Chapter 6

The aftermath of the Sludge Monster's attack was a tableau of chaos and destruction. Buildings were destroyed, smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring the once-clear sky. Injured civilians were being tended to by both heroes and paramedics, their cries of pain punctuating the scene.

Amidst the wreckage, All Might stood as a towering beacon of strength and hope for the people. Reporters and cameramen swarmed around him, their microphones thrust forth as they eagerly sought to interview the Symbol of Peace. 

"All Might, you're amazing! You defeated the villain all by yourself!" someone exclaimed, their awe-struck voice resonating through the air.

All Might faltered for a moment, his attention momentarily diverted towards the area where more of the red embers formed near a high building. He assumed it was the mysterious stranger who had aided in the heat of battle. If it weren't for them, he wouldn't have beaten the villain with just his strength. 

All Might saw a brief sight of the stranger. A pale hand reached out in the clear view of the broken window, followed by a flutter of embers with wings of iridescent brilliance; a butterfly..? 

Its presence barely more than a whisper in the air, supports wings that shimmer like molten gold kissed by the sun's last rays, casting a gentle, amber-hued glow upon the destruction. Before gracefully landing on the stranger's slender finger, instantly popping into sparks of ember after contact. 

All Might wanted to go find the stranger who interfered, he had questions he needed answers to, but also thoughts of pure confusion. Was this stranger a villain? Did they even have a license to use their quirk? 

But he couldn't get answers, not when the press and the masses clamored for his attention, not in the midst of this media frenzy that could affect his image. 

The aftermath of the incident would stain the people's memories and area, but what memorie remind over all in people's heads were the falling embers, the moment etched in the collective memory of all who bore witness.

The embers were overshadowed by the clamor of reporters, camera flashes, and the roar of the crowd. The people, momentarily captivated by the falling sparks of light, were now fixated on the living legend before them, and no one was going to waste this opportunity. 

Ambulances soon arrived one after another, their sirens piercing the air of panic. Heroes rushed to assess the situation, each taking on the roles that their Quirks and expertise dictated. Some attended to the wounded, offering reassurance amid the chaos while others worked to clear debris and secure the area.

Some heroes approached Izuku and Katsuki, the young boys who had been at the heart of the incident. Amid the heroes' stern expressions, their emotions ran high. Izuku was scolded for his reckless actions. Katsuki, on the other hand, received praise for his valiant efforts and powerful quirk. 

The heroes tried to scout Katsuki into their agency, some cameramen even began to crowd him.

Katsuki glared at all of them, pissed. His headspace was ignoring whatever the strangers were telling him and thought,

'I need to find Hitori...ugh, annoying ass extras blocking my way!'

But before any photos could be taken of the boys, a flutter of red passed the lenses. Hitori walked into the picture and positioned his back in front of the cameras. Unbeknownst to any of them, sets of those tiny sparks of light were constantly popping around the lenses of the cameras, causing any photos or videos to to blur.

Heroes and bystanders were taken aback by this sudden beauty that emerged from nowhere, but one of them called out to Hitori.

"Young lady! You can't just rome in here—"

Katsuki quickly interrupts them by snarling and standing up, facing them with a glare in his eyes. "He's my brother, fuck off!"

Hitori intervened before Katsuki's temper flared. His actions were accompanied by a slight bow.

"I'll be taking my brother home now," Hitori said, his voice soft and melodic. But really was concealing his displeasure for being here. 

His body began to tick every time someone even moved around them. His heart quickened, and a subtle tremor coursed through his limbs. It was as though the very air around him had thickened, constricting his chest with invisible hands. 

Hitori's hands twitched, fidgeting with a phantom discomfort that only he could perceive. He exhaled slowly, all the while conscious of the bodies pressing in on all sides.

Despite the turmoil raging within, Hitori concealed his aversion to human contact with a practiced mask of indifference. To the casual observer, Hitori appeared with his usual stoic expression. 

Hitori hid all these reactions very well, no one around them noticed. All the attention that the heroes and people had was on his looks. Their expressions, a mixture of shock and intrigue, couldn't help but be captivated by Hitori's striking appearance. Standing before them was a figure of singular beauty, less of a middle schooler and more like a model. 

The people were taken aback. How was this beauty in front of them, a boy?!

The heroes and people around Hitori stuttered and faltered in their reactions. They exchanged bewildered glances. However, Hitori paid no attention to their reactions - even if it was slightly discomforting - and looked at his two blobs.

