No Choice |VILLAIN!DEKU|

Chapter 24

"What do you want?" It was obvious that Mr. Sato was annoyed.

Izuku smiled at the man from behind his mask, and in his sweetest voice said, "Hello again, sir! I've finished your lawn, and I came to ask if you have any other chores that need to be done."

"No."

"Are you sure?" He tried again. "I've noticed your house looks a little run down and I'd be more than happy to-"

SLAM!

"... Okay then. That went well."

Yes, I am well aware that this subplot in our story appears to be anticlimactic to you, but keep this in mind. I am not writing to entertain you; I am writing to inform you. Yes, in a fictional story, Izuku might have used his boyish sunshine charms to immediately charm this old man into opening up to him and they would probably be having tea right about now. However, since this is in fact, a nonfiction story, it is much more realistic. What really happened took time, just as all things in reality do. This old man has real life problems that cannot be solved by the blinding charms of a book protagonist, just like we all do.

Although in all honesty, Izuku's charm was most definitely something anyone could appreciate. I know I sure did.

Don't worry about the pay Izuku was owed. Just as he turned to leave, there was a loud thump! and when Midoriya turned to look, he spotted ¥3916.99 being slid from the crack under the door. At least Mr. Sato was capable enough to count his own exact change.

That was how the teen found himself in a convenience store trying to locate a certain notebook brand.

Izuku loved notebooks. They were a huge part of his life. He had used them often, recording his dreams and what he analyzed about his favorite heroes onto the pages. It was a coping method for the young boy. Izuku had a fondness for notebooks that he couldn't really explain. All he knew was that being able to use the knowledge he had gathered into those pages had helped set him on the path to being a student at UA, and he hoped, a hero.

Izuku knew that heroism was no longer an option for him and it saddened him more than anything. However, for that brief time in his life, he was sure that his dream would become a reality. He was happy, truly happy, for the first time in a long while. Even if his dreams hadn't come true, he had hope. When you've gone through the struggles that Izuku has, hope is a rare luxury. Not many people in his situation had the privilege to experience it. He was thankful that he at least had the chance to experience that privilege for a short while.

Now that he had way more freedom than he did before, Izuku figured it might help if he started writing again. Maybe not about heroes, that was a sore spot he didn't want to delve into, but he could find other things to write about. He could simply write mundane things about his day, or he could write about some things and details he noticed about Todoroki during his time with him.

Izuku has found himself feeling a little strange around Todoroki, if he were being completely honest. He was noticing things he never had before. For example, he noticed that whenever Todoroki was annoyed he would purse his lips just ever so slightly, so slightly that most people would never even notice. He also noticed the Todoroki sprawled a lot in his sleep, which was different. When Todoroki was conscious he never took up much space. Half of the time, people never even noticed he was there. Sleeping Todoroki was another story; he sprawled in every way possible, his long limbs draping into delicate and grand gestures across his futon. It was almost as though he was unconsciously calling out for attention.

Izuku figured he was only noticing these things because he hadn't been around someone so kind and hero-like in a while. He thought he was just analyzing people he considered to be amazing heroes like he did before the incident.

Ah, denial, how cute.

Not that I'm one to talk, but still...

ANYWAYS, ahem, Izuku was currently looking for a notebook. Preferably, the same brand he had always used for his hero notebooks, but any would do, really.

Midoriya found a suitable notebook and grabbed it from the shelves. He wanted to leave the unfamiliar environment as soon as he could, so he turned to pay then make his exit.

That was when Izuku spotted it.

He knew it was ridiculous. Of course it was. The very fact that he had even considered what he did for a moment was stupid, but Izuku found that he couldn't help himself. What was he thinking, this wouldn't help him at all.

You see, just as Izuku was turning to leave, he had seen a notebook. But it wasn't just any notebook. It was the All Might themed hero notebook from the newly released hero style brand named Pro Writer. It came out the day Izuku had gone missing, and he never had the chance to buy it.

What was he thinking? He was a well-known villain! He couldn't afford to give in to his childish tendencies and buy such a cheesy notebook. He should just walk away and leave the notebook behind. He couldn't be a hero anymore, there was no point in treating himself as a child and entertaining such fantastical ideas in his head. It wouldn't go well.

Speaking of ideas in his head, that brought Izuku to yet another question:

Where had his demon gone?

It had been suspiciously quiet for a while now, and that worried Midoriya. Could it be plotting? Was it even possible for it to plot in Izuku's head without him knowing?

"Well maybe it could, but it all depends on the intricacies of the quirk which is something I haven't had a lot of time to study yet. Perhaps it is like and extension of my brain that I can't reach, or maybe it's in a closed off part of my brain where I keep the more unsavory thoughts? No, that doesn't make sense. I should really do more research on the human brain, maybe then I can truly understand how it works. Maybe I can even figure out how to stop it, but that's only if such a thing is even possible. Given the fact that it comes with the quirk and is a part of me, there is a chance that it's impossible. Maybe I could temporarily turn it off with the help of a quirk like Aizawa-sensei's but that's not going to happen any to soon and to be honest-"

"Whoa there, young man. Are you okay? You've been standing here for quite a while staring."

Izuku was shocked out of his analytical state of mind. He needed to come up with an excuse and fast.

"Oh yes I was just trying to choose between these two noteboo-" Izuku turned around.

Drooping blonde hair: check. A malnourished frame: check. Baggy clothes: check. Piercing blue eyes: check. A bright smile that could calm even the most terrified of people: check.

This was the first time in his life that looking at All Might's smile scared Izuku.

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Here's my question for the day:

Q: If you could meet any Pro Hero of your choice, who would you meet?