Midoriya sat quietly, deep in thought, listening as Tokoyami and Shinso tried to come up with a hero name for Shinso as they ate their food. Shinso had offered them to go out to the mall and hang out, and even though all of them were awkward and pretty introverted, it seemed to be working. At least for Shinso and Tokoyami.
Midoriya couldn't get his mind off the strange questions Bakugo had asked him. It was almost like he thought he couldn't...Take care of himself. Hell, it could be as deep as Bakugo not believing that he was capable of being a...Hero.
"Hey, Midoriya? You've been zoning out for a while." Tokoyami asked as both boys looked at Midoriya with concern. Midoriya chuckled awkwardly as he tried his best to relax as he leaned against the back of the chair, Bakugo's words echoing in his head.
"Your tense, even now. And even I am fucking relaxed."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, I've just been thinking about my hero name as well, and it's more difficult than I thought." Midoriya excused, surprised by how professionally the lie slipped out.
"You shouldn't stress over it so much. We'll figure something out, right, Tokoyami?" Shinso hinted as he nudged Tokoyami, as if warning him.
"Of course. We'll come up with something, I'm sure." Tokoyami assured. Midoriya nodded in gratitude, although as soon as the two began talking, despite the few words Midoriya added in here and there, his mind kept wandering back towards his talk with Bakugo.
It hurt how much Bakugo seemed to be treating him like frail glass. Sure, some people would tell him that he simply cared about Midoriya, but it...Katsuki Bakugo wasn't one to particularly care about people, and if Midoriya was right about that, then his ulterior motive was stopping him from becoming a hero. Maybe he didn't want to be a hero duo anymore...
The thought made Midoriya's stomach churn, and he breathed deeply as he tried to calm down. Just because that is an option doesn't mean it's a likely possibility...Stop overreacting. Midoriya scolded himself as he continued to take deep breaths. Although, as a minute passed and he still couldn't calm down the feeling in his stomach and throat, he stood up, and quickly headed towards the bathroom.
What he hadn't expected was for black to cover his vision, and for him to collapse onto the ground, suddenly feeling pain everywhere, then numbness, before suddenly the black ness turned into nothing.
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"Izuku, come on, you should be awake by now."
Midoriya hummed as he tried to regain his senses, slowly regaining control over his body as he moved around.
"There you go. Finally. I'm patient, but you're running out of time."
"Keisha..." Midoriya suddenly recognized as he forced his eyes open, his eyes rolling back as they protested. He blinked a few times, and finally, he managed to separate the slightly darker figure in the dim room. It was, no doubt, Keisha, sitting there in his favorite coat.
"Hello, Izuku." Keisha greeted, a small smile on his face. Midoriya would've let out a groan and rolled his eyes, but he felt too tired, and so he simply tried his best to glare at his former mentor while trying to move his arms, which seemed to be tied up behind him.
"They're gonna start looking for me because you kidnapped me like that...I was hanging out with my friends, you know?" Midoriya murmured as he shifted his hands again, suddenly feeling sore as the numbness faded.
"I know. That's why we're here and not anywhere else. And that's also why I chose to tie you up with ropes instead of flex cuffs." Keisha said as he shifted in his seat, trying to get more comfortable. Finally, Midoriya looked around, and his eyes widened in realization.
"A janitor's closet?!" Midoriya hissed in confusion and shock. Keisha simply shrugged in response, a small smirk etched on his face.
"Why not? And besides, it's not too far away from your friends. As soon as we're done talking, you'll free yourself and go back to your friends." Midoriya frowned at Keisha, waiting impatiently for Keisha to start talking. Keisha let out a sigh as he crossed his legs, once again trying to get more comfortable.
"What do you want now?" Midoriya asked, suddenly feeling emotionally exasperated. If he had to listen to more of the older man's ramblings, he would have to bear with it.
"You know, I think you picked good friends. Well, at least, all except for one." Keisha started. Midoriya frowned, already having an idea of whom he was talking about. "The blond one. Katsuki Bakugo." Midoriya already didn't like where this was going.
