~ Musutafu Animal Rescue Center ~
Third-person POV:
"That should hopefully do it," the veterinarian said as he looked over at Tsunotori and Tsuburaba, "did you prepare a cage for him?" he then asked as Tsunotori nodded and approached with a steel cart but froze when Shouto suddenly started trembling a bit.
"What's happening─" Tsuburaba asked with audible concern in his voice, but before he even got to finish his sentence, Shouto was completely still. The veterinarian's hand quickly reached down to Shouto's nose, confirming that he wasn't breathing anymore. He then pressed lightly on Shouto's left side, just behind his front leg to feel for his pulse.
"His heart stopped..!" He exclaimed as Tsunotori and Tsuburaba both grew pale, "Tsuburaba get the endotracheal tube, Tsunotori the IV catheter─ HURRY!" he instructed as both of them scurried to get the medical tools he had asked for.
The veterinarian quickly placed the endotracheal tube in Shouto's mouth into the windpipe as Tsuburaba prepared the ventilator that the tube connected to and upon seeing a nod from the veterinarian, he turned it on.
The cone-shaped oxygen mask wouldn't do anymore, artificial respiration is needed now. The IV catheter was then firmly placed as Tsunotori quickly prepared some epinephrine and watched as it slowly made its way through the catheter and into Shouto's veins.
All three of them watched anxiously as nothing happened.
~ Musutafu General Hospital ~
Third-person POV:
"CLEAR!" The doctor controlling the defibrillator announced loudly as everyone stepped back slightly and a high energy electric shock was shot through Midoriya's chest ─ an attempt to restart his heart.
Aizawa had to be almost forcefully removed from the room, pulled out into the hallway, and a few moments later lead to a separate room. He wasn't being responsive, didn't answer the nurses when they tried to reach out to him and it worried them.
"CLEAR!" The doctor announced again as another shock shortly after went through Midoriya's chest. The second attempt didn't work and the chance of restarting Midoriya's heart was steadily declining.
Another doctor stepped in once again and started doing the thirty chest compressions, before the other doctor prepared for a third attempt with the defibrillator.
".. CLEAR!" She announced and activated the defibrillator, Midoriya's body once again jumping slightly from the electric shock. A second passed, and then Midoriya suddenly coughed violently ─ his eyes opening widely as he inhaled all the air he possibly could, causing him to cough yet again.
Midoriya's POV:
Every single person in the room heaved a deep sigh of relief as a round of applause was happening. My ears were ringing and my mind felt like it was shrouded in a dense fog. What just happened..? Why are all these people here..?
My chest was extremely painful and it now seems even harder to breathe than before, not necessarily more difficult but just more painful.
"Midoriya?" A female doctor with a defibrillator spoke calmly as she smiled at me, "I understand that you must be very confused, so let me explain what happened just now.." She continued to speak calmly as everyone else little by little cleared out the room.
"Not to frighten you, but you had a severe relapse and as a result, your heart stopped. As you can see, we brought you back to us and I'll be staying here with you for a while." She explained as I slowly nodded, not quite comprehending what she was talking about but just agreeing.
Where did Mr. Aizawa go..? He was sitting right there on the chair but now he's gone... I thought and silently gazed at the chair, the blue fabric looked rough and itchy.
"Are you searching for Aizawa?" The woman then asked as I turned my head towards her again and nodded once again, "He's in a separate room just across the hall, so you don't have to worry about him. I'm sure he'll be back soon." She said and turned her head to observe a monitor on my right.
"Try and get some rest, I'll be here to watch over you so you can rest easy now.." She said as I watched her lips move, she was still talking but I didn't hear. Exhaustion was taking over again.
~ 2 hours later ~
The nurse was still there when I woke up, this time the fog that had previously shrouded my mind seemed to have lifted a bit. There was a fire, I'm in the hospital, my heart stopped, they revived me, I passed out again and... How long have I been here..?
I looked on my right to see that Aizawa was back in the chair, but he seemed to be asleep. The lady was seated on my left, she was of course wide awake and silently monitoring the machines providing me with oxygen. The defibrillator was gone now ─ that must mean my heart is functioning as it should.
"That was a short rest Midoriya" she then spoke quietly, trying not to wake up Aizawa, "are you feeling okay now?" she asked and turned towards me completely, probably to show me that I had her full attention.
"I.. Think so yeah..?" I breathed as clean oxygen was steadily being provided through my nostrils, "How long was I asleep?" I asked and looked down at my bandaged legs, those sure hurt but not as bad as I remember it.
"A little over two hours, are you hungry? It's about time for you to have dinner." She asked and stood up from her chair. Two hours huh...
"Not really.." I answered shifted my gaze from my legs to her.
"I have to insist that you eat something, even if just a little." She then said, pushing the issue but still remaining kind about it, "I'll go fetch you a meal and we'll talk more after, okay?" She smiled and left.
I laid in the bed for a while and just gazed up at the white ceiling. How long have I been here..? Why is it so important to me..? I questioned myself as I tried to think harder, the fog slowly lifting completely as I realized what my subconsciousness was trying to tell me.
"... Shouto..." I mumbled as my eyes slowly focused and realization set in for real; where is he.
I slowly pushed myself up on my elbows and looked around the room, quickly concluding that he wasn't here with me. I tried to remember what Aizawa had told me but I only remembered tiny bits of it; 'Unconscious... Injured... Covered in soot... A firefighter took him away...'.
"This is bad..." I muttered as I looked up at the clock on the wall above the door. The nurse said that I was asleep for two hours, but how long was I here before my heart..... Time seemed to stop as I realized what I was thinking, what had happened.
"Shouto..?!" I called out with telepathy, waiting for his reply but none came, "Shouto!" I called again, but there was dead silent. My heart stopped, I actually died ─ which means that because of the contract, Shouto died too and if someone didn't restart his heart he might still be─
~ 2 hours earlier - Musutafu Animal Rescue Center ~
Third-person POV:
All three of them watched anxiously as nothing happened for a dreadful five minutes. Tsunotori and Tsuburaba turned their panicked gazes to the veterinarian as they held their breath, waiting for a reaction of some.
