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As Deku stood on the cusp of the battlefield, battered and broken, there was only one thing on his mind. Katsudon. He was damn tired of fighting in the same spiral over and over again, defense, offense, defense, offense. It felt as if he had been in this conflict for a million years, and he would annihilate a motherfucker, preferably this one, for a bowl of hot Katusdon. The dust around him relaxed, cascading to the ground like a blanket of grey clouds. He almost coughed, but the pain that settled in his chest provoked him to pause, it felt like a ball of cement posed where his lungs should be.
He noticed the villain ascending from the mountain of crumbled concrete that fell along the battle zone, which once was an insurance firm. The contents within the facility stuck beneath the remains, thankfully no casualties. Izuku wasn't sure how long he could keep it up. He couldn't see a way he would get out of a fight of this caliber alive, he could feel his chest rattling with each puff that dragged from his body.
The male wasn't entirely sure where he and the class got disbanded in the disarray, but all he understood now was that he was absolutely alone and gaping at the other across the remnants as he hauled himself to his feet. The food he thought about felt like a fantasy at this moment, the chances were ebbing with each departing breath and it terrified him.
He thought of his mom at that moment and wondered what she was doing. Was she sitting at home alone? Passing the time with reading? Cooking herself a meal? Wondering when the next time she would see him? Would she ever see him again?
Was this it? All of that for nothing?
Midoriya steadied his feet to the ground, straightening his back out while he stared ahead. He wouldn't let all of this go without a fight.
-
Katsuki Bakugou didn't know two things. What the hell happened and where the fuck Izuku is. How could things have gotten this bad so quick? He stared down at his phone, eyeing the pinging dot on the screen which was supposedly the last spot it picked up Deku’s location.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding.” He murmured as his head snapped up to gaze around the deserted street around him.
“What is it, man?” A voice from behind him, Sero, his tone filled with tension and fear.
“The stupid ass map says he’s right here.”
Katsuki’s piercing red eyes shot around the area, inspecting for a green hue.
“Could he be here? Somewhere?” Hanta questioned, walking behind him with eyes also scanning the buildings to their left and right.
“What do you think, dumbass? He’s obviously not.”
Sero lifted his arms in defeat, a sigh slipping through his lips. “Well- I just thought-’ The black haired male began to speak, being cut off by footsteps coming from their left. They were quick, trampling footsteps that were paced in fear, worry.
Uraraka, Kirishima, Todoroki and Tokoyami came into view. The brunette was glued down into her phone as she ran, they seemed to slow at the sight of the other two. “He’s not here.” Katsuki spat, voice full of worry disguised as anger.
“The location says-” She began.
“It doesnt fucking matter what the phone says! Do you see him here?” Bakugou growled, head snapping in her direction.
“Listen dude, we are all scared. Deku is just as much of a friend to us as he is to you.” Kirishima strode forward in a stab to cool the blond’s growing temper.
Understatement of the fucking year. Bakugou wasn't completely sure what had been going on between him and Izuku over the past couple of months but something had grown in the midst of their time spent together, something that drew them both in.
No one knew for they hadn’t really spoken about it amongst themselves, but actions spoke louder than words. Izuku said that is what made Bakugou such an incredible hero. He was never good at words but his actions showed what kind of person he had become and Midoriya had seen that the most, more than others did.
Katsuki rolled his eyes, pressing his lips into a thin line to supress himself from laying Kirishima the fuck out. “We don't have the damn time for this, every second we stand here we waste-”
“Wait. Look-” Todoroki’s voice cut through the argument, the monotone breaking through it like a wrecking ball made of cotton. Bakugou, along with everyone else, followed the arm he pointed into a small pile of debris. A phone with an All Might charm sat there, shattered on the concrete.
“Thats why the location pointed us here. His phone is here but he isn't.” Shouto pointed out, while the blond trekked over to pick it up with his gloved hand.
“Well done fucking Einstein.” He spoke, voice low, earning himself an eye roll from the candycaned haired boy
“He must have lost it after we got separated or was useless after it broke.” Ochaco added, stepping forward. Izuku wasn't one to leave his phone behind, for if he needed help he could put out an SOS. So the shattered phone in his hand only darkened the tense atmosphere around them. Something thickened in Katsuki’s throat, which he had to swallow down.
Where the fuck are you?
The others were also scouring the city, along with Aizawa, Cementoss, Midnight and All-Might. A couple other pro-heros were in the area but were tasked with civilian aid. It shouldn't take the entirety of class 1-A and four pros to find one fucking teenager.
