Chapter Summary: A welcome visitor. Decompression in action. Orders for your general.

Villain!Izuku, Canon-Divergent.
(Warnings for: past kidnapping, past torture, past experimentation and brainwashing.)
This was co-written by kattenprinsen and is cross-posted onto archive of our own.

Rama: so when I actually name a quirk in this fic I'll be making a note of it at the bottom of the chapter. Named quirks are the ones with full capital letters instead of just being referenced in their action: IE: a retention quirk vs Direct Contact quirk.

Chapter Five: a cat, a princess and a wolfhound walk into a bar

Izuku took two steps into his house before he let out a groan from the depths of his lungs and dropped his school bag on the floor. He toed off his shoes as he staggered in, slumping down lower and lower until he was nearly shuffling on his knees across the floor. Reaching the couch, he climbed over the side, dragged himself over it and stretched out over the cushions. Not satisfied with dangling his feet over one edge and his hands not reaching the other side, Izuku activated his elastic quirk and stretched out his spine and limbs enough so his elbows hooked over the arm. Pressing his face against the cushion, he groaned again.

"Izukun?" His mother's voice drifted in from the kitchen. "Honey?"

"School is exhausting," Izuku said in reply. "Non-stop chatter. Non-stop attention. Non-stop quirk use. My brain is going to ooze out my ears and drip onto the floor."

Inko came into the room. She sighed when she reached the couch. "Look at you," she admonished, "Izuku, my couch is not shorter than you. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to melt into the cushions," he said, "and go to sleep for forty years." He turned his head almost all the way around, his elastic quirk making him incredibly flexible. "Is that okay? Can I just do that?"

"You can do anything you like," Inko said. She pat his hair gently, "But I thought going to school was what you needed to do right now."

Izuku turned his head back around and buried his face into the cushion. She was right, of course. Everything he had planned would be easier to accomplish with his pieces all in one place instead of scattered around like they would be after graduation.

"Besides, isn't school more fun to go to with all those other kids? You can make friends and, well, I suppose you already know most of the basic lessons in literature and math but the hero classes! They must be a lot of fun!" Inko carried on brightly, as though Izuku wasn't actively trying to meld with the cushions. Well. Not a actively actively. He didn't want to be fibrous on top of everything else for that day. "Didn't you get into class with that boy you like? Did you meet him? You should tell momma everything!"

Izuku twisted around again, so that his mother could clearly hear him, and frowned. "Research shows that teenagers are supposed to be embarrassed talking about romance with their parents. Statistically speaking, I should be attempting even harder to bond with the couch or disappear into the floor. Please excuse me for neglecting common teen behavior, mom, because I absolutely met him and he is just as cute as he was on TV." He ended up grinning at his mother. It took only a flicker of attention to regain his normal, well, at least semi-standard, size and then turn off his elastic quirk.

Inko beamed at him, "That's wonderful honey! I was so worried about you in school! You haven't gone since you were just a sweet little thing and, well, I know that child goes to school with you."

Izuku shrugged a shoulder, "He's barely on my radar. He's in another class altogether so he can only bother me between classes or after school. Most of the time he's too busy with his head up his own ass to even see me."

"Good." Inko came around the couch to sit with Izuku. He gathered his one leg up underneath himself, still limber even without a quirk active, and tucked the other knee to his chest. "So about the boy in your class. The one who likes cats?"

"Haha, he's got this cat binder, mom. Oh my god," Izuku rolled his eyes, "It's the cutest thing ever. He tried not to let me see but of course I did anyway."

"Ohh nooo," Inko gasped behind her hand, giggling in delight, "Izuku! Momma wants to meet this boy! You should bring him home!"

"I will, I will," Izuku smiled at her. He propped his cheek on his knee, "Not yet, but hopefully soon. I made a lot more progress with him today than I was expecting. I got him to speak and use his quirk with only a little prompting. He has such a soothing voice… Although he's a bit stilted, I mean, he quotes these things he's read online like, all the time. I guess he spent a lot of time online instead of dealing with other people from school."

"Well you find out what his favorite meal is so when you do invite him I can make it for him! Any friend of yours is welcome here, Izukun." She reached out again, brushing his hair back behind his ear and smiling gently at him. "I'm so glad you get to come in as yourself. It was nice before, when you could visit, but it just isn't the same as having you live with me again."