The veterinarian checked for breathing. He then examined Shouto's eyes to check if the pupils are large and unreactive, and they were. At last, he tried once again to find a heartbeat, but there was nothing.
The veterinarian soon sighed and slowly shook his head, it wasn't working. Shouto was already too far gone. He reluctantly turned off the ventilator providing Shouto with Oxygen and the room became eerily quiet.
Tsunotori couldn't help herself from tearing up and facing away from the small body. They had fought so hard to help and for a moment, just a short moment, everything was going well but then it all went wrong without warning.
She couldn't understand what had just happened, the veterinarian had just cleared him, everything was going to be alright but suddenly it just─
"H─He's breathing..!" Tsuburaba breathed as he tugged on Tsunotori's hand, making her turn her head ─ and sure enough, his little body was moving slightly with every troubled breath.
"... How is that possible..? He was dead─ I just turned the oxygen and epinephrine off─"
"It's as you said doc," Tsunotori interrupted the veterinarian, "he's a fighter" she smiled and wiped her eyes as the other two smiled a little as well. Crisis, somehow, avoided.
After monitoring him for an additional twenty minutes, the veterinarian gave the 'good-to-go' for Tsunotori and Tsuburaba to take Shouto to his cage where he'd be resting until he recovers.
~ 2 hours later - present time - Musutafu General Hospital ~
Aizawa's POV:
"Shouto!" Midoriya made me jolt awake as I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep, "Shouto where are you?!" He started coughing again as he clenched the fabric of his shirt, eyes filled with tears as he continued to try and yell.
"M─Midoriya be quiet, this is a hospital! You can't yell like that─" I tried to snap him out of it but it was no use, he kept calling out his friend's name. Did he have a nightmare about him or something for him to act this way?
"Shouto─"
"Midoriya!" I raised my voice slightly and grabbed his arm, making him look at me again, "Shouto isn't here, I doubt that he knows that you're in the hospital but if you tell me his phone number I can call him for you and ask him to come visit you." I suggested as his tears slowly fell.
He didn't say or do anything after that, just sat there and stared right through me as if I wasn't even here. His thoughts were obviously racing, his face grimacing every now and then as if he was yelling but he didn't say anything.
"What's all the yelling about?" The nurse from earlier came in with a tray with food and water, "did something happen?" she asked and looked from Midoriya to me and then at the monitors.
"Midoriya, you have to try and calm down for me," She then said as she placed down the food tray on a table and instead grabbed his hand. Midoriya didn't acknowledge her presence at all, as if she wasn't here either.
"Breathe for me, breathe" she kept talking to him as she observed the monitor again. I leaned over a bit to look at the monitor as well, his pulse was abnormally fast and I assume that's why she was telling him to be calm.
"W─Where'd they take him.. Where is he?" Midoriya then managed to whisper as he finally looked at me instead of through me.
"Do you mean Teppa? I told you, we don't know where they took him, but I'm sure he's in good hands─"
"Teppa..?" Midoriya muttered with a puzzled expression, "who's that?" he asked and finally turned to look at the nurse, as if thinking it was her. Did he forget about his cat? He was so insistent on knowing what happened to him but now he's...
"Aizawa, do you know which fire department was called? If we call them they might know what happened to his cat.. I think knowing will ease his mind a bit." the nurse asked as Midoriya's hands clenched into the fabric of his shirt again.
"It was the north department, I called the ones who was the closest to my cafe" I answered, like who else would I have called ─ the fire department across town that would take half an hour to get there? No.
"I'll go call them right away." She then said and got up and left for the reception hall. Midoriya didn't look at her when she left, his gaze was distant once again.
"Izuku, you're worrying me..." I admitted as I watched a tiny bit of light appear in his eyes as he quickly looked at me.
"O─Oh I'm sorry Mr. Aizawa..! I didn't mean to worry you, I just..." He trailed off, but he finally answered, "Can I... Be alone for moment? I need to.. collect my thoughts..." He asked as I felt reluctant to leave, but knowing him ─ he wouldn't rest before he got his will.
".... Fine, ten minutes okay?" I sighed and got up from my chair, and walk around the end of the bed, turning back to look at him one last time before I left the room completely. He just sat there, now looking completely calm ─ wearing the same kind smile that he always does. You're not fooling me kiddo, I'll be back in sixhundred seconds.
Midoriya's POV:
I tried my hardest to smile and act natural towards Aizawa and to my surprise, watched him leave without arguing with me at all.
"Shouto.. If you're there, please answer me." I spoke quietly through our shared telepathy but it was still dreadfully quiet on his end. The only sound I could hear was the oxygen streaming through the tube and in through my nose, and the sound of the monitors monitoring my heart.
The more times I called for him without getting a response, the more the tempo of the small beeps signalling my heart beat would increase in speed. Understandable, my heart felt heavy and my lungs screamed at me for every panicked breath.
"Shouto! I─If this is a joke it's n─not funny..!" I laughed slightly, trying to stop myself from crying even more. Silence.
"... Answer me.." I begged and felt my eyes tearing up all over. What if they hadn't been able to revive him or gave up? What if they thought he was a lost cause and didn't even try to help him just like the time at Tokyo Feline Medical Center with Dr. Haru..? They might've just euthanized him without asking anyone...
He was hurt, I remember him trying to help me before he had suddenly pushed me down and covered me. I think I might've hit my head when he pushed me down, everything after that is even more of a haze than what I actually remember before it's all just dark.
"There was a loud noise back then as well.. like something was breaking down, but what.." I muttered and coughed a little, talking still hurts but it's a habit of mine and I can't help it. My hands still remembered the feeling of his fur as he was shielding me, but that's it.
But the fact the Shouto was clearly injured as well, as Aizawa had also told him, there's the fact that they've been separated for god nows how long. I kept gazing at the clock but it didn't help me much since I don't know what time I got here.
