#obscured | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

quinncupine · 5 months

Text

Obscured Chapter 16: Fallout

Relationship: Izuku Midoriya X Female Reader

Word count: ~5,000

Summary: Reconnected at the Gala, you and Izuku face a new disastrous situation. Izuku is forced to witness his past mistakes in vivid detail.

Previous Chapter: Fifteen

Next Chapter: Seventeen

Taken Masterlist:

Quinn's Masterlist

Bakugo didn't hesitate. Years of instinct and wisdom trained into muscles as he leaped off the stage, racing towards the wall. The minute the wire started glowing, he knew Izuku was in serious trouble. How that man had the worst luck in the world, well, he was still trying to figure that one out. The world, it seemed, never returned the kindness that Izuku dealt in spades.

Phantom shouted something and Bakugo spared a quick glance up to see Izuku trying to climb the thin wire but in his state, it was slow going.

Too slow.

That was another thing Bakugo added to the list to chew him out later. Izuku shouldn't have even been here in the first place. His injuries had barely closed, and you were right in the fact that he should still be in bed. Yet, the man might've been more stubborn than him. Refusing to give in once his mind was made up.

A sharp snap in the deafening silence resounded around the room. Bakugo didn't even have to look to know what had happened. He only ran faster.

He reached his target in seconds, grabbing one of the long banners that ran the length of the wall and yanked with all his might. The heavy fabric broke off the rings, holding it in place, and he backpedaled, dragging it along with him.

But Izuku was falling too fast.

Pumping his legs, he put all his strength into charging toward the middle of the room. The thick banner flapped behind him, weighing him down, and slowing his speed. Izuku was falling faster than he could run. Hell, even without the banner, he did the calculations. He wouldn't make it in time.

With a slew of curses, he followed Izuku's trajectory, willing the fates to just make something go right for one damn instance. That's when he noticed the air shimmering. Light bent into itself, warping the space just below Izuku. It happened almost too quickly, but even so, he recognized that quirk. For a fleeting moment, he thought that another psychotic villain had come to finish the job off herself. But the person who popped into existence surprised him even more.

It was you.

The minute you appeared, Izuku slammed into you and sent you both into a whirling freefall. You seemed shocked before you wrapped around Izuku, securing him in your grip, and squeezed your eyes shut. The air warped again, and the two of you disappeared, only to reappear a few feet to the left, though, for an instance, you were falling upward. Gravity took back control and sent you plummeting to the ground again.

But it was enough.

Enough time for Bakugo to course-correct and tug the banner taut. The fabric stretched and pulled at an angle. Two bodies crashed into the makeshift slide. Bakugo gritted his teeth and tightened his grip as the fabric threatened to slip from his fingers.

The two of you tumbled over each other, only slowing a little as you forcefully made your way down. Bakugo watched as you slid closer and seemed to realize what would happen at your speed.

"Shit!" He yelled, bracing for impact.

Three bodies collided, sending everyone sprawling to the ground. It took a minute for him to shake off the impact before Bakugo recovered, agilely rolling back to his feet. He rolled his shoulder as he stepped over to make sure you two were still alive.

Izuku seemed to recover a bit, biting back a harsh cough as he sat up, clutching his chest. He glanced around in confusion before his eyes found you, groaning on the ground.

"Y/N?" He seemed almost afraid to ask, eyes darting over your shaking form. "What are you- how are you here?"

When you lifted your head enough to look at him, he gasped and gently grabbed your cheeks. You felt the small line of warm blood leaking from your nose. It dripped off the corners of your lip and down to your chin. Wiping the smear away as best you could, you tried for a smile.

"You're hurt." He said, trying to identify any other injuries. Though your face mostly spoke to the ordeal you just went through. "What happened?"

"I'm fine. We can talk about it later." You rose to your knees and ambushed him in as tight a hug as you dared, careful of his wounds. He hesitantly squeezed back as if unsure whether he might hurt you by doing so.

