Keep Hope Alive

Chapter 9- Hero

Everyone notices almost immediately because it's blatantly obvious but Present Mic stops yelling around Izuku.

Class 1-A is so used to the loud shouting, the almost unbearable screeching when he was excited and the way he turned his speakers up louder when a student got an answer wrong that it's an utter shock when the whole class goes by and they don't hear him shout once.

Mina notes that it's almost hard to hear him (even though he's speaking at the same volume as Aizawa.)

The class ends, and everyone scrambles to Bakugo to see if he perhaps heard what the homework is but he just tsked and left them all in a dizzying state of frenzy.

Their problem. Not his.

Izuku spots Bakugo as he makes his way out the door and starts to giggle and clap his hands. His friend!

And then while Present Mic is distracted, he hops down off the desk and follows Bakugo out the door. Where was his friend going?

As soon as he's catching up to his "friend," back in the classroom Hizashi is turning around to check on Izuku. He expects him to be seated in the swivel chair, eating banana puffs and coloring.

Only he's not.

"Izuku? Sweetie?" He looks underneath the desk, over his shoulder, towards the window. Nothing.

"Now is not the time to play hide and seek," He feels panic run through his bones and he runs around the classroom checking everywhere from under desks to inside closets.

Oh, fuck. Fuck.

Hizashi drops the chalk and the baby bag and runs out the classroom, checking the hallways and-

Izuku.

He's standing in front of Bakugo, looking up at him with his wide green eyes. Hizashi feels relief flood his veins as he rushes up to grab his son.

But before he can get there, the window bursts.

Shatters.

And Hizashi's heart is pounding so hard he wants to puke. Not now. Not on their first day. Please.

Not with Izuku here.

Fog starts to flood the area and Hizashi covers his mouth and has to make a split decision. One that will keep Izuku safe, and one he hopefully won't regret.

"Get him out of here!" Bakugo's eyes widen, but Hizashi doesn't have time to argue. For the sake of his students, of his son. He needs to leave. Now.

He's switching his speakers on, and screaming.

"NOW." He hears Izuku scream and it starts to fade in the distance as Hizashi coughs and moves behind closed doors.

It'll be okay, Izuku. You'll be okay.

-

Hizashi hates saying it, because there shouldn't be anything like "a standard villain attack," it's a school for god sakes, but it really was standard.

No one got hurt, just some vigilante that broke into the school trying to cause trouble. It's nothing new, nothing they can't fight against, but it was ten-times scarier with a child.

Fighting against someone with your mind thrown into two directions, thinking about the safety and well-being of your child and trying to keep yourself alive.

A distraction is death.

Shouta walks up to him with his eyedrops, and buries himself in his arms.