mean…..still you must have seen the news. Right? I mean it's not true! Or-well, wait…." he fumbled, trying not to sound too defensive.
"I did see the news." Captain America said, "But I also read the reports, listening to the people who you've saved have said. The first responders who have seen you in action." he explained. "You never once asked for recognition, or reward. Or even thanks." he said before looking down at the young hero before him. "It doesn't matter what the news says or the politicians, or the whole world. They don't define who you are, you do. And not by your words, but by your actions." he said before settling a hand on the young man's shoulder, "So keep soldering on son. The truth will see the light of day, it always does."
The speech held a conviction that Izuku was taken aback by, it held the same type of assurance that All Might's would have. If he were to ask Midroiya to jump, he wouldn't just ask how high. He'd also ask where to land and if he wanted him to do a trick on the way down. "I…thank you sir that….that really means a lot coming from someone like you." he said, his face blooming red beneath his mask.
"Call me Cap son." he said good naturedly as he removed his hand, "And it's only the truth. Doesn't matter that it's from me." he said with a forlorn shake of his head.
Izuku blinked, "Um, respectfully cap, you're the first superhero ever. Not to mention the president." he pointed out.
Cap smiled wryly, "There used to be a time where the latter was more impressive then the former." he lamented. He let out a short sigh, "I woke up to a world where the everyday person could do things that only existed in comic books when I was a boy." he said, looking around the the area and seeing a few advertisements that featured people and their quirks, like the pro heroine Uwabami. A beautiful young woman who had three snakes sticking out atop her head. "I didn't see myself having a place in it, so I decided that if Captain America wasn't needed, then I should at least try to embody the ideals that I stood for on a larger stage." he said, pulling his cowl down to show his blonde hair and blue eyes more clearly. "After my term is up, I doubt the world needs Captain America when it has folks like All Might and you in it."
Izuku blinked at that, it was true that in terms of power Cap's abilities weren't exactly something that made him stand out from other pros…but he stood for the ideals that many heroes of the first age based themselves around. All Might himself had said how much of an inspiration he was, and while All Might was Izuku's favorite pro he would never say that Cap's role was anything but small. "Well Cap….as someone who's been inspired by a guy who's been inspired by you? I think we need more people like you. Not less." he said.
The old soldier looked at him with a raised brow, "...sorry that's not really eloquent as your speech, it's kind of all I could think of." he admitted.
The man gave a hearty chuckle, "It's fine…..and I think you're right." he conceited. The incoming sound of sirens drew both their attention away from one another. "I'll explain what happened, you should leave." he said, turning back to the young hero. Only blink when he suddenly had a pen and notebook in hand that he wasn't sure where they were a second ago.
"Um…..could I have your autograph?" he sheepishly asked.
Cap let out a genuine laugh and quickly signed a page in the notebook, noticing how detailed the notes inside were and complementing the drawings, before Spider-Man webbed himself away. When he was a good block away, he couldn't hold it in anymore. "WHOOOHOOOO THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER DONE!" he yelled out loud as he flung himself high into the air on an arc.
He just got to team up with Captain America-no-Cap! He got to call him Cap! "This must be a dream, right? I mean that's the only explanation." he said before shooting out a web to swing from, dipping down towards the street. "Alright time to wake up, he store is on the other side of town but if I rush I can make it there and get Kendo her-"
PFFT!
….izuku tried his other hand, and his spinnerette created no webbing. "Oh nuts." he said before touching down on the ground in a full sprint to ease off the momentum he had going behind him until he was at a brisk jog. Looking down at his hands, he slapped them into his face as it craned back, "Oh no I used up all my webbing on those cult guys back there!" he exclaimed as he ran through traffic. "Ok, ok, it's fine. It's fine! I bet I can still get there before the store closes!"
Izuku, in fact, did not get to the store before closing time.
Kendo carefully set the box of canned foods down on the shelf, making sure the majority of its weight was on the metal shelf before pushing it onto it completely. The entire shelf went across the walls of the room she was in which already was the size of a basketball court. With even more shelves lined in isles, they were filled with boxes of varying sizes, each containing canned goods that ranged across the board. All of them donations to F.E.A.S.T. which she had spent the day categorizing and stocking. It wasn't glamorous but that didn't make it any less important, they would go to food banks, soup kitchens, and other distributors to get this food to people who needed it the most.
