Archive of Our Own ^beta

“So what-”

“Do you-”

“Want us-

“To-”

“Do?”

Izuku huffs in amusement at their synchronization. He rubs his hands together to keep them warm in the frigid late-January air, breath misting before dissipating.

“Well, I was hoping you could train with me? All of the unlo- Different forms of energy,” Izuku corrects. “My Quirk has evolved to perform, I figured you all would be the best group to help?” Ochaco’s eyes light up happily.

“Of course! You didn’t have to gather us here like it’s a giant revelation!” Ochaco chirps happily, Tsuyu nodding along.

“Yeah man, it’s no big deal! It’s a learning experience for all of us!” Hanta smiles, scratching the back of his head. Setsuna smirks, a small fang hanging out of the corner of her mouth.

“If it means I get closer to this Greek statue of a man,” She purrs. Ibara glares at her darkly, one of her vines threatening to whip her, but shakes before falling limp.

“Of course, I would be honored to train with you,” Ibara replies softly, smile glowing gently in the early morning light. Izuku smiles back.

“Alright then! Let’s get to work!”

–

“Have you ever been skydiving? It’s kinda like that,”

“No, can’t say I have,” Izuku replies, floating awkwardly through the air. Ochaco tries guiding him as Setsuna floats her head around him, analyzing his movements.

Setsuna clicks her tongue, staying silent for a few more seconds. “Don’t try using your limbs to swim. I know it feels weird at first, but it only unstabilizes you.” She says after a few seconds. Izuku nods, breathing in deep and forcing his limbs to stop moving. He tilts backwards slowly before going upside down, but no longer feels like he’s being thrashed about.

“Alright, but…” Izuku falls silent, thinking as he floats. Setsuna snickers as Ochaco just smiles fondly at how lost in thought Izuku becomes. Tsuyu, Ibara, and Hanta are training below them, using each other’s techniques. “It feels better like this, it’s just… How do I move?” he looks between Ochaco and Setsuna, who look at each other.

“I just go, kinda hard for me to stay in one place,” Setsuna giggles. Both Ochaco and Izuku chuckle before Ochaco turns back to Izuku.

“I can’t move myself in the air since I only cancel gravity, but I use the grappling hooks to swing around when in zero-gravity,” Ochaco holds her wrist up, showing off the gauntlets. Izuku nods, observing it.

“...I could use Blackwhip as a grappling hook!” Izuku’s eyes light up wildly as he rolls his sleeve up before either Setsuna or Ochaco can react, latching onto a rock spire in the center of the gym, and launches off before either of them could blink.

The tendril tightens around it as Izuku swings, one arm outstretched with the tendril fused to it and the other balancing him as he swings around… Only to slam into the spire once the tendril got short enough.

Ochaco gasps and Setsuna winces, the other three stopping what they were doing as they hear the crash. Izuku bounces off in a cloud of smoke, dazed, covered in dust, and a welt forming on his forehead.

“It worked…!” Izuku mumbles, before snapping out of it. “Probably time to work on Blackwhip, though, before I get too carried away,”

–

The Blackwhip tendril snaps forward, piercing straight through the metal target. Izuku winces as he tries to wrangle it backwards, but fails. He exhales sharply as he recalls it, slithering back into his arm.

“Not bad for a first attempt,” Hanta says. “Control is obviously a problem, but the power is there.” Sero shoots a tape length towards a ventilation duct in the rafters of the gym, wrapping it around with ease. “There isn’t really a way to achieve accuracy faster than just getting comfortable with it. Once you do, it feels like an extension of your body!” Hanta lifts off the ground, landing on the duct gracefully. Izuku nods, attempting the same, only to pierce straight through it and nearly hit Hanta.

“Sorry!”

–

“It’s not really prehensile, is it, kero~?” Tsuyu asks, head cocked to the side as Ibara stands behind her.

“Blackwhip was when it first activated, and at short lengths… With larger objects like that spire, it’s fine, but it seems the farther it goes out, the stiffer it gets to strengthen itself,” Izuku responds, showing them. The small little tendril dances back and forth like a flame in the wind, only to grow stock still like a spike as it grows longer past 5 feet or so.

“I had the exact same problem when I was younger,” Ibara chimes in. “It was…” Ibara suddenly goes silent, unblinking. “Conditioning, that helped,” She replies normally afterwards. Both Izuku and Tsuyu tilt their heads to the side. Ibara goes on as she wraps a vine around her arm and pulls gently. Izuku can’t help but notice how glazed over her eyes look.

“So, like, bracing them???” Izuku raises an eyebrow. Ibara nods in response, quickly shortening the vine back to its original position. Izuku nods, and tries the same. It burns as it makes contact with his skin, making him winc and hiss. The tendril stops after a few wraps, glowing dark green.

“If it ever hurts too much, stop immediately,” Izuku flinches at Ibara’s tone, as does Tsuyu, before she shakes her head. “I apologize for that. When I first tried it, it… Didn’t go so well. Years of trial and error, really.”

“Ah, I see,” Izuku replies breathlessly, still caught off-guard.

It… Sounded like it came from a place of hurt… A bad taste was left in Izuku’s mouth. He’s pretty sure everyone here has had some form of Quirk-related trauma, him and Setsuna especially, maybe Hanta, but all of them nonetheless.

Izuku just didn't know how deep it went.

