Chapter 21: What a Lovely Reaction
So, how do you explain how you ended up with a 'notorious' villain group to your best friend? Well, you just wing it and say exactly what happened. And that just so happens to be what Izuku did.
"Um, so I kind of ran away, got into some trouble with some gangs in Hosu, and then the League saved me, and I've just been with them since," Izuku explained.
Todoroki nodded. "I see."
"I see? That's all you've got to say?" Dabi questioned.
"Well, Midoriya is clearly fine. He also seems happier than he did when he was in school," Todoroki exclaimed.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you're not wrong Todoroki."
"What is life," Dabi muttered.
"I figured so," Todoroki said. "Which is also why I'm going to ask if I can join you."
If Dabi had been drinking something, he definitely would've done a spit take. Izuku just laughed because he had a feeling Todoroki would take any chance to piss his father off.
"I'm sorry, you want to come with us?" Dabi asked bewildered.
Todoroki nodded. "Yes, my father is the reincarnation of flaming garbage, anybody would want to get away from him."
"I would be glad to have you Todoroki, but it's up to the League whether or not you can come," Izuku said.
"I see," Todoroki said while turning towards Dabi. "So Touya can I come?"
Dabi immediately started coughing, while Izuku just shook his head in amusement.
"Todoroki, you killed him," Izuku said sarcastically.
"No, he's alive. If he didn't kick the bucket when the old man tried to kill him, he definitely wouldn't die now," Todoroki said flatly.
"What. The. Hell." Dabi growled out.
"Don't worry Touya, your secrets safe with me. Good luck with your mission," Todoroki said while nodding his head.
"How the hell did you know I was Touya?" Dabi asked tiredly.
"It's actually quite easy to tell!" Izuku interrupted.
"Are you saying you knew too greenie?" Dabi questioned while rubbing his head.
Izuku enthusiastically replied, "Yes!"
"How." Dabi asked again.
"It's quite simple older brother. We're pretty much the only family with bright blue eyes, so that was a dead give away. You also use blue fire, like Touya. And lastly, I just imagined you without all the scars, and you were the spitting image of Touya" Todoroki explained.
"That's actually not how I came upon this conclusion, but were just gonna ignore that," Izuku said while slowly chuckling.
"You totally just hacked into something, didn't you greenie?" Dabi deadpanned.
Izuku gasped. "What..? I can't believe you're accusing me of such a thing!"
Todoroki snorted while looking at Dabi's face. He looked like he was so done with life. So he decided to land the final nail in the coffin.
"So Touya, are you going to admit it? If not, I can easily take a picture and tell mo-"
"Ok ok, Shouto, I'm Touya. There's no need to go tattling to mom," Dabi said with a pleading tone.
Todoroki huffed. "Fine, but you better visit her you jerk."
"I feel like I'm interrupting something," Izuku said quietly.
"No you're fine Midoriya, you already know my family's secrets anyway," Todoroki said while waving his hand around.
Dabi turned towards Izuku. "You know everything that went on in that hellhole?"
"Yeah, I do. We're not getting into how Todoroki told me though," Izuku said while shuddering.
"If you know, how come you haven't just taken Endeavor out yet?" Dabi questioned.
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Who's to say I haven't already started Dabi."
The Todoroki siblings grinned. They both knew that when Midoriya wanted something done, he would get it done.
"While I'm enjoying this family reunion, you still haven't answered if I can come with you or not," Todoroki said while turning back towards Dabi.
Dabi sighed. "I could really care less. It's Shigaraki you'll have to get permission from."
"Great, then let's go," Todoroki said while standing up.
"Don't worry Todoroki, I could probably convince Shigaraki for you," Izuku said with a smile.
"I think Shouto will have to avoid dying first if either of you want to ask Shigaraki a question," Dabi said.
"It's fine, Midoriya and I have avoided death multiple times. At this point I assume we're not wanted in the afterlife," Todoroki stated seriously.
Izuku just stared, before bursting out into a fit of laughter. He couldn't help himself, it really was true that he'd avoided death at the most impossible of times.
"Alright you two, let's go. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can watch Endeavor's reaction to our paint job," Dabi said with a grin.
Izuku nodded. "Right! Off we go!"
And then the trio started to make their way back towards the League's base. They could only hope that they would make it out alive.
