Chapter Text
With this many people in it, the rundown bar glimmered with shadows of its glorious past. Kurogiri wordlessly stood by the boxy, over-a-decade-old television. Barely audible emergency reports told of a panicked populace and scrambling officials. Even far-flung corners of Japan were grappling with the immediate aftermath of the Vanguard’s guerilla attack. All of this played out on the screen with clips cutting back and forth between worried anchors and field reports.
Spinner and Magne had volunteered for the first watch of the tied-up, sleeping Katsuki. They sat in scuffed wooden chairs, speaking in low tones to one another. The slumping student didn’t so much as twitch to acknowledge the villains around him.
In the storage room, Himiko and Mustard slept on cots. Though you lot were a collection of villains, none of the adults could find it in their pride to insist on sleeping before children. The especially rough condition Mustard returned in coaxed all of the grown criminals into swallowing back yearnings for a little rest.
Well, all of the grown criminals except your boss. Shigaraki had retired to the bar’s office.
That left you sitting at the bar itself to Twice’s left. Dabi settled on the man’s right. Mr. Compress, still costume like the rest of you, made himself at home behind the bar.
“Ugh, I feel so gross.” You tugged at the collar of your villain costume.
Given that your civilian identity was known, the ensemble wasn’t flashy. The fabric had a faint handprint pattern. The real highlights were the supportive compression garments. For how fatiguing your quirk could be, you needed to squeeze every ounce of energy and endurance you could from your physical form.
Compress placed a fizzy, fruity-smelling drink down in front of you as he commiserated. “You’re telling me. I think those kids got dust in places I haven’t had grimy since the Tokyo Flash Heists.”
“You took part in those?” Twice asked with glee. “Wasn’t anything big! Only thousands of dollars all for the taking. Lame!” He accepted a cold mug of beer, lifting his mask just high enough to lick his lips before guzzling it down.
Compress slid a cup of coconut water and lime juice to Dabi before taking up his own cocktail. “I’m sure I could figure out a piña colada,” the magician-like villain offered. “There’s no frozen pineapple, but everything else is available.”
“You guys are jumping the gun.” The staple-sporting villain’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he took a long drink. “The mission ain’t over.” His eyes briefly darted to the side, clearly referring to Katsuki. “The heroes are gonna start looking for us soon. And, we haven’t even spoken with the kid.”
With a little black straw pressed to your lips, you resisted the urge to roll your eyes. “That’s what the watch and sleep shifts are for, oh enlightened Vanguard captain.”
The burned man shot you a look. Twice raised both hands, ready and willing to place peacekeeper between you and Dabi.
“Hey, hey! There’s nothing wrong with being cautious! We deserve to cut loose!! That was a total victory!!” He bumped elbows with the dark-haired man. “Get off her ass! We did great!” Then, to you: “Give him a break, huh? He’s just looking out for us.”
Compress, ever level-headed, leaned his hip against the low counter behind the bar. “Regardless of what is going on outside of these walls, for now, all we can do is bide our time until everyone is refreshed and our…” Trailing off, he considered how to refer to your kidnapee. “And, our new friend rests up.” With a cross of his arms, his gaze darted between you and Twice. “I do believe I was owed a story of origin over celebratory drinks, though.”
“Oh, right.” You smacked your lips at the tart and bitter undertones of your fruity little cocktail. “You know, it’s funny. Twice and I didn’t even exchange names at the time.” A half-hearted laugh floated in the air. “I’d just remember him anywhere…”
“I don’t remember that night at all!” he flatly said. “The details are all stark… I was beside myself. No, really, beside myself! I was having a great time, doing just what I liked when I heard poor ole Unresolved here crying out!” Twice slammed the side of his fist on the bar top. “It didn’t bother me at all! Some weenie with a weak ass quirk was overpowering her. Can you believe it?”
“... I believe I’m beginning to parse your speech pattern,” Compress idly commented, deciding to take Twice’s perspective with a grain of salt and possibly interpret some of the events in the opposite manner.
“I beat his ass! Wasn’t so tough facing a crowd instead of one lady! After that… She totally begged me to escort her to a police station. I went all the way, ‘cause cops and me are super tight! No problems at all!”
“Must have been before your criminal career started,” Dabi muttered over the rim of his cup.
You ruffled your hair, alcohol helping you relax as you explained yourself. “Uh, actually, since we’re telling the story properly… The guy you beat up wasn’t some rando.” Your nails, still dirty from the mission, tapped along the polished countertop. “He was a guard.” You took another long sip before continuing, a touch self-conscious. “I had just escaped when you found me.”
Twice looked at you in shock. “You’ve already been to the big house?!” He tilted his head then. “Yeah, you seem like a little thug.”
Compress chuckled good-naturedly. “Oh, my. They’ve never shown your mug shot.”
“... So, wait, you didn’t go to the cops then, did you?” Twice asked. “You’re a real glutton for punishment!! Naughty girl!”
Unable to hold back a cackle, you put a hand on his shoulder. “Sure didn’t! When you backed off, I booked it. I was actually about to shit a brick tryna figure out how I was gonna slip out of there if you took me all the way.”
“My, my! What deception!” Compress playfully chided. “What a wonderful origin… Thank you both for sharing.”
“Hey, I’m just glad the mission went so well,” you quipped blithely. With both hands on your drink again, you threw Twice another smile. “Reuniting with a friendly face is a nice bonus.”
Twice rubbed the back of his neck, barely visible cheeks flushing red. “Eheh.”