–

The next few days go well. Izuku keep Blackwhip around his arms under his sleeves, and feels them grow in flexibility, even if it was just a small amount.

Izuku kicks off of the floating rocks, flipping over obstacles as he pushes himself further. Ochaco and Setsuna are cheering him on from below as he uses float to cross the gaps between the islands.

When he reaches the end, relief washes over his entire body. It was… Terrifying, kind of, with such little margin of error and not all that comfortable with Float still, but it felt so much better.

“How much longer until I can start using Full Cowling with it?” Izuku asks as he floats down next to Ochaco and Setsuna.

“Dunno, I think it’d be best to get used to it without it,” Ochaco shrugs.

“You mean that lightning thing? If you master Float and that, you would wreck everybody’s shit,” She giggles, and so do Ochaco and Izuku.

‘I hope it’s enough…’ izuku thinks solemnly, ceasing his laughter soon after. Ochaco and Setsuna look at him with concern, but say nothing else.

–

Izuku manages to impale Hanta’s tape midair, pinning it to a target with lightning quick accuracy. Hanta winces as he pulls the tape back, as does Izuku with Blackwhip.

“You’re gettin’ good at this!” Hanta compliments. ”Way faster than I thought you would, but you’re also a literal genius, so…” Izuku chuckles in response. “Ibara and Tsuyu’ll be better when it comes to flexibility since I can’t move mine around at will in the air like they can. Sorry if I won’t be much help outside of practice.”

“Oh, you’re fine, thank you! You’ve… Honestly been so much help, I can’t really thank you enough,” Izuku smiles. Hanta smiles back, and fistbumps him.

–

“My tongue is attached to the front of my mouth whereas yours goes down to your hyoid bone, kero~,” Tsuyu points out. “It might be better to try and attach it to some kind of other anchor point since it’s really not that strong,”

“But if it’s attached to my neck, it’ll just snap if they grab onto it,” Izuku replies, looking uneasy at such a thought.

“You could try your stomach. You’d still be able to breathe, and it’s not like it’s a mian move, mainly to catch them off guard. If a villain grabs it, you can cut it loose in an instant, and that’s if they even see it coming in the first place, ~kero,” Tsuyu replies. Izuku just sighs, nodding before turning back to the target.

“Break first target, short of second,” Izuku repeats to himself.

He closes his eyes, steeling himself before summoning Blackwhip from inside his mouth. It crawls down his throat uncomfortably, making him quiver. Izuku chokes as he feels something spring in his throat. It feels like he’s about to vomit as it grows in pressure.

“C’mon, you can do it!” Tsuyu encourages.

“FROPPY STYLE- HUGHH!” Izuku hacks violently as the tendrils come springing out, slamming into the target and destroying it, coming just short of the once behind it like he had intended.

Izuku reels it back in, slightly horrified with himself as he hears Tusyu clapping and chirping happily. Izuku turns to see her wholesome smile as she cheers. It makes himself feel slightly better about how violated he feels right now…

–

“Sooo… How long do we have to do this for?” Izuku asks, looking over at Ibara as he hangs from the rafters from the Blackwhip tendrils. His body sways back and forth as he tries to relax the rest of his muscles. Ibara doesn’t open her eyes or move to look at him.

“As long as we need to,” She says quietly, perfectly still in her meditation as she hangs from her vines. Her vines are spread out in fractals and patterns around her that reminds Izuku of a hanging garden. He grimaces, looking back up at the tendrils. Izuku winces as he hears a crack as one of the tendrils thins out and elongates from the pressure.

After this was other grip strength building exercises like farmer carries and stuff like that…

Oh God, Izuku was going to die like this, wasn’t he?

–

Izuku’s muscles constrict as Ibara’s vine tightens around his neck more and more. He tries not to scream at the feeling as she steps closer slowly through the dust, looking disapprovingly down at him.

“Shiozaki wins, 9-1,” Bubble Girl announces, holding up a flag to Ibara’s side of the arena. Ibara’s vines retract and Izuku gasps, clawing at his neck as Ibara looms over him. Izuku slows his breathing down as Bubble Girl walks over to check up on him.

Izuku sits up shakily, letting himself get helped up. Bubble Girl pats him on the back before setting off to the stand again to referee Hanta and Setsuna’s match. He feels Ibara’s piercing presence around him, making him splutter before dusting himself off. Izuku looks up into piercing malachite eyes staring down at him.

“You’re improving, but not by much. Progress is progress, but you still have a long way to go,” Ibara tells him, her voice cold and hard as she leads both of them away. The thorns on her hair glint in the light from how sharp they were. It makes Izuku gulp.

“...What would help me improve faster?” Izuku tries, shoulder slumped. “You’re lightning quick with precision control, and Blackwhip is either 100% or 0%,” Ibara remains quiet for a few seconds.

“...It took me years to get to the level I was at the entrance exam. Simply doing it over and over again wasn’t sufficient enough, but when my conviction grew, so did its power.” Izuku remains quiet as Bubble Girl blows her whistle in the background.

“Blackwhip first came out when I could barely control my emotions. Then, it was much more versatile, but now that I’m actively trying to use it, it’s a lot more rigid and weak… So, stronger emotions help control it?”

