Prickly Bulbasaur

Chapter 1: Tipped Scale

Izuku knew that today was not going to be a good day, even with the beating he had received the night before. He woke up with tears streaking down his face from the nightmares that had been plaguing his mind for the last year, and the pain of his wounds being stretched open threatening to bleed once again and those were the least of his worries.

His mind had become heavier with dark thoughts when he would normally push them aside but now a few of them became tempting to the point of idealization. They were a feather away from tipping the scale into reality, and some already went past that. Shaking the morbid thoughts away, he slowly got out of his bed and headed toward the showers.

He sighed in massive relief as his mother was not home that morning, and took his sweet time in cleaning his wounds and other grime off of him. The verdanette hissed in pain as the hot water poured over his back, flaring the healing and barely healing wounds that he had received from Inko the night prior.

He choked a sob as he remembered the reason why he was beaten, and it wasn’t his fault. He went to the clients after school as requested, but he was turned away by them saying he was no longer needed. Inko didn’t take that too well and tied him to the table and whipped him with her punishment of choice, the Cat o’ Nine Tails, slicing the skin off his back and ass, then forcing him to clean the blood up afterward.

“I don’t know how long I can take this...j-just one more school year and I can leave. I don’t care where, just anywhere but here, away from her and away from him.” Izuku grumbled, forcing more dark thoughts out of his mind and focusing on wrapping his waist. “I better be more careful, I have a strong feeling that the school will use me as target practice again.”

With that Izuku got fully ready, trying not to limp so much as he locked the door and walked quickly to the Bakugou’s house so they can head to Aldera Middle School together, hoping that his supposed childhood friend would not notice and make a scene or verbally assault him on how useless he is even without the blonde’s help. He is observant of the smallest details, so the next thing would lie and put up a facade.

Katsuki Bakugou woke up more paranoid than usual and something in the back of his mind was nagging him much more than the old hag he calls his Mom. It was telling the blonde that hell and twilight zone were making a hellspawn and no one would like it one bit.

“This better not involve Deku, I swear this feeling always flares whenever he’s involved.” He growled before looking outside to see the mentioned verdanette outside, leaning against one of the pillars. Is he shaking? Why is he favoring that leg? He thought before shaking his head, grabbing a few slices of bread, and walking out the door. Something tells me the shitty school will make things worse, better make a scene again.

“You look like shit, Deku.”

“S-sorry, Kacchan, I was studying at the table and I kind of fell asleep that way.” Izuku said, looking away as he could feel Katsuki glare at him.

Katsuki raised one of his eyebrows, thinking that does not fully explain the limping but then again it sort of does if it pinches a nerve. “Tch, whatever. Just keep up with me, and don’t stop for anything, not even Heroes, I am in no mood to babysit a crybaby Nerd.”

A sharp pain went through his chest as Katsuki said that and his steps faltered a bit, causing the blonde to yell at him. “I SAID KEEP UP!!”

“S-SORRY!!”

So far the morning was just the usual banter and/or yelling between the two, nothing unusual for the 14-year-old duo. Nothing to trigger the paranoia in both of them, so what is? Izuku was right about Aldera though, the PE teacher called him in an hour before PE and...provided the verdanette with a sore throat before forcing him to go into the locker rooms and suit up for target practice.

The students used him as a Quirk dummy, some wrapping vines around the limbs and throat, providing hateful images of him committing suicide and telling him in his mind that he was pathetic and die, basically suicide baiting him to end his life, claws, and fangs striking and biting him through the fading pads, finishing it up with Katsuki once again using his Explosion to blast Izuku several feet and knocking him out for the rest of the class.

The real kicker was the final hour and their Homeroom teacher had to ask this one particular question for the scale to start tipping dangerously toward the abyss. “Mr. Midoriya, you also stated in your papers that you want to attend UA as well, correct?”

Dread filled the verdanette as he felt everyone’s eyes on him and he tried to shrink himself as he knew what was about to happen. Not long after everyone laughed at the verdanette and started to taunt him, already filling his fragile mind with even more hate.

“He wants to go to UA? Fat chance! They will never accept a Quirkless like you.”

*snort* “If they do, they will be in General Education or maybe a ball boy, no way they will put you in the Hero Course.”

“This guy will try though, I hear he still wants to be a Hero!”

“If he wants to be a Hero, I am sure he will have to do some extra stuff to get on their good side.”

Izuku whimpered at the negativity and was tearing up around the edges, making everyone laugh even harder at his overly-sensitive emotions. His mind had also sent images of him servicing when the last student mentioned a word that triggered his trauma, and he was on the verge of a panic attack.

“He won’t even make it the first week, look how pathetic he is. Crying will get him nowhere! The Quirkless loser is nothing but a mommy's boy!”

“You wouldn’t even think of that if you knew the truth.” He mumbled, and Katsuki picked up on it, and the strain of his voice when he was upset at something. What would make him say that when Inko is the sweetest woman? Did something happen or is this a phase? Either way, he was pissed that this Quirkless Deku was raining on his parade of him being the first to go to UA, and that needed to be addressed after school.

Izuku flinched and covered his face as books, wadded papers, and erasers were thrown in his direction, trying to avoid even more injury before the next dreaded session. He even avoided looking at his childhood friend, knowing that he would be under his wrath after school. That knife in the kitchen was becoming more tempting again in his thoughts hoping that later tonight he was one slice away to be free.

He was nothing more than a slug in a society that thinks the Quirkless is nothing.

“Alright, enough making a mess, everyone. Midoriya, you will be cleaning that up after school.” Iruka-sensei said and glared at the entire class. They went quiet and Izuku sighed in defeat for the thousandth time.

“H-hai…”

The rest of the school day went without a hitch and to the verdanette’s dismay the school bell rang and everyone started to pack or leave. Some even left parting shots at Izuku before snickering behind their hands, once again saying that he will never become a Hero and just give up.

Iruka-sensei once again had to tell the students to leave before leaving Izuku alone in the cleaning process for a few minutes. It was then Katsuki decided to confront him.

“Oi, Deku!”

Katsuki walked up to the verdanette after class ended and he was followed by two of his goons, Tsubasa and Riko. The two behind him were smirking while the blonde in question was snarling at him, approaching Izuku like an angry pit bull.

“Damn Nerd, trying to steal my spotlight.” Katsuki growled, releasing sparks from his palms. “I'm trying to become a Hero. The very first Hero from this godforsaken school, and you just had to fucking ruin it!” He then shoved Izuku across his desk, causing him to flinch in pain when he landed on the floor and debris.

“I-I didn’t mean to, I still want to be a Hero too Kacchan...I was hop-”

“HAH! A Quirkless can’t be a Hero and there is no way in hell UA would put you in the Hero Course. Best you can do is probably General Support classes.” Katsuki taunted, picking up one of Izuku’s books filled with Hero analysis. He looked at a few pages before snorting and blasting it with his Quirk. “With all this analysis shit, the support course would be better for a useless Deku.”

The verdanette flinched as he was once again being called useless, and his stomach began to tighten in despair. “Wait, Kacchan, that has some Hero Signatures...also I just want to try…” Izuku looked down and mumbled the last part. His chest and throat were starting to tighten at the blonde’s hurtful words. He knew he was telling the truth, but it was stretching his hope very thin, which has already been frayed for quite a while. “I just…prove them wrong…that I’m more than just a pawn…”

Katsuki looked at the verdanette in slight confusion. He was usually not this timid, he seemed...desperate? Deciding that he might have been in pain from being the punching bag and tossed the book out the window. “Stop dreaming, Nerd. You are nothing but a Deku.”

He then walked away towards the exit while Izuku continued picking up the papers and other items he was forced to clean up. “If you want a Quirk so bad to get even a hell’s chance to be in the Hero course, why don’t you jump off a building and wish for one in the next life.”

Izuku dropped the items and looked at him with wide eyes at Katsuki’s words, feeling like a dull blade had just impaled him, followed by the visual of jumping off of Aldera. The fact he just said that made him realize that even his ‘friend’ didn’t believe him, just like everyone else in this Godforsaken world. Rage suddenly filled the green bean and he was trying to keep the boiling from reaching the surface, but when Katsuki laughed tauntingly, he snapped.

“You think I haven’t already done that!!??” He yelled and lunged at Katsuki, knocking him back to the window. The blonde stared back at him like a deer in headlights. “For the past year I have been trying to escape my prison. From slicing,”

He punched the window hard.

