Chapter Text
Here was the thing about doing an internship for All Might: there was a lot less crime fighting than Izuku had assumed there would be.
Izuku had been so excited to be finally doing his bit to protect society… only to find himself filing fan mail in a glorified broom closet. He himself had been guilty of sending fan mail in the past and he now pitied the poor soul who must have had to read through his many glitzy letters.
Even when he was finally taken on a mission - his first mission - it was demanded he stayed buckled up in the MightMobile whilst All Might upheld justice, something about lack of insurance and a shit load of paperwork.
And if that hadn't been anticlimactic then being tasked the job to ferry the now bloodstained costume over to the top secret laundrette "Jeanist" (a snarky guy who always took it upon himself to criticise Izuku's haircut) certainly was.
Not to mention the kidnapping. Oh boy, the kidnapping.
Even anonymity couldn't save a sidekick from kidnapping, which brought him to his current predicament: "-as you can see" Shigaraki brags, gesturing to the 'elaborate' set up of his lair "any wrong step All Might makes will result in your death"
Izuku fights the urge to roll his eyes. He tugs on his restraints for the third time on the off chance they had managed to loosen in the passing of five minutes. No luck, his wrists refuse to budge under the thick rope.
“Because we’ve got you he’ll have to pay us a visit - so if i capture him first he can tell me the secret of his superpower in exchange for your safety!” Shigaraki chuckles, lips stretching into a too wide grin.
"A trip wire?!” Izuku blurts, unable to subject himself to Shigaraki’s monologuing any further, “you really think he’s going to fall for that?”
Shigaraki gives him an icy glare and Izuku immediately regrets his decision as the villain looms so far into his personal space Izuku is certain he might just choke on the stale stench of his breath. Couldn’t Shigaraki at least consider a toothbrush?
“What did you say?” He spits, so close his saliva hit Izuku’s nose.
He grimaces in disgust, wishing his hands were free to wipe his face. “nothing… nothing at all, I’m but a sidekick”
Shigaraki snorts, thankfully drawing back. “Correct. Wish my sidekick’s had used such a passive attitude, would’ve kept them”
“Oh you got rid of Dabi? I didn’t like him.”
“Me neither kid, that’s why I fired him… wait” Shigaraki narrows his eyes “why am I having this conversation with you? You’re the enemy, shut the hell up and await your impending doom”
He straightens up, pausing to give Izuku a disdainful look before stalking back across the room, muttering obscenities under his breath.
Izuku sighs, so much for sweet talking out of his restraints.
Shigaraki begins his monologuing again, mentioning the very obvious trap and going into unnecessary depth regarding Izuku’s corpse if All Might didn’t give up his secret - at which Izuku decides is a very good time to tune him out and familiarise himself with the lair.
As usual, Shigaraki’s impromptu hideout is dark and dingy, this time based inside what appears to be an abandoned bar. The wallpaper, an odd mauve colour, peeling to the extent of brushing the grimy floor, revealing the brick wall behind. From what Izuku can see, one wall has been covered in newspaper clippings featuring All Might, like a shrine of sorts. The adjacent wall riddled with burn marks and bullet holes, presumably due to Shigaraki testing various weapons.
The bar itself has been converted into what looks like a weapons shelf, holding a variety of handmade weapons, some painfully familiar to Izuku, some less so.
Lost in thought, Izuku almost misses the sudden head that ducks out from behind the bar, drawing his attention to a third member in the room. The stranger, a teenage boy by the looks of it, carefully places what looks like a gun onto the shelf, turning it this way and that until he’s happy with the angle it sits.
He steps out from the bar, giving Izuku a brief moment to take in his appearance: definitely Izuku’s age, dressed all in black, from shoes to turtleneck that's just tight enough to give the slight indication of muscular arms. And his hair- his hair is two toned, red and white and neatly split down the middle. Whether it's dyed or not Izuku can’t tell but there’s something pretty about the way it hangs across his forehead, brushing over his eyes, carefully obscuring what might be a scar around his left eye.
It takes Izuku a moment to realise the boy has stopped moving and is in fact staring right at him. He tilts his head slightly, his eyes (which Izuku can’t quite make out the colour) briefly running over izuku’s form as if he were sizing him up.
“Can… can i help you?” Izuku splutters before he could think better of it, internally wincing at his abrupt tone.
