Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“What were you thinking?”

He wasn’t. He was already running before he knew what was happening.

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed!”

Oh, he knew. This was the fifth person to tell him in the last 2 days.

“You’re just a kid!”

Yes, thank you for noticing.

“The fighting should be left to the real heroes.”

Right.

Real heroes. Not like the kid staring back at Izuku on the black screen of the TV in the upper corner of the room. A hero would never look like him, with his frail frame and his arm in a cast that looked far too big on him. Almost like a puppy with a broken paw. The sight, pitiful enough in its own right, forced his eyes out the window in his little hospital room.

The world outside looked unfazed. Untouched. Like there hadn’t been a murderous sludge-like villain destroying the city mere days ago. Like if two kids hadn't almost died while being watched by a giant crowd. The only evidence of any trouble was a burned plaza, Izuku’s broken left arm, and a news report that only bothered mentioning the dangers of a “child” running into a battle without thinking, and how heroic All Might had been jumping in after them. A news report that Izuku had already been forced to watch more than once in absolute misery, unable to change the channel in his shared room. At least he was getting discharged that day; he would not miss the two boys that had been staying with up until that morning.

As if on cue, his mother came into the room with a calm smile plastered on her plump face. If Izuku hadn't known any better, he would have almost believed it.

“Are you ready, Izuku? I just have to sign the last papers and we can go home.” She sounded sickeningly cheerful and he had to force a smile at her. He got up from the bed, grabbing the change of clothes offered to him with clammy hands. He noticed how his mom’s eyes focused painfully on his cast for the briefest of moments. When she’d first seen it she’d cried like a baby for about three hours.

“I’m just gonna change, ok?”

“Sure, sweetie.”

The bathroom door clicked behind him quietly and Izuku sighed heavily, leaning his head back on the wooden surface. He focused his eyes on the small emergency button on one on the walls and felt like if he pressed it, his mom would bust down the door far before any doctors could arrive on the scene. Every time his mother looked at his wounds, his bruised face, her eyes would gloss over and her expression would change into one of sadness. The night he’d arrived at the hospital his mother had stayed at his bedside and held onto him like he would disappear, begging with him in a broken voice.

“Please, Izuku, never do that again! I know you want to help, I do! But, you can’t! What would I do if you…”

She hadn’t finished the thought, But the way she held onto his good arm and wept told him more than enough. He could have died. Hell, he was unsure as to how he had gotten away with just a broken arm and a bruise on his cheek. She was terrified, and at some point in her mumbling he had even heard her mention something about him just "picking a normal career". He had pretended not to hear her, if only for his own sanity at the time.

He avoided his reflection in the mirror and silently changed into the clothes his mom had brought him. Of course she'd brought him an All Might shirt. He sighed and roughly covered his chest with a plain hoodie. He gave himself one brief look in the mirror and stepped out of the small space.

“You can’t be a hero.”

Yeah. He was more than aware of that, now.

His three-day stay at the hospital gave too little time for the scandal die down and by the time he turned up for school in his regular uniform, everyone knew who he was and what he’d done. Scratch that, what he had stupidly attempted to do without any success. The looks that he was used to receiving in the hallways turned into harsh whispering and more than once he was forced to step outside the school to recover his backpack from under whatever window it had been tossed out of. 

He’d heard about a dozen different versions of what had happened by the time lunch was done, but Kacchan's was the most painful by far. Not because of the way he spoke of Izuku as a useless, in-over-his-head, quirkless pain in the ass. Oh no. He was used to that. The worst of it was the accuracy with which he described Deku flying through the air after attempting to get Bakugou free from the villain, and how every single hero on the scene had taken time out of their day to tell Deku how reckless and stupid he had been.

“You should have seen him. He was crying in the ambulance by the end of it all.”

Izuku tried to ignore him for as long as he could, he really did. He turned the other cheek for hours but at the end of the day, he still got surrounded at his desk right before the final bell. He felt like a circus attraction. Bakugou leaned over him and everyone snickered. Izuku wished he could disappear right then and there, feeling tears already stinging at his eyes. But crying would make it worse. He knew that.

“Hey, Deku,” One kid started, dragging out the words and making their classmates giggle all around them. “What’s it like to finally get noticed by All Might?”

Izuku visibly flinched, and another kid grabbed his shoulder rather forcefully, “Yeah, tell us, what was it like to finally meet him?”

“What was it like to be on TV?!”

“You’re online now, too!”

The laughter only stopped when Bakugou slammed his hand down on the desk and leaned forward to look Izuku in the eye. Time itself seemed to stop and everyone around them disappeared. Bakugou had a tendency to do that, to dominate the scene and somehow make Izuku feel even smaller than he already was. The green-haired boy could feel his skin itching under his cast. They stared at each other for mere seconds but Izuku had to look away to stop himself from sinking even lower in his chair.

“If you have even the tiniest bit of brains in that dumb head of yours, you’ll listen to All Might and stop insisting on impossible crap,” Bakugou stated coldly, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He sounded more serious than Izuku had ever heard him before. Someone gave a funny little gasp behind him, but Izuku had his eyes glued to his desk. “Just leave the fighting to the real heroes and stay the hell out of it, useless Deku.”

With that Bakugou stormed off and the others left soon after. Izuku kept his eyes on his desk until the afternoon shadows told him that it was getting late. He grabbed his stuff and headed home in silence.

The ride home had been as awful as the rest of his day at school. The news report about the incident had been played on the train, and even without the audio Izuku could hear it perfectly in his mind. He could see All Might on the screen, looking tired and uncomfortable as reporters pestered him with all sorts of questions and statements. One reporter asked for his opinion on the quirkless kid that had gotten involved in the fight, shoving a microphone towards the pro-hero's face.

All Might frowned, turning to look at the ambulance where Izuku was being treated at the moment. The heroes face seemed to go through several emotions before it settled on something unreadable. He looked straight at the camera as he spoke.

“It was terribly irresponsible, as well-intended as it was. I have to beg others not to do as he did. He endangered himself and complicated the situation even further. The real fighting should be left to the real heroes. That is all.”

They’d been more questions, but the No.1 hero had simply left the scene after his words. But the damage was already done. The few that hadn’t been watching the broadcast live had by now seen one of the multiple reuploads that were being shared all over the internet. Izuku wouldn’t be surprised if the whole of Japan had heard All Might calling him irresponsible. He had said it with such a harsh tone as well like he didn't want to leave any room for a misunderstanding. Izuku had done wrong, and he was not to do it again. He was not to be an example of what a real hero was.

Every stare that lingered upon him on his walk home made his skin sting under his cast.

At home, his mother tried desperately to act like nothing had happened, asking Izuku about his day at school and what he’d learned. Ever since they'd left the hospital she'd been in an odd state of denial. He would make an effort to be cheery around her, telling her about who he'd had lunch with and what he'd seen on the train ride home, but the moment he was on his own he deflated. The first night he’d returned home he had taken down every single hero-related thing from his room, leaving him with four empty walls, a plain bed, and three big trash bags filled to the brim with stuff he no longer wished to see. The bags were like a mortal reminder of everything he had ever dared to dream, and he was forced to shove them in his closet to be able to sleep. Not that it would do him any favors, with nightmares waking him up every couple of hours.

His next couple of days in school were surprisingly silent. Everyone had decided that Deku was better left ignored. What was there left to say, when his greatest inspiration had already squashed his hopes on live television. They would still whisper and point at him, but thankfully no one approached him. He might as well have gotten killed by that villain that day, he thought bitterly.

After a week of not knowing what to do with himself, let alone the bags, he settled on taking them out of the house. It felt like at least a small step in the right direction, he thought. He told his mother he would be out for a while to take the bags to a children’s hospital downtown and she only agreed to let him go when he said he had to do it himself to move on from his “silly dreams”. He left his mother with teary eyes and quickly made his way to the bus station. He waited for the one that would take him in the opposite direction of the hospital and got on quietly.

He rode the same bus for almost an hour before making it far away from the busy part of town as he dared. He got off the bus, struggling with the bags, and looked around. This was the part of town parents usually told their kids to stay away from. It was gloomy, with most buildings and houses made of pure brick. Most street lights were broken and the only people visible on the streets were mostly homeless people. A woman gave Izuku a strange look, which he tried to ignore to the best of his abilities. He picked a random direction and started walking, passing by groups of people who, thankfully, didn't pay him or his trash bags any mind.

He was looking for an empty enough alleyway when he noticed two homeless men rudely being asked to get out of a konbini by a random police officer. It had to be the only convenience store around for blocks, Izuku guessed. The police officer had his hand on his belt, the wings on his back making him look far bigger than he actually was. Both men grumbled and insulted the officer, but did as told, walking for a few blocks before disappearing down a small alley. Izuku stood where he was, shifting on his feet. He was following them before he had thought his next move through.

The entrance of the alley was narrow, with trash cans and piles of rubbish decorating the sides. There was a magnitude of posters pasted one on top of the other, to the point where one didn't know where one began and another ended. The alley became wider the further in you went but it also got darker, the air somehow becoming harder to breathe. A few feet away was a small group of men sitting on crates and a single, very broken chair. They were all wearing various layers of tattered clothes, one of them with a bandage over half of his face. A small fire shone it’s way out of a dumpster nearby. Izuku walked towards the group, regretting each step more than the other but finding himself unable to stop. One of the men saw him and spit on the ground.

“You lost, kid?” He had the voice of someone who had been smoking for years.

“I… no, I…” Izuku stuttered, sweating like crazy and suddenly feeling like the bags on his hands were too heavy for him.

“You here to throw out your trash?” Another man asked, his yellow eyes narrowing towards the trash bags. Izuku immediately raised his arms as innocently as he could, shaking his head.

“No! No, I just, I saw you getting kicked out of that store and… well, I,” He leaned down and opened one of the bags up, pulling out an All Might action figure still inside its original box. The little figure smiled widely back at him. “These are collectibles. I was thinking maybe you guys could sell them or something. They’re worth a good amount, and they’d probably be more useful with you guys than in the dumpster.”

Two of the men looked at him suspiciously, but the other two came forward and started inspecting the contents of the bag. Once they found some of the price tags they were all quick to pull out everything in that bag and the other, utterly ignoring the one that was full of paper and drawings.

“Why would you throw out all this stuff, kid? It's worth a pretty penny.”

"Aren't most kids your age obsessed with all this hero stuff?" Added the man with the bandaged face. He was older than the other three.

Izuku smiled, kicking a small pebble on the ground, "Not me, I guess. At least not anymore. You think these might help you?"  

One of the men, younger and with a horn sticking out of his head, laughed loudly and patted Izuku on the back several times.

"I think I know where to sell them. Won't make back your money, but it'll get us by for a while."

Izuku was happy with that and excused himself right after. All four men bid him goodbye over their shoulders and the teen made his way down another random alley. He walked, changing directions every so often until he felt like he had found a place he liked and put the bag down. The alley here widened just enough that he didn't feel like the walls would fall on top of him. The back of an old abandoned building towered over on one side, it's falling fire escape clinging to the wall for dear life, and the humble side of a closed shop on the other. The paint on the walls was mostly gone, graffiti here and there, but the ground was mostly clear with the exception of a few wooden planks and a few trash bags not unlike his own. In the corner was a metal trash can without its lid. The inside revealed cardboard and paper, and Izuku threw some pieces of the wood inside until he was confident that there was enough fuel to start a small fire.

From his backpack, he pulled a box of matches and got a little flame going. He had to use multiple matches and blow on the fire, but he had it going before long. He stared at the flames in satisfaction, enjoying the warmth for a moment with his eyes closed. He could almost pretend the last week and a half hadn't happened at all, here by his lonesome. But the sounds of the city soon brought him back to bitter reality. He opened the trash bag at his feet and reached in, grabbing one of the papers that were at the top and pulling it out. A childish drawing of All Might stared back at him and Izuku had to fight back both the urge to go home and to smile. He let the page flutter down into the fire and watched it get consumed by the flames. He wasn't sure if this made him feel any better, but he'd made it this far; he might as well get it done. He stood next to the fire, selecting and scanning each piece of paper carefully before throwing it into the light. The crackling of the fire was the only thing filling the silence.

He thought he was doing fine, that he might actually be able to do this like an adult, when his hand closed around something thinker than just a piece of paper. He pulled out one of his 13 notebooks filled with quirk analysis. The colorful cover and childlike handwriting hit Izuku like a truck. He could remember buying all of the notebooks in a bulk and filling the first five within the week of getting them. He could almost see himself, young and naive, asking his mother to give him feedback on his hero name. His vision faltered, and all too suddenly he realized that not only was it already past sunset but that he was crying. How long had he been shedding tears?

Ever since he'd gotten home, he had refused to cry. The few times he'd allowed himself to do so was either in the shower or with his face firmly pressed against his pillow so his mother wouldn't hear. He had held it all back for as long as he could. But now, all alone and with most of his childhood memories getting destroyed before his eyes, he couldn't. For the first time in days, he allowed himself to cry freely, sinking to the floor and curling in on himself. He screamed until his throat felt raw and he cried until his eyes hurt and his muscles ached, and he stayed down long after that. He had no idea for how long he sobbed but by the time he found the strength to stand back up, the only source of visible light has his dying fire. He sniffed, wiping his nose with his sleeve and taking a shaky breath. He had to get this over with before it got too dark and the buses stopped running.

He swallowed, taking the thin notebook numbered No.1 in his hand and staring at it. The word “future” on the cover seemed to mock him and had he not been crying to the point of exhaustion already he might have cried more. He forced himself to swallow his dreams, to throw away the endless hours of futile research that was only reminding him of everything he would never be. He extended his hand until the paper was right over the fire, his hand feeling the heat rising from the trash can, but Izuku froze suddenly.

A loud noise came from somewhere down the alley where he was, a sound that was very quickly heading in his direction a sounded like one of the buildings was getting knocked down by an angry bull. He hastily let go of the notebook when he heard a scream and hid behind a dumpster in the hopes that whatever was coming his way would pass him by. He did not want to deal with more problems at the time. From his spot, he could see the opposite wall illuminated by his little fire, giving the place an odd aura.

All of a sudden, two figures came crashing in, fighting tooth and nail against each other. Their shadows danced upon the wall like nightmarish monsters and Izuku could feel his eyes widening as he watched them send blow after to blow at one another like wild animals. Something metallic was thrown against the trash can, making a horrible, hollow sound and threatening to send the fire into the ground. The metal container almost toppled over but spun back with another loud thud and landed back in its place. Izuku would have jumped out of his skin in any other circumstance, but he didn't dare move a muscle. The biggest of the two shadows grabbed the other figure and threw him straight into the dumpster with enough force that the heavy metal container skidded back and hit Izuku roughly on the shoulder. His eyes had shut tight on impact, but after a moment of silence, he opened one of them.

The teen stared in horror at the limp figure mere feet from him, his arm twisted in an odd angle and blood pooling around him. He covered his mouth in a futile attempt to not make a sound, but he was on the verge of hyperventilating. Was this person dead? Had he just witnessed a murder?

A dark pair of combat boots, adorned with metal spikes and clearly stained with blood, stepped into Izuku's view slowly.

“Come out. I can hear you.” Izuku’s eyes widened in terror and he tensed, unable to move. He was a witness now, he was going to get killed for sure. His mind was racing and he had the feeling that he was about to throw up. A blade came into view, glinting in the light of the fire and dripping a few drops of blood steadily into the ground. "I'm talking to you." The voice repeated, the blade was thrust into Izuzku's little hiding place, just missing his face. The boy swallowed and forced himself to move, crawling out from behind the dumpster.

The man in front of him was at least a head taller than him, the blade -which Izuku now recognized as a katana- still in one of his big hands. The man’s whole appearance seemed to be filled with edges, daggers, and spikes everywhere the teen dared lay his eyes. He only looked at his face when the point of the katana forced his head upwards. Izuku was met by a pair of small, dark eyes behind a white mask, wild dark hair on top. He could feel his legs getting weaker.

“This is no place for a kid,” said the man in a dry voice, “Go home.”

The man stepped aside and lowered his katana, opening a path to let Izuku pass. The teen stared at the figure in front of him, unsure of what to do. Was he really going to let him go like that? The man raised a brow and made an expectant movement with his hand. He was not very patient, it seemed.

Izuku tried to take the first step away from this maybe-killer, but his shoe collided with the limp body on the ground. The figure on the floor had a suit and mask, and a deep cut on his leg that continued to form a pool of blood around him; a wounded hero. The boy hesitated.

“I’m not gonna tell you again,” The man said forcefully, narrowing his eyes at Izuku, “Get. Out.”

Izuku stepped forward stiffly, making it just to the edge of where the fire illuminated the dark space and stopped abruptly. He could hear the hero grunting on the ground.

“Are you…” He tried to focus on his silhouette on the wall, dancing along with the fire. “Are you going to kill him?”

There was a silence, long and tense, before a simple “Yes” reached him.

Izuku turned around, unable to even control his own body. The hero was still on the floor, eyes wide open now, the other man towering over him even in his hunched stance.

“Why?”

The man lifted a brow and scoffed, turning away from Izuku.

“That has nothing to do with you, kid.”

Izuku froze. It was as if the world itself had started moving in slow motion. He could see the fire moving slowly, suddenly illuminating the scene far more than it had just moments before. He felt his heart in his throat, violently beating and could hear every little breath that came out of his mouth, quick and shallow. He felt the skin under his uncomfortable cast burning as if it was in the fire, burning along with his drawings and writings. The glint of the sword even seemed to blind him as the blade was raised up high, ready to strike.

“You better leave the fighting to the real heroes.”

The sound of the metal pipe hitting the killer's back was dry and low, like a rock hitting a sack of flour. Time started moving at normal speed once more. Izuku took two steps back, the pipe clutched tightly in his trembling hands and a shocked expression on his face. Had he just attacked this man, in the middle of nowhere and with a broken arm to boot? Was he insane? The man sure seemed to believe so, turning around slowly to look at the boy with an almost confused look in his eyes. Izuku could somehow tell that they were red in color. Even the wounded hero seemed at a loss, staring at Izuku like he had shot himself in the head.

In a sense, he might as well have.

“What do you think you're doing, you brat?” The man took a step towards Izuku, the fire casting ominous shadows on his face, blade pointed at him. Izuku felt like he might pass out at any second but he still did not let go of his pipe nor did he drop his defensive stance.

“You… You can’t just kill him like that. I-I won’t let you.”

“Let me?”  The villain's grave tone sent shivers down the teen's spine. 

When the man took another step, the hero on the ground finally spoke up, “Don't you dare hurt him, Hero Killer! He’s just a defenseless kid! His arm is broken, he doesn’t even have a quirk!” and then, at Izuku himself, “Get out of here, kid! Now!"

For a second Izuku could only focus on the words "Hero Killer". Was this terrifying presence before him really the one that had been hurting heroes left and right without getting caught?

And had he just hit him with a metal pipe?

"Get out of here, kid! This isn't your fight!" The hero yelled again and Izuku was finally able to recognize him; he was one of the heroes that had been at the Sludge Villain’s attack a few days ago. He was almost sure he had been one of the heroes that had dragged him to the ambulance. Izuku could feel his vision blurring and before he knew it he was yelling back at the only person present that was probably speaking with any semblance of common sense.

“I know that!” He spat back, tears streaming down his face without any sort of control, “I know it’s none of my business, I know I should go home! But I can’t just leave you here to die! I can’t just walk away when someone needs help! Even if I’m quirkless, I just want to save someone for once! I want to be a hero too!”

He started shaking with anger and frustration, the pipe held tightly above his head as if ready to strike at anything that came close to him. His tears wouldn't let him see anything but he didn't care anymore. He was done caring about what he could and couldn't do. He was only thinking about what he should do, and this, as dangerous and suicidal as it was, felt right.

He waited for the Hero Killer to live up to his name and slice him in half, but the strike never came. Instead, Izuku saw a shadow cross his field of vision and heard the rustling of pages. He blinked away his tears as fast as he can, rubbing his face with his unbroken arm and seeing the dark-haired villain looking through one of his notebooks nonchalantly as if there wasn't a hysterical boy and a dying hero on either side of him.

“Midoriya Izuku,” He read off the cover, turning his gaze towards the boy “That you?”

Izuku just stared at the man in front of him dumbly, mouth hanging open. He's even too confused to keep producing tears at this point.

“You’re that kid that was on TV a few days ago, right?” The villain asked, going back to eyeing the notebook.

Izuku swallowed with great effort. He tightened his grip on the metal rod and stood up as straight as he's able to, even if it looked like he’s holding back a pitiful pout. “Yes. That was me.”

“You’re quirkless.”

“...Yes”

“And yet you still want to be a hero?”

“Yes!” Izuku wasn't even sure if this man was trying to mock him at this point, but the answer tumbled out of how mouth before he can think about it. “I do.” He whispered with as much determination as he could muster.

“You know All Might was right.” The villain said, arrow eyes darkened by the shadows of the dying fire “You’re not like them.”

Izuku was about ready to crumble. He’s even glad when the man stepped forward, even if he raised the pipe in front of him in a defensive way. Maybe he’ll kill him quickly. 

Instead, the man knocked the pipe down and carefully offered back Izuku’s 7th notebook, pushing it closer when the kid simply stares at him. Neither of them moves, both staring at each other with drastically different expressions for what feels like an eternity.

The man on the ground attempted to speak up again but swiftly gets a  katana pointed straight at his right eye and keeps quiet. Still, the Hero Killer would not take his eyes off Izuku's own. 

“Do you want to be a real hero, Midoriya?” He asked after a long pause, his voice serious and deep.

The tears spill down without permission once more and Izuku choked a small “Yes.”

“Then don’t even think about being like him. The likes of him are just a fake bunch of cowards, disgracing the word “hero” with their selfishness. None of them care about anything other than themselves. You saw them first hand, hesitant to jump in to save a child because they were scared. ” He hissed out the last word like it was poison, “Not until All Might showed up."

As scared as he is, Izuku couldn't look away from this man's eyes. There was a passion shining in them, noticeable even in the faint light, and the conviction in his voice left little room for argument. 

"And he was right, you can never be like them…”

He pushed the notebook towards Izuku and the boy took it, his body moving on autopilot. 

“...But you don’t want to be like them.”

With that, the villain picked up the hero over his shoulder and climbed up the rusted fire escape like it was nothing, the metal groaning under the weight, leaving Izuku behind in a stunned stupor.

Chapter Text

Getting back home had been far easier than Izuku expected. Apparently, there was a bus that passed by every half an hour, and from there he just had to walk for twenty minutes before he was at his doorstep. Convincing his mother that he had actually been at the children’s hospital was by far more challenging.

“I… Well, when I got there they offered to show me around and they were so kind that I just couldn’t say no. And you know it’s a biiiiig hospital, so that took a while, and then they… Uh, showed me the room where they have all the toys for the kids to play with and what do you know, there were a bunch of kids! And they all got so excited about what I brought and they begged me to play with them, and I just couldn’t say no! So I played with all of the kids, and man they really didn’t want me to leave until the last possible second, and then when the kids went to bed, well, I just had to help the staff pick up all of the toys and organize all of the new ones and… Oh, my phone? Ah, I… I left it here! Yeah, I didn’t notice until I was already there, and they were giving me the tour and it would have been rude to just bolt out… Right?”

Izuku wasn’t used to lying to his mother which was the reason she believed him in the first place. She asked some questions but in general, seemed rather happy that her son was not only in a better mood but on the road to getting over his “fantasies”.

When he finally found himself alone in his room, he heaved a long sigh and let himself slide down the wall. These last couple hours felt like they had lasted weeks and his mind was still buzzing. Had he really just met his biggest hero and one of the most infamous villains in Japan all in the span of a few days?

Scratch meeting his hero, had he really picked a fight with a serial killer?

“You’re an idiot, you Deku.” He whispered to himself.

Izuku opened his backpack and searched for the last notebook in his collection, eyeing it with a warry expression. He had been unable to burn the 13 small books after his meeting with the Hero Killer and had brought them back home with him. He was unsure as to whether that was a good decision or not, but it felt… well, not wrong, thus far.

He opened the thin pad right around the middle and read through some of his last notes, non of the info really sticking in his brain at the time. He kept thinking back to the villain in the alley, with his bloody katana and dark clothing, looking about ready to take down every single hero at the same time if needed. He remembered the way he had acted, letting Izuku go, and the way he had spoken with evident conviction.

“ You don’t want to be like them.”

That phrase played on a loop in the boy’s mind, the voice clear as water. With the lights in his room still off, Izuku picked himself up and sat down in front of his computer. The screen shone bright in the dark, his usual All Might screen saver greeting him. He clicked on his internet browser and clicked on the “news” tab, not sure if he was going to like what he could find. But he was curious. The villain had left an odd feeling inside the kid and he needed to know more.

The first two pages were unrelated and when he spotted the first article about himself, he quickly typed “Hero Killer” and searched directly for that. He was greeted by a barrage of articles, videos, blurry pictures, theories, and police reports. He clicked on one of the first images he found and felt a small chill run down his spine.

The photo was pixelated and slightly out of focus, but he knew this was the man he’d run into just a few hours ago. His katana and white mask, the blood-red bandana and scarf, the slight hunch of his shoulders. Everything matched. 

“The Hero Killer, as the media has named him, last attacked in Sapporo two months ago, adding another five victims to his past 17. With these, his total death count rises to 12, the other 10 victims having retired from their hero careers due to their extensive injuries,” Deku read, murmuring the words low, “Nothing is yet known about the villain’s identity and it is advised against engaging with him if spotted.”

Izuku winced a bit at the last part, noting that he had a real knack for going against what authorities said. Maybe he really was “irresponsible” after all.

Pen in hand, Izuku read article after article, watched video after video, and took notes until he ran out of pages on his 13th notebook. Once again time had escaped him without his knowledge and he noticed with a small grunt that his alarm was going to start ringing in less than an hour.

Today would be a long day.

“Izuku, are you sure? You didn’t pack any extra food!” His mother said over the phone. Izuku shifted his weight on his feet. “How many days are you going to keep taking these tutoring sessions? You get home so late…”

“I know mom, but there’s a test coming up and my teacher wants to make sure I’m all caught up on everything they covered while I was… Away.” Izuku said, carefully avoiding the word “hospital” when speaking to his mother.

“But you were only gone for three days! What could they have learned in such little time?”

“You’d be surprised, mom,” He gave a small awkward laugh. He spotted his bus nearing and hurriedly added “Well, I gotta go! Love you, mom!” Izuku hung up before the roar of the bus’ engine could be heard over the other side of the line. He boarded the transport and took a seat next to a window, sighing in relief.

He wasn’t sure just for how long he’d be able to make the whole “tutoring” sham last with his mother but in case of emergency he’d come up with something else. He’d cross that bridge when he got to it, right? He ran a hand down his face tiredly and tried to suppress a yawn. He’d been sneaking out for the last four days and it was proving to be more difficult than he thought.

Well, “sneaking out” was not the right term. He’d been taking the same bus every day right after class, wandering the alleyways where he’d burned his drawings and going back home only after sunset. So technically he wasn’t sneaking out of his house, right? Right. If he said it enough, he might believe it eventually.

But there was no way he could even begin to explain where he’d been spending his afternoons since Monday. What was he even supposed to say? “Oh yeah, by the way, I came face to face with the Hero Killer last week and I’ve been going back to the same general area to see if I can run into him again. No biggie.”

He’d probably get sent right back to a hospital. 

He sighed. That wasn’t it, though. It wasn’t because he couldn’t explain it to others, but because he couldn’t explain it to himself in the first place. There was no rational reason to want to see this man again. The fact that he let Izuku go once didn’t equal to the same thing happening twice. For all he knew, the moment they ran into each other again, the villain would kill him without a second thought. This man was extremely dangerous, powerful, and merciless. And still…

Izuku looked out the window, watching the city pass him by. He wasn’t sure what to think. All he knew was that he wanted the chance to see him again and speak to him. Their last encounter had left him with a thousand questions and with an odd -though not unwelcome- feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t even able to pay attention in class, earning him odd looks every time he answered one of their teacher’s questions wrong. Even Kacchan seemed to have noticed.

Izuku got to his feet, ready to get off on the now-familiar stop. Maybe if he managed to talk to the Hero Killer, this odd feeling would go away and leave him alone. Yes, that must be it.

Deku thanked the driver with a wave and got off the bus, walking in the usual direction and past a pro hero on patrol. He tried not to make any eye contact with the other and walked by quickly. Ever since the Hero Killer’s last attack there had been an increasing number of low-class heroes hanging around the area. Thankfully none of them paid Izuku any mind.

He passed the usual konbini and headed down the usual ally a few blocks later.

This whole ordeal was “usual” by now, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Midoriya once more!” Called out one of the men in the alley, huddled next to the fire.

“You’re late today kid!” One of the others joked, making Izuku blush and laugh nervously.

“There was an accident on the way here and the bus had to take a detour.”

“See?” Said the oldest man, nodding knowingly, “I told you he’d be here today, too.”

“Yeah, you were right, old man.” Laughed on of the others, a man with long dark hair and a bushy beard. 

Izuku gave them all a warm smile and passed by them with a small bow.

“You ever gonna tell us what on earth you’re doing out here, kid?”

Izuku blushed again. As much as he trusted these four (and he did, for what it was worth) he couldn’t really explain what he was doing in this part of town. They’d warned him about the attack last week where a hero had been left in a coma but Izuku had politely told them that it was ok. That he was being extra careful. 

Yeah. Suuuure.

The men bid Izuku goodbye as they always did and he headed down the familiar back streets with ease. His red shoes made crunching sounds every time he stepped on broken glass (which was often) and his feet quickly carried him to where he’d lit his little fire days ago. The dumpster was still pushed further towards the back and the bloodstain next to it was still visible, even if now it was a dull brown color. The hero that was attacked had been found a few blocks from there and so the area wasn’t closed off.

The teen placed his backpack on a random crate and pulled out a few pages. They were printed close-ups of the area from a random map he’d found online, one spot circled in red and some adjacent alleys colored blue. He’d printed the map on Monday right before leaving school and had marked the places he had already walked in these past four days.

He hummed, rotating the map in his hands and analyzing it carefully. The red circle marked where he was, the place where he always started his search. He had read that the Hero Killer had a tendency to strike in secluded spots at any time of the day or night. Now that this area was filled with dozens of lonely heroes it would be a waste for the killer to leave so soon, so Izuku assumed that there would be at least one more attack here before the villain moved on to another part of the city. If he wanted to find him, he only had a few days maximum before his next attack.

Izuku picked a road he hadn’t been to and traced a route that would bring him back a more familiar alley once the night had arrived. His daily patrols lasted about four hours, just enough time to make his mother believe that he had been in school all along and only left when the teachers did so as well. She was unhappy with the hour at which Izuku got home but he did his best to act like he had been studying diligently and she believed him.

He felt a tad bit guilty about it, to be honest.

The boy shook his head and zipped up his backpack, heading off into the darkened alleyways before he could dwell on his feelings any longer. This would be over as soon as he could find the Hero Killer and then he wouldn’t have to feel bad about lying anymore. He just needed a little luck on his side and this would end.

Izuku walked for about two hours, crossing paths with two random heroes before he stopped for a break. He sat down on a sturdy looking crate and pulled out his school homework. Keeping up with his schoolwork kept him up at night for hours, but at least he could get some of it done in his brakes and during the bus ride back home. If his teachers were to call home to tell his mom that was slacking off, the whole charade would come crashing down monumentally.

He wasn’t as tired as he’d been the first day, although his legs still ached. Maybe when he went back to his normal routine he would keep walking around his neighborhood. It was nice and it relaxed him.

Izuku was halfway through an essay about the history of quirks when the sound of breaking glass filled the air around him. He looked up, waiting to see if something else happened. More than once he had started running towards what ended up being a smashed glass bottle and he wanted to avoid the false alarms if he could. For a few seconds, it seemed like that was that, but the sound of something big getting destroyed got him on his feet.

He ran in the direction of the commotion, weaving through tight alleys and jumping over a multitude of boxes and bags as fast as he could. His backpack threatened to get stuck on a piece of metal and Izuku pulled as hard as he could, not even thinking about the fact that the bag could rip. He was focused on where the sound had come from, waiting for another noise. The sound of metal hitting metal finally took him to the right place, and he stopped running the moment he saw the red scarf and the black hair.

He’d done it. He’d actually done it! All by himself, he’d located th-

A small blade flying through the air and whizzing right by his head stopped his thoughts dry. The man he’d been looking for was staring right at him, arm extended in his direction after throwing one of his many knives at Izuku. They were over 20 feet apart, but the wetness he felt running down his cheek told him just how close the throw had come to hitting him square in the face.

“It’s you again.” The man stated simply, turning back towards the other man on the ground. Another hero, this one with blood all over his chest and a long, serrated knife poking out of his ribcage like a flower on the sidewalk. Izuku swallowed. This wasn’t like last time. This man was dead already.

The weight of all his recent choices came crashing down on him and, had he been able to travel back in time, he would have slapped himself as hard as he could.

He’d found the Hero Killer, all right. But now he had no idea what to do. Did he even think he’d make it this far? No. Not in a million years. He never really thought he’d look at those red eyes ever again but here he was, shaking like an idiot in front of a very, very dangerous villain.

“You either have really bad luck or you’re very stupid,” started the man, leaning down to pluck his knife from the hero’s corpse. “So, which one is it, kid?” Their eyes met again.

“Oh, I’m incredibly stupid.” He was tempted to answer, “I have no idea why I did this and I want to go home, Mr. Hero Killer.”

He muttered something that not even he could understand and the man blinked impatiently. “Speak up, brat.”

Izuku was attempting to form a coherent thought when a voice came from the opposite side of the alley. The next few moments were a blur. The Hero Killer was right in front of him one second, and he was dragging him up a fire escape and onto a roof the next. Izuku could feel an arm around his chest and the cold blade of a knife on his neck before he was sure what had happened.

“Don’t even think about making a sound.”

Izuku’s eyes were wide in fear and confusion. How fast was this man? Was that his quirk? It would explain how he had managed to escape every crime scene before anyone could arrive. But the area was crawling with heroes and someone other than Izuku had heard the fight. He couldn’t see anything, but he could hear two voices down where they had been seconds ago. They sounded like heroes, one screaming “He can’t be far!” and the other mentioning backup. Izuku could hear them moving around down there, and for half a second he wished someone had seen them go up towards the roof.

But luck was rarely on his side.

He heard the man holding him make a frustrated noise before pressing the knife even harder on Izuku’s neck.

“Don’t be stupid, now. You scream and I’ll drop you.”

“Drop me!?” The boy thought in a panic. Izuku’s eyes threatened to fall out of his face as the villain picked him up like luggage and set off running to the edge of the roof. He jumped gracefully towards the next rooftop, landing silent as a cat and continuing towards the next platform. Izuku closed his eyes as tight as he could, focusing so hard on not getting sick that he didn’t even notice that the knife on his neck was gone.

For all he knew, Izuku passed out at some point. They seemed to stop moving all too suddenly after having jumped for about fifteen minutes and he had never been happier than when the man let him go and he fell on the sweet, sweet ground.

Izuku took one deep breath after the other, opening his eyes and looking around. They were currently indoors, in a space that looked abandoned, and the Hero Killer was towering over him.

“W-where are we?” Izuku managed to ask through ragged breaths.

“Far enough that they won’t find us.”

“I…” Izuku did not like the sound of that us, “you killed that hero.”

“Don’t flatter him” The man answered, narrowing his eyes “That was no hero.”

Izuku wasn’t sure if this man was joking (oh please, like a killer would joke around) but he was unsure of what to say. They both stared at each other for a long moment before the villain asked “You hurt?”

“N-no, I’m fine.” 

“Then you can find your way back home by yourself.”

The man had already turned around and was walking away. No. NO. Izuku hadn’t just risked his life to stay on the ground and watch him walk away. But what was he supposed to do? Why would he even stay for a kid that had nothing to do with him? But he was already reaching for the door that led to the roof and he was about to leave.

Do something!

“Wait!” Izuku tried, scrambling to his feet as fast as he could “Please, wait!”

The man stopped, hand on the door.

“What do you want, kid?”

“I… I wanted t-to talk with you…” Izuku was blushing like an idiot, trying really hard not to follow his instincts to shut up and run away. 

The Hero Killer didn’t move for a moment before he turned his head and looked at Izuku with an unreadable expression.

“You want to talk ?” He sounded almost sarcastic, but Izuku took the chance.

“Yes! I… Yes, I wanted to talk to you.”

Izuku forced himself to keep eye contact, standing as tall as he could and picking on his cast nervously. They stayed like that for a long time, just looking at one another. It was like they were both waiting for the other to give in first. The man closed his eyes and turned fully towards Izuku, pressing his back against the door and crossing his arms.

“Go on, then.” He said “Talk.”

Oh God, this was actually happening. He was actually listening. Now what? What was he supposed to say first? He had so many questions, so many thoughts running through his mind.

“I don’t have all day.” The man spat, glaring at Izuku.

Here it goes. All or nothing. The teen swallowed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“I want to know why you let me go the other night.”

“That’s it?” The man’s eyebrow raised and Izuku felt his face burning even more.

“No, I-”

“You’re just a child,” the villain interrupted, not a hint of amusement in his tone. “It serves no purpose to kill you.”

“I… but…”

“You’re wasting my time.” He looked about ready to leave, “Go home.”

“No!” the yell echoed in the empty space and Izuku, for once, didn’t hear any fear in his own voice. Only frustration. The other figure looked at him with an odd expression, like he was torn between bored and annoyed, but he stayed where he was. “I want to know why you told me what you did, about me not wanting to be like the hero you killed. I want to know why you’re doing all of this.”

The following silence was long. The man in front of him looked the teen up and down with great consideration and Izuku could feel his resolve cracking with every passing second. Had he stepped over the line? Was he going to die in this abandoned building in the middle of who-knows-where? When would they even find his body? What w-

“Why would you want to know any of that?” The dry voice cut his train of thought. “Shouldn’t you be glad that you got away unharmed and move on with your life?”

Izuku shook his head, thinking hard. He couldn’t afford to say something wrong now. “I just… I want to understand.”

“Why?”

“...I’m not sure. But I feel like what you told me was important. Like I need to understand what you meant or nothing will ever change in my life. Nothing will ever change in me. ”

There was another long silence. This time it was much easier to maintain eye contact with the dangerous individual feet away from him. Izuku could feel something warm in the pit of his stomach and he knew that no matter what, he would not back down now. The man rubbed his chin, thoughtful. 

“You really don’t know when to pick a fight, do you?”

“No.”

The man chuckled and Izuku was suddenly very self-aware. The man allowed himself to relax, crossing one foot over the other, and stared at the kid in front of him with less annoyance.

“There was no need to kill you that night. Or today, for that matter. Because you’re nothing like my targets.”

“Heroes?”

“None of the people that I’ve targeted are deserving of being called that. Every single one of them had been part of a plague that’s been spreading throughout the years right under everyone’s noses. No, that’s not quite right. They grew in number right in front of everyone, getting adoration and praise while they corrupted the whole system with their fake shows of charity. And even now they get put on a pedestal, like gods.”

Izuku listened in silence.

“This society is rotten to the core, and everyone is fine with that. Everyone is perfectly willing to call an imposter “hero” just because they show up every once in a while to use their flashy quirk in public. They have everything, money, fame, social standing. Even if they lose a fight, even if innocents die while under their care, they don’t lose much. They just cry for the camera and get paid regardless. None of them are risking anything, so none of them are sacrificing anything. That makes them weak. And those who are weak, those who fake their way into a position of power, have to be purged.”

“You don’t think a single one of them truly wants to help?” Izuku asked when he knew he wouldn’t interrupt the other man.

“If they truly just wanted to help, they would do just that. They wouldn’t brag, they wouldn’t have the need to get their name out there. They wouldn’t care about being recognized. But what do they do? They show up on commercials, they put out products with their faces plastered on them to make a quick buck off of the people that don’t know any better. They never take a second to reflect upon themselves, they only use their power for their own benefit. A real hero would do what has to be done and feel glad that they simply managed to help.”

Izuku could feel his knees buckling under him, but he managed to say on his feet somehow. The Hero Killer gave him a curious look and said nothing, either waiting for the teen to process all the information or not really caring about how he felt. Izuku felt his eyes watering, and the other man scoffed.

“If you couldn’t take it, you shouldn’t have asked.”

But Izuku’s mind was somewhere else. Memories flashed before his eyes like lightning, making him dizzy. He could see his classmates, his mother, every hero he had ever seen in his life, all of them combining into one terrible cacophony of light and sound.

“You’re just a quirkless nobody”

“You can’t be a hero.”

“Izuku, I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“You were so reckless! You have no quirk to fight!”

“Leave the fighting to the real heroes.”

“Stop dreaming, Deku.”

Everything hit him at once and finally, his legs gave out. 

It became clear in that moment, that every voice that he had ever heard put him down had come from someone that was aiming to be a hero in the future, or was already there. Every single time he’d been beaten, told off, looked down upon, it had been by the very people that would be called “heroes” in a few years. They would get bright futures in the spotlight, everyone would love them and everyone would forget about the quirkless punching bag they had abused for years.

None of it was fair, or just. No one had ever cared about where Iziku’s heart was, about his intentions. They had only seen a useless kid and had all given up on him. Was he supposed to just forget about all that and cheer for the people that had made his life hell for years? Was he supposed to look at those people and see anything but hypocrites?

No. He couldn’t.

The Hero Killer looked at Izuku while he sobbed, a calculated look in his eyes. He straightened and turned for the door, pushing it open with a sigh. “If you would prefer to hold on to your empty beliefs simply because they’re easier to live with, then I have nothing else to tell you, kid. I told you n-”

“You’re right.” 

It was a hoarse whisper, filled with so much raw emotion that the villain turned back around to stare at the child weeping on the ground in surprise.

“Everything you said… Every person I’ve ever met, all of them… They’ve never cared about anything other than their own happiness, have they?” Green, desperate eyes met with bright red ones “They’ve all just had their fun putting me down before they start their hero careers. Before the world is actually looking at them. But none of them care, do they!? They never cared about doing anything good! And I’m just supposed to look up to them later on?! ”

Izuku’s voice broke, sobs wracking his body. He finally understood. It all made sense. This man, this serial killer standing over him was right, wasn’t he? His mind had just collapsed on itself, and his soul was dying. He was dying. He could feel it in his chest, the way his heart wanted to give up and just stop beating. He’s crying so much that he didn’t even know if the other man had left or not, but he didn’t have the strength to look up.

“Listen to me, Midoriya Izuku.” Came the deep, booming voice. Izuku gasped like he had been holding his breath for minutes “Now that you’ve realized the truth, there’s no need for you to pretend anymore. You don’t have to lower your head while they stomp over you. You can act, now. You can finally be better than all the ones that think they have any right over you. Because that power is fake, it means nothing to you, now. You can actually see what a real hero is meant to be like, quirk, or no quirk. And that gives you the chance to do something about it.”

Izuku let out another sob, absorbing every word like it was water in the desert. The voice speaking to him felt like an anchor in the darkness, and he could see nothing beyond the man looming over him.

“I don’t know what to do! How am I supposed to do something on my own?!”

“The same way I did, kid” Izuku looked up, eyes frantic and desperate. Right in front of his face, the infamous Hero Killer had his hand outstretched towards him. His eyes shone in the darkness, bright red burning passionately. “With your own will and strength.”

Izuku reached for the hand offered to him, grasping it like a lifeline and feeling something rising in his chest for the first time in weeks: Hope.

Chapter Text

Izuku woke up the next morning with a knot in his stomach and no desire to go to school. He had no idea how he was supposed to keep a straight face in front of his classmates and teachers after last night. He’d made it home only half an hour late and had made a beeline towards his bedroom, telling his mom it’d been a “long day” but she’d seen the cut on his cheek and freaked out. There was a small bandage over it now, though the cut was very thin and not even that deep. Like a paper cut. That’s how sharp the knife was, he guessed.

He yawned and reached under his pillow, pulling out his burnt notebook, the number 13 underlined multiple times. He flipped to the last page and reread the unfamiliar address scribbled in rushed writing for what felt like the hundred time. Would he really have the guts to show up that afternoon? Would Stain even be there? He had seemed serious when he told him where to meet.

“It’s abandoned and there’s a broken window on the back. Be there at five sharp. You get it?”

“Yes! I’ll be there, um…”

“Stain.”

“I’ll be there, Stain-san!”

“Just Stain. And don’t be late.”

Izuku rolled around, getting tangled in his sheets. He intended to keep his word of not backing out (he was neck-deep in this already) but he was unsure of what exactly he would be backing out of if he did. He entertained the idea of the Hero Killer wanting to talk further but he doubted that was the case. This didn’t seem like the type of man that would waste his time just talking to a kid. But then what?

His alarm started blaring and he grunted. He only kept going to classes so that his school wouldn’t notify his mother about any absences but he was getting tired of it. Every lecture was like fog and by the end of the day, he could remember almost nothing of what had happened. 

“Come on,” He told himself, “You can do this.”

The teen dragged himself out of bed and got in the shower, covering his cast with a plastic bag and trying hard not to fall asleep on his feet.

He got to the agreed meeting point at around 4:30. It was a tall, grey building with no paint and chains at the front door. The place had been abandoned before it was even finished, Izuku noted, the top floor lacking a roof. 

The area was far from where Stain’s last victim had been found and so there were barely any heroes around. These people, who Izuku would have died to meet just weeks ago, now gave him an odd sense of anxiety and he feared that he would run into one.

But he sighed and took his backpack’s straps tightly. He had already met the Hero Killer once willingly, he could do it again without running into trouble. He walked around the structure and located the broken window easily, but he hesitated there. Was he supposed to climb in or wait outside? Some pieces of glass still hung onto the window frame, shining like fangs in the evening light.

“If I smashed those last pieces in then I could climb in easily but that could make more noise than I would like. But staying outside could be a risk as well if a hero decides to patrol around here. I wouldn’t have an excuse for being on an abandoned place, besid-”

“Your mumbling better not be a recurring thing, kid.”

Izuku’s soul left his body for a good second. Stain was standing right behind him, knife in hand, and his voice had been the first noise he’d made since however long he’d been there. He was a tall man with a red scarf and a katana, how had Izuku not seen him?!

“And don’t scream like that.”

Izuku blushed, covering his mouth with his good hand. Stain was being too generous, calling whatever pitiful noise he’d made a scream. It sounded more like a hamster. The teen fumbled for words, moving his hands around to try to explain himself.

“Sorry! I’m sorry, you just came out of nowhere.”

“No, you were distracted talking to yourself.”

“It’s a b-bad habit, sorry...”

“Then you better work on breaking it. Come on, we don’t have all day.” Stain wasted no time, already walking off down a small alley. Izuku stared at the place where the villain had been for a moment before running after him. He walked behind the taller figure in silence for a few blocks, unsure if he was supposed to talk or just follow. 

“Um, Stain-san, where…?”

“Quiet.”

Izuku swallowed and looked at his feet. They moved in silence for the better part of twenty minutes and Izuku’s skin was itching with the need to ask questions. Thankfully their trip seemed to end in front of a large, abandoned storage space. There were many like this one around them, all different colors but covered in the same orange rust everywhere.

A nonresidential area, with no houses nearby and a small field at the end of the road to their right. Izuku had never been here before.

“Follow me.” Stain said simply, walking around the corner. Izuku followed as fast as he could but by the time he turned the corner himself, Stain had already climbed a ladder and was making his way inside via a hole in the wall where a ventilation system must have been before. He must have a speed quirk, Izuku thought. He climbed the decrepit ladder as fast as he dared, the metal groaning and threatening to separate from the wall at any second, and reached the top with shaking legs. The hole was a good three feet away from the ladder and he’d have to reach out and balance his weight if he wanted to get there without falling.

“Move it, kid!” Came the echoey voice from somewhere within the metal structure. Izuku was sweating nervously, hugging the ladder. But he had to move. He couldn’t just stay here, even if he wanted. With great care, he stretched his right arm and got a solid hold of the metal frame, following slowly with his right leg and throwing himself at the opening in terror. The ground stayed solid beneath him and he heaved a sigh of relief.

He crawled through a small passage and climbed out on the other side. He was on the second floor of the space, a staircase to his left and a big, empty space below him. Stain was sitting at the foot of the stairs, cleaning his katana calmly. 

“You’re slow.” The man stated, not looking up from his task. Izuku’s face heated up.

“I’m sorry!”

“And you apologize too much.”

“I.. um…” Izuku coughed awkwardly, making it down the metal steps and standing next to Stain in uncomfortable silence. He placed his backpack in the nearest corner and waited. Minutes passed by with neither of them saying anything and Izuku was already picking at his cast. What now? Was he allowed to speak? He stared at Stain but the man seemed to have forgotten that Izuku was even there with him.

“Um… Stain-san?”

“I told you, just Stain.”

Izuku blinked. His skin felt like it was on fire. “I, uh, what exactly are we doing?”

Stain’s hand stopped moving and he slowly focused his eyes on Izuku, who stiffened under the gaze. His red eyes were cold, calculating and Izuku already knew he was in for something.

“You ever wielded a blade before, Midoriya?”

“Like… Like a sword?”

“Or a knife.” Stain pulled a hunting knife from the side of his leg, the metal glinting even in the poor light that the place offered. The blade alone was almost as long as Izuku’s forearm and it looked sharp beyond belief. The other man twirled the knife around in his hand before offering it at the teen, handle first. “Something like this.”

Izuku swallowed and took the smallest step back. “N-no. Never.”

Stain hummed thoughtfully and then tossed the knife at the boy. It was slow and the handle was still facing him, but Izuku was scared of somehow closing his hand around the blade and cutting off his fingers. He yelped when the knife hit the concrete floor with a loud clang.

Izuku looked up at Stain, terrified that the man would get angry, but he seemed calm. Then he got up, pulling out another knife and narrowing his eyes at Izuku.

“I’d pick that up if I were you.”

“Why?!”

“I’m testing you, kid.” Stain cracked his neck loudly “I want to see what you can do.”

“But I’ve never-”

“Doesn’t matter. I want to see where you’re at.”

Was Stain serious? Of course, he was. Izuku scrambled to get the knife on the ground, standing as straight as he could once the handle was secure between his hands. 

But it did him almost no good. In two seconds he was on the ground, his knife who-knows-where and Stain’s boot square on his back. The air was knocked right out of his lungs and Izuku couldn’t even make a noise. 

“You’re scared.” Stain said, removing the weight off Izuku’s back and dropping the missing knife next to him. “Again.”

 Coughing, Izuku got on his hands and knees. He could see Stain’s feet next to him. Of course, he was scared; this wasn’t what he’d thought would happen today. But as the air came back to him, he took the knife and got up once more. He’d been in fights before (lost of all them, thanks for asking) but this felt different than when his classmates picked on him. Stain had given him a weapon and a chance; he expected something from Izuku. And that lit a small flame in the kid’s heart.

He readied himself and planted his feet on the ground, ready for the next attack. When Stain lunged forward, Izuku managed to move slightly out of the way but his feet still got kicked from under him and he went down again.

“Too slow. Again.”

Izuku hissed and got back up. The break on his arm had been minimal but he was still afraid of making it worse. What would he even tell his mother? After yesterday’s wound on his cheek, she would go berserk. 

Are you sure you want to keep this up?

He hesitated. Was he up for this?

“You done, kid?” Stain asked, twirling his knife expertly between his fingers. He sounded serious but Izuku could see the mocking look in his eyes. The teen knew what he probably looked like: Small, sweaty, tired already, cast on his arm, and with a knife that was comically big for him in his hands.

Pathetic.

He could have easily given up and let the knife go, he could have cried and gone home, he could have done a million things. But instead, he straightened his back, pushed back his tears, and held the knife up defiantly. He looked at Stain in the eyes, feeling determination burning in his heart.

“No. I’m ok.”

Stain gave Izuku a twisted grin.

For the next thirty minutes, the teen forced himself to get back on his feet every time he got shoved to the ground. Stain was fast and strong, but he was also being careful. Izuku’s broken arm had only slammed on the ground twice in all this time. And still, Izuku hadn’t come close to landing a hit once. The most he’d done was getting out of the way for a second or two.

“You’re indecisive, kid. Focus.”

“You’re holding back.” Izuku spat, frustrated with himself.

“If I didn’t, you’d be dead.”

“I want to get stronger,” The teen said, grunting as he pushed himself back up “But I can’t do that if no one will take me seriously. Even if I don’t have a quirk, even if I’m just a kid, I want to know what the world is like!”

Stain stared him down.

“You want me to really attack you?” Stain’s voice was low and his posture had shifted to a more tense one. Izuku swallowed roughly, but his frustration spoke before his mind could.

“Yes! I wan-”

Stain moved so fast the he became a blur. Izuku felt a burning sensation on his good arm and then he felt a hard blow on the head. Stain then hit Izuku on the stomach and flipped him over his back. He landed on the ground face first, Stain holding his arm back at an uncomfortable angle and pushing down enough that Izuku had to let go of his knife. If Stain wanted, he could break the kid’s arm easily like this. Deku could slowly feel liquid trickling down his arm and towards his neck and face. Stain had cut him.

“You want me to treat you like a target?”

Deku didn’t answer. He couldn’t see the villain’s face but he could imagine the crazed look in his eyes just by his voice. Stain released some of the pressure on Izuku’s arm but the relief was only momentary. His arm landed on the ground limply before Izuku could move and even when Stain moved away from him, the boy stayed on the ground.

He panicked. He was trying his hardest to move, but his body wouldn’t respond. He was paralyzed. What happened. Was this…

“Well, since you’re so obsessed with quirks.” Stain crouched down next to Izuku, turning his head to the side so they could look at each other in the eye. “You can surely tell me what just happened.”

Green eyes wide in terror, the boy stammered to speak with difficulty. 

“I… You… You used your quirk on me.”

“Good. And how did that happen?”

“I… I don’t know-”

“Take a guess.” Stain waved his knife in front of Izuku’s face, a small amount of blood still on the blade.

“You c-cut me. Is that it?”

“Try again.” Stain took the blade closer to his face, looking at the red on the glinting metal. And then he opened his mouth a licked the knife.

Izuku gaped at him.

“You… You consumed my blood.”

“Smart kid.” Stain said coldly. He tapped Izuku’s nose with the tip of the knife almost jokingly but the teen was about ready to cry. He could see his partial reflection on the blade.

“You can paralyze others once you’ve ingested their blood.”

“I can.” Stain got up and walked around Izuku. The boy could only hear the steps echoing in the open space. “But what does that mean, kid?”

Izuku thought. What on Earth was he supposed to say?

“It m-means that once you’ve hit them with a knife you can use y-”

“Wrong.” Stain’s voice came closer and Izuku had to close his eyes. “What have I used my quirk for since we’ve met?”

“I…” Izuku wracked his brain. He could now see why the first hero he had seen with Stain had been unable to move. He had seen Stain after he had used his quirk, though. He’d seen him jump up buildings, he’d seen him fight very briefly, he’d seen the way he could use a katana and the way he tossed knives.

And then it clicked. 

“You haven’t used your quirk in front of me until right now.” His voice betrayed the awe he felt at that moment. All of his guesses had been wrong so far. “Everything you’ve done…”

“Was just me. Relying on your quirk to do everything for you makes you weak, kid. And you should get that in your head.”

Izuku felt foolish, somehow. He scrunched up his eyes tight and gritted his teeth. 

“How am I supposed to even beat someone like you, though?”

“With training. You think I learned everything I did in half an hour?” Stain scoffed. “If you’re impatient, if you don’t prepare, then you’ll never be able to do anything more than talk.”

At last Izuku’s paralysis faded. He turned on his side and examined the wound on his arm. It was long but superficial and it was barely bleeding at all. It stung, but not terribly. Thank God he’d had the foresight to take off his jacket halfway through their sparring or he’d have a lot of explaining to do back at home.

Stain eyed the watch on his wrist briefly. 

“Out there, you don’t get to choose who you fight. And most of the time, you don’t know what they’re capable of. You have to be able to function under any circumstance. And to do that, you need to forget about quirks, kid. You’re weak right now but that won’t be forever.”

The teen got up to a sitting position, wiping furiously at his eyes with the lower part of his shirt. He’d been dumb to think he could just improve in one afternoon. He’d let his eagerness get the better of him. He had wanted for someone to not underestimate him for so long that he’d jumped into something he couldn’t win.

He really was reckless.

The boy cradled his aching arm against his chest. He wondered what Stain would be able to do when he pushed himself. Well, he hadn’t gotten away with everything he’d done by pure luck, that was obvious from the beginning, but just how much could this man do at full power?

His backpack landing next to him made him jump.

“You’re done for today.” Informed Stain.

“W-what? But why?”

“You’re pale as a ghost. You have nothing more to give, kid.” The mention of that made Izuku feel like he might actually pass out “Besides, I have things to do.”

“What about tomorrow?” The teen asked hopefully even though he was terrified of the answer “Should I meet you in the same place?”

“No.”

Izuku clenched his fist, dread crawling up his throat. He’d blown his chances. His fighting and attitude had been so rash that the villain just couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. He’d had his opportunity to learn, to figure out just what the feeling he’d had since meeting Stain was, but he’d been careless. Now the villain wanted nothing to do with him an-

“I’ll give you a different address. I don’t want to risk anyone following you.”

Oh, thank God. Izuku held back a sigh of relief and instead smiled like an idiot, even when Stain returned none of his happiness. This man hadn’t given up on him yet, and that was more than enough for Izuku at the time.

They both climbed out of the storage place and climbed down the ladder, Izuku with far more difficulty, and went their separate ways from there. There was no “see you tomorrow” or “Nice job today!” but the teen went home in high spirits. The ride back home was spent writing down everything that had happened on a new notebook and that night at home was spent looking at videos on how to hold and use knives properly.

Izuku was excited. His mother asked no questions over the weekend (he excused himself with wanting to go buy some new manga) and on Monday he told her that he had decided on joining a literature club at school to “make friends and use his afternoons productively”. His mom was happy with how he was handling his apparent crushed dreams and, apparently, suspected nothing.

Taking classes was more tedious now and Izuku had to pinch himself to stay awake. He would sleep a little on the bus and an hour or two at night but classes made his eyes close without permission. Still, he’d much prefer falling asleep in class than when training with Stain.

Day after day they would meet somewhere different and would train somewhere new. Stain wasn’t keen on using the same place twice and Izuku could understand why. News of his last kill had spread around like wildfire and everyone was worried about who the Hero Killer might attack next. Both his mother and classmates had been talking about it for days and it made Izuku uneasy. Like someone could read his mind and figure out what he’d been doing. 

“Let them talk,” Said Stain once after one of their training sessions “Perhaps a few will see what I’m doing. Pay the rest of them no mind.”