"I'm sorry about that," Izuku said, pitching his voice lower. He met his mother's gaze. For a moment he debated activating his Direct Contact quirk, but decided against it. They had already said enough that if they were being overheard by any surveillance there would be questions. Just because he had checked his home out a week ago for anything didn't mean that there hadn't been a bug put in since then. "We probably shouldn't get in the habit of talking about that, Mom. It'll be trouble later on if we do. Do you understand? I want you to be safe." He took her hand in his, "You're important to me and I want to protect you."

She squeezed his hand. "I understand." Tears glistened in her eyes as she whispered, "My own little hero… You've grown up so well, Izuku."

Izuku laughed and nodded. "I'm glad you think so." It hadn't been easy to get to this point but, as his mother took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead, Izuku thought it was probably worth it.

Before they could sit in silence for too long, there came a knock at the door. Inko blinked in comic surprise as she rose from the couch, muttering in wonder about who it could possibly be. Izuku sat back on the couch, relaxing with his eyes shut. He had a pretty good idea that it was-

"Daichi-san, welcome!" Inko said delightedly, "Please come in!"

"Thank you, Inko-san," a genteel voice murmured back, carrying just enough so Izuku could hear. There was the sound of him stepping into the house. "I heard word that you had finally found your son?"

Izuku rolled his head along the back of the couch so he could see the doorway. He cracked open an eye to see the tall man taking off his hat as he addressed Inko. She waved her hands as she spoke, flustered as though the man wasn't a common visitor. "Oh yes! Yes! Izuku was rescued earlier this week by a lovely girl in Yuuei. We've been so busy getting him checked up and enrolled in classes that I just haven't had time to contact you!"

"That's all right," He said, "I thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing myself. You are, after all, my longest client and I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't see your son returned to you myself." He looked up, giving a gentle smile to Izuku. His elderly face was lined from stress and pale from how much time he spent indoors. His hair, though more silver than black, was thick on top of his head. "Hello Izuku-kun. My name is Daichi. I was the private investigator that your mother employed in the search for you."

Izuku bit his lip to keep from snorting. He put his arm over the back of the couch and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Daichi-san. I'm glad that my mother wasn't searching alone for me all these years."

There was a long pause where Izuku bit back his smirk and Inko pressed her hand to her lips to keep from giggling. Abruptly, Daichi broke his stoic expression, laughing hard enough he started coughing. He thumped his chest and cleared his throat. Inko fluttered nervously at his elbow, worried about his health.

"I apologize, Inko-san," Daichi said. "And to you too, little master. Ahh, I simply could not contain myself any longer!"

"So we aren't under surveillance anymore?" Izuku asked, perking up. "I thought they'd at least bug my front room, you know?"

Inko looked briefly alarmed, but calmed as Daichi pat her shoulder. "There was some attention for the first few days, of course, but heroes are very busy and policemen are easily distracted. Why, just the other day, there was as series of mysterious attacks with strange burn patterns and reports of dark flames on the other side of the jurisdiction and they had to focus their efforts on that."

Dabi, Izuku thought with a grin. "How is Father doing?"

"The master is… adapting." Daichi said generously, "He does do that thing still where he looks up from his work to ask your opinion, of course, so he clearly does miss your presence."

"Oh the poor man," Inko murmured, clearly empathizing. "How is his health? Izukun mentioned he wasn't doing so well when he last saw him."

"It is stable," Daichi said, "He is dedicated to his work and that maintains him."

Here, Izuku turned away to hide his instinctive frown. Father's work was something Izuku had disagreed with. Not entirely, of course, but in a few fundamental ways, there was contradicting desires. It was why he had left Father's laboratory. He wouldn't have been able to achieve his goal if he worked within the man's shadow.

Inko and Daichi chatted for a while, about Father and, bewilderingly, the same soap opera they both liked, while Izuku stared at the far wall. His mind was clipping along at a quick speed. A lot of work had been accomplished this week. He had nipped the Bakugou problem in the bud, insinuated himself into 3-B, started the lure on Todoroki and had gotten Hitoshi to speak to him- and those had only been the things he had planned on doing.

