Everyone Needs a War, Right?

by SignumPeccatum

Summary:

Midoriya Izuku and Shigaraki Tomura.

Both destined to face each other, shaped by their mentors, gifted with the original quirks.

One meaning to save the world, the other to destroy it.

But when they actually meet, finding out how much they can be to each other, why would they want to fight? Did anyone ever ask them what they wanted?

Would it be so bad if they just, left it all behind?

 

AKA no one is immune to Izuku's cheerful attitude, not even one (1) dusty villain boi.

Notes:

Welcome!

I'm in the mood for some softer shigadeku.

I wanted to explore the dynamic between them, both at other sides of the battle. How it could turn out if they had more time together, more time to heal, to make their own decisions.

I hope you enjoy,
Have a nice day, and don't forget to drink lots of water!<3

Chapter 1: Nine Hours Of Friendship

Midoriya Izuku was walking home, carefully taking the longer way to avoid his bullies. 

He was jogging, mindful of his steps, his backpack landing on his back with every step he took.

That was when he heard the quiet sobs coming from a dark alley.

Despite what his classmates said, he wanted to be a hero, and it's a hero's job to help people.

He stepped into the alley, seeing a sobbing boy, a bit older than himself. He was tall, curled into a ball of baggy black clothes, hands curling around his neck. He had light blue hair, falling across his form in messy streaks.

Izuku walked closer, making his footsteps louder as to not startle the boy. 

The boy's breath hitched, sobs instantly stopping, hands falling next to his body.

"Are you okay?" Asked Izuku, voice gentle, looking at the other boy worriedly.

The boy nodded, not looking up from his position, hands curling into fists.

Izuku put his backpack into his arms, clumsily unzipping the front pocket and reaching in.

Seeing the other boy finally looking at him, he pulled out a pack of tissues, holding them out to the boy.

Izuku took a moment to study the boy's face. He had chapped skin, the cracks most prominent around his lips. He looked like no one had ever offered him help before.

He had fascinating red eyes, calm yet slightly insane, their colour matching the reddened skin around them, probably from crying.

Just as Izuku was about to start stuttering out his apologies, worried about overstepping his boundaries, the boy reached out his hand and took the offered tissues, carefully taking out one and handing the rest to the boy.

Izuku was fascinated by the boy's hands, watching the always raised pinkie, all fingers never making contact with the plastic wrapping.

It reminded Izuku of the royal families he saw on TV.

Izuku took back the tissues, placing them back in their safe space, hugging his backpack.

The boy sniffled, graciously drying his tears and blowing his nose into the tissue.

Izuku stood there and watched, unsure of what to do next.

He finally made a decision, sitting across the boy, his back against a wall.

The boy looked at Izuku with a confused glare, making him hug his backpack tighter. 

"What do you want?" Asked the boy, his voice raspy. 

He probably tried to look threatening, but to Izuku, he just looked sad.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," responded Izuku quietly, sending the boy a nervous smile.

The boy huffed, one of his hands going up to scratch his neck.

That was when Izuku noticed the raw skin, the red neck decorated with cuts and scars, both healed and fresh.

Izuku's eyes widened, reaching instinctively to stop the boy's hand from connecting with the bruised skin.

Their hands met, Izuku holding tightly before realising what he had done and letting go of the boy.

"P-please don't do that," Izuku stuttered in apology, his hands nervously twitching.

The boy just looked stunned, looking at his empty hand.

They sat together in silence, both of them lost in their own panicked thoughts.

"Midoriya Izuku," introduced himself Izuku, breaking the silence.

The boy looked at him for a minute, fighting an internal battle with himself.

"Shimura Tenko", responded the boy finally, startling Izuku.

"N-nice to meet you, Shimura Tenko," offered Izuku, smiling brightly.

-

The older boy didn't expect his breakdown to end with meeting a literal sunshine, but he wasn't complaining.

He was training, his Sensei bringing a new teacher to help his abilities.

The whole thing was a disaster, Shimura had a hard time dodging all of the hard blows, getting more and more injuries as the man cackled in the background.

It felt like a punishment, hours of torture. It might have been, Sensei didn't like the fact that Shimura refused his new name. Shigaraki Tomura. It sounded wrong. It didn't feel like his.

When he felt his ankle crack, he couldn't resist himself and with a cry touched his new teacher with all five fingers, crying in relief when his teacher turned to dust before his eyes.

His relief was short lived, hearing the harsh echoing words of his mentor.

"You'll never be a man until you can control your temper," said Sensei with disappointment in his voice.

Kurogiri sent him away, throwing him into the unknown busy streets, Sensei reminding him that he'll be back later.

Shimura had the grace to limp towards a hidden alley before breaking down, crying.

His ankle hurt, his whole body hurt, but the biggest pain came from disappointing Sensei.

He didn't know what to expect when a young boy found him. He wanted nothing more than to disintegrate him, watch his body slowly rot.

But when the boy reached out his hand, a peace offering in the form of a pack of tissues, Shimura couldn't bring himself to hurt him.

Something about the nervous smile made him want to protect the boy, Midoriya Izuku, to take him and never let him go.

They got to talking, nothing too revealing, but it felt good to talk to another human.

It actually reminded Shimura that he, himself, was human, too.

Izuku waited with him, even when the sun set down, even when his mother called, wondering where her son was.

"I'm with a friend!" Responded Izuku to his mom, the happiness in his voice intoxicating.

Were they friends? Was this what having a friend felt like?

At one point, Shimura disintegrated the tissues in his hand. 

To his surprise, when he looked up, Izuku was looking at the ashes in amazement.

The younger boy didn't scream, or run away, or call him a monster. Instead, he asked excited questions, theorising about the possible use of his friend's quirk.

Somewhere between the ramblings, Shimura became Tenko, and Midoriya became Izuku.

Tenko hadn't see a puppy for a long time, but he thought that Izuku was as close as he was going to get.

"What's your quirk, then?" Tenko asked. 

Izuku's face fell, and Tenko immediately regretted the question, wanting to see the boy smile again.

"I'm quirkless," mumbled the boy, waiting for for the other boy to leave.

"That's cool," said Tenko with a small smile. And it truly was, he never met someone quirkless before. Well, besides Sensei's experiments, but Izuku didn't look like an experiment.

Izuku's face perked up again, searching Tenko's eyes for a lie, before smiling brightly.

Tenko was once again reminded how cruel society was, for ever treating someone as bright as Izuku so badly.

Izuku shared his desire to be a hero, his adoration for today's heroes.

Tenko told him just how selfish today's heroes were, never there unless it meant more fame.

Izuku was silent for a few moments, thinking, before he looked at Tenko with a determined smile.

"Well, that's why I'm going to be a hero! I'm going to be here for people, so they always have someone to help them!"

Tenko didn't hate that statement. "You'll be a great hero," he said, telling the truth.

After a few hours, a purple vortex opened next to them, silently calling Tenko to come back.

For some reason, the thought made Tenko sad, especially when he looked into his new friend's sad eyes.

"We'll meet again," Tenko decided firmly, allowing himself to smile at Izuku's hopeful expression.

He stiffened when he felt a weight in his arms.

Oh. Izuku was hugging him.

It actually felt... Nice.

Unlike the one armed hugs Sensei has offered him, Izuku's arms made him feel safe, secure, and loved.

Tenko never wanted to leave.

But he followed his orders, half limping into the dark portal with a reassuring smile towards his first friend.

Izuku found himself smiling back, long after the portal disappeared.

He already missed his new friend.


------


Izuku never forgot about his friend.

Tenko became a reason to continue, a reason to push through.

Someone finally believed in Izuku, and that was enough.

He found himself taking the longer path from school, both to avoid his bullies and hoping for a chance to see the boy again.

But the alley was always empty, Tenko never returning.

Izuku didn't let that stop him. He trained to be a hero, eventually meeting his idol and training under All Might.

He worked hard under the plan of his new mentor, pushing his body to his limits.

And after long ten months, his body was ready, One for All coursing through his veins.

He celebrated by breaking his arm.

Wearing a UA uniform, a fresh first year student, he found himself walking towards his new school, finally feeling like a real hero.

Do you see, Tenko? I made it! I'll become a hero! For both of us!

Chapter 2: 20 Minutes Of Fighting

Shigaraki never forgot about his first friend, either.

He worked harder than ever before, promising to fix the society, for himself and for Izuku.

Sensei was proud, complimenting his student for his new found determination.

He trained both his quirk and his body, becoming stronger every day. 

