The broom lies desolate in the empty classroom, the news anchor's shaky voice provides a buzzed sort of white noise.

Outside the grey walls is a classic city view. Musutafu is a relatively peaceful place on a normal day.

Today isn't a normal day.

Kei is running because he might be too late and because he can't bring himself to just sit back and do nothing while Izuku- while he ..!

Images flit back and forth through his mind like a film roll. Everything, from the trembling growls of the vehicles to the crowd's collective voice seem faded like a monochrome rainbow. It's wrong. And it's muted. This isn't how it's supposed to be.

' Of course it isn't! Izuku could be dead any second and- and. AND..! '

What is he thinking.

Kei is a defenseless civilian. He has a personal relationship with the Heroes in the fight and the Villain is most likely aware of him and his possible uses.

He has all the characteristics of an ideal hostage.

He has to stay back.

' If only Izuku wasn't..!'

Never has he wished so fervently that Izuku would just release a Villain than this one. Izuku isn't thinking.

He is just trying to save everyone.

' Even at the expense of his own life? For such a trivial Villain? They got lucky and landed a hit.'

Yeah. A hit to his fucking HEAD !

"Young man," booms across the driveway and Kei startles. It's a burly policeman in a blue uniform. Kei notices there are police cars dotted along the whole street, leading the onlookers away.

"It's not safe," the man continues, ignorant to the growing panic inside of the young boy. "Here, this way! We are evacuating the area."

"The area?" Kei latches onto the word like a starved leech, sucking out anything of use. "The area, you said? But wasn't it just a petty Villain? Wasn't it easy..?"

The officer shrugs, his nervous demeanor betraying his reliable-cop façade. "Hell if I know," he remarks a bit dismissively. "But seems the Heroes made a mistake and now things are all in chaos."

Kei is interrupted in the middle of the fucking conversation as an abyssal shadow passes above their heads. The officer and he look up, apprehensive.

It's a fucking boot. A giant fucking boot flying over the concrete buildings and falling right into the lap of the city center.

Kei doesn't wait for the policeman's cries. He runs to his father.

' Don't be dead. Don't be fucking dead. You can't leave me, not like this..!'

Kei remembers the time he had caught his father awake at night, rewinding a video repeatedly.

"I've always been a fan of this," he tells Kei that time, welcoming him in his arms on the couch. Kei nuzzles closer to see the laptop's screen.

"You can watch if you want to," Izuku offers. Gentle. Always gentle. Kei is intrigued, of course he is going to watch.

Rewinding stops. 'Play Video.'

"Oh God," Kei hears a man whimper, taking in the destruction and rampage of the attack. "He has already saved so many..!"

And a movement from behind the flaming wreckage. A golden sheen, a luminous blue; relieved gasps, bursting hope.

"It's him..!"

"IT'S ALRIGHT," the man yells at the desperate crowd. "WHY?"

Kei notices then that Izuku is forming the phrase with his mouth, a mere whisper in contrast to All Might's strong shout,

" BECAUSE I AM HERE!"

Kei hadn't been there to help.

He couldn't. He wasn't a Hero.

That doesn't make it any less shameful for him.

And so, when he arrives, it is to the sight of Deku with his ripped costume and green hair stained black with blood.

" DAD! "

He lunges at the stretcher with supernatural speed, almost rattling the thing when he grasps the edge.

"Dad, dad! Izuku, are you awake..? Are you awake.?! "

"Kid," the rugged nurse calls, a hand falling on his shoulder. "Leave the guy to rest. Let's go inside the car. We'll see what we can do."

Kei hates waiting.

"Ya know," the man starts. His voice is surprisingly smooth and clear. "Head wounds bleed a lot, usually. He probably just fell unconscious from a concussion, it's most likely just so he could be treated faster that the agency called the emergency line."

It doesn't relieve the tight knot wound inside Kei's chest.

The man continues regardless,

"So tell me, does your old man do this kinda thing a lot? Man, that's so irresponsible. Who loses to an amateur Villain?"

