Archive of Our Own

Dust filled the air and caked Katsuki’s hero costume in grime. It was dark save the thin rays of light that filtered through the cracks in the rubble, illuminating the swirling motes. The cavernous space echoed with the sharp sounds of rock clattering against each other as pebbles bounced into the darkness and rock settled in place after the fall. A groan joined the sounds as  Katsuki slowly gained awareness, feeling the ache that flooded his body from falling against something hard. 

As consciousness came back to him he remained prone; he took in every pain and stabbing hurt, trying to figure out the extent of his injuries before moving and potentially making anything worse. His head hurt and his back and ribs ached. He’d probably had the wind knocked out of him before he lost consciousness. Luckily nothing felt broken, but he knew he would be covered in bruises by the end of the day, and he most likely had at least a minor concussion. 

Slowly he pushed himself into a sitting position, pausing as the world swayed around him. Once everything had righted itself he reached to feel the back of his head, wincing at the sting of pain that came from the touch. Pulling his hand away, he looked down at the glove of his hero costume and was able to glean in the minimal light the blood that had soaked into the fabric of his fingers. It didn’t look like too much, which was another thing to be thankful for, he supposed. He could have just as easily been brained from the fall and subsequent collapse that had trapped him down here.

And he was absolutely trapped, he noted as he looked up at the wall of rubble that blocked the hole in UA’s PE grounds.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes and let his chin drop to his chest as he tried to remember the events of the day that had led up to him being stuck in this hellhole. He and several other pro heroes had been called to their former high school to deal with an international villain that was able to manipulate the earth around him. Katsuki remembered standing feet braced and arm raised as the villain had sent a wave of earth barrelling towards him, prepared to blast it all to pieces with his explosive power. The ground directly beneath his feet had been starting to shift and before he could move something had barrelled into him and pushed him to the edge of the cracking dirt. It had happened right as he let out his explosion and though he had slipped, the blast had enough strength to still destroy the oncoming barrage. He remembered the sky raining hard soil as he lost his balance, unable to stop himself from falling as the ground collapsed into the tunnels beneath the school that had been used to help evacuate civilians during the war.

Katsuki closed his eyes. There was something about the memory that was escaping him, but he knew it was important. It was as he was letting off his explosion. Something had hit him, sent him off balance and careening to the edge of the developing sinkhole. From the corner of his eye he’d seen a blur of green.

Fuck, Deku. Katsuki’s eyes sprang open as he realized that it had been that curly haired moron who had pushed him. What had he been thinking? His heart raced as anger surged through his body. Katsuki pushed himself to his feet, leaning against the rubble to support himself as he squinted into the dark, trying to see if he could find the dark green of the other heros costume. It appeared Katsuki had landed near the top of the mountain of rubble, probably due to him being near the edge when everything fell. The floor of the tunnel was far below him, though the large chunks of dirt and concrete would make the climb down easier when he would need to move.

Katsuki reached up to his ear, activating the com that hadn’t fallen out during his tumble. “Hero Dynamight, anyone there?” Static was the only response. “Deku, can you hear me?” Still nothing. It was very likely that being this far down was messing with the signal and his com was being made redundant. Katsuki made a ‘tsk’ of disapproval as his gaze swept below.

Red eyes darted, ignoring the strain that was coming from squinting in dim light. Deku was always quick to get back on his feet, so Katsuki wouldn’t be surprised if he was already pacing around trying to find them a way out.

Except Katsuki couldn’t see him anywhere.

“Oi!” He opted to call out into the dark in lue of his means of communication being down. “Shitty nerd, where are you?” His voice echoed in the tunnel uninterrupted. It wasn’t until it had faded that Katsuki made out the muffled sound of his childhood nickname coming from down at the very bottom.

Katsuki groaned as he carefully lowered himself from the jutting crag he’d fallen on, moving slowly as dirt and smaller stones clattered under his heavy boots. Instinctually he wanted to use his Quirk and lower himself with controlled blasts. It probably would have been faster but he wasn’t sure how stable everything was and didn’t want to send more debris down on his fellow hero, though the idea of him scurrying around to avoid everything had Katsuki's lips twisting in a bitter amused smile. Would serve him right. 

Once his feet were settled on something stable, he began his climb over slabs of concrete and dirt to where he’d thought he’d heard Deku’s call. Upon realizing he’d have to reorient now that he was at a different vantage point, Katsuki shouted Deku’s name once again, biting back a cough as he inhaled a lungful of dust afterwards. This whole thing felt like a sick game of marco polo, he thought to himself as he followed Deku’s answering call.

Hauling himself over another chunk of wreckage, he caught sight of one of Deku’s gloved hands protruding from under a rock. Suddenly the rage at being pushed dimmed, and he felt his heart jump. Katsuki’s eyes had adjusted more to the dark and he was able to see everything- like how right above Dekus hand was a huge chunk of stone that had tabled. He swallowed as he crested the debris, realizing that if Deku hadn’t fallen between two pieces of rubble only slightly larger than his prone form, then he would have been crushed by the slab that had fallen on top. As it was, Deku appeared to have been pinned in a tight space.

Katsuki clambered down a boulder to get to him, slipping down the last few feet and landing with an oof as he clumsily fell to his knees before scrambling back up. His vision dimmed at the edges at the sudden movement, so different from his careful and controlled actions from earlier, but he ignored it as he skidded to a stop in front of the opening where he saw Dekus hand. Getting on his hands and knees he looked under the slab and made eye contact with his childhood friend.

Deku was on his back, green eyes wide and his broad chest rising and falling rapidly. He had enough room to just barely twist his head to look at Katsuki, and a smile split his face as he stared into his crimson eyes. 

“Hey,” he croaks, licking his lips. “It’s kind of cramped under here.”

Katsuki snorts. “No shit. Can you get out?” Deku laughs at first, but it quickly devolves into a cough that sounds a little too wet to be caused by all the dust flying about. 

“ ‘M in a weird position,” Deku explains. “I can’t bend my arms.” He wiggles the fingers of his exposed hand. “Don’t worry, I can feel them and everything, I just -”, he paused as if trying to think of how to describe his predicament. “Don’t have enough space to move at the shoulders.”

