Requested by: TheRedPython_123

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All his life, Sugaya Sosuke played the role of a bystander. In the society where a quirk defined one's worth, he knew he just wasn't meant to be in the spotlight.

Working at a café was, unsurprisingly, quite befitting of someone his nature, he mused to himself. It was a small, typical café located somewhere deep in the city maze and far away from the chaos of centre Tokyo, and so they were never really flooded with customers. Accompanied with the constant soft jazz in the background, it took on a relaxed, carefree ambience even the staff enjoyed as they served customers at a steady pace.

However, this was the world of heroes and villains, so to forever live in that bliss was nothing but mere fallacy.

An explosion rocked the building. Shrieks of terror and booms of destruction rang in his ears; fear lanced his body with every pound of his heart against his ribcage as he cowered behind the counter of the café. Acrid smoke and dust filled his lungs at each inhale, and every time he thought it was safe to run, something would detonate and a new wave of debris would catapult over his head, rendering him to shrink back into his hiding spot.

'How did it come to this?' The question reeled amidst his panicked thoughts. It had been a usual Sunday morning, where business was at the peak of the week. Sundays also meant only half day of work for Sugaya, where the later half would be spent on his brushes or carving knives, honing his art skills. He lived a humble life, working at the café and just earning enough to put food on the table while supporting his aspirations to become a professional artist.

Yet, his peace was wrecked in an instant because of some robbery gone wrong. It was supposed to be at a jewellery store a few shops down, but one of the villains probably had some sort of destructive quirk, and they had managed to drag the fight all the way down there.

He dared take a peek over the counter.

The chaos was even more than what he'd imagined. It wasn't rare to stumble upon heroes fighting villains, but to this intensity, he believed it wasn't just an everyday case. One side of the café's wall had been demolished; all the glass windows shattered from an unknown force. Through the gaps, he espied silhouettes leaping here and there in a flurry of motions, followed by abnormal sparks of the activation of quirks.

Most customers and staff had managed to escape before the got too messy, but a few unlucky ones like him were stuck hiding in the café. The back door was no use either- the fight had extended all the way to the alley. The only choice left was to wait and pray it would end, or the fight would move some place else.

There was a loud bang! Sugaya barely ducked in time just as another section of the wall blew up. Rubble whizzed above his head. Then, a crash. He peeked out once again.

Someone had sprawled on the floor, being sent flying back by the unknown force. A (h/c)-haired girl cladded in a suit that easily screamed her identity as a "hero" struggled to get up from the blow. She turned around, and their gazes clashed.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Watch out!!"

She barely spun around in time to block an incoming attack. The force of impact sent her rolling to the side once again. The attacker burst through the debris and lunged, giving her little time to get back on her feet. He could only watch the hero narrowly avoiding the villain's consecutive attacks. It was almost impossible to turn the tables, unless...

Without thinking, Sugaya grabbed a rock and threw. Miraculously, it strike on the villain's head.

The villain's head snapped back. Red reptilian eyes glowed with an energy that sent chills down Sugaya's spine. A smirk stretched across his lips, revealing yellow, sharp fangs. In an instant, fear seized him; the blood in his body turned cold, his limbs paralysed. His mind screamed at his foolish gallantry.

A pair of feet slammed onto the counter centimetres away from his face. Stifling a small shriek, he broke free and ducked under. The cacophony of crashes and war cries continued, until there was another huge boom, and the havoc finally faded away.

I...nearly died...!

*

A week later, Sugaya found himself back behind a new counter. Despite the recent incident, customers still returned in a steadfast pace, and the café was back to its usual business.

This was the everyday lives of this society.

"Sugaya-kun!"

Sugaya glanced up to see his colleague, Nagaki, leaning against the counter from the outside. "It's time to switch. The person at table A6 just came in; you'd better attend to them quick."

