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quinncupine · 11 months

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Chapter 14: Fall From Grace

Chapter Word Count: 6,700

Relationship: Izuku Midoriya X Female Reader

Previous Chapter: Thirteen

Next Chapter: Fifteen

MASTERLIST

Warnings: violence, drugs, cursing, weaponry

Notes: I actually had to split this chapter into two because the word count got a little out of control😅 so Reader is not mentioned much in this part. She gets her spotlight in the next chapter though!

I know it's taking an eternity to finish this story so for those of you still hanging on, I appreciate you. And as always, please enjoy!

Bakugo shouldered a heavy punch to the back and twisted on the impact, a growl rising in his throat. Teeth gritted in frustration, he countered a second punch with a swift kick to his attacker's heels. The woman tumbled and he delivered the finishing blow. A satisfying knock upside the head. She definitely wouldn’t be getting up from that one anytime soon.

Sparing a quick breath, he glanced around and spotted a mini tornado full of debris headed straight for him. Tables, dishware, and even a few unconscious heroes had all been caught up in the dust devil that was launched in his path. He took to the air to avoid the whirlwind that knocked aside the surrounding heroes whose mental states had declined to the point that they hadn’t even seen the giant swirling mass behind them.

A few of them crashed into the stage, shaking the plexiglass podium where Toshinori was supposed to be giving his speech later.

Toshinori.

That was another alarming detail he’d yet to solve. The man had disappeared among the chaos and he wasn’t quite sure whether that was a good thing or not yet. The retired hero, who once could’ve easily stopped anyone in his path, was now a liability. He silently prayed that Toshinori had somehow made it clear of this mess and was safely waiting it out where he wouldn't be in the way. But that never was Toshinori's style. It’s another annoying trait that Izuku shared with the old man. But for now, he needed to focus on the problem in front of him.

"Stay down ya drugged-up idiots!" He yelled, breathing labored. His landing was less than stellar and he stumbled a bit to stay upright. More converged on him the moment he landed. "Come on then! I can go all night!"

The sound of crinkling ice reached his ears just before a long jagged spire tried to impale him from behind. He pulled all the strength in his blast to dodge the sharp spear. Shoto was quick and powerful with his ice, which was usually invaluable in the field. Although, in this case, it was more trouble than Bakugo wanted to deal with at the moment.

"There you are." He grinned ferociously, facing the man.

Shoto wavered on his feet, looking almost in an angry trance. None of the heroes seemed to be cognizant enough of what they were doing. Which, in part, was actually a good thing. They were haphazardly using their power with no direction and barely any concentrated strength behind it. The hits that actually managed to land still hurt like a bitch though. Not that he would ever admit to anyone. Ever.

Something struck Shoto in the shoulder and he looked down to find an arrow tip embedded through the flesh. He glanced behind him and pulled on the wire attached to it, dragging Momo right off her feet. She quickly cut the line with a dagger popping out of her hand like magic and rolled back up, swaying almost like a drunkard.

Bakugo inwardly groaned as the two faced off. He knew the drug was altering their mental states. But they were still just as deadly in this state as in any other. Especially two of his…he supposed they were his friends. After all these years, it was still hard to admit the fact so he normally didn’t. But now, after all that shit with Izuku, he had somehow ended up as the emotional support crutch for everyone and that was something he was definitely not used to.

The two exchanged vicious blows that he knew were going to leave marks in the morning. If they all actually managed to survive this. Shoto slipped his foot forward, spreading his ice across the floor, trapping her feet in little glaciers of freezing ice. She fell forward, using her hands at the last second to stop her fall, and glanced at the ice, a snarl spread across her face.

Shoto didn’t give her a chance to counter as his boot smashed straight into her chest. The blow was so rough that even the ice at her feet couldn’t hold her in place and she bounced backward, rolling before she came to a halt on her stomach, breathing hard.

Though Momo, even in her dissociated state, was still clever. She had left three small discs lying at Shoto’s feet. The moment he kicked her, the mini bombs exploded, launching him back into a pillar, cracking the beam in two, and sending the giant marble columns crashing to the ground, nearly flattening a few heroes.

