Safe In Your Arms

They stand atop the ruins of what-Izuku thinks might have-once been a movie theater or a bank. Most of the refugees were evacuated via helicopter, and those that weren't are either bunkering down somewhere or....

Izuku doesn't want to think about the or in that particular situation. He can't afford to lose control of his emotions.

"One for All!" All for One calls out. His face isn't hidden away behind a mask, and for some unmistakable reason Izuku feels a weird sort of wrong (familiar, the word you're looking for is familiar) when he stares too long at his enemy's face.

"I'm going to stop you!" Izuku shouts back, letting One for All crisscross his body in lines of green-white lightning. He won't attack, at least not yet. Not without a semi-thought-out plan. But he still needs to keep All for One at bay or amuse him (judging by the smirk on his smug, very familiar, punchable face).

"Will you now?" He asks, taking a step closer. "I would love to see you try."

He's closer now, and Izuku can't stop staring at his face. All the alarm bells are going off in his head.

(You know him; he knows you.)

"Get back!" Izuku gets into position to fight just in case All for One lunges for him. His hands are shaking quite badly, and his palms are starting to itch.

"Now, One for All," he croons, mockingly, "it almost seems like you're afraid of me. But that can't be true, can it?"

Izuku itches at his palms, trying to avoid looking at All for One longer than absolutely necessary. "You know nothing!"

(He knows you; he's always known you.)

An odd look comes over All for One's face. "I know you, Izuku Midoriya."

Izuku cringes back. This can't be good. U. A's student files have a lot of information in them. Everything from what allergies they have to their home addresses and everything in between. It's likely he got the file from Aoyama. He hopes his friend, despite the current circumstances, is faring alright in protective custody.

All for One continues on. "Your favorite color is red. Katsudon is your favorite food." He clasps his hands behind his back, the smirk returning to his face. Slowly, he starts to creep closer. "You live in an apartment with your mother right here in Musutafu."

Izuku feels warm, like he's slowly but surely burning up from the inside out. His palms hurt, and it takes everything in him not to draw attention to it.

All for One is a few feet away now. "Her name is Inko Midoriya-"

"Leave my mother out of this!" He yells, even though it's unlikely All for One will listen. Using people's families against them is his thing.

"-she's forty-one," he continues on as if never interrupted. "She's married to your father." The villain monologues more, but Izuku can't concentrate. Even with everything at stake, all the lives on the line, and seven predecessors cheering him on, he can't focus.

All Might would be so disappointed in him. He's certainly disappointed in himself.

A sharp pain radiates from the center of Izuku's palms all the way up to his wrists. "Ah!" He cries out, knees folding in. Izuku clutches his hands to his chest.

"Have you finally given up?" All for One ask, but his voice doesn't have the same mocking edge it did a few moments earlier. When Izuku doesn't respond, he sighs heavily.

Izuku stares at the ground, eyes unfocused. There's so much dust. When the heroes get everything back under control and they can start rebuilding their livelihoods, he wonders where they'll start first. It's hard to imagine what this town, the town he's grown up in most of his life, used to look like.