Notes: Remember when I thought this scene was going to be in the last chapter? lmao me. I'm a dumbass. I'm sorry for any typos. I've literally been working on this for like 5 hours and then like 2 hours yesterday and I just want to chill and watch Sesame Street and then The Dragon Prince with my daughter. I'll go back and look through this either tonight or tomorrow. Holy fuck, I can't believe I wrote this much action. It's HARD. Four fucking chapters of action. I thought I was crazy for doing like 8k. RIP me. Hopefully, this is good. I've been really nervous about this chapter and I don't know if it came out well, but I've been lowkey terrified of fucking up and failing everyone. Bless you, anxiety. Let me enjoy this.

"I kinda miss the days when he couldn't control his power!" Shinsou said from above. He had barely managed to avoid being smashed by a car Deku had thrown in his direction. Wrapping the end of his binding cloth around a fire escape, he had pulled himself up and out of the way at the last second. With one gloved hand holding onto the railing and his boots against the brick wall, he hung ready to jump again. "You know, when he did half the work for us by breaking his bones? Yeah, I miss that."

Bakugou almost didn't recognize Shinsou's own voice. Since the fight started in earnest, he had been using his support gear to create a near-perfect intimation of Bakugou's voice. It was uncanny and very unsettling, especially since he said some pretty awful shit, but Bakugou got used to it. Unfortunately, he had to admit that Shinsou did a damn good impression of him.

Deku was certainly pissed the fuck off.

"C'mon, you're faster than that, aren't you?" Bakugou called out. "Or are you just back to being shitty Deku?" A disgusted sneer crossed his face. This was a familiar expression to Deku probably. Bakugou had made this look a lot during their time at UA. Sneering and scowling had been his default reactions. "You're not worthy of being a One for All holder! It should've been me! I could've done some real shit with it!"

Furious red lightning crackled around Deku. Energy radiated from him in waves, so strong that it blew debris around him. He hadn't even moved yet. Bakugou could tell he wanted to yell back so bad, but Deku kept his mouth shut. He couldn't afford to be careless and allow himself to get caught up in Shinsou's brainwashing quirk, no matter how enraged he was.

Shinsou winced. "Oof, that one landed."

Deku kicked off hard enough to cause an explosion of wind behind him. Instead of aiming at the ground to dodge, Bakugou blew up the debris where he was running. Smoke and dirt exploded in the air, creating a cloud for him to briefly float in. As he came back down, he shot off a shit ton of small but powerful and precise AP Shots. Even if he couldn't Deku, the barrage of shots in the dust cloud would hit a large area and also make it difficult for him to figure out where Bakugou was exactly. Using the special move in the air knocked him back a few meters and he landed skidding.

Before he could go for another attack, the dust cloud began to swirl and was sucked together to form a tight tornado. Deku's shooter style was always so creative and hard to counter. Using just his speed and power, he could now seemingly control the air around him. Even after digging his heels into the dirt, Bakugou found himself being pulled forward. Shinsou was forced to grab onto the railing with both hands to keep from being pulled off. If his binding cloth got caught up in that, he'd get sucked in. There was a chance it would wrap around Deku and subdue him; there was also a chance it would get Shinsou seriously fucked up and cause him to lose his support weapon.

When Shinsou's toes started to scrape against the brick and lift off, Bakugou grabbed onto a still standing stop sign and pulled his legs up so that he was crouched parallel to the ground with his boots on the metal pole.. He didn't need his feet to be on the ground to create an explosion. In fact, it was the perfect conditions for him: a Deku-made Howitzer. He'd done half the work for him creating that whirlwind of air.

Shinsou must've caught on to what he was planning on doing because he shouted, "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe!" Bakugou yelled back over the roar of the wind. He had to be a little crazy (and maybe a little stubborn and stupid) to think he could fight against One for All anywhere near a hundred percent. He could only hope that his insane quirk held him at bay since it had seemed to be sentient in some ways.

He kicked off the pole, stretching out one hand and holding his wrist with the other as he tensed his muscles. As soon as he hit the tornado, he let out of a massive explosion. The fire of his explosion sucked up all of the oxygen created by the whirlwind, becoming ten times stronger. It raced down to the ground where it exploded like a bomb dropping from the sky. The explosion was enough to blow him back, but he was used to flying with his quirk and become accustomed to odd angles in the air even more thanks to Uraraka's quirk.

More importantly, it was a direct hit.

Smoke was left in the wake of the explosion. Deku was crouched with one knee and hand on the ground holding him up. His outfit was singed and burned in patches over his arms, which he must've used to shield himself from the worst of the explosion. There wasn't nearly as much damage on his costume as Bakugou had expected, but it must have been fireproof, but flame retardant clothes could only withstand so much, especially when faced with an intense explosion like that.

Still, Bakugou was stunned that Deku hadn't been blown halfway to hell being in the center of that bomb. How the fuck was he partially standing? He might've been on a knee and maybe trembling a little, but he wasn't down. Light zipped around his body. Had he been able to shield himself somehow at the last second? There were so many ways he could use his quirk that Bakugou would never know. It made him feel like an ant.

"Thanks for the opening, Deku!" Shinsou called out again in Bakugou's voice. "You're even shittier at being a villain than you were a hero. You can't even take me one-on-one." He scoffed, somehow sounding exactly like him even when not talking, Shit, Shinsou had really got his mannerisms down. It was almost scary. "C'mon, I thought you were All Might's successor. Is that all you've got?"

Bakugou tensed up from his position on the ground. His arm didn't ache as much as it could have, if only because he had used the funnel to strengthen his explosion, but Shinsou's words didn't sit right with him. It had to be done. He hadn't been exaggerating when he had told Shinsou to do whatever was necessary: anything to provoke Deku into answering and getting sucked under the control of his brainwash had to be said.

And All Might was apparently one of Deku's more confusing triggers according to Uraraka's testimony. That was to be expected. He always had been – for both of them.

It felt wrong to use him and the knowledge of One for All against him. Such a closely guarded secret now tossed out into the open, at least for the authorities and top heroes to know. Bakugou hadn't liked it. This was a gift that had been passed down through multiple generations, only known by few. However, with Deku on the other side, All Might's hand had been forced. He had to explain what they were up against. Leaving the heroes in the dark when they were risking their lives to fight and save Deku would've only hindered them.

The truth was tragic. Deku's power was the stock of nine people's dreams to save the world and he had been twisted to use that power to destroy those dreams, including his own. A dark part of Bakugou hoped that Deku was completely gone. At least then he wouldn't be in agony over the things he'd done. If it had been him in his place, Bakugou would've never forgiven himself. He didn't know how Deku would or if he even stood a chance.