"Ah, sure," was all he uttered, before he shifted out from behind the counter to let Nagaki take his place. Grabbing a note and pen, he scanned around the newly renovated café, before quickly spotting his assigned table. With his usual obliging smile, he asked, "May I take your order, miss?"

Sugaya found himself looking back at the same (e/c) eyes that failed to leave his mind whenever the incident surfaced in his head.

From the way your eyes had fleetingly widened, he assumed you had recognised him too.

A small, almost sheepish smile crossed your lips. "Actually, I'm not sure what to choose." Your eyes were now on the menu. Dubiety flickered in them. "Do you mind recommending me some?"

"Ah, of course!" He leaned in and began rambling: "I would recommend our crepes, especially our best selling tiramisu mango, or if you're looking for something lighter, we've got an assortment of sandwich meals..."

"Sorry, but," you blurted out, and your eyes met his once again. "What's your personal recommendation?"

He blinked. Well, that was... quite unexpected.

"W-Well, personally," he distracted himself with squinting at the menu. "I would recommend the matcha-berry parfait, it has a unique taste, and it's not so filling for a post-meal snack."

"I'll take one then, please." Your response was immediate. He uttered his affirmation and was about to turn back when you called out again. "Wait..!"

He halted and turned his attention back to you. You were smiling again, and there was no sign of bashfulness in it. "Actually, could you join me? I want to talk to you about that day...."

"O-Oh..." His mind couldn't conjure a coherent response immediately. "Um, well, I'm in the middle of my shift now, but I have a break in about an hour..."

"Ah, right! Apologies," you let out a small sheepish laugh. "It's no problem, I can wait."

Your food was ready in no longer than 15 minutes, and even as you ate, Sugaya caught his gaze bouncing between you and the clock multiple times. He couldn't even begin to guess what was there to speak about with him. Curiosity rose the more he mused about it; a rare nervousness gnawing within him. Even Nagaki noticed him the contrast to his usual composure and raised an eyebrow.

When the clock finally hit four, he made his way over to your table as casually as he could. You shut the book you were reading the moment he sat down, but instead of speaking, you raised your hand to call for another set of matcha-berry parfait and coffee.

You only grinned at his puzzled face. "My treat, for taking up your break time."

Nagaki, who took your order, threw a playful glare at him. "Using your time wisely, huh? You're buying me lunch tomorrow." Sugaya shooed him away. "This is serious, and I'm not buying you anything."

After his colleague disappeared back into the kitchen, followed by his cackles, you took one long sip at your drink, and finally asked, "How are you coping?"

The question didn't register in his brain for a second, until he realised you were talking about the incident. "Ah, well, I'm... as fine as I can be. Thank you for saving us, miss... err, hero."

"Right, introductions!" You reached out your palm in a gesture to shake hands. "My name's (L/n) (Y/n), I actually just started out as a hero under Ryuku, so I'm not actually like, a full-time hero yet."

"Sugaya Sosuke." He returned the gesture. "Woah, Ryuku, the Dragoon Hero? You must be pretty strong."

You laughed a little. "Nah, not really. I was just lucky to even be accepted by her. I'm just happy enough to survive this long."

"So, what do you need me for?" Sugaya queried. It was impossible to imagine you would just drop by to check up on his mental health, especially if you were working with one of the top ranking hero in the country. "Won't you be super busy... and all that stuff with your hero work?"

At this, you sighed. "Well, yeah, but I kinda screwed up and fractured my knee. The villain I was supposed to catch escaped, so now I'm supposedly on sick leave, but it feels more like a punishment. Also, I want to thank you for helping me. If you hadn't distracted him, I might as well be dead now."

"I'm just glad we got out alive. That reptilian guy-" Sugaya threw his hands up in exaggeration. "I doubt he was any ordinary villain. What was up with that incident, though? It's way too extreme to be a simple robbery."

Your expression quickly turned solemn. You're right, it was no ordinary burglary. Speaking of which..." you suddenly lowered your voice- as if you were about to tell a secret- compelling him to lean in. "Have you heard about this group called 'Moon's Blade'?"

