Izuku wakes the next morning looking haggard as usual, hair a complete mess, eyes bags ever present.
He had stopped by to see Reo after patrol, finding his friend working on a new project for school. He'd become invested in watching him work on it, staying far later than he had any right to on a school night. Reo had eventually kicked him out, telling him to go to bed. But, the damage has already been done by that point.
He's too tired to force himself into the shower and instead slips straight into his UA uniform. His phone buzzes on his nightstand, drawing his tired eyes.
He expects a message from Reo, or some bit of hero news from one of the sites he follows.
Instead he finds a new notification from Instagram. His sun wavers, flickering beneath the strain of gravity. Post notifications weren't a feature on the app, but Reo had managed to add a few upgrades for one specific account the vigilante needed to track.
(This is where everything goes wrong.)
ALBTM_
[Image: video game screenshot of a character poorly hidden behind a potted plant, image's text reads: "sneak 0"]
Liked by tnk_ht and 132 others ALBTM_
Location compromised, wait for your handlers to contact you. Must be a snitch among the ranks! #ShowMustGoOn #WellGetEmNextTimeBoys
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10.10.Sk LMAO That can't even be counted as a hiding place MistressJoke that right there is how NOT to play video games _Pro_Pio_ n00b
RAOR yeah a snitch is /definitely/ the reason they were found
Midoriya stares blankly at his phone for a moment, everything about it screams abnormal when he compares it to the posts before it. He rereads it one last time to make sure his mind isn't deceiving him.
Location compromised Wait for handlers Snitch
The show must go on
Midoriya curses, eyes wide. "They changed the meeting spot," he whispers to himself. His tie dangles limply between his fingers. His heart thunders in his chest, frozen in a moment of disbelief. "They hardly even tried to code it." He stares at it for a moment longer. "But where did they move it to?"
What do I do? What can I do? Do the police know? Of course they know. But there's no way for them to know where the new meeting place will be. There's no way for me to know where the new meeting place will be.
"Izuku! Breakfast is ready!"
The boy's head snaps towards his door. What can I do?
He quickly strips from his uniform, throwing his pajamas back on.
"Izuku?"
While he can still hear the woman in the kitchen he does a few silent jumping jacks until he hears her footsteps in the hall. He quickly throws himself back in bed.
There's a soft knock on his door. "'Zuku?" The woman peeks inside the boy's room to find him still in bed. "Honey? You're not up yet?"
Midoriya groans rolling over, he keeps his eyes half lidded, voice groggy. "Mom?" he croaks out. He pushes himself up, clutching his head with a free hand. "I don't feel so good."
The concern on her face makes his heart ache uncomfortably, but he has to do something. She presses the back of her cold hand to his forehead.
There's no way she can know that he's flushed with fear fueled adrenaline rather than fever.
"You're a little warm," she murmurs, checking the time as she nibbles at the corner of her lip. "I'll call into work, tell them I've gotta take care of you," Inko mutters to herself, turning to grab her phone before Izuku stops her.
"Mom, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine as long as I sleep some more, you know how I usually am with colds. I'm sure that's all this is."
She turns to look at him softly, the furrow between her brows loosening. She presses both of her hands to his cheeks, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "I keep forgetting you're in highschool now. All grown up," she whispers quietly. "Then I'll go get some medicine from the cabinet and some
water and I'll bring you a bowl of soup. You need to at least try to eat something before going back to sleep an—"
"Mom," he murmurs softly, drawing her attention back to him. "You'll be late. I can get all that."
"Oh~" she plants another kiss on her forehead. "You're right. I'll leave you some soup and put the rest away. Make sure you take some medicine and call me if you need anything. Katsumi owes me a favor so I can always have her take over for me if I need to, okay?"
He nods, forcing a small smile to his lips. "Okay."
Midoriya's up and out of bed the moment he's sure Inko's left for good.
What do I do? What do I do? Runs through his head on loop, threatening to drive him insane. He scrambles for his phone, Reo's voice ringing through his head, he needs to call Detective Tsukauchi.
