Summary: Trapped in an uncomfortable position and bleeding out within a collapsed building isn't how Izuku imagined he would spend his birthday, but the world is funny that way.
Or:
Being sent out on patrol on your birthday isn't exactly what someone would wish for, but Izuku wouldn't have it any other way. After a day of shenanigans and cat saving under the burning sun, he and Ochako are called to the site of a villain attack, where Ochako finds herself doing all she can to save her boyfriend's life. (Set in the summer of third year.)
(A/N): Or part 2: The only birthday fic where the author is unexplainably cruel to her favorite characters, and feels guilty about it. But does it anyway.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY IZUKU!
This is (clearly) written to celebrate everyone's favorite Brocolli Boy, so not much more needs to be said in that area. I'm just going to say that I'm really sorry about this being more than one part and not having both parts done on the 15th. Some stuff popped up, and I feel really bad about it. :( But I hope to have the next part out soon after that! And if anyone's curious about my other, main story, I'll resume work on it once this is finished. With that out of the way, enjoy reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own BnHA or its characters in any way or form.
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"Aizawa! Why are you sending them out on patrol?" Toshinori interrogated Shota, his brow furrowed in a mix of anger and confusion. He had stormed into the teacher's lounge, casual clothes seemingly hanging off of his small body.
Shota cast him a bored look from the corner of his eyes, facing his work desk, papers in hand. "What now?" He turned back to fully face his desk, tapping the stack of papers against the surface to make a neat and orderly pile.
"You sent Deku and Uravity out on patrol, even though you know that it's his birthday?" He used the two third-years' given code-names; this had to do with their internships as heroes. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into the calloused skin of his palms.
"Oh." Shota paperclipped the many sheets together, then cramming them into a tan, cardstock folder. After he stuffed that into a black brief bag, he continued his monotone answer, "Midoriya never struck me as the type to want people celebrating his birthday all that much." He slung the fabric bag over his left shoulder, making his way around Toshinori and towards the door. "Still need to go through these files about the summer internships…," Shota thought to himself with slight annoyance.
"But!" Shota stopped walking, looking over his shoulder. "Don't you think that even someone as selfless as him would still want his birthday off? Or at least acknowledged?" Toshinori argued, his voice edged with a hint of desperation. "I… just want Izuku to relax… He works himself to hard…" He frowned and bit his lip, nervously awaiting Shota's response.
The black-haired pro closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Then, looking his coworker in the eyes, answered back, "I think that the best "birthday gift" Midoriya could receive would never actually be a physical item. The thing that would make him most happy would be the chance to save others, which he's strived for years to get. So I think sending him out on patrol is what he would personally prefer." Shota didn't care if Toshinori agreed or not - after all, Shota was still the hero-in-training's supervisor.
"He's… He's right…," Toshinori thought, gulping and keeping his eyes on Aizawa's back as he exited the room. "I knew that… All I really wanted was to spend some time with Izuku…" The door clicked shut, leaving Toshinori alone in the teacher's lounge.
"Phew! It sure is hot!" Ochako exclaimed, throwing her arms back to stretch, her hands clasped together. Izuku looked down at her from the side, an ever-so-slightly amused smirk present on his freckle splattered face. The mid-summer sun had been blazing down on them since early morning, the scorching rays of heat making the air around them hazy. Having full-body costumes didn't help them stay any cooler either. Looking around the area, his eyes darting across the road, Izuku couldn't help but notice the lack of citizens present in the typically bustling city. They were absent for obvious reasons, though.
"Sure is," His answer was simple as he continued to observe their surroundings. He shifted the white glove in his right hand, subconsciously averting his eyes to his and Ochako's connected hands. He tried to hide his blissful smile as he blushed a shade of pink, but failed in the end. Luckily Ochako didn't notice, too preoccupied with something in a store-front window up ahead.
She gasped, calling out his name as she dragged her boyfriend over to the shop by their intertwined hands. "Izuku! Look at this!" She looked like she would start drooling any moment, staring at the chilled ice cream inside of the desert parlor. Izuku chuckled and cocked his head up to look at the store's sign. "Gege's Deserts" it read. He looked back down at Ochako, only to see her now frowning.
"Hey, what's wrong?" The green-haired teen's smile fell from his face, the last bright expression exchanged for concern. His eyebrows scrunched together and he tilted his head to the side in confusion.
His worry was relieved, however, when Ochako began speaking again, a growing smile on her face as she spoke in a jokingly sad tone, "You know, I would ask you to buy me some delicious ice cream, seeing how I am your precious girlfriend and all," She could barely hold back her giggles, "But, it is your birthday, I guess. So that may be inconsiderate." She gave an exaggerated shrug, adopting a fake pout on her lips and closing her eyes. The gravity-manipulator peeked an eye open, and one look at the face of the boy across her sent both of the students into a fit of laughter.
A solid minute of them reveling in simple amusements outside of some miscellaneous ice-cream shop passed by, Ochako clutching her stomach and Izuku holding his fist up to his nose (effectively covering his mouth), both using their free hands, refusing to let go of one another. Still glowing from her mirth, Ochako attempted to stand somewhat straight, her body threatening to double over from convulsive giggles. In between laughs she managed to squeeze out,"Really though-!" Waving her hand in front of her, she gave over to the expressions of happiness once again.
