Chapter Text
“Alright, here we are, at the dorms.” Aizawa voiced, his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his black, baggy pants.
Midoriya clutched the straps of his yellow backpack like a security blanket, his gaze fixed on the towering building of the class 1-A dorm. Though it had only been two days since he, Todoroki, and Bakugo were kidnapped, stepping back here felt like returning to a place he hadn’t set foot in for years.
It all felt foreign—the building, the path leading to the entrance, even the familiar weight of the backpack slung over his shoulders. It was strange that he was even wearing this flimsy canvas bag. It was incredible they were able to find it, kind of unwise for the villains to leave his belongings just lying around.
“Come on, they are eager to see you.” Aizawa walked ahead with Midoriya following closely behind, “And don’t worry, they are aware of your condition, I made sure to remind them to not bombard you.”
“Okay, thanks, Mr. Aizawa,” Midoriya softly replied.
The wounds on his arm and stomach still stung, he could feel the stitches inside the bandages rubbing and pressing against his sensitive skin. He had to be cautious with every movement; even a simple sneeze sent a sharp wave of pain radiating through his abdomen.
Midoriya, with Aizawa’s help, walked up the stairs. Then, his teacher grasped the handle and opened the door, ushering Midoriya in. He took a deep breath and walked in, feeling the warmth along his skin, a contrast from the chill winter air.
“Midoriya!”
The green-haired teenager jolted, his eyes shooting wide open. Instantly, a group of his classmates crowded around him, each eager to check on their previously absent friend.
“Everyone, calm down!” Iida jumped in, “Give him some space, remember what Mr. Aizawa said!”
“Oh sorry!” Ashido said, taking a few steps back, the rest following, “I’m just so happy to see you.” She concluded, looking at Midoriya as he painstakingly switched from his outdoor shoes into a pair of slippers.
“Thanks, guys, I’m happy to see you all as well, but yeah like Iida said, some space would be…nice.” Midoriya softly replied, stepping into the common room.
He saw the entire class gathered around him, forming a circle…except for two people. He scanned the crowd, but no matter how he looked, they were nowhere to be found.
“Um…where’s Kacchan and Todoroki?”
At the mention of their names, their frowns shifted into one of worry, “They’re in their rooms—we um, rarely see them,” Kirishima replied, “They’ve been really shut off since they came back. They only come down to grab their food but when they do, they don’t say a word. I wanted to text Bakugo, but I can’t since his phone was lost when the kidnapping happened.”
“And I tried knocking on Todoroki’s door, but he just told me he was not in the mood to talk. I’ve even tried to urge him to come out, but he just says that he’s fine and to not worry about him,” Uraraka sadly added.
“It’s been tough. We tried what we could to help them but it’s not enough. But you’re here now—I’m sure they would be happy to see you,” Iida said, “We know what happened…we kept telling them that we don’t blame them for the choices they had to make…we never did.”
Midoriya smiled faintly, “Thanks guys.”
“And you! Deku! We are aware of what you went through, so please know that we are here for you!” Uraraka yelped, ensuring she kept her distance, “Just let us know if you ever need to talk, okay?”
“Yeah, of course, I-I appreciate it,” Midoriya stepped forward, casting a quick glance over his shoulder. His eyes met Aizawa’s, standing by the entrance. His teacher gave him a small grin and a nod of approval, “I’m gonna go and check on them…you know, let them know I’m here.”
“Sounds good, Midoriya.” Yaoyorozu chimed in, “We are here if you need anything.”
With those words, Midoriya walked across the common room as his classmates dispersed and headed toward the elevator, keeping his unbandaged arm wrapped around his stomach. He pressed the button and swiftly the door opened, he walked in and pressed the 5th floor, where Bakugo’s floor was located.
He’ll check on each of them individually. He’ll go and talk with Kacchan first and then meet up with Todoroki after.
When he reached the floor, he made his way down the wide hallway until he stood outside Bakugo's door. Taking a steadying breath, he exhaled slowly. Then, he raised his uninjured arm and knocked a few times.
He waited for a reply.
But no one answered.
Midoriya sighed, “Kacchan, it’s me. I’m—I’m back.”
Again, he waited but still nothing. Saddened, he moved to leave but the creak of the door stopped him. Immediately, Midoriya stiffened up.
“Kacchan?” He peaked at the small opening.
“Deku?” Bakugo whispered.
“Yeah…it’s me.”
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing his childhood friend. However, instead of relief, Midoriya’s eyes widened in shock—his state.
Bakugo looked exhausted—more so than usual. It seemed like he hadn’t slept, the bags under his eyes were pronounced, shadows clinging heavily beneath his eyes, holding what must’ve been a series of restless nights. Not only that but he had an unsettling paleness to him…has he been eating? Taking care of himself?
