AN: I have increased the rating on this story due to the violence. Please note this chapter specifically includes graphic violence, starting in the section that begins with "Katsuki was ten".
Summary: Izuku's magic does its best to protect its host, causing chaos within Ochako's forest. Afterwards, Katsuki recalls the most painful parts of his childhood, and how he came to know a little boy he called Deku.
5: The Boy with Crooked Fingers
"...it takes over to keep us safe."
Ochako felt a violent shiver rip through her as green lightning erupted from Izuku's form, followed by a spray of black tendrils that fanned about him threateningly in response to Katsuki's hostility. Izuku's expression was panicked, palms pressing to his head and green eyes flickering violently as he struggled for control. The magic continued to swirl around him, trying to cocoon him in and take on the monstrous form that persisted when he fought the Nomu.
She felt a blossom of heat from her right, and with dawning horror, she realized that both Shouto and Katsuki were drawing up their magic in response to what they perceived as a dangerous threat.
"Because it knows Ochako is safe!"
She did not think. She did not hesitate. Calling on every drop of wild magic bubbling in the glade that was her home, Ochako wrapped herself in the silky threads of energy from the forest and threw herself into the violent storm surrounding the Monster of Yuuei.
Despite the layer of magic she encased herself in, she could feel the energy of his core burn through it, licking at her skin like hot flames of a terrible fire. She ignored it, focusing on her one goal - to get to Izuku and protect him from everything.
Distantly, she heard Katsuki and Shouto shout, and she whispered a plea to the forest to help. She was at the center of a well of magical power. Surely, she could do something.
I just want to protect him.
The magic of the forest surged around them as she pushed through the barrier of ancient magic. She could barely see through the chaos of energy, and when she felt something solid, she latched on, pulling Izuku against her chest and wrapping the magic she brought with her around him in a swaddling embrace.
You are safe here. Let him go.
She felt a heavy pressure against her, and despite being unable to interpret it, she understood it was his core, challenging her. She pressed back, refusing to yield as she held onto Izuku, despite the thick ropes of magic tangling around them like brambles, biting into her skin.
And then she felt it give, recoiling back into Izuku like retreating shadows in the presence of the rising sun. She felt his weight amplify as he collapsed against her, and she dropped down with him, using the magic still clinging to her to blanket them. He shook violently, and Ochako found herself holding him close, cradling his head against her chest like one might do to a frightened child. She rocked him soothingly, ignoring the way each shuddered gasp he took sent a throbbing ache through her overtaxed body.
As the haze of residual green-black magic lifted like a morning fog, Ochako looked up to see Katsuki and Shouto both still standing there, encased in a barrier of rose gold light of her own doing. Smoke billowed up from Shouto's form where he had dispelled his magic, and Katsuki's expression was distraught, pale with horror and confusion.
Ochako let the forest carry her words through the grove as she pulled down the magic ever so carefully.
'This is my haven, and you are my guests. You will not attack this man while in my home. And he will not attack you.'
XX
Nothing made sense. Here, in Ochako's home, was a grown version of a boy from Katsuki's childhood who was supposed to be dead. And this boy, who had no useful magic of his own, a deku, he had called him, transformed right in front of him into Yuuei's very own Monster.
And Ochako was protecting him. Threw herself into that magic–he could see the cuts and burns on her skin–to stop whatever was happening.
He was so confused, and he didn't know where to begin to understand.
Ochako's words, that she didn't speak but he still heard, resonated in his mind, and so, with some measure of hesitation, he reached up and pulled his swords from his belt and tossed them onto the moss floor. His helmet followed, and then he gestured for Shouto to do the same.
Not waiting on the prince, Katsuki took several slow, cautious steps towards the two on the other side of the brook, hands raised. Deku watched him as he leaned heavily against Ochako like a frightened animal. There was so much of him that looked so different, and yet so much that looked the same.
His hair had grown out, tangling around his face in a mess of curls that desperately needed to be cut. His face was still dotted with freckles and his cheeks still had a hint of roundness to them like he had as a child. He almost looked like he hadn't quite finished growing up, despite having been only a little younger than Katsuki.
