Second chapter of the dump!

A small note about four cities this story takes place in.

Shizuoka City - Current timeline and where Katsuki, Izuku and everyone who works at UA precinct lives
Yaizu - Where both Izuku and Toshinori are from (Toshinori's hometown and where this chapter takes place in).
Makinohara - Where the Fire that killed Izuku's parents took place (this chapter).
Kuromata - The forest that Touya took Izuku too in chapter 15 and explained it to be his old 'home'. It's only been mentioned a couple of times but it'll start to make an appearance soon again and is important moving forward. It lies directly midpoint between Shizuoka City and Yaizu :)

Alright, let's get started!

Warnings: Domestic Abuse, graphic violence, minor character death, arson, drug mention, heavy angst.


Chapter 18 - Flames

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Searching.

Izuku was always searching after Kuromata. The burden on his shoulders was as heavy as a thousand stones to collect the money.

He searched for that vision of his future that used to be so vivid, but was now nonexistent. It floated away into the air like smoke from flames just like his peace of mind whenever he thought about possibly being killed along with Touya and his parents.

Izuku searched for the vision of his future in everything: he searched in Touya's half reassuring smile. He searched in the flame he stared into while they were in Kuromata. He searched for it when he wrote down a design to build something on one page of his sketchbook and an intricate plan to use it on another.

He searched for it desperately when he finished writing it out, staring at the pages with a dry lump in his throat.

Then finally, he searched for it in the chemical engineering lab at nearly 2:00 am when no one else was around.

Izuku had scrunched his face when he accidentally breathed in a large waft of yellow powder that snuck under his white paper mask. The smell of the chemicals burned the inside of his nostrils as he aggressively tried to breathe it back out, coughing as he took a forceful break from soldering.

He dropped the metallic soldering gun quickly and ripped off his mask to cough violently, pounding on his chest. The loud coughing fit echoed in the lonely room that only housed Izuku and his deep seated fear of Shigaraki.

When the freckled teen stepped back fully, he gazed down at the mess of powder, metal and colorful wires with a twist in his stomach. He tried to push down the building guilt when he resumed what he was doing, pulling the white mask back over his face.

He kept repeating to himself that this was for his parents. It was for Touya. It was for the people he loved most in the world and he would do anything for them.

The weight of his heart tripled as he replayed in his head what he had overheard in the strange looking warehouse.

"We scoped out that government bank on K ō kai Street and there's literally no way into the safe where all the cash is without risking getting caught."

"Really? No entrance into it?"

"None. It's protected by a thick wall in the back and you'd need basically a wrecking ball to get through there or even the front volt area. Fuckers thought of everything."

Izuku soldered harder in the dimly lit room, hands shaking. Tiny orange colored sparks flew in every direction as his green eyes stayed intensely focused on the cluster of metal and wires in front of him.

His concentration remained solid like a dutiful soldier, until the creaking of the metallic door reached his ears.

Izuku's head instantly snapped up to see the shadowy outline of a man at the doorway. Piercing gold eyes met his and immediately the trembling nimble hands of the teen stopped melding.

"Izuku?" Kai's deep voice echoed in the empty lab room while he turned on all the lights. "What are you doing here by yourself? It's past two AM."

Izuku could feel the large thump of his heart as he looked around, slightly panicked. He wasn't expecting anyone to walk in during the depths of night. Izuku immediately scrambled to hide the two sheets of paper underneath his notebook.

"N-Nothing!" He lied, nervously.

He tried his best to scatter the clear markings of some sort of machine in front of him but Kai swiftly moved across the room. Gold eyes squinted to study the mess in front of him.

"You're building something," Kai muttered suspiciously. "Sulfur. Copper. Fuse wires." Kai paused and Izuku swallowed dryly.

"…Izuku...is this what I think it is?"

Izuku's heart pounded loudly in his ears as golden eyes took in everything. The inside of Izuku's throat ran dry as he tried to squeeze out a lie, but it seemed as if Kai had a sixth sense. The tall brunette narrowed his eyes like a hawk.

"Don't lie to me," Kai spoke sternly, looking at Izuku with a mixed expression. "If you lie, I'm required to report you to the police."

There was something tethered strangely in Kai's voice that didn't sound fully accusatory. Izuku looked harder at the pale man in front of him, searching the wrinkles around Kai's brow and found a glimpse of understanding in those sharp colored eyes. They translated something Izuku didn't quite understand.

Izuku hesitantly opened his mouth, a gut feeling bubbling inside of him as he stared at Kai.

"...and if I tell the truth?" He whispered carefully.

Kai shifted on his feet and glanced quickly over his shoulder. When he faced Izuku again, Kai gave an unreadable expression.

"If you tell the truth, then maybe I can try my best to understand why you would be doing something like this."

"L-Let's say hypothetically…" Izuku started, looking down at the mess in front of him. "T-That someone I know owes someone very lethal a lot of money in a very condensed amount of time...and they can't think of any other way to get it besides this."

Izuku squeezed his hand around the soldering tool in his hand. Kai's eyes flickered all over his face before softening. The elder man sighed before he leaned forward on the bench top and rested his elbows on the cold surface.

"Then I would say they're flat out stupid because bombs can be traced using forensics on the materials left behind," Kai deadpanned. "Police can easily backtrace purchases and start snooping around in places that could've been used to build it."

"Right, of course," Izuku replied, fiddling nervously.

There was something about the air around Kai that spoke to him. The way the mysterious teaching assistant was looking at him wasn't judgmental—it was sympathetic.

Maybe it was the protective aura Kai always gave off that made him do what he did next, or maybe it was the fact Izuku could only see his parents dying in his dreams every day now. Whichever it was, it made Izuku take a leap of faith off the deep end and trust Kai.

"Kai, let's say hypothetically, this person considered the traceability issue and this—" Izuku pulled out the two pieces of paper from underneath his blue notebook. He slowly slid the sketches over to Kai. "T-This is what they would be building exactly."

Surprised—confused—impressed. All three emotions flooded across Kai's face.

The longer Kai's eyes absorbed what was in front of him, the more a ghostly look of realization dawned upon him. The raven like man placed his hand over his mouth speechless.

"Then hypothetically…" Kai started, pulling Izuku's attention close to the edge. "Hypothetically, this would give you something that would combust itself to untraceable pieces if done correctly. Not a single shred of evidence left behind."

Izuku looked at him desperately. "Really?"

"Hypothetically of course."

"Right." Izuku nodded, looking away from the intense gaze of Kai.

A long exasperated sigh from the elder man echoed out.

"Izuku, level with me here," Kai whispered before looking towards Izuku with more sympathy than the teen ever knew he was capable of. "Are you in trouble? Does this have something to do with that boyfriend of yours? Why are you building a bomb of all things?"

The words spilled over before Izuku could stop himself—the stress coiled too tightly in his body.

"I-I need to get a lot of money to the Shigarakis and there's not much time," his hoarse voice whispered while sadly glancing down at his shaking hands.

Like a switch, the name 'Shigaraki' flipped something in Kai's mind. Gold eyes widened with dread and his shoulders went rigid.

"Shit," Kai cursed.

For some reason, that only made Izuku feel worse.

Kai knew who they were. The pale, terrified look on the usually sharp facial features became bleaker. Gold eyes looked down at the two sketchbook pages on the countertop in a new light.

"Exactly how much time do you have left to give them this money, Izuku?"

"F-Five days."

"If it's the Shigarakis, then you have less time than you think you do," Kai hissed, brow furrowing deeply. "And building this will save everyone how exactly?"

"There's a bank," Izuku whispered, hands shaking. "The new government one. I heard someone talking about it being locked up tight. But I scoped it out yesterday and if I can blow out the back wall—then...then I could get access to the money."

Kai stared at him as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing and Izuku broke down, voice cracking.

"K-Kai, please don't tell the police. Please— "

"—I won't," Kai held up his hand, and Izuku grew confused. "I'm not exactly in the best shape with the law myself right now."

The words only confused Izuku more. He looked at the strange expression that sunk into Kai's eyes and saw something heavy there. Right when Izuku was about to question him further, Kai reached over and grabbed a spare mask and began placing it over his mouth.

"Let me help you. I know you're smart so just tell me what you need me to do."

Izuku felt his brain fumble. He was not expecting this reaction from Kai. He thought for certain the elder man would take him to the cops or turn a blind eye—but to help?

"Wait, Kai—why are you helping me?" Izuku asked baffled, heart pounding.

The freckled teen didn't want anyone else getting involved. This mess was already sticky enough thanks to the Shigarakis. It was a dangerous game of playing with fire—but Kai just looked at him with that deep stare of sympathy again.

"The last thing I want to do is see someone like you burn," Kai said sincerely. "I told you that."

Izuku shook his head, not understanding. "That still doesn't mean you have to help me build this."

"Yes, it does," Kai reaffirmed. "I've seen what greedy, ruthless men like the Shigarakis can do to someone like you. They're drawn to tainting innocence. They're sick beings who get enjoyment out of turning purity into something they can ruin and own."

The elder man's eyes went emotionless as he grabbed the soldering tool from Izuku and began melding a blue wire onto a metallic plate.

"I know this first hand because my mother was a lot like you," Kai continued without looking at him. "She was smart and kind. Blessed with beauty. All good traits, but a magnet for people who want to possess someone like that for themselves."

Izuku felt a sudden sadness radiate from Kai. He studied the elder man beside him, completely paused as Kai continued on. His golden eyes were dulled over, focused on the task at hand.

A question teetered on Izuku's tongue.

"What happened to her?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Kai paused his movements. His hand tightened around the tool and his lips pressed into a thin line.

"My father bashed her skull in when I was sixteen," Kai said, void of emotions that should've been there. Then his eyebrow creased in distaste. "During one of his outbursts."

Izuku's eyes widened when everything clicked together.

"Kai, I'm so sorry—"

"—Don't worry about my problems," Kai sighed, putting a halt to the stream of words prepared to come out. "I can handle myself. I've been slowly working on my own plan to disassemble my father. But let's focus on this first."

Only then did Kai shift his eyes to look at Izuku. Sitting inside of them was pity and understanding.

The emotions in Izuku's chest twisted in confusion. He got a glimmer of why Kai was doing this—but it still gave him pause.

However, that sliver of hesitation was overshadowed by the single thread of hope that was keeping him from coming undone.

Izuku shook his head and tried his best to focus on what was in front of him like Kai said.

He took a deep gulp of air in and let out a shaky breath.

"R-Right...Okay."

. . .

The wind was ruthless as he walked back home, carrying a box as heavy as the four lives it was worth.

Izuku said nothing as he entered back into the dark apartment with a sleeping Touya, who seemed to have tired himself out from thinking of a way out of their mess.

Over the last few days Izuku watched Touya slowly become undone. The redhead paced around considering all types of things—including murdering the Shigarakis.

But they both knew that was off the table.

Then Touya proposed running away, just the two of them. But Izuku couldn't leave his parents in the dark and left behind to be butchered. Then there was the idea of all four of them skipping town, explaining the situation to Izuku's parents—but Izuku's father being in Yaizu's law enforcement complicated things.

Izuku still wanted to tell his father, but Touya refused to trust police officers. Even if they were the love of his life's father. He wouldn't budge on it.

Which is why when Izuku tiredly put down the heavy metal device he constructed, he felt as if he was doing something wrongfully right. Like an animal that had been backed into a corner, he felt his final option was to show his fangs.

"Izuku?" Touya's groggy voice called from the bedroom, confused.

The tall man entered the living room as Izuku turned on his desk lamp, staining the room in a yellowish hue. Green eyes stayed glued to the device on his desk wordlessly until Touya came up behind him, gentle hand resting on his shoulder.

"What is that?" The redhead questioned, squinting at the item in the dimly lit room.

Izuku swallowed thickly, clenching his hands in an attempt to stop the shaking.

"A way to save everyone," he answered quietly.

Touya's eyes widened as Izuku told him his plan.

. . .

Izuku felt his eyes glazed over as he stared at the grey concrete floor in the AFO warehouse. He tried his best to focus on anything else besides the youngest Shigaraki who was in front of him.

He focused on the sound of Touya's steady breathing. He focused on the sound of shuffling people coming in and out. And then finally, he focused on the leaking pipe above their heads that rained down slow droplets of water like a metronome.

"So you're saying this will get you through the wall with no issue?" Shigaraki questioned in an all too amused tone, lifting up the heavy yet compact metallic device. "Remember, this either ensures your death or your survival."

