Chapter Text
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Shadows: The Horror Movie Heroes
Heist
{Izuku concentrated on looking as lost as possible as he reviewed the state of the exercise so far. Of the thirteen objectives, three had been claimed by the villains in the initial rush, one was in progress, and two were currently safe in the hands of the heroes. He ran through the list in his head:
- Snitch - unclaimed
- Vase - at hero agency
- hostage - unclaimed
- Diamond - claimed
- Drugs - unclaimed
- Weapons- unclaimed
- Explosives - unclaimed
- Bank- claimed
- Ransom- in progress
- Convenience store - claimed
- Car- unclaimed
- Crown - unclaimed
- Documents - at hero agency
}
"Damn, that's a lot." Kaminari comments.
"I hope he doesn't lose track of something." Ashido agrees.
“You jinxed it.” Sero claims.
{The claimed objectives were the easy ones that just required going in and stealing something without any need for information or special materials. The rest of the objectives all had something getting in the way, but Izuku and Hitoshi specialized in overcoming obstacles, so rather than being intimidated, they were just excited. So of course, they had decided to go after the most challenging objective on the first day.}
"Go big or go home." Shinsou smirks.
"What a spotlight thing to say." Ochaco quips.
"Oi!"
{Izuku held back a smile when he saw his target around the corner. Ryou Hanzou. A transfer into the hero course from General Education, his quirk was similar to Gang Orcas in that it gave him the head of a great white shark as well as the ability to do anything a shark could do, which meant that as long as he avoided the teeth and didn’t get him near any water, Izuku would be fine. Hanzou’s hero costume was simple, basically just a short-sleeved wetsuit with a blue and green wave design running up the sides, Izuku could think of a few improvements right off the bat, but he wasn’t here to fix the heroes' costumes or give them suggestions for improvement. No. he was here to absolutely decimate them.}
"Isn't he one of the support crew?" Ojiro clarifys.
"I think so." Hagakure agrees.
{Izuku purposefully made his way through the crowd toward Hanzou until he got close enough, then started running, “Mr. Hero! Mr. Hero!”}
“He sounds so innocent.” Mic gasps.
“That poor boy.” Midnight says with fake sorrow.
{Hanzou turned and looked down at Izuku, “Um...hi. Can I help you?”}
“Yes indeed you can.” Dabi grins.
{“Oh,” Izuku put on a worried expression, grateful he looked a couple years younger than he was. “I’m lost. Could you maybe help me find my way home?”}
“It’s a trap!” Kaminari calls out.
{Immediately, Hanzou smiled and Izuku held back a smirk. Helping a lost child was one of the hero’s objectives, so too bad Izuku wasn’t actually a lost civilian. Well, not bad for Izuku, but bad for Hanzou.}
“This vile. Absolutely vile.” Monoma complains.
“Pretty sure that’s the point.” Kendo comments blankly.
{“Sure kid.” Hanzou puffed out his chest proudly. “Just tell me where you need to go and I’ll get you there.”}
"Hook, line, and sinker." Dabi chuckles.
"He certainly seems to know what he is doing." Compress agrees.
{Izuku gave him the fake address and Hanzou nodded and pressed his comms, “Hey, guys, I’m just helping this lost kid find his way home, and then I’ll be back on my normal patrol, ok?”}
"No, you won't!~" Toga sing-songs.
{He didn’t say anything else and Izuku relaxed slightly. If he’d given the other heroes the address or even the neighborhood they were going to, that would have made things a bit more complicated, but as long as he didn’t give them any more information than he had, Izuku could still proceed as planned.}
"I do wonder how extensive his backup plans might be." Nedzu wonders.
"If it's anything like Mastermind I really do feel bad for those kids." Tsukauchi comments.
{The two of them weaved their way through the streets until they reached a place a lot less busy and a lot more abandoned. Izuku acted appropriately confused at street corners and let Hanzou help him as much as possible, but soon enough, they still ended up exactly where Izuku had planned.}
"That poor boy." Recovery Girl sighs.
{He waited until there were no witnesses before calling out, “That’s it! That’s my building!”
