"I think purple is the best option, but Magne picked out a pretty pink and a black in case you like them better. Which one would you prefer?" Toga asked excitedly, the boxes of hair dye in her arms.

"I, uh… Todoroki?" Izuku asked the other teen, the plastic bag on his head crinkling when he turned his head. The other boy just shrugged and Izuku gave Toga a hesitant smile.

"Why don't you pick it for us?" Toga nodded and started talking with Magne once more, the two of them trying to decide which color would look better on each boy.

Dabi had suggested just buying a pair of wigs, but Izuku had a firm belief that even after they got Stain back they would be all over the news, and Todoroki and him were very recognizable. Besides, a wig could fall off at any second, so hair dye was the option they went with. Only the left side of Todoroki's hair needed to be bleached while Izukuku's entire scalp was currently itching under the plastic bag on his head.

He sat next to Todoroki on the edge of the tub, while the two women excitedly discussed how they would cut their hair after they were done coloring it.

"At least they're having fun, huh?" Izuku asked the other teen but Todoroki only hummed in response.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just shave all our hair off?" Todoroki mused quietly and Izuku smiled.

"I think two boys our age with no hair would catch someone's eye," He reasoned and the other teen nodded thoughtfully. They hadn't really spoken much since they met, mostly because Todoroki was a rather serious boy, but Izuku didn't mind the silence. At the very least, Todoroki didn't seem particularly cold towards Izuku and that was a win for the latter.

The bathroom attached to Izuku's room matched the rest of the bar: small, fancy, and with lots of wooden finishes. Toga and Magne were practically on top of them even when they stood by the door, and the teen's legs were pressed against one another as they sat.

Since the other teen had spoken, Izuku tested his luck.

"Had you ever done something like this before?" He asked.

"Join a group of villains and plan an illegal rescue?" Todoroki asked and Izuku chuckled awkwardly.

"N-no, I meant the hair thing,"

"Oh," Todoroki blinked, glancing up at the bag on his own head, "No. My old man would have killed me if I ever suggested it. He's probably rolling in his grave," he added that last part with bitter satisfaction, and Izuku's eyes softened.

"You really hated him, Todoroki?"

"Yes." Todoroki's tone indicated that this was the last thing he wanted to speak about and Izuku swiftly shut his mouth. His curiosity was in no measure as big as his caution towards the other teen and so he kept himself from crossing any lines he sensed.

There was a short moment of tenseness before the other boy sighed and looked away.

"Shoto."

"What?"

"I'd prefer it if you called me Shoto."

Izuku smiled and nodded, offering his own first name in exchange. They sat in silence for another twenty minutes until the timer in Magne's phone went off, indicating that the bleach had to go.

"I'll help them!" Toga eagerly said, ushering Magne out of the tiny bathroom and locking the door after her. The smell of chemicals inside the cramped space was almost too much to bear and Izuku was glad to take the bag off his head at last. They turned on the water and, only then, they dared to speak.

"Did Magne tell you anything while you were out?" Izuku asked quietly as Toga took a seat next to him on the last few inches of the tub's rim available.

"Nope. She asked why I was in your room all night, but I told her it was a secret~" Toga said cheerfully and Izuku blushed madly while he washed his hair, thankful that he was kneeling and Toga couldn't see his face "I don't think she noticed that the others were there, too."

"That's good, gives us time." Izuku sighed.

"She's still a target, right?" Todoroki asked quietly, running his fingers through his wet hair to rinse it.

"I think so," Izuku responded, staring at the bottom of the tub in deep thought. What would Stain think? Scratch that, he knew what Stain would say. "Yes."

"I like her." Toga commented, most likely to herself, and Izuku swallowed.

Todoroki turned off the water after a while and they fell into a heavy silence, each one in their own thoughts.

The night before, the three of them, along with Dabi and Spinner, had stayed in Izuku's room talking for hours. They exchanged hushed opinions in an attempt to figure out how they would rescue Stain without hurting anyone that wasn't a target, while also keeping Shigaraki out of the loop.

"Stain thinks of Shigaraki as a target, so we might as well do the same," Dabi had said and everyone had agreed. Even Toga, who called the League's leader by his first name, accepted the fact that they would have to deal with Shigaraki eventually.