Hitori glanced back at Izuku and offered to walk home together. Izuku initially declined Hitori's offer, assuring him that it's fine for them to go ahead as he caught a glimpse of Katsuki's expression. But Hitori decided to drag both of them along anyway, ignoring the gazes on them.

As they walked away from the scene, Hitori couldn't help but feel the weight of a certain gaze, the No.1 hero. All Might had seen them drag Katsuki and Izuku away, he was probably suspicious of why Hitori was there. But All Might flinched away after seeing Hitori's gaze, their eyes meeting and he look away and back to the crowd of cheering civilians 

4:57 PM

The cityscape began to take on the warm and enchanting hues of the sun, descending towards the horizon, painting the world in a palette of soft orange and rich red, casting long, dappled shadows across the streets.

They passed a supermarket and Hitori suddenly stopped in his tracks.

'Didn't Mits- mom, text me something about...groceries!'

Hitori remembered that Mitsuki had asked them to pick up some groceries since the servants were on break and Mitsuki didn't see why Katsuki and Hitori couldn't go get the groceries themselves. Katsuki reluctantly recalls the text message as well, and not wanting to face their potentially angry mother, decides to go get last minute groceries. 

"Do you want me to come with you, Katsuki?" Hitori asked.

Katsuki shrugged, "There's no need. Just wait outside for me, Hitori!"

Before Katsuki walked into the shop, he shot a glare at Izuku who was currently standing beside his brother.

"Deku, don't you fucking do anything to Hitori! Or I'll kill you!" he cursed before stomping into the shop.

"U-understood Kacchan!" 

Hitori didn't bother to wait for Katsuki standing up and walked over to the bicycle racks just outside the shop and rested against them. Izuku stared at Hitori and his framed figure, by the warm, amber glow of the evening.

"What are you doing just standing there, Izuku? Come here and sit."

"Ah—! Yes!"

Izuku hurried over to the bicycle racks and copied what Hitori did. It took a little more effort as Izuku had to jump slightly.

The world around them seemed to slow down, embracing the quiet beauty of the setting hour. They sat there in silence for a while, before Hitori noticed Izuku's uneasy demeanor and pointed it out.

"You okay?"

Startled by the question, Izuku stammers, "Y-yeah! I'm okay, Hitori-kun. Thanks for asking..." He manages to show a bittersweet smile.

"You promised to be careful."

Izuku knew what Hitori was talking about. He looked down pitifully. "I...I know...I...I just couldn't–-!"

Hitori didn't press for more details and simply nodded and leaned back against the bike rack, looking up at the setting sky.

Izuku goes on to share his thoughts, admitting, "Kacchan said that I couldn't be a hero without a quirk...and I know what he says is true... I've given up, but when I saw him with that villain, I just acted on instinct...I couldn't just let him die there!"

He pleads with Hitori through his gaze, seeking some form of reassurance.

"Don't listen to all of Katsuki's words, Izuku..." Hitori found it hard for him to express what he wanted to say with words. Comforting people wasn't his specialty, he wanted to say things, but it would mean nothing in the end so Hitori didn't go on any further.

"It's okay, Hitori-kun, I understand! I wanted to thank you for saving me and Kacchan's life... I'm grateful and in debt to you once again!" 

Izuku had already guessed that it was Hitori who was involved with the incident, but didn't push for further discussion since he rarely talks about his quirk and Izuku knew that.

Katsuki eventually comes out from the store just a few minutes later, carrying the bags of groceries. 

"Lets fucking go!"

And they continue their journey home in silence. 

After a while, Hitori became aware of the growing tension between Katsuki and Izuku walking behind him. Since he could feel the heat radiation off them, and that he didn't want to get involved with the BakuDeku bullshit, he decides to create some space and gives the two of them an opportunity to talk things out. Walking a bit ahead of them, his gestures were obvious and the two boys stayed back as Hitori continued to walk until he was far enough not to hear the two blobs voices. 

Hitori had to wait for them, so he pulled out his phone from his gakuran and logged in. After punching in a bunch of codes into the phone, Hitori's phone screen displayed a few words; Do you wish to log into [Extracted], [ ]?

'This is far into the future, right?'

Yes / No 

'Then why…'

[Yes] / No

'Are there no technological advances? Where are the flying cars, why do we still need to pay monthly for data, and why are gas prices still so fucking high..!?'

Thank you for confirming [ ], [Extracted] is loading...

'Is there anything new in this world other than superpowers and heroes?'

Loading completed! 

'Aish…what's the point in having this hero and villain shit going on, when political drama, corrupt corporations, poverty, wars and so on still exist, and are made worse due to quirks and shit. This world definitely didn't advance forward...But who am I to judge'

Welcome back [ ]! Notifications +99, DW messages +99... ... 