One or two days will be fatal for Shouto, maybe even for me too. But if Shouto is already... Then that wouldn't really matter ─ but what if he's still alive and breathing somewhere? The longer they're apart, the smaller their chance of survival.
"What do I do..? I can't leave this place and Shouto isn't answering..." I muttered and glared at my injured legs. I'm such an idiot for thinking I could help anyone, in the end I've done more harm than good and now I might lose everything..! I cried out in frustration as I tried to move my legs, but the pain instantly increased and made me stop.
"Shouto... Shouto... Shou please answer me... I beg you please just let me know if you're okay..!" I begged out loud as my cries turned into sobs, hurting my throat and lungs even more but it was too late, there was no stopping now.
"... SHOUTO ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!" I screamed, feeling like my throat snapped in two and my voice withered away as I started coughing violently, not being able to see anything through my tears as I leaned over while clenching my shirt.
"Y─Yes..." A familiar voice suddenly spoke in my mind as I widened my eyes and froze in the spot.
"..." I tried to speak but my voice hurt too much, I couldn't make a sound, "Shou..?" I used telepathy as I waited for his response. It took a few seconds more than usual, but he responded.
~ Musutafu Animal Rescue Center ~
Shouto's POV:
"SHOUTO ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!" I suddenly heard Midoriya's voice loud and clear as I felt my entire body stiffen up and I was forced awake. I couldn't see, everything was blurred out and everything hurt.
"Y─Yes..." I cried out as I kept trying to move, to get up and look around, but my body wasn't cooperating with me. It was like I wasn't in control of it. Did Midoriya just.. force me awake with an order..? I thought, slightly worried at what was going on but I didn't have time to think more before I heard him again.
"Shou..?" He called out for me, I could hear the pain in his voice ─ like he had been screaming and crying alone for hours.
"I hear you... I'm listening─" I thought back and felt my body slowly tense up even more, like something was keeping a tight hold of me but I couldn't see or smell anyone around me.
"Please calm down..!" I pleaded and I guess he listened because sure enough, it didn't take long for the stiffness and blur to vanish little by little. I blinked a few times as my vision returned to me, revealing metal bars and pale blue walls. A cage.
"Shou..." Midoriya repeated himself, sounding a little calmer this time. That's when a sudden wave of pain washed over me, starting from my shoulder and spreading throughout my entire front left leg and down my back.
I gasped loudly and digged my claws down into the soft white fabric underneath me. I forgot about that injury... I fought to turn my head slightly and gaze on the pure white bandages. I can't move.
"Shouto..? Are you okay?" Midoriya then asked as I let out a frustrated grunt. It wasn't just my shoulder that hurt, my entire body was aching and screaming at me and the reason why was blatantly obvious. I've been unconscious in this place for far too long, I need to get to Midoriya as soon as possible.
"... I'm fine." I answered him and tried to get up again, but immediately stumbling back down, "I just have a.. tiny bit of trouble moving around." I admitted as I tried once again. And again. And then again, but I stumbled down every time.
"Are you getting help? Are you feeling sick? Do you have a fever─"
"Izuku─" I interrupted his rant before he could start properly, "I don't know exactly where I am, a hospital of some sort.. And I'm fine, the fever isn't too bad..." I half lied, the fever was definitely there and it was bad, but it wasn't as bad as the first time I experienced it... Yet.
"... We need to reunite." He stated the obvious, but his voice was quieter this time, almost inaudible.
"I'm aware, but I can't move.. I've been heavily sedated or something like that..." I mumbled and flicked my tail a few times due to frustration.
"Shou.. I ca.. hear..." Midoriya's voice was even quieter than before, fading in and out as if we had poor connection or something. He's too far away, that must be the answer.
"I'll go to you Izuku so don't worry and please don't strain yourself, I'll be there as soon as I─" I talked fast and as loud as I could, trying to make sure he heard me as I once again struggled to get up, "as soon as I can get up..!" I promised him but there was no response. I just hope he heard me before we were cut off.
Now I know how it feels to be given a direct order and I can understand why Rin always seemed to be in pain when Endeavor ordered him around. It was like being in a trance, everything was blurry and the sensation on my body was tense and strainful.
I doubt that Midoriya was even aware that he just gave me a direct order. I won't mention it to him if he doesn't ask about it though. For now, I need to focus on regaining however much strength I can before I get even more sick and then, I need to break out of here and go find Midoriya.
~ Musutafu General Hospital ~
Midoriya's POV:
"Izuku─" Shouto promptly interrupted me, "I don't know exactly where I am, a hospital of some sort.. And I'm fine, the fever isn't too bad..." He explained as and I could tell that he was lying about the fever. Again.
He's done this before and by now I've learned that he only lies about it when it bad and he doesn't want to worry me. I was about to talk to him again but the door was suddenly opened, revealing the nurse. She had a piece of paper in her hand and a small smile.
"Midoriya, I called the fire department as I promised and they told me where they're keeping Teppa." She smiled and handed me the paper with a name and an address;
'Musutafu Animal Rescue Center'
"... Thank you so much..!" I smiled and tightened my hold on the paper, instantly pulling myself to the edge of the bed. The nurse watched me as I did so, until she suddenly realized what I was doing.
"W─Wait Midoriya what are you doing─" She panicked and ran to the other side of the bed, blocking my way as I fought to get up and out of bed ─ despite my legs screaming at me, the pain only getting more intense the more I fought against it.
"We need to reunite," I thought to Shouto, "I'll leave the hospital right now, I know where you are. I'll get someone to drive me there and─" I thought but was suddenly pushed back in bed.
"Midoriya! What are you doing?! Stop!" Aizawa asked with a confused and slightly angered tone of voice as he held me down on the hospital bed. I looked down to see the nurse carefully getting my legs back in place with a panicked look.
"L─Let me go..! Mr. Aizawa please, I need to go!" I pleaded and grabbed his arm, staring up at him as I continued to struggle a little, "Let go of me please! I─I need you to drive me somewh─"
"NO!" Aizawa suddenly yelled before he quickly shut his mouth and apologized for yelling. He then looked at me again, tightening his hold on my arms, keeping me down.
