Work Text:
In.
Out.
Blood.
Izuku sat up quickly against the wall, mind racing through the events of the last few days, trying to piece everything together into a cohesive timeline to no avail. It was all just a mess of pain and darkness.
As he sat up, he looked around wearily, straining his ears to hear past the ringing and blood that coated them to figure out if anyone was coming. Silence for now, from what he could tell. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but he supposed it didn’t matter now, whether anyone would come to save him or not. He wasn’t making it out of this either way.
His head was light, too light. He sort of felt that he would fly away at any moment if it had not been for the sharp pain that radiated throughout his entire body.
Not all of the wounds causing his pain were huge, but there were so many, not to mention what little was left of his stomach, that it didn’t really matter. He was going to die here.
Taking a deep breath, he focused inward, trying to keep track of his wounds and figure out where they were so he wouldn’t agitate them further, but all he could do was smell the blood. It overwhelmed his senses, making his head lighter than it already was with the stench of iron and blood. Just blood. He tried to hold his breath, even, but it only made the stench worse once he let out his breath.
Large gashes on his forearms, deep into his tendons and muscle, crusty now. They were the first thing they had hurt. Giant wound covering his stomach and abdomen, still oozing blood. His legs were broken at every joint, starting at the ankles. He didn’t even bother trying to move them. There was no point. His hair was crusty and stiff, caked with blood from the headwound in his hairline.
He sighed and took another breath, just trying to ignore the stench of the blood. In many ways, he wasn’t really sure if he wanted anyone to save him. Even if they came, which he thought that they might, eventually, they wouldn’t be able to really save him. It was too late for him. His body was in such a state of broken disarray and pain that he knew he would not live to see the light of day. What would even be the point if they did come? It wouldn’t matter either way. He would still die here, it would just be putting the pressure of his death upon them.
From beyond the door in front of him that led out of the room, he heard footsteps. Were they coming to save him? Or were his captors just coming back to finish the job?
The door handle jiggled and after a moment, opened up to reveal a tall figure backlit by the light in the hallway.
Having the first bits of light since he had been imprisoned hurt his eyes, but seeing who the figure was, he couldn’t particularly say that he cared. Yagi-san was here.
He would be safe. He didn’t really want to die alone, lost and forgotten by all who cared about him. He wanted someone there for him in his last moments. Yes, he didn’t want to put the pressure of his death upon his mentor, but at the same time, he just wanted someone there to hold him in last moments.
Yagi-san rushed forward to Izuku, but stopped short once he saw the terrible condition that Izuku’s body was in, “Izuku?” his mentor asked carefully, his voice cracking.
“Hey…” Izuku whispered breathlessly, “You came.”
Yagi-san kneeled down next to Izuku, gently propping up his head with one hand. “Of course I did, Izuku. I wouldn’t leave you, I’ve told you that so many times before.”
“You still didn’t have to,” Izuku whispered jokingly, his chest heaving painfully as he gave a weak chuckle. He was just grateful that the man was here. He didn’t want to be alone right now.
Yet, even as he joked, Izuku could feel his life fading from him. His eyelids grew heavy and he could feel the pain starting to diminish and become numb. It wasn’t a good sign. He didn’t have a lot of time left and he knew it. He just wanted to say his goodbyes now, before he couldn’t.
He regretted not doing it before, he didn’t want to use his last moments saying goodbye but he knew he had to do it.
He couldn’t leave his goodbyes ungiven when there was so much to say.
“I wanted to. You’re like a son to me, Izuku. I couldn’t just leave you. I know that I’m not as strong as I used to be, but I still want to be here for you through thick or thin. The other heroes are coming, they’ll be here soon with paramedics,” Yagi-san told him, emotion and sentiment obvious in his voice.
“Would you say goodbye to them for me?” Izuku asked suddenly.
“You’re going to make it, my boy. I wouldn’t worry about that,” Yagi-san tried to reassure him. Izuku just gave him a sad smile.
“I know what it feels like to be dying, Yagi-san. I’ve had near misses before,” Izuku told him, in a gently convincing tone.
Tears dripped down onto Izuku’s face. When did Yagi–san begin crying? He didn’t want him to cry. His mentor would be sad for his death, yes, everyone would be. But, he didn’t want that to stop them from continuing to move on. Revenge and grief makes mistakes.
“Do not grieve for me,” Izuku said quietly, “I am a martyr of our cause, not a symbol of our destruction.” He coughed up some blood, entire body shaking as he hacked.
Izuku reached up one of his battered arms, caked in blood and moving shakily with the sheer lack of wounds that covered the arm, and roughly pulled out a piece of his own hair.
“Take- take it back, there are others who will continue on the legacy,” Izuku told his mentor a little breathlessly.
He offered it to Yagi-san, a pleading look in his eyes.
Yagi-san gently pressed Izuku’s arm back down to his side, his fingers becoming covered in the wet blood that had partially hardened into a gooey mess, “All for One is locked away, now. We don’t need to keep going in this vicious cycle of retribution and death. Keep it, One for All is yours, regardless of what happens to it. Its legacy is done. You’ve done so much, my boy. The world doesn’t need anything more from you, it’s only what you want to give it, now.”
“But Shigaraki…” Izuku replied quietly, a wave of bitter exhaustion washing over him.
He fought to keep his eyes open and himself awake. He didn’t want to go, now. Just a little bit more time…
“Shigaraki will be handled by a team of pros, he was never your responsibility to begin with. Don’t worry about it, Izuku. Just keep holding on for me, okay?”
Izuku hummed lightly in a noise of agreement and said quietly, not being able to speak very loudly, “I’ll… I’ll try, okay? Just, if I don’t make it, do tell them goodbye for me. I’ve got a box of letters under my bed, the key is inside a slit in my pillow. It’s got all of their goodbye letters just in case.”
“I- Okay, my boy. I’ll take care of it for you, if it ever comes to that. It won’t, though, right? You won’t give up?”
“Thank you, but I won’t make promises I can’t keep,” Izuku responded, his head beginning to go into the clouds. It was so hard to stay there with his mentor when all he wanted to do was drift away peacefully. He was done with the pain, with everything that had happened. He didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
“Izuku,” Yagi-san whispered in response, voice hitching and tears beginning to flow more onto Izuku’s stomach wound, creating a sudden difference in sensation and texture.
The tears dripped from the edge of his stomach wound, mixing with the blood, onto the cracked hard pavement beneath him.
His eyelids flickered.
“I- I’m sorry,” Izuku said quietly, barely able to stay conscious enough to speak now.
“It’s okay, my boy,” Yagi-san ran his fingers through Izuku’s hair, gently picking apart the clumps of blood and wiping the blood from his forehead. “I’m oh so proud of you.”
“Goodnight, Dad,” Izuku whispered and closed his eyes, letting himself drift away. He could finally go, he didn’t have to keep holding on anymore. It would be okay.
He sunk deep into the darkness behind his eyelids, allowing the current that seemed to wash through his mind pull him away.
“Goodnight, Izuku,” was the last thing he heard before the blackness consumed him.
It would all be okay.