Was digging through some of my old docs when I found the rest of this story. I know it's been like three years since I've touched this and who knows if anyone is still waiting for an ending, but here's what I wrote of the next 2 chapters... there might be weird typos or bullet points when I didn't feel like writing so bear with me...
Iida's squinted eyes went wide with shock.
"Midoriya, you look terrible! What's wrong? Have you been ill?"
Izuku's muscles trembled, rejecting any slight attempt to get up. "No…" Come on, tell him!
"Then what's the matter? I'll do anything I can to assist-"
"I just… can't sleep…," he gasped out, and all of a sudden he was fighting back a sob, tearily shaking his head. He was just so done with this and didn't know what in the world to do, all the exhaustion and frustration he'd gone through the past week suddenly overwhelmed him. "I t-took the pills, but they didn't work… and it's b-been hours… and I-I'm so tired, Iida, and I c-c-can't do this for much longer… I can't do this anymore…"
It's been four days… the longest someone's been up to is eleven… if this keeps up, I…
"Iida. Am - am I going to d-die…?"
Iida knelt by his side in an instant, offering comfort and protection. "What? No, of course, you're not going to die! The pro heroes are out searching for the villain who did this to you at this very moment and they will most certainly find him. Midoriya, I'm so sorry about this. I wish that I could do more to help. I'll go wake the others and-"
"No!" Izuku wasn't sure if he'd shouted, too delirious to take account of everything. Not sleeping had deteriorated his body more than he had first imagined. "But wait… I… I…" His lip quivered. "I don't… know…?" He didn't want his friends to worry about him. He just knew that he needed help and even though it would concern the others, it was the right thing to do. At least he hoped.
Before his brain could even process it, Iida had rushed down the hall and woken up all his classmates to let them know about the situation at hand. Izuku was gently moved back inside his dorm to his bed, where his friends soon gathered. By that time, he had slipped away too far in his mind to distinctly listen to the hustle buzzing around him.
What seemed like hours later (which was probably only a few minutes - time was unreasonably hard to keep track of now), he forced himself to return to the present and was able to see all his classmates scattered inside his room, whispering frantically to each other above him. Brain still buzzing with heaviness, all he could do was stare up at the ceiling, glassy-eyed with shaking fists. There was a slight lump in his throat that he couldn't quite swallow away.
They're all here. For me.
"Guys, his eyes are open!"
"Has someone told a teacher yet?"
"What happened to him?"
"Deku… Deku…?"
He'd know that voice from anywhere. Only two people called him by that name and Bakugo would never have said his name with such worry. "Ura...raka."
"I'm so sorry the pills didn't work." Uraraka's cheeks were wet, Izuku could see as she came closer. She stood right beside his bed, looking heartbroken at his pain. Is she… crying? "I'm… so sorry, Deku… you - you don't deserve this…"
He tried as best as he could to compose himself for her, but he knew that wouldn't erase the dark bags beneath his eyes or his chalk-white skin. He looked awful and it was clear everyone could see it.
"We wanted to wait till you could talk to us before we got Mr. Aizawa."
"We'd be happy to take you to the hospital."
"You look like a zombie, man…"
Izuku forced his brain to cooperate and form some words from his numb mouth. "I just… I don't know… what I want yet…" He wanted to be alone, but he didn't want his friends to leave. He wanted to sleep, but he knew he couldn't. He wanted help, but he didn't know how someone could make him feel better. He was just so anxious and confused and only wanted to roll over and cry.
He hated this. So much.
"Would you like us to stay here?" Iida finally asked.
For some reason, tears stung Izuku's bloodshot eyes. "I-I… Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that… if you don't mind…"
"Of course not!" Uraraka exclaimed, shaking her head. "Whatever you need, you've got it. We're here for you."
"Yeah!" Kirishima agreed. "Hey - why don't some of us go downstairs and make something soothing, like tea or whatever."
