The next time Izuku went to the bar, Shigaraki grabbed him by the arm and snapped at Kurogiri before dragging Izuku to the back door and down some steps. It was the first time Izuku went anywhere else in the building. He had been told that there was a basement, and he could see from outside a few floors that were, apparently, not the league's. Sensei had explained they wished to keep appearances and the bar was a perfect cover, better even if people actually lived above without any link to any of the members.
"It's time you learn how to properly play, and there is only so much I can show you without my computer. I need a proper desktop and you're going to sit down and appreciate the beauty of a proper video game." He threw some doors open, revealing a room with a barely-made bed and a desk with a nicely set PC on. The walls bore a few posters from diverse video games, several rare from the pre-quirk era.
Izuku was pushed into the gamer chair, far more comfortable than his own at home, and his friend slipped a controller in his hands.
"And you better stop calling me Shigaraki. I'd dust people for touching this stuff. Now look at this. It came out in 2016 but it's still beautiful."
"I- What?" Izuku was so confused.
"2016, focus, you can't already be lost."
"If I can't call you Shigaraki, what am I supposed to do? It's your name."
"Call me Tomura," he frowned and started scratching around his eyes. "I thought that was what friends did."
"It's not like I would know... But okay. Call me Izuku then. And for god's sake please stop scratching your skin." He said, grabbing at his wrist and moving it away.
"But it itches."
"Yes. Because you keep scratching. You can't dust yourself but you're not helping either. Keep the scratching down, I'm working on a lotion for you."
"You're what? What lotion? Why would I need lotion?"
"Your skin is drier than a desert. And the more you scratch, the worse it gets. Sensei gave me the material for it. I- I wanted to help you. I'm working on something to make your skin stop itching constantly."
"So what, we're best friends now?"
"You're the one who wanted to use each other's first name!"
Shiga- Tomura humphed and went back to his screen, rubbing more gently his skin like it was an unconscious gesture. It probably was.
"Fine. But you're not allowed to have any other friends."
"What?" He was stunned. "Did you miss the memo of you being the first person who talked to me normally in 10 years? Do I look like I have other friends?"
"Fair. Anyway, focus. This is important."
And that's how Izuku ended up best friends with a wannabe super-villain who tended to have anger outbursts and very bad opinions about movies.
—
Later, Izuku was planning on leaving and going home, famished and tired after the hours spent staring at a screen and being pestered by his friend who refused to do the things himself but didn't agree with Izuku's thinking. Kurogiri stopped him as he was crossing the room. He asked with his gentle voice to sit down for a minute, a tea already cooling in front of his usual seat.
Sensei's voice rose from the TV, low and calm.
"How are you feeling, Izuku?"
"Great! I'm just a bit tired but I'm feeling good."
"That's great to hear. I am glad that we were able to lift your spirits. Your disposition is now far sunnier than the day we met, your smile more easily slipping on. You must know I am glad of such improvement."
It was true even if Izuku didn't try to think about it too much. He was thriving, living better than ever with the villains. His life was free of bullies and he knew where to go to avoid them, must he walk into his neighborhood. He now had a friend, a best friend even! Just as nerdy and awkward with people as him. He would forever bear the mark of his past, of how the world views him, with the nasty burn that covered half of his shoulder. But he could now work steadily toward a dream where he would finally be able to do what he always wanted : help. To think that his happiness was now offered by villains instead of heroes was shocking but so welcomed. Because, really, who else would have understood him? If not the other rejects of society, who would even begin to comprehend what must be done and what he went through to come to that realization?
"I'm fine, really, thank you for asking."
"I'm glad, really. I also wanted to ask you if your wounds were properly healing. Don't hesitate asking for help, Izuku."
His leg ached sometime but nothing else anymore. He didn't like the handprint marking his skin for the rest of eternity but at least the pain was long gone.
"It's okay. I think. Mom said I'll go and see a doctor in a week to take the cast off."
"You can ask my friend, if you wish. He'd be more than happy to help, I'm sure. But first I would like to inform you of something. Do you remember the boy who saved you, before Kurogiri came on that day?"
