Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

xXx

While they were en route to the nearest police station after the second mall incident, thankfully not in handcuffs, Izuku received a text from his dad telling him that he had to travel to another city to straighten the matter out personally. He would only be gone for a day, two at most, and then the rest of Izuku's vacation, plus two weeks back in Japan, he would be completely off duty. He apologized for being gone so much and promised to make it up to him.

Izuku huffed a sigh of relief as he quickly typed out a message, reassuring his dad that it was okay and how he didn't blame him and how he was looking forward to their time together.

If anything, it was a relief to have his dad out of reach for the next few days while they dealt with whatever this situation was. He had no idea why this person seemed to be targeting him, which in turn put a target on everyone around him. If it was the Silent Strangler, why had he changed locations and target types? After all, the Strangler had never gone after actual heroes before, just interns or hero adjacent people.

He chewed on his lip, trying to put together all the pieces, but there was simply too many variables to take into account for any clear picture or motive to emerge.

He jumped when Shouta reached over and gently flicked his nose. "Quit chewing on your lip, you're going to make it bleed."

Izuku blinked at him before managing to start stuttering out an apology.

Shouta held up his hand, his dark eyes studying Izuku. "Bad news?"

Izuku tried to figure out what he was asking and his confusion must've been apparent, because Shouta gestured tiredly at Izuku's phone that was still clutched tightly in his hand.

"Oh. Oh, no, not at all. Dad was just letting me know that he had to head out to deal with the other location personally, and he'll be gone for a couple of days." He glanced up at the cop who was driving them before lowering his voice and adding, "It's a relief that he'll be gone for a bit, hopefully we can get this mess straightened out before he returns. Any luck contacting Tsukauchi or Nedzu?"

Shouta nodded. "Yeah, they're going to be waiting at the station on a conference call so we can all get on the same page. And Tsuka asked me to pass along a message to you."

Izuku perked up, having always enjoyed talking with Tsukauchi. "Oh?"

Shouta grinned, sharp and a little unhinged. "Yeah. He wants to know why you're still making work for him when you're out of the damned country on a damn vacation and should be drinking hot cocoa and singing carols or some sort of Christmas crap like that." He chuckled quietly at Izuku's offended expression. "Oh, and those were his words verbatim. I think he was planning on enjoying his own little mini vacation with the pair of us out of the country and you managed to ruin it for him."

Izuku whined, "But I didn't even do anything this time, I swear. Why is it my fault that someone is running around trying to kill someone? I just wanted coffee or something the first time and books the second. I was behaving ."

Shouta shrugged, "You're clearly a trouble magnet, Problem Hero. And now you're going to owe the Rat a favor in addition to already drawing his attention. If you've already emailed him your concerns, I bet twenty thousand yen that you end up as a teacher or counselor of some sort at UA before the next year is out."

Izuku sputtered wordlessly for a second before vehemently denying, "There's no way Principal Nedzu would use a favor like that. He has people begging him for the chance to work at UA, people a lot more qualified than I am. He'll probably want me to give a series of lectures or take on some student as an intern or something like that. Or throw my position as number one behind one of his projects or something."

The other hero smirked at him. "Keep telling yourself that. And don't think I didn't notice that you didn't deny being a trouble magnet."

Izuku threw his hands up in defeat. "I'd be lying if I said I weren't. I have a bad habit of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong but it's not my fault."

"Let me guess, your body moves before you even realize what’s happening."

Izuku gaped at him. "Yeah. How did you know?"

Shouta gave him a fond look. "It's something all the best heroes have in common. They react and respond before they even realize. It's something that can be trained so it's an asset and not a liability. But all the heroics training in the world can't replace the true strength of a heroic heart."

Izuku flushed and searched for something to reply, but everything he wanted to say sounded either cheesy or overly emotional. Thankfully, the police officer announced that they'd arrived at the station, saving him from death by embarrassment. Once the door was opened, Izuku nearly bolted, only managing to stop himself at the last moment. The case, he was here for the case and nothing more.

Eraserhead's compliments meant nothing.

Even if Izuku knew he would treasure them.

xXx

Seeing Izuku resisting the urge to flee over a few kind words, Shouta forced down his amusement and concern. Hizashi said that he was very cat-like in his enjoyment of watching people squirm under his words, and he had no idea what was wrong with it; it’s natural to get amusement from stuff like that, just look at how happy it makes Nedzu. But it was also concerning that there had been such disbelief from Izuku over what was the simple truth.

Izuku was the number one hero and his stats were impeccable, how much more heroic would he have to be to see himself as a hero?

Entering the bustling station, he put the idea aside for now. But he would be revisiting it later.

They made their way into the largest conference room in the building after greeting the chief. Although Shouta hated small talk, he was impressed by how Izuku managed to charm the chief and lieutenants into being willing to work with them. Police and heroes were notoriously territorial and he'd expected a lot of backlash over them butting into a case so far from their home turf. Which was why they'd called in Nedzu, the officers would be less than pleased but they would be included.

But with a bit of small talk, a few smiles, and some autographs, Dekiru had the police eagerly welcoming them onto the case and looking forward to working with them. It was a new experience for sure. He also noted how Nedzu was watching the younger hero closely and knew his suspicions were right on point. He debated warning Izuku, but decided against it. He would like having Izuku as a colleague and it would mean that he would have another ally in his war against Vlad, the other heroics teacher undoubtedly having become insufferable during his forced vacation.