Grabbing the clipboard she had set atop one of the other boxes, she checked off the last box on the inventory list and then went back over it to make sure she didn't forget anything. As she was double checking her work, a girl with blonde hair poked her head in, "Oh hey Kendo, Mr. Li wanted to know how the inventory was looking." she said.
Kendo quickly gave the paper another look though and smiled, "Just finished Toga." she said gladly as she approached the fellow girl and gave her a sharp smile.
Himiko Toga let out a groan while she raised her hand to her head and retired the hair buns she had, "Finally. I can't believe it took all day." she said, spinning around on her heel and walking alongside Kendo after she shut and locked the door to the storage room. With no uniforms at F.E.A.S.T. Outside the lanyard they wore to identify themselves as employees, Himiko made it a point to try and look as cute as possible at all times, which today meant a brown knitted turtleneck with a beige skirt with black stockings. Kendo merely wore an old pair of jeans and a hoodie.
"That's a good thing though, means we got a lot of donations." the martial artist said positively.
Toga rolled her eyes, 'Yeah, funny how most of the year it's never like this but around the holidays people start to feel charitable." she said with a hint of snideness.
Kendo frowned, Toga was nice enough when she wanted to be but she had a cynicism to her that surprised most people. She could be a little prickly, but Kendo wouldn't call her mean. She just liked to get reactions out of people, be it rude or obscene comments, off handed remarks, or straight up flirting. "Anyway, what are you still doing here? It's your birthday right?" she asked.
"Yeah and when I get home I'm going to get a tub of ice cream and unwrap my presents watching my Bruce Lee movies." she replied with a smirk.
Toga sighed, patting her on the shoulder, "You poor girl. Pretty little thing like you alone tonight on your birthday, no one to keep your bed warm. Or wrap your legs around their head."
Kendo elbowed her as her cheeks dusted with pink, making the blonde girl snicker as they reached the stairs. Climbing to the second floor, they entered the administrative office where a man in a white dress shirt and black vest with a matching tie sat behind his desk, looking over a grant application. "I found her boss, she was doing unimaginable things in storage."
"You mean my job?" Kendo replied.
"Exactly!" Toga accused, pointing at her.
Mr. Li looked up, his black hair tied back into a bun with his beard trimmed into a neat goatee and smiled. "Thank you Toga. Now can you check Tai? He's looking over the rooftop garden and we're probably at our last harvest." he asked. Toga gave him an exaggerated salute and walked off while Li stood up from his desk and approached Kendo, "You know it's fine to ask off work for your birthday, right?" he asked with a smile.
Kendo crossed her arms over her chest and looked away, "I know it's just…..I haven't been around a lot lately and I wanted to make up for it." she admitted as he guided her out of his office.
Li gave her a smile, "Kendo it's wonderful that you feel obligated to help, but don't think that the time you're taking to train is taking away from the people here. You're not the only person we have to help." he told her as they walked back downstairs to the lobby of the shelter. Kendo blinked when she saw her dad standing by the door, giving her a smile and wave, she turned to her boss who merely shrugged his shoulders, "Enjoy your birthday Kendo." he said before leaving her while her dad approached.
She crossed her arms in faux anger, "I can't believe you went behind my back like this dad." she said as her dad wrapped her in a hug which she returned before being led out the door of the shelter.
"Your brother couldn't make it, he has a practice examination today but he wanted me to give you this." he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope to hand to her. Kendo took it as they approached his car parked right outside the shelter on the street. Sitting in the passenger seat she opened up the paper and reached inside to pull out a plastic card. She snorted when she saw that it was to a bookstore.
She and Wei had a tradition of giving each other gift cards for each other's birthdays, nothing with any large amount of money behind them but enough that they would be useful. The joke was they would attach a message to each one that made the other laugh, the one on this one was, 'Happy Birthday, glad we didn't leave you on the stump in the woods we found you on.'
The drive to the Kendo home from the F.E.A.S.T. shelter was only twenty minutes, in that time she filled her dad in on what she had done today at school and work. Pulling into the driveway, the father and daughter entered the stairwell that led up to their home, opening the door she was taken aback by how dark it was, thinking that they had beat her mom home, she jumped when the lights suddenly turned on.
