*i love how when i started writing this i was like oh this is kinda filler not much happens it'll probably be like 3k or something and then i got THIS

*HAHAJJDJF I LOVE HOW ALL OF YALL LOST YOUR SHIT OVER SHINSOU FIGURING IT OUT AHAHAHHAHA

*yall rly make me cry with your comments every single time without fail

*tw for a panic attack! stay safe y'all

[NOVEMBER 3RD - DAY THREE]

[8:00]

It's not the first time she's been called to the support lab.

She's surprised Hatsume Mei has her number, and even more surprised when the inventor requested for her specifically. She hasn't filed for any new gear, nor has she interacted with support recently. There's not any big reason for Hatsume to want to visit her, but she ultimately doesn't question it. After all, she's a hero in training, and any new support gear is helpful, not that she needs it.

Which is why she finds herself wandering down the halls of Yuuei about twenty minutes before class starts. She should've arrived a lot earlier, but if need be, they have two gym periods today, so she can always go back. She's sure Aizawa-sensei will let her. And if not, there's always lunch.

She hasn't actually visited the support lab before. She knows the layout of Yuuei practically like the back of her hand, but that doesn't mean she's gone into every single classroom. There's far too many to have visited them all, and again, she doesn't actually need support gear.

It's easy to find Hatsume's room when there's a nameplate right outside the door. She knocks a couple times, unsure of whether she should be barging in or not, and Hatsume yells from inside. "Come in!"

When she steps through the door, someone is immediately slamming it shut, and she feels the itch of her quirk beginning to activate.

"What—"

She trails off as she takes in the person who closed the door. The curly, green hair and freckles are familiar, but the expression on his face is not.

Midoriya smiles at her, but it's not the same shy, polite smile she's seen before, oh no. This smile is excited.

"Welcome to the mafia."

A spark of confusion flies through her. "You can't be in the mafia," she points out. "You're a police officer."

"A selected one," Midoriya emphasizes, shooting her a sly smirk as he walks further into the room. Hatsume is beside a table, disinterested in the conversation. "Selected officers can't be recruited, but they never said anything about being the Kingpin."

Oh.

Oh.

That's... that's a really smart move.

Not many people have read the rulebook cover to cover like she has, and even so, no one else has realized that loophole exists. They just assumed not being a mafia member meant being related to the mafia at all, but looking back on it... principal Nezu's wording makes a lot more sense in hindsight.

And while she's sure Midoriya had no input into being chosen as their selected officer, she's also sure that he was in no way opposed.

Her eyes drift to Hatsume in the back of the room, the girl appearing to be tinkering with something. "I'm assuming you're the other member?"

"Yep!" the girl chirps, not looking up from her device. "Welcome to the Inner Circle!"

And that's when it hits her.

She's in this now. She's a part of this. She's... she's the villain. She's going to have to lie to her friends, to work for evil, to help the wrong side. She's going to be a liar and it'll deceive her classmates, her classmates she's supposed to represent, no doubt attaching more of a bad reputation to 1-A.

When Midoriya looks back at her with concern, there's an odd tug at her mind. "Hey... are you okay?" he asks, walking over to her, and that's when she notices her breathing is a little heavier. "I'm sorry this is so sudden, but I don't know how else to do it."

And that's when she realizes it's acting.

Not the concern, no, the confidence, the straightforwardness. It's not that the Kingpin is Midoriya, it's that Midoriya is the Kingpin. He's changing himself to fit the role, sure, but ultimately, the exercise is called the Mafia Game for a reason. It's all just a game.

She's not becoming a villain, she's playing the role of one.

And so she sets her jaw.

"Can you fill me in?" she asks, and Midoriya gives a relieved smile, though there's a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

"Sure. First, I think you should read the Kingpin rulebook so I don't have to try and explain everything. Second, you need to pick a codename. I had the luxury of being handed one, so Hatsume can tell you about how she chose."

With that, the girl's attention peeks up, and she turns away from her creation to smile at her, although it shows off her pointed teeth and makes her think of a feral animal. "Right! So, my codename is LiveWire, or just LW if you want. My role is to do stuff with tech, so LiveWire relates to that, but it could also relate to electricity or just a bubbly person, so it's not obviously tied to me. Honestly, I'd look up synonyms to your quirk and pick whatever sounds cool."