By the end of it all, the two were all but rolling around on the sidewalk, both of their faces red from laughing too hard, chests heaving as they tried to catch their breaths. "But, jokes aside, we need to get to work," Ochako practically wheezed, trying her hardest to ward off another laugh.
"Yea. We have people to save!" Ochako smiled up at her boyfriend, admiring his determination and drive. "Save them from the sun, is more like it." The chuckling began again as they resumed their walk around town, hands still conjoined. Patrol was going well, it seemed.
The day had been simple thus far, the duties of heroes relatively tame. To Izuku and Ochako, or the up and coming heroes Deku and Uravity, being together made the jobs breeze by even quicker. The tasks that they conquered all finished off with people thanking them, the two maintaining their humble and positive auras. But, a world with quirks and corrupt beings couldn't stay calm for long.
The call came while Izuku was quickly helping a young girl with something before they continued patrol. The blonde-haired child had approached them as they walked through a public park, her braids swinging behind her as she ran towards the two interns. She stopped in front of Izuku, panic evident on her soft features.
"Sir!" Both were taken aback by her proper manners, but didn't say anything as the child continued, "You're Hero Deku, right?" Ochako looked over at her boyfriend, taking in his flushed face. A sweet smile appeared on her face; she was happy for him.
Izuku brushed off his excitement and crouched down next to the dress-clad girl. Elbows resting on his thighs, he answered her with a bright smile, "Sure am!" It was hard to keep the butterflies from surfacing in Ochako's stomach at the sight.
"Oh thank goodness! My cat, Mr. Tubby, ran away! I've been searching all afternoon, but I can't find him anywhere!" Tears formed in the corners of the girl's eyes, and the green-haired hero in front of her frowned, his heart clenching in pain for the girl. "Will you please help me! I'll pay you; please, just help me find Mr. Tubby! I beg of you!"
Izuku clenched his face, eyes closed and clutching his shirt near his heart. By this point, Ochako had gotten used to this certain expression, labeling it the "Heart Squeeze Face". She watched as her boyfriend stood up, head tilted up as he indirectly displayed his compassion. Recovering from whatever emotion overtook him, Izuku relaxed his face, and looked back down at the girl, grinning kindly at her once more.
"Don't worry! We'll find Mr. Tubby together!" He sounded foolish using the silly pet name, but still managed to possess a certain air of heroism. "And no paying, alright? Now, do you know where your cat may have gone?" He said gently, as good with children as ever. It was Ochako's turn to have her heart skip a beat, watching on as her sweet boyfriend extended his scarred up hand down, the girl reaching up to place her own small hand in his. He embraced her's, giving it a soft squeeze.
"Well," The small child began, "I know that he always comes here when he's lost… He's always been easy to find, but I couldn't find him today, for some reason." She gazed up at Izuku, her expression distraught and discouraged. He returned it with a lopsided smile, making his freckles shift with the tug of his skin.
"We'll find him, I promise. Maybe he's in one of the tree's?" He offered as they walked off of the sidewalk and into the park area. He spared a gaze to Ochako, looking back over his shoulder, mouthing to her "I'll handle this one." with a private smile.
Ochako took the moment to relax and hide from the burning sun, getting only hotter as the day progressed. Seeking refuge on a wooden bench under a massive tree, shedding glorious shade all around, she peered at her other hero-companion as he and the girl scampered across the tiny park, searching for the lost cat. She gave an inward chuckle, noticing how Izuku was jumping up and into all of the trees as the girl searched primarily the ground level. He's such a silly worry wart. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, basking in the coolness of the shade and the comfort of the bench. Before Ochako knew it, she was dozing off, the wind and chirping of birds lulling her to sleep.
During their little search for Mr. Tubby, Izuku had learned of the young girl's name, and she of his. "Meredith is such a fancy name… ," He thought hopping into one of the larger trees, "But still so cute!" Scanning around himself, Izuku was deterred from his thoughts by a small mewl, high and frightened. Eyes wide and searching, he heard it again. "From above!" He realized, zipping his line of sight upward. "There!" Just a couple of branches lay a chubby, orange Munchkin cat.
Being as still as possible for balancing in a treetop, Izuku yelled over his shoulder, "Meredith! I found him!" His smile was beaming as he watched how the girl came running over, squealing her cat's name and of happiness. Once she reached the base of the tree, he interrupted her mantra of thank you's to ask her a curious question, "Now is there anything I need to be careful of as I get him down?"
She went silent and looked up at him, surprised by his caution. "Ah, not really. Just avoid his tail!" Meredith made sure to speak fairly loudly so the teenager in the tree could hear her clearly. She clenched her cute fists up at her chest, scared for both her cat and the hero.
"Alright then!" Izuku turned back to face the small feline, cooing his name out as an attempt to show that he was friendly. "Mr. Tubby, I'm just here to help. Alright? We're gonna get you out of this tree… Then you can be with Meredith again!" He kept his voice low, slowly nearing closer to the cat, which purred when he heard his owner's name.
Activating his quirk, sending tendrils of power through his body, he jumped up and forward before the cat had time to react, swiftly and expertly snatching him into his arms. Finding his footing came first, and then he could celebrate. "Gotcha!" He exclaimed, excited to give Meredith her cat. "Coming down!" Izuku hollered, notifying the girl at the base of the trunk that the "mission" was a success.
