AN: An actual update?!
There was almost something terrifying (although Katsuki would deny it vehemently of course) about watching Deku use his quirk; really use it. It was different from their training sessions, and there was something uncanny about watching the green haired boy's form flicker across the battlefield. His movements looked awkward and jerky, and for the briefest of moments he would disappear completely, but Katsuki knew that was not quite true. He wondered how it looked from Deku's end, but he knew his pride would prevent him from asking.
But still—despite the awkwardness, despite how his brain hurt just from looking at it, there was almost something graceful about it too—which really made no sense, now that Katsuki thought about it. But Deku's quirk wasn't like his explosions, loud and abrasive, but quick, and very efficient.
He cursed, detonating another booming explosion right at the enemy who, had Katsuki's reaction been just a little bit slower, would have used one of his needle like fingers to puncture his stomach. Concentrate.
An image of Deku flashed before him for just a split second, before it was gone. And it was in that split second that he saw it—a grin, an honest to god grin stretched across Deku's face.
That asshole's enjoying this, Katsuki thought, but couldn't force down his own smile from tearing across his face. Aside from training, this was the first time the nerd had been allowed to unleash the full scope of his quirk; fucker better enjoy this while it lasts.
It was over quickly. Between the explosive teen and Deku's time manipulation, these villains never stood a chance. Yet, Katsuki couldn't help the feeling of unease that made itself known in the form of a pensive scowl on the teen's face. He remembered the gray haired freak with the hands and the purple fog fucker—they sure went on and on about grand plans like killing All Might, and yet, their henchmen were going down like swatting flies. Of course, Katsuki knew he was strong—and Deku was too—but if these pieces of shits could barely put a scratch on them—how in the ever living fuck did they think they could kill All Might?
Deku seemed to be of the same mind when he asked, "Are you feeling it too?"
The blonde shifted his gaze from the prone bodies of the criminals they'd just defeated laying on the ground, the occasional groan signifying that they were still alive, to the freckled boy beside him. His emerald eyes were wide open and attentive, and if Katsuki looked close enough, he was sure he could catch a glimpse of the clockwork of cogs working in overdrive behind Deku's pupils as he analysed the situation.
Katsuki nodded. "Small fries like these thinking they could kill All Might…" he kicked the body of a not-quite-unconscious villain attempting to make a silent escape on their elbows, sending them sprawling back onto the floor. "These pieces of shits were just extras. I bet that hand freak, mist asshole, and googly eyes are the real threat."
Deku shook his head up and down, humming in agreement. "We should find the others, especially Aizawa-sensei. No matter how good he might be, taking on that many villains by himself is just…" he shuddered.
But Katsuki just frowned. He stared hard at Deku, and then, "You stay here. I'll go check on the teach."
"W-what?" the boy stuttered, having the gall to look surprised for some fucking reason. Katsuki thought it was obvious, but clearly, Deku is just too fucking thick to get it.
"What do you mean 'what'? Here, the only ones who could see you use your quirk was me and these other fucks. But out there? With our classmates and teachers?" he stepped closer to the other boy, who took a small step back in response. "What the hell do you think is gonna happen?"
Deku was quivering slightly. It was hard not to; Katsuki had perfected the art of intimidation, and there were few who could stand their ground with the full force of it directed at them. And yet, the wide eyed boy swallowed thickly and stood as tall as he could, refusing to give in. "I can't just stay here! If something were to happen, to you or anyone else… I have to be there. I have to see it—I have to know—" here, his eyes turned wistful and he looked at Katsuki meaningly, "—what if someone gets hurt, and I could have helped them?"
"Deku—"
"I know how to fight without my quirk. You know I do! You were the one who taught me!"
Deku took a calming breath after his small outburst, and Katsuki tisked. He knew the nerd was too stubborn to back down, always had been, but that idiot's stupid hero complex was a bigger threat to himself than any villain. Always having to throw himself into stupid, impossible situations if anyone was threatened with so much of a scratch. But that is why Katsuki also knew that, no matter what he might tell Deku, the suicidal dumbass would just run off on his own anyways.
"Fucking—fine," he agreed reluctantly, but quickly added, "Just stay behind me. Don't use your quirk unless someone is about to die or some shit—you hear that?"
