Organised Protection (The Thin Grey Line One Shots)

Chapter 7

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Izuku appreciated the concern, he really did. But that did not change the fact that he was going to punch Kuroda the next time he saw him.

A bodyguard? Really? Not to mention that he recognized the guy as the one he saw at the park with his friends. Former vigilante he might be, but Kuroda had the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. That didn't even cover how he felt about Seamstress, that lady had all sorts of alarms going off in his head. If she wanted him dead, he would be. There was no doubt about that.

But she didn't want him dead, which was why he now had Dabi following him around. From what he could gather so far, the guy had a morbid streak a mile wide and sarcasm for days. Izuku thought he and Shinshou would get along like a house on fire, which was why he swore to never let them meet.

Of course that ended up happening anyways, because the universe hated him.

"Who's that guy that keeps waiting for you outside of school?" Shinshou asked as he, along with the rest of Izuku's friends, sat down at the lunch table.

"I was gonna ask the same thing." Todoroki said, eating a piece of sushi. "I almost thought that you gained a stalker."

Kahiro joined in. "Now that I think about it, isn't that the same guy we saw at the park? The one that was talking to that big group?"

They all looked to him, and Izuku had never wanted to disappear into his shirt collar more than in that moment. "Well, you know my old hobby?" God, he made it sound like he used to knit. "Well, I guess some people didn't really like it. Kuroda managed to get me a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard that looks like he'd set anyone that bothered him on fire." Uraraka completed, her eyebrows raised. "Nagaki is wild, man."

"You haven't known him half as long I have," Izuku groaned, taking a bite from his sandwich, "he's just getting started."

"Well, I am glad to see that your mentor has taken up the responsibility of ensuring your safety!" Iida said, hand gestures and all.

Kahiro ignored Iida, "Is he nice?" She asked, leaning her chin on her hands. "I doubt it. Not gonna lie, I get serial killer vibes from him."

"How do you know what serial killer vibes feel like?" Todoroki asked.

"You'll never find out."

Izuku sat back and let the usual lunchtime banter fill his ears. Seamstress, as terrifying a lady as she was, had kept her promise. He no longer saw any villains eyeing him from alleys on his commute to and from school, and it had done wonders for his nerves. If having Dabi tail him around was the price to pay for it, he could deal with it. But that didn't mean he wanted his friends to actually /meet/ the guy.

Somebody tapped his shoulder. "Hey, Izuku." It was Shinshou, "Do you think we can meet him?"

"Uh..." There was no way of telling if villains - malicious ones - were keeping an eye on him. Having his friends be seen with him could possibly lead to another incident like the one at the sports festival. A shiver of dread ran down his back at the thought. No one was getting hurt like that again, not because of Izuku. "I don't know if you guys should." His friends were still students - and yeah, he was one too, but they hadn't gone through what he has. They hadn't been on patrol, keeping an eye out for trouble while simultaneously not knowing if he'd get home unscathed. The USJ was their worst experience so far. Izuku had been kidnapped and pitted against the very teen that made him still want to flinch at the sight of blond hair.

They hadn't grown up without a power to call their own, and then have one offered by a man behind a screen. Izuku could say that he would have denied the villain to the end of his days, or he could tell the truth. The offer had been beyond tempting. No more discrimination, no more taunts, no more feeling like he wasn't good enough. One word and he could finally fit society's convention of normal.

But then he remembered Kuroda, how the man had looked at him when everyone else dismissed his presence and saw something great in him - something that could help people. His mentor had been the starting point. As the months went by, his number of friends increased. He got stronger, fought faster, went toe to toe with the League of Villains and came out alive. Not just anyone could do that.

When he went in to this, he'd been small, unsure of his role in life. Now, he knew who he was. He was a hero - even if the law didn't regard him as such. Quirk or no Quirk, he would not be stopped if it meant helping someone. He was a force of nature, so normal and yet capable of so much havoc.

He reminded himself of the words he'd said to Sensei. "I am Midoriya Izuku, I am Quirkless, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

He wasn't an idiot, he knew that he'd stepped on lots of toes to get where he was. Sensei, whoever he was, was someone that not many got in the way of - and if they did, it wouldn't be long until they were six feet under.

There wasn't a doubt in Izuku's mind that it was Sensei who released his profile to the villain population of Japan. But it didn't go to plan for him. The problem with of most of the villains he'd met so far was this: they didn't put much stock in human nature.

Izuku was snapped out of the thought by Uraraka. "Deku? Are you alright?" Everyone was looking to him, varying expressions of concern on their faces.

He shook his head and smiled, trying his best to hide the apprehension. "Yeah, I just zoned out. Sorry." His friends didn't look very convinced. Great.

"We're still gonna meet your bodyguard-dude." Kahiro informed him, wiping stray crumbs from her mouth.

Izuku resisted the urge to hit his head on the table. He really wasn't looking forward to when school let out.

Eventually, the final bell rang. It sounded more like a death toll to Izuku. Logically, he knew that Dabi wouldn't actually roast his friends like a well-done steak, but he also knew that Dabi was a wildcard. Izuku wasn't even worried at this point, he just wanted to crawl in a hole with a blanket and stay there - preferably until he died.

A single eyebrow rose on Dabi's face when he spotted Izuku coming towards him with a horde of friends in tow. "You're more popular than I thought." The man commented, pushing off the column he'd been leaning on. "Hate to cut it short though. We gotta go, kid - Nagaki has some sensitive info."

Which could have meant that mom wanted to try making caramel again or imminent mortal peril. Either way, Izuku felt a chill. He turned to his friends. "I'm really sorry guys - but this is-"

Kahiro punched him on the shoulder, he stumbled a bit. "Don't sweat it," She said, "We'll see you around, yeah?"

Izuku noticed how she didn't say they were going to see him tomorrow. He took a breath and smiled.

"Yeah, I'll see you around." Without further fanfare, he turned around to face Dabi. "Let's go."