“Overdosing…”

Cracks started to form on the pane.

“Even fucking poisoning!!”

A crunch was heard as the glass shattered and Izuku recoiled as his arm went limp and blood was dripping from the glass shards. He ignored the pain as he continued to glare at his now disloyal friend. “Every single fucking time I tried I miraculously survive but left in such poor condition, too weak to even move or resist my tormentors. No matter what the fuck I do, Death refuses to save a Quirkless, useless Deku!”

Stunned silence surrounded the room as they looked at the verdanette like he just grew a second head, only the sound of heavy breathing from that same verdanette now adding pain to his rage. It looked like he was about to verbally murder them again before his features stilled and hid behind the mask once more.

“Why even bother?” He said dully, now turning around to get his bag. Tears were still streaking down his face. “Ten years of dealing with fear and pain it is obvious nothing will change my fate.”

He then walked out with his arm starting to look bruised and swollen. Then one of the guys with wings, Tsubasa walked over and tried to put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “H-hey, Midoriya? You need to go to the hospital, your arm is bleeding, let me-”

“Forget it…” He snapped, jerking his shoulder away from the hand. “They don’t care, they’ll just make another excuse that it is nothing and I am just an attention seeking whore. Wouldn’t be the first time they did that.”

“Huh?” The trio asked dumbly, and Izuku just huffed.

“Just leave me alone. I don’t want to be bothered anymore.”

With that he left, leaving the trio stunned and highly confused. Once Izuku got to the tunnel, tears started falling as his emotions came back in full and he realized he revealed information he didn’t want anyone to find out and that sent his mind into further despair. He needs to disappear, but how?

“Kacchan’s suggestion does give me an idea I haven’t thought of though.” Izuku said, stopping as his arm was starting to throb painfully. “It might increase my chances, after all I can’t swim.” He gently rubbed his lower arm to try to reduce the throbbing sensation, keeping him immobile temporarily. He is definitely in hot water, after this injury he wouldn’t be able to do today’s session with a client, and that means no payment, which will eventually lead to his mom raging and using her cat-o-nine tails, or worse.

He slowly walked home resigning to his fate of another beatdown for abandoning another grooming session and his mind shut down once again, no longer caring about what punishment awaited. At this point, the pain was the only thing that kept him alive, and after so long he can no longer feel the pain over his skin. Now...what’s the point?

He wants to feel alive again before his final act…Maybe feeling his lungs constricting in pain as he suffocates underwater would be the Coup de Gras. He just needs to find the right location to prevent anyone from trying to save him.

Meanwhile back at Aldera, Katsuki, Tsubasa, and Riko were trying to figure out what the hell happened and what caused the personality switch on Izuku, and piece together what he had said before leaving.

One thing that was all on their minds was ‘he has attempted suicide before?’ They did not see any evidence of it but it may have been from the school uniforms being all black. Though Katsuki did notice he had fingerless compression gloves on his hands, and, he thought it was to reduce the inflammation from writing practically 24/7. Now he is second-guessing his assumptions, and it left a heavy pit in his stomach, something he had never felt before. Something didn’t add up and it somehow made him queasy.

Another was the fact he has been in hospitals before and mentioned that those ‘doctors’ were accusing him of malingering made Katsuki believe this is a form of malpractice. Apparently, they have done this long enough for Izuku to refuse to seek help even for a broken arm. That sent another red flag, and it put a word in his mind that the hospitals should never be labeled with.

Quirk Discrimination.

Personally, Katsuki had seen enough Quirkism in his life being with the Nerd and in hindsight, he too saw the abuse society and the school has given him. He hated the fact that there were shitheads like them who think those with no powers or undesirable Quirks were worth nothing to society.

He had tried his best to keep the Nerd safe but eventually, even he became an abuser, and his mind was telling him it was for the best for Izuku to face reality and do his best to get him to abandon his dream of becoming a fucking hero. Now, after that outburst, was it really the best thing the blonde could do? Was there another way to keep him safe without being a complete douche?

More than once he had saved Izuku from serious injury or death from strangers, but he failed to realize one thing: saving the verdanette from that same blonde.

He will have to think of a way to apologize to Izuku, but for now, there was something else that was bothering him. When one of the students called him a Momma’s Boy, he saw it had hit a serious nerve. Why the hell did he not want to be called a Momma's Boy? What did Auntie Inko do that would cause him to be afraid? Does it have to do with the limping that morning? Then he mentioned ten years of fear and pain, what the fuck did he mean by that??

Just then Iruka-sensei came in with a notebook and was surprised to see Katsuki and the others cleaning instead of Izuku. “Mr. Bakugou, I thought you had left for the day. Where is Midoriya and...what happened to the window?” He then pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you used your Quirk to bully Izuku again, you know I will have to report it to your parents.”

“I didn’t blow up shit,” Katsuki growled, and he leaned against a wall. “Well, for starters the window was caused by the Nerd when I said something that made him go berserk. We had an argument about going to UA, and that he should not go but some things were fucking said and...that was when Deku went nuts.”

Iruka-sensei was surprised by Izuku’s unusual outburst and started to think before looking at the blonde. “Mr. Bakugou, has there been any tension between him and his mother lately? Or something out of the ordinary besides P.E.?”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. So he noticed. “He was limping this morning and he wasn’t the day before. But he also seems more sensitive to negativity which I know for a fact he used to brush off and continue to walk with the same fucking smile.” He then looked down when he contemplated more information. “He also mentioned during his outburst of hospitals ignoring his injuries, and…he has mentioned trying to off himself for the past year. Three times in fact.”

“What?” Their teacher said and walked towards the blonde with a worried expression. “Are you sure? Has he given any reason why he was doing that?”

Now that sent red flags in his brain and his stomach felt like he got hit by All Might’s Detroit Smash. “Sensei…what the fuck is going on?” He released some pops in his hands to keep him stable. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Iruka-sensei contemplated before sighing in defeat. “Since you both have been raised together and you show concern, we are under review of potential child endangerment and possible exploitation…” He then pulled out his phone as he heard Katsuki choke in shock and hesitated for a moment before pointing to the screen video surveillance. He scrunched his face when he saw the look of disbelief and disgust appear on his student’s face.

“What...the actual…fucking hell!?”

Izuku was walking into the locker room rubbing his throat and spitting something out for a few minutes before removing his school uniform for P.E. Katsuki took in every detail as he could in that small phone, and the first thing he noticed was that Izuku was crying. It was not the normal crying he had seen this crybaby do, it was more...emotional...painful. Izuku was gritting his teeth as he tried to pull his shirt off and it was sticking to him like sweat but Katsuki could see it was catching too much for it to be and the shirt had patches of pink like it was stained with blood.

Katsuki flinched as he saw the verdanette jerk as the shirt finally came off, now revealing bandages wrapped all over his back covered with the same pink stains. It was poorly wrapped as you could see Izuku’s back being in all shades of pink, red, purple, and within the light, shiny like fresh plasma. Katsuki’s stomach lurched again, and he suddenly remembered the feeling he had that morning. It was telling him to protect the Nerd.

“What…How…WHO!!??”

Unbridled rage then filled Katsuki like a volcano and he wanted to tear the living shit out of whoever did this to Izuku, and he suddenly ran to the exit. “Fingers, Wings, find him, NOW!!”

“RIGHT!” The duo said and they all took off to look for Izuku now fearing for his life and sanity while Iruka-sensei ended the video to make a phone call.

“Ophiuchi, we need to find him, he has attempted already.”

“Thank you, Iruka. I will be there shortly.”

—

You call this pain?

It just had to be Izuku’s luck that he was the target of a Villain trying to hide from a Hero. This Human-Sludge promised pain for a minute while the possession is in progress, but this pain was nothing to the verdanette.

He could feel the slime going down his throat and pool in his stomach, trying to suffocate him with the thick sludge. It was useless, after all, that this 14-year-old has been through, there was no pain greater than what he has suffered, at least the sludge tasted a hell of a lot better than what he was forced to swallow.

The only thing he could feel was his body becoming weaker, and his vision becoming darker as the oxygen was being deprived of his body. His mind welcomed the darkness as consciousness left him, saying goodbye to the bad memories that had plagued him for ten years. He looked at the Villain one last time, thanking him for this Mercy as his soul prepares to leave this Godforsaken world.

