Archive of Our Own

The bars of the cell dug into Shouta’s back as he leaned against them. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. The flimsy gray pants and shirt he’d been given did little to fend off the cold, dank air of the basement. A familiar warmth filled the space behind him when Hizashi rested against the bars of his own cell. For the briefest moment, he could ignore the constant chill of the quirk-suppressing collar locked around his neck.

“Are the others asleep?” he whispered.

“They won’t be if you two start talking,” came a voice just to the right of Shouta’s cell. It was completely dark, save for the moonlight shining in through the lone window at the edge of the cell next to his own, but he could make out Sekijirou shuffling up into a sitting position and leaning against the back wall. The other homeroom teacher let out a humorless chuckle. “Although, I don’t think any of us have slept much at all. I’m not sure if we can, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Shouta closed his aching eyes.

“How long has it been, again?” he asked.

“Two days, Aizawa.”

The three heroes automatically whipped their heads to the left, even though they couldn’t see.

Snipe…he hasn’t said much these last couple days. Then again, none of us really have.

“You must’ve really taken a hard hit to the head, Shouta,” Hizashi said. “It’s not like you to lose track of time like that.”

He shuddered at the reminder, rubbing his temple. The skin was rough, dry blood stemming from the gash some villain had given him apparently just a couple days ago. He cringed at the memory. His heart sunk down into his stomach at the thought of what started it all.

The Symbol of Peace had been defeated.

And the entire world had watched it happen.

He ran a hand through his messy, tangled hair. He’d spoken to Toshinori just before departing with his class for the summer training camp. Little had he known that was the last time the two would see each other face-to-face.

If I’d just ran faster…if I could’ve found Bakugou before the villains did…if I didn’t force those five to go through the remedial lessons that night….

He shook his head. He couldn’t waste energy thinking about what could’ve happened.

Not anymore.

The League of Villains had taken Katsuki. Several students were hospitalized. Midoriya, Kyouka, and Toru seemed to have the worst injuries. The ones who weren’t didn’t hesitate to rush to the hospital to see their classmates. At least that’s what he’d heard. After talking to the police and checking on his hospitalized students, he and Sekijirou had been whisked away to prepare for the inevitable press conference. Everything had passed in a blur that day. Nemuri and Hizashi had been kind enough to help him get ready.

He completely relaxed back against the bars between his and Hizashi’s cell, relishing the warmth of his friend. He sighed.

I wish you and Nemuri hadn’t still been on campus that day. I wish you both could’ve been on patrol or at the radio station. I wish you weren’t trapped here, too.

He closed his eyes, unable to keep the memories out of his mind. It haunted him like a nightmare, but he could only wish it had been one.

Alarms rang throughout his apartment. His computers flashed red, and his eyes ached at the sudden assault on his vision, but he didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his capture weapon and raced out into the common area. He only had time for a quick glance at the couches as he sprinted for the door.

“Stay inside! Don’t let anyone but myself or another teacher in!” he ordered.

His hair whipped around his face when he made it outside. The lights on campus were just flickering to life. He could barely make out Sekijirou running from his class’s dorms. His heart pounded in his chest while he tried to catch up to his colleague. He ignored the burning in his legs, willing them to move faster toward the campus gates. Cementoss, Ectoplasm, and Snipe raced out of the school entrance just ahead of him. Hizashi and Nemuri were right behind them. He pushed through his exhaustion, desperate to catch up to his colleagues. He sped up once the gate was in his sights.

And his stinging eyes widened at the creatures trying to smash through it.

“Nomu,” he hissed under his breath.

Even from this distance, he could hear the clanging and screeching of the nomu bending and breaking the metal. Cementoss raced ahead of the other heroes before dropping to his knees. He slapped his palms down on the sidewalk. A barricade started to form in front of the gate, but it was too late.

One of the creatures had broken through and scrambled over the barricade. The other two were right behind it, their strength crumbling the cement as they climbed over it. The closer he got, the clearer he could see more waiting on the empty street just beyond the edge of campus. The three closed in on Cementoss. He desperately tried to create an enclosure to trap them, but they were too quick and destroyed every attempt he made. Hizashi stopped dead in his tracks. He could see his friend take a deep breath, and he only had a moment to cover his ears.

