He was back in the forest, the trees alight. He wanted to run, wanted to get away from the blinding lights created by the fire, but his limbs were heavy and he was unable to even move a little. Behind the dancing flames, white eyes watched him as if he were an animal in a cage. He frowned, incapable to keep eye contact with any single set of white irises.
"What do you want?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The pale gazes simply kept on staring, silent. The fire was hot, exceedingly so, and he wanted to just get away and go somewhere safe. That's right, he wasn't safe here. But would he be safe anywhere?
He found himself childishly wishing for Stain to be by his side. He didn't like being alone in the middle of hell, fire licking at his skin and threatening to swallow him whole. But he couldn't call out for his mentor, for an infinite fear gripped his heart. If he brought Stain here, then surely the man would perish alongside him.
The cracking of the fire was far too loud for him to be sure, but a small sound started gaining volume around him. He frowned, barely able to turn his head in search of the noise. More eyes looked at him, expectant.
"What?!" He asked again, somehow even quieter. And then he could identify the noise: laughter.
Giggling and snickering came from all around him. He felt like he'd been slapped in the face. He actually could feel something pressing against his face and chest and panic started seizing him. He covered his ears and closed his eyes, but the mockery only got louder.
"Stop it," Izuku whispered hoarsely.
Useless Deku, The voices began chanting, somehow even louder past his hands. The teen felt small, stupid, and weak. He wanted to cry out for someone to hold him.
"Shut up!" He begged, but no. It got louder. And louder. And then he got elbowed in the face.
He opened his eyes and gasped, dream melting with reality in a moment of absolute panic and confusion. More than once Izuku had had nightmares that bled into real life upon waking up, and it never got any less unpleasant. He was currently trapped in a human knot of sleeping bodies, the pressure on his chest turning out to be Toga as she held him close. The heat of the fire was just Shoto pressed up against him and Dabi's pointy elbow was still resting on his forehead. He was pretty sure he could see Spinner's leg somewhere to his right.
Izuku sighed shakily, chest heaving as he attempted to calm down. Dabi frowned in the dark, hand coming down and grabbing Izuku's face.
"Stop moving," The young man murmured, rearranging his position so he could go back to sleep. "And shut up."
"S-sorry…" Izuku whispered shakily. The arms around his torso tightened and Izuku was met with two yellow eyes watching him in the dark. Toga was looking at him like a predator, an all-knowing shine on her gaze. Izuku didn't even bother trying to tell her that he was okay, instead opting to just stare up at the ceiling.
Inhale. One, two, three… Izuku counted in his mind, holding his breath as Stain had once taught him to do after bad dreams. He didn't like the fact that he was having bad dreams yet again, much less the fact that they made him feel so off-balance every time he had them. It was like waking up to frantic screaming every morning, just confusing and terrifying and completely unnecessary. It honestly left him much more tired than he liked. Toga's eyes stayed on his face the whole time, silence reigning supreme.
Eventually, Izuku looked around, easily spotting a silhouette painted against the darkened sky outside one of their windows. He didn't have to see them to imagine the red eyes staring at him in the dark.
"What time is it?" The teen asked, not even attempting to unwrap himself from his companions.
"11 pm. I wanted it to be dark before we left."
"You let us all rest? What about Curious?"
"I manage just fine on my own." Stain responded, though his tone indicated that he knew that at least Toga had been awake alongside him. There was a small silence. "What was it this time?"
Izuku sighed. He hoped the others were still sound asleep, though he was surprised that Stain was willing to talk so openly when Toga was clearly listening. Perhaps the man had reached the same conclusion as Izuku had prior; that being the fact that Toga seemed to know everything about Izuku without the need for asking.
"A fire. Voices. Just, unpleasant things, I guess." The teen whispered. Toga rubbed her head against his neck like a cat and he smiled faintly.
Stain hummed quietly. He stretched out in the dark, heading for the door without making any noise.
"Wake them up, we're moving." He told his protege before stepping out into the hallway. Izuku sighed again, half expecting for Toga to get up on her own. But the girl didn't move.
"Come on, it's time." He finally told her.
