The Thin Grey Line (Boku no Hero Academia Fanfic)

Chapter 18

"Not exactly how I'd describe Kurogiri," The gaunt man stated, a tone of amusement sneaking in. "But yes, I am Shiragaki Tomura. The League has taken interest in you, Bakugou."

"And why the ever living fuck should I care?" The blond snapped. He growled as the pressure on his back increased. "You'd better watch it, ya shit stain; I'm not in the goddamn mood for this fuckery. You're all getting a goddamn explosion to the face when I get up, asshats."

"Why should you care, indeed?" Shiragaki mulled, "How about another teen we have in custody?" Cracked lips pulled into a smirk as Bakugou stiffened. "Our sources said that you knew each other when you were younger, but fell out of touch after your Quirk manifested and his didn't."

"Forget an explosion to the face," Bakugou stated, his rage growing to new heights. "When I'm through with all of you, there won't be a goddamn body left!"

Shiragaki leaned towards Bakugou, looking him square in the face. "How about this?" he said, "We let him go, but you have to do something for us in return. Nothing big, just a fight with someone from our ranks. If you win, both you and Midoriya Izuku go free; if you lose, only you are allowed to leave. It's easy enough to understand."

Bakugou was silent. A fight with a villain? Over Deku? Why the hell did this guy think that this'd work? His mind flashed to over a year ago, when he was struggling for breath around a suffocating slime. He'd die before he would ever admit aloud, but the damn idiot had saved him back then. Saved him and never asked for anything in return. No blackmail, not even a mention that it had ever happened. He owed the fucker one, and he hated being in debt.

"Deal."

Kuroda sighed as he flopped down onto the plush hotel bed, letting out a groan as the day's events came back in a rush.

Sometimes he forgot that his brother could actually get shit done when he needed to. He would get this aura around him that made anyone who could feel it hurry to give him what he wanted. That group of teens was no different. They had spilled their guts the moment Kei had fixed them with a stare and began to ask questions in his standard, no-nonsense tone. After he'd gotten everything he needed, he handed them his number, instructing them to call if anything else came up.

Speak of the devil: Kei came out of the bathroom, toweling his hair. Kuroda snorted at the pyjamas his older brother was wearing. Kei shot him a withering look.

"It's completely normal for a grown man to have nightwear, Kuroda. Not everyone is a heathen that sleeps in their day clothes."

"Yeah, yeah." Kuroda dismissed, waving his hand carelessly through the air. "Did you tell the kids where we were meeting up?"

Kei sat down on his own bed. "Yes. I hope you don't mind that it's at yours and your student's warehouse."

Izuku... Kuroda's mood dimmed the moment he started to think about his student. From what Kei had gathered, he'd been concussed when he was taken and likely had at least one or two bone fractures. He'd wake up in the League's claws confused, alone, and scared. Izuku was still a sensitive kid, despite everything that Kuroda had taught him. The damn teen would even start sniffling when a dog died in a movie, though Kuroda refused to admit that his eyes had teared up as well.

Kuroda wasn't Izuku's dad. Hell, the kid's first impression of him was taking down a thug for Christ's sake; but that didn't stop him from giving a damn about Izuku's wellbeing like a father should. When he found the knuckleheads that hurt his student... well, there was a damn good reason he'd been feared by all of the crime rings in Japan. Maybe they needed a reminder. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a pillow smacking him on the face.