Chapter Text
As it turns out, the new recruits don’t take much convincing at all.
“Oooo” Toga’s eyes shine with a manic glee. “If we're going to do this then we need vigilante names! I call Mystique!”
“I already have a vigilante name,” Dabi smirks, his staples pulling at the action. “But if crusty over there is taking requests then I vote for De Caveman.”
“Excuse me?” Shigaraki hisses, gloved fingers tapping at his neck in obvious agitation.
“Yeah, it’s got a nod to your quirk and your overall appearance. Decay-v-man.”
“Ha ha. Very funny.” Shigaraki snaps. “For your information I already have a name for myself in mind. I am Ash.”
He spins suddenly to point a single finger of each hand at Dabi and Spinner. “and for my starter, I choose Charizard!”
Dabi groans and facepalms while Spinner shoots back an immediate, “Charizard isn’t even a starter! It’s the level 36 evolution of Charmander!”
Shigaraki’s face pulls into a wide grin. “You. I like you.”
Dabi sighs. “Nerds. I’m surrounded by nerds.”
“Well now that that’s settled, check out the costumes I ordered!”
There’s the sudden sound of a throat clearing and a drinking glass being cleaned aggressively.
“Ah Kurogiri. Kurogiri ordered. Anyway…”
A box is heaved onto the table and Shigaraki pulls out a plain hooded jumpsuit, belt, and gloves, all in the same shade of black.
Toga pouts, finger to her chin. “Aww I was hoping for something a little more… red…”
Shigaraki rolls his eyes and throws her a matching jumpsuit in the color of freshly spilled blood. As one, the other occupants of the room clap their hands over their ears as she lets out a squee of delight.
“The fuck is this?” Dabi asks once the shriek has ended, his lip curled in disgust as he pulls something from the box.
“Oh that?” Shigaraki shrugs, mock casual. “It’s a visor. Goes over the eyes.”
“I know that Dumbass! Why’s it yellow?”
“Ah.” One of Shigaraki’s fingers drags down his neck before he pulls it back to stare at it as if just realizing he’s wearing gloves. “It. Hides the real color of our eyes. Makes it harder to find what we look like. Yeah.” He nods as if he’s just managed to convince himself. “Also the color is technically called gold just saying.”
Dabi narrows his eyes but yanks out a gray-white fabric next. “And this?”
“Oh that one's cool! It’s a sleeveless turtleneck you wear under the jumpsuit that can be pulled up over the mouth and nose like a ninja! It’s for filtering out gas attacks!”
“Uh huh. And it’s this exact color because?”
Shigaraki steeples his gloved fingers together. “It was cheaper.”
“Oh really?” Dabi smirks. “because all put together the picture I’m coming up with is-“
A portal opens beside him, Kurogiri’s hand passing through to hold out a shot glass of something invitingly.
Dabi snatches it instantly, draining it in one smooth motion. “Never mind.”
“Why are the boots red though?” Spinner mutters.
No one answers him.
Dabi stalks up to the bar and slams his now empty glass down. “I’m not wearing that,” he grumbles to Kurogiri.
“Do not worry. Neither am I.”
“Okay League! Now that we’ve covered mission statements and costumes it’s time to plan our first target. For no particular reason, I propose Endeavor.”
Dabi’s lip curls into a mad snarl. “Back off De Caveman. Endeavor’s mine.”
“Make me Staple Boy!”
Kurogiri sighs and resumes mixing Toga a fancy chocolate milk. “We are going to need more members.”
Behind him Shigaraki and Dabi settle their differences with an arm wrestle and Kurogiri doesn’t even have to remind them not to use their quirks.
Things are looking up.
***
Shouta Aizawa has the news playing while he is grading papers, only half listening to the report.
“Sources say that the official ‘Ash’s theme’ a song best described as boss battle type of music, most commonly found in video games and anime, has been dominating the charts since the vigilante’s recent debut. Ash’s theme starts playing whenever the vigilante is about to show up to a fight, even when said fight is in a deserted alley or a crowded shopping mall. Some villains and criminals have been reported as running away at the sound of the opening riff, though apparently none of them get far, and the song is only growing in popularity in the days since Ash’s first appearance.
