Chapter Text
Tomura held on tightly to Natsuo, still not quite recovered from seeing him laid out on that operating table, nearly dissected and deconstructed into a new, unrecognizable form. But even as he held his boyfriend, tucked away in a booth of the empty bar, embracing the reality that he was alive and safe again, his mind couldn’t stop churning.
Once they had recovered and debriefed on the situation, Natsuo revealed that Dr. Ujiko wasn’t simply acting as a rogue agent of mad science… He had received approval from the HPSC for this ‘nomu’ experiment. By now, Kurogiri had returned to the main room of the bar, and Tomura noted how his eyes narrowed at Natsuo’s descriptions of the Doctor’s past work.
The discovery was sickening, but not surprising. The system was corrupt, and willing to throw individual lives away for the sake of power. Nothing new there.
The big problem was that the HPSC was one of the largest governmental organizations, already wielding plenty of power… that they would not hesitate to use to tie up any loose ends.
Loose ends like a sacrifice who unexpectedly escaped, bringing knowledge of their corruption out with him.
“Natsuo,” Tomura began, “Not to pressure you, but have you considered joining the League of Villains?”
Unfortunately, Natsuo stiffened in his arms. “Tomura…”
“We are in need of a healer. And we could provide thorough protection from any governmental agents that might attempt to… silence you on their role in this violation of human rights.”
Natsuo didn’t respond.
So Tomura continued, “They’ve already faked your death. A few people saw you escaping the hospital, but without any evidence they may not be believed. You could leave behind your old life, and start anew with us. You wouldn’t even have to participate in any crimes if you didn’t want to, you could just stay here…”
“I don’t want to leave my old life,” Natsuo finally declared, “I can’t do that to Fuyumi. I’m not like Touya… Dabi.”
Tomura sighed. It was worth a try. “Then we’ll have to come up with some sort of cover.”
“Cover?”
“Did you encounter anyone aside from the Doctor once you were drugged? Like any other witnesses to the experiment?”
Natsuo shook his head.
“So nobody aside from you and the Doctor know exactly what you were told in that lab.”
“And you,” Natsuo added.
“And I’m no snitch. So there’s no way for the HPSC to know if the Doctor told you about them or not.”
Natsuo tilted his head. “Well, not unless Dr. Ujiko tells them.”
“He will not. Dabi and the others will make certain of it.”
Natsuo seemed to shiver at that. Odd, concerning Natsuo wasn’t particularly sensitive to the cold.
Speaking of the others, Kurogiri seemed to busy himself with something for a moment, and a portal appeared in the middle of the bar. Almost immediately, the other League members came spilling out.
“We did it!” Twice exclaimed as he came through, “It was an absolute mess!”
Dabi was the first to approach them, gaze moving up and down Natsuo’s body. “…Did the doctor…?”
Natsuo shook his head. “I mean, he drugged me to tie me to that table, but you guys arrived before he could start any of his intended experiments.”
Dabi’s shoulders lowered, just a smidgen, and he reached out a hand, ruffling Natsuo’s hair. “Stop getting kidnapped just ‘cause your main is Princess Peach.”
Tomura narrowed his eyes. “I knew you’ve only been pretending not to get my video game references.”
Despite Dabi’s rude tone, Natsuo seemed a little pleased at the contact. Rather than sassing back, he simply leaned into Tomura’s side, saying, “I’m lucky I have a boyfriend who will save me no matter what.”
Dabi grimaced. “You still haven’t broken up with him?”
“And he isn’t planning to,” Tomura told him smugly.
At that, Dabi stomped over to the counter, where Kurogiri had already prepared some whiskey for him. Dabi absolutely chugged it down.
“Anyways, we’re currently plotting how Natsuo can return to his old life,” Tomura told him.
“We are?” Natsuo asked suddenly, as though surprised that was still an option.
“Absolutely, here’s what you’ll do: You’ll go to the police station, tell them that the Doctor was clearly mad, kidnapping you and faking your death on his own dime. It was only because some villains crashed into the lab, taking revenge on the Doctor for something completely unrelated, that you were able to escape. So long as you don’t mention any evil monologues involving the HPSC, there’s a good chance the HPSC will decide it’s not worth the effort. Especially if you contact your family to let them know you’re alive… it would be very risky for them to try and make you disappear again.”
