Izuku woke up feeling incredibly refreshed and rested. When he opened his eyes, he was met with an incredibly familiar room, though he was lower than he would usually be. The walls were grey and decorated with a few posters of heroes, predominantly All Might. The room was clean and modern, it could be nobody else's but Katsuki's.

"Finally awake, Nerd?" Katsuki's voice sounded from somewhere to Izuku's left. With sleepy movements, Izuku rolled over on the futon and beheld Katsuki sitting up in his bed with a textbook open in front of him.

"Why am I on the floor?" Izuku croaked.

"I didn't know if you would be comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me without knowing, so I pulled out the futon the hag forced me to keep," Katsuki said matter of factly.

"That makes sense," Izuku hummed as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Sleep still clung to the edges of his consciousness and his eyelashes, he could easily sink back into the futon beneath him and sleep for another hour. "What time is it?"

"Half-past eight," Katsuki answered shortly, his attention was directed solely to the textbook. Izuku was a rather studious boy, much like Katsuki, but he couldn't focus properly on independent study so early in the morning.

"Have you had breakfast yet? I can go and get you something," Izuku said. He finally pushed himself off of the floor and stretched, his back clicked and cracked as he moved, the sounds were satisfying though Katsuki grimaced at them.

"I've already eaten. I got you some food as well," Katsuki gestured vaguely to his desk where a plate of toast and glass of apple juice rested, "Also, we need to talk about something you said last night."

A jolt of fear shot through Izuku. He'd been extremely out of it last night, all he remembered was a vague journey from the lounge to Katsuki's room and possibly saying thank you to his boyfriend. He had no idea what he had said that could prompt a discussion.

"What did I say?" Izuku stuttered, "Was it something bad? Cause if it was something bad I swear I didn't mean it, I was really tired and you know that I say weird random stuff when I'm tired." Izuku rambled. He twisted his fingers and looked anywhere but at Katsuki, desperately trying to recall what he had said the previous night.

"How do you know you didn't mean it if you don't remember?" Katsuki asked with a raised brow, he watched as Izuku squirmed, even more, his brow beginning to shine with sweat. "Don't stress yourself out, Nerd. It wasn't particularly bad. You just said that you're going to go out and prove that the Hero Safety Commission had set you up. And you said something about being suspicious about the League..."

"Oh!" Izuku exclaimed. Obvious relief flashed across his face before it crumpled ever so slightly, "So... I told you about that?"

"Well, not really. You just said that you wanted to go and then some incoherent words about shit," Katsuki muttered, "Explain, Nerd."

Izuku sighed heavily and fell onto the foot of Katsuki's bed, the textbook bounced and flipped off of the bed at the sudden movement but Katsuki didn't seem to care, all of his attention was devoted to his boyfriend. Ruby eyes met with emerald and a silent agreement was made. Neither one of them would mention what they were about to talk about unless it was vital for somebody's safety. Being a hero course student came with the ability to keep secrets, even from your closest friends. Katsuki gestured for Izuku to move up the bed so that he would be sitting next to him, Izuku obliged quickly.

"I just don't think that arguing back and forwards with the Hero Saftey Commission is gonna do much. They're adamant about taking me down, and I'm sure that they'll start going after others soon," Izuku started without preamble, "So... I think that I should just take things into my own hands. At least then I'll actually be doing something instead of just sitting around doing nothing."

"And you don't think that's a bad idea?" Katsuki scoffed, "What if you get caught? Hmm? Then you'll be in even deeper shit for operating without a license."

"I won't get caught," Izuku declared with far more confidence than he actually had, "I'll work like Aizawa works, underground."

"No shit," Katsuki muttered under his breath, Izuku elected to ignore him and continue with his explanation.

"Plus, I think the League of Villains has somehow taken over the Commission. After the fight a month or so ago, they disappeared again and they haven't resurfaced. They're operating under the radar. It's not a concrete theory, but... How would Dabi and Toga know that I had been expelled if they didn't have some sort of inside information, either from UA or The Hero Saftey Commission? They always set of Danger Sense and it wasn't set off on any other day aside from when I saw them outside of my home. They're involved with my expulsion somehow, I just know it!" Izuku ranted. Katsuki listen patiently, he let Izuku get everything off of his chest before he elected to speak up.

