TRIGGER WARNING: BODY HORROR
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"WHAT THE FUCK…?" she thought.
"It's happening again…" she thought. "Don't grow big… don't grow big… don't grow big…" Bile touched the back of her throat as her face contorted in shock, disgust, and horror. "Too many buildings… too many people… crushed…" The boy was stepping towards her; hand outstretched in offering. His shadow-filled mouth hung in a swinging grin. "I got out of the news… the gossip… I hid away…! For months…! And they're still following me… Finding me…" The bile she swallowed plunged into her stomach, turning into a churning abyss. "They'll never stop… People like that… they'll never leave me alone…"
Her gaze shifted past that widened, swinging jaw to the shattered window behind him, and that feeling in her stomach turned bubbling like a whirling cauldron. "Together for… ever…" echoed in her mind. It caused her teeth to grind together; her hands to ball into fists – nails digging into her palms; knuckles blistering against her skin.
"M-Mount-Lady?" Her hand extended, taking his clammy hand into her own. "Y-You s-see it too!" Her fingers dug into his skin before yanking him forward. "M-My Mount-L—" His eyes widened as she released his hand, letting her rearing motion to ready her fist.
His head was harder than she expected – felt as if her knuckles met concrete rather than skin and bone. "Your Mount-Lady…?!" Pressure built where her forearm met her wrist. "PISS OFF!" Through gritted teeth, she persisted and pushed her arm forward, straightening her elbow and twisting her torso.
Her fist snapped his head to the side, causing him to spin and stumble back. "M-Mount-Lady?!" His voice echoed and reverberated from the back of his throat, rising in pitch – turning into a screech. "W-What're you doing!?" As he landed on his back, black ooze sputtered from the depths of his maw as the corners of that abyss turned. His eyes began to sink into its skull while the veins of those orbs began to pulse and darken. Once those blackened seams reached his pupils, his brown irises burned in crimson. "GET AWAY!"
As a spike flew from its throat, her eyes widened as she instinctively stepped back. She held her breath as she, in every millisecond, shifted her head further and further to the side. Her chin lifted and turned, exposing her neck to its point, but clearing her head from its trajectory. Her sliding foot allowed to shift her neck just enough for the spike to soar away, crashing in the distance.
Her glare snapped to it, rushing at the downed boy. "W-Wait! T-This isn't—" She grabbed its outstretched hand and twisted its arm at the wrist. "NO! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" His body turned in response, trying to alleviate the pain and showing her his back.
His grounded position put him at a disadvantage, allowing her to pin him against the ground. She leveraged his wrist; constricted his arm against his spine. Her other hand slammed against the back of his neck, and kept his jaw aimed towards the ground.
"Shut up!" she growled.
He pushed up with his free arm. "THIS ISN'T HOW—NO! LET ME GO! WHAT'RE YOU DOING!?"
She twisted his wrist again, forcing a cry—a bird-like screech from his mouth. "STAY DOWN!"
Her eyes shot towards the broken window. "MIDORIYA!" She panted, ignoring the screeching from the boy below. "MIDORIYA! ARE YOU OKAY?"
Her breath nearly caught in her throat when she saw the legs of an overturned table rise. It crunched against glass as a groan followed. The green-covered teen came into a view, stumbling towards the jagged window frame. "M-Mount-Lady?" A spike jutted from his abdomen, his chest, and his visor. The lights of that visor flickered with multiple colors, bursting in white before plunging into darkness.
A grin grew across her face. "Midoriya!"
"STOP SAYING HIS NAME!"
Her grip on his wrist… sank? Her fingers could no longer feel the rigidness of bone beneath his skin. Instead, they were engulfed in limp fibers of tissue and skin. As the muffled sound of something cracking and crunching filled the air, she felt the boy's neck bulge and expand underneath her other hand. Suddenly, the boy's back slammed into her as his limbs flailed under him. She fell backwards, slipping off his body in the process.