Bakugo smirked before he stepped in, wrenching Momo’s searching hands behind her and using his cuffs to secure her wriggling form. “Damn Momo,” he said glancing over to where Shoto, groaning, was getting back to his feet. “Where was all this vigor when we were sparring last month?”

Once she was secured, he picked her up and placed her off the side, behind a few overturned tables. The safest place he could gauge for the time being. As nonchalantly as he could, he searched her dress where she had stashed the few serums she had made in case any of them were infected. When he looked up, he couldn’t help the frustrated growl that bubbled up from his throat.

It was complete bedlam.

Bakugo spared a quick glance at the cameras mounted around the room, red lights still blinking. The world was watching this mess play out live unless Tsukauchi had been able to cut the public channels. This plan had backfired to a horrifying degree and he was wondering why he agreed to go along with it in the first place.

There wasn’t much time to spare thinking about it as he watched heroes drop left and right, viciously clashing with anyone within range and those iron-coated fears resting in the pit of his stomach had him doubting they would get up again.

Jumping back into the fray, he searched for the angry peppermint among the crowd, though he seemed to have momentarily disappeared. Striking down a younger hero who had decided it was a good idea to charge him head-on, he felt flames slash his back before a pillar of ice encased his right arm. With a bit of firepower, he managed to break the ice and flip back sans his usual grace, flying just over Shoto to launch an assault from above.

Shoto's reaction time was too slow in his current state and didn’t dodge. For the second time that night, he was blasted backward with intense firepower and slammed into a few other squawking heroes. All of them went tumbling in a writhing heap. Bakugo pursued, not wasting his chance to subdue him while he could.

"You better not make me regret this Icy-Hot!" Bakugo hollered, flying straight into him like a missile, landing a solid fiery punch. Shoto gasped and his eyes widened in pain, body stumbling back before Bakugo grabbed the scruff of his neck. "Making me do all the work as usual!" He pulled out a small syringe from his belt and ripped the cap off with his teeth, the other hand in a vice grip around his collar. “Time to get off the crazy train!”

He plunged the needle into Shoto’s neck and the man stiffened, eyes narrowing as he bellowed, ripping the syringe off and tackling Bakugo to the ground. The two wrestled for control. Ice spread down Shoto’s right arm, encasing most of Bakugo’s torso before he slowed, face going slack and eyes rolling into the back of his head. He slipped off Bakugo and would’ve slammed his head into the ground if Bakugo didn’t catch him. With a rare gentleness, he laid Shoto on the floor and crawled to his knees, brushing the crackling ice off his already scruffed-up suit jacket.

Bakugo’s vision went a bit fuzzy as he slowly got to his feet. Wait, it wasn't fuzzy…that was mist. Coming through the vents above the room was a fine white wreath of mist he recognized.

"Dammit Deku!" He growled, scrambling for the mask that was no longer around his neck. It had been shattered by a lucky punch to the mouth a while ago.

Soon the haze grew in intensity and the air stilled as the mess of quirks died down. Though the deranged heroes took little notice, continuing to fight with their fists instead of their power. But Bakugo took a good look around and noticed they seemed slower…weaker. The drug was wearing on them and soon enough it would use up all their strength. He just had to hold out until then. Easy-peasy.

Bakugo struck out his hand to test his own quirk and was met with nothing. "Fuck." He muttered and rolled to his feet.

He was still heavily outnumbered here. Now without this quirk, it would make things even more difficult. Though he would never admit it to anyone but himself.

The hair on the back of his neck tingled and he twisted, narrowly avoiding a sharp punch to the jaw. Ochaco didn’t miss a beat and used her own momentum to wrap her arm around his throat, climbing onto his back and using the counterweight to flip him off his feet.

They both slammed into the ground, Ochaco using her body weight to keep him trapped beneath her. Out of all their friends, Bakugo always enjoyed sparring with her the best. She was probably the best hand-to-hand fighter he knew. Even drugged up, she seemed to retain all her muscle memory. Impressed as he was, he couldn’t let her get the upper hand on him.