"So, what pranks do we think the duo partaked in today?" Compress asked.
"Probably something fun! Boring," Twice said.
"Who knows, Dabi's extremely petty when it comes to Endeavor-"
"And we also know Izu-kun hates Endeavor as well!" Toga interrupted Shigaraki.
"Yeah, but next time don't interrupt me," Shigaraki said while scratching his neck.
"Sure sure, whatever you say Shiggy!" Toga replied happily.
Shigaraki just sighed. There was no escaping the girl's cheery attitude. Especially when it was about something she liked.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough when it's airing on the TV," Magne replied to Mr. Compres.
"Yes, that is true," Mr. Compress said.
The League continued to bicker over what the duo might have done. They were also betting on what Endeavor's face would look like when it was shown on TV.
This went on for awhile until the door to the bar slammed open.
"I so wish we did that now," Izuku pouted.
"Don't worry Midoriya, we can douse my father with a fire extinguisher at another time," Todoroki replied.
"Oi, don't forget about me you brats!" Dabi yelled.
"Don't worry Dabi, we would never exclude a member of the Endeavor hate club from pranking Endeavor," Todoroki said with a nod.
Izuku turned his head and saw that everyone was sitting in the bar. This signified that everyone had finished their missions. At the moment, they were all staring at the three of them like they were crazy.
"Dabi, Todoroki, the League's back," Izuku said with a smile.
The two in question turned their heads to face the people staring at them. Dabi shrugged, while Todoroki nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Dabi," Shigaraki said slowly, "Why do you have another hero brat with you? Specifically Endeavor's kid."
Dabi was about to speak up in his defense before he got cut off by Izuku.
"Don't worry Shigaraki, Todoroki's cool. He found us when we were pranking Endeavor and joined in."
Shigaraki hummed in surprise. "That's interesting, although it doesn't explain why he's standing in my bar."
"Oh, that's easy too! Todoroki noticed that I was happy and asked if he could tag along as well!" Izuku explained cheerily.
"So, what you're saying is that Endeavor's brat wanted to come here, because you were happy?" Shigaraki asked with a slightly confused expression.
"Yes, that is true. Although I would prefer to be referred to as Shouto rather than Endeavor's brat," Shouto stated.
"Oh! I can finally call you Shouto! Izuku yelled happily. He then immediately put himself in front of Shouto's face. "Call me Izuku then please."
Shouto smiled. "Sure Izuku."
"If I may, it seems to me that you hate Endeavor just as much as Dabi and Midoriya do. Is there a reason for that?" Mr. Compress asked Shouto.
"There is, but it's more personal," Shouto replied.
Mr. Compress nodded. "I see. Feel free to share when you're ready."
"Ok, so you hate Endeavor, but why did you want to come here?" Shigaraki asked again.
"...My father forced me to be a hero. I..didn't want to be one after a while because of what he put me through," Shouto explained.
"You…didn't want to be a hero, huh?" Shigaraki processed.
Shouto shook his head. "I've just been doing what he said because I didn't have a way out. But now…"
"You know what, as long as you don't cause trouble, and the other members don't care, you can stay," Shigaraki said.
Shouto lit up just a little bit in hope, while Izuku bounced in his spot.
"It's fine with me," Magne said.
"A friend of Izu-kun's is a friend of mine!" Toga cheered.
"I agree with Toga! No way!," Twice said.
"I guess I don't mind," Spinner agreed.
"If young Shigaraki is okay with it then I don't see why not," Kurogiri said professionally.
"As long as you bring us a good show like the little hero, I don't mind," Mr. Compress said while playing with one of his marbles.
Izuku smiled. "So Shouto can stay, right Shigaraki?"
"Yeah whatever, just don't cause trouble," Shigaraki sighed in defeat.
Shouto nodded. "You don't have to worry about me, but Izuku on the other hand…"
"Hey!"
"What? You know you're a trouble magnet. If you didn't have your strength quirk, I'd assume getting into trouble was your quirk," Shouto said playfully.
Shigaraki laughed. "Oh I like this already."
"Don't speak too soon crusty, they're literal demons," Dabi quietly warned.
"We aren't demons Dabi!" Izuku yelled out with a pout.
Dabi smirked. "Oh really. Last time I checked you write murder notebooks, and apparently Shouto is a conspiracy theorist."
