Chapter Text
Image by @PlantahDraws
There's so much red.
That is the first thing on Izuku's mind when reality comes fully back into focus.
There's so much red. The color is painted across himself and the room he sits in the corner of.
It's all over his hands, his hands that don't have scrapes and bruises on them. It's all over his clothes, his clothes that aren't dirt covered or scorched. It's on his face, his face that lacks tear tracks It's in his hair, his hair that's just as curly and messy as always.
Red always was his favorite color.
Absently, Izuku wonders how he got to this point.
He arrived to school to his desk having been written on with marker all over, insults and taunts in bold letters like always. There was a spider lily on his desk, in fairly good condition this time too.
Izuku cleaned off the marker that wasn't his fault, and removed the spider lily that wasn't necessary. He's not dead after all, no matter how much anyone wishes it. Izuku is still here.
Classes droned on for an hour or two, then lunch came around. He went to his locker, just like always. Then the usual bullies, Kacchan and his lackeys, surrounded him. And he once again wished to himself that it would all stop. That all the hurting would stop...
~But you can make it stop.~
That's what happened. He made the hurting stop. Just like he promised.
Before the first hit could land, Izuku jumped back with reflexes he didn't know he had. Things started getting fuzzy and floaty in his head; the good fuzzy and floaty though; the one that always gives him a break from the pain.
Thus while floating through the static that overcame his mind Izuku felt like he was merely watching. Watching as he pulled the scalpel from his pocket and slashed at the one boy's hand. The sharp scalpel Izuku found in one of his mother's medical kits she brought home from work and forgot about. The one Izuku uses to tend to his wounds every day.
He cuts the hands of boy with the extendable fingers that are weaker directly between one joint and the next, because extending them thins out the bones too much. Then red, a vibrant crimson color spattered Izuku's hand and shirt and the floor as he went after the boy's other hand. Aim for the weakness, make them hurt, make them hurt, make it stop, make it stop.
"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it." Izuku mumbles out, voice sounding far away to his own ears. "It hurts. Make it stop."
That becomes his chant, his mantra, his drive. This is to make the hurting stop. They hurt him, left him in pain day after day. Gave him reason after reason to despair.
~Now it's their turn.~ The voice says, ~Let them feel what we felt. Use what we've suffered through against them.~
So Izuku's body does just that, with strength Izuku didn't think he had he shoves the not already bleeding boy backwards into the already gathering crowd of students. He's a chubby kid, always the slowest when they chase Izuku, and he tumbles and rolls just like his shape suggests. He can turn his hair into rocks, rock he flings and throws at Izuku. Hurting him. Causing him pain.
But he has a plan for that. That's what the gun is for. The gun Izuku brought in his bag today. No one saw it because no one bothers checking useless Deku's bag at the front entrance.
~Their own fault for ignoring us.~ The voice hisses, ~for ignoring our suffering and pain.~
And with a pull of the trigger, with aim Izuku doesn't think he should have, he fires the gun. He hits the boy in the chest twice causing him to jerk and cry out in pain. More red splatters the floor and flecks up onto the gun outstretched in Izuku's hand. The boy doesn't get up.
No rocks are thrown. No more pain is felt. "Stop it. Stop it. Stop it." Izuku's mumbling start up again, "No more. No more hurting."
Distantly Izuku hears the other students panicking and fleeing. There's screaming and the pounding of feet. But for once he's not the one running, he's not the one crying out. So right now, floating in the fuzzy haze of his mind, Izuku can't bring himself to care.
Izuku hears Kacchan swear (~Bakugo~, the voice corrects in his head, ~he's not your friend. Never really was.~). Not that him swearing is anything new, he swears all the time.
Kacchan (~Bakugo~) swears just like Auntie Mitsuki, where Izuku got the gun from. Izuku took it from the arms safe in their basement. She didn't know he knew the code, she certainly didn't give Izuku the gun. But he needed it, so Izuku took it. He needed it to stop the hurting. Izuku was sure to leave a note that said he stole it without her knowledge, to keep Auntie Mitsuki out of trouble.