Standing alongside an army, his army, waiting for the giant portal to open, he was determined to succeed.

He would bring down the hero society, starting with All Might, to create a new, better world.

A world where people like him and Izuku were free.

Stepping into the portal, he grinned under his father's dismembered hand.

He would complete the mission. For Izuku.

------


It was supposed to be a simple training exercise, the class visiting the USJ to get some experience in rescue operations.

It sounded fun. Unforeseen Simulation Joint. Izuku was looking forward to the training, so were his classmates.

Thirteen and Eraserhead were supervising, making sure that nothing happened to the students.

Suddenly, it became much, much more.

Izuku was one of the first who noticed the giant purple portal.

Villains started filling the grounds, Eraserhead screaming at everyone to fall back.

But Izuku couldn't, the portal too familiar for him to dismiss.

Tenko?

He desperately hoped that his friend didn't have anything to do with this, but he was soon convinced otherwise.

There, in the centre, stood Shimura Tenko.

He didn't change much, still wearing the baggy clothing, taller and more muscular.

The biggest shock were the dismembered hands that decorated his body.

Iida was screaming at him to run, and on instinct, he did.

It was still too late, the warp gate, who introduced himself as Kurogiri, stopped them in their tracks.

It was a mess. Thirteen got injured, their only saving grace was Iida, who got out with Izuku's help, running to alert the teachers. 

Then everyone got scattered, Izuku landing in the water zone and almost getting eaten alive before Tsuyu saved him.

He just hoped everyone was okay.

His brain finally switched to hero mode, assessing the situation. They were in a boat, him, Tsuyu, and Mineta.

Mineta was panicking, which was understandable, but Izuku still considered slapping him.

Nevertheless, he comforted the small boy, working on a plan to get them to safety.

Too soon, they were back on land, the villains taken care of.

Great. That leaves him with only Tenko to take care of.

The situation suddenly got more real with the deafening crack of Eraserhead's head against the pavement.

He took in the huge monster on top of his teacher.

But to him, the real danger was Tenko - Shigaraki Tomura? Who was suddenly fixated on their group.

Before he could move, Tenko was running towards them, hands outstretched, murderous intent clear.

Izuku knew what his hands could do. He didn't want to imagine the torture of them disintegrating a human body.

Too soon, Tenko reached them, fingers touching Tsuyu's face.

And nothing happened.

Eraserhead activated his quirk on Tenko, the deranged villain chuckling in realisation.

Izuku snapped out of his frozen state. His teacher, beaten and bloodied, was still fighting. Why wasn't Izuku?

Izuku came to a conclusion, throwing a powerful punch, aiming for Tenko's chest.

He may be his friend, but he was also about to kill his classmates.

The punch made contact, his hand mercifully in one piece. 

Only it wasn't Tenko who has taken the hit.

No, it was the giant monster. And it didn't seem affected at all.

The monster pounced, holding Izuku in it's massive hand before he could take a breath.

"Noumu, crush him-"

"Tenko!" Screamed out Izuku in his last attempt at escaping.

Tenko froze, looking at the boy for the first time.

Green met red, and the fighting seemed to stop.

That was before the monster's, Noumu's, grip on his torso got tighter and tighter and God he couldn't breathe-

The red eyes screamed something before the weight suddenly lifted, Izuku falling down, meeting the hard concrete. 

He could see Eraserhead's limp body a few metres away from him, looking up to see the blurry figure of Tenko.

He looked murderous, watching a space behind him.

Izuku turned, meeting the outline of his mentor.

All Might.

The hero jumped towards them, quickly giving Tenko a hard punch, before going for the monster, protecting his students.

Izuku winced at the punch Tenko got, even though the villain deserved it.

Izuku slowly stood up, vision clearing. He looked around himself, seeing All Might fighting the beast, other heroes nowhere to be seen.

Some of his classmates gathered around, Tsuyu and Uraraka hurriedly taking Eraserhead's limp body to safety.

From the corner of his eye, he saw something move.

Tenko.

He was standing up, the hand covering his face missing. He recovered from the punch and was quickly running towards Izuku's unaware classmates.

And Izuku moved, running towards him, protecting his class.

Izuku ran into Tenko, slamming the older boy's body back on the ground. He made sure to power his moves with a bit of One for All, not wanting to hurt himself or his friend.

Ex-friend? Are they still friends?

Tenko reacted on instinct, years of battle kicking in as he flipped them over, sitting on the boy's chest, one hand gripping his opponent's hands, the other reaching towards the boy's face.

Breathing hard, Izuku accepted his death, almost content with the life he had lived. Hopefully, he at least gave his friends enough time.

He felt the brush of Tenko's fingers on his face, but the pain didn't come.

He looked up, seeing Tenko half sitting on top of him, his hand settled on his chin, with one pinkie raised.

Izuku watched Tenko's conflicted eyes as his hand travelled towards Izuku's neck, pressing gently before travelling back up. 

Two fingers were placed on Izuku's lips, the boy opening his mouth wider on instinct.

Their eyes finally met, both confused by the situation, but neither hating it.

It felt like hours before the moment got ruined, by a gunshot, straight to Tenko's hand.

Izuku wrestled himself from out of Tenko, creating some distance between them, ignoring the part of him that was screaming to help his friend.

Right. USJ. Villains. Danger. 

All Might defeated the Noumu, the pro heroes helped with detaining the villains, and the fight was over.

But Izuku couldn't focus on any of it, his mind a chorus of Tenko, Tenko, Tenko.

His last memory of that evening was meeting the red eyes as his friend left through the portal, gone again.

He really liked red.

Chapter 3: 29 Days Of Wondering

Notes:

I love you all, thank you so much for everything.

Don't forget to drink lots of water!<3

Izuku was lying in a hospital room, slowly waking up after his surgery.

The USJ incident cost him nine broken ribs, two of them pushing dangerously close to his lungs.

He felt like he deserved more.

He knew he couldn't blame himself for everything, but if he reacted sooner, his teachers would be alright, not lying on the beds next to him, covered in bandages.

If he found Tenko sooner, maybe this whole incident wouldn't happen.

He heard footsteps before the door to his room opened, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He sat up, careful not to joist his healing ribs.

In came two figures, All Might and a man in a long tan overcoat, wearing a matching hat.

Izuku's mentor was in his original form, chatting quietly with the man.

"Young Midoriya!" Smiled crookedly All Might, voice a bit louder than a whisper.

"This is my good friend, Tsukauchi Naomasa," introduced he the tall man beside him.

Tsukauchi Naomasa.

Izuku heard about the man. Member of the police department, his quirk making him a human lie detector.

"Hello Midoriya," bowed Tsukauchi slightly, "I'm here to ask you a few questions."

Izuku nodded his head, resisting the urge to bow with his healing ribs.

His mentor left, claiming that he had other things to take care of, leaving the two alone.

The fact that Izuku's mentor didn't say anything about his student's well being made him a bit sad, but he pushed through it.

"So, Midoriya," started Tsukauchi, sitting on a chair beside him and opening a small notebook. "We've already interviewed some of your classmates, would you please tell me your side of the accident?"

Accident. The attack wasn't an accident, accidents were accidental.

"How is everyone?" Asked quietly Izuku, not answering the question.

Tsukauchi looked at him for a moment, before his gaze flicked to the beds beside him.

"Your class is okay, no one else was hospitalised," said Tsukauchi, voice professional. "Eraserhead and Thirteen suffered the worst injuries, but they should not have any lasting health problems."

Izuku nodded, thankful.

He took a deep breath and started explaining.

He told the detective about Kurogiri, about the water zone, about their plan to escape.

"Shigaraki ran at us, attacking Tsuyu," recalled Izuku. "He touched her face, but nothing happened, Aizawa-sensei cancelled his quirk."

"Did you know about Shigaraki's quirk?" Asked the detective, pausing his writing.

Oh. Half truths still count, right?

"Yes," stated Izuku. "I saw Aizawa-sensei's elbow."

Both of the statements were true, even if they weren't related. Tsukauchi seemed satisfied, nodding and writing down the information.

"I jumped at Shigaraki, but I was stopped by the giant monster, Noumu," continued Izuku. "It held me, crushing my ribs."

Tsukauchi nodded, looking sympathetic. "What happened next?"

Tenko saw who I was, called off his Noumu, and saved me.

"All Might appeared, injured Shigaraki, and started fighting the Noumu."

Tsukauchi didn't flinch, taking the statements as truthful answers.

