January - Term three - Year three
This is it. The day they had all been waiting for since their first year.
Principal Nezu and the rest of the U.A. staff met the hero classes in front of Heights Alliance. The students dressed in hero costumes stood in class rank order, in four alternating lines between Class A and B. Uraraka stood in space seven between Asui, rank six, and Sero, rank eight.
Principal Nezu cleared his throat, perched on top of Mr. Aizawa. "These classes will be remembered for many things for years to come. Your tenacity to survive. Your dedication to one another. And your passion for justice." He looks at each student for a moment before continuing. "I offer you these words young heroes-be conscious of every choice you make from this moment on. Stick together and trust your hearts to make the right choices, because the wrong ones will take your lives."
Uraraka feels frozen beside her classmates as the harrowing words soak into her. Her eyes catch movement to her right—Sero's fingers are flexing. No, his hand is shaking. She hesitates for a moment before reaching for his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. He lets out a breath, squeezes back, and drops her hand focusing back on the Pros before them.
She sees Aizawa, All Might, Cementoss and Midnight. She continues to look through the faces of the teachers, and staff that had taught them what it means to be a hero on and off the field for the last three years. Now, three months before graduation, this day had finally arrived.
Intel had been approved. The final battle against the League of Villains is today. The students were told to write letters to their parents in case they didn't return home with the ability to articulate words or feelings. If they were captured or tortured. If they died. Uraraka's breath feels caught in her throat and her nose crinkles as she feels the tears begin to gather in her eyes.
"Take a few moments to gather yourselves. You will be separated into your assigned groups shortly. The League of Villains will not wait around for us to organize ourselves further. Staff, make sure you gather last letters when students enter your group." With note of finality in his voice, the clock begins to tick. A few moments to say wish good lucks and say 'don't die' to their classmates—their family.
They were about to be separated into four different groups according to their overall abilities: evacuation, onsite rescue, combat, and specialists. Uraraka would be in the specialists' group with Cementoss and Ectoplasm where they would be required to move between all the groups to assist as they saw fit. Uraraka's eyes flicker to where the big three had been standing during rank in.
What most of their classmates didn't know was there was a fifth group: the elite.
The fifth group consisted of mostly pro-heroes like Eraserhead and Miruko, but also some of the students, specifically the Big Three of the third year. Bakugou, Midoriya, and Todoroki would be with the vanguard to help bring down the League, ths immense evil that had been plaguing the world for three years.
Uraraka feels tears leave trails of heat along her cheeks as she goes in search of them, her friends. They are the ones who will put their lives on the line and she knew they couldn't be stopped once they were let off-leash. They would do whatever it took to make sure Shigaraki Tomura would not see another sunrise.
She finds Todoroki alone behind a pillar of the front steps, clearly trying to avoid being seen. "Uraraka, are you well?"
With two fingers, she raises her visor, and wipes her cheeks. "Uh, yes? I mean, as well as I can be." They share a humorless chuckle. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you. To wish you luck." She pauses to take a steadying breath, knowing if she thinks too much, the tears will cascade.
Todoroki looks back on her.
"Shouto, you have grown from a boy who understood no one into a hero who has a big, compassionate heart. You allowed us to open you up and have learned to become the true you, instead of the person you felt like you were supposed to be." She steps forward to grab his hands with both of hers, squeezing them tightly as she turns on her mom voice. "That being said, so help me if I find out you hesitate on the field for a moment because you aren't sure which is the 'right way' to do something."
His eyes widen from the threat and immediately soften upon seeing her lip tremble. Curses.
"Yes, ma'am. I will not hesitate to do the right thing. I will remember your words, Uravity." Her eyes search him for any hint of dishonesty in his gaze but seeing none, Uraraka merely nods and releases his hands. "Oh, and I'll do my best to protect them. They've grown Uraraka, have faith they too will do what's right." Todoroki nudges her around the corner to see her two friends in question speaking to Aizawa.
"That's the problem, though," she murmurs under her breath, walking away. "To do what's right may not allow them to come back to me."
Her boys seem to be antsy, trying to control their excitement. She wills back the tears that come at that thought. Her boys, she thinks. The three of them had been inseparable since the second term. This mission would be the first one since October where they would not be together. Uraraka feels her heart clenching at the thought.