"Yes, I'm positive of it," Izuku whispered, not daring to look up at the wolfish smirk he knew was plastered there. "I calculated that a low power blast will allow us to enter into the bank and ensured this device will eradicate any evidence left behind."

Izuku shifted on his feet, his body high strung with the tightness of anxiety as he stood in the middle of a ring of gang members. They all gathered around curiously, whispering and pointing at him—saying things about what he had made.

"Who would've thought goody-two-shoes would actually pull through on something like this?"

"I thought for sure that we were going to witness another Shigaraki massacre."

"Don't speak so soon—we still might if this shit doesn't work. It looks way too small to blast through the back of a wall."

Green eyes stayed focused on Touya's black leather boots that were standing directly next to him, trying to ignore the movement of Shigaraki's too clean white sneakers coming closer to him.

"Outstanding job, little flower," Shigaraki said in a satisfied tone. "If this actually works, then I don't have to kill you."

The white sneakers moved closer to Izuku's figure and immediately he stiffened at the overly friendly touch patting him on the shoulder.

His stomach churned unhappily.

The cold touch of Shigaraki left him, taking the very last piece of peace from his mind. A numbness settled into his bones as everything became all too real.

This is for my parents. This is for my parents. This is for my parents—

His thoughts kept repeating, cycling over and over as he thought about the laughter of his mother and father, one of the only things able to keep him anchored anymore.

But it didn't stop Izuku's vision from becoming warped with tears. The images of his parents' faces blurring together with the dull colors of the warehouse.

Izuku choked back a small sob as he tried his best to drown out the sound of the chatter of the members of All For One as they all murmured about his invention: the bomb with no name that can be controlled in blast intensity while still leaving behind not a single trace of the source.

"When are you two planning on using this?" Shigaraki asked them.

"Tonight," Touya said in a solid tone.

"Perfect." A snake like grin slithered across the silver haired man's face. "I can't wait to see you two in action. This should be quite a show."

Bloodshot green eyes lifted to gaze up at the redhead beside him, hoping to find a look of reassurance in this quickly sinking boat—but Touya was distracted.

Izuku furrowed his brows at how intensely Touya was looking at the bomb in Shigaraki's hands.

. . .

The night bled into the day and soon Izuku found himself dressed in all black and covering his hair entirely with a dark beanie with a bandana around his mouth. He watched carefully as Touya did the same, but with a lot less hesitation.

There was an emotion he'd never witnessed emitting from those blue eyes he'd fell so deeply in love with.

Izuku remembered how an unusual spark ignited in Touya's face when he told the elder about his plan. A strange sense of fixation grew and grew in Touya as time ticked by.

His eyes spent more time studying the bomb outside of everything after that night. He would try his best to give Izuku some reassurance, a kind smile that offered some peace that this would all be over soon—but Izuku could tell Touya was distracted.

But he let it go because he figured they both were.

The dark circles heavy underneath Izuku's eyes were a reminder of all the baggage of anxiety, stress and sadness he's been carrying around ever since the first day Touya struck him.

Things just haven't been right since that night.

But he hoped that after this—if they could just get out of this situation—maybe things would return back to normal and the vision of happiness he always had so vividly in his mind would return.

Which brings him to the unwanted situation he was in currently: trying to calm himself down in the passenger seat of a large van, fingers clutching several empty duffle bags.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe—just breathe—

"—Izuku. We're here."

Darkened emerald eyes blinked open into focus as the large van came to a hard stop. His body swayed with the motion and his gloved fingers tightened on the cotton fabric of the bags with purpose.

Izuku turned to look at his lover next to him and found swirling blue eyes shining back at him, looking as equally determined.

"Okay. Let's get this over with," Touya said, stealing the last of Izuku's nerves. The youngest nodded in agreement and soon the couple was working as a duo in the dead of the night.

Neither said a word to each other as they parked the van discreetly around the corner and Izuku ignored the sound of glass breaking when Touya directly shot out the security cameras with his handgun. The expertise aim of the ex-gang member was still something Izuku tried his best not to think too much about since it hinted heavily at the redhead's unsavory past.

To distract from this, Izuku put himself in autopilot. Like a robot going through pre-programmed motions, Izuku worked with minimal hesitation, trying to push back his racing thoughts.

The thoughts screamed at him that this was wrong as he picked up the bags. They kept telling him to turn around and got louder as he felt the weight of the explosive inside one of the bags. Then finally, he pushed through the storm inside of his head as he strapped the device to the dusty brick wall with nervous hands.

His brows creased in intense concentration as he punched in sixty seconds and dialed down the blast ratio.

A small beep coupled by a blinking red light signaled all the adrenaline in his blood to rush through.

The countdown started and immediately Izuku and Touya rushed across the barren empty street underneath the flickering street lights. They crouched low behind the adjacent brick building, watching incredulously as the device beeped rhythmically, counting down to an anticipated explosion.

The light switched from red to green and immediately Izuku's body jerked fully behind the brick building for protection. He flung his gloved hands up to cover his ears and squeezed his eyes shut tight enough to give him a second migraine on top of the one he already had.

Exactly on cue, a loud, terrifying explosion went off with a devastating blast. It's vibrations crawled through the ground stronger than either he or Touya anticipated, making both their bodies jerk. Izuku gripped his head tighter, trying his best not to be frightened by what he had done—but it was too late. The dread had settled into his bones.

When it was done, the aftershock of the explosion filled white noise in both men's heads until their ears were ringing and their worlds were spinning. Both Touya and Izuku looked at each other, something different in their eyes when the gravity of reality settled in.

That deafening explosion changed something inside both lovers that night—neither leaving the same ever again.

The muffled sounds of car alarms and the blaring bank alarm rang into the night air. While Izuku's ears were still ringing, he could faintly hear the in and out call of Touya's deep voice dragging him back.

"Alright, let's get this done before the cops get here," Touya said sternly, blue eyes as cold as ice. "Remember, ten minutes max, fill the bags and get in the van."

Izuku nodded as he followed Touya out of their kneeling position and around the corner—but they both froze at what they saw. Green and blue eyes went wide with revelation.

Rubble from the reddish and grey brick was scattered and a small concave in the ground from the site of the explosion could be seen, darkened with soot from the intensity of the blast. Izuku studied the fragmented pieces of building that were fostering small bright, flickering flames on the ground.

He refocused his eyes to the view inside of the volt. Sitting there was more than enough money than they needed—and it was just resting on the other side of the small line of fire and destruction they had caused.

For some reason, Izuku felt sick and the voices in his head screaming to turn around got louder as the flames danced around.

Too focused on the damage something he created made, Izuku didn't notice how Touya frowned at his frozen position. He missed the agitated look that enveloped the redhead's face as Touya moved first, ignoring how stunned Izuku seemed to be.

"Don't let your weak heart get in the way now, Izuku," he called out.

The word 'weak' stood out to Izuku but Touya reached out to forcefully grab his wrist. He let himself be dragged across the line of fire that neither would be able to cross over again from.

The green eyed teen snapped out of his haze as he was led over to the giant gaping hole in the building. He momentarily studied the excessive damage. Guilt and horror from what he created simmered beneath his skin.

But he pushed it down.

Like Touya said, this wasn't the time and he had to focus. They both worked quickly, filling and dumping all the yen that could fit into the several duffle bags they brought.

Touya worked one side of the volt, while Izuku focused on the other. As Izuku bent down to grab a wad of green yen on the ground he froze in his position as he got close to the ground.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Wait, Touya," Izuku whispered, eyebrows furrowing. "Do you hear that? What's that noise?"

"I don't hear anything," Touya replied, only half paying attention. He was too focused on collecting all the needed yen.

Izuku's eyes searched frantically around, trying to zero in on the beeping source. He leaned in closer to the ground, following the all too familiar sound that shouldn't be happening.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Izuku quickly crouched down all the way, dropping the bags full of yen. His hands sifted through the pile of rubble, trying to follow the sound as his heartbeat sped up. When the eerie noise got louder, Izuku used all his strength to move a chunk of heavy burnt cement to the side.

But his heart sank at what was underneath.

No, no, no, no—

Sitting there was the half destructed bomb, burnt black at the edges. It was leaking chemical fluids and sulfur, giving off an acidic smell. Izuku's mind started reeling as he inspected the half destructed device that had clearly malfunctioned. He picked up the chunk of metal, ignoring how hot it was against his skin.

He immediately noticed how only one of the two fuses he installed went off.

But what gave him more pause was how the blast that occurred was only half the force.

He looked around worried, realizing that a full blast would've—or should've—done twice this damage.

This time Touya noticed his long pause.

"Look, I know you have issues with committing crimes, but we need to stay on task. The cops will be here any second n...now? Wait—" When the redhead looked over, his sentence ran dry at the sight of the half intact bomb still blinking red. His face went ghostly white.

"Izuku...thought you said that thing would combust on itself to hide the evidence," he harshly whispered. "Did it not work?"

"No, it worked," Izuku corrected. "It's just...something's not right. It shouldn't even still be intact. The plate was supposed to shatter fully with two fuses but only one went off. But I don't understand why? They were both on a timer—"

The beeping suddenly grew quicker in pace and the burning acidic smell got stronger, reaching both of their noses. Izuku immediately dropped the device out of his hand when it spiked in temperature.

In that moment, he realized where he went wrong.

"—T-Touya, we need to take the money and go now," Izuku rushed out, grabbing the duffle bags on the ground.

"Wait, what's wrong—"

"—Now!" Izuku hissed, running over to grab the last bag of money. "I miscalculated the shattering timing for two fuses—it's going to go off a second time to shatter the other half! There's a lag!"

Touya cursed harshly under his breath, grabbing one last stack of yen before they both ran out of the demolished wall in the building. Police sirens began blazing in the incoming distance and closing in as the pair rushed to the hidden van in the alley.

They quickly threw the bags of stolen yen in the back seat and jumped into the driver and passenger seats. Izuku felt his body jerk backwards violently as Touya floored the van without giving him time to adjust himself.

Then the second explosion went off—bigger than the last.

Izuku yelped at the loud destructive sound and the force of the blast pushed the van slightly out of Touya's control. Izuku gripped his head, palms pressed into his ears, trying to ignore the sound of the crumbling bank.

When he dared to open his eyes again, Izuku looked in the rear view mirror only to see the bank consumed completely by flames.

Izuku's heart toppled out of his chest as he watched the night be illuminated by bright orange flames. The colors clashed against the deep navy blue sky as red and blue lights from police sirens trickled in.

"T-That second blast wasn't supposed to happen," Izuku's shaky voice whispered. His eyes stayed glued on the ever growing chaos behind them. "I-I didn't mean to burn down the building. I didn't know it would be that strong—"

"—Izuku, it's fine," Touya cut him off. "No one was inside and we got the money. It's all okay now. This went better than I hoped for."

Despite the strange tone used by Touya, Izuku couldn't peel his eyes away from the scene in the rear view mirror. The mixture of all the swirling colors reminded Izuku of his once all too vivid dreams—but this time it felt like a living nightmare.

Too consumed into watching the flames grow behind them, Izuku didn't notice the way Touya's own eyes studied the fire he created.

The meticulous gears inside of the ex-gang member's head turned and turned until a revelation clicked into place.

His calculating blue eyes shifted to look at Izuku in a new light.

. . .

NHK Japan: Yaizu, Shizuoka

Breaking News: Arson of Government bank on K ō kai Street

Police are reporting a large scale arson attack on the new Government bank. No one knows what provoked or inspired this attack, as all evidence was destroyed in the fire. Reports show that the bank alarms went off at exactly 3:45 am which suggests forced entry. Backup footage on the Cloud from security cameras shows the cameras were shot out by what seemed to be two possible males. One around 6'4'' with an athletic build and another around 5'4'' slender build, both cladded in all black clothing.

Forensics can find no evidence of where the source of the arson started which is unusual for a large scale attack like this…

Read More

A sharp laugh echoed out in the grey warehouse as the youngest Shigaraki clicked his phone close. The gang leader stood tall next to his father who was seated silently, eyes trained on both Touya and Izuku curiously.

"When I said put on a show, this isn't exactly what I had in mind—but this is glorious," the youngest Shigaraki chuckled, clapping his hands.

Izuku hung his head low, and Touya scoffed at the sarcastic remark.

"Here's your money," Touya quipped, throwing all the duffle bags at the Shigarakis' feet in front of them. "I hope this is the last we have to deal with you."

