I don't own anything except any original characters (including the Reader's concept) and/or any original plot

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Chapter Eight - Two Can Keep a Secret (for how long?)

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A/n: Comments make me happy when I'm sad so feel free to leave one :) Also, if you like TodoDeku (I hope you do cause it'll be hinted at in this story), then consider reading my book Crazy Rich Heroes. It's really cute and has tons of ships that everyone can appreciate. Enjoy!

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Six hours later you were relieved of your duty of guarding Bakugou. Whilst you were ecstatic at the prospect of taking a shower and a nap, nothing could stop the pang of pity you felt for Bakugou when he realized that you wouldn't be his guard anymore. Compared to the others, you were a Saint when it came to how you treated him, and he'd discovered that after he woke up and you (force) fed him a smoothie through a straw so he wouldn't starve and offered him a bathroom break he didn't take.

"Don't tell me you'll be guarding him yourself," you frowned as Twice stepped through the door.

"Magne is just behind me. She's taking too long to get ready!"

"Fine. Don't let him out and all that. If he insists on using the bathroom then come get me so I can drain his energy. Don't bother me for anything else."

"You got it, boss!"

Nodding, you were fine with leaving Bakugou alone with Twice for a few minutes. Magne was on her way, and the others would probably crowd into the bar at some point.

"I left you a sheet mask on your bathroom counter. They do wonders for relaxation," Magne reported when you passed her on the staircase.

"Thanks, Mag." You didn't even ask where she got the mask, you were too tired.

Trudging up the stairs, you paused in the kitchen when you saw Toga attempting to make pancakes. Kurogiri was standing in the background, ready to step in at a moment's notice. Compress was standing next to him, occasionally making a comment that you were sure Kurogiri was smiling at under the mist.

"You need to add more flour, otherwise they'd stay soupy," you droned when you saw the consistency of what the girl was trying to make.

"Thanks, (Y/n)!" Toga chirped, following your directions and pouring more flour into the mix, "You want some?"

"No. I'm gonna shower and take a nap. Don't bother me."

"You and Shigaraki are both so grumpy," Toga pouted, but seemed to move on quickly as she added an unhealthy amount of chocolate chips to her potential pancakes. When did you buy chocolate chips?

Moving on, you let out a loud sigh of relief when you took your mask off in the bathroom. It was relatively comfortable, but wearing it for hours on end was miserable and humid at times. Along with the mask went your disgusting mission clothes. Peeling them off was a blessing, but stepping into the shower was even better. You'd have to redress your wounds after, but you couldn't bring yourself to care.

After one of the longest showers of your life, you picked up the sheet mask Magne left out for you - mentally thanking the woman for living up to her Big Sis Magne name.

In your room you changed into pajamas, fixed your bandages, and put the sheet mask on, setting a timer on your phone and lying back to doze.

Twenty minutes later, you jerked away when the timer went off. Pulling the mask off, you threw it in the trash and rubbed the leftover oil into your face. Silently praying that the heroes could hold off their big rescue for at least another half-day, you pulled your covers over yourself and went to sleep.

~*~

Waking up several hours later, you noted with slight amusement that you slept the day away. Stretching, you sighed and checked your phone. The villain group chat was riddled with weird messages (even though the league was probably all hanging out in the bar).

YandereSim: We should have gotten that cute boy instead (◕︿◕✿). This one is too loud (TдT)

ThanosSnap: are you questioning my decision as leader???

Horizontal2Face: We're always questioning your decision as leader. You fucking suck

DoubleTrouble: why are we texting each other when we're in the same room?

TMNT: Yeah, we can just... talk to each other?

BigSis: This is weird

Mamagiri: I don't approve of the name you have chosen for me

WannabeHoudini: I think it fits.

Mamagiri: ... bitch

YandereSim: (●Ω●;)

LeagueBabyTM: I hate you all.