“Kacchan, are you—are you okay?” Midoriya asked, worried, noticing not only his friend’s poor state but also the unkept conditions of his room. From what he could glimpse, his bed was unmade, and his desk and floor were littered with scattered books and paper as if they were thrown.
“Tsk!” Bakugo turned and walked back inside, Midoriya followed, not caring for what he had to say about his intrusion, “I don’t know, nerd, am I?”
Bakugo glanced down at his abdomen, noticing the faint outline of his bandages beneath his light blue shirt. The one on his arm, however, was plainly visible for everyone to see.
Midoriya noticed his fixation.
“Kacchan…you know I don’t blame you for what happened. So please don’t beat yourself up for this.” Midoriya explained, sitting down on his bed while Bakugo sat down on his desk chair, his body slouched and shoulders hunched, eyes darting away as if he couldn’t bear to meet his gaze.
Bakugo scoffed at Midoriya’s comment, almost sounding like a whimper, “Deku, I hurt you. How the hell are you not blaming me for this!? This is just how it was in middle school; I acted like a bully. I did exactly what I did to you back then. So how the hell are you forgiving me after all the pain I inflicted on you!?”
“Because I know it wasn’t your fault—and it wasn’t Todoroki’s either. You were made to hurt me! I am aware that you and Todoroki were trying to find alternatives, a way to escape, but you were stuck. The only way we were all surviving this was if you tortured me.” Midoriya explained, raising his voice but immediately lowering it after feeling how the strain rasped his healing vocal cords, “It’s not your fault…you are not the person from middle school, so stop saying that you are.”
Bakugo opened his mouth but before he could say anything, they heard a knock.
“What the hell, again! They just won’t leave me alone…scram you extra!” Bakugo shouted; his hands clutched into tight fists.
“Bakugo…”
Midoriya flinched.
That voice. He recognized it.
It was Todoroki.
“Is—is Midoriya with you? I um—saw him walk over here.” Todoroki’s muffled voice came through.
In that instance, Bakugo looked at Midoriya before diverting his gaze back to the door.
“Yeah, he’s here,” Bakugo replied.
“Can I—come in?”
Bakugo glanced at the door and then back at Midoriya, wondering if that was okay. He nodded, showing his approval.
“Sure…come in.”
The door creaked ajar until it fully opened. Slowly, his friend stepped in, dressed in a simple white shirt and the familiar pants of their UA gym uniform.
He looked disheveled, much like Bakugo—he probably hadn’t had a decent night's sleep since their kidnapping.
“Hi, Todoroki,” Midoriya smiled, “I’m glad to see you.”
“Yeah…I um—glad to see you are doing okay,” Todoroki looked at Midoriya’s bandaged arm and immediately his expression moved toward a solemn gaze, “How are the wounds?”
“Oh, their…healing. I had to get them stitched up, but they’ll heal. They do sting and I have to be careful when I laugh, sneeze, cough, or even bend over. It kind of hurts when I do that,” Midoriya quietly chuckled, “Thankfully, they weren’t as deep so you um—did a good job not hurting any organs or something like that.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Todoroki replied.
The room went silent, the two obviously contemplating on what Midoriya said. The teenager noticed their troubled expression and quickly acted, “Ah! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said that! I just wanted to say that you did what you had to do without harming me that much. Look! I’m fine! So please, stop blaming yourself!”
Bakugo sighed, “Sit down, Icy Hot,”
Todoroki glanced at him before he plopped onto the ground, sitting with his legs crisscrossed.
“Deku, we know you were dying from blood loss, I saw you as the color in your skin was slowly fading—away. That dam villain wanted us to heal you and well, if the heroes didn’t arrive you could have—d-died.” Bakugo took a few seconds to breathe, feeling a lump starting to form at the base of his throat, “I don’t think our efforts to ‘heal you’ would’ve been enough to stop all that bleeding.”
Midoriya listened without interrupting, allowing Bakugo to say what he had in his mind.
“I—I know for sure I hit a vein because you were bleeding so much. Even when I met the goal—when I made you scream—that guy wanted more so I dug that knife into your wound. I don’t think I will ever get that scream out of my head, it’s there, even in my dreams. I—I keep getting dreams of me—of me cutting you but I’m not stopping…I just keep cutting and cutting and what’s worse, I see myself smiling like I am enjoying it!” Bakugo paused, tears forming in his eyes, “How the hell would I enjoy that…”
Both Midoriya and Todoroki looked at Bakugo, stunned.
“Kacchan…”
“Dammit,” Quickly, he wiped his eyes, forcing the tears away, “Only a villain would enjoy doing something like that…why the hell am I dreaming this!?”
“I—” Todoroki began, “I doubt that dream is showing your true intentions, Bakugo. It’s a trauma response, almost like a fear of what you could’ve become. But it doesn’t show who you truly are.”