Right then, Tsukauchi connected, the screen splitting in half to show a very familiar station conference room that was nearly buried in piles of folders, a couple of secretaries working swiftly on them as they sorted and copied them with some sort of duplication quirk. The detective looked better rested than Shouta usually saw him and Sansa even seemed to have sleeker fur, but right now, Tsukauchi looked like he could use a coffee with a triple shot of espresso and Sansa looked like he might just need some catnip to help him sleep before this was all over.

Izuku looked up right then and called happily, "Tsuka, hi!"

Tsukauchi scowled at him, gritting out. "Dekiru. You were supposed to be on vacation."

The green-haired hero shrugged, "I was on vacation? I mean, I was even doing normal vacation things, like going to the mall. I swear."

Tsukauchi muttered, "Trouble Magnet," and they all heard Sansa snicker at that.

He sighed, "And how did you manage to drag Eraserhead into it? As far as I know, and you two would've made it my headache if this wasn’t true, you two have never met."

Izuku pouted, causing half of the American police force to soften, "Dad thought I needed a babysitter. Said I was rearranging his kitchen too much. But I don't see how he finds anything there, nothing makes sense how he has it sorted."

Tsukauchi just stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head. "You know what, for the sake of my sanity, I'm going to ignore all of that. Congratulations, you have attracted one of the most notorious serial killers in Japan. We currently have officers checking out everything about those three suspects that you sent us, just to cover our bases. However, early investigations show that Yoshihiro Kentaro is our most likely suspect, since he’s the only one who isn’t currently in Japan."

Shouta frowned upon hearing that, his brain not liking the picture this was painting. "When did he leave Japan? If it was before Dekiru left, then it could be me he was targeting. Or just random coincidence when he saw us at the mall."

Deep in his gut, he knew he was grasping at straws, but wasn't able to stop himself. If this person was after Izuku, bright, brilliant Izuku that Shouta was just beginning to scratch the surface of, then something very bad could happen to the hero. Accidents happen all the time, through bad matchups or sometimes just bad luck, but this felt like no accident.

The detective shook his head grimly. "He left the day after Dekiru did. And of the pair of you, Dekiru fits his profile type more, although there are still some anomalies, like how Dekiru is a licensed, ranked hero versus the hero interns and hero industry adjacent people he's been hunting up till now."

Shouta studied Izuku to see how he was taking this, but the last thing he was expecting was for relief to fill those expressive eyes. The dread coiling in his gut tightened further when Izuku simply shrugged, his words confirming Shouta's fears.

"Better me than civilians or not fully trained heroes. And I'm more familiar with America and its laws and customs since my dad lives and works here. I doubt that Yoshihiro-san is, although that won't matter as much if he's fixated on me versus crimes of opportunity." His eyes narrowed and he mumbled for a few seconds before nodding. "However, given how all of his attacks before this point have been in isolated areas, I figure that there's a 78.3% chance that he has fixated on me specifically for some, as of yet, unknown reason. Which means-- I can act as bait."

Nedzu and Izuku devolved into a vigorous discussion of how Izuku had calculated his percentage while Tsukauchi and Shouta shared incredulous glances. Tsuka looked like he was ready to tear his hair out but didn't look overly surprised at Izuku's declaration.

Shouta moved closer to the screen and asked quietly, "Is he always like that?"

Tsukauchi gave a sharp nod, his eyes fond as he looked toward the younger man. "He's one of the best heroes I know but he had no regard for his own life. It drives me crazy."

Shouta muttered, "Not anymore, at least, not if I have any say in the matter."

Tsuka's eyebrow rose as he studied Shouta for a long moment. Thankfully, he didn't comment on it, especially in a room full of foreign police officers, although most seemed to be enthralled by Izuku and Nedzu's debate. Shouta gave him a warning stare anyway and Tsuka just rolled his eyes and turned away.

Raising his voice, Tsukauchi said firmly, "That's enough. Dekiru, you are not playing bait until we have all the necessary information and maybe not even then. I've sent some files ahead, but I'm catching a flight in an hour with the rest. Don't do anything foolish until I get there and not even then, understand? That includes things such as returning to the mall, leaving secured areas, going after Yoshihiro on your own, and/or mixing a triple shot espresso with a five-hour energy and another, larger energy drink. I know you have a ridiculous metabolism and technically won't die from that monstrosity but I will personally kill you if I have to deal with an international incident, am I clear?"

Izuku grumbled, "I've only done that, like, five times."

Shouta raised an eyebrow, "You mean you've done it more than once, Problem Hero? Do you have no self-preservation?"

Izuku gave him a cheeky grin and Shouta found himself softening. "My friends say I have an abominable lack of it, so they're probably right. But eh, yolo."

Tsuka just gave a longsuffering sigh and hung up while Nedzu cackled. Shouta pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to three, then continued on to ten until he was certain that both his temper and urge to laugh were contained. Allowing his hand to drop, he looked Izuku dead in the eye and drawled, "You are a menace. You should come with some sort of warning label so people know exactly what sort of chaos they're in for when they hang out with you. And as soon as this op is over, I'm getting Mic to make you that sign, gonna bell you like a cat, I swear."

Izuku's eyes glittered oddly for a moment, something that seemed almost like a mixture of amusement and longing? But surely that couldn't be right and as soon as Shouta blinked, the expression was gone. Izuku shrugged and taunted good-naturedly, "Gotta catch me first."

Their phones beeped and Izuku glanced at it, abruptly sobering. "Still, we need to focus on catching this guy first. Shouldn't be hard with the help of all the fine people here, right?"

There was a quiet cheer as the officers started setting up an op command center.

Knowing that he'd lost his chance to speak with Izuku for the moment, Shouta turned his attention to how things were getting organized.

