Dammit.
Midoriya watches the taxi drive away, his good leg wobbly as it supports his entire weight. He had made a makeshift bandage with his scarf, wrapping it crudely against his knee, but it was useless. Sighing, he sits down on the sidewalk, burying his head in his hands. With the adrenaline crashing down, his knee was starting to hurt.
Dammit.
He's threading his way on thin, thin ice. Tsukauchi doesn't suspect him at all, at least he's certain of that but what about the others? Todoroki exposed his doubts and will certainly never trust him because of the weak answer Midoriya gave him. Tomura tried to kill him since he feels threatened by how All for One favours the Judge. Does it mean his alliance with the League of Villains, on which he relied on, is now broken?
Dammit.
"Izuku!" Midoriya turns around to see his mother running towards him in a dressing gown, her face flushed in the cold. "Izuku, where have you been? I woke up and found the house empty, how do you think I felt? I was worried about you. I spent the next hour watching outside the window and waiting for you to come back. Oh, Izuku, what if something happened to you and I wasn't there?"
"Okaasan," he whispers, relaxing as she embraces him. "Actually... something happened."
He gestures towards his knee, lowering his head in shame. She doesn't pull away, rather tightens her hug and kiss his forehead.
"That's your second injury in two weeks. You have to take care of yourself, Izuku, you have to be careful. But for tonight it's alright because I'm here."
He yearned to hear those last words when he was younger, expecting All Might to come and save the day since it's his signature sentence. Tonight, it isn't All Might saying it but his mother, but it sparks the same overwhelming wave of relief. He thought he was alone, betraying Tsukauchi, suspected by Todoroki and abandoned by Tomura, but his mother was here for him.
"I'm sorry," Midoriya hiccups. He's powerless as the first tears gather in his eyes and begin streaming down his cheeks. "I'm sorry."
She rubs his back as she holds him. "Hush, hush. I'm going to call an ambulance, alright?"
"Okaasan?" He sniffles, his voice hoarse.
"I'm not a very good nurse, Izuku. They'll take care of you there."
"But Tsukauchi-san said—"
Upon hearing his name, her expression turns sours and and grumbles, "I'll have to speak with that Tsukauchi-san. He can't send me back my child hurt like this."
Midoriya's spent enough time around Tsukauchi to know how the detective thinks. Their meeting was supposed to be a secret but Tomura stumbled upon it and attacked Midoriya, which ended in a fight against Todoroki. Convinced that the Judge's hiding among the team, Tsukauchi wants to pressure him by showing up the next day, unscratched by the attack possibly sponsored by the Judge. It's a technique aiming to reduce one's confidence. It could've worked, if the Judge hadn't been Midoriya, if Tomura hadn't acted on his own volition and if his mother hadn't called an ambulance that will keep at least an entire day at the hospital.
"Okaasan, will you... come with me at the hospital?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I'll come with you. I'm not letting you go that easily." He chuckles despite himself while she wipes his eyes, her fingers warming his cold face. "I'll take care of things now. Just rest."
He nods and nestles his head in the crook of her neck, closing his eyes as an ambulance's sirens echo in the night.
Midoriya would lie to himself if he says he doesn't find it satisfying to hear his mother berate Tsukauchi on the phone just across his room.
"You listen to me, Mister Detective," she growls like a lioness. "I encouraged my son to become a police man despite knowing the risks of him getting hurt because I believed people like you, his superiors, would make sure to protect him or at least tend to him if he ever got injured. Yesterday Izuku arrived— Don't you interrupt me when I'm talking!"
Midoriya crosses his arms behind his head and sinks back in his bed, losing his fight against the smile curling his lips. The pain was gone now that the nurse had injected him morphine, and his knee was cleanly bandaged. It would be treated as soon as a doctor with a powerful Healing Quirk would be available, which should be in the next twenty-four hours according to that same nurse. He doesn't know if it's the morphine messing up with his head or the sudden break from both his police officer and Judge's duties, but he derives a certain pleasure from doing absolutely nothing.