"SURPRISE!" A chorus of voices shouted as Kendo jumped back into her dad as he laughed. Hiding in her living room, her mom, Yui, Setsuna, Izuku, and even Yagi had sprung out to surprise her. Holding a hand over her quickly beating heart, she chuckled as she shook her head.
"You guys are-god your lucky I didn't try to punch you again, Set." she breathed out as her two friends walked over and embraced her. She smiled at both of them before turning to All Might, the number one hero shrunken down into his normal form gave her a large smile, "I didn't expect you to be here coach."
He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Your mother was insistent that I stop by and I didn't need much convincing."he said, patting her on the shoulder with one hand while he held his wrapped gift with another.
Kendo smiled gratefully to her mentor, her gaze trailed behind him to see Izuku shyly standing back. He looked absolutely guilty and from the lack of anything in his hands she had a suspicion as to why, but if she was being honest she didn't really care if he didn't bring anything. Walking over to him, he shrunk back a little but gave her a wobbly smile, "Let me guess, my mom talked you into coming too?" she asked jokingly.
"N-no, I mean she told me about the party the day we had the training session, but I didn't know about it before. I'm sorry." he apologized with a slight bow of his head.
Kendo immediately dismissed it with a wave of her hand, "What matters is that you're here Midoriya, I don't care if you have a present or not." she told him without a hint of doubt in her voice, her eyes looking directly into his as she smiled at him.
"I mean cash is always an option." Yui said from behind Kendo.
The adults in the room sweatdropped, knowing full well that cash became a more and more common gift for people the older they got. Emi clapped her hands together, "Well first off we're going to do gifts, then I'm bringing the cake out." she said happily as she went to the kitchen.
Midoriya gave Kendo an unsure look, rubbing the back of his neck he reached behind his back, "Still though, I will get you something Kendo but in the meantime this is my gift to you." he said before presenting her with a notebook. Itsuka looked down at it questionably but took it regardless, once again giving him a soft look she was about to tell him it was unnecessary before he beat her to the punch, "Check the inside cover." he instructed.
Kendo shrugged before flipping open the page, " 'You'll go on to do great things, Cap….'."
Itsuka's pupils dilated as her throat closed up, her hand reached over to the chair beside her for balance as she felt like her legs turned to jelly, "C….Captain…..Captain America?" she squeaked out, shock rippling over her face as she re-read the signature over and over again to make sure her eyes weren't deceived.
The entire room turned from whatever they were doing to look at Izuku, All Might's jaw dropping so much it looked like it might be dislocated. Yui's usual stoic expression broke as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Setsuna's jaw literally dropped off her head, and Emi whirled around so fast it might be confused as a mini tornado. The news of Captain America being in Japan unexpectedly had spread across the world like wildfire yesterday after he was ambushed by Humanrise.
Kendo blinked before looking up at Izuku, "This…..this is real?" she asked, he nodded, "This is Captain America. Steve Rogers. His signature?" she asked again with her eyes laser focused on Izuku's face as she leaned close to look for any signs of deception.
Izuku began sweating at the intensity coming off Kendo, "Y-Yes! I was taking photos of the fight he was in a-a-and I asked him to sign it!" he told her, feeling like he had accidentally pulled a pin on a grenade, "I-If you don't like it then I can take it back I just wanted to give you something for your birthday but the store I was saving up for was closed and I couldn't find time between school and now to get you anything without being late and being late seemed bad so-"
"Midoriya." Kendo said, shutting him up and watching as a smile broke out across her face, "I…..I never…this…." She struggled to truly express how she was feeling before deciding to gently, as she could, set the notebook on the chair she was leaning on before stepping forward with her arms. His first thought was she was putting him in a headlock from how her arms around his neck, friends did that right?
But instead she pulled him into a hug, his face went so red that he thought it might be emanating light. Off to the side, Emi smiled to herself, silently nuding her husband who looked at her. She pointed at the two and grinned, Ryuji rolled his eyes with a smirk of his own while Yui and Setsuna gave each other a knowing look. However when Izuku held up his arms, unsure of what to do with them, Setsuna rolled her eyes and made a motion to hug her back that he could see.
AS though he was touching something priceless, Izuku slowly wrapped his arms around Kendo, "You are-you have no idea. Cap is my favorite superhero I can't…." she pulled away, her arms still draped over his neck, "This is way too much, I can't take this from you!"
