T-minus 12 hours and 28 minutes

Stain exhaled, long and painful, as he pulled the skin under his eyes hard enough to rip it right off. He looked at his student, this boy he'd given sleep and blood for, as the teen held up his hands in front of him as if he were about to say 'ta-da!'

A blink, a really loud groan.

"No."

Izuku deflated.

"But–"

"This is insane, even for you."

"Well, I mean, It's not my best plan but…"

"You count this as a plan? You want to hurdle a boulder down a cliff and wait to see what happens. That's not a plan, Izuku."

"Well, what would you do?" He whispered harshly.

"I don't know, kid. But maybe I would if you told me what this is about in the first place." Stain raised his brows pointedly. Izuku had to force himself to not look away guiltily. He wasn't doing anything wrong, not according to what they'd talked about the previous afternoon.

"I can't. Not yet. But it has to be you because Toga and Dabi are always with Overhaul's people when they go out. There would be no way for them to do it discreetly."

"So I'm supposed to do this blind, then?"

"You're not blind. You know what we're doing."

"Yes, but not the why, and that's what I care about. Unless you want to keep it a secret because it's something bad–"

"That's not it. And you know it." Izuku sounded just as hurt as he felt and Stain had the decency to relax his face a little. Izuku sighed. "I know it's rash and it makes little sense, but…"

But I'm running out of time, the teen thought bitterly. He'd been torn between the need to come up with a plan and the urgent pull to act immediately, but the former had won eventually. He'd thought of Spinner and Morse, one injured on the leg and the other a mere civilian, of Shoto's arm in a sling, and of the fact that Toga and Dabi could be summoned outside the compound at any second without warning, and he'd known that he couldn't jump in carelessly. His heart ached immensely, the small girl's red eyes still looking at him, filled with terror, but his brain soothed him well enough; if things worked, then she'd be fine. Her and whatever other child who might be in her position.

Stain sighed, clearly exasperated. They were both huddled in the shower, keeping their voices low even though they were alone in the room. Toga and Dabi were out escorting a delivery for the yakuza, and the others were in the infirmary: thank God they'd believed Izuku when he'd said he wasn't feeling like going to get breakfast with them.

It was bizarre, the two of them could sit in such a tiny space together without it feeling like the most awkward thing in the universe. I mean, Izuku was pretty much trapped in between the wall and Stain's outstretched legs, but it was a comfy place to be all things considered.

"I can't believe I'm listening to this."

"Stain, I don't…" Desperation was evident in Izuku's voice. "I don't know what else to do. And I honestly don't wanna stay here any longer, but I can't leave until I do this. Please?"

Red eyes watched him closely, the small metal spike's on Stain's boot hitting the wall with a rhythmical clink, clink, clink, as he thought about everything. His displeasure was clear in the furrow of his brows but he did not tell him off right away, instead taking the time to truly consider Izuku's words. That was a win in and of itself.

Eventually, Stain looked at Izuku with calm, yet resolute eyes.

"Why this?" It wasn't often that his mentor spoke with a genuine attempt at compromise or understanding, and Izuku found himself hesitating. If he told Stain what he'd seen, would his mentor stay put to try and figure out the best course of action? No. Definitely not. He'd get his knife and stalk down the hallways like a harbinger of death, kicking down doors and slashing away until he found the girl Izuku had seen. Stain was much like All Might in that regard, always doing what he deemed right regardless of the danger.

But perhaps he could spare some of the truth?

"...I need a distraction," Izuku said after a long moment of silence. He pulled his knees close to his chest to hide the lower side of his face. "Something big enough to get everyone into evacuation mode. I need everyone to leave their rooms and go towards and exit."

"So have Dabi and Shoto torch the place, then."

"I… did think about that."

"But?"

"But I don't want people to just leave and come back as if nothing happened, and I'd like something more controllable, I guess, than wildfire. And if he thinks he has a legitimate chance of arresting us, he'll do his research. He'll cover every exit, he'll be careful, but he'll also act quickly."

Stain's eyes narrowed, a conflicted expression settling on his face. He looked at Izuku as if he wanted to reach out, turn him this way and that to maybe see the full picture from a different angle. Just as Izuku was starting to get fidgety, Stain closed his eyes and let his head lean back against the wall. It almost looked like he was sleeping, a rare sight all on its own.

