phoenix: "oh shit" indeed.
Dacarl: Things don't look good for them lol. I'm cruel.
kailaxavier33: I feel it about being addicted to anguish. And there is plenty in this chapter, so enjoy!
Warning in this chapter for possibly disturbing imagery. Bad shit happens in this one, beware! Enjoy~
Everyone! We're being attacked by villains! Don't fight and go back to camp as soon as possible!" the voice echoing through their heads said. "Up, on my back, Ace," Luffy said. Ace climbed on and Luffy jumped up into the air above the forest, out of the haze, and they saw the fire in the woods. "What do we do? Can we put out the fire or go back to base?" Luffy asked.
His hands were hurting while carrying Ace on his back, but there was nothing else they could do. "We can put the fire out from above and then run back to camp," Ace replied. Luffy nodded and ran forward on his air steps until they were behind the fire where the smoke would be sent to. Ace held onto Luffy with one arm while the other worked to suck the flames up. It would be very obvious.
But then Mandaly's voice came back. "Class A and class B! The pro-hero Eraser Head says you are granted permission to engage in combat!"
Luffy and Ace nodded, and ran to the fire for Ace to put out. "I don't know how good I'm going to be at punching, but I'll do my best," Luffy said. Ace started to suck up the flames when another message came through.
"We have discovered two of the villains' targets. Two of the students, Kacchan and Luffy. Kacchan and Luffy should avoid acting independently. Understand, Kacchan and Luffy?!" Both of them froze.
"Wh-What do they want with me?" Luffy asked quietly. Ace said it didn't matter and to get as high as possible. They'd wait it out until the pros got there nobody could get them up that high. So Luffy climbed higher than he ever had, up higher and higher until they couldn't make out anyone on the ground below them.
Luffy was exhausted from the training and making so many stairs seemed to tire him out. He just had to last this long, he had to wait a bit longer. He sat down on it, Ace still on his back. "Don't be scared, I'm with you," Ace assured him, confident they were out of range. "It would be best to hide in the smoke but neither of us can stay in there long without dooming ourselves.
Luffy nodded. "But why do they want me? Why do they want Bakugo? We have nothing in common," he said quietly. Ace said they'd know later, once all of the villains were caught. They saw fighting in multiple places, but the gas had disappeared. "Are we bad people, for not helping anyone?"
Ace replied, "I don't think so. We're not drawing attention to them if we're hiding up here. We'd just get in the way. I think we should head over to camp. There are more people there." Luffy nodded and got to running to the camp area, until they were directly over it but still high up. "Looks like everyone is gathering. Hopefully Aizawa will be here soon." Luffy nodded.
Then they both sensed a presence behind them that was familiar, and Ace was shoved off of Luffy. "Ace!" Luffy screamed as he was grabbed around the neck from a hand coming out of the purple portal.
"LUFFY!" Ace screamed, propelling himself upwards. Luffy made air stairs with his feet and locked his shoes in place, but his feet slipped out, and his shoes fell below. Ace was so close to grabbing his foot before his brother screamed his name again and disappeared into the purple mist, Ace falling back down and landing as fire. Luffy was gone. And he immediately fell apart.
-x-
Ace was looking up at the sky where Luffy had been, calling for his help. He started screaming and erupted into high bursts of white flame, screaming and banging his fist on the ground, tears coming from his eyes. He sobbed out Luffy's names and heart breaking apologies.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Luffy!" he screamed between sobs. He was shaking all over, his tears evaporating once they left his eyes. He continued to scream and sob, his body shaking violently. Then he threw up, a complete and utter mess of himself.
People were shouting his name, running towards him. He was still on fire. People were gathering more and suddenly his flames were gone, and he was just sobbing uncontrollably, still apologizing. Aizawa had erased his quirk.
He ran to him and put his hand on Ace's back. "It's my fault. All my fault! He didn't even want to do it and I m-made him! I did this! I'm so-sorry!" he sobbed. He started to hyperventilate.
"Ace, Ace calm down. I need you to tell me what happened so we can get to Luffy sooner," Aizawa said, for once sounding calm and understanding. Everyone who wasn't hurt were watching with sad eyes, some of the class crying at seeing Ace like this and knowing Luffy was gone.