He pauses.
But what will he tell him? What can he tell him?
There's no new posts, no new stories, nothing to tell him when or where the meeting's been changed to. Midoriya stares at his phone helplessly.
Then he notices what he'd previously glanced over before. Liked by tnk_ht and 132 others
tnk_ht
He taps at Tanaka's profile, scrolling to the latest post.
tnk_ht
[Image: The backs of two people are caught mid stride towards a restaurant, the sign outside reads 'Sensō Shoku'.]
Liked by . HirAiri. and 7 others
tnk_ht Gotta eat good before battle
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10安.倍10 Love that place!!! 10/10 Recommend the curry .MMmMM. Y'all mind if I drop in?
tnk_ht Sorry bro business calls, we can meet up tonight tho, celebratory drinks on Haddo
The words "wait for your handlers" slithers their way through his head. All the evidence points Midoriya to only one conclusion about the post. He's meeting up with his contact. His grip on the
phone tightens, hiding the tremor in his hands.
Midoriya hones in on the name of the restaurant. His heart races in his chest. He has to get there. He quickly searches the address, pulling up the location on his phone. He checks the distance, then the time.
I won't be able to make it on foot. Taking the train is always an option, but... His thoughts trail off, it could be dangerous. He glances back at his closet, catching the barest peak of the papers plastered across the back wall.
In the end the decision is made for him, after all, he's done worse.
He dresses as casually as he can in his vigilante uniform, hiding his belt and all its gear beneath his hoodie. He dons a regular face mask while Piper's gets shoved halfway into a pocket with his gloves. There's no hiding the spikes on his boots, and his staff is a necessary evil.
Izuku slips down the balcony, heart threatening to claw its way up his throat. Even if he's trying his best to keep a low profile, he's bound to draw eyes.
He hops over the ticket counter at the nearest train station. It draws several outraged cries from bystanders, but he rushes on. If he stops he won't make it.
He has to make it.
This wasn't only about Eri or Overhaul anymore, there's no telling just how people could be put in danger if they aren't stopped here. As far as Piper knows he's the only one who has a chance of finding the new meeting place before it's too late. People could die if he fails.
He sticks to the edge of the train car and presses his staff against the wall where it won't look as suspicious. Anxiety threatens to consume him. The sun in his chest lashes out against his ribcage. He can feel the stares of the people around him. Please, please, he begs them silently, Just let me do this. Just let me do this much.
The stop for school comes and goes, UA blurring outside the carriage window.
Will he make it in time? Will Tanaka still be there? Will he even be headed to the new meeting place? What if the detective doesn't pick up his call when he finds it? What if the heroes don't arrive in time? He won't be able to stop everyone by himself. He'll die.
He'll die again.
He doesn't want to die again, alone.
His nails bite harshly into his palms, leaving red, crescent moon marks in their wake. He bows his head, hiding his eyes.
Just two more stops.
Sansa strides towards Tsukauchi's desk, lips pulled into his equivalent of a frown. "We just got word that someone fitting Piper's description was seen leaving a train station in Ikuno ward's shopping district."
Naomasa looks up, brows furrowed low before realization flashes in his eyes. "He must've seen the post," he replies, quickly pushing himself up. He grabs a set of cruiser keys off his desk, striding
for the exit. "He could know something we don't."
"Wouldn't he have called you?" Sansa asks tensely, following him out of the station.
"It's either he's following up on a possible lead or he thinks police interference would cause the meeting place to move again," he replies tersely. "Have someone call the local stations in that area and tell them to put all available police and heroes on standby. We have no idea what this group is planning, but with this large of a gathering we need to be prepared for anything."
"Yes sir."
