Katsuki sat impatiently bouncing his leg. He glared down at the phone and back to the door again. "You know attempting to glare a hole through them isn't gonna make the guy get here faster." Shinsou remarked from his spot on the couch. Even though he seemed calm Katsuki knew better by now. All of them were shaken in the wake of Izuku's kidnapping.
"The asshole is late. That's why I'm getting fucking impatient." Katsuki said, once again glancing at the door.
It had taken him a few days after the incident in order to compose himself enough to start looking for Izuku. He was surprised that Aizawa hadn't even tried to stop him; not that he could have. Aizawa had simply told him to be careful and he'd let Katsuki know if he heard anything. He might have also hugged Katsuki a little too long and a little too tight. Clearly he was affected by this too.
He and Shinsou had been out pretty much every night trying to get any information they could. Todoroki and Hatsume had also been trying to find out anything they could. Todoroki by trying to subtly use his father's connections and Hatume, being Hatsume. Things had only really picked up once Dabi found out what had happened. Katsuki learned that day that he never wanted to get on the older vigilante's bad side.
Thankfully once Dabi had picked up the search with them they got a lead. The man had stubbornly refused to tell them over the phone so they'd agreed to meet at the apartment to discuss. Now Katsuki sat impatiently waiting for Dabi to show up along with Shinsou, Todoroki, and Hatsume.
Finally there was a knock on the door and Katsuki rushed to answer it. "Bout time you showed up Scarface. What took you so fucking long?"
Dabi rolled his eyes and pushed past Katsuki. "Nice to see you too kid." Dabi paused in his walk as he looked around the room. Katsuki swore his eyes lingered on Todoroki for longer than the others. "Gang's all here huh? Forgot you had others helping you out."
Katsuki decided to brush off the slightly odd reaction for now; he'd come back to it later. For now they had far more important things to discuss. "Yeah. Now sit the fuck down and tell us what you found out." Katsuki said, reclaiming his place on the couch.
Dabi nodded and walked towards an empty seat. Katsuki saw Todoroki's eyes follow him as he sat. Apparently he'd noticed the strange reaction as well even if he'd never met the guy. "I think I might have found out where the league is hiding out." Dabi stated bluntly once he was settled. "Well at least some part of their operations anyway." Dabi pulled out a map and laid it out on the table. He pointed to a circled area on the map. "This is in Kamino Ward. It's a supposedly abandoned warehouse. It certainly looks the part on the outside but inside is another story. I remember Wolf and Rabbit telling me about the nomu at some point. From what I saw when I went to check it out there were more of them there."
"It has to be connected to the league in some way then." Todoroki said, looking at the map.
"Those bastards are dangerous. You're saying there's more of them?" Katsuki looked up from where he was studying the map.
Dabi nodded. "Unfortunately. They didn't seem to be up and about at the moment though. Not sure when that'll change."
"How do we know that he's there though? If this is only part of their base he might not be there." Shinsou pointed out.
"Well we don't have any other leads right? Can't hurt to see if we find anything out there." Hatsume suggested.
The group came to an agreement. They had no other leads so they'd check out the warehouse. They all took the day to prepare and they would head out that night. Katsuki had almost tried to stop Todoroki and Hatsume from tagging along, because they didn't have licenses, but he decided against it. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop them from coming and it would have been pretty damn hypocritical of him. He'd just make sure to keep an eye on them.
That night they took the train down to Kamino. It was a mostly silent affair with Hatsume attempting to make some minor small talk that was occasionally replied to by Shinsou or Todoroki. Katsuki spent the entire ride looking out the window and trying not to let his thoughts wander to more unsavory things.
Finally the train pulled into the station. Katsuki quickly pulled the group into an alley after they got off so they could change. He threw clothing at Todoroki and Hatsume. "If you're gonna be fucking working with us in the field you're following my lead. Get into that stuff and make sure all the gear we brought is working. If shit hits the fan use your quirks only as a last resort. We're trying to do this as legally as fucking possible." Katsuki glanced at Dabi who simply smirked and shrugged.
"Doesn't Todoroki need a code name? We can't refer to him by his actual name right?" Shinsou pointed out.
Todoroki shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't be good no. Did you have something in mind?"
"How bout dragon?" Dabi suggested. All eyes turned to him and he shrugged. "Don't think I and everyone else didn't notice your little animal naming theme. It fits right?"
Todoroki nodded. "That will work. We should get going now." Katsuki almost said something but decided against it; they didn't have time to mess around with names.
It took longer than Katsuki would have liked for everyone to get changed and it took even longer for them to make it to the warehouse. Katsuki swore he was gonna pound some parkour lessons into Todoroki's head when this was all over; at least Hatsume had been able to keep up thanks to her support items. The group stopped on a roof next to the warehouse. "Alright we're here. Now what's the plan?" Shinsou said as he scanned the area.
