(A/N: So, you know what I noticed the other day? Thirty chapters in and I just realized I didn't add Izuku fanboying over Lunch Rush! How dare I! I know it's a small detail but Izuku's fanboyed about many other heroes but not Lunch Rush! So! If you are interested, I added a small blurb in the first paragraph of chapter 11. Does not affect the story whatsoever.)

...

The next day, Izuku woke up a little later than usual since he didn't set his alarm. But why would he? It was a day off from UA after all. Something he knew to take advantage of with how hard the prestigious school pushed its students. But especially so with what had happened yesterday. However, that wasn't something he wanted to think about right now. Instead of getting up right away, Izuku lazed in his bed as he scrolled through Hero news on his phone. There were some articles about new Hero debuts or various Villain take-downs, but the majority were about the attack on UA.

Many articles were reporting on what happened and offered speculations on certain details that were not made known to the public. Such as how the Villains were able to get onto campus in the first place or what the Noumu's capabilities were. In fact, there was no mention of the Noumu at all. As for the leaders of the League, the handy man, Shigaraki, and the warper, Kurogiri, there wasn't much mentioned of them other than reporting that they had escaped. The news instead focused on the number of Villains that were detained and how they were defeated by not only the teachers but the Hero students as well, praising them for their bravery in such a situation.

Thankfully, the only mention of Izuku was vague as an anonymous Support student who was helping the class. No mention of his role of communicating and relaying information across the USJ. Nor anything on his on-the-spot analysis of the Villains' Quirks. But, considering Nezu and Aizawa thought that his analysis could be dangerous, it would make sense not to divulge that to the press. Good thing, too, because the teen really didn't want to deal with the media. Sounded like a pain.

Mixed within the numerous articles about the USJ attack were ones reporting the latest news on the Hero Killer. Sightings of Stain had been reported in the region adjacent to Musutafu for a few weeks now along with already finding two Heroes attacked and in critical condition. And, as of yesterday, yet another Hero had been found and was pronounced dead at the scene. Their body riddled with stab wounds that resulted in them bleeding out before help had arrived.

After meeting the Hero Killer, Izuku researched all he could about the man. At first it was as if he was searching for a ghost, but once the man gave him his name upon their second meeting, he was able to find out a bit more. Akaguro had attended a private high school for Heroes though the name of the school was kept anonymous. Also unknown were the exact reasons why the man had suddenly dropped out of that school and changed to giving soapbox speeches about the need for a 'hero revival.' Soon after, the man known as Akaguro Chizome disappeared without a trace and ten years later, Stain began to make his bloody mark on society.

Why did you stop trying to be a Hero, Akaguro-san? What happened to you that would push you down the road of Villainy? Where were you for those ten years?

All were questions that sometimes kept Izuku up at night. Ones that no news article could seem to answer. And believe him, he tried. At this point he doubted he would ever get the answers to those questions. Besides, it's not like he could ask the man himself. Sure, he's met with Stain twice, but what are the odds of it happening again?

Putting those thoughts aside, he continued to scroll and read. Eventually after finishing going through the news, Izuku got up and dressed in casual clothes, opting for dark blue cargo shorts and one of his many pun t-shirts. This particular one had 'flannel shirt' written on it. No one else ever seemed to get the joke but he liked it. With a shrug, he pulled on some socks and grabbed his phone as he left his room.

In the kitchen, Izuku met his mom who was busy making breakfast. She smiled as he entered and gave him a big hug which he returned in kind. Inko went back to cooking while Izuku helped to set the table with plates and chopsticks. Soon the food was ready and the pair ate a delicious breakfast of grilled fish, miso soup, and white rice topped with an egg.

After cleaning the dishes, the rest of the morning was spent binge watching Disney movies together. The mother and son cuddled on the couch as they watched the animated stories play out. Simply enjoying the other's company and trying not to dwell on what the younger had been through the previous day. The way his mother's fingers ran through his green curls also helped calm them both. A tactile reminder to them both that Izuku was safe and well.