"HEY! I'm not Deku's butler! I'm not getting him freaking tea," Bakugo spat from somewhere near the door.
"I'm not asking that - I'm asking us all to be good friends. The tea might help his brain calm down; it does for my mom, at least," Kirishima said. "What do you say, Midoriya? Let us help you out here?"
His words took a moment to process. "Um… okay… T-thank you."
"And we're taking you to the hospital if you don't feel better soon, okay?" Ashido added.
"Alright…"
His vision blurred and time slipped by once again. The next thing he knew, the people who had left were back with tea in hand. He searched his friends' faces for annoyance at having to be here for him and was surprised to find none. No one seemed irritated with being woken up this late, or disgusted with his weakness. They were just worried. About… him.
Of course. He was the sick one curled up on the bed looking like death. No wonder he had a crowd of worried friends around him.
"Do you need help sitting up?" Todoroki asked quietly.
"No, thanks… I - I got it…" Izuku focused his mind on pushing himself up against his pillow. At least he could still do that without someone helping him. The rest of the class watched him with hawk eyes. "By the way… I forgot to say I'm sorry that I worried you guys before… and that you had to be woken up in the middle of the night."
"Midoriya - please do not start that again," Iida sighed.
Yaoyorozu nodded. "We're always glad to help a classmate."
"Friend," Kirishima corrected.
Smiling wetly, Izuku took the cup of tea from someone's hand. It was warm and comforting, like a crackling fire on a winter's night. The thought soothed him, and he felt his tense body relax, even if it was only the slightest bit. For a moment, he was able to forget the fact that his life was falling apart at the moment. It just seemed like everything would turn out alright right then.
"Thanks, guys," he said gratefully, sipping the drink. To his surprise, it was incredibly tasty for a hastily made beverage. Someone knew how to make tea. Probably Sato. He was incredible with cooking and probably making sweet drinks, too.
"Uraraka told us about the villain's power after you went up to bed last night," Iida told him, breaking the silence. "I never would've guessed his quirk caused something as complex as insomnia. What an odd, horrible way to mark his victims… disgustingly villainous!"
"It's not his fault for being born with a quirk like that," Izuku said. "But I guess it was his choice to become a villain."
"Have you truly not been able to sleep at all since the attack?" Tokoyami asked.
"Mhm…"
"And nothing helps? You can't even doze off or anything?" Shoji said with a frown.
"I've tried almost everything," Izuku sighed, pausing to take a sip of his tea. "Canamist's power… is just too strong… I mean, if heavy-duty hospital-prescribed meds don't work on me…" He gave a breathy laugh. "What can…?"
Yaoyorozu shook her head in disbelief. "There has to be something out there that can help you. We just haven't discovered it yet."
"We'll find it," Kirishima said grimly. "We'll try everything you haven't so far."
"I don't know…" I don't want them to worry. But it would just be useless at this point to keep on insisting he was fine and apologizing for keeping them there. There was no point in resisting; a fight against concerned friends was one he could not win. He might be tired of trying everything by now, but his classmates were just getting started.
"Hey, you never know unless you try," Uraraka smiled.
Izuku glanced around the room again, searching all his friends' faces. They all had expressions ranging from concern to determination. I'd worry them more if I told them I didn't want to try anymore. I have to do this. If not for me, then for them.
The rest of the night, Class 1-A attempted everything they were able to do in the joint effort to make Izuku fall asleep, trying a whole range of things from medicines to herbal teas to hypnotization (that was Mineta's idea). Bakugo even maliciously offered to knock him out with an explosion - to which he momentarily considered, but decided against in the end. He didn't want to be exhausted and treated for third-degree burns.
Nothing helped. He couldn't sleep, no matter how many medicines he took or the hours he spent lying in bed with his eyes shut tight. He rubbed his face tiredly for the hundredth time that week - or maybe day; it was getting hard to tell time apart. This was torture. Who cared about all the bones he'd broken or sicknesses he'd been afflicted by? Endless sleep deprivation was a whole other story. He felt like he might go insane by the end of this.