But they were going to have a talk about his lack of self-preservation instinct as soon as possible.

xXx

Kentaro mentally cursed as he waited in line at the food court for what would undoubtedly be yet another overpriced, inedible American meal. What they did to food here was a crime and he wanted nothing more than to order some quality sushi or maybe a large bowl of udon. He was used to subtle flavors, meant to be savored not the grease and garbage these Americans flocked to and gulped down like heathens. And what was with their obsession with either frying everything or putting cheese on it?

Disgusting!

As the line inched forward, he glanced around warily. They had stepped up patrols and security was beefed up since his second miss, something that infuriated him. He had never missed one of his targets before, not even once, but it’s happened twice. But all of these rude people, not respecting other's space at all and bumping him around like a pinball, had their effect. He'd been bumped and jostled in one day here more than he'd ever been in his entire life in Japan.

But because of this, it meant that he had not managed to eliminate his target. True, he had been grateful the first time. After all, his temper had gotten away from him. He hadn't been his intent to kill Dekiru, oh no. He had simply meant to talk to the other man and tell him to keep his explosive partner from wandering where he wasn’t wanted. After all, from all the interviews, he had seemed to be a fairly reasonable person, sometimes people like him just needed a little guidance.

But after he had failed to remove the homewrecker’s mate, or former mate, from existence and the oblivious man made no move to return back to where he belonged , to return to his responsibilities , well Kentaro had lost the last of his restraints. The pair had been together, for years from what little he could dig up. Even if they weren't together anymore, a former partner's death would still be tragic and that homewrecker would be filled with regrets . Then, while he was distracted with grief, Kentaro could remove him as well. That false hero was crass and quite frankly, he'd be doing Japan a favor with his removal .

Still, Dekiru had seemed to have an inordinate amount of good luck but so did he. He had never been caught, never even been suspected , and the case had been consigned to the vault after years of no clues. He was meticulous, no one would ever catch him. The third time was the charm, he was sure of it, this time the number one would never even see him coming.

In order to surprise the hero, he would have to find a place to lay low, a place to wait for his prey to come into his line of sight. That's all he needed, line of sight. Distance didn't matter, nor touch, as long as he could see them he could use his quirk on them. If he just found the right place to wait for his quarry, everything would be perfect. The man couldn’t seem to stay away from this, ugh, mall. He’d have to choose his spot carefully.

Moving to one of the balconies overlooking the entire mall, he bit into his lukewarm cheeseburger as he surveyed the building below him, grimacing as the greasy flavor filled his mouth. No wonder Americans were so sickly if this is what they’re eating.

It would all be over soon, he just had to be patient for a little bit longer. Only a little bit more and then he could go back home to his love and everything would be okay again.

He could be patient .

His love deserved it.

xXx

Izuku sighed, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. They had managed to tear apart every little detail of the two mall attacks, but it had given them very little to work with. Even when the suspect seemed to be attacking impulsively, he was still careful and controlled. If you didn't know what to look for, you would never spot the quirk use.

However, both Shouta and Izuku had studied body language and quirk use tells for years and could pick up on even the slightest usage signals, pointing them out to the others as everyone reviewed the mall footage. It was slight, but Izuku had seen his mom make the same gestures dozens of times around their home growing up as she did household tasks, so the signs from the attacker were easy for him to see. Once he pointed it out, the others could easily see it, too.

Still, even with the fresh eyes of the American police, they didn't manage to uncover very many new details. Although they had managed to narrow the suspect pool to three suspects, despite how they were heavily leaning toward just one, they didn't find a lot to work with. This guy, whoever he is, was extremely meticulous and subtle.

Izuku was used to piecing together clues with very little to go off, but after hours of grasping at straws, he found he was going cross-eyed. As it was, most of the others had already left, either to go and snatch some rest or off on their other duties. He was debating on whether he should get another cup of the bitter station coffee or just faceplant onto the table and take a quick nap. Maybe it would help him make the right connections instead of going over the same old stuff.

A hand on his shoulder startled him and then Shouta was lifting him out of the chair. "Up. It's time to leave before you pass out and drool on the files. Wouldn't be very good for your heroic image. And trust me, it wouldn't just be the rookies taking pictures. Plus," Shouta grinned at him, “it makes the ink run.”

Izuku sighed, knowing that there were several pictures of him passed out on case files circulating amongst the officers at his home precinct. But there was a reason he didn't want to leave, and it had everything to do with the dark-haired hero watching him with what almost appeared to be a fond expression, if Izuku didn't know any better.

Shoving his hand roughly through his hair in a desperate bid to get hold of his emotions, Izuku mumbled, "You can just head back to the hospital. Since this guy seems to have fixated on me, don't wanna go back to my dad's and lead him there, in case we don't catch him. I'm just gonna crash here, I'm sure there's a break room somewhere."

Aizawa shook his head and wrapped his hand around his arm, towing him toward the door. "Nope, not a good idea. Even as good as these officers undoubtedly are, better to not present the chance. You've seen the pictures as well as I have, this Yashihiro guy looks just like everyone else. Who's to say he couldn't manage to slip his way in here unnoticed, he's good about being unremarked on. Better not to risk anyone's lives."

Izuku slumped tiredly. "Then where am I supposed to go? A hotel? I suppose I could go to some high-end place with high security, but that would mean revealing that Dekiru is here on vacation and I just wanted to get away from all of that for a while. I just wanted to be normal."

The last bit was whined under his breath but he had a feeling that the dark-haired man had heard it anyway, if the sympathetic grimace was anything to go by. But instead of saying anything, he just ushered him into the car waiting for them after checking security protocols on his phone.