Four thin, spider-like legs stabbed into the ground – all originating from his mouth, dripping with a clear ooze. They pressed against the skin of his face, stretching and thinning it enough for the blackened flesh underneath to peek through. His body hung from his neck at a right angle, swinging underneath his new appendages, as his true limbs fell lifelessly, almost deflated.
Yu felt pain shoot up her body, causing spots of white to explode into her vision. Her back folded over the railing along the outside of the cafe. She cried out in pain as she crashed onto the ground beyond it.
His voice echoed from nowhere. "Y-You can't be her…" The skin of his throat pulsed with every syllable. "That must be it… YOU AREN'T HER!" Another spike came into view from the darkness of his mouth.
She tried to get up, but a numbness and sharp pain flooded from her spine. It felt as if her legs were pierced by a thousand needles. Her limbs quaked underneath her as she tried to push herself onto her feet. The spike flew at her, approaching in moments, but, suddenly, she felt her stomach launch up her throat.
-XXX-
Izuku wrapped his arms around Mount-Lady as gas hissed from his belt. He tried to stay on his feet; his metal soles screeched against the concrete. Pain was shooting across his forehead as that first spike dug further into his head with every motion. His visor flashed with a myriad of colors as its screen glitched.
Suddenly, a force slammed into his shoulder, sending them both into a roll. Izuku held Mount-Lady tightly, using a kick from his leg to make them land on his back. The spike in his back caught against the ground, causing them to tumble through the air again.
Across the plaza, Izuku's back slammed into the railing of an outer dining area. Mount-Lady crashed against his chest before falling into his lap. They both groaned in pain as they raised their heads.
"Fuck… I can't see!" He took a hold of the spike in his helmet, ripping it free. His other hand reached near his ear to shut off his visor. He shook his head as he looked forward. His eyes widened before he shoved Mount-Lady off his lap, raising his arms and knees.
One spike grazed off a gauntlet, another scraped across his greave, and the last found that small space between his arms and legs. The spike slammed into his chest, cracking the plate. His teeth ground together when he felt its point just barely nick flesh as the force of it slammed him against the railing once again.
"OI!" he heard Mount-Lady spit. He spotted her rolling onto her hands and knees. She sucked in a few breaths before her fingers exploded in size. Her expansion continued into her palms and into her arms. The sudden growth lifted her body into the air before vanishing back to normal size. Her body flew at the villain before her legs erupted from her hips, closing the distance between her and he in an instant. Her giant limbs slammed into his body, sending him flying into the building behind him, before her legs shrunk back to size. She crashed back into the ground with a thud.
Izuku gritted his teeth as he pushed himself onto his feet. After pulling the spike from his chest, he shuffled over to the lying Heroine. "Are… Are you okay?"
Her head swirled, "I… I should be asking you that…" She left her head. "Is he down?"
He looked across the plaza. "Think so…" His eyes darted to multiple people as they slowly began to exit their hiding spots. "I'm not the only one…"
She groaned, "Fuck… We—We need to make sure." She tried to push herself onto her feet before falling back down. She growled at herself before holding up her hands. "Help me up."
He nodded, "Okay." He took both of her hands before bracing his knees. "One… Two…!"
As she stood on her soles, she bent and shifted her legs, leaning onto one before moving to the other. When her knee buckled, Izuku reached to help, but she held up her hand to stop him. "Too many people…" She straightened her back, lifting her head. "We were surprised in front of all of them… They're scared… Seeing me stumble around will just make things worse for them…"
"Okay," he murmured as he took a small step away from her. "Standing's fine?"
Her face contorted for a moment. "Yes…" She took in a deep breath before turning to the forming crowd. "Everyone! Please remain calm! Stand back and away from the villain! Police officers should be arriving shortly!" She brought her hand to her ear.