Natsuo pursed his lips. “…So we just let the HPSC get away with it?”
Tomura chuckled, running a hand through Natsuo’s hair. “Anyone who hurts you will never get away with it, as evidenced by the Doctor… But to effectively destroy an entire organization, I need time to plot and set things up. And to get you back to your preferred lifestyle in the meantime.”
“The HPSC was involved?” Dabi said, “I may have an in to their organization.”
Though he knew Dabi had a wealth of contacts and connections, Tomura was still a little surprised that he even had one for an organization like the HPSC. “Oh?”
“Yeah, some shmuck whose trying to infiltrate us, pretending he want to join.” Dabi chuckled at Tomura’s raised eyebrow. “Don’t worry, I’ve been leading him on a goose chase so far… But if we want to convert him, turn their double-agent into ours… It’s risky, but I’ve noted some weaknesses. With the knowledge of the HPSC’s corruption, I do think there’s a chance.”
“Very good,” Tomura responded.
Toga popped into the conversation. “So like… is Natsuo joining the League?”
Natsuo grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, no, I’d uh… prefer not to break any laws. Directly, anyway.”
“Not even as a healer?” Spinner asked, “It was really helpful when you stitched up my cuts that one time…”
That made Natsuo stop for a moment, mulling it over, before responding, “I mean… I guess it’s not directly breaking any laws, probably. But as I said before, I’m very much not a doctor…”
“And again,” Mr. Compress added in, “It’s not like any of us are medical experts either.”
“So I guess if you really need some help, I wouldn’t mind maybe… Maybe popping in once in awhile. At least until you find a qualified healer who won’t turn people into nomus.”
Tomura grinned. They would continue the search… but he couldn’t deny the bubble of happiness at the fact that Natsuo was not only accepting his profession, but willing to help a little on the side.
He really lucked out, didn’t he?
“I should probably start heading out, though,” Natsuo said, standing up, “I mean, Fuyumi’s probably beside herself, I’d rather not make her suffer any more than she has to.”
He glared at Dabi while making that last point, and Dabi resolutely avoided his gaze.
Tomura happily stood along with Natsuo. “Of course.”
“I swear, you boys try to give me a heart attack,” Fuyumi said with a sigh.
By now, she had recovered from the relieved sobs she had broken into after seeing him alive and whole in the waiting room of the local police precinct. The shitstain had followed in behind her, but Natsuo had ignored him in favor of focusing on the hug Fuyumi wrapped him up in.
Shouto had also come, and after Fuyumi backed up, took the opportunity to grab a two second hug, and although awkward and unfamiliar with his little brother, Natsuo appreciated the effort.
The dumpster fire was smart enough to not attempt a hug.
Fuyumi finished wiping away her tears. “You’re not allowed to die before I do, you hear me? I’m the big sister, you gotta wait until I’m over 100 and dead before you kick the bucket.”
Shouto commented, “Don’t women have longer lifespans then men?”
Fuyumi pouted. “Then Natsu better eat all his vegetables to stay healthy a long time.”
“I do eat my vegetables,” He muttered.
A police officer, the one who had taken Natsuo’s statements on what he had gone through, came up behind them. “Your brother shared some valuable information with us, but he’s been through a rather intense situation. I’m glad you guys came to pick him up.”
Endeavor narrowed his eyes. “What exactly happened? I’ve been informed that the plane crash situation was a hoax of some sort, but have not gotten a straight answer about the truth.”
Natsuo pursed his lips. Took a deep breath. He had straightened his story out with the League, deciding to play things safe.
“It turned out that Dr. Ujiko, whose lab I had been working in all semester-” Natsuo glanced at the shitstain’s face and saw surprise. Of course he hadn’t known. “-was interested in human experimentation. He fabricated the plane crash, tried to use me as his first test subject, but didn’t account for some villains breaking into the hospital to get vengeance on him. When the villains attacked him, I took the opportunity to escape, and… I mean that’s basically it.”
He very deliberately did not mention that Dr. Ujiko had told him the HPSC had approved his methods, or that the villains were taking revenge on the doctor for kidnapping him.
