Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tango groans as he wakes up on the floor of his spaceship, his head pounding and body hurting. He held his head as he sat up, looking around the area. The Spaceship was broken beyond repair, wires poking out and a gaping hole in the top where he could climb out of. He stood up slowly, checking himself over to see if he had any wounds before opening his inventory and furrowing his brows. His elyntra that he made sure to pack was gone- as well as the enchanted armor he worked so hard for. All he had was an almost broken bow, scaffolding, fireworks, an enderchest, cooked pork chops, and his enchanted diamond sword. 

He felt a buildup of fire in his throat, threatening to explode out of him from his anxiety and he pushed it back down, coughing a bit as smoke filled the air. He felt the burning sensation in his stomach but ignored it; taking a deep breath as he climbed up and out of the hole in the spaceship, looking around. He was on a beach, not a Hermit build in site. He felt a crushing sensation in his heart, his flames dying down as he swallowed heavily. 

Tango slowly climbed out fully, hopping down and feeling the sand under his feet. Something about it felt wrong. He didn’t understand what that was but he knew it was off. Everything about this was. He didn’t understand what was going on, he felt his flames flicker and spark, trying to take a deep calming breath as he started walking around. 

He spotted some buildings aways in the distance, and a kid about sixteen or so, curly green hair and bright green eyes, sitting alone on a bench. He felt himself shaking at the thought of talking to someone that wasn’t a hermit, but no pain, no gain. 

Tango tried to calm his breath more, taking steps over. The kid seemed lost in his thoughts- so Tango gave a light tap.

 “Hey kid- uh. Where are we?” 

The kid looked confused at the question and Tango was cursing himself silently, of course the kid would be weirded out by him- that was logical. Everyone always was when it came to Blazes. 

“You…english?” The kid fumbled out. “English not good.”

Tango pushed down the flame of anxiety that threatened to build up- he wasn’t in an area that spoke english? How far of a SMP did he travel to? 

“Uhm…” Tango bit the tip of his nail, trying to figure out how to word things simply for the poor kid. “Here…where?” He cringed, hoping that he didn’t sound like an asshole. 

The kid lit up in understanding, a smile on his face, “Takoba Beach.” He said slowly, his accent more pronounced. It sounded Japanese. 

“Takoba…Is that the name of this SMP?”

The kid tilted his head, like a curious sheep. “Yes?” The kid slowly drew out, as if unsure. 

Tango nodded; so he was on a Japanese server, if he could find the exit point he could land back to Hypixel and regroup with the other hermits, he doubted that they would leave without him. 

“Thanks- er,” he paused, Japanese people bowed, right? Tango gave a low bow a bit awkwardly before walking away and finding a place to pause, opening up his inventory and navigating to the Chunk View area only to pause. 

That was gone. 

So was the chat box. 

He felt his flames sputter, anxiety starting to build up. If he couldn’t view his chunks- finding the exit would be near impossible. He squeezed his eyes shut, taking slow breaths and slowly focusing on his flames building up before they could have the opportunity to die out. 

After a few moments of regulating himself, he checked his inventory again- about to place the Enderchest to look into it before he paused. What if Tango wouldn’t be able to pick it back up? If both the chunk and chat options were missing, was it possible to even mine and pick things up? 

Tango’s gaze went down to his hot bar- a hand hovering over the screen as smoke blew out of his mouth, sputtering. How did he just realize that his health bars and food bars were missing? 

Maybe someone hacked into his player code, he heard stories of that happening on Tf2. 

Tango slid down the wall, sitting crosslegged as he messed around on the screen panel, navigating to his player code. But, everything seemed to be in order as what Doc and Xisuma left it in, no changes were made. No missing data pieces. 

Tango closed his eyes, trying to stay calm and get his thoughts in order but the anxiety made it worse. Thousands of scenarios going through his head; no clear explanation of what’s going on was available.

He tried to breath and remember what Doc said to do when anxiety was getting the worst of him. Take a deep breath- name five things he could see, four things he could touch, three things he could hear, two he could smell, and one he could taste. 