He was quickly discovering that this infiltration business took a lot more effort and a level of finesse that was higher than a typical heist. His head was still swimming with information, and though he knew his mother was definitely a willing ear, he knew that there were just some things better said to others. Others with, how should he put it, less innocent ears.

When he turned back around, it abrupt enough that Daichi stopped midsentence, looked up and asked, "Little master?"

"Is Himichan at Kuro's tonight? Could you drop me off there?"

"Izukun," Inko frowned, "Are you going out?"

"Just for a few hours, Mom," Izuku said, getting to his feet. "I read that decompression after things like school or work is important and one of the best ways to do that is to discuss things with friends. Well, Himichan is my friend and I know she'd love to hear what's going on."

Inko gave a sad look that Izuku read easily as, But your mother can help you too! And he gave her a calming smile. "I'll tell you more over dinner. I promise! I just, well, it's part of the teen experience, isn't it? Hanging out with friends?"

"Well, I suppose… And that is important for your image right now…"

Izuku smiled at her. "Thank you. I'll be back tonight. I promise."

"Okay." She agreed with a nod.

Daichi tucked his hat back on his head, "Both Toga-san and Dabi-san should be at Kuro's place. I can indeed escort you to that location."

"Fantastic. Just a moment, I'm going to change." Izuku ducked away, already undressing by the time he reached his bedroom door. He slipped out of his uniform, tossed on casual clothes and a hoodie that fit him as a seventeen year old. He paused on his way out, shifting shape and tightening his belt to adjust for his smaller size. As he reached the door, his mom gave a little gasp.

"Izukun!" She cried, "You're little again!"

Fourteen year old Izuku brushed the hoodie back from his tangle of hair and grinned. "Yeah. This is how I look when I hang out with Himichan and the others. Isn't it cute?"

"Look how small you are!" She whispered, stars in her eyes, "I could cuddle you for days!"

"Mom, please," Izuku rolled his eyes. "Be reasonable. You could only cuddle me for a few hours before you got bored."

Daichi held out his hands, "Are you ready to go now, little master?"

"Yup," Izuku said. He flexed his shape shifting quirk again, and instead of just making himself appear as his younger self, Izuku shrank down and adjusted into a completely different species. In moments a small, extremely fluffy black cat crouched on the floor where he had stood. Izuku pounced, landing in Daichi's arms.

The man let out a whoof of breath as he caught the surprisingly heavy cat. He settled Izuku in his arms and then gave a nod to Inko. "I'll see your son to his destination safely, Inko-san."

Inko gently pat Izuku between the ears. He closed those bright green eyes of his and purred at her touch. "You be a good boy, Izukun," she said, "Don't get into any trouble you can't get out of!"

Izuku purred louder. Daichi gave Inko a nod and turned. He stepped back out of the Midoriya home, the black cat curled in his arm and his expression bland. On their way out to the street, they passed a familiar blond with an irritated expression. He gave them one red eyed glare, but Daichi amiably smiled at him. Izuku stared back at him, eyes narrowed. Bakugou spat in annoyance as they passed each other, grumbling about "stupid fucking animals" and Izuku purred.

The door was an inch ajar, just enough for a single black paw to bat it open further. Nudging it with his nose, Izuku slipped into the dimly lit and sparsely populated bar and padded across the floor silently. Delicately picking his way through the chairs and seats, he leaped up onto a stool at the bar. Lifting a paw, he pat the counter, and gave a "Mrow!" for attention.

Kurogiri turned, his light eyes crinkling in amusement. He glided over, "Well hello there, are you lost, little stray?"

Meowing again, Izuku shook his head. He pat his paw against the counter again.

"Well, if you're in the right place," Kurogiri continued, "Would you like to order something to drink?"

Izuku perked up. He drummed both paws on the counter, meowing repeatedly. Hell yes would he like something to drink!

"Hmm, let's see if I have something suitable for a cat…" The man of mist chuckled to himself as he drifted away to search the fridge behind the bar. Izuku sat happily on the stool, his bushy tail curled around his feet. After a minute or two, Kurogiri returned with a glass of milk. He placed it down in front of Izuku. "Here you go. Would you like to drink it here or at the table with your guests?"

