Work Text:
11: Seeing Double
Convenience Store | Loneliness | “Leave no trace behind, like you don’t even exist”
Midoriya Izuku was tired. The training exercise that day was pairs of two with the heroes looking for an object the villains had. Izuku had been partnered with Kirishima as the hero team and of course had to fight against Katsuki and Kaminari as the villains. They had fifteen minutes to find the item or immobilize the other team. It was a straightforward match.
It would have been, had Izuku not been fighting Katsuki.
Kirishima had suggested they split. Izuku readily agreed when Kirishima said “You should fight Bakugo! You know him the best!” All Izuku could do was swallow down his protests as the other teen nodded. A friendly pat on his shoulder and they were off with the buzzer.
It didn’t take long for Katsuki to find him. The fight passed in a blur of explosions. The sounds of Katsuki quirk the only thing Izuku could hear. It drowned out the pulsing blood in his ears. The crackle of electricity from his own quirk unheard.
His mind floated to the background, letting instinct take over as insults and explosions rained down upon him.
Izuku drifted back as Katsuki held him by the throat. His feet off the ground, the steady sound of blood dripping. His blood. He couldn't breathe. His hand quickly rose to claw weakly at Katsuki's wrist.
“Looks like you’re still a worthless Deku.” Bakugo sneered. And Izuku knew. He knew. He knew how true those words were. How little control he had over the quirk. The way he kept breaking himself no matter how hard he tried.
He knew dammit!
The tears wouldn’t come though and Izuku was proud that he couldn’t cry. That numb emptiness swept over him. Eased his scattered emotions into one clean slate. One he preferred over the useless tears.
“Katsuki!” Kaminiari yelled. Izuku looked and saw Kirishima right behind him.
“He's done! Put him down!” Kirishima yelled. With a pop and growl Izuku was dropped to the ground.
Pain radiated through his body. He couldn’t quite pick where it was coming from. Although he had a feeling he was covered in burns again.
“C’mon Midoriya let-” Izuku flinched back as hands came within his sight. A shake of his head.
“Dont.” The whispered word was the only one he could get out.
“You need to see Recovery Girl.” Kaminari knelt down within his sight. Palms up and resting on his knees. Izuku ignored him. He just wanted to be alone. Go patch his own wounds in a corner like the pathetic thing he was.
He slowly gathered himself, getting to his knees then standing. Out of the corner of his eye Izuku saw Kaminari copy his movements. Izuku took a step back from the other teens. Kaminari looked hurt at the movement. Kirshima held onto Bakugo’s arm.
“Why don’t you know when to stop?” The red hair teen questioned. “Bakugo!” He yelled when all he received in response was a snarl.
“Hey Midoryia, let me walk you to Recovery Girl.” Kaminari took a step closer.
Izuku shook his head. “No. I- I’m… just leave me alone.” He whispered before turning and limping out of the training ground gates.
In the changing room he quickly put on a pair of sweats and hoodie. Shoving his ruined hero suit back in its case. He grabbed what he had, his backpack, uniform, and his phone before heading for the door.
His skin itched and pulled. Izuku hoped it wouldn’t get worse. That he didn’t agitate it too much. He was sure the burns needed treatment. He just didn’t want to be around people.
Izuku walked to the front gate. The dorms were crowded. Too many classmates all wanting to know how he was doing. He wouldn’t find peace there. With a quick flash of his card on the scanner, Izuku wandered down the street. His goal was to hit the corner store and pick up some medical supplies. Then… then what? He couldn’t go home. His mother would question him relentlessly. Or… or it would be empty. The cold lonely place that hadn’t been his home in a long time. He might have saved enough to get a small hotel room for the night. Just something to give him a break.
He wandered down the street. Stumbling more the closer he got to the convenience store. Whatever numbness swept over him couldn’t dull the aches and pains anymore. It was slowly coming back to him. His chest, arms and back all just a mix of pain . Throbbing in time with his heartbeat.
Izuku pushed open the doors and went down to the medical aisle. His mind was growing hazy too. Was he bleeding worse than he thought? Or was it something else? His fingertips felt fuzzy. His heart had an erratic rhythm. God he was just so tired. Maybe he would skip all this and just go find somewhere to nap.
He stared at the medical supplies. All the labels looked like a foreign language. His mind was not willing to focus on what was needed. That fuzzy feeling climbed up to his head. Worsening the fog that clouded his mind.