He met your steady gaze. "...No?"

You dug into your bag and took out a tablet. With a few swipes, you flipped the tablet towards him. The screen flashed the profile of a man with a snout much like a lizard's, and scales littered the peach of his human skin. Sharp fangs peeked from between his lips.

"Moon's Blade is a group of assassins who live on top of the fence between the world of heroes and villains. They don't stick with either sides; they would only strike if they found the benefit to, or if someone crossed their line. There's a rumour that recently they've been siding with the villains, and Mr. Reptile here," your nail tapped against the screen, "is said to be involved with them. He's our lead clue to finding out anything about Moon Blade."

"...And you're telling this to me because?"

"It seemed that he was targeting specifically this area, though I can't be sure. So, I need someone around here that can help me keep an eye on things. Second, thanks to your bravery, he might come back to hunt you again. And when that time comes," sobriety weighed in your voice. "I'm going to need your help to capture him."

Speechless, Sugaya could only gawk at you.

You quickly explained, "I'm not forcing you, of course, but it will be hard to get someone else as suitable, and if he does come after you, there's not much I can do to help too. If you're in though, I promise you will get protection from our agency. Also, as gratitude, there will be monetary reward if we successfully catch him."

Then, you both sank into silence- him, with his head bowed and grey bangs falling over his eyes, and you, your posture straight and professional as you waited for him.

It was obvious that dumping all this information on a regular citizen in one go wasn't the best choice. You were basically telling him, whose hands had never touched the road you walked, to possibly risk his life to capture a villain. Any normal person would obviously be terrified, especially after encountering a near-death situation with the said villain. It was probably best to find an alternative while he still ruminated over his choices-

"I'll do it."

It was your turn to be stupefied. "W-wait, are you sure?"

Sugaya merely slouched in his seat, his nonchalant demeanour a complete opposite from your first impression. "Yeah, since you did say there was a chance of him coming back for me, so if I'm going to die anyway, I'd rather die doing something useful," he pointed rather matter-of-factly. "Plus, if I do get out of it alive, there's money."

...All right, you'll just roll with it.

"...Okay then, here's what needs to be done."

You began listing out a bunch of precautions for him to take, like how he should be aware of any stalkers, he shouldn't stick to a daily routine that was easy for people to figure out and the likes. You both exchanged phone numbers that he could keep as an emergency number the moment something turned up.

"For now, just keep an eye around this area. I'll drop by every now and then. Well then, I won't keep you any longer," With that, you gathered your belongings, stood up and offered your hand once again. " I look forward to working with you."

Sugaya mirrored your actions, and shook your hand. "Likewise."

*

As promised, you became a regular at the café. What was merely work in the beginning quickly evolved into something more- through frequent exchanges of conversation and friendly banters, an undeniable friendship blossomed swiftly. Even after you returned to the frontlines, you'd still show up at least once a week, sometimes in bandages or new bruises, but the same cheeky smile was still plastered on your lips. You both shared stories- mostly about your 'exciting hero tales', but Sugaya was content enough watching you talk with such passion that it was almost comical.

Until one day, just as Sugaya exited the staff room, he spotted you at your usual seat, but something was off.

Your head shot up the moment he slid into the seat. Despite the smile you quickly wore, distress still weighed in your eyes. The shadows under were more prominent than ever. It had been more than a week since you stopped by, but Sugaya assumed you were just busy with your work.

"Hey," you greeted in a softer voice. Sugaya wasted no time. "Hey. What's up with you?"

His artist eye caught the ever slight clench of your jaw and the way your hands tensed around the cup you were holding. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't know heroes lied."

You glared at him, but it melted away to fatigue. "We're not saints," you muttered. "Even a hero can sin."

He leaned forward with both hands crossed. "So?"