"There are plenty of ways that they could have found out about you, but I do agree that something is very suspicious about this entire situation. Toga probably still has some of your blood so she could easily transform into you... We should speak to Aizawa and All Might about this." Katsuki said firmly.

Izuku hesitated, he turned his head away from Katsuki so that his boyfriend could not see the conflicted look that flickered over his face. He knew that telling an adult about his plan was the responsible thing to do, but he also knew that they would do everything in their power to stop him. They wanted to protect him, but he didn't want nor need their protection.

"Yeah..." Izuku whispered, "We should tell them about this and my plan, but..."

"No!" Katsuki barked, he sat up from his relaxed position and glared at Izuku, "We are telling Aizawa at the very least everything you've just told me. What if you go out there and I'm the only one that knows and you get hurt? Hmm? What if somebody finds you dead in a gutter? Do you want me to deal with that guilt myself?"

Izuku flushed red in shame, he hadn't thought that far ahead. He didn't like to admit it, but the rush of power he felt when he was out on the battlefield or simply using his quirk was exhilarating and made him feel invincible. For the vast majority of his life, Izuku had been powerless, this sudden explosion of power made him feel as though nothing could defeat him, though he knew that to be a lie.

"We're telling All Might and Aizawa, and then we'll decide what to do, ok?" Katsuki grumbled, he took Izuku's face into his and looked deeply into his eyes. Fear and desperation swam in Izuku's shining eyes, they were the eyes of a boy who was willing to do anything so that he could return to life as normal.

Katsuki leaned forwards and pecked his boyfriend on the cheek, if he moved a few centimetres to the right, he would have landed on Izuku's lips, but he was too nervous to initiate their first proper kiss. Izuku was Katsuki's first partner, but the same couldn't be said about Izuku. Even though Izuku and Uraraka had only dated for a very brief time, Izuku still had more experience than Katsuki when it came to matters of the heart.

"Ok. I... I really like you, Kacchan," Izuku blushed, the L-word was on the tip of his tongue, but he was scared that Katsuki would react negatively.

Katsuki was silent for a second, he debated the pros and cons of his next words extensively in his head. He could say that he loved Izuku, he could see in his boyfriend's eyes that he was on the verge of consciously saying that he loved Katsuki. They had both already said it to each other, but... Izuku apparently didn't know. Katsuki had no reason to doubt Izuku's love for him, he wouldn't have pursued Katsuki for so long if he didn't love him. In the end, Katsuki decided against saying those heavy words, after all, they had only been dating for a month and the declaration would no doubt derail what they were supposed to be doing. Plus, they hadn't even kissed yet, they seemed to be doing the entire relationship thing in a disjointed order.

"Tch, I know. Come on, Nerd, we're going to talk to the adults."

When the two boys arrived at the teachers' accommodations, they were greeted by a chipper Present Mic at the door. "Good morning, boys, what can I do for you?" Yamada chirped.

"We were wondering if we could speak to Aizawa or All Might. It's really important," Izuku muttered nervously. He had long since stopped becoming star-struck in the presence of the countless pros at UA, but he couldn't keep the nervousness out of his voice at the prospect of explaining his ill-thought-out plan to his mentors.

"Hmm, well, Yagi is up and moving at the moment, it might take some time to get Shota out of bed. You can come back later or speak to Yagi until Shota gets moving." Yamada proposed.

"We'll speak to All Might, he can just really everything back to Aizawa later, if he needs to," Katsuki said for Izuku.

"Okey dokey, just take a seat over there whilst I go and get Yagi," Yamada gestured over to one of the sofas in the lounge area before he skipped away to retrieve All Might from his living accommodations.

Katsuki and Izuku hesitantly took a seat on the plush green sofa, it was not too dissimilar to the one in their own dorms, if not a bit more springy. It was awkward sitting in a space that was meant for their teachers, they felt out of place and daunted by the sheer oppressive air the lounge area carried. Seeing their teachers in a more relaxed state had become less and less bizarre the longer the two boys spent in the dorms, but it was still shocking to see Midnight in her loungewear or Ectoplasm without his mask.

The boys didn't have to wait long before All Might emerged from the hall, still wearing his tracksuit from his presumed run. When the older man spotted the two boys, he smiled at them amicably and greeted them with his usual hearty voice.

