Chapter 5
It had been a solid week since the encounter with Pro Hero Dynamite, and Izuku was beginning to lose his mind. He had absolute nothing to do while he laid in bed besides sleep, and that had become impossible to do now.
His alternative was to watch children shows, and that was a nightmare in itself. So it was the news or talk shows- usually detailing things that Izuku found interesting. Exempting all of them were still focusing on the attack from the week before. A horrible camera angle from a citizen showcasing none other than a hooded figure jumping to the streets to fight the beast before the heroes had arrived.
The camera work was shaky and seratic, but kept the vigilante in frame until they were thrown through the front of a store front. The dust and rubble that sprayed through the air had the random citizen ducking for cover until the camera panned to show Hero Dynamite’s team diving down from the rooftops to take down the beast with wide smiles.
The entire internet was talking about the incident, people speculating who the hooded figure was and why they were there. If they were actually a vigilante or if this was just two villains fighting. Forms, late night shows, news clips and articles filled with questions and outrageous statements filled up Izuku’s entire news feed.
Izuku couldn’t spend another minute watching the TV with how often that video would suddenly be showcased. It was annoying and slightly jarring for Izuku to see. His existence wasn’t just known by the Heroes anymore, but now the whole of society. People would be examining that footage, waiting for another appearance so they could break the biggest question. Who is under the hood?
The entire thing was driving Izuku into madness, his mind spiraling with nothing else to do but over analyze himself and that incident. But he was handling it as best he could from the comfort of his bed.
That was until an early morning news segment played an additional video after the one of the villain attack. This was a social media video from none other than the explosion hero himself; Dynamite.
After the first watch, Izuku knew it wasn’t a good idea to watch these channels for a while until all of this died down. Not with the way his childhood friend was demanding for the ‘hooded vigilante’ to come forward.
It was shocking, something that Izuku didn’t think the explosive blonde would ever do. Yet, here Izuku was, watching each and every time that video would show up as he flipped through the channels.
The video captivated the green-haired man each time. To see how determined the blonde hero was as he crouched over himself on a couch, hands laced together as he glared at the camera set up in front of him. The video wasn’t of the best quality, no doubt taken off of the hero’s own phone after getting off work late at night.
The beginning of the video always caught the vigilante’s attention- the darkened circles under his childhood friend’s eyes, his low vibrato grated with each word. Or how the man would grit his teeth and stare off over the phone before cutting back with a sharp stare of red eyes that seemed to look right at Izuku.
It hypnotized the green-haired man, his body unable to change the channel despite knowing how the video ended each time. And it ended with his friend getting angry, but not in a way that the vigilante was used to. It was much more quiet and contemplative as the blonde continued to talk. Then there was the demand of information from anyone that had spotted or had sound proof of said vigilante; their reward being 10 million yen.
Izuku groaned, hands fisting into his hair as he thought about how much money was up for grabs. If he had a way to insure that he wouldn’t get caught, he would call in a tip himself. That money could help him pay his rent for months.
But he was too injured to be able to ensure his identity would remain hidden. Especially after Recovery Girl’s visit earlier that morning. She still hadn’t been able to heal his large stomach wound very much, the vigilante’s stamina still being too low. The elder expressed her worry about the slow healing and redness around the area, but Izuku had quickly shut down the woman after she mentioned surgery. The idea of going into such a public place caused him to bristle.
The old woman ignored him like always, examining his swollen and red stitches with a keen eye and a severe frown. She continued her rant, “the wound isn’t healing like it should be. You have drained your body of its vital needs for too long.” Recovery Girl criticized. She flicked her full attention to the vigilante. “Have you ever had a full meal before this injury, an actual night's sleep, or a day off to rest?”
Her targeted questions had the green-head turning away. The woman sighed heavily, stepping back and sitting in the seat beside the bed.
“Midoriya. I can’t leave without ensuring that you know what state your body is in.” Her voice was soft enough to have the young man look over to her. “You need medical attention before an infection sets in. You are lucky you haven’t already, but at some point it’s going to run out.”
The vigilante nodded, understanding what she was saying. By the look on Recovery Girl’s face, she wanted to take him to the hospital now. Izuku didn’t want to disappoint the old hero, but he couldn’t let himself make that decision today. Not today when it was his mother’s birthday.
“Can you give me one more day?” He finally whispered.
The older woman’s shoulders fell slightly, her face sliding into a companionate look. It didn’t take much thought to know why the vigilante would ask for something despite the evident issue at hand.
“One day.” The woman conceded. “Tomorrow morning, bright and early, Toshoroni is taking you to the emergency room. You will take any and all medical advice the staff prescribe. You won’t argue or refuse any examinations or tests that they request.” Recovery Girl's voice dropped low as she talked, no leeway in her demands. “Do you hear me, boy?”