"I can't do it by myself! I can't do it without Luffy! He's mine, my brother and now I'm here and he's all alone!" Ace sobbed, not hearing Aizawa's words. He put his hand on Ace's back, trying to calm him once again, but he didn't and Aizawa had to blink. So he knocked Ace out with a chop to the neck.
The teen was so distraught that he hadn't been made of fire. He was unconscious when Luffy was who knows where, alone and scared. Ace failed him. It was his fault.
-x-
Luffy was thrown out of the portal and onto a wood floor, his hands catching him and making him hiss at the pain he already had in them. He looked up to see Bakugo, looking just as shocked. For once, he wasn't glaring at him. He looked concerned, and Luffy was grabbed around the neck and shoved into the wall face first before his hands were cuffed and he was thrown into a chair.
Bakugo got the same treatment, and before he could do anything with his quirk, his hands were contained in metal that would hurt himself if he attempted to blow it up. "What do you want?" Luffy asked before Bakugo could, face blank and showing no fear.
He was punched in the cheek. "Gag him, I don't even want to hear his voice. That cheery, disgusting voice and smile," he heard Shigaraki Tomura say, his hand mask on his face. Luffy didn't fight back as he was gagged, knowing it was pointless to do so.
Whatever they wanted from him wasn't good. Nobody was paying attention to Bakugo besides the big guy with fat lips who put a muzzle on him, too. Luffy kept the fear off of his face. He would not give into them.
He expected to be tortured, and he wouldn't show an ounce of fear or pain. He wouldn't disgrace who he'd made himself into. If he were to die, he'd die happy. But he didn't smile yet. He didn't know what they wanted with him and that was important information.
"When I saw you at the stupid sports festival, I thought you were a digsutingly cheery brat. Then, when I saw your bombs, I recognized you. You were the one to kill my nomu. The one to ruin my plans and humiliate me. It wasn't All Might who did it. It was you. A weak and bratty child who can't do anything on your own."
Luffy kept a straight face. "So I wanted to ruin your plans. The plans you've had for your life. You can't be a hero if you're broken, now can you? So scared you could never look a villain in the face again," Shigaraki said with a smile in his voice. "Now, let's have some fun. Bakugo can wait for later."
Luffy showed no fear and took the first punch without a flinch.
-x-
Ace was sitting in a bed with his knees up and head down, silent sobs shaking him. He was at the hospital a lot of the students were at. So many were injured, but nobody was killed. Luffy and Bakugo were both taken and nobody knew where. It had been at least 12 hours since the kidnapping.
He blamed himself, but he also blamed everyone at the camp, at U.A.. They were there to protect the students and look at this mess. So many children were injured, traumatized or kidnapped. It was an utter failure on their part, and Ace was angry. Mostly at himself. His last words had been a promise to Luffy that he'd never be alone.
It was like the universe laughed at him and made him break those promises seconds after they were told. Luffy had had such fear in his eyes those last moments. He was gone. The heroes didn't know where either of them were, and were doing their best to find them.
Gunhead was in the room with him, no longer caring about being seen with them. They were already known by the villains. And Ace needed him. "Ace, it's not your fault."
"Yes it is. He was tired. He didn't want to do the stupid thing. I made him do it, and now he's gone," Ace said in a blank voice despite the cries he was still making. His power was under control now. He had asked that nobody visit him. He'd already shown a side of him he didn't want anyone to see, he didn't want to see their expressions of his meltdown. But he couldn't do anything else.
His other half was ripped away suddenly, and he was bleeding from that wound heavily. He wasn't complete with his brother, the only one who understood the pain he still carried from their childhood. Without him, Ace didn't know what would happen. Nothing good.
"We're doing everything we can to find him. I'll be there when he's found and I will save him and bring him back to you," Gunhead promised. Ace curled up tighter. He asked Gunhead to not make promises he can't keep. The pro-hero put his hand on Ace's head gently. "I won't fail either of you."
He said it with conviction, but Ace would not get his hopes up. He did believe Luffy would be saved, but he thought things would not be good when he was found. Why did they want him? Why Luffy? He bit his lip hard enough for it to bleed. He wanted to be alone, but he also worried about what would happen if he was. His powers might consume him again. Or he'd have a panic attack all by himself.