"Midoriya, Bakugo, to what do I own your fine company?" All Might beamed, even in his small form he towered over the boys and exuded steady confidence that inspired them.

"Umm..." Izuku hesitated for a second, his eyes flickered over to Katsuki who glared at him, "Well I have some theories about everything that is going on, and I have a plan on what to do."

Izuku dived into his explanation, only ever pausing to draw in a deep breath or for one of the other occupants of the room to chime in. By the time he had finished explaining his suspicions about the League of Villains and their connection to The Hero Safety Commission, Izuku was parched and in desperate need of a glass of water.

"That's a rather large claim to be making, Young Midoriya," All Might muttered conspiratorially, "Do you agree with him, Young Bakugo?"

"Yeah. It makes sense. After the big battle between Deku and Shigaraki after the hospital raid, those assholes just dropped off of the map. They haven't been doing anything, it's like they're bidding their time, maybe waiting for something to be set in place." Katsuki shrugged.

"I do agree that the League's silence is concerning. And the fact that they knew about Young Mioriya's expulsion is also slightly suspicious," All Might mused, "But there are plenty of other reasons they could know. I'm not saying your theory is wrong, I simply think we should keep other avenues of thought open."

"Yes. Yes, I agree," Izuku quickly nodded, "But that's our main theory at the moment. I think they're coming after me because Shigaraki knows that..." Izuku quickly glanced around and lowered his voice, "Shigaraki knows that I have One for All and he wants to take it. He's removing all of my security."

The three of them sat in silence for a second, digesting this information and running it over in their minds. It made sense that after Shigaraki had gleaned knowledge that Izuku was the one holding One for All that he would do everything in his power to take it, after all, he was trying to bring his master's vision to life.

"That makes sense," Katuki grunted.

"Mhm. You mentioned a plan, what is it?" there was a shine of scepticism in All Might's eyes. If anyone knew about the self-sacrificing nature of Izuku Midoriya the best, it was All Might. At the mention of the plan, Katsuki snorted and his permanent scowl deepened.

"Right..." Izuku chuckled slightly, he knew that All Might would not like his plan, but he wasn't going to chicken out. Sitting straighter in his seat, he looked directly into the smouldering depths of All Might's eyes and spoke, "I want to leave UA and track down the League myself. And if not the League, I want to do what I can to ensure the hero Safety Commission is functioning as it should."

"Basically, he wants to fuck off and become a vigilante," Katsuki scoffed, he had not warmed up to the idea of the plan since he had last heard it.

All Might's expression darkened ever so slightly and he opened his mouth to oppose, but it was not his voice that cut through the air.

"Absolutely not!" Aizawa scolded. Having not seen him enter the room, Izuku shrieked and flew off of the sofa whilst Katsuki froze in place. "There is no way that I am allowing you to carry out that idiotic plan!"

"Aizawa!" Izuku squeaked, "It was only a plan, it's not like I'm actually gonna do it. Of course, I wouldn't run off and do stuff like that on my own."

"Vigilantaism is illegal, Young Midoriya. It's dangerous for those who don't know the correct procedures to carry out acts of justice." All Might chastised.

"Not that I'm advocating for the plan," Katsuki hummed, "But the nerd does know the vast majority of the correct procedures seeing as he is a hero course student. And, secondly, the dawn of heroes started with vigilantes."

"But we have long passed the dawn of heroes. We are living in the current age, an age in which heroes must be properly educated lest they want to face time in prison," Aizawa snapped, "We will think of a better plan to take down the League and Hero Saftey Commission, one that doesn't involve pointless sacrifices." Aizawa glared at Izuku as he spoke.

"How long were you stood behind us?" Izuku asked.

"Long enough," Aizawa's answer was cryptic, but what else should they expect from the perpetually tired man?

"I'm not saying that I'm going to go out and become a vigilante, it's just a plan that I came up with, it's Plan Z. The last plan we'll resort to. OK? I'm just worried that the League will attack UA. If they're really trying to remove all of my security, surely this is the place they'll come to next, right?" Izuku looked around at the occupants of the room, trying to appear honest.

"The whole reason they most likely got you kicked from the hero course was that they don't want to attack UA yet, maybe they're not powerful enough. You're more likely to get attacked out there the in here." All Might asserted firmly.