Around noon, their movie marathon was interrupted by the arrival of Mei and Hitoshi. Izuku may or may not have been tackled to the floor in a hug by the former when he opened the door, while the latter laughed at his predicament before helping the pair up. Inko, ever the hostess, insisted they all have lunch together and made enough curry rice for everyone. Afterward, the mother unfortunately had to go to work so the three friends left the Midoriya apartment and went to Mei's lab instead.

The rest of the day was spent with Mei and Izuku working on their various gadgets while Hitoshi used one of her testing rooms to train for the Sports Festival. Despite how scary yesterday had been, seeing the other students in action had given Izuku some ideas. Like electrified gloves similar to Kaminari's Quirk and a shield like Yaoyorozu maybe but slightly altered. Perhaps collapsible or self-returning if it was thrown. After all, just because his focus was on replicating Quirks didn't mean they had to be exactly the same.

The hours passed as the two inventors tinkered away while the other trained. Every now and then, Izuku would take a break and do some sparring with Hitoshi. Soon the sun was beginning to set and the two boys headed to their respective homes. The Midoriyas enjoyed another quiet night and watched another movie before going to bed. It had been a nice easy day of food, movies, cuddles, and friends. One much needed after the craziness that was yesterday.

The next two days passed by much the same. In the morning, the Midoriyas would enjoy the first half of the day together eating breakfast and watching TV. Then around noon, Mei and Hitoshi would come for lunch. The trio would then spend the afternoon at Mei's lab, passing the time inventing and training.

At one point, the Midoriyas even managed to set up a short video call with Hisashi outside of their regularly scheduled ones. Hisashi's work kept him busy most of the time and he wasn't always available. Plus, the time difference between Japan and the US made it difficult as well. But because of what had happened, they made it work even if it was brief.

Izuku had just enough time to fill him in on what he could about the event, which wasn't much different from the news, and let his dad know he was fine and uninjured. Hisashi had been relieved, of course, and expressed as much before he unfortunately had to get back to work. There was an incident at work and a coworker had been injured on the job so he was needed to help to pick up the slack. The two Japan-bound Midoriyas bid him goodbye and took comfort in each other's company after ending the call.

It was difficult sometimes with Hisashi being so busy. Not to mention in another country. Since Izuku turned five, Hisashi's job required him to work abroad to provide for his family. He had visited periodically through the years, though those stopped a few years ago. You see, his dad had been severely injured in an accident and couldn't travel after due to medical concerns. Izuku understood, of course, and they still talked through calls and video chats when they could. But he still missed his dad actually being there in person at times.

Before they knew it, the weekend consisting of cuddles, comfort food, and companionship had ended and it was Sunday night. That evening, Izuku went to bed early in hopes of a good night's sleep since it was a school night. A couple hours later though, Izuku was woken up by a tapping on his window. With eyes blurry from sleep, he looked towards the window to see a dark figure. After blinking several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, the greenette studied the form and nearly fell out of bed when he realized it was Stain outside his window.

Seeing that the boy had recognized him, the Hero Killer silently gestured for him to meet him on the roof and then jumped away. Izuku scrambled out of bed, grabbing a jacket, house key, and his phone. He quietly but quickly left his room as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. Silently, he put on his shoes, casted a glance at the closed door to his mother's room, and then left the apartment to head towards the roof.

...

After making sure the boy knew it was him, Chizome scaled the apartment building to the roof. He could have left a note like he did last time, but having considered the possibility that the Hero-to-be might have been in danger, he wanted to see the boy for himself as soon as possible. The man let out a small chuckle at the look the teen had given him. Green eyes wide, eyebrows raised so high they disappeared into his curly bangs, and mouth hung open like a fish. Not to mention that he appeared to have almost fallen out of his bed. Though, considering the boy had the Hero Killer outside his window, one couldn't blame him for being startled.

Chizome made it to the roof first and sat on the ledge as he waited, looking out at the lights sparkling along the city skyline. A few minutes passed before the door to the roof opened and the boy hesitantly made his way to sit by Stain. There was still some distance between them, but Chizome took notice that it was somewhat less than it had been last time. And that wasn't the only difference he noticed.

