Notes: This is kind of like the eye of the storm chapter. Things are quiet, but only for a moment. Todoroki and Bakugou's interactions are so interesting to write in this.
Silence rested over everyone in the car like a heavy blanket as they drove the rest of the way to UA. Even the normally talkative Iida and cheerful Kirishima had either nothing to say or were too wary to say anything at all. Despite them being in Bakugou's car, Kirishima was driving with Iida in the passenger seat. That left Uraraka, Bakugou, and Tsu in the back. It wouldn't have been too uncomfortable if Bakugou hadn't been radiating anger, his entire body stiff, even his thigh pressed against hers, but honestly Uraraka was too worn down to let it bother her.
He was mad that Deku had gotten away from him not once but twice tonight and for all their careful planning Deku had still managed to get close to Uraraka. Very close. She could still remember the way it felt to be pressed back into him as he'd held her tightly and the way his thumb had caressed the bruise on her wrist. If they had been alone, he might have even gently kissed them as he had before. Her heart lurched at the thought. The kiss from the other morning still burned in her memory.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Uraraka murmured to Tsu.
Her friend nodded her head. "A little bruised, but nothing broken. He didn't use anywhere near his full strength to hit me."
"Do you think…?" Uraraka bit her lip. "Do you think he held back on purpose? So that you wouldn't be hurt as much?"
Tsu considered it for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't think I mattered much to him, at least in that moment, or that he didn't believe I was strong enough to require more than that." It was a sad thing to think, considering how Deku had always built them up and believed in their strength and abilities as heroes. Even worse considering how close he had been with Tsu. "Compared to how he fought with Todoroki, I was a fly."
Uraraka definitely didn't think that of Tsu, but fighting with Deku now that he had control over his quirk was so much different than how it had been when they were in school. He could destroy this entire city if he wanted. It was terrifying. If it came to that, she didn't know what they would do or if there was anything they could.
Well, there was one thing that might stop him, but Bakugou would spontaneously combust if someone so much as hinted at it. Uraraka herself didn't know how she would react in that case. But she couldn't allow innocent people to die, especially not for her or if she could stop it. Sacrifices had to be made every day, especially in a hero's life.
Upon reaching UA and sliding out of the car, Uraraka noticed Bakugou wince almost imperceptibly, but when she put a hand on his arm and gave him a look of concern, he shrugged her off. Hurt flashed across her face and he caught it before she could get rid of it. He let out an aggravated huff and his face didn't soften in the slightest, but he cupped her chin in one of his calloused hands and nodded his head, somehow letting her know with those two very brief actions that he was fine and appreciated her checking on him. All too quickly, the moment was over and he pulled his hand away, so fast it was like it never happened.
She might have questioned it more had she not spotted the skeletal frame of All Might walking towards them. As soon as they connected eyes and she saw the pure pain on his face, something inside of Uraraka shattered. Deku had been more than a protege or successor to All Might. In the end, he had very much become like a son. This was worse than losing a loved one. This was something that words could not truly capture.
Uraraka found herself running towards the former number one hero until she finally crashed into him, with a little too much force probably, but he latched onto her, his absurdly long, thin arms wrapping around her and his body folding over her like a piece of paper. He might have been much physically weaker than he had been before, but she wouldn't have known that he grew weaker by the day from the way he held onto her now. Just when she thought that she was fresh out, tears pricked at her eyes and began to rush down her face. She could feel splashes of water drip on top of her head as All Might allowed tears of his own to be shed. There was a time for strength and a time for grieving. They had thought it was the former, but they had been wrong.
Deku was still in there - she was certain - but watching him wrap a hand around Todoroki's throat sure made it seem like he was dead all over again.
"I'm so sorry, Uraraka, I'm so sorry," All Might mumbled against her, his body shaking so badly that she was surprised that she couldn't hear his bones rattling underneath his thin skin. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't any of their fault, she could hear Bakugou saying, but she recognised that All Might needed to get this out in the air. She was afraid that he believed that he might have had a hand in unleashing a monster; she didn't want him to think of Deku like that. It made the gaping wound in her heart weep further.
"We'll get him back," Uraraka promised as she clung to the back of his jacket.
