You could probably cut the tension in the air with a knife if you tried. Even with the quirk suppressing restraints, Todoroki let out this extremely cold aura that couldn't be ignored. Kurogiri finished picking up a broken glass near the bar and swiftly excused himself, leaving only Dabi, Todoroki, and Izuku behind.

Izuku attempted to keep eye contact with the boy in front of him, but he found himself shifting in the stool where he was sitting. Todoroki was just intense wasn't he?

"Well," Izuku started, giving Dabi a brief glance, "I'm here. So you can talk now, right?"

Todoroki just narrowed his eyes and Izuku cleared his throat.

"Y-you wanted me here, right? Did you want to-"

"You're with the League," Todoroki stated and Izuku nodded briefly.

"I am now."

"Why?"

Izuku looked at Dabi once more, but the older boy just stared back expectantly. Todoroki had asked for him specifically, so he had to be careful about what he said. But, at the same time, what good would it be to lie? He owned the boy honesty after Hosu.

"I can't rescue Stain on my own and they offered to help."

Todoroki narrowed his eyes even more at the response, but Izuku just held the cold gaze.

"So you'd join a group of killers to get your mentor back?"

Izuku clenched his fists slightly, thinking of how Stain would react to this situation once they got him back. He couldn't lie to himself and say that Stain would gladly join the League of Villains, because he knew that would never happen.

"If I have to be a part of the League for Stain's work to get done, then yes."

"You would kill innocents? That goes against everything you believe, doesn't it? If you even believe that."

"I didn't say that," Izuku bit back, perhaps a bit more bitterly than he meant "I would never harm anyone that wasn't a target and neither would Stain."

"Even if keeping that up meant Stain ending up in Tartarus?"

Well, that question stung. A lot.

He'd avoided thinking about that ever since he first arrived at the bar, not because he didn't know the answer. No. It was because there was only one answer and he hated it. Izuku swallowed, feeling the familiar sting of tears in his eyes.

"Even if it meant never seeing Stain again, I wouldn't do it."

Todoroki gave him a long, careful look and Izuku took advantage of the silence to blink back the tears. Hopefully, the other two hadn't noticed. Todoroki's eyes shifted from Izuku to Dabi over and over, a calculated back and forth with no words.

Dabi was only looking at Todoroki and the glances they shared almost seemed to carry an entire conversation in them. Izuku wondered what had happened in the hour that they'd spoken without him.

"What does Stain mean to you?" Todoroki asked after minutes of silence.

Izuku frowned softly, looking at the question from various angles before saying anything. What was he supposed to say?

"He's my teacher. My companion."

"Is that it?"

"Why… Why is this relevant?" Izuku asked, confused. He even looked at Dabi to make sure that he was listening properly, but his elder didn't even glance his way.

"Stain killed Bakugo and my old man back in Hosu," Todoroki said and Izuku shook his head.

"They were targets, of course he wou-"

"No, he killed them after you got hurt. You didn't see him. No one did except us three. After you got hit, when we thought you died, he went absolutely berserk."

"What are you talking about?" Izuku asked, absolutely at a loss. He even got up from his stool and took a step towards Todoroki, which earned him a glance from Dabi that he didn't see.

"He talked to Bakugo before he killed him. He called him the 'perfect target' and he mentioned you. I heard them. And he called Endeavor the 'worst type of scum' because he hurt you. And you want me to think he's just your mentor?"

Izuku turned towards Dabi and the other was looking straight at him with a look that was similar to Todoroki's. Izuku just stared at them wide-eyed, his mouth slightly agape. What in the world was happening right now? Why did he even care about his relationship with Stain in the first place? Was this because of Bakugo or Endeavor? Was Dabi in on it?

Izuku inhaled deeply and ran his hands through his hair.

"I… I don't know! He's like Endeavor was to you, probably, I…"

His next words died in his mouth. Dabi let out the most sarcastic laugh Izuku had ever heard, and Todoroki actually glared at Izuku for the first time since they met. He looked absolutely offended.

"Of all the things you could say…" Dabi murmured.