Fuyumi teared up. “I know they’re villains… but I can’t help but be relieved they decided to attack today. I owe them a meal or something.”
You already had one of them over for dinner, Natsuo resisted saying.
Endeavor hissed, “Fuyumi.”
She glanced away, batting her eyes and looking innocent. “I’m just saying, even if someone seems violent or cruel… it never hurts to extend an olive branch when they do something right.”
“Anyway,” The police officer interrupted, apparently uninterested in letting a family fight break out in the station, “Dr. Ujiko previously worked among villains, so many knew him personally and some held grudges. Although he agreed to turn over a new leaf to work with the government, I suppose he was simply biding his time before returning to his roots of unethical experimentation, hiding it from those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on him. It turns out he couldn’t keep running from his past forever, and those villains he left finally caught up to him.”
Natsuo clenched his fists at the way the police officer dismissed the idea that any government body could have knowingly let Dr. Ujiko do this. They knew, and had approved.
“Where is he now?” Endeavor asked with steel in his eyes.
“Mostly in custody, though forensics is still searching the crime scene for any more… pieces. And ashes. I will not go into detail in case you just came from dinner, but he was thoroughly scattered throughout the lab. I can assure you that he will not be an issue anymore.”
Endeavor and Fuyumi paled at the implications. “Ah,” Fuyumi commented, “I suppose they got their vengeance, then.”
Natsuo drew in some deep breaths, staring at the door. It wasn’t a big deal. Things were going to be fine.
Hopefully?
Probably?
He had even brought it up to Mom’s doctor, and he said he didn’t expect it to be an issue. If it was, he was ready to hop in and discuss it gently with Mom if needed. All Natsuo had to do was say the word. Nonetheless, Natsuo was nervous.
There was someone else who was also nervous by his side, though, so he tried not to show it.
Next to him, Tomura’s hands hovered at his neck, trying to avoid scratching through his turtleneck. To distract, Natsuo grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. As always, Tomura kept his pinkie out, but interlocked the rest of their fingers.
“It’ll be fine,” Natsuo said, both to himself and to Tomura, “My mom’s very nice.”
“You’re nervous, though,” Tomura told him.
Natsuo forced a smile. “Just worried about surprising her. I’ll tell you when to come in.”
Tomura nodded, dead serious, like this was one of his deadly missions instead of a meeting with his boyfriend’s mother.
With another deep breath for good luck, Natsuo opened the door to Mom’s room.
She turned from the window to face the door, face brightening when she caught sight of her son. “Natsu! It’s good to see you.”
His heart thudded against his chest, but he maintained his smile as he took a seat beside her. “It’s good to see you too.”
They exchanged pleasantries for a minute, catching up on the basics, until Mom happened to bring up the bomb of the visit: “…And what about your girlfriend? How’s she doing?”
He steeled himself. It would be fine. Probably. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”
By now, it seemed Mom had sensed his trepidation, as she straightened up a bit, concern clear on her face. “Did you guys break up?”
Natsuo waved his hands. “Oh gosh, no, nothing like that. Rather, we’ve gotten a little more serious.”
He saved me from like, multiple kidnappings. Also I’ve decided I love him more than I fear villainy.
“So back when I first told you about my relationship, I didn’t tell you too many details, because I wasn’t sure how long it would last, and I figured it wasn’t worth getting too into the details-”
“Natsuo,” She was gentle, but firm, “What’s the point you’re trying to get at?”
He gulped. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I have a boyfriend."
She blinked at him.
He held his breath.
Mom coughed. Natsuo almost panicked, standing up, until he realized the coughs were actually laughter. “That’s it?” She asked, smiling at him, “I’m sorry if I made you feel differently Natsu, but you can date whatever gender you want, so long as they treat you well I’ll be happy.”
Natsuo was relieved, though a little embarrassed at having been so worried. It was at least a weight off his chest, and he felt lighter than he had in ages.
She wiped away a tear from laughing so intently, still chuckling a bit. “Geez, with how serious you were, I thought you were going to say you were dating a villain or something.”
He stiffened, but fortunately Mom was still distracted with recovering from the laugh.
Rather than respond to that, he decided to change the subject. “Do you want to meet him?”
