~~ (h/l) = Hair length ~~
Running around, I saw Katsuki walking with his two friends in a dark alleyway. 'Maybe they've seen Izuku!' I thought, walking toward to them.
"It's his own fault for gettin' in my way," Katsuki said, kicking an old looking bottle, a scowl twisting his face. The bottle flew through the air, smacking a metal pole with enough force to crack it open, exposing the goopy looking slime inside.
"Hey, Katsuki!" I yelled to him, ignoring what he had said. I was so focused on Izuku's disappearance that I'd forgotten what Katsuki did to him. He and his classmates looked up, all having a slightly surprised look on their face.
"(Y/n), what're you doing here?" Katsuki inquired, confused. He took a half a step toward me, then glanced back at his friends, silently asking them if they knew anything. The three of them mirrored each others' expressions, soon enough all facing me.
"I'm looking for Izuku, I think he's in serious trouble! He might even be dead!" I announced, stepping forward and waving my hands around to emphasize my words. My face was sore from the stress and my skin was pale from imagining Izuku suffocating to death. My limbs, coated in small scratches and dirt, matched with my clothing, torn and muddy. Katsuki's friends looked guilty, avoiding eye contact with me. Katsuki, on the other hand, held his gaze, a fire igniting in his eyes.
One of Katsuki's friends puckered his lips, while the other weakly asked, "What happened?" Both of their eyebrows were furrowed with regret, paralleling the stress lines plastering their face.
'Why do they look so anxious, I thought they didn't care about Izuku too much. Did they see him and do something bad? Oh, wait, Izuku told me how they bullied him and told him to kill himself before, do they think he went through with it?' I thought, my mind running with possibilities. 'I won't torment them, I'll tell them the whole truth.' I decided. My face softened as I looked over their fidgeting hands and rapid eye movements. At least they had some sort of heart, even if it's fainter than it seems.
"We were walking home and a villain attacked him. I ran off to get help, but when I came back, Izuku was gone. Have you seen him, I've been looking for a while," I explained, only sticking to the important details. Katsuki's friends relaxed, both heaving a minor sigh. Katsuki, though, had stayed exactly the same throughout the entire conversation.
"No, we haven't seen him," Katsuki blurted, still as motionless as a statue. Regardless, his eyes stayed just as intense. As he was finishing, I saw a familiar-looking slime man rise from behind Katsuki.
I started dashing full blast toward him, not waiting a moment to hesitate. "You'll be a perfect size to be my new skin-suit, blondey," the grass colored slime stated, growing taller by the second.
Before Katsuki could react, the slime made a grab for him, although managing to capture another body in the process. My shove had knocked Katsuki onto the ground, clearing him from the grasp of the slime-villain. His eyes lit up with a mix of anger, fear, and something else that seemed to get him passionate, leading all his other emotions.
"(Y/N)!" Katsuki desperately shouted, muffled by the layers of slime separating us.
'Where is he?! He's not hurt, is he?! I couldn't bare Katsuki getting injured - or even killed - because I couldn't help him! I can't see anything like this! What if he got in trouble because I was reckless; where is he?!!' I worried, my mind spinning with intense anxiety. I fearfully squirmed through the thick sludge, struggling to move at all. I felt a sudden burst of heat radiating from my side, weakening the strength of the villain's hold. 'Katsuki?!'
I just barely touched my feet to the ground, pushing off to stretch the slime, almost forcing it to release its grip. I opened my teary eyes to see Katsuki's strong and healthy figure, staring up at me with big, hearty eyes, uncontrollably releasing streams of tears that dripped from his softening face. For a quiet moment, he looked so helpless, so defenseless, my heart distorted.
"Katsuki, I'll be alright. I'm okay, you don't need worry anymore," I promised Katsuki, utilizing the split second of time I had to say what he needed to hear. Katsuki stopped fighting for a second, and, for just a moment, let everything sink in. In that instant, I was tugged back to my attacker, my torso being somewhat swallowed again.
"GOD DAMN YOU RAW SEWAGE-BASTARD!!" Katsuki barked, blasting roaring fire out from his palms, trying to burn through the slime. "DAMMIT (Y/N)!!" His fire switched back and forth between explosions and torch-like streams but nonetheless got stronger by the second.
