Izuki Midoriya.
Tomura hated him. Loathed him. At the mall he managed to sneak up to him and grabbed him by the neck without anyone willing to notice. His hood covered his face as he had a "little chat" with the poor boy. What seemed like minutes for him, felt like complete torturous hours. He was terrified and when he was finally released by Tomura, the villain disappeared into the crowds of the mall- never to be seen again.
Tomura used him as some type of therapy. He was trapped and completely vulnerable in the situation because he knew that lives would be at stake if he screamed for help. The villain asked about the difference between him and stain. Ever since Stain was put in prison and taken down, the public has only viewed him and not the league of villains. Midoriya remembered him well and his accomplice, Kyoki- who was never found to this day.
The search for the other man has been at a stand still..
But what startled him most what another person that Tomura brought up....
Dabi.
"Heh... I get it now. Dabi and the others followed his ideology quicker ....because of my lack of connection with ambition..."
Dabi.... was the same person that Karin once talked about to him all that time ago. She cared about him and he was like a brother to him as well.
He was a villain...
And so when everyone from that group was pulled into a police station that same day, they were all interrogated. Even him.
But he remained silent about Dabi for the entire time..
Karin, Yuga and the rest of the group were in the waiting room of the station when he was the last one to come out. He looked visibly pale and felt distant from everyone. His eyes sunken with fear and his heart heavy with the news that Karin had a connection with Tomura after all. He cared about her- and he knew that Karin would never do anything to hurt others. So this was the bigger reason as to why he needed to talk to her sooner.
When seeing him, Karin bolted out of her seat and embraced him with a tight hug. "O-oh my gosh! He didn't hurt you??" Izuku froze up from the hug and shook his head slowly.
"I'm fine.."
Instantly she used her quirk to calm down his nerves. His muscles were tense from the adrenaline that once pumped incessantly through his veins and he was slight shaking. Iida and Sero came up to him before patting his back. "All Might and your mother are waiting outside, Midoriya."
"Oh... tell them I'll be right out." Iida complied and left the building to share the information before anyone else could. Karin frowned and looked up at him.
"Izuku...?"
"K-Karin. We need to talk.." She frowned at him and cocked her head to the side with confusion.
"What is it?" All eyes were on him and for a moment, he couldn't find the words to speak. He was terrified of what he learned and fearful of how Karin would react. She was such a sweet girl, but there was just so much going on. The events of Stain at Hosu, Dabi, Tomura...
It was everything.
"Follow me." He grabbed her wrist, started to lead her outside. The cold breeze of the night hit both of them, making Karin shiver slightly while he seemed unfazed. All Might and Izuku's mother were the first ones to spot them both. "My baby!!" Inko rushed over to her son and completely embraced him with a tight hug. He let go of Karin's wrist to only hug her back.
"Mom I'm alright," he smiled lightly.
It was fake. Karin saw past his expression and observed his aura curiously. He seemed shocked and completely taken back. Even from this experience, there must've been a reason for him to want to speak to her. She stared off into space while she fidgeted with her hands. He grabbed me by the wrist..
By gently pulling up her shirt sleeve, she observed her scars solemnly as Inko's and All Mights voices filled out the background noise. Deku soothed his mothers thoughts and kissed the top of her head. "He didn't hurt me. I'll be okay..."
She smiled warmly and glanced over at Karin. "O-oh! Whose this?"
Karin's attention snapped back into reality and she stared back at Inko with a dumbfounded expression. "W-What?" She pulled back down her sleeves.
"Mom, this is Karin Kirishima... my friend." Her eyes lit up and she shook the young girl's hand.
"Oh! You're that sweet girl that was on the news this morning! You look so much prettier in person!" Inko awed Karin's physique and face, making the poor girl smile nervously. "Th-Thank you..."
Midoriya blushed and tried to usher his mom away from her gently. "Moooom, y-you're making her uhh.."
