Be Careful What You Wish For

Give and Take

"I don't have the keys for the door," Spinner admitted, tapping his foot against the metal gate.

"Who does?" Izuku cupped his mouth with his hand, murmuring. "The door was already locked when I got put here... it would be annoying if there wasn't a way to unlock it, though a smart move on the villain's part, I suppose. Relying on Kurogiri's warping abilities to move prisoners around... but Shigaraki's someone who enjoys being in control. I doubt he'd be content without direct access to his victims. Question is: does he keep the keys on him, or somewhere else?"

"Hey, hey! I can't hear you when you speak so quietly!" Spinner complained. "Besides, I'm more concerned about this noumu. D'you think it'd attack me if I let you out?"

"That's a good question. Hey, why don't you give it a poke? See if it retaliates."

Spinner made a strangled noise like a choking cat.

"No way! Are you crazy?! I'm not a coward, but I'm not an idiot either! I won't pick a one-on-one fight with a noumu!"

Annoying, Izuku thought, sucking his lips to his teeth to keep from clicking his tongue in displeasure. I have no idea how this noumu's programmed; it's entirely possible it won't attack anyone tagged as an ally. Spinner could easily kill it in that case, without any danger to himself. If I'm wrong, I could just reset. Of course, I can't tell Spinner that. Unless...

He tapped his lip. He did present himself as a person with some type of precognitive ability not even an hour ago. If he told Spinner he'd be safe fighting the noumu and just go for it, would he listen?

Maybe I could provoke the noumu from inside the cell and trick it into destroying the door for me... but that would make a ton of noise, and I'd have to disable the noumu after that. At least I wouldn't break myself getting out of my cell.

"Don't worry about it," Izuku said, snapping his fingers and giving Spinner a curt bob of his head. "The noumu's instruction is to keep me here, that's all. It won't attack an ally, so you'll be fine."

"Huh..." Spinner peered up at the hulking monstrosity, looming several heads above him. Izuku could hear him swallow from here. "Y'sure? Because you didn't sound sure before."

"I'm sure. Do you think I'd ask this of you if I wasn't?" I should definitely feel more guilty for this. "Trust me."

Spinner eyed the length of the noumu, from its bare feet to its exposed brain. The villain shifted his shoulders forward, arms hanging low. From the limited gap in the door, Izuku could only see so much, but he assumed Spinner filled his hands with the many blades he'd hidden across his body.

"Alright," Spinner announced, dubious. "Here we go."

He leapt, and where Izuku couldn't see, he heard. A grunt, snapping and whirring, a scream cut off prematurely. Blood splattered the wall, before it was covered by a monstrous head. It leaned down to glance through the opening in the door. A purple helmet covered half its face, eyes hidden under a viridian pane of glass. Its mouth gaped open, saliva dripping over the uneven teeth as it groaned.

Izuku winced, looked away.

So that's a no.

---

"I don't have the keys for the door," Spinner admitted, tapping his foot against the metal gate.

Izuku hummed.

Maybe I should try tricking the noumu after all. I'm just afraid that as soon as we start making too much noise, Tokoyami and Bakugou will be in trouble. Then again, even if Spinner finds the key for the door, won't the result be the same? We'll have to fight the noumu either way, unless the thing is stupid enough that it doesn't register the door being unlocked as an escape attempt, which is... entirely possible.