Ancora- The hero of hope

Found a job... and almost died

'The betrayal of a belief is not the same as betraying a person.'

"This is the last one," Izuku muttered, staring up at the crooked signboard. After days of searching for part-time jobs, he faced rejection everywhere for being quirkless. It angered Izuku a bit. According to the laws, only heroes are allowed to use their quirks so he didn't understand why having a quirk was important for regular jobs as well.

Exhausted, he pushed the door open to a cramped convenience store, the stale air filled with the scent of cigarettes and cheap cleaning products.

Inside, an old man slept in the back, and a boy his age stood at the counter. "Um-excuse me!" Izuku stammered, breaking the awkward silence.

"What do you want to buy?" the boy asked, looking up with tired eyes.

"Job applicant?" Izuku squeaked. The boy had messy purple hair and dark circles under his eyes. His dark, piercing eyes met with his own and paired with his expressionless face, the teen scared Izuku.

"Right," he replied flatly, then turned to the old man. "Oi, old man, wake up! We've got another job seeker."

The old man in question groaned as he sat up. "You brat, how many times have I told you to deal with this stuff yourself."

The boy raised an eyebrow, "I don't remember ever agreeing."

The old man's eyes narrowed, "Brat."

He then turned towards Izuku, ignoring the boy's eye roll. "You're here for a job kid?"

"Yes," Izuku replied, nervously glancing around.

"Why didn't you go somewhere else?"

"I tried, but... I was rejected because I-quirk-" Izuku mumbled, lowering his head.

The old man and the boy exchanged glances. "What's your name?" he asked.

"M-Midoriya Izuku."

"Botan Yuto," the old man introduced himself. He pointed to the boy. "This brat is Shinso Hitoshi. So, can you use your head, kid?"

Izuku replied with a flabbergasted yes and Botan nodded, "You're hired."

Izuku's eyes widened. "Really?! You're not going to throw me out?"

Shinso snorted, "He won't say it, but the old man's as lonely as a log. He won't throw you out unless you do something that majorly pisses him off."

"I don't want to hear that from Mr. I'm Too Sleep Deprived To Make An Effort To Make Any Friends." Botan scoffed.

Shinso smirked, "I at least have a reason for not having friends. What's your excuse?"

"For your information, I do have friends-"

Botan stopped mid-sentence as the door opened again and a drunk, disheveled man stumbled inside the shop. The bell's jingle was the only noise in the shop as the man, somewhere in his 40's, a dirty mop of blonde hair flowing down his shoulders stumbled to the counter.

"A beer," He slurred, drunk.

"Kenji, it's only afternoon," Botan sighed, but he retrieved a cold beer from the shelf.

Izuku frowned, glancing at Shinso. "Why is he serving him? He's already drunk."

Shinso shrugged. "It's the rules. If he pays, he gets what he wants. Besides, Botan will help him home. Kenji is... someone he cares about."