13 I'll Consider It

The moment Shouta managed to get Midoriya alone, his expressionless face faded into a glare.

Izuku just met the Hero's glare with a grin of his own, not taking the rollercoaster of emotions personally.

He knew that the man needed some time to sort out everything by himself before they even wanted to try to talk.

This was something that Izuku had worked out on his own when he had stal- watched the Hero.

The man was the type that would try and bottle everything up until it overflowed, and his emotions came out in a rush. It seemed like the only outlet Shouta had was his best friend, Hizashi.

He usually wasn't one to do things like this, but for Shouta, Izuku was willing to wait however long it took, as long as he hadn't been completely rejected by the man.

As long as he was able to stay by his side, Izuku would slowly pursue him… pursue him until he was willing.

If that meant that he had to give up being a Villain, then fine. After all, though he liked causing chaos, he had never killed anyone. Instead, he preferred breaking into large companies and stealing secrets, bankrupting them in the process.

Other times, he liked to enter companies and work his way into the heart of their operation, slowly siphoning away their capital.

He liked fighting other Villains, just for the thrill of it, and he liked fighting Heroes too.

The best of both worlds.

But, for Shouta, Izuku felt that he could give everything up for him and start anew. He'd be a good man – for this man here, who evidently loved nurturing new talent, even if he didn't show it openly.

In a twist of fate, Shouta now had to put up with Midoriya living with him in his own apartment.

Shouta's head ached.

Izuku's constant smile faded a little, a bit more seriousness in his eyes as he looked at how tired the Hero looked. Inexplicably, his heart ached when he saw the dark shadows under his eyes.

Shouta breathed out in the end. "No."

He turned around, clearly expecting Izuku to follow him, and he did.

Shouta's apartment wasn't anything special. With a bedroom, a guest bedroom, a study and kitchen, it was a moderately sized apartment that was suitable for a bachelor to live in.

Izuku didn't bother him anymore, clearly intending to close himself in the guest bedroom so that Shouta had some time to himself to think about this and reflect, but he didn't expect for Shouta to continue standing in the doorway, looking like he had something to say.

"Just what are you playing at?" Shouta asked the ex-Villain, his eyes boring into his.

Izuku let down some of his barriers, his eyes trying to convince Shouta of his sincerity. "On the contrary, I'm not playing at all."

Shouta frowned. "If this isn't called playing, then what is it? Do you really expect me to believe that you've given up your life of crime just because you said so? I don't know how you convinced Nezu of your sincerity, but I'm not so gullible. I won't take my eyes off you regardless of what I feel for you."

The smile that Izuku wanted to hide slowly spread on his lips, his heart pitter pattering inside his chest – something that he would never experience with anyone else. "That's great," Izuku breathed, leaning forward to steal a chase kiss from the frowning Hero, stunning him. "Don't take your eyes off of me."

Shouta took a step back, his face flushing an angry red. The ex-Villain yet again effortlessly played around with his emotions. It was almost like he knew about Shouta's every waking thought and how to effortlessly throw him off his game. He glared at the ex-Villain. "You-"

"I won't give up, Shouta," Izuku said, taking the Hero's hand and pressing it above his heart. "Unless you clearly tell me that you've completely rejected me, I'll always pursue you and try my best."

There was a thundering pulse under Shouta's hand, a testament to the nervousness that Izuku felt when he confessed about his feelings yet again.

Though the Villain appeared unaffected even when his eyes leaked sincerity, this was the first time that Shouta had any confirmation that the other was indeed feeling something strong.

No one would be able to get their heart rate that fast otherwise in a time like this unless they were feeling fear, and Shouta very much doubted that this was the case, seeing how this was developing at the moment.

His fingers twitched, and Izuku reluctantly let go.

Shouta allowed his hand to fall to his side, shutting the door to the guest bedroom.

The Hero ran a hand down his face, suddenly feeling tired. Just how sincere was the ex-Villain? Did he really never commit a single murder? Did that mean that so many of the crimes that had been pinned onto the Villain had never really existed on the first place?

Was he just taking the rap for someone? Who? Why?

There were more questions popping up here and there than those that were answered, causing Shouta a headache.

He had to think about this.

Not just his feelings, but whether or not he would be able to accept the other wholeheartedly when the other had been a Villain not too long ago, no matter whether or not he had committed the serious crime of murder.

A Villain was a Villain, and that would never change.

Yet, he was trying to make a fresh start, wasn't he?

He didn't see why Nezu would ask Shouta of this otherwise, if he wasn't convinced of the Villain's sincerity. So much that he was willing to take the risk of having the Villain near the impressionable high school students.

It wasn't until ten minutes passed that Shouta's thoughts suddenly made a detour.

The Villain had stolen another kiss from him! And in his own home! Again!

Midoriya had so sweetly confessed that he would stop at nothing to pursue him since it was clear that Shouta had feelings for him too. The mix of complicated emotions ran around in him.

Just what did he do now?

…

He had to talk to Hizashi.

Besides, the man had clearly already seen Midoriya earlier, so he should be amendable to hearing about Shouta's thoughts. Knowing Hizashi, the man was probably already impatiently waiting for him to call.

Shouta hesitated briefly before leaving the apartment. If the Villain was still here by the time he got back, then…

Then maybe he would be willing to consider pursuing this strange, unspeakable relationship between the two of them.