The boy pauses for a second, sparing a glance in Shigaraki’s direction and shuffling forward a few more steps, leaning down slightly. “So, you’re All Might’s sidekick. Deku i believe? Although that's not your real name is it?” he says in a low voice. “You’re younger than I thought you would be”
“Still a high schooler but I’m more of an intern, or a glorified secretary.. You should see the paperwork i have to go through - Are you Shigaraki’s new minion or something?”
“Apprentice” he corrects, frowning slightly. “I’m Shouto”
Even his name is pretty sounding, christ. “I’d shake your hand Shouto-kun, but, as you can see…” Izuku looks pointedly at his wrists, flexing his fingers.
There's a stagnant pause where Shouto stares at his wrists with an almost bemused expression. Izuku is about to make some quirky comment about the mauve wallpaper when Shouto speaks again.
“Are the ropes too tight? I can loosen them...” he asks, eyebrows drawn in concern.
Izuku chokes on his spit. “Are you serious?” he yelps, “yeah sure just loosen my restraints- oh no i’ve escaped!” (Somewhere, in the back of his mind he shamefully notes that if Shouto were to come closer to loosen his restraints Izuku would be able to pinpoint his eye colour.)
He swallows that thought as Shouto takes a step back “suit yourself then,” he mutters, “he wouldn't notice if i loosened them” he adds as an afterthought, looking at Shigaraki again. Izuku follows his gaze, Shigaraki was still talking, laughing quietly to himself about something probably All Might related.
Yeeeah, he was unlikely to notice.
“Seriously, i’m fine, All Might will rescue me soon enough anyway.” Izuku insists after some consideration.
“He really will come?” Shouto half whispers, his voice filled with some kind of awe.
For some reason that really rubs Izuku the wrong way, a villainous sidekick in awe of All Might? Really?
“He’ll get around to it eventually i guess, he’s a busy guy” he says sniffly, then feeling guilty for using such a tone and brushing off Shouto’s comment.
It’s quiet again, all aside form Shigaraki’s nonsensical muttering, Izuku studies his fingernails.
“Do you enjoy working for him?” Shouto starts “All Might, I mean”
“It’s a living-” he answers after some deliberation “-my mom hates it, she worries i'll get seriously injured or something. She’s even asked me to quit before - but i can’t”
“Why’s that?” Shouto questions, scooting closer.
“I don’t exactly do a lot, i’m just an intern, but occasionally it feels like i'm helping make the world a better place”
Shouto hums noncommittally, nodding his head “sounds ni-”
“YOUR EVIL SCHEMING STOPS NOW!” a loud voice bellows, “FOR I AM HERE!” Izuku turns his head away from Shouto to see All Might standing in the doorway in all his glory, cape billowing in non-existent wind, trademark smile plastered onto his face.
“Ah All Might how nice of you to drop by-” Shigaraki says in a flat voice, but All Might cuts him off.
“Where is Deku? If you’ve hurt my sidekick-”
“I’m alright!” Izuku calls “not a scratch on me!”
All Might charges across the dim room and rips the ropes away as if they were nothing, carefully placing Izuku onto his feet. The hero then gives his attention back to Shigaraki and the pair of them begin their ritualistic fighting, filled with over the top dialogue and snide remarks. Just like a comic book, Izuku thinks.
He leans against the wall, rubbing his sore wrists that had been chafed raw by the ropes. He turns back to where Shouto had been stood to continue what had seemed like a promising conversation only to find the other boy nowhere in sight. Huh.
Instead he watches the fight interestedly, wishing he’d remembered to pocket his smaller notebook when he’d left the house that morning. Hero vs villain fights always were worth analysing.
All Might knocks Shigaraki to the ground with a precise punch, to which the villain counters by kicking his legs out from under him and clambers to his feet. All Might breaks his fall with a one handed roll and flings a nearby barstool at Shigaraki.
Use surroundings to your advantage, Izuku mentally notes. Hero fights were awesome.
There’s a click of a gun being loaded and Izuku spins sharply to see Shouto again, sitting atop the bar pointing a gun in All Might’s direction, his expression almost bored.
All Might and Shigaraki fail to notice the addition to their fight and Izuku feels his stomach fill with dread. Without thinking he rushes across the room, his brain chanting dontshootdontshootdontshootdontshoot-
Izuku throws himself between the gun and All Might, raising his hands to wrench the gun from Shouto’s grasp. A gunshot rings out and it takes Izuku a moment to realise it came from the gun between the pair of them.
