Midoriya took a deep breath as he hesitantly sat on the bar stool of the abandoned bar, glancing at the top members of the league warily, and even somewhat curiously. After all, he couldn't just slack off and do nothing while Bakugo was trying to find a way to rescue him...Especially with the gift he had.
Midoriya was amazingly good at analyzing. That was something that not only his mother pointed out, but his teacher, especially his science teacher, whenever he submitted an analysis worksheet of an experiment or anything else that was assigned to him, and that was before he even started going to middle school! His passion towards heroes also brought his analysis to a whole other level, allowing him to analyze people and quirks of the heroes he saw on TV, even if he could only see them used one or two times.
Sadly, he no longer had anyone to brag to, or hear any praise, not that he was doing that for anyone other than himself. But because of the villains, he had to hide his gift, because he couldn't let them use him even more than they already do; he may not like to think of himself highly, but he understood that if the villains would have a pretty proficient analytic on their side, things were going to go even more downhill for him and uphill for the League.
"Hey, Midoriya." Midoriya turned hesitantly towards the seemingly polite voice, one that was similar to Kurogiri but didn't sound as low and seemed younger. Midoriya bowed politely at the man in greeting, and he watched as the villain, much to his surprise, bowed in greeting as well.
"Y-you don't have to bow..." Midoriya mumbled as he straightened, watching as the man in a formal costume, and with a strange hat and mask straightened as well, fixing his tie.
"Why not? I believe you are a part of our team now, and you deserve the same amount of respect as we do. So, do you wish for something to drink?" The man sat down on the bar stool next to Midoriya, placing his hand on the counter as he moved his head towards Kurogiri, who was standing on the other side of the counter, stereotypically cleaning a glass of wine with a cloth.
"Kurogiri, can I have the usual? And get a little extra for Midoriya to try." Compress said as his head slightly turned towards Midoriya, signaling that he was glancing at him. Kurogiri let out a hum, and leaning downwards, took out...
"No, really, you don't-" Midoriya quickly stuttered out as Kurogiri placed a hookah onto the counter.
"Don't be shy, Midoriya. Compress is right. Feel at ease, you are not going to be treated any lesser than anyone else here except for the young master. And besides, the effect of this one isn't as strong, so you'll be alright." Kurogiri explained, although Midoriya didn't feel even a bit more relaxed. Midoriya took a shaky breath as Kurogiri fiddled with the hookah, before Kurogiri handed Compress the hose and Compress lifted his mask, revealing his face. Midoriya quickly analyzed that he looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties, before watching Compress inhale the tobacco from the hose and exhale slowly, steam-looking smoke flying towards Midoriya who held back from breathing. Compress then handed the pipe to Midoriya, who took it reluctantly while glancing at Compress, who gave him a wink and started to watch him, not taking his eyes off the greenette as he placed his elbow on the counter and leaned on his hand. Midoriya took a deep breath and pressed the mouthpiece to his mouth before slowly opening his mouth and inhaling a little.
Midoriya flinched and coughed as he put the pipe away from his mouth, exhaling, feeling his lungs get heavier and more full than he was used to. He slowly caught his breath as he avoided the intrigued gaze coming from Compress and most likely Kurogiri, who's expression he couldn't really read.
"It's...Not bad. Weird, but...Yeah." Midoriya shakily said as he felt his body unwillingly relax and slowly began to feel dizzy. He really didn't want to know what the more heavier tobacco would feel like, if this was what he was feeling from the weak version of it. He took a shaky breath and was about to excuse himself from smoking any more, when the door creaked open, and the room stilled for a second as they watched one of their leaders' walk into the bar, a man with a cigarette following behind him and closing the door. Midoriya licked his dry lips as he concentrated on the man behind Shigaraki, trying to memorize his feature, but he was snapped out of thought as Shigaraki spoke, his voice as hoarse as always.