Midoriya's winter suit is mostly unchanged, although he has a few additional gadgets he has added over the years, adding a body armor to his torso and upper arms. His mouth guard had been reinforced with electronics to help filtering as well as a light for darkened areas. 'I always want my smile to be seen even in the darkest of places,' she remembers his words fondly. He has kept the undercut but trimmed the top mop a little.
Bakugou is currently missing his grenade gauntlets, but his winter suit has the rest of his upgrades: mostly smaller, various bombs along his hips. His mask holds up his bangs. Mina had cautiously trimmed it last night for him, so he wouldn't have to worry about maneuvering his headband and the mask.
Uraraka curses the flutter in her stomach at seeing his eyes kohled up for battle.
"Uravity, was Support able to fix your equipment?" Aizawa wonders upon her arrival. Uraraka had been going back and forth with support for a few weeks about her devices being so large that her mobility was negatively affected. However, thanks to Aizawa, they were able to push through the sleeker designed wrist bands, belt, and boots in order to allow her to use her lack of bulk to her advantage.
The armbands looked more like gauntlets equipped with grappling hooks on the outside. Her belt was flattened, and inside, the side compartments had basic first aid. Her boots held fuel for the boosters around her calves while the front had been reduced but reinforced in strength. Overall, she looked less like a bubble and more like a sleek, aerodynamic, pink bullet.
"Yes, sir. The lack of weight is amazing! I feel so much lighter walking around."
He nods toward her and then turns back to Bakugou and Midoriya, holding up a couple of envelopes. "Our group is leaving in three minutes. Say your words and come meet me by the back gate. Uravity, I'll take your last letters while I'm here." She passes her three letters along as she tries to control her breathing. Three minutes? That's it? How was she going to fit everything she wanted to say in three minutes?
"Ochako?" A large hand touches her shoulder. "We'll be alright. We'll all be okay." She grabs his hand with both of hers, sighing at the idiocy in that statement. Of course they wouldn't be okay. The wonder duo always found trouble and when they didn't find it, they created it.
"No you won't. I know what you're planning." She glares over at Bakugou, who is avoiding her gaze, then she turns back to Midoriya. "One of you is going to try and save the other, get seriously injured, and send the other into a heroic panic." Uraraka scoffs.
Midoriya's smile falters as Bakugou snorts.
"Told ya she'd be emotional."
Uraraka whips her head around. "Emotional? Katsuki, I'm allowed to care about you two! I know how stupid you can be, especially when Izuku is involved." She raises a brow when he opens his mouth to retort. He cannot be seriously downplaying this mission. Uraraka feels her eyes prickle, knowing she would start crying again.
Her cheeks puff.
"And no, I don't care what you have to say. The both of you will come back alive or so help me, I will find a way to bring y'all back to kill you myself!"
Midoriya pulls her into his chest as the tears flow. She grabs the front of his suit, embarrassed to be crying, but thankful for his comfort.
"Shh, Ochako. We'll be okay. I mean it! We'll come back alive,'' Midoriya reassures her," Besides, Aizawa will be there to stop any stupid plan Kacchan tries to pull."
"Hey!" Bakugou barks as Midoriya pulls away tapping on her helmet. "If anything, I'll save your ass for doing something stupid, Deku! Don't forget the last time we went on a mission and I pulled you from a collapsing building." Midoriya rolls his eyes, pulling a giggle out of Uraraka.
"Whatever you say, Kacchan. I'll meet you at the meeting spot." He begins to stroll away, clasping Bakugou's shoulder. "And don't be a dick to her. Don't make her cry anymore or you won't make it to the mission." Bakugou shrugs his hand off, snorting at the threat.
Bakugou looks back at Uraraka, eyes softening at seeing her try to gather herself as Midoriya leaves. Her sniffles make her sound like a child rather than the badass hero he knows her to be.
"Cheeks, you gotta stop crying." Bakugou moves toward her with a smile on his face. It's such a rare genuine smile that it makes her cry harder.
"Katsuki, I just.." She hangs her head, lower lip wobbling. "I just need you to know that I… I—" His gloved hand pats her head.
