Traitors (Izuocha)

2- Partners in Crime

Izuku's POV

"Oi Deku!" Kacchan growled. I stopped in my tracks. "Why are you still alive?" I forgot Kacchan saw me jump off the roof. Should I play dumb?

"Because I was born? What kind of question is that?" Well that's one way to act clueless.

"You know what I mean!" He said aggressively.

"I really don't..." My voice trailed off as he got in my face. He grabbed the collar of my uniform.

"Don't lie to me Deku! We both know you jumped off that roof!" Kacchan spat. I gulped. Just keep playing dumb and he'll go away, right?

"I was at home all night last night, are you seeing things?" He dropped my collar, allowing me to crumple to the ground.

"Fuck you." He muttered. "He bought it," I thought, letting out a sigh of relief. I scrambled to my feet and headed on my way to the fire escape to meet Uraraka. The sidewalks were considerably deserted, a few people here or there. At least this made it easier to not seem suspicious. I peeked down the alleyway, looking for her, but it was deserted. I guess her school isn't around here. I pulled out my notebook, staring at the burnt pages full of now-useless information. I ran my hand over my scratchy pencil kanji. "If only I could use this for something..."

"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" Someone called.I turned to see Uraraka running towards me. I gave her a small wave. She was holding a small roll of paper in her right hand and a plastic bag in the other.

"It's okay! I actually just got here." She skidded to stop in front of me. "What's in the bag?" I asked.

Uraraka held it up. "Snacks! I've got taiyaki and mochi." She said brightly, heading down the alleyway. I followed her as she climbed up the dirty metal stairs onto the roof.

"What are we doing anyway?" I said, watching her roll out the tube of paper, revealing a map.

"Planning! Come sit." She exclaimed, patting the ground next to her. I looked over the map, which seemed to be of the prefecture we were in. Several red x's were scattered in different places across the map. "These are the places I've robbed so far. According to some charts I managed to get my hands on, these four stores," She said circling a few points. "Have all had a spike in business."

"So you rob them based on income? I thought you robbed them based on location! That explains why the police can't find a pattern in your robberies!" Uraraka looked surprised.

"Wow! You really know your stuff! I make sure there isn't a pattern in the robberies so I don't get caught." She handed me a paper. It was a blueprint. "This is the store we're robbing tomorrow night." She explained.

I examined the blueprint. According to the writing on the top of the page, this blueprint was of a convenience store in downtown Shizuoka.

"How do you get these blueprints?" I asked. "It can't be easy." Uraraka gave a small shrug, opening a pack of mochi.

"It's actually pretty simple. My parents own a construction company so it's really easy to get my hands on them!" She said, handing me a pen. "Let's get planning."

Ochako's POV

"If this is the front entrance, so should the authorities be notified, which they probably will, we can exit out the side door," Deku said, tapping his finger against the blueprint. I drew an arrow connecting the two doors.

"Then we run out over to this alleyway over here" I said pulling the prefecture map towards me. "And wait for the cops and pros to run past." Deku nodded.

"What time are we meeting?" He asked, grabbing his backpack. I started tossing the stuff in my bag.

"We can meet at the park near the store around seven if that works for you." I stated, rolling up the map. Deku stood by the edge,looking out to the field of concrete buildings. "You're not jumping off again, are you?" He shook his head slightly.

"No. But I have to ask; Why did you catch me?" He said dejectedly. How am I supposed to respond to that?

"I know it sounds kinda sappy but," I remarked, staring out at the city's neon signs. "I saved you because I wanted to give you a chance." We stood by the edge in silence, watching the "tiny" cars drive through the city, while street lights flickered on to brighten the fast approaching darkness.

"So I'll meet you at the park at seven tomorrow night, right?" Deku asked, starting to climb down the fire escape. I followed after him, listening to the metal clangs of the stairs.

"Yep! Oh and you don't need to bring anything either." I added, eyeing a small thrift store across the street.

"This is kinda awkward but uh I thought we could exchange numbers, since we're working together." He mumbled nervously, clutching his phone to his chest. I quickly opened my phone to my contacts and handed it to him.

"Sure thing!" He handed me his phone, watching me carefully put in my number before typing his into mine. I pocketed my phone as I stood at the crosswalk. "Bye!" I exclaimed, giving him a small wave as he turned to retreat down the sidewalk. Glancing up and down the road, I bolted across the street and into the thrift store. Almost immediately, I spotted a gray hoodie that was similar to mine on the front rack. It was clearly meant for a taller person, but it would work. I checked the price. It was cheap, and perfect for committing a harmless crime.