Phantoms Grasp, Humans Love (IzuOcha fanfic) (Oneshot)
Summary: "This facade of a life you are building will crumble beneath your feet."
Deku has become the world's greatest hero, but is haunted by his past. He upholds the peace of the present, but fears losing his grip on it.
When he is forced to confront the ghosts of yesterday, his guiding light, Ochako Uraraka, is there to help. But can he really keep her safe from his demons, and the villains to come?
The glare of the sun came down hard atop Deku’s head, the world hazy under its intense rays.
He found it a struggle to observe the surrounding cityscape through the bustling crowds, with the brightness obscuring the top of his vision. His mind constantly whirred, seeking any shadowy corners that villains could be skulking in. His danger sense was not going off, but he knew better than to rely solely on it.
Always watching. That was his duty as the world’s greatest hero.
“You’re spacing out again, Deku.”
The hero blinked as he felt a calloused hand tug at his own. He looked to his side, his vision filled with warm brown eyes and rosy cheeks. Ochako Uraraka, his lover and partner, pouted at him from beneath her green cap.
“Sorry about that!”
He let his senses retreat inward, focusing them intently on the wonderful woman before him. Today, he was supposed to be just Izuku, taking the love of his life on a date downtown. After several weeks working without much rest, they had promised one another a day to enjoy a little of the peace they had helped bring. They had rebuilt the world with their friends in the years after All For One’s defeat; they deserved to enjoy it.
On this day, he was supposed to just be human.
He squeezed her hand assuredly as they continued walking through the busy sidewalk, toward a secluded cafe they had scouted out. He kept his head down under a black hoodie, disguising his identity best he could, though the rumblings around him proved it was not that effective.
“It’s tough not to think about everyone around us, right?”
Her words brought his attention back to her. He winced, realizing his mind was drifting again, even with her firm grip.
“Old habits die hard.” He sighed, closing his eyes, letting the world fall away, focusing on her hand gently guiding him. “I can’t remember the last time we could do something like this.”
There’s was a love born from fire and struggle; under the covers, where they could find comfort in one another after carrying the burden of the world. It was a magical thing, even if their relationship grew from the blood-stained ground. A peaceful life seemed almost oppositional to them.
“It has been a while,” she agreed solemnly, squeezing his hand again. “But we deserve this, Deku. We need this. For us. And to be the heroes we’re meant to be tomorrow.”
She had grown a knack for reminding him of his humanity, ever since a rainy night where his friends forced him not to forsake it. Every time he became lost in the dark, she was his guiding light.
“You’re right. Let’s go.” He summoned as much enthusiasm as he could. She deserved that.
They fell into an easygoing banter, intent on keeping themselves distracted with levity. It was nice, just being able to enjoy her company, without the world sinking itself upon his weary shoulders. He finally felt his mind adrift in a sea of bliss, occupied only by where the owner of his heart would take them next.
“Somebody stop him!”
Deku’s danger sense flared, and his body moved without him thinking.
In a flash, he was 30 feet high in the air, his eyes pinpointing what his ears had heard. A figure in dark garb, their face obscured under a green gap, was racing up the sidewalk across the street, holding what appears to be stolen goods. They shoved at everyone that crossed their path, the civilians instantly collapsing upon contact.
One For All surged through him. He kicked his leg back to propel himself forward, landing directly in front of the figure. He grabbed onto their shoulders and chopped their neck. The person instantly fell, incapacitated by the precise blow.
The entire sequence took about 10 seconds. A crowd started to form but gave him a wide berth. They pulled out phone cameras, staring intently.
The hero took a deep breath and put on a big smile.
“Everything is all right, folks. Keep clear and carry on. We’ll have this all settled quickly!”
Deku waved to the crowd, answered by a few cheers and a smattering of applause. He stepped past the incapacitated villain toward the trail of bodies they had left in their wake.
Uravity was already on the job, picking up a fallen middle-aged man and carefully examining him. His eyes were closed, but his face was locked in a strange grimace as if pained in unconsciousness.
“Vital signs fine. Breathing a little heavy. No visible injures,” Uravity rattled off her examination as she carefully laid the man on the ground. She shook him, which prompted the man’s eyes to crack open.