"Don't worry, I know. So, stop crying, okay?" She looks up at him eyes blown wide. He knew? How? There was no way… She hadn't really known until they were briefed about the mission last night, splitting off into their groups with their lead pro hero to go over some strategies, and Aizawa pulled her, Asui, and Kirishima over to the corner where they were notified of the secret fifth group.
As he spoke to them in a hushed tone, all she could do was stare at Bakugou, clenching her fists on her shorts. When her heart dropped to her stomach at the news, she went back to the specialists' group, spending most of the night trying to decipher her reaction.
Bakugou chuckles, lowering his head to meet her eyes. "I know you think I'm the best hero you've ever known." He winks stepping back as she swats at him. Of course he would try and avoid emotions. Jerk.
"I want my tears back." She smiles, wiping her suddenly dry eyes. "Give them back, Blasty. I need to spend them on Deku, since clearly you don't want them." He flicks her forehead before strutting off toward the back gate and pulling his mask down. His shoulders are broad and strong, confidence seems to exude from his every pore.
He was no longer Katsuki Bakugou but Ground Zero, the future number one hero. Her hero.
"See ya later, Ochako."
She would have to trust him to always keep his word.
$%^$^#^%
Everything that they had ever learned was never enough to stop the immense pain and chaos that came with battle. Even with the years of intel gathered by heroes, police, U.A. students, and some international help, they could not have prepared for the quirk magnifying drug the League of Villains had somehow manufactured.
Uraraka swears loudly, swinging around a villain on a spiderweb tying them up with their own quirk.
"Uravity to section G5," her operator Senji says in her ear. Due to the sheer size of the operation, each team had several operators but the specialists and vanguard had their own individual contact at headquarters. "Assist Tentacole. Seven civs, two bodies."
"Heard." Uraraka handcuffs the low budget spiderman before taking to the sky. "Pick-up at last known location."
"Roger. Check in upon arrival. Uravity, brace yourself." Uraraka grimaces at the warning. Senji had been professional throughout the afternoon, proactive, and kept her moving, but he knows Uraraka is wearing thin. The warning meant something at the new target would upset her.
Turning the corner, she arrives at section G5- a residential area southwest of the epicenter of the battle.
"Switch channels. Plug me into Tentacole." Uraraka counts to three before beginning. "Tentacole, location and status?"
"Green house 1134, second floor. Bodies in the closet and under the bed. Civs have been evacuated and I'm moving down." Shoji's usually calm voice is now harsh. Uraraka swallows thickly but doesn't allow herself to think about it for too long because it wouldn't take much for her to break.
As she enters the household from the broken second-floor window, she can't stop her tears from falling. The child's bedroom she entered is completely destroyed—slash marks cutting through every piece of furniture and the walls lined red. Her stomach rolls. Uraraka clicks the button on her right cuff to increase pressure on her wrist pressure point. She would not puke. She pulls the sheets off the bed and prepares to carry the bodies. She kneels by the first one.
Oh my god.
"Shenji, I've arrived. Body one acquired. DOA. Child, boy." The line is unusually silent as she slowly places the body on the sheet. She moves to the closet but a creak from the hall makes her pause. Shoji had said civilians had been evacuated, so either this was the villain or he had missed one. "Unidentified person nearby. Plans to engage." She doesn't have time to send the call again. Where was Shenji?
"Arg!" A woman with bright green hair comes barreling through the door, swinging her arms that have the form of massive machetes. Her wide, crazed eyes shine with no recognition of the room or situation. She must be under the influence. Friend or foe?
"Woman. Late 40s. Her quirk is Machete Arms that seem to have been altered by the drug. Bright, green hair with blue eyes." Uraraka tries to give Shenji as much information as possible quickly and she's tumbling through the air and landing a kick to the woman's shoulder. They were told to capture villains, but they needed to be prepared to protect the lives of the innocent at all costs. Uraraka narrows her eyes at the villain, quickly understanding what has happened, and all of the emotions she's been keeping locked up for the last several hours come barreling out.
She touches the dresser, swinging it in front of her to block a hit from Machete woman.
"They were children!" Uraraka shouts, pushing the dresser and knocking the murderer back. She lifts the dresser above her shoulder when her communicator crackles to life. Finally!
