Two nights ago
Dabi lights the cigarette poised between his teeth with an idle flick of flames. He eyes the city horizon with disdain, cheerful lights of the silent night irking him.
He doesn't appreciate the layer of serenity that cloaks the populace – he'd much rather see it burn with his brilliant fire, a lightshow birthing chaos and mayhem everywhere, till the heroes would have to come running, panicked and afraid, to do their duties. Till that son of a bitch, Endeavour, would have to drag his sorry ass and try to use his own fire to dim Dabi's.
A muffled shout breaks the eerie silence and Dabi walks to the edge of the terrace to look down on the scene below. He's four storeys up but in this kind of quietness, even the barest of sounds reach his ears.
Down in the alleyway two figures drag a third roughly across the ground. Dabi can make our their silhouettes – the victim, he supposes, is a tall man with spiky hair and a beak, while the other two are dressed in an all black attire, armed with guns and creepy masks on.
The cries of protest stop as the man is shoved towards the wall of the adjacent building, a boot kicking his unsuspecting side. Dabi almost laughs at the display. He is above such puny acts of violence and crime. His goals are bigger, more important and he can't imagine wasting his energy like these two thugs – trying to dominate someone who's clearly already lost.
"Stop! I said I don't know!" the man says as another blunt hit meets his face.
"And we said we don't believe ya," thug #1 says, pulling the man's head up with a vicious grip on his hair. "Start speaking or we'll kill you and leave you here to rot."
"Then do it," the man challenges – an idiotic move if one asks Dabi. "Kill me. I don't have the information you want."
"He's lying," thug #2 snarls, pulling out his pistol and smashes its end into their captive's temple. "Fuck you," he spits.
Dabi leans onto the walled rail, looking on with amusement. It's the most eventful thing that has happened to him all day. He wonders if the poor dude will last the interrogation or die midway. His bets are on the latter.
"Pull out his teeth, Genji," thug #1 orders. "That should do tri–"
"Now why would Genji do any such thing?"
A fourth figure emerges, hidden by the shadows of the alley. Dabi blinks, focussing onto him and glimpses only yellow hair.
"Who is it?" Genji demands, angry but nervous.
"I'm his friend," the figure walks into a more well lit area, revealing a young man with a dazzling smile. He points at the victim slumping against the wall, looking dazed and delirious. "I'm here to be his knight in shining armour, you see."
Thug #1 leaves his grip on the beaked man, taking a cautionary stance. Genji readies both his guns with a scathing glare.
"I see the police is recruiting kids now, too," Genji bites out.
Dabi narrows his eyes at the mention of the police. Why would this thug think the blond was some kind of officer?
"So, which one of you should I beat up first?" the mystery man asks, adopting a considering look.
Thug #1 bristles, his ego obviously fragile. "How about we punch you to the ground instead, huh?"
"You can work on your poor trashtalk first, y'know?" the blond says, sounding annoyed. "Very uncreative. Two on ten."
"I'll thrash you then I'll talk," Genji says, gritting his teeth.
The blond grins, eyes alight. "See! See! That's what I'm talking about! He used a pun!"
Thug #1 is apparently at his limit because he growls and lunges at their mirthful opponent, his arm morphing into a sharp, pointed metal blade. Genji wastes no time in following suit, firing off bullets point black – a silencer attached to both guns.
Dabi expects a swift death of the blond, maybe a little struggle, some running around and flailing. What he doesn't expect is the blond to glow a magnificent yellow – like the sun, like Dabi's twin flame – casting an artwork of shadows on the ground. The bullets strike and fall harmlessly down the corporal form the light takes around the young man.
Dabi has never seen a fight so pathetically one-sided in his life. The shining man makes quick work of the two thugs and they're both groaning in pain and defeat in under a minute. Then the blond steps towards the beaked, injured man – his friend, apparently – and whispers some reassuring words, steadying him onto his feet.
It's then that the blond glances up, right at him, catching his eyes.
Dabi ducks away. He doesn't know why. Maybe because he's a wanted criminal hunted relentlessly by the police and heroes and Shigaraki will kill him if he finds out he left the base to take a stroll in the city. Or maybe because a part of him recognises the sheer power flowing through the man below and it tells him it isn't a good idea to confront the young dude in any shape or form.
When he peeks again, the alley is empty entirely. The thugs, the beaked fellow and the knight in shining armour – literally – are all gone.
Dabi smiles.
"We're looking for the same guy," Naomasa says, rubbing his temples. "Why didn't you contact me the day he appeared?"
"Because I was well within my rights to not involve the police," Nedzu replies, smiling calmly. "He was trespassing UA property after all."
"Whatever," Naomasa flips a hand, shuffling the papers placed on the desk before him. He picks out an empty one and grabs a pen, clicking it. "Give me the details."
"I will," Nedzu says amiably. "Right after you tell me why exactly Naruto is on your radar."
Naomasa glares at Nedzu but he's tired and highstrung so it's more pitiful than it is intimidating. "He's a fucking miracle, that's why."
Nedzu frowns. "In what way?"
"Two nights ago, one of my men was dropped outside the station, bloodied and barely conscious. He told us later that this guy – this Naruto – had saved him. He was investigating a very dangerous drug cartel and got caught and this stranger came out of nowhere and defeated two of the head's inner circle members easily. That wasn't the most surpising part though –"
At this point, Naomasa stops and gulps down the cup of coffee sitting by the side, cooling. He takes a breath and looks Nedzu dead in the eye.
