Confrontation [🥉]

OH MY-! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FEATURE!

INTRODUCTION:~~~~~~

Hello! Here's another event entry on the last day :sweat_smile: . This time I've got a story for the #BREvent. Ngl I had fun while writing this, the situation is so bizarre and Izuku's reeling the entire time :satisfied: .

This is also my submission for this month's #AWICWriting, our prompt was 'Member's Choice' so we had quite a bit of freedom, but we were asked to focus on dialogue so the following story is pretty dialogue heavy. Hope you enjoy!

Time taken: 9-10 hours

Word count: 2,955

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Kurayami Shun(OC)

A.U: Quirkless, Vigialnte Izuku

Synopsis: Arsenal was enraged when he first saw the ments, how dare they use him like that!? But when he finally hunts them down, the confrontation doesn't go quite the way he had planned. Kurayami Shun manages to catch him completely off guard with surprise after surprise.

Tags: #AWICmc

Confrontation

“Make a sound, and I’ll cut your throat out,”

Breaking into a teenager’s room in the middle of the night was not something Izuku had ever thought he would find himself doing. Well, becoming Japan’s most wanted vigilante was another thing he never imagined would happen, yet here he was. And, in his defense, he hadn’t realized his victim that night was going to be a child.

Terrified bright blue eyes stared back at Izuku’s murky green ones. “You’re aware why I’m here, right?” Izuku said quietly, the voice changer in his mask making his voice sound deeper. The terrified boy in front of him said nothing, his eyes darting between Izuku’s eyes and the knife at his throat.

Izuku eased his grip on the knife, giving the other room to breathe. He could feel the boy’s thundering heartbeat under his arm. “Well?” He asked, “Answer me.” Izuku was glaring at the boy. He didn’t normally go after people who weren’t villains, but this kid had managed to piss him off quite a bit. He thought back to what had happened that morning.

Eraserhead threw a bunch of papers at him, “Mind explaining this, Arsenal?”

Izuku looked down and immediately gritted his teeth as he recognized them. They were all flyers advertising merchandise for him. When he first saw a store selling these things he had been dumbstruck, he couldn’t even begin to fathom who would do such a thing, or even why they would think it was a good idea.

“Hell if I know,” He snapped. Anger had set in after the initial shock. How dare someone use him like that? Eraser looked surprised and asked him whether this wasn’t something he had come up with to piss off the heroes.

Izuku scoffed, “I want publicity about just as much as you do, Eraser. What makes you think I would do this?”

“Then who’s behind all this?”

”I don’t know, not yet at least. But when I do I’m going to make them regret the day they were born,” Izuku snarled.

Izuku ed those words as he stared down the culprit before him. Eraser had merely sighed and asked him to leave it to the authorities, fully knowing that it was a ridiculous request. He’d gone through quite a bit of trouble to hunt him down, but it was necessary. Izuku would deal with this bastard himself.

Realizing that he wasn’t going to get any answers in the paralyzed state the boy currently was in, he sheathed his knife and grabbed the boy by his collar. “I’m not in a particularly good mood right now, so don’t make me repeat myself. Be a good boy and answer my questions and maybe all your limbs will still be intact by the end of this.” He shoved him onto a chair and leaned against the wall, sighing softly.

Okay... maybe he wasn’t the best at human interactions.

“What’s your name?”

Those bright blue eyes darted around the room, as if looking for an escape route before finally settling on Izuku’s tense form. He was probably regretting his decision to live on his own. He opened his mouth, lips forming words, but no sound came out. After a few tries he finally croaked out a reply, “K-Kurayami Shun,”

The tension in the room was so thick, Izuku could probably cut through it with the katana strapped across his back. Kurayami had pressed his back into the chair, as if hoping it would swallow him up and save him from the predator in front of him.

“Why are you doing this?” Izuku asked.

Kurayami was fidgeting so much that Izuku was tempted to throw something at him. “Because it’s not fair!” He suddenly burst, surprising Izuku. “Huh?”

“It’s not fair that you do so much for everyone but you’re still regarded as a villain.”

Wait, what?! Izuku blinked at the boy who had tears in his eyes now. What the hell is he saying?

“You’ve done more for me than any hero. I don’t think it’s fair that you get treated like a villain when you’re probably a better person and has helped more people than many pro heroes out there!”

“Whoa,” Izuku held out his hands in front of him, trying to get the boy to stop. He was completely caught off guard by the outburst, “Hold on, hold on. I’m gonna need you to back up a little. What on earth are you saying?”

Kurayami looked at the floor, his eyes tightly shut to prevent any more tears from escaping, his fists clenching and unclenching on his lap. “My mother was a horrible woman, I won’t tell you what she did, but she made mine and my dad’s lives living hell. She had a very powerful quirk and we were afraid of what she’d do if we ever acted out, so we didn’t. You probably don’t even it, but you were the one who captured her. After you got the police involved we were able to finally make a case against her. Now she’s in prison for life and we never have to see her again.

“My father would likely have killed himself by now if you hadn’t done what you did.” He raised his head to look at a shocked Izuku, eyes shining with unshed tears. “Not only that, once I had been cornered by a group of thugs and I’m sure something bad would have happened if you hadn’t interfered.