"What about the rest of the League, though?" Spinner had asked and a debate had ensued. Izuku was the only one who had seen what type of criminals Stain attacked but he was hesitant to judge the people in the League. The recent actions of the organization made all of its participants targets, but that also included Izuku's new allies and he wasn't too comfortable with that.

Spinner and Todoroki were mostly in the clear since neither of them had ever harmed anyone that wasn't a pro hero or a villain. Dabi confessed to killing two heroes and four 'deranged' criminals, as he described them. Apparently, living in the streets by yourself from a young age puts you in the path of some really bad people.

Toga had been reluctant to share her backstory with the rest of the group and they'd been interrupted by Kurogiri before they could get her to talk. She was currently the only one that Izuku didn't know anything about, since she'd left with Magne all day and had only returned an hour prior to give Todoroki and himself a 'makeover' as they put it.

Izuku was just about to remind Toga of the fact that they still had to talk, but just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Coming!" Toga called out happily and Izuku and Todoroki stood to follow her out of the bathroom. Izuku decided to bite his tongue for the time being.

"So, what do you think?" Spinner asked Izuku while he casually took a sip from his soda. Izuku leaned back slightly, his eyes barely leaving the gaming console in his hands to look around.

"So far I've seen two heroes. They're probably working at the hospital," The teen responded behind the mask covering his nose and mouth.

The two partners in crime were currently sitting down on a park bench, the building that was the villain's hospital looming about 500 feet from them. They weren't crazy enough to get any closer to the place, but the large park in front of the structure allowed them to scope out the area discreetly. Spinner looked strangely different with his hair down and Izuku's own hair was now a deep lilac color, so they probably wouldn't get recognized by random civilians.

Stain would laugh at this place, Izuku thought as he, once again, lost the game he was playing and restarted it without a hint of interest. The park was spacious and clean, with some games for children and even a small artificial lake in the middle. Part of Izuku reasoned that it was probably there to be used by family members that came to visit villains, but a larger part of his brain couldn't help but see this place as a statement.

The hospital was heavily guarded by police officers and multiple heroes, and to have a park right outside it served as a mockery. 'This place is so safe and inescapable that you can bring your family and play!'. That was what Izuku could hear in his mind, and the amount of people present at the park confirmed it.

The heroes Izuku had seen were practically sauntering around the park, meeting fans and generally just making their presence known. The wanted people to see them, probably to deter anyone from committing a crime in the general vicinity of the hospital.

Izuku's leg was bouncing up and down restlessly. He wanted to just run into the place and get Stain back now, but that wouldn't do anyone any good. They would only have one shot at this in a little more than 24 hours, and it had to go according to plan.

"Relax," Spinner told him, noticing the teen's frustration, "I want to rescue him too."

"I know," Izuku sighed. He wanted to get his mind off of the things threatening to give him a panic attack, but he had to stay alert. They were out here to gather intel for the rescue, after all. He restarted his game for what felt like the thousand time in the last hour.

Spinner stared at the other boy and, not knowing what else to do, offered Izuku some of his drink. Izuku stared, sighed, and then chuckled as he moved his mask aside to take a sip. He was suddenly aware of just how tense his back was.

"I'm really on edge," He said and Spinner smiled.

"I can tell. But it'll be fine, trust me,"

Izuku took another tiny sip from the drink, looking at Spinner from the corner of his eye. Without his villain costume, he looked not only younger but also laid back. Izuku could imagine him with headphones on and nodding along to some music. He handed back the can and tilted his head.

"Hey, Spinner?"

"What?"

"What got you to follow Stain in the first place?" Spinner raised a brow and Izuku shrugged, "I guess I don't know that much about you. I'm just curious."

Spinner seemed almost uncomfortable with the question for a moment and Izuku was just about to backtrack when the other man started murmuring.

"I… Um, I didn't really do much before all of this. I had no real interest in joining society, so I just stayed home and played video games. I couldn't see how the world could be enjoyable, or how I could… I don't know, do something useful? It seemed pointless, I guess. Heroes weren't appealing to me, though I didn't know why,"

It was hard to tell with the scales, but Izuku thought he could see a soft blush on Spinner's cheeks as he spoke.

"But then, when the videos from Hosu started going viral and I saw Stain and you fighting for this thing that you believed in, something… clicked. I finally saw something that I wanted to get up and do, you know? I finally saw some hope for the world that I had despised for years,"

Spinner spoke with a wide smile and a glint in his eyes, and Izuku didn't realize he was staring at his elder until Spinner started waving his hands in an embarrassed gesture.