Izuku fully faces Kacchan (~Bakugo~) and takes in the shocked look on his face. In one hand Izuku holds the scalpel, covered in red, and in the other Izuku clutches the gun, covered in red.
Then Bakugo tries to lunge at him. That's right, Kacchan is going to be a hero, so he has to try and save people. That's what he must be doing. But Bakugo isn't the type of hero that helps or saves Izuku, no, he's a different kind of hero.
~We can deal with him too,~ the voice calls, ~He's not as invincible as he thinks he is. No one is.~
So Izuku handles Bakugo too, he shoots him in the shoulder to stop him from swinging with that leading right hook he always uses. Then when Bakugo falls and holds his hands up to defend himself (himself, never useless Deku), he slashes across his palms. The explosions come from his palms. Dilute the nitroglycerine with blood, leave open wounds that would hurt when explosions are made.
"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it." Izuku chants once more, more confidence in his tone as he sheds more blood, "Make it stop. No more hurting. No more."
Kacchan cries out in pain, swearing as red, crimson, blood splatters all over the both of them. What a role reversal! This time it's Bakugo on the ground, Bakugo is in pain this time. It's not Izuku who is suffering. He's not burning or bleeding or aching.
Izuku leaves him there. It's not a very hero like thing to do, to just leave someone bleeding and suffering while you turn your back. But Izuku isn't going to be a hero. He can't be, he's just useless, worthless, quirkless Deku. Everyone makes sure he knows that, and of course, he knows too.
After loading a new cartridge from his bag, Izuku walks his way down the hall to his classroom, where his teacher is probably eating lunch. Yes, in the room where Izuku serves detention for things he didn't do. Where he is taunted and mocked and picked on and hated. And it's all under the watchful eyes of the man he's forced to call a teacher.
Said teacher's eyes widen in something akin to terror as Izuku walks in, scalpel held in one hand, covered in red, gun clutched in the other, covered in red.
~Let him be the one who is afraid.~ The voice urges him on, ~he gets to be the victim this time.~
So Izuku listens, after all the he has made the others stop hurting him so far. And Izuku can't leave the task unfinished.
The teacher stands and goes to grab Izuku. He slashes at him wielding the scalpel with speed and skill Izuku never possessed.
"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it." Izuku orders, "Leave me alone. I didn't do anything. Make it stop hurting."
The teacher falls backwards as blood paints the desk and rolling chair, the graded papers and the chalk board behind him. He then shoots him, just once, in the head, just to be safe. The man's head jerks then falls forward to slouch with the rest of him.
For once it's not Izuku with his head down. For once it's not Izuku who's vulnerable yet with nowhere to hide, no way to run.
Behind him in the rest of the classroom; there's more screaming and shouting, more commotion and flustering. Izuku turns on them. He's not allowed to make this much noise in the classroom. Why should they? The teacher isn't there to encourage them anymore. Don't they know they need to stop?
"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it." Izuku says, raising the gun as he does so, "Make it stop, you never listen, no more, no more."
And he opens fire on the room, emptying out the remaining rounds of the gun.
Then, it all falls silent. No one speaks, no one moves. Save for Izuku who trembles steadily in place. Then the ringing in his ears picks up and the floaty and fuzzy feeling fades and he sees so much red.
Dazed, confused, and red; Izuku now sits in the corner of the room.
As reality now focuses, Izuku sees what he has done. And now he's panicking.
When Izuku agreed to let him stop the hurting he didn't think it would involve killing. He didn't mean to. It was him. It was him.
Izuku's next thought is to join them, to take the scalpel to his wrists and throat and end it all here. Like everyone always tells him he should.
However the mere thought of killing himself sends a sharp excruciating pain through his head. There's something in his very being that rejects the idea. The fuzzy and floaty feeling starts to take over his brain again.