'Thank goodness Katsuki's safe,' I thought, feeling peaceful for a brief while. After being assured that Katsuki isn't hurt, I was able to clear my head of any unnecessary thoughts.
Crap, I wish I could use my powers, but I need to be calm and focused to do that. If not, it'll go haywire and I might end up crushing Katsuki! I can't do anything until either someone helps me, or it calms down.' I thought, studying the situation in the most relaxed manner possible. 'I can't breathe, I was right! Izuku must have been feeling this before. Wait-Izuku! If the villain is here, Izuku must have been saved by another hero! At least he'll be safe.' Katsuki's massive explosions and raging fires attracted the attention of some pros nearby, prompting them to help.
It all happened so fast, I barely had time to think. Looking around, heroes swarmed the area: Desutegoro charged toward me saying something I couldn't hear, and came punching into the slime, only to be slapped away effortlessly, Backdraft made a water-wall, ensuring citizens don't get too close, and Kamui Woods ran around the fires, saving civilians from the danger. All the while smaller-time heroes dodged the slime's relentless attacks and strategized on how to save me. Meanwhile, Katsuki's blasts were damaging the slime; maybe permanently. At least, it didn't seem to be healing. Because of this, I was able to perk my head up enough to see all the action.
However, one of the smaller heroes forcefully picked up Katsuki, rescuing him and getting rid of some of the fire problems. I guess Kamui Woods wouldn't mix very well with fire, would he?
"YOU BASTARD, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?" Katsuki protested, writhing. "PUT ME DOWN, YOU SHITHEAD! I'M GUNNA TORCH YOU TO PIECES!" he continued, bruising and burning the poor hero carrying him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone come to Katsuki with a needle and carefully inject something into him. Just moments later, he calmed and was driven away in an ambulance.
I had been only partly consumed at this point, but since Katsuki was gone, the slime's grip got tighter. In just a minute, I was about ready to pass out.
I could hear things going on all around me, but it felt like background noise to my screaming lungs. Almost ready to give up, I twisted and turned, debating whether to use my quirk in such a risky situation in my head. Looking around, I saw the fires were almost all gone, but I saw some down the street, spreading. Then, I saw Izuku.
Surprising me a bit, Izuku dashed toward me, obviously not thinking. Behind him was his burnt notebook, lying lifelessly on the ground. The heroes surrounding me gasped at Izuku's brave actions, astonished he mustered up the courage to be so idiotic.
"NO, YOU IDIOT! STOP, YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Desutegoro warned, although ineffective.
"This brat again?!" the slime-thingy said, annoyed. At this point, he had almost swallowed my entire body, only a tiny hole left for me to see. "You're toast, kid!" the villain threatened, preparing to swing at Izuku. Before he could, though, Izuku propelled his backpack at the villain's face with a "Take this!".
The slime was thrown back, allowing for me to take a breath. I coughed harshly, as Izuku drew near.
"(Y/N)!" Izuku cried, trying to dig through the slime covering my arms.
"Izuku, run away! He'll kill you! What are you doing?!?" I screamed. Izuku's eyes were as wide as humanly-possible, filled to the brim with fear.
"I don't know-my legs-they just started moving!" he stammered, unfaltering in his attempts to dig me out. "(Y/n), I couldn't just stand there and watch you die," he admitted, a rough blend of worry, relief, pain, fear, and the same emotion Katsuki had on his face. The villain now was making a steady comeback, reclaiming his lost ground on me.
"Just a little bit longer, kid," the slime spouted, raising a piece of himself to hit Izuku. "Then I'm done playing with you!" In the background, heroes were shouting orders, all lunging to Izuku's defense. Before anything else could happen, a cloud of smoke and dirt arose from the ground, revealing All Might, who had attacked the slime thing and was now coated in him.
"I really am pathetic," All Might confessed, still. "I told you what it takes to make a great champion, but I see now I wasn't living up to my own ideals!" He broke free from the slime with a 'Snap' and, almost in slow motion, snatched onto my free wrist. Blood spraying from his mouth, All Might stated, with a steel voice, "Pros are always risking their own lives! That's the true test of a hero!"
