Hello, there. This is my first MHA fic. It deals with a topic that I've wanted to explore for a while, but couldn't find the right words. It finally came to me today so I decided to write it down. I was a little hesitant to post it because Bakugou is such a popular character with a large fanbase, but I decided not to shy away from my own opinion. I'm asking die hard Bakugou fans not to read this because it doesn't coddle him like the series does. I've not fully read the manga yet, but from what I have seen, I'm not impressed.
Anyway, I hope you like it.
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"Stay back, Deku."
But Izuku Midoriya would not allow this. Both his arms were shattered, his body had reached its limits, and he was exhausted beyond belief. But the sight of his oldest classmate being dragged into the dark, swirling vortex was enough to drive him forward. The green electricity of his quirk activated and he felt the strength swell in the flesh of his burning legs.
Izuku lunged after his vanishing peer, allowing the vortex to swallow him whole.
"MIDORIYA!" Someone called for him. It sounded like Todoroki, but he couldn't be sure. All he was currently aware of was his face planting into the wooden floor that was now beneath him.
"Well, well, well," someone rasped.
Izuku was grabbed by the collar of his shirt, yanked up against the wall. His heart pounded against his chest as the hand holding him dug its fingers into his shirt. His face may have been covered by a hand, but Izuku would recognize that voice anywhere. He would never forget staring into those beady red eyes, preparing himself to die with just one wrong word.
Tomura Shigaraki.
Shigaraki chuckled cruelly. "Looks like we have a stowaway," he remarked. "Come to save your friend like a good little hero?" Izuku's jaw clenched; he wouldn't answer. He refused to give in to Shigaraki's game. The villain was childish, egotistical. He liked to hear himself talk.
Izuku wouldn't give him the satisfaction of answering. He kept his mouth shut, glaring up at the older man with silent fury. 'Let him go,' he raged inside, even though his body felt like it was on fire. 'You took him and you aren't allowed to have him.'
Unsurprisingly, Shigaraki was annoyed with his unresponsiveness. "Too noble to talk with villain scum like me?" he demanded. Still, Izuku gave no reply. Shigaraki growled, slamming his head against the wall.
Black spots danced across his vision and Izuku began to lose consciousness. 'No, Kacchan. Gotta save him.' But it was no use, his body was entirely drained, the blow to his head the final straw. The last thing he heard was Shigaraki's sneer of disgust before the world around him faded to black.
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The first thing Izuku heard when he came to was Kacchan screaming. It wasn't tortured shouts of pain, but his usual angry yelling. Izuku would know those anywhere. He had been on the receiving end of them since he was four. The age when the scale tipped in Kacchan's favor, when it was decided that Izuku was the lesser between them.
Even though his arms were throbbing and broken and tied behind his back, and the rest of his body screaming in agony, the only thing that registered in Izuku's brain was annoyance. 'At least he's okay.'
He tried to focus on the scene before him. Kacchan wasn't restrained like he was. He was up and standing, ready for a fight as usual. The scent of the blond's explosions filled the air, something Izuku was quite familiar with.
Shigaraki seemed... a lot calmer than he expected. "What a shame," he murmured in disappointment. "I was hoping you would see things our way."
Izuku couldn't help a sudden smug grin. They had attempted to recruit Kacchan, no doubt. But nothing would sway the blond from his goals. Shigaraki was a fool for even trying.
A warm hand settled on his injured shoulder, making him wince in pain. "What are you smirking about, kid?" demanded a man with dark hair and familiar blue eyes. Where had he seen that shade of blue before?
That caught Shigaraki's attention and he stalked over to them. "It seems our uninvited guest is awake," he observed, a certain edge to his voice. Maybe he wasn't as calm as Izuku had originally assumed. The older man yanked him up the collar and Izuku bit his lip so he wouldn't scream.
Shigaraki threw him to the ground in front of Kacchan. "This is what hero society forsakes you for," he spat. "I bet he's the golden boy in your class, isn't he? The one who's praised by everyone?"
The irony of that wasn't lost on Izuku. Before U.A. that had been Kacchan. All their lives, the blond was recognized as a hero in the making, the best of the best. Izuku had been the forsaken one, the one shoved aside.
He watched, terrified, as explosive anger stretched onto Kacchan's face. Because, of course, how dare anybody assume that Kacchan was below anyone, especially worthless Deku.
Izuku opened his mouth for the first time since they had been taken. "Kacchan, don't!" he exclaimed, trying to stop the situation from escalating any further. Because he knew where this would go. The blond was about to get them into a very dangerous situation.
But as usual, he only made it worse. Kacchan launched an explosion at his face, sending Izuku staggering back. He cringed as he landed on his bound arms. "SHUT UP, DEKU!" he erupted before whirling on Shigaraki. "Listen up, Crusty Hands! Don't ever compare me to that shitty nerd! He's worthless, beneath me and I didn't spend ten years making sure everyone knew it for you to fuck it up!"
Kacchan stepped forward, arrogance rolling off him in waves. "I'm going to be the number one hero because I'm the best; not that damn nerd!"
The room grew tense.
Izuku couldn't get up, his eyes stuck on the ceiling. But he heard the growl that came from Shigaraki. It was low, dangerous; like a mother animal attempting to ward someone away from her child.
"Kurogiri," he glowered. "Compress. Knock him out."
Shit. Izuku fought to get up; if they were going to escape he needed Kacchan awake. He couldn't do it on his own, not in his condition. But a hand settled on top of his head, gentle this time. "Hey," someone said. The hand didn't feel like a standard human hand. Amphibian? Reptilian, maybe? "It's okay, just calm down."
...What?
He heard Kacchan's body slump to the floor. "Master," said Shigaraki. "Did you get all that?" Master? Could it be?
A heavy sigh sounded in the room. "I did, Tomura," a deep, sinister voice replied. "It seems we made a mistake. Young Bakugou isn't the one we should have been appealing to. This boy- Midoriya was it?- is the real victim of hero society."
No, that was wrong. Izuku wasn't a victim. Heroes protected and saved people, inspired people. Kacchan was never nice to him, but that was nothing. He wasn't a victim, he wasn't.
"Nevertheless," who Izuku believed to be All For One continued. "I recommend you move locations. The heroes will be coming for them soon, no?"
"You're right," agreed Shigaraki. "Magne, grab Midoriya. And don't hurt him any more than he already is."
"You got it, boss." Large yet surprisingly gentle hands hoisted him up. "Up we go, kid." Izuku found himself too tired to struggle.
"What about the blond brat?" drawled another voice, there was a tinge of anger there. He recognized it as the one who noticed he was awake earlier.
Shigaraki sneered in disgust. "Leave him here," he decided. "The heroes can have him back for all I care. Twice, make a double of Midoriya to throw them off our trail for a while."
"Sure thing, Tomura." "Why should I?"
Shigaraki approached him as he was perched over Magne's shoulder. "I never realized," he said, his voice soft and contemplative. "How alike we truly are."
Izuku wanted to protest that he was nothing like Shigaraki and would never be, but didn't. It almost felt like his mouth was too heavy to move. He could only watch as Kacchan lay sprawled on the floor, moving further and further away from his former friend.
Despite himself, Midoriya managed to smile. 'At least Kacchan is safe.'
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I'm thinking of keeping this a one-shot, but if support for it is enough, I'll continue. I've seen many fics similar to this, but they either don't address what I really want them to or make Midoriya so OOC that I physically can't read it. I'm trying my hardest to keep Midoriya as in-character as I can, but let me know if you have any criticisms. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!