"Hum, no. I think I already passed out then. You told me his name was... Ei something Kirishima. No?"
"Yes, such a brave young man. Kurogiri told me he ran to you when the group of people departed and checked if you were alright. He was very concerned for your health. Know that I've done some research on the subject and young Kirishima is a middle school student, just as you are."
"Do you think I could thank him? No one ever came after me after Ka- hum, the bullies did... well, what they do best. I'd like to know who the kid is."
"Of course. Of course. Whatever you wish for, Izuku. Kurogiri will bring you to the school, whenever you ask him, and you can go and look for him there. He is in class 3-C."
"Thanks, Sensei. I'll go once I can take the cast off. Thank you, really."
—
"You actually know what you're doing kid, this is cool." La Brava was standing behind Izuku, looking up at his screen with a slight smile. She looked almost proud. "You really have something, I could almost do this for free. Almost. Don't repeat it to Giran."
Izuku laughed quietly and turned on his program. He picked up his phone, along with La Brava, and they checked the result of their plan.
Endeavor's twitter and instagram account had both been shut down for 'being an enormous dick with nothing to pack it up behind'.
Very quickly, the internet went crazy over it. Articles came out, gossip accounts reporting things heard from god knows where and fans and haters, fighting over whether or not the thing was funny or undeserved.
"Why Endeavor?" She asked, turning off her phone and jumping on her own chair.
They had first moved the lesson from coffee shops and restaurants to internet cafés, Izuku had to learn how to do things from any device available. And now they were at La Brava's actual house. It was a risky move on her part but she saw in Izuku just a small kid who wanted to learn how to be a bad boy and do some risky stuff and who had some connection to the underworld. Izuku wasn't complaining. She was actually really nice and tended to nerd out on him on diverse technology-based subjects and more knowledge was always more knowledge, which was good . He had added her quirk, she explained it to him, to his notebook, and was working on ideas to enhance it as a thanks but it didn't leave much room for improvement as it relied on feelings more than anything.
"He's a dick, he does more damage than anything, he doesn't care about the consequences of his actions and he treats everyone with a terrible attitude." Izuku explained. He didn't particularly have good memories from the only time he had met the hero and remembered to this day the sudden heat that had burnt through a wall and made Izuku skin so dry he was afraid it would tear and bleed on the spot. The internet also had a lot to say about the hero and his work and a bugging feeling kept telling Izuku to be wary of Endeavor more than most other 'fakes' as Stain would put it.
He had met Gentle Criminal, an alright guy even if he wasn't big or anything and was also working on their channel. He had not told them yet, not sure whether Sensei would agree with his action, but he thought that the couple could, maybe, join the league in their endeavors to destroy hero society. They would keep their idea of making videos and showing things that weren't meant to be shown, and put it to another level to actually expose how terrible their society was. They could be great allies and he could always use their image to his advantage.
His lessons were going at a steady pace. He felt pretty comfortable programming diverse things he could use in the future for his inventions and couldn't wait to put it to use.
He was soon going to meet a duo of inventors who worked on the black market for villains and vigilantes who could pay and Sensei would once again pay for his lessons. Giran was starting to get a little curious about Izuku, or 'Guidance's goals and motives to work with such a scary guy, but he seemed more amused than worried. Good, because Izuku liked the guy. He was funny, clearly aware of what boundaries he could cross and which would put him in danger and was more than happy to help for the right amount of money. He had never tried to use his quirk on Izuku, yet, but they had once bumped into a man who slipped away after giving a note to Giran. He had refused to explain who the man was or what he wanted but at least Izuku was reassured about how much trust he could put into the man. Still not 100% but it would never be.
When he was finally satisfied with his program, making sure that it would stay like this for at least a few days before people manage to put everything back in order, he closed his computer and turned toward La Brava.
"You know where you should go for your next video?"
"You watch our videos? I never mentioned them!"