"Yesterday, Izuku arrived home unable to walk by himself. Don't tell me you expected him to go to the hospital on his own, Mister Detective, because he told me you wanted him to show up at the office in the afternoon and my son doesn't lie… What are you…? I don't care if you had someone ready to heal him in your office! Who knows, he could've bled out during the night and died. What he needed that you failed to give him was immediate treatment. I can't believe I trusted you to look after my son. You should be ashamed!"
Midoriya begins humming a tune as his mother's volume increases the more enraged she becomes. Even the nurses hushing her in the corridors, telling her she distresses some patients, are unable to stop her. She may annoy some patients but Midoriya could listen to her tirade directed at Tsukauchi for hours without growing tired of it.
"No, he didn't tell me what happened and he doesn't have to because I already know what happened: my son got hurt. Izuku's working with you to solve the Judge's case and his injury surely had something to do with it. I hope you remember that your top priority's protecting citizens and as far as I know, my son's still a citizen despite being a police officer. So if you have to choose him between catching that Judge and rescuing him, your choice should be easy."
Ah, how Midoriya loves his mother despite the contradiction she just unknowingly said.
"Now, Mister Detective, I refuse to let you visit Izuku and give him paperwork. He's going to rest for the first time in months since he was already overworking before the Judge case happened. I'll also ask the nurse to block your phone number. If I ever find out you contacted my son… I'll let you imagine what will happen."
His mother's sudden silence indicated she hung up without letting Tsukauchi add a word. When she entered his room and sat next to his hospital bed, her fierceness was replaced with utmost tenderness.
"How are you doing, sweetheart?"
"Better now that I know Tsukauchi-san won't hold it against me for not coming to the office."
"He can't hold it against you because he's the one who failed you. It shocked me since he appeared caring when he came to our house to comfort you. Even I couldn't talk to you yet he managed to… but now with what I saw of him yesterday, he probably thought that comforting you would bring you back to the office faster. Are you sure you want to stay on his team?"
It wasn't such a bad idea. With what transpired with Tomura, he can't be sure of his status in the League of Villains anymore. If he has no more support, then being the Judge will be a tenfold difficult. Not having to worry about Tsukauchi breathing down his neck was a pleasant idea.
"I'll think about it, okaasan," he settles on telling her.
Her hands cup his face as she kisses his forehead, her nose nuzzling his hair. Midoriya would've purred if he could, smiling in contentedness.
"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own? I can call sick."
"I'll be fine. All I can do is wait until the doctor comes."
His answer isn't what she wanted to hear because she insists, "I'm sure my boss would understand if I told her my son's at the hospital. She herself is a mother of three children. All I have to do is to call her. I don't even have to leave your side."
"Okaasan," he chuckles, being the one this time who gives a kiss meant to be reassuring, "you don't have to worry. I'm safe now."
Her concerned expression doesn't relax despite his words. "My job's to be worried all the time. I can't help it. You're my precious son, the person I love the most. If I ever lose you…"
Midoriya's throat is knotted as he recalls the night before. He could've died yesterday. Tomura was toying with him like he always does, the villain always fond of a little chaos before giving the coup de grace, but had Todoroki and Tsukauchi not intervened… Perhaps Midoriya Inko would've waited all night for a person who would've come home in a hearse.
How could he have forgotten that he can't be so careless? He's so accustomed to working alone in complete secrecy that he forgot he's not. His mother waits for him at home, cooks him meals, asks how his day has been and worries so much about him. Purging Pro Heroes from slugs and scum is important, yes, but his mother's wellbeing tops it.
As the Judge, he pledges never to get caught. His mother wouldn't bear it.
"You won't lose me. I won't disappear." Not like my father.
She embraces him, holding him delicately like he would break if she dares tightening her hug. His shoulder is damp when she pulls backs, tears still shining in her eyes. Midoriya hates how his powerlessness against Tomura led her to be so upset. He's still unable to swallow without it hurting as he fights against tears of his own. Of all the things he inherited from her, crying at the slightest event comes first. Both Midoriyas stare at each other, taking in their pitiful state, and giggle.
"Alright, I'll be going. If anything happens, don't hesitate to call me."
"I won't. Have a good day, okaasan."
She kisses one last time on the cheek before scurrying to the exit.