"No." She murmured childishly.
"You heard him. We have to go."
"Nooooo. I'm comfy." She hugged him tighter, giving Izuku the feeling of being a teddy bear. He moved some hair out of her face. She stuck out her tongue and added, "Convince me."
"I'll let you hold my hand all you want while we walk, okay?"
"Promise?" Yellow eyes gleamed in the dark.
"Promise."
Toga smiled cheekily, clearly fully awake. Izuku was so close that he could feel her breath on his neck.
"Get a room," Dabi groaned behind them, pushing Spinner off his chest unceremoniously and not giving a crap about the poor mutant's face when it crashed on the floor. Spinner shot awake in a full panic, kicking and almost yelling, and that was enough to get them all up. Izuku was thankful for the darkness because he was blushing madly and his expression was probably rather pathetic. They were all dressed and packed up, and so they met Stain outside in a moment.
With the daylight gone, the streets were pleasantly empty. Izuku liked the city at night, if only because there was less noise and he could move around more freely. The cool air was also nice on their skin, a gentle smile even on Dabi's face. Still, they all kept their eyes open and their ears sharp. The threat of attack was still too fresh in their minds to be ignored.
Toga, not one to care about what others thought of her, held Izuku true to his promise and clasped his hand to hers a mere five minutes into their walk but Izuku thankfully found himself able to focus on his surroundings rather than on the girl by his side. He was getting used to all of this, the touching and the walking together, and he couldn't find a reason to be upset about that.
The darkness covered them all as they walked, not a word spoken between them. The ones who used weapons had them on their hands, Shoto and Dabi simply stretching out their arms and legs in case that they needed to strike. But for a good twenty minutes, everything was silent. Only some cars could be heard every once in a while, the sky clear and promising to stay that way at least until dawn. It was a nice night, all things considered.
But none of them were truly fooled. Izuku was honestly more worried about Stain than anyone else, but he didn't voice his concerns. The man hadn't slept one bit in almost two days as far as Izuku was aware, and there was no way he would allow himself to truly rest until they knew for sure that Curious was out of their hair. True, Stain could function perfectly without sleep for a good while, but Izuku still worried. In all the time they'd traveled together, Izuku had rarely seen his mentor while asleep and he didn't really like it. He felt safe with Stain always aware of everything, but a part of him wanted to see Stain comfortable enough to just openly sleep in front of them.
Fat chance of that ever happening, but a kid could dream.
The first one to freeze was, unsurprisingly, Stain himself. It was by a mere fraction of a second, but he had the undeniable advantage when it came to noticing when something was off. Everyone stopped moving instantly, weapons and quirks all at the ready, as they waited. There was an odd sound echoing along the walls of the alley, though the sound itself wasn't all that suspicious considering their location.
It sounded like a helicopter, somehow softer and yet closer than usual at the same time. With the alley walls so close together there was no real way of knowing just where the sound was coming from. It seemed to surround them all at once, coming from somewhere above.
Stain, with the practiced accuracy of someone that kills on a daily basis, threw one of his knives with so much strength that he grunted a little. The projectile launched into the darkness and immediately hit something hard and inorganic. The target crashed into a wall, made a dying mechanical noise, and then crash-landed into a dumpster four feet away from Izuku. The sound was impossibly loud and Izuku flinched. On the ground, whatever Stain had hit was still making pathetic little sounds akin to a broken toy.
"What is that?" Shoto asked.
"A drone," Stain commented dryly, walking over to the piece of junk and taking his knife out of the very middle. It'd been an excellent shot. "Whoever is controlling it must be close."
"Not necessarily." Spinner spoke up. He cleared his throat, shy under the gaze of the Hero Killer. "T-they can get pretty far from their controllers."
"How far?" Stain asked.
"Miles, if it's expensive." Spinner said, crouching next to the useless drone and turning it in his hand. It was a rather big machine, a camera clear on the bottom. "And I'd say this one was worth a pretty penny."
"Are you sure?" Stain asked.
