Uraraka peered worriedly at the bathroom door as she heard the rough, hacking cough that came from inside, "are you sure you're alright?" she called through the door.
"Fine." came the hoarse voice as the faucet turned on.
"Recovery girl can-" she started.
"-I don't need Recovery Girl." Izuku said as he stepped out, wiping his hands on a damp paper towel, "I'm fine."
"If you're sure." she muttered doubtfully.
"I am, now, where's that lab?"
"This way."
The two walked through the semi-busy halls, several older students shooting Izuku suspicious looks as they went.
"I miss this place." Uraraka said suddenly, making Izuku jump a bit, "the three years I was here were some of the best of my life."
"I'm sure," he said dryly, "I never got the honor of attending here, I got back into town a few weeks after the entrance exam, no chance to take em.'
"Is that why you became a villain?" she questioned.
"Please, this place isn't that great." he scoffed, "besides, I was technically on that path before I ever had thoughts of coming back to Japan."
Uraraka nodded slowly, "so your villain career started in…mexico?" she asked uncertainty clouding her voice.
Izuku chuckled, "a bit in between honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I was still considered a hero overseas."
"A hero? But-" she stopped as they finally reached the old support lab that had been assigned to Izuku, the equipment he needed already set up in the spacious room.
"I'll tell you about it sometime." he said offhandedly as he immediately got to work, "for now, I got things to do."
"Er-right, go ahead." she said, closing the door and settling in against a nearby desk, "...so you were a hero in Mexico?"
Izuku paused in what he was doing, then continued.
"I'm sorry, it's just so weird-ever since your debut in that string of bank robberies, we've known you as a villain, to hear that an entire other country sees you as a hero-how does that happen? Why were you even in Mexico to begin with?"
Izuku kept working, and Uraraka sighed, leaning back a bit.
"When I was eight, my mother took a job in Mexico City." Izuku began, making Uraraka perk up, "my father had family who'd immigrated that way at one point or another, and mom thought it'd be a good thing to be closer to family, it wasn't too bad in the beginning; my fathers side was majority quirkless in that area, so no problems on that end. It wasn't until I was eleven that things took a turn."
"What happened?" she asked softly.
"Nothing good." he muttered, turning away from her to continue his work, leaving Uraraka to wonder what had happened.
A few moments later the door opened and Toshinori shambled in, "Young Midoriya," he greeted, eyes furrowed in concern, "are you alright?"
"As good as I can be with half my house destroyed." he said lightly, "is Eri with the rat?"
"With Principal Nezu, yes." Toshinori's warning tone was received as well as the former villain could take it, grumbling under his breath as he continued on, "I came to let you know: Santana has left, once his PO cleared him and Recovery Girl healed him up he took off.'
"I heard he's got a new job down at the docks." Izuku said absentmindedly, "He wouldn't want to lose that."
"And you didn't…order him to do anything?" he asked carefully.
"I don't give orders."
"Let me rephrase: did you ask him to do anything?" the former number one pressed. Ochako perked up a bit.
"...nothing that would jeopardize his probation." Izuku reassured, "told him to go talk to the boys, see if they've heard anything."
"Tread carefully my boy," Toshinori warned, "the heroes are on edge, they're looking for any excuse to take down villains, former or not, with extreme prejudice.'
"Then it's a good thing Diablo knows how to keep his nose clean." Izuku sighed, "I got work to do Toshi, can Eri stay with you tonight?"
"She always has a place with me." Toshinori gave him a genuine smile, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder before leaving.
Uraraka looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but she wisely bit her lip, settling back against the wall for another quiet shift.
WVWVW
The narrow streets of downtown Shizouka were filled with bustling shoppers and restaurant goers ,vendors shouting and haggling prices adding to the typical djinn of noise.
On this main street, Santana walked; charcoal sweater hood covering his appearance as he strolled between the civilians, wisps of smoke trailing out from underneath the cowl as he reached a restaurant face, proclaiming itself to be El Hijo Naciente.
With a chime the door swung open, filling the outside air with mariachi music and boisterous laughter. The restaurant wasn't too busy, the lunch rush had come and gone and it was technically closed until four; but if there was one thing Santana knew it was that there would always be three occupants within.
"Oye, Gordo! Deja que otros lleguen a la barra de Tacos!" (hey fatass, let others get at the taco bar) came a cawwing yell from the back, making Santana smirk.
"Vete a la mierda con el cerebro de Parajo." (fuck off bird brain) came the muffled grumbling response, from a heavy set man with a fully loaded plate in front of him, his green collared shirt open a few buttons too low, and a taco was halfway into his open mouth as he spoke, "Trabaje duro para estos!" (I worked hard for these)
"Ella no desaparecerán si le das más cinco segundos." (they won't disappear if you give it more than five seconds) a tired groan grumbled from the corner, its owner unseen from where he lay in one of the booths, only his dress shoes and slacks visible.
"No empieces, Hombre muerto."(don't start, dead man) came the now clearer gripe.
"Puedo empecar entonces?" (can i start?)Santana questioned, making the two occupants of the room look towards him, the one in the booth sitting up to reveal a gaunt faced man, hollowed eyes staring in shock and delight at the new entrant.
"Diablo!" the big man cheered, wiping his mouth and lumbering over to the slightly taller man, hugging him as the other stood up.
"Oye Bird, Diablos here!" he called ,walking up as Santana returned the big mans hug.
"How's it goin' Trogg?" Santana asked with a chuckle as he pulled back, shaking hands with the gaunt man, "Zombie, you alright? Keepin' it tight?"
"You know it Diablo," Zombie chuckled tiredly, running a hand over his buzzed head, "red-eye's gonna be the death of me though."