"Kacchan is my best friend, and your opinion isn't law." Midoriya stated coldly and firmly. Keisha raised an eyebrow, evidently surprised by the sudden rude attitude.
"I know that. But I also know that bad friends may dig you an early grave, which Bakugo almost did when you came rushing back to save him, despite almost killing another one of your true friends." Midoriya narrowed his eyes as he processed what he was told .
"How do you know about that?" Midoriya asked warily. Keisha pursed his lips, a barely visible smile visible, and shrugged.
"I have my ways." He explained vaguely. Midoriya let out a defeated sigh, before shaking his head, feeling frustrated. This man wasn't his father, or in his situation, mom, since he never met his father, and yet here he was, telling him whom to be friends.
"It's kind of ironic how you're telling me what kind of people I should be friends with, when the only friend, and yet forced, was me." Midoriya snarled as he once again shifted his restraints, begging to free himself. Although, he couldn't help but hesitate as he saw a familiar look on Keisha's face.
"Why do you always choose to hang out with me?" Izuku asked, sitting on the chair of the torture room, restrained, although willingly. Once again, another one of their uncuffing practice sessions, as strange as it sounded. "I mean, why not other kids?" Izuku turned towards Keisha, who was also uncuffing himself, which would've been even stranger to anyone else, but that was just a part of their session as well. After all, the insane man needed entertainment.
There was a pregnant pause, and Izuku lifted his head to look at Keisha. Keisha was looking at Izuku with a blank expression, and Midoriya opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't, and he could suddenly feel goosebumps forming on his skin.
Suddenly, Keisha chuckled and shook his head, focusing back onto uncuffing himself.
"I haven't met anyone with whom I had an actual connection with. You're the first one, to be honest." Keisha admitted. Izuku raised an eyebrow, confused, but let it go as he continued to uncuff himself, amused by the strangeness of the man.
Although, that was 4 years ago. Midoriya definitely didn't feel amused now, as he looked at the same expression he had seen only once before.
"I didn't have friends." Keisha suddenly stated, his expression turning into his normal, slightly curious looking one. "Not as a child, not as a teen, not as an adult...Well, not until you came along."
"I don't get what you want from me though. Am I a continuation to your failed past? Because like hell am I going to be used by you again. I am free now, it's over." Midoriya felt like face-palming himself as he realized that he was literally tied up right now. Keisha snorted, seeming to realize his mistake, before he shook his head, his mood slowly beginning to rise.
"You're not a continuation. You're a new beginning, Izuku. You're different, better than me, and you will go a far way. I want to be by your side when that happens. I want to help you." Keisha explained, and Midoriya couldn't help but shudder at the tone he was using. It was honest. He didn't hear any bad intent in his words, and that freaked him out even more.
"You're right about one thing. I am going to become better than you, because, first of all, I'm not going to become a villain like you." Midoriya growled. As he felt his restraints weaken. Finally.
Although, Keisha seemed to notice that as well, and letting out a seemingly defeated sigh, stood up, stretching.
"It seems my time is up. I'll see you later, Izuku." Keisha waved shortly, and before Midoriya could say anything else, he stepped back, a portal appearing behind him for a second before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
Midoriya let out a tired sigh, finishing uncuffing himself and standing up, straightening. Walking out of the janitor's closet, he couldn't help but groan to himself as he looked at his phone, seeing 7 missing calls from both his friends who were still waiting for him to come back from the bathroom. Walking back, he quickly tried to come up with a reason why he was gone for so long, one that didn't include villains and former mentors, although his thoughts were interrupted by the all-too familiar voice, causing him to pale as he snapped his head around in shock.
"What the fuck was that?"
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Walking out of school with his so-called friends, which didn't include Midoriya, seemed almost foreign to Bakugo.
Bakugo hadn't expected himself to get so used to the greenette's company, and yet here he was, not enjoying the company of his other friends because his best friend wasn't there. It was strange, and foreign, and Bakugo absolutely hated it. He wasn't one to long for company, and yet he felt like this was exactly what was happening to him, and because he didn't know how to deal with it, he felt even more anger than he usually did when feeling any other emotion.