"Ah, part of me hopes not. I have to say Touya, your boyfriend has been such good entertainment." The silver haired young adult's smirk grew wider as he tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better look at the crestfallen Izuku.

The greenette turned his head away at the remark. Izuku prayed Touya was right and he hoped they would let them go now. However, the imagery of the bank going up in smoke crept into his brain over and over again. He kept seeing the flames and grey smog fill the air and a sense of doom surrounded him.

"Tomura," the deep voice of the eldest Shigaraki cut in. "Stop antagonizing them."

All nearby members stopped what they were doing, curious because the elder rarely spoke—and when he did, he was never wasteful with his words.

Izuku peered from beneath his bangs to see the demeanor of the silver haired Shigaraki change completely. He stood up, back straight as an arrow and no hint of amusement on his face as he bowed away from the elder man.

"Sorry, father," the usually antagonizing voice spoke unnaturally softly.

Izuku grew curious, trying to gauge the dynamics of their relationship when the elder Shigaraki let out a heavy sigh. Green eyes peered to study the newly revealed named 'Tomura' Shigaraki who was hanging his head.

"Now, I have to admit, I wasn't anticipating you two to commit arson to get us the money," the eldest Shigaraki spoke carefully, pitch black eyes looking into Izuku's soul. "I thought you said it would be a low powered blast."

"I-It was," Izuku answered nervously. "...relatively." He didn't know what was going to happen next, he just wanted to leave—he was tired and the vision of flames was burned into his skull.

"And what does that mean?"

Izuku wringed his wrists nervously, looking at Touya for help. The redhead just gave him a nod of reassurance and placed a warm hand on his shoulder to steady him. Izuku nodded back and turned his attention back to the elder man.

"W-When I m-made the device I knew in order to control the blast intensity that I had to make separate power settings that would still allow the full shattering but keep damage to a minimum," Izuku tried to explain.

The elder Shigaraki just blankly stared at him and it made him continue, unsure what the satisfactory answer was.

"The one I used was the lowest calculation possible. I just—m-miscalculated how large the blast radius would be. T-There wasn't supposed to be a second blast and it wasn't supposed to catch fire that intensely. But I suppose that makes sense considering the combination of the type of material that was needed to make it..."

Izuku's mutters trailed off when he saw a sly smirk slowly start to grow on the gang leader's face.

"Interesting," the elder Shigaraki spoke with a hint of amusement. He leaned all the way back in his chair and smiled fondly at Izuku. "I didn't understand a word you just said, but good job. You proved yourself worthy of keeping alive tonight."

The tension in both Touya and Izuku's shoulders released and solace flooded into Izuku's body. The green haired teen nodded frantically, tears of relief swelling in his eyes. It was over—it was finally over.

"Thank you," Touya spoke respectfully as he turned around to Izuku who couldn't stop the silent tears from streaming down his face. The redhead gently held Izuku's shaking shoulders and caressed them carefully with a soft voice. "Let's go home, angel, it's okay now."

Izuku nodded, stealing a quick glance at the two Shigarakis before following the motion of Touya leading him to the exit of the room by taking his hand.

However, when they got to the door guarded by four threatening large men, none of them moved to let them leave. Both Izuku and Touya stared at them confused, but all four men just stared back blankly.

"What are you doing?" Touya hissed, turning around to glare at the two gang leaders. "Let us go. We gave you way more than enough fucking money—"

"—I'm aware," the elder Shigaraki said while raising his hand. "But before you leave I would like to make a trade. I want to purchase the blueprints of that device off of you. I foresee it being much more valuable than yen to us."

"What?" Izuku whirled around, shocked by the request. "I'm not giving you plans for an explosive like that."

"You misunderstand me, Izuku. I wasn't asking." The elder Shigaraki's obsidian stare was void of any empathy as he gestured towards the black bags of yen on the ground. "I will give you back all the money you stole for us in exchange for the blueprints for that bomb. I am a man of fairness and I believe in compensating you for your ultimate work of art. I think forty million yen in exchange for something like that is a good price."

Izuku shook his head furiously and gripped Touya's hand tighter, backing away from the menacing men surrounding them.

"I don't want the money—"

The elder Shigaraki snapped his fingers.

"Himiko. Persuade him."

Before Izuku could blink Touya cursed and tried his best to grab him before anyone else did. But he was outnumbered.

Izuku's world was spun around by the rough hands of others grabbing him and green eyes widened when one of the guards standing at the door came up behind him to snatch his wrist and yank him out of Touya's hold.

" —No! Don't you fucking touch him!" Touya's voice yelled as another large man put Izuku in a choke hold and their interlaced fingers were forced apart.

Touya screamed out his name as he began struggling against the two strong bodies holding him back by his arms. Izuku tried to reach out for Touya but found it fruitless when the man gagging him switched to restrained his arms behind his back in a painful twist.

Fear overwhelmed him as he was manhandled into staying still and another gang member came over and ripped open his shirt. The sound of tearing fabric made Izuku struggle more, the cold air against his bare chest making him feel sickly vulnerable.

"T-Touya? Touya! W-What are they doing—" His green eyes darted around frantic and unsure of what was happening until the blurry vision of a blonde haired woman stepped into view.

Her smile was malicious and hungry.

"I always wondered what you would sound like when crying," she giggled. Izuku yelled out for Touya again when a sharp blade came into his view and he struggled harder against the man twisting his arms.

Quicker than anything he's seen, she handled the knife with expertise. A blood curdling scream was ripped from Izuku's throat as the burning feeling of sharp steel cut through his skin, gashing him deeply directly across his chest. Izuku pleaded and struggled as he started to feel blood rush down his abdomen and tears pour from his eyes.

This can't be happening—this can't be happening—

His thoughts dived straight down into a terrified spiral and he felt another excruciating slash dig into his chest directly above his heart. He screamed out again, muttering hoarse apologizes as the blade felt like it was searing his flesh.

"I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry—I'm sorry—please, s-stop!"

"You see how she's getting higher?" The elder Shigaraki said in a bored tone while he crossed his legs. "Next cut will be your throat, Izuku."

It was a promise, not a threat.

Izuku whimpered in pain as the man forcing him still tightened his bruising hold and Himiko pressed her silver knife against his adam's apple. Excited golden eyes were filled with glee as she leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"You're so cute when you scream, 'Zuzu," Himiko giggled, her hot breath tickled his neck and made him cower away. "I see why Touya likes hurting you now. So soft and weak."

Izuku furrowed his brows together at that word again.

Weak.

A sob wrecked through his body from the intense pain radiating from his chest. The sharp edge of the blade pressed into his pale skin more, drawing a hint of red liquid to run down his freckled throat.

"Now, I don't like repeating myself and I don't want to kill you—but I will," the elder Shigaraki said, this time with all the promise of hurt in the world. "Where are the blueprints? You're making me reconsider the mercy I was going to have on your family."

The seconds crawled by slowly as Izuku weighed the odds in his mind. He didn't even want to fathom what a gang like All For One would do with blueprints for an explosive—but at the mention of his family Izuku felt himself unwillingly give.

The sound of his parents' laughter and the sight of their smiles filled his head.

"I-It's in m-my b-backpack," Izuku whispered weakly, shame slamming down on his body. He squeezed his eye shut, wanting nothing more than to disappear. "The two white pieces of paper...they have everything you need listed and detailed drawings of the architecture of the device."

The large man behind him let go of Izuku's twisted arms and Izuku's knees immediately gave out. The crying teen fell forward at Himiko's feet with a loud sob, forehead resting against the dirty floor of the small warehouse room. His shaky hands immediately cradled his bleeding chest when he could feel blood quickly leaving him.

Izuku cried harder when he felt Himiko step around and kneel down to unzip his backpack and pull out the two torn out sketchbook pages. He felt the rushed footing of Touya running over to his abused body to cradle him.

Touya's voice sounded like a broken record on repeat as the redhead yelled at the Shigarakis for harming him, but Izuku couldn't process what was being said.

In the safety of Touya's warm arms, his own psyche was overcome by unpalatable shame and guilt. The two emotions swarmed inside of his chest like a hive of wasps, stinging his heart painfully. Conflicting feelings of if he should've just let Himiko slit his throat rushed into his mind—but he didn't know what else to do.

He had to keep his parents safe. He just wanted everyone safe.

Heavy footsteps followed shuffling of duffle bags as the money was dropped in front of his and Touya's kneeling bodies.

"Here you go. Your debt is repaid," the voice of Tomura said flatly. "You both will keep quiet about this. Needless to say what will happen if you don't. Understood?"

"Yes," Touya hissed from his gritted teeth. "We understand you very clearly."

"Good. You can resume playing house with your angel, Touya. We're officially done here."

Izuku lifted his head up and pulled his shaking hands away from his chest to see his palms covered in his own blood. Shame filled every ounce of his being as he looked up into the deep crimson eyes of the silver haired young man.

White noise clouded Izuku's mind as he repeated the words spoken to him: Your debt is repaid.

His body felt lifeless as he allowed Touya to pick him up and comfort him. His wobbly knees were too weak to stand and he leaned heavily against the taller man that was quickly taking off his leather jacket to wrap around his shaking shoulders.

Izuku buried his head into Touya's shoulder as the elder man wrapped his strong arms around his waist to keep him upright.

"It's over," Touya shushed him, trying to calm him down.

His boyfriend led him over to the door again and this time the bodyguards stepped aside. The couple walked through the doors, both leaving as different people than the beginning of this ordeal.

But only one was still unsure about the future.

The green eyed teen looked over his shoulder to stare at the bomb plans being handed over to the silver haired man, who was staring directly back at him with an ominous smirk.

"It's over, Izuku," Touya repeated, running a shaky hand through his hair. "We're okay. Everyone is going to be okay. Alright? Let's go home."

Izuku nodded, wishing he could believe Touya.

However, the last look that Tomura Shigaraki gave him told him that things were far from over.

. . .

That should've been the last of it—or at least that's what Izuku told himself.

Izuku no longer was searching.

He no longer was egged on to figure a way out of a life or death situation—but he still didn't feel the same nor did he feel completely at peace.

It felt as if burning that building had tied an invisible rope around his ankles, tethering him to his anxiety and the imagery of flames refused to allow him to feel relaxed. No matter what he did after that day, despite no one getting harmed, he couldn't shake the gravity of him starting such an intense fire—then handing over the ability to do the same directly to All For One.

The blue and red flames danced around each other in his head and their illumination was impossible to drown out, blinding him inside his own mind.

Touya had tried to comfort him the entire ride home that night. When they arrived back at their dark apartment, his boyfriend sat him down on the edge of their bed and began carefully bandaging him up like he was some precious doll that had gotten scratched.

The white bandages around his chest bled every time he moved and it was hard to keep himself from wincing—but not one of his classmates really batted an eye at it.

No one seemed to care except Kai.

When news of the arson attack spread around campus, Izuku kept silent. Without saying a word, his silence told the loudest story to the brunette haired man.

That first lecture back after the robbery, Kai made him stay behind, but the shame Izuku felt was too great to allow him to meet those worried golden eyes.

"Is everything settled with the Shigarakis?" Was all Kai asked, his voice quiet and careful. Izuku nodded emptily.

"Yes, it's all settled," he replied back in a whisper. "They told us the debt is repaid and we can go back to our lives." He omitted the real exchange that happened, the threat to stay quiet about everything hanging dangerously over his head.

"Alright, that's good."

...Good?

Izuku didn't know if that was the right word for it.

Three all too peaceful months passed, ending Izuku's sophomore year. The seasons blended together in a colorless blur to him, and the gashes in his chest scabbed over slowly.

One healed while the other one didn't. It stayed imprinted on his skin, raised up and keloided but Izuku welcomed it as a tally mark type of punishment. Some nights he would run his calloused finger over it in the mirror, tracing the damage AFO had left over his heart both literally and figuratively.

He felt like he deserved it.

When everything settled down within these three months, Izuku felt Touya shift back to his usual self.

He dealt with All For One like a small hiccup in his life and the college student didn't understand how he was barely affected.

The redhead would apologize profusely for getting Izuku entangled in his mess. Izuku could tell he was sincere, so the freckled teen took Tomura Shigaraki's advice: he tried his best to move on.

However, he found it hard when the visual of his future never returned.

For an entire three months his dreams remained static like white noise. He was still drowning in the sea of black thorns and still couldn't see anything. He still couldn't envision his future and those rose colored glasses on life never repaired themselves.