Suddenly Midoriya finds himself with something he never would've dreamed of having: time to think.
There are many topics demanding his attention and among them, the feasibility of continuing his role as Judge. There were many variables that became unscrewed, his original plan falling in pieces. He's being confronted, challenged, but that's alright. He never expected his fantasies to become reality this fast and this smoothly. It's been almost like a fairy tale, with his reluctant fairy godmother being Tomura and his pumpkin cart, Kurogiri. He's been Cinderella for three weeks but midnight was striking soon. Two clock hands were nearing the truth, ticking closer to his identity: Tsukauchi and Todoroki.
Both men are blunt in their own manners; Tsukauchi's instincts are blunted while Todoroki's tongue never ceases to be blunt. Midoriya can handle the detective but the other one… If Midoriya's the villains' joker, then Todoroki's the Police Force's very one wild card. As much as the Police Force can't predict the Judge's move, Midoriya's always surprised by what Todoroki has to say. As much as he enjoys being a joker, without two decks of cards pitting themselves against each other, he can't do much. But with the League's few members slipping out of his grasp…
I need more cards.
He presses the buzzer next to his bed, signalling he was requesting his nurse. He waited for a few seconds before she arrives, a polite smile plastered on her lips.
"Can I make a call?"
"Of course. Your mother, I assume?"
Midoriya nods, "You assume well."
But the person he has in mind is far from being Midoriya Inko. As soon as she gets out of the room after handing him the phone, he dials the number he memorised for emergencies a while ago for the first time. He's convinced that no one will answer and since they don't have a voicemail, leaving a message isn't an option. He sighs, about to hang up, when he hears a rumbling voice.
"I'm afraid I can't help you much."
"Kurogiri," Midoriya can't help but smiling, "I only want two things."
The villain is quiet for a few seconds, pondering over the implication of helping a now persona non grata. "I can't guarantee anything."
"I'd like to know how to contact Toga and Dabi. They're my agents, after all." Taking Kurogiri's silence as a good sign, Midoriya continues, "Also, I'd like to talk to All for One."
"I can send you the coordinates for Toga and Dabi without any trouble. For All for One, however, I have neither the authorisation nor the access to contact him."
"That's alright." It was wishful thinking to imagine Kurogiri disclosing him anything. "I under—"
"Still, All for One watches over you. He might not hear what you say but he can see."
Midoriya's about to thank him when he catches the nurse hovering on the threshold. He blanches, wondering if she heard everything. Uttering a rapid goodbye and apologising inwardly to Kurogiri, Midoriya hangs up and feigns innocence.
"Thank you," he tells her, handing her back the phone.
"It was my pleasure, Midoriya-san. How are you feeling now?"
He offers his best mellowed smile at his nurse, "Better, but may I ask when a doctor will come see me? As you surely know, I'm working with the Police Force and I have to go back as soon as I can."
"I'm afraid you'll have to wait for tomorrow."
"I guess it can't be helped…"
More time to think about depressing things…
"But I have a visitor for you." She turns towards the door, smiling, "You can come inside."
Midoriya blinks, surprised to see he didn't notice Todoroki waiting. The latter glides towards him, eyes riveted to him yet without seeing him. Midoriya swallows as the nurse lets the two of them alone after reminding him not to exert himself. Todoroki sits on the very edge of the bed, his weight dipping the mattress. His back's facing him and Midoriya feels the irresistible urge to grab his shoulder and turn him around.
"There's a question that's been nagging me," he murmurs. "Do you hate me?"
The question drifts off in silence. Glancing over his shoulder, Todoroki stares at him for a few seconds before shaking his head almost imperceptibly. His bangs sway from right to left.
The corner of Midoriya's lips twitch. "Alright. That's good. I need you."
"When do you not?" Todoroki's voice's devoid of any emotion, robotic. "You can't do much."
Perhaps it's the morphine coursing through his veins but Midoriya isn't even offended. Instead he chuckles at the jab, shrugging, "Of course I am. Should've figured it out a while ago."
Todoroki sighs, eyes now focusing on the floor. His voice's but a whisper as he comments, "I wonder what goes through your head sometimes."
