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Chapter 21: One Last Time

Dabi's back always looked so solid, leading Midoriya wherever they went. However, it no longer looked confident. Dabi's shoulders were slumped, but his arms tensed. Each step was hesitant.

"Once you are out safely, you need to be aware that the rest of them will be coming to kill you. No more tricks, just murder," stated Dabi.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For caring about me."

Dabi didn't respond. With every step he took, with every word he spoke, he felt like the world was crashing down on him. He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to distract himself, inwardly blaming the child who used her quirk on him for the pain in his chest.

"Dabi, are you sure you don't want to come with-"

"Stop. Don't say anything else." Dabi kept his eyes on the path ahead, unable to look back at the three behind him. His mind raced searching for an impossible answer. "I can't stand to hear your voice anymore."

Midoriya wanted to apologize, but he decided to do as Dabi requested: to shut up. Although Dabi was still helping them escape, he felt doubt over Dabi's feelings rising again. The actions Midoriya had taken, the manipulation, could have made his lover hate him. His heart twisted, and he found himself doubting his own determination. His timid hand reached out to Dabi's sleeve, unprompted by any quirk, only his aching heart.

As Midroiya's fingertips grazed the cloth of Dabi's jacket, the wall next to them disintegrated, revealing Shigaraki. The once demented eyes of an overgrown child glared at the group sharply, calmly finding their target. His arm stretched out towards Midoriya, who was frozen at the sight of this nearly all-powerful being. The collar of Midoriya's shirt pulled on his throat, choking him as his whole body was thrown back. His back hit the wall harshly. He rubbed his throat as he looked up at the tall figure standing between him and Shigaraki.

"Dabi, what is this?" asked Shigaraki. Dabi didn't bother answering. There was no use, and they both knew it. "I see. Then you'll have to die too."

In an instant, the hall glowed a blue hue as Shigaraki dodged Dabi's flames. Midoriya grabbed the twins, enveloping them in his arms and rolling them to one side. A sharp pain struck Midoriya's back. Yuya screamed when she saw Toga behind Midoriya with one of her syringes filling up with Midoriya's blood. Dabi looked back as he heard the scream, raising his arm towards Toga, and releasing a steady stream of fire until he just barely escaped Shigaraki's hand aimed at his head.

Midoriya reached back, gripping the syringe. He took a deep breath before yanking it out in one swift motion. Yuya couldn't form the words to ask about his injury, so he simply smiled at her, hoping to calm her. Before he could comfort her, though, Yuta screamed out something, alerting Midoriya that danger was near. He picked them up and jumped just out of reach. One of the lackeys from the liberation Midoriya hadn't bothered to memorize the name of stood dumbfounded that he missed with his large club for an arm.

How could Midoriya strike back, he thought. He couldn't leave the twins to fend for themselves. More of the remaining forces started pouring into the area. Some closed in near Dabi, while others started towards Midoriya and the twins. There was only one escape route left directly behind Midoriya, but Dabi was surrounded and was holding off Shigaraki alone. Escaping with the twins meant abandoning him. He couldn't bring himself to do that. Instead, he'd have to strike even if it was risky.

Midoriya pushed the twins behind his back, telling them to stay put. He hoped using his quirk here wouldn't rebound like before, but he couldn't second guess it anymore. He pushed off with 20% of One-for-All, knocking out dozens of villains as he got closer to Dabi.

"What are you doing?!" shouted Dabi.

"I've got these guys! Just focus on Shigaraki," said Midoriya. Dabi simply grunted his disapproval, knowing Midoriya wouldn't listen to whatever he said in the moment. One by one the villains were knocked out by Midoriya's strong kicks. However, more reserves filled the hall. Luckily, Midoriya thought, they were crowding him alone. That was until he heard Yuya.

"Izu!" cried Yuya. The world seemed to move in slow motion as Midoriya looked back towards her running towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Midoriya saw a dark mass charging him. That familiar dark coat and black hair fluttering as the figure quickly approached, a knife and azure flame in hand. The bloodlust in Dabi's eyes penetrated Midoriya's soul. His battle instincts crashed as he watched his lover attack him.

"Yuya!" shouted Yuta, following suit, and jumping between his sister and the approaching villain. Dabi's face twisted into Toga's ever familiar grin, snapping Midoriya out of his trance, and he dove to pull the kids into safety before they were hit.

All three were swept up in a whirlwind inferno too bright for their eyes. The twins clung on as Midoriya held them to his chest. Midoriya forced his eyes open slightly to take note of what happened. A dark trench coat swayed amongst the sea of flames.

Dabi had managed to intercept the attack, but only at a great cost to his own body. His right arm turned to ash in a split second. Blood gushed from his shoulder. He stumbled back just out of Shigaraki's reach, avoiding a fatal blow. Midoriya choked at the sight. He pulled Yuya and Yuta behind him as he rose to his feet, ready to jump in.

"Stay back, Izuku!" yelled Dabi, halting Midoriya instantly. "Take the brats and go."

"But, Dabi, I can't leave you! Please-"

"Your only responsibility now is to protect Yuya and Yuta." All three were speechless. It was the first time Dabi used their names. Midoriya knew the children needed to be his priority in this situation, but his heart cried out, tearing away at his resolve.

"Look at your state right now!" Midoriya searched desperately for anything he could say to convince Dabi to let him help or escape together. "How are you going to defeat Endeavor if you die here?!" cried out Midoriya, desperately reaching out to Dabi.

"...At some point you became more important than anything else, even my revenge," whispered Dabi with a voice just loud enough to be heard above the chaos around them. "Maybe you were right earlier. So, I've made my final decision. I will live and die for you."

"But I- How am I supposed to live without you?" asked Midoriya, choking back the tears.

"In the eyes of the court, I'd be put to death anyway, Izuku. Let me do this my way." Dabi looked back at Midoriya, without saying another word, the slightest of smiles across his face.

One last look.

One last goodbye.

Dabi's eyes glowed with a sadness Midoriya had only seen in one other person, someone with the same blue eye. Abandonment. Neglect. Self-hatred. All they ever wanted was for someone to love them, but those dreams were crushed the moment their freedom was stolen away, forced to live out someone else's dream. Then, their hatred propelled them onto a path of destruction. Todoroki found a support system before it was too late, but Dabi was completely alone. Now, once again, that dream was being torn apart along with any hope of love and acceptance. Without hope for a future.

The contained fire separating the villains from Midoriya, and the kids quickly spread, engulfing the hall and everything inside just beyond Midoriya, including Dabi. The dancing flames twirled up his body; skin slowly catching fire, blisters forming, and his clothes turning to ash. Screams and curses from the remaining villains were nearly drowned out by the crackling of the inferno. Beyond the sea of blue Dabi's figure was merely a blur.

Midoriya wanted to jump into the wall of fire, to protect Dabi from his own flames. However, he knew Dabi wouldn't want that. They both made their choices. Perhaps the only choices available to them. It took everything to not give into the urge to save him, so Midoriya took a small hand from each of the twins. He needed to put a lock on his feelings, to focus solely on protecting the children until they could reach safety. They looked up at their protector, concern filling their small bodies as they watched the tears fall from Midoriya's eyes.

"Let's go..."