"I used to be a fan of these things. I recognize the night vision camera." Was the simple response. Stain nodded to himself and looked up at the sky, his eyes reflecting distrust. For a minute, no one moved. The sounds of the city surrounded them but now they seemed threatening. Anything could be hiding among those familiar noises and that put Izuku on edge. The unmistakable, though still far, sound of another drone reached them and Stain sighed.
"They waited for us." Spinner commented.
"They're not risking any more people pointlessly." Stain growled, his eyes already locked in place in the dark. He'd probably already located the new drone but he made no move to destroy it.
"How fast are those things and how long do they fly for?" Stain directly addressed Spinner this time, the mutant straightening immediately. He sounded rather confident when he responded and Izuku smirked against his better judgment.
"It's up to how hard the wind is blowing. But they can go up to 75 mph for about half an hour depending on the model. They're not made to fly for long periods of time."
Stain glared up at the sky, the sound of the drone drilling into their ears.
"That's gonna drive us crazy," Dabi said, his hands glowing a neon blue.
"That's the point." Izuku guessed. Having those things flying over their heads for hours would more than likely distract them all eventually. Curious seemed both clever and annoying from what they knew of her, and this new type of attack seemed to fit her personality. It was just like paparazzi, they followed you and kept speaking until you just gave them something in the hope that they would go away.
Stain looked at all of them cautiously, then back up at the sky. Without warning, he tossed his knife in the air once more, the same crashing sound from before landing mere feet to their left. Before the thing even hit the ground, Stain was already halfway up the wall of the building to the left. He walked up onto the roof and disappeared there for a few moments. Izuku was just figuring out how to follow him when Stain gracefully landed by his side.
"Change of plans." The man said, turning and heading in a new direction.
"Stain?"
"Move it." Was the response Izuku got.
Without another word, they followed. Stain led them through a few different alleyways until they stepped out onto a deserted street. The place was lined by closed shops with apartments on top, all of them looking like they'd seen better days. They'd spent the day resting in a shady part of town, so none of this really surprised them. At the end of the street was a tiny opening that led to another alley and they walked in a single line into the mouth of the unknown. They ended up in the back of some run-down apartments which looked very abandoned. In the corner of the alley, right next to the wall and painted a dull gray, was a van. It was windowless, the exact type that mothers would warn their children against approaching.
Stain wasted no time, pointing at the suspicious vehicle and stepping forward.
"Wait, we're taking this?" Izuku asked.
"It's not your first stolen car, kid." Stain said dismissively, already looking around the car in search of any damage that would keep the vehicle from moving.
"T-that's not what I mean! Won't someone report it as missing?"
Stain gave him a flat look and Izuku huffed. He walked over to his mentor and looked into the van through one of the dusty windows.
"Will it even start?" The teen asked. Stain pried open the back door of the car and climbed in as if he owned the damn thing.
"Only one way to find out."
A few minutes went by as Stain attempted to hotwire the piece of junk, the engine somehow able to still make some noise but not starting. Izuku was amazed that the van didn't immediately fall apart or catch on fire.
"It's probably too old." Izuku guessed.
"Nah, it's not that run down," Dabi said, knocking on the front of the car. Stain looked at him with narrowed eyes through the windshield. Dabi pointed at the hood of the car and, with only some visible skepticism, Stain popped it open. Dabi looked inside, Izuku peering over his shoulder. He could see actual cobwebs on the engine, but Dabi simply brushed the dust off and used the phone to light his way.
"Some of the parts are like a year old, so it hasn't been here for that long. My guess is that the battery is dead." Dabi said easily, earning an obvious look of surprise from Shoto.
"How…?"
"I used to steal parts from cars and sell them." Stain, who was now standing next to them, gave Dabi a judgemental look. The younger man just shrugged. "I had to eat."
"So then we just need a new battery?" Spinner asked.
"That and gas. A few spare license plates and tires wouldn't hurt either, though that's up to the boss."
Dabi looked at Stain with an easy expression, almost like he was expecting orders but couldn't really care about whether he got them or not. Dabi wasn't one to look worried ever, after all. Stain held his gaze for a moment, looking half offended at being called 'boss' but not having enough of a reason to punch Dabi in the face. The scarred man smirked and leaned against the van, earning a loud scoff from Stain.
