A/N: I just want to point out that Twice and Alex are not in a romantical relationship!!! I'm not into writing about such relationships (age gap!), it's like making a Present Mic + Jirou ship! So no, if you haven't figured it out yet, Twice only reminds Alex of her dad, nothing else!
It was really hard to believe my eyes. Even though I know I've mentioned sensing some good in Twice, the fact he just did what he did was... extreme.
"They will figure out I gave my blood. You have to get out of here before that happens", Twice spoke up all of a sudden.
"How?" I asked.
"Toga's quirk allows her to shift into the person whose blood she drank. Hopefully she'll take the first bottle first, but in the end she'll turn into me. That's why you have to get out before that happens."
"I... that means I'm dooming you as well..."
"It's not okay! It's okay!"
I looked at him as he rubbed his forehead through his mask.
"It's fine. I deserve it. Now I'm beginning to see what I have been doing all along", he muttered.
"No, you don't! This proves you are a good man, Twice. I will help you get out too", I said.
I didn't know how, but hearing him say it was like feeling my father slipping out of my life all over again.
Izuku's POV
"And this Chito is a friend of yours?" Chifu said with a raised eyebrow.
"No" I shot out recklessly, "he is just an acquaintance."
"I see. Where did you meet?"
"Hero companies... you know... society", I muttered.
"And just why should I hire him? Do you know how important the Commission is?"
The thing is, for honest and honorable people, it's very hard to fight for something you deeply disagree with. Although I had to make sure he gets into the Commission if I wanted to live on somewhat happily, I knew it's for the worst. And from that moment on, when something goes wrong (as it would), I had to play on. Pretend I didn't know about him being with the League.
"He is a very professional person and I am sure he will work hard for the Commission", I spoke up.
"So he has the sincere recommendations from the one and only Deku? Why, that's as if they were coming from All Might", Chifu replied with an ironical chuckle.
"Laugh all you want, I say he is the perfect guy for this position", I squeezed out.
"I have to reconsider my decisions with the remaining members of the Hero Commission", Chifu said with a sigh. "Thank you. You may leave now. I'll contact both you and this Chito after the decision is made."
I bowed and left her office with a nod to her secretary. As I left the building, the loud traffic burst my ears. The office building I was in was as silent as a graveyard and the street was bustling with cars, buses, trams and people yelling in their phones. A person who passed by way yelling at someone and then suddenly went silent with surprise as he saw me. I waved dumbly and quickly walked away. I turned back and saw he was back to yelling on the phone. As many people as there were on the street, was twice as much my thoughts.
I turned a few corners, getting to a little café I went to once I met with Hawks. It was pretty quiet and only the members of the hero society used to go there, mostly under a disguise. I waved to the waiter and he nodded. I muttered something about ordering an ice coffee and went to the bathroom. As I shut the doors, I punched the wall angrily. My hands trembled and I was really sick of all the lies I told and all the games Dabi made me play, I was sick of being the LOV's puppet and most of all I was sick of being Deku. Because if I weren't a hero, Alex never would've been kidnapped and I probably wouldn't feel as bad as I do now about the whole thing.
I put out my phone nervously and scrolled through the numbers I called. Finding the only one without a name, I shut my eyes for a moment before clicking it. I heard the line ringing a few times before Dabi's voice answered.
"Yeah?" he said.
"I have the report on Chito to Chifu. Hope for the best", I gritted my teeth.
"Why so tense? It's coming from the number 1 hero", Dabi laughed.
"That is new. Now I get to see Alex."
"Easy there. How about tomorrow morning?" he said quickly.
"How about now?"
"Today ain't gonna work, Deku."
"What the fuck are you hiding?" I whisper-yelled and kicked a trash bin with my foot.
"Nothing. Fine, come today if you want. But tonight."
"She better be all right, Dabi. I swear, if something has happened to her, I'll..."
"She is fine. Better than all of us together. Gotta shoot."
He hung up and left me open-mouthed. I knew that when he misses out on irony, sarcasm and joking - hell, he was even nice - something is wrong. It was obvious I could not exactly rely on Alex and what will she tell me; the League could've easily threatened her into staying silent. My frustration was rising and the need to California Smash everything around me was popping out even more than at the beginning. Both mine and my girlfriend's future were hanging on a loose thread. On Chifu's decision. My happiness I felt in a short moment was covered by a heavy, dark cloud of evil dust.
I splashed some cold water on my face and shook it like a dog. It helped me wake up from the frenzy which made me want to kill Dabi instantly.
I left the bathroom and sat at a table in the corner. The ice coffee appeared quickly and I sipped it. I wanted to throw up with every bitter-sweet sip of the drink. I barely slept in the last few days and it affected my entire behavior - I snapped back at my staff, I avoided my friends and I almost lost a fight with a completely silly and weak thief. The only thing I've been eating were liters of coffee.
"You look terrible", a casual voice said.
I turned around and saw Hawks with his hands in pockets, those big wings almost hitting a woman's head.
"Yeah, I know", I muttered.
"What have you been up to?" he asked as he sat down at my table with a smile.
Just plotting something with the LOV against the good people of Japan and trying to get Alex out if their prison...
"Nothing much", I said instead of my thoughts.
"Well that nothing is sure leaving an impact on ya!"
"Is it...?"
"Yep. Oi, waiter, could I get some teriyaki over here?"
"You love chicken, don't you?"
"I do. See, it's not like humans. It can't lie, talk, doesn't really have any problems and wants nothing from you. It simply gives you a divine chance to enjoy its flavor. Especially KFC!"
"Great."
His eyes examined me slowly. I felt like I was under a mental x-ray.
"How is the League project doing?" he asked and looked away.
My heart skipped a beat before I remembered he is only thinking of our deal we made before. Just another problem I had to deal with.
"I... haven't really had any time to do it, actually..." I replied and looked at the ice cubes melting slowly.
"You're forgetting something", he sighed with a tiny smile, "You are forgetting I worked as a spy for some time. What is really on your mind? Something is up."
"The sky... well, the ceiling", I chuckled nervously.
"Be careful, Midoriya. There is no way to hide a lie. The truth is like a body in the river - it may be hidden for a while, but at some point it will float to the surface. And then the culprits are caught."
I gulped.
Did... was that a threat?!
"I don't mean anything bad", he quickly added as he got up half-way up.
"It's just that I want you to be careful not to pay for something that isn't your fault. It works with relationships, working as a hero, as a human being...anything. There is always a second option, someone you can trust", he grinned as he put down a wooden stick he accidentally picked up.
He waved and walked away, knocking a hat of a waiter's head and then smiling apologetically. Everything he did was done with such an ease I could only fantasize about. I pushed the coffee away and left some money on the table.
"Was something wrong with the drink, sir?" the waiter asked confusedly.
"No, no, everything was fine. I'm just not feeling very well today", I stuttered out.
"I hope you get well soon, sir", the waiter said as he left to clean the table.
"Thanks", I whispered into the empty space around me.
Yet, I knew I wasn't going to get well. Not until only Alex is safe, but until the League is locked up. My life was like a really black coffee - the little sugar I had were my happy memories (which sometimes even made me feel worse), and the bitterness was every moment I breathed the same air as the people I despised and, frankly, wanted dead.