"Yes!" Deku agreed with a startled yelp, but he was smiling. Fucker. Always gotta get it your way.
"Then come on," the blonde motioned with his head for the other boy to follow. "Let's show the rest of these fuckers what happens when they mess with us."
Izuku took in the gruesome scene before him with horror written across his face. He was facing away from them, but Izuku could still see how Aizawa lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood, one of his elbows twisted so horribly you could see the muscle and red slicked bone beneath the torn and sickly pale skin. His other arm was contorted in an unnatural angle from his broken shoulder, all the while a steady flow of crimson liquid seeped into the cracks and crevices of the head sized crater his face rested in. His body was still. Unmoving.
I knew it! I should have used my quirk when the villains first appeared! He screamed at himself, shaking. From fear, anger, sadness, or the cold rapidly spreading through his body like ice in his veins, he could not tell. He didn't even know if Aizawa was still alive or not, but with so much blood... If I rewind now, maybe there's still time.
Even Katsuki couldn't stay stoic when faced with the brutal state their teacher was in, and his seemingly permanent scowl had vanished in favor of a disturbed look that marred his sharp features, as foreign as snow in summer.
It wasn't hard to guess who the culprit was, for resting its full weight upon Aizawa's back was a hulking beast of a man—was it even a man? Izuku couldn't be so sure. He didn't know why, or what, but something told him that no, it couldn't be. There was just something so utterly… wrong, about it. From its exposed brain and dark cobalt skin, to its jutting eyes that stared at nothing, it screamed vile.
The expression on the… thing's face was an odd mix between crazed and vacant, as if barely aware of its own surroundings—or that it had a dying man currently pinned to the ground. One of its giant fists clutched onto the motionless body's long and dark locks so hard it looked as if he might rip it all off, skin and all, with just a flick off its wrist.
Izuku couldn't take any more. He had to do something, at least try. Consequences be damned—saving a life was more important than his own selfish desires and fear of exposure. Katsuki would understand, and so would his mother, even if she would still undoubtedly cry for him while worrying about what would happen next.
His brain throbbed painfully in his skull as he felt his muscles move on their own volition, repeating familiar patterns in reverse. He always hated this feeling, of the total loss of control of his body, even though he knew he could stop at any second.
When he finally let go, relenting the forceful grip on his body and easing the thump-thumping pressure on his mind, he returned to what must have been right after Kacchan reluctantly agreed that they should both go in search for their classmates. Blood dribbled down his nose, and he saw red eyes widen.
"Dek—" Kacchan attempted, but the name died in his throat when cold fingers wrapped themselves around his wrist and pulled, sending him stumbling into a small, green haired boy. A curse slipped past his lips, but then everything went silent. The only noise that could be heard was their own heavy breaths, and for a moment, all Kacchan could do was to stare at Izuku. Then:
"What the hell happened?" Maroon eyes scanned their surroundings, before locking back onto distressed green. He was angry, Izuku could tell, but the the corners of his frowning mouth twitched ever so slightly in uncertainty.
Izuku shook his dark curls silently, and tugged on the wrist in his hand. "Come," he said. "You know I can't keep this up forever."
They ran, and no further words were exchanged between them. Their legs moved as fast as they could, even as the throbbing of Izuku's brain became more and more unbearable Their steps echoed painfully loud in the unnatural silence, only stopping once they finally reached their destination. They were safely distanced from the dark and unmoving figures waiting some meters ahead of them, and if Izuku took just one more step, he was sure his head would explode. But what they saw forced them both to inhale sharply in alarm.
"What the fuck…" Kacchan growled, but Izuku couldn't even muster as much as a whimper as his mind went blank with terror.
He was already too late. The indigo monster was frozen in motion, with Aizawa's head forced high and ready to be smashed into the hard concrete, as soon as Izuku let it. The horrible scene lay frozen before them, like something out of a horror movie, and Izuku just wished he could just turn off the TV.
"Kacchan…" it took his all to form a cohesive sentence, and his words were little more than a whisper. But over the complete silence of their surroundings, he may as well have been shouting it into a megaphone for all the difference it made. "We have to do something."
The blonde scowled. "Shut the fuck up Deku—you think I can't see that for myself?!"
