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It was a little past sundown when Izuku came across him. It had been the shock of purple that had caught his eye.
In the alleyway below him there was a boy slumped against the wall. He didn’t so much as startle when Izuku jumped down from on top of the building, nor did he stir when he approached. He really hoped the mystery guy was just asleep. Izuku really didn’t want to find a dead body, thank you very much.
Whoever they were, they were pretty messed up. Their clothes were tattered and he could see a few bruises dotting their skin. There was a cut on their temple which seemed to have bled quite a bit. But that wasn’t what drew Izuku’s attention. No, that right was reserved for the black muzzle on their face. Or at least, he was pretty sure it was a muzzle - you never knew these days with all these mutations. It looked like there was blood crusted along the edges though, so it seemed like a fair assumption that it wasn’t supposed to be there.
It covered a large portion of his face, bridging over the nose and curving under his eyes, resting on his cheekbones. Straps held it in place around his head.
Izuku frowned and crouched beside the person. He could see the rise and fall of their chest, so they weren’t dead just yet. That was a relief. He was traumatised enough thanks. He didn’t need to add ‘dead body’ to the list.
Poking them didn’t elicit a response so they were definitely out, likely knocked out if that cut was any suggestion. From what he could see, they weren’t seriously injured and gently patting them over didn’t pick up anything either. If they were badly hurt, then it was likely an internal issue which Izuku unfortunately couldn’t solve for them.
He nibbled on his lip while he thought over what to do now.
He didn’t know this person, so it’s not like he could take them home or somewhere else that was safe for them. Clearly they weren’t homeless or, if they were, then it was fairly recent due to the fact that he had never seen them before and there was nothing set up in the alley. He knows these streets well. He would have seen him. And he hadn’t been notified of anyone new moving into the territory. He had a good relationship with the others on the streets and knew that they would have alerted him if they had heard about anyone moving in.
He clearly wasn’t about to leave them here but he wasn’t stupid enough to bring them back to one of his hideouts. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had tried to lure him in by using his want to help against him. NO he had learned that lesson the hard way.
Bringing him to the hospital wasn’t a bad idea, especially if there did turn out to be serious injuries, but Izuku didn’t know enough to know if they would be safe there either. What if the person who did this worked there or something?! Okay he was probably just being paranoid but still. He could bring him to an underground clinic but the nearest one was a town over. He didn’t fancy dragging an unconscious stranger so far, even if it was past sunset.
He grinned. Looks like he was paying a visit tonight after all.
Now then. He shuffled a bit closer and gently began manoeuvring the person away from the wall so he could look at the straps. Unfortunately, there was a lock, fortunately the straps were cheap leather and he could easily cut through them with his knife. As he lay the person down gently, he couldn’t help the way his heartbeat picked up as he began sawing away. ‘Please don’t wake up, Stranger-san. Please don’t wake up. I really don’t want to accidentally stab your eye out of something.’
When the first strap snapped off and they didn’t jolt awake, Izuku let out a breath of relief. Whew. Alright now just the rest. He tried to go quickly while still being careful.
Eventually he was able to pull it free which he did and immediately tied it to his waist. God did he wish he could just throw it away. He had noticed the edges did in fact have blood on them so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it had cut into the person’s cheeks and nose.
Turning back to the stranger he couldn’t help the gasp that escaped. Well. That was a problem.
It had taken some clever shifting and careful balancing but Izuku had eventually managed to tie the person to his back using some of the cloth he kept wrapped around his arms and body as extra protection layers.
It felt kinda weird honestly. He was essentially giving a piggyback ride to, not only a stranger, but an unconscious stranger. It also just felt weird having someone touching him.
Anyways-
He was glad that he knew the streets as well as he did. It meant he was able to transverse the area quickly. Of course, he wasn’t as quick as he would have been had he taken the rooftops and not been weighed down by another human, but he was still able to travel the alleyways to the apartment in record time.
His hands were a little full so he carefully balanced on one leg, using the other foot to kick at the door in a facsimile of a knock.
His grin was hidden behind his mask, the glare he was receiving not phasing him in the slightest, “Eraser!~ Hi hi!” He took great pleasure in the knowledge that Hero was resisting the overwhelming urge to just slam the door in his face.
(He had done that once. Back when they were first interacting after the police had asked for help in catching him. Eraser had not been happy to learn that the vigilante somehow knew where he lived and had slammed the door as soon as he saw him. Izuku had just picked the lock and invited himself in.)
