Chapter 26
.::Not So Lazy Sunday::.
Izuku's plan to get Bakugou and Shinsou out of their cells was simple, really. All they needed to do was convince Shigaraki and all the other villains that they'd become friends with Izuku and wanted to protect him.
They still hadn't come up with a plan for their overall escape, but getting the others out of their cells would be a good start. His counterpart's journal claimed there had already been plans underway to make Bakugou his bodyguard due to their connection and similar ages, so the groundwork had already been set. Having him cooperate and put on an act that they'd gotten over their previous issues would make it much easier for Izuku to convince the others.
Izuku doubted Bakugou would be given total freedom that easily—the Alliance would probably still keep a close eye on him for a while—but hopefully he would at least be allowed to leave his room sometimes. Shinsou would be another thing though. Even though he'd been there longer than Bakugou, he'd been obstinate and resistant since getting captured, so the Alliance would probably see his cooperation as a ruse to escape.
After talking it over, they'd concluded that he wouldn't get the muzzle removed anytime soon even if he was allowed to leave his room. The realization made Izuku feel miserable, but the vigilante had assured him he could deal with it a bit longer. Until then they decided to start small and work their way up, starting with getting Bakugou out of the handcuffs. According to him, just losing those would be a significant improvement.
With luck, they'd be able to accomplish that today. Which was why Izuku found himself in the bar, trying to be as casual as possible as he strolled up to Shigaraki. The older male was sitting at the counter playing a game like usual, giving no indication he noticed Izuku. "Hey, Tomura-nii," he greeted, and got a grunt in response.
It slightly discouraged him, making him worry that talking to him would just annoy the villain, but he pushed down the thought. He had to do this for Kacchan and Shinsou, no matter how awkward he felt. So he steeled his nerves and pressed on, "Uh, if you're not busy today, c-could we hang out? It's just, it's been a while, and I kinda miss you."
Shigaraki's eyes finally flicked his way, glancing at him for only a brief moment before returning to the screen. Izuku felt himself deflate slightly, but before he could get too dejected Shigaraki set down the console and swiveled on the stool to face him. "What did you have in mind?" he asked, propping a hand on his chin, and Izuku perked up.
"I don't have anything in mind, really. Maybe we could play games?" He didn't really know what else he and Shigaraki did together. The only other times they'd hung out had been watching movies that first day when Shigaraki thought he was sick and that shopping trip, which had also been to go buy games.
Shigaraki hummed, drumming his fingers against his cheek. "Yeah, but we always do that, so maybe something else," he muttered. "Maybe—"
"Perhaps you could help Izuku with his schoolwork?" Kurogiri suggested smoothly, and they both turned to look at the misty man as he polished a glass behind the counter. "He has fallen a bit behind with everything that's happened lately. Helping with homework is an excellent bonding activity for brothers."
"Seriously?" Shigaraki muttered with a scowl. "But that's—"
"Education is important, Shigaraki Tomura," Kurogiri cut him off coolly, turning glowing golden eyes his way.
Which was why half an hour later they were sitting on the floor in Izuku's room hunched over a bunch of worksheets and textbooks. Izuku still felt kind of dazed thinking that this was actually happening. Apparently Kurogiri's disapproving glare affected more than just Izuku, because Shigaraki hadn't even tried to argue.
Honestly, he didn't get why Kurogiri suggested it though. Yeah, he had fallen a bit behind, but Shigaraki wasn't exactly his first choice to help him with it. In fact, Izuku had spent most of the time so far explaining everything to him.
"And that's the difference between Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobuhide," he finished tiredly. Part of him wanted to cry that he'd had to spend so much time explaining the difference given Nobunaga was one of the most prominent figures in Japanese history. The urge only grew stronger because Shigaraki still didn't look like he fully understood, his eyes narrowed in irritation as he squinted at the textbook.
"So Nobunaga's the father?" he asked, and yep, Izuku really wanted to cry.
"No, he's the son," he corrected, feeling a bit of his soul die while Shigaraki just scoffed.
"Why do you even need to know this?" he grumbled as he scratched his neck.