"I can say the same about you."
"I don't think you misunderstood me. I don't wonder what's going through Midoriya Izuku's head but through the Judge's."
"Still focused on that?" He snorts.
"You didn't prove me wrong yet."
"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? As long as you have no proof that I did something wrong, you have to consider me innocent."
Todoroki closes his eyes, shaking his head. "I want to. That's why I came here with a proposition."
Midoriya can't help but prop himself straighter, eyebrows raised. "Oh?"
"I'll stay with you. If you're not the Judge, then he should strike again."
"So you want me to be under a twenty-four hour watch?"
Midoriya stares at him, incredulous. Neither of their gaze wavers, and he realises Todoroki might be serious. Even if they wanted to, striking such a deal is bound to be a disaster. Their relationship is already strained and their conversations become catastrophes ninety-nine percent of the time. Although Todoroki's the one who makes this suggestion, Midoriya would be that he'd be the first one to give up.
Todoroki's nose wrinkles as he grimaces, "It's the only solution I found."
And Midoriya was bound to accept this offer, the both of them know as much, or else he just had to share his suspicion with Tsukauchi. An interrogation led by the Bullshit Detector would uncover whatever secrets he has. Besides, if he's supposed to have nothing to hide, then he should laugh and accept Todoroki's proposition.
"Alright. But give me a break when I go to the bathroom, right?"
"Of course. May I have your phone?"
Midoriya stills, his fake smile frozen in place, "What?"
"Your phone," Todoroki repeats as he extends one hand imperiously. "I have to check if any of your contacts are suspicious, right?"
"Y-Yeah, sure, but I don't have it with me." He never would thank his mother enough for confiscating it. "The hospital took away my things, you know."
"I see." Todoroki pauses, his lips pursing as he mutters. "I'll need to clean my apartment if I want a second futon to fit in."
Midoriya's eyes widen, his jaw slackening. "What are you—? Are you implying—?"
"I did say twenty-four hour. Since I unfortunately can't trust your mother not to be a part of your scheme, you'll have to sleep in my house."
The very thought of spending the night alongside Todoroki was unconceivable. He already knows he's not going to get a wink of sleep because he'll be too tense, expecting the Pro Hero to kill him once he's unconscious. Besides, with such proximity, it'll be impossible to slip out of his grasp to devise a plan with his agents.
Midoriya barks with laughter, "She's not just going to let me go after I got hurt. You should know how mothers are and stuff."
"I should know," Todoroki mumbles, a fleeting shadow darkening his face.
"Good luck convincing her," he bluffs, lounging on his bed.
"That might not be such a bad idea!"
His plan took every turn it shouldn't take. His mother accepted with overflowing gratitude that a Pro Hero as skilled as Shouto looks after his son. She also perceived him as Midoriya's first 'true' friend after the devastating experience of his childhood friend turned bully. In her eyes, it was the perfect occasion to keep her son safe as well as happy. It's no secret to her that Midoriya invited Todoroki in their apartment without her presence, and she was always so eager to meet him.
"You must be Todoroki Shouto," she practically squealed like a fan as she shook his hand with enough enthusiasm to tear his arm away. "I'm glad you're friends with my son."
And of course, before Midoriya could deny it, Todoroki stepped in and revealed a side of him Midoriya didn't know he had. While he was cold and all scowls with his coworkers, he appeared like a godsend angel with his chivalrous attitude and soft smiles.
Midoriya would've liked to say it was all fake but he couldn't be sure. He witnessed this same behaviour when Todoroki was around Yaoyorozu, and perhaps this facade's Todoroki's true one behind those frigid walls he barricaded around himself. Nevertheless, Midoriya was powerless as Todoroki proceeded to convince his mother of an extended sleepover.
"I want you to call me every day," she told Midoriya.
And, of course, before Midoriya could ask for his phone, Todoroki stepped in and claimed it. There could be, after all, evil people who track Midoriya's phone and we wouldn't want that, would we? It was a load of bullshit to Midoriya, but Todoroki didn't meet any resistance as Inko relinquished the phone without any hesitation. His plans were crumbling and Todoroki would be his new caretaker, but his mother merely patted his shoulders with a grin.
