"What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until the weekend, Kid?" Levi, Chris, and Naoko sat around one of the many small tables that inhabited Levi and Chris' home (Naoko had never really understood that decoration choice, but she wasn't about to tell these men how to live their lives). Levi was staring at her attentively, and she was grateful that he was taking this seriously.

School had just ended for the summer and the summer camp was only a week away. There was no way Naoko could say she was excited for this, between Levi, Chris, and Aizawa hinting at random things, Naoko knew that their whole class was in for a world of hurt that she didn't necessarily want to think about. But that was not the reason she crashed her mentor's mandatory date night.

No, there were far more important things to think about... Things that had been on Naoko's mind for a long time now. Her fingers drummed awkwardly on the surface of the table as she tried to regulate her breathing.

"Oh, you know, it was nothing too major... I mean, it kind of is, but that's beside the point... Um, I'm assuming that you heard some of the rumors floating around about my quirk?" She got out, her fingers shaking heavily as she tried desperately to regulate her heartbeat. Levi could probably feel every major change in her boy, so she needed to calm down.

Levi huffed irritably, "You mean the shit that's been floating around about how much of a danger you are? Yeah, we've caught wind of it, it's stupid as fuck."

The venom coming off him was intense as he scowled; if the way his fingers snapped together was any indication, he was anything but happy about this development.

Chris didn't look happy either, though he was more subdued about it, compared to Levi's 'I'll murder a bitch' attitude, "Agreed. I think the people who are against you believe that we'll be on their side. They've been sending us more emails than I care to look through."

"Most of them aren't even based on fact," Naoko wasn't sure if Levi was more upset about the contents of the emails, or the fact that they thought he wanted to be included, to begin with, "It's all fear tactics and bullshit."

It was unfortunate, but Naoko had expected this... to some extent. Honestly, she had hoped that there would be some level of maturity here, but maybe that was too much to expect from a bunch of people who lived in the panic-filled world they were stuck with.

"Well, that's a part of why I'm here... Um... Well..." Naoko's fingers stalled slightly as she thought about how to phrase this next part, this was the part that could get her in a lot of trouble, "I need to know what drove the two of you into becoming vigilantes?"

Whatever the two had expected their surrogate daughter to say, this wasn't it, Levi deadpanned entirely, his tea balanced carefully between his fingers as he blinked at her. Chris, on the other hand, began to choke on the drink he had been sipping. From the way his shoulders were heaving, Naoko could almost hear his overreaction.

Unsurprisingly, Levi was the first to respond, his precious tea set carefully on the table before he moved to sign, "Don't tell me those idiots are getting to you?" Naoko had enough experience reading his facial expressions that she was able to see how pissed he was, though it wasn't directed at her, thank goodness.

A small blush dusted across Naoko's complexion as she sighed, she could do this, she needed the answers, "Kind of," She signed with a grimace, "The legal system is completely fucked- pardon my language- and the more I see, the more I realize that there are plenty of situations where heroes' hands are tied. Between that and the corruption that is the hero ranking system, I don't think I can comfortably call myself a hero."

The two pros stared at Naoko. If they were anyone else, they would probably be worried about how she was thinking, but they understood all too well. While neither of them had turned to vigilantism for that specific reason, they got the mindset.

Chris eventually leaned forward, his eyes dead serious as he signed, "You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?"

Naoko's nod was all they needed. Levi and Chris shared a significant look before Levi started to sign, "Listen, kid, before you jump in feet first, you need to understand the ramifications of this decision. It isn't all rainbows and shit, being a vigilante is hard, a lot harder than you might think. You will constantly be on the wrong side of the law, no matter what decisions you make, people will mostly hate you on principle, just because of what you've chosen to do, and there is absolutely no money in it.

Most vigilantes turn to crime just to scrape by because they can't take the pressure of living two lives. It sucks, so before you go all batman on us, you need to know that fact better than you know yourself. Am I understood?"

Naoko knew that it wouldn't be an easy road to walk the moment she began to consider it, but the way they were looking at her had all that determination shriveling up with indecision. Still, she nodded.