"Believe me now?" he panted to his exhausted friends after hours of failed attempts. Their worn faces were beginning to become illuminated in the rising sun, their long night, at last, pulling to an end.
"I'm ready to sleep for a week and I've only been up one night," Tsu said.
"Three nights up is unbelievable, Midoriya," Kaminari agreed.
His eyelids drooped. Four actually.
"It does seem like nothing can help," Todoroki said, defeated. "I… didn't expect that. I'm sorry."
Izuku was too tired to reply.
Uraraka stepped in at the silence. "Okay, Deku… the night's over. The doctor said to come back to the hospital if the medicine didn't work - I think we should get Mr. Aizawa and leave right away. He'll probably kill us for not getting him earlier, but I guess we should've expected that…"
"Ugh, I'm way too sleepy for him. Or class, for that matter," Ashido moaned.
"Perhaps our teachers will make an exception." To everyone's astonishment, Iida seemed to lean towards wanting to skip school today. "We've all had inadequate rest and so our brains will not be able to saturate themselves with as much information as usual. In addition, the well-being of a student is much more valuable than schoolwork. Mr. Aizawa prioritizes his students above all else - we will surely be granted permission to take leave."
Kirishima raised a brow. "Who are you and what have you done with Iida?"
"It's simply the truth," Iida said. "Of course, we'd have a make-up day later on, which I'd be glad -+
"I… I might be able to manage, guys," Izuku insisted, trying to slip himself out of bed. He immediately stumbled as his head reeled. Hands reached out to steady him immediately, catching him before he fell. "Really. You've all done more than enough for me tonight! You don't have to skip classes because of me, too." He felt bad at all the trouble he'd caused despite the knowledge that his friends didn't mind. "I… I'll just…"
"...accept our help," Kirishima finished. "Come on, this is getting old by now. We want to, alright?"
He studied his friends' expressions carefully. "You're sure?"
"We're sure!"
"I… okay, okay, sorry…"
"You losers can do whatever you want. I'm going back to bed," Bakugo snapped, turning around to leave. It seemed he had reached his maximum caring limit for the day.
"Some of us can go with Midoriya to drop him off, and some can stay here to let people know."
"We still need Mr. Aizawa's permission first!"
"Will we get in trouble? Are we allowed to leave school grounds?"
"What about that villain out there?"
"We'll figure all that out later," Uraraka said. "Deku's more important."
He felt his face flush as his friends nodded without pause. It was settled, then. A few minutes later, they were helping him from the room. Individual voices blurred out as he was too exhausted to keep up with the conversation. All he knew was that a few people were taking him back to the hospital (possibly for a few days - they weren't sure) and the rest were telling Mr. Aizawa about the emergency.
He let himself go slack against his friends as they rode the train to town. They didn't seem to mind. When they arrived, they supported him as they walked down the street to the hospital.
What seemed like hours passed. Izuku wasn't sure whether he was right about the time, having had some trouble with that lately. The next thing he knew, he was being walked to a hospital room and laid down on the bed. He didn't have enough energy to muster to open his eyes.
"...didn't work," Uraraka's voice wafted into his ears.
What's she talking about?
"I see." There was a familiar voice of a woman that he couldn't quite place. Footsteps clipped closer to him. "Izuku?"
Oh. It was Dr. Ohno. "Mm?"
"I heard that the pills didn't work. I'm sorry. We'll try some other types of medicine on you and try to get you to sleep. I've never seen anything like this."
"Okay." He sighed. "Uraraka…? What's… going on exactly?"
She seemed to know what he was trying to ask. "A few of us are here, Deku. The rest are back at U.A. talking to Mr. Aizawa. They're going to tell us what he says about class today and see if we can spend our time with you."
Izuku gave a slight smile. "T-thanks."
