𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 (𝗏𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗇! 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝗈𝖽𝖾𝗄𝗎)

chapter twelve

"No."

I tried to speak—whether to Izuku or Endeavor, I didn't know—but my voice wouldn't come out. No matter what I tried, I couldn't bring myself to say anything, even though I desperately wanted to.

"Endeavor!"

Izuku moved closer to the flaming hero, incidentally dragging me along with him. His grasp on my hand was still harsh.

"Scram, kid."

"Sir—"

Endeavor grabbed Midoriya's arm, wrenching his hand away from mine. Feeling flooded through my fingers as Izuku was pulled away, closer and closer to the new pool of water in the corner of the room.

All too late, I realised what was happening. Endeavor dropped Izuku into the water and he was submerged immediately.

Endeavor just grunted before walking away. I wanted to scream at him, scream at myself, scream for Izuku, but I couldn't. Instead, I launched myself toward the water and dove in without hesitation.

Liquid seeped through my shirt and sweatpants, pulling me down further. Despite the small outward appearance of the pool, it seemed bottomless and expanded farther around me than I could see. Frantically, I searched for the green-haired boy and began swimming towards his body. He had fallen limp, barely fighting as he sunk through the dark blue water.

I grew closer to him and stretched my arm out, ready to grab his hand. Just as our fingers were about to touch, he shot downward, being pulled by something I couldn't see. When I looked around his body, I saw a face I recognised: Shigaraki Tomura from the League of Villains. Four of his fingers were wrapped tightly around Izuku's wrist, dragging him deeper into the water. I struggled to keep up, and the lack of oxygen started to mess with my head as small black dots spotted my vision.

Suddenly, Izuku's eyes shot open and he looked straight at me. Instead of the happy expression he usually wore, his face was angry. His eyes were narrowed at me and his grin had turned into a deep scowl. When he realised Shigaraki was pulling him further through the water, he didn't fight at all. Instead, he practically relaxed, accepting the villain's help.

I swam harder, ignoring my pounding heartbeat and screaming lungs. I have to reach Izuku.

I stretched my arm out, and for a brief moment, he reached for me, too. Our hands entwined and I nearly cried from happiness, right before he spoke. Even though we were far underwater, his voice sounded clear as day, and he was sincere. "Join us, Shoto."

At the sound of him saying my name, I nearly agreed on the spot. I opened my mouth to answer and water flooded into my lungs, choking my immediately.

Even as my vision blurred, I shook my head. "No, I won't join you," I wanted to say.

Izuku glared at me and released my hand like it was rotten. My hands clawed at my throat as I slowly lost consciousness.

"Goodbye, Todoroki."

With those words, Izuku and Shigaraki disappeared into the depths of the water, leaving me sinking, stranded. My vision blacked out and the pain in my lungs subsided; I'm dying. I wanted to swim to Izuku, to grab him and hold him and just help him, but every movement I made made me sink further through the cold water.

Water slowly filled my lungs as they screamed in pain. The pit of anxiety from early was gone, now replaced with something that felt like needles stabbing my stomach. I tried to swim, I tried to go anywhere—up, down, to Izuku, I didn't care—but, no matter what, my body wouldn't move.

It was in that moment that I knew I was drowning.

I wanted to scream for Midoriya. I needed to. So, I did.

"Izuku!"

I jolted awake in a cold sweat. I opened my eyes and coughed viscously, my breathing heavy as I panted. Joy filled me as I realised I could breathe again.

"Shoto? What's wrong?"

The voice, despite being heavy with exhaustion, shot another burst of joy through me. "Izuku," I mumbled.

I breathed deeply, trying to calm my racing heart as a pair of arms wrapped around my chest, hugging me tightly from behind.

Midoriya's arms loosened as he reached for his phone on the floor. Its bright, electronic light illuminated his face as he turned it on. "It's three in the morning," he said, his words slightly slurred from exhaustion. "What's going on?"

I turned around the face Izuku and put my arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug. His chin rested on my shoulder as he snaked his arms around me to reciprocate the hug.

"Just a bad dream," I said calmly, holding onto Izuku. He was there in my arms, and he was okay. That was what mattered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly, squeezing me tightly. He began rubbing small circles on my back with his thumb in order to try and comfort me.

"I'm okay, Izuku." With him there, I knew it was just a dream, and that's all it would ever be. Right?

He remained quiet for a moment. The silence wasn't awkward or pressing—it was calm, comforting, even. We just sat there, holding one another, in the quiet.

"We have class tomorrow," Izuku said quietly, pausing to yawn. "We should probably sleep soon."

I agreed and we laid back down on the bed. Izuku was lying on my left side, his head resting on my arm as he drifted back to sleep. Slow, steady breaths left his parted lips and brushed against my skin, a constant reminder that he was there.

Subconsciously, my free arm moved so that I could run my hands through Izuku's soft hair. Just the thought of him being next to me calmed me down immensely, and I felt nothing but peace with him hugging my arm like a stuffed animal as he slept. I felt my lips turn up into a pleasant smile.

I remained staring at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts even though I wanted to sleep. Izuku is here with me. I'm not going to lose him.