Quirkless Rejects

Life Is Getting Better

Shoto stared at the ceiling in his room in the warehouse. It's been a week since he made the choice to join the Quirkless Rejects and essentially throw away his dreams of being a hero. He didn't really know how to feel. He looked over at his roommate. He actually found a kid who was also from UA already at the warehouse. His name was Shinso. Shinso was probably one of the few good things here. Take that back, compared to his life before, there was a lot of good things in the Quirkless Rejects. Shinso was just one of the better ones.

He was like a brother that Endeavor never really let Shoto have. Their stories were so different and yet very much the same. Shoto never felt forced to speak because Shinso wasn't much of a talker, and neither was Shoto. They were both in the same training for using their quirks for the Quirkless Rejects and both had given up dreams of being a hero for this cause. Shoto still didn't know how he felt about that still. His chest hurt every time he thought about it.

His last words to his ex-classmates were harsh and he was always so cold towards them. Shoto found it funny that it took a villain, or a vigilant, to realize this. If I had allowed myself to make friends would I be here? If I accepted help from others would I have chosen this path? If I hadn't had been so blinded by rage would I be laughing with friends right now? Shoto tried not to think about such things.

It wasn't like his life here, so far, was bad or anything. He still trained but if he asked for a break, they would give him one. Shoto actually met Shinso through quirk training here, as well as two others with quirks that they were "rejected" for. One had butterfly wings but they were cracked and she couldn't fly with them and the others could see inside someone. Like, the organs of a person. Shoto shivered. They were each learning how they could use their quirks that the world has deemed faulty or gross or, like Shoto, were used for them.

Shoto also didn't get jolted awake from a surprise attack to "test his reflexes." That was nice. He had gotten a job smuggling weapons to buyers in the dark undersociety so that he could pay for food in the...dorms? Can I call the warehouse rooms that?

Shoto sighed to himself. Shinso was on his DS, the boy never seemed to sleep; he said that he has been medically diagnosed with insomnia. Shoto almost didn't believe Shinso at first until he noticed that Shinso hadn't been going to sleep until four, maybe five, in the morning every night only to get up at seven or eight in the morning. Shoto checked his clock. It was 11:59 at night. He knew he should get some sleep, Chief Deku had mentioned talking with Shoto tomorrow about a plan he had come up with for the overthrow of Endeavor. Oh yeah, Deku was known as "Chief" around the warehouse, which Shoto guessed made sense because the greenette was their leader after all so he should be addressed as one. Still, after their... odd meeting, Shoto found it weird calling Deku as such and only did so when the two weren't alone besides Shinso.

That was another thing, Deku was weird. Like, really weird. He'd talk to himself a lot, that is to say when he was at the warehouse. Deku and the other main members, which those in the warehouse have deemed the "Lights", worked public jobs at a bakery.

Shoto and Deku had a strange relationship but it wasn't a bad one. Deku had insomnia too, which apparently everyone in the Quirkless Rejects did, even Shoto could feel he was starting to get it too. Deku would sometimes just join Shoto and Shinso in their room to play cards or chat. Shoto thought it weird at first but Shoto knew very well just how it feels to be lonely. Deku was the leader of the Quirkless Rejects but he still was a teenage boy. He probably wanted friends his age to hang out with just as Shptp had when he was younger.

Shoto yawned. He could feel sleep creeping up on him and he graciously let it take over him.

___________________________

Izuku sat up and stretched in the apartment. Everyone else had already left for work but Mikumo had the day off because what he, Deku, and Izuku had come up with for the downfall of the number two hero. Honey jumped on him and licked his face.

"Haha! Honey, what are you doing, girl?" Izuku laughed. He laughed a lot more nowadays. Hanging out with Shinso and Todoroki had brought back memories of his days before the Quirkless Rejects; just being another teenager goofing around. He didn't know why, because he never had that part of him in his life, but it was like a piece of glass that had been chipped off from the start. Like maybe something in him was healing but he really didn't know what that felt like.

Izuku, you don't have time for this, said Deku. Izuku sighed and got up, patting his legs. "Right, right. Ah... Mikumo, you got a better memory. Where did we hang the costume?" Izuku asked as he walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Hmm... didn't we hang it over the shower railing to dry after Deku got it damaged in training and had to wash it? replied Mikumo. Izuku nodded as he sat at the table with a bowl of cereal. "Right, thanks." No problem.

Izuku sat in silence as he ate. He watched birds fly by the window. It was a mundane life that he lived for the few hours he was present. Deku and Mikumo hardly talked to Izuku when he ate breakfast just the same as when Mikumo was working or Deku was leading. They had their respective lives and respected those boundaries each had setup. That didn't mean that they didn't occasionally joke with each other throughout the day but hey, it gets boring waiting for your turn to be present.

Izuku placed his empty bowl in the sink and left to get ready for a long day.

___________________________

Deku put in his signature earring and looked at himself in the mirror. "Time to go."

Don't jack up our body.

Stay safe.

"Shut up, I'm not an idiot."

I should hope not, we share the same brain. Deku chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

Deku left out the window, like always. He used tinted cars paid for and supplied by Giran to get around. Soon he arrived at the warehouse. A few of the members milling around waved to him. "Morning, Chief Deku!" "Good morning, Tanaza."

"Hey, Chief!" "Hey, Jodie."

"Big plans today, Chief?" "Perhaps."

Deku made his way to Todoroki's and Shinso's door on the second floor. He knocked on it and Todoroki answered in a black hoodie and red shorts. "Ah, Chief Deku." Deku cringed. He hated it when Todoroki called him Chief but he knew that unless they are hanging out at night privately, he had to keep up appearances because the leader couldn't choose favorites. "Todoroki, are you ready to go?" The bicolored male slipped a black eye mask, one much like Bakugo's but tinted, over his face. "Yes, sir." "Good." Deku turned and left down the hall, not waiting for Todoroki to follow.

"Have a good day Chief, Todo!" "You too, Kishera." "Thanks."

"Good luck!" "Thank you."

"See ya later Chief, Todoroki!" "Don't wait up." "See you."

The two teens left the building through the back and entered the tinted car. Deku sighed as it drove off and he pulled open his laptop and opened an article. "Hey hey, Todo look at this!"

Todoroki looked over. "Wow," is all he said. Yeah, Todoroki wasn't much for talking. "I know right!? People in other countries are starting to rebel too! Our next time on the screen, I'm going to reach out to them."

"When do you think that'll be?"

"Real soon if this goes well."

"What exactly are we doing, Deku?"

Deku closed his laptop and turned his blank sunglasses covered eyes to Todo. He saw Todo's eyes widen when he read the name of the building they were passing. The car stopped behind the large building.

"Mafusa Psychiatric Hospital."