By now Mom had straightened up again. “Of course, whenever he’s available.”
“He’s actually here right now.”
Her eyes widened. “Like right outside?”
“Yeah, I know it’s kind of sudden, but if you feel ready to meet him…”
She grinned. “Bring him in!”
Tomura was a little stiff at first, but Mom was soft with him, which seemed to put him at ease eventually. They made some small talk, Natsuo making sure to carry whenever Tomura faltered. At the very least, it seemed like a good impression on both sides.
“Say, you’re getting closer to graduating, aren’t you Natsu?” Mom commented as they were catching up about each other’s lives.
He was so focused on the whole boyfriend thing, he almost forgot about his other big announcement. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that too.”
She tilted her head.
“Graduation might actually be… a little further off for me than we thought.”
“Oh?”
“I decided to switch majors, and uh… to fulfill all the requirements of my new major, I’m going to have to take at least another semester, maybe another year.”
“Oh!” Mom exclaimed, “That’s a surprise! What are you switching to?”
“Health welfare,” He told her sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, starting to ramble, “I thought being a medical practitioner or researcher was cool… But ultimately, I want to make a change to the system, not to be an individual agent of it. It’s the folks who set up the labs, hospitals, and the protocol they use that define what healthcare, policies, and ethics are.”
Tomura glanced sideways at him, squeezing the hands linked between them.
Natsuo glanced back with a little smirk. He and Tomura had argued a bit about it, Tomura insisting that the solution was to destroy the system, while Natsuo believed it could be changed… It wasn’t an argument that was fully over, but Tomura at least agreed to see what Natsuo could do within the system before he committed to the destruction route.
After all, as sick and twisted as Dr. Ujiko was… he wasn’t the only one who wanted to throw away all ethics. The HPSC was involved, allowing and even funding his gross abuse of human rights. And as cruel and shitty of a person Endeavor was, it’s not like his behavior existed in a vacuum. Current policies and norms allowed him to get away with treating his family like shit, with no recourse for victims like Mom and Natsuo’s siblings.
Natsuo felt incredibly helpless as a child. At times, still helpless today. But if he could change society just a bit to make it easier for a child to call for help, or for protective services to notice or intervene in abuse cases, with thoughtfulness and privacy, he might feel a little less helpless.
“You sound like you’ve thought long and hard about this decision,” Mom commented.
Natsuo nodded. He also thought long and hard about the fact that tuition was coming out of the flaming shitpile’s wallet. It’d be nice to drain it an extra year or so.
Mom smiled. “Well good luck, I believe you’ll do well.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
As Kurogiri dropped them off a little distance from campus, Tomura gave Natsuo a quick peck on the lips.
Natsuo smiled at him. “Thanks for coming to meet my mom.”
Tomura nodded. He had been nervous… But had been relieved to discover she was nothing like Endeavor. Natsuo had at least one good parent. “She was nice.”
“…I’ll see you tomorrow?” Natsuo asked.
Tomura nodded. Tomorrow they were going to take over the game room, playing games until they dropped. There had been more than enough excitement in their lives recently, it was time to go back to the basics. They deserved some mindless fun.
It was strange, the effortless slide between villainy and normalcy that was now available to Tomura. He had always assumed it would be temporary, a taste of civilian life he would give up as soon as the jig was up.
But Natsuo… Natsuo had looked at him, embraced him, and found more than a villain. Even when Tomura had confessed the truth, somehow, some way, Natsuo made the impossible possible, accepting even the most flawed parts of him.
“I love you,” Tomura told him, still holding his hand.
Natsuo beamed at that, smile wide and warm. “I love you too.”
And even after Natsuo left, returning to the college while Tomura returned to the bar, his heart was still pounding and his footsteps light and airy.
There was still work to be done. Lots of work to be done. Tomura promised to hold off on total destruction until Natsuo had a chance to try and change the system from the inside, but there was more for Tomura to do. Not to mention plotting to take revenge on the HPSC… He had to ask Dabi for a report on that possible double-agent.
But there was no rush. For now, Tomura was sated, happier than he could remember being in a long time, and in love.
Perhaps, against everything Tomura had believed, it was possible to build a future instead of destroying it. With Natsuo, anything felt possible.