~No, must survive. Must stay alive.~ The voice insists.
So Izuku scraps that idea. And that's when Izuku realizes, as the pain in his head subsides once he has resolved not to end his life, that he isn't in any other pain. Izuku's sitting in school and he's not in pain. He made it stop. No more hurting. It stopped, it stopped, it stopped.
And even while covered in so so much red, Izuku was content to sit there; stuck inside his head.
Eraserhead arrives at the scene to absolute chaos. There are multiple ambulances parked outside the established police perimeter, red and blue lights clashing against the yellow and black of the police tape.
Typically the underground hero wouldn't be called into mission in broad daylight, however this was a special case. Despite the gathering of people outside the tape, they wanted to keep this case as quite as possible. With discretion being the goal, Eraserhead wasn't surprised he was being called in.
He was called straight from UA however, pulled out of classes and given the go ahead by Nedzu to take today and even tomorrow off to see to it all.
Something in Naomasa's voice when he told Shouta that he was on route to a school under assault lock down tells him there's more to it than what he was told.
As the tired hero approaches the perimeter he takes in the madness that is on the other side of the line.
Kids being corralled into class groupings and counted, those injured being tended to. The principle, a bloated, middle aged man, is talking with Officer Tamakawa and one of Tsukauchi's fellow detectives. Off to the side there's a strike team suiting up should the worse case scenario of them needing to intervene arise.
Eraserhead will do whatever it takes to keep that crew of men out of this. He can promise you that.
The pro hero chooses to outright ignore the officer that tries to stop him when he crosses the line. When the man starts shouting and begins to make chase he simply stops, flashes his hero license (effectively making a fool of the young man given his unseemly display) and continues on.
Finally he reaches a gathered group of officers, a local hero, Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, and of all people, Hawks.
What the actual hell is Hawks doing here? Eraserhead thought they were trying to be discrete. Involving the number three hero is anything but.
"Ah, Eraserhead, you're here." Tsukauchi greets him.
"Straight from UA, as requested." Eraserhead replies evenly.
"I'm glad you're here Eraserhead." Hawks says in way of welcoming him to the shit show, "if there's anyone I trust with this it's you."
What's that supposed to mean?
"What do we know about the assault then?" Eraserhead asks, getting straight to the point.
"A lot more than is typical." Tsukauchi answers, "There's one attacker, armed with a fire arm and a bladed instrument. One of the adults who witnessed the initial attack speculated a scalpel of some sort. We know his name, and that he is one of the students of the school. And that he's quirkless."
Eraserhead and Hawks both grimace. The statistics around the quirkless of today's society speak for themselves. This kid has had it rough no doubt.
"I was approached by the school guidance councilor about the boy's identity, she said his name is Midoriya Izuku. She also shared with me that he has been bullied heavily for many years," again, not too surprising, "and she gave me some 'advice', which I quote 'Don't listen to what the other faculty try to tell you. They did nothing to stop it, if not encourage it.' Which all registered as true according to my quirk." The detective explains.
"So we have a young boy who was bullied relentlessly for years, and finally snapped. And as a result we have a school shooting with just over a dozen injuries and two already reported dead. And that's before we have even entered the building." Hawks breaks down.
"Sounds to me like we have a case of a psychotic break. The kid simply couldn't take it any longer I image." Eraserhead comments.
And doesn't that say it all about today's society? A kid pushed to an extreme like this over something he can't control that shouldn't even matter in the first place.
Damn, does he want to save this kid. From not only himself, but from the wrath of society that will no doubt be brought down upon him.
"I'm going in." Aizawa declares, making up his mind.
"You sure Eraser?" Detective Tsukauchi asks.
The erasure hero nods, "I am. I don't want this kid hurt. He's just as much of a victim as the ones he attacked. And if this is a result of aggressive bullying, answering with more aggression and violence may simply escalate the situation further." He justifies.
