Izuku Midoriya's eyes are poison green as they stare at the group of pro heroes from across the glass wall. As transparent as it is, that glass can withstand a nuclear bombing along with every inch of that cell, carved entirely from quirk suppressant metal and half-heartedly decorated with a bed. The materials had been tested against All Might ages ago for a forgotten project, handy when they suddenly needed to contain a One For All user. All Might examined every inch of it as well, before they ever put Young Midoriya inside. (Although the writing desk is new, Toshinori notes.) The cell is impossible to breach, located deep within the bowels of the highest security prison in the world.
The green stare dances in curiosity, sitting on top of a black muzzle, an unpleasant coincidence that mocks Young Midoriya's hero custom in a way that makes Toshinori sick.
Their guard approaches the door, making a hand sign Toshinori imagines Young Midoriya has been trained to understand. The boy nods once, gaze never far from his visitors. He's avoiding Toshinori's eyes though, the pro-hero wonders what feelings his former apprentice harbors for him. Toshinori has never dared visit him, not that a villain of his standing can really receive visitors but... Toshinori knows he would've been allowed, if he'd been so inclined. (He's seen All for One, for God's sake and he has been running away from a boy.) It just doesn't feel like there is anything he can say.
"I've always found it odd..." the guard muses out loud, probably nervous out of his mind between Young Midoriya's eerie stare and the two pro heroes in his midst. "...That a boy with a quirk deemed 'Super-Power' has a muzzle on him. Usually, it's for villains with voice activated or related quirks."
The guard approaches the glass and Young Midoriya mirrors, for the first time straying his eyes away from the pros. All Might watches his companion. Aizawa's glare is as murderous as the first moment Nedzu had sent them to interrogate Young Midoriya. It's the first time All Might and his wayward apprentice are face to face in a year, ever since the teen was arrested.
A device - a remote of some kind - is pressed against the glass and after a series of clicks and whirrs, a light activates in the jawline of the muzzle: from green to red.
"His strength is considerable," All Might agrees to the unspoken question, thinking back on the feats he'd seen Midoriya perform, that Toshinori trained him for, when he'd gifted him a medium for his will.
"But it's what he can do to your head that makes him truly dangerous," Aizawa throws in, giving Toshinori a side glance.
The muzzle opens, only a thin black band running over his nose keeping the contraction in place, revealing freckles on his face and hollowed cheeks. Young Midoriya smiles, and it's nothing like what All Might has ever experienced from the younger teen. It takes away his breath in grief.
"I'll be back in fifteen minutes, sirs." The guard scurries away, Young Midoriya immediately begins to speak.
"The muzzle is maddening, but the maidens..." He raises his shackled hands, pure black against his all-white pants and t-shirt. "They used to drive me a little crazy," he tells them conspiratorially, still looking over All Might's shoulder, "the first few weeks. I'd become so used to One for All that not feeling it cruise through my body was nerve-wracking." The rambling isn't unusual, but its fervor makes All Might wonder when was the last time that muzzle came off. "The Maidens don't actually bring any harm, obviously, studies have proven that time and time again but…" If his raspy, dry voice is anything to go by, it's been long enough.
"..." Why? Toshnori wonders, he does so everyday but his answers are hidden behind transparent glass and his failure is harder than ever to ignore.
"Guess, I still don't like feeling Quirkless, even after all this time. Even after I'm not and will never be again, " he looks at All Might for the first time, shrugging in the way only teenagers can. Everytime Toshinori looks at him, he's struck by how much of a child Young Midoriya still is, barely on the twilight of 18 and yet his eyes are unreadable. "We both made sure of that. But… old habits are hard to break, I guess." He places his forehead against the glass and it momentarily obscures his face in fog when he whispers: "Do you ever think I'll value anything about myself that wasn't inherited from you, All Might?" He steps back as the words un-fog themselves, as if recovering from a bad dream. "I don't."
"Young Midoriya..." Toshinori starts, not sure what emotion from the dozen wrestling inside him to voice first. Anger, betrayal, hurt... pity. So much pity for a boy who could've been so much.
"This isn't a social call, kid." Aizawa cuts in, the underground hero leaps and bounds ahead of All Might's ability to handle Midoriya's quick tongue and wide eyes. Toshinori has fallen for that before.
"I didn't think it was, Aizawa-sensei." Midoriya switches his gaze to the other man. "I've missed you and your classes."
"I'm not your teacher anymore."
"A shame really," Midoriya replies. He sounds so damn sincere, All Might can almost believe him. "I learned a lot from you."
"Not what I was trying to teach." Aizawa snaps, perhaps not as immune as All Might thought. "Clearly," he adds in annoyance. The underground hero takes a deep breath and visibly calms himself down. His tone goes back to his usual drawl. "We need information."