"Was that - was that a quirk?" He whispered as if not quite believing it.

"When I saw you fall…I was terrified Izuku." You managed to say, though your throat seemed to constrict just thinking about it. "I had to do something. But if I didn't, then-"

"You would be a stain on the floor," Bakugo spoke up behind you, helpfully supplying that dreadful image.

Glancing over to Bakugo, who was surveying the area, his way of trying to give you two a bit of privacy for your little reunion.

"Maybe, but even still. I couldn't properly control it. If you hadn't been there, Bakugo-" You stopped, not wanting to finish that thought. "Thank you."

He grumbled something under his breath before rolling his shoulders. "I'm gonna check on that wanna-be-villain." Then he headed towards the stage. She must've been tied up somewhere out of sight.

"Y/N," Izuku brought your attention back to him. "If you had this quirk, then…" his sentence trailed off as you saw him mentally connect the dots.

"It's alright." You squeezed his arms. "Shinso was there. We already took care of her." Sliding your hand down to thread through his own, you steeled your gaze. "Now, it's my turn to take care of you."

A small smile broke through his battered face and let his head fall onto your shoulder, soaking up your warmth. It was a small action, one Izuku had done a million times before, but never since that day in the subway tunnels. Your heart swelled as you placed a hand on the back of his head, fingers carding through his tangled curls, long since free of the gel that had once held them fast. It finally felt like something had clicked back in place, and you savored every minute of it.

Izuku for his part, nearly collapsed in your hold. He had been running on fumes for the last few hours. He knew his body had yet to fully heal and with what energy he did have, that last fight nearly drained him. Not that he would admit it yet, but in your arms, he felt a sense of safety he'd long been searching for. Now that the villains were finally down, he could let his guard down.

"You know, this is why I never wanted to work with you," an annoyed voice spoke up. "You always seem to bring trouble wherever you go."

Izuku flinched as he looked up to the grumbling hero beside him. "Phantom." He was at least still in one piece. "Glad you made it down."

"And you're lucky your girl showed up to save your sorry ass." He eyed you critically for a moment. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you're usually quirkless."

"Uh," you blinked, not even sure who this man was. Definitely didn't seem like the friendly type.

"It's a long story," Izuku spoke for you, as you fumbled for the words.

"I bet it is." He shrugged, losing interest in you as he turned to the stage. "She went down so easily. I'm a little surprised she didn't put up more of a fight."

Izuku pushed himself to his feet, offering you a hand up as well. "I know. Bakugo has her restrained for now, but we need to make sure she stays that way."

"Um, what are you talking about?" You watched as Bakugo knelt on the stage by himself, seeming to examine the floor. "Where is she?"

Izuku looked back at you, confusion coloring his features until his eyes widened, and he whipped his head back to the stage. "You don't see her?"

"No, is she locked up somewhere?"

He grabbed his chin as the gears kicked into overdrive with his racing thoughts. "...sound…the microphone." Then he looked up, alarmed as he took off towards the stage. "Kacchan!"

Bakugo glanced up, surprised to see Izuku running at him in full panic. He didn't get time to try to figure it out as the podium beside him beeped twice before erupting so violently that he was flung clear across the stage and into one of the heavy red curtains The weighted cloth tore off the hooks and wrapped around him as he tumbled back into the wings.

Izuku wasn't spared from the explosion. The force propelled him backward, straight into a round table that splintered in two when he hit it.

Phantom managed to grab you, flinging you both to cover behind an overturned table. Debris sailed past your head in a violent storm of heat and noise.

It all happened in seconds, though in your foggy brain, it seemed an eternity before you were able to pull yourself back up. The building had gone eerily quiet aside from the crackling of a few wooden tables that had caught on fire, along with the remaining stage curtain slowly burning from the ground up. In center stage, there was a large hole where the podium used to be and no sign of Bakugo.

"Izuku!" You coughed out the smoke filling the air. "Izuku!"

