I'm Not Going Anywhere Without You (BakuDeku)

I'm Not Going Anywhere Without You

       Looking in the mirror, he wondered how he'd become like this. He didn't just look tired, he looked dead. His cheeks were gaunt and the circles under his eyes might as well have been drawn with charcoal.

       Izuku was stuck in a hotel room for the time being. Kacchan was there too as a "guard" to make sure he couldn't escape to go after AFO or Shigaraki. He was annoyed with this—more than annoyed—but the Quirk Canceling cuffs holding his wrists together didn't leave much room for argument.

       "Deku, get out here!" Kacchan hadn't said much since he pulled Izuku out of the citizens under The Dictator's control. With the addition of his command, ten words had transpired between the two of them.

       Izuku opened the bathroom door to meet Kacchan's annoyed red gaze.

       "Food's here, " was all he said. He held a plastic bag in one hand and a TV remote in the other. The TV with only five channels buzzed noisily in the background.

       "Thanks." Izuku muttered. He followed Kacchan over to the double queen beds and climbed into one while Kacchan perched himself at the foot of the other. It felt odd to be in something as comfortable as a bed, even if it wasn't his own. It wasn't long before he was sinking low into the plush pillows, food only half eaten. He was still hungry, stomach growling low in the depths of his stomach, but he was so tired.

       "Sleep." Kacchan commanded. "You can eat the rest later." It was odd how docile—how nice—he was being. Izuku wasn't used to it, nor did he care. His eyes were slipping closed and the noise from the TV became a white noise that helped to only lull him further into sleep.

      The city was burning. Smoke filled Izuku's lungs with every inhale. His classmates—his family—littered around him like dead flies. Amid the ash and destroyed buildings, All-for-One stood tall, laughing like he'd won.

       "My my, Izuku Midoriya." He chortled. "It seems that I've finally won this little game of ours. So foolish of All Might to push so much power in the hands of a child." He spat the word out like it was acidic.

       Izuku didn't speak. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. It had to be a hallucination, another Quirk of AFO's.

       "Such a defiant look." AFO mocked. "If only you could wake up and see how useless this all is." There was something odd about his voice. Something slightly off.

       Still, Izuku didn't answer. He growled savagely in his chest. The action sent blood bubbling up into his mouth. He spit it out on the debris.

       "Poor. Useless. Izuku." He accentuated each word with a step from his make-shift high ground. "It must be awfully exhausting to work so hard to come up so short. You're delusional." He stopped right in front of Izuku, towering over him like All Might had once been able to do. "I think it's time you stop fighting for a useless cause and wake up." Again, his voice sounded off. Not as sophisticated and a little more gravelly. Just like—

       "Wake up!"

       Izuku's eyes shot open with a gasp. It tore at his throat raggedly and he curled in on himself as if he could ward off his surroundings. He was scared. He was so fucking scared. He could be Kacchan behind him, could feel the air moving. He scrambled off the bed so violently he almost collapsed on the floor in an attempt to grab his bag. He had to get out. He had to find AFO. His dream couldn't have been just that. It had to have been a premonition AFO sent out. Him gloating to Izuku and letting him know he couldn't win. He had to try, right? He needed to figure something out.

       "Deku, what the fuck?!" Kacchan was between the beds, eyes wide. The cuffs were still on his wrists. He needed to find a way to get them off. Maybe Gran Torino—