Shouta waited until they were underway, then said firmly but quietly enough that the driver wouldn't be able to overhear their conversation. "We're going back to the hospital, and you’re going to stay with me."

He ignored Izuku's head shake. "Think about it logically. Not only is it a hero hospital, it is THE hero hospital in America. The security protocols and guards are second to none. Trust me, both Nedzu and I have checked them and I've personally tested them. Nothing, especially not a two-bit villain, is going to be able to access us there. And the staff will be more lenient with you because you're the Director's son. We'll have them bring a cot to the room and you can crash. You've been pushing yourself for days and don't try to deny it."

Izuku narrowed his eyes. "But I haven't been pushing it. I've been sitting and scanning files and eating three square meals a day and everything. Getting downright sedentary."

Shouta rolled his eyes. "Pull the other one, Problem Hero. You won't convince me that you haven't taken copies home and gone over the information repeatedly, trying to pull some grain of information out of it. I already can tell that you're the type to do that. I also know that you are the kind of hero who won't take care of themselves unless they're forced to. Trust me, takes one to know one."

Izuku grimaced and he must've been more tired than he thought, because his brain-to-mouth filter slipped. "I don't deserve it."

Shouta raised an eyebrow at his words, looking like he was going to demand answers, before glancing up at where the driver was. Instead, he allowed the conversation to die out for the rest of the ride, looking out the window thoughtfully.

Izuku was uncertain if he was pleased that the other hero had dropped the conversation so easily, or if he was disappointed that he hadn't dug more deeply into Izuku's words. Which was ridiculous, because the last thing Izuku wanted was to air his failings to the world at large and Shouta and the car driver in particular. But he was so tired of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He wanted one person other than his parents, just one, to look at him and tell him that he was worth it, that he was enough. That he didn't have to be perfect or quiet or save a million people, that he was enough just as he was. Plain, tired, broken Izuku Midoriya, the hero nerd who liked to argue on random forums and bake cookies at three in the morning when he couldn't sleep.

But no, all anyone ever saw was Dekiru, the one who followed after All Might, the one who smiled and kept fighting, even when he was so injured and broken it felt like he couldn’t breathe.

Sighing, he took a deep breath and worked on shoving his emotions down deep and locked them away. His friends had all reassured him that it was okay to feel down at times and that it took time to heal. They were there for him but old habits were hard and he struggled to truly let them in. And it seemed to be a him problem, because even here in America, thousands of miles from his home, he was still creating problems. Just great.

He was drawn from his spiraling by a gruff voice. "We're here, c'mon."

Izuku smiled at the driver and slid out of the car, trudging after Aizawa who seemed to believe that Izuku would follow him, as he was striding straight into the hospital. Izuku shoved down the insane urge to bolt and disappear in a flash of green lightning. He was tired and going to make a poor decision if he didn't watch himself. He thought about sending Toshi a text or Ochako, but he was too tired to figure out the time difference, so he made a mental note to do that after he took a nap.

The next few minutes were a blur as they sorted out all the logistics of getting him permission to stay and a cot set up for him to sleep on, Shouta just watching everything with a thoughtful expression.

The door finally shut behind the nurse, and Izuku was heading for the cot, when Shouta finally spoke up.

"Izuku, come here."

xXx 

Knowing instinctively that the younger man would clam up if there were any witnesses present, Shouta waited until they were back in the hospital and alone before speaking up. But that didn't mean that his mind hadn't been racing during the trip, putting together all the little things he had noticed over the past few days, all of it making a picture of Izuku’s mental state that he didn't much like.

Slouching into the chair, his leg was too tired to stand for this conversation, he called firmly, "Izuku, come here."

Izuku turned toward him, looking like a deer in the headlights. Shouta could almost hear his mind whirling before he stuttered out, "U-um, I'm rather tired, so I-I-I'm just gonna, lay down for a bit."

Using his teacher voice, one that got the stubbornest of his students to sit down and possibly talk to him about their issues instead of stubbornly trying to handle it all themselves, he said again. "Izuku. Now."

It was funny seeing Japan's number one hero acting like a petulant teenager as he sulked toward the chair that Shouta was pointing at. Once he was sitting, Shouta gave him a minute to gather his thoughts and speak first if he wanted. However, he looked down at his hands and mulishly refused to speak. Okay then, Shouta knew how to deal with this type as well.

Gentling his voice, he said calmly, "All right, you don't have to talk to me if you don't want to. I'm going to talk and lay out what I think the situation is, and then you can tell me if I'm close or not. And if you choose to remain silent, I will take that as confirmation that I'm on the right track and take the appropriate next steps."

Izuku peered up at him through his unruly bangs, his forest green eyes shadowed with hurt and suspicion. This wasn't going to be an easy conversation but Shouta had been both a hero and a teacher for a long time, he had learned long ago to deal with things head-on, so that they didn't leave festering wounds.

Relaxing further into the chair, he started, talking like he would to Hizashi. Another limelighter with a heart too big for this world, so much pain hidden behind the sunshine smiles, and a heart that just wanted to help others despite being kicked down so many times.

"I know that you came to America for vacation and to see your father. But I don't think that's the only reason. I think you're running from something, something personal. Nedzu would've told me if there was a threat to the number one hero in Japan. He likes to keep his people in the know about the major power players and what both the heroes and the dark side are doing. After all, knowledge is power."

He sighed when Izuku didn't respond. Damn it, this meant that emotions were most likely involved instead of a threat that he could punch. Just great. "So, you came to America to recoup, take a breather, which is good. You need to prioritize the rescue which in this case means prioritizing yourself. You can't help others if you are too hurt or too burnt out to function."