"I and Keisha, along with the Master, came up with another plan. This one will include us in the front lines of the attack, without the help of the smaller pawns." Shigaraki simply stated, not bothering to greet the members of the League. Midoriya kept his deadpan expression, but he felt disturbed as he remembered Mustard and the others below, and how they were called pawns, let alone smaller pawns...It was just disrespectful and disgusting to Midoriya.
"...And since you're gonna be joining us for that too, you're gonna need equipment. Giran here will help with that." Shigaraki said as he looked at Midoriya, and Midoriya felt his stoic mask waver as he flinched slightly at the addressal. Midoriya glanced at the man who blew out smoke from his mouth in a ring and winked at the teen somewhat reassuringly, and Midoriya looked back at Shigaraki before bowing slightly.
"I appreciate it, thank you." Shigaraki hummed, acknowledging Midoriya's words, before scanning the crowd before him. The League's top group didn't have many members, but they were strong, and Midoriya did his best to refresh his memory of the members.
Dabi was a fire user, his quirk being the strongest type of fire, blue fire. Midoriya had realized that the scars were burn scars, and it was probably a side effect of his quirk, which meant that he probably had one side of his family a quirk that was weak to fire, even possibly an ice quirk, while the other most likely had an already pretty powerful fire quirk.
Twice had a cloning quirk, but to Midoriya's surprise, he never used it to clone himself, which Midoriya felt like anyone else on his spot would do in order to make his life easier. Although, when he heard the double personality Twice had, Midoriya couldn't help but wonder if it was caused by his quirk, or was it because of a trauma he may have had due to the cloning...
Spinner had a mutant quirk, and to Midoriya's surprise, it wasn't anything special. If he heard correctly, it could basically only let him climb walls and ceilings, but not much else was known about it. Spinner was a Hero Killer follower, and Midoriya thought it was safe to assume that he was accepted as the top member of the league as a representative to other villains that would possibly join them after the league became more well-known.
Sadako can disfigure herself in order to get herself into a different shape, which looks pretty disgusting but is effective if used properly. She, in Midoriya's analysis so far, most likely uses her hands and turns them into weapons, or enlarges them, in order to attack and possibly defend. Midoriya was glad to not have seen her quirk in action, unlike some of the other people down below that had fought alongside the woman; they always looked like they were going to throw up whenever Midoriya asked them about the female's quirk. Her personality was said to be pretty insane, with some people gossiping that she possibly used her quirk to disfigure her face in order to scare her opponents during battle, which Midoriya was also thankful to not have seen.
And there were Kurogiri and Compress, and although he mostly heard good things about the two, he didn't know whether or not he should believe the stories that go around from time to time, so Midoriya decided to re-analyze them later.
Midoriya let out a small hum in confusion as he realized he was walking into a small room with Giran opening the door and letting him in before himself. Midoriya sighed at himself internally as he nodded in appreciation towards the man and walked into the room. This is exactly why I shouldn't analyze people while I'm doing something...How did I even get here?! Or is it because of the smoke...
"I'll just take your measurements and ask a few questions of your preferences and quirk along the way." Midoriya nodded and followed Giran's instructions as he stood in a T position, the man measuring him and taking notes in his notebook. Luckily enough, the process was quick, and almost pleasant; Midoriya had managed to get his preferences of color into the equation, and now his costume was most likely going to be green with a combination of black, along with a few other details that he felt would suit him well for his costume.
Midoriya thanked Giran and Kurogiri picked him and sent him back underground, and Midoriya was in a much more relaxed and casual mood than he was previously, which surprised Kurogiri, who most likely assumed it was the smoke. But that's when it hit him.
Midoriya stopped mid-step as his eyes widened in realization. The green of his villain costume, the few usually unnoticeable add-ons that he had asked Giran for, they all didn't come out of nowhere. It wasn't that he liked green, it wasn't that he liked his face hidden with masks, it wasn't that he simply liked to have an audio-note taking device inserted in his costume...
Midoriya had unconsciously imitated the hero costume Bakugo and he had designed for him years ago.