“Exactly. I will warn this once, though, to never let those emotions prevail,” Izuku shivers at her tone as she stares him down. The cross of vines over her forehead looks an awful lot like a crown. “While they may aid you in gaining control of Blackwhip, letting them run will…” Ibara falls silent as her bright malachite eyes become a frosted green. Izuku blinks as his stomach sinks. Ibara closes her eyes and sighs, breath laden with pain Izuku can understand all too well…

Suddenly, Ibara grabs Izuku’s hand, making him flinch before looking straight into his eyes.

“Promise to me you will neve let your emotions control your power unless you have run out of options of reason.” Izuku is dead silent before he swallows.

“I promise…” He breathes out. Ibara’s eyes scan him, malachite irises glittering in the light before she lets go.

“Thank you, Midoriya,” She bows. “I look forward to our next match. Remember what I’ve told you,” She finishes, before turning away on her heel, and Izuku is left standing there with his stomach still sinking.

–

‘S̶p̶i̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶L̶i̶l̶l̶i̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶k̶e̶e̶p̶ ̶a̶p̶p̶e̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶k̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶p̶e̶t̶a̶l̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶k̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶.̶’

‘H̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶k̶i̶n̶ ̶i̶t̶c̶h̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶w̶l̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶l̶a̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶k̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶l̶e̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶p̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶e̶m̶o̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶f̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶.̶’

‘"̶P̶r̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶Q̶u̶i̶r̶k̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶n̶e̶x̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶e̶!̶"̶’

The Blackwhip tendril bursts from izuku’s arm, winding and writhing as it flashes to the concrete target. Izuku grits his teeth as he reels it back like a real whip, letting gravity do the work and decimate the reinforced target.

Izuku lets his angry expression fall into shock as the dust clears, and the Blachwip retreat quickly back to his arm, disappearing into nothing, phantom pains shooting into the air around Izuku from where the tendril had once been.

He gulps.

‘I’m ready,’ Izuku thinks to himself, staring at the target. ‘If I can at least match Ibara, it’ll be something of worth for these past months,’

–

Izuku breathes in as he locks eyes with Ibara on the other side of the arena. Her malachite eyes are stone cold and full of focus. Izuku tilts his head as he readies his body.

Bubble Girl drops the flag.

As the wave of vines speeds towards him, Izuku closes his eyes.

'̶I̶z̶u̶k̶u̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶w̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶o̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶9̶ ̶P̶.̶M̶.̶ ̶I̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶o̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶r̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶t̶a̶c̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶k̶i̶n̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶I̶z̶u̶k̶u̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶c̶r̶e̶a̶m̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶a̶t̶ ̶r̶a̶w̶-̶'̶

The ground erupts upwards, the vines shearing off and writhing as Blackwhip tendrils erupt from the ground. Izuku kicks off the ground using Full Cowling. Before he knows it, a tendril wraps itself around Ibara’s throat, and Izuku leverages himself though the air, coming down on her back to pin her.

Izuku’s panting as he holds his stance waiting for Ibara to stop struggling and forfeit-

She’s not moving.

Izuku’s eyes widen as the dust clears to see Ibara frozen, shaking as she looks past Izuku up at the ceiling. Izuku lets go instantly, the Blackwhip tendrils retreating back out of sheer fright as Izuku kneels down besides her, Bubble Girl sprinting over.

"She’s in shock,” Bubble Girl states, hurriedly opening the medical kit to clean Ibara’s wound. Izuku feels like he’s about to throw up everywhere. “Ibara, can you hear me-”

“GET OFF OF ME-!”

Izuku is thrown backwards as the vines spring to life, now dark green and sharper than daggers as Ibara retreats in on herself. Izuku steadies himself, forcing Full Cowling to cool off as he sees how terrified Ibara is. He makes his stance less threatening, hoping the concern on his face is translating well.

Ibara chokes as the vines retreat, curling in on herself, shaking. Both Izuku and Bubble Girl wait to give Ibara some space before slowly moving in. Bubble Girl wraps Ibara in a shock blanket, holding he close to her shoulder, and-

And Izuku just… Watches…

The writhing and disgust at himself he felt made him want to throw up. Ibara locks eyes with him again, and the terror that translates between them is enough to make Izuku back off. Bubble Girl picks Ibara up gently, Bubble Girl giving him a saddened look, before shaking her head, before leaving, with the others running up to Izuku.

–

“It wasn’t your fault, Izuku,”

“She still warned me,”

“...What?”

“The emotions that I used to gain more control over Blackwhip,” Izuku looks up to meet Bubble Girls concerned stare, “I… I used it there. Ibara explained to me that’s how she got such fine control over her vines.  I had enough cognition to restrain myself from hurting her physically, but…”

“You couldn’t have known. Stuff like this happens all the times with you kids, don’t beat yourself up over it,”

“I’m-”

“Nope. You’re also getting a session with Hound Dog tomorrow. I gotta go, see ya!” Bubble Girl leaves Izuku in the teacher’s lounge, waiting for All Might to arrive for their meeting. It helped subside the guilt just a little bit, but… Izuku hasn’t seen Ibara at all since then.

Izuku wouldn’t see her for the next week.

Or the week after that.

‘I̶z̶u̶k̶u̶'̶s̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶n̶d̶a̶g̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶I̶b̶a̶r̶a̶'̶s̶ ̶w̶r̶i̶s̶t̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶i̶d̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶Q̶u̶i̶r̶k̶-̶’

–

Izuku’s body shakes with every breath he takes. He knows he should be nervous, considering he’s under Endeavor’s tutelage and how many Pros were in on this raid, but they were here for a reason.

'̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶a̶c̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶h̶i̶g̶h̶ ̶s̶c̶h̶o̶o̶l̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶d̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶i̶p̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶.̶ ̶S̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶r̶o̶n̶g̶.̶ ̶S̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶o̶r̶r̶i̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶w̶r̶o̶n̶g̶.̶'̶

“Nerd,” Katsuki calls roughly, throwing something at him. Izuku catches it with surprising ease as they sit in the warm up room. He opens the package slowly, the cover being ornate depictions of mythology.

Izuku stops as he pulls a note out.

“I want to apologize for our last training session. I should have told you sooner so we could have worked around it. It’s my fault for being so pig-headed. As an apology, I wanted to give you this.

It’s a malachite pendant. My ancestors on the Italian peninsula wore these regularly when they traversed the Apennine Mountains to ward off evil spirits. May this assist you in staying in the light and never straying from it.”

-Ibara Shiozaki

Izuku blinks as he holds it up. He swallows at how gorgeous it looks. No matter how much he wants to keep it safe and protected… It’s job was to protect him, and while Izuku was not really that much of a believer… It was appreciated.

He quickly puts it in one of the compartments on his belt before standing up, joining Katsuki and Shouto as they get ready to follow Endeavor out.

Izuku’s hand rests over the pendant all the way to the hospital, only leaving it once Danger Sense activates for the first time ever.

–

One of the only things Izuku didn’t leave behind at U.A was the pendant.

Maybe it was his emotions desperately clinging on to his shattered faith and dreams, but the malachite pendant has been nestled in that one compartment since that day.

‘“Mom?” Izuku breathes out, Inko looks over at him, blinking the tears away. “Some of my friends gave me gifts before the War… I know they can’t come in, but… Can you set them at my bed side?”

“Of course-” Inko chokes out, quickly leaving. A few minutes later, she returns. She sets the All Might keychain down next to him, as well as the malachite pendant.

“Thank you,” Izuku says quietly.

“Anything for you, baby…” Inko replies, nearly silent, trying to hold her tears back. Izuku’s arms throb and burn, his fingers completely numb, but the keychain and pendant were there to keep him company at least.

For now.

He dreads the day he’ll lose them.’

Thankfully that day hasn’t arrived yet.

“You still keep that expensive thing on you?” Lady Nagant asks tiredly, staring at the pendant around Izuku’s neck. Gran Torino’s scarf is being washed, so Izuku decided to wear it for a bit.

“It was a gift from a friend… Shortly before the war…” Izuku replies, his own voice sounding foreign. Kaina huffs, eyeing it, no doubt in Izuku’s mind using her superior vision to admire it.

“Ah, a lover?” Kaina jests, and Izuku stares her down before shaking his head. “Bad time, I know,” She looks away, cringing. “D’you still keep in touch with them?”

“No. Could be dead for all I know,”

The small, alive part of Izuku’s soul loathes how easily it rolled off the tongue.

–

‘Classmates, heroes laying on the ground, not moving, bleeding, needing resuscitation, broken. Innocent lives taken by this man, no matter his reason.’

‘“Don’t you dare let him through those gates! He’ll put a target on all of us!”

‘“At least under All For One’s rule, things will be a Hell of a lot clearer,”’

‘“If there is a God he’ll need to beg for my forgiveness.”’

Izuku doesn’t hesitate any longer. Fa-Jin, Gearshift, Blackwhip, and One For All combine in a chimera of raw, sheer strength, light beams arcing through the sky and embedding themselves in Shigaraki’s body.

He face doesn’t even move as he watches the arcs spread from Shigaraki’s body as he screams in agony, body twitching, remembering all of the lives he took, all the pain and misery he spread, how Tenko was no longer in Shigaraki, Tenko was dead the moment All For One tried to take control.

As the light bursts, everything fades to black, only for Izuku to come face to face with Shinomori. He’s falling backwards into the rapidly growing bright white.

“You fought beautifully, Midoriya,” Shinomori smiles, crying. “Maybe in Heaven, me and my brother will finally see face to face for the first time in a while,” He giggles. “But until then, your story still isn’t over. The world still needs you. We won’t be here, but our Quirk will. Keep going… They need you…”

Izuku knows he’s balling his eyes out, but he doesn’t care, he’s laughing like an idiot as Shinomori fades out of existence and everything turns to black.

–

He rouses slowly, heart monitor still beeping. Thankfully, Izuku doesn’t feel as physically bad, despite the agonizing burning, but at least he feels something.

Izuku’s body comes online with screeching pain as he takes in his surroundings through the pressure in his head. He's not sure when, but people come flooding into his room. Doctors, nurses, his mother, apparently some people in suits and military uniforms, though they were not there for very long.

It takes several days of agony for Izuku to finally become semi-aware of his immediate surroundings. He knows most of his hair is white now, from the mirror Inko held up to him. Shouto is in there a lot, along with Lady Nagant.

“All of your classmates are safe, sweetie,” Inko calms him. It helps, but their conditions otherwise worry him.

“How are they?” Izuku chokes out. Inko freezes before she sobs and hugs him tighter.

“None of them are crippled, but… God, they sent children into war… My baby-!” Izuku’s lost count of how many times Inko’s lost it, it became painful to keep count because this was a different kind of crying to what he was normally used to.