Izuku huffed a tiny laugh. "You sound like one of my friends. He says that a lot."

Shouta offered a tiny grin. "Probably one of my former students then. Kami knows I tried to beat it into their heads thoroughly, good to know that it stuck at least a little bit."

Izuku just shrugged but he did relax slightly in the chair, something Shouta would count as a win.

"So, you came for a break over something personal, because you are both a Trouble Magnet and a Problem Hero. Whatever happened, it wasn't recent because you're functioning well, thinking rationally and quickly. But it's probably been within the past few months, because there's a desperation to throw yourself into work. I had thought that it was boredom, but given other factors, that doesn't fit right."

He picked at a stray thread on his pants. "You were probably working yourself into the ground and your manager threatened to bench you entirely if you didn't stop pulling extra hours."

"How..." Izuku's head had shot up and he was glaring at him.

Shouta chuckled. "You're not unique. In fact, most heroes dealing with personal crap throw themselves into their work as if they can manage to fix whatever the hell went wrong if they just help enough people or patrol enough hours or donate enough time to charity or something. Thing is, it doesn't work, no matter how hard we try."

Izuku slumped bonelessly in the chair. "But it should work. After all, I should be able to make a difference. I shouldn't be so weak, so broken. There are people that are depending on me. I can't afford to be a mess, I can't."

Shouta almost huffed a sigh of relief, biting it back at the last second. The biggest hurdle was always getting them to talk. Once Hizashi finally started opening up instead of deflecting or blasting music, that's when he knew that he would be able to get his friend help. And he wouldn't leave Izuku to drown either.

He said softly, "But you're only human, Izuku. And I've spent a lot of time with you lately. You are a good person, Izuku, a wonderful, warm person who cares so damn much that you'd rather walk through fire than allow anyone to be hurt. And it's killing you inside. You're throwing yourself into danger without a single thought to your own safety or well-being. It's unacceptable. It's not up to you to solve the world's problems and it's okay for you to have a bad day."

His hands curled into fists. "I can't!"

Finally, progress. He asked mildly, "Why not?"

"Because I'm worthless, nothing but a deku. If I'm not a hero, if I fail, what good am I? I can take the hits, take the pain, I'm used to it. But I'm not going to stand by and let other people suffer because I'm too weak to keep my emotions together. Crybaby deku, always a crybaby, never strong enough for anything."

Wow, that was a lot to unpack there. He hoped that Izuku was in therapy because otherwise, he was going to have to go to Nedzu and cash in a favor to have the Rat God get him into therapy and sit on him until it worked. Because Izuku was drowning and no one seemed to have noticed.

As if a dam had broken, words continued to pour from the green-haired man, although they were quieter than his initial outburst. "No one wants me, wants Izuku, they only want my position or what I can do for them. My boyfriend of two years cheated on me and then told me that it was my fault, because I wasn't good enough. He was my childhood friend, we've known each other since we were born. If someone who has literally known me for my entire life can't stand me, what's the point of even trying? Who could I trust if not him?"

He looked at Shouta, his eyes burning with green flame. "So I'll keep doing what I'm good at. I'll keep being a hero and saving people with a smile. Nothing else matters."

Shouta considered and discarded a dozen different answers before finally speaking. "Bullshit."

Izuku gawked at him. "What?"

Shouta smirked at him. "You heard me."

He seemed to be struggling to process, good. He needed to stop that self-recrimination spiraling track of thought before it became ingrained in his thought process. Although, given what he knew, Izuku was probably used to taking the blame and apologizing for things that weren't his fault.

Izuku narrowed his eyes dangerously at him. "I think that you just called my life choices bullshit but surely I heard wrong. Because Eraserhead, one of the best heroic teachers in all of Japan, surely doesn't talk to people like that."

His smirk only widened. "Ah, but I'm not your teacher, am I? I'm an underground hero who doesn't give a damn about playing nice and using pretty words. If that were the case, I would've gone limelight and dealt with the cameras and all that nonsense. No, what I care about is people. Prioritize the rescue . What is the point of being a hero if you aren't saving and helping people? But the reason I called bullshit on you is that you seem to be ignoring the fact that you are a person too. Society probably failed you, probably repeatedly if the sucky statistics about quirkless are anything to go by, and that's only the reported crimes."

Izuku sucked in a shaky breath but Shouta kept talking. "But they were wrong, Izuku. They were wrong about people and they were especially wrong about you. You are enough as yourself, whether or not your quirk had ever come in. And it's wrong that people treated you like that, hurt you because they were so lacking in empathy that they couldn't see what an amazing person you are. I see it, I see you, a person with such a heroic heart that you physically hurt at the thought of someone else in pain. I also know that you will do your best to keep anyone else from suffering for a second longer if you can help it."

Refusing to overthink it, he reached over and grabbed Izuku's hand. "Just because other people have been blind idiots doesn't mean that I'm one of them. I'm not going to abandon you or walk away, just because you aren't perfect. I am far from perfect, yet my friends won't leave me in peace. So I'll keep reminding you that you matter just as much as everyone else, that you're fine just the way you are. And I'll keep telling you until you actually believe it, so you're just going to have to deal with it."

Izuku's voice was tight. "I hate you."

Shouta just relaxed into his chair, squeezing Izuku's hand that the younger man hadn't bothered to pull away. "No you don't. Somehow, I don't think you're truly capable of hating anyone. Just another thing that makes you amazing."

Izuku slumped down in his chair, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling as tears trickled down his face. "I'm just so tired, of everything."

Shouta nodded. "Then rest. It's okay to need a break."