"Does it sound dumb? I've never tried to put it into words before, so…"

"It doesn't sound dumb at all, Spinner," Izuku smiled, switching off the ignored gaming console and looking at the villain hospital.

"I actually think Stain would like you," Izuku commented casually, making the other man blush even more than before. The warm moment lasted all of ten seconds before Spinner frowned slightly.

"You really think he'll take us all in? Even after we were with the League?"

Izuku sighed deeply. He had thought about that before but he'd been unable to reach a conclusion. He didn't want to promise something that he'd be unable to keep in the future, but he feared that his allies would stop helping him if he couldn't assure that Stain would accept them all.

He ran a hand through his short hair, and his expression must have been enough to show how he felt because Spinner spoke up before he could.

"I'd understand. If he deemed us unworthy, I mean," Izuku shot him a worried look but Spinner was looking at the building that they'd be attacking soon.

"I can't speak for everyone else, but I'd just be glad to get the Hero Killer back in his rightful place. As long as we can keep spreading his message, I don't care if he considers me a target."

Izuku felt his ribcage constrict around his heart and he had to fight the impulse to start crying. The fact that this man was willing to assist him when there was nothing to gain felt like a kick to the stomach. Izuku's hands clenched and he shook his head.

"I… I can't promise anything. But I swear I'll try to get Stain to see what I see."

"And what's that?" Spinner asked curiously.

"That you're just like me. Like him. That you're all worthy companions."

Spinner chuckled, downing what was left of his soda and crushing the empty can in his hand. He said nothing, but he gave Izuku a brief respectful look and smiled lightly.

"Any questions?" Kurogiri asked once the meeting had concluded. They had just spent the last hour polishing their rescue plan for the following morning.

"You guys better deliver," Shigaraki warned Dabi, but the burnt man only blinked in response.

"Yeah, you guys better pull through! I'm sure we'll be fine, boss!" Twice all but screamed and with that, the meeting seemed to be officially over.

Izuku let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He'd been horribly nervous the entire time and he was sure that his companions felt the same to some extent.

It was hard to accept, but they needed help from the League to get Stain back in one piece. They would still make sure that the Hero Killer's message wasn't damaged during the mission, even if that meant that all five of them had to change Shigaraki's plan right under the leader's nose.

They'd spent the entire hour arguing and shifting the truth here and there, all to assure that they would be in complete control of the situation the following day. It'd been complicated, but they'd managed to come up with a plan that pretty much guaranteed that no one that wasn't a part of this would get hurt.

Izuku was hopeful that Stain wouldn't be overly angry with their rescue efforts if they managed to keep all civilians and police officers out of danger, even if that made the mission a hundred times harder. But they would rather take that chance.

Izuku prayed that everything would work, but he was distracted by the crushing force around his arm. Toga had her face hidden in his shoulder and she was almost digging her nails into his flesh.

The girl had been far more clingy than usual, which was saying a lot. She was also less chipper somehow, though Izuku couldn't quite place it. He'd asked her multiple times if she was ok (Magne had asked as well) but Toga had waved them off all day.

She'd made sure to stay as close to Izuku as humanly possible, be it by taking his hand or hugging him, but the gestures felt far more desperate than they usually did.

Now that the meeting was over though, she looked almost sad and Izuku wasn't sure what to do. He glanced around, but no one was looking their way.

"Toga? You okay?" Izuku asked yet again, feeling how Toga's breath warmed his skin as she mumbled against his arm.

"I can't hear you…" He said gently, a small smile on his lips.

"I wanna talk to you…" she whispered, pulling on his arm.

"Oh. what about?"

She shook her head and started walking away from everyone else. Izuku only managed to send a nervous look towards Shoto before he was dragged up the stairs and towards her room.

Toga was one of the few that currently lived at the bar, since a bunch of them had nowhere else to go. Her room was at the end of the hall, sandwiched between Dabi's room and an unoccupied one. She all but shoved Izuku inside and locked the door behind her, making Izuku panic almost immediately.

What was happening? Why were they alone in her room? Was he even allowed in here by himself?!

He turned to face Toga, a heavy blush covering him from the neck up. He was ready to properly freak out but noticed that Toga was still facing the door, hand on the knob and shoulders slumped. He waited long enough to regain his composure and then cleared his throat.

"Toga? W-what are we doing in here? What did you want to talk about?"