The glowing green eyes were definitely new, casting his youthful appearance in an ethereal light. And perhaps most haunting of all were the scars. White lines and dark spots of all sizes marred the visible skin of his arms and legs, telling without words a life of hardship.
Whatever had happened over the last ten or so years, it had left its mark.
The thought of scars made Katsuki pause, and he tasted bile as a vivid memory surfaced so strongly he could almost smell the metallic scent of blood from that day. He suppressed the urge to shudder and let his eyes fall to the young man's injured arm. It was wrapped in bandages from shoulder to wrist, although the sling had broken off during the display of magic moments ago. The angle in which Deku was holding his arm close made it impossible for Katsuki to see his fingers that were curled against his chest. He made a mental note to revisit that later, once he got some answers.
Swallowing, the Dragon of Yuuei slowly sank to his knees a safe distance away, hands still lifted in a promise he did not want to bring harm. Deku flinched all the same, refusing to meet his gaze. Gently, Ochako smoothed her fingers over his head, as if to reassure him it would be all right. He watched the man curl the fingers of his good hand into the fabric of her skirt, clinging tightly like a child.
Deku was alive. He was alive, and in one piece, and physically grown up, but… he still acted like he hadn't aged a day since Katsuki last saw him.
What the hell had happened?
He felt Shouto press a hand to his shoulder, and he looked up to see the prince gazing down at him with deep concern. Although Katsuki had never told Ochako about the childhood friend he lost, Shouto was well aware of the importance of a boy named 'Deku', and the emotional scars his death had left behind. Katsuki met Shouto's gaze briefly before he shook his head and looked down, slowly lowering his hands into his lap. After a moment of deliberation, he finally looked up to the cowering man in front of him. "Deku," He said, keeping his voice as controlled as possible.
He watched green eyes flicker up to meet his before he looked back down at the ground. It was enough for him to continue.
"Tell me something only you and I would know."
Something, anything, that would give him a sliver of hope that this wasn't some cursed magic trying to fool them all.
The other man was quiet for a moment, his brow dipping low before he looked back up. When he spoke, his voice was husky, like he wasn't used to using it. "You once hit a wasp nest with a stick while I stood under it, and I had to jump in the river to escape. You then made me tell everyone I tripped and fell in so you wouldn't get in trouble."
Katsuki wished Deku had chosen any other story as Ochako gave him a withering glare and mouthed, "What the fuck?"
Despite the nature of the story, it did satisfy Katsuki's request. He had never told anyone about that day, and he'd made Deku swear to never do so, either. His mother would have killed him had she found out.
"Yeah… okay, yeah," The Captain replied, sighing. "I was a little shit that day. But, hey, you only got stung like three times."
"Thirteen," was Izuku's quiet response.
Katsuki swallowed as Ochako glared harder. He'd forgotten she could look that threatening.
It was at this point that Shouto finally interjected, squeezing Katsuki's shoulder again. "Perhaps… it would do better if we moved inside and discussed this over some tea?"
XX
It was only when Ochako helped Izuku stand did he start to realize what his magic had done to her. She watched him pale as his eyes roved over her form in horror, taking in the singed and tattered fabric of her clothes, the thin cuts across her arms, and the angry burns on her skin.
He started to shake all over again, but before he could say anything Ochako reached up and pressed two fingers gently over his lips. The touch made him stiffen aggressively, but it had the desired outcome of preventing him from spiraling further. She flashed him the briefest of smiles. "Before you say anything, Izuku, this was not your doing nor was it your fault. You were not in control, and your core was trying to protect you, although I question its methods." She said the last part forcefully, glaring down at his chest as if the core physically resided there and could hear her.
She suspected it could hear her, though. So it had better be listening. She was not going to tolerate its overactive behavior in her own home, and certainly not at the detriment of Izuku's long term health.
In response to her gentle chastising, the young man lowered his head and gripped his injured arm with his good hand. She still heard the quiet apology from his lips, barely a whisper. Sighing, she flicked her fingers at her side, letting her magic hit him on the nose like a cold, fat raindrop. He jumped, and she smiled in response, conveying warmth without words.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see both Katsuki and Shouto watching the exchange with blatant, morbid curiosity. She supposed she couldn't blame either of them. Until a moment ago, the Monster of Yuuei had been an actual monster to them, and certainly not associated with a face either of them knew. And now said monster was standing before them in a house robe, with the social presence of a timid child. And while Shouto seemed just as confused as she was about Izuku being this 'Deku', Katsuki seemed to be in a mild state of shock.