Neither one of them spoke after that, both of them slowly drifting off to sleep. Shouta's last thought was that the nurse was going to be furious over him sleeping in the chair instead of his bed.

He didn't care though, he was quite comfortable where he was.

xXx

The next two days passed in a blur of preparation.

Izuku was glad that Shouta didn't mention his meltdown, although he could have done without the scolding that the nurse had delivered both of them the next day about sleeping in a proper bed and not in random chairs. He hadn't had the heart to tell her that he'd slept in much worse locations than a rather comfortable hospital chair. With a lot worse company too.

That was another thing.

It was driving him crazy. Shouta had been so kind to him, telling him that it was all right to rest, to not be perfect. Usually, people just told him to suck it up and deal with it, that his position as the number one came with certain responsibilities. It was like they saw him as an automaton and not a living, feeling person at times.

The whiplash was driving him crazy, making that quiet voice in the back of his head louder. The one that talked about how he deserved to be cared for, and loved, to take a break when he needed one. He hadn't been able to text his friends about the whole situation either, too busy trying to hunt down their suspect or avoid Shouta.

He had the lingering feeling that the other man knew what he was doing and that it amused him. However, Izuku was not going to ask him straight out. Bad enough that the man was making him take breaks and eat regularly, using all sorts of underhanded tactics; like handing him the food, already warm, and waiting for him to take a bite before moving on or calling for everyone to take a ten minute water break.

But if he acknowledged that, he would also have to face the fact that he had fallen asleep while crying with Eraserhead holding his hand. And if he had to acknowledge that, he would immediately combust and die of embarrassment. So instead, he threw himself into work and ignored the knowing looks that the dark-haired hero kept shooting him. Avoidance was a tried and true tactic, why change what worked?

It got worse when Tsukauchi arrived on the second day with Sansa in tow. The detective just looked fondly exasperated that Izuku had managed to cause him extra work while Izuku was supposed to be on vacation. Sansa, on the other hand, kept snickering and texting someone. Izuku wasn't touching that with a ten-foot pole, even though he usually got along with Sansa just fine.

Still, despite trying not to think about feelings, hero work, or frustratingly yet silently kind underground heroes, time passed and it was time to put their op in motion.

Izuku took the earpiece that Tsukauchi handed him, slotting it into his ear as he listened to the man lecture him for the third time that he was not to even think about trying to go solo on this while on foreign turf with a known serial killer.

He laughed and clapped Tsuka lightly on the shoulder. "It's going to be okay, you know I've done plenty of ops like this and I haven't had a large property damage claim in months now."

He bit back a snicker at the way the detective's eye twitched. "Whatever, brat. You seem to forget that I'm the one who always has to fill out the incident forms, in triplicate mind you, after one of your 'missions'. So please, for the love of everything that is holy, don't break yourself during this one. I barely got Yagi to agree to stay in Japan as it was, he'll have kittens if you end up in the hospital here."

Izuku flushed, "There is a world famous, hero hospital I could be sent to very nearby. I have it on good authority that it’s best. Besides, I haven't broken a bone in months!"

Shouta chuckled quietly, "Even the underground knows about the number of bones you've broken, Problem Hero. I wouldn't be so quick to deny it, if I were you."

Ignoring how Tsuka mouthed, 'problem hero?', Izuku sassed, "Well, at least I know the healthcare here is good, if they've managed to keep you in place for this long."

Shouta rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Never gonna enter another hospital after this, no matter what the Rat God threatens me with. Now, get your head in the game. This guy's got a high kill count and we don't want to add to that number today."

Izuku sobered, switching over to his Dekiru persona. It was time to end this so he could enjoy what little bit of vacation he had left. Although he had, strangely enough, enjoyed his vacation so far even if it was hunting down a serial killer. But if they didn't nab the guy today, there was a good chance that they wouldn't have another shot at him unless he followed Izuku back to Japan.

No, best to end this as quickly as possible.

A commotion drew his attention to the far side of the mall and he turned to look. There was a rather bedraggled man being talked to by security over by Santa's village, his knuckles bruised and bloody and his hair and eyes were rather wild.

He turned and asked a security guard in their detail, "What's going on there?"

The security guard looked and let out a small laugh. "Poor guy. He fell asleep and we missed him in our final sweep of closing the mall. Ended up getting caught in Santa's village and that doesn't shut down at night. It's like being trapped in a room with only elevator music for hours on end, only with Christmas music instead of oldies. He snapped and took it out on Frosty. He'll have to pay damages, but we're not charging him with anything at this point."

Izuku grimaced, "Yeah, that sounds awful. I'd be tempted to throw a few punches at Frosty myself."

Satisfied that everything was under control, Izuku turned his attention back to the task at hand.

Time to hunt.

xXx

Shouta buried his face in his capture scarf, having received permission to use it during this mission and only until the op was over, although he would still be acting as support crew instead of front lines like Izuku was. It was irritating, but he knew his limits.

Still, it had been rather fun to see how flustered the younger hero had been after their talk. He was doing everything he could to avoid Shouta, with limited success. If nothing else, being an underground hero had taught Shouta patience and the thrill of the long hunt. Besides, if Izuku was busy trying to avoid him, it meant that he was too busy to think negative thoughts about himself, which was a win in Shouta's book.

As it was, he was starting to suspect that this might not be a passing attraction as he'd initially suspected. The only question was quickly shifting from 'Should he pursue Izuku' to 'Would Izuku be open to the idea of a relationship'.

Given how hard Izuku had blushed after they'd woken up still holding hands followed by his avoidance, Shouta would almost bet that there was at least a little bit of interest there. Shut up, Hizashi, he did know what feelings were and could actually manage to work out what they were before someone else had to spell them out for him. But if Izuku had left a long-term relationship, even if it was a few months ago, he might not be ready for someone new yet.