"There's an opening in the roof we can use to get in." Dabi suggested as he pointed out the spot. Katsuki nodded and led the group over to the hole. He securely tied a rope to the roof and gestured for everyone to climb down. Dabi went first while Katsuki took up the rear.
The atmosphere of the building was unsettling to say the least. The group skirted around large vats containing inanimate nomu and did their best to not let their thoughts wander too much. "I think I see something up ahead." Hitoshi said quietly. He waved them ahead as they slowly made their way closer to the random flash of light that he'd seen. Soon another room came into view. The walls were made of frosted glass so they couldn't see inside.
Hitoshi broke off from the group and made his way to the door. He gently tried the door. As he'd figured it was locked and there didn't seem to be any other way to get a peek inside. He pulled a small set of tools off his belt and silently thanked Aizawa for the lessons on lockpicking that he'd been giving him and Izuku. He worked at the door as silently as possible; occasionally glancing back at the others to make sure nothing had happened. After several long moments of silence the lock finally clicked open and Hitoshi let out the breath he'd been holding.
He opened the door a crack and looked inside. His eyes widened as he waved the group to him. "What the hell is it Sphinx?" Katsuki said as he came up next to Hitoshi. Hitoshi simply pointed to the figure on the bed in the room. "Holy shit is that Ragdoll?" Katsuki asked as he cautiously made his way into the room. He quickly looked her over as the rest of the group entered the room and closed the door behind them.
"Right. She was missing after the camp attack as well." Todoroki frowned. "We need to get her out of here. Who knows what they're doing to her."
"We can't just leave yet. We haven't found out shit about Deku." Katsuki growled, though it was clear he was conflicted.
Hatsume came forward. "I can get her out of here. You guys are way more suited to field work then I am. I'll support you from afar like I usually do! Just take care of my babies and I'll take care of Ragdoll."
The group all looked at each other before nodding. "Just fucking watch yourself got it Owl?"
Hatsume nodded and smiled as Dabi helped prop Ragdoll on her back. "I'll keep in touch and see what my babies can figure out from the inside." Suddenly Hatsume's eyes lit up. "In fact I have an idea!" She temporarily handed Ragdoll off to Dabi and pulled something out of her bag and handed it to Katsuki.
Katsuki looked down at the device, confused. "What the hell is this?"
Hatsume pushed another device into Hitoshi's hands. "This is a baby that me and Midoriya have been working on perfecting since we met!"
Hitoshi's eyes widened slightly. "Is this the thing from the first day of school?"
Hatsume nodded excitedly. "We've been working on it for a while. We've improved the range significantly and it creates a way more detailed map now. It should help you map out this place." Hatsume explained as she took Ragdoll back from Dabi.
"Go get Ragdoll some help. If you can't get back here after that, don't. We don't need any attention being drawn to us right now." Dabi said as he made sure Ragdoll was secure. Hatsume nodded and she was off.
Katsuki turned the small device over in his hands. "Fucking activate it Sphinx."
Hitoshi nodded and pressed the same button he remembered Izuku pressing to activate it. A light on the device in Katsuki's hand blinked red a couple times before Hitoshi saw a map forming on the receiver.
"Looks like there's a lower level." Hitoshi said as he turned the screen around so everyone could see.
"There appears to be several rooms down there that are similar in size to this one. Perhaps there's others the league has kidnapped?" Todoroki suggested.
"Or Deku could be there." Katsuki said, glaring at the device.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's get down there and find out just what the hell's going on." Dabi said.
Shoto was both excited and worried. Sure there was a bit of buzzing excitement from his first real field mission, but the atmosphere of the area and their reasons for being there put a serious damper on his enthusiasm. He also couldn't help but be concerned about the fate of Izuku based on the state Ragdoll had been in when they found her.
"We should split up and start checking rooms." Dabi suggested as he glanced at the map in Shinsou's hand.
"No way in hell. We stay together. What the fuck happens if we encounter villains down here?" Katsuki whisper yelled.
Dabi narrowed his eyes. "The place is pretty empty and if we wanna get out of here sooner it would be best to split up. It'll save time. It's not like we'll be far from each other plus we have our coms in case anything does happen."
Shoto watched as the two stared each other down. Finally Katsuki relented. "Fine whatever. But if anything even seems like it's going wrong you all contact us got it?" Everyone gave their agreement and the group split up.
It seemed every room that Shoto checked held nothing but seemingly unused equipment, and based on the slight chatter over the coms everyone else was having similar luck. Shoto had fallen into a small sense of monotony when he heard a slight shuffling sound from behind the door he was about to check.