Shouto’s grip goes slack and judging by the horrified look on his face the bullet had just missed Izuku. Vaguely, Izuku notes that All Might and Shigaraki have gone silent behind them.
“I didn’t- I don’t want” Shouto stammers, letting go of the gun completely, it feels heavy and strangely ice cold in Izuku’s hand. A flicker of panic runs across his expression “i’m sorry” Shouto grits out before scrambling off the bar top and darting out of the room. The door slams behind him with a bang.
Izuku stares after the boy, curiosity surging through his veins. Why had he held the gun with the intent of shooting if it clearly panicked him?
A hand closes around his upper arm and Izuku is pulled into All Might’s chest as the Hero uses his super speed to escape from the lair.
Words like gone and calling for backup sound in his ears along with All Might lecturing him about jumping in front of a gun, reminding him of his mother and the insurance paperwork that will have to be filled out. But Izuku barely registers the words as he thinks about how blue Shouto’s left eye had been and the sense of sadness glittering in his irises as he held the gun.
--
“Deku my boy” All Might begins as they speed through the streets in the MightMobile - apparently superheroes didn't have to abide traffic laws, “what have i told you about putting yourself in harms way?”
“To stand back and let you handle it…” Izuku mutters.
All Might sighs heavily, “Dek- Izuku, please stop putting yourself in those situations… i know you want to help and i appreciate it but you’re legally not allowed to”
“I know”
“And yes, due to the passing of his mentor, Shigaraki is less of a threat as he is now. He’s acting out of bitterness by kidnapping you, to get at me. But what if it were a more dangerous villain like the Hero Killer or Endeavour? I can’t have you being injured… plus your mother will throttle me.” He pauses as they skid round a corner, mulling over his words. “I want you to promise me you wont thoughtlessly throw yourself in the way of danger, please Izuku”
Izuku hunches slightly, “i promise” he whispered, thinking back to Shouto and what could have happened had he not intervened.
--
Izuku is met with a flurry of hugs and somewhat stern reprimands as he opens the door to his house. “Hi mom-” he says weakly.
“I don't want to hear it!” Midoriya Inko snaps as she pulls her son into the kitchen. Izuku allows himself to be tugged along knowing better than to protest.
“All Might already contacted me, where are you hurt?” She demands, grabbing his chin and turning it from side to side to check for injury.
“Seriously mom, I’m fine-”
“Where. Are. You. Hurt.” The tone in his mother’s voice is terse and Izuku decides not to argue with her.
He sighs and holds up his wrists. Recovery Girl had banadaged them up back at All Might’s Headquarters, telling him to take them off regularly to allow the welts to air.
His mother shakes her head, “will it scar?”
“Shouldn’t do, more of a friction burn than an actual cut” Izuku replies carefully, eyeing her reaction “i’m fine mom, i mean it, it’s nothing i can’t handl-”
“That’s exactly what the problem is!” she interjects, voice raising an octave. “You shouldn't have to handle it at all! It’s not your job to be in harm's way! Please Izuku, please reconsider, i hate seeing you injured”
Izuku swallows “All Might said the same thing, he’s made me promise to not thoughtlessly jump into danger.”
His mother runs a hand under her eyes and gives him a shaky smile “Good… i'm sorry, i overreacted” she says after a few minutes “I made katsudon for dinner, it's cold now but it’ll heat up fine”
Izuku feels his stomach twist uncomfortably, but accepts the topic change nonetheless.
--
A sudden force sends Izuku sprawling through a doorway, bound hands preventing him from catching his fall, Shigaraki’s laughter ringing out as the door slams shut and he hears a lock click.
“Fuck” Izuku curses to no-one in particular, his voice filling the dark room.
After the confrontation in Shigaraki’s hideout a week ago, All Might had been hell-bent on tracking down the now relocated villain, dedicating all his time to finding him again.
As luck would apparently have it, Shigaraki was found, or more accurately; he found them.
Once again Izuku found himself being snatched from a patrol with All Might, a grimy hand over his mouth to prevent him from crying out a warning.
And now he was here. In a dark room, inside an abandoned building, with his wrists tied together. Great.
Carefully he pushes himself into a sitting position, eyes adjusted to the dark enough to see the shape of a chair before him. With unsteady footing he rises to his feet, eyes darting nervously into the gloom.
He sighs, in relief or maybe irritation, he doesn’t know.
