Trouble (SeroDeku)

Chapter 10

"You were out late last night," Toga said with a knowing look in her eyes as she sipped on her coffee. 

It was the next morning and Izuku was dead tired. He hadn't been out that late, despite his best friend's words, but sleep had completely alluded him. The meet-up with Hanta had his thoughts racing the entire night. 

"I'm always out late," Izuku mumbled, grabbing the mug from her hand and downing the rest of its contents in a few seconds. The coffee was still steaming from the heat, but he appreciated the slight burn it caused. It helped clear his head better than caffeine could. 

Toga was already grabbing a new mug and filling it while she hummed. "But you only look like that after tape boy late nights." 

He held out the mug in his hands, silently asking her to refill it. "What's your point?" 

She shook her head with a smile, complying with his wordless request. "Absolutely nothing, Izuku. I'm happy you're talking to him again." 

Izuku raised a brow at her, taking another drink of his hot beverage. "You're happy I'm going to get him and his entire family killed?" 

Toga rolled her eyes at his melodrama, used to it after seven years as his best friend. "He's a pro hero, hun. You're not the one who invited death to his door, he did that all on his own." 

"I just invited Shigaraki," he spat, leaning back against the counter and glaring holes into their wall. 

"Whine about it if you want," she said with a flippant wave of her hand. "But you love him and I'm not going to apologize for being happy that he's back in your life. You've only been stalking him for seven years." 

Izuku shook his head as his eyes drifted up to the ceiling. "If anything happens to him-" 

"Izuku," Toga cut him off in exasperation, setting her own mug down a little too hard. "You need to give him more credit. You need to give yourself more credit. He wouldn't be a hero if he couldn't take care of himself, and even if he can't, you can. You like to pretend that you can't annihilate the country with half a thought, but you literally can. Nothing is going to happen to your tape boy." 

Izuku let his neck go lax, his head falling forward so his chin almost touched his chest. "Why don't I have his family back, then? I'm not a god, Himiko." 

Toga snorted at that, picking her mug back up and taking a sip. "Only because you won't let yourself be one. You hold yourself back because you have morals, but if they were in mortal peril, you'd get them out in seconds." 

"You think too highly of me, poodle." 

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"I can't believe I'm fucking doing this," Izuku huffed under his breath. He was currently walking down the streets of Musutafu, preparing to launch a full-scale villain attack for the first time since that fateful summer camp. 

Izuku worked from the shadows, rarely making an appearance when he attacked. The heroes didn't know he still existed and the underground had never seen his face. He was a shadow, a myth that was only discussed in hushed whispers. 

He was about to throw that reputation out the window for Hanta's family. 

He was stepping into the spotlight for the first time in seven years because when Shigaraki told him to jump, all he could do was ask how high. 

He wasn't a god and Toga had been wrong. 

He'd gotten a text that morning with very detailed instructions on his next assignment. Shigaraki and Chisaki were doing another trade-off, but both of them were being heavily monitored by law enforcement. If they couldn't slip past the heroes charged with watching them, the whole deal would go up in smoke.