After sending your text, you stretched and got out of bed. Looking around your room, you picked out the most important items you had and shoved them into a backpack. Things like clothes, money, a phone charger, fake identification. Anything that you'd need as soon as the hideout was no longer secret.

Putting on new clothes, you made your way to the kitchen and heated up some leftover pizza. You didn't want to go through the effort of making anything, and the leftovers were practically begging to be eaten.

Pulling up your hood before you entered the bar as a rudimentary attempt to cover your face, you stepped into chaos.

"All of you need to shut up!"

"Shigaraki, you're so annoying the captive is telling you to shut up."

"I'll tear you apart atom from atom! The brat just told me to go die and you're yelling at me?"

"Scum like you doesn't deserve to live! If you think I'll join you then you're delusional!"

"It's a shame, Shigaraki-kun. You're Quirk isn't bloody at all!"

"How long have they been like this?" You asked Kurogiri, who seemed like he wanted to drown his sorrows in one of the many alcohols available.

"They wouldn't be able to survive without you." Was all he claimed.

Digging the remote out from under the bar, you turned the TV to the news to shut everyone up. It worked - surprisingly - and all eyes went to the press conference UA was holding. Bakugou's teacher, who cleaned up surprisingly well, was leading it along with Nezu and Vlad King.

"I'll take the first question." The conference was just starting, then, "Since the beginning of the year, UA students have had four encounters with villains. This time there were students that were gravely injured. How did you explain this to their families? And what are some of the specific steps you are taking to ensure their safety in the future."

It was amazing, astounding, and all-in-all telling. Heroes that society had previously adored were being treated like villains for one misstep, one miscalculation. Whether it showed society's flaws, the heroes', or both was up for debate. In the end, it didn't matter because things wouldn't be the same no matter how things ended.

"Isn't that strange," Tomura mused, "The heroes are becoming the bad guys. Seems like they're not dealing with this very well at all."

They were dealing with it better than anyone thought. Where was All Might speaking words of encouragement? Or Endeavor swearing to track down the evildoers plaguing his son's class? There were three heroes, only three out of the many that should have been involved. The others? Well, your gut told you you'd be seeing them soon. But your orders weren't to be ready, or even to evacuate. So you were lying in wait.

"A simple mistake on the heroes' part and the world turns against them in an instant. They've become so used to 'no mistakes' that having one that's so public has shaken them," you added, keeping your head down when Bakugou's eyes went over to you. No mask in favor of pizza, a fair deal, "So fragile. Like all you have to do is remove a single card and the entire castle crumbles."

"Once a hero accepts payment to protect people, they aren't a real hero anymore. That's what Stain's actions taught us."

"A hero in this current system only cares about money and glory. And since society buys into those idiotic rules, anyone deemed a loser is shoved aside. So, we want to pose some questions. What is a hero? What is justice? Is this society truly fair? Soon, everyone will be asking. That's when we'll know we've won. And you like winning, don't you?"

Nail in the coffin. Bakugou growled under his breath, but you learned that silence from him meant deeper introspection as compared to screaming and insults.

"Let him go," you suggested, checking the time on your phone and looking up at the muted press conference.

"You know he'll just fight," Dabi frowned.

"Do it," Shigaraki ordered, "It's fine. We're recruiting him, so we should treat him like an equal. Besides, he's smart enough to know he can't take us all, right? Afterall, UA students are so clever."

Smart, questionable. Overall dumb enough to try anyone just because? That sounded more like the Bakugou you'd watched the night before.

"Hey Twice, you do it," Dabi passed off the job.

"Sure thing! No way."

"Do it."

"Oh, man." Begrudgingly, Twice went to release Bakugou from his chains.

"We apologize for such forceful methods. But please understand that we aren't some kind of unruly mob committing crimes without a third act in mind. We didn't kidnap you by accident."

"Even though our backgrounds are different everyone here has suffered. Because of people. Rules-"

"A cruel world," you cut in.

"And heroes who try to hold us back. I'm sure you're the same."