And yet, none of them moved. It wasn't out of fear, for whilst Izuku was no doubt terrified, he would never forgive himself if that stopped him from saving a life. Neither boy lacked the will, nor the initiative to act, as both overflowed with it every day of their life. It was what fuels their dreams, their drive to become the greatest heroes there ever was.
No, simply put, neither of them knew what they were supposed to do. Time lay still and frozen before them, brimming with opportunity, and yet, their minds came up blank.
"Maybe I can… pull Aizawa-sensei free?" Izuku suggested, and Kacchan smacked him across the forehead.
"You think that blue fuck will let him go? Your dumb ass wouldn't even be able to get close enough before you pass out, and then he'll be fucked anyways."
The small boy chewed on his lips as he realized that Kacchan was right. He couldn't let the explosive teen go by himself either, for as soon as he let go of his friend's arm, he would become suspended in time, just like everything else.
Under his fingers, he could feel the blonde's muscles work as his hands continuously clenched and unclenched themselves. Then, "Stop your quirk."
"What?!" Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing; did Kacchan just seriously suggest they should just give up and let their teacher die?!
His friends growled as his head whipped around to stare him down. "And what the fuck do you want us to do, huh? Face it: there is shit all your quirk can do right now—one more step and you're going to drop, and then you'll be completely useless."
"But I can't just let him get killed!" he protested. "If I stop my quirk right now—Aizawa-sensei will—"
"It's not as if I fucking like this either!" Kacchan began shaking the arm crushed tightly between Izuku's fingers, jostling the green boy back and forth. "Fucking restart time right now, and I'll run up and blow that fucker to pieces!"
The young, freckle dusted teen felt dizzy with indecision. His head swimmed with so many thoughts and emotions, and he felt as if he might throw up any second. He couldn't—he needed to think—he couldn't be the reason his teacher got hurt—he couldn't.
He remembered when he first discovered his ability to pause time. In fact, it was one of the earliest aspects of his quirk he learned of; he remembered the silence, and how everything and all stopped moving around him. At first, he assumed that it was just another part of his quirk. He thought that he could gain complete control over time with just enough training; forward, backward, pause.
But with a few experiments, he realized that he had been wrong. He did not have the ability to pause time, not traditionally, at least. Rather, it was just a side effect of his ability to reverse time. He could reverse time, but never any further than fifteen seconds into the past, no matter how hard he tried. Time would instead freeze, as he continuously attempted to go further and further and further—
And now, that was the only thing stopping this monster from hurting his teacher. And yet—Kacchan wanted him to stop?
You can't keep this up forever, a voice whispered inside his head. At some point, you have to stop, whether by choice or force. There's nothing you can do—Kacchan is right. You need to stop.
Was there really no other way? Was there really no—
"Wait," he whispered. Kacchan ceased agitatedly swinging Izuku's body back and forth and narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Deku, I swear—"
"No, wait!" he shouted. It wasn't a great plan, in fact, it was far from perfect. It wouldn't save their teacher from any further injuries, but it would increase their chances of succeeding in getting him free. At least—that was better than nothing, wasn't it?
Aizawa and the thing was turned away from them. No one else was around to see, except—
He had been so focused on coming up with a plan to save their teacher that he hadn't even noticed the fifth figure among them. He recognized him; it was the man covered in hands, and the first villain to invade the USJ. Their leader, maybe? He was turned toward them, standing a few feet in front of Aizawa and the creature. Izuku didn't know what his quirk was—a nasty one, no doubt—but right now, he couldn't care. They could deal with him later, as soon as their teacher was free.
He took a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. It's fine, he can do this—they would get their teacher out and to safety. He would be fine, Kacchan would be fine, and Aizawa—Aizawa had to be fine. He just needed to hold out for a while longer.
"Kacchan," he said, grabbing his friends attention as he tried to keep his tone as calm and even as possible. "I'm going to count to three, before I resume time. When I do, I want you to stay with me. Don't move. I will count to thirty in my head, and when I finish, I'm going to use my quirk again. After that, just follow me and do what I say. Please?"
Kacchan was silent. Izuku knew he inherently dislikes following any form of command, but he also knows that, rebellious as he may be, even Kacchan knows that there is a time and place for everything. And when someone's life is on the line, it is a hero's duty to do whatever it takes to save them.