“No...I’m sorry...please don’t fail me, teacher…” the man grumbled. His eyes were darting around, unfocused, not understanding the world in front of him.
Deku approached, pulling at his chin in thought. The man was clearly afflicted with some kind of incapacitating Quirk, but the symptoms were unique.
“Sir, it’s all right,” Uravity replied, patting his shoulder. “You’re safe now. There’s nothing-”
“Oh gods, why is that clown there?!”
Izuku felt his danger sense go off again. He turned, but not in time to avoid the assailant grabbing onto his exposed arm. Green eyes stared up through a curtain of unkempt black hair, intense and unfocused.
“You’re not gonna get me, All For One. You’re not the boss of me anymore, bastard! I’ll make you wish for death!”
Izuku felt his vision become hazy, the world suddenly going out of focus. He shook his head, trying to keep his bearings. He could feel himself losing consciousness. He kneeled, but channelled his Quirk, using it to overpower his failing balance.
“Deku!” The cry sounded distorted. Through his daze, he could see Uravity knock his assailant to the ground, efficiently ending the threat. Her soft hands were on him then, clutching his face. He could not see her properly.
“Relax, Deku. Breathe. I’m here.”
He called on the vestiges to intervene, as they had for him in the past when under mental attack. But he found he could not conjure them in his mind. They were but shadowy outlines, ghosts lost to him.
You can’t relax. You can’t stop. You can’t afford to.
Izuku was not sure where the voice came from. It was too rough to be Ochako. Nonetheless, he tried to heed the advice. He kept himself tense, resisting the urge to close his eyes.
You will never escape me. Just submit.
The voice was an icy claw running down his spine. But he refused to listen to it. Even as the rest of his body grew numb, he channelled his Quirk into his outstretched hand. He casually flicked his wrist and let the air surge above him, shoving him to the ground.
He pounded his head into the hard sidewalk, snapping his mind out of its haziness. He grasped onto Ochako’s hand, breathing quickly as everything around him became clear.
His beloved’s face was prominent now, filled with worried lines that he hated to see on her. He squeezed her hand, trying to bring some modicum of assurance.
“Deku! Are you-”
“I’m okay, I’m okay,” he murmured with far less strength than he wanted. He shook his head, staving off the last bit of unconsciousness. “Whatever that Quirk was, I was able to stop it from taking full effect.”
Uravity stared down at her charge, the prone assailant knocked out on the ground, her free hand on the back of his neck for good measure. “We need to get you checked out.”
“It’s okay, I’m-” Izuku was about to say “fine,” but the word died on his tongue under the eyes of her fierce glare. He swallowed it, nodding, knowing her judgement was probably better than his when it came to his wellbeing.
Emergency responders and heroes arrived to handle the scene. The assailant did not have his Quirk on the registry and was out of sorts, giving nonsensical responses to questions. Fortunately, none of the victims seems anything more than shaken, Izuku included. Several victims, and the villain, were taken for medical treatment and observation, but after a quick examination, he and Ochako were free to return to their supposed day off.
The two found themselves walking again, hand-in-hand, trapped in uneasy silence. The stress of the situation held onto them, as if unseen hands were holding them back. Izuku let his eyes dart around again, searching for any threats. This time, Ochako did not comment on it.
“Can I get you two a table?”
The waitress’s chipper tone shocked Izuku’s senses. He did not even realize they had entered the cafe, distracted as he was. The clash between the cozy, welcoming atmosphere and the sense of foreboding gripping him left him speechless.
Fortunately, Ochako was much quicker on the uptake.
“Yup, just the two of us!” she replied with a smile. Izuku marvelled at her ability to bounce back so quickly.
The pair took their seats, like any of the other lovebirds there. Finally, after all the chaos their lives were prone to, they were alone together.
It gave Izuku nowhere to hide.
“Are you feeling okay? You still seem pretty out of it,” Ochako said, reaching across the table to run a hand on his arm. Izuku breathed a sigh, enjoying the contact.
His eyes darted out the window. No danger in sight. The world was at peace. But he found it hard to rest easy.