"DAMN YOU ALL MIGHT!" the slime yelled, going in for a punch to All Might's stomach.
"TEXAS-SMASH!" All Might said, punching the villain with too much force for it to handle. Just the wind from his mighty punch blew the slime-man off of me. Mt. Lady shielded citizens from the blast with her arms as All Might held onto Izuku and my legs tightly, keeping us close. A massive tornado-looking thing came from all the wind, sweeping dozens of people off their feet.
Just as soon as it came, the tornado dispersed, leaving quiet, peaceful rain to fall upon those remaining. All Might panted, ignoring the hundreds of bewildered gazes dumbfoundedly staring at him. He let go, allowing Izuku and me to rest on the ground, defeated.
"Holy crap... he changed the weather!" Desutegoro said, stating aloud what everyone was thinking.
All Might got up, an indifferent smile stretching across his face. The crowds that had gathered cheered, bathing All Might in pride.
"All Might saved the day again!" One person praised.
"He took out that villain like it was nothing!" stated another. "He's amazing!"
All Might slowly raised one arm, invoking a roar of applause from the crowds. He looked back, peering at Izuku's lifeless body from the corner of his eye. I, just barely awake, took note of his every move, positive I'd never get this chance again in my life.
"Thank you... All Might... and Izuku" I expressed, struggling to position myself to get up (only to flop back down again). After using all the strength I had left in me, I passed out, happily next to Izuku and All Might.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sound of an alarm clock woke me up, or what I originally thought was an alarm clock. I looked around to see where that noise came from when I noticed I was laying in a hospital bed, meaning that noise was coming from a heart monitor. Scanning the room, I also noticed two boys, one leaning against my bed, reading, the other sitting in the corner, writing something in a notebook. I sat up, drawing the attention of the reading one. The other seemed utterly engulfed in whatever he was passionately scribbling. The blonde put his book down and stood up, turning to face me.
"You're awake," Katsuki acknowledged, stating the obvious. The boy sitting in the corner suddenly perked his head up, eyes glistening once meeting mine.
"Hey, (Y/n), how are you feeling?" Izuku worried. He walked over to my bed and sat in a chair right next to it. 'I wonder why he didn't just sit in that chair in the first place?' I wondered.
Brushing my thoughts away, I enthusiastically responded, "I feel better than ever!" My usual smile bubbled up with ease. Izuku took a breath of relief, allowing whatever weights that had been on his chest to fall. Izuku then looked up toward Katsuki, a nervous expression on his face.
I turned to look at what had happened, but before I could, Katsuki blurted out, "You would have been killed, dumbass." His expression went from slightly annoyed to full on enraged after he finished that sentence. "AND THOSE GOD DAMNED IDIOTS that DRAGGED ME AWAY ARE EVEN WORSE!" Katsuki's fists flew through the air as he said that, nearly hitting my head several times. "THEY CALL THEMSELVES HEROES?! THEY COULDN'T EVEN KILL A LITTLE SLIME WITHOUT THE HELP OF FUCKING ALL MIGHT!!" Izuku flinched at his words, a somewhat pained emotion surfacing on his face.
"Izuku, are you okay?" I asked the jumpy boy, completely ignoring Katsuki. Izuku's face grew red at my words, his hands fidgeting nonstop.
Putting his hands up in a defensive manner, he assured me, "N-No! I'm fine! I didn't get hurt or anything, I swear!" My face grew more stressed, suddenly remembering how he almost got killed and then disappeared.
"What happened to you after I left, Izuku?" He looked around nervously, I could almost hear his heart pounding.
'What is he hiding from me?' I thought, studying his movements.
"Oh, um, All Might showed up, and, he saved me," Izuku explained, almost as if not knowing his own story. Katsuki's eyes illuminated with interest.
"All Might saved you? Then just left?" Katsuki inquired, his deadly stare crushing Izuku. Izuku's fidgeting increased, I felt bad for the guy. I didn't want to see him so scared, but I also wanted to know what he was hiding.
