WARNINGS: Graphic Depictions of Violence. Please be advised and don't read if you could be triggered. Wait for Chapter 4. As always, let me know if another tag should be added!

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What Heroes Would Choose

Chapter 2

Shouts, whimpers, and groans rang out in the otherwise quiet room, all coming from Midoriya. His face and ribs were already a mess from Bakugo's blows, the blonde's raw power only enhanced by the unyielding metal on his knuckles. Todoroki, for his part, had littered the boys already scarred skin with angry red welts, occasionally splitting it entirely as the leather bit down into his flesh.

The mossy-haired teen tumbled to the floor again, tripping over his feet after another harsh blow cracked across his skull. Even as tears leaked from his tightly shut, unseeing eyes, he bared his teeth in a pain-filled yet defiant growl. It had only been about ten minutes, but the punishment up to that point had been brutal, and he hadn't asked them to stop once.

"There's a tub and faucet in the back. Fill it with water hot enough to hurt."

Todoroki panted quietly, physically and emotionally exhausted from beating Midoriya, but moved to oblige, repeating 'this will save him' over and over in his head so that he could have some glimmer of hope.

Once he was finished, Bakugo dragged the still dazed teen over and dropped him to his knees, gripping his hair tightly.

"Hold him under until he's about to lose consciousness. I want to see him thrashing for breath and steam coming off of him when you let him up."

Todoroki repressed a shudder at the order, hearing Toga giggling in the background sadistically. He was about to switch with Bakugo when the blonde quietly swatted his hand away, a resigned look on his face that said 'we might have to do worse later, I can handle this'.

For once, Shoto appreciated how blunt and dominant Bakugo was. His steely resolve to do what had to be done was a marvel, though there were already little fractures splintering the façade—proof of how he was being torn apart internally. The blonde stepped forward and made sure his grip on Midoriya was sturdy, trying to keep his hands from shaking at the same time.

Bakugo closed his crimson eyes and shoved. There was a terrible second where nothing happened, and it dragged on forever before the boy began thrashing violently, bubbles crashing to the surface of the water as he screamed his lungs out from beneath.

Todoroki twisted, nearly vomiting on the spot as he watched the boy's feet kick out behind him, running on the ground but getting nowhere; his still bound hands flexed and released rapidly behind his back, trying to grab and push away whoever was holding him down. Shoto didn't even try to resist the urge to cry this time.

"When he stops fighting pull him out, but only for a second, okay? Then put him right back in! Oh, it's so much fun don't you think?"

Bakugo grit his teeth, losing his battle to hold back tears as well. It wasn't that much longer until Midoriya's protests became sluggish, and Katsuki pulled him out, visibly wincing as the blood and saliva mixed water flew from Midoriya's choking throat. As soon as another shallow breath was pulled in, he returned him to the nearly scalding water.

"I can do it…" Todoroki offered weakly. He'd never imagined seeing Bakugo cry… and seeing it now made it so much worse.

"Fuck off, icy-hot… you're a fucking mess too," he returned, his voice shaking in frustration and disgust. Again, Deku began to become limp and he ripped him backward, throwing him onto the ground with enough force to expel his spasming, water-logged lungs.

He wiped his eyes as Midoriya gasped and sobbed on the ground. His hands hadn't been hurt by the hot water seeing as they had to be resistant to heat for his own quirk, but Deku's skin from his head to mid-torso was flaming pink, the whip marks even more agitated than they had been before. Never had he hated his own quirk so much. He wanted to feel the same pain as his friend had for being so cruel.

"Oh, that was good. So, so, so, entertaining. But we aren't done. Why don't you use the knives next? Toga here wants to see him bleed more."

Todoroki ran his hands through his hair, using absolutely every tactic he knew to keep his face as neutral as possible so that he could at least pretend to keep himself together. But neither he nor Bakugo was cold-blooded to their core and it wouldn't be long before they fell apart entirely.

Still, they wouldn't dare defy their captor. Todoroki nodded for Bakugo to pick something out while he grabbed Midoriya's left wrist, pulling his weakly struggling form over to one of the metal slabs in the dungeonesque room. He took a moment to collect himself again as he slammed the boys already bleeding head down onto the table, face first, earning a pitiful groan.