"Rest now," Dr. Ohno said. "I'll contact the doctors who specialize in quirk effects to see if this can be reversed. We'll have you stay overnight for observation."
"...kay…"
"Also, Izuku… we recently received word from the heroes tracking Canamist down. They said that they think he's moved closer to this area again. I'm not saying he's right around the corner, but we won't take any risks with your life. The pros I promised you yesterday are here to guard you."
"Oh my gosh," one of his friends gasped. "The villain's that close?"
"Maybe. We're still waiting on word from the heroes…"
Izuku's brain lapsed away, unable to follow what was going on around him anymore. His body was tense - feverish - broken - slumped, and traumatized enough to last a lifetime. He waited for ages for sleep to approach and whisk him to a far better place, but nothing happened. It was all he could do to lie there and pray for mercy.
A few times, he came back to reality. He didn't like what he heard from the doctors, scientists, heroes, or whatever they were.
"...We need to find Canamist soon, or this child is going to die within the week."
"But if we find Canamist, he's going to kill Izuku himself!"
"This poor kid…"
"At least he has some of the best protection out there guarding him. No villain's getting him in here."
"If the other heroes can't find Canamist to get rid of this insomnia, no bodyguard can save Izuku from extreme sleep deprivation."
A delirious smile twitched on his lips. Well, the doctors seemed to agree on one thing: he was going to die. Wasn't that just great?
By evening time (a whole day had passed with him in the hospital) someone was shaking him from his unresponsive state. He groaned, not feeling like doing anything right now, but the shaking persisted.
I just want some rest, is that too much?
"Deku… Deku, we have your dinner for you. You should eat - you haven't all day."
Uraraka?
"You've been ignoring us for hours, Midoriya… stop being such a bad patient and acknowledge your friends, alright?"
That was true. Maybe he could make an exception. Just for his friends, at least.
-Times passes and Izkuku feels insane
Shadows seemed to chase him. Unknown voices had his heart pounding wildly in fear. Lights caused him to stagger. For the life of him, he couldn't clear his head.
He was sure he was going insane.
Just like Recovery Girl said… right? Wasn't that her? For some reason, he couldn't remember.
-More insanity before night falls. Izuku asks the doctors to leave so he can be alone after the crazy day. They do. Bodyguards are placed outside his room - Best Jeanist and Aizawa themselves. Izuku lies on his bed, trying to sleep, until...
The first thing Izuku was aware of was a slight creak.
Then… an eerie slide, and a rush of cool air. What the heck is that? he thought dimly. He couldn't think, and he hated it.
Creaaaa...eaaa...eaakkk…
Using an unnecessary amount of willpower, he lifted his heavy eyelids. A moment passed.
Wait… why am I moving, again? Something about… a noise…?
A chill brushed into the room. Thud.
What the… He at last remembered.
The creak. The slide. And now… a thud. I've got to think… what could make those sounds in this room? What's going on? Come on, I can usually use my logic to figure this out fast…
Izuku suddenly realized what the culprit of the sound was.
The window.
But… why would the window be opening? Did the wind open it? No, it's too heavy for it… A person had to have lifted it, then. That wasn't possible, though; he was alone in here.
His blood turned to ice.
What if… I'm not?
As quickly as he could muster, he pushed himself up in bed to see the rest of the room. His gaze eventually fell on the window.
It was open. But, no one was there.
His body sagged with relief. He didn't know why, but he has the anxiety inside of him about something after him… weird. He didn't feel like getting up but knew the night chill would bother him later. It was better to fix it now while he was up. It wasn't like he was going to sleep, anyways.
Slowly, he pushed himself from the bed. The floor was too cold for his liking, but he staggered over to the window, anyways, trying to ignore his increasing dizziness.