They remained shattered and cracked just like Izuku.

Touya told him that he would take care of the forty million yen when Izuku suggested they should donate it slowly, and return it through big purchases to the establishments they robbed it from. Touya just smiled and agreed, being extremely sweet. It eased Izuku's worries and made him feel like they could really move past this incident when Touya began being the nicest he could be.

The redhead treated him with the utmost care to the point it surprised Izuku.

But as the winter shifted to the summer, Izuku felt a change in Touya happen just like the seasons. There was something about him that led Izuku to believe that he was withholding something.

But whenever he asked, Touya would tell him he was overthinking.

"Are you sure? You can tell me if something is wrong," Izuku would press and Touya in return just shook his head and gave a charming smile.

"Of course. Nothing is wrong, angel," Touya reassured. He'd always comb his fingers through his dark curls and lightly touch his gold hoop earring. "Don't worry about it. Just focus on school, alright? You deserve to relax."

So Izuku did. He pushed down all the self hating thoughts and did his best to resume his life.

But that didn't stop him from noticing small things: like how Touya's clothing style got nicer, and how his attitude became more confident.

They went out to nicer restaurants because Touya told him he was 'promoted' again at the coffee shop. Touya began showering him in small gifts, expensive things Izuku didn't need like sparkling jewelry and fashionable new clothes.

Izuku figured it was just Touya's way of being apologetic about the AFO mess and would tell him it wasn't needed. However, Touya pushed and insisted.

And Izuku resigned, too afraid of provoking another 'incident' out of him after all the All For One stress.

Which brings him to now, a hot summer day two weeks after his 20th birthday.

He had just come back from visiting his parents in his beloved childhood home for the weekend and he was starting to feel something close to his old self again.

The newly aged young adult took three days out to spend time with his parents and enjoyed the bubble of security they always gave him at home.

He told Touya about needing this, just wanting a bit of space from the sudden lavish, over apologetic treatment. The redhead seemingly understood and told Izuku he was going to pick up extra shifts at the coffee shop while he was away.

Izuku smiled, liking the idea of Touya working hard and finally everything going back to normal.

When he got home, Izuku asked his father to take some time off and just sit at home with him and his mother. While confused, Hisashi just smiled and took it as Izuku needed decompression time after a stressful semester.

If only he knew the irony behind that statement.

Coming back to his apartment early that Monday, the green eyed young adult walked towards the small coffee Touya worked at with a smile. He was holding a pink bento box full of the redhead's favorite rice dish. The wind blew against his skin on his exposed arms in his yellow tank top and the sky was a clear, crystal blue. When he pushed open the wooden door, the melodic sound of the silver bell attached to the top rang out.

The sweet brown eyes of the shop owner standing behind the counter glanced briefly at him. He smiled at the friendly man, who returned the kind gesture, but his attention was drawn back to the large TV hanging from the wall.

Izuku looked around curiously for Touya only to not see him or Shindo Yo. Instead, he noticed everyone's eyes glued on the widescreen television.

Slowly, Izuku traced their line of vision up to the bright screen to see a young, brunette news anchor woman standing in front of a building that was consumed with bright flames.

Izuku's heart sank into his stomach and he clutched the bento box in his hand until his knuckles turned white.

"We're reporting to you live from the second bank struck this morning in downtown Yaizu," the voice from the TV echoed. "This is now the sixth robbery in a string of back to back crimes this weekend. All buildings in result were burned shortly after they were hit. A common pattern of two separate explosions seems to be happening. First, a low powered one that allows the thieves to enter and then a larger one that causes intense fire to cover all evidence."

Fear settled into Izuku's bones and his gut twisted in shame. He knew. He knew exactly what caused those fires.

"Many are concerned by the quickness of the flames and the expertise of the gang that seems to be committing this duo act of arson and theft. Several officers have been wounded and many wonder if this will cause a cancellation in the police parade hosting beloved hometown hero, Yagi Toshinori, that is supposed to happen this upcoming Saturday."

Izuku watched at the camera cut to his family friend, who he completely forgot was in town. Toshinori stood tall, a kind look on his face, but Izuku could tell he was stressed. There was a slight crease in his brow that hinted that the sudden rise of crime wasn't what he was expecting.

"Are you thinking of calling off the police parade this year, Captain Yagi?" The news anchor asked, holding the microphone to him.

"I discussed this fear with the Chief of Police of Yaizu, but we both concluded that the criminals are mainly targeting banks and jewelry stores, indicating they have a monetary motive," Toshinori explained. "The parade this year will have extra security and all available officers in Yaizu will be working it to ensure the safety of the public!"

"Wonderful," the woman replied with a smile. "So nice to hear reassuring words from Yaizu's and Shizuoka City's shared symbol of peace. We'll be back in ten for more live updates on the fires."

The TV cut to commercial and muttering picked up in the coffee shop. Izuku could hear the customers talking about the horrendous bomb and the robberies and it made Izuku feel guilt stronger than gravity itself.

He looked around shaky, paranoid, and slowly walked over to the dark haired shop owner, trying to focus on where Touya could possibly be. All For One had promised to leave them alone and it had officially been three months—but Izuku's gut feeling kept saying something was wrong—he just couldn't figure out what.

"Morning, Mr. Tanaka. Is Touya here?" He asked in a soft spoken voice. The shop owner turned around towards him with a sympathetic look and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Izuku, I haven't seen him for the past three days," Mr. Tanaka replied. Izuku frowned deeply, knowing Touya on the phone last night told him he had just gotten off working overtime.

"But he told me he was working the morning shift this weekend," Izuku muttered, trying to piece together what was happening.

"He was supposed to, but he called and said he got held up by a family emergency."

Family emergency? Izuku frowned.

Touya didn't have a family—well, no family that he talked to.

Izuku shifted his eyes away, unsure what to do with the information he was just given. He had just spoken to Touya on the phone last night and the redhead said he just finished working. Touya had lied to him...but for what? Why would he lie about working?

"When you see him, Izuku, can you tell him to call me A.S.A.P? I'm really short staffed. Shindo is out this week at his second job."

"Okay, I'll be sure to do that," Izuku replied and put on a taut smile, trying to mask his racing thoughts. He bowed politely at the waist and fiddled with the plate of onigiri in his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Tanaka. I hope you have a good rest of your day!"

"You too, Izuku."

The fuming young adult turned on his heel, heat simmering under his skin. He gnawed into his bottom lip, trying to keep himself from muttering too loudly as his thoughts worked overtime.

Touya had lied.

Where was he? His heart twisted with diverse emotions of anger, betrayal, and confusion. But above all, Izuku felt hurt. After everything they've been through, Touya lied to him without an inkling of hesitation.

"Oh, Izuku! One more thing," Mr. Tanaka called out in a concerned tone. Izuku turned around and looked over his shoulder at the cue of his name. "Please be safe out there! This weekend seems like it's going to be really hectic in Yaizu with the parade and these fires." The kind eyes of the large man were looking at him in a way that reminded the young adult of his own father.

"Ah, no worries, Mr. Tanaka," he replied with a reassuring smile. "I'm going to Makinohara for an art show this Sunday. My mother is the featured artist so I won't even be around."

"That's good to hear! Maybe just stay there. I swear, it seems like these thugs are trying to burn Yaizu down to the ground."

Izuku nodded in agreement, glancing at the television one more time. He studied the immense amount of firetrucks being shown live trying to douse the fire, but it just grew and grew. His gut twisted unpleasantly before he said goodbye a final time, leaving out the door quickly.

The bell rang on his way out and Izuku kept his head down as he walked around the corner. Saddened green eyes stared at the light pink bento box in his hands in deep thought, a vision of Touya's smiling face appearing in his head.

Should I be worried? Maybe something really did come up with his family or maybe he reached out to them without telling me...

Mind clouded with distracting thoughts about Touya, Izuku reached his hand down into his khaki shorts to pull out his green phone. He worried as he scrolled through to see no new texts or calls from his boyfriend, only messages from his mother and father showing him pictures of their outfits for the art show.

He proceeded to call Touya thrice, only to be sent to voicemail all three times. Izuku furrowed his brows confused as he pulled back the phone and began texting the missing redhead.

Suddenly, Izuku gasped loudly when he collided with a strong body and he clumsily lost his grip on the cellphone, which went toppling to the ground. Green eyes glanced up to see an all too familiar nightmarish figure dressed in a red trench coat with silver hair and red eyes. The tall figure blocked out the sun and cast a long black shadow over Izuku's pale face.

Izuku's heart stopped beating and the bento box hit the sidewalk with a loud clatter.

"Hey there," Tomura greeted coyly, his lips chapped and smile sinister.

No, no, please, no—

Izuku frantically spun around to run only to see Jin and Himiko standing behind him pointing steel handguns and hungry grins. The feeling of ice sunk into his feet when he saw a van pull into view behind them with more gang members.

"Don't worry cutie, we don't want to hurt you," Himiko giggled, trying to reassure Izuku with a false sense of security. "You're way too valuable to us for that now."

Terror settled into the frightened young adult's gut as Tomura came up behind him and laid both of his large hands on his shoulders. His grip was strong, powerful, and deeply menacing just like the hold he seemed to have on Izuku's life.

The freckled young adult winced in pain as Tomura's fingernails dug into his exposed freckled shoulders, imprinting crest shaped marks. Izuku trembled and squeezed his eyes shut when the hair on his neck stood up from Tomura's warm breath against his skin.

"You're coming with us for a little while, angel."

. . .

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Izuku tried to steady his breath at a reliable pace as he was led blindfolded and bound to only Kami knows where. The ropes around his wrists threatened to give him rope burn as he experimentally tried to wiggle his hands into a more comfortable position in front of himbut it was useless.

He was trapped again by Tomura Shigaraki.

The blind fold covering his eyes was pulled tautly to ensure he saw nothing from wherever they were going, and the cold gun pressed against his temple reminded him of the grave repercussions of saying 'no' to All For One.

Izuku bit his lip to hold back tears when all he could wonder was where Touya was and prayed he was safe.

"We're here, boss," the voice of Himiko called out with happiness. Izuku felt fear sucker punch him when Tomura's hands grabbed his upper arm and yanked him upwards.

"Perfect. I'll lead our lovely angel here to the engineering room," Tomura answered while not so gently pulling him out the back of the van.

All the noises surrounding Izuku confused him as he was blindly led into what he figured was an abandoned building. He briefly heard the sound of running water, suggesting they were near a river before the creaking of a metal door swung open.

Immediately he heard chatter and voices and a leaky pipe and the air inside of the building was dry. The smell of rust, alcohol and sulfur filled his nose, making Izuku scrunch his face when he could smell toxic gasoline, heavy and potent.

Tomura dragged him to the corner of the large room where the smells were the strongest.

There was a sudden snap in the tension of the ropes burning his wrists as he felt Tomura use a knife to set his hands free. He immediately moved to nurse his sore skin and he could feel his heart pump loudly in his ears when the blindfold was ripped off him.

The first thing Izuku saw were the wires.

Blue, green, red and yellow wires were systematically laid all around next to tools, soldering machines and what seemed to be a three person assembly line of people trying to recreate what he had made the first time.

The second thing Izuku saw was the room.

It was a large, strange backwater building that was filled with brown crates. In the dim light, Izuku could vaguely see a handful of people lined up getting distributed bags of white powders, pills and more drugs he couldn't identify.

The final thing Izuku noticed was Shindo Yo, standing there in the flesh.

Izuku's face twisted in confusion when he made eye contact with that all too familiar face, that seemed just as equally baffled to see him there.

Shindo Yo frowned as he was handed a bag full of white powder and another of pink pills. The raven haired student stared at Izuku's face in a new light, distracted and thrown off guard just like the green eyed student. They held eye contact until the gang member distributing the shipments told Shindo to move and start collecting his money.

"One of our many drug dealers," Tomura explained when the two stared at each other too long. "Do you know him?"

Izuku paused, eyes still glued on Shindo as the brunette got out of line and turned to leave. The brown eyes of his classmate looked at him once more before leaving and Izuku wearily turned back to Tomura.

"No," he lied, eyes glanced down to the grey ground. "I don't. He just seemed familiar."

Tomura assessed him carefully as if trying to see if the freckled male was trying to deceive him, but the silver haired man let it go and redirected Izuku's attention to the mess of metal and wires in front of him.

