Izuku coughed harshly as his back hit the concrete wall, the windows of the building shattering around him by the sheer force of the impact. A lot of buildings had been destroyed already, making it comparable to the way too familiar fight at Kamino. A place where All Might met his end as a hero... Izuku wouldn't let his father do the same to him. No way. Not here, not at ground beta.

Maybe he subconsciously guided All For One here... To a place where Izuku had conquered his fears before. A place where he fought great foes and won. Something symbolic, something that represented overcoming adversity. Izuku groaned as he crawled back up, glaring at the man in front of him. Green lightning fired back up, black whips emerging from his hands. He'd been pushing his limits for a while now but he didn't care. Not as long as he can defeat All For One.

"We don't have to do this, son" Hisashi sighed as he walked up to Izuku.
"I don't want to hurt you"
Well too bad, because Izuku did want to hurt him! He screamed as he charged at him again, making All For One sigh. He blocked the attack and counter-attacked, but Izuku was able to dodge and went in for the hit. A solid kick to his abdomen, making Hisashi wheeze.

He wasn't wearing his life support and the fight was draining him, so it really wasn't all that surprising his body began to give in. If only that Eri girl had been able to heal him then none of this would've happened! He forcefully grabbed Izuku's leg and smacked him to the ground.

"Why can't things just work out for once huh?! I have everything! Power! Influence! Money! And yet-!" he yelled, kicking Izuku so the boy tumbled over, facing him.
"Why does my family hate me so much?! Why can they never be supportive?! Why do they always refuse to join my cause?!"
Hisashi felt annoyed and angry and lonely. He felt so incredibly lonely that it frustrated him.

"First my brother... Who was born with such a pathetic fragile body he refused to get fixed even though I could get him all the power he ever wanted! But no! He was as stubborn as he was weak!" Hisashi continued, taking a shaky breath.
"And after that I thought, you know what? I don't need family! Who needs family when you can conquer the world, right?"
Izuku let out a weak cough, trying to get back up only for Hisashi to put his foot down on his chest, keeping him in place.

"Then I met your mother... And I thought maybe I had another chance. Maybe someone could love and support me after all? And then you were born and I was ecstatic! Finally I had another blood relative, someone who was connected to me! I thought I could have it all! But fate just likes to play with me, doesn't it..? In the end, you turned out more like my little brother... I'm sure he would've liked you"

"H-he does" Izuki choked out, wriggling under All For One's weight, trying and failing to push the foot off of him as he powered up One For All within him.
"What did you just say?" Hisashi blinked, not sure whether he heard that right.
"I-I saw him... Talked to him" Izuku got out.
"He's alive within me, within One For All"

Hisashi's breath hitched, tears welling up in his eyes. His brother's spirit lives on in his son... He's still here, in a way. Knowing that made him emotional for some reason. He thought he was over his brother's death and betrayal by now but guess he was wrong. Some things are just rooted deeper than others... Izuku could see the tears in his father's eyes at those words, thinking that if he doubled down on this he might be able to escape, to take advantage of the first weakness this man had shown him.

"He loves you, even though he disagrees with you" Izuku breathed, ignoring the small pieces of rubble he heard tumbling down as he continued.
"He just... He just wanted to help you, like you wanted to help him"
Hisashi simply stared at him, his fists clenched. He looked so vulnerable like this... So human. Nobody would ever suspect he was All For One if you showed them this face. Nobody would ever think this man could take on All Might and make him struggle.

As Izuku stared up at this monster of a man, seeing the way his eyes widened and the way his body trembled- Wait, that wasn't right. Izuku took in a sharp breath as the man fell down, finally freeing him from the pressure on his chest. And then there he stood. There where his father stood just a moment ago. An oh so familiar, panting, handsome teenage boy with a taser at hand.

"And stay down you fucker" Katsuki hissed, tasing him again for good measure before stumbling towards Izuku and helping him up. Iida didn't want to give him Izuku's location at first, but after a few threats of him just running out of there and searching the campus by himself, he finally spit it out. People were still reluctant to let him go anywhere though, so he had Mirio help him sneak away. It still took longer than he'd like to get here, but he wasn't complaining now that he finally found Izuku again. Even if he's bloody and beaten.

"Hey, are you okay?" Katsuki found himself asking as he stretched out his hand towards Izuku. It was a dumb fucking question because hello?! He was just pounded into the ground by a goddamn supervillain?! But it was also sweet and Izuku found himself on the brink of tears as flashbacks flooded his mind. Images of him standing over Kacchan in a river when they were five, a moment that'll always be imprinted in his mind.