"This kid attacked his classmates and teachers, he's shot and assaulted them with a knife. And you're more concerned with him than the rest of the school?" one of the other officers in the group demands.
While the others give the officer unimpressed looks, Aizawa doesn't bother suppressing his furious glare, "No, that's not it exactly. What I'm saying is I'm just as concerned about the threat he poses to himself as the one he poses to others. Don't forget most of these types of attacks end with the attacker taking their own life. And I don't want to see another kid die over something that ultimately isn't his fault." He tells him.
Hawks nods in agreement, "At this point we can only speculate what he has been subject to over the years. And I'm willing to bet it amounts to be just as bad, if not worse than what he's done today. Over what? His quirk status? Enough kids die over something as stupid and baseless as quirk discrimination. It takes a lot to push someone to a violent psychotic break. If you ask me, the bullies and negligent should be held just as responsible. If not even more so." The hero explains.
Aizawa has to admit, he's gained some respect for the guy after that little speech. But now they're just wasting time. It's illogical to put off infiltration any longer.
"I was in the area for the week, so I got the alert. I realize me being here isn't the best for keeping this from becoming a mass media story, but I just want to help." Hawks then says, speaking directly to Eraserhead, "I can use my feathers to get a proper sweep of the building without the extremes of strike team. Can I leave Midoriya to you?" he asks.
Eraserhead nods, make that a ton of respect now, "I already planned on being the one to approach him. It's not my first time talking someone back from the edge."
The sad truth is he's come across far too many desperate souls with lifeless eyes on rooftops. He's saved many, but there are always those he simply couldn't save. Just too late.
Hawks nods in affirmative, then looks to Tsukauchi, "Call the officers back. The two of us are going in alone."
"I'll do what I can. You two be careful in there." The detective says in response.
And with that, Eraserhead and Hawks make their way into the building.
Once inside, the winged hero sets to work sending out his feathers and scattering them across the school. While the sweep is in progress, he simultaneously works to help direct further evacuation efforts.
Meanwhile Eraserhead starts heading to the last reported location of the supposed psychotic teen. He gets an equal amount of pitying and disapproving looks from the strike team members and armed officers that are making their way past him and outside. Most are already on their way out, helping evacuate the remaining students, while some officers stay in where they are stationed only to frown upon hearing the orders to clear out come though.
*"Eraser, he's in a classroom at the far end of the main hall. Room marked 4-C"* Hawks informs him via the earpiece. *Once I finish up I'll take up post outside the room. Tap tree times on the feather that finds you if there's students that need evacuated and twice more when it's okay to cause that much commotion."*
And before Eraserhead can even question it, a feather appears in front of his face then settles into the grated from of his goggles that sit around his neck. The position leaves it obscured from view by the hero's capture scarf.
When Eraserhead finally reaches the room, he's relieved to find the green haired boy is still alive inside.
He's not too late.
The room is the scene of a massacre, and the first on the list of victims is who looks to be one of the teachers. While the body is covered in bloody slashes, it's the bullet wound to the head that confirms the man's fate.
Through out the rest of the room there are overturned desks and scattered papers and supplies. Behind desks and other various places of cover there are students, kids, that are taking shelter. Some however, weren't quick enough and lie unconscious or dead on the floor.
Taking instant note of that, Eraserhead taps three times on the feather before taking hold of it and placing it in his pocket. Given he's going for his usual nonchalant (nonthreatening) slouch, it will be less conspicuous when tapping if it's in his pocket.
In the corner across from the doorway where Eraserhead now stands, sits the one responsible for the entire tragedy.
A small, trembling green haired, green-eyed boy, one Midoriya Izuku.
The kid sits crosslegged, rocking in place slightly, with a blood flecked gun in his lap. He has one hand gripping what looks to be a scalpel of all things and the other buried in his fluffy green curls, pupils dilated and gaze slightly glazed over. His entire being, his black uniform, his too pale skin, his bright red Primordial shoes, splattered with the deep crimson of blood.
