Izuku shyly trailed after Aizawa into the department store. What he saw once they were inside left him breathless. The building's entire ceiling was covered in inky black blobs. Izuku felt his stomach drop at the sight. He swallowed down his nausea-inducing nervousness and brought Aizawa's attention towards him.

"Mr.A-Aizawa, something isn't r-right…" He nervously trailed off.

Aizawa lazily turned his head towards Izuku with a curious expression.

"Why? What do you see kid?" Aizawa questioned seriously while fingering the goggles around his neck.

"Blobs. Covering the entire c-ceiling. S-something bad is going to h-happen, and s-soon." Izuku's voice ended off shrill and panicked. He couldn't help it, something bad was going to happen and the store was filled with people.

People that he wouldn't be able to save. People that woul-

Izuku's thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion that sounded like it was from outside the building. The whole structure was shaking from the force of it. Civilians started to scream and run towards the buildings exits in a panic. Izuku gathered his blob armour on instinct. Aizawa brought his goggles to his face and placed a steady hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"Stay close to me." Aizawa said while trying to lead him through the crowd of people.

Izuku nodded his head as a reply. He was about to ask what the plan was when another explosion was set off. This time the whole ground violently shook, the force of it knocked Izuku off his feet. He landed on his back, his head roughly hit the ground with a loud smack, temporarily dazing him.

Due to his position on the ground, Izuku was able to see the ceiling starting to crack and lose its structural integrity. Tiny pieces of the ceiling were starting to rain down in the store. The remaining customers started to panic, even more, people were pushing others down, only concerned about their own safety.

"We have to get out of here before the ceiling collapses." Izuku said sternly from the ground.

Aizawa nodded in agreement and bent over to help Izuku up when he noticed a large chunk of ceiling starting to break off over their heads. Without even thinking Izuku rolled over and pushed Aizawa with all of his strength, effectively knocking the man out of the way. He watched Aizawa's eyes grow wide with worry and fear, within seconds he was met with a sudden pressure and darkness. He was now trapped under a large piece of debris that rested on top of his chest and covered his whole body. Thankfully his blob armour absorbed the impact of the heavy object, but now there was an uncomfortable crushing pressure that was making it hard to breathe. He could hear shouting coming from around him, but he couldn't make out the words. Izuku could only assume that it was Aizawa or maybe more panicked people.

He tried to command surrounding blobs to push the large debris off of his body, but since his vision was obscured he couldn't effectively carry out his plan. Izuku let out a small frustrated breath. This situation was less than ideal, but at least it was him trapped under here and not Aizawa. Izuku was certain the hero wouldn't have survived if he hadn't pushed him out of the way. Now he just had to wait and hope for the best.

It had been some time since Izuku was trapped under the rubble. He estimated that it had been roughly 30-50 minutes since he was encased by the debris. It was starting to feel extremely claustrophobic. The constant pressure that was pushing onto his chest was becoming more suffocating by the minute. If he wasn't freed soon, he was sure that he was going to pass out or hyperventilate. Either situation wasn't desired.

He feebly tried to shift his body to move the pressure to some other part of his body but he was completely immobilized.

"What's taking them so long Gooey?" Izuku quietly asked the smiley-faced blob.

The blob's mute answer seemed to be the last straw of Izuku's sanity. He inhaled as much of the dusty air as he could and then screamed.

"HELP!" He inhaled again. "AIZAWA! HELP!" he waited a few seconds before he screamed again. "PLEASE HELP, ANYBODY! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Izuku was left panting and coughing due to the lack of air and dust. He tried to catch his breath but quickly found out he couldn't expand his chest enough to replenish the oxygen he lost. This fact caused him to panic even more.

Short breathy pants left his body, each making him feel more lightheaded and spacey than the last. At this rate, he was positive he was going to pass out. Izuku was starting to accept his fate when a certain thought struck him.

What if he lost control of his blob armour if he passed out?

He felt his eyes widen and quickly grow wet. If he wasn't freed soon, he was going to be crushed to death. A silent sob left his body as a tear tracked down his cheek. At least he got to save one person before he died. He was glad that person was Aizawa, the man deserved to live. Despite the fear and sadness that was erupting in Izuku, he didn't regret his actions, he would have done it again in a heartbeat.

