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Chapter Thirteen: Revival

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Izuku's eyes flickered under their lids.

He felt stiff and cold as if he'd been asleep for a very long time and his body was having trouble waking up.

He inhaled shakily but was alarmed to feel something shift and press against his mouth as he did. A moment later, he forced his eyes open, and light suddenly blinded him. Blinking rapidly, he tried to get his vision back into focus and his eyes swerved over to the side of his bed.

He saw two figures sitting there, and as his vision sharpened he saw that it was his mother and All Might.

Inko had her head resting against All Might's shoulder, asleep, while All Might was leaning back against the wall and looking half conscious himself.

Izuku's hand trailed up to his mouth and touched the item that covered it. It felt plastic and very uncomfortable. It seemed to be giving him some kind of air, but he didn't like its foreign feeling.

His hand clasped around the item and he tried to peel it off. His chest was starting to hurt again and his desperation only worsened it.

At the noise of his struggling, All Might snapped to attention and his eyes widened when they focused on Izuku. "Midoriya!" He stood up from the bench, leaving Inko to just about fall where she sat before he rushed over to Izuku's side. "No, keep the oxygen mask on," he told him. "You need it."

Izuku's mind raced. Oxygen mask? It was just one small bullet wound, how much damage had it done…?

The panic must have shown on his face, because a moment later All Might said, "We'll ask the doctor how long you need it, but for now, you need to keep it on. Alright, Young Midoriya?"

Izuku slowly nodded, his hand falling away from the mask.

All Might relaxed his shoulders and gave a tired smile before he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's good to see you finally awake, Midoriya. For a moment, I thought…" Izuku heard the crack in his voice. "I'm just glad that you're all right now. And safe."

Izuku's chin trembled. "M-me too."

"Izuku, my baby!"

Inko suddenly forced herself beside All Might and grabbed her son's hands, tears welling up in her eyes. "Baby, I was so worried! When the doctors told us how fragile you were, I was so scared... " She let out a sob.

Izuku tried to give a reassuring smile but he almost didn't have the energy to even do that. "Don't worry, I'm okay now, Mom," he rasped, with the oxygen mask making it even more muted than it already was. "I mean it."

"Well, you're still very weak, Midoriya," All Might chided. "The doctors say they're going to have to keep a close eye on you until they're sure you're clear of infection… which means you're not leaving this hospital until we're absolutely certain that you're alright."

Izuku took in a sharp breath. Oh, well. That was better than being dead. "What about the trial and-and Nakatomi?"

All Might pursed his lips. "Midoriya, you shouldn't be worrying about those things-"

"All Might, please." Izuku was getting desperate. His breathing grew louder. "How long have I been asleep? Did-did I miss the trial?"

"No," All Might sighed. "It's Saturday evening right now. You've been asleep ever since last night when Shigeru attacked. He's in custody right now, and he'll be at the trial with Nakatomi since he was involved. The trial is still on for Monday."

Izuku started to sit up. "I have to go-"

All Might countered him, pressing him gently back against the bed. "No, you're not. You're still too weak. Even if the doctors allowed it, your mother and I both agree that it's too risky. You could pop a stitch, or something could worsen your injury."

"But Nakatomi…" Izuku's eyes darted between his mother and All Might. "If I don't go to the trial, I can't give my testimony. That means Nakatomi might get away with a minimum sentence, and then he could hurt even more people… no, I-I have to go."

All Might didn't answer for a long moment, his eyes heavy and downcast. "Midoriya, let's not talk about this right now. You just woke up and you're still weak from the surgery… we'll decide what's going to happen tomorrow."

Izuku gave a small nod. It was pointless to argue right now anyway. Maybe he could convince them tomorrow.

"Right now, you need your rest. The doctor will be here in a few minutes, and we'll ask him more then." All Might gave a glance behind him before he started to back up and sat back down on the bench. After a few more moments, Inko finally released Izuku's hands and did the same, settling back down beside the other man.

"It's a miracle that you're all right, young Midoriya," All Might said softly. "Just remember that."

"I know," Izuku whispered.

And the three of them sat there, silently, each one thankful that they were all still together, safe, and most importantly, alive.

It was only later that Izuku learned what happened after he'd been shot.

Through sheer luck, the bullet hadn't hit any major organs, striking instead against a rib that diverted it upward to lodge behind his collarbone. While the location created a bit of a challenge for the doctor, it was preferable to the alternative; had the bullet entered an inch lower, it would have gone between his ribs, straight into his lung, likely killing him shortly after.

Still, he had lost a lot of blood. Too much. A blood transfusion was needed, and as soon as possible after the surgery. The hospital had luckily had his blood type in stock and he was hooked up before long, before he was put under anesthetic until he'd awoken the next evening.

He had a hard time sleeping that night, as his shoulder was throbbing and his painkillers were wearing off, but he managed to catch a few hours of rest by the time morning rolled around.

It was Sunday.

All he could think of was that the trial was the next day.

His classmates visited him that afternoon, and he was surprised that everyone had shown up. Even Bakugo, although it seemed like Kirishima had had to drag him there. His small hospital room was cramped and All Might and his mother decided to step out to make more room.

