It felt like death. If anything, it was. Tears burned his closed eyes, his petite figure feeling like it was just floating in a pool of pain.
Izuku could hardly remember anything, having no control over his limp body even when he felt sudden ground collide against his back. Or something solid. He felt something else on him after a few seconds, everything wet as hands shook him violently.
The greenet closed his mouth, suddenly aware of how much his throat hurt, had he been screaming?
His green eyes blinked open, slowly, groggily, tears only falling to stain his freckled cheeks, what? Was he dead?
He tried looking around only to be met with the sky pouring down on them, a dark forest, and thunder cracking in the distance.
He looked to the person the hands belonged to with difficulty since it was so dark, though lightening went off followed by a delayed thunderous boom, giving him a second of light only to see a familiar face. His breath got caught in his horse throat as he started choking on a sob, he didn't know why he felt so upset - but happy, leaning into an open embrace with a warm body.
Arms belonging to a certain haflie squeezing the life out of him.
"Oh my god Izuku!" He cried, hugging him tight, head resting in the crook of his neck. "Izuku, Izuku..!"
The haflie grabbed his head, hands entangled in Izuku's hair while cupping Izuku's cheeks, getting a real good look at him as if he was trying to confirm he was real. It didn't take a second from Izuku to grab Shoto's hands still on his head, the haflie leaning in to kiss him desperately before going back to hug him, burying into his shoulder as he trembled a little.
What was going on? The last thing Izuku remembered was... was...
Was his death.
"A-are w-we dead?!" Izuku gasped, gripping the back of Shoto's shirt, shaking like a leaf. "I-I- y-you d-died, Sh-shocchan, I-I couldn't save you! I-I let you die! I-I'm s-so s-sorry-!"
Shoto cut Izuku's sobs off, "Hey, there wasn't anything we could have done.."
It didn't help that they were both crying, Shoto's face clearly trying to be calm into a stoic expression, lips wobblily.
"I-I was so sc-scared! I-I thought you were gone forever Shocchan, I-I-!" A hiccup broke Izuku off, he buried his face into Shoto's chest, arms never unwrapping from his sides.
Shoto gently tilted Izuku's head up as he smiled, using a thumb to clear the tears from his eyes. "I.. I'm here now, aren't I? I'm never leaving you again.."
"You better not!" Izuku exclaimed, making the haflie chuckle, though it was watery.
"Wh-where are we..? D-dead..?" Izuku quivered soon when they were both calmed down, still leaching off each other as if the moment one let go, they'd just disappear again. That's what it felt like.
"No.." Shoto tensed. "I.. don't know where we are.. but we aren't dead. I don't think the afterlife would be like this.."
"B-but I w-watched y-you die!"
Shoto's face fell to guilty. "I love you Izuku, I'm here, okay? I'm here.."
The haflie cared a hand through Izuku's soaked hair. "Still.. we need to get out of this storm, we'll both catch a cold.. we can look around to try and find where the hell we are.."
Izuku sniffled and nodded, shakingly standing, though had to use Shoto as support.
They looked around in the dark, still holding onto each other, Izuku gripping Shoto's sleeve tightly as he tried peering through the dark.
"Do you see that?" Shoto gasped, pointing towards a flickering light through the trees.
It didn't have to be said, they headed off in that direction quickly, desperate for shelter and answers at this point. The trees cleared into a neighborhood, apartment buildings to the left. A woman with an umbrella was walking around, heading towards one of them, they quickly chased after.
"Miss!" Shoto called, his voice making her flinch and whirl around.
She was short, a bit chubby, green hair tied up in a bun behind her head, the same green eyes staring in alarm, though bags under her eyes suggested a lack of sleep.
"Miss.. please, help us, we have no idea where we came from and-"
Shoto slowed as he noticed her staring at the greenet hanging off his arm, taking a step forward with wide eyes, a hand outstretched which made the freckled bean tense.
"I..Izuku, hunny..?"