My name is Shinsou Hitoshi, and I was bitten by a radioactive spider

Vigilante Shit

Crouched atop a dumpster, Hitoshi readjusted the neckline of his suit. As he inhaled deeply, he wished that the outfit were a little less tight but add least the constriction came with the benefit of warming up his muscles. Raindrops sprinkled from overhead and mingled with his eyelashes. A faint drizzle. Not enough for Uncle Shouta to put patrol on hold – which meant that Hitoshi's first official outing as a vigilante was still a go.

Breathless, Kaminari emerged from around a corner and collapsed against a brick wall the second he realized Hitoshi had taken a brief intermission from nighttime parkours. Sero swung around a lamppost and settled down next to Hitoshi with ease once he had detached his tape from drainage pipes.

Alert, Sero turned from left to right in search of any potential enemies. Panting, Kaminari reached into the dumpster and retrieved a pipe as a weapon – likely because his quirk was bound to electrocute villain and ally alike in the rain. While his friends looked at him with determination, Hitoshi's desire not to do vigilante shit alone wavered.

"You really don't have to do this. Uncle Shouta's patrol goes until 2 AM."

Kaminari shrugged. "Can't be a teenager if you don't fuck up your sleep schedule along the way. Not that mine was good to begin with anyhow."

"Still, I don't want to be an inconvenience –"

"Then, we'll only step in if it's too difficult to take down criminals on your own." Sero dramatically rolled his eyes as he rolled up his hoodie sleeves and fiddled with a plastic trans flag bracelet. "Sound like a good enough compromise to ya?"

"Eh, fine." With a backflip courtesy of spider-powers, Hitoshi leaped off the dumpster. "Guess there's no getting rid of you barnacles."

"Excuse me!" Kaminari gestured toward his body. "What on earth about this screams barnacle?"

"The way you stick to me like one."

Teasingly, Sero raised a hand and clapped it with his other to imitate a high five. "Like you're one to talk, Mr. sticky spider fingers."

"Point taken." Tucking his lavender hair in a black beanie, Hitoshi stepped through puddles along the pavement. "Anyways, let's get this show on the road."

"No mask?" Sero asked.

"Nope. The Spider-Man one is a little suffocating."

"Aww, you're ruining the whole aesthetic," Kaminari lamented.

"Who cares? Medical masks do the same job." Hitoshi pulled a packet out of his drawstring bag and slipped on a medical mask. Then, he tossed his bag to Kaminari. "And you'd be better off wearing them too if you don't want to risk an accomplice charge."

Both Sero and Kaminari slipped on masks. Grinning, the blonde also added a hat to cover up his distinct hair. "Wow, you really are all prepared. Hope we end up at the same hero agency together."

"Doubtful. Aren't you aiming to become a limelight hero?" Hitoshi sighed. Sure, Dad and Uncle made it work – but the gap between an underground hero and twilight hero still wasn't the biggest rift out there.

Kaminari winked. "I'd go underground for you, babe."

At the commentary, Hitoshi unleashed a web and shot onto the rooftops. He knew Kaminari mostly used the pet name out of habit – that it didn't necessarily mean anything. Still, he set Hitoshi's heart aflutter every time. And while there was comfort in the flirty routine, Hitoshi prayed that Kaminari wouldn't let himself get held back. He was charming and a bit of an idiot – so people would love the hero Chargebolt. Kaminari shouldn't be restricted to the shadows.