She only knew the emotion for what it was because she'd seen it one time before, when she cursed Shouto at the altar and fled for her life.
Pushing open the door to her cottage, she gestured for everyone to come inside. "Please, come in. I was in the process of making breakfast anyway."
The hearth was still going, casting its emerald green light across the room. Ochako walked Izuku to his bed and held his good hand as he slipped down to sit on it. He hesitated to let go of her fingers, eyes glued on the two men taking in the surroundings with curiosity, and she was acutely aware of how different that was from his normal aversion to touch.
He really did see her as the safest thing in his vicinity right now, and part of her wasn't sure what to do with that. It made her heart ache.
Gently, she let go of his hand, but soothed the action by reaching over and lightly running her fingers through his hair. He flinched briefly, eyes darting back and forth across the floor, but instead of pulling away, he leaned in ever so slightly to her touch.
Wanting to reassure him without making him feel more vulnerable, she let the wind carry her words to him and only him, away from the ears of the others in the room. "I'm not leaving you. I promise."
She watched him lift his eyes to her, and she offered a soft smile in response. After a moment, he relaxed slightly, fingers plucking at a frayed thread on his robe, and Ochako took that as a sign that she could finally tend to her own injuries. Inhaling deeply, she turned her palms up and closed her eyes, inviting the forest to wash away the pain from her earlier altercation with Izuku's core.
The rich scent of petrichor and sun-ripened fruit hit her nose as she felt the raw energy slide over her, pulling away the bite from her wounds. All it was really doing was numbing the pain, but that would be fine until she could bathe again in the enchanted pool. Idly, she made a note to engage with the forest about showing her how to manipulate energy for recovery without the aid of tools and books. Especially given how Izuku seemed to be a walking disaster, and well, other recent events.
Katsuki's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Cats, eh?"
Ochako opened her eyes, letting them fall on the blond who was staring down at Dragon lounging in the pantry, his tail flicking casually and yellow eyes watching both men with lazy disinterest. Despite everything that happened, she felt her lips pull into a smile as she lowered her hands. "Yes. Despite my self-induced solitude, I do enjoy being a social creature. The cats are to make up for the lack of Katsuki and Shouto in my day-to-day life."
The blond cut his eyes over to her, and after a moment, he warily asked, "You…named them after us, didn't you?"
Her smile turned into a full-fledged grin. "Dragon of Yuuei, meet Dragon of the Forest."
Katsuki's face pulled into a deep scowl, fingers twitching. "You're an absolute brat, 'Chako."
Shouto seemed utterly delighted, however, with a twinkle in his eyes that Ochako couldn't remember if she'd ever seen before. "There are others?" He asked as he reached forward to scratch the orange cat behind the ears. It purred in delight.
Ochako ignored Katsuki's glare and nodded across the cottage towards her bed where a small form was nestled between the pillows. "The black one with mismatched eyes is the Prince of the Forest. He's quiet, though. I don't know if he'll come out from hiding with so many people here."
Now able to move without her limbs burning, she stepped away from Izuku and walked across the cottage into the kitchen. Lifting one hand, she moved her fingers to a silent chant, letting the magic in the room take form to start helping her prepare food and tea for her guests. She knew her body was a little too roughed up to want to do all that food prep manually.
Katsuki turned to her after shooting Shouto another glare as he continued to shower the cat with affection. "You should get those burns treated."
"I've numbed the pain, and I will treat the actual injuries once we're all sorted," Ochako replied firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Now, while I prepare the tea, I want you to explain to me exactly how you know Izuku, and why you think he is dead."
In response, the blond took a deep breath and nodded, stepping around her to take a seat by the table. He shifted to make sure he could face both Ochako working in her kitchen, and Izuku, who sat on the other side of the room atop a pile of furs. Shouto took a seat beside him, doing his best to also not be in Ochako's way.
"Well," Katsuki started, drumming his fingers on the wood of the table. "When I was seven, my family enlisted the help of another house to serve us. That was House Midoriya, and they had a kid slightly younger than me named Izuku."
