Stain was gone; his paralysis had lasted all of five minutes and he'd been gone for almost an hour now. Shoto quietly tended to his old teacher's injuries, sadly accustomed to flesh wounds and their cleaning processes, and begged that the man would wake up before the Hero Killer returned from his mad search for Izuku. Toga was curled up in the corner of the van, her back turned to the world and her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Spinner was sitting in an opposite corner, a katana tightly held in his hands as he watched over Toga to make sure she wouldn't try to go for the wounded hero; he didn't want to do it, but Stain had been very clear about what would happen if Toga as much as looked at the hero wrong. Dabi was gone as well, he'd left in a hurry after listening to Spinner for half a second and taking some random amount of money that nobody bothered counting.
Even with only three of them in the car, the weight of shame pressed down on them all. They were all consumed by doubt, all filled with regret and, even though the emotions stemmed from different things, they all knew that one wrong word would send them all spiraling into the abyss.
Spinner looked at Shoto and Eraser Head, his fingers twitching. It was odd to him, seeing a pro and not immediately exterminating them, but Stain had given the mutant a direct order to help protect the fallen hero, and so he did. His eyes darted between the blood accumulating on the floor of the van, Shoto's serious expression, and Toga's trembling form. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from asking if she was okay. He had no idea how to deal with her, none of them did. Only Izuku. Spinner inhaled slowly, attempting to keep himself calm.
There was a small, sudden tapping on the back door of the van. Everyone tensed and Spinner readied his blade but then the door opened slowly and Dabi peeked in, eyebrow raised.
"I knocked specifically to avoid getting stabbed, Lizard." The eldest Todorki said, his aloofness always present. But Spinner kept the katana in front of him, his eyes flicking past Dabi.
"We got company, so behave."
Dabi stepped aside. An old man was standing behind him, his clothes and skin indicating that he was probably homeless. He took one look inside the van, saw the man half-bleeding to dead, and then looked at Dabi flatly.
"He's already dead, kid."
"Is he dead?" Dabi asked Shoto and the younger Todoroki shook his head. "See, we got here in time."
Dabi leaned forward, pointedly ignoring both Spinner's and Shoto's protests, grabbed Eraser by his legs, and pulled the unconscious man out of the car as you would a heavy suitcase. Spinner was half amazed that Dabi actually caught the man before he crashed on the ground, and the mutant climbed out of the van as the fallen hero was sat against the wall. The old man mumbled, crouched next to Eraser Head, and placed a hand right over his wound.
"What are you-"
"I got you your stuff." Dabi interrupted, pressing a plastic bag against Spinner's chest. He blinked in confusion, his hands grasping the bag on pure instinct. He gave Dabi a look and the other man shrugged.
"It isn't rare to find a healer on the streets; I'd probably be dead myself if that wasn't the case."
"You can't just bring people here! What if he-"
"Relax, I'm paying him. Besides, Stain wants Eraser alive, right? Just do whatever you have to do before the boss gets back." The last sentence was added with more than a hint of coldness and Spinner frowned. He inhaled deeply, scoffed, and headed back to the van, walking past a very obviously worried Shoto.
The mutant sat on the back of the van, his eyes flicking from the plastic bag to the small figure still curled up tightly behind the passenger seat. Toga was still trembling, her nails clearly digging into her own arm painfully, and he sighed shakily. Spinner had never been one for human contact or social interaction. He'd spent so long just locked inside his house that he couldn't remember the last time he'd had to have a normal conversation with a stranger. Toga was clearly out of her mind at the moment, her unpredictable attitude suddenly very dangerous. Add to that the fact that women generally made him nervous and you had a less than ideal situation in his hands.
But he had to, didn't he?
I might as well make myself useful, he told himself bitterly, sinking a brand new needle into the crook of his elbow. He'd already failed Izuku and Stain, he couldn't just sit around doing nothing.