The Villain, trying to avoid the man who he thought was still in the United States normally would not care about who he would possess but he had noticed a few things with his soon-to-be host. The boy lost the will to live and he could see it clearly in his eyes, and also suffered an injury. He can’t deny that he was curious but he was more focused on saving his ass before-

A loud sound was heard from behind both of them and the Villain couldn’t believe his cursed luck. The man just came out of the sewers, wearing tan cargo pants and a white t-shirt several sizes too small for his build.

“Don’t worry, Young Man, for I am here.”

“Texas…..SMASH!!”

The large man punched forward and sent a gust of wind toward the Human-Sludge-Thing, causing the Villain to scream as he was unable to hold himself together and scattered all over the floor and walls, revealing the verdanette, who Death had refused his passage once again.

Izuku woke up with a hand lightly tapping his cheek and not long after the leftover contents of that Human-Sludge left his stomach.

“That’s it, Young Man, get it all out. Heaven knows what would happen if I hadn’t made it in time…”

*gurk* Izuku gagged what was left over and opened his tear-streaked eyes to see where he was at. Disorientation was still in effect but once Izuku regained focus he saw that he was on top of a building several miles away from the tunnels, and something large was rubbing his back.

“G-get away from me!”

Panic set in once again as he could feel his scars from every rub. Izuku instinctively tried to kick the hand away and tried to scramble or run away, but stumbled only a few feet. 

The man was showing great concern as the boy was reacting negatively. “My boy, you are safe. That Sludge Villain won’t harm you anymore.”

Izuku looked around again before looking back at the beefy man like a trapped animal before his mind started to recognize the yellow bunny bangs and signature smile of the No. 1 Hero. “A-all Might?”

The now-identified Hero sighed in relief. “Thank goodness, you know who I am. Yes, it is I All Might the Symbol of Peace. I just saved you from the Sludge Villain, though unfortunately, he got away. I will get him eventually, you were my main priority for rescue.”

Izuku just stared at the man that was his Idol for years and thanked his blessing that he was able to see the man in person and was rescued by him to boot. “A-a-ah, thank you for saving me. You didn’t have to…”

“Young Man, I am a Hero. Of course, I had to, you were dying.”

Does he really care? Can he give me the answer I need? Izuku thought and looked back at the Symbol of Peace. He had questions but his mouth was so dry and his thoughts were racing that he couldn’t even form the first syllable. Eventually, Izuku flinched when All Might pointed to his arm.

“You should get to the hospital and get that fixed, Young Man. That arm looks really nasty…”

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts. “W-wait, I want to ask you something, if I may.” He started and saw the Hero stand at attention. “Is it possible for a Quirkless to become a Hero? O-or at least be able to live a normal life in this society? Can someone without a quirk be like you?”

All Might’s demeanor suddenly changed when Izuku asked that question and the verdanette could sense the disgust radiating from his body. He stared at him with loathing all too familiar with those who hated people like him.

“You should be lucky that I saved your life, kid.” He said darkly, staring at the shaking form and relishing the effect he was giving him. “You will never be a Hero because of your status, and frankly death is much better suited for those who are doomed to die.”

Izuku’s mind shattered as the hope he was barely clinging to snuffed out. The person he looked up to, the person who saved civilians, just showed his true colors. He was nothing but a Quirkist Bastard, and those words just opened up Pandora’s Box.

*SMACK* I am not supporting my Quirkless son anymore! A failure like you, going to UA? HAH! You will be working under him as an Escort and you will bring me money. If you die by their cocks then fine by me!

Your life is so pathetic Deku. If you want to have a Quirk so badly, why don’t you jump off the tallest building and wish for a Quirk in the next life?

Izuku bent over as his lungs constricted as he was gasping for air, his mind racing with all the memories of the bullying and the abuse as despair filled him like liquid nitrogen. He was nothing, no one, and the No. 1 Hero even thought he wasn’t worth saving. If he knew he was Quirkless, he would have let that Villain kill him, or worse, HE would have killed both of them without any qualms.

I am nothing but a loser.  A stupid, Quirkless, loser who is a burden to everybody in this Godforsaken society. I am nothing.

All Might laughed at the pitiful display the verdanette was showing and he enjoyed shattering the dreams of the weak. “Now that we are finished here, I better take my leave. Heaven knows I might deal with something even more worthwhile.” 

The Hero laughed again and left Izuku on top of the building, still hyperventilating as his hopes and dreams shattered all around him. All Might’s morbid laughter rang through his mind, that taunting laughter that should not be fitting for a Hero. Izuku scratched his bad arm with his good hand as another wave of anger coursed through his stomach, reaching a boiling point as he realized another horrible fact.

The Symbol of Peace was no fucking Hero.

Izuku could not hold the rage any longer and screamed his heart out at the injustice. All Might was Quirkist, and because of his status, the verdanette will just be mocked. He screamed again and if you looked closer, there was a red tint in his green eyes.

“FUCK YOU ALL MIGHT!!”

All Might smirked at the despairing scream as he left Izuku to wallow in misery. Damn, that felt good, showing those who are weak they are nothing but a pedestal in a world that sees power as high status. They were better off dead, or if they are unlucky, an Escort.

The No. 1 Hero smirked again as he knew that the boy was extremely unlucky. He had to thank his Stars and Stripes as this boy forgot their previous encounter a few days prior. There is no fate more demeaning than what he had done to him, and later tonight he will relish it once he gets off work.

Back at the building, Izuku lost all will to do anything, his mind reliving the conversations of Ass Might and Katsuki, both telling him to just end his life as there is no future for him, only pain and torture. Thoughts of slicing his throat with a serrated blade were welcomed with open arms, along with a gun aimed at his heart, being skewered by a harpoon, like a fucking whale being illegally harvested, hell, even jumping off this fucking building was a warm welcome to his despair.

With his mind detached from the real world, the verdanette slowly got up and walked towards the edge of the building ramp, dull eyes looking down like staring into the abyss. The breeze on the roof felt relieving to his injuries, yet they still felt distant like it wasn’t enough. 

He needed to get closer.

Izuku grabbed the railing and proceeded to bend forward, his shattered soul telling him to go ahead and jump, and end all the pain. The people who tortured you won, and they have finally broken your soul, so what is the point of living? You have no one you can turn to, no one will believe you nor will they care for your life if you disappear. You are nothing.

Izuku!

W-what was that? Izuku thought as he heard someone scream his name, but he couldn’t tell who it was or where it came from. His mind suddenly came to focus and he immediately stared at the concrete below, and he was leaning forward so sharply like one more inch, he would have fallen below. 

“Jesus Christ!” He screamed and used his good arm to push him back from the possible and gruesome death. The moment Izuku saw that height, alarm bells rang and told him to stay away, even if his other half was telling him to jump.

His fear had overwritten his despair, and the verdanette cursed at his weakness. Why couldn’t he end his life? He should have been able to do it, yet his mind told him not to and it was so stupid. And who the hell was the person who called out his name???

Who would want to call me, no one fucking cares! My mom is proof I have no one. It almost sounded like a panicked male, like maybe Kacchan? No, he had never heard him scream since he was only 4, and that was for another reason. So who could it be?

Chapter 2: Clock is Ticking

Katsuki’s mind was racing. He had taken the main route to the Flat where Izuku and Auntie Inko lived but he had stopped at the tunnel where the blood trail ended. It was a mess like something or someone had a battle there but something didn’t add up. There was no body or pool of blood.

His gut told him that Izuku was still alive and that he was elsewhere, and a few locations popped up: the train to Mustafu and the Beast’s Forest if he takes the train all the way north. That is what he fears the Nerd would do, if he was already suicidal then the beasts there may be the next possible thing that could fulfill his wish.

Not on his fucking watch.

He is going to need more help, and even though Tsubasa and Riko are helping with the search, Mustafu is just too big of a search. He at first didn’t want them involved because he had a sneaking suspicion that Inko was one of Izuku’s main tormentors and being friends with the Hag brought fear that his mother might be the same or deny any of Inko’s possible wrongdoing.

His mom also knew that he was also bullied at school and would treat him or nurture him whenever he visited. Mitsuki was seeing signs of withdrawal and it made her very paranoid. He got this sixth sense from her, so it looks like he will have to make the leap of faith.

He had dialed his mom’s work number and waited for her to answer. Immediately he growled when she started berating him. “You better be dying or DEAD for trying to call me at work, brat!”