The Dragon of Yuuei glanced over to Izuku, red eyes staring at him intently. Izuku met his gaze briefly, before looking down at the floor. Katsuki continued, "And Izuku died when I was ten."
His eyes fell to the injured arm the young man was cradling close to his chest, and vividly, he recalled the crooked fingers of a child, caked in blood on the wooden floor.
XX
Katsuki watched the new servant boy carrying a small basket of apples up towards his house. He was a tiny thing, with messy green curls and dirt smudged on his nose. His right hand was a sight, with two very crooked fingers. Apparently, he had badly broken those fingers a few months ago, but he had not visited healers to get it properly treated, so the damage was done. When Katsuki had asked his mother why someone would be so daft to not go see a healer, he got his first real glimpse into the reality that not everyone had the same opportunities that he did as nobility.
For some reason, it made Katsuki curious. The boy was hard working, albeit a little clumsy. He seemed to not be bothered by the fact he wore plain clothes and always had dirt under his fingernails. Was this kid as simple as he looked? "So what kind of magic can you do?"
The boy turned to look at him, blinking at him with wide, green eyes. As far as Katsuki was concerned, he looked like there wasn't a single thought in his head. "Me?"
The blond boy rolled his eyes, hopping off the fence he sat on. "What are you, brainless? Of course you! I wanna know what you can do!"
The smaller boy frowned, shifting the weight of his apples in his hands. "Um… well… I dunno. I've never really… done any magic. I just watch everyone else's."
Katsuki furrowed his brow, coming to a stop in front of the smaller boy. "You…can't use magic?"
Izuku shrugged, glancing down at the apples he carried. "I can see everyone's magic inside of them, but I can't really see my own or make it do anything. So I dunno."
"Wait, 'see'? That's dumb."
"No it's not!" Izuku scowled, cheeks flushing.
"Yeah, it is!" Katsuki replied. He then jabbed a thumb to his chest. "Fine. What kind of magic do I have?"
Izuku sighed, looking over at Katsuki and stuck out his bottom lip. "It's orange and angry, and it's loud." He paused, staring intently at the blond, but in a way that felt like he was seeing through him. "It's fire magic. It explodes. It likes when you're angry."
Katsuki scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "Pfft, magic can't talk, you dunce. Besides, you probably saw me practicing! What about my mom's?"
The green-haired boy glared hotly at him, but pursed his lips, thinking back to his brief exposures to the lady of the house. "It's soft and smells sweet. It's protective magic, so that's why she can create wards."
Katsuki scowled. "Everyone knows that! Your magic's kinda useless."
In response, Izuku pouted. "Is not!"
"It is! Useless! Why see it when you can just ask? You know what? My dad told me the old word for useless is deku. So I'm gonna call you Deku!"
"My name is Izuku!"
"Now it's Deku!"
Their shouting could be heard all the way up to the main estate, and that day signaled the start of a peculiar relationship.
XX
"Hey Deku," Katsuki leaned against the entrance to the stables, arms folded over his chest. He wore his riding gear, the family emblem of House Bakugou stitched to the fabric. At the age of eight, he had just started training with a sword, and his instructors were already calling him "promising" and "a prodigy".
The boy in question looked up at the sound of his nickname from where he was moving hay across the stalls. He was of a smaller build than Katsuki, although years of labor had made him quite capable at his age. His green hair was damp with sweat, and the sleeves of his tunic were rolled up past his elbows. He had dirt smudged on his arms, from his elbows all the way down to hands. He wore leather gloves to protect his fingers.
The blond grinned at the other kid, like he knew something Izuku did not. "Mom got a whole box of candied fruit from the trade caravans. It's got all sorts of different fruits. I've never even seen some of them. Apparently they only grow in really hot weather."
The other boy nodded, wiping his forehead with his arm. "That's nice, Kacchan."
"I bet you've never had a chance to even taste something like that, have you?" Katsuki gloated. Over the last year, he had not relented in his teasing of the stablehand, from the name calling to occasional bullying. It was a constant in their daily routine.
Izuku gave a tiny, forced smile before resuming his work. "Nope. I'm sure you'll tell me all about it."