He was met with silence. He could see Toga's hand fidgeting with the lock and for half a second he forgot about his embarrassment. This wasn't normal for Toga. She was never so unresponsive, especially towards Izuku. He found himself stepping closer to the girl, a hand stretched out in a reaching gesture.

"Hey, are you alright? What's wr-" Izuku asked worriedly, but the end of his sentence was knocked right out of his chest as Toga all but tackled him. She crashed against him like an avalanche and Izuku stumbled backward hastily. They missed the bed and crashed on the ground painfully, though Izuku barely noticed that.

There was a stinging pain on his shoulders and for half a second he believed that Toga had stabbed him. He instinctively pushed her shoulder away and tried to twist himself out of her grip, but her head stayed glued to his neck and it suddenly clicked that she hadn't stabbed him.

She was biting him.

Her teeth were digging into the skin between his shoulder and neck, right next to the scar that he'd gotten from his battle in Hosu. With this new realization Izuku was able to maneuver himself back by pressing on her neck and using his knees for leverage.

Toga was sent back forcefully, but it was Izuku's own image that landed on the ground next to the bed, blood shining on the impostor's lips.

Izuku touched his shoulder and hissed quietly. The wound wasn't deep, but he was sure that the whole bite mark would leave a scar.

"What the hell?! Toga!" Izuku kept his voice low, not wanting to alert anyone outside the room as to what was happening. If Shigaraki saw them fighting he might decide not to send one of them to the rescue mission and that could ruin everything.

The teen tensed in anticipation, expecting a second attack that never came. Instead, Toga stayed on the ground, hugging herself with an almost manic expression, her shoulders shaking.

"I had to," She explained with a hint of sadness, though the smile didn't leave her face, "It might be my last chance."

"What are you talking about?" Izuku used his shirt to press down on his wound. He tried to hold back any anger he might be feeling, not wanting to trigger Toga again. In all honesty he was mostly confused, perhaps a tad scared, more than mad.

Toga shook her head, holding herself like it was the last thing she had in the world. All of the sadness she'd been hiding today was suddenly out in the open, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she rocked back and forth. Izuku watched her in silence for a good minute, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

He couldn't just leave her, that much was clear to him, but anything he tried could potentially make things worse. He let his shoulders relax slightly to come off as less of a threat, though his legs were positioned to avoid another attack if it ever came.

"Toga, what's happening?" He tried, his brows furrowed in concern. He was met with his own green eyes, though Toga's expression made them look lost and unfocused.

"Talk to me," He urged when tears finally started cascading down Toga's face.

"I don't think Stain is going to like me," she explained bitterly, her smile faltering.

"Why, because you're with the League?"

Toga shook her head, making Izuku's form look much younger than he was for a moment. She looked like a frightened child. She was still holding herself tight and Izuku felt his heart ache in his chest.

"Then why?"

"The night we all talked, you said the rest of the League were all targets because they hurt innocent people," She said weakly. Izuku nodded and the pointed look he received was enough to raise anxiety in his chest.

Toga cried while Izuku thought. After a long moment, he allowed himself to scoot closer to his copy, his head tilted to the side in a gentle gesture.

"Toga," He called and the girl looked at him desperately, "Tell me what happened."

He spoke softly and he kept a relaxed posture, all in an attempt to get her to talk. Whatever she was struggling with was clearly weighing down on her and Izuku just wanted her to be honest with him. He was already expecting the worst, but he had to make sure before he could do anything about it.

Toga hiccuped pathetically, her shoulders shaking as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"I… I've hurt innocent people before."

Izuku leaned forward and gave her a reassuring look to get her to continue, which she did softly.

"Nobody liked my quirk, or my personality, when I was small. Everyone thought I was scary and disgusting, so I hid it. Only my bestie knew how it worked and she said it was fine. She said that she loved me anyway and that she'd always be there when I needed her."

Izuku nodded, already feeling the pit in his stomach grow.

"I stayed at her place one night because my parents wanted nothing to do with me and they kicked me out. And I was feeling so bad and so desperate and I needed something to focus on and she had said that she'd help me." Toga choked slightly, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

"But when I tried to get some blood from her she freaked out and she fought with me for the knife and she just… She promised she'd help me. And then there was so much blood, but I could finally think straight and I just…"

Toga finally broke down completely, quiet sobs wracking her body. As if on queue, the illusion of Izuku's image melted off her body and all that was left was a crying girl on the ground. Izuku let her calm down slightly, still unsure of whether physical contact would help her at all.