"What? No frying pan, Little Hero?" the man asked with a smirk.

The boy's face somehow contorted into a mix of a blush from the teasing while at the same time paled at the thought of having no protection against the Villain. As if he had been in such a rush to get to the roof that he hadn't even thought of grabbing it. Which was probably the case.

"I-I…forgot?" the teen responded, sounding unsure. He wrung his hands nervously. "B-but this is the third t-time we've met, A-Akaguro-san…"

The boy paused and side-glanced at the man, assessing his reaction to using his name. Chizome simply nodded for him to continue, secretly pleased the boy used his real name. It had been a long while since anyone had called him that. Besides, he wasn't acting as Stain right now, but as himself.

"…and you haven't t-tried to attack m-me once. A-at this point I'm thinking you w-won't unless I do s-something stupid or unheroic. Or m-maybe just the latter because m-meeting you like this c-could be considered extremely s-stupid. Multiple times e-even more so."

"That is one way to look at it," Chizome replied, chuckling at his logic. "I still believe you have a true Hero's heart and that is something I would never cut down. But also, you are still a child. Unlike an adult, a child's true nature is still forming. Children are not a part of my purge, unless they prove to me their true nature has already been set in stone and would be a hindrance to my work."

The boy blanched at the reminder of what the man sitting next to him did for a 'living'. As well as the fact that the murderer next to him had been 'hard at work' just a few days ago. Though it seemed to give him some comfort that the man was above hurting children. Unlike some other Villains…

"Although I am one not to attack children at random, it seems there are others who would sink so low," the man said with a sneer before side-eyeing the teen next to him. "I heard about the attack on UA. I know you never told me which high school you were applying for, but with you being a fan of All Might and having a strong desire to be a Hero, I figured that's where you would go. And with you working with that tinkering girl on the beach, I guessed you might have gone into Support possibly. So, when I heard there was a Support student among the children attacked, I had to check if it was you."

The boy looked at Chizome with wide green eyes, in awe at his deductions as well at the notion that he cared enough to check on him. But since the teen wasn't denying it, the man assumed he had been correct in his assumptions.

"So, I was right?" Chizome asked. "It was you during the attack, Little Hero?"

"Y-yeah, that was me," the teen finally replied with a sigh, looking back out to the city. "I was there t-to observe the Hero students training. But things…d-didn't exactly go as planned."

"So, it would seem," Chizome said somberly before letting out a chuckle. "Figures it was actually you. Encountering that Sludge Villain, meeting me, and then getting caught in a Villain fight on school grounds…you do seem to be one who gets into trouble a lot, Little Hero."

"N-not on purpose!" the boy exclaimed all flustered.

"If you say so…Trouble Magnet," the Hero Killer teased, making the teen squawk indignantly. "So…who were the idiots that dared to break into a school of Heroes to attack children?" He scoffed out the word 'idiots' disapprovingly.

The boy's brows furrowed in thought, most likely deciding what would be alright to tell the Villain sitting next to him. Chizome couldn't help the small smile that formed at the sight of the Hero-to-be already hard at work to not collaborate with a Villain or reveal anything deemed confidential. Although he would like answers, he would not press the boy to say anything he wasn't comfortable with. Besides, it wouldn't be very Hero-like to give sensitive information to a Villain. After a few minutes, the boy seemed to have made up his mind and answered.

"They c-called themselves the League of V-Villains," the teen said. "I-I'm not sure what all I can, or r-rather am allowed to, tell you, Akaguro-san. The most i-important details were already reported in the n-news."

"Fair enough," Chizome replied with a shrug."I'm just glad that you're alright. I was worried another true Hero could have been lost. But despite that League of Idiots' foolish attack, here you are safe and well."

Without thinking, the man found himself reaching out and placing his hand on top of the boy's head. As if on pure instinct. The world seemed to freeze in that moment. The boy instantly tensed up upon contact, not daring to even pull his head away from the hand in his hair. He side-eyed the Villain next to him in fear, watching his every move. The man also froze, shocked by his own actions, and could only stare at the teen with wide mask covered eyes.