“Have any of you heard anything from the others?” Sero asked, the black haired boy itching the back of his neck as his eyes moved from the ground to the four standing to the right of them.
“Not yet, unfortunately.” Tokoyami crossed his arms over his chest as he shifted on his feet, turning to look at Bakugou who was currently staring down at the phone in his hand. Ejirou’s hand curled around his shoulder from behind, meeting Bakugou with a comforting gaze as his head turned to look at him.
"He’ll be fine, Bakugou. We’ll find him.”
-
Nothing was fine. What else could go wrong?
Midoriya just barely sidestepped another attack, bright green waves shot his way while he launched himself to his left using the energy stored in his legs to activate Fa Jin. Managing to land on a slanted piece of large debris, where he had an advantage to attack from a slight incline. Using the bit he had left of the activated quirk Deku shot forward, able to land a punch on the face of the villain, too slow to keep up with his speed.
“You’re quick, kid.” The masked man grunted, rebounding quickly. Izuku refused to speak, Shinsou was a good learning experience for him. He didn't know exactly what his quirk entailed, what it could do.
Deku had never seen this villain before in his life. His quirk was incredible. The way he manipulated the air around him to turn it into this green matter, in which he could force it to do whatever he wanted. His eye caught a helicopter that circled around a building in the distance, heading their way. The green haired male knew the two of them had been spotted, thank god.
Izuku exhaled as much as his body could let him, his eyes widened as more of the green matter was released. The villain threw out one hand before another, sending two small waves diagonally in his direction, which Deku dodged with ease watching as they crossed at his feet and ricochet off into the space behind him. A sharp sensation in his spine shocked the stem of his brain.
Move. Move. Move. Move now!
The boy obliged, moving forward and ducking down as the two waves came hurling back towards him. Missing the top of his head from an inch. Small pieces of green hair, cut from the top of his head, fell to his shoulders. A nasty nausea feeling cascaded down his stomach like a waterfall. He felt like he was beginning to get dizzy.
In his dizzy and nauseous stupor, a flash of green knocked the wind out of him. Izuku fell back, and onto a pile of rubble. To his left, two pieces of rebar pierced out of the pile of rocks. Holy shit, that was close. He moved to his feet using blackwhip to send a large piece of concrete in the direction of the other.
The villain heaved it out of the way with his quirk, sending it into a nearby partially demolished building. That impact caused the rest of the foundation to go down, causing a thundering clap along with a tower of dust and smoke. Deku grunted, coughing as the nausea and dizziness grew. He was grabbed by his shoulders and tossed back and onto the pile of rubble.
Hands wrapped around his throat as he fought through the dizziness.
“My quirk is radiation. I can alter nuclei activity inside of an atom and cause almost anything to become radioactive. That explains why you feel so sick. The more you’re exposed to my quirk, the sicker you get.” Izuku listened to him speak, and that answered his questions. Deku struggled in his grip, feeling pain begin to bloom in his back.
Blackwhip had almost circulated unconsciously. The villain, who spoke his name as Isotope, was too focused on his monologue and the hands wrapped around Deku’s neck to notice the creeping of the black tendrils sneaking up behind him.
In one immediate motion, it shot down through his back, the black ropes split from the hole created in the middle of his chest. Blood began to drip down onto Midoriya’s abdomen as Isotope gasped, shaking breaths coming from his bloodied mouth, split in shock. Blackwhip wrapped around his sides, tossing him back onto the cold ground.
Izuku sucked in a breath. Or tried to. He couldn't feel much of anything.
-
A phone ring violated the silence. Bakugou pulled his phone from his pocket, answering it quickly.
“They located him, he is downtown. You guys are the closest. Meet us there.” Aizawa spoke fast, in between heavy breathing. He must have been moving quickly. A loud bang pulled Katsuki from his response, he spun his head to watch a long blanket of dust cover the street four blocks ahead of them. That has to be him.
“Deku!” Uraraka shouted, as the team of them began to run. The blond hung up, breath caught in his throat as he picked up momentum. Explosions flew from his hands as he rocketed past them, towards the man he loved. He hauled ass, watching as buildings passed him in a blur, the only focus in his mind was Izuku. Getting to him.
Please. Please. Be okay.
-
The moment his feet hit the ground he yelled.
“Deku!” The scene was grim, two destroyed buildings lay around him.
“Izuku!’ The blond yelled, jogging through the wreckage.
He stopped when his eyes fell upon a body, his eyebrows crashing down into a furrow. The male jogged over, sidestepping a pile of rubble. Before he could make it to the body, a noise was heard.