Tango drew his knees to his chest, ‘Sand, Sidewalk, my inventory, bugs, buildings…clothes, the ground…’ he continued to name things in his head, breathing slowing down and sparks turning back to a solid flame. 

He should make a plan of survival. Closing out of his inventory, he leaned back- he’ll need some new clothes in case he burned the ones he was wearing, most likely more food- he didn’t have much cooked porkchops, milk in case he ran into potion brewers…maybe he should build a few mob farms. 

But, he didn’t know the rules of this server; Tango knew a lot of SMP’s banned mob farms because they thought they were OP…maybe he should get his barrings first, explore a bit and figure out what to do before night. But…

If he can’t pick up blocks, could he even place them? Or was that off the table, and come to think of it; he hasn’t seen any mobs wandering around- passive or not. It wasn’t like he was in a desert biome; there should be at least a couple of pigs and chickens, there was no spawning boundaries to prevent it.

Did…mobs exist here or was it a server with mob spawning off? That would make sense with builds as big and complicated as the current ones, it put some of the Hermits builds to shame a bit. Well, if mob spawning was off then Tango didn’t have to worry about night. 

Tango stood up, the anxiety coursing through him was a bit calmer, maybe mob spawning being off also messed with block placement? For new players. Maybe he had to go through an admin and figure it out from there. 

He started to walk, deciding to go through the city and see what he could find there. Maybe someone could speak english, at least that’s what he hoped. The kid he found was nice enough but…well; he was obviously uncomfortable with Tango. 

He knew blazes had a bad reputation, it wasn’t surprising that Japanese people thought the same. He quelled his flames a bit, making them die down and tucking his tail to be hidden in his pants. Tango couldn’t do anything about his horns but he could hide most of his blaze features and blend in as a sheep hybrid, probably. 

He stopped by the first store, about to open the door when it automatically opened. Tango’s eyebrows raised in suprise, that was amazing redstone with how fast it opened. He looked at his feet, searching for pressure plates but he didn’t see any. Maybe they were covered by carpet to give the illusion of a sidewalk? 

Either way, it was no doubt impressive and he took a step back to test it, watching it close before moving close to it as it opens once again. Mumbo would love this kind of build, he would go nuts at the red stone on the inside no doubt. 

Tango finally entered, looking around the store. It was set up neatly, and he picked up an apple; marveling at the hyper realistic look, he wondered what kind of texture packs that this server used, it made things look so good. He tossed the apple in his hand before trying to place it in his inventory, blinking as it worked. So- he still had the ability to place things *in* his inventory. Tango took out the apple, placing it back down before repeating the process to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. 

So, food he could still pick up and place, but were blocks still possible to gather? He left the store, finding a far corner in between buildings and brought out a piece of scaffolding, placing it with success. He starts to mine it but stops after a few seconds- he should’ve picked it up by now but it seemed mining did not work. 

He swallowed heavily, at least Tango didn’t place down the ender chest yet. He would’ve not been able to pick it back up. He tucked the scaffolding back into his inventory, brushing off his pants and looking to the side and walking back out. 

Tango should probably keep exploring until he finds someone who speaks English, ignoring people who looked at his horns weirdly. Of course he knew prejudice still existed but he grew too used to being surrounded by the Hermits who didn’t care about that kind of stuff. He ducked his head, trying to hide behind his horns as he walked faster, weaving in between people. 

He startled back as he bumped into someone with a plague mask- backing up a bit and rubbing his arms as he fell back, “Sorry, I didn’t see you.” He said instinctively, forgetting that he was in a Japanese server. 

The man looked at him before taking off a glove and holding out a hand, to which Tango accepted gratefully, the man was oddly silent, looking at Tango with a more curious gaze that seemed almost obsessive but Tango payed it no mind. 

“Hey man, you speak english?” Tango’s voice was a bit of a plea and the man seemed puzzled. With that look, Tango’s shoulders sunk in crushing disappointment, of course he didn’t. It was a bit presumptuous to assume that any Japanese person he came across spoke English. 

Tango rubbed the back of his head, at a bit of a loss as the man seemed to text someone, “Alright…I’m gonna- go…” he drawled out awkwardly, about to turn around when the man grabbed him, “Hey!”

