A State of Decay

Chapter 13

At this point, Izuku is just letting Shigaraki take complete control. 

He no longer wants to do anything. He doesn't want to try. It felt like the one thing he'd been hoping for and banking on for a while now, had slipped between his fingers, and he could do nothing about it. 

He hates that Shigaraki was right. He absolutely hates it. He wanted to give these people the benefit of the doubt, but all they saw was an opportunity to ambush him and take him down while he was unprepared. 

Shigaraki was taking him somewhere again. After calming him down on the rooftop, he'd whispered something to Izuku, but he hadn't been listening. He was too lost in his thoughts and the emotions that Shigaraki was washing over him. He tried the dumb breathing exercises to get his brain to stop, but it wasn't working. Instead, he was clinging to his ex-nemesis like his life depended on it, trying to focus on nothing else but the foreign emotions coursing through him. 

They were a comfort blanket of sorts, and it was interesting to Izuku that Shigaraki felt this way at all. He thought the man would want to gloat and rub it in his face that he was right about these villains, but instead, he only felt cared for. He could feel how Shigaraki felt toward him, and it was throwing him for a loop. 

Never in a million years would Izuku think that Shigaraky would be relieved that Izuku was okay. For a long time, they'd both wanted nothing more than to see the other one dead. But everything was different now. Everything was so different. 

Shigaraki touched down in front of a nice-looking home. His wings rescinded into his back, and he started walking them to the front door. This must be where Shigaraky lives. Before Shigaraki could carry him through the door like a damsel in distress, Izuku started to move, and Shigaraky let him down. They stood there facing each other for a moment before the taller of the two spoke up. 

"I thought maybe you could stay here until you're feeling better," Shigaraky says, rubbing the back of his head. His crimson eyes look everywhere but at Izuku. "Just to hang out, or whatever. I didn't want to leave you by yourself." 

"Um, yeah, okay," Izuku responds. He fidgets with his arm brace, adjusting the spot in the crease of his elbow. 

"I should warn you, though," Shigaraky says as he pulls a set of keys from the pocket of his black jeans. "If Himiko is awake, she's probably going to be annoying about me bringing you here. Just ignore what she says for the most part, and you'll be fine." 

"Right, okay," Izuku says, readying himself for what might be behind the door. 

And with that, Shigaraki opens the door. 

The entryway lights are dim, but as they head into the central part of the house, the living room is well-lit. Sitting on the couch are Toga and Dabi, who snap their heads up to look at Izuku upon his entry. 

"You finally brought your boyfriend home to meet us!" Toga says, throwing her remote down on the couch beside her before jumping over the back of the sofa. 

"He's not my-" Shigaraki starts, but Toga cuts him off. 

"Yeah, whatever. And damn, you guys look rough! Where did you go? Who'd ya fight?" She peers curiously over Shigaraki's shoulder at Izuku, who offers a small wave. 

"Let's not talk about that right now, okay?" Shigaraki says firmly. He's holding onto Midoriya's arm, whose face is beet red. 

He's still reeling over the fact that Toga had called him Shigaraki's boyfriend. The bond between them instantly snaps closed, and Izuku can no longer feel the comforting weight of Shigaraki's emotions in his chest. Everything feels just a little too light, a little too fast, and his head is swimming with his own thoughts and emotions at an alarming rate.