"I don't know, Tomura-nii. I don't know." And he didn't. Izuku really, really didn't. Maybe it was just because he'd spent the past fifteen minutes trying to explain it, but he just did not see how knowing the whole history of Nobunaga's conquest would be helpful in fixing this mess right now. Looking at the textbooks and homework made his soul ache, and he sighed. "Let's take a break."
"Finally," Shigaraki grunted, shoving the papers away. "I don't see why Kurogiri insists on you learning all this stuff. I don't need it." Izuku wondered that too, it just took up valuable time he could be using to help save Kacchan and Shinsou and maybe try to fix everything somehow.
"I don't think he'll let me stop," he groaned mournfully as he started cleaning everything up. Shigaraki just grunted, sounding distracted, and when Izuku glanced over at him he found the villain looking at the posters. His stomach flipped briefly, reminded of how much Shigaraki hated Pro Heroes, and he half-wondered if they might be irritating him. Maybe inviting him to his room was a bad idea.
He was about to suggest they go somewhere else when Shigaraki spoke up. "Are you still a big fan of that Present Mic guy?" he asked, and the question was so out of the blue and casual it took Izuku a second to process it.
"Uh, yeah, I am." He glanced at the poster Shigaraki stared at to find one of several posters for Mic's radio show, this one unfamiliar to him and showing him with Thirteen, Ragdoll from Wild Wild Pussycats and Skylight from Team Storm Chaser. 'Let's rescue the world from boredom!' read the text beneath it, making him smile.
Shigaraki grunted, scratching his neck. "I guess he's not too annoying," he grumbled after a few seconds, sounding almost grudging and reluctant. Izuku looked at him in mild surprise and confusion before he realized what Shigaraki was doing. He was trying to bond with him over his interests. The realization threw him for a loop, rendering him speechless for a few seconds.
All this time he'd been thinking of how to best get closer to Shigaraki using his interests, but he hadn't really thought of the older boy doing the same. Relationships were a two-way street, sure, but it just hadn't seemed like Shigaraki would bother doing that. Especially when it came to Pro Heroes, who again, Shigaraki hated. But then, in this world they were apparently brothers, so maybe he shouldn't be so surprised.
Recognizing the attempt to bond for what it was, Izuku felt like he had to at least respond to his attempt. "I've been listening to a lot of his show's older episodes this week," he said. "It's kinda interesting hearing all the changes in music trends, and there's been a couple funny interviews too. Like, one time he interviewed this big actor, but he was obviously really full of himself. Mic ended up asking him all these questions and made him look like an idiot."
It wasn't really a story but to his surprise Shigaraki actually snorted at that, cracking a small smirk. "I heard that one. That guy had no idea what he was doing, pretty good hearing him get told off." When he noticed Izuku's obvious surprise he shrugged and explained, "The interview was about a movie based on one of my favorite games. It sucked, and I wanted to hear if he'd try to defend it."
"He did an awful job," Izuku said with a smile, and Shigaraki laughed, just a short one and a bit raspy but still genuine enough.
"He did. He obviously knew nothing about the actual game. Pretty sure that Present Mic never played it either, but he at least sounded like he'd done some research." He shook his head, clearly amused, and Izuku felt himself relax. He never thought he'd be able to have a civil, pleasant conversation about a hero with Shigaraki, but here they were. It made some his tension and nerves finally fade.
"Have you listened to any of his other shows?" he asked curiously, and Shigaraki shrugged.
"Not really. Some of the guys like to put his show on in the bar sometimes though. Say it's for the music or gathering intel or something, I don't really pay much attention. That reminds me though," he added, glancing at Izuku curiously. "Any ideas who he's talking to at the end?"
It took a second for the question's meaning to register, and when it did Izuku felt his smile fall, instantly growing more somber. "No, I don't." He'd noticed the more recent shows had always signed off with a message to Mic's "favorite listener," and the messages painted a grim picture. Izuku had tried not to think on it too hard, afraid of who he might be talking about. "Kacchan said he started doing that around May."
The words slipped out almost thoughtlessly. Izuku didn't miss the way Shigaraki minutely stiffened at the mention of Kacchan, red eyes flicking his way sharply. "You've been spending a lot of time around Bakugou," he observed, and Izuku was sure he heard a calculating edge to his tone.