Before Tango could react, maybe spit fire or let his flames burn and melt the guys’ face off, he felt the prick of a needle- growing drowsy and slumping as he passed out.

The flames dying as his eyes close.

Chapter Text

Tango woke up with a groan, fire slowly sparking to life as he regained his vision, his other senses coming back to him slowly. He adjusted himself before realizing he was tied down to a chair, hands and legs bound. He focused on his hands, building up the fire in order to try and burn the ropes to no avail. Tango blinked in surprise before realizing that the ropes were most likely fireproof. He shifted in his seat, a bit more panicked as he tried to escape the ropes, breath coming in short as his fire flickered and sparked. Before he could loosen the ropes any, he heard two pairs of footsteps and saw the guy that was there before he fell unconscious and another guy wearing a beak-like mask that he didn't recognize. 

Tango was more on edge, staring at the two with a raised eyebrow, trying to put on a brave face, "So, who the heck are you two?" He asked, watching as (who Tango assumed was the boss) turn to the other one in question. The other one said something in Japanese, and listened intently to what the 'boss' was saying before repeating it back to Tango- in English, this time.

"We are the Shie Hassaikai." The guy made his English pronounced, he must be a translator for Tango, which was oddly nice of his kidnapper, "This is Overhaul, the boss," Seems Tango was right in his assessment and he narrowed his eyes in thought at Overhaul, "I am Bullet Three." 

Okay yeah, Tango was officially weirded out at this. Bullet Three? Maybe the translator didn't know what he was trying to say. Either way, Tango shifted in his seat, "Overhaul, huh. Are you the server admin?" That would make a lot of sense to Tango. It would explain why he was kidnapped- Tango was pretty sure that if a random person showed up in the Hermit server, Xisuma would kidnap them to see how they entered. "Who designed the redstone and this city? It's pretty impressive, I got to say. It's genuinely unlike anything I have seen before, and I've seen Mumbo's work. The automatic doors are so much faster, and the shaders on here are so smooth and pretty. What kind are they? Not to mention that I haven't seen any mobs, is mob spawning off? Or do you guys have mob spawning boundaries underground? I'd love to know how that works."  

Tango was cut off as 'Bullet Three' (wow, he hated that code name) held up a hand, a small glare on his face, "Slow." He demanded to which Tango felt embarrassment flood through him, regretting his rambling. His flames sputtered and lowered while Overhaul watched in curiosity. 

He scooted back a bit, wishing he could escape Overhaul's gaze, "Uhm...are you the server admin?"

Tango watched as 'Bullet Three' turned to Overhaul, repeating the question. Overhaul furrowed his eyebrows and replied in Japanese. The two soon having a conversation that Tango wasn't privy too. He shifted, uncomfortable in his ropes and feeling weird in general, he didn't want to stay tied down, it was very uncomfortable but he doubted that they would untie him, they both seem endlessly confused. Maybe Tango should rephrase it? He didn't really know how to rephrase it. Tango felt bad, of course the Japanese server didn't have the same terms as an English server did. He should've expected this but he got excited due to the translator, Bullet Three, being there. He was glad that there was an opportunity to understand him but now he just felt small and embarrassed. 

Tango was snapped out of his thoughts as Bullet Three spoke in English, "No." Tango bit his lip, not willing to argue about this, he'll figure it out on his own, probably. There was no need to harass people. Plus, he was supposed to respect his elders; he knew that was a large thing in Japanese culture so it would be rude to argue, which was the last thing that Tango wanted to do. 

"Right..." he shifted in his seat again, trying not to fidget too much, "Could I get untied?" He asked slowly. 

Bullet Three translated to Overhaul who shook his head in a clear no and after a moment, Bullet Three translated again, "Overhaul wishes to test you."

Tango blinked in confusion. 'Test? Maybe a test of my building skills? No, that wouldn't make sense considering my restriction from building. What would be a test...maybe Bullet Three- wow, I need a new name for him, I never thought about how weird that name was. Bullet Three? Maybe I could just call him Three...? Or B-Three. If he's the third bullet, how many bullets are there?'  Tango shook his head, trying to stop his inner monologuing as he realized that Bullet Three was still waiting for an answer. "Test?" 

