Mortem ad Wrens Ch 4: Mad Banquet
Summary:
tw: underground crime syndicate, drug running, Ed behaviors
Akira: friendship?
Shinso: NO FRIENDS! ONLY STUDY!
Akira: …work connections?
Shinso: …fine
Notes:
‘text’ is JSL
Text is thoughts
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The next couple days were blessedly incident-free, although Bakugo kept trying to fight Midoriya for some reason. Akira was starting to see what caused the small starburst scars along the latter’s arms and back. Kaminari profusely apologized for the battle trial, but Akira just shrugged them off, the cream seemingly worked better on fresh burns and scars than old ones. Dark Shadow still picked up on their discomfort around Kaminari and gave the kid warning glares when he got too close.
The press at the front gates on Wednesday led Akira to just warp inside, shuddering at the cameras that could have caught their image. Media attention was the last thing they needed, and of course it was about All Might. At least Aoyama seemed to enjoy the attention.
‘Blank!’ Akira signed from behind him in the lunch line. ‘Want to eat outside with us?’ they gestured to Tokoyami and Koda ahead of them.
Shinso’s eyes narrowed, searching Akira’s face. ‘Why?’
Akira cocked their head, confused. ‘You know JSL. Animal Whisper and I know JSL. We’re tutoring Raven and Dark Shadow, and you seem like you could use a… connection?’
‘I’m not here to make friends!’
‘Like I said, connection. If you don’t like us, you can leave at any time. No hard feelings.’ After a moment, Akira continued. ‘I know I’m going to be an underground hero, and Raven is considering it as well. Your quirk would be perfect for it, so if nothing else, we’ll know whether we want to work together in the future.’
Shinso stared at them for a long moment, grabbing their tray before nodding sharply. Akira grinned and gave a thumbs up to Koda and Tokoyami. Lunch Rush looked like he was going to apologize for the other day, but Akira rapidly shook their head, glancing at Shinso before taking their servings.
Koda tapped on Shinso’s shoulder as they walked to their tree, smiling apologetically at the boy’s flinch. ‘I usually interpret for Reaper. If you’re more comfortable signing than talking, I can interpret for you, too.’
After a moment, Shinso muttered, “I’m fine.”
‘Oh, I was meaning to ask you,’ Akira signed as they lowered themself with their cane, turning slightly to give Shinso a little privacy. ‘Are you safe? At home, I mean? I’ve seen scars like the ones you’re concealing before.’
Shinso immediately reached up to where the scars were just slightly indented in his skin, the discoloration mostly covered by basic concealer. They frowned for a moment before his expression softened. ‘I wasn’t, but I think I am now. They haven’t done anything like this.’
Seeing the sliver of uncertainty in his expression and the cautious yet hanging in the air, Akira tried to give a reassuring smile. ‘If they pull anything like that, and I mean anything, tell me. I’ve helped kids out of those situations before, and I’ll do it again in a heartbeat.’
Shinso chuffed and nodded, turning back to the other two. “Mori said you’re teaching Tokoyami JSL.”
Koda smiled and started explaining what they’d covered as Akira scarfed down most of their food and packed a quarter of it for dinner. Akira occasionally corrected Tokoyami’s gestures but mostly kept to themself, double-checking their math for what they needed this month.
Akira jumped to their feet and steadied themself on the tree as a loud alarm blared across campus, head swiveling to search for the cause. ‘I’m warping to the top to see if I can spot anything. If a teacher is near, ask them what’s going on.’
The others nodded, and Akira tossed up a tuft of grass as they warped, clone immediately dispelling. From the roof of the cafeteria, they could see the hoard of paparazzi pressing against… Where the hell are the gates? Alarm spiked through Akira as they noticed the protective barrier over the gates was reduced to a small pile of rubble. After a moment, they saw two teachers – Aizawa and Yamada from their attire – fast walking towards the gates.
After seeing no other disturbances from their vantage point, Akira noticed the Big Three walking up to their group, Nejire talking animatedly as they grew uncomfortable. Akira warped right between Nejire and Shinso, a handful of gravel dispelling their clone as they landed. They swayed dangerously for a moment before catching themselves on their proffered cane.
‘What do you know about the situation? And was the alarm for the press and barrier destruction or something else?’ they rapidly signed to the trio, tapping their cane for emphasis. Nejire took a step back, surprise coloring her face as Amajiki and Togata startled into loose stances before dropping them.
“That was the intruder alarm, yes. We haven’t heard exactly what happened, but that would definitely trigger it. We heard from your classmates that you four usually eat outside so came to make sure you were alright,” Togata said and introduced the trio.
“Were you invisible? Ooh! Are you the new warp student? How far can you go? I love your hair. How do you get it so sleek? How do you know JSL?”
Akira took a step back, wobbling slightly as their cane hit a dip as their eyes narrowed at the girl. ‘Kami, you talk more than Broccoli. We need to get back to class since the alarm should stop soon.’
Amajiki stifled a snort and Togata laughed, a little confused. “Broccoli? Ah, is that your green-haired classmate? I hope he’s doing well after the entrance exam. I’ve never seen Aizawa so exasperated over a student that quickly.”