"So, as you can see, we're having some technical difficulties," Tomura explained, like it was something casual. "Our in-house engineers are having a rough time producing what you made in a single night in the time frame of a month. They also don't know how to properly calculate the highest detonation possible with these materials. Seems like the plans you gave us were just for the low blast."

"Why am I here?" Izuku mumbled, fist clutching to ease himself. He looked shamefully upon what he had designed with bitter taste. "You said you would leave us alone."

"And we will," Tomura explained. "But first we need you to fix this for us. Make it more powerful. My father has something in mind and it requires a very intense blast."

"M-More powerful?" Izuku parroted, baffled. He looked up at Tomura in disbelief and shook his head furiously. "No. It's already powerful enough! You've been burning down buildings all weekend to cover your tracks—"

"—Don't raise your voice at me," Tomura hissed, red eyes flashing with malicious intent and shutting Izuku up quickly. He gripped Izuku's arm painfully tight, and pulled him in close. "I'm not as kind as Touya. Now, you're going to fix this for us and we'll send you on your way. Got it, angel?"

Izuku's face hardened with anger. His fear grew equally, confused as to what he should do, but above all he was frustrated. There was no way he was going to keep participating in this.

Right as he hardened his nerves to refuse Tomura, the doors of the building creaked open. Both Tomura and Izuku turned around to see who came in—and this time Izuku's world got flipped upside down.

Touya walked in with his head down, dressed in an all black hoodie, sneakers and black banana. His hands were gloved with bloody brass knuckles and he was fully distracted by counting the colorful yen in his hand carefully.

"I finished what you asked me to do," Touya called out to the room without looking up, there was an underlying hint of agitation in his tone. "Now if you could give me another load of coke to sell I'll be...on...my way...I-Izuku?"

Blue eyes widened in shock to see Izuku standing there, green eyes blown to saucers.

Izuku took in Touya's appearance all the way. He saw the hand full of money, the slightly scuffed up face and the blood caked up on his brass knuckles. Izuku prayed his eyes and ears were playing tricks on him when he saw an empty bag of drugs in Touya's other hand.

"What is he doing here?" Touya hissed, turning his furious gaze to Tomura. "I thought I fucking told you to stay away from him—"

"—We need him to fix a few things for us," Tomura answered easily, letting go of Izuku. "Once he fixes what we asked of him, we'll send you both on your way. You'll get your drugs to sell and Izuku can go back to...whatever it is he does. My father has a big plan coming up this weekend so 'no' isn't an option."

At the mention of a 'big plan' used in the same context of the explosive, Izuku forcefully tore his eyes away from Touya and turned to Tomura.

"I said I'm not doing it," he said firmly, hands shaking with confusion and fear. "I-I can't be a part of whatever it is you're doing. I can't do it."

Izuku shook his head again and took several steps back, trying to get a breath of fresh air when the room started feeling all too small. Everyone's eyes were crawling all over him, and his chest started to squeeze. The chemical scent of gasoline in the air was too much—

Touya's angry blue eyes melted into concern when he saw Izuku start to slowly break down into a panic attack.

The redhead wearily looked at Tomura and his unamused, stale expression before walking over to Izuku and trying to calm him down, but it wasn't working.

"Izuku," Touya whispered, gripping Izuku's shoulders, trying to shake him back into a calm mind. "Just do what he says so we can leave. You know he's not going to take no for an answer."

Watery green eyes looked up to see a blurred vision of Touya, distorted by the tears in his eyes. The freckled young adult snapped himself out of Touya's grip angrily, still trying to process what his boyfriend was even doing here.

"No," Izuku yelled again, more base in his tone. "He wants me to make t-that—that thing deadlier, and I'm not doing it!" Izuku's voice cracked as he gestured wildly to the mess of mechanics behind him.

Touya's eyes flickered over to the three engineers who stopped what they were doing, taken aback by the rebellious tone of voice Izuku was taking.

This time Tomura's face grew darker and it settled something close to fear in Touya.

"Izuku, keep your voice down," he whispered harshly and reached out to grab the younger male's wrist in a tight hold. Izuku whimpered at the grip and tried his best to shake Touya off. He just wanted to go home. This was all supposed to be over. This wasn't supposed to be happening—

"Sorry, he gets like this sometimes," Touya apologized to Tomura and for some reason it just irritated Izuku more.

"Let me go!" Izuku hissed, his struggling getting stronger. He tried to jerk himself out of the bruising hold only to be overpowered and dragged closer to the ever growing pissed off redhead.

"Stop making a fucking scene and just do what's asked of you—"

"No! I said no!"

"C'mon, Izuku, just do what he says—"

"—I said I won't do it! You're supposed to be on my side—"

"—I fucking am! I'm on the side of trying to keep you alive!" Touya screamed back, shaking Izuku harshly. "Just fucking suck it up and stop acting so goddamn weak minded—"

"T-Touya, please!" Izuku's voice cracked and he fought harshly against the larger body holding him. Tears spilled over as he started sobbing, pleading to his boyfriend as he struggled to get out of the other's hold. "Touya, d-don't make me do this—"

"—Control him, Touya. Or I will," Tomura's voice cut in. There was a heavy threat inside of it and it made the redhead's feet run cold.

In the blur of the moment, Izuku heard Touya curse and the next thing that followed was a blistering, familiar hit across his face.

The harsh slap echoed in the abandoned building and Izuku felt his head violently turned from the sheer force Touya used to hit him across the face.

Everyone in the vicinity dropped to an uncomfortable silence.

Izuku's heart squeezed until he felt like he couldn't breathe when he realized what had just happened. He wanted to blink and wake up from what had to be a nightmare—but when the blood began to slowly trickle from his nose and his lip began to burn, he knew it wasn't a dream.

It was real.

"Why the hell did you make me do that in front of people, Izuku? Just fucking listen to me next time." Touya harshly whispered, shame deep in his voice as he hung his head.

Izuku fully frowned at the blame placed on him but the grip Touya had on his arm just grew tighter, not allowing him space to think.

"Now, go fix whatever they're asking of you so we can leave." The redhead pushed him towards the mess of metal and wires impatiently, and Izuku felt his knees unwillingly buckle.

He fell down to his shins to the ground, catching himself with his wobbly arms. His mind tried to search for an answer as to why was this all happening? It should be over—but that wasn't the case.

Touya was here with All For One and Tomura somehow still had his leash on both of them.

Izuku choked back a sob as he leaned back on his hunches, attempting to avoid the stares from everyone that were burning into his exposed skin. He looked over his shoulder, trying to ignore the hot tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

There he saw a regrettably angry Touya curling his fist while looking away from him and a smug Tomura assessing them both as if he just witnessed the best thing he's ever seen.

Izuku took in his dimly lit surroundings and all the gang members that were looking down at him like a hungry pack of wolves, ready to devour him alive.

Anger, hurt, betrayal and fear swirled around like dancing flames inside of his head. They flared and sparked but the longer he stared at the shadows flickering inside of Tomura's crimson red irises, Izuku felt himself resign.

Numbing out his thoughts, Izuku put himself in autopilot while he cried without a sound.

With shaky hands and a heavy heart, Izuku did what was asked of him.

The taste of iron dripped into his mouth from the blood trickling from his mouth and nose. At some point during his ministrations, he heard Touya and Tomura exchange choice words before the redhead lit a cigarette and went across the room to wait.

Tomura then came to crouch down next to him as he was soldering a wire in a copper plate.

"What do you see in Touya? I'm extremely curious how you two fell in love," the usually menacing Shigaraki asked as if they were friends. Izuku felt himself bristle at the casual question.

"It's none of your concern," Izuku answered back in a short tone, refusing to look up. He heard an amused hum from the silver haired man before Tomura leaned into his space, uncomfortably close.

"Well, here. I'll tell you what I see in Touya," his voice whispered, dripping in mischievousness. "You know how there's that saying about everyone having two wolves inside of them? A dark one and a good one? And the one that gets bigger is the one that you feed?"

Izuku stayed silent, trying to focus but the ominous tone of voice used gripped his attention.

"Well, I'll tell you a secret I discovered a long time ago," Tomura whispered softly only for Izuku to hear. "Touya only has one wolf: a power hungry one. That wolf ate his good one a long, long time ago when there was nothing left to feed on and that power hungry wolf is starved right now, Izuku."

Without warning, Izuku's mind painted the haunting imagery of a large blood hungry wolf.

It's obsidian black fur was caked in dried crimson liquid and its fangs were stained with a dark shade of red. Its icy blue eyes were filled with murderlust and it was prowling around, scratching and growling begging to be let out from its cage.

Tomura smirked when he saw his words had finally gotten into the freckled male's head. He leaned in closer, wrapping his arm around Izuku's frozen shoulders to deliver the final blow.

"Touya will always come crawling back to us because we have exactly what he needs to keep that wolf fed and you don't."

Izuku's face twisted around in pain, trying to push the manipulative words out of his headspace. He didn't want to believe what the gang leader was saying—but a voice deep inside of his mind told him that Tomura wasn't wrong.

Green eyes looked over at Touya across the room smoking a cigarette and wearily eyed the dried blood on his brass knuckles.

. . .

Izuku finished the last of the wiring with the bitter taste of acid and iron against the back of his tongue.

He ignored the 'good job' he received from Tomura and all astonished looks from the in-house engineers. They muttered amongst themselves, amazed by his ability to create and design something that lethal under immense pressure.

The tormented young adult kept his head down and marched over to the exit to where Touya was waiting for him. When Izuku passed by without a word or spare glance, the redhead followed him into the warm summer dusk setting silently. The deep red colors from the sky tinted all the trees and ground in a dusted rose color that Izuku found himself hating.

"Did you fix it?" He asked, looking at the tense shoulders of Izuku, studying the nail marks and bruises beginning to show.

"Yes," Izuku quipped with his head down.

He couldn't bring himself to look up at his boyfriend, too angry and hurt. His thoughts kept swarming in sync with the pain that throbbed from his nose. He felt used. He felt humiliated—and for what? He was concerned about Touya for nothing.

Izuku sighed, and turned around, finally facing the aggravating looking redhead.

"Touya...I had been worried about you," the freckled man started in a soft voice. "I thought something happened to you but instead you're here, getting drugs from them?"

This only seemed to irritate Touya, making him roll his eyes and cross his arms.

"I'm rinsing the money they gave us," he mumbled and in return Izuku made a confused face. Touya sighed again and ran his hand through his red spikes. "Of course you don't even know what that means—it means I can't just go fuckin' donate the cash we got from them with the serial numbers that were stolen from the bank, Izuku—"

"—Then don't use the money," Izuku cut him off, fed up and hurt. All the emotions he kept bottled up inside ran over unfiltered. "Go secretly drop it back off at the bank or at a police station! It's not that important enough for you to be back selling drugs with them!"

"Kami, Izuku. You don't get it, you never fucking get it—"

"—What don't I get?" Izuku questioned, stepping forward. He had done everything he could to understand Touya but this—this he didn't understand. "I get that you sold drugs for them in the past when you needed help to survive. But you were homeless back then—you're not homeless anymore!"

Touya worked his jaw and shifted his gaze away from the hurt green eyes.

Izuku sighed again, putting his hands on his hips and pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to keep the pounding headache at bay. He could tell he wasn't going to reach Touya like this and he was tired.

"Please," Izuku tried again, stepping forward. Touya looked at him again and Izuku carefully reached out to hold his love's hand tenderly. "Please, don't go down this road with them. They just want to use you and exploit you. But you have me now, and I love you so much."

His eyes pleaded a thousand different emotions to Touya—he just wanted to save the redhead.

At that moment, Izuku realized that's what it's always been: him trying to save Touya.

He just wanted to make sure Touya was safe. From the homeless shelter, to the alley, to sharing an apartment—to building that bomb to get the money.

He just wanted everyone he loved safe.

"I love you too, Izuku," Touya spoke back just as gently. He lifted his gloved hand up to lovingly push a disheveled curl out of Izuku's freckled face and carefully touched the gold hoop in his ear. "One day you'll understand I'm doing this because I love you. I have a plan and if it works, together we can have everything we ever wanted and more."

Izuku shook his head when he felt the brief tender moment slip away.

"And this plan involves siding with people who hurt us?" He questioned, staring up at Touya utterly confused. "I have a scar on my body from where they cut me and forced me to give them blueprints for a bomb. You just forgave them that easily?"