After rubbing his wrists for a few seconds, Bakugou sprang into action. Hitting Twice out of the way, he went in for a large blast at Shigaraki. Shoving your mask onto your face and abandoning your breakfast - dinner? - you jumped over the bar and stepped in front of Shigaraki, looking Bakugou in the eyes even if he couldn't tell.

"I'm done listening to your endless talking. Can you not get to the point or do you just like your own voice? Basically, what you're saying is you wanna cause some trouble and you want me to join you. Well, screw you."

Bakugou's energy levels had always been a bit off. Hard to tell the difference unless you focused, but strange nonetheless. Based on the information out there about his Quirk, you theorized it was because he had more adrenaline in his body than the average person to make up for the nitroglycerin in his sweat. It would certainly explain some of his attitude. Even then, it hadn't spiked during his captivity. Not like it was at that moment. He was rearing and ready to go.

Damn, he was kind of hot-

Nope. You may have been a teenager, but you were also facing someone who could blow your face off. Not the time for any of that, especially when you'd never been bothered by thoughts like that before.

"I like to win. I wanna win just like All Might. No matter what you have to offer me, that will never change, do you understand?"

Thinking back to your suggestion about playing along the night before, you held back a laugh when you realized you'd read him correctly. He'd probably never even considered pretending to be interested. Not that it would have made a difference. He was still let out of his chains.

"Father."

Oh. Shit. Oh shit! You hadn't even realized what the blast actually did to Shigaraki. Instead of harming him directly, it had knocked Father off his face - which was arguably a worse offense.

Unmuting the TV in a likely futile attempt to divert everyone's attention, a reporter was in the middle of asking a question regarding Bakugou.

"... before that, he survived the attack of a powerful sludge villain who eventually had to be taken down by All Might. The boy is obviously strong and heroic. On the other hand, the violence he displayed in the finals and his attitude at the awards ceremony both show that he can't control his temper. What if this is the real reason the villains kidnapped him? What if they're brainwashing Bakugou right now, pulling him toward the path of evil? How can you sit there and tell us he still has a future?"

If only the reporter knew how wrong he was. The League didn't have anyone with a Quirk that could outright brainwash Bakugou, and it would take time to break him down enough until he could be rebuilt. Time you didn't have. Bakugou himself was ready to take on the entire league if it meant proving his heroic spirit.

"As Katsuki Bakugou's teacher, I take full responsibility for not taming his violent behavior. However, his actions at the Sports Festival were born of his deep-seated convictions. He's trying harder than anyone in his pursuit to become the top hero. If the villains think they have a chance with him, they are grossly mistaken. I can guarantee you that much."

"That doesn't amount to real evidence though," the reporter tried. Dumb bitch, Eraserhead was obviously smarter than him, "I asked you if you had concrete information."

"We're doing our best with the information we have available. I have no doubt the police will break this case very soon. We won't rest until our missing student is returned to UA."

"Hah! Did you hear the teachers? They get me more than I thought. I'll never join your league of bastards! We may not be at camp, but I'm still allowed to fight!"

"He must have figured out he's important to us. What a clever boy," Magne frowned.

"No. He's a fool."

"Let me stab him!"

"A clever performer would've acted like we were winning him over. Now that he's broken character he's finished."

"I only do whatever I want to, and I won't even pretend otherwise. And I'm tired of being surrounded by a bunch of lame-ass wannabes."

"Father," Tomura uttered again, hand twitching and slowly lifting into the air.

"No Tomura Shigaraki, remain calm!" Kurogiri implored.

"Tomura," you shifted so your back was no longer to the main group, both the league and Bakugou in sight so you could protect either at a moment's notice, "That isn't smart!"

But Tomura didn't leap forward, instead, his arm was held out as if to stop the others from acting, "Don't lay a finger on him. Any of you," Tomura reached down and reattached Father to his face, "This 'hero' is still a valuable piece. I wish you would've listened to what I had to say. I thought you and I could come to an understanding."

"What, you think we're the same? Not a chance."

