Pepper was shaking him by the shoulders, a grin spread on his face but his eyes half mad and worried.

"What on earth did you pull on us? Since when do you work with villains?"

"You literally do illegal work for villains and vigilantes for fun. Why am I being yelled at?"

"That had nothing to do with anything, kid. You just jumped right into the Number 2's face, he's going to be looking for you."

"He can suck my dick," Tomura was definitely rubbing off him. "His ego is too big, he probably hasn't seen me when I was right up his face and is certainly not going to go look for a kid who put water on his face."

"And released some very important documents! How did you even find them?"

"A man doesn't kiss and tell-"

"This is not what the expression means and you know it."

"And Endeavor is too much of an asshole to think the guy who poured water over his face actually did the work on the internet as well. I bet he can't even read."

"Kid, he is the second strongest hero in all Japan," Mitsuka, for the second time in the months they had knew each other, talked to Izuku. "He isn't as stupid as you believe or he wouldn't be so high in the ranking."

"That's where you're wrong. The ranking are popularity votes by the public; it means nothing in term of strength. I will admit it, the strongest the most likely they are to end up in the top 10. But being number 2 doesn't mean you're stronger. It means people notice you, prefer you. All Might is first because he is the nicest, always smiling and ending evil in matter of seconds. Fact. He is strong. Fact. People love him. Fact. He is probably one the strongest hero out there. Fact . But is he the strongest? Are none of the other heroes able to beat him? Who knows. Endeavor is number two because he is the exact opposite. He fights of villains with strength and insuluts instead of smiles, he wants to be the strongest. He is rough and brutal. He also is strong but you want me to be honest? Water is so easily beatable there is no way he is the second strongest. He just like to think so because someone gave him the title. Everyone fall for the fact that the heroes must be as strong as their rank says. But it's really based on nothing but the public's opinion. Look at Chronos, he had risen to number 26 when he died. He wasn't strong at all."

"Who the fuck is Chronos?" Mumbled Pepper, catching very little of Izuku's speech.

"Time hero, we did his costume dumbass." Salt answered, flicking her brother on the head.

She then scanned Izuku with a new eyes, something akin to wonder and curiosity in her usually cold and stern gaze.

"All right. Fair. I still think you underestimate him."

"I actually don't. He just won't be able to do much about it. There is no actual link, aside from the timing between me and the documents. All I did was a very mean prank on the number two hero," he faked a pout, his tone mocking, "poor Endeavor, forced to take a shower in video. Whatever will we do against the naughty boy who did?"

Mitsuka, surprisingly so, snorted. She lightly tapped on the table by her side 'he's starting to grow on me.'

Her brother turned around, beaming.

"Thanks! You're not so bad yourself!" Izuku said. There was really no point in keeping it secret anymore.

"Since when do you understand Morse code, twerp?" Salt asked, a tad stunned.

"Before I even knew you. Your fault for not checking beforehand. On another subject, I'd like you to try out this."

As the two sibling exchanged stunned look, angry tapping and whispering that he had played them, he rummaged in a box where he usually left his invention when he worked in their lab.

He extended toward them two pairs of handcuffs in white and light metal, round and thick with only a green led lighted up on each.

"What is it?" Asked Pepper with curiosity, immediately forgetting the previous problem to focus on technology.

"Try it out." Izuku repeated.

"Why would we do that?"

"It's the project I'm going to present at UA for the entrance exam, I want your clearance, Tenjiro-Sensei, Mitsuka-Sensei."

"Ugh, don't say that ever again." Mitsuka's face looked disgusted but snatched the handcuffs from Izuku's hands.

They both clasped them on their wrists. The light turned yellow.

"Now touch me."

Both looked startled before taking a step back.

"That's not a good idea kid." Pepper tried to explain.

They were both looking panicking on their desks.

Izuku took out their gloves from his pockets.

"They are here, and you won't need them."

"The fuck? We need those, kid. Our quirk is no joke."

"I'm aware, the information is not as classified as I thought it would be. Bu those," he pointed at the cuffs, "are quirk suppressant. You currently are safe to touch, your quirk won't activate and I won't be one of your life-prolonging victim, no worries."

They both blanched, looking suddenly more like one half of their hair.

The twins quirk was called Immortal Hands. It was quite telling. They both had the ability to absorb life through their hands, must they come in contact with any living being. They hadn't aged since the day they left UA, still looking fresh 18 year-olds into their 30s. The first accident with their quirk killed their mother and they since then used their quirk only on plants that they grew themselves.

"Stop worrying, I tried them before, it's safe. Try." He showed them his hand, wanting for them to try it out. He hadn't actually made a test in practice but his theories worked perfectly, so it was safe.

"Alright. No. Got it. Then," he grabbed his backpack and took two flowers out of it. "If those wither when you touch them, I lied and I'm a failure. Now try."

He put the two test on the table in front of him. The twins had taken refuge on the other side, as if Izuku was the one with the dangerous quirk.

Tentatively they took the flowers. They both stayed strong and fresh.