Izuku started running and Hanzou jogged after him.
“You kinda live way out there, don’t you?” Hanzou panted. “Well, um, if you’re found, I should probably be heading back.”}
"As if he'd let you." Shigaraki grins.
{Hanzou was getting nervous, which meant that Izuku was running out of time. He skidded to a stop, “Actually, there was one more thing...”}
"And the hero student has lost his chance to run." Shishida sighs.
{“I guess that’s ok.” Hanzou said, tensing slightly. “What is it?”
“Um…” Izuku channeled his inner fanboy as he grabbed his notebook and shoved it forward. “Can I please have your autograph?”}
"This is uncomfortably familiar." Mount Lady murmurs. Kamui Woods winces in agreement.
{Hanzou relaxed and took the notebook, “Really? I’ve never had somebody ask for my autograph before! This is kinda cool!”}
"THE FIRST TIME!" Mic whines loudly. Most of the theater cringes with him.
{Izuku waited on the balls of his feet until Hanzou looked down to sign the notebook and then he struck, punching Hanzou directly in the nose. He dropped the notebook, stumbling back and giving Izuku just enough of an opening to target his pressure points. They were bound to be a bit different on someone with shark anatomy, but if he focused on the places where his body was more human and hit hard enough in just the right places…
“Hey, what are you…?” Hanzou’s eyes rolled back as Izuku punched his pressure point. “Ow…”
He fell to the floor and Izuku waited tensely for a few seconds to make sure he was really out before running forward and flipping the switch that would functionally break Hanzou’s comm. He’d still be able to talk to the teachers, but not his fellow heroes, “Sorry, I need you alive for now. Ok...where did I stash that rope?”}
"For now?" Ururaka questions. Izuku can only shrug.
"I wish we knew some of his plans." Iida laments.
"It doesn't help that our Midoriya doesn't have the time or resources to come up with a plan like this one does." Shinsou comments.
"That just means less spoilers!" Mei dismisses.
{Hitoshi perched on the windowsill and watched the pair of villains below. It was a girl with pigtails and a guy with green-grey skin and horns that looked large enough to pulverize both Hitoshi and Izuku if they made the wrong move, and that was without a quirk that made his fingers shoot out bullets. The duo had also managed to nab the diamond objective in the first few minutes of the exercise, thanks half to the girl’s drill-hair quirk and half to pure skill. From what Hitoshi had seen of their heist, he suspected that they had some past experience on the wrong side of the law, even if it wasn’t enough to disqualify them from the exercise, and Izuku had agreed. Normal civilians didn’t know how to drill through a safe that fast.}
"Aren't they from the rehab squad?" Shoji asks.
"I believe so." Tokoyami confirms.
{He took a deep breath as he ran through the character that he and Izuku had discussed for Shadows. He needed to act like he already knew everything and let them know that, no matter what they did, he would always come out on top. Hitoshi made sure his voice changer was on securely before speaking, “Nice place you’ve got here. Dark, musty, perfect villain vibes, but then again you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”}
"What am I doing?" Shinsou asks.
"I think..." Izuku starts "You might be playing information broker."
"That is brilliant." Iida comments.
"Complimenting villains now." Ururaka teases.
"I am merely embracing the spirit of the exercise." Iida defends.
"Again, kero."
{The labs weren't very heavily guarded...unless the ten layers of security alarms and weapons systems counted.}
"Really Deku?" Ururaka asks giggling. Izuku rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.
{_ A villain would immediately trip every single alarm and call a giant security team, not to mention every hero in the area, but Izuku wasn’t a villain at the moment. He held his breath as he swiped Hanzou’s hero license at the front gate, grinning when the keypad beeped and turned green.}
"Ooh, can I do something like that?" Toga asks.
"It would be a good idea." Shigaraki agrees.
{_ The rules of the exercises stated that the license wouldn't work anymore as soon as Hanzou died, but for right now, Izuku was a hero. Even if he was currently dressed in full villain gear.}
"He could do more to look the part." Mr. Compress suggests.
"Even with the creepy aesthetic, he doesn't seem the spy type." Spinner points out.