"That man was nothing but a monster towards me and my family," Todorki all but hissed and Izuku was taken aback by the raw hatred in his voice, "He was everything I ever hated about the hero world and he was the type of man I would never want be like. Is that what Stain was to you?"

Izuku blinked. He looked at the other boy, the watering of his eyes unmissable. He suddenly couldn't find his own voice, so he just shook his head quietly.

"How is it that a serial killer shows more concern for his successor than a pro hero ever did for his own children? How is it that Endeavor dies a hero when he never even-"

And then his voice hitched and Todoroki bit his lip without another word. Izuku looked at him in utter shock, half expecting the other boy to break down crying on the spot. But the teen didn't as much as shake, his eyes burning holes into Izuku when he lifted his head again. The look was more than enough to get Izuku back on his seat and the green-haired teen was talking before he even knew what he was saying.

"Stain took me in when I had nothing else. He showed me what my life could be and the meaning that I could bring into the world," He swallowed, giving Todoroki the most genuine look that he could muster, "So I… No, I don't just see him as my teacher. It started that way, but..."

"Then what?" Came the hoarse whisper.

Izuku looked down at his hands for a long moment. This wasn't the conversation he thought he'd have when he came downstairs.

He was suddenly flooded with a tidal wave of memories and emotions of the last year of his life, everything he'd seen and learned and done. He felt his eyes watering again and he instinctively rubbed his arm on his face. He didn't care about these two seeing him cry at the moment, but the tears didn't fall. Izuku sighed and looked Todoroki straight in the eye.

"He's my family. He's the man I'm willing to follow to hell and back."

The sincerity in Izuku's voice was practically palpable and that seemed to be the thing that Todoroki wanted to hear in the end, since he made no attempt to ask anything else for a long while. Unbeknownst to each other, both boys were currently processing an ungodly amount of repressed emotions, though they came from drastically different places.

Dabi looked carefully at the two teens in the room, his eyes shining with something that not even he could quite place.

They stayed in silence for a good five minutes, the stillness only broken by Todoroki's meek voice.

"Why did Stain take out heroes? What was his belief?"

Izuku answered almost in autopilot. This was a talk he could have without breaking.

"He wanted to show everyone what a real hero was. He wanted to take down fake heroes, money lovers, so that people would see that heroism isn't something you do for the pay of the fame."

"Then why Bakugo?"

Izuku actually chuckled at that, his eyes focused on the ceiling as he spoke.

"Was he your classmate?"

"Yes."

"Then you know why. He didn't care about anything other than being number one in the public eye. He flaunted, he snapped at others, he wanted pure recognition. That's not a hero."

"Then are all pros just fakes?"

"No," Izuku said, meeting the other boy's eyes, "All Might is a real hero. He does what he has to do and then leaves. He's not in it for the glory."

Todoroki scoffed slightly, the tiniest of smiles tugging at his lips.

"Of course, All Might. My old man was obsessed with him as well."

"Endeavor only wanted to get All Might out of his way. He didn't care about all the good that the other hero did, he just wanted to be number one." Dabi all but spat, his feet propped up on the table in front of him.

"I take it you weren't a fan?" Izuku asked, and Dabi actually laughed. The sound was soft, just like his voice, but it was oddly nice.

"I still hate that man. He was a piece of shit, and the fact that he was the number 2 hero in all of Japan was insulting. I was even a little jealous of Stain a few months ago. I would have paid to see Endeavor go down live, after everything he did."

The poison on the burnt man's lips was evident and Izuku was just about to comment on it when he heard a tiny sound coming from Todoroki's direction. The other teen was looking at Dabi with an almost pained expression and Izuku could see a mix of surprise and denial in those mismatched eyes.

"It is you..." The boy whispered brokenly and Dabi's expression immediately soured. The disdain in his eyes was replaced with sadness and… worry?

"Touya?" Todoroki asked the other man, his eyes shining with emotion. Dabi looked down uncomfortably for a second and Izuku just stared at the both dumbfounded. He almost felt like he was looking at this scene through a window.

What the hell is happening?

"Dabi?" Izuku tried, unwilling to say much. His elder finally looked back up, his eyes on Todoroki as he spoke to Izuku.

