Chapter Text
A Heart-Stopping Showdown
Chapter 1 – Final Preparations
“Hey Midoriya, sorry I didn’t catch the train with you this morning!” Mirio shouted over the howling wind that whipped past the two work study students, causing a series of pronounced goosebumps to bubble up on the frosty skin of Izuku’s unwisely exposed arms. “I was visiting some family in the city yesterday and they offered me a bed. I usually would’ve said ‘no’, but it saved me a couple of hour-long train rides, so I couldn’t turn them down,” he explained with a nervous laugh. Lemillion tightened his scarf as he approached the entrance to Nighteye Agency, grinning appreciatively as Deku reached for the sleek door handle and held it open for him. “Thanks… So, how are you feeling about today?” He quizzed interestedly, shuddering with joy as he embraced the warmth of the heated lobby. “I’m pretty excited if I’m honest, but I’ve done this kinda stuff a few times before. You’re not nervous, are you?” He yawned tiredly, his hand movements too sluggish to cover his mouth in time.
Izuku shook his head, feeling slightly more confident than he had the day before. It had taken longer than he cared to admit to fully recover from the frightening mystery illness that had suddenly struck him down, but he was finally feeling like his usual self again. “I was at first, but I’m not too worried now. I’m just gonna go in and give it my all.”
“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” Mirio beamed, clapping his younger colleague encouragingly across his shoulder blades. “It’ll be fine; you’ll see. As long as we continue to work together as a team everything will be great. We’ve all got your back, Deku; there’s nothing to worry about!”
Nighteye, however, didn’t share his cheerful protégé’s eager enthusiasm…
The minute the high-spirited pair stepped foot into the familiar bullpen, the seriousness of the day’s events that had yet to unfold hit them full force. Their employer, the intimidating and no-nonsense Sir Nighteye, had reached his peak performance as overseer of the entire investigation, stalking between Centipeder and Bubble Girl, barking orders and demanding progress reports as a pair of mid-tier ranking police officers trailed diligently behind. “Bubble Girl, I need you to compile complete sets of data for the meeting immediately! The rest of the task force will be here at 5:30, and I need everyone to be on the same page as swiftly as possible.” The hero turned to address Centipeder, and caught glimpse of his two remaining Agency staff silently entering the room with curious expressions. “Ah, good, you’re finally here. Togata, I need you to station yourself by the radio. It is absolutely imperative that we check in with the surveillance team every 10 minutes until we depart. If there is the slightest hint that this organisation is onto us, then I’m canning the mission until I can find more concrete information on them. And Deku,” he ordered, locking eyes with his newest employee, “your job for the time being is to prepare the meeting room. I want the computer booted up, and the surveillance footage loaded onto the screen ready to go. Everything is on my external hard drive; it’s sitting on my desk. Once that’s done, report back to Centipeder. He’ll tell you what you need to do…”
The UA students nodded with an obedient determination, and immediately put themselves to work. Izuku had been provided with the easiest and most monotonous task, but he was almost glad for the few minutes alone to gather his thoughts and calm his now racing nerves. He hadn’t had the chance to speak with his fathers this morning, given the early hour, but knowing that Shouta was on his way to join him on his first official mission was an extremely comforting thought. Not that he needed to have his hand held, he was a capable young hero after all, but it was definitely nice to know that he wasn’t going to be alone. Task completed, he reconvened at Centipeder’s disastrous mess of a desk, where he was instructed to man the phones and file away the documents that were randomly scattered over the entire surface. It wasn’t the most thrilling task in the world, but Izuku couldn’t complain because at least he was able to be of some use to the agency. Plus, unknowingly to the kid, it was only a matter of time now until he found himself faced with a lot more action than he’d bargained for…
At precisely 5:25, a small team of riot squad leaders poured into the massive office, fully decked out in their protective uniforms, carrying high powered weaponry and thick, white metal shields. Nighteye abruptly ended the conversation he’d been having with Awata and swept over to greet them, taking a second to exchange expected pleasantries before redirecting them to the meeting room. “Ah!” Bubble Girl exclaimed piercingly, as the stack of freshly inked paper she’d been carrying was ripped from her hands by a powerful gust of wind. “Oh no, the paperwork! Sir is going to kill me,” she whined fretfully, as though she was actually going to die.