“YEAH!” Hizashi screamed.

It didn’t deter the nomu for a second. One of them grabbed Cementoss and threw him into the wall next to the gate. His colleague slumped to the ground, unmoving. That’s when the purple mist snuck through the broken entrance. He ignored the aching in his eyes. His hair floated as he ran past his colleagues.

“Try to distract them,” he ordered. “I’ll get Kurogiri.”

One of the massive creatures swung and arm at him. He dropped and rolled to the side, the force of the blow rustling through his clothes. Springing back to his feet, he set his sights on Kurogiri and continued on, not even daring to look back. He activated his quirk. The slowly growing ball of mist shrunk down until he could see the pants, shirt, and vest of the villain. Bright yellow eyes instantly shot his direction. He gripped his capture weapon and flung it at Kurogiri, who merely sidestepped to avoid it. His eyes widened when he grasped the material before he could retract it completely. His scarf tightened around his neck, but he forced his eyes to remain open. He forced erasure to remain activated. He clutched the scarf with one hand while he reached for his knife with the other. He dug his heels into the ground when Kurogiri yanked on the material, but it wasn’t enough.

A strangled cry escaped him when he hurtled through the air and onto the ground at Kurogiri’s feet. Despite the tumble that followed, he desperately turned to keep the villain within his eyesight. With another twist of the cloth, he had black spots dancing across his vision. He gasped for air but couldn’t get any into his lungs.

“Eraser!”

He was soon face down in the grass, a surprising weight settling onto his back. Two strong legs rested on either side of his waist, keeping his arms pinned to his side. The cloth loosened around his neck. He gasped for air the second he could. He twisted and tried to throw the weight off him, but Kurogiri didn’t budge. A hand on the back of his head forced his face down firmly to the ground. A roar erupted and more footsteps thundered around them. His struggles only ceased when another set of hands came down on his back.

“Hold still!” a feminine voice advised.

He could hear the smile in the villain’s voice. The hand on the back of his head pushed down with a nearly crushing strength, then there was a prick in his neck. A laugh erupted just above him.

“Thanks, Eraserhead! I’m sure those kids will let me in now!”

Shouta barely suppressed a shiver as he remembered the words. He couldn’t remember too much after that. Someone had kicked him hard enough in the head to knock him out. A few of the staff had managed to stay conscious through the ordeal. Once Kurogiri had taken him down, villains swarmed the campus. The remaining staff had put up a fight, as well as the students, but the villains had the advantage.

He wrapped his arms tighter around his legs and buried his face into his knees. Hizashi recounted there being a blond villain that morphed into another version of him and had taken off toward the dorms. He clenched his eyes shut.

My students had to know it wasn’t really me. They have to know that, right?

Despair settled like a rock in his stomach. He hasn’t heard a word about any of the students since he’d woken up.

None of them had.

One of the villains transformed the school’s basement into a makeshift prison. The heroes had been tossed into the cells. Other than a couple of the villains stopping in twice to set some bread and water just outside of each of their cells, they had been left alone ever since. His gaze drifted to the lone piece of bread sitting on the other side of the bars, untouched. As much as he didn’t want to consume anything the villains had given him, it wasn’t logical to let himself get too dehydrated or hungry. It’s not like the League would go through all the trouble of imprisoning them just to poison them in their cells so soon; however, the thought of eating more than he already had made him want to vomit.

But I can’t let myself get too weak. I have to be ready to capitalize on any opportunity we get to retaliate.

Despite the pit in his stomach, he reached for the bread but froze when sirens blared outside. Every head whipped toward the lone window. Red lights flashed through the small opening. Shouta’s heart plummeted into his stomach. He looked toward the ceiling when footsteps thundered overhead. He could faintly hear voices shouting at each other but couldn’t begin to figure out what the villains were saying.

“What the hell?” Nemuri asked.

Shouta shifted his gaze back to the window. The red lights were still flashing. Sekijirou sighed.

“Why do I get a feeling your students are involved, Aizawa?”

Shouta ran a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes and fought to control the thoughts racing through his mind.

Because you’re probably right, Vlad.

*break*

“Did Satou and Kirishima make it?” Izuku hissed, hand hovering over the handles of the doors.