"Ten years ago there was an accident where Endeavor's eldest child died. He got taken by a criminal that had it in for the pro after he arrested their brother. Endeavor was unable to rescue his son in time and the boy died when the criminal burnt down the building in which he was being held hostage. They never found the body."

Dabi explained it slowly, almost like he was reading the story for the first time but he sounded upset. The young man got to his feet and approached Todoroki and just then Izuku noticed that the other teen was openly crying. He was mumbling things that sounded like 'why' and 'how' and Dabi placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and shushed him softly.

Izuku heard a clear 'where were you?' coming from the crying boy, and Dabi actually crouched down to make eye contact. They exchanged a look filled with meaning and emotion and realization hit Izuku like a bag of bricks.

"You're Todoroki Touya," Izuku whispered dumbly. The small sob that Todoroki let out was all the affirmation he needed and he stared at the two siblings in front of him in utter surprise. He said nothing as Dabi managed to get his younger brother to calm down, a gentle look in his face.

"I don't understand," The other boy said, tears threatening to spill once more.

"I asked the League to bring you here," Dabi explained easily, "They think it's just to fuck with hero society further, but I wanted to talk to you because I thought you would understand."

"Understand what?"

"That Endeavor was just part of the problem. That's why I didn't go back. Because every hero is like him. Do you think they didn't know about mom, or you? And they still let him do everything. But Stain made him pay. He paid for all of it. And we can make sure that the rest of them pay, too."

Izuku recognized the tone that Dabi was using and for the briefest of seconds, he saw Stain rather than the young man. He was saying all the right words with the same amount of passion in his eyes and the sight was almost too much for Izuku at that moment.

When Todoroki looked up at his brother, Dabi turned to look at Izuku. He felt small under the glances that they sent his way, but he tried to straighten his back.

"You said it, Midoriya. Stain wants to take out fake heroes to make things better for everyone. Right?"

"Yes," Izuku answered, the conviction in his own voice surprising him slightly, "That's what he wants. He doesn't want undeserving people to get praised when real heroism isn't about money. He wants to expose the monsters."

Todoroki was looking at him with almost wild eyes, but Izuku held his gaze.

"We can help with that," Dabi said, shaking Todoroki's shoulders to get him to look at him, "We can make sure that no one else had to go through the hell we went through. We can make things right, Shoto."

The siblings looked at one another for a while, Todoroki visibly leaning into his brother's touch. Once more, they had an entire dialogue exclusively through their eyes and Izuku looked away in the name of their privacy. He had no place in that conversation.

He only looked up when Todoroki let out a weak laugh, his eyes narrowed with emotion.

"Our old man would hate it if I did this."

"All the more reason to do it," Dabi responded playfully, standing up. They exchanged one last look before they both turned towards Izuku and he nodded at them both. He was just about to say something when someone knocked on the door. The door opened slightly and Twice's head appeared.

"You all done down here? You're taking forever. You were really quiet and we got worried."

Izuku could see the rest of the League standing behind Twice, all of them looking expectant. They all poured into the bar and shuffled to the side to let Shigaraki come to the front.

"So, did you guys talk?" the leader asked Todoroki, but the boy didn't answer.

"We did. He wanted to know about Stain," Dabi said and, when he looked at Izuku briefly, the teen didn't miss a beat to corroborate with a nod. He said nothing about Dabi's true identity of his relationship to Todoroki since he was sure that no one else knew about it.

"Ah, of course. You all just want to talk about him, don't you?" Shigaraki scratched his neck, the hint of annoyance in his voice plain to hear. Izuku narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"So, are you in?" Shigaraki addressed Todoroki once more. The teen looked at Dabi and then at Izuku, his expression hardening into a more serious one. The emotion he'd shown just moments prior was now mostly hidden.

"Yes. I'll join the League." Todoroki said and the rest of the people in the room seemed to approve.

"Great. Then it'll be fine if we take those off," Shigaraki said as he motioned for Dabi to take off the quirk suppressing cuffs, a slight warning present in his voice. He was telling Todoroki to not try anything funny, but Izuku knew that the other teen wouldn't do that. Once Todoroki was free, he just stood and stretched his arms, but made no suspicious movements.

