Forest

The streets really weren’t as scary as people made them out to be. Sure, being quirkless didn’t help at the beginning, but at this point he had a reputation. Not necessarily a good one, but not a bad one either. The people around knew that they could come to him when they needed help. He's always there to offer support, normally in the form of materials. Whether it's weapons, food, money, or tools, he provides. They aren’t sure how he gets the stuff, and to be honest, they aren’t sure they really want to know. On the other hand, while he was a nice person, they also knew that you did not cross Forest.

To be honest Forest was all around a mystery, even to those who knew him better. No one knew where he stayed, no one knew where he got the items he had, no one knew where he came from, just that he appeared on the streets one day as a measly little kid and quickly became well known. No one even knew his real name, and Izuku liked to keep it that way. To be honest, Izuku doesn’t really know where the name Forest came from. He likes to think that it is because forests can be tranquil and calm, but also threatening and disconcerting. In reality though, the name probably originated from the unruly mop of green he called hair. 

When Izuku was first kicked out, he was an easy target, which presented a problem. He was a small, thin, frail, quirkless kid, and that did not bode well for his survival. Most who came across him gave him less than three months before someone found him dead. Unsurprisingly to everyone, he was beaten bloody his first night… and his second… and many many times in the first few months. But if there was one thing to know about Izuku it’s that he does not give up.

Now, eight years later, he has changed a lot. His baby face has gone away, leaving him with a sharp jawline and his emerald green eyes that had such a piercing gaze that many people felt as if he was staring into their soul. He was littered with scars, the worst of which being a gnarly slice stretching at a diagonal from his left shoulder to his lower back. He got that one in a knife fight years ago with a girl named Himiko. He was actually friends with Himiko now, though she was as much a mystery to him as he was to her. He had also bulked up, he was no longer frail and tiny. He was only around 5’7” which was shorter than a lot of other people, but what he lacked in height he made up for in muscle and sheer skill. 

The most fascinating thing about Izuku though, was the gear that he was never spotted without. He had a metal, mechanical looking face covering that always hung around his neck. It functioned as a voice changer, air purifier, and also simply to protect his mouth from damage. He also always wore the same boots, they appeared to be simply metal plated at first but in reality had grips that allowed him to scale things that should not be possible for someone without a quirk, as well as knives that popped out from the edges. Those were certainly helpful in fights. The other obvious gear he possessed were his guns, grappling hook, and knife. 

There were of course, some slightly less obvious things Izuku had incorporated into his outfit. His outfit looked simple enough, the basics of his clothes were always the same. Just a t-shirt and jeans. The thing that was important was the leather jacket that he was never spotted without. He found the Forest thing entertaining, so there was a patch on the back of the jacket of the silhouette of a forest. It also helped keep people away because they could identify him by it. But it also was a protective barrier. It was bullet proof, and no knife or brute force weapon could make it through. He created the jacket after his run-in with Himiko. Lastly, were his gloves. Which simply looked like black fingerless gloves, but were not simple in any manner. They had grips on them just like his shoes, were similarly outfitted with protection like his jacket, and could dispense a sleeping gas. 

Izuku wouldn’t consider himself a genius in any way, but he knew he was smart. Everything he knew, everything he could do, he taught himself. Only one person knew the extent of his intelligence though, and that was his friend Dabi. Dabi tried not to think too much about everything Izuku could accomplish if he put his mind to it, the heroes were very lucky that Izuku still wants to be a hero and didn’t decide to be a villain. They wouldn’t stand a chance. He knows this because he has essential information that no one else does. That fancy, elaborate gear Izuku always has on him? He made it all himself. 

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“Yo Dabi!” Izuku calls into the dark warehouse. “Where ya at?”

In response Izuku gets silence, so he continues to walk deeper into the warehouse. Suddenly, Izuku whips around and grabs the arm reaching for him moments ago. He uses the person's momentum to flip them over his shoulder and into the concrete.

Looking down at the ground, a smile tugs at his face. “Hey there Dabi.”

 “Almost had you that time Forest,” a purple scarred face looks up at him, grinning maniacally.

