Deku's Descent | BNHA | BakuDeku | ShotoDeku

Chapter 19 - Distractions

After the bathroom incident Izuku had escaped from the University and gone straight back to the club. He couldn't face going home, he wanted to lose himself in men, alcohol and drugs. But most of all he wanted to forget about Kaachan and Todoroki.

His wish was swiftly answered late Thursday night when Tomura strode into the club and right into Izuku's booth, kicking his two other customers out. The man had barely said a word to Izuku as he summoned the boy to his side and exited the club again.

Tomura had held the car door open for Izuku and shut it behind him before setting off towards the hotel. There was a strange atmosphere emanating from the man however and it made Izuku uneasy. Usually by the time Shigaraki would pick him up Izuku would have worked his way through half the bar and wouldn't be able to tell his left from his right but tonight had been unusual. His customers had been tipping large amounts and not buying him as much booze which had left him feeling tipsy instead of drunk, he thought All Might was probably behind it. With his wits more about him than usual he noticed that they were driving to one of Tomura's regular hotels, which helped Izuku relax slightly as it meant he'd be able to return home more easily.

When they arrived it was nearly 1am, and it was silent in the car park as they walked to the elevator. Izuku grew more tense as they walked, realising he was almost completely sober now. Stepping into the small space Izuku positioned himself as far away from Tomura as possible. The older man was standing in the middle with his back to Izuku, slightly hunched over and occasionally scratching at his neck as the elevator began to rise. As Izuku watched he saw Tomura's scratching intensify. When he drew his hand away Izuku could make out blood on his fingertips and sucked in a shocked breath which tore through the silence of the confined space.

Tomura turned to look over his shoulder, his face a blank mask showing no emotion. Izuku shuffled his feet under the other man's gaze and looked down at the floor wishing he could melt into the wall behind him. Saved by the bell, Tomura turned as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Izuku sighed with relief and hurried out after Tomura along the corridor.

Too preoccupied with his thoughts Izuku didn't notice the other man stopping outside a door and walked straight into him with a panicked gasp, immediately beginning a hurried apology but Tomura raised his hand silencing the boy, who again lowered his gaze to the floor with embarrassment. Hearing a click followed by the sound of movement Izuku looked hesitantly back up and saw Tomura now holding the door open for him and quickly dashed inside.

Izuku's skin was crawling with nerves and his eyes were darting around the room as he entered, not sure how to handle the situation when he was sobering up so quickly. "I can't get out of this now.." he thought bitterly to himself, turning to take in the other half of the room as he did. He froze at the sight of a tall dark haired stranger lounging about at the far end of the room. Izuku's eyebrows rose and his mouth gaped open before he could stop himself. The man Izuku was staring at was covered in dark red and purple scars, covering half of his face, chest and arms. The man watched Izuku with disinterest as he lit a cigarette.

The door clicked shut behind him but Izuku couldn't take his eyes off the stranger. 'What on earth did this man do to end up with scars like that? How is he alive? Is he dangerous? And why is he even here...?' Izuku's mind went into overdrive as he tried to work out who this man could be but as he stared Tomura walked up closely next to him and reached out his hand, gripping the back of Izuku's neck tightly which sent cold shivers down Izuku's spine. Leaning down to Izuku's ear Tomura whispered, "Don't mind Dabi, he's just here to watch the show."

Shocked Izuku looked at Tomura with wide terrified eyes and then glanced over at Dabi who nodded and lifted his hand in some form of a greeting. Izuku began to tremble as he felt Tomura let go and walk over to one of the arm chairs in the room. Izuku was just about to start panicking when Tomura spoke again as he lounged in his chair, "Just Ignore him Izuku, he means you no harm. Come." Tomura pointed to the floor in front of him, and Izuku with only the slightest hesitation stepped up in front of the man.