(cw: decapitation, gore—starts at the bolded "differs" and ends at bolded "blood"!!)
When Izuku stumbles away, body smoking and broken hand cradled against his chest, he sees Stain fall out of the newly made crater in the wall.
Gravity causes the katanas, which are still stuck in the cracked concrete, to slice right through his shoulders. He falls like paper peeling off a sticky surface and lands with a resounding thud on the dirty ground, unconscious.
It's music to Izuku's ears.
"We did it," Todoroki says breathlessly, and he doesn't even sound like he believes it.
Iida is doubled over, hands on his knees. He nods a few times and then lets out something between a laugh and a sob. "He... he's gone."
"He's not dead," Izuku says, facing away and already heading for the nearest alleyway. He has to go before the heroes get here. He doesn't have much strength left. The adrenaline is already gone, and now he feels like he needs to sleep for about twenty years. Maybe he'll get lucky and his sickness will get him during that time. "But he will be if he doesn't receive medical attention soon."
Izuku hit him right in the face. He felt the bones creak and snap at the force of his punch, so he knows there's a possibility of brain damage or something of the sort. And from the previous blows they inflicted upon Stain, lung puncture could be possible too if he wakes up and moves.
But at that point it won't be Izuku's fault.
His own ribs on his left side are on fire now, with Stain's last words to him feeling as though they've been branded onto his skin with hot iron, and Izuku hates how it's familiar. Hates how he liked the praise, accepted it, needed it, wanted it. He hates how he can physically feel his own heart thumping inside his chest, banging against his bones to get out, to leave, to escape.
"Hey, where are you—"
Izuku can't even hear the rest of Todoroki's question. The world is a swimming pool all around him, and his ears feel like they're stuffed with cotton. The air rushes out of him all at once, his blood going with it down his abdomen, and it's too much. His body is sticky and hot all over, dark with his fluids and the grime from fighting.
He trips over a piece of asphalt and nearly crashes right through the window of a flower shop. He instead falls against a metal trash can and ends up on his side, with stars dancing in his vision once his cheek hits the wet ground. Fuck. His body isn't cooperating.
He has to leave, but he can't. Is he paralyzed? No. No, Stain is still unconscious, so there's no way he managed to get his blood. But still, he's gasping silently now, trying to drag in breaths that won't come to him. His eyes slide shut, and he forces himself to just breathe .
He didn't die during the fight against Stain, so he sure as shit won't die after it. That would just be pathetic. Dragon Lady would laugh at him. Father would be... he'd...
Why is he even thinking about him right now? Why does he matter?
Now that the adrenaline and fight is over, so is Izuku's capability to even think straight.
A rush of air hits him in the face, and his eyelids are pushed up so he can see Todoroki's panicked face peering down at him. And maybe this isn't the best time to think this, but god he's beautiful, isn't he? Even when he's all scratched up and smoking from his left side, Izuku's friend is just stunning.
"You need to stay awake," Todoroki says, a note of urgency in his voice that's only just barely hidden. Izuku gives him an A for effort, though. "Rabbit, can you hear me?"
Izuku bats his friend's arm away with his less injured hand, teeth gritted. Let me get up by myself. You can't aid a criminal, Todoroki. Dummy.
"Them first," is what comes out instead, the words wobbly. "Treat Native."
"Iida is helping him. I need to treat you," Todoroki counters, surprisingly firm. When Izuku gives him a look, the boy just shakes his head. "Let me help you," he rephrases. "You—you got hit in the stomach, right? I need to see how bad it is."
Todoroki's brows are furrowed in concentration. His heterochromatic eyes shine with some unclear emotion, and he seems equally as out of breath. It's almost comforting.
The moment stretches on for a private eternity where they both hold the other's gaze captive, refusing to shatter the tension building and building while Todoroki waits for his go ahead, neither of them ready to back down.
And the tension would've kept on building, really, had another wave of pain not caused Izuku to cry out and lie back down on the asphalt. Shit. He's running out of time. He won't be able to make it out before he gets caught.
'Zawa is gonna kill me.
There's a vibration in his mind, and voice number seven speaks for the first time in a while. I'd worry more about Sorahiko, kiddo. But you did good. Let your friends help.
I'm gonna get them in trouble.
There's a negative hum. They'll be fine.
After a few moments of hesitation where he wrestles with his own thoughts and feelings to come up with a decision, Izuku finally looks away from Todoroki and moves his bloodied arm out of the way of his stomach, a clear invitation.
Todoroki takes a sharp inhale. "Thank you."