"That's not a bad idea," Midoriya says, already pulling out his phone. "Here, I'll pull up a thesaurus."

"Oh, it's alright!" she protests, waving her hands. "I have my own ph—"

But then Midoriya's phone is being shoved into her hands, and he smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, I got a little carried away."

"It's alright," she assures, already typing.

"Oh! Afterwards, can you put in your number?" Midoriya asks, walking over to a countertop and reaching over it to grab a black book. "I'm gonna make a groupchat, so you'll get Hatsume's number too."

"Okay." She files that away for later, focusing on the plethora of potential codenames. She scrolls through them, figuring that the right one will jump out at her.

And it does.

Midoriya grins as she hands back his phone, and he trades it for a book with red words printed on the cover. "Read through that, and I'll tell you about our plan to get the next objective."

When she hits the objectives section of the books, she looks up at Midoriya with a mixture of horror and sympathy. He shrugs, saying something about already having a plan, and she swallows down nausea. Ten minutes ago, she could barely stomach the idea of lying to her classmates, but this is a whole new level.

But Assembly is committed, and when Hatsume tells her about Plan Ten, she realizes exactly why the Kingpin recruited her.

[NOVEMBER 3RD - DAY THREE]

[12:30]

Today wasn't supposed to be a busy day.

They were going to lie low, with Hatsume starting on some tech and finishing up on the mini cameras she'd made Izuku as a cover story. He busied himself with filling in their newest recruit, Assembly, and pushing down fresh waves of guilt that rose as he explained his plans.

It's not that he doesn't want to go through with them; at this point, he's committed, and they've already begun anyways. There's no reason not to follow through. But sometimes, usually late at night, there's a claw of anxiety wrapped around his heart and he can't seem to breathe deeply enough to calm down.

If he got a mere three hours of sleep last night, no one needs to know.

Plus, they're simply biding their time before their debut. Plan Five is starting, and as soon as it's completed, the game gets a lot more serious. It's better to enjoy the calm before the storm while they can and kill time. The more the police think they aren't doing anything, the looser their guards get, while at the same time, they grow more paranoid. Not that the mafia wasn't already on the down low.

The point is, today was supposed to be an easy day.

But then he hears a voice call out his name. "Midoriya?"

When he turns around and faces Shinsou, he waves brightly, and ushers his friends ahead. They had just been dismissed for lunch, so he can afford to miss a couple minutes. Uraraka promises to get a tray of Katsudon for him, and he thanks her with a grateful smile. Iida even offers to wait for him, but Midoriya waves him off, thanking him for the thought but reasoning Shinsou probably wants to talk to him alone.

He turns his full attention to Shinsou once his friends have began walking away. "What do you need?"

Shinsou hesitates, shifting from foot to foot. "Can... can we not talk here?"

Izuku feels a sense of impending doom, like something is very, very wrong, but he pushes it aside, figuring it's some dumb anxiety or paranoia thing.

That's his first mistake.

"Uh... okay?" He looks around the hallway. "W-where do you want to go?"

Shinsou's eyes dart from side to side, but then he sighs. "Can I talk to you after school? Uh... I can... I don't know, give you my number? And we can talk later? I know a... a cat cafe... yeah, that's probably a good idea..."

"O-okay!" Izuku beams, squashing down his own nerves in favor of settling Shinsou's. "I love cat cafes, but I never really get to go... oh! We'll need permission! I can ask Aizawa-sensei!"

"No, I'll ask during my training," Shinsou replies, and he reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "So..."

"Right!" Izuku fishes out his own phone, implementing his number into Shinsou's as the boy does the same. They trade back, and an awkward silence hangs over them for a few seconds.

"So... lunch?" Shinsou offers, and Izuku smiles.

"Let's go! Do you want to sit with me?"

Shinsou blanches, and Izuku giggles at the boy's face. "I-I'm okay. You have fun."

When they part ways in the cafeteria, Izuku doesn't have long to question the conversation because he's swept up into his friend's chat about whether bird eyes are secretly cameras and if that makes Hawks a secret government agent.

