what doesn't kill you (had better start running)

i

Shouta levels a pissed off glare at the folder Sansa drops in front of him, ignoring the other officers and pros positioned at the briefing table. The folder is just like any other case file that Shouta has ever been given, but somehow it annoys him more. The picture of a graffiti star paper-clipped to the front seems to mock him. Or maybe that's just the lack of coffee talking.

"So, you all know what this is, but I have to tell you anyway." Sansa announces, placing down the last file and moving to the front of the table. He pauses to give everyone at the table time to focus on him. They've all been here for a while, getting information for ongoing cases that the police need pro hero help with. "For the last three years we've been dealing with a new vigilante, who's first known act was to catch Hisashi Midoriya—who had recently burnt his wife alive and killed his son, as I'm sure you remember."

A pair of pictures flash onto the board behind Sansa—one of the burnt out husk of the old Midoriya apartment, and one of the dumpster that Midoriya had been found in, hog-tied and pumped to hell and back with quirk suppressants. Graffiti on the dumpster labels Midoriya a FAMILY MURDERER, signed with a star. Shouta thinks that it's no wonder the public had chosen his vigilante name to be Starry, with that signature and the ridiculous galaxy hoodie he insists on wearing as a costume. Sansa motions and a graph replaces the pictures.

"According to Analytics, Starry's activity spikes around that time of year before dying back down to his normal schedule. That's next week." He stresses, making eye contact with each of them. Shouta sighs and crosses his arms, glancing at the others at the table. The officers are the picture of obedient attention, but Shouta can tell they have heard this all before and are bored out of their minds. The other heroes are in varying states of attentiveness, with Valhalla apparently distracted with a doodle and Kamui staring Sansa down. "He'll be working himself to his limit, which means it'll be the best time to catch him off guard and finally bring him."

The screen changes to a map, a few areas highlighted.

"You're all here because Starry is frequently spotted in your patrol areas—" Here Sansa glances at Shouta, an amused look in his eye, "—With the exception of Eraserhead, who the chief insisted be here because he's the only one Starry has let see him."

One of the other officers snickers. They all know Shouta isn't exactly needed at these Starry meetings, since his interactions with the vigilante are sporadic and brief enough to not be of importance. Shouta glowers at Sansa, silently demanding that the catlike detective move on.

"Hem, right, anyway, we need you all to have your agencies be on the lookout. No lethal force. He might spread outside of your areas, but that won't matter." Sansa nods to the tech and the screen behind him shuts off. "You can keep the files, look over them and share information as you see fit. That's all we have for this today, so you're free to leave."

Shouta is the first to stand, grabbing the Starry file given to look over as he heads home, even if he is annoyed to be included. As a rule he tries to not interfere with vigilantes. Vigilantes and underground heroes work too closely for Shouta to risk messing with them, lest he wants to lose valuable sources of information and backup. Even if a vigilante makes his life harder by gaining a reputation for never being seen by heroes, ever, then appearing multiple times to wave or shout a greeting at him. Even then. 

The sky outside is dark when he steps out of the station, scattered with the few stars that can be seen, what with the light pollution in the city. Shouta keeps one eye on his path and one on the file in his hands. It's all reports on the many civilian sightings they have on Starry—things that Shouta has seen before. There is only one new piece of paper included in the manila folder, which Shouta almost glances over. It's a list of, apparently, possible hide out locations that Starry may be occupying.

Interest piqued, Shouta begins to read over the list. He skips over the first few suggestions,—because they're the ones that are always suggested on lists like these—impatient to get to the actual theories. He barely has time to read the words Dagobah Beach when a small body hurtles into him, full force. The file goes flying out of Shouta's hands, papers scattering on the ground.

"I am so sorry!!!" A tiny boy with a gauze taped over most of his left cheek squeaks, looking up at him. The kid has bushy dark hair and a smattering of freckles across his cheeks. His anxious, vivid green eyes somehow register as familiar in the back of Shouta's mind, though he's sure he's never seen this kid before. He jumps away from Shouta to start scooping up the fallen papers, babbling nonsense apologies. Shouta leans down to help him, and the two of them have his file back in one piece fairly quickly. Once it's in Shouta's hands, the kid bows. "I'm really sorry I bumped into you, sir, but I'm in a hurry, so I have to go!"

"Sure." Shouta says, excusing him from the interaction. The kid gives him a beaming smile, wrinkling the gauze on his cheek without even a wince of pain, and then takes off past him at a breakneck speed. Shouta sighs tiredly. Proximity to energetic people always makes him a bit more exhausted. Giving the folder a disdainful look, he starts walking again. He isn't looking forward to going through and reorganizing it again.

Hizashi is asleep, snoring softly, when Shouta gets home. Despite knowing that he has most likely taken out his hearing aids to sleep, Shouta sheds his capture weapon as quietly as possible, then slides into bed. It's dark enough in their room to make reading difficult, but Shouta thumbs through the folder anyhow. He tells himself that he'll read the list of places that Starry could be staying and then go to sleep for the night. 

Though first he actually has to find the damn thing.

After three fruitless scans, Shouta closes the file and tosses it down on his side table. The list is nowhere to be found. He and the kid must have missed it when they were picking everything up. Shouta is glad his husband can't hear him grumble to himself as he fishes his phone out of his pocket to shoot a text to Sansa, requesting another copy of the list to be sent to him. He doesn't really need it, because for the most part, Starry isn't in his patrol area, and thus not his problem. Still though, he figures it's only logical to look into Starry if the vigilante insists on messing with him.

A particularly loud snore interrupts Shouta's thoughts, jarring him back to the present. With a small smile, he put his phone back and laid down, finding Hizashi's hand in the dark. Even as he drifts off for his precious few hours of sleep, something nags at the back of his mind. Like he's missed some crucial detail. 

Shouta presses against Hizashi, pushing the feeling from his mind.