“It’s okay, I’ll help!” Deku offered selflessly as he rushed to her side, instantly dropping to his knees and helping his co-worker gather and sort the documents back into neat, identical piles. “We’ve just gotta reorganise them and it’ll be like nothing even happened,” he reassured hear easily with a bright smile. “There; good as new!”
But the small sense of victory was quickly demolished as Togata called out to them. “Hey you guys, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the meeting is due to start in thirty seconds,” he warned them apologetically, preparing to contact the surveillance team for the final time. “You really need to get those downstairs before Sir loses his mind. Trust me, you do not want to get on his bad side right before the commencement of such an important mission...”
Awata managed to compose herself, embarrassed that she’d allowed herself to become flustered. It was unusual for the sidekick to lose her cool so easily; she prided herself on her ability to stay calm in stressful situations. “Thanks for the help Deku,” she whispered gratefully as she removed the documents from his hand. “We’ll see you down there, Lemillion.”
Sir Nighteye, Centipeder, the handful of police offers that were required to attend the briefing, and the pro heroes Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, Death Arms and Eraserhead were already seated and waiting patiently as Deku and Bubble Girl entered the room. Not wanting to draw further attention to himself, Izuku slipped in and took a seat at the far end of the vast table as Awata laid a small stack of vital information in front of each individual. “Before we start, I’d like to again thank you for agreeing to assist with this operation,” he began, eyeing the wordless interaction between Midoriya and Eraserhead with mild interest. “Our goals for today may prove to be a bit of a challenge... It is up to us to investigate possible connections between this organisation, the Kuroko Koshiki, the League of Villains, and the Shie Hassaikai Yakuza group, who have recently gained my attention... This is a recently established crime syndicate, which are solely responsible for the creation and distribution of certain illicit substances, the worst of which is an injectable drug used to obtain information from victims without causing any permanent damage.”
Simultaneously, Shouta and Izuku’s bulging eyes sought each other out, the hairs on the backs of their necks prickling uncomfortably as the blood in their veins ran cold. These ‘substances’ sounded scarily like the drugs that Shigaraki shot Izuku up with during his imprisonment, when he attempted to use the kid to get to All Might. “Do we know the effects of these drugs…?” Shouta interrupted, keeping his line of questioning purposely vague. Nighteye’s eyes flicked dangerously in his direction, and Shouta was a little surprised when he answered him civilly rather than snapping at him for his untimely interruption.
“According to police resources, it is believed that the most prominent effect of these drugs is immense pain, to varying degrees. But these effects are very short-term, and without a being able to study a decent sample, the forensics team have been able to provide little more information than that. Our informant, a detective by the name of Tsukauchi, was apparently quite involved with one particular case fairly recently, however, to, in his own words, ‘protect the identity of the victim’, refused to provide us with any more substantial information than that.” The Agency head didn’t say anymore, but it was obvious that he believed further details could have been imperative in advancing their investigation.
“What if the identity of this person was known…?” The words tumbled out of the kid’s mouth before he even realised what he was saying, now knowing for certain that Sir Nighteye was specifically referring to his own rescue. Out the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Shouta trying to mouth something to him, but the child flat out refused to look in his direction; anyone’s direction. He studied the glossy surface of the desk so closely that he almost forgot that he was even in the room, feeling a warm crimson glow rapidly spreading across his faintly freckled cheeks.
Every set of eyes in the cozy space were intentionally trained on him; Nighteye’s gaze was so intense that he was almost burning an extra hole into Izuku’s skull. Even when Togata appeared and gave him the green light to proceed with the mission, he continued to closely and unwaveringly observe his subordinate. “At this point in time, the identity of the person is of very little use to us. Even if we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to organize an interview with them, that would be of no help to this particular operation, given that we are about to depart.” Then, as an afterthought, added, “It would be vastly different if they were included in present company, however…”
“They are…” Somewhere to his left came an audible gasp, though with his gaze averted it was impossible for Izuku to tell from whom it emanated.
“Deku…” Eraserhead’s calm yet intimidating voice cut through the tension like a razor sharp blade. “The person does not have to be identified unless they wish to be,” he stated firmly, a gentle warning in his tone. “The mission can continue without this person being exposed…” Everyone present began to gaze amongst themselves, searching for the person that had been subjected to the agony-inflicting drugs in question.