The other boy scoffed, pushing off against the wall and walking in. Moving past Izuku he reached up and patted one of the horses on the muzzle, red eyes watching the creature's ears flick. "I could, I guess. But why would I do that?"
Izuku said nothing as the other boy walked away, whistling to himself. When he stood up to stretch his back, he turned to look in the direction Katsuki had left in and his eyes fell to a small, ornate box sitting in plain sight.
Curiously, he picked up the decorated container and tugged off the lid, his mouth opening slightly at the selection of small sweets inside.
It was a strange friendship they had, and certainly not the most healthy, but as Izuku smiled and put the lid back on the box, he was still pretty confident he could call it a friendship.
XX
Katsuki was ten, and his family had gone into the city to finish his enrollment into the Royal Academy. They only accepted incredibly skilled mages and promising swordsmen, usually from the noble houses, and they were ecstatic to receive him because he was both.
Of course they were, he was fantastic.
Up until now, Katsuki had been tutored at home. It wasn't terribly uncommon for noble children of his age to have private tutors, and in his case, it was far easier for his family to have someone come to the estate. House Bakugou was known for their horses, and as such, their lands were just outside of the city proper. While it was only a short carriage ride to the city gates, it was still enough that his parents paid for someone to come to them.
With bored disinterest, he stared out the window of the carriage as they rode back home. He wondered how Deku would take the news of his acceptance. It was shortly after Deku's family started working for his that Katsuki learned Deku couldn't read or write. Despite knowing many commoners were illiterate, it still struck him hard to learn that such a bright kid – because Deku may be a useless mage, but he wasn't dumb – had no education.
And so Katsuki did what any abrasive, spoiled noble who wanted to be a good friend but didn't know how did: He went to his parents and threw a tantrum.
His argument was simple but straightforward. House Bakugou was too well respected to be caught with servants who didn't have a basic education. And when his parents asked what he wanted them to do, he replied, "Just make him take lessons with me. His head is so empty that he'll pick it up fast."
Turns out, there was truth to that statement. Deku did pick it up fast. And one day, he got the courage to ask, "Why?"
Katsuki's response was every bit as callous as it was earnest. "You're already useless in magic. You shouldn't be useless in everything else, too."
It was as close as young Katsuki of House Bakugou could get to admitting that little, empty-headed Deku was his best friend.
But now he had to tell him that the lessons would need to end, and he wouldn't be seeing him for a while. The idea put a sour taste in Katsuki's mouth that he didn't know how to cleanse.
He ran his tongue over his teeth, eyes skimming over the horses grazing in the pastures. They were almost home, and he felt the knot in his stomach twist a little more. Maybe he should tell Deku tomorrow?
The smell of soot and decay hit him before he realized something was wrong.
The carriage rocked to a sudden halt a moment later, the shrill neighing of the horses causing goosebumps to break out across his flesh. Katsuki and his parents all looked up in alarm, and he watched his father open the carriage door. "What is it?"
"My Lord–!" The driver's voice cracked from outside.
"What–" As his father stepped out, his question died on his lips, replaced by a startled shout. Ignoring the way his mother tried to hold him still, Katsuki clawed his way out of the carriage, tumbling down after his father, nearly tripping in the process.
The servant house that the Midoriya family resided in was at the bottom of the hill, below the main Bakugou estate. It was designed to be close to the gardens and the main stables, but not so far from the estate to be inconvenient.
The front of the house had been reduced to rubble, with putrid, black smoke billowing up from it. The grass and nearby gardens were withered, the once green foliage dead from sudden decay. Smoldering flames licked at the remains of the fences around the perimeter, and the cart used for hauling hay to the fields lay in burnt pieces, scattered across the dirt road. The large oak tree that towered over the house had been splintered into pieces, its limbs scattered across the hill as if caught up in a hurricane.
There was screaming, and it was only when Katsuki's father grabbed him and pulled him back did he realize the screaming was his own.
He twisted and pulled and with an angry burst of explosive magic, propelled himself out of the arms of his panicked parents and clawed his way up the soft hill to the house of his best friend.
The smell of burnt flesh and boiling blood slammed into him before he reached what had once been the front door. The entrance had collapsed, and instead of pulling at the burning wood, Katsuki thrust his hands forward, blasting the wreckage away so that he could get in. He pushed his way inside, and the floor felt sticky against his shoes.