He looked over his shoulder, and Tenya nodded. The rest of his classmates had gathered in the common area just behind him.

It looks like the villains haven’t tampered too much with the security system. It still reboots for three minutes every night. We should only have one more minute before the system comes back on. They need to destroy it—

Rikido and Eijirou burst out of the stairwell and rushed into the common area.

“We got it!” Eijirou announced.

Izuku took a deep breath and cracked the door open, shoulders sagging when no alarm went off.

“Does everyone remember the plan?” he asked.

His chest ached when everyone nodded. He clenched his eyes shut and fully opened it. He slipped right behind the pillars just beyond the doors Heights Alliance. Hitoshi joined him a second later with Tenya right on his heels. The three crouched and waited.

Yaoyorozu said she usually sees Dabi patrolling this area around this time….

Sure enough, he caught glimpses between the trees of Dabi strolling down the sidewalk; however, Toga was clinging onto him and chattering so loud the three could hear her from their position. Hitoshi crept toward the edge of the building and disappeared around it. Izuku held his breath as Toga and Dabi got closer. He straightened up, pressed himself even harder against the pillar, and kept his eyes on the other side of the doors.

Shinsou’s fine. If he’d seen any more villains in the trees, we would know by now.

He let out the breath when Hitoshi reappeared on the other side of the building and leaned against one of the pillars. Eyes trained on Hitoshi’s hands, he watched the gestures his classmate had taught him.

All clear.

The three watched as Dabi and Toga walked right past the steps leading up to Heights Alliance. Toga’s voice got softer and softer until the three could no longer hear it. Izuku cautiously descended the steps. He slipped into the trees and peeked out to get a better look around the campus. Toga and Dabi headed toward Class B’s dorms and were quickly out of sight. He looked back to Hitoshi and Tenya and nodded, the latter opening the doors to the dorms. Hitoshi was at his side in an instant with Ochako, Eijirou, and Tenya close behind him. Izuku swallowed before sprinting out of the trees in the direction Toga and Dabi just came from. He vaguely heard footsteps behind him, but he kept his eyes locked on the wall in the distance.

It didn’t take long for the sirens to blare throughout campus.

Red lights illuminated the sidewalk as they flashed, overshadowing the small amount of light the lamps along their path provided. He didn’t let any of it slow him down, nor the curse he heard just behind him.

“They caught Jirou’s group.”

He winced at Hitoshi’s words, but he kept pushing his legs to move faster. Tenya was coming up on his right, and he could still hear the others on his heels. His chest started to burn. He resisted the urge to touch the collar clamped around his neck.

I need to keep going. With or without One for All, we could still get out of here! The others should be keeping the rest of the villains busy. I’ll just need Tenya to give me a boost.

As if reading his mind, Tenya surged ahead of him. Hope soared through his chest until Tenya disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Despite Hitoshi grabbing his shirt and yanking him to a stop, it was too late to change direction. Wind rushed around them, and it roared in his ears. He covered his face to fend off the smoke. His heart plummeted into his stomach when it stopped. He heard Ochako’s breath hitch just behind him, and he slowly lowered his arms.

They were back at the front steps to Heights Alliance. The rest of their classmates were there with them, but none of them moved a muscle. It didn’t take long to figure out why. He looked over his shoulder and saw Dabi, Toga, Spinner, and Kurogiri standing there, and several others he couldn’t make out in the darkness. He looked back to the dorm.

Shigaraki stood at the top of the steps, his arms crossed, and a smile spread wide across his face that sent chills throughout his entire body.

*break*

Clang!

The door slamming echoed throughout the silent makeshift prison, waking Shouta instantly. He blinked when he realized sunlight was trickling in from the window.

When the hell did I fall asleep?

He tensed as the approaching footsteps got louder and louder. Within seconds, villains swarmed the cells. One of them marched right up to his cell and fumbled with a set of keys. His eyebrows rose when he saw the villain carrying a pair of handcuffs. His cell door swung open.

“Hold out your hands, Eraser.”

Shouta made no move to follow the order; instead, he pressed himself further into the corner and crossed his arms. The villain sighed before pulling a small, metallic device out of his pocket. He pressed a button. Electricity surged from the collar throughout his entire body, fire flowing through his veins.

