"Tonight's story we cover the Freshly picked hero Grape Juice. A divisive member of the 'golden generation' of heroes. Follow his rise during the turbulent years after the first age of peace to his downfall among law suits and his own devious vices. Tonight on Behind the cape."

"Oi, isn't this suppose to be a bar? Put some sports on or something..." an older man toward the far corner of the bar grumbled. "No one wants to watch anything about that loser."

"All right, hold your horses." The bartender, a heavy built man bald man, sighed softly. It was long past happy hour, most of the regulars had left by now. So he could usually put on whatever he wanted. It wasn't a big deal, it was a rerun after all. "Quirkball okay with you?" he offered with a forced smile.

"Sure whatever," the man grunted going back to focusing on his drink. Face obscured by a hooded Deku jacket. The Bartender shook his head and stifled a sigh. He could already tell this one was going to be trouble come closing time. But despite that no trouble arose... The night wound on, people trickled in and out. The man in the corner ordered more drinks but never reached a point he became a bother. He seemed to be in his own world, but ultimately harmless. The bell on the door jingled catching the bartender's attention.

"Welcome, we're nearly at last call for the night but-"

"Drinks won't be necessary Sato-san," The bartender tensed recognizing the two men. One tall and serious, dark blue skin. He was sharply dressed in suit with sunglasses on despite the time of day. His partner couldn't be any more opposite. Seemingly friendly but radiating a dangerous aura. His suit was open, hair wild and unkempt. Steeling himself the owner placed his hands on the counter and looked both men in the eyes.

"I think I made my stance pretty clear." His said firmly, stifling any visible weaknesses the two thugs could draw from... His quirk maybe something as mundane as creating seltzer water but that didn't mean he couldn't handle himself. Baring any offensive quirks of course. The wild one leaned on the bar flashing a grin of sharp looking teeth.

"Boss Rodan is going to be very disappointed to hear that." he said easily, almost happy to hear the refusal.

"I ran this bar for years without Rodan's 'assistance' and it will still be here after he's moved on."

"Indeed, this establishment has been a pillar of the community." Glasses said coldly, "It was after all why the boss has been so generous with his extension." he reached up adjusting his glasses. "Generosity does have it's limits Kaito Sato." his tone didn't change but the threat lingered in the following silence, many of the remaining patrons had sensed the atmosphere shift and had snuck out of the bar without making eye contact. Soon it was only Sato and Rodan's thugs remaining in the bar. Not a hero in sight...

"Call it what you want, but we all know it's an empty threat." The tension broke as the hooded man spoke up, having never left his corner. "He talks a big game but Rodan is small time. He knows if he made any real moves he'd attract Pros..." he paused to finish his drink. "Far be it for him to risk fighting someone who can actually fight back."

"Oi, that's some pretty big words for a little man," The wild thug snarled as he stalked across the room.

"Ignore him, he's just a drunk." Glasses said but his partner brushed him off.

"Respect is important, Might as well teach this little bastard what it means." He tried to sound reasonable but his eyes and grin promised something far more violent. The Hooded man pushed the empty glass forward, not even turning to his potential attacker.

"Respect huh?" he sounded bemused, cocky even. How much of that was the alcohol would be anyone's guess. "Respect is earned. You start something and you'll be the one bowing in forgiveness."

"Oh ho, the Deku fanboy wants to play hero huh." there was the audible click as large claws from on the man's fingertips. "Guess I'll have to play villain!" he sped up charging the final few feet but was stopped by a squish, He stumbled as his left foot stuck to the floor. " What the fu-" he was cut off by hard elbow to the sternum, in a blink the man had jumped from his chair and closed the distance.

"Tenma!" The glasses thug shouted, his partner coughed trying to catch his breath. The hooded man hit him on his knees. He hardly felt it but he reflexively fell forward through expertly applied pressure. He caught himself on the table, claws digging into the wood. "You son of a bitch." he growled lashing out with his free hand only catching the edge of the jacket. In that same span the man had closed space once more and jammed his elbow into his face. his nose crack and blood dripped over his lip. In the blur of pain he felt something soft stick to his forehead, but didn't have any time to think about what it might be.

"Now Bow." his diminutive opponent whispered before roughly slamming his face into the floor where it stayed. The hooded man pocketed his hands and started walking toward the other thug, who unconsciously took a step back. Kaito's eyes widened, noting the strange purple balls that held the clawed thug to the ground. It couldn't be but what other person had a quirk like that?

"You're..."

"Dead is what he is." The Blue man said coldly

"Don't let the bastard touch you."

"I didn't intend to." His replied reaching up for his glasses but was stopped by a barrage of purple balls. He moved his arms to guard anything vital but they hit with little force, merely sticking to his suit and arms, several other missed above and below. The mans hood was down as he pulled another handful of balls from the top of his head which seemed to grow back almost instantly. "The hell is this shit?" he muttered reaching for his glasses once more only to see his target was sprinting his way. The thug pushed his glass up, eyes glowing an eerie red but was quickly blinded by a pair of balls. He hissed in pain, reflexively reached up to pull them free only to stick his hands.