"No," Touya answered. His eyes and expression hardened like stone and deep hatred flashed quickly as lightning. "I'll never forgive them for that and you know that. But if everything goes right, I'll make sure they pay heavily for ever hurting you and threatening your family—but you need to think long term, Izuku."

"Long term for what?" Izuku exasperated. He stepped back from Touya again to look at him as if he didn't know who the man in front of him was. "You keep saying everything we ever wanted but you won't even let me major in what I want to do! It's always just what you want. I always end up just going along with what you say."

"And that's a bad thing?"

There was a blankness in turquoise eyes that gave Izuku an uneasy pause.

"Yes...it's a bad thing," he explained slowly, looking at Touya sideways. "I-I don't even have friends, Touya. You never let me hang out with people alone unless you're there or go places alone—"

"—Because you don't need to," Touya cut him off, nostrils flaring in aggravation. Izuku startled at the loud voice that echoed into the night and how quickly Touya's demeanor shifted. "Why are you bringing up pointless shit now?"

"Pointless shit?" Izuku hissed, tears falling down his face at the dismissal. "I'm pointing out how controlling you can be! You just fucking hit me in front of all those gang members in there and you didn't even say sorry—"

"—Because you fucking deserved it this time!"

The words left Touya's mouth, and materialized into a rigid dagger to stab Izuku directly in the chest.

Izuku opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

He was at a loss for words, caught off guard by the furious look in the blazing blue eyes.

Izuku felt his chest heave while trying to process the explanation. Deserved it? Right when Izuku tried to process how the Touya could say something like that, the redhead told him exactly why.

Blue eyes were dark, filled with anger and dark shadows that weren't there before.

He stepped forward towering over Izuku and his face twisted in anger. "You're always so high on your goddamn moral horse that you couldn't even do a simple fucking thing asked of you," Touya hissed. His eyes were full of irritation, and it made an unknown fear creeped in under Izuku's skin unwillingly. "Did you want Himiko to slit your throat?"

Izuku shifted his eyes to the side when there was another pause. "N-No, of course not. But that's not that point—"

"—Then shut the fuck up," Touya harshly growled and it made Izuku fall quiet. Threatening ice colored eyes stared down emptily at him and it made a chill grip Izuku's spine as Touya continued to speak. "This is why I tell you to just keep quiet and listen to me, Izuku—for situations like this. You're so goddamn weak that I have to take charge because you can't do it for yourself."

Weak.

Izuku furrowed his brows at the usage of that word again.

He stayed silent, his throat feeling like it was being choked by a hand made of flames that was searing his vocal cords shut. He didn't dare say anything more as those eyes bored into him.

Touya turned away from him, walking towards his motorcycle as if that was it. Several more tears streamed down Izuku's face, as he looked around at the saddened dusk blood orange colored sky. He watched the way the red sun lowered itself beneath the blue horizon and he felt his voice strengthen.

"...I'm not weak," Izuku muttered.

"What was that?" Touya turned around, ice cold eyes daring him to say it again.

But for some reason he couldn't.

"Nothing," Izuku whispered, losing his voice. He glanced down to the ground, Touya's gaze too intense for him to hold the eye contact.

"That's what I thought," the redhead sneered. "Now let's go home. This discussion is over and I don't want you asking me anymore about tonight. If they ever contact you again, you come to me directly from now on before going with them."

Izuku bit his lip, heart pounding all too loudly in his ear. He looked up to see Touya walking away from him.

It was the first time Touya ever turned his back on him.

. . .

Izuku felt himself searching again.

This time he was searching for the Touya he knew in the rubble left behind from the avalanche of the newly revealed Touya he saw that night. Touya was selling drugs and hanging out with shady people, despite it pissing the youngest off.

Izuku started to grow distant from his boyfriend, but still was kept on a close, tight leash if Touya could help it. He could sense Touya growing antsy about his sudden quietness, and Izuku contemplated telling Touya that he needed a break.

It was becoming too much.

However, looking back on that last week, Izuku could count the number of mistakes that happened—mistakes both of them made.

These were the mistakes that cost Izuku the lives of the three people closest to him that very same week.

The first mistake was Touya lying to him and saying that he was sorry about hitting him when he wasn't. The second was Izuku pretending to believe him. The third mistake was them going back to their routine as if everything was okay, and the fourth mistake was Touya lying to him again about the drugs.

"I decided to stop selling," Touya had said that Wednesday before the weekend police parade. Two days had passed since the Shigaraki incident and the new busted lip Izuku sported was healing slowly.

"Why?" He whispered, unsure if he should believe Touya. The voice of Tomura still echoed clearly in his head. All he could envision was a blood hungry wolf with eyes as blue as Touya's.

"Because you're right. It's not that important," Touya sighed. "I can feel you pulling away from me. So, if it means losing you, the person who is most important to me, then...it's done. It's over."

"And how can I believe you? You lied to me before."

"Turn on the news."

So Izuku did, and what he saw confused him. At first he didn't understand what he was seeing but when the headline of '20 million stolen yen from government bank returned to police station' his heart flew out of his chest.

"Touya—"

"—I know it's not all of it. I have admittedly spent a good portion of it...but...you were right. It's not worth losing you." Touya paused to hold his hand and looked down at him, sincerity written across his handsome features. "It's not worth losing us. We're better together. I promise that I'll try my best to get better...it's just...hard for me."

Izuku gave a fragile smile and squeezed Touya's hand back, wishing to believe him.

However that was one of the many mistakes.

Despite Touya declaring he was no longer selling drugs, Izuku noted his behavior didn't change much. Shady individuals still came in and out of the coffee shop, and they talked to both him and Shindo Yo.

Shindo wasn't shy about his involvement as a drug dealer. In fact, he seemed almost proud of it.

He was open and honest about it—unlike Touya.

Izuku found this out one day when Touya made another mistake and lied to him again about working that Thursday. Izuku had been at their apartment all evening, waiting for Touya to come back, loneliness stronger than usual.

He went to the coffee shop worried, expecting to see his loving boyfriend standing there in his blue apron. Instead he just saw Shindo, making some after hour trades with a gruff man who looked as if he wasn't just ordering a Chai Tea Latte.

Anger stewed inside of Izuku again when he realized he had possibly been lied to again.

"Where's Touya?" Izuku hissed the question to Shindo, leaning over the counter completely fed up.

"He's outback on break. But I wouldn't go back there," Shindo casually answered. "He's dealing with some special clients today and they wanted to check if the coke was properly fresh. So he's entertaining them."

Izuku reeled back. "He's doing what?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Shindo looked at him baffled and crossed his arms. "I thought you would be cool about it."

"Why would I be cool about my boyfriend selling drugs?" Izuku's frown deepened.

"Considering you two were the ones who robbed those stores last semester, I just figured drugs were a part of your routine or some shit."

The freckled male paused, face going pale at the statement. He looked around, panicked that someone might've overheard and leaned across the counter.

"H-How did you know that was us?"

"People in AFO gossip," Shindo shrugged, looking at him as if it wasn't a big deal. "Look, I'm not one to judge. If that's your M.O then, cool. I'm no angel either as you can see."

Izuku's heart pounded in his chest realizing that AFO was everywhere. They were stained all his life and it was beginning to overwhelm him.

The freckled male cursed under his breath and marched outside, making his second to final mistake.

Looking back on it, Izuku wouldn't be sure if he could call it a mistake. If he hadn't cracked open the back door and heard what he heard, then he wouldn't be sure what would've happened—but he was sure his parents would still be alive.

He pushed open the back door slightly but paused when the first thing he heard made his blood run cold.

"I can't wait to see what the Shigaraki are going to do with the improvements on that bomb," a deep voice laughed and he could hear Touya's laughter join in.

"You didn't hear?" Another voice chimed in. "They're going to use it on the police parade this weekend. Finally make a statement and turn everything upside down in Yaizu. Hopefully they'll kill that bastard Yagi Toshinori and have the police scrambling."

"Ah, that's a lot more drastic that I was anticipating," the first voice muttered. "Leave it up to the Shigarakis to make a blood bath out of a family event."

"They're just cops," Touya's voice muttered annoyed. "If the Shigarakis want to kill off a bunch of useless police officers, then that's what they're going to do. Who cares what happens to them?"

"Truer words have never been spoken," the first voice laughed and Touya chuckled deeply with them. "Well, we have to head out, Touya. We'll see you next week. Thanks for the stash, you're great. Tell those bastard Shigarakis I said hello."

"Will do," Touya's charming voice replied.

Izuku felt his heart freeze.

The Shigarakis were going to bomb the police parade.

Bomb it and kill hundreds of innocent people using the weapon he made.

Izuku felt sick. He had to something—

But his body froze when he heard Touya's tired footsteps headed towards the backdoor. Immediately Izuku's reflexes forced him to back away in fear thinking about what Touya said.

"They're just cops."

"Who cares what happens to them."

He hurried out of sight down the hall when the redhead walked back into the store. Izuku held his breath when Touya passed him, completely ignorant to his concealed figure.

Green eyes full of tears fearfully watched Touya put back on his blue apron and a friendly smile as he took his place back behind the counter as if nothing happened.

In that moment Izuku faced an ugly reality about his boyfriend. He had been trying to ignore it for nearly a year now because it was a dark truth he never wanted to face. But he had heard it—he heard it clear as day.

Touya didn't feel empathy for police officers.

The imagery of the wolf's blood stained fangs returned.

. . .

Izuku lifted a shaky hand as he knocked on his father's office door at the police station.

The sounds of computer keyboards and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as the friendly policemen chattered amongst themselves. Several of them gave him a pat on the back and asked him how he was doing, and explained they were excited to work the upcoming parade.

Izuku gave them weak smiles and then the door clicked open.

"Izuku?" Hisashi questioned. He tilted his head to the side, confused as to what he was seeing. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"I-I need to tell you something," Izuku whispered, hands clutched tightly by his sides. He looked around wearily at all the different officers talking and felt a prickle of paranoia. "C-Can we talk in your office? Alone?"

"Of course," Hisashi reassured. He gently swung his arm around his son's shoulders and brought him into his office. "You can tell me anything."

When the door clicked shut, Izuku made his final mistake.

. . .

That Friday was tense.

Izuku tried his best to keep a stoic face and not hint to Touya what he had done. He told his father in complete anonymity about overhearing the name 'Shigaraki' and plans to bomb the police parade. His father's face hardened with duty and they both left out of his office and immediately went to the captain of his precinct.

Izuku's heart churned with turmoil when Touya gave him a kiss that Friday night and they fell asleep beside each other one last time.

If Izuku knew that would be the last sweet kiss he'd ever receive from Touya, he would have spoken up sooner.

The anxious young adult wanted to wait until the bombing had been debunked to confront Touya, to try to pull him back. If what Touya had said was true—if he loved him as much as he said—then Izuku felt like he could get through to him. He could rip AFO's hooks out of Touya for good and finally get the vision of his future back.

However, when Saturday morning arrived, it all came crashing down on him in flames.

"We're here reporting to you live from the site of the police parade where several members from the elusive gang All For One have been apprehended by police officers led by sergeant Midoriya Hisashi and captain Yagi Toshinori," the lead news anchor called out from the TV in his living room.

Izuku sat alone in the apartment. He sighed nervously on the beige couch, twiddling the black remote in his hands. His knees were pulled up closely to his chest in one of Touya's red oversized sweaters as his eyes stayed glued to the television.

"More than twenty gang members were arrested in the foil of an attempted bombing. The deadly explosive that was planned to be used was also confiscated on site—"

The door slammed open with a loud thud.

"Izuku, are you fucking stupid!?" Touya's voice boomed as he entered the apartment like a firestorm.

Izuku turned his head at the abrupt sound but he wasn't given much time to think when a fist collided directly in his face.

A sickening crack echoed out as Izuku grunted in pain. His entire body was knocked off the couch by the full force of Touya's strength and he landed against the cold wood floor with a snap that hurt his neck. Izuku screwed his eyes shut as skull splitting pain immediately pulsed in his head.

But the pissed off redhead didn't give him time to recover.

Touya immediately crouched down on top of him, straddling him with his full weight. He forcefully turned Izuku over and gripped the hem of the red sweater with fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

When Izuku opened his eyes back up, he didn't see the Touya he knew.

He didn't see the beautiful boy with rose colored hair and eyes as deep as the ocean. Instead, he saw a furious man whose eyes were over clouded with rage.

"Why the fuck would you tip off the police about the parade, hah!?" Izuku screamed in pain as Touya shook him violently, slamming his head repeatedly against the wooden floor over and over. "Why would you do that!? The Shigarakis know it was you! They fucking know!" Touya's voice cracked and his hands began to shake.