Everyday Izuku made sure to listen to Stain carefully, taking notes whenever he found the chance and trying with all his might not to push himself too hard. He did as he was told and he paid close attention.

After two weeks of training, Izuku felt a little more capable of what he was doing. By now he could train for a full hour without feeling like he was going to puke and he could even stay on his feet for two minutes before Stain decided to take him down. It was obvious that Stain was still holding back, but he’d taken to commenting on Izuku’s performance. A few times already he’d given the teen very constructive advice, which Izuku had taken greedily.

One time, when Stain was teaching Izuku how to dodge a punch, his phone had started ringing loudly. No one ever called him except for his mom and he immediately got distracted, getting a hit straight on the chest.

“You get distracted too easily.”

“Sorry,” Izuku gasped, looking at his backpack. “That’s just probably… my mom…”

“...And?”

Izuku blushed like an idiot. “I well, no one else ever calls me and she usually only contacts me when it’s important and I always answer, so it’d be weird if I just let her go to voicemail and-”

“You talk too much.” Stain grunted. But he moved aside to let Izuku pass and get his phone. He seemed even more annoyed by the stupid ringtone than he did of Izuku’s excuses, and the teen was quick to answer.

“Izuku, I hope I didn’t interrupt your club meeting!” Greeted his mom on the other side. Izuklu blinked for a second before his own lies started clicking in place.

“Oh! N-no mom, it’s ok. We’re on a break! What’s up?”

“Oh, I’m so glad! Well, your doctor called earlier and he told me that they have an intern with a healing quirk right now, and since you have your check-up tomorrow, they might be able to fix your arm up completely!”

“Really!” Izuku all but yelled. He lowered his voice again when he caught Stain’s annoyed look. “T-that’s great! Thanks, mom!”

“Well, I’ll let you go back to your meeting. Good luck, baby!”

“Bye, mom.” He hung up and the phone immediately disappeared from his hand. Stain held it up high and put his face inches away from Izuku’s.

“If you don’t silence this thing, it’s going out the window next time.”

“Sorry! I’m sorry! My mom just wanted to remind me that I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

“So you’re skipping training?” the man sounded unimpressed. Izuku could feel the thin ice under his feet cracking a bit. His face must have been as red as a tomato when he tried to justify himself.

“Yes, but! They’re taking my cast off! So that’s good, right? I can push myself harder! We don’t have to worry about my arm anymore!”

“I wasn’t worried about your arm.” came the flat reply. Izuku twitched a bit and gave a nervous laugh. The skin under his cast felt like molten lava and his face felt even worse. He was just babbling at this point, unable to give a good answer, but Stain just sighed.

“Fine. But you’re staying late tonight.”

“But, my mom will…”

“Make something up, smart boy.” Stain hit Izuku on the head lightly, walking back to where they were before the call. They want straight back to training.

Izuku got home almost two hours late but he’d been calling his mom on the way, telling her that his friends from club wanted to go out for dinner and he’d agreed. It was good that he was making friends, right? She was worried at first, but she was happy in the end. Izuku never mentioned any friends (mostly because he had none) and she was glad to see his social life take flight. She asked a ton of questions but thankfully he was getting better at lying.

It was weird to not meet Stain the next day, but the doctor held true to his word and his cast was gone. At last. The muscles in his left arm felt a little numb, but he was sure that with some practice he’d feel better in no time. The doctor had asked about the small injuries around his face, but Izuku brushed it off on his clumsiness. It wasn’t a lie, he thought. He had gotten a weird look, but he’d smiled widely and gotten away with it.

He was bruised and filled with tiny cuts, but Izuku was happy. 

He felt good about himself when he woke up the next morning and headed to school with his usual goodbye to his mom. His cast had been removed and Stain had hinted at Izuku being able to train harder soon. He was tired but alert during class and he even managed to answer a few questions correctly. Even Kacchan seemed put off by his recent good mood, which made Izuku strangely satisfied. He got a passing grade on his homework and ate lunch in peace. At 3:30 he excitedly made it to the bus stop, ready to meet Stain and get to work.

Izuku was happy.

Maybe had he known what would happen that day, he might have given his mother a tighter hug before heading out. Maybe he would have packed another set of clothes or finally had the guts to tell Kacchan just how much he had missed their friendship over the years. But he didn’t know. He couldn’t have known.

And so Izuku stayed happy for a while.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s back hit the ground, the concrete feeling cold against his sweaty skin. Now that his cast was gone, Stain had amped up the training. His teacher wasn' holding back as much and the teen was feeling the burn. But the feeling was pleasant, like the feeling you get after finishing a really hard puzzle. Well, that was a lame example but you get the idea.

They had trained for over an hour today and Izuku was as tired as ever. His limbs ached and his breath was uneven. It was a great contrast to Stain, who was sitting down calmly, examining one of the many knives he carried around. In the over two weeks they’d been training, Izuku had never once seen Stain out of breath, not even when he carried the teen over rooftops in one arm.

He sighed, satisfied. He felt so much better than he had in months -maybe even years- and he couldn’t hide it. His mother had noticed, his teachers too. Kacchan had even approached him at some point asking why Izuku was “so goddamn happy?” He’d just smiled and said that he’d found something better to dream about. That earned him a slightly burnt sleeve but nothing more.

The fact that he had to hide what he was doing for everyone to be happy with him didn’t escape him, though. It hurt a tad that no one believed in him still, that no one had even stopped to ask him how he really felt after the incident. But with every passing day, it hurt a bit less. He no longer had to fake smiles and that was good enough for him.

Izuku got into a sitting position and reached for his backpack. He always took the time after training to write down some of the things he’d learned or things Stain told him. He’d written about heroes in a way he never thought he would and wrote down ideas that he had never considered. It was all so new that he had even started using a different colored pen. If anyone was to read his past notebooks compared to this one they wouldn’t be able to guess they were written by the same person. 

But at the end of the day, if Izuku really thought about it, he had changed since he’d met Stain. He was getting stronger, more confident, more realistic in his approach to life. He was still himself, but not quite, at the same time. He felt different.

He tapped his pen on the side of his face, thinking about what to write for that day. He had stopped using names in his writings just in case the notebook were to fall into the wrong hands. He could only imagine what would happen if one of his classmates was to read what he’d written.

Paragraph after paragraph about justice, the purge of people without resolve, be them heroes or villains, and the willingness to give yourself up for what you believed was right, decorated the paper in his hands. Over half the notebook was already filled to the brim.

Would people think he was insane if they read this? Would they believe he was out to get them all?

He didn’t want to think about that.

“What are you even doing?” the notebook was snatched from his hands, Stain holding it with two fingers and staring at Izuku with an odd expression.

“I’ve been writing what you’ve taught me!” the teen replied, reaching for the notebook but grabbing nothing but air. “What I’ve learned so far.”

Stain hummed, looking at the paper like it was somehow insulting him. He’d never had a problem with Izuku’s notes before this, and the green-haired boy was unsure of what to do other than getting to his feet.

Every time I think I know him, he changes , Izuku thought.

“You think this will help you out there, kid?”

“I… well, I like looking back on things to…”

“To what? Think about them?” Was Stain angry? He sure seemed like it. “You have to practice these things. You have to do them.”

“But I have! Every day I-”

“Is the only thing you’re willing to do just write about what I tell you?”

“No!”

“Then what, Midoriya?” Stain loomed over him, red eyes burning. This was serious, very serious, Izuku realized. “What are you willing to do to fix this broken society? To make a new, more just one? How are you different from the people out there?”

“I…” Izuku stepped back. He could feel the spotlight on him, bright and accusatory. Of course, Stain would want more from him, he’d want Izuku to act. All the progress he’d done this past few weeks suddenly seemed insufficient. What had he done so far, other than getting a little more stamina? Had he actually learned anything? Had he actually taken the time to examine the knowledge he’d been given?

Would he be able to reach Stain’s expectation at all at some point?

“Are you just going to talk and do nothing?” Stain pressed, throwing the notebook at the boy with force. Izuku barely caught it. “Or do you have what it takes to act?”

“I…” He was close to crying, he could feel it. His eyes stung and his throat was tight. Had he been pretending all this time, telling himself he could actually make a difference when he was incapable of doing anything? Was he hesitating about what Stain had told him? Did he not want this?

He trembled. The villain’s red eyes were still trained on him, intense. He looked at the man, for once trying to figure out just what he felt. He remembered the training, the advice Stain had given him, the drive to push forward he’d felt recently. He thought of every word he’d written down in his new book, his hands closing around the paper and scrunching it up in his fists.

No. He wasn’t just holding onto nothing. He believed every sentence he had written down. He had believed in those words since Stain had opened his eyes to the way things really were. And if Stain was still willing to help him, then he couldn’t allow his resolve to falter. Not now.

“So?” Stain asked.

“...I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

“Anything?” Stain pushed, leaning down to look Izuku in the eye, “Even being hated because of it? You’re willing to become a villain?” And then, lower “A killer, Midoriya Izuku?”

He was shaking, tears rolling down his cheeks. He had tried not to think about that since they had begun training, but he knew at one point he’d have to face the reality that the man teaching him was a serial killer. A man who could take a life without batting an eye, without thinking twice. A man capable of many things that most would think monstrous.

Izuku had never faced death up close. Two of his grandparents were dead, but he hadn’t seen either body. He simply remembered his family being together, talking, drinking, and crying only a little since those people had lived long lives. He’d never lost anyone to an untimely death, he’d only seen one dead body in his whole life and that was Stain’s last victim. He didn’t know what loss was and he couldn’t even fathom what taking a life was like.

But he couldn’t ignore reality anymore. He couldn’t close his eyes to the way things worked.

No. Scratch that. He did not want to close his eyes anymore. Stain had been the only one to talk to Izuku on his level, he’d given him the benefit of the doubt and he had been willing to teach him not only about combat but about the philosophy he believed in with all of his being. In all his life, the only one willing to give him a chance had been the man standing in front of him right now.

And that had to mean something.

Izuku looked up, meeting Stain’s eyes with intensity even if he was still crying. He could see a reason to keep going in the red eyes staring back at him.

“...Yes.” His voice cracked, so he tried again with more conviction. “Yes! I’m willing!”

Stain looked at him for a moment. Izuku only broke eye contact to rub his eyes with his hand and when he opened them again there was a knife being offered to him. Stain looked serious, like the first time they’d met.

“Then prove it.”

They walked in silence with Stain leading the way. Izuku’s feet followed Stain automatically while he focused on the object in his hands. The knife Stain had given his was much smaller than the once they usually used during training. 

It was about 15 inches long, the blade taking up two-thirds of that. Both handle and blade were black and the back of the knife was serrated. A hunting knife, Izuku assumed. Even if it was the perfect size for his hand, it felt heavy. He could see how easily someone would cut themselves with it and swallowed.

He should have seen this coming. It was impossible for him to train under this man and not have to hurt someone. He’d always known, but he’d tried to ignore it. His only comfort was that they weren’t just going to kill any random person that crossed their paths.

“You can do this,” He murmured to himself like a mantra “You can do this, you can do this, you can do this…”

Stain gave him a look over his shoulder but said nothing. He was always silent during their walks.

Izuku wasn’t sure for how long they moved, but Stain stopped next to an old, three-story building. He wasn’t sure if it was abandoned or not but the area didn’t seem that bad. The alley that led out into the main street was tiny; if Izuku extended both arms he might be able to touch both walls. There was a ladder leading to the top of the brick structure and, after a look towards the boy behind him, Stain started climbing. 

Izuku looked around, paranoid about every noise he heard. Every little crack felt like steps coming closer and he unknowingly held the knife closer to his chest. He only started climbing when he noticed Stain was halfway up already.

The sun was already setting, giving the sky an orange glow and tinting the city with long purple shadows. It was almost beautiful, Izuku thought. He could see big buildings off in the distance and a park a few blocks away with a swingset. His mind attempted to think of the people that used those places, trying to find something else to think about, but he quickly turned his attention towards the other man. He couldn’t get distracted right now, could he?

Stain was crouching low at the edge of the roof, looking down. Izuku walked forward with tiny steps and settled next to him, about three feet away from the edge.

“Stain?” He asked, barely above a whisper. Stain didn’t tell him to keep quiet so he continued “What are we doing up here?”

But there was no answer. Time passed, the sky turning dark and a few tiny stars twinkling softly above them. Street lamps turned on and storefronts illuminated. Cars drove by, their lights dancing in the distance. 

Izuku shifted on his feet, his legs getting cramped. He held the knife firmly in his hand, still. It felt like a little lifeline. The wind blew tossing Stain’s scarf and mask every which way. It was cold up there, and Izuku instinctively scooted closer to Stain’s form. He didn’t get close enough to get any sort of warmth but at least the bigger man covered him from the wind slightly. Now he could see the street below them. There were people walking, out and about even in the dark. It was still early enough, Izuku assumed.

Stain had his eyes fixed on the ground below them, still as a statue. Izuku could barely even make out the rise and fall of his chest. After some more silent minutes, the teen started fidgeting with the knife in his hand. He tried nothing fancy in fear of cutting himself, but he let his fingers tap on the handle silently.

A firm but gentle hand covered his own and Izuku glanced at Stain in surprise. The man was still looking down pointedly but he’d been aware enough to notice Izuku’s small movement. The boy swallowed. Stain’s hand was twice as big as his own, rough with scars and callouses. But the touch was sturdy enough to ground Izuku. He let out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding and looked down as well, forcing himself to follow his teacher's example.

Stain removed his hand and they both watched the street in silence, two unmoving figures in the dark for what was probably over an hour. Izuku let his mind wander a bit. He thought of his mom, happy at home thinking that her son was out with “friends” again. He thought about his classmates and how they’d pretty much started ignoring him as if he were a ghost. He thought about how the only looks he still got at school were from Kacchan, now uneasy rather than hateful. He thought of his classes, his teachers, and the small career questionnaires he’d answered recently. They were all filled at random.

And then he thought of the man next to him. He wondered why he had even given him the light of day, why he had shared so much of what he did with this no-body kid. He wondered what his life could possibly be like when they weren’t training and he wondered about what he had been like before he became what he was. He realized that he mostly just wanted to understand Stain fully.

They’d been so silent and still for so long, that Stain’s sudden exhale caught his attention. His eyes were wider now, hand on the hilt of his katana. Izuku followed his gaze down into the entrance of the alleyway that led to the ladder they’d climbed earlier. There were two figures there, walking in and talking to each other. 

One figure was much taller than the other, his outfit telling Izuku that he was a hero. He shifted his gaze towards the main street, which was now deserted, and then towards Stain.

And Izuku froze.

Stain was looking back at him with a crooked smile, his eyes almost manic. Izuku looked back down at the two figures. They were right below them now. Time slowed for half a second. Stain stood, silent and graceful like a cat, and he pulled his katana out of its sheath. He looked genuinely grand, standing straight with his sword in his hand like an extension of his own arm. He stepped forward into the void and let himself fall.

And then time rushed all at once.

Izuku scrambled towards where the ladder was, hearing the commotion below him. There was a loud thud, yelling, a metallic sound, and a very loud crack and then… just voices. He leaned over the edge of the building, holding onto the ladder in desperation. The figures were all still.

He climbed down the ladder frantically, almost slipping more than once and actually dropping his knife at some point. He landed on his knees and looked up with wide eyes.

He could see blood. Lots of it.

The hero was thrown to the side, head tilted back and blood streaming down his face. Stain was right over him, katana dripping red onto the alley floor. The remaining person was whimpering closer to where Izuku was. He was also wearing a hero costume but his figure was much smaller than the other two.

Stain turned towards Izuku, his face the very definition of coldness. Izuku trembled.

“Get back your knife.” The villain said gravely. But Izuku was paralyzed. This was it. This was what Stain really looked like. He was thinking everything and nothing all at once, an odd ringing in his ears. This man had just jumped off a building, he’d immobilized two people all by himself, he’d done everything without even blinking.

“Your knife.” Stain repeated, focusing his gaze on the still-conscious hero. The form on the ground was crying, a slash on his back dyeing his light-colored suit crimson. Izuku felt his legs carry him towards the back of the alley to where his knife must have fallen. He found it further down and he leaned down to pick it up stiffly. The weapon felt heavy in his hand, the metal scrapping the concrete loudly just from being picked up.

He could hear a horrible gurgling behind him and he had to cover his mouth to keep himself from making any sound. He knew what had happened. He could imagine it just fine but he wasn’t sure if reality would be even worse than his imagination. The whimpering behind him escalated into full-on sobbing and he could hear steps getting closer.

Stain stood behind him.

“Get up.”

Izuku did as told. His legs felt like lead. 

“Now turn.”

His body rotated by itself. Stain’s form was shielding his view from the carnage. He could see Stain’s chest and nothing else, he was so close. Izuku felt static running through his brain, the shock not letting him go just yet. He was still practically unresponsive when the villain tilted his head upwards and looked him dead in the eye.

“I’m giving you a way out right now, so you better snap out of it.”

Stain stepped to the side and nausea immediately hit Izuku. The hero was where he had been before, but his head was a good four feet from the rest of his body. There was a sea of blood around him, somehow still getting bigger by the second. The other hero was facing towards Izuku, tears streaming down his face messily.

The teen barely had any time to move to the side before throwing up violently, his whole body shaking fiercely. Stain simply looked down at the watch on his wrist and waited for Izuku to be done.

“Why?” Cried the hero on the ground, “Why would you do this?” His voice was small and high pitched and then it dawned on Izuku: This was no hero. This was a boy no older than himself, probably out doing his practices. His mask had been tossed off to the side, wide blue eyes meeting Izuku’s green. He looked terrified, unsure, sad. Broken.

Just like Izuku himself had been a few weeks prior.

“You have to decide what happens next, Midoriya Izuku.” Said Stain, loud enough to take both boys by surprise. The hero apprentice was biting his lip pitifully, tears still cascading out of his eyes. The closeness of the main road seemed to mock the poor kid.

“I… w-what?” Izuku stuttered. He was regaining feeling in his hands and feet slowly as he snapped out of shock and into a mix of denial and panic.

Stain’s voice was horribly dry as he said: “You either kill this false hero in training, or you let him live after he heard your full name.”

Izuku felt cold and hot at the same time. He was sweating and shaking, his back bent forwards and his head almost between his knees. The floor was disappearing under his feet like it was smoke and he felt vertigo creeping up his body. His stomach lurched and he heaved again but there was nothing else for him to throw up, so he spit out bile instead. His vision was blurry. Was he passing out? No. Not yet.

“So which will it be, Midoriya?” Stain asked behind him in a hiss.

The villain had set him up. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew from his shaking hands that he didn’t have it in him to kill the other teen in cold blood but Stain had said his name twice already. The boy had heard, he was sure. If Izuku let him go now, his month-long charade would end and he would be known to the public as the Hero Killer’s protégé. Everyone would know by morning that Izuku Midoriya had helped in the murder of at least one hero.

His mother would be destroyed. His classmates would despise him. Everyone he had ever loved would hate him. He knew that. But his head just couldn’t reach a decision.

His most selfish side, the side that didn’t want things to change screamed at him to do something. He couldn’t let the truth get out, not yet. Not ever. His hands closed around the knife’s handle so hard that he thought his fingers might break. His whole life, his future depended on whether the boy on the ground could speak about him or not.

It’s a simple problem, a part of him whispered in the back of his head. His eyes met blue and he could see utter desperation in those eyes.

Izuku stepped forward almost drunkenly and the other boy whimpered like a wounded animal.

The sound of metal hitting the ground was almost deafening. Had the other kid been able to move, he would have flinched violently. Izuku’s knife bounced on the cold floor a few times before it stopped moving, leaving the alley in an eerie silence. Izuku’s back crashed against the wall behind him and he tried to push himself back even more.

“I… I can’t do it. I can’t!” He wept hopelessly. He shook his head and hugged himself in despair. Whatever he decided, his life would never be the same. But he just couldn’t.

“Why not?” asked Stain, “If you let him go, everyone will know who you are. What you let happen.”

“I know…” Izuku whispered. He looked at Stain with pain in his eyes. “I know!”

“Then why not kill him?”

“I can’t!” He could hear hysteria in his own voice along with the loud crying of the other kid.

“Well, let’s try this then.” Stain stepped towards the fallen figure. He pointed his katana at the boy’s neck with very clear intent. “I’ll kill him for you if you can’t do it.”

The boy on the ground had his eyes closed tightly by now. Stain’s hand was perfectly still in the air and the katana didn’t as much as tremble. He was serious, like usual. 

Izuku dragged as much air as he could into his lungs. He felt light-headed. His mind was going a mile a second. He could go back home still, he could still back out. His hands were clean, he hadn’t done anything wrong. He could let this happen, he could forget about everything.

Stain looked expectant.

Izuku locked eyes with his mentor and said the only thing his heart would allow him.

“Let him go. Please.”

“You sure? There’s no going back if you let him live. He’s not gonna keep your secret. And he might even become my target at some point, regardless.”

“I know,” Izuku shocked himself by laughing, “But he’s just a kid. He’s my age. He hasn’t even had the chance to decide if he wants to be a real hero or not. He might just be good, after all. I can’t just… I can’t let him die for my sake.”

The other boy looked as shocked as Izuku felt. Stain stared Izuku down for what felt like ages before he put his katana back in its rightful place on his back. Neither Izuku nor Stain moved when the other kid snapped out of his paralysis and painfully made his way out of the alley without looking back.

He was gone.

Izuku felt his legs give out and he landed on the floor like a ragdoll. It was done. Right or wrong, he’d signed his own fate. He was in too big a shock to even cry. His eyes felt overly dry and he couldn’t focus on anything right. He only knew Stain was coming close because of the general movement. He heard the knife he’d dropped getting picked up and then saw Stain’s boots standing right in front of him.

“You made your choice, kid.”

“...Yeah. I did.”

“What are you going to do now?”

Izuku laughed weakly and looked up at where Stain’s face would have to be.

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

Stain exhaled with a hint of amusement and then offered his hand at Izuku. The teen took it and, after a second, pulled himself up.

For better or for worse, Izuku had made his choice. And he refused to regret it.

Chapter Text

The morning light hit Izuku right in the eyes, waking him up. He groaned and covered his face with his arm. Last night’s event slowly crept their way back into his mind like black water and he had to stay where he was for a long while. He remembered blood, wounded blue eyes, and… His name. The name that by now must be on every newspaper and news broadcast in the city. Scratch that, the country.

He wondered if his mother had been notified of what had happened.

His back ached from sleeping on the ground and his neck felt stiff. He sighed and dared to look around him. Stain and he had stayed in an abandoned building and as bad as it had looked the night prior, it was worse in the light of day. The walls were cracking, graffiti decorating every inch of them. The windows were missing their glasses and there was trash on every corner. They weren’t the first ones to stay there, Izuku guessed.

He sat up, his back popping loudly. Stain was nowhere to be seen. 

They hadn’t spoken much after what had happened, but he remembered Stain telling him to “stay put.” so he had no intention of even looking for the other man. He stretched slowly and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

A part of him had thought that everything had been a horrible nightmare, like the ones he’d had since he’d broken his arm. A part of him had expected to wake up back home, ready for another pointless day at school. He chuckled to himself.

What would his classmates say about him today? He could imagine his teachers attempting to control their class in vain, everyone trying to talk over each other to get their theories across. 

“Maybe the hero killer forced him!” Some would say.

“He’s probably dead by now!” Someone else might suggest.

What would Kacchan say? He was the one who’d known him the longest, but he was also the one that thought the least of him. He’d probably think that Izuku had simply gone insane.

In all fairness, he was starting to think that himself. Three weeks ago he would have given everything to be like All Might, and today he was willing to follow a serial killer around like a little duckling. What had changed?

I did, Izuku thought, staring at his hands. He had to admit that he didn’t feel as bad as he thought he would. He was probably still in shock but at least he didn’t have the horrible urge to cry or curl up in a ball and give up.

Not knowing when Stain would be back, he decided to write about what had happened last night. Putting his thoughts down in paper always helped him get a better perspective of things. He reached for his backpack and pulled out his notebook. He realized that he still had his school supplies with him but he ignored them for now. Future Izuku could figure out what to do with those. For now, he wanted to clear his head.

He jotted down what had happened in order, all facts and no opinion. He wrote about Stain’s quirk extensively, making his own little theories about how it worked and what it’s limitations were. He wrote about Stain's ability to jump off a roof and not only not die on his way down, but the way he’d gotten two people right in the palm of his hand while he was at it. This man was insanely strong and the fact that he could do most of what he did without his quirk blew Izuku’s mind.

It also filled him with an oddly pleasant feeling. Did that mean that maybe someday he’d be able to do something similar? He tapped his pen on the page, thinking.

He stayed like that until the sound of steps coming down from the roof snapped him out of his stupor. Stain joined him in the decrepit space.

“You’re back,” Izuku said dumbly.

“You’re awake.” Stain shot back. He passed by Deku and threw something at the teen, taking a seat by the nearby window and taking out his katana.

Izuku took the objects, noticing that it was a newspaper and a piece of bread. Stain had made headlines, as he usually did, but his name wasn’t the only one in bold letters. Right over the picture of the boy they’d let go last night, was Izuku’s full name.

Young teen seen accompanying the Hero Killer: Who is Midoriya Izuku?

He swallowed dryly. His mind debated on whether he wanted to know what the media had reported or not. But he remembered the blue-eyed teen from the night before and he gave in to his curiosity. He started nibbling on his piece of bread just to have something to do with himself whilst he read.

“Last night, pro-hero Conjurer was assassinated by the Hero Killer while on patrol just three blocks from the police station...”

Izuku almost spit out the food in his mouth. Had they been close to a station? Was Stain crazy?!

“... along with a UA student, age 15, whose name will be withheld for the time being. It was this student that managed to get away from the scene and into a nearby shop were authorities were contacted. Officers and other pro-heroes were quick to arrive, but the Hero Killer remains at large.

The young student gave a full statement to the police in which he described both the Hero Killer and a new, alleged accomplice. This new individual has been identified as Midoriya Izuku, a 14-year-old middle school student that has, as off last night, been reported missing by his family.

According to the witness’s statement, Midoriya accompanied the Hero Killer during the crime and stopped the villain from killing the UA student, though he did not interfere in the murder of 41-year-old Conjurer.

It is unknown since when Midoriya Izuku has been with the Hero Killer, as no other witnesses have come forward to identify him and there is no evidence of the two having any prior relationship. His family has refused to give an official statement as of this morning, but it is known that the police are approaching the situation as a kidnapping case for the moment.

This leaves the total victim count at 24, two more since the villain’s last appearance in Sapporo almost two months ago. The UA student attacked last night has been, thus far, the only victim to not need intensive care in the hospital.”

Izuku scanned the rest of the article, but he only saw things about Stain and the hero named Conjurer that had died. They didn’t go in-depth about the state of the body, but he was sure that some other graphic newspaper had published all the gory details. He shivered.

There was a small picture of himself at the bottom, a small smile on his face, and his school uniform visible. It must be a yearbook picture, Izuku guessed. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. His mother and the police believed that Stain had him hostage, which only was true in the sense that Izuku couldn’t exactly go home anymore.

He was sure that a bunch of people would conclude that the Hero Killer had simply gotten a sidekick and that the teen was just as guilty as the serial killer. At the very least he was glad that the other boy was fine and safe with his family.

“I told you,” Stain said briefly while he cleaned his katana. Izuku could see bright red adorning the blade and he swallowed. It hadn’t even been 24 hours but the Hero Killer had struck yet again. It would be about a week before Izuku would know that Stain had killed not one, but two heroes that morning.

“Yeah, I know. I expected as much.” Said Izuku. He was amazed by the calmness in his voice. Was that a good thing? That he was calm after everything? Maybe.

“You seem tranquil.” Stain commented, turning his katana over in the sun. It sent small reflections all over the room, “I expected you to be crying by now.”

Izuku laughed which earned him an odd look.

“To be honest? Me too. But I think I’m okay, for now.” He pulled his knees up to his chest and rest his head on them, following the little dancing lights that came from the villain’s sword with his eyes. “I felt much worse after the incident with the Sludge Villain.”

Stain hummed, changing his katana for a knife, and cleaning this one as well. 

Izuku let his mind wander in the silence. He tried to imagine the police showing up at his house and asking his mother all sorts of questions. Would she tell them that he’d been getting home late for almost a month? His school had probably already clarified that both his “tutoring sessions” and “club meetings” were nothing but lies. What would his mother think about that? Would she even believe that he was with Stain willingly?

He felt his mind beginning to fog over, so he attempted to talk with his teacher.

“Stain?”

“Hmm?”

“How old were you when you became the Hero Killer?”

Stain stared at him. “Why do you ask?”

Izuku shrugged. “I’m curious.”

Stain sighed and examined his knife closely. He was quiet for a long moment and just when Izuku thought he’d get no answer the other man finally spoke.

“I was doing things under the radar since before I was 20. But the public didn’t call me Hero Killer until much later.”

“How old are you now?”

“Thirty-one.”

He’s been doing this for over a decade, Izuku thought. He stared at Stain carefully, trying to see if there was anything about this man that ha hadn’t noticed before. But there was nothing new. The lower half of his face visible under his mask revealed no scars, no apparent wrinkles or marks. His eyes were small, irises even more so, and looked as bloodshot as ever. His hair was long enough that, was it not for his red bandana, it would fall past his eyes.

“Knock it off, kid.” Stain warned, meeting Izuku’s eyes with some hostility, “I’m not your little attraction.”

“Sorry, Stain,” Izuku said, tearing his eyes off and letting them get lost somewhere along the wall. “I was just thinking.”

“You should get out of your head.” Stain pointed out after a pause, “I need you focused.”

“For what?”

Stain got up and moved towards what looked like a plastic cooler with a fabric strap. Had that always been there? Was Izuku so out of it that he hadn’t noticed? Stain opened it and pulled out a long strip of black fabric. He tossed it at Izuku.

“We’re getting out of town. You better cover your face, just in case. And take off your uniform.”

“What?” Izuku could feel himself waking up from his awkward aloofness. He was suddenly very aware of his surroundings. “Right now?”

“Yes.”

“But,” Izuku looked out the window. The sky was a nice baby-blue. “It’s the middle of the day!”

“So?”

“W-wouldn’t it be better to wait for nightfall?”

“It’s best not to stay in the same place too long. Besides, by the time we make it out of the city, it’ll be night already.” Stain answered, giving Izuku an expectant look after a moment.

The teen blinked. This sounded horrible risky, in his opinion. But he still did as he was told, changing out of his school uniform and into the clothes he’d used for their last day of training. He stuffed the outfit in the bottom of his backpack along with the rest of his few possessions and he tied that black piece of cloth around his face like Stain had suggested. 

He pulled his bag over his shoulders just as Stain was getting up himself, cooler hanging by his side. He examined Izuku briefly and then nodded, taking the lead. Just like that, they were outside in broad daylight. 

They walked through back streets and alleyways, miraculously not running into anyone other than a sleeping homeless man with a dog. Izuku kept as close to Stain as he could, practically stepping on his ankles. He was nervous, far more than he thought he’d be. He had felt fine when he woke up, but the reality of what he’d done was finally catching up to him.

Anyone that even caught a glimpse of him could become a potential problem and there was no way he could just bounce up buildings the way Stain did to escape. If anything happened, he had no idea what he’d do. And that was utterly terrifying. 

Had Stain been someone else, Izuku might have risked grabbing onto the strap of the cooler just for fear that he’d lose the man at some point. But he settled for just following quickly. 

While they walked, the sun above them glided through the sky slowly, shifting shadows from one side to another and making them longer.

Izuku had panicked at one moment when Stain had stopped abruptly and had reached for his katana. Tense seconds had gone by without either of them moving. Then, in a blur, Stain had managed to get both himself and Izuku into a small space between two houses. He could hear multiple sets of footsteps passing by them and he held his breath. They stayed there for what felt like an eternity before Stain considered it was safe to come back out and keep going.

The same thing happened two more times and the poor teen felt helpless and paranoid. Izuku never noticed anything coming towards them, and that made him feel even more on edge. He felt blind and deaf.

But thankfully they didn’t come across anyone directly.

They’d been walking for what felt (and probably had been) hours and Izuku felt exhausted both mentally and physically. He tensed at every noise he heard and more than once he’d reached for Stain, only barely stopping himself from acting like a four-year-old. But they were making progress, and so he pressed on.

Buildings had slowly stopped appearing around them and the sounds of the city had faded almost completely. Izuku could still hear some cars, a few people, sometimes even music but nothing like the hubbub of where he lived. That made him think of home.

Not wanting to think about that, he tried to think of something else. But in his mind only swam familiar faces, all looking at him with different arrays of disappointment and distrust. He wondered if his school had given any kind of statement or if they’d started acting like Izuku was never even a student there to save face. A small part of his mind even wondered if All Might knew, or if the man remembered him enough to even realize that Izuku was the same kid from the Sludge Villain fiasco.

The night gave Izuku and Stain a better cover and he wasn’t feeling as nervous anymore, but he still stayed as close to the other man as he could without risking bumping into him. Stain had said nothing so far and the teen was glad about it. He felt a little safer with the villain close to him. He’d come to trust Stain in the past weeks.

And he was sure that Stain trusted him at least to some extent. He wouldn’t have agreed to meet him otherwise, right? Not to say that he was guiding the boy through back alleys after what had happened the night before. Even with his face and name plastered all over town, Stain hadn’t left him to his own devices. That counted for something, Izuku was certain.

He considered for a moment that maybe he was being naive, but he didn’t think so. While Stain’s reasons were a total mystery, he had yet to turn his back on Izuku. The teen smiled slightly, his eyes focused on his mentor’s back as they walked.

He wondered if soon he’d feel confident enough to ask Stain about food or where they would stay the night. He hadn’t eaten a full meal in over a day and his body was starting to complain. He was just considering about speaking up when-

“My name is Midoriya Inko,”

His mother’s voice hit him like a brick. He froze midstep, eyes wide and unfocused. Had he imagined it? Was he that tired? But no.

“My son’s name is Midoriya Izuku, he’s only 14.” The voice carried on with obvious difficulty. He wasn’t hallucinating, even Stain had stopped walking at this point. But how? Where? He wanted to look for the source but he couldn’t move. 

“He went missing yesterday, but he was seen with-” The voice cut out, replaced by some irritating song that made Izuku turn his head towards the sound.

There was a red car passing by with its windows down, he could see past the entrance of the alley, and the voice had come from the radio inside. The car drove off slowly, taking all sounds with it. His mother had been on the news, already looking for him.

He felt like he was crashing.

He curled in on himself, falling to his knees and incapable of even making a sound. He cried in silence. He’d been so sure that he had made the right choice, that the rest of his life finally had some sort of purpose, that he’d finally found the one person that believed in him, but now…

He didn’t know what to think. He was shutting down fast. He didn’t know how to breathe, how to think, how to anything. He felt like he was falling into the void. His mother’s voice had sounded so broken and sad that it physically hurt him.

Did he really think he could just vanish, him, an only child, without his own mother going out to search for him?

His chest felt tight like something was pressing down on it firmly and he had to cover his eyes to keep himself from getting dizzy. The world around him seemed both to stop and race past him all at once. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had such a bad emotional response to something. Not even All Might’s words -hell not even his father leaving had left him feeling so lost.

“If you want to go back, you’re free to do so.” Stain said lowly, suddenly very close to Izuku. “But that’s something you gotta decide for yourself.”

He heard steps getting further and further from him. Izuku bit his lip and, then, when it proved insufficient to hold back his wailing, he tore off his mask and bit the palm of his hand as hard as he could. He couldn’t afford to make noise alone in the middle of nowhere, he knew that.

He was sure he had just torn open his hand, he could taste iron in his mouth and he was forced to let go before he ripped off a piece of his flesh. His backpack was heavy and his clothes felt horrible against his skin. Everything felt wrong. Even breathing felt incorrect but he had no control of his panicked inhales and exhales.

What had he done? He’d forced his mother into the horrible reality that she might never see him again, that her only son was either being held hostage by a murdered or, even worse, he had decided to leave with said man on his own accord.

Had everything he’d done in this past few weeks simply something that would hurt others? Had there been nothing to Izuku’s decision other than his own need to feel accepted? Needed? Was Stain just a replacement for the ones that had failed him before?

Is that all?

He tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled, his forehead touching the ground.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know where he was for god’s sake. He’d followed Stain for ours without asking any questions like a lost puppy. He was on his own. His mother’s voice echoed in his head painfully and he was about to scream as loud as he could when he ran his hand down his neck and he pulled at one of his many scabs by accident.

He inhaled as silently as he could, his eyes widening as far as they would go.

He was filled with tiny cuts and bruises, all in different stages of healing. Ever since he’d started training he’d been having to wear long sleeves to cover all of his wound, some of which he had given himself in moments of clumsiness. 

“I don’t know what to do!” He heard himself screaming in his mind “How am I supposed to do something on my own?!”

Izuku looked up, expecting Stain to be standing where he’d been weeks ago, towering over a broken Izuku but he was met by an empty alley. He thought of how hopeful, how sincerely optimistic he’d felt after meeting the Hero Killer and speaking to him and he felt something stirring in his chest.

For so long he’d searched for someone to tell him that he could , that he’d forgotten about what it felt like to be believed in. For the first time in years, he’d felt like his life had meaning, like even a quirkless nobody like himself could stand up and do something to better the twisted world around him. He had initially started looking for Stain in search of some sort of validation, but as the days had gone by he had moved on from that.

He hadn’t followed Stain halfway across the city in search of approval.

No. 

That’s not it.

Izuku tensed on the ground, taking in a deep breath and trying to get his heart rate under control. He let his tears dry and he got up.

And then he started running.

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, not caring if someone saw him of not. He ran past houses, past empty streets until he finally saw the open road ahead of him. There was a sign with the name of the city and a faded “ Come back soon!” underneath and beyond it was the highway, dark and foreboding. But Izuku didn’t stop. He ran and ran for god knows how long until he tripped on a rock and he went flying. He landed painfully on the ground next to an overpass, his hands and knees feeling like they were on fire. He heard a car pass by overhead and he suddenly felt like he couldn’t move. 

But still, he tried, tears streaming down his face. He had to keep going, he had to-

“What makes you think this was the right choice, kid?” Came the dry but wonderfully familiar voice. Izuku looked up and saw Stain’s figure crouching in the darkness under the overpass. He could see nothing but a silhouette but it was Stain for sure and he was oh so glad. He saw the figure stand up and approach him slowly.

“What makes you think you’re ready?” Sain asked. He sounded calculated but honest. He wasn’t being sarcastic, he wasn’t pushing Izuku around. He wanted the truth.

Izuku swallowed, pushing himself onto his hands and knees. There were tears still dripping down his face and onto the dry soil below.

“You,” He answered hoarsely, “You do, Stain. I… You opened my eyes, you made me see that I can… I can do something. Even if everyone told me it was impossible, even if they told me it was wrong, you… you offered me something that I never thought I’d have, ” He swallowed and looked up, his right hand clenched in his shirt, “And I believe you. Every word you’ve said, all of it… I just… I know you’re right, even if it’s hard for me. I just… I want to make a change, Stain, even if it takes everything I have from me. I want to fix everything that’s broken out there, so no other kid has to…”

He broke down. Out here, he let himself cry openly. Stain said nothing but Izuku had spoken only the truth. He’d realized throughout the days that Stain was more than just a silly idol that Izuku needed. He wasn’t like what other heroes had been to him before.

Those had been dreams. Stain was real. He was willing to guide Izuku down a path that, while not perfect, would lead him somewhere. Somewhere he now believed was right, necessary even. He truly believed in the man before him. And even if it hurt, even the world called him a monster, he knew he’d never feel right until he did it.

He didn’t hear Stain move, but he did feel the hand that landed on his shoulder.

“Look at me.” Izuku tried to focus on Stain’s face but his tears wouldn’t let him. Still, he held his head high. He knew Stain was looking at him intensely, he knew what was happening. The other man wanted to make sure Izuku wouldn’t back out, that he had his heart where it had to be to go forward with what had to be done.

Or at least, that was what he assumed Stain was looking for.

“If you come with me, your life from this moment on will no longer be yours.” Stain started. He was dead serious, but Izuku could hear the hints of passion he’d come to admire, “You will become a faceless existence that only takes action in the name of an ideology. You will shed and draw blood wherever you go, and that will be the only proof of your significance. You will take steps and do things that can never be undone or wiped away. You’ll have to burn down everything you ever believed in.”

“I know!” Izuku cried, his hand closing around Stain’s wrist. 

“And for what purpose?”

Izuku could finally focus on the red eyes looking at him. He thought of everything he’d learned, every single idea he had started considering like his own since they’d met.

“To create a more just society,” Izuku said, loosely quoting something Stain had told him before. He felt something warm in his chest and smiled. That had been it, all along. What he’d wanted to accomplish his whole life. He knew that now.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Izuku on his knees trying to get a hold of himself and Stain watching him close. The teen took one deep breath after the other until his tears stopped and his trembling subsided. Stain removed his hand from Izuku’s shoulder and stood up, looking around. It had been a while since a car had passed by them and the moon was right over their heads.

“Can you walk?” Stain asked.

Izuku nodded and got up. His legs felt cramped, but he refused to show any more weakness. He would walk until dawn if he had to, he told himself.

“Come on. We have to get away from the road before morning.”

Stain started walking and Izuku followed numbly. His body was past the point of feeling tired and he knew that if he stopped he’d collapse. They walked under the underpass and through a small field before making it to the edge of what seemed like the woods. The highway wrapped around the mountain in curves, dense trees already decorating the area. They had walked all the way out of town in a single day, Izuku thought briefly.

They made their way through the foliage in silence, Izuku following the sound of Stain’s steps more than he was following his form. It was very dark. Izuku was ready to push himself far beyond his limits, but they only walked for a few minutes before Stain stopped. Izuku walked straight into the other man’s back and he had to hold onto the bigger form to keep himself from falling.

“This is far enough, for tonight.”

“You… Are you sure?” Izuku mumbled.

“Get some rest, kid.” Stain stated softly. Or had Izuku imagined the tone in the man’s voice? He was so tired that he might as well.

Izuku leaned on a tree and made his way down onto the dirt, not even bothering to take off his backpack. He ended up leaning against the tree trunk with his bag as a sort of backrest and even if he was uncomfortable, he didn’t care. Sleep was already taking hold of him and before he knew it, he was out like a light.

Chapter Text

They spent the following week on the road.

The first day had been a tad bit chaotic since the beginning. Izuku had woken up from a nightmare at some point before sunrise and it had taken him almost an hour to fall back asleep. He’d written about random things in the dark just to calm himself down and the whole time he’d been aware of Stain keeping watch in silence.

Between his many rambled notes were the words “ Does Stain even sleep?”

He managed to fall asleep for another forty minutes before his teacher unceremoniously woke him up with an apple to the head.

They were headed west and had the plan of walking past a couple of cities before reaching their next destination.

“You can’t go city by city in order or they’ll be expecting you.” Stain had explained.

They walked for about three hours through trees and over fallen logs and then, as Stain saw fit, they would stop for an hour to train before they trekked further on. For the first time since they met, Stain suggested that they had to make sure Izuku could control his reflexes properly, made the teen stand against a wide tree, and had proceeded to throw knives at Izuku until he could keep his eyes open and not flinch.

For the rest of the afternoon, they would stop at random and Stain would repeat the process.

“You can’t panic at every little thing.” Stain had said, landing a knife so close to Izuku’s face that the teen wasn’t sure how it hadn’t hit him. Every time he as much as blinked when the knife was coming his way, Stain would throw two more in quick succession. 

At other points, Stain would tell Izuku to pick up stones and put them in his backpack until, little by little, the weight on his shoulders got almost impossible to carry. Stain himself would pick up pieces of wood to carry, but he was under no circumstance struggling as much as Izuku was.

And then, at other moments, Stain would have Izuku punch one of the small dead trees around them until he could make some type of visible damage. 

When the sun had been at its highest Izuku had felt like he was going to pass out and had asked if they could slow down a bit for the rest of the day. He had to add another big stone to his backpack for that. But even so, they settled for walking slower after that and only trained once more before sunset.

They chose a place next to a fallen tree to rest for the next three hours. 

“Get a fire going.” Stain had instructed Izuku and, after a few failed attempts, the teen managed to get a stable flame with his box of matches and the wood Stain had been carrying around all day. 

The small fire had warmed Izuku pleasantly, his aching muscles enjoying the pause from activity. While he waited for Stain to return, he looked inside his backpack and took inventory of his few possessions. He had his 14th notebook, a handful of pens, his class notes, a box of matches, his phone (dead at this point), his wallet, 500 yen, one textbook, and his school uniform.

That was it. He hadn’t expected to leave his house all of a sudden, so he had nothing useful. He wondered what Stain was carrying around in that old cooler of his. He had some water and some food, even some knives, but Izuku hadn’t seen anything else thus far. He was tempted to open the plastic container but decided against it. As far as he knew, Stain hadn’t rummaged through his things, so it’d be rude to snoop around.

He laid back and waited, enjoying the peace. He could hear the highway off in the distance and the sounds of nature around him. He wondered how much they’d traveled up to that point.

He must have dozed off because he jumped back to consciousness when Stain returned with a few dead birds in his hands. They plucked the small animals and cooked them over the fire. The stars were starting to shine when they finished eating and Stain spoke.

“You should burn anything that’s not useful. Like your uniform.”

Izuku had blinked. Of course, if anyone found those things they might get a clue as to where Stain and him were headed. He emptied his bag, its contents tumbling onto the ground, and he got to work.

His uniform had been easy to burn, the fabric catching fire in a second, and so were his class notes and textbook. His phone would probably not burn as easily and so he smashed it with one of the stones he’d brought along. As much as it pained him, if that thing came back to life for whatever reason it would be tracked. 

And then there was his wallet. He took out the little cash he had and stored it in his shoe, but he hesitated before throwing the object in the fire. He had a few cards along with a picture of him and his mom from when he was much younger. He couldn’t have been more than five in the photo and his mom and him were hugging tightly. He didn’t remember where the picture had been taken or who had snapped it, but he couldn’t stop staring.

He could feel Stain’s eyes burning into him. With what he’d told the teen last night in mind, Izuku closed his wallet forcefully and, after a long moment, threw it into the flames. He watched the cheap plastic burn a neon green color for a few minutes before it turned into an unrecognizable piece of charred nothing. The other man said nothing.

Izuku managed to sleep for two hours before they started moving again, and the day pretty much reset. They walked closer to the highway while the sun was down and by six in the morning, Izuku could see the beginnings of a city start appear in the distance. But they walked right past, headed even further west.

Their schedule went something like this: they trained for over an hour, walked for three, and rested twice a day. Izuku’s hands were filling up with blisters and his legs ached constantly, but he managed through it all. It wasn’t terrible; most of the time he just had to walk.

The rest of the week went by in a similar pattern: sleeping, eating, walking, and training. As usual, Stain was mostly silent during their walks and he offered little chat while they were resting, but Izuku got him to talk a few times.

“Stain?” Izuku had asked the third night, their little fire dancing at his feet.

“What?”

“Can I… ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you ever… get... lonely, doing what you do?” His voice got lower and lower with every word, his face hidden between his knees. Had he just asked a serial killer about his feelings?

The silence was deafening and he could imagine Stain’s face. Izuku was about ready to run into the woods and never come back out when he heard a long sigh.

“When I was your age I did. It was around that time that I realized that people don’t care about words and that I had to take action to be heard.”

“Oh...”

“ Oh?” Stain echoed, brow raised. Izuku immediately started babbling.

“Well, I-I didn’t know what else to say! I was just curious! I didn’t mean t-to sound judgemental or anything!”

“Kid, breathe.”

“...Sorry.”

Two days later, after one of their morning training sessions, Izuku had tried to strike up a conversation again. He was walking behind Stain, his bag heavy with both stones and wood. Something on Stain’s back had caught his attention.

“Stain?”

“Yes?”

“Where did you get your katana?”

“I got it when I was sixteen.” Stain said, sounding a bit thoughtful. “I bought it at a pawn shop. Made my first kill with it.”

“I, uh…” Izuku really had a knack for asking questions with hard answers, didn’t he?

“Why, do you want one?” Stain had asked over his shoulder. Did he sound amused? No, that couldn’t be it. Izuku couldn’t see the other man’s face, but he couldn’t imagine Stain with an easy-going smile. He must have imagined it.

“You think I could use one?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” And there was the familiar, colder tone. Izuku sighed.

The next two days went by in a blur. Izuku risked a few more questions here and there, but he got lukewarm answers most of the time. Unless he was speaking about his philosophy, Stain was a rather silent individual. At first, that had unnerved the teen. He was never sure of what Stain was thinking, or if the man was planning something or not. But by the end of that week on the move, he had started finding some solace in the silence. He had time to focus on his training and he had an easier time sleeping.

He was still having nightmares, but they woke him up less violently with each passing night. He assumed the training left him too tired to even dream.

Finally, a week since they’d left Izuku’s city, they made it to their next objective. Izuku had never been to Okazaki before and maybe in another time, he would have been dying to explore the whole city. But right now, tired, hungry, and soaking wet from the rain, he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

They were still far from the city center, but houses and small buildings were beginning to become usual. The sky was falling upon their heads, clouds covering the stars. They only had a few street lights to light their way through the darkened streets.

Stain picked an abandoned house that was only still standing because God wanted it to. They jumped the fence and got inside. The roof was caved in on one side of the house, part of the wall gone, but the furthest corner from the entrance was dry enough. Izuku dragged his bag and claimed part of the floor as his own, too tired to even care about the dust on the rotten wooden floor.

Even without the stones on his bag, he felt like he had been dragging around a thousand pounds. Stain’s things hit the floor in a more gentle manner next to Izuku. 

“I’m heading out for a while.” Stain said and Izuku just grunted in response. He intended on using every possible second in sleeping.

Even with the storm raging outside, Izuku managed to fall asleep with his face pressed into his bag.

He dreamed.

He was in one of his classes. History? Maths? Who knew. Their teacher was giving them a boring lecture and Izuku couldn’t wait to go home. He had his eyes out the window, watching the clouds go by. He wasn’t even bothering with taking notes. He moved his eyes towards the clock on the wall, wanting to see how long he had to wait before the final bell.

Something flashed by the window in that one second he wasn’t looking. Whatever it was had crashed outside with a loud noise and Izuku jumped. He looked around towards his classmates but everyone was paying attention to the class. Even Kacchan was somewhat paying attention, his chair leaned back.

Had he imagined it? No, he was sure he’d seen and heard something. He got up from his seat and tried to look out the window, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. But he had a sinking feeling. So he left the classroom and walked outside.

He made it to the sidewalk and looked around. The street was deserted and the sunlight bounced off the concrete with all its might. He spotted something hanging from a tree and walked closer. It was a yellow backpack, still swinging in the brach that had caught it. Caught it?

He looked up, beyond the leaves. He saw nothing but the sun, even when he tried to squint and cover his eyes. The roof of the school was empty, drowned in the daylight. Wait, was the roof really empty? Was there something there? Maybe if he could manage to focus his eyes a little better. What was that?

Was that a-

A scream awoke him. He sat up, gasping for air. It took him a moment to differentiate truth from fantasy. He wasn’t back at school, he was in a decrepit excuse of a house. His clothes and hair were damp with both rain and sweat and Stain’s cooler was right next to him.

He rubbed his eyes, still confused. What had woken him like that?

Another scream sounded from nearby, high pitched. Right. That’s what had woken him, not his weird dream.

Izuku got up, feeling more awake by the second.

The screaming couldn’t be more than two blocks away. The rain had died down into a gentle drizzle rather than the horrible tempest that it had been. Stain was nowhere to be seen and yet Izuku called out for him in the dark. But his only answer was another choked yell. The teen hesitated for a moment, but his feet carried him outside before he knew where he was headed.

The house had a small passage on the back that led to a wider path. There were dumpsters and puddles aplenty, but he saw no one around. He walked down the small space in silence, looking around for any sign of movement. He was surrounded by walls of pure brick, no windows or doors.

There was a crash behind him, and he could hear running steps. He turned and followed without a second thought. He skidded around a corner and came upon the source of the commotion: a woman with a broken beer bottle clasped in her hands and two men making their way towards her. One of the men had a long cut in his left arm.

“You fucking bitch.” Spat one of the men, still unaware of Izuku’s presence. The woman, who was backed up against a wall, noticed Izuku but said nothing.

Was her shirt torn? Izuku couldn’t be sure.

“That’s gonna leave a scar, you know.” Continued the man, blood still dripping down his arm. The woman looked terrified but there was a very clear hint of satisfaction in her eyes as she held the jagged glass in front of her defensively.

The scene reminded Izuku of his first meeting with Stain, but it was completely different apart from the general setting. Izuku had gotten away scot-free, but he doubted there would be a similar ending to this situation unless someone stepped in.

“Hey!” Izuku barked, much louder than he anticipated. He had expected himself to mumble but his voice was clear. All eyes were on him now.

“The fuck do you want, brat?” The man closest to him asked, a crooked smile filled with sharp fangs flashing in the dark.

“Leave her alone.”

Both men turned to look at each other before the one with the fangs started laughing. The other one, taller and with no hair, turned his attention back to the poor woman.

“What, you wanna play hero?” The sharp-teeth individual mocked, pulling out a pocket knife, “Why don’t you mind your own damn business, huh?!”

Izuku was very aware that he had no knife of his own but he refused to step back. There was no way either of these men could fight better than Stain.

You’ve never even landed a hit on Stain, commented the voice in his head, but he ignored it.

“No,” the teen said defiantly, “This is my business.”

“Oh-ho-ho, we have a feisty one!” The man told his partner. The other man laughed. The armed man with long blue hair pulled back in a ponytail stepped closer. Izuku tensed in anticipation.

Don’t panic, don’t panic, Izuku told himself.

“Go on, then, save the girl~” The man taunted before he threw himself at Izuku, blade first. The teen managed to step to the side and avoid the attack with room to spare, elbowing the man in the back of the head hard. The knife clanged on the floor, getting the attention of the others. The woman no longer had her bottle and she was desperately struggling to get away from the bald man holding her arm.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, brat?!” He asked, shoving the woman to the ground and coming close. Great. Two vs one. This was going south fast, but Izuku stood his ground. Even if he wasn’t great at attacking, his training with Stain had prepared him to avoid movements much faster than the ones these two could deliver. 

At first, Izuku had his training on his side. He dodged hit after hit, even managing to knock the knife out of the man’s hand once more and landing a rather decent kick to the bald man’s back which sent him stumbling.

But they had numbers on their side. It wasn’t long before Izuku got a kick to the stomach and a punch square in the face. He hit the ground roughly.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, you dumb brat!” One of the men yelled, kicking Izuku while he was down and knocking all the air out of his lungs. Izuku’s form skidded down the alley and from his new position he could see the street about forty feet away. There were people walking there. Izuku got kicked again, this time in the head. 

“You think you’re hot stuff, huh?” The man with the sharp teeth asked, spitting on Izuku. “Get lost, you idiot.” With that, both men got back to their original task. The woman was still on the ground and she looked confused. She had probably hit her head when she got thrown down.

Izuku breathed heavily, water getting in his mouth and mixing with blood. He was tired and in pain. He focused his eyes on the street ahead of him and he could still see people come and go. A man walking past looked at Izuku; right at him. And then kept walking.

Izuku could feel something in his mind snap . He felt something hot in his chest, the intense feeling flooding him fast.

He got up, coughing dark red.

“I told you…” Another cough, followed by a gasp, “To leave her alone.”

Both men looked annoyed by this point. Whatever fun they’d gotten out of beating Izuku had long since ended. 

“You wanna die, kid?” The bald man asked, pulling out a knife of his own.

Izuku got to his feet and glared at both criminals with so much hate that he could feel his eyes watering.

“You wanna kill me? Go ahead.”

The man scoffed, unamused, and stepped forward to finish the job. He tried to land a slash on Izuku, but the kid got out of the way and landed a harsh punch on his opponent’s side. But he was weak and it did nothing. Izuku got shoved towards the wall painfully and he could see the knife headed right towards his neck.

He couldn’t move but he refused to look away.

It was only because of that that he even caught glimpse of the man’s arm getting sliced right off. The appendage landed on the wet floor with a thumping sound and for a second there was silence.

Izuku’s eyes were wide and the man looked confused. Then, as he processed what just happened, he tried to scream in agony. A katana slash to the neck shut him up quickly. The man with the pointed teeth barely had time to register what had happened to his accomplice before a knife landed square in his chest and dug itself deep. He fell a moment later.

Izuku leaned back against the wall, unsure of whether he would be able to stand on his own, and stared at Stain’s form in front of him. Stain was standing straight, his katana clenched in his right hand and an intense look in his eyes. The woman had pressed herself against the corner where she was, eyes comically wide. She was clearly unsure of Stain’s intentions.

“...Are you okay?” Izuku asked her. She looked at him and nodded dumbly. She gave the teen a worried look but Stain cut her off before she could speak.

“Get out. Now.” The man ordered and, after a moment of hesitance, she obeyed. She ran out of the alley and into the main street, disappearing out of view.

Izuku and Stain stared each other down for what felt like ages. For once, the boy was more than capable of maintaining eye contact.

“I can’t leave you alone for two minutes, can I?” Stain hissed, narrowing his eyes at Izuku.

“Guess not,” the teen replied, somehow finding the strength to chuckle. Stain was utterly unamused.

“Wipe that smile off your face,” the villain spat, putting his katana back in its sheath and moving to recover his tossed knife “You’d be dead if it weren’t for me.”

“Yeah, I know… Thank you for that.” Izuku spoke gently, with as much honesty as he could, and hoped that Stain at least knew that he really was grateful. Stain ripped his knife from the man’s corpse with more force than necessary.

“You knew you couldn’t win that fight.”

“I…” Izuku swallowed “She needed help.”

Stain added nothing else but he was clearly irritated at Izuku’s careless actions. He walked off back towards their abandoned refuge and the teen followed painfully. He made his way slowly and when he got there, Stain was almost done cleaning his knife.

Izuku lowered himself into a sitting position next to his teacher. He was in pain, but not enough to signal that he’d broken anything. He’d be fine in a couple of days. They sat in silence for a while, the air between them tense. Izuku wiped his mouth with the bottom of his shirt, red coloring the fabric.

He gave Stain a sideways glance. The man didn’t look angry, per se, but he was definitely not pleased. He had his eyes focused on his knife and his back looked rigid. But Izuku didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t about to apologize for what he’d done; he was actually quite proud of it.

“You need to get stronger,” Stain started, red eyes glinting dangerously “otherwise you’re just another victim.”

“...Yeah, I know.”

“Do you care?”