There was so much left unsaid, so much that couldn't be said, but most of it didn't need to be. He didn't even know the half of it yet and she knew Deku's casual proclivity for violence towards his friends would cause a wound almost as damaging as the one that had taken him out of commission. He must have seen Todoroki being taken to see Recovery Girl. It was so much worse than it looked though. You had to see Deku in person to know just how horrific things were and she desperately did not want All Might to go through that.
Once they were guided inside, Uraraka found herself undeniably exhausted, but knew that the night wasn't over. She saw Aizawa watching her out of the corner of his eyes and knew that she would be questioned thoroughly before being allowed to sleep. Todoroki, Bakugou, and Tsu were being treated while Iida and Kirishima had only seen glimpses of Deku. She was the direct source, the centerpiece as far as Deku was concerned. They would have to hear it from her.
She wished Bakugou was here with her. Even if he had been over the top about her protection, he'd had her back. His solid presence had made her feel stronger. Now she felt sort of alone.
"Uraraka." Aizawa was at her side, a hand on her shoulder.
"I know." Uraraka wiped her face and lifted her head. They had to get this over with. Then she could get a bit of rest before they left for the safehouse. It was too dangerous to stay at UA, a place that Deku knew intimately and also housed students.
Despite this being the third time, it didn't make rehashing things any easier. Still, when she sat down to tell all her former teachers about Deku, none of them interrupted her. Midnight even held her hand in a calming manner. Uraraka couldn't feel anything though. She wasn't just running on empty; she was. It was like seeing Deku tonight had drained her of everything. Like he'd taken a part of her strength with him through that warp gate. It would come back eventually, but she was worn to the bone. After shedding tears with All Might, she couldn't manage any more to save her life.
When she was done, none of them spoke for a while. They seemed to realize that Uraraka was at the end of her rope and she was allowed to leave. They would talk it over amongst themselves. To be honest, she didn't think she could handle what they had to say right now. She didn't think they would be as...forgiving as her. Her only issue was that she didn't know where to go so she found herself walking to the nurse's office. It was all she could think to do. Her friends were probably there and she wanted to check on Todoroki.
Right before she opened the door, it swung open to reveal Bakugou. There were circles under his eyes, but he held himself straighter. Recovery Girl must have healed his broken ribs, but it had stolen whatever little adrenaline and stamina he had left after two confrontations with Deku. He didn't look surprised to see her here, but he didn't move either, as if he couldn't now that she was in his sight.
Seeing as how it didn't look like he was going to speak first, all Uraraka could think to say was, "I came to check on Todoroki."
Bakugou scoffed, but there was no heat in it. "Just him?"
Even though she could've sworn that she didn't have it in her, the tiniest of smiles found its way on her face and she gently punched him in the chest. He acted as if it hurt him, clutching at his sides, but she knew his ribs were healed. It made her feel a little better at least.
Without a word, Bakugou stepped to the side and allowed Uraraka the space to peek inside the room. She didn't go all the way in, keeping her spot in the doorway next to Bakugou. On one of the beds laid Todoroki, knocked out from his treatment by Recovery Girl. His wounds had been much more severe, especially since he'd pushed his quirk so hard. Likely he'd be out until the morning. It would aggravate him to no end.
"The idiot," Bakugou mumbled under his breath. "He held back."
Uraraka gave him a sharp look. "Are you kidding me?" Bakugou did not look like he was kidding even remotely. She couldn't believe him. "You weren't there. The fight was… It was massive."
But Bakugou simply shook his head. "There should have been a lot more destruction. He should have been able to last longer. He didn't land a single hit on either Deku or Dabi. Why? Because he held back."
The downright seriousness coming from Bakugou was what got her. She had expected him to be infuriated over something like this, steaming like a pot filled with boiling water, but there was only a hard edge to his tone and a begrudging expression on his face. No scowl, no glare.
"You held back too, didn't you?"
Now there was a scowl on his face, but it wasn't directed at her or Todoroki. It was towards himself. "I've never done that before." He held up his hands palms up and then formed them into fists. "I kept telling myself, the second I see him, I'm gonna blast him to high hell - and then he was right in front of me and I just…" He looked ready to punch a wall or blow something up. Maybe both. "He threatened to destroy my apartment building and kill everyone in it the second I went to make a move. He was so casual about it, but he wanted to do it. He was waiting for me to explode like usual."
"He knows us well," Uraraka murmured.