'I took a break for this days and this happens...haaa'

***

The incident that happened a few moments ago left Katsuki seething. Seeing that his brother was no longer in the area, his voice rose to furious anger as he glared at Izuku, the source of all his frustrations and problems. The words he spat carried no gratitude, no acknowledgment of the life-saving act that had just occurred.

"Listen, I'd never ask for a weakling like you to help me...Don't think you can just look down on me! Huh? Got that!? I was fine by myself, you're just a quirkless failure who won't even cut it as a cop. You didn't help me, you did nothing...Don't forget it!" Katsuki's voice dripped with scorn, his eyes ablaze with a fiery intensity.

Izuku stood there, taken aback by his childhood friend's sharp words. But he sighed, and showed him a bitter sweet smile.

"Kacchan is right...I didn't do anything...Hitori-kun was the one—"

But before Katsuki could say anything else, as the confrontation threatened to escalate, a figure emerged from the corner of the street. 

Hitori had heard the commotion from the other side of the street and decided to step in before something happened that would cause more headaches for him. 

"Let's get going, Katsuki," Hitori interjected with a voice like a whispering breeze.

Katsuki turned to Hitori, his anger momentarily redirected. "Tch…Let's get going then!"

As Katsuki stomped away, still bristling with anger, Hitori turned towards Izuku. He placed a slender finger over his lips, a sign of silence before he looked up, his gaze meeting the sky, and then pointed discreetly behind the green blob. Izuku followed the gesture and beheld a towering figure standing behind him.

"I am here!"

"A-all Might!"

As Izuku was panicking over the fact that the No.1 hero was in front of him once again, All Might observed the leaving figures' of blonde. His gaze shifting from the two brothers back to Izuku and noticing the stuttering mess he became and the flush red face he displayed. But he couldn't help but marvel at the astuteness of the middle schooler who had detected his presence, the beauty who also mysteriously appeared at the scene of a villain attack. All Might had a small intrigue in this kid, but he remained silent as his primary objective was to speak with Izuku.

With the confrontation settled, Hitori followed Katsuki's leading figure back home. 

The setting sun hung low on the horizon, casting long, trailing shadows that stretched across the pavement like elongated fingers. The sunlight bathed the world in a warm, golden light, painting the buildings and streets with hues of orange and red.

Hitori's gaze locked onto the sight before him, a daze. His expression was one of amazement.

'I guess this world does have a few perks, the sunsets are one of them. They used to be so...dull? Or was that just me?'

His thoughts drifted for a moment, a reverie that didn't go unnoticed by Katsuki. Sensing his brother's hand slipping out of his grasp, Katsuki quickly tightened his grip on Hitori's hand, causing them to be startled slightly.

"I dozed off, sorry."

Katsuki shot a glare back at Hitori, who held in the reaction of surprise.

'What did I do now...?!'

"Why is your attention on a sunset, what's so pretty about that...?!" Katsuki demanded.

"Ah..."

'Sometimes I can never understand Katsuki'

Hitori softly sighed before responding, "Well, it's just a simple beauty you can enjoy."

"That's it...?" Katsuki's skepticism was palpable.

"Mhm."

"Huh... That's kinda stupid, 'itori."

'This kid…'

Hitori's face remained stoic, but inwardly, he couldn't help but curse this stupid brother of his.

Hitori's explanation seemed to agitate Katsuki further. He pointed toward the setting sun, his voice laced with self-assuredness. 

"Why would you waste your time on that when you can look at me!" He boasted with confidence.

'...I almost forgot how arrogant Katsuki was, I guess it must have been the incident that triggered something. Well, the story moved on like normal, no world collapse or anything like that...'

"Well, the sunset I enjoy is in peace and silence. You're quite loud, Katsuki," Hitori bluntly stated.

"I—!" Katsuki glared at Hitori, but seeing how stoic and unfazed his brother was, he simply clenched his hand, still holding the groceries, and huffed away.

The silence lingered for a moment as the two brothers walked, the only sound being their footsteps and the occasional rustle of grocery bags.

Then, breaking the silence, Katsuki spoke up, "...'itori."

Hitori turned his attention to Katsuki, his willowed eyes meeting his brother's fiery gaze.

"Yes?"

"What did you do with that stupid nerd?"

Hearing the sudden question, Hitori stumbled forward slightly. He chose to keep his response simple and straightforward, "I just helped him with his wounds." Leaving the matter at that.