"Yay!" The cries of "Thank you!" returned once more and the blonde twirled around in happiness, throwing her arms up into the air. Izuku, the cat comfortably cradled in his muscled arms, leaped from the grand oak, landing on the grassy ground with a thud. He was just a high-school intern, doing his job as a hero-in-training. But he was her savior, bringing a treasured pet to safety. "Mr. Tubby!" She cheered, tears of relief streaming down her face as she threw her arms around Izuku, not even reaching up to his hips. "Thank you so much, Deku!" Using his hero-name, she showed her gratitude through a long lasting hug.
"You're welcome, Meredith. No problem," After she released her tight hold on him, he squatted down to face her at near eye level. With a blinding smile, he carefully handed her the Munchkin cat that had nestled into his arms.
With her face down, seeming to be conflicted by something, she accepted the fuzzy feline, petting him briskly before suddenly snapping her head up to look at Izuku. His eyes went wide, surprised by her sudden seriousness. Then in all one instant, she was grinning ear-to-ear, proclaiming, "It's Merry! Call me Merry!" She gave a blissful laugh, one that made Izuku chuckle softly in return.
"Merry it is." The girl reached out her hand, and he clasped it with his own, shaking it gingerly. She continued to giggle, eyes closed. The orange cat in her arms purred lightly, possibly feeling the vibration in her chest. After she released her grasp on his hand, he stood, brushing off his pants and giving Meredith another signature smile.
As he was stretching - twisting at the waist - he noticed Ochako sprinting towards him, looking frantic, distress etched all over her face. She had awoken when she received a very worrisome call. Worried, Izuku began to jog towards her, Meredith a few feet behind. "What's wrong?" He questioned, grasping the upper parts of her arms out of concern.
"There's," She stopped for a moment, letting her breath catch up, "There's been a building collapse. We have to hurry, Izuku, it's villains." The words sent him into a frenzy, his mind going into overdrive. "Where? Who? When? How many casualties? What heroes are the-" Shaking his head, he cut the thoughts short.
His panic ridden face was replaced with one of determination, and he rapidly turned around to face Meredith leaning down to be closer. "Now, we have some more hero business to attend to. Do you think you can find your home from here?" He made sure to still put on a calm expression for the girl.
Meredith nodded, a look of determination on her own face. "Mmhmm! My house is only a block down! And now I have to protect me!" The cat mewled in her arms, causing Izuku to smile inwardly at her earnestness.
"Alright then. This won't be the last time we see each other, Merry!" He said, turning around to see that his girlfriend had moved forward, and was pacing back and forth as she talked on the phone. He jogged up to her, leaving Meredith behind.
"What's going on?" He inquired urgently just as she hung up the phone call. He adjusted his hero suit, tightening his gloves and such. "Where is this happening?"
"On Warkla Road, just a few streets down. They said we would know which building when we get there," She answered, her normally bright voice taking on a more serious edge. "It was a villain attack. They blew up a luxury apartment complex, is what I was told." She looked at her boyfriend, both of them apprehensive, but prepared to battle if needed. This, after all, wasn't their first show.
"We should go," Izuku said, slipping on his newly modified mask while Ochako brought herself closer. She hummed in acknowledgement, her expression fierce. Scooping her up into his arms, he activated One-for-All, advanced strength coursing through his veins.
Jumping, he left the quaint park behind and headed towards the city, where crisis was striking and he was needed. In the wooded park, a girl stood holding a poofy cat, watching in amazement as her newfound hero bounded through the sky, leaping off of rooftops in order to reach his destination. Up ahead of this hero lay a path of pain, but also victory and growth. Perhaps the life of a hero only seems simple at first glance.
Locating the building had been effortless; missing the collapsing apartment complex seemed impossible, the roof caving in and the walls crumbling apart. From the sky, one could view people darting about, some helping the injured, others running away or standing idly by, as well as a full news cast reporting in on the incident. An ambulance was posted, waiting for heroes to rescue those in need of the most medical attention from the quickly deteriorating building.
Upon arriving at the scene, Izuku and Ochako had been immediately bombarded by the reporters, a woman shoving a microphone into their faces the moment their feet hit the ground. The two were surprised by the news anchor's lack of awareness for the situation; there was no time for the interruption. Facing the cameraman, the brown-haired woman began to speak, "Here we have the popular U.A. students Deku and Uravity! Tell us, what do you think is happening here on Warkla Road, which is typically a calm street?" But by the time she had started her short introduction, the two heroes had looked at each other, nodded, and bolted towards the other forces nearby. Whipping around, the reporter found that she had been talking to empty space. Sighing, she told the cameraman to keep rolling on the action.
Sprinting up to a cluster of people, Ochako and Izuku did their best to find a person who could educate them of the situation before the two rushed inside head-first. Locating one of the apartment complex's staff members, the two interrogated him on what had happened. "Everything seemed fine, but then there was a sudden explosion. It wasn't massive, but it still sent people running outside. And good thing they did, because after that, there was a second explosion, much stronger. It took out most of the east side of the building. Even though some people were able to get out, there are still a lot inside. We have a resident list," He held up a clipboard with names on it, "And have been checking off all of the people that have been reported safe. But we've only found 42 of the 75 people currently living there, and since then there's been another explosion," He was clearly nervous, his voice shaky, but his information was useful, even if it was slightly vague. "I hope this helps."