“I… Yeah, I do…” Izuku had the decency to look down at his hands “I know. But no one else was jumping in to save her. I… you know I just react without thinking. I hit you with a pipe the first time we met!”

Stain sighed, looking up at the ceiling as if looking for divine intervention.

“You’re fucking hopeless.”

“Yeah… I know.”

There was another long silence. Stain kept his eyes up for a moment before he closed them and shook his head. Izuku thought that they were done talking but just as he was about to doze off Stain spoke.

“Get up.”

“Huh… why?”

“You’re training.”

“What? Right now?!” Izuku couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. If he tried to fight Stain right now he’d only hurt himself more.

“You’re learning how to throw knives, you dumbass. Maybe that way you won’t die the next time I take my eyes off of you.”

Izuku blinked and, against his better judgment, he smiled widely. As per usual Stain returned none of his excitement but he still kept his happy expression as he got to his feet and Stain handed him a small blade.

Even with the pain in his abdomen and face, he followed Stain’s instruction until dawn without complaint.

Chapter Text

Izuku had no broken bones from his fight and so Stain decided that he was in a good enough condition to keep training as usual. The teen was grateful for the new lessons in knife throwing and self-defense, but the hours of work left him feeling exhausted and he was falling asleep at any time that he wasn’t training. It’d gotten so bad that he had fallen asleep whilst eating more than once.

Any time that Stain was gone, Izuku would practice his accuracy by tossing knives at an improvised target which consisted of a wooden board and when his mentor got back, the heavy training would begin. They would train for more hours and with fewer breaks in between and by the time they were done and Stain left to patrol, Izuku would have to lay down for a long time. His everything ached. Add to that the times that Stain told Izuku to go with him to the city and you ended up with some really long days and nights.

The bruises on his face and stomach were no longer swollen and they’d gone from a dark purple to a nasty yellow hue, but his whole body was decorated with small black and blue patches from training.

Stain was pushing harder, Izuku could feel it. After the night of his fight, Stain had become even more strict when it came to what Izuku had to do before he was allowed to rest, and so the teen valued his moments of idleness with all his heart.

He was currently laying on the roof where Stain was perched like a gargoyle, as per usual. While his teacher kept his hawk-like vision on the streets below, Izuku gazed up at the starry sky. Not many stars were visible in the city and he momentarily missed the week they’d spent on the road, but he still tried to count the little white dots over his head. The night before, Stain had made Izuku look over the edge of the roof like they usually did, but the teen had almost fallen down in his tiredness and so tonight he was allowed to stay back.

He could still remember the vertigo as he had leaned forward sleepily and Stain had been forced to catch him by the back of his shirt. Have you ever dangled over a big fall only by the fabric of your clothes? Well, it’s not nice.

He counted fifty individual stars before he grew bored and lost focus. It had to be around three in the morning, he thought. The summer breeze was nice that night, not too cold and blowing just enough to ruffle his hair. He sighed, turning over to lay on his stomach and propping his chin on his arms. He looked at Stain’s unmoving form.

They’d been in Okazaki for almost two weeks now, going from place to place around town to hide and sleep. They never stayed in the same place for more than two nights and they chose new hideouts in no particular pattern. They’d been at a small house, an empty apartment building, and even a car in a dumpster. Izuku had learned by now to appreciate the little things, like the running water they had sometimes or the one usable stove they’d had for one night; that had been great.

Life on the move wasn’t as bad as he would have thought, at least not with Stain with him. His elder clearly knew what he was doing, moving effortlessly even in parts of the city he’d never been to and always finding a safe place for them to rest. His teacher had even shocked Izuku one day when he’d come back with a plastic bag with some fresh food.

“Did… did you?” Izuku had wondered briefly that night, unsure of how to voice his concerns.

“What? Steal them?” Stain had asked, hitting Izuku on the back of the head lightly, “I’m not that kind of person.”

So Stain had some money, it would seem. He hadn’t asked where exactly the money came from, but he guessed Stain had some cash either on himself at all times or on his cooler.

Izuku used his arms to crawl his way forward until he was right next to his mentor and peering over the edge of the roof. The streets below were quiet and empty, not a single person in sight and only a few lonesome cars passing by here and there. If a hero were to cross their paths right now, it would be the fifth person Stain attacked in this city not counting the two men he’d killed defending Izuku and that random woman. The teen wondered if she was okay. There had been no word of those two victims on the news, so either she hadn’t said anything or no one had believed her.

Or maybe publishing an article about the Hero Killer getting rid of two attempted-rapists didn’t work with the narrative the news had right now. 

“Stain?” Izuku whispered.

“Hmm?” 

“Have you killed criminals before? Besides the guys that beat me up, I mean.”

“Plenty,” His teacher answered, eyes still on the road, “People who flaunt their power around without conviction are all the same, regardless of what the public decides to call them.”

“So then, in total, how many people…?” Izuku wondered after a pause.

“Hundred seventy-four, if you count the ones that didn’t die.” Stain said easily. Izuku swallowed but said nothing. He had played around with the idea of most of Stain’s victims not having been accounted for, but he hadn’t expected such a large number; this meant that over a hundred of Stain’s victims were unknown to the public.

The teen felt an odd sense of both fear and respect towards the man next to him. It was almost calming to know that Stain’s ideals applied to everyone and not just professional heroes. It made his work feel more fair and impartial.

He’s really not just some villain, Izuku thought.

He saw Stain tense ever so slightly and already knew what was happening. They watched in silence as a hero (a woman with bright orange hair, it would seem) walked closer and peered down the darkened alley. She looked long and hard into the abyss before walking in carefully, her hand shining like neon and illuminating the walls around her. It looked almost theatrical, her yellow and red costume glowing along with her hair like the flame of a candle in the night. Izuku half wished he could take a picture.

Stain fell on top of her boot first, and the sound that was heard when they crashed onto the ground was unpleasant. Her hand was glowing meekly when Stain dug a knife on her side just to make sure that the job was done and the light hadn’t yet faded when Izuku made his way down from the roof and joined his teacher. He forced himself not to look at her broken body and simply followed Stain out of the alley and back to the small run-down house they were staying at.

The teen was ready to either go to sleep or train, but his teacher surprised him by telling him to “get his stuff.”

“Are we moving?” Izuku wondered almost innocently.

“We’re leaving Okazaki before dawn.”

Oh. Well, he should have expected as much. Stain had taken out five professional heroes already and they’d been staying there for a little over two weeks. He was a little glad that they’d be back on the road and so he packed his things gladly. Not that there was much to pack, just his notebook and his pens, but still he put everything in his bag hastily and made his way to their front door. Stain was already waiting, cooler over his shoulder.

His teacher stepped out and, with one last glance at the room, Izuku closed the door behind them.

This time they headed north and they easily fell back onto the routine from before, with some differences. Instead of walking for three hours and training for one, they split the time evenly between both things and the training went up in intensity.

Izuku was now doing set after set of pushups, planks, pullups, squats, and anything of the sort. Stain would still teach him self-defense and close combat, and when none of that was happening Izuku would have to go back on their steps a mile and then catch back up to Stain. Every time they sat down to rest the boy would feel like his body was about to either melt or explode. But Stain was merciless about the whole process, not listening to any complaints and not caring about how beat up Izuku was.

“I already told you,” Stain had said at some point after Izuku had puked from all the exertion, “You need to get stronger. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do anything and you’ll just get in the way.”

The teen knew he was right, but God he felt like his very soul wanted to escape his body.

They’d been on the move for about six days when Izuku’s body had enough. His bag had been filled with heavy stones and he was trying to keep up with Stain’s long steps through some difficult terrain, the sun beaming bright. Colors and static had started to invade his vision and he’d been unable to do or say anything before his legs gave in and he went down. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground. He’d woken up on the ground much later that day, next to a tiny campfire but no Stain.

His limbs felt a little numb and his stomach hurt but he was glad to see that he was still alive. Where was he? There was a sea of tall trees around him, the sun already setting somewhere.

He opened and closed his hands to get some feeling back into them and slowly but surely he was able to push himself up into a sitting position. He had a new bump on his head, probably from when he passed out, but he was fine. 

The fire next to him was dying and so Izuku took to throwing little sticks and leaves from around him to keep it going. He was considering getting up and looking for actual wood when Stain stepped out from between two large trees with a bunch of branches in his arms.

“What happened?” Izuku immediately asked.

“You passed out.” Stain responded flatly, placing the wood aside and throwing some into the fire.

“I mean, well… yeah, but… where are we?”

“The forest. A national park, I reckon. It’s a good place to stay for a while.”

“Are we still going to Toyama?” The teen asked when Stain sat a few feet away from him.

“In due time. When you can hold your own.” Stain said and Izuku swallowed. He suddenly felt very pressured, like their whole voyage had been paused because of him and his weakness. He hugged his knees and looked into the fire in deep thought. Was he becoming a burden? He didn’t need to ask to know that Stain had had to carry him all the way to where they were and he felt ashamed. He had been unable to even carry his own damn weight.

“...I’m sorry.” He murmured, not having it in him to look over at the other man.

“Why?”

“For being so… weak. For slowing you down.”

“You’re impatient.” Stain said and Izuku blinked, unsure. He dared a small glance at his teacher. The fire illuminated his face in a peculiar way that didn’t allow Izuku to read his expression.

“You think you can improve in a few weeks and that’s reckless of you. These things take time, I’ve told you. You just need to keep pushing.”

“With my own will and strength?” Izuku asked, quoting what Stain had told him the second time they met. Stain glared at him.

“You mocking me, kid?”

“What, no! No, no, no! No, I just- You told me-! I’m-!” Oh God, he was panicking.

Stain scoffed, actually letting out a short laugh.

“You get scared too easily. We have to work on that, too.”

Izuku was drawing a blank. Was Stain… teasing him? Had he just laughed? Was Izuku still unconscious on the ground and just having a weird dream? He was almost tempted to reach out and touch Stain just to see if he was real but he wisely decided against it. They’d been seeing each other for almost six weeks now so it wasn’t that strange that they could speak more easily now, right?

After a moment of silence, Izuku pushed his luck a bit.

“Stain?”

“Yeah?”

“What was it like, the first time you… killed someone?”

Stain gave him a look and Izuku shrugged a little. He’d been curious about it ever since they’d let that hero apprentice go. He wondered just what it took to become as desensitized to death as Stain was and he had tried to imagine if Stain had ever had difficulty doing what he did.

“I was eighteen. It was a petty criminal robbing a teen at night. He came at me, so I killed him.”

Izuku waited but, seeing that he wasn’t getting the answer he’d wanted, he explained himself further.

“No, I… I mean, how did you feel about it?”

Stain looked up at the sky for a good minute before he spoke again.

“I think surprised would be the word. I knew what had to be done and I’d trained myself for it, but it wasn’t until that moment that I proved to myself that I was willing to do what was necessary. I was glad that I had it in me.”

“Was it ever difficult for you?”

“No. Granted, I prepared myself for a few years before I did it, but I never regretted it after that moment.”

“Huh…” Izuku focused back on the fire. He had wanted a slightly more relatable answer but he should have expected as much from Stain. Maybe had his teacher confessed some weakness he wouldn’t feel so incapable himself. But Stain was right, he couldn’t expect to get used to these things overnight.

Stain threw two more pieces of wood into the fire and Izuku looked at the little sparks that floated up, tiny and fleeting, his eyes suddenly stopping above them. By now the sun was done setting, the sky was dark and a myriad of stars decorated the heavens. Izuku had never seen so many stars in person and he just couldn’t look away.

He was so distracted that he failed to notice the long look Stain sent his way.

He entertained himself by looking for constellations he knew and making up a few in his mind before a thought crossed his mind and he reached for his bag hurriedly. He pulled out his notebook and opened it at the very end where he’d drawn a small improvised calendar. He’d been crossing days for the past few weeks and he was 99% sure that he knew what day it was. If he was right, tonight was the night of July 11th.

“We missed the star festival…” He murmured. He’d been so focused on training and keeping up with Stain that he’d forgotten all about it. He remembered all the times he went out with his mother to celebrate every year without fault.

“You celebrate those things?” Stain asked, eyebrow raised.

“My mom and I always did, since it lands so close to our birthd-” He cut himself off. He’d been avoiding both thinking or mentioning his birthday to his teacher since those things didn’t seem to have a place in Stain’s ideology. Besides, the idea of his mom being alone during both their birthdays made him uncomfortable.

“How old even are you?” Stain asked.

“I’m… I’m turning fifteen in a few days.”

Stain hummed but added nothing. He had never asked anything about Izuku’s personal life and the teen had been partly grateful for that. It was easier to keep his mind focused when he wasn’t thinking about the past. But now that he had a moment of peace, he let his mind wander the tiniest bit as he glanced back at the stars.

He wondered if his mother had gotten news of the Hero Killer striking in Okazaki, or if one of the heroes that hadn’t died had made a statement in which the teen was mentioned. He wondered if his classmates had gotten bored of gossiping about him at this point or if they still talked about him going missing. Had his teachers said anything? Were his neighbors visiting his mom, taking food to her house to show some sympathy? Did the police still consider him a hostage?

There was so much that he didn’t know and that a small part of him wanted to find out, but at the same time, he would much rather be out here in the middle of the woods than in the city where he might have access to information about himself. He wanted to stay in the moment and learn as much as he could so Stain could get back to work without the worry of Izuku getting himself killed every five minutes.

He wanted to feel adept in this lifestyle, even if it was the hardest thing in the world. He wanted to be strong on his own, for once.

With that on his mind, Izuku curled up next to his bag and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Izuku was awoken by a bottle of water getting dropped on his stomach. He waved his arms around in a panic, half thinking that he was under attack and half thinking part of the trees above him had collapsed. Stain gave him an unamused look. It was still dark and most of the wood that had been on a pile nearby earlier was gone, the fire a small constant source of light.

Stain had a knife in hand.

“Get up.”

“What’s wrong?” Izuku whispered. Had someone found them?

“You’re training.” His teacher said flatly.

“I…” Izuku struggled to his feet, “What time is it?”

“Three. I let you oversleep.”

Only this man would consider waking up at three in the morning as oversleeping, Izuku thought. He popped his back and cracked his neck loudly, his body stiff from sleeping on the ground. In the morning chill, he really wished he had a jacket with him but the only other clothes he’d had, he burned. Not only did he wish for new clothes to keep warm, but also because these were dirty. He’d washed them back in the city in one of the few places where they stayed with running water, but that was almost a week ago.

He didn’t even want to risk sniffing his shirt at this point.

Stain put out their tiny fire and set off into the woods with Izuku following close behind, water bottle in hand. This was the first time they would train out in the open whilst not on the move and that both excited and scared Izuku. Since Stain wouldn’t have to worry about taking too long on the road or having people around, he could pretty much push Izuku as far as he wanted.

I can do it, Izuku told himself with as much optimism as he could muster, I’ll do better today and prove to Stain that I can handle anything he throws my way. I can do it!

The first three or four hours had been manageable. They fought, ran a bit, and practiced knife tossing. Izuku was feeling pretty good with himself up to that point, confident even.

But when the sun rose over the horizon, he started regretting every single decision he had ever made.

The moment the light hit them, Stain’s whole demeanor changed drastically. He made Izuku not only run over four miles up a hill but he made the teen train for over three hours before he could rest. His water bottle was empty sooner rather than later and Izuku had made the mistake of mentioning that. That earned him a three-hour hike towards the nearest river, one he also had to do whilst carrying a log on his back and avoiding the occasional knife thrown his way. Any time he tripped, his teacher would be quick to approach and basically step on him.

“You gonna give up, Midoriya? Are you going to prove them right?” He would ask in a cold voice.

But Izuku would always find the strength to get back up with a resolute “No!” 

They eventually made it to the wide expanse of running water and it was here that Stain made Izuku carry stones from one side of the river to the other for over an hour. The river was freezing, deep, and the current was strong, and Stain only intervened on one occasion when Izuku almost drowned. Other than that, the teen was on his own.

He crawled his way out onto the river bank when Stain told him he was done with that, and Izuku promptly collapsed on the ground. The sun had passed its highest point at some point during the torture. He was allowed about fifteen minutes of sweet, sweet rest before his teacher addressed him again.

“Was that too much for you, kid?” Stain asked from where he was, diligently cleaning one of his folding knives. When Izuku didn’t answer, he got up and walked closer. Izuku’s shirt had been left on a tree nearby to spare it from the water, but his pants were heavy on his legs. He couldn’t feel his arms or legs, hell, he couldn’t even turn his head to face his teacher.

“Hey, answer me.” Stain poked him with the tip of his boot, the spikes feeling very sharp against Izuku’s ribs.

“I… I’m… okay…” Izuku said, panting like he had spent the whole hour with his head underwater. Stain smiled.

“You hungry?”

“ Yes.” Izuku coughed. God, he was starving. If they didn’t stop to eat something he might actually die. 

“Good,” Stain said, dropping a familiar hunting knife next to Izuku’s head, “Let’s get going, then.”

Izuku grunted. He wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to walk but Stain wasn’t waiting for him and so he pushed himself up with difficulty. His arms felt like they were on fire and the cold water clinging to his skin and clothes did nothing to alleviate the feeling. He grabbed the knife in one hand and, after recovering his shirt, followed Stain mindlessly.

He didn’t even register how much time had passed by the time they stopped. He blinked almost sleepily, not seeing his backpack or their campfire. Stain moved next to a bush and smiled contentedly, signaling for Izuku to come closer.

Trigger warning starts here, just skip the bold letters if you don't want to read it.

He heard the small, panicked movement before he saw the rabbit.

“I set some traps while you were out yesterday.” Stain explained, looking at the animal entangled in what looked like a mix of rope and wire. The teen was suddenly very aware of both the knife in his hands and the pointed look the other man was giving him.

No. No, no, he wasn’t expecting Izuku to actually…

“Have you ever hunted before, kid?” Stain asked, noticing the horrified expression on the teen’s face.

“No, n-never.”

“You know how to kill a rabbit?”

Izuku shook his head, eyes wide. Was he going to have to do it without any experience? He didn’t want to make the poor animal suffer but thankfully Stain seemed to be on the same page.

“Come on, I’ll teach you.” Stain’s hand on his back guided him forward and onto a crouch. He swallowed, his hands clammy and the knife threatening to fall to the ground at any second. Thankfully, there was no need for the blade. Stain explained what had to be done slowly and then demonstrated how to quickly snap the creature’s neck (the action was so fast that Izuku wasn’t even sure what had happened). Stain then showed Izuku how the set up the trap once more and they went on their way.

Out of the six traps Stain had set up, four had miraculously gotten something. The teen’s trembling hands had spared him from having to kill the first three animals, but the last one was Izuku’s to dispatch. Stain gave him no option, no way out of it. Izuku had cried and he’d hesitated for entire minutes, but Stain did not back down and so Izuku had to kill the little rabbit at his feet. He thankfully managed to do the deed quickly and without any problems and Stain gave him a nod which Izuku was unable to return behind his tears.

Trigger warning done.

A part of him had been almost unwilling to eat after that, but by nightfall, his body was screaming for him to eat something. He gave in, trying really hard not to think about what he’d learned until he was done.

“You have to get used to these things.” Stain had told him, sounding resolute.

“Yeah, I know,” Izuku said softly, scooting closer to the fire and hugging his legs to his chest, “I’ll get there.”

“You better.” Stain warned. They sat in silence for a good while until Izuku’s mind forced him to speak. He was second-guessing himself.

“Stain?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you… Do you think All Might was right when he… When I broke my arm, do you think…” His voice was barely audible, even to himself. The moment they’d started checking the traps he’d started dreading what would come further down the line in his training. He wasn’t sure about being able to do what Stain did, he doubted he’d be able to hurt others with the ease the Hero Killer was known for.

“What, about you better staying out of the fight?” Stain asked.

“Yes.”

“In part, yes.” He said, not holding back any punches. Izuku felt his heart aching in his chest. Of course, Stain would say that. This wasn’t the first time that they’d spoken about the No.1 hero and it’d been clear from that moment that Stain saw All Might in a very particular light.

“I mean, you did get hurt, kid.” Stain continued matter of factly, much to Izuku’s dismay.

“Do you think I should have listened to him?” The teen asked, heartbreak threatening to take him down right then and there. He forced himself to look over at his teacher and he was met with a very serious look.

“Do you?” Stain shot back, almost accusatory.

Izuku bit his lip and looked down. He couldn’t see himself in a life where he had given up on his dreams, where he’d moved on with his life as a normal person with an office job, but he also didn’t know how he was supposed to change enough to do what had to be done.

“All Might had a point when he told you what he did. You were weak, inexperienced, and impulsive. He said what he did to make sure that neither you nor some other kid would jump into another fight and get yourselves killed.”

Izuku could feel tears burning his eyes. 

“But he did make a mistake in thinking that you couldn’t grow.” Stain added.

“...What?” Izuku asked, fighting back his emotions.

“For what you’ve told me, no one believed that you would ever be able to do anything. No one thought you could train yourself into something better. And that was their error. With enough conviction, you can better yourself.”

“Do you really think I can be like… like you, someday ?”

“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” Stain said simply. Both his tone and his expression were sincere and Izuku had to rub his eyes to keep his tears from falling. He straightened his back, trying hard to keep himself from crying like a kid. He felt the same warmth in his chest he’d experienced when Stain had offered him his hand all those weeks ago.

“You doubt everything way too much, kid.” Stain added less seriously, getting a small but honest laugh out of Izuku.

“I need to work on that.”

“Amongst other things.” 

Izuku chuckled again, blinking away the last of his tears. He’d always been the type of person to act first and regret things later, no matter what he did or what the outcome. His whole life he’d either done things that felt right and gotten crap for it, or he’d bit his tongue and felt like a fake later.

It was about time he started believing in himself, huh?

He sighed and shook his head to get rid of any other negativity he’d been feeling. His mind was, for once, at peace with his life. He gave Stain a grateful smile and his teacher nodded at the teen. This had been the first time Stain had acknowledged Izuku’s honest appreciation for the other man, and it felt nice. Stain was an odd combination of both unmatched passion and everlasting glacial disdain and you never really knew what he was thinking.

It was a welcomed surprise to see his mentor relaxed and sincere. Izuku came to the sudden realization that he’d never had a conversation like that with anyone before and he started giggling.

“What?” Stain asked, brow raised.

“How did any of this happen?” Izuku asked, “ How did I get here?”

“I dragged your ass for almost three hours after you fainted.”

Izuku let out a proper laugh at that and, had he been looking, he would have seen the smallest of smiles tugging at Stain’s lips.

Chapter Text

July

Training continued as per usual. Their days would begin hours before sunrise and they would only head back to camp when the sky was once again dark. Hiking and swimming became daily activities and, in addition, Izuku had to take over dispatching the animals they ate. He’d cried the first three times, terrified that he’d do something wrong and just extend the creature’s misery, but by the end of their first week he was able to do it as fast as Stain. 

At one point Izuku had suggested that they move their camp closer to the river they frequented and, to his surprise, his mentor agreed. They settled close enough to come and go more easily, but not close enough that so random campers would come across them by accident. Not that they ever came across another human being, but still.

The river meant not only drinking water but also a way for them to clean their clothes, which Izuku was beyond grateful for. Both his pants and shirt were stiff with dirt and sweat and his shoes had gone from red to a muddy black, everything in dire need of a wash.

The first time Izuku had cleaned his clothes, he’d felt almost like he was on a camping trip. The sun was shining and the birds were singing and he had some time to relax and clean himself while his clothes dried on a nearby tree. If he closed his eyes and relaxed, he could almost imagine this being a school field trip. By now he’d gotten used to how cold the river was and he had no problem staying in the water for a while.

Still, he couldn’t take too long so he climbed out after thirty minutes and got dressed, his clothes warm and soft from the sunlight. He felt better than he had in weeks when he went back to camp and Stain left so he too could wash his clothes.

Izuku was writing in his notebook when Stain returned and the teen didn’t lift his eyes from his page.

“Did you check the traps while I was gone?” The older man asked.

“No, but I’ll do it right nooOOW?!” Izuku looked up and came face to face with Stain. His mask and bandana were gone, his hair down and his nose -or lack thereof- in plain view. Izuku knew Stain was missing his nose, it was obvious by the way his mask wrapped around his face, but the teen had never seen it. The very top of the cartilage was still there, but below that, there was just an uneven hole surrounded by scar tissue.

He stared like an idiot for the grand total of five seconds before his better judgment had the chance to kick in, but it had been five seconds too long. Stain looked anything but happy and Izuku had to look at the ground to keep himself from panicking.

Scratch that, he was panicking regardless.

“I, um, I’ll go check the traps right now! I can do it by myself, I’ll be back later, bye!” He sputtered, scrambling to his feet and bolting in a random direction as fast as he could. Only one of the traps had caught something and Izuku was heading back to camp much earlier than he wanted. Stain was going to kill him, he was sure.

“It just caught me by surprise!” Izuku told himself, feeling his cheeks heating up. He had no idea if apologizing would be better or worse and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his cool when he saw the light of the fire behind some trees.

Stain was thankfully gone and Izuku let out a long sigh of relief. He busied himself with making dinner and writing while he waited and when Stain came back he had to fight the part of his brain that told him to just run off into the woods and never return. The mask was back on and Izuku felt terrible.

They sat in silence, Stain glaring at Izuku ever so often and the teen very pointedly looking at anything other than his mentor.

Say something, you coward, Izuku thought after an hour of tense quietness and he swallowed hard, his mouth feeling dry.

“Um, Stain?”

“What?”

Panic immediately took over.

“I’m sorry, I just… I knew! I did, I just, I’d never… It just caught me off guard, I… I’m an idiot!”

“No shit.”

Izuku fidgeted where he was, his eyes looking around himself nervously. They looked at each other for a long time before Stain sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn’t look as mad anymore, which was great. 

“Just spit it out already.” Stain said dryly.

Izuku swallowed and blushed as red as a tomato.

“...What happened?” He asked meekly.

“I cut it off after a fight.” Stain responded slowly and it took Izuku a good while to even register the words.

“You… what?”

“You heard me.”

“But… Huh? Why?!”

“No more questions.” Stain snapped, glaring at Izuku with enough intensity to shut the teen up for good. Izuku made a mental note to not ever ask about it again.

August

The heat was at its worst at this time of year and training felt even more draining than before. More than once Izuku had felt close to passing out during their sparring sessions and he would take any excuse to move the training to the river. Being in the water was delicious, even if outside the humidity was too high to tolerate most of the time.

Nighttime was when Izuku was the most active, the refreshing breeze allowing him to work more comfortably. Stain still made him train during the day, but even he seemed to prefer leaving the heaviest work for after dusk.

Every day Izuku would head out to check half of their working traps and gather as much wood as he could in his backpack, go back to camp, eat, train and rest. It might not seem like much, but it was more than enough to take the whole day, especially now that Izuku could train for longer without needing to take a long break.

He’d noticed how his muscles had gotten the tiniest bit defined and he had a hard time not looking at his arms and smiling. He was proud of himself, he couldn’t lie. Stain had surely taken notice as well since training hours kept getting longer and longer with each passing day.

Izuku had gotten comfortable enough to ask Stain random questions about himself, even if he rarely got a straight answer. He still liked questioning his teacher about what his life had been prior to him becoming the Hero Killer.

“Do you have any siblings?” Izuku had asked one night out of the blue.

“No.” Stain had answered, not even turning to look at his apprentice.

“What about your parents?”

“They’re dead.”

“Oh…” then, after a pause, “What happened to them?”

“You’re awfully talkative tonight.” Stain said in a monotone and Izuku blushed slightly.

“Is that bad? I just wanted to know more about you…”

“My life from before doesn’t hold any relevance. Neither does yours, for that matter.” Stain explained coldly and Izuku hummed in response, shifting his gaze up at the stars and biting his lip thoughtfully. He wanted to ask more questions, but he didn’t want to irritate his mentor. Still, curiosity nagged at him.

“...Can I ask about stuff from the present?”

“If you must,” Stain sighed.

“How many knives do you have on you?”

“Twenty-two not counting the katana.”

“Why would you need so many?!”

“You’d be surprised, kid.”

The morning of the 22nd (according to his calendar) Izuku had been walking through the forest to set a new trap somewhere since the ones they had were proving to be insufficient. The sun was barely rising above the horizon and the air was nice and fresh from the rain that had fallen throughout the night.

He walked quietly, not wanting to break the picture-perfect morning surrounding him. He crouched next to a shrub and got to setting the new trap in silence. He was halfway done when he heard a gentle noise ahead of him and he looked up without moving his head.

A few feet ahead of him, just past the bush where he was working, was a deer. The animal was sniffing along the ground, it’s spotted back illuminated by the early light and making it shine. Izuku stared, dumbfounded. He didn’t dare move a muscle in fear of scaring the creature off. The doe took a few steps closer, grazing on some grass before her large black eyes focused on Izuku.

She stared at the boy, unsure, and sniffing the air to judge if he was a threat or not. The teen smiled gently as if the animal would be able to understand such a gesture, and breathed as slowly as he could. The animal tilted it’s head almost curiously, took a step back, and made her way back into the forest and silently as she had appeared.

Izuku sat down where he was for the next fifteen minutes without moving, his small smile still plastered on his face even when he made his way back to camp. He wrote about his encounter but said nothing to Stain for some reason that he couldn’t quite explain. He wanted to keep that moment to himself.

That was the first and only time he came across a deer in the woods while Stain and he stayed out in the wild.

September

With the heat finally going down, Izuku was able to get his day training done without complaint. He could keep up with Stain during hikes and he could even manage to land two throwing knives next to each other after a few tries. When they sparred, Izuku was able to stay on his feet for full minutes, Stain had even started using his quirk against him just to keep him on his toes, and the blade of the katana would come much closer to Izuku’s body every time. Stain wasn’t holding back as much.

Izuku had gotten so used to their routine that some nights when he couldn’t sleep, he left camp and trained on his own for a few hours before returning to rest. He was so accustomed to everything being like this that he was shocked when Stain told him they’d be leaving for the city soon.

They’d been by the river, Izuku washing a blood stain from his shirt when his teacher had given him the news.

“Where are we going?” Izuku had asked, surprised. 

“Toyama. Just like before.” and then, after he gave Izuku an unreadable look, “I think you’re ready.”

Those words hit Izuku like a truck. He felt a mixture of pride, excitement, anxiety, and fear all at once and he had to turn his face away to hide whatever weird expression he was probably making. Was he really ready? He felt stronger, both in mind and body, but he still felt unprepared somehow.

He’d been out there for months, training and learning, and a tiny part of him wanted things to stay like they were forever. He was happy like this. But he knew Stain wanted to get back to work sooner rather than later. The Hero Killer was known for taking long breaks between attacks, but Stain didn’t strike Izuku like the type to take many vacations.

Izuku and Stain cleared the traps they’d been using all this time and the older man went to fill their water bottles while Izuku picked up their things. By dawn, they were ready to go. Just before they got going, Stain handed something to Izuku: it was the black hunting knife he’d been using for training, along with its sheath. The teen blinked.

“Keep it with you.” Stain instructed and Izuku smiled, nodding his head enthusiastically and attaching the weapon to his pants since he didn’t have a belt. He’d grown accustomed to the blade in the past few months and he was happy to have a knife of his own, even if he wasn’t overly excited about using it against another person.

For once there was no training whilst on the road and so they only had to walk for a few hours before signs of humanity started appearing and, by nightfall, they were already making their way through tiny back alleys.

Izuku missed the forest as soon as they reached the city, but he kept that to himself. He was sure that he wouldn’t be able to sleep well for a few days with all the noise and the lights, but he’d get used to it again. At least, so he hoped.

They found a small abandoned house and settled there for the night, Izuku missing the warmth of the fire dearly. Having so much activity around him made him feel uneasy and, as predicted, he was unable to sleep that first night.

He’d tossed and turned for hours until Stain had asked him to “stop already” and so he’d instead counted the bricks on the walls until dawn. Thankfully the second night was better.

Stain took out his first two heroes in a matter of days, and the media exploded in a frenzy of speculation and blind guessing. Was Izuku still alive? Were they attacking together now? Had Stain abandoned the teen somewhere down the road?

Paper after paper came out with different allegations, all of them extreme and none actually coming close to the truth. His mother was once again begging for any tips on Izuku’s whereabouts but by the end of the month none of Stain’s victims this time around had survived and they left the city without any reported sightings of the teen.

October

The temperature was steadily going down and Izuku was starting to consider going to a thrift shop to buy some new clothes, but Stain beat him to it. Since Izuku’s identity and face were public knowledge, it wasn’t safe for him to go out on his own in the day.

One morning Izuku had just woken up to a new, thicker set of clothes, a belt, an oversized hoodie, and a black scarf. Finally, he could cover his face without looking like a random robber. He’d thanked Stain with so much gusto that his teacher even mocked him about it days later but Izuku didn’t care. He was warm and comfy. He especially loved the hoodie because he could pull his legs to his chest and then cover them with the front of the sweatshirt, but he kept that fact only to himself. 

They stayed on the move after leaving Toyama, traveling along the coast towards Osaka without stopping on any city in between. Stain only attacked heroes every couple of months to make sure he wouldn’t get caught, but he took out petty criminals left and right without anyone noticing. Izuku was slowly but surely getting used to the sight of dead bodies.

Traveling so close to the sea had its ups and downs. On one side, Izuku loved walking on the shore at night with his shoes off, and the smell of salt in the air calmed him down. Since summer was gone, the heat wasn’t unbearable and the nights were fresh. Watching the sunsets was also really relaxing, as corny as it sounded. 

On the other side, Stain made Izuku run on the sand for training now, and that was even more tiring. He’d have to train for hours both at day and night and he would be pretty much spent by the time they found a place to rest. But the teen didn’t complain and he did as told, finding with each passing day that he felt less tired when he was finished with training.

On the 15th they’d been walking out at night, as usual, when Stain had an idea. He lead Izuku up a fire escape and onto a roof. Izuku was getting ready to settle on the edge of the roof when Stain pointed to the next building’s roof about ten feet from the one where they were and Izuku panicked.

“I can’t do that!” Izuku had hissed as loud as he dared, shaking his head fast.

“It’s a short jump, kid. It’s easy.” Stain had answered, barely needing a few steps for momentum to easily leap over the abyss and land gracefully on the other side.

“Come on, Midoriya.” Izuku heard Stain call out. He looked over the edge, the ground four stories below, and swallowed. Ten feet was doable, right? Stain had just cleared the distance with no effort so Izuku should be able to do the same. But his feet felt glued to the ground.

“Move it!” Stain ordered and Izuku gave in. He stepped away from the edge, giving himself a good twenty feet to run before the end of the roof and he inhaled deeply. He rubbed his eyes and, after a long moment and a hesitant first step, he set off at top speed.

The moment his foot pushed him off the roof and he was left touching nothing solid was perhaps the longest moment Izuku had ever experienced. His eyes were open wide and he could somehow focus on both the roof ahead of him and the ground underneath. He cleared the distance with a few feet to spare but landed on a heap on the other side, his body rolling a few times before he stopped.

“See, you had it.” Stain reassured, rolling his eyes at Izuku’s tearful expression.

“My whole life flashed before my eyes,” Izuku whimpered, sitting up and patting himself down to make sure that he was indeed still alive and unharmed.

“Of course it did.”

“That’s the first time I do something like that!” Izuku defended himself, standing up and dusting himself off. Thank God he had his scarf because he was pretty sure he was both pale and blushing. Stain sighed, less amused by now.

“And it won’t be the last. Get moving.”

November

They didn’t arrive at Osaka until the 14th of the month. They’d spent almost five weeks on the road and Izuku was glad to be back in a populated place, for once. He really wanted to find a place with running water so he could take a long bath and wash all his clothes.

His backpack was also starting to show some signs of tearing, especially were the straps connected to the rest of the bag, and Izuku was wondering if maybe he’d be able to get a new one. Or maybe he could fix it, he thought, looking at the patched up length of fabric that Stain used as a strap for his cooler.

It had taken them an extra day to get close enough to the city center as Stain wanted and unfortunately, the small abandoned structure where they stayed offered no luxuries, so they’d have to wait before they could clean up.

Stores all around town already had Christmas decorations up and everyone was starting to wear their winter clothes. Izuku was more grateful for his hoodie now than he’d been before, the large item keeping him warm at night.

Their first week in town had been relatively uneventful. Stain had managed to attack one pro hero, a woman who had made her debut only a few months prior, and one random criminal that had foolishly tried to rob them at gunpoint one night. The poor man hadn’t had the time to even finish threatening them before he had a knife plunging into his stomach.

It wasn’t until the 23rd that things took a turn for the chaotic. That afternoon, Stain had gone out by himself, which wasn’t rare, but he’d returned much later than usual with a gaping wound on his shoulder clumsily wrapped with his red scarf.

Izuku had panicked the minute he’d noticed the wound.

“Stain, oh my God!” the teen had cried out in horror, a great contrast to his teacher’s calm demeanor.

“I’m fine.”

“Wha- No, you’re not! We need to get that cleaned! You might even need stitches!”

Stain looked a little annoyed at Izuku’s fussing, but not even he could deny that the wound was rather deep. Izuku cleared a small space in the bathroom, thanking the heaven’s that the house where they were staying had running water, and frantically tried to remember everything he knew about first aid.

“Kid, relax.” Stain had told him, but Izuku wouldn’t rest until the wound was properly taken care of. They needed alcohol, thread and needle, and clean bandages but had none of them. Well, they did have water and some cloth, but that wouldn’t do.

“You have money, right?” Izuku had asked, already fixing his scarf around his face and pulling his hood up. Stain hadn’t even tried to argue with his protegee, instead pointing at the plastic cooler in the corner and starting to take off every holster he had so he could take his shirt off and clean the wound with water.

At the bottom of the plastic container, Izuku located a wad of cash and took a few bills before leaving in a hurry. He found a small pharmacy a couple of blocks away and was ready to barge into the place when he remembered just how crucial it was that he didn’t call any attention upon himself. He took a few deep breaths, adjusted his scarf and hood, and walked inside as casually as he could.

The place was tiny, just a few aisles and a register in the back, a security camera very obviously watching from the corner. Izuku lowered his face and got to work. He took the second biggest bottle of alcohol available and a bunch of bandages and gauze. He had to ask the man at the register about the needle and the sutures and after he paid, the clerk had given him an odd look.

But Izuku had just thanked the man and, as soon as he was out of the store, ran all the way back to Stain.

He found the man shirtless and maskless in the bathroom, the gash on his shoulder covered with some random piece of cloth. Izuku pulled everything out of his pockets and set it on the counter, his hands shaking violently.

“Ok, that’s enough.” Stain said, reaching for the medical supplies himself. Izuku almost argued with him, but his mentor gave him a severe look, “You think I’m letting you do this in your state? I got it from here.”

Izuku had stumbled out of the bathroom, the door clicking behind him. He paced back and forth, sat down, stood back up and bit his nails until Stain stepped out of the darkened room. He was still shirtless, his torso a collage of scars, but at least his shoulder looked properly bandaged and there was no blood seeping through.

“Are you ok?” Izuku asked quietly.

“I told you already, I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

“The sham fought back.” 

Stain sat down without another word and Izuku just stared, keeping his distance because of how off he felt. He quietly opened the cooler and put the money he hadn’t used back before joining his mentor on the ground. The teen had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying, but Stain noticed anyways and sighed.

“I’m fine.” He repeated, more gentle this time.

“I know,” Izuku said, his head pressed firmly against his knees, “I know, I just…”

“Just breathe, kid.” Stain said, patting Izuku’s hair once softly.

“...Okay.”

December

By the 12th, Stain had already struck down three heroes in the city. His injury hadn’t stopped him in the slightest, but in the very least he was taking good care of it so Izuku didn’t have to remain in a constant sense of dread.

The weather outside kept getting colder and colder, and by now it was usual to see small piles of muddied snow on the side of the road. Every night they went out Izuku could see their breaths condensing into clouds in front of their faces, even with his scarf on.

Regardless of the temperature, people were out and about now more than ever. Even at night shops were open and filled with costumers, everyone buying gifts and such. Everyone was so distracted, that the new batch of posters with Izuku’s face that had appeared near the police station had gone by unnoticed. The fliers had shown up on the 7th after Stain’s second victim survived and testified to Izuku’s presence, but there hadn’t been much more information. The police by now must have guessed that the teen was no hostage and had, therefore, stopped treating his case as a kidnapping one.

He guessed his mother had asked for the posters to be put up, but he couldn’t know for sure. After all this time, thinking about his mother being alone at this time of year made Izuku’s heart hurt. He took some comfort in the fact that at least it was public information that he was still alive, so his mother had that.

As the nights grew longer Izuku fell on a weird state of lethargy. He still did his training when he had too, and he went out with Stain almost every night to patrol, but he didn’t ask as many questions as he used to nor did he write down anything in his notebook. Granted, the latter was because he’d run out of pages, but he still didn’t feel the drive to write anything regardless.

On the night of the 24th, Izuku found himself unable to sleep. He stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours until he couldn’t take it anymore. He wrapped his scarf around his face and left the rickety house where they were staying and walked in a random direction.

There were not many people outside but Izuku still avoided all of them, turning corners until he found himself at a small park with a pastel-colored playground. He didn’t even know for how long he’d walked or which way was back, but he didn’t care much.

He was slowly swaying back and forth on one of the swings when Stain found him a while later.

“You’re distracted.” Stain had told him, leaning against a tree. 

“Am I? Sorry, I don’t know where my mind is…” The teen had replied as casually as he could but Stain saw right through it.

“What is it?”

“...I’m just thinking about my mom, is all.” He answered quietly, a little afraid of what Stain might tell him.

“Midoriya…” Stain began, eyes narrowed, but Izuku stopped him.

“I know, I know. I just...” He gave his mentor a small glance, unsure. He used his feet to stop the movement of the swing.

“Just…?”

“I’m just hoping that she’s spending the holidays with someone and not on her own. I doubt my dad would reach out even with me going missing, but she has friends. I just hope they invited her over.”

“You have to let go of your past, kid. It’ll just hold you back.” Stain said, his tone somehow careful. Izuku smiled sadly.

“I know. It’s not like I want to go back. I just hope she’s doing okay, you know?”

Stain remained silent and Izuku sighed. They stayed in silence for some time, the frigid air around them still. The city was alive with dancing lights even at this time of night and the echoes of music could be heard far away. Izuku’s mind wandered and he imagined himself back home for a moment with his mother. A part of him felt like, if he reached out, he’d be able to step right into his living room. 

But the image was foggy and the boy smiling innocently looked like a complete stranger to the teen. He knew in his heart that he no longer belonged in that place and he couldn’t fool himself into thinking that he really wanted to return. It was the fact that he truly wanted to stay out here that made him feel off, he realized with a small smile.

He let himself swing softly for a few more minutes, taking in his emotions and for once dealing with them properly. Did he want to stay with Stain? Definitely. Was he selfish? Probably. Was he okay with said selfishness? He would be, in due time. 

Eventually, Izuku let out a long sigh and stood, and both mentor and student made their way back to their hideout in silence. 

Izuku curled up next to his bag, keeping his scarf on to fight off the freezing temperature. He managed to fall asleep right before dawn, his dreams plagued by lights and empty rooftops.

He woke the next morning to an empty room and a small new notepad next to him and he'd started writing on the blank pages gladly, a dumb smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Izuku moved as fast as his body would carry him, desperately extending his arm to reach the fire escape that connected the roof where he was to the ground below. The sounds of fighting beneath him escalated and he could feel panic clawing up his throat.

The knife on his waist felt heavy as he hastily made his way down, his mind going a mile a minute to try to find a solution to their current problem that didn’t end with both of them being arrested. But with every passing second, he realized that there was only one way out of this, and he didn’t know if he could do it.

How had this happened? Had it been a trap? A hit of misfortune? What was he supposed to do now?

He made his way to the ground and peeked over the corner of the building, scarcely missing the knife that flew over his head at top speed. One of the heroes fighting Stain turned, narrowing his eyes as soon as he saw Izuku.

“So you really have a little apprentice, Hero Killer.” He said, making Izuku swallow. 

This was bad.

Earlier that day, Izuku and Stain had been perched on a billboard without functioning lights, a few brick buildings below them. They were on a not-so-nice part of town, far from where Stain had last attacked, and were waiting for a patrolling hero to cross their path.

Izuku always enjoyed their vantage points since he got a nice look at the city and the people that inhabited it. There were always people walking about from one place to another and Izuku liked to imagine what those people did in their regular lives. Sometimes he even tried guessing what their quirks were, just to entertain himself.

He had his legs crossed and his head tilted to the side, enjoying the soft breeze that ruffled his hair. It was still very cold outside, but he was slowly getting used to it. Stain’s mask and scarf waved in the air like thin flags, red and white looking burnt in the evening light.

By now they could stay in silence for hours without the need for small talk. Izuku could speak to Stain perfectly now, don’t get it wrong, but the teen liked to save his questions for when he had something actually important to say or inquire about. Little by little, he’d managed to get Stain to speak about random topics every once in a while, and he liked it.

He was just about to start talking about nothing when there was movement under them, and Stain got ready to strike the poor hero that had made the mistake of walking right below them. Izuku recognized the costume but had no time to speak as Stain maneuvered his way down gracefully. The teen wished he’d had the time to say something because just as Stain was about to slash the hero on the back, a second figure appeared next to Izuku up on the billboard.

“Midoriya Izuku, right?” The sidekick questioned, a sad look on her face.

Izuku had his knife in hand in an instant, knowing who this sidekick was and what her flying quirk could let her do. He glanced below him and fortunately Stain was about done with the other hero, but it’d take him a good moment to reach Izuku again.

You’re on your own, Izuku thought, adopting a defensive stance.

“You’re too young to be doing this, you know?” She told him softly, clearly pitying Izuku to some length but still tensing for the upcoming fight. The teen said nothing.

She lunged at him, her quirk not limiting her movement to the small platform where Izuku was standing and came closer to landing a kick on him than he would’ve liked. He just hoped the noise was enough to get Stain’s attention. He evaded the hit and twisted his body, using her forward momentum to get closer to her and try to get a hold of her arm to pin her down. But she expected as much, and she jumped high before trying to land another kick on Izuku, this time aiming for his head.

He reacted in time, jumping back and throwing himself forward when he saw the smallest of openings. Her arm was slightly raised, leaving the lower half of her ribcage unprotected just enough for Izuku to get her with his knife. He held the knife blade forward, ready to strike.

But then he hesitated. It was just an instant, but it was enough for her to get the upper hand and hit him square on the chest. He would have gone flying off the platform if it hadn’t been for Stain catching him at the same time as he slashed at the young sidekick with a knife. She stumbled back and tripped over the edge, her body landing not that far from her partner’s on the ground below.

Izuku gasped for air, shocked. He was just about to thank Stain for saving him when his elder picked him up by his hoodie roughly. He did not look happy.

“What was that?” Stain asked, his voice an angry hiss.

“I… what?” Izuku mumbled. Their faces were uncomfortably close together and his feet didn’t touch the ground.

“You were going to spare her? Why? Because she was young?”

“Stain, no I-”

“Because you recognized her?”

“What, no!”

“Then why?!”

Izuku flinched. It was incredibly rare for Stain to raise his voice, especially when they were still so close to a fallen target. Stain pulled him even closer, his eyes burning with anger.

“I don’t know what happened, I…”

“Can you not do what needs to be done, Midoriya? Can you not stain your own hands with blood?” 

Izuku could feel his hands and legs shaking as, for the first time in months, he felt fear towards his mentor. He’d seen him angry before, sure, but never like this. Stain had never outright questioned Izuku’s resolve like this, with so much rage.

Stain let him go and the teen landed on the metal platform roughly. His mentor was already making his way down the ladder before Izuku could feel a knot forming in his throat. He climbed down from the metal structure and followed Stain back to their hiding place in silence. 

For the rest of the night, Stain had been completely silent and Izuku had been unable to find his own voice. Not that he would know what to say anyway. The moment he’d found himself unable to harm that hero, he’d prayed and hoped that Stain wouldn’t be able to notice such a falter. He’d felt ready to defend himself and make Stain proud, but when all was said and done he hadn’t been able to go through with it.

He’d gotten used to Stain killing people around them, he could face the corpses without recoiling at the sight, but he’d doubted when it had mattered most. Stain had been forced not only to save Izuku but to finish the job as well.

Izuku felt ashamed. He truly did. He never thought he’d feel bad about not hurting someone else, but he felt like a small child that needed their parents to do things for them at the moment.

The sun set eventually and when Stain got ready to head out, Izuku made a move for his shoes but the glare he received was enough to keep him rooted to the ground. His mentor left on his own, and Izuku was left alone with nothing but his thoughts.

He rubbed his arm on his face, wiping away the frustrated tears that threatened to fall. 

He’d been doing so well up until now. He’d learned, he’d helped, he’d adapted. He’d done everything he’d been told, but he’d faltered when it had mattered most. He felt helpless and lost, unworthy even. Stain had put up with him all this time just for Izuku to prove that he didn’t have what it took.

Why didn’t I just stab her? He told himself, surprised at his own bitterness. Had he actually just thought that? Was he actually wishing he’d hurt her? She’d called him by his name, she’d looked at him with so much sorrow in her eyes but she’d still fought him regardless. She’d pushed him off the billboard to his probable death without a second thought the moment that he attacked her. 

He took his knife in his hands and examined it, looking for an answer in the black metal but finding nothing other than uncomfortable emotions. He shook his head, placed the knife on the floor, and curled up in his hoodie. He eventually fell asleep.

Izuku was outside his school building, shielding his eyes against the blinding sunlight. Classes were over, his classmates had all flooded past him hours ago, but he was still here. His backpack was gone and he couldn’t leave without it. He’d searched everywhere, he was sure, but there was no sign of his yellow bag anywhere. 

So he sat outside the school, tapping his foot nervously and unable to move for what felt like an eternity until a small leaf floated down in front of his face. He watched the small green pad make its way towards the ground and then he looked up. His backpack was hanging from a tree branch just above his head.

Had it always been there? No, it was swinging back and forth on the branch, like someone had thrown it there just seconds ago. But a glance around told him that he was alone and that no one could have done such a thing.

Izuku stood, trying to touch his bag but finding it far beyond his reach. He couldn’t find the strength to jump and so he just stared at the bag as it swung on the branch, the leaves above it gone and allowing him to see the roof of the school. He saw shadows up there.

The horrible light wouldn’t let him see clearly, but he could see someone moving around on the roof. He tried to call out but found his voice gone, a raspy gasp barely managing to escape his lips. 

He wasn’t sure when, but he’d made his way up the stairs in a flash, the door to the roof greeting him blankly. Was his school still open? He still needed to get his bag.

Maybe I can reach it from up here, he thought. Yes. That was possible. He pushed the heavy door open and covered his face with his arm. The light was even worse up here, everything looking completely white in a way that made his eyes sting painfully. He squinted, only making out the edge of the roof and two red dots next to the railing.

He walked forward, arm outstretched and eyes barely open until he had those two red spots right at his feet. He crouched and picked up one of the red objects, recognizing the shoe in his hand vaguely. They were his. But what were they doing up here? He grabbed the railing and pulled himself forward to look down and then-

The sound of fireworks tore him away from his dream. He sat up in a panic, his muscles tense and a cold sweat clinging to his skin. He’d been having the same dream for so long that he’d gotten used to the uneasy feeling that came with it, but the loud booming noise coming from outside had caught him off guard.

He looked around and saw Stain by the window, his red eyes unreadable in the dark. Izuku opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, trying to say something but finding no appropriate words. Stain glanced at his watch and then out the window.

“It’s midnight.” He said just as another distant explosion echoed outside their little hiding place. Izuku blinked, confused for a moment until he remembered what day it was. He quietly settled next to his mentor and looked outside, the bright colors of pyrotechnics illuminating the dark sky.

“Happy new year,” Izuku murmured, feeling a horrible weight in his chest. Stain did not respond and Izuku half wished the ground would open up and swallow him. Unlike the comfortable silence that they usually shared, this felt tense. Like the calm before the storm. Izuku bit his lip, breathing deeply and trying to push himself to say something that might magically make things right.

But Stain beat him to it.

“So? You have an explanation for earlier?” Stain’s voice was cold and distant.

Izuku looked down at his hands, terrified and remorseful.

“I… I’ve never hurt anyone before, and I-”

“You said you were willing.” Stain bit back, and the teen felt small, “You said you would do anything. Was that a lie?”

“No!” He practically yelled, facing Stain for the first time in hours with wide eyes. He couldn’t let Stain lose his faith in him, he wouldn’t know what to do if that happened. 

“You said you understood what you had to do.” Stain continued, and Izuku started to become frantic.

“I do! I… I don’t know what happened. I was ready, I…”

“Cut the crap, kid.” Stain interrupted, looking as serious as ever. Izuku had to blink back tears just to keep his composure. What was he supposed to say?

“...I’m sorry.”

Stain scoffed, and the teen felt his hopes cracking in his chest. They stayed in silence until the last few fireworks illuminated the sky. Stain glanced at his watch once more and got to his feet.

“I’ve been too lenient with you,” Stain started, his eyes digging into Izuku like daggers, “But that ends right now. If you come with me tonight, you will act. If you’re not ready for that, then leave. I’m not dragging your ass around for nothing.”

Izuku felt the world around him freeze. He felt the cold sweat return and the floor at his feet seemed to tilt to the right. Stain was giving him a chance, which was far more than he’d expected, but he found himself hesitating again.

If he followed this man out there and he was once again unable to do what he needed to do, what would happen then? Would Stain abandon him? Would he kill Izuku? The teen found himself dreading the first option far more than the second one, much to his surprise. If he couldn’t do this, then what was he supposed to do?

Stain gave him another pointed look.

“So?”

Izuku swallowed, forcing his feet to carry him towards his things and picking up his knife with determination. He remembered everything he’d felt when he’d decided to follow Stain out of his city, what they’d talked about, the promises he’d made. He took a deep breath and looked Stain in the eye.

“Please, I… I can do this.” He said, finding very little hesitation in his own voice. Stain gave him a long, calculated look before he nodded.

“Then we’re heading out.”

“Okay,” Izuku replied softly.

They left the small, dirty space as it was and headed out into the night.

He followed Stain in silence, mimicking the other man’s practiced movements to make his way from one building to the next easily. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied about everything else at the time, he might have felt proud of how well he was keeping up with Stain.

They stopped on a roof a few blocks away from a crowded bar, the music sounding muddied by the distance. They took their places by the edge, one next to the other, and watched in diligent silence. More than once, random civilians passed by under them in sweet ignorance but no one noticed them.

In the silence, Izuku’s mind started to race. He wondered if Stain would force him to take part in the fight, or if he’d simply ask Izuku to kill their target. He counted to a hundred in his mind, trying to calm his nerves and telling himself that he could do this. He’d trained for months knowing fully well that this moment would arrive and now he wanted nothing more than to prove to himself that he was more than just words. 

Months ago, Stain had told him that his life was no longer his, that what he did to make this world better would be the only proof of his existence.

And he was ready to act on his words, for better or for worse.

Stain’s sudden movement brought him back to reality. There was someone on the alley below, a hero if the costume was any indication. Izuku watched as Stain let himself fall on top of the other man, easily knocking him down and preparing to land a final strike with his katana. The sword swung down but stopped mid-air with a clanging sound, held in place by some invisible force.

The other two heroes stepped out of the shadows just then. 

Izuku ran towards the end of the roof, jumping down the fire escape as fast as he could. Stain was inhumanely fast and strong, but depending on the heroes' quirks he could have a hard time against so many enemies at once. The teen reached the ground and stopped, unsure. He couldn’t just jump in, could he?

You’ll just become another victim, he thought. He pressed his back against the wall and peeked over the side to assess the situation more carefully.

The hero Stain had struck down was still on the floor, the wound on his side telling Izuku that he was being paralyzed by Stain at the moment. The other two heroes were a man and a woman and they were holding their ground against Stain. One of them seemed to produce invisible barriers wherever he wanted, effectively blocking most of Stain’s ranged attacks with ease, and the other seemed to control a group of chains attached to her waist as if they were arms.

Stain threw one of his knives at the woman, but a shield deflected it and sent it flying straight towards Izuku’s face. The blade hurled past him, smashing against a nearby wall with such force that the teen was amazed it didn’t break.

That’s when Izuku got noticed by the heroes. Crap. So much for a surprise attack. Stain wasn’t hurt yet, but he wasn’t making any progress with these two heroes and it was only a matter of time before the third one snapped out of his paralysis and joined in the fray. 

If that happened, it would only be a matter of time before more backup arrived and they got caught. Stain was avoiding hits swiftly, only giving Izuku the briefest of looks before he tried to land a stab on one of the heroes. 

Think, Izuku, think! His mind started going a mile a minute. He was trying to figure out a way to turn the tables, some way to help Stain, but everything was happening so fast and an approaching chain forced him to jump back in a hurry. The female hero was coming for him.

There was no time to think, only to act.

For better or for worse.

Izuku rolled towards the knife that had flown past him earlier, grabbing it in one hand at the same time he took his own knife in his other hand. He stood, letting out a deep breath and steadying himself. He tossed the first knife towards the female hero, straight at the leg where she was putting all her weight, forcing her to move to the right. The knife opened a wound on her thigh and she hissed.

“So you are helping him!” She said, sounding surprised and looking at Izuku with wide eyes. The second knife he threw flew by her, grazing the skin of her neck and opening the tiniest of wounds. She was quick to recover, wrapping Izuku in one of her chains and lifting the teen off the ground with enough force to hurt him.

The knife had enough momentum to reach the other hero, but he easily blocked the projectile and sent it flying to the side.

“You missed,” The hero said, jumping towards his partner now that they had Izuku in their grasp. 

But his confident expression changed to one of terror when the woman fell on the ground limply. Several feet away, Stain had the knife Izuku had thrown in his hand, his tongue pressed against the blade. The injury on her neck had been tiny, but it’d been more than enough.

“No, I didn’t,” Izuku said, matter-of-factly. With two heroes down, Stain was more than capable of taking out the third, and the first hero they’d attacked was already dead by the time Izuku untangled himself from the chain around his waist.

He was sure he’d have a huge bruise around his torso in the morning, but at least she hadn’t snapped any of his ribs in the process.

The other hero on the ground gritted his teeth.

“Why are you doing this?!” He asked Izuku, his voice betraying his anger, “Your mother is worried sick, you know! You’re just a child! Why would you join a man that’s been killing heroes for years?”

Stain’s brow raised, his eyes on Izuku. The teen was torn between being angry and sad. This was the second hero that had attempted to connect with him that day and it was at that moment that he realized that these people who called his name and mentioned his mother not only didn’t know him but had also struck him down at the slightest hint of resistance. 