All Might, a Captain America fan himself, let out a soft whine that no one heard, "I-I-It's no problem Kendo. I'm just glad you liked it." Izuku said with a shaky smile, his face still red even as she stepped out of the embrace.
As Kendo pleaded with him to not give her something she saw as valuable to that degree, and Izuku insisted that she have it, Setsuna leaned over to Yui. "Ok so there's something there right?" she asked.
"I'll be honest I thought they were fucking after the training session but now? I have no idea." Yui admitted.
After gifts were given to the birthday girl, which she was appreciative of all of them including the tickets to the tournament with the girls, cake was dispersed to the guests. While Yui and Setsuna chatted with Toshinori, asking about the training side of All Might's agency which he was more than happy to talk about, Emi and Ryuji sat on the couch, side by side slipping each other pieces of cake. Which left Itsuka and Izuku in the kitchen, "I still can't believe you met him." she said with a shake of her head.
Izuku nodded, "Y-Yeah he was…he was incredible." he admitted. "I didn't know he was your favorite."
Itsuka smiled as she leaned back in her seat, taking a bite of her cake, "Yeah, I know he's pretty old school. But…..ok, so my grandpa was this big collector." she began, "He had all these old comics, and one day when I went to visit him he was moving them because he needed storage for something. And I saw this one that had Cap on this hill, shield in one hand, and flag held aloft in another." she explained as she mimicked the pose as best she could.
Izuku smiled, he knew the feeling all too well from all the All Might Merch he had collected, sometimes a strong image was all it took to get someone interested. The redhead looked at him and shook her head, "Seriously I…..when's your birthday, I need to get you like….All Might's signature. I'll get you it, I swear." she said, her eyes lighting up at the idea.
Izuku nervously scratched his cheek, "I….er….already have his autograph."
Kendo sighed, "Of course you do."
"Sorry." he apologized.
She waved her hand, "Don't be….but seriously, this is…..what can I do to thank you for this?" she asked.
Izuku looked down at his piece of cake before taking a bite of it, "Kendo you…..you really don't need to do anything….this is more than enough." Itsuka stared at him quietly, "I…..I haven't had friends in a long time. So…..I haven't been to a birthday party since I was like…six?" he guessed before shrugging. "So….just being here with you is enough." he said as he gave her a genuine smile.
Kendo felt her heart thump against her chest, her face growing warm with emotion at the gravity of what he was saying sunk in. All she could do was weakly smile and look away, so he didn't directly see how flush she was, "I-It's no problem Iz-Midoriya!" she nearly slipped.
But Izuku, either not picking up on what she almost said or ignoring it, shook his head, "Maybe not to you Kendo but…..to me it does so…..thank you for letting me be a part of your life." he smiled.
Kendo felt her face warm up even more as her heart continued to pound in her chest…..and a pleasant feeling of comfort formed within her. "I'm…..I'm glad you're part of mine Midoriya." she replied, looking back to him as he took a bite of cake.
It was days later, after her birthday party, that Itsuka had messaged Izuku about another training session. Only this time it would be just the two of them, "Alright, are you ready this time?" she asked him as he stretched his arms across his chest, which Kendo absolutely did not use as a chance to appreciate the formed muscles he had. No, not at all.
"Y-Yeah! I'm ready." Izuku nodded as he got into his familiar fighting stance. She smirked as she looked down at his feet, he saw her look and readied himself for a low attack. She rushed forward and drew her leg back, he coiled and readied to jump over the attack to his legs only to be surprised when she swung her foot high and slammed it into his side with enough force to knock him off balance! Stepping back to try and regain it, he ended up falling square on his behind with his hand rubbing his side, "Ok, guess I wasn't ready. Ow." he winced.
"That's the whole point. It's called a feint. You telegraph what you're going to do so your opponent thinks to get ready for it, only to do something else they don't expect." she explained. "When I looked down at your feet, I made sure my gaze lingered there for a second so you'd notice."
The knocked down boy nodded in understanding, "Ok but how often does that work? I mean if you keep doing that won't your opponent just anticipate it?" he questioned as Kendo walked over to him.