[NOVEMBER 3RD - DAY THREE]

[13:15]

A few minutes before class starts again, Izuku gets a phone call.

Asui is mid-sentence when his phone vibrates, and Asui stops talking to allow him to answer. Aoyama kindly quiets down, and Todoroki keeps his already closed mouth shut. The contact reads 'Mom,' and Asui nods politely at him, like the angel she is.

Midoriya is sure to flash her a grateful smile before he answers, pressing the phone against his ear. "Hi, mom!"

"Hey! I was just wondering if I'm supposed to go after school today?"

"No," Izuku says, shifting the phone so he can subtly press the volume buttons down. "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that." He adds a soft laugh to the end of his sentence.

"What should I tell him then?"

Izuku hums, biting his lip in contemplation. "Maybe... something about... having what you need?"

"Alright. Should we pretend to have more of a conversation, or can I wrap it up here?"

"Okay, bye Mom! Love you!" Izuku replies, hanging up the phone.

Aoyama, being the lovely attention seeker he is, promptly moves the conversation along without questioning Izuku. They all saw the contact name, after all, and even Asui, for all her bluntness, doesn't bother to question a call from his mother. It's pretty self explanatory.

If Izuku temporarily changed his mom's contact name to 'Inko,' they don't need to know.

It's nice to know this plan works, though.

[NOVEMBER 3RD - DAY THREE]

[16:15]

Izuku had been chatting with Todoroki and Iida when he'd gotten a text.

A surprisingly sour-looking Uraraka hands him his phone, saying something about a text message? She seems so... down, ever since yesterday's sparring match where she went quiet out of the blue, and Izuku is half tempted to ignore the text in favor of his friend, but then he reads the message.

Hatsume's finished his gear!

His eyes gleam with excitement, but he squashes it down when he sees his friend's fallen face. "Uraraka? Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh!" she perks up and rubs her neck. "Y-yeah. You got a text from... H-Hatsume, right?"

Izuku nods. "Yeah. My gear is done!" He can't help the hint of delight that seeps into his tone. "But, are you sure you're alright? You've seemed pretty down since yesterday..."

By now, Izuku knows better than to ignore signs of his friends sadness; the last thing they need is a repeat of the Stain situation. To her credit, Uraraka does her best to brighten her features, but he doesn't miss the emptiness behind her eyes. "Yep! I'm a bit tired though... I think this mafia thing has everyone on edge."

Izuku hides a wince. He can deal with his friends mentioning the Mafia Game in theory, but as soon as he's faced with them, he wants nothing more than to blurt out he's the Kingpin and get this game over with so things can go back to normal. Alas, it's still technically an exam, and he can't afford to fail, not when his plans are starting to come to fruition.

Doesn't make it easier to sit here and lie to his friends, though.

"Y-yeah," he comments, glancing at Todoroki, who's walked a bit ahead next to Iida. Izuku and Uraraka trail behind the other two. "I wish they didn't have to pit us against each other."

"I know, right?!" Uraraka exclaims, gesturing wildly, and Izuku startles, not expecting the outburst from her. "Like, couldn't we have done anything else? I don't want to fight my friends, I don't want my friends to have to be villains, I don't want— I don't want to suspect you guys!"

Izuku can relate to that, in a sense. He doesn't necessarily want to play the villain either, and that's unavoidable with some of the objectives. They're only three days into the game, and Izuku feels... dirty. He feels like a fraud, he feels like a traitor, and he doesn't want to fight any of his friends either!

But he takes a deep breath, and he reminds himself that his friends will probably still like him, probably still accept him (even if there's a voice screaming in the back of his mind that they'll hate him, they'll never want to see him again, it'll be exactly the same as—), and he says, "I really hate it too. But... think of it as just... a game? That's what it is, right?"

Uraraka looks at him, eyebrow raised. "They're forcing our friends to become villains. How is this just a game?"

Izuku cringes. "I-I mean, it's called the Mafia Game for a reason, r-right? I-I don't want to hate any of our classmates or friends because they did what they were told."