Relief settles in his chest when Midoriya spies Tanaka through the restaurant window. Each minute that passes as he watches him talk with the others raises the vigilante's sense of urgency. He's not even sure Tanaka had been accepted as a part of the group that the Precepts were collecting. But, Tanaka is his only lead at this point, even if there's every possibility that this could lead him nowhere he couldn't leave him. But, Haddo's been sitting just beside the teen for the past fifteen minutes and the man had confirmed himself a member just by knowing about how to find the meeting places. It takes another thirty minutes before the group finally leaves, Tanaka talking animatedly about something as they make their way out. He feigns a few punches with a grin that soon turns caustic.
Midoriya melts further into the shadows at their appearance, tailing them as stealthily as he can when he's dressed in all black and carrying around a pipe that's just a head shorter than he is. For Eri's sake and the sake of the others who would suffer at the Percept's hands, he cannot afford to be seen. The group makes short stops at two other places, always trailing more people than they had gone in with. They draw enough eyes to be suspicious, but never enough to warrant a call to any heroes or police.
When they finally reach a less populated area Izuku slips his mask and gloves on, nervously cleaning his staff as he follows. His emotions are at war with his vigilante persona. Remaining calm under pressure was a skill Midoriya needs for his nightly survival, but he can't stop himself from remembering. And remembering throws him off balance, it makes him useless in a place where he has to rely on himself.
Izuku had grown up as an outcast, as a liability. Because of this he was used to being alone and being forced to fend for himself. After the day he'd met Eri he relied on himself alone to track her down.
But, it was this delusioned sense of self sufficiency that had led to his death.
In recent months he's realized that relying on others is just another important part of survival. He has Reo now, and funnily enough he also has his uncle. But this situation is beginning to force him back into old habits.
Every step he takes brings him closer to the man that'd killed him, but even so he can't afford to hesitate. Hesitation could result in a second, final death.
He does his best to drown out the memories of that man's voice.
"I know who you are... Piper."
He has to focus on his surroundings.
The buildings have gotten comparably shorter compared to the area they were in before, changing
from shining store fronts and restaurants to dingy office buildings and warehouses. Conditions get worse the more they walk, buildings breaking down from lack of care. Leafy plants spring up from the cracked sidewalks, unchecked and surviving the only way they know how.
Ahead of him Tanaka's laugh carries, the group's lust for violence palpable.
The chime of warning bells rings in his ears, warding him away. Reo's voice hisses in his head, "Turn back, turn back. What will your mother think?"
He has no plans to die today, but few people ever do. He shakes off the image of merciless golden eyes.
There are people he has to save, villains he has to defeat, little white-haired girls he has to rescue from the clutches of evil men. His fingertips tingle. Voices whisper anthems of defeat and failure in his ears, but he can't afford to listen.
The vigilante slips his phone out, making certain he's far enough away from the group before he dials Tsukauchi's number.
The man speaks first, "Piper?" He sounds expectant, hopeful.
Midoriya makes a quiet noise of confirmation, keeping his eyes on the group.
"Is this about the newest post?" Tsukauchi asks, voice crackling through the speaker.
"I'm tailing about seven people right now," the vigilante whispers, "One of them I only know by the name Haddo. He's the one I originally overheard talking about the meeting. I still don't know where they're going, but we've entered an area with a lot of abandoned warehouses east of the Ikuno shopping district. I'm assuming the meeting is being held in one of them, but I won't know where exactly until we get there," he mutters quietly, ducking around a corner when someone turns, casually strolling backwards with a cocky grin so she's facing the group. When they disappear down another street he's quick to follow.
"I know the area that you're talking about," the detective answers, "We're close to it, but that place spans for miles. You'll ha—"
"Detective?" Midoriya asks. He glances down at his phone, bewildered to see the 'disconnected' screen flashing back at him. The boy curses, redailing the number to no avail. The vigilante continues tailing the group as he tries calling back, but every attempt leaves the ringer cut short. He curses quietly but forces himself to continue following the group. He can't let them too far out of sight. He can't lose them, not here, especially not after losing contact with the Detective.
"Piper? Piper?"Naomasa curses, staring down at his phone with wide eyes as they settle at a stop light. He glances at Sansa. "Throw on the lights and turn here, Piper's tracked the general location of the meeting place to the east edge of the ward. I'm going to call in reinforcements to help us find the exact place."