"But-" Izuku started.

"No buts!" Aizawa interrupted, "You are staying here and that is final."

Izuku slumped in his seat, a thousand worries about his friends and mother rushed through his mind. He wasn't even sure if his mum was alive, the last he had seen of her the previous day she had been on the verge of death. The hospital didn't have his phone number, the emergency contact details for Inko would have been her husband, but he wasn't around.

"By the way," Aizawa sighed, "I called the hospital that your mother was taken to last night, and they told me that she's alive but in a coma. She's in the ICU, at the moment, they're not allowing visitors." Aizawa at least looked sympathetic as he delivered the news.

Izuku's heart had soared at the knowledge that his mum was, in fact, not dead, but had quickly plummeted upon hearing that he couldn't visit her. He thought, in the back of his mind, that it was probably a good thing that he couldn't go and visit her. After all, it had just been established that The League of Villains was after him, going to a public hospital would expose many vulnerable people to his string of bad luck.

"Thak you for telling me, "Izuku whispered.

"You two should return to the dorms now, I'm sure your friends would love to spend some time with the two of you. Don't worry about a plan, we'll sort everything out," All Might reassured the two boys. At least he tried to reassure them. Both Katsuki and Izuku were hesitant to accept to have hope about the situation, they knew that they could trust All Might and Aizawa, but a lot hinged on the plan they concocted and neither boy was the type to sit around and twiddle their thumbs, waiting for somebody to come and rescue them.

Izuku and Katsuki stood from their seat on the sofa, bid farewell to their teachers and exited the teachers' dorms.

"I told you," Katsuki said as soon as they had left the teachers' accommodations.

"Yeah, yeah," Izuku grumbled, "Whatever. Let's just go back to Height's Alliance, I'm sure everyone is wondering where we are."

"Nerd," Katsuki sighed, he grabbed Izuku's wrist and pulled him to a stop. Izuku kept his head down, his abundant curls fell over his face, casting his eyes into shadow. "I know everything is going to shit now, but you don't need to internalise this. I can tell that you're torn up about your mum, but you're still smiling. You can outwardly express your sadness, you know."

"Gee, thanks for the ground-breaking advice, Kacchan," Izuku scoffed.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you!" Katsuki rebutted.

"Then help me by leaving me alone!" Izuku suddenly burst out, "Everything around me is falling apart and I can't do anything about it because you won't let me! My Mum is on the verge of dying and my dad won't come back if she dies! I've lost my dream and I seem to be the only one who is actively trying to get it back on track! Not to mention that, oh yeah, The League of Villains is after me and they'll hurt everyone I love to get to me, including you! But you won't let me leave to keep you safe!"

Izuku's anger, as it so often was, came suddenly and was vicious. It was scathing and scolded Katsuki, leaving a burn on his ego. If Izuku had spoken to him like that in middle school he would have (and Katsuki loathes that he ever treated Izuku as he did) returned his anger-fueled words with even harsher ones and pushed Izuku down. But Katsuki was a changed person, he was working to better himself, and that included keeping a hold on his anger.

"Fine. I'll leave you alone." Katsuki said with an eery calm, " I'll see you around." Katsuki stormed away from Izuku with a subtle ache in his heart. He knew that Izuku had every right to be angry, had Katsuki been in his place he wouldn't have coped nearly as well as Izuku had, but that didn't change the easy to anger nature of Katsuki and the fact that he was riled up far too easily.

Izuku watched as his boyfriend walked away towards Heights' Alliance with his fists shoved into his pockets and head hung. A shot of regret shot through Izuku, but it was quickly consumed by the anger that raced through his veins. Izuku didn't want to snap at Katsuki. He didn't want to doubt his mentor figures. He didn't want to think that his friends would be useless in the face of what he was being forced to go through. But he couldn't help it; he couldn't help the negative thoughts and reservations that had overtaken his mind. He couldn't help but think that only he could fix this situation. Izuku didn't want anyone getting hurt for his sake, and that only left one avenue open.

Having access to UA without arousing suspicion was a useful thing. When Izuku roamed the halls of the school and saw the occasional Support course student going to and from the labs, they didn't take any notice of him. After all, for all they knew, he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Even still, it was rather nerve-wracking for Izuku to walk towards his old classroom.

