"Full house!" Magne crowed, slamming her hand down onto the table. "I take this round."
"Not quite," Izuku said, slowly laying his own hand on the table. "Royal flush."
"How?!" Twice demanded. "How do you always do this?! You seriously suck."
"Are you sure you don't have a luck quirk?" Mr. Compress asked, rolling one of his marbles between his fingers.
"I'm as quirkless as the day I was born, you're all just pansies," Izuku said, thinking of Saito's cutthroat playing style – it was well known that she cheated, they just hadn't figured out how yet.
"If you joined us—"
"I don't want a quirk, Shigaraki," Izuku interrupted. "I also don't want to know how you feel so confident in continuously offering me one."
"You don't want to stay with us forever?" Toga asked, fluttering her eyelashes.
"I'm very happy as a police officer. But that brings me back to why I'm here. Are you willing to meet with Overhaul?"
He stared down Shigaraki for what felt like eternity until the man sighed. "Take him to the warehouse tomorrow evening. I'll talk to him, but I make no promises to work with him."
"That's all I can ask. And I need to warn you, don't do anything to seem aggressive to Overhaul. Don't act like you're going to attack him or his people. I don't want to explain why I'm planning your funeral. And obviously, act like you don't know me. If my cover is blown, you guys get to plan my funeral."
"We'll be careful, Izuku," Toga cooed, a dangerous glint in her eye. "After all, we still haven't gone on our first date yet."
"You know what, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Goodnight, everyone. I'll see you tomorrow evening. Remember, don't provoke them."
"I would never! Come on man, let me do something fun!" Twice said, slapping Izuku on the back.
"If you'll join the Yakuza even temporarily, it isn't such a stretch to think you might join the League of Villains. I'll hold out for you," Shigaraki said. Izuku had known the League long enough now that he recognized Shigaraki's roundabout way of saying he would miss him. Shigaraki was completely unpracticed in expressing any sort of positive emotions, so his attempts were always… odd.
"Don't hold your breath," Izuku said, flashing a grin. "I won't be at another poker night until this job is done, but when I come back be ready to leave."
Normally Izuku would never have stayed out that late, especially as this wasn't the most savory part of town. But with the sword at his hip and mask over his face, Izuku couldn't help but think that now he was one of the things that go bump in the night.
No one was keeping watch at the compound, which Izuku could only attribute to hubris. It was late, extremely late, but the light to Overhaul's office was on, which meant the man was awake.
He found his way there, pushing down anxieties that were surfacing. He had to be Deku, confident, douchey Deku.
"We need to be able to move into the mass production stage soon," Overhaul was saying when Izuku approached the door that wasn't quite shut. "We just need a way to ensure Eri's survival."
"That will be easier if we can convince the League of Villains to lend us Bubaigawara," Chronostasis said. "I don't know why you entrusted such an important task to Deku. We barely know the boy, let alone whether he can be trusted or not."
They moved onto safer topics, and he took that as his cue to interrupt. He knocked lightly on the door before sliding it open, doing his best to appear as if he'd barely gotten back. "Sorry for the intrusion."
Chrono's mood instantly soured as he glared at Deku. "Giving up on your mission after less than a day? I'd like to say I'm surprised, but frankly this is exactly what I expected from a child."
Determinately ignoring the man, Deku handed Overhaul a paper torn from yet another notebook. "Here are the time and place you'll be meeting the League of Villains tomorrow. Now if you'll excuse me-"
"How do we know it's not a trap?" Chronostasis demanded, glaring at the paper.
"Chrono, you wound me," Deku said, dramatically clutching his chest. "Take me with you if you distrust me that much. Use me as a hostage if that's what you need."
"That won't be necessary," Overhaul intoned, golden eyes gleaming. "You will be coming with us though, Deku. You should be able to see the fruits of your labor. For now, rest."
Izuku bowed slightly before leaving, a number of questions swimming though his mind. Most of them pertained to whoever they had been talking about earlier. On his walk back to his room, he could have sworn that he heard the faint sound of a child crying, only adding to his confusion. He was asleep almost instantly upon collapsing onto his futon, his dreams filled with plague masks and crying children.
The next day came all too soon, but he couldn't let himself sleep in like he so desperately wanted to. Deku was strong, too strong for sleep deprivation even if Izuku felt like death. Despite his lack of sleep, he was awake and training at his normal hour, long before anyone else was.
Rappa and Tengai were the first to walk in, Rappa immediately challenging Izuku to a fight. It took a while for a few more to trickle in, but when word spread that he was already back, a whole slew of people appeared.
Sakaki, slightly more sober than usual, giggled. "Back already, little boy? Did you get scared by the big. bad, League of Villains?"
"He probably couldn't even find them," someone else scoffed. Deku resolutely said nothing, continuing his training as if no one else was there.
This continued for about an hour until the door opened to reveal none other than Chisaki himself.
"Excellent, you're all here. Tonight we meet with the League of Villains," he said in his usual no-nonsense manner. "I can't take all of you, so I've given it some thought. Joining me will be Chronostasis, Mimic, Nemoto, Katsukame, and Deku."