"Thank you so much," Izuku had said, his gratitude heartfelt. The worker nodded, and walked away from the shorter boy and his girlfriend, resuming his task of checking the list of apartment patrons. Turning to Ochako, the two quickly discussed their next plan of action, "So we know that there are still several citizens trapped inside, and that the villains are still making frequent attacks, so we have to be careful." The brunette watched (normally it would be with bemusement, but the circumstances were too serious), recognizing the look on Izuku's face and his body posture. With a hand on his chin, eyes cast downward at nothing in particular, the gears in his head were turning. Swiftly, a plan was formed. "So this may have to be a mix between a rescue and attack operation. You'll float the rubble that's too big, and I'll help lift things that I can, carry the people, and fight if needed," He hastily looked at her, a red tinting his cheekbones as he caught his small mistake, "And you'll of course help fight, too."
Nodding, and wearing a knowing smile, Ochako affirmed his idea, "Sounds solid to me. Alright, ready to go?" After hum of approval from the hero beside her, the two dashed off, entering the failing building ahead of them.
It was dark, and dust billowed around them, thick in the air. Stepping cautiously through the ground level and crouching around hunks of cement and crushed wall, the two commenced the search for trapped civilians. Five minutes into their frantic look-about, they had still yet to find a single person. Just as Ochako had begun to groan in frustration, there was sudden thudding, each noise coming shorty after the other in a rapid succession. Afraid that it was the continuing explosions that the worker outside had warned of, both Izuku and Ochako dropped to the floor and rolled into some form of cover, holding their hands above their heads as trained to do so.
In an instant, the thundering clamor came to an abrupt halt and a voice replaced it, "Ah! Deku and Uravity!" A moment of pause passed and the mentioned students looked to the voice in shock, "What… What are you doing?" It was Deatharms, carrying two unconscious people to help from the second level. Relief flooded through Izuku's body, now aware that the commotion had just been the large hero's footfalls, and he shot up, coming to a stiff form of attention. "You're just as crazy as always," He gave a disheartened chuckle and moved closer to the exit, "There are people upstairs still that you can help,"
Once the pro's tip reached the ears of Izuku and Ochako, they both made a mad sprint for the battered and torn staircase, the former bounding up the stairs four at a time when applying his quirk. Zipping about the second floor, avoiding the obstructions of rubble they both frenziedly combing through the area. Within 2 minutes there were already three people hoisted up onto Izuku's back and he began sauntering outside and towards the paramedics as Ochako located and gathered more of the injured.
An hour passed, all but one of the 11 floors swept through, and dozens of people had been rescued by Izuku and Ochako, along with other heroes. Odd was it that there had been no sightings of the villains, nor a fourth explosion. Carrying a couple of people, Ochako on his tail as she supported another and floated a young boy, Izuku made his way to the ambulance.
"There's more?" The female EMT stationed outside sighed, exasperated as she looked at the oncoming cluster of people. Her coworker inside was trying his best to fit several people inside of the vehicle. This would be the fourth ambulance to be sent off. "Are there any severe injuries?" The woman hollered at Izuku and Ochako before he reached where she was.
"Not that we can tell!" The pink-costumed hero shouted back, subconsciously examining the back of her boyfriend up ahead. Reaching the ambulance, the male medical technician eased the unconscious citizens off of Izuku and propped them up somewhere in the packed automobile. "Here," The worker on the ground said, taking the older woman that Ochako had been supporting. A murmured thank you was heard from the injured lady.
Izuku walked up to where Ochako and the boy she was still floating were, and got himself ready to catch said child. Tapping her fingers together, the boy's gravity was reverted back to normal and was soon nestled comfortably in strong arms. After lifting the red-haired boy into the ambulance, Izuku and Ochako bumped shoulders and began the short sprint to the building, entering once again.
Checking off the newly acquired rescued, the nurse smiled down at her clipboard, pleased to see that the day's work was almost done — all of the apartment goers had been accounted for. Zipping back around, she began to congratulate the two young heroes that had been with her, "That's everyone! No need to go back into the bu-" Her mouth dropped open and worry flooded up from the pit of her stomach.
Looking onward at the apartment complex, she contemplated going inside to get them herself, but rationed that there were patients who needed her. (She was correct in that fact.) Deciding to instead notify another hero near her, she approached Deatharms, who had been at the site since the beginning of the explosion. "Excuse me," She began, effectively gaining his attention, "All of the citizens have been rescued, but-"
"That's great! How's everybody holding up?" The burly man interrupted, excited to hear that his and the other heroes' work had paid off. Smiling, he had no idea that there were still two heroes inside, searching for people they wouldn't find.
"Actually, sir, Deku and Urav-" She didn't get to complete the student's hero names, which she had caught earlier in the day. For, to the horror of everyone in the vicinity, the ground began to tremble, the building shaking with a great force. In a burst of light, and a reverberation of ear-shattering clatter, the building shattered before their eyes. The villains had struck again, with two unsuspecting heroes trapped within it's now destroyed walls.
