Plus Ultra!!! 18+ (Smolcat)

[otarusushi]

The blaring sound of an alarm clock had Izuku climbing out from his dream world, only somewhat unwillingly, and reaching across his bed to lightly swipe the screen of his cellphone. He yawned deep and ignored the slight resistance of his muscles when he sat up in his bed. He winced and rolled his shoulders a few times.

 

"I guess yesterday's fight was a bit harder on my bod than I thought it'd be." Izuku muttered to himself and wondered why it was that the aches never registered until the following day.

 

It was still dark, but Izuku habitually began his day before night yielded to dawn. Such was the consequence of being the number 1 hero, he supposed. He didn't really mind, actually, it suited him. The quiet, the city lights twinkling through his windows, the routine, and the promise of the hard, rewarding work that would follow.

 

Izuku rose from bed, stretched his hands up towards the ceiling so dramatically that he went up on his tip toes. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he made his way to the adjoining bathroom. He paused on his way to the toilet to take in his appearance in the mirror. Blackish-green hair curled, twisted, and crumpled around his handsome face, only a tad bit more haphazardly than usual. His eyes, though still half-lidded with drowsiness, lacked dark circles. His skin remained clear thanks to his disciplined skin-care routine, but his chin was dusted with stubby black hairs. He ran his hand over his chin.

 

"So rough..." he commented absently and then focused his attention to his hand. It was large, calloused and heavily scared. Most of his fingers were slightly crooked, having been broken so many times, at some point the bones had refused to heal quite right. (The same could be said for a few of his toes, unfortunately.)Izuku balled them into a fist and then released them again, a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. The scars on his hand, and the scar on his arm always filled him with such nostalgia.

 

His school days seemed both far away and still very close.

 

Shaking his head, Izuku tore himself away from the mirror and began the process of getting himself together. He showered, shaved his face, changed, and had breakfast. His breakfast was simple, lazy, and nothing fancy. Fluffy, thick toast, egg, and a green salad. Honestly, he didn't know how to make too much else, not to mention he was quite clumsy in the kitchen. It really was a pain to have to clean it all up afterwards.

 

Izuku polished off his food, gathered up his dishes, and went straight to washing them. When he was finished he fetched his back pack and swung it over one shoulder. Izuku sat down at his genkan and began sliding on his trade-mark red shoes. (though this pair wasn't the same one that he had worn in High School. Those ones had been thrown out long ago) On the shelf nearest the front door had his 3 current favorite hats/headgear: an old, slightly beat up All Might baseball cap, A Ground Zero snap back, and a pair of Earphone Jack's ear buds. Izuku snatched up the All Might cap and the ear buds before heading out the door.

 

He didn't need to drive, or take a train to his Heroes office being that it was only a 10 minute walk from his apartment. Which had been the biggest selling point of this place when he had first begun apartment hunting. The slightly chill, morning air felt brisk on his freckled face and gave him a burst of energy. Izuku picked up the pace until he was slightly jogging, eager to begin yet another day of being the new symbol of peace.

[smolcat]

 

 

Name: Kosuke Fujimura

Age: 18

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 150 lbs

DOB: October 25th

Blood Type: AB

 

Quirk: Porcupine. Kosuke can create quill-like spikes from his skin and shoot them out in range at will, or keep them attached to his body for defensive use. These quills are as strong as steel and tend to be as sharp as needles. Because the quills are produced from his skin, his body has naturally quick restoration abilities to repair any damaged cells that were harmed from creating the spikes. However, after extensive use of his quirk, his natural restoration abilities will begin to fail--incapable of keeping up after such heavy use--which causes every quill he produces to cause damage to his skin tissues. His quirk, essentially, can become dangerous and even harmful for him to use if he goes past his limits.

 

Personality: Kosuke is a relatively quiet individual. Often a bit poker-faced, he doesn't usually express his emotions as freely as one might desire, despite how deeply he tends to feel. Kosuke however tends to be very sensitive and empathetic, and cares deeply for the people he comes across even in casual interaction. Often trying to think logically, Kosuke can be perceptive of others' intents and can often think analytically even in combat situations. However, due to his usual bottling defense mechanisms and bad habits of over-thinking, he can be prone to high stress and mental break downs should things become too overwhelming.