Izuku grits his teeth, trying to focus on breathing in through his nose to keep his noises down.
Careful fingers move his jacket to the side and lift up his undershirt, which is now matted with dark blood. Todoroki's hands hover over the wound, the heat of his palms sending goosebumps over Izuku's skin as he gets closer.
Antiseptic is taken out of a utility belt, and the blood that's crusting up around the slice is gently wiped away. Soft hands brush against Izuku, and the boy turns his face to the side to watch Iida and Native help each other.
He's never actually done this before. Willingly let someone take a look at his injuries, he means. Even with Aizawa, Izuku has never let him this close. Not when he has a wound like this, to be more specific . Whenever he got injured on patrol to this degree, which was a rare occurrence, to be fair, Izuku would either hide it or head out by himself early to take care of it. It's not about trust, really. Maybe it's about pride. Maybe it's fear.
Even the Doctor at the club was never allowed to see him like this. Izuku only went to him for medicine for a broken bone or to help him fix his stitches—and that was only when he was still learning and didn't know how to do them correctly.
There have only been a couple times where another member of the Club has taken him to see the Doc against his will to take care of something serious.
And so here, with Todoroki seeing more of Izuku, both emotionally and physically, than most people out there... It's weird. Not quite bad. But just unusual.
Actually. Maybe it is a trust thing.
Maybe he's allowing this because he can see it in Todoroki's eyes. The intensity. The genuineness. The determined gleam mixed with desperation.
Izuku used to see all those things in his own eyes on the daily. But nowadays he's seeing it less and less.
"Your body," Todoroki says, head tipped to the side. "It's... it's trying to sew itself back up. Is that your quirk?"
Izuku doesn't have to look to know what he's talking about. When he gets injured like this, his regeneration can't possibly keep up. His body will go into overdrive trying to fix it, but it can't, so all you can see is the skin trying to patch itself together but miserably failing.
It's interesting to see, if not a little horrific. It doesn't feel nice, either.
"Yeah, part of it," he grunts out.
Todoroki's warm hands are on him, and Izuku can't help but notice how only one palm feels calloused. His left one. They're like small little blisters, similar to the kind Kacchan gets on his own hands after using Explosion for too long.
Izuku wonders briefly if it hurts him.
Todoroki's quiet cursing is what brings him out of his thoughts. "It—it's deep. We need a healing hero here. I—I can't really do much with this. We have to get you to—"
He cuts himself off.
"Huh?" Izuku twists his neck, trying to force himself up on his elbow. "What's—"
The world tilts on its axis, the general flow of the universe having been thrown off course inside Izuku's mind.
Todoroki is staring at his wound. Not the slice. No, of course not. His old one. The bullet wound. The golf ball shaped one that's been a part of Izuku's abdomen for a long, long time now. Sometimes even Izuku forgets it's there until the scarred tissue starts to itch when it's particularly dry outside.
He doesn't know why Todoroki has this certain look on his face until he remembers makeup and towels and singing in showers in a locker room, and then he realizes just how much he fucked up.
Izuku doesn't say a word. He keeps his eyes on Todoroki like a deer in headlights. What's the possibility that Todoroki forgot his classmate has a scar exactly like the one he's seeing right now?
"Midoriya," he whispers, and it's disbelieving. Like he's in awe.
Close to zero then, he figures.
Shit.
Not knowing what else to do, Izuku reaches down with his good hand and takes Todoroki's, bringing it back to where his scar is and placing it over it, as if hiding it from sight. "I know. Just—later. Later, I promise. Not... not now."
The plea is there. Todoroki's eyes slide up to his, and there's a sky full of emotions between them that neither of them are ready to work through yet. But then Todoroki seems to understand it all without having to ask and shakily continues his work with a curt nod.
Izuku's friend is quick. In just a couple of minutes, a bandage is wrapped around his forehead to cover up a nasty slice that Izuku didn't even know Stain managed to give him, and his wrist and arm are given extra support. Todoroki can't cover his entire broken hand, but the compression still helps.
Maybe having an experienced pro hero as your father pays off somewhat. You probably learned how to do all that from a young age, huh?
Todoroki leans in close to lift Izuku into a sitting position, and his face is inches from Izuku's. Izuku's gaze drops to Todoroki's lips, and he shivers when his friend's hands move to rest lightly on his shoulders. A grounding technique, Izuku remembers from a book he read a while back.
While he appreciates it, as he feels like he's currently not here, like he's outside his body, he still wishes Todoroki would back up a little bit. Izuku needs space. He needs to get out of here.