Izuku took in a slow breath until his chest couldn't expand anymore, then slowly let it out. He was trying to calm his breathing to prevent him from passing out for as long as he can, but he could tell his time was limited. On instinct he attempted to bring his hand to Mr. Gooey for comfort, forgetting that he was pinned. More tears fell down his face when he found his arm wouldn't move.

"I'm s-sorry Gooey. I can't m-move." His voice broke into another silent sob. He could feel himself losing consciousness when an excruciating sharp pain radiated from his left arm. The pain tore a scream from Izuku's throat.

"G-GOOEY, it h-hurts! IT HURTS!" He screamed out.

He was losing focus on his armour, and now it was starting to fall apart. He was slowly being crushed. Another scream erupted from him due to the white-hot pain. He gagged and struggled to not vomit. If he did he would surely choke on it, then he would positively be done for.

He sniffled and did on last inhale before yelling out "SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASE HELP!" His shout ended up in a coughing fit that hurt his chest and burned his throat. He was ready to give up when he felt the rubble budge. The hard concrete pushed into his injured arm, tearing another pained shout from his mouth.

He heard muffled swearing and an apologetic voice. Izuku was instantly washed with relief, this meant someone found him. He was going to be saved.

"It's okay Gooey, it's okay. We're found, everything is going to be fine now." He whispered he wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort the blob or himself.

The large piece of debris was slowly lifted upwards off his body. He heard a loud high pitched screaming that reminded him a lot of his own voice. He squinted his eyes as light assaulted his vision. He was able to make out one large blurry figure holding the rubble, and several smaller figures. He could hear the figures trying to ask him questions, but he wasn't processing what they were saying. His ears were ringing and his head was pounding. He let out a low groan and winced as he accidentally tenses his hurt arm.

He felt a gentle hand placed on his shoulder and more muffled voices were directed towards him. It was all too loud, Izuku went to bring his hands up to his ears but yet again forgot about his arm. He let out a low pained whine. There were more concerned muffled voices. Didn't they understand that he couldn't hear them? Izuku opened his mouth to try and reply to the voices but found that his voice only came out in dry raspy squeaks. His throat felt raw.

Izuku blinked his eyes a few times as his vision finally started to adjust to the light around him, was able to make out a large iconic figure kneeling down beside him.

"A-All Might?" He raspily questioned.

He heard a muffled chuckle the tone of it seemed to be relieved and anxious at the same time. Izuku felt a gentle tap on his shoulder which brought his attention to his right side. Aizawa was sitting on the ground beside him gently petting his head.

Had he been doing that the whole time?

"Mr. Aizawa…" Izuku trailed off. He was glad the man was alright, it brought some of his panic to more manageable levels.

His teacher smiled at him. Izuku watched as Aizawa's mouth moved but no sound came out.

"I c-can't hear." Izuku mumbled out with what he hoped was an audible volume.

He was met with a concerned frown from Aizawa. The man was handed what appeared to be a small flashlight that was brought to his eyes. He tried to close them but Aizawa held one of his eyes open. The light made his heads throbbing even worse.

Aizawa turned away to speak to All Might. The two seemed to argue a bit before Aizawa sighed and seemed to begrudgingly agree to something. Izuku tried to read their lips but was only able to make out something along the lines of moving. Maybe they were trying to move him? It would make sense to.

His theory was quickly proven right when All Might kneeled down beside him with an apologetic face. He felt his injured arm being carefully propped up on his chest. The unprepared movement brought more tears to his eyes. His throat felt sore again. All Might's big hands slid under his body as he was lifted up into a cradling position. All Might carefully tucked Izuku's head into his large chest. He felt rumbling which Izuku could only assume meant the large man was talking. He anxiously gripped with the hand attached to his good arm, he didn't like not being able to hear.

Normally Izuku would have tried to protest being carried, but he just didn't have the energy for it. He was so tired, honestly he really just wanted to sleep. He knew he wouldn't be able to for the next little while since he was guessing that he probably had a rather serious concussion, which would explain the loud ringing in his ears and slight hearing loss.

As he was carried towards the exit the air started to smell with a pungent coppery odour. He turned his head away from All Might's chest to get a better view of the store. He caught sight of the floor stained with dark crimson. Izuku felt his heartbeat elevate, his eyes followed the pool of blood to a lifeless looking lone head. His chest vibrated with panic and he gagged. Izuku felt All Might's large hands quickly and gently turn his head back into his chest. The man rested his palm on his head, further preventing him from turning around again. He tightly shut his eyes, wishing he hadn't taken a look.