"Uravity! Subdue at any cost! No injury to come off the victim. " Shenji's voice comes through the earpiece, now full of an emotion she couldn't quite place. Uraraka releases the dresser toward the other window instead of the woman… who is a victim.
"What?! Shenji, you don't see what she did to them!" Uraraka growls but reverts to hand to hand combat to try to land some hits on her elbows and shoulders. At least if she could debilitate her quirk, Uraraka could manage to not injure herself. Shenji is shushing someone in her ear before answering.
"The report just came in, she was hit with the drug and went berserk. She is a civilian. Hisoka Fukukado."
Uraraka gasps. "Shenji, please tell me—"
"Uravity. Complete the rescue." Shenji's voice cuts through her words back to the professional tone, which reminds Uraraka that she is a professional as well.
Uraraka aims for the window, leaping out, grabbing the top of the frame to spin herself onto the roof. It's silent in the room below her, which gives her a moment to think. Either Mrs. Fukukado will jump through the roof, jump out of the window, or forget about her and go back to roaming the house.
Thinking it over, Uraraka thinks the roof one is probably the most likely to happen. Uraraka steps carefully to situate herself above a different room and braces herself for impact. Stones crumbling pull her attention to behind her as she huffs. Who takes the chimney to get on a roof? Uraraka runs forward, keeping her hands low, touching the shingles with her fingerpads. She kicks out her left foot sliding between Mrs. Fukukado's legs, the trailing shingles bombarding the drugged woman. The left machete shaves off a few hairs as it grazes her head.
"Uravity, Froppy is en route to assist in the capture and evacuation. T minus one minute." Grabbing the chimney while releasing her own gravity, she slingshots herself around back toward Mrs. Fukukado who was still being pegged by shingles. As her boot collides with the head of green, Uraraka mumbles that she heard it before pulling out another pair of handcuffs.
She works silently, tying Mrs. Fukukado to a tree on the lawn, and then removing the bodies from the house. Froppy meets her as she is laying the little girl on the lawn. They share a look of sorrow, knowing someone would have to break the news to their next of kin, who probably wouldn't be joking afterwards.
"You okay?" Froppy pats her shoulder and Uraraka pats the top of her head. No. She isn't but she couldn't stop until the mission was finished. She opens her mouth to ask how evacuations were going when suddenly her heart drops to the floor.
"Fucking hell. GET URAVITY HERE YESTERDAY! God shit—"
"Section D5. Kacchan!"
$%^$^#^%
Uraraka flies as fast as she could toward her boys, her heart thrumming inside her chest. Asui was gracious enough to slingshot her to try and conserve fuel but it isn't fast enough. She tries to stop her mind from racing through scenarios of what she would find, who she would find, who she wouldn't find.
"Shenji! Connect me to them!" She can hear clicks and curses in her ear. Something had gone wrong. Shenji couldn't even figure out how the two were able to jump the connection, to begin with. Their personnel hadn't heard from the duo for several minutes before the all call had gone out. Uraraka is needed and she isn't there. The explosions happening all around make her heart clench but she knows it isn't Katsuki. His explosions sound different.
"I'm trying. The channel is down… We can't get anyone in the epicenter to check in… Wait! Give me a second!" She clicks her heels, turning off her rocket boots as she braces herself for impact. Uraraka holds her hand up, grabbing a light post to stop her momentum, but miscalculates the velocity and angle of impact. Searing pain shoots through her shoulder as she flips around the pole, falling ungracefully to the sidewalk. grabs her left shoulder and begins to jog toward the center of the block. With as many pro heroes that were assigned, she should be seeing someone. Something isn't right. Uraraka turns up her pressure points again.
"Ura… come…just…talk…" She frowns, touching the comm in her right ear. Shenji did tell her communication to HQ was being interrupted but maybe on the inside it was fine. Wincing as her shoulder gets jostled, she begins to yell for the boys aloud and in the comms. Even if it brought villains out, she is going to scream. She had to find them. She had to find him.
"Deku! Zero! Come in! Where are you?" Uraraka continues to scream until the hair on her neck stands straight up. Danger incoming! She turns to engage the person moving toward her when the body rushes past her, arm grabbing at her waist.