Bullet Three nodded, "Yes, your quirk. Test." Tango furrowed his eyebrows, what was a quirk? Seeing Tango's confusion, Bullet Three spoke once again, "Quirk, fire and tail." He waved a hand to Tango's hair. Realization dawned on Tango, it was just about him being a Blaze Hybrid. 

"Ohhh. No no, I'm a hybrid- that's the English term, Not a quirk." He shook his head, "I'm a Blaze, from the Nether." Tango bit his tongue, remembering that they probably had different terms for stuff but nonetheless, Bullet Three copied Tango's words to Overhaul. Tango heard Bullet Three pronounce the words 'Hybrid, Blaze, Nether' with pronounced English, drawing the syllables out, to which Overhaul gave a confused look. 

Overhaul said something and like usual, Bullet Three translated. "What is a 'hybrid' and 'Nether'?"

Tango shifted in his seat, trying to figure out how to explain it in a way that the Japanese people would understand. "Erm...a hybrid is like, humans with mob- or animal, traits. Like, ram hybrids." He watched as Bullet Three translated to whcih Overhaul nodded in understanding. He waited to make sure neither of them had anything to say before speaking again, "The Nether is like...uh...fire, lava. Everywhere." He summed up, figuring that would be the best description for them to understand.

He watched as Overhaul raised a surprised eyebrow, making Tango confused. Maybe this server never figured out how to go to the Nether? Which would make a bit of sense on why they wanted to test Tango. Blaze hybrids were already rare enough but for a server that never went to the Nether, it was no wonder why they wanted to explore what Tango was. Before Overhaul could speak, Tango spoke up, "I wouldn't mind being tested, if I get untied." Tango really hated sitting so still.

After Bullet Three repeated the words to Overhaul. Overhaul immediately nodded and made a gesture to Bullet Three saying something. Bullet Three moved over, untying Tango with surprising care. Once free, Tango rubbed his wrists to get feeling back into his hands and ease the slightly damaged skin he got from shifting in his seat. He watched Overhaul leave before Bullet Three gestured for him to follow. Tango stumbled a bit, his legs sore and aching as he quickly followed, biting his tongue to avoid saying anything. 

Tango was led to a clean room, a medical bed settled in the corner. He stood awkwardly until Bullet Three directed him to lay on it. A bad feeling started to consume him but nevertheless, he did as directed, laying on the medical bed as Overhaul straps him in, tightly. "Hey man...I'm sure we don't need to do all this..." Tango said slowly, trying to avoid panic from taking him as he felt fire build up in his throat. He pushed it down, ignoring the way it burned his chest and throat. He could already hear the mental voice of Doc scolding him.

Overhaul and Bullet Three ignored him, and Tango shifted in the bindings, "Hey Three, c'mon, you don't need to do all this..." Once again, Tango was ignored, leaving him unsettled. "Hey, hey, come on. I promise I won't try to esc- HEY HEY!" Tango struggled in his bindings as Overhaul approached with a large scalpel, the size about half of his pointer finger, sharp. "Dude- what the-" Tango was cut off as Bullet Three put a belt in his mouth, pulling it back to prevent him from talking...or. Screaming. 

Tango squirmed, his fire burning brighter as he thrashed around, fire covering his body and burning off the bindings. Overhaul watched in sick fascination as Tango threw himself off of the medical bed, stumbling to the door. He heard distantly- Overhaul barking orders in Japanese, the sounds of bullets going off, but they didn't touch Tango thanks to his fire. He ran down the hallways, trying to find a way out of there. Tango turned down hallways, not paying attention to the shouting or yells from others as he stumbled.

The floor and walls started to shift, causing Tango to stumble and fall- his fire flicking out in surprise. He tried to regain his balance, needing to run, but the floor would just shift worse every time he tried. Tango tried to get his fire to be stable, also to no avail, it was too wobbly and it just snuffed him out. Before he could do anything else, he felt the prick of a needle, his body going limp. Tango tried to struggle as he's picked up but his body refused to cooperate. 