"Yeah, we have," he agreed with a nod, mentally steeling his nerves. Well, he had wanted to bring it up, so no time like the present. "Kacchan and I have been getting along really well. We're on pretty good terms now—even better than when we were kids, so... It's been nice." He smiled, a surprisingly genuine one. As disturbing and depressing as the situation was, their visits had been relatively nice at times. It might be his imagination, but this world's Kacchan didn't seem as short-tempered.
Shigaraki just eyed him speculatively, clearly thinking. "Do you think the bodyguard plan is working?" he asked, and Izuku had to hide his surprise at the fact he'd been the one to bring it up. He'd expected to have to say a few more lines to segue into the topic, but the fact Shigaraki did instead was even better.
"Yeah, I think so," he confirmed, nodding much more firmly. "I've mentioned it and he seems to be okay with it. He said that school was getting boring anyway, and he can't figure out how to become a hero. At least being my bodyguard might let him get some action. He doesn't want to be forced to be a villain, though," he added seriously. That had been the one detail all of them agreed on. If Shigaraki tried to force them to join in the Alliance's illicit activities beyond "protecting" Izuku, the plan would be off.
The blue-haired male didn't try to argue though, just nodding with a small grunt. "That's fine. The main goal with him is to expand your party." Relief swelled in him, and Izuku opened his mouth to respond before pausing.
"...Expand my party?" he repeated slowly, not bothering to mask his newfound wariness and skepticism. He'd spent enough time around the other male to pick up on his love for video game terminology, and already he could sense this conversation was about to take a turn that would wear at his patience.
"I've been thinking lately. I have a lot of main quests coming up soon, and I can't split my party to protect you and run them all. I can't add you to my party either, you're... not the right kind of class, for this campaign." He seemed to choose his words carefully, as if trying to avoid hurting Izuku's feelings. "It's not like I think you'd drag us down. I just need classes that focus on combat, and your stats aren't concentrated in the right areas—"
"I get it," Izuku cut in. "You need people who can fight heroes, and I'm just... Quirkless." The word rolled off his tongue lamely, feeling a bit weird to say it again after so long. Even now he felt the power of One for All deep inside him, dormant inside him and waiting to be used. Shigaraki paused, glancing at him from the corner of his eyes.
"Being Quirkless isn't... bad," he said after a moment. Maybe hanging around the villains so much was starting to rub off on Izuku, because he found it surprisingly hard not to roll his eyes at how awkward Shigaraki seemed. Instead he huffed quietly, offering the older male a small smile.
"You don't need to worry about my feelings, Tomura-nii," he assured Shigaraki, surprising himself with how easily the title rolled off his tongue this time. "Even if I wasn't Quirkless, I probably wouldn't want to fight heroes anyway." At least I hope not, he added silently. Hard to say how things would have gone if he'd had a Quirk that the villains could actually train.
In any event Shigaraki seemed to relax a bit at the reassurance, nodding. "Yeah, you're still too caught up in Hero worship," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Don't get how, but whatever. Anyways, since you can't join my party, you need your own party. You're sixteen, you're old enough to lead one. You already got a head start on recruiting a tank and a rogue, that's two key members down."
"Huh?" Izuku looked at him blankly, and Shigaraki shot him an unimpressed look that made him want to wince. He scrounged his brain for ideas and realized, "Wait, do you mean Kacchan and Hijack?"
"No shit," Shigaraki scoffed. "And don't try to say you don't know which is which. That blond brat's too loud to be a good rogue, and can you really see that stupid vigilante taking a bunch of hits on the front line?" Izuku just stared at him, not sure how to respond.
"Uh, right," he said slowly after a few seconds. This conversation had taken a weird turn, but it honestly wasn't too different from what he'd already been doing, if anything it might make it simpler. If Shigaraki expected them to work with Izuku and protect him, then he wouldn't have to worry about them being dragged off to perform missions or crimes for the Alliance. "Well, I think Kacchan's ready. And Hijack might be too, we've been really bonding lately—"
"It's probably a trick," Shigaraki interrupted, and yeah, Izuku figured it wouldn't be that easy. "He's been trying to break out since day one, it's too soon for his alignment to change."