 

History: Although Kosuke doesn't usually talk about his personal life, it's no secret that he had attended and graduated from a lesser-known superhero academy. And despite not coming from a prestigious school like UA Academy, Kosuke did well in school and when he entered the License Exams, he passed with decent scores. Although technically allowed to do what a pro hero does, Kosuke tends to act as a sidekick and backup support and firepower in the battlefield, and almost never works alone.

 

 

 

Kosuke ran, the air difficult to come by as his lungs heaved. Skidding to a stop, he slammed the door to the classroom open, panting as he stood in the doorway head bowed slightly and knuckles turning white against the entryway's frame. Slowly looking up, his classmates all had their eyes fixed on him, and even the teacher was staring.

 

"Why isn't he wearing shoes?" one of the classmates whispered, loudly enough that the burgundy-haired boy could hear. Another chuckled and pointed at him as panic crept up Kosuke's spine.

 

Jolting awake, Kosuke's dark blue eyes locked on the wall in front of him. He'd been curled up on his side, blankets messily tossed over his form, and with each hand he was gripping tightly to his arms. His heart was racing and his muscles were tense and sore. Kosuke took in a deep breath and sat upright in his bed, slowly letting go of himself as he noticed sharp quills protruding from his skin. They made holes in his shirt, and pricked the bed and blankets, and the young man sighed.

 

Plucking one from his cheek and setting it on his bedside, Kosuke glanced at his closet just across the way. Why did that scare me? So bizarre. He threw off his shirt and stripped his pants, tossing them into the hamper before grabbing a fresh change of clothes. This time, with less holes. Honestly, getting new clothes every time I activate my quirk is going to end up costing me more than rent. But I don't want to look like a bum with ripped up, holey clothes either, so I guess it's necessary...

 

Kosuke began plucking the quills from his skin before he got into his new clothes. He brushed his hair, put on some socks, grabbed his watch, and then left for the kitchen. Grabbing a protein drink from the fridge, he leaned his lower back against the counter and looked out the window, quietly sipping from his straw. The sun was barely cresting over the skyline, and the street lights were still on, illuminating the streets. He tossed the empty bottle in the bin once he was finished, and finally went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and finish prepping for the day.

 

Slipping on his shoes and locking the door behind him, Kosuke grabbed his bike and started riding through the city toward the office where he was to be meeting up with a certain somebody...

[otarusushi]

During the hours of early morning, Izuku's hero office was relatively quiet. Usually, it was at this time that he would take the opportunity to catch up on paperwork before things started to get hectic. Once he started on his patrols it was very likely that he'd fall behind on office work...

 

At this hour, usually the only people present were himself, the director of the agency, the director's assistant, a few security guards, and...-

 

- Come to think of it?

 

Izuku's eyes left the documents on his desk to scan his surroundings. His agency was an older building, having been around since Grand Torino's prime days. So, there was obvious wear and tear, even despite the fact that the building itself had been restored and rebuilt multiple times. The floors were scarred, but clean. A few of the walls had scuffs, cracks, and dents; a result of a few quirk mishaps from the staff.

 

However, the point of him scanning the area wasn't to take in the scenery, it was to locate a particular someone and this someone always arrived right behind him during the week. That someone was Kosuke Fujimura, sidekick and good friend to the hero Deku.

 

Kosuke was a quiet young man, with a (sometimes) too serious face. Izuku had taken to these aspects of his personality almost immediately since it was fairly similar to his friend and old school-mate Todoroki Shouto. That's where the similarities ended, however, and this would become clear to Izuku over time.

 

Before Izuku could do one more vision sweep of the office floor, Kosuke came walking in through the front door.

 

When it seemed as though the other man had spotted him, Izuku lifted his hand in greeting.

 

"Good morning, Fujimura!" Izuku beamed at him. He reached over his piles of paperwork in an attempt to bump fists with the other man, as was their usual morning greeting. "You look good! Sleep well?"

[smolcat]

Kosuke locked his bike in place after he arrived to the office building, and walked inside with his back straight and head held upright. No confidence in his step, but neither did he slink or cower as he walked, either. The young man looked a bit under dressed for the casual business atmosphere, but he always dressed this way. Baggy T-shirts obtained from the cheapest of thrift shops, casual jeans that usually didn't fit quite right with a plain black belt tied tightly around his waist. And, of course, his black steel-toed boots... Most people didn't give him too much trouble once they learned how destructive and involuntary his quirk could be, but that didn't make Kosuke feel any less awkward and uncomfortable about it.

