We Don't Need No Heroes

by Scarper Von Hyde

Almost half a year before Izuku's fated meeting with the Slime Villain, our hero finds himself running away from his fears. But instead of letting his fears overtake him and drag him back down to the darkness where they think he belongs, he finds friendship in the most unusual of places and with his new friends' help, they will claw their way into the light where they truly belong.

25. The Mission

"Hey, Target," Dabi tapped on Izukus shoulder as the group rounded the corner, coming face to face with another group of examinees.

"What."

"Smile."

"Is that that stupid fucking camera?" Izuku gripped the tonfa tighter in frustration, hating how he actually thought it was funny. "Dabi, what the hell."

"Come on, smile!"

"People can't see my face, how will they know?" Izuku sighed exasperatedly, ducking a poorly thrown ball and sending a lethal glare at the one who had thrown it.

"They'll just know, alright?"

Izuku fought back a grin, thankful that most of his face was hidden behind the green bandana. "This is stupid; we're not here to have fun."

"Yeah, but we might as well, right?"

"Unbelievable."

Shinsou dodged a ball thrown at his chest, disbelief on his tired features. "Uh, guys, is this really the best time?"

"No," Izuku snapped, hooking his tonfa around one of the examinee's necks and pulling them towards him to kick them in the stomach.

"Yes," Dabi countered, launching a blast of flame at the group of examinees before them.

Himiko twirled her staff, bringing it down on the nearest competitors knee and sending them jumping back out of range. "This is normal, get used to it."

Shinsou shook his head, "I don't want to get used to it, this is terrible."

In unison, Himiko and Dabi responded with, "thanks," Shinsou subtly edging away even in the middle of the brawl.

Further into the artificial city, there was yelling, something about heroes, hot blood, and over all of that was the sound of fighting. Almost immediately after that, an announcement rang out, "one hundred and twenty examinees are out! One hundred and twenty examinees taken out by a single examinee!"

Inspired, Izuku grinned behind his bandana, forcefully grabbing onto the examinee he was fighting, pulling them too close for them to attack with their quirk. "One down," Izuku shouted, wrenching one of the examines arm behind their back, using their own balls to activate their targets before shoving them away.

"Damn Zuzu, that was brutal."

Himiko shook her head, shifting her grip on her staff, "I think you mean 'beautiful.'"

"You only liked it because they're bleeding."

"Fair point," Himiko nodded. And herself inspired by Izuku's takedown she lunged forward, cracking her staff across one of the examinee's jaws, sending them reeling as she continued her assault. Deep purple bruises formed wherever she struck, and she began to target their joints, going after the wrists, elbows, and knees, causing them to drop their balls which she quickly scooped up and lobbed back at them, her aim true. "One down, one to go!"

"...holy shit," Shinsu muttered, he knew the Terrible Three had been effective in the work, but he hadn't seen anything other than their fight against All Might. Seeing the sheer violence up close and personal was a whole different experience. And the two hadn't even used their quirks and had been training in quirkless combat for nearly two and a half years. How was he supposed to compare to that?

"Impressive, aren't they," Dabi nudged the brainwasher with his elbow, stepping up and letting blue flames twist around his hands, raising his flaming fists up, preparing to send out a blast of heat and fire that would destroy any opposition.

Izuku and Himiko shared a nod, flanking the group of examinees and blocking their retreat. There were eight of them left, enough to pass all four of them in one go.

Blue flames washed over the group, superheating the balls they had in their hands, causing them to be dropped. Ducking under the lingering flames, Izuku scooped the dropped balls in his gloved hands, the heat barely registering as Himiko grabbed her own remaining balls, taking aim and letting them fly.

With his hands still on fire, Dabi lazily strode forward, nearly casual as he tagged the closest person before moving on to the second.

"I feel like this is really anticlimactic," Shinsou muttered before he took advantage of the opportunity and got in his own two takedowns from those who were captured. "I mean, I barely did anything."

"That's, you know…" Dabi shrugged, listening to the announcement at the four of them passing. "It is what it is."

"It just feels like it should be more, you know what I mean?" He knew the other students in his class were being targeted because of their association with U.A., but since he had only recently been moved into the hero course, nobody recognized him as a U.A. student. And of course, everyone just wanted to avoid the Terrible Three, meaning those eight other examinees were the only ones who even dared to come near them, and that had just been an accident.

"Hey, there's always the rescue portion, so," Dabi picked at the target still attached to his jacket, wishing he had put it somewhere else. "Let's just go to the anteroom and chill until then. And get these fucking targets off me," he muttered, giving up on attempting to remove the device.

"But Dabi," Himiko grinned wickedly, sharp teeth gleaming. She skipped forward, leaning heavily against the fire user, pausing for effect before continuing. "I thought you wanted Target on you."

"You fucking, just," Dabi scowled, unable to hide the flames on his face. "Just shut up," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Toga-kun, that's not cool," Shinsou shook his head, stretching his arms over his head as the group headed back to the anteroom.

Dabi chuckled, "Shinsou, it's alright, she's not like, bullying me or anything." Looking at their interactions from the outside didn't exactly paint a pretty picture, but in reality, it wasn't anything problematic.

"What's this I heard about bullying?" Izuku popped up beside the three of them, his bandana pulled down around his neck.

"Where were you," Dabi asked, spotting a small stain of blood on Izuku's sleeve. "What did you do?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to know, whatever it was, it was probably awful.

"I, uh," Izuku rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I broke someone's nose. And someone's finger." He glanced away, his expression pained, "and I might have fractured someone's kneecap."

"Holy shit." Himiko looked at Izuku with respectful horror, when Izuku came for something he didn't hold back.

"What, I'm used to fighting criminals!" Izuku threw his hands up, rolling his eyes. "Everyone else is just fragile."

"Or maybe you're just going too hard on them," Shinsou said, not believing that Izuku would go that far in an exam.

"Psh, no way." Izuku pulled down his bandana, showing off a wild, nearly rabid grin. "Go big or go home."

"Guess it's time to go big then," Dabi muttered, Himiko nodding in response.

They had to go big, there was no way in hell they were going home.

---

Back in the anteroom, almost the moment they had gotten their targets taken off, the Terrible Three found a wall to lean against, Izuku glaring threateningly at any of the examinees who looked his way for too long. Beside him, Himiko and Dabi were quiet, until Himiko broke the silence with a question.

"So, Izuku."

"What about him."

"No getting touchy when it's bedtime. That's too close for comfort, go to the other room if you're gonna do that."