For a second Izuku thought about slapping his hand away and scolding him, like Kacchan had done so many years ago. What the hell was he thinking?! Rushing in here and tasing All For One- Tasing! A part of Izuku still couldn't believe he was actually staying down with a shock like that. It shouldn't be strong enough, and yet-! Izuku just couldn't believe it. That and the fact his boyfriend had come running in- his quirkless boyfriend- and had tased him. Tased fucking All For One.

That plan was so stupid and it somehow worked? But Izuku still wanted to lecture Kacchan about it because it was so damn reckless and oh my God this must be how Aizawa sensei feels. Yet he found himself taking Katsuki's hand, allowing the blonde to pull him up. Even in these circumstances he could never refuse Kacchan's hand... Even though he'd been stupid and reckless and he was obviously hurt- Izuku took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"You shouldn't be here"

Katsuki scoffed at that, clearly disagreeing.

"You're hurt Kacchan!"

"So are you, dumbass!" he hissed.
"I can take it until backup arrives. The other pro's should be here soon" Izuku said, trying to reason with him as they stepped away from All For One, still keeping an eye on his body as it lay still in the rubble.
"Too fucking bad I am your backup, nerd. All the damn pro's are busy with the other small fry" Katsuki stated.

"Good, then I won't have to worry about them interfering for a while"

Izuku instinctively shoved Katsuki behind him as his father rose back up from the ground, green lightning cackling over his skin in an instant. This was bad... He couldn't go full out if he had to protect Kacchan too. He hated to think of him like that, but Kacchan was only standing in the way right now. He was an unnecessary distraction to Izuku and a danger to himself, yet the ash blonde wasn't standing down.

"I won't let you hurt him" Izuku growled, glaring at the man in front of him. No. Not anymore. He wouldn't let his father toy with Kacchan again! Kacchan had been through enough shit because of him and Izuku wasn't about to let him fuck up his boyfriend even more!
"Ah, you really love the boy, don't you?" Hisashi sighed.
"I never really understood that... To love someone who hurt you so much... It goes against all logic"

"That's love for you, asshole" Katsuki hissed. Hisashi seemed to be amused by that comment, but he didn't react to it. Instead, he continued the fight. It looked like he vanished in front of them, only to appear right behind them and kick Katsuki down. Izuku was quick to react, the swing of his kick just missing his father as the man took a step back. The fight continued like that for a while, nobody winning yet nobody losing either. Just a few hits back and forth.

Izuku's stamina was severely depleted already, but he knew All For One couldn't keep up this endurance match much longer. His body was weakened, even before their fight. That gave them an edge, but their strength nor speed were enough to deal some real damage. The only way Izuku could see himself defeating him was if- His eyes widened, his body tensing up at the thought alone. Katsuki stumbled into him, their backs against each other as they each scanned the battlefield, waiting for All For One's next attack.

"Kacchan..." Izuku whispered, not wanting to break his focus. God, he couldn't even believe he was really going to suggest this! His boyfriend had gotten mad at him for it before and the current situation didn't help at all!
"What is it Deku?" he grunted, his hands ready at his side, just waiting to spark up if necessary. His explosions weren't that big right now, true, but it still helped him defend himself.

He'd tried not to use them, but all caution was thrown into the wind during this fight. They weren't going to stop All For One with a taser alone, so he had to resort to drastic measures. Part of him didn't care whether or not there was no going back. The only thing that mattered was here and now. This fight they needed to survive, this battle that they had to win at all cost. That was more important than anything right now. Cause why worry about the future when he didn't have one when he lost here?

"I think I have a way to win this fight" Izuku breathed, his eyes darting around as he spotted movement. His leg flew up to block his father's attack, but it still pushed the both of them back, sending them flying through the air. Izuku quickly grabbed Kacchan and held him close as they tumbled to the ground. He was able to rotate himself, landing on his feet. They slipped for a few more meters before Izuku put the ash blonde back down, pulling him behind a partially destroyed wall so they could regroup.

"Alright, what's the plan nerd?" Katsuki panted, clearly having trouble keeping up with the speed of it all. He wasn't used to this intensity of battle anymore and even then things moved too fast for him to act on. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before and he found his respect and admiration for Izuku growing by the minute.

"You're not going to like it" Izuku warned.
"Anything is better than being sitting ducks" Katsuki stated.
"We're not getting anywhere at this fucking rate, so please, enlighten me. What's your big idea?"
Izuku didn't answer, not verbally at least, because the next moment his lips were planted on Katsuki's. It didn't take long for him to catch on and, to Izuku's relief, he kissed back.