Izuku stood again, gave another "Mrow!" and hopped down from his seat. He crouched on the ground, arching his spine and stretching, pulling at his quirk until he rose to his feet, fourteen in appearance and wearing his too-big sweatshirt again. "Meow!" He said automatically. Coughing, he picked up the cup of milk, "I mean, thanks. And I'll take this to my table."

"It's good to see you again, young one," Kurogiri mused, leaning back. "There's been quite a buzz about your activities. Is it true that you melted half a building down in your entrance exam?"

Izuku flushed, "It wasn't a building, it was a bunch of robots. But yes. Machinery doesn't do well against magma, after all." He flashed a grin and slipped away, "I'll have to tell you about it later!"

Kurogiri chuckled and waved him off.

Izuku made his way back through the tables, grinning and greeting the different associates that were there. He got more than a few congratulations and half a dozen slaps on the shoulder before made it over to the booth that Himiko sat in, stars in her eyes, a drink cradled in her hands and the biggest grin Izuku had ever seen outside of a mirror. "Himichan!" He cried.

"Izukun!" She squealed back. He sat beside her and pulled her into a tight hug. She hugged him just as tightly back, giggling. When she pulled back, Himiko cupped his face in her hands, her painted nails sparkling as brightly as her eyes. "You scoundrel! Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Class been out for an hour," Izuku said, rolling his eyes, "You would know that if you actually attended any."

"Booooring~" She sang. "No way am I gonna bother with that stuff! Teachers and homework and smelly boys? Ew!" She gave him a smooch on either cheek, her pink lipgloss leaving a glimmer of strawberry on his skin. "I'd much rather have you go and then come tell me all about it!"

Across the table from them, Dabi dropped into his seat. He lifted his chin, grinning at them, "Ay, boss, welcome back to the joint."

"Hey Dabi," Izuku said, his face still caught by Himiko. "Looking sharp as always. How're things?"

Dabi shrugged a shoulder, "Y'know. The usual. I thought you were held up in your house under examination for a while…"

"Yeah, they let me out early," Izuku said. He closed his eyes and said in a mocking tone, "Apparently, I'm a very well adjusted young man and my mother should be proud that I'm recovering so well from my experience." He snorted in laughter, "That and all I need now is to reintegrate into normal society like your average teenager."

"Ahh," Dabi nodded. "High school's a bitch. I do not envy you one single fucking bit, kid."

Izuku's shoulders sagged. His head would have drooped as well, but Himiko was stroking his hair now and he didn't want to disturb her. "I have homework. Homework. It's mind numbing at best and just tedious bullshit the rest of the time."

"I told you high school was boring," Himiko said. She finally let go of his face and scooped up her drink. It was mostly whip cream and fruit but Izuku knew it was as strong as it was sweet. "There's no point in going at all."

Izuku dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone, "Oh really? These pictures of my new friends says otherwise." He flipped it open, smirking as Himiko scooted even closer to peer at the screen. He pulled up the first one and she immediately gasped.

"Is that her?" Those stars in her eyes turned to hearts as she cooed at the image of Uraraka giving a peace sign next to Izuku. "Is that Uravity?"

"Yeah, she's in class 3-A," Izuku said, "In fact, she was instrumental in my whole rescue scene and acceptance into Yuuei. She's adorable even when she cries."

"Oohhh," Himiko groaned, "I'm so jealous! I want to see her! I want her to save me too! Did she use her quirk on you? Ohh. She's so cute! She's soo cute! Izukun! I wish I had gotten to see her cry."

"We took a couple of pictures together like this," Izuku said, flipping through them. Dabi made an interested noise so he turned his phone around and showed them to him. He got a grin in reply and a thumbs up.

"And here's that guy I went in for," Izuku said, flipping to a picture of Hitoshi. "Look at him, isn't he just amazing?" He beamed, sharing the picture with Himiko.

"Not as cute as Ura-chan, but then no one is." Himiko admitted, "I like his hair though."

Showing Dabi, he got the comment of, "That boy looks like he could sleep for forty years." Dabi laughed before sipping his own drink. "And it wouldn't even touch the exhaustion he has."