Izuku sobbed when he began to feel nauseous. He tried to push the elder man off of him but in return just received a ruthless backhand for resisting.

"I said fucking tell me why you would do that, you goddamn weak minded idiot!"

Izuku sobbed on the ground, screwing his eyes shut. "I couldn't let them kill all those people, Touya, please. My tip, i-it was supposed to be anonymous—"

"—Nothing is ever fucking anonymous with them, Izuku!" Touya hissed, pulling him up by the collar of his shirt. "I told you I had a plan for the long term but you went and fucked it up! Why couldn't you just keep your goddamn mouth shut!? Why do you give so much of a shit about the police?!"

Izuku's vision swirled in and out of focus from pain and colorful dots entered his sight. Fear began to settle in his rib cage full blown and rattled loudly.

"T-Touya," he rasped out, weakly trying to get the other off of him. He felt his stomach turn upside down like he was going to puke. "Touya, get off—you're h-hurting me."

A tear slipped out of his eye and mixed with the blood already forming in his mouth when Touya's face grew dark. It was eclipsed by a dark shadow and something Izuku never saw reared its ugly head. The man he loved leaned down close to his face and sneered.

"Good," Touya whispered all too calm. "Maybe it needs to hurt for you to finally fucking listen me."

Izuku's eyes widened and he began to struggle.

But he didn't get a chance to scream when Touya's hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed until it burned like flames in his lungs.

. . .

Izuku focused on the ticking of the clock. It stretched by in a slow metronome, forcing him to count the passing of the seconds. Time felt like it grew each longer and longer as he endured Touya's rage unchained.

He stayed still on the floor, voice lost and heart broken in two.

The redhead picked himself up and peered down at the silently curled up freckled man. He heartlessly stepped his black boots over the puddle of blood that had gathered around Izuku's small frame.

The frightened young adult squeezed his eyes shut and flinched when Touya ran his fingers through his curls.

"I'm going to go try to fix this mess," Touya said tiredly. "I'm sorry for hurting you like this, you know I hate it...but hopefully you get the point now. Just do as I say."

Izuku didn't reply.

"Stay here until I get back and don't open the door for anyone."

Izuku didn't reply.

Touya stared worried at the silently crying bruised man on the floor. Regret briefly flashed in his eyes before he shook his head and pushed it down.

"I'll be back. Lock the door and don't go anywhere."

Izuku didn't reply.

The door locked shut and Izuku finally felt himself give in to his emotions.

He let out a dry sob when the room felt too small, choking him just like Touya had done. Using what little energy he had left, he turned over. He tried to get away from where all the thick crimson liquid coming out of his nose and mouth leaked and leaked on to the wooden floorboards.

Time stretched on painfully as he laid there alone holding his heaving chest. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to wake up from what he felt like was a nightmare—but it wasn't.

Touya had hurt him.

Touya had hurt him on purpose.

Izuku curled into his being on the cold ground, feeling truly alone for the first time in his life. He reached up to hold his face as the blood dripped out of his nose. His eye throbbed from where Touya had punched him and his throat burned from squeezing out dry screams from where Touya had choked him.

Izuku didn't know what hurt more—his body or the splintering feeling of his heart breaking in half.

Bruises on his skin were already beginning to show from the struggle. He could feel all his muscles ache from being held down, punched, shook, choked, and hit over and over again. His heart cracked in half at the realization that Touya had beat him, ignoring all his pleas with spiteful eyes burning with flames of rage.

The vision of the blue eyed wolf came back and Izuku choked back another sob.

Izuku shook his head, but he couldn't ignore the real fear he felt anymore.

Touya had beat him—and Touya wasn't actually sorry.

His wrath was getting worse, picking up speed like an unforgiving hurricane. Izuku fearfully stared at the white ceiling when he realized that he was terrified.

He was scared of Touya and what he would do when he came back. He had no idea how this would end and that thought alone made him petrified.

Suddenly he heard Kai's voice, fresh in his head.

"It ends with him killing you, Izuku. That's how these narratives always end."

Green eyes glanced at the red duffle bag across the room.

. . .

"Mom!" Izuku's voice cracked as he banged loudly on his parents door. "Mom, please open up!" His voice was weak and hoarse trying to fight against the strain he felt. His body teetered on the edge of a breakdown as he clutched the small duffle bag full of select belongings.

"I'm coming!" He heard the sweet voice of his mother come rushing to the front porch. She swung open the wooden door holding a pan full of fresh taiyaki and wearing an apron covered in flour. "Izuku, why are you h-here—oh my goodness!"

The plate went crashing to the floor and broke into tiny pieces.

"Izuku...oh no, my baby," she gasped, taking in her son's beaten appearance. "What happened to you? W-Who did this?" She stepped forward, eyes flickering all over as she looked him up and down.

Izuku opened his mouth to explain—to explain everything—but instead he broke down, body shaking with fear. He dropped his duffle bag down to the ground and embraced her dearly.

"I-I'm so sorry," he whispered, clutching onto her desperately. "M-Mom, I made a mistake—I made a really big mistake—"

She shushed him and slowly moved him inside, dragging his bag along too. "It's okay, sweetie, it's okay—"

"—It's not," his voice cracked and he clutched onto her more. "I-I need to tell you something."

And he told her everything.

The words poured out of his mouth unfiltered like an overflowing sink that was left running. Everything from letting Touya stay with him to the involvement with the gang, to the robberies and even the bomb slipped out of Izuku's mouth before he could stop it.

He cried into his mother's stunned figure on their couch as she silently took everything in. Her bright green eyes were wide and stunned from the story she just heard, but above all, she saw her only child on the edge of falling off his mental well being—and it hurt to see him in so much pain.

She hugged him tighter.

"I should've came to you sooner, I'm so sorry," Izuku rasped out.

"Sweetie, it's okay, you're here now," Inko comforted in a whisper. "We're going to tell your father and Toshinori as soon as possible. We'll have this all straightened out and make sure you're safe. You're going to stay with us from now on, okay? Whoever this Touya is isn't going to hurt you anymore."

Izuku sobbed uncontrollably into his mother's shoulder, squeezing her tightly.

The warmth of her embrace made him feel safe—an emotion he hadn't felt in nearly a full year. She pulled him back to stare sadly at the fresh bruises on his face, and carefully touched the purple black eye that was already swollen shut.

"Here, let's go cheer you up first," Inko suggested with a kind smile. She wiped her own tears from her face and put on a brave expression. "The art show is tomorrow and your father called earlier to say he went straight to Makinohara to help set up after the parade bust. How about we go help him and the other artists out? Does that sound good?"

Izuku nodded, unable to form anymore words due to his bruised throat. His cell phone rang in his pocket and when he pulled it out he saw Touya's name flash across the screen.

Visions of the redhead's face twisted in rage flashed before him and the pain that enveloped his body made him flinch at the sight of Touya's name.

He declined the call and the next four that came in.

. . .

Izuku felt oddly at peace as he looked at all the different artists setting up for the show.

Their art was so vibrant and full of life as they chatted idly about their various inspirations. He could feel several of the people stare at his bruises and the fresh black eye. But they were all too polite to say anything.

The green eyed college student peered over his shoulder to his parents talking discreetly in the corner. There was a serious expression across his mother's usually carefree face, and his father's arms were crossed trying to control what Izuku presumed to be anger.

Izuku carefully watched his father's expression flow through surprise and pain as his mother whispered to him. He could see them both glance over to him periodically but whenever they caught eye contact, both of them would just smile. Like always.

"Izuku," Inko called out across the room. "Why don't you go help Mr. Yamamoto upstairs? I'm sure he needs a helping hand to hang his installation."

Izuku nodded and gave a weak nod, welcoming the distraction. "Sure thing," he responded through his bruised throat.

"Love you sweetie!" Inko called out and soon Hisashi called out the same. Izuku smiled and returned the 'I love you' to his parents before shifting on his heel.

He walked upstairs, hands shoved in his pockets. He pulled out his phone to see the blank, black screen. Part of him wanted to turn back on his phone, but his fear wouldn't let him. Touya had kept calling, over and over and it spiked anxiety in him each time.

Izuku found Mr. Yamamoto and kindly offered to lend a helping hand with his art. The elder artist smiled and asked him how he was, and Izuku was thankful that Mr. Yamamoto was ignoring his injuries. He could tell the grey haired man was being sure not to stare at the bluish bruise in the shape of a hand around his throat.

An hour passed by with Izuku busing himself and all the different artists were moving around laughing and cheering about the show.

When they finished setting up, Izuku took a step back and admired all the paintings on the wall. Out of everything, one caught his attention the most. There was an oil painting of a lonely boy with blue eyes in the rain by himself and a visual of Touya appeared in his head.

His mind flashed back to that first day of Touya in line for food at the homeless shelter and he felt his heart clench. He could still clearly see the sadness and vulnerability in Touya's eyes that fateful morning as if it were yesterday.

Izuku put on a taut smile and dismissed himself before he could cry. He walked up the stairs to the roof of the building for fresh air, passing by a happy couple on the way up. When he got to the top, he could see the clear navy blue sky littered with stars and sighed.

The wind caressed his skin in the cool summer breeze and he breathed in deep, closing his eyes. There was a calmness in the air that blanketed him for the first time in a long time.

He was able to recenter himself long enough to build up the courage to pull out his phone. With shaky hands, Izuku hesitated before finally turning on the device.

But his heart sank when he saw more than eighty missed calls from Touya and several dozen text messages.

Suddenly a strong hand gripped his shoulder and forcefully turned him around. Izuku's heart startled to see Touya standing there, ghost white with a haunted look on his face.

"Izuku, I've been trying to reach you—"

But the beaten young adult didn't give him a chance to explain before violently flinching away from him.

"Don't touch me!" Izuku screamed, dropping his phone. A pained look flashed across Touya's face at the frightened look the younger male was giving him. "H-How did you know I was here—"

"—Please, Izuku. I-I'm so sorry and I'll explain later but we need to leave right now," Touya rushed out, blue eyes flickering with an emotion Izuku had never seen Touya express. "Please, you need to come with me."

Izuku shook his head and took several steps back away from the elder man. "N-No," Izuku hissed, trying to bottle in tears that were threatening to fall. His tear ducts stung from crying too much and his left eye was throbbing, swollen shut. "Look at me, Touya, I-I can't keep doing this with you. Look at my face! My neck! I'm not coming with you—"

"—Izuku, this is serious," Touya pushed. He clutched one hand above his heart and reached out his other hand. "Please , I'm so sorry for hitting you. I shouldn't have done that and I'll never fucking do it again after today. I was wrong, I was so fucking wrong and I just—I-I just lost my temper again. I promise I'll never do it again—but they're on their way right now!"

An ominous chill climbed into Izuku's spine. He didn't want to think it was who he thought—he thought he was safe, miles away from Yaizu.

"A-All For One?" He rasped wanting it not to be true but Touya made a pained face and nodded.

Acid reached the back of Izuku's throat and his body began to shake.

"That's why I've been trying to call you," Touya softly explained, looking even more desperate as the seconds passed. "I-I went to try to calm them down but they were too pissed off. I-I couldn't do anything. They know about your mother's art show from the papers—t-they're on their way here now, because they heard your father came here after the bust."

Touya's eyes flickered around and looked over his shoulder and Izuku saw something he's never seen in Touya before: he saw real fear.

"I tried to beat them here and I think I did—but we need to leave now before they come," Touya whispered, blue eyes turned to him full of tears.

In that moment Izuku felt conflicted.

The aches all over his body told him not to go, but the genuine expression of terror in Touya's eyes pushed him to take a chance—one more chance.

"Please, Izuku," Touya's voice cracked, and he reached his hand out again. "Trust me. P-Please come with me before it's too late."

Izuku took Touya's hand for the last time that night and clutched it tightly.

"O-Okay."

The elder man let out a shaky breath of relief as he held on dearly to the smaller hand within his and turned around. He led Izuku from off the roof, opening the old rusted black door. They worked quickly, heart rate elevated trying to push against the AFO clock that was ticking down to an unknown time.

"Are your parents in the building right now?" Touya asked as they entered onto the highest floor of the building. He looked around frankly for the stairs in all the wooden architecture, passing by the abstract pieces of art with Izuku's hand tightly in his.