Behind you, Phantom was already on his feet, shaking the dust from his vibrant white hair.

"Go check on Bakugo!" you yelled over the droning whine from the blast in your ears. You didn't wait for him to answer before focusing on locating Izuku.

Stumbling through the maze of debris and unconscious heroes (who you hoped weren't injured in the explosion), you managed to find his green curls poking out from a pile of broken wood. Dropping next to it, you scrapped your fingers through the wood, digging him out.

Once he was uncovered enough, you leaned over him, assessing the damage. A large smear of blood was running down his head, coating those unruly curls red. His eyes were closed, and he was too still for your liking. You turned his head enough to give access to his throat, where you checked his pulse. There was a terrifying moment where you thought you might not find one, but after a few seconds, that familiar thump beat against your fingers. It was slow and weak, but it was there.

A wave of relief washed over you, only to be replaced by a new fear. Lodged in his stomach was a large piece of glass from the podium. It must have hit him when it blew apart. The area was already saturated in blood. It wasn't enough that he already had a healing wound on his chest. Now, he had to add one to his lower abdomen.

"Hey, Izuku," you asked quietly, patting his cheeks. "Hey, are you with me? Open your eyes, please."

He didn't so much as stir. If anything, his skin had gone a shade more pale. If you didn't do something about the blood loss soon, it wasn't the only thing you'd lose.

Unbidden tears formed in your eyes. You furiously blinked them away. Tears were only a hindrance right now. You needed to be able to see clearly in order to help him.

"Come on," you tried and failed to keep your voice steady, moving the rest of the broken table off him to lay him flat. "Come on, Izuku, please don't scare me like this. I need you right now."

The mostly intact table next to you still had the tablecloth bunched on the top. You ripped it off and tore it into sections. It wasn't the most sterile of things to use, but at the moment, your priority was to slow the bleeding. Carefully, you slipped one under him and tied it tight against the wound. The large piece of glass was probably keeping most of the blood from flowing out, so you used your strips to tighten pressure on the wound while stabilizing the glass in place.

When it was done, it looked a bit strange, but that was the least of your worries. You grabbed his hands and squeezed your eyes, concentrating on using this new power to transport yourselves to the hospital. But after a minute of squeezing your eyes so hard you were seeing stars, you stopped. Whatever power you had, it was gone now. Those little vials only seemed to last a short while.

Vials.

Of course! You reached into your jacket pocket and pulled out the two that had remained intact during your fall. The rest were crushed on impact. They were luckily labeled, and you had to guess as to what they did. The first was a pale, watery liquid that read: HARDENING. The second, a dark inky liquid read: SLOW.

Hardening sounded identical to Kirishima's quirk. It was entirely possible that this was his quirk. He did have a run-in with Ikari a few weeks ago. They could have easily swiped some blood from him there or even at the hospital. The second one seemed obvious, but in either case, they wouldn't be very helpful to Izuku. Wait, maybe the second one could be helpful.

"Okay," you popped the cork and glanced down at Izuku, who was still unconscious. "Okay, okay. I can do this. You're gonna be fine, okay? I promise I'll protect you."

He said nothing, for which you were a little grateful. If he knew what you were about to do, he would've been angry and most likely would've tried to stop you. The fact that he couldn't was the reason you were doing this in the first place. He would die here if you didn't do something .

Holding your breath, you tipped the vial into your mouth and swallowed the liquid in one disgusting gulp. A shudder ran through your body as you hacked on the near-acidic feeling running down your throat. It never got any easier to do, but after a few moments of gasping, you managed to get a hold of yourself.

Nothing felt any different once you recovered. You sat up, blinking away the dark spots tingling in your vision. These powers didn't exactly come with a manual, so you weren't even sure how to activate it or what it could really do.

Izuku stirred, looking uncomfortable in his state of unconsciousness. Finally, his eyes fluttered open, and he stifled a pained groan as he stared at the ceiling. Eventually, his eyes dropped down to your own, and he blinked a few times as if trying to see you clearly.

