acatalepsy_rpg

Even "observes people and writes about them in a notebook" sort of weird?

[He asks with a shy smile as if giving Hank one last chance to get the hell outta dodge. Most people don't ask about his notebook. Even his friends at school view it as being a weird lower-case 'q' quirk of his that it was best to just let him go off on. At least they weren't so weirded out by it anymore.

And if Hank doesn't seem to show any resistance, he smiles more widely and scoots closer so Hank can look at the book and Sumo can jump on the couch if he so wishes.]

All sorts of notes. It started way back when I was younger, when I was Quirkless, I'd observe all of the Pros, trying to imagine how I could use their powers if I was them. But even now that I have a Quirk of my own, I still want to learn about all of the amazing things people can do with their Quirks. The possibilities are just amazing-

[It's not hard to see why he has a reputation for being weird. But he's also got the pure and unfiltered joy of a kid with a new toy at christmas as he talks about his notes and sketches.]

I was just starting a new page for Kacchan though. Mostly about the powers he has here. ...Had here. Just so I don't forget.

[He flips through the pages. On each there's a little sketch and some notes ranging from signature moves to possible weaknesses. As he goes further in the book. There are even the names and drawings of some circle members noting their Astoria granted powers. Konoha can create food, but only raw food, it notes. Shiro can turn into a metal lion but loses his humanity if he's in there too long and so on. Hank probably has his own entry too.

Finally, he stops on a page blank except for the drawing of a young man, about Izuku's age, with spikey hair, narrowed eyes, and a cocksure grin. It might not seem flattering at first, but there's clear affection in every line.

[Of course Hank wants to know about the page with him on it - if he catches a glimpse of it he'll lean forward just a little more, for a second - but he stays on task.]

That's him? What kinds of things are you trying to remember about him?

[Hank's page (which is titled Mister Lieutenant Hank Anderson) notes that he is a police officer from America and that he has an "empath power" with attributes such as range and duration being listed as "unknown". It also mentions in a quickly scribbled note "Hank reminds me a little of All Might and Aizawa Sensei sometimes".

For a second, Izuku doesn't answer. Instead he just focuses on carefully adding more spikes to Kacchan's hair.]

Just some of the things he said here. I know I said we were childhood friends, and we are, but for a long time... things were pretty bad between us. We couldn't speak without yelling or fighting. But here... things were different. It was better between us, finally.

[Hank waits a second, making sure he's not going to interrupt if the kid has anything to add. Then he nods.]

That's why you asked if people remembered what happened here when they got back. You finally made things right with him.

[He says it carefully, just making an observation, his eyes moving from Izuku's drawing to his face.]

Yeah. It's what I've been wanting badly for so many years. I was so happy that we could finally just work together and be friends like we used to.

[He raises a hand to his face and scrubs at his eyes with a sniffle. He's cried over this, of course, he cries over most things but he knows he shouldn't. Kacchan wouldn't want him to cry on his behalf. In fact, he'd probably hate that he did.]

I don't want him to forget it.

[Hank raises a hand instinctively, wanting to put it on the kid's back. But he doesn't. His hand pauses, he sighs quietly, then he curls his fingers against his palm and taps his hand against his thigh a few times. He'll have to settle for paying attention to his tone instead, keeping that careful, deliberate tone that's maybe the closest Hank's going to be able to get to comforting him.]

You did it once, though. You did make things right with him. Don't you think you could do it again?

Maybe.

But here we both lost our Quirks and had new powers that we didn't understand and had to try and master. It sort of made all of the past stuff between us irrelevant and we finally stood on equal ground.

[He sniffs again and wipes his nose on his sleeve before dropping his hands to his lap and staring down at them.]

I'll still try though. No matter what. I owe him that much.

[Hank reaches over to pat the couch, looking at Sumo, and that’s enough to get him to hop up next to Izuku and settle in. At least one of them doesn’t have to worry about making things worse by touching the kid.]

And now you know he’s willing to make things work too, right? That’s not nothing. What makes you say you owe him?

[Izuku smiles at Sumo, who is probably drooling all over his lap, but that's fine. He just lowers his forehead to rest it against Sumo's soft fur before mumbling his answer.]

Cuz he's my friend and he's trying too.

Right.

[For a second Hank feels like he said something wrong, but - no. Izuku just misses his friend, Hank’s not going to make that go away with a couple questions. He leans back in the couch, ready to just sit here with the kid for a while. It’s still better sitting somewhere by himself thinking about his own shit.]

[Finally, he raises his head and sniffles loudly, wiping his runny nose on one sleeve and cleaning the fur that he got wet on Sumo's head with the other.

Being without Kacchan hurts and not knowing what its going to be like when they see each other again is scary but... he'll figure it out. The two of them somehow, no matter what, always seem to keep heading further up and closer together.

But for now, he's here and he has to think about how he's going to live here until he can get home. Until they all can.

He rubs at his face before he speaks.]

Mist- Hank. I know we come from different worlds. And I know that, as a kid, there's probably a lot of things adults deal with that I can't really understand. And so maybe, I can't understand everything that you're going through but... you've helped me twice now! And I know you'll say that I don't owe you anything, and I know that's true. But if there's something I can do for you then... please let me help!

[He gives a crooked little smile and then looks away, sucking at his teeth as he tries to think over how loud his brain's yelling about the one thing it really, really wants, a liquid way to kill off all the brain cells he spent that first horrible week on this ship growing back. If Izuku happened to have something to drink on him not asking for it might be a little harder. But he doesn't, so it's not.

The second thing Hank thinks of is a no-go, too; chances are pretty good, he thinks, that if he asked the kid to toss him over the edge of that big dumb hole in the ship, Izuku probably wouldn't laugh. If that kind of humor's secretly Izuku's thing, Hank would be really goddamn surprised.