They zigzag to the top floor of the parking garage before she is set down on her knees. She refuses to let go of his arm reaching for his face. Midoriya's suit is cut and missing large chunks from the sides and back. Luckily, his gloves and leg braces are still usable so he hasn't sustained any deep injuries.
"Ochako, have you seen Kacchan since you've hit the zone? They have a quirk user blocking our communications and we've been isolated." This is what Shenji thought was happening, but so much worse. Why have they been isolated? Where is Eraserhead?
"No, but somehow you managed to break through and everyone heard the all call for me. What is going on? Where is Katsuki?"
Midoriya stares at her with his brows furrowed for a moment before grabbing her by the waist again. "What did you hear exactly?"
"Katsuki said get Uravity here yesterday and you said section D5 before screaming after him. Where is he?"
Midoriya grips his chin, eyes bright like emeralds in the sun, before jerking them back in the direction he had ambushed her from.
"I think I know where the quirk user is. We said that when Toga and her minions attacked us over on fifth. If we broke through, that meant they had to be distracted by something to allow our communicators to connect." He looks down at her before releasing her. "Get on my back. If Kacchan is there, we need to get there fast. He's down a gauntlet, and Toga has the blood of a wind user."
"This means he can't keep the sweat on his body. Go Deku!" Uraraka barely has time to grab his neck as he takes off jumping building to building. She wraps her legs around his middle, shimming up by his ear. "Can you not communicate inside the radius of the quirk user?"
"We can but he threw his earpiece out when it started not working." Midoriya laughs nervously before he sobers up as Uraraka tightens her grip on his neck.
"That idiot!'' She clenches her teeth. "Just because it wasn't working doesn't mean you can just throw it away! Jesus—"
A massive blast explodes a few hundred feet in front of them, flinging them back toward a skyscraper. Uraraka grips Midoriya's throat a little too tight as she angles her wrist toward a lamp post. She fires her hook shot from her bracer and prays she hasn't overshot it like earlier. Midoriya grabs the end of the rope and attempts to swing them lower but a blast of cold wind creates an updraft separating Uraraka from his back.
"OCHAKO!" She can hear Midoriya's cry as she smashes through windows. Her body slams through several desks until she falls onto a copier, falling on all fours as she gasps for air. Shit. What was that? She silently assesses her body, relieved to feel no broken bones or a major injury other than her shoulder feeling sore again. She wobbles to her feet, stumbling forward to the window she entered from. A thought strikes her as she tries her communicator.
"Deku! I'm fine! Where are you? Test, test, test." Maybe the blasts had disrupted the quirk user enough for a message to go through.
"Oh, good! Zero is ahead. Stay there and see if you can find the villain with your tech. I'm going." Midoriya clicks off. Uraraka curses herself. Her visor had been upgraded before today's mission and she forgot about the heat-seeking mode. She should have used it earlier with Mrs. Fukukado, she realizes, fiddling with the buttons on the side of her helmet.
"Aha. Okay, you son of a bitch. Where are you?" Crouching down behind a desk, she begins to scan the area. There are minor hot spots nearby, probably from fire and electric wires.
Then, her sensors begin going wild, as if a fireball was headed straight for her.
"Shit!" Uraraka dives out of the way, as someone comes barreling in through the window and takes the same path she had moments before.
"Fucking hell. That bitch can kiss my ass. OW. FUCK!"
Uraraka notices it's Bakugou and runs toward him as he is coughing. He looks way worse than Midoriya did. His mask is ripped, barely gripping his face, with his costume shredded in some parts, showing bits of flesh all over his body. He is missing both grenade gauntlets and most of his smaller bombs from around his waist. He's bleeding from a cut on his side but nothing that can't be fixed later. Bakugou stands, patting himself off when Uraraka leaps toward his chest. The impact sends them back, hitting the center column.
"Wha— Cheeks, what are you doing here?" He frowns down at her. She doesn't respond, just continues to hold him, unmoving. Bakugou relishes in the feeling for a moment and then pushes on her shoulders to remove her. He needed to get back out there and take that damn blood bank's machine away from her. "I'm talking to you!"
