Deku shifted once more on his seat, leaning back toward Todoroki subtly. "I was wondering... What is it like? To go to UA, I mean."
Todoroki scooted a fraction of an inch away from Deku, clearly unimpressed with his advances. "Why do you care? I thought you hated heroes." Todoroki glanced away, refusing stubbornly to meet Deku's wide, seemingly innocent, green eyes.
He didn't seem scared, or suspicious for that matter. More along the lines of merely unsettled. Perhaps the unhinged madness and hatred that raged behind Deku's eyes was more obvious than he had thought.
So Deku flashed his brightest, most innocent smile to reassure him. "Well, I may have settled into my ways now, but believe it or not, once I dreamt of attending UA and becoming one of those god awful heroes too." Deku sighed in a way he hoped came off as nostalgic. "To think, I once aspired to join their ranks, to be one of those terrible, corrupted people."
Todoroki sniffed a little at this, inclining his head in a way that was neither agreement nor denial. "You know, some people think the League is terrible."
Deku tried not to laugh at this. "Well, Shouto... can I call you Shouto?... Society has this funny little tendency to resist change even after it has come to pass. But I believe the people will see that we are right when the time comes." He paused before delivering his ultimatum. "The truth is that some people simply don't deserve to be heroes."
It really was funny, to think that Deku had once aspired to be one of those horrible, undeserving heroes, to join their ranks, to hurt people the way that he and Todoroki had been hurt.
To be on the side of the people that had rejected so many, putting themselves above others to swell their own already massive egos.
He had once wanted to be one of the unworthy heroes. He had believed that to be the best, most fulfilling and honorable path, to help those who hurt him, to aide those people how had neglected him and pushed him aside.
Unworthy, all of them.
Stain was right.
Shigaraki, misguided and petty as he was, was the best path forward for all of them. All for One would not have put him in charge if he was anything like the heroes they sought to take down.
Althought, perhaps, All for One had another reason for crowning Tomura as their leader. With him being the grandson of All Might's predecessor and all.
Shigaraki was a fool if he thought Deku wouldn't find out something so incredibly important about his superior.
Not that it was a bad thing. Moreover, it was just another thing to rub in the faces of those condescending heroes.
Todoroki still didn't meet his eyes. "Perhaps."
Todoroki stared blankly at the wall of liquor behind the bar, lost in his own little reverie, as if he were puzzling over the finer workings of their broken society.
So Deku decided to prey on his absent-mindedness and extract a little more information from the mysterious young man. "I am curious. How did Dabi manage to enlist your help? Hurt of not, from what we knew about you, the heroes left you too brainwashed to be of use."
He paused, watching for Todoroki's reaction. "Only Dabi maintained that you could change. Not that we didn't want you on our side; you, Kacchan, all the powerful students from the UA sports festival. Any of you would have been excellent."
He tried to hide the vomit inducing anger that spread across his face at the very mention of Katsuki Bakugou, but Todoroki was far from stupid and it was clear that he had noticed Deku's reaction.
