Chapter Text
Izuku attempted to duck his head further into his hood, sunlight glaring across every surface and into his eyes. It was one of those days when the air was inexplicably clearer, the sun inexplicably brighter - rays splintering across every surface, blinding and merciless. Alleys that were ordinarily shadowy and mysterious were now plainly and unapologetically ugly, the trash and decaying structures laid plain, shorn of the shroud of shadows that the usual gloom cloaked them in.
In spite of the searing daylight, the air was cuttingly cold, wind sweeping hard and unforgiving through the streets. For all that he’d attempted to dress warmly, the harsh currents pierced Izuku’s clothing easily. He walked quickly, every step taking him closer to a respite from the unseasonable winds.
The twain assaults on his eyes and on his person remained his unappreciated companions as he continued on to his destination. Even the boldest of thieves and beggars along the way were shrunk back into what pitiful shelter they could find instead of prowling the streets and corners, the meager protection against the day’s climate winning out over their usual activities. A few raised a hand to him as he passed, but were clearly tuckered down in an attempt to wait out the weather.
It was with great relief that Izuku finally reached the doors to the League’s bar. He had to fight the wind to force one open, human strength eventually prevailing. The door slammed definitively shut behind him immediately after he entered, the painful sunlight and unforgiving cold unable to follow.
It took a moment or two to adjust to the dim lighting in the bar after the glaring sunshine, blinding light giving way to dusky, nuanced shadows. In the time it took to blink everything into focus, a grinning girl had bounced up to him with a squeal.
“You’re here! Aww, you’re just as cute as I imagined!”
Izuku ducked away instinctively as she whirled into his personal space - living amongst villains had given him a healthy sense of self preservation for all that the League’s headquarters was usually safe for him. The pout of disappointment on her face didn’t sway him in the least, didn’t prevent him from taking several steps away, swiftly scanning and evaluating her.
“Um,” he offered, all suave sophistication as he analyzed her potential threat level. Izuku’s eyes noted Tomura slouched on one of the bar stools towards the stairs, characteristically grumpy but calm, his face obscured by a detached hand. “Friend of yours?”
“New minions,” Tomura sneered, gesturing at the loose cluster of new patrons in the bar. “They’re not even mine. Apparently allying with Stain means babysitting his followers.”
The information had Izuku looking around at the others instead of just the buoyant blonde. In addition to a few familiar faces, his eyes caught on several strangers, more than the usual tentative customes.
Closest was a bulky reptilian sitting at a table with a black-clad huddle of a person whose back was turned towards Izuku. There was an almost skeletal figure in scarlet robes drinking something virulently pink at the next table, eyes flicking around the room. Off to himself was a striking man whose skin was a slanted patchwork of burn-damaged and pristine-healthy sections. They were nearly all watching him in return already, unabashedly evaluating him. Izuku kept his sunny smile and sparkling green eyes at the forefront, unsure whether he wanted to be underestimated or not – better to err on the safe side. Criminals didn’t always believe his reputation, and Izuku was comfortable in himself enough not to need their validation.
“Stain is the best.” The blonde girl spoke dreamily, pulling his attention back to her, not even acknowledging Tomura’s comments. “I want to stab him and make my knives pretty and red. I want to hurt him. I want to be him.” Wisps of her hair had escaped her sloppy buns, an accidental halo that framed her beatific expression. Her faraway gaze sharpened after a moment, focusing on him again. Something in the calculating glee she exuded reminded him of Mei, though this girl was… maybe not more dangerous, but more immediately a danger. The same energy, but without love and loyalty behind it.
“Pretty sure Stain was made to be one of a kind,” Izuku offered in response. That was certainly an understatement, given what he’d seen of the man so far, though this girl did seem to share his preference for blades. Knives instead of swords, but Izuku was willing to bet they were just as sharp. Considering how red he liked to paint his own knives, he couldn’t fault her for wanting to do the same. “So, he’s your leader?” he asked the room at large, unsure of how many patrons were from Stain and how many just wanted a drink.
“We follow his teachings,” the reptilian man replied. “The world of heroes is corrupt. Honor demands that we aid him in his crusade to free ourselves from their system of oppression.”
“No argument there,” Izuku muttered before turning his gaze to Tomura. “So Stain did agree to join?”