Bakugo returned with two blades, one smooth and the other jagged. He pulled out a key as well, the one he'd been given earlier to undo Midoriya's cuffs, and silently asked Todoroki for help. Honestly, it probably wasn't necessary. Between his blindness, concussions, and a plethora of other injuries, Deku was in no position to put up a fight. Katsuki was even sure that the boy's arms had to be at least fractured with how many times he'd awkwardly fallen on them during the first part of their session.

But, just to be safe and prevent their captor from accusing them of trying to get free, they forced his arms down to the table and strapped his wrists in, letting him stay bent forward with his hips pressed firmly against the edge.

"Hmmm… What would be fun to write? Oh! I know! Katsuki… you should carve worthless into his back and then Todoroki, you get to put failure on the front! I know Toga! It's such a great idea isn't it?"

It burned the two that Shigaraki and his followers were enjoying this so much, laughing together like a bunch of rabid hyenas. Bakugo was shaking in rage and what Todoroki hoped to the heavens wasn't fear. If the blonde was afraid then his now very fragile self-control would simply crumble.

Katsuki's strong hand gripped the back of Deku's neck and held him still as he dragged the blade across his skin, the already damaged flesh parting like butter. Up until then, Midoriya had shouted and cried, even whimpered, but he hadn't said anything. This time, his voice rose up, the slow torture much worse and unmuffled by water.

"AAH…AHA… HAAA… STO…NNNG…" he sobbed, his hands yanking against the restraints. He almost said stop, but cut himself short, doing his best to repress the pitiful cry for mercy. Todoroki wanted to catch Bakugo's eyes, realizing that Midoriya was getting closer to his breaking point.

But the blonde was pointedly avoiding his gaze as his hand moved, slow and deliberate. Tears were still slipping down his cheeks, but his jaw was hard set, unwavering despite how he filled with desperation.

Todoroki could see it, the same thought that kept pushing him to continue was being silently whispered through Bakugo's head as well. 'If I do this, then we can go home. If I do this, then HE can go home.'

Almost as soon as Bakugo finished though, and Deku's shrieks died down to more choked cries, he turned away and doubled over, covering his mouth to stop the dry heaving that he couldn't contain any longer. That turned out to be a huge mistake, as his fingers dripped with his friend's blood.

Todoroki knew immediately that Bakugo had momentarily lost it, the tenseness in his suddenly frozen shoulders all too telling. He rushed over and gripped the boy's arms tightly, giving him a harsh shake until those wild red eyes refocused on him. The blonde shook his head and fisted Todoroki's shirt tightly.

'I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE' he mouthed before dropping his head down against Shoto's chest, finding no relief once he felt how fast and hard the boy's own heart was throbbing. The dual user thought back to how Midoriya had saved him in the sports festival, green eyes shining brightly when they caught sight of his fire roaring to life.

There was no other way to describe them but beautiful, and he'd fallen in love with Midoriya right then and there without ever looking back. After everything, he couldn't imagine anything worse than seeing those emeralds staring at him lifelessly; nothing would matter anymore if Izuku died and he could have prevented it.

Feeling a new wave of determination overriding his hesitance, he stood up straight and squeezed Bakugo's arms once more before stomping back over, uncuffing and flipping the teen with ease. He tried to ignore the way Midoriya's weak hands grazed over his forearms when he went to re-secure them in the restraints, noting sadly that the boy didn't even have the strength to claw at him anymore.

He pulled the clean knife towards him and started slicing, Midoriya's legs coming up instinctively to curl himself into a ball as another guttural screech flew from his busted lips. In an instant, Bakugo was yanking them back down and using his body to hold them over the edge, the boys back arching at the awkward angle.

"I… AAAHHH….NNN… HA….AHAHAAAA" Izuku bellowed, the sound becoming more high pitched and pain-filled as Todoroki cut lower, the sensitivity increasing the closer he got to his stomach. As Shoto was making the last, agonizing slits, Midoriya's frantic wails died out, his body falling lax against the table.