Uraraka is silent, mulling over his words, and for a second, Izuku worries she's going to blurt out an accusation, she's going to call him a liar and say she wants nothing to do with him or worse, she'll—

"That makes sense," she replies instead, and Izuku has half a mind to put his hand over his racing heart. "I... I didn't think that the mafia members would feel guilty about it too." She beams at him. "Surely they won't do anything too villainous, right? We're all heroes in training, so they'll know better! And you'll catch them, I'm sure!"

He wants to cry.

He's aware the police and majority of students know the mafia has objectives, but that's the extent of their knowledge. They don't know what those objectives are, they don't know just how bad it gets, just how much it'll affect them. There's a reason Izuku is worried about Shinsou, there's a reason he's worried about recruiting students from his class, there's a reason he can't sleep at night anymore.

"Deku-kun?" Uraraka asks, and Izuku notices that they've stopped walking and Todoroki and Iida have moved on ahead of them, with the girl waving them off. "Why are you crying?"

Luckily, his tears are a common occurrence, so nothing about it is suspicious, but Izuku can't seem to put his thoughts into coherent sentences. "I— don't... um..." and he promptly bursts into tears again.

"Hey, don't cry!" Uraraka chirps, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Is it about the Mafia Game?"

Izuku manages a nod. "I— I don't want anyone to... hate anyone after it..."

Uraraka smiles sweetly. "I don't think our class could hate anyone," but then she squinches, "minus Mineta, the perv," she offhandedly mumbles, but then she lightens, perking her head back up. "I'll talk to them! And if anyone tries to hate on you if the police loses, I'll punch them for you!"

He can't stop the laugh from bubbling out of his throat, and he probably looks insane, giggling while tears stream down his face, but his voice is exceptionally soft when he says, "Thank you, Uraraka."

She beams back at him, with cheeks tinted slightly pinker, and then her face falls a little bit. "You should probably go visit H-Hatsume, shouldn't you?"

"Oh, right!" He wipes his tears on his sleeve, tucking his phone back into his pocket. "I'll get going then. Thanks for cheering me up!"

"No problem! Do you... do you want me to come with you?"

She eyes him with a strong amount of hope, but unfortunately, he has mafia things to talk to Hatsume about. "The new gear is a surprise, remember?" He flashes her a bright grin. "I'll be sure to bring you around, though! Hatsume wants to give this to lots of hero students, so I'm really just a first test dummy..."

"Oh." Her crestfallen face almost makes Izuku backtrack, but Uraraka looks back up with a small, sad smile before he can say anything. "Well, have fun! I can't wait to find out what the surprise gear is!"

"And I can't wait to show you!" Izuku says, bouncing on his toes. He starts dashing off in the direction of the support lab, waving over his shoulder. "Bye!"

"Bye!" she echos, watching him leave for a few seconds before jogging in the opposite direction, yelling for Iida and Todoroki to wait up.

They'd only just began heading back to the dorms, so it takes a couple minutes for him to run back to Yuuei and scan his card. The students are allowed back on campus until curfew, so Izuku has no trouble getting back inside, and when he sees Aizawa and Shinsou sparring outside, neither of them bat an eye. Shinsou does get swept off his feet by Aizawa though, and Izuku winces in sympathy.

He doesn't dwell on it, ripping open the door to the main building and hurrying through the halls. If Iida saw him, he's pretty sure his speed would give the boy a heart attack, which gets a laugh out of him. That probably looks super weird; if a teacher came along and saw a blur of green rush past, laughing to himself, they'd be throughly disturbed.

Which is why Izuku is glad Hatsume has her own lab room, because otherwise, he'd be running into Powerloader, and he'd like to save some dignity today, thank you very much.

When Izuku bursts through the door, Hatsume is already standing there, and she immediately yells, "They're done!"

There's a small, black square in Hatsume's hand, and the girl excitedly beckons Izuku over, which looks eerily similar to just flapping her hands around in his direction. He speaks enough Hatsume to know what she means, and he eagerly bounds over. The girl reaches forward and grabs a handful of his shirt, pinning the box to his chest. "I'm gonna work on a flat, smaller circle design once we determine whether or not the camera itself works, so we should test that now."