‘But that doesn't mean that you can't be friends,’ whispered his traitorous mind. ‘Then, when he’s ready, you'll already be there and waiting.’

Shoving those thoughts away, Shouta managed to refocus on the op at hand. If Hizashi and Nem were here, they'd be laughing their asses off at him. As it was, he had the feeling that Sansa was sending Zashi a blow-by-blow of everything that was happening to him. Those two were thick as thieves and could gossip worse than old women. And that didn't even begin to count the look that Nao had given him when he'd realized that Shouta was interested in Izuku. He'd looked slightly thoughtful and almost approving for a brief second before his face became absolutely horrified.

Shouta had just smirked at him, noting the way the detective's face paled. He wasn't going to bother asking what the other man was thinking, not ready to have his interest broadcast where Izuku or Nedzu might hear. Although it was probably a losing battle on the second one. Nedzu had eyes and ears everywhere and he watched his people like hawks to make sure they were okay.

For the sake of his sanity, Shouta put that thought aside and focused back on the mission. Time to get this bastard caught and then he could think about which path to take with Izuku. After all, there was plenty of time ahead of them.

Overhearing the guard's explanation about the restrained man, Shouta felt horrified. Being trapped in an explosion of Christmas-themed things with nonstop music on a loop sounded like hell on earth to the underground hero and he was glad that he wasn't the one it had happened to, before dismissing it.

They had other things to concentrate on, namely this Yashihiro fellow who had managed to slip under their radar for so long. Even if they didn't get him today, it was only a matter of time. Back in Japan, they had raided his apartment and found the trophies that the man liked to keep, proving without a doubt that he was the one they'd been looking for.

They had been kept in an elaborate scrapbook, titled, "What happens to those who dare touch what is mine." It didn't make any sense and it had made Shouta's skin crawl when he saw it, but he was willing to let the others handle that part of the investigation. Although he was decent at information gathering, he preferred to deal with the criminals and villains rather than the tedious hours spent sorting through minutiae.

Watching Izuku check his earpiece one final time before setting off in a casual stroll, Shouta fought the urge to dash after him. They were pretty sure that the killer was targeting Izuku, although for reasons unknown. But what if they had only attacked because he'd been with Shouta?

They had discussed that possibility and had kept it as a plan b for if Yoshihiro didn't show himself the first time. But right now, the others were more confident that he would be willing to go after Izuku if there was a chance that his quirk wouldn't be canceled like it had the other two times he'd attacked.

So instead of walking with Izuku, where he belonged his mind whispered, he waited for a count of thirty before casually following after him. Although it was still early enough for the crowds to be fairly light, it was Christmas time which meant that the place was still pretty packed. They were hoping the crowds would work to their advantage, help the undercover officers and heroes blend in with the civilians in the hopes of minimizing casualties. Who knew what a cornered, desperate man would do?

But the size of the crowds meant that it might make Yashihiro unable to spot Dekiru either. Because right now, he was Dekiru, not Izuku. Shouta could see it in how he moved with ease through the crowd, not on guard like Izuku was, but with an air of confidence guaranteed to give people reassurance and smiles. It was, quite frankly, unfairly attractive. If only he could get Izuku to feel that same level of ease out of his hero persona as he did in it. He would have to work on that.

However, as Izuku was finishing his first circuit of the mall, no one had spotted Yoshihiro or anything suspicious. One young kid who looked like he was in middle school recognized Dekiru, almost breathing his name with awe. However, Dekiru's hearing must be exceptional, ‘cause he heard the kid and stopped to talk with him. He'd muted his mic, so the others couldn't hear what they were talking about. But seeing the way the kid's face first filled with disbelief before crumpling into relief and hope was very telling.

Mindful of the situation, Dekiru didn't linger, not wanting to make the kid a target since it was the people around him who had been attacked. But even from fifty feet away, Shouta could tell that the brief encounter had made all the difference to that kid.

He buried his face in his capture scarf, glad to have the familiar material to hide what was undoubtedly a soft look on his face. The last thing he wanted was to broadcast his emotions before he even scraped up the courage to speak to Izuku about whether he would like to be friends with him going forward. Not that he thought the green-haired hero would turn him down but Shouta preferred to err on the side of caution.

Shaking his thoughts away, Shouta returned his attention to their surroundings. They were here to capture a dangerous criminal, not to plan on future conversations that were best had in private so Izuku wouldn't feel any pressure.

Cracking his neck discreetly to try and loosen the tension from it, Shouta glanced around, careful not to give away what he was doing. If Izuku didn't get a reaction from his first lap around, then it would be up to Eraserhead to do a lap with him. Both the attacks had been around this time, so they theorized Yashihiro was here early in the day. If he didn’t attack once Shouta joined Izuku, they’d have to go back and retool the plan.

Shouta almost wished the villain would try and attack him. He would take great pleasure in cutting off his quirk and then watching as Izuku snagged him and brought him in for long overdue justice.

He gave Tsukauchi a quick look from where the man was lingering near the coffee shop where the first attack had happened. The detective must've been able to read his intentions, because he sighed and nodded, giving Shouta the go-ahead to proceed with their alternative plan.

However, Shouta's split second of inattention proved to be a mistake.

Up ahead, from where Dekiru was, came an unholy bellow of rage. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!! IF YOU HAD JUST TAKEN CARE OF YOUR PARTNER LIKE I TAKE CARE OF MINE, THIS WOULD'VE NEVER HAPPENED!!!! BUT NO, YOU HAD TO RUN AWAY WITH YOUR TAIL BETWEEN YOUR LEGS. YOU'RE NOT A HERO, YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A WEAK COWARD!!"