"Himiko, dude." Dabi shook his head, slightly disappointed with Himiko's reaction. "It's not like that."

Almost innocently, Himiko asked, "isn't that what people do in relationships?"

"Oh shit, I'm not qualified for this." Dabi tugged at his hair, looking around for help. "Oh my god, I need an adult." He paused a look of horror dawning in his eyes. "Oh fuck, I am the adult."

"Dabi, are you okay?" Himiko watched as Dabi went through the entire cycle of grief in moments, the older teenager nearly panicking at the thought of being an authority figure.

"Just fine, just having a crisis," he said blandly. "Oh jeez, alright. So in a relationship, it doesn't need to be physical. It's mostly emotional, do you connect with them? It doesn't even need to have a sexual component."

"Wait, I thought that's why people get into relationships?"

Dabi pressed his hands to his face, "oh my god, I'm not ready for this!" He shook his head but didn't remove his hands from where he was hiding behind them. "Um, no, it's not. Sex and that kind of thing isn't the goal; it's building a happy, loving relationship that's, uh, fulfilling and makes you want to better each other and yourselves." He wasn't exactly the most qualified person to be explaining this, but he couldn't see Izuku even trying to do the same. Izuku would probably just scream and run away.

"Oh, well, I guess I get it then." Himiko kicked at the floor, thinking about what she had just learned. Living as she had for so long hadn't given her the best of knowledge on how people worked.

Dabi dropped his hands to his sides, "I want to ask how you lived your life not knowing how relationships work, but your answer would probably just depress me."

"You're probably right."

"Hooray," Dabi muttered, rolling his eyes, unsure of what he was supposed to say now.

"Back on the topic of Izuku," Himiko chirped, not seeing the problem with having this conversation while surrounded by strangers and her future classmates.

Dabi groaned loudly, once again covering his face with his hands. Why was this happening to him, hadn't he suffered enough in his life?

"He's insane; you know that, right?" Himiko knew from insane, and Izuku? A few cards short of a full deck. Not the brightest crayon in the silverware shed. "Like, full on, insane in the membrane, insane in the train?"

"Himiko, not now." He might appreciate the blonde's use of memes, but this wasn't the right time for it. This wasn't even the right time for this conversation. "You think I don't know he's a bit fucked up? I've been living with him for nearly three years, I fucking know." He had seen… things.No rational person can climb a drainpipe as quickly as Izuku could, and no sane person would even want to try to do the same.

Himiko pointed at Izuku, the green haired teen currently checking his weapons only to get distracted with a handful of rocks he found in one of the many pouches on his belt. "But like, what's the appeal there, he's just… like a wild animal in a human suit." A collection of basic instincts playing at being a person.

Dabi wasn't going to try to refute that; it's not like it wasn't right or an apt description. "Close enough, but he, fuck this is cheesy, he doesn't see my problems, just the good. He's always there, and like, he doesn't mind my shitty jokes or random wisdom."

"That's the most important thing," Himiko said sarcastically.

"It really is." Dabi shrugged, "he might act like he hates them, but once in a while he comes back with one that's just awful, and it's amazing."

"I just don't get it though." Himiko worried her lip with her sharp canines, nearly drawing blood. "Yeah, Izuku might be the greatest person to walk the earth, but a relationship?"

Interrupting the conversation, Izuku leaned to the side and into Himiko's shoulder. "You two know that I can hear you, right?" He watched them with wide eyes, concern, and confusion on his face. "I'm standing right next to you, I heard everything. Why are you like this."

"I can hear you too, you dumb fucks," Bakugou snapped, his arms crossed over his chest. Where the hell did Deku get off on flaunting his relationships in his face?

"Me too!" Kirishima couldn't hide the embarrassed look on his face; it just wasn't right to listen in on somebody's personal conversations like that.

Jiro nodded, "everyone can hear you." Everyone was also pretending that they weren't listening in, but that was beside the point.

Dabi just paused for a moment before giving a one-shouldered shrug and turning back to Himiko. "So, as I was saying before we were interrupted, relationships are built on mutual trust, similar interests and evolve with shared experience."

While Himiko was talked through her crisis, Bakugou just rolled his eyes. "Dabi's the fucking love guru, who saw that coming?"

"Not me," Jiro shook her head, watching as more members of class 1-A filed through the doors of the anteroom.

Kirishima tried to avoid looking at the disaster of the Terrible Three, he didn't like listening in to private conversations. "This is really weird."

"I wish they would stop, this is very uncomfortable," Izuku said, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Besides, the second part of the exam is coming up, and it's focus time."

Almost as if on cue, the screens in the anteroom lit up, and the announcement began. "Ahem, alright everyone." The screens showed the field that had been used for the first half of the test, the fake city and mountain now empty of test takers. "If I may direct your attention to the screens, we can get the second half of this exam started."

Within a heartbeat, over a dozen explosions razed the battlefield, collapsing the city, the mountain, redirecting the flow of the fake river and filling the entire field with rubble and dust.

"Ungh." Izuku could feel the blast wave from the explosions deep in his bones, he needed to know what they had used to take everything down.

"Izuku," Himiko asked, giving him a sidelong look.

"Yes?"

"What was that noise about?"

"I just… I really want the explosives they used to take this down."

"Oh. Ew." Himiko wrinkled her nose in disgust, shaking her head in disapproval, her blonde bangs bouncing back and forth with the movement.

"What!"

Himiko just shrugged, a sharp grin twisting her lip. "I didn't know you also had an explosives kink."

"I don't!" Izuku waved his hands in front of himself rapidly, trying to deflect the accusation while Dabi just laughed at him.

"Suuure." Himiko rolled her eyes dramatically, still grinning. "I really believe that."

Izuku threw his hands up, not believing he was being burnt like this. "Come on, tell me you don't get a little riled up for a good explosion!"

"Nope."

"Yeah, no." Dabi looked at Izuku with faux disappointment. "That's just you."

Blissfully unaware of the idiocy that was happening amongst the examinees, Mera continued with his announcement. "In this stage, you will be acting as on-scene heroes and conduct rescue operations at a disaster site." The announcement continued, explaining the roles of the people spreading across the field.

"Holy shit. It's just like Kamino," Izuku muttered, suddenly realizing why the exam had a rescue portion. The time of solo heroics was over, and the time for teams was now.

Well, the time for teams was in ten minutes, but that was beside the point.

---

"Y'all ready for this?" Izuku offered Dabi and Himiko a sip from his energy drink, shrugging when they looked at the can with thinly veiled disgust. He took a long drink, crushing the empty can in one hand once he had his answers.