"Fine, whatever, just do your thing already. I'm tired of just standing here like a useless piece of shit."
Even after receiving the 'clear' from Kacchan, Izuku still needed a few silent moments to breathe before he was ready. Alright, he thought, as he exhaled. I'm ready.
He didn't spend enough time to contemplate whether it was actually true or not, before his mouth was open and he counted aloud. "One," breathe, "Two," breathe, "Three."
All he could do was stare silently as he watched his teacher's head slam into the floor again and again. His body felt cold and numb, and he realized no more air was reaching his lungs, but he didn't care. He could feel Kacchan's body twitching restlessly beside him and the anger radiating off him was so palpable that you could taste it. It was spicy, just like the food he enjoys so much, and it burned on the tongue. It was bitter too, and mixed with what Izuku could only assume was nitroglycerin and smoke.
To his credit, Kacchan didn't move, even though Izuku could tell that he desperately wanted to. He couldn't blame him; standing here was the most agonizing ordeal Izuku had ever had the displeasure of experiencing.
Ten, eleven, twelve. With each second passed, he could feel the dizzying pressure in his head give way. His head felt so much clearer, and his thoughts begun to flow at their normal pace. Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…
It was a wonder that the gray haired man had not taken notice of them yet, but Izuku supposed he was too busy enjoying the show. That thought made his stomach churn, and he continued counting.
Twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine—
Everything begun to move in reverse, before finally reaching a stop as Izuku exhausted the limit of his quirk. His head felt so much lighter now, and he was fairly positive his nose had stopped bleeding. He breathed a sigh of relief. The hard part was finally over, and it was time to move.
He pulled on Kacchan's arm as they stepped ever closer to the monster and their teacher. The thing was even more intimidating up close, and with each step, Izuku could feel his headache returning. A frozen wave of blood cascaded through the air, but neither student payed it any attention, along with the simmering feelings of guilt and fury threatening to burst their insides open like a balloon with too much air.
"So? What now?" his childhood friend asked—or perhaps demanded is the more appropriate term, judging by his tone—once they were within touching distance of the murky cobalt creature. Izuku pointed toward it, and when he spoke, his voice sounded much calmer than he felt.
"I want you to set off as many explosions aimed at that creature as possible; the force should be enough to knock it off its feet. That's our chance to rescue Aizawa-sensei. As soon as we grab him, I'll use my quirk to get all of us as far away from here as possible."
Even if that meant knocking himself out cold in the process.
Kacchan didn't say anything at first, which was a good sign, because he wouldn't hesitate to start yelling if he thought Izuku's plan was the worst idea he had ever heard. As it were, he nodded, and then, "Alright. And you better plug your ears once these go off, or you'll be bleeding from them as well as your nose."
Izuku gave a confirmatory shake of his head, while Kacchan set their plan in motion. His free arm danced through the air, activating and deactivating his quirk. The back of the dark skinned monster was turned into a minefield, with a wall of explosions ready to be set off at any time. Izuku prayed that the creature's massive girth would be enough to protect their teacher from the blowback.
The undetonated explosives looked quite peculiar, like small floating balls of concentrated light. It was almost funny how innocent they looked like this, but Izuku had no illusions about the devastation they would wreak once unleashed.
"That should do it," Kacchan finished, as he retrieved his hand to admire his handy work. "No fucking way that thing's still standing after this."
"Now we just need to be ready to retrieve Aizawa-sensei," Izuku gulped, eyeing the infant explosives warily. He had no desire to be within their blast range, knowing all too intimately what that white hot searing pain that came with it felt like, and took some tentative steps backwards. "I'll count down to zero, and we'll move as soon as your last explosion finish detonating."
"That ain't gonna work," Kacchan gave him a look. "You do know we're gonna be blown back as well, right?"
"Right…" Izuku sighed. "So, we'll have to grab Aizawa-sensei now. Well, we should be shielded from the blast in that case, though I'm somewhat afraid that this means that the creature will be blown in our direction, in which case… we have to move quickly. I still believe that this is our best option, but maybe—"
"It will work." Kacchan scowled. "It has to. So stop mumbling, shut the hell up, and let's just do this already. Or do you have any other brilliant ideas?" Blonde eyebrows rose questioningly, and then, when no response came, "No. Didn't fucking think so."