"I saw Shigaraki running towards my classmates," continued the story Izuku. "I slammed into him, and we fought."

Tsukauchi paused.

"I-I mean, it wasn't fighting, exactly," stuttered Izuku, realising his mistake. "He was experienced, dodged all of my attacks, and pinned me under him, with his hand close to my face."

Tsukauchi was writing again, nodding to himself. He looked at Izuku, silently telling him to continue.

Tenko touching him, so gentle, so loving-

"Someone shot Shigaraki's hand, and I ran away from him. I don't remember much after."

Tsukauchi nodded, straightening up, almost finished with his writing. He coughed a little, preparing for the last questions.

"Did you know Shigaraki Tomura before the USJ?"

Izuku stilled, giving himself a few seconds to think, hopefully not seeming suspicious.

"No, I didn't," declared Izuku.

It was true. He didn't know Shigaraki Tomura, he only knew Shimura Tenko.

Tsukauchi nodded, content with the answer. 

He looked into Izuku's eyes for one last time. "Is there anything else that could help us in this investigation?"

"Nothing," shook his head Izuku, believing his answer.

With that, Tsukauchi stood up, sending a smile towards Izuku. They shook hands, both bowing slightly.

"Thank you for your cooperation," said the detective before walking out of the room, leaving Izuku to his thoughts. 

He didn't know why he protected Tenko.

On one hand, he was a villain who had no trouble with killing both heroes and hero students.

On the other, he was his friend. He didn't hurt Izuku, he just seemed to be the scared, wounded boy he was when they first met.

Heroes help people, and Tenko needed help.

Izuku would make sure Tenko got the help he needed.

------

Shigaraki spent the next few days resting, planning, getting back to his full strength.

The fight left him mostly healthy, except for some cracked ribs, and the three annoying bullet wounds in his hand.

Most of his army got caught, but Shigaraki wasn't worried. They were the ones getting outsmarted by children, they had to pay the price.

Sensei claimed he wasn't disappointed. No one was killed, but two teachers were seriously injured, making this a good step towards breaking the system.

Soon enough, media would start to doubt their heroes, incapable of protecting their own students.

Shigaraki wanted to think back on the attack, review his strategies, find out where he could be better.

All his thoughts pointed towards Izuku.

He never doubted that the boy would become something great, but seeing him in a customized UA uniform was still a shock.

He looked good, still sporting the red sneakers that he wore all those years ago, similar to the ones Shigaraki bought for himself. 

Sensei didn't ask, and even if he had, Tomuta wouldn't reveal his reasons.

Despite the sides they were currently on, Shigaraki wished Izuku the best life possible. At least until they were back together.

That's how he found himself in his room, watching the first year's UA Sport's Festival.

The live feed was playing on a flat TV on the wall, Present Mic narrating the event. 

It felt barbaric, people cheering for children beating each other. Then again, he was going to kill some of these children a few days ago, so he had no room to talk.

It still didn't feel heroic.

He spent the whole time looking for Izuku, ecstatic when he finally saw the boy cross the finish line, getting the first place.

Take that, stupid heroes.

Shigaraki fully believed in Izuku, from start to finish.

He expected the boy to at least get to the PvP part. And he did, somehow snapping out of a mind control student's hold with a broken finger.

The purple boy could be useful, but Shigaraki stubbornly refused to work with anyone who hurt his Izuku.

What he didn't expect was for his friend to raise his hand and send a huge wave of power at his opponent, a Todoroki, injuring himself in the process.

Well, that was an interesting new development.

The fight finally ended with a bang, both boys exhausted, Izuku unconscious and hurt.

Shigaraki muted the part of him that immediately wanted to find the boy and make sure he was alright.

Instead, he watched the festival, minutes passing by as a boy with an explosion quirk won first place.

The blonde student looked crazy, chained in place, refusing to accept his medal.

The boy looked like someone full of hate, and that was exactly what Sensei wanted in their possible allies.

Too soon, the show was over, the results of the festival flashing across the screen.

Shigaraki stood up, stretching, glaring at his hand when he felt a spike of pain.

He walked out of his room in silence, lazily watching the dimly lit halls, heading for the door to the familiar bar.

He nodded at Kurogiri, going to stand in front of a TV screen, purple letters flashing screen only.

"Have you made your decision?" Asked Sensei's distorted voice, echoing throught the quiet room.

Kurogiri put away a glass he was cleaning in favour of looking at Shigaraki.

Shigaraki blinked, edge of his mouth curling up.

"Katsuki Bakugou, and Midoriya Izuku."

Chapter 4: Two Seconds Of Contact

Notes:

I love writing this, thank you for making me feel better. I hope you enjoy this.

Please, don't forget to take care of yourselves, and have a lovely day!<3

Izuku was, for once, happy with his life.

He didn't win the UA Sports Festival, but he was still proud of himself.

In the end, he felt like a hero. 

However, the people watching the event didn't feel the same way.

Aizawa has told them about the importance of media coverage, representing your image. There was always the underground route, which honestly looked more and more appealing.

The media coverage Izuku got were multiple articles criticising the first year who uselessly broke his body for power.

Izuku wanted to be a hero, he really did. He wanted to make people feel safe. 

But as he looked into the things mainstream pro heroes had to do, the difficult PR they had to manage, going underground seemed like a good option.

All Might, however, didn't see it that way.

"You will be the next symbol of peace!" Boomed the hero, dismissing Izuku's idea. "You have to show the people, you are here!"

But I can do that as an underground hero, thought Izuku sadly. I can help more people, people who really need it, who feel like there's no one who could save them.

They had this conversation too often in the last few days, Izuku's protests always falling on deaf ears.

On top of it all, he was told that his hands got hurt and broken too many times, and there was a possibility that he could never use them again, much less fight with them.

Everything was starting to feel like too much.

After the festival came the internships, everyone gaining experience under a chosen pro hero.

Most of his class were picked out, getting multiple offers by different hero agencies, enjoying the semi-famous status they gained.

Izuku wasn't shocked when he didn't get any offers, he expected as much.

It still hurt when his classmates pointed it out.

Aizawa quickly assured them that everyone would be going on an internship, even those who didn't manage to impress anyone.

Izuku just curled into himself, feeling his sensei's eyes on him.

The topic of internships brought along the next important step of being a hero.

Hero names.

Aizawa left the lecture to Midnight, the R rated heroine gracefully taking the floor.

Whiteboards were passed to the students as they got another lecture about the importance of their image.

Izuku could practically feel the panic in the air as everyone tried to create the best name possible.

There were many names, fun, cute, intimidating.

He would be lying if he said that he didn't chuckle at Katsuki's choice.

Izuku's mind was set, it has been for a while now.

He confidently walked towards the front of the class, standing straight behind the lectern and showing his board.

Deku, he wrote in a messy font, his broken hand still not cooperating.

He felt everyone's questioning eyes, interested in his decision.

"It represents everything I've worked for," stated Izuku with a small, determined smile. 

It was something that would keep him going, reminding him of how far he has come already.

Midnight accepted the name, still mildly confused, but not unhappy with the decision.

The class finally ended, his friends complimenting each other on their new hero names.

Izuku himself was feeling quite happy, skipping through the halls to get to Recovery Girl's office for his check up.

That feeling left him when All Might showed up.

"Young Midoriya!" His mentor said in a cheery voice, keeping up his strong appearance in the school halls. "Can we talk? Alone?"

Izuku just nodded, already feeling exhausted.

They walked into an empty office, All Might deflating and coughing up blood as soon as the door shut.

"Are you okay?" Asked concerned Izuku, still not used to the sight of his mentor coughing up blood.

All Might nodded, reaching for a handkerchief.

Surprisingly, they didn't fight that day.

All Might has told him about a pro hero that privately offered to take Izuku for his internship.

Apparently, the hero was called Gran Torino, a fast, smart, vicious man who once mentored All Might himself.

Seeing his mentor literally shaking in fear of the unknown hero, Izuku accepted the proposition, extremely curious.

Later, studying under the man, with a new style that didn't strain his hands, Izuku was confident that he made the right decision.

He learned more from Gran Torino in a week than he ever did from anyone else in his life.

Going to train under Gran Torino was one of the smartest decisions in his life.

------

If you asked Shigaraki what he thought about Midoriya Izuku, he wouldn't answer, and you would most likely end up dead.

The truth was that he thought Izuku was resourceful, confident, positive and selfless.

Also really cute and pretty.

And really, really stupid.