"What the hell happened to him?" He heard the homeless man ask Dabi, to which the burnt man simply shrugged and responded, "He works overtime."
Spinner took a deep breath, snapped off the needle from the syringe just to be safe, and then crawled into the van. He was too nervous to close the door behind him, and his voice shook a little when he spoke.
"T-Toga? Are you… awake?"
The blonde's body trembled and Spinner swallowed.
"I… I have s-something for you. I uh… Y-you probably want it." He stretched out his hand, the plastic tube full of his blood, but the girl didn't move. He inched his way forward, his weight moving the van a little.
"Come o-on, I need you to-" And he stopped cold.
Toga turned her head just enough to glare at him, her eyes red from crying. Her pupils were just tiny dots lost in a sea of yellow poison, and her skin made her look like an apparition from hell. The mutant shuddered, his voice completely gone. He moved the syringe around for a moment, then put it down carefully and promptly threw himself out of the van, slamming the doors behind him. He came out just in time to see Dabi hand the older man a considerable amount of cash.
"Thank you for the help, sir." Dabi said politely, his eyes glancing at Spinner as the other man left the alley. As soon as he disappeared, Dabi turned towards Spinner with a raised brow.
"We should move the van."
"No!" Even Shoto looked over at the hitch in Spinner's voice, and the young man could feel his skin heating up below his scales.
"I'll keep Stain posted, don't worry," Dabi said matter of factly, crouching next to Eraser Head to start tying him up with the same capture tool the hero used to apprehend criminals. Finally, Spinner remembered the full scale of their situation.
"He healed him?"
"Eh, kinda. He accelerated tissue repair, but the blood that he lost is still gone." Dabi tightened the knot, patting the fallen hero on the head condescendingly. "I wonder if you're strong enough to survive, hero."
"He is," Shoto assured, his seriousness getting a good chuckle out of his brother. It was Shoto that picked up Eraser from the ground, Dabi walking past Spinner.
"Let's go, lizard."
"Wh…" And then, more panicked, "Wait, I have to-"
Shoto opened up the doors and Spinner braced for some unknown impact. Instead, the only thing inside the car was Toga, her flushed cheeks visible even with her head resting on her knees. She was frowning, her eyes focused on the ground and tears rolling down her cheeks. The empty syringe was beside her.
"I… I thought you turned into the people you took blood from…" Spinner stated dumbly. The blonde half glared at him, her chin sticking out defiantly.
"You're not cute." She hissed.
"Agreed," Dabi said, settling in the passenger seat.
Spinner sighed heavily, one hand resting on the roof of the van. He took one look at the wounded hero and shuddered; he was deadly pale and his body shook ever so slightly. He was just about to speak up when the phone in Dabi's pocket rang cheerfully. The eldest Todoroki picked up casually, perhaps a little too casually.
"Yes, boss?" They couldn't hear Stain over the speaker, but Dabi frowned slightly and turned away from the others. "Oh. Yeah, I just got it. We'll be right there." Dabi hung up, tapping away at the phone to open the one chat they had.
"You're driving, Scales."
"To where?" Spinner frowned.
"The boss sent us a location to meet him."
"Did he get Midoriya?" The question was out of his mouth before he could really consider what the response might do, and Dabi's hesitation only put the final nail in the coffin. Toga tensed, straightening like a possessed person and digging one of her knives into the floor of the van with enough strength to go through the white metal. Spinner and Dabi exchanged a look, both painfully aware that neither of them knew what to do and simply deciding to let the girl release her anger in whichever way was necessary. If they were lucky, she wouldn't stab anything important.
"Shoto, there's some blood typing kits in the bag," Spinner said meekly, closing the van doors and quickly getting into the driver's seat. "Use two of them on Eraser Head and tell us what they say."