The creator of the song, amateur pianist Odina Chizu, says the song was a commission from a stranger- that she later realized may have been the vigilante himself- before he’d actually done anything illegal of course, though he was clearly already making plans. Odina maintains that while Ash has unlimited free use of the song, only she receives the royalties as per their agreement and as such she has not done anything wrong. When asked about the assumption that buying the song helps fund Ash’s vigilante group the League of Vigilantes, or Lov for short, Odina shrugged and said she doesn’t know how the rumor started but she and her bank account are not complaining.
We go now to our on the ground reporter, Uzi Meto for the latest scoop. Uzi?”
“Thanks Saya, while it’s unclear how the vigilante manages to transport giant speakers to play his theme before his arrival, one thing is for sure, the people. Love it.”
“I just can’t describe the feeling, hearing that opening note and knowing that someone is here to help me.”
“It’s honestly a little bit like All Might’s ‘I am Here!’ you know? That song starts playing and you just relax because you know you’re safe now.”
“And what about the fact that he’s a vigilante and is therefore clearly breaking the law?”
“Well I don’t mean to be rude but he saved me. The heroes didn’t even arrive till much later and they were more interested in chasing down Ash than asking if I was okay.”
”You wanna talk law? How bout the fact that Ash’s Theme keeps disappearing off the music streams? I follow the creator on twitter, I know she’s in middle of suing since it isn’t her fault a vigilante is using her song. What about that law, huh???”
”Young man, forgive an old lady’s musings but perhaps if the heroes didn’t want him doing their jobs for them they should be better than him at doing it.”
A hesitant knock comes on Shouta’s door and with a sigh he lowers the volume and goes to open it.
“Midoriya? Is something wrong?”
The boy shifts on his feet, fingers twisting anxiously together before he takes a breath and straightens up.
Green eyes flashing with determination meet Shouta’s stare head on. “Sensei! I was wondering about the official stance on vigilantes! Like um I noticed that some heroes seem to prioritize catching the vigilante while others first take the time to check on the civilians and keep the villains subdued till reinforcements or police arrive. So I was just wondering which stance is correct…”
Shouta sighs and rubs his eyes tiredly. “Always asking the tough ones aren’t you Midoriya? It’s complicated. A top hero with a group of sidekicks should prioritize the vigilante leaving the sidekicks to take care of securing the scene, especially if the villain has already been subdued. Likewise with a hero team. Chasing vigilantes should never take precedence over actual hero work, both because keeping people safe should always be the top priority, as well as to prevent civilians from feeling like the vigilantes care more about their safety than the heroes. Arresting the vigilante is worthless if it comes at the cost of a civilian life.”
“Ah okay. And what about working with them directly?”
Shouta pauses, staring down at his student through narrowed eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“N-No reason!” the boy flails. “I was just thinking if a single hero arrived on the scene of a catastrophe where a vigilante was already working to help people then wouldn’t prioritizing civilian safety mean cooperating together for the duration of the disaster?”
Midoriya’s eyes are wide and gleaming with innocence but Shouta can’t help but feel that he’s walking into a trap.
“Yes…” he says slowly. “A single hero should never try and fight a vigilante head on anyway since without a means to assure a peaceful surrender the hero would need to go all out as if fighting a villain which isn’t something the public likes to see. Legalities aside, most vigilantes are just people who really wanted to be heroes so treating them like villains makes us look bad.”
“Ah okay so like, if a kid saw a vigilante they shouldn’t try to take them down either right?”
That feeling from before is back with a vengeance but Shouta still can’t figure out where the trap is so it’s cautiously that he says. “Well most children would be unable to subdue a full grown vigilante, especially without risking bodily harm, so it would be illogical to even try.”
“Awesome,” Midoriya chirps. “Thanks Sensei!”
And then the kid is skipping down the hall like Shouta has just removed a great weight from his shoulders.
By the time Shouta thinks to call after him ‘Wait, did you meet a vigilante???’ Midoriya is long gone.
He turns back to his apartment just in time for a picture of Ash to pop up on his screen.
“...am I seeing things or is that vigilante cosplaying as me?”