"Then get to it," Stain finally said. Dabi gave him a thumbs up and, after taking a few empty containers from the area, walked off with the others following him. Toga looked at Izuku expectantly, but the teen gave her a small shrug and a smile.
"Can you go with them?"
"Why?" The girl immediately pouted.
"Just give me a minute, please?" Izuku pleaded, trying to sound as casual as possible.
She looked thoroughly unconvinced and unwilling to move and so Izuku offered the one thing he could think of.
"Y-you ran out of blood earlier, right? If we get the van going then I can give you some of mine on the road."
He was met with gleaming fangs and rosy cheeks, the villainess skipping away into the night as if she were in the middle of a field of flowers. Izuku exhaled quietly, completely unsure as to how he was supposed to feel about her reaction. No matter how much he cared about Toga, the fact that she acted towards blood the way a child would towards candy was always a tiny bit off-putting. Only a little though.
Izuku turned around and looked for his mentor. Stain was currently checking the tires on the van, poking at them to check the air pressure. Izuku took one look at the van, grimaced, and searched for a piece of cloth nearby. It was hard with no water, but he attempted to take some of the dust and grime off the vehicle with an old shirt he found.
"It's gonna look like shit no matter what you do," Stain said. Izuku gave him an annoyed look.
"There's a difference between shitty and beyond abandoned, and the latter is sure to attract some looks."
Stain hummed. Under different circumstances, Izuku would have allowed the silence to carry on. He enjoyed the quietness they shared from time to time, even if they hadn't been able to have such a private moment in the past few weeks. In all honesty, he missed those times a little. But now he couldn't afford to waste the night away, as much as he wanted to. They had too much stuff on their shoulders.
"Stain, do you really think traveling by car will be enough to lose Curious?"
"No. Not a chance."
Izuku glanced at Stain, the man now leaning against the back of the van.
"It'll give us an edge, at the most."
"Then why bother?"
"Because perhaps their next tactic will prove easier to deal with. If the drones don't pay off, they might start sending people again, even if they do so in much bigger groups."
"And you think we can handle that?"
Stain stared off into the night for a moment, calculations and risks clearly playing out behind his red eyes. He eyed Izuku with a calculated look, then he looked at where Dabi and the others had been standing before, and hummed again.
"Yes. I do."
Izuku finished wiping the passenger side window and started wondering if cleaning the roof of the van was worth the hassle. But then he stopped, a tiny smile pulling at his lips.
"You think all of us can handle it?"
Stain frowned. He could tell Izuku was up to something, but he didn't quite know what it was.
"Yes. Why?"
"So you do trust them, then! Right?" Izuku's brows wiggled up and down, a childishly content look on his face. Stain rolled his eyes as hard as he could and hid his face behind the hood of the car, pretending that the engine was much more interesting than the smug look on Izuku's face.
Izuku slid closer, his hand poking Stain on the arm. The gesture earned him a warning growl, but Izuku just did it again.
"Admit it, you kinda sorta trust them."
Stain inhaled deeply, his patience just about ready to leave him entirely. He glared at Izuku, but only got a cheesy look in return. That seemed to be enough to make Stain give up.
"I will admit they're not as useless as I expected them to be. But no, I don't trust them and I definitely don't like them."
"Oh come on, they're all pretty good traveling companions. And friends."
"We don't have time for friends, Izuku."
"Are you saying I'm not your friend? Ouch, Stain. And here I thought we had something."
That earned Izuku a not so playful shove. The teen tripped a little and giggled, Stain's eyes glaring at him with the intensity of the sun. Izuku leaned against the van and looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling like his playful energy was seeping out of his body.
"I'm sure you guys will get along eventually." Izuku said, his voice softening a little.
"Highly doubt it. Besides, I have you to deal with them for me." Stain deadpanned, making Izuku chuckle a bit.
"I mean… Yeah, for now. But… I mean, what if…" Izuku trailed off. Stain's eyes shot up from the engine and focused solely on Izuku, but the teen didn't return the glance. He suddenly didn't feel strong enough to meet that red gaze.