"You're taking Deku?" Nemoto asked, aghast. It wasn't wholly unexpected, Nemoto fancied himself as Overhaul's favorite, and it was clear he saw Deku as a threat to that.
"He's the one that arranged all of this, it's only right for him to be there," Overhaul said smoothly. Izuku found himself hating the man's charisma. It was easy to see why those like Nemoto and Chronostasis were willing to fight to be the boss's favorite, and it was just as easy to see that Izuku had to watch his back. He was rocking the boat too much for the others to be comfortable, getting too close to Overhaul, who continued, "Arranging this meeting was a test of his ability and loyalty, after all, and he's proven himself to me."
Deku inclined his head slightly, surreptitiously glancing at the others. "I'm happy to be an official part of the Shie Hassaikai."
Once the announcement was made, Izuku took that as his cue to leave. He'd trained enough, now it was time to feed himself and take a shower. He was a jittery ball of nerves, so he allowed himself a quick nap. If he was going to be a ball of nerves, at least he wouldn't be a sleep-deprived ball of nerves.
His dreams haunted him even more this time around, filled with the sounds of children in pain and birds of prey. He woke with a racing heart and a foreboding feeling.
A part of him wanted someone here as backup, possibly Sir Nighteye, so he'd have an idea of what was going to happen at this meeting. Then again, Sir Nighteye was quite possibly the worst coordinator Izuku had ever had the misfortune of coming across. He knew Sir was a renowned strategist, but Izuku couldn't bother to be impressed. The man was too emotional, as hilarious as that sounded. He was willing to rush in with little to no information or planning, putting dozens of lives at risk.
Screw Sir Nighteye. If he could have anyone he wanted here, he would probably choose the detective. Things always felt like they were going to be okay when Tsukauchi was around. Although he was still hoping Saito would make it onto the raid team whenever it happened. He needed to see her throat-punch a Yakuza to truly live a fulfilled life.
Speaking of Saito, Izuku hoped that she hadn't gotten in trouble lately. If his calculations were correct, then Detective Kimura should be back from maternity leave by now. He didn't know her well, just enough to know that she was a woman to be feared. According to Tamakawa, the last time Saito and Kimura had gone all out, the entire station had-
His thoughts were interrupted by the alarm he had set to ensure he was awake and ready for the meeting. As he was already awake, Izuku had some extra time, so he took to cleaning his sword. Like before, touching the sword was somehow… calming, or it reminded him of his resolve, of why he was here.
By the time he was ready to leave, his sword would have easily passed Overhaul's inspection. He bucked it at his side securely, hands steady.
Overhaul was already in his office at that point, along with Chronostasis, but they were still waiting on Mimic and the Expendables that were coming.
Even though he had no idea what Chrono looked like, Izuku got the distinct impression that the man was glaring at him. He merely cocked his head, eyes roaming Chronostasis coldly, analytically. "Remember to behave yourself," he finally said in as patronizing a voice he could muster. "We wouldn't want to cause any trouble for Overhaul."
It was clear that Chronostasis dearly wanted to put Deku in his place, but he couldn't in front of Overhaul.
"Let's get this moving," Mimic said, strolling in in his usual puppet form. Irinaka and the other Expendables that had been invited trailed behind, anxious to get going.
"Don't engage the League unless I give the signal," Overhaul reminded them all as they went through the plan one more time. Those that were coming primarily as backup were given the warehouse address and sent to a discreet location nearby.
It was dusk when the meeting rolled around, because Shigaraki was simply that dramatic. The warehouse was eerie in the fading light, but the effect wasn't quite as potent when Izuku had been in the warehouse a month or so prior, playing poker with the League.
"Are you ready to start something that will change the world, Deku?" Overhaul asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Biting his lip nearly hard enough to draw blood, Izuku nodded, grateful for the mask and the fading light hiding his expression. At Overhaul's nod, Chronostasis threw the door open, allowing his master to stroll in like he owned the place.
True to Shigaraki's dramatic flare, the League was stationed around the warehouse in strategic positions. It was clearly supposed to look casual, but also act as a sort of dominance display. He could feel their eyes land on him before skirting away in an attempt not to give away their connection with him. Toga was the most daring, winking at him and flashing a fanged grin before retreating back into the shadows.
Shigaraki was leaning against the wall, fully decked out in his handmade regalia. "So you're Overhaul. I almost didn't believe the kid actually knew you, but it does seem like he's smart enough to value his life."
"Deku is our most promising new member," Overhaul said smoothly, "but he's not why we're here, is he?"
"You're the one that sent your little monkey to do your bidding," Shigaraki rasped standing a little straighter in irritation. "So why are we here?"
"I have a plan that will change the world, and there's really only one thing that can stand in my way," Overhaul said.
"And that is?"
"All For One."
Izuku struggled to keep his face impassive, trying to shove away the confusion that plagued him. That was something to look into later, especially with how immediate and dramatic the League's reaction was.
Shigaraki was the most dramatic of all, his entire body tensing visibly. "And what do you want from us?"
"Support," Overhaul said simply. "I plan to cleanse this diseased world, and I think I could truly use you and All For One to your greatest potential."