God, okay, think of something normal. Something Izuku can do that'll make him feel like he's helping. He likes that, helping people, and it's not his fault there's not a single thing anyone but Hank can actually do for Hank.]

You can- uh, play with my dog? Or, he's been walking a lot, so- you can nap with him? I don't know, if I do try to get in those stupid spacepod beds he tries to get up with me and it's the saddest fucking thing. I think he misses hanging out with someone who's actually going to sleep once in a while and, you know, sleeping on something he can fit on. So. I mean there's that.

[Technically neither of those things is actually helping Hank. But helping Sumo is doing a favor for Hank, so that works. It totally works.]

[Izuku watches him closely.

He's a nosy kid by nature. He always wants to know the details, to go deeper, to find the truth. He couldn't mind his own business if his life depended on it. And he can feel like Hank is hiding something: he's not lying but he's not telling the whole truth.

But Izuku can't seem to figure what he should do to figure it out. His innocence walls him out from really understanding what's going on. So he frowns for a bit and then nods, petting Sumo thoughtfully.]

I can do that. I've been using my power a lot so I take a lot of naps in order to get my energy back.

...Will you be alright? You won't be lonely?

[The question surprises Hank, and he gives the kid an uncomfortable little smile. There's only one way to answer a question like that.]

Nah, I'm fine. Lots of shit to keep me busy around here, right?

[That was probably a little much. There's not a lot of shit to keep him busy. Lots of shit to stare at, not a lot to do with any of it. Not a lot to do but sit around and think.]

Maybe I'll hang out here and try to play some of these games, now that the power's back on. I mean, I don't have a notebook to write in or anything, but I do okay. What've you been using your whole power thing with? I thought you said that made you sick, right?

Right.

[He agrees but there's uncertainty in his voice. He wants to do more for Hank but he just has no idea what that is and it's frustrating. He feels like he should know what to do but he's clueless.

But now Hank is putting him on blast so he flushes and scratches behind his ear.]

It does, but... there's a lot of doors to take down! And if I use my power I can greatly reduce the amount of time it takes break through one.

Uh-huh.

[Hank says it in more or less the same tone Izuku used to agree with him a second ago, only more pointed. Now he’s out of the line of fire he’s noticeably more comfortable, and has no problem using a tone like that.]

So what’s behind all those doors? Anything important enough to make all that worth it?

Y-yeah! So it's like that! You know!

[Now it's Izuku's turn to look uncomfortable. He squirms in his seat, clearly feeling a little put on the spot, but also not really at all ashamed. More like dreading the potential embarrassment.]

Supplies, mostly. Some freeze dried food and medical stuff and things like that. But I did find this.

[He reaches into his pocket and pulls out something that looks like a pocket knife except when he flicks it, the blade is a laser instead of metal.]

Mostly I've been using it to weaken the locks on the doors before I break them down.

Huh.

[He leans forward, trying to get a good angle to take a look at it.]

Well. That's kind of neat.

[If he was really dedicated to teaching the kid a lesson here - progress isn't worth your health, all that crap - he might just ignore the lightsaber switchblade but he's not trying to be a drag, and it actually is pretty cool.]

How much damage can you do with that? It is for cutting right? Like, that slices through shit?

Yeah. It cuts through the locks pretty easily. Then I can kick down the door in one go after that.

[He turns it off and offers it up to Hank if he wants to examine it. He's also glad that he is not getting a lecture here!]

It might come in handy for other things too.

Cool.

[Hank turns it over, looking at it, then points it at the arm of the couch and flicks the laser out just to see what'll happen.]

Just make sure you warn people before you hand this out to anyone, people like shining lasers in each other's eyes cause they're not usually, you know, little swords.

S-shining lasers in people's eyes?

[CEARLY SOMEONE HAS NEVER THOUGHT OF DOING SOMETHING THAT MEAN.]

Well, yeah.

[He looks up from the slice he's leaving in the couch's arm.]

What, don't you ever just wanna mess with people?

[He remembers who he's talking to and corrects himself, giving the kid a crooked little smile as he does it to try and soften the comment.]

Or uh- don't people ever try and mess with you? That's what laser pointers are for.

Oh. Y-yeah. Back when I was in middle school, people would mess with me. Steal my notebooks, break my pens, trip me during gym, that sort of thing.

[He rubs the back of his neck. He doesn't really understand how that sort of thing is fun. Maybe because he's still so new to having friends where messing with him is actually a sign of affection.]

Never with a laser though.

Well yeah, that's because lasers are fun. All that other stuff's just kids being shitheads.

[He shuts the lightsaber knife off and holds it out toward Izuku.]

Here, take this back. Leave it in my hands and I'll have everything here cut up in like, ten minutes.

Maybe you should keep it.

[He doesn't move to take it back.]

I have my Hero training to fall back on and I don't really know how to use a knife. And I'm not sure I want to use it on anything but a door. Besides, you might need it to look after Sumo.

[At the sound of his name, Sumo raises his head and tries to lick Izuku's still slightly wet face. He sputters and leans away.

[text]

no subject

no subject

no subject

Mister Lieutenant

Mister Lieutenant!!

mister lieutenant sir

sir mister lieutenant sir!!

that’s about 3.5 more titles than he’s actually earned

now he has 3 more responsibilities

the worst possible fate

sorry hank fate is never kind

this is his terrible and inevitable destiny

embrace your dark fate

he already has. what do you think the whiskey's for

touche

:P

drink responsibly mister lieutenant sir

he will not and you can't make him

he can try!!

the worst way to end a night of drinking

sorry not sorry

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)