The fair headed teen pulled Izuku behind him as he stomped up to Aizawa, and with his free hand, curled his fingers resolutely around one of the pro-hero's pallid wrists. A nod was given in the curly haired boy's direction, and Izuku followed his friend's direction. Now, with an arm in each hand, the heroes in training turned their heads in each other's direction. Green meet red, and they nodded in unison. The villain leader stood frozen behind them, but that was a problem for their future selves, seconds from now. And compared to the navy beast in front of them, he didn't look like much.
"I don't think I'll be able to protect my ears like this…" Izuku said, absentmindedly. Kacchan just grunted. Then, inhaling, the countdown started.
Three.
Two.
One.
…
Too say it was loud would be an understatement. If the force somehow wasn't enough to daze the creature, the noise definitely would. For a moment, Izuku thought that his head must have burst for sure—as if a grenade had been embedded deep into his brain, and someone just pulled the pin. For a moment he forgot what he was doing, and if it weren't for Kacchan, he was sure Aizawa would still be in the clutches of that horrendous beast, as his own fingers went slack with shock.
His eyes squeezed shut tightly, and he whimpered as his back crashed to the floor. Kacchan shouted something at him, but he could barely hear a noise over the high pitched ringing in his ears. The tugging on his shoulder was harder to ignore however, and he quickly scrambled back onto his feet, and it was the stabilizing arm of his friend that kept him from losing his balance a second time in just a matter of seconds.
"Fucking Deku, move already!" He finally made out in all the chaos. Opening his eyes, he was forced to squint as they were invaded by thick smoke. He felt himself tear up, and he could only cough as he attempted to call out Kacchan's name.
"Kacch—" he wheezed, and tried again. "Kacchan! Where…?"
"I've got him!" Kacchan screamed from somewhere beside him. "Just keep fucking moving!"
Izuku nodded, before realizing that there was no way the blonde could even see him. Not with this thick curtain of smoke in the way.
He waved a hand in an attempt to clear it, as he let himself be tugged along by the hand still clamped down on his shoulder. As if on cue, he could suddenly see again, as they burst through the cloud of smoke and stumbled onto the ground in a fit of hacking coughs, limbs weak and heads dizzy.
"Did we… are we…" Izuku gasped, craning his head to look behind him, but his watering eyes made it hard for him to make anything out but blurry shapes and splotches of color.
"Dumbass… we gotta keep… going…" Kacchan ground out, while wrestling to regain control over his trembling muscles. He managed to shuffle a short distance forwards, before he stumbled back down onto the ground. "Fuck…"
Izuku was blinking rapidly to clear his vision. With one arm, he rubbed his eyes weakly, and when he opened them again, they found themselves drawn to the form of a limp and bloody Aizawa on the ground.
"Aizawa-sensei…" he wheezed out, sounding much to frail for his liking. Aizawa gave no indication of hearing him, and even as Izuku crawled forward and shook him as gently as possible, he was unresponsive. The same all consuming worry from before returned, and all he could think was, please, please be alright…
"Huuuh…"
Izuku's head snapped up fast enough to make his neck hurt. A chill ran through his body and he shuddered as he felt red eyes upon him, but he knew these ones didn't belong to Kacchan. No matter how cruel the boy could be, the pure hate he felt concentrated in the gaze directed at him was unfathomable, of a magnitude never before experienced.
His eyes bounced in every direction in search of the speaker, finally landing on him.
The man covered in hands. The leader.
His furious eyes bore into him, the rage somehow cold and explosive at the same time. Fingers scratched his neck absentmindedly, even as blood ran red through his fingers, contrasting sharply against his wan skin, before disappearing into his black clothing. He did not look happy.
"Haaah… dammit. Our plans have crumbled," he groaned, itching fingers intensifying and growing violent. "It's game over Kurogiri… game over, for now."
...huh? Game over?
The pale man tilted his head slightly, and the air behind him distorted as a dark mass blossomed forth like a poisonous flower, growing ever bigger, until finally contorting into the shape of a man. It was the warp quirk user, his classic bartender suit making him easily recognizable, not to mention the smokey substance that made up his body.
The leader shifted his gaze from Izuku to the newcomer, and it was like lifting a heavy weight off of his body. "Should we go back?" The gray villain drawled out, seemingly having lost interest in the situation.