"Did I hear Diablo was here?"
Santana pulled his hood down as he watched Bird walk out, the large, muscular man rivaled even Bane in his prime, pushing the confines of hid muscle shirt and jeans.
He'd be more intimidating if he didn't have a hair net around his bushy beard.
"The fuck you wearing that for?" He asked, walking up and clasping hands with the man.
"Health regulations. Anytime I cook I gotta wear this shit, and since Gordito over there cleaned out the taco bar-"
"-No mames guey!" Trogg exclaimed, rolling his eyes, "I didn't even get much, dramatic."
"That empty tray of carne tells me you're a fucking liar." Zombie quipped.
Bird rolled his eyes and looked at Santana, "wheres Bane? You two never show up around here without each other and his little girl."
"How is that domestic life eh?" Zombie heckled, making a tongue of flame shoot out of Santana's mouth.
"Probation or not, I'll roast you." Santana growled quietly, making the man back up, hands up in complacency, "Bane got attacked." He said, making all three tense, "he didn't get hurt, but the fools burned down his house."
"mierda…" Trogg muttered, running a hand through his hair, "who did it? Anyone claim it?"
"Fogteeth has been wanting a bite of him since he got out." Zombie muttered, never thought they'd actually do it."
"Someone new." Santana said darkly, "according to Bane, they're using some of his old venom, the kind he incinerated because it was too dangerous."
"Nah, no way." Trogg said immediately, "I helped him build that incinerator, ain't no way anything survived it."
"So we're dealing with someone who was once a part of the crew." Bird muttered, stroking his beard, "I'll put the call out, is Bane out for blood?"
"He's helping the heroes find them, he doesn't want them dead, but he wants names." Santana said, "family is involved though, if you can take care of it bird, take care of it."
Bird grinned, "Trogg, get the word out." He said to his friend, "Bane wants names, Como si sus traseros estuvieran en llamas."
Santana smirked, "now, where's the Rat?"
WVWVW
That night.
Izuku was diligently working at a computer, inputting various codes and formulas to try and create an algorithm to help him narrow down possible vaccines for this new 'blockbuster' drug, as well as whatever he could make to combat the Nova Spice additive.
He was glad Uraraka had gone on a perimeter sweep, both to stretch her legs and honestly check UA's security measures; while she wasn't a distraction, it always unnerved him to work with someone just watching him.
Without prying eyes he was able to fully relax, immersing himself in his craft, once the algorithm got running he began to work on the first few trial vaccines that he'd thought up. Each one decades of speculation in the making, Ideas he'd never been able to implement due to his limited access to tech and resources; all of it now within reach.
Idly he wondered if this would get him off probation, not only had he been attacked while helping with an ongoing investigation, but he'd even been able to deliver a semi-effective vaccine for the first Venom variant to pop up; now he was sure he could advance the odds of survival to over fifty percent if he could just-why was his vision blurry?
Izuku sat up and rubbed at his eyes, blinking a few times as he looked back to his work, but he couldn't seem to focus his gaze on anything, he reached for his phone to see if he'd maybe been up for too long-he hadn't slept in a few days now after all- but found his hand was shaking violently, unable to fully grasp the phone and sending it cluttering to the ground, he stood up-intent on retrieving his phone and probably heading to bed-and was hit by a wave of vertigo, his knees felt weak as he steadied himself on his work table, he could feel a pain sprouting in his chest, "what-what's" He stuttered in confusion out as he clutched at his shirt, trying to ward off the pain that was now spiking through his body.
He tried to make for the door when his legs finally gave out, sending him crashing to the ground, he was unconscious before his head hit the tiled floor.
It was a few moments before the door opened, Uraraka and Ojiro both walking into the lab talking.
"-he said samples should be ready as early as tomorrow afternoon so hopefully we won-oh my god-MIdoriya!" Uraraka shouted, running to the collapsed mans' side, Ojiro immediately turning his communicator on.
"Code Red, we have a Code Red, Bane is unconscious and is in need of medical help now!"
WVWVW
"Oh man, oh man, oh man."
He wasn't even supposed to be here, he was supposed to be in Tokyo, he'd gotten a semi-steady job helping some mid-level talent agent, he was on the straight and narrow damn it!
But he couldn't just forget what he'd learned, especially since Bane was involved-
He paused as he heard a clatter, rat-like face twitching as he sniffed the air, his hair standing on end.
"H-hey man, I know you're there, just-" he flinched as a spear suddenly spiked into the wall beside his head.
"Don't take this personal, rodent," the man growled, walking towards him as he pulled a mace out, the spiked ball extending and crashing into the asphalt, dragging a trench behind the man, "but you know somethin' the boss doesn't want gettin' out, so-"
Faster than the man could react, the rat-faced man had jumped three stories into the air, latching on to a fire escape before scurrying up.
"You ain't gettin' me puto!" the rat shouted as he got to the roof and bolted away on all fours, his long tail trailing behind him. I gotta get to the campo, Bane needs to know-"ACK!" he cried out as a knife slammed into his shoulder, causing him to stumble off the building he'd jumped onto and crash down into another alleyway.
"I told ya, boss doesn't want ya blabbin'." the man taunted as he finally caught up, jumping down into the alley, looking about, soon he found a splatter of blood and began following it, going further and further down the alley until it ended at a manhole that entered the sewer, "smart little vermin." he mused, kicking the cover off, "but it won't help." with that he jumped down into the sewers.
And from behind a nearby dumpster, the rat man carefully stepped out, holding what looked like an old rag to his wound, "smarter than you, Cabron," the rat sneered before taking off as fast as he could towards the street.