Rather than slamming the door, Eraser took a deep breathe and moved back into the apartment. Izuku grinned wider and followed him in. He made sure to shut the door behind him. No need to be rude after all. Besides, they both felt safer with a shut door. He would have preferred to lock it but, again, full hands and all that. He would’ve tried using his teeth but then he might end up dropping the stranger. So he just settled for following Eraser into the living room.
“So what did you bring to my doorstep this time, Ersatz?”
“A person!”
Okay, maybe he sounded way too happy when he said that but what can he say? He liked Eraser and did not get to converse with the man enough. He was usually too busy running from the man.
At the sharp look from Eraser he hurried to actually explain. He couldn’t help people if he was dead! “So, there I was, barbeque-” he shifted to avoid the pen that was thrown at him. Rude. “Okay, okay! I found him in an alley.”
“You found him in an alley.”
He nodded happily.
“And you brought him here, why? ”
“Oh. Well-” he shifted from one foot to the other, contemplating how to explain. “Uh… Honestly it’s probably better if you see? And I mean, well, it’s not like I could bring him to the hospital,” Izuku slowly started the process of removing the stranger from his back and getting them on the sofa. “For all I know he might just be in more danger.”
He heard a heavy sigh from Eraser. “One day we’re going to talk about your issues with trusting people who are supposed to help.”
Izuku waved him off as he finally set the person down, “Nothing to talk about, Eraser.”
“Uh huh.”
“So glad you agree!”
He didn’t miss the eyeroll Eraser gave before he turned to examine the stranger that was now sat on his sofa. Izuku heard the man inhale sharply before letting out a quiet curse.
Yeah that was a good summary of the situation.
Izuku had been right about the muzzle cutting into the person’s skin though it luckily wasn’t too deep. The main problem was their mouth. Or, more specifically, the threads sewing it shut.
The threads were thin and light in colour, blending in better with their skin. Multiple lines ran from corner to corner and pressed into the flesh, suggesting they had been sewn tightly together.
Izuku nibbled on his own lip as he glanced between the two, waiting for instruction for what to do next. It’s not like he had experience with this kind of situation.
Eventually there was a loud, long exhale from Eraser.
“Alright. Here’s what’s gonna happen.”
They were sat in a slightly awkward silence when the stranger made their way into the kitchen. There was coffee but Izuku couldn’t drink it without removing his mask, if only partially, and so he had been left to fidget since he refused to answer any of Eraser’s questions that weren’t about the mystery person from the alley. At least, he was left fidgeting until Izuku finally decided to commandeer some paper and a pen and had since sat doodling away while they waited.
The stranger was cautious, peeking their head into the kitchen before hesitantly stepping in, purple eyes darting between the two sat at the island. Izuku immediately perked up when he saw him and waved. He just squinted back. They all sat (or stood) in silence for a few moments before Eraser finally saw fit to break it.
“Due to the nature of your injuries, you’re best off not speaking for a bit. I’m Pro-Hero Eraserhead.” The stranger’s eyes widened a bit at that. Interesting. So they knew Eraser? Maybe they were a fan. Izuku could get behind that. He was one himself after all. “You were found unconscious in an alley. Luckily nothing was broken or sprained and there was no internal bleeding.” Izuku nodded along. It had been a relief that he wasn’t seriously injured. “There’s a good chance you received a concussion though, so I would like to check that out later.” Eraser paused, waiting for a response. The person gave a short nod after a moment.
Izuku chose that moment to jump in. “Hello!” He was careful not to be too loud. No need to upset him. “I’m Ersatz, the one who found you.” Ignoring the daggers that Eraser was no doubt glaring into his head, he flipped the paper he had been doodling on over to the blank side and slid it over along with the pen. “What can we call you?”
They seemed to hesitate for a while, a hand coming up to scratch absently at their neck. Glancing between him and Eraser they slowly reached for the pen. When neither of them made a move to… Stop him? Attack him?... Well when whatever he was waiting to happen didn't happen, he gripped the pen tightly. He rolled it between his fingers for a few seconds before finally scrawling out an answer and turning the paper around for them to read. Izuku noted that he kept hold of the pen. Smart. Pens are good weapons in a pinch. He approves.
Eager as he was, Izuku was careful not to move too fast as he leaned closer to read the words.
Shinsou Hitoshi.
Izuku beamed and settled back.
“Nice to meet you, Hitoshi-kun!”