Chapter 1
Tinkering, Izuku sat on the floor of the home, his brain mulling over information on wiring and codes. He typed and typed on a repurposed laptop, the screen held on by tape and spite. The grunts of Katsuki and Eijirou sparring just outside the opening of the shipping container. Their banter and the click of keys were the only sounds filling their home.
It’s been almost a year since Eijirou joined the duo and will be joining the two on their nightly patrols later that night. A few months into Eijirou joining them he had finally opened up about what had happened to him to make him run. Katsuki had barely controlled his anger that night on patrol and nearly burned an assaulter beyond recognition, only stopped by Izuku and his warning of someone nearby. Leaving the perpetrator bound to a stop sign, they called 110 and tapped a sequence over the microphone before hanging up and leaving. The next morning, the duo agreed to train Eijirou and get him ready to join them.
Izuku’s typing came to a halt to the sound of a small blast and a curse from Katsuki. Looking away from the screen he sees Katsuki flat on his back, Ejirou’s knees pinning his thighs down and one arm holding Katsuki’s arms above his head, a hardened hand placed at his throat. “Yield!” He called, locking gazes. Katsuki struggled before he relaxed and groaned.
“I yield…” He grumbled, a scowl present on his face. The two stayed on the ground for a few seconds before Eijirou stood off him, offering his hand to help him up. His face split in a sharp-toothed grin. “Fuckin’ shitty hair…”
“Hey! Sorry hair dye is expensive… I know my roots are coming back!” He pouted dramatically, his arms crossed high on his chest. Katsuki took one look at him and chuckled, running his hand through his ash blonde hair.
“Whatever…” He mumbled before walking back towards Izuku, who looked to him with a knowing smile and looked back to the screen, typing away as windows of code slid across the screen. Katsuki rolled his eyes and kicked Izuku’s shin slightly and went to their ‘kitchen’ (in reality, it was just two coolers, one holding quirk made ice that would never melt and the other was empty) and grabbed a water bottle filled with water they had boiled. He downed half and tossed it to Eijirou who was walking in, having thrown his hair back into a ponytail at the bottom of his skull.
He finished the bottle and set it aside to be refilled and cleaned. “Whatcha working on Zuku?” He asked, sitting next to Izuku and resting his head on his shoulder, watching as he typed code after code.
“Hacking a local security system…” He mumbled, his eyes bouncing back and forth between code lines, his fingers flying across the keys without a glance.
“Why?”
“I want to update our gear eventually with some tech… but I want to be comfortable enough with code and such before I do it.”
“Who you hacking?”
“The small coffee shop around the corner's cameras” He hits enter on the code and the screen goes black for a second, before fluttering to life again with the camera feeds flood the screen. Four small minimized windows open and each contain a different view of the shop; one of the outside where people were seen busying about, one of the counter inside where a line is formed and a man bounces from machine to the register taking orders, one of the back door in the kitchen where a woman is making small treats, and the last in a view of the shop itself with a few people scattered around tables.
“Damn Deku, not bad.”
“Le gasp! Katsu is actually impressed with something Zuku did!”
“Oh shut it shitty hair!” Izuku giggles at their banter and scrolls through the feeds, watching people buy sweets and beverages. Some sit at the available counters, talking with friends or family or working on laptops. Some appear to be studying. Withdrawing from the feeds, he powers down the laptop and sets it on the floor near their bed.
Sighing, he looks towards the doors of the container, seeing the sunset lower on the horizon of the ocean. Smiling softly, he looks towards the two bickering idiots he calls family, heart swooning with calm and love at the sight. His life had been turned upside down and now he was making the most of it. Saving people’s lives with his brothers by his side. “Alright you two, we’ve got a little bit before patrol. What should we do?”
“Maybe eat? Get some fuel?” Eijirou questions, a hardened arms in front of his face as Katsuki’s hands snap and crackle as explosions go off, doing no damage to the other.
“What though? We need to do a food run soon.”
“Who the fuck cares? Let’s gear up and leave early so we can kick some more ass!”
“Of course Kacchan wants to go now. It’s still too light out. We’ll be caught.” Izuku smiles, running his hands through his bush of hair. Standing, he goes to the entrance of the container and stretches, raising his hands high then bending low, touching his toes.
