Chương 25: Home
Izuku and Shouto were busy making katsudon in the kitchen of the apartment that acted as Mastermind's base while Toga and Twice chattered away on the couch and Dabi glared at them from the armchair.
"And then, he had the audacity to look surprised when I stabbed him!" Toga smiled widely, showing off her fangs.
"That makes sense. You're lying!" Twice was wearing his mask inside, but no one really minded, since it made him more comfortable. Izuku had a theory that breaking his arm might help Twice realize that he was real and not a clone, but that wasn't really something he was comfortable bringing up with Twice, even if they could tentatively be called friends.
Toga nodded seriously, "Yep! It was such a cute expression, too! All wide eyed and bloody! It was a shame it didn't last longer!"
Dabi groaned and threw a pillow at them, "Ugh, just get a room you two! Just because you decided to get together does not mean the rest of us want to be subjected to your crazy bullshit."
"Be nice, Dabi." Izuku wiped his hands on a towel as he walked in from the kitchen. "I for one, am very happy Himko has finally found someone as crazy as she is."
"Aw, Mind-chan!" Himiko jumped up and threw her arms around him. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"
Izuku laughed as Dabi rolled his eyes, "Go ahead and laugh Midoriya, it's not like you have to live with them."
Shouto came up behind Izuku and raised an eyebrow at his brother, "I'm pretty sure you're just jealous cause there's no one as crazy as you."
"That's it!" Dabi jumped up and grabbed the seat cushion from his chair and ran at Shouto, whose eyes widened as he dodged Dabi and grabbed a pillow from the waiting Twice.
"Ten out of ten! Hit him harder, you're so weak!" Twice cheered. "Go Shouto! Go Dabi! Be nice you two, stop fighting!"
Himiko and Izuku were holding their sides laughing as Shouto and Dabi chased each other around the apartment. From what Shouto had said in their text conversations, Izuku had gathered that Endeavor hadn't ever really let either of them just play around and be kids, instead insisting they train constantly while isolating them from their other siblings and from kids their own age. Once the rest of the league had discovered this fact, they had taken it upon themselves to introduce the two to everything they missed out on during their childhoods, resulting in them being the second and third most immature members of the league. First place still went to Shigaraki.
Izuku ducked back into the kitchen to check on the food, "Alright you two, calm down and come set the table. Food's ready!"
Dabi reluctantly put his cushion back and Shouto looked like he was about to do the same, but at the last minute hit Dabi in the face while he was unarmed.
"Hey! You little…"
"Boys…" Izuku said warningly. Shouto stuck his tongue out at Dabi before tossing the pillow down on the couch and walking to the kitchen. Himiko handed Dabi a stack of plates before turning to fix Shouto's hair, which had gotten disheveled during the pillow fight. He'd cut it shortly after joining the league and it was now an undercut which he usually wore up in a pompadour style. The way he styled it made the red and white swirl together while still remaining mostly distinct. The first time Izuku had seen it was when he'd gone over to the league's new hideout about three weeks after the move and he'd promptly had to leave until he'd gotten his blush under control. Himiko still hadn't let him live it down.
Dinner at his mother's house was always a quiet affair, just the two of them, but dinner with his friends was loud. Between Toga's laughter, Dabi's sarcasm, Twice's personalities, and Shouto's conspiracy theories, it couldn't be called dinner so much as controlled chaos, but Izuku wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm telling you," Shouto pointed his chopsticks at Dabi, "there is an extra-governmental group constantly watching our every move through Feel-Good Incoporporated's satellites!"
Dabi sighed and took another bite, "Why in the world would a multi billion dollar tech company sell out to a secret organization?"
"Maybe they were promised power." Shouto shrugged.
"But they already have power and they already have money." Izuku said. "What could this hypothetical secret organization possibly have to offer that would convince a respectable company to do something so illegal?"
"Respectable? As if!" Twice said. "I've never heard of a better company!"