Days go by, and eventually Shouto and Ochaco come in and immediately stick to him like glue. They all sleep in the same room, despite the lack of space. Both of them are incredibly injured, but still somehow well enough to stand and keep watch over him. Maybe it was just pure love from Ochaco and indifference to pain from Shouto, but Izuku appreciated it nonetheless.

“You missing this?” Lady Nagant stops by one day, and throws something at Izuku. Ochaco catches it one-handed in her cast and glares at Kaina, who just gives a lazy, satisfied smirk. “They found that on your outfit when you fell from the sky, Icarus. Watch where that goes next time, I won’t be there to find it.” Kaina remarks before leaving. Izuku just huffs, amused. He feels like he’s not going to hear the end of it from her-

‘Wait-’

Izuku blinks.

“Ibara?” He starts, voice hoarse as Ochaco and Shoto’s eyes snap over to him. “Where is she? Is she okay?” Izuku glances from between both of them. Ochaco looks like she might start sobbing while Shoto’s expression turns dark. Izuku knows she’s not dead or crippled, but…

They show him the broadcast.

Izuku’s breathing tightens as he watches it. Ibara’s vines turn into lightning bolts like Izuku’s Blackwhip tendrils, mutilating every single nomu and villain they came across, spreading into the sky like arc flashes as Ibara’s body folds under the stress. The shaking causes by the vines and madness causes the broadcast to cut. Ochako puts her head on top of Izuku’s to steady his breathing as the flashback comes to an abrupt halt.

It…

It was so similar…

That’s what Ibara meant.

The emotions that controlled the movements would result in so much pain and destruction.

Izuku lays there, unblinking at the now empty TV screen as he holds the malachite pendant in his palm unmoving. Ochaco holds him tighter as Shoto uses his ice, what little of it he can right now with how bad his injuries were, to soothe him.

Several days later, during a thunderstorm, Izuku snaps out of it when lightning crashes outside of his window. He hyperventilates as Kaina strokes his hair gently, waiting for him to calm down.

“Fuck, you were endered catatonic for like a week,” She murmurs, genuine concern lacing her voice as she rubs the stark white curls on Izuku’s head. Izuku exhales heavily, sighing as he leans into her touch. “Ochaco and Shoto told me about what happened. They’re in physical therapy right now… Just so you know, Shiozaki has been admitted to a psych ward," Izuku’s eyes snap to Kaina, full of horror and disbelief.

A million words go unsaid between them, but the connotation arrives just the same.

–

Ochaco and Shoto cheer Izuku on as he manages to take his first steps out of bed for the first time since the war. His nerves are on fire, but he can feel both of his legs and all of his toes, so he can take it. As long as Izuku can feel, he’s fine.

Izuku rubs circles onto the malachite pendant with his thumb when he’s not busy to regain some of the dexterity. Thankfully, he didn’t lose his hands or any motor functions, but he still had quite a ways to go.

“You could try using Blackwhip as a brace,” Shoto suggests, and Izuku goes still as Shoto’s eyes fill with realization. “Oh My God-”

“N-No, y-you’re fine…” Izuku stammers. He breathes in, rubbing circles around the pendant again. He looks up at Ochaco, Shoto, and Kaina. “I wanna try using Blackwhip as a brace. Physician’s already cleared me for it,”

“What?! No-!” Ochaco begins.

“He’ll be fine,” Kaina interrupts. “If he isn’t dead yet, he’s not gonna die any time soon.” Ochaco looks between Kaina and Izuku’s dead eyes and sighs in defeat. Izuku knows that she’s terrified of Izuku hurting himself any further, but… Izuku has to try.

It’s selfish because it just doesn’t sit right with him to avoid Blackwhip.

–

Izuku looks up at Kaina, who has the Quirk Canceling dart on the ready in her sniper rifle, Ochaco and Shoto waiting with baited breath. He swallows and looks down at the ground, closing his eyes.

'̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶i̶n̶f̶u̶l̶ ̶w̶a̶i̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶b̶b̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶e̶c̶h̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶l̶s̶,̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶s̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶a̶d̶c̶a̶s̶t̶s̶ ̶b̶l̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶t̶a̶n̶t̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶g̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶f̶e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶i̶l̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶b̶e̶t̶w̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶I̶z̶u̶k̶u̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶w̶a̶t̶c̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶b̶e̶g̶i̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶J̶a̶p̶a̶n̶'̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶o̶v̶e̶r̶y̶-̶'̶

Izuku grunts, his body jolting as Ochao lets out a choked gasp. He opens his eyes quickly, and is met with a Blackwhip tendril dancing back and forth in the wind, its dark green outline glowing brightly.

Izuku blinks, eyes still wide as he feels the hole in his chest close ever so slightly.

‘The way Ibara smiles sometimes, Izuku can’t help but let his eyes linger, it’s so beautiful. Even when she was sweating, covered in dirt and dust, or had a bad complexion day, Izuku still couldn’t help but feel that tingling in his core.

It was completely childish, but he was willing to forgive himself this once to feel happiness in this way,’

The tendril shoots through the air like Chinese dragon dance, before forming the outline of All Might. Kaina snorts before cackling at the fact it was the first thing Izuku did. Shoto huffs in amusement, while Ochako’s eyes soften as she begins to see the brighter parts of Izuku come back to life.