Tango lay helplessly as Bullet Three carried him back to the room he was trying to escape, finding himself on the medical bed once again. His fire unable to start, leaving his heart pounding. A belt in his mouth, preventing screaming and soon, he felt a searing pain go through him. He couldn't even look to see what Overhaul was doing, all he could do was feel. It wasn't quick, it was slow and painful. Tango could feel his blood swelling up due to the heat of his body, unable to make fire so it settled on clotting his blood first. 

He heard Overhaul let out a hum of curiosity, and Tango let out a muffled scream, his body feeling like it was on fire as Overhaul touched one of the wounds he made, twisting a finger in it and scooping out the blood clots that were trying to help rebuild his skin. 'Void above, stop stop stop it hurts.' Tango pleaded in his mind, praying to every Watcher out there that it would be over soon. Tango felt helpless as he lay limp, Overhaul continuing to cut his skin, scoop out the blood clots that were so desperately trying to help Tango survive and heal, and occasionally- a twist in the wound, as if trying to make it deeper. He felt his throat burning, still unable to produce fire out, burning his throat, he prayed that his vocal cords won't get ruined. 

Sooner than Tango hoped, he started to feel dizzy, his eyes closing, body trying to pass out from the pain. Tango forced himself awake, he couldn't pass out right now- not during torture. They could do something worse if Tango fell unconscious and unresponsive. Yet, it was impossible to fight it. The pain making him lightheaded, his blood clotting slowing the blood to his brain, making him tired. Before he could shake himself awake again, he passed out. 

Overhaul continued, undisturbed as he nodded at Bullet Three to let the belt go which Bullet Three obeyed. Overhaul really was interested in this boy he kidnapped, his quirk was most fascinating and he could probably harvest him for parts. Maybe build something fireproof, in case they had to go up against Endeavor. He didn't care if the boy would be in pain or not, it would be for the greater good. The greater good to rid the earth of quirks. As Overhaul continued, he watched the blood clot. 

It was most fascinating to watch, no doubt to the boy's high internal temperature due to his quirk. But under torture, it clotted up? He could use this for something. To keep the boy fried and complacent during harvest. A bonus was that Overhaul didn't have to worry about the kid dying of blood loss. Truly he would be most useful to their cause. He paused in curiosity as the boy produced sticks around his head- swirling around him almost protectively. Sparks coming off. He grabbed a fire proof glove, carefully pulling a couple of them off and examining them with a raised eyebrow before sitting those in a fire proof bag as well.

Once Overhaul had a large sample of blood, pieces of skin, he ordered for the others to put him in a cold room. It would do no good to let the boy regain his fire and have an incident from earlier. No, it would be better to snuff it out; maybe let the prospect of regaining fire become some kind of reward- like training a dog. Like training Eri. Make them complacent, quiet, willing. It would be easier that way. 

As Tango's body is carried to the cold room and he's sat on a bed- the fragile blaze rods that were floating around his head fell due to the cold temperature. Snuffing out.

Chapter Text

When Tango woke up, the only thing he could think about was the coldness of the room. A strange feeling in his chest, coiling up like a frozen iceberg. He sat up slowly, brushing a hand through his hair- normally it would be on fire, sparking a bit, but now it was still, as if his hybrid traits were gone. He tries to produce a flame, or anything, something related to his hybrid traits, a panicked breath coming out of him. It was fine- he forced his breath to slow, feeling for his tail, and felt relief as it was still there. His fire must be snuffed out due to the cold, but Tango was still himself- they didn't take his tail. He was still a hybrid. 

His gaze looked around the room- it was painfully cold, like a freezer. He spotted some fallen blaze rods, picking them up gently. He didn't remember producing them, but the fire was long snuffed out, he wondered how long it has been since he passed out. Besides the ache of the cold, as Tango woke up more, he felt his injuries. Bandaged now, but still painful. He checked his inventory again, only 32 cooked porkchops. He brought one out, eating it slowly and savoring the taste. He hoped it was enough to heal him, but being unable to see his hotbar made it hard to tell. The food did restore Tango's energy and he felt himself healing a bit. 