They sat there for what felt like an eternity, neither moving a muscle. Green eyes searched red ones for any hint of aggression or ill intent. Finding none, the boy remembered that the Villain had said he didn't attack children without reason. Realizing this, his tense muscles relaxed somewhat, let out the breath he had been holding, and turned his eyes away to look out on the cityscape.

Strange, Chizome thought in disbelief at this bizarre turn of events. It's been so long since someone trusted me like this. To actually allow me to touch him…he is an odd one. The man stared at the teen for a few more seconds before ruffling the green curls slightly and then retracted his hand.

"So, uh, the Support Course, huh?" Chizome said awkwardly, breaking the silent tension between them. "Why?"

The boy perked up, gladly grasping the change of subject and distraction from what had just occurred.

"A-after finding out that UA h-had a policy that banned the use of S-Support Items that didn't directly a-affect a Quirk," the boy explained. "I knew that I wouldn't be able to p-pass the Hero Practical Exam. It was frustrating a-and annoyingly biased towards those w-with Quirks, specifically physical ones. But I know of another way i-into the Hero Course."

"Oh? How so?" Chizome asked, curious.

"Have you h-heard of Eraserhead, Akaguro-san?" the boy questioned as he glanced at the man.

"Yes, I've seen him fight from time to time," the Hero Killer answered. "He is one of the true Heroes, not caring about the media."

Even working with Vigilantes when necessary. Focusing on the best way to save others with no care as to how he is perceived.

"Did you know that he f-failed the Hero Practical when he was in s-school?"

The man stared in shock at the teen and slowly shook his head.

"H-his Quirk is non-physical a-and only works on other people," the boy explained, purposefully not going into too much detail. Stain was a Villain after all. He wouldn't be responsible for passing on information about a Hero to him. "However, he was able t-to transfer into the Hero Course by winning the Sports Festival his f-first year. He impressed the principal a-at the time enough to warrant his transfer."

"Such humble beginnings," Chizome muttered, gaining even more respect for the Hero. "I'm guessing you hope to do the same?"

The teen nodded and continued. "Since I knew I wouldn't be a-able to get into the Hero Course through the entrance exam, that b-became the new plan. And considering I needed Support Items to fight, naturally I-I applied for the Support Course."

"A sound plan," Chizome said with a warm but still slightly creepy smile. "It seems you have a firm grasp on your journey towards becoming a Hero and a clear goal to work towards. Use that Hero's heart of yours to push yourself forward until you achieve your objective."

Intentionally this time, the man reached out and ruffled the teen's soft green curly hair. The boy still flinched but didn't move or bat his hand away, even smiled hesitantly. The Hero Killer stood up from the ledge and the younger followed suit. The man walked towards the opposite side of the roof a few feet before stopping and looking back at the boy.

"Do your best in the Sports Festival, Little Hero," Chizome said with a slightly creepy but warm smile meant to be encouraging. "Show the world what a true Hero is. I'll be watching."

With that, the Hero Killer ran and jumped to the neighboring building, running from rooftop to rooftop. He needed to get back to his temporary home and pack since he had finished cleansing that area. After his third victim, he had spent two days following his final target for the region and managed to take them down earlier that day. With four false Heroes now eradicated, it was time to cleanse a new city.

Hmm…where should I move my purge to next…Hosu, perhaps?

...

After the Hero Killer left, Izuku made his way back down to his apartment. Quietly, he listened for any sounds of movement before carefully unlocking the door. Thankfully, his mother was still asleep and didn't know that he had once again met up with a Villain. Thinking back, he probably shouldn't have gone up there willingly. The man was a murderer after all.

But Stain stated he didn't attack children and clearly didn't approve of the League of Villains resorting to such a 'low act' as he said. And during all three times now that the man had met the greenette, he had never made any move to harm him. In all their interactions, he never looked down on Izuku or treated him badly. In fact, it was the opposite.