"Bakugo, you're steaming!" Kaminari shrieked as he jumped away from Bakugo's side, where Bakugo hadn't even realized he had been. He would've exploded him if he knew about that, but he felt that if he exploded him right now, he might overdo it with how much frustration he was feeling. "Bakubro, is something wrong? You're more on edge than normal...?" Kirishima asked sheepishly, taking Kaminari's spot as he hardened his right side, all except his head, in hopes that Bakugo wouldn't notice.
"I'm not gonna fucking explode you, shitty hair." Bakugo grunted, feeling even angrier by how they were treating him like a ticking bomb (which he almost literally was). Kirishima blushed, and quickly turned off his quirk, embarrassed. Bakugo let out an annoyed sigh, and luckily for him, the rest of the BakuSquad didn't try to get him to talk for the rest of the way to the mall.
"Hey, Bakugo, do you wanna go eat first, or stores first?" Sero asked, cautiously walking closer towards the blond.
"Food first. I'm fucking starving." Bakugo grunted as the group headed towards the elevator, Kirishima pressing the button. They rode in silence, all seeming more tense as Bakugo crossed his hands, impatient. The tension was too tense, even for him, and it was getting on his nerves, which was even worse since it was a closed space, and should he explode, it definitely wouldn't end well.
The elevator finally opened, and Bakugo stomped out, the group following him to one of the café's as they finally began to chat, lightening the mood. Kirishima and Ashido took the orders, and collecting the money from everyone, walked towards the ordering booth.
"Hey, Bakugo, you wanna play–"
"I'm going to the bathroom." Bakugo quickly interrupted, standing up and ignoring the complaints as he began walking towards the bathroom.
Although, what he hadn't expected to see was a male with a bush of green hair walking not too far away in front of him. Bakugo's eyes widened as he recognized his best friend, and he hurried after him. He didn't know why, but he felt like he couldn't simply ignore his presence, and so he quickly followed him. It seemed like he was heading to the bathroom as well, but Bakugo felt a gut feeling that...Something was wrong.
Suddenly, a familiar purple warp portal appeared, and Bakugo's eyes widened as he watched Midoriya get hit to the side of his head, and quickly yanked into the portal, right before it closed, seconds later. Bakugo swirled around, praying to see where the portal could've led to, and much to his surprise and small relief, he caught sight of a flash of purple far to his left, next to a barely visible door. He sprinted towards it, not excusing himself as he pushed a few people on his way, all of his attention on the door.
Finally, he reached the door, although he couldn't help but stop as he heard a voice on the other side of it. Gulping nervously, he pressed his ear against the wall, trying to listen to what was being said.
"...You're not a continuation. You're a new beginning, Izuku. You're different, better than me, and you will go a far way. I want to be by your side when that happens. I want to help you." A foreign voice said. Bakugo quickly identified as a man, definitely not a teenager, and definitely not Midoriya's friend. He wasn't friends with adults, and especially not ones that were anyhow connected to the League. Which could only mean–
"You're right about one thing. I am going to become better than you, because, first of all, I'm not going to become a villain like you." Bakugo's eyes narrowed. There was no doubt, that was Midoriya speaking, and whomever he was speaking to, he definitely wasn't there willingly, if the portal wasn't enough proof. A few seconds passed before the other man, seemingly a villain, spoke again.
"It seems my time is up. I'll see you later, Izuku." Bakugo immediately stepped away from the door, before sprinting away from it and running for a few seconds, before stopping and turning towards the door. It was closed, although Bakugo wasn't sure whether the villain had exited or not, so he stood impatiently as he waited for the villain to walk out, or even better, Midoriya.
Finally, the door opened, and out stepped the familiar greenette, and Bakugo suddenly felt all his words leave him as he watched the boy casually sigh and rub his temple as he began to walk. At that moment, he felt like only the words that escaped his mouth could comment on the situation.
"What the fuck was that?"