***

Katsuki's last memory was of shopping for groceries, and now he sat on the couch in the living room, inexplicably tired. His hands were in a pitiful state, still shaking with his encounter with the sludge monster, even if it had been just for a minute. He didn't consider them worthy of attention, but Hitori disagreed.

"Are you okay, Katsuki?" Hitori's voice broke through the stillness, catching Katsuki off guard.

Katsuki attempted to brush off his brother's concern with a dismissive wave, but in the end, his irritation got the better of him, and he slapped Hitori's hand away. "I'm fucking fine!"

The sharp contact left a stinging red mark on Hitori's skin, and a pulsing sensation of pain radiating up through his arm. He winced, though he didn't vocalize his discomfort, and slowly rose from his crouched position.

The redness spreaded across his skin in the shape of Katsuki's handprint. It was already starting to bruise, the color deepening in response to the force of the slap. Despite the ringing sting and throbbing pain, Hitori remained stoic.

Katsuki realized the impact of his actions and noticed the state of his brother's hand, guilt and regret welled up within him and he reached out to Hitori, his mouth opening to say something, only for his brother to speak up first.

Hitori didn't pay much attention to Katsuki's sharp words and tone of voice or the fact that he just slapped his hand away, and simply asked Katsuki a question, one that had him off guard. "Ah, sorry."

"I…What?" Katsuki blinked in confusion, not sure what prompted this response, but also not surprised.

His brother always acted like this, calm and unfazed even when things were done to him. Hitori possessed an uncanny ability to maintain his composure, responding to anything thrown at him with a calculated approach that weighed the pros and cons meticulously. It's almost uncanny sometimes, for the people around him and mainly his family. 

Hitori always acted like an adult ever since he was young, sometimes making Mitsuki and Masaru worry if Hitori was growing up too fast, or that he was handling some situations way too calmly for a child. In fact, he rarely, if ever, found himself in genuine trouble.

But something that Katsuki found irritating about this brother of his, was his obliviousness to himself and how he'd apologize over the smallest things, even stating it out for him. "Why are you always apologizing..!?"

"Eh?" Hitori's expression twisted with confusion as he regarded Katsuki. "Cause I made a mistake?"

Katsuki, on the other hand, stared back at Hitori with a blank, almost dumbfounded expression. His brother was undeniably intelligent, capable of picking up on even the subtlest reactions of others and deciphering their inner thoughts. But when it came to himself? He was dense, dense as fuck.

"It's annoying! Stop apologizing over nothing, damnit!" 

"If I listen, then can I put some ointments on your hands?" 

Katsuki grumbled before conceding with a begrudging, "...Fine."

"Good. Sit still and don't move," Hitori instructed and the elder complied, watching as his younger brother waddled off to retrieve something from the kitchen.

And that was where Katsuki was now, remaining seated obediently on the couch waiting for his brother.

Hitori moved around the kitchen and Katsuki observed Hitori's meticulous search in the pantry and found it oddly endearing.

Hitori returned while cradling a medical box in his arms. He settled beside Katsuki on the couch and his gaze locked onto Katsuki's hands and gently asked for them. 

"My hands are fucking fine, 'itori…" Katsuki grumbled, but Hitori didn't take any of it and grazed his wrists.

"Are you going to take back your words, Katsuki?"

"No!? Take my hands!"

After getting clear verbal consent, Hitori began to treat his hands, gently applying the soothing ointment to the wounded skin, and Katsuki noticed a certain softness in his brother's eyes, a stark contrast to his usual stoic demeanor. It was disarming, but Katsuki couldn't deny that he appreciated the gesture and that the sensation was oddly comforting.

Hitori wrapped up Katsuki's hand with some clean bandages, and Katsuki's attempt to downplay the situation, saying how this was all useless and he was fine but he felt himself growing inexplicably tired. His eyelids grew heavy, and he couldn't help but let out a yawn.

"I think you should get some rest," Hitori suggested.

"'m fine…" Katsuki protested weakly.

"Believe what you want, but you should sleep if you're tired."

Katsuki scoffed, "Says the insomniac."

"I'm not."

"Believe what you want, 'itori."

"Just…close your eyes, Katsuki," Hitori sighed.

"Yeah, yeah," Katsuki rolled his eyes, "I'll take a damn nap."

Katsuki soon fell asleep, but his head was resting against Hitori's shoulder. Hitori pondered for a moment how to deal with the situation without waking Katsuki up, as he was larger and heavier than him; there was no way he could carry him to his room like he would with Izuku. But after some struggle, he managed to get out from underneath Katsuki's figure and place his head softly on the couch arm.

