Meddling
"But you know… meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a true hero."
-Yagi Toshinori
He was worn out. It had been thirty hours-maybe more-since he'd last slept. His body felt heavy. His responses had become horribly slow. His mind wrapped in a haze. And he was currently trying to ignore the distant jabs of the Fourth's quirk and keep himself removed from the others for now. He needed a break-just a little rest. Then he would patrol again.
Also, he needed to think on something he'd been avoiding for too long.
"All Might no longer interests me…"
"Can you guess who I've had on my mind...? You."
"What awaits you… is an unspeakably gruesome death…"
"Six or seven years! But that's this year or next..."
He flinched, pushing it from his mind. Not now, though. I need to get back to the safe house first. I need to secure the building. I know he can take care of himself, but still… I need to...
Izuku continued hopping from building to building, using Float to help keep his ever weakening body steady. Gritting his teeth, he shut out all thoughts, operating on instinct and Danger Sense. Later.
After what seemed like an eternity, he was finally there. This particular safe house was a nondescript apartment in an evacuated portion of town. Most amenities had been shut off, including heat, but there was electricity and water, not to mention a bed, sofa, and a bathroom. It was more than enough for a day or two.
Before entering, Izuku did a quick check on the perimeter. Nothing out of the ordinary-a surprise actually, as much as a relief. He finally slipped into the building, and made his way into their unit. The blackout curtains were drawn, and it was a simple task to confirm that doors and windows were locked and secured.
Of course they are, Deku. He's a pro. Just because he's powered down now doesn't mean he lost his training. He's been doing this for a lot longer than you have.
He winced at that. That was part of the problem, wasn't it?
Izuku pulled off his hood, growing a bit worried. Usually by now All Might would have greeted him. Fussed over his injuries, forcing Izuku to pretend nothing was wrong to keep his mentor from worrying. But this time-nothing.
A knot tightened in his gut.
No. Did they find us? Did they take him? Or worse, did they…?
In a near panic, he flicked on the light. Blinking back purple spots from the sudden brightness, he finally saw All Might, sleeping soundly where he'd apparently been waiting on the sofa.
Izuku sighed in relief, suddenly realizing he'd been holding his breath. He dragged himself over to the worn and faded sofa and gently sat beside the older man. The boy leaned forward, elbows on knees, and rested his face in his palms, exhausted. It's okay. He's okay.
I can't keep doing this. I can't protect us both.
"Can you guess who I've had on my mind…?"
He gritted his teeth, forcing back tears that he refused to shed. You're in more danger with me than alone. Why don't you understand that? Why won't you leave?
He took a deep breath. Then another.
If you die because of me, I won't forgive myself. Not you…
He breathed softly listening to the sounds of his mentor beside him. They were the deep steady breaths of someone who'd been asleep for awhile. But Izuku could hear a rattle and wheeze that accompanied them. He could tell how much shorter All Might's breaths were than his own. And every once in a while, the man would quietly cough. Or shift slightly in his sleep with a hiss and a small wheezing moan of pain.
Izuku flinched. He hadn't realized until they'd started sharing safe houses that All Might's injury constantly hurt him. The man was incredible at hiding pain and infirmity. But some things can't be hidden when you sleep. When your guard is down. And when All Might slept, his difficulty breathing, his pain, and even at times his damaged psychological and emotional states became painfully evident.
And for the first time in Izuku's life, he realized how old All Might was.
The Holders had mentioned how long All Might had held his quirk. A couple casual questions to the man about when he'd first gained One for All, and some simple math had led Izuku to what shouldn't have been such a surprising realization: that All Might was nearly sixty.
He'd always seemed so strong, even in his weaker form. He was so good at putting on a show. But now, in close quarters as they were, Izuku saw so much that even he had never realized about All Might. Because the man couldn't hide everything all the time. Even he had limits.
And the truth of the matter was that All Might was older than Izuku had thought. And he was in far worse health. He suffered from PTSD. He was self-conscious and guilt-ridden and tormented by recent events.
And Izuku finally saw what he'd been missing for so long. What even All for One had seen.