"He's got weird dreams and insomnia," Izuku said, looking back at Hitoshi's picture and smiling. "He likes cats and fruit flavored drinks, specifically melon or peach. He's perfected this posture in class that let's him look like he's paying attention when he's really looking at his phone for his blog. He has a blog!" Izuku brightened up even more, "He says he'll show it to me later but isn't that neat?"

"Izukun made a friend!" Himiko cried, "Congratulations on your very first friend!" She held up her drink.

"Thanks!" Izuku clinked his glass against hers and then Dabi's, held up by the older man. "You should have seen me at lunch time. I had half of my class trying to sit with me. Hitoshi was pretty nervous the whole time, but they were really excited about the magma quirk I showed off earlier. Even Ochako wanted to know more about it."

Himiko gasped, "You call her Ochako? Izukun, I want to go to school too! Let me go and meet her please, please!"

Izuku shook his head, "You can meet her later, Himichan. You'd never pass for a hero in Yuuei. Besides, you're way too mature for a first year class and the third year classes are all full."

This caused the girl to pout into her drink. "You're certain I get to meet her? Promise?"

"I promise," Izuku said. "Her and all the other girls in the third year classes. Ochako isn't the only cute one they have."

"That's right," Himiko said, stirring her straw through whipped cream, "There's Creatie and Earphone Jack and Alien Queen!"

"Alien Queen is hot," Dabi added, "I can't wait to see her in action as an adult Heroine. She'll be fun to compete against."

"Her acid is no joke," Izuku said, "They used it to get rid of the rock and cement formation I made with my volcano quirk this morning. Pretty impressive shit, I think."

"You have to tell us more about your school day, Izukun!" Himiko declared. "You must! Tell me all about the girls in your class and about this boy you like and Uravity!"

Izuku rolled his eyes again. "Okay, okay, so first there's this girl Tokage Setsuna, right? Lizard Lady is her hero name and…" He went on to explain the different ways his classmates had reacted to him and his budding friendship with Hitoshi. There was Setsuna, determined to be his best friend- despite Hitoshi already having that spot and the fact that she was basing it off a movie he hadn't even seen. There were wary students like Honenuki and Shiozaki who kept their distance but weren't rude when he greeted them. Ones like Kendou and Awase were friendly enough, though he had a feeling they were more worried about Hitoshi being his friend than any sort of villainous history he himself might have had. Shishida had been more curious towards the end of the day. Kaibara had kept asking if Izuku was sure he wanted to sit beside Hitoshi (especially since Hitoshi started talking again).

Himiko ate up all the gossip as well as the descriptions. She cheerfully asked who was rivals with whom, who the friends were, who Izuku thought was dating and all sorts of things about them from hairstyles to quirks to favorites.

Dabi sat, listening mostly in silence. He kept an eye out over the bar, unable to give up a watchdog position even if they were supposed to be relaxing.

As Izuku wound down from school, he remembered that, with his new phone from his mother, he needed to get their phone numbers too. Dabi gave him a smirk at this, "Won't you get in trouble if you have villain numbers in your contacts?"

"Daichi will make sure no one can get through to my contacts," Izuku said with a wave of his hand, "Plus, I'm going to put you down with nicknames, like the rest of my listed numbers. Dabi, you get to be Wolfhound. Himichan is going to be Princess."

Himiko, delighted, put her phone number into Izuku's phone without a second thought. Dabi laughed, "Wolfhound?"

"I thought guard dog was too offensive," Izuku said. "And you follow in the footsteps of the Wolf."

Dabi's brows rose. "You've already got his contact information? Bah, I shouldn't be surprised. He'd be here himself if he wasn't out testing out a lesser boundary." He too put his number in. As he slid the phone back across the table, he said, "In fact, he sent me with a gift for you."

Reaching into his pocket, Dabi pulled out a small cloth bag. Tossing that over, he sat back again. "A congratulations present, I guess. He just wanted me to deliver it when I saw you next. I don't know how he knew I'd see you before him."

Izuku shrugged. There had always been an odd connection between the two of them, since the very first time they met a few years ago. He had learned not to question it. Opening the bag, he poured the contents out on the table. Seven dice rolled out from the velvet pouch, rolling across the wood surface before coming to a stop against Izuku's guarding hand. He didn't want to lose any to the floor, after all. He picked up the twenty sided die and turned it around in his fingers. "Is this… Is this made out of bone?"