"Ah, yeah. That's all," Izuku lied. Good thing poker faces are so foreign to him.
"If he captured the villain, why was it out on the streets, attacking (Y/n)?" Katsuki demanded, unflinching confidence in his voice.
"Um, I don't know, I didn't see him after that," His face was so guilty I felt bad for him. "Hey, I've got to go to the bathroom! Sorry, bye," Izuku declared, sprinting out of my hospital room.
"What's going on? Why was he lying about what happened with All Might?" Katsuki asked me. He sat down in a chair on his side of the room next to me.
"I have no idea. What could make Izuku want to lie like that?" I said, half talking to myself. I crossed my arms and sat on the side on my bed, facing Katsuki. "Do you think something bad happened with All Might?" I asked, looking up to meet Katsuki's face. His complexion was frustrated, probably about several things. He seemed kinda out-of-it, maybe an effect of whatever got injected into him. "Hey, by the way, what happened to you?"
"Don't know, I just remember getting snatched by someone, then waking up in my home. After talking with some heroes, I found out you were here, and I've been waiting for you to wake up ever since. Speaking of, you took forever to get up! Visiting hours are almost up!" Katsuki revealed. He didn't move much while talking, only closed his eyes and then opened them while yelling at me.
"If that's true, we should get Izuku and check out as soon as possible. I should be set to go home, I feel perfect." I got up from my bed and looked around for anything belonging to Izuku, Katsuki, or me.
"That worthless Deku can handle himself, got it?" Katsuki argued, already heading out the door.
I sighed, getting up. "I'm going to get Izuku, you talk to the receptionist," I demanded, grabbing Izuku's notebook and leaving to wait outside the men's bathroom.
"Tsk," Katsuki accepted, closing his eyes and putting his hands in his pockets.
After only around ten minutes, another man came to the restroom and I asked if he could find anyone in there. He agreed but found no traces of another person. I thanked him and met with Katsuki at the front of the building.
"That took a while," Katsuki said upon my arrival.
With a heavy sigh, I confessed, "No sign of Izuku, he must have left."
Wrinkles concentrating on the center of his face, Katsuki replied, "That jackass."
"It's alright, I'm going to go try to find him, I'll see you later!" I told Katsuki, starting to run away.
"Wait-I want to tell you something!" Katsuki insisted. 'He's not going to yell at me, is he?' I thought, turning on my heels to face him and bracing myself for impact.
"Is everything okay?" I asked the nervous boy. He was acting a little strange: avoiding eye contact and playing with the bottom of his shirt. I couldn't see his face well, but he looked embarrassed.
After taking a deep breath, Katsuki looked me in the eyes, a serious expression painted on his face. "Only an idiot would risk their life for something like that; don't do it again," my fiery classmate ordered me. His face was tense, his eyes confident and suddenly self-assured, a stark difference from his behavior a moment ago. I smiled, putting my hands near my neck and (h/c) hair.
"Thank you for worrying!" I cheered, my colorful face beaming. Katsuki didn't even flinch, just kept staring straight ahead, a determined look glowing in his eyes. "Sorry, I need to make sure Izuku is alright, but I'll get back to you later. Bye, Katsuki!" I held my smile and waved, leaving to find Izuku.
"Bye," Katsuki whispered, almost to himself. Looking back to confirm he was alright, I saw the tall boy look up, a smile tugging at his lips. 'At least Katsuki didn't get hurt. I need to make sure Izuku is okay, what would make him want to lie like that?' I questioned.
It didn't take me long to find Izuku, he was just walking slowly to his house. I was about to say hey, but he looked so sad. I wasn't sure whether I should leave him alone or not. Debating the matter in my mind, I followed close behind him until Katsuki ran up to him, hands in pockets.
"Kacchan?" Izuku asked, confused at his being here.