Izuku put a hand to his chest in fake offense. "How dare you out us like this! The betrayal!"
"Wait a minute. Did you say Shouto is a conspiracy theorist?" Toga asked excitedly.
"I am," Shouto replied.
Toga cheered while bouncing up and down. "Twice! We have another conspiracy theorist! We have to have a meeting right away!"
Toga then proceeded to drag Twice and Shouto to the beanbag corner where they talked in hushed whispers.
"Do we wanna know what they're talking about?" Shigaraki questioned.
"No. Definitely not." Dabi responded flatly.
Izuku nodded. "A word of advice, never interrupt a theorist when they're theorizing. It's basically a death wish."
"Yeah, sprouts right, never interrupt them," Magne agreed.
"Oh! That also reminds me. The same thing applies to me when I'm writing in my notebooks, so don't interrupt me," Izuku said with a glare.
"Duly noted little hero," Mr. Compress said.
"Yeah…I'll be sticking to that advice," Shigaraki said while scratching his chin.
"Out of curiosity, what would you do if someone interrupted you Midoriya?" Spinner questioned.
Izuku turned towards Spinner with a sickly sweet smile. "Why don't you interrupt me and find out!"
Spinner blanched. "Y-yeah, no thanks."
"Alright greenie, stop scaring everybody. We have a reaction to watch," Dabi said.
"Oh yeah! Someone turn the TV on!" Izuku said with a smile.
"You got it sprout," Magne said while turning the TV on.
"Thanks! Shouto, it's time to watch the flaming trashes reaction!" Izuku called out.
At that Shouto bolted out of his beanbag and immediately placed himself down in front of the TV. Izuku and Dabi quickly joined him, wanting to get front row seats to the mayhem they had caused earlier.
"If only we had popcorn!" Dabi said excitedly.
A bag of popcorn fell out of a purple portal into Dabi's lap.
"Oh, thanks Kurogiri," Dabi said.
"It was no trouble," Kurogiri replied.
"Shh, there he is!" Izuku whisper shouted.
Exactly as he said it, Endeavor walked onto the screen while looking at his agency. The camera was pointed at the many bright colors that were dripping down the walls, while Endeavor's back was to the camera. If you looked closely enough, you could tell he was steaming.
To make matters worse, (or in the League's case better), someone on the sidelines shouted,
The paint looks like All Might's colors!
That would be when Endeavor burst into flames.
"This just in. We are currently standing in front of the number two pro heroes Hosu agency, where we have found it vandalized. Like people pointed out, the color scheme seems to portray All Might, our number one hero."
"Endeavor just recently arrived at his agency, to see it doused in plenty of bright colors. And as you can see, Endeavor is not taking it very well."
"Endeavor! Endeavor! It's even worse on the inside!" One of the sidekicks yelled while running out of the building.
The reporter continued. "What's this? It seems one of Endeavor's sidekicks is covered in…glitter? What's that about?"
"Why are you covered in glitter!" Endeavor roared.
"W-well, s-sir, glitter bombs were set off inside of the agency. We don't know how it happened though" the sidekick explained quickly.
"WHAT!?" Endeavor yelled even louder.
"It seems that the agency is just as much of a mess on the inside that it is on the outside! A sidekick just confirmed that glitter bombs were set off inside of the agency. This brings in the question, how did the glitter bombs get inside the agency anyway?
The camera panned towards Endeavor's face.
"Oh my god! Look at his face!" Izuku cackled.
"Oh this is priceless!" Dabi yelled in excitement.
"This is everything I've ever dreamed of," Todoroki said with fake tears in his eyes.
In the background, the rest of the League were also laughing at Endeavor's misfortune.
"You guys poured All Might themed paint on his agency!"
"Glitter bombs inside! That's awesome!"
"Oh it'll take forever for the glitter to wash out."
"I bet his agency will forever be dyed in All Might colors.
On the screen was Endeavor with the most satisfying face ever.
His entire face was scrunched up, and he had veins popping out. His eyes looked bloodshot as well. And due to the fire, he was only making it worse by turning his face into a red tomato.
Some brave reporter, we don't know who, decided to walk up to Endeavor.
"Endeavor sir! How do you feel about this entire situation?"