“I’m not but Deku may be.” Katsuki said quickly and he could hear the pen drop from the other side of the phone. “I think he is in trouble, and it’s leaving a lot of questions.”

Mitsuki was in her office, sitting with one of her hands gripping the armrest, dreading what she might hear next. “What is it, Katsuki?”

“How well do you know Auntie Inko?” Katsuki asked and the next thing he heard was something cracking. “Is she hiding some twisted secret?”

“W-why are you asking this? What are you accusing Inko of?” Mitsuki couldn’t hold her anger and the armrest snapped. Alarm bells were ringing, fearing that Inko’s past had caught up to her sanity. 

“...Deku was limping this morning when he wasn’t yesterday when I brought him home, and…the school is under investigation of abuse and exploitation.”

“WHAT!!!???” Mitsuki’s voice was heard from the entire floor and the floors between her, and some of the nurses hid from PTSD when they faced her wrath. Katsuki held his phone away from his ear seconds before the outburst, expecting her to go ballistic.

Oh, she will fucking die if that is the case. Mitsuki thought and growled. “Find him and make sure you keep him away from Inko, I will call Masaru and we will help with the search. I also got to make a call. Do you have any proof of this exploitation?”

“You will need to talk to Iruka-Sensei, our homeroom teacher. He’s the one who showed me something that was fucked up, he is the only one I trust. He was the only one who treated Deku as normal as possible and never was a dick to him..”

Mitsuki nodded and grabbed her keys and ran out her door. “Right, you do what you can but please don’t hurt him, I am sure the poor bunny is hanging on a thread. Don’t say anything to upset him, I know your mouth has no filter.”

“You’re the one who gave it to me, Hag.” Katuski’s stomach lurched as he remembered what he had said to him at school. “I-I will do what I can, no promises.” He then hung up the phone and texted Riko and Tsubasa to head towards the Mustafu train station and look for Izuku there while he ran back to the city.

Meanwhile, Mitsuki ran down the stairs and made a call to the Mustafu Child Protective Services, letting them know the situation, and requested a special party with knowledge of abuse and exploitation. They had provided them with a Pro Heroine known as Ophiuchi, someone she had never heard before, but the profile they had sent to her phone held a lot of promise. Now, it was a race against the clock to find and hopefully save Izuku.

“Hang in there, Mochi. We are coming.” She muttered, her gut screaming for her to hurry while she called Masaru to help join the search. 

-

In the principal’s office of one of the most prestigious schools in Japan, a bear-rat chimera named Nezu happened to hear the phone call he had programmed to patch to him or record if the voices spoke certain keywords, and in this case, it was abuse, exploitation, and Ophiuchi. The main reason was that the Principal was working with the Pro Hero Zodiac Team in child trafficking cases and trying to save as many children who had the misfortune of becoming an escort or sold into black markets and slavery. After what he had been through as some kind of ‘Lab Rat’ himself, he became determined for others, especially children not to suffer any kind of slavery.

This is what he was thinking as he heard that they assigned Ophiuchi to the case and the serpentine herself sent him a file regarding this Izuku Midoriya, including the vids his Homeroom teacher Iruka Umino had collected secretly underneath that same school’s nose. Iruka agreed to work undercover after the abuse he had seen with the verdanette and other students unable to fend for themselves.

Another reason was that he had sent Recovery Girl to the hospitals the poor boy went to for two of the attempts, trying to locate the doctors and nurses who treated him as his medical records were either nonexistent or marked him as malingering or false injuries. Something didn’t add up, and if they find proof Recovery Girl would raze the hospitals to the ground whether with court approval or not.

Nezu had to look for the boy right away, he had already attempted suicide multiple times within the year and he was becoming more desperate as his mind progressed to something darker. He even saw something in the still photo of the poor boy that also made his stomach boil. Among the marks and scars he had, there in the middle of his back at the base was a branding of one of the most notorious child traffickers: the Crimson Goats. They specialized in Quirkless and Anthromorph torture and helotry, occasionally enslaving Emitters for black market or breeding.

He knew who the owner of the Crimson Goats was, it was child’s play as he wasn’t very creative when he named the felonious business but the only thing was to catch him slipping and gather proof. That will be set aside, for now, Izuku was the main priority. Nezu hacked into All Might’s phone to locate where he was now and patched into the tunnel’s camera, rewinding the feed to where he saw Izuku with a broken and bloodied arm and…allowing a Villain to possess him. Poor boy, this would mark the fourth attempt.

He then sped up the footage where All Might appeared and blew the Sludge away from the boy who looked deathly pale even in the tunnel’s shadows. He had to give the Pro Hero credit for trying to get the boy to cough up the sludge before turning and flying off somewhere with the boy. Nezu was able to do a quick trajectory and within moments he hacked into another camera where he found All Might and Izuku. From there he watched the boy purge the sludge out of his stomach and lungs before having a panic attack and getting away from the Hero. A few minutes passed and he growled menacingly at what he had heard next.

You should be lucky I saved your life, kid. There is nothing for a Quirkless fool, especially one who still dreams of a better future.

Oh, All Might is going to pay for that. He entered a few keys to permanently activate his location on the phone and focused on the boy, who was clutching his heart like he was having a heart attack. He contacted Recovery Girl to prepare for an emergency patient, but the next second the pained screams were heard through the feed, feeling the hope he had shattered by the man he thought was a hero.

The next few minutes were crucial as Nezu had to think as the poor boy slowly walked toward the edge of the roof. He needs to stop him from falling to his death, and Aizawa, one of the few heroes he trusted was closest to the boy but too far to stop the fall.

Think Nezu, think! Of all the brilliancy you have, how hard is it to stop a mentally abused child from causing his demise?

He looked at any kind of info that may create an attachment, and they were very few. The only thing he could see was that this Katsuki Bakugou is his childhood friend yet the records show he was verbally and mentally abusive toward the boy. Another was Bakugou’s mother, Mitsuki, who showed concern when Katsuki mentioned that Izuku was abused, and that caused her to make the call to the MCPS. Did that mean Katsuki actually cared for the boy?

He had to make a leap of faith, something the chimera rarely uses, and made some quick voice similarity to match the blonde’s and upped it a few octaves and called his name through a speaker nearby, making it sound like a distant echo that would make him think his mind was imagining it. Hopefully, this was enough.

Nezu sighed and smiled as he saw a little light come back to the boy's eyes before jerking himself back from the rails and falling to the ground. He could see the confusion and frustration, but at this moment he would take that more than red blood. He had thought that Izuku would not stay on that roof long so Nezu used facial recognition on Izuku and activated all cameras to send him information on where he was next. This was attempt number four and this bear-rat refused to lose someone who the world believes was another statistic, that was not worth noting.

Katsuki stopped at an alleyway, panting and heaving as his body was working overtime. He had run like 5 miles and he felt like he was dying, it had been a while since he felt out of shape. The blonde had asked for a rendezvous with the other two, Tsubasa and Riko for a recap and to see where they could look for Izuku. At this time his stomach was becoming nauseous, a sign he knew that the worst was yet to come. 

“Bakugou!” Katsuku looked up and saw Tsubasa fly down right next to him and gave him some water. “I have checked the Northern checkpoint of the Mustafu line and I didn’t see Midoriya, I have made several trips to double and triple check.”

“He wasn’t at the Southern Line, and I asked several people if they had seen him, no one has, even that hawk-eyed conductor who sees everything.” Riko said next, bending over and panting just as much as Bakugou, maybe more. “Y-you know him best, where would he go next?”

Katsuki cursed and handed the bottle to Riko. If he hasn’t already headed toward the Beast’s Forest, was he still in Mustafu or did he choose a different method? “I don’t fucking know, he may have gotten caught by someone, got delayed, or…” He then remembered what he said at Aldera, holding a hand over his mouth in morbid realization.

If you want a quirk so bad, why don’t you jump off a building and wish for one in the next life?

There is no way-then he…Katsuki blasted a row of trash cans as he kicked himself hard as Karma decided to fuck with him. “He may be planning to jump, but not from any roof,” Katsuki said as he turned to face his friends. “He is planning to jump off a bridge, with deep water underneath. The only bridge here in this shitty city is Wisteria Bridge, which connects Mustafu to Willow Island. He can’t swim at all, and I remember an incident that nearly killed him. That is where he is going to go.”

