-x- Third Person POV -x-

Todoroki, Bakugo, Iida, and Uraraka raced to get to the building, barely able to keep themselves from stumbling over as they pumped their legs.

Icy air was blown from Todoroki's lips, and his arm was decorated in frost, which was only added to as he created a path. However, he simply stared forwards, ignoring the chills running down his spine.

Bakugo's wrists felt as if they might snap at any given moment, with how long he had been pushing himself to propel himself with his explosions. Not only that, but the burning in his hand only reignited when he forced himself to move. Uraraka, similarly, was making herself sick from how strongly and how long she lightened herself. And Iida, although used to running, was out of breath himself.

But it didn't matter. They continued pushing themselves, practically falling on top of each other when Todoroki skidded to a halt.

"T...There!" he panted, raising a shaky finger towards the building, "It's that one."

The group exchanged uneasy looks as they caught their breath.

"Do... Do you t-think there will be v...villains in there?" Uraraka spoke, gasping for air.

Iida raised his head, the rest of his body bent over. "P...Possibly. But w...we didn't come this f...far for nothing."

Bakugo nodded, breathing heavily as well. "We'll... just have t...to take a chance."

After each of them straightened, they took deep breaths before walking towards the door.

Uraraka gulped as her fingers curled around the metal handle, glancing back nervously to her friends. They each gave her a nod, prompting her to turn and calm herself. It'll be okay. We'll find him, and we'll save him.

Biting her lip, Uraraka pushed the door open, wincing at the loud, metallic creak.

The building was dark and smelled of stale air, a whispering breeze travelling through the halls.

"L-let's go," Uraraka said uneasily.

Bakugo nodded before stepping in front of her, motioning for the rest to follow.

Their footsteps clacked loudly against the cemented floors, and they jumped once the door closed behind them. After sharing a nervous laugh, they continued forwards.

Todoroki squinted as they walked. "Is that... A light?" he asked, seeing a flicker of light in the darkness.

Bakugo glanced over. "Looks like it," he replied simply. "Let's just go."

The group, although unable to see each other, nodded in response and followed Bakugo's lead.

The blonde led them to a door that was cracked open and, once Bakugo pushed it in, light poured into the hall. It was dim, but it was enough.

Everyone glanced around, searching for a sign of life anywhere. However, there was no one to be found.

"Creepy...," Uraraka mumbled.

"Odd... I thought there'd be at least one villain here," Iida said uneasily.

Todoroki glanced around. "Was I wrong...?"

Bakugo opened his mouth to respond when a door caught his eye. He silently made his way towards the room, jiggling the knob. However, it seemed to be locked.

Bakugo cursed under his breath before turning towards the group. "Look for some keys."

Curious, each of them nodded, scanning the area for said keys. Eventually, Iida spoke up.

"I believe I found some!" he said, holding up a rusty ring, on which dangled 2 keys.

Bakugo glanced over before taking them from his hand. "Let's see if these work."
Cautiously, he inserted the key into the lock, turning it until it produced a clicking sound. He glanced behind him, nodding at everyone else to remain careful. After a moment, he turned back around, taking in a deep breath before opening the door.

---

Izuku sat in the room, mind fuzzy. He blinked, not feeling any desires whatsoever. I'm worthless.

His ears perked up, though, as he heard the jiggling of the doorknob. He froze for a moment before raising his head, watching as the handle shook violently.

Only a few seconds later, though, the shaking stopped. Izuku's heartbeat grew rapid, and he was unable to feel anything but a primal sense of fear.

He sat in silence before, once again, his attention was drawn towards the door. A click sound reverberated throughout the room, a lump catching in Izuku's throat. His eyes watched cautiously as the door opened, a hiss escaping from his lips as the light flowed through the crack.

Once he saw several shadows, he leaned forwards, growling. He was tired. He was angry. He was reduced to nothing more than a caged animal.

"Deku...? Deku!" a girl rushed forwards, tears in her eyes. Noticing the fear that was emanating off of him, she gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth. "Oh my God. What did they do to you?!"

Izuku simply narrowed his eyes at her, growling.

Uraraka's face fell. "What...?"

"Deku, you dumb nerd!" an angry blonde shouted. His eyes widened as he saw the bandages wrapped around Izuku, as well as the animalistic expression on his face. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes. "I'll kill them...!"

Izuku felt a pit grow in his stomach as he bared his teeth. He hung his head low, tears wishing to crawl out of his eyes but unable to escape. His body was scarred and hair matted, and his body was drenched in sweat and clothes dirty and torn.

A boy with glasses stared, horrified. "Midoriya..."

"He looks... Horrible...," a boy with two-toned hair muttered, eyes full of concern.

The brown haired girl crouched down in front of him as he glared at her, her lip trembling. "I'm so, so sorry."

Izuku simply gritted his teeth before scooting his chair backwards.

She looked hurt for a moment, but the feeling quickly transformed into immense concern. "D-Deku...?"

Izuku growled, causing each of the students to freeze.

"W-what's wrong with him?" the brown haired girl croaked, tears dripping from her eyes.

"He's been locked her for weeks... Who knows what they've done to him...?" the boy with glasses replied, voice shaking.

The boy with two-toned hair's eyes jumped from injury to injury. "He has wounds everywhere..." His expression softened. "Did they...," he trailed off.

"That's it!" the explosive blonde shouted. "They're all dead meat! I'll kill them all!"

Izuku narrowed his eyes before hanging his head. "What do you care? I'm worthless." His voice was dry and cracked with each word.

The brown-haired girl turned towards him, face falling. "Worthless...? Deku - you're not worthless!"

And at that moment, Izuku's fear was replaced with sadness. He wanted nothing more than to curl up and sob to his heart's content. "I'm nothing," he croaked.

Cautiously, the brown-haired girl bent down in front of him. He raised his head slightly, a defensive look crossing his face before transforming into surprise. Her lip trembled as she brushed his blackened green curls across his forehead, tears falling from her eyes. "Oh, Deku..."

She pulled him into a hug, his body tensing and eyes widening. The girl kept her embrace loose, but he felt safe.

Izuku's breath hitched as she began crying. His body trembled as she sobbed into him, tears escaping his own eyes.

"I should've saved you sooner," the girl cried. "I should've seen something was wrong. I'm so sorry, Deku. I'm so, so sorry."

Izuku wished he could comfort her, but he couldn't help but burst out into tears as well.

"I was s-s-so sc-scared," he choked out. His voice was incredibly dry, and his gaze was comparable to that of a hurt puppy. It was almost as if he had just learned to speak again.

Uraraka nodded, her breaths shaky as she pulled him closer. "I know. It's... It's okay, now. You're safe."

---

HECK

HE'S OUT BOIS

I feel like I should've done this better

Like, maybe Izu should've been a little more dodgy about people saving him

But idk, it's kinda nice (and very sad ;-;)

anyways

Thanks for reading! <3