"B─But why─"
"Look at us!" He ordered as I blinked a few times, not understanding what he meant until I met his gaze head on. He's eyes were tearing up little by little, his nose and mouth was covered with a oxygen mask but I could see his lips tremble.
I noticed his hands trembled as well, I felt it on my arms as he held me so tightly. The bags under his eyes where even more prominent than they normally are. I looked down at the nurse to see that I had managed to tear out the IV catheter in my leg providing me with a salt solution.
The nurse was fumbling to replace them with new, clean ones but my struggling was making it highly difficult for her to do her job. I stopped struggling little by little when I then felt Aizawa adjust the tube attached to my nose and as he did, breathing got a lot easier again.
"... We're in no state to go anywhere, especially not you. We'll go get him first thing when we're discharged, but he needs time to heal as well. I doubt that the rescuers would let us take him before he has healed enough." Aizawa explained calmly as I just looked at him and teared up again.
But we don't have time for that... I thought and realized that Shouto had been really quiet while all this had happened.
"Shouto, are you still there? I can't hear you..." I spoke with telepathy as the nurse fixed up my legs again and Aizawa slowly let go of me and sat down in his chair again. He wasn't there before.. so he must've rushed in here when I started making a fuss.
"I'll go.. Izuku so.. 't worry... yourself, I'll be there.. I─" I heard this quiet, mumbled snippets of sentences but I couldn't tell everything he said. He'll be here? No─ He has to─
"You have to stay there and get the treatment they can provide, they'll take care of you until I get there─" I tried to persuade him but I had a feeling that he didn't hear a word of what I was saying, it was too quiet once again. I got an idea..! I thought and I'm sure my face must've lit up like a Christmas tree cause Aizawa looked at me with worried eyes again.
"M─My phone, please, I need to text someone right now..!" I insisted as Aizawa seemed complexed, but got up and went to the table, rumaging through my burnt clothes to find my phone. He found it and gave it to me.
"I'm surprised that thing still works after everything that has happened today..." Aizawa muttered as he sat down again and just silently watched me as I typed ferociously on the screen.
'Iida, please I need you to do a huge favor for me'
'Shouto is at Musutafu Animal Rescue Center'
'I need you to go retrieve him and bring him to me asap'
I was about to type something else but halted when I saw Iida's little icon put up, telling me that he was typing something.
'Thank you Midoriya, I understand you're stressed, luckily I'm already on the move. A subordinate of mine informed me of a fire in the north district and that you and Shouto were involved.'
'I spread the news to the other district leaders and we've all been gathering information and searching for the two of you for the past three hours and forty-one minutes.'
'We're not far from the location you've specified, we'll be there in a few minutes.'
'Thank you Iida I owe you one.'
'Don't mention it, which hospital room are you in? Shinsou and I will bring Shouto to you as soon as we can.'
I looked up from my phone and looked at the door, seeing the number '713' and I quickly answered Iida.
'I'm in 713, please hurry Iida...'
'I will.'
~ Musutafu Animal Rescue Center ~
Shouto's POV:
"This is fucking useless, I won't get anywhere like this..!" I growled in frustration and had only managed to stand for a maximum of twenty seconds before I collapse again, feeling extremely exhausted.
My fever was getting worse and worse by the minute and had long surpassed the level I experienced back when the contract did this for the first time. My body was trembling and I was sure it wasn't just the exhaustion doing that.
I then heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside the room where I was being kept, someone is coming. I quickly laid back down and pretended to be asleep ─ the last thing I need is some vet sedating me even further.
"He's right in here, where did you guys say you were from?" A young female voice spoke as the door slowly opened as to not make too much noise. I instantly smelled two very familiar scents enter the room as I opened one eye slightly, confirming my suspicions as a wave of relief hit me like a tidal wave.
"We're here because our aunt asked us to, she gave you her contact information right?" Shinsou lied to the blonde girl as Iida walked over to the cage I was in, "I'll be paying on her behalf if that okay with you." Shinsou continued to distract her as Iida silently leaned down a bit.
"Are you awake?" Iida whispered, barely audible but enough for our increased hearing abilities to pick up on it.
"Please hurry..." I breathed and opened my left eye a little more, meeting his gaze. He looked so incredibly worried ─ I've never seen him like this.
"We should get going," Shinsou then said and gestured towards me and Iida, "we'll have to take S─Teppa, with us now. I know it's early and all, but I'm afraid it's rather urgent." Shinsou attempted to persuade the rescuer.
"Wait huh─ No, wait he's still in very poor condition and he has an extremely high fever and─"
"Sorry, but we have to take him now." Iida interrupted, making the girl tense up as she knew she couldn't force them to let me stay here if they ask to get me discharged. I feel like throwing up but I have to hold it in or it'll get even more difficult to get me out now.
"... I'll go get the head veterinarian, please wait for a few minutes─ we need to prepare him as much as we possibly can." She then gave in as she quietly left the room.
We all listened to her footsteps and when she was far enough away, I instinctively jolted up to stand and immediately got increasingly dizzy, accidentally stepped on the tube attached to the small cone on my head that was providing me which oxygen. Causing me to stumble and lose my balance.
"Careful!" Shinsou hissed and looked about ready to kick me, "don't make it even worse than it already is─" Shinsou complained but soon stopped himself, instead they both silently looked at me for a moment before looking worriedly at each other.
"Stop that.." I growled slightly and glared at them, making them look at me again, "stop staring at me like I'm already a lost cause.." I sighed and honestly felt like I had already died, but surely I was just imagining that.
"Sorry..." They both lowered their gazes and bowed slightly. It didn't take very long for the rescuer to come back with a vet, causing them to step back a bit. The oxygen cone and IV catheter were then both carefully removed from me and they refreshed my bandages before carefully scooping my purposely limp body up and placing me in a carrier.
"... Follow me gentlemen" The vet then spoke as he carried the carrier I was in out to their front desk and gently placed me down.