"Don’t you see? You’ve helped me again and again, and you’ve helped so many other people like that too. But you’re not regarded as a hero. Most people see you as a villain.”

Izuku felt as though a rug had been pulled from under his feet. This was most definitely not what he was expecting when he came here. But that still didn’t answer his question. “Look kid, I’m glad I was able to help you like that, but I don’t care about my public image. It’s better for me if I’m seen as a villain. And I don’t understand how selling merchandise is going to help people see me in a better light.”

“Well...it’s not just that. I’ve also been writing articles in newspapers and magazines, creating websites. So when someone sees the merch and decide to look into it they’ll see those...” He was looking at the floor again.

Izuku inhaled deeply, he could see where Kurayami was coming from, but that didn’t change the fact that he didn’t like what was being done. But before he could say anything, Kurayami began speaking again. “And I also wanted to help you,” His voice was so soft now that Izuku had to strain his ears to hear what he was saying. “I-I followed you to your home one day, I saw where you lived...”

Izuku wasn’t able to say anything. His feet moved on their own and, before he realized what was happening, he’d pulled the boy off the chair and shoved him onto the ground. Kurayami immediately curled in on himself, protecting himself from the blows that would surely follow. When nothing happened, he slowly peeked out from under his arm.

Arsenal was breathing hard, his entire body coiled tight with rage. Kurayami made the mistake of meeting his eyes; the normally dead eyes were wide and burning, filled with intense malice. It took every ounce of strength in his body to keep himself from doing something he would regret.

The tension in the room which had started to dissipate was back with stifling force. Kurayami swallowed, he couldn’t say anything even if he wanted to. He watched as Arsenal slowly turned around and walked towards the chair he’d just been sitting on. Arsenal slumped down on it and closed his eyes; he looked like he was trying to control his breathing.

When he finally opened his eyes, it seemed as though the fire had been replaced with ice. And his voice was back to the same low and deadly voice he had introduced himself with. “You have thirty seconds to explain yourself. I’d choose my next words carefully if I were you. I’m assuming I don’t have to tell you what would happen if you mess up.”

Kurayami shook his head frantically, his heart beating wildly in his chest. “I promise, there was no ill intent. It was an accident- I just wanted to watch you while you were patrolling. I hadn’t realized you were heading back. When you entered that abandoned building and didn’t come out I went in to check whether anything was wrong. That’s when I heard you talking to your cat and I realized that’s where you live...” He trailed off, biting his lips.

“Spit it out,” Izuku growled “if there was any line to cross you’ve already crossed it. Better say everything you have to now.”

“I-I also... I know who you really are,” Kurayami shut his eyes tightly after saying that, waiting for something to come at him, whether it be harsh words or some sort of projectile. Instead he heard something completely unexpected.

Laughter.

Arsenal was laughing in disbelief. Clutching his stomach and nearly falling off the chair, he continued to laugh. “You are really something else.” He said, wiping off tears and looking at Kurayami with softer eyes. “Tell me, how did you manage to follow me without me noticing?”

Kurayami would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little frightened by the sudden change. “I-It’s my quirk,” He said “it makes me unnoticeable, unless you know exactly where to look and what to expect you would simply overlook me. It’s also why the heroes haven’t been able to track me down yet.”

Izuku immediately sobered up, “Oh?”

“Yeah, because of my quirk, even if you manage to track me down I could easily slip by and you would just be confused as to what you were doing there in the first place.”

Izuku cocked his head to the side, “But I was able to find you,” he pointed out.

“That’s because I wanted you to,” Kurayami replied.

Izuku shook his head, “Of course that’s how it works, and of course the bastard wanted me to find him,” he muttered. He sighed and stood up, “I’m sitting on your bed, hope you don’t mind.” Without waiting for a reply he sank onto the bed. “Tell me your plans, I’m listening. What made you do all of this?”

Kurayami straightened, “Wait, seriously?”

Izuku narrowed his eyes at him, “Didn’t I tell you not to make me repeat myself?”

“Y-Yeah! Sorry, I’ll...” Izuku watched as he scrambled upright and went over to his desk, chattering excitedly about his thought process and his success. If he was being honest, Izuku didn’t know what to make of the situation. This most definitely was not what he was expecting when he set out to confront the one behind all of this. The only thing he knew for sure was that he couldn’t let it continue.

Izuku listened intently as Kurayami explained how it had been a little hard to get started, as he couldn’t get any factory to produce the products. But after many tries he finally got lucky.

“How did you manage to pay for all that?” Izuku interrupted.

“Uh...”He was biting his lips and looking anywhere but at Izuku, “We gained a part of mom’s wealth when she was arrested. There was... a lot of it, and dad didn’t want to even look at it so...”

Izuku eyed him and he blushed furiously, “Don’t look at me like that!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Izuku replied, he felt the corners of his lips lift in a small smile.

“Anyway,” Kurayami continued, “I started by printing the logo I had designed on stationery products; things people would buy even if they didn’t particularly care for the design.” He showed Izuku a notepad with the logo on it. It was a simple design; a mask over a pair of crossed swords, the name ‘Arsenal’ written across the mask.