Izuku couldn't help but feel a tick of annoyance at the man's casual dismissal. Go? They're just going to leave—just like that? After all the problems they have caused?
And then, the intruder was looking at him again. The dreadful feeling in his gut was growing impossibly greater, stronger and stronger as the villain's eyes bore into him. Something's wrong, his mind screamed at him, pleading for him to run. Something terrible is about to happen.
But he didn't run, because Kacchan was still here, and he couldn't leave without him. He didn't run, because Aizawa was still bleeding out in front of him, and Izuku had no idea if he was even still alive or not. He didn't run, because his classmates were still out there somewhere, and he knew, with certainty, that he had to do whatever it took to keep this man away from them.
It's fine… it's fine… I can do this, I can… Whatever they do, I can undo. So calm. Down.
He blinked. There was a hand in front of his face. Since when…?
Pale, dry and ashen in tone… They should take better care of their skin, Izuku thought. Haven't they ever heard of moisturizers?
It was completely ridiculous and irrelevant to the situation, but that was all he could think of as the hand reached out for him, moving as if in slow motion. But he knew that had to be merely an illusion on his part; his quirk still laid untouched by his mind and his brain stood silent, aside from the violent rushing of blood through his veins.
I should move, his mind belatedly provided, but his body felt numb. It was like all the panic and fear from earlier had been stuffed and locked into a box, only leaving a hollow calm behind.
Am I going to die?
His mind hovered unconsciously over his quirk. Gears began to turn. The fear he put on hold slowly creeping back in full force. He didn't know what he was so scared of exactly, but something told him that that hand was dangerous, and if it touched him, something horrible, and terribly painful, would transpire.
His mind was already prepared. As soon as he gave command, time would start to move in reverse. He had this under control.
You can't touch me.
His heart pounded loudly in his ears like a death knell, every other sound muted in favor of the beating muscle working into overdrive.
I won't let you.
A wicked smile and scarlet eyes filled with glee stared back at him from so manly long spindly fingers, turning into dark shadows and blurred lines as they closed in on him, like a cage around a frightened chick.
Turn—
He never got to finish the thought. There was a familiar bright light, and then his ears were ringing again. The villain let out a squawk of surprise, equally startled.
"BACK THE FUCK OFF, HAND FREAK!" A familiar voice screamed, exploding quite literally with anger.
Izuku would have been so relieved, except something wasn't quite right. Except it was too dark. Except the gray man was still in front of him.
"Noumu," the villain smiled. Izuku dared to glance away for just one second, and his heart stopped. How—?
It was the creature from before, looming ominously over Kacchan. And Izuku knew that it was impossible, that there was just no way, but here it was, right in front of his eyes. With dark skin void of any visible injury or wound, aside from old scars that covered it from head to toe. It looked completely unbothered by Kacchan's fiery barrage, still wearing that same vacant expression from before. Izuku wondered if this was how his blonde friend felt when the freckled boy demonstrated his quirk for the first time, all those years ago.
Kacchan stumbled back, looking startled (and Izuku didn't dare say scared), before he gritted his teeth and began pelting the abomination with blow after forceful blow, punctuating each with a shout of "DIE!" until the air reeked of smoke and sweat.
Izuku could smell the foul stench of burning flesh, but it seemed to matter little to the noumu who just stood there, tanking every explosion like it was little more than a flashy light show. It didn't even budge.
"Piece of shit fuck—" the volatile teen swore, gloves smoking from the after effects of his quirk barrage. But Kacchan's charge hadn't been completely useless; the silver haired villain had been distracted enough that he didn't notice Izuku lunging at him, until it was already too late.
The young teen worried for his friend, but as threatening as the blue skinned monstrosity was, he knew this villain couldn't be ignored. The sooner he was dealt with, the sooner Izuku could focus on the bigger threat. He wouldn't let this opportunity Kacchan left him slip by.
Of course, he still kept a vigilant eye on the noumu. Between trying to wrestle with the sickly looking villain (who was a lot stronger than he looked) while simultaneously avoiding contact with his hands—Izuku couldn't be sure, but the way the man continuously fought to grab at his face suggested that they played some part in his quirk—his eyes would return sporadically to the creature looming threateningly over Kacchan. His brows were furrowed, looking like he was trying to decide between aiding Izuku or coming up with a plan to deal with the thing before him. From the way his fingers twitched, it looked like he was running out of steam. Kacchan might be amazing, but even his quirk had limits. It wasn't hard to imagine the furious shade of red tinting his palms, hidden beneath thick gloves.