"But wait! Is she your girlfriend?!" Inko gawked at Karin once more with a hopeful look while Karin's eyes widened.
"No no no! W-we are just friends like he said!"
"Dang. Well my sweet baby is single!" Inko patted the top of Izuku's head with glee while the two of them facepalmed. Midoriya quickly pushed Karin away from the conversation and brought her towards the other side of building. They were both embarrassed.
"S-sorry about her.." He finally dropped the fact as his face rested back into the dull look he had before. Karin shrugged and leaned against the brick wall. It wasn't long until she adjusted to the night air.
"It's okay. B-but What did you need...?"
"It's Dabi..."
She froze. For an instant, she held her breath and through all her memories she recalled of their past. The look on Midoriya's face, the emotion that covered him- it terrified her. That name was almost like a relief, but it was as if she expected the worse to come. Things were getting back on track! They were finally mending the puzzle, but he was the last piece!
"What about him?" Her voice was shaking and instantly he pulled her into a hug. He wasn't the type of guy to just do this out of nowhere, but in this very moment, Izuku knew of what was to come. "Izuku... w-what about him?? Tell me!!"
He took a deep breath and lowered his gaze to the ground. "Tomura mentioned him..."
"Heh... I get it now. Dabi and the others followed his ideology quicker ....because of my lack of connection with ambition..."
Midoriya glanced up at Tomura with a mix of terror and confusion. The villains hand was wrapped around his neck except for two fingers. In an instant, he would die if he made the wrong move- and who knew of how many people would die after him. "W-who..?"
Tomura chuckled lightly while his chapped lips formed into a wickedly sick grin. His grip upon Midoriya throat tightened, threatening to cut off his airways. "A little friend of mine," he laughed.
A chill was sent down his spine as he was slowly suffocating within this man's grasp. No one noticed as the two of them sat upon a nearby bench of the center square. People were completely oblivious but he prayed that someone would notice. "You see Midoriya, it's a good thing that you're not fighting against me," he seethed, "because you don't know about the other villains I may have here."
"I had a good assumption that Dabi was at the mall as well. For some reason, they knew of the groups arrival and he had him there and possibly someone else on the watch. We're lucky that nothing horrible happened... but I believe that maybe he was there because of you." Midoriya's hands were shaking as well as he tried his best to keep his composure in check. Karin knew great of his fears and tried desperately to use her quirk to relieve the tension. She only wished that it worked on her...
"I-I don't know what to say," she breathed. The magic slowly courses through his body, enabling him to relax his shoulders. He ran a hand through his hair and thought carefully of the situation.
"Karin... did you know about him being the league..?"
Yes... maybe a little.... I-I never knew that he made it! I never heard or seen him.... I-I didn't know that it'd work! I was terrified-!
"No.."
He sighed and rested a hand on his chin. "This... is dangerous. If this friend of yours is connected with the league and you, then we must do what we can to avoid him at all possibilities until something else can be figured out. There's a source- a definite reason as to how they found out and I want to get to the bottom of it..."
"What do you mean a source though? Izuku... I"-
"Karin there's a traitor. I don't know who it is... or why this is happening, but there just is." Her eyes widened as she found herself at a loss for words. Why would someone betray them all? Worse part was that anyone from class 1-A could be it... but she could rule out Todoroki, Kirishima, Midoriya and Bakugou..
Nothing was adding up, and the fact that Dabi was now a villain possibly working against her friends and classmates made the day even worse..
A storm was brewing..
***
Karin couldn't help but call Katsuki after their conversation. She felt drained and physically sick from hearing everything that happened today. Her hands shook as she held the phone to her ear. His voice was deeper and slurred from the lack of sleep. "Who the hell is this?"
Her lips trembled and she leaned against the buildings side wall. Izuku was already gone with his family as everyone else from that group was heading home. It was too dark to walk home alone. Her auntie was already on her way to get her, but what she needed most was emotional support. Eijirou was inside talking to Uraraka so there was no way that she'd have the guts to speak to him. "K-Katsu..?"
