It gets worse before it gets better :_)

It would be a lie to say he's never woken up in a strange, unknown place before. It's actually rather embarrassing how common it is. How regularly he wakes up in Recovery Girl's office or the hospital. Half the time he's even able to recognize his environment immediately.

A random building in the middle of a mountain is a bit of a surprise, though. He wouldn't have guessed that one, had he been given the chance.

As it were, though, Aizawa-Sensei and All Might didn't give him much time to actually realize where he was. Much less think up any questions that would pertain to that. As soon as his two teachers realized he was aware enough to process and answer questions, they went into a long spiel that mostly consisted of All Might's nervous ramblings followed by cut-ins by Aizawa.

He'd be lying if he said he followed everything that was said. That he completely understood the explanation by the two men but frankly, he spent half of that time dazedly staring at the barely glowing embers in the fireplace.

He doesn't remember much. The villain from before, of course. They were in the middle of the exercise— him, Kacchan, Hagakure, Iida, Tsu-chan, and Shoji had all been in the area, despite being in two different groups. They had been navigating their way to Present Mic's base. Racing there.

But then the stranger that ended up being a villain had jumped out from the snow and trees. And then they fought. At some point Mic-sensei had showed up and helped, and both of their groups were working together. But it ultimately didn't matter. Any damage they caused was immediately shot back at them, and as time went on more and more damage began accumulating on themselves instead.

So when the villain went to attack a distracted Iida, Izuku had taken the opportunity to lure the villain away with the hopes of losing him somewhere in the wooded area of the mountain.

After that it gets... fuzzy.

Aizawa-sensei showed up, he remembers that. And he remembers his teacher getting hit by his own attack— wielded by the villain, sure, but his attack just the same. It was frustrating. One for All was meant to be used to help people and yet it was being used to hurt someone he cares about. So, along with that, he remembers feeling angry .

But then it sort of cuts off. Just a blockage right before the cold and pain and feeling water filling his lungs. Darkness. Hands holding him up away from the ground, rubbing his back and trying to keep him on his feet.

He remembers where most of his current wounds came from— and the ones he can't, he's able to infer.

Broken arm— he thinks it had something to do with the water he found himself in...though he can't quite remember what. Same with the sting at the back of his head and the pulsating headache running through him. Stirring up a nauseous feeling in his empty stomach and making his vision blur. And then there's the sting and pulsating thrum of pain underneath a swath of bandages on his shoulder. Taped down and wrapped. A knife wound. Transferred to him by the villain. He remembers that pretty clearly.

His entire chest is practically wrapped in bandages, fastening his arm to his chest and binding what feels like a broken rib...or two?

He can't think of where those came from...he's fairly confident the villain didn't get a good enough hit on him during their fight to do that kind of damage, but he could have just been running on adrenaline in actuality.

But...that doesn't seem right.

"Here."

Izuku jumps when a mug is suddenly thrust into his field of vision. Hovering in the air between himself and whoever's giving it to him. Steam rising from it in plumes that makes his nose feel funny.

He gazes up dazedly, clutching the blanket around his shoulders closer to himself. Aizawa-sensei just looks back at him, a neutral expression as per usual. His face, though...when Izuku first saw it, he felt panic. Just the dark bruising and 0redness that took up the majority of his face, and still does...it was a bit of a shock. He knew the villain got a good hit in at some point— he thinks he remembers it being a transferred wound, but he's not too sure.

Now he has a bandage plastered to his nose and that's about the extent of his medical care, so it can't be too bad...right?

Aizawa-sensei pushes the mug closer to Izuku, even going so far as to set it in his, currently, only available hand. Izuku grasps the handle, trying to ignore the way his hand trembles when he reaches out, and Aizawa-sensei doesn't release his own hold on the mug until he's sure that he won't drop it.

The mug is warm— almost feels like it burns in fact. His fingers feel stiff and difficult to manage but the warmth coming from it makes having them feel normal actually seem like a possibility.

He sighs contentedly, sinking deeper into the blanket around him.

He hears a huffed chuckle, and glances up to see All Might leaning heavily against the arm of the armchair, watching him. It's a bit embarrassing considering Izuku actually forgot he was sitting there to begin with. And the fact that he's watching Izuku's every move like it's the most interesting thing on the planet.

"Once you're done with that, you can take some pain meds, alright?"

Izuku nods, bringing the mug closer and closing his eyes as the steam wafts up to his nose. Except it doesn't make it to his nose. The barrier— his respirator, in fact— prevents it. A soft ting when the mug hits the metal of it. He seems to realize the problem at the same time that his two teachers do.

"Oh, right. Here, I got it."