"Control, Mount-Lady. We need additional officers, an ambulance, and Death-Arms to speed up to the first rendezvous… Agent Midoriya and I were just attacked…" It took Izuku a moment to realize he couldn't hear the other side of that conversation. So, he found the wire that led to the earpiece in his helmet along with its frayed end. "Yes, bring a detainment team… Mutant Quirk: big spider-legs and… bring a muzzle."
Izuku hit the button underneath his helmet to loosen it before pulling it off his head. He blinked when glass shards came free too. "Oh…" He lowered his head, shaking it a bit, and a few more slipped out his hair.
"Hey, you okay?" asked Mount-Lady.
"Hm?" He raised his head, shrugging. "Fine, just glass."
"Just glass?"
He looked across the plaza. "I'm a bit more worried about that guy…" His eyes met hers. "We need to make sure he's out."
Her hand took his bicep, holding him tight. "Death-Arms is on his way. We wait until back-up arrives to be on the safe side."
"And if he gets up before that?" he questioned. "We can't do that again, and someone might get caught in the crossfire next time around." Her gaze lowered so he moved his into view. "Being pretty sure is nice, but being certain is better."
She took in a breath, closing her eyes for a moment, before speaking, "If… If he gets back up, you run. Okay?"
Izuku smiled, patting her loosening hand. "I'll be fine." He took a step back. "Besides…" He reached for Masai, "I got this—" but found nothing. "Uh…" He held up his helmet, holding it up by the rim. "I got this!" He mimicked a punch. "I can give him a real wallop with it!"
Her face held no confidence.
"I'll be fine—er, right back." The finger-gun did not help.
Izuku cleared his throat before turning away. "Ah… that stare…" A feeling of uncertainty burrowed into his back. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling… In fact, it was strangely familiar – familial. His jaunt came to a close at the gated dining area – where it all had started.
The villain's body was crumpled upon the ground amongst cracked brick and shattered glass. One of his spider-legs was bent strangely. "Broken…?" Upon broken tables and chairs, the other three were splayed underneath his strained jaw and body. His hood had finally fallen from his head, looking like a mop of dark hair.
Izuku's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Hey! Are you okay?" His grip tightened on his helmet before he saw the owner and her son peek from the cafe's door. "Are you conscious?" he asked as he waved the civilians away. "Retract your limbs! Remain face down on the ground… and put your hands behind your back!"
"I'm just spouting stuff from cop shows…" thought Izuku. "I don't have handcuffs either, actually…" His gaze flattened, "I'll just tie him up in wire…"
Izuku vaulted over the metal fence; his metal boots crushed glass and stone beneath his soles. His eyes moved over the legs once more, noticing strange looking markings upon their surfaces – akin to the shape of bones. Then, his gaze fell to the villain's head. "Is he even breathing…?" He dropped into a crouch, pushing his helmet against the ground to stabilize himself.
Initially, he was trying to see if the boy's nostrils were flaring, but his eyes were caught on something. Between the fallen locks of hair, upon the villain's forehead, Izuku noticed a strange set of black lines. "The hell…?" He shifted closer for a better look before he heard the top of his helmet shatter.
Izuku nearly toppled over, but quickly forced himself onto his feet. A spike had fired from the villain's mouth with barely a few centimeters of clearance. He could tell that weight was being put upon the elongated limbs as a strange sound escaped the villain's throat. "Oh fuck…!" Izuku quickly shifted his weight, rearing his foot back, before cracking his metal-covered toe against the villain's skull.
The villain dropped with a thud as black ooze sputtered from his nostrils.
"Midoriya!?" cried Mount-Lady.
Izuku turned, holding up his hands. "I'm okay!" He noticed civilians here and there looking over with fearful eyes. "It's okay! We're good!" He blinked, coughed, and then lied, "Uh, he just… um… sneezed… is all!" He turned back to the unconscious villain. "B-Bless you!" His face contorted as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What am I saying…?"