Oh god. No. Please not him. Anyone but him.
“No.” He whispered, the green haired man lay unmoving. His knees hit the ground next to him.
“No- no- hey-” Katsuki’s voice was soft, placing his hand across the chest of the downed hero. Something stuck from his chest that wasn't supposed to be there. “Shit- Izu- Hold on.” He bit down on his bottom lip, enveloping his hands around his shoulders, desperate to get him out of this situation. Izuku coughed, crimson coating his white teeth.
“No- please. Kacchan. Don't.” He pleaded, green eyes opening to meet red ones.
“I need to get you out of here. Just let me-”
Midoriya slid a hand up his arm, holding his shoulder back. “I feel like it's the only thing holding me together.” His body shook, head falling back onto the rubble behind him. Bakugou didn't hesitate to slip his hand behind his head, giving him something comfortable to rest his head on.
“Fuck- please. We need to do something.” He spoke, brain drowning out the footsteps behind him.
“Anything, please.” Katsuki could feel the tears stinging his eyes along with the feeling of the other’s body shaking under his hands. Izuku’s mouth wobbled, a horrifying crimson shade dripping from the corner of his parted lips.
“Hey- Hey- It’s okay.” Deku let his hand fall from Bakugou’s shoulder, over the hand on his chest and gripped on to it lightly. The pain continued to grow as he spoke, chest slowly rising in staggered movements.
Katsuki could hear voices behind him, but he was already drowning in the green of Izuku’s eyes, he was fading fast. He could tell by the way he breathed and how lazy his eyes were becoming.
“Izuku..” The male felt the tears tip over, spilling down his cheeks. His head dipped down, craning it to look behind him.
“Get help! Now!” He yelled amidst his tears, too blurry to see the reactions of his classmates.
A wet cough was heard from behind him, “Kacchan-” The weak voice coming from the male in front of him made his head whip around. Meeting those eyes he’d fallen in love with all those years ago.
“I know you’re going to do great things- just-” The boy sucked in a painful breath, bringing tears to his eyes.
Deku seemed to swallow, struggling with the amount of blood that began to pool in his mouth. “Never stop chasing it. Please.” Katsuki choked on a sob as he watched him struggle through his words, his breathing becoming more irregular.
“All I’ve ever chased was you.” He breathed, gripping onto his hand.
"I love you- Katsuki. I love you so much.” Izuku whispered, blinking away the fog that began to settle. Midoriya focused as hard as he could on the male in front of him, eyes almost too heavy to bear.
Out of all the times this could have happened. Every chance they had. It happens now? When Izuku is dying in his arms. Katsuki felt helpless, heart shattering in his chest watching him fall through his fingers.
Bakugou felt Izuku’s free hand lift to his cheek, where he leaned in and nestled his face into his hand. The blond removed his hand from his chest, and placed it over the hand on his cheek before leaning down to press a soft kiss to Deku’s forehead. Midoriya felt a forehead placed on his, listening to Katsuki speak.
“I love you more than anything. Now until forever.” He spoke quietly, listening to the small gasps of breath that left Deku’s mouth.
The greenette's hand began to shake in tune with the rest of his body, the shock must be wearing off. “P-Please tell my m-mom I love her a- nd I'm so-rry” Midoriya stuttered, tears continuing to cascade down his pale cheeks.
All the blond could do was nod at his request.
“Of course- Izuku” He swallowed, the thickness of his throat becoming too much to bear. Izuku was losing energy, his arm only being held up by Bakugou’s hand holding it against his cheek; not willing to let go. Letting it go meant it was really happening.
“I-I lo-ve you Kac-ch-an.” He spoke, clearer and quieter than before. Still broken with his shakes and the rapidly declining strength.
“I love you too Izuku.” Katsuki cried, listening to the last attempts at him breathing. Soft and quiet. He could feel the painful spasms relax, the hand on his cheek losing its strength as his arm fell limp. Through his tears, the male bent down to press a kiss to his cheek, tasting the salt on his lips from the tears. Bakugou took in his injured form, the way the rebar - No- Two rebars protruded from his chest coated in a dark red.
"God- no. Please. Not him."
Katsuki wasn't sure who he was praying to. Something out there that had the power to return him. Bring back the light.
He slid a hand around his waist, letting his head rest down against his chest. Bakugou cradled him in an attempt to catch any of the warmth he had left, any of the proof that, somehow, he was alive in there somewhere. The blond sucked in a breath-
And for the first time in his life. Katsuki wailed.