Their words were empty. This man couldn’t possibly know how Izuku’s mother felt and the girl earlier had no say in how old Izuku could be to act upon his beliefs. They were just like everyone else, quick to assume when it came to the boy. Stain words burned in Izuku’s chest intensely.

“Heroes?” Izuku echoed, his eyes narrowed, “What, like you? Don’t flatter yourselves.”

The hero looked like he’d been kicked in the stomach for a moment, his eyes flashing with grief and rage but Izuku matched his stare. The woman on the ground was visibly shocked. He reached for the knife at his hip but only found the sheath, suddenly remembering that he’d thrown the blade earlier. Stain had it in his hand, but he didn’t offer it to the teen right away.

“Are you hurt?” Stain asked simply, scanning Izuku with his eyes for a good moment before he nonchalantly stabbed the male hero in the neck.

“I’m fine,” Izuku said, the adrenaline in his body slowly disappearing and making the pain in his torso worse. He touched his ribs with a gentle hand, flinching just enough for Stain to notice. 

“I’ll finish here. You can head back.”

“But… I thought you’d...”

“You’re a terrible liar, kid. I’ll catch up to y-”

“Akaguro?”

The female hero’s tiny voice rang out, her eyes looking panicked. She couldn’t turn her head, but she was clearly trying to get a better look at Stain’s face.

“It’s you, isn’t it? Akaguro Chizome?”

Izuku could only stare. His mentor looked calm, but there was something in the way he frowned that told Izuku that he was just as surprised as the teen.

“I… you sound similar and your quirk works just the same.” She laughed nervously, her eyes glossy, “You probably don’t even remember me.”

Stain stepped closer, looking down at the fallen hero in the same manner you would look at a dead animal on the side of the road. She swallowed, an undeniable hint of hope in her eyes despite the situation.

“Who told you that name?” Stain asked, his voice as cold as ice.

“You were in my class for one semester in high school. I sat right next to you, remember? We were… we…”

Friends? Izuku finished for her in his mind. He had absolutely no words for what was happening before him. To the world, Stain was simply known as the Hero Killer. There was no name, no backstory, no face to attach to the perpetrator of so many crimes. And Izuku knew that Stain wanted it that way.

By the way his mentor’s shoulders tensed, he knew this wasn’t headed anywhere good.

“I can’t believe it’s you doing all this,” She started in a sad tone, but Stain cut her off with a stab on the thigh, right next to the wound Izuku had inflicted earlier.

“You can’t? Then that just proves you never even knew me.” Stain replied, his very aura feeling murderous at this point. Izuku had to take a step back. The villain pulled down his mask and crouched down next to the helpless hero, her eyes wide and scared. Stain gave her a proper glare.

“You know, this is the first time one of your kind tries to connect with me by speaking about my past,” Stain twirled the blade in the woman’s leg and Izuku was amazed by how tiny her whimper of pain was, considering how gruesome the sight was. Stain ripped the blade out in one swift move and the plunged it deep in the hero’s chest, her eyes closing in pain as Stain glacially told her,

“It has to be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen.”

Once her breathing stopped, Stain recovered his knife and cleaned it on the hero’s uniform carelessly. He pulled his mask back up and started heading back towards their hiding place without another word.

Izuku had called out to him twice but had eventually decided to simply walk behind the other man. He was incredibly tired and his mind was still processing everything that had happened. They reached the tiny house right before dawn and they stayed in silence for what felt like ages.

The teen examined his mentor in search of any of the anger that had been there before, but when he found none he dared to speak.

“Stain?”

Stain looked at the boy and Izuku took that as a sign to continue.

“Did… Did you really know her?”

“Beats me,” Stain answered, sighing, and finally allowing his shoulders to relax slightly.

“You don’t know?”

“She might have known me since my information isn’t public. But I don’t remember anyone from back then too well.”

“Why?”

“They were all the same, attention-seeking, self-absorbed people that only wanted to become heroes so they could become rich or famous. They were the people that showed me just how deep the problem goes. So I didn’t bother learning their names or faces before I left that place.”

It was good to hear Stain speak normally once more, especially after such a difficult day. Izuku could feel his own body relaxing and he let out a sigh that he didn’t know he’d been holding, relishing in his teacher’s voice.

After a long pause, Stain patted Izuku on the shoulder gently and the teen almost started crying in relief. He hadn't killed anyone, not yet at least, but he’d proven that he was willing to fight for Stain’s ideals when needed.

They’re your ideals, too, Izuku reminded himself with a trembling smile. Stain almost rolled his eyes at Izuku’s expression, but the teen did catch the amused tone in his voice when he spoke.

“You’re a crybaby.”

“Guess I am,” Izuku chuckled happily. Then, after a pause, his smile turned into a curious little grin.

“So… Akaguro, huh?”

“Don’t push your luck kid.”

“I’m just saying I didn’t know your name before and-”

“I will cut you.”

“Okay, okay! Sorry!”

Chapter Text

The distance from Osaka to Kōriyama was almost 700 kilometers, and it was the longest trip they’d done since they started traveling together. If they walked non stop, no sleeping, no nothing, they’d get there in about a week but with training, eating, and sleeping, Stain guessed it would take them anywhere between four and seven weeks. 

They’d be arriving there weeks after spring began, Izuku realized. 

Their time on the road was probably Izuku’s favorite. They saw almost no people, the sounds of the city were but a distant memory and they were able to light little fires at night to keep warm.

By now Izuku was more than capable of handling both the excursion and the training, and so they advanced without issue on that part. But the road can be slightly unpredictable from time to time, in all kinds of ways.

There’d been some nice moments, like when Izuku got Stain to help him get a baby bird back in its nest or the night they’d spent next to a huge lake without a cloud in the sky, the stars reflecting on the body of water. At those times they would either speak comfortably or simply enjoy each other’s company, the mood relaxed between them.

Izuku had avoided calling his mentor anything other than Stain and the subject of their pasts was left alone, which after a few days of curiosity had been a silent blessing. Izuku found that, while it didn’t hurt that much anymore, thinking about his life from before saddled him with distractions and feelings that he didn’t need. The teen could understand why his teacher preferred to not think about any of those things.

They walked around mountains and through forests, and the teen was amazed by everything around him. He realized now just how little of his own country he knew, and he took in the sights greedily.

After months of growing it out, Izuku made the decision to cut his hair about halfway through their journey. Stain always used one of his own knives to shave, so the teen knew that the blades were sharp enough to pull it off. He only doubted his ability, but he was tired of his hair getting in his eyes, and so it had to go.

He used a piece of a mirror he’d found on the ground earlier and slowly but surely he hacked his hair off one strand at a time. The end result was… interesting. The front was well cut, as well as the sides, but the top of his head was an uneven mess and the back was a mystery even for himself. He had to eventually ask Stain for help, his mentor’s stern look only betrayed by the chuckle he let out at Izuku’s embarrassment. 

They’d also found a bag with two books inside at some point, and Izuku had spent a few nights reading peacefully right before bed.

Then, there had been the odd moments of the trek. 

When you walk by the side of the road and down back alleys for so long, you come across a bunch of trash. It’s normal, right? Plastic bags and containers filled to the brim with who knows what just all over the damn place. But sometimes, if you look closer, you can find some really strange stuff, even with the nearest city miles away.

Tools and firearms were scattered everywhere, especially near bridges and overpasses. Most of them were rusted beyond use, but they had come across handguns, knives, hammers, wrenches, and even an old shotgun at one point. Stain told Izuku to not take any of them since they had no idea where they came from or what they’d been used for. Other common findings included bikes, dolls, and pieces of cars.

They also came across old tattered clothes, shoes, and more than one wallet with a few old cards inside. All those things gave Izuku a weird feeling, some of the cards expired for decades, and every item made him wonder just how they had ended up out here in the middle of nowhere.

One night, after coming across some old, human-looking bones under a bush, Izuku had a nightmare. In the dream, he’d been walking in the dark when a crooked white figure came at him, shrieking, and Izuku had woken up in absolute panic. They’d been sleeping in an old abandoned car they’d found about 50 feet from the road, hidden behind some trees, and when Izuku awoke with a scream and reached for his teacher, Stain almost stabbed him by pure reflex. It took a good amount of reassuring and slow breathing exercises to calm the teen after that and no amount of apologizing could get rid of Stain’s annoyance for the next two days.

Now, in addition to dreaming about rooftops, he was dreaming about ghostly figures on the side of the road getting illuminated by the headlights of passing cars and revealing their twisted faces. More than once he found himself waking up much closer to Stain than when he’d gone to sleep and he felt sheepish about it since it only happened when he had particularly bad dreams. Neither of them addressed the issue at all.

And then there had been the not so nice parts of the trip. 

First, Izuku got bit by some sort of spider one night whilst sleeping. He guessed he’d moved in his sleep and crushed the insect, making it bite him in the hand. For the next two days, they had to stay where they were and Izuku had to deal with the whole list of symptoms that came with the poison, including spasms in his arm and a fever.

He’d never been bitten or stung by something poisonous before and the experience was grueling for him, but thankfully it didn’t last that long. He could move again after two nights, and Stain had been merciful enough to not give him too hard of a time for the delay.

Then, they got stuck in a thunderstorm so harsh that some of the roads they walked past were completely flooded. They were knee-deep in mud and water by the time they found a resting place high enough to be dry, but the explosive sounds of thunder kept them awake for hours. Cold, dirty, and tired, they spent the night just staring out into the chaos in silence.

The lighting and the thunder came at the same time, the storm right on top of them, and they couldn’t even talk with all the noise around them. Izuku half wished he knew sign language at that time. Eventually, two days later, they came across a tiny excuse of a river and spent the rest of the day washing their clothes to get rid of the ridiculous amounts of dirt that had clung to the fabric and the inside of their shoes.

And then, worse of all in Izuku’s opinion, they’d come across a car accident. 

HERE IS WHERE THE TRIGGER WARNING BEGINS

It’d been late at night, probably past midnight, and a curtain of rain was hitting their heads as they walked a few feet from the highway. Stain had been the one to notice that the railing on the other side of the road, the side that fell into a small ravine, was torn open and Izuku ran across the road as fast as he could, only taking the time to make sure he wouldn’t get run over.

Beyond the torn metal, about forty feet below and with the front wrapped around a tree, was a blue car. The backlights were still on, as well as the dim light inside the car, but there was no sign of movement.

Izuku gave Stain a desperate look, but his teacher didn’t need any persuasion to go down to investigate the wreck. They slid down the slope carefully, Izuku reaching the car first because of his rush of adrenaline. For the rest of his life, he would not forget the sight that met him.

Inside the car, there were three people. There were two bodies in the front seats, both adults, slumped forward and covered in glass and blood. The third body was much smaller than the other two and Izuku was just about to jump into the vehicle when Stain placed a hand on his shoulder. The teen looked away, tears in his eyes, as his mentor reached inside the vehicle to check the three people for a pulse. He found none, and Izuku just shook his head in denial.

“Come on,” Stain had told him, “They’re all dead.”

“Are we just leaving them like this?” Izuku had choked out with a lost look.

“Someone will notice the damage to the railing in the morning and it’ll get reported. They’ll be found easily.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Accidents like this happen, kid. There’s nothing we can do.”

“But… I…” Izuku felt hollow. He knew there was nothing to be done, but he wanted so badly to somehow fix the scene before him, to maybe place the bodies in less broken positions. But Stain shook his head, turning the teen around with a steady hand and guiding him back up unto the road.

TRIGGER WARNING FINISHED

They stayed the night nearby and only kept moving forward when they saw a car stop next to the accident in the morning. It’d been risky, horribly so for them to do that, but Izuku simply refused to abandon those people without making sure that they were found. It was the only thing he could do, after all.

He cried the whole night through inconsolably, the hand that Stain placed on his back ever so often being his only contact with reality. The next night, after a whole day of silence, Stain had tried to talk with Izuku.

“Sometimes there’s nothing to be done, kid.” His tone had been almost understanding, but Izuku just frowned.

“Your heart is in the right place,” he continued, leaning forward to look Izuku in the eye, “and that’s not bad. But you can’t get stuck on these feelings. Do you understand? You have to move past them.”

Izuku nodded and let out a small breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“It just felt so… different. You know?”

“It was different. Those were unnecessary deaths.”

Izuku bit his lip, tears threatening to cascade from his eyes once more. Stain sighed and moved closer to Izuku to be able to put his hand on the teen’s head silently, as he tended to do when Izuku was particularly upset. They stayed like that until Izuku was done crying and, unbeknownst to the boy, Stain stayed up all night to keep a careful eye on him.

After six weeks of adventure and mishaps, they finally arrived at Kōriyama. Evidence of spring was all around them, trees a bright green and flowers blooming everywhere. Classes had just begun and so supply stores were going all out with discounts and advertisements. 

Izuku felt no particular emotions towards the start of the school year, much to his own surprise, but he still got taken aback by the news. He heard the news that the U.A. had been attacked by a group of villains just days prior and that one of the first-year classes had been forced to defend themselves in the heat of the moment, but what had shocked him the most was the fact that All Might was now a teacher at said school and he’d been the one to save the students.

But he forced his mind away from those matters, and soon he found himself not caring that much about the U.A. and its students. Stain seemed rather satisfied with that turn of events, and so Izuku felt even better about it all. He felt calm those next three weeks that they stayed in the city and he even used the money he’d been saving to get himself a new notebook and a few new pens. He always went around with his face covered, but by now everyone seemed to have forgotten about what he looked like. Either that or they didn’t care. Maybe his mother’s description didn’t match with what he looked like now, he thought.

Stain attacked two heroes and four random criminals on his own, but Izuku assisted on four more hits. He’d become a reliable support by now, keeping watch on his own and always having Stain’s back in case that they ran into any type of trouble. It was rare, but now more and more heroes were going around in pairs rather than alone, and so Izuku’s help was always welcome.

Would Stain be able to take out his targets on his own? Most likely. But they fell into a nice rhythm when they went out together and even if Izuku had yet to kill anyone himself, he landed more than one knife throw by the time they were done in Kōriyama. The accident on the road had really done a number on the teen and while he was more efficient in their job now, he also tended to have more nightmares than usual, which was saying something.

But Stain was understanding. He knew that the incident was not comparable with what they did, and so he let the teen cry when he needed and even talked to him when it got too bad. They had their deepest conversation up till that moment on their way to Tokyo weeks later, after Izuku woke up so anxious that he didn’t even know where he was.

“Which one was it?” Stain had asked after Izuku got a hold of himself.

“The car, but I was in it when it crashed.” The teen had answered softly. His dreams now had the tendency to mix with one another, but it was always either his school’s rooftop, the ghostly monsters on the road, or the car accident.

“Why did that get to you so bad, kid?” His mentor asked, actual curiosity in his tone.

“...It’s like you said, they weren’t targets. They had no reason to die.” Izuku started after a long pause, his eyes focused on the sky above them, “I’d never… seen an accident like that before. They were just a family going home, and they… for no reason… I’d never seen innocent people like that. I’d never even seen a dead body before I met you.”

The teen sighed and Stain looked at him.

“You’ve never lost someone before, have you?”

“No. Not really.” Izuku’s voice was barely above a whisper. The fire next to them had been reduced to mere embers but neither of them tried to revive it since sunrise was less than an hour away. The sky went from a dirty grey to a soft pink and Izuku only snapped out of his daze when Stain spoke again.

“If you’re anything like what I used to be, you’ll get over it in a few months. So don’t worry too much.”

“Why do you say that?” Izuku placed all of his attention on the other man. They never spoke about the past.

“That’s about how long it took me to get over my parents’ deaths.”

Oh boy. The door was wide open now and Izuku couldn’t help but want to step through. Still, he was careful.

“...How old were you?”

“Fifteen. Like you.”

“What… What happened to them?”

At first, there was only silence. Stain wasn’t angry, but he also didn’t look too sure about whether or not to continue. This talk went against most of the things they had spoken about prior, but it didn’t feel completely out of place at this point in their relationship. Eventually, there was an answer.

“I was out most of the time. I was trying to get people to listen to reason with speeches back then. When I got back one morning, the front door was open and I instantly knew something had happened. My parents had money, so it wasn’t a complete surprise that someone broke in.”

Izuku felt a chill run down his back. Not only had Stain’s parents been killed, he’d been the one to find the bodies? The teen couldn’t even begin to imagine what that was like. For the briefest of moments, he pictured his mother in the wrecked blue car but quickly shook his head to get rid of the image. He couldn’t even begin to deal with that mental image.

“I’m really sorry…” Izuku murmured, a small frown on his face. He didn’t know what else to say.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Stain shrugged, and Izuku knew by his tone that the brief moment of honesty was over for now. The door was closed once again but the teen was still amazed that he’d gotten a chance to look at what was on the other side, even if it was just for a moment. After that morning, Izuku’s nightmares became less frequent and he felt at home now more than ever. He looked at Stain differently after that.

Izuku slept better the thirteen following nights that it took them to get to Tokyo. The city was absurdly big, with skyscrapers and structures that looked too big to be true and with a number of people that Izuku couldn’t believe were able to coexist all together.

And there were oh so many heroes.

Some of Japan’s biggest heroes had their agencies in some part of Tokyo and Izuku, while not as starstruck as he might have been a year ago, was still amazed by everything around him.

A big city came with a lot of hiding places, which was great for them both. They could stay pretty close to highly populated areas without raising any suspicions since the city was packed with all types of people. Izuku was almost willing to admit that he could blend into most crowds here even without covering his face, but he wasn’t dumb enough to test his theory.

The most childish part of his mind wanted to explore every little place in Tokyo, but the better part of him always stopped him from getting distracted. It was all so tempting though.

The only thing that had truly snapped him out of his curiosity had been an announcement he’d seen one night. They’d been jumping roofs when a screen on some crowded street not too far from where they were caught his eye. It was the date and time of when the U.A’s sports festival would take place; apparently in just two days.

That gave him the final push to put all his focus where it had to be, which was here and now. He owed that much to Stain, he thought.

The day of the sports festival, when people were getting together in restaurants and public places to watch the spectacle, Izuku and Stain went out to patrol. With so many individuals outside, there were plenty of heroes assured to be out. It was a good chance, Stain had said.

They’d been walking down an alley, not far from a main street, when a hero practically landed on top of them. Izuku had absolutely no time to react but Stain had thankfully been quick enough to shove the teen out of the way before the other man struck him down. Izuku only recognized him as Ingenium after the hero was a bloody heap on the ground.

“He’s fast.” Izuku had said, amazed at the speed in which the other two had moved. 

“Not fast enough,” Stain remarked simply and they walked away before anyone could notice what had happened.

There was no way either of them knew what attacking Ingenium would entail, and so they moved on with their life as if nothing had happened.

When they got back to their hiding place, Izuku settled down next to his bag and pulled out the small battery radio that Stain had gotten when they arrived in Tokyo. Izuku thought it might be useful to know what the reports about them said if only to have the knowledge, and Stain had agreed. 

The radio wasn’t very powerful, but they still managed to listen to some news reports every once in a while, which was good to keep Izuku distracted whilst he waited for Stain to come back from his solo missions.

The teen turned on the radio, extending the tiny metal antenna and paying close attention to what he heard in case someone had already come across Ingenium. For about an hour there was nothing much on the news, but then Izuku changed the station and listened in absolute shock as the report about the U.A’s sports festival finale broke through the static.

The winner for the first year bracket had been the one and only Bakugo Katsuki.

Kacchan. He won the nationally famous sports festival. The reporter was talking about the boy’s bright future when Izuku turned off the radio and threw it across the room, not caring if the thing broke into a million pieces.

Kacchan. Of course, it’d been Kacchan. He was so amazing after all, right? Right? With his wonderful quirk and his incredible power, no one could possibly beat him.

Right, Deku?

Izuku paced the room like a caged animal, opening and closing his hands to keep calm whilst Stain looked at him closely. There were no questions, only a calculated look, and Izuku was so upset that he almost glared at his mentor on more than one occasion. He felt trapped in the tiny space where they were staying, and when Stain suggested going out for the night Izuku was eager to go. 

They found no hero to attack but running and climbing buildings allowed Izuku to release some steam. They got back to their place almost at dawn, and just as he was about to doze off, Izuku decided to give Stain an explanation for his behavior.

“The guy that won the sport’s festival was… my classmate. But, we were friends when we were little.”

Stain didn’t look particularly interested, but it was nice to finally put his emotions into words and so Izuku continued.

“I used to consider him my best friend, but then he got his quirk and I got none and he just… He was usually the one that riled up the rest of the class against me. He was always just, so cruel , even when he always won everything. Even when everyone praised him, he still found the time to just… mess with me. I think he hates me, actually.”

“Sounds like a proper sham.” Stain commented, and Izuku gave him a slightly amused look.

“I looked up to him for so long, you know. To me, he was the live image of victory. I followed him around like a little puppy, no matter how much he shoved me away. I just wanted to learn from him, I guess.”

Stain gave him a long look before he laned back casually, his brow raised.

“And did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Did you learn anything from that boy?”

Izuku blinked a few times, his ming going through years of memories in search of something. His earliest memories were all nice, back before Kacchan got his quirk, but from then on there was nothing much other than insults, screams, and explosions. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen a nice look aimed his way from those red eyes.

Izuku gave Stain a funny look, a half-smile on his lips.

“I guess I learned what a target looks like.”

Stain laughed quietly at the answer, a proper smile tugging at his lips which Izuku returned gratefully. His feelings towards Kacchan hadn’t come up in so long, but just now he noticed how bottled up he’d kept the whole thing. He hadn’t spoken about it with anyone up till that point, not even his mother. As far as he knew, she still believed they were friends.

For so long he’d chased after the other boy, but now he saw just how toxic that had been for him. He’d looked up to the one that had despised him the most, childishly clinging to someone that had taken it upon themselves to make his life impossible. Once again, he found that he only spoke about this type of thing with Stain and smiled.

The next morning they moved to a new place and stayed low for a bit. The radio, which had miraculously survived its impact with the wall, wouldn’t stop talking about Ingenium and the hero patrols that had started showing up around the area. Apparently the hero had survived his encounter with the Hero Killer, and he’d given a brief statement mentioning both Stain and Izuku as ‘partners’. Again, the media focused on the teen and his identity but Izuku didn’t care much anymore. He was even able to listen to his mother on the radio as she tried to defend him and begged for the heroes in Tokyo to not hurt him.

He wondered if she knew about Ingenium targeting him first, rather than going for Stain.

A few days later Stain and Izuku had been atop a water tank, looking at the city at their feet, when Stain had brandished his katana and pointed it behind them in one swift motion. Izuku turned and, sure enough, there was a bizarre cloud of dark smoke behind them. A deep, tranquil voice emerged from the mist.

“Please, calm down. I assure you we have a very similar way of thinking.” The voice started, and Stain raised a questioning brow. Izuku just started, a hand on his own knife just in case.

“I heard all about you and I wanted to meet you, Hero Killer Stain,” The voice continued as the mist grew upwards, a bright pair of yellow eyes appearing, “You and your apprentice, of course, Midoriya Izuku. May I have a moment of your time?”

This was clearly someone that Stain didn’t know, which made Izuku nervous. How had he located them? Was he working with the police? No, if he was they’d be surrounded by now. But then, what did he want?

“Stain…” Izuku whispered, looking for any kind of sign on how to proceed. After a while, Stain lowered his katana a few inches.

“What for?”

“Me and my employer merely wish to speak with you. We have an offer you might find beneficial for your current work.” The yellow eyes responded, voice smooth and even. He sounded so formal that Izuku was confused, but he wouldn’t do anything without Stain. 

“And who’s your boss, exactly?”

“I come in the name of the League of Villains.”

Izuku thought the name sounded familiar, but he wasn’t sure until Stain spoke.

“You’re the ones that attacked U.A, right?”

“Precisely.”

Izuku looked at the shadow figure in shock. He was part of the people that had attacked the most prestigious hero school in all of Japan, the very school were Kacchan was attending and were All Might was teaching. Stain narrowed his eyes, looked at Izuku for a second, and then put his katana back in its sheath. Izuku relaxed his shoulders ever so slightly.

“Please, just step through the portal.” The smoke indicated, the cloud of smoke growing in size, and Izuku was about to walk forward when Stain stopped him.

“You stay here.” The man ordered, much to Izuku’s surprise.

“What? But-”

“We don’t know if he’s telling the truth. I can handle myself. If I’m not back by sunrise, then leave the city.” Stain said in a low voice, eyeing the shadow behind him warily. But the figure waited patiently, not making any sort of move.

Izuku swallowed. He really wanted to go with his mentor. Stain left Izuku by himself from time to time, but never for something like this. Who knew where the dark gate would take him, and the mere thought of having to leave Tokyo without Stain by his side made his stomach hurt.

But Stain was wiser and more capable and so the teen bit his tongue and nodded briefly, forcing himself to stay where he was as his mentor disappeared in a cloud of smoke and left the teen alone. Izuku paced around on the tank for what felt like ages but moved down to the rooftop below when he felt like he needed more space to move.

He played around with his knife, trying really hard not to panic as the hours went by and the sun started to near the horizon. What if something happened to Stain? What if there had been an ambush? Izuku was half waiting for the police to burst through the door and apprehend him right then and there. He might be able to get away from that, but then what? Was he really supposed to leave Hosu on his own? How would he meet Stain again?

He just couldn’t stay still and he was still pacing around like an idiot when the portal miraculously reopened back on top of the water tank, Stain emerging first and two other figures walking out behind him. Izuku recognized the shadow man by the smoke that formed his head, but the blue-haired man covered in amputated hands was a complete stranger. 

Izuku stared up at them, his heart beating fast in anticipation. The men above him spoke in muddied voices and Izuku was just about to climb up to join them when Stain spoke louder. His words about heroes and fakes made the teen smile widely in relief. Apparently things had gone well, even if the newcomer appeared to have a prominent stab wound on his shoulder.

Stain jumped down from the tank and approached Izuku, only giving the teen a brief nod before they went their own way.

The teen was a chatterbox of questions.

“What happened? What did they tell you? Did you make a deal? Why was that other guy hurt, was that you?!”

“Will you stop?” Stain told him, looking slightly exasperated. Izuku had to bite his tongue, but he was still incredibly curious and Stain could tell.

“We’re working with them, for now. But I don’t see it lasting long. They’re absolute scum.” Stain told him and Izuku gaped.

“Then why…?” 

“They get attention off our backs. That’s enough for us.”

“Are they contacting us again?”

“When we’re done in Hosu,” Stain told him, showing Izuku a small object made of metal, “They told me to contact them with this.”

Izuku looked at the small communication device and nodded, deciding to place his trust in his elder. He had to stay focused on their work.

A mere half an hour after sunset, and just as Stain was about to finish off another hero, Hosu exploded into mayhem. From the alley where they were, they could see smoke and the light of the fire and they could also hear screaming.

“What is that?” Izuku had asked, preoccupied.

“It’s that stupid league. You can just tell how inexperienced and stupid they are. But I’ll get rid of them later,” Stain scoffed, placing his attention on the hero in his grasp, “For now, we do our job.”

Izuku nodded, listening as the hero cursed Stain and the villain offered him to pick his last words carefully. He sometimes did that, when their targets stayed conscious after the first attack. But there was no time for words as a second figure arrived on the scene. It was a kid no older than Izuku, the teen noticed as his helmet went flying because of Stain.

“This is no place for a kid,” Stain warned him, much like he had with Izuku all those months ago, but this was different. This boy looked furious.

“I’ve been looking for you, Hero Killer. I’m lucky to find you so soon,” He spoke gravely and Izuku noticed the same thing that his teacher did. This boy was looking for revenge, you could see it in the hatred in his eyes. His costume looked familiar enough that Izuku knew he was somehow related to Ingenium before he even said it. Stain’s words hung thick in the air.

“Even if you’re a kid, you can become a target.” He was serious, Izuku knew that much. If this boy didn’t watch his mouth then he’d end up dead for sure. Izuku had never seen Stain strike down anyone so young, but he was certain that it would happen as soon as the boy professed how he would not only capture Izuku but kill Stain in his brother’s name.

It was too late by the time Izuku tried to speak up. The boy was on the ground, katana nestled deep in his shoulder, but even like that he was still talking about his desire for revenge. 

He even ignored the hero in need, Izuku thought, unable to disagree with his mentor even if he wanted to. This boy had made things personal, he wanted to catch Stain only because he had gotten personally hurt, and that just wouldn’t fly. Izuku looked at the raised katana, waiting for the blade to plunge into the targets body, but some movement behind Stain caught his eye.

“Stain!” Izuku tried to warn, his hand reaching for his knife, but he got sent flying to the side because of an explosion going off right next to his face. His body was sent flying against the wall, his left ear ringing horribly and his face feeling hot. He felt disoriented, and he could barely make Stain’s voice over the static in his head. His teacher was calling out for him.

There was a hero dressed in blue fighting with Stain but that hadn’t been the cause of the explosion since Izuku could see how the hero used water to fight off his teacher.

“Deku!” He managed to hear over his temporary deafness, and he froze. He knew that voice too well.

“I finally found you, you useless shit!” Bakugo barked, his eyes narrowed with murderous intent in a way that made Izuku tremble unconsciously. He was wearing a hero costume, a pair of big grenades decorating his wrists and a mask on his face, but it was Kacchan alright. Izuku would recognize the other boy anywhere.

“Bakugo!” The other boy called, sounding frustrated and surprised but clearly recognizing Izuku’s old classmate. Did they know each other? Had they come looking for Stain and Izuku together? Maybe they were in U.A. together, Izuku though in his commotion. 

“I told you, I’m not here for you, four eyes,” The blonde barked, sparks coming out of his hand, “I don’t give a damn about you or your petty vendetta. I’m here for him.”

Izuku swallowed, his knife held firmly in his palm. He forced his eyes to focus and tensed his body, anticipation filling him with adrenaline and determination. Whether he wanted it or not, this was happening, right here and right now.

There was no time for past feelings or hesitation.

He was getting out of here with Stain even if it killed him.

Chapter Text

Chaos would not be able to describe how events unfolded in the following few minutes. Izuku was aware of most of the things happening around him, but he wouldn’t be surprised if some things had eluded him.

Two heroes had added themselves to the fight before Stain could take down the hero in blue, which seemed to know the boy on the ground personally. Stain was more than evenly matched, the villain holding his ground more than he was trying to attack. He knew that one wrong move could end up in them getting caught.

The tiny space that the alleyway offered was suddenly erupting with action, pieces of wall and attacks flying left and right and threatening to hit both friend and foe. The space gave Stain some advantage though since the heroes were unable to comfortably use their quirks without risking friendly fire.

Izuku wished he could help his mentor, but he was still stuck in his own conundrum. Bakugo had already blown a huge part of the wall behind Izuku to smithereens, apparently not giving a damn about collateral damage as long as it meant hurting Izuku, and in his attempts to dodge the blows the teens had already made their way to the end of the alley.

The more time that passed, the further away Stain and Izuku were, and the boy was not happy with that. He needed to find a way to get rid of his old friend and get back to his teacher.

But, of course, that was easier said than done.

Every time Izuku made any sort of move in Stain’s direction, he would be met by fire and debris nonstop. Bakugo had probably told Izuku to ‘just die’ over ten times, which didn’t allow the green-haired teen to focus properly. Had the blonde always been this loud?

He barely dodged a hit, his knife clanging loudly against the metal surrounding Bakugo’s wrists. Had he not been in such a tight spot, he might have felt proud of how well he was keeping up with the other boy as far as speed went. 

They both attacked and dodged, neither able to really land a good hit on the other. Izuku’s left ear was still ringing a bit, but he could hear most of what was going on around him.

He heard the clear sound of someone wheezing for air behind him, and it was only the heroes’ horrified gasps that told him that Stain had managed to take one of his opponents down. Well, the horrified gasps and the panicked screams of the boy on the ground. He was half cursing, half apologizing, but mostly just weeping uncontrollably. He probably knew the hero that had just died.

“Die!” Bakugo yelled again, finally landing a kick on Izuku’s side and sending the other boy flying through one of the many holes in the wall behind them. Izuku was now on the inside of a building, with no sight on Stain and no immediate way out. He scoffed, rolling to the side and standing back up quickly. Bakugo stalked towards him, his eyes narrowed and his teeth bared like a wild animal.

“You quirkless trash, just what do you think you’re doing?!” The blonde barked. 

Izuku narrowed his eyes, knife clenched in his hand.

“Don’t ignore me, you shit!” the other boy snapped, aiming his hand forward but not attacking just yet, instead reaching for his wrist and grasping a piece of metal. The smile on his face told Izuku to move as fast as you can. He jumped to the side and behind a pillar, barely avoiding the absurd flame burst that threatened to possibly kill him. The fire licked his arm, making his skin sting horribly and leaving a hole on his clothes.

It’s fine, Izuku told himself, the more the burn hurts, the less serious it is. Keep moving.

He jumped out from behind the pillar, predicting that Bakugo would go for a full-frontal hit. He was met with another ball of fire, which he swiftly dodged, and twisted his wrist to slash at the arm next to his head. The blade met its target briefly, drawing blood and making Izuku wish that he had Stain’s quirk at his disposal. He would have the fight in the bag at this point.

Instead, he got an elbow to the face. He landed on the ground painfully, debris digging into his side and making him gasp.

“You’re a weak disgrace, you know,” Bakugo taunted him, ignoring the blood dripping down his arm, “You should have just stayed in your place.”

Izuku narrowed his eyes, still not willing to give the other boy an answer. Any wishes he’d had to speak to Kacchan were now long gone, replaced by a cold resentment. Besides, he couldn’t afford to get distracted. The other boy looked angrier by the second.

Bakugo used his quirk to propel himself forward like a rocket, grabbing Izuku’s arm before the other boy could avoid it and setting off an explosion right on his face. Izuku has sent flying backward and through the remains of some other wall painfully. From here, he could see a window leading outside, fire dancing through the glass.

It wasn’t the alley, but it would do.

When Bakugo landed on top of him, Izuku used all his strength to stab him on the leg and push the other boy away. Before Bakugo could recover, Izuku was running towards the window, covering his face with his arms and crashing through the glass without hesitation. Bakugo’s attacks were big, and so the tiny space put Izuku at a disadvantage. Maybe the main street would prove more beneficial for him.

But just like the building had been falling apart inside because of Kacchan, the outside seemed to be transforming into hell itself. Everything was on fire, small storefronts were smashed to oblivion, heroes ran all around him and people screamed in terror as they tried to evacuate. No hero noticed him, as they all had their attention on three bizarre-looking figures.

They were inhuman looking, their frames big and muscular and their brains in full display for everyone to see. Their eyes were wide and unfocused and they were putting up one hell of a fight. One in particular, one with wings, was gracefully avoiding all attempts made at taking it down. The other two were pretty much wrecking the heroes at the scene.

Getting distracted this time was entirely on Izuku. He let the chaos around him surprise him and so he couldn’t really complain when he felt Bakugo’s boot hit him in the back of the head. He was thrown down the street like he was nothing, not losing consciousness by some miracle but feeling like the world around him was spinning. He’d also let go of his knife in that last hit, which was really bad.

“You were always so fucking annoying,” Bakugo said behind him, noticing that Izuku was unarmed and disoriented, “Always going on about how you’d become a hero. And all that for you to end up here.”

Bakugo kicked him again and then pulled Izuku up by the collar of his shirt, his hand poised to strike one last time.

“You’re just a stone in my way, Deku.”

Izuku looked up at Bakugo, blinking to focus his eyes. There was so much hatred in those red eyes, so much distaste, and disgust, that Izuku didn’t even know how such feelings could be real. Not only that, he realized just how ridiculous those emotions were.

He started laughing.

Bakugo looked slightly taken aback at the reaction, Izuku leaning forward to look the other boy directly in the eye. 

“Were you always this petty, Kacchan?”

Izuku smiled and, before Bakugo could respond, he leveraged himself using Bakugo’s arm to get himself out of the way. He timed it almost perfectly, one of the wounded heroes around them flying in their direction and colliding with Bakugo harshly. They both tumbled away and Izuku took the opportunity to locate his knife, recover it and run.

As much as he wanted to fight the other boy (and he did, surprisingly), he had to find Stain first and foremost. They were stronger together. But when he went around the building he’d come out of, there was no one left in the alley. At least no one that mattered, Izuku thought, noticing three different figures on the ground but not recognizing any of them as Stain. He didn’t bother trying to find out if they were alive or not, instead looking around and searching for his mentor. Just as he caught of glimpse of red and white, he had to dodge a new barrage of fireballs courtesy of his old classmate. 

“Die, you piece of shit!” Bakugo yelled, and they were suddenly right back where they started. Izuku was far more wounded than the other boy, but he still managed to stay on his feet attack after attack. Both teens were landing as many hits as they were receiving, burns and stab wounds aplenty in both their bodies, but they both refused to stand down.

Izuku blocked out the noise around them, only focusing on Kacchan. The other boy was livid, but he still maintained perfect control over his movements and attacks. He’d always been like that, no matter how much things got an emotional reaction out of him, he’d always be able to function under pressure.

But that makes two of us now, Izuku thought coldly. He refused to give in. The sight of Stain striking down one of the two heroes going after him was enough to light a fire in his chest. He knew what Stain would do in his place, he was certain of it. 

His knife felt incredibly light in his hand and he squared his shoulders. The pain from the burns and the wounds on his body subsided, and the world around him slowed ever so slightly.

The next explosion seemed to go off a second too late because Izuku had more than enough time to get out of the way and swing his knife to make the tiniest of cuts on Bakugo’s side. The same thing happened over and over, with Bakugo hitting Izuku multiple times but never knocking him down until the blonde was dripping blood from a multitude of small cuts.

Izuku couldn’t feel it at that time, but the burns on his body were big at this point. His skin was irritated in some areas and covered in blisters in others, his constant movement only making them worse. He also couldn’t know this, but Bakugo was aiming for those wounded places over and over again in the hopes that the other boy would eventually pass out from shock.

But Izuku just wouldn’t go down. Not even when a barrier of ice threatened to swallow him whole in an instant, the wall separating Bakugo and Izuku momentarily after they both jumped out of the way in time. He could hear Bakugo on the other side, insulting some unseen figure for having intervened.

There was a boy (another classmate, maybe?) standing where the ice came from, red and white hair glowing in the light of the fire. Izuku stared, eyes wide like plates. But he wasn’t looking at the other boy. No. He was focused on the towering figure beside him.

Endeavor. The number two hero in all of Japan. He was right there, surrounded in his own set of flames and he was staring daggers into Izuku.

There was no way that Izuku could fight him, he knew that much. The man was too strong and the teen was wounded.

But thankfully Stain appeared just then, the last hero that had been going after him nowhere in sight. Red eyes met green and mentor and student nodded at one another. Stain had his eyes squarely on Endeavor, a clear bloodlust emanating from him, and the hero soon turned his attention to the other man rather than the teen.

Just in time, because the ice barrier cracked under the force of one of Bakugo’s explosions. The blonde flew out from the smoke and came at Izuku at top speed, tackling the other boy and tumbling a good distance before they both stopped bouncing on the pavement. They separated quickly, both assessing their situations.

Izuku’s side hurt horribly, his burn marks raw from skidding against the ground. But Bakugo hadn’t gotten away unscathed. From where he was, Izuku could see the blood cascading down the other boy’s hand and it didn’t take much to realize that the blonde was now missing his right ring finger and half of his pinkie; He’d collided with Izuku’s blade with enough force to amputate his own fingers. It looked nasty, the edges ragged and a small piece of flesh dangling off, and Izuku half smirked.

The irony of Bakugo hurting himself beyond repair just to attack Izuku didn’t slip past him.

“You idiot,” Bakugo hissed, ignoring his wounds, “you think you can win like this, against heroes?! You’re nothing!”

Izuku clenched his knife in his hand. He’d heard such things for almost ten years and he’d never had anything to respond. Every time Kacchan struck him down, a small part of him had agreed with his childhood friend. He did feel worthless most of the time. His lack of quirk had defied him for so long and the worst part of him had always told him that Bakugo was right.

He had been a waste. He’d been useless, and pathetic and weak. He’d been all those things and even less, at some point.

But not anymore.

“What heroes?” Izuku spat back, his smirk growing with every word. “The dead ones on the ground already? Or are you talking about yourself, Kacchan?”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Bakugo barked, going in for a kick. Izuku received it, hugged the leg, and stabbed the other boy right on the thigh. They separated again, circling each other like dogs.

“Tell me, are you here because you knew I was with Stain?” Izuku asked, eyes narrowed. Bakugo scoffed, lunging back at Izuku with an absurd amount of force. Once more, they exchanged fresh wounds before circling the other again, the boys revolving exclusively around the other.

“You just wanna kill me with your own hands?! Or did you just miss your punching bag?” Izuku continued. Bakugo’s shoulders were tense in a way that Izuku had never seen before.

“You’re full of shit, Deku!” The other teen scoffed, “You talked so big just to become a fucking villain.”

“What about you, Kacchan?” Izuku asked, dodging a punch, opening a deep gash in Bakugo’s arm, and getting the skin on his shoulder blasted with fire. “You’re gonna stand here and pretend to be a hero?”

“I don’t need to pretend,” The other responded, a familiar hint of smugness in his voice.

“You?!” Izuku laughed, this time going for the attack first. A new burn and new stab. “The one that tormented me for years? The one that told me to jump off a roof?! Say, Kacchan, did you tell your classmates proudly that you told me to just kill myself because I was quirkless? No, you wouldn’t. Because then everyone would know what I’ve known for years.”

For the first time since they met, Izuku saw Bakugo hesitate. The boy had been about to jump and fight again, but he stopped after barely moving an inch. It was brief, but it was there.

“I might be nothing, but you’re no fucking hero,” Izuku said, meaning every syllable from the bottom of his heart. Izuku made a move forward but was forced to jump back when another pillar of ice rushed past him. 

He lost sight of Bakugo, but a tower of fire somewhere else caught his eye. Stain was fighting Endeavor, and it didn’t look like it was going all that great. Much like himself, Stain had a big burn on his back, and he was mostly just defending at this point. Other heroes were focusing on the three monstrosities destroying Hosu, trusting that the number two heor could manage and going after the creatures, but it would only be a matter of time before they came back to help.

Izuku tried to step towards his teacher, but his leg buckled under him. He caught himself before he fell, but he was finally forced to assess the damage done to his body. He was covered in wounds, cuts, and burns of different degrees. The skin in his stomach looked red and consumed, and the lack of pain told him that the burn was truly serious. 

He noticed that more than one place in his body felt numb, and he immediately felt like he couldn’t move. He was still looking in Stain’s direction when a thick layer of ice engulfed his leg, leaving him pinned where he was. Suddenly he became uncomfortably aware of the fact that Endeavor was much closer to him than Stain, icy blue eyes focused solely on Izuku now.

Shit, was all Izuku could think.

The next few seconds were a blur that Izuku was unable to fully process. Just as the ice was crawling up his leg, threatening to imprison him entirely, he saw Bakugo’s familiar form jumping over the wall of ice just as Endeavor was rushing forward. The ice boy tried to stop Bakugo, probably noticing that both fire heroes were about to collide in their attempt to reach Izuku, but he was unable to do anything.

The first hit came from Endeavor himself, fire engulfing Izuku’s side painfully along with a blow straight to the ribs. But that wasn’t the bad part. Oh no. The truly finishing blow came from Bakugo, who hadn’t noticed Endeavor (or had pointedly not given a shit) until it was too late and ended up hitting Izuku full force in the exact same place as the pro hero. In retrospect, he probably did it on purpose.

The result was a Hollywood tier explosion that destroyed the ice around Izuku and sent the teen flying a good sixty feet and into a parked, partially destroyed car. Izuku flipped over the top, glass scratching at his stomach, and landed in a heap on the other side. His clothes, hair, and skin were actually smoking, and the new glass wounds started to paint a puddle of blood under him.

All eyes were on his unmoving form, waiting, but there was not even a rise and fall to his chest anymore. No one said a word, but the same thought crossed everyone’s mind:

Midoriya Izuku had just died.

Stain held himself up in a relatively high regard. He had to if he wanted to act upon his beliefs without hesitation or doubt. He didn’t think that he, the individual, was all that impressive but he felt worthy by simply carrying out his philosophy. He tried with all his might to hold himself by the belief that he was just the messenger of an incredibly important message, and thus he tried to distance himself emotionally from what he did.

Of course, he got satisfaction out of his work and he felt pride whenever he added a new target to his long list of hits, but he attempted to keep his emotions out of it. He never stayed longer than he had to, he took down his opponents in as few blows as possible, and he never bragged about what he did. He tried to not make it personal.

But something odd happened after Endeavor and the other two kids attacked Izuku. He could feel it in his chest, far more physical than it felt mental, when the boy’s body tumbled to the ground like a broken doll.

Something snapped inside him.

He jumped into action with his usual speed, but somehow twice the impulse. Of course, Endeavor was the one to try to stop him first, the other two boys apparently still shocked at the sight of Izuku’s body, but what had once been an even fight now felt like a joke.

Stain used all of his weight and agility to throw the hero off balance, not giving a damn about the burns he might receive, and landing a generous katana slice to the hero’s torso. The pro wouldn’t go down that easily, but for once Stain didn’t care about how long it took. He half wished that the hero would take hours to kill, just so he could keep cutting him. He went as far as to not use his quirk on the pro, feeling dissatisfied with that option at the moment.

He landed next to the blonde boy he’d seen fighting against his protegee, the one he assumed used to dedicate his free time to antagonize and persecute Izuku before they met. It didn’t take a genius to see that whatever deal that kid had, he’d decided to take it out on Izuku personally. 

Endeavor used his quirk to force Stain to jump back, the hero placing himself between the killer and the teens as a sort of shield.

Fucking sham, Stain thought.

“You would really go after children, Hero Killer?” The man told him and had Stain been close enough, he would have decapitated the other were he stood.

“And you would dare pretend you didn’t just kill a child yourself?” Stain bit back, poison dripping from his lips, “You’re the worst type of scum I’ve ever encountered.”

Both boys behind Endeavor seemed to flinch at the mention of Izuku, but Stain could see right through it. They were only worried that word would get out that they killed someone, a matter that was strictly prohibited to heroes. They didn’t care about Izuku, or about what they’d put him through, they only cared about themselves. So young, and yet already rotten to the core.

Endeavor tensed, ready for a fight, and Stain straightened his back.

“Come on, then. Attack me! I’ll kill every single one of you right now, you fake. Death is too good for you lot, but I’ll deliver it gladly to you and to every other fucking imposter that crosses my path. I will swim in blood if I have to! So try to get me!” Stain's voice was rough, his pupils tiny dots in a sea of red. He looked wild.

Both boys looked terrified and even Endeavor seemed taken aback by just how enraged Stain was. If auras could kill, the three people in front of Stain would be choking to death right as he spoke. He took a steady step forward, calculating his next move carefully. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t waste his time on these three.

A small part of him needed to make sure if Izuku was truly dead.

He lunged forward, katana in one hand and a large knife in the other, which he immediately threw and replaced with another blade. He avoided both fire and ice effortlessly, his speed unmatched by the two youngsters and the wounded hero.

The first one to go down was Endeavor himself. He stayed at the front of his pack, but the ridiculous ice structures that one of the boys continued to make gave Stain a barrage of blind spots to use. The first two knives hadn’t brought down the pro hero, but the sliced off leg sure did. His body landed with a wet sound, but Stain wasted no time in licking his katana to make sure that the sham would stay down. He was done playing games.

Ice suddenly stopped coming at him and Stain noticed with a bit of surprise that one of the boys had fallen on his knees, a completely lost expression on his face. When he threw a knife at him, it was the blonde boy that stopped the blade from killing the other one.

He heard one of the boys yell at the other to ‘snap out of it’ but it was already too late. The second throwing knife met its target, digging into the paralyzed boy’s shoulder and sending him flying backward. He made no attempt to avoid the projectile and he was under Stain’s boot in a matter of seconds.

That only left the blonde one. And Stain was almost glad that that was the case.

The teen pitifully tried to defend himself, a forced look of defiance in his eyes, but Stain had him on the ground after just a moment, a knife sticking out of his leg and the katana dug deeply in his unharmed hand to keep him in place. Stain noticed the missing digits on the other hand and smiled almost proudly.

“I see Izuku got you, huh?” He asked maliciously, the boy somehow keeping that defiant scowl on his face. Stain wanted to rip it right off.

“You know, you’re the type of person that had me start my job in the first place,” Stain added, twisting the katana slowly on the teen’s hand and relishing on the vile sound of bones being forced out of place. The boy grunted under him but he was either too smart or too scared to open his mouth. Stain couldn’t care less about which one it was.

“You’re just the perfect target. So just die already.”

With that, Stain slashed the boy across the stomach, the deep wound leaving very little to the imagination of just what the kid was made of; skin, bone, and blood. He stood there for only a second, took a deep breath, and then sternly made his way towards his student while ignoring the sorry gasps from the blonde.

It was just as bad as he’d feared, but also worse somehow. 

Izuku was face down on the concrete, tiny pieces of glass sticking out of his uncovered arm and back. His skin was an angry red, the places not covered in scratches brandishing terrible burns. His left arm and side were the worst, Stain certain that he could almost see the muscle in some spots.

It was bad. They’d utterly destroyed the kid.

And yet, Stain thought as he crouched next to the boy, he put up one hell of a fight.

He reached for the boy’s neck, two fingers searching for something he didn’t expect to find. And then he froze. 

“You stubborn bastard,” Stain almost laughed, cherishing the weak pulse that pushed against his fingers defiantly. He briefly wondered if the kid would ever stop surprising him. Stain didn’t care how or why, but Izuku was still alive and that was all that mattered at the moment.

Under other circumstances, he would have taken the time to make sure that Izuku was in a stable enough condition to be moved, but there was no time to lose and so he used the kid’s scarf as well as his own to immobilize the boy’s neck as best as he could. The other heroes had gone after the weird villains from before and, with Hosu falling apart, he guessed that a man carrying a kid on his back would be par for the course, so he carried Izuku away from the scene.

He walked down some alleys and fast as he dared, worried that too much movement would end up killing the kid. He saw an immeasurable amount of people coming and going, many hurt and most panicked but he paid them no mind. He didn’t care about any of them.

They arrived back at their hiding place half an hour before sunrise, and it was here that Stain took the time to assess his student’s current state. He was beaten to hell and back, but the shaky rise and fall of his chest was a clear indication that he was still clinging to life. Stain felt an odd mix of pride and worry stir in his chest, but he pushed it aside forcefully. He had to act fast. They needed to get out of Hosu, but he had to clean Izuku’s wounds before they left.

The killer spent the next hour disinfecting cuts with alcohol, picking out shards of glass, cleaning burns with water, and moving Izuku’s extremities little by little to see if anything was broken. Thankfully, only the boy’s left hand cracked when he twisted the wrist, but he was otherwise miraculously in one piece. His nose was broken too, maybe even his cheekbone, but those could wait. The cuts weren’t deep enough to damage either arteries or nerves and only a few of them required pressure to stop bleeding.

The worst part were definitely the burns.

They were all over the teen’s skin, making him look almost like a map of sorts. One burn on his stomach, one in his left shoulder, and a huge one on his side were all third-degree burns and the rest varied from first to second. Only the one on his side, the one that the two shams had given him, was worryingly deep.

But he was breathing. He flinched slightly at the alcohol and he even grunted from time to time.

He’s alive. Stain felt relief flood his system and he pushed away his mask to run a hand down his face. He stayed where he was, crouched next to the teen’s limp body, for a long moment. Urgency to leave was tugging at his chest, but he found himself needing a minute to just stare at Izuku’s chest to make sure it hadn’t stopped moving.

This kid had followed him around Japan for almost a year now. At first, he’d only seen the opportunity to mold a young, promising mind towards his way of thinking, he’d seen the boy as a sort of back up plan or successor if he ever got caught. But the boy had slowly grown on him, first as a companion and now…

Now what? Stain wondered, his shoulders shaking for the briefest of moments. As much as it clashed with his way of life, he truly did care for the boy. He cared a lot more than he was comfortable admitting.

He couldn’t waste any more time like this. He gathered their things hastily, giving Izuku one last careful look before he stepped out of the tiny house momentarily. The sun was already making it’s way up the sky when Stain returned in an old vehicle he’d hotwired, the license plates belonging to a totally different car he’d found abandoned a few blocks away.

He swiftly threw their things in the car, placed Izuku in the back seat, and removed his mask so he could drive without calling too much attention upon himself, only half-covering his nose. He hadn’t driven in over seven years, but he knew how to do it and by the time the sky was blue, they were already driving away towards the only relatively safe place that Stain could think of.

Chapter Text

The world faded into existence ever so often, no sense of time helping Izuku to discern how far apart events were taking place from one another. He could feel the ground beneath him almost vibrating at one moment, and the next there could be something wet wrapped around his torso. He saw lights, heard voices, but nothing seemed to really register in his mind. There was a numbing sensation all over his body which was only ever interrupted by a slight pang of pain in his side, but even that felt oddly distant.

But he was calm somehow. He could remember very little of what had happened and he wasn’t even sure if he was with someone or alone, but his mind seemed to shut off to protect him for the time being and he was fine with that.

He just enjoyed the sunlight that sometimes passed over his eyes and the wet patches that would make contact with his skin also felt really nice. Unbeknownst to him, most of his peace had to do with both shock and pain medication, but he was tranquil all the same.

Stain, not so much.

The drive to their destination was less than five hours on a good day, but this was anything but. The highway was no problem, no one would have the time to focus on them, but in more crowded places they were forced to go down smaller streets to avoid getting stuck in traffic. God only knew what would happen if someone either recognized Stain or saw the horrible condition Izuku was in.

If it weren’t for the fact that the burns had to stay covered, the boy’s wounds would have been in full display for the world to see. Stain had stopped the car outside of Tokyo and had gotten everything he knew he would need to deal with all their injuries; he was not risking even a single burn getting infected.

God, I’m starting to sound like the kid , Stain thought, giving the passed out teen a glace in the rearview mirror. He hadn’t moved in almost an hour, not since Stain had changed his bandages and given him water. Even in that brief look, the man could see the dark circles under Izuku’s eyes. He looked like a freaking raccoon if you asked him.

Stain knew how to deal with burns, it wasn’t his first time in this type of situation, but he still worried slightly for the teen behind him. Thankfully the worst burns turned out to not be as extensive as he had originally thought, if only by a little. With some luck, the kid wouldn’t die on him.

He frowned, pushing that thought away. If he had learned to expect anything from the Izuku it was that the kid was too obstinate to just die unceremoniously. 

He’ll pull through.

Half an hour later, Izuku awoke from a dream and stirred in the backseat, mumbling incoherently for a few seconds before he gained the slightest bit of sense. He had his legs and part of his waist awkwardly wrapped in the seatbelts to prevent him from falling in case anything happened, and he weakly struggled against the binds.

He turned his face to the side, looking for something but finding nothing.

“... Stain? ” The boy rasped quietly, barely above a whisper.

“What is it, kid?” Stain responded, giving the boy another glance in the mirror.

“What… why…?”

“It’s alright, you’re ok.”

Stain feared for a second that the boy would freak out in his confusion, but Izuku just squinted at his mentor for a good minute in silence before,

“You have a driver’s license?” The teen asked innocently and Stain actually snorted and smiled. 

Yeah, the kid would be fine.

For the following two hours of driving, Izuku slipped in and out of consciousness repeatedly. He would wake, say something that rarely related to their situation at hand, and then pass out again. Of the few things that Stain could make out, Izuku spoke about homework, the weather, a cat, and about the music on the radio. That last one was a tad bit worrying since the radio had been off the entire trip, but Stain knew that of all hallucinations to have, that one wasn’t terrible.

In truth, Izuku had practically no idea of what was going on around him and so he just ranted quietly to himself in an attempt to make himself known while he was awake. He didn’t really notice at the time, but it was subconsciously important for him to make sure that Stain wouldn’t forget about him being in the back seat. Stain didn’t really have any way of forgetting the teen in the tiny car, but that didn’t really register.

It just made him feel better to make himself known, for once.

Izuku could feel the car turning ever so often, the speed lowering considerably for the last thirty or so minutes before the car came to a total halt. He woke up a bit more when Stain lifted him out of the car gently and carried him down a small path. Izuku could see the car, the old paint peeling off, and he could see a brick house with an iron gate.

There was a wooden sign on the front gate, old and rotten but still readable and Izuku fixated on it in his drowsiness until he was close enough to make out the word.

“Akaguro?” He said quietly, like he recognized the name but didn’t know from where.

“What?” Stain asked and Izuku made a small quizzical noise. The older man saw the sign as he walked past it, closing the gate behind them.

“Oh, that thing. I didn’t bother changing anything after my parents died.”

“What?” Izuku asked, sounding legitimately confused for a second before something clicked in his mind slowly.

“You have a house?” The teen asked once they were inside, looking around at the space but not really able to memorize much of it in his loopy condition. He could tell the place was relatively big and it seemed to be furnished if the soft surface he was laid down upon was any indication.

“I do,” Stain answered simply, staying just enough to make sure that Izuku wouldn’t fall off the couch before he turned back towards the front door. “I’ll be back. Don’t move.”

Izuku nodded even if Stain couldn’t see and he did such a good job at not moving that he was sound asleep when his mentor returned about an hour later from abandoning the car in some deserted street with the windows rolled down just to assure that it would get robbed of everything it was worth.

When the door shut behind Stain, Izuku’s eyes fluttered open. He was unable to identify the figure that approached him.

“Mom?” He sounded like his throat had been rubbed with sandpaper.

“It’s me. I’m back.”

“...Dad?”

Stain just stood where he was, having no answer to that particular word but feeling an odd urge to get out of the house immediately. 

He’s just confused, the man told himself, taking a deep breath and half forcing himself closer to the kid to check on his burns.

“Try again.”

Izuku squinted, pupils dilated and skin pale, but there was no apparent recognition for a long moment. And then, when Stain turned a certain way, Izuku smiled softly.

“Stain, you’re back.”

“I am.” Stain answered simply, blinking at the kid’s expression. He looked completely out of it. 

“Stain?” The kid started, furrowing his brows lightly even if his smile didn’t leave his face, “What happened?”

“...What do you remember?” The man asked cautiously. 

“I… We were in Hosu. You spoke to the League and then… I think I’m making stuff up in my head.” The boy said gently, sounding confused.

“Why?”

“I think I saw Kacchan?” Izuku let out a tiny laugh, which sounded like a pitiful croak, at his own words. That just couldn’t be, could it?

“Blonde, loud, explosive?” Stain asked, sighing when the teen nodded hesitantly.

“Your memory is fine. He was there.”

“What?!” Izuku attempted to sit up but Stain’s firm hold kept him in place.

“Calm down. Tell me what you remember.”