"I was starting to worry you'd never wake up." You grasped his hand and pressed your forehead to it.

"What…what happened?" He asked stiffly, glancing down at the giant piece of glass sticking out of his shirt. "…oh."

"We're gonna get you help, but the place is on lockdown. No one can get in or out until we lift it."

He nodded slowly. "I have the override code. There's a lockbox in the security office. You can use it to lift the lockdown." He paused, taking in a pained breath. "But we have another problem."

"Another problem?" Dread filled your gut.

"Ikari." He glanced at the stage.

You could see Phantom trying to pry the burning curtain off Bakugo in the corner and the giant hole in the center. Right. In all the chaos, you'd forgotten about her.

"If you go off by yourself, there's a big chance she could attack." He locked eyes with you. "I can't protect you if you leave."

"Izuku, I promised to protect you too. And if we don't get you help soon, you'll bleed out. I can't lose you. Don't you understand?"

He was quiet for a moment, absorbing your words. "I understand." He said quietly, a bloody smile forming on his lips. "I feel the same way."

You smiled back before you realized that his lips weren't bleeding. That blood was dripping from his mouth. If he was coughing up blood, he was worse off than you thought.

"I drank another quirk," you admitted before hovering your hands over him.

"You what?" This time, his smile disappeared only to be replaced by a look of alarm. "Why would -"

"Because it's the only thing I can think of to save you!" you cut him off. There was no time for arguing. You had to delay the bleeding for as long as possible. "I just…I'm not really sure how to use it."

"What is it?”

"It's called Slow. I assume it slows things down, but I don't know how to activate it." You tried with all your might to make it work, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Touch," Izuku murmured. "Some quirks can be activated by touch." He slid his shaky hand out to you again.

You looked at it and then at the giant wound growing darker on his shirt. "I don't think I can do precision control. It might slow your entire body. It- it might not even slow, just you down. What if…what if I mess this up? I could just make things worse. I-”

"It's okay. We'll be okay." He turned his head to cough out dark red phlegm, his whole body shaking with exertion before he managed to turn back to you. "I trust you."

Nodding, you gripped his hand and willed whatever power was coursing through you to work. After a few seconds, you looked at him and he shook his head. Frustration was building up in the form of panic as you stared at the bloody mess staining his suit.

He would not die today, not on your watch.

Readjusting your grip, you curled around his hand, squeezing your eyes shut and taking a deep breath. A warm ripple spread from your core, expanding throughout your body. Izuku shuddered, then his breathing slowed, and he went silent.

When you looked up, he had nearly frozen in place. The only tell-tale sign that he was still alive was the subtle and very slow way his eyes roamed to lock with yours. His entire form was in slow motion. You had done it. The bleed would be slowed for as long as you could maintain this. Now, you just had to find a way out of here.

It was scary to even think that these might be his last breaths, delayed as they were. No, thinking that would only mess with your head. Leaning down, you brushed his bangs back and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, one of the only places on his skin that seemed to be damage-free. When you sat back, you found it hard to let go. Using the last of your willpower, you managed to stand and turn away from him.

Up on the stage, Phantom had pulled out a singed and very disgruntled Bakugo from the curtains. He was kneeling on the floor, holding his side, but other than that, he seemed fine for the moment.

"Phantom!" you yelled up at him.

The man turned to you, his head cocked.

"I'm going to find the override switch. They need a hospital! We don't have much time!"

He glanced over at Izuku and nodded. "Fastest way into the basement is this way." He pointed to the large hole in the floor. "I know the layout. I can help you find it."

"What about Ikari? Izuku said she was still loose." You ran towards the stage. "What if she attacks them?"

He pondered it for a moment, glancing down at Bakugo, who looked like he was half aware of what was happening. "The security office isn't far. I've memorized the layout of this place. We should be above the crossover. There should be two exits on either end. The one on the left there," he pointed down in the hole, "should lead you towards the corridor. Once in the hallway, head right until you reach the security office. It should be labeled. Inside, there'll be a metal box on the wall. Use the code to gain access and manually turn off the lockdown."