The mere sound of her timid voice instantly sharpened his attention. He sat up in bed and stretched out his back. "Karin? What's up?" By reaching over his nightstand, the light was flicked on and by every second, his concern grew into worry. She took in a slow shaky breath. "It's Dabi... m-me and the others were at the mall when Izuku got confronted by one of the people from the League of Villains... a-and he mentioned Dabi about being part of the group. H-he was at the mall Katsuki.."
That familiar feeling was running through her throat as it was like barbed wire was preventing her to speak more. Her tears danced down her cheeks while she failed to hold back a sob. "I-I don't know what to do! Hewasthereand a-and h-he"-
"Calm down damn it! Was anyone hurt? Where are you??" Katsuki rushed over to his closet to throw in a jacket and jeans. The phone was wedged between his shoulder and ear as he continued the call.
"N-no... I'm going back home! I want you there," she cried. For a moment he froze from how heartbroken she felt. A pang of sympathy sliced through his chest as he lowered his gaze to the floor.
"It'll be fine... take deep breaths..."
Karin slid against the wall and plopped down to sit before the ground. Her panic attack was getting worse and she felt as if the world was spinning. "I want him back! Hehastocomeback!" Her sobs were getting harder and harder to comprehend as Katsuki finished off getting himself dressed.
"Karin! Deep breaths! I'm on my way!"
He grabbed his door handle and rushed down the stairs to his living room. His mom and dad were still lounging around in the kitchen talking while he made his escape. It was only a matter of time until he got to see her again- and all the anger he was felt that day when he still heard the sounds of her erratic breathing.
She needed him and he wasn't going to let her down this time.
***
Kai ended up picking her and Eijirou up and getting Karin to calm down throughout the ride home. Karin's face was pink from crying while her glossy eyes stared out the window in hopes of finding anything to soothe her thoughts. In all actuality, Kai was worried sick about her since of what she learned from the mall.
Karin ended up telling her about who Dabi joined and that he was possibly at the mall when Izuku's confrontation went down...
It was all so frustrating and unnerving that that man had such a strong connection with her niece, but was still able to terrify others and join the League. She hated knowing that she'd never hear the end of it from Ryo..
Eijirou sat in the back seat and kept his hand on Karin's shoulder for comfort. She was safe and she needed to know that everything would be fine. He didn't know much about this Dabi character- except from what he learned from that one specific night, but he knew of just how much he meant to her.
When pulling into the drive way, they all spotted Katsuki sitting on the homes porch with his elbows resting upon his knees. His resting bitch face made Kai scowl at him while Karin basically leaped out of the car to see him. "Katsu!"
He stood up just in time to get a massive bear hug from her. "Hey shitface.." She buried her face into his chest, unintentionally getting the front of his shirt soaked with tears. He didn't mind. All he needed to know was that she was okay. His hand ran through her hair as he let her cry even more in front of him.
The car doors of Kai's vehicle echoed through the night as Eijirou and her stepped out. They both frowned at the sight, knowing well that she was probably dehydrated from all the sobbing she's done for the night. Bakugou sighed and picked Karin up in a bridal's position. "Let's get you inside.. it'll be alright," he whispered.
Eijirou was kind enough to open the door while the ash blonde carried her inside. Ryo and Sato were on the living room couch, waiting for Karin's arrival this entire time. Her father instantly saw her and couldn't bear the sight of seeing tears in her eyes. He bolted from the couch and hovered around her. "Why was she at the police station? What happened? Why are you crying..?"
Kai frowned and patted his back. "Give her some space. I'll talk to you about it, just give her time..."
Karin glanced up at him with a worn out expression before he leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. His eyes color changed to blue while flickers of purple and red spiked every so often. He was relieved that she made it home safely, but fearful of what might've happened and felt such anger for him not being able to do much to help. He glanced up at Bakugou before motioning him upstairs towards her room silently.