 

During this hour of the morning, the office was always deadly quiet, and every noise seemed a hundred times more noticeable than it would is the gentle hum of the busier hours. So when Kosuke entered the office room, opening and closing the door behind him as quietly as he could, it was no surprise that Izuku's head bobbed up at the sound and excitedly beamed upon seeing his partner's arrival. Kosuke turned timidly to the other man, and smiled a bit awkwardly when he was greeted so warmly. Not that it was unusual for Deku to behave the way he did...

 

"Good morning Midoriya," Kosuke greeted in turn, approaching the other man's desk before lightly bumping his fist against the #1 Hero's. His smile faded a little after time, however, and he paused for a moment at the compliment. "Oh, thank you. You look good, too." He grabbed a chair and took a seat a couple of feet away from Izuku's desk. "I... slept as well as I could," he said blankly. "And you? Also, do you need any assistance or help with anything at all...?" He glanced at Izuku, his eyes lingering momentarily at the constellation of freckles that dotted the other man's cheeks. He glanced over to the stacks of paper, as if to non-verbally put his attention and suggestion onto all of the desk work Izuku seemed to be busy with. It looked pretty over-whelming, at least to Kosuke it did, anyway...

[otarusushi]

Izuku laughed a bit nervously and he scratched the back of his head, the action sending his curls further into disarray. "That obvious, huh?"

 

"No matter how quick I am about it, it always seems to become this way." Izuku pointed to the stacks of papers behind him. "In my school days if someone had told me that hero work required this much paperwork, I might not have believed them."

 

Shaking his head, izuku shrugged. Then he beamed another toothy smile at Kosuke, "I appreciate your offer to help and will gladly take you up on it!"

 

Izuku whirled his chair around and scooted closer to the table behind his desk. He began shifting through his documents until he found the folder he was looking for. "Ah-hah!" he exclaimed, a bit too pleased about that minor accomplishment.

 

Whirling his chair back in the direction that faced Kosuke, Izuku held the file up towards him. "This mess of papers is related to yesterday's fiasco with that villain. Essentially, you just have to go over the observation reports and then sign em'. The police just want to confirm that they have the details straight and since we worked that one together, they'll accept your confirmation."

 

"Unfortunately, all of this other stuff requires my signature." he gestured to his workload and laughed again, but humor didn't quite make its way into his voice this time.

 

"Alright!" Izuku exclaimed a bit too enthusiastically, almost as if he was trying to fire himself up. A few heads turned in his direction in mild interest before going back to whatever it was they were doing prior to his outburst. Everyone on this particular floor of the building was rather used to Deku's quirky (see what I did there) nature at this point. When the freckled man went on one of his hero tangents, no one so much as batted an eye at it anymore.

 

"Let's get to it, shall we? This, too, is an important part of making the world a safer place to live!" Izuku winked at Kosuke and gave him a thumbs up before he delved back into his work.

 

Izuku's personality hadn't experienced an outlandish change since his school days, but he was much better at exuding optimism than before. During his time at UA, his younger self had struggled deeply with having confidence in himself and as such had trouble with thinking himself worthy of One For All. Perhaps, this was another thing that drew him to Kosuke. His troublesome quirk that didn't quite suit his body (or damaged it with excessive use) and his lack of being able to control it at times all rang an all too familiar bell with Izuku. It was his utmost hope that he'd be able to help Kosuke break out of his shell, so to speak.

 

A couple of hours would pass by before anything noteworthy occurred. The two men fell into silence, aside from the occasional mumbling from Izuku as he thought out-loud on certain cases. By the time 10 am rolled around, he had taken a huge chunk out of the stacks on his desk. Just in time for morning patrols!

 

Dropping his pen on his desk, Izuku flexed his right hand a few times in an attempt to work out the stiffness in his joints. He wasn't sure if it was the copious amount of writing he'd done, all the injuries to his fingers, or a culmination of both that was the cause. Either way, he didn't complain.

 

A small alarm sounded from his watch causing him to divert his attention to it. "Guess that's our cue, Fujimura!"

