Revolutionary || Vigilante Izuku AU [ON HIATUS - BEING REWRITTEN]

Chapter 02 - V.2

"So... You want m-me to become your st-student?" Izuku asked, and the man nodded, a small smile on his half-hidden face. "Y-you want me to become a-... a vigilante... With you?" Again, the man nodded, his smile growing wider. "I-I mean, I've th-thought about it, but... I can't- I couldn't- I don't- I... Don't think I'd be able to, anyway..." His teeth worrying down on his bottom lip, Izuku shook his head lightly.

Letting out a deep breath, the man straightened his posture, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay... how about we make a bet?" He proposed, and Izuku tilted his head, confused and curious. "You said you plan to kill yourself, right? Well, I don't think you will. You're stronger than that, I can tell, so... If I'm right, if you decide against taking your own life, then you'll let me train you to become a vigilante by my side," he said. "What do you say?"

He was shocked for a moment. I won't back out, Izuku thought, there's nothing here for me anymore, except for Mom... "Fine, Genkaku," he said, nodding, "I... a-accept those terms. If I decide this life is w-worth living, I'll... I'll come to you an-and accept your training." And even Mom would be better of without me... So I know... I won't come to Genkaku.

The man simply let his smile grow.

- - -  - - -

"So, you couldn't do it," Genkaku whispered, only just loud enough for Izuku to hear, weaving his fingers gently through his hair, a small smile on his face. "I can't say I'm surprised..."

How did you know...? The boy wondered. His head bowed as he sat on his knees before the man, letting him play with his hair, Izuku couldn't figure out how it was so obvious to him.

"I'm not surprised, Midori, but I am glad."

How did you know, Genkaku...? Izuku asked himself, too afraid to voice his question. How could you tell that I wouldn't be able to go through with it...? That I would be too afraid...? Tightly closing his eyes, Izuku placed his hands on the cold, concrete floor beneath him, right in front of his knees.

Izuku felt accepted by this man. Genkaku believed he could do great things as a hero... Just, not as a professional — or legal, for that matter — one. He felt like he belonged when in the presence of this man, and became more and more accepting of the idea that he could become a vigilante. It seemed more appealing to him, now, but he was still afraid.

"And now that I've won our little bet, I look forward to training you for our cause." Feeling a small stinging in his eyes, Izuku knew that tears were gathering, and he would probably end up crying. This man was the first person who has ever wholly believed in him. "You and I will do great things together, I know it..."

Those words felt good, Izuku realized, as the tears started to overflow.

⊱———◇———⊰

Standing outside the door to his small apartment he lived in with his mother, Izuku let out a quiet sigh. Undoubtedly, she knew of his "suicide attempt" attempt — he only calls it this because he had gone up to kill himself, but backed out. He attempted to attempt suicide, failed, and then fell anyway —. It was on the news now, after all. Apparently, Mount Lady had mentioned it in front of some civilians while she was trying to explain her absence to other pro heroes. The fact that it was on the news seemed to be an accident on her end, but she hadn't seemed to bothered when the reporters had asked for details on it.

Izuku greatly wished that no one other than she had been aware of it. But when it happened, she didn't seem aware of the possibility that he could've jumped. It seemed she had connected the dots, even if they weren't quite in the right place, which led to people thinking that he really had attempted suicide. It was a messy situation, one he'd surely have to explain to his mother, and he dreaded it.