Part of him wanted to keep silent. To push his fears aside and insist they lose themselves in what was supposed to be an ordinary day. But under her scrutinizing eyes, he summoned the courage to speak honestly.
“I feel fine. It’s nothing to do with whatever Quirk I got hit with.” He breathed deeply to release the tension in his throat. “I’m upset there was an attack like that. All those people hurt. And it was on our day off, and I wasn’t supposed to get involved in anything, but I couldn’t help it. But I feel like I should have done more. Like I wasn’t ready enough, and I know you’re probably disappointed, and I hate that and-”
Ochako shifted her hand to press a finger to his lips, stopping him in his tracks. “You’re spiralling. Pace yourself a bit! It’s okay. We have time,” she suggested, relinquishing her hold on her lips.
“Right…sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize,” Ochako said with a smile. “I’m feeling pretty mixed up about it too. But it’s okay to need time to process these things, you know? It’s human. ”
“Human. Right.” It was hard to feel that way sometimes. But Ochako was always there to remind himself that he could be a normal, regular person when he needed to be.
“And I may be disappointed,” she admitted. “But I am not disappointed in you. I can’t blame you for helping people. It’s something I love about you, even if I wish you’d take it easier sometimes.”
“Ochako…” Izuku felt his cheeks flush in his smittenness. He had grown a lot more accustomed to his feelings for her, but he was a little emotionally drained to stay composed at her honeyed words. “Thank you.”
“Keep going. What else you got on your mind?”
A lot of dangling thoughts, twisting into one another, far too many to cope with easily. But staring into her shining eyes, he seized onto the idea his heart led him toward.
“Well, right now,” Izuku leaned closer over the table, delighting in the surprise at his partner’s face. “I’m thinking about how much I love you, And wondering what I did to deserve you.”
‘Deku, come on, people are going to stare,” she protested, pushing against his chest. He delighted in the blush that consumed her whole face. But he relented, backing off. They giggled together, chasing away the sour mood with shared mirth.
Izuku glanced idly toward the cafe window on instinct, scanning for danger again. He saw All for One, the villain’s marred face grinning wide under the sunlight.
In a breath, Deku was out the door. He did not think. He pounced, rushing forward. His body already knew what it had to do.
But his arms met nothing but air. All For One was gone in the instant it took him to move. Deku scanned the area desperately, danger sense throbbing painfully.
You’re going to have to do a bit better than that.
Izuku twisted his head to see All For One standing atop an apartment building, his sinister voice echoing inside his brain. He rushed forward again, figuring the villain must be using a telepathy Quirk.
But when he arrived atop the mid-rise, All For One was nowhere to be found. Izuku scanned around again, his heart racing. It was clear he had failed to truly end the villain. He would not fail again.
“Deku!” Ochako’s voice called from behind him. He turned towards her, terror rampaging through his insides.
All For One was there, right behind her. She had not noticed as she floated up to meet him. He could see the sinister hand extending toward her, one that would surely end her life.
Looks like you won’t be able to save her from me, either. You’ve gotten worse since I’ve been away. What a pity.
Deku roughly tackled her to the ground, evading the villain’s grasp. He got up and turned, lunging forward to strike with everything he had.
But somehow, his punch went right through All For One. Shocked, Deku reeled up to attack again, but not before his foe’s blow struck true.
The hero fell to the ground, knocked off balance by the brutally hard hit. He grimaced but kept moving, not letting a little pain get to him.
“Get out of here, Uravity! Call for help, he’s-”
“Who?! Deku, what’s wrong?!”
Deku stood up, his vision blurring. That hit had done more damage than he realized. He could see the outline of All For One, standing there, letting out a fearsome aura. But his face had become hard to visualize.
“All For One, he’s back! You have to-”
“I’m not going anywhere! But I can’t see him!”
Deku blinked. All For One was gone again. His eyes scanned the horizon, but the man had vanished without a trace. He remained on edge, sure that his nemesis would lash out again.
The moment’s respite gave him time to process. They had defeated All For One, wrestling Shigaraki from his control. The villain had perished in a climactic struggle. He had made sure of it.
Something was off. His danger sense had stopped triggering. This was not All For One’s usual modus operandi. Where was the destruction? Or the lackeys he tended to use?