“Shouta!” Hizashi yelled.

He faintly heard a thud and a grunt. He curled up on his side and clenched his teeth, forcing himself to breathe through the agony. After what seemed to be an eternity, the electricity stopped pulsing through him. Sweat dripped from his brow as he laid on the ground. His vision was blurry, but he could hear footsteps approaching him. A heartbeat later, the cuffs were firmly clamped onto his wrists. Gripping Shouta’s arm, Spinner hauled him to his feet.

“Unless the rest of you want to wind up like Eraser, I recommend cooperating,” another villain yelled.

Shouta was dragged out of his cell on shaky legs. He lifted his head to see the rest of the staff getting the same treatment. He was led through the door at the end of the hall. He nearly tripped on the first step of the staircase.

“Watch your step,” Spinner warned.

Shouta didn’t even need to look at him to know he was grinning. He didn’t utter a word as Spinner led him up the steps to the first floor of the school. He only got a brief glance down one of the hallways before he was shoved out one of the side doors. The small amount of light filtering through the windows did nothing to prepare him for walking out in direct sunlight. He cringed and tried to bring his hands up to block his eyes, but Spinner wouldn’t let him, gripping his wrists and yanking him along. He resorted to clenching his eyes shut. Spinner didn’t slow down his pace and didn’t seem to care when he made Shouta stumble. He blinked. Once his vision cleared, he glanced back over his shoulder to see the rest of the staff getting dragged out of the building.

He was marched across campus, the villains forcing the rest of the staff to follow. After what seemed to be an eternity, he saw the massive stadium in the distance.

Why are they taking us here?

For the first time, he missed the usual roar and cheers erupting from the stadium every year. The silence sent a shiver down his spine. Spinner tightened his grip when they reached one of the entrances. Shouta walked through the dark tunnel. The pit in his stomach got bigger with every step closer they got to the light at the end. Once they emerged, he stopped, but for only a second before Spinner yanked his arm again.

The stadium was almost completely empty.

He stared up into the vacant stands while he was dragged across the field to the other side.

“Aizawa-sensei!”

Kirishima?

He looked up to see his students lined up along the stadium walls. The students from Class B were in the stands behind them. More hero students filed in, quickly filling the seats. They all had quirk-suppressing collars around their necks.

“Don’t say another word, brat. You all are in enough trouble as it is!” Shigaraki’s voice rang across the stadium.

Shouta couldn’t miss his students flinching at the warning. They all stared at the ground, even Katsuki. Hitoshi only spared him a glance.

What the hell happened? This isn’t like them at all.

Spinner slammed him against the stadium wall a few meters away from his students.

“Stay still if you know what’s good for you.”

He glared at the villain, but it only lasted a moment before Hizashi was slammed into the wall next to him. He swore under his breath but straightened up, nonetheless. Each of the staff was forced to stand along the wall beside him, and he could hear students settling into the stands behind them. A few students gasped. He looked up and saw a few students pointing across the field. He followed their gaze, his eyes widening at the sight.

Two villains dragged Toshinori across the field. His hero suit hung off his body, and his hair hung limply over his face. He didn’t even try to fight against the villains’ hold.

Shigaraki walked out into the middle of the stadium and stopped next to a pillar someone had constructed, holding a microphone. Shouta wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to the villain without the hand covering his face. He smiled so wide Shouta could see it from his position.

“Thank you all for joining me today! As I’m sure you all are aware, we had a bit of a disturbance last night. I guess some students thought they could break out and leave campus, and the perpetrators are right down here on the field before you.” Shigaraki gestured to Class A. Some of the students lowered their heads even more. “I can’t say I’m surprised, and I’m sure no one else here is either. Although, I did expect better from those claiming they wanted to be heroes. I was certain a few of you would make it off campus and we’d have to hunt you down. I suppose you all are lucky that we didn’t. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten your orientation already. What was my first school rule?”

Silence answered him. Tension filled the stadium more with each passing second.

“No one tries to leave campus,” Shigaraki answered himself. “Even though you didn’t get far, I can’t let this go unpunished. I do understand that this change in staff is a lot to adjust to, so I’ll take it a bit easier on you all.” He approached Class A, his grin widening with every step. “Which one of you had the brilliant idea to leave campus?”

