Devil's Bargain - MHA Various X M!Reader

Two - Proposal

With that, he unlocked the door with a click and stepped in the cell, leaving the guard outside.

The door closed behind the hero with a similar click as he looked at the child, who was still staring blankly at the one-way glass. Something broke inside the teacher as he gazed upon the boy who had gone through so much at such a young age.

Aizawa cleared his throat; the vigilante turned his head slowly, hair still covering his eye, to signal his attention. His head bowed down as he looked at the ground. 

"Eraserhead."

"Recluse."

"How've you been?"

"..."

Silence fell upon the two. The hero walked in front of the boy and sat down, legs crossed, facing him. Recluse turned his head to acknowledge his presence, eyes still downcast. Aizawa broke the quiet.

"I have a proposal."

The younger grunted, disinterested. Aizawa continued.

"How would you like to come to UA High?"

The boy looked up. Aizawa froze, breath caught in his throat.

The thin black hair had fallen to the side, revealing his left eye. It was mangled and bloody— a long, deep gash running from his forehead, through his eyebrow and down to the middle of his cheek, to the slight right of the corner of his mouth. Crusted brown and bright red smeared over his face as the edges of the wound pulled apart every time he moved, stretching a ravine of darkness over the child's face. His dulled pupil stared at the hero emotionlessly.

"I can't."

Aizawa had forgotten his previous question, speechless as he tried to take the sight in. It was obvious to him that this was self-inflicted, like the cuts on Recluse's arms; he hadn't seen this the night the vigilante had came over. The thought of any human doing this to themself— villain or not— made the hero's head spin. He stood up, followed by the teen's gaze, who closed his hand more firmly on his weapon as he narrowed his eyes at the older.

"Give me the rod."

Aizawa's hand was outstretched, directed towards the bloody piece of metal in the hand of the boy. The latter curled up even further, grip tightening even more on the steel as his knuckles turned white from the pressure.

"No."

"I said give it!"

"No!"

The pro-hero made to grab at it, but was only pushed away by the youth's quirk. Aizawa activated his in retaliation, tears brimming in his eyes— from dryness or emotion, he didn't know. The vigilante made to stand up but gasped for air as he fell to his knees, arms trembling as he held himself up. He swallowed, hard.

Aizawa's fists clenched as the doorknob rattled. He praised his quick thinking for locking it behind him as he took a step foreword. His voice was unstable and broke as he spoke.

"Just fucking— why are you doing this to yourself?"

"BECAUSE I'M A MONSTER!"

The air stilled; the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Recluse was looking down, eyes hidden as he shouted the emotions he had bottled up for so long.

"HOKORI, KURO... THEY'RE ALL DEAD BECAUSE OF ME!"

The boy stood up, metal clenched in his fist. Suddenly, he turned the pointed tip towards him and stabbed himself in the stomach. A sickening splotch was heard as it penetrated the flesh, burgundy oozing out from the wound and onto the already-stained white of his clothes. He pulled the rod out.