Shouta's head snapped around as soon as he heard the first few words, only to see the man who'd been with the mall security earlier charging at Izuku, a deranged glare on his face as his hands were curved into claws. Shouta couldn't tell if the man was using his quirk or not, but there were too many people between him and the screaming man for him to erase his quirk. And he couldn't sprint, not with his bad leg.

Izuku's surprised look was burned into Shouta's mind before it turned into a look of determination, both men disappearing as Yoshihiro tackled Dekiru to the floor and out of his line of sight entirely.

Activating his quirk anyway, on the off chance that it might do some good, any good, Shouta had rarely felt so helpless as he pushed his leg as hard as he dared to get over to where the two were tussling. There were heroes and police hurrying toward the two from every direction but they were all too far away to stop the attack.

Fear chilled Shouta's veins as he pushed himself harder. Yoshihiro had a minor telekinesis gift, so if he used it on Izuku, he could make his heart stop with only a small tug or cause damage to his eyes or any of a million and one other things. Finally, he burst through the last ring of people who had stopped to watch the fight, only to find Izuku pinning Yashihiro easily.

The killer was face down on his stomach, his hands pinned in the small of his back and a snarl on his face. Izuku's eyes were diamond-hard and glowing a toxic green as he leaned down and murmured something in Yashihiro's ear, causing the rampaging man to go limp.

Seeming pleased, Izuku pulled back and swiftly cuffed him with quirk-canceling handcuffs. However, all the fight seemed to have left the other man as Izuku stood and easily pulled him up, handing him off to Tsukauchi who seemed to have teleported over to the area.

Satisfied that he was contained, Izuku turned to face Shouta, grinning happily at him where he was standing frozen at the edge of the crowd.

That smile and the thin cut on Izuku's cheek broke the last bit of Shouta's restraint. Before he realized what he was doing, his capture scarf shot out and wrapped around Izuku's waist and hauled him close. As soon as they were eye-to-eye, Izuku turned nervous, "Um, Sho, or er, um, Eraser."

Shouta shook his head, his expression hard. "Enough! We are going to talk, you just scared a decade off my life. But later."

Izuku looked puzzled and started to respond when Shouta wrapped his hand around the back of Izuku's neck and hauled him in for a kiss. Before Izuku could respond, Shouta pulled back and stared deeply into the shocked emerald eyes staring back at him. He said firmly, "If you don't want this, say so now. Because this is the only time I'll willingly let you go. If you decide to stay, I'm going to be around for the long haul. If you need time to think, say the word and I'll give you whatever space you need. But I'm not gonna walk away, not after almost losing you today."

Izuku's confusion melted away as he spoke, his expression turning intent. Shouta felt nerves well up in his stomach but he didn't take it back. He'd never hesitated in going after what he wanted and he wasn't about to start now. But it was nerve-wracking, placing their fate in the hands of another person.

Izuku asked calmly, "Are you done?

Shouta nodded, keeping eye contact even if it was hard.

Izuku grinned, his eyes warm and lush, like a rainforest. "Good."

Then, he reached out and pulled Shouta into another kiss, the world melting away around them. Shouta kissed him back giddily, his heart nearly beating out of his chest in joy.

They had survived a madman, now it was time to start looking toward a bright future together.

xXx

Hizashi was getting ready for his late-night show, his relaxing playlist all queued up and ready to go along with a list of feel-good stories that would brighten people's nights. After all, the best way to end the day was with good news and thoughts, it made the next day happier in his opinion.

His friends had teased him about it a few times, but they were also the first to forward him neat songs or stories, so he knew they felt the same way as he did.

He felt his phone buzz right as he hit play on the first set of soothing songs. Switching his mic so it was off, he fished out the device, wondering who was getting in touch with him. Shouta was busy with his op right now in America and Nem should be on patrol. So that left either his manager or Nedzu as the most likely suspects.

Slipping his phone from his pocket, he was delighted to see Sansa's name pop up on the screen. He'd asked the officer to see how Shouta was really doing in America while he was there, since he doubted that his friend was happy with being cooped up at the hospital for months on end. However, he'd heard enough about Nedzu's powerpoints that he didn't want to risk getting one of his own.

So imagine his surprise and delight when Sansa had messaged him that not only was Shouta apparently thriving, but that he had a major crush on the limelighter of all limelighters, Dekiru. Hizashi had sensed that something was up when Shouta had called him up about doing an interview with the younger hero, but thought that it was just the teacher side of him popping up.

But no, according to the officer, the underground hero was crushing hard and Midoriya seemed to be both flustered and almost receptive. Hizashi couldn't help but be pleased for his friend, this was the first time that he'd shown interest in someone for years upon years. Shouta deserved to be happy, even if he didn't believe so at times.

So Sansa had been his man on the ground, keeping him updated with news and pictures, enough that would keep him in blackmail for years. (If he was already planning a wedding album, that was no one's business but his own.)

Wondering what news Sansa had for him tonight, he slid open his phone, only to let out a happy squeal in his thankfully soundproofed studio when he saw what was on the screen.

There on the phone was a picture of Shouta kissing Midoriya, his capture scarf wrapped around the green-haired man's torso even as the pair clung to each other. To make it even better, Tsukauchi was standing in the background with a despondent man in handcuffs, a disgruntled expression on his face.

Oh, this was solid gold and definitely going on the cover of the album he was not making.

However, he simply shot back a bunch of emojis and a single word.

FINALLY!!!