Panting, Katsuki replied, "Listen, I was doing fine on my own, I didn't need your help saving (Y/n)." Katsuki's mouth formed an angry triangle, his head slightly tilted up. " You're just a weakling, so don't think you can look down on me. Huh?! You got that?! I was fine by myself! You're just a quirkless failure who won't even cut it as a cop!" Izuku cringed at Katsuki's words, letting it get to him. "You didn't help her! You just made it worse! You did nothing! Don't forget it," Katsuki concluded, swiftly turning to walk the opposite way. 'Thank goodness they didn't see me, I would have been in major trouble! Poor Izuku, it seems like that's not what he wanted to hear.' I thought, worriedly peering at the two of them separating from around the corner. Izuku smiled faintly at Katsuki, looking down in shame just a second later. I could imagine what he was thinking in that moment. He sluggishly turned to walk the way he was heading originally.
Just as it was getting quiet again, All Might came rushing down the pathway to stop Izuku in his tracks, yelling an "I am here". Izuku jumped, startled by All Might's sudden appearance. 'What's All Might, of all people, doing here?' I thought, trying to keep quiet.
"AH!" Izuku shrieked, hopping back. "Huh? All Might?!" he gasped, starting to relax a bit more. "Why are you here? How'd you get rid of all those reporters?" All Might just laughed, putting his hands on his hips.
Still chuckling, All Might answered, "I stand for justice, not soundbites!" Posing, he stated, "I am All Mig-" He was cut off by transforming into a scrawny, slim, shorter man with oversized clothing and coughing up heaps of blood.
"AHHHHHHH!" Izuku cried. 'All Might' took a second to recover from whatever had happened, wiping his chin and breathing in.
"Young man, I came here to thank you, and also to discuss your question from earlier," assured 'All Might' in a more feverish, low voice.
'Do they know each other? Oh, wait, didn't Izuku mention how All Might saved him from that villain earlier? They must have talked, then.' I thought, watching with intent.
"If you hadn't told me about your life, if you hadn't run into that fight, I would've been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd. So thanks," All Might added, his words noticeably affecting Izuku - in a good way.
"Oh, no! I was my fault he was there to begin with! I got in the way of your hard work, I wasted your energy, and, not to mention your time," Izuku argued. He looked depressed, but better than before.
Before Izuku could continue, All Might interrupted him, "I'm not done." All Might's expression matched that of someone who had been motivated by an extraordinary person. "You told me you didn't have a power, so when I saw this timid, quirkless boy try to save a life, it inspired me to act too." Izuku gasped, his eyes lit up knowingly. "There are stories about every hero: how they became great," All Might continued. "Most have one thing in common."
The rush of wind that lifted up All Might complimented the beautiful sunset completing the seemingly magical scene in front of me. "Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think, almost on their own."
Izuku knew what was coming next, and, in preparation, took a deep breath of refreshing, crisp air. His eyes widened, shimmering, almost as if he were about to tear up. He looked down, whimpering and scrunching his mouth and eyebrows in an attempt to keep from crying. I could hear his heart singing with joy. "And today, that's what happened to you." Izuku clutched his chest and bent over, unable to hold back his emotions. Tears of joy streamed down his face, not at all bothering the hero whose presence could be felt from across town. "Young man, you, too, can become a hero."
I was so mesmerized by the events that happened right in front of me, I almost fell over. Izuku looked like he was in a state of bliss, he never would have guessed what would come next.
"I deem you worthy of my power; my quirk is yours to inherit," All Might announced.
"Huh?" Izuku said, almost as if shattering the atmosphere that had been building up until now. 'Wait, what? What is All Might talking about? His quirk can be "passed down"? Since Izuku is quirkless, does that mean All Might is going to give him a quirk? Whatever "give" means in this context... In any case, I'm so glad I didn't interrupt him, that would have been awful!' I thought, my hand firmly closing my mouth as to not make any sounds.
Just as Izuku was preparing to speak, I felt a harsh 'Slap' on my back, pushing me into the view of All Might and Izuku. Looking behind me to see what happened, I saw one of my friends running off, yelling "Good luck!" 'Crap, she must have seen me watching and thought I like Izuku' I thought, my sweat amplifying the tension I felt.
"O-Oh, hey, Izuku," I stuttered, looking to the side and rubbing the back of my neck. I glanced over with a smile to be welcomed by All Might and Izuku's pale, lifeless bodies looking straight through me.