Dabi looked down at his hands, trying and failing to keep sparks from snapping into life on his palms. "No."

"No, not really." Himiko shook her head, watching the seconds tick down to the second half of the exam.

"Me either." Izuku rolled his shoulders back, rezipping his hoodie and adjusting his belt. "So, Dabi, I'm so proud of your brother," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"What did he do?"

"Apparently he made an enemy out of Inasa. I missed it while I was running to the snacks, but I overheard part of it. Guess they're enemies. Not even rivals, straight up hate, I guess." He had only seen part of their altercation on the way back from the bus, but what he had seen had definitely not been a new development between the two.

Dabi slapped a hand to his forehead, groaning loudly. "Oh my god."

"How, it's only been ten minutes!" Himiko wasn't sure how that was possible, but she hadn't really been paying attention to anything, too busy trying to work out the feelings that had been stirred up during the break. Something about Dabi's words had really resonated with her, but she needed to get a grip on herself and push those feelings down until later.

In response, Izuku just shrugged, making a vague sound. "Udumhn. No clue."

"Should I ask?"

"Dabi, do you really want to know?"

"Yes?" Quickly, Dabi shook his head, making up his mind almost immediately. "Wait, no. No, I actually don't."

"That's probably for the best, your bro is intense. Oh." Izuku unwrapped a protein bar, speaking as he ate, "I tell you guys about the thing I did back at the sports fest?"

Dabi narrowed his eyes, not sure where this was going. Wasn't sure he wanted to know this, either. "What did you do?"

Izuku raised a hand, waving away Dabi's accusing look. "Hey, don't look at me like that, blame firefuck. He was being a dick, so I played the fool and annoyed him while Shouto walked away in the distraction."

"..." Dabi had seen some stupid things in his life, but somehow Izuku managed to top every one of them every single time. "Wow. How are you still alive?" He wasn't even surprised at this anymore, but that didn't mean he liked that it was happening.

Himiko sighed, brushing her bangs back. "I have no words, everything you do is nonsense." But something made her chest feel tight at the thought of Izuku putting himself in danger without her or Dabi around.

Dabi kicked at Izuku's shin to catch his attention, getting a scowl in return. "Why didn't you say this earlier?"

Izuku shrugged, trying to convey just how much he didn't know. "I really don't know, you both know that I really only think ahead for patrol, everything else its just goin' with the flow."

Dabi just blinked, brushing that off and changing the subject. "You know after this thing is done, and after you and Bakugou probably end up fighting it out, you and Shouto should talk. You two would probably get along pretty well."

Brushing down his hoodie from any bits of dirt and dust, Izuku asked, "why, is he also a moron?"

"You're not a moron Izuku," Himiko rolled her eyes, not understanding why Izuku always had to be so casual with his self-deprecating, dramatic and depressing jokes.

"Look at me, Himiko. Just, look at me." Izuku gestured to himself, from his spiked steel toe boots to the mess of his green hair, "I'm a fucking moron, I just play at being smart."

Dabi nodded, he had seen so many examples of Izuku's idiocy it wasn't even funny. "It's true, one time at the beach, he tried to surf down a pile of trash using an ironing board."

"Oh." Himiko drew her eyebrows together, frowning slightly before asking, "did it work?"

"It's best not to ask him about that," Dabi said, attempting to brush off Himiko's curiosity.

"So it didn't work?"

Dabi shook his head slowly, fighting back a grin. "Nooo." It had ended with Izuku nearly breaking his nose against a rusted out oven, and the ironing board had nearly hit Dabi in the face. He had been over ten feet away from the crash, but he still almost got taken out by Izuku's nonsense. "Most things he does don't work. Unless he's planned it, he'll end up hurting himself. Come on, you know this."

"Hmm, yeah," Himiko nodded, turning to Izuku with a question that had been on her mind for the last few minutes. "Hey, Izuku, can we-

A siren rang out through the anteroom and over the field, ear-splitting and ringing through the air even once it had stopped. "A terrorist attack by villain organization has destroyed the entirety of X City, and the collapse buildings have trapped and injured a great many. With the damage to the roads, first responders are delayed. The onsite heroes must lead the rescue efforts until they make it."

The walls of the anteroom began to come down, splitting at the corners and opening into the field. "Save as many lives as you can, even if it's just one." The 100 remaining examinees all stood tense, ready to rush the moment they were given the signal.

"START!"

Izuku sprinted forward towards the destroyed city, Himiko and Dabi hot on his heels. Over a dozen of the other examinees passed them almost immediately, but the three paid them no mind, skidding to a stop before the first person they saw.

Pulling up his bandana, Izuku easily slipped into his more confident persona. He took a quick look at the scene, connecting the points together to get most of the picture. "Alright, we've got one injured, preteen, head wound and erratic breathing."

"You gotta save him!" The actor cried out through their heavy sobs and fake tears, pointing to the collapsed building behind him. "My grandpa, he's over there, he got crushed!"

"Don't worry kid, we'll get him out of there, but you're first." Izuku counted his lucky stars that he carried first aid kits with him ever since he had died. He pulled out a roll of bandages, pads of gauze and antiseptic spray and set about cleaning the fake wound. "Any nausea, trouble breathing, numbness?" The 'injured child' shook their head, loud sobs fading into hiccuping breaths.

Idly, Izuku wondered where they got their acting training. It was a bit over the top but still very convincing. They were good at their job. Too bad that the job shouldn't even need to exist, just the fact that the HUC existed was evidence enough that heroics needed to be reformed.

Dabi tapped Izuku on the shoulder, "check to see if he's able to walk, then onto the next."

Izuku nodded, "alright kid. You able to stand?"

"Uh huh."

"Aight, let's get you to the med center then we'll get your grandpa."

"I'll take him," Dabi said, not wanting to see what would happen if Izuku dealt with another kid.

The 'injured child' continued to wipe at their crocodile tears as Dabi scooped them up into his arms and made his way back to the transformed anteroom, jogging lightly. Behind him, Himiko and Izuku climbed over the rubble to track down the 'grandpa' that had been crushed.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about," Izuku asked as he shifted the rubble, bracing himself against an unstable wall.

"Is this really the best time?" Himiko's stomach flip-flopped anxiously, she didn't want to drag up the feelings she hadn't even known she had been repressing. Couldn't they do this later?

Izuku shrugged, tossing aside broken boards and two by fours. "Nope, but is there ever gonna be a better one?"