Katsuki nodded, eyes roaming the space and cataloging what he could see. “Is anything pinned?” He asks. “How’s your head and neck? I don’t want to move you if you’ve got a neck injury.” Deku snorted and rolled his eyes. “I’m serious,” Katsuki snaps. “I know you’ve got no fucking self-preservation instincts but think of how bad it’ll look for me if the press finds out you died on my watch.”

“Can’t have that,” Deku murmured as he turned his head back to stare at the concrete ceiling above him, only an inch of space between the hard stone and his nose. 

“No, we fucking can’t”.

Deku didn’t move or say anything for a minute. Seeing as how he was stuck, it was the perfect opportunity to lay into him for his absolute blunder earlier.

“Y’know,” Katsuki said as the rage from before rekindled in his chest. “You’re a fucking moron.”

“So you always tell me.”

“I’m serious!” Katsuki threw up his hands. “What the hell were you thinking about shoving me?”

“I was thinking the ground was collapsing under your feet. I was trying to stop you from falling.” Deku sounded exasperated and Katsuki wanted to throttle him.

“Deku, I can fly with my explosions .”

Deku snorted and all it did was make Katsuki angrier. “Your first blast resulted in too much rubble. You wouldn’t have been able to avoid it all.” For a moment Katsuki said nothing as he fell back on his heels, simply staring across the tunnel, face contorted in disgust at the insinuation that there was something he couldn’t do. “Ex-fucking-scuse me?” Katsuki shouted. 

“I’m serious. The precision necessary for avoiding debris like that doesn't work with the explosions required to make you fly. There would have been constant corrections and even then there was no guarantee you’d be able to avoid it all. Your AP shots are precise, but too weak to launch you around.”``Deku said it all like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and for someone like him who had never grown out of analyzing others' quirks (especially Katsukis’) it probably was.

“Fuck you,” Katsuki was on his feet now, unable to contain his energy while kneeling. He paced the space, kicking at the smaller rocks. “ I could have done it! And if worse came to worse you could have just fucking grabbed me with black whip.”

That caused Deku to laugh, though something about it sounded off. “ Yeah right , Kacchan. Like you would have let me.”

“Tsk.” Katsuki clenched his teeth, glaring at the wreckage pinning Deku. He was right, but he didn’t have to say it like that.

Deku sighed from under the stone and Katsuki saw his fingers twitch. “Are you done scolding me?” He asked, voice muffled now that Katsuki wasn’t practically lying with his ear to the ground next to him. “I’d like to get out of here. My shoulder is buzzing.”

“Fuck you and die.”

“Pull me out, Kacchan.” Deku said brightly.

“No. I’m going to leave you here. Teach you a lesson.” 

“Pull me out.” Deku repeated, but his tone had changed. His voice was quiet but it was a clear order, which gave Katsuki pause. It was uncharacteristic of Deku. 

“Are you sure you’re good to move?” Katsuki said warily and when Dekus only response was an exasperated sigh, he rolled his eyes. 

Murmuring a quick “don’t fucking boss me around” Katsuki moved back to his original spot and knelt, taking hold of the hand that was available to him. He’s glad it’s out in the open because honestly he wouldn’t have been able to reach under the slab with his gauntlets and he didn’t want to have to take them off. He would need them for the fight they were returning to.

Holding tight to both hand and forearm, Katsuki slowly began to pull Deku out. The green haired man let out a pained gasp at the initial tug, and Katsuki stopped immediately. “Deku-”

“Get me out!” 

“If you’re hurt-”

“Kacchan.”

Katsuki grit his teeth and went back to work. It was slow going as he had to pull Deku horizontally until his torso was out. He had to sit back, pull, and then shuffle back to start the process over again. Once Deku’s other shoulder was free he reached his other hand out, allowing Katsuki to grip both forearms and tug until he had Deku’s top half out from under the concrete. When Katsuki looked over at him for a quick check, he instantly began cursing as he caught sight of  the metal rod jutting from Dekus torso.

“Fuck you, you fucking moron!” He dropped Dekus arms immediately and crawled from where he was kneeling at his head to his side, pushing down on the green haired man's shoulder as he tried to sit up. “What the hell, you said you were good to move!” Katsuki’s hands hovered over the rod, unsure of what to do at first. He has medical training. Katsuki is skilled at triage. He’s done it countless times in the field on other heroes and civilians in situations like these. But right now, in this moment, rage and fear clouded his thinking and had his hands shaking.

Not wanting Deku to see, he clenched his hands into fists and pressed them into his thighs. “You fucking shit,” he spat out, hoping the venom was strong enough to disguise his fear.

“I’m sorry,” Deku says, propping himself up on his elbows and inhaling sharply through his teeth. He ignored the incinerating glare Katsuki sent him. He sounded anything but sorry. “ I knew you wouldn't move me if you knew.”

“Damn right!” Katsuki shouted, voice echoing down the long tunnel. He fought the urge to grasp and pull at his hair, both because he didn’t want to exacerbate whatever head wound he knew he probably had, and also because the last thing he wanted was for Deku to see him worried. Because he was just worried. He was not panicking.

He’d seen Deku break himself and tear his body apart over and over and survive. But those times they’d been out in the open, with other heroes, and quick access to medical help afterwards. Here, they were trapped alone with no known exit. There would be ambulances and EMT’s outside of UA waiting for any injured heroes at the end of the fight, but they would have to get there first.

“We have to get back to the fight,” Deku grunted as he tried to sit up, unable to bend from the beam sticking out of him . “We can’t stay here,” Deku continued, voice light. Katsuki didn’t respond. He just continued staring at the fucking rod that had probably been hammered into him when the rubble fell. It had punctured his left side, and only a few inches difference could have meant Izuku’s heart exploding like a water balloon. As it was, the junk was low enough that it could have hit anything from a lung to his stomach, possibly breaking a few of his lower ribs which put him at risk for those fragments   puncturing a lung if it hadn’t been already; forget the probable internal bleeding he was experiencing. Still ignoring Deku, Katsuki leaned over, propping himself up with one hand to peer around Dekus arm and get a look at his back. It hadn’t pierced all the way through. 

Katsuki rubbed his gloved hands over his face, not caring that he was smearing dirt and blood over himself. Though he hated it, he was somewhat desensitized to the feeling of grime at this point. It was a part of the job, and as long as he knew there was a shower waiting for him at the end of it all, he could put up with it.