The couple shared another heavy look before Levi motioned at Chris urging him on, "Naoko, please don't think that we're trying to stop you from doing this, if you still want to become a vigilante after all this is over, then we'll support you. Who knows, you could become the first governmentally sanctioned vigilante, but there'll be a long way to go before that's even considered."

Naoko nodded solemnly and Chris continued, "Well, my reason for becoming a vigilante to begin with, wasn't nearly as noble as yours is, it was more an act of rebellion than anything else," He paused for a minute, and fanned his face, looking oddly embarrassed, "My family is wealthy, to say the least, and most of that money comes from hero work. They were popular enough back in Sweden and they jumped at the opportunity to come to Japan to grow their fame."

Both Levi and Chris stared at the table for a moment, disgust written clearly on their faces as they thought of Chris' parents, "They took me with them, and I was forced to join Shiketsu High. My quirk wasn't anything to write home about, but they were determined that I would join them as a hero so they could present the image of a strong hero family, defending against evil wherever they went.

"Of course, what they wanted and what I wanted were two different things. For as long as I could remember growing up, I wanted to be a dancer, I had the body for it, I was flexible, and the few times I was able to dance in front of others, there was a rush of excitement that I never got from joining my parents on patrol.

"Sure, Japan was my parent's opportunity to jump into the global circuit, but it was my ticket to freedom as far as I was concerned. I switched out of the hero course without telling my parents and joined general studies, where I would be able to take a dancing class the next semester if I wanted to... And God did I want to."

Chris smiled at the memory, but anyone with eyes could tell that there was no true happiness behind it. Levi reached over and grabbed his partner's leg, offering him what comfort he could.

"Well, needless to say, my parents found out before too long and we fought. I told them that I would never be a hero with them, and no amount of threatening would change my mind, they told me that I would not retain my status as their child if I didn't. They were mad, as was I, but I knew that taking time to cool off wouldn't change their minds. Somehow I knew that they would never come to accept me as I was, so I told them that they could eat shit for all I care and I walked out the door."

He stopped speaking for a moment, clearing his throat as he looked around. Naoko couldn't help but grimace, she may have lost her own parents, but she couldn't imagine how hard it was for someone to have to choose between their family and their happiness.

Levi had practically draped himself over Chris' lap in an effort to cheer the taller man up, which was comical because his face retained the usual pissed off look it always had.

Chris ran his hand through Levi's hair for a moment before he continued on, his hands careful not to hit his partner as he signed, "I didn't realize until that moment how unprepared I was to be living on the streets, I had been a pampered rich kid before then, but I adapted. I dropped out of high school, obviously, and found what work I could as a teen... It wasn't the most reputable, but it put a roof over my head and food in my stomach."

He was cut off at the end of his sentence by Levi, who nudged his partner wickedly, "Oh don't be so modest, He was the most sought-after exotic dancer in the red light district, both men and women wanted him."

A light shade of red covered Chris' cheeks as he looked away from Levi, "That's beside the point, idiot," He muttered out loud, not that either Naoko or Levi was able to tell, Naoko was staring at Levi with her jaw dropped, obviously not expecting that tidbit of information.

Seriously... She had noticed Levi calling Chris a man-whore before now, but she never would have guessed that the reason behind the nickname would be... Well... This!

Chris frantically waved his hands around to regain their attention, he was redder than a tomato as he glared at Levi. Seriously, what was that irritating midget thinking? Naoko would never respect him as a father again after this!

"That's enough of that!" He managed to get out, despite the very flustered way his fingers were fumbling, "Seriously, the only reason I got that job was that it paid me well enough to survive, there's no other reason! That's not the point of the story!"

Unfortunately, Levi had hijacked the conversation, a truly evil grin covering his normally emotionless face, "Oh no, you could see it in his eyes as he danced that he loved every second. The people watching him, enraptured by his performance, I was honestly surprised when he became a hero."