{He waited for the gate to open and strolled right in, careful to avoid any people running around. He’d already hacked into the system and looped the footage, just in case anyone was watching, but from his research, this facility was more of a shell that was supposed to look intimidating than it was an impenetrable fortress and the security team was just more HUC actors, not actual security guards. It would still be a challenge to get in and out, of course, but if he wanted to be a scary hero, he needed to work on stealth anyway. It was good practice and all he had to do was stay out of sight.}
"I have some notes!" Toga cheers at the screen.
{A guard came around the corner and Izuku froze. So much for that plan.
“Hey!” The guard’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not supposed to be here.”}
"No shit." Dabi deadpans.
"The villain beat me to the punch." Mic whines.
{At Hitoshi’s voice, both villains jumped to their feet and started looking around. The girl’s hair twisted into drill-like points as her eyes swept the room and the guy readied his hands to shoot as he called out into the darkness, “Who’s there?”
“Just a friend.” Hitoshi took control as he jumped down from the window, landing in a crouch. “Now, if you agree to be nice, I’ll let go of Mr. Frankenstign here and we can have a friendly chat, if you don’t he’ll attack you. Got it?”}
"'A friend' he says." Monoma scoffs.
{The girl glanced between Hitoshi and her partner, tensing when she realized the latter was just standing there, eyes blank and limbs hanging loosely at his side. She cursed, “A brainwasher? Of all the rotten luck…”}
"Yeah..." Shinsou drawls "luck." Mei snickers working on what looks like an electronic mask.
{“Yep.” Hitoshi hummed, “Well? Have you come to a decision?”
“Fine.” The girl snarled. “Let him go and we’ll talk.”
Hitoshi grinned and let go, “Good, now let’s get introductions out of the way. What are your names?”
The two exchanged a nervous glance and the girl looked at Hitoshi suspiciously, “Just cut to the chase. We know you’re after the diamond.”
Hitoshi held up his hands in surrender, “Actually, I’m not. At least, not right now. Now, your names?”}
"Why aren't they after the diamond?" Kaminari wonders.
"Maybe so they don't have people after them the whole time?" Ashido suggests.
"That's not a bad idea." Sero agrees.
{The girl hesitated for another long moment, “Akiko.”
“Maki.” The guy answered.
“Good. Now that wasn’t too hard, was it?” Shinso said. “Now let’s talk business.”}
"I think you're forgetting something Shinsou." Ururaka pokes at him.
"Forgot right." He grins swatting her hand away.
{Akiko crossed her arms, “No. Fair is fair. Tell us your name first.”
Hitoshi’s social anxiety was going through the roof, but he forced himself to look calm. He was used to acting cocky to get a rise out of people and throw them off, so it was familiar in a way that was almost comforting. The longer he acted intimidating like this, the more he actually found himself having fun, which was something he hadn’t necessarily expected, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. No, it was more fun to just roll with it.}
"If you enjoy your job..." Amplifier starts.
"...you'll never work a day in your life." Joke cackles.
{“Hmmm.” Hitoshi made a show of thinking. “How about you call me Shadows.”
“That’s as good as we’re gonna get, isn’t it?” Maki laughed. “Alright, Shadows, so if you’re not after the diamond objective, then what are you after?”}
"Excellent question." Nedzu sips his tea.
{“Oh, you know, just trying to make some extra cash on the side.” Hitoshi shrugged. “So how would you like to know who the snitch is?”}
"You were right." Todoroki nods to Izuku.
{“You’re an info broker.” Akiko sighed in realization. “I heard some rumors they were planning to add one this year.”
Hitoshi nodded, half wondering if Izuku had started those rumors himself, but couldn’t get too distracted. He could always ask Izuku later, “So? Would you like the info or not?”}
"I wouldn't put it past that kid to do that." Gran comments gruffly
"If we use this exercise in the future it is certainly something I'll keep in mind." Nedzu agrees.
{“Yes.” Maki nodded. “How much?”