He shushed her from where he sat, trying to get her to breathe normally as she started to hyperventilate.

"Toga," Izuku tried, but she just shook her head again.

"They locked me up for a year after that and everyone left me. And when Stain finds out what I did he's going to kill me,"

"Toga, please-"

"And now that you know you'll never even let me touch you again. You'll leave me too, just like everyone else did, an-"

Throwing all caution to the wind, Izuku pulled Toga in for a hug. He had absolutely no idea of what else to do and he needed her to calm down before she had a full blown panic attack. She tensed in his arms, almost like she expected Izuku to hit her, but he just kept the firm hold on her until she clung to his shirt.

"Why?" She whispered and he patted her head softly. He could remember the night he'd spent with Stain in a car, the time he'd had a horrible nightmare and his teacher had been forced to calm him down. A sense of determination surged in his chest.

He said sweet nothings to her until she was done crying and then, and only then, he pushed her back by the shoulders to look her in the eye.

"Toga, this is very important. You have to tell me the truth, ok?"

She nodded, biting her lip.

"Did you kill your friend?"

"No," she sobbed, "Her mom found us and she called the cops."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

"No. But I was so close…"

"Who did you hurt during the League's attacks?"

"Heroes. Cops. I was supposed to get as much blood from as many people as possible."

"Is there anything you're not telling me?"

Toga shook her head, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Izuku looked her in the eye for a long moment before nodding, pulling Toga into his arms when she started crying again. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just the two of them hugging on the floor of the darkened room. Of all the times Toga had clung onto Izuku, this was the first time that he could truly appreciate how much she needed it.

He ached, thinking about all of the rejection she'd faced in the past because of her quirk and her mental instability. Had she been properly supported by others, would she be here right now? No. She'd be in school with her friends, right where Izuku was supposed to be at the moment.

To a quirkless boy like himself, the thought of having a quirk -any quirk- was tempting beyond belief, but he'd always known things weren't so simple. He'd heard of people being shunned because of their quirks before, but he'd never met anyone like Toga. Those people were all supposedly monsters, creatures controlled exclusively by their power who didn't know when or how to stop.

But the girl in his arms was nothing like that. She was scared, lonely, and desperate. She was capable of feeling love and doubt, just like anyone else.

Toga's grasp on Izuku was loosening slightly and he thought for a moment that she'd fallen asleep. But when he pulled back, he was met with yellow eyes.

"You don't hate me?" She asked in a tiny voice, and Izuku gave her a small smile.

"No, Toga. I don't hate you."

"You're not disgusted by me?"

"No."

"All the people in my life only liked me when I faked who I was. But I'm tired of that. I can't hide anymore."

Izuku patted her hair gently, nodding as she spoke.

"You don't have to hide with us, ok?"

"What about Stain?" She asked innocently and Izuku almost wanted to pick her up and take her somewhere safe.

"We'll talk to him, ok? I'll be right there. The important thing is that you haven't killed anyone, ok?"

"But, what if I… lose control?" There was so much doubt in her voice as she spoke and Izuku instinctively held her tighter.

They hadn't known each other for long at all, but her insistence to be close to Izuku at all times put her in a different place than the others. Izuku trusted Dabi, Spinner and Shoto; hell, he was trusting them with the most important mission of his life. But Toga was just on another level. Well, not level. She wasn't above the rest but Izuku still got used to her presence first and he wanted to protect her.

"You need blood to clear your head, right?" He asked cautiously and she nodded, "How often?"

"Not that often. I usually just need it badly after something stressful happens, or when I get hurt. Maybe once every ten days?"

"Well," Izuku said, a warm smile on his face, "Then you can use me whenever you need it."

Toga blushed madly, a reaction that Izuku hadn't been expecting. He lifted his hand before adding,

"But you have to promise me you'll let me know when you actually need it. We don't need you acting strong and then hurting others, ok? Can you do that?"

Toga threw herself at Izuku with such strength that she knocked them both to the ground even further, her happy giggles and excited nodding making Izuku smile.

He held Toga as a flood of thoughts and emotions filled his head, and he was suddenly very nervous and very determined. He made up his mind at that moment.

No matter what it took, he would make sure that his allies were accepted by his teacher.