When Izuku sneakily (not really, several people saw him) entered the classroom, he took a moment to breathe in the nostalgia being back incurred. The memory of his first day and how awkward he had been around Uraraka. The time that they held their Class Rep election. The time that Uraraka had nervously asked him on a date, to which he had squeaked out a yes and whilst Uraraka had been celebrating, his eyes had strayed to Katsuki behind her. There were so many memories, good and bad, confined to these four walls. He wondered if he would ever see them again after the stunt he was about to pull. At this point, though he truly wished to get his place back in the hero course, this was less about Izuku and more about ensuring that The Hero Safety Commission and The League of Villains didn't mess up anyone else's lives.

Izuku wandered over to the place where everyone's costumes were, already he could feel guilt welling up inside of him, but he pushed it down, he couldn't afford to regret anything not now. With a press of a button, the wall opened and Izuku retrieved his hero costume, the mere fact that it remained with everybody else's proved that they had hope that he would return to them. Izuku quickly retrieved his costume and pressed the button again to close the hidden storage.

Now that he had what he needed, there was only one more place he needed to go.

Katsuki didn't see Izuku for the rest of the day. Not during lunch. Not during the afternoon. Not during dinner. Not during the awful film, he was forced to watch. It was almost as if the past 24 hours had been nothing but a mirage as if Izuku hadn't returned to UA with him. The only thing that convinced Katsuki that he had not been imagining everything was the fact that everyone else seemed baffled by Izuku's disappearance as well.

"Where's Midoriya?" Sato asked, "Yesterday he said that he would taste test my new recipe."

"I haven't seen him all day," Ojiro hummed, "You didn't kill him whilst he was sleeping, did you, Bakugo?"

"Of course I didn't idiot, we had an argument and he got pissy and stormed off." Katsuki scoffed. He didn't let anyone notice that fear and worry in his tone. This was out of the ordinary for Izuku, even when he was angry.

"Maybe he's just cooling down somewhere?" Kirishima suggested, "He likes to go to the gym when he's stressed."

"But, he didn't come back for any of his meals," Uraraka said in a worried tone, "He's very strict about his diet."

The more that Katsuki thought about it, the more that he delved into the mind of his boyfriend, the clearer the answer became. He didn't want to believe it, of course, he didn't, had he not explicitly told Izuku not to do what he had done?

Rather frantically, he pushed off of the sofa and rushed towards the lift, his mind foggy with worry.

"Bakugo, why are you in such a rush?" Todoroki asked mildly as he stepped out of the lift and Katsuki pushed past him. Katsuki didn't gratify him with a response, he just jabbed at the buttons as if that would get him to his room faster.

Katsuki burst out of the lift rushed towards his room, he flung the door open in hopes of catching Izuku sat there on his bed, silently stewing. Katsuki's hopes, however, were dashed when he didn't see Izuku, instead, he saw a single piece of paper on his pillow. Katsuki's heart pounded in his ears and he got tunnel vision. The only things that existed were him and the damned piece of paper.

With cautious movements, Katsuki walked towards his bed and picked up the paper. His eyes skimmed over the writing and his heart clenched with every word.

Kacchan,

I'm really sorry, I know that when I come back or when you find me, you're going to shout at me until your throat is hoarse, but I have to do this. I don't want anyone else getting hurt for my sake again. You jumped in front of that attack from Shigaraki in the last battle and my heart broke. I know that I'm going to be in trouble, but I don't care as long as everyone is safe.

I know that you're not going to listen, but please don't come after me. I have to do this to keep everyone safe. They're after me, not anyone else. I promise I'll come back, even if I'm battered and broken, I'll come back. Don't worry about me though, Kacchan, everything will be fine.

I can't tell you much, 'cause then you'll just race after me with everyone. I know we've only been dating for a month, and I know it doesn't mean as much when it's not in person, but I love you, Kacchan. I know it's a bit backwards, in terms of our relationship, but I really do.

Izuku

Katsuki scowled down at the piece of paper. "How dare he say it through a letter, that coward," Katsuki hissed. He'd rather focus on that than the idiocy of his boyfriend. His boyfriend, the self-sacrificing idiot with a hero complex bigger than Katsuki's ego. 

Thank you for reading this chapter of the story. The next update will be at the start of November. I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are.