Eraserhead slowly and carefully makes his way over to the boy. The boy doesn't openly acknowledge his presence, but Aizawa know's he's been noticed. Despite the dazed look on the kid's face, the hero can see his focus flickering in a constant state of hyper vigilance. His green eyes jump from person to person, if someone so much as changes their breathing pattern the kid takes notice of it.
Aizawa walks directly into the boy's line of sight before he addresses him.
"Hey kiddo, can I sit down?" he asks in his usual level tone. If it's softer than usual this time, that's his own business.
Green eyes snap up to his face, then take everything about Eraserhead in; his hands in his pockets, his nonchalant slouch, his attentive but tired gaze.
Then, the hero get the smallest of shaky nods.
Smirking slightly at the permission, Aizawa sits down crosslegged a few feet across from Midoriya. He doesn't miss how the kid's muscle tension eases ever so slightly with his view of the scope of his violent episode being cut down.
"Thanks kid. I always appreciate the rest when I can get it." He says casually, "can I ask your name?"
"I-Izuku." Comes the stuttered answer. "B-but ev-everyone calls me Deku."
"Hello Izuku. My name's Aizawa Shouta. I'm a pro hero." Eraserhead tells him in return.
The boy nods, a faint glimmer of excitement rising in his eyes. "You're Eraserhead, an underground hero."
That catches Aizawa by surprise. "Heard of me have you? I'm impressed."
Izuku nods again, "I-I like heroes. I a-analyze them a-alot."
He says, "That so? How about before we talk more about heroes, we let the other kids in here leave. Don't want them to hear anything too secret about other heroes right?"
Izuku pauses, thinking it over, "O-okay."
Eraserhead smiles, "Great Izuku, thanks." He taps twice on the feather in his pocket, then turns to the others in the room who are all watching attentively, "Go ahead. Quickly, quietly and calmly see yourselves out. Help anyone who needs it. Close the door on your way out."
It only takes a minute for all of the kids who were left relatively unharmed to evacuate the room with the help of Hawk's feathers. Feathers the hero knows Izuku saw, but perhaps isn't in the mental state to acknowledge.
Aizawa is then left in the silence of the empty room, save for the corpses and Izuku.
Turning his attention back to Izuku, he is met with the kid playing with the scalpel in his one hand. The kid runs his finger up and down the blunt side of the bladed end. He's mumbling something to himself, however Aizawa can't make out any of the words. He rocks slightly, shoulder's hitching with his breaths on occasion. Despite this, it doesn't look like Izuku has been crying at all.
For the safety of them both, Eraserhead needs to disarm the teen. But first he needs to get Izuku to trust him enough, and to be grounded a bit better.
"Hey Izuku. Still with me?" he asks.
The boy jerks out of his daze again and looks at the pro with dilated eyes. "Kinda. My head's all fuzzy and I feel floaty. But it's the good fuzzy and floaty, like when I get to stop hurting for a bit."
So the kid probably disassociated during his main episode. Given the horror of it all, that's probably for the best right now. And from the sounds of it, this isn't the first time he's disassociated as a means to protect himself.
"I see. Do you think you can talk about heroes now?" he asks anyway. First get the teen grounded with a topic he seems familiar with.
"I-I can." Izuku replies, shifting his focus from the scalpel to Eraserhead.
"Awesome. You said you know who I am, which is surprising given not many in the hero business know me. Do you know my quirk?" he asks.
Izuku nods a few times, excitement surfacing through the mania in his eyes, "It's Erasure. You can look at someone and when you activate it you erase their quirk. Your eyes glow red." He speaks quickly and softly, yet lacking in the previously present stutter.
Aizawa can't help but be impressed with this kid's knowledge.
"That's right, I'm impressed you knew that. Want to see it?" he offers.
Izuku nods, "P-please."