"I find it worrisome that the cops come to an imprisoned teenager for their updates. Considering I've been here almost a year."
"So, you can't help us?"
"…I didn't say that." Young Midoriya is quick to amend, it seems a little like he is enjoying their visit and it tugs at Toshinori's heartstrings. Solitary confinement doesn't seem to agree with the young villain.
"Young Midoriya," All Might begins again, swallowing the ball of anxiety and regret blocking his throat and trying to not be affected by the handcuffed, muzzled form of his former pupil. "One of your classmates was kidnapped by the League of Villains. We need to know if you have any idea where he would've been taken, seeing as you've had previous… connection to them."
"...what do I get in return?" The green-haired youth walks over to his bed, a surprisingly comfortable-looking mattress. Tsukauchi mentioned that Izuku asks for things in exchange for information, simple things the detective assures them. Toshinori wonders if the bed is one of those things.
"What do you want?" Toshinori suppresses his wince when the words come out. Dangerous words.
"I need a TV, access to the news," he says vaguely, as if it is hardly a big deal.
"You're dreaming," Aizawa scoffs.
"Then I wish you luck in your endeavors." The boy shrugs, Toshinori tries to reconcile him with the teen he knew, who'd been willing to jump into danger only because it was the right thing to do.
My body just moved on its own.
Aizawa shrugs, but he meets Toshinori's eyes in warning. There's still a card left to play, the heroes make as if to leave, all agreed upon beforehand. This charade also makes Toshinori sick.
Kacchan needed help.
"Let's go, All Might, we'll just have to hope Bakugou has enough time left for us to find him." The sound of chains slamming into the glass is hollow. When All Might turns around, Young Midoriya's face is scowling but his eyes are filled with fear, shackled hands pressed against the glass. He looks thinner than Toshinori remembers him.
"You're lying!" he yells, looking now in his anger, more like the passionate young man who All Might had taken in than he's been in a long time. "Kacchan, Kacchan can't…"
"Well, he is. He's been missing since yesterday, but I'm sure your villain pals will make him feel right at home." That's a little cruel, Toshinori thinks, especially with the way Young Midoriya sinks into himself before straightening out and meeting Aizawa's eyes.
"Let me out."
"Don't you…"
"You can leave the maidens on, and then bring me right back here, but you need to let me out." His will is present in every single word, no more games permeating the interaction. "For all I know," he swallows, "for all I know, you're lying and Kacchan has nothing to do with this." He reasons, but there's something a little desperate in his face that just makes Toshinori sick. He looks around the windowless room, at the muzzle on his neck and he struggles to remember how Young Midoriya had fallen so far. "I can lead you exactly to their doorstep, hell, I can tell you which heroes are best suited to go. But I want to see it."
"There is no way you're getting close to villains, you're a convicted felon."
"Technically, I'm a delinquent, seeing as I'm underage," he corrects absent-mindedly. "There's going to be a surveillance team, right? Probably with the detective who always comes here to ask questions. Mister Tsukauchi." As Young Midoriya theorizes, Toshinori can see his brain working a mile a minute. It's an intellect that made him famous, and it had caused the heroes a lot of problems. "Let me watch and then you can bring me in."
"No." Aizawa turns around.
"...I just need to make sure Kacchan is okay with my own eyes." The tone of voice is pitiful. Toshinori doesn't turn back to see Young Midoriya's face, he can't. "Please. I've never hurt anyone, you know that." The truth is that they didn't, the fact is that only some of Young Midoriya's crimes have been identified and the search to pin any other lawless act against him is an open investigation. With his current charges, even in Tartarus as he is, the law indicates Midoriya will be freed on his 18th birthday. As much as it pains Toshinori, Midoriya cannot be let loose upon the world, not when he's a villain carrying One For All.
It also means they don't know if what he's saying is the truth. Aizawa runs a hand through his hair. Toshinori hopes the man has it in him to refuse, because All Might doesn't have that ability. He doesn't think he's ever had it where Midoriya Izuku is concerned.
"Are you 100% sure you know where the League of Villains has Bakugou?"
"I have a few options in mind, but... yeah, 90% sure."
"...We'll think about it."
"But Kacchan...!" The doors close behind them and the guard hurries back into the room, most likely to muzzle Izuku once again. A weight sinks into Toshinorit's stomach, the sickness of his failures probably. Coming from Eraserhead, Toshinori thinks that thinking about it is going to be a positive, he just hopes they won't regret it.
Hi!
I'm not starting this story yet, I just needed to get this prologue out of my head to keep writing by OP stuff. This is definitely coming though, just don't expect my usual update rate for it -not for a while at least.
Like most of my work, this is not romance-centric but plot-driven. It's Izuku/Katsuki -I know there's hesitation surrounding this pairing, which is exactly why I'm trying my hand at it.
What do you think, first-impressions wise? What are you most curious about?