We shall meet again soon, Midoriya. Let’s wait until we can find a spot somewhere more...intimate.
Deku twisted his head around, desperately searching again as the voice echoed in his head. He could sense Uravity doing the same by his side, following his lead. But there was no one to be seen.
“He’s gone,” Deku admitted. He let his breath catch up to him. He thought hard, trying to put the pieces together. “Or...or maybe he wasn’t there, to begin with.”
“Deku? What happened? You just ran off without saying anything. Where did you see him?”
Izuku chanced a glance at her again. She stood there, her face scratched and a little bloodied from where he had slammed her to the ground. He grimaced at the sight, unable to bear the thought that he had inadvertently hurt her.
He could feel unconsciousness taking hold of his overworked mind. Uravity caught him as he fell, her strong arms taking a firm hold.
Izuku struggled to fight against the darkness falling over his eyes. He could not rest. He had to fight.
“Can’t...can’t stop now. We need to...figure this out”
“I’ll take care of it, Deku,” she assured him. Her smile stood out just as he closed his eyes. “You can trust me. Just get your rest.”
He did not have a choice.
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Izuku awoke, enveloped by softness in the dark gloom of the night.
He groggily glanced around, quickly recognizing the familiar space of his shared bedroom. He looked over to his side, where Ochako lay curled up, her face peaceful in slumber, but with a few bandages on her face.
He rolled himself out of bed, his head throbbing in pain. He could hardly think straight. What had happened? Why was he here? How long had he been out?
The hero took care to tip-toe out of the room, not wanting to disturb his partner. He carefully navigated through their apartment and entered the main living area, making a beeline for their small kitchen.
The world began to twist at an angle. Izuku struggled to navigate, but he used his hands to pull himself toward the sink. He turned on the tap and quickly splashed himself with the cold water.
The wet slap served to snap him into wakefulness. He blinked the fog of his head away to see All For One relaxing on his couch.
Izuku immediately tensed and rubbed at his eyes, confirming the vision. All For One just casually smiled at him.
“Hello there, Midoriya. I must say, you have a lovely home.”
The voice made Izuku’s skin crawl. It grated on him so much worse now, as if his ears could hear it. He felt paralyzed, his body refusing to move as it should to strike the man down.
Izuku took a breath and shook his head.
“You’re not real. You can’t be. You’re dead.” The realization hit him as the words left his mouth, his subconsciousness bringing the truth forward.
“Oh? Are you really sure about that? You should know by now that I have a knack for defying death.”
“You’re a hallucination. Something to do with that person’s Quirk today. It’s powerful, but this can’t be real.” Izuku stared defiantly at the shadowy figure. He tensed his gaze, trying hard to will the vision away. “You were never there in the first place.”
“Come now, Izuku. Where’s your imagination? You take after All Might in the worst of ways.” Izuku felt his vision go foggy again. He tried to shake it off, but the image of All For One blurred. “I’m real enough.”
Izuku closed his eyes, hoping that might help. He had to figure out how to get beyond this Quirk attack. There could be others suffering even worse than him.
“So long as you live, Midoriya, so shall I.” Even with his eyes closed, Izuku could sense his enemy’s movements, All For One walking towards their balcony. “I will always exist in the shadows of your mind. My legacy is spread across the lost souls of the world, like the man you met today. One of them will eventually destroy this peace you have so carefully cultivated.”
“You’re wrong!” Izuku felt his head throb under the stress, but he took a step forward, deciding to stare at the vision head-on. “We defeated you. We’ll protect the peace. You are dead and gone.”
“Yet you are so afraid I am lurking in every corner. Because you know, someday, something will be there. And you won’t be good enough to stop it.” All For One stepped out onto the balcony, reaching a frayed hand out toward the city. “This facade of a life you’re building will crumble beneath your feet.”
“You...won’t...” The protest felt weak at Izuku’s lips. He struggled to find his voice against his deepest fears. “It won’t happen.”
“In the darkest corners of your heart, you know it will. How long do you plan to keep up this charade with your lover? Can you really protect her from what’s coming for you? I’m sure you remember how it worked out for Nana. I wonder how much your future children will resent you.”
“Shut up!”