Naoko had had more surprises at that moment than she had in the last several months, "You knew him then? I thought you two only met after he became a hero?" She had been told bits and pieces of their story, and every tidbit she was given made her want to learn more.

"That's true, I didn't meet him face to face until after that, but I had seen him dancing when I was stealing from the strip club he worked at. Nearly botched my job when I got distracted by him. About cost me my life too."

"It was worth it though, no one can pull off chains quite like him... Both literally and figuratively."

And there it was, Naoko sat staring for a moment before the insinuation sunk in and her face began to turn red at an alarming rate, "Wait," She managed to get out, her fingers shaking worse than Chris' ever could, "Don't tell me you guys are into... BDSM?"

Chris and Levi stared at their girl for a moment with very different expressions on their faces, Levi was very obviously trying not to start laughing and Chris looked utterly horrified, "And that's enough of that conversation!" He signed largely before rubbing his temples, "I swear, all I wanted was to have a nice conversation with our girl here, but nooo, that can't happen, can it?"

Naoko still looked ready to have a heart attack and Levi was turning slightly red from trying to control his breathing, which was more than enough incentive to move off this topic, "That aside," He signed quickly, regaining their attention, "The red-light district has a lot of crime, and I found out that I couldn't just watch. Just because I didn't want to be a hero didn't mean that I was willing to watch people get hurt.

"So I came up with a cheap costume and became a vigilante, there was a lot of crime that I could get in the way of, so it didn't take long for me to be noticed by both the people and the police. It was scary... I thought that any minute my father was going to swoop in from the heavens and drag me back into his plans, but that didn't happen. No one knew who I was or why I was doing anything, and that kept going for several years. It was long and exhausting because I kept up with regular shifts at my job as well."

The awkward air from only moments before was already gone, lost to the comfort of Levi running his hand gently up and down Chris' back and Naoko leaning forward with sparkles in her eyes, only a touch of red still lingering.

"I still don't know how I did it," He mused, slowly getting lost again in the past, "It was so much more exhausting than being a hero has been, especially since I knew better than to come into work with bruises... Turns out that people don't like seeing those on their entertainment too much. But still, I kept going.

"My father's utilitarian style of training me paid off because I could utilize my quirk to scare people off, or even to put them out of commission for a while. 

"That worked for years, but eventually, the police caught up to me and I was forced into the back of a police cruiser... Not going to lie, the feeling I got when I found out that there was a crowd outside the police station, clamoring for my release was amazing. It's what made me decide that becoming a hero was worth it."

He smiled gently as he finished speaking, and his hand lowered to entwine with Levi's, "I guess I miss the freedom of working independently of the law, but the security makes up for it, I'm not going to lie."

A squirm of guilt manifested in Naoko's stomach, was she really going to throw away the security of being a hero... A hero who could help a lot of people, just to make a point?

Levi noticed the shift in her mood as he leaned over and dropped his fist down on her head, just enough to make her wince, "Don't get all pouty on us now, kid." He signed casually, leaning back and pulling Chris' arm until it rested on the back of Levi's chair, "Just because we've done better as heroes than we could have as vigilantes don't mean that they aren't needed. You hit the nail on the head by saying the system is fucked up, but they don't care enough to change. Having a powerful vigilante out there who does a better job than the system is allowed to could be just the wakeup call they need."

It was sobering and so... so confusing. It would be easy to just let life sweep her away, become a hero and work for the rest of her life to help people in desperate situations... But Hasame was a fan of the adage, 'The best path is rarely the easiest.' Was this the better option?

"What..." Naoko started, but her fingers stilled before she got out her question. She was almost afraid to learn about Levi's past, what new information would this bring her? A deep, steadying breath was required before she could continue, "What made you become a vigilante?" She got out, staring cautiously at Levi, as though he was about to bite her.

He looked between her fingers and her scared expression before shaking his head, "Don't look so scared, it isn't a sensitive subject, I like you enough to answer your questions."