Everyone spoke at once, asking how he was and when he could come back to school and if his bullet wound hurt, and so on. Izuku quieted them all down with a wave of his hands and gave a tired smile.

"I'm fine now," he assured them. "The doctors said they need to keep me under observation for another few days in case I have a post-surgery infection, but after that, I'm free to go."

Everyone visibly sighed in relief.

"I'm just so happy you're okay, Deku!" Uraraka squeaked. "We were all so scared!"

"Indeed," Iida said solemnly. "After you were shot, none of us were sure if… if you'd make it."

"But at least you're alright after all of that. Right, Midoriya?" Todoroki asked.

Izuku nodded. "Yeah… I'm okay." And he meant it.

Even though he was still recovering from the bullet wound, he felt much calmer than he had all last week. Shigeru had struck, but he hadn't won. The biggest part of his fears was gone. There was still the trial to worry about, but he was confident that Shigeru would at least be locked away for a long, long time.

"So, uh, what's the deal with this Nakatomi guy now?" Sero asked nervously. "Is he going to be released or something since you can't go to the trial?"

Izuku stiffened and dropped his head to look down at his hands. There was an IV tube sticking out of his left arm and he hated the sight of it. Was he really that weak? That useless?

"No, I'm going to the trial, guys," Izuku said lowly.

Almost immediately, Iida let out a cry of protest. "Midoriya, you can't! Even if your mother allowed it, your doctors never would! This is ridiculous!"

"Iida, I have to." Izuku looked back up at his friends, his eyes traveling across each and every one of them. "You all helped me when Shigeru attacked, and-and I'm still so grateful for that. I have to pay you back for it."

"Yeah, you should," Bakugo growled. "It's the last time I save your butt."

Kirishima elbowed him.

Izuku sighed. "But… I can't just let all of this amount to nothing. I've waited to speak at the trial and I will. Nakatomi might be going to jail, but I'm going to be the one who makes sure he stays there."

The class was silent as they took this in, and then Todoroki spoke. "Well, you remember what I said earlier, Midoriya. I'll help you if you need me to."

"Me too," said Shoji.

"I as well," Tokoyami agreed.

Murmurs of agreement chorused across the room.

Izuku's eyes prickled with tears as he stared at all of them, but he wiped them away with a sweep of the back of his hand. He was so lucky to have friends as loyal as them. Before U.A., he'd had nobody. It was still hard to remember that he had people he could count on now.

"Thank you, guys," he whispered. "I-I'll let you know what happens."

He just hoped that his mother and All Might would agree to it.

"No. Absolutely not."

"But All Might, I-"

"I knew you were reckless, Midoriya, but this?" All Might shook his head as he paced the room. "Trials can wait. Your health can't."

"I think All Might is right, baby," Inko agreed as he squeezed Izuku's shoulders from his side. "That does seem like a pretty high risk."

"Well, what do you think, Doctor Itsuki?" Izuku asked, speaking to the doctor who stood on the other side of the room.

The man pursed his lips. "I don't know. It seems a bit of a stretch for you to be there for such a long period of time."

"It's only for a few hours," Izuku insisted. "And I would come right back afterward. A doctor could even come with me in case anything happens!"

Doctor Itsuki glanced at All Might before he shrugged. "It's not impossible. As long as you don't strain yourself, and you promise to stand up as little as possible, I don't see a problem."

"Doctor, you can't be serious," All Might exclaimed. "He's- he's been shot!"

"I've seen patients in worse care do much more strenuous things, much against my advice. However, Izuku here seems to be pretty set on going and I'd say he's responsible enough to know what's too much for him to handle."

All Might ran a hand down his face. "If only Recovery Girl was here… but no, she just had to be cities away helping out at other hospitals this weekend…"

"She can heal me when she gets back," Izuku said. "Either way, she can't change the trial. But I can. All Might, you know how important this is to me… Mom, you know it too!"

Inko looked down at the floor, her eyes heavy. "I just… I don't know, baby-"

"Well, I do." Izuku turned to All Might and clenched the covers of his hospital bed tightly. "All Might, you've always told me to do what's right, to be a hero. And that's what I want to be. You sacrificed yourself for other people and you know the pain that comes with it. This time, I got hurt… badly. But that doesn't mean I haven't learned. That doesn't mean I still can't make a difference!" He closed his eyes. "Please, just… I have to do this. I have to finish it, my way."

All Might opened his mouth to respond before he closed it, returning to his thoughts. Izuku stared at him anxiously while Doctor Itsuki waited for an answer. Inko simply clutched Izuku's shoulders tighter.

Finally, All Might spoke. "Just for a few hours," he said quietly. "No more. And if you start feeling any pain, at all-"

"I know, I know, I'm going back to the hospital." Izuku bobbed his head. "I'll stay until Nakatomi and Shigeru have been sentenced. After that, I promise, I'll rest for a week."

Doctor Itsuki exhaled, unfolding his arms. "Well, if that's settled, I better go make some arrangements for tomorrow morning. I can't say this is the best thing for you to be doing, but it's not like your life is in danger if you do." He shrugged. "I'll send a friend with you just in case. Oh, and Izuku…"

Izuku blinked.

"There's one other thing I need you to do."