“Hello,” a voice suddenly sounds. Izuku screeches, flinching, and knocks over the chair.
A light flicks on, revealing the apprentice from last time - Shouto, he’d called himself.
He’s sat cross legged on a chair, a paper bag in his lap and a doughnut in hand.
“Were…” Izuku squints at him, “were you just sat in the dark waiting for me?”
Shouto shrugs and takes a bite out of the doughnut.
“We have got to stop meeting like this”
Shouto hums in agreement, chewing the bite of doughnut and swallowing it. “Did you expect to be unsupervised?” he says.
“Honestly, yes” Izuku replies nudging the fallen chair with his shoe.
Shouto’s eyes snap to the movement and he leans forward, reaching for the chair and lifting it back up. He nods at the chair, indicating for Izuku to take a seat; so he sits, observing the apprentice as he does so.
Shouto stares back, unblinkingly, reminding Izuku of a cat.
They stay staring at each other for a moment before Shouto blinks and holds the bag out, “want one?” He offers.
“Uh thanks” Izuku says, awkwardly reaching into the paper bag with his bound hands and grasping the sugary treat.
He bites into it, the taste of raspberry jam exploding on his tongue.
“These are good!” he exclaims, taking another bite “where did you get them?”
“I was at a bakery with someone from school when Shigaraki called me, so i just bought them with me. Shigaraki hardly cares, i’m only here for appearances and making sure you don’t escape, sorry about that” he gestures to the rope around Izuku’s wrists.
Izuku shrugs, “it’s fine, i’ve been kidnapped before”
Shouto makes a soft huh sound, “you’ve uh, got some jam on your chin…” he reaches forward and swipes his thumb across Izuku’s skin, pulls his hand back and licks the jam off of his thumb. Izuku flushes, feeling like he may just combust.
“T-thanks”
“No problem” Shouto draws back in his seat.
They sit in a mildly awkward silence, Shouto staring at the ground whilst Izuku finishes the doughnut and then starts fidgeting with his wrists, twisting them this way and that to see if the ropes would give.
“Do you want them loosened?”
Izuku huffs a laugh, “Ha, where have i heard that before?” he replies, sliding Shouto a wry look, lips twisting into a grin.
Shouto playfully rolls his eyes, “come here, i’ll untie the ropes” he grabs Izuku’s hands and pulls them closer, getting to work with skillfully untying the knots, unwrapping the slightly red skin of Izuku’s wrists and dropping the rope onto the floor.
“There we go” he murmurs and Izuku nods his head in thanks, preoccupied with rubbing the sores.
The silence resumes, Shouto tapping his foot to a nonexistent beat.
“So-” Izuku starts, “-villainy”
Shouto just gives him a blank look.
“Why’re you working for a villain instead of having a normal part time job?”
“I could ask you the same thing” Shouto retorts.
“Technically you did last time, now it's my turn” Izuku says.
Shouto snorts, “what is this, twenty questions?”
“Go on, answer the question”
The boy sighs, “it pisses of my dad”
Izuku waits, expecting more before spluttering; “wait that's it?”
“Yep” Shouto replies, “he wanted me to work for the, family business” he says the word with a grimace, “but i said no and went to Shigaraki instead”
“That's… not what i was expecting” Izuku admits.
“And what were you expecting?” Shouto says, shifting his position to brace his elbows on his thighs and cradles his chin with his hands.
Izuku pauses for a second, not sure himself, “I’m not sure, probably some kind of tragic backstory - dead family member that spawned a hate for heroes”
“Hmm” Shouto blinks slowly, “nearly” he comments, not explaining further.
“Huh?”
“Doesn’t matter”
A loud clatter sounds outside the door and Izuku is fairly certain he hears All Might’s booming laugh.
“Ah, your escape is here” Shouto says, getting to his feet. He picks up a backpack and slings it over his shoulder, “i’d like to talk to you more but i need to go now, being arrested is not on my agenda”
Izuku nods, watching as the boy forces open a window, “see you soon?” he asks using no effort to hide the hopeful tone in his voice.
Shouto pauses, one leg on the windowsill, “yeah, i’ll see you soon Deku,” and with that he clambers through the window, disappearing from sight.
--
“So-” Uraraka begins, clapping her palms together “-how likely is Aizawa-sensei to spring a surprise maths quiz on us? Because i for one, still do not understand the quadratics we’ve been learning”
“Rather likely” Iida replies “he was alluding to testing us all last lesson and unless it’s another one of his ‘logical ruses’ i’d say the chances are seventy-five percent at least” Uraraka whines in response.