“An escape artist, a most wanted contender, and a master thief…” Compress leaned towards Dabi. “That just leaves you a mystery, my friend. Care to share anything?”
Now down to ice, Dabi slid his glass back to Compress. “Not really.”
Twice threw an arm over Dabi’s shoulder, jovial as ever. “I bet you’re some kind of sicko!! It’s okay if you were a civilian before now.”
“Yeah, we don’t care if you’re new to this,” you added. “Your attitude’s kind of shit, but you’re a real good leader.”
The Blueflame villain didn’t shake off Twice’s hold. “Don’t really need you two cheering me on.”
“Life brings us many things we rarely ask for,” Compress teased.
Undeterred by the roll of Dabi’s eyes, you raised your glass. “To many more successful missions together!”
With the dawn came a new round of the endless news cycle. A bleary-eyed Himiko stumbled out of the storage room with Mustard in tow. The sleep had obviously not been good, but everyone had to take what they could get.
Twice greeted the younger blonde with a warm “Good morning!” and Himiko chirped back something similar as they took their shift of watching Katsuki.
“Is he gonna sleep ‘til goddamned noon?” Dabi growled. He had taken to a booth to stretch out his legs. His turn to visit the storage room was still some time off yet and his mood soured as his exhaustion grew.
You, however, had already agreed to share a spell with Magne. Spinner had raised a fuss at first, but Mr. Compress talked him down with some gibberish about being a gentleman.
With a yawn, you shrugged. “That’s a boss for you.”
He took your words in irritated silence. You were just about to turn and finally take a blissful sleep when Mustard blocked your path.
“I did not need rescue,” he spat. “Your actions were wholly unreasonable. What if you had endangered yourself in coming to, to assist me? You had no knowledge that whatever I had trouble in dealing with you could somehow manage, you… you arrogant woman!”
His anger took you off guard, so you merely blinked at the child for a moment. Then, you put a hand on your hip.
“Look, kid. I just wanted to be a good team player. If it bothers you that much, next time I won’t help out.”
“I’d rather you continue.”
You looked over, shocked to see Shigaraki up and out of his office. He headed at once for the bar, settling on a stool to lazily regard you and Mustard. “Dabi mentioned what you’d done during the debriefing. It wasn’t clear if you have actual medical knowledge or not.”
“Nothing more than what you pick up in this line of work,” you admitted. “I just have better insight with my quirk.”
Mustard, clearly unhappy to have his chiding so quickly brushed aside by the boss, walked off with his proverbial tail between his legs.
Shigaraki muttered a curse before waving you onto your well-earned nap. “We could really use a healer on the team. That’s what we’re missing… Even Giran couldn’t find one.”
You didn’t doubt that. As you finally joined Magne in the dark room, you thought of how rare healing quirks were in general. It was virtually unheard of for anyone with one of those to wind up a villain. People were happy to help those fortunate few coast through in life in exchange for their services.
The cot wasn’t comfortable and it was difficult to relax in a windowless room, but Magne’s soft breathing served as white noise. Somehow, you managed to drift off.
The way your back cracked when you stood from your shift was delicious. Mr. Compress shared the sentiment, stretching from side to side as he walked away from the wooden chairs posted before Katsuki.
Kurogiri and Dabi took over your spots. It was now well into the evening and the warpgate-producing villain had left various greasy snacks on the bar top. If they were unappetizing, your hunger made you believe otherwise.
As everyone had now had a chance to rest, the entire League was now active. Magne waved you over as you grabbed a little plate. She and Himiko had claimed one of the booths as a sort of girls’ table. As silly as it was, you rarely got to just hang out with other women. So, you were all too happy to indulge.
“Sit, sit!” Himiko encouraged as she swiped a fry. “I was just telling Big Sis Magne about my new crushes!”
“Oh, youth!” Magne swooned, also taking one of your fries.
Bemused but not entirely willing to take that lying down, you grabbed one of Himiko’s chicken wings. She took this with only a little squeak of protest.
“Go on,” you encouraged. “Who caught your eye?”
“Izuku Midoriya and Ochaco Uraraka!” Himiko giggled. “Ochaco’s got this lovely air about her… I think we’ll get along really well. And, Izuku’s just my type! He looks sooo handsome all bloodied up!”
What a peculiar girl! But, seeing that it was no skin off your nose, you just chuckled at her enthusiasm. “They’re both hero students, aren’t they? Be careful, Toga.”
“I tried to tell her that, but the heart wants what it wants,” Magne breezily countered. She looked over her shoulder, smiling. “Speaking of which… How about that Dabi, huh? There’s a real tall drink of water.”
You followed her line of sight. Dabi wasn’t bad looking, sure, but his personality left a lot to be desired. Your eyes trailed towards Twice, who was having trouble staying awake. He was nursing a glass of cold coffee as Spinner prattled on about something to him.
“... You think dating within the team would be okay?” you asked.
Magne scoffed. “What’s the point of being a villain if you can’t even do that?”
Himiko let out a noise of frustration. “What?! So, it’s okay for you two, but not for me?”
“We’re not into heroes,” you pointed out with a quick swipe of one of Magne’s cheese sticks.
Thoroughly displeased, the little blonde flopped with her chin on the table. She went so far as to pout!
“Oh, cheer up, darling. Let’s not focus on romance! Instead… Let’s talk strategy! This team’s pretty big. The three of us should do some training sometime to become a real strong three-woman cell!”
That perked you right up. You had been very disappointed with your fledgling performance on the team last night and Magne’s offer was just perfect. “I’d like that, Magne!”