They were on the eleventh floor, lifting up chunks of rubble and rock, searching for citizens, but to no avail. Worried that they wouldn't be able to find those still trapped before it was too late. Growing ever more concerned, their faces were grim as they continued to look in vain.
It started with a cough, and then she rubbed her eyes. Ochako looked around, confused by the sudden onslaught of dust billowing around the destructed rooms. Sparing a glance to the ceiling, she realized that it was flowing down from there. Confused, she made her way around the apartment level, probing throughout each room for her boyfriend. "Where could he…," A great rumbling overtook the building, and Ochako's knees felt weak against the motion — realization struck her like a train.
The clanging and shifting of the building all around, Ochako took a sprint towards the level's lobby, frantically searching for Izuku. "No, no, no, no, no…" Tears streaming down her face, partially from the sawdust floating about (heavier in the air than ever) and mostly from panic, she saw him crouched over, looking for citizens closer to the ground. "DEKU!" She screeched. He turned to her, eyes wide with surprise. "GET DOWN!"
There was a moment where time seemed to slow down. The situation dawned on Izuku just as Ochako tackled him to the ground, her body toppling his. All at once, the brief time of pause came to an abrupt stop.
Pain was the only feeling, enveloping the two and causing Ochako to cry out. A stone struck Izuku's head, and everything suddenly fell into a haze. Above him, he saw the ceiling falling on them, as if the sky were collapsing. Clenching his teeth, he punched away some of the rubble falling closer and closer to them, then fell unconscious, floating in an ocean of tormented aching. They were already entrapped deep within a pile of rubble with no way out.
"What's going on?" Shouto exclaimed, making it to the scene shortly after the fourth explosion, catching sight of several people hunkering close to the ground. The air was thick with dust and unplaced emotion, the former filtering uncomfortably into Shouto's eyes. Lips in a grim line, he scanned the area in hopes of finding someone to inform him of the situation. His boots clapped loudly on the cracked asphalt of the destroyed apartment complex parking lot - the only break in the stiff silence of the atmosphere.
After filtering about the groups of citizens, Shouto came across Deatharms, who was standing dominantly with his arms crossed. Jogging up to him, arms pumping gently at his sides, the fire-and-ice user called out, "Hey! What's happening?" He came to a halt a few yards in front of the pro.
Looking down at the student, Deatharms provided an answer, "There's been a villain attack; a couple of explosions have destroyed the building." Shouto opened his mouth to ask a question, but the muscled hero stopped him, "Before you ask: we've already got all of the citizens out."
The words easing his clamoring heart, Shouto sighed. Placing his right hand on his chest, he exhaled, "That's a relie-"
He was cut short, "But there are two heroes trapped inside. They went in to check for more people before we could tell them that everyone was out, and then the villains struck again." Figuring that the hero-in-training would ask who was trapped, Deatharms decided that saying it then was his best course of action, "Their hero names are Uravity and Dek-"
Deatharms didn't get to finish his statement before Shouto made a bolt for the skeleton of an apartment complex, attempting to jump headlong into the crumbling remains. Adrenaline coursed through his body as his legs carried him swiftly towards the structured pile of rubble.
"Wait!" Deatharms hollered, scolding Shouto for his reckless haste. He was running directly behind the other, attempting to make his way to the front. Shouto couldn't hear him, or decided to ignore him in prefrence of continuing his venture to save his friends. All he could sense outside of his drowning emotion was the whistling of wind around him.
Luckily, thanks to his larger body, Deatharms was able to catch up to the student just before he reached the shell of a building, sticking his arm out to block the path before moving his body to be in the way. "Hold on, kid."
"Why'd you do that?" Shouto glared at the man, the scowl on his face quite intimidating. But Deatharms refused to be swayed by the effort. Shouto huffed, inhaling and exhaling quickly, possibly out of panic and anger, but also from his urgent sprint.
Deatharms sighed, "We have to wait for more reinforcements. Hereos with more sutiable quirks are on their way." Shouto clenched his fist, knowing that he would have to hold back from bursting into the wreckage that instant. "Just sit tight, we'll get 'em out of there," Deatharms tried to smile.
"Fine," Shouto pushed away the arm in front of his body and turned around, making his way back towards the other people. Leaning against a pole with his arms crossed, he bided his time, anticipating the moment where he would be able to save Izuku and Ochako.
Up above, standing on one of the relitavily intact fire-stairs, five or so masked figures stood, snickering gleefully. "That's it boys," One of them said. He was holding a remote with four seperate buttons, each labeled with a corresponding number. The group was dripping with murderous intentions, and one could only imagine the sick and twisted smiles that lied beneath the cloaks.
Casting a finger forward, indicating where to go, the man who had spoken leaped from the building and to the ground level, his black clothing billowing in the wind. With the cluster behind him, they made a quick escape, eyes set on reaching a certain "sewage drain" in a secluded alleyway. Unfortunatley, that would not be their destination.
"What is… that?" Through the corner of his eye, Shouto had been blinded by a glint off of the top section of the building. He had been making rounds around the premise of the demolished apartment building, too antsy to sit and wait by the entrance. Squinting, he made out several dark figures from above, one holding a silver device that had likely reflected the sun.