_________________
Midnight turned towards her office door, curious at the knocking. No one other than Present Mic usually came around that time, but even so, it was strange since he was supposed to be doing patrol.
"Come in!" Midnight called out as she put aside the worksheets she had been working on for what seemed like hours. Whoever was on the other side of the door was her savior, a proper excuse for herself to take a break from the seemingly meaningless papers.
"Ms. Kayama." Midnight's eyes slightly widened as she gaped at the male in front of her, standing in the doorway almost...Hesitantly?
"Bakugo, it's...Nice to have you here. You don't come by often." Midnight greeted awkwardly as Bakugo frowned slightly at her before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "Did you need something?" Midnight asked. She still couldn't comprehend that the boy decided to talk to a teacher, even if it was something like a clarification date for internships, or whatever else. Bakugo would never walk up to another teacher, even to ask something, and because of his well-known aggressive and prideful attitude towards everyone around him, Midnight knew better than to try and get him to talk.
"I..." Bakugo stopped, frowning to himself as he shifted on his spot in the middle of the room, his hands in his pockets shifting slightly. Midnight's eyes slightly widened more as she realized what Bakugo was doing. Is he trying to calm his nerves?! This must be very important...!
"I want to intern under you."
Midnight gaped at him for a few seconds before she let her jaw drop down as she finally realized what he said.
"W-what?!" Midnight exclaimed, nearly falling off her seat. Bakugo glared at her as he let out an annoyed 'tch', turning away from her for a few seconds before speaking right before Midnight could say anything else,
"It's about your quirk." Bakugo stated as he looked at Midnight, a small glint of emotion in his eyes that Midnight thought was...Familiar, but she couldn't put a finger to it.
"My quirk...What does this have to do with my quirk, exactly? I believe our quirks aren't that similar for me to teach you technique's or anything..." Midnight asked, still unsure that it was Bakugo talking to her so calmly. Bakugo's jaw tensed and Midnight could tell he was gritting his teeth, holding back a snarky remark. Midnight was, simply said, very impressed (and thankful) that he was trying to be polite, even if it wasn't really working when it came to his gestures.
"Yeah, I know. It's not about that, I can use my quirk pretty damn well without your help." Bakugo quickly excused as he looked away from Midnight, glaring at the wall for a few seconds as if trying to regain composure. Midnight waited patiently as her curiosity bubbled up inside her, holding back from calling 110 at the possibly possessed teenager.
"I...I want to learn how to withstand gas sedatives. You know, without getting knocked out and everything..." Bakugo mumbled as he continued to fidget with his hands in his hoodie pockets. Midnight rose an eyebrow at the sudden concern.
But then it dawned on her, and she couldn't help but let her eyes widen in realization for a second, before her face relaxed, turning into one of kindness and pity.
"It's because of the quirk that knocked you out during the SCAC attack, isn't-"
"Shut up! No it's...It's a skill that I think heroes should have. It's stupid not to know how to protect yourself from something as shitty weak as sedatives." Bakugo quickly interrupted, although his tone was just barely, but different enough for Midnight to understand that he was lying, and she could hear the worry in his voice. Midnight sighed as she rubbed her temple, trying to think of what to do with her traumatized student.
"Bakugo, I...Sure. I'm not one to decline an offer like that. It would be a great skill to have on your side, especially without a mask for your costume." Midnight said, trying to sound enthusiastic as she thought of Aizawa and how to tell him about his student.
"When the internships start, I'll be waiting for-" The door suddenly closed shut, and Midnight looked up, startled, only to let out a long sigh as she realized Bakugo had left without letting her finish. She quickly fixed up the papers into as much of a neat pack as she could, before standing up and rushing out of her office, her eyes scanning the hallways as she looked for the one person who should be able to help. It isn't just a want to improve that got Bakugo to come to me... Midnight thought to herself as she walked quickly through the hallways, glancing into classrooms along the way. He's scared...He's scared of being vulnerable.