So Eraserhead activates his quirk, eyes glowing red and hair floating up as he does so. The boy actually smiles at this, staring unblinkingly into Aizawa's eyes. The tension in Izuku's shoulders dissolves further, but is by no means go completely. And he still trembles in place.
When Eraserhead blinks and lets his hair drop, he waits for the kid's reaction.
"Th-that's so c-cool. You can eras-se quirkss. Can m-make people stop h'rting w'th their qu-quirks." He says softly.
"I can. I keep people safe. That's what heroes do." Eraserhead replies.
Izuku frowns, "Not all heroes. Kacchan's going to be a hero but he hurts. He hurts me. Like the others do. But I made it stop. No more, I made it stop. Stop it, stop it, stop it." The broken teen starts rocking in place as his chanting speeds up.
Shit. He's spiraling again, "Izuku. Hey, Izuku can you hear me kid?" Aizawa tries to get the kid's attention.
The boy's eyes look at him but doesn't show any sign of calming down. Green eyes with dilated pupils stare unseeingly.
"No one is going to hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you any more. Remember? I can erase their quirks." As reminds Izuku of his quirk he activates it, eyes glowing and giving the greenette something to focus on in reality.
Izuku slowly stops rocking as he continues to stare at the hero. "Y-you p-promise? Promise t-to keep me s-safe?" he asks faintly, as if he doesn't believe his own words.
Aizawa nods, letting his quirk deactivate, "I promise Izuku. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Not even Kacchan?"
Aizawa doesn't miss a beat, "Not even Kacchan."
Izuku giggles, the sound a flittering, manic thing. "T-Thanks Eraserhead."
"No problem kid." He replies easily, filing the name 'Kacchan' away for later.
"Listen, Izuku, I need you to do something for me okay?"
"W-what?" Izuku replies, curiosity evident in his voice as he asks.
"Can you give me the knife and the gun?" he asks, probably a bit to suddenly.
Izuku tenses, "N-No. I need them. To make it stop. To stop the hurting."
"But you have me here now. I can stop the hurting." Aizawa counters carefully, "How about we trade? I'll give you a piece of my scarf if you give me you're weapons."
Izuku pauses at the offer, "Can- Can I keep it?" he asks hesitantly, the slightest spark of hope in his glassy eyes.
If that's what it takes to help this kid, a few feet off his capture weapon is more than worth it. "You can keep it. You're very own piece of capture scarf. I'll make it long enough so it wraps around your shoulders or neck okay?" he offers.
"Okay," Izuku wipes the blood off the blade on his pants, "you can use this to cut it." He offers the scalpel to the hero.
Said pro hero doesn't have the heart to deny him. At least he wiped it off? Keep telling yourself that Aizawa.
Aizawa carefully takes the bladed instrument from Izuku's shaking grasp. "Thanks kiddo."
He then unwinds a length of his capture weapon long enough to wrap the kid several times, "I'm going to put it over your shoulders to measure it okay? Are you okay if I touch you?" he asks before making any move to approach the still shaking teen.
Izuku hesitates before finally nodding.
"Great kid, you're doing great." Aizawa says encouragingly as he leans forward and drapes the material over Izuku's shoulders then around his neck.
Once he's done he cuts it from the main part of the scarf that is still around his own shoulders with the scalpel Izuku offered. The kid willingly parted with it for Aizawa to use in this manner, so it's best he does just that. He's impressed it manages to cut the material.
"Okay, I'm going to take the gun now that you have the scarf. Alright?" the hero asks.
Izuku nods and hums his affirmative, removing his hands from their protective gasp on the firearm in favor of burying them into his newly acquired scarf.
Aizawa doesn't bother holding back a fond smile as the greenette closes his eyes and nuzzles his cheek into the material, back and forth, back and forth. Eraserhead knows from personal experience that the textured feel of his scarf can serve to be grounding.