For the first time in months, Izuku feels weightless as he uses the Blackwhip tendrils to create all kinds of shapes and designs. Mythology to action sequences, Izuku found himself entranced by his own abilities, and the more he thought about Ibara.

–

“Are you sure you want to see her now? You can wait, please don’t force this-”

“I’m ready,” Izuku swallows. Kaoruko keeps her stare on him a little bit longer after Izuku looks away before she sighs.

“Alright… It’s… Gonna be scary,” Kaoruko says reluctantly. Izuku just shrugs.

“Maybe I’ll get used to it like everything else,” Izuku replies, and is quickly reminded of Kaoruko’s genuine concern by a smack on the arm and a glare. Izuku just grimaces as they walk through the hall silently.

They check in quietly, and are led to a small open garden. There aren’t any sharp objects in sight, anything loose enough to fit around one’s neck, and the glass is thick enough to where Izuku can clearly see it fitting into its frame.

A small figure is curled up in a chair.

Dark green vines, laden with thorns, sit atop the figure as they stare out at the skyline. The nurse leaves them with a quiet departing message before leaving them. Kaoruko and Izuku sit on either side of Ibara silently, giving her plenty of space. Ibara doesn’t do so much as acknowledge them. Her eyes are a murky light green. Thin scars run down her forehead, and most of the rest of her body that is visible over her gown is covered in bandages.

“Hey,” Izuku starts. Ibara keeps staring out at the horizon at something she can never pinpoint. “How’s your day been?” No response, “...Mine too,” Izuku huffs, his small smile hollow. Kaoruko glances at him briefly.

Construction cranes rise up in the distance atop damaged skyscrapers, the very first signs of healing and reconstruction evident amongst the war’s fallout. The silence in this country was deafening, but the peace that settled over everything was enough to remind Izuku that what they fought for was worth it. Without the HPSC around anymore, everything felt a little bit greener, a little bit brighter.

“I know this visit doesn’t mean much, I… I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Izuku starts again. Ibara doesn’t respond, her fingers trace over her knees delicately in slow patterns. They sit there in silence as the early morning sun reaches around 9:30 A.M, the morning nowhere near over but sufficient light cast over the city.

Izuku looks up at Kaoruko, who looks back, before both of them turn back to Ibara.

“Me and Ms. Awata gotta go… I’ll come visit you tomorrow…” Izuku finishes as he stands up, and awkwardly walks out with Kaoruko. Once the door closes gently Izuku sighs heavily. “I didn't know what to say…” He bemoans, and Kaoruko hugs him, something she’s gotten very fond of doing lately. Izuku wasn’t complaining.

“It’s alright, at least you came,” She comforts, swaying back and forth as she holds the taller teen in her arms. Izuku blinds as he stares out the door back at Ibara, who hasn’t moved since they came out there.

–

The visits are daily now. Once in the morning, and another just before sunset. Kaoruko informs Izuku on Ibara’s condition. She’s completely catatonic emotionally, and rarely does anything else than sit out in the garden and sleep. Thankfully, she hasn’t had any ‘red,’ days, but she hasn’t been improving a lot, either.

Izuku usually just sits somewhere in the garden and talks, sometimes trying to get a response, or just to himself. Ibara’s been slowly inching towards him ever since he started visiting by himself, and even nods a few times to things Izuku says. They let Ibara take care of the plants in the garden, having trusted her with the tools and water enough now that she’s progressing so much.

“They officially abolished the popularity ratings today, and are planning to go through with the whole ‘Transparency Act,’ next week,” Izuku says, exhaling as he examines a blue hydrangea plant. The sounds of the city just waking up echo below them, the calmness of the small insects and birds of the garden around them keeping both teens grounded as they stay in silence.

Izuku breathes in, recalling Kaoruko’s words from several weeks ago.

‘“She’s showing signs of responsiveness to her psychologist and other nurses. There’s a pretty high chance she might regress, but it’s normal for teenagers with as much trauma as she does,” Kaoruko breathes out, her tired eyes wandering. She doesn’t look like she’s slept much lately. Izuku nods, running a hand through his hair. Thankfully, it’s not falling out like he feared it would when it got shocked stark white.

“Should I… Mention Blackwhip?” Izuku asks. Kaoruko’s eyes snap to his as she stays silent, before she looks away, pondering the answer. Eventually, she looks back up.

“Eventually. Not right now, but when she’s starting to show more signs of responsiveness, don’t just drop it on her.”’

Izuku sighs, before summoning Blackwhip. It burns a tinge as it slowly crawls out. He creates a small little dipper constellation out of it. He feels Ibara’s eyes snap to him, but he doesn’t dare look down.

“It’s… A lot easier now…” Izuku remarks, watching the way the Blackwhip tendrils pulse in the air in the constellation.

“...How?” Izuku’s eyes snap down to Ibara’s. Her dead green eyes bore into her as she looks breathlessly at the constellation above Izuku.

“I… It was more positive emotions, like love and nostalgia that helped me get greater control of it… You were right about the anger part of it…” Izuku remarks solemnly.

Ibara falls over shaking, and Izuku’s gently guided out by Kaoruko as nurses rush in to sedate Ibara.

–

Izuku feels like he’s about to throw up as Kaoruko walks beside him again. It’s been a week since the last time Izuku’s seen Ibara. Kaoruko stops him in front of the garden door, taking both of his hands and rubbing them gently. It feels nice, soothing the dull ache in them.