She slammed her forearm into his throat, shutting down any attempts at talking. As pointless as he knew it would be, he still had wanted to try for some reason. Ochaco always had a way of doing that to him. She was really the only one he could stand to be around or talk to, or…he was going to stop there.

Gripping her arm, he wrapped his leg around one of her own and pushed his hips to the side. It was a move that ripped her off him and she went sprawling. Before she could recover, he had her pinned down in a reversal this time. Her angry shouts went ignored as he dug around his belt for the next syringe.

“As much as I wanna fight you right now, I’ve got other priorities,” he grumbled, biting off the cap of the syringe and struggling to keep her pinned in place. “But let’s do this again.”

He jabbed the needle into her neck and she gasped. Her hand shot up to grab his collar, fingers scrambling to try to tug him away, but in her current state, she wasn’t able to put up much of a fight.

It seemed the fog cleared from her eyes for a moment, even as they dimmed into unconsciousness. “Katsuki? …what…” Then she went limp.

He let out a heavy breath, staring into her slack face. Her red face was beaded with sweat, her hair slightly disheveled ( what did it matter that he smoothed it back into place?), and he still thought she looked beautiful.

Those unbidden thoughts were interrupted by an awful metallic screech of what sounded like microphone interference and he rose to his feet, standing protectively over Ochaco. The sound echoed around the room so loudly that it stunned the still-brawling heroes around him.

He covered his own ears as the noise crescendoed to a deafening level. The room came to a crashing halt as heroes dropped like stones. Bakugo nearly fell to his knees but through sheer determination and probably an abundance of fury, he stayed standing.

"Well, well, well," a woman's voice boomed over the speakers. "It seems like we have a real party going now. What a show that was!"

Bakugo glanced around suspiciously, wiping a bit of blood from his left ear. The sound reverberated too much to pinpoint where the source was.

"All we need now is the guest of honor. Where did that coward of a hero run off to?"

Now that the fight was over, Bakugo wavered in place, and fatigue rolled through him. He bared his teeth, now onto a whole new fight with his body. Not that he would ever admit it, but fighting that many heroes off alone, was taxing. Though he suspected, this was only the beginning.

The quiet, aside from the tinnitus ringing in his ears, was unsettling. The room was a little too still. Whatever she did, it took everyone out in one fell swoop. That was powerful.

"Oh? No threats?" Where's that fighting spirit hero? Have you lost your tongue?" She laughed over the speakers. "And here I thought you might've had what it takes. I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, you'll get what's coming to ya!" He shouted to the air. "So stop hidin'!"

"If you insist." She sounded smug and didn't that just grate his nerves.

The very air bent in on itself. Ikari appeared like the demon she was. Standing on the stage in her old hero costume, she flashed him an overconfident grin.

He knew to expect her to show up tonight, but still seeing her in that old costume brought back memories of that night she was arrested. Izuku was the key factor in that arrest, but Bakugo had consulted on the case enough to know all the details. What a piece of work.

Stepping forward, Bakugo reflexively smacked his fists together, frowning when that familiar spark didn't flare between his hands. Right. Old habits die hard. Even that movement was enough for his body to protest. He was more exhausted than he realized. Like hell he'd let his weakness show.

"What's the point in fighting something that's already been decided." She said. "Stay down and you might just survive this. I'm not here for you, after all."

He growled, clenching his teeth. "Revenge. What a stupid notion."

"To you perhaps. But this is about more than revenge." Lifting a finger to the ceiling, she cocked her head. "Isn't that right?"

Izuku had strapped the plastic long gun to his back, a bit awkwardly with the parabolic dish attached to the end, as he made his way up the stairwell. Phantom hot on his tail with his own twin stun guns holstered to his hips. There weren't many weapons inside the stash, and Izuku wasn't too inclined to give him something really dangerous, so they settled for stun weapons.