“Midoriyaaa I’m going to dieee”
Izuku snorts “nah you won’t. We can go over it registration if you want?”
The girl grins, lips stretching wide enough to show teeth, “I knew you were an angel”
“If it was help you wanted you could have just asked Uraraka-san” Iida chides gently “you know I’m always willing, it’s my duty as class rep”
“Ah thanks Iida-kun, I’ll be in your care from now on! Don’t let me fail this maths quiz!!” She bumps Iida’s shoulder, the abrupt force sending Iida stumbling sideways, stuttering all the way about improper ways of treating friends.
Izuku laughs at their antics - or would have if an unknown force hadn’t pulled him down a side alley by the strap of his backpack.
“Wha-” Izuku begins, his backpack slipping off his shoulder (never one strap he notes) but is quickly cut of by a small hand covering his mouth followed by a sickeningly sweet giggle. Oh it was Toga.
“Hello Deku~” the girl simpers in his ear “long time no see hmm- owwie you fucker!”
Izuku elbows Toga away from him, spitting the metallic taste of her blood from his mouth.
“What do you want Toga?” he asks, stepping back to put as much space between himself and the girl as possible. She was unpredictable with a knife.
“Awh” Toga pouts, cradling her bitten hand “i told you to call me Himiko, we’re close aren't we?”
Izuku feels a shiver of disgust roll over him “i have a math’s test to revise for, can we do this another day?” he asks, trying to play it off.
“Nope!” Toga declares sweetly “boss wants All Might today! It's absolutely imperative apparently”
“You know-” Izuku stalls, reaching into his pocket for his phone “-there are other ways to contact All Might without kidnapping high schoolers, like using the One For All hotline-”
Toga doesn’t let him finish, she surges forward, grabbing Izuku by the shoulders and slamming him into the wall. The sudden movement causes him to lose his grip on the phone and he hears it clatter across the concrete. He feels the brick scratching through the material of his uniform and something cool touches his neck.
Toga smiles as she presses her body up against Izuku’s, arm braced against his chest, effectively preventing him from moving. “Now now Deku-chan, let’s not make this any more difficult than needs be” she teasingly runs the knife along the vein of Izuku’s neck, he forcibly retrains a flinch.
“Here’s what’s going to happen” she pushes the blade harder against Izuku’s skin “you are going to come with me, your cute little friends will report your sudden disappearance and All Might will come running. Sound good?”
Izuku doesn't wait for her to finish before launching a glob of spit at her face. Toga shrieks and draws back, wiping her face with the sleeve of her cardigan. Using her distraction, Izuku throws himself out of her reach, hurrying back up the alley, pausing briefly to scoop up his backpack and now battered phone off the ground.
His pause costs him precious seconds, Toga kicks the back of his knee and his leg to seizes up causing him to topple forwards. She grabs his arm before he can fall flat on his face and twists it painfully behind his back.
“So feisty” Toga comments as Izuku struggles, suddenly tightening her grip, driving a whimper out of his mouth.
“Don’t fight with me Deku-chan, i will break your arm if i have-”
“Hey!” a voice interrupts, Izuku looks up to see a figure, Shouto stood in the alley entrance, dressed in a school uniform and backlit by the light - like he was a freaking angel or something.
“I’m pretty sure it’s considered illegal to kidnap high schoolers. Or people in general” Shouto says nonchalantly, folding his arms across his chest. Izuku almost wants to laugh at the irony of his statement.
Toga loosens her grip “and who are you?” she snaps “i’m kinda busy kid”
Shouto raises a hand and pushes his fringe out of his eyes to bare his scar to her.
Izuku hears her sharp intake of breath “you… you’re End-”
“Enji’s kid? Yeah, so unless you want to argue it out with him i’d suggest letting Deku go. Now” Shouto begins to step forward but Toga releases her hold on Izuku and backs away.
Izuku takes a few seconds to catch his breath, switching his legs into a sitting position as he checks his arm.
“Are you alright?” Shouto asks, offering a hand.
“I am now” he replies, taking the hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. “Thank you for intervening there, but i don’t want to be kidnapped by you either”
Shouto snorts “don’t worry i’m not here for that. I don't work for him anymore since he got arrested at that abandoned building.” His statement was true, they’d finally caught Shigaraki last time he kidnapped Izuku. “You're lucky i was passing by, i’d have been faster but she had a knife out.”