The League watched as Endeavor slowly turned around and glared at the reporter. (The poor soul)
"What do you think I feel about this situation huh!? I'll kill whoever decided to make a mockery of me! Come out and show yourselves cowards!" Endeavor screamed.
The camera turned back towards the original reporter.
"Well folks, that's all we have on the situation at the moment! If we receive any more news, we'll be sure to report it! For now, we're signing off!"
Then ads started to play on the TV, signifying that it was over.
Izuku was still cackling while clutching his stomach. He had always dreamed of pranking Endeavor and getting it caught on live television. And whether or not he had more plans in stock was neither here nor there.
Dabi was grinning like a madman while roasting the hell out of Endeavor.
And Shouto was nodding praises towards the reporters who reported the situation perfectly. Especially the part where they emphasized that the paint was All Might themed. It was done spectacularly.
"Ok, I think I say for everybody that that was awesome!" Izuku yelled enthusiastically.
"Oh definitely," Dabi agreed.
"It was more than awesome. It was immaculate," Shouto said with a grin.
"What splendid vocabulary," Mr. Compress commented.
"Oh oh! That reminds me! I had something I wanted you to do for me, Dabi!" Izuku yelled while running down the hallway.
"Um, should I be scared?" Dabi questioned.
"You should be fine since you're a club member," Shouto said.
Dabi sighed. "That doesn't make me feel better."
Just as quickly as he had gone, he was back. Although now Izuku was holding five notebooks in his hands.
"Greenie, why are you holding five notebooks?" Dabi asked cautiously.
Izuku put on a sad smile. "These four are my first notebooks, while the other one was my last."
"How come your last one looks like it went through hell and back?" Dabi questioned.
"Yeah, what Dabi said. The notebook looks wrecked," Shigaraki agreed.
"Yeah…this notebook signifies the worst day of my life," Izuku said slowly.
"Izuku, that notebook looks like it was blasted by Bakugo," Shouto said warily.
"...That's because he blasted it," Izuku said quietly.
Shouto stiffened, while Dabi and Shigaraki snarled. Everyone else just gasped.
"What the hell. Isn't he a hero student!" Shigaraki said angrily.
"He seems to be a clone of Endeavor, that's what he is," Dabi said while banging his hand on the floor.
"...When did he do it," Shouto asked gently.
"Middle school…but that's all I'm going to say because I don't wanna talk about it right now," Izuku whispered.
Shouto pulled Izuku into a hug. "That's totally fine, but remind me not to kill Bakugo when I see him later."
"We kidnapped the brat once, we could definitely do it again," Shigaraki growled.
"..What did you want my help with greenie?" Dabi asked.
"I was wondering if you would burn these notebooks for me?" Izuku asked shyly.
Dabi rolled his eyes. "Sure. It's not like you'll ask me to burn something again anyway."
"Thanks Dabi," Izuku said with a small smile.
Shouto gently let go of Izuku, allowing him to walk towards Dabi. The two then walked outside to light the notebooks on fire.
"Brat, did you know about any of that," Shigaraki questioned Shouto.
Shouto turned to face Shigaraki, and shook his head. "I didn't. Though their relationship always seemed weird to me. The teachers always said it was a rival type thing, but I don't think it was. It looked more like a bully vs. victim scenario to me."
"...I see. That could explain some of his behavior," Shigaraki said quietly.
"Well, the little hero will talk when he feels up to it," Mr. Compress said.
"Yeah! What Compress said! We just have to be patient!" Toga said with a happy tone. Though it seemed more fake than anything, like she was trying to convince herself of something.
Just be patient, huh?
"Just place them on the ground. I'll light them on fire when you give me the signal," Dabi ordered.
Izuku nodded, and bent down. He then placed his five notebooks in a stack on the ground so Dabi could burn them. After he was done, he walked back towards Dabi and stood next to him. They had to stay out of the blast radius, after all.
"Ok..I'm ready," Izuku said with determination.
"Alright here I go," Dabi said.
Dabi then proceeded to throw an arc of blue flames at the stack of notebooks. As soon as the flames hit their target, it set on fire.
The flames were beautiful, and they looked even better when they were burning something. Especially when it was something that had only ended up hurting Izuku in the end. So, as Izuku watched the notebooks burn, he allowed a few happy tears to fall down his face.
That would be the first, he thought.