You inhaled deeply. Throughout the times you spent with him, he was an extremely easy-going person, and a pretty good listener. He wasn't one to heedlessly judge others, so...

You gathered your shambolic thoughts, and finally spilled, "...we had a job- I had gone later than my team because I was further away. When I arrived, they had already cornered one of the villain. They shouted at me to go after the other one who also took a girl hostage.

"I found them in an alleyway. The father was brawling with the kidnapper, the little girl at the side crying. Before I could stop them, a gun clattered out in front of me. All I saw next was one man lunging out for the girl, and before I knew it, I... shot."

"That was the girl's father."

Sugaya surmised. Guilt immediately contorted your features; a wry laugh escaped your lips. "I almost killed her father, right in front of her eyes. Proves what kind of hero I am, huh? The villain slipped away- again. I've been busy dealing with the police and trying not to get myself kicked out from the agency. Sorry I didn't stop by to check."

You stopped and casted your gaze downwards, confliction flickering in them, as if there was something more, but something was stopping you.

"Why did you want to be a hero?"

His sudden question caught you off-guard, but you answered him with little hesitation. "To save people, of course?"

Sugaya slightly tilted his head. "That's the definition- anyone can say it, and I don't mean to say that it's not true, but do you really need to be a hero to save people?"

You barely showed any reaction, but he could tell his question struck something in you.

"...yeah, I get what you mean. Now that I'm in, I can see it's not as... glorious," you heaved a sigh. "There's a lot of pressure to what the public expects, and the competition among the newbies alone are intense, so although people tell you failures are normal for beginners, the consequences weigh pretty heavily, and more so after you start climbing ranks."

"Are you gonna quit?"

You immediately shot up and flung your hands. "What? No! If I back out, that would be like trying to escape my responsibilities!"

He put his hands up in a surrender pose. "I was just asking, calm down. So, what are you going to do then?"

You deflated back into your seat. "I... need to learn to take this head-on, since I've decided to be a hero," you gave him a wry smile. "Thanks for letting me rant."

"No big deal." He raised a hand to beckon a waiter. "But you can pay me back with some parfait."

*

Since then, you'd stop by lesser and lesser, as you'd apprised him beforehand. Although you had told him the incident was resolved, the drained look in your eyes only grew more conspicuous. As he had suspected, you didn't tell him the complete story.

"(Hero name)-san."

You swivelled your chair to face one of the senior members. "Yes sir?"

"We received a few reports of sighting of the 'Lizard Man'. Since this is your investigation, could you check the place out? I'll send you the location."

"Understood-"

"Yes, sir!!" A sudden weigh shook your chair. You glanced up to see a flash of gold- dread crept over you. Your teammate smiled innocently at your senior; her fingers dug into your shoulder where she grabbed you as she continued to cheerfully yap away. The conversation was then lost in the haze of your thoughts, and you soon found yourself standing in a deserted carpark up on the 9th floor of a dilapidated building.

The air was heavy with the smell of must. Moss and greens sprouted from fissures and weaved intricated patterns over the flaking walls. You scanned the surroundings. Nothing stood out aside from an abandoned car that had turned turtle and the concerning jagged lines on the pillars.

"This place stinks," a whine came from behind you. Your 'partner' kicked a crushed can with her steel capped boots. You rolled your eyes. "No one forced you to come, you know?"

It was her turn to scoff. "I know, but we need someone to keep an eye on you, just in case you screw up again. I'm doing everyone a favour," she sneered. You bristled, her words prickling at your pride, yet they weren't far from the truth. Since that incident, every other case you had been assigned to somehow had you slipping up or failing, and bit by bit you could feel yourself sinking into despair. However, you genuinely felt as if there was another factor to your failures, as if someone had staged the whole thing, but there was only so much you could theorize, and how far people will believe you with no solid evidence.

You clenched you fist, and glared at her from over your shoulder. "Funny, but it seems that you are paired up with me every time, so doesn't that equate to your failure as well, partner?" She scowled back at you. "It's not my fault you're incompetent," she sniffed. "If I were you, I'd hurry up and quit the agency already."