"Welcome to the team, young man," Mr. Compress greeted and, soon enough, everyone else greeted their new companion. Izuku waited a good five minutes in silence while everyone started talking about different things, all the while staring at Shigaraki intently.

Toga, who was now by Izuku's side, noticed the look but said nothing. She just smiled. When Izuku heard Shigaraki mention their 'next hit', he finally snapped.

"What about Stain's rescue?" The teen asked loudly, his eyes narrowed. All eyes were suddenly on him but Shigaraki just tilted his head like he didn't really see why Izuku was so upset.

"We'll get him. But first we-"

"No," Izuku stated sternly, "You said we'd help him after this mission. You're not planning another hit when he's still in danger."

The silence in the room felt physically heavy. Izuku could see that Shigaraki was getting upset, but he refused to back down in the matter. He'd done his part and he wanted his mentor back now.

"You think you're in charge, kid?" the leader asked, his voice adopting a dangerous edge.

"No, but I expect you to keep your end of the bargain. One mission and then Stain, that was the deal." If he hadn't been so angry, Izuku might have been proud of himself for how assertive he sounded. Long gone was the stammering child that met All Might all those months ago.

For a long moment, everything was down to a battle of wills. Red eyes glared at green ones, both keeping their stances but neither were willing to back down at the moment. You could probably hear a pin drop. Izuku didn't take his eyes off of Shigaraki's, so he missed the glances that were being exchanged by the rest of the League. Some looked nervous, others excited and the rest expectant.

It was Kurogiri who eventually made some noise. He cleared his throat pointedly and Shigaraki sighed, his nails digging into his own neck in apparent exasperation.

"Geez, you're so bothersome," the man murmured under his breath to which Izuku stood up straighter. He didn't care what this man thought of him.

"These things need planning, kid. We can't just jump in blindly."

"Then let's plan," Izuku said calmly and Shigaraki scoffed. Shigaraki reached across the bar to grab something and in that moment, Izuku caught Spinner's eye. He was looking at Izuku with a steady gaze and he gave the teen a respectful nod, which Izuku returned gladly. He also felt Toga's hands wrap around his arm and he looked down to be met with a smile. It was nice to know that he had some people on his side when it came to this matter.

Shigaraki sat on his usual stool at the bar, a small remote control on his hand which he pointed towards the TV in the room. He switched it on, the screen remaining blank except for a small sign that read 'audio only' in white letters.

"So, sensei, they're getting angsty about Stain," Shigaraki commented to the screen and Izuku almost jumped when a boisterous laughter emanated from the speakers. This was a voice he'd never heard before.

"Well, of course they are! Half of them came looking for him, didn't they?" The voice said in high spirits. Izuku looked around, but no one seemed surprised by what was happening. Was this someone they knew?"

"That's Tomura's mentor," Toga whispered into Izuku's ear and the boy nodded in understanding. So there was someone above Shigaraki in the League, it would seem.

"How many Nomus do we have available?"

"I can give you two right now. Do you want them as a distraction? They could do the same thing they did in Hosu." The man on the other end of the line sounded impossibly cheery and Izuku trembled slightly. The things that had attacked Hosu had caused so much damage and had killed so many innocents, and he was talking about repeating that like it was nothing.

Oh God, Izuku thought, a pit forming in his stomach, They're just like Stain warned me they'd be.

"We need the hospital standing until we can get Stain out, but a distraction afterward would be useful," Shigaraki said in a bored tone and Izuku felt like he was going to pass out. He took the tiniest of steps back and Toga looked at him with curiosity. His dread must have been clear on his face because the girl held onto him tighter and even leaned in to ask if he was okay.

That got Spinner's attention since he was pretty close to them and he too looked concerned at Izuku's expression.

But he couldn't say anything. He closed his eyes briefly to get a better hold of himself and he forced his face to relax even when he felt like the ground beneath him was no longer there. He was feeling like when he'd jumped from roof to roof for the first time like there was nothing holding him at all.

Izuku only snapped back to reality when Shigaraki addressed him directly.

"Hey, how long do you need to find Stain?"