“We’re not going back to the fight,” He ground out through clenched teeth, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to think. Deku opened his mouth to respond, but Katsuki held up a finger as he continued. “Unless you’re secretly harboring an eighth quirk that’s going to heal you, then you’re not going anywhere, especially not near that villain. He’ll just end you like a damn whack-a-mole the moment you pop your corn dog self out of the ground.”

Deku pulled a face. “Absolutely none of that made sense. Corn Dog?”

Katsuki rolled his eyes in exasperation and gestured angrily with both hands at his impaled torso. “You’re on a fucking stick, dumbass! You can’t even bend, let alone fight.”

Deku clicked his teeth and did a poor job at holding back a groan as he pushed himself up further, keeping his back as straight as possible. “I’m going with or without you.” He warned. 

“Oh yeah?” Katsuki sneered. “And how are you going to get there? Crawl?”

Deku didn’t answer at first, instead looking at Katsuki, eyes glinting with that fierce determination that Katsuki fucking hated. Deku pulled his legs out the rest of the way, curling them next to him. Then, slowly, Dekus body lifted off the ground as he activated Float, feet brushing just a few inches above the hard floor. 

“I’m going,” Deku said with breathless triumph, sending Katsuki one of his blinding smiles. “I’ll use danger sense to follow where the fight has moved. Either you can join me or you can stay here and collect dust. I’ll come find you when I’m named #1.”

The clenching in Katsuki’s jaw was starting to become painful as he met Deku’s defiant glare from where he still kneeled on the dirt. 

“Do you expect me to drag you along with me like a balloon?” Katsuki snapped. In response, Deku released one tendril of blackwhip, wrapping it around a rock and pulling himself towards it before releasing and letting the tendril disappear. That stupid smile was getting bigger. 

“Deku, think about this,” Katsuki said as he stood. “This is the last place they saw us. They might have people already coming. Hell, let me just blast this wall and we can get out the same way we came in.”

“And deal with the falling debris that could potentially be worse than before?” Deku pointed out, large eyes staring unblinking into Katsuki’s soul. “If we follow the fight there’s a good chance something like this-” he gestured to the wall behind them, “will have happened again, and potentially there will already be an opening that we can get out from.”

God, Deku was so fucking stupid. “There’s no guarantee! You just want to get back to the fight, and you’re not in any condition for that!”

“Kacchan, I’m fine.” Katsuki raised an eyebrow as his eyes darted down to the jutting metal from Deku’s body. “ And I’m not going to stay here twiddling my thumbs while you go off and get to be a hero.”  Deku continued. Katsuki could understand not wanting to stay and be rescued, but Deku was wrong to think Katsuki would leave him behind. Though he wouldn’t tell him that.

Katsuki scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, looking off to the side as he chewed his cheek. He still had a lot to say, and he knew Deku did too. Continuing to argue would honestly work in Katsuki’s favor in terms of getting Deku to stay where he was, but who knew how long it would take before someone got to them, and there was only so many times Katsuki could call Deku a fucking nerd before the words started to lose all meaning.  

Katsuki turned back to look at Deku, studying his floating body to look for any sign at all that he was in pain or dying or that he could be persuaded to just lay down and stay.

Instead he saw him backlit by the few thin rays of sunlight streaming from the cracks in the ceiling far, far above, illuminating his matted green hair in a kind of halo. His cheeks, split by his still beaming smile, were brown with dirt. So was his cape, and the fabric of his hero costume was torn; bloodied where the metal bar which he refused to hold a hand over still protruded. He looked radiant despite it all. Heroic.

Katsuki fucking hated him.

“Fine!” He snapped, throwing his hands in the air. “Fine. But I’m not fucking carrying you when you collapse.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Izukus had been lying when he’d said he was fine, but he refused to not get back to the fight. The issue was that maintaining his bluff was difficult. Using quirks took energy and stamina -just like using any kind of muscle- and normally Izuku had plenty. But the fight had been going on for a while before they got tossed down here, and being impaled wasn’t exactly revitalizing. Not to mention the pain that pulsed in his abdomen and flared every time he breathed too deeply. As it was, he had to hope Kacchan couldn’t hear the way his breathing was labored despite him floating, or how black whip was flickering more and more as he used it to pull himself along the rubble.

Of course, hope was futile when you were around someone as observant as Kacchan. Piercing red eyes that he could never decipher stared at him from where he had climbed a particularly large chunk of stone, watching as Izuku pulled himself along, holding a hand up to stop himself from hitting the rock Katsuki stood on. The only relief was that Kacchan didn’t say anything to him about his obvious struggles. Instead, he only knelt and offered his hand to Izuku and tugged him along himself as they continued the climb, muttering about how he’d “won the worst prize at the carnival”. 

Despite the fact they were both wearing gloves, Izuku could feel the heat of Katsukis hand in his, and it felt like the heat was traveling through his arm up into his flaming cheeks. His heart was racing, and he tried to tell himself it was from the residual adrenaline from the fight and fall, but truthfully…he knew it was because the close proximity was bringing back to the surface all of the feelings he had pushed away and ignored over the years. With Kacchan pulling him along, and Float being like second nature to him, he found his thoughts drifting.

Izuku had realized that his feelings for his best childhood friend-turned-rival-turned friend again had been those of a romantic sort during their first year of high school. The feeling had always been there, but he’d never been able to really identify what it was. He’d grown up with it, always associated it with something unique to Kacchan, and had just thought that was fine. But after a lengthy conversation with Ururaka, he’d become enlightened to what the feeling truly was.

That had been before their reconciliation, so Izuku had pushed those feelings away, too afraid to do anything with them. Then they had become sort of friends again as a war raged around them and just surviving had been the goal. 

By the time the war had ended Izuku had found it easier to just accept the friendship he and Kacchan had formed instead of trying to face the truth of his feelings, especially as he had no idea how the other man would react if he told him. He would rather only have him as a friend than not at all. That had been a perfectly fine arrangement that had gotten him through the rest of school and the first few years after graduation. 

Izuku Midoryia loved Katsuki Bakugou, and he had always sworn he would rather die than tell him. But that had been before he’d seen a slab of stone coming towards him faster than he could react, and felt as a metal rod had been pounded into him like a nail with a hammer.