*"Eraserhead"* A voice crackles to life over his earpiece, *"You okay in there?"*
It's Detective Tsukauchi asking, Aizawa realizes it's been a decent amount of time since he first entered the building.
While Izuku is still distracted, the hero reaches up and taps the mic on the earpiece three times; three taps for Y-E-S. It's a signal he and the detective decided on way back when they first started working together.
Setting the two weapons behind him, Aizawa stays quiet and let's Izuku marvel over the capture weapon for a minute.
Surprisingly, it's Izuku that speaks first.
"Hey 'raserhead?" he mumbles.
"Yeah Izuku?"
"Wh-why are you 'ere? And why 're you b-being so- so nice to mme?" Izuku asks.
Here we go. Best play this carefully as he can, but not outright lie to the teen. He's probably been deceived enough in his life already.
"I was sent in to find you and help get you out. I want to save you." Aizawa says honestly.
And he did. And he still does want to save this poor boy. This child who's been pushed too far over something he couldn't control. Aizawa refuses to let Izuku's life be over because someone broke him.
"H-help me? S-save me?" Izuku wonders aloud. "Why would you do that? I'm quirkless. Just weak, worthless, useless Deku. Nobody cares about me."
Aizawa can feel his calloused heart breaking for this kid.
"That's the thing Izuku; I care. I want to help you. And I have some friends who want to help you too." The hero explains again, trying to get his point across.
Izuku looks at him, still confused, "H-help me? Wh-why d-do you n-need to hel-help me?" he asks, "I already made it stop. No more pain, no more hurting. Just like he said I could." Izuku argues.
"Who's 'he', if I may ask?" Aizawa asks slowly, hesitantly. Someone put the kid up to this?
"The voice! He started talking to me a while ago. After my head would stop being all fuzzy and floaty I could hear him." Izuku elaborates innocently.
So this kid is hearing an inner voice? His conscience? Or perhaps a protective personality developed from what is looking like years of trauma. Suddenly this got even more serious. And just when Aizawa thought it was already tragic enough.
"I didn't want to hurt anybody 'Raserhead. But he told me to, told me I had to. But when I said no he said he would do it. And he told me it would make it stop, the hurting would stop. Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it..." Izuku dissolves into panic and hysteria once more.
"Izuku, Izuku listen to me. Try focusing on my voice, nothing else." Aizawa tries to get his attention, words are all he has given he hasn't been given full permission to initiate physical contact, "Izuku!" he says a bit louder.
The only thing close to acknowledgment he gets is Izuku's cloudy eyes flickering to him before back to the rest of the room.
Time to see if the same trick works twice.
Aizawa activates his quirk again, keeping himself facing Izuku. And sure enough, the boy settles down enough to focus on Aizawa and not his own hallucinations.
"Y-you." Izuku struggles to speak, "Y-ou made him go away. You scared him off." He says in quiet awe.
"I said I would keep you safe now that I'm here. Remember?" Aizawa reminds him while deactivating his quirk.
Izuku seems torn between nodding 'yes' and shaking his head 'no' and the result is a complicated mix of the two.
Aizawa chuckles, "That's okay." He really should wrap this up, the police and heroes outside won't wait forever, and there are probably kids that need medical attention.
"Hey Izuku," the hero begins, "What do you say to coming with me out of this classroom? I'll take you somewhere with no more hurting." He proposes, adopting the kid's own terminology.
For the first time since he found Izuku, the teen goes completely and utterly still.
"Y-you w-want me to l-leave?" he asks.
"I want you to come with me, if that's alright. I'll keep you safe from the quirks and the voice." He pauses a briefly, "And from Kacchan."
Izuku seems to perk up at his offer. "Y-you will? Prom'se?"
"I promise. And let's start by leaving the classroom okay?"
Izuku hesitates, "don't think I-I can w-walk though. Too sh-shaky 'n floaty."
"That's fine. I can carry you. As long as you're okay with it." Aizawa offers. He was planning on carrying the kid out regardless. This just makes it easier that he's expressed the need for help.