"Weird," he muttered as he pushed it down with trembling arms. It shut with a soft snap. When he was done, he turned around, rubbing his heavy eyes. Standing up had been a bad decision. He was growing concerningly disoriented, from fuzzy vision to poor balance. He needed to lay down and just wait it out throughout the night…
He froze in his tracks, heart palpitating with an erratic drumbeat.
"You…," he croaked, eyes on the dark figure looming in front of his door.
The tall, black-cloaked man he'd seen in a certain store five days ago grinned at him. "Hi, again, kid. Sorry to take so long." He took a small step forward.
Izuku stumbled backward on instinct, crashing into the corner wall. He clung to it, panting. No! I'm trapped. I'm going to die!
Dizzily, he wondered whether he had anything he could fight with inside his room, but remembered the nurses had taken away anything he might have hurt himself with. It was just a safety precaution in case he truly went psycho like some sleep-deprived people, but now he wished he had some form of defense. He was in no state to use One For All, as not being able to control his power would lead to him injuring himself.
Canamist gave a low chuckle. Izuku's vision blurred further and he felt his legs go weak. He couldn't stand much longer. "Oh, we're going to have some fun."
I have to do something! Izuku's brain screamed. His reaction time was slow, but not nonexistent. I need help… I need to let the heroes know something's wrong!
...but, how?
It took him longer than it usually did to think of the most obvious answer.
Scream.
With no warning, a blood-curdling scream came from Izuku's room, sounding hoarse and panicked. Something was terribly wrong.
The heroes waiting outside immediately jumped to action, preparing themselves to face the worst.
"MIDORIYA!" Best Jeanist yelled, grabbing the door handle and shaking the knob to get it open.
Nothing happened. It was locked.
He rattled it again, this time Aizawa jumping to his aid.
"MIDORIYA? MIDORIYA!"
"The dang thing won't open!"
"Then use your quirk!"
"I - I can't! It won't work!"
"How is that even possible?"
"I don't know!"
"Darn it… we have to move fast, the villain could be inside!"
"If he is…"
"...MIDORIYA!"
"Get… away from - me," Izuku panted, leaning against the back corner of the room. His vision blurred over the room and doubled so that it was hard to see where the villain was. Was he the hunched figure on the left or the right…? The double - nope, now triple - images confused him further. His head buzzed.
"They always think they can fight me," Canamist chuckled, but there was no mirth in his laugh. "Even when they're weaker than you."
"My… friends… the heroes… they know about your quirk… You'll be caught soon." He felt so dizzy he almost fell over right then.
"They did find out, to my surprise. No one's ever figured out how my quirk works - except for you people. But, even you fools couldn't figure out why I wanted to come back and kill you in the first place… or what I was doing to you until it was too late."
Izuku was tempted. He had wondered what the villain's strategy was in waiting a week before coming back. Why wouldn't he come back sooner before anyone had caught onto him? There was still something missing.
He shook his head. He couldn't mutter on about it right now when he could barely stand straight.
"You w-won't… kill me… I'll - I'll f-fight… no matter w-what it takes." Slowly, he raised his hands, focusing as hard as he could to charge One For All throughout his body. His figure flickered with green electricity a few times, then suddenly spasmed as he was unable to control the power in his sleep-deprived mind.
The egg exploded in the microwave. He cried out as he felt fingers snap.
I thought I could control One For All now! he thought to himself, gasping as he examined a painfully blackened thumb. Crap. I'm not supposed to injure my arms again. I just can't focus enough to keep it from going over my limit. I can't even remember how I used to do it… Think. About… Grand Torino. Training. The… the intern… internships…
Canamist laughed with more than a hint of a sadistic tone. "Be careful. The last one nearly killed herself by trying to use her quirk too much. She was an interesting case - I had fun with her curse. Ever heard of exploding head syndrome? You got off lucky compared to that…"
Izuku felt sick. "The last one." How could he talk about killing someone so emotionlessly? He'd taken a life. Taken away so much potential from the world… for no reason.
This guy had killed people. Killed innocent people who hadn't known about their fate until it was too late. And he was next.