 

Izuku rose from his desk and stretched languidly.

"Hopefully, this peace lasts, but it'll be good to get up and move around, don't you think Kosuke?"

 

"Let's hurry into our uniforms." with that, he made his way to the locker rooms.

[smolcat]

Kosuke nodded a little. "I mean... it is a pretty big pile of work, so it's hard to miss it..." Izuku awkwardly admitted how in his youth, he never would have assumed that being a hero would require so much desk work as well. Kosuke smiled a little at the thought. "I suppose it is the less glamorous side of heroics," he commented. "Everyone wants to fight the villains, but everyone forgets that once you've saved the day you have to make sure everything is properly recorded and filed... That way if any new information is discovered, or any villains to successfully escape, it's all known and easy to find..."

 

He paused, realizing how badly that sounded. Kozuke's eyes widened a little in panic as he quickly corrected himself, "I mean, of course I don't mean you or anything--nobody can get away with evil when you're around and you're too strong to let anyone escape. I just meant... other heroes." Like himself. "But you're right, it's absolutely crucial that all of this work gets done."

 

The young superhero was glad, however, when Izuku agreed to let Kosuke help, and a smile crept onto his face when Izuku enthusiastically snatched up a file for Kosuke to examine. However, his expression dropped--if only slightly--as he looked at the file that was handed to him.

 

Glancing at the mountain of paper on Izuku's desk, Kosuke looked back at the single file he'd been handled. "Yes, of course," he complied when Izuku explained he simply needed to look over the details and sign it off at the end to confirm the information was accurate. He looked back at the cheerful green-haired man, a hint of concern on his features. "If you're... sure this is all I can help you with." He moved over to the spare table, bringing his chair with him, and set the file down on the cold metallic surface.

 

Bowing his head slightly as he looked closer at the first page, flipping it open to read, Kosuke gently rubbed the base of his neck absentmindedly as he inspected the report. It wasn't a ridiculously long report, and Kosuke was a somewhat fast reader, so it didn't take him very long to look through the details, confirm that everything was correct, and sign it off. He knew if there were some incorrect information, or something that had been left out, he would have to re-write the entire paper before signing it off, just so that the police had an official-looking, final draft that had a valid name scribbled at the bottom. But the villain they'd encountered before was a fairly weak one, and with Deku by his side... well, the villain's fight was over before it had even begun. There was little to report, and so there wasn't a whole lot to get wrong.

 

Scribbling his name at the bottom, Kosuke capped his pen and closed the file, glancing back over his shoulder to look at the symbol of peace as he hurriedly worked away. I just wish I could do more to help him. Not that he's incapable, I mean... Deku always manages to do what he needs to, but... there just always seems to be so much on his plate. Meanwhile I feel like I'm no help at all... Maybe if he took me with him when he fought more villains, I could at least help with half of the reports and lighten his burden, but... Kosuke sighed a little, turning his head back to the table. Cupping his cheek with one hand, he frowned slightly. It's not like he even needs my help. Honestly, if I were to come with him when he fights some of the more dangerous villains... I'd probably just get in the way. And I'd rather not be there at all than be a burden...

 

He'd finished his report in just a few minutes, since it didn't need as much work or effort as other reports might have. And, since Izuku had his hands full with all of the work he had to accomplish, Kosuke sat quietly at the table. He knew that Izuku probably wouldn't need anything from him, but he wanted to be available just in case something did come up...

 

However, as the hours passed, nothing ended up coming up. Which was okay. Izuku's alarm went off and he spoke up, grabbing Kosuke's attention. He turned to glance at Izuku from over his shoulder and nodded, quickly getting up from the table and pushing his chair in. "Yeah, I think so," he agreed with a nod, following after Izuku when the other lead the way to the locker room. "Besides, it's good to be prepared, just in case," he added as he shadowed the other. Of course, it's not like I want more dangerous to pop up, or for crime to happen more frequently or anything, but... I know that those things happen. So it's good not to get weak and lazy just because things are more peaceful now. Because if something super dangerous does show up, we need to be prepared... He glanced at Izuku's back. Well. I suppose Deku's always ready. But I certainly need to keep working at getting better.