"..."

"Go on. Spit it out." Stain whispered, more than used to Izuku staring at him.

"I know you're not happy with any of this. And I don't just mean the plan." Stain hummed in response and Izuku scooted closer. "But trust me, you'd hate me if I didn't do it. This is the one thing I'm sure of. I just…"

Stain cracked open one eye.

"I want to do something good even if it's… Well, if it's the last thing I do before getting arrested then that's okay. I'm good with that." Izuku ran a hand through his hair.

Stain tilted his head to the side, giving Izuku a proper look. And then he reached out and ruffled Izuku's hair.

"Now that's my boy."

Izuku smiled, feeling truly at home.

T-minus 8 hours and 2 minutes

Izuku watched Spinner swing along the hallway with aid from his crutches. He'd been fitted with a medical walking boot but had been advised to keep as much weight off his leg as possible still, so the crutches were staying. Shoto had been able to move his arm and comfortably use the fire half of his quirk, Morse's and Toga's faces were healing nicely, and, hell, even Dabi could stretch without his skin splitting at the seams.

The doctor had hesitated at one point, when he checked on the burnt man's missing piece of an ear, offering a more immediate treatment for all of their wounds, but Izuku had paled and immediately stuttered an excuse to refuse the proposal. A small part of him felt guilty about making his friends endure weeks of tedious healing, but there was no way he'd submit himself to Overhaul's quirk after looking at how it worked. Not that any of them looked particularly interested; Spinner had even shivered at the offer. Besides, Stain probably wouldn't let them accept such a thing anyways. The doctor had told him that he was looking better, that maybe they could increase the amount of food he could safely eat soon and get his fingers out of the metal sling keeping them together.

'You're all making wonderful progress' the man had said with genuine happiness and Izuku had almost felt bad for him. If only he knew that they would follow none of his recommendations soon.

They made their way back and he sat down on his bed, letting everyone else pass him by as he reached into his bag for his notebook and a new pen. He drew a few circles on the top of a new page to get the ink flowing, knowing full well that if he didn't distract himself now, he'd end up pacing a hole into the floor; it was a miracle he could sit still without Stain there.

"Hey, Midoriya?"

Izuku jumped, the pen flying out of his hand before he miraculously caught it.

"Yes?" Izuku's voice was a little too loud, his brows a little too high up his forehead; everything was a bit off, no matter how calm he tried to act.

"...How are you feeling?" There was a weird expression on Spinner's face and Izuku chuckled nervously.

"Why do you ask?"

"You seem more… animated today. More like yourself, I guess."

"He's right," Toga said, her hand deep in Morse's hair as she tried to redo her braid.

Oh. That was good, right?

"Honestly, I'm feeling a lot better."

"Hopefully it'll last," Dabi added from his bed, already kicking the covers away. Izuku chuckled with much less amusement.

Spinner hummed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I just… I know our work doesn't leave much room for…" Spinner was visibly struggling to find his words, averting his eyes and twiddling his thumbs. He stepped closer to Izuku and lowered his voice, probably wanting to avoid any mockery from Dabi.

"The point is you can talk to me if that would help keep you feeling better. Or even if you just want to talk about whatever when you can't sleep or something. I'm here."

Izuku blinked a few times, a genuine smile twisting his lips. He didn't deserve these people.

"Thanks, Spinner. It… means a lot. Really."

And Spinner smiled too, a reserved one that he usually only showed on certain occasions. The mutant stood by his bed for a few extra moments, both of them evidently struggling to find the right words to follow up the brief but heartfelt interaction. Just as it seemed like Spinner was going to walk away, Toga groaned in frustration.

"Morse-chan, I don't think this hair is good for you. You'd look so much cuter if you let me cut it!"

Morse touched the matted strands on her head carefully, her face tilted as if she was just now realizing that her hair could easily qualify as a rat's nest. Did her scalp not itch? Izuku pinched some of his own hair between his thumb and index finger, shivering at the audible dryness of the bleached ends.