Izuku could tell they were outside when he felt the fresh air on his face, and when the coppery smell disappeared. All Might's hand slipped off his head and he was lowered onto a nearby stretcher. All Might carted him off towards a familiar face that Izuku was relieved to see.

Recovery Girl gently smiled down at him and quickly examined his wounds. Recovery Girl gave his shoulder a quick and gentle pat before she gave him a wet smooch on the cheek. Within seconds he felt himself passing out. A shock blanket was placed over his body, and then he was dead to the world.

Shota let out a tired sigh and shifted in the uncomfortable infirmary chair. He thought about complaining about the chair's comfort level to Recovery Girl but he knew he would only be met with annoyed scolding. So he refrained.

He closed his eyes and listened to the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor that was connected to Midoriya. It had been 7 hours since the villain attack and Midoriya was still knocked out. His injuries must have been more serious then he thought or else the kid would have been awake by now.

He shifted again and brought his elbows onto his thighs, leaning his head into his hands. He stared at the boy with irritation.

"Such a problem child." He huffed.

Midoriya confused Shota. He was skittish and a stuttering mess, but whenever the situation called for it the boy switched personalities. His stuttering would disappear and his demeanour would change. He acted more confident and sure of himself.

Shota tiredly rubbed his hands over his face. There was no doubt, the kid was his hero today. If Midoriya hadn't pushed him out of the way when he did, he was positive he would have become an Eraserhead pancake. The result of Midoriya taking his place under the rubble resulted in him obtaining a serious concussion, a few cracked ribs, and a crushed arm. Recovery Girl had shown him an X-Ray earlier. The kid was lucky, the damage in his arm extended through the whole limb, but it wasn't bad enough to be irreparable. If they had been a few minutes longer he wasn't sure if the kid would have been as lucky.

Shota shook his head as he tried to forget Midoriya's muffled screams for his help. He tried to lift the rubble off the kid but he just wasn't strong enough. The feeling of helplessness was unnerving. He had never been more thankful for All Might's presence more than that moment.

If only I had been faster. If only I had been stro-

Shota's thoughts were interrupted by a pitiful groan coming from the infirmary bed.

"M-Mr. Aizawa?" Midoriya questioned.

"Right here." Shota said flatly while walking towards the side of the bed.

"Where a-am I?" Midoriya questioned.

"U.A.'s infirmary." Shota stated.

The kid's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why not the hospital?"

"Because I trust Recovery Girl more." Was Shota's simple answer.

Midoriya nodded at the answer. "W-What happened?" The boy asked quietly.

"You fell unconscious when Recovery Gi-" Shota was interrupted by Midoriya's voice.

"No, I mean what happened? Th-the explosions."

"There was a villain attack in the streets from a man with a bomb quirk. He was able to create different kinds of bombs from different parts of his body. The explosions were a bit too close, which caused the ceiling to collapse." Shota stopped recalling the events of the incident when he saw tears falling down Midoriya's face. "Hey, hey what's wrong?" He asked while patting Midoriya's hand in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

"I s-saw a head." Shota scrunched his eyebrows in puzzlement. He was about to ask what he meant when Midoriya added "Just a head. Attached to nothing." More tears ran down the boy's face "It was a girl's, she looked about my age."

Shota swore silently. He told All Might to not let Midoriya look, no matter what. The man really was a big oaf. The ceiling collapsing had caused some causalities. The report that he had read said there were at least 15 deaths and counting.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that. I really wish he hadn't been exposed to something like this so early, but what's done is done. I know it's tough but sometimes casualties like that are a part of the job. Despite our quirks, we can't save everybody." Shota wasn't sure what he was saying, he wasn't very good at comforting children. He hoped that he sounded at least somewhat comforting and reassuring.

Midoriya stared at his hands and mumbled out "O-Okay. I th-think I want to s-sleep some more. Is th-that a-alright?"

"You don't need to ask for permission to sleep." Shota responded.

The boy gently nodded his head and rolled onto his side, so his back was facing Shota. Shota brought himself back to the uncomfortable chair and sat in it, fully intending to wait until Midoriya woke up again.

He really wished Midoriya never saw that poor kids head. The boy already had a damaged psyche and he was afraid of how the trauma of the situation would impact him. He could only hope for the best.