"I-It's okay. Can- Can I-" Izuku breaks off before actually asking the question.
"What's on your mind kiddo? I don't mind if you ask questions." The hero assures him.
Izuku hesitates for a moment longer, hands clenching and unclenching in the scarf around his neck. "Can I have a hug first?"
This kid. To think a child can be left so afraid to ask for comfort.
"Of course. C'mere." Aizawa opens his arms in invitation.
Izuku sways slightly as he crawls forward into the embrace.
Aizawa takes a brief moment to acknowledge how light Izuku is as he gathers the teen in his arms. Izuku buries his face his chest, tucked under the capture weapon. He takes hold of his uniform in a death grip with one hand, and the scarf with the other, holding just as tight.
Eraserhead can feel the moment Izuku's tears finally start falling. He rubs the kid's back soothingly, the rhythm acting as a breathing pattern, while he slowly stands up.
"Sorry 'Raserhead." Izuku mumbles, voice muffled by fabric.
The hero pauses in his movement towards the door, "For what Izuku?"
"I dunno. I just feel like I should be sorry for something. It's all fuzzy. Fuzzy and floaty again." Izuku tries to explain. "This is different though. More like a tired fuzzy. And a scared floaty. Not the good fuzzy and floaty."
There's a lot to unpack in that statement, but right now Eraserhead needs to focus on getting them out of the school.
As he reaches the door he sees Hawks poke his head in, then back out of sight.
Right.
"Hey Izuku, still with me kiddo?" Eraserhead asks.
Its a good few seconds before Izuku hums in reply, what sounds like an affirmative is probably the best the hero is going to get.
"I have another hero here with me. He's going to help me take you to the safe place. Is it okay if he walks with us?" Eraserhead asks, not wanting to overwhelm the kid.
"Which hero?" Izuku asks.
"Hawks is here with me." Eraserhead answers.
Izuku lifts his head up, "Hawks is here?" he asks.
Eraserhead nods to Hawks and the winged hero takes that as his cue to make himself known.
"Sure am. I came to help save you." Hawks tells Izuku as he walks into Izuku's line of sight.
"Eraserhead is saving me. Are you going to help him?" Izuku asks.
Said erasure hero has to hide a smirk in his capture scarf.
Hawks on the other hand, doesn't bother, "I would love to!" he says cheerily, "And I see you've got your own scarf there too." He adds, eyeing Aizawa for a brief moment.
Izuku nods and grips his scarf with renewed fascination, "Yep!"
"Well Izuku, would you like a feather to go with your scarf?" Hawks offers.
Izuku stares at him wide eyed. "R-really? You-you're sure?" he asks softly.
Hawks beams, "I sure am." He produces one of his smaller flight feathers and hands it out to Izuku. "Take good care of it okay?"
Now it's Aizawa's turn to eye Hawks. He just gave the kid a flight feather. And to think he had the nerve to judge Eraserhead for giving the kid some of his scarf.
"'Kay." Izuku replies, taking hold of the feather tightly in one hand and burying himself back under Eraserhead's capture scarf.
They walk the halls in silence, the sound of sirens growing ever louder as they approach the exit.
Eraserhead pauses just before the doors, "We're going to go outside now Izuku. It's going to get bright." He warns.
Izuku's entire body tenses up and he starts shaking again.
"Hey, hey, hey. What's wrong buddy?" Hawks asks softly.
" 'm scared." Izuku mumbles out, somehow burying himself deeper into Eraserhead's scarf and shirt.
"Hawks and I are here to keep you save. Remember? You'll be okay." Eraserhead assures him.
"That's right! We've got you covered little buddy." Hawks agrees.
Izuku sniffs a few times before settling once more. " 'Kay. Thanks 'raser. Thanks Hawks."
"You're very welcome Izuku." Eraserhead replies.
Then Hawks opens the door and leads them out into the chaos that awaits them.