“I did,” Izuku admitted without hesitation.

“Dammit, Deku—”

A slap cut Katsuki off. Shouta turned toward his class, but Hizashi grabbed his wrist.

Izuku stepped forward and looked Shigaraki right in the eyes. Shouta’s heart dropped into his stomach at the laugh Shigaraki let out.

“I can’t say I’m surprised!” He clasped his hands together around the microphone and gazed out at the crowd before him. “I need all of you to know that this behavior won’t be tolerated, and this is what will happen if any of you disobey us again.”

Two more villains entered the stadium. Shouta’s eyebrows rose as they got closer. They had to be at least five centimeters taller than him. They had muscular, human bodies from the chest down, but they had the heads of a bull. A ring pierced through both their noses, and sharp horns stuck out from the sides of their heads. They headed straight for Class A. Even from his position, he could see the veins on their arms. They grabbed Izuku’s arms and dragged him along, walking with Shigaraki toward the pillar. Izuku hold back a wince. Shouta knew their grips alone would leave bruises on Izuku’s arms. Once they made it a few meters away, one of the villains kicked Izuku’s legs to force him to his knees. One of them pulled out a pair of cuffs and clamped them down on Izuku’s wrists. The other grabbed the chain coiled up by the pillar and attached it to the chain linking the cuffs and connected it to the small metal anchor sticking out of the ground.

What the hell are they doing?

One of the villain’s reached behind the pillar again. Shouta’s eyes widened when he realized what the man picked up.

Is…is that a whip?

The length of the chain attached to Izuku’s cuffs gave him some freedom to move, but Izuku didn’t budge. Shigaraki lifted the microphone again.

“Twenty of you tried to escape last night, so Midoriya Izuku will receive twenty lashes! I think that’s more than fair enough for a punishment, would you all agree?”

Not a single teacher or student in the stadium said a word. The blood drained from Shouta’s face. His eyes stayed locked on Izuku. There was no missing the tension in Izuku’s back. The villain holding the whip uncurled it. Shouta clenched his teeth and put more pressure on his thumb.

Snap!

Hizashi flinched beside him, but the movement was barely noticeable. Spinner didn’t pay the sudden noise any mind, so Shouta was able to slip his hand through the cuff while the villain with the whip took a few steps away from Izuku. He grabbed Spinner’s shoulder and kneed him in the gut.

“Hey—” Spinner wheezed.

He tried to get up, but Hizashi swept his legs out from under him. Shouta didn’t bother looking back as he sprinted toward Midoriya. The massive villains between him and Izuku whirled around. The one with the whip stalked forward. He lashed out, but Shouta ducked and slid on his knees. The wind from the force of the attempted blow breezed right over the top of his head. The second villain lunged at him. Shouta jumped at the last second, soaring up and over him, just out of his reach. He swung the cuff dangling around his wrist and hit the villain on his temple. Landing in a somersault and ignoring the enraged yelling, he kept running. Shigaraki dropped the microphone. The piercing noise echoed throughout the stadium and rattled Shouta’s eardrums. He kept his eyes locked on Izuku who was looking over his shoulder. His student’s eyes widened.

“Sensei, no! What are you doing?”

He vaguely heard Shigaraki laughing again. He skidded to his knees right behind his student, wrapped his arms around his waist, and buried Izuku’s face into his chest, effectively shielding him from the villains behind them. He tightened his grip when heavy footsteps approached.

“Wait!” Shigaraki’s voice filled the stadium once again. Shouta held his breath, and he could feel Izuku do the same. The footsteps ceased. “If Eraserhead is so determined to take his punishment, why don’t we let him?”

Izuku shook in his grip and turned his head just enough to speak.

“Ai-Aizawa-sensei,” his voice shook as much as he was, “please, d-don’t do this. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who—”

“Be quiet, Midoriya.”