Izuku surged forward, wanting desperately to punch the ghost away. But the vision of All For One leapt out of his range, floating toward the cityscape below.
“Try to hit me all you like. You cannot escape the truth. I’ll haunt you till the end of your days.”
Adrenaline pumping through him, Izuku chased after the vision. His mind struggled to find a solution under the hallucinatory duress. All he knew was that he could not afford to stop until this was over.
The vision landed in a neighbourhood park, and Izuku ran at it again. He struggled to think through how to end this torment, his mind muddled. He hoped he could free himself if he could just see his fist connect.
But All For One deftly dodged every movement before striking back. Even though he wasn’t there, Izuku could feel the hit to his cheek, knocking him to the ground.
“So slow. So weak. It’s amazing how much you’ve degraded in just a few short years.”
“I...am strong enough.” Izuku rose to his feet, staring defiantly at his foe. “I will protect this world. We’ll keep the peace. Haunt me all you want, but you will never win.”
“But you can’t win. Not the way you are now.”
The world fizzled out for a moment, and the vision changed. All For One’s face fell away. Two familiar, green eyes stared at him from beneath a mask. Dark tendrils emerged from the image, extending from a frayed, green costume.
“You’re too weak now. They will suffer for it. You’re not good enough.”
The masked figure was terrifying, looking far more villain than hero. He could see himself, as he lived in his darkest moments. He trembled as he stared into the eyes of a beast.
“Why am I seeing...me?”
“If you want to protect this world, you know you can’t live this way. Deep down, you know it’s impossible.” The figure approached him, black whips twisting in the air. “You have to get stronger. You must always keep fighting.”
“No...” Izuku shook his head, hoping this hallucination might be easier to banish. “No, this is wrong. She showed me I don’t have to be like you.”
His mind flashed to a rainy day when his friends had rescued him from himself. When Ochako had shouted her heart out - and the depths of his heart sang out in return.
“But you’re older now. You know what happened to Nana. You know All Might never lived like you.” He was face to face with his shadow now, the metallic sheen of the mask reflecting the street lights, a bright spot in a haggard visage. “It was a pleasant dream. But it’s time to wake up.”
Izuku could not react as he felt the figure’s fist connecting into his gut. He crumbled to the ground, coughing blood, the blow hitting much harder than the last hallucination. He could hardly think against the pain and the echoing terror of his own mind.
“You can’t be with her. She deserves better than a man who must always chase shadows.”
The words ripped through him, the dark parts of his soul threatening to overpower everything else. These were fears he had talked about with her, but they still lurked within him, always threatening the life he so desperately wanted.
Still, Izuku rose again defiantly. “She’s...she’s strong enough. She makes me stronger. Better.”
The masked figure tilted its head down, green irises disappearing completely. “Then prove it.”
Suddenly, the hallucination was on top of him, striking out with more force and speed than Izuku could handle. He could not comprehend how it was happening, how a hallucination could feel so real, could hit this hard. But against the onslaught, he did not have the time to figure it out.
The image lashed out with Blackwhip, tying Izuku’s arms before kicking into his side. The ground battered his face as he rolled into it. He panted, channelling One For All into his body again, but found an unyielding weight pushing down on him.
“Admit it!” his doppelganger shouted, shoving his face into the dirt. “You have to give up on this. On living with her. All For One is right. You are too weak.”
Izuku shook under the strain. He could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to push back, to no avail. Real or imagined, the ghosts from his past were right. There would be no peace for him.
“No matter how far you run, your past will catch up to you eventually. She deserves better than that.”
“She deserves better than that,” Izuku echoed, losing control of his thoughts. The world was lost to his eyes. He could no longer tell where he began and ended.
“You must devote yourself to the world. You cannot afford to rest. You are more than human - you are a pillar.”
“I...I…”
Izuku felt the pressure push hard at the back of his neck again. “Admit it!”
“I need to...to...”
”There you are!”
Izuku’s eyes widened at Ochako’s voice. He managed to push back against his hallucinatory foe; in his mind’s eye, he shoved the figure off as he stood up. But the figure was not subdued, standing up with him.
“Ochako, run! I don’t know if I can control this!”
