Midoriya didn't know what to do. Every cell in his body told him to run through the escape gate and pass on his own but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to actually do it. He was frozen in place as he heard Bakugo shouting for him to move already and escape. He saw All Might ready himself for what he assumed was the final attack Bakugo would be able to take before blacking out, in an instant he had activated full cowling and launched himself towards All Might. "Please move, All might!" He said, a smile visible on his face. A hero should always be able to smile, no matter how tough things get. I learned that from you All Might, I intend to follow that motto. Even if it will one day be the end of me! He thought as he readied his fist and yelled at the top of his lungs. "Smash!"
They passed. By some miracle they passed. Both of them had taken a serious beating from All Might, especially Bakugo who had used a lot more of his explosive power than his arms and wrists could safely handle. Midoriya didn't know what had gotten into him when he rushed back and punched All Might in the face. But thanks to both of them taking great risk and their temporary teamwork they managed to escape through the gate and pass the exam. Immediately after passing through the gate Midoriya put Bakugo down and let himself fall down onto the ground. His whole body felt sore and he was in the most pain he had ever been in but he slowly raised his hand to the sky, a small smile on his face. "I won't let you fail, you got that?" echoed in his mind. I promised I would pass, didn't I? All Might. Kendo. He thought as everything around him faded to black.
When he woke up, his body didn't hurt nearly as much anymore, instead he felt the most tired he had ever been in his life. As he slowly turned his head to the side he came face to face with All Might's concerned face, startling him. All Might laughed his signature laugh. "Hey there young Midoriya, I'm glad you are awake. How are you feeling?" He asked, his voice a mix between concern and something else that Midoriya couldn't fully place.
"A bit sore and more tired than I've ever been." Midoriya answered sheepishly.
"Sorry about that." All might said, scratching the back of his neck. "I've already received an earful from Recovery Girl about pushing it too hard."
"You nearly broke Midoriya's back and don't even get me started on the injuries Bakugo sustained." Recovery Girl exclaimed.
Midoriya immediately pushed himself straight up at the mention of his childhood friend's name, taking note of how much effort it took him. "How is Kacchan doing?" He asked, turning from All Might to Recovery Girl.
"His injuries where a lot worse than yours but before coming in here he was in tip top shape, while you in contrary have been taking beating after beating, mostly from your own power no less." Recovery Girl said. "He'll probably be out here at least a day before you." She turned to All Might. "Seriously what do you teach these kids? Injuring themselves just to win a fight?"
"No." All Might said, tone suddenly completely serious. "It's not about just being able to win a fight for their own sake, it's about being able to protect those that need protecting."
"Huh, where am I?" A rough sounding voice asked from somewhere next to Midoriya.
All Might was at the side of his bed in an instant. "Ah young Bakugo, you're awake, how are you feeling?"
Bakugo was stunned for a few second before going back to his old self. "Stop worrying about me! I'm completely fine! What kind of hero would I be if this small fight was to much for me?!" He shouted, he tried to push himself up and out of the bed but as soon as he put weight on his wrists he winced in pain.
"You shouldn't push yourself, Recovery Girl says you have to stay here at least until this evening. Young Midoriya will have to stay even longer." All might said, gently pushing Bakugo back down into his pillow.
Bakugo instantly pushed himself back up. "Don't tell me what to do! I told you I'm fine!" His tone turned serious for a moment and he lowered his volume to something close to a whisper. "Is Deku awake?"
All Might shot him a questioning look. "Yes, why?"
"Tsk." Bakugo's voice went back to normal. "Nevermind then! Forget I asked that!"
All Might stepped back and removed the curtains allowing both of the boys to see him. "Both of you, I'm very proud of your teamwork and quick thinking." He said with a booming voice.
Midoriya turned red from the praise while Bakugo muttered something that seemed to fall in between a thank you and a shut up.
Midoriya turned to Bakugo and gave him a weak smile. "Thanks for working with me Kacchan!"
"Shut up nerd!" Bakugo yelled, creating some small explosions in his hands to give his words power, only to wince in pain when he did.
All Might looked away with a smile as Bakugo and Midoriya continued arguing. He looked out of the window up towards the sky. As long as there's people like these two aspiring to become heroes, the future looks bright. It's really your turn now young Midoriya. Show me, over and over again, that you know what it means to be a hero! He thought, clenching his fist. I'll be with you until my body won't allow me to move even one more inch, just like she was there with me! Right, sensei?
When Midoriya woke up again he kept his eyes shut due to the blinding light of Recovery Girl's office before slowly opening his eyes. "You're awake! How are you feeling?" A familiar voice softly asked as soon as he had fully opened his eyes.
"Kendo?" Midoriya instantly felt more awake as he tried to push himself up into sitting position. He felt a hand carefully but firmly pushing him back down into his pillow and after a second Kendo appeared in his field of vision. "I told you I wouldn't let you fail didn't I?" She said, smiling at him.
"It was a close call." He said, once again trying to sit up. Instead of pushing him back into his pillow again, Kendo extended her hand and helped him up, figuring he would keep trying until she let him anyway.
"I heard about you going back to get Bakugo. That's totally like you, reckless and heroic." She said, rummaging around in her bag for something.
Midoriya felt his face turn red from the praise. "If it wasn't for Kacchan pushing himself far beyond his limits we wouldn't have passed." He quickly said.
"Neither of you would have passed without the other, it's good to stay humble but you should give yourself some praise Midoriya." She said sternly, finally finding what she was looking for in her bag and pulling it out. "Here."
Midoriya immediately recognized the object as his notebook and gently took it from her. Flipping it open and scanning the pages as if to make sure nothing had been damaged.
"I heard you would be here for a while longer so I thought you might want to have it with you. It would be boring having nothing to do." She said, smiling brightly.
Midoriya put the notebook on the small night stand next to the bed and thanked Kendo. When he looked back at Kendo he realized with a shock that he completely forgot to ask the most important question. "You also passed right?!" He exclaimed.
Kendo laughed a bright laugh. "Yes I did, both of us practically couldn't fail thanks to our training right?" She said, extending her fist towards him.
He bumped it and smiled. "Yes, that's right."
"I'm getting out of here! I'm not listening to your stupid lover talk any longer!" A loud voice called out from the bed next to Midoriya's.
"I don't think you are allowed to leave yet Bakugo." Kendo said, completely calm.
"Whatever, since when should I care about what others think is best for me?!" Bakugo shouted before marching out of the office and shutting the door with a loud bang.
Midoriya and Kendo couldn't help but laugh for a while after he left. "Thank you for coming and bringing my notebook." Midoriya said, flashing Kendo the biggest smile he could manage without it taking too much of his energy.
"Ofcourse, It's what friends do right?" She said, flashing him a smile of her own. She wondered for a little while why it felt so weird to use the word friends, it's what they are right? She quickly shook the thought and smiled at him again. "I'll let you rest now, let's get back to training soon alright?"
Friends, yes that's right. He thought, wondering why it felt almost a bit painful to hear her say it. "I look forward to it." He said, giving her a small wave as she left the office.
When Kendo was gone he grabbed his notebook from the night stand and flipped through it until he got to Kendo's page. He read the information for at least the one hundredth time, he flipped to some other pages as he jotted down a few bits of extra information on other heroes before once again returning to Kendo's page. For a while he just stared at her name on the top of the page before scribbling down a small heart next to it without thinking about it, almost automatically. He put the notebook down on his chest and let himself fall back into the pillow, almost immediately falling asleep with a small smile on his face.