Himiko snatched up one of them and sniffed it. She turned it around in her fingers and then nodded, "I think it is. Wow, are these hand made?"

"Of course they are," Izuku said with a laugh. "You can't half ass a gift like this. Dabi, let him know I'm grateful for these. I'll definitely treasure them."

Himiko rolled the ten sided die towards Izuku with a little frown, "You shouldn't lead him on like that, Izuku."

"What? I really will treasure them. It's got to be a lot of work to make these individual die. Not to mention they're really the perfect gift. I'm pretty sure I'll be carrying them around with me all the time. They'll definitely be useful for my work." Izuku gently put them back into the bag and tied it shut.

"He'll be happy to hear that," Dabi said, smiling, "He gets back in a few days. Are you planning to visit with him, boss?"

Izuku shrugged. "I might, if I have time, but … school. I don't know how often I'll be able to come around here, actually. This might be my last day for a while."

"Uwah! No way!" Himiko said, "Izukun I'll be so lonely without you! Dabi isn't nearly as good company and no one else is as fun or as cute as you are!"

"It's only for a little while," Izuku said. "Think of it as a minor adjustment period. Once I've figured out my schedule with school and have acquired a few more tools, then I'll have free time to spend with you again. Keeping apart is the safest option for now."

Himiko pouted but nodded her head. "All right. If you say so… But you better not forget about me when you get to hang out with all those other girls!"

"I could never forget you, Himichan," Izuku said seriously, "None of this would be possible if I didn't have support like yours."

Himiko preened under his praise, giggling as she sipped her drink again. Dabi met Izuku's gaze and gave a small smile. Izuku smiled back. Himiko might not be a key player, but she and Dabi had their places in the game. So long as they complied with the rules, Izuku could count on them for support.

Of course, support always went two ways.

At the end of his visit, Dabi walks with Izuku to the door of the bar, his hands in his pockets. The flow of patrons has been steady over the last hour as clusters of people come in to get a drink before their evening work. In the darkness outside the bar itself, Izuku steps closer to Dabi, to speak privately. They're alone, more or less, but Izuku likes to be careful. He lifts his chin, making eye contact with Dabi and initiates his Direct Contact quirk.

Dabi's eyes widen slightly and he shifts from his relaxed position to one ready for action, responding to the tell-tale sensation that Izuku's privacy quirk gives the recipient. "Yes?"

"I need to spur the father-son duo into spitting fire at each other," Izuku murmured, "Metaphorically speaking of course. Can you take care of that for me?"

"I'd be happy to," Dabi smirked. "Any particular way you want it done, boss?"

Izuku smiled broadly, "Surprise me."

Dabi lit up, responding to that smile as quickly as Himiko would have. "It'll be my pleasure. Me and the crew will get right on it. There's nothin' like a little stress at work to make a tense home life even worse."

"I'm glad I can count on you," Izuku said before dismissing his quirk and looking away. "I'll be heading out then." He took a few steps away before pausing and turning back. Dabi arched a brow at him, standing and waiting there. Izuku came back, grinning, and hugged him tight around the middle.

With his ear to Dabi's chest, Izuku could hear the man's heartbeat increase. Dabi pat his shoulder with on hand for a moment before he hugged back. When Izuku drew back, he said, "Take care of the Wolf for me while I'm out."

"Of course, Boss," Dabi muttered. The part of his face that was still his original skin color was flushed. "That's why I'm your wolfhound, ain't it?"

Izuku nodded. He slipped out of Dabi's arms and tossed a casual wave over his shoulder. "Be good to the princess," he called, "And don't get into any trouble you can't get out of!"

"You worry too much," Dabi grouched back, but he was smiling. Izuku could hear it in his voice.

In the darkness of the hall, he shape shifted from human to cat once more and headed up for the stairs to the street. If a cat could whistle, he would have been. As it was, he exuded a smug pride all the way back home.

Piece by piece, everything was falling into place.

Direct Contact:
When making direct eye contact with another person, activate this quirk to prohibit anyone else from overhearing what you have to say. You can whisper or shout and no one but your recipient will hear your words. (Audio listening devices pick up static. This quirk cannot work with a camera lens or tinted glass, but can work through clear glass.)

TBC