For a second nothing happened. The twins stared at the delicate plants, at their vibrant colors and the next time Izuku blinked, they were rubbing gently their fingers all over the flowers. How long had it been since they touched something that didn't wither away the very second they came into contact with it?

"How?" Tenjiro asked, his voice slightly shaking.

"Quirk supressant handcuffs. Good enough to present at UA you think?"

"But how, the technology exist but it is super well garded? Where did you find it?"

"In my head. I couldn't find the blueprint of the one used currently by our government and Tartarus. I had to make my own. It's, theorically, not that hard when you know the details of the science behind quirk. Want to try on me now?"

They both looked sharply at him.

"This is still not funny."

"What? We agreed it was safe? Why not?"

"Because we don't need to! Stop it now, we won't try. Now take these off, I want to see how their made."

"Certainly not. This is mine and mine only and until I present it to UA's board and get into the school you aren't allowed to come near them again."

He came around and took back each of the cuffs, hiding as much as he could the mechanics of it. He slipped them quickly in his bag and glared at the two adults.

"Kid, I think you kept us out of too many things. I didn't know you knew how to hack, only program but you turn out here, knowing everything about our quirks," Pepper was complaining loudly, "then you create fucking quirk suppressant cuffs which is terrifying if I'm honest and you want to present it to UA? They're definitely going to steal it, why not us?"

"Because it already exist and it's nothing knew. It's just impressive that a guy as young as me is capable of doing it. That's the whole point of the exam. Impress the guys so I get in."

"Jesus, kid. You're actually scary."

—

With the Oreos' twins blessing and certainty that he would destroy everyone else at the entrance exam, Izuku went back to the bar with a certain spree in his steps.

The exam was getting really close, he had finished this semester with flying colors and had achieved more than he thought he would in the meantime. His skills were sharpened, his research ongoing and full of possibilities. His will had gotten stronger, he had seen with his own eyes the things he wanted to fight and the pain he wanted to eradicate from the world.

People were hurting each other because of their quirks. It was nothing new, people always did hurt each other. For race, religion, wealth, land. Every argument was a good one. Humans, fundamentally, are prone to selfishness, greed, envy and misplaced blindness. Izuku had seen it both in history and in his own life. But he also saw those who fought, who actually wanted a better world. The people who sacrificed themselves, the first heroes at the beginning of the quirk era, the people who led a revolution when a tyrant hurt their people, those who fought unfairness, undeserved pain. So Izuku knew , deep down, that humanity couldn't be all bad. It wasn't possible. He had seen tears of relief when a doctor saved a loved-one's life, he had read about the joy of those finally freed after years of misery, he'd seen paintings, pictures, real life occurrences of it.

And if no one was going to do it, he would be the one leading this revolution. Freeing these people.

He'd first have to open their eyes, to make them realize what they lived, how they lived, that it was not good, not okay, not fine. That there were things to be done. He would do just that. And he would do the thing, be the one. He would help because he could.

Sensei was probably using him. After listening carefully to his words, repeated I his head the speech and the missing parts of it, that much was clear. But if he was used it meant he could be, that there were things to be used, that Izuku could do those things. It meant that he had potential . That he could do it on his own if he saw the ways. Or that he could take from people who hurt him what he was missing to do it.

He was going to do it. Soon enough, he'd knew the true colors of the man, his intention. He'd learn about what he was meant to do and would do it whether of not he saw fit, whether or not it actually followed his own ideas. Izuku was going to become someone for the sole reason that he was going to do the sole things people were convinced he couldn't : he was going to help.

So when he entered the bar, and saw Tomura sitting quietly in his booth, scratching his neck ans staring thoughtfully at his screen, Izuku leapt in front of him with a smile.

He looked up to him, his red eyes loosing the small anger shimmering from his game and raised a questioning brow at the radiant smile of the younger teen.

"I don't like this," he grumbled, his hand falling from his neck.

"You're going to!" Izuku said as an answer before he jumped up, went to the bar and climbed on it to search for something on the other side. With a few protestation of Kurogiri he retreaved what he was looking for and went back at the table. "Guess."

"I'd rather not."

"Come on!"

"No."

"Urg, and here I was, trying to be nice," Izuku slumped back down, stared at Tomura for a few seconds before he gave up and slided something toward his friend.

With care, the blue-haired man picked up the small vial in front of him. He raised it to eye level, trying to understand what he was holding.

"This, my friend," Izuku took pity on him, and also he was really excited to see what his friend's reaction would be, "is lotion."

Nothing but blank eyes.

"Remember when I told you about making some special lotion with your quirk? Like your skin reacting to your own quirk and being different from, say mine or Sensei, because of your quirk. I was right. Your skin is made to no disintegrate because of your power, but it isn't made to be completely immune. The thing is, you can't take care of it because normal lotion as no effect on your skin. It's not just a weird tick that you have but some actual results of the danger of Decay. This has been made based on the blood I took from you a week or so ago. Your skin should be able to stay hydrated and moisturized with it. I mean... first there is this one," he pointed at the one Tomura was holding, "to heal all of the very dry and damaged skin but then, you can ask Kurogiri for it whenever since I already made it, I have actual lotion just to keep your skin moisturize. It will help greatly and no more itching!"