I’m going to tell him , he thought to himself as they cleared the last of the rubble. When we get out of here it’ll be the first thing I do. Whatever happens, I can take it.

Once Kacchan’s feet were on stable ground he moved his hands to Izuku's upper arms, pulling him down from where he was floating until his boots hit the floor as well. 

“Give it a rest,” Kacchan said. Taking a breath, Izuku released his quirk and almost immediately his knees buckled as gravity and exhaustion pulled him down. It was a good thing Kacchan hadn’t let go yet. Izuku tried to ignore how he could feel the way his hands squeezed his biceps to keep him up. For a moment he considered just collapsing against the other hero, but Izuku shook his head quickly to chase those thoughts away, ignoring the dizziness that swept over him as a result.

Izuku took a careful step back, and Kacchans hands fell off him. Izuku leaned heavily against the rubble at his back, letting out a shaky gasp of air as a wave of pain washed over him. He had built up quite a tolerance, but this was something different. His hands clutched at the fabric of his hero costume where metal met flesh and tried to push past the pain into that place of numb indifference that would allow him to focus on moving forward and being a hero.

Izuku hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes until they shot back open as he sensed something entering his space. He looked up from where his head rested and saw that Kacchan was back next to him, hands removing his own to get another look at his wound.

From one of the many pockets in his pants Kacchan pulled out a small pocket flashlight, somewhat dented and the glass cracked, but still working. Kacchan didn’t bother making eye contact with Izuku as he turned on the light and used it to finally get a good look at what they were dealing with.

Izuku heard him inhale sharply, and he did the same a second later as he felt fingers prodding. “Don’t-” he began.

“I know,” Kacchan interrupted, his voice tight. He had gotten on his knees to get a better view, so Izuku couldn’t see whatever face he was making. He could however see Kacchan’s spiky blond hair and he fought the urge to reach out and pet it. “Can’t remove it,” Kacchan said with a sigh. “Not when it’s the only thing keeping you from turning into a fountain.”

Izuku let out a wheezy laugh. “A fountain. A little cherub fountain. Heh.”

Kacchans sharp eyes darted up and he straightened to flick Izuku in the forehead. “It wasn’t that funny, shitnerd.” He muttered, reaching up and tugging gently at his golden tufts. “Fuck,” he muttered. “You’re still bleeding though, and it’s not like I can cauterize the wound or anything.”

“Oh.” He hadn’t thought about that. Honestly, Izuku was starting to have a hard time focusing on anything. As the adrenaline left his system his focus was being lost and the pain was starting to growg.

“Maybe if there was something I could burn,” Kacchan continued. He looked around as if something flammable was going to suddenly appear in the manmade concrete tunnel full of rubble and ruin. 

“I just want to keep going,” Izuku spoke up. “The time we waste here trying to fix this is time we could have been helping.”

Kacchan scoffed. “As if you’d be much help, useless as you are.” He sighed as he dropped his right gauntlet before walking over to Izuku’s injured side and without any urging he tucked an arm under the shorter man and offered him his body as support, the fingers on his right hand curling around his waist.

“I can float,” Izuku protested but the blond just rolled his eyes.

“I doubt you have much energy left for it.” Deku pursed his lips, but didn’t respond because honestly what was there to say?

“Where to?” The blond moved on.

Izuku allowed himself a moment to just enjoy the feeling of Kacchans warm body pressed against his before he forced his hazy mind to focus on something. A thought floated first to the forefront. “Oh wait,” Izuku said briskly, gloved hand fumbling for his phone in his jumpsuit. “Maybe I can…maybe I can contact someone..see if there’s updates on what’s going on…I lost my comm but…” Izuku’s screen was cracked and missing chunks of glass in some places, but the image of him, Shoto, and Shoto’s cat Soba, on the screen was clear, as well as the ‘no signal’ in the upper corner. 

Kacchan scoffed, eyes on Izuku's screen. “I could have told you that wouldn’t work. My comm is down too. Nothing but static.” 

Deku sighed. “It was worth a shot,” he said as he pocketed it again before stilling himself, pulling Danger Sense to him with the same ease as breathing or blinking.

Instantly he was met with the stabbing headache that forewarned danger. Over the years as he’d grown stronger, the sense had slowly become more of a tingle than anything. But at this moment as his body grew weaker and his breathing became labored, threats were becoming well…threats, again.

“We’re going in the right direction,” he gasped as he let the quirk disappear back into the recesses of his body, though something lingered and continued to nag at the back of his mind. Pulling up Danger Sense again would not benefit him, he thought as Kacchan began to lead the two of them down the tunnel, holding the small pen light in his free hand. He would have to hope the fight continued to stay in the direction they were going, and that the tunnel wouldn’t take any strange twists or turns.

The tingling sensation at the base of Izuku’s skull grew stronger, and a green glow edged his vision. Though Danger Sense was gone, a foreboding feeling was settling over him. 

For a while the two of them only traveled in silence, both ignoring how the longer they walked, the more of Izuku's weight Kacchan was beginning to support. They both kept their eyes ahead, though there wasn’t much to see, up until Izuku stumbled and stepped on Kacchans foot.

“Sorry!” Izuku squeaked, finally looking up at the other man.

“ ‘S fine,” Kacchan grunted, not looking down at him as Izuku continued to stare. There was a look on the blonds face that he was trying to decipher. Izuku may not be able to read his eyes, but he was familiar enough with his face to know when something was up.

“Are you…” Izuku hesitated. Though Kacchan had certainly matured over the years, he was still a volatile man and he wasn’t entirely sure how he would react to Izuku questioning his well-being.

Kacchan rolled his eyes, as if he could sense Izuku's thoughts. “ I’m fine,” he answered the unfinished question. Izuku didn’t believe him. He didn’t say anything, just kept staring at the other man as they walked, which made the whole ordeal more difficult.

Kacchan stopped suddenly, letting out an irritated sigh. “Fucking what?” He snapped, looking down and finally making eye contact with Izuku who only shrugged and continued to stare. Maybe if he didn’t prod verbally, Kacchan would spill his guts on his own. Kacchan glared down at Izuku for a minute until he looked off down the tunnel behind them.

“If Icy Hot was here he could have cauterized it,” Kacchan spoke up, lip curled upward in a sneer to bare sharp and glistening teeth. 