Those were all facts, confirmed by watching the boy time and time again, re-watching any footage he could find and spending most of his free time revisiting their old memories.

He promised to make the press suffer for what they said about his Izuku.

So, yes, Izuku was stupid. It wasn't heroic to jump into fights with no backup, not at the USJ, not at the festival.

Especially not when he decided to fight the hero killer, alone, in an isolated alley.

Shigaraki was there that night, overwatching the destruction of the Hosu City.

He was standing on top of a tall tower, under Kurogiri's gaze, watching Sensei's Noumus destroy the busy city.

It felt good to watch the city burn.

But of course everything had to change when Stain decided to show up.

God, Shigaraki hated Stain. His ideas weren't bad, but the man alone just pissed him off.

He thought they could co-exist, even after Stain stabbed Shigaraki's shoulder.

He was ready to cooperate, even after Stain decided to kill on the same night, stealing some of League's fame.

But the moment Stain laid a hand on his Izuku, Shigaraki was ready to kill.

Shigaraki was alerted about the incident, ignoring Kurogiri's wishes and demanding to get closer to the fight.

They arrived just as the fight ended, standing on a tall building above the scene.

Shigaraki looked down, grinning when he saw tied up Stain, getting dragged away from the alley.

He paused when he saw a fluff of green hair.

Izuku.

His friend was on someone's back, walking next to two students he remembered from the Sports Festival.

More and more heroes came, alerted by the commotion. 

Kurogiri put his hand on Shigaraki's back, concerned for his young master.

Shigaraki was on his knees, leaning over the edge of the building, watching Izuku.

Suddenly, a winged Noumu flew in, grasping Izuku in it's claws and flying into the air, close to the villain's position.

Shigaraki moved, almost falling, Kurogiri preparing a portal in case anything happens.

Izuku screamed, panicking, reaching for the Noumu's claws, eyes flickering around.

His eyes found Shigaraki.

Their eyes met, Shigaraki reaching out his hand, a silent scream on his lips.

And Izuku nodded, his own hand rising to meet Shigaraki's in panic.

That was the moment when Stain got free, jumping into the air to meet the flying monster.

Shigaraki jumped off, fully prepared to kill both Stain and the Noumu for ever putting his Izuku in danger.

A portal opened in front of Shigaraki, sending him rolling on the floor of the familiar bar, hand accidentally disintegrating a table.

Kurogiri came in, criticising the boy for breaking more of his furniture, but Shigaraki just glared as he ran to his room.

He turned on the TV, impatiently flicking through the channels.

Every news station played clips of the Hosu incident, commentating on the work of the hero killer, Stain.

Shigaraki threw off the hand covering his face, the limb landing hard on the ground.

He could finally breathe as he saw an image of Izuku, back on the ground and seemingly okay.

He sat on his bed, falling back into the cushions in relief.

He put an arm over his face, collecting his breathing.

The TV continued talking in the background, talking about Stain's arrest, describing the night's events.

Once again, Stain ruined everything, but Shigaraki didn't care.

He was just glad his Izuku was okay.

Chapter 5: 36 Days Of Stress

Notes:

I'm eating waffles right now, can you tell?

Our boys will finally come face to face soon, I'm so excited!

I hope you enjoy reading, and have a lovely day!<3

Once again, Izuku found himself in a hospital.

It was after the encounter with Stain, and although it wasn't a happy memory, it wasn't as depressing as his last visit. 

He was mostly okay, and so were Iida and Todoroki, who were occupying the beds beside him.

Or rather, Tenya and Shouto. Going through a traumatising event really brings people together.

All their injuries should not leave any lasting damage, and Izuku was incredibly grateful.

He was really glad everyone was alive. Tenya kept apologizing for putting them in danger, but that was never a concern.

"That's what heroes do," always repeated Izuku, Shouto nodding in agreement.

They were soon visited by Gran Torino, Manual, and a man in a dog form who introduced himself as Tsuragamae Kenji, chief of the Police Force.

Chief Tsuragamae explained the situation, the students illegally using their quirks to combat Stain.

Shouto immediately got to their defence, arguing with the chief. 

Izuku had to admit, Tsuragamae made some valid points, but they were literally fighting for their lives, doesn't that excuse the situation?

Really, Izuku just wanted to sleep for 12 hours straight. Then get back to training with Gran Torino.

In the end, they made a deal. The students wouldn't be punished for their actions, but the credit of catching Stain would go to Endeavore.

It wasn't fair, but nothing seemed to be fair these days.

The three of them finished their internships in silence, thankfully not running into any more life threatening situations.

Gran Torino and Izuku parted ways, with the man wishing the boy the best.

Stain's life and arrest slowly became viral, many people obsessed with his rotten ideas.

It was the start of a revolution, many people calling out fake heroes, following in his footsteps.

Something big was about to happen, everyone could feel it in the air.

With Stain came the League of Villains, people associating them together after seeing them both that night in Hosu City.

There were pictures of Shigaraki and Kurogiri, high on top of buildings, looking down at the destruction.

The images were chilling, but Izuku still liked seeing Tenko.

The media didn't talk about his friend's attempt to save Izuku, everyone dismissing it as Shigaki attempting to kill the boy or simply preparing for the jump through the portal.

No one mentioned Izuku's hand, reaching out to the villain, and Izuku was glad. That would be hard to explain.

His classmates shared their stories, Jirou and Tsuyu recalling their own villain fights.

Uraraka seemed to change a lot, improving her fighting greatly.

Bakugou came back with a ridiculous sleek hairstyle that lasted about a minute before the boy exploded.

Whenever someone mentioned the Stain incident, or asked the three involved what they were doing, they all told the universal answer. They were training. Endeavore saved them.

The school year continued, final exams right behind the corner.

Izuku still struggled with his future, Gran Torino further proving him that one doesn't have to be famous to be a good hero.

All Might still refused to hear him out.

Instead, he called Izuku into his office, and dumped another load of information about One For All.

In the wake of quirks, there were two brothers. One, named All For One, had the ability to steal and give quirks, forcibly rising to rule over Japan.

His younger brother was thought to be quirkless and resented him for his evil actions. All For One gave his brother a gift, a quirk which allowed him to stockpile power.

However, the younger brother already had a quirk, one which allowed him to pass quirks on to others.

The two quirks mended, creating One for All, which continued to be passed down to later generations, eventually getting to All Might and Izuku.

All Might was apparently able to beat the evil man, after his predecessors were unable to do the same

But now All For One was in power again, operating behind the League.

And Izuku would be the one to face him.

"Why haven't you told me until now?" Asked Izuku, voice surprisingly calm.

All Might took a deep breath, his expression just a little bit guilty. "It wasn't the right time, my boy."

Izuku just stared at the coffee table, sitting on a sofa, watching All Might nervously shift from the corner of his eye.

"But, don't worry!" His mentor offered with his usual enthusiasm. "You'll become a great hero, the new Symbol of Peace!"

Izuku wasn't so sure.

He still nodded, giving All Might a smile as he left the room, continuing on his way to Recovery Girl.

He never asked for this.

Is this what his life is going to be? Going out of school just to give his life to fighting one giant villain? 

Izuku stopped his thoughts, not wanting to think about his written future.

After all, he had his final exams to prepare for. Right now, studying seemed like a good distraction.

------

Shigaraki felt irritated.

Thanks to Stain, the League was as famous as ever.

There were people popping up left and right, wanting to join Shigaraki.

Sensei left all of the planning to him, claiming that it's a good exercise. He needed to be able to pick his own fighters, after all.

Shigaraki hated most of them. "Stain inspired me. Stain is the best. Stain is amazing. I want to be like Stain. Stain, Stain, Stain,..."

The man himself would be terrified to know the League has so many supporters thank to him, and that gave Shigaraki so much pleasure.

It almost got Shigaraki through the process of dealing with everyone in peace. Almost.

Some of the newcomers were just plain stupid, he had fun turning them to dust as a warning.

The ones that could be useful were just quite rude and mentally unstable, but he could deal with them. For the League's sake. Yes, he was looking at Dabi and Toga.

That's how the Vanguard Action Squad was formed. 

It consisted of ten high ranking villains, assembled to have a small but effective group of fighters.

He made Dabi the leader, the half burnt recruit rude but quite competent. 

That didn't mean that he liked Dabi, frankly, the guy was annoying and Shigaraki wanted to strangle him every single time the two were in the same room.

He didn't like any of them, and he wouldn't think twice about getting rid of them if they caused any problems.