Izuku's mouth felt dry, even more so now that all eyes were on him, but he squared his shoulders and spoke as normally as he could.

"I'll be quick. It won't take long at all, so we might not even need that big of a distraction."

Shigaraki scoffed in response.

"I'm not risking getting the League caught for your teacher," the leader said dismissively, going right back to speaking with his own mentor. Izuku could hear how the elder man told Shigaraki to appreciate Stain as a valuable companion but the only thing that crossed Izuku's mind in that very second was how much he wanted to take Shigaraki down where he sat.

Stain was right, he thought bitterly, the weight of the situation feeling impossibly heavy on his shoulders. Was he really going to let these people massacre innocents (people at a hospital, no less) just to get Stain back? Was he really going to be that selfish just to see his mentor again?

Izuku was so out of it that he didn't notice the looks that were being sent his way.

Toga was squeezing his arm to get his attention but he wasn't responding and she looked just as lost as he did after a while. Spinner looked cautiously at the other members of the League and, only after making sure that he wasn't being noticed, he approached Dabi slowly and nudged him with his elbow. Dabi barely had to look over to his right to see what was happening, and he and Spinner immediately rearranged their positions to hide Izuku from the rest of the League.

They wanted to rescue Stain almost as much as Izuku and letting Shigaraki see the teen's breakdown would help absolutely no one.

Thankfully the meeting with Shigaraki's mentor was short and soon they were all dismissed until the mission took place in three days.

"We need Stain to be at least a little bit healed," Shigaraki explained and Izuku just nodded numbly.

He made his way up into his room and locked the door before even Toga had a chance to slip in and from there he wasn't completely sure of what happened.

He was slumped against the door one moment and then laying on the bed the next, the knocks at his door becoming nothing more than background noise to him. He recognized Toga's voice begging him to let her in and then he was sure he heard Dabi, but he didn't move.

His mind was, for once, not going a thousand miles an hour. Instead, every thought in his head seemed to freeze in place. He couldn't even formulate questions, much less look for the answers, and he had absolutely no idea of what he was supposed to do.

He couldn't go forth with the League's plan. He couldn't destroy an entire hospital full of people just to save Stain from Tartarus. Hell, one innocent person would be one too many. He could already feel Stain's disapproval and, even more than that, he could feel his own.

"I can't do this," He whispered to himself, tears already slipping down his face. He curled up on his side and hugged the lone pillow on the bed, allowing himself to feel completely helpless for the first time since he'd last seen Stain. The fact that the only thing he had left of him were the clothes on his back just destroyed him and he had to bury his face in the pillow to keep his pitiful sobs from being heard.

He let his emotions out until his eyes were dry and he couldn't put any more energy into weeping anymore, and he stayed where he was for a while longer. With no window in his room he didn't know how long it'd been, but he knew it'd been more than enough.

He got up and put on his hoodie and he was just about to reach for the door when it opened by itself and, before he could react, there were four people in the room with him.

Dabi flashed Izuku the key to his room just as Toga launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around him for a second before she started shaking him aggressively.

"What happened?! Why did you lock us out?!" She asked frantically and Izuku was glad that Todoroki had the foresight to close the door behind him before Toga started speaking.

"Were you crying?!" She asked, her hands cupping Izuku's face.

"Toga, give him space," Dabi half snapped at her, but she ignored him and led Izuku towards the bed. She tried to sit him down, but Izuku didn't let her.

"I have to go," Izuku told her but she immediately clung to his sleeve like it was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

"Go where?!" She shrieked.

"Wait, what about Stain?" Spinner asked, clearly confused. Even Dabi and Todoroki looked taken aback, but Izuku just shook his head.

"I can't… I'll do it by myself."

"What?! You'd get nowhere!" Spinner added, pink eyes wide in shock.

"We're going to help you, you don't have to go!" Toga pleaded and suddenly Izuku wanted them all out of his room and away from him.

"I can't take your help!" He said. Toga responded by clinging to him even harder.

"Why?" Dabi stepped forward with a frown, "You really think you can save Stain on your own?"

"I have no choice," Izuku argued.

"You have us! You hav-" Toga tried to argue, but Izuku finally snapped.

