That night, Alex stayed up late putting the finishing touches on his Hero costume.
The house was quiet for once.
No little ones screaming and running through the halls. No music or Tvs being blasted through the house. No parents calling out for you to get something, even though you're all the way on the other side of the house, and someone else is well within reach.
Besides the bugs and animals outside, it was quiet.
Under the lamp light, Alex carefully guided his pencil along a ruler. Keeping his wrist up, Alex was careful not to smudge anything.
He really should've finished a long time ago.
Costume designs were a serious thing that took months to approve, and the deadline for sudmisions were almost up.
Kids at school already had theirs drawn up and shipped off as soon as the websites were open. Hell, some kids have had their Hero costume drawn out for years. Others since they were a baby. All ready for the day.
But like everything else in his life, he kept putting it off until the last possible minute.
Erasing a stray line, Alex moved on to the pants.
But it's fine. Alex didn't mind working late. In fact, he preferred it. It's nice being able to work without any interruptions. To just let his imagination flow onto the page.
Yep, just him and his thoughts now.
Alex leaned back into his chair, idly tapping his pencil against his desk. Taking off his glasses, he rubbed his eyes.
Too bad his thoughts can't make up their goddam mind.
Looking over the sketch in front of him, Alex didn't know if he should add more to it.
It wasn't much.
Just a beige leather poncho with a hood and a pair of plain black pants. Almost embarrassingly plain compared to most Hero costumes.
The poncho at least had some Mexicano flair with the decorative borders around the edges and fringes on the ends to give it some pizazz. The pants had a beige fringed dovetail on the back to match the poncho.
But it was all so plain. No bright colors or shiny armor. No flames or sparkles coming off of it. Nothing on it drew the eye and shouted HERO to him.
The only thing that stood out was the two belts over his pants, connecting in the middle like an X, with a jackalope belt buckle sitting front and center.
Other than a couple of tools that he had drawn off to the side, there wasn't much else on the page.
Alex tilted his head. It felt like he needed to add more, but maybe that was just him.
Using his Quirk, Alex made the sketched-out mannequin wearing the costume move around the page. Running, jumping, sliding, he even made the picture turn around to show him the back.
Alex wanted to see all sides, maybe he missed something.
In the drawing, the costume's shoulders and thighs were cut out, showing bare skin underneath for easy access to any tattoos that were there.
He didn't have any right now, but Alex knew that as soon as he got that specialized tattoo gun for his cosutme those places would be covered in tattoos.
Laws were weird in that way. He wasn't allowed to give himself a tattoo, but as soon as he was in high school, he could submit a request for a tattoo gun with his Hero Costume, and as long as it was for his Quirk, he was good to go.
But watching his costume run around on the page, Alex still felt like something was missing.
Alex sighed. He needs to stop overthinking this. The point of getting a Hero costume wasn't the design, it's the material.
Inked Up was only as good as the material it was used on. Anything he'd draw would carry the properties of what he drew it on. Whether it be paper, water, or steel, it'd all carry over.
That's why any tattoos he gave himself were going to be his strongest ones. Thanks to his Jakalope Quirk, they would not only be just as durable as he was but also just as strong.
But he only had so much room to work with.
That's what his pocho was for. A big blank canvas for him to draw on. He just needed to make sure that it was made with the right material.
Something strong enough so that his Ink could take a beating, but also light enough to carry. It also needed to be resistant to extreme temperatures, such as heat or cold.
Unfortunately, after all his research, the only thing that he could think of was a mix of metals comprised of Inconel, titanium, and Stainless steel. All weaved through the poncho's leather like a mesh.
The only problem was that he didn't know if having multiple metals woven together would make it stronger or weaker.
Hopefully, once he got it, his Quirk would cover up any shortcomings.
Alex looked to the side.
"What do you girls think?"
Sitting on his desk, watching him work were four little Aztec girls made of colored ink. Only a couple of inches tall, each one carried their own little instrument that they could play.
~Twee~Bam-Bam~cheche~
Playing their little song, they danced around the desk in joy.
Alex smiled, well at least they liked it.
They'd better cause it was going to be their come from now on.
Chuckling, Alex gently bopped Red on the head, causing her to trip and fall. Concerned Blue, Green, and Yellow quickly stopped their dancing as they went over to check on their sister.
Picking her up, they dusted her off before handing back her maracas. Once they made sure that she was alright, all of them immediately turned on Alex.