“Not really, you got closer though i’ll give you that much.”

“Shut up asshole, I was close that time.”

Izuku just laughs in response as he reaches down to help Dabi up.

“I haven’t seen you in a week, kid. Where have you been?”

“First of all, I'm not a kid,” Izuku replies, voice dripping with sass. “And secondly, I was taking entrance exams for high school. I still want to go to school ya know.”

“You are definitely a kid,” Dabi teases, leaning himself up against a crate. “You just proved it. You are taking high school entrance exams. You’re still a baby.”

“If you don’t shut up I will fight you,” Izuku deadpans.

“Okay, okay,” Dabi smirks, relinquishing the argument to the kid because he doesn’t doubt he means the threat. Dabi knows Forest wouldn’t actually hurt him…. well at least not badly, but he has other information he wants anyways. “So what schools did you apply for?”

“None of your business,” Izuku deflects, before turning away from Dabi and walking to the doors of the warehouse. “So what are we doing today?”

“You wanna come with me to see one of my friends?”

“Yeah sure. Where are we going?”

“A bar downtown, let’s go.”

Izuku just shrugs at that, and follows Dabi. Once they got into the part of town they were heading to, Dabi could hear people whispering about Forest. 

“Yo kid people are whispering about you again.”

“Oh, i’m well aware. I’m used to it, believe me. Just keep moving, most people aren’t brave enough to actually approach me. They just talk.”

Dabi doesn’t respond, he just keeps walking until they arrive at their destination.

“Welcome to my home,” Dabi states, opening the door to the bar.

“You live in a bar?”

“Yep.”

“Okay then, scar man.”

Dabi just sighs at the name and then scans the room.

“Who are we meeting?” Izuku asks, apparently not really caring a ton about the answer as he pulls out his phone to check something.

Dabi just grabs his arm and tugs him over to a blonde girl sitting in the corner also on her phone. 

“Sup Himiko,” Dabi greets.

Himiko just gestures to the seat next to her in response, still not looking up, but Izuku’s head shoots up.

A shit eating grin appears on Izuku’s face as he puts his phone away and goes up behind Himiko to tug her shirt, resulting in her falling backwards to the floor, dropping her phone on the counter in surprise. Dabi gapes, concerned at what Himiko’s response to that is going to be. Himiko’s head shoots up, angry, to look at the person who just pulled her to the ground, but instead of attacking like Dabi expects, her face splits into a grin.

Reaching up to Izuku who was leaning above her, Himiko yanks on the front of Izuku’s leather jacket to pull him down to the ground as well. Rolling over, she captures him into a headlock and proceeds to fluff his hair, her hand barely visible in the mop of green curls.

“Forest!” Himiko greets the now laughing Izuku enthusiastically.

“Himiko!” Izuku replies, equally enthusiastic.

“You guys know each other?” Dabi asks, finally getting over his initial shock at the interaction.

“Hell yeah,” Himiko grins, finally getting up off the floor and reclaiming her stool.

“Hm, never knew Forest was the type to befriend crazy people.”

“I befriended you, now didn’t I?” Izuku smirks, taking the seat on the side of Himiko that Dabi didn’t take.

“Wow, rude ass motherfucker.”

Izuku and Himiko both laugh at that.

“How long have y’all known each other?” Dabi asks, he and Himiko had met through the League of Villains, but Forest didn’t need to know that.

“Hmmm around four years now?” Himiko guesses. “I met him when he was still a little baby. I think he was only eleven at the time.”

“Oh wow, I’ve only known Forest for a year now.”

“She cut me,” Izuku barks out, interrupting the laughter that started when Dabi asked how long they have known each other.

“You cut an eleven year old?” Dabi questions, raising an eyebrow at Himiko.

“To be fair, I'm not a ton older than him. Also he's a snarky bitch.”

“That’s valid,” Izuku concedes.

“She’s talented with those knives, she cuts precisely and deep,” Dabi states, as Himiko’s eyes gleam at the praise. “How did you get out unscathed?”