The sound of approaching sirens filled the air as something creak. Izuku looked at the villain as his mouth-legs began to slowly retract into his throat. "That's kinda cool…" Something squelched. "That's pretty gross…"
"Is he…?" questioned the cafe's owner – Makoto, if the name-tag was to be believed. She stayed on the other side of the fence, keeping far from its gate. Her body was tense, rigid, and even though she was asking Izuku a question, her eyes never left the villain's body.
"Unconscious. Shouldn't be bothering anyone for a while."
She took a breath as her body relaxed. "Good." She reached over the fence, taking his hand into hers and shaking it. "Thank you!" Tears formed in the corners of her eyes before she let go to wipe them away. "I… I can't believe someone like that was nearby…" She looked down and blinked, "O-Oh, my son has something to return to you."
Izuku saw the young boy behind her stepped out with a metal bat in hand. "Oh! Masai!" He hopped over the fence to meet the boy, crouching to make eye contact. "Was wondering where he went." He took Masai back, asking, "And you kept him safe for me?"
The child stared at him, wide-eyed, for a moment before vehemently nodding.
Izuku smiled, "That was very brave of you, thank you."
"N-No problem…" said the boy.
The sirens blared as police-cars and an ambulance came to a stop just outside of the plaza. "You two should head back inside. Let the police clean this up."
Makoto nodded, "Of course." She took her son and pulled him back towards the cafe. "Thank you again—both of you!"
Izuku waved, "Anytime!" His eyes moved across the plaza to a rigid Mount-Lady. "I should help her get to the ambulance…"
-XXX-
Yu laid upon a gurney; turned over, staring at the left wall. Death-Arms took one look at her before taking over the police operation. If everything went well, statements would be gathered, the crowd would be calmed, and the villain gets shipped off to the nearest jail. "No thanks to me…" Something stung her eyes. "If I hadn't been here…"
She heard the paramedic behind her. "Okay, you should be good to go." She heard the woman stand up, shuffling out. "Both of you can rest here for now."
"Thank you," said Midoriya. "I've never been in an ambulance before… I don't why, but I didn't think it'd be this roomy." There was a long lull. "Mount-Lady?"
She screwed her eyes shut and stayed still. She tried to breath like she was sleeping. "If I hadn't… He wouldn't…" Her hands balled into fists. "He could've been killed because of me…" She felt something tug from underneath her. Once it was free and being draped over her side, she realized it was a blanket. His hand patted her shoulder before she heard him sit back down.
He did so in silence, and it wasn't long before he tapped his thumbs on his seat. "He's fine…" she thought. Weird popping noises escaped his mouth as he shifted back and forth in place. "He's… perfectly fine…"
"It didn't realize she could cut off her gigantification mid-transformation," he muttered.
"He's just fine…" Her shoulders tensed. "Even though…" Her hands balled into fists. "After what just…" She shook her head. "How…?"
"Oh, you're awake?"
The numbness has faded, and so all she had to fight was pain to sit up. "How are you… fine…?" Her fingers dug into her blanket. "It's like nothing even happened…" She gritted her teeth, shaking her head. "You could've died! How are you… You're not even bothered by it?!"
He blinked, "Um… well… I, uh…" He only had two bandages with one hidden underneath his undershirt while the other was on his forehead.
Her head fell into her hands. "W-What am I saying…?" She shook her head. "I should be happy that you're okay, but…" Her head rose as her hands fell. "Why? How…?"
Midoriya slowly shook his head, shrugging, "I… I couldn't tell you… I mean… I was definitely scared… in the moment, but…" He nodded, "I got hurt, but… I'm still here. And, you. And, no one out there got hurt, so… This is the best case scenario, I think, but…" He wiped his cheek. "That… isn't what this is about, is it?"
Yu shook her head. "He… He attacked you because of me…" She pointed at her chest. "If you… had picked anyone else to sidekick for, you wouldn't have gotten hurt…"
"I thought that was… part… of the deal…" His face contorted, "But… why do you think it's your fault?"
Her heart twinged as a sudden heat pulsed into her hands. "He… He was my fan! He—He only went after you because you were near me! And… he wanted…"
Midoriya shook his head. "You couldn't control that. That isn't on you."