Riko and Tsubasa nodded in agreement at the next location, but before they were about to leave, their homeroom teacher suddenly arrived and ran at them yelling “Look out”. The next second they heard glooping and bubbling sounds from behind and a large silhouette of some kind of sludge appeared behind them, with eyes and massively wide teeth.

The Sludge-Thing then lunged and grabbed Bakugou before the teen had time to react, and laughed as his prey started to use his palms to escape his grasp. “Very nice, you would be a much better host than that lifeless green-eyed brat. All Might can’t save you now.”

Katsuki looked at him briefly as he mentioned someone with green eyes before increasing his blasts, causing the surrounding areas to catch fire and damage the walls between them. He needed to escape and find Izuku, did this pathetic cum-sludge kill him?

“Bakugou!” Iruka yelled as he grabbed the other two and pulled back, trying to think of a way to help save the boy. His Quirk was useless against it, even if it was considered illegal by law, there was no way speaking to dolphins would free him.

He had no choice but to wait for the Pro Heroes to arrive.

In a traffic jam not too far away Mitsuki was in her car massaging her stomach as her instincts were punching it like Katsuki kicking her trying to get out. Something was going to go down, and she hated not knowing what. All she knew was that it involved both her babies, and she feared for their lives.

She honked the horn as the idiots in front of her weren’t moving. “Move dumbasses, we are in a green fucking light!!!”

“Relax lady, we are in after-school traffi-itte!”

“Fuck off dipshit or my skillet is going up your ass next time!!” She honked her horn again for several more seconds before an explosion was heard several blocks away, causing her and everyone to look in that direction.

Her stomach became cold as ice as she recognized her son’s blasting pattern and immediately left her car to run to ground zero. She had a feeling both Katsuki and Izuku would be there, and someone is playing fucking chess.

—

Izuku was on his way toward Wisteria Bridge, trying to figure out the best way to tie his legs with something so he can sink quickly and have the water crush him. He zoned out and had a certain smile, imagining the pain as his lungs, heart, brain, and other organs shrink at the rapid drop, forcing air out of him as his body screams for life. Izuku then had the morbid images of blood flowing out of his orifices, enticing the sharks and other underwater ravagers to him and tearing him limb by limb, leaving nothing but an eye staring at the sun one last time before it too got eaten.

Explosions took him out of his thoughts followed by screams from the Mustafu civilians as they started to run to where the action was. Izuku scoffed at them, running like starving flies to sugar in hopes to see Pro Heroes in action. Ninety percent of them wanted to see more of that harlot’s ass and overused cunt of Mt. Lady. She flaunts and poses for the fucking fun of it, Midnight has much more decency. Still…it wouldn’t hurt to watch the shenanigans before closing the curtains. 

He took a scarf from his backpack and wrapped his damaged arm in a sling to avoid anyone looking and ran toward the location where he could now see black smoke and flames. The crowd had already gathered to the point it was already triggering Izuku’s claustrophobia but pushed it aside as he weaved and dodged slowly to the front of where the officers already had a blockade up away from the flames and debris. Izuku shook his head as he realized the Pro Heros who patrol the area hadn't arrived yet. Useless fucks, they are just like Ass Might and waiting for the perfect time to make an entrance.

“Have the blasted fire trucks arrived yet!?? The kid started several massive fires and I can’t get them all!”

Izuku looked to the right and saw Backdraft who was trying to put out the fires in the alleyways and the red-bricked buildings sandwiching it. He looked like he was under a lot of stress, and the sounds of explosions and more fires appearing were putting him in a foul mood. “WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE HEROES!!??”

Okay….bitchy mood.

“Come fight us like a man instead of hiding behind a hostage you coward!” Finally, a Pro Hero arrives wearing a cyan-colored cardigan that was defining his muscles and attaching to his pecs with who-knows-what, and his wrist guards were thick and made of metal detailed with yellow and black caution tape. He ran toward the source of the issue and Izuku had to hold a hand over his mouth as his stomach roiled at the person Death Arms was rushing to and gagged violently. 

It was the bastard Sludge Villain All Might saved Izuku from, and he just laughed as he took the Pro Hero’s punch and threw him against a large garbage bin. “You are nothing compared to All Might! No one here can defeat me!!” The villain laughed even louder before looking down as another round of explosions escaped his body, causing another boulder to fall into the verdanette’s stomach as he recognized a tuft of cream-blonde hair and crimson eyes, looking pissed.

“K-kacchan…” Izuku whispered and tears started to fall. He didn’t want this, he only wanted him and everyone else to leave them alone. He then began to berate himself. If that villain had taken my life and possessed him, would Katsuki be spared? If All Might had just left me to die and just focused on the villain, would he still be in his possession? Why did Fate and Death hate me so much!!?? 

“Move Kid!” Another Pro Hero arrived and knocked Izuku to the side as he jumped over the blockade and morphed his hands into the wood and aimed it toward the blonde and three other people who were surrounded by falling debris. The verdanette hissed as he glared at the newcomer, another Pro Newbie who just wanted fame, but he still has a kind heart as he used another branch to lift Izuku back up while he grabbed an adult and two kids but recoiled from the epicenter of the blast.

“The flames and blasts are too powerful, Backdraft can you do anything to douse them?” Kamui yelled as he brought the three he saved to him. “I WILL WHEN THE FUCKING FIRE STATION ARRIVES!!!” 

Izuku looked at the trio and noticed they were wearing Aldera uniforms and were being held back by Iruka. He blinked before running toward them. “Iruka-sensei, Riko, Tsubasa are you all alright?”

“Izuku!” Both students said before looking back at the scene. “We were looking for you before this Villain attacked us and grabbed Bakugou! We don’t know where he came from, he just popped in like a Jack-in-a-Box!”

Unfortunately, I know exactly where he came from. Izuku thought bitterly before looking back at the Villain increasing his hold on Katsuki. He could see him struggling to breathe as he kept blasting wherever he could to get the bastard off of him, but all it did was wrap him tighter like an octopus with its meal.

“Izuku!”

Izuku squeaked and jolted as a hand suddenly grabbed him and held him tightly between large breasts. He looked up and a mixture of confusion and dread filled his insides as the person holding him was his Aunt Mitsuki Bakugou. “Aunt Mitsuki?”

“Izuku, Mochi, are you all right? I heard you got hurt at school. Where is Katsuki?” She said in rapid succession, creating more confusion on the verdanette. When did she care about him? Has she ever cared about him? He doesn’t even remember the feeling of being cared about.

“K-kacchan is over there being surrounded by the Sludge Villain, none of the Heroes here have an advantage over it to save him?” Izuku said before recoiling as he could see rage and fury in Mitsuki’s eyes. He cringed as he saw her move her arm, expecting her to hit him but instead he heard a yelp from Kamui Woods.

“Why haven’t you saved my son, dumbass!!?? My son is dying there!” Mitsuki raged, swinging her iron skillet and threatening to hit him again. “Why aren’t ya moving your asses??”

“You try getting to him with his idiotic Quirk going haywire! He is too volatile!” That resulted in another smack to the head, not even realizing that he had called Katsuki’s Quirk villainous. Mitsuki was about to knock him unconscious before Iruka grabbed her wrist, stopping her from committing murder.

“We need to focus on saving Bakugou, he hasn’t had any air for a while.” Iruka said while he and Mitsuki looked around for something to distract the villain. So far no luck, not even a fire hydrant for Death Arms to tear open so Backdraft could use it to drown the villain.

Izuku stared at the Villain in frustration. Kacchan was dying and it was his fault. He needed to be saved but he had no idea how to save him and the Heroes here were so pathetic and so reliant on their Quirks that once they realized they were useless they became sitting ducks. They had no knowledge of basic tactics.

Something stirred inside Izuku as he saw something in Katsuki’s eyes that made his heart stop. He had a look of pure desperation, his eyes tearing up as he struggled for air and to get this slime off of him. The pain in his eyes triggered the verdanette, it was the look he had when he felt useless, pathetic, helpless…no, he may have broken ties with his former friend but he still refused to allow him to go the dark path Izuku had traveled.

He ran toward the villain, ignoring the screams from Mitsuki and Iruka as he took off his backpack ready for a sneak distraction. “Kacchan!!”