“Alright show off…” Katsuki grumbles, watching him flex and bend, stretching his tired muscles. Izuku giggles and merely turns his head to him, tongue peaking between his lips, taunting him. Eijirou chuckles at the interaction before standing and doing his stretches, not nearly as flexible as Izuku is, Katsuki a close second to him but not quite there.
All three boys stand at the entrance of their home, looking out towards the deep blue of the ocean. The air filled with the smell of salt and trash, rusted metal, and things deteriorating. The sunsets at a slow pace, the ocean glowing a brilliant orange, reflecting the sun's rays lighting the area. Izuku and Katsuki have called this home for nearly three years, Eijirou coming to a year. This became their norm and they were content with it. They’re playing with their cards dealt and were willing to wait out for a win, no matter how long it took.
Izuku sighed and walked to the exposed shoreline in their small compound. Having cleared the area they called home long ago, the path was clear or trash and possible ways of harm. He stopped just as the water brushed the shore, nipping at his toes but not completely grabbing his feet. He took a deep breath, the cold salty air assaulted his nose, but it was comforting. He looked towards the sun as it slowly muted. The sky a wash of orange and pink, the farther from the light became a dark purple, fading to a deep blue. Soon it would all be black, the ground barely illuminated by the light of the moon and what stars could be visible.
“C’mon nerd, we’ve gotta help Ei with getting his uniform on. We also gotta give him a name.” Katsuki’s voice called, startling Izuku from his thoughts.
“Alright…” Came his reply, his tone light. He turns and heads back to the container, seeing Eijirou’s red hair disappear behind the walls. He begged them to let him change it. He wanted nothing tying him back to his old family, and the black hair was a stark reminder of his father (who he claimed to be the worst).
Walking inside, Katsuki was getting his clothes from an old truck they salvaged. It contained a majority of their gear, like their pants and shirts, jackets and mask, and whatever small gear that could fit. Setting them aside, Katsuki grabbed the newest addition to the chest, Eijirou’s clothes.
His clothes matched Izuku’s and Katsuki's, the only real difference was the accents of color along the sleeves and cuffs of the jackets. Izuku was a deep forest green, Katsuki a bright orange, Eijirou a wine red. Their undershirts a solid black as well as their pants, except for the thin line of color along the sides of the pants. Their shoes were black as well, repaired from being found amongst the trash.
Their face masks were all black, but Izuku took it upon himself to hand sew patterns, his has two small clusters of dots, all green except one orange and one red that rest on the left side of the mask, the placement of the clusters similar to his own. Katsuki has an orange ‘X’ crossing over his mouth with one green and one red dot on the top left of the mask, near his eye. Eijirou has a red crisscross pattern of mesh with two squares near his right eye, one filled orange, the other green.
Seeing the full set has Eijirou’s eyes welling with tears, smiling wide. He wanted nothing more than to follow his family and protect them on patrol. He holds the mask in his hands feverishly, admiring the sewing and the colors. “Alright! We need to give you a name!”
“Alright!” Taking the rest of the clothes, Eijirou slowly strips off his tattered t-shirt and shorts, replacing them with his uniform, Katsuki and Izuku following suit. “As you know, I go by Poet.”
“And I’m the motherfucking King!”
“I use Poet because of my analysis and way with words.”
“I use King ‘cause of my drive and ‘cause I’m the best!” Both Izuku and Eijirou roll their eyes
“What’s something that kinda fits with how we use our names, cause now we are a trio, and we work together!” Izuku giggles, running his hand through his hair before taking a green bandana and wraps it around his forehead, holding his hair back. Katsuki does the same but with orange.
“Well… I was thinking a while ago about this…” Eijirou mumbles, adjusting his shoes, tying them tighter. Izuku makes a sound of encouragement, his eyes holding nothing but love and care as he watches him. “I was thinking… Soldier.”
“Why Soldier?” Katsuki asks, flexing his hand as minor explosions pop.
“Because I want to be… I want to be strong and provide protection for people.” Katsuki and Izuku share a look and smile wide, Izuku’s full of light and love, Katsukis a grin of pride and admiration.
“Alright, Soldier! Let’s get ready to leave and kick some ass!” Katsuki hollers, putting his mask on and putting the jacket hoodie on, tightening it to help stop it from falling. Izuku followed suit and looked towards the setting sun.
“We’ll be fine if we leave now. Ready to test your parkour skills Soldier?” With a nod, they’re off.