Huh? Izuku stared at Kacchan dumbly. Thoughts like that weren’t common for Kacchan. There was no use in doubts or regrets in moments like these because it wouldn’t do anything to change them.

“Maybe,” Izuku said slowly, trying to put his thoughts together. He licked his lips, tasting dust. “But he’s not here. You are.”

Kacchan snorted. “Fat load of good that’s doing you.” From Izuku's angle of Kacchans profile he saw one red eye dart to look at the rod still embedded in Izuku’s body, Izuku’s hand curled around it to keep it from shifting deeper.

Izuku inhaled, shoulders rising as he prepared to say something. He felt a catch in his lungs before he could speak that sent him into a frantic coughing fit that only seemed to prove Kacchans point. Izuku stumbled at the force from his wet hacking and Kacchans other hand reached over to steady him, the light from the flashlight dancing against the wall. The shudders that coursed through Izuku made the foreign object in his body jerk, causing even more pain as he felt something tear further inside him.

Izuku groaned, wanting to curl into the comforting fetal position, but bending only made it worse. Kacchan applied pressure on his shoulders to try and get him to move, maybe at least lay down, but Izuku braced his legs as well as he could with his knees trembling, refusing to go down. 

“We keep going,” he wheezed, hand over his mouth as his cough petered down. He whipped blood from his chin and met Kacchans fierce glare with his own.

“Deku-”

“We keep going!” Izuku snapped, grimacing when his muscles tightened and caused a jolt of fire to shoot into his lung. Still he held his glare as he stared up at Kacchan from under his green fringe, trying not to be distracted by the way the light from the flashlight highlighted the shape of his jaw. 

The haze around the edges of Izuku's eyes was growing stronger, joined now by a dark maroon. There was a rush in his ear, a whisper of something. Like the echo of a voice being sent from far, far down a tunnel.

Tell him. 

The voice suddenly became clear with a rush and Izuku’s head jerked at the sudden noise. From the curious tilt of Kacchans head at Izuku’s reaction, he knew that Kacchan hadn’t heard it. Izuku’s brow furrowed as he tried to place why the voice sounded familiar to him, but the thought flew away before he could catch it, as most of his thoughts seemed to be doing at the moment. The good thing is that he knows it’s not a threat, that’s instinctual. Kacchans hand gripped Izuku’s jaw and suddenly the flashlight was in his eyes, blinding him.

“Hey!” Izuku shouted, jerking his jaw and batting Kacchans hand away. He squeezed his eyes shut as static danced behind his lids.When he opened them again, Kacchan was still staring at him with that same uninterpretable look he always had when he wasn’t angry at Izuku.

“Deku, be fucking honest with me, what else is hurt?” The taller man asked. “How hard did you hit your head? Do you feel sick?”

Izuku wrinkled his nose. “Nothing. No. I’m good. Let's go.”

Kacchan looked away, his face molding into one of fury. “I-” He looked back at him. “Deku, you have to understand this is fucking crazy, don’t you? You lied to me already about-” he gestured limply at Izuku’s torso. “And now we’re traipsing who knows where on the off chance that maybe there’s another way out, but it’ll be near the fight that you’re clearly in no shape for just because you’re a stupid stubborn-” Kacchan cut himself off and Izuku felt warmth leave his body as Kacchan stalked away, leaving Izuku leaning against the wall in darkness as the flashlight went the few feet with him. Izuku pressed his cheek against the cool stone and felt his eyelids droop.

Why was Kacchan angry with him? He would do the exact same thing if he was in his shoes. His chin drooped and his gaze fell to the floor until the toes of Kacchans boots came into view. He looked back up, green eyes squinting to try and see his face, but unable to as the only source of light was pointed at the floor. 

“Let's just stay here,” Kacchan said, his voice sounded imploring but Izuku couldn’t be sure.”Wait for a rescue. Then we’ll get you to the Unicorn and she’ll take care of you. Just stay still.”

Izuku smiled softly at Kacchans use of his nickname for Eri, the sweetest one he had ever given anyone. Minas and Kaminaris nicknames were normal and fine, but most of the nicknames Kacchan gave -like Karishimas and Izukus- had just been downright mean until they got used to them.  “Kacchan, Eri’s only 12, and she’s not my doctor. Besides, there will be paramedics outside of the fight. They’re closer.” 

“Yeah, but are they cuter and bring you cats to cuddle when you visit Sensei?” Kacchan pointed out, arms crossed over his chest. 

It seemed Kacchan had forgone the route of aggression to try and get Izuku to stay, and was opting for a softer approach. Izuku couldn’t lie, it made his sluggish heart warm to see a different side of the explosive hero, even if it was only to try and get him to forget his foolish quest.

Tell him. 

Izuku groaned as the voice popped up again. It had gone quiet for so long he had hoped that maybe it had been gone for good. But here it was, and it was different, more feminine. There was a sense of urgency.

Izuku pressed the heel of his hand into his eyes trying to chase away the haze with the static behind his lids. 

“We keep going,” Izuku said.

Kacchan stepped back. “No.”

Izuku removed his hands from his face. “Yes.”

“I won’t help you.”

“I’ll crawl,” Izuku threatened again.

Tell him.

“Shut up,” Izuku whispered.

“Deku-”

Izuku took a step forward. The right side of his body scraped the tunnel wall, one hand in front of him and the other clutching his side. Kacchan didn’t move as Izuku slipped past him. Ignoring his trembling legs, Izuku took another slow, slow step. Still no movement from Kacchan, but Izuku didn’t care, and he wasn’t giving up. He kept going, painful step after painful step into the pitch darkness with no backwards glance to his oldest friend. His raspy shallow breaths and the scuffing of his shoes were the only sounds he could hear.

Tell him.

“Tell…who…what?” He muttered low under his breath, trying so desperately to think. He wasn’t used to this, to not having his brain running at top speed, making connections and drawing plans and always running, running, running. He continued his trek, able only to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. His eyes were half lidded and for a moment he stumbled until strong hands gripped him again.

“The fuck are you saying?” Kacchan barked, the flashlight he held re-illuminating the space. A large warm hand gripped Izuku's jaw and brought his face up to meet him. “What?”