"Alright... Let's do this" Katsuki breathed as he pulled back.
"Yeah" Izuku whispered, watching how the beautiful ruby red eyes in front of him started to get a little brighter. How green sparks mixed with orange ones as they both powered up.
"You might hurt yourself because your body isn't used to it"
"I won't mess up my fucking bones, don't worry" Katsuki muttered, as if accusing him of something. And yeah, okay, that's fair.

"Where are you hiding boys~?!" Hisashi called out, making them freeze up for a moment
"This reminds me of the times we used to play hide and seek together! Remember that?! You two always complained I would find you wherever you were~!"
He probably got a detection quirk of some sort, Izuku mentally noted. Chances were he already knew where they were but he was just toying with them. Just great...

"You ready for this?" Izuku asked, double checking to be sure. He didn't want to push Kacchan into anything he didn't want to, even if he sort of forced One For All onto him just a minute ago.
"Yeah, let's get him" Katsuki nodded, the energy of his new quirk tingling under his skin.
"I'll get his left, you go at him from the right. We're not letting this bastard escape"
"Sounds like a plan" Izuku smiled.

//\\
\\//

Orange and green flashes dominated the skies above ground beta, loud bangs resonating throughout the entire campus. It was quite a scene to behold. A once in a lifetime event. But not all rare phenomena were positive occasions, Aizawa noted. Most of the villains were tied up by now and those who weren't, had escaped the scene. Pro heroes were murmuring amongst themselves, watching in awe at the display of power from afar.

Shouta just knew this involved those two problem children. It was instinct at this point. He didn't know how they were involved exactly, but he would be shocked if they weren't. And not only the pro's were gawking at the spectacle, but also the students, who were watching from the cafeteria. The flashes struck the sky like a thunderstorm, beautifully against the darkened background of the sky.

All Might watched with pride, knowing his protege was giving it his all out there. Knowing he had his partner right there beside him to give him all the support he needed. And he prayed, together with Inko. Hoping they would return safely, alive, and that All For One would be defeated. Is this how people felt when he fought at Kamino so many months ago? He could only imagine the tension they felt back then was the same he was feeling right now.

"Deku-kun..." Eri whispered, gaping at the green flashes of power that appeared at the horizon. Mirio was holding onto her as they watched, knowing she wasn't wrong. He'd seen Midoriya's quirk in action first hand, so had Eri. The way too familiar electricity reminded him of the kind of power he held and with how much passion he fought. If anyone could do this, it was him!

"Come on Midoriya! You can do this!" he yelled, getting strange looks from the people around him.
"Beat his ass, young Midoriya!" All Might chimed in, happily cheering on his successor in the biggest fight of his life.
"Yes! You can do this Deku-kun!" Uraraka exclaimed, starting a wave of chants and cheers, just like back then, at Kamino.

Endeavor watched the crowd grow louder, his eyes travelling back to the training grounds where the fight was happening.
"Hawks" he stated, not even looking at the man beside him.
"Yes sir!" he answered, knowing what to do without having to be told directly, spreading his wings as he turned to his fellow heroes.
"Come on! It's not over yet! We shouldn't leave all the hard work up to a pair of teenagers!"

A pair of teenagers. Those words didn't go unnoticed by the students as the pro's started moving again. All hero course students that were still capable of fighting joined in, determination filling their faces. Nobody was ordering them to stand down, knowing they needed all the help they could get if they were to face off against All For One.

"You better save my brat, you hear me?!"

Endeavor's eyes landed on the woman who just shouted, her red eyes filled with tears. He recognized her instantly, her face resembling that of her son.
"You better save him! Or I'll fucking kill you, understand?!" Mitsuki screamed.
"You too Katsuki! You better fucking live, you hear me?! If you dare die on me like this, I'll never forgive you! I'll drag you from the grave to kill you myself!"

Masaru finally caught up to her, completely out of breath. They weren't at UA when the attack happened. No, the heroes had allowed them to leave under the supervision of some B-rank hero so they could visit their company and get shit done. They were meeting with an important client when word of the attacks got out, broadcasted on live television. Masaru had never feared more for his life than in the car ride with Mitsuki that followed. The roads had been blocked off, so getting back here had been near impossible.

And as if he had heard his mother yell, a large explosion rumbled through the air, creating a large dust cloud at the horizon. Everything was eerily quiet after that. No more sounds of battle, no more lightning bolts dancing in the sky. Had it ended..? Was it over now..? The heroes couldn't help but rush towards ground beta, running even faster than before. They had to see it for themselves, they needed confirmation about what happened there.