I have to defeat him… no matter how tired and weak I am. The others are depending on me to live. I have to; for Mom and All Might and all my friends… and the teachers and the heroes and the ones out there who need help. A simple spark of green lit up the palm of his hand. It wasn't much, but it was in control. That was good enough for him. For all the ones before me, and ahead, I'll fight!
"Enough talk," Canamist snapped. "You don't hear them because of the unfortunate shape you're in, but your precious heroes are banging at the door. I know who they are - Jeanist and Eraser, right? I knew they'd be here. I've been watching you freaks for a while and properly warded them off. It's too bad; if you managed to subdue me earlier, you would've been cured. So close."
Subdue…? Does that mean if we capture him, I'll be able to sleep again…?
It didn't look like he was going to have an opportunity to work on that, though. Canamist drew a long, silver knife from his cloak, the blade gleaming in a sliver of moonlight. "Time to say goodbye, kid."
Izuku squinted, desperately trying to clear his doubled vision and his pounding head. There were multiples of everything now, images slurred and shifting around him. His knees trembled. "N-no… I won't… give… UUUPPP!"
One For All sparked throughout his body like a jolt of emerald lightning. He knew it was largely uncontrolled and he'd probably hurt himself further, but it was the only option he had until help arrived. I have to save myself!
"Smmmm...aaaAAAaa...AAAssHhHHH…" He used his legs again and tried to kick at Canamist with 5% of his power.
CRACK! Toes began to break, starting with his big toes and moving onto the pinkies. He gritted his teeth against a scream and pushed forward, getting closer and closer to his target…
Suddenly, the villain in front of him started to laugh. His vision split further, three blurry images of the room swirling in his head. He faltered, but his body proceeded ahead, kicking the enemy with his channeled power.
He somehow missed him, even though it was a direct hit, and tumbled to the floor, coordination faltering. After the collapse, he was unable to get back up, face-down and twitching slightly. He was far too weak and pained to move. His broken fingers and toes burned with a familiar sting, rendering him immobile. He knew he would've passed out if he was able to.
"You really are sleep-deprived." Canamist's voice to him floated from nearby. Izuku slightly moved his head so he could see. The villain was standing straight above him, knife poised to strike. "You must be seeing double…"
What? His body slumped, no fight left in him. I thought I hit him… he was right there… Canamist's words sank in. Oh. I must've thought the double of him was real… Crap… my vision's getting way too blurry to trust.
"I'll make this quick. This is just getting pathetic." Canamist crouched down, violently grabbing the back of Izuku's hair to lift his head up. At the sudden jerk back, he moaned as his neck was exposed. He was too exhausted to struggle against his attacker, eyes fluttering.
The cold tip of the knife brushed his throat. He shivered, all instincts screaming to take flight and run. He was in danger. He was going to die if he didn't do something.
He couldn't move.
A distorted chuckle rang through his ears, but he was already fading away from reality.
Eternal sleep. In some sort of twisted way, he didn't mind…
"And now, for the best part-"
CRASH!
Izuku heard a distant thud on the ground that sounded like something heavy had just fallen. His closed eyelids cracked open to see what was going on. It was almost the most painful thing he had to do.
Through foggy vision, he saw two tall silhouettes step through the door frame… but there was no door there anymore. It was on the ground, still and broken.
Who… are they…?
"Let the boy go," a familiar, deep voice growled. Dark strands around one of the figures' necks rose. Red eyes pierced through them. "Prey on someone who can actually fight back, you villain."
Mr. Aizawa. His mouth moved accordingly to his teacher's name, but nothing came out.
He felt his head be jerked upwards painfully.
Right. Canamist still has his grip on me.
"Don't move another step or I'll kill him!" the villain snarled. His hand on the back of Izuku's head squeezed harder, burning his scalp. "I can slash his neck before either of you can get here in time - or your little tapes, Eraser."