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Climbing the mounds of trash and off the beach. They run along the ground for a few minutes, dipping into alleys and behind things when people are by. Soon they can climb up a pipe and stand on the roof. “Be wary of using your quirk, that’ll be major trouble. You can use it if they hit you first.”
“Wait why?” Soldier asked, his head tilted towards Poet.
“Because then you guys can plead self-defense. If you use it before they do, it’s illegal. It’s a by-pass of the law. Makes for fewer charges if we get caught, which is unlikely.”
“Oh, okay! Makes sense.”
“Also, be wary of the fuckin hobo, he likes to chase us.”
“Ho-Hobo? Who’s that?”
“King means Eraserhead, an underground hero who likes to chase us if he sees us. His quirk allows him to erase your quirk via eye contact until he blinks. He has a scarf like weapon that he controls at whim an-”
“C’mon nerd. We gotta patrol if we want to get sleep tonight.”
“Right sorry! Let’s go!” With smiles, the jump. Leaping from building to building, Poet and King watch Soldier free run. He jumps and flips sometimes, hardening his limps when he’s about to land too hard. They run for a few blocks when King hears a muffled scream and a bang against something metal. The three share a look and bound away. Their steps silent, they come across an alley. At ground level, they see a group of men arguing.
“This isn’t the amount we agreed on!” A man with black hair that curls at his shoulders yell. His eyes are deep purple that looks like they're glowing a soft hue. He’s built well, with clear muscles seen through his shirt and a scar peeking from his collar that looks to travel down his left arm. A strong gust of wind swirls around him, his left-hand raises threateningly.
“Ye it is! This was what the text said!” Another man. His hair is pale white styled in a buzz cut with a pattern of lines through the shave. It’s heavier on the top, flipped over to the left. He’s shorter than the first male and leaner with less muscle. His right arm has a bandage wrapped around his elbow, suggesting needle insertion. His shirt has two holes sliced in the back, the skin has slight bones peeking through. They shift into wings thrown up and outwards.
“C’mon Hiroto! Let’s just drop it before we get caught!” The last man pleads. He appears more skittish and wary. His solid black eyes dart from corner to corner, his hair a silver shade, darker at the roots. His arms around hugging himself, various scars littering his arms, some old, some fresh. He’s clearly paranoid.
“Oh shut it Gin!” The man with wings, Hiroto, snaps, and the silver-haired man, apparently named Gin. His wings flutter and hit Gin, who winced and curls in on himself more, backing up.
Poet taps the ground three times, gaining Soldier and King’s attention. He starts signing in the pale moonlight ‘First guy seems to have some wind quirk. Maybe tied to emotions because it gets stronger the more anger he shows, Soldier might be better to fight him. H-I-R-O-T-O has a wing mutation, might not be as strong as H-A-W-K-S but maybe similar, King take him because of speed. G-I-N is very skittish, but I can’t tell what quirk. Maybe emotions, I’ll take him. He seems scared of the other two. Might be there against his will.’
The other two boys nod and crouch looking over the ledge. The men’s bickering has gotten more violent, wings flapping and lifting Hiroto slightly, the wind spins dust around the two. Gin has backed up more, closer to the alley entrance. King counts down from three on his hand and the three are off, jumping down and sliding down the wall, the fire escape, and a pipe. King jumps off the pipe and tackles the first man, landing on his back pushing him forward. Soldier jumps off the wall and lands behind Hiroto, grabbing the top of his wings and pulling. Poet swings off the fire escape and lands near Gin, blocking his escape, and stands on guard.
King standing on the guy's back jumps off and watches him stand. “Fuckin Hell!” The man curses, spinning around with his hand outstretched towards King. Wing picks up fast and shoves him backward. He struggles to maintain balance and ducks close to the ground running towards him. Getting close, he plants his hands on the ground and swipes his leg out from under the man who’s been throwing air punches at him. The man falls back, his head landing on the concrete with a resounding thud and groans of pain. Stomping on his chest, winding him, he grabs zip ties from the pocket of his jacket and quickly tightens them around the man's wrist and ankles. One down.