The other officer nods grimly, flipping on the lights and sirens and taking off down the street as soon as their path's clear.
A frown tugs at his lips as he dials a new number. "This is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa with the Musutafu Police Department. I'm requesting back up on the east end of Ikuno ward, we've narrowed down the possible location of a large gathering of criminals to the area and need
assistance searching the area."
Midoriya tries redialing the detective several more times before giving in and focusing his full attention back to his targets.
There's only another five minutes of walking before the group suddenly grows quiet. The building they approach doesn't look any different from those around it, but then again Midoriya had never expected it to.
He waits until all of them have disappeared inside before he approaches. He quickly checks his surroundings before creeping around the side of the building. He keeps himself low to the ground, steps quiet. He has no idea what he'll find inside, but there's no way he dares to just waltz in like the others had. He spies a busted out window about a story up and uses a rusted forklift nearby as a ladder of sorts. Izuku sets his staff aside for the moment as he reaches up to latch onto the windowsill, glass crunching quietly beneath his gloves. He hauls himself up to his elbows with a grunt of effort, just managing to get a glimpse of the inside.
The sun in his chest threatens to collapse in on itself at the sheer numbers hidden inside. There's what must be almost two hundred people crowding the floorspace, muttering to each other in low voice. The vigilante drops from his spot, his landing louder than he'd like against the forklift's caged roof. He tries once again to get in contact with the detective. His fingers tremble, fumbling over the keyboard. This time there's only a dull static when he presses the phone to his ear. He curses again, frustration rising. Is it a quirk?
Izuku glances back up at the window. I need to know what they're planning. He claws his way back up to the window. Earlier he'd noticed that the warehouse's ceiling was littered with rusting support beams. If he can get on top of one, it'd be the safest place for him to listen in to anything being said inside.
The window itself is just big enough for Midoriya to crawl through, though he can feel the shards of broken glass stabbing into his sleeves and pant legs as he shimmies over it. It's tricky pulling his staff through with him, he has to be careful not to let it bump into anything. The boy prays that no one looks up as he hauls himself out along the closest rafter. A low murmur settles over the crowd, covering the sound of his footsteps. He's only about a story up, but the height is just a little dizzying when he's balanced on such a thin surface.
He keeps his staff close to him, hiding behind a vertical support beam and keeping himself as low as he dares. He stays towards the back of the room, just at the edge of the crowd.
It's hard to distinguish any conversations from where he is, but he does his best to listen in. He catches snippets of words here and there, but never enough to make sense of anything.
A few more groups file through the doors below him as he tries one last time to dial Tsukauchi's number with no luck. He's in the middle of tucking his phone back in his pocket when the upstairs door that leads into what he assumes is a control room swings open. The door is large and immediately dwarfs the white-haired figure that makes his way out of it. He steps across the balcony above the crowd. His clothes are worn, and severed, gray hands litter his upper body. Following behind the man is a hulking beast of a person, bluish black skin striped with scars. A beak like maw protrudes from its face filled to the brim with dozens of jagged teeth.
It's brain is almost entirely exposed. The crowd quiets at their appearance.
The white-haired man is the only one to speak. "You all know what you're here for," he tells them. "We'll leave the npcs to you." The villain scratches feverishly at his neck, nails leaving red streaks against the pallor of his skin. "It's time to put hero society in its place once and for all." Midoriya catches the barest hints of the sadistic grin that surfaces just beneath the hand covering his face. He begins descending the steps, closing in on the crowd. "Don't fail."
It's here that Midoriya realizes his previous mistakes. It's here that he realizes that this is the man behind all of the rumors he's been hearing. It was this man, not Overhaul. Piper watches silently as any hope he may have built up falls mercilessly apart.
This gathering is not Eight Precepts doing. Eri is not here, she never was.
A tear in space wanes open at the front of the warehouse, obsidian smog yawning wider and wider to consume the open air.
Midoriya is alone here. Help will not be coming. He has failed.