A Hero's Dirty Work (Villain Deku / Vigilante Deku au)

Responsibility

"I have to say, young Hamasaki, you are taking this remarkably welly," All Might commented.

Michi nodded, glaring at the food as he tried to think of a way to eat it before All Might noticed. He honestly would probably try to feed him, which would be humiliating. "It's a lot to take in, but something like this needs more thought than emotion. I guess I just need some time to really consider what it all means."

All Might finally noticed his inability to eat. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Here, let me—"

*                *                *

Shoto had no idea what went on inside All Might's office, but he did know that Michi looked distinctly annoyed by the time he left. It was hard to show that much emotion through all of the bandages on his face, but he managed.

"Hey, Michi. Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you," Shoto said, pushing off from the wall he was leaning on. Michi flinched in surprise, then hissed in pain at the sudden movement.

"Goddammit Shoto. Alright, what do you want?"

Shoto thought about how he should bring it up, but at the end of the day, he just wasn't subtle. He shrugged. "You're connected somehow to the villains that attacked us at the USJ," he said bluntly.

Michi froze. "Uh, what? You mean the guys that put me in critical condition? Those villains?"

"You were never in critical condition. You know that, I know that, and the guy with the hands all over his body knew it too," Shoto said. Michi was good at using words and twisting them to divert people's attention. Shoto was good at getting to the point.

"I don't actually know what you mean," Michi said, leaning his weight on his crutches. "What makes you think that?"

"When you got hit that first time, after saving Mina, I was going to try and attack the villain, hopefully take him by surprise. I didn't, though, because he was staring at you just like everyone else, like he was worried."

"That's... touching, I guess," Michi offered. "Look, I have a messed up background, and maybe my official history isn't really accurate. You're the only one I'm willing to tell any of this, because I think you might be able to understand, but I can't talk about it yet. There are villains I've met, that my family has gotten mixed up in, and he's one of them. I didn't think he really cared about me that much, but I won't let that get in my way of being a hero. Can you... keep this between us, for now?"

Shoto nodded, processing the new information. "I won't turn you in, or anything," he confirmed. "Since we're... friends, right? But, you have to be honest with me if you want me to trust you, and I have other questions that your little story doesn't answer."

Michi looked tense, but he nodded. He took a deep breath, making eye contact with Shoto. "Okay. I'll try to answer your questions, but I'm trusting you, too. I'm sure that you'll manage to figure some things out that I don't want anyone to know just yet, and I need you to keep my secrets. Please."

"I understand. I want you to know, though, my word doesn't hold if I find out you're intentionally endangering the others at this school," Shoto warned. "I don't think you are, but... I know first-hand how good some people are at pretending."

Michi's eyes were hard, determined. He nodded sharply. "Let's go somewhere with a bit more privacy, first," he said. "I trust you, but... only you, Shoto. For now. If my plan works, it'll all come out eventually." Michi looked up suddenly, a spark in his eyes like he just had a great idea. "Actually, maybe we could help each other! Ah—I'll explain when we have some privacy. Do you have any ideas of somewhere we could go?"