Ace couldn't be left alone, but he didn't want to be with anybody. It was a long night, and after eating an apple, he fell asleep, wishing to wake up and have this all be a nightmare. It had to be, they'd been through enough in life. This wasn't right, it wasn't fair. He was lost.
And when he woke up, Luffy was not with him, not laying under his blanket next to Ace's. They each had their own blanket and then a comforter that covered both of them. He didn't want to go home. So, he asked Gunhead to let him stay at a hotel. He agreed.
The next day, after he woke up to the nightmare that was real life, some of his friends came to see him. Ace looked away from them, ashamed. "Nobody looks down on you, Ace. We all know how important you are to each other," Uraraka said, getting straight to the point. He didn't say anything for a moment.
"Okay," he replied, not knowing what to say. Iida said that they pro-heroes and police were looking for them at that very moment. Ace responded with the same answer, and then asked how Midoriya was doing. "He needed surgery, his arm was badly broken." Ace nodded.
Ace asked them to leave, and laid back down. They said they'd check on him later, and left some flowers in the glass pitcher for him. It didn't make him feel any better. He was still guilty of failing Luffy. Gunhead had been going to get lunch when his friends came in.
He entered not long after they left and gave Ace some food. "You need to eat, Ace." He looked at the sandwich and then ate it, feeling like he'd be sick from it. But he ate. He couldn't starve while waiting for Luffy to be saved. He wasn't stupid, he wasn't going to go off on his own and try to find him.
The pro-heroes had to take care of this. He trusted them, just wished they'd go faster. The longer they waited, the more likely bad things would happen to both students. They were polar opposites, so they weren't taken for the same reason. Ace just couldn't figure out what they wanted with Luffy.
-x-
Luffy spit out the second molar that had been broken from his injured jaw. It had only been three hours and he was covered in blood and bruises. He was exhausted, but refused to sleep for however long he was there. He was trying so hard to put air shields around himself. He was spitting out the blood, and had not said a thing or showed an ounce of pain.
It angered the enemies, and they continued to try and break him, not kill him. Luffy would not break, imagining the broken look on Ace's face when he saw him again, if Luffy was not his cheery self. He'd been through emotional torture for years. Physical torture would not break him. He wouldn't let it.
Bakugo hadn't been told or said a thing. He just watched Luffy be beaten with a straight face, though it wasn't one of satisfaction. Even if he hated Luffy, he didn't like seeing this happen to him. Luffy was glad he wasn't so heartless.
An hour passed and finally he got a bad wound but one that wouldn't kill him for a while at least. A couple days maybe, or a couple hours if it got infected. A small stab wound that hurt, but he made no show.
Four hours passed, and he was given a break when the villains ate and fed Bakugo, ignoring Luffy. They shoved food into Bakugo's mouth, along with water before gagging him again. So, Bakugo definitely wasn't there for the same reason. Lufy was there because Shigaraki was immature and wanted revenge like this.
He kept himself awake every moment of the next day. The villains put him in a dark room, ignoring him. He felt forgotten, but even in the dark, he didn't sleep. His eyes stayed open, and he was stoic. All he thought about was being with Ace again. Happy and safe. Around their friends. Playing video games, watching movies. Living with Gunhead, like a little family.
Hopefully he'd be found soon. Hopefully he didn't need to do this for long. By the next day he assumed, he was still awake. Starving and thirsty, his hands burning from the pain they were already in and when they were broken. All of them were broken from the villains. He didn't know what they would do with him next, but he would not be broken and he would not die. He refused to.
He was taken back into the room and saw Bakugo had either fallen asleep or was knocked out. "Looks like you didn't sleep," Shigaraki said, seeing the bags under Luffy's eyes. Luffy stayed stoic. "It looks like you don't react to pain. How about this?" and he opened his hand, moving it towards Luffy's arm.
Oh god, he was going to lose that arm. Aizawa's arm had been dissolved by this. His eyes widened in horror as the hand got closer, slowly to make him feel more fear for longer. He watched, not daring to close his eyes before a gray and shiny substance appeared on his arm, blocking the power from working.