Eraserhead was one of the first people to arrive at the large crater the blast had created. It was a painful reminder of how Bakugou was kidnapped for the second time and he truly hoped this wouldn't indicate the third. He ignored the way his students gasped at the scene, sliding down into the pit to see what was happening. The dust was slowly clearing, allowing them to see the figures of those who were at the bottom.

The biggest relief came when they could see All For One laying still on the ground, bloody and beaten. Any form of celebration was cut short when they laid eyes upon those who defeated him though... Midoriya sat there, his form trembling as small shocks sparked off his body, slowly dying out. Bakugou was hunched in front of him, his head resting on Izuku's shoulder while he coughed up blood. Both his arms were broken and burned, wrecked beyond recognition.

"And right before the curtains fall, your blood will spill over the stage~"

Those words echoed through Katsuki's mind as the agonizing pain slowly vanished into numbness. Izuku's sobs were growing more and more distant as he saw vague figures running towards them. He choked out more blood when he wanted to speak, wanted to warn Izuku about the possible new threat. He couldn't bring himself to utter out a single word. And then there was a strangled cry, a wail.

So full of emotion and pain and grief... A horrible sound, really. Would that really be the last sound he'd hear before disappearing for good? Before his body completely gave in and he just...vanished. Because that's what dying is, right? A light going out, a soul leaving this plain of existence... Katsuki had never been the religious type, never believed that there was something more after death. Yet now... Now he was desperately clinging onto that idea, wishing it was real.

"Restrain All For One! Make sure he doesn't escape!"

"Is everyone accounted for?!"

"Get a medic in here!"

"What's the status report?!"

Midoriya tried to ignore them, trying his best not to freak out as he held Kacchan in his arms. He was aware of the scream that escaped his mouth when someone tried touching him, but he didn't feel like he was in control of his body anymore. This... This couldn't be happening... It felt like the raid on their training camp all over again! Except now it was worse. Kacchan wasn't taken from him, not in the physical sense of the word. No, now he could still hold him in his arms and that made all of this so much worse!

"Midoriya" Aizawa called out, snapping his fingers next to his head to get his attention. Izuku blinked, slightly turning his head to stare at his teacher with a blank stare.
"I need you to let go of Bakugou, okay? We want to help but we'll have to get him out of here first"

Izuku didn't answer, holding Kacchan a little tighter. He had used One For All to boost Explosion, even when he knew his body wouldn't be able to take it. Maybe if his quirk was never stolen and he'd kept training, it would've been a different story... But now... Was there even anything they could do at this point..? It was worth trying, right? Everything was worth trying if it meant saving Kacchan!

He sucked in a shaky breath, his mouth feeling dry even though his face was wet with tears. Carefully, his grip loosened up, making Kacchan's body slip down.
"That's it" Aizawa said, guiding him in the process.
"I'm going to take him now, okay? Some people will come to treat you in a minute. They'll want to know what happened here, but you don't have to explain if you're uncomfortable with sharing. Take your time"

Izuku nodded, watching how Aizawa sensei took Kacchan into his arms and lifted him off the ground. It was weird seeing his body so limp. Odd. Izuku didn't like it...

"Deku-kun! Are you okay?!"

At some point Uraraka came into view, but he couldn't keep his attention on her. His eyes drifted back to Kacchan. To all the people who rushed over to his body, touching him, injecting things... He saw how familiar faces were pushed away, not allowed to reach him. And so Izuku stared, following the body of his boyfriend until it disappeared from view.

He hadn't even noticed when the blanket was thrown over his shoulders, nor the drop in temperature. The sun had set some time ago, the only light coming from the portable light sources sprawled around by the pro heroes.

"Midoriya"

It was Todoroki who spoke this time.

"We've been asked to leave"

Izuku hummed but didn't make any effort to get up. When he looked at Shoto's eyes, he could see the family resemblance to Dabi. Or Touya. The name didn't really matter. Made him wonder whether or not Shoto knew he was his brother... Probably not...

"Midoriya, it's time to move" Iida stated.

"Hmm" he hummed, allowing them to guide him back to the school. Recovery Girl healed him even though he'd already received first aid on ground beta. Or what was left of it, at least... Her kiss was enough to knock him out, forcefully pushing him into a dreamless sleep. Izuku was thankful for that. He didn't want to be awake anymore, wanted to forget about everything that went down that day, wanted it all to be a dream. Yeah, when he wakes up tomorrow he'll be in his dorm with a good morning text from Kacchan waiting on his phone.

A/N Next chapter will be the last chapter of this fic!! I'll give it to you as a Christmas present how bout that

*No Katsuki is not dead, no need to panic or freak out, just don't worry bout it, he'll be fine, I promise*