The two men were quiet, dress shoes clacking against the concrete as they briskly made their way to the top. Izuku used the time to get lost in thought. He couldn't even count all the things that had gone wrong. How had their plan gone so wrong so quickly? Did she also have a quirk that could predict the future tucked away into that arsenal of artificial quirks? That would certainly explain a few things. It's like the woman had only spent the last few years devising the perfect plan, accounting for every action that he would take, and over-analyzed all of them. He suddenly knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of such a personal analysis. He shivered at the thought.

“So…” Phantom broke the tense silence, “you sure you’re ready for this?"

Izuku started at his words and spared a glance back at him. “We have to be.”

“Yeah, I know that. It’s just-” he paused on the stairs, eyes narrowed. “I know you’re the older -ah more experienced- hero, but this plan totally sucks. Remind me why I agreed to this?"

Izuku held in an exhausted sigh, absentmindedly rubbing the newly done stitches to his chest. He was really not in the mood for this. "With what you told me, I have a rough idea of what she might try. This is the only way we can get close enough to spring a trap on her. Attacking from above is to our advantage. Kach- Bakugo and all of the heroes down there are relying on us. Phantom,” Izuku turned to the man, desperation clear on his face. “right now we're all we have. All they have. If we can't work together, the chances of saving everyone in that room plummets. I’m trusting you to trust me." Grabbing the railing, he eyed the hero. "And for what it’s worth… I am sorry."

The younger hero harrumphed but he looked away, muttering something under his breath.

The rest of the trip up was taken in silence until they reached the maintenance access door for the ballroom. The door was locked but Izuku pulled out a thin wire from the metal band around his wrist and wrapped it around the hinges on the door, praying it would work. It took a few seconds before the wire began to glow orange and the metal sizzled. In no time, the hinge snapped off and he removed the door silently. Of course, he'd be a fool to doubt Mei's work.

"Why do you get all the fancy gadgets?" Phantom whispered the question leaning close to see the band but backed off as Izuku shot him a warning glare. "Well, aren't you unusually moody today? I thought you were always Mr. Smiles in the Face of Danger."

Izuku didn't respond, simply heading through the door out onto the darkened balcony that overlooked the ballroom. He'd left his smiles at home, with you. It was hard to muster one up this time. His mind and body had been stretched to the limit recently and he still hadn't quite regained that confidence ever since the whole subway fiasco.

The high vaulted ceiling was about two stories high, meaning a fall, especially without quirks, would be deadly. The catwalk itself was narrow and expanded out across the ceiling to reach various lights and ductwork. The metal that made up most of the bridge was rusty and the railing was covered in a layer of dust. It hadn't been used in a long time.

Holding a finger to his lips in warning, he crept to the edge and peered down. Most of the heroes were out for the count and he hoped it was just because they had finally exhausted themselves instead of the alternative. Fog still marred most of the room, obscuring his vision, but he did catch sight of the unruly blond hair poking out. Relief flooded his already aching chest as he stared at Bakugo. Still Standing. Still breathing. Still alive.

Phantom moved to stand beside him, taking in the scene below. He wore a more serious look now. That playful (if you could call it playful) attitude was gone. His eyes moved rapidly, searching the floor with eagle eyes as if looking for something.

"They aren't dead, are they?" He glanced at Izuku for an answer.

"No." At least he hoped so.

An earsplitting squeal of electric interference resounded around the room. Izuku stumbled away from the edge, grabbing his ears. It reminded him too much of Tatsuya and for a moment, he was back in that faux house again. Then he shook his head, refocusing on the situation below.

Phantom had crouched down, covering his ears with a grimace. "That never gets easier to hear."

“What?” Izuku murmured, rubbing his sore ears.

"Well, well, well," a woman's voice boomed over the speakers, "it seems like we have a real party going on now. What a show that was!"

Izuku blinked, recognition crossing his face. He knew that voice. How could he forget the voice that haunted his dreams?

"All we need now is the guest of honor. Where did that coward of a hero run off to?"