"I can't let the League repeat what happened in Hosu just to get Stain back! It goes against everything he believes in, he'd never forgive me!" He said desperately, trying really hard not to scream. His voice cracked and he ran his hands through his hair.

"I'd be destroying everything he's ever worked for, everything he stands for, I'd be betraying him ! I might as well be killing him myself!" He continued, surprised that he was about to cry again even after all the crying he'd already done. There was a long silence in the room as Izuku inhaled and exhaled deeply in an attempt to get a hold of himself.

"I know I can't rescue him alone, I'm not stupid. But I can't let innocents get hurt in the name of the Hero Killer. I know for a fact he'd rather spend the rest of his life in Tartarus before letting his message get tainted like that."

Toga shushed Izuku even though he managed to hold back his tears and for a few minutes her gentle voice was the only thing that could be heard amongst them. He eventually just leaned limply into Toga's embrace, too tired to even fight at this point.

"Midoriya…" Spinner tried, sounding unsure, "We wouldn't let Stain's mission get deviated like that."

Izuku laughed weakly.

"And who's gonna change Shigaraki's mind? The League has done nothing but attack the public these past few months. I don't even know if Stain is going to forgive me for joining in the first place."

Spinner hesitated and Izuku felt like the world around him was falling apart.

"Why did Stain join the League in the first place, if he hated it so much?" Todoroki asked, his low voice sounding incredibly calming for some reason. Izuku bit his lip, torn between telling these people the truth and keeping his mouth shut. If Shigaraki heard anything about Stain's intentions, he'd probably kill Izuku and let the Hero Killer rot in Tartarus forever.

"Why did you join initially, Midoriya? Why were you part of the attack on Hosu?" Dabi pressed and Izuku just looked him in the eye with a lost expression.

"We weren't," Izuku whispered and that seemed to catch everyone off guard, "The League did that on their own, Stain had no idea. He… he stabbed Shigaraki the first time they met." Was all Izuku dared to say.

Even Toga pulled back at that, though she kept her hands on Izuku's.

"He what?" Spinner asked barely above a whisper. The reality that this conversation could not leave this room under any circumstance dawned upon everyone and they huddled as far away from the door as they could. Well, maybe huddled wasn't the right word since only Toga was a fan of physical contact, but they still leaned closer together and lowered their voices as much as they could.

"What actually happened between the League and you?" Dabi demanded. When Izuku only shook his head and looked away, Dabi pressed further, "You have to tell us."

"Why?" Izuku croaked and Dabi's frown deepened.

"We can't help you if you don't,"

"I already told you, I can't let the Lea-"

"I'm not talking about the damn League," Dabi spat and that got Izuku to look him in the eye, "I'm talking about us. "

Izuku blinked a few times. He looked at the four people surrounding him and he saw a determined look in all of their eyes. Was he imagining it? No, they really looked like they meant it. But then…

"What are you saying?" Izuku whispered, looking for some solid confirmation.

"I'm saying we joined the League for Stain," Dabi stated simply and Spinner nodded.

"We wanted to help Stain, follow his ideals. If the League isn't a part of that, then…" Spinner reasoned.

"Then neither are we." Toga finished for him, a smile as warm as the sun on her face.

Izuku shook his head, denial and doubt clawing at his heart. They couldn't actually mean it, could they? They wouldn't risk angering Shigaraki and the rest of the League just for Stain, would they?

You would, his mind told him.

"What about Shigaraki? He'll kill you if you betray him." The teen tried, almost like he didn't want these four to risk their lives. But Dabi just shrugged.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," then, he stepped backward and let himself fall on the bed without a care in the world, "But first, you have to tell us what the hell is going on."

Toga and Spinner nodded while Todoroki took a seat on the edge of the bed next to his brother, all of them looking expectant. Izuku just stared at them dumbfounded, letting out a breathless laugh as tears once again stung his eyes.

"You're all insane," he whispered.

"And you're a crybaby. Now get talking."

"Hey, don't talk to Izuku like that, you jerk! Apologize!"

"Get off my case, you crazy girl,"

"Guys, can we all focus?"

Izuku started laughing.