Katsuki nodded before carefully bringing Karin up the stairs for the night. Ryo watched solemnly and crossed his arms before glancing at Eijirou and Kai.
"Tell me what happened."
Eijirou bit the inside of his cheek and rubbed the side of his arm as he felt himself hesitant to speak. "Y-you might want to sit down for this Ryo..."
The man raised a brow, but Kai gave him a look of warning to which he complied to. He once again sat down next to Sato, who was already on the edge of his seat with worry. Kai took a slow calming breath before explaining the entire situation to him. She talked about Dabi having a connection with the League of Villains, and how he was at the mall with Tomura. She told about how the authorities don't even have a clue of his presence ever being there and how Izuku was the one to spill it to her after the confrontation. By each and every second that went by, Ryo could feel the blood drain from his face.
The mere mention of the League of Villains was what made his eyes change red.
Karin never told him about the connection, but this was his worst nightmare. This was the same group that wanted him and Stain to join- the same group that terrorized class 1-A. And now they finally sparked up his anger with the whole issue at the mall. He clenched his jaw and felt tears fill his eyes.
And Dabi...
He never even heard of him before from Karin, and now that he's a part of their plans, this makes him even more dangerous! He couldn't let anything else happen again... meaning that he needed to go out to find more information soon.
But one thing was also eating away at his mind...
How did they know of where the class was meeting today..?
***
Katsuki laid Karin down in her bed for the night after wiping away her tears. She was exhausted and he wasn't going to leave her side until he knew that'd she'd be okay. She had herself curled up in the blankets as he sat beside her, staring out into space. There was so much on his mind and everything was coming together in one huge puzzle...
"Don't leave.."
He broke away from his horrid thoughts and glanced back at her. "What?"
"I don't want you to leave." Her hand reached out to grab his, but he snatched it away while narrowing his eyes.
"I-I can't stay the night Karin... this is a girls room..." He mentally cursed himself for stuttering, but she didn't mind. She already knew of how nervous he was of even mentioning that idea to him. Karin just simply didn't care..
"I need someone here that isn't him.." For a moment, Bakugou didn't know of who she was talking about, but then it clicked.
Her father..
She loved him, and that was no lie, but she didn't want to burden him anymore for the night. He was already upset and worried about what happened, and she couldn't push it any further. And maybe it was something else, but Katsuki understood her more than he could in that very second..
He gave a sigh of defeat and let her pull him down to her. Slowly but surely he snuck under the blankets before pulling her closer to his chest. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but he couldn't suppress the rapid movement of his heartbeat. Karin listened in on the thumping through his chest and felt even more relaxed. "Thank you," she sighed.
"Mhm.."
Bakugou rolled his eyes and kept his arms around her in a protective manner. For a moment, he played in his mind to what it would've been like if Todoroki was the one to show up and not him..
A spark of jealousy laced his throat, but he kept himself quiet through the silence of her room. She was comforting and softhearted, but that didn't mean that he didn't care any less of her. He relaxed his shoulders and tried to suppress his thoughts to something else. Karin picked up on the changes of his mood, but couldn't tell as to why. "Katsu... why are you anxious?"
She closed her eyes and felt her body slowly drift off. Bakugou was silent for a minute before he had the courage to speak. "You're going to leave me one day... and you'll fall for someone else.."
Her eyebrows furrowed together with concern as she wrapped her arms around his torso weakly. "Don't think like that.."
"Why not? Shouto apparently is perfect," he seethed quietly. She frowned and buried her face into his neck more. Bakugou was warm and made her feel protected.
"He isn't.. and I don't want perfect..."
"Then what do you want?"
"I don't know anymore... you two have been there through everything.... but you changed for me. You used to hate me, but I'm glad you ended up liking me after all," she smiled faintly. "But I'm not sure on how to feel... I'm just glad you're here."