"Shit," Shinsou muttered upon dropping behind him. "I think I saw Uraraka and Todoroki fighting or something. The ice on the building down the street–"

As much as his heart skipped a traitorous beat upon Shinsou mentioning Uraraka, Bakugou immediately squashed his concern. She could handle Todoroki. (She could. She would. At least she was alive. Todoroki wouldn't kill her. He wouldn't.) There was no time for distractions and he didn't even bother responding. He couldn't lose focus of Deku for one second.

While Deku attempted to recover from the Howitzer, Bakugou aimed at him again and pulled the pin from his left grenade brace. He'd been saving them for a moment when he had a direct hit. After fighting against him for what felt like hours with Shinsou, he had enough sweat stored in there to, well, take out a building. The explosion that radiated from his palm reached at least two stories in height, so strong the force shoved him back into Shinsou who had dropped down behind him.

It would hit him. It had to fucking hit him.

Deku jumped to his feet fast, but he didn't dodge the explosion like he would when they were younger. Instead, he spun around on one foot and kicked in a downward arc with the other. He didn't need to be close for the kick to do damage. The force created a gust of wind that sliced through the explosion in half so that the fire went on both sides of him, like a river with two paths. He followed through, spinning and jumping to kick with his other foot. Barely able to follow the movements, the second gust of air struck both Bakugou and Shinsou head on.

Bakugou hit the ground hard, rolling and skidding through the gravel. He used his explosions to slow himself down, but Deku's fist grazed his face in a wild punch. If it had hit him directly, he probably would've died, but the graze was still enough to throw him into a brick wall. Much needed air was knocked out of his lungs, leaving him breathless and gasping desperately when he dropped to his knees.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Deku said as he advanced on him. "I still remember all the times you knocked me around hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs. All the times I could breathe and you'd just laugh and call me weak." He grabbed Bakugou by a handful of his hair and jerked him up painfully, forcing him onto his knees. "How does it feel to be on the opposite end?"

"Like shit," Bakugou wheezed out. Deku blinked slowly, an unimpressed expression on his face. "What? You expect me to say it feels like karma?"

"No, Kacchan," Deku sighed, not in disappointed. It was acceptance. "I would never expect you to apologize. You're not capable of it."

"Don't do it, Deku!" Uraraka's voice cried out. Deku flinched again, but he didn't fall for it this time. The binding cloth shot at him, but he snatched it instead with his free hand, wrapping it around his wrist and holding onto it tightly as an anchor. Shinsou's face hardened as he clenched his jaw underneath his half-mask. He gripped the cloth, lifting it slightly, perhaps preparing to either abandon it for now. Bakugou didn't know. He'd seen Aizawa and Shinsou both use it for years and he still couldn't wrap his head around the intuitive cloth.

Deku shook his head and glared heatedly at Shinsou as if to say, Don't you dare use her voice to trick me.

Any means necessary. Shinsou used to hate playing dirty, especially when it came to his quirk, but it was clear that he'd abandoned such morals in this fight with Deku.

Instead of getting rid of the cloth, he snapped the other end, which had been lying on the ground. It wrapped around Deku's ankle and Shinsou pulled on that hard, having used the first attack as a bluff and to force his attention up. Right as Deku toppled sideways and let go of Bakugou's hair to catch himself, a loud whining sound filled the air. A blur of white and blue flashed in his vision before he realized a leg had kicked down on Deku's chest, the sound now recognizable as an engine.

Iida. It was fucking Iida.

Bakugou had barely managed to take a breath, but he shot an explosion off that served as an attack and means to get away from Deku. A close up fight would work to Deku's advantage and he couldn't allow that. Deku kicked up into a handstand and pushed off the ground with his hands to escape the brunt of the explosion, only to have to use his hands to fend off another kick from Iida. He blocked two, missed one that connected with his side, and ducked to dodge another before swiping a foot under Iida's ankles. With Iida distracted, he jumped to grab onto the wire of magically still hanging street light and swing out of the way. He landed on top of a car and paused to catch his breath while holding his side.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Bakugou demanded, forcing the words out as he struggled to breathe. Fuck, getting hit with that wind, fist, and a wall had really done a number on him. How many ribs had he broken? Hopefully only one and hopefully Deku felt the same pain after Iida's surprise attack. He hadn't been able to prepare himself for that at all. "We've got this!"

"Do you?" Iida countered.

"Go help Uraraka!" Bakugou shouted. "She's dealing with Todoroki on her own!"

"She told me to help you two," Iida shot back.

Bakugou bit his tongue. He'd argue to the ends of the earth with Iida, but if Uraraka had sent him here, then it must have been for a good reason. Maybe she'd cracked the hold of that quirk on Todoroki. Maybe she knew the truth - that Bakugou, no matter how strong and determined he was, could only do so much against the true power of One for All. He might've been able to beat Deku back in high school, but he hadn't been capable of going one hundred percent back then either.

"I swear to be Number One."

What a sick fucking joke.

Before he could tell Iida what to do, a gunshot echoed in the air. The sound was so different from everything else around them that the crack stood out. So used to fighting with and against quirks, guns always took him out of the moment. It was like being smacked with reality. Even Deku reacted abruptly, standing upright and jerking his head in its direction. Bakugou followed his gaze. The blue and red fires that had raged in the corner of his eyes during their entire fight were doused. No fire, no ice, no explosions.

What the hell happened over there?

"Shouto," Deku murmured thoughtfully. "Huh."

From his high position on the car roof, he could look down the street over the rubble. Bakugou grit his teeth. What did that mean? What did Deku see? He was tempted to launch himself in their air to catch a glimpse, but it would be a waste of energy and time.

With Deku distracted, Bakugou propelled himself forward to attack, but Deku snapped back in the moment like he'd never left it. He sliced through the air with a kick, cutting through the explosion again with a burst of air, but this time, Bakugou didn't let up. Instead of one powerful explosion, he shot off a barrage of smaller, more precise explosions, forcing Deku to bend down to shield himself. He couldn't break through such a relentless attack with a single kick or punch.

Instead, he jumped forward, spinning his body like a bullet through the air, meeting Bakugou head-on in the air and grabbing the front of his costume. Bakugou used his quirk to twist their bodies so that he was on top and then threw his hand back to let off a massive explosion that hurtled them both to the ground. Deku let go of him and swung his leg sideways in a half circle to kick Bakugou in the side. He flew into a brick wall and his chest exploded with pain from the already broken ribs. Deku crashed on top of a car, severely denting it and immobilizing him for a moment.

Considering the struggle it took Deku to crawl out of the wreckage, the pain was worth it.

