A Villain's Journey

Chap. 9

"The gold one on the far right," Izuku said. "I'll be back for that one."

The man nodded and began to put away the watches. Izuku's heart pounded and without a word, he speed-walked out of the store. Once he was out and the door closed, he began to run. He ran while holding his sleeve so as to not let the jewels fall out.

Once he was in the crowd of people, he slowed to a stop and brought his mask down to be able to breathe more easily. He let the jewelry fall into the palm of his hand. He couldn't waste time looking at his haul so he slipped them into his pocket and continued to run.

It wasn't long before he heard the sounds of police sirens in the air. The melody of his decision passed by in loud sirens and red and blue lights. A smile etched onto his face as he bounced with each step. Maybe it was wrong; what he did, but it also fueled a sense of happiness in his heart, in his soul. The sirens were a reminder that he could do anything he wanted.

—-

The door squeaked open when Izuku made his way inside the blacked-out bar. He turned on his phone flashlight and steadily climbed the steps. By now, he knew which step creaked and where it did so he made sure to skip all the creaks.

Though skipping all the creaks really didn't help in his situation, for when he opened the door to the living space, there Shigaraki sat at the wooden dining room table with a bored and tired expression written on his features. Izuku pursed his lips and quietly closed the door behind him, not breaking eye contact with his blue-haired friend. Shigaraki, in turn, narrowed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

"I've been up all night, waiting for your return," Shigaraki said and glanced over to a clock on a wall, though Izuku suspected Shigaraki already knew what time it was. "It's 3:00 in the morning. Where the hell were you?"

The jewels felt heavy in his pocket, now that Shigaraki had asked his whereabouts. Though, as much as Izuku felt guilt for worrying him, he couldn't help but have a smile form on his face.

"I went to the center of town, found a few things you might like," Izuku said, and when he said that, the sudden memory of everything else he had taken came to his mind.

He walked up to the table and took out the jewelry. He held his hand over the table and let it fall, the gems clinking against the wood. Shigaraki stared at the possessions in front of him and ever so carefully, he picked them up and examined them.

"How-"

"I have nimble fingers," Izuku said with a wink. "The jewelry store owner didn't even notice they were gone until after I left the shop!" Izuku gave an elated laugh and plopped down into a chair in front of Shigaraki. He rested his jaw in his hands with a wide smile on his face.

"A jewelry store?" Shigaraki sounded anything but excited. Izuku felt his heart drop a little and his smile falter.

"Well, you see, I just wanted a bit of fun," Izuku rambled. "And well, um, er... I just, you know- that seemed like the best fun I could have! It was, it was, it was... listen Shigaraki, I-"

"YOU COULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT, IZUKU!" Shigaraki yelled and Izuku flinched.

"Did you just use my first-"

"DID YOU HAVE ANY REGARD FOR YOUR LIFE? DID YOU EVEN THINK FOR ONE GODDAMN SECOND THAT MAYBE THIS WAS A BAD IDEA?" Shigaraki continued to yell. Then, bringing his voice down, he said, "Oh my god, did you even have on a mask? Or were you stupid enough to go out there with your face being shown to the world?"

Izuku gulped. "I- I had a mask, but..."

"But you were fucking recognised," Shigaraki mumbled, putting the pieces together. "By who? Someone who worked in the jewelry store?"