Shoto froze, his hand hovering above the door handle. He gently placed his ear to the door to see if he could hear anything else. He could hear what sounded like the shuffling of sheets and quiet muffled speaking. Shoto pulled his head away from the door and took a deep breath. Someone or something was definitely on the other side. He could even see light spilling out from under the door. He glanced down either side of the hallway he was checking and considered reporting what he heard to the others, but decided against it. He would tell them after he figured out what was in there.
Taking another deep breath to prepare himself he slowly opened the door. The sounds cut off almost immediately. Shoto peeked his head in and locked eyes with green eyes. Izuku had a guarded look on his face as Shoto entered the room. That face quickly turned to confusion and then realization. "Todoroki? Is that you?" Izuku asked cautiously.
Shoto nodded and closed the door. "Yeah it's me. The others are here as well." He moved a hand up to his ear to tell the others that he'd found him and Izuku shot up from the bed and grabbed his arm. Shoto blinked at him, surprised. "Midoriya?"
Izuku gently guided Shoto's hand back to his side and looked down. "I can't go, n-not yet anyway." Izuku attempted to explain.
"And why not? There's no one else around we could easily get you out of here. Everyone is worried." Shoto asked, incredibly confused at his friend's reluctance to be saved.
Izuku shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "I have a chance I can't pass up Todoroki. The league trusts me, well to an extent. I can use that and take them down from the inside. This might be our best chance to take them down." Izuku explained, determination clear on his face.
Shoto frowned. "You shouldn't have to shoulder that burden. That's extremely dangerous and you know it. What happens if they find out what you're doing?"
Izuku's determination faltered for a moment. "I hadn't really thought of that." Izuku rubbed his arm nervously.
"I'm sure Bakugou would call you a reckless idiot if he were the one in here right now." Shoto stated.
Izuku chuckled weakly. "There'd be a lot more yelling too." Izuku added. "But please Todoroki I have to do this. I would never forgive myself if I did nothing here." Shoto held his stare. He wouldn't let himself relent. He was going to save his friend whether he wanted to be saved or not. Izuku looked away first. "There's also something else." Izuku admitted.
"What?" Shoto asked, taking in how nervous Izuku had suddenly gotten.
"I feel like it would be easier to just show you. Could you light a fire in your palm real quick?" Izuku asked as he took a deep breath.
Shoto nodded and did as he was asked even if he was confused. He lit a fire and held it out to Izuku. "Now what?"
Izuku took another deep breath. "Now I hope I don't burn myself again." Before Shoto had time to ask what that meant he watched the small fire be pulled from his palm and towards Izuku. Izuku had a look of intense concentration on his face. It took Shoto far longer than it should have to realize that Izuku was the one moving the fire. Soon enough the small fire was situated above Izuku's palm and had gained a green tint. "So this is a thing now." Izuku said, pointing to the fire.
"I- how?" Shoto asked, at a loss for words.
Izuku bit at his lip. "The league's boss, not Shigaraki their REAL boss, has the ability to give and take quirks. A couple days after the league kidnapped me I was brought to him and he forced a quirk on me." Izuku shuddered. "It…. wasn't pleasant to say the least. I've been here recovering since then. Occasionally some of the villains come down and check on me and I've been working on gaining their trust."
Shoto stared at him for a moment. "Nothing I say will convince you to come with me will it?"
Izuku shook his head. "No. I have to do this."
Shoto felt like he was going to regret this but he knew he couldn't change Izuku's mind. "Bakugou is going to kill me for letting you go I hope you know."
Izuku smiled broadly at him. "Thank you Todoroki. I'll do my best to keep in touch I promise."
"I'll hold you to that Midoriya." Shoto replied, a small smile on his face.
It was then that the whole building shook violently. Izuku looked around concerned. "You need to round up the others and go."
Shoto nodded, as much as he didn't want to leave he knew he didn't have a choice. He heard the confused and concerned voices of the others over the coms. "Once you're done we'll get you out." Shoto said, looking Izuku dead in the eyes. "And we'll help however we can from the outside."
Izuku smiled. "I know you all will. Kacchan would tear this place apart if it meant getting me back."
Shoto turned to leave but paused. There was one last thing he had to do. "Midoriya? One more thing." he turned back around.
Izuku tilted his head confused. "What is it Todoroki?"
Shoto pulled the other boy into an embrace and held him there for some time. Izuku seemed somewhat stiff in his hold. Had he misread the relationship between them? He'd thought they were both comfortable with physical contact. Shoto's worries were swept away when Izuku finally relaxed and returned the embrace. "Thanks for understanding Todoroki." Izuku mumbled into Shoto's shoulder. He pulled his head back and gave Shoto a timid peck on the cheek before a strange liquid started surrounding him. "Take care of everyone for me ok Todoroki? I'll see you soon!" With that he was gone and more tremors shook the sat rubbing his cheek and staring at the empty space Izuku had just occupied. There were a lot of thoughts swirling around in his mind, but he decided to focus on one. What was he going to tell the others?