"You don't have to do this, Midoriya!" Iida called out. "This isn't what Uraraka would want! She wouldn't want to see you hurt or hurting your friends!"

Deku pressed a hand to the side of his head where blood was seeping out from a wound and shook it, like he was ridding himself of something. It reminded Bakugou of their first confrontation on his apartment building's roof when he had pointed out the bruises on Uraraka's wrists. He'd almost lost it then, like his real memories were coming through and fighting with him for dominance. He had to get rid of them. Anything conflicting made it difficult for him to concentrate.

It also made him more likely to unintentionally activate his quirk. He was the last person they needed to lose control of themselves, aside from Todoroki, which was possible as well. None of them knew what would happen if they were able to break through Kyomu's quirk. They didn't know if those affected would snap back to normal or just snap.

"I know this is hard," Iida said in a more soothing but still fervent tone, "but we're here for you now. You're not alone. You won't have to be alone ever again."

Deku stilled, his face half-covered. Bakugou narrowed his eyes and pressed a hand against the wall, preparing to dodge a surprise, speed attack.

"Midoriya?" Iida prompted cautiously.

His attack on Deku from behind was sudden, a powerful, engine-fueled dropkick that Deku dodged by rolling sideways off the car and landing in a crouch on the street. He struck the car instead, scrap metal and the tires blown into the sky from the strength of his kick. Bakugou gawked, caught off guard by the attack, considering that Iida had been calling from his left.

Ah, it was another trick by Shinsou. Somehow, it looked like it reached him more than everything else. Maybe Iida was the key to getting him respond, not Bakugou. Hadn't he said that Iida was a true hero?

Deku used the speed of his quirk to zip away from Iida and skidded to a halt when he was at a safe distance. His mask hid the bottom half of his mask so they couldn't see if he was scowling, but his eyes glared over the top, giving enough of the picture. He made a few sharp and aggressive gestures with his hands. Bakugou didn't know what the hell he was doing, but they looked rude as hell.

"What the fuck is that?" Bakugou snapped. Was it some kind of move that charged up his quirk?

Shinsou scoffed. "He said I wasn't playing fair and called me a rude jackass." He responded in kind with a series of hand gestures of his own, matching Deku's aggression. "That doesn't mean what I said isn't true, Midoriya!"

Light flashed around Deku. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Shinsou, who only had time to blink in surprise before Deku snatched him by his binding cloth and threw him hard. No longer the same weakling he was back when he was in General Studies, he still wasn't strong enough to fight back on a physical level with Deku. He wrapped the end of the binding cloth around a lamppost to catch himself, but his momentum forced the post to snap in half and he crashed through the window of Endeavor's agency.

"Shinsou!" Bakugou shouted. There wasn't a response or he didn't see any movement through the broken window. After taking a hit like that, he wouldn't be surprised if Shinsou was out cold. "Shit! If he's unconscious, he's fucked. He can't stay in there, Iida. That building is gonna–"

A red-gloved hand appeared in his vision and Bakugou staggered back and let off an unexpected explosion. Startled, the explosion was a lot stronger than usual. The combination of that and his unsteady footing shot him back into the air. Before he could correct himself, Deku was on him again, swinging down with a powered kick. He barely had time to throw up his arms to block his face. Deku's kick landed right on grenade brace, shattering it into pieces. Bakugou cried out as the pain ran all the way his arm, but was cut off mid-shout when he crashed into the ground. He could practically feel his bones rattling.

Deku wasn't even at one-hundred percent. The only reasons his arm wasn't completely wrecked were because he used the grenade brace as a shield and Deku was still holding back some.

Why?

"I thought you wanted to kill me, Deku," Bakugou wheezed as he pushed himself up.

"I do," Deku insisted, pulling down his mask. He strode over to him sluggishly.

Bakugou scowled. "Then what's the hold-up?"

Before he could get up all the way, Deku pressed a foot against his chest and shoved him down. The back of Bakugou's head slammed on the street, his vision blurring for a moment. He struggled to breathe and Deku stepped on him further, like he was trying to push him through the asphalt. When his vision cleared up again, he found Deku leaning over him and watching him with a cold, critical eye, so unlike the passionate, analytical gaze that he was used to seeing on Deku's face.

"I want to enjoy this," Deku told him, "like the way you enjoyed torturing me."

I didn't, Bakugou swore in his mind. Saying it out loud would be worthless.

"You can't," he ground out instead.

Deku narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

"Because that's not you."

A strange look flickered across Deku's face, almost like he was confused. Bakugou wasn't good at this. He couldn't talk him down, not like Uraraka, not even like Iida or Todoroki. He wasn't them. He wasn't good like they were. Everything about him rubbed Deku the wrong way right now. It didn't matter what he said: Deku would either hate it or not believe it because it came from him, the one person who hurt him the most. He'd dug his own grave. Trying to crawl out of it was a struggle when Deku kept throwing more dirt on him.

"You're better than me," Bakugou continued. "You're stronger. I knew it then and it pissed me off. It scared me. How could someone quirkless and weak like you be better than me?"

Even though he had looked ready to kill him moments ago, Deku didn't move now, eyes locked on him and brow furrowed. It hurt a little to talk, especially with Deku still holding him down with his foot, but it stung even more to admit this truth to him. While it had been embarrassing and even shameful to talk about it with Uraraka, who hadn't known the full history between them, he was disgusted and angry with himself now. He should've talked with Deku about this a long time ago, but he wouldn't. He couldn't.

He had been a coward. Once again, Deku had been the stronger person. He easily could've turned people against him by talking about their past, but he hadn't. He'd never held his behavior against him. Maybe he should have. Maybe, if someone had held him accountable for his actions, they wouldn't be here fighting each other and Deku would still be a hero.

"I knew… I knew that if you tried, even for a moment, everyone would like you so much more than me," Bakugou continued. "They'd follow you. So I made sure that everyone thought you were as worthless. I made sure everyone was on my side and against you. Because I knew you were better and, if given the chance, they'd know it too." He swallowed the lump in his throat. Was this guilt? Acceptance? He didn't know. All he knew was that he couldn't stop, not now. Deku deserved this. "And they did. They fucking did. You got into UA and you had a quirk and I could see everything shifting right before my eyes. All my stupid ass insecurities were coming true as more and more people flocked to you – trusted you, believed in you, liked you. It drove me mad."

It was like a switch had flipped in Deku the moment he got into UA. He hadn't changed overnight and he still had a bad habit of bursting into tears, but he was undoubtedly different. It wasn't just the quirk either. At first, Bakugou had believed that was why he was so pissed off. Deku had been hiding a quirk the whole time? Why? Did he think he was too strong for Bakugou to handle? He spent months trying to convince himself that was the reason Deku's existence pissed him off, only to be confused as more and more people flocked to him.

