Artifice

Your Power

The weekend leading up to Izuku’s return to U.A. was torture. Every possible outcome played on a loop in his mind, making it hard to breathe.

By Sunday night, he was falling apart.

He sat on the edge of his bed, leg bouncing, fingers nervously tugging at his shirt. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Dabi come in and sit beside him.

“You alright?” Dabi’s voice startled him out of his thoughts.

Izuku flinched. “Yeah,” he muttered, still bouncing his leg, eyes fixed on the floor.

Dabi watched him for a moment. “I know it’s scary as hell. But you’ll push through it.”

Izuku just nodded, his voice barely a whisper. “I think I’ll go to bed early.”

Dabi rose to leave. “Alright. Goodnight, kid.”

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As Izuku stepped through the gates of U.A. after what felt like an eternity, a wave of tension gripped him. The familiar hallways seemed different somehow—brighter, louder, yet strangely hollow. Every sound felt amplified, every passing student’s glance like a spotlight on him. He kept his head down, gripping the straps of his bag tightly, trying to keep his breathing steady.

His steps were slow, cautious, almost as if he were afraid the ground might vanish beneath him. The warmth he once felt here was now replaced by an undercurrent of dread, each familiar sight triggering a memory he wanted to suppress. Conversations drifted by, snippets of laughter and chatter, but Izuku’s focus was on staying invisible.

A few classmates noticed him, their surprise evident, though he avoided their eyes. He could feel the weight of their curiosity and concern, as if they could sense the changes in him even without knowing what he’d been through. His chest tightened, and for a moment, he wondered if he’d made the right choice coming back.

But as he approached his homeroom door, he steeled himself, forcing his shoulders back.

He pushed through the door reluctantly. His eyes were fixed to the floor as he sped walked to his seat. He felt several eyes locking on him, watching him as he made his way to his desk.

"What the hell?" The dumbfounded blond entered the classroom with his mouth open. He immediately stormed up to Izuku and slammed his hands down on the boys' desk. At the sudden sound, Izuku jumped but tried to play it off.

"I need to have a word with you." Bakugo seethed.

"A-alright." Izuku shuttered.

Bakugo grabbed the cuff of Izuku's shirt and dragged him to the bathroom. He checked under the stall doors before slamming the door closed.

"Well?!" The blond yelled more out of desperation than anger. "What the hell was that, Deku?! You went silent! I thought you killed yourself! Then you come back as a villain! You thought I wouldn't notice it was you because of a shitty dye job and some makeup?! I thought you wanted to be a hero!" He continued yelling as tears threatened to leave his eyes.

"I- I-" Izuku backed up quickly and slammed himself against the wall. He slid down the wall as he cradled his head in his hands, using his arms as a shield. His body trembled as his breathing quickened, and tears started to stream down his face.

"I'm sorry." He repeated over and over, breaking Bakugo's heart each time he apologized.

Bakugo's POV:

What the hell happened to you?  I thought as I watched Izuku curl into himself.

This wasn’t the kid I used to pick fights with—the one who never stayed down, no matter how much I yelled or fought. I felt my chest tighten.

Did I- Did I help break you?

I should’ve been angry. I wanted to be angry. At Izuku for disappearing, for making me worry, for coming back as some broken version of himself. But instead, all I felt was helplessness—a sharp, raw ache that settled in my chest and wouldn’t go away.

“Deku,” I said, my voice quieter now, almost unsure. But Izuku didn’t respond, lost in his panic.

Damn it.

I crouched down in front of him, my movements slow, deliberate. I knew better than to shout again. Shouting wouldn’t help. Shouting had never helped.

I swallowed hard, watching Izuku’s hands grip his hair like he was trying to hold himself together. His breaths came in shallow gasps, tears streaming down his face, and for the first time in my life, I realized just how fragile Izuku really was.

This isn’t like you, Deku. What the hell happened while you were gone?

A flicker of anger rose in my chest—not at Izuku, but at whoever had done this to him. Whoever had taken the stubborn, hopeful kid I had always known and turned him into this.

3rd POV:

He looked at the sobbing boy and made a decision he's never made before.
He wasn’t good at this—at comforting people. But he couldn’t just leave Izuku like this.

"Hey…" Bakugo’s voice was quieter than he’d ever heard it, his hand hesitating before resting on Izuku’s shoulder. "It’s just me."

Izuku flinched at the touch, curling tighter into himself, and it broke something in Bakugo. He’d seen Izuku scared before, but never of him. Never like this.

"Shit," Bakugo muttered under his breath. He sat back on his heels, running a hand through his hair. He wasn’t good at this—at comforting people. But he couldn’t just leave Izuku like this.

His mind raced, flashes of their past fights playing in his head. How many times had he called him useless? How many times had he pushed him down, only to watch him get back up with that stupid, determined look in his eyes?

I did this, didn’t I? I broke him just like those bastards did.

The thought made his stomach twist, and for the first time, Bakugo felt something he hadn’t let himself feel in years: guilt.

"I’m not mad," Bakugo said softly, his voice steady. "I’m not gonna hurt you, Deku. I swear."

He hesitated, then leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Izuku’s trembling form. The hug was awkward, stiff. Bakugo didn’t know what the hell he was doing, but he didn’t let go.

"It’s alright," he murmured, his hand moving in slow, uncertain circles on Izuku’s back. "You’re gonna be okay."

Izuku’s sobs only grew louder, but Bakugo held on tighter, his jaw clenching as he felt the boy shaking in his arms.

"It's alright. I'm not mad, and I won't hurt you. I promise." Bakugo reassured as he swayed the two of them.

"I'm sorry I tried to hurt you." Izuku whispered into Bakugo's chest.

"But you didn't hurt me. You could've, but you didn't." He soothed as he rubbed circles on Izuku's back.

"B-but I killed those two guys." Izuku continued to cry.

"Did all of us a favor." Bakugo chuckled softly.

After a long while of the two sitting on the floor, Izuku's sobs started to quiet. Bakugo took this as a sign that he had fallen asleep.

He decided that he didn't want to go back to class and much rather go to his dorm, and he would take Izuku with him.

He carefully picked Izuku up and wrapped the boys legs around his torso so he would be easier to carry.

He took the sleeping boy all the way to his dorm and sat on the bed with him in his lap.

Bakugo sat against the headboard, his arms still cradling Izuku. He stared at the ceiling, his mind racing. "I won’t let anyone hurt you again," he muttered, though Izuku was in too deep of sleep to hear it.
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Not me sobbing at my own story, smh

Title is Your Power by Billie Eilish

Check out my other story, Light Within The Dark. It's a similar concept to this, but more reformation, plus it's TodoDeku.