You nodded as he gave you the code and helped lower you into the hole. The gap was about a ten-foot drop and you let go once he lowered you as far as he could. When you landed, you glanced around you. The space was dark and unsettling but you pushed past your fear and glanced up at Phantom.

"Keep your guard up." He said from above. "And hurry back."

"Keep them safe for me." You gripped your fists, unable to contain your emotion. "Please."

"You know, you remind me of someone I used to know." He saluted you with a cocky smile and stood up. "I promise to protect them with my life. It's what I do best. Now, go."

You didn't need to be told twice. Time was literally of the essence right now. Sucking in a deep, encouraging breath, you ducked into the narrow passageway. Despite your fear, you kept going. Nothing would stop you from saving Izuku.

Izuku took in an agonizing slow, splintered breath, hacking on the end. This quirk felt strange, coursing through his body. It also might've been the painful wounds digging into his nerves, lighting up nearly every pain receptor he had. Time seemed normal for him, but he knew he was under a slow spell because the world around him seemed to be in hyperdrive. Images were blurry as he looked around, figures that he knew had to be Phantom and Bakugo darted around on the stage.

Something caught in his throat, and he managed to lean over enough to cough it out. A red glob landed on the once pristine floor beneath him. Red never meant anything good, especially in his experiences. His entire chest felt as if it were on fire, and no amount of air seemed enough. He'd broken ribs before, but it never hurt quite as much as this. Not to mention the fire burning in his belly. Whatever that glass had pierced, he prayed it wasn't something critical.

The pain was nearly unbearable this time, which spoke volumes. So, he decided to try to focus on what was happening on the stage. The movement was a little hard to follow in his lethargic state, but he saw two figures moving around near the hole from the explosion.

Then, a shadow bore down over him. At first, he thought you had returned, but as the figure drew closer, he tensed in recognition. A finger poked his forehead, and suddenly, the world dropped back to normal speed. He gasped and tried to swat the hand away, but his limbs themselves had locked into place.

"Really, Midoriya," her voice whispered in his ear, "It's almost pathetic how any of your attempts to stop me have all but… blown up in your face." She grinned at her little joke.

"Ikari," he muttered, still trying to get his limbs to obey him.

It was as if someone had shut his entire body down. A prickling sensation had taken place in lieu of the pain he knew was still very much there. The only upside was that the bleeding seemed to have halted completely as her new quirk took over.

"Is this really what you wanted?" He struggled to speak, his voice slurred and strange to his ears. "You're hurting innocent people."

"The only one I want to hurt is you," she bit at him, pulling his hair to force his face up.

"Then hurt me," he hissed as she tugged harder on his hair. "But don't hurt anyone else."

"It's a little late for that, don't you think? The lines were crossed a long time ago." She glanced up at the stage where both Bakugo and Phantom were locked into place, staring out at him, wide-eyed. "I believe you're familiar with this quirk, no?"

"...Rock Lock," Izuku whispered in shock. "You didn't -"

"Kill him, you mean?" Her eyes lit up. "And lose a valuable quirk? Although his quirk is a bit unpolished. I had Shizue alter this one a bit. Now I can lock anything, even people. And with enough concentration -" She tapped his chest, and suddenly, his lungs stopped working. "I can lock in detail."

Izuku dropped his head, mouth gaping as he tried desperately to bring air to his useless lungs. Nothing worked. Pain blossomed in his head until, at last, she tapped his chest again, and his lungs broke free. He gulped in desperate gobs of air, choking and spitting the little blood lodged in his throat.

She watched on, amused as he struggled.

"You're in a bad way, Deku. But really, you only have yourself to blame." She scolded. "I wonder how many casualties you caused here tonight. All because you couldn't let your pride take a hit. What a hero you are."