“It’s gonna be okay…” She says gently, before hugging him. Izuku hugs her back before waving her off. He sighs, before turning around to open the door.

Ibara looks up at him, her mouth hidden behind her knees and a fleece blanket draped around her back. Her green eyes are still dull, but there’s a small bit of light in them that makes Izuku feel a little lighter. He closes the door gently and slowly walks over, sitting across from her,

“I know this doesn’t mean much, but… I’m sorry about what happened last time… It was inappropriate…” Izuku says, finally looking away immediately after finishing as the tensity was far too strong.

A small crackling sound gets Izuku’s attention.

He looks over, only to freeze as he looks up and sees the taurus constellation made out of Ibara’s hair. Izuku remains breathless as he looks down at her.

“...It’s gotten easier to control too…” Ibara murmurs happily, watching the constellation move back and forth in the air around her.

Izuku sniffles.

“S-Sorry, just…” Izuku chokes. Surprisingly, Ibara is the one to hug Izuku first, and Izuku reciprocates as tightly as he can. “You’ve come so far,” He weeps, and Ibara smiles, tears beginning to prick at her own eyes. Her vines become just the tiniest bit softer.

–

“They said she was stable enough for us to hang out with her, right?” Kyoka asks Itsuka, who nods in affirmation.

“Other than that, we don’t know what her condition is. I’m just thankful she’s gotten this far…” Itsuka breathes out. The rest of the girls remain silent as they recount the events leading up to Ibara’s hospitalization in her head.

“They said she was still in the garden-...” Momo stops short as they round the corner, and stare out.

Izuku and Ibara were laid on their back, looking up at the night sky, with vines leading off of Ibara’s head and Blackwhip tendrils from Izuku’s outstretched arms as they create constellations in the sky above them. The soft glow of the lanterns illuminate both of them enough to see how bright and full of life their eyes were as they played, lost in their own world.

Kyoka just smirks.

“Tomorrow night, then?” She jests. Itsuka sniffles before leaning into Momo’s shoulder. It was tears of joy.

–

'̶G̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶g̶i̶r̶l̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶G̶o̶d̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶f̶r̶o̶n̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶w̶r̶o̶n̶g̶d̶o̶i̶n̶g̶s̶,̶ ̶I̶b̶a̶r̶a̶-̶'̶

'̶F̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶g̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶c̶h̶i̶l̶d̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶e̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶h̶,̶ ̶a̶s̶c̶e̶n̶d̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶H̶e̶a̶v̶e̶n̶-̶'̶

"̶W̶H̶Y̶ ̶C̶A̶N̶'̶T̶ ̶Y̶O̶U̶ ̶J̶U̶S̶T̶ ̶B̶E̶ ̶G̶R̶A̶T̶E̶F̶U̶L̶?̶!̶?̶!̶?̶!̶"̶

'̶I̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶p̶ ̶b̶u̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶s̶p̶i̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶c̶o̶r̶d̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶y̶e̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶I̶b̶a̶r̶a̶-̶'̶

"̶W̶H̶O̶R̶E̶-̶"̶

"̶I̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶l̶f̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶'̶d̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶g̶o̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶l̶,̶ ̶m̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶l̶f̶-̶"̶

Ibara snaps awake, body on fire as she gasps for air, skin crawling like crazy. Her vines tense and sharpen past grade A daggers as she chokes on air.

“Ibara?! Ibara! Come on, listen to my breathing, can you do that?” Ibara blinks for the first time in several minutes as the voice filters into her ears, warmth spreading across the left side of her body. She hears the pounding against her ears, too afraid to move, but tries to match the breathing nonetheless.

“That’s it, in one, hold, out on two, it’s okay, it’s okay…” Izuku’s deep voice comforts her, holding her fragile limber body like she might fall apart at the seams. Ibara wants to scream, but finds her own throat scratched raw already. The most she can do is shake and whimper against Izuku’s body.

‘"̶P̶a̶t̶h̶e̶t̶i̶c̶-̶"̶’

“You’re so brave, Ibara,” Izuku whispers gently, nuzzling the side of her head. Ibara breathes out slowly, heart rate finally beginning to slow and limbs twitching every so often. She swallows thickly as she takes his words in.

‘Izuku… Izuku doesn’t lie… He’s never lied,’

‘H̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶b̶o̶d̶y̶ ̶l̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶u̶p̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶,̶ ̶a̶r̶m̶s̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶s̶t̶r̶e̶t̶c̶h̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶h̶o̶r̶r̶i̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶w̶i̶s̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶Q̶u̶i̶r̶k̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶e̶s̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶k̶,̶ ̶N̶o̶m̶u̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶k̶f̶u̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶c̶i̶o̶u̶s̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶u̶s̶k̶s̶,̶ ̶v̶i̶l̶l̶a̶i̶n̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶e̶x̶e̶c̶u̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶c̶a̶p̶t̶u̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶I̶b̶a̶r̶a̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶e̶x̶e̶c̶u̶t̶i̶o̶n̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶n̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶b̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶j̶u̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶.̶ ̶

I̶t̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶r̶a̶n̶g̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶n̶o̶c̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶e̶v̶e̶r̶a̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶l̶a̶s̶s̶m̶a̶t̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶t̶r̶u̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶h̶i̶f̶t̶ ̶c̶r̶u̶c̶i̶f̶i̶x̶ ̶m̶a̶d̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶r̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶v̶i̶n̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶b̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶.̶’