"I guess," Izuku agreed sullenly, but pushed past his disappointment. "But you think Kacchan might be ready, right? Because I mean it, he's willing to join! And I mean, if you don't trust him yet, could you at least maybe remove his handcuffs please?" When Shigaraki shot him a surprised look Izuku awkwardly shrugged and quickly explained, "It's just, we're both getting really frustrated with them. They kinda gets in the way of, well, everything. And if his hands are free, I could take him to Hijack's room too and we can all play Mario Kart! He might be able to help convince him to—uh, join the party."
He started strong but ended it on a rather lame note, internally cringing at actually saying party. Shigaraki stared at him for several seconds, seeming to consider it, and then got up.
"Fine," he said, and Izuku wanted to scream with joy. "Let's go get Kurogiri and let the brat out of the handcuffs. I'll be keeping an eye on him though," he added, giving Izuku a pointed look, but Izuku was so happy he didn't mind.
Finally, at long last after nearly two weeks in this world, he was making progress.
Sunday. Sunday seemed to be a cursed day in this world, doomed to be filled with boredom and nothing to do.
Mina had reached this conclusion as she laid on her bed staring sullenly at her ceiling, her irritation growing. Technically this was only her second Sunday in this world so it might not be an actual pattern yet, but the first one had been spent totally bored out of her mind and today seemed no different. Mainly because she was basically under house arrest.
Mina had not set foot outside her apartment since returning yesterday after lunch. Kageyama had been incredibly insistent she and Kiri go straight to their apartments and never actually leave the building. They could visit each other, they could stand in the hallways, but they could not step foot outside the door or even open the windows. Not that she would, it was currently snowing like crazy and looked like a mini-blizzard outside her window, but it was the principle of the thing!
She heaved a giant sigh as she rolled onto her stomach, pulling out her phone. Kumiko had been rather frosty with her since Friday, only replying to her texts with short replies after confirming Mina was alive. Yep, she's obviously still mad over me running off to save that guy, she thought silently as she looked at the latest one-word response to her whining about boredom.
So, Kumiko was out. Anjou was also out, because in her words she had work. Mina did not know what "work" involved, but Anjou had sounded like she was trying not to laugh and it kinda scared her. The only one definitely free right now was Kiri, but she couldn't go to him. Whining to him about something as silly as being bored when he was probably freaking out about his whole life being completely turned upside-down, and when it was technically her fault—
Yeah, Kiri wasn't an option.
Which left Mina with no one and nothing to distract her, and which in turn left her no choice but to finally dwell on her situation.
Tomorrow would mark two full weeks since she first woke up in this crazy other world. And in those two weeks, Mina had made absolutely zero progress in figuring out how she got here or how she could get home.
Part of her had sorta just hoped it would wear off on its own, and that she'd randomly wake up back in her world. Or maybe that this was just a really detailed dream or something. Could anyone blame her? This whole situation was just insane! But at this point she felt pretty safe to assume it wouldn't wear off naturally. For better or worse, Mina seemed to be stuck here.
She had no idea what to do now. She'd never heard of a Quirk like this, and even if she had, she had no idea when it could have been used! The last day she spent in her world, she'd just been in the dorms chilling with all the girls and putting off her homework until the last minute. It'd been one of those largely do-nothing days, nothing really standing out.
The biggest thing she'd done was head to the common room with Uraraka, squeal because Kouda had brought down his pet rabbit, beg Midoriya who was holding it to give her a turn until he finally carefully handed the fluffy bunny over, and then quickly retreat when Iida invited them all for some surprise training. Hey, she'd already done a bunch of sparring with Uraraka the day before and was still sore! That girl knew how to throw a punch!
No, if anyone got hit with a weird world-swapping Quirk, it'd have to be the other Mina. Except some voice in the back of her head said nope, nothing weird about her day, she was just chilling and stressing over homework. So Mina still felt at a total loss as to how the heck this happened, and even less sure of where to go now.