"He's a child!" Best Jeanist spat. "You're disgusting."
"I've been called worse. Step aside or he dies right here, right now. You can clean up whatever's left of his mangled body. He probably isn't too far off from death as it is with the state he's in."
There was several beats of silence as the heroes hesitated, debating what to do. Izuku could barely process what was going on right then. He gave a slight groan and the knife pressed tighter. Something warm and wet trickled down his chest.
Mr. Aizawa and Best Jeanist are here. They can save me. But… but they can't do anything with me in the way right now… and Canamist is going to kill me even if they step back. It's an impossible situation. They can't win this.
He was so tired. He just wanted this to end.
I need to get away from him. It's the only way the heroes can make a move… the only way I can get out of this…
He had no idea how to escape, though. His head was currently being held back by the roots of his hair and the knife was still on his throat, deadly and far too close for comfort.
Suddenly, a memory floated to his mind… it was during the hold-up of the store, a week earlier.
The petrified clerk had seemed to lose the ability to think rationally in his terror and was desperate to do anything to save himself. He abruptly kicked his captor's legs and, unbalanced, the villain flew backward and landed flat on his back. His gun slipped from his grip and clattered to his side.
The clerk was at last released and he bolted away, screeching for help.
The clerk had kicked the villain when he least expected it and had been able to get away when he was down on the floor. Canamist didn't seem to be someone who paid attention to the weak - in this case, Izuku. He probably didn't expect him to be able to stand up for himself anytime soon.
But I'm still here, he thought weakly. I'm awake…. and alive. I can do this. And if he realizes what I'm doing… well, I'm going to die anyway if I just sit here.
He opened his eyes wider to see his point of impact. There was a weak spot - Canamist's chest. Unprepared, he'd be knocked down at any force. It had to work - this was the only plan he could form.
Alright. Here goes… my life.
He didn't wait a moment longer. Using the rest of his nonexistent strength, he arched his head back out of the way of the knife and threw out his legs. They made a heavy collision with the villain's body.
For a terrifying second, Izuku feared he hadn't been strong enough. That he was too weak to make a mark.
But, to his relief, he wasn't. A startled Canamist was slammed back under the strike and flung backward, hitting his head hard on the floor. The breath knocked out of him, he laid there for a minute, hand slack around his knife.
"MIDORIYA!" someone yelled.
His body trembled. He needed to get up… he had to move away…
He couldn't; his body was completely spent. He laid there, limp and helpless, unable to move another inch.
He heard something whoosh over his head, but he couldn't see as his eyes had fallen closed. There was a small scuffle - a holler - sounds of body impact - and then a painful crack. Izuku faded in and out of reality, at this point too delirious to keep up with what was going on.
Something abruptly dragged him across the floor, and he groaned. His body was unbelievably sore from using One For All in such a weak state. Who was even grabbing him…? He couldn't tell. He didn't even care.
"Midoriya? Midoriya?"
Gentle hands patted his cheeks.
"Are you hurt?"
Best Jeanist.
He couldn't speak.
But, Aizawa… where… and Canamist… I don't…?
"Eraser, he's not responding!"
He gasped slightly to let the hero know he was alive. He was too exhausted to do much more and returned far to the back of his mind.
A haze of new voices mixed through his head, scrambling his race of thoughts. He furrowed his brow, trying to force himself to rouse. What… is happening…? The conversation soon became clearer
"...no… DEKU! What happened to him?!"
Uraraka…? She shouldn't be here. It wasn't safe.
"We heard screaming down the hall!"
"Someone said a villain had gotten inside-"
"-and climbed through the window-"
"Mr. Aizawa's got him in his tapes right now!"
"Is that blood?!"
His friends. They were all there.
Why…? What happened…
"Stay back," Aizawa's voice warned. "I don't want you kids in here!"
"But, Deku…! Is he okay?"