There were only three villains in the room. Shigaraki, the warp guy - Kurogiri, and Dabi, the fire starter. They all froze. He was hit in the face, but instead of the substance guarding him fading, it moved to cover his whole body, all covered in what looked like steel. "What the hell is this?" Shigaraki demanded as he grabbed Luffy's arm but it stayed in that metal-like state. Luffy didn't know, so he said nothing. He had to hold this state for however long he was here.
Ace, don't worry about me. I'll be okay.
The second day passed and Luffy kept the mystery substance there, even though every hour he felt it slipping as he grew weak from hunger, dehydration and sleep deprivation. Bakugo stayed there, seeing Luffy covered in blood and the blackness. Shigrarkai was personally offended that his power didn't work on Luffy. He grabbed his hair and yanked it around, but it did nothing as each strand was the ultra thin substance of the rest of him.
Eventually, they turned to Bakugo and spoke to him, finally revealing what he was there for. They tried to sway him into joining them based on how grumpy he was at the sports festival. Luffy was expecting him to turn it down, even though he often acted like a villain. He was determined, even if he went about it the wrong way. He turned them down with attitude as an exhausted Luffy watched.
They didn't let him go when he denied them rudely, antagonizing them. They gagged him again, and were both left alone for a few minutes, not knowing what was going on outside of this room.
The next two hours were spent with the guy with fat lips attempting to break through Luffy's mystery defense by hitting him in the face and head with his big weapon. It jerked him to the side, but broke nothing. Hours he kept this up, exhausting his body and mind.
The world got blurry multiple times, but then he made himself think of how broken Ace would be without him. Bakugo slept while Luffy stayed awake the entire time. As he focused on staying awake and safe, his haki dimmed until he couldn't feel anything more than ten feet out. Couldn't feel people in this room even though they were right there.
Luffy's wound was getting infected and burned badly, but he made no show of the pain. He still hadn't made a word or expression, often making direct eye contact with his captors and torturers, not that they gave him any terrible wounds. Just blunt wounds, cuts, broken bones and an infection. Okay, a lot of things, but none fatal. As long as he stayed awake and alert, he'd survive.
On the third day, he was in the room in the dark, still awake and feeling insane, hallucinating from the lack of sleep and depleted energy. Finally, the blackness faded, and he took a few deep breaths but stayed awake, the moment he felt someone outside of the door he scrunched his eyes and covered himself in that mystery substance before anyone knew he had released it in the first place.
When he was brought back out, there were some things that the villains apparently wanted to try. Dabi, the burnt one who controlled fire, tried to burn Luffy alive. He scrunched his eyes closed, expecting to burn to death, not be covered in comfy flames like Ace's. But there was no pain. He heard the villains express confusion and shock, but Luffy was too busy hallucinating fireworks in the air.
He was still gagged. And the black skin continued to be there, strong and not going anywhere anytime soon, as long as he stayed awake. A drill was brought out and attempted to drill into his cheek. It didn't work. Luffy was so out of it.
He was hit in the face, but it didn't hurt and he barely noticed it. "He's hallucinating, he's been awake over four days," Kurogiri said as Luffy looked distantly at the air, eyes following things only he could see. Bakugo was watching him in shock.
Luffy was starved and dehydrated, suffering from sleep deprivation, yet he still made no move of pain and kept himself as safe as he could. This showed strength more than any sports event or fight against villains.
The prisoner was unresponsive to anything happening around him, more interested in the zoo animals that had suddenly appeared to give him comfort in this terrible time. Then he saw Ace there, riding a giraffe that somehow fit into the bar room. He was laughing, bragging about having fun.
Tears formed in his eyes and he smiled a small smile. He felt happy seeing Ace, even if he wasn't really there. Don't worry, I'll be back, Ace. He hoped his brother hadn't lost hope. Ace would see him again because Luffy wouldn't let himself die or be killed.
"Having a happy hallucination? About your precious brother? Who knows what happened to him after you left? Who said all the villains had retreated once you disappeared? He was useless, leaving you to be lost. When you die, he'll perish, too."
Suddenly, the room was filled with an angry and dangerous feeling. Luffy was very angry, and everyone could feel it. He was exhausted and injured, hungry and thirsty, but he had enough energy to be angry at someone trash talking his beloved brother and him killing himself because Luffy knew that was a possibility.