Especially since she'd kinda gotten herself on sudden house arrest.
Now if she wanted to do something, she just couldn't. She couldn't go out and try to explore the world in search of answers. She couldn't start looking for any more of her classmates besides Uraraka—actually, strike that, she couldn't even look for Uraraka. At this point she had convinced herself that Infinity Girl was, in fact, her classmate from HER world and was also in this mess.
She whined miserably as she opened up her Alien Queen Pink profile, opening up the chat with Infinity_Girl_8. Still no new messages since that last one, making her whimper. On a whim she started typing, even though she knew the other girl probably wouldn't respond anytime soon.
'Hey I know you're probably still on your big adventure, but whenever you finally see this say something even if its like 2 in the morning. I'm totes free to talk & I think im kinda done with school so im super BORED and i miss you. Hope ur safe wherever u are! 333'
She hit send and flopped onto her back, once again left with nothing to do.
Then her phone dinged with a notification and she bolted upright. Holy shit, did Uraraka respond!? She snatched up her phone and her excitement instantly fizzled when she saw she'd just gotten a text from Kageyama. Darn. Mina soon perked right back up when she read it though, her curiosity officially piqued.
'Heads up, some people are coming in ~10 to ask questions. Might wanna clean up your place if it's messy.'
Someone was coming to ask questions? Weird, she thought they'd done all the questioning yesterday, but who cared? At least she wouldn't be bored. She paused as she reread the last sentence though, turning to survey her room. At present, it could probably be best described as "complete and total disaster zone". Clothes were strewn everywhere, and she'd also left some other stuff.
Good thing she had another room.
To that end she went to the main room of the apartment and very deliberately closed the bedroom door. The rest of her apartment was also a bit of a disaster zone from takeout boxes and dirty dishes, so she quickly started sweeping everything off the counters and into the sink or trash. It took a bit of work, but she managed to make it look at least good enough for police officers.
Just in time too, because there was a knock on her door right as she tied up the last trash bag. She quickly tossed it in her bedroom—she'd throw it out later—and went to open the door. "Hey!" she greeted, and paused in surprise at the people outside. Kageyama was there of course, but next to him was an incredibly plain man in a trench coat and a woman with long blue hair and red glasses. Something about both of them was kinda familiar.
"Hello, Ashido," the plain guy greeted with a smile. "I'm Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, it's nice to meet you."
A while ago I asked what everyone thought Izuku's plan is. No one predicted he didn't really HAVE a plan. Beyond "get them out of their cells/rooms" they're just making everything up as they go (which is honestly probably for the best, given how rapidly things can and WILL change).
More importantly, Izuku and Shigaraki bond! They haven't spent much time together in this AU, partially because they've both been busy with other things, so it was nice to show off a bit more of their dynamic. Their bond is a bit awkward and stilted at times, since they don't have too many overlapping interests, but I think this shows how much they care about each other. Also, I don't think anyone's surprised at Tsukauchi showing up to Mina.
Last thing before I go: I'll be updating again later this week!
I don't know what day yet, but the world's kind of on lockdown from coronavirus right now, so sticking to the once-a-week schedule seems like a bit much. (Though I guess it MIGHT help keep track of the current day of the week at least. I've had at least one friend miss an online lecture because she lost track of what day it was.) I don't know how you're all holding up, but I hope everyone reading this is doing okay. And if not, I hope having an extra chapter later this week will make your day a little brighter! Besides, the next chapter has a scene I've been waiting to show for a while, and I really can't wait to see everyone's reactions to it...
Question for next time: how do you think Izuku and Tomura became "brothers"? (There IS a story to it beyond how Izuku came to live with the Alliance. You know Shigaraki wouldn't just accept a random kid he barely knows as his new little brother.)
(One last note: last time, I said everyone's been seen except Hagakure and Aoyama. This was wrong. Iida hasn't physically appeared yet, beyond a reference to him being an online student in Jirou's POV. Obviously he still lives at home, but someone also pointed out Shouji has not appeared or been referenced yet, which... yeah, much bigger thing to forget. So if you've got any speculation on Shouji, feel free to share it!)