Shouto's eyes narrowed - "It's them." He had to assume that the suspicious people up on the escape staircases were the perpetrators who had blown up the building. Silently sneaking into a dark area, hoping to keep himself concealed until the opportuneあa moment, Shouto felt sick to his stomach at the malicious laughter seeping from the five villains.
He stood soundless for multiple minutes, unshifting, as he glowered at the road. When the evil-doers finally descended to the ground, Shouto couldn't help but notice how they stuck out in the middle of the day wearing all black attire. He watched through narrowed eyes, spying from the distance as he prepared for the perfect moment to strike, as the man who held the device beckoned the others forward. In a span of less than 30 seconds, the group of five had taken off running.
When they were a noticeable distance away, far enough that they wouldn't hear a pursuer from behind, Shouto took his moment, blazing after them. His muscles worked, carrying him swiftly as he was led through alleys with sharp turns and secluded and musty areas. Angling his body to make a corner, he came across the villains at a standstill, backs facing Shouto. They were still completely unaware of his presence.
A clank resounded through the passageway as one of the men lifted up a rusted sewage drain cover. Seeing his moment, Shouto balanced his body and tamed his breath. The matter was dealt with instantly, a layer of ice blocking the sewage entrance and 5 sets of feet frozen to the asphalt in a blink of an eye.
"Wha-agh!" One of the shrouded men exclaimed, struggling to keep his balance after he had thrown up his hands in frustration. Groaning echoed off of the walls as Shouto's boots thudded on the ground upon his approach to the stationary forces.
"Who are you?!" The lead man (Shouto had concluded) gawked, his face marred by fury. "Everything was going great! We were making our escape!" He thought, dumbfounded. "If I had expected to get caught, I figured it would be by some head-honcho pro… but no by-!" "You're just some kid!" He shouted, baring his teeth. The rest of his men mirrored the same intense emotion.
Standing confidently in front of them, Shouto gave no answer, only whipping out his cell and sending a message to the appropriate people, "I've contained the villains." Along with the mass text was an address. The student huffed, trying to contain the flaming anger that was bursting from within.
Short minutes passed, filled with the perpetrators barking useless insults Shouto's way, and the time was spent securing the area. By the time the police arrived, there were makeshift ice handcuffs on the men, arms bent behind their backs (causing much annoyance on the criminals' behalf).
After melting the frozen containment measures (upon the request of the police), Shouto edged towards the end of the bustling alleyway. Amidst the process of brief interrogations and shoving the scoundrels into police vehicles, a female officer took notice of the sudden urgency evident in Shouto's movements, opposite to his previously calm demeanor.
When she saw him motion to take off in a run, she grasped his wrist. "Wait!" Turning over his shoulder, he gave her a questioning (but yet oddly blank) look. "What's… What's your name?" It was a simple question, one out of an equally simple curiosity of "Who is this kid?"
"Shouto," And then he was gone, nearing his previous location outside of the collapsed building. The sprint over was quick and painless outside of the nagging concern ebbing within his chest. He pushed away that emotion, replacing it with the thought of finally being able to enter the remains of the apartment complex.
He had been gone for a little over 20 minutes — "Surely there's enough forces now?" His hopes were answered negatively, and he was told to wait longer. Crestfallen and depressed, he found a relatively empty place to rest. With all feelings of anger diminished, Shouto was left to the wrath of anxiety and worry. He was engulfed by despair.
"..uku," Everything was registering in fragments once Izuku eventually came to, "Hey, Izuku," The voice that had pulled him back whispered again. Fluttering his eyelashes, he struggled to open his eyes, only to find that he could only hazily see from one. The other was victim to a stream of blood that was flowing from his temple; it took a second for him to remember what happened, but he nonetheless did. On top of him was Ochako, tears streaming down her dirt covered face, the streaks washing away the grime in clear lines.
At the sight of Izuku's half-lidded, but still open, eyes, she gently thumped her helmeted head down on the left side of his chest, relieved that her boyfriend was awake and (somewhat) alright. "Oh thank God," The spill of tears came fresh, heavier than before. "Oh god, Izuku," She muttered, sniffing through her sobs.
Distressed by Ochako's apparent sadness, Izuku made to reach out to her as a form of comfort. At the first movement of his right arm, a pain riveted through his chest. The loud hiss that escaped his lips alerted the girl with him, prompting her to look up at him, taking notice of the grimace he wore. "What's wrong?" She was quiet, as was everything else, silence shrouding the small space that they were encased within.
"It's," He began, and Ochako saw how he moved his other arm towards his chest, possibly to rub the area in order to soothe the soreness. Beating him to it, she merely lifted his tattered costume off of his right shoulder, a guilty suspicion growing in her heart. Her fingers were dainty, the motions as soft as butterfly kisses, but Izuku still visibly winced.
"I'm sorry," Her voice was dripping with apology, for more than one reason. In the moment, Izuku couldn't see the hint of regret in the two words. "It's your collarbone," She told him. The bone was severely damaged, supposedly broken in two or so pieces, the half closer to his neck pushing the skin out in the middle. (Luckily the skin hadn't been punctured.) The second part was distorted and bent, the section where the tip would slightly emerge from the shoulder positioned much too far from the edge. "It's broken," She refrained from telling Izuku what it looked like, fearful of the reaction.