 

When they got there, Kosuke walked over to his locker and quietly opened it. Stripping off his shirt, he started changing into his uniform. Stopping halfway, though, he looked momentarily at Izuku. "Um... Hey, Midoriya..." Returning his attention back to getting dressed, he pulled up his pants and folded his casual clothing before putting them back in his locker. "If you want, you know... um... You can bring me along to more fights, you know... I really wouldn't mind helping out more, and that way there's less work piled up for you. I mean... it's got to be stressful having so much, and I'd be happy to help out more..." He awkwardly rubbed the base of his neck. I mean... if he doesn't want me to tag along more frequently, I'm sure he's got a very good reason and I'd respect whatever he says, but... I don't... want to be so useless, either... "That is--" he looked at Izuku, rubbing one arm as he added, "--if you say no, I completely understand and I wouldn't be upset or anything."

[otarusushi]

Once they had both reached the locker rooms, he opened the door and held it open for Kosuke to pass through. As the younger man passed him by, Izuku caught a whiff of soap and shampoo. Being so close to him, the differences in their heights and builds was all the more noticeable. Kosuke was shorter than him by almost 5 inches and he had a much thinner build. Izuku himself had bulked up a bunch during his 2nd and 3rd years at UA and he had even experienced a growth spurt! But he had stopped just short of 6 ft, so he was still shorter than Kacchan. (of course, Kacchan always exceeds expectations)

 

He began to remove his shirt as he made his way over to his locker. The soft material inched up his midriff, exposing chiseled muscle and scarred flesh. There had been a pretty large learning curve associated with One For All and his hands weren't the only victims of that. After developing the "Shoot style" for his quirk, his legs had took on their share of damage, as well. Torn ligaments, crushed toes, shattered kneecaps... just recalling that pain had Izuku wincing and inwardly thanking Recovery Girl for literally piecing his body back together time and time again.

 

As for the scars on his abdomen, they had been the result of a rather troublesome villain fight right after Izuku had gone pro. Said villain had a "Wolverine" like quirk that caused the bones in his forearms to become sharp and protrude from his skin. Izuku had taken a good jab to his side and as a result, had experienced his first truly life threatening injury. He was just glad that even though the injury could have potentially been fatal, it hadn't caused any long lasting damage like the one All Might had once received. It was almost chilling to think about how close he had come to that...

 

Mirroring Kosuke, he folded his clothes and stuffed them into his locker before stepping into his trademark hero costume. His costume had experienced minor changes since his time at UA. The suit still had it's green base, but the hood with the bunny-like appendages had been removed and he now adorned a smaller pair that attached to his mouth guard. Another noteworthy change to his get-up was that he had switched his footwear all together to just include some black boots with iron worked into the design of the toe and heel of the shoe. As such, he was a bit lighter on his feet and it took way less time to actually change into his costume. His leg and arm braces were still present but had lost most of their bulk. Now that Izuku had complete control of One For All, he decided to focus his suit a bit more on style, ease of movement, and speed rather than on defense. He'd also added a cape to it, because why wouldn't he?

 

He was in the process of zipping up his costume when Kosuke began to hesitantly speak which caused him to pause. He listened silently and patiently until he was sure that Kosuke had finished. Clearing his throat, Izuku brought his hand up to cup the nape of his neck, his face looked a bit bashful.

 

"As it happens, Fujimura..." He began, carefully. "I do want to take you with me on more missions.Your quirk really does have amazing potential and I believe that you can be a great help to me out there. Uh, you have been a huge help to me when you have gone with me, don't get me wrong! I had just thought that by having you accompany me on the more minor stuff, it would give you a chance to get a little more comfortable around me."

 

Izuku reached towards Kosuke and let his hand fall on his shoulder. That being said, he hadn't meant for his sidekick to feel useless. Compared to how things were when it was just him, Kosuke being here had already been a major help, but he supposed verbal confirmation of that wouldn't be enough. He'd have to let Kosuke feel it for himself and the only way for that to happen was to let him help out more.

 

"How about this," The hand on Kosuke's shoulder gave a couple of quick pats before withdrawing. "We get these morning patrols out of the way and if anything happens out there today, you and I will take care of it together! "

 

Izuku grinned and noticed that he hadn't finished zipping up his costume, so the ugly, jagged scar on his abdomen was still exposed. "Things can get dangerous out there, but I have faith in you, and that's why you're with me now."