Yeah, he had close friends, but even his friends enjoyed being around Deku and trusted him too. He was magnetic. Everyone turned to him at one point. Everyone trusted his judgment. Everyone cheered for his improvement and his wins. God, his fucking wins. It made Bakugou want to tear his hair out. Every time he saw Deku win and get stronger, he wanted to explode. He was always one step ahead of him and he couldn't keep up anymore no matter how much he improved himself.

But nothing – absolutely fucking nothing – was worse and more maddening than seeing Deku like this. It wasn't fucking right. He'd thought Deku having a quirk and being stronger was wrong, but no, this was true hell. He couldn't take seeing him like this. It was a nightmare. It was sick. It was painful in every way. He was a goddamn hero. He had been chosen to carry One for All after All Might.

(It should've been Bakugou. He should've been playing the role of the monster in this story, not Deku. He had acted the part plenty as a kid, hadn't he? In a way, he was doing that part, at least on Deku's side.)

"By the time we graduated, I knew you were going to be a better hero than me," Bakugou finished. He ignored the jittery feeling that crawled over his skin whenever he opened up. He had to say it. Deku had to hear it from him, just once. "That's why I know you won't feel better if you do kill me. It's not in you to be cruel like that – to be cruel out of fear and anger like me. Kyomu couldn't do that to you."

Deku clenched his fists at his sides. "He set me free –"

"Then why the fuck are you still holding back?" Bakugou retorted. "Face it: you're unsure. You're scared. What if you do kill me and it's nothing like you expected?"

"Shut up!" Deku snapped.

Bakugou did no such thing. "What if you kill me and you don't feel anything, huh?" he demanded, relentless in his badgering even as Deku pushed down on him further. "Because this isn't what you want. It's a hollow wish that someone else planted in your head. You can get fulfillment out of a desire that isn't real."

Deku smacked the side of his head. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"I'll shut up when you fucking listen–"

He didn't get to finish the statement, not when another massive wall of ice burst into view. The ground shook as the ice erupted in the air. Unlike the controlled manner in which Todoroki usually used his ice, like the glacier he'd created to spear Endeavor's agency, the ice went everywhere. It was haywire. Despite being far down the street, the ice even reached them and Deku had to jump in order to avoid getting hit. Bakugou didn't even have time to get up, forced to use smaller explosions to propel himself off the ground to dodge the ice.

Somewhere, Todoroki had fucking lost his shit. And, according to Iida, Uraraka was with him.

An alarmed expression crossed Deku's face – bright eyes wide, eyebrows raised, and mouth slightly parted – but before he could question what was going on with his delusional partner in crime, binding cloth wrapped around him. His arms snapped against his sides, the cloth capturing him in a tight hold. Instead of Shinsou at the other end of the cloth, Iida held onto it. Shinsou was slumped against a car behind him, grimacing as he held onto his left shoulder where his arm hung limply. Unable to pull on it himself, he must have captured Deku with the cloth and then passed it off to Iida.

Deku started to activate his quirk, but Iida was faster. His engines burned with fierce energy as he started to run in a circle. The cloth jerked Deku right off his feet before he could gain traction and break free with his quirk. Iida didn't relent, somehow kicking it into an even higher gear so that he became little more than a white and blue blur. No doubt Deku was disoriented. Even Bakugou struggled to watch, although that was probably a side effect of getting knocked around so much.

Skidding at least ten feet to a halt, Iida used his built up momentum to pull the cloth over his shoulders and slam Deku hard into the ground. At the same time, Deku activated his quirk to protect himself and the asphalt cracked under the strength of both the attack and defensive maneuvers, like a heavy weight had struck it.

Just when Bakugou thought they might've knocked him out, red streaks of light crackled from the hole in the street like some sort of hellish glow. Shinsou yelled, "Let go of the cloth!" right before there was an explosion that blew Iida off his feet. Despite being made of an incredibly strong material, bits and pieces of the binding clothed littered the area and floated through the air. Of course, it hadn't stood a chance against One for All.

Bakugou and Shinsou watched in horror as Deku crawled out of the hole, rolling his right arm in a circle as he rubbed his shoulder, that unearthly red light still crackling around him. Without the cloth, Shinsou was at an extreme disadvantage. No doubt he knew how to fight without it – one couldn't be a half-baked hero, especially not with Aizawa as a teacher – but fighting with Deku at this level was ridiculous. They were both injured and Iida hadn't returned from wherever he'd landed.

Even though his left arm throbbed painfully, Bakugou readied himself to fight, smoke rising from his palms as he prepared to create a series of more concentrated explosions. He needed to be more precise. He thought he might still be a better fighter than Deku, but unfortunately for everyone, Deku had learned how to take a beating and keep ticking early on. The little prick that he was, Bakugou had made sure he learned that lesson well.

"Ah, Izuku, are you struggling this badly?" a bored voice greeted from behind. "I honestly thought you'd be done by now."

A cold chill crawled up Bakugou's spine. He slowly turned his head around until his eyes landed on Todoroki. A dead look rested in Todoroki's mismatched gaze as he looked at Deku, his face completely empty, making it impossible to read what he was feeling. He stood utterly relaxed to the point of being limp, his head tilted questioningly, right hand on his hip and his left loose at his side. In a way, he reminded Bakugou of a puppet just dangling unused on its strings.

A sheepish grimace flashed across Deku's face. "Maybe I'm not as strong as you."

Todoroki glanced at Bakugou briefly, contempt flashing in his eyes before it vanished, and returned his gaze to his best friend. "Maybe. Do you need help?"

"Did you finish what you came here to do?" Izuku asked.

Despite his lack of any sort of emotional response, tension filled the air. Todoroki did absolutely nothing for a moment, considering his next words or maybe weighing how much he wanted to say in front of them. They all knew what he had come here to do. The lack of red and orange flames down the street and Todoroki's presence here told a terrible story, but Bakugou wouldn't believe Todoroki was capable of it. He couldn't. Fucked up, hurt, and betrayed as he had been by both his own father and Kyomu, he wouldn't have killed his old man. He'd snap out of it first. If not, Uraraka would have stopped him.

(Where was she? If she had been with Todoroki before… Where the fuck was she?)

And then Todoroki let out a breath and responded in a flat tone with a simple, "I did," and Bakugou's heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach.

They'd failed him. Bakugou still couldn't save Deku and Todoroki had fallen completely victim to the quirk. Even if he did snap out of it, he would never forgive himself for this horrible moment of weakness.