Izuku’s laughter starts up again. He hasn’t laughed this much in forever but he needs to wind down after his recent exams and this is definitely helping. Dabi looks at Himiko questioningly, but she just gives him a slightly guilty look. He hasn’t ever seen that on Himiko’s face before. She must truly care about Forest , Dabi concludes, turning his attention back to the laughing boy.

“I didn’t,” he finally replies. 

Before Dabi can ask, Izuku stands up, removing his leather jacket. He then shamelessly strips his shirt off in front of everyone in the bar. Neither Dabi nor Himiko had ever seen Forest without his shirt on and are both shocked by the number of scars littering his front, and that’s before he even turns around. They both gasp.

“Oh my god, Forest!” Himiko exclaims, looking at the nasty scar across his back, more prominent than any of the others. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know I got you that bad!”

“Damn Himiko, you really did a number on him.”

“Girl, you were forgiven moments after it happened. Remember how you transformed into me and I was so fascinated with your quirk? You actually sat down and explained it to me. That was fucking epic, I love learning about quirks.”

“You forgave her, moments after she completely cut your back open?” Dabi begins, as Izuku nods in reply. “Because she explained her quirk to you?”

“Hell yeah I did, your quirk is epic Himiko.”

“I’m still sorry,” Himiko says, though her eyes were becoming less guilty and more mischievous. “That was a pretty damn good move I pulled on you though.”

“Fuck yeah it was,” Izuku laughs, before his face suddenly falls, and he whips around.

A loud bang echoes through the room before anyone can react, as Izuku sets off his sludge capture gun on a guy who appeared to just be leaning on the wall in the corner. Everyone in the bar turns to him in shock, as he calmly places his gun back into the holster and puts his shirt and jacket back on. A few of the people who had recently entered the bar gasp at seeing his jacket, finally realizing why they recognize him. 

Himiko and Dabi don’t really know what happened but they stand up in order to back up Forest as he walks over to the man, now trapped in a slime-like substance. 

“What’s that in your hand?” Izuku asks with fake politeness. Damn this person, he was having a good time with his friends, why did he have to interrupt that.

“Oh, Forest. Wow. I didn’t know you were here. What did you do that for?” The man questions innocently.

His act effectively fools a few people who look around, and then at Forest, likely wondering why he would shoot a capture weapon at an innocent man, or well, at the very least innocent at the moment. Given the part of town they were in there was no knowing if they were truly innocent, but the sentiment still applies.

“Cut the crap,” Izuku growls, voice low and dangerous. 

Out of his peripheral he sees a few people shiver at the threatening tone. That’s right, Izuku thinks, You don’t mess with Forest. Izuku usually just thinks of himself as Izuku, not as the name he had been given in the streets, but it definitely held significance at this point. So he often thought of himself as Forest in situations like this.

“Dude really I don’t know what this is about,” the man states.

“Uh huh, so what’s up with that gun in your hand then?” Izuku asks, a malicious smirk appearing on his face.

“I- well- uh-” the man stutters out, trying to come up with an excuse as others in the bar gasp at him.

“I can’t believe people even try to hurt you anymore Forest,” Himiko laughs from her spot flanking Izuku’s left side. 

“For real,” Dabi smirks. “No one has landed a hit on you in, what, two years now?”

“Yeah I don’t know what they were thinking,” Izuku smirks before pulling out a knife.

At that movement the guy in front of him flinches and cowers in fear. Izuku sighs and rolls his eyes.

“Calm down,” Izuku says, reaching out and cutting the man out of the trap, and then reaching his hand out. “Hand the gun over.”

The man, now shaking in fear, does as Izuku commands.

“Thank you.” Izuku deadpans. “Now, get out of here. I don’t want to see you again. I won’t be so lenient if you pull something like this again.”

The man just vigorously nods his head, before practically sprinting away. 

“Okay, back to what you were doing,” Izuku calls to the patrons of the bar. “It’s been handled.”

Izuku hears some whispers go around the bar about, omg that's Forest , before everything goes back to how it was before the man decided to be a dumbass. 

Sitting back on his stool, Izuku looks over at Dabi and Himiko. 

“So how do you guys know each other?”