But the newly assembled squad was still his best hope of causing chaos in the hero community, highlighted by capturing two UA students, including his Izuku.

They were all sitting around the bar, some drinking to pass the time.

There was a new table in the centre, on it two printed pictures taken from the Sports Festival.

Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku.

The plans were made, everyone looking forward to wrecking the first year's camping trip.

The roles were given, strategies finished, everyone working together to get the two students as soon as possible.

"I don't care what happens," reminded Shigaraki, sipping on his own glass of whiskey. "If you hurt Midoriya Izuku, you're dead." 

Somewhere, Sensei was lying on a hospital bed, resting with the Doctor's help.

His crooked mouth smiled, proud of his student for coming this far.

Tomura will make an excellent successor.

Chapter 6: 11 Seconds Of Death

Notes:

We're getting closer, hope you enjoy reading!

Don't forget to drink a glass of water, and have a lovely day!<3

As Izuku expected, the final exams were exhausting.

The written portion was good. For him, learning things was easy. You remember information, you write it down, you use it when the situation requires it. 

Just facts and figures. Nothing complicated about it.

Fighting was a little bit like that, just mixed with a lot of variables.

There was no possibility of a bomb dropping down when you were in a room, writing down answers on a piece of paper.

But with fighting, anything could happen. Especially in the age of quirks.

It was something that worried him. With the final exams, Izuku was sure that the teachers would think of something to test their abilities to the maximum.

And they did.

It wasn't robots, as the first years predicted. They ended up fighting the teachers.

Izuku was almost excited at the idea, looking forward to facing actual pros.

That was until it was revealed that he would be paired with Bakugou Katsuki, against All Might.

At that moment, he almost wished Tenko would have actually killed him back then.

Nevertheless, he put on a brave face, trying to cooperate with his childhood friend to beat his mentor.

The whole situation just screamed trouble.

After a series of long, both emotionally and physically draining fights, they won.

Izuku shivered at the memories of their battle, so close to loosing his sanity.

He would say that he had the upcoming camping trip to look forward to, but that would be a lie.

He was excited to train there and get better, but to be honest, after everything going on, he just needed some time to himself.

Thankfully, his mom didn't question him when he soaked in the shower for three hours.

But, as usual, no one seemed to care about what Izuku wanted, and all too soon, it was time to go.

He tiredly packed up what he needed for the trip, throwing everything into a backpack before making his way to UA.

He arrived as one of the last people there, already hearing the loud chatter of both first year Heroics classes.

The final location of their camp was kept secret, the school enforcing new security measures after their attack at the USJ.

Somehow, the fact that no one knows where they are going to be didn't ease Izuku's paranoia, but he was still feeling alright, confident in their ability to protect themselves.

The busses were filled, and with just a few snide remarks by Monoma and Bakugou, they were on their way.

The class got tested before they even got to the final destination, getting thrown into a forest full of stone beasts.

As tired as Izuku was, he didn't mind.

He escaped into the world of strategizing, making sure everyone was safe and got to the meeting point without any injuries.

Plus, the fact that they were going to train wild Wild, Wild Pussycats gave him the strength he needed.

As he expected, they arrived to the camp a few hours later, feeling absolutely weak and tired.

Again, Izuku didn't mind. Training gave him something to focus on.

He focused on the introduction that the Pussycats have given them, carefully watching a small boy that was introduced as Kouta, Mandalay's nephew.

He looked angry, but as much as Izuku wanted to talk to the boy, he decided that his 'hero complex' could wait until dinner.

Talking about dinner, the food they were given tasted like heaven. Maybe it was the exhaustion, but he didn't complain.

After the fantastic meal, they all went into the hot springs, enjoying the warm water against their naked skin.

It was quite peaceful.

As always, someone had to ruin it. That someone was Mineta, the small teen almost collapsing in pleasure as he thought about the naked girls right next to him, hidden behind a tall wall.

Despite everyone's protests, Mineta started climbing the wall, powered by the sheer power of boobies.

The one saving them all ended up being Kouta, the boy pushing the purple haired menace back down.

The scene of Mineta dramatically falling on his ass was amazing.

It quickly turned sour when Kouta fell a few seconds after, seemingly passed out.

Izuku ignored his tired muscles and jumped up, powering his body to catch the small boy before he could hurt himself.

Izuku quickly put on a towel, assuring his classmates that everything is okay and running to the cabin's office, the unconscious boy in his arms.

Mandalay took Kouta from his arms, putting the boy on a spare bed and checking him for any injuries.

Pixie-Bob soon arrived as well, the two trusting Izuku with Kouta's backstory.

Apparently, the boy's parents, heroes, died when he was little. So he blamed the heroes, the villains, the society. He blamed everyone for making his parents leave him.

Izuku didn't expect hearing another tragic backstory today, but he was glad to know more about the boy.

The two cat themed heroes left the office, going to check on the situation in the hot springs.

Izuku was about to leave as well, taking one last look at Kouta, but he was stopped by the boy's cough.

Kouta sat up, coughing into his hand, reaching his hand to check if his hat was still on.

It was, no one dared to take it away, even in his unconscious state.

Izuku quickly ran to the boy, kneeling next to him to make himself seem less like a threat.

He reached a scarred hand towards the desk, quickly finding a pack of tissues, taking one out and offering it to the boy.

Kouta glared, taking the offered tissue and blowing his nose.

Izuku counted it as a win, smiling gently at the boy.

"What are you doing here?" Glared Kouta, crumbling the tissue in his small hand.

"Making sure you're okay," answered Izuku.

"I don't need you here," cut in the boy, throwing the tissue away. "I can take care of myself."

"You don't like heroes much, do you?" Insisted Izuku, still not moving from his spot on the floor.

Kouta just glared. "Leave."

"I'm sorry about your parents," Izuku pressed gently. "Water Hose, right?"

Kouta nodded, stubbornly looking at the ceiling.

"They were good heroes," smiled Izuku, searching the boy's face for a reaction.

"Heroes are stupid," said finally Kouta, glaring. "Heroes, villains. You all just want to use your quirk to hurt people."

"I agree," nodded Izuku.

Kouta looked at the green haired boy, surprised. He was met by a smiling, determined face.

"People want to do bad things, and they use their quirk to do so. Villains, sometimes heroes. It's wrong, but that's just the way society is."

Kouta raised an eyebrow, not quite believing the words.

"What matters," continued Izuku, "is that heroes keep people safe, whatever their reason for fighting is. Personally, I fight to make sure that no one feels left behind."

With that, Izuku got up, patting the smaller boy's hat and leaving the room, leaving them both to their own thoughts.

The next day, another wave of intense training came. 

The adults made a plan for everyone, letting them push their quirks to the limit. For Izuku, that meant working on raising the percentage of power he can use as well as training his combat abilities with Tiger.

Izuku adored the man, loving every single second of being able to train with him. His muscles hurt and he would definitely be sore for a week, but he was happy.

When he found Kouta watching, Izuku just flashed him a tired smile. 

For dinner, the class was left with cooking supplies, letting them do all the work themselves.

Izuku wasn't the best at cooking, but he enjoyed the new experience, powered by Iida taking charge and praising everyone for their hard work.

His curry turned out to be just as delicious as the one made by the Pussycats. He didn't complain about the fact that they had to cook their own food.

With another day came another training, everyone's exhausted muscles protesting. Still, they knew what they had to do to become real heroes.

The adults still helped them train, it became obvious that no other heroes would arrive. They were essentially hiding here, the less heroes, the better.

The atmosphere seemed quiet, even with everyone's determined shouting. As Izuku's muscles ripped over and over again, he couldn't help but feel like something is wrong.

He didn't voice his concerns, trusting his teachers to keep them safe.

Later, standing in a dark forest, alone, surrounded by smoke and villains, that turned out to be a bad idea. 

It was supposed to be a test of courage. The students who did not have review lessons were sent into the forest, class 1-B scaring as many 1-A students as possible.

As much as Izuku wanted to sleep, he was up for the challenge.

He didn't think that their challenge would be interrupted by villains.

Ignoring all security measures, Izuku ran deeper into the forest, realising that Kouta ran off before the situation.

He found the boy fairly easy, following the small footsteps to an isolated spot up on a hill.

Everything seemed to froze when Izuku realised that he wasn't alone.

He jumped, throwing Kouta out of the way of a massive black cloaked man's punch.

Lying on the hard rocks, shivering in his shirt and shorts, arm broken, cellphone shattered, he couldn't help but feel horribly unprepared.