Akaguro Chizome, a man of strong ideals of what a true Hero is, had shown Izuku nothing but respect and civility. From the beginning, he treated Izuku as an equal and took the time to listen to his goals and dreams. Rather than declaring it impossible like everyone else, the man encouraged him to keep fighting for his dreams and said he believed he could do it.

Before that day they first met, the closest thing to encouragement Izuku had gotten was from Hisashi the same day he had found out he was Quirkless. After his mom had merely sobbed while apologizing to her son, his dad, who wasn't the biggest fan of Heroes, had told him that he could still at least try. Not a firm 'yes', merely a 'maybe'. But this man, Stain the Hero Killer, actually believed in him. The Villain, who had a self-appointed duty to cleanse the world of false Heroes, told him, a boy with no Quirk, that he could be the Hero he aspired to be.

It still disturbed Izuku to be so familiar with a Villain. The Hero Killer had ruffled his hair twice tonight for goodness sake! The same hand that had taken lives had run through his very own green curls. The thought made him shiver that the same hand that committed such acts of violence was also capable of the gentle gesture. The contrast was enough to make his head spin.

Before heading back to his room, Izuku stopped in the kitchen for a glass of water. Glancing at the empty drying rack next to the sink, he reflected on how he hadn't even thought to grab the frying pan for protection. Perhaps, subconsciously, he already knew the Hero Killer wouldn't hurt him and that the protection wouldn't be necessary. Whether that was the case or not, he had gone to the roof without it and nothing bad happened. Finishing his water, he rinsed the glass and placed it in the drying rack then returned to his room.

After quietly closing his bedroom door, Izuku laid down in his bed and stared at the ceiling. His mind was still too worked up to sleep. Still filled with questions about the man that he hadn't had a chance to ask. Though perhaps he still could in the future. They've met three times now, why not a fourth? A disturbing yet likely possibility.

Feeling restless, Izuku pulled up his phone in hopes of a distraction when he had a random thought. He had taken his phone along with the mind of having it in case he needed to call for help. Also, out of habit. Though now he thought that maybe he should have used it to record their conversation. This was their third meeting and maybe it would be good to have some record of what they talked about if anyone ever found out he knew the Villain. Or could having evidence of their little 'talks' backfire on him instead?

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he decided that conundrum was an issue for future Izuku to worry about and instead scrolled through the many cat pictures Hitoshi had sent him. All the adorable cats made his smile and distracted him from his thoughts. As he quietly chuckled at one picture of a particularly fat cat trying to sit in a much too small box, he received a notification from one of the Hero News sites he followed. Clicking on it, he brought up the latest article.

He wished he hadn't. Not now. Not even the next morning. Not ever. But he had.

'ANOTHER VICTIM OF HERO KILLER DEAD

In the early evening Sunday night, another victim of the Hero Killer Stain was found by authorities. The Hero was discovered in an alley by police and was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately was pronounced dead upon arrival. This is the fourth Hero attacked by the Hero Killer in…'

Not wanting to read anymore, Izuku clicked out of the article and laid there stunned. Stain had killed again. The Villain had killed before meeting him tonight. He had attacked another Hero and then came to talk with Izuku as if it was nothing. The same hand that took that Hero's life had been on his very own head not too long ago.

Izuku felt like he might puke. The thought of a killer's hand touching him made him sick. He appreciated the man's words of encouragement, but nothing he said would change the fact that the man was a murderer. With a shudder, he turned off his phone and placed it on his nightstand to charge. Turning away from his window, Izuku closed his eyes in search of sleep. But with his thoughts constantly mulling over the Hero Killer, he was in for a restless night.

So much for a good night's sleep.

...

(A/N: Sh-sh-shout out to Uta_M and WinterCrow on AO3 whose comments helped inspire more ideas for Stain interactions before Hosu! If you, dear readers, have any ideas or guesses on the plot, please comment! I've gotten several ideas when I was stuck on what to do for this or that because of what someone commented. Bouncing ideas of one another is big while being creative! So much appreciated! :D)

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