Lacrimosa

Broken pipes protrude thorn-like in every direction, leaking damp, musty fog, and filthy water. Sparks of electricity dance from busted lightbulbs, leaving the occasional flash of light against concrete walls. Sounds of impact echoed in the claustrophobic space of the underground space, twisting metal groaning with every crash.

A man crouches behind a thick clump of pipes, hidden away from the light. His red and white hair hangs damp and limp over his eyes, its neat bun long ruined. Green lightning crackles in the distance, lurking ominously closer. He places a hand over his mouth to cover his panicked breathing.

“Shouto…” a soft voice coos, its sinister tone betraying his intentions. Shouto’s fist clenches tighter, pupils constricting with fear. 

“You can’t hide from me, Shouto. We’ve never been able to hide anything from each other.”

Tears burn in his eyes as Shouto fearfully begins to crawl away under the pipes. That voice - it’s killing him. The same strong voice which led teams into danger and always emerged victorious, that crooned loving words into Shouto’s ears every night before they went to sleep.

An evil voice, a siren song to his own demise.

A large crash boomed through the area as pipes were blown flat against the far wall, and Shouto was thrown into the water with the aftershocks. Hardly aware of its muddy filth, he stayed completely still, breathing shakily though his nose. Despite trying to keep calm, his body was trembling.

“Lovers don’t hide things from each other, Shouto. Why are you hiding from me?”

A muted whimper leaks from Shouto’s mouth as he desperately begins to army crawl toward the stairs, dropping all pretenses at keeping quiet. Anything to get further away from that sickeningly sweet tone. The stairs were in sight - only a few more steps, only a few more-

“Found you!”

Shouto screams as hands wrap around his ankles like an iron vise, pulling him back and flinging him back into the mound of pipes. He quickly wraps himself in ice to soften the collision that still rattles his brain, but it still isn’t enough to stop the shockwaves of force that come afterwards.

He unleashes a wall of flame straight ahead, forcing his attacker to leap out of the way. A few moments pass and he sends a wall of ice, then another wall of flame, switching back and forth in frenzied panic. Sweat drips down his face as Shouto scans the room.

“You know I’m smarter than that, Shouto.”

Shouto chokes as two hands wrap around his mouth and neck from behind, yanking him backward, shattering the frozen pipes. Before he can throw another barrage of attacks, he’s lifted by his collar and feels a crushing blow to his right cheek, sending him flying. 

Opening his mouth to scream, he spits up blood. One of the pipes, jagged from the cut of the ice, now protrudes from underneath his sternum. The agony hits him a moment later, and he lets out a wheezing sob. Scarred hands prod at his injury, slithering up to his face and forcing him to look into the crazed eyes of the man determined to kill him.

------

What is ‘good’?

What is ‘right’?

Why do we let the wrong people decide what is ‘right’?

Izuku has finally decided: he's had enough. He no longer desires to be on the side of 'good'. He’s had a revelation - it's all false, and a bunch of shining false idols have done nothing but spit propaganda in his face for years. A society that made him its shiniest puppet, mimicking that propaganda. But no more. He had to truly immerse himself in his new cause, wash away the stains of his old life.

One stain in particular would not scrub clean.  

Todoroki Shouto was pinned, blood pouring from his mouth and his open chest wound. Izuku could see how much it pained Shouto to look into his eyes, how distraught he was to meet his predatory gaze. He gently touched the wound, then caressed his beloved’s face, leaving behind bloody palmprints. 

“Gotcha!” he teased.

"Izuku... Izuku please!" Shouto pled, bloody tears mixing with the water below. "You don't have to do this.” He held out his hands, grasping at his face. Izuku lovingly rubbed his face into the weak hold. “You can still go back. We can still go back! Don't do this... Do the right thing, please..." 

The right thing?

Currently bleeding to death was the love of Izuku’s life, his partner in heroism, the one he promised to protect from anything and everything. The one person that he trusted over all others, staring at him like a monster. Shouto would never know how much his original betrayal hurt, how it twisted like a knife in Izuku for days afterwards.

‘You’re just having a hard time right now with work.’ Shouto had placated, oblivious, blind. ‘We should take a break, get some fresh air, maybe go to the beach.’

That night, lying in bed next to his heart and staring up at the ceiling, Izuku realized the truth. 

Love was the one thing holding him back. Sacrifice was always necessary. He had to let go of what he loved the most. True heroism was giving up everything, having attachments to nothing other than the cause.  

But why did it have to hurt so fucking much?

Shouto was staring at him, eyes now pleading for mercy. Other memories flash between them - a confession in high school, surprise bouquets, sweet dinner dates, passionate nights, a gorgeous engagement ring. Shouto offered love and more - a return to normal. But Izuku wasn’t selfish. Normal wasn’t what the world needed anymore.

Izuku firmly placed his hands onto Shouto’s cheeks, tears falling from both of their eyes. 

"I'm sorry Shouto,” he murmurs, voice cracking from its earlier taunting lilt. “I love you so much...but I have to do this..." 

Shouto’s eyes widened with fear as Izuku leaned in. 

"You don't understand now, and as much as it hurts me, it’s okay. I understand you, and I don't want you to see me this way,” he sobs. “I don't want you to suffer because of me, Shouto. I'm going to change this world, and then one day I'll join you. I promise."

Izuku lifts Shouto’s left hand and gently removes his ring, and Shouto wails.

“No! Zu, please don’t, no…Don’t do this… I love you…” Slowly losing consciousness, his eyes are rolling back in his head as he tries to focus.

Izuku smiles, sniffling softly as he removes his own ring. “I love you too, Shou.”

Their lips connect softly before he snaps Shouto's neck.