"You're fucking ridiculous."

"Come on, Vamp, you can talk to me. I'm your partner, what's the problem?"

"That." Himiko shook her head, tossing broken cinder blocks aside as she talked. "That's the problem. You and Dabi are both my partners, my best friends, but none of us act like we're just best friends." She brushed the dust of crumbled bricks off of her hands, peering into the collapsed building to look for the 'grandpa.' "I'm not saying I want things to be like a relationship, but parts of this are. And I don't, I don't hate it. I don't want things to change too much, but I like things how they are, I just… I don't want to lose the two of you, even if its just to each other."

"Oh." Izuku blinked slowly, "Okay, I wasn't expecting that." He went back to moving rubble, shrugging slightly.

Himiko stared in disbelief before realizing that that's just how Izuku is. "Did you react the same way when Dabi confessed?"

Izuku nodded, a blush peeking over the bandana. "Yeah, I did actually."

"God you're so fucking stupid, I can't," Himiko leaned down to peek into the darkness between the broken and collapsed walls, she pulled a flashlight from her belt, shining it into the inky black shadows. "Wait, I think we found the grandpa."

"Damn, how did he get in there," Izuku muttered, hanging onto the concrete sides of cracked walls and he leaned down into the small tunnel that leads down into the ground. "Just hold on, sir we'll get you out!"

"How," Himiko whispered. "He's like, ten feet down!"

"You've still got rope, yeah?"

"Of course, you know I love tying people up."

Izuku just stared blankly before shaking his head and muttering, "creepy. But help me tie it around my chest and waist to make a harness, then help me rappel down."

Himiko chewed on her lip thoughtfully, thinking over the words. "That, that might actually work."

"Great." Izuku set down his tonfa and his replacement shotgun, wrapping the offered rope around himself as Himiko helped with the knots. "You're really good at knots," he muttered, slightly worried about how Himiko might have acquired such a skill.

"Please, this is me, I'm good at everything."

Izuku grinned behind the bandana, rolling his shoulders back and pulling the ropes tight against his chest. "Careful with the ego, we don't need a second Target running around."

Rolling her eyes, Himiko put the finishing touches on the makeshift climbing harness. "Hmm, could be worse. Could be better too, but there's no time."

"I leave to save someone, and I come back to bondage." Dabi carefully picked his way through the rubble, fighting against the smirk on his face. "Exciting."

Izuku waved, "hey Dabi, want to help Himiko tie me up?"

"No?"

"Wow, rude." Izuku rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, pretending to be disappointed even though he was actually thankful. "I would help Himiko tie you up."

"I don't want Himiko to tie me up."

"Are you sure, she's good at knots!"

Himiko scoffed, tossing the end of the rope at Dabi. "Hold on to that," she said, and the moment Dabi had a secure grip on the rope, she pushed Izuku over the edge with a vicious grin. "Whoops."

"Himiko, you biiiitch!" There was a muffled thud from the darkened crevasse followed by a shouted "Ow!"

"So, did the two of you… talk?" Dabi wrapped the rope around his arm until there was no more slack and he held it in a vice like grip, feeling the vibrations in the strands from Izuku's movements.

Himiko nodded, brushing her bangs out of her face and leaving streaks of brick dust behind. "Yes, we talked. And I, I get it now. Why I was acting out. I didn't even realize how jealous I was getting until, fuck, until less than an hour ago. Hell, I was jealous of you of all people."

"Wow, thanks." Dabi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning back on a half-destroyed wall, still keeping the rope held tight. "So glad you think so highly of me."

Kicking at the rubble, Himiko said quietly, "I'm sorry for acting like such a bitch earlier."

Dabi shrugged, "whatever, it's no big deal."

"It is though, I mean, like you said, the relationship the three of us has evolved and I didn't even notice until it made me mad enough to lash out like I did." She sighed, slumping against one of the few walls that were still standing. "I was angry that you had figured it out before me."

"Fuck, the three of us are a mess." Before Dabi could get into any introspection, there was a tug on the rope followed by very colorful shouting from the hole Izuku had been pushed into. "Help me pull him up, we can talk about this later."

"Good. That's what I like about you, Dabi. You and I can actually put things on hold, but Izuku," Himiko pulled on the rope as hard as she could, barely breaking a sweat at the combined weight at the end. "Izuku will make you talk about things right in the middle of fights and such."

"Hah!" Dabi grinned, continuing to haul the load while laughing quietly. "We need to have bitching sessions where we can just complain at each other about all the stupid things he does."

"Do you think it's a bad thing that Izuku is the most important person in our lives? Like, we both owe him everything. But he's also somehow also the most hated?"

"Nah, it's fiiine." Dabi shrugged, "sometimes you love someone so much that you also hate them. But you don't actually hate them."

Finally back at the top, Izuku popped his head out of the tunnel of rubble. "Oi! Stop complaining about me and help me with this old guy!"

"Sure thing," Himiko skipped forward and grabbed onto the harness she had made, hauling Izuku out of the mess before she grabbed onto the rope tied to the man pretending to be a victim of crushing. The fake blood on their limbs was enticing, but it was wrong. The wrong color, wrong texture, wrong smell. She licked at the red staining her fingertips, shaking her head in disappointment.

It even tasted wrong.

Dabi watched in disgust, taking a step away from the blood drinker. "Dude, gross."

"What, it's fake!" Himiko stuck out her tongue, stained with the red dye of the paint on blood, prompting Dabi to take another step back.

"It was on the ground!" And on a person, but it had been in the dirt!

"Please, I've seen you eat chicken that fell on the ground, you have no room to talk!"

"At least it's food!"

"It was raw!"

Izuku shook his head, slinging the 'victim' over his shoulder and into a fireman's carry, jogging them back to the transformed anteroom while Himiko and Dabi continued to bicker while searching out and aiding more of the 'injured.'

At the anteroom turned medical center, Izuku handed the 'injured' off to the onsight staff. Turning back before he was escorted away, the elderly man spoke softly, "I must say, I never expected to meet you in person, Target."

Izuku jolted in surprise, he didn't think he would meet a fan here of all places. "What?"

The man smiled and patted IZuku's shoulder before leaving, speaking over his shoulder. "You got my son arrested, I never thought I would get the chance to thank you for that."

Izuku was ushered away before he could ask what that meant, why would they thank him? He had most likely ruined their sons' life, why would they thank him? He took a shaky breath, turning and leaving while Himiko and Dabi each brought in another 'victim.' Waiting for them on the perimeter of the medical center, Izuku pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie, checking his watch and nodding once he saw the time.