“It’s a Quirk, Deku. None of what you’re seeing is real. I’m sorry I wasn’t awake to explain. I’m not sure why it’s still happening to you. But it’s fine, it won’t last,” she reassured him gently, extending a hand out toward him. “You can relax."
“He can’t relax!”
The doppelganger extended Blackwhip out to wrap around her hand, tossing her toward the street. Ochako cried out in pain as she fell, Izuku shouting right with her.
But she immediately sprung back up, struggling against the binding but managing to break it.
“Izuku, you have to calm down!” she cried. Black whips lashed out again, but Ochako was ready this time, dodging with practiced skill. “What are you seeing?”
Izuku tried to punch at his shadow, but the figure kept dodging, far more agile than his exhausted self. All the while, the hallucination multi-tasked, keeping Ochako on the run with Blackwhip. Part of him knew the whips were coming from himself, but he found it impossible to control them.
“It’s me! The old me! I can’t stop him!”
“Leave, Uraraka. I don’t want to hurt you,” his shadow answered in kind. “This is for the best. It’s safer for everyone.”
“I thought you’d have realized by now!” she shouted between breaths as she ran while trying to get closer to him. “That I’ll always be there to save you!”
“You can’t save him from this. No matter how hard you try, something will always come between you. His calling is too great.”
More black whips emerged just as she got within arm’s reach, forming a wall between them. The whips grabbed onto her arms, pulling her to the ground, subduing her.
“I will save you!” she shouted defiantly, fighting against the whips hold. “Even if it’s from All For One. Even if it’s from yourself. Whatever comes, we can face it together. We will face it together.”
She pulled hard on the tendrils that entrapped her arms. Izuku could feel it as she used the connection to yank his shambling body closer to her.
“You’ll never know peace as long as you’re together.” The voice changed. He could hear All For One again. The terror echoed through his ears, in his mind, in his throat. “I’ll always be there, in the shadows. Watching. Waiting. Haunting him.”
“We’ll work through it together. We’ll win” The whips were loosening. She stood up, even as her arms shook under the strain, staring straight through him. “We will find peace, and we’ll enjoy however much we can. You deserve that, Izuku.”
“I…” Izuku gulped. Her approaching face started to overpower the others. He could not see the rest of the world. But he could see her.” I’m sorry. I can’t fight this. I’m not strong enough.”
“It’s okay. I’m here to lighten your load.” Ochako grabbed onto him, pulling him into an embrace. Her warmth overtook him. “Just close your eyes. Just be Izuku. You can trust me. You have to relax to end this.”
He saw her clearly. The bruises on her arms. The dirt and blood on her face, a bandage on her cheek dangling after the encounter. She was so beautiful - and he had marred her.
Izuku could feel his Quirk straining, but he pushed down on it. He would not lose control again. He had to be strong enough for that. For her.
Your lover. Your world. Someday, your children. I will rip it all away from you.
He trembled in her embrace, biting his lip painfully to keep himself from losing control. Just as she asked, he relaxed his muscles, focusing on the pulse in her neck.
“I can’t do this.” He whispered into the dark, closing his eyes. The voices faded. It was just them.
“Then we’ll do this. Together. Whatever comes next.”
She shone as bright as the sun against the snow. The horrors of the world seemed so distant when he was in her grasp.
But he knew they would come.
“You deserve better than this. You don’t have to stay. You can run away.”
Ochako did not say anything at first. But she held him closer, bringing her lips up to this ear.
“You’re what I want, Izuku.” He could hear the tears in her voice. “You chase my shadows away. And I’ll chase yours.”
Izuku sobbed into her, closing his arms around her.
The ghosts of the past might never loosen their hold on him. But he could live with that, as long as he could continue to embrace his future.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Note: Written for the IzuOcha Discord server writing contest. Prompt: Ghosts. Word Count Limit: 5,000
Loosely inspired by a great episode of another superhero show. I'm curious how many people know/remember it. ;)
I hope you enjoyed this Halloween-flavoured fic. I was eager to write something based on the latest manga chapters. It was enjoyable to explore how Deku's dark side might impact him in the future.
Please leave a like and a reblog if you liked it! ^_^