This might be some of their last calm moments in the compound and besides, they had to pass the time until Stain returned, right?

"I think I could use a haircut, too." He said. Toga beamed.

T-minus 6 hours and 35 minutes

Toga shut the door with a huff of annoyance, Izuku's stomach sinking.

"Dabiiiii, we're heading out." She called as she reached into her bag for a yellow sweater with little hearts on the cuffs.

"Right now?" Dabi leaned out of the bathroom, his hands stained black with soot and his hair looking perfectly saturated, not a flick of the white roots he'd shown them when offered a haircut.

"You know how they are." Toga rolled her eyes, disdain evident in her tone. Dabi grunted in response, heading back into the bathroom and running the sink to rinse his hands.

"You're heading out?" Izuku echoed stupidly, his heart in his stomach and his stomach in his throat.

"Yeah."

Izuku inhaled slowly, keeping most of his panic properly hidden. His mind was struggling with contradicting prompts and he prayed to whatever God listening to him that Stain would burst through the door at that moment. Not breaking tradition, nothing answered his prayers and he bit the inside of his cheek. Should he tell them the truth? Neither Toga nor Dabi wanted to comply with the yakuza anyways so convincing them to not leave would be simple, but that would raise a stupid amount of suspicion. Without Stain there to help uphold their deal with Overhaul, they would no doubt be interrogated by the man with the truth quirk, and they'd all be dead before Stain even had the chance to come back.

But saying nothing would be the worst thing to do, as well. If they took too long and hell broke loose without them here, what would happen? Dabi's quirk was their best crowd control now that Shoto was injured, and there was no way of knowing when they'd be back. What if they couldn't get back into the complex? What if Overhaul's people caught wind of the situation and attacked Toga and Dabi?

"Where's my hair tie?" Toga grumbled, going into the bathroom to search.

DO SOMETHING, his inner monologue yelled and Izuku was out of bed in an instant. He slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, perfectly aware of how weird it was that he'd locked them all in together but not knowing what else to do. He couldn't risk the moment slipping him by.

"Izuku-kun?" Toga asked curiously, putting her hair in a bun. Dabi just raised a brow, moving to go around Izuku who gripped the doorknob in response.

"Did they tell you how long you'll take?"

Yellow and cerulean eyes met, the seriousness in Izuku's voice striking them both.

"No. Why?"

"..." He hesitated, afraid that he was only making things needlessly more complicated than they had to be.

"Spit it out already," Dabi said, leaning back against the sink.

Izuku took a deep breath and looked at them both, clear urgency lacing his words.

"Keep an eye on Overhaul's people today."

"We always do–"

"A closer one, then. If anything starts feeling weird, try to come back here as soon as you can. If you can't, or if getting back underground seems too dangerous then go south until you leave the city entirely. We'll catch up as soon as we can."

"Izuku, what's happening?" Toga asked, alarmed. Dabi was already nodding, not seeming too bothered.

Izuku thought of the truth quirk and his blood iced.

"I can't tell you yet. Hopefully, you'll be back before Stain and it won't come to anything problematic. But if it does…"

"We'll follow the plan."

"Dabi! We can't just–"

"If it's the Hero Killer's will, we'll do it." Dabi's eyes glinted. He was usually unnecessarily cold and dismissive, but this was entirely different and Izuku felt instantly closer to the older villain. Dabi was probably much more like Stain than the Hero Killer would ever be willing to admit.

"I want to stay," Toga said, a very different glint in her eyes. Izuku shook his head.

"I'd be too suspicious. You have to act as if nothing is wrong, otherwise, we'd all be in big trouble." And then he smiled a little, pained as it was. "Please, Toga. I need you to do this."

She watched him closely, eyes darting as she tried to take in every detail in his face and hands. He was pulled into a tight hug which he reciprocated, worry furrowing his brow.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Toga said with determination, leaving no room for argument. "I promise."

"Okay." Izuku gave Dabi a nod. "Be very careful."

"We'll be fine. You try not to die before we get back."

T-minus 5 hours and 47 minutes

"You wanna try? I can give you some pages." Izuku offered sheepishly. Morse had been sitting by his side for a while now, clearly enthralled by the way he scribbled on the page in an attempt to distract himself. It wasn't working too well, but it was better than pacing the room like a caged animal.

