The Emperor's Dragon

Wanting to Make Contact

When Izuku woke up, he was still on the floor. Not that he expected the Doctor to have moved him. He'd have probably lashed out if something came close. He was hungry though and the Doctor was still working at his station.

"You're awake," Doctor Garaki murmured, proving he wasn't as absorbed with his work as he would have seemed.

"Hmm-hm," Izuku said as he pushed himself up. The floor was hard and he felt stiff but he was feeling relatively rested. "What's the time?" he asked as he stood. He could feel a buzz under his skin from the new quirks.

"It's about 11pm," the Doctor told him.

Izuku nodded. "Is there anything to eat?"

Kyudai waved one hand towards a door Izuku hadn't seen earlier. "The kitchen's through there," he said absently.

Izuku nodded and took himself through the door. He'd eat and then ask about a place to sleep. He found the kitchen, though it was more a bench, with a small fridge under it and a kettle. There was a cupboard overhead. Izuku put the kettle on and rummaged through the cupboard. He found a cup and a bowl, and then noticed the rice cooker that was pushed into the corner. Izuku reached out. It was hot. He opened the fridge and saw some pickled vegetables and a number of other things that were best not thought about. The pickles were on a plate he recognised as coming from Kurogiri's bar so they should be safe. He put them on the bench and opened the rice cooker.

That was a mistake. There was rice in it. It was just... Izuku gulped. Yeah, it was not edible. He turned the appliance off and pulled out the cooking bowl, looking for the bin. Thankfully it wasn't that far away and he got rid of the bad rice. Fresh rice had been in the cupboard so after washing the bowl and wiping out the lid of the cooker, he put on a fresh batch of rice, willing it to cook faster.

He got himself a drink while he waited but then sat and thought about what had happened. By now, UA would have figured out he'd taken the failed hero student's quirks. They would probably be trying to figure out what to do about it. Izuku half closed his eyes as he sipped his water. He wondered if they'd offer Ochaco her place back as an inducement to get him to give the quirks back. Though to do that, they'd have to talk to him and...

Well, they would find out his phone number and they would probably raid his apartment but if they did give Ochaco her place back would he give the quirks back?

He knew the answer immediately. No. They had expelled her for such a flippant reason! And were prepared to keep the others, who openly broke the rules. He had no reason to give the quirks back. And he'd be putting himself in danger to do that. If he agreed, he had no doubt the HPSC would arrange for multiple heroes to be there to make sure he didn't get away and to possibly make sure he lost breathing privileges.

First year didn't cover the reasons for a lethal force authorisation, just that it existed but he had the feeling, if they were prepared to expel Ochaco on the suspicion of knowing a villain, then they'd have no problem authorising lethal force on a villain who could take quirks.

So, they weren't going back. He raised his left hand and let a small flame dance on it. It was Todoroki's quirk... The fire came easily to him. It was kind of like Fire Breath but not the same. He could feel the heat but since he was fireproof, it was warm, not painful. Though it was too warm and he could feel sweat forming. Then his hand exploded.

Instinctively his hand jerked down, away from the explosion. That wasn't meant to happen! He lifted his hand again, examining it for injuries, before regeneration kicked in. There was a bit of black soot on his skin but he was otherwise fine. The surprise had been the pop when the explosion occurred. Why had that happened?