Without waiting for a response, he started the van and drove out of the alleyway where they were hiding, following Dabi's directions as they went. They made their way East, a heavy atmosphere weighing them all down oppressively. The only constant sound they had was of Toga continuously stabbing away at the floor of the van. Spinner shivered involuntarily, fingers tapping away at the wheel. He felt as if he were driving towards a cliff with no breaks, nothing but death awaiting them. The Hero Killer's strength was in his passion, in his capability to make the toughest decisions and sacrifice anything in the name of his cause. It was one of the many things Spinner admired about the man, but he couldn't deny that right now those same things scared him. He'd seen the Hosu video, all of them had, and he knew just how adamant the man was about protecting Izuku. Would the Hero Killer see them as friends or enemies?
"They both say B negative" Shoto spoke up from the back and Spinner cursed under his breath.
"I'm A negative." The mutant said.
"O positive," Shoto said.
"Same here," Dabi added.
Toga struck the van with her knife once more.
"AB positive."
"So no one's a match. Shit."
"What do we do?" Shoto asked, the shake in his voice betraying how nervous he actually was. Spinner and Dabi exchanged a look, neither of them finding the words to truly express what they were thinking. The brief thought that Dabi and him had never looked each other in the eye so much made Spinner feel odd.
"He'll be fine," Dabi eventually said. As if by magic, Eraser Head groaned, the first sign of life he'd given since they'd found him, and Shoto immediately pressed himself closer to his old teacher.
It was a long ride to the rendezvous point, every mile making Spinner more and more anxious. Had Stain kept up with a car he'd never seen all the way to the edge of the city? Or had he just hoped he'd get the right car before it was out of his reach? He bit his tongue, shaking his head. It wasn't like him to speculate anything about the Hero Killer, and this situation, as extreme as it was, would be no exception, he told himself.
"Park over there," Dabi instructed, pointing at a small alleyway behind a large warehouse and Spinner did as told. He hid the dirty van behind the building and killed the engine. He glanced at the mirror to his left and shivered; The Hero Killer's silhouette was already looming behind the car, wild hair and sword framed by the light flooding the alley. Not only that, but the man had a goddamned sniper rifle slung over his back.
Had Spinner been a religious person, he might have prayed for divine help.
He and Dabi climbed out of the van silently, going around and standing in front of their leader. The back doors of the van opened and Shoto's voice immediately met their ears.
"Stain, we need a blood donor for Mr. Aizawa." The teen demanded, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice. Dabi raised his lashes to the skies and Spinner cringed, but to Stain's credit, the man only raised a brow in slight confusion. Perhaps if things weren't so tense someone would have laughed, but no one made a noise. Stain inhaled deeply, his expression going back to deadly neutral, and he pointed with his katana into the back of the van.
"You. Out." He told Toga. That feeling of driving towards a chasm invaded Spinner again and he had to fight the urge to sway in place. Dabi shot him a look, both of them tensing when Toga slowly crawled her way out of the vehicle. She took small but steady steps forward, her skin finally looking like it belonged to a living person. She had a small throwing knife in her hand. Stain glared at her, red eyes showing nothing but glacier anger, and, as fast as lighting, he slashed the air next to Toga's head. Dabi's hand let out a few sparks and Spinner held his breath. The edge of Stain's blade rested against her neck, a lock of hair fluttering down to the ground. Toga didn't flinch at all, still as a statue. Stain examined her, murderer reflecting murderer with great care and consideration.
"Give me one good reason not to end you right now." Stain said evenly.
"I can't die until Izuku is back with me." Voice flat, Toga wasted not a single second responding.
"Back with you?" Stain stepped closer, eyes dark. "He got captured because of you."
Toga's hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"What right do you have to even see him back?" Stain asked bitterly through gritted teeth.
Inside his shoes, Spinner's toes curled anxiously. This whole thing felt like an old western standoff and he was just waiting for the first shot to ring out. No gun fired, but when Toga spoke it was just as loud and devastating.
"Because I love him."
Stain slammed her against the wall with brute force, the impact making the mutant jump in place. Toga grimaced momentarily, but she put up no fight to free herself from the man attacking her. Next to Spinner, Dabi moved only to stop Shoto from intervening, the teen fighting against his older brother.
