The Serpent in the Garden - [todoshindeku] - Villain Izuku

Chapter Five

The bar was dimly lit, the bulb above the bench flickering like the wings of a dying insect. Apart from the bar and stools, the rest of the room was cast in shadows.

The room gave off an 'edgy, most likely illegal' atmosphere. Izuku's eye twitched as the lightbulb coruscated erratically. He made a mental note to replace it in the very near future.

Before stepping out of the shadows, Izuku flicked his eyes around, gauging the situation. Shigaraki was sitting slumped in the farthest stool next to the wall, gaze as non-committed and bored as ever as he nursed a steaming mug. His middle finger was raised in what was probably both a necessity and a small indicator of his inner thoughts.

Kurogiri was standing in his usual place behind the counter, polishing his prized glasses. The man made no indication that he knew Izuku was here, though he obviously did. He was probably waiting for Izuku to make himself known, instead of announcing him.

Two people were standing awkwardly to the side. Shigaraki probably hadn't invited them to sit down, despite the long hours Izuku had drilled the concept of hospitality into his head. One was a tall, lanky young man, probably around eighteen or nineteen with unruly back hair and burn scars across most of his exposed skin.

Next to him, with a bright smile — almost worryingly so; no one who smiled that bright wasn't hiding some form of inner pain and darkness— was a girl around Izuku's own age. She had wheat blond hair that was up in two messy buns, and a school uniform on. Izuku blinked in surprise as he recognised the uniform from the all-girls private school from the district next to his.

The mood in the room was thick with apprehension and thinly veiled discontent. Izuku chose this moment to step forward, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie in a masquerade of nonchalance. He figured that he was probably the one that had to ease the awkward vibe emanating from the two applicants.

Kurogiri nodded to Izuku as he stepped closer. The black haired young man followed the smoky man's gaze to Izuku, his electric blue eyes widening as he set eyes on the younger boy, an eyebrow arching in skepticism.

He turned to Shigaraki. "This is who we were waiting for?" He didn't sound very impressed. Izuku huffed, blowing a curl of hair out of his face and glowering lightly at the man. If one of the new applicants had a problem with his predilection for hoodies that said 'hoodie' or 'generic popular culture reference' on it, he would never allow him into the League.

The girl saw him and waved, a friendly smile lighting up her face. She stepped forward, but the man behind her pulled her back. "You're so excitable." He muttered.

Shigaraki glanced over at him and grunted in disgust. "Why does your jacket say 'cotton clothing implement' on it?" He asked tiredly.

"Because it's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

"What."

"Watch Mary Poppins." Izuku enjoined. He slid onto a stool, looking over at the two potentials and gesturing at the seats next to him. "You can sit down you know. We won't bite." He considered for a second. "And from the looks of it on the news, you can handle yourselves even if we do."

The black haired man glanced up in surprise, looking over at Izuku in confusion as he and the girl sat down. "What do you mean?"

Izuku rolled his eyes, yawning. "Oh please. Did you really think your little scuffle wouldn't be noticed?" He eyed Shigaraki meaningfully. The git didn't seem to notice.

The girl seemed to consider. "Well, it was pretty loud. And you did destroy loads of property, Dabi." The man — Dabi — hissed. "We're not supposed to just go throwing our names about, Toga."