“Nothing,” Izuku lied through squished cheeks. Kacchan had caught up to him? Or had he truly not made it that far? It was hard to tell. “Thought..you weren’t coming?” He smiled, hoping the teasing tone would cover the relief he felt that Kacchan hadn’t left him after all. Kacchan narrowed his eyes but let go of his face. This time Izuku didn’t hold himself back from letting it drop against the other man's chest. When had he gotten so tall? 

Despite the two’s rivalry, something that had gone unspoken was how Kacchan had shot up in height to a solid 6’2” while Izuku had petered out at 5’10”. That was the issue with constantly breaking your body while still developing. Sometimes Izuku found himself jealous of his classmates that had shot over him, but when Kacchan effortlessly picked him up, uncharacteristically gentle and mindful of Izuku’s injury, he had found himself suddenly grateful that he was more of a ‘compact guy’, as All Might had called him once. Still, the movement was uncomfortable and Izuku had to bite back a whimper of pain.

“You’re heavy.” Kacchan grunted, but it didn’t seem to Izuku like it was honestly bothering him .

“ ‘M dense,” Izuku said as he brought a hand up to clutch at the flesh and fabric below the rod puncturing his body, trying to get comfortable in the hero's hold. He had stiffened originally, but forced himself to relax as his exhausted body started to tremble. “Because I’m all muscle.” 

Kacchan looked down at him for a moment, lips pressed in a thin line before one corner twisted upward in what could have been a smile. 

“Let’s get you to Half-n-half,” Kacchan muttered, resuming the journey at a faster pace than Izuku had been going. “Take the flashlight.”

Shaking hands took the small light from where Kacchan held it, the other man's hand letting go of it easily so his fingers could curl around Izuku's legs as he carried him bridal style.  “Wha’s with your s-sudden obsession with Shoto?” Izuku said, not realizing that he was starting to slur. His exhaustion was catching up to him, enveloping like a weighted blanket and making his limbs feel 10x heavier than they were. 

“I’m not fucking obsessed,” Kacchan said tersely as he walked, hugging the wall.

“You’re bringing…him up…more than ever,” Izuku said, chuckling weakly at the end. Another realization came to him as he took a moment to sink more in Kacchans arms. “ N’ where’s your other gauntlet?”

Kacchan didn’t say anything for a moment, and Izuku quickly forgot the conversation and let his mind go empty. His head rested against Kacchans chest, enjoying the warmth exuding from the hero. When had he gotten so cold? He could feel a chill starting to seep into his skin. It must be because they’re underground in a cool tunnel.

“You live together, right?” Kacchan asks.

Huh ? Izuku blinks slowly. “Yes. We’re roommates.”

“Roommates?” Kacchan coaxes.

“You really…want to talk about this?” Izuku said, not bothering to hide the surprise in his tone. Kacchan had never really expressed an interest in Shoto before. Izuku frowned. Was this because…because what? His thoughts are a void. He can’t think of anything until for a brief second in his mind's eye he sees his cracked phone screen and the picture of him and Shoto and the cat.

“Gotta fucking keep you awake, useless.” Kacchan muttered under his breath. They pause briefly as the tunnel shook around them, dust falling from above. Izuku can tell they’re getting close, thankfully, even without Danger Sense.  “You already feel like dead weight, but I’m not huge on the idea of carrying your goddamn corpse.”

“I am. Awake. Gotta be awake to walk.” Izuku said as he coughed. This fit wasn’t as bad as before but only because he forced himself to choke it down.

“I’m carrying you, dumb nerd.” Kacchan snapped, forcing back a cough of his own. Izuku glanced at him and bit his tongue to keep from laughing at how his golden hair had turned gray. “Just keep talking.”

“You actually want me to t-to talk?” That’s surprising. Kacchan was never afraid to tell Izuku to shut up. A smile tugs at Izuku’s lips and warmth returns briefly to his chest.

“Don’t make me fucking repeat myself.”

Tell him.

“Okay…”Izuku whispered. “Wha- shoul’ I talk about about?” Blood filled his mouth as he spoke and he tried swallowing most of it, but the rest dribbled down his chin, and wiped his mouth with the cuff of his hero costume. Kacchan, feeling the movement, looked down.

“Disgusting,” Kacchan muttered, but this time Izuku could hear the worry in his voice and his failing heart stuttered at the thought that Kacchan was worried about him . 

“Oh…did I ever…t-tell you why Shoto and I moved in… together?” 

A muscle in Kacchans jaw twitched and without thinking -he told himself it was because the bloodloss had robbed him of all logic and thought- Izuku reached up with a gloved hand and touched Kacchans cheek. Maybe his body had just been refilled with courage because he definitely wouldn’t have been able to touch Kacchan like that just a few hours ago. The man didn’t acknowledge the touch in any way, he just kept walking with his eyes ahead. But because he hadn’t told Izuku to knock it off, or threatened to kill him, it emboldened him to keep his hand there as long as he was able.  

“Shoto wanted…to piss off his dad.” Izuku finally shared, letting his hand fall back against his stomach. He could feel the stickiness of his clothes pressed against his skin, a mixture of sweat and blood that continued to seep from him.

“Yeah?” Kacchan grunted. Another shake of the tunnel.

Tell him.

“Endeavor…wanted Shoto to live… huff ”, Breathing was starting to get harder. “At a place he’d picked out. And Shoto would only do it…. If I lived with him… because Endeavor doesn’t like…me. And I needed a place,” Izuku shivered, feeling the chill sinking deeper into his very bones. Kacchans hands gripped him tighter, pulling him closer to the furnace that was his body. “Shoto did’n wan’ to live alone…and I needed a place t’..t’ stay.” The blood was back in his mouth, the tangy coppery taste not unfamiliar. “So he thought it would be funny…to live together.” Izuku didn’t realize he was repeating himself. His head rolled as he tried to look up at Kacchan. His head felt weird. Weightless.

Tell him.

These voices were starting to get annoying. As well as the haze that was tinging the edges of his vision.

Tell him . Orange haze now, with the green and maroon. A heavy cloud was settling on Izuku’s shoulders. Tell…who? Katsuki? Tell him what? That he was hearing voices? What good would that do either of them? Who were these voices? What were these colors? Izuku’s eyebrows pinched together and his nose wrinkled.

Tell him.