“I…” Izuku swallowed, his tiny smile replaced by a hesitant expression. His memories were muddied and mixed like he was trying to look at a picture through some dense fog. He blinked, trying to find a spot on the ceiling to focus on and settling on a little dark stain to his right.

“Ingenium’s brother was there. He wanted to kill you. And then… Kacchan arrived. And then more heroes. The League attacked Hosu, right?”

Stain nodded and he continued.

“I remember fire. Lots of it. And then I… I fought Kacchan.”

The last part was a tiny whisper and green eyes met red ones in a desperate search for confirmation. Stain took a moment to look at Izuku before he responded that yes, they did fight.

“Did… Stain, did I kill him?” Izuku sounded conflicted and afraid and for half a second Stain worried about the reaction before Izuku added: “I can’t remember and I don’t like that. I just wanna know.”

Stain sighed, taking off the last of the old bandages on Izuku’s body.

“I killed him.” Stain said bluntly, gaging the boy’s expression. There was a moment of shock, followed by denial and then shock again. In Izuku’s mind, the idea of someone getting the upper hand on his old childhood friend was almost impossible. The image just couldn’t form in his head but he knew his mentor wouldn’t lie about something like that. But then, what was this weird memory he had?

“Did I hurt anyone? I remember something, kinda, but it’s fuzzy.”

“You cut off the blonde’s fingers.”

There was another long silence after the frank answer and Izuku had to blink a few times.

“I… what?”

“What did you call him? Kacchan? Yeah, you sliced part of his hand clean off.” Stain gave his student an almost cheeky smile, “Not too shabby, kid.”

“I… I cut off…” Izuku trailed off, his eyes wide and focused solely on Stain’s face. His mentor still had that dumb grin on his face and almost without consent Izuku mirrored the expression. His brows were furrowed, almost like he couldn’t believe what he himself had done. But the more he thought about it, the clearer the memory became. He really had done that, hadn’t he? Given, Bakugo had all but impaled himself on the knife but Izuku had still aimed it directly at the blonde.

“Holy shit.” The teen said, a nervous giggle escaping his lips. He might have been wrong, but he could have sworn that we could feel pride swelling inside him.

“Yeah. Endeavor had to jump in to attack you. Kid was just as hurt as you when you went down.” Stain said encouragingly, making Izuku smile more calmly.

“Guess that explains the burns I don’t remember,” the teen said, closing his eyes calmly for a moment. Stain chuckled, but then got very serious all of a sudden.

“You’re lucky you didn’t die.”

“I know. If it were for Kacchan, I would be scattered all over Hosu in tiny, crispy pieces.” Izuku half-joked, opening his eyes to gaze at his teacher with a look that said he wasn’t actually joking at all. It was painful to admit, but he couldn’t deny that Kacchan hated him with every fiber of his being. Stain gave a small shrug, opening his cooler and taking out everything he would need to clean and treat Izuku’s wounds.

“Well, he’s gone now.”

“Yeah. He is…” And then after a long moment of silence, Izuku’s side tensed. Stain looked at him, guessing he’d hurt the kid, but the teen just looked at him with eyes wide as plates.

“Stain, oh God, you killed the winner of U.A’s sports festival,” Izuku whispered harshly, realization dawning on him. This would be absolutely everywhere on the news, the U.A. would suffer massively, the school wou-

“I also killed Endeavor, so that’s a win-win.”

“You WHAT?!”

Izuku slept until the next morning and now that he was much more aware of both his surroundings and himself, he wasn’t as calm as he’d been before. 

A lot of his skin itched and stung painfully, the way it does when you stay out in the sun for too long, and even the smallest of movements sent a rippling effect all throughout his body. It was draining to have to focus on not letting his hands scratch his skin for even half a second and most of the time he found himself wrapping his hands with his scarf just to stop himself.

He still had some blisters here and there, some having opened and some going down on their own, and those were incredibly uncomfortable as well.

The least bothersome parts of his body were that ones that worried him the most since the burning had been severe enough to get his nerves. On one side, it was nice to not feel pain in those areas, but on the other, he was really paranoid about how they would heal in the long run.

The rest of his body ached all over constantly, even with the strong pain medications Stain had gotten for him, and he didn’t even want to know how he would be feeling without the drugs. His nose and wrist hurt the most, expected since they were both broken, and he just couldn’t find a comfortable position to stay in.

The first few days, Izuku couldn’t even stand on his own. Stain had to help him with pretty much everything and, had this taken place earlier in their trip, the teen might have felt too ashamed to even face his mentor. But they fell into a silent understanding that, if either of them ever had the real need for care, the other would give it, and that was that. There was no discussion needed, no excessive feelings of embarrassment, no nagging. Stain changed Izuku’s bandages often, cleaned his wounds, gave him food, and helped the teen move around when he needed to.

The burn on Stain’s back hadn’t been a big deal after all and so the man needed almost no time before he was back to 100%. But Izuku’s healing took weeks. He spent most of his time sitting at an uncomfortable angle that left most of his burns untouched by the surfaces around him, but it was still painful to just exist at the time.

His only distraction, though it wasn’t a very relaxing one, was the news. 

What had occurred in Hosu became the talk of the town, and you couldn’t really find a radio station that wouldn’t discuss the matter in between playing songs. Everyone and their mother had an opinion on what had happened and everyone was extremely vocal about it.

Thirty-four people died in Hosu that night, over a hundred finding themselves injured in some way. At the scene where Izuku and Stain had fought, there had been eight people found in plain sight, all heroes in some regard, and another four civilians found under all the rubble of fallen buildings and turned over cars.

The eight found first had been hero students from U.A. Iida Tenya, Todoroki Shoto, and Bakugo Katsuki, along with pro heroes Endeavor, Manual, The Fly, Native and Deadnite. Of those, three had been found dead and one had died on his way to the hospital. The kicker?

The fight had been recorded by multiple people from all types of angles and distances. They didn’t have a TV, but the papers did a good job of describing the scene that, by now, had been watched by every single person in all of Japan.

Most clips began when most of the street was already on fire, the three villains (which turned out to be people from the League of Villains) were starting to destroy Hosu, attacking pedestrians and crushing the first few heroes that arrived at the scene. With all the chaos already started, most phones were already pointing in their direction when Izuku and Stain made their way onto the scene.

Paper after paper posted multiple screenshots from some of the clearer looking videos, and Izuku had been completely shocked. He couldn’t have imagined just how hellish the whole thing had been. He’d seen himself almost as a stranger, his fight with Bakugo and who he now knew was Endeavor’s son unmissed by the cameras. They looked unrecognizable in the pixelated pictures, but it was them alright.

He also read about how Stain had killed first Manual back in the alley, then Deadnite, and finally Bakugo and Endeavor. As it tends to happen in the sight of tragedies, people had kept recording until the last possible moment, and the image of Stain standing tall at the end of it all became viral in all types of media. It was surreal, in a way. He read about Stain leaving with Izuku on his back and how, a few minutes later, paramedics had arrived and taken the survivors with them.

Endeavor was still breathing when the ambulance arrived, but he had died en route to the hospital because most first responders with healing quirks were out on the streets helping civilians.

For the most part, all events had been written properly and the videos and photos pretty much described themselves, but there was one big thing that was wrong: Izuku was assumed dead by the general public and the authorities. 

And that little mistake changed everything.

It had always been a taboo for heroes to kill either criminals and villains. That’s what supposedly made them different from the bad guys: they did things without casualties. But in the eyes of the world, two heroes in training and one of the most important heroes in the country had miscalculated their actions and that had resulted not only on the escape of the Hero Killer, but in the death of two children.

People were pretty much rioting about the whole ordeal because of Kacchan and him and things started to fall down like domino pieces in front of everyone’s eyes. The U.A itself was the first one to get hit, mobs of reporters outside its doors demanding an answer. All of the students involved in the incident had been in Tokyo as a part of their first-year studies, and to the public that meant that the school was responsible for what had happened to them.

The school made a statement, which Izuku and Stain listened to on the radio, in which they took full responsibility for the safety of their students. They reported that Iida and Todoroki were both alive and in hospital, and they apologized thoroughly about their inability to protect the three students involved. Izuku wasn’t surprised when it was made public that the boys had all been from the same class, but that made matters much worse in the public’s eyes.

Had the boys gotten together to attempt something dangerous? Had they been aided by their tutors or did they act on their own? Why had Ingenium’s brother been allowed to go to Hosu so soon after his brother’s attack? Where had Freefall, the hero in charge of Bakugo’s safety, been the whole time? How on Earth had Stain been able to kill four people in an area that had been all but crawling with heroes at the time?

The U.A took full responsibility for the accident, but they too seemed at a loss at to what had happened. They could all imagine why Iida had been there, but only Izuku and Stain knew why Bakugo had gotten involved in the fight in the first place.

Things didn’t look great for the school, or for anyone that was in the slightest connected to the Hosu attack for that matter.

Izuku’s mother was on the news now more than ever, but for the first few weeks, she didn’t do much. She was pointedly waiting for Izuku’s body to be found amongst the wreckage, but there was no such solace for her. Her lawyer gave a brief statement in her name, in which they stated that they would not declare the teen dead until there was any physical evidence on his demise, and in the pictures that paparazzi snapped of her she just looked tired and angry.

She’d spent almost an entire year begging for all heroes to please bring her son back home safely, and now she was facing the probability that her son’s murder at the hand of heroes would be online forever. She looked betrayed by pretty much everyone at this point, but she was getting an immense amount of people on her side because of what had happened, including Bakugo’s own parents.

Izuku and Stain spoke about any new developments each night, right before going to sleep, and they both agreed that Hosu seemed to be the beginning of a new era for heroes. Or, in the very least, for heroism as a line of employment. People that had once been looked up to were being harshly criticized and none of them were expected to continue charging what they did for their “heroism” anymore. 

Izuku had been optimistic, but Stain not so much.

“This isn’t the first time that innocents die because of heroes, kid,” Stain had told him one night while they each sat on one of the old couches in the living room, “They always find a way out of it. Besides, they think we were attacking Hosu with the League, so that won’t help our cause.”

Stain sounded bitter at the mention of the group of villains but, as the days went on, the media kept their focus on the heroes and on the U.A, and Izuku noticed that Stain looked the tiniest bit satisfied. For once, people were questioning their ‘perfect little system’ and that was good, in Stain’s humble opinion. 

Izuku was a little more focused on his wounds, though. He still kept up with everything and his mentor and he rarely had anything different to talk about, but he still found himself spacing out ever so often while he stared at the skin of his stomach. Even with the cleaning and the creams they applied to the wounds, the skin had scrunched up awkwardly in the areas. It looked shiny, dark, and stretched out, like what little tissue he’d had left had fought to cover his body once again.

The pain went down a little with each passing day and by the second week, the teen could get up by himself and walk around the ground floor of the house, though he had to wait till after the fifth week to risk wandering up the stairs.

It was odd thinking that the place belonged to his mentor and most of the time he even forgot about it, but the thought always came front and center whenever he looked around the rooms. Just like Stain had told him, he hadn’t done anything to the place in over fifteen years, the furniture old and dusty but in general good condition.

The two tended to stay down in the living room, where they had the kitchen and a bathroom as well as a small library and a work-study. Izuku spent a few days looking through books and digging through drawers, but only when Stain was out of the house at first. He knew how reluctant his teacher was to speak about his past, and so he didn’t want to be found sneaking around. 

Stain tended to leave for a few hours every few days to keep buying the things they needed in multiple different places, not wanting to risk making a big purchase in any pharmacy and risk looking suspicious, and that gave Izuku some time to investigate the place.

The library had a bunch of books but most of them had been about law, and so the teen ignored them for the most part. He focused on the desk on one side of the room, and he spent a few days going through letters and notebooks, scanning handwritten notes, and looking at the few pictures that were in display in the room.

There was only one of Stain with his parents and it wasn’t hard to see the resemblance. His mother had long brown hair and small eyes, while his father had severe red irises and black hair. They seemed nice enough, smiling in the photo with a rather young looking Stain in between them, each parent with a hand on one of Stain’s shoulders.

They all looked happy, normal, and the fact that the house itself seemed to be frozen in time only worked to give Izuku a weird sense of nostalgia that he didn’t feel belonged to him. He mentioned nothing of his findings, going through the office and finding mostly similar things and finally making his way upstairs after over a month of wondering just what was beyond those dirty steps.

There was a small painting room, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms, though one seemed to be a guest room, no personal objects anywhere to be found. The bedrooms had a bunch of clothes (some his size, though he didn’t dare try them on), books, and other personal trinkets such as watches, pictures, and other nicks and nacks.

The painting room was the one with the best natural lighting in the whole house and the walls were filled with canvases of all sizes, all depicting different types of flowers and birds. The brushes and other art supplies, all of them still in their place and ready to serve, were covered in a thick layer of dust and some of the colors in the paintings had faded because of the sunlight.

It was in this small, pastel-colored room, that Izuku started to leaf through the albums he’d found on their eighth week there, in one of the closets in the hall.

It was like looking through a window to another dimension. He found wedding photos from Stain’s parents and marveled at how genuinely happy they both looked in their formal wear, surrounded by family. He saw an unending amount of pictures of family vacations, of when Stain was a tiny child, of birthday parties and Christmases, and his mentor was smiling widely in all of them. It was so bizarre, seeing those bright red eyes filled with nothing other than joy and innocence and Izuku wondered if that’s what he’d looked like a year ago. They looked like a completely normal family, untouched yet by tragedy and still blind to the unfair world around them, and Izuku found himself fascinated by everything he saw.

Stain was taking much longer than usual to come back and Izuku spent his time on the ground surrounded by albums of different sizes and colors, until sunset. It wasn’t until Izuku awoke to the door open and the albums stacked away that he knew he’d been caught snooping, and he sheepishly made his way downstairs to apologize. But Stain didn’t really let him, speaking first.

“Tell me something, kid,” Stain started, the small black mask he used to go outside hanging off his neck, “Just humor me for a second.”

Izuku nodded, sitting on the couch when he was signaled to and staying quiet. Stain gave him a long sideways glance before speaking again, his voice steady and soft.

“Imagine you never met me. Where would you be right now? What would you have done with your life?”

“I…” Izuku hesitated, not having expected such a question. One of his hands instinctively reached to touch his burnt side while he thought.

“I’d be home, I guess.”

“And?”

“I’d be in high school right now. I used to get good grades, so I guess I’d be able to get into anything that didn’t involve a hero program. I don’t know what I would like to study later on, though.”

“And then?” Stain asked, his eyes trained on Izuku’s expression. There was a sad smile on the teen’s face.

“I’d get a job at some regular place. Maybe some office job you know? I’d move out of my mother’s place and get my own, I’d save up some money. I’d… I’d have a normal life, I suppose.” The kid said gently, an odd tone in his voice. But then he laughed quietly and looked Stain dead in the eye before adding:

“And then I think I would just wish to die for a while until I actually did.”

“What?” Stain asked, brows furrowed. He even turned his body to face Izuku better and the teen felt a sudden rush of heat in his cheeks that made him laugh even more.

“I’ve thought about this before, and I never get really far. I see myself not doing any of the things I wanted, how my lack of quirk would keep me from everything I’d ever dreamed of while everyone around me moved on to accomplish those same dreams. I’d see my old classmates on TV, I’d see their merch every time I went home from work and I… Every time I try to map out my life in that way, I get to maybe twenty-five or something and then I see nothing. I think that’s how far I’d last. Maybe a little less, if Kacchan had stuck around, who knows.”

There was a long silence in the room after that, both of them taking in every word and every implication of what Izuku had just said. It sounded bleak and horrible, but Izuku had always known that that scenario would be his life eventually. He’d pushed with all his might against that image, he’d kept on writing notebooks and analyzing quirks and saying he wanted to apply to U.A, but a part of him had done it to escape the inevitable. He briefly remembered the dreams he had about his school’s rooftop and a familiar ache settled in his chest.

He secretly never actually expected to get to his thirties, but he’d never admitted that in front of anyone else. Hell, he had never even put those thoughts into words before this very instant in fear that uttering them would seal them as fate. But now the words had left his lips and he smiled softly at the realization that the idea couldn’t hurt him anymore.

“Do you prefer this?” Stain asked motioning with a hand around himself and Izuku touched his wounded shoulder this time.

“I do. I really do.” And then Izuku gave his mentor a look that reflected nothing but gratitude and admiration and some other genuine emotion that Stain was not quite yet ready to process, “Thank you for this, Stain. For everything.”

His teacher gave him a long look before closing his eyes, leaning back on the couch with a soft smile on his lips.

“You really are hopeless, you know?”

Izuku chuckled at that, closing his own eyes.

“Yeah, I know.”

Chapter Text

Had they had access to someone with a healing quirk, Izuku and Stain would have been able to get back to work soon after the attack in Hosu but as they were, they were forced to stay in the same house for a good three months and a half. In that time, Izuku’s shoulder and stomach did all the healing they could do and only the teen’s side remained slightly raw in a few spots. The skin all over his body had odd lumps and grooves, but it wasn’t anything that Izuku couldn’t live with.

Much worse than the irregular scars all over his body was the fact that the skin that had healed seemed to have lost a good deal of elasticity, and now Izuku had to compensate for the lack of movement on one side of his torso. The teen was doing everything he could to take care of himself and bring his body back to its full potential, but he knew that things would never be quite the same. But that was fine.

In all truth, Izuku felt oddly optimistic about this whole process. Be it denial or simple hope, he believed that once he got better and got to training again, he’d be able to join Stain on his patrols as usual. His teacher was also a collage of wounds and scars and that didn’t seem to hold him back in the slightest, so he tried not to worry more than necessary. 

They were using their radio so much that they had to get a new pack of batteries and the news just kept coming. It was like Hosu had opened pandora’s box, in a way, and every day there was something new.

The U.A had closed its doors until, in the least, their next semester and the principal and one teacher had resigned effective immediately. There was no way for the school to keep going if the principal stayed, so that made sense. But Izuku did wonder which teacher had left. Maybe Kacchan’s own?

There were also rumors that a good number of students were reaching out to other schools looking for a transfer, and it was suspected that at least a third of the U.A’s students would be gone before classes restarted. It was almost surreal to see the best hero school in all of Japan starting to crumble under the weight of the public opinion, but it was happening.

His mother and Kacchan’s parents had also made a few public appearances, in which apparently they were gathering support and resources to flat out sue the U.A for what had happened in Hosu, and Iida’s parents had apparently joined in to do the same.

Izuku wasn’t completely sure about how he felt with Bakugo’s and Iida’s parents standing side by side with his own mother since in all reality he and Stain were the reason that the blonde had died. Maybe the other teen had confessed to his desire for revenge, but Izuku doubted that Kacchan had told anyone that he’d been looking for him specifically. Maybe the fact that Izuku was supposedly dead as well somehow made things even?

The only information available on the two surviving teens came from gossip channels and such, and apparently Iida had been transferred to a second hospital after his physical wounds had healed, and Izuku took notice that this new place was mostly known for its high-class psychiatric ward. It made sense, after everything that had happened, and Izuku honestly hoped that the other boy would reflect on himself and change for the better.

The other boy, Endeavor’s own son, had been released from hospital after a few days and had gone home to his family. Apparently he hadn’t been spotted in a good while and a leaked report said that Todoroki was one of the few that hadn’t reached out to other hero schools yet. It was also said that the boy did not attend his own father’s funeral, as he wasn’t seen with his two siblings, but the reasons were unknown.

The rest of the U.A’s staff was being scrutinized by everyone and every day some type of dirt would come out on at least one teacher. Their romantic affairs, shady family lives, addictions, and pasts were suddenly everyone’s business and Izuku couldn’t help but feel surprised. There was rarely anything truly bad said about them, but the public wanted them all to give official statements about everything.

Not even All Might, who had started to make less and less public appearances as time went on, was able to escape the crossfire. After all, if a student had died right where the hero worked, then who was safe anymore?

Stain seemed displeased with the last development, but he said nothing much on the matter.

And then there was the League. They soon became the talk of the town, especially since some people believed that Stain and Izuku had been part of their attack on Hosu. There were pictures of them everywhere, descriptions and speculations aplenty, but no one seemed to be able to find them.

They made a few small appearances while Izuku healed from his wounds, and it was clear that they intended to keep making small hits to make everyone nervous. And it was working.

Just in three months, they attacked a mall, two hero agencies, and two train stations. They got there, caused as much chaos as they could in a few minutes, and then left without a trace. Everyone was becoming paranoid.

“They seem more organized,” Stain had commented at one point, but he kept the rest of his opinion to himself. He seemed reluctant to even give the League a nice thought, much less a proper compliment. But it was true, that they were far more direct and coordinated now than before in Hosu. Back there, all the villains had gotten caught eventually but now no one could come close to even capturing a single member of the League.

Izuku was just thinking about the League one afternoon while he looked through Stain’s old clothes lazily. Most of his own clothes had been rendered unwearable after Hosu and Stain had suggested that maybe some of his old stuff would fit the teen.

“You sure?” Izuku had asked that afternoon, right before Stain headed out to get them some food.

“They’re probably dusty as hell, but if something works for you then you can keep it.”

“Thank you,” The teen had said cheerfully walking past Stain and getting his hair slightly ruffled on the way. It was brief and Stain was gone before Izuku could think too much about it, but the kid smiled brightly.

Stain’s old room was rather plain for what had been a fifteen-year-old. The walls were a light gray, the bed small, and the desk in the corner pretty much empty. There were almost no books, no pictures, no decorations, just the minimal things that one would need. The closet and the wardrobe were no different, most clothes simple and functional and only in a range of dark colors. All but one shirt that Izuku knew he just had to keep, the bright yellow fabric catching his eye immediately.

He tried on pants, shirts, sweaters, and even some fancier looking coats just to pass the time, moving slow to be able to change without upsetting the wound on his side. He didn’t need a light source to see how the clothes looked, only caring about whether they were comfortable or not and putting back anything he didn’t like in the dark. He was sure that the house had power (it had running water and gas, after all) but he didn’t want to risk someone outside seeing the lights on in the otherwise abandoned house.

Stain had told him that he came back to the house ever so often to spend the night when he was traveling, so it was in their best interest to not alert the neighbors to their presence. Apparently most of the money that his parents had left him was used to pay for the house, but since he was never here then the bills were relatively cheap and the bank paid for them automatically every month.

It was weird to think that, if his mentor ever wished to, he could come back here and just start up a normal life without any issues. But Izuku couldn’t imagine Stain ever wishing for something like that. It was just nice to have a little safe place for themselves.

The room was completely dark, just like it had been for hours, when Izuku put on a black hoodie over his yellow shirt. He’d taken a few changes of clothes and folded then on the bed to take them downstairs, putting everything else back where it belonged carefully. He shook his selected clothes vigorously to get the dust off, the clouds making him cough. 

Fifteen years of dust is a lot of dust.

He took his new clothes in his arms, his old ones at the top of the pile, and he made his way downstairs quietly. He gave his old hoodie an almost tearful goodbye before he tossed it in the trash bag they had in the corner and then he settled down on the couch with the battery radio on his stomach.

He switched it on and listened to whatever random thing caught his attention, be it music or the news. The announcer of one of the stations informed Izuku that it was 11:34 pm, but Izuku didn’t really pay it no mind. 

It was 1 in the morning when Izuku hummed along to some tunes but he still didn’t really worry.

It was 3:45 am when Izuku’s stomach growled, the radio on the coffee table as Izuku’s leg bounced up and down.

At 5:11, Izuku was peeking through the window of the house, noticing how the sky started to get the slightest bit lighter in color.

When the announcer finally told Izuku ‘good morning!’ at 7:30, the teen was pacing back and forth anxiously with the radio in his hands, changing from news channel to news channel.

He was outright panicking at this point. Stain had been gone for over twelve hours and there was nothing that would justify such a long time outside in their current situation. There were no targets, no patrolling, no nothing. He’d left for food for crying out loud, this wasn’t normal.

Something was wrong and Izuku just knew it.

“Come on, come on,” Izuku whispered, looking at the front door as if with will alone he’d be able to summon his mentor. But nothing happened so Izuku kept on pacing and pulling his hair, murmuring half baked excuses as to why Stain was taking so long.

Maybe he ran into some hero? Maybe someone recognized him? Maybe there’d been an accident somewhere? What was it, what could it even be?

He made his way into the kitchen, filled a glass with water, and downed it greedily before pouring another one. His hands were shaking and his breathing was labored, but he didn’t want to have a panic attack when he didn’t know if Stain was safe or not so he started to inhale and exhale slowly. His eyes were closed and most of his focus was on his emotions but that didn’t keep him from hearing the noise in the living room.

He left the glass in the counter and bolted out of the kitchen, Stain’s name on the tip of his tongue and relief flooding through his veins when-

“Pardon the intrusion, Midoriya Izuku,” Came the deep voice, a portal of black smoke blocking the entrance to the house and a pair of yellow eyes looking right at him, “But it is imperative that you come with us.”

Fuck.

Izuku could see his knife on the coffee table, just a few feet away from him, and he dived in to get it. Just as he stretched his hand to take it though, a small blade struck the table and forced Izuku to move his arm to the side. The blade still cut him a bit and the sight of blood was followed by a high pitched giggle.

“You’re even cuter up close, Midoriya-kun!” 

A girl about Izuku’s age stepped out of the portal, a set of small blades held between her fingers. She was smiling widely and Izuku immediately got an off feeling about her. She was followed by another two figures, a young man with scarred skin stapled to his face and another man with green scales and pink hair.

Izuku examined all of them, the portal shrinking into the shape of a man, and he was very aware that he was grossly outnumbered and unarmed.

“What do you want?” Izuku asked carefully.

“We came to pick you up!” the girl answered cheerfully and Izuku narrowed his eyes.

“How did you find this place?”

“The communication device we gave you serves as a tracker,” The one with dark hair answered, his voice a gentle monotone, “but we’ve been keeping an eye on you regardless.”

“Come on, we have to go!” The girl added, motioning for Izuku to come towards them. But the teen wasn’t moving even an inch, his mind going a mile a second to come up with some sort of plan. Was Stain not here because the League had taken him earlier?

“Where’s Stain?” Izuku asked and this time it was the reptile looking man that answered.

“He got caught hours ago. The police are on their way here right now to get you as well.”

Izuku drew a blank, his body tensing on its own. 

“What?” Izuku half-whispered. No. No, that couldn’t be it. That wasn’t possible. Was it?

“Scratch that, they’re here.” The other man said, his bright blue eyes peeking through a tiny space between the curtains, “We gotta go.”

“Come on!” The girl beckoned, the portal once again opening behind her. She was happy beyond belief, her cheeks flushed and her eyes squinting in enjoyment.

But Izuku felt like he was rooted to the spot, his mind unable to process the information he’d just been told. If Stain were to be caught then that would be all over the news, right? He was the Hero Killer, everyone knew him.

Unless they didn’t want you to run as soon as you heard, Izuku thought bitterly. Had he been sitting in this house while his mentor got ambushed and captured? 

“Midoriya Izuku, you have to come with us,” the portal spoke with a hint of urgency, the girl bouncing on her feet and the pink-haired individual joining the other man by the window.

“Why?” Izuku asked, now vaguely aware of a noise coming from the roof of the house. Was that the police? Heroes? They were running out of time and even he knew that.

“You wanna get arrested?” The one with the patches of dark skin asked, making his way towards the front door casually. 

“Stain would be angry if we let you get caught,” The reptile added, his eyes flashing as he reached behind his back to take a hold of the large item between his shoulders. A weapon, no doubt.

Izuku was just about to speak, but just then he heard footsteps upstairs. They were out of time, but the League looked anything but frazzled. The girl even looked excited. The first to move was the one with the monotone, as he simply cracked open the door and let out a wall of blue fire big enough to engulf the whole front yard and even part of the street. Izuku flinched at the raw power.

Next, the girl and the green-skinned man jumped forward, the girl grabbing Izuku by the arm and the man crushing the wall that led to the stairs with a ridiculous bouquet of swords and knives. The wall was blasted to smithereens and the officers on the other side were all sent flying. This was followed by a blast of blue flames and Izuku could hear people screaming horribly.

“Let’s go!” The girl told Izuku happily, all but clinging to his side as the ground beneath them seemed to disappear. They sank onto the floor, a black portal under them, and Izuku briefly noticed that the rest of the League seemed to be disappearing in a similar fashion. He thought about the house, about his things, Stain’s own things, but the ground had swallowed him before he could say anything.

The feeling of being warped was brief but unsettling, the air feeling cold and thick. But the ground was back under his feet after a second and Izuku took a panicked look around himself. He was in a bar, it would seem, the wooden interior giving it a fancy look. There were even more people in here and he immediately recognized the pale blue hair of the person sitting at the bar. Well, he recognized the hair and the multitude of hands on his body.

Speaking of hands, the girl from before was still clinging to Izuku’s side like he was a teddy bear and Izuku blushed slightly even in these circumstances.

“How did it go?” The man at the bar asked, his attention on a card pyramid he was currently finishing.

“The police got there just as we did but they couldn’t do anything.” The reptile answered, the assortment of blades still in his hand.

“We got Midoriya!” The girl chimed in eagerly, shaking Izuku around in her arms.

“That’s him? He’s a lot smaller than I thought he would be! It’s a pleasure to meet you! ” One of the new figures said, his masked face offering no information about how he looked. Besides him, there were another four people in the bar, most of them looking at Izuku curiously from where they were.

“I’m sure they told you, but Stain has been captured.” The man at the bar said, his red eyes gleaming from behind the hand covering his face. As if to reinforce his point, the TV behind him turned on.

Izuku took a few steps forward, the girl next to him letting him go but staying close. The news were reporting about the arrest of the Hero Killer and Izuku almost felt his knees buckling under him. They were also telling people to call the authorities if they saw Izuku, but that wasn’t what got him.

He could see the video of Stain in quirk-suppressing bindings, his hair down, and part of his clothes covered in blood. Was it his own? Was he hurt? Apparently a team of pro heroes, including Hawks, Best Jeanist, and Edgeshot had taken part in the ambush to finally capture the Hero Killer. They were calling Stain by his real name now.

This isn’t happening, Izuku thought, his mind spinning. He ran his hand through his hair and he realized he was shaking.

“He got ambushed, but they kept it silent while they investigated who he was. Once they had his name they found the house. They expected to get you all alone.” The lizard person said, a clear tone of anger in his voice. When Izuku looked at him he saw a frustration with which he identified. Just then he noticed that this other man was pretty much wearing a copy of Stain’s own clothes, bandana and all.

“There were nine heroes involved in his arrest,” one of the new people, one with a mask and a top hat, added, “As impressive as the Hero Killer’s abilities are, there was no way for him to win against so many pros. They hurt him pretty bad just to make sure he wouldn’t escape later on.”

Izuku let out a shaky breath. He felt faint.

He didn’t notice that the leader of the League was looking at him until he spoke.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I have to go rescue him,” Izuku answered without a second thought, getting a nod from the reptile.

“All by yourself?” The leader asked, leaning back on the bar, “You don’t even know where he is. And he’d probably be surrounded by heroes. If you make even the tiniest mistake then it’s game over.”

“I can’t just…” Izuku clenched his fists with an absurd sense of determination filling him, “I have to. He’d do the same for me.”

The man smiled behind his mask and he leaned forward to look at Izuku in the eye.

“I have a deal for you, kid.”

Izuku narrowed his eyes, aware that he was being watched by every single person in the room. He remembered what Stain had told him after he met the League the first time, that these people were scum and deserved to be eliminated just as much as the pro heroes they targeted. He had to be careful.

“It is in our best interest to keep Stain out of jail for now and a few of my allies are willing to lend you their aid in rescuing your mentor.” At that, the three people that had gone to help Izuku earlier stepped forward, all of them nodding briefly. The other four stayed where they were and the portal man remained behind the bar.

“If you joined us, you’d get the help you need.”

“You said our best interest. What do you get out of it?” Izuku asked cautiously. It seemed too good to be true, but now the fact that they had gone to help him escape from the police made sense. They wanted something from him.

“We get the Hero Killer on our side, for one,” the man answered, his tone both serious and relaxed somehow, “And if his apprentice joins our organization then more people are sure to come.”

“Is that it?” Izuku asked.

“For now, yes,” the other answered with a wicked smile and Izuku immediately wanted to say no. Stain didn’t want anything to do with the League of Villains, Izuku knew that perfectly. And it seemed that, if Izuku joined, he’d be signing a pact with the devil. They might never let him go. He didn’t know what the villains’ purpose was in the long run, but he knew that they liked harming innocents and he didn’t like that.

Everyone around him had been a part of the recent attacks in public places and he knew that Stain frowned upon those.

But this man was right. There was no way Izuku would be able to save Stain on his own. He didn’t know where the man was or how big the window of time to rescue him would be. He couldn’t waste any time in trying to figure out where Stain was and he needed a plan. He needed help, like it or not.

Izuku stared the man down, trying to channel Stain to figure out what his mentor would do.

“What’s your objective?” Izuku finally asked, “what do you want to accomplish with the League of Villains?”

The man hummed, looking at the people in the room for a second before answering slowly. His voice had this tired quality to it like he hadn’t slept in days.

“Depends on who here you ask.”

Izuku looked at the people around him. Three of the four people that he didn’t know yet were looking at him, the fourth one rocking back and forth very gently in his seat, and they all looked willing to answer questions. But that wouldn’t do.

“You’re the leader, right? I’m asking you.” Izuku narrowed his eyes, his stance tense.

“I want to expose how fragile the current idea of ‘justice’ is. It’s annoying how everyone smiles because they think heroes will save them all. I want to prove them wrong. I want a world where All Might’s smile fades.” The man smiled, shrugging with one shoulder.

Izuku stared at him for a long moment but the man’s smile didn’t falter. Could it be that the League’s conviction tied back to All Might? Did they really want to accomplish something?

“And then? After you do that?”

“We build anew. We come out of the shadows and we finally get to live.” Came the response and the rest of the League focused their eyes on their leader. It wasn’t hard to see that they all agreed with the sentiment to some extent and Izuku could only wonder what had brought all of these people together. Did they all really feel like they had to fight the system to be seen?

Well, that sounds familiar, Izuku thought briefly. The three people that had gone to save him, the ones that were willing to help him get Stain back, were all young-looking. None of them could be over twenty-five, and the girl, in particular, seemed to be about Izuku’s age. He wondered if the four of them had anything else in common, but shook his head to focus.

What would Stain think? Would he approve of the League’s new apparent conviction? The similarity between what they were doing was there, but the outcome was different.

Stain wanted people to notice that heroism should never be done to get a monetary gain, but the league wanted the whole system to collapse so people like them could step into the light. Were they doing it for themselves or for the people that were like them? Were they fighting for the ones that couldn’t? Would they ever stop destroying the world around them? Was there such a thing as satisfaction for the man in front of him?

“So?” The man asked expectantly, “We’re wasting time here. Are you joining or not?”

Izuku glanced at the people around him. He could see the anticipation and even excitement in the eyes looking back at him, but he was still hesitant.

If he tied himself down to the League, Stain would be angry for sure. Could he even agree to a deal without Stain’s consent? For all he knew, his mentor would just say he didn’t agree to be a part of the organization and then Izuku had no idea what could happen. He couldn’t see Stain following a single order given by the blue-haired man and he could already see someone dying in this very bar a few days from now.

But then, was he just supposed to let Stain end up in Tartarus or in death row? He didn’t know which one was worse and he felt his hands shaking slightly. What would Stain prefer? Would he rather go down and never be able to act upon his beliefs again or would he prefer acting with people he didn’t like or agree with?

What was he supposed to do?

“What happens if I join? Will you help Stain get back to what he was doing?”

“We won’t intervene with his work, as long as he stays with us. He’ll have to help with some things, but that’s expected from a partnership, right?” The man said while the girl next to Izuku squealed in delight. She had a lot of energy, didn’t she?

Izuku bit his lip hard, his eyes going from the ground to the people around him. He had to make a choice. He thought about his mentor spending the rest of his days in a tiny cell and he suddenly knew what he was going to answer. Stain might hate him for it, but he just had to.

“Fine. I’m in.”

The girl jumped towards Izuku and wrapped him in a tight embrace, the other members looking rather pleased with the response. The teen found himself blushing again at how close this girl was, but he tried to keep his composure. The leader of the group smiled widely.

“It’s a deal then. Before you get to play hero, though, you have to help us with a little mission.”

“What about Stain?” Izuku asked gravely, but the man just waved him off. The man behind the bar answered for him.

“We have the Hero Killer located. After the ambush, he was taken to a hospital to take care of his wounds before he’s taken to Tartarus. His injuries are severe enough to warrant a week-long stay in the hospital, so we have time to plan things before we go get him.”

He’s hurt, Izuku thought bitterly. He just wanted his teacher back.

“Besides, we have to make sure that you’re a good addition to our ranks. Your teacher was rather rude the last time he was here, so I have to make sure we can trust you,” the leader said, giving Izuku a somewhat distrusting look. It was fair since Stain had stabbed the man during their first meeting, but Izuku wasn’t happy about it. He had to prove himself?

“What’s the mission, then?” Izuku asked and the leader took a small picture from the bar and showed it to the teen. He knew the person in the photo.

“We want you to help us kidnap Todoroki Shoto.”

Chapter Text

“This will be your room, for now,” Kurogiri told Izuku, opening a wooden door and showing the teen inside. The space was tiny, but it was private and that was all Izuku could hope for at the time, “We’ll be heading out in a few hours.”

“Thanks, um… Yeah, thank you.” Izuku told the other man, stepping into the room and letting Kurogiri close the door behind him. He’d been briefly introduced to the League downstairs, but he didn’t know much about anyone except for their names.

They probably don’t care, Izuku thought as he flopped down on the bed. He had no idea just how he could even talk to the other members of the League. He’d never been great with new people anyways, so he closed his eyes and told himself to sleep a little before the mission.

But, for better or for worse, there was a knock at his door.

The door was open before he had a chance to say anything, and he could see a very happy Toga already walking towards him. She’d been the most thrilled out of everyone to have him here, so he wasn’t that surprised.

“Toga! I- uh, what are you… doing here?” He all but squeaked, sitting up and pressing himself against the wall as Toga flopped down on the center of the bed, bouncing excitedly as she crossed her legs.

“I just wanted to talk to you! You just came upstairs so fast, you didn’t give us the chance to speak!” She gave him a playful pout and he responded with a nervous chuckle. She really was too much.

“O-ok. Um, what do you wanna t-”

“How bad were your injuries after Hosu?” She interrupted, her eyes shining, “The videos didn’t really show but you looked really bad. Do you have any scars? Can I see them?” She was like a child, making the mattress move under her as she got close, and Izuku looked around like a cornered animal. There wasn’t even a window to jump out of.

“I, uh, Toga, wait!”

“Let him breathe, you crazy girl.” Izuku turned towards the door, the sight of Dabi and Spinner in the doorway almost bringing tears to his eyes. He was saved, thank God. Toga didn’t look too happy about the new visitors.

“What do you want?” She asked, her tone suddenly cold. Izuku didn’t know which side of her he feared the most, to be honest.

“We want to talk to him, too.” The burnt man said plainly, stepping into the room and taking a seat on the only chair available. Spinner simply leaned against the wall, not coming as close to Izuku as the other two had but still looking at the teen with intense eyes.

“Wait your turn!” Toga said, her demeanor switching back to that of a love-struck teenager. She clung to Izuku’s sleeve, but the other two made no move to leave. She stuck out her tongue.

Izuku cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

“So, um… What do you need?” Izuku tried meekly, hoping that the atmosphere would clear if they talked. Maybe if he answered their questions, they’d let him sleep for a while.

“You’ve been traveling with Stain for a year now, right?” Dabi stated, and Izuku nodded, “How did you two meet?”

Izuku hesitated, unsure of how to start. He had no idea of how much these people knew about him, though he suspected they knew a lot more than he’d like. He looked at the three figures in his room, all of them with curious and expectant faces, and he finally sighed.

“We crossed paths when he attacked his first target in Musutafu, and then again a few days later. We talked.”

“About?”

“... His beliefs. His work.” Izuku said after a while. He wasn’t ready to share all of the things they’d spoken about back then. Dabi narrowed his eyes, but it was Toga who spoke next.

“What’s he like in person?!” She pulled at his sleeve and Izuku laughed nervously. Spinner looked very interested in the answer.

“Stain? He’s… serious. Focused. Incredibly passionate about everything he does. He’s a great teacher, he’s honest, he…” Izuku coughed, suddenly embarrassed at how he was sounding. He was ranting. Dammit. But none of the others seemed to mind so he quietly added, “He’s incredible.”

“Why did he let you join him?” Spinner asked, his tone surprisingly curious. He didn’t sound like he doubted Stain’s logic and Izuku took that as a positive.

“I… I don’t know that well, to be honest. I think he saw that I believed in him and that I was willing to act upon that belief.” It was odd, speaking about his relationship with his mentor in this way. He didn’t feel good enough to really share all of his thoughts and feelings, but a small part of him saw something familiar in the people around him. At least, in the three in this room.

“You didn’t kill anyone in Hosu. Have you killed before?” Dabi asked, his monotone making the question sound weird. It was almost like he was asking about the weather. Izuku swallowed, aware of the looks they were all giving him.

Should he lie? Would that get him anywhere? He had nothing to prove to these people at the end of the day, but he was unsure of how they would react. If he said yes, would they ask for details? Would they test him later to see if he really had taken a life before? He held Dabi’s gaze steadily, even forgetting about Toga clinging to his side for a few moments while he thought.

“No. I haven’t.”

They all looked genuinely surprised, though they showed it in different ways. Spinner raised his brows and even stepped closer, Dabi crossed his arms and Toga loudly asked how that was possible.

“In a whole year not even one person?” She asked, like the idea itself wasn’t compatible with life. That was a little worrisome, but Izuku decided to not judge her too much for now.

“There’s been no need. I’m more of a support, I guess.”

“He never asked you to kill anyone? A target? Some random person?” Dabi asked and Izuku tensed slightly.

“He’d never attack a random individual just to test me like that. That’d go against everything he believes in.” He sounded defensive and everyone noticed, but they didn’t comment on it.

“Well, what about a hero?” Spinner tried, looking slightly uncomfortable. He didn’t seem like the confrontational type, at least when it came to talking.

“It’s not like we didn’t talk about it, or that I didn’t want to. It just never happened.”

There was a short silence amongst them, and Izuku looked down at his hand in deep thought. He’d been ready to kill back in Hosu and maybe if Endeavor and Kacchan hadn’t ganged up on him like that, he might have been able to kill his old friend. The idea didn’t shake him anymore and that spoke volumes to him.

Slowly but surely, he’d changed drastically from how he used to be.

“What did you think of Endeavor?” Dabi asked, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts. The teen’s mind was suddenly flooded with memories of fire and blood.

“Me? He was powerful, strong. But he always looked so… angry, didn’t he? Like he hated even the people that he was helping. Nothing like All Might.”

“And Stain?”

“Oh, Stain hated him. He considered killing him a win.” Dabi loudly chuckled at that, seeming amused with the response, and Izuku smiled briefly. 

All the people in his room looked in the very least satisfied with what Izuku had said so far and that put him at ease. He hadn’t known what to expect of the League at first, but these three seemed approachable enough. Izuku guessed it’d be ok to ask some things of his own.

“Why did you all join the League?” He asked, eyes shifting between the three individuals. He didn’t expect them all to answer ‘Stain’ at the exact same time, almost like they practiced beforehand. Izuku blinked.

“Wait, really?”

“After Hosu, everyone knew that you guys were with the League. We wanted to meet him.” Spinner explained with the first smile Izuku had ever seen on him. He seemed to be the quiet type.

“Him and you!” Toga added, beaming as she held onto Izuku. She’d been glued to his side for so long that he was almost getting used to it. Almost.

“He’s inspired a lot of people. We want to turn his ideals into a reality.” Dabi finished, tilting his head with a small smirk. They all looked genuine and happy, and Izuku found himself liking that. These people were a lot more like him than he expected.

“And the rest of the League?”

“They don’t really care,” Dabi shrugged, “Most of them just want to wreak havoc or kill whoever they want. They want freedom.”

Izuku frowned slightly. There were seven people downstairs and, assuming that all of the League had been present when Izuku arrived, that was over two thirds of the total members that apparently only wanted to destroy whatever they pleased. Izuku could already imagine Stain’s expression, how disgusted he would be when he found out that he’d have to work with people like that.

He’s gonna kill all of them as soon as he gets the chance, Izuku thought bleakly. He glanced at the people around him, knowing that he couldn’t even hint at the fact that Stain might turn against the League as soon as he was free. If Shigaraki suspected anything, they wouldn’t rescue Stain to begin with. So he kept his mouth shut.

Thankfully, Toga spoke up next, her cheerful voice distracting Izuku a little bit.

“So, what’s your blood type?”

The plan was relatively simple. Kurogiri would warp them in, they would divide in pairs to search for Todoroki and whoever found him first would report to the rest. The League had been keeping an eye on the Todoroki family ever since the incident on Hosu and they knew who came in and out of the house on a regular basis.

Cops had been keeping patrol the first few weeks, and apparently pro hero Hawks came to visit every couple of days now. The two older brothers of the family went out some times, but not too much. The only real worry at the moment was the possible appearance of the newly assigned number 2 hero, but he was currently on the other side of the city apprehending some bank robbers. This was their shot.

And, if anyone arrived unannounced, Kurogiri would bring in Moonfish to help. Izuku was glad that the man wouldn’t join them in the mission, since he seemed the most psychotic member of the League.

They all walked through the black portal in silence, the other side opening to a small alley sandwiched between two stone walls. The area seemed to be residential, and Izuku guessed that the stone barriers protected two different houses. The sun was just setting and the teen sighed. He was feeling a lot more anxious than he’d like, the weight of the situation heavy on his shoulders.

He hadn’t trained properly in months and if anything went wrong, he might never see Stain again. If the man was moved to Tartarus, it would become impossible to rescue him. This had to go according to plan, no matter what. He had to work with all the people assigned to this task and make it work.

He’d been partnered up with Toga, Magne was with Spinner, Dabi with Mustard, and Mr. Compress was with Twice. Izuku hadn’t had the chance to speak to half of the people present, but he guessed he’d have time for that later. He had to trust them for now.

“I don’t like how I look in this.” Toga said, tugging at the neckpiece of her uniform. They’d all been given different things for the mission, ranging from gas masks for everyone, to complicated looking equipment for some. Toga and Mustard were the ones with the most elaborate outfits in the group, and the girl didn’t seem all that pleased.

“It’s to take advantage of your quirk. Stop complaining.” The youngest member of the group told her, the oxygen tanks on his back looking absurdly big on him. Izuku wondered how old Mustard was.

“I’m not complaining!” Toga responded, adjusting the equipment on her back, “I’m just saying. It’s not cute.”

“I think you look fine,” Magne told the girl with a supportive smile which Toga immediately returned. She then turned towards Izuku with an expectant look and the boy waved his hands in front of him.

“Yeah, you look good, Toga.” He offered hesitantly and Toga’s smile grew in size. Magne gave both of them a look but said nothing else.

“You all got your masks?” Dabi asked, to which everyone nodded, “Then put them on. Let’s do this quickly.”

Just as Twice was half complaining about the mask and half encouraging Mustard on his role in the plan, Spinner grabbed Izuku’s shoulder. His mask was shaped differently to accommodate his face, and Izuku would only barely see his eyes behind the goggles.

“Here. I know they gave you one at the bar but you can never have too many.”

Izuku was presented with a long serrated knife and a short sword, both shiny and sharp looking. The teen blinked, looking at Spinner for a good second until the other shrugged.

“I have a bunch and you left your things in that house, so...” 

Izuku perked up slightly, taking the blades and twisting them in his hands expertly. He immediately felt more at ease and smiled. He let out a long breath, the metal in his hand feeling like a little lifeline. The two of them hadn’t been paired up for the mission and Izuku was suddenly a little sad about it. In all truth, he liked Spinner so far.

“Thank you, Spinner.” Izuku thanked and Spinner gave him a thumbs up.

Toga was at Izuku’s side in an instant, her eyes sparkling even behind the goggles of the mask.

“I’m excited, are you?” She asked him and Izuku just nodded slightly. He still couldn’t get a proper read on the girl.

“Let us begin.” Compress said, and everyone started moving without another word. Mustard was the first one to jump over the stone wall, a pink-tinted gas emanating from his body already, and everyone else followed suit. 

The Todoroki household was absurdly big. Now that it only housed three people, the mansion looked more inconvenient than it did luxurious, the absurd amount of space and rooms probably unused all the time. But it was a nice house, with wooden finishes and a big courtyard in the middle.

Much like a smoke machine, the gas from Mustard’s quirk filled the area quickly. They only had to wait a few seconds before the atmosphere was thick with the fumes and by the time they followed the young boy into the house, it was even hard to see around them.

They split into the preassigned pairs, Dabi staying with Mustard in the central area of the house so that the gas would be the most effective. Toga and Izuku headed upstairs quietly.

He hadn’t noticed before, but Toga had a little bounce to her steps even at moments like this. He could see it as she walked up the stairs and down the hallway. They checked each room they came across but found them all empty. All but the last one in this part of the house.

The room was spacious and it had the same traditional style that the rest of the house had. On the ground, in between a lamp and a rustic looking chast, was a body. They approached the unknown person, Toga even leaning down to poke at them. It was a young woman, her white hair speckled with red strands, and she was already unconscious from the gas.

“She’s cute,” Toga said, poking the other girl on the cheek and giggling.

“How toxic is this gas, anyway?” 

“Mustard said it wasn’t lethal.” Toga shrugged. Izuku, just in case, checked for the girl’s pulse. Toga giggled again, leaning forward to look Izuku in the eye through both their masks.

“You care about people a lot, don’t you Midoriya? Even if you don’t know them?”

Izuku blinked. He couldn’t see Toga’s expression but her voice had a slight edge to it. Like she was going to laugh at any given second. 

“I suppose I do.”

“Why is that? I expected Stain’s successor to be far more vicious.” Toga stared at him as she balanced back and forth on her heels. Her voice was so innocent that Izuku hesitated for a good second. Was that an insult? Curiosity? An opinion? There was no way to know for sure.

Izuku checked the unconscious woman’s breathing one last time before he stood and Toga followed suit.

“She’s just a civilian. It’d be wrong to hurt her just to accomplish our mission; we’d be just like our targets if we acted like that.”

“Is that something Stain taught you?”

“Not quite,” Izuku sighed, giving Toga a sideways glance, “But it is an important part of his philosophy.”

Toga hummed in response, following Izuku as they made their way out of the room and down another hallway. They opened another door and came across a big gym and Toga was just about to say something when the ground beneath them shook.

It wasn’t strong enough to get them off balance, but Toga reached out for Izuku regardless and he instinctively held her arm. The trembling was followed by a sound that promised nothing but chaos in another part of the house and both teens immediately made their way towards the ruckus.

Izuku already knew what was happening as soon as he started seeing pillars on ice on the stairs, but he was still surprised at the scene that greeted him in the living room.

Todoroki Shoto was still awake somehow and he was currently shooting ice constructs in every direction that he could. Two very different Dabis were melting them as fast as he could, but Todoroki was quick. Magne was completely entrapped in ice on the ceiling and Twice’s leg was also trapped. Spinner was chipping away at the frozen prisons and Compress was nowhere to be seen.

“Just keep him busy, he’ll go down eventually!” Mustard said as he shot at some of the ice walls to get rid of them. The only reason he wasn’t shooting at Todoroki himself was because Shigaraki had asked for the teen to not be harmed during the mission.

Toga and Izuku immediately jumped in to take advantage of the element of surprise, but they had barely moved when an ice barrage came their way. Todoroki wasn’t even looking at them, but the attack effectively hit them both and sent them flying against a wall. This kid was strong.

Izuku hit not only the wall but some random piece of furniture that broke on impact. He got up as fast as he could and turned towards Toga, ignoring the pain on his burnt side.

“You oka-” He wasn’t even done with the question when he froze at the two things that greeted him. The first was the fact that Toga’s mask had been broken by the attack, the cracked piece of plastic laying on the ground a few feet away. The second was the absolute bloodlust shining in Toga’s eyes at the moment as she glared at Todoroki.

He couldn’t see it because Toga was covering her mouth, but she was smiling wickedly as she coughed.

She got to her feet, knife in hand, but she swayed to the side because of the gas she had already inhaled and Izuku caught her before she could fall. He took a deep breath, held it, and then removed his mask to put it over Toga’s own face. The crazed look in her eyes disappeared immediately and she instead looked at Izuku in surprise.

He said nothing, instead turning to look at Todoroki. The boy was struggling by now, his eyes unfocused and his attacks much weaker, and Izuku saw an opening. He rushed in, throwing one of his knives close enough to the other teen’s face that it made him turn towards Izuku in surprise. There was the briefest hint of recognition in the boy’s eyes before Izuku hit him in the stomach with the hilt of his sword, effectively knocking the air out of his lungs and making him inhale sharply.

“Y-you…” Todoroki half said, but his eyes soon rolled back in his head and he fell limply to the ground before he could finish that thought.

“He’s down.” He heard someone call behind him and all at once, the gas dissipated. Izuku allowed himself to breathe once more, a little surprised at how quick Mustard’s quirk could come and go.

Spinner finished freeing Twice’s leg from the ground and the two Dabis got to melting Magne out of her predicament and just then, Mr. Compress opened up a hole in one of the ice walls and walked through.

“He’s a flashy fighter, isn’t he?” Compress told Izuku as he walked up to the unconscious teen and touched him, the boy all but disappearing and apparently turning into a tiny, turquoise ball of glass.

“This should be easier to carry, don’t you think?” The man asked Izuku, clear satisfaction in his voice as he offered the surprised teen a small bow.

One Dabi was talking into the communication device in his ear, and Kurogiri was soon to appear at the scene. When Magne was freed from the ice, the Dabi that was helping her melted into mud and Izuku finally knew why there had been two Dabis to begin with. Twice’s quirk was incredibly powerful.

Izuku recovered his tossed knife and then turned towards Toga, who was leaning against the wall. She was standing and the mask was off, but she was breathing heavily and her cheeks were more flushed that usual. The gas was probably still in her system, Izuku thought as he approached her.

“Toga?” Izuku tried, unsure of whether the girl would want help or not. He had a lot of experience with people not accepting support and he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. But the girl smiled and reached for him, and Izuku immediately helped steady her as they walked towards the portal that Kurogiri opened for them.

She clung to him tightly, far more than she needed to be able to hold herself up, and she stayed like that even after they made their way back to the bar.

“What’s wrong with her?” Magne asked worriedly, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Her mask broke mid-fight and she inhaled some of the gas,” Izuku answered quietly, very aware of the shakiness in Toga’s breathing. He put the knife in his hand on the bar and used his now free hand to hold Toga better.

“Take her upstairs,” Shigaraki instructed, the marble that was Todoroki Shoto in the palm of his hand, “We need some space down here, so you should all go with them.”

Only Compress, Dabi, Kurogiri, and Shigaraki stayed at the bar and the rest of the team went upstairs. Magne and Spinner joined Izuku and Toga in his room, Twice and Mustard staying by the stairs to try and listen to what was going on downstairs.

Mustard assured them that the effects of the gas would pass naturally in a few hours since she’d only inhaled a small amount, but Izuku still laid her down in the bed so that she could rest.

“How do you feel?” Magne asked her, and Toga gave her a small smile.

“Tired. A little dizzy, too,” the girl giggled and then, almost as an afterthought, she added, “Maybe some blood would help.”

“Blood?” Izuku asked, not sure if he had heard properly. 

“My quirk allows me to turn blood into energy if I drink it,” Toga explained cheerfully, “And I can also turn into the person that the blood came from.”

“Do you really think that would help?” Magne asked and Toga nodded.

“I always get a small boost when I do that,” She had this innocent, puppy-like expression on her face, like the very thought of using her quirk made her feel better already. Izuku looked around at the other people in the room, but neither had anything to say or offer. Izuku gave the girl a long look, her hand clutching his shirt weakly, and he reached for one of the metal pieces of Toga’s outfit before he had any chance to really think about what he was doing.

“How does this work?” Izuku asked Toga, already rolling up his sleeve to stick the needle of the metal tube in his arm. 

“W-what are you doing?!” Spinner stammered, clearly freaking out about what Izuku was so nonchalantly doing, but Izuku just waved him off.

“She needs it.” Was the only answer, and Toga pulled herself into a sitting position with the widest smile Izuku had ever seen in his life. She was like a child at Christmas, her eyes sparkling as she told Izuku to just stab himself with the needle and that the machinery would do the rest on its own.

She put on her mask, a deep blush on her cheeks as Izuku plunged the needle right below the crook of his elbow easily. Blood went up the little plastic tube and towards Toga’s mask and the girl closed her eyes as she drank quietly.

It was bizarre to see her transform into Izuku, especially since she was still wearing her own clothes and a skirt, but Izuku found himself a lot more fascinated than he was uncomfortable. After a good minute, she opened her eyes and removed her mask, and Izuku removed the needle from his arm carefully.

“You’re insane,” Spinner murmured, eyes wide. 

“Such a gentleman,” Magne half-joked, and Izuku chuckled softly.

“How’s that?” Izuku asked Toga and she beamed as bright as the sun.

“A lot better! Thank you, Izuku-kun!” Izuku blushed slightly at the use of his first name, and Toga hugged him so tightly that he half thought one of his ribs was going to crack.

“You’re even better than I imagined you’d be,” She mumbled into his chest, and Izuku just softly pat her head as Stain tended to do with him. She wasn’t breathing as shallow anymore and the shaking of her body had gone down considerably, so at least he knew that the blood had genuinely helped her.

“How long are you going to be me?” Izuku asked her after a while, still trapped in her iron grip.

“As long as I can,” Toga answered sweetly, her ecstatic expression looking odd when it was on Izuku’s own face. He was almost sure that he had never smiled like that in his life. She was still clinging to him when, a while later, they started hearing a commotion downstairs.

There were screaming and crashing noises and Twice informed them that Todoroki was apparently very awake now and he was fiercely arguing with Shigaraki and Dabi at the moment. Compress had joined Twice by the stairs since he’d been asked to leave after he brought Todoroki back to his normal form, and not even he knew what they were talking about.

But the ruckus persisted for a long time, reaching its peak about forty minutes in and then going down considerably.

“He’s in quirk suppressing cuffs, so he can’t do much.” Compress said at one point, when they had heard something shattering downstairs. They all wanted to go see what was happening at the bar, but Toga had refused to let go of Izuku and so he couldn’t get closer to listen in.

They were alone in the room now and she was still clinging to him.

“How are you feeling? The effects of the gas should be going down by now.” Izuku told her, hoping that he might be able to convince her to let go by now.