 

When the two of them had finished dressing they headed out into the city. The sun had finally risen high in the sky and the streets were now flooded with people. Never fear, for the the hero team Deku and Kosuke Fujimura were here!

[smolcat]

Kosuke looked at Izuku eagerly, listening intently for what the other had to say. Izuku seemed a bit bashful, which for a moment concerned the other that perhaps he had something bad to say. However, his fears were quickly put to ease when Izuku continued speaking. In fact, Izuku seemed to do the exact opposite from what Kosuke had assumed he might--instead of explaining why the younger was no good for serious fights, he instead offered praise and words of affirmation. Kosuke's eyes widened slightly as he took in the words. "R-really? Amazing potential--you think so??"

 

He could feel his heart racing from the compliment, both flattered and unsure. All his life he'd seen amazing heroes accomplishing great things--Todoroki with his large-scale fire and ice attacks, Bakugo with his massive explosions... And Deku, with his incredible kicks and punches. In comparison to them, Kosuke didn't think his abilities were all that amazing at all. Sure, he had lethal potential--since he could easily impale anyone who got too close, and could use his spikes as not only ranged attack but also close-ranged defense, but still... He never thought himself as amazing. And hearing such high praise coming from Deku--the man who Kosuke admired the most--felt like a dream. This couldn't be real--could it?

 

"Ah--y-yeah, that makes sense," Kosuke agreed, awkwardly holding a closed hand near his mouth as he spoke. After all, when he'd first started out working by Deku's side, it had all felt so overwhelming. Not only that he was working alongside such an admirable and famous hero--the strongest hero, at that--but it'd been difficult to grasp that he'd even been chosen as his sidekick in the first place. After all, he hadn't been from UA, during his exams and tests he had an embarrassing habit of apologizing to his defeated and injured opponents, he was socially awkward, and overall just... he didn't feel like he'd ever fit in. And so, to get the opportunity to work alongside the #1 Hero, at first, Kosuke had been nothing but a nervous wreck. Trying so hard to bury his anxieties and awkwardness in fear that he'd disappoint the famed hero, or let him down, or fail him in some other way. Granted, earlier on in their relationship, Kosuke had needed to get more comfortable around the green-haired male. Not only for the sake of learning how to work alongside someone as powerful as himself, but also so that he could feel more at ease around the other, and not so... was intimidated the correct word? It had been something like that.

 

And, although Kosuke still was a bit awkward and shy from time to time, he had grown a lot more familiar with Deku. And, of course he still had his insecurities, but... Izuku had done an excellent job at making Kosuke feel like... like it was okay for him to be there. Even moments like this were further testament to that... Izuku hadn't been bringing him along as frequently as he could--not because he thought Kosuke was weak and his presence would be a burden--but because he'd just wanted to take things slowly so that his sidekick was more comfortable with the transitions...

 

Kosuke bit his lip and nodded quickly when Izuku placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I--" Kosuke smiled a bit, his face suddenly lighting up, "I would like that a lot." He looked forward to working with Izuku again on some sort of mission. Although, things were relatively peaceful, and of course it's not like he wanted anything bad to happen, but... Getting the opportunity to fight more villains by Deku's side made him... really happy.

 

The burgundy-haired male nodded a little when Izuku noted how things could be dangerous, and his ocean-blue eyes wandered across Deku's exposed skin and settled a bit on one of the more gruesome scars he'd earned in his career. It... was a dangerous job, definitely. Heroes were much more prone to premature deaths than civilians, as it were, and their deaths were usually pretty horrific and violent, and... It was a pretty scary thought, but, oddly enough, Kosuke didn't mind the danger. He was okay to die if it'd been while trying to protect and help others... But, still... Kosuke averted his gaze and an awkward grin braced his lips, a hand quickly going to rub the base of his neck as he'd looked away. "Ha... Thanks. That means a lot, coming from you." I only hope to live up to your expectations, he mentally added.

 

"Alright!" Kosuke said, huffing and clapping his hands together once he'd finished closing and securing his locker. He smiled brightly at Deku and said, "Let's get to it, then!" And, trying to fight back his excitement, he followed Izuku out of the building and onto the streets--which were much busier now at this hour of day. Hopefully nothing bad would happen, though Kosuke was excited to fight crime should it raise it's ugly head!