Organised Protection (The Thin Grey Line One Shots)

Chapter 4

Let's try to hit a vote goal of 15 for this chapter, so I can continue posting!

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It started after school.

Izuku had been walking home, preoccupied with homework and how he could stop by Kuroda's apartment when a figure stepped out of an alley. He hadn't been in the suit for a month, not since the incident with the League and Kaachan, but that didn't necessarily mean his instincts had dulled any. Immediately he stopped in his tracks, eyeing the woman. Trying to see if she'd try and make a scene.

She was pretty, that much Izuku could give. Dark curly hair in a high ponytail, high heels that could easily be used to stab someone. Either way, he was ready to fight back if he needed to.

"Jeez, kid." The lady commented, putting a hand on her hip. "Relax. I'd be a special kind of stupid to attack Kuroda's little apprentice. In broad daylight, no less."

"How do you know that name?" Izuku demanded, his hand reaching for his escrima sticks but reaching nothing. Oh yeah, UA had a strict no-weapons-at-school policy.

Damn it.

The lady laughed at his reaction. "Kid." She said, and Izuku could spot the dark humor in her voice. "I'm not gonna hurt you. It'd be stupid, after all the effort I put into making your suit."

The wariness vanished, replaced by shock in less than a second. "You're the person Kuroda called a favor in from?" While Izuku didn't trust this lady as far as he could spit (which was a pretty dismal distance according to Kuroda,) he trusted the man's judgement. Izuku doubted that he'd still be alive if he didn't.

The woman laughed, and the open humor in her tone made him falter. "You should see the look on your face." She informed only after she finished laughing. "Oh man, I should've brought a camera."

This lady was definitely a friend of Kuroda.

Izuku was so busy fighting down a blush that he didn't notice her coming forward to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Kid. I didn't come here to make fun of you, I came here to warn you."

"About what?"

"About two days ago, the League of Villains - what's left of it anyways - told anyone who would listen that Kuroko was Midoriya Izuku, a Quirkless teenager attending UA high school."

Izuku froze. "The League told everyone?" He whispered to himself. He looked straight into her eyes and asked, "What do you plan to do with what you know?" More importantly, what do the other villains plan to do? Besides his friends and Bakugou, no one else in his class knew that Izuku used to be Kuroko. It was nice, having friends that didn't know. What could he do if villains revealed his identity to them?

The woman smirked, popping a hip. "Relax, kid." She said casually, "Believe it or not, not all villains appreciate the League's methods. We were ready to go out guns blazing when they did that shit at the USJ. The fact that they didn't hurt any kids kept us at bay." Her face twisted, "I've got a niece I take care of. Just thinking about someone else's boy getting hurt makes me wanna bust heads."

"So you came here to...what, exactly?" Izuku asked, shuffling nervously. "You're a villain, or at least a criminal. What'd stop me from reporting you?"

She held her hands up, nail polish shining in the sunlight. "By all means, feel free." She smiled knowingly. "But you won't, you never attack anyone unless they're a direct threat to people."

"You might be a direct threat to me," Izuku stated, eyeing the distinct shape of a knife strapped to her calf.

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Even you know that's a weak argument, kid."
She deadpanned. "Trust me. Me and my buddies don't want to hurt you. We just wanted to give you a heads up."

Well, wasn't this awkward. "Uh," Izuku said, "thank you. For the heads up." A month ago, the only heads up he'd get from a villain would be their fist swinging towards him. This was a welcome, if a bit sudden, change of pace.

After that he couldn't go a single day without seeing a villain out of his peripheral, going to and leaving school was a tense affair. He could feel their eyes on him, watching, waiting. For what, he wasn't sure, but he started carrying his escrima sticks in hidden holsters whenever he left the house.

To make matters worse, his friends, his teachers, even All Might noticed how he was becoming more nervous.

"Are you okay?" They'll ask.

"I'm fine." He'll respond. "Just a bit stressed from school."

He knows they don't quite believe him, he's lied to them before. He ignored how that little tidbit nestles into his growing anxiety and festers. The next day, the cycle continues. He's not sure what'll make it stop.

It'd been two weeks of this incessant following, Izuku hadn't eaten in the last day, he's been so nervous. He was on his way home when he spotted a villain, the first one, who'd given him the heads up.

"You look like shit." She stated conversationally. Izuku was too tired to notice her look of concern. "What's the matter?"

Izuku shuffled past, eyes dropping dangerously. "Not your business." He mumbled. However tired he was, that got thrown out the window when the woman grabbed his arm. "Let go." He said, tugging against her arm. Becoming panicked when she didn't budge. "I'll scream for help!" He threatened, a scathing insult ready until he saw her face, and the fire in him dwindled out.

She was furious, her lips contorting into a snarl. Izuku couldn't help but think this's it, this is how I die: being a smartass at the wrong time. The lady didn't let go of his arm, but she did slacken the grip once she saw how panicked he was becoming.

"Did anyone do this to you?" She asked-more like demanded. "I swear if they did I'll-"

"What?" Izuku replied, utterly confused. "It's you and your buddies who've been tailing me for the last two weeks!"

"Tailing y-" realization crossed her face and she smacked a hand across her forehead. "Kid, we weren't trying to threaten you. We've been keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't get hurt!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Izuku demanded.

The woman - he really had to ask for her name - pinched her nose. "Look, the people in the underground call me the Seamstress. I command a lot of respect down there, what I say usually goes for most of them. I just-" she ran a hand through her hair, sighing in frustration. "- Kid, I'm going to call Kuroda and he's gonna pick you up so you can get some damn sleep. Imma tell my guys to lay off on the aggressive stalking thing. Okay?"

At this point. Stranger things had happened to Izuku on a daily basis. So he nodded.

The actual wait for his mentor was somehow even more awkward than talking to Seamstress. They were both sitting on a bench, Izuku swinging his legs and Seamstress examining her nails. Thankfully, the sound of an approaching motorcycle came within the next five minutes of that torture.

The bike slowed to a halt and Kuroda leapt off of his ride. The scowl on his face made Izuku immediately stiffen. "Seamstress." He said, barely nodding in her direction. Instead, Kuroda focused on Izuku. "Come on kid," He said, jerking his head to the motorcycle behind him, "you need to get some rest." He shot a look to Seamstress, "I'll be dealing with you later."

Izuku, eager to escape the tension, didn't waste any time hopping on.

Seamstress smiled, still on the bench. "Take care, Midoriya."

Kuroda didn't waste any more words, instead hopping on his ride and taking off.

While the lady seemed nice, Izuku decided, clutching to his mentor as they rode home, he really didn't want to run into her again. His few months of being a vigilante taught him to rely on his gut feeling about people, and Seamstress screamed 'danger'.

He was really glad she was (maybe?) on his side.