He hummed, ever unconcerned for his own aches. "How are your injuries?" He asked his girlfriend, moving his good arm to grab her hand. She sighed, eyebrows scrunched together with worry at the sight of Izuku's eyelids falling, growing clearly heavier. Both could safely assume that there was a concussion in play.
"My left arm is hurting pretty bad," She tried her best to play down her own injuries, familiar with the way that her boyfriend freaked out whenever she got so much as a scratch, "But it'll probably just be somethin' like a fracture. And my ankle's messed up too. I think it may be from when I tackled you," She thought for a moment, trying to shake off the shock of the events and feel for other bodily pains. "My neck, too. Just sore from jerking it quickly, though," She also wanted to add, "I hit my head on your chest when the explosion happened, and my helmet probably broke your collarbone," But refrained from doing so, the words getting trapped in her throat. "I… I think that's it."
Upon her report, a troubled anxiety flourished within Izuku and he grew desperately concerned for his girlfriend. Moving slightly to change their uncomfortable position, Izuku brushed Ochako's side with his hand by accident. The color drained from his face, and he bit his lip, sweat dripping from his bloodied face. "What's the ma-"
"Ochako," She blinked, surprised by his interruption, "Are you bleeding?" He shifted his glazed over eyes to glance at his left hand, and gulped upon seeing the thin layer of blood on his fingers.
"Umm… I, don't thi-" She furrowed her eyebrows, and pushed her lips to one corner of her mouth.
"It's your side," Came his quiet voice once again, alerting her of the injury. Craning her stiff neck to look at the aforementioned wound, getting sight of her ripped costume and a laceration on her left hip. "Will you let me look at it?" Ever the gentleman, he asked for her consent to observe the damage. Nodding, she felt him move ever-so-slightly to get a better look at the gash. "Thank goodness. It's not very deep," Laced with immense relief, his voice comforted her slight panic.
He thought for bit, and proceeded with his next plan of action. Rotating his neck to the right, he bit down on the material of his costume's neckline, careful as to not hook his skin. The long, unsettling sound of clothing ripping could be heard as he yanked his head to the left, effectively making a strip of fabric. "Why did you do that?" Ochako asked, her voice unsure.
Grabbing the piece from his mouth with his uninjured, left arm, he folded the band of material in half. The jagged cloth would serve as a makeshift bandage. "We've gotta stop the bleeding," He answered her, moving to press the dark, green-teal scrap on her cut. Despite being as gentle as possible in the sense that some pressure was needed, she still gasped and clenched her eyes closed tightly. "Sorry! Sorry!" He moved his hand away slightly, concerned that he had made it worse.
"No! No, it's fine, you didn't do it on purpose," She sighed, exasperated by the situation "And you're doing the right thing." He bit his lip and looked at her with deep apprehension, but placed the cloth back on the laceration, doing his best to halt further damage to the wound.
As he applied pressure to her wound, she thought of a way out of the cave of rubble that had built around them. "I could use my quirk…" She changed her mind on that notion, "No, I don't know how heavy this stuff is, and it may be past my limit… And who knows how deep in the rubble we are? Or, what if I float the wrong rock first? The rest would crush us…"
A few more minutes passed, with occasional winces from Ochako (to which Izuku profusely apologized for multiple times), and a realization had finally struck the brunette. "Hey… Izuku," He looked up slowly, and she grew ever more frantic at the sight of his clouded over and dilated eyes. "You never gave me your injury report."
"Oh," He seemed dazed, his typical alertness fading to his head injury. She only prayed it wasn't as bad as it seemed. He began, voice hushed and cracking in multiple places, "It's kind of hard to breathe… You know, tight in the chest?" A panic coiled out from the pit of Ochako's stomach. She had earlier taken notice of the slight wheeze that came with each shallow breath, and the rattling of his body whenever he exhaled or inhaled.
"And…," His words were slurring, Ochako observed with grim anxiety. "My legs are kinda numb… in the really painful way." His eyelids fluttered closed and her mind went into a frenzied overdrive.
"Oh god no… Don't tell me-!" Craning her aching neck (which she assumed had some kind of whiplash) she was met with a horrifying sight. Blood was pooling around Izuku's lower half, a deep crimson staining the uneven cement, but it wasn't from the injury she had presumed. Crushed under a sizable boulder of stone and wires was both of Izuku's legs.
"My god, Izuku!" "How could he -, no, we - not have noticed this?!" Her mind was screeching and she drowned in hysteria. She whipped her head around to face him again, trying to ignore the creeping thought of her boyfriend's shattered bones, but instead failing to the question of "Where did all the blood come from?"
Dismissing the pain caused by shaking her head, she pushed the gruesome thought to the back of her mind. "Izuku, we-," Her eyes grew wide and terror flooded her senses. Looking down, his expression was serene, relaxed with rest.
"Hey, hey, no, no, don't fall asleep! Wake up! Come on, wake up Izuku!" Not the first time that day, tears once again streamed down her face, dripping from her chin.
A groan resounded through the small cave of rubble, and Izuku blinked open an eye as much as he could. Lifting his left arm to stroke her tangled hair, he looked up at his girlfriend with warm concern. "Wha's wrong…?" His words were mushed together, the blood loss and concussion taking their toll on his body.
