Puppet Master

Taking Hold Of One's Own Strings

Shouta froze, Hizashi looked down in horror from the fourth floor, recovery Girl by his side, Hitoshi stood frozen.

Shouta was only a few feet away from Izuku. Izuku stared blankly into the empty classroom, only a few feet off of the ground so he could safely fall but Shuouta realized that Izuku was not completely lucid. He had no clue what he was doing. That also means that he didn't know how to let go. Shouta took in a wavery breath.

"Izuku," he said calmly. The greenette's head lulled backward. Shouta almost threw up at how wrong that was, at how wrong those green eyes stared at him from that position. Blank. "Can you get down." No response. No attempt to even open his mouth. Blank. Shouta swallowed thickly. "I am going to help you, okay? I am going to use my quirk and catch you. Okay?"

Nothing. No reaction.

Shouta crossed the distance between the two, green eyes following him like a painting in a haunted mansion.

Wrong. THIS IS SO WRONG!!!

Shouta held out his arms and looked up. He gagged. Izuku's head had rolled back to hang upside down and green, lifeless eyes stared at him.

Even in his blank-slate state of mind, Izuku was still Izuku and that means he would be tracking Shouta's every movement. Even if he looked like... that.

"I am going to use my quirk now." Shouta didn't wait for the response that he knew wasn't going to come. He activated his quirk. The strings disappeared and Izuku felt the foot down into Shouta's arms.

The joint-like marking's on the boy's skin disappeared, the screws at every joint vanished, and the cracks faded back into scars.

Izuku took a shuddering breath, body shaking. Shouta sat down and cradled the boy in his arms. It was only then did he realize how wet his eyes were.

-----

'I would probably cry if Hitoshi were to die.'

-----

"Idiot..." he choked out. "Don't you know that I would cry if you died too?"

Shouta dropped his head against the boy's chest as his body shook.

He had seen many people die in his line of work but this... this was different! Izuku meant something to him! He listened to the rapid beating of Izuku's heart. Shouta flinched when he felt a hand on his head. He looked up to see that Izuku had lifted his own hand to pat his head.

Hitoshi had just reached them and fell to his knees, also crying. Hizashi rounded the corner and sprinted over, Recovery Girl coming at a much slower pace.

They were all in tears.

However, they all stopped when a small giggle came from Izuku's lips.

"Hee hee... " The boy was smiling.

Hizashi glared at the child. "Why are you laughing!?"

Izuku looked at him.

"I d- did it!"

Shouta furrowed his eyebrows. "Did what?"

Izuku stared at the sky. "I took my own strings!"

His voice was clear. No stutter. He was so... happy. Despite almost dying. Did he even know what he did?

Shouta felt tears swell in his eyes again. And pulled Izuku into a tighter hug.

"Stupid problem child! Do you know how worried we were?!"

_______________________________

Hitoshi watched as Dad stood and set Izuku down on his feet.