Morse's uncovered eye went from his face to the notebook in his hands and she nodded eagerly. She watched him rip out a few blank pages and take a brand new pen from the box with clear curiosity and even some excitement. He noticed that the multicolored tangle of fabric she'd had in her cell was in her hand, tightly wrapped around her fingers from when she'd fearfully let Toga chop off most of her hair. The state of it had been even worse than they'd anticipated and the result was less than fashionable, but what remained was untangled and lightweight.

"If you run out just tell me, and I'll give you more."

She nodded again, gently running the pen over the first page and watching, mesmerized, at the delicate trail of ink left in its wake. She smiled wide before turning towards him entirely, legs crossed to use as a table of sorts and pointing the back of her pen at Izuku's heart.

"Midoriya Izuku."

"Yup. That's me." He chuckled, watching the way she spelled out his name in bold, big kanji, taking up an entire three lines. It was a perfect mirror of the plethora of names he'd seen on her cell walls and Izuku's smile faltered. He hadn't told anyone about it, and he regretted it now. He regretted, as illogical as it was, not learning them all, or telling Lemillion what they meant before he left Deika. But, well, maybe he didn't have to know them all to keep them from getting lost in time, he thought as he watched Morse finish the last stroke in the third iteration of his name. She bounced in place happily, looking at him for approval and grinning when he nodded. Her squinting eye scanned the room and she jumped off the bed suddenly, all but landing on top of Spinner as the unsuspecting mutant rested.

"HaaaAAAAHH, H-H-HeeEeLLO?!" He stammered, giving Izuku a look as Morse pressed her legs flush against his side.

"Name."

"What?"

"Name!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh…"

"She wants your name."

"I-I'm Spinner. I told you. Did you forget, or…"

Morse shook her head vehemently, somehow pulling herself even closer to the confused criminal.

"Name!"

"Your real name. She won't stop until you tell her."

"Oh..."

Izuku laughed, short but genuine. He leaned back into his pillow, watching as Spinner fumbled through his awkwardness at Morse's exuberant excitement. He turned a page in his book, curiously looking at the notes he hadn't shown Morse just moments prior. The strange shame he'd felt at the idea of someone reading them turned murky as he looked at them. Murky and confusing.

He didn't know if Morse would have recognized Destro's words, but he was glad that her eyes had been covered for most of it regardless. He'd jotted them down subconsciously and it pained him a tad to admit that it was probably because he missed his book. Forget a tad, the feeling was pretty much eating away at his chest.

He started biting the back of the pen as he thought, people and words flashing in his mind's eye. Stain had been right to suspect Curious' intentions when she gave Izuku the book in the first place, but he couldn't forget the way the women experimenting on him had not recognized the words from the manifesto they claimed to follow. If it didn't apply to the Meta Liberation Army as it stood, did it even count as enemy propaganda? Was the MLA even still a thing? Re-Destro could have survived, but it seemed unlikely.

Passages about morality, innocence, and the abuse of power by those on top floated through his brain like leaves on a pond; clogged, stagnant, and no longer flourishing. How much time had passed since Destro's death? How many revisions and changes had been made to the book since then? The first edition he'd been given was probably out of most people's reach by now, and he wondered briefly if only he and Re-Destro could recall the original's words at all.

That thought was… odd. Not quite scary, not quite displeasing. Isolating was probably a better term for it.

He looked back at Morse as she gleefully wrote down Spinner's real name over and over, his own name written above. He bit his lip, getting the same murky feeling as before. It looked almost like a badge, or a title that didn't belong to him, which was stupid because it was his name. It hadn't changed at all, not even in spelling. But…

Well, other things had changed. He had changed. Perhaps his lapses in awareness, all the doubts in his head, had come from that shift. From the fact that he was, for better or for worse, not the same Izuku from six months, or even six weeks ago.

