Checkmate (ShinDeku)

12

And this dear readers is where we take a moment to step away from the situation and see what could have happened if Izuku had considered all his options before responding to Hitoshi's discovery.

Option A- Play Dumb

"You're...you're Occult."

The air left Izuku all at once. He took a moment to let the tension fade from his muscles, not resisting the grip Hitoshi still had on his wrists. 

He was better than this. For crying out loud, he'd fooled the principal of a prestigious hero school and most of the police force. This was nothing- he could make it nothing.

Izuku laughed.

"Wait. You think I'm Occult? As in the guy who screws up every task he's assigned to? I thought you had more confidence in me than that," he spoke confidently, even when the tears on his face were still fresh. 

"Don't play games right now Izuku. I saw the bandages."

It seemed to him it was the other way around. Hitoshi had been the one making mistake after mistake like this whole thing was just a game. It had taken Izuku more time to build a capture net than to discover Hitoshi was playing the villain. 

So then why was he the one defending himself right now? 

His smile wobbled. "Yeah I told you, I dropped a knife."

"How is it that you drop a knife and it just so happens to graze your side but not any other part of you?" Hitoshi questioned. The fire was still there, but it was beginning to grow dimmer. Dim enough Izuku grew sure he could put it out.

Izuku stepped forward, the opposite of what someone guilty of the accusation would do. A hero would be smart enough to keep their distance. But a clumsy little civilian like Izuku? They would be none the wiser. 

"I don't know Hitoshi. I'm not a rocket scientist," Izuku scoffed. "Besides. Why would that even matter? Does Occult have a history of dropping knives or something?"

And that's when Izuku relaxed. He'd set the line out, giving Hitoshi the option to take the bait. Either way, Izuku won. 

Hitoshi couldn't continue to insist Izuku was Occult without revealing he knew Occult had gotten hurt last night. And the only way for a civilian to know that kind of information was if they weren't one.

The only thing he could do was backpedal.

"No, I just-" Hitoshi paused, clearly caught off guard at the sudden change in Izuku's demeanor. His frown deepened. "I don't know why I thought that."

And now he really was caught. If Hitoshi continued to question Izuku, it would clearly give away he knew more than he should.

This all just proved one thing. Even in the middle of a mental breakdown, Izuku was still just that awesome. Someone should write a book about him, Izuku Midoriya, And How He Came To Be Better Than Everyone. 

---

That would have been great right? Of course, there were always other methods.

Option B- Confusion

"You're...you're Occult." 

He blinked, looking at the man in front of him like a cat would when asked to move. Utter disbelief and a little annoyance.

"What did you just call me?"

It was the lavender-haired man's turn to pause. His stance shifted, mirroring the other's confusion. "Occult? You know who Occult is Izuku."