In less than five minutes, Gang Orca and his henchmen were going to stage an attack, and Izuku just hoped that nobody was going to get hurt too badly.

---

"Oh, the pain! Our arms! Please, save us!" Maybe not all of the HUC workers had great acting skills, but these two were far below the standard.

Bakugou snarled at the two, wasting no time with them before brushing them off. "Shut the hell up and save yourselves!'

Izuku barely managed to choke back a laugh, punching himself in the thigh to try and keep from making a fool of himself. "Oh my god, Bakugou how are you so bad at this." He couldn't believe he had been lucky enough to witness the disaster that was Bakugou interacting with 'civilians.' Izuku pushed his hood back and wiped the sweat from his brow, the trio making their way towards the ingress point, turning back and helping the 'victims' with each chance they got. Gang Orca wasn't exactly their top priority at the moment.

Before he could leave, Bakugou snagged Izuku's sleeve. "What the fuck are you playing at, Deku."

Feigning ignorance, Izuku asked calmly, "what do you mean, Bakugou?"

"We both know what you're capable of, why are you putting on this fake nice act for all these people." The words, 'they aren't worth it,' went unsaid, but they still hung in the air as if they had been pinned there. Heavy words that needed to be acknowledged before they would fade away.

Izuku just shook his head, pushing past Bakugou, his eyes hard and filled with an unidentifiable emotion. "Later, Bakugou. We can talk about this later." Anyone else he would have stopped to talk to them about their problems, but he knew that if he and Bakugou began talking, it would end in blood and broken bones.

Dabi scowled at Bakugou as the trio put distance between themselves and the explosive teen. He tapped Izuku's shoulder, not sure how the other would react. "Zuzu, you good?"

"I'm… I don't really know." Izuku pressed his hands over his face, sighing loudly. "I got thanked for getting someone's son arrested."

"So, not good?"

"I'm just confused about why." Izuku crossed his arms over his chest, tugging at the rope that still hung around him. "I ruined their kids' life, why would they thank me?"

Himiko grabbed Izuku's hand, squeezing it softly. "It's because you kept them from getting deeper into crime, that's why."

Dabi shook his head, pretending not to be thankful that Himiko was able to help in this emotional sort of conversation. "Nerd."

"Crispy chicken," she shot back, sticking out her tongue before turning back to Izuku and continuing her explanation. "You might have ruined their year, but you didn't ruin their life. You probably got them out of crime for good."

Izuku wiped at his eyes, giving Himikos hand a quick squeeze before letting go. "We're gonna end up crying like little bitches before the end of this, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Himiko nodded, smiling with a flash of fang.

"That's a guarantee on my end; I'll cry right now if you want me to."

"Dabi, that's a weird fetish," Himiko snarked, watching as Dabi's cheeks burned with blue flame while he tried to fend off her accusation.

Izuku sniffled, pulling down his bandana before he grabbed both of his partners and pulled them into a tight hug. "You guys are fucking stupid, and I love you both to death."

"If you don't stop squeezing, it's going to be literal!" Himiko smacked Izuku's arm repeatedly, tempted to grab her staff and use that instead of her hands.

"This is fine; you're not crushing me at all," Dabi said, his voice strained from the force of the embrace.

Izuku only squeezed them harder for their protests, "Accept! My! Love!"

As the three bickered, drawing attention to themselves, an explosion on par with the ones that had destroyed the field rang through the chaos and the rubble, the wall of the stadium shattering from the force of the blast. Panic quickly took hold on those who weren't prepared for this, the only group unaffected was class 1-A and of course, the Terrible Three.

Izuku dropped Dabi and Himiko, the three of them sharing a look before Izuku pulled up his bandana over his face and grabbed his replacement shotgun. "Let's go."

Flipping the mental switch, they began to move as one, heading towards the new entrance that had been made, the three of them now all business, no play.

They weren't the only ones who had the idea to go after the hero playing villain, the earthquake kid, Izuku remembered him from the handshaking fiasco outside the stadium, was already on the scene, trying to break up the formation of Gang Orca's henchmen. A ways behind the trio was Shouto and Inasa, the two ignoring each other while racing to confront the challenge.

Izuku skidded to a halt before the forces of Gang Orca and the dozens of henchmen at his command. "Dabi, give me a flame cyclone and trap me in it with Gang Orca. Vamp, get the earthquake kid out then start picking off the henchmen. Don't get shot with the cement guns and if you can take a gun then go for it." Izuku racked his replacement shotgun, checking on his stock of beanbag rounds. Ten, less than he wanted, but good enough. He wasn't going to use more than three, anyway. "Let's do this!"

With a sweep of his hand, Dabi brought up a wall of flame that he pulled around until it surrounded Gang Orca and Izuku. He couldn't see through the thick haze of blue; he just had to trust that Izuku wasn't going to hurt himself. Keeping up the wall with one hand, he lobbed smaller blasts at the henchmen who dared even look in his direction.

"Ooh, bloody!" Himiko said in a sing-song tone, cracking her staff across the face of the closest henchman, a spray of red gushing from their mouth and nose as they stumbled back. "So pretty in the light!"

She continued to bash and smack any of the henchmen who dared approach her, sending ripples of fear through their numbers. Fighting like a woman possessed, she cut down their group, every movement sending her sledgehammer thumping against her back from where it was strapped. It was freeing in a way that she hadn't felt since Hosu.

No stakes, no real danger, just violence and the spray of blood.

She fought her way to where the earthquake kid, she really needed to find out his name eventually; she couldn't keep thinking of him as 'earthquake kid.' She fought until she reached him, pulling him up by the wrist and pulling him away from the fight. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, let me help!" The teen placed his hands flat on the earth, sending brutal shockwaves through the ground and shattering the earth beneath the feet of the henchmen.

"Okay, but if your brain rattles out of your head don't blame me!" Himiko grinned, swapping her staff out for her sledgehammer and brushing her bangs from her face before she threw herself back into the chaos around them all.

Inside the column of flame, it's almost calm, the only sound from Izuku's harsh pants against the heat and dryness. Desperate to counteract the heat, he pulled his bandana down his neck, breathing heavily as he tried to make the first strike. But he can see the fire affecting Gang Orca just as badly, his skin drying and losing its sheen, going dull and flat. If he doesn't strike soon, Gang Orca can use a supersonic wave to destroy the flame column.