"He's one step ahead of us, just waiting for us to catch up to him and do what he wants," Bakugou growled, his fist now one of determination. "And next time I see him, I'm gonna give him exactly just that. He wants to kill me? He can go ahead and try. I'll show him strong."
Uraraka knew that trying to talk him out of something this mad right now was pointless. Instead she could only sigh and step back into the hallway so that he could shut the door. Todoroki was resting, so there was no sense in bothering him. Right now, all she could think about was rest. The last time she'd gotten a good night's sleep had been when she'd gone day drinking with Bakugou and he'd ended up carrying her to bed. Despite being stone cold sober, she felt just as out of it now.
"You look like hell," Bakugou told her.
Usually Uraraka snarked back at him when he said things like that, but at the moment, she kind of agreed with him. "I feel like it too."
"Let's get you to bed," Bakugou said, nudging her in the direction of where she guessed they were supposed to stay for the night. "I'm not carrying you again."
She thought one of the teachers might have told her, but she'd been so distracted by her mental and physical exhaustion that she couldn't remember. It was a good thing Bakugou had been paying more attention. All she could think about right now was a bed and the look on Deku's face when he'd saved her. It didn't match up at all with how Deku had looked when he'd told Bakugou that he was going to enjoy killing him.
Just the thought of Deku saying that in front of everyone stilled Uraraka's feet. "Bakugou." He stopped and turned around to face her, a faint questioning look on his face. "I'm scared."
Bakugou gazed at her and then simply said, "Then use that fear to fuel that fire because I can guarantee that you're gonna need it," before turning back and continuing down the hallway. All she could do was follow him and believe in her heart that she could do what he said. It was all any of them could do.
The room they finally entered had a few beds made up in it. Tsu, Iida, and Kirishima were already there. Tsu and Kirishima had been conversing quietly while Iida was on the phone with his back to them. As soon as Bakugou opened the door, the two facing towards the door waved them over and Bakugou and Uraraka made their way over to them.
"How's Todoroki?" Tsu immediately asked.
"Recovery Girl fixed him up," Uraraka told her.
Bakugou plopped down next to Kirishima. "He'll be fine by the morning. No need to worry over him."
The four of them fell into silence. Uraraka couldn't help but hear Iida talking on the phone. It sounded like he was on the phone with someone from their class, but she couldn't be for sure who. She figured it was either Momo or Kaminari, both who had the best resources at contacting people. One thing for sure was that he sounded like he was still carrying on well, powering through this whole thing, but she saw the way he kept clenching and unclenching his left hand. He'd had it fixed two years ago, but Uraraka remembered it as being the one that he'd injured while fighting Stain the Hero Killer alongside Deku and Todoroki.
Kirishima suddenly piped up. "I believed you, Uraraka, I did. But seeing Midoriya like that tonight…" He rubbed at his eyes. "What are we supposed to do?"
"He was scary," Tsu added. "It was like he was playing with Todoroki."
Bakugou folded his arms across his chest. "He wouldn't have been playing had Icy Hot gone all out like he was supposed to." Tsu shot Bakugou a look, which he ignored, but said nothing. She had seen the way Todoroki had fought against the villains. To them, it had looked like nothing short of a miracle that he was still alive. Then again, now that Uraraka thought about it, she had seen Todoroki cause much more damage before. Had he held back because he had been concerned about collateral damage or because it was Deku?
What was it that Todoroki had said right before Aizawa had shown up and cancelled both their quirks?
"Don't make me do it, Izuku."
What had they expected? None of them wanted to truly fight Deku and not just because he was insanely powerful. Just as he had been at school, he wasn't giving them a choice, forcing them to come at him with their all. She was afraid that it still wouldn't be good enough. This wasn't some lesson that would help better them as heroes in the future. It was a hard punch in the gut that made their knees buckles and took their breath away.
He used to do that for her before. In the morning as he left for work, the door open and the sun shining on him, his green hair an utter mess no matter what he did, the smattering of freckles on his face that would never leave, and that big beam on his face that told her everything was going to be alright. She had loved him so much in those little moments. A part of her still wanted to love him now. They all did, in their own way, even Bakugou, who might not have liked Deku, but had done everything he could to save her as Deku would have wanted.
They didn't want to do this. None of them. But they had to. He left them no choice.