"You are so stupid." He pauses at the coldness in Uraraka's voice. Her hands grip his back tightly as she looks up. Tear tracks glisten under her helmet with eyes burning with disappointment and... relief? He narrows his eyes—now was not the time for her to dance around her issues.
"What the fuck did I do?"
"There's a quirk user blocking the channels but instead of thinking about that, you fling your only line to the outside world… your only way to talk to Deku out like it's worthless! You're so stupid!" She balls her fists.
"Of course I thought about that!" He hadn't but he isn't about to tell her that. "But excuse me Cheeks, I was more worried about bringing down these assholes than some kid screaming in my ear about coordinates." He shoves her off of him roughly, walking back toward the windows. Rolling out his shoulders, he scans for where Deku was.
"Besides everything was fine until Deku took off hauling ass. Shitty ass nerd always—" Bakugou falls forward as something hits him in the back of the head. "Oi! What the fuck, Ochako?" He whirls around but freezes completely as he comes face to face with her seething face, free of her helmet, that is currently rolling away from where it hit his head.
"You do not go into a battle without a communicator! You do NOT go into a battle without anyone on your side!" Uraraka fists are clenched beside her and her body is shaking. Bakugou opens his mouth to respond but she steps forward, looking up to him hands on her hips.
"You don't get to take your entire life and throw it away because suddenly you're face to face with the people who have done every terrible thing possible! They kidnapped you, threatened you, ended All Might, and continued to wreak havoc around the country to get to you and Deku... But that is no excuse! You are a pro hero by every definition and yet," she berates, raising her voice, "you throw your communicator away!"
His frown deepens as his eyes stay in narrowed slits. But her rage is leaving her body and is being replaced by coldness. A fear that this would really be the last time she saw him. The last time she felt his warmth. The last time that she might see his ruby eyes flash with anger and passion, full of happiness and drive. Alive.
No, he had to do better when he left her this time.
"You don't get to leave me alone." His jaw clenches at her words. "You. Stupid. Ass."She punctuates her words with pokes on his sternum. They continue to glare at one another until Uraraka sighs, and grabs her communicator out of her ear. "Here. Take mine. My helmet acts as a communicator now so you can use this. And it works just fine, so don't throw this one away." Uraraka lets out a huff.
She steps around him, picking up her helmet. Uraraka needed to find that quirk user, if she is going to be able to breathe easier. But before she can put her helmet on, Bakugou's hands shoot out on either side of her body. He pulls her body against his chest with one hand circling her hips and the other the front of her shoulders. He nudges her head and leans over, reaching her ear and gripping her tightly.
"I'm sorry. I'll do better."
She feels fresh tears fall down her cheeks as she holds his arm under her chin. His voice is low but sincere. Uraraka smiles, sinking further into his touch. As she nuzzles his face lightly, her heart flutters.
"I know. You always do. And you always win." She feels his smile against her temple, but when she feels his lips soft but firm against her cheek, she understands. He did know. "Just… just keep winning." Her voice is hopeful.
"Thank you, Angel." And as quick as he was there with her, he was gone. Flying out of the window, yelling into the communicator for Midoriya to share coordinates.
Uraraka stares after him, touching where he kissed her. He will come back to her. She shakes her head and slips on her helmet. But first, she had to find this quirk user that was stopping the communicators.
She floats up out of the building for higher ground. The heat seeker picks up on a warm body on the southeastern part of the block. Recalling the map, that would be the true center of the section.
"Gotcha." Uraraka smirks.
$%^$^#^%
"Where are they?" Uraraka feels like shaking the operator until their brain spills out of their ears. Honestly, it was his job to know where the heroes were. En route to the hospital, released home… missing in action… dead… he was supposed to know.
"Uravity, ma'am, for the millionth time, I don't know. They haven't made contact with HQ since the earthquake hit!"
The earthquake. It had happened several hours earlier and she just knew it had something to do with the ones still unverified. Shouto, Deku, Ground Zero, all whose locations were unknown. She had managed to subdue and restrain the electro-field user, removing them from the section so the big three had made contact with HQ, but the earthquake had cut them off again, making the takedown moot.