"You've clearly got some kind of eye quirk. Pardon me for not really wanting to take any chances" At that point the fight was already over, it was more of a flourish that pinned the large man face first to the floor incapacitated. "And that's two, I may be rusty but I still got it."

"You're actually him aren't you?" Kaito finally found his words. "You're Grape Juice."

Grape Juice hadn't been relevant for years. Not since the trials at least. The Purple Summer as many called it, every news outlet covering the messy fallout with the Pro Hero Creati, a backbone of the hero community. More cases popping up tracing all they way back to high school. More Heroes and Civilians stepping forward with stories of harassment by the day... When the final verdict fell so did the hero, out of the spotlight and into obscurity. The diminutive man lost his cocky smirk, giving a soft sigh.

"No... Just Mineta Minoru." he managed a tired smile. There was no pride in that voice, just a simple statement of fact. He fished for his wallet and Kaito raises a hand.

"Drinks are on the House Mineta-san." He bows toward the former hero. "It's the least I can do." The man's tired smile becomes slightly more genuine pocketing his hands.

"Thanks man,"

"This isn't the end you little freak!" The Clawed thug growled from the other side of the room. "Rodan will hear about this, you're dead grape boy. Dead!"

"Yeah yeah whatever." the man waved off the threat not even giving the thug a look. "You should probably call the cops, I'm pretty tipsy so I'm not sure how long those will hold but you've at least got a few hours." he headed for the door. "I'm not really in the mood for any lectures on quirk usage, if I'm in trouble they'll know where to find me."

"Thank you!" the former pro stopped for just a moment before acknowledging it with a nod and walking away...

Minoru continued off into the night, hood up once more. He remained fairly steady despite his drinks, barring the occasional misstep. He played back the bar fight in his head. It was sloppy, especially toward the end but it had felt nice to let loose on someone who had it comin'. Rodan and his thugs had started making moves on the neighborhood about a month ago, the lack of pro patrol and aging community making it seem like easy picking for the up and comer. His crew mostly made up of meat-head toughs were only really good for intimidation and safety rackets. It wasn't any of his business... he'd lost his license years back during the trials...but old habits died hard.

"It was the only thing I could do." He'd kept tabs on their actions, who they were targeting. The Bar had been a calculated risk... a place he could set up incidental conflict. It was a dangerous game he was playing, but he hadn't broken any laws... It would likely get a small run on the local news, another small discussion of fallen heroes. It would get spun in a way to make him look worse... but it was fine. He knew the drill by now.

'Thank you!'

"As long as Izuku hears about the gang activity, I don't care." A small smile twitched onto his lips. "But getting some free drinks out of it doesn't hurt." he chuckled to himself.

It wasn't a long walk back to his apartment. Three flights up, eight doors down. The lock stuck a bit but a practiced jiggle it clicked open and he was home. It was small, cheap and didn't ask a lot of questions. Just the way he liked it. He shed is jacket tossing it lazily onto the couch as he passed by. A trail of clothes lead the way to the bathroom, a hot shower trying to wash away results of his exertion and faint stench of alcohol. He stood, eyes closed, in the pouring water trying to wash it all away.

'Follow his rise during the turbulent years after the first age of peace to his downfall among law suits and his own devious vices'

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and went back to cleaning, the relaxation ruined by reality. The shower eased back into a steady drip as he stepped out and started to dry, carefully drying around the edges of his hair so not to lose another towel to his quirk, He caught a glance of himself in the bathroom mirror, lightly tracing the purple and white stubble on his chin before deeming it not worth the effort.

Changing into a t-shirt and sweats he flops onto the couch before lazily channel surfing. At this time of night it came down to news, talk shows or sitcoms... valuing his remaining brain cells he left it to news or talk shows. Skimming through the remaining options he stopped on on a flash of pink. Ashido Mina was seated in the guest chair animatedly telling a story as the host chuckled along with her. Her dress was bright and a bit flirty, hugging her mature curves and just the right ways as she no doubt intended... though perhaps a bit suggestive for a married woman it was just how she was. Her rather dangerous quirk had always held her back in the rankings but her friendly accepting persona counterbalanced it nicely.

To her right was Yayarozu Momo, giggling demurely at her friends antics chiming in occasionally to keep the topic from trailing too far. Her outfit was much more formal and restrained but it added to her aura of sophistication. The two former classmates, among others, having apparently merged agencies. Much of the segment reminiscing about days gone by. He couldn't help but smile slightly along with the pair on screen.

'This is low, even for you Mineta.'
'You haven't changed at all have you...'