She was about to respond, but he cut her off as his fingers began to move, an odd look on his face, "My story isn't as detailed as Chris' is. The sperm donor who pretended to raise me was in the Yakuza and got busted for bribing a cop. He was as dumb as a box of bolts, to be sure, but I think he enjoyed coming home and pretending to be a father.

"I mean, he didn't provide shit for me, so I learned to steal to avoid starving. He was arrested before long, and I was kicked out onto the streets before I was even ten. The heartless bastards had a big enough grudge against my dear ol' dad that they didn't care about what happened to me. I got used to street life quick enough... Honestly, I was more of a hoodlum than a vigilante, people just gave me that title because I beat the shit out of a few people who thought they deserved more than they needed.

"My stomping grounds overlapped Chris', so I ran into plenty of the same issues. Lots of rape and robbery, and while I didn't give a shit who stole what, I never liked letting people get away with hurting others just for the heck of it. I stepped in every time, and while my old man had been basically useless, he had taught me how to fight, so I started there and got better.

The whole quirk thing only helped to an extent; I was able to get a couple of kids out of a building that collapsed because of a grease fire, but that was my limit. I tried to experiment, but it was difficult when I didn't really know what my quirk was. 

"Gods, I was so clueless before Chris came around." He laughed briefly, a sound that made Chris smile because only he knew that his husband's laugh sounded like a walrus dying.

"Well, I am pretty spectacular," He signed intimately, leaning in to nuzzle Levi's hair, making Naoko feel as though she should leave. This was their designated date night after all.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Was the response, just as private, but Naoko was still there...

Still awkward.

Still ready to run for cover the instant they started making out.

A nudge against her leg had her shooting out of her chair, cursing the small tables, she was way too close to the action.

The movement pulled the lovebirds out of their haze and Levi quirked his eyebrow up at Naoko, who definitely was edging towards the door, "What? You think we'll have sex with each other while you're still here?" He asked, sarcasm heavy in his fingers, "Sit down, you still have shit to talk about, don't you?"

Normally, Naoko would be all over that, but she really couldn't bring herself to, the dots were connected, she really just needed to spend some time thinking about her decision, "Nope, I'm good." She signed as quickly as she could, "I know you became a hero because of Chris, and something tells me you like being a hero better than whatever it is you were, so that answered all my questions, I think."

Levi nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face as he looked up at their girl, "Good, glad we got that all figured out. Now, one last thing before you scurry away. We're here for you, no matter what you decide."

A weight felt as though it had been lifted off Naoko's shoulders as she looked at her mentor's, Chris was beaming up at her, a smile that promised unconditional support, and Levi looking at her as though she was strong enough to fight the world...

Honestly, it made tears well up in her eyes as she nodded desperately, trying not to break down and start sobbing, something that she knew would send Chris right into his overprotective mode.

"So... You'll support my decision?" She asked hesitantly.

Chris unwound himself from Levi and stood, walking over to her with a gentle smile, an expression that seemed so different from how he portrayed himself to everyone else, "Obviously. Hell, if you don't want to get those mothers of yours in trouble, you can always stay here. The room's yours for as long as you need it."

Her eyes widened and she stepped away, shaking her head, "I couldn't do that! That could get you in trouble, your hero licenses would be taken away, I don't want that!"

Her refusal was met with nothing more than Chris wrapping her in his arms, his tall figure engulfing Naoko, "And who says we care? If they do that, then I guess we'll just have to become vigilantes with you." He said this as he tilted up Naoko's head, ensuring that she could see it, "Don't worry about us, we're good at adjusting and have just as many axes to grind with the system... Isn't that right Levi?"

The short man had stood while Chris was signing and moved to Naoko's side, not hugging her like Chris, but offering his support still, "Damn right, Tsuragamae is a pain in my ass on the best of days, becoming a vigilante right under his nose would be amazing at this point."

It seemed that Naoko wasn't going to be able to talk sense into either of them, so she simply gave up and leaned more into Chris's hug. She had a lot to think about, but these two had definitely made her feel better about whichever decision she would make in the end.

How did she get so lucky?