Izuku flinches when hot fingers are suddenly tracing the skin beneath his ears, fumbling with the straps of the respirator. It actually feels a little weird to have it removed. He had grown so used to it being on...though he probably doesn't even remember most of the time that he did have it on.

And frankly, the sudden flow of shame that runs through him is much stronger than this weird feeling of absence. Shame that he's...having to be babied, basically. Cared for every moment he's awake and apparently every moment that he's asleep. If he doesn't remember a lot of what happened after the villain battle, then that means he was a burden. It means someone had to save him , when the whole point of them all being here was to learn to save others. And the whole point of him luring away the villain was to keep people from being hurt.

That didn't quite work out the way he had hoped, then.

Aizawa-sensei sets the mask on the couch beside Izuku, finally stepping away to instead lean against the back of the armchair that All Might is sitting in. Frowning. All Might's frowning at him.

"What's wrong my boy?"

Izuku shakes his head, breathing in the steam from the mug. He breaths a little too deeply and something rough catches in his chest. He doesn't cough though, even if he feels the unpleasant desire to, and he considers that victory enough.

"Well," Aizawa-sensei sighs, leaning further over the back of the armchair, "it's good that you're feeling better enough to lie, at least."

Oops. Izuku decides the best answer to that is to take a sip of the mug's contents. Tea. Sweet and warm down his throat. He immediately feels his stomach heat up exponentially, the small, barely noticeable trembles running through his body almost halting altogether.

He hums, closing his eyes and forces out a croaky, "Thank you."

He doesn't see Aizawa-sensei, but he hears the soft breath that escapes him, "No problem, Problem Child."

Izuku gets the feeling he's referencing multiple things with that dismissal.

He opens his eyes again, glancing at his teachers, "So...when are we leaving?"

All Might sputters on a laugh, "Feeling a little restless, Young Midoriya?"

"No, just—" he takes another sip eyeballing the grey window on the other side of the room. It's high up, only about a foot on all sides but it shows enough to let him know that it's light out, even if the sky is cloudy, "I figured that...that you and everyone else would want to...get home soon. You've...already been here...long enough...because of me."

And he figured that with this whole incident and what he understood from the short explanation of their situation, they probably aren't going to finish the week here at the facility if they have any other option.

And he can safely say he doesn't feel all that up to it now, anyways.

Izuku tries not to notice the way All Might's eyes grow darker or Aizawa-sensei's grip on the couch grows tighter with every pause he has to take. It's just... weird. His endurance is pretty strong now after months and months of running and training, so feeling breathless after simply talking . That just flat out makes no sense.

"We're not going to have any of that now, alright?" All Might says, face turning from the contentment he had been existing in since Izuku woke up to a hardened expression he only gets when he's reprimanding a student. Though, to be fair, it isn't usually Izuku .

Aizawa-sensei nods, "You're not even the primary reason we haven't left yet. We could have dragged you along with us, but the weather has just not been all that great. You were a factor, but not the only one. Don't beat yourself up over something stupid, kid."

If at all possible, Izuku shrinks down further into the blanket, suddenly not feeling all that thrilled about drinking the rest of his tea. He sets the mug onto his covered lap, "Then...when can we leave?"

All Might looks thoughtfully up at Aizawa-sensei, and he in turn offers one at All Might. It's sort of weird. The only times he remembers seeing All Might and Aizawa-sensei interact were offhandedly during class or far from enthusiastically outside of class. Though, it doesn't seem all that bad ever since...Kamino.

"Well," Aizawa-sensei says, "I suppose that's ultimately up to you. In a way."

"Huh?"

"We aren't expected back for another five days or so. Since no authorities seem to have shown up, that means the attack hasn't been noticed by the media, so there isn't even the chance that any of your families or UA staff saw the news and can thus report it. Basically— we will at most be staying here for another five days. Same with your classmates."

Izuku doesn't remember frowning but he can definitely feel it on his face once Aizawa-sensei finishes. That's...not long , really. And he can safely say he doesn't exactly feel up to striding through the snow again for numerous reasons. He can't escape the cold still surrounding him, even with the hot tea and blankets, so going back out into the cold sounds terrible. Plus, he... aches. He has tried not to make it too obvious, but it's just an ever present ache all across his body.

But the real problem is what he can remember from his peers. Kacchan had gotten hit in the head pretty badly. He had blood on his face. And Iida had problems with his engines— though Izuku didn't really know a lot about that. It could be serious. Mic-sensei messed up his knee and got smacked around quite a bit. Tsu-chan started going into hibernation. And that's just including the group he was in. He didn't know about his other classmates, even though All Might had said that they were with Present Mic on the other side of the facility. He didn't go into anymore detail, though. For all Izuku knows, he didn't go into detail for a reason .