An uncontrolled murmuring broke out, the room becoming overwhelmed with a slew of hushed whispers, both curious and concerned. “Gentlemen, please…” Sir Nighteye ground out, clapping his hands together sharply to regain the officers’ attention. “Eraserhead is right. Though any information regarding these substances may be crucial to this investigation, I do not intend to force the person that was subjected to them to come forward,” he explained, his usually harsh tone almost bordering on kind. “However, should they wish to aid us, then…”
“It was me,” Deku blurted loudly, cursing himself for being guilt tripped into speaking up. He sprang out of his seat, arms out-stretched and palms pressed firmly against the table. “Shigaraki injected two different drugs into me, and I remember the feeling clear as day, so…ask me anything you want…!” His head remained bowed, for the most part covering his terrified and distressed expression as he addressed the team. Shouta could do nothing but watch on helplessly, desperately longing to reach out and comfort him in the hopes of calming him down.
“Hang on,” Death Arms boomed nervously, feeling a sharp pang of sadness hit him fair in the chest. “Shigaraki…from the League of Villains…?” And then, the same realisation clicked for Best Jeanist, Kamui Woods and Edgeshot, who also held large roles in that stress-filled rescue operation. Suddenly, they were forced to remember exactly how dire that situation had been for this fledgeling hero... Yes, they’d all had that horror footage from Shigaraki permanently etched into their minds, but none of them were actually aware just how much had occurred beyond that snippet they’d been ordered to watch. “You… He did that to… I’m sorry, kid, I had no idea what else you were actually subjected to…”
“Indeed,” Edgeshot confirmed in his uniquely soothing manner. “Seems he suffered more at the hands of those villains than any of us imagined. I regret that we were unable to rescue you from their clutches any sooner, my young ally…”
The only movement Izuku made was to ball his hands into frustrated fists. If there was one thing he hated discussing openly, it was the unbearable torment he’d been forced to endure at the hands of Shigaraki. “So it was you,” Sir Nighteye drawled as he gracefully rose to his feet, intent on closing in on his youngest work study student. “I should have guessed, considering you were held captive, by the League of Villains, no less, and subsequently tortured after being snatched from a school camp…”
Aizawa clenched his jaw so tightly that his teeth ached. If Nighteye was about to taunt the kid and mock him with his recent trauma, and tear at the emotional wounds that had yet to heal, Shouta was seriously going to lose his shit. “Nighteye,” he growled threateningly under his breath as the hero passed, yet the man simply chose not to acknowledge him.
“Tell me what you experienced,” he requested not unkindly as he sauntered towards the traumatised teenager, positioning himself right by his right side, facing his companions. “The more we know about these illicit drugs, the better equipped we will be to handle this investigation. You have already singlehandedly confirmed the link between the Kuroko Koshiki and the League of Villains, and you now have a unique opportunity to share accurate details of the side effects of these substances, which may help us pinpoint exactly how widely they are being distributed, beyond even the League. As painful as it may be, your recollection may be the key in putting a stop not only to this organisation, but to others as well... Which brings me to our other goal: to arrest every present Kuroko Koshiki member at our target location before they can wreak any more havoc on this country…”
Nighteye turned his attention back to an emotionally charged Midoriya, lowering his volume so the others in the room had to strain to hear him. “I want you to tell me, in detail, what it felt like as those substances travelled through your veins… Help us snuff out the existence of these crime syndicates before they take over Japan… Did it feel as was recorded in Tsukauchi’s reports…?”
