Chapter Text
Hitoshi peered over the edge of the roof of the apartment building his current foster parents lived in. Was applying to UA and getting into the hero course to prove everyone wrong really worth putting up with the abuse he faced on a daily basis?
“Woah! Hey! What are you doing?” a voice demanded. It cracked a little, highlighting the owner’s panic. Hitoshi turned to see a winged boy with fluffy, green hair.
“Nothing yet,” Hitoshi shrugged. “Just contemplating.”
“If you’re contemplating what I think you are, take it from me. I already did and it’s not worth it,” the winged boy said sadly. “Come away from the edge, please.”
“If you did what I’m thinking of, you wouldn’t be alive,” Hitoshi countered, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“I’m not. I’m very much dead,” the boy said almost brightly. “There are few options for those who end their lives prematurely and they weren’t great. One of the better ones was becoming a guardian angel, so I picked that.”
The boy looked at him sheepishly. “I’ve been assigned to you because we’re similar.”
“With a wing quirk, I fucking doubt it,” Hitoshi snapped, glaring at him.
“Oh… No, I was quirkless when I was alive,” the boy revealed, twisting slightly to peer at his wings over his shoulder. “The wings come with the guardian angel package. I think I have other powers now too? To help you.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Hitoshi asked. “You could just be some asshole with a wing quirk who thinks it’s funny to fuck with people.”
“That’s fair… Do you have a phone?” Hitoshi nodded. “Does it have internet?”
“No,” Hitoshi answered flatly.
“Hm… Would you be willing to postpone your uh… contemplation and come find a computer with me? Maybe a library?” the boy asked cautiously.
“...You want me to follow you to a secondary location?” Hitoshi asked with suspicion.
“Well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad,” the boy pouted. Pouted.
“Fine. But we stay where people can see us. I’m not going down any dark, abandoned alleys with you,” Hitoshi compromised.
“See you,” the boy corrected. “Other people can’t see me unless I reveal myself. It’s harder with people I don’t have a connection to. It’s easiest with my assigned person. Although… technically I’m not supposed to reveal myself to you at all. Which is stupid because why would they make it easier if we’re not supposed to? It should be the other way around or…”
Hitoshi watched, incredulous, as the boy devolved into some kind of mumbling fit. The snippets he caught were basically trashing whatever sentience was behind the supposed guardian angel program. This was enough to cement the belief that this boy wouldn’t be capable of hurting him. He might be completely delusional, but he’s too serious to be pranking him.
“Come on. Focus, Excalibird,” Hitoshi interrupted. “You wanted to go to the library.”
“Excali...what?” the boy parroted.
“You’re like a bodyguard, yeah? That’s the same thing as a knight, more or less. You have wings. Excalibird,” Hitoshi explained quickly. “Now hurry up. I have a curfew.”
“R-right!” the boy exclaimed, spreading his wings before stopping. “You can’t fly.”
“Use the stairs,” Hitoshi responded, unimpressed.
“O-oh, right… s-stairs,” the boy stuttered, flushing red with embarrassment and folding his wings again. “I forgot.”
“It’s fine,” Hitoshi huffed, leading him to the stairwell. The boy followed but froze just outside the door. Hitoshi raised an eyebrow in question. “Problem?”
“I haven’t actually gone inside a building since I died,” the boy admitted. “I heard ghosts can get trapped.”
“I thought you were an angel?” Hitoshi pointed out.
“I am now. But what if angels get trapped too?” the boy fretted with wide eyes.
“Oh, for the love of-- Get in here!” Hitoshi moved to grab the boy’s arm, exasperated with him. Instead, his hand phased through it. “What the…?”
“I’m sorry! Did you want me tangible?” the boy asked.
“You’re intangible too?!” Hitoshi waved his hands in the space where the boy should be. Instead, his hands just passed through him.
“Please, stop that,” the boy requested, grimacing. “It’s uncomfortable.”
Hitoshi sighed. “Okay. How about this? When we get to the library, you’ll have to go inside. That’s a building. For now, fly down and wait for me at this building’s entrance. That way if you get trapped, it’s in the library where I can visit no matter where my foster placement is.”