His back is now against the wall of the shop, and his head drops back. "Ya know, you're really strong, Todoroki."
"You've told me that before," he says, now completing a quick once-over to check for any other pressing injuries on Izuku.
This makes Izuku frown as he realizes something. "You'll need stitches for that cut on... on your—" Izuku finishes through gritted teeth when he feels another stabbing sensation go through him. "Your cheek . I—I can help."
"Not with only one hand, but thanks." Todoroki removes the contact with Izuku and looks to where the sound of fighting is growing louder. "I'm fine."
"You'll be surprised how many times I've had to stitch something up with only a few fingers."
This captures his attention again, but before he can say anything, Native and Iida are walking slowly over. From what Izuku can see, the pro hero does indeed have minor injuries. His leg looks a little messed up, but it seems like he can still walk for now, so that's a plus. What's worrying Izuku more is Iida's arm and shoulder.
The boy took a dagger for Todoroki, and Izuku knows from experience that a full force throw from Stain isn't anything to joke about. The villain must've hit something important.
Izuku only hopes it won't do permanent damage to Iida's nerves. The dagger itself is still in Iida's shoulder, which is both good and bad.
The heroes need to get here faster.
"Mommy, how long would it take All Might to come help us if we needed him?"
The quirks in the distance are flickering. Like candles being teased by too much wind. Izuku closes his eyes again and just prays.
He hopes Uraraka is having fun at her internship. She looked pretty happy about her pick.
"Well, he is a busy man, being number one. But I'd say not long at all, Izuku. Isn't he the fastest?"
He hopes that once he reopens his eyes, he'll be back in Gran Torino's makeshift agency, that he'll get another chance to redo everything. Wouldn't that be nice? He'd kill to have a quirk like that. Who wouldn't?
"'Course he is! He's the strongest!"
Her laugh is unexpected. "I think that's the fifth time you've said that today, sweetie, and it's still morning time."
He can hear Todoroki talking with Native and Iida, and he focuses on just the tone of their voices, not really their words.
He just needs some background noise to try and drown out everything else. Like these goddamn voices.
There should be some nice rope in one of the shops nearby, so they could use that to tie up Stain, right? It's not like he's going anywhere after the beating he just took, but you can never be too careful.
"But, Mommy?"
"Mhm?" The smell of delicious breakfast wafts through the air as they eat.
"I'm confused. Why didn't All Might ever come to save you?"
Native kneels before Izuku and puts his hands on his knees, his breathing labored. "I may not approve of what you do, but you're still just a kid." His eyes rake over each of them. "You all are. And I'll say that you three did damn well taking the Hero Killer down. I'm sorry for not being of any help."
Izuku shakes his head while Iida and Todoroki wave him off and protest. Immediately after, the two of them go to tie up Stain with some of Native's hero grade capture wire and the rope Izuku was thinking about.
The pro stays beside Izuku, filling him in on how Stain managed to get the best of him and what he was doing before the ambush. He's either trying to keep Izuku awake or calm some of his own nerves down—or both. Izuku wouldn't blame him. Native almost died against one of the scariest villains alive, which is, yeah, pretty unforgettable.
She smiles and tips her head. Izuku watches condensation slide down her glass of orange juice.
"He keeps knives in his left boot," Izuku says, or tries to. It comes out more like drunken rambling. "Make sure to check for them."
Iida calls back something in affirmation. Native looks at him, now sitting up against the wall beside him. "You sure are thorough, huh? You know everything about everyone."
That's his job. Rabbit is supposed to know everything so nothing goes amiss.
"Oh, 'Zuku, what would I ever need to be saved from?"
It starts with a spark, as it always does.
The fire from the evacuation and panic has spread to all around them. Izuku feels the warmth and likes the way it burns the ends of his hair. It's not quite as nice as Todoroki's, but Izuku knows he's just biased.
Native grunts as he forces himself to his feet, and he helps move Izuku off to the side and away from the fire. "My coworker says the others will be here in less than a minute. You can relax now, kid."
Even though he's a few yards away from the flames spreading to the bushes along the sidewalk, Izuku still feels as though he's inside the inferno. He wonders what it would be like to just be left here. To stay with Stain, maybe.
Obviously that would be dumb. But he just can't help but think what if?
His head is pounding and his vision is getting blurrier by the second. He sees yellow and orange and black, and then red.
He wonders where the red is coming from.
This is when the steady thumping starts. Something large lands on the street they're on, causing the earth to shake. He vaguely sees craters forming beneath the large feet, and he blinks a few times, wondering what trick of the mind this is now.