With growing horror, he realized he was standing in a pool of congealing blood littered with pockets of minced flesh. The caved-in head of Deku's father lay in the shadows, just by his feet. One prolapsed eye looked up at him lifelessly, still attached to the socket by the optic nerve.
And just beside it, lay the bloody and mutilated remains of a small arm with visibly crooked fingers, crudely severed at the elbow.
The entire sky lit up in explosive magic as Katsuki screamed.
XX
The silence in the room was heavy as Katsuki stared down at the green hearth, his expression haunted. "There was… not enough left to hold a proper burial," He said quietly, his voice hollow. "...We cremated instead."
He swallowed, before continuing hoarsely. "The royal guard scoured the forests and fields by our estate. Every neighbor was interrogated, and every citizen with destructive magic was investigated. The mage hounds were dispatched to see if they could trace the magic back to rogue spirits or monsters."
He lifted his eyes to Izuku, who stared at him intently, fresh tears running down his freckled cheeks. He felt a similar burn prick at the corner of his own eyes and he wiped at his face in frustration. "The…the All Mighty Mage showed up after. Said he was hunting the spellcaster responsible and suspected he fled east. Said he would stop him. Apologized that… he didn't get there faster to… save you."
Katsuki paused, gritting his teeth and clenching his fingers into his hair, nails biting into his scalp. "I… just… I don't understand," He said, his voice tight with emotions he couldn't easily describe. "What would some rogue mage want with my family? With our servants? What the fuck did House Midoriya do to deserve…that?! Deku didn't deserve that!"
His nostrils flared as he tried to reign in his emotions, and he squeezed his eyes shut as hot tears slid down his cheeks. "And… now, to see that face–your face, after all this time…" Katsuki trailed off, dragging his hand down from his head to his mouth, and he bit back a sob. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that not only are you alive after what I saw, but that you're sitting right here, in one piece, and you're the fucking Monster of Yuuei!"
The Captain turned his heated crimson gaze to Izuku, unabashed as the tears streamed down his cheeks. Through clenched teeth, he asked, "Do you still have the crooked fingers? On a hand I saw amputated on the floor of your home? Tell me, Deku? Are you real? What the fuck happened?"
In response the young man with crying green eyes slowly uncurled his fist cradled against his chest, allowing Katsuki to see the painfully familiar knobby fingers of his right hand. With trembling lips, the Monster of Yuuei replied, "I'm so sorry, Kacchan. It's all my fault."
The tears began to fall harder, and Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, a quiet sob escaping his lips.
Katsuki stared down at him, before repeating in a harsh whisper. "What happened?"
Slowly, the other man looked up, his eyes going from Katsuki to Ochako, looking every bit as distraught as he did lost. With a soft clank, Ochako set down the teapot she held and crossed the room. Grabbing a folded blanket, she unfurled it and draped it over Izuku's shoulders protectively, her fingers squeezing down lightly. He curled in on himself under the fabric as the witch sat down next to him, placing her hand atop his.
The hairs on Katsuki's arms rose as he felt the wind brush past him, bringing a soothing whisper in Ochako's voice.
"It's okay. Breathe."
He watched Izuku shudder, sniffling quietly before he took a shaky breath and nodded. After a moment, he lifted his glowing green gaze and met Katsuki's. The vulnerability on display sent a strange chill across the Captain's body.
"...It happened so f-fast," Izuku started softly, his eyes falling out of focus. His voice was barely a whisper, but his words still managed to carry across the room. "I was…carrying in vegetables from the garden for M-mom. Dad was inside, tending the hearth. I put the crate on the table, and then I felt…some…something awful. Something so wrong, and so… foul. I looked up and I could see it through the door. It was the most terrible magic I had ever seen, and it was s-standing right outside the house."
Izuku's voice cracked at the end, and he took a moment to rub at his throat. Katsuki watched as Ochako's brows shot up, as if she had just picked up on an important detail in what he'd said. He turned his attention back to Izuku, watching how the green flames of the hearth cast eerie shadows on his face, making his expression appear even more haunted.