“A lot better.” She answered in his voice, giving absolutely no signs of letting go anytime soon.

Izuku was just about to say that he had to go to the bathroom or something when he started hearing a bunch of voices coming closer to his room. Dabi appeared in the doorway, a frown appearing in his face at the sight of two Izukus cuddled up in the bed.

“Which one’s the real one?” He asked, and Izuku raised his hand quietly, “I need you downstairs.”

“Me? Why?”

“Just come with me,” Was all that Dabi said, and Izuku had to promise Toga that he’d be right back to get her to let go, even if it was very reluctantly. She even offered to come with him, but Dabi and Shigaraki, who was now up here as well, shot her down quickly.

Izuku followed the burnt young man down the stairs, and they stopped right in front of the door that led to the bar. Just then Izuku noticed that Dabi had an off expression on his face.

“What's wrong?” Izuku asked.

“Shoto wants to speak with you,” Dabi answered, the frown on his face deepening. 

Shoto? Izuku thought briefly, but the intense look that Dabi shot him was enough to stop his thoughts. He hadn’t known Dabi for too long (hell, he barely knew the guy) but he had only seen a bored, kind of aloof look in the other’s eyes up until now. This look, heavy with meaning and emotion, was a complete surprise to Izuku.

“He recognized you today. He knows you were at Hosu with Stain and he won’t say another word unless you’re there.”

“O-oh. Okay.” Izuku nodded, still unsure as to what was happening.

Dabi stared at him for a long moment and Izuku struggled to maintain eye contact. He was momentarily relieved when Dabi looked away to open the door, but he was filled with anxiety as soon as his eyes landed on Todoroki’s form.

He was tied to a chair next to the bar, the quirk suppressing bindings wrapped around his torso, and his eyes immediately landed on Izuku’s own. He couldn’t be sure from where he was, but he believed that the teen's eyes were red from crying, tear tracks still visible on his cheeks.

“Midoriya Izuku,” Todoroki said, and Izuku swallowed. 

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

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Chapter Text

You could probably cut the tension in the air with a knife if you tried. Even with the quirk suppressing restraints, Todoroki let out this extremely cold aura that couldn’t be ignored. Kurogiri finished picking up a broken glass near the bar and swiftly excused himself, leaving only Dabi, Todoroki, and Izuku behind.

Izuku attempted to keep eye contact with the boy in front of him, but he found himself shifting in the stool where he was sitting. Todoroki was just intense wasn’t he?

“Well,” Izuku started, giving Dabi a brief glance, “I’m here. So you can talk now, right?”

Todoroki just narrowed his eyes and Izuku cleared his throat.

“Y-you wanted me here, right? Did you want to-”

“You’re with the League,” Todoroki stated and Izuku nodded briefly.

“I am now.”

“Why?”

Izuku looked at Dabi once more, but the older boy just stared back expectantly. Todoroki had asked for him specifically, so he had to be careful about what he said. But, at the same time, what good would it be to lie? He owned the boy honesty after Hosu.

“I can’t rescue Stain on my own and they offered to help.”

Todoroki narrowed his eyes even more at the response, but Izuku just held the cold gaze.

“So you’d join a group of killers to get your mentor back?”

Izuku clenched his fists slightly, thinking of how Stain would react to this situation once they got him back. He couldn’t lie to himself and say that Stain would gladly join the League of Villains, because he knew that would never happen.

“If I have to be a part of the League for Stain’s work to get done, then yes.”

“You would kill innocents? That goes against everything you believe, doesn’t it? If you even believe that.”

“I didn’t say that,” Izuku bit back, perhaps a bit more bitterly than he meant “I would never harm anyone that wasn’t a target and neither would Stain.”

“Even if keeping that up meant Stain ending up in Tartarus?”

Well, that question stung. A lot.

He’d avoided thinking about that ever since he first arrived at the bar, not because he didn’t know the answer. No. It was because there was only one answer and he hated it. Izuku swallowed, feeling the familiar sting of tears in his eyes.

“Even if it meant never seeing Stain again, I wouldn’t do it.”

Todoroki gave him a long, careful look and Izuku took advantage of the silence to blink back the tears. Hopefully, the other two hadn’t noticed. Todoroki’s eyes shifted from Izuku to Dabi over and over, a calculated back and forth with no words.

Dabi was only looking at Todoroki and the glances they shared almost seemed to carry an entire conversation in them. Izuku wondered what had happened in the hour that they’d spoken without him.

“What does Stain mean to you?” Todoroki asked after minutes of silence.

Izuku frowned softly, looking at the question from various angles before saying anything. What was he supposed to say?

“He’s my teacher. My companion.”

“Is that it?”

“Why… Why is this relevant?” Izuku asked, confused. He even looked at Dabi to make sure that he was listening properly, but his elder didn’t even glance his way.

“Stain killed Bakugo and my old man back in Hosu,” Todoroki said and Izuku shook his head.

“They were targets, of course he wou-”

“No, he killed them after you got hurt. You didn’t see him. No one did except us three. After you got hit, when we thought you died, he went absolutely berserk.”

“What are you talking about?” Izuku asked, absolutely at a loss. He even got up from his stool and took a step towards Todoroki, which earned him a glance from Dabi that he didn’t see.

“He talked to Bakugo before he killed him. He called him the ‘perfect target’ and he mentioned you. I heard them. And he called Endeavor the ‘worst type of scum’ because he hurt you. And you want me to think he’s just your mentor?”

Izuku turned towards Dabi and the other was looking straight at him with a look that was similar to Todoroki’s. Izuku just stared at them wide-eyed, his mouth slightly agape. What in the world was happening right now? Why did he even care about his relationship with Stain in the first place? Was this because of Bakugo or Endeavor? Was Dabi in on it?

Izuku inhaled deeply and ran his hands through his hair.

“I… I don’t know! He’s like Endeavor was to you, probably, I…”

His next words died in his mouth. Dabi let out the most sarcastic laugh Izuku had ever heard, and Todoroki actually glared at Izuku for the first time since they met. He looked absolutely offended.

“Of all the things you could say…” Dabi murmured.

“That man was nothing but a monster towards me and my family,” Todorki all but hissed and Izuku was taken aback by the raw hatred in his voice, “He was everything I ever hated about the hero world and he was the type of man I would never want be like. Is that what Stain was to you?”

Izuku blinked. He looked at the other boy, the watering of his eyes unmissable. He suddenly couldn’t find his own voice, so he just shook his head quietly.

“How is it that a serial killer shows more concern for his successor than a pro hero ever did for his own children? How is it that Endeavor dies a hero when he never even-”

And then his voice hitched and Todoroki bit his lip without another word. Izuku looked at him in utter shock, half expecting the other boy to break down crying on the spot. But the teen didn’t as much as shake, his eyes burning holes into Izuku when he lifted his head again. The look was more than enough to get Izuku back on his seat and the green-haired teen was talking before he even knew what he was saying.

“Stain took me in when I had nothing else. He showed me what my life could be and the meaning that I could bring into the world,” He swallowed, giving Todoroki the most genuine look that he could muster, “So I… No, I don’t just see him as my teacher. It started that way, but...”

“Then what?” Came the hoarse whisper.

Izuku looked down at his hands for a long moment. This wasn’t the conversation he thought he’d have when he came downstairs.

He was suddenly flooded with a tidal wave of memories and emotions of the last year of his life, everything he’d seen and learned and done. He felt his eyes watering again and he instinctively rubbed his arm on his face. He didn’t care about these two seeing him cry at the moment, but the tears didn’t fall. Izuku sighed and looked Todoroki straight in the eye.

“He’s my family. He’s the man I’m willing to follow to hell and back.”

The sincerity in Izuku’s voice was practically palpable and that seemed to be the thing that Todoroki wanted to hear in the end, since he made no attempt to ask anything else for a long while. Unbeknownst to each other, both boys were currently processing an ungodly amount of repressed emotions, though they came from drastically different places.

Dabi looked carefully at the two teens in the room, his eyes shining with something that not even he could quite place. 

They stayed in silence for a good five minutes, the stillness only broken by Todoroki’s meek voice.

“Why did Stain take out heroes? What was his belief?”

Izuku answered almost in autopilot. This was a talk he could have without breaking.

“He wanted to show everyone what a real hero was. He wanted to take down fake heroes, money lovers, so that people would see that heroism isn’t something you do for the pay of the fame.”

“Then why Bakugo?”

Izuku actually chuckled at that, his eyes focused on the ceiling as he spoke.

“Was he your classmate?”

“Yes.”

“Then you know why. He didn’t care about anything other than being number one in the public eye. He flaunted, he snapped at others, he wanted pure recognition. That’s not a hero.”

“Then are all pros just fakes?”

“No,” Izuku said, meeting the other boy’s eyes, “All Might is a real hero. He does what he has to do and then leaves. He’s not in it for the glory.”

Todoroki scoffed slightly, the tiniest of smiles tugging at his lips.

“Of course, All Might. My old man was obsessed with him as well.”

“Endeavor only wanted to get All Might out of his way. He didn’t care about all the good that the other hero did, he just wanted to be number one.” Dabi all but spat, his feet propped up on the table in front of him.

“I take it you weren’t a fan?” Izuku asked, and Dabi actually laughed. The sound was soft, just like his voice, but it was oddly nice.

“I still hate that man. He was a piece of shit, and the fact that he was the number 2 hero in all of Japan was insulting. I was even a little jealous of Stain a few months ago. I would have paid to see Endeavor go down live, after everything he did.”

The poison on the burnt man’s lips was evident and Izuku was just about to comment on it when he heard a tiny sound coming from Todoroki’s direction. The other teen was looking at Dabi with an almost pained expression and Izuku could see a mix of surprise and denial in those mismatched eyes.

“It is you...” The boy whispered brokenly and Dabi’s expression immediately soured. The disdain in his eyes was replaced with sadness and… worry?

“Touya?” Todoroki asked the other man, his eyes shining with emotion. Dabi looked down uncomfortably for a second and Izuku just stared at the both dumbfounded. He almost felt like he was looking at this scene through a window.

What the hell is happening?

“Dabi?” Izuku tried, unwilling to say much. His elder finally looked back up, his eyes on Todoroki as he spoke to Izuku.

“Ten years ago there was an accident where Endeavor’s eldest child died. He got taken by a criminal that had it in for the pro after he arrested their brother. Endeavor was unable to rescue his son in time and the boy died when the criminal burnt down the building in which he was being held hostage. They never found the body.”

Dabi explained it slowly, almost like he was reading the story for the first time but he sounded upset. The young man got to his feet and approached Todoroki and just then Izuku noticed that the other teen was openly crying. He was mumbling things that sounded like ‘why’ and ‘how’ and Dabi placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and shushed him softly.

Izuku heard a clear ‘where were you?’ coming from the crying boy, and Dabi actually crouched down to make eye contact. They exchanged a look filled with meaning and emotion and realization hit Izuku like a bag of bricks.

“You’re Todoroki Touya,” Izuku whispered dumbly. The small sob that Todoroki let out was all the affirmation he needed and he stared at the two siblings in front of him in utter surprise. He said nothing as Dabi managed to get his younger brother to calm down, a gentle look in his face.

“I don’t understand,” The other boy said, tears threatening to spill once more.

“I asked the League to bring you here,” Dabi explained easily, “They think it’s just to fuck with hero society further, but I wanted to talk to you because I thought you would understand.”

“Understand what?”

“That Endeavor was just part of the problem. That’s why I didn’t go back. Because every hero is like him. Do you think they didn’t know about mom, or you? And they still let him do everything. But Stain made him pay. He paid for all of it. And we can make sure that the rest of them pay, too.”

Izuku recognized the tone that Dabi was using and for the briefest of seconds, he saw Stain rather than the young man. He was saying all the right words with the same amount of passion in his eyes and the sight was almost too much for Izuku at that moment.

When Todoroki looked up at his brother, Dabi turned to look at Izuku. He felt small under the glances that they sent his way, but he tried to straighten his back.

“You said it, Midoriya. Stain wants to take out fake heroes to make things better for everyone. Right?”

“Yes,” Izuku answered, the conviction in his own voice surprising him slightly, “That’s what he wants. He doesn’t want undeserving people to get praised when real heroism isn’t about money. He wants to expose the monsters.”

Todoroki was looking at him with almost wild eyes, but Izuku held his gaze.

“We can help with that,” Dabi said, shaking Todoroki’s shoulders to get him to look at him, “We can make sure that no one else had to go through the hell we went through. We can make things right, Shoto.”

The siblings looked at one another for a while, Todoroki visibly leaning into his brother’s touch. Once more, they had an entire dialogue exclusively through their eyes and Izuku looked away in the name of their privacy. He had no place in that conversation.

He only looked up when Todoroki let out a weak laugh, his eyes narrowed with emotion.

“Our old man would hate it if I did this.”

“All the more reason to do it,” Dabi responded playfully, standing up. They exchanged one last look before they both turned towards Izuku and he nodded at them both. He was just about to say something when someone knocked on the door. The door opened slightly and Twice’s head appeared.

“You all done down here? You’re taking forever. You were really quiet and we got worried. ”

Izuku could see the rest of the League standing behind Twice, all of them looking expectant. They all poured into the bar and shuffled to the side to let Shigaraki come to the front.

“So, did you guys talk?” the leader asked Todoroki, but the boy didn’t answer.

“We did. He wanted to know about Stain,” Dabi said and, when he looked at Izuku briefly, the teen didn’t miss a beat to corroborate with a nod. He said nothing about Dabi’s true identity of his relationship to Todoroki since he was sure that no one else knew about it.

“Ah, of course. You all just want to talk about him, don’t you?” Shigaraki scratched his neck, the hint of annoyance in his voice plain to hear. Izuku narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

“So, are you in?” Shigaraki addressed Todoroki once more. The teen looked at Dabi and then at Izuku, his expression hardening into a more serious one. The emotion he’d shown just moments prior was now mostly hidden. 

“Yes. I’ll join the League.” Todoroki said and the rest of the people in the room seemed to approve.

“Great. Then it’ll be fine if we take those off,” Shigaraki said as he motioned for Dabi to take off the quirk suppressing cuffs, a slight warning present in his voice. He was telling Todoroki to not try anything funny, but Izuku knew that the other teen wouldn’t do that. Once Todoroki was free, he just stood and stretched his arms, but made no suspicious movements.

“Welcome to the team, young man,” Mr. Compress greeted and, soon enough, everyone else greeted their new companion. Izuku waited a good five minutes in silence while everyone started talking about different things, all the while staring at Shigaraki intently.

Toga, who was now by Izuku’s side, noticed the look but said nothing. She just smiled. When Izuku heard Shigaraki mention their ‘next hit’, he finally snapped.

“What about Stain’s rescue?” The teen asked loudly, his eyes narrowed. All eyes were suddenly on him but Shigaraki just tilted his head like he didn’t really see why Izuku was so upset.

“We’ll get him. But first we-”

“No,” Izuku stated sternly, “You said we’d help him after this mission. You’re not planning another hit when he’s still in danger.”

The silence in the room felt physically heavy. Izuku could see that Shigaraki was getting upset, but he refused to back down in the matter. He’d done his part and he wanted his mentor back now.

“You think you’re in charge, kid?” the leader asked, his voice adopting a dangerous edge.

“No, but I expect you to keep your end of the bargain. One mission and then Stain, that was the deal.” If he hadn’t been so angry, Izuku might have been proud of himself for how assertive he sounded. Long gone was the stammering child that met All Might all those months ago.

For a long moment, everything was down to a battle of wills. Red eyes glared at green ones, both keeping their stances but neither were willing to back down at the moment. You could probably hear a pin drop. Izuku didn’t take his eyes off of Shigaraki’s, so he missed the glances that were being exchanged by the rest of the League. Some looked nervous, others excited and the rest expectant.

It was Kurogiri who eventually made some noise. He cleared his throat pointedly and Shigaraki sighed, his nails digging into his own neck in apparent exasperation.

“Geez, you’re so bothersome,” the man murmured under his breath to which Izuku stood up straighter. He didn’t care what this man thought of him.

“These things need planning, kid. We can’t just jump in blindly.”

“Then let’s plan,” Izuku said calmly and Shigaraki scoffed. Shigaraki reached across the bar to grab something and in that moment, Izuku caught Spinner’s eye. He was looking at Izuku with a steady gaze and he gave the teen a respectful nod, which Izuku returned gladly. He also felt Toga’s hands wrap around his arm and he looked down to be met with a smile. It was nice to know that he had some people on his side when it came to this matter.

Shigaraki sat on his usual stool at the bar, a small remote control on his hand which he pointed towards the TV in the room. He switched it on, the screen remaining blank except for a small sign that read ‘audio only’ in white letters.

“So, sensei, they’re getting angsty about Stain,” Shigaraki commented to the screen and Izuku almost jumped when a boisterous laughter emanated from the speakers. This was a voice he’d never heard before.

“Well, of course they are! Half of them came looking for him, didn’t they?” The voice said in high spirits. Izuku looked around, but no one seemed surprised by what was happening. Was this someone they knew?”

“That’s Tomura’s mentor,” Toga whispered into Izuku’s ear and the boy nodded in understanding. So there was someone above Shigaraki in the League, it would seem.

“How many Nomus do we have available?”

“I can give you two right now. Do you want them as a distraction? They could do the same thing they did in Hosu.” The man on the other end of the line sounded impossibly cheery and Izuku trembled slightly. The things that had attacked Hosu had caused so much damage and had killed so many innocents, and he was talking about repeating that like it was nothing.

Oh God, Izuku thought, a pit forming in his stomach, They’re just like Stain warned me they’d be.

“We need the hospital standing until we can get Stain out, but a distraction afterward would be useful,” Shigaraki said in a bored tone and Izuku felt like he was going to pass out. He took the tiniest of steps back and Toga looked at him with curiosity. His dread must have been clear on his face because the girl held onto him tighter and even leaned in to ask if he was okay.

That got Spinner’s attention since he was pretty close to them and he too looked concerned at Izuku’s expression.

But he couldn’t say anything. He closed his eyes briefly to get a better hold of himself and he forced his face to relax even when he felt like the ground beneath him was no longer there. He was feeling like when he’d jumped from roof to roof for the first time like there was nothing holding him at all.

Izuku only snapped back to reality when Shigaraki addressed him directly.

“Hey, how long do you need to find Stain?”

Izuku’s mouth felt dry, even more so now that all eyes were on him, but he squared his shoulders and spoke as normally as he could.

“I’ll be quick. It won’t take long at all, so we might not even need that big of a distraction.”

Shigaraki scoffed in response.

“I’m not risking getting the League caught for your teacher,” the leader said dismissively, going right back to speaking with his own mentor. Izuku could hear how the elder man told Shigaraki to appreciate Stain as a valuable companion but the only thing that crossed Izuku’s mind in that very second was how much he wanted to take Shigaraki down where he sat.

Stain was right, he thought bitterly, the weight of the situation feeling impossibly heavy on his shoulders. Was he really going to let these people massacre innocents (people at a hospital, no less) just to get Stain back? Was he really going to be that selfish just to see his mentor again?

Izuku was so out of it that he didn’t notice the looks that were being sent his way.

Toga was squeezing his arm to get his attention but he wasn’t responding and she looked just as lost as he did after a while. Spinner looked cautiously at the other members of the League and, only after making sure that he wasn’t being noticed, he approached Dabi slowly and nudged him with his elbow. Dabi barely had to look over to his right to see what was happening, and he and Spinner immediately rearranged their positions to hide Izuku from the rest of the League.

They wanted to rescue Stain almost as much as Izuku and letting Shigaraki see the teen’s breakdown would help absolutely no one. 

Thankfully the meeting with Shigaraki’s mentor was short and soon they were all dismissed until the mission took place in three days.

“We need Stain to be at least a little bit healed,” Shigaraki explained and Izuku just nodded numbly.

He made his way up into his room and locked the door before even Toga had a chance to slip in and from there he wasn’t completely sure of what happened.

He was slumped against the door one moment and then laying on the bed the next, the knocks at his door becoming nothing more than background noise to him. He recognized Toga’s voice begging him to let her in and then he was sure he heard Dabi, but he didn’t move.

His mind was, for once, not going a thousand miles an hour. Instead, every thought in his head seemed to freeze in place. He couldn’t even formulate questions, much less look for the answers, and he had absolutely no idea of what he was supposed to do.

He couldn’t go forth with the League’s plan. He couldn’t destroy an entire hospital full of people just to save Stain from Tartarus. Hell, one innocent person would be one too many. He could already feel Stain’s disapproval and, even more than that, he could feel his own.

“I can’t do this,” He whispered to himself, tears already slipping down his face. He curled up on his side and hugged the lone pillow on the bed, allowing himself to feel completely helpless for the first time since he’d last seen Stain. The fact that the only thing he had left of him were the clothes on his back just destroyed him and he had to bury his face in the pillow to keep his pitiful sobs from being heard.

He let his emotions out until his eyes were dry and he couldn’t put any more energy into weeping anymore, and he stayed where he was for a while longer. With no window in his room he didn’t know how long it’d been, but he knew it’d been more than enough.

He got up and put on his hoodie and he was just about to reach for the door when it opened by itself and, before he could react, there were four people in the room with him.

Dabi flashed Izuku the key to his room just as Toga launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around him for a second before she started shaking him aggressively.

“What happened?! Why did you lock us out?!” She asked frantically and Izuku was glad that Todoroki had the foresight to close the door behind him before Toga started speaking.

“Were you crying?!” She asked, her hands cupping Izuku’s face.

“Toga, give him space,” Dabi half snapped at her, but she ignored him and led Izuku towards the bed. She tried to sit him down, but Izuku didn’t let her.

“I have to go,” Izuku told her but she immediately clung to his sleeve like it was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

“Go where?!” She shrieked.

“Wait, what about Stain?” Spinner asked, clearly confused. Even Dabi and Todoroki looked taken aback, but Izuku just shook his head.

“I can’t… I’ll do it by myself.”

“What?! You’d get nowhere!” Spinner added, pink eyes wide in shock.

“We’re going to help you, you don’t have to go!” Toga pleaded and suddenly Izuku wanted them all out of his room and away from him.

“I can’t take your help!” He said. Toga responded by clinging to him even harder.

“Why?” Dabi stepped forward with a frown, “You really think you can save Stain on your own?”

“I have no choice,” Izuku argued.

“You have us! You hav-” Toga tried to argue, but Izuku finally snapped.

“I can’t let the League repeat what happened in Hosu just to get Stain back! It goes against everything he believes in, he’d never forgive me!” He said desperately, trying really hard not to scream. His voice cracked and he ran his hands through his hair.

“I’d be destroying everything he’s ever worked for, everything he stands for, I’d be betraying him ! I might as well be killing him myself!” He continued, surprised that he was about to cry again even after all the crying he’d already done. There was a long silence in the room as Izuku inhaled and exhaled deeply in an attempt to get a hold of himself.

“I know I can’t rescue him alone, I’m not stupid. But I can’t let innocents get hurt in the name of the Hero Killer. I know for a fact he’d rather spend the rest of his life in Tartarus before letting his message get tainted like that.”

Toga shushed Izuku even though he managed to hold back his tears and for a few minutes her gentle voice was the only thing that could be heard amongst them. He eventually just leaned limply into Toga’s embrace, too tired to even fight at this point.

“Midoriya…” Spinner tried, sounding unsure, “We wouldn’t let Stain’s mission get deviated like that.”

Izuku laughed weakly.

“And who’s gonna change Shigaraki’s mind? The League has done nothing but attack the public these past few months. I don’t even know if Stain is going to forgive me for joining in the first place.”

Spinner hesitated and Izuku felt like the world around him was falling apart.

“Why did Stain join the League in the first place, if he hated it so much?” Todoroki asked, his low voice sounding incredibly calming for some reason. Izuku bit his lip, torn between telling these people the truth and keeping his mouth shut. If Shigaraki heard anything about Stain’s intentions, he’d probably kill Izuku and let the Hero Killer rot in Tartarus forever.

“Why did you join initially, Midoriya? Why were you part of the attack on Hosu?” Dabi pressed and Izuku just looked him in the eye with a lost expression.

“We weren’t,” Izuku whispered and that seemed to catch everyone off guard, “The League did that on their own, Stain had no idea. He… he stabbed Shigaraki the first time they met.” Was all Izuku dared to say.

Even Toga pulled back at that, though she kept her hands on Izuku’s.

“He what?” Spinner asked barely above a whisper. The reality that this conversation could not leave this room under any circumstance dawned upon everyone and they huddled as far away from the door as they could. Well, maybe huddled wasn’t the right word since only Toga was a fan of physical contact, but they still leaned closer together and lowered their voices as much as they could.

“What actually happened between the League and you?” Dabi demanded. When Izuku only shook his head and looked away, Dabi pressed further, “You have to tell us.”

“Why?” Izuku croaked and Dabi’s frown deepened. 

“We can’t help you if you don’t,”

“I already told you, I can’t let the Lea-”

“I’m not talking about the damn League,” Dabi spat and that got Izuku to look him in the eye, “I’m talking about us. ”

Izuku blinked a few times. He looked at the four people surrounding him and he saw a determined look in all of their eyes. Was he imagining it? No, they really looked like they meant it. But then…

“What are you saying?” Izuku whispered, looking for some solid confirmation.

“I’m saying we joined the League for Stain,” Dabi stated simply and Spinner nodded.

“We wanted to help Stain, follow his ideals. If the League isn’t a part of that, then…” Spinner reasoned. 

“Then neither are we.” Toga finished for him, a smile as warm as the sun on her face.

Izuku shook his head, denial and doubt clawing at his heart. They couldn’t actually mean it, could they? They wouldn’t risk angering Shigaraki and the rest of the League just for Stain, would they?

You would, his mind told him.

“What about Shigaraki? He’ll kill you if you betray him.” The teen tried, almost like he didn’t want these four to risk their lives. But Dabi just shrugged.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” then, he stepped backward and let himself fall on the bed without a care in the world, “But first, you have to tell us what the hell is going on.”

Toga and Spinner nodded while Todoroki took a seat on the edge of the bed next to his brother, all of them looking expectant. Izuku just stared at them dumbfounded, letting out a breathless laugh as tears once again stung his eyes.

“You’re all insane,” he whispered.

“And you’re a crybaby. Now get talking.”

“Hey, don’t talk to Izuku like that, you jerk! Apologize!”

“Get off my case, you crazy girl,”

“Guys, can we all focus?”

Izuku started laughing.

Chapter Text

“I think purple is the best option, but Magne picked out a pretty pink and a black in case you like them better. Which one would you prefer?” Toga asked excitedly, the boxes of hair dye in her arms.

“I, uh… Todoroki?” Izuku asked the other teen, the plastic bag on his head crinkling when he turned his head. The other boy just shrugged and Izuku gave Toga a hesitant smile.

“Why don’t you pick it for us?” Toga nodded and started talking with Magne once more, the two of them trying to decide which color would look better on each boy.

Dabi had suggested just buying a pair of wigs, but Izuku had a firm belief that even after they got Stain back they would be all over the news, and Todoroki and him were very recognizable. Besides, a wig could fall off at any second, so hair dye was the option they went with. Only the left side of Todoroki’s hair needed to be bleached while Izukuku’s entire scalp was currently itching under the plastic bag on his head.

He sat next to Todoroki on the edge of the tub, while the two women excitedly discussed how they would cut their hair after they were done coloring it.

“At least they’re having fun, huh?” Izuku asked the other teen but Todoroki only hummed in response. 

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to just shave all our hair off?” Todoroki mused quietly and Izuku smiled.

“I think two boys our age with no hair would catch someone’s eye,” He reasoned and the other teen nodded thoughtfully. They hadn’t really spoken much since they met, mostly because Todoroki was a rather serious boy, but Izuku didn’t mind the silence. At the very least, Todoroki didn’t seem particularly cold towards Izuku and that was a win for the latter.

The bathroom attached to Izuku’s room matched the rest of the bar: small, fancy, and with lots of wooden finishes. Toga and Magne were practically on top of them even when they stood by the door, and the teen’s legs were pressed against one another as they sat. 

Since the other teen had spoken, Izuku tested his luck.

“Had you ever done something like this before?” He asked.

“Join a group of villains and plan an illegal rescue?” Todoroki asked and Izuku chuckled awkwardly.

“N-no, I meant the hair thing,”

“Oh,” Todoroki blinked, glancing up at the bag on his own head, “No. My old man would have killed me if I ever suggested it. He’s probably rolling in his grave,” he added that last part with bitter satisfaction, and Izuku’s eyes softened.

“You really hated him, Todoroki?”

“Yes.” Todoroki’s tone indicated that this was the last thing he wanted to speak about and Izuku swiftly shut his mouth. His curiosity was in no measure as big as his caution towards the other teen and so he kept himself from crossing any lines he sensed. 

There was a short moment of tenseness before the other boy sighed and looked away.

“Shoto.”

“What?”

“I’d prefer it if you called me Shoto.”

Izuku smiled and nodded, offering his own first name in exchange. They sat in silence for another twenty minutes until the timer in Magne’s phone went off, indicating that the bleach had to go. 

“I’ll help them!” Toga eagerly said, ushering Magne out of the tiny bathroom and locking the door after her. The smell of chemicals inside the cramped space was almost too much to bear and Izuku was glad to take the bag off his head at last. They turned on the water and, only then, they dared to speak.

“Did Magne tell you anything while you were out?” Izuku asked quietly as Toga took a seat next to him on the last few inches of the tub’s rim available.

“Nope. She asked why I was in your room all night, but I told her it was a secret~” Toga said cheerfully and Izuku blushed madly while he washed his hair, thankful that he was kneeling and Toga couldn’t see his face “I don’t think she noticed that the others were there, too.”

“That’s good, gives us time.” Izuku sighed.

“She’s still a target, right?” Todoroki asked quietly, running his fingers through his wet hair to rinse it.

“I think so,” Izuku responded, staring at the bottom of the tub in deep thought. What would Stain think? Scratch that, he knew what Stain would say. “Yes.”

“I like her.” Toga commented, most likely to herself, and Izuku swallowed.

Todoroki turned off the water after a while and they fell into a heavy silence, each one in their own thoughts.

The night before, the three of them, along with Dabi and Spinner, had stayed in Izuku’s room talking for hours. They exchanged hushed opinions in an attempt to figure out how they would rescue Stain without hurting anyone that wasn’t a target, while also keeping Shigaraki out of the loop.

“Stain thinks of Shigaraki as a target, so we might as well do the same,” Dabi had said and everyone had agreed. Even Toga, who called the League’s leader by his first name, accepted the fact that they would have to deal with Shigaraki eventually.

“What about the rest of the League, though?” Spinner had asked and a debate had ensued. Izuku was the only one who had seen what type of criminals Stain attacked but he was hesitant to judge the people in the League. The recent actions of the organization made all of its participants targets, but that also included Izuku’s new allies and he wasn’t too comfortable with that.

Spinner and Todoroki were mostly in the clear since neither of them had ever harmed anyone that wasn’t a pro hero or a villain. Dabi confessed to killing two heroes and four ‘deranged’ criminals, as he described them. Apparently, living in the streets by yourself from a young age puts you in the path of some really bad people.

Toga had been reluctant to share her backstory with the rest of the group and they’d been interrupted by Kurogiri before they could get her to talk. She was currently the only one that Izuku didn’t know anything about, since she’d left with Magne all day and had only returned an hour prior to give Todoroki and himself a ‘makeover’ as they put it.

Izuku was just about to remind Toga of the fact that they still had to talk, but just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Coming!” Toga called out happily and Izuku and Todoroki stood to follow her out of the bathroom. Izuku decided to bite his tongue for the time being.

“So, what do you think?” Spinner asked Izuku while he casually took a sip from his soda. Izuku leaned back slightly, his eyes barely leaving the gaming console in his hands to look around.

“So far I’ve seen two heroes. They’re probably working at the hospital,” The teen responded behind the mask covering his nose and mouth.

The two partners in crime were currently sitting down on a park bench, the building that was the villain’s hospital looming about 500 feet from them. They weren’t crazy enough to get any closer to the place, but the large park in front of the structure allowed them to scope out the area discreetly. Spinner looked strangely different with his hair down and Izuku’s own hair was now a deep lilac color, so they probably wouldn’t get recognized by random civilians.

Stain would laugh at this place, Izuku thought as he, once again, lost the game he was playing and restarted it without a hint of interest. The park was spacious and clean, with some games for children and even a small artificial lake in the middle. Part of Izuku reasoned that it was probably there to be used by family members that came to visit villains, but a larger part of his brain couldn’t help but see this place as a statement. 

The hospital was heavily guarded by police officers and multiple heroes, and to have a park right outside it served as a mockery. ‘This place is so safe and inescapable that you can bring your family and play!’. That was what Izuku could hear in his mind, and the amount of people present at the park confirmed it.

The heroes Izuku had seen were practically sauntering around the park, meeting fans and generally just making their presence known. The wanted people to see them, probably to deter anyone from committing a crime in the general vicinity of the hospital.

Izuku’s leg was bouncing up and down restlessly. He wanted to just run into the place and get Stain back now, but that wouldn’t do anyone any good. They would only have one shot at this in a little more than 24 hours, and it had to go according to plan.

“Relax,” Spinner told him, noticing the teen’s frustration, “I want to rescue him too.”

“I know,” Izuku sighed. He wanted to get his mind off of the things threatening to give him a panic attack, but he had to stay alert. They were out here to gather intel for the rescue, after all. He restarted his game for what felt like the thousand time in the last hour.

Spinner stared at the other boy and, not knowing what else to do, offered Izuku some of his drink. Izuku stared, sighed, and then chuckled as he moved his mask aside to take a sip. He was suddenly aware of just how tense his back was.

“I’m really on edge,” He said and Spinner smiled.

“I can tell. But it’ll be fine, trust me,”

Izuku took another tiny sip from the drink, looking at Spinner from the corner of his eye. Without his villain costume, he looked not only younger but also laid back. Izuku could imagine him with headphones on and nodding along to some music. He handed back the can and tilted his head.

“Hey, Spinner?”

“What?”

“What got you to follow Stain in the first place?” Spinner raised a brow and Izuku shrugged, “I guess I don’t know that much about you. I’m just curious.”

Spinner seemed almost uncomfortable with the question for a moment and Izuku was just about to backtrack when the other man started murmuring.

“I… Um, I didn’t really do much before all of this. I had no real interest in joining society, so I just stayed home and played video games. I couldn’t see how the world could be enjoyable, or how I could… I don’t know, do something useful? It seemed pointless, I guess. Heroes weren’t appealing to me, though I didn’t know why,”

It was hard to tell with the scales, but Izuku thought he could see a soft blush on Spinner’s cheeks as he spoke.

“But then, when the videos from Hosu started going viral and I saw Stain and you fighting for this thing that you believed in, something… clicked. I finally saw something that I wanted to get up and do, you know? I finally saw some hope for the world that I had despised for years,”

Spinner spoke with a wide smile and a glint in his eyes, and Izuku didn’t realize he was staring at his elder until Spinner started waving his hands in an embarrassed gesture.

“Does it sound dumb? I’ve never tried to put it into words before, so…”

“It doesn’t sound dumb at all, Spinner,” Izuku smiled, switching off the ignored gaming console and looking at the villain hospital.

“I actually think Stain would like you,” Izuku commented casually, making the other man blush even more than before. The warm moment lasted all of ten seconds before Spinner frowned slightly.

“You really think he’ll take us all in? Even after we were with the League?”

Izuku sighed deeply. He had thought about that before but he’d been unable to reach a conclusion. He didn’t want to promise something that he’d be unable to keep in the future, but he feared that his allies would stop helping him if he couldn’t assure that Stain would accept them all.

He ran a hand through his short hair, and his expression must have been enough to show how he felt because Spinner spoke up before he could.

“I’d understand. If he deemed us unworthy, I mean,” Izuku shot him a worried look but Spinner was looking at the building that they’d be attacking soon.

“I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’d just be glad to get the Hero Killer back in his rightful place. As long as we can keep spreading his message, I don’t care if he considers me a target.”

Izuku felt his ribcage constrict around his heart and he had to fight the impulse to start crying. The fact that this man was willing to assist him when there was nothing to gain felt like a kick to the stomach. Izuku’s hands clenched and he shook his head.

“I… I can’t promise anything. But I swear I’ll try to get Stain to see what I see.”

“And what’s that?” Spinner asked curiously.

“That you’re just like me. Like him. That you’re all worthy companions.”

Spinner chuckled, downing what was left of his soda and crushing the empty can in his hand. He said nothing, but he gave Izuku a brief respectful look and smiled lightly.

“Any questions?” Kurogiri asked once the meeting had concluded. They had just spent the last hour polishing their rescue plan for the following morning.

“You guys better deliver,” Shigaraki warned Dabi, but the burnt man only blinked in response.

“Yeah, you guys better pull through! I’m sure we’ll be fine, boss! ” Twice all but screamed and with that, the meeting seemed to be officially over.

Izuku let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He’d been horribly nervous the entire time and he was sure that his companions felt the same to some extent. 

It was hard to accept, but they needed help from the League to get Stain back in one piece. They would still make sure that the Hero Killer’s message wasn’t damaged during the mission, even if that meant that all five of them had to change Shigaraki’s plan right under the leader’s nose.

They’d spent the entire hour arguing and shifting the truth here and there, all to assure that they would be in complete control of the situation the following day. It’d been complicated, but they’d managed to come up with a plan that pretty much guaranteed that no one that wasn’t a part of this would get hurt.

Izuku was hopeful that Stain wouldn’t be overly angry with their rescue efforts if they managed to keep all civilians and police officers out of danger, even if that made the mission a hundred times harder. But they would rather take that chance.

Izuku prayed that everything would work, but he was distracted by the crushing force around his arm. Toga had her face hidden in his shoulder and she was almost digging her nails into his flesh.

The girl had been far more clingy than usual, which was saying a lot. She was also less chipper somehow, though Izuku couldn’t quite place it. He’d asked her multiple times if she was ok (Magne had asked as well) but Toga had waved them off all day.

She’d made sure to stay as close to Izuku as humanly possible, be it by taking his hand or hugging him, but the gestures felt far more desperate than they usually did.

Now that the meeting was over though, she looked almost sad and Izuku wasn’t sure what to do. He glanced around, but no one was looking their way.

“Toga? You okay?” Izuku asked yet again, feeling how Toga’s breath warmed his skin as she mumbled against his arm.

“I can’t hear you…” He said gently, a small smile on his lips.

“I wanna talk to you…” she whispered, pulling on his arm. 

“Oh. what about?”

She shook her head and started walking away from everyone else. Izuku only managed to send a nervous look towards Shoto before he was dragged up the stairs and towards her room.

Toga was one of the few that currently lived at the bar, since a bunch of them had nowhere else to go. Her room was at the end of the hall, sandwiched between Dabi’s room and an unoccupied one. She all but shoved Izuku inside and locked the door behind her, making Izuku panic almost immediately.

What was happening? Why were they alone in her room? Was he even allowed in here by himself?!

He turned to face Toga, a heavy blush covering him from the neck up. He was ready to properly freak out but noticed that Toga was still facing the door, hand on the knob and shoulders slumped. He waited long enough to regain his composure and then cleared his throat.

“Toga? W-what are we doing in here? What did you want to talk about?”

He was met with silence. He could see Toga’s hand fidgeting with the lock and for half a second he forgot about his embarrassment. This wasn’t normal for Toga. She was never so unresponsive, especially towards Izuku. He found himself stepping closer to the girl, a hand stretched out in a reaching gesture.

“Hey, are you alright? What’s wr-” Izuku asked worriedly, but the end of his sentence was knocked right out of his chest as Toga all but tackled him. She crashed against him like an avalanche and Izuku stumbled backward hastily. They missed the bed and crashed on the ground painfully, though Izuku barely noticed that.

There was a stinging pain on his shoulders and for half a second he believed that Toga had stabbed him. He instinctively pushed her shoulder away and tried to twist himself out of her grip, but her head stayed glued to his neck and it suddenly clicked that she hadn’t stabbed him.

She was biting him.

Her teeth were digging into the skin between his shoulder and neck, right next to the scar that he’d gotten from his battle in Hosu. With this new realization Izuku was able to maneuver himself back by pressing on her neck and using his knees for leverage. 

Toga was sent back forcefully, but it was Izuku’s own image that landed on the ground next to the bed, blood shining on the impostor’s lips.

Izuku touched his shoulder and hissed quietly. The wound wasn’t deep, but he was sure that the whole bite mark would leave a scar.

“What the hell?! Toga!” Izuku kept his voice low, not wanting to alert anyone outside the room as to what was happening. If Shigaraki saw them fighting he might decide not to send one of them to the rescue mission and that could ruin everything.

The teen tensed in anticipation, expecting a second attack that never came. Instead, Toga stayed on the ground, hugging herself with an almost manic expression, her shoulders shaking.

“I had to,” She explained with a hint of sadness, though the smile didn’t leave her face, “It might be my last chance.”

“What are you talking about?” Izuku used his shirt to press down on his wound. He tried to hold back any anger he might be feeling, not wanting to trigger Toga again. In all honesty he was mostly confused, perhaps a tad scared, more than mad.

Toga shook her head, holding herself like it was the last thing she had in the world. All of the sadness she'd been hiding today was suddenly out in the open, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she rocked back and forth. Izuku watched her in silence for a good minute, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

He couldn’t just leave her, that much was clear to him, but anything he tried could potentially make things worse. He let his shoulders relax slightly to come off as less of a threat, though his legs were positioned to avoid another attack if it ever came.

“Toga, what’s happening?” He tried, his brows furrowed in concern. He was met with his own green eyes, though Toga’s expression made them look lost and unfocused.

“Talk to me,” He urged when tears finally started cascading down Toga’s face.

“I don’t think Stain is going to like me,” she explained bitterly, her smile faltering. 

“Why, because you’re with the League?”

Toga shook her head, making Izuku’s form look much younger than he was for a moment. She looked like a frightened child. She was still holding herself tight and Izuku felt his heart ache in his chest.

“Then why?”

“The night we all talked, you said the rest of the League were all targets because they hurt innocent people,” She said weakly. Izuku nodded and the pointed look he received was enough to raise anxiety in his chest.

Toga cried while Izuku thought. After a long moment, he allowed himself to scoot closer to his copy, his head tilted to the side in a gentle gesture.

“Toga,” He called and the girl looked at him desperately, “Tell me what happened.”

He spoke softly and he kept a relaxed posture, all in an attempt to get her to talk. Whatever she was struggling with was clearly weighing down on her and Izuku just wanted her to be honest with him. He was already expecting the worst, but he had to make sure before he could do anything about it.

Toga hiccuped pathetically, her shoulders shaking as she hugged her knees to her chest.

“I… I’ve hurt innocent people before.”

Izuku leaned forward and gave her a reassuring look to get her to continue, which she did softly.

“Nobody liked my quirk, or my personality, when I was small. Everyone thought I was scary and disgusting, so I hid it. Only my bestie knew how it worked and she said it was fine. She said that she loved me anyway and that she’d always be there when I needed her.”

Izuku nodded, already feeling the pit in his stomach grow.

“I stayed at her place one night because my parents wanted nothing to do with me and they kicked me out. And I was feeling so bad and so desperate and I needed something to focus on and she had said that she’d help me.” Toga choked slightly, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

“But when I tried to get some blood from her she freaked out and she fought with me for the knife and she just… She promised she’d help me. And then there was so much blood, but I could finally think straight and I just…”

Toga finally broke down completely, quiet sobs wracking her body. As if on queue, the illusion of Izuku’s image melted off her body and all that was left was a crying girl on the ground. Izuku let her calm down slightly, still unsure of whether physical contact would help her at all.

He shushed her from where he sat, trying to get her to breathe normally as she started to hyperventilate.

“Toga,” Izuku tried, but she just shook her head again.

“They locked me up for a year after that and everyone left me. And when Stain finds out what I did he’s going to kill me,”

“Toga, please-”

“And now that you know you’ll never even let me touch you again. You’ll leave me too, just like everyone else did, an-”

Throwing all caution to the wind, Izuku pulled Toga in for a hug. He had absolutely no idea of what else to do and he needed her to calm down before she had a full blown panic attack. She tensed in his arms, almost like she expected Izuku to hit her, but he just kept the firm hold on her until she clung to his shirt.

“Why?” She whispered and he patted her head softly. He could remember the night he’d spent with Stain in a car, the time he’d had a horrible nightmare and his teacher had been forced to calm him down. A sense of determination surged in his chest.

He said sweet nothings to her until she was done crying and then, and only then, he pushed her back by the shoulders to look her in the eye.

“Toga, this is very important. You have to tell me the truth, ok?”

She nodded, biting her lip.

“Did you kill your friend?”

“No,” she sobbed, “Her mom found us and she called the cops.”

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“No. But I was so close…” 

“Who did you hurt during the League’s attacks?”

“Heroes. Cops. I was supposed to get as much blood from as many people as possible.”

“Is there anything you’re not telling me?”

Toga shook her head, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Izuku looked her in the eye for a long moment before nodding, pulling Toga into his arms when she started crying again. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just the two of them hugging on the floor of the darkened room. Of all the times Toga had clung onto Izuku, this was the first time that he could truly appreciate how much she needed it.

He ached, thinking about all of the rejection she’d faced in the past because of her quirk and her mental instability. Had she been properly supported by others, would she be here right now? No. She’d be in school with her friends, right where Izuku was supposed to be at the moment.

To a quirkless boy like himself, the thought of having a quirk -any quirk- was tempting beyond belief, but he’d always known things weren’t so simple. He’d heard of people being shunned because of their quirks before, but he’d never met anyone like Toga. Those people were all supposedly monsters, creatures controlled exclusively by their power who didn’t know when or how to stop. 

But the girl in his arms was nothing like that. She was scared, lonely, and desperate. She was capable of feeling love and doubt, just like anyone else.

Toga’s grasp on Izuku was loosening slightly and he thought for a moment that she’d fallen asleep. But when he pulled back, he was met with yellow eyes.

“You don’t hate me?” She asked in a tiny voice, and Izuku gave her a small smile.

“No, Toga. I don’t hate you.”

“You’re not disgusted by me?”

“No.”

“All the people in my life only liked me when I faked who I was. But I’m tired of that. I can’t hide anymore.”

Izuku patted her hair gently, nodding as she spoke.

“You don’t have to hide with us, ok?”

“What about Stain?” She asked innocently and Izuku almost wanted to pick her up and take her somewhere safe.

“We’ll talk to him, ok? I’ll be right there. The important thing is that you haven’t killed anyone, ok?”

“But, what if I… lose control?” There was so much doubt in her voice as she spoke and Izuku instinctively held her tighter.

They hadn’t known each other for long at all, but her insistence to be close to Izuku at all times put her in a different place than the others. Izuku trusted Dabi, Spinner and Shoto; hell, he was trusting them with the most important mission of his life. But Toga was just on another level. Well, not level. She wasn’t above the rest but Izuku still got used to her presence first and he wanted to protect her.

“You need blood to clear your head, right?” He asked cautiously and she nodded, “How often?”

“Not that often. I usually just need it badly after something stressful happens, or when I get hurt. Maybe once every ten days?”

“Well,” Izuku said, a warm smile on his face, “Then you can use me whenever you need it.”

Toga blushed madly, a reaction that Izuku hadn’t been expecting. He lifted his hand before adding,

“But you have to promise me you’ll let me know when you actually need it. We don’t need you acting strong and then hurting others, ok? Can you do that?”

Toga threw herself at Izuku with such strength that she knocked them both to the ground even further, her happy giggles and excited nodding making Izuku smile.

He held Toga as a flood of thoughts and emotions filled his head, and he was suddenly very nervous and very determined. He made up his mind at that moment.

No matter what it took, he would make sure that his allies were accepted by his teacher.

Chapter Text

There are steps to every plan. You can't get to the final step without going through all the prior points on the list. Every piece of the mechanism has to come together and work in tandem to get the job done since one mistake could send the whole thing down the gutter. Perhaps one could fix a few mistakes, add some extra steps or side steps towards the end goal, but following the initial plan is always the easiest way. The fastest route from one point to another is a straight line, right?

Those were the thoughts racing through Izuku’s mind at the moment, the light of the blue fire shining bright behind him.

He ran through a white-walled hallway as the ceiling collapsed around him and threatened to bury him alive. He passed door after door, but none of them were the door he was looking for. He had to find room 917 before the whole place crumbled to the ground.

Before it was too late.

But he was just passing room 986 and the hall seemed to just turn into more and more halls and he couldn’t find the door he needed. He could hear screaming elsewhere in the building, the horrible sound only interrupted by the voices calling his name in his earpiece.

Male and female voices, both known and unfamiliar, were trying to get him to answer over the com, but he didn’t know who to listen to in the chaos.

“I’m fine,” He said breathlessly. “I can get there in time!”

But that was a lie. He knew that even as he pushed his legs to run faster. Room 972 flashed by his side and he knew he wasn’t going to make it in time but he had to try. Maybe the structure would hold up long enough for him to reach.

Room 956.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe but he pushed forward.

Room 935.

Part of the floor gave in but he jumped over the gap.

Room 921.

God, he was so close. He was almost there he coul-

The roof caved in, trapping him under tons of debris and constricting his chest. 

“No,” Izuku cried, not even able to reach the earpiece to call for help. “No!”

The constricting feeling in his chest got tighter and tighter and he wondered if he was dying for a second when suddenly he awoke with a start.

It took him a good minute to separate reality from his dream, but he was still shaking even after he recognized the small room around him. He hadn’t had a nightmare in a good while and this one had felt horribly real, but at least now he knew where he was. 

The crumbling hallway had been replaced by a wooden ceiling and a soft bed, the real things contrasting drastically from the setting of his dream. The one thing that had remained was the constricting force around his chest but the ruble had been exchanged for a sleeping Toga, her arms tight around him. 

He’d left for his own room right around midnight after talking with Toga and he was sure that he’d locked the door behind him, and yet here she was in his bed. The only thing separating them was the fact that Izuku fell asleep on top of the covers while Toga was tucked in like a child with a teddy bear.

Izuku blushed like an idiot, trying really hard not to freak out so as to not wake the girl up. Izuku had yet to get used to this level of physical contact, and this was breaking all kinds of personal boundaries that he was definitely sure he wasn’t ready to cross anytime soon.

He struggled to get out of her grasp, careful to not wake Toga up and sighing in relief when he was able to replace himself with a pillow. Toga hugged it tightly and Izuku hurried out of his own room as if he’d trespassed on private property.

Not knowing what else to do with himself, Izuku walked downstairs to the bar. The clock on the wall informed him that it was currently five in the morning, a good four and a half hours before the mission to rescue Stain would take place. There was no one else in the room, not even Kurogiri who seemed to constantly be behind the bar, and Izuku shivered involuntarily.

He wondered if Stain had been here when the League had recruited them months ago. That got him thinking about how injured his teacher must have been upon his capture and he knew he needed a distraction before he started spiraling. He started looking around the small place, finding some spare change between the couch cushions and a couple of books behind the counter. Next to the books was a black pen and, before he noticed, he was writing down his thoughts in some spare napkins.

At first, his words were jumbled. He had too many things on his mind and some sentences melted into others without any rhyme or reason, but it made him feel much better. It was hard to get stuck in his head when he had to focus on the words he was writing, so he kept it up for hours. He unfolded napkin after napkin, using the cheap material on both sides to make the most out of it.

Just past eight, Kurogiri made his entrance. He must have warped into the bar because he was suddenly looking over Izuku’s shoulder and asking what he was writing about and Izuku felt his soul leave his body for a second.

He quickly gathered all the napkins in his arms, excused himself by saying he was writing down some personal things, and then ran upstairs towards his room while cursing himself.

“Personal things?!” He hissed at himself, getting back into his room and making a beeline for the bathroom. The last thing he needed was the League believing he had a journal (the fact that he did have a journal back when he was with Stain was not relevant, shut up) and he hastily threw all the paper in the toilet and flushed it. 

He stared at the dissolving paper until it was gone and sighed. He needed a moment to himself before he lost his nerves.

He stepped out of the bathroom and face planted on the bed.

“Good morning,” Toga said sleepily. Izuku responded with a grunt, having forgotten that the girl was even in his room in the first place.

“How did you get in here?” Izuku mumbled against the covers.

“I got the key from the bar, just like Dabi.” She answered cheerily, pulling the covers up to her chin like she owned the place. Izuku was currently too uneasy to feel embarrassed so he just stayed face down on the bed in an attempt to clear his mind, trying real hard to ignore the presence in his room.

This in turn backfired and he spent the next forty-five minutes drowning in self-doubt and anxiety. The very thought that today’s mission might not go according to plan was getting to him and he was suddenly filled with terror.

What if they didn’t get Stain back? What if someone that wasn’t meant to die died? What if they got arrested? Would they all end up in Tartarus? What if Shigaraki realized that something was off before they managed to get Stain back?

Anything could go wrong. And if anything did go wrong, Izuku wasn’t sure he could live with himself. He felt just as bad as he did that first night he arrived at the bar: helpless and lost.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t glad when there was a knock at the door, even when Toga answered ‘coming!’ before he had a chance to speak.

Toga was still stretching in bed when Izuku opened the door, and Shoto gave him an odd look. Dabi on the other hand just raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that all about?” He asked, his monotone laced with the slightest hint of amusement.

Izuku rubbed his eyes as if he hadn't slept at all.

“She got my key. N-nothing happened.” He added that last part defensively, an uncomfortable blush on his face. Dabi shrugged and Shoto nodded and neither of the brothers seemed to care about whether that was true or not, something that Izuku was half grateful for. He really needed to set some basic boundaries with Toga once they were out of here.

“We’re almost ready to go.” Dabi reminded him, and the tiredness in Izuku’s mind seemed to dissipate in an instant. He caught a glimpse of Magne heading downstairs along with Mustard and his shoulders tensed.

“It’s happening.” Izuku murmured and Dabi nodded.

“Are you ready?"

“Yeah,” Izuku told the burnt man, feeling how Toga came to stand beside him with his knives and sword in her hands.

“Let’s do it.”

Hotaru park was always filled with people no matter the time of day. From people walking dogs to families playing together, you could always count on at least a dozen people being there at any given moment.

Izuku and Spinner’s investigation had led them to notice that the early morning was when the least people were there, since children were either asleep or in school, but the streets around the park were filled with cars from people going to work.

That was the perfect time.

So exactly at 9:34 in the morning of that Monday, the League made its move.

From opposite corners of the park, the two nomus that had been entrusted to Dabi stepped out of their individual portals and headed towards the street. They wrecked havoc as they went, ripping trees from the ground and turning over parked cars as they went their separate ways, each of them attracting a multitude of heroes.

The two monstrosities performed as they had been instructed by the leader of the mission, and they easily avoided heroes whilst destroying whatever they had in front of them that wasn’t a person.

Shigaraki had wished for injured people, but the mindless creatures had been given another set of orders at the last moment, and they simply swatted the heroes around them like flies while avoiding the rest of the population.

At first, people ran in every direction without rhyme or reason, everyone trying to hide but finding no real place to do so as the roads got blocked by debris. Things got worse as even more portals opened up around the area, each dropping off a different member of the League. Unbeknownst to the general population, these particular members of the League had absolutely no intention of killing anyone that wasn’t a pro hero.

They had to make up for the lack of casualties by destroying as much property as they could and the result was an instantaneous explosion of chaos and panic that no one was able to control for a good few minutes.

The hospital’s first response was to barricade it’s doors, but those were soon opened when a group of three ran for the door, a woman unconscious in her son’s arms and all three people splashed with blood. Unable to reject the wounded, the hospital staff started shepherding people inside in an attempt to protect them from the living hell outside.

From the sea of blue flames and pinkish smoke, a crowd of people pushed each other to get to the safety of the government building, where heroes, cops and medical staff did their best to accommodate everyone seeking shelter.

People flooded the ER in hoards, most of them arriving with small cuts and bruises from colliding with their fellow men during the escape. Besides the three people covered in blood, who were rushed to a separate area for treatment, there was no one with anything beyond a scratch. Even still, people were screaming and crying and the staff was forced to scramble around to calm everyone down.

One of the many interns that was working at the time was assigned the three gravely injured people that had arrived first, and the scene that met her when she drew the curtains separating them from the rest of the room was nothing short of shocking. 

The woman of the group had been set on the bed by her two companions, both of them looking shaken and just as bloody as her.

“What happened?” the doctor asked, already trying to move the woman’s thick black hair away from her face to check for injuries. The mat of hair was stuck to the woman’s fair skin with blood and the amount of red all over her was not calming.

“Our car got thrown out of the road.” One of the boys cried, his shirt covered in blood. The other teen had half his face dripping with blood to the point where one of his eyes was closed.

“How are you related to her?” She asked, looking for a pulse and thankfully finding one.

“She’s my mother,” The black haired teen answered just as a second doctor made his way towards them. He immediately told the two teens to leave and he was forced to take them both away from the wounded woman.

Outside, things were even more chaotic.

Heroes were running left and right, a few trying to control the beasts destroying the city and the rest attempting to evacuate the buildings nearby. The League counted with multiple individuals with powerful quirks, but the one with the sleeping gas and the one with the blue fire were proving to be the most difficult to deal with. Not only that, but half the heroes that had arrived at the scene had progressively disappeared without trace and no one knew what was happening.

Were they being warped away? Were they dead?

No one knew what was happening, and backup from any hero even close to the top ten was at least ten minutes away.

Too long, in many heroes’ opinion.

“On your left!” Someone called out, just as one of the monsters that had appeared first hit a fellow hero with such strength that the crunch of bones could be heard. Another hero got swallowed by a sea of flames and a third one vanished right where he stood. Amidst the chaos, no one heard the tiny crystal marble that clicked on the ground where he used to be.

Desperate to get the upper hand, a hero with a water quirk used his power to dissipate as much fire as he could. He caught a glimpse of a man with a black trenchcoat stepping over the charred remains of some other hero, and he felt something inside him snap.

“You bastards!” The hero screamed, nearing the killer but finding himself face to face with a masked villain.

“Ah, you heroes are so quick to call us names.” The masked man said, the smile audible in his voice. The dark-haired villain behind him grinned and stepped away, hiding himself behind a wall of fire to continue causing mayhem.

Against all odds, this masked individual held his ground against the hero fighting him. No hit threw him off balance and he was able to jump from lamppost to lamppost with uncanny grace to avoid attacks.

With screams all around him, the hero clenched his fists. He was tired of this and he sent a desperate shot of water followed by another, all to try and hit the villain. He missed both times and roared in anger, a thing that made the villain laugh.

“Tired, are we?” The masked man asked cheerfully, bowing theatrically as he avoided yet another hit. The mockery only served to make the hero angrier, and he threw himself forward without hesitation. 

