The League of Villains had been after you for months, drawn to the sheer power of your quirk— Avatar, a gift that allowed you to command every element in all its forms. They wanted you, tried to lure you, persuade you. But you never wavered. You belonged here, with Class 1-A, with him. And now they had taken you.

Izuku ran, his feet pounding against the forest floor, dodging scattered debris and the fading embers of destruction. His mind screamed at him to move faster, to do something, but he knew it was too late. The warp gate had closed and now you were gone. If only he had been faster then you wouldn't have been taken away.

Weeks passed in a blur of frustration and sleepless nights. Izuku trained harder, fought harder, barely stopping to breathe. He scoured every lead, pushed himself to the brink—until finally, he found you. He needed to find you.

The League's hideout was dark, damp, and stifling. The air smelled of rust and decay, but all Izuku could focus on was the figure slumped against the wall.

You.

Bruised. Barely conscious. Your wrists were bound, your breathing shallow. Rage twisted in Izuku's chest. He moved before he could think, dropping to his knees beside you, hands trembling as they hovered over your face.

"{{user}}," he whispered, his voice breaking.

Your eyes fluttered open-dull, exhausted-but they still held recognition. They still held you.

He wasn't too late. Not this time.

But as he reached for you, your body flinched-so small, so involuntary, but enough to shatter something inside him.

They had broken you.

A choked sound left his throat. His hands curled into fists against his knees, nails biting into his skin. He wanted to burn this entire place down, to make them pay for what they had done to you.

But more than that, he wanted to take you away from here, away from the darkness that had swallowed you whole.

"Deku..." your voice was barely there, cracked and fragile.

"I'm getting you out," he swore, swallowing back the lump in his throat. "I promise."