Panic began to set it for the two still awake, fearful that their friend had died.

"Awww… No fun… It looks like he simply ran out of adrenaline and passed out. Toga in here already orgasmed at the sheer sight of all that beautiful screaming and blood. I guess I'll just give you all a little bit of time to rest before the real show begins. I hope you're ready…."

Shoto and Katsuki sat against the wall next to each other, their friend draped over their laps in the most comfortable way they could think of. They'd found some relatively clean rags and were working on stopping the bleeding they'd caused, but their hands shook fiercely.

"Bakugo…" Todoroki started, his throat closing up before he could continue. Midoriya's face was haunting him, covered in black and blue bruises, swollen and streaked with blood. The one saving grace for him was that the teen had kept his eyes pinched closed the whole time.

"Fucking shut it, half and half. We have to just do it, alright? I already know you fucking like him but you can't pussy out now." Bakugo snapped tiredly, the bite missing in his tone.

Still, Todoroki was visibly taken aback, opening and closing his mouth. He hadn't realized he'd been so obvious about his desires.

Katsuki snorted and wiped his eyes on his sweat and dirt covered arm, scoffing when the wetness spitefully returned. "It's not like you hide it well, dipshit. Everyone in the fucking school knows you've had the hots for Deku except the dunce himself."

Despite the situation, Shoto's cheeks heated up with embarrassment. "And what about you 'King Explosion Murder' huh?" he shot back, "you think no one notices how you're always watching him?"

Bakugo growled in warning but didn't refute the claim, even going so far as to turn his head in shame. "Yeah well, I fucked over any chance I might have had with Deku years ago so staring is the only damn thing I can get away with…"

Todoroki blinked as Katsuki's words settled in. He'd only implied the blonde had a crush on Izuku to deflect from his own unintentionally obvious feelings; it hadn't crossed his mind that it was true. His shock must have shown on his face, because Bakugo turned equally pink, clearing his throat before grumbling out 'keep that shit between us'.

They stilled into silence once more, but that made it much easier to hear Midoriya's heavy, pain-laden breathing—if it could even be considered that at all. It was closer to a wheeze and gurgle than anything else.

"Why did you treat him so badly then?" Todoroki questioned, wanting anything to keep his mind off the heartbreaking sound. "I mean, it sounds like you've liked him for a while now so…"

"Why the fuck do you care?" Bakugo shot back, his shoulders tensing again.

"I need something to distract me and I've always wanted to know. No matter what, you protected Izuku, even if you were shouting insults at the same time. Back at the training camp, right before Dabi pulled you into the warp gate, you even told him to stay back, knowing that he might have been able to reach you. So, why hurt him?" Todoroki answered. He knew he was being nosey, and far more long-winded than usual, but at that moment he didn't care.

A weak, choked wine was his initial answer, Bakugo's face crumbling in self-hatred and sadness as Shoto's probing got to him. "He just… he was quirkless and I didn't want him getting fucking murdered trying to be a hero… then… I thought I was fucking better than him because everyone had always said so. By the time I realized how wrong I'd been it was too late… I … I couldn't fix it…"

Todoroki kept one hand on Midoriya's matted hair and used the other to rub awkward circles on Bakugo's hunched back. This wasn't the right moment to fall apart, but if it had to happen, it should be now before Midoriya woke up and they were forced to torment him even more. He was so focused on damage control he didn't even notice how Bakugo had let Deku's secret slip.

"I hope you all are well rested because I expect nothing less than your full physical effort on this next part. You two are going to rape him."

Todoroki felt his fellow captive still under his hand, the gentle sobs ending quickly. The blonde's psyche was already splintering before hearing what they had to do next and Todoroki knew that he was doing no better. The only difference between them was that he'd had years of suppressing all of his emotions. Behind his heterochromatic eyes was a tidal wave of insanity, ready to come crashing through him as soon as they were free.

But hearing those words made insanity sound so much better than reality. Shoto and Katsuki looked at each other blankly at first, letting the order sink into their very souls. The dual user was the first to speak, letting out a single breathy phrase.

"What the fuck…"

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