Standing up fully and stretching, he took a look around the room properly, nothing much to it besides the bed and a weird circle thing in the corner of the room. He tilts his head at it curiously, perhaps it was another cool redstone piece, like the automatic doors earlier. This SMP did know how to utilize it in a way that was almost better than Doc and Mumbo. He drags the bed over to it with a curious and eager look on his face at the thought of taking something apart, jumping up and shoving it down, hands wrapping around it. With a thump, Tango slid to the floor, tucking his knees close as he starts messing around with it.

He spotted a few wires poking out, grinning a bit. It was redstone then. Tango tore out one of the wires, breaking it open but blinking in surprise as the inside wasn't compacted redstone like he expected- but instead some weird bundle of smaller and skinnier wires. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, pulling one out to try and bite into it with his fangs. He hissed a bit at the sting it left in his mouth, and before he could continue- the door banged open.

Tango dropped the device he was biting into, startled at the noise as he backs up, fangs baring at the sight of the masked man. One he didn’t recognize, not Bullet Three or Overhaul. Before Tango could do anything, a girl was thrown in before the door was shut. The girl had blue hair, bandages all over her small body. 

She scattered back from Tango, startled at his features. Tango cautiously knelt down, a protective feeling rising in him as he chuffed softly, a sound meant to sooth young blazes. The girl looked confused, but more at ease and Tango preened happily, letting out another small coo. 

She approached slowly, saying something in Japanese and Tango just shook his head, letting out a chuff this time. He pulls up a hand, slowly laying it on the girl’s head who flinched before leaning into it. Tango found her absolutely adorable, resisting the urge to purr at her. For once, he was grateful for the cold room- he didn’t have to fight his instincts to cover the girl in fire and protect her. 

He paused as he saw the girl shivering, he didn’t realize how cold it was for non-blazes. He looked around but didn’t have any blankets so he slid off his thick shirt, putting it on the girl. 

His pupils dilated a bit, she looked so small and unsure and Tango let out a croon, tucking her into his chest. “It’s okay kiddo, I’m here.” Tango whispered, not caring that she couldn’t understand him. He curled around her tighter, softly kissing her forehead.

The girl was trembling a bit, but looking better thanks to Tango’s shirt. Tango didn’t care anymore about the cold air biting at his skin, he only cared about making sure the little girl was comforted.

His eyes flashed as he heard the door open again, his grip holding onto the girl tighter, body sparking despite the cold, a warning growl building up as he sees Overhaul enter with Bullet Three. 

Bullet Three was the one who spoke first, after a confirming nod from Overhaul, “She is Eri.” 

Tango narrowed his eyes, confused on why they were telling him this. Was it some kind of experiment? Maybe to see if he was a ‘monster’. Blaze hybrids were misunderstood, so that would make sense. But, there could be another underlaying reason, he couldn’t trust these people. 

Tango didn’t bother to reply, watching with narrowed and protective eyes as he waited. Overhaul seemed amused at his lack of reply, telling Bullet Three something. Bullet three nodded immediately and approached them. 

Tango growled, backing up with Eri still in his arms, holding her tighter. Eri seemed to tremble, whether out of fear of the situation or something else was unclear. Overhaul spoke to her, causing Eri to try to squirm out of Tango’s grip. Tango grunted, keeping his grip.

’Void above, I have got to learn Japanese soon.’ Tango thought as he stood up with Eri, body tense and preparing to run. He covered Eri into his chest, the girl seemingly soothed at the warmth his skin provided. 

He grinned as he felt the fire ready to burst due to the threat that Overhaul and Bullet Three were; the cold unable to prevent the protective flame that was building. 

He let the fire burst from his mouth, startling both Overhaul and Bullet Three but Tango didn’t waste no time, running quickly down the hallway. This time he was prepared for the shifting feeling of the wall, placing a hand against the wall as he held Eri, “Hang on sparky.” He mumbled as he kept his balance, his hand staying against the wall. It was a trick he learned from Xisuma to escape mazes. His heart panged at the reminder but he ignored it. 

He couldn’t focus on that right now, he had to get Eri to a save place. He moved quicker, finally getting to the front and quickly slamming the door open, running quicker in case there were guards. 