Deku? Katsuki looked in the direction where he called his name and sighed in relief to see him alive but his stomach lurched when he realized the verdanette was coming toward them. You dumbass, don’t come here. RUN! He shook his head as vigorously as he could to give Izuku a hint to just leave him and save himself, but either he didn’t see it or completely ignored his wishes. He watched as Izuku gathered momentum and flung his backpack at the villain, creating a distraction for it to look where the noise was coming from. Screams of pain followed as a book hit him square in their eyes, distracting him enough for the sludge to loosen his hold and free his mouth.

The blonde took a deep, fresh breath of air, relishing it for a half-second before looking at Izuku in shock. “Deku! You idiot, why are you here?” He yelled, staring in disbelief as he tried to grab the slime off of Kacchan enough for him to get free himself. “He will kill you!”

“B-but I don’t want you to-ACK!”

“You pathetic meatsack!” The villain screamed, grabbing Izuku and slamming him against the ground. Izuku screamed as intense pain radiated through his spine, and hearing a few vertebrae crack. “I don’t know what your game is, first you looked like you wanted me to possess you at that blasted tunnel before All Might showed up to save your ass, and now you came to attack me to save this brute?” 

So he did try to possess Deku. Katsuki thought as he struggled to get his arms free enough for a good blast. He growled as the villain began to squeeze Izuku tighter, and he could hear bones and joints starting to crack. He flinched as he heard another scream from Izuku as the other arm broke. 

“Izuku, Katsuki!”

Katsuki cursed as he heard his mom yell from the crowd, struggling to get free as she was being held back by Iruka-sensei, Kamui Woods, Death Arms, Riko, and Tsubasa. He did not want to see the Hag staring at this pitiful display. He shimmied and wiggled his arms away from him so he wouldn't suffer severe repercussions ready for the strongest blast he can muster with minimal damage to his arms. He had to do something, the Nerd was slowly being killed and he was about to be possessed. The blonde had enough.

Here goes nothing….He said, grunting as he felt the muscles in his arms tense and snap as they prepare for a major strike. He had plenty of sweat in his hands, now it was moving the right amount of lithium to it. “Hey, cumbucket.”

The villain sported a tick mark as the blonde said that, and stared down at him menacingly. “What? You expect your savior to live? Fat chance, he should have ran once All Might saved his pathetic ass. Now he has to-hm?” He stopped as both of the blonde’s palms faced him, sparking and burning a bright yellow in his palms. Behind them was the same blonde smiling wickedly.

“See you on the other side.”

In one massive spark, a massive explosion created a massive shockwave almost as impressive as All Might’s Texas Smash. It caused the villain to disintegrate and splatter everywhere, immediately releasing the two boys which were flung in different directions. Katsuki was flung into a large pile of trash that had been dumped when Death Arms knocked the bin over, ears ringing as his head throbbed like an inflating balloon. He stayed there for a while, pain filled his arms up to his shoulders, he didn’t need to see that they would need to be in casts. 

Izuku was flung into one of the building walls, and he gasped as his already abused spine intensified the pain before he landed on the ground. He could feel the wounds that haven’t or barely healed break open again, oozing more blood as he struggled to get some air as his diaphragm became temporarily paralyzed from the blow. He eventually lost consciousness as his body forced it to shut down to increase survival.

The bright side was that Katsuki's blast caused enough of an air draft for the flames nearby to be choked out, allowing Mitsuki and Iruka to run toward them. The female blonde went to her son first to check on his injuries and cringed at the immediate swelling and discoloration of his arms. Katsuki will need to get x-rays and a CT scan to check for nicked arteries and damaged tendons. She came out of her thoughts when suddenly Katsuki let out a gurgled sound and she bent him forward to purge whatever sludge was in his stomach and/or lungs, rubbing his back as he continued for a few moments. 

While she was taking care of Katsuku, Iruka was checking over Izuku and he too rubbed his back to get him to respond. His breathing was labored, and his arms had seen better days. He was no doctor but even he could see that the boy needed surgery on them. He needed to find a Medic to get him to the hospital, and quickly.

“Mrs. Bakugou, I will be back in a min. Midoriya is unconscious and needs serious medical attention.” He saw Mitsuki nod as she continued to tend to her son. He was still heaving and gagging but nothing else was leaving him except for his saliva. 

“Katsuki, you ok?” She asked, still rubbing his back. “You are sure damn lucky, brat, I don’t need an adult slime to pretend to be my son.”

Katsuki huffed and glared at him. “Like he can possess me. That cumbucket has been sterilized.” He hissed as spasms coursed through his arms. “G-god dammit, I am not looking forward in being wrapped.”

“To be honest I rather have you a mummy than a sludge puppet.” Mitsuki huffed and kept a hand on the boy’s shoulder, refusing to let him move until paramedics arrive. She could tell he was restless, and if it was the same thing she was feeling then she didn’t blame him. The aura surrounding them was feeling thick and suffocating like their day was far from over.

“W-where’s Deku?” Katsuki said suddenly, now looking for a tuft of green as he suddenly remembered that caused a shockwave. Bees were filling his stomach as warning flags filled his mind, and it was making him panic with the weird sensation he never experienced before. “Is he alive?”

“Calm down, Katsuki, he’s unconscious but Iruka is looking for a paramedic.” She replied, the same buzzing feeling flying in her stomach increasing her warnings as well. “We just have to-”

The Bakugou duo stopped suddenly as sounds of cracking and snapping came from above them followed by sounds of falling sand or dust. One massive snap caused them to look up and stare in horror as a large slab from the damaged building broke loose and began to fall…right on top of Izuku.

“NOOOOOO!!!!”

“DEKUUUUUU!!!”

“OUTTA MY WAY, DUMBASSES!!”

Mitsuki was cursing and screaming at the idiots in front of her blocking traffic on the way to the Tattooin District. She saw smoke and blasts coming from there and her MIR was telling her that not only her son will be there, but Izuku as well. 

“MOVE, I NEED TO GET TO MY KIDS!!”

“Fuck off, lady! We are in traffic!”

"SHUT UP!" Mitsuki flung an iron skillet out of nowhere and hit the driver right next to her, effectively causing him to yell in surprise and pain. She then honked the horn again before eventually abandoning her car and running towards the explosion, hoping that Fortune would grant her to make it in time.

---

Midoriya was walking with his head down, contemplating how to end his life. It was harder to do the action than thinking about it, as he realized when he tried to jump off the building All Might had left him on.

This is harder than I thought. I don’t know what to do…I already missed a ‘session’ mom was making me do with a client, she will definitely beat me for that. I am barely recovering from that yesterday, what if…sigh…what do they care? I’m Quirkless, they would say I probably deserve it, I lost count of how many times I have been in detention for sneezing alone, or for one teacher, in particular, a session.

“Fortune has definitely dealt me a bad hand.”

An explosion was heard and Midoriya looked towards the direction where a lot of smoke was billowing a couple of blocks ahead of him. More blasts were heard and within minutes a couple of Heroes arrived on the scene.

“Death Arms, Backdraft and Kamui Woods, huh?”

He walked towards the scene without any thought as he was being drawn in like a fly to sugar. Midoriya didn’t know why, but something was egging him to watch.

I guess I will be able to watch the spectacle before my final act.

After several tries, he was finally able to get to the front of the blockade, and what he had seen made his stomach churn. The Sludge Villain was right in front of him instead of inside the bottle All Might have him in, and he was currently holding a student hostage.

"Midoriya!"

The greenette jolted and looked to the side and saw boys who usually hang out with Bakugou. "Tsubasa-kun, Riko-kun, what are you two doing here? Wait, where is Kacchan?"

Another explosion reverberated through the area and some of the sludge was able to get pushed away from the student. A student with soft Pomeranian blonde hair and deep red eyes.

Midoriya’s eyes widened and ran towards the two without thinking, his mind only on one thing.

“Kacchan!!”

"Wait, Midoriya!!" 

---

Fate must have been cruel that day, as the Wheel of Fortune for those involved was not good. Sorrow, Despair, Fear, and for one particular person Death awaits. 

She smiled as she continued to watch the mayhem, and frowned when the blonde incapacitated her creation and Death was nowhere to be seen on her chessboard. Deciding on giving a little nudge on a piece of loose wall, the scream of despair was heard when it landed on the boy marked for death.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14017951/1/Life-Within-a-Tarot-Deck?

Chapter 2: The Thunderstruck Tower

“...”

“....”

“.....You don’t think Inko is actually abusing him, are you?”

“Do you think Katsuki may be over exaggerating?”