"You-!"

"Let's just hurry up and get on with the mission." She was then suddenly striding faster than you, one hand waving. "Better walk faster- I don't want you slowing me down."

Swallowing down the rising ire, you quickened your pace to chase after her figure up to the next floor. Each level was just as derelict as the previous, and you were afraid by the time you got to the top the floor would just collapse under you.

Just then, you realised it was eerily quiet. No clicks of heeled boots or grumbles. Your partner had vanished.

Cautiously, you treaded across the empty carpark. You tried to call her out. "Hey! Are you here? It's dangerous to-ow!"

Something pricked at your neck. You quickly swatted at it, but all you got was a thin needle.

Before your brain registered the danger, the roof above you burst. The snarling face of the Lizard Man lunged at you.

With a small scream, you managed to duck away before the ceiling crushed you. Pain stung your forehead, and blood trickled out. Bewilderment bombarded your frenzied thoughts: where was your partner? Why was he here? Was the source actually accurate?

The villain gave you no time to think- he charged with a roar. You pushed away all questions in your mind. No matter, you were going to settle this here once and for all. Adrenaline coursed through your veins; with a cry, you leaped into a stance, and activated your quirk.

Nothing happened.

What the-

An fist slammed into your stomach. One moment you were flying backwards, the next you were tumbling on the ground, the wind knocked out of your lungs and pain erupting throughout your whole body. You hacked and gasped, tasting a bitter tang bile in the back of your throat. The stomping of feet closing in had you struggling to get up, but something was off. You knew you weren't as weak to fall just from one punch, but now it was as if all the energy had sapped off your body, your limbs felt like noodles as they wobbled just from your bodyweight.

Panic blared in your head. You recalled the strange needle on your neck. The appearance of the Lizard Man right after. Your partner's absence. It clicked. You were set up.

A shadow loomed over you. You looked up to see your partner, whose glowing eyes glinted with malice as she peered down at you. "Surprised?"

Belated consternation crashed onto you, and all you could utter was: "Why?"

She rolled her eyes, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What, you think everyone in the agency liked you? Well here's news: no one does. At least, no one from our cohort. I don't understand what Ryuku-san sees in you."

"Y..ou're a h...hero." The strange numbness had already begun eating your mind. "How c..could you..."

A boot landed on your torso where you'd been hit and dug, eliciting a shriek of pain your ears registered as your own.

"Shut up! You don't understand!" she suddenly bawled. "Just because you're born stronger than the rest of us, you think you're some hotshot that can go around preaching your fictitious ideals and boss the rest of us. That fake hero façade of yours disgusts me-" she raised her hand, and a golden orb crackled to life. Insanity had totally engulfed her mind and twisted her features into a sick look. "I'm... going to do everyone a favour, and get rid of you..."

Instinctively, you closed your eyes. With the sluggishness of your mind that told you to just give up, somewhere, a smaller voice was yelling, ordering you to get up and fight, but everything else refused to cooperate. You just wanted to fall into the black abyss looming in front of you...

No searing pain hit you. Your 'partner' had gone silent too. You mustered your strength to force open your heavy eyelids and blinked to see through the bleariness. It was like watching snippets of a film. You first saw your partner frozen in fear as someone approached her from behind. Then, another blink,, and she was lunging at the newcomer. The next second, she had vanished from your view, and a new pair of shoes approached you.

You forced yourself to lift your head ever so slightly, a last effort to stay conscious before you slipped away, and in that last second, you were certain you saw grey with familiar black irises.

*

"(Y/n)-san."

Your eyes flew open. The first thing you realised was the unfamiliar brick walls that confined you, and you were lying on a rather uncomfortable bed. The next was the other presence looming over your bedside.