“Yes…” Izuku whispered harshly, causing a chorus of sympathetic groans to erupt. “They were…unbearable,” he shared regretfully, wishing he’d kept his stupid mouth shut while he’d had the chance. “It was only a few seconds after being injected that they took effect. And though it felt like forever at the time, they probably only lasted for about fifteen minutes…” Taking a momentary breather, he risked a glance towards Shouta, seeing the pain and empathy written all over his usually stoic father’s face. Having found the strength to continue, Izuku proceeded to share his painful traumas with the rest of the room, though he refused to lift his gaze. “The first one wasn’t so bad, compared to the other. It was like my entire body had been set alight; it burned so badly that I remember I was gasping and panting even after it had worn off… The second drug, though… It was so much worse…” Izuku really loathed talking about this; he hated it. It was the absolute worst, most despicable thing that had ever been inflicted upon him in his entire life. “It was like being stabbed thousands of times all over… I wished I could die right there just to escape it… It kept getting worse; I was only able to bear it for a couple of minutes… I was screaming and crying and begging for it to stop. I remember struggling against the chains, nearly passing out, but I was forced to endure it until it finally ended…”
“That’s enough, kid,” Shouta ordered his son, begging him to stop before he backed himself against a wall and forced himself into a mental breakdown. “You’ve provided plenty of useful information; you don’t have to say anymore. Have a seat… Take some deep breaths and drink some water…” There was so much more he wanted to do to comfort his suffering child, yet this was the absolute maximum he could do without raising any suspicion.
Looking around the room, the Erasure Hero was met with an overwhelming sense of desolation. With the severity of these newly introduced substances confirmed, every single hero and police officer knew it was a race against the clock to put a stop to their distribution before they could cause any more harm. Plus, the fact that the Kuroko Koshiki were supplying to the League of Villains made the whole scenario all the more deadly. If they were also to confirm that this new organisation was linked to the Yakuza, it could potentially mean that all three syndicates were, at the very least, distantly working together… “Eraser is right,” Death Arms croaked supportively. “It took a lot of courage to stand there and share those memories with us, and while it has changed my mindset on this operation, it’s not fair of us to ask you to share such damaging experiences if it’s only going to hurt you in the process,” he directed to Izuku.
“It seems that until now, none of us truly grasped the utter severity of this situation…” Nighteye admitted, uncomfortable with the sheer terror that radiated from his subordinate. “We absolutely cannot fail today; the Kuroko Koshiki must be stopped at all costs…” His eyes flittered slyly to the UA teacher, who had yet to divert his worried gaze from Deku. “Eraserhead, go comfort your student,” Sir Nighteye commanded unexpectedly, providing Shouta will the valuable opportunity approach his son without drawing any unwanted attention. But while Shouta was grateful for his small display of generosity, he was still infinitely pissed off with Toshi’s former sidekick, too. “The rest of you, this is your last chance for coffee, so I expect you to make the most of it. Leave these two in peace for the time being; the meeting shall recommence in five minutes…” Without hesitation, the head of the Agency shooed everyone except the two out, purposefully closing the door behind him to give Aizawa and Midoriya a brief moment of privacy.
The very moment the coast was clear, Shouta immediately honed in on his son. “Hey, keep it together, Izuku. I know exactly how much it pains you having to relive that trauma, but you’re doing so well, kid…” He reached down to scoop the clenched fists into his much larger hands, physically but gently prying them apart. Okay with the risk of being caught, he tugged his boy into his arms and enveloped him in an affectionate hug. “You’re alright, Problem Child; it’s all a distant memory now. Let’s take a calming breath and refocus on the reason we’re here, okay…?”
Izuku nodded obediently against his adoptive father, trying to regain control of his spiralling emotions. It was a monumental task, but somehow the kid was able to force the slew of unwanted thoughts from the forefront of his mind. “We need to arrest all members of the organisation, and find anything that ties them to either the Shie Hassaikai or the League of Villains,” he summarised hastily, following Shouta’s helpful instruction so as not to disappoint him.
His father’s lips twitched subtly in approval. “Got it in one,” he confirmed proudly, relieved that he seemed to be in a far better headspace now. “We’ll revisit this later if you need to, okay...? For now though, try not to allow your thoughts to wander. It’s gonna be tough, but we gotta concentrate on getting the job done, then we can take as much time as necessary to debrief once we’re back at home.” Shouta continued softly, in an honourable attempt to hold him together, dropping his lips to his temple.
“I know; I’m okay now, Dad,” Izuku breathed softly as he pulled away with a genuine smile, peacefully returning to his seat, having composed himself with the soothing assistance of his father. “I love you…” He murmured under his breath, to hopefully prevent the others from overhearing.
Shouta followed suit, sneakily ruffling his son’s hair as he skimmed past. “Love you too, kid.”