Her voice raised, "It's my fanbase! I made them like this! I stoked it! I used it! I…" Her arms wrapped around herself. "I feel… gross… in my own skin." Her fingers dug into her shoulders. "It felt… powerful when I was in control of it. When I decided when they looked and where…" Her knees were drawn to her chest as tears ran down her face. "Now, they follow me wherever I go… Now, they pry into my life… my love life…" A bitter smile crossed her face as a sour laugh escaped her lips. "And now! They attack me or anyone near me if they don't get what they want from me! My time! My attention! My love!"
"I'm tired of it…" she muttered. "There are days where I just want to shut myself away and never come out…"
Midoriya sat silent – her vision was so blurred that she couldn't tell what face he was making. It almost gave this feeling of anonymity. It felt… safe so, even when she wanted to, she couldn't stop her tears. So, she cried, and cried. With each tear, a bit of weight left her shoulders bit by bit. When throat grew hoarse, she started to force herself to stop and wipe the tears from her eyes.
With her vision cleared, she realized he… was… crying too. She blinked a few times to make sure.
Midoriya reached to his side and pulled tissues from a box, taking one for himself and giving one to her. "I'm sorry…"
She dabbed at her eyes. "What're you apologizing for?"
"You deserve one."
She chortled, "Thanks…"
For a few moments, they sat in silence, sniffling.
"Do you want to finish the patrol?" asked Midoriya.
Her head lowered, "I need the paycheck…"
"Okay." He cleared his throat. "Well, what do you want to do tomorrow?"
She cocked her brow. "What do you mean?"
"Um, so…" Midoriya fidgeted for a moment. "If you don't like your fanbase, let's change it."
She winced as she pulled her legs over the edge of the gurney. "And how you think we're gonna change that?"
"Well, we could start with your image. Switch up your costume."
She groaned, "That'd take months of meetings with the Support Company."
"U-Um, if you'll… have me, I can make you one." He smiled, "Field Support. It's supposed to be the other half of my job, and I gotta head back to Shiketsu to fix all my stuff anyway."
"That's…" She pulled her leg up with her hand, wincing. "Ridiculous…? I just spilled my guts out to a teenager…" She hugged her leg before shrugging. "Sure, why not?"
"Okay, we'll start there tomorrow and talk to Ichimoku. Maybe we can get you doing something other than on-calls – get new eyes on you."
Yu smiled, "You have an idea."
Midoriya scratched his cheek. "Well, there's this beach that I used to go to when I was kid. Real pretty, but, for the past… decade? It's been covered in trash from busted washing machines to old refrigerators. Clearing it out would make a lot of happy people. And if you run it as community service, you might get a tax reduction." He shrugged, "Or however that works."
"We'll run it by Ichimoku."
"Great…" He nodded, "So, um…. last problem…"
She tilted her head. "Hm?"
He spoke softly, "Do you really want to go out in that costume?"
She took a deep breath. "Not really… Especially not today…" She shrugged, "But, it's not like I got a whole other costume lying around."
"Well…"
Yu laughed, "Okay, buddy, what do you got?"
"So… question: how do you feel… about the color green?"
…
"W-Well, it's mostly black, but green's the only prominent color, so it's still an important question."
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AN: Howdy! Pardon my tardiness - got a new job and I got to get use to the new schedule.
The trigger above is due to the face that some people might not have signed up for this story expecting it. Even though I had intentions to do so, I don't believe I went into it often, or at all really. I've never done a trigger before. I don't even know if it would be considered necessary, but better safe than sorry.
Other than that, I hope I did Mount-Lady justice here. I'll get into it more once we finish this season, but her and Midoriya's relationship was much more shallow in the original plan for this arc. I'm happy I didn't stick with it.
With all that said, thank you for reading and criticize away!
Update Window: April 20th - April 31st
Intended Due Date: April 20th - 25th