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

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Chapter Twelve - Silent Comfort

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Bakugou's awful attempt at calming you down was endearing and yet it somehow made you feel a bit worse. Big Sis Mag and you used to do the same thing for the others whenever they were having a rough day. Whenever the trauma of their pasts became too much and they didn't know how to handle it.

You did the same for her, when the world became too much. But no one did it for you. Because you weren't supposed to get upset enough to cry. You were snarky and caring and set on your goals but willing to set them aside for the good of the others. You weren't emotional- emotional? No. Emotions like that made the others doubt your leadership. Tomura was just getting the hang of things, they were counting on you in the meantime.

The stress was killing you.

It had gotten hard to sob and breathe through your mask at the same time, not to mention it was getting humid and your tears were gathering at the bottom. So, pulling back from Bakugou slightly, you reached up and pulled the damn thing off.

Bakugou tensed in front of you. You could feel it building in his shoulders when you leaned your forehead against his chest again.

"You're letting me see your face?"

"What's the point of hiding it? You already know my name. At this point, you're culpable for harboring a villain. Who are you gonna tell?" You sniffled, the distraction and the time it took to take off your mask allowing you to calm down a bit.

"I could cut a deal. Tell them you threatened me."

That made you snort, "Yeah, right. The same kid who tried to fight the League of Villains single handedly was afraid of one of the smallest members?"

"Being small doesn't mean you aren't powerful. And you're my age," Bakugou said it surely, and was staring down at you, taking you in. It made your cheeks fill with color. There was no disgust there, no dislike. You almost wished there was. It would make things much easier.

Literally and figuratively, you'd always worn a mask around Bakugou. Whether it was an overconfident villain who psychoanalyzed him, or a blunt teenager who said it like it was. Both of those were you, but they were played up versions of smaller aspects of your personality. Now, you were unmasked and vulnerable.

You felt safe when he set a hand on your head in a poorly hidden attempt at running his fingers through your hair.

"You smell like shit. And you have blood in your hair," Bakugou stated bluntly, quickly pulling his hand back. Your stomach growled then, and you were too tired to be embarrassed, "Really?"

"We aren't living in a five star hotel right now. Everyone else gets the shower wipes first, and the foodfirst. I rent out hotel rooms when I can, but we need the money for other things," you explained quietly. The hand was in your hair again, and you allowed more of your weight to rest on Bakugou.

Your neck was bared for him, a perfect chance to strike and take you out. To get out of whatever he had fallen into with you and your meetings. To gain the notoriety of taking down the Right-Hand of Tomura Shigaraki.

He was gentle. He didn't seem to mind the dried blood anymore as he worked his hand through your slightly snarled hair.

"They don't let you eat?"

You shook your head slightly, sighing. He smelled like carmel. It must have been part of his Quirk. Nitroglycerin smells like carmel, "I give it to them first. I'm not going to use the bath stuff if they can't have it. And I'm not going to eat if there's not enough for them."

"For a damn villain you're pretty fucking heroic."

"I'm not a hero. I'm not fake, or Quirk biased, or focused only on fame. I just... I just care."

Huffing and grumling something along the lines of, "Not all heroes are like that," Bakugou took your mask from your hands and set it on your desk, "You aren't gonna stay in my room covered in blood and smelling like shit. You can use the dorm showers."

"But-"

"None of the teachers stay here, and you can do your energy thing on any cameras in the commons - but I don't think there are any. I'll put some clothes out, then you can get the fuck out. I don't care if it's Friday, it's too late for this shit."

Nodding mutely, you silently followed Bakugou as he snuck out of his room and walked to the elevator. Pressing the ground floor button, the two of you stood in tense silence as it went down.

Pointing out the girl's and boy's bathrooms down the hall, Bakugou then stalked off into a different area of the ground floor. Rolling your eyes, you walked into the bathroom.

Just the sight of it was heavenly. There was a large tub in the center, probably meant for a soak after hard training. Along the wall there were several shower stalls. On the opposite wall was a long counter with a large cupboard on the end of each side.

Making your way to the cupboard closest to you, you noted it was full of general toiletries, along with different colored toothbrushes. Color-coded, cute. In the other cupboard was bathroom supplies. Bodywash, shampoo, condition, razors, etc. You picked out some scents that appealed to you and located the towels under the counter in a bin.

Taking all of the items into a stall with you, you striped out of your disgusting clothes and stepped under a glorious stream of hot water. Sighing loudly, you just stood there for a few moments and enjoyed it.

Remembering that you were technically on a time limit, you picked up the bottle of body wash and got to work ridding yourself of the grime and blood that had built up.

Washing your hair was amazing as well, and wrapping a fluffy towel around yourself was even better. Looking to the bathroom door, you noticed that there was a pile of clothes waiting just inside the door.

The sweatpants were comfortable and had a drawstring, and the longsleeve smelled like carmel, so you had no complaints about the clothes. They were also the cleanest things you'd worn since the raid on the bar, so you weren't about to complain anyway.