"Come morning, I get a call that the drug cartel has been dismantled entirely. The one running the whole thing was deposited in another district's police station and information about all locations and hideouts was kept at a junior officer's desk. No one escaped. No one. Everyone was tied up and found. The most insane thing is – no matter which of them I asked – all of them said a blond guy came and knocked them out. Every single one. Even the Head. This Naruto met the description my spy gave. They're calling him the less buff version of All Might. All Might, Nedzu. It's just... what the hell."
Nedzu purses his lips, deep in thought.
"Indeed, what the hell."
Izuku exits the dorm with a relieved smile. Ever since Naruto's appearance, there hasn't been a single moment of peace in their shared home. It's questions upon questions and Izuku's sick of it.
He still feels stupid for baiting Naruto like he had but Aizawa sensei had assured him that his move was a good one. And he trusts sensei's judgement... but he's just so frustrated. He hasn't slept a wink, worrying about Naruto and wondering whether he had messed with a beast he shouldn't have.
"Where to?" the guard at the entrance asks with a warm tone, handing him the roster to write down his name and the time.
"Groceries," he says, managing a smile.
He'd volunteered for their weekly run for supplies and happily at that. He could not sit within four walls any longer. It is odd how restless he'd grown in such little time but his overthinking brain is to blame for that.
He walks out, sticking to the footpath even though the road downhill is blessedly devoid of honking automobiles. His gaze roves over the expanse of fields on one side and the tree cover on the other. His palm throbs a bit but he ignores it. He walks for another couple minutes and that's when he notices something. Or someone.
He blinks, rubs his eyes.
He sees Naruto.
Yes, he isn't going insane. The blond is really there, half his body hidden behind a tree. He is waving at Izuku, beckoning him closer as if inviting him to indulge in some shady secret.
"Izuku!" Naruto whispers. There is no one around in a 100 metre radius at the very least. "Izuku, right? You're Izuku."
Izuku walks towards the man in a daze. He's probably hallucinating.
"Hi," Naruto reveals himself entirely, smiling sunnily. "Nice to see you again."
"No," Izuku says, then realises this is all real. He smiles crookedly, "Eh what I mean is, uh, yeah good to see you too!"
Izuku's phone lies in his pocket. Todoroki, Iida and Ochako are on his speed dial. His hand inches towards it.
"Calm down," Naruto laughs. "I'm not here for a fight."
Thing is... Izuku believes him. But he's not sure that means he's safe here, either. His arm pulses.
"I know. So, why are you here?"
"I had a question and a suspicion," Naruto says. "Which one do you want to hear first?"
Izuku thinks about it. He's not that far away from campus. If he calls his friends, they'll be here in under then minutes. But he's been unnecessarily hostile to Naruto before and he knows Naruto is capable of way more violence than he'd subjected them to. He owes the blond some civility. He can't let his paranoia get to him again.
His arm goes slack by his side. "The question, please."
Naruto nods, pulling out a folded paper from one of his pouches. He unfurls it and shows it to him. "Do you recognise this person?"
It's a cartoonish doodle of a man but Izuku can recognise those unique features anywhere. Not many people walk around with staples on their faces.
"Yes. I think it's Dabi. How do you know him?"
Naruto pockets the paper again. "I saw him the other night. I just know he's trouble. Who does he work for? Is he a druglord?"
Izuku eyes Naruto like he's mad. "He's with the League of Villains. And it's no playfighting group. He's a dangerous criminal."
"Oh," Naruto utters. "Got it."
"Why would he be a druglord?"
Naruto hums in dismissal. "Not important. Do you know this league? How many people are in it?"
"Do I know the league?" Izuku returns, sarcasm colouring his voice. "Of course I do! Those assholes won't let me and my class rest! They've caused so much damage, do you know?"
"Perfect," Naruto nods.
"Perfect? What perfect?"
Naruto smiles warmly. Izuku is beginning to think the man is much more manipulative than he'd first thought.
"Why don't I share my suspicion with you first?"
"Go ahead," Izuku shrugs.
Naruto's gaze shifts and lands on Izuku's arm, blue eyes almost glowing in their intensity. Izuku's palm burns tenfold and it twitches involuntarily.
"It's paining right?" Naruto asks, worrying his lip.
Izuku feels dread pooling in his gut. "Yes. Why? Why is it happening? Why does it always happen when I'm near you?"
He's noticed. Of course he has. He just didn't know what it meant or what it could mean.
"I don't know," Naruto meets his eyes. "But my elbow," he raises his arm, nodding at the body part in question, "it throbs real bad whenever I so much as look at you."
"What does it mean?" Izuku mutters, his thoughts running a mile a minute. His palm never pained before Naruto came here. There has to be some connection. He just doesn't see it yet.
"We'll find it out on the way," Naruto says. "The patrol guard's heading this way, I think."
Izuku looks up and he can, in fact, see the blue informed guard in the distance.
"Wait," Izuku's hand is in his pocket now. "What do you mean 'we'?"
"Oh right. I forgot to ask you."
"What?"
Naruto gives him a sheepish smile. "Would you mind if I, um, kidnapped you for a bit? I need your help. I'll return you, I promise."
Author's Note:
hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave me your thoughts/feedback if you have any. As always – thanks a ton for reading!!
Have a wonderful day ahead! :))