*SMACK* “Hell no! The fact that I knew Inko for so long yet if there is a possibility of her beating Izuku like the photo Katsuki had sent us was true, then that is what is fucking pissing me off!! She has been doing this from right under my nose and I had no clue!”

“I know, but we don’t know for sure she was the cause.” A man with brown hair and glasses said though he had doubts. “It could be from the school, you know how the world treats those who are Quirkless.”

“Well, if I had your Quirk Masaru, I would shove my and hand up their discriminating ass and melt them a new one, painfully!” This time a blonde female with sharp red eyes responded, her hand holding her phone tightly before tossing it onto the coffee table.

Masaru and Mitsuki looked again at the photo with disgust and worry. Izuku was an innocent and kind boy, and those marks on his back were making their blood boil. Even Masaru, who is usually the voice of reason, can't seem to control his anger.

“Honey, you're melting the couch.” Mitsuki said with a deadpan, and her husband looked down and then smiled sheepishly and poured some baking soda on the affected areas. “Sorry.” 

Mitsuki sighed and looked again at the photo. She had texted Katsuki if he was beaten recently outside of P.E. and he said no, that he was with him to and from school. They went their separate ways today for some reason, but her Mother Instinct Radar was sending warning signals. Her son had the same 6th sense as well, along with her looks he got that BS meter from her. “I do happen to know that she had some prejudice against those who are Quirkless when we were younger, but I thought she had reformed when her son was born one. Now I am not so sure…”

“We need to trust Katsuki to keep an eye on him until the weekend, from there we can ask Inko if Izuku can spend a couple of weeks here over the summer,” Masaru suggested, giving some thought. “From there we can ask Izuku if there has been anything wrong.”

“He is always with the Little Mochi and gets extra pissy when things feel weird, even if he does not know it yet. He was like that this morning, yelling at the kid to stick close to him.” Mitsuki said eventually, now thinking about what her husband was suggesting. Then another thought came to mind. “If that was the case then why did they go their separate ways if the feeling did not subside? Something doesn’t add up.”

She proceeded to reach for her teacup next to her, her fingertips were just millimeters away when…

*CRACK*

Masaru and Mitsuki looked at the teacup in shock as a crack suddenly formed alongside it. A sense of foreboding filled their insides as they then looked at each other in worry. A few moments had passed when Mitsuki suddenly got up and pulled off her apron.

“To hell with this! I’m going out!” Mitsuki grabbed her keys and ran out the door with a slam. Masaru did not even bother stopping her. His wife’s MIR was flaring ever since she saw the photo and when the cup cracked he knew today was going to be a hellish day.

—

“GO TO HELL YOU FUGLY BASTARD!!”

Bakugou was still fighting the Sludge Villain trying to get the noxious muck off of him with his blasts. He would be able to get some off but since he was so fluid his Quirk was practically useless. His two friends were knocked to the ground and couldn’t move any closer to try to save him.

More blasts were created from his hands, and eventually, he had set the alleyway on fire. The trash, peeling paint, clothing, the entire area was ablaze. Shortly after the commotion, the area was getting surrounded by civilians looking at the spectacle and two Heroes arrived on the scene.

“Orah~!!” Death Arms ran towards the two and punched the villain hard, but it did not have any effect and his fists went through the muck without any results. The villain just scoffed.

“You are just a matchstick compared to All Might’s fists!” He then launched the Hero up and flung him right into a large garbage dump.

Death Arms grunted as he got up from the imprint he had created from the bin. “Damn, I can’t get a hit on him! Kamui! Can you do anything?”

Another hero with branches forming out of his hands was keeping a safe distance but he had the two kids in his branches. “I can’t get any closer, the flames will incinerate me!”

Death Arms cursed again and went back to Kamui. “Backdraft! Are you near the area, we need you to sweep the Villain!!” 

“Once the fire trucks arrive to take care of the fire that kid caused I can, I am busy at the moment from spreading it further!” Another Hero with fire hoses on both his hands and in a fireman gear yelled in his earpiece. “Other than that we need to wait for backup!”

“Kacchan!”

Bakugou opened his eyes wide at the familiar name Midoriya has only from him. He looked to his right and saw that Midoriya was running towards him with a look of shock and fear. 

“Let go of him!” Midoriya yelled and with a swift movement, he spun while continuing to run and threw his backpack at the Villain, effectively hitting one of his eyes with a book.

The Sludge Villain writhed in agony, causing the said villain to lose some of his grip on Bakugou. The said blonde gasped some fresh air and looked at the greenette who was now at his side, trying to scrape off the sludge.

“Are you nuts, Deku!? Why are you here!!??” Bakugou yelled, really hoping that Midoriya would run away.

“I don’t know, my legs just moved on their own!” Midoriya yelled back and tears started to fall down his eyes. “And…you looked like you needed-ack!”

“You stupid brat!” The Villain screamed and grabbed him and held him over the air. “Someone as weak and Quirkless as you is useless to me. You should have run when All Might saved your stupid life!”

“Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!” The villain started to squeeze the greenette and he could feel some of his bones cracking. The Sludge Villain laughed when he heard a snap and one of the boys’ limbs twisted and fell limp. 

Bakugou flinched when he heard the same bone break and he was cursing. Dammit, Deku! You are going to get killed! He then looked down at his arms and steeled his nerves. He had no choice. Fuck it, I would rather lose my arms than lose the Nerd right now. What kind of Hero would I be if I didn’t?

“Let him go, you fucker!” Bakugou yelled and started to bring his blasts to the limit, he grunted as he started to feel the pain in his forearms. Once he built enough energy, he forced his hands towards the villain’s face. “UP YOURS!!!”

Bakugou released a massive explosion big enough for the Sludge Villain to scatter and the two to recoil from the shockwave. He landed hard on a pile of debris and his arms became discolored after the recoil damage, and Midoriya got sent the opposite way and hit his back hard on a brick wall causing him to cough hard as the air got knocked out of his lungs.

The blonde’s ears were ringing from his blast, disoriented for a few seconds before he was able to sit up and his arms were hanging useless. He then looked around and saw that pieces of the sludge were scattered and unmoving amongst the flames.

Good, I got the fucker. He thought finally, then looked straight ahead when he heard several coughs and saw that Midoriya was trying to get up from the ground but was struggling. He decided to let him rest for a few seconds until something in his gut was telling him to look above the greenette, and from what he saw made his body run cold with dread.

Midoriya was in pain and numb at the same time as his back slammed hard against the wall from the shockwave, yet he could feel last night’s wounds tear open and bleed once again. He coughed to get his lungs back working from the impact as well as he was struggling to get oxygen. Once the numbing sensation had started to fade, he heard something that he had never thought would hear.

“Deku, LOOK OUT!!”

Midoriya looked up at his friend in shock from him screaming in fear before a shadow appeared above him. Things seemed to slow down as the moment the greenette looked up and a large piece of the brick wall fell directly on top of him.

“DEKU!!!!”

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14017951/1/Life-Within-a-Tarot-Deck?

Chapter 1: The Sun Has Lost His Shine

Midoriya Izuku was devastated.

Today has been the worst day of his middle school career and it weighed heavily on his mind. First, his mother yelled at him that he would need to find a job as she would not support him going to high school. She only tolerated him in hopes he does get his Quirk, but 12 years is the cap in late manifestation. He is now 14.

The second was he received a beatdown in physical education from other people so they can have their training. That probably enraged his mom further, medical bills piling up because of burns and broken bones.

Then when he raised his hand that he applied to UA still in hopes of becoming a hero the entire class laughed at him for his stupidity, causing his childhood friend to yell at him after class, destroy one of his notebooks, and even tell him to jump off a building hoping that he would get a Quirk in his next life. He knew he didn’t mean it but it still hurts.

The icing on the cake? He was saved by his idol All Might from a sludge villain and when he asked an innocent question if he could still become a hero without a Quirk, the Hero shut him down, hard.

“You cannot be a Hero without a Quirk, that is nothing but instant death.”

Instant death…

I am not supporting my Quirkless son anymore! If you want to go to UA, get a job!

You are so pathetic, Deku. If you want to have a Quirk so bad, take a swan dive off a building and wish for one in your next life!

“Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad.” Midoriya said quietly. He had reached his limit, and he had no support. He even thinks that Bakugou also despised him, if the increased aggression towards the greenette even says anything.

I am nothing but a burden…to everybody.

