A/n: TW for attempted kidnapping, attempted sexual assault, and violence.
When they returned home all of Izuku's purchases from the thrift store were put away in his room. Even the books, which he thought Tomura got for himself or Kurogiri, and the stickers were stuck to the ceiling above his bed. The bag from the stationary shop went on the desk and Izuku stared at it warily. He still wasn't sure what to make of getting gifted liquor by a stranger.
Finally, curiosity won out. He opened the bag to pull out the bottle. It was smaller than others he'd seen through the door of the shop, with a fancy green and gold label proclaiming the contents to be Chartreuse. The liquid itself was a violent shade of yellow-green, looking more like poison than something he'd want to drink.
He sat it aside with a grimace to contemplate later. Maybe Tomura would want it. Sitting down, he got to work organizing his desk to suit his tastes and putting away supplies. Once done he opened the laptop to double check that it worked and to set it up. He wasn't overly familiar with the inner workings of computers but he wasn't illiterate. He knew enough to reformat the hard drive on used ones and to run virus scans before anything else.
A knock on the door startled him a while later. Tomura entered without waiting for an invitation, glancing around curiously. "Lunch is almost done." He wandered closer to look over Izuku's shoulder. "That program is shit. After we eat I'll help you install better."
Izuku aimed a shy smile at him. "Thanks. It's b-been a while since I've had to set one up."
The man grunted and shrugged, getting distracted by the bottle. He reached out to pick it up with a low whistle. "Nice. You musta made an impression." Tomura unscrewed the cap and took a drink before offering it to Izuku. "Only small sips at first. Some people are allergic to it in higher doses."
The warning didn't do much to assure the greenette but he took the bottle anyway. Sniffing the opening, he was pleasantly surprised that it was nothing like he expected. It smelled sharp but sweet, with heavy herbal notes. He glanced at Tomura, who made an encouraging gesture with his hands, and took the tiniest of sips.
The flavor matched the smell, sweet with complex minty and bitter hints. It went down smooth before it started to faintly burn and warm his insides. Izuku blinked. It was good! He took a bigger sip before handing it back to the man, recalling his words about allergies.
Tomura grinned, capping it after another drink. "Put it in the back of your desk so Kurogiri doesn't find it." He offered the bottle back and Izuku followed the instruction, shoving it in the bottom drawer behind a stack of fresh notebooks. Just in time.
The shadowy man interrupted further discussion by popping his head in. Izuku tried not to look guilty, ignoring a snicker from Tomura and focusing on the computer to avoid looking at Kurogiri. "Lunch is ready."
While they ate, Kurogiri outlined his plans for the building. As Izuku had suggested, it would look like a normal bar and be open for business. It gave them a cover for recruitment and meetings that wouldn't raise suspicions. He was also planning to rent out the empty apartments for extra income. Anyone looking at them would just see an entrepreneur and his family. Though of course all their permits were forged.
The storage rooms in back were large enough that Kurogiri suggested they use an empty one to begin training Izuku to fight. That got the boy excited. The subject had been brought up before but with everything happening it got sidelined. He wanted to be able to pull his own weight if he needed to, not just sit around all day analyzing. He'd look up exercises later.
Seeing Izuku's eagerness, Tomura rolled his eyes. "How about we get started after this, shrimp? It'll take a lot of work to get some muscles on those noodle arms. Just don't expect me to go easy on you."
The greenette couldn't even refute that. He was fast, thanks to avoiding Katsuki and other bullies, but not very strong. With a determined frown, he nodded before turning back to the meal. It took all his willpower to keep pace with Tomura rather than scarfing it down.
Once everyone was finished Tomura led Izuku downstairs and into the bar. Behind the counter was a doorway which led to the manager's office, an employee break room, and storage spaces. The building was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. The pale man opened one of the doors to reveal an empty room. It wasn't large enough for elaborate training, but brawling and working out would be fine.
To start, Tomura stood in the center of the room. His stance was relaxed and his expression bored. When Izuku just stood there staring in confusion, the man huffed in annoyance and made a 'come hither' motion. "Attack me."
Dismay made him hesitate. This… was just going to be Tomura beating him up all day, wasn't it? Yes, yes it was. When Izuku finally rushed forward to punch him, the man sidestepped and kicked his feet out from under him. The greenette landed painfully on his tailbone and bit his tongue.
"Watch my chest and hips to see how I'll move." Tomura moved back into place.
The cycle repeated three more times before Izuku managed to follow Tomura's movements and adjust accordingly. Just before the hit could land, the man grabbed his wrist, leaned to the side, and yanked while sticking a foot out to trip him. Izuku's small size made it easy for Tomura to overpower and manhandle him.
And so the next two hours went. Every time Izuku adapted to Tomura's moves, the man added a new curve ball. It was frustrating and painful, though he did get advice after every failed attempt. Izuku didn't land a single hit. By the time Tomura called a halt Izuku was bruised and sore while the man still looked unimpressed and a bit smug.
The greenette could grudgingly see the merit of learning to fight by doing, rather than getting distracted by theory or choreographed sparring. During a real fight there wouldn't be time to think and opponents wouldn't follow a pattern. That knowledge didn't keep him from mentally complaining as he limped back upstairs to shower and change.
Despite being exhausted, later that night Izuku looked up exercises he could do on his own to help speed things along. A lot of strengthening routines called for equipment, but he could start with the basics. Eventually he could ask Kurogiri for smaller pieces of equipment once things felt easier.