His voice was soft, but Izuku obeyed him and snapped his mouth shut; however, his order didn’t stop his student from yanking on his restraints. He planted his chin on top of Izuku’s head

“Well, this is certainly an interesting turn of events,” Shigaraki said, leaning against the pillar. The villain cracked the whip behind them, and Izuku flinched at the sound. Shigaraki smirked. “You’re lucky you’ve got a teacher like Eraserhead, aren’t you, little hero? As long as he doesn’t collapse, you shouldn’t feel much of this at all.”

Shigaraki motioned to villain behind them. Shouta closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose.

Just don’t let go.

Something whooshed through the air. There was a crack, and Shouta jolted when the whip hit him. His back burned from his left shoulder blade down to his lower back. He bit his lip and took another deep breath.

“Did…did you feel anything?” he asked.

Izuku shook his head. He sniffed.

“No.”

His voice cracked, and Shouta tightened his hold even more. His teeth dug into his lip even harder when the next lash hit his back, so hard that he tasted copper. Another lash hit. Then another. Then another. He could feel blood streaming down his back. He couldn’t stop the grunt as the next lash hit, overlapping with the third one that crossed the entire upper back.

“Only fifteen more to go!” Shigaraki announced.

Shit.

He gasped as the fire spread with two more quick lashes. He wasn’t sure if the villain intentionally aimed too far to the right on the next one, but the whip snaked around his waist licked his arms for the briefest moment before the villain yanked it back.

“Are you….”

He couldn’t even finish the question before the villain struck again.

“The whip didn’t hit me,” Izuku whispered.

Shouta clenched his eyes shut. All the mental preparation for the next lash didn’t make it any easier to take. As much as he’d been trying not to, he cried out after the next one. And the one after that. It didn’t take long for the lashes to blur together. All he was aware of was the fact his cries had turned to screams. His throat was raw. Sweat dripped down his face, and more blood streamed down his back and shoulders, soaking into the tattered remains of his shirt and into the waist band of the pants the villains had given him. He’d lost count until Shigaraki spoke again.

“It’s time for the last one! Don’t hold back!”

Even through the agonizing haze, Shouta could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Sensei….” Izuku’s voice trembled.

He could barely hold on to his student, but he forced himself to stay upright. He leaned heavily against Izuku. He couldn’t even try to brace himself. He heard the distant whoosh of the whip before agony exploded across his back. Izuku flinched in his arms as one last scream was ripped out of him. His throat ached the second it stopped. His chin slipped off Izuku’s head as he toppled over. He grunted when he landed on his side, the wounds stinging when they made contact with the ground; however, it quickly went unnoticed due to the fire still consuming his back. He cracked his eyes open and had to blink a few times to clear his vision. Izuku was immediately in his line of sight, patting a hand against his cheek. He saw Izuku’s mouth moving but couldn’t hear what he was saying. His student started to blur again. Footsteps approached him from behind, and a shadow loomed over him a heartbeat later.

“I have to say, Eraser, that was quite entertaining.”

His vision flashed white when Shigaraki delivered a kick to his back to get him on his stomach. It was quickly replaced with a darkness that he was swift to welcome with open arms.

*break*

The arms around Izuku disappeared, and a thud followed right after. He paled when he saw his teacher sprawled out on his side with blood quickly staining the ground beneath him.

It took everything Izuku had not to vomit at the sight.

Shouta tried to open his eyes. Forcing the nausea down, Izuku scooted closer to his teacher. Shouta’s eyes were finally open but unfocused, so he reached out with a shaking hand and patted his cheek.

“Aizawa-sensei?” His voice broke, but Shouta didn’t look like he’d even heard him. “Aizawa-sensei, are you….”

Are you okay? Of course not! After that….

A shadow loomed over them. He looked up to see Shigaraki standing above them with that same smile he’d had since the second they arrived in the stadium.

“I have to say, Eraser, that was quite entertaining.”

Two pairs of hands gripped his arms and yanked him away from Shouta. His jaw dropped when Shigaraki kicked Shouta in the back to turn him onto his stomach. He barely registered one of the villains unlocking the cuffs before they started dragging him back toward the students and staff. He railed against the villains when he saw Shouta still wasn’t moving.

“Let me go! I have to help him!”

“Quiet, brat!” one of the villains growled.