Now was not the time to be getting lost in his memories. He moved back to the edge of the balcony, thankful for the shadows obscuring him in the darkness. Her voice boomed across the room, making it nearly impossible to tell where she was. Instead, he focused on Bakugo who seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. Even from this height, he seemed shaky, visibly trembling from exhaustion. Below him, Ochaco lay sprawled out on the ground. Guilt lanced through him just as painfully as the wound in his chest.

"Oh? No threats? Where's that fighting spirit hero? Have you lost your tongue?" She laughed, electricity crackling as the octave capped. "And here I thought you might've had what it takes. I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, you'll get what's coming to ya!" Bakugo shouted, his voice losing none of that fiery will. "So stop hidin'!"

"If you insist."

Up on the stage, the air condensed in a stomach achingly familiar way before Ikari emerged. She had even donned her old hero costume with the overconfident, egotistical grin to match. Beside him, Phantom hitched his breath, appearing to recognize her as well.

Izuku noticed Bakugo waver as he stepped forward, determined to face her head-on. "Don't be reckless," he muttered to himself, all too aware of the hypocrisy in his words.

"What's the point in fighting something that's already been decided." Stay down and you might just survive this. I'm not here for you, after all."

"Revenge," Bakugo growled out. "What a stupid notion."

"To you perhaps. But this is about more than revenge." Face still sporting that overconfident smirk, she pointed a finger up, almost directly to where they were hidden in the shadows. "Isn't that right… Phantom."

Izuku instinctively took a few steps away, turning to face the hero, on the defensive.

Phantom had the stun gun pointed at him, a dark look on his face. They stood in silence for a moment.

“Why?”

Phantom took a step forward, finger twitching on the trigger. “Nine years ago. Nine years, Deku. Her name was Umi. She died because of you.”

Izuku’s eyes widened, the name and the memory burning fresh and bright in his mind. It had been the first civilian death he was responsible for. He remembered that day all too well. A villain had escaped police custody, running rampant in a small neighborhood. By the time he’d gotten there, most of the evacuations had been complete. Except for her. She had stayed, hiding, watching, and filming in one of the half-demolished buildings.

She was young. A bright dream of becoming a journalist and one misfired attack from the villain crushed that dream in an instant. He had spent over an hour trying to dig her out and when he finally found her, she was on the verge of death, terrified and clinging to him like a lifeline. Her once-silver hair was caked in dirt and blood. Equally silver eyes had dimmed as her life drained out in his arms.

“Your sister.” He said quietly, hands held out in a pacifying gesture.

“The closest thing I had to one. To family.” He growled, gripping the gun tighter. “And you let her die.”

Izuku took a step back, bumping into the gate that led onto the catwalk. He glanced down to see both Ikari and an unsteady Bakugo staring up at them. By the satisfied grin on her face, she probably could hear their every word.

Looking back to Phantom he took a deep breath and made the first move. He launched himself at the hero, fist poised to strike.

Phantom fired. Two darts shot out and Izuku dove to avoid the sparking tips. Rolling to his knees, he unhooked the gun from his back and aimed the dish. But Phantom was already charging and before Izuku had a chance to fire, his hand was kicked, and the intense burst of sound from the dish missed. Invisible waves of noise crashed into a large chandelier, shattering the ornate glass and sending the entire structure crashing onto the stage beside Ikari. Though she didn’t even so much as flinch, watching the fight with keen interest.

The gun flew from his hands and skittered out onto the narrow catwalk where it came to rest precariously on the edge.

He gritted his teeth and blocked the next hard kick with his forearms, then twisted, managing to grab Phantom's ankle to pull him off balance. Phantom stumbled back to regain his footing. Izuku used the chance to bolt onto the catwalk, hopping the little gate and running for the gun.

Phantom was right behind him, quickly closing the distance. He crashed into Izuku and they both tumbled onto the steel grating. The platform wasn't nearly big enough to fit them both so they struggled in the tight space, glancing a few rough blows off each other before Izuku managed to slide his knee underneath him and kick him backward.