"They're downstairs, I think," Izuku wearily answered, feet working quickly as they went down the stairs.

"Alright, let's go get them."

"Touya, w-where are we going to go?"

"I got it covered," Touya said quickly, looking over his shoulder to give a small unsure smile in hopes of calming the youngest. Izuku felt his chest tighten when he could see how much Touya cared about him painted so plainly across his handsome features. "I called my brother who's a cop and he said we could stay with him in Shizuoka City for a while—"

Deafening gunshots and screams cut Touya's sentence short as they halted on the staircase.

Izuku felt his heart plummet to the darkest depths of himself at the cries and screams of the people in the lower levels when more shots and screams echoed out.

"T-Touya, my parents—" Izuku started but the redhead quickly spun around and covered Izuku's mouth with his hand.

The elder man cursed under his breath at the sound of approaching footsteps as he looked around quickly for an exit. His eyes were wild until he saw a door in the staircase for the second floor and quickly backed into it, dragging a muffled Izuku along with him.

The lovers quickly hid around a dark corner and crouched low when two bodies unknowingly passed them. Izuku's breathing rapidly picked up when he could hear two familiar All For One members pass by them with loaded guns. He gripped onto Touya tighter.

"Where is that brat? Someone said he was here." Jin called out, glaring all around. "I don't see him anywhere."

Izuku recognized a woman named Magne groan as she spoke up next. "Do we really have to do this? I hate having to kill a bunch of people like this—"

"—Yes, we do! Shigaraki senior said to make sure no one in this building leaves alive. No exceptions unless he says so after." Jin commanded out angrily. "Well, don't just stand there. Search the entire floor!"

The two gang members picked up footing and ran off to check all the different rooms. Izuku choked into Touya's hand that was keeping him silent when more gunshots and screams could be heard.

Hot tears escaped from Izuku's eyes as he squeezed them shut trying to snap himself awake from this living nightmare. He could hear a woman begging and pleading and then another gunshot. Silence followed.

His breathing picked up and his body trembled when it settled in that this actually happening and he feared deeply for his parents.

Touya carefully peered around the corner and when he saw a clear shot for the staircase again he pulled Izuku up. "This way, Izuku," he whispered and gripped the other's hand desperately.

Izuku allowed himself to be led by Touya's hand as they worked frantically to try to escape. They checked every door only to hear rattle after rattle and large silver chains tightly wrapped around the handles. They tried all the windows they could reach only to see locks forcing them closed. Touya kicked and punched, trying to break the glass but found it to be made of unbreakable security glass.

With each chained exit Izuku felt himself stuck in a nightmarish maze that they couldn't escape.

He unwillingly envisioned a smirking Tomura staring down at his misery when Touya checked the last door and punched it, finally accepting they were trapped in the Shigarakis' clutches.

"They're all chained," Touya hissed, coming undone slowly. "Fuck—they chained us inside." He reached his free hand up to grip his hair tightly and tears escaped from his eyes.

Izuku's mind flooded with horrible thoughts when he realized they weren't getting out. His breathing turned rapid trying to look for an exit that wasn't there while Touya's brain rattled for a solution.

"I heard someone downstairs—this way!" Jin's voice called out, startling both Izuku and Touya. They turned towards the fast approaching footsteps coming their way that felt like the grim reaper coming closer and closer.

Touya looked around and saw no more exits but then he saw a small closet and looked down at Izuku with a heavy heart.

"Izuku, get in that closet," Touya harshly whispered and began pushing him as the footsteps grew closer.

Jade eyes widened and Izuku shook his head when Touya let go of his hand. Fear struck him quicker than lightning at the cold feeling of that settled into his palm. He reached back out for Touya's hand—he couldn't leave Touya—

"N-No, what about you—"

"—Don't worry about me," Touya rushed out. The footsteps grew closer and the redhead cursed under his breath. He looked down to the floor and Izuku could see something in Touya resign to their fate. Blue eyes looked back up to him full of care. "I-I...I need to make sure you're safe. Just stay low and stay quiet, okay?"

Izuku shook his head in objection but without warning, Touya opened the closet door and forcibly pushed him inside.

Izuku stumbled back, hitting the back of his head on the wall in the small space and immediately lunged forward to grab for his boyfriend's shirt, trying to drag him inside with him.

"Touya, no!" Izuku cried out.

The redhead pried Izuku's hands off him and the feeling of losing Touya for good haunted Izuku's being. He could feel everyone slipping through his fingers like sand in an hourglass when more gunshots rang out and he was terrified deeply for his parents that were somewhere in the building.

Tears rained down uncontrollably from his face when he heard Jin and Magne's footsteps get nearer. He gripped Touya harder, trying to save the last person he could with the remaining strength he had.

"D-Don't leave me, Touya—"

"—I love you."

Izuku cried harder when he could feel the heavy meaning behind Touya's words. A gentle hand lifted to card through his hair and ran a thumb over the small gold hoop earring.

Ocean blue eyes gazed sadly onto his freckled face and studied it as if it was the last time before giving a saddened smile. "I'll be right back—it's okay. I promise I'll deal with them and then I'll come back for you. Just stay quiet."

Then with one final push, Touya shoved Izuku inside the closet with all his strength. He safely closed the door before Izuku could protest, locking it from the outside.

"N-No—don't leave—" Izuku's voice cracked and he rattled the doorknob trying to escape, but it didn't budge. His eyes went wide, full of tears when he could hear the footsteps finally approach the door and Jin and Magne's voices echoed out.

"Where is he, Touya?" Jin hissed. "Don't make us do this."

"He's not here," Touya sneered in a stern voice. "You're going to kill a building full of people for nothing."

Izuku covered his mouth to prevent himself from screaming out as he sunk to his knees. He couldn't hold his body up from the heavy mistakes and fear that weighed down on him. Touya was protecting him—

"If that's true then why are you here?"

"I'm here helping his parents set up—fuck!"

A close range gunshot rang out and the sound of Touya's scream pierced through Izuku's ears.

"We're so fucking sick of your goddamn lying, Touya!"

Izuku gripped his mouth tighter when a whimper almost escaped as he froze with dread. He cried harder as he curled in harder onto the ground trying to wake himself up—this couldn't be real. It couldn't be

There was a sudden quickened pace of footsteps and both Jin and Magne called out Touya's name when more gunshots rang out.

"Fuck, he's running!" Magne called out.

Their voices faded out into the distance away from the closet door as Touya led them away. Izuku curled onto the ground praying that Touya was right this time. He prayed that someone would come back from for but his wish didn't come true.

Izuku couldn't tell how much time passed, but however long it was, it was too long.

Silence crawled into his ears and it felt all too calm. He hiccuped and choked back uncontrollable sobs when he realized the gravity of his mistakes. The screams and gunshots replayed over and over in his mind as he reached up and realized he was still trapped in this all too small room.

Then the first explosion went off.

The floorboard beneath him rattled and shook as the building quaked. Izuku's heart stopped beating and he forgot how to breathe when he realized exactly what that was.

He rattled the door knob more, growing more and more desperate as the unmistakable scent of gasoline and smoke filled the air, burning his nostrils. A thick grey cloud seeped under the crack of the door and Izuku began to scream out for his parents and Touya helplessly.

He banged on the door and called out their names over and over again until panic swelled in his blood. The smog got thicker, making the edges of his vision hazy. The small closet walls felt like they were closing in on him until he reached down and ripped off a piece of his shirt to hold over his mouth.

Izuku furrowed his brow as he stood up on wobbly legs. He mustered up the last of his courage to search for his parents and Touya to try to get out.

He lifted his leg to kick the door, shaking it fiercely. He wearily eyed how quickly the small closet was filling with black smoke and then the second explosion went off—more powerful than anything he ever felt.

Izuku screamed as he was thrown back to the ground by the powerful blast and he heard crumbling all around him. He could feel a tilt in the balance of the building and the smell of smoke grew dangerously strong. His body skyrocketed into overdrive as he stood back up to kick the door over and over again until it finally gave under his weight and he fell into the open space.

But Izuku wasn't expecting the hell he was faced with.

Heat immediately scratched at his face as bright flames grew all around him like he had been transported into a circle of hell of his own creation.

His deepest fears became a reality when he frantically stood up to see all the wooden walls of the building were completely engulfed in an overpowering fire. It clawed and clipped away at all the art on the walls and the screams and rattles of people still alive could be heard all over in the inferno.

Izuku frankly called out for his parents and Touya as he maneuvered through all the burning areas of fire that nicked and burned him along the way, causing him to scream out but he didn't stop—he couldn't stop until he found everyone.

And when he did find someone—his heart shattered.

Izuku turned to the corner and froze when he saw Touya laying across the room in a pool of his own blood, unconscious. A wall of fire separated them and he screamed out the elder man's name as he tried to run towards the dying figure.

But he was stopped when a large snap and crack echoed above him.

Izuku looked up too late when a burning beam fell down between him and Touya. The fire hit his skin and seared into his flesh causing him to cry out when his left arm was pinned underneath the heavy weight. His heels dug into the floor trying to pull himself away but he couldn't.

His body overheated and the smog filled his lungs as he cried out for Touya who was lost to the hungry flames.

Izuku screamed until he lost his voice. He cried his eyes out trying to get away from the fire eating away at his body until he lost all consciousness.

. . .

When Izuku opened his eyes again, he was being rushed onto a stretcher.

He weakly glanced up to the smoke filled sky and he could see the bloodlust flames reaching towards the stars and consuming the entire building.

His eyes frantically searched around.

He searched for his parents. He searched for Touya.

But found nothing but flames.

He weakly called out their names and the memory of the fire engulfing Touya slammed back into his brain.

He looked around and saw chaos. Countless firemen, policemen and pedestrians were gathered around, staring on in horror at the crumbling building.

The paramedics rushed towards him and everything quickly blurred together.

Darkness gripped his consciousness, dragging him deeper and deeper and Izuku struggled to stay afloat. Every time he blinked, a vision of his parents smiling at him entered his head and he weakly reached out towards the burning building calling for them over and over.

He floated in and out of consciousness, body burnt and in pain as his left side hurt more than anything he'd ever felt. He could faintly hear the panic in everyone's voice when he closed his eyes again and they tried desperately to keep him awake but his mind was too focused on where his parents were—where Touya was.

"We got a survivor! He's awake! Quickly, get him to a hospital!"

"Hurry! He's losing consciousness!"

He closed his eyes again and when he opened them again, he was in the back of an ambulance being fed oxygen. Paramedics dressed in all white rushed to treat his burns and Izuku realized he couldn't feel anything on his left side any more.

"I think he's got nerve damage—we need to get him to the emergency room as soon as possible!" He heard a worried woman say but his mind kept flashing images of his parents and the screams of the people inside the burning building.

"What happened?" Another male paramedic asked, working to wrap him up.

"A massacre. I over heard the police talking. They think it was connected with those fires that were started by All For One because of the type of explosions."

"Shit," The male paramedic cursed, and Izuku could feel the fear in his voice but he couldn't focus.

Where were his parents? Tearful green eyes searched around for someone he knew but he was alone.

He lifted his head weakly and got a full visual of the grotesque, reddened and burned flesh on his left arm. It looked as if his skin had been boiled alive with blisters and blood all over.

The sight made Izuku faint. His head dropped back down and he closed his eyes for a final time, but this time he wouldn't wake up for a week.

But before resigning himself to the darkness that was beckoning to him, he heard the last thing the paramedics said. Deep down, he wished he never heard it because it haunted him in his dreams for the next seven days.

"Was it that explosive? The one they found this morning in the parade bust?"

"Yeah, the local authorities finally have a name for it."

"What are they calling it?"

"The incinerator."


I hope I didn't make anyone too sad! Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a comment below, I would love to know what everyone is thinking and how you guys feel about the reveal of Izuku's past with Touya fully. Next chapter is how Izuku dealt with the loss and recapping from his POV up to present so you can fully see his side of things :)

Thanks so much again!

Preview for next chapter:

Izuku stared blankly at the empty house and the roses that were wilting. He knew they needed water to grow and get stronger, but he couldn't bring himself to find the strength water them himself.

So instead he let them wilt, just like himself.

When the time came, he stared sadly at them as the different movers came in and took all his childhood memories and resisted shouting out for them stop. He watched as they shifted through what felt like ashes of his once happy life, asking him if different things were okay to take away.

All Izuku could do was nod. He couldn't afford to keep it all.

He held his mother's sketchbooks and father's police notebooks closer to him.