I opened my eyes slightly to see Iida almost tremble with impatience while Shinsou and the vet took care of the billing. I would be trembling and growling orders left and right as well in this situation if it wasn't for the contract trying to kill me.
"Let's go," Shinsou then said as he put his debit card away and grabbed the carrier, lifting it off the front desk. As soon as we were outside, I couldn't hold it in any longer as my stomach almost caved in on itself and I emptied my stomach completely.
"H... Hurry" I coughed and tried to wipe my mouth but it didn't really work too well for me. I caught them both glancing down at me with those same worried eyes as before, but this time they didn't say anything. They simply followed my order and started running.
~ Time skip - about thirty minutes - Musutafu General Hospital ~
Midoriya's POV:
It's been almost an hour now since I last heard from Iida and I had started to feel ill now as well. My head and stomach were spinning, making me feel dizzy and nauseous, but I didn't say anything about it to the nurses or doctors.
I'd been repeatedly glancing down at my legs since.. I can barely feel them anymore. I did mention that to the nurse and she just smiled and reassured me that it was because she administered something to numb the pain a bit.
Aizawa had been reluctant to do so ─ but after having been asked nicely by the doctors seven times and sternly ordered to about three times, he finally got up and went to his own room to rest. I've been laying alone in here for about twenty minutes now.
"Hey! No running in the hospital..!" An unfamiliar angered voice whisper-yelled as I picked up the sound of footsteps hastily approaching. I tried to sit up properly to see if it was them but I couldn't look around the corner from the bed.
Turned out I didn't need to because before I knew it, a set of purple eyes met my gaze as Shinsou almost crashed through the door.
"I─I got him right─ here..!" He panted as he held up the carrier before placing it down and doubling over, hands on his knees, "I swear to god─ Give me a moment─" he panted and soon took off the roof of the carrier, revealing a very still Shouto.
"Shouto..!" I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding as Shinsou carefully picked Shouto up and walked over to me.
"W─We ran as fast as we could..." Shinsou explained as I held my arms out, eyes tearing up all over as I felt his fur against my skin, "I─I think he passed out somewhere along the ride─ But he's alive, I made sure to listen to him the entire time..." Shinsou backed off a bit before collapsing down in a cross-legged sitting position.
I carefully held Shouto a little bit closer to me, his forehead resting against my neck as I just hugged him and let my tears fall silently into his red and white fur.
He was overheating a lot from the fever and I could hear a very faint coarse, rattle-like sound with every slow breath he took. I'm sorry for everything Shouto... I truly am, I'm so sorry... I thought and gently caressed his face, fixing the strands of fur that were out of place.
He's normally so meticulous about his fur and how it has to be just right, but right now he didn't have the strength to keep awake long enough for him to notice.
I leaned back a little, resting against the pillow behind me as I just silently gazed down at Shouto, keeping him on his right so there wouldn't be pressure on his injury.
"Where's Iida..?" I then asked after a few minutes of silence in the room, causing Shinsou to turn his head up to meet my gaze.
"He stopped running when he was told to, so I moved on without him and told him to call everyone and update them on the situation. He should be here any moment now." Shinsou explained quietly as his gaze traveled back down to the incoming texts on his phone.
"I see... I'm sorry for troubling you" I apologized and bowed my head a little bit, causing Shinsou's gaze to snap back up to me. His ears drooped a little bit, causing them to be more visible in his hair ─ which normally does a great job at hiding his ears.
"What are you apologizing for?" He then asked with a slightly more annoyed tone than usual, "For asking for our help when your lives are at risk? For not being able to handle everything by yourselves?" He asked through gritted teeth while glaring up at me and he was about to say something else but got interrupted when Iida and Kaminari suddenly walked through the door.
"Midoriya! Are you okay?!" Kaminari rushed to the side of the bed and looked me up and down before staring at my legs, "Oh my god your legs─ Does it hurt? Can you move them at all or─" He continued before Shinsou got up with a sigh and smacked the back of his head.
"Leave him alone Kaminari," Shinsou said causing Kaminari to turn around pout at him, "You shouldn't bombard a bedridden person like that, did you forget your manners at work or did you never have any?" Shinsou complained as Iida stepped in front of them, shifting my attention to him.
"Midoriya, how are you feeling?" Iida asked with a strained smile, "I apologize for my comrades' behavior, please, don't mind them. Oh, and pardon me for keeping my hat on... You surely understand why." He then said and gestured to the hat concealing his cat ears.
"Meanie..." I could've sworn I heard Kaminari pout at both Shinsou and Iida, but when I leaned to the side a bit to look behind Iida, Kaminari was being embraced by Shinsou despite Shinsou still seeming like he was annoyed.
"... I feel a little better now." I then answered Iida's question as I smiled a little, just my usual polite smile. Shouto wasn't showing any sign of waking up, didn't move and there was no movement under his eyelids either.
The moment I got to hold Shouto, I started feeling less nauseous and my mind cleared up a bit. I wonder if that's what it's normally like for him after having been apart as well.
"That's wonderful news." Iida smiled a little before all of their phones got a notification at the same time, "Ah, the others are here..." Iida said with a slightly troubled expression as he glanced at Shouto and I.
"... We literally told them not to come today..." Shinsou sighed as he let go of Kaminari, "I'll go tell them off.".
"Shinsou wait!" I called a little too loudly, causing strain on my throat as I coughed a little, "W─Why tell them off..?" I coughed as Shinsou turned and looked at me, then at Shouto and then he met my gaze again.
"Because you guys need time to rest now and we should all leave you to it," Shinsou spoke as he leaned a little on the doorframe, "including the three of us." he turned his gaze to the other two as his tone grew a little stern.
"B─But they just got here... They should at least get to say hello─"
"─And they can do that in another day as well." Shinsou cut me off with a slightly softer tone as he smiled just a little, causing me to quiet down as I just tangled my fingers a bit further into Shouto's fur.
"... Okay, please say hi from me and thank them for coming all this way, even if they didn't get to see us." I requested as Shinsou gave a quiet nod.