“You heroes are so impulsive,” The man whispered, surprisingly allowing the hero to get close to him. Just as the hero’s water blade was about to make contact, the villain moved slightly and tapped the hero on the shoulder, effectively vanishing the other man. In the hero’s place, a tiny blue marble landed in the villains hand and he pocketed it dramatically. The encounter was soon lost in the ocean of chaos and the same thing happened over and over with no hero catching up to what was actually happening.

The few people that hadn’t succumbed to the gas had all managed to evacuate towards the hospital but there were so many that they had blocked the entrance to the ER. No one could get in or out, and heroes were forced to protect the hospital even more than before until backup arrived.

The few that arrived were soon dealt with by the League and before anyone realized, over fifteen heroes had been either killed or taken out of commission. There just didn’t seem to be an end to the League and just when a few of the heroes present were losing hope, someone arrived.

Current hero number two, Hawks, fell from the heavens like an angel. He sent a rain of feathers down into the pink cloud of smoke and within moments, the kid responsible for the chemical attack was pinned to the ground with a red projectile digging out of his shoulder. The mist dissipated, revealing a multitude of heroes and civilians all unconscious on the street, the apprehended villain right in the middle of it all.

But the sense of victory lasted very little. The boy with the gas masked melted into the ground, a wide smile on his covered face.

Smoke once again started filling the air, but it was coming from a completely different place. No, not a single place. More like four different places. The places not covered in smoke were ablaze with fire, and in the middle of the chaos no one realized that smoke was also pouring out of the hospital’s windows.

Inside, things had happened as if in a different dimension. The two doctors tending to the wounded woman inspected her head in search of the injury responsible for so much bleeding, but they found nothing. Thinking that maybe one of the kids was the one that was hurt, they brought both boys to another two beds and examined them.

Behind those curtains that gave patients privacy, no one could know what was happening. With the ER packed as it was, no doctor could comfortably move around or talk to one another, and so information started getting lost. Screams of warning were mistaken for yells of panic and so more and more people tried to get inside the hospital when there was no space left for anyone.

“Do you feel pain anywhere?” The doctor asked the boy with blood all over his face but the teen ignored him. He was looking around as if wondering if someone would jump on top of them at any given second.

“This is a villain hospital, right?” The kid asked, his low voice barely audible over the chaos just feet away from them. 

The doctor, assuming that the boy was scared, reassured the teen with a smile.

“Yes. But they’re all kept in the west wing behind surveillance. Not even these villains can get them out.”

“West wing, huh?” The boy murmured. Before the doctor could get back to looking for a head injury, he was called over to assist the rest of the staff in trying to stop the barrage of people coming into the hospital. He left the kid, confident that whatever wound had caused the bleeding wasn’t serious.

There was practically nothing to be done, as the fire outside was getting closer and closer and the people outside wanted refuge from the fight taking place. Screams and yells grew into a crescendo that made it impossible to communicate even with the person right next to you. 

After a few minutes of panic, the noise started going down. It was gradual and obvious, but no one seemed to notice that the noise was leaving. 

The doctor tried to get back to his patient, but he swayed to the side and fell just short of reaching his destination. Behind him, other people started collapsing one after the other, the air growing thick with the same toxic mist that had been seen outside the hospital just minutes prior.

The second doctor, the one checking in on the injured woman, was also unconscious, though his body was located by the wall, encased in ice.

From behind the curtains stepped out Shoto, Izuku and Toga, all of them sporting their own gas masks.

Izuku got rid of the backpack he’d been carrying, now empty. It had only served to pack four gas masks and a pair of clothes for Toga, who had been forced to use her quirk while naked to be able to produce clothes to her copy, which was much taller and broader than her original form.

“He said they were in the west wing.” Shoto informed behind his mask as they walked past the Mustard clone that had made its way inside with the rest of the masses. The younger boy was sporting his own gas mask, and he gave the other three an exasperated look when they approached.

“Let’s just go get him. We can’t be here all day.” The kid hissed, and his three elders nodded. They ran down hallways, carrying the smoke cloud along with them as if they were spreading the plague.

People around them, both guards and doctors, fell once they inhaled the smoke. They left a trail of bodies as they went, Izuku struggling to read the signs that would direct them to the records they needed to find Stain.

His skin was tingling with excitement at the prospect of seeing his mentor once again, but he refused to celebrate prematurely. He wouldn’t even as much as crack a smile until Stain was by his side back at the bar.

Once in the main office, it was just a matter of them finding the records that would tell them where each villain was in the west wing. They didn’t have the time to just search every room, not with more and more pro heroes arriving on the scene by the second.

They were met with an unnecessary amount of files, all of them packed in the silver drawers of silver cabinets. With no other option and absolutely no time to lose, they set to looking. They fortunately knew Stain’s real name, which should make finding his file much simpler.

“Hawks is here.” Dabi informed them through their earpieces, and Izuku rushed to get through endless files. Toga, now in her normal clothes, was right next to him checking another drawer, but Shoto was the one that actually found what they were looking for.

“Room 348,” He said, and Izuku was darting out of the room just as soon as he heard that. They had to go up two floors to get Stain but they were so close now. They were almost there, Izuku told himself with his heart pounding in his chest.

The alarm of the hospital was activated then, and the air around them illuminated red on and off. The scene looked straight from a horror movie, with all four of them running in the middle of the smoke and with the deafening alarm echoing in the hospital.

Behind them, Shoto used his ice quirk to block the hallways they passed. It was only a matter of time before they were followed and the ice constructs could win them precious seconds.

Izuku ran up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time in his hurry. His nightmare was suddenly very fresh in his mind and he had to fight the sinking feeling in his stomach. That had just been a dream. The plan was going well, he thought as they passed the second floor and headed for the next.

Izuku’s face was sweating behind his mask. He was right there. He landed on the last step and used all his strength to push himself forward, more than ready to find room 348 and finally put  an end to the hellish nightmare that the past few days had been.

Well, perhaps not a nightmare, Izuku thought, hearing the steps of Toga and Shoto behind him. He’d met some people that he believed Stain might accept, and he was anxious for all of them to meet. Maybe getting Stain to like them wouldn’t be so hard, Izuku wondered as he rounded a corner. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe he wo-

A gunshot rang out, its sound unbearably loud as it echoed in the cramped hallway. Izuku flinched violently, taking his hands to his chest to see if he was bleeding. But there was no wound on him. He turned to see his companions, afraid for their safety, but Toga and Shoto were on the ground just like him, Shoto’s arm around Toga. They looked at Izuku in shock, clearly surprised.

Izuku looked up, his eyes landing on the clone of Mustard. He was standing straight, his arm outstretched and a gun held firmly in his hand. He was facing towards the back of the hall they just passed, and not even ten feet from him there was a figure on the ground.

Izuku felt the floor disappearing beneath him.

The white outfit told Izuku that the person on the ground was a nurse, the open door next to her pointing to the fact that she’d been running away from them. And Mustard had just shot her in the back.

The youngest boy turned towards them, the gun looking awfully big in the boy’s hand. He tilted his head when he saw his teammates on the ground.

“It was just a shot, you cowards.” The boy snapped, unaware of the shock on Izuku’s face.

Shoto was quick. Without moving a muscle, a wall of ice shot forward and hit the clone straight on the chest, Mustard’s small form crashing violently against the wall and melting into a puddle of mud before he could say another word. The gas quickly dissipated and the air around them cleared.

The nurse was still down, there was blood pooling under her and she wasn’t moving.

Izuku felt like he couldn’t breathe anymore. The plan had just failed.

Chapter Text

“I thought Twice could only clone clothing and quirks?!” Izuku murmured harshly, throwing his gas mask to the side and kneeling next to the injured woman on the ground. The nurse’s white uniform had a steadily growing red stain on her right shoulder, but Izuku couldn’t assess the wound without taking the clothing out of the way first.

“The gun wasn’t cloned.” Shoto remarked gravely. His left hand was somehow melting some of the ice he’d used against Mustard’s copy, and a revolver was visibly poking out from the frozen wall.

“They armed the clones?” Izuku said bitterly. He wasn’t all that surprised, but he wanted to kick himself for not having foreseen that possibility. Had the League ever done this before or was this a one-time thing? Had Shigaraki told Mustard to hurt civilians if he so desired?

Izuku gritted his teeth. He’d been careless. He’d allowed everything to be ruined, hadn’t he?

Stop it. Stain can call you an idiot later. Izuku shook his head, forcing himself to focus. The sound of the alarm around them was impossibly loud and he already knew he’d have a headache later.

“Toga, can you help me?” Izuku asked, carefully turning the nurse so that she was resting on her uninjured side. But there was no response from the girl behind him.

“Toga?” He asked again, giving her a questioning glance. Toga was a good ten feet away, looking fidgety and pale. Her eyes were wide and her breathing shallow and she was staring at Izuku with a conflicted expression.

No. She wasn’t looking at him, Izuku realized. He followed her gaze downwards and was met with wide green eyes. The nurse, whose name tag read ‘Shimizu’, was conscious and very clearly terrified of them. Izuku struggled to not look as surprised as he felt.

“Hey… Don’t worry, ok? We’ll help you.” Izuku held his hands up and smiled, but only received a scared look in return. “You got shot. I just wanna make sure that you’re ok, alright? I’m not gonna hurt you.”

The nurse whimpered slightly, too afraid to give a verbal response. Her eyes did look down at her shoulder though, and the fear seemed to give way to understanding. Izuku reached down slowly, extending the fabric on the front of her uniform to take a better look at what he could see at first glance.

The fabric was still mostly white and there seemed to be no tear.

“I don’t think the bullet came out,” He murmured, shifting his gaze towards the woman’s back. “It’s probably still in there. That’s not good, is it?”

He said that last part without noticing and he started backtracking as soon as the words left his mouth. The nurse had surely heard him say that.

“I, uh, I mean! It’s not bleeding much, so you should be fine! I’m sure it’s ok! I’m going to apply some pressure, ok?” He asked her. When she nodded, he looked around to see if he could find anything to cover the wound. He didn’t exactly have any extra clothing and it seemed like Shoto didn’t either. He turned back towards Toga who was still looking at the nurse with dilated pupils.

“Toga?” Nothing. He tried a little louder. “Toga!”

The blonde snapped into attention, a heavy blush on her face.

“Can I borrow your ribbon?” He asked her slowly. Toga nodded quickly and, though a long moment passed before she actually moved, she shakily struggled to untie the red fabric around her collar. She offered it cautiously and it wasn’t until Izuku extended his hand to take it that he fully grasped the situation.

Toga dropped the ribbon and stepped back, her wide eyes now focused on Izuku’s bloodstained hand. She seemed to be struggling heavily and Izuku quickly picked up the red fabric and turned, using his body to hide the bloody mess from Toga.

Of course it had to be blood, Izuku thought. He remembered the conversation from the night prior and he was suddenly even more worried than before. If Toga lost control right now, he might be forced to do something radical.

He pressed the folded fabric on the nurse’s shoulder under her uniform, feeling something poking out of the skin and earning a pained hiss from the wounded woman.

“Sorry! I think the bullet’s right here.” He said, still not confident enough to take a look under the woman’s shirt to make sure if he was right. The nurse nodded briefly and Izuku helped her into a sitting position. He was just about to speak when the crack of ice breaking filled the air around them, and Izuku swallowed.

“They’re catching up.” Shoto said, his left side still producing the slightest amount of steam as he unfroze his right side. Almost as if on cue, someone’s voice came through their com devices telling them that more and more heroes were arriving.

Izuku looked at the nurse and, without hesitation, put her uninjured arm around his shoulder while keeping the pressure on the wound.

“Is there any other doctor on this floor?” He asked her, his voice as gentle as he could manage. The woman shook her head, her arm pitifully pressed against her chest.

“I don’t know…” She said.

“Where are you instructed to go in case of an emergency?”

“We’re…” The woman hesitated, biting her lip with a concerned look. She gave Izuku an intense look that he hadn’t been expecting and he had to fight the urge to lean back.

“Are you going to hurt the staff?” She asked him and Izuku’s heart broke. He felt just as disappointed in himself as Stain would probably feel once he found out about this. Did he even have the right to apologize to this poor woman that had suffered because of him? What was he supposed to say? Would talking work at all?

The wall of ice cracked again and Izuku frowned.

“We… I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Us three are the only ones inside the building and the only one with a gun is gone. I just don’t want to leave you unattended.”

“You’re with the League of Villains, aren’t you?” She asked him. If he hadn’t been so nervous, he might have been surprised at how defiant the woman next to him sounded. “Is this just one of your public attacks?”

“No, it isn’t. We’re…” Izuku struggled, catching the warning look that Shoto sent his way. His ice wouldn’t last much longer. “We’re here to get someone and that’s it. I swear.”

“We have to go. Now.” Shoto said, helping Izuku with the woman in his arms so they could move faster. But the woman between them refused to cooperate, even pushing Izuku away weakly. Izuku started to panic, unsure of what to do.

“Midoriya,” Shoto called, sounding just as conflicted as he felt. 

Izuku looked at her, sensing the fear and the anger on those green eyes. He sighed.

“Shoto, take Toga and go find Stain,” He instructed. “I’ll get her somewhere safe and meet you later.”

“What?” Toga asked loudly, already looking like she wanted to argue.

“We don’t have time for this. If they move Stain out of the hospital then all of this is for nothing. Go get him and let everyone know over the com once you find him.”

“Midoriya…” Shoto murmured, a weird look in his eyes. The cracking noise behind them was getting louder and louder.

“Absolutely no!” Toga barked, her previous hesitation now long gone. She took out one of her knives and glared at the ice wall. “We’re not leaving you.”

“We don’t have time for th-”

“I don’t care!” She interrupted him. He’d never heard such a firm tone in her voice and he was momentarily silenced. 

“Keep adding ice behind us.” Toga told Shoto, pushing past Izuku to come face to face with the nurse. Regardless of her intention, Toga looked very intimidating and the nurse shivered against Izuku.

“Toga…” Izuku tried, but the blonde thoroughly ignored him. She had her eyes locked with the other woman’s.

“Where were you told to evacuate? We’re taking you there right now before some other idiot clone can hurt you again. The League won’t hesitate in killing you if they find you.” Toga sounded demanding and she dangerously narrowed her eyes when the older woman refused to answer.

“I thought you were with the League.” The nurse half snapped, though the bravado she’d displayed with Izuku was gone. She even allowed Izuku to drag her along as they walked, Shoto desperately adding more and more ice to the hallway behind them.

“I’m with him,” Toga said, nodding towards Izuku. “And he’s definitely not with the League. We’re in a rush, so let us help you so we can get this done and we can kill the League later.”

As Toga opened up the doors to random rooms, half of them empty and the other half locked, Izuku pulled the woman along with him. He had absolutely no idea how much time they had but he did know that it wasn’t much. He looked at Toga in surprise, unsure as to what had just happened.

The nurse by his side remained quiet until they reached the corner of the hall and she weakly pointed towards what looked like a broom closet.

“There.”

Once Izuku took the woman there, she used a hidden fingerprint scanner to unlock the door. It swung outwards slowly, the thick metal of the reinforced door surprising Izuku. Inside the room there were at least another ten people, all wearing robes and white clothing and sporting terrified expressions.

“We’ll be fine here.” The woman murmured. Without another word, the nurse let go of Izuku and pulled the door closed behind herself, the sound of the lock echoing somewhere within the wall.

Izuku just stood there like an idiot for a good five seconds before the sound of ice crumbling away snapped him back to reality, and he took off running with his two companions. The west wing of the hospital was big, but thankfully all the rooms were clearly numbered.

Room 348 took both no time to appear and all the time in the world. Izuku hurriedly tried the door but found it locked, and the teen actually cursed under his breath. He was getting anxious.

“Move.” Shoto instructed and, without a moment of hesitation, he used his ice quirk to all but rip the door from its hinges. He used the other side of his quirk to quickly melt away the ice and as soon as Izuku could fit through the gap, he squeezed his way into the tiny room.

He stumbled inside and looked around; his face fell almost immediately. Inside the room there was no one except himself, the bed empty and the window pointedly broken. Izuku all but ran towards the window, miraculously not cutting himself with the glass as he looked outside desperately.

Both the fire and the smoke from his companions' quirks were mostly gone by now and from this height, he had no idea if Dabi and Mustard’s clones were even still down there. Only the Nomus were still visibly fighting, most attention on top of them. He could hear Toga speaking into her earpiece, informing a very insistent Compress that Stain was apparently gone and that they might need backup from the B team.

“Shigaraki is calling for a retreat.” He heard Compress say, and Izuku ripped the little earpiece out and threw it on the ground. The voices were making him dizzy.

Of course Shigaraki would want to retreat. Why would he risk his League any further than he already had for a man he didn’t even like?

Izuku felt the beginning of a panic attack fogging his mind. Stain wasn’t here. Stain had been moved probably as soon as the attack started and now there was no way they would find him in time before he was out of their reach. What if they didn’t even bother in keeping him alive? What if some other patients killed him?

Odd thoughts started forming in his head and he had to grip the window sill to keep himself from passing out. He couldn’t focus on anything or anyone, and even Shoto’s hand on his shoulder went by unnoticed. Was he crying? Was he even breathing?

They’d failed. They’d taken too long and now Stain was gone forever and Izuku would never be able to see his mentor again. He would never even be able to explain why he joined the League or what he was going to do afterward and the Hero Killer’s legacy would be left in the dust. No one would ever understand, no one would ever see what they were trying to do.

Toga’s voice attempted to break through his panic, something about Spinner and Dabi not answering their own coms, but it felt like he was underwater. He couldn’t really understand most of the words she was saying.

That was until Shoto used his ice quirk on him. It was only a thin layer of frost, but the coldness suddenly covering his back was sharp enough to snap him back to reality. Toga was holding his shoulders, her face the epitome of panic, and even Shoto looked concerned.

Izuku took in air like he’d been drowning and he felt sudden tears streaming down his face.

“Izuku, we have to go.” Toga told him, but he shook his head.

“Stain’s gone.” He said brokenly.

“He might have escaped on his own, you don-”

“They took him the moment we appeared. To the public, Stain is with the League. Of course they knew we’d come for him.” Izuku cried, cutting off Shoto. He sounded utterly defeated and he was unable to stop the cries that escaped his mouth. Shoto himself looked completely destroyed at the prospect of his brother being captured by now, but said nothing.

Toga attempted to comfort him as best as she could, her own earpiece forgotten so that she could focus solely on him, but he wasn’t listening at all. Shoto was half listening to the two of them and half trying to make out whatever he was being told through his earpiece, but he was mostly failing at both things.

Izuku leaned out the broken window, trying to take in as much oxygen as he could. He felt like the world was wrapping around him. He was so out of it that he missed the knock from where the door used to be. The sound caught Toga and Shoto off guard and that brief moment of distraction was enough to leave an opening.

Through the opening in the window, what seemed like branches flooded the room. Izuku was unceremoniously pulled out the window along with Toga and Shoto. All three teens were pulled all the way up to the roof, where they came face to face with Wood Kamui and another two pros that Izuku didn’t recognize.

“Expecting someone else?” One of the heroes, a woman with white hair, told them in an almost mocking fashion. Izuku couldn’t reach for the knife at his waist, but he felt so empty that he didn’t have the strength to fight against his wooden restraints.

He heard Toga insult the heroes below her, he heard her call out to Izuku as he was forcefully pulled away from the other teens to be thoroughly examined by the heroes. 

“Perhaps you can tell us where your teacher is, little Disciple.” The white-haired hero told him, but Izuku could make absolutely no sense of those words.

He was trapped in his own mind in a way that he hadn’t been in a long, long time. He felt small and afraid, and he could almost hear the heroes call him ‘Deku’ as they spoke to him.

He’d gotten everyone captured. At least the people he cared about were all most likely arrested by now. Spinner and Dabi might even be dead for all he knew. The League had all retreated by now, and Shigaraki probably didn't care about the fact that Izuku and Stain were going to spend the rest of their lives in Tartarus.

All hope drained from his body.

They’d all been right in the end. He’d done nothing other than get others in trouble or hurt. He’d royally fucked up absolutely everything. If he’d never met Stain then the Hero Killer would still be out there doing his job. Stain would be free and his message would be completely clean.

Toga and Shoto wouldn’t be suspended in mid-air and Dabi and Spinner would be safe somewhere else.

Maybe the three he’d met at the League would have found their way to Stain eventually and they would have certainly made better companions than Izuku ever did. They wouldn’t have slowed Stain down, for starters.

They wouldn’t have hesitated as much as he did, they wouldn’t have gotten Stain fucking captured.

Everything would have just been better if he’d listened to Kachhan and taken that damned swan dive off the roof. They’d been right, they’d all been right. All of the-

Izuku couldn’t make it out through his tears, but the light that exploded next to him was bright enough to blind him momentarily. He felt a sudden blast of heat and the wooden bindings around his chest came undone. He landed on the ground painfully, blinking away his tears to try and figure out what in the world had just happened.

He half wondered if the building was falling apart like in his dream, but the ground below him stayed where it was.

Toga was also free now and she was currently stumbling towards Izuku with a wide smile on her face.

“I didn’t know he was so much fun.” She told him and Izuku followed her gaze to his right.

Standing tall and proud was Todoroki Shoto, the left side of his body set ablaze in a grandiose show of light. All of the parts of wood that had been part of the pro hero Kamui were now burnt down to a crisp around them, and Izuku was almost sure that he could hear screaming beyond the hellish flames surrounding them.

As fast as the supernova unleashed, it disappeared. The flames were replaced by a ridiculous ice structure, the frozen construct so big that it extended far beyond the roof of the building and threatened to fall over at any given second. Trapped within the ice were the three pro heroes that had, just seconds prior, had the upper hand in this whole thing. This was nothing like what he’d seen before. This was grand and majestic and it took your breath away.

Izuku stared at Shoto in pure amazement. He’d known the teen was strong but this went above and beyond anything he could have expected. There had been no sign of his fire quirk during the sports festival or the attack on Hosu, and it was on par with Endeavor’s own strength.

“Come on.” Toga said, trying to pull Izuku up even when the teen didn’t find any strength on his legs.

“But…” Izuku choked. “Stain is…”

Shoto stepped closer and offered his hand, a determined look on his face.

“They said they don’t know where he is, so he probably made it out on his own. I’m not leaving without Touya, so let’s go find him and Stain and get out of here.” Those words sounded like music to Izuku and he had to fight back even more tears as he stood with the help offered to him.

Almost nonchalantly, Shoto took the half-melted earpiece out of his ear and threw it away, the slightest hint of a burn on his left ear due to the plastic.

“Where do you think they are?” Izuku asked worriedly. He could see the nomus still fighting Hawks and some other heroes, and the sight made him think that maybe Dabi was still okay. The nomus answered to him, after all. There were other heroes heading towards the park and others towards the back of the hospital. Izuku could see patients running in all directions in an attempt to escape, and that lifted his spirits even more. Stain could be down there.

Toga still had her earpiece miraculously hanging from her neck and she placed it back in her ear.

“Spinner? Dabi?” She called out but there was no response. Someone else seemed to pick up, but Toga took the earpiece off without even listening.

“Tomura wants us back even without them.” She said, and Izuku gritted his teeth. He now perfectly understood why Stain had wanted to kill Shigaraki the moment they met. 

Shoto walked towards the edge of the roof and looked down, frowning.

“The heroes in the back are just evacuating doctors. I don’t think they’re down there.”

“Then that leaves the park. There’s a good amount of trees on fire and that might be Dabi right now.” Izuku reasoned. A small blue light coming from between the foliage told him that he was most likely correct.

“How do we get down from here?” Toga asked, peering over the edge of the roof. They were at least six stories above ground level and jumping didn’t seem like the best idea. Izuku was just about to suggest something when an ice slide appeared out of nowhere, Shoto going down without a word.

Toga raised an eyebrow, giving Izuku a smile as they both followed behind the other teen. While Shoto slid down while standing gracefully, Izuku and Toga had to go down while sitting, both teens barreling into one another once they reached the bottom and even knocking down Shoto in the process.

Had they not been under such stressing circumstances, someone might have found the sight amusing. Maybe even endearing. Three kids all piled up on top of one another after riding a slide, the three of them embarrassed and fumbling to untangle from one another.

But there was no time to appreciate the moment of innocence, and in a heartbeat, they were all on their feet and rushing towards the park.

Izuku dodged wrecked cars and debris, jumped over the craters that had been left on the sidewalk by the fight, and pushed himself to run like he’d never run before.

If Stain was smart (which he was) then he was out there somewhere. Maybe not at the park, but somewhere. The heroes had wanted Izuku to tell them where Stain was and that told him that they didn’t have him.

They could’ve been lying, Izuku’s mind reasoned, but he pushed the thought away. He’d already faltered once and that had almost gotten them all arrested.

He refused to make the same mistake twice.

The destroyed street gave way to the entrance of Hotaru Park, the gate that once welcomed visitors now torn to shreds. The metal was bent sideways as if it had been made of paper when struck and they had to jump over one of the broken metal bars to get through.

The park, tranquil and beautiful just hours before, was now just as broken as the streets surrounding it. Trees had been uprooted all over, paths had been obliterated and benches had been ripped from their hinges. There were no Mustard clones around, but a few people were still unconscious on the ground. 

Just as they were passing the once beautiful pond, which was now an empty crater with a hole in the bottom, the blue glow they were chasing grew brighter. 

Shoto gave Izuku the briefest of glances before using his quirk to move faster, the teen leaving a frosted path in his wake. Izuku wasn’t comfortable with the idea of separating right now, but he’d be lying if he said that he wouldn’t do the same for Stain.

Izuku started to hear a commotion up ahead and he instinctively reached for the knife at his waist. Toga did the same, a glint in her eyes that Izuku missed while they ran.

Toga and he followed the ice all the way to the playground area, where things were just as chaotic as Izuku expected them to be.

There were multiple bodies on the ground, a few of them still smoking. Some of them had been charred in awkward positions and the place, in general, had an awful feeling about it.

Four pro heroes could be seen on their feet, all of them surrounding Dabi and Shoto as they stood back to back. A fifth and still alive hero was completely buried in ice and it didn’t seem like he’d be able to make it out any time soon.

Time froze for half a second. As soon as Izuku and Toga stepped out, two of the pro heroes had their eyes on them. A four on four battle didn’t sound terrible, but these were professionals with a vendetta. This would be anything but easy.

Toga and Izuku jumped in different directions, Toga landing a knife throw and Izuku avoiding what looked like a bolt of electricity. Time regained its speed and soon they were all doing their best to not die. Shoto and Dabi worked together as if they had been doing this for years, the fire and ice attacks used to block and separate the pro heroes.

Toga bounced off trees like a frog, her small stabs not doing much damage on their own but adding up before long. Izuku hadn’t had a real fight in a really long time and he found himself struggling far more than he cared to admit.

He landed a solid stab on a hero’s shoulder but got thrown to the side violently for all his troubles. Shoto’s ice caught him, guiding him towards the two brothers so that they could regroup. Toga landed right next to them a second later and for a moment no one moved.

“Where’s Spinner?” Izuku asked breathlessly.

“Lizard ran off. I thought he’d be with you.” Dabi responded. His monotone was laced with a thick layer of exhaustion and Izuku knew they wouldn’t last too long like this. All four teammates stood back to back, all of them waiting for the inevitable attacks that would soon hit.

The four heroes, though hurt and tired, held up their ground without much issue. They were used to this type of commotion and they had probably all worked together prior to this.

The first one to go down was Dabi since he got hit right on the stomach with a rock. Shoto had tried to protect him, but the attack was so powerful that it shattered the ice shield. Izuku wondered how badly Dabi would have been hurt if it wasn’t for his brother’s quick reflexes.

With Dabi down, Shoto lost focus and he too was buried under a mountain of rocks and stones. Before he could use his quirk again, the hero that had first attacked Izuku electrocuted the teen, leaving the fire and ice user in a dazed state that left him out of commission.

Dabi, before being electrocuted himself, managed to kill one of the four heroes they were fighting but that was all he managed to do before he was taken out.

Between Toga and Izuku they managed to get one of the other heroes in the neck with a knife, but there was no time to celebrate. Toga was unceremoniously thrown against a tree a good twenty feet away, all of the air getting knocked out of her as she fell limply in the ground. The sight reminded Izuku of how he’d looked back in Hosu and he flinched at the impact.

Two versus one. He wasn’t getting out of this one.

He put up as much of a fight as he could, but he was trapped under a hero’s boot in a matter of seconds. Izuku trashed like a wild animal, earning him a solid stomp on the chest that threatened to knock him out. Colors and light faded in and out of existence, but he did his best to glare at the man stepping on him.

“Stop struggling, kid.” The hero told him and Izuku actually growled in response. He’d lost his knife, his allies, his strength. Everything. But the spark was still alive inside his chest and he refused to simply bow down and accept defeat.

“Stain is gonna get every single one of you.” Izuku bit, poison dripping from his lips.

The hero added pressure on the teen’s chest. The other hero still standing was currently checking that Toga was down for good.

“Your mentor is nothing but a murderer who deserves to rot in Tartarus for the rest of his life. You being his student is a disgraceful waste of your life. So just stay d-”

He never got to finish that sentence. The choked scream of the hero behind him cut him off, the sound panicked and shrill. What used to be the hero’s leg had now been reduced to the equivalent of minced meat beneath Spinner’s assortment of blades, the mutant grinning wickedly as the hit met its target.

The hero on top of Izuku only managed to turn his head slightly before that very same head was sliced clean off his shoulders. It tumbled to the ground with a soft thump, the grass becoming red in a matter of seconds. The rest of the body fell to the side, the pressure on Izuku’s chest disappearing.

But even still, Izuku couldn’t breathe. His lungs wouldn’t take in any air and all his mind managed to do was produce tears as he stared at the new man standing over him, sword in hand.

“Don’t fucking touch him, you sham.” Stain hissed at the dead body, his eyes red shining with bloodlust.

Chapter Text

“Long time no see.” Izuku said meekly, his vision clouded by tears.

“It’s been less than a week.” Stain huffed, an amused tone in his voice. He offered his free hand to the teen and the boy gratefully took it to get to his feet. Stain pulled Izuku with a lot more strength than needed and the teen ended up crashing into his mentor’s chest. Stain held him there for a moment before letting go, an unreadable look in his eyes.

“Are you hurt?” Stain asked gravely, giving the corpse next to them one final, dirty look for good measure.

“No, I’m fine he just… Wait,” Izuku blinked, taking a step back to get a better look at his mentor. “What about you?! The window to your room was broken, what happened? How bad did they hurt you when you were arrested? How did you even find us out here?! Are you a-”

Stain hit Izuku softly on the head with the side of his hand, a tired look already in his eyes.

“I’m fine. Your friend led me here.” Stain said dryly, nodding towards Spinner. The mutant was currently trying to dig Shoto out from under the pyramid of stones on top of him and his eyes briefly looked Izuku’s way before he got back to work.

“I’m kinda surprised you listened to him without me there…” Izuku murmured.

“Kid talks fast. Good on him, cause I almost killed him before he explained.” Stain said nonchalantly, and the relief that Izuku had felt mixed with a sense of nervousness. Izuku looked at the ground and frowned.

“What… did he tell you?” Izuku asked. He kept his voice neutral and started walking towards Dabi if only to not have to face his mentor. Had Spinner told Stain everything about the last few days?

“Told me he was with you. I believed him when he said you cried a few hours after meeting.” Stain said almost teasingly, and Izuku blushed. He rushed towards Dabi and knelt next to the confused man.

I don’t think he knows about the League, Izuku thought. One part of him was glad that Stain didn’t know, but an even bigger part of him dreaded the fact that he’d have to see every moment of Stain’s reaction to the news.

Stain was not going to be happy, that much was certain.

Dabi was holding himself up in his hands and knees and he looked absolutely out of it. A crimson stain adorned his lips and the small pool of blood under him wasn’t a sight that Izuku liked.

“Dabi?” Izuku tried. He placed a hand on his elder’s shoulder but quickly removed it when Dabi’s hand lit up with blue flames defensively. It took the burnt man a good moment to recognize Izuku at all.

“You’re alive.” Dabi drawled out, shifting his weight so that he was sitting on the ground. His naturally aloof expression was clouded with pain, but he still gave Izuku a small smile.

“How are you? You got hit pretty bad.” Izuku told him, a worried frown on his face.

“Are you worried about me?” Dabi’s smile widened and the amused tone in his voice was unmistakable. However, the smile fell in half a second and his eyes widened in what could be described as terror. “Where’s Shoto?!”

“He’s okay!” Izuku hurried, keeping Dabi where he was when he tried to get up. He moved to the side so that Dabi could see Spinner clearly, a good amount of stones out of the way, and most of Shoto’s torso uncovered. “He just got trapped. He’s fine.”

Dabi blinked, a frown settling on his face even when his shoulders relaxed.

“Hey, lizard!” Dabi yelled at Spinner, who immediately looked irritated. “Why did you leave me, you dumb ass?!”

“I have a name, you know! And I had to go before Stain left.” Spinner defended himself, mimicking the expression that Dabi was giving him.

“Stain? What are you… Oh, shit.” Dabi’s eyes landed on Stain’s form and whatever he was going to say died in his throat. Izuku could perfectly see the blue in Dabi’s irises because of how wide his eyes went for a second, before going back to their usual narrowed state. The burnt man waved his hand in greeting and Stain raised an eyebrow.

“So this is your team, huh?” Stain asked Izuku and the teen swallowed. Stain didn’t sound disappointed or unimpressed, nope, that was definitely not it. Not at all. And that look was most definitely not one of absolute doubt at Izuku’s decision making while he was gone.

We’re screwed, Izuku told himself as he hastily got to his feet and made his way towards Toga. The blonde girl was already getting to her feet, one of her buns undone and her legs covered in scratches.

“You okay?” Izuku asked her, not sure how serious the frown on her face was.

“They ruined my sweater.” She grumbled as she pulled at the tattered sleeve of her sweater, and Izuku sighed in relief. 

“We’ll get you a new one later.” Toga smiled at Izuku’s reassurance and her mouth was already open to respond when her eyes widened. She blushed madly and hid her head in Izuku’s shoulder shyly.

“Toga?” Izuku whispered, a protective arm already around the girl.

“Is that everyone or are there any more surprise additions to your group?” Stain was standing right behind Izuku, his judgemental eyes not missing the way Toga clung onto Izuku for dear life.

Izuku knew how odd this must look. The nervousness in his stomach became heavier and he felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden. How could he even begin to explain the situation? 

“Stain, these are-”

“Oh, I recognize the League of Villains just fine, thank you.” Stain deadpanned, clearly unamused. “I’m dying to hear your explanation about this later.”

All the joy Izuku had felt upon seeing his mentor once more turned into pure anxiety, his heart racing in his chest like a bird trying to get out of a cage. The way Toga tightened her hold on Izuku's shirt only made him even more trapped. An imaginary spotlight was blinding him from above and he had no other option than to perform.

“Let me explain what happened I…”

“No.” Stain hissed, pointing an accusatory finger at Izuku’s face. “This place is crawling with heroes. We’re leaving, right now.”

With that, Stain did a 180 and started walking in silence. His shoulders were tense and Izuku felt like he’d just been slapped in the face. For a few seconds, the teen just watched as his teacher walked off. It wasn’t until the sword that Stain had been holding, one that clearly belonged to Spinner, clanged against the ground as Stain dropped it, that Izuku really started panicking.

He tried to rush after Stain but found himself unable to escape Toga’s grasp.

“Stain, wait!” Izuku called out, gaining his peers’ attention. They all watched in silence as Stain walked past and towards the few remaining trees, his intent very clear.

“He’s leaving.” Toga whispered, staying glued to Izuku’s side as the teen ran after the Hero Killer.

“Midoriya?” He heard Spinner call out to him, clear worry in his voice. Dabi and Shoto just watched them from the ground, apprehension in their eyes.

Izuku called Stain’s name once more but his elder ignored him and Izuku had to actually take his sweatshirt off to free himself from Toga and run faster. He came face to face with his mentor, his mind and heart going a mile a minute, and he did not like the look on the other man’s face.

“Please stop, just let me talk to you!” Izuku all but pleaded, putting his hands forward in an attempt to stop Stain. But the other man just shoved him off and started pulling the teen along with him angrily.

“Stain! Just hear me out, they-”

“They’re with the League,” Stain snapped, not looking Izuku in the eye. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Stain, please,” Izuku begged, pulling against his mentor’s grip in a futile attempt to stop them both from advancing any further. The other four were all on their feet by now, Dabi and Spinner stepping in front of Toga to keep her from charging at Stain. She looked absolutely feral, and Izuku knew that the situation was close to its breaking point.

He dug his heels into the dirt and snatched his arm away, his eyes betraying the desperation that he was feeling.

You knew this would happen, Deku.

“Listen to me!” Izuku half commanded, half implored, his voice cracking. He forced himself to believe that it was because of all the smoke around them, rather than his rampant emotions.

Stain tensed even further, his shoulders visibly pulled back through his light-colored hospital uniform. When he turned around, Izuku felt like he was about to burst into tears.

You know that look.

“Listen to what?” Stain hissed venomously, his eyes dark. “How you were naive enough to join the League to get this done? Or are you trying to justify these four?”

“They helped me! They-”

“They’re targets!” Stain finally snapped, his voice rising far more than it was necessary. Izuku had been unconscious at the time, but his mentor was currently emanating the same murderous aura that he’d exhibited back in Hosu all those months ago.

“There’s nothing you can say that could change that!”

“They’re not with the League!” Izuku was scrambling for words, his breathing uneven and fast. “They’re with me!”

“They used you!” Stain bit back, taking a step forward to look Izuku dead in the eye. “They got you in debt with them and they messed with your mind and now you're defending them. We’re leaving. Right. Now.”

“They only joined the League so they could meet you!”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to be flattered?” Izuku had never been on the receiving end of that tone of voice, at least not when it came to Stain. It was…

It’s familiar, isn’t it, Deku? He might as well be Kaachan.

“I’m done entertaining this stupid farce,” Stain said, glaring daggers at the four people behind Izuku. “You’re done with these people.”

Izuku bit his lip. He wanted to just curl up into a ball and cry and then disappear into the earth beneath his feet. With the blue flames dancing all around them, he truly did feel like he was having a vision straight from hell.

He’d known Stain would be angry. He was painfully aware of that ever since he agreed to join the League. But he hadn’t expected his mentor to just ignore him when he tried to explain. He didn’t expect to be told to just shut up and follow directions.

He hadn’t expected to feel the way he did when All Might told him off on TV.

You deserve no less, Deku.

He shook his head, trying to clear the static that was forming in his mind. He was panicking, he knew it and he was suddenly not sure of what to do to change the tides.

“Get moving.” Stain told him, already turning his back to keep walking away.

Izuku felt dizzy. It was like the ground was no longer under his feet, like there was nothing holding him.

“Izuku!” Toga’s voice was shrill enough to make him realize that the ground was, indeed, no longer there.

The teen turned his head to see all four of his companions disappearing into a familiar black pool of fog, and Izuku wasn’t far behind. He was already halfway down when Stain reached for him, and Izuku desperately stretched out his hand to take his mentor’s.

“Stain!” Izuku cried, desperation clawing at his throat as he realized that Stain was also disappearing into a portal of his own.

“Stain, please, you have to trus-”

The rest of his sentence died when his head crossed the portal, darkness swallowing him whole for a brief instant.

Izuku was spat back out at the familiar bar, his body tumbling painfully as he landed next to Shoto with his arm awkwardly bent under his torso.

The sudden stillness and silence at the bar was like a bucket of ice water, and all of Izuku’s senses were on edge immediately. Beside him, Spinner was already on his knees and right in front of them was the rest of the League.

Shigaraki was sitting on his regular stool, a smirk hidden behind his mask as he toyed with one of the blue marbles that Mr. Compress’s quirk produced. The real Mustard was leaning against a back wall, Moonfish in a corner and Magne, Twice and Compress next to the bar. Kurogiri reformed behind the counter and, with that, everyone was present.

“Well, I can’t wait to hear how it all went down.” Shigaraki said cheerfully and Izuku felt chills going down his back. They hadn’t called for backup, they hadn’t told anyone that they’d found Stain, and yet they were all back at the bar.

This couldn’t be good.

“Welcome, Hero Killer. I do hope you will have better manners than the last time you were here.” Shigaraki purred, the smugness in his voice anything but hidden. Izuku didn’t turn to check, but he was sure that Stain was glaring at the blue-haired young man.

“You’re just as disgusting as ever, Shigaraki.” Stain answered and Shigaraki chuckled.

“Don’t talk that way. We’re working together now, after all.”

Izuku felt like he’d been kicked in the chest. This wasn’t the way he’d expected Stain to find out about any of this.

You didn’t think it through, did you?

“Your student very clearly joined the League in your name, didn’t you, Midoriya?”

Izuku swallowed, getting to his feet shakily. He felt trapped and disappointed and stupid. He clenched his fists until he felt his nails digging into his palms sharply. He wanted nothing more than to get Stain out of that bar.

“I joined, yes. But I don’t speak for Stain.” Izuku said slowly. Shigaraki hummed, his free hand scratching the skin of his neck.

“Well, that’s not what you said. I held up my end, didn’t I?” Shigaraki directed his question to the general audience, and Izuku noticed how Mustard nodded briefly. He was overrun with the sudden desire to punch the younger boy square in the face.

“No. You called for a retreat and armed the clones you sent with us. If we hadn’t acted on our own, Stain wouldn’t be here.”

On his peripheral vision Izuku noticed how Spinner took a step closer to him on one side, Dabi appearing on the other. The people on the other side of the room stood straighter and Izuku could feel the atmosphere in the room get more and more tense by the second.

A bad time to be unarmed, he thought bitterly.

“Watch it, kid. I put my whole team in jeopardy for your little rescue mission.” Shigaraki warned, the sound of his nails raking through his own skin making Izuku feel on edge.

“ Your team left us once things got tough. You didn’t risk anything.” The teen spit back.

Shigaraki immediately got to his feet, his red eyes glaring daggers at Izuku from behind his mask. 

“The people behind you are also part of the League, you brat. Don’t forget that.”

There was a long moment of silence as both sides of the argument slowly took in the reality of the situation.

Shigaraki’s red eyes flashed from one of Izuku’s accomplices to the next, a deep frown forming under his mask. Izuku couldn’t see it for himself, but his companions all had determined expressions on their faces as they stood by him. Stain, standing at the very back of the group, looked at the five kids in front of him with a thoughtful look.

“Dabi, you’re smart. What do you think you’re doing?” Shigaraki asked and the fire user smirked.

“Come on, you know why we all joined.” He answered simply, much to Shigaraki’s annoyance.

“Ah yes, the Hero Killer. Everything is always about you, isn’t it, Stain?” Shigaraki hissed dangerously, his narrowed eyes focused solely on the man at the back of the group. His hands were getting twitchy and even the glass marble that had been in his palm earlier was currently rolling along the bar, forgotten.

“Even back in Hosu, everyone was talking about you. I expected Spinner to fall for your preachy philosophy, but the rest of them are a bit of a surprise.”

Izuku felt like he was standing on rapidly cracking ice. He needed to think of something fast or they would all die at the hands of the League. What was the biggest threat? Scratch that, all of these people were threats. 

“So now what, Disciple?” Shigaraki told Izuku mockingly, his arms outstretched. “You really think you can leave this place and steal half of my members just like that?”

“You’re one to talk,” Spinner said coldly, back already tense in anticipation. “How many heroes did you have Compress bring solely for your master’s sake?”

Izuku’s eyes shifted towards the masked villain but Compress gave no response to the accusation.

“I saw him take about five people.” Dabi pressed, his usual smirk on his face.

“They’re just heroes, you dispose of them too.” Mustard attempted to defend Compress.

“Not for our own sake.” Izuku bit back. 

“Oh, you and your ideals are so annoying!” Shigaraki finally snapped, making Kurogiri jump in surprise at the sudden outburst. “I should have turned you in along with your master, you stupid brat.”

That did the trick.

Like a spark falling on a powder keg, everyone exploded into action all at once. In the small space, what might have been a coherent battle turned into absolute chaos and Izuku was only half aware of most of the things happening around him.

Dabi and Shoto combined their fire quirks to plunge the other side of the bar into a purple hell, but nobody actually expected that to be the end of it. Spinner managed to hand Stain a sword just as a portal opened on their side of the room, dropping not one but three different Shigarakis into the scene. 

Izuku saw two of them head for his teacher, the other one going for Spinner, but he was unable to help.

Some invisible force pulled him forcefully towards the bar, and he flew through the air at high speed until he collided against the alcohol cabinet, bottles falling and breaking on impact. Izuku’s arm landed on some of the broken glass, but he couldn’t afford to take a look at that at the moment.

Magne was standing there, the magnet she used to reinforce her quirk hovering over Izuku’s head menacingly. The teen barely had any time to roll to the side and avoid getting his skull crushed, the metal object breaking a hole on the wooden floor.

He needed a weapon. Fast. But the only things around him were bottles and glasses, not a blade in sight.

Improvise, Izuku told himself.

With the magnet stuck on the floor for the briefest of seconds, Izuku was able to grab hold of a rather heavy gin bottle. He grasped the bottle by the neck and swung it with all his strength, shattering it over Magne’s hand and effectively getting the woman to let go of her weapon. Izuku kicked her on the side of the knee and she stumbled backward just enough to get out of the cover that the bar offered. A chunk of ice flew in her direction and hit her right in the head, knocking her down for a solid moment.

Lucky her, since the large piece of ice was followed by a barrage of long, thin blades that dug into the wall behind the bar, shattering any bottles that hadn’t yet been broken. Izuku heard how Moonfish’s quirk impaled every surface available, and in the middle of that sound he heard a sharp scream of pain. There was no way of knowing who’d been hit, but he prayed that none of his allies had just died.

Izuku hastily opened up the drawers at the back of the bar in search of something -anything- useful. He found only an ice pick and took it like he’d found water in the middle of the desert. It wasn’t much, Izuku thought, but it was better than being unarmed.

He crawled towards the end of the bar, peeking over the corner but seeing absolutely nothing. The wooden interior of the bar was on fire by now, both orange and blue, and there was a small cloud of gas forming along the floor. Legs and attacks flew by Izuku in quick succession but he waited.

Just as Magne started groaning behind him, Izuku recognized a red shoe and he launched himself forward. He dug the icepick into the person’s leg, earning a low grunt of pain. Shigaraki fell on his knees, but his torso never met the ground; instead, a pool of mud formed on the wooden floor.

“Shit.” Izuku whispered. He flinched at the sound of gunshots, looking in the direction of the sound and seeing two figures in the middle of a cloud of smoke. He caught a flash of green skin and immediately got to his feet to assist Spinner.

He had only taken one step forward when a hand attempted to wrap around his neck from behind. Cold fingers threatened to clasp onto his skin, but he threw himself to the side and attacked with the icepick, Shigaraki’s red eyes meeting his for a brief second.

Izuku could see pure rage in those red irises, the dark emotion mixed with a clear manic intent, and Izuku shivered involuntarily. What landed on the floor was yet another sludge of mud, since Izuku managed to slice the copy in the arm, but Izuku found himself gasping for air.

His yellow shirt disintegrated into dust all around him, the particles raining upon the ground like sand. That could have been him, had he not moved fast enough. No air seemed to fill his lungs for a moment and he was so focused on what had just happened that he left himself unprotected.

A sharp blade dug itself into his shoulder, sending him flying through the air and towards one of the walls. He was left impaled to the wall momentarily, his shoulder stinging sharply as the blade dug past the muscle that connected to his neck. The wound was almost skin deep and the tissue broke in an instant, Izuku landing on the ground with a breathless gasp of pain.

From the ground he could see various things, though none of them were too clear at first.

The ground was littered with pieces of wood, ice, broken blades and glass. He could see liquids reflecting the lights of the fire as well, but he was unable to tell if it was booze or blood amidst all the chaos. He saw figures running across the room, all of them fleeting and fast. He caught sight of blonde hair and dark clothing, but was unable to follow anything.

He felt like a broken toy, unable to stand on his own anymore.

It’s just like back in Hosu. You’re gonna end up needing someone to save you.

Was that it? Was Izuku just too weak? Was he always going to need someone else to step in?

That’s how it’s always been.

Has it? Was that true? Izuku’s eyes started to water and he no longer found any strength within himself.

You’re never gonna make a difference, you usle-

A sword skidded across the floor, the blade stopping not five feet from Izuku’s leg. It was a katana, sharp and relatively new, and it was bloody. The item sliding into view interrupted the barrage of voices in Izuku’s head and he focused all of his attention on the blade.

A few seconds later, Spinner’s body hit the ground just ahead, the mutant coughing violently and looking dazed. There was a clear wound on his neck and Izuku saw almost in slow motion how Mustard’s shape came through the gas and smoke, his signature gun in hand.

Izuku’s mind flashed. He remembered Hosu and he remembered the poor nurse at the hospital.

Useless Deku, the voice in his head chided and Izuku blinked.

He felt like his chest snapped, like a can of soda getting stepped on, and he felt heat going all over his body. From limb to limb, the teen felt like he’d been set ablaze and everything around him went dark as if he couldn’t open his eyes anymore.

His muscles tensed. His throat ached. His shoulder stung.

A final gunshot rang out in the small space, the sound echoing on Izuku’s ears like an explosion of unprecedented force.

Light came back into the world all at once, and Izuku found himself on his feet, his eyes wide open since God knows when. The katana and the icepick were held tightly in his hands and Mustard’s eyes were wide behind his mask as his hand and gun fell limply on the ground.

Izuku blinked again.

He turned the katana in his hands and struck again, hitting the younger villain right in the middle of the chest and slicing clean through. Mustard’s body collapsed on the ground limply and, unlike Shigaraki’s copies, it stayed down while bleeding.

Izuku stared, the voices in his head completely silent for once. Splashed in blood, with the katana in his hands and with a completely entranced expression on his face, Izuku looked like a demon from hell. In his current state he failed to notice a lot of things, like Moonfish’s corpse on one corner, charred skin and melted leather making his body look surreal, or the way the bar was pretty much collapsing at this point because of the fire.

Izuku’s eyes landed on Shigaraki, the visibility much better now that Mustard’s quirk was out of the way, and before anyone could react, Izuku sent the ice pick in his hand flying as he ran forward.

Shigaraki avoided the projectile and attempted to jump to one side, but was stopped by Stain’s own sword slash. With nowhere to go, the blue haired man stared as Izuku swung his blade towards him, aiming right for his head.

Time seemed to freeze. Red eyes (two sets of them) looked right at Izuku as he brought the blade down for a mortal strike.

But right then, the floor beneath Shigaraki turned into a black hole, the villain falling through and avoiding the slash before it decapitated him. But he didn’t leave unscathed.

Half of an index finger thumped on the ground where Shigaraki’s head would have landed had the slash met its mark, the villain’s scream getting lost as the portal closed as fast as it appeared. Izuku landed on one of his knees, and before he could look up, the rest of the League of villains had been warped away in a similar fashion.

Izuku took a deep breath, still dazed enough that he didn’t even cough at all the smoke he inhaled. He failed to react to his name being called as well and only snapped back to reality when Stain’s hand landed on his shoulder, the teen’s mentor easily avoiding the hasty attack that Izuku tried to send his way.

“Izuku!” The man yelled, making Izuku blink in rapid succession. “We have to get out of here, now!”

The ceiling of the bar groaned, threatening to collapse on top of them at any given second. 

Stain pulled the teen to his feet and made it for the door, Toga already catching up to them, but Izuku rapidly panicked and struggled.

“Wait!” He yelled, reaching a hand out towards the few people left at the bar.

Spinner was coughing, still on the ground, and Dabi was desperately trying to carry an unconscious Shoto on his shoulders, struggling very clearly.

Stain hesitated only a heartbeat, huffing as Izuku freed himself from his grasp and ran towards Spinner.

“Midoriya...” The mutant rasped and Izuku hurriedly tried to get him to his feet. But he struggled, just like Dabi, and he let out a small whimper. They almost went back down together, but Toga caught Spinner’s other shoulder to assist Izuku, a small smile behind all the blood on her face.

“Move it!” Stain yelled from the door, a wounded Shoto cradled in his arms and a shaken Dabi right beside him.

The burning building was reported mere minutes after the fire started and the fire department and authorities were quick to arrive at the scene, but no one saw the six figures making their way out the back door and into the alleyways nearby.

Chapter Text

Stain shouldered his way into an empty, half-constructed house just as the sun dipped below the horizon. The door he’d just busted open bounced on the wall with a hollow sound, and the man walked inside without any hesitation. Behind him, the ragtag group of youngsters following him walked inside slowly, looking far more defeated than the Hero Killer leading them.

They had barely spoken in all the hours they had walked, making a beeline south and as far away as they could get from the raging fire that consumed the League’s headquarters. By some miracle, they hadn’t crossed paths with any heroes while they walked, and Izuku was beyond thankful. He wasn’t sure just how they would all deal with another hero as they were.

Stain disappeared further inside the house, probably to scope out the place, and the rest of them settled around the common area. Dabi limped towards the nearest wall and slipped down carefully, his wounded leg stretched before him. Spinner, who had been carrying Shoto for the last hour and a half, deposited the young teen next to his older brother. Izuku took off Dabi’s coat and rolled it up to use as a pillow for the wounded boy, and Dabi gave them both a grateful look.

Shoto was mostly awake by now but was still too weak to get up on his own. His left forearm was now sporting two stab wounds with burns on top, the latter from how Dabi had desperately cauterized the wound to keep Shoto from bleeding out while they escaped.

While the two siblings whispered to one another, Spinner took his mask off and ran a hand through his hair and Toga took off her tattered sweater to wipe the blood and grime off her face and legs. Izuku made sure the door was locked and, after letting out a deep sigh, leaned against the wooden surface and stared at his teammates in silence.

Like wounded animals, he watched them all clean their wounds and murmur amongst themselves, the fact that Stain hadn’t returned weighing heavily on all of them.

In the almost six hours they’d marched, Stain had only ever addressed Izuku directly. He’d pointedly ignored the other four people in the group, even when he’d spent the first hour or so carrying Shoto on his arms. He was also the one that initially assessed the teen’s wounded arm, but he’d done all of that in hellish silence.

Izuku had started at his mentor’s back the whole trip, too hesitant to speak and too anxious to be comfortable with the silence. He’d picked at the sleeve of Dabi’s coat the entire time, thoughts flooding his mind and threatening to drown him.

Every look Stain gave him, every time he as much as picked up the pace, Izuku would feel a surge of terror clawing at his heart. Was Stain about to just run off and abandon them? Was he handing Shoto over to Spinner so that he could get rid of them without any obstacles? Was his hand gripping his new katana in preparation to strike down one of their accomplices?

Ever so often Izuku would involuntarily flinch in anticipation, his companions giving him worried glances. Toga would take his hand any chance she got and even Shoto seemed to wonder what was wrong with Izuku, but only Spinner understood the teen’s worries. The mutant had patted Izuku on the shoulder two hours into their walk, a serene and reassuring look in his pink eyes, and Izuku had to force himself not to start crying right then and there.

Now that they were all still and with no more need to keep running for the moment, anxiety flooded Izuku’s veins like poison. His skin itched and he wished he still had the little radio at his disposal if only to know what the media was saying about them.

Had reporters gotten to the nurse Mustard had shot? Had anyone recognized Shoto’s quirk from the sports festival? Had there been casualties that he was unaware of? Did anyone know that the building that had burned down earlier belonged to the League?

The fact that all of those answers were unknown to him, plus the fact that any lie or misinterpretation could become the ‘truth’ to the public terrified him and for the first time in almost a year Izuku started biting down on his nails. They weren’t particularly long but he didn’t take any notice.

Instead, he focused on his surroundings.

The house they’d broken into was just like many that Stain and him had stayed at in the past year. No doors inside, the walls a light grey and the second floor only partially finished. The windows had glass, which was good, but he could still feel the chill blowing in through the staircase. Up there somewhere, Stain was hiding from them all.

Or maybe we’re hiding from him, Izuku reasoned bleakly. No one had made any attempt to follow the man upstairs and it would probably be a long time before they gathered the bravery to do so.

Dabi was on the ground next to Shoto, the two of them talking quietly. The teen was examining his newly scarred arm while his brother stretched, his own burnt arms in full display without his coat. The purple expanse of skin went up much further than Izuku anticipated, the staples keeping the skin in place reaching almost his armpits. He’d been just as surprised by the sight when Dabi offered him the coat hours earlier under the excuse that a shirtless kid wasn’t exactly the most subtle thing in the world.

Dabi gave his sibling a calm smile and the younger brother returned it weakly. If he didn’t know any better, then Izuku might have believed that these two had been together for years rather than the measly few days that had passed since Shoto’s ‘kidnapping’.

Another thing he wished he had information about. 

On an opposite end of the room, right beside a cracked window, Toga sat by herself. Her once light yellow sweater was now a dirty piece of cloth in her hand, blood and dirt making the object look unrecognizable from before. All of her hair was down now, blonde locks framing her face as she slowly searched her legs for any blood she might have missed. At least a fourth of the scratches adorning her skin would leave a mark. 

Her eyes met Izuku’s for a brief moment and she sent a cute smile his way before getting back to work. Thank God she did, because Izuku wasn’t sure that he would have been able to return it.

Spinner was crouching in a corner of the room, his bouquet of swords and knives neatly spread out on the floor in front of him as he examined each blade individually. He looked at each piece with the same care and attention that Stain usually showed, and Izuku found himself entranced for a good two minutes. The katana he still had with him, hanging off the belt loop of his pants, clanked quietly against the wall behind him.

It was a familiar, yet new scene, and Izuku found the smallest amount of solace in watching Spinner expertly turn the weapons in his hands. Just then he realized how much he missed the knife that Stain had gifted him all those months ago when they left the national park. He regretted not being able to take anything with him when joining the League, but the weapon was the one that hurt him the most.

Without noticing, he finished biting the nails on his right hand and got to attacking the other one swiftly. He hadn’t done anything like this since he’d been in school, where he would usually bite his nails until they would bleed. The fact that he was unconsciously falling back into that habit was anything but good.

Izuku watched how the shadows inside the room became darker and darker as time went on, a faint buzzing in his ears. He could feel how nervousness started taking a hold of him slowly and yet, felt like his body was completely calm. He thought about moving his hand away from his face, especially when Toga noticed what he was doing, but found it impossible to move.

Toga approached him from the front butt he still flinched when she touched him. Or did he really flinch? Did he move at all? He wasn’t sure anymore.