She feels an arm pull her shoulder back. Glancing back, she sees Sero and Asui with their faces full of pity and worry. She didn't realize that she had raised a fist toward the operator. Uraraka drops her arm, clicking her tongue. "The moment you hear anything about those three, I will be notified first. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am." The operator slinks back toward the pseudo-control room down the hall.
The operation had moved to the hospital once sections cleared of villain activity. Uraraka spins on her heels, and walks outside of the facility. Principal Nezu had denied her request to return to section D5 after she had deposited an electro-field user to the hospital. That had been seven hours ago.
She shudders. The earthquake had been four hours ago. Four hours of not checking in.
"Ochako, I'm sure they are fine." Asui's voice floats out to her. A humorless laugh escapes Uraraka as she looks to the sky. Of course it would be a clear night.
Most of their other classmates had been admitted at various levels of injuries. Kaminari, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, Ashido, and Sato were in the most critical conditions, having been in the combat teams. Mineta, Shinsou, Aoyama, and Jirou all suffered injuries but would most likely be released tomorrow. For her own part, her costume had been torn to the point of embarrassment and had been replaced with insulated leggings, a knee-length dark sweater, and a familiar black hoodie with a printed white skull on the front.
"Fine? They haven't made contact in four hours, Tsu. Two hundred and forty minutes.'' She shook her head. "They could be seriously injured—screaming out, crying in pain, and we have been here. Safe at the hospital for two hundred and forty," Uraraka pauses, looking down at her watch, "five minutes." Turning to her friend that's standing on the steps of the hospital, she's shocked to see Asui is not alone. On her left is Sero, both arms in slings, and on her right stands Hagaruke, bandages and tape seemingly hovering in mid-air.
"But Ochako, Aizawa and the other teachers are out looking for them. You need to come inside, please. The doctor says they need to check you out," Sero tries to rationalize. Uraraka doesn't care. When two hundred and seventy minutes arrived, she would be off to look for them. The Big Three. Her boys. Katsuki.
"I know you're worried. We are too! But we need to trust the heroes to find them." Toru sniffs. Uraraka turns back toward the front gate, rolling her eyes. She knows her anger is misplaced but she is too exhausted to filter through what is rational and irrational. She runs her hand through her hair. Two hundred and fifty-two minutes. Eighteen minutes remaining. Her sneakers shuffle against the concrete.
"Miss Uraraka! You need to come inside to get cleared by the doctor before you can leave hospital grounds," says a booming voice from behind her. Uraraka curses toward the stars.
"All Might, I'm going to go find them! The hospital can't keep me here." Uraraka flinches at how rebellious she sounds. A shuffling sounds behind her, but she checks her phone instead of turning around. Sixteen minutes. She sees All Might move beside her as she tenses for the lecture she is about to hear. It didn't matter what he said, she is still going to look for them in fifteen minutes.
"I have done very little today besides watch and wait," All Might starts, joining her in looking at the stars. "I'm still not used to this lack of ability. I see and hear my precious students, colleagues, and friends pushing their limits to save all of humanity and all I can do is watch and wait." He looks down at his watch and then towards her. "It's hard when someone you love is still unaccounted for." She whips her head toward him, eyes as wide as they can go. He merely chuckles and taps his watch. "You're leaving in thirteen minutes, right? Make sure you turn on a communicator to channel four. I'll help you find our precious friends."
Even after all she had cried today, somehow her eyes well up. "Thank you, sir."
"Besides, I'm sure young Bakugou, Midoriya, and Todoroki are probably slowly limping towards where we are now. Who knows? Maybe Midoriya managed to not break any bones this time." All Might sighs dramatically, making Uraraka giggle.
"He has been doing much better! I'm actually more worried about my communicator. I had to give it to Katsuki after he threw his to Timbuktu." Some stressUraraka leave her shoulders, the conversation somehow calming her. All Might would help her find them.
A scoff brings the moment to a hard stop.
"I risk my life to save the country and all you care about is your communicator?" Bakugou's rough voice booms across the courtyard. Uraraka snaps her head toward the gate. Are they really here? Is this happening?
"You threw it to Timbuktu? And here I thought you could only throw something 800 meters now." Todoroki's voice is nonchalant as if he hadn't been fighting for his life for the past twenty-four hours. She glances over at All Might to see him smiling at the trio.