Uraraka watched with thinly veiled frustration as Momo and Hatsume went about their business throughout the safehouse. As far as safehouses were concerned, it could've been cleaner, but Uraraka wasn't certain that Aizawa didn't use this place to hide off the grid and just sleep. It had little in the way of defenses or surveillance systems, which was where the two other girls came in handy. The sort of tech needed was Hatsume's style and Momo alone outside of Kaminari was able to help her.
All in all, it made Uraraka feel like she was being babysat, which she loathed.
Hatsume dropped down onto the couch next to her, ignoring the way it sank uncomfortably to the middle. It was probably older than them. "All done. I don't sell this kind tech very often, so it's good to be of service. Everyone is so focused on the offensive these days."
Though none of the same equipment, it reminded Uraraka of the tech they'd used during the cavalry battle at their first Sports Festival. They'd used defensive stuff then, like the jetpack and blasters on her boots. As a pro hero, those blasters were an integral part of her costume, allowing her to navigate the air whenever she used her quirk on herself. It had come in handy so many times. Hatsume always updated them for free, claiming that Uravity wearing her gear gave her enough commissions just from the publicity.
Still, it made Uraraka nervous, Hatsume leaving her obvious mark on the safehouse. If Deku found the place (and to be honest, she did not doubt he would somehow), he would know that Hatsume had had a hand in helping hide Uraraka away from him. It was a target on another friend's back, placed there because of her. All her friends were willing to risk their lives - that was what heroes did - but this was different and they all knew it. They would have had to fight Deku regardless if he was fixated on her or not, but this just made it worse.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Hatsume," Uraraka said, staring down at her hands in her lap.
Hatsume smiled softly. "I would have dragged my own butt into it eventually. You know how nosy I am."
She wasn't flippant in the way that Todoroki had been. Uraraka knew that Hatsume was devastated by the news of what had become of Deku. He had done a lot to help her make a name for herself in the hero support world, always telling reporters about her new tech or pointing her tech out while on live television. That had been the kind of day-to-day hero that he was, the kind that went out of his way for his friends because he simply enjoyed it.
"I'm not sure how much good it will do," Hatsume sighed, "but it's better than nothing." She shook her head. "I can't believe that Aizawa used this as a safe house. It's practically just bones."
"It has been a while since he's used it as one apparently," Uraraka pointed out, though why she felt the need to defend it or her former teacher, she had no idea. "It's pretty reclusive at least."
"It's shit," Bakugou interjected from his spot by the window.
Hatsume folded her arms across her chest. "Don't you go insulting my babies! I did what I could." Bakugou folded his arms and made a scoffing sound, but didn't say anything. They'd all seen her gear in action before and some of it was wild. Didn't mean he thought it would amount to much stacked up against Deku. "I bet you won't say that to Aizawa's face."
"I did," Bakugou threw back like a rock, "and I will again."
Before Uraraka could berate him for being so critical (she was certain that he would only be pleased if she was halfway across the world in a bunker), the door opened and Todoroki stepped inside. His movements seemed a tad more languid than usual, but other than that, he appeared absolutely normal, as if he hadn't been slammed hard into a wall twice or fought for his life.
Uraraka had only managed to say, "Todoroki, are you-?" before Bakugou cut in with, "He would be if he'd fucking done what he was told."
There wasn't a single reaction from Todoroki, as if he either hadn't heard Bakugou or it didn't affect him. He'd barely managed to shut the door before Bakugou rounded on him, grabbing him by the collar of his pro hero costume and slamming him against the door.
Both Hatsume and Uraraka jumped to their feet, the latter exclaiming, "Bakugou!"
But of course he didn't listen. Todoroki was freshly healed from his fight with Deku and here was Bakugou doing the same damn thing. It was slightly jarring. Even though the door made a banging sound, it wasn't anywhere near as hard as Deku had done to Todoroki. It wasn't enough to hurt, just to get a point across and Bakugou looked like had a list of them.
"You fucking held back, you idiot," Bakugou snarled in his face. He was holding Todoroki against the door, but not pushing him into it. If Todoroki wanted, it wouldn't take much to knock Bakugou away, but he didn't. He stood there and took all of Bakugou's rage head on without so much as blinking. "You told me that you wouldn't let that bastard get close to her. He was close enough to where he had to save her from getting deep-fried by Dabi!" His red eyes glared furiously into Todoroki's mismatched ones, but there wasn't hate in his eyes like there used to be. "I should've been there."
There was nothing but an impassive expression on Todoroki's face as he said, "Don't pretend that seeing him like that didn't affect you either."