“Looks like you will get your wish, Kacchan.”

—

Something wasn’t right, dammit.

Bakugou was kicking empty bottles in front of him along an alleyway with two of his classmates, hoping for some fun. However, his mind was preoccupied with a green-haired nerd.

I always say a lot of shit to him to bring him down, but why did this time feel different?

“Hey, Bakugou?” 

“Yeah, what the hell is it, Wings?”

“Was it just me or did Midoriya act weird?”

Bakugou looked at his friends in surprise. “You noticed it too?”

His other friend nodded. “Yes, he seemed much more withdrawn and has not done his usual mumbling for the last 3 weeks.”

Bakugou clicked his tongue. It’s true, he hasn’t done that for a while. What is going on with the Nerd?

Wings then pulled out his phone. “There was one other thing…”

Bakugou looked like he was about to blast something. “What is it now?”

“Before Physical Education while he was putting his gear on I noticed his back was red and swollen-”

“What!?” Bakugou couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What do you mean red and swollen!!??”

His two friends flinched at his outburst and the explosions coming from his hands. Eventually, Wings gulped and handed the blonde his phone. “I think it would be best to show you, I snuck a pic without him knowing…”

“Give me that!” Bakugou grabbed the phone and sure enough, it was Midoriya facing away from the phone and at the lower part of his back, that was visible. Was indeed red, swollen, and from the looks of the marks, fresh.

“What the hell?” The blonde was in shock, trying to figure out where he got those wounds from. He walked behind him this morning, so he for sure knew that he was not beaten on the way to Aldera. And yesterday he was fine on the way home, except…

Bakugou’s eyes widened in shock at a horrible thought. He looked like death when heading back home. Why?

He raged and kicked a full soda bottle and pulled his own phone and sent the photo to his mom, demanding answers and possibilities. Then went back to the duo.

“Wings, Fingers, do not tell anyone else about this. The Old Hag will look into this.” He told Wings and handed back the phone. “In the meantime, let’s keep an eye on Deku for the rest of the week.” He then looked at them weirdly when they looked behind him in fear. “What?

They pointed behind him and when he turned around he came face to face with a sludgy monster with a messed up smile. 

“Thank you for getting me out of that cramped prison. Now as a reward you will be my host.”

“...Shit!”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36205501

https://www.wattpad.com/story/297277061-life-within-a-tarot-deck

Who wants to do this challenge for February. Fearbruary, 28 Days of phobias.

Minimum 500 words

Starts February

Any Universe

Any pairing

Can add any other genres like fluff, whump, kink, your pref

You can write now, but not post until February 1st.

Universe: My Hero Academia

Pairing: Todoroki/OC, Bakudeku

Rating: Teen and up

Prompt: Holiday Traditions

Bakugou was in the kitchen baking some pieces of gingerbread for something special for one of his classmates while Aizawa was away picking up Cortez and Todoroki from FTA. The storms they had were crazy, and he had to tell Midoriya to calm down when he started to worry during the power outage 3 days ago. He was worried too as he remembered the state Cortez was in after the rescue.

“Damn Dragon Bitch would do something crazy like that again.” He growled as he put the last pieces of gingerbread in the oven. “Why do I have two idiots who would run themselves to death’s door just for others?”

Midoriya just walked into the smell of the spiced cookies. “Something smells good, Kacchan. What are you baking?”

“Gingerbread, I wanted to create the gingerbread house with Cortez as she was telling me some techniques on making a good house. She gave me the instructions, so I am making sure the cookies are made before the afternoon.” 

Midoriya smiled. “Yeah, and you just wanted to make something nice for Aura-chan.” He then giggled when he saw Bakugou flinch at being caught. 

Bakugou clicked his tongue. “Yeah, well, she talked about gingerbread houses earlier during the time we were stuck in that cabin.” He had a brief look of sadness. “Cortez said it used to be a tradition she used to do before things changed. Plus, I am sure she would want to do something with us once she and IcyHot get back here. It was pretty boring without Dragon Bitch around.”

“Awww, Kacchan, you do care!” Midoriya said with a teasing smile causing Bakugou to blush and stutter. “You were right though, plus with the storms we have all developed some type of cabin fever. To be honest I haven’t slept well for the la-oooops.”

“YOU HAVEN’T BEEN SLEEPING!?” Bakugou yelled, causing the greenette to flinch and cover his mouth from the slip-up. “Dammit, Deku! You could have at least told me, we could have figured something out.”

“I-I didn’t want to worry you too much.” Midoriya said, waving his hands in surrender. “Plus, you seemed more irritable so I didn’t want to add my stress to yours.”

Bakugou huffed and put a hand on the greenette’s head. “You do piss me off but you also help me relax in a way.” He looked at Midoriya with a soft smile. “Like Dragon Bitch, you seem to understand me more than anybody.”

He then gave Midoriya a swift kiss, and the greenette started to steam like a flashed tomato. “Plus, with this, I know I can beat you in the flirting department.”

Midoriya wrapped his arms around his head in embarrassment, causing the blonde to chuckle at the cuteness. “Hey, help me out with these candies, I need them out on the tables.”

“Okay!”

—-

“Hola, crazy beans! We are home!!” Cortez yelled after kicking the door open and Todoroki just laughed at her antics. 

Mina rushed over and hugged the winged teen. “Aurora, great to see you again, we missed you!”

“We missed Todoroki too,” Uraraka said when she noticed the dual-haired teen being depressed in the corner.

“Thanks, Uraraka.”

“Hey, Momo, Tsu, Denki. How was the snow prison?”

“Boring.” Kaminari said and looked sad. “I had fun with the snow, but after seeing just white messes with ya after a while.”

Cortez laughed, knowing full well about the boredom. “I know, and because of the super chill I was banned from flying. 2 weeks was torture!” She yelled crying anime tears.

Denki put his hand on her shoulder. “I know, but once everything starts to warm up why don’t we fly together? I would love to see the world from a bird’s eye view.”

“Sure! You never had a proper view when we fought against Principal Nezu, did we?”

Denki shook his head no.

“We huddled together near the heater when the power went out, kero.” Tsu replied, hugging Cortez as well. “Kaminari helped us a lot with that and charging our phones.”

Kaminari smiled with a thumbs up at that statement. He then frowned on what Tsu said next. “A couple of times his brain got fried so there were resting periods.”

Cortez laughed again. “I can’t chastise you for that, I had reached my limit at FTA when their power went out as well. So, we had little to no choice.”

Kaminari chuckled at that. “Right.”

Just then Bakugou poked his head out of the kitchen door. “If you all are done stalling, come to the kitchen for hot chocolate and some food.”

“Hold your eggs, Pommy. We’re coming.” Cortez yelled and she and the gang walked into the kitchen. She stopped in surprise when she saw pieces of gingerbread in the shape of walls, chimneys, and other sizes. She also saw bowls of candies and Bakugou was preparing royal icing.

“Qué es esto?”

“I decided to make a gingerbread house, you got a problem with that?” Bakugou said defiantly, handing hot chocolate to Cortez and Todoroki. The class was looking at him with deadpan expressions, but the Thermal teen looked at him in surprise. 

“You remembered?” She asked.

“How can I not when you talked about it a lot at that cabin. It was either that or you talking about IcyHot to try to keep you awake.” Bakugou growled and slightly smirked when Cortez squeaked and turned red in embarrassment. It was also a plus when he saw Todoroki turn around to hide his lush.

“The royal icing is almost ready, once you eat, help me out with the coloring and then we can have a gingerbread house contest.”

Cortez blinked and then smirked widely. “I will pummel you to the floor with my masterpiece.” 

“As if Dragon Bitch, mine will be explosive!” He said a smirk of his own, then looked frustrated when he looked back at the mixer. “Tch, this is not the texture I am looking for.”

Cortez walked forward and looked inside the mixing bowl. She blinked. “Did you add powdered sugar or just regular sugar in the icing recipe?”

Bakugou was about to yell at her before double-checking the recipe she had given him, then looked at the ingredients next to the mixer. He then screamed obscenities while everyone else was laughing at him for his unusual mixup when cooking.

The blonde then suddenly stopped yelling when he felt the Thermal teen hug him from behind. “Gracias, it feels good to have this tradition back in my life.” 

Bakugou blushed and tried to hide his face from everyone. “Y-you’re welcome.”

The entire prompts will be on AO3.