Making up his mind, Izuku leveled his shotgun at the hero's chest, firing and watching as the round expanded in the air before slamming into the hero at ninety meters per second. Even someone of Gang Orca's stature wouldn't be able to control the muscle spasms from a blow like that.

Before the hero could do anything, Izuku ducked under where he knew the next attack would come from, spinning behind the hero and firing again, sending him stumbling forward a single step. As he stumbled, Izuku quickly slung his shotgun across his back on its strap, reaching onto his belt and grabbing the specialty tonfa he had brought. The thick and deceptively sweet scent of rot flooded his senses as he pressed on the button embedded into the handle, custom lighter fluid spreading across the porous metal on the weapons surface, thick drops falling in near slow motion as it coated the shaft. Dipping the bars into the flame, the dancing blue light quickly spread over the weapon, wreathing his forearms in an azure blaze.

He couldn't use them for long, not because of a lack of fuel, but because he liked not burning to death. Already he was sweating unbearably, the heat from the cyclone and his weapons each compounding upon the other.

Izuku struck quickly, driving a flaming bar into the back of Gang Orca's knee before jumping back and avoiding a clawed hand that swiped at him with startling speed.

The two traded near missed blows, too caught up in the scuffle to feel the earth rumble under their feel or see the top of the flame cyclone whip about wildly, wind thrashing the blue flame. Izuku unsuccessfully dodged a swipe of claws, three thin cuts on his face beading with blood that soaked into the bandana and quickly dried out in the heat. Ducking a supersonic attack, the pillar of blue flame exploded in a chaotic mix of an orange blaze, ice, and wind. Fragments of rock and concrete flew into the air, raining back down on the earth like divine judgement.

Unlike the rest who were close to the blast, Izuku was only spared being throw by sheer luck, the rope attached to the makeshift harness looping and tangling around a warped girder that refused to be budged. Cursing, Izuku tried to clear his head from the high pitched ringing while he untangled himself from the girder. Once free, he whipped around wildly, trying to find Himiko and Dabi within the chaos. In his desperate search, Gang Orca and his henchmen continued towards the other examinees, destroying nearly everything in their path.

"Izuku, quick!"

Himiko's voice cut through the haze and Izuku immediately broke into a sprint, powered by fear and anger. He skidded to a halt, dropping his burning tonfa to the ground once he saw what had happened. "Shit, Dabi, are you alright?"

"Uhh, I'm pretty far from alright, boss." Dabi pulled his hand away from the side of his head, his fingers coming back dripping with blood. He tried to sit up, hissing in pain before going quiet once he realized his leg wasn't supposed to bend like that. "Well, shit," he muttered, pressing his hand back to the blood that was spreading through his hair while Himiko helped him sit up.

"What happened," Izuku asked quietly, desperate rage lighting in his eyes as Himiko pointed towards Inasa and Todoroki with a shaking hand. "Really," he muttered, yanking his bandana over his mouth and picking back up his tonfa, the heat of the flames nothing to him right now. "Himiko, keep Dabi stable. I'll be right back, this isn't over yet."

Himiko said nothing, helping Dabi into a more comfortable position while she waited for someone to come and help move him back to the medical center.

"Inasa. Todoroki." Izuku's voice was a rough growl as he rounded on the two rivals while they uselessly chipped at the cement covering nearly half of their bodies. It was as if they were clueless to the danger they had put everyone in and Izuku snapped, unable to contain his rage. "What thefuck is your damage, you idiots?!" He shoved his still flaming tonfa into the faces of the two, his eyes wild and his breathing unsteady. He wanted to hurt them, hurt them the way that Dabi had been hurt because of them, but now isn't the time. Gang Orca was getting further away with each passing moment, and the exam wasn't over yet.

If they weren't going to act like heroes, then it was up to him.

Ignoring the silence he got in response, Izuku rounded on Inasa, glaring up at the wind manipulator, "you're going to help me." His tone was lifeless, leaving no room to question his words.

Inasa nodded wordlessly, wisely keeping quiet in the face of an enraged killer.

"On my signal, use as much force as you can to get me above Gang Orca, then cut the power." Izuku stalked away towards Himiko, not feeling the searing pain from the heat that he held in his hands.

Blue flames licked up the sleeves of his hoodie, trying to burn the flame resistant material. Quietly, Izuku spoke, tone seething with rage. "Vamp, grab the rope and hold on."

Himiko did as she was ordered, not saying anything. She knew better than to say anything to Izuku when he was like this. The last time she had seen him go quiet and deadly like this had been the night he had killed Stain in a fit of rage turned mercy killing.

"Once I'm in the air, wait until the wind drops off, then pull me back down as hard as you can." Izuku crouched down, leaping off of the pile of rubble and shouting hoarsely, "now, windbag!"

Powerful gusts of wind cut the distance between himself and Gang Orca in half in seconds, and Izuku felt that same mix of emotions he had felt only once before. Soon Gang Orca would reach the makeshift medical center that had been the anteroom, and Izuku crossed his tonfa before himself and snarled against the wind. He screamed his intent to the world, the sound bone chilling to those who knew the meaning behind it.

Deadly Intent.

Gang Orca turned and looked up to seek out the source of the screaming, and he took a step back once he realized what it really was. The one who had been going after him like a rabid animal was now flying at him, a simple rope tied around him as a harness kept him from going too far. And the one holding the line, the girl who had taken out so many of his henchmen with brutal efficiency, had a nearly feral look about her as she gripped the rope and pulled down with all her strength. Like a stone, Target dropped down, his tonfa crossed over his head, blue flames roaring around the metal rods and up over the ex-vigilantes shoulders.

The hero playing villain took another step back, but he was too slow, flaming tonfa crashing down upon his head with over two hundred pounds of force aided by gravity and the strength of Vamps rage.

Simultaneous with slamming his tonfa down, Izuku kicked out with spiked boots, narrowly missing the hero's face before he landed in a crouch, snarling up at the hero from behind his bandana.

Once again, the sound of a siren rang over the field, catching the attention of everyone. "Uh, if I could have your attention?" The crackle of the speakers halted nearly all movement on the field, everyone listening in. "All stationed members of the HUC have been rescued from the crisis area." Mera's voice barely hid his exhaustion as he wrapped up his announcement with, "this may be selfish of me, but I must bring these provisional license examinations to a close!"

"It's over?" Izuku pushed himself back to his feet, glaring over his shoulder at Inasa and Todoroki. For a moment he looked past them, his gaze setting on Himiko and Dabi before he saw red, grinding his teeth in his rage. "No, this isn't fucking over!"

