Claws Out (Marvel x MHA fanfiction)

Chapter 27 - Continued Conversations

Time seemed to blur together and fade into a rapid stop that stole every ounce of breath from Y/n's lungs. What will it be? All Might's words echoed through her mind in a flurry haze.

What will it be? Push someone who had only ever trusted her and shown kindness? Or let him in on a life-changing, maybe even world-altering if the right people knew, secret that would either solidify his loyalty or make him hate her. What will it be?

This wasn't fair. Why, why, why, whywhywhywhyWHY— Why didn't Y/n get the chance to live a normal life for more than a day before the reality of her situation came crashing in to ruin everything she kept trying to build? What will it be?

The girl looked between the number one hero and his apprentice. Midoriya looked at her with a wide-eyed stare, he had so many questions swimming behind his bright green irises. Looking at All Might it was almost the exact opposite, there were so many answers floating around his blue eyes.

What will it be? I guess... God, I don't know. I want my dad's. I want Hitoshi. I want 22. I want my friends, I want Katsuki... I guess, most of all, I don't want to be alone. "Stay," Y/n said while grabbing one of Midoriya's hands in hers. "Please."

The green-haired boy nodded and gripped her hand back, there was understanding in his eyes. Like he understood that, even if Y/n didn't particularly want him to know what All Might was about to reveal, her want for companionship overruled that.

"Well then, I suppose we should start at the beginning." All Might cleared his throat and began telling Midoriya Y/n's story. Of the lab, of the experiments, of the pain, and the death. Of course, it wasn't the in-depth perspective that lived in X-22 and X-23's minds, but it was enough to get the horror across. The same story Y/n told Bakugou and Kaminari the night they found 22.

And though her hand never left his, Y/n found that staring out the window while All Might spoke was better than meeting Midoriya's horrified gaze.

-

Ten years ago, in the lab

"Come on, 23, work with me here. I've gotta clean you up before bed." X-22 spoke in a low and soothing voice, one that carried too much maturity for a nine-year-old.

The six-year-old X-23 sat naked in a small tub of bloodied water that had long since gone cold. Her hair was matted, her tiny body was covered in still-healing cuts and bruises, and her eyes held nothing in them. She just blankly stared at the wall with her arms wrapped around her knees.

It had been yet another brutal appointment: Electroshock, acid, heat, needles, and other sharp objects poking into the natural pressure points around her body, and being encased in the chair any time she dared fight back.

X-22 did what he could to comfort her. He had convinced one of the older kids with a fire quirk— X-17— to stay awake a little longer and reheat the bath water in preparation for the girl now seated in front of him. She was the doctor's favorite plaything, they could unleash any terrifying experiment on her because she'd bounce back from it. That usually meant her appointments lasted twice as long and the girl came out half the person she was when she went in.

Sometimes 22 wondered how long it would be until she was nothing more than a husk.

"23, please, we're almost done." The sapphire-haired boy ran the pink-tinted sponge over the girl's back, the familiar tattoo was a dark ailment on her seemingly untouched skin. "Today was laundry day, I managed to snatch you one of the nicer gowns before the older kids got their hands on them."