"Then I have no choice. The heroes said they'd continue their investigation of our group, so we don't have time to stand here and talk. Master, lend me your power."

Outside, new blips of energy were appearing. Some were stronger than others, but then two stepped up that you immediately recognized. Endeavor, with his Quirk Core so intense that you were sure it would hurt to draw energy from, and All Might. His Core was almost... depleting. It had been the league's understanding that he was weakening, but this was more than that. Your whole Quirk was taking energy from something else, and his Quirk was giving off the same vibe. Almost like... like he was transferring it as well.

Crossing between Tomura and Bakugou, you discreetly grabbed your backpack from behind the bar counter and slipped it over your shoulders. The only people who noticed were Kurogiri and Toga since they were behind as well.

"Outside," was all you mouthed. Neither were quick to pick up on your hint.

"A master? I thought you were the boss around here. But you're a sidekick."

"Energy, Compress, it's time to put him back to sleep."

"If you want me to listen then get on your knees and beg!"

Before you or Compress could act, three knocks sounded from the door. Knock. Knock. Knock. "Hello? I got a pizza delivery here."

Everyone looked to you. Frowning, you shrugged, "I have my own. Why would I or-"

The outside wall came crumbling down as All Might crashed in, "SMASH!"

"Kurogiri, gate!"

"Pre-Emptive Binding Lacquered Chain Prison!" Kamui Woods was right behind All Might, trapping everyone in his grasp.

An old hero darted in and kicked Dabi in the face before he could light the wood on fire.

"Just what I'd expect from a competent new hero and a veteran pro who moves faster than the eye can see! You can't run anymore, League of Villains. Understand? Because we are here now!"

"Right after the press conference? They had this ruse planned the whole time!"

"Tree man, you're hugging me too tight! Harder!"

"One tends to neglect defense when they're on the offense," from the doorway came Edgeshot, and behind him was a SWAT team, "But we didn't come alone, take a look. You're surrounded by police, not to mention powerful heroes like Endeavor."

"Ah, you must have been scared, but you stayed strong," All Might addressed Bakugou, "I'm sorry. You're safe now, young man."

"What? I wasn't scared! Not even close!"

If you sucked all the energy out of the building, and maybe some of the block, you'd have enough to imitate a bomb. If you controlled it enough you could even leave the league relatively unharmed. One misstep and you'd blow yourself up with the overflow... still, you glanced at the TV still mounted on the wall. The sense of unease under your skin told you to wait.

"Kurogiri! Warp over as many as you can!"

"The Nomu, right?"

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Tomura turned to Kurogiri, "What are you waiting for, damnit?"

"I'm sorry, Tomura Shigaraki. The Nomus were supposed to be in a fixed location, but they're gone."

"It seems you have a lot to learn, Shigaraki. You're still green. Your little league underestimated all of us. The soul of this young man. The police's diligent investigations. And... our righteous fury."

Bakugou was looking right at you as if he was waiting for something. You weren't sure what it was, or if you were just misreading the situation, but you knew you weren't missing his gaze.

"Enough is enough. Your game has come to an end, Tomura Shigaraki!"

"All Might please! You're the only hero Stain respected, you are worthy!"

"You think it's over? Don't be stupid. I've only just begun to play. Justice. Peace. You created a garbage society by lifting up such ridiculous ideals. That's why I targeted you All Might," Tomura was fighting against his bonds now, "It's why I started gathering people to my cause. You think this is the end? Then you've lost. Kurogiri!"

Something shot through Kurogiri's middle, knocking him out instantly.

"What just happened? I didn't see anything! Did they kill him?"

"No, that isn't the hero way, is it Edgeshot?" You turned your head to look at the hero who was behind the sneak attack.

"He was a nuisance. He had to sleep."

"Weren't you listening earlier? You'll all be better off if you take us seriously. Kenji Hiikishi. Atsuhiro Sako. Shuichi Iguchi. Himiko Toga. Jin Bubaigawara." The old - still unnamed - hero listed off. With amusement, you realized they had nothing on you or Dabi.