But then the quirks hit him all at once, and Izuku's clarity returns with his panic. He is barely fast enough to react or even sense it all the way before a new winged Nomu saunters right toward them, the flames licking up its sides as it crosses through the wall of fire. It doesn't cry out in pain or flinch away or anything though.
It's too focused on its mission.
It stands at ten feet tall, and that's without the red, leathery wings outstretched menacingly behind it. White teeth gleam and wide eyes lock onto Izuku's, whose mouth is now slightly open in awe.
So many quirks. God. How many do you have? Like ten?
How is it still standing? How did it even reach here without alerting the heroes? Or maybe it did. From the wounds on its body, Izuku can tell it might have already come into contact with the heroes. Does that mean it escaped, or that the heroes lost?
Izuku's head throbs at the same time as the Nomu moves. With only one flap from its large wings, the Nomu clears the distance between them.
It's only been two seconds since it landed. There's not even time to call a warning, to shout at Iida and Todoroki, who are emerging from the alley where they put Stain, to run—no, time has no mercy on them.
Native reacts first.
He's on his feet and in front of Izuku again, arms outstretched as his quirk flares up in defense. Izuku can feel it rippling like a pool of water after a butterfly's wingbeat, and it soothes his mind almost instinctively.
But it's wrong. It's comforting in all the wrong ways.
Izuku huffs at his mother, not understanding why she doesn't get what he's saying. "From the monsters!"
Native's quirk shimmers, and he pulls back an arm to drive it into the Nomu, but he hasn't even reared it back all the way before he's snatched up.
A horrifically large, disfigured hand wraps around Native's throat before anyone else can move and lifts him off the ground.
"No, dammit!" Iida is running from the opposite side of the road now with Todoroki by his side. The dual-haired teen's power erupts once more as a shout leaves his cracked lips, but it's no use.
It happens quickly, between one breath and the next.
The flames shoot from Todoroki's side but are still far too slow.
When Izuku looks back on this moment, he'll realize all of the details he missed before. He'll think of all the ways he could've done something. Maybe he could've used Pull. Maybe he could've used Force on Native when he was still in front of him as a last resort, just to bring out the full extent of his quirk and see if it could get the Nomu to back away.
But Izuku is trying so hard to just keep conscious that he doesn't think of any of these things. Gran said that quirk usage comes to you as it's needed. It should be instinctual in the moments where it matters. Just like how using a limb is to most.
And here? Izuku's body feels he should stay exactly how he is. Using another power would disrupt his healing and kill him, not that he cares in the heat of the moment right here.
But it's a mistake. To Izuku it'll always be one of his worst ones.
Because then the winged Nomu brings up its other hand and grabs the top of Native's head. Long, stained talons dig into him and drag across his temples, piercing through the skin and into the skull.
With the first hand, the Nomu extends its talons and wraps them around the shoulders and arms next, cutting through Native's costume. Now it has the hero by the head and the base of his neck, causing blood to drip like a waterfall down oily skin.
Native squirms, gasping for air as his quirk is snuffed out for the last time. His wild eyes meet the boys' briefly. "Don't loo—!"
Bones creak, and, like yanking a plug out of an outlet, the Nomu pulls him apart.
"I don't see why you hate that soup so much," Hizashi says, eyes twinkling with mischief as he pokes at his husband's shoulder. "Is it all the cheese? Is that why you find it abhorrent?"
"Stop saying random adjectives in English, Hizashi. You know I don't know what it means."
Nemuri snickers from where she's currently flirting with some random person and glances back at them. "Yeah, don't make Shouta feel too stupid now, 'Zash. He gets self-conscious."
Hizashi's grin grows wider. "Oh, don't I know it." He turns to Yagi and Kan, who are both talking with each other about something from work. "Hey, hey, y'all shouldn't be talking about such boring stuff! We're on a break for a few days, so let's enjoy ourselves!"
"Who said I wasn't?" Kan asks, taking a swig from his beer and swiping some notifications from his phone. "Not everyone has to be loud to be having fun."
Yagi coughs up blood. "You don't have to be so direct!"
"Nah, don't worry about it, man." Hizashi winks at him and just sticks his middle finger up at Kan, only half-joking this time. "How're y'all's entrees, eh?"
While Shouta and Hizashi got different kinds of soup, the other three teachers ordered more balanced meals. They all decided to go out to eat the day before, so here they are at a nice, secluded little bar on the outskirts of the city.