"Shut up," Kei disrupts the one-sided conversation. He is fuming with so much anger; the nerve of this guy, insulting his father right in front of him..!

At least he seems to have realized his mistake.

"Ah, well," he pauses awkwardly. "Sorry. Just wanted to lighten the air."

Kei's unforgiving focus stays with the man for the whole ride to the hospital.

Kei sees Katsuki (attempting) running along the corridor to the room Izuku's receiving treatment.

"Fucking hell, get the fuck out of my fucking way!"

"Dad," he calls out tiredly. "I'm here!"

"Kei? Thank fuck-" He collides with him at a high speed and Kei stumbles with an armful of Pro Hero. "-thank fuck. Thank fuck. That's good. You're safe. I was…" Kei can't see anything but he can still feel the trembling gaps escaping Katsuki without his knowledge. "I was so fucking worried. I got called and they said you were there, with Izuku, and I was so afraid..! "

Kei feels his father's chin digging into his scalp, he doesn't move away. Hugging back just as hard, he whispers,

"Me too."

He doesn't know if he meant for Katsuki or Izuku.

It's dark.

It's wrong. This shouldn't have been. And now the feeling of being out of place sweeps over him like a wave. He shouldn't be here.

No.

It's not him. Something is wrong. It's all so wrong.

It's not him who is displaced. It's THEM -

Kei lunges up, muscles tense with adrenaline and fearfearfearfear FEAR-

"Today's kids. So energetic. Don't you have anything better to do?"

And it's then he realizes, because all his limbs from the curve of his neck to the slope of his calves are bound firmly unmoving.

There is a mish-mash of cotton in his mind, colors and shapes blur together; where is he? What happened? What?

"I must say, though," the voice continues. It raises goosebumps on his arms (It's cold here, freezing like the frozen prawns Dad got for dinner before-) it's shivering. Even with his clouded mind he can clearly see through the forced calm of his abductor.

Excited. Simply delightfully excited. And it makes it hard to breathe-

(breathe just breathe just breathe slow slow slow slow bREATHE AND BREATHE-)

There's no escaping this with a few cheap tricks.

"I just love how clever you're. You know I'm dangerous don't you," the man appears from behind him. Kei's facing the Villain now, yet he can't identify the guy. The man takes a hold of his chin and forces his head back against the hardened bonds. Kei lets out a frightened yelp and feels his eyes burn with his neck.

'You'll break it!'

"Hmm," his kidnapper hums confusedly. "You'll do. Prime candidate. Keep it up, boy. Keep being stuck."

He lets go like the thought of touching him is repulsive, Kei hears his neck crack as it falls back down.

' Hurts.' Kei tries to look at the room through the veil of pain. It's dark, so dark. How could he see anything? ' I'm scared.'

In a moment's notice, the bonds securing him were tightened to an agonizing degree, the friction burning his skin beneath clothing. It chafes deep and mercilessly. Kei stays as still as he can be, the least he could do was try to prevent rope burns.

" Where, " he rasps but he can't talk. It's too dry-

( How long has it been? Hours? Days? )

( Where are Katsuki and Izuku- )

-his throat aches. But he needs to talk. He needs to distract. For as long as possible.

( Before he's a dead empty husk in the morgue- )

"Where did you take me," he asks with what little voice he has now.

He was… He had been in the hospital, just sitting down, waiting for his fathers to come back. Then…

Then what?

"Somewhere close," the man replies, with a voice of resolve and confidence. Kei knows of Villains, he knows of petty criminals; but he knows that a man who is both confident and clever enough to swipe him in the middle of daylight, that's a dangerous one.

Somewhere close. Somewhere dark. Somewhere without noise.

Somewhere close-

It's a start. It's a hope. It's kind of stupid but-

If it's close, they can reach him.

Breathing comes a little easier. The cloud in his mind disperses, even though his view is still askew.

"Have hope, kid," the Villain coos at his locked form. "You might see your parents sooner than you think."