"Hey, you're on the list," greeted him the massive villain. He could see rows of pure muscle guarding his arms, half hidden under a black cloak.

Izuku got up, standing in a protective stance in front of Kouta. The villain started talking, Izuku turning off the speech in favour of assuring Kouta. "It's alright," whispered the green boy. "I'll protect you."

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, and moments later, Izuku found himself knocked into the hill, hard, sharp edges making his back bleed.

"I don't care he wants you," glared the man, revealing a mutated eye and short, blonde hair, the black hood and mask forgotten.

"They promised us fun, you know, so, let's have fun." 

"Run, Kouta-" screamed Izuku before being slammed on the ground.

"You'll protect him, was it?" Laughed the villain. 

Izuku pathetically got up to throw a powered punch, but to his surprise, it didn't do anything.

The man's fist slammed into Izuku again, sending him back into a massive rock formation.

Izuku could feel something breaking, his skull cracked from the pressure as dark liquid started running down his face.

He could mutely hear the villain's excited speech about blood and heroes, focusing on getting back up.

Kouta stood there, crying, eyes wide.

Izuku got up again, just to get smashed down, loosing more blood.

He could hear the man talking to Kouta, taunting the boy about the death of his parents. Izuku's eyes opened when he realised how much meeting his parent's killer must affect the small boy.

He ignored the pain as he jumped up, preparing to strike.

All For One, 100%!

His fist made contact, effectively sending Muscular down and shattering Izuku's arm.

Things were quiet for a moment, Izuku catching Kouta before he could get blown away by the power, assuring the small boy that everything's okay.

Only it wasn't. Muscular was getting up.

The muscles on his arms teared and built itself again, twice as strong as before.

"Playtime's over, Midoriya," laughed the villain, walking closer to the duo.

Izuku could feel Kouta trembling next to him. The man was going to kill him, but he knew what to do.

"When it hits, run," ordered Izuku the boy as he ran towards Muscular.

Activating One For All at 100%, he threw a fist at the villain, staying firm as the villain pushed back.

He ignored the taunting, fighting with everything he had to save the boy behind him. He wouldn't let Muscular pass.

He could feel his body tear as Muscular applied more and more pressure, pushing him into the cold ground.

There was blood running down his sides, but he didn't care. He had to protect Kouta.

I'm sorry, Tenko.

One For All, 1,000,000%! 

Izuku internally screamed, punching the body above him with everything he had. 

Izuku could feel the power coursing through him, breaking him, destroying the man's defensive muscles.

The weight on him lifted, flying high into the air before falling a few metres away from him, shaking the terrain with another large shock wave.

Kouta kneeled on the ground, shaking.

Izuku just wanted to sleep.

He would have liked his final words to be something great, but he couldn't find the strength to talk.

He just hoped that Kouta wouldn't see him die. The boy didn't deserve that.

------

Shigaraki was pissed.

The plans were going well, everyone completing their assignment, getting closer to capturing the targets.

He sat in the bar with Kurogiri, idly chatting with the man and keeping an eye on Dabi, who communicated with them both over a small earpiece.

Shigaraki sipped on a glass of whiskey, excited to see the results.

That's when Dabi has informed them that Muscular ran off and wasn't returning. 

That alone was expected, the squad would undeniably get into some trouble and fight off a few students. 

However, as great of a fighter as Muscular was, he wasn't to be trusted.

After a few minutes if waiting, Shigaraki anxiously ordered Kurogiri to make him a portal, wanting to check on everything himself.

Kurogiri wanted to disagree, not liking straying from the plan, but he still made a portal leading to the location where, according to Dabi, Muscular disappeared.

Shigaraki quickly hid his face behind his father's dismembered hand and stepped through the portal.

When he saw the scene in front of him, he wanted to scream.

He was on a mountain, overlooking the forest, Muscular laid a few meters in front of him, unconscious.

On the edge of the mountain laid his Izuku, covered in blood, hands purple and twisted in unnatural places.

There was a crying boy kneeling next to Izuku, but he ignored him in favour of checking on Izuku.

The boy started as Shigaraki ran towards the duo, carefully taking Izuku into his harms. 

He checked for a pulse, carefully pressing two fingers to Izuku's neck.

He didn't feel anything.

He felt a weight clinging to his waist and two small fists pounding at him.

The small child screamed, reaching up for Izuku's body.

Shigaraki finally found a faint pulse.

He ignored the child, vowing himself to not kill anyone who Izuku may care about. He ran towards the open portal, pressing Izuku's body towards himself, careful not to move the smaller boy too much.

He stopped when he saw Muscular, uselessly lying in front of him.

Shigaraki saw red, crouching down and making contact with the monster's neck.

"Run," he said in a low voice towards the kid, enjoying the feeling of dust below his fingertips.

Not wasting any time, Shigaraki quickly walked through the portal, almost running into the bar.

The bleeding boy was carefully put in Shigaraki's bed, Kurogiri's voice calling after them about a healer that should arrive soon.

"Muscular's dead, Izuku's with me," said Shigaraki quickly to Dabi before taking his earpiece off and throwing it at Kurogiri.


As Izuku bled on Shigaraki's bedsheets, the older boy watched over him with a protective glare towards everything that moved.

Soon, a healer came, looking unbothered by the situation as they started working on Izuku's injuries.

Shigaraki refused to leave the room, ready to kill anyone who would further hurt the boy.

No one dared to mention the soft kiss he placed on the boy's forehead.

Now, all they had to do was wait.

Chapter 7: Seven Minutes Of Emotions

Notes:

Our boys are together, yaaay!

Feels?

Feels.

Take care of yourselves, hope you enjoy reading, and have a lovely day!<3

Over the years, Izuku had his fair share of injuries.

When he was little, the other kids, or adults, didn't like him. They gave him bruises, cuts and burns, happy about showing the boy his place.

By the time he was given a quirk, most of his nerve endings were damaged by the continuous harm done to them. 

So when he broke his arms in training, over and over again, he couldn't feel much. It hurt, of course it did. But it just seemed like a dull, muted ache. He was used to it.

The years of torture still didn't prepare him for the pain that he felt now.

Waking up was hard.

His upper body throbbed, sending waves of pain to his head, chest, and arms.

There were wild thoughts dancing around his head, yet Izuku couldn't properly focus on a single one.

He put all the energy he had into opening his eyes, daring his muscles to disagree.

The first thing he noticed, even in his half asleep state, was that the room wasn't bright.

Unlike the hospital beds he was used to waking up in, this almost looked like a bedroom. A normal sized, dark, bedroom.

His hazy brain supplied him with theories about who's bedroom he could possibly be in, before his vision was filled with wild red.

Tenko's eyes.

Tenko?

"Tenko," Izuku breathed out, mirroring his inner confusion softly.

The blue haired teenager opened his eyes wider, showing the boy more red and opening his mouth in what looked like a sentence.

Izuku couldn't decipher much besides his name, but he smiled anyway. He felt safe.

How did he get here?

Did it matter? He was safe.

He tried to sit up, but was immediately stopped by the heightened pain in his arms.

Why was he in pain?

Oh. The camp, the attack. The League. Kouta. Muscular. Blood.

"Is everyone okay?" Whispered Izuku, panicking as much as his brain allowed him to.

"No one died," he heard Tenko's raspy voice, allowing himself to relax again.

The weight of the situation slowly caught up with him. He's with Tenko, Tenko is with them. 

This was his first time being kidnapped. He thought it would be more violent, more chains, more blood.

He felt oddly calm, even if a bit worried.

Tenko was sitting in the bed, legs over the edge, with his back next to Izuku's stomach. 

Izuku did a double take, looking for any ties or chains, but he found nothing but bandages. Then again, he couldn't really run away at this state.

He tried powering his fingers with One For All. The action brought him so much pain, but he was happy when the green energy flickered around them.

Tenko leaned over him, shaking his fingers in front of his face. It probably wasn't a threat, just a silent cry for attention.

Izuku's eyes found the red again, focused on the cracked skin around it. His neck was red and full of marks, and Izuku wanted nothing more than to touch it, make it stop hurting.

He had to remind himself that Tenko was Shigaraki Tomura now, and he was the one that was responsible for the harm done to their class.

They sat there for a minute, looking at each other, enjoying the silence and ignoring the situation.

A bang was heard from somewhere behind the door, making Tenko quietly curse.

Izuku stared at him in silent question, to which Tenko just shook his head and looked away.