“We just do,” Himiko smiles real big in response.

“Yup,” Dabi agrees, turning around to call over the bartender. 

Izuku squints at them, suddenly suspicious. It’s not that he doesn’t trust them but that’s a very vague answer. Which isn’t surprising from Dabi, but Himiko is normally very talkative. Suddenly he notices the bartender, who snaps him out of his thoughts. Izuku looks at the mass of purple mist coming his way with vague apprehension, he could swear he’s seen that guy before. Suddenly he notices the metal cylinder around the neck area and it clicks, he has good informants after all. 

“Whiskey on the rocks,” Dabi orders, looking over at Himiko expectantly.

“Red wine,” Himiko orders, a large and excited grin on her face.

Izuku barks a laugh at that, of course she would order the closest thing to blood. At his laugh, the mist man looks over at him. Izuku quickly starts recalling the information he has on the man standing before him.

“Forest, stop staring at the bartender like a weirdo and order what you want,” Dabi sighs exasperated.

“Oh yes of course, my apologies Kurogiri,” Izuku drawls, his lips tilting up at one corner.

Kurogiri, Himiko, and Dabi all freeze.

“Pardon?” Kurogiri asks slowly.

“Ah yes, I know all about you Kurogiri darling,” Izuku teases. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you are talking about,” Kurogiri states, turning around to make Himiko and Dabi’s drinks, who are both still frozen in place. ‘Stop, you’re going to give more away if you react like that,’ Kurogiri thinks, exasperated. 

“Kurogiri, actual name unknown, quirk: warp gate, male, you tend to fight long-range due to your quirk,” Izuku recites quickly, before narrowing his eyes, turning his head so that his sharp gaze lands upon his friends instead of Kurogiri. “Member of the so called League of Villains. Who’s hideout, if I am to believe my informant, which I do, happens to be a bar.”

At that, Kurogiri quickly looks around to make sure that no one heard Izuku and then sets down the drinks he was in the middle of pouring. 

“Let’s take this conversation to the back, shall we?”

“Please,” Izuku grins, but there is a threat in his voice that the other three definitely register, at least if the worried look on Himiko’s face is anything to go by. Izuku may be their friend but he also wants to be a hero, and he isn’t going to risk that for anyone.

Kurogiri quickly leads the three through a door, and into an empty looking hallway, closing the door behind him.

“How much do you know?”

“Oh, quite a bit. I am quite popular around these parts, my informants are reliable as hell.”

“Tell me what you know about the League of Villains,” Kurogiri rephrases. 

“Ah, of course,” Izuku leans back against the wall. “The League of Villains. Supposedly started by Shigaraki Tomura, though if I were to guess he isn’t actually the leader of the group. If people’s interactions with him are anything to go by, he’s too much of a man child for that. Other known members include: Twice, Compress, and Magne, oh and you of course Kurogiri. My assumption is that the league is currently recruiting members though, given more people seem to know of the league recently.”

“Is that all?” Kurogiri asks, looking over at Dabi and Himiko who was now situated themselves against the wall like Izuku did.

“Mostly,” Izuku says vaguely, shifting his gaze to Dabi. “Now if you could please explain to me why you live in the League of Villains’ hideout, and why Himiko was hanging out here, I would appreciate it.”

Of course, Izuku has already guessed the answer to his question, but he wants to hear it from them. And if he’s right, he wants to know why. He wants to know why his only two real friends would turn to the villains. He wants to know why they wouldn’t tell him. He wants to know how he wasn’t given such essential information. He wants to know how the girl who was so excited when someone was genuinely interested in her quirk, the girl who had almost a crazy childish wonder about her, could turn to the villain. He wants to know how the man who helped him save a little girl from an abuser, could possibly turn to the villains. He wants to know why, he wants to know how, and he wants to be wrong. He really wants to be wrong. Breathing deeply, Izuku snaps out of his thoughts, quickly shifting back to his mask of confidence and indifference, to make eye contact with Dabi.

“We’re part of the league.”

Izuku takes a moment to register the words, and when he does, he freezes. 

‘Why?’