"See you later Midoriya." Kaminari smiled as he walked over to Shinsou and adjusted the nekos hair a bit to hide his ears more.
"Bye Midoriya, I wish you both a swift recovery. Please make sure to reassure Shouto that we will take care of central for him, so just focus on getting better." Iida said and walked over to Shinsou and Kaminari.
"Go on without me, I gotta speak with Midoriya one on one. It'll only be a minute." Shinsou surprised me as the recent memory of his sharp gritted teeth and annoyed glare reappeared in my mind ─ causing me to tense up immediately. He is going to yell at me... Isn't he..? I thought as we watched Iida and Kaminari leave.
"... You can rely on us more, y'know." Shinsou then said calmly, almost monotonously, as he turned a bit to look over his shoulder, meeting my gaze. The silence after that was deafening, but I didn't know what to say to that and apparently, he didn't have anything else to say because he just left and closed the door after him.
~ Time skip - 8 hours ~
Shouto's POV:
What is this feeling..? I thought as I let out a big yawn and slowly opened my eyes, immediately regretting it as I was blinded by the lights. It's warm... I slowly turned my head a little, immediately nuzzling my face against something with a very familiar scent, instantly making me turn my gaze up.
"M─Midoriya..." I whispered and felt my heart beat faster, slowly getting up as I nudged his face a little by rubbing my face gently against his. In response, he squinted his eyes a bit before slowly opening them ─ guess he was asleep as well.
His eyes slowly focused on my face as I was right in front of him. I watched as he suddenly realized and he didn't even get to say anything before I instantly transformed and was immediately pulled into his embrace.
No words were ushered at the time, they weren't needed. I just clung onto him as tightly as I could, my fingers entangling themselves in his hair as I felt warm tears spill as they traveled down my cheeks and landed on his shirt.
Midoriya was hugging me tighter than he ever had before, I could barely breathe but I wouldn't want him to hold me any other way right now. He was crying as well, small audible sobs escaping him one after the other as his fingers clenched more and more on the fabric of my white t-shirt.
I could feel him tremble underneath me as I looked up at him, locking eyes with him for what felt like the first time ever. I could never explain it, even if I sat down and really tried, but it felt different than usual. It was like seeing him for the first time, smelling his sweet scent for the first time, feeling his gentle touch for the very first time.
And yet, something had changed ─ but I couldn't put my finger on it. It felt as if something was suddenly missing inside of me ─ it was as if I had frozen still while gazing up into those teary emerald green eyes, feeling everything and simultaneously numb.
"S─Shouto..? What's the matter?" Midoriya suddenly spoke softly as he released his grip on my shirt to wipe away a tear, "you look so distraught all of sudden.. devastated even..." He mused worriedly as I slowly grabbed his hand on my cheek, just gently holding onto it as I leaned a bit further into his touch.
I definitely felt happy, overjoyed even, to have him this close ─ to be in his arms and feel his love and kindness in every touch, every time he spoke, every time he looked at me, and yet I wasn't on my usual cloud nine. His scent isn't like ecstasy to me either.
Midoriya's gaze then wandered a bit as I just sat on his waist and stared at him. I was starting to stress out a bit but didn't get very far before I saw Midoriya's expression change to a similar kind of distraught as mine causing me to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Y─Your name..." He mumbled as his hand traveled down to my neck, carefully gracing the skin as if I was suddenly made of glass.
"What..?" I asked, perplexed, as he only seemed increasingly worried. He then said something else but it was as if my ears didn't register any sound, his lips moved, I could see he was speaking but I didn't wanna hear the words.
But I didn't need to hear the words spoken out loud for me to know exactly what he had said. In utter denial, I carefully rose from the bed and slowly made my way to the small hospital bathroom.
What I saw only confirmed it. The tattoo of my name that the contract had embroidered into my skin all those months ago ─ it was slowly vanishing, fading away starting from the bottom of the letters and moving up.
"... S─Shouto..!" The sense of sound suddenly returned to me as I turned my head towards the direction it had come from. I quickly turned my head back and stared at myself in the mirror ─ no way this was actually happening, why now?
I then slowly walked back into the main room where Midoriya had pulled himself up into a troubled-looking sitting position, clutching the railing on the bed to stop himself from falling.
"I..." I muttered as I tightened my hold on the doorframe a bit, "Midoriya what's happening..? I─I'm scared..." I admitted with a shaky breath as Midoriya's jaw dropped a little before he held out a hand towards me, telling me to come back.
I hesitated for a second, my body was still feeling incredibly heavy and uncooperative, and I might've overestimated my current abilities a tad. Nonetheless, I soon made my way back to him and carefully crawled up on the bed ─ catching a glimpse of his injured legs for the first time since the fire as well but deciding that it could wait for now.
"... I'm not sure, but I think the contract might be breaking because..." Midoriya spoke slowly, quietly and with a certain amount of guilt, as I sat beside him, holding his hands for reassurance, "while we were separated, I... died." He then said with closed eyes, as if trying to hide, to disappear, to simply vanish as I just sat there and stared blankly at him for a moment.
Then the realization of the weight of his words and what had happened while I wasn't here to protect him hit me all at once.
"W─Wh─" I tried to speak but ended up just mouthing words without any sound as I clenched my fists down into the bedsheets. Soon, the sounds came back in the form of confused, hurt, terrified sobs that shook my whole body.
"Shhh.. I'm alright, you're alright..." Midoriya tried to soothe me as he pulled me into one of his signature comfort-hugs, gently rubbing my back and then my ears as he started whispering sweet nothings in a futile attempt to calm me down.
"I'm okay Shouto, I promise everything turned out fine in the end.. This wasn't your fault, you saved both of our lives yesterday so please.. don't blame yourself" he whispered as I tensed up a little ─ of course he'd know how much I was already hating and blaming myself for this.
"... How did it h─happen..?" I asked through a quiet whisper as my tail tightly wrapped around his arm and I held his hands even tighter, a desperate attempt to keep him there.