"Why did you target my class?" Asked Izuku softly, getting used to properly using his vocal cords. 

He coughed, prompting Tenko to immediately hand him a glass of water, carefully putting it to Izuku's lips and letting the boy drink.

Izuku closed his eyes as the liquid calmed his throat.

After he was done, he thanked Tenko quietly, getting a nod in return.

"It was convenient. And you were there," answered Tenko quietly, not meeting Izuku's eyes, hiding behind the wild curls.

"You could have called," Izuku interrupted. "I would have answered. I'm still your friend."

Another bang sounded from the room behind them.

Izuku's frowned when he realised that the bangs sound like explosions.

"Did you-"

"We captured Bakugou Katsuki," Tenko answered, glaring at the door.

"Why?"

Tenko shifted his eyes back to Izuku. "He seems like a good candidate."

Izuku shook his head, sad to see his friend captured. "He won't join you. He's violent, but he's a good hero. He wants to be a hero more than anything-"

"We'll see about that," Tenko cut him off, glaring.

"He won't join you," repeated Izuku, almost pleading.

Tenko paused, searching the boy's eyes.

"Will you?"

Izuku didn't move, but the sad eyes had all the information Tenko needed.

The taller boy glared, getting up and heading to wherever the door lead.

The door closed with an angry bang, the footsteps quieting.

And Izuku cried.

------

Shigaraki, for the first time in a long while, didn't know what to do.

He usually always had a clear objective, a clear mission goal. All he had to do was work towards the goal.

But now, things weren't so clear.

He needed the two boys captured. He made up a plan, created a new squad, attacted the camp. He got them.

He needed Bakugou on their side. He got the boy, made sure he couldn't hurt anybody, and now he only has to convince him. Again, relatively simple.

But what does he need to do with Izuku?

He just needs his Izuku.

He needs to be with him. Talk to him. Hold him. Kiss him.

There's no clear mission plan, that's what makes this so complicated. Because Izuku is complicated.

But, for now, he had Izuku, and he had enough time to plan for their future.

He needed to focus on the main quest. 

But wasn't Izuku the main quest?

He shook his head as he focused on getting Bakugou to join them. 

He walked into the familiar dimly lit bar, headache already forming as the chained boy started to scream. 

He just hoped that Izuku would forgive him.

Chapter 8: 8 Minutes Of Black

Notes:

Welcome!

The story's progressing, we're getting closer to the ending. Just gotta make our boys suffer a bit, first.

Hope you enjoy reading, take care of yourselves, and have a lovely day!<3

Izuku was tired.

He was tired of the cold room, of his hurting body, of the intrusive thoughts.

He didn't know how long it was since he last spoke with Tenko. His brain was too distracted to remember.

Izuku could hear loud noises coming from behind the door. He flinched at the sounds, not liking the sound of screaming mixed with broken glass.

He choked on nothing as he took a sharp breath.

Or not. 

Izuku's eyes bulged as his throat contracted around something, flowing through his lungs before he could take a breath.

He leaned forward, body convulsing despite the terrible pain in his ribs, trying to cough out whatever was blocking his airway.

Only to cough out bits of black slime, dripping down his chin to land on the thin sheets.

All he could see was black, dripping around his insides, gripping him.

Then his reality shifted, black withering away as Izuku found himself sitting on an unfamiliar hard ground, leaning against an uneven rough wall, sharp thin shards digging into his hurt back, opening old wounds.

Izuku blinked, eyes expelling his tears as he adjusted to the dim light.

He coughed, getting rid of the the phantom feeling of blackness inside of him.

"Midoriya Izuku," called a deep voice, a figure emerging from the shadows.

A strong tall man appeared in front of him, the air around him cold. He was hooked up to multiple machines, covered in a black cloth.

Scars covered his face, completely hiding his eyes.

Even in the seemingly sick state, the man radiated pure power.

"Hello," croaked out Izuku, trying to make the situation less awkward.

The man chuckled, shaking his head.

"So, you're my brother's next successor," continued the man, raising his hand.

Izuku flinched, following it's movement, feeling the big hand curl up in his hair.

The man was patting him.

Izuku's head flashed through his meeting with All Might. Brother. Successor. All For One.

All For One was patting him.

Izuku stayed still, not moving under the slight weight of the man's arm.

The man above him hummed lowly, fingers still running through the soft green hair.

"I wonder, has All Might told you about me yet? He seems like the forgetful type." 

Izuku gulped, softly nodding, agreeing with both statements without protest.

The hand in his hair stilled, gripping the curls, not enough to feel painful.

"Tell me," All For One started, hand pulling backwards, forcing the boy to look at his face. Izuku winced slightly, the uncomfortable position hurting his wounds, but he refused to look away.

"What are your intentions with Tomura?"

Izuku watched the man's mouth move, expression unreadable. His mind ran through the possible scenarios of their conversation, wondering.

"I-" Izuku started, not liking the deadly silence. What did he want with Tenko?

"I just want him to be happy," Izuku finally finished, voice small but confident.

All For One chuckled, nodding, loosening his grip on the wild curls, but not letting go. "We want the same thing, then-"

"No," Izuku spat out in the same tone, cutting the man off before his brain fully caught up with him.

The air felt deadly silent, Izuku's breath hitching in his throat.

He shook his head, the loose grip not resisting, gaze locked on the man's face, where his eyes would be.

"I want him to be safe, not leading a pointless genocide. I want to see him live a better life, laugh, create something that makes him happy."

Izuku took a breath, blinking up at the man, preparing for his next statement.

"You want Tomura to be happy. I want Tenko to be happy."

The room fell silent, neither moving, the words heavy in the air. 

The silence was ruined by a slow chuckle from All For One, the man's hand finally sliding down from the green curls, taking a small calculated step back.

"What a shame Tenko died years ago," said the man, slowly bowing his head down in mock sadness.

He isn't. I saw him, argued Izuku in his head, not daring to speak up again.

Minutes seemed to pass by as the two studied each other in silence, a low hum of machines singing in the background.

Finally, the man raised his hand again, ruffling the boy's curls.

"See you soon, Midoriya Izuku," said All For One as Izuku could feel the familiar feeling of blackness in his lungs, slipping away.

The experience didn't get any less painful as he found himself sitting in another place, this one much more lit up.

He blinked again, adjusting to the scene quicker, glad to be away from the man, the air around him warmer.

He suppressed the urge to gag, staying quiet, sitting still on the wooden tiles under him.

Looking around, he was in what looked like a bar, expensive looking bottles of alcohol lined along a wall behind a shiny yet scratched counter. 

Looking to his right, Izuku's eyes widened as he found a familiar body chained to a chair. 

"Kacchan!" Half screamed Izuku, ignoring the protests of his body as he got up, bandages shifting, irritating his wounds further.

The explosive blonde looked up, body rigid, eyes widening in surprise for a second.

"Deku?" Grumbled the blonde, face scrunching in familiar anger.

Izuku fell forward, kneeling in front of his childhood friend, his legs rejecting any further movement.

"Kacchan," Izuku breathed out, biting back a cry as he forced his hands to move, reaching for the strap on his friend's chest.

Katsuki's eyes widened once more at the sight of Izuku's arms, the red dyed bandages shifting to reveal bits of purple skin.

Izuku's hands finally reached the strap, fumbling uselessly as he tried to get his broken fingers to work.

"Don't touch me," glared Katsuki, twisting as much as the ties allowed him to. "Get away, nerd!"

"I can't leave you here-"

"Fucking get away, there's the door, I'll be fine!" Almost screamed Katsuki, glaring at the sight of Izuku crying.

Izuku finally met Katsuki's angry eyes, wincing at the sight.

He saw fear. 

It was masked, under all the layers of anger his friend has built up, but it was there.

His fingers stilled, breathing hard as the adrenaline washed out, leaving the two boys alone.

Staring.

Understanding.

In the next moment, the door opened, unfamiliar footsteps making their way closer.

Katsuki's eyes glared, full of anger towards the man walking in.

Before Izuku could turn around, his body was slammed down on his back, shaking his bones as the air got knocked out of him.

Izuku could hear Katsuki shouting in the background, throwing insults at his captor, screaming.

His eyes finally focused as he saw the face of the man above him, watching an unfamiliar man with scars on the bottom half of his face, crudely stapled together.

He found himself looking into the light blue eyes for a moment before his vision got replaced with the familiar red, Tenko looming over him.

Katsuki's face got forgotten as he looked into Tenko's eyes. 

He liked that shade of red.