Izuku nods, pulling out his phone. Hatsume had created an app specifically for the camera. What is does it sends the video feed from his camera directly to his phone, which depending on the setting, will either upload it to a drive or send it to a contact of his choice. Right now, said contact is set to Hatsume, but when he equips the final product to his hero costume, it'll stream to Aizawa.

Hatsume fiddles with her own phone. "If this baby works, you can keep it and wear it on your civilian clothes if you want. Or you can... you know, use it?"

"Actually, Shinsou mentioned talking to me today," Midoriya brings up, pressing a tiny button on the side of the camera and watching a rim light up a faint red. "He didn't really mention much? Does this record audio, 'cause maybe I could put it inside a jacket or something..."

Hatsume rolls her eyes. "Of course it records audio, who do you take me for?"

"You right, you right."

Hatsume grins, barring her teeth, and she shoves her phone in Izuku's face. "It sends to me! Location and all! This is perfect!"

While the mini hidden camera started out as a quick lie to Powerloader, Hatsume and Midoriya soon realized the potential of it, as both a cover story and an actual support item. Izuku has a habit of... getting into trouble, so having a hidden camera, especially one that can livestream to his teacher, is practically a gift from God.

The test dummy thing isn't a lie, either. It would do their classmates some good to have cameras on them as well, so Izuku really is Hatsume's guinea pig. The sooner they can get the tech out, the better for their classmates, but worse for him, as it leaves him without a reliable cover.

He'd considered a fake dating plan, but that had been shot down, as they needed that for later. Honestly, he could probably just say he and Hatsume are friends and leave it at that. Most of his class is either too comfortable with their friend group or too frightened by Hatsume to really question him. Plus, Izuku has a reputation of being overly friendly, so having relationships within other departments isn't highly unusual.

At least, it wouldn't be if they weren't in the middle of an exam.

"Thanks a lot, Hatsume!" Izuku beams, taking the camera off his shirt to fiddle with the clasp. "I can keep the contact set as you for now, so you can listen in when I meet with Shinsou."

Hatsume hums, toying with the app on Izuku's phone and placing it beside her own to make sure everything's functioning. "What's Shinsou want with you, anyways?"

"I'm not sure." His eyebrows scrunch together, and he bites his lip. "He seemed really nervous when he asked me? Maybe he wants my help with something?"

"Maybe... seems sketchy." Izuku agrees with that sentiment. He racks his brain for an answer. It's possible Shinsou needs his help, but it seems unlike him to go to Izuku of all people for help. Maybe he feels as though Izuku owes him? Which he kinda does? Izuku doesn't ponder over it for long because his phone vibrates from its place on Hatsume's table.

That's his second mistake.

"Shinsou texted you," the girl informs him, and he walks over to the table to read it himself.

"I've got about an hour before I need to go," Izuku comments, and he looks Hatsume in the eye, feeling a grin start to take over his face. "I have a new idea for tech, if you wan—"

"OF COURSE I WANT IT!" Hatsume yells, shaking Izuku's shoulders. "What is it?"

Izuku chuckles, letting Hatsume bounce on her toes and jerk him around. "Have you ever made a gas mask?"

[NOVEMBER 3RD - DAY THREE]

[17:40]

Izuku's never been to a cat cafe, but he wasn't expecting this.

From the outside, it looks like a regular coffee shop, with a brown and tan aesthetic. The shop name is printed in pretty cursive calligraphy, and the design of the storefront is simple but pleasing to the eye. Shinsou had messaged Izuku a couple minutes ago, saying he already secured a table, so Izuku steels his nerves and walks inside.

The interior continues the brown aesthetic, with a counter lining the side wall and tables in the open space. There's an area for the cats in the back, with a little door in case the kittens want privacy or need to be out of the way. During open hours, it appears they're allowed to wander around, and he finds Shinsou sitting at a corner table by a window, petting one cat and letting another roam by his feet.

Izuku breathes a sigh of relief at seeing the boy. On his way over, he'd been worried out of his mind that this was some sort of prank or set up or disaster waiting to happen, but it seems to be none of those.

That's his third mistake.

He walks over to Shinsou, making sure the boy sees him approach. "H-hi!"