“How about a tenth of what you get from turning the objective in?” Hitoshi offered. “Either that or a favor…”
“We’ll pay the money.” Akiko said dryly. “We really aren’t interested in owing any favors to someone like you.”}
"Ouch." Shinsou comments sarcastically a hand pressed to his chest.
{“Suit yourself.” Hitoshi shrugged and tossed them an envelope from his pocket. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
He strolled out the front door of their hideout and couldn't keep a smile off his face. He liked feeling powerful.}
Several heroes and students shiver. "Thank All Might they're on our side."
"Literally."
{Izuku saw the guard reaching for his comm and panicked. This mission, in fact, their whole plan, relied on him getting in, getting the objective, and getting out without being noticed. Before he had the chance to hesitate, Izuku pulled out one of his guns and shot a paintball at the guard’s chest. “Sorry, but I can’t let you call for backup.”}
"That there was a good shot." Snipe compliments.
"Nice one Deku." Ururaka grins.
{There was a second when Izuku couldn’t be sure if it had worked, but then the guard sighed and took out his token, dropping it onto the floor. He didn’t say anything else and neither did Izuku. He looked around for a moment until he found what looked like a garbage shoot and then picked up the token and shoved it inside. That would count as hiding the body in accordance with the rules, and one of Ectoplasm's clones would soon be there to pick up the dead guard, so he was free to move on. He gave a brief nod to the guard before stashing his gun and continuing on his way.}
"I wonder if he'll have to hide any more bodies." Twice comments "Let's hope so!"
{He had to pass three more security checkpoints on the way down to the basement, but none of them were manned and he didn’t run into any more guards. He reached the final room and swiped Hanzou’s hero license to open the door, whistling when he saw the sheer amount of experimental explosives that were inside. A large badge with a #7 was stuck to one of the three pallets and Izuku grimaced, “Uh...change of plans, we’re gonna need to steal a truck.”}
"We?" Shinsou deadpans.
Izuku chuckles "Well we are a team."
{Once he was a safe distance away from the villain’s hideout, Hitoshi called Izuku on the comms, “Hey, I’m done passing along the info on the snitch. Is there anything else you’d like me to do before I head back to the apartment?”}
"A bit of help maybe?" Mic suggests.
"Ah, but that would require another hero ID." Midnight points out.
"Moral support?" Mic chuckles at Aizawa's deadpan stare.
{“Um...give me a minute…” There was a noise that sounded like an engine starting and Izuku cheered under his breath before responding, “Sorry, I had to figure out how to hotwire a car. Um, yeah, since this job is going to take a little longer than I’d planned, could you go take care of the hero I stole the license from earlier this morning?”}
Several people start laughing.
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah let me just kill someone for you."
"This is hilarious."
{“Sure thing.” Hitoshi said. “You set it up so I can track his hero com from my phone, right?”
“Yep.” Izuku said. “There’s gotta be a forklift around here somewhere...oh, just make sure you call before you kill him. If I’m still inside the lab when his license deactivates then…”}
"Then it's game over." Shigaraki chuckles.
{“Then the game is over.” Hitoshi nodded. “Got it. No pressure.”}
The villains suppress their laughter as the boss scowls at the screen.
{Izuku snorted, “Pretty much, yep! I mean, I have a plan b in case one of us gets caught, but still...ok, I found a forklift, so I gotta go. Good luck!”}
"Okay now part of me wants one of them to get caught." Kaminari comments.
"Yeah, but the bigger part says no." Kirishima agrees.
{Hitsohi rolled his eyes and started looking around for a place where he could change back into his civilian clothes, “Do I even want to know?”}
Shinsou snorts "You'll find out eventually." He stands headed back to the dorms. "Have fun with whatever, I'll be in bed."
"Good night!"
"Dabi?" Compress asks.
"Not today!" Dabi snaps stomping back to the villain's dorm not noticing a heterochromic gaze following him.
"Todoroki?" Izuku lays a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Todoroki shakes his head "I'm fine."
Izuku smiles at him softly "No you're not."
Todoroki sighs as they reach their own dorms.
The next day the two boys keep glancing at each other as they wait for the theatre to settle and the next set to start.
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