"You can use us?" Shigaraki demanded, his body language getting even more erratic. Since the attention was off of him, Izuku leaned down, picking up a discarded board from some abandoned project.
"You've done great things, gained a lot of traction," Overhaul said. "But you're limited. You've got all of these powerful people on hand, but you don't have the experience to manage them effectively. If you keep expanding, it will only collapse in on itself because you have no structure or purpose."
"Are you saying we should come work for you, birdbrain?" Toga asked in distaste.
"You will talk to Overhaul with respect," Chronostasis said severely.
"Why should we respect him?" Magne demanded, brandishing her magnet. "Whenever people talk about cleansing the world, it just means getting rid of anyone who's different. Well I got news for you honey, I'm different and proud!"
She moved forward to attack, but Izuku stepped in front of Overhaul as if defending him, but in reality he was staring Magne down, reminding her of the repeated warnings he had given her. He wouldn't have the League's blood on his hands.
Shigaraki held a hand up to Magne, stopping her before commanding Chisaki, "Get out."
"You're supposed to be All For One's heir, right?" Chisaki asked, cocking his head to the side. "What I see is a little boy playing dress up."
"I said GET OUT!" Shigaraki lunged forward blindly, hands outstretched. He was brought out of his fit of rage when the board Izuku had picked up before dissolved in his hand.
Izuku made eye contact with Shigaraki, grounding the other man long enough to stop his temper tantrum. When it was clear Shigaraki was done attacking, Izuku said, "Clearly we're of two different mindsets. If we don't want this to end in bloodshed, I would suggest we leave things as they are for now, Overhaul. We can talk to them again later when they've come to their senses."
Overhaul nodded, scratching beneath the mask. "One day you'll see that you need direction. When that day comes, I'll be waiting. Come on, Deku, the others are waiting."
Chronostasis and Overhaul turned away, but Izuku waited just a few moments longer, taking the time to flash the League a thumbs up.
Kit's Korner
Toga didn't know what Shigaraki's deal was with all the hands, she just knew his reaction was absolutely hilarious when one of them was missing. Sure, Kurogiri had reprimanded them for their irresponsibility a few times, but that just meant they had to be even sneakier. Thus came about the League's favorite pastime, Hide the Hand.
Those that didn't come around the base as often didn't want to involve themselves, the cowards, so it was mainly a competition between Toga, Dabi, and Twice. They had a running tally of points, awarded for the number of hands stashed away, and how good their hiding spot was. Kurogiri had even lightened up on them ever since Shigaraki almost disintegrated one of those hands and learned to look for them more carefully.
However, today they happened to be running late.
"We must beat Overhaul to the warehouse," Kurogiri was saying as he packed dinner for the League. "We have to make a good impression."
"WHERE DID YOU HIDE THEM THIS TIME?" Shigaraki roared, tearing the bar apart. "WHERE IS FATHER?"
Toga's eyes went wide as she made eye contact with Dabi, mouthing, Did you hide father?
Dabi shook his head slowly, and both of their eyes came to land on Twice, who seemed to be having an argument with himself.
"He's going to kill us this time," Toga whimpered, backing away. "I'll never get to see my Izuku again."
"Find it, find it now," Dabi hissed, beginning to look through the bar himself.
They kept track as Shigaraki found hand after hand, until he'd found all of them but Father. It was time to leave when Dabi ripped open the freezer in desperation to find the missing hand nestled inside.
"Toga, catch!" he said, chucking the frozen appendage across the room to her.
The blonde barely caught it, quickly sticking it into the disheveled couch cushions. "Oh Shiggy, I think you just misplaced Father, he's over here!"
Shigaraki stormed over. "Don't touch my hands!"
"I would never," Toga pouted, handing him Father. "You just need to stop being so careless with your things."
"Then why is Father so cold?" he growled.
"Oh, what was that Kurogiri? We should have left five minutes ago? Oh, my favorite knife needs me?" Toga dashed away, pretending to respond to Kurogiri, who was resolutely saying nothing.
A/N: Hello! School is just starting to calm down a bit, so I might be able to get a more consistent update schedule going. I make no promises though. In case you can't tell, Kit and I were REALLY unimpressed with the way that Sir Nighteye handled the whole raid. I understand their desperation to save Eri, but they had no information and no plan, essentially. Additionally, I couldn't let Izuku get disintegrated since he was the stand in for the "unnamed Yakuza" that Shigaraki killed. Without bloodshed, I truly don't think that Overhaul could have convinced the League to help him at all, and Izuku wouldn't have let any of the League be killed in front of him, thus the ending of this chapter. You may disagree with me, but I wrote things as I think they would have happened given the circumstances.
Anyway, I don't think I fully did Kit's Korner justice this time, but I'll just have to try again next chapter! Kit would like me to inform you all that 1. I write my stories in fountain pen, which is apparently hilarious, and 2. she is very disappointed in all of you because I technically got a cosplay before I got a fanart. It's amazing, toppis on Ao3 made their own Save My Fanny Pack! It's legit one of the best things I've ever seen!