"Yeah, which is why it's best used when you can't predict it." She informed, "It's not something you really pull off often, the first time is really the only time you can rely on it to work. After that, they'll be on guard." she expounded. Izuku hummed as he thought over the information, suddenly he rolled onto his side and drew his foot in. Kendo was quick to react by crossing her arms to block, but didn't see his other foot slide out along the mat and into her foot.
As Izuku smiled in triumph at his success, he failed to realize that due to Kendo's proximity and where her foot placement was, she would fall forward….onto him. "Uh-oh."
BONK!
"GAH!" he yelled..
"MOTHERFUCKER." She swore.
The pair held their foreheads, sore from the collision that neither had anticipated, "Ugh, sorry! I was gonna surprise you but I didn't want to do that." Izuku apologized. Kendo hissed as she drew her hand away, opening her eyes she saw that Midoriya was still wincing…..she also realized that she had basically fallen right on top of him. Her hand was lifting her up above him while her other had rubbed the point of impact, Izuku was back on his elbow while he did the same with his off hand which was laid down atop her own.
Her face was parallel to his, her chest barely touching his and her legs laid between his own. As Izuku drew his own hand away and opened his eyes, he blinked when he saw how close they were. His face lit up red like a fire hydrant, "I…..this…..er…." he tried to formulate another apology but the words died on his tongue.
They both blinked, "Sorry!" they said in unison, both trying to get up at once, only for Kendo's hand to draw back from underneath Izuku's, making him slip and fall back onto the mat with Kendo pulled down from him grasping her wrist to stop himself and pull her onto him, this time they didn't bonk foreheads, but were face to face.
"That….that was…" she began, her breath skimming his lips from how close they were…..
He opened his mouth ever so slightly but nothing was said as he looked into her eyes, the cyan pools looking back into his own. She wetted her lips at the emerald looking so intently at her…..like she was the only thing in the world. "I should…get off…." she heard herself whisper, just low enough for him to hear it. His hand, which had grabbed her wrist, slowly traced up her arm.
His touch against her skin was almost electrifying, it caused her own hands on his chest to size up slightly and grab onto his dumb tee shirt. His hands were soft against her defined muscle and she felt herself relax against his touch. When it reached her shoulder it clasped it firmly, and in a moment she feared he would shove her off…..but instead he simply held her there, unsure himself of what to do.
So she made the choice for them.
She pressed her lips onto his, his eyes widened at the sudden touch and just as quickly as she did it she pulled away. And it was only then she realized what she had done, "I-I'm sorry I shouldn't-" she stopped when he pulled her down and kissed her again. She breathed out against the kiss as her hands gripped his shirt, pulling him by it so she could kiss him even harder.
Her breasts, covered by her sports bra, pressed into him, causing him to let out a shuttered moan against her lips. She pulled back just enough to draw breath before he once again closed the distance, his lips kissing her cheek and around her mouth sloppily as his other hand left the ground and cradled the back of her head. He was totally inexperienced but she couldn't care less, a fire was ignited in her core and she was being consumed by it. "M-Midoriya-" she breathed out.
"Kendo I-I can't…I can't…" he panted out, still holding onto her shoulder. She took his hand and moved it, his fingers tracing over the fabric of her training bra as she led it over her shoulder and over her chest, she let out a purr as it traced over her breast. For good measure she guided him over her nipple which caused a jittering breath to come out, she could feel him against her, his hardness groaning beneath his sweatpants as she led him downwards more.
"God it's….fuck." she cursed as she took his hand over her abs, which he lingered on before she shoved them down to the waistband of her tight pants.
"K-Kendo I…I've never-"
"It's ok. I'll help ok?" she breathed out, slowly slipping his fingers just past the inside of her pants.
Izuku's breath quickened in both anticipation and excitement, he swallowed nervously.
He pushed towards the apex of her thighs-
Itsuka's eyes shot open with a gasp, sweat covering her brow and panting heavily as Felicia scampered off her owner at the sudden movement. Kendo blinked and looked around, she was in her bedroom….not the dojo….and GOD she was turned on.
Throwingher comforter off she let out a few deep breaths to calm herself down, that was…..that was one HELL of a dream. She licked her lips as she tried to slow the hammering of her heart in her ears. Reaching for her phone, she checked the time, it was 11:58….still technically her birthday.
Laying back against her pillows, Itsuka Kendo replayed what had transpired in that dream, her face getting redder and redder until she finally found the ability to speak her mind.
"What. The. Fuck?"