“Kacchan…” Midoriya stepped in, “Todoroki is right…you are not how your dream portrays you. You are not a villain; you are a hero through and through. As I said, what you did was not you; your actions were not your own.”
“And you hesitate, remember?” Todoroki added, “I saw how you didn’t want to do it, but I—I had to tell you to follow Mayhem’s request…you didn’t want to harm him.”
“I guess,” Bakugo replied, his tone quiet.
“I know we didn’t have a choice, but it still hurts.” Todoroki commented, “You being here, Midoriya, helps a lot. They all told us that it wasn’t our fault, that it was the villains, but when we found out the extent of your injuries, it was hard to not feel guilty for what we did.”
Todoroki brought his hands over to his face and gazed at them, “My hands are stained with blood. I hurt you, Midoriya. Even if I didn’t have a choice, I still inflicted pain on you when you couldn’t do anything to stop it. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over that.” Todoroki then chuckled, “I can’t even look at a dam butterknife without my heart spiking. It’s like I’m scared something within me will burst out and harm someone who is just passing by.”
Midoriya was appalled by what he was hearing, “You guys…I’m sorry you are feeling this way,” He voiced, “I wish you didn’t have to go through that. If only—if only I fought a little harder before they strapped me in…before you all had to experience—that. But I was not strong enough.”
“No, Midoriya. I don’t want you to blame yourself. Bakugo told me that you fought them before they took you away, the villains were just a step ahead of us.” Todoroki explained.
“Deku…this was a shitty experience and one I hope to never relive. But if you continue to blame yourself for something so stupid like that, then I’ll make sure to blast your face until you get some sense back into the thick skull of yours.” Bakugo stated.
Midoriya smiled, happy to see the usual Bakugo back, “Okay, okay, I’ll stop…but promise you both will do the same, okay?”
Todoroki nodded, “Yeah, I’ll work on it. It’s going to be hard, but I can’t continue blaming myself, it’ll just make me miserable and affect my journey of becoming a hero.”
“Well,” Bakugo stood up, Midoriya and Todoroki’s gaze followed him as he did, “I can’t let those villains win, huh?” He turned to face Midoriya and extended a hand, “So, I’ll make sure to get better so I can one day challenge you, like I promised.”
Midoriya glanced at him before looking at his hand. A spike of fear ran down his spine.
Stop.
It’s okay…
He won’t hurt you.
“Yeah,” He smiled and grasped his hand. Gently, he hoisted him up, cognizant of his reaction. Midoriya winced as the movement put a strain on his wound, “S-Same here.”
Todoroki stood up and moved to place a reassuring hand on Midoriya’s shoulder, but Midoriya flinched. Todoroki noticed and dropped his hand, his expression heavy with guilt.
“Oh, I’m sorry…I guess touch is kind of hard at the moment.” Midoriya remarked, “It isn’t you though!”
Todoroki nodded and smiled, “I know. I should’ve asked.”
“It’s all good,” Midoriya giggled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “I guess I’m kinda messed up right now, huh?”
“You and me both, Midoriya,” Todoroki grabbed the door handle and opened, “Come on, I’m a bit hungry, we should get some dinner.”
“Oh, yeah!” Midoriya followed Todoroki out the door, but before he walked any further, he gazed behind him, “You too, Kacchan!”
“Tsk! I know! I’m coming, don’t tell me what to do.” Bakugo spat, walking past Midoriya and Todoroki, “You all better keep up, especially you, Deku!”
Midoriya and Todoroki exchanged a small smile before setting off together, hoping to catch up with their fiery classmate—though he was already miles ahead.
“Not too fast, Bakugo, remember that Midoriya is still healing!” Todoroki reminded.
Bakugo slowed his pace before stopping, waiting for them to catch up, “Sorry, nerd.”
Both Midoriya and Todoroki caught up to him, “It’s all good! Once I’m healed, I’ll make sure to be ahead of you at every chance we get.”
Bakugo scoffed, “Yeah, in your dam dreams!”
The three walked down the hallway until they reached the elevator. As they waited, Bakugo glanced at Midoriya and spoke, “I’m glad you’re okay, nerd.”
“Same here,” Midoriya replied as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, “I’m glad we made it out of there alive.”
“Yeah,” Todoroki agreed.
“Let’s fight through this and keep moving forward. Nothing will stop us from becoming the best heroes we can be,” Midoriya said as the doors slid shut.
Todoroki smiled, “Of course.” He affirmed.
The elevator descended toward the common room where their eager classmates waited.
The future was uncertain, and they knew they have a long recovery ahead of them. But they are not alone, they have a whole village behind them, eager to see them smile again, ready to lift them up whenever they stumble.
So, together they will fight.
Together, they will become the greatest heroes the world has ever seen, and no force, no enemy, will stand in the way of their dreams.