"What if what?" Stain asked slowly.
Izuku swallowed thickly. He'd been thinking about something since they were first attacked by that porcupine mutant and, try as he might, he just couldn't get the thoughts out of his head. He couldn't stop playing Curious's words on a loop in his head.
"Izuku," Stain called and the teen turned to face him automatically. He looked serious and worried, just the way he had right after his escape and Izuku wanted to hide under the van and never come back out.
"She only mentioned me, Stain. Whatever that woman wants, she only needs me to do it. I just can't help but…"
"No. Stop it." Stain warned. His tone was surprisingly kind despite the strength behind his words, and he placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "You're not spiraling like that right now."
"But it's true! What if she never gives up? What if she only leaves us alone when she… I don't know, takes me or kills me or-"
"That's not gonna happen!" Stain bit back, fury clear in his voice. Izuku looked down, suddenly ashamed to even be speaking. Stain sighed, his other hand resting on Izuku's other shoulder. He leaned down, forcing Izuku to look him in the eye. "Hey, look at me."
Izuku did, green eyes meeting with determined red.
"I won't let that happen, okay? None of us will." Stain said sincerely.
"But what about your work? This could become a real problem for us."
"My work's been through a lot, I can take it." Stain reasoned. Then, he frowned. "Or are you saying I can't deal with this woman myself?"
"No, that's-"
"Are you calling me weak, Izuku?" Stain voice darkened dramatically and, for a second, Izuku panicked. He started shaking his head furiously, excuses already on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't get anything out and so he just stared at his mentor in shock. Stain held his gaze for an uncomfortable ten seconds before the anger dissipated from his face, a mocking smile taking its place.
"Jesus, you're such a baby." Stain chuckled. Izuku coughed and pushed him away, his embarrassed blush feeling hot on his skin.
"And you're such a jerk." Izuku responded, unable to hold back his own smile. The silence that ensued was brief and warm, like it was only them on the road once more. Stain ruffled Izuku's hair affectionately, both their smiles small but powerful. Izuku could see something akin to pride shining on Stain's eyes and that alone filled him with determination.
The sound of footsteps came from behind them and Stain's expression morphed back to its normal, serious state. They both peered out from behind the van, Spinner and the others looking like they'd robbed a full store, rather pleased looks on their faces.
"We got everything," Dabi said, setting down not one, but two car batteries. Stain raised a brow but added nothing, instead watching as the others got to work getting the car ready. They moved in silence, taking down an extra two drones while they worked, everyone doing something different. At four in the morning, with still plenty of time of darkness to hide them, they managed to get the van going.
By the time the sun rose above the horizon the group was already on the freeway, Spinner at the wheel. None of them had a license, but he had assured them all he knew how to drive and so they let him. The first half-hour had been… well, bumpy to say the least.
"You're gonna mess up the gear shift," Toga had said at one point, the forceful sound of the car attempting to move worrying everyone.
"I got it, don't worry." Spinner had assured.
"I thought you said you knew how to drive, you airheaded lizard!" Dabi had moaned, looking about ready to either throw Spinner or himself out the window. The still healthy skin on his face looked pale.
"I do! I learned in many different games, thank you very much."
Dabi had groaned as loud as possible at that.
"Why don't you drive, Dabi? Oh, that's right, you get car sick." Spinner bit back. If Dabi hadn't felt as sick as he had, he might have jumped at Spinner, possible car crash be damned. Thankfully it didn't take too long for Spinner to get the hang of the old van, and the trip from there on was smooth enough regardless of what Dabi said, his eyes closed and pressed firmly against Shoto's cold side to help with his nausea.
It had been hours since then, and so far everything was quiet. Izuku got done wrapping up his right wrist, a copy of himself leaning against his shoulder happily. There was still a bit of blood on Toga's chin, but Izuku made no attempt to wipe it off. One bite from Toga was more than he could handle in a single hour. Stain looked at them but said nothing.
They all expected to run into more trouble in the future, but in the very least they calculated that they could get to another nearby city before everything erupted into chaos. So, for now, they drove and rested.