It's one of Hizashi's favorite spots, and not just because of the karaoke contests. Right in front of this bar is where he officially asked Shouta out on their first date all those years ago. It's something he'll never forget.
It's a few days into the internships the kids are having, so when all of the paperwork and planning the teachers have to do gets finished, they get the rest of the time to do whatever they please.
Like go out to eat and have fun together.
"Mine is delicious," Yagi says, gesturing to his steaming plate of food. "Thank you for inviting me here, Yamada. I never even knew this place existed before tonight."
"Only 'cause you work so much! You've gotta kick it back and relax sometimes, dude." Hizashi ignores Kan's response to the question and turns back to Shouta. "Did ya want to order something else, babe? We can switch if you want."
Shouta rolls his eyes and takes the soup Hizashi offered, pushing his own bowl towards his husband. The small, near invisible grin on his face says it all, though; he's not actually too upset.
This was just karma for branching out and trying something new on the menu.
While Nemuri and Shouta have some kind of fruity drink and Kan has his beer, Hizashi and Yagi both just got soda. It seems neither of them can handle alcohol, one for medical reasons and the other for personal ones.
There's movement, and Hizashi sees Shouta swat lightly at Nemuri's hand when she tries to go for his food. "Hey! Keep your hands off the chili fries!"
"But you're not even eating them!"
"Yes, I am," Shouta defends, picking one up as if to prove his point. "Don't touch them."
"I'll let you have some of my food, free of charge," Nemuri offers with a sharky grin.
Shouta scoffs. "I'm paying for everything anyway, what would that even change?"
"Ugh, you're always such a buzzkill."
Hizashi watches them argue while eating some of the chili fries himself. They're pretty good. Anything with chili is, to be fair.
And so it's here, when Hizashi is absolutely devouring the fries and talking with the waiter, who has known him as Present Mic for a while now, that they get the text message.
It's from Nezu, which isn't exactly weird. He texts randomly and never has a set schedule, so Hizashi has learned not to be surprised anymore.
It's just the content of the text that always throws him for a loop.
Embedded in the message is a live feed of a screen showing the body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and the blood pressure of someone. And, okay, yeah, this is a little weird. Not the weirdest or most ominous text Nezu has ever sent, but it's up there.
Just as he's about to text back and ask who this is monitoring right now, Hizashi gets a better look at the vitals.
Temperature: 101.4° F
The number rises by a decimal even while Hizashi is looking at it, and he feels his brows furrow. That's not dangerous, but it isn't great.
Hizashi straightens up once he keeps reading the charts, though.
Pulse: 132 BPM
Respiration Average: 33 breaths per minute
Blood pressure: 145/95
What the hell is this? Is this person sick? Are they running a marathon and a fever at the same time?
Hizashi turns to his husband, who received the same text. "Hey, Sho, who—"
Ding.
He stops in his tracks, mouth still open. He meets Shouta's wide eyes and then glances back down to his phone with Shouta doing the same, blood turning to ice. He knows the tone of that notification. That belongs to the new software Nezu installed into their phones for them to keep track of Midoriya via the armband they gave him.
Cloying, suffocating dread overtakes Hizashi, and his heart drops to his toes. Did he hit the panic button?
"What's with the faces?" Nemuri asks, but Hizashi doesn't hear her.
Because now he's looking at the notification with something cold settling in his stomach. Somehow it's worse than Midoriya hitting the panic button.
Connection lost. Last location of service: City Square, Hosu.
He swipes up, and the vitals embedded in Nezu's message are lost too, with everything showing up as N/A. The pieces fall together, and Hizashi grabs hold of his husband, fingers digging into his arm. "Shouta."
"He's in Hosu," Shouta responds, voice clipped. He's already standing, picking up his jacket and gathering his belongings. "Gran Torino should be with him."
"Young Midoriya is in Hosu?" Yagi asks suddenly, standing up as well to match Shouta's movements.
Kan finishes off his beer. "What's happenin'?"
Shouta's phone rings, and Hizashi is only just able to see Tsukauchi's caller ID before the call is being accepted.
Something catches his eye, and Hizashi looks toward the television plastered on the large wall of the bar. The headline is all it takes to make Hizashi's head swim: Attack in Hosu City! All Nearby Heroes Report!
Oh, God. Hizashi has never believed in simple coincidences.
He pats Shouta's arm immediately a few times to get his attention and points at the screen.
The next title flashes by. Rumored Sightings of Hero Killer: Stain! Evacuate Immediately!
Shit. Tenya, kiddo...
He's there, isn't he? Tenya went to Hosu for Manual's internship.