But before he could come to a decision, a voice cried out.
"Noumu!" It was the pale man, and like a switch, the previously inanimate beast suddenly lunged for the blonde in front of it.
"Kacchan!" Izuku responded in kind. But the teen stood his ground, raising both hands into the air, aimed straight at the noumu. And despite his already sore palms, the explosion he unleashed was big enough to obscure both himself and the creature in a thick cloud of black smoke.
As Izuku lost focus on his own battle, the villain saw his chance. The boy was tackled to the ground, letting out a sharp hiss while his eyes screwed shut in pain as his head thumped against the hard floor.
Something cold covered his face. Opening his eyes, it was to the sight of the man covered in hands effectively pinning him down by placing himself on top of Izuku's torso. A hand that was still attached to his arm, and not used as some sort of morbid accessory, was wrapped around his face, while another dug painfully onto his shoulder.
A beat. Izuku waited for the man's quirk to activate, not really sure what to expect aside from pain, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. At least not as far as he could tell, and that just made him even more worried.
The man on top of him tisked. "You really are cool, Eraserhead." He angled his head to look over his shoulder, and following his gaze, Izuku let out a sob of relief.
Aizawa-sensei! He cried, never before so happy to see the man. The aura the hero carried around him was always so intimidating, but compared to actual villains, he almost seemed soft and cuddly. Izuku had somehow forgotten that he was even here, too busy fighting off murderous villains as he was, despite the fact that the attempt to rescue Aizawa is what got Izuku into this mess to begin with. He couldn't begin to express how relieving it was (on so many levels) to see that the man was not only conscious, but also had enough energy to move. The glowing red of his irises indicated that his quirk had been activated, as opposed to their normal shade of steely silver.
Erasure, a quirk to erase other quirks. Only works on emitter and transformation types, but is deactivated as soon as he shuts his eyes. The information flowed naturally into his head. Even for such a low profile hero as Aizawa, Izuku was well informed on his quirk and abilities.
Which told Izuku one thing. Whatever the ashen haired villain's quirk was, it was only Aizawa's timely intervention that prevented it from activating. But he could only use his quirk for so long, meaning Izuku had to get out of here now.
With all the force he could muster, Izuku pushed the man off of him. He fell onto his back with an "oof" while Izuku scrambled to regain his footing. He spun on his heel, dashing off in Kacchan's direction with such speed, it was a wonder he didn't pull a muscle.
The smoke had cleared, and what it revealed caused him to choke on his spit and he almost tripped over himself. Something warm spilled over his freckled cheeks and he realized he was crying.
"All Might…" he sobbed. He felt dizzy, with too weak knees as he cried openly and without shame.
"It's fine now," the man, the hero, All Might boomed. For once, his face was wiped clean of that eternal smile of his, and Izuku had never realized how terrifying the hero could look. But his grimace softened once his intense blue orbs meet Izuku's green ones, glistening and overflowing with hot, salty tears. And then, he asked. "Why?"
"Because you're here," Izuku breathed. Kacchan was stationed safely behind the muscular hero, eyes wide open in bewilderment. His gloves had been burned through, and Izuku could see the blistered and bleeding skin beneath the singed and ruined fabric. It looked incredibly painful, but Kacchan barely seemed to notice.
One of All Might's arms was raised protectively, blocking the noumu—the thing—from executing a brutal blow no doubt meant for the teen. His limb shook from the force the creature exerted; no doubt this thing must be incredibly powerful, as demonstrated earlier by the effect, or lack thereof, that Kacchan's explosions have had on it. But now that All Might was here, the Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace, everything would be alright.
They were saved.
AN: I feel like this chapter might be a mess. I don't actually know. The USJ arc have just been a bitch to write, and the whole "Aizawa sequence" didn't actually exist originally, but then I realized that Deku totally would have rewound time as soon as he saw him and attempt to save him, so I had to write it. I just kind of want to post this chapter already, but I hope it's not shit or anything.