"They told me that I had a heart attack... B─But they saved me," He tried to keep speaking calmly to me but the film was beginning to break, "I... I was so scared t─that you had─" he made the attempt but couldn't finish his sentence before choking back on his tears, causing him to avert his gaze a little.
"I was so scared that you had died because of me. Horrified that no one would've been around to help you ─ that you would be writhing in agony somewhere all alone. I'm so sorry Shouto, I really am..." Midoriya switched to telepathy as he started his meltdown, tears falling down on the blanket and bedsheet as he kept looking down.
"And now look what's happening... Shouto what to do..? What can I do to help you─ Do you even want my help after the risk I put us under..? It's okay if you don't─" He kept rambling, giving me time to compose myself a bit as I then made him turn his head and kissed him.
His lips didn't move at first, no immediate response from him which was unusual but I couldn't blame him for it. It took him a few seconds, but eventually, he began engaging in the kiss as well ─ lips moving slowly and carefully against mine.
It was a fragile kiss, thoughts and feelings were melting into each other and pouring out. I felt a warm tear slowly spill down the trail on my cheek that all the other ones had carved.
"... Is that really how you feel Izuku?" I then asked as he slowly shook his head and tightened his hold on my hands a little. He then reluctantly pulled back and out of the kiss, finally opening his eyes to meet my gaze again.
"No... It's not.." He confessed as he looked at my neck again, probably watching the tattoo of the name he gave me.
"Then," I brought his attention back to my eyes again, "I think we should seal the contract again. So please, will you be mine for all eternity once again..?" I smiled a little as I reached a hand out to gently caress his neck. I felt utter euphoria when I heard his quiet giggle and saw him smile at me.
"Yes." He breathed as I smiled a little, leaning closer to him ─ nose rubbing gently against his neck, "Please be careful, it hurt you so badly last time..." He mused quietly as he rubbed gentle circles on my ears, forcing out a few purrs from me.
I then gently kissed his neck, warm lips meeting pale, soft skin. I felt him move a little, leaning his head to the side to provide me with all the space I could ever need ─ and then I bit down.
"..!" Midoriya gasped quietly as his hold on my ears and hair clenched a bit before softening again. Soon enough the taste of his blood hit me like a bus, causing me to relax completely ─ all prior concerns were instantly forgotten as I listened to my masters' voice.
"I─I wish to form a new contract with you... You have once again consumed my blood and I declare your name to remain as.. Shouto..." Midoriya cooed as I gently released my fangs from his neck, pulling back a bit and just in time for a familiar burning sensation to begin.
"Come here..." Midoriya then said as I quickly cuddled beside him, arms around his waist and face nuzzled against his neck, "you're doing so well Shouto, it won't last as long as last time since your name was already halfway done." he reassured me as he repeatedly trailed his hands through my hair while observing the process of my name being branded into my skin again.
"Fuck─" I groaned out in pain as I slowly opened my eyes to look up and meet Midoriya's worried but kind gaze, "this hurts just as much as I remember hahah─" I tried to cope by joining about it but it was as if the contract didn't like that because as soon as I laughed a little ─ the pain increased for a moment.
"Almost done Shou.." He mused silently as the pain started fading little by little, proving him right, "there... I think it's done, how do you feel..?" He then asked as I slowly sat up beside him, taking it all in for a moment before answering.
"... Surprisingly good." I let out a small sigh of relief as I looked over at my left shoulder, the pain was suspiciously mild now ─ barely worth mention. I carefully raised my hand and felt my shoulder, moving it a bit but it didn't hurt anymore. I'd argue the name branded into my skin was hurting more right now.
"My shoulder doesn't hurt anymore." I chuckled a little in disbelief as I pulled my t-shirt off and carefully undid the bandages to inspect my shoulder. To my surprise, the previously serious wound had seemingly shrunk and looked more like I had just scraped the asphalt.
"Your shoulder..." Midoriya uttered as he reached over to touch it, gently tracing his fingers beside the wound and down my left arm, "it's almost healed..?" he questioned and looked at me for answers, but I could only shrug because I had no idea why I was recovering so fast.
Looking back at his legs it could safely be said that he wasn't recovering any faster than before. His ankles and feet were neatly wrapped in bandages with an IV catheter attached and he didn't seem like he was able to move them.
"I'll be fine..." Midoriya suddenly spoke as he held my hand, rubbing small circles with his thumb. I turned my head to meet his adoring gaze once again, a certain sense of duty returning to me at that moment.
"I know..." I spoke calmly and confidently as I gave his hand a small squeeze. I'll make sure of it.
~ Time skip - 2 weeks ~
Midoriya's POV:
Saying that these past two weeks in the hospital had been easy would be a lie. It's not allowed to keep 'pets' in the hospital due to sanitary reasons ─ so of course, Shouto was taken away from me the day after we renewed the contract.
It wasn't really that big of a problem, we had multiple ways to sneak him back in ─ including climbing seven stories up on the outside of the building and getting in through the window. I made sure he only did something that reckless when visiting hours were closed.
Aizawa also frequently visited me during the past two weeks, bringing me tea and all the snacks I could ever want. Him and Shouto had both been with me at the same time on multiple occasions and they had watched over me as the nurses tried to get me to walk again.
That had been a horrible experience at first, everything was sore, everything hurt but I had to put one foot in front of the other and walk regardless. Little by little I had begun to improve and because of that, I could leave the hospital a whole week earlier than they had expected.
Now, Shouto and I were walking down the familiar streets in our neighborhood. Nothing had changed. Kids were still playing on the playground, elderly people were still sitting on the benches along the road and chatting with each other about the weather. The cars were still driving just a little above the speed limit ─ but not enough to get charged a lot if they were stopped.
The fresh air was nice and I hadn't realized just how much I had actually missed it before I was in it. Shouto was walking right beside me, hood up and tail tugged away as always. He was holding my hand and had told me not to hesitate if I wanted him to carry me. I had told him that I should walk on my own but was of course grateful for his offer.