"All Might no longer interests me. I've moved on from that great, useless oaf."
Of course he had. Because even if they did twist fate together—even if they survived this—all of this strain was probably going to kill All Might anyway.
He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve any of this. He deserved to retire and be loved by everyone and be safe. Izuku wanted so badly to give that to him.
He wanted to see All Might smile again. It had been far too long.
He turned tiredly to look at All Might's wasted form. His legs were stretched in front of him. One of his arms was flung out over the back of the sofa. The other was curled protectively around his scar. He looked even more fragile than usual, the stark white light of the electric bulb giving his skin an ashen appearance, and casting deep shadows over his gaunt cheeks and sunken eyes. The shadows accentuated the lines in his face as well, making him look so much older and more worn than usual.
And there was the grey.
Izuku had noticed recently that All Might's hair was starting to silver at the temples. He tried to tell himself it was his age, nothing more. Except that Izuku had never noticed the grey until they'd gone on the run.
This is going to kill you, All Might. And I'm not okay with that.
I should just leave now, while he's asleep and can't stop me. Leave him a note, so he knows I'm okay and go. I can let Hawks or Endeavor know where he is, so they can help get him to safety. He's done more for me than he's ever needed to. That's the least I can do for him.
He moved to stand, ready to put his thoughts into action, exhaustion be damned, when he felt All Might shift and murmur something in his sleep.
Izuku turned to look at him, and saw the older man shiver, his emaciated body not able to cope well with the cooler temperature that evening. He coughed a couple of times, automatically brushing blood from his lips, even in his sleep.
Izuku sighed and stood, walking to the bedroom and grabbing a blanket from the bed. He dragged it out into the living room, and gently covered the sleeping form of his mentor.
Long, bony fingers clutched the coarse fabric of the blanket and brushed Izuku's scarred hand. To the boy's surprise, the older man suddenly clutched his hand, holding it in a surprisingly strong grip. He murmured softly in his sleep, "Thank you, my boy." He sighed slightly, and a very faint smile curled his thin lips. "I'm glad you're here." He gently squeezed the boy's hand before finally releasing him, the smile lingering.
Izuku's breath caught, and he barely moved, eyes wide.
And just like that, he couldn't leave. Not now, when All Might was finally smiling. Not tonight, at least, behind his back. Instead he just leaned forward, finished tugging the blanket up over All Might's shoulders, and gently replied, "Of course I'm here. Just rest, All Might. We're safe. I'll make sure of it."
As the older man's breathing steadied, Izuku allowed himself a small smile of his own. "Just rest. You deserve to rest. You'll be fine now. Because I'm here."
He straightened, and turned to walk toward the bathroom, rubbing at his eyes. A quick shower and then sleep. That's what he needed now.
He'd stay with All Might one more night. Let him rest. And he'd be extra kind in the morning. He'd try to leave his mentor with some good memories before they parted ways.
Because in order to protect him, Izuku knew he needed to leave. It didn't matter what he wanted. What either of them wanted. All that mattered was that All Might got the rest he deserved.
Tomorrow …
With that thought, he entered the bathroom to take his shower.
Author's Note: Taking place the day before 317, because I needed to respond to it somehow in order to finally process it. This was written very quickly, over the course of an hour or two, and as such, it may have errors. I apologize. This was my way of processing 317 on... I just wrote it to clear my head. No beta. Thanks for understanding.
Also, this was loosely inspired by Haptronym's amazing fic, "You May Not Rest, There Are Monsters Nearby." The stories aren't connected in any real way, but when I read her work, it began something in my brain that resulted in this. Also, my safe house is very inspired by Haptronym's.
Thanks so much for reading!
Sincerely,
Sirius:)
Note #2: I noticed that I lost formatting when I posted this (all my italics went away), so I did an edit to bring those back. And then I went over it and tweaked the story a bit. This is the new version. Not much has changed. A bit of wording, several italics, a few new sentences. Probably not noticeable to anyone but me, but I wanted to point it out in case you read the old version and wondered why this might sound a hair different.
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Sirius:)