"There was an explosion of magic. But… n-not like yours. It brought with it the smell of decay and death, a-and a cold heat that ripped through the air. Dad pushed me out of the way as the front of the house came tumbling down. What stepped in afterward looked like a man only in shape." He swallowed, his next words coming out roughly. "People call me a m-monster. They call the Nomu monsters. This… was a real monster."
Katsuki watched as Ochako thread her fingers through Izuku's, and he clasped them tightly in response, not breaking his horrified stare into the distance.
"Dad moved to shield me, b-but it grabbed him before he could get across the room. I… I can still hear the…the sounds when I sleep." He bit back another sob, and Ochako moved closer in response. Despite having been very shy before, he leaned into her, taking comfort into the side pressed against him. It took him several seconds before he managed to continue.
"I-it came for me next," Izuku said softly, brows lifting as he retold the memory. "It didn't want me dead, at least, not yet. It was…it was after my ability to see people's magical cores."
Ochako sucked in a breath, her free hand flying to her mouth. Again, she seemed to know things important to this story that Katsuki didn't.
Izuku's face became pained as he struggled to articulate what happened next. "I…d-don't remember all the details. T-there was a terrible pain. I couldn't scream. I was c-covered in blood. I couldn't move my body. And I realized… it was b-because my a-arm and l-leg…were…m-missing." His breath came out thready and shallow, eyes staring intently at the floor as he recalled the scene. "And… I felt like something was pulling apart my chest, and things started to go dark…" He shook, squeezing his eyes shut. "The last thing I remembered was a bright light. I don't… don't know what happened after that, but when I woke up, I was in the Tower, and my body was… was okay."
He stopped, staring down at his bandaged arm and the curled fingers that Katsuki had been so intent on, as if he still had trouble believing they were real.
There was a moment of silence before Katsuki asked, "The Tower?"
"The Tower belongs to the All Mighty Mage," Shouto said quietly before Izuku could respond. "It is somewhere deep in the mountains, with enchantments so intricate that no one knows where it is. My father has told me about it." He paused, watching Izuku curiously before adding, "He saved you, didn't he?"
Izuku nodded slowly. "He hid me there and used some…powerful magic to restore my body, he said. I've never seen anything like it, and I still don't fully understand what happened. He took me in to hide me from that… that monster." He swallowed again and looked up to Katsuki nervously, fresh tears falling down his cheeks again. "I'm so sorry, Kacchan. House Bakugou was never its target, and… n-neither was House Midoriya. It was only ever after me, and because of that, I couldn't go back after."
Not even bothering to wipe at the wetness on his cheeks, he stared down at his lap, letting the tears gather at his chin and plop down onto the fabric of his robe. "M-mom and Dad died because of me. Because a terrible person wanted my core."
Ochako's brow dipped angrily, and she opened her mouth to protest. "Izuku! It is not because of you! You–"
"Wait," Katsuki interrupted sharply, brow furrowing. "Hold up. Deku."
The other man did not look up, sadly staring down at his lap, and Ochako glared at him for interrupting her. However, Katsuki was not about to be deterred in the slightest, and his words came out almost rushed, urgent. "Deku. Your mom. Your mom isn't dead."
That made the other man's head snap up, eyes wide and intent on him. Katsuki met his stare with equal intensity. "We found her in the garden, injured as fuck, but alive. Had to stay with the healers for weeks, but they got her through it. She lives with my parents in our estate now. Takes care of the cooking and shit."
Izuku sat there in shock, lips parted as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ochako looked between them, unsure what to say or do, and beside him, Katsuki could see Shouto staring at him intently in surprise. The Dragon of Yuuei nodded, glancing across everyone before looking back to Izuku once more, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Deku, she's alive. She's alive, and she visits your memorial stone every damn day."
No one could blame Izuku as new, heavy tears fell down his cheeks, and the most pained expression painted his face. "Mom…"
He let Ochako pull him close as he sobbed into her shoulder, but this time the pain was something different.
- XX -
AN: In case you want to know, Katsuki and Shouto are around 21 years of age, and Ochako is slightly younger at 20. Although Izuku has been described by both Katsuki and Ochako as looking like he's not completely grown up, he is around Ochako's age, ~19-20.
As always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