”Yes, ma’am.” Izuku quickly replies, happy that she was giving him until tomorrow. “Thank you.”
“You shouldn’t be. I have gone against the oath I took to help you, but I cannot any longer.” She said, standing up and collecting her medical bag. “Toshoroni!” She called.
The retired hero quickly walked to her from his spot across the room. “Yes?”
Recovery Girl leveled him with a glare. “If that boy is not in the nearest hospital by 7 am tomorrow, I will report both of you and collect that reward money for myself. God knows I deserve a vacation with the amount of stress this has put me through.” She ranted.
The blonde nodded, agreeing completely with the elderly woman as he helped her out the door. Yagi only waved a small goodbye toward his successor before following the other elder out, intending to accompany her to the train station.
Izuku knew that his mentor wouldn’t be back for a while; his presence was requested at UA to oversee some training. He probably wouldn’t be back to check on Izuku till late afternoon, so Izuku had plenty of time to do what he needed.
The vigilante stumbled from his bed- the news playing in the background- as he made his way to the bathroom. He stared at the box of black hair dye sitting on the counter with a tight frown.
Yagi had brought him some more, dropping it off before Recovery Girl stopped by. It was a small gesture to indicate a peace offering after their tense conversation the week before. The retired hero had known that if Izuku was to leave this room today like planned, then he would need to dye the bright green roots to insure his identity remained hidden.
With a settling breath, the young man pushed away the blanket of hovering emotions as he set to work. It was slow work, the process taking much longer than it would have normally. His hands shook the entire time, his body crying with fatigue and aches as he drenched his air in the black ink. After multiple rests to recuperate some strength, Izuku was finally stumbling out the door.
It was already later in the day than Izuku had wanted to leave by. His shitty dye job showed as the falling sun glinted a green hue through the black strands. There wasn’t much that the vigilante could do about it since the bottle was empty. He just hoped that the people that passed by him wouldn’t take any notice.
Izuku had purposefully gotten a place close to his mother so these trips could be quick. It was only a fifteen minute walk to the stone wall that surrounded the cemetery and another two before Izuku was able to see the Midoriya family plot.
A cool breeze drifted by as Izuku made his way toward his mother’s stone, his cheeks and nose starting to become pink. It was a picturesque sight, the way the sky started to turn orange as the sun started its descent was absolutely breathtaking. Beautiful, a perfect day for his mother’s birthday.
It had been a while since Izuku had built up the courage to come back here. The emotions that came with each visit were too much to deal with on a frequent basis. Each time was like a whirlpool of shame and guilt as Izuku was confronted with his old life.
Yet today, Izuku couldn’t avoid it, he wouldn’t.
As he walked up to his mother- avoiding the stone next to hers- those emotions crashed back in. His throat closed as he tried to keep the onslaught of tears from taking over.
“Hey mom, Happy Birthday.” Izuku smiled, blinking to keep the watery flow from blurring his vision. He crouched down, careful of his wound, and leaned his head against the cold rock. With a flutter of his eyes closing, Izuku relived as many memories he could that involved his mom. All the laughs and hugs that he would never be able to have, all the kisses and encouraging words that he would never hear again. Each one bringing a sad smile to his face as he focused on holidays and birthdays they had spent together.
Izuku was so lost in his own head that he didn’t hear the person that had walked up behind him until a deep voice spoke out into the silence.
“I found you.” The voice whispered.
Izuku's whole body froze, his heart stuttering as he heard a voice he could never forget. It was the voice that used to make his heart sing and melt, but right now it sent a shiver down his spine.
”Izuku?”
The vigilante stood quickly, wincing at the pain as he felt the pull on his stitches. He kept his back to the man standing behind him as he started to walk away as fast as he could.
“Izuku, wait!”
A hand grabbed onto his shoulder, gripping down and pulling. Izuku refused to turn, shoving his shoulder against the hand to keep himself moving forward. He couldn’t turn, couldn’t let that man see him. Izuku couldn’t do that to Kacchan.
Without conscious thinking, Izuku activated his quirk and lunged himself forward. Pain rocked through his core as his body collapsed under the power. He tried to ignore it, pushing himself to sail over stones and onto a different walking bath.
Izuku gasped for breath, preparing for another jump, readying his body despite the pain. Green eyes peaked over his shoulder, risking a glance to see if the blonde hero was still behind him. He continued to move, desperate to gain distance between them and fast.
As his feet left the ground, a tear ripped through him. Excruciating pain sliced across his stomach, his vision spotting as it took over his entire body. Izuku tried to ball up over his abdomen, habitually trying to alleviate the stress on his wound with no such luck.