“You showed her your scar… is that a part of your tragic backstory’?” Izuku questions.
Shouto takes a moment to reply “yeah… something like that…” he trails off, eyes darting nervously. “Why was she after you anyway?”
Izuku shrugs, “the usual. Something about wanting All Mights attention, i did tell her she could just use the One For All hotline, but she didn't find that funny apparently. Pushed me into a wall instead” Izuku retrieves his backpack and dusts it off, deciding it fared the rough handling well. His phone on the other hand now sported a split down the screen. He sighs, his mom was going to kill him. He pockets the device and turns back to Shouto.
“Why weren’t you able to get away? A minor villain like her should be easy for the sidekick of All Might, even if you don’t have a superpower like him. Hasn’t he taught you how to handle those kind of situation?”
Izuku shifts uncomfortably “I’m not supposed to be engaged in conflict at all. I’m an intern and a minor so i’m not trained specifically for combat…”
Shouto frowns and opens his mouth to retort but Izuku carries on.
“It’s not a big deal, i’m fine i swear”
“Your neck is bleeding” Shouto points out, an unimpressed expression on his face.
Izuku runs his hand along his neck and draws hand back, sure enough there was blood staining his finger tips. He curses and starts digging through his pockets for a tissue.
“Here” Shouto dabs at his neck with the sleeve of his jacket. “This wouldn’t have happened if you were trained for situations like this” he adds wryly.
Izuku swallows “thanks.”
Shouto removes his hand and takes a step back, hesitating. “Do you want me to teach you? This is the third time you’ve been kidnapped since i’ve met you… and we’ve only ran into each other three times”
“Teach me?”
“Self defence” he clarifies “it wouldn't be anything major, just some basic holds and weak spots to aim for”
Izuku raises an eyebrow “that would be awesome - but why? Aren’t we supposed to be enemies?”
“Like i said last time, only doing this to piss off my father” Shouto explains “i don't actually have any ulterior motives to take over the world. Just a pass time”
Izuku grins, “alright, you’ve sold me, ah shit-” he exclaims as he checks his watch “look i’m going to be late for school so can we exchange numbers and arrange a time later?” Izuku offers his phone to Shouto who takes it.
Shouto pulls out his own phone, taps at it and then hands it to him. Smiling, he creates a contact under Izuku and types in his number. He hesitates before saving the contact, should he put Deku instead? Considering the pair would be meeting up outside of their respective hero/villain work it made sense to put Izuku, and Shouto did say he wasn’t working for Shigaraki anymore... But All Might had made him swear to not ever reveal his identity as Midoriya Izuku to anyone.
It would be fine if it were just his first name. Right?
Taking a deep breath he presses save before he can think better of it and hands the phone back to Shouto.
“I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah” Izuku hears the other boy say before jogging back up the alley to catch up with Uraraka and Iida.
---
From: Shouto
Hello, is this Deku?
From: Izuku
Yeah that’s me! Call me Izuku since i know your first name.
From: Shouto
Okay. Is saturday at 11 good for you? My dad’s out of town so i figured the house would be quiet. Here’s my address [file attached]
From: Izuku
Sounds good! I’ll see you then!!
---
“Mom?” Izuku calls as he walks into the kitchen.
She stands by the stove, stirring something in a pot. “Yes Izuku?” she replies not looking up from the pot.
“Can i go round a friends house this saturday? He’s offering to teach me self defense”
Izuku watches her expression shift slightly. “A friend? I’m assuming it isn't Uraraka-chan or Iida-kun”
“Ah no”
“Katsuki then? You know i think he’s a bit violent-”
“No! I wouldn't say Kacchan is my friend anyway…” he mutters before clearing his throat “this is a newer friend, he doesn't go to my school”
His mother puts a lid on the pot before leaning on the stove and giving Izuku a searching look. “Is he cute?” she asks slyly.
Izuku chokes on his spit, her statement being the last thing he expected her to say. “No- That’s not- mom!” he stutters. She grins at him and pulls at his cheek.
“Just teasing”
---
The last thing Izuku was expecting from a villain-who-isn't-a-villain, was an apartment so... extravagant.
He really needed to stop judging a person by their profession.
“Sorry about the mess” Shouto apologises, gesturing to a pile of books on his bedroom floor. Izuku can feel his eye twitch at the sheer tidiness.