"Hey." Izuku pulls out a chair, seeing two drinks already set out on the table. "I just ordered what I get," Shinsou says, as if he's a mindreader. "Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all!" Izuku says, picking up a cup and taking a sip. It's a bit too sweet for his tastes, but it's a lot better than what Hatsume has made. That girl is insane, and suddenly he understands how she can get zero sleep and still function with high energy.

"Let's cut straight to the chase," Shinsou says, and he leans forward, propping his chin on his hands. "I know you're the Kingpin."

Izuku nearly spits out his drink.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. What's he supposed to do? Lie? He's never been a good liar, at least not directly. He can act and lie by omission, but to outright deny this would only give more evidence to Shinsou's claim.

But isn't this what he wanted? Didn't he want everything to end? Didn't he want to go back to normal? His plans are villainous, monstrous, evil, yet exciting. This whole game is a thrill, and despite the guilt that gnaws at his stomach, there's a part of him that wants to keep playing.

They were doing so well! Hatsume has began researching for future tech, and their newest recruit, Assembly, is getting acquainted with all their plans. Izuku thought his excuses held up well, but he should've known better than to go to Shinsou, should've known better than to risk it. He should've just asked Shoji and Kuroiro himself, should've taken the chance that it would look suspicious because now it's all over—

Shinsou holds up a hand. "You hid it pretty well. Had you not come to me, I would've never guessed."

That does nothing to steel Izuku's nerves.

Shinsou puts his chin in his hand, gazing out the window behind him. "Were you planning on recruiting me?"

"I-I-I... I don't..."

"There's no point in lying, I already know."

Izuku digs his nails into his thigh. Fuck. Okay, how's he going to play this? Is there any way to spin this in his favor? Nezu said there's no middle ground, so he can't just ask Shinsou to stay impartial. He needs to get Shinsou on his side, or he'll go to the police and the game will end.

"You said at the assembly that 'you're either on the side of the police or the mafia.' Should someone discover my identity, am I allowed to bribe them into not telling the police?"

"The rules don't say you can't."

Oh. Oh!

"Yeah," Midoriya answers truthfully, sighing. "I wanted to. I... I still do."

Shinsou quirks an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"The rules don't say I can't tell future members that I want to recruit them," Izuku says, setting down his cup. "If you want... you can be an unofficial member until I can actually recruit you. I've already used up my member for the day, but I want to have you in the Inner Circle. I was actually planning on recruiting you next."

Shinsou glances back at him, not turning his head away from the window. "And if I go to the police?"

Izuku raps his nails against the table. "I've already helped you expand your quirk. Honestly, you play a key role in most of my plans. I think... I think you could gain a lot of experience from this. Plus, this is still an exam. Isn't this a perfect time to prove you're worthy of being in the Heroics course?"

That gets Shinsou's attention.

"...I should end the game right now," Shinsou whispers, but Izuku can tell he's uncertain. "I'm going to be a hero, so I shouldn't play the villain."

"This is a perfect opportunity for you," Izuku points out. "You're quirk is so well suited to this game, I feel it was made for you. There's so much I want to try, and... well, I'm in the mafia, and some other hero students will be, so we can always help train you."

Shinsou glances down at the cat he was petting, slowly resuming running his hands through it's fur. "...Can I think about it? If I decide to go to the police... I'll inform you beforehand."

Izuku's eyes crinkle, and he holds out a hand. "Deal."

Shinsou eyes his hand, then the cat in his lap, and then he takes it, and the two shake hands. "Okay, Kingpin. I'll let you know."

Unbeknownst to one of them, Hatsume listens in on the whole conversation and begins upgrading her Capture Gun should they need to suspend Shinsou from going to the police. There's not much point, as they can't kidnap him for a month, but it's the thought that counts.

[NOVEMBER 4TH - DAY FOUR]

[2:00]

Izuku can't sleep.

It was supposed to be an easy day. They were going to lay low, Hatsume and him were going to play around with tech, Assembly would sit in the lab while researching, Izuku would write notes on his classmates, and Hatsume would make new gear. Nothing about today was supposed to be eventful, nothing was going to happen. They were going to have a fun day off before shit hit the fan, and they were going to lure the police into a false sense of security while they were at it.

Obviously, that's not what happened.