"You don't love him. You want to use him for your sick addiction." Stain said, venom dripping down his lips. Toga's eyes glittered with emotions previously unseen by the rest of them; determination, compassion, understanding, and honesty, all things that had no place in a young woman as insane and broken as Himiko Toga. And yet, Spinner couldn't deny that the look was sincere.
"I've always loved the people I choose. I even love you, Stain." She explained calmly, only blinking when Stain started pressing down on her neck with his katana. "But I will admit that Izuku is different. He's been different ever since we met."
"Really? And why's that?" Stain's voice was sarcastic and cold, but he did allow the girl to respond.
"I've always wanted to become the people I love because I believe they're all wonderful and extraordinary. Life is so hard, but they make it better. It makes me happy to be them, so I take what I need and I enjoy it and I keep the experience in my heart forever. But Izuku is the first person that doesn't fit in that dynamic. I… Being him would probably be one of the best things in the world because he's so bright and wonderful and loving and caring. The world through his eyes must be so beautiful, I can't even imagine it." Toga smiled softly, fangs showing a little.
Stain tensed, blade pressed so hard against Toga's neck that she started bleeding. But she looked at Stain with nothing but openness, no fear of death in her face.
"But for the first time, I imagine something even better than becoming the person I love. And that's being with them always. He just… makes me feel complete and loved and accepted. And I would tear this world apart piece by miserable piece to get that back. I would kill anyone to make sure Izuku is fine, even myself." Those last two sentences were added with the most serious tone, yellow eyes wide as an owl's. As if to prove her own point, she leaned forward, against the blade, to put her face closer to Stain's.
"Others made life easy for a moment. Izuku makes life worth fighting for."
There was a dead silence after that, one that no one wanted to break. Spinner had to force himself to exhale painfully slowly, all in an attempt to not make any noise that would draw any attention to himself. Just then he realized that his hand was holding tightly onto the handle of his own katana, knuckles aching from the raw strength he was applying. His eyes shifted to the side, and he saw that Shoto was holding unto Dabi with a similar desperation, the eldest Todoroki's eyes wide as dinner plates. It was odd to see the burnt man so shaken and Spinner felt the need to just get back in the van and stay there until everything was over, but no molecule in his body would allow him such weakness in front of his idol; at least, not consciously.
He removed his hand from his weapon, looking at his palm with confusion. Why had he even reached for the sword? Who had he wanted to attack or protect? Why had he ever even thought that a tool like him could have the right to get in the way of the Hero Killer?
He was so out of it, that he didn't even register the hit to his back. It was soft and hollow and it was followed by a man tumbling down to the ground with a grunt and, for a second, they all just started.
"Mr. Aizawa!" Shoto immediately kneeled next to his fallen teacher, worry shining in his eyes. When Stain moved towards them, Spinner immediately stepped aside so as to not get in the way. Stain placed two fingers on Eraser Head's neck, ignoring the way the hero leaned away meekly.
"Todoroki, run." The man hissed, his hand awkwardly grasping at Stain's shirt in an attempt to keep the murderer in place. There was no strength behind the action, no real threat, but Stain still seemed amazed regardless. It was odd, seeing such respect shining in the man's eyes. Spinner looked away, feeling like nothing for half a second.
"You know his blood type?" Stain asked Shoto and the teen nodded.
"B negative. None of us are a match."
Stain looked at the teen and then chuckled humorlessly.
"Aren't we in luck?" Then he turned towards Spinner. "Do you have the material for the transfusion?"
Spinner blinked, nodding and rushing towards the van. He grabbed the plastic bag and turned to take it to Stain. The man was already undoing a section of the bindings around the fallen hero, taking out the man's arm and then retying his other arm to his torso.
"Dabi got a bunch of supplies." The mutant explained, suddenly remembering that they'd spent a lot of money while Stain was gone without permission.