Soldier pulls the wings of Hiroto down, causing the man to yelp and struggle to getaway. His wings flap and flutter violently, the ends sharp. The end scratches against Soldier who pulls the wings towards him, raising his knee and hitting the center of Hiroto’s back. He groans and struggles harder. “Let me go!” he grunts. Soldier releases one wing and grabs the man’s hair pulling his back and headbutting him. His yelp is cut off as he is rendered unconscious. Dropping his down softly, he grabs zip ties from his pocket and binds him, the same as King. Two down.
Poet blocks the path of Gin, who yelps and shakes watching him. “Please… Please don’t hurt me…” he pleads, his hands shaking as they raise in surrender, tears slide down his face, leaving streaks of silver.
“What was going on?” Poet’s voice is calm but stern, a sense of authority.
“H-Hiroto dragged me h-here… He j-just wanted the t-trigger!”
“What was the argument on?”
“Hiroto w-wanted to scam the g-guy, he paid him less than what was agreed. Please j-just let me go!” Gin pleaded, the silver streaks down his face and neck, staining the color of his shirt.
“You know I can’t do that… If you are cooperative with the police you might be in the clear.” Poet’s eyes dart behind Gin as King creeps up behind him. With a hand chop to the neck, he hits a pressure point and the man falls unconscious. Poet sighs and reaches for his pockets, feeling for a phone. He hands it to King as he calls 110 and walks to the alley entrance. Poet looks to Soldier “Grab the other two and tie them to the pole over there, King’s calling the station.”
“Okie Dokie!” He grabs the two by their forearms and drags them to the suggested pole where Poet is sitting Gin up. Once all three are sitting there, a few zip ties are cuffed around them and the pole, leaving them waiting for an arrest. King finishes his tapped conversation with the station and walks back, hanging up and slipping Gin’s phone back in his pocket.
“We’ve gotta dip soon, Hobo’s gonna get here soon.” King grunts stretching his arms.
“Alright let’s go.” The three share a look before climbing back to the rooftops. Soldier looks over the edge once more at the three bound and sighs, a soft smile along his face. “My first night as a vigilante… saving people with my family.” He thinks before bounding after Poet and King.
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Their night is filled with one more drug trade gone wrong and two almost rapes. As Poet is calming the male who was almost raped, Soldier and King bound the man who squirms and argues. His voice slurred with alcohol and possible drugs. Poet hands the victim's phone to King who calls the station and has a one-sided conversation. The man is shaking and sobbing, clinging to Poet’s hand as Soldier comes by. He crouches in front of him “You’re safe now. The police will be here soon and he’ll be taken away.” His voice soft and calm, his hand open in front of him, an offering of comfort. King is rushing back, handing the man his phone back.
They hear the soft crunch of shoes against gravel and all three eyes are locked up where a figure dressed in black looms, his hair lifting in fake wind and a red glare fixates on the three. Poet quickly looks at the shaking man, forcing his voice to stay calm. “We need to leave, the police will be here soon. You are safe and protected.” He squeezes the man’s hand in comfort before looking to King and Soldier and nods.
The three all quickly dart away. Soldier runs deeper in, jumping over boxes and ducking between dumpsters, King follows Soldier, but goes up a fire escape on the opposing roof of the figure running away, Poet leaves through the mouth of the alley, climbing a pole a few buildings away and follows after King. Soldier once at the opposite end of the alley, climbs up a pipe and soon, all three boys are in a formation, running away. The man, now clearly seen in the moonlight as Eraserhead, jumps to follow, his captured scarf looming around him before coming to a halt at the man below’s panicked whimpers and breath. “Goddammit…” he mutters watching as the three jump from roof to roof, getting farther away.
With another curse, he jumps into the alley and lands gracefully in front of the man, taking his yellow goggles off his eyes, his scarf wrapping back around his neck. Quick to make sure the man bound can’t get away, he sighs, before turning to comfort the man, calming from his panic attack. “There’s three of them now… goddammit, I’ll need to call Tsukauchi...” He thinks, just as the soft siren of a police car gets closer. Walking to the mouth of the alley, he sees the car pull up. Out steps two officers, both female. One is quick to go to the man and offer condolences and take his statement, the other goes to the bound man who shouts curses and threats. Eraserhead nods to the officers before using his scarf to wrap around a street light and pull himself upwards to the rooftops.
Reaching the top, he looks around and sees no sight of the vigilante. With a shake of his head, he pulls his phone out and dials Detective Tsukauchi. “We’ve got an issue."