Nemuri puts a hand on his shoulder and watches the footage with him of the destruction happening. It's a shitshow out there. A bloodbath.
Hizashi feels the putty settling in his throat, sees the darkness on his husband and best friends' faces, and he knows they're thinking the same thing he is. They're coming up with the same conclusions.
And here, a couple hours away from the events going on in Hosu, Hizashi has never felt more helpless in his life.
Have you ever played with dolls growing up? Maybe it was a Barbie doll or one of those off-brand ones your mother had to buy because the other ones were too expensive?
Or maybe you were more of an animal person and had those build-it-yourself figurines of your favorite breed of cat or dog.
Whatever it was, do you remember what it was like when that doll eventually broke? When something went wrong? When you accidentally played a little too rough with it?
Izuku does.
He was seven years old. He had an old figurine of some random hero that Kuro brought to him from the outside. He wasn't allowed many toys at that age, so he treasured it.
He played with it a lot, alone in his room and away from the all knowing eyes of his father. He would play with it at night when he was supposed to be sleeping or during the day whenever Father had his treatments and was bedridden.
It was his favorite thing, next to the radio he hid along with it under his bed.
He loved it, right up until Tomura—no, Shigaraki got angry at him one day, snatched the doll from his grip, and popped the head clean off.
When Izuku began to cry, already emotionally vulnerable due to being punished by Father earlier that day, Shigaraki disintegrated the body of the hero figurine. He gathered up the ashes and pushed them into Izuku's face as he scratched at his own neck and skin, laughing with a kind of mania that sickens Izuku even to this day.
This continued for a couple minutes until Kuro found them and told Shigaraki to go to his room—not that he would listen. The teenager knew that Kuro didn't have the right to punish or order him around as he did Izuku.
Kuro tried to comfort Izuku as best he could, but at that point in time it just wasn't possible. Izuku was sobbing as he stared at the ashes of his hero's body, wondering what he did this time to make Shigaraki so upset with him.
But then the doll's head followed too, a delayed reaction of Decay, and Izuku only cried harder. Kuro had to carry him to his room so Father wouldn't make a show out of his reaction.
Native's head does not disintegrate, though. That's where this time differs. It rips off his body cleanly in one easy pull, flesh tearing and tendons snapping, blood spurting out in a dizzying arc and painting the space before Izuku red.
The Nomu stares at it, as if surprised at what happened. But then it drops the head in disgust, and what happens next is not like in the cartoons. The head does not bounce high up in the air or roll a whole street away, no.
It lands with a moist thud on the concrete of the road. It moves for only a second before sitting still, and Izuku has a front row seat to it all.
Native's face stares right back at Izuku. His features are paralyzed with fear, his eyes wide open in terror. It's a look that'll forever be frozen on him now.
Oh, Izuku thinks, mind fuzzy.
The silence afterwards rings out in the street, broken only by the crackling of the flames and the Nomu's breathing.
Iida falls back to his knees with his mouth agape, armor clanging, and Todoroki simply stares. He shakes, vomits off to the side, and Izuku can't feel or think.
He... failed. That's what just happened. Native is... gone.
Stain won.
This fact causes Izuku's eyes to blur. He drags his gaze up to stare at the Nomu, and there's a ping there. A little kindling of familiarity. Izuku knows those wings. Knows those goddamned eyes.
But he can't feel anything but the dull burning settling under his skin now, and his brain is barely working, so he doesn't think any more of it.
Todoroki heaves up the rest of whatever is in his stomach while Izuku shifts and begins crawling forward. The cracked debris and asphalt dig into his palms and scrape at his wounds, but he keeps moving. He grabs Native's head with careful, bloody hands, breaths quivering. He tries to shift himself up but ends up slipping in the pool of crimson and falling back down. Streams of it run down his skin and soak into his bandages, and he bites his lips so hard in concentration that his own blood drips down to join Native's.
"No, no, no, no." Izuku is mumbling now, repeating himself and barely making sense. None of this makes sense. "You... you..."
You're not supposed to die here. That wasn't what was planned. What did I do wrong? It was supposed to be Stain. Or me. It was going for me. Why did you step in front of me? Why didn't I move faster?
The Nomu kicks the rest of the body away from it, shaking its limb as if to get rid of the dirty residue. Native's body lands in a flurry of limp limbs beside Izuku, and he stares at it. His arms move on their own accord, trying to move the head to where the body is. He can put it back where it's supposed to be on the open socket. Because maybe, just maybe, if he puts it back and screws it on like those Barbie dolls, it'll be okay. It'll just be a little mishap. They can fix it. They can sew him back together! He won't be dead. Native won't have to be dead.