Bakugo looked surprised, but soon the anger fizzled away, and Luffy was back to hallucinating about Ace, still nice things. He was flip flopping from reality to fantasy over and over, ignoring his surroundings, tuning out the speaking of the villains. He ignored everything they did and said.
His metal stayed, but it was starting to burn a bit, but he swore he would not succumb or he would die. And he would not show any weakness. He may just be barely a 15 year old, but he wasn't weak. He'd never been allowed to be weak with the life he and Ace had led until they were twelve. He had to be tough, he knew Ace was being. Broken, but tough at the same time.
When the fourth day came, he was no longer seeing anything happening around him. The entire room was one big hallucination that continued to warp and change. He didn't really notice it was a hallucination. But he was also starting to really succumb to dehydration. He was starving, but he had been used to starving. He adapted back to that easily.
So, when people broke into the room shouting, what he saw were walking cats running around, pouncing on things when one came to him and he finally saw what was happening. "Dad…" Luffy mumbled, the metal gone.
"I got you, Luffy," Gunhead said.
"So t'rd…" Luffy slurred.
"You can sleep now," Gunhead said, getting out of the room of pro-heroes, villains and Bakugo. Gunhead brought Luffy to an ambulance with Ace waiting inside, bent over in fear. Gunhead got Luffy inside, and Ace started crying, but was moved out of the way for Luffy to be hooked up to machines and water, as he was severely and dangerously dehydrated.
"I told you I'd save him, Ace," Gunhead said softly. Ace leaned into his chest and sobbed. Luffy was home. That was all that mattered now.
-x-
"I'm not going with you," Ace said flatly when some of the class announced they were going to save Bakugo and Luffy. Those who asked were surprised with Ace's answer, considering they were going to go save Luffy. It had been four days, four long and torturous days for everyone, especially Ace and Midoriya. "I trust the heroes to save him. I don't trust us to save two prisoners on our own when we couldn't do shit against them when we weren't in a confined space."
The rest of the class agreed, and were trying to get the five of them to not leave. To not go and perhaps jeopardize the pro's work. And Ace trusted All Might and Gunhead. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to try and save Bakugo when Luffy is in danger. I wouldn't help you save him, I'd take Luffy and run."
The others nodded, not seeming to blame him or think this was wrong. He'd been an absolute mess for the last four days. Barely sleeping, having constant panic attacks, unable to eat and with no desire to leave his bed. He stayed in the hotel unless the class asked to talk to him. The hotel was near the hospital.
Those who wanted to leave seemed upset Ace didn't want to go with them. He was usually strong after all, but not when Luffy was gone. He had no desire to do anything, especially not fight against villains. Not when he was already broken inside. He didn't need to be beaten up when he was weak.
They tried to stop the kids, but they refused. They could do nothing to stop them, even if most disapproved. But they left. Ace started to walk back to the hotel, but got a call from Gunhead to go to the ambulance outside. He looked behind him and saw one waiting. "We've found the villain's hub. We're going to get Luffy and Bakugo," he said. Ace spirinted to the ambulance and waited in the back, hands clasped tightly, breathing quickly, afraid of what they'd find.
It didn't take long to stop a few streets over from where the pub was and they were waiting with the back doors open. After around ten minutes, he felt two presences run there, and Gunhead was holding an unconscious and bloody Luffy, who was laid on the gurney and hooked up to water immediately.
Ace sobbed into Gunhead's chest as the ambulance hurried to the hospital, sirens blaring. When they got to the hospital, Luffy on the gurney was taken out and wheeled inside immediately. Ace wasn't allowed to go in as they worked on his wounds, which Gunhead was told were bad.
It was over an hour before they were let in. Luffy was asleep in his own small room, one that Ace had been near in his own shared room when no one else was in there with him. He sat next to the bed, seeing all of the stitches and bandages all over him. And the casts on all of his fingers and the bridge of his nose. His bare feet also had some broken toes and he was missing two molars.
He'd definitely been tortured. The doctor said, "I am sure that he stayed awake the whole time based on the extent of his body's exhaustion." Ace was horrified, that he'd stayed awake the whole time he was gone, all four days. He hadn't slept a wink during torture. He was afraid of what he'd be like when he woke up.