Somewhere along the lines, it went downhill, and fast. One minute he was laughing with Hatsume about how a silly gas mask design, the next minute he was desperately trying to control his breathing as his morals duked it out.

Izuku should've let Shinsou end the game. He should've let him take his identity to the police. He could've apologized, said he didn't want to play the villain, and left it at that. Everything could've returned to normal, his plans could fade into obscurity, and no one would hate him.

Is it wrong to have a part of him be excited? Is it wrong to have a part of him feel sadistic glee when he thinks about his future plans? What if there's a part of him that's secretly a monster, secretly a villain, and he's been a bad person all along? He should've never come to Yuuei, should've never tried to be a hero, should've never taken One For All; he doesn't deserve it, a villain doesn't deserve such a heroic quirk!

A couple minutes into his spiral, he notices he can't breathe.

He places a hand over his heart, feeling the rapid beat. He's dealt with this before, but something feels wrong this time, because there's no one to turn to. There's no one who he can talk to because the mafia is supposed to be a secret and everyone is going to hate him once this game is over and he'll be all alone again, like now, he's alone now. It's the same as it was before, it's just like middle school, just like before Yuuei, and Izuku's tears on his face are doing a horrible job of grounding him.

There's no one to turn to. He can't slip into Iida's room and get hugs, he can't play Mario Kart with Uraraka in the common room, he can't sit in with Todoroki as each of them do their own thing, he can't nerd out with Asui, he can't have Aoyama do his makeup. There's no one around, because they all hate him, as they should, he's a villain, he's in the mafia—

Hatsume! He can talk to Hatsume!

He scrambles for his phone, nearly knocking his bedside table over in the process, and the light burns his eyes but Izuku doesn't care. He sifts through his contacts for far too long, and for a second, he worries he doesn't have the girl's number at all, but then he realizes she's saved as LiveWire so he scrolls back to L—

There!

He presses dial before his brain can catch up with him.

The phone doesn't even ring once before Hatsume picks up. "Hello?"

And in typical Izuku fashion, he breaks down in tears.

"Hey! Midoriya?" Hatsume's voice flutters through the screen, and it only makes him cry harder, because it's nice having someone there even if it's only digital. "Midoriya! Are you alright? Is there an attack? Did something happen?"

"I-I-I..." he blubbers, turning the phone onto speaker before burying his face in his hands. "I don't... I'm sorry—"

"Is this about Shinsou?" Hatsume asks, hitting right on the mark. Izuku nods before he remembers she can't see him.

"...Uh huh—"

"Hey, it's not your fault! I'm surprised it took someone this long to figure it out," Hatsume assures, and Izuku shakes his head.

"N-no... it's not... it's about w-what h-he s... said..."

Hatsume's voice takes on a hint of anger. "What'd he say? The camera must not have caught it."

"N-n... no... I..."

"Deep breaths."

Izuku complies, and his throat burns. "I... i-is it wrong to l-l-like playing this game?"

"...What?"

"B...because..." Izuku fiddles with his pillow, pressing it against his front and imaging it's a hug. "B-because my p-plans are mean, and my friends are gonna h-h-hate—"

He cuts off, burying his face in his pillow as a fresh wave of tears springs on him.

"Do you want to come to the lab?" Hatsume asks. "Or should I come to you? Actually, it's probably quicker if I come to you. What room are you again? Second floor, right?"

"Y-yeah, you d-don't have t-to—"

"I'm on my way!" Hatsume chirps, and there's the sound of shuffling. "I'm gonna put my phone in my pocket, so if the call ends abruptly, that's why."

Izuku doesn't respond, clutching his pillow tighter. He doesn't understand. He's a villain, his plans are evil, so why is she coming to comfort him? Shouldn't she be running away, like everyone else will?

A new feeling grips his heart: fear. He doesn't want to lose his friends, his classmates. He doesn't want to lose Iida's protectiveness or Uraraka's puffy cheeks or Asui's wry comments or Aoyama's sparkles or Todoroki's relaxing silence...