His friend made a little moue of discontent behind the preserved hand that masked his face. “Allies,” he grumbled. “He says he doesn’t want to join our party, wants to stay solo... but we’re working mostly towards the same goals. He’ll stay out of our way if we stay out of his, and we’ll help each other when it suits us to team up.”
“Yeah, he struck me as someone who prefers being on his own,” Izuku commiserated. “He could have maybe used some backup in Hosu, but that’s mostly because he was trying to keep us alive. If he’d gone after us with intent, I’m pretty sure he could have taken us all.”
Tomura narrowed his corpse-hand-framed eyes, the red darkening with anger at the admittance. Luckily any reply beyond a little angry growl that he would have made was interrupted by an excited squeal from the bloodthirsty blonde.
“Stain cut you? You’re so lucky!” She brandished her knife in a motion that was more display than threat, but Izuku remained wary. “I bet you were even cuter when you were bleeding. I want to make you bleed too!”
“That’s uh, real flattering,” Izuku hedged, resisting the urge to retreat but still subtly sliding further in Tomura’s direction. “I’m going to have to say ‘no’ though. Maybe you could get to see me in someone else’s blood instead.” He looked at Tomura thoughtfully. Obviously they couldn’t go on murder trips every time they got together, but the influx of new followers deserved a celebration, and it would be a great way for Izuku to get a feel for their quirks and how to better use them. And it miiiiiight distract his friend from a certain serial killer’s actions.
With internships completed and plenty of time before the end-of-term exams, school wouldn’t need quite so much of his attention. Hisashi had whisked Inko away to woo her, so there wasn’t much reason to go home either. With a little frisson of excitement, Izuku realized he’d have a lot more time to spend with Tomura – and the rest of the League – than he’d had in months.
Wooing. Yeah. The word seemed overblown when you considered that they were still married, but the truth was that even though they still loved each other, they needed to get to know each other again. As much as his mother had understood why Hisashi had abandoned them, it hadn’t stopped the resultant pain, and she’d been cautious about reopening her heart and allowing her husband back into their lives. She’d confided her fears to Izuku, knowing that it would affect him nearly as much, not wanting to make a decision for the both of them without him being part of it.
The dangers of being an internationally known criminal hadn’t disappeared. Perhaps the risk to them wasn’t as great, with Izuku being older and more capable, with Inko finding confidence and strength that she hadn’t held when she was younger... but it was still there. The possibility that Hisashi might leave them again was a specter always casting a shadow over their time together.
Thus his parents going away together. Never let it be said that Hisashi didn’t know the meaning of romance, whether it was in little gestures - like bringing Inko her favorite tea or surprising her with the same chocolates he’d given her on their first date - or grand gestures like sweeping her away to the many cities where he’d traveled for ‘business’ and thought of her. He was showing her the world now as he’d always wished he could.
They were in Paris now. Even as they explored the city, they made sure to stay in touch. Izuku could tell that they were having a wonderful time, their growing closeness shining through with every message, and Izuku couldn’t begrudge them the distance when it granted them so much happiness.
And it wasn’t like spending time with the others in his life was such a hardship. Case in point, training the League’s new… minion-adjacent criminals.
“They need training, right? To learn how to work together.” The enthusiasm in Izuku’s voice was obvious as the idea grew more solid, but the green-eyed boy didn’t see any reason to hide it. Basking in being the focus of Tomura’s attention was going to be incredibly satisfying, but the prospect of helping train the new criminals was intriguing too. His mind was already racing, taking apart the hints of their quirks and reassembling them, fledgling ideas blossoming. And, oh, the violence. Something inside him ached with the familiar desire, his eyes darkening as they held Tomura’s. Izuku wanted to do bad things, and he wanted it to be with man in front of him. “I’ve got time coming up, we could take them on some missions.”
“We could,” Tomura drawled, not entirely on board, and Izuku thought he knew why.
It wouldn’t be wise to target a hero right now, not even a minor one. Too many deaths and disappearances, and patrols would increase, making things… difficult. And part of Izuku liked that it was Tomura he killed with, Tomura who put blood on his hands; he wasn’t sure he wanted to share that with anyone else, at least not yet.
And who knew how good these new recruits were? He wasn’t about to get caught because some inept villain wannabe couldn’t keep up.
Izuku found himself biting his lip and made himself stop, mind still churning, searching for the right opportunity. His breath caught and his eyes lit up, gleeful mischief springing forth fully formed.
“Let’s rob a bank.”