He watched Morse jump from Spinner's bed—quite literally over him, much to the mutant's obvious embarrassment—towards another bed to ask Shoto the same question. If anyone's life had suffered from the MLA's disgusting alteration of Destro's intent, it was hers. And yet here she was, all smiles and giggles as she wrote down the list of people surrounding her, much like she'd done for the poor captured people down in the cells. She cared about everyone enough to not let them disappear into nothingness, even when she herself hadn't been granted a name of her own by her captors. She'd changed, but not really. And maybe, just maybe, he was the same.

The plastic between his teeth cracked precariously and Izuku settled on his bed, his back to the wall as he started writing and rewriting quotes, ideas, and concepts that had once been good when they still belonged to their author. He mixed and matched notions from different people, finding the similarities in two men that had never met each other and, in all honesty, would probably not even get along if they did. He sank into his work, turning pages at a speed that signaled that the notebook would not last as much as would like it to, words getting underlined, circled, and crossed out entirely as he went, the whole thing probably making sense to only him. But it didn't matter, not yet anyways. At least he forgot about missing—not needing, he told himself—his book and that was good enough.

T-minus 5 hours and 11 minutes

The door handle clicked as it opened and Izuku heaved a sigh of relief as his mentor walked through. Stain frowned, probably confused about Izuku's hair being entirely green once more, and nodded for Izuku to join him. He shoved his notebook under his pillow and settled in a corner with his mentor, earning no curious glances since it wasn't odd for the Hero Killer to only confer with his pupil.

Izuku shivered, his anxiety rising already.

"Where are the others?" Stain asked, examining the room with a careful eye.

"They got called for a delivery about an hour ago." Izuku swallowed thickly. "They're not back yet."

"Of course they're not." Stain sighed.

"But I told them that if anything was off, to come back immediately. Or to head south and out of the city if things got too complicated."

Stain looked at him intensely before nodding. Izuku shifted from foot to foot, clearly upset.

"How was everything?" And after giving his mentor a once over, "Are you okay?"

Stain closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.

"...It's done."

Oh, shit.

"R-Really?"

"Mhmm."

"A part of me didn't think…" Izuku tried to physically grasp the words, but nothing came to him. He was still in shock.

"I almost didn't."

Izuku rubbed his nose and then started biting his nails, his mind going a mile a minute. He glanced at the other people in the room, calculating how long it'd take everyone to pack everything.

"How much time do you think we have?"

"Not long. I gave him six hours." Izuku's brows raised and Stain shrugged, eyes opening just enough to look at him. "If he doesn't show, we're doing this ourselves."

Green eyes darted back toward the others, his mind now calculating an entirely different set of variables. Did they look tired? Was anyone wincing in pain when they moved? Did Toga's extra shoes fit Morse properly despite their height difference? Would they manage without two of their strongest members?

Stain only watched him.

"The risk of death should be no different than the risk of arrest for us. We take them equally. And we wait for no one."

"...I'd still like the best odds of succeeding, though," Izuku admitted. Stain seemed impartial to the thought.

There was a moment of silence in which Izuku started to really feel the weight of his choices. He was afraid that nothing would work right, that everything was too stacked against them for the plan to work, if you could even call it a plan. Morse would have to be protected, and the rest of the minus Stain were injured. If one of them died trying to pull this off, would he be able to forgive himself?

"What you said about you doing this for the right reasons," Stain spoke, eyes glinting. "Was it true?"

"Yes." The response was easy, practically immediate. Izuku nodded, forest green clashing with blood red. "Without a doubt."

"Then it'll be worth it regardless of the outcome."

He exhaled shakily, nodding. It struck him now just how much he'd missed these interactions with Stain and a small smile curled his lips upwards.

"Get some rest while you can." Stain patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, pulling out two small, unfamiliar knives from the back of his waistband and offering them to Izuku. The teen frowned in confusion, taking the blades and feeling more at ease immediately.

"Some poor idiot tried to mug me," Stain explained with a wide grin.

Despite everything, Izuku laughed.

T-minus 3 hours and 37 minutes

Izuku awoke with a start, pulling his new knives from under his pillow and holding them defensively, ready to strike at the shadows trying to pull him from his cell. He looked around, snapped back into reality, and slumped back down with a grunt.

To the side, Stain nodded with pride.