It took a bit longer than usual to get to our apartment since I can't walk particularly fast, but we made it in due time nonetheless. Unlocking the door and entering, the air inside was cramped and dust had covered everything as if we hadn't been here for months.
I caught a glimpse of Shouto grimacing in a disgusted way as the dust and smell hit his overly sensitive nose. It didn't take him very long to open every single window in the apartment to let in fresh air from the outside world.
I couldn't help but find it a little funny when he emerged from the kitchen wearing a pink apron with a wet cloth in one hand and a dust broom in the other. He looked like a man on a mission.
"Don't worry love, I'll get rid of the vermin in here so just sit back and relax." He spoke dramatically, forcing the laugh I had been holding in to finally burst out as I had to sit down on the couch to make sure I wouldn't lose my balance.
I watched him clean the entire living room for about half an hour before he moved on to the bedroom, then the kitchen, the bathroom, and at last the entrance hall. It took him a while, but he finally collapsed on the couch beside me, snuggling up to my side and grabbing the remote to turn on the TV.
"Time to relax, please pet me I worked hard and now I'm tired." Shouto complained with a small smile, making me chuckle a bit as I put my arm around him and rested my head on top of his.
We sat there for hours and winded down from everything that had happened over the past few weeks. Shouto had gotten up to make us dinner at some point and the food was delicious, he had gotten a lot better at cooking over the past few months.
Shouto had fallen asleep while snuggled up against me and even though we should probably go to bed, I didn't want to wake up him. Instead, I watched absentmindedly as the news began and it wasn't until the news reporter warned for potentially upsetting content that I started listening.
"Earlier today a horrifying scene was discovered by two high school girls in Chiba. What was discovered in an alley close to the main street, were two dead bodies whereas one has been identified to be Chikuchi Togeike and the other one with her has yet to be identified, but the medical team has informed the authorities that he seemingly isn't human." The news reporter explained as the area where it had happened was shown, but not the scene itself.
Seemingly isn't human..? I thought and my mind immediately only thought of one thing; did they find a neko? It wasn't long before I felt Shouto move a bit beside me. I looked down to see him tiredly opening his eyes to look up at me.
"Shouto, I think we should listen to this..." I sighed and pointed at the TV, something terrible had happened and for some reason, I felt like it concerned us specifically.
"The scene is too brutal and disturbing for us to be allowed to show it on live TV, but the humanoid creature was described as having animal ears and a tail ─ however, we have yet to confirm if this is real or not." the reporter explained as Shouto stared at the TV ─ now wide awake and already hair standing on edge from anger.
"It is clear that the two unfortunate souls had been through a lot of torture and fighting with whoever did this to them. The police are already working hard on finding the people responsible.".
~ Meanwhile in Chiba ~
???'s POV:
"P─Please... Don't do this! We'll do whatever you want us to, please don't─!?" the blonde woman begged as she attempted to shield her enslaved neko, but was cut short when she was knocked to the ground by a three-hundred pounds heavy black beast of a neko.
"Hey, don't kill her just yet." I mused with a smile as I walked closer to them with a needle and a small glass vial filled with the antidote, "here, I'll cure you of your power-hungry sickness right now and finally set the poor creature over there free from your will." I chuckled as I injected her with the antidote.
"NO PLEASE DON'T..!" the neko sobbed uncontrollably as she fell to the ground as well, curling up beside her previous master.
"My turn my turn! Can I slash her now?! Can I? I'll make her so pretty..!" Toga was jumping around beside me with excitement as I gave her the 'go ahead' as she instantly leaped forwards and started dragging her razor-sharp claws over the humans skin.
"So pretty..." Toga purred as Dabi transformed back into his human form and grabbed the neko, dragging her away from her previous master and Toga.
"What should we do with this one? She seems like she won't make it either." He growled and held the dying girl up in front of us.
"She's of no use to us if she can't make it through. Discard her." I ordered as Dabi threw her towards Toga and the human. Toga saw just in time and turned to catch the frail neko with her teeth, biting down hard on her throat causing her to squirm and choke before Toga finally snapped her neck.
"Oh! Look Tomura! She's even prettier than her human..!" Toga cheered as she released the dead neko, dropping her down right in front of her previous master as she slowly bled out as well.
"This was our fourth failed attempt in a row..." I groaned and leaned back against the wall, glaring at the two corpses as Toga left them to bleed. She just sat there and licked the blood off her paws for a bit before transforming into her human form and throwing herself against Dabi.
"What now Tomura? Who's next on your list~" She mused as Dabi shoved her away with a displeased growl, "hey! Tomura said you can't be mean to me~" She sang, obviously getting on his nerves on purpose.
"Don't care, I'll fucking kill you one day." Dabi growled as his turquoise eyes glared right into her almost golden ones.
"Both of you, shut up!" I spat as I pulled out my phone and crossed these two off the list, "we're headed to Musutafu after this next one." I informed them as Dabi turned to look at me, a small satisfied smirk spreading on his lips.
"Oh really~?" He almost purred as he straightened his posture a bit, hands in his pockets, "Let's get this next one over with then. I have a score to settle.".
~ The End ~
─
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading "Bound To You"! I really hope you enjoyed the story I've been telling over the past year.
Chapter 1 was published in early April 2019 and holy shit ─ it's been a crazy ride ever since. I love seeing all your comments and how much you guys have enjoyed my work. Brings me endless serotonin.
─
I've really worked hard on this story, done hours upon hours of research for it to make it as precise and interesting to read as possible.
─
I sincerely hope you will all follow along for a little while longer.
Consider following my profile, if you haven't already, to receive announcements about my stories.
─
Don't hesitate to ask questions about anything in this book if you found some things unclear
─ I'll answer as many as I possibly can.
─
Sadly, I'll have to announce that there won't be a second book in this series, and I'm sorry to everyone who has been waiting for it - but I'm no longer into writing for the bnha fandom.
I did have a lot of notes and ideas for book II, and it's the reason why I ended book I the way I did - it was setting up to book II, but sadly I simply no longer have the motivation to write it...
─
Word Count: 154,298 words.