Izuku crashed to the ground, balled up body skidding against the cobbled path until he rolled to a stop in the fetal position.
Those black spots cloud his vision as he tried to move, the darkness growing bigger as he gasped for breath. It didn’t come, the pain in his abdomen refused him the air needed no matter how desperate he became. The agony took over, taking control of his mind and body as he convulsed in any attempt to lessen the pain. With a final groan, Izuku slammed his fist into the ground before falling slack.
It had been days with no sign of Izuku. No matter how many times Katsuki had sent out his team to search every hospital and clinic in the city, no sightings were reported. The blonde couldn’t believe that the vigilante- Izuku or not- wouldn’t seek medical attention with the amount of blood they had lost.
The splotches and puddles that trailed on the roof tops enough for Katsuki to worry for the person’s health.
The blonde hoped that Izuku wouldn’t have gone back home. The fear of his childhood friend fleeing back to a small room just to bleed out was haunting him. The only comfort was that the former number one hero, Izuku’s mentor, would be with Izuku to assist in his time of need.
Yet, even with that reassurance, it was only helpful if Izuku had made it that far. Another very realistic possibility was that Izuku could have bled out or even ran into more villains after Katsuki fell back from his pursuit.
‘I shouldn’t have stopped!’ Katsuki gritted his teeth in irritation.
He was sitting at his desk, holding the last picture that was taken of the two of them together. It was at their graduation, both wearing long robes while holding up their certificates. Katsuki had been forced into frame by the green-haired graduate- and it was evident by the look on the blonde’s face that he hadn’t been happy about it.
“I’m going to find you.” Katsuki whispers to himself, eyes focused on the framed photo.
Izuku was on his tiptoes with one arm draped around Katsuki’s neck. A huge smile slit across his face as he posed for the picture. Katsuki remembered the moment well. The weight of Izuku’s arm pulled them closer together, their faces practically touching. How Katsuki wasn’t able to stop himself from wrapping an arm around the smaller man's waist to keep Izuku up against him a little longer.
“Bakugo?”
Katsuki lifts his head to see his mentor, Hakamada, standing in the doorway of his office. After a welcoming nod, the man walked up to the desk. Blue eyes glanced briefly at the picture the blonde was holding before he satuated himself into an open chair.
The man cleared his throat. “We need to end the search for the vigilante.” Hakamada says. His eyes stayed trained on the young hero across from him, analyzing every facial movement.
Katsuki shook his head. “No, I’m not going to stop.” He couldn’t stop the anger from slipping into each word, exasperated that his mentor could even expect that of him.
”I understand that you have a lot of emotions tied to the vigilante, but I think it is time for you to move on.” He started with a subdued tone. “Hero Deku is dead. It has been five years. Katsuki, he isn’t coming back-“
”M is Izuku!” Katsuki interrupted, fists clenching. “I know he is! I have gotten enough evidence to prove it.” He gritted out, his breathing suddenly heavy as he glared at the older man.
Hakamada gave him a look of pity, “I have put you on a leave of absence, Katsuki.-”
”What!-“
”That is why I am here. I know what day it is, what today has done to you for a few years.” The blonde kept going, refusing to allow Katsuki even a moment to interrupt him. “As my successor, I have supported you through a lot. Allowed you to revamp my agency and make it your own after my retirement, trained you, guided you… but I have let this slide for too long.”
Hakamada sighed, his shoulders slumping lower than normally perfect posture. “I have watched you become obsessed, distracting yourself from mourning properly. I can’t let this continue with so many people's jobs and lives at risk to this trajectory.” He continued, looking down at his wrist to look at his watch. “The paperwork has already been submitted. And as of ten minutes ago, you are on leave until you finish the mandated therapy sessions.”
Katsuki gaped at his mentor, shocked beyond words despite the emotions that bubbled up at what had been done behind his back.
His mentor continued, sympathy drawing his face down. “Everyone has been notified and everything has been arranged for your reprieve. Until your therapist signs off, you are barred from work.” Hakamada finished, standing with perfect posture.
After a moment of silence, Katsuki- too shocked to even acknowledge the older man- watched as Hakamada walked out of the office. The room was engulfed in silence until Katsuki slammed his hand onto his desk. His frustration finally breaking the dam of shock.
“Damn it!” The hero yelled. “How can he do this?!” He gritted his teeth as he screamed through his hands. Cursing at his mentor and cursing everyone else who believed he was unfit to work at his own agency.
It was a few minutes before Katsuki was able to calm down, his hands shaking as he stood up from his desk. He knew staying in this office would only cause more harm to himself and whoever would be sent to kick him out.
Even him- the owner of this agency- couldn't get around the politics of hero work.