He could feel the gravel bite into his feet but he didn’t care, running faster and through random alleyways before he bumped into someone. Tango felt fear go through him before realizing it was the kid he meant on the beach. 

“Kid, take her.” Tango didn’t bother to wait for a reply, giving the green haired kid Eri as he caught his breath. He didn’t hear the kid stumbling out a confused noise or noticing a blond dude coming up, looking the same age as Tango. Just…buffer. 

He heard a conversation going on between them before the blond kid turned to him, “Deku says you speak english?” He sounded more confident than the kid- ‘Deku‘ sounded with english. 

Tango nodded and the kid continued to speak, “I’m Lemillion, this is Deku. We’re hero’s.”

’The fuck are heroes?’ Tango thought to himself, but replied anyways, “Tango, she’s Eri.” He felt his body repairing the stretched skin now that he was out of the cold room. Body temperature starting to regulate. 

“Well Tango- mind explaining what’s going on and we could-“

Lemillion got cut off as a “Eri~” echoed through the alleyway behind him. 

Tango instantly recognized that voice as Overhaul but before he could scoop up Eri and run, a hand was placed firmly on his shoulder. Tango was determined not to show fear, tempted to burn Overhaul but the hand had a fireproof glove on. He said something in Japanese to Eri who quickly turned to him and ran back to Overhaul. Tango wished he could tell her to stop- but he couldn’t. 

Deku was thankfully about to interfere but was held back by Lemillion, a silent conversation going between them. Tango felt helpless, staring at the so-called heroes. What kind of heroes let a girl run to danger? Unless Overhaul had immense control over the current area.

Tango shook his head, trying to get rid of the anger that went through him as he picked up Eri before she got too close to Overhaul, glaring protectively. Eri squirmed and tremble, tears going down her face and it was almost enough for Tango to drop her, but he couldn’t. Not like this. 

He tried to coo at Eri again, an attempt to get her to fall still and calm but it didn’t work this time. Before Tango could run again, Eri bit him hard, the sharp pain on a still healing wound making him drop her, running quickly back to Overhaul.

Tango felt a bit torn between following or running away, but he couldn’t leave the little one, so he quickly followed, glaring at Overhaul who now carried Eri. Preparing himself to face whatever punishment that awaited him.

 Pov Change; Midoriya Izuku (“Deku”)

Midoriya felt helpless as he watched Eri and Tango go, wishing he could chase after but Mirio kept a strong grip on him, keeping him still. Soon; they were out of view and Midoriya turned to Mirio.

“Mirio-Senpai, why did you stop me?” Midoriya couldn’t help the pleading tone that came out of him- he remembered meeting Tango, he seemed nice enough, “Those two needed help- we’re supposed to be heroes.”

Mirio gently shushed him, “I’ll explain it when we get back to Sir’s agency.”

Midoriya forced down the bubbling questions, following Mirio back to the agency where they sat down at a table, Sir Nighteye across from them. 

Mirio explained what happened, his voice more serious than Midoriya had ever heard before. He caught a few names like ‘Overhaul’ and ‘The shie Hassaikai’ but it wasn’t anything Midoriya recognized. 

Once Mirio was finished explaining, Midoriya spoke, “Uhm sorry,” his hands fiddled, “Whose Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai?” 

Sir Nighteye studied Midoriya before speaking, “Overhaul is the leader of the Shie Hassaikai, a Yakuza group that’s known for dealing in Quirk Erasing bullets. When we looked into them, we discovered human DNA.”

Midoriya’s mind flashed to Eri- the many bandages on her body, and Tango who had many wounds as well. He turned to Mirio, “Mirio-senpai-“

Mirio cut him off, “I know Midoriya-kun.” His face was twisted uncomfortably and Midoriya pressed his lips together. 

Sir Nighteye spoke again, “We can presume that the girl- Eri, and the boy, Tango, are both being used for these bullets,” he leveled Mirio and Midoriya with a stern look, “You two are NOT to investigate this any further. Leave it to the older heroes.” 

Mirio nodded and so did Midoriya, although a bit slower. He felt a bit sick, he let both of them go with that monster. They were probably getting tortured right now…his hands balled up, and for the second time since he started UA, he felt worthless.