It had been a long time since Deku had felt this helpless. He had already exhausted himself just to get this far, and it was only the wall that he was leaning heavily against that was keeping him upright at this point, his left arm lying completely useless at his side and his right was little better, the tiniest of movements sending pain through both limits. Yet, All Might was in a worse state, having already been forced to expend all his strength leaving him reduced to his skinny form, pressed against the far wall with no avenue of escape as the Villain closed in on him, mouth already stretched in a sick, triumphant smirk as he paused to retrieve an a discarded metal pole, part of the scaffolding that was ready to crumble after their fight had torn through it.

A cold feeling swept through Deku as he watched the pig-like man tapping the pole threateningly against his hand, leaving no doubts about his intentions as he closed in on All Might. The realisation that this time there was no one else there to help them, and nothing he could do to help threatening to crush him, before his glance darted down. Unless. He had managed to keep his feet undamaged, which meant that he could still move, that he could launch himself forwards and get there in time… In time for what? He asked himself, mind racing, knowing he wouldn't have the time to focus his quirk into just one part of his body, and that if he used it without focusing then he would end up in a useless heap on the ground and All Might would still be in danger.

Unless I get in between them…

He didn't remember moving, his mind still locked on that final point. It was only when his entire world narrowed down to the pole that was suddenly stretching out in front of him, his eyes slowly widening as he traced its path down to his chest, the pain finally slamming into him as he took in the blood now soaking into the material of his t-shirt. Oh… He had a fleeting moment of realisation that he had managed to move, that he managed to shield All Might before he slumped to the ground, feeling like a puppet that had just had all its strings cut, a sharp cry escaping as the impact jostled every injury, leaving him feeling like his body was on fire. The world faded in and out of focus for a moment, and he could taste copper on his lips now as he bit down, trying to make himself focus and fighting to hold back any more noises.

A roar of fury snapped his attention back to the present and with a mammoth effort he managed to lift his head, coughing wetly and immediately wishing he hadn't as fire flared throughout his chest, stealing his breath and leaving him gasping. There was a ringing in his ears now as he fought to catch his breath, but he had enough awareness to see the Villain taking off in the opposite direction as Kacchan who he'd thought was too far behind to catch up pursued him, an expression that Deku had never seen on his face as the other teen disappeared in a surge of flames that had Deku instinctively flinching back. Of course, he can do more than I can… Deku thought bleakly, reaching down as his thoughts and the world became grey noise for a moment.

When he came back to himself he blinked in confusion, trying to work out how he had ended up in this position and why everything hurt, blinking again at the sight of the metal pole. Oh, numbly he reached out to touch the pole, his vision whiting out again as the feathery touch was enough to send agony flying through his body. Don't touch, his dazed mind had just managed to wan him as a warm hand took his, stopping him from touching it again, and he blinked startled to realise that he had been reaching for it again, his mind and body refusing to work in sync. It took him a few minutes to focus, his awareness vacillating between the white, hot agony in his chest and the comforting warmth of the fingers that were now curled around his. The latter gave him something to focus, and slowly his vision cleared again, although there was a haziness around the periphery that refused to disappear even when he blinked to try and clear it. The first thing that came into full focus when he abandoned his efforts to clear the haze was worried blue eyes, and despite the pain and tears that he was vaguely aware of streaking down his cheeks, he managed a weak smile for the older man.

"All Might…" His voice didn't sound right to his own ears, too soft and weak, as though he wasn't really there, and he saw All Might's expression darken slightly.

"What were you thinking?" All Might demanded as he moved to support Deku who had tried to sit up more at the shift in his expression, and he tried to school his features, although it was hard as his heart constricted at the sight of the weak smile. How can he still smile at a time like this? He wondered, forgetting that he had been the one to teach Deku to always smile no matter how bad things were there, his fingers trembling as he studied the boy.

He had accepted that he wasn't going to get out of this fight, hell he had known that his chances were slim from the beginning, it had been impossible to tell himself otherwise when he was down to being able to use his quirk for less than a minute. However, he had accepted the risk, just as he had accepted his fate when he had realised that he had failed.

He had been about to close his eyes, bracing himself for the final attack just as he had glimpsed the familiar figure charging towards him. He had seen him coming, but he hadn't been able to move, not even to shout at Deku to stop. He had been helpless, unable to do anything but watch as the boy had sprung in front of himself, propelling himself into the path of the attack with the quirk that All Might himself had given him, and the next thing he'd knew there had been blood on his cheeks as Deku had fallen to his knees in front of him. "This," his fingers curled tighter around Deku's fingers, eyes riveted on the metal pole, protruding proudly from his student's body, guilt and grief warring for control. "This is my fault," he whispered, barely aware of the frantic shouts that were moving in their direction, already knowing deep down that they weren't going to arrive in time.

"No, it's…not," Deku replied at once, shaking his head despite the pain that greeted the movement, refusing to let that thought take hold. Especially when it wasn't true. All Might had told him to stay out of this fight, to help the others, he had disobeyed by following him this far, and he had been the one to charge in even when he had known there was nothing that he could do. He had been the one to act recklessly this time, and his gaze drifted down to his feet as he added faintly. "My feet moved on their own…"

"But…"

"I couldn't let him kill you," Deku cut him off, voice soft, and even now with the pain he was currently in and the haze creeping further across his vision, he couldn't bring himself to regret his actions. Even though it's going to cost you everything? A small, niggling voice asked, and he bit his lip, grimacing at the taste of blood before lifting his head slightly so that he could look at All Might, and he was calm as he answered the small doubting part of himself. Yes, it was worth it.

"And this is better?" All Might demanded, trailing off when Deku doubled over with a coughing fit, closing his eyes in anguish as more blood splattered onto the teen's chin, hating the fact that all he could do right now was to help hold him up. It seemed to take forever for the fit to pass, and Deku slumped against him as he struggled to catch his breath again, and the sight of tears broke All Might Might's heart, and his voice wavered as he leant his head against the teen's. "I'm an old man, it should be me sitting there and not you."

Never you…

"You're not that old, All Might…" Deku pointed out once he had the breath to do so, frowning up at the other man, unable to think of his hero as old even when he was in this form, and bowed by the weight of the situation. "It…" He trailed off as the world went out of focus once more, sound fading away this time too, until the only thing he was aware of was the burning pain in his chest and the warmth of the arm around his shoulders and the fingers curled around his. He clung to those sensations, his only reassurance that he wasn't alone as the darkness swept over him. He was weeping now, the weight of what he had done and the fear of realising what was coming in settling in, and he closed his eyes, turning to press his face against All Might, focusing on that warmth. At least I'm not alone…

"Izuku! Izuku?!" All Might called in alarm when he realised that the teen's eyes had closed, twisting so that he had clear view of his face whilst still supporting his weight, swallowing as he realised just how week Deku's breathing had become and his voice cracked as he tried again. "Deku…" For a brief moment Deku fought to open his eyes again, granting him the briefest glimpse of green, but it disappeared as the teen still with a soft sigh and All Might found himself frozen, not daring to move. He couldn't look away, desperately willing the teen to come back, to take another breath, even as a colder, more rational part of him told him that it was too late.

He sat there for a few more minutes, waiting for a breath that never came. Tears were trickling down his cheeks when he finally moved, gently pulling Deku into his side and burying his face into the messy, green-black hair, paying no mind to the dampness now staining his clothes and skin, or the footsteps that came to a halt on the other side of the room. "I'm sorry," he whispered, a sob shaking him as he clutched Deku tighter. "I'm so sorry…"