"Technically, a few homeless people bought them for us," Dabi explained, shrugging at the looks he got. "You want me to get into a store with security cameras with this face?"
"It'll do." Stain said flatly, taking out a bottle of alcohol and rubbing some of it on his arm and then Eraser's arm. The hero was once again unconscious. He moved with practiced agility, attaching needles to tubes as if it was second nature to him.
"You know how to do this?" Shoto asked, Aizawa's head resting on the teen's lap.
"Yes."
"And you're…"
"A match. B negative." Stain replied, his eyes empty. He sat on the edge of the van and took the bizarre-looking rifle off his back, connecting his arm to the hero's via a transparent plastic tube and two brand new needles, and they all watched in silence as blood flowed down the tube from villain to hero. Stain held out his arm about a meter above Eraser's body, gravity and time taking over the whole process.
"Where did you even get that?" Dabi asked, pointing at the gun.
"You had a sniper on your asses." Was the simple response.
The Hero Killer was done talking for now, and an awkward silence took over all of them. Shoto stayed with his old teacher, unmoving. Dabi murmured something about being hungry before sitting in the passenger seat of the van, radio turned up ever so slightly so that they could all keep some of their attention on the news. Nothing had been reported yet, but it was only a matter of time before Eraser Head was declared missing.
Toga remained standing by the wall where Stain had attacked her and Spinner finally settled for sitting on the ground next to the car. He listened to the radio vacantly, looking for either Eraser's real name or alias. There were traffic reports, political news, a small report of a fire, but nothing that truly struck Spinner as important. Every time the radio started playing any sort of music, Dabi would change the station to something different, though Spinner could hear the burnt man humming some unfinished tune now and then.
In this silent moment, with the sun leaning to the west across the clear sky, Spinner finally started feeling the true loss of Midoriya Izuku. Toga's high-pitched giggling was nowhere to be seen, and Stain was even more serious than usual, which was saying a lot. There was no one caring nor brave enough to break the silence, no one optimistic enough to give the rest words of assurance or smiles of trust. It was scary to think about, but Midoriya was truly the axis around which they all rotated, at least when it came to communication, and it showed now more than ever.
He couldn't call anyone there a friend. He'd known Dabi and Toga for a while now, but the only thing they'd shared back at the League had been their desire to meet the Hero Killer. They all had their reasons, individual beliefs, and hopes, and none of them had been willing to share them too openly. At least, not until Midoriya arrived. Spinner could remember that night they'd all spent in Midoriya's room, how they'd all confessed to past sins and wrongdoings, he could still see himself sitting on a park bench right next to the green-haired teen, talking about himself as if they'd known one another for years rather than mere days.
The mission at the hospital had been grand, finally something where Spinner could be of even a little assistance to the people he admired, and things had been right then. He'd been at peace with himself, knowing that his useless existence finally had a purpose. But now the Disciple was gone and no one knew what to do. Spinner was now a tool without a master, and he was left with nothing to do on his own.
He felt odd, selfish even, wishing that Midoriya would return if only to make him feel less out of place. The teen had been easy to talk to, always lending an ear and a gentle voice to whomever needed it. He'd been a welcome bridge between them all and Spinner's stomach ached at the thought that he'd never see Midoriya again.
Spinner bit his lip, shaking his head. He had no right to feel like this. He took out a knife he kept by his side and religiously started to sharpen it, convincing himself to keep any inconvenient thoughts out of his mind for the time being. For about twenty minutes, it worked.
Then Eraser Head started groaning. The needle in his arm was gone by now, a small bandage covering his forearm and his wrist once again secured to his side. Stain had been sitting on the edge of the van still, but he swiftly lowered himself to the ground to be on level with the hero. Dabi turned off the radio and twisted in his seat to take a look at the scene, Spinner and Toga not moving a muscle.