Bakugou was looking at you again. He noticed the lack of information on you too, but Toga had said your firstname the day before - forgetting about the importance of your codename. Did he forget? Or was he wondering what to do with the new information he had?

"With little information the police worked through the night to discover your true identities. Do you understand? There's nowhere left for any of you to run. So Shigaraki, one question. Where is your boss hiding?"

Tomura remained silent. Time, everyone needed time. Well, Plan B it was then. Sucking in a deep breath, you reached out to all the energy around you and pulled. The light in the building went dark, street lights outside doing the same. Technology remained active so as to not overwhelm yourself and keep communication with All for One open. Still, it drew attention away from your leader and to you - who's veins were glowing an obvious bright green.

"Edgeshot, knock her out now!"

"This is your fault! I hate you!" Tomura suddenly cried.

Nomu appeared from portals of a sickly black substance.

"Nomu! How'd they get here? What is this?"

"Damnit Edgeshot, control Kurogiri!"

"He's still out. It's not him."

Something similar to bile rose in your throat, and before you could even hold yourself back you were throwing it up. The same substance the Nomus were emerging from was coming out of your body. It seeped around your mask and covered your body. Desperately, you tried to hold on to the energy within you. It burned, and if you didn't release it back soon then you'd hurt yourself.

As fast as you would expect from All for One, you were dropped onto the remains of the Nomu factory. Removing your mask for a few seconds to cough up the rest of the sludge, you rested your forehead against the cracked concrete beneath you and desperately tried to think of what to do.

Bakugou had to leave. He'd caused trouble already and he'd continue to cause it. So he needed to be out of your hands and back with the heroes. But obviously, you couldn't be the one to let him go or you'd be dead in a heartbeat. So someone had to come rescue him. All for One was right in front of you and would distract All Might if he came, so all you could do was hope another hero would come along and- you saw a galaxy out of the corner of your eye. Midoriya Izuku! And three others. If you could keep the others- fuck, your body was starting to burn up.

"Shit!" You pressed your hands against the ground and let loose. The concrete broke and gave way to dirt. The league members around you stumbled at what resembled to be an earthquake, even Bakugou looked up with wide eyes.

Shaking, you pushed yourself to your feet. Already you knew you were running a fever and would continue to do so for the next several hours while your body recovered from the damage it sustained from withholding too much energy for too long.

"What a wonderful entrance," All for One praised you, but it did nothing to make you feel better.

"That was so gross," Toga whined.

"This black stuff reeks! I love it!"

"Master."

"So. You've failed once more, Tomura. But you must not be discouraged. You'll try again. That's why I brought your associates with you. Even this child, because you judged he was an important piece on your game board. Start over as many times as it takes. I am here to provide you with help. All of this is for you."

Now that you could focus better, you were one hundred percent sure that the students hiding just outside of the former building were from UA. Izuku Midoriya and his friends. His Quirk... you zeroed in on it once, and you did so again.

"Ah. There you are."

From the sky came All Might, and the pieces fell into place. He was transferring his Quirk's energy. He somehow gave it to Izuku Midoriya. That's why their energy was the same, why Midoriya hurt himself so often. It was the same Quirk in two different bodies, slowly leaving one to enter the other.

You tucked that piece of information away for later. It was useful, but not at the present moment.

All Might threw a mighty punch at All for One, who caught his fist like it was nothing, "I'll have you return my student, All for One."

"Have you come to kill me a second time? All Might?"

When the blow reached its peak, the blowback was enormous. The league was thrown in different directions simply from the wind it produced. But the destruction itself traveled to several buildings in the surrounding area.

It was damn-near impossible to see around the dust, so you depended on Bakugou's energy signature to guide you. An explosion within a person. You were nauseous. From the stress, Quirk drawbacks, or situation you were sure. But if you weren't careful then it wasn't sludge you'd be puking up.