“Oh yeah, that. It looks stupid.” Izuku said and Kurayami looked offended. “Well, sorry! I’m not an artist,” He said, dejected.

“I was kidding,” Izuku really was, he hadn’t expected his words to have such a strong effect. “I really like it. It’s simple and eye catching. You did a good job.”

Kurayami’s face immediately lit up, he smiled widely and his eyes sparkled, “Thank you!”

Izuku’s heart ached. The boy was clearly enjoying himself, he didn’t want to take such a thing away from him, but he had to. He opened his mouth to say that but was interrupted. “I also made a huge profit, especially when I moved on to selling posters,” He smiled softly “that’s how I wanted to help you. Sure, selling all of this would make people more aware of you and they’d think of you more as a hero rather than a villain. Especially with how it blew up and more people started talking about you. But I mainly wanted to give you the money.”

The words Izuku had planned on saying all flew out of his head. He stared at the blue eyed boy in front of him, slack-jawed. “I don’t need your pity,” he managed to say, but it came out sounding more dazed than spiteful like he had intended.

“It’s not pity,” Kurayami said. Izuku knew that but he still couldn’t accept it. “Look, kid-”

“I’m actually a few months older than you.”

Izuku glared at him and he ducked his head. “Look, dipshit. I don’t need the money. Keep it. And not just that, I’m sorry to have to say this, but you’ve got to stop.”

“Why?”Kurayami asked. They both stared at each other for a while before Izuku began to smile. He may have been wearing a mask but the glint in his eyes was enough to make Kurayami wary of what he was about to say. “Shun-can I call you Shun?” Without waiting for a reply, he continued “Do you know why villains don’t like me?”

“Uh...because you’re a vigilante? And because you’re strong?”

“Wrong. Well, at least not exactly,” Izuku replied, “It’s cause I’m a tattletale. I search for information and they go directly to the police if I feel I cannot take them on. And it's impossible to negotiate with me.”

Kurayami looked skeptical, not sure where this was going, “And...?”

“You’re a first year at U.A, right?” Izuku asked.

Kurayami’s eyes widened, “How did you-?” Izuku pointed at the school’s uniform hanging from his closet. He inhaled sharply and looked at Izuku, “You wouldn’t,”

“Of course I would. I’m guessing you are a business student. Now, if I were anyone else I’m sure your teachers would have been thrilled to see what you have accomplished. But unfortunately for you, I’m a vigilante and you go to a school full of heroes. In fact, I see Eraserhead almost every day...”

Kurayami’s lips were pressed into a thin line as he regarded Izuku. It was clear that he was debating everything in his mind but Izuku knew that there was no way he would take the risk. After a few minutes he finally sighed, realizing there was no point arguing, he gave in, saying he’ll stop everything. He promised that once all the products that were already created were over, there would be no more.

But he had one request, “You have to take the money. That was my main goal,”

Izuku shook his head, “I’m not going to take it. If you don’t want to keep it that badly, give it to charity, I’m sure there are many organizations that would benefit from such a donation.”

Kurayami seemed conflicted but eventually nodded. “Okay,” He slumped down on the chair, “It’s just...I wanted to help you somehow, to pay you back for all you did. But now it seems like I only annoyed you.” He was looking at the ground and seemed to be fighting back tears.

Izuku considered the boy for a while before groaning and rubbing the back of his neck, “Seriously? I break into your house and threaten your life multiple times and you still want to help me? I don’t even want you to pay me back for what I did!”

“I understand why you did all that, and I don’t care if you want me to pay you back or not. I know you don’t, but that doesn’t change the fact that I still want to,” Kurayami said.

Izuku glared at him, considering something, before sighing, “Fine, how about this? I had a bit of trouble tracking you down, and the police still haven’t managed to. And also considering how you did all of this yourself, I’m assuming you’re good with a computer?”

Kurayami perked up at that, “Yes?”

“Then how about I come to you if I ever need help with something like that? What do you say?”

“Yes, absolutely!” He was grinning widely and, seeing that, Izuku smiled a little as well. “I promise I won’t let you down!” He was bouncing on his chair, looking like an excited toddler. Izuku laughed, the excitement was contagious, “I’m going to hold you to that promise, Shun.”

If possible, he looked even happier at that.

Izuku stood up and stretched, “Well, I’m exhausted. I’d better get going,” He eyed Kurayami one last time “Don’t forget our agreement.” The blue eyed boy nodded, a serious expression on his face.

Izuku walked over to the window he had entered through and gave the other boy a parting wave, “Goodbye, Shun. Until next time.”

Kurayami waved back at him, a content smile on his face, “Goodbye, Arsenal.”

THE END

A/N: I am so glad I finished this on time. School has been running me ragged and I was worried I wouldn't be able to. And ironically enough, I have an Economics exam tomorrow. But anyway, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.

I haven't made a wiki for Kurayami, he's a character I made just for this story, but if anyone is interested I might consider fleshing him out a bit more. Tell me in the comments what you think.

The cover was edited by me on Picsart.

Thank you for reading! Have a wonderful day!