Bakugou was leaning against the wall across from the door with a steaming bowl of something in his hands. Eyeing it suspiciously, he rolled his eyes when he noticed and motioned with his head for you to follow him. Carrying your old clothes with you, you followed him back up to his room where he set the bowl on the desk and you could see what it was.

"Holy shit that looks amazing," you didn't take the time to figure out what exactly it was before you dug in like a man starved. Which you were.

"Not so fast or you'll choke and then I won't be able to arrest you," Bakugou grumbled, obviously pleased with your reaction.

"How'd you make this so quickly?" You asked between bites.

"I'm a damn professional, that's how. You're fucking welcome. Damn villains, can't even eat right."

Giggling quietly, you quickly finished the bowl. It was the best meal you'd had in awhile, and even then it was more delicious than anything you'd ever made. If Bakugou wasn't so obviously dead set on being a hero then you'd suggest he become a chef.

"How are those remedial lessons going?" You asked conversationally, pushing the empty bowl away from you.

"Fucking stupid," Bakugou's eyes narrowed, "You're deflecting."

"I'm surprised you know what that means."

"Shut the hell up! I'm smart! You're the one who's dumb as shit, deciding to become a villain!" Bakugou yelled. Then, quieter, said, "Plus, the damn therapist talks about it, deflecting and shit."

Raising a brow, you held back your look of shock. Bakugou going to a therapist? It was a sentence you thought you'd never say. He definitely needed one. Hopefully working with them would help him through his complexes and obvious trauma. The anger issues however, were both a part of who he was and a likely side effect of his Quirk due to the increased adrenaline he must have to offset the nitroglycerin.

"One of us died tonight," you stated, swallowing the sob that threatened to rise up, "Magne. We were meeting with another organization and... I just stood there when it happened. All the others were upset, even Tomura. And I just left my body and didn't come back until I was gone."

"Trauma response," Bakugou claimed.

"I'd be dissociating a lot more if it was just a trauma response... I think it was anger, too. I want to kill Overhaul. I want him to suffer, for what he did to Magne, and for taking Compress' arm too."

Groaning, Bakugou sat on his bed and leaned against the wall, "You're going for that 'eye for an eye' bullshit?"

"Oh, no, I think that's stupid. Plus, we killed one of his right after. He treated them like a shield, when Magne was family. It's different, anyway. But, I want Overhaul to die because I hate his guts and the idea of garbage like him being on this planet makes me want to vomit!" You explained, all too cheerful about the situation.

"Sounds like a shitbag if you don't like him."

"Hey!" You exclaimed in mock offense. Bakugou smirked in response, and your heartbeat sped up, "There's something... wrong about him. The worst part is I think we'll have to team up. I don't want to. He killed Mag, and everytime he looks at me it's like I'm gum on the bottom of his shoe."

"You're an extra."

"In his eyes, maybe."

Humming contemplatively, Bakugou said, "I don't think you should kill him. Just beat the shit out of him and take away everything he loves. Less illegal, more painful."

"... this is why I broke into UA to talk to you."

"Don't say it like I'm a villain! I'm just saying if you want him to hurt then make him suffer long-term! You should have been able to think of that yourself, idiot."

"My first instinct isn't usually to take someone down from the inside," though it should have been, "But it's a good idea. I'll think of it contemplatively while I'm sucking the life out of Overhaul."

Scoffing, Bakugou rolled his eyes at your dismissal of his plan.

"Now, about those remedial lessons?"

"Total bullshit. That hag therapist teaches me more about how to be a good hero than those classes, and she drinks on the job."

"Your therapist drinks on the job?"

"It's part of her Quirk or some bullshit. She can only tell the truth so she drinks to fix it."

"That's an unfortunate Quirk for a therapist."

"She said it helped once. Can't remember why. Don't really care."

Leaning back in the desk chair, you pondered about what to say next for a few moments before deciding, "Want to hear a story?"

"This outta be good."

"No one knows if heroes or villains appeared first. Even before Quirks, it's disputed whether good or evil came to be without the other. Before heroes, there were vigilantes. People who trained their newfound powers and helped people without expecting anything in return. When the government got involved and offered incentive, things changed."

Bakugou was actually listening, which was surprising, but you took the chance to fall back into the comfort of one of your personas - the girl who knew too much about a broken system - and tell a rousing story instead of further revealing your weaknesses to someone who'd shown you his.

"In the end, this cycle will always be corrupt and will never stop. But it isn't even a cycle. It's just a canvas full of grey. There are heroic villains and there are villainous heroes. We're taught the distinction between heroes and villains when we're young, but the only difference is the side of the story."

"That wasn't a story and it was shit," Bakugou insulted.

Shrugging, you weren't bothered, "34 villains have caused chaos to draw All Might out and challenge him directly in the past ten years. Large heroes like that invite conflict, which leads to catastrophe. It's why the ranking system doesn't make sense. All of that work and no one realizes that one will never exist without the other. Without villains, the world wouldn't know what to call heroes. Just some food for thought. I guess I'm reflective tonight. Death does that to you."