The clock set on the living room wall read 5:23 and Hitori realized he had less than 15 minutes to get ready for the party and rushed upstairs to his room to get ready.

Hitori dressed in something simple - a light brown turtleneck, tucked under a pair of chocolate brown pants with a matching belt (which was designed with intricate silver linings) keeping it from falling from his waist. A thin jacket with criss-cross patterns in shades of brown, this was also tucked under his pants while the first 2 buttons of the jumper were undone. A simple silver necklace with a singular red ruby engraved in it, paired with ruby earrings. Hitori tied his hair half-up-half-down with a black ribbon - also getting a side bag, matching his outfit - for some smaller items, his wallet and phone. 

Hitori took a single look in the mirror.

'This is the most simple thing I could find…'

And sighed. Mitsuki was the one who brought all of his clothes, since Hitori himself couldn't care less, and her being in the fashion industry while being rich made all his clothing come from luxury and famous brands.

But he didn't waste another second on pondering about his looks and was about to leave his room, before he paused and, at the last minute, took his blanket off his bed and rushed back down the stairs.

He walked over to the kitchen counter and quickly wrote a note to inform Mitsuki and Masaru that he'll be out late, and for Katsuki not to start panicking when he couldn't find his brother when he woke up.

[ Out for a class party at XXXX mall. I'll be out for a while and might not come back till midnight. Call me if you need anything.

- Hitori ]

It was still a strange phenomenon for Hitori, writing down a note for someone else - and not themself - to make sure that they won't worry if he had disappeared. Before, he'd never done anything like that, but he guessed it was because he lived alone and there wasn't really anyone who would worry if he disappeared one day or not. 

A few years ago, Hitori had left the house without telling anyone, for something personal he needed to deal with. Not even an hour passed, and when he had walked back home, the whole house had turned upside down. 

All the servants, bodyguards and anyone really had gone looking for him. Mitsuki and Masaru all looked stressed out of their minds and when they saw Hitori walk through the door, they both lunged at him and hugged the shit out of him. Hitori froze up, seeing Mitsuki scared for her life and Masaru bawling tears, the both of them hugging him with their life. 

It was weird, to be honest.

Hitori slowly reacted, letting his arms wrap around Mitsuki and Masaru. They stayed in that position for a while, until Hitori heard the door behind him slam open, revealing a panting Katsuki. 

Hitori was taken about at the sight, why were these idiots worrying so much? It hasn't even been an hour and he wasn't dead, so why did they all react like this?

Hitori still didn't understand why, till this day. He grazed a finger against the note stuck onto the kitchen counter and headed back to the living room to check on his sleeping brother. Hitori covered Katsuki with the blanket he brought down, deciding he would not bother to go into his brother's room and get his blanket and just use his own.

As he stood there, gazing down at Katsuki, he noticed that his brother's hands were still slightly trembling in his sleep, and he unconsciously reached out to Katsuki's hand. 

Katsuki reacted, his grip tightening around Hitori's hand, but softened after a single touch, almost as if he could recognise that it was his brother. It was an unexpected response.

Katsuki's half-asleep murmurings were barely coherent, but some words reached Hitori, "Don't…" 

He leaned down and pressed a soft peck to Katsuki's forehead, as it was the only real way that Hitori could get Katsuki to listen without any force - he learnt this the hard way. 

"I'll be back," Hitori whispered, and Katsuki loosened his grip, allowing for Hitori to step away and head towards the door. 

He left behind sparking embers that fluttered around Katsuki, casting a warm, comforting glow beside him. 

Hitori took out a pair of boots that matched his outfit and put them on - with a struggle, thinking he should have found something more simple than this. Finally, getting the boots on, he left the house, locking the door behind him.

Hitori made his way down the pathwalk, and a sleek black car awaited him where a driver, wearing black sunglasses and a suit, was standing beside the back door. The driver noticed Hitori walking over and opened the door, letting Hitori get in and thanking him before the driver closed the door.

The driver walks to his seat at the front and turns on the engine and begins to drive out the gates.

"Young master, XXXX mall is the destination tonight?"

"Yes. Can I ask for you to get there before six?"

"No problem, trust this old driver," Checking the time, 5:42, "Eighteen minutes...good enough!"

The driver moved the rearview mirror and stole a glance at Hitori, seeing him all dressed up, he asked, "Out with friends, young master?"

Hitori nodded, replying with a simple hum and gazing out of the window as the world darkened around them. The driver smiles, pleased to see the young master socializing for once. 

"I hope you have fun, then."