“You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met…” Izuku’s voice is husky and deep, and completely disarms Ibara. It scares her to her core, because no one has ever had control over something like this unless…

‘O̶n̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶v̶i̶n̶e̶s̶ ̶p̶u̶l̶l̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶k̶n̶i̶f̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶i̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶k̶e̶e̶p̶s̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶g̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶u̶l̶l̶a̶b̶y̶,̶ ̶b̶l̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶u̶r̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶a̶t̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶i̶r̶ ̶k̶e̶e̶p̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶g̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶e̶v̶e̶n̶-̶y̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶I̶b̶a̶r̶a̶ ̶k̶e̶e̶p̶s̶ ̶w̶a̶t̶c̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶e̶ ̶d̶r̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶u̶n̶t̶i̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶,̶ ̶u̶n̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶u̶r̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶e̶l̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶-̶'̶

Izuku groans as he sits up, holding Ibara closely to his strong body. She feels a lot smaller like this… It feels… Safe.

–

Izuku never would have thought Ibara would be this… Affectionate.

It was a surprise, but a very pleasant one. The physical clinginess was a problem, but they’ve been working on it for the past few weeks, and Ibara’sbeen better about not being able to be held constantly.

They’ve let them start sharing a bed from now on, too, as a special request to adapt to Ibara’s needs. At night, she’s practically glued to him. Sometimes, when Izuku activates Blackwhip to retrieve something or simply just play with it to tire out his mind, Ibara will latch onto it with a vine and intertwine them, holding it close to her.

The first time it happened, Izuku passed out, but now it’s incredibly endearing to him, so before they both go to bed, he summons on tendril for Ibara to latch onto before going to sleep. The nightmares have almost completely halted since then, and a few times one of them manages to attack Ibara in her sleep, it’s nowhere near as bad as they have been.

Sometimes, Izuku will find a flower petal in bed with them with no reasonable explanation as to how it got there, but it doesn’t concern him that much.

What was concerning, though, were the times when Ibara’s scalp would bleed like broken hydraulic lines.

The way she would wail and choke on air as the doctors tried to render the bleeding under control broke Izuku’s heart, and more than often he saw a glimpse of the multitude of thin, lightning-shaped scars that ran down Ibara’s back.

Right now was after a particularly bad day, when the doctors had finally left Ibara and Izuku alone, Ibara whimpering silently on her stomach as she clutched a stomach to her chest, too afraid to move. Izuku swallows as he looks out the window, cataloging the progress made on repairs on major buildings in the skyline.

A small Blackwhip tendril floats curiously to Ibara’s face. She stops to look up at it, face puffy and eyes red, observing the way it danced around. The tendril rubs against her face, and she whimpers and leans into the contact. Izuku’s face contorts into an embarrassed squiggly line as he lets the tendril dance about.

The tendril ends up crawling to Ibara’s head, where she falls silent.

Izuku’s breath hitches as he realizes what just happened.

Suddenly, a small carnation falls to the floor.

Izuku blinks, confused, before looking back up, and seeing more carnations sprouting from Ibara’s head.

Ibara’s whole body shakes, almost seizure-like as the flowers keep blooming, the vines fading away to leaf-like hair. Izuku stands up abruptly, slowly moving over. Ibara desperately nuzzles into the Blackwhip tendril like she might fall apart without the contact. Calendulas end up sprouting alongside the carnations, growing longer and longer as the vines recess slowly.

Izuku’s eyes light up in fascination as the flowers grow along the scars lining Ibara’s back, adorning them like trees on a river bank. He lowers a hand on top of Ibara’s head, and she lets out a shrill whimper as she leans into the contact. Izuku pulls her, gently at first, into a hug, and then much harder.

Ibara sobs openly, in sheer relief and joy, as the vines disappear, and the flower petals fall to the floor around them, the gentle early morning sunlight flooding the garden around them.

–

To say Izuku could have filled up over a dozen pages of Ibara’s quirk in his logbook was an understatement. He’s never been more fascinated by any quirk in his life. Even quirk specialists have never seen anything like it before.

Ibara, while still quiet, began smiling far more openly now,tears often accompanying her laughter like she couldn’t believe how free she felt.

Eri was definitely a fan of it, when she came to visit with the rest of the girls, wouldn't stop playing with them and making gentle braids with them the entire time.

A large iris was perched above a truss on her head, with a gladiolus on the other side, framing her face perfectly amid the myriad of other flowers and colors lighting her hair up beautifully.

Izuku could never take her eyes off of her. Even on days when things got bad again, or had a bad skin week with small blemishes, or her hair messed up, Izuku couldn’t help but be enthralled. Maybe it was just fleeting, youthful love, but that doesn’t explain how it’s still happening after the horrors of war everyone in the generation has experienced. Unlike Ibara’s quirk awakening, he couldn’t explain the feeling.

The day Ibara was finally discharged, stepping outside of the hospital for the first time in months, in a sundress, the iris and gladiolus in full bloom, so many more flowers trailing behind her from her head where dagger-sharp vines used to rest, Izuku couldn’t help but cry.

Walking through the streets together, finally free from the fear of death and their trauma, finally allowed to live, with the vibrancy and hope that her flowers brought with her, Ibara and Izuku couldn’t have been any more content like this.