Leaning forward, Bakugou seemed slightly flustered (maybe that was just your exhaustion talking) when he asked, "So we can't exist without each other?"

Becoming flustered as well, you struggled to find an answer that wouldn't cause you to dig your own grave. Your phone buzzed next to your mask on the desk. Picking it up, you quickly read Toga's message.

Vampie: We're spreading the ashes soon. We can wait for you to come back

You winced at the lack of her usual flair. All of the girls in the league had been close for obvious reasons, so of course she was taking it hard. Not to mention the fact that she got super attached to people.

LeagueMom: I'll be there soon

Shoving the phone into the sweatpant pockets, you picked up your mask and put it on.

"I need to go. I'll be back soon. Maybe. Things are about to get crazy, so who knows."

"I don't give a shit. You woke me up."

"Great. Bye."

Jumping out the window, you lowered yourself to the ground and started on the path back to the battle center where you'd leave the UA grounds.

What you weren't expecting was for All Might to be walking the path near the dorms as well.

Acting quickly, you threw your pile of clothes into the bushes next to you and pulled off your mask to throw it as well. Your cape and mask were no longer visible, so as far as All Might would know you were just a student out of bed past curfew.

"You're out late," All Might said good naturedly as he approached you on the path.

"I'm so sorry All Might Sensei," you cried, bowing deeply. The man was nearly two feet taller than you, and gaunter than he seemed on the news, "I was taking a walk to clear my head! I've been having some trouble with my school work and I thought it would help."

All Might smiled. It wasn't the giant one he wore as a hero. It was small and genuine. You hated to say that it made you happy, "I understand. I'm doing the same thing, afterall. Just head back to your dorm and we can forget this ever happened."

"Thank you so much, sensei!" You turned to continue down the path where you could do a large circle, retrieve your things, and leave, but something held you back. This could be your only chance, "All Might Sensei... what do you think about the quirkless?"

You had to know. You just had to. His successor was (presumably) quirkless based on his Quirk core, but that didn't mean All Might had amazing thoughts about them in private. Midoriya could have been a fluke.

Eyes widening in shock, it took All Might nearly a minute to pull his thoughts together, "I... I used to think the quirkless were quite powerless. I was the Number One Hero and everyone knows about the injury that led to my downfall, but someone showed me that just because you don't have a Quirk it doesn't mean you're hopeless. If you have a good heart, and are willing to put in the work, then you too can become a hero."

You were crying again. It was too dark for All Might to see, "Thank you, Sensei."

With that, the two of you went your separate ways. Wiping the tear from your cheeks, you dismissed the twisting in your gut as the normal chronic pain you dealt with.

Where was that speech five years ago? You asked yourself, Having a good heart. As if that would work in this system. Midoriya got a Quirk from All Might... was my heart evil from the start?

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Three days after the emotional spreading of Magne's ashes around her favorite park, Tomura called the number on the card Overhaul gave him.

The thought of that bastard still made your bloodlust rise and your skin crawl. But you stayed silent while Tomura had the call on speaker with the phone between you two. After giving a location to meet up, the Overhaul follower (Overhaul was apparently handling some business) had another thing to say.

"Bring two of your members. It doesn't matter which. And Energy as well."

"Energy specifically?" Tomura shot you a glance, and you nodded your approval.

"Yes, Overhaul asked for Energy. Two days. Compress' arm will arrive tomorrow as well, at the sight of our first meeting. The police have since stopped their investigation and are no longer at the sight."

"Fine," Tomura hung up, staring at the phone for a bit longer, "I don't like that they asked for you specifically but didn't care about the other two."

"I was obvious about being your right-hand, sorry," you shrugged, not too upset about the situation, "It's obviously a control tactic, putting the second-in-command under his thumb means more power for him... I'd recommend Twice and Toga."

Looking over at the pair, who were chatting about something apparently serious on the corner, Tomura nodded, "Alright. Twice, Toga." The eccentric pair walked over when they were called, "You're under (Y/n)'s command for now. You'll be going to work for Overhaul."

"He's the worst! Awesome!"

"I don't want to work for the man who killed Big Sis Mag," Toga's eyes lit up with murderous intent.

"Talk to (Y/n) about it, she's your new leader," Tomura waved his hand dismissively and you shot him a glare.

Herding the pair away from Tomura, you gave our your first set of instructions as an official team leader. You already knew why Tomura was so willing to hand over control, "Think of it like an undercover mission. Once we're there, I want you to gather as much information as you can. Feel free to be difficult, but don't make it obvious we aren't on their side either. If the chance arises, and you can betray them with maximum damage without repercussions for the league, then do it."

The two nodded in understanding, suddenly much more eager to work for the man who killed one of your own.

"I like this side of you, (Y/n)-chan. It's all feral," Toga squealed.

You grinned, "Oh, Toga. You weren't there the last time a man made me feel threatened. This is nothing."