T-minus 1 hour and 25 minutes

The pen he was using struggled to produce the last droplets of ink left inside it. Izuku leaned against Morse with a sigh, watching the barrage of pages splayed on his bed in no apparent order. His name was written in different sizes at least two dozen times, Shoto's and Spinner's not staying far behind. 'Stain' was written down twice in a corner, 'Akaguro Chizome' in letters so small that it was barely legible. Stain had glared at Izuku when he'd offered his name, but he hadn't voiced his distaste. Morse had been, at the very least, smart enough to not approach the Hero Killer with such questions so Izuku took the small win.

He reached down for another pen, his notebook barely keeping his panic at bay.

T-minus 23 minutes

A group of people walked past their room and Izuku held his breath. The door didn't open and soon the steps were inaudible. He groaned, hiding his face under his pillow and cursing.

T-minus 2 minutes

Izuku cracked his back, looking in the mirror and wondering if he'd ever be able to fix his nose. He knew that plastic surgery consisted of breaking it again to put everything back in place, so maybe, maybe, he could just break it a third time and get it in a less deformed position.

Maybe.

He leaned forward to examine his face closer, the room blurrily reflected on the mirror around him.

Of course Stain would be the first to notice it. Izuku saw his mentor tense in the mirror and by the time he spun around, the man's hand was already in the air to call for silence.

The running steps and panicked voices reached Izuku's ears just as Stain stood.

"Get your shit." The man ordered.

Shoto and Spinner had already packed their things and put their shoes on, catching onto Izuku's anxiety a couple of hours prior but not asking any more questions after getting told 'not yet' twice. Izuku ran towards Morse's bed, gently shaking her shoulder despite them being out of time.

"Come on, get up."

"Hmm?" She sounded preoccupied already even though she'd just awoken, and Izuku gave her the most reassuring smile he could as he shuffled all her papers together and put them in his backpack.

"It's okay. We're just leaving this place."

"Hara?"

His heart sank a little.

"He's okay, but I don't think he's coming with us."

With any luck, the man would either get arrested or escape, and his brothers would be safe. Izuku gave the room one final once over, making sure that they weren't forgetting anything. He patted the knives secured to his belt, taking Morse's hand and heading for the door where Stain already awaited.

"What's happening?" Shoto asked. "Dabi and Toga aren't back yet."

"They know what to do." Stain offered, his eyes landing on Izuku. "And it's our turn to know, now."

Spinner nodded, more than ready even though he didn't know what was happening. He'd abandoned one of his crutches by his bed, settling for just the one and the boot. Hopefully, it'd be enough.

Izuku let out a shivering breath, focusing on the task at hand entirely.

"A small girl is being held captive somewhere down here; she's six, tops, with white hair and a horn on her head. I don't know why, but I'm sure that Overhaul is torturing her. Hara mentioned it once and she was covered in bandages when I saw her."

Shoto gasped quietly and Spinner cursed out loud, Stain's eyes glazing over with what Izuku knew was manic bloodlust.

"I don't know how many more kids there are, if any, but I have an idea of which direction she might be in. With any luck, Overhaul will be preoccupied with the fakes blocking the entrances and we won't even come across him on the way out."

"Oh, Izuku, we're looking for him," Stain growled, running his long tongue over the edge of his knife. "I'm sending that scum to hell myself."

Izuku grimaced, nodding, "Yeah, I figured."

"Wait, what fakes?" Spinner asked.

Izuku squinted his eyes and pursed his lips, pressing his hands together as if he was praying.

"All Might and a good amount of professionals should be here already, causing the commotion we're using as a distraction."

As if on cue, another group of people ran past their door with alarmed voices. Spinner laughed breathlessly and Izuku smiled tightly.

"Best case scenario, the yakuza isn't able to get the kids out before getting arrested and they all get rescued."

"Yeah, that sounds like a 'you' plan." Spinner chuckled.

"Lead the way," Stain instructed, kicking the door open so hard that it flew off its hinges and struck a running man in the face, sending his inert body flying against the wall. The two people running ahead of him looked back, felt Stain's presence, and started running faster.

Izuku grabbed Morse's hand, feeling bad about the way she rocked back and forth but not hesitating before pulling her along.

It was too late to turn back now.