But the head slips out of his hands multiple times, and his chest constricts each time it happens. God, please, he's so close. He just—he needs to put it back on correctly and—
The whole earth shakes as the Nomu approaches slowly from behind Izuku (and when did that happen? Wasn't it in front of him?). Its heavy, hot breaths sound from high above, but Izuku still doesn't pay it any mind. Not yet. Not yet because he's still looking at Native, at what was Native, maybe, and all he can see are the faces of those heroes he saw in the basement that day after Father's pets had their fun with them. All he can see are parted lips, milky eyes, disfigured bodies and minds, and so, so much blood.
Long claws dig into the concrete when they move to wrap around Izuku's torso. He's lifted up, and it's almost gentle. But the talons cut sharply into his sides, reigniting the pain from his stomach wound, and it's just like the time in his dreams. Maybe his mind was warning him this is where he'd end up.
Again, the world slows. He feels the combined heat and ice of Todoroki as the boy comes back to himself and attempts to stop the Nomu from taking him. He shouts his name— Midoriya, not Rabbit, and Izuku knows Iida is there, knows Iida heard it by his little gasp in between his uneven breathing as he prepares to rush the Nomu alongside Todoroki.
Why are they still trying to save him? Did they not just see what happened to Native because of him?
The Nomu is off, wings beating and leaving mini hurricanes in its wake. Izuku is being taken to the stars twinkling high overhead, and Todoroki lets out a raw sort of sound as Izuku is snatched right from under him, like a carpet being yanked out from under a coffee table.
Izuku knows why the Nomu targeted him but won't admit it until this is all done for. If there even is a done here.
As they soar, Izuku is limp. He's held beneath the Nomu and gets to see the destruction happening far below as he rises higher and higher. In just a few seconds, it gets even harder for him to breathe. Air escapes him in small clouds of white, dissipating near instantaneously.
The darkness is a blur, and wind whips at his face harshly, like a continuous slap. Something wet is forced from his eyes but he can't exactly feel what it is. The liquids drip away into the wind, and he bets it's blood.
When they're high enough, the Nomu pauses for a moment, hanging in the air, and brings Izuku up to look at him square in the face. And it's a scary, scary thing. Izuku stares directly into its eyes, and he can't even feel scared. Why would he? Right here, this monster? It's him. And he knows more than anyone else the easiest ways to destroy himself.
This could've been him. Just like the one at the USJ.
What happens next is almost customary. There is no other choice here. He should've done this during the attack on UA, but he didn't. He was a coward. He never really understood it then, but he thinks he gets it now. His purpose in relation to his father's crimes.
You're too strong, he thinks, motionless in the Nomu's tight hold. It's almost ridiculous.
Slowly, his shaking hands—the only parts of his body not stuck by his side—move up. His quirks pause in their work, like the moment before you step off the edge of a precipice. Like the quirks are waiting for something amazing amidst the terror.
I can't even move an inch of my body in your hold. You... you shouldn't be allowed to exist anymore. I look at you and all I can see is his self-righteous face. It's making me sick.
Moonlight shines on scarred skin, revealing the patchwork job All for One and his doctor must've done to give this Nomu a body. And this close to it, Izuku can actually hear the pumping of its blood. He can hear its makeshift organs trying to function, the result of too many quirks being forced inside one artificial body.
I'm so sorry. I'm going to kill you.
The Nomu must sense what he's about to do, but it doesn't move. It doesn't counter or attack him or rip his head off, no. It's almost like it lets him do what he does next.
It could tear Izuku apart right now, just like Native. But it doesn't. It's... it's...
Izuku's hands light up, red and black tendrils escaping from the indents in the center of his palms to wreathe around his and the Nomu's arms. He closes his eyes as both of his hands reach the skin of the limb the Nomu is holding him with, and he feels it. That jolt of electricity. The boiling water racing down his back and the liquid fire being injected into his bloodstreams.
Extract's chalice overflows, flooding his mind with faux euphoria and desperation, and Izuku searches.
It's funny how even after years of not using this quirk fully, it's all still so instinctive to him.
This time, though, his mind is completely silent. The voices are gone, and so are his doubts. This may also be because he can't even register the pain yet, but still.
All of the quirks the Nomu has—they've all been rolled into one, it seems like. They were forged into one to make it easier for the Nomu to handle, which is good but also disadvantageous. Izuku can recognize the feel of only a couple of them: a mutant quirk, probably one that allows for the controlling of the wings, and a mild regeneration quirk.