Oh.

This voice was different, and Izuku could recognize it anywhere. A few years after his graduation at UA, Yagi Toshinori had passed away peacefully in his sleep. Izuku hadn’t talked to the man himself in years, but he’d grown up with his voice, continued to hear it in videos and movies and documentaries and toys and everything . This voice belonged to the man he had considered his father. And here it was in his head. Suddenly his exhausted brain felt like it had been electrocuted back into action, back to making connections. 

Izuku closed his eyes, feeling tears beginning to pool behind his lids. Ear pressed against Kacchans chest he could hear the steady thump - thump - thump of his beating heart. In his own chest he could feel the weak stutter of his own. Thump….thump….

Izuku was dying.

When he’d laid under that stone, pinned and hurting, he had known that that was his reality. Izuku had thought he would die under there, alone in a casket of rubble. But when Kacchan had arrived, maybe he had become delusion. Pushed away a fact he had already accepted and entered a world of denial. 

But that didn’t mean he had stopped dying. 

Izuku was impaled. He was bleeding internally. His stomach was probably ruptured, leaking acid over his other organs, and one of his lungs burned with every breath. His uniform was soaked with his lifeblood. He knew he should be feeling the overwhelming pain of before, but he couldn’t actually feel much of anything anymore. Izuku was still going to die here, in this stone mausoleum of tunnels below his hero academy. But at least he wouldn’t be alone.  

Tell him. The voices are stronger, echoing, piling on top of each other. 

You promised , Izuku thinks bitterly, hoping the vestiges would be able to hear his thoughts, realizing now that that was what they were. I was supposed to live a long life. I was supposed to achieve my dreams.

But that wasn’t true. That was the whinings of a child who didn’t want to leave the party early. Being a hero meant there was always a risk of dying and Izuku knew that. Foolish was he to think that he was somehow above it just because he had One for All. Life held no promises of glory for him. If he was going to die in a dank tunnel under his high school trapped with the love of his life who he was too much of a coward to admit to…well, that was just poetry.

“Kacchan,” Izuku whispers. “Stop.” The hands on Izuku’s body tightened but Kacchans pace never faltered. “Kacchan,” Izuku tries again. “Stop.” Still no response. Izuku can see his jaw tense. 

“Katsuki.” Izuku channels all the authority he can in the utterance of that one word. It works. Kacchan stops immediately and stands frozen as the tunnel shakes around them. So close to the fight.

Fight.

“Where are your gauntlets?” Izuku asks again. The haze around his eyes is growing stronger as more colors join, colors he now recognizes as each of the previous users of One for All. His eyes are also drooping, and all together it’s making it very hard to see the face of the man holding him. 

Kacchan still won't look at him. “Couldn’t carry you with them you fucking moron,” he spits through clenched teeth.

Oh, it made sense. “You need them…to fight.”

“I’m not going back to fight, stupid.” There was some hidden meaning in that response, Deku was sure. But he didn’t have the mental energy to puzzle it out.

“Put me down,” Izuku whispers. “Please.” Kacchan didn’t move.

“You’re so fucking wishy-washy,” he growls. “ I’ll get there if I have to crawl, I’m not staying here, oh wait we’re almost there? Nevermind!” Kacchan is pitching his voice higher to mock him, and instead of feeling irritated or insulted, Izuku just…smiles. Knowing that his time left with Kacchan was limited, he didn’t want to spoil it with any negative feelings on his end. He would enjoy Kacchan in every way that he was. As Kacchan continues to mock, he bends his knees and moves to put Izuku down, leaning him against the wall. 

Even though he was exhausted Izuku activated Float as Kacchan laid him against the wall, trying to make things easier for him if only just a little. Goodness knows Izuku had never made things easy for him before. And he’d never get the chance to after.

Kacchan stays hunched over, arms resting on his thighs as he perches on the balls of his feet, eyes staring into Izukus. “You’re a fucking stupid useless bastard moron,” Kacchan deadpans. Izuku grins, noting that Kacchans eyes flicker to his teeth, which he realized were probably bloody.

“Go on,” he says cheekily before closing his mouth. He swallowed and ran his tongue over his teeth to try and clean them. He wanted to smile until the end and he didn’t want it to be anything less than blinding.

Kacchans eyes return to his, narrowed in a glare. “No. What fucking gives, Deku? We’re getting close, it’s what you wanted.”

Izuku breaks eye contact and tilts his head towards the ceiling that he can’t see. “I wanted…t’ catch up,” he says. “It’s been a while since we’ve talked, y’know?”

Kacchan just stares at him and Izuku wonders if he knows what’s going on. He’s smart, observant. Surely he’d put two and two together by now. “We’ll catch up after this.”

Izuku smiles. He hopes it doesn’t betray the sadness he was feeling. “Absolutely,” he lies.

Tell him , eight voices chime in his head. His vision is a kaleidoscope of colors and at the center is Katsuki Bakugou, face framed in shadow and darkness and looking as beautiful as a lone star in an overall void.

“You’re…”Izuku tries to speak and a weak cough rattles his chest. Blood drips from the corner of his mouth and he wipes it away as quickly as he can. He smiles despite that and continues. “You’re m’ best friend.”

Is his heart still beating? It must. Kacchan is in front of him. 

My heart only beats for you.

Tell him. Tell him. Tell him.

A single tear wells up in Izuku’s eye. I’m such a crybaby , he thinks to himself. Always have been. Always will- His chest begins to heave as breathing becomes more of a struggle. 

Izuku knows now what the vestiges mean. But looking into those unreadable crimson eyes of his friend-turned rival-turned friend-turned unrequited love…he just couldn’t bring himself to say it. At least not outloud, or in those exact words. He didn’t want his last moments with Kacchan to be him looking at him in disgust, or for him to say those three words in return out of pity for a dying man. Also…he didn’t want Kacchan to say those words and mean them. It would make dying so much harder to have all the happiness he ever wanted right in front of him only to be snatched away. 

Speaking of happiness…there was something he needed to take care of.

With a shaky hand, Izuku reaches up to his head and tugs out a few curls of green. He wasn’t sure if there was something he needed to do, or say. All he knew was what All Might had once told him, back all those years ago when he’d fought stain- to give One for All, the carrier just needed intention. He hoped intention could carry. He hoped the quirk would last in those few pieces of DNA after Izuku was gone. He didn’t know if it was possible. He hoped so. He didn’t want it to die with him. Kacchan watches, face passive until Izuku holds the strands out to him. His face twists, and he doesn’t take them.