Endeavor was dead. There was no way around that. Todoroki wouldn't be here and he wouldn't have said that if he hadn't done it. Once again, the number one hero was gone.

By now, it was like an old record being played in Bakugou's mind. He had failed. He had lost someone – this time in more ways than just death. Endeavor had first taken the number one spot after All Might was forced to vacate it and retire. He had stepped back into it once more after Deku's death, a particularly cruel joke by the universe in Bakugou's opinion. Todoroki had mentioned the jump in rank bothering his father, almost causing him to go unranked, but he hadn't. The public had been shaken by the loss of Deku, someone that reminded them so much of All Might in his prime. They'd needed a reason to rally, if not smile, after his passing.

These days, most people probably wished Deku had stayed dead. Bakugou honestly didn't know how he felt. As of now, he could barely manage to pull himself together to keep fighting, even though he knew he had no choice.

So unlike the horror that wormed its way through Bakugou, a truly pleased smile split across Deku's face, lighting him up. "I'm so happy for you, Shouto!"

Todoroki didn't say anything in response. He merely nodded his head, looking more displaced from the moment than ever before. It was like he wasn't even here, like he was a ghost of his old self. Bakugou couldn't move. He could barely breathe. What the fuck was he supposed to do against both of them? Especially when Todoroki looked so damn off. What the hell was going on with him?

"Oi, where the hell is Uraraka?" Bakugou demanded.

There wasn't a single emotion in Todoroki's eyes when he considered Bakugou this time. "I took care of her."

Bakugou rounded on him sharply. "What the fuck does that mean?" He clenched his hands into fists and took one thunderous step toward him. "I swear to god, Todoroki, if you hurt her…"

Todoroki rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't hurt her. I'm not like you."

"Tch," Bakugou scoffed, but he didn't argue. No, Todoroki wouldn't hurt her, not if he and Deku were best buddies again. Hurting her would mean getting on Deku's bad side and, from what Uraraka had said of her time with the villains, that wasn't an option. Deku wouldn't hesitate to hurt anyone, not even the assholes supposedly on his side, if they tried to hurt Uraraka in any way. How fucked up had it been to watch him beat a villain to death? It was one thing to say it. Bakugou had gotten into plenty of bloody fights with villains since the USJ Incident in his first year.

But he'd never killed any of them with his bare hands or beat them into an unrecognizable pulp.

"She's safe," was all Todoroki said. It was pretty shit as far as explanations go, but at least he knew she was alive. Where and how, he was desperate to know, but Todoroki hadn't been that great about explaining things before. He was probably even worse as a partially brainwashed villain. Who knew how his mind was working? Bakugou couldn't get a read on him. Unlike the rage in him when they'd fought earlier, there was nothing now.

Deku sighed in relief. "Good, good. I've been distracted this whole time worrying about her." He stood up straight and ran his fingers through his hair. "Now I can focus."

"Oh, now he can focus," Shinsou drawled dryly, pressing his good hand against the car to push himself upright. "He was just playing with us before."

Clearly more injured than he'd originally let on, Shinsou cringed, but then pulled his hand away to form a fist. He already had a pale complexion, but looked closer to sickly pale now. Shit, he was in worse shape than Bakugou had realized. He couldn't fight like this, but without the binding cloth, he didn't stand much of a chance at escaping either. Deku and Todoroki would kill him. He wasn't one of the names on their list, but he had said some awful shit and played a few underhanded tricks that Deku hadn't liked one bit. This Deku was a lot more spiteful than the old one. He was much more likely to attack someone or turn violent simply out of unchecked rage.

As expected, Todoroki outright ignored Shinsou, not even deigning to acknowledge him. To be honest, Bakugou wasn't even sure Todoroki had seen or heard him, so totally focused on Deku in this moment. It was like there was no one else in the world but him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Deku asked, sounding hurt about his desires being questioned. It was a strange question, considering all that he had done so far, but maybe Todoroki knew something he didn't. After all, unlike Deku, he'd accomplished the dream that Kyomu had planted in his mind. Maybe that was why he was acting so empty now.

"I just want to make sure this is what you want," Todoroki replied without hesitation. Sharp, crisp, completely unaffected. This was just another day for him. It meant nothing. He stepped forward, walking closer to him perhaps so they could fight side-by-side. "There's no going back once you do this."

"I know." Deku's voice was somehow both soft and filled with determination, but when he swung his gaze back to Bakugou, there was a fire in them that almost made Bakugou take a step back. He didn't. He stood his ground and glared back at him.

Fucking do it already, Bakugou snarled in his mind, unable to get the words out of his mouth. Explosions peppered the air around his hands. Fire flickered at Todoroki's fingertips even as he puffed out a breath of cold, foggy air. Red lines of energy ribboned over Deku's exposed skin.

"I'm ready to end this," Deku declared.

"As am I," Todoroki sighed, right before he swept his right hand up and shot a thick, concentrated block of ice in Deku's direction.

Considering that Deku had been so intensely focused on Bakugou, it was only thanks to One for All that he able to leap up and dodge the attack. He punched the ice with a powered up fist to keep it from encasing him, reminiscent of his and Todoroki's fight in their first Sports Festival. Todoroki gave him no time to express his shock over the abrupt betrayal before he shot off a column of fire and another wall of ice at the same time. The two powerful and simultaneous attacks caused an explosion that blinded everyone and shattered the ice. It created a shockwave so strong that it ruptured building and car windows. Bakugou had to duck low to the ground and create explosions with his bad arm to keep himself from being knocked off his feet. He held his remaining grenade bracer to shield himself from the falling ice particles, the chunks ranging from the size of a pea to a softball.

Deku panted heavily from his spot on the ground, his fingers digging into the broken concrete of a sidewalk and his body trembling from taking the hit indirectly. "What are you doing, Shouto? I thought we were a team! We were in this together!"

"I'm saving you from yourself," Todoroki said firmly. "Like Ochako saved me."

"So everything you said was a lie?"

"No." Todoroki calmly stepped forward. Sadly. "It was the truth. I killed my father."

Actual tears welled in Deku's eyes. "So you get what you want but not me?"

"I didn't want it," Todoroki insisted. "I thought I did and, when I got the chance, I took it. I did it. I got rid of him. I ended the nightmare." He raised a shaky hand to cover the scar on his face. "But I was wrong, Izuku. The nightmare didn't end. It just started. Ochako woke me up, but it was too late and I…" He took a deep breath and pulled his hand away. "I can't let you do this. I won't let you destroy yourself."

"You're wrong." Deku shook his head. "You're just confused."

"I'm not," Todoroki said.

A wounded expression cast a shadow over Deku's face. "Shouto, please. I don't want to do this without you. I just got you back. I need you on my side."

