A State of Decay

Chapter 7

"You're not messing with me, right, hero?" the masked villain says. He's leaned against the wall in the alley, sizing up Izuku, who stands there with his hand on the back of his head. 

"Not messing with you!" he replies. He may be a bit too chipper, but no matter how hard Izuku tries, he's always had a hard time acting like a villain. "I, um, I mean, I heard about your cause and stuff, and I want you and other people to know that I sympathize. I want to help out however I can."

The villain scoffs. 

"I've been trying to go about it by myself, but it hasn't worked out," Izuku tells the villain, opting for complete honesty. He realizes he might not get too far if he's not. He doesn't like hanging himself out to dry like this, but it's all he can do now. "I've turned in my hero license and everything. I want to help however I can." 

The villain crosses his arms over his chest and eyes the green-haired man. "I believe you, but my friends won't," he says. Izuku's face drops. "But there might be a way you can help prove your loyalty." 

"Really?" Izuku replies. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I can do it. Like I said, I want to help!" 

Suddenly, the tingling bond in the back of his head grows more assertive, and a voice filters through his mind. 

"You don't want to get mixed up with them," he's told by Shigaraki. Izuku is thrown off for a moment, not knowing that Shigaraki has been listening in. 

It made home wonder how often his former Nemesis was doing that. 

Regardless, he shoves Shigaraki back into the corner of his mind and focuses on what's happening right now. 

"Give me your number, and I can reach out to you when everything's set up," the villain tells him, holding out his phone. Hesitantly, he takes it and enters the phone number for his burner phone. 

"Thank you for trusting me," Izuku says before taking off. He finds a rooftop to lie low on for a bit, making sure he hasn't been followed. Still, he won't go back to his and Hitoshi's apartment tonight. Sometimes, he prefers to stay in hotels or other places for a while to make sure he's not being tailed. 

The last thing he wants is for Hitoshi to be put in danger because of what Izuku does. 

Once in a secluded place, he tunes back in on the bond and lets Shigaraki back into his head. He might as well hear whatever his former Nemesis wanted to tell him earlier. 

"Shigaraki," Izuku calls down the bond. 

"Midoriya," he responds. "You're being an idiot right now. Do you even know who that was?"

"Enlighten me," Izuku sighs. He knows the people he's talking to aren't exactly as straight-edged as he is, but it doesn't matter. If it gets him closer to his goal, he's willing to take the leap. 

"I can hear what you're thinking right now, and no, it's not worth it," the former villain tells him. 

"Why? What do you know about him that I don't?"

"You're talking to someone who used to think exactly like what you're thinking now."

Izuku pauses, considering Shigaraki's words. Then, Shigaraki continues. 

"You have your convictions, and you might think that what you're doing is good, but it's not worth getting mixed in with people like that. I used to want things like that. I used to seek help from people I thought were on the same page as me, and look where that got me." 

"Why are you trying to help me?" Izuku asks. 

"Because you're making a foolish mistake like I did once. What are you not understanding, little hero?"