His smile twitched and slowly vanished, his mood soured and he shifted away to the news. Barely paying attention as the anchor droned on about the big stories of the day. He padded over to the door picking up the mail for the and sorting through it. Junk, bill, bill, junk junk, letter, jun-. wait. He went back to the small hand written envelope.

"An invitation?" He mused with a frown, tearing the seal and flipping the card open. "Reunion... has it really been that long?" he muttered, his eyes glancing off the invitation to an old group photo hanging crookedly on the wall. The Graduation party. Nothing but smiles and optimism with the lightest flush of alcohol... 25 years was a long time since then. He looked back to the invitation and slowly closed it tossing it onto the junk pile. "I'll spare everyone the awkwardness." he muttered to himself. Izuku might be disappointed, Maybe Tsu or Denki... but that was about it. Suddenly he felt a lot more tired.

Turning off the tv he headed for the bedroom, ignoring the dull ache in his chest. He flopped limply onto his bed, not even bothering to cover up. The dull buzz swirled with pity and is what he got, he only had himself to blame... maybe it was the alcohol but he could feel his eyes misting up, the sparse bedroom becoming blurry. He closed his eyes, the tears sneaking out and down his cheek. Sleep creeping in on the edges of his perception...

If he could do it all again...

A steady digital beeping broke through his slumber, he blearily pawed toward the nightstand until he found the offending alarm shutting it down... it was only as consciousness started to ease it's way into his mind that he realized, he didn't have an alarm. This thought jump started the rest of his brain forcing him awake, he opened his eyes only to be greeted by a loving depiction of Mt. Lady's ass. He stared stupidly at the poster looming over his bed trying to rationalize the sight. He turned his attention away to scan the rest of the room. Posters and figurines of Midnight, a desk piled with textbooks, a small backpack leaning against it. Nostalgia hit hard but it warred with the sense of wrongness that had lingered since he touched the alarm.

"What the hell?" his whispered query lead him to clear his throat, "Why does my voice sound so weird?" a little higher, little squeakier... A crazy thought passed his mind, too insane to consider but it seemed too plausible. He threw off his covers and hopped out of bed ignoring the skewed proportions and heading over the a familiar closet. pulled the door open to reveal a mirror. His heart jumped to his throat and he reached out to touch the glass. "No fucking way..." his whispered unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing. A teen version of himself stared back with haunted eyes. "Th-This is some kind of dream,"

"Minoru, are you up?"

"M-Mom?" His breath caught, tearing his eyes away from his reflection. "I'll be out in a sec!" he called in reflex, his voice wavering a little. He took a closer look around the room. He barely remembered his room from when he was a kid, but looking around everything seemed as it should... sometime around middle school into high school before the dorms were built... There were too many details, little things that made this whole delusion harder to dispute. He tried not to think about it as he headed out into the hallway... and he was failing miserably. Knickknacks and photos seemed to follow him where ever he looked. His heart beat picked up as he entered the living room, the surreal feeling of deja vu only heightening further. There she was on the couch, watching the morning news already dressed in her suit and skirt. His mother was a stout woman, always so professional and together... even during the wake.

"There you are Honey, I got called in a little early so I just wanted to at least see you off." She smiled broadly. "Its not often your child tries for UA." her voice held energy and pride. So it was all they way back on that day of all days... like another life away in so many ways

"Thanks Mom," he managed to reply.

"...Minoru sweety, " her smile slowly diminished into a concerned frown. "Why are you crying?" It was only when she'd said that he'd noticed the wetness on his cheeks. He reached up trying to rub it away but they kept coming.

"I-I'm fine I," he tried to calm himself but it only got harder. She got up and embraced him and he gave a shuddered gasp. Words failed him, his breathing grew erratic and he could only hold her back. She shushed him and rocked him until he could finally calm himself down... the warmth of a mother embrace burning away his remaining doubts. This had to be real. If it wasn't his mind was crueler then he ever gave it credit for...

"It's going to be okay honey, you've got this." She must have attributed it to nerves, that was probably for the best.

"I-I know," he managed to reply. "I Just... I just had a really bad dream." he whispered squeezing her tightly. he could feel her smile against his cheek.

"A nightmare, it's been so long since anything like that has gotten to you. It must have been pretty bad."

"It was..." he sniffed trying to collect himself, despite it all a smile grew on his face. "But it's getting better."

AN: So this was an old idea I had sitting on my computer for several months... I was looking for any Mineta fics and found there really weren't any that gave the character a chance... Now I'm not a Mineta fan by any means, but I do see his good points and wonders if a 'for want of a Nail' type fic could work for him. so we'll just have to see... not sure how often I'll be working on this story compared to others but figured i'd at least throw what have finished out there,

Inspiration props goes to JazitJ on Youtube. he did a series of amv compilation of MHA characters having 'themes' and the one he finally settled on for Mineta 'Weak by AJR' has become the song i put on to write this fic. it's also just a great song so that helps :)