The pleading tone in Deku's voice made Bakugou's insides twist. It made him think of when they had been kids and all Deku had wanted Bakugou to do was stop hurting him. Kacchan, please. Why hadn't he stopped then? Why had those words only made him angrier? Like Deku was acting pathetic on purpose to make him look bad? Why had he thought hurting Deku would make him stronger?

Weak. He felt weak. Todoroki had been beaten into becoming a hero his entire childhood and then he had been twisted and tortured into becoming a villain. And yet here he was, still fucking fighting to save Deku and do what was right, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Bakugou had expected rage over Todoroki's betrayal, but honestly, the pain in Deku's eyes made it so much worse. Todoroki's hands trembled, like he could barely stand it, but he didn't look away either.

This is for the best, his eyes said as he clenched his jaw.

"I did tell you that I wasn't going to be a part of this once I finished what I set out to do," Todoroki said.

"You promised to be here for me!" Deku yelled. "That you would help me when I faltered!"

"You're faltering for a reason!" Todoroki retorted. "This isn't real! This isn't what you want! You do this and you're never going to come back from this. You can't. You're a better person than all of us." He held out his hands, trying to calm them. "Don't you see? I am here for you. I am helping you. Listen to me, Izuku. I got what I thought I wanted – I killed my father – and now there's just this...hole of nothing. I'm empty. I'm done. I feel like I could die and I would just...fade away. That's what Kyomu's quirk does to you. It will leave you with nothing."

Deku pressed his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. "You're wrong!"

"It's so easy to dream about this moment until it's here and you're in it," Todoroki continued. "That's why you keep hesitating. That's why you keep holding yourself back until someone can intervene. Deep down, you know it's wrong. You know it's not what you want."

"No, no." Deku shook his head. "Kacchan took Ochako–"

"Don't you dare use her as an excuse," Todoroki interrupted coldly. "She's more important than that. That is just an idea planted in your head by a villain using you for his own means. He is using you, Deku, just like he used me – just like he used my brother and probably everyone else. All he cares about is the power he can wield through others. You're just the strongest of us all. He doesn't give a shit about you."

"He does," Deku insisted. "He helped me. He saved me. He showed me the truth."

"He showed us what we needed to see in order to become a tool," Todoroki said coldly. "And we fell for it."

"Shut up!" Deku shakily got back to his feet. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

Todoroki stiffened. "I don't? I was under his quirk too. Maybe not as long as you, but I know what I saw and what I felt. I can still feel it, like it'll never go away, just scratching at the back of my mind."

They were both spiraling – Deku panicking and pain creeping more and more into Todoroki's voice as he spoke - but Bakugou couldn't look away or intervene. He was afraid his voice would snap Deku back into the quirk's complete hold. Todoroki had to break through to Deku on his own. Only he knew what Deku had gone through in the eleven months he was missing and with the villains.

"It's not like that…"

"Our memories didn't have to be twisted that much. I know that. What you went through alone for all those years isn't right. It's not fair. I wish I could've been there for you back then." Todoroki dropped his shoulders. How different things would have been had he been there. Deku would've had actual friends instead of everyone isolating him. Why had he done that? "But some of what he did show us wasn't real. He made it so much worse. I know that and a part of me still wants to go back to him so I can reassure myself that killing my father was the right decision. That's not help, Deku. That's a clutch."

Tugging at his hair, Deku pressed in on himself, like everything might spill out of him if he let go or relaxed for even a second. Who the fuck knew what would happen if he did that? If he went at a hundred percent, he could take down an entire building in one go - and that was if he was controlling his quirk. If he lost control…?

They had to get everyone out of the blast radius, just in case. Bakugou looked around, hoping to catch sight of Iida so he could get Shinsou out of here, but he was still missing. Wait. He looked back to the car where Shinsou had been preparing for a fist fight before Todoroki's attack, but there was no one there. Where the fuck was he? Had he managed to run off?

"Kacchan was a monster!"

Bakugou flinched, his eyes snapping back to Deku.

"And so was my father!" Todoroki snapped. "The fact that you were kids doesn't excuse his behavior, but think about how safe you felt whenever you came home. Think about your mother and how she held you close and tended to all your wounds."

She had done that, hadn't she? All the times Bakugou had hit Deku just to show that he was stronger – when he insulted Deku to the point of tears – Deku would go home to his mother, who was weighed down by the guilt that she had somehow failed her son when he turned out quirkless.

Deku slowly opened his eyes. He stared at the ground, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. "My mom."

"At least you had her," Todoroki said, his voice cracking. "My father ruined my family. He tore us apart. My mother turned on me and had to be institutionalized. I barely knew siblings to the point where it felt like I didn't have any. Hell, my oldest brother faked his death and became a villain! But I got my revenge. I killed him. I won. I dethroned the number one hero. And I hate it. I want to take it back and I can't, Izuku. I can't. He did all of that and I still want him back. He could never make up for what he did and he never tried to, but he got better and he became a better person for us and Kyomu took that away from me. Even worse, he made me destroy everything. I don't want you to feel like this too. It's not worth it. Bakugou isn't worth it. You have to let him go or you'll regret it."

Silence settled over them like dust. None of them moved or spoke. Their argument had allowed Bakugou enough time to recover somewhat – he was energized and ready to fight again – or at least that was what he told himself. He ignored the pain shooting up his arm when he flexed his fingers. By some miracle, it wasn't broken (not seriously, in any case), so he could still fight with it. He could still do his job.

"I'm sorry, Shouto," Deku said as he stared hollowly at the ground. He dragged his eyes up to Todoroki, who looked back at him with a measured gaze. "But I am stronger than you. I never should've doubted that."

Instead of attacking head-on, Deku shot up, which meant that he was able to preemptively dodge Todoroki and Bakugou's combined fire attacks. He kicked off the side of a building and landed behind Todoroki, who didn't have enough time to create a thick enough wall of ice to protect himself. Deku's kick went right through it and connected with his chest, knocking him back and into a patch of ice he created to stop himself. Still, ice wasn't much better than a brick wall or a metal car.

Bakugou created a large explosion with his good hand, which Deku defended himself against using a kick to deflect it. When that failed, he aimed an AP Shot at a car next to Deku, striking the tank and causing scrap metal to slice through the air when it exploded, but he activated his quirk to dodge insanely fast. He was too fucking quick and was on him in a flash. Bakugou threw up his other hand to defend himself, but when he went to create an explosion, his muscles tensed up and only one half as strong as normal came out. He snatched his wrist and pulled it back against himself, gritting in pain even as he fell back.