"I won't make the same mistake I made five years ago. You hear me? I will take young Bakugou back. And I'll make certain you're locked up for the rest of your sad life. Right along with your despicable League of Villains."

"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. This will be hard for us both."

There he was. A spike of blonde hair just ahead. All for One delivered a blow strong enough to knock All Might a few blocks away.

"All Might!"

"Don't worry, it will take more than that to kill him. Get off the battlefield Tomura, and take that child with you. Kurogiri, warp them away," something similar to a digital design came out of All for One's hands and stabbed Kurogiri.

"Be careful! The heroes messed with him and he's unconscious. I'm not sure what's going on, but if you can teleport, why don't you get us out of here?"

"My warp power is still new, Magne. There is much I need to learn about it. Its distance is limited, and while he can teleport to specific coordinates, I can only transport people to and from my own location. Or to or from someone I am very familiar with. That is all. It's easier to have Kurogiri do it."

Kurogiri's Quirk seemed to forcefully activate.

"What about you?"

AllMight came flying back in, and engaged All for One again, "You're not thinking, Tomura. There remains much room for you to grow."

"Master-"

"Let's go Shigaraki," Compress put Dabi in a marble, "While your master keeps All Might busy. Claim your prize."

All eyes went to Bakugou.

"Heh. This is gonna be fun."

"Young Bakugou, don't!"

The league rushed forward. Bakugou was amazing at using his Quirk, expertly dodging without outright injuring anyone to avoid potential legal repercussions. But it was six-against-one, and unless he pulled something big out then it wasn't going to be good.

You spoke too soon. Lifting his hand, you had mere seconds to realize that he was going to let off a giant explosion with all the sweat he stored up. There was no time to think, you simply acted and used your Quirk to throw yourself in the air to avoid the blast.

He'd aimed the majority of it at the ground. What didn't hit the ground blew the others away.

Landing next to him, you ducked under a right hook that would have put you out of commission. Grabbing hold of his wrist, you twisted it between his shoulder blades to keep him from attacking.

"Go to hell!"

"Listen to me," you hissed in his ear, "Your friends are here to rescue you. You're going to let them, and escape. All Might is holding back because of you. When I let you go, you're going to hit me with an explosion and make it look like you opened a window. That's when they'll jump out, got it?"

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because I haven't lied to you once."

"And you've suddenly had a change of heart?"

"If you want to get dragged through that portal kicking and screaming then go ahead! Hit me now, Bakugou!"

You held your arms in front of your face to protect it and screamed when searing heat scorched through your clothes and burned the skin on your arms. What a pain. You landed a good ten feet away, and when you regained your bearings and sat up, Bakugou was in the air with his friends.

The league was sprinting forward, Magne pulled Compress and Spinner toward her, using her Quirk to send Compress into the air. Mount Lady appeared out of nowhere, blocking Compress with her face.

Then, before another attempt could be made, the old hero from earlier flew in and distracted everyone. Getting to your feet, you knew there was no hope in getting Bakugou back. A thorn in your side was gone, and it was time to leave.

From a distance, All for One forcibly activated Magne's Quirk and pulled all the men toward Toga - who was waiting in front of the portal. They slammed into her and disappeared on the other side. Without further ado, you moved to follow.

"Wait. Don't. Master."

Biting back a yelp of pain, you grabbed Tomura's arm tightly and pulled him along. With the help of Magne's Quirk he wasn't able to fight back.

As soon as you were through the portal, you pressed your hand against Tomura's forehead and sucked the rest of his energy from him, knocking him unconscious.

The only audible sound in whatever warehouse you ended up in was the league's panting. Treating wounds first, watching the fight second, figuring out what to do third.

Bakugou Katsuki would be somewhere safe at that point, far from the fight and soon to be in the hands of the police. You could only hope he wouldn't tell the whole truth of his escape. His pride would get in the way. If it got out and traveled down the grapevine, you were in trouble.

Your heroic act was a secret for the two of you only.