Izuku dug his heels into the ground, but it didn’t deter either of them. They slammed him against the stadium wall, and he slumped to the ground gasping for air. Tenya was by his side in an instant.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

Once Izuku caught his breath, he nodded. Tenya grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet. He heard a sniffle beside him, and Tsuyu wiped her eyes a second later. He swallowed, mustering the courage before looking at the rest of his classmates. Most of his classmates were either covering their eyes or staring daggers into the ground. His gaze lingered on Katsuki. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Katsuki so pale, and his jaw was clenched so tight the vein at his temple was visible. Even Mina looked like she had the life completely sucked out of her. Tsuyu sniffled again, and only then did he see Hitoshi.

Hitoshi was one of the few looking directly at Shouta. Both hands covered his mouth, and Izuku could’ve sworn he saw tears welling in his eyes. Before he could say anything, Shigaraki’s voice cut through the silence in the stadium.

“I think I’ve made myself clear: I will not tolerate any of you breaking my rules. You’ve seen the consequences, so I hope this won’t be a problem again. Everyone is dismissed except for Class 1-A and the staff.”

Izuku stared right at Shigaraki, barely noticing the two massive villains exiting the stadium. He didn’t turn around at the shuffling behind them. He watched Shigaraki approach. He switched off the microphone and folded his hands behind his back. His shoulders were shaking, and it took Izuku a second to realize he was laughing.

“I wish you all could see the looks on your faces! I always knew Eraserhead was cool. He’s put his own life on the line for you all more than once without any hesitation. It’s easy to see that each one of you has gotten attached to him. The rest of the school has seen what will happen if they break my rules, but if even one student in Class 1-A steps a toe out of line, Eraserhead will pay the price. Do you understand?”

Izuku’s blood ran cold. His gaze wandered away from Shigaraki and back to Shouta who still wasn’t moving. Tenya and Tsuyu tensed beside him. He didn’t have to look at his classmates to know they were thinking the same thing.

Aizawa-sensei can’t pay the price for our mistakes again.

“Consider yourselves dismissed, little heroes.” Shigaraki walked over to the staff and the rest of the villains. “Get Eraserhead to the infirmary. Have the old lady start patching him up. I don’t need him dying from an infection yet.”

Hizashi and Sekijirou rushed out to Shouta. Despite their hands being cuffed, they managed to sling Shouta’s arms around their shoulders and picked him up off the ground. Blood streamed down his back. Shouta’s head hung down toward his chest and lolled with every step Hizashi and Sekijirou took. Spinner led them out of the stadium, and the two villains holding Toshinori followed a second later. The rest of the staff slowly filed out. Not a single student said a word, not even when Dabi suddenly appeared next to Tenya.

“Time for you all to go back to your dorm.”

Tenya followed Dabi’s lead, and it took Tsuyu nudging Izuku for him to snap out of it. He scrambled to follow Tenya, and he could feel Shigaraki’s eyes on him the whole time. He looked back out toward the pillar. It was impossible to miss the blood staining the ground.

I’m so sorry, Aizawa-sensei….

*break*

Izuku sat on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. It was silent except for the occasional thud coming from Denki’s room above him. He looked at the clock.

It’s almost midnight, and it doesn’t sound like anyone else can sleep either.

Unlike the previous nights, not a single student left their room. When he peeked out into the hallway just under an hour ago, it was completely dark. He nearly jumped at the soft knock at his door. He sighed and got off his bed. He rubbed his eyes before opening the door, freezing when he saw Dabi on the other side.

“Shigaraki asked me to see if you wanted to check on Eraserhead.”

Before Izuku even realized what he was doing, he nodded, shut his door, and followed the villain down the hallway. Dabi led down the stairs and through the empty common area. He stepped out Heights Alliance. He stopped when he reached the top of the steps and glanced back into the common area just as the doors closed, remembering all his classmates gathered there the previous night.

If only we would’ve known—

“Are you coming or not?” Dabi was waiting at the bottom of the steps, hands shoved in his pockets. “I’m not waiting all night, kid.”

