hero's shadow // mha

71) talk to me

Izuku sits on a chair outside Principal Nezu's office. He's looking at the tile beneath him and swinging his feet.

His blurry reflection stares back. It should be illegal, honestly. What's the point in paying so much money for cleaners to make the floor polished? Why do they need it to be that clean? Izuku doesn't like dirt, of course, as he always made sure to keep his apartment clean and free from as many bugs as he could control, but he's not this bad.

Is UA so clean and tidy and white just to uphold a prestigious image? Or is Nezu a germaphobe? Maybe that's why the vents are so clean nowadays. If Nezu is using them, he might not want to get his fur dirty. Izuku wonders suddenly if the mammal uses pet shampoo or human shampoo. Does he have a separate bottle for his hair and skin? Or is it the same?

Does he moisturize? Maybe he gets dandruff. Does he clip his own nails? Or does he go to a groomer? Is that wrong to ask?

"Are you kidding me?"

There are many places that provide services for mutants who need special care, but since Nezu is quite literally a whole rodent who was experimented on and turned intelligent, does he count? He's not a true mutant, so would they let him in? Well, it's not like they could say no. But would Nezu even go to places like that? What would be the protocol?

"Yamada, I will have to ask you to lower your voice—"

Perhaps he clips his own nails and grooms himself. He certainly seems to be the type. He's very peculiar. He likes things to be organized—well, in his own chaotic way. Izuku might ask him one day if he works up the courage. Does he file his nails?

Not many people do, to be fair. Most just clip them and go to a nail salon. But Auntie clips them herself all the time. She's always grooming herself. While she's on the phone, while she's outside having coffee, while she's watching a TV show and complaining about how stupid it is. Masaru does it too. His toenails are spectacular!

Er, not in a weird way. It's just that generally people don't take as good a care of their toes as they do their hands. Mitsuki and Masaru could be hand and feet models—hell, they're already halfway there! They're fashion designers for big name companies. They literally own the runways. Even forgetting the feet, they could just be general models. They take such good care of themselves that they don't look their age at all!

Kacchan is definitely their kid. He looks great, too. His skin is flawless.

"There aren't any other students here, so why should I be quiet? This is insane, Nezu! What you're suggesting, it—it's all shit!"

Izuku breathes in deeply, closing his eyes as he imagines Kacchan's face in his mind. Kacchan is gorgeous. His features are just flawless. Looking at him is like looking at an art piece in a museum—you just can't look away. You can't get enough of it.

Izuku certainly can't get enough of him.

"I've only stated the obvious, which is that it would be foolish of us to overlook this opportunity when it has quite literally fallen into our grasp. This is a great thing for our student, Yamada."

"Great? You think this is great? He's a vigilante! Have you seen his records? It doesn't matter if it's been proven or not—the media says he's a murderer, so in the world's eye, he is! This won't work the way you think!"

Izuku breathes out, and his eyes open. His legs stop swinging.

"I think you may be missing an important detail in—"

"They are going to ruin him, Nezu. Rabbit needs to be shut down! Not groomed into some kind of 'hero' by agents who don't even have a real name anymore! This contract sounds all great on that damn paper, but that's not how it will be in action and you know it. Why are we even considerin' this, huh? You all have gotta see what I see here, man..."