The Erasure Hero looked incredibly tired, heavy bags under his eyes. He groaned, coughed violently until Shoto helped him sit, and then opened his eyes a tiny fraction. His brows furrowed. He looked around with the same confused expression of someone who spent the entire night glued to a computer screen, blinking madly. He attempted to move, probably tried to rub his face with his hand, but the bindings kept him in place. Immediately, he was more awake.
"Mr. Aizawa, are you okay?" Shoto asked, his tone professional and even above all.
Aizawa turned towards the voice, eyes impossibly wide, and Spinner identified some kind of emotion behind the small, black irises.
"Todoroki." The man half stated, half wondered. The teen nodded solemnly and for a moment the Erasure Hero looked lost. Then his eyes hardened and he turned, locking eyes with Stain with the impact of a hurricane.
"Eraser Head, I suggest you take things slow. You just received a blood transfusion." The murderer greeted.
"Hero Killer." The other man spat, clear disgust in his eyes. But Stain remained unaffected.
"Do you know why you're here?"
"You attacked me."
Stain did look a tad bit offended at that, but he shook his head slowly.
"I was already down when you got attacked, hero. And you got attacked by the same people that have been stalking us for weeks, the same people that took my… my student."
There was a small silence, the sound heavy with implications. Eraser glared at the man sitting in front of him, his eyes clouded by doubt and anger. He blinked a few times, his breathing quickening as he looked at the ground in an attempt to remember what had happened. Then, quietly, he said, "Luminesce."
"Those two fakes betrayed you, Eraser Head," Stain explained bitterly. "They planned on killing you and pinning your murder on me."
Aizawa remained silent. He looked at Shoto and the teen nodded after a moment of hesitation.
"We got there just in time, Mr. Aizawa. We saw them, one of them was about to kill you."
The hero's brows trembled ever so slightly, the movement so brief that Spinner might have imagined it all together. Aizawa spared them all a glance, eyes cold and shoulders tense. When he spoke again, his voice gave Spinner chills.
"Am I supposed to be in your debt or something, Hero Killer?"
"No," Stain sighed. "I wouldn't save you for such a disgusting reason."
"Then why? Why not just let another fake die?"
"I see no fakes here, Eraser Head." Stain spoke clearly and the other man scoffed quietly. Stain's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward. "I'd never leave one of the few real heroes in this country at the mercy of shams. Not when I can do something about it."
Aizawa leaned back, his eyes still examining his surroundings.
"So now what? You saved me. Do you plan on keeping me tied up in the back of your van until you manage to brainwash me like you did these kids?"
Stain's jaw tensed, anger finally making an appearance over his features.
"I see my student's words flew right over your head. I believe he expressed himself quite clearly about this matter. But if you won't believe us, why not ask your own student?"
Shoto looked away immediately, a flash of pain and shame passing over his face. Spinner could feel Dabi moving around inside the van, but everyone waited patiently for the teen to say something. Eraser called his student by name and, after giving his brother a glance, Shoto finally talked.
"...They're not keeping me here, Mr. Aizawa. They've never forced me to stay with them."
"Todoroki, whatever they told you isn't true. They can't hurt you," The man explained urgently but the teen shook his head.
"That's not… I…"
"Just tell him the truth, kid," Stain encouraged, his tone morphing to the one he used with Izuku most of the time. Aizawa glared at the man, but the teen sighed.
"I don't follow these people for their beliefs. I agree with some things they've said, but… That's not… I have my reasons. I've had them for so long and now I finally found someone that understands me and cares about me and would... " Then he stopped, his eyes glancing at the van. Eraser looked inside and, unknown to Spinner from his current position, Dabi waved mockingly at the hero.
"They've never forced me to be here, Mr. Aizawa. I'm free to go when I please, we all are. We're just doing what we think is right."
Aizawa wore an unreadable expression, no concrete emotion showing in his eyes. Shoto held his gaze for three seconds but then averted his eyes, his shoulders shaking briefly.