Ace knew Luffy was strong, but being tortured can really break a person.
He slept for two and half days straight and needed water and nutrients while he was unconscious. The class visited, and saw what happened to him in horror. He was so hurt, broken physically.
Ace was the only one in there when he woke up. He made a mumble sound, and saw Ace. "Ace," he said quietly. Ace's head snapped up, and tears fell from his eyes. He put his head against Luffy's chest and cried. "You're real, right?"
"I'm very real," Ace said, trying not to sob. Luffy grinned a tired smile.
"I didn't break," he said, his voice showing he was still very tired. "C-could'n break an' hurt you." Ace touched his face.
"I'm proud of you. I was so scared, I've never been more scared in my life," Ace sobbed. Luffy smiled, and said he missed him. He said he was so tired and hadn't slept the whole time. Ace nodded, knowing the whole story. Bakugo had told all of them in shock and resignation. That Luffy hadn't flinched or shown one ounce of pain as he was beaten. That he somehow formed the armor around his body, stopping the quirks being used against him. That he only showed emotion when Ace was trash talked.
How he hallucinated at the end. Bakugo had had to watch the whole thing, and he admitted that it was hard to watch. A rare moment of not dislike towards the younger twin. "How's Bakugo?" Luffy wondered. Ace said he was fine and was retrieved, but All Might had finally lost his strength. Luffy was sad, but knew that was coming soon.
"Do you know what happened with the black armor that Bakugo said covered you?" Luffy looked at his hand and remembered the feeling he'd gotten, and his hands were coated in black, even though it wasn't still like metal. More like a hard, solid glove. Ace touched it and said it was strange.
Then his hand reacted to it, even when he hadn't touched it, when he'd taken his hand from it. "Maybe this is more haki," Ace said. Luffy said he didn't know, but it had saved him from being burnt or crumbled. And also he wasn't hurt anymore after covering himself. They couldn't wound him anymore.
Luffy fell back asleep after about fifteen minutes of being awake. The whole class was in trouble from Aizawa for not telling anyone that the five had left and gone off on their own to do a dangerous stunt. Ace had been the only one formally invited that turned them down. Tsu was very upset about it. The older twin had tried to comfort her, but his tone was dry.
He had apologized for his classmates for being harsh and unfriendly. Uraraka had hugged him, saying it was understandable. He had started crying again right there into her shoulder. Many of the students put hands on his back to try and calm him. He hadn't erupted again like at camp with his fire.
After that, he went back to the hotel to wait before he was called by Gunhead. He was glad he was there when Luffy was picked up. After Luffy had fallen asleep again, Ace went outside the door to see some of the class there, and told them he'd woken up and what had happened from his point of view.
Ace didn't share that he was able to use the black armor now as well. Those who were there were so glad and relieved. The next time he woke three hours later, some of them came inside and said they were glad he was back. He was still a mass of bandages and bruises, but he was smiling at them.
"I'm sorry I worried you," he said, his voice scratchy until Ace gave him some water. Recovery Girl had done her best on his bigger wounds, but there were so many that it would take longer for it to heal him everywhere. He would heal faster, but not fast enough in Ace's opinion.
They smiled at him and said they weren't mad and just so happy he and Bakugo were okay. "Where is he?"
"He went home. He didn't have any injuries," Tsu explained. "Now everyone is back," she added with a smile. The others nodded, all happy. Luffy asked for more water and then fell back asleep. The teachers went to visit him, but he was asleep. They felt and were responsible for what had happened to their student.
They failed to protect them and it resulted in Luffy being tortured. Nobody was happy when it leaked in the media and the story of two students being kidnapped was made to light, though nobody had reported who had been tortured, which Luffy and Ace were glad of.
On the day before Luffy was discharged over a week later, Gunhead was with them in the hospital, and said, "How would you two like to finally be formally adopted?" They were both shocked before Ace hesitantly asked if he was sure, tears of happiness already going down his cheeks.
"I am sure," he said firmly. Luffy and Ace nodded, and started crying, their soon to be father hugging both of them. It was a wonderful gift for Luffy's discharge.