They connected eyes for only a second as Deku reared his fist back, his entire body glowing with far more power than ever before since this whole mess had started. There was no forgiveness in his eyes. No light. Nothing at all. There would be no talking it out this time. This was it. He was done.

They were both done.

"Midoriya!"

Bakugou wasn't sure what happened. One second he was screaming mentally at his quirk to fucking do something, even if it meant breaking his arm in the process of creating the smallest of explosions, staring Deku in the eyes, and knowing he was going to die after failing Deku as he had his entire life.

The next he was shoved sideways by a powerful push and someone shrieked like they were being murdered down the street. He hit the pavement and rolled on the ground, that scream still echoing around him, until he came to a halt by crashed into a mailbox. He could barely breathe, but he was alive. Deku had missed. Had someone pushed him out of the way? Todoroki? Maybe with his ice?

Bakugou wheezed as he pulled himself up, his mind spinning and his vision going in and out, but he shook his head to force himself to stay with it. No, there wasn't any ice where he had prepared himself to die a second ago. There was just Deku, standing there and staring straight ahead in shock with his arm still extended in a punch.

Despite his better judgment warning him against it, Bakugou followed Deku's gaze down a line torn through the street until it landed on the crumpled figure of Iida, who was lying prone in destroyed car folded almost in half.

Uraraka running into sight almost made Bakugou's knees go out. Somewhere along the line, she had lost her helmet. She was scraped up, bruised, and burned with patches of her costume torn, but she was alive. She collapsed to her knees in front of Iida, her hand hovering over him in fear of moving him. Tears streamed down her face, creating streaks through the dirt on her red cheeks. She touched him and pried him from the wreckage as gently as she could before resting him on the ground, leaning over him, and deactivating her quirk.

"Iida? Iida! Can you hear me?" Uraraka pulled his helmet off and threw it to the side. "Tenya, please, oh god. It's going to okay. You're going to-" She started to cry in earnest, her loud screaming sobs echoing down the street somehow louder than everything else going on. The world could've been ending in this very moment and Bakugou would have only been able to hear those cries. "What did you do, Deku? What did you do ?"

"I-I didn't mean–" Starting with his fist, Deku's entire body began to shake. "It was supposed to be Kacchan. I was trying to hit Kacchan, not Iida. I didn't mean to hit him. I didn't want– I didn't want to hurt him. Kyomu said I might have to, but I thought I could avoid it. I thou-thought I could circumvent it. I knew it would upset you, Ochako, so I didn't– I only wanted to kill Kacchan."

Uraraka ignored him completely. "I have to get him out of here. I got Shinsou to safety, but Iida insisted that he couldn't leave. He couldn't leave Deku. I-I have to–" She sputtered and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "You can't do this to me! You can't leave me too!"

"I didn't mean to, Ochako, I didn't mean to!" Deku cried out frantically. He started to hyperventilate and held his head again, light crackling around him. "It was an accident! You have to believe me! I wouldn't– I couldn't hurt him on purpose. I didn't want to." He took a step forward. "Ochako, please–"

"Stay away!" Uraraka screamed, holding Iida protectively. She threw a glare at Deku so vicious that he came to an abrupt halt as if she'd frozen him entirely. "Stay away from us!"

"Ochako…" Deku looked around wildly, as if someone would believe him and tell him it was okay. Instead, Todoroki refused to meet his gaze and dragged himself over to Iida and Uraraka. When his eyes landed on Bakugou, he was startled to find Deku crying, even looking at him like he was asking for forgiveness. "It wasn't supposed to be Iida."

All Bakugou could do was stare back at him in shock. Uraraka leaned over Iida as tears spilled out of her eyes and onto his chest. With his costume on and her huddling over him, it was hard to tell if he was breathing or not. Either way, he was unconscious. And after taking a direct hit like that from Deku without defending himself in any way…

An ugly, furious look swept over Deku, his entire demeanor changing as he activated One for All again. "It was supposed to be you!"

Bakugou prepared to turn himself into essentially a bomb, his palms glowing brightly, when a crack overhead interrupted them. They all looked up, even Uraraka, and caught sight of the glacier piercing the building beginning to slide. It must've finally melted too much to sustain the weight of the building. Chunks of ice and concrete crashed to the ground around them.

"Time's up, Deku!" someone shouted. "The agency is done for!"

"I don't care!" Deku yelled.

Another voice that sounded like Kurogiri declared, "Reinforcements have arrived! We must leave now!"

Before Bakugou could look for the source of the voice or Deku could argue further, a portal opened up underneath his feet and swallowed him whole. Uraraka screamed his name. He reappeared down the street, startled and uncertain of his footing with Kurogiri holding him by his shoulder to steady him. Mr. Compress was dragging a barely standing and literally smoking Dabi with another villain's help. The shadow villain from outside of Kaminari's apartment. Bakugou hadn't even realized that slippery bastard was here too.

Todoroki jumped to his feet. "I have to–"

"You can't," Uraraka weakly cried, grabbing the sleeve of Dabi's jacket to stop him. "They know you're not under the quirk anymore."

A pained expression crossed Todoroki's face as he held out his left hand. "Dabi–"

Strangely, the villain Todoroki was so worried about lifted a hand as well. He raised his head just enough so that his eyes could be seen through his sweaty hair matted over his forehead and blood streaked down his face. Bright blue, just like Bakugou remembered, even when he was near death. And then he waved a hand, almost like a goodbye, before the villains retreated into a portal. Todoroki grit his teeth and clenched his hand into a fist, but he didn't go after them.

However, Bakugou couldn't question what the hell had happened when the top of the building shifted above. "It's going to collapse!"

Reluctantly, Uraraka let go of Iida and pulled herself to her feet. "Can you still use your quirk to fly? My jets are shot." When she matched gazes with Bakugou, he witnessed a powerful storm of emotions in her eyes. The first and foremost was grief, but there was a determination in them as well. A scary amount, the crazy kind that said she didn't care what happened as long as she got the job done. It did not sit well with him.

"Yes," Bakugou replied carefully. He flexed his hands. He could do it.

"Okay." Uraraka turned to Todoroki. "Can you make another glacier?"

"It won't be nearly as big," Todoroki admitted. "I'm at my limit. Fighting against that quirk on top of using mine so extremely wore me down even with these protective braces."

"That's fine. We just need something." Uraraka took a deep breath and bent down to activate her quirk on Iida and make him weightless. "Get him out of here." He swallowed and nodded. It didn't matter if Iida was alive or dead. He would do it. "Now throw me up."

A whistle of alarm blared in Bakugou's head and he ran to her, the clock ticking down in his head the moment he realized what she planned to do. "Uraraka, you can't–"

"Now!" Uraraka ordered.