"You wanted to be a hero, Todoroki." The man said simply and Shoto visibly shrunk away.
"My father wanted me to be an idol but I… I..." The kid said quietly, his tone reflecting how incredibly fresh his emotional wounds still were. His eyes shone and Dabi was at his brother's side in an instant. He pushed Eraser forward and away from Shoto, helping the kid up and guiding him away from the rest of them.
"You're lucky Stain finds you worthy," Dabi hissed, his eyes shining with hatred, but he said nothing else once Stain glared at him. Both Todorokis disappeared behind the van, much to Eraser's clear disapproval. Stain cleared his throat as if nothing had happened.
"Right now, we're all being chased down by the same despicable people, hero. Whether you like it or not, you no longer have the freedom to trust those sharing in your profession. Not without risking another assassination attempt."
Eraser glared, hands curling into fists at his side.
"If you're implying I join you, you might as well kill me right now."
Stain chuckled, the first genuine sound of amusement he'd given ever since Izuku had been taken.
"I'm asking you to truly consider your situation, Eraser. These people have resources, people, and time, as they have proven to us time and time again. Two of your fellow… co-workers attempted to kill you in cold blood and pin it on me only to cover their own tracks."
"And why would they do that?"
"To take my kid." Stain answered, quick and harsh. Eraser's eyes shot open momentarily and he looked around as if looking for Midoriya. Did he expect the teen to just jump out from behind the car as if this were a prank of sorts? There was a momentary silence, one that the Hero Killer used to visibly recompose himself. Even that sliver of emotion had been too much, Spinner thought.
"Right now, people will think you're dead. The two shams have been dealt with and you left your phone, and a good amount of blood behind; no one will doubt one of the charred bodies belongs to you. They wanted you dead, and you are, so there's no reason to hunt you any further. You're safe."
"And?" Eraser asked.
"...And as long as they think they succeeded, my student has a chance to not get killed immediately." Stain admitted and Eraser scoffed again.
Spinner wondered, briefly and incredibly egoistical, what it would be like to matter so much to the Hero Killer.
"So I'm your little hidden ace, is that it?"
"You're our only contact with real heroes." Stain said, the words sounding painful. Eraser had the decency to look a little confused and Stain leaned forward dangerously.
"All Might can be trusted," Stain said, his eyes glowing. "And he's more than enough. With his help, you can rip out part of the rot in Hero Society straight from the source. You can get rid of whoever else that would be willing to kill a fellow hero."
"And you get the Disciple back." Aizawa finished flatly.
This time, it was Stain that had the decency to look down for a second. But then he looked back up, sense in his red eyes.
"You've seen what those fakes can do. You now know that darkness lives amongst your people; if you act without thinking, you'll never find them out. It could be anyone, Eraser. People at the top of the charts, police officers, politicians. We don't know how deep this goes. And if you step out without evidence, you'll just risk your life and the lives of everyone you hold dear."
"There are heroes worth trusting." Eraser bit back bitterly.
"The last hero you trusted stabbed you in the back. Can you really look me in the eye and tell me you're sure no other person would betray you again?"
Eraser hesitated. He looked to the side as Shoto reappeared, Dabi by his side. The teen looked completely recomposed, not a hint of pain in his mismatched eyes.
"Mr. Aizawa, I know doubting other heroes is… unthinkable, to you. But you must believe me when I say that some of them are far worse than any villain you might know. I've lived with them."
Aizawa looked at his former student for a moment and then looked down. He breathed slowly, his long hair hiding his face. Spinner glanced around, feeling the heavy atmosphere that was pressing down on them, and shivered. It took a few minutes, but finally, the hero spoke up.
"Let Todoroki Shoto go, Hero Killer. Him and Midoriya Izuku."
"Are you striking a deal with me, hero?" Stain asked, and the look of bitter disgust that he got in response was enough confirmation. "That's not up to me, Eraser Head. The kids can do what they want."