And then there's the stock problem. While here they have plenty, the Present Mic's base is supplying for ore than a dozen more people. Five days isn't much when it comes to the supplies here from what he can tell, but five days is a lot to supply food and essentials to a bunch of High Schoolers and a wounded teacher.

And if they ran out of firewood inside, that means his peers and Mic-sense have run out of firewood, too.

And on top of all of that, the people in the main building of the facility— their conditions aren't known. They could be wounded. Waiting for a hero to show up— one of them, and slowly dying. None of them would even know it. They can't just ignore that .

'As your teachers, you're our main priority. They have heroes available there and they are all trained security personnel. Don't worry about it, my boy,' All Might had said when he had originally explained the situation. A little after they had let Izuku put some sweatpants on. That had been an interesting development.

But, All Might had a pained look in his eye. Something withdrawn and concerned. Like he was fighting an instinct.

Izuku guesses being the number one hero for years on end and then being deprived of your ability to help anyone and everyone would do that to someone.

The point being, he might be fine, but that doesn't mean everyone else is. FIve days could potentially be too long.

"In all honesty, I'd prefer that. To wait, that is."

Izuku stares at Aizawa-sensei, "Really?"

His teacher nods, running a hand through his hair, "All Might initially thought we should try and trek our way to where a signal is. But, knowing that everyone else with Mic is safe and your, well, condition ...I think it'd be for the best."

"What we're basically saying is that you don't need to stress yourself, my boy. We know how you are," All Might winks at him, moving forward to lean his elbows against his knees, "It'll be best if you just focus on your recovery first and foremost. We can take it from there."

Izuku suddenly feels rather small. Not in a bad way, really. It's nice having teachers that, well, think of him. Of what's best for him. And obviously , Izuku knew that All Might and Aizawa-sensei were both like that in their own ways, but it's still a little jarring considering the teachers he has had for years before now. They weren't exactly the most attentive people when it came to some quirkless kid. Ironic, since they also saw him as super fragile. In a pitying sort of way.

This, though… this makes him feel warmer.

He swallows thickly and nods once, "...okay."

"Good," Aizawa-sensei pushes off the armchair, crossing the distance over to Izuku, "Now, finish that so you can take these ."

He sets two white pills on the blanket beside Izuku's respirator— Ibuprofen. When Izuku looks up at him, he finds a knowing glint in his teacher's eyes.

Izuku pulls the mug closer, taking another sip. Then another. And another. Forcing himself to drink so he can take the painkillers.

"Go slow now," All Might warns with humor lighting up his voice.

Aizawa-sensei grunts, moving away— seemingly to head back into the kitchen, "Yeah, the last thing we need is you getting sick."

/i/i/i/

The painkillers were apparently something a little stronger than Ibuprofen, because Izuku finds himself waking up hours later, not quite knowing when he actually fell asleep. His eyes have gunk in the corner of them, stinging slightly. A gross taste in his mouth.

A heavy feeling is settled over him. A warmness to his core and a strange rattle that irritates his chest every time he inhales. It's not too bad, but it makes him feel like coughing. So he does.

But once he does, he can't manage to stop. Hacking and gasping into the arm of the couch, trying to get his arm under him. Trying to get his other arm to rip free of the bandages plastering it to his bound chest to help the endeavor.

"Woah, young Midoriya, calm down," someone says above him, and he knows that he's supposed to know who it is. But his brain's too occupied. Too focused on getting whatever's in his lungs out so he can breathe properly, "It's alright. Here."

An arm snakes underneath his arm pit and around his back, suddenly pulling him up and into a semi-sitting position. It does make it easier, funnily enough. Breaths evening out even if vertigo slams into him with alarming force. His eyes roll up into his head and he hears a sudden, startled cry above him.

He doesn't faint, though. Not yet. Just leans heavily into the warm body still holding him upright. The body's...actually cold. Cool to the touch on the uncovered parts of his torso. Bodies are supposed to be warm, so...that doesn't make sense.

There's still a heaviness in his chest and a strange wispy feeling each time he inhales.

That's why it's more of a miracle when he catches the subtle glint of metal on the floor beside the couch.

The person holding him up is speaking again, but it doesn't seem to be directed at him, so he doesn't feel bad for ignoring it and instead focusing all his waning energy on snatching up the metal item.

He leans forward, letting gravity take the lead. He almost slips out of whoever's holding him up's grasp, though. The floor coming quickly towards him, but the body keeps him seated with two arms locked around his torso now instead of one. More voices. More whispers.

A hand comes out of nowhere . Moving into his line of sight and snatching up the metal item. The name of it...the...it's part of his hero costume but it's difficult to remember now for some reason. A lot of things are difficult to remember.

But he knows it's important. He knows it'll make him feel better.

"Pl-pl's…" he forces out in a puff of air that leaves him breathless and shaking, "I nee— I need it. Please."