So it isn't a dream.
"Sho, please. We just calmed him down." Midoriya's voice is heavy with exhaustion. Everything moves in slow motion as Uraraka takes them in.
The three are walking side by side, although it does seem like Todoroki is holding Midoriya up. Todoroki is missing his costume top and utility belt; his hair is more disheveled than she has ever seen and he has welts all over his torso. Midoriya is missing his gloves, both sleeves, and part of the left side of his costume. With a quick flicker down his legs, Uraraka could see his toes sticking out of his left boot too. It seems that both of his legs were injured by the way Todoroki and Bakugou helped him move slowly toward them.
"Oh, ho! You still wanna go, you bastard?" Uraraka wills herself to look at Bakugou. His face is covered in debris and blood, his ash blonde hair darkened slightly. Had he gotten flung into a building again? He is missing every accessory he left with, including his knee braces. Although Midoriya's arms are around his shoulder, she can see he has deep gashes down his neck and arms like scratches. How did he let someone get that close to him?
"You're one to talk, kite boy. Blowing in the wind every time she released an attack." Todoroki deadpans over Midoriya's head. The trio pauses for a moment before Bakugou releases Midoriya and steps back, crouching.
"FUCKING DIE, ICY HOT!" Todoroki narrows his eyes. Uraraka takes a hesitant step forward, twisting her hands together. He is fine? He is okay? Why won't her body move?
"And there he goes." Midoriya chuckles, hobbling forward by himself as Bakugou and Todoroki begin arguing. He waves toward All Might and Uraraka. "Hey. Can you let them know we're okay? We all lost our communicators." His smile is large and full of victory. Uraraka chokes out a sob and takes off toward them, tripping for a moment before finding her footing. Midoriya stands with his hip cocked, arms outreaching to accept her.
But she runs past him.
And launches herself at Bakugou's neck. They fall toward the earth, his arms grabbing purchase on around her waist but she activates her quirk before impact. They begin to float as Bakugou's brain comes back online.
"What is up with you and hitting me! Jesus Christ, that fucking hurts!" She pushes off of him to look at his face. Did he not understand?
"Do you know how worried I've been? Do you even care?" Uraraka screams, halting their ascent but still not releasing her quirk.
"Of course I care! I came back, didn't I?" Bakugou grips her hips, his touch reminding them both he did come back and they were here.
"Two hundred and fifty-nine. Two hundred and fifty-nine minutes where I didn't know if you were alive or hurt," she says and hiccups as the tears come back with vengeance, "or dead or captured!" His lips press together in a thin line as she hits his chest with her closed, tight fists. "Two hundred and fifty-nine minutes, Katsuki!"
She falls on his chest, body heaving as the worry, exhaustion, relief all release from her. One of his hands threads through her hair and the other rubs circles on her back. She hears hushed voices but decides to focus on Bakugou's breathing to calm down. She doesn't know how long they've been floating and she doesn't care.
"Ya good?" She nods weakly, the embarrassment of the situation slowly sinking in. She had not only bypassed Midoriya, but had effectively been cuddling Bakugou in the air in front of the hospital for everyone to see. Uraraka slowly sits up, straddling his hips with his hands falling back onto her thighs. His eyes are soft staring at her.
"I'm so—"
"Don't apologize. Two hundred and fifty-nine minutes is a long time. I'm surprised you can count that high." They both share a smile at the light teasing. She wipes his cheek and frowns as nothing comes off. He chuckles softly. "Angel, it's gonna take more than that to get all of this off." There's that new name. Angel. She licks her thumb and attacks the smudge with full force hoping to distract him from her growing blush. He rolls his eyes but relaxes into her touch, letting her ministrations fall upon him.
"Ochako, I am sorry," he whispers. It wasn't so long ago that he struggled to say those exact words to her, and she knows that as soon as he goes to the store, she'll see matcha mochi suddenly in her possession.
"I forgive you. Now come on, we gotta get you checked out." Uraraka releases them gently and doesn't hesitate to slip her hand into his as they head for the hospital doors, her palm warm against his.
Thank you for coming back to me. Thank you for welcoming me.
I love you too.
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