"I'm not the one -" A hard cough racked his body a few times before he glared up at her. "I'm not the one hurting innocent people."

"Are you so sure about that?" A bright smile plastered itself on her face. She looked downright giddy, eyes gleaming as she pointed up at the large screen that lowered itself over the stage. "I wonder if the citizens will agree."

The giant projector hanging above the stage whirred to life. A blurry static image projected itself onto the screen. It looked like grainy security footage of a rundown platform. His voice died as he saw himself on the screen, curled up on the ground of a metal platform. You were there too, mere feet from him, trying to speak, but Izuku knew exactly how it would play out. It was one of the worst moments of his life.

"Stop this," his voice came out as a broken whisper, unable to take his eyes off the screen.

"Now, let's all watch together," she grabbed his lapels and yanked him upright so that he was leaning back against her.

When she moved him, she temporarily turned off the quirk. As soon as his limbs freed, it felt like someone ripped his body in two. He couldn't help the pained scream as she secured him against her, wrapping her arm around his torso and squeezing up against his battered wounds. Then she locked him in place again, and a numbing sensation rolled through his body so abruptly, he nearly passed out.

"Argh!" Bakugo growled from the stage, his head seemed to be the only thing unlocked. "You'll pay for this, you bastard! Let him go! I'll fight you!"

Phantom seemed able to move his head as well, though if he had anything to say, he kept it to himself.

"Come now," she tutted at his violent outburst. "No talking during the movie."

She then forced Izuku's chin up to make sure he could see.

Izuku was staring at the two heroes, a desperate tinge to his gaze. His internal struggles were useless if his body was locked into place. There was no escape for any of them as long as the quirk was active. But if he had his facts straight, then he knew the vials didn't last long. It was temporary at best right now. Shizue hadn't been able to perfect them. If he could just wait out the time limit, then he could…what could he even do in his current state? Moving with that glass embedded in him could easily rip something majorly important. If he moved, he could die. But if he didn't…well the options weren't too promising either.

"Now, now Deku, eyes on the screen." She forced his head back, yanking on his hair to make her point. "This is the best part."

He grimaced as she smushed her hands on either side of his face, preventing him from looking away. Even without her prodding, he couldn't help but watch the nightmarish footage play out before him. He didn't need the footage to remember everything that happened. He could remember it so vividly that he sometimes thought he was back there again.

The two of you were on the platform. He had tried to break your wrist, but you slapped him and retreated to the far end. Then he leaped for you, and you jumped off the platform in an effort to save yourself, nearly being hit by the train for the second time in a row.

Everyone was watching in tense silence. Except for Bakugo, who was screaming out expletives every chance he got, no doubt trying to break out of the quirk with sheer ferocity.

Izuku's labored breathing picked up as he tried to wriggle his head out of her grasp. "Stop," he pleaded, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please."

"No." She growled, forcing his eyes open. Forcing him to look at what haunted him most. "You are going to watch what you did."

On the screen, Izuku was glowing with unrestrained power. As grainy as it was, he could clearly see the malice written across his face. In that moment, staring down at you, he had wanted to kill. It was something he never wanted to admit to anyone, let alone the person he nearly succeeded in killing. It was as if that drug had switched his emotions to the opposite end of the spectrum. The one thing he loved most in the world turned into the one thing he hated. Hated enough to rip you apart with his bare hands. The guilt nearly consumed him afterward. It still did.

"I want everyone to see just what kind of man you are," she whispered into his ear as he watched himself try to squeeze the life out of you on that railway. "I want them to hate you just as much as I do."

He gritted his teeth, tears blurring his vision. But even so, his mind unwillingly supplied the image for him.

"Smile Deku, the world's watching."

#izuku x reader #deku #pro hero deku #my hero academia #izuku midoriya #bnha #mha #deku x reader #boku no hero academia #taken series #obscured #izuku is not having a good time #injuries #blood and violence #language

26 notes · View notes