He doesn't catch if there's a response. Only feels the barest sensation of someone grabbing ahold of his chin and pressing whatever the metal thing is to his face. Hooking it behind his ears.

He only feels that gentle touch and feels the sudden relief of oxygen flowing into his lungs before he's out again.

/i/i/i/

The next time he wakes up is much like how the first went. Blurring shapes and confusion. Voices floating in the space around him. Words floating around in his head. Things he should be able to understand but that just won't catch long enough to process.

He's freezing but feels an unpleasant burning along his face and the core of his body. It's jarring. The last time he was aware, he was freezing through and through. Warmth around him but a deep seated chill within him. It's gone now. Burning. Heated up. Melting him from the inside out.

Something shoves underneath his shoulders, it feels like an arm, and blonde hair floats into the space above him. There's a soft jerk behind his ears, something being lifted from his face. Something else touches his lips. Cold and hard, clacking against his teeth when he shivers.

Then there's water flowing into his mouth.

Into his lungs.

Choking and spasming and flailing.

No, no none of that. No. But—

He flinches away anyways, a rattling breath sucking into his lungs fearfully. Water sloshes in the cup, yes, it was a cup—that's all it was, everything's fine—spilling onto his chest and soaking into the blankets pooled at his waist.

There's a curse above him. Some keening and soft words. Hands on his face. Multiple. Too many to count. Dark hair floating into the space beside the blonde. Bloodied and bruised faces… no, only one face. Swimming in and out of focus into copies of it, but only one. Only one.

His chest feels like there's someone sitting on him. Someone heavy and...and heavy. Just really, really heavy.

The thing is being pressed against his lips again. Water. It's a cup, he thinks. Just a cup. Nothing scary about a cup.

He drinks because his body tells him that he needs to. No other reason. He thinks the voices around him are asking him to, as well, but they could really be saying anything at this point.

The cup is pulled away, the other thing being pressed to his face again, hooked behind his ears. He feels like he's been through this before. Probably a few times. Doesn't remember why or what it is or why he needs it but he does.

He's set down, then. Laying against a soft and squishy cushion— pillow. Eyes as heavy as whoever is sitting on his chest. They should get off of him.

Something cold and damp is pressed to his forehead. He shivers, staring vacantly up at the ceiling. At the blue eyes and the dark eyes looking down at him.

He fades again.

/i/i/i/

He wakes up a few more times— all of them blending together into something incoherent. At some point, he can feel an electricity running up and down his body. Green stripes of energy forcing the blanket off him and pushing him up to his feet.

His heart is hammering against his throbbing ribcage. Something primal and fearful plaguing his thoughts. Screams of danger danger danger going off in his head, even if he doesn't know what is the danger.

It lasts just long enough to see startled blue eyes and feel some type of cloth wrap around his upper body enough to keep him from jumping away. He doesn't know if he'd be able to, anyways.

The energy fades then. Lightning ceasing and his knees giving out, legs folding up underneath him. He's out again before he hits the floor.

If he hits the floor.

/i/i/i/

The hands that grab him this last time have a purpose. They're far different from all the other ones. All the ones with gentle touches and uncertainty plaguing the air around him. Fear. It was fear he could sense. From himself. From whoever was in this strange room with him.

These hands pull him up immediately, forcing something over his head and onto his torso. A shirt— loose and black. He's able to tell that just enough. There's also black in front of him. On the person forcing him up. He's seen them before. They're...black hair. Yeah, he knows them. He knows them.

The other man stands off at the other end of the couch, something clutched in his hands being held up to his ear. Talking to someone.

Cloth is suddenly wrapped around Izuku's back, his arm being yanked and maneuvered against his will into the sleeve. A coat, he thinks. Also big and baggy and warm. It's buttoned and zipped in front of him, his other arm left alone underneath the shirt and the coat. Huh...he can't quite remember what's wrong with that other arm. Why he can't use it...it's foggy.

He hums, closing his eyes again. But he's shaken slightly, strong hands gripping his shoulders and pulling him so his legs hand off the couch. Then the dark-haired man is forcing something onto his feet. Hurriedly. Gently, but not coddling. He's never liked being coddled. He thinks.

The blanket that's been around him since forever is hurriedly wrapped around his shoulders, something else being forced onto his head— over his ears and pushing his wild hair down against his scalp. It's soft and warm and Izuku sighs when it's all said and done.

Then he's being scooped up— arms under his knees and behind his back. Being lifted into the air— only a tiny yelp escaping him before vertigo hits. He only sees the set jaw of a pale face and focused gleam of eyes above him before his vision blacks out. A simple string of words invading his senses for the first time in forever.

"Let's go, Problem Child."

Psssst...the next chapter is posted...