"Target, stop." Gang Orca pulled Izuku back by his shoulder, keeping him from trying to slaughter the two teens he had set his sights on. "You won't solve anything like this."

"I know that! I just want them to learn, damnit!" Izuku snapped, snarling behind the bloody bandana as he smacked the hero's hand away from his shoulder. "Their petty argument could have killed Himiko and Dabi!"

Gang Orca knew that Target had played a role in the raid on the League of Villains, but he knew that they were still a child, prone to irrational emotional outbursts. He also knew that no matter what the boy had done here today he still would have been licensed. Even with his passing a guarantee, the boy had gone above and beyond, helping as many people as he could, giving advice to others, using reckless strategies that worked in ways they shouldn't have.

He shook his head, letting the teen go, knowing it wasn't the best decision, but he knew that they wouldn't go as far as they had said they would.

---

"Holy hell, I think Izuku's about to kill your brother," Himiko said as she walked into the room, flopping into the chair beside Dabi's bed and pulling out her phone.

"Well, he had a good run." Dabi grinned, unsuccessfully dodging Himiko's punch to his shoulder. "Ow!"

Himiko rolled her eyes, "at least try to act worried when I say Izuku is going to kill people!"

Dabi shrugged, "why, he's not actually gonna." Unless it was Chisaki, then he would. Probably very violently.

"I know that, but we should at least pretend to be concerned," she muttered, scrolling through the articles that had been published within the last hour, nearly all of them focusing on what the Terrible Three might be doing out in Takoba.

"These painkillers are too strong for me to worry about anything right now," Dabi mumbled, cradling his head in his hands.

Himiko shook her head, looking away from the bandages wrapped around Dabi's head. She flicked his hand, prompting a scowl. "How's the leg?"

"A little sore, but it's all good now."

"Tch, all good now?" Izuku grumbled from the doorway, leaning against the side of the door jam and scowling in. He dropped his duffle bag off his shoulder and beside the door, crossing his arms as he stared into the room.

"Oh, hey, Zuzu."

"Really, all good now?" Izuku repeated before he stomped through the door and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled a crumpled paper from the pocket of his hoodie, looking it over. "A'ight, let's see. You had a grade three concussion, says you were unconscious for almost a minute once they got you in here. Oblique fracture of the tibia and fibula, oh, and apparently you pulled over thirteen of your staples."

"Is that my file? Where did you get that?"

Izuku waved away Dabi's concern, "doesn't matter." He folded the paper into a sloppy plane, tossing it in Dabi's direction. "What I'm trying to say is, you're not 'all good now.' If it wasn't just luck that you didn't hit something harder than the dirt you could have been killed by those two idiots!"

"Hey, careful who you call an idiot." Dabi grabbed the plane from his lap, unfolding it and reading it in disbelief. He hadn't thought that he had been injured that badly.

Izuku rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'll try to not insult people who could have killed you!"

"Well, I didn't die, so what's the big deal?"

"What's the big, you should at least care that you almost died!"

"You never do!"

"I'm not normal!" Izuku stood, running his gloved hands through his hair, dragging dust and blood through his curls. He smacked his hand over his chest, trying to emphasize his point. "I'm not someone that should be imitated. Just because I don't give a fuck about my own life doesn't mean I don't care about yours!"

"Hold on. Dabi, don't say anything. Izuku, shut up. Tensions are high, and I'm not going to just let the two of you yell at each other. I won't!" She had dealt with enough people yelling in front of her for an entire lifetime.

Himiko stood, stepping up and roughly grabbing Izuku by the shoulders, shoving him back to the edge of the bed. Once he was seated, she looked him dead in the eye, "are you trying to blame yourself for Dabi getting hurt?"

"No!" Izuku hung his head, slumping his shoulders under the weight of Himiko's gaze. "I just should have know something like this would happen."

"You are blaming yourself!" Himiko glared down at Izuku, shaking his shoulders slightly. "You can't control every situation, even if you want to."

"You think I don't know that? I might be a self-aggrandizing idiot, and even I don't think I can do everything. But does that mean I shouldn't try?" Izuku glared back up at Himiko, all but daring her to call him out on his words. "Should I not try to do everything I can to-

"Izuku, shut the hell up," she snapped, not caring if she offended him.

"..."

"I know you're worried, I know you blame yourself and that you think you should have seen this coming, but you just have to trust that things will be alright. Just trust us."

"That's… Himiko, I'm trying! I just-"

From his place in the bed, Dabi called out, "hey, come one, it's not that-"

"Shut up, Izuku." Himiko glared at Dabi daring him to say another word, "Dabi, you're not allowed to talk either." She turned back to Izuku, shaking him slightly. "Izuku, you're still angry, you're not thinking straight. All of us are riled up still and we need to take a minute."

"Himiko-

"Shut up, the two of you. I know that you care about us, that you do trust us, but you need to do it better. You need to have some faith in us, alright?" The blood drinker sighed, releasing her vice-like grip from Izuku's shoulders. "No 'I'm trying' or 'I can't.' You just need to do it. No more sorry."

Izuku hung his head, looking down at his knees with a chastened frown. "I, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, just do better." Himiko frowned, looking at the paper in Dabi's hand. "Actually, if you want to say sorry you can apologize for stealing Dabi's medical chart from the desk."

"It wasn't on the desk. And that's not all I took," Izuku muttered, digging around in his pockets for a moment.

Dabi narrowed his eyes, scowling sightly. "What else did you take, Zuzu."

Izuku grinned, pulling three badges from his pocket. "I also took these!" He turned the badges before handing them over, keeping his own hidden. "Didn't think you would want to deal with the crowd."

Himiko shook her head, Izuku could be an absolute idiot but still thoughtful. She took her badge, looking over the photo. Somehow in her photo, she still managed to look bloodthirsty and almost rabid. She looked over to Izuku, watching as his shoulders shook. There was only one thing that he would find that funny on his license. "They used your mugshot on yours, didn't they?"

"Yeah." Izuku nodded, trying to stifle his laughter and failing. "It's hilarious."

"You find weird things funny."

"Oh my god, I look like a murderer creeping in the shadows," Dabi muttered, the combination of his scars and the dark background washing out the rest of his face. At least they hadn't tried to find out his name, just Dabi for his name, and Dabi for his alias. That's all he needed.

"Let me see." Himiko didn't try to contain her snort of laughter as she grabbed the plastic card from his hand. "Oh my god, that's awful." She shook her head, handing back the licence with a giggle. "You look like a corpse."