"Jehahahaha!"
Feeling their little kicks and punches against his had Alex laughed. It was like having a little kitten swat at your hand, too adorable to care that they were mad.
Seeing him laugh at them, they waved their tiny fists at him and played a loud and angry tune.
Like thunder, their song was like an explosion that echoed through his room.
It was just a good thing that all of the rooms were soundproof, they'd have woken the whole house otherwise.
Ah, the perks of living in a Hetermorph house where everyone has super hearing.
"Ok, ok I'm sorry." Alex chuckled, covering his ears. For such little things, they could be so loud.
After he apologized, the girls quickly stopped playing their angry song. Dancing around, they acted as if they were cheering for beating him.
Sticking out his hand, Alex let them use his fingers as a jungle gym. Watching them play, Alex couldn't help but think about how long they've been with him.
The Muscians, as he called them, were based off of an old book he read as a kid. About an old Aztex myth where the four Musicians of the Sun God used their song to spread color through a dull and grey world.
He didn't know why, but that story had always stuck with him. To the point that these little ones were his first Ink Portraits that he ever made.
They didn't look like this, though. Oh, no. His stubbing little four-year-old fingers could never draw anything this detailed.
Back then, they had been nothing more than stick figures made out of crayon. Barley able to leave their page and quick to lose their charge.
Over the years, he's remade them a few times, mixing their original wax with the most expensive ink that he could get his hands on.
This was, of course, after he found out that his Quirk worked better with ink, by the way.
But he liked to think mixing that wax made them the same ones that he made as a kid, but honestly, he didn't know. It's not like they could talk after all.
Before, they had been little better than stick figures, jerkily moving around on a piece of paper. Now look at them, jumping and skipping as they ran around playing their instruments.
Getting them to make music was the tricky bit. Though eventually he learned he could add Ideas to what he drew, depending on the image and the ink he used.
Like with the Peace symbol tattoo and Blue ink.
All they needed was a mix of Bismuth-infused ink, and walla, they could play music.
Still couldn't talk, nothing that he made did. But he liked to think that they were alive, in their own little way.
Red with her maracas always so fiery, first in line and always ready to scrap. Blue with the conch shell, gentle and quiet, preferring to sit and watch. Green with her flute, whimsical, while Yellow stood watchful with her drum.
These little girls never left his side. They refused to. One time in 1st grade, he'd tried leaving them at home only to have them come crawling through his class window during lunch.
After that, his parent just figured that it'd be better to just have them stay in Alex's backpack.
Alex already knew that they'd want to be with him when he became a Hero. That's also why he wanted his poncho to be so durable. Cause if he's bringing these four little munchkins around, then they were going to pull their weight.
They were going to be his little musician spreading their colors through the world with him.
Plus, it'd be funny. Watching a villain getting his teeth clicked by tiny little girls.
It'd be hilarious.
"Jehahahah-huh?" Laughing to himself, Alex saw that he'd gotten a text.
A text? It's 11:00 at night, who'd be texting him now?
Picking it up, Alex read the name.
Oh, it's from his cousin in Japan.
Yeah, that makes more sense. It's what? Probably like 1:00 something or over there.
Clicking the text open, Alex wondered was so important that she couldn't have waited for the morning.
Scrolling through the message, Alex's eyebrows went up. At the same time, his lips started widening.
Setting the phone down, Alex couldn't stop smiling.
"All Might's teaching at U.A."
The number one Hero in Japan and one of the most famous in the world was putting a hold on his non-stop patrol to settle down and become a teacher at U.A.
Not that big of a deal, right?
Wrong!
All Might, one of the few people to turn themselves into a symbol, is going to be in one place for who knows how long. With less time going into his patrols and more time going into babysitting, he was going to be a sitting duck.
Alex didn't know if anyone else saw the significance, but as a Have kid, he sure did.
When the big animal settled down, the smaller ones came out to play.
If All Might was going to be teaching, then some idiots were surely going to try and attack during class. Those kids were going to be in the thick of it come next year.
Oh!! This was going to be so much fun.
Quickly texting his cousin Alex all but demanded that she find a way for him to attend U.A
If something this monumental was going to happen, then he was going to be there.
It was only after he sent the text that a thought occurred to him.
Japanese schools start in April, not August. Which meant that he had to wait, like what? Nine months before school started.
Not only that, but U.A was in Japan.
He didn't speak Japanese.
"Fuck."