“Yeah! Okay!” the boy agreed, spreading his wings and taking to the air.
I’m still not sure I believe him, Hitoshi thought. But he’s at least nice, if incredibly delusional… Though, if no one else sees him, maybe I’m delusional.
When it turned out to be true that no one else could see the boy, Hitoshi began hoping he was an angel. Because the only other alternatives were a delusional nutcase with an extremely complex quirk or Hitoshi was so desperate to feel loved that he made an imaginary friend… a highly realistic one. An angel was the better option of those three.
“So what am I looking for?” Hitoshi whispered once he got logged into a library computer.
“Midoriya Izuku. That’s my name,” the boy, Midoriya, told him. “I was quirkless though, so I’m not sure how much coverage my death would have gotten. I think I have to at least be in the obituaries.”
Hitoshi shrugged and typed the name into the search bar. The first few results all looked like articles by semi-major news outlets. He clicked on the first one. The article featured a picture of the same green-haired boy that stood next to him now, minus the wings.
Aldera Junior High Under Investigation For Quirk Discrimination And Child Abuse
On April 24th, 20XX, Midoriya Izuku, a 14-year-old attending Aldera Junior High committed suicide due to extreme quirk discrimination by his teachers and peers. In his final letter, which has not been released to the public due to his mother’s request, he outlines the discrimination and abuse that he faced, and even cites other victims of the school by name.
Midoriya Izuku was quirkless. The other students named have so-called ‘weak’ or ‘villainous’ quirks. Midoriya’s death has brought to light a serious issue in our society that is often dismissed. The school itself is now under investigation and the police are seeking to press criminal charges against the main perpetrators, which include both faculty and other students.
Quirk Discrimination activist groups are rallying together to support Midoriya’s mother and the other victims of the school. Quirkless Advocacy groups are also offering their aid and speaking out against this injustice. These groups are uring people across Japan to reach out if they are experiencing or witnessing quirk discrimination and abuse. A list of contact information has been posted on our home page.
His mother asks to be left to grieve in peace at this time. Reporters are asked to direct their inquiries to the Musutafu police department. Any interview requests [...]
“Oh, I didn’t know they were going after Aldera,” Midoriya murmured quietly.
“They fucking should,” Hitoshi whispered harshly. “They fucking killed you.”
“Technically All Might was--” Midoriya cut himself off.
“All Might was…?” Hitoshi prompted, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“It’s a long story,” Midoriya replied, avoiding Hitoshi’s gaze.
“You’re dead. I have time,” Hitoshi smirked.
Midoriya gaped and him and sputtered, ”I am pretty sure that is very rude to say to a person!”
“Find me a speaking to the dead etiquette book and I’ll adjust accordingly,” Hitoshi quipped.
Making a displeased noise, like he couldn’t form an actual response, Midoriya frowned. “Fine. The day I died, I was attacked by a slime villain. All Might saved me and I asked him if I could be a hero even though I was quirkless. And he said no. Up until that point I had tried to ignore the suicide baiting I got at school but after that, I just couldn’t anymore.”
“All right. So. I believe you’re an angel. Or at least a ghost,” Hitoshi decided. “All Might basically killed you. And your school abused you, much like mine is currently doing. What now?”
“I wasn’t supposed to reveal myself to you but aside from that, my purpose was pretty much to just follow you around and keep you safe,” Midoriya told him. “But um, now that you’ve seen me, maybe I can be your friend too? If you want me, I mean…”
“If you’re going to stalk me, sure. Why not?” Hitoshi said nonchalantly. “At least if we’re friends, it won’t be creepy or awkward for you to hang around.”
“Then um, call me Izuku!” the angel exclaimed, offering his hand.
Tentatively, Hitoshi took it, surprised when he could actually touch it for a proper handshake. “Hitoshi,” he replied simply. “Ready to see if you’re trapped in the library now?”
The good news was: He was not trapped in the library and Hitoshi had a new friend.