Bakugou made a growling sound, but Uraraka knew that Todoroki was right since Bakugou had basically told her that he had froze as well. Seeing Deku like that had a polarizing effect on a person. It was so wrong that it almost seemed more reasonable to believe that he had an evil twin running around. She could see Deku in there, but then it wasn't, like she was looking at two people at the same time.
"I won't let that happen again," Bakugou swore.
"Neither will I," Todoroki said.
Bakugou narrowed his eyes. "You better make damn certain you don't because if Deku doesn't kill you I will." He let go of Todoroki's shirt and took a step back. "We can't afford to be weak or fight halfheartedly when he's going to come at us with everything."
"He hasn't already?" Momo asked as she stepped into the room, her worried gaze landing on Todoroki.
"Not by a longshot," Bakugou said. His eyes swept over them until they landed on Uraraka. For once, she couldn't read what was in them. Was it fear? Anticipation? She couldn't be for certain. He turned away from her and opened the front door to walk out. "We'll know when he does. It's going to be ugly. And I, for one, am not going to stand by and let him get away with it. I don't care what's wrong with his head. It'll still be done by his hands."
The door slamming shut echoed in Uraraka's ears for at least three seconds, matching the loud beat of her heart. None of them spoke, if only because they knew he was right. Momo and Hatsume looked a little less sure, but they hadn't seen Deku in action. Even Uraraka had questioned it before seeing Deku fight Todoroki. She'd thought that she knew what was happening, but a small part of her had kept whispering that it couldn't be that bad. Deku couldn't be evil. The second it came to fighting one of his best friends, surely he'd snap out of it.
But he hadn't. As he had done everything before, Deku went in with all his heart. A part of her was worried that he hadn't killed Todoroki because he wanted to fight him again.
"Someone's got a stick up their ass," Hatsume grumbled.
"He's right," Todoroki sighed, looking down at his feet. "I did hesitate. I told myself I wouldn't - that I would use everything in me to keep Deku from Uraraka - but I couldn't do it."
Momo laid a hand on his arm. "That's not your fault. Any of us would have reacted that way."
"We can't do that anymore," Todoroki insisted. "We're not children. We're pro heroes and they do not hesitate in combat."
"I doubt pro heroes have to fight their formerly dead friends," Hatsume offered.
They were all valid points. Even now, if faced with Deku on her own, Uraraka wasn't sure if she could take him on full throttle. She didn't have the kind of quirk like Todoroki, Bakugou, or Deku did. Her quirk couldn't easily kill just as much as it could save. When they fought, they had to consider their quirk a little more carefully, so as to make sure that they didn't take a life. They had been taught to refrain alongside strengthening their quirk.
When Todoroki turned to Uraraka and gave her a brief bow, she blinked at him in surprise. But his words, "I'm sorry for failing you," had her raising both her eyebrows.
"Todoroki, you did nothing of the kind," Uraraka told him.
His eyes were tired and sad when he gazed at her, the eyes of someone who had lost a friend. She'd seen him wear them before; it upset her now just as much. "It was harder than I anticipated, seeing him, and I expect it will only get worse. If the League told him to take Bakugou and I out of the way, that means they're planning something. I let my personal feelings get in the way of our objective."
Knowing that this was a battle she could not win, Uraraka nodded her head. "Just don't let it happen again." She put on a brave smile. He needed it. They all did. Everyone was acting like she might break at any minute, but right now, she was tired of that. She had to take care of the others too. "I won't always be there to jump in and save you."
"A shame," Todoroki replied, "I expect such things of Uravity."
It wasn't nearly enough to bridge the pain they shared. Uraraka knew that it would be a long time before Todoroki admitted just how much he'd been hurt by Deku. Not by his fists, but by his words and behavior. His grief would turn to fuel later on, but for now, he was forcing himself to hang in the middle of a fog, as if he could block out everything he felt. She could understand that. Sometimes you had to push your emotions away to get the job done. Hadn't she done that back in the day about her feelings for Deku? They'd been such kids then, even if they had been forced to deal with horrific things.
She hadn't known that those feelings would eventually lead her to this. She wasn't quite sure what she would have done had she known. The mere thought of giving up the many beautiful memories she'd shared with Deku made her terribly sad. She didn't want to give those up or have them replaced by the Deku of now.