Ignoring aching muscles, he went through sets of pushups, squats, and sit-ups in the morning. After breakfast Tomura took him into the supply room for training for two hours. After training he'd help Kurogiri with things in the bar or around the house until lunch. Afternoons were when he'd research heroes or other topics of interest to the villains. After dinner he'd do more research or watch Tomura play games until bed.
While sleeping he still had nightmares, but they were tapering down to a level he could deal with alone. Waking up screaming was becoming a rare occurrence, much to everyone's relief. It helped that Sensei never specifically summoned him again. He got away with sending his notes with Kurogiri and Tomura.
The routine continued with only minor deviation for the better part of six months. The bar was opened to customers about a month after they settled in, meaning he and Tomura had to make their own dinner while the shadowy man tended the business. The official hours were 3pm to 3am, which is how Izuku discovered that Kurogiri didn't need to sleep. It seriously made him wonder about the man's origins but he never got the nerve to ask.
At around the same time the bar became operational, Kurogiri put a 'for rent' sign up for the empty apartments. There were six units in total, with all the others being one bedroom or studios. They filled up fast with a mix of low level criminals and students due to the cheap rates. Izuku didn't pay much attention to their neighbors, except for one.
A hulking guy with a red fake eye lived directly next door. He creeped the greenette out whenever they met in the hallway or the bar. There was no specific reason for the reaction that Izuku could pinpoint. The other criminals didn't set him off like that man did. It was puzzling and made him more cautious when exiting the apartment without one of the others accompanying him.
It was in late January that he found out why. It was an overcast day that threatened freezing rain if not snow. Despite being early afternoon it was dark and cold enough that most locals were holed up indoors. The streets were deserted as Izuku trekked to a nearby grocery store.
Tomura was supposed to go with him to restock their food but he complained about the cold before faking having a meeting with Sensei. He'd disappeared through a portal hours ago. Kurogiri was tending the bar, which was busier than usual because of the weather. So it fell on Izuku to go out alone if they wanted more than just assorted dagashi for dinner.
He vowed to force Tomura to buy him a new bottle of Chartreuse for the trouble. Maybe two. He'd burned through it on bad nights that he couldn't sleep. It turned out that he could have the equivalent of three shots before his skin got itchy and he had to stop for a few days.
Shopping went by quickly thanks to strictly following a list. He only bought extra snacks for himself to spite the pale man, who'd demanded matcha Pocky and melon Ramune. Izuku got him psoriasis moisturizer instead. By the time he was done he was laden with eight heavy plastic bags. Thanks to training it felt like nothing.
Halfway back to the bar he inexplicably started feeling anxious. His heart raced and the hair on his arms and neck stood on end. He struggled to remain relaxed, like Tomura taught him to increase his reaction times, but his knuckles were white around the bag handles. A subtle glance around yielded no clues.
He was just passing a recessed shop entrance when someone grabbed him from behind and dragged him into an alleyway. A massive hand covered his mouth, choking off any cries. "You're a hard one to get alone. But I'm patient. If you can beat me, I'll leave you alone. If not..."
Bile rose in Izuku's throat when another hand dipped down to roughly squeeze the front of his pants. Tears of pain and fear sprang to his eyes and he dropped the bags to struggle wildly. He gripped the hand covering his mouth and yanked down until he could bite flesh, at the same time he stomped back on the man's toes.
With a growl the attacker ripped his hand away and stepped back. Izuku was satisfied to taste blood. Acting quickly, he whipped around with a loud yell for help and kicked between the man's legs. He stumbled but stayed standing.
Pain exploded in Izuku's face and he was knocked to the ground by a harsh blow. Blinking rapidly, he was horrified to realize it was his neighbor. He lashed out towards the man's knee only for him to block it and grab his ankle in a crushing hold. "Show me your blood, and cry for me!"
Vertigo twisted Izuku's vision as he was thrown into a wall. He blacked out for a few seconds when his head made contact. When he managed to pry his eyes open again the hulking figure was looming over him. Dizziness had him seeing double as he tried to scramble away. A kick to the side sent him back into the wall and he felt something crack.
"Are you ready to come quietly?" The guy sounded excited after beating Izuku to a pulp.
The realization made nausea turn in his stomach. In a last ditch effort, he yelled again while kicking with all his strength at the man's ankle. He staggered with a grunt and there was a sickening grating noise when he instinctively put his weight on it to catch his balance. Rather than go down, his leg muscles writhed and extended to support the broken ankle.
Before he could advance again, blue light flared to illuminate the alley. Izuku cringed and snapped his eyes closed against it. Intense heat followed less than a second later, painful against chilled skin. The man started screaming and someone seized the back of the greenette's jacket to haul him away.
The cries died down fast. When Izuku cracked his eyes open all that was left was a smoldering pile of ash and bones, with lingering cerulean flames cremating even those. Turning to look at his rescuer, concerned electric blue eyes met exhausted green.
"Let's get you home, kid." Strong arms hoisted him into a bridal carry and Izuku instinctively burrowed into the warmth radiating from the man. He dimly recognized him as the one who gave him the Chartreuse months ago. He smelled like cigarettes, smoke, and cheap shampoo.
"W-wait. Th'bags." Izuku's words slurred through rapidly swelling cheeks and a split lip. He heard a curse but then felt the man bend down to awkwardly gather them around the greenette.
"Where do you live?"
"Th'bar. 'S down th'street. Leap a Faith." Izuku named the place 'Leap of Faith' in a fit of dark irony. He was rather proud of it. Kurogiri insisted on it since it was the greenette's idea to buy the place.
His thoughts wandered a bit chaotically until the gentle sway of being carried lulled him into unconsciousness.