truth only hurts when you want to believe a lie

return of the villains

"You didn't have to do that, you know." Dabi broke the silence in the back of the discreet vehicle they were being transported back to UA in. "I would've been fine."

Izuku stared at his friend for a second before responding. "Dabi, you were stuttering."

"So?"

"The only time I hear you stutter is when you are close to a panic attack. I figured having less people know would lessen your anxiety. I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds."

Dabi sighed, running a hand through his hair. "No, no. You're fine. And you're right. About having less people know making my anxiety less." He gave the smaller teen a smile. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me. Like I said, I would lay my life down for you guys."

"You just might've." Shigaraki spoke up, turning away from the window he was looking out to glance at his friends. "You may not have been the ones to contact the League but someone certainly did. And if Rabid is correct about Eraser and the police showing our interviews to 1-A for some sort of training exercise..." Shigaraki made eye contact with the freckled teen. "You'll have a major target on your back when the UA mole tells master that you tattled."

Izuku leaned back in his seat, staring out the window next to his head at the passing cityscape as he thought over his predicament. Dabi, Shigaraki, and Toga gave him the time he needed to process and plan, knowing that's what his analytical mind needed.

"Then we'll let the mole know we're onto them."

"But we have no idea who they are." Toga pointed out, ignoring the way her heart squeezed at the thought of innocent Uraraka being as villainous as she was.

"Yes, but the mole doesn't have to know that." Dabi caught on to what Izuku was planning. "We make them nervous and if they are an amateur they'll slip up and we'll turn them into UA."

"Exactly." Izuku gave his friends finger guns, a smirk on his face. "Knew I could count on you, Dabi." Toga pouted, crossing her arms over the fresh UA uniform she was given. Izuku snickered. "You too, Himiko."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll cut you later, when you least expect it."

"No cutting each other." Aizawa called dryly from the seat in front of them. "Or yourselves. Or anyone. You know the rules. No violence outside of training."

The quartet protested and whined, knowing full well they had agreed to those terms plus others when presented with the opportunity to return to UA.

They just felt like annoying their homeroom teacher, and from the look they were receiving in the rear view mirror, it was working.

"Yo, Eraser, will we be allowed to participate this time? In combat training, I mean." Dabi yawned, slouching down slightly in the seat. "Or will you and the rest of the staff just be using us as examples again?"

"You are students in my class, therefore you will participate in all class activities, plus the additional curriculum of the rehabilitation program."

"Right, that."

Part of the agreement for their return to UA had been twice weekly individual therapy sessions with a licensed counselor, plus group sessions between the four of them to work through and 'deprogram their criminal thought patterns' as the counselor had put it.

They were all offered family counseling but all four declined it with varying degrees of anger and disgust.

"My family hates me, why would they care for my rehabilitation?"

"Fuck that shit, All Blight wasn't there to stop me from killing my mom. No way would I be able to sit through therapy with him."

"You know the gist of my story, therapy isn't going to help my family. Plus, they all believe I'm dead. Can't do therapy with a ghost, now can you?"