"They belong with their families," Eraser spat. Dabi rolled his eyes, his loud scoff earning him a look.
"Then Shoto is where he belongs, Eraser." The young man responded cryptically, no smile grazing his lips. Beside him, Shoto quietly lowered his gaze.
"I swear on my honor to fully give them the opportunity to leave once this is done. But I can't promise anything about their decisions. Is that all you ask of me, Erasure Hero?" Stain asked seriously. The other man glared at him, but Stain refused to deviate his eyes.
"What do you want from this?" Eraser asked carefully.
"I want my student back."
"Why? You have plenty right here."
Stain's jaw clenched. Spinner could picture him slicing the other man's head clean off, but he did no such thing.
"Midoriya Izuku is not a replaceable pawn to me, hero. He's important."
"Why?"
"That's none of your business."
"You want All Might to help you? That's never gonna happen."
"I want your word that my student won't become a casualty to a poorly planned police raid, Eraser." Stain said forcefully. "I want to know that whoever handles this won't just let the matter become a file on a desk. Izuku doesn't have that time, and he needs a real hero to help him."
Another long silence. Aizawa looked uncomfortable and his eyes shifted towards Shoto time and time again. It took an eternity for anyone to speak again, or at least it felt that way to Spinner. Eraser finally -finally- sighed.
"You're not killing any heroes."
"My work demands-"
"I don't give a damn about your ideals, Hero Killer," The man spat, his eyes glowing red and his hair defying gravity for the briefest of moments. "You want your kid back? Fine. I can treat this as a high-stakes hostage situation and act accordingly to that. I can be careful about who I contact for this. But my fellow heroes are my business. There are good people in our ranks, people who care, and I'm not letting you kill them while there's something I can do about it. These are not your people to judge and punish, you hear me?"
Red eyes watched black ones for a long moment, emotions guarded. Then, a nod.
"I can give you my word to not actively terminate any targets until Izuku is back under my care. Is that all?"
"I will be allowed free communication with All Might and any heroes he decides to trust."
"You have his number?" And without hesitation, Stain offered the phone in his pocket. Spinner's jaw threatened to smash against the ground and Dabi looked half ready to grab the van, his brother, and make a run for it.
"W-wait, Stain…" Spinner attempted to speak up against his better judgment.
"He's gonna turn us all in." Dabi assisted. But Stain only shook his head.
"He won't. Or, to be more clear, he can't yet. Not without knowing who he can trust, not if it means the death of an innocent teen he intends to return home to his mother. He wants Izuku safe as much as we do, and his assumed death at my hand is the only thing assuring that at the time."
Eraser gritted his teeth, obviously disliking the Hero Killer more and more with each passing second. Stain handed him the phone, placing it in front of Eraser's hand. The man couldn't really stretch his arm out much, but he could dial the familiar number without any hesitation. Stain placed the phone between them, the speaker loud in the empty alley, and they only had to wait for a second before someone answered.
"Hello?" The voice was deep, easily recognizable even without its commercial gusto. Eraser sighed, and Spinner held his breath. No doubt the caller ID had shown as 'unknown', probably explaining the cold response they got from the Number 1 Hero, but if Eraser said who he was too easily then he risked their facade crumbling; what if All Might was with someone else?
"They're out of cream in the breakroom." Eraser said evenly, his voice clear. There was a small pause on the other end of the line.
"I-is that so? What kind?"
"Hazelnut." Eraser replied. There was a long pause, the sounds of mumbling and moving and wind on the other end of the line. Then there was a grunt, a wheezing noise, and finally:
"I'm so glad you're alive. They told us the Hero Killer murdered you."
"He didn't. The Hero Killer is… right here next to me. He saved my life."
"WHAT?!" All Might sounded livid and shocked, but Eraser ignored it.
"We have a situation. A big one."
"Wha-"
"Midoriya Izuku's been taken." And then, after a pause, "And the ones that tried to kill me were Medusa and Luminesce."