“You think that’s messy?” Izuku blurts “i thought my bedroom was tidy but no, it definitely isn't. I can see why my mom complains now”
Shouto’s lips quirk upwards into a half smile. “There should be enough room to practice in here, i’ve pushed my furniture back as far as i can”
Izuku fidgets with his wristband.
“So we’ll start with vulnerable points and when to exploit them, do you know any obvious places?” Shouto asks, turning to Izuku.
“Uh, the knees?” he replies, thinking about the time Uraraka kicked in Bakugou’s knees for being rude - all whilst wearing a terrifyingly angelic smile on her face.
Shouto nods “very good” he takes a step closer to Izuku to demonstrate. “If you strike an attackers knee with the sole of your foot they should buckle giving you enough time to escape” he says as he mimes kicking at Izuku’s knee. “Another place?”
He gets Izuku to list more vulnerable points, the groin, neck, face and teaches him how to efficiently strike each of them with various body parts.
“Because of your height and smaller stature you're actually better off using your elbows whenever you can and packing a whole lot of force behind it” Shouto explains as he guides Izuku’s elbow towards his solar plexus. “Done right and that can really wind someone”
“Why do you know so much about self defense? I mean besides the whole minion thing?” Izuku asks as he mimics smashing Shouto’s nose with his palm, bracing his other hand against his chest to use as leverage.
Shouto pauses and tilts his head in consideration “sidekick” he corrects “and my older brother taught me the basics when i was younger” he wraps his hand around Izuku’s wrist, to which Izuku twists and jerks sharply towards him, breaking the hold. “He left home before he could teach me everything though, had an argument with my father. The rest i picked up from youtube tutorials - use your elbow and duck under my arm”
Izuku complies and they carry on for several more minutes, Shouto has Izuku in a headlock when the front door slams closed and a brash voice rings through the apartment.
“Shouto? What have i told you about leaving the door unlocked when i’m out” the voice angrily chastises.
Shouto barely has time to curse and free Izuku from the headlock before the bedroom door is forced open and a broad man thunders in, ignoring the way the door smashes against the wall.
Izuku flinches at the violent action and doesn't realise he made a noise until a fiery stare is pinning him down.
“Who is this?” The man snarls, thrusting a finger in Izuku’s general direction.
Shouto moves so he’s positioned in front of Izuku, forcing him to take a step back with a subtle push of his hand “Father, this is my friend from school. He came over to work on some science homework” he gestures to an open text book on his desk which Izuku had definitely not noticed until now. Shouto was clearly a quick thinker… or used to improvising in situations like this. Izuku wasn’t sure which one sat better with him.
His father doesn't look convinced but lowers his hand and relaxes his posture slightly. “I don’t recall you asking if you could have a friend round” he says, his voice barely concealing anger, and flicks Izuku another look.
“I forgot to ask before you left this morning, sorry, it won't happen again” Shouto’s shoulders hunch ever-so-slightly, his hair falling forward and covering his eyes and Izuku feels uncomfortable watching the scene unfold whilst being powerless.
“I can leave if you want-” he says, stepping forward so he’s next to Shouto “-my mom will want me home soon anyway…”
“Yes i think you should leave now, show your guest to the door Shouto”
Shouto flinches at his father’s tone and grabs Izuku’s shoulder, dragging him around the man and into the hallway. His grip is ice cold.
They walk to the front door in silence. Izuku pulls on his shoes and ties the laces before straightening up and giving Shouto a meek smile. “Thank you for teaching me, i really appreciate it! See you soon i guess?”
Shouto opens the door “yeah, i guess” he mumbles.
Izuku can’t help the ugly feeling that curls in his stomach as Shouto catches his eye before the door closes between them.
The sadness had returned.
—
The next time he’s on a mission with All Might, an ambush on a particularly violent villain named overhaul, Izuku finally puts one of the moves Shouto taught him into practice.
A lackey grabs him from behind, with the intention of immobilising him. With quick movements Izuku drives his elbow into the man’s solar plexus and ducks under his arm as he doubles over.
All Might reprimands him about his promise in a way that sounds suspiciously like praise and Izuku can’t help but feel smug about it.
--
From Izuku:
Guess who used their small stature to their advantage?!
From Shouto:
Sorry for the late reply, i was doing homework. Do you want to learn more self defense? I know a gym that is quiet.