"Don't!" Bakugou yelled right as Todoroki took her by the waist and threw her weightless body into the air. "No!"

Todoroki snatched Bakugou by the arm to keep him from going after her and bringing her back down. "Let her do her job!"

"She can't handle that much after this!" Bakugou jerked out of his grip.

"Let her do her job to save us," Todoroki repeated firmly, "and then do yours to save her."

His words rang in Bakugou's head as he helplessly watched Uraraka fly to the top of the building as it started to fall over. It slowly crashed into the building next to agency, threatening to take it down with it. The second she touched it with her hands, the top of the agency slowed its descent. Luckily it had built up very little momentum and had still been in the process of sliding, so it didn't keep falling. Instead it hung in the air, as if still partially clinging to the rest of the building by a thread.

No, Uraraka was holding it up with her very being.

Todoroki held onto Iida. "Go get her. I'll be back." He didn't wait for Bakugou to respond before he took off to get Iida somewhere safer.

Bakugou shot into the air, ignoring the twinge of pain in his arms. He made it to her fast, but not fast enough to settle his mind. She was curled in a ball, knees against chest and her hands over her mouth. Her face was sheet white and sweat beaded down her face as she pushed herself past her limit. With her eyes screwed shut in concentration, she didn't even seem to realize he had reached her side. He grabbed her arm to pull her onto his back and she whimpered as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I've got you."

When Bakugou used the last bit of his strength to create an explosion strong enough to launch them out of the building's shadow. Something wet dripped down his shoulder. At first he thought she'd puked on him from overdoing her quirk, but then a red shimmer caught his eyes and he realized blood was seeping out of her nose. He tried to use a small explosion to soften his landing near a group of heroes, but his arm muscles spasmed again and his boots slammed into the ground, forcing him to his knees and nearly dropping her.

"Where's Todoroki?" Bakugou panted. A battered-looking Hawks, missing his signature glasses and most of his feathers, plucked Uraraka from his shoulders and inclined his head back where they'd come from. "Is he fucking mad-?"

Bakugou turned his head to witness Todoroki create one last blast of ice. He was right: it wasn't nearly as big or strong as his last two glaciers. Still, he refroze the first glacier in the process of creating a new one, covering part of the agency and the building next to it. With this, the ice was once again a strong enough structure to keep the building standing. The moment he finished, he collapsed to one knee and hand, his job complete.

And so was Uraraka's.

"Let it go," Bakugou told her.

Uraraka shakily pressed her fingers together and said, "Release." A gasp slipped out of her and she opened her eyes in shock the second the weight of her quirk left her. She tapped hurriedly on Hawks to set her down so she could drop to her knees and vomit repeatedly. Bakugou rubbed her back and watched Todoroki drag himself back to them, looking more like a zombie than a human.

"Shouto," Hawks said once he reached them.

"I know," Todoroki sighed.

His knees buckled. Bakugou just barely managed to stand up and catch him before he hit the ground, muttering, "Stupid bastard, just lean on me." He threw one of Todoroki's arm over his shoulders in an attempt to keep him standing. It hurt like hell, but the weight suddenly lessened when Uraraka slipped under his other side. Together, the two of them held him up and carried him to the others until finally they collapsed to their knees. They all struggled to breathe as their bodies ached from overuse and minds reeled from pain.

Hawks groaned and rubbed his face. "This is a disaster. I don't want to do this, but we don't have a choice for now."

Uraraka tightened her grip on Todoroki, pressing her tear-stained and bloody face into his chest. "No, you can't ."

"It's okay," Todoroki said.

Bakugou's jaw tightened. "Like hell it is. Someone fucked with your head."

"I still killed a lot of people," Todoroki said in a flat tone. This time, Bakugou knew it wasn't the work of the quirk. He just didn't have the strength to manage anything else. "Look behind you. I did that."

Bakugou didn't want to look back. He didn't want to see the utter destruction and death that lay under the shadow of Endeavor's broken legacy. He only wanted to look ahead to a future where they had Todoroki back and had chipped the hold on Deku. The idea that they were now being told that Todoroki was going to be taken away from them again just pissed him off. He had been captured and put into a cell by villains where he was tortured only to be locked up and put away in another cell by heroes. The irony infuriated him.

"It's not right," Bakugou growled.

"Someone has to pay for-for the losses we suffered today," Todoroki said, his voice cracking in the middle. He hung his head, his hair hiding the shame in his eyes. "Iida…"

"Ingenium and Echo were taken by the first round of paramedics," Hawks stated. It was hard to feel hope over the statement when he averted his gaze.

Todoroki swallowed. When he started to pull away from them, Uraraka held onto him. Even Bakugou felt the urge to tighten his grip, pull him back, shake some sense into him. This wasn't right. It wasn't Todoroki's fault. He didn't know much about the quirk, but from what Uraraka had witnessed and the little Todoroki had said to Deku, it fucked a person up down to their core. If a quirk was strong enough to turn someone as heroic as Deku, then there was no way Todoroki had stood a chance. Fuck, even he would've fallen to it most likely or died trying to fight it.

They just got Todoroki back, but at what cost?

"You have to let go," Todoroki told them.

"I'm so fucking tired of people telling me to do that," Uraraka muttered furiously against his chest.

Todoroki dropped his cheek on the top of her head. "I'm a weight. Deku realized it too. Don't let us drag you down under with us."

"Dumbass," Bakugou grumbled, even as he did what Todoroki had said and let go of it. "We're here to hold you up. We aren't giving up on you now."

"You're so stubborn," Todoroki sighed, even as he smiled faintly. It didn't reach his exhausted eyes. With his free arm now that Bakugou had sat down away from him, he pulled out a pair of quirk inhibitor braces from his belt. "I had them for Deku when we contained him." He handed them over to Hawks. "They're good enough for me."

Uraraka finally pulled herself away from him and wiped her face with her arm. "This isn't fair."

Todoroki flinched when the cuffs were placed on him and Uraraka turned her face away to hide her tears. "This is nicer than being injected with a drug at least." He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. "Although being knocked out would be nice right now. That would be letting me off too easy, I suppose."

No, fuck that. None of them had got out of this easy, not even Deku. The look of pure terror and anxiety on Deku's face when he realized what he'd done flashed in Bakugou's mind. In that moment, it was like he had figured out that Todoroki was right and it frightened him. If he was right, then everything he had done to get here was wrong, including allowing Todoroki to go under Kyomu's quirk. What did that make him then? What did that make Bakugou when he was supposed to be the bad guy in his story?

I'm the hero you knew I could be, Bakugou thought, even when I wasn't.

Bakugou leaned over and hid his face in his hot hands. It certainly didn't feel like it right now.