Izuku shook his head and followed Dabi down the sidewalk. He looked around the dorms. He couldn’t see a single light on in any window. Dabi didn’t say another word while they approached the main campus. He opened the door and stepped to the side for Izuku to enter. A chill went down Izuku’s spine at the silence that filled the normally noisy hallways, only to be interrupted by the slam of the door closing. He walked next to Dabi down the halls, past the dark classroom of Class 1-A, past the empty cafeteria, past the locker rooms. They rounded another corner, and Izuku saw light pouring out of the room at the end of the hall. He surged ahead of Dabi and braced his hands on either side of the doorframe only for them to slip right off. His jaw dropped.

Shouta was laying on one of the beds on his stomach with a sheet drawn over his legs and up to his lower back. The tattered remains of his shirt had been removed. The blood had been cleaned off, so Izuku could see each individual wound crisscrossing over his back. His stomach coiled into a knot.

“What are you waiting for?” Dabi asked, leaning against the wall and gesturing inside the room.

Izuku swallowed, as if that would force the nausea back down. He hesitantly stepped inside.

“Midoriya?”

He whipped his head to the side to see Chiyo sitting in a chair in the corner, her head leaning heavily on the hand she kept propped up on the arm rest. She shot him a slight grin when he approached her. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Shouta hadn’t stirred.

“How’s he doing?” he whispered.

Chiyo sighed.

“I’ve been checking his back every hour and cleaning the wounds as needed. Shigaraki won’t let me give him anything for the pain, although that hasn’t been much of an issue. He’s been unconscious most of the day.”

That’s a relief. I can’t even imagine how much pain he must be in.

“Mi-Mido...riya?”

The relief vanished in an instant, and Izuku whirled around at the hoarse voice. Shouta’s eyes were open. He automatically braced his arms to push himself up, but he didn’t even make it a centimeter before his mouth opened in a noiseless cry of agony. Izuku was at his side, easing him back down on the bed and straightening his arms back out. Chiyo jumped off the chair and grabbed the glass of water on the table by the bed. Brushing some of Shouta’s hair out of his face, she put the straw up to his lips. He only managed a couple sips before he turned his head away. Chiyo opened her mouth, but she ultimately said nothing, set the glass back down, and returned to her chair. Izuku crouched down so he was eye-level with Shouta.

“Sensei, I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t…be….” Shouta managed to get out through clenched teeth. “It…was my…decision….”

“Is…is there anything I can do to help you?”

Shouta screwed his eyes shut and took a couple deep breaths. His eyes fluttered back open, and he made sure to meet Izuku’s gaze.

“Just…get…out of here….”

Izuku shook his head.

“We can’t. We failed already, and Shigaraki said he’d punish you if we tried again.”

“I don’t…care. Try again…problem child.”

“Time’s up.” Izuku stiffened when Dabi poked his head into the room. “You need to get back to your dorm.”

Izuku looked back to Shouta. His eyes were drooping shut, so Izuku straightened up and squeezed his hand as he passed by. He waved at Chiyo before returning to the dark hallway. He skidded to a stop when nearly bumped into Shigaraki.

“I’ll escort him back to his dorm. Go down and check on the rest of the staff,” he ordered.

Dabi spun around on his heel and quickly disappeared through the nearest set of double doors, leaving the two alone. Shigaraki chuckled as he started down the hallway.

“Eraserhead isn’t looking so hot, is he? Although, I have to say I can’t imagine how you’d be doing if you’d taken that punishment like you were supposed to. I’m sure he’ll recover soon enough.”

Izuku bit his tongue but easily kept up with Shigaraki while they walked back through the school. Much to his surprise, Shigaraki didn’t say another word until they reached the steps of Heights alliance. He was about to run up the steps, but a grip on his shirt sleeve stopped him. He froze when it disintegrated. He slowly turned around to face Shigaraki.

“You have no power anymore, Deku. None of your classmates do. You’re no longer at a hero school. Now, you’ve got a front row seat to watch hero society completely fall. If you’re a true hero, you’ll behave yourself. I think it would be a real shame if you didn’t and Eraserhead had to pay the price.”

Izuku didn’t say anything. Shigaraki chuckled again before heading back to the main campus. Izuku trudged up the steps and into the dorm. He was once again met with the empty common area. He leaned back against the doors and slid to the ground.

We can’t get out now, Aizawa-sensei, but we won’t stop trying. We’ll find a way off campus, and we’ll find a way bring everyone trapped here with us.