The force knocked the younger hero back a few feet but he grabbed the railing to right himself and charged again. Izuku had rolled onto his stomach to reach for the gun, but Phantom was on him again, pouncing above him to grab it first. Izuku's fingers bumped it just enough for it to teeter over the edge before slipping through the bars.

"No!" Izuku slapped the metal band around his wrist and the wire shot out, wrapping around the handle of the gun, catching it about ten feet below. It dangled in a moment of silence as both heroes looked at it.

Izuku used the opportunity to see what was happening below them. Both Bakugo and Ikari were staring up at them, watching the battle. He caught Bakugo's gaze, giving him a slight reassuring smile that Izuku knew would probably irritate him before Phantom grabbed his wrist and smashed it into the grate. With a cry, he released the hold on the gun and it clattered to the floor.

The force of the blow creaked with the metal on the platform, making the entire structure sway. Cracks on a few structural wirings suggested someone's quirk must've reached high enough to damage them. The entire rig was destabilizing. They needed to get off or risk falling.

"Phantom," Izuku turned to the man shouting, "think about this. You're a hero!"

"Oh, trust me, I've put plenty of thought into this. For nine years, I’ve thought about how it would feel to do this!" He grinned and with one heavy kick, sent Izuku sprawling across the grates.

Izuku groaned and scrabbled at the metal to pull himself into a sitting position. His back pressed into the thick bars of the railing. He took a deep breath, clutching at his chest and doing everything in his power to keep the pain at bay. His newly done stitches were probably torn and Bakugo was going to kill him if he survived this.

He watched with a heavy glare as Phantom slowly closed the distance then his eyes flicked down below and he couldn't help the small grin that flashed across his lips.

A loud snap drew both their attentions as the entire rig abruptly listed to the side, forcing Phantom to hold on or fall off. Izuku wasn't so lucky as he slipped through one of the bars and half his body was flung over the edge. He managed to catch hold of the lowest rung while the rest of his body swung over the deadly drop. He cursed, sucking in a harsh breath as he tightened his grip through a pained gasp.

"Well Deku, what do you think?" Phantom made his way over and leaned across the bars to stare down at the dangling hero. "Think that was enough of a distraction?"

They both glanced below.

Phantom buckled the holster to his waist, spinning the twin stun guns before slinging them. He glanced at Izuku fiddling with the plastic band on his wrist. The guns were plastic too, he noticed. In fact, all the weapons in the bag were plastic.

“Let me guess, Creati made these?” He gestured to his weapons. “Smart.”

“Ikari's quirk,” Izuku explained. “She can manipulate metal.”

“Yeah, I know.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Still, it probably won’t work attacking her head-on. You’re doomed to fail.”

Izuku looked up at him, his eyes sharp and almost…nervous? Phantom grinned. It wasn’t every day he could ruffle the number one hero.

“You’re working for Ikari, aren’t you?” He watched the pale white-haired hero warily, almost resigned. “You’re a promising hero. There has to be another reason why.”

Phantom lost his smile, body tensing. “I don’t know, you tell me. You always thought you had all the answers, World's Greatest Hero.”

He was silent for a moment, ignoring the barb in favor of choosing his words carefully. “It’s clear you hate me. Maybe you and Ikari share the same goals.”

“Newsflash Number One, ” Phantom grumbled, “I do hate you. But if you seriously think I’d let that ruin my entire life, my entire career, then you’re even more dumb than I thought.”

Izuku blinked, still on edge as he watched the man in front of him. “But you are working for Ikari, aren’t you.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a simple statement.

“Yes.” A simple answer in return.

“Phantom, I don’t have time for this. Every minute we waste in here, people get hurt.” Izuku leveled a glare his way. “I assume you have a good reason for doing so.”

He smiled wide, perplexed. “You’re so trusting. I can see why Bakugo is always so agitated by you. Or maybe that really is his whole personality. Regardless,” Phantom sighed and stepped off the wall, “how long have you known?”

“That you were working for her? About a few minutes ago. That she was back? About a month.”