Akira nodded and gestured for the others to start heading to the lunchroom. ‘We really should be going now, thank you for the concern.’ Akira kept themself between their group and Nejire, pointedly ignoring her questions as they walked. After a moment, the questions tapered off as a much softer voice asked her to stop bothering them.
The hallway to classes was starting to decongest as an announcement was made, and Akira was bewildered to see Ida hovering over the doorway looking a little nauseous before he suddenly dropped. Uraraka must’ve sent him up where he could see. This must’ve been a nightmare when the alarm went off.
Heroics was mostly spent going over drills and different codes for the school. Akira met their interpreter for the class, a woman named Jo Anii with a Thinker quirk that let her understand any spoken or signed language. Akira let a small smile settle on their face as they noticed one of Ectoplasm’s clones off to the side whose sole attention was on All Might.
That night, it seemed every runner, dealer, and muscle were at the bar. Mortis wove through the crowd but was stopped at the door to the back by Au, Boss' main guard with a basic strength enhancement quirk.
“Not tonight, kid. Boss wants to talk to everyone tonight before handing out assignments,” she scowled.
Shrugging, Mortis melded back into the crowd. Ayaka and Azumi made a pass at pickpocketing, earning them each a rap on the knuckles and a smirk. ‘Distractions only work if the other one is quiet enough. Remember to slide your feet,’ Mortis signed. The siblings groaned and slunk back into the crowd, barely acknowledging the critique.
After a few more minutes, Boss finally emerged, Au falling in step behind her. “Good to see everyone gathered again. Unfortunately, this time isn’t for celebration but a warning. A new group of villains is recruiting for a large operation on Friday, and I don’t want any of you to get involved. They don’t care about age, and intel wouldn’t put it past them to grab people if they need more bodies. Stick with your partner, and if you don’t have a roommate, we’re opening the back for the next two nights. If you sign up, you’re on your own and outside my protection.” Boss scanned the room, catching Mortis’ eye briefly. “If you haven’t been assigned a partner yet, come see me. The rest of you, stay safe and stay vigilant.”
Mortis waited for the newer, unpaired members to finish with Boss before approaching. ‘I’m not staying if that’s what you’re wondering.’
“Mortis, I understand your situation is complicated, but you’re not going to be kidnapped under my watch,” Boss sighed.
Mortis huffed and tapped their cane for emphasis. ‘I can handle myself! I’ve been eating enough to make an escape if I need to, and my partner is also living on their own. I’m 15, not 10.’
“Your partner is in his thirties and can pay for their own place. You are still physically a child, and even if you’re willing to take the risk, I won’t.”
Mortis glared up at the imposing woman, clenching their fists to stop the shaking. A night at base was always more than just a night, and they couldn’t risk being seen or heard more than necessary.
After a long moment, a cough echoed from behind them. Mortis shied to the side, tensing as they saw Dabi approach. He must’ve been the last one needed before the announcement. “If you need a place to stay, I have a flat nearby. You’d be on the couch, and the kitchen is on its last legs.”
Au interpreted Mortis’s dismissive signs. ‘One run does not constitute trust, Wildfire. Like I told Boss, I’ll be fine.’ They turned to Boss. ‘Now, any runs for tonight or should I go?’
Two runs later, Akira’s legs burned as they leaned more heavily on their retrieved cane. They switched gears to buy the protein drinks and powdered milk from the corner store Eraser Head sometimes grabbed iced coffee from on his way to patrol. Lucking out, they waved at the tired hero as they entered behind him.
An eyebrow quirked as he said, “What are you doing out so late? It’s a school night.”
Akira checked their old watch with a frown, ‘It’s only 2300. I needed to pick up a couple things before finishing the English paper.’
“That’s not due for another week. You should sleep more,” Eraser Head sighed at Akira’s small smirk and checked his phone. “I’ll walk you back.”
Akira shook their head, taking a half step back. ‘No really, that’s fine. You’ll be late for patrol if you do that.’ Akira quickly grabbed their supplies and flashed the sign for distraction to the cashier.
“It’s not a problem, kid,” Eraser Head sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just let me-”
“Um, I’m sorry, sir, but your card was declined,” the cashier interrupted. Grateful, Akira made a mental note to tip em next time. Cho had a minor electrical interference quirk that only worked on small devices and chips, but ey used it to help anyone ey recognized who wasn’t actively harming the community.
Taking a risk on the rooftops, Akira warped twice, dispelling both clones, to put some distance between them and Eraser Head. Eventually, they circled back around to their warehouse, checking the minor inconveniences of traps they’d set with more precision than usual. Most of the time, smaller critters and pests left the traps as they were or didn’t bother resetting them. The plank of wood a few inches to the right of where they’d placed it would normally make Akira question their memory, but that night, they moved on to their backup warehouse. Hopefully, whatever the new group was planning wouldn’t be in the warehouse district.
Notes:
Dadzawa: why are you up past your bedtime?
Akira: What bedtime?
Dadzawa: …
Akira: … Oh that bedtime! I gotta go, byeee
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