"Oooh!" Toga pounded on the table as her face lit up, "What if it's not just Feel-Good Inc.? What if there's all sorts of big companies helping them and it's like the latest fashion trend for the rich? Those don't make any sense either and some of them should be illegal."
Shouto looked at Toga, awestruck, while Dabi groaned, "Toga! Don't encourage him!"
"I like the way you think!" A small smile stole across Shouto's face and Izuku felt his heart skip a beat. He took another too-hot bite. Maybe he'd be able to pass his blush off as from the heat?
By the end of dinner, the theory had somehow grown to include a worldwide conspiracy and aliens that worshipped the ancient Egyptians. Toga, along with Izuku and both of Twice's personalities, thought it was hilarious and Dabi looked exhausted. He looked at Shouto incredulously as he finished wrapping up a convincing argument that Officer Sansa from the police department was actually an ancient cat god in disguise and thus the reason that the aliens had chosen Japan as their home base.
"How are we even related?"
Shouto smiled and shrugged, gathering up the dirty dishes and heading over to the sink. Toga volunteered to dry, since she was finding Shouto's theories too entertaining to stop. The others put away the leftovers and went to go watch the news.
"Toga, can I ask you a question?" Shouto asked as he handed her a plate.
Toga hummed, "Does it have to do with if I'm an ancient cat god too?"
Shouto chuckled, a reaction that was becoming more natural the longer he was out from under his father's thumb, "No, but we should come back to that another day. Umm…" He busied himself with scrubbing a pan, trying to work out exactly what he wanted to say. "Why did you decide to start dating Twice?"
Toga thought for a minute, "I guess I didn't really think about it. We're best friends and I feel really comfortable around him, so it just seemed like the natural next step. Well, that and," she shrugged, "like Mind-chan said, it takes a special kind of crazy to fall in love with me. Twice and I have that in common, so it feels like we've gotten really close because of it. Then, with all the time stuck inside while we were waiting for Sensei's capture to blow over, I guess we just got to know each other better." She shrugged again. "I don't know, it's just kinda weird. Why? You got your eye on someone?"
Shouto took his left hand out of the water so he wouldn't accidentally boil it. "N-no! Why would you think that?"
Toga cackled, "Yeah, sure Shouto, you're just bringing up romance for no reason!" She winked at him. "If it's any consolation, I think he likes you too."
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about." He denied, but knew it wasn't very convincing, considering the fact that his face was bright red.
Toga laughed, "Sure you don't…"
"Himiko! We need to leave for our date night!" Twice came in and hugged her from behind. "We have plenty of time, there's always tomorrow."
Toga gasped in excitement, "Oh yeah, I saw this super cute boy earlier I want to kill! Come on Jin, let's hurry!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door, giving Izuku a quick hug on her way out.
Shouto finished up the dishes, then joined Izuku and Dabi, who were sitting at the table, wiping his hands nervously on a rag as he sat down. Even though he and Dabi had spent weeks discussing this and Shouto was sure it was what he wanted to do, it was still nerve wracking.
Dabi looked at him and raised his eyebrows, asking for silent confirmation. When Shouto nodded he turned to Izuku, "Midoriya, um, we actually wanted to talk business for a bit, if that would be ok?"
Izuku looked a bit surprised, but nodded, leaning forward in his seat, "What's up?"
Shouto took a deep breath, no going back, "How much would you charge us for a plan to kill Endeavor?"
Izuku hummed and nodded, "I was wondering when you two would ask. Will the rest of the league be participating as well, or will it just be the two of you?"
"Just the two of us, if possible." Dabi said. "We already cleared it with Shigaraki, since it'll probably be associated with the league whether or not the other members are there, but...this is personal, so we want to do it ourselves. I'm sure you can understand that."
Izuku nodded again, "Yeah, I get it, it was the same for me with Overhaul." He turned to Shouto. "It's a pretty big crime for your debut, Shouto. Are you sure you don't want to start with something smaller?"