“Two years. That’s how long ago she brought me in on her cabal.” Phantom held back a snarky remark at Izuku’s wide-eyed gape. “She thought she could use my hate to add fuel to the fire that would eventually destroy you. After I realized just how big an operation she was running, I knew I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.”

“The Kobaruto. Trace. You helped fund her entire plan.” Izuku said though he looked slightly baffled. “You wanted to play the long game, take them all down from the inside? That must’ve been a major undertaking. I’ve never heard about anything remotely close to something like that in the works.”

“Because it wasn’t government-sanctioned. I ran solo.” He gauged Izuku’s reaction, continuing when the man didn’t say anything. “You really pissed her off, you know? It took a lot of background work to keep everything running smoothly with minimal losses.”

“Minimal losses?” Now that fury Izuku was keeping in check came out with a passion. “So you knew Ikari would sic Tatsuya on Y/N? Did you know she was planning to slaughter the Hashira gang? You knew they were going to attack us on the bridge? You knew about everything?”

Phantom’s face hardened. “She wanted to just kill Y/N outright. To kill all of them. Her orignal plan was to slaughter your entire family and friends. She wanted nothing more than to see you left with nothing. I convinced her otherwise.”

Izuku faltered at that, stepping back as if the very words had sucker-punched him right across the face. “What?”

I spied on you for months. You had no idea, did you?” he asked. “I did my due diligence. Spied on everyone. That’s how I found out about Tatsuya too. Figured I could take out two birds with one stone. Though, I didn’t expect him to get that far. I never meant for it to get that out of hand, but there was little I could do with Ikari breathing down my neck.”

Izuku fisted his hands but kept silent.

“I did damage control. Hate me if you want, but I saved you all.” His words seethed through his teeth. “I did what you couldn’t do.”

They both glared at each other for a long tense moment before Izuku broke away, turning his narrowed gaze to the weapons bag still lying on the floor.

“Why did she turn to you?” He asked silently, a fragile tone to his voice. “You said she wanted to use your hate. Why do you hate me so much?”

“You really don’t know?” He scoffed, folding his arms defensively, or maybe…protectively. “A guy like you, I’m sure you haven’t forgotten that day.”

Izuku racked his brain, running through every scenario they’d ever run across each other. But nothing to deserve such hatred that even Ikari would turn to it.

“Umi.”

It was just a name but again, he felt an impact right in his gut the moment it left his mouth. Of course, he remembered the name. It was one he would never forget. He would never let himself forget it. All of Izuku’s anger deflated as he stared at Phantom with a new light. It all made sense now.

“Someone you cared for. Someone important to you.” He heard himself speak, though his tongue felt numb. “Phantom I-” he paused, then let out a heavy breath. “Hirata, I’m-”

“We weren’t related, but we grew up together. She was my little sister in all but blood. You know, when we were young, we used to play heroes. I was always the hero, but Umi never wanted to be one. She always dreamed of being a journalist. We had even made a pact. I would become the hero and she would become the journalist that would make my name known to the world.” He laughed bitterly. “And I always keep my promises.”

Izuku could only stare at the man in front of him, those hard walls cracked in a few places as he spoke. He was lost in the memory. That same wrenching in his gut, full of devastation tried to pull him under again. That day had been almost too hard to move past because if he had just been a little bit faster, a little bit stronger, a little bit…better, then that girl might’ve survived.

Guilt had completely floored him that day. It ate away at him until he was nothing but a ruined, hollow mess. The first civilian casualty he had been directly responsible for. Toshinori had been there to help him through that day. He played through thousands of scenarios, all coming to the same conclusion that left him in such a dark place that even All Might had a hard time pulling him out of.

“I don’t blame you Midoriya.” Phantom’s words cut through that thick layer of self-depreciation Izuku was working himself into, shocking him to his core. “I mean, I did. For a long time. But I knew placing blame on people never solved anything. I’ve analyzed that day more times than you could count.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve only ever wanted to be a hero to protect people like my sister from getting hurt. I know you’re the same.” He fell silent for a second as if his next words were hard to form. “...there’s still some part of me that has trouble forgiving you, but that doesn’t make me a villain and it never will.”