He sucked in a tiny breath through his nose, chest constricting. "I… I-I-I…'m… a-ali…"
There was a shift through the entire room and he felt everyone's eyes latch on his vulnerable body. He felt a tremor run through him.
"Oh, man, he doesn't look too good…"
"He broke his fingers again?"
"Midoriya actually fought a villain? In his state?"
"Why isn't he getting up?"
His eyelids flickered to see a blurry image of his friends hovering over him, worried expressions apparent. His head hurt at being forced to work again and he considered just giving up.
Then, again, he was never one to quit.
"Help… me up," he groaned. He didn't want to be on the floor, weak and vulnerable. He had to know what was going on. Had Canamist been captured? Were the heroes okay? Was he going to be okay?
Iida looked uncertain. "Are you sure that this is a wise-"
"Please."
And, a moment later, his friends were gently wrapping their arms around his body and lifting him up to his feet. His brain rushed at the sudden transition, vision blurring.
"You good, Midoriya?"
"Mm." Taking a breath in, he steadied himself, though it wasn't necessary. His friends all had a hand on him, whether a grasp on his arm or on his shoulder. He wasn't falling down anytime soon.
"The insomnia," he rasped. "Canamist… he said it would stop… if he was subdued… I would get better. I'd be able to - sleep again."
Tears filled Uraraka's eyes. "You're finally cured?"
"Did you guys… get him?" Izuku breathed, but he could already feel the truth settling within him, from a powering down body to heavy eyelids. Something inside him had… snapped.
"We have," Aizawa said from nearby, coming closer to show him an unconscious Canamist wrapped tight within his binds. "After you knocked him over, I was able to jump hi-"
"Mr. Aizawa," Izuku suddenly interrupted, an urgent look now on his face. It was then that they all noticed the beads of sweat lining his face and his shaky legs on the verge of collapse. "I… I…"
His stammering alarmed everyone that something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Midoriya?" Aizawa questioned, stepping closer, but he was too late.
"I-I think I'm going to pass out."
THUMP!
Panic ensued.
"DEKU!" Uraraka screamed.
Everyone who had a hand on him lowered him to the ground to examine him better. Izuku was limp and unresponsive as they gently shook him, his head lolled on one cheek.
"What's wrong with him?" Iida shouted.
"What the-"
"WAS HE HURT OR SOMETHING?"
"Midoriya? Midoriya, can you hear me…?!"
"Step aside!" Aizawa thrust Canamist into Best Jeanist's grasp, where the unconscious man slumped, still out. The teacher hurried to Izuku's body and knelt as his students stumbled back to let him have some space. "Midoriya? Midoriya…"
Uraraka shivered. "Mr. Aizawa?"
Her teacher didn't speak for a moment. "He's breathing," he said after holding two fingers beneath his student's nose. He moved his hand. "There's a pulse on his wrist as well."
"Why would he collapse?" Todoroki asked.
"I'm not sure. We need to get him to-"
"Mr… Aizawa?" Izuku suddenly slurred, silencing the conversation. All heads in the room immediately jerked to look at his prostrate body. His face was still slack, but his bloodshot eyes were cracked open to see what was going on.
"What is it, Midoriya?" Aizawa asked seriously, brow creased in what seemed like concern. "Are you alright?"
There was a long silence.
"Tired," he said at last. "Fell… asl… asle…" He didn't finish, having already dozed off.
The entire room of people sagged with relief.
"He was exhausted," Iida said quietly. "When the curse broke… he simply fell asleep."
Uraraka put a hand to her mouth, not sure whether to laugh or cry at the ridiculous conclusion to all of this. They'd done it. They'd got the villain and saved Izuku before time had run out. She couldn't imagine what would've happened if they'd waited any longer…
"Let's get him to an examination room," Aizawa said, tone surprisingly gentle. "I have a feeling he'll be sleeping for a while."
...
That's all I wrote so... the end? The heroes win. Villain loses. Thanks for readingggg!