Archive of Our Own ^beta

Day Four
     "Don't be scared, I've done this before"
     Non-Human Whumper | Iron rod | Loss of Powers

The ground was cold beneath him. Damp. Izuku tried to open his eyes, but his body wouldn't listen. Everything hurt. The air was freezing around him but he burned. It didn't make sense.

Izuku tasted blood on his tongue. He could smell it too. The tang of iron sharp and heavy.

The more he thought, tried to remember anything, the worse his head hurt. The pounding had started out as a dull throb but now it was a jackhammer to his skull.

Too much. He hurt far too much.

A loud bang forces him awake. Barely, through the haze of exhaustion, noise filtered too him. Loud voices. Metal clanging. Banging and ringing. Too loud. His head hurt.

The voice kept getting louder. Someone was yelling, so close to screaming. Izuku couldn't make out the words. He hurt so much worse than before. The burning throughout his body had ramped up, the air around him colder. His wrists and ankles felt frozen and heavy.

It hurt.

The voices got louder, someone yanked on his arm. Pain spike through him hard and fast. He felt like he swallowed glass as he whimpered, before drifting off again.

The ground was cold beneath him. How many more times would he come to like this? Body hot from pain, the room cold around him, everything fuzzy and distant.

A voice broke through. Deep but wavering.

"-Ku. Kid." A little louder, clearer. Izuku hummed. His eyes felt welded shut. Lids far to heavy to pry open. The more his focused on the voice, the more numb his body grew. The pain grew distant too. Like something he was used to forcing down or away.

"I need you to listen." He knew that voice. How? From where? Why couldn't he pull any memories together?

"Izuku. C'mon problem child." The voice was more forceful this time. Steadier. Closer to what he knew.

"Za-" He coughed. Throat burning and dry and so painful. Cut open and bruised. Was he? What happened? He could taste blood on his tongue now.

"It'll be okay kid. I promise you. It'll all be okay." Chains rattled, making his headache return. He winced before the noise stopped. A weight brushed against his head. Slow and gentle. Aizawa's hand?

"I've done this before, I got out then and I will get us out now." He thinks he nodded. The confidence in Aizawa's voice soothed something in his soul.

He tries to open his eyes but everything is dark and blurry.

"Just rest kid." He fights sleep for just a moment. He wants to talk to Aizawa. Ask him questions, figure this out. The man kept up gentle whispers, hand lightly patting his head. He fights but Aizawa lulls him back to sleep.

He woke with something pressing into his side. Warmth wrapped around him in a firm grip. Izuku could feel the rumble as whoever held him snarled. Aizawa. It was Aizawa that held him so close.

"Za-" He tried again only for his voice to crack and break.

"Izuku." He name was a breath, filled with worry. He opened his eyes, finally managing just the slightest bit of sight.

Aizawa looked wrecked, bruised and dirty. Eyes rimmed red. Fury burned in them as his hero looked out at whoever stood there.

He didn't get a chance to try and talk again. Hands wrapped around his arms and pulled. His throat burned as he screamed. Wounds being pulled painfully. His hands clung weakly to Aizawa. He didn't want to go. Please just let me stay here. Please!

Aizawa held onto him just as fiercely. The hero was yelling but Izuku couldn't make sense of any of the words. The people trying to pull him away were just as loud. Too much for his muddled head.

Another scream broke from his throat. He watched as a hand grabbed a fist full of Aizawa's hair and slammed his head into the wall. The arms around him loosened. The hands pulled him away. Izuku stared at the limp form of his hero. The sight burned into his mind.

The next minutes passed in a haze. Izuku fought to get back to Aizawa but his body was trashed. He hurt far too much and he couldn't move how he wanted. The people ignored his weak attempts. Ignored whatever incoherent mess poured from his lips.

They dropped him onto a table. Head smacking painfully against metal with an loud bang. Stars danced across his vision.

He felt something cold and tight wrap around his ankles and thighs. His wrists and chest too. One for All. His quirk…maybe he could…

It wasn't there. His veins were empty and cold. No usual crackle of power running through him. His heart speed up, panic seized him in a tight grip. He couldn't have lost the quirk. He couldn't have been that stupid! What-

There was a sharp prick of needles digging into his arms.

Pain bloomed. Fire ripping through him, replacing his blood with molten lava.

Izuku screamed and screamed. It hurt. Please make it stop!

Too much. Everything went bright white before fading to black.