"Huh, I know how to use a computer," he said, gesturing to the one before him. "To answer my own question, Endeavor Agency. Just to piss him off. That'd be hilarious and you'd get a lot more view with this whole thing," once again he showed his computer.
She looked at him for a while before turning toward the door. It wasn't completely closed, they both could see Gentle Criminal, dressed in a plaid jumper and a nice pair of pants and making tea. He would probably bring some to La Brava when it finished brewing.
"I'll talk about it with him. It's not a bad idea, but it's his project so we'll see."
"Would he be more open about... suggestions? If our interests met?"
"Interest? Why would a kid like you have interest in making videos for villains?"
"Never said I would make them. It's still your work, but having someone with some ideas of what to do for the right ends, who knows, it could be interesting." He vaguely shrugged and kept his eyes on his screen.
"And that would be you? Kid, you're probably still in middle school. Don't fall into that kind of thing."
That got him to turn around and give her a reassuring smile. "Just think about it. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. Since we're on the subject, how do you get your costume and materials?"
"We met through Giran, I thought you'd know. He knows how to open most doors in the underworld, once you have the money of course, or you're willing to have some debt."
"Money?"
"No, money is paid up front, can't risk the business or back stabbing. Favors, help later, those kinds of things. But don't fall into that hole, if you got the money, use it, and you seem to have it, I cost quite a bit," she added proudly before a serious expression fell on her face. "Be careful what you do kid, don't fall into the wrong crowds."
"People would say you're the wrong crowd."
"They wouldn't be wrong but it is far worse outside. Just, I know I have no room to talk but it would be wiser to not go into that rabbit hole."
Izuku smiled, he liked her quite a bit.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
—
Izuku and Tomura were sitting on the floor. They had given up on the bar, leaving Kurogiri to his cleaning or whatever else he felt like doing, and went to Tomura's room to play video games. The owner of the games was currently pissed off at Izuku because he thought that Izuku's muttering was some kind of way to cheat and he wanted to win.
Izuku hadn't resisted the urge to apologize for his creepy rambling and he simply observed as his friend killed his character on the screen.
In a matter of seconds, his vision field was filled with Tomura's chapped skin.
"The fuck did you do that for?" he asked, frowning at the fidgeting green kid in front of him.
"I don't mean to mutter, I'm sorry if it's annoying."
Tomura sat back down on his heels, putting some distance between him and his friend. He went to scratch his neck but stopped the movement as the piercing emerald eyes looked at him. He instead went for his hair to push them out of his face.
"We have to level-up your charisma," he mumbled. Under the questioning gaze he explained. "Why do you think I don't like your muttering, or whatever?"
"You said so."
"Uh... Did I?"
"The first day we met, and just now."
"You were muttering about my quirk! On the first meeting! Man, that's just rude, I understand, it's like your super interest and most of the time you say good things but maybe their quirk is something the person is, I don't know, they're, like, sensitive about? I don't know, it just surprised me, I wasn't prepared to meet a tiny kid mumbling about my quirk like he knew everything about it. Your Intelligence stats are just scarily high. And you were just cheating right now! I want to play fair and scare and beat you because I'm better!" He kept quiet for a second before staring right through Izuku. "Do you like your muttering?"
"No."
"Then change."
"What?"
"It's like I said. Your Wisdom and Intelligence stats are top level. Constitution, Athletics and Strength need some work but you have to level up your Charisma."
"Are those Dungeon and Dragon references?"
"Focus, if you don't like something about yourself you just have to change it, and if you like something about yourself, don't let others tell you what you can do with it. It's just muttering, it's not an end-of-level boss, if you want to beat it, you can."
Izuku stared at him for a while in silence. Tomura was growing increasingly uncomfortable under the gaze and he just wanted to scratch his skin off.
"If you want to talk about it, there is always Kurogiri, he was made for this kind of thing."
"Made?"
"Yeah. I thought you talked to the doctor already."
"I did, yes... I just- Whatever."
"Let's go back to me kicking your ass."
Tomura sat back down and grabbed his controller as Izuku stared at him. He had a lot of questions but it was not the moment.
"You wish."