Oh, Todoroki is going to hate him, so much, he's going to abandon him and turn against him and he's going to lose the one friend he's worked so hard for to a stupid game! But it's not the game, is it? It's Izuku. Izuku is the one with the cruel ideas, Izuku is the one coming up with the plans, Izuku is the one who should be blamed. Not the game, not Hatsume, not Assembly, not Nezu.

It's all Izuku's fault.

And that's when Hatsume raps on his door.

He looks up, surprised to see the call has ended and Hatsume is on his balcony, already messing with his lock. She's working with a shocking amount of speed, and Izuku can see a slight amount of fear in her eyes.

Oh god, she's afraid of him, isn't she? As she should be, he's a villain! He's mean and sadistic and psychotic and... and Izuku is in tears again, clutching his pillow tight to his chest and he can't breathe, why can't he breathe?

"Midoriya!" Hatsume whisper shouts, finally getting his door open. She slides the door and steps inside, almost slamming it shut. She carefully locks it, and then she's diving at him, and he feels her arms wrap securely around him and she shouldn't. She should be running away, wasn't she scared of him? Isn't she supposed to be afraid of villains?

"It's okay!" Hatsume exclaims, taking one of her hands and putting it under Izuku's head, cradling him close. "I don't know what's wrong, I don't know what Shinsou said, but it's okay! Everything is fine!"

"B-b-but... aren't... why... should..." Izuku ends the word babble with a strangled noise, and Hatsume pushes the pillow between them aside, cuddling Izuku closer.

"No one is going to hate you," Hatsume says, with a note of finality that makes Izuku want so desperately to believe her. "No one is going to be mad at you after this, and if they are, you'll have me and the rest of the mafia anyways. And I'm sure your friends will realize how much you mean to them. No one is going to hate you."

"B-but that's not— that's not how it works?" Izuku exclaims, though it sounds like a question. "Everyone... e-everyone always ends up h-hating me?"

"They shouldn't," Hatsume says, loosening her hold to prop herself up next to Izuku. "Why would they hate you?"

"Be— because? I don't..." Izuku shakes his head, growing frustrated. That's how it's always worked. Everyone ends up hating the useless Deku in the end, so there was no point in indulging in comfort and friends and classmates when it would make the end result hurt more.

"No one is going to hate you," Hatsume whispers, and she gives him a small smile. "And I'll punch Shinsou for you, if you'd like. It'd be a shame if one of his support items... happened to malfunction."

"N-no!" Izuku says, though he can't suppress a giggle. "D-don't sabotage Shinsou!"

"Why not?" Hatsume whines, and it's obviously played up, but a childish part of him still finds it funny.

"Because... you just can't!"

"Since when has that ever stopped me?"

"Hatsume..."

"Fine, fine," she relents, swatting his arm. "Do you wanna talk more about it, or do you want to put on one of this cheesy All Might films you love so much for some reason?"

Izuku blushes as soon as he realizes, yeah, his room really is an All Might shrine. "You know I can't resist the All Might movies..."

"That's why I suggested them, isn't it?" Hatsume grins, and Izuku feels his heart swell with gratitude. She's probably gotten the gist of his problems anyways, and the last thing he wants to do right now is talk about them.

For the first time since the game started, Izuku gets an acceptable amount of sleep.

*damn i rly said izuku-centric with this chapter

*last chapter had so many different characters so you get just izuku for this one lol

*i wanted to show that despite playing the kingpin and coming up with lots of plans and being excited about the game, midoriya still has issues with that fact that he has to lie and use everyone. the world is still a little black and white to him, and after chasing villains for so long, he's not going to react well to becoming one

*also i guarantee like all of you will guess who the hidden member is why do i even bother to hide shit for suspense anymore HJDJDJF

GUESTS

I ACTUALLY BASED THIS OFF BOTH THE OLD BAIT AND SWITCH AND HERO CLASS CIVIL WARFARE i can't remember whether or not i mentioned the old bait and switch lol. also yeah i want the whole team rn too but alas D:

for starting stories, i say to just go for it! make sure that when you're writing, you're having fun and it doesn't feel like a chore.

Il1v3inmymind

i'm glad you like it! i was rly worried about my execution too, so i'm glad you're enjoying!

Kara Toma

you rly hit the mark with the redirect police thing but at the same time missed it entirely BDJJDNF