Shouto shook his head. He'd considered it, just starting off with robberies or something until he got used to being a villain, but, "I want my debut to have an impact. If the first thing I do as a villain is kill my father, then it sends a message, not only to him, but to all of hero society that he's the one who drove me to this. It wouldn't have the same effect if I started off with any other crime."
"I think a hero student turning villain would have an impact either way," Izuku smiled, "but I agree that doing it this way will be the most impactful." He pulled out a notebook and pencil. "I'm proud of you Shouto."
Shouto smiled at the praise, "Thanks, Izuku. It means a lot."
"So," Dabi looked at Izuku, "how much is this plan going to cost us?"
Izuku looked at him like he'd grown a second head, "Oh, I wouldn't dream of charging you for this one."
"What?!" Shouto couldn't believe his ears. Surely Izuku wouldn't help kill the number one hero for free?
Izuku smiled, "You're my friend, Shouto, and you deserve payback for what that bastard did to you." He started scribbling down ideas.
"No." Shouto said. "It's too much. At least let us pay you something!"
Izuku laughed and shook his head, "Nope! Just consider it an early birthday present or something."
Shouto glared at him, "My birthday isn't for months."
Izuku shrugged, "Maybe it's for Dabi's birthday, then."
"His birthday is after mine."
"I don't care!" Izuku looked at him as Dabi lost control of his laughter. "Seriously, Shouto. It's the least I can do."
Shouto pouted, but knew he wasn't going to be able to change Izuku's mind. Izuku smiled widely as he realized he'd won, "So, have you thought about a villain alias yet? You should probably have that picked out before your debut."
Shouto shook his head, "Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it. I've just been going by Shouto."
"No! That just won't do!" Izuku shook his head "You need a name that strikes fear into the hearts of your enemies. Think about what you'd want on your wanted poster!"
Shouto just looked at Izuku confused, "Why? Wouldn't any name strike fear into people's hearts if I do things people are afraid of?"
Izuku groaned and hit his head against the table while Dabi laughed, "No, I've got the perfect name for you! Peppermint boy!"
Shouto scowled and Izuku raised his head up to reveal a terrifying glint in his eye, "No, what about Endeavwhore."
Dabi grinned, "Daddy Issues!"
"Father Killer!"
"Ice Princess!"
"Don't I get any say in this?" Shouto grumbled.
"Nope!" Izuku and Dabi said in perfect unison and then Dabi gasped in delight, "I've got it! Icythot!"
Izuku had tried taking a drink of water, but ended up snorting it out his nose.
"You two are terrible." Shouto shook his head. "We should just leave now and prevent a disaster. Besides, Shigaraki doesn't want us home too late."
Dabi didn't stop laughing, but stood up and grabbed his coat, "See you later Midoriya! Don't get into too much trouble!"
"Me? Trouble?" Izuku said innocently. "I would never!"
Shouto shook his head, "Yeah, cause you're just a paragon of perfection."
Izuku gave him a bright smile that made his heart skip a beat, "Obviously! I'll send you the completed plan within the next week or so and we can go over and see if you want to make any changes. And keep thinking about a villain name!"
"Alright, alright! I get it!" Shouto said. "See you later, Izuku."
The door shut behind them and Shouto pulled up his hood to hide his distinctive hair. Beside him, Dabi had already pulled a medical mask over his scars.
"He must really like you, you know." Dabi said as they started walking.
Shouto looked at him in confusion, "What? Who?"
Dabi rolled his eyes, "Midoriya. He never gives plans away for free. And he lets you call him by his first name. If that isn't love, I don't know what is."
Shouto sighed, "With our family, I don't think either of us would know love if it bit us in the butt."
Dabi shrugged, "Fair enough. But still, he must really care about you, even if it's just as a friend."
Shouto paused and looked up, back at Izuku's apartment building, "I hope you're right."
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