The room was very silent for a long time.

Izuku couldn't tell whether or not his friend was happy, or glad, or literally any other emotion. He was staring blanckly at him.

Starting to get anxious and self conscious under the scrutiny of his friend, he stammered a weak "I can make things for like acne if you need to... or anything for your skin really, I just thought..." Waw, he really didn't want to dissapoint his first friend, but he also didn't want to cry and both were feeling very present.

"Why?" Asked Tomura, his voice low and raspy, with a tinge of some emotion, unknown to Izuku, behind.

"I... we're friends. And, like, you- it's just is bad for you to constantly scratch yourself like that, it hurts you..."

"But why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted to help."

Tomura suddenly ducked his head, his hair flowing around his face and hiding it from the view.

"Why?" He whispered. "No one ever did that to help me. They just let me scractch and scratch. No one told me to stop. And now you come and, and you care... and this is weird and I don't understand, you're some sort of bug, it never worked like that before."

"Is it bad? If I'm a bug? I just- I won't pretend I understand why no one tried to help you with it before but, I just care. You're my friend, and you needed it, and I could do it, and..."

Slowly, his head rose, his eyes met Izuku's and though there was no tears in them, clear confusion and distress were shining behind the red of his iris.

"You don't have to use it, but, it's there. It will help. And if you need more, just ask me."

Izuku had never truly realized how alone Tomura had probably been until Izuku came in. Much like the teen, he had grew up alone and far away from everyone, after all, they were both each other's only and first friend; it must have been kind of sad, from outside, those two kids -because really that's what they were - abandoned by society, no knowing friendship and what kindness were.

Izuku wanted to be able to help more. He hoped he would soon figure out how to learn to control quirks via his research on DNA and genes and he was really excited to think of Tomura, after so many years, finally able to learn how to use his quirk, and how to control it.

After a few more minutes, Tomura put himself back together and dragged Izuku out of the bar toward his room, wanting to clear his mind, even if he didn't say so, with one of his games.

After keeping the conversation light-hearted and game-focused for a while, Tomura was the one to step into more serious business again.

"What was that whole thing with Endeavor anyway? I don't like him but we are fighting against All Might, he is the true enemy."

"Endeavor is a little piece of crap. Pissing him off is funny and he deserves it. All Might is the number one hero and he is a fake who pretends but at least he tries . Endeavor is a terrible human being. End of story."

"But we are fighting against All Might, we hate him!"

"Yes. He's a fucking hypocrite and can't use his brain for a second. He'll fucking regret it. But Endeavor is number two and destroying him is one of the important things to do to, hum, achieve the quest. Endeavor hurt people and he deserves to fall for it."

"But All Might!"

"All Might is your end of dungeon boss, you'll do it whenever I'll have info from UA. Mine will be Endeavor. And it's gonna take more time and less nomus."

"What do you mean? I thought All Might was our common boss, we're a party."

"I'm going to help you, obviously. But if you're going to attack him and can't be here because I have to keep Guidance's identity secret. But it's the League goals to make the heroes fall and I'm the league too. Promise, I'll help you. But I have to take care of Endeavor."

"What did he do?"

"I think he's a child abuser, if not just an abuser."

Tomura kind of froze for a second.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have concrete proof but I'm right and I know it. His wife is in a mental hospital, his eldest son is dead and his youngest is scarred on the left side of his face. It's a little too much for a hero's household don't you think."

"You think he beats his kids?"

Tomura had gone kind of still, almost uneasy beside Izuku.

"I wouldn't put it past him. You okay?"

The blue haired man started rubbing his skin lightly, clearly upset but aware of his movements.

"I don't like people who beat children."

"Were you?"

No one likes child abuser unless they are one, but something in Tomura's behavior was clearly amiss and Izuku didn't like it much.

"We're friends you said, right?"

"Yeah. First and only."

"Before... Father didn't like heroes at all. He was right of course. They hurt and they hurt and they hurt again. He didn't like them and he didn't like when I talked about them. I didn't like it, when he hurt me. He said hurting people was bad, and that was what heroes did but he hurt me, but he wasn't a hero." The scratching started to get harder, red lines drawn on pale skin. "I don't know. I just don't like it. So if Endeavor is like Father, then I want to help you in your quest."

"Sure," gently, Izuku grabbed his friend's arm and took it away from his bleeding neck. "Tomura, is Sensei like a... dad for you?"

"He took me in and gave me a chance and his name."

"You were not Tomura before?"

"Hana called me Tenko-chan, Hana and me, we were Hana and Tenko Shimura, I think. Father was very proud of it, of what our name held. But they died and heroes left me behind and Sensei came. Sensei helped me, he gave me everything I needed, a name, his name. So yes, yes, Sensei is better than Father."

This was a little too much to unload at one time, and Izuku didn't want to leave his friend stuck in this weird memory loop which seemed to hurt him. He grabbed Izuku controller and gave it back to his friend;

"Well, we're a party now. You're player one, and I'm player two, and we're going to show this world who we are. Alright?"