"Oh, oh, you're awake, thank goodness. Please don't fall asleep again, please," Quiet, her voice dripped with alleviation, but hinted at remaining worry. She took her uninjured hand and brought it up to gently caress Izuku's face. "I have to find a way to keep him awake!" She resolved as his eyelids began to droop close again.
An idea struck, "He-hey Deku?" She had a habit of reverting into the use of his nickname when she was nervous. "What… What are your favorite birthday memories?"
His eyes grew wider. The realization of it still being his birthday caught him off-guard; it seemed that throughout the day's events he had forgotten the date. "Um…," He hesitated, reluctant to tell her about the frequent loneliness he experienced in his childhood. Of course, the entire class had learned the majority of his painful past, Ochako naturally knowing the most (next to Toshinori and Inko), but he didn't like to burden his friends with his issues. But he knew that she was trying to keep him talking. There was no denying the presence of blood-loss and concision induced slumber looming near.
He let out a shaky exhale and began recalling the parts of his childhood that he could remember fondly, "When I was a kid, as you know, I didn't have…," He gulped and steeled his nerves, "Didn't have many friends as a kid, so I never had 'parties'."
Ochako frowned, depressed by the mention of Izuku's rough time as a child. But she refrained from saying anything, letting him continue. "But Mom and I would always celebrate. She would make me a cake that had a number candle and the words "Happy Birthday Izuku" written in frosting. And sometimes she would get an All Might candle too," A soft and weak, but one-hundred percent genuine chuckle reverberated through his chest. "The color of the cake would always change - she kept it unique -, but the flavor was the same each year." His spew of words was disrupted by a large yawn.
"What flavor was it?" Ochako questioned, her voice far too loud for the delicate situation. "Have to keep him talking. Have to keep him talking. Come on, Ochako." She bit her lip, nearly hard enough to draw blood, awaiting his answer.
His words growing more incoherent each moment, every phrase coming closer to falling victim to his uneasy breathing, he continued to persevere. "Lemon - Mom and I have always both liked it. I've never been big on gifts, so I never really asked for anything, but Mom would get me something anyway."
When he seemed to be fading again (his eyelids slowly drifting close, then blinking up rather rapidly, over and over) she piped up with another question. She was doing her best to stay as positive-spirited as possible in the dire scenario, but it was difficult to keep the pain from her voice. Ochako's legs bent significantly at the knees, her feet all but touching her bottom in an effort to avoid contact with the boulder hovering over her body, supported by the sections of rubble that made the 'walls' of the little cave she and Izuku were imprisoned in. Extending her legs in the slightest would cause them to make contact with the concrete hunk crushing Izuku's body from just above the knees and down. Afraid to shift the delicate position of said item, she silently suffered through muscle cramps that took over her body, refusing to disturb the rock's placement and instead focusing on keeping Izuku awake. "What kinda things did she give you?"
"Jus' some stuff. Action… 'igures and clothes…," He shifted his jaw a bit, and Ochako worried that she was losing him - she didn't know how long they had been buried underneath the rubble, but it definitely wasn't a short time. The slur of his words was getting worse, and he had resorted to speaking with his eyes closed. The tears spurting from Ochako's eyes refused to seize as she contemplated what to say next.
"Ya' know? These past years at Yuuei, with you and everyone else, have been my favorite birthdays…," He was looking at her now, and through the deep tiredness evident in his eyes, there was an immersive gratitude that seemed to tell a story all on its own. "The first year really surprised me, and you guys even made sure my mom was at the party. We all ate cake together and laughed and talked… I remember crying like a baby throughout the entire day. The second year was just as great. We all went out shopping and you guys took me out to dinner after. And you got me that yellow sweater that I love so much," He laughed a bit, then continued his little impromptu speech, "That was right before we started dating. I blushed like crazy. I still can't believe all that you guys have done for me," He sighed contently, and a small, pleasant smile made itself known. "I couldn't be where I am without everyone who's supported me. Especially you, Ochako."
Ochako was shocked, her mouth slightly agape, and her eyes large with surprise. She watched, tears spawning from all sorts of emotions making her eyesight blurry and foggy, as he blinked slowly several times. The moment his thick eyelashes rested on his cheekbones, unshifting, she couldn't hold back her cry of distress. "Izuku?!" She received no answer.
"Izuku! Hey! Izuku! Wake up!" She frantically screamed his name, no longer worried about her volume. "Izuku! Please! You have to wake up!" She wailed, shaky sobs bubbling from her throat. When her efforts resulted in no response, her heart was enveloped in a pit of despair and agony. "No…" She thumped her head against his chest, her body overtaken with convulsions of anguish. "No, please. I can't… I can't lose him."
(A/N): I would like to thank the IzuOcha Discord server for helping me with this. Even though I just joined, you all tolerated me when I came complaining about how I couldn't get something or was stuck, and helped me through it. I appreciate all of you.
Also, sorry for the weird line break at the beginning of the story... the regular breaks weren't working there... for some reason. (?)
With that out of the way, thank you so much for reading and have an excellent day and eat and drink plenty! Love ya all!
P.S. So this has been done since the 15th, but I sorta forgot to post it here on ffn... Sorry 'bout that... ^^;