After what felt like an eternity, Izuku locked eyes with him again. “I don’t expect your forgiveness.” His voice was barely heard above the white noise of the ventilation unit. “But I need to know what you plan to do. There are too many lives at stake tonight.”

Phantom smirked, though it held no joy behind it. “Well, obviously play the villain.”

Ikari stared at the two of them, satisfaction clear on her face even from this high up. “How does it feel Izuku!” She called up to his dangling form. “To be betrayed by a fellow hero? It hurts, doesn’t it? Maybe you can finally understand the pain of betrayal that I felt that night!”

Izuku focused more on keeping his grip. But he did spare her a glance, one that was not of despair, but one that mirrored her own triumphant smirk. Ikari blinked, confused before she whipped her head to where Bakugo had been wavering on his feet minutes ago. He was gone.

A thunderous sonic wave rocked the stage she was standing. The glass podium shattered under the powerful attack and Ikari's own scream was drowned out. Her hands slapped over her ears to try to fend off the attack to no avail. When the sound died down, she was left shaking in place before her knees gave out and she crumpled to the floor.

Behind her, Bakugo stood on the steps, the long sonic gun in hand with a bloody grin. He dropped the gun and marched over to the hero, dug his knee into her back, and roughly slapped some metal-free cuffs on her.

Izuku let out another shaky breath, relief evident in this one. With one threat taken care of, he turned back to Phantom.

"I never took you for such a dramatic actor," he wheezed, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. "You don't pull your punches, do you?"

"Why should I, Number One? You can take it, right?" He reached down and gripped Izuku's wrist. "As crazy as your plans are, I'll admit, I have always wanted to kick your ass."

"Heh, not the first time I've heard that." He adjusted his loosening grip and offered him a wobbly smile. "Mind helping me up?"

Phantom grabbed both arms and hauled him halfway up before another rope snapped, this time tipping the entire catwalk on its side. His jacket sleeve ripped as he was torn from Phantom's grip. Eyes wide, he watched as Phantom tried to grab him again, nearly succeeding before Izuku disappeared over the edge. It took Phantom everything he had to stay on the dangling rig, nearly slipping off himself.

"Izuku!" Bakugo screamed from below, powerless to stop the fall.

The metal band on his wrist reacted, sending a thin bolt of wire back up to the catwalk, wrapping itself around one of the bars. He came to a sudden and harsh stop that jerked every stitch he had, but all he could do was hiss through the pain and hang on. Black spots danced in his vision as he tried to focus on Bakugo down on the ground. He was still high up, but he swore he could have seen a prick of fear in his eyes. A rarity on the man. He must really be in trouble this time.

"Deku!" Above him, Phantom cried out.

Izuku refocused, looking up. A faint hum from the wire grew louder as it slowly glowed brighter. The metal bar, the only thing tethering Izuku to the platform, had started to sizzle. A thin stream of smoke wafted from where the wire bit into it. His eyes widened as he smacked the band, but the interface had been damaged during Phantom’s attack. He desperately fidgeted with the overlay, peeling off the cover with his nails, and ripped the wiring loose. The entire thing shuddered and powered down. The wire cooled almost instantly and Phantom wasted no time in grabbing hold to act as another anchor.

He let out a shaky breath, tapping the fine filament a few times with caution.

"Use those stupid muscles of yours and climb up!" He yelled, grip straining.

Not wasting any more time, Izuku hoisted himself up, holding in the wince as his chest screamed at him. He wasn't at full strength, especially when each movement sent a flurry of pain down his torso. With as deep a breath he could manage, he pushed it to the back of his mind and kept climbing. He managed to make it halfway before the metal bar, the wire having melted halfway through it, irrevocably snapped in two.

Phantom scrambled to keep his hold, sliding along the edge of the platform with a yelp. The wire sliced his hands and wrenched itself right out of his bloody fingers.

Izuku plunged into a free fall.

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