He felt useless. Every insult Katsuki hurled at him hundreds of times playing on loop.
Useless.
Weak.
Deku.
He remembers standing on that rooftop. Dreams crushed by All Might. Holding the shattered pieces of his heart as he looked over the edge. Maybe… maybe he should just do it. Give in and do everyone a favor. He wasn’t wanted, not really. His mother was ignoring him more, coming home later. His classmates looked at him like he was glass. Always keeping him at arm's length. It would probably be easier than patching himself up again. Trying to pull whatever pieces of himself haven't been ground to dust. To appear like the bubbly kid he used to be a long time ago.
Izuku was tired.
Izuku felt a hand wrap around his arm. He didn’t fight it. Just let out a quiet whimper when a particularly bad burn was squeezed. He thinks whoever grabbed him apologized, but that could just be wishful thinking.
He felt himself focusing then. A gentle voice leading him back to his surroundings. A steady beat on the back of his hand. A breathing pattern he thinks. Something that calmed his heart and mind. Finally he blinked away the haze and took in his surroundings. Which had changed, he realized.
The place was dark, a little dirty. It looked half abandoned. There was a bar to his left.
“Hey kid, you back with me?” Izuku focused on that.
Knelt in front of him was Dabi. Blue eyes looking at his own. He wondered why the villain looked concerned. The man's scarred hands holding one of his own, still tapping out the same rhythm.
Izuku opened his mouth but he couldn’t form anywords. A vice clamped down on his throat, locking away his voice. He felt his heart kick up its pace. Lungs stuttering in his chest.
“Shhh, hey. It’s okay.” Izuku focused back on the tapping. Slowly getting his heart back into proper rhythm.
“You’re pretty banged up. Can I patch you up? I know a thing or two about burns.” The man spoke as softly as his hoarse voice would let him. Izuku was just confused. Training camp running through his mind. He knew the League of Villains wanted to hurt his class. So why? Why was he being so kind?
He pulled his hands out of Dabis and quickly signed ‘why?’. The man looked confused.
“Sorry kid, I don’t know sign language.” Izuku let his hands and gaze drop to his lap.
“He asked ‘why?’” Another voice added. Izuku’s head snapped up. Behind Dabi stood Compress.
“Because you're a hurt kid. And burns fucking hurt.” The man spoke. Izuku just nodded at a loss for what to do.
“You can ask questions.” Compress added when Dabi got up and left the main bar, disappearing down a hallway.
‘Why are you being nice to me?’ Izuku signed, his hands shaky.
“We know what it’s like to be an outcast. We can see you’re one too. We may be villains but we help our kind.” That didn’t help his confusion at all. Shouldn’t they be hurting him? Using him against UA and the pros?
‘Are you going to hurt me?’ The shaking of his hand grew worse. Fear made him nervous.
“No. Dabi will patch you up. Kurigiri will get you some soup. Then we will let you sleep. Chat in the morning if you feel up to it.”
‘About what?’
“Whatever you would like. We could talk about what happened or about nothing. You can stay with us if you would like but we can also take you back to your school.”
This felt wrong to Izuku. These were villains, they were supposed to be mean and cruel and hurt. But here they were, patching him up, offering him food and a place to rest. They were doing more than the heroes have done. Then his own mother.
Tears welled up. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands grasping at his shirt over his heart. He just couldn’t understand why they were being so kind to him. He was weak and useless and no one cared. So why!
“C’mon kid, I was only gone for a second.” Warm hands were on top of his own. Dabi tapped that same rhythm onto his hands.
“Oh, do you want us to drop you off at that school? Or home?” Izuku rapidly shook his head. “Okay then. Let’s get this hoodie off.” Izuku pulled it off, sucking in a breath as he pulled it off ruin skin. Some spots had dried to the fabric, making it so much worse to pull at.
Dabi nor Compress said anything. The man just took a second to look over his wounds then began to patch him up. Izuku wasn’t fully paying attention. He was tired. Ready to fall asleep.
He watched as Compress sat down beside him. Oh so gently he wrapped his arms around Izuku's shoulders. Careful not to irritate any of the burns.
“Rest now. We’ll worry about everything else in the morning.” He hummed and closed his eyes before leaning into the man. He rested his head on the man’s shoulder. Rest sounded nice. Even in this strange place with people who were supposed to be cruel, not kind. He couldn’t help but let himself fall asleep. With Dabi gently fixing him, and Compress’s kind whispers, Izuku fell into a peaceful sleep.