Izuku wakes being held by Aizawa again. It's a lot better than the cold floor. His hero is warm, and gently brushing his hair out of his face. Izuku likes it, it's nice to feel something other than pain. It's still there, burning hot through his veins. Aizawa soothes it down to something almost bearable.

"With me kid?" Aizawa asks, his voice rough and choked. Izuku hums, it irritates his tender throat.

"I'm sorry." The hero whispers, soft and a little broken. "We'll get out soon. Just a little more kid." Aizawa pulled him impossible closer, squeezing him just that slightest bit.

"Hurts." He mumbles, not meaning to but the word still leaves him. He can't pin point any injury, he doesn't even understand what's happening or what they're doing to him. Will it have lasting effects? What about his quirk? Is he back to being useless?

He feels useless. If he wasn't here Aizawa could have already gotten out. It's him that the burden. Always dragging everyone around him down.

"I'm sorry." Something cool drops onto his cheek. Once, twice. "I'm so sorry kid." Aizawa was crying. Had he ever seen the hero be anything but brave? He doesn't think so. Izuku turns his face into Aizawa's chest. He'll hide, let Aizawa have this moment without him seeing. It's all he could do anyways.

The door slams open with a loud bang. Heavy footsteps as people approach. No, please no more.

"Zawa." He whines.

Still the hands tear him away from his hero.

Yelling, begging, from Aizawa.

The table, the straps, and fire in his veins.

Izuku was cold. So so cold. He could feel arms around him, but the warmth was gone. His hero was here but he couldn't feel him anymore. Only the pain from his heavy, useless body.

"-ku. C'mon-" The voice faded out as quickly as it came in. He couldn't force himself to focus on it. He hurt far too much, his head pounded. His chest didn't feel right. It hurt to breath, his lungs stiff in his chest only let him take small breaths. His heart wasn't beating right either, weak and sluggish.

Was he dying? He had come close to it before, during villain attacks but this was different. Izuku had no idea what these people were doing to him. It hurt and felt like they were slowly killing him.

He whined. Painful and broken.

"Izuku." His hero murmured, holding him that little bit tighter. He gasps as his aching limps were squeezed to tight.

"Come back kid." He shook his head ever so slightly. Aizawa huffed a laugh. "Now's not the time to be stubborn problem child." Izuku sighed. He missed that title.

His hero kept talking, a steady stream of nonsense that washed over him. He couldn't focus on what was being said anymore but the words kept him from drifting to far. Aizawa squeezed his hand every so often to keep him here. Keep him present.

For a few moments it was… nice. Nothing peaceful, nothing good, but Aizawa was doing his best to comfort Izuku. And in this hell hole he would take what he could get.

It didn't last for long.

The loud bang of the door slamming open sent Izuku drifting.

Far, far away.

There was something humming around him. A voice. One he knows. A hand brushed through his hair. A warm palm on his cheek.

Warm words washed over him, filled with worry yet relief. The hand running through his hair, and the voices, pulled him awake. A little closer to human again.

"Problem child. It's time to get up." His hero. Izuku hummed, turning his head into the palm against his cheek.

"Warm." He mumbled. He couldn't feel his body, the pain was distant. Logically he knew it was there, that his body had to be a broken mess, but he couldn't feel any of it.

"Izuku." His voice was a little more firm. He cracked open his eyes to met Aizawa's. Soft and warm. The hero still looked wrecked, but the slightest smile ghosted his face.

"Time to go." Go? Where was there to go?

"Home. We're going home now." He must have spoken out loud. That didn't stop the tears from gathering in his eyes.

"Home." He whispered. It felt so foreign now. How long had they been here?

"Home little listener." Present Mic leaned into his vision. The humming. That makes sense now. He had a theory that Voice could be used to calm people just as well as it could ruin. He wanted to ask Yamada questions.

Izuku only nodded. Too tired to form proper words. His eyes drifted shut again.

He could hear some shuffling, the click of metal releasing. Yamada never stopped humming. He loved the sound of it.

Izuku whined when Aizawa pulled his hands away. A gentle shush filled the air then warm hands snaked under his knees and shoulders. Aizawa lifted Izuku to his chest.

The pain flared to life then, white hot as every inch of him burned.

"I'm sorry. You can rest soon." He tried to lean further into Aizawa. the hero only huffed and adjusted his hold slightly.

The walk out was long and slow but he knew the moment they were out. The sun warmed his skin. A breath escaped him at the sudden warmth.

"Rest now kid. It's all over." Aizawa whispered.

Izuku listened, drifting off the sleep as Yamada hummed a soothing song.