He let himself slip off, unconscious.

------

Shigaraki glared at his explosive captive as he cradled Izuku to his chest, careful not to irritate his wounds further.

"Dabi, shut him up," he commanded the burned man, irritated by the blonde's screaming. 

Seriously, they left for a few minutes.

"-ou fuckers better leave Deku alone or-"

The sound was finally muted with a metal gag, covering the bottom half of Bakugou's face.

He didn't like the sound of that nickname.

Shigaraki didn't offer a goodbye to Dabi as he left, Izuku's body snuggled in his chest.

He promised himself to kill Dabi later as he felt blood soak his shirt, the bandages almost undone.

No one hurts his Izuku.

He carefully placed Izuku back on his bed, not letting himself enjoy the image as he ran to get a clean bandage, texting their doctor, telling him to come over immediately.

Quickly getting back, he worked on unwrapping the bloody bandages, resisting the urge to kiss the wounds better.

God, he was weak.

Izuku deserved better than this.

Still, he couldn't let himself stay away. They were friends, weren't they? Friends should stay together. 

And he would do anything to have Izuku stay with him.

Chapter 9: 3 Hours of Disappointment

Notes:

Welcome back!

So, it's been awhile, how have you all been? A lot has changed in my life, but I think it's time to get back to writing. I hope you all survived well.

Thank you for your patience, you all make me so happy. I can't count how many times your comments made me smile.

Now, have a lovely day, and enjoy reading!<3

It had been a few hours since Izuku woke up to Tenko's soft breathing.

He recognized the room as the same one he's been in before. Tenko's room.

Complete with Tenko himself curled up next to Izuku, gloved arm hugging the smaller boy's hurt torso.

Izuku smiled at the almost domestic view, enjoying the for once silent environment.

He stilled at the past memories of their meeting. The other villains. Kacchan.

Was he okay? Were they okay? 

Izuku couldn't hear anything past the silhouette of the dark door, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Quiet Kacchan mostly didn't equal happy Kachan, but it also meant that no fight was breaking out at the moment.

Izuku looked back at Tenko who was lightly snoring next to him, face hidden under a mane of light blue hair, curled up into Izuku's side.

Not thinking, Izuku's hand reached out, tucking a few stray locks behind his friend's ear.

The scarred skin wasn't surprising, but Izuku's breath still hitched as he took everything in.

Tenko looked so calm.

Just lying there, body rising up and down with every calm breath.

Izuku almost didn't notice it when the red eyes snapped open, body staying still.

But not moving.

Izuku met the red eyes, flinching a bit in surprise at the intensity.

Neither of them moved for a long time, staying still despite the eventual cramps in their bodies.

Tenko's gaze softened as he looked over the smaller boy's bandaged torso, thankfully ridden of all blood.

Izuku followed the other boy's line of sight, seeing the fresh bandages.

"Thank you," Izuku murmured, smiling at the work Tenko must have put into it.

"No problem," slipped out of Tenko automatically. It was a lot of work, but it wasn't a problem. He would gladly care for his friend, no matter how long it took for Izuku to get better.

Izuku's smile widened at the sincere answer.

He could feel the seriousness of the situation. After all, it was hard to forget that he and his childhood friend, one of the most skilled heroes, were taken hostage. Completed with a crazy supervillain, the scenario was t what he had in mind for a school trip.

Izuku knew about the danger, but he couldn't help but feel happy in the odd situation.

He missed seeing Tenko smile. Even the half smiles, smirks. The way the red eyes smiled for him, even if the rest of his face didn't show anything.

Was Tenko's face always this close?

Izuku felt hot breath hit his cheek, seeing a thoughtful expression on his friend's face.

They continued their little staring contest, Tenko's eyes flicking lower, watching Izuku's lips.

"Do I have something on my face?" Mumbled Izuku, shifting self consciously.

Tenko didn't answer, leaning closer, deep in thought.

Before anyone could realise what's happening, Tenko's chapped lips made contact with the corner of smaller boys lips.

Time seemed to stop.

Izuku never thought that they would be so soft.

Suddenly, Tenko jumped back, shakily standing next to the bed, breathing quick.

Their eyes met in panic, Izuku worried about his- friend?

"Tenko-" 

The taller boy flinched, glaring at nothing as his body shook, the sound of his quick breathing filling the room.

"Tenko, are you okay?"

And Tenko bolted, half running to the door, tumbling with the doorknob as he walked out.

Izuku could do nothing but stare at the closing door, wishing to just get up and run after him.

The door closed with a loud bang, mirroring the pounding in both boys' chest.

It wasn't long before Izuku heard explosions.

Kacchan?

Then the commotion started, voices filling the building, getting closer and closer.

Izuku couldn't bring himself to focus.

He just hoped that Tenko- everyone- is okay.

Izuku flinched as the door opened again, a person clothed in black quickly looking around the room before their eyes settled on the injured boy.

Oh. Izuku recognised the man. It was-

"Eraserhead," the boy breathed out.

The hero's posture was tense, quickly running to his student, checking over the bandaged injuries.

Aizawa's eyes flashed red, gently scooping the boy in his arms.

It wasn't the right shade.

"Problem child," Eraserhead greeted, carrying him outside. "There's an ambulance, you'll be okay, does anything hurt?"

Izuku didn't want to leave.

"I'm okay Sensei," he said on reflex, "what happened to everyone?"

He missed Tenko.

"Bakugou is fine," assured Eraserhead, going through a familiar hallway.

Oh.

"Oh," breathed out Izuku.

The heroes are here. He almost didn't realise.

They still couldn't protect him from the familiar black goo that filled his lungs, making him choke as he disappeared from the hero's arms.

"Midoriya-!"

--------

Tomura was angry.

No, he was pissed. And mad, and terrified of what happened, but that was not an emotion he would show.

The heroes came just as he let the explosive brat free, about done with his refusal, needing to get his thoughts in check.

All Might, in all his terrible glory, barged in and ruined everything.

Tomura didn't even get the chance to check on Izuku before they were all captured.

Sensei helped them all escape, of course he would.

They all appeared in the middle of an empty road, 

The annoying blonde brat ran in front of his Izuku, guarding the small kneeling boy from the league. From Shigaraki.

As if Tomura would let him get hurt.

All Might found them again, as expected, starting a fight.

Tomura didn't look away from Izuku, meeting the smaller boy's eyes.

"Tomura," commanded All For One, looking at his successor. "Go."

No.

"Leave me, Tomura, escape."

But Tomura didn't think about his sensei. He thought about his Izuku.

"Leave!"

"No!"

Tomura ran towards Izuku, wanting to be closer, to help the injured boy up, to talk to him, to hold him.

Kurogiri didn't share his sentiment, following All For One's orders as he materialised a portal in front of Tomura.

The blue haired boy just avoided an explosion sent his way as he got teleported far, far away.

Away from the wide green eyes.

He didn't wanna leave. They would all pay for separating him from what's his.

----------

Izuku was lying in a UA hospital room, again, staring blankly at a wall as his mentor walked in.

There was a fight, the 1-A class getting their classmates out just in time to avoid the collision.

Izuku blanked out for most of it, he trusted his mentor to win.

And he did. Beaten, bloodied, in his small form, revealing himself to all of Japan.

But he still won. They won.

But did they?

"Thank God you're okay, young Midoriya," huffed All Might, hugging him with his weakened limbs. "You're lucky I found you in time."

Is he lucky? 

All Might hugged him tighter, 

"Who knows what they would have done to you boys," continued his mentor, looking at Bakugou who was sitting on a bed next to Izuku. 

Izuku would like to find out. He wanted to know what would happen.

All Might finally retreated, stepping away, letting Izuku see his homeroom teacher standing in the doorway.

From the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Eraserhead nodding with a sigh.

After a while, Izuku returned the nod.

"Now, young Midoriya, as for the next step in your training-"

"Please leave." Interrupted Izuku, still staring at the wall.

Eraserhead did, quietly slipping away with one last look at his students, almost excited to go back to his sleep. 

All Might, of course, didn't get the hint.

"But, young Midoriya-"

"Leave." Izuku commanded, voice scarily blank. 

Katsuki just watched, unexpectedly silent.

Finally, All Might sighed in disappointment, his footsteps echoing as he left the room.

Everything was silent, except for the irritating ticking of a clock. 

Izuku sank into the hard mattress, closing his eyes. 

He didn't want to be back. The hospital bed felt too cold, too hard. 

Too empty.

He just wanted to go back to Tenko.