He grabbed the bouquet of flowers resting at the edge of his desk, careful not to crush the delicate plants in his anger. He walked out of his agency, head held high as he ignored everyone that tried to come up to him. The hero was a man on a mission now, one that had been scheduled and reserved for months.
Since Inko Midoriya’s death, Katsuki had brought her flowers for every special occasion he could think of. Today- her birthday- was one he never missed. The two had grown close after Inko’s son had disappeared, practically gaining a mother son relationship as they grieved. A bond that had formed and wouldn’t end even after Inko’s death.
It was already dark by the time Katsuki arrived at the cemetery, the wind blowing from the north as a warning of the winter season coming within the next few weeks. The small lamps acted as a guide for the hero as he followed the cobbled path to Inko’s plot.
As he walked closer, he noticed a figure already at his destination. His first impression was that it was the same Midoriya friend that had come to show respect like they had before. Yet, as he came within proximity of the plot, his steps came to an abrupt stop. The man was crouched down in front of the grave stone, hand resting over the engraved name. The figure, dressed in a dark sweatshirt and blue jeans, was wearing red high top shoes; the color drawing Katsuki’s heart to a stop as the bouquet of flowers fell to the ground.
Katsuki was only a few feet away from the other who had no idea that there was another visitor. So close, close enough that it was impossible for the hero to misidentify the light shade of green at the top of his head from the lamp light.
Heat flared over the blonde’s face, nose tingling as his eyes began to sting. He couldn’t look away, eyes wide as he pinched himself to make sure this wasn’t a dream.
“I found you.” He whispered, his heart beginning to race.
Red eyes watch as the man before him tensed at the sound of his voice, shoulders folding forward as if to shield themselves. Panic flared through the hero, terrified that the other would run before Katsuki could see the other’s face.
The blonde had the overwhelming desire to pull the man into his arms and hold him tight. Because Izuku was here, he was alive, and wasn’t going to let go.
”Izuku?” Katsuki gasped, tears spilling over as he stumbled forward another step.
The figure stood up quickly, keeping their back to the hero as they started making their way between other headstones. Katsuki watched in disbelief for a moment, before he furrowed his eyebrows and walked after the man as fast as he could. He reached out his hand, confused as to why Izuku would be running away from him.
“Izuku wait!” He begged, hand grabbing at the man’s shoulder.
Before the blonde can even blink, green streaks of light spread through the air before the figure disappears from his grasp. Meters away, the figure landed with that green lightning dancing around his body.
Anger took over the blonde, flushing out his shock and confusion as he sprinted. There was no doubt anymore, not now, not ever. He was chasing after his childhood friend, using his quirk to propel himself faster.
‘I’m not letting you go this time!’
Katsuki gritted his teeth as he watched the figure disappear again, showing up farther down the cobbled path. Izuku had always been fast, but his speed was now unbelievable; almost like he was teleporting. Katsuki kept his eye on the other, refusing to blink as he blasted through the air, demanding himself to move faster.
He watched, as the other stumbled while red sparks glinted off the green. The hero cursed, knowing that Izuku was going to leap again while using more of his quirk. With a panicked blast- larger than it should have ever been in a residential area- he sailed through the air and landed feet away from his childhood friend.
Just as Katsuki was about to shout at Izuku, the other stumbled again but fell to the ground. His body hunching in on itself as he curled into the fetal position consumed in evident pain. That freckled face contorted as his jaw locked into a silent scream. Izuku’s fist flung out, punching the ground hard enough to leave a small crater, before going limp.
Katsuki rushed forward, worry and fear consuming him as he knelt before his childhood friend, pulling the man’s unconscious body into his lap. Warm, wet liquid consumed his hand, the hero’s eyes widening in sheer panic as he saw the red tint of blood glisten off the hand he held up into the lamp light. Izuku’s sweatshirt was soaked through with a puddle of that same liquid.
A shiver careened down the hero's spine, snapping him into action as pulled up the wet clothing to examine what was happening. That’s when he saw it, the huge gash across a pale abdomen, gushing blood.
With quick movements, Katsuki ripped off his own jacket and pressed it tightly against the open wound. He fumbled slightly as he lifted Izuku into a cradle against his chest, one thought forcing him to run faster than he ever had in his life.
‘Hospital! Fuck, fuck, fuck!’
Calling an ambulance wouldn’t be fast enough with the amount of blood Izuku was losing. He needed help now, more than what Katsuki could give him. The blonde tightened his grip while tears streamed down his face and blurred his vision as he raced toward the nearest hospital.
“Don’t you dare die Deku!” Katsuki yelled, panting heavily.
“Not again.” he begged.
Word count: 3994
Bakugo found him!!! Hopefully he will make it to the hospital in time 😉 Comment an 💥 to support our favorite hero!!