“Izuku-kun?” The girl asked sweetly, her hands already on his cheeks to ensure eye contact. There was the usual blush on her face, but the yellow eyes seemed foreign to Izuku somehow. Toga tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy, but Izuku said nothing.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but just then a new shadow joined them in the room. Stain’s eyes met Izuku’s and the teen tensed. He unconsciously took a hold of Toga’s shirt as if that was the only thing anchoring him to reality.

“A word.” His mentor told him, a nod for Izuku to follow him upstairs. “Alone.” He added, narrowing his eyes at Toga.

Izuku nodded but he had to mechanically move his legs to step away from Toga, a tiny ‘good luck’ reaching his deaf ears. His feet felt like lead, and he missed the sympathetic, yet resolute look that Spinner sent his way.

Each step felt like it lasted ages and yet he was upstairs in the blink of an eye. He’d followed Stain into a small room with a discarded bathtub, the place furthest away from the stairs that they could get to. They were alone.

Emotions threatened to knock Izuku over. A few days ago he would have given anything to be where he was right now. But now he was terrified of what might happen.

Stain stood, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and staring at Izuku with judgemental eyes. Izuku just stood frozen in the doorway, too stressed to even think of making himself comfortable.

After what felt like years, Stain broke the silence.

“So?” He asked and that single syllable was as loud as a gunshot to the teen.

Izuku’s throat felt dry and the first sound that he managed to produce was a pathetic croak. He shifted on his feet, a cold sweat already forming over his chest.

“I… um…” He stammered. Had he ever been so scared of talking with Stain? Maybe when they met in that alley all that time ago.

“Care to explain yourself?” Stain’s voice was sharp as a knife. Izuku swallowed, finding the unpainted concrete of the walls rather hypnotizing.

“I…” He started pulling on some hair by his neck, the newly dyed strand feeling dry. He couldn’t find his words. Anything he said would only serve to make the hole where he was even deeper.

“How about you start with the fact that you not only joined the League of Villains but also helped kidnap a kid and attack a hospital and a park with them.”

Oh God. He was fuming. His voice was dark and threatening and it made Izuku feel like a cornered animal.

“How do you…”

“Know?” Stain raised a brow. “You were all over the news. You think Endeavor of all people wouldn’t have cameras around his own house? Come on kid, that’s basic stuff.”

He’s disappointed in you, Deku.

“You even got a nickname, kid.”

“What?”

“Oh yes,” Stain chuckled, the slightest hint of humor in his voice. “You’re ‘the Disciple’ now. The newest addition to the League of Villains.”

There was an icy silence between them.

“There was…” Izuku squeaked. “I couldn’t rescue you on my own, I needed help and they-”

“They made you sully your name and your principles on an empty promise.”

“But-” Izuku tried.

“And they turned me in in the first place.” Stain spat.

“We didn’t know that!”

“ We?” 

Izuku’s skin felt like it’d been doused in gasoline. All that was missing was a match and he’d be turned into ash.

“I… Them. My… group.” Izuku pointed towards the stairs. “Shigaraki didn’t tell anyone what he’d done.”

“Oh, now they’re your group? Well that just changes everything, don’t it?” Stain raised his hands with a sarcastic smile on his face and Izuku actually took a step back. He wanted to run as far away as humanly possible.

“They’re different, they...”

“They attacked public places without rhyme or reason and hurt pedestrians without a care in the world.”

“They didn’t hurt any innocents!”

“How are you so sure? Let me guess, they told you themselves?” Stain sneered, a cold smile adorning his lips. “And you just went and believed them?! Why, because you like them?”

Izuku attempted to get a word out of his mouth, but Stain seemed to have heard enough. As fast and unexpected as lighting, he cut the distance between the two of them, cornering Izuku against the wall. His stance alone was enough to show how angry he was, but he still glared at Izuku for good measure.

“Cut the crap. You owe them nothing, you hear me? Admit that they used you so we can finally get this over with.” Stain hissed through his teeth.

Izuku felt like he’d been hit right in the face. He was frozen in fear -actual fear- and he didn’t know what to do or feel. He shook his head automatically and Stain scoffed.

Useless as ever, Deku.

“I can’t fucking believe you…” Stain murmured. But Izuku’s mind was already obsessing over something else.

“G-get… wh…” Izuku’s voices faltered, his heart trying to escape his body. Stain took one step towards the door and Izuku clung to his arm like his life depended on it.

“Let go, kid.” Stain warned.

“Get what over with?” Izuku whispered, his eyes desperately searching Stain’s face for any sign of… Of what? Mercy? Vulnerability?

But there was only blood lust in those red eyes.

Stain tried to pull away, and Izuku was moving before he could think about his own actions. He tried to maneuver himself in front of Stain, but that only got him pushed away. It was truly just an instinct for them both, a reflex to being grabbed or surprised, and it was never meant to be a personal thing. They always drew their weapons when they felt attacked.

But right now, with each other’s sword pointing at one another in the tiny hallway, it felt like the whole world had turned against them.

No. No, please no.

Izuku shook his head weakly, the stairs right behind him and his mentor mere feet away from him.

Stain narrowed his eyes, his steady blade a great contrast to Izuku’s trembling hands.

“Stand down, kid. I’m warning you.” His tone was cautious and slow, like he wanted to make sure that Izuku really listened to him. But the teen just shook his head again.

“Move.”

“No.”

Stain let out a long sigh through what was left of his nose, his eyes not deviating off Izuku’s for even a second.

“Why are you defending them? They’re targets, kid.”

“No, they’re not.” Izuku hissed. At last he sounded sure of something but Stain just frowned more.

You’re even fighting him now, eh Deku? Where’s your loyalty?

“What ever they told you was a fucking lie. Let me pass.”

“No!” Izuku held his sword firmly in his hands, not daring to take a step forward but wanting to look as immovable as possible. He knew that if he made the first move Stain would have him disarmed and on the ground in a second.

And every second was precious right now. A part of him wanted to scream, wanted to yell out for Spinner and the others to run. Another part of him wanted to swing his sword as a warning. And another, more prominent part of his soul wanted to do something drastic. Different. Undesirable.

Just do it, Deku. It’s all you’re good for.

“Why did you let them get in your head like this?” Stain asked and had Izuku been more calm he might have identified the hint of desperation in his teacher’s voice. “Why on Earth would you join Shigaraki of all fucking people?”

“It was the only way.” Izuku croaked, his vision already blurring. His chest felt tight and his lungs refused to take in any oxygen, making him feel like he was about to pass out.

“Only way?”

“To get you out.”

“For what?” Stain asked bitterly. “You compromised everything recklessly and twisted our message.”

“What was I supposed to do? Leave you to rot in Tartarus?!” Izuku half shrieked, already past the point of caring about the Dabi and the rest hearing the argument. Hell, he didn’t care if all of Japan heard them.

“Yes!” Stain barked, thrusting his sword forward in one swift motion and effectively catching Izuku off guard. He knocked the katana out of the teen’s hands and tripped him, both metal and body hitting the ground at the same time. The movement was fast and precise enough to probably knock down any person, but that didn’t matter.

Stain didn’t need to make any physical contact to defeat Izuku at this point. What he’d said, that one word, had been more than enough to rip Izuku’s heart right out of his chest. His body felt numb and he only knew he’d crashed on the wooden floor because of the angle in which he started seeing things around him.

He saw Stain’s feet next to him. If he wanted to, he could easily strike again and make sure that Izuku stayed down. But again, that would be unnecessary.

Izuku's mind was filled with fog. He felt like he was standing in the middle of endless darkness, no memories and no coherent thought forming in the mist. All that was left was that familiar voice echoing through every part of his head.

You broke everything, Deku. He’s never gonna trust you again. You made the wrong choice.

No. God, please no. He’d tried to make sure that no one got hurt, that no one died. He had put their ideals first and foremost.

You’re lying to yourself. You just wanted Stain back.

Stain had to come back. He was the Hero Killer. No one would listen to their message if he wasn’t there.

Oh, the message you tore to bits? Admit it. You acted only for yourself.

No, that couldn’t be true. No one else could teach people what real justice looked like, no one but Stain could bring forth a better future. And he’d found more people, more that would enforce their message.

All targets, Deku. But hey…

Stain finally sighed, turning around and heading for the stairs.

You know what they say, don’t you?

“Stay down, Izuku.” Stain said over his shoulder, a heavy note in his tone. Izuku’s hand twitched.

Birds of a feather flock together, Deku. You brought them here. And if Stain is right, well then…

Izuku’s eyes followed the moving feet before drifting to the right. His hand limply stretched forward. Just at the top of the stairs, Stain’s weight made the wooden floor boards crack dangerously.

His foot was already raised to go down, but the man tensed at the sound of movement behind him. He turned swiftly, ready for a strike that never actually came.

Izuku was standing in the middle of the hallway, his dark green eyes looking at Stain but not really seeing him. The katana was held tightly in his left hand, his knuckes white and arm completely tense at the amount of force he was using.

Stain’s blade was at the ready, but Izuku didn’t show any signs of attacking. His eyes traveled from Stain’s form to the blade in his hands and Stain tensed. He didn’t know it at the time, but Izuku was making him feel nervous.

“Stain,” The teen said, brows furrowed. “Why are they targets?”

The Hero Killer hesitated briefly. He glanced down the stairs as if expecting someone to ambush him, but there was no one there.

“You know why.” Stain said, and Izuku blinked.

“Because they were with the League?” The teen was fixated on the blade in his hands and so he didn’t look at Stain as he talked. He was lost in some vision of darkness, his voice reflecting how far away his mind was at the time. “Because they’re criminals that acted for their own sake? Because they attacked innocent people? Because they seem to have no real objective of their own?”

Stain’s red eyes narrowed. The blade in his hands shook briefly.

“You know all that and yet you’re going to defend them?”

“No,” Izuku said, the ghost of a smile grazing his lips. He turned the katana in his hands, looking at the dark reflections that danced upon the blade. “No, I… I just wanted to make sure what it was because…”

Izuku shifted his weight from one foot to the other, the change in pressure making the floorboards under him crack dryly.

“Well, then I’m also a target, am I not?”

Stain’s breathing caught in his throat.

“I worked with the League. I helped them kidnap Shoto. I terrorized a hospital and publicly acted with the same organization that you hate.” Izuku's voice hitched, tears falling down his face without any kind of control. But his expression was eerily calm as his eyes finally met his teacher’s, dark pools of empty green space.

Stain looked at his student as if he was being spoken to in a different language.

“I did all that, Stain. I chose to do every single thing I did. They didn’t force me.” Izuku laughed weakly. The hand that wasn’t holding the katana was placed on his neck. His fingers were shaking and he could feel his wild pulse in his throat.

“And I knew it was wrong, I knew what it all meant. I knew that was a point of no return to it. But I just…”

“Kid-”

“I couldn’t just carry on without you, Stain!” Izuku cried, an honestly desperate smile on his face. “You don’t realize it but this message, this mission of yours, only got its wings because you started to preach it."

“I am not my message, kid. Any one could carry it forward.”

“Oh please! You think I had anything to do with those four risking their lives for your message? They wanted to meet you. They wanted to follow you! They’re just like me!” Izuku’s breathing was becoming erratic and the way he swung the katana around was terribly dangerous.

“I can’t do what you do! I can’t move people’s hearts and change their minds! I couldn’t even change the way my best friend felt about me for ten years!” Another bitter laugh left his lips, but this one morphed into a pained wail before long. Izuku’s blade crashed against the wall, the sound shutting him up for only a second.

“You’re the only one that can change things, Stain. They know it and I know it. I can’t… I’m not like you…” Izuku gasped, the katana held firmly against his chest as if he were hugging a plush toy. Stain’s blade was no longer pointing at him, but Izuku still jumped back when Stain stepped forward.

“Kid, you need to calm down. Just put th-”

“I got a nurse shot in the hospital, you know,” Izuku admitted bitterly. His heart cracked at the utter shock in Stain’s face and the echoing voice in his head grew louder and louder. “She didn’t die but she got shot right next to me. And then when I couldn’t find you I froze and I…”

“That wasn’t your fault.” Stain tried to reason.

Izuku laughed pathetically.

“I thought there were no excuses, Stain. Targets are targets, aren’t they?” Izuku took another two steps back, his katana pointing towards the ceiling. “I’m just like them, Stain. Hell, I’m much worse because you fucking trusted me and I just ignored everything you told me because I missed you. It’s all on me. I’m the real target here.”

There was short silence. Stain’s mouth was half open, some word already on the tip of his tongue, but Izuku shook his head violently. His katana flashed in the dark and Izuku’s body froze in an instant. He looked at Stain with pure regret and sadness.

“I failed you once, Stain, and I can’t change that. I can’t make up for what I’ve done.” Izuku whispered with a tiny smile, the katana’s sharp end turning inwards towards his own body as he raised it towards his neck. “But I can at least take care of one target for you.”

Izuku put all of his strength on pressing the blade against himself and he pulled it down in one swift motion. There was no hesitation. No pause. Only a voice in his head telling him to ‘at least do this right, useless Deku’.

It was as if lightning struck in the middle of the room. The katana was still in his hands when he hit the floor, feeling how fresh blood stained his chest and neck. Stain was hovering above him, the blade of the sword digging deep into the palm of his hand as he desperately pulled it away from Izuku. His red eyes were wide and Izuku, shocked, could only think of the fact that he’d never seen fear in his mentor’s eyes before this. 

Without an ounce of fight left in him, Izuku relaxed his hands and allowed the katana to be taken from him. Stain threw the blade across the room as if the item were cursed and the weapon bounced down the stairs loudly. Stain moved Izuku’s head to the side, taking in the small but deep cut that the teen had managed to inflict upon his own throat, and he applied pressure without as much as a thought towards his own injured hand.

“Are you fucking insane?!” Stain yelled, his voice cracking due to the panic and the anger and whatever else he was feeling at the moment. “What are you doing?!”

“I…” Izuku croaked, his eyes shining with innocent confusion. “But I… I did everything a target would, I… Don’t I deserve t-”

Stain used his free hand to slap Izuku, just hard enough to make him stop talking out of surprise.

“What, deserve to what? Die?!” Stain yelled and he sounded absolutely livid. Much more angry than he did before, Izuku noted through his tears. The voice in his head was no longer speaking and the silence was making him nervous. He didn’t want to think about any of the things that had happened in the last fifteen minutes.

There was the sound of footsteps at the base of the stairs followed by voices, but no one came up.

Stain expertly ripped the sleeve of his hospital uniform off and started using the cloth to keep the pressure on Izuku’s neck. His hands were shaking and his eyes darted from the wound to Izuku's face ever so often. Had Stain ever been this upset before?

“I.. I don’t get it.” Izuku whispered, more tears spilling from his eyes and uncomfortably pooling inside his ears as he faced the ceiling. “I did everything wrong, doesn’t that make me a target?”

“Shut up.” Stain warned, sounding just like a growling dog. 

“But, Stain, I… I knew that what I did would end up in you hating me an-” Izuku whispered, pure disbelief in his voice. Stain’s hand hit the floor with raw force, the sound making Izuku jump. The rest of his sentence died under Stain’s hellish glare.

“I don’t hate you!” Stain roared wildly, hastily ripping off his other sleeve to secure the cloth already on Izuku’s neck. “And you’re not a target! You’ve never been one and you’re not becoming one ever, do you understand?!”

Izuku froze. There was a telltale shine glazing Stain’s eyes as he spoke and Izuku half believed he was already dead. There was no way any of this was real.

“But… you said that…”

“I can’t… What…” Stain sighed shakily, tying the fabric on the teen’s neck but not moving away. He ran a hand across his face, looking completely lost for a moment. Izuku whimpered on the ground, emotions stuck in his throat painfully.

Stain forcefully looked up at the ceiling and swallowed. He was frowning as if he could push all of this away by pure power of will.

“Izuku, my God... Do you really believe I could consider you a target?” Stain whispered hoarsely, blinking rapidly and refusing to look directly at the teen.

“What?” Izuku frowned, his tears making it impossible for him to take a proper look at his teacher. Stain let out a low chuckle, though the sound lacked any type of humor, and allowed himself to take a seat on the floor. He leaned against the wall as if all the strength had been taken from his body. He even let his hand bleed freely, blood getting on the floor without any thing to stop it.

After a moment of silence, Izuku pressed his hand to his neck and dared to sit up, his movements careful and slow. Stain was no longer glaring at the ceiling, instead looking vacantly at a random spot on the wall in front of him. 

Izuku looked at his hands, the left one splashed with blood.

“But I… I… I did...” Izuku wanted to say that he’d ruined everything. That he knew he’d stepped over every boundary, every rule they had ever held sacred. He wanted to say how unworthy he felt to even be in the same room as his teacher after everything that had happened.

“Stop.” Stain interrupted, his voice clear and soft.

Izuku shook his head and finally Stain looked at him. Pained red eyes met hollow green ones and the teen felt like he could just shatter under that gaze. His shoulders immediately started shaking again and his eyes lost focus.

“But I failed you! I.. I d-dissapointed you and I ruin-ned e-everything and now the He-hero Killer’s n-name is all sullied and...” Izuku choked, his hands rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to regain some sort of control over himself. His emotions were bubbling up in an incoherent mess and he felt absolutely helpless and lost and so small and-

He stopped breathing for a moment when he was pulled into a tight embrace.

“Stop putting words in my mouth.” Stain’s voice whispered right over his head. “I don’t care what you did.”

“But why? ” Izuku asked, his voice pleading. “I’m just some random kid you took in. You could just find someone else.”

There was an unmissable tremble on Stain’s breathing as he held the teen firmly against his chest.

“You really think I’d just put up with some random kid that meant nothing to me for fourteen months?” Stain asked, sadness making his chest shake slightly. His voice was laced with a raw emotion that Izuku had never heard on the man and that made him cry even harder. “You’re… not replaceable or exchangeable to me, okay? You’re my... You're my kid and you’ve never disappointed me, Izuku. Not once.”

As if the floodgates had been destroyed, emotion took over Izuku’s mind and body completely. At first he only trembled silently as his hands clutched the back of Stain’s shirt tightly. But when Stain’s hand landed on his hair, the teen let out a wail that was only partially muffled by his mentor’s chest. That cry was followed by another and then another, each stronger than the one before and Izuku just gave up on trying to hold back what he felt. Stain held him through it all.

At the bottom of the stairs, the katana that Stain had thrown was stuck on the floor, where it would stay for a long, long time.

Chapter Text

For a while, Izuku was at peace with the world. He sat down on the floor of the hall with Stain opposite to him, both of them bandaged up and surprisingly relaxed. A part of his mind knew that it was mostly the aftermath of the adrenaline high they’d experienced from their wounds and their fight, but another part liked to believe that it was also because they were finally back in their element.

The night ahead of them, the half-constructed walls of an empty house as their only sanctuary, and each other’s company. One could almost pretend that the last few days had been just a wild nightmare, if not for the fact that they were both asking questions about the other’s experience whilst they were apart.

“So how did they figure out who you were?” Izuku asked, his head tilted to the side as he fought against sleep.

“DNA or prints. Beats me, to be honest. They tried to approach me like that target we took down once, but you know where that gets those impostors.” Stain smirked slightly and Izuku chuckled.

“But it took them a while to even find my name.” Stain shrugged.

“Yeah, I imagined. They didn’t get to the house until much later.” Izuku said, a hint of sadness in his voice. He’d grown used to the house, had even begun to think of it as a sort of temporary home that he’d be able to visit every once in a while, but now there was no chance of that.

“Anything under my name was probably ceased by the government, kid.”

“Yeah, uh… It wasn’t so much ceased as it was…” Izuku looked away, an awkward look in his eyes. “Um… burnt down.”

“All of it?” Stain asked, sounding much less invested than Izuku anticipated.

“I mean the stairs were on fire when I left. Maybe they managed to put it out?”

There was a moment of silence where Izuku feared for Stain’s reaction. That house had been the last thing he’d had from before he became the Hero Killer, the one place with any remnants of his parents and also his refuge whenever he needed one. But Stain only looked at the wall in front of him and shrugged.

“Well, we still won’t be able to go back even if it’s still standing. Not much to do there.”

“You’re not mad?” Izuku asked carefully. 

“Not particularly, no.” The man raised a curious brow. “Are you?”

Izuku frowned and before he could explain what he was feeling, Stain scoffed lightly.

“It was just a house, kid. Nothing special about it.”

“I… no, it…” Izuku stammered, a light blush dusting his cheeks. “My knife, the one you gave me, I couldn’t take if before I left.”

“Oh.” Was the soft reply. Izuku felt Stain’s shoe tap him on the leg and he looked up to be met with a small smile.

“That’s just a knife, we can always get you another one. Good thing is that you managed to get out of there in one piece.”

Izuku chuckled, relief flooding his body. He’d missed this. He’d missed this so much.

“Me too.” Stain said quietly and only then Izuku noticed that he’d spoken his thoughts. But the embarrassment wasn’t enough to suppress his smile. Stain stretched his arms, the wrapping on his hand a rusty brown from the blood that had seeped through.

Izuku felt a small pang in his chest at the sight, though it wasn’t exactly a pang of guilt. The feeling was too complicated for him to dissect at the moment, and he was glad when he found a distraction in the form of Stain half glaring at the stairs.

Izuku followed his gaze and, briefly, he saw a pair of yellow eyes spying on them. Toga’s head disappeared seconds later and hushed voices could be heard downstairs arguing. Izuku sighed.

He gave his mentor a side glance and the harsh expression on his teacher’s eyes make him shiver involuntarily. The slash on his neck stung but instead of it making him hesitate, it made him feel grounded. He couldn’t avoid this forever.

“Stain,” The teen started, his voice oddly calm. “What have you thought about them?”

“Your little gang?” Stain asked, still staring at the spot were Toga’s head had popped up. “I haven’t exactly changed my mind about them.”

“And what would?”

Stain looked Izuku right in the eye, red and green both searching for something that they couldn’t quite put into words.

“You’re not gonna let this go my way, are you?” Stain murmured, sighing deeply when Izuku shook his head with determination.

“If you taught me one thing, it’s to stand for what I believe in, no matter what,” Izuku said evenly. They kept their eyes on each other for a long heartbeat and surprisingly it was Stain who looked away first. The man closed his eyes briefly, taking in a deep breath. Then, in one smooth motion, he got to his feet and started making his way towards the stairs.

Izuku scrambled to his feet, the smallest hint of doubt digging its way into his heart. He didn’t like it when he couldn’t tell what Stain was about to do.

“Wait, Stain, what are yo-” Izuku shut his mouth when he reached the top of the stairs. He stood next to his mentor and watched in silence as two shadows rapidly got away from the steps at the bottom, where they had no doubt been listening to their conversation.

Stain motioned for Izuku to walk down first, rolling his eyes when the teen hesitated.

“Get moving before I change my mind.” The man deadpanned and Izuku nodded quickly.

He hesitated only a second longer, taking in air and holding it as if he were going swimming, before stepping downstairs stiffly. He wasn’t even halfway down when he started getting bombarded with questions, people gathering around him like hungry animals. Toga barreled into him without hesitation, practically slamming them both against the wall.

“Are you okay?!”

“What was all the screaming?”

“What happened to your neck??”

“Did Stain tell you anything about us?”

“Did you two fight?!”

“You almost hit me with that sword you threw.”

Izuku felt overwhelmed. After traveling only with Stain for over a year and having virtually no friends in school, the teen was still getting used to being around more talkative, extroverted people. He held his hands up defensively, wishing he could silence his companions and then feeling surprised when the voices actually quieted down.

But it didn’t take long to realize that it was Stain’s appearance rather than Izuku’s awkwardness that had caused the new silence. Spinner tensed and fixed his posture, Dabi moved closer to Shoto, who was still sitting on the floor, and Toga held onto Izuku protectively. The way her narrowed eyes examined Stain made Izuku feel nervous, but his mentor didn’t seem to mind it all that much.

Or maybe he was just good at hiding his distaste.

Izuku pushed Toga away softly, giving everyone the most reassuring look he could muster.

“Let’s talk, okay?” He said, softly motioning for everyone to gather around the center of the room where Shoto was. Dabi and Spinner got to their places, the latter much faster than the former, but Toga only moved when Izuku allowed her to pull him along. Stain stared at them from the stairs, red eyes glancing at each of their souls with a hard expression.

Everyone settled in place and, for a few moments, no one moved. Stain didn’t join them and Izuku started feeling a cold sweat forming in the back of his neck. 

He gave his mentor a pointed look and Stain sighed. The Hero Killer took only a few steps forward and stood with his arms folded, and Izuku decided to just accept this. It was a miracle in itself that they were all sitting in the same space without anyone dying.

“So…” Izuku started after a moment, Spinner giving him a reassuring nod. Maybe this would go better than he expected.

“I want to make one thing clear,” Stain interrupted, and Izuku’s meek leadership skills crashed and burned on the ground. “I have no reason to trust any of you. And I don’t. For all I know, you’re all the same as Shigaraki or any other target.”

Spinner shifted uncomfortably and Dabi shrugged slightly. Toga’s eyes were hidden behind her hair, but Izuku felt her tense against him. Shoto was silent, but the seriousness in his eyes made him look older than ever. You could practically cut the tension with a butter knife. Then, after locking eyes with every single person in the room, Stain closed his eyes and sighed yet again.

“That being said, Midoriya vouches for you. So I’m willing to do for you what I did for him.”

Izuku let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, his shoulders relaxing slightly. A general air of relief seemed to fill the room, but Stain’s expression only hardened.

“I’ll listen to you, and the reason why you wish to join our cause.” Stain’s voice was icy, and Izuku was reminded of the man he’d originally met: cold, calculating, and merciless. “We’ll see if you’re truly worthy of my student’s trust and mine, after all.”

“And if we’re not?” Shoto asked after a pause, his deep voice sounding as serious as the expression on his face. “What if you don’t think we’re worthy?”

“I think we all know what happens then.” Stain stated calmly. He pointed to the door nonchalantly before turning away and heading for the stairs once more. “If you don’t believe your intentions are right, now’s your chance to leave alive.”

Then he leaned against the wall next to the stairs, his own katana in his hands and the one Izuku had used earlier pointing out of the ground right next to him. 

Silence fell upon the room, and it took all of Izuku’s will power to stay in his place and actually think before he acted. He observed his mentor carefully, looking for anything that would give him a clue as to how Stain truly wanted things to go down. His shoulders were squared and his breathing was even; he was ready to kill them all at once if necessary.

Izuku let out an even breath, the pain on his neck giving him something to focus in.

There was no more time for doubt or fear or whatever else the voice in his head wished to make him feel. He’d lead these four people into this situation and now it was up to him to make sure that they found their way out, one way or another. He knew in his heart of hearts that, if it came to it, he’d prefer to give his life to resolve this rather than stand on the sidelines.

He examined the young people around him, making sure to lock eyes with each of them before moving on to the next. He couldn’t see it in the dark, but he could perfectly picture the pink, blue, and grey of the eyes that looked at him across the room. Hesitant looks turned into steady ones and, one by one, everyone seemed to connect and understand. Toga was a bit harder to get, but he managed to lift her chin so that she too could steady her emotions.

They all understood what would happen if Stain didn’t believe they were trying to join him for the right reasons, Izuku could see it in their eyes. And for the way they all nodded at him, it seemed like they’d known for a good while.

Stain watched all of it with the eyes of a hawk, noticed each movement and emotion that flashed through the youngsters’ faces as they silently communicated with one another and made sure to take note of everything.

No one gave any sign to be heading for the door, so Stain leaned back slightly and motioned with his hand for someone to take the floor.

Spinner glanced at the rest and, without missing a beat, cleared his throat.

“I’ll start.” The mutant said, and Izuku smiled at him warmly. Leave it to him to take the big step in front of the Hero Killer.

“My name’s Iguchi Shuichi, I’m-”

“Ah, I’m gonna stop you right there.” Stain interrupted, holding his hand up to stop the young man. Izuku saw how Spinner’s shoulders tensed involuntarily and the teen swallowed. Then Stain pointed at Izuku with his katana, eyes narrowed. “You, upstairs.”

“What?” Izuku asked, feeling how Toga’s hold on him tightened.

“You think I’m blind?” Stain scoffed, a brow raised. “I want you away from them, where they can’t see or attack you if they get too desperate.”

“But-”

“No arguing. I won’t do this otherwise.”

Stain’s voice left no room for argument and Izuku felt a good chunk of his previous confidence threatening to crumble. If he stepped away then he wouldn’t be able to stand in between his mentor and his friends if it came down to the worst-case scenario. And if that happened, things would go from cero to a thousand in an instant. Every person in the room was powerful and capable and Izuku didn’t want to risk losing anyone.

He glanced at his companions, trying to keep the confidence in his eyes as to not scare anyone, but the sight that met him struck him like a slap.

Instead of fear or hesitation, he was met with determination and reassurance from all four people. Even Toga, who was still holding onto his arm as if her life depended on it, managed to give him a shaky smile.

Izuku came to the sudden realization that he owed these people a lot more faith and trust than he was currently giving them, and he chuckled. He patted Toga’s arm before trying to move away, giving the girl a reassuring smile and a short hug when she didn’t let go.

“I’ll be right here, okay?” He told her, holding her amber gaze warmly. “I’m not leaving you. Just tell him what you told me.”

“Okay,” She whispered, hugging herself once Izuku was out of reach.

“We’ll be alright, Midoriya.” Spinner reassured him, and Izuku nodded at him.

Stain gave his student a serious look, one that Izuku had no problems in returning as he headed up the stairs. He sat on the top step and looked at Stain as he addressed the rest of the room. He could see no one else from his position and he could only make out the words that his teacher said, so he had nothing else to do but wait and listen.

When spoken to again, Spinner did not hesitate in getting back to what he had been saying. His voice sounded even and calm, and Stain’s nodding was the only signal that everything was going fine.

Every time Izuku’s mind began to wander or overthink even a little bit, Izuku would touch the bandage around his throat until he could focus solely on the things in front of him once more. He refused to panic now, if only in respect of all of the people downstairs. 

Stain was leaning against the wall just the way he had when Izuku had met him for the second time, and the abandoned space gave the scene an even more nostalgic feeling. It was hard to believe that not that long ago, he’d been in the exact same place as his friends.

Stain seemed relaxed, yet undeniably dangerous with his shoulders squared, his expression cold, the katana that was still stuck on the floor in perfect reach, and the other sword still held in his hand. But Izuku knew he was anything but relaxed. He’d seen these four fight previously and he knew what they were all capable of. The fact that he’d placed himself between Izuku and the others didn’t escape the teen, either.

If you say you trust them, then trust they can do this, Izuku told himself over and over as he studied Stain’s posture and facial expressions. But his mentor betrayed no emotion as he listened to whatever Spinner responded to his questions.

Everything that Stain said gave Izuku a sense of deja vu. Words like morale, targets, and heroism sent a warm flood of memories through his mind. He remembered stars and trees and blood and so many things that he had to shake his head to stay focused.

The Hero Killer made sure to leave no stone unturned, no secret hidden, and he didn’t seem to care how uncomfortable his questions could get. But Spinner’s voice was constant and tranquil and Izuku held onto the sound.

It was almost an hour later that Stain finally gave a small nod and allowed his eyes to shift to another person, and Izuku heaved a long but silent sigh of relief. He was glad that Spinner had been the one to get things started since he had the most faith in him to get past Stain’s interrogation.

He only knew he’d moved on to Shoto when he heard him say: “You’re Endeavor’s kid, aren’t you? You looking for revenge?”

Shoto’s voice was barely a murmur to Izuku, but the teen said something that made a legitimate look of surprise flash across Stain’s face. Izuku had to fight back the smile on his face as he imagined how Shoto and Dabi would explain not only their relationship but also their past with their father.

Toga’s audible “What?” was all the confirmation Izuku needed to know that the secret was out in the open by now.

Both Todorokis’ motivations were far more personal than Spinner’s, and thus this particular talk lasted over two hours. Izuku cracked his back, tired of sitting in the same position for so long.

Unlike Spinner’s tale, Stain had an actual hard time hiding his emotions as he listened, and Izuku saw him fight back a grin at one point when Dabi started talking. He tried to address each sibling on their own still, keeping one from speaking for the other even when their stories probably complemented one another.

It was almost four in the morning, not that anyone in there would know that, when Stain got to the person that Izuku worried for the most. When the voice answering Stain got higher in pitch, Izuku’s shoulders stiffened.

He’d told Toga to speak the truth, knowing full well that hiding something from Stain would only end in a bigger disaster later on. If there was one thing that Stain valued, after all, it was honesty.

But Toga’s background was perhaps the shadiest out of all of them, and Izuku feared that not only Stain but also the rest of the team would be taken aback by her words.

Maybe that’s why he barely heard her speak at first, her voice small and neutral. Maybe that’s why Stain started glancing at Izuku every once in a while with an odd expression. And maybe that’s why Izuku got to his feet to get Stain’s attention, a nervous look in his eyes.

Stain hadn’t moved an inch, hadn’t yet reached for the sword on the ground, or raised his voice. But Izuku could recognize the disapproval in Stain’s eyes. When his mentor finally moved away from the wall, Izuku had to fight the instinct that told him to run downstairs before anything could happen.

But Stain didn’t go for his companions. He simply turned towards Izuku and told the others to not move before heading upstairs.

A moment later, Izuku found himself back in the little bathroom, once again too nervous to take a seat on the edge of the tub as his mentor did.

“Well, you always manage to surprise me somehow, don’t you?” Stain asked him, a hint of the distaste he felt clear in his voice.

Izuku swallowed.

“You made friends with a kid that I personally tried to kill months ago and brought Endeavor’s eldest back from the death.” Stain stated blankly, counting poeple with his fingers as he spoke. “Not to speak about the unstable time bomb of a girl and a kid with an outfit that I’m sure is just a coincidence and has nothing to do with me.” That last part was heavy with sarcasm, but Izuku was unable to laugh at the joke.

He had too many questions.

“What do you think of them?”

Stain stared at Izuku carefully, cracking his neck loudly as he sighed. There was a long silence and Stain twirled the katana in his hand, deep in thought.

“You’re not stupid, kid,” Stain finally spoke sternly. “You know the girl is too much of a danger, not to mention a target already.”

Fuck.

“She can control herself, Stain.” Izuku attempted to defend, but Stain shook his head.

“Yeah, with other people’s blood, she says. I doubt she can hold herself back enough to not kill a person if her story’s anything to go by.” Izuku knew by the tone of voice that Stain was referring to Toga’s story about her childhood best friend and he swallowed uncomfortably. At the very least he was glad that she’d been honest.

“I’ve… I’ve already given her blood and it really does work.”

“You… You do know what she did, right?”

“Yes.”

The disbelief in Stain’s face was palpable, but Izuku refused to stand back. His mentor ran a hand down his face as he murmured something that Izuku couldn’t hear. He gave his student the most unbelieving but yet unsurprised face in the history of humanity and Izuku had to fight to keep eye contact.

He felt like a child being caught after drawing with crayons on the walls.

“No.” Stain finally said, and Izuku stepped forward.

“Stain,”

“Absolutely not.”

“I promised her-”

“I don’t give a damn, kid, I’m not-”

“She’s not a threat!”

“She’s insane!”

“So are we to do what we do!” Izuku finally spat, at last. It was ridiculous how they looked right now, both of them trying to speak over the other just to get their point across. 

Stain let out a slow breath through his remaining nose, clearly trying to control his own temper. Neither of them wanted to fight again, but they were both unwilling to stand back.

“Don’t compare her to us, kid. We don’t hurt civilians.” Stain attempted to reason, his voice indicating that he wanted to keep this talk civilized. Izuku relaxed his shoulders in return.

“She doesn’t do what she does because she’s just a selfish monster, Stain. No one ever taught her how to deal with her own quirk or the urges that come with it. It’s not her fault.”

“She’s still a danger to others, Izuku.”

“Not if we help her.”

Stain started rolling his eyes but stopped himself just in time. They both felt like they were talking to a wall at this point.

“That’s not our job, kid.”

“She was abandoned by the very system we’re trying to break, Stain. You said we’re fighting for a just society and she’s exactly the type of person that will benefit the most from that. I’m not just just letting you hurt her!”

Stain narrowed his eyes, tilting his head to the side slightly. There was a storm of thought going on behind his red eyes and Izuku tried to prepare more arguments.

“Did something happen between you two?” Stain finally asked, the question throwing Izuku for a loop. Both men seemed uncomfortable with the turn the conversation was taking, but at least Stain managed to keep his face relatively neutral. Izuku on the other hand was trying to hide his blush by turning to the side and coughing.

“Do you... like her?”

“N-no!” Izuku stammered. He immediately got defensive and words started spilling from his mouth without any sort of priority or control.

“I mean, I care about her, but t-that’s not the point! She’s just as alone as I was when I met you and who knows what I would have become without you. She’s exactly the type of person we’re fighting for, Stain! She just needs some help to stay on her feet and if anyone can help her with that, it’s us! I think she just needs someone to care for her the way she is! She trusts me and I trust her! I mean, I trust them all, but-”

Stain flicked Izuku in the middle of the forehead sharply, an exhausted look already in his eyes.

“Jesus, kid, breathe.” Stain sighed.

They both fell into an uncomfortable silence, each trying to figure out how to play their next card. Red eyes examined green ones carefully, looking for the answer to a question that was eating them both alive.

Now what?

Both of them were far too stubborn to give in just like that to the other’s whim, even if they knew that this night wouldn’t end with both of them completely satisfied. They didn’t know it, but they were both calculating just how much they were willing to sacrifice if only to come to an agreement and stop the arguing once and for all.

Izuku knew that Stain would always try to prioritize the work he’d been carrying out for the last sixteen years of his life, and Izuku also knew that he’d be willing to die for that same cause. But deep inside they both knew that things weren’t that simple any more. They cared about far more than just their ideology now, whether they would ever openly admit it once more or not.

“You’re aware that those four could destroy everything we’ve worked for, right?” Stain finally said, his voice calm and honest.

“Yes,” Izuku agreed, unable to deny the very real possibility. “But they can also help make it so much bigger. They can help us finally accomplish what we want.”

Stain held Izuku’s gaze for a long heartbeat and finally sighed.

“I’m not just gonna trust them by sunrise, kid. They’re all still probable targets to me, especially that girl. You might want to lie to yourself, but she might not deserve the chance you’re giving her.” Izuku listened to every word intently, his eyes shining even in the dark. His mentor then stood and looked Izuku dead in the eye.

“I have one condition.” Stain said gravely.

“What is it?”

“I’m the one that gets to judge them in the long run. If they do something that I don’t like, they become targets immediately.” Stain explained. “And since you brought them here, they’re yours to deal with.”

“What do you mean?” Izuku felt his chest constrict painfully. He knew what Stain meant, but he needed to hear it to be sure.

“If any of them becomes a target, you are the one that has to get rid of that person.” Stain’s eyes were cold as he spoke and Izuku swallowed. “If you don’t, I kill them all. That’s my condition.”

Stain offered Izuku his hand. Izuku had to bite his tongue to keep himself from speaking impulsively. Was this the right thing? Was it wise to just accept this or should he really try to push his luck any further than this? Should he question what actions would put his teammates at risk, even though he knew exactly what made a target in the end? Would his companions manage to keep themselves behind the many lines that Stain considered uncrossable?

Stain’s hand twitched slightly and, without wanting to risk his mentor backtracking, Izuku shook his hand firmly.

He didn’t have time to hesitate or doubt. Not now, at least.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, kid.” Stain said half-jokingly and Izuku flashed him the first easy-going smile he’d been able to produce in days. At last, the tension they’d both felt seemed to roll off their shoulders, if only a little.

When Izuku made his way downstairs, he was met by four very nervous sets of eyes. Everyone was huddled in the same corner of the house, their hearts on their sleeves as they looked at Izuku in the search of answers. But Stain beat him to it.

“I want to be as far from the city as possible by dawn. We can rest then.” His mentor said, and the relief on everyone’s faces warmed Izuku’s heart. Spinner tried and failed to hide his excited expression, while Dabi helped Shoto to his feet with a cheery tone in his voice. The teen had rested enough to carry his own weight, though Dabi kept his brother’s arm across his shoulders. Toga all but hopped towards Izuku, her smile brighter than the sun and she hugged his arm.

Stain sighed at the line of kids standing before him, not sure how he felt about all of this, but said nothing more as he opened the door of the house and walked outside. Izuku was the one to shut the door behind them, the only evidence that they had even ever been there at all being the sword by the stairs.

Chapter Text

The sun was high in the sky, partially covered with clouds that promised rain later in the day. The cafe was rather empty for ten in the morning on a Tuesday, but this worked to their advantage. Not that either of them ran any risk of being recognized as they were, with casual clothes and no indication of a costume, but the lack of civilians made them feel more focused on the task at hand.

And perhaps neither of them would admit to it, but they also felt more comfortable not being associated with their work at the moment. What once had been a proud thing laid on the dust at the moment, even for the biggest figures in their line of work. Paparazzi and reporters littered the street like hungry vultures, all of them trying to find the tiniest crumble of a story to bury them even deeper than they currently were. No one felt safe anymore; not the protected nor the protectors.

In the corner of the establishment, two people sat at a small table, steaming cups in their hands.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet me,” The thinnest man said, his voice deep and soft.

“It’s fine,” The other man sighed and leaned back in his seat, staring at the cup of coffee in his hand. “I have more free time now than ever, technically speaking.”

There was a short silence as a couple walked past their table, cheerful and unaware, and the second man took the opportunity to down a third of his still hot coffee without hesitation.

“I tried to file my resignation as you did, but I was advised against it. At least for now. That’s the last thing the school needs.”

“I’m not surprised. You might be the only thing keeping U.A. from closing for good at this point,”

The first man looked down uncomfortably, a cup of tea sitting untouched on his side of the table. The other man raised a brow, his bored expression not betraying anything.

“What’s this about, All Might?”

The current number one hero shifted in his seat uncomfortably, his usual bravado nowhere to be seen. 

“You saw the news, Eraser. Todoroki Shoto was a part of the attack yesterday.”

The ex homeroom teacher looked away momentarily, half his face hidden behind the silver construct he used to capture villains. He’d arrived at the scene mere minutes after the last member of the League had been spotted and he’d immediately recognized the ice crystallizations on the roof of the hospital. Video footage later released online only served to confirm his suspicions, though the general public had yet to find out.

All Might paused for a moment, clearly trying to find the right words to express his emotions. The Erasure Hero didn’t try to break the silence, instead sipping at his coffee. He was dying to down the whole thing in one go, but he didn’t want to run out of things to fill the silence with, so he held himself back. He also didn’t feel like ordering anything else, so there was that.

“I know you were hunting down the Hero Killer a few months ago before you helped capture him.” All Might eventually said. Sharp blue eyes met with tired black ones and Aizawa tensed. He remembered the solitary nights and missed phone calls, the guilt. Ever since he’d left U.A, ever since Bakugo… 

“And?”

“And I know you’re going to start again now that he escaped.”

Aizawa’s eyes narrowed, the briefest hint of defiance flashing in his mind.

“Are you going to tell me to stop?”

“No,” All Might quickly responded, his hands tightening around the cup in his hands. “I want to help you.”

Aizawa’s expression didn’t really change, though he unconsciously leaned forward. The blonde swallowed.

“Why?” Aizawa asked. One would assume that the number one hero was just trying to do his job, or that he was getting personally involved because one of his former students was a part of it now, but he saw through that. There was something deeper. Something far more personal.

“The boy that travels with Stain, The one they’re calling ‘The Disciple’, I… I met him before all of this happened. We spoke and I think… no, I know I made a terrible mistake. I can’t help but feel like, if I’d handled things differently with him before, then…”

All Might trailed off.

“You feel responsible,” Aizawa guessed, his tone betraying his emotions. He hadn’t spoken it out loud, not even to the few people that he still held close in his life, but he knew what he meant. A silence, heavy with understanding, fell upon them both as they thought. The same images of bright futures getting snuffed out like mere candles flashed in their minds.

“We need to find them, bring them back to their families. Make things right, while we still can.” All Might said quietly, the meaning of his last words going over Aizawa’s head. “It’s the least we can do after all of this.”

Aizawa looked down at the cup in his hands, sighing heavily before lifting it to his lips and finally finishing his coffee without a hint of satisfaction.

For what felt (and probably was) the millionth time, Midoriya Inko walked out of the police station with her head held as high as she could manage. She had a thick folder filled with papers held in her arms, a year’s worth of police reports, declarations, news articles, and missing person posters. She knew most of the documents by heart at this point, even when she always had to empty the entire folder to find whatever she was looking for at any given time, and the papers felt incredibly heavy.

She’d been at the station for over an hour, but no one could tell her if her son had been a part of the hospital attack the morning prior. No one at the scene matched his newest description, and all footage of the chaos was either low quality or too far away for even her to recognize someone in the image.

But she’d still tried. She’d still asked everyone in the station and she had patiently waited for someone to help her, as she now did.

In the first few months, she had been a pure whirlwind of emotion, uncontrolled and dangerous. She would scream at every officer that took too long to give her information, she’d snap at anyone that told her to just calm down and she’d raised hell in social media. Every time the Hero Killer was spotted somewhere, she’d immediately pack her bags and head there, even when people told her to stay home.

She’d moved heaven and Earth in an attempt to find her son, but as time went by everyone except for herself seemed to lose the drive to search for Izuku. With time he became but another name in a file, another face in posters, and no one seemed to hold the hope that she did.

It had been even worse when they’d presumed him dead, when they wanted her to accept that he was gone without a hint of solid evidence. But she stood strong against it all, like a boulder getting struck by the ocean over and over again.

And with time, her once chaotic energy had transformed. It had condensed and concentrated in her, like a time bomb. Her tears and desperate pleads for help had turned into cold looks and brisk words. She no longer busted into rooms with a thousand words, and instead, she simply asked for the most vital of information with sharp accuracy.

She’d lost weight, her posture had changed into a straight and tense one and she was rarely at home. She still moved from one place to another like she had before, though the biggest difference in her life was most notable in that very aspect.

She had once traveled across Japan on her own, alone. But not anymore.

Not after Hosu.

Outside, in a small red car, Bakugo’s parents were waiting for her to come back with news. Inko opened up the car door and sat inside, letting out a short sigh.

“Well?” Mitsuki asked.

“Nothing. There’s no information on either of their whereabouts.” Inko said quietly. The woman on the copilot seat immediately started trembling, and her husband had to place a hand on her leg to keep her from fully breaking.

Inko felt bad for them, sometimes even more than she did for herself. As lost as she was, as much trouble as Izuku was in legally, at least she had a chance of seeing him again. But the Bakugos been forced to not only watch their son get slain on national television but also stand by as the murder escaped police custody.

It had been odd, at first. Inko had wondered if the Bakugos would hate her and her son for what had happened to their own child, but at the end of the day all they saw were a pair of young teens failed by the system. They put all of the blame on Stain and no one else if only to keep themselves sain.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was also helping another grieving parent that allowed her to focus her energy more efficiently, she thought.

Inko reached forwards to place her hand on Mitsuki’s shoulder.

“We’re gonna find them.” She assured loudly, though everyone in the car was currently too emotionally destroyed to believe her words.

A long moment passed, a moment plagued with the heaviness of loss and insecurity, but eventually, the other woman managed to get her breathing under control enough to nod towards her husband. He looked back at Inko.

“Iida called to check in on us. I told her we’d let her know as soon as you came back.”

“I see. How’s Tenya?”

“She said he’s better,” He said, though his tone said that he didn’t truly believe that. Inko nodded, not saying anything else about the poor boy. The last thing they’d heard about him was that he was barely starting to talk again, though night terrors still plagued him.

Masaru turned back around to start the car and Inko was just about to put on her seatbelt when there was a quick knock on the window. They all turned in unison to see a pair of youths, both of them sporting white hair and big, grey eyes. They locked eyes with Inko as she lowered the window with a small frown.

“Can I help you?”

“Are… Excuse us, we don’t want to bother,” The young man said, both kids bowing respectfully before continuing. “Are you Midoriya Inko?”

“I am,” She responded cooly, and the two kids exchanged a desperate glance.

“I… My name’s Todoroki Natsuo. This is my sister, Fuyumi. We recognized you just now and…” Then the boy hesitated, looking around as if making sure that no one else was listening to their conversation.

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Inko said first and foremost, knowing that their father was dead and their little brother missing. “Were you at the station as well?”

Mitsuki and Masaru looked at the kids with wide eyes, emotion clear as day as they were once again reminded of the Hosu incident. The sister nodded sympathetically at the couple in the car, and the sound of crying was heard once more from the passenger seat.

“Um, we wanted to talk to you.”

“Yes?” Inko narrowed her eyes. She was aware of how sensitive this subject was, considering that Izuku himself was apparently one of the people that had helped with the youngest Todoroki’s abduction. She pushed the sting of grief away forcefully, ready to either apologize or snap at them depending on what they told her.

The young man swallowed, looked around himself once more, and then stepped closer to the car.

“We might have proof that our brother was with your son yesterday at the Hotaru park incident.”

The mood in the room was overpowered with resentment and insecurity. The curtains were drawn and different silhouettes stood here and there, no one talking or moving except for the figure in the middle, which was slightly trembling.

At first sight, one might believe that the person was shivering or crying, but the telltale sound of scratching would soon draw your attention to the person’s neck and bandaged hand, a few digits missing. It wasn’t hard to understand that most of the terror in the atmosphere was emanating from this one person.

The air was electric, and all present knew that the smallest provocation would ignite and consume everything, and so no one dared speak first. Furtive glances and deep breaths were the only thing happening in there.

The figure currently ripping the skin off his neck twitched slightly. He was trying his hardest to hold back the immense need to break and disintegrate and kill flowing through his veins, though not for the sake of dignity or sensibility. No, the truth was that those feelings were aimed at something particular, something specific, and for the first time in years, he found that simply destroying something random would not suffice.

There was a clear intention and motive behind his actions at the moment, and the young man knew that he wouldn’t be able to rest until he accomplished any semblance of restitution.

His thoughts were only interrupted when a smokey portal opened behind him.

“Shigaraki Tomura, I’ve returned.” Said Kurogiri, his eyes burning bright in the dark space.

“And?” The young man asked. Ignoring the harsh tone, Kurogiri bowed respectfully and handed Shigaraki something. It was an old cellphone, but Kurogiri was using his warp gate quirk once more before Shigaraki could ask any questions.

The phone started buzzing in the man’s hand and he swiftly answered the incoming call, two fingers carefully raised away from the communication device.

“Sensei,” Shigaraki said dryly, his throat burning. “Did you find them?”

There was a pause before the young leader scoffed quietly.

“I want to kill them myself. I want the Hero Killer to suffer so much that he’ll beg me for death.” He said, and the laugh that came from the other end of the call was audible to the rest of the League of Villains. Magne shivered and Twice murmured something under his breath.

And then they watched as a figure stepped out of the portal.

Shigaraki looked at the broad frame, blonde hair, and red eyes of the newest member of his group, listening to his master as the man explained every step of his new plan. With every word, the fire in Shigaraki’s eyes shone brighter with murderous intent.

“I can work with that.”

Mirio stared at the door in front of him with a heavy sense of dread. He wiped his hands on his pants and took a deep breath, forcing any negativity out of his body before going inside. He always attempted to give others the most cheerful side of himself, and his elders and mentors were no exception.

But the office that usually raised a sense of warmth in his heart now made him nervous, and the smile on his face had a small edge to it.

He unconsciously patted his back pocket where his phone was, and the call he’d had minutes earlier echoed in his brain. 

It’s fine, Mirio. He’ll take it just fine, He told himself reassuringly, pinching himself to snap out of his awkwardness. He could do this. It would be okay. He knocked twice on the door, waited for permission to go inside, and swung open the door with the same enthusiasm he was known to have in his day to day life.

Inside the office, every piece of All Might merchandise seemed to turn to look at him and he almost tripped with his own feet.

“I’m surprised to see you with classes out,” Sir Nighteye commented over the documents in his hands. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing, Sir!” Mirio responded cheerfully but then hesitated just long enough to make himself look suspicious. “Well, actually, I wanted to talk with you. I got a call from U.A.”

Nighteye was on his case in an instant, his eyes darkening at the thought that there was something wrong with his pupil’s life.

“Did they tell you anything? They have to let you graduate if they have any sense of pride.”

Mirio swallowed. He considered making a joke, even a stupid one, but his sense of duty got the best of him. He owed his mentor the benefit of seriousness right now.

“It was All Might.”

There was a long moment of silence. It didn’t take a professional to see how conflicted Sir Nighteye was at the news, but Mirio knew him well enough to know that it wasn’t just discomfort twisting his expression. It was sadness and regret and nostalgia, and other emotions that Mirio could identify but not find a cause for. He had yet to find out about his mentor’s and All Might’s reasons for parting ways.

“What did he want with you?”

Mirio shifted on his feet, then stepped forward and took a seat in front of the desk. He straightened his back.

“Before U.A closed, he was personally mentoring me in his spare time.” Sir Nighteye frowned, and Mirio was quick to bow his head. “I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone, not even you. Not until now did he tell me I could share what I know and what’s happened.”

“And what do you know?” The professional hero sounded stoic, a great contrast to how he usually was with Mirio, and the teen swallowed thickly.

Had Nighteye not been sitting, he might have fallen at the mention of One for All.

With five plastic bags swinging in her hands, the red-headed young woman walked down the street calmly. The bags were all different colors and sizes, and they crinkled as she went along, apparently without a care in the world even though she was currently walking along a rather shady part of town.

Perhaps she was close to home, or maybe she just wasn’t too self-aware, a fact that the man following her intended to take full advantage of. It wasn’t every day that he saw such an easy opportunity, after all.

She gleefully turned a corner and headed down a small alley, echoing steps closing in behind her for a few more blocks.

“Hey, pretty.” The man drawled out, hands in his pockets. He was close enough to see the brown in the woman’s eyes when she turned to face him, her expression unsurprised and a tad bit bored.

“What are you doing out here all on your own?” He smiled. The predatory look in his eyes grew more ambitious when the woman blinked, looking him up and down. But no fear rose in those eyes. Just disdain.

"I promised I would do anything rash, can you please go away?" She asked politely. The words only incited him to get closer, the smile on his face becoming sinister. He cornered the poor woman against the wall, his intentions clear as day.

"Oh, come on. I just want to have some fun~" He said and the woman sighed.

“You’re really not my type,” She said unapologetically, adjusting the bags in her hands so that her right hand was free.

The man almost stumbled, anger flooding him immediately.

“The fu-”

The sentence died in his throat as she gracefully cut the distance between them, a knife digging deep into the man’s neck.

“But I suppose I can make you look a little better.” She said sweetly, her eyes cold and judgemental and a wicked grin spread across her face. The man’s body landed on the ground with a gurgle, a sound that the woman ignored as she once again went her own way.

By the time she arrived at her destination, the blood on her clothes and skin had dried, and she climbed through a broken window as if she were at home.

“How did it go?” Izuku asked her, noticing the blood on her and giving Stain a panicked look. “You okay?”

“A creep was following me,” She explained easily, putting the bags down and handing out changes of clothing to the people around her. “But I got some really cute stuff at one of the thrift shops!”

Dabi raised a skeptical brow at the incomprehensible attitude that Toga was known for, but said nothing as he looked at the clothes given to him.

“Is that so,” Izuku said, half relieved and half anxious. Hopefully, the body wouldn’t end up being an issue for them before they left the city. Toga gave him one of the bags and smiled.

“Mhmm!” Toga hummed happily, finally giving Stain his own clothes along with the money she hadn’t used.

“Oh, um, we took that from…” Izuku started, taking out a small paper from his back pocket. On the page, a long list of names and security numbers were jotted down and Izuku scanned the paper in search of a particular alias he’d used to withdraw money earlier.

“I don’t care,” Stain said, not even asking for the page back.

Izuku cleared his throat quietly, folding the piece of paper and putting it back in his pocket. It had been a relief to know that most of Stain’s money had been split in a multitude of bank accounts years back, most of which were still undiscovered by the police.

“Did we all need new things?” Shoto asked, glancing at the selection of six backpacks and picking a light blue one for himself. He looked at the array of new clothes in his hands as if they were a difficult puzzle.

“We’re not going around with one change of dirty clothes, that’s disgusting,” Toga said, wrinkling her nose. She disappeared behind a wall, the mirage of the older woman already melting off her body, and everyone changed in silence. Stain gave Izuku a half exasperated look, but he couldn’t deny that he was glad to get rid of his hospital uniform.

No one commented anything, though a few odd looks were exchanged amongst everyone. It was hard to ignore how each outfit was perfectly combined and different from the rest, a few shirts sporting simple patterns and images that, while discreet and dark in color, were far more stylish than any of them cared to admit. With a few items to spare each, the went for the clothes that most resembled their old ones and put the rest, along with their old clothes, in one of the backpacks available.

From Spinner’s new grey tank top, hair tie and elbow pads, to Izuku’s new jacket with a small red rose embroidered over the left side of his chest and a pattern on the inside, Shoto’s baggy black pants and a new belt, and Dabi’s stamped t-shirt and jeans, everyone looked at themselves with the awkwardness of someone that is not in the slightest bit familiar with their current situation.

Thankfully, Stain’s own clothes were similar to his past look all the way to the red scarf and a face mask, and Izuku sighed in relief at that. Finally, Toga joined them back in her own skin, looking rather pleased with her own black skirt and blouse, her old equipment around her neck, and a new pair of ribbons holding her hair up. She smiled at the sight of her work and Izuku smiled back at her, even if a little awkwardly.

All prior belongings had been thoroughly searched for tracking devices or bugs, but thankfully nothing had been found. Perhaps Shigaraki did really trust his ex allies, Izuku thought curiously. Either way, that had been a blessing, since their equipment and weapons didn’t need to be changed. It was one thing to see a woman on a shopping spree for clothes, and another one entirely to see her buying dozens of weapons.

“Well, at least we look different,” Spinner said after a moment, and Shoto, Dabi, and Stain seemed satisfied enough with that reality. Stain spun the katana in his hands and adjusted it to his pants along with the rest of his blades, something that Toga, Izuku, and Spinner imitated. It had been another stroke of luck that Spinner had been carrying enough weapons for all of them to be well-armed, even when that meant that the mutant had to conform with a much smaller bouquet of swords for himself.

But everyone had realized how excited he was to give the one and only Hero Killer a new katana and knives, so they knew he didn’t mind one bit.

Izuku watched as Toga spun around, enjoying her new skirt, and then gave Stain a small smile. The man rolled his eyes, putting a black bag over his shoulders and making sure that everyone was ready.

“Let’s move.” Stain ordered simply, and everyone fell into step behind him, out the window and into the back streets of the edge of town. Unknown to the rest of the world, six figures made their way out of the city unnoticed. 

And, unknown to them, things started to get in motion in the very places they left behind.

Chapter Text

... Sequel is out ...