The moment you saw Sugaya's face, confusion, anger and hurt came sweeping over you all at once. You tried to leap up, but pain pounded against your brain and your vision swarmed immediately, rendering you to fall back. You throat felt raw and scratchy; you began coughing in your attempt to speak. Sugaya calmly handed you a glass of water, which you sipped ferociously through a straw.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," came his unwavering voice. "The neutraliser won't wear off until a few more hours, so I suggest you calm down first."

And you did, because there was nothing else you could do. Your mind still felt foggy, but you managed to glare at him. "Why are you doing this? Who are you really? Were you actually working with the Lizard Man-"

"Hey, hey, I told you to slow down. I will explain." He leisurely placed the empty glass onto a small table, sank into a chair nearby and crossed his legs. You gritted you teeth and seethed: "You lied to me, you bastard."

He shrugged. "Well... technically, I did not. I just told you half the truth. I am still Sugaya Sosuke, the humble café worker and aspiring painter. I am also one of the members of 'Moon Blade'."

He continued despite the obvious blow of realisation and betrayal that flashed across your face. "Your details on us are right: we are a group that doesn't side on heroes or villains, but recently we've come to a mutual agreement with the League of Villains."

"B...But why?" More questions just came flooding in. "Where's my partner? What about the Lizard Man?"

Sugaya raised an eyebrow. "You're still worried for her, even after all she's done to you?"

"Just tell me." You hissed. He regarded you for a second longer, before speaking up again. "...we got rid of her. Your partner had been working with us to arrange various of your failures, including the gun incident, all because of her jealousy and greed. We had a contract; one of the terms were in exchange for our help, she would give you to us alive, but she broke it and tried to kill you, so I had to step in."

He held up a hand to stop you from throwing out more questions and carried on: "The Lizard Man was also one of our contracts, but he broke it too- in relation to the chaos he caused for the café. The one you saw in the parking lot was just an imitation- a quirk of one of my teammates."

Now that you thought about it, his punch had been a lot weaker despite the direct strike.

"But... why?" was all you could managed.

With the most nonchalant face one could make, Sugaya replied. "We want to recruit you."

"You've seen it, haven't you? The ugly side that's consuming the hero society. Your teammates, for example, drunk on their jealousy and greed, even sacrificed one of themselves just to get rid of you while the others continue to stand in the glory of 'being a hero'. Many other corruptions, illegal conducts and misuse of power were all casted aside and hidden just because they were coined saviours of the society." His face darkened, the first time you've ever seen a hint of anger leak out from his pacific mien. "The top heroes are all too engrossed in their own fame to ever care what was going on."

"That's just one of the reasons we aligned with the League of Villains. Of course, we would be hypocrites to support a group that's also killing innocents, but I can't tell you anymore. If you want to know more, however," he matched your gaze, "then join us."

Your only response was to sit completely unmoving, eyes wide as you tried to comprehend his words. You felt as if you had been slapped; the truth you refused to acknowledge now finally plainly displayed in front of you. The last of your beliefs for the hero society shattered.

Sugaya watched your reaction, and finally sighed. "Well, I'll give you some time to think about it." He stood up and headed towards the metal door. "Don't even think about using your quirk. The neutraliser can last a whole day, even if you're able to move already. Also, you're in an unfamiliar territory-"

"I get it, I'm not stupid," you snapped. "Just...get out."

The clangs of bar and fading footsteps told you of his departure, but he halted, and turned back to face you. "(Y/n)-san... I genuinely enjoy your presence. You are a good person. It would be a shame for you to become another innocent sacrifice in the coming war. I will come back in two hours."

With that, he departed, and you were left to sink in your own devastation.

_________________________________________

This took waaaay too long I sincerely apologise,, the simple version of my reasons are school, commitments, and motivation. I know these are still excuses so I'll spare the long explanation. :")

I can't guarantee how much more often I can update but I will do my best to finish your requests, no matter how long it takes. Thank you, as always, for your understanding and constant support. Stay safe!