"Hey, it's true, but only I can say it," Izuku said, finally beginning to untie the rope harness. "Himiko," he gestured to the rope, prompting a dramatic eye roll, but still she moved to help him.

Dabi took his licence and tucked it into his wallet. "You two are mean," he grumbled, throwing off his blanket to get out of bed. Freezing in place, he stared down at his legs before looking back up and loudly asking "Where are my pants."

"How would either of us know that," Izuku muttered, taking a picture of his licence and sending it to his mother.

"You know, Izuku, I'm surprised you don't have an extra pair of pants with you." Himiko thought that Izuku prepared for every situation, he carried over three first aid kits and has firecrackers in his pockets. Why not pants?

"Why would you think that? Is it because it's true," Izuku asked, kicking at his duffle bag before shrugging as if everyone carried extra pants with them.

"Wait, you do have extra pants?" Himiko had been joking about Izuku having extra pants; she hadn't thought it was an actual possibility.

Dabi didn't care that Izuku had extra pants, he wanted to know what had happened to his own pants. Who took them in the first place? "What happened to my pants?"

"Blood." Was the only answer Izuku gave before he unzipped the duffel bag and threw a pair of black pants at Dabi. "I'm going back to the bus." He picked up the bag full of weaponry and extra gear, jammed his hands in his hoodie pockets and left, still too agitated to deal with people. But he didn't go back to the bus like he said he would, instead, he stood outside the door, leaning against the wall and staring up at the ceiling as if he could change its composition through sheer force of will.

He needed to get control of himself, he couldn't risk failing an official mission if he flew into a rage like that again. But he knew he would do it again. And again. If he ever saw either Himiko or Dabi hurt again, he wouldn't be able to keep himself in check. He wouldn't want to keep himself in check.

The two of them were his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

With a sigh, Izuku closed his eyes, listening through the thin door of the infirmity as he slowly came down from the adrenaline rush of the fight.

"I have some of your blood," he heard Himiko say, the blood drinkers voice unusually bland. Oh no, Izuku thought, not liking the idea of Himiko running around and pretending to be Dabi. But at the same time, he sort of did want to see what would happen. Whatever it was, it would be chaos.

"Gross."

"I'm gonna use it," Himiko continued, and Izuku barely stifled a laugh.

"Okay." Dabi paused before he asked, "what are you gonna use it for?"

"Who knows. Probably in class, though." Himiko paused, and Izuku heard her move closer to the door before she continued. "Show up and see if anyone questions it."

"Please don't wear your uniform on my body." Izuku could hear the frown in Dabi's voice before he said, "skirts are not for me."

"Oh I will wear the uniform," Himiko taunted, prompting a laugh from Izuku. He really didn't want to imagine Dabi in Himiko's clothes, but it seemed he wouldn't have to.

"Please don't, you'll traumatize everyone."

"That's the point." There was a pause before Izuku heard Himiko kick at the door before asking, "are your pants on yet, can we go?"

"No, I'm just gonna walk out there in my boxers and traumatize all of those nice people with my fucked up scars."

"Okay, sounds good to me."

"I don't like how you were so willing to go along with that."

"You're not going to like a lot of things that I do."

"Oh, I already don't, and you know that."

As the two continued their conversation, Izuku's phone rang, and he quickly picked it up as soon as he saw his mother's picture come up on the screen. "Hey, mom," he answered, finally leaving the hallway. "You got my text, yeah?"

"I did! Oh, Izuku, I'm so proud of you!" Just from the sound of her voice, Izuku could tell that she was tearing up. He wiped his eyes as he listened to her excitedly talk about how proud she was, the brick dust from his gloves streaked his face as he shoved his way through the thinning crowds outside the stadium. "You're going to be amazing, Izuku. I wish I could be there."

"I wish you could be here too, mom." Izuku blinked back his tears; he couldn't cry right now, no matter how much he wanted to. "I wish that you could see how far I've come."

"Promise me that you'll be careful, okay?"

"I promise."

"And that you won't get hurt?"

"I can't go that far, mom."

"I know, but promise that you'll try?"

"I'll try." Izuku cleared his throat, glaring at anyone who dared look in his general direction. He needed to change the subject, if he kept talking about promises he was going to break down in the middle of the crowd, hold nothing back. And wouldn't that be media worthy, Target crying like a child in the middle of the city.

Izuku sniffled, wiping more brick dust across his face. "How are you? How's the new apartment? Do I need to make a fuss about it?"

"It's fine, not as nice as our old apartment." Then again, nothing could really compare to the years of memories that had stuffed that small apartment to bursting. Nothing could compare to the warmth of a home. Not a thing. "Detective Naomasa visits me every day, and the security detail comes in for lunch every day, too."

"Mom, you're not supposed to have lunch with them, they're just doing their jobs."

"I know, but it's been getting hot out, and they need something to eat and drink!"

Inko sounded so genuine, and Izuku wondered how he hadn't managed to inherited that from her. That honesty. He shook his head, "they're not your friends, they're the police." Izuku didn't like that the only people she mentioned spending time with were the officers who were paid to keep her safe. "Are you still visiting with Bakugou's mom?"

"Of course, Mitsuki and I see each other once a week. We get lunch and catch up." Inko paused before she continued, her voice filled with emotion. "She worries about you and Bakugou, you know."

"So do I," Izuku muttered, shaking his head. He and Bakugou needed to have a talk, and it needed to be soon. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Over the phone, Izuku could hear the sound of her wiping her eyes. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay." Izuku nodded even though she couldn't see him through the phone.

"And tell Dabi that I'll send him a copy of my recipe book, alright?"

"Alright."

"And let Himiko know that I found one of her sweaters behind the couch while I was packing, I'll have one of the officers bring it over."

"Okay." He nodded again, laughing to himself at the idea of his mother using the security detail as her personal delivery force. Izuku went quiet, his throat dry as he choked out a small "I miss you."

"Oh, Izuku." Izuku could hear the tears in his mom's voice, his vision went blurry, and his face burned with the tears he was barely holding back."I miss you so much."

"I, I've got to go," Izuku stuttered out as his chest went tight. "I'll call you again soon, alright?"

"Be careful, Izuku!"

Izuku hung up, holding his phone to his chest while he tried to force back his tears. He roughly dried his eyes as soon as he saw Dabi and Himiko in the crowd, putting on a brave face for the rest of the world to see. So busy pretending to be the persona he had created and hidden behind for the past two years, he didn't see the look Bakugou was giving him from across the way, but he would know what it meant soon enough.