And that... that has to be okay. It'll have to be enough. He can work with that.
Izuku tightens his grip, letting Extract form the connection between them, and takes.
His vision goes white, and for a moment there he thinks he's actually stepped in front of the pearly gates (and isn't that confusing; he thought he'd be traveling down), but then the Nomu screeches and he's brought back to life. He's still conscious, and this thought sparks a bit of pride somewhere inside him, somewhere in his mind, because this is the first time he's stolen a quirk and not passed out for ten straight hours.
He hopes his shitty father is proud.
The talons release him, but the transfer is already complete. He only needs a second or two, and the Nomu gave him plenty of spare time. He falls freely through the sky, hands now completely numb, and this has happened so many times before that it's not even funny anymore.
Now, if Izuku dies like this, staring at the stars, it would be okay. He wouldn't be too upset.
The Nomu starts to fall too as it loses its mutant quirk factor that allows for its wings to be used as extensions. With the wings now deadweight, the Nomu can't fly.
It's just the same as Izuku.
And since it doesn't look like it was finished or complete before being sent out tonight anyway, Izuku is willing to guess that the quirks inside it were the only things holding it together. They were acting as the Nomu's fuel and glue. So now... now that they're gone...
The Nomu is splitting apart at the seams, and Izuku feels like he is too. He can hear its metallic screeching starting up again, and it hurts to listen to. He feels the vibration in his chest.
Its eyes meet his while they fall. The Nomu is catching up to him rather quickly due to its weight, and its entire body is folding in on itself. When its skin starts to fall apart and shred, it reaches for Izuku with an outstretched claw seemingly as a last resort. It's flailing and writhing around, the sound of its wings flapping uselessly in the wind drowning out everything else.
It's scared.
The Nomu makes that shrill sound again from deep within its throat, and Izuku watches as it dies. He watches as the creature becomes unable to sustain itself anymore without its foundation, without its quirks.
And he watches as it tears itself apart like a star that's past due.
The Nomu falls right past him, dropping like a rock in a stream, and Izuku can hear the exact moment it hits the ground hard, as its calls cut off abruptly.
Oh, God. It all started so fast and ended even faster.
There are anguished yells coming from below, and Izuku can only vaguely sense all of the heroes arriving on scene now. Time is relative to Izuku now, so it could easily be an hour or only a few seconds before Endeavor manages to catch him before he meets the same fate as the Nomu, he wouldn't know.
He feels Gran somewhere in the crowds, which causes him to relax at least a little. He's glad the man isn't dead. This was the last of the Nomu, right? There were... six of them? That sounds correct.
It's over. They lost, Izuku lost, but it's all over.
He feels his friends running over but before they can reach him they're being ushered away, probably to an ambulance. For that, Izuku is grateful.
He's spasming in the tight hold of Todoroki Enji, his body buzzing with energy from the aftermath of stealing a quirk. Izuku smells ash and sweat and gasoline, and it again reminds him of Kacchan. Geez, he wants to see Kacchan right now. He just wants... he wants a hug or something. Anything. Even a soft look or a smile from his friend and Izuku would probably bounce right back from this purgatory state.
"Rabbit!" is probably what Endeavor is shouting right now, but Izuku can't exactly hear it.
His head tips to the side, his sanity leaving him slowly as his body adapts to a mutated quirk he should probably not have, and then he suddenly sees it.
Past the heroes staring at him with wide eyes. Past his friends. Past the crime scene. Past the... the Nomu's twitching and smoking body...
In the middle of it all, a boy that Izuku hasn't seen in months watches him. Red, leathery wings are tucked behind large shoulders. Glistening, iridescent tears slip down red cheeks, and a calloused hand comes up to cover a quivering mouth.
Izuku's lips part, and his blood escapes him in a waterfall again.
Endeavor is saying something to him again, but it's muted, like everything has a film over it. A large, warm hand grabs hold of his chin and moves his face up so he's staring at Endeavor, so the man can check his eyes just like how Todoroki did.
But he just can't breathe anymore. He can't even respond to tell the flame hero what's wrong, not that it matters.
Because how is Izuku supposed to tell him what he's seeing? Without losing himself for good?
Another man-made monster has just been added to the long list of his regrets. The poor Nomu—no, it's Tsubasa, it's just as Izuku thought, God —will have to follow him around for the rest of his life, just like the others. Just like the other quirks that Izuku has taken.
And from the way red wings come up to fold around the face and body of Izuku's old bully, almost like a hug, it's obvious he knows it too.