"You can call using Todoroki's phone. I know you're in good hands. You and Todoroki are always welcomed in my house."
And so when he finds himself discharged out of the hospital a few days after with strict orders not to exert himself, Todoroki's the one waiting for him instead of his mother. Apparently, she already brought a whole suitcase of his belongings to his new prison. Midoriya refuses to call it a temporary home, or even Todoroki's house.
Todoroki rises from his seat as he notices Midoriya heading his way with a small limp, his skin paler than before he's been admitted and dark bags marring his eyes.
"How are you?" Todoroki asks out of politeness, for he surely knows that Midoriya's feeling horrid because of the haggard appearance he displays.
"You don't have to try and make small talk," Midoriya grumbles.
"You should try sleeping."
He shoots him a fierce glare. "You should try shutting your mouth."
Todoroki falters, taken aback, and if he's being honest with himself, Midoriya is too.
The hospital was disgustingly full of Halloween decorations, the month nearing to an end. Some windows sported stickers of pumpkins and black cats. Ghosts cut out of orange and black cardboard were hanging from the ceiling and a few cheap, plastic skeletons were dangling alongside billboards. Midoriya finds it rather odd, even inappropriate, to have such reminders of death in a hospital. If they wanted to be serious about their decorations, they could've just drawn a tombstone with a R.I.P inscription on each patient's door they thought wouldn't survive the night.
It's been a while since he went outside and he missed a cool temperature making him feel alive and a panorama other than various machines showing his vitals. He looks towards the heavens, observing the murky sky darkened by ominous clouds. Gusts of wind sweep the ground, blowing so much that the parked cars in the entrance were shaking, almost swaying. Although the brisk air sets his lungs afire, Midoriya inhales deeply.
"You know the air here is much more polluted."
Midoriya doesn't even snap at him, rather taking a larger gulp of air.
"Sometimes I enjoy a little toxic air."
With his eyes closed, he can't see Todoroki's expression but he figures it's for the better. He now has to control his urges to plot against the man since they'll be living — chained — to each other. He shouldn't make it too obvious he wants to frame him.
"Do you feel well enough to take the subway?" Todoroki asks him.
"Of course I feel well enough," he replies, glancing at the Pro Hero with a smirk. He's adamant on showing no weakness whatsoever, even if it means worsening the state of his knee. "I'm out of the hospital, am I not?"
Todoroki frowns, holding his gaze, then beckons a cab. Midoriya's cheeks flare red at the blatant rejection and he glowers at the ground, hands curled into fists. Todoroki signals again for a taxi and Midoriya stifles a yawn, rising to his full height. He always thought they were the same height but now he realises with a strange satisfaction that he's a tad taller than the Pro Hero.
"I'm not doing this to spite you, Midoriya," Todoroki declares. "I promised to your mother I'd take care of you."
"I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"You're not. I consulted your nurse and even if she told me your chest wound was healing fine, she also told me you had a gash in your right arm with a slight infection." Midoriya's petrified as Todoroki's cold eyes land on him. "Care to tell me when you received this particular injury?"
"I…"
He can't speak. His tongue feels like sandpaper as he struggles to open his mouth. When he does it, he remains silent with his mouth agape like a fish out of the water. Todoroki's not staring at him anymore, rather glaring the parking lot and clicking his tongue in annoyance as no taxi heeds him.
"According to her, the injury is recent," he keeps on. "She gave it a little more than a week, perhaps two to a stretch. Do you know what happened almost two weeks ago?"
"It's a coincidence."
"The fact that you thought about Tozawa's murder doesn't make it seem like a coincidence."
Midoriya's feeling breathless, his arm, his chest and his knee aching. "You don't have any proof."
"Maybe, but all the hints I gathered are not in your favour."
"You don't even know when the Judge will strike, or if he will strike," Midoriya retorts, brimming with frustration. "What if Tozawa's the last he decides of killing? You have no way of knowing."
"I don't but I know one thing. You're not getting away, Midoriya."
Dread seeps through his bones as he realises he might not, indeed, get away this time.