“The fuck?” He asks. 

Izukus mind is starting to fog over again, and he has to force himself to focus so he can explain. “For One for All to be passed down, it has to be given willingly. So I have t-to do it…” Izuku’s sentence trails off and he licks his dry lips. Before, he wants to say. Before I go and die. But he doesn’t say that. “Now,” is how he finally finishes the sentence. Even then, Kacchan doesn’t move.

“I’m not fucking taking that.”

“ ‘M not asking you to eat it,” Izuku explains hurriedly. “I just…need you to hold on to it. And maybe…find the next successor. One who's quirkless. Gotta-gotta be,” Izukus getting tired and his arm falls into his lap as he sags more against the wall.

Kacchan rolls his eyes. “I know you’re not asking me to take it like that moron. I’m saying I’m not taking it. Don’t need to.”

Ah.

Tell him.

“Kacchan-” 

Kacchan shoots to his feet and moves away. “I don’t!” He yells, voice echoing. He spins, hands clenching his hair. “I don’t!” He shouts again. His back is to Izuku, hands clenched into fists at his side now. “You useless Deku.” He spits at the opposite wall. “All the time I spent risking my life for yours just so you can die before you even hit 22? Come on!” Kacchan spins, and Izuku is shocked to see the look of anger and distress on his face. “ You’re supposed to be the longest living vestige of One for All. You’re supposed to live a long life and be-” His voice breaks and he looks away.

“You’re better than me,” he spits. “You don’t get to die before showing the world that’s the case. You don’t get to die before being #1, and you don’t get to just hand over the title to me without a fight. It’s not…fair”

Izukus crying. He can feel the moisture running down his cheeks and collecting at his chin, dropping on his collarbone.

“Get up,” Kacchan whispers. He’s begging. “Get up and be a hero.” Izuku's lip trembles as he holds out his other hand to Kacchan, the one not holding the source of so much happiness and pain. Instantly and with sure feet, the prohero marches towards him, grasping his hand as he kneels beside him. Deep down, Izuku knew Kacchan knew there was no more energy left in Izuku to stand. Now, Izuku held close to him everything he had held most dear. 

Kacchan doesn’t meet his eyes as he takes the strands of hair and places them somewhere safe on his person. Relief and peace wash over Izuku at the knowledge that at least he’d done one thing right. 

The tunnel shakes around them again, more violently and causing more dust to rain down like a sheet, but Kacchan's eyes never leave Izuku's face. Izuku's own eyes follow the movement of the flecks lazily, watching as it falls on Kacchans head and shoulders. Like snow, he thinks blearily. He reaches out with one hand and drops it on top of Katsuki’s hair, now gray with the particles. “I’m glad…” He blinks languidly as his focus flickers. He wants to keep Katsuki in his sights as long as possible. He smiles, despite the tears still streaking down his face. “I’m glad I got to see you with your hair gray.” Kacchan scoffs and looks away.

I wanted to grow old with you , he thinks.

The haze in his vision is changing. Instead of it being around the edges, the colors are swarming into shapes behind Kacchan. Proud figures wait for him. Everything is picking up pace and the reality is closing in around Izuku.

“Kacchan?” Izuku's voice is tiny as he pleads, wheezing as he struggles to breathe. Kacchan turns his head back to him, crimson eyes that he could just never read boring into his own. 

“You know…eyes are the windows to the soul?' He says before he can stop himself. Kacchan has been silent for so long. "I can’t…read your soul.” Izuku is starting to panic. The swirling light of All Might is getting close to him, extending a hand. He can’t form sentences that make sense. Kachans expression is changing but he can’t interpret it, he can’t understand. Izuku needs Kacchan to understand him, though. Realize what he’s saying after he’s gone, when he doesn’t have to deal with the consequences of his confession like a coward.

"Kacchan?" Izukus heart is racing as he fights to keep going. “ You’re m’ best friend. ” He’d already said it before but he hoped that this time Kacchan would get the intended subtext, would finally realize what Izuku couldn’t bring himself to say. And then with sudden clarity he could read the look in Kacchans widening eyes and oh God his heart was breaking as the other man opened his mouth to finally, finally speak and-

The tunnel shook again, but with more intensity than all the previous quakes. There was the sound of crumbling stone and ripping earth. Kacchan hunched over Izuku, forehead to forehead, one hand still holding his, his other forearm pressed against the tunnel wall he braced himself on, protecting Izuku's body from falling debris as the earth and heavens moved around them. 

When it was over the tunnel was flooded with light as a hole had emerged above them, a landslide forming a climbable hill against one side, just like Izuku had suggested might happen. 

Katsuki blinked rapidly at the sudden brightness as he took in the rapid change. He could almost laugh at the timing and the fucking irony of it all, but fuck, it wouldn’t be one of humor or relief. He saw forms moving above it and for the first time in his life, Katsuki’s voice rang out in panic. He’d kept it together until that moment because fuck it if him panicking was the last thing Deku needed, but now…

“Ururaka!” He screamed with such power that his throat felt like it was tearing. His comm in his ear was starting to crackle back to life, though what came through was choppy and broken. He took his arm off the wall, the movement bringing Izuku's head forward where it fell against his chest, curly green hair tucked under his chin that smelled of earth and blood. Katsuki pressed his comm to activate it, but never lowered his voice.

“Shoto! Mirio! Someone!” He didn’t know who was still up there fighting or if anyone else had joined. He didn’t know if he was getting through on his comm. Katsuki didn’t know anything. He shouted all the names of heros he'd fought with, hoping to get someone's attention over the roar of battle, forgetting nicknames with the goal that their absence would convey his urgency.

Katsuki refused to move and leave Izuku behind to wait alone for rescue. He pulled him close, arm wrapped around his stiff body as he continued to clutch his hand. Even with no movement Katsukis heart was racing faster than usual and adrenaline surging through his body, suffusing him in heat. 

Maybe if he and Izuku hadn’t been wearing gloves he would have noticed sooner the growing contrast between the burning heat of his hand and the cold of the one he refused to let go of.