Two Heroes [otarusushi]

[TiCk]

It had been a dull morning to say the least, more accurately described as a relatively crime-free morning which was good in a sense but nothing was more painful than getting stuck on patrolling the city and there being little to no action to pass the time. Ground Zero was more than a bit disappointed that nothing or no one needed a beating but it was fine since he had Red Riot to entertain him - Kirishima, his best friend since the academy and one of the only few people who Bakugou could call his 'Equal'.

 

It wasn't until the afternoon that the two had gotten some real action to deal with - A minor Villain was causing a ruckus downtown, damaging government property with his troublesome quirk and evading arrest after a warrant was put out on him for missing a mandatory check-in with his parole officer. The troublesome quirk in question was something that allowed the user to turn his voice into energy blasts so it was difficult for authorities to get close - Ground Zero and Red Riot, who had been completely bored until this moment had been nearby patrolling when they heard the ruckus.

 

The two Heroes tried their best - It was actually a bit difficult with the quirk, Kirishima would harden and attempt to approach but be blasted back, crashing into more government property or getting caught by Bakugou whose attempts weren't much better. The real Hero of the day was no doubt Cellophane - Sero arrived on the scene, able to tape the Villain's mouth shut with the help of Red Riot and Ground Zero. This gave them enough time to finally knock the guy out and hand him over to the police.

 

But things weren't that simple - The troublemaker had caused quite a lot of damage, specifically an apartment building that had been damaged during the arrest. An entire floor had been damaged by the Villain's energy blast, so the three Heroes hurried to evacuate everyone safely. Ground Zero and Red Riot took the lower floors while Cellophane took the top floors. The authorities acting on stand-by as they phoned for paramedics and took the civilians to safety as the Heroes brought them out.

 

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From the inside the building looked worse, Bakugou and Kirishima worked tirelessly as they searched through the first and second floor for civilians and guiding or carrying them out while Cellophane used his quirk to lower people from the top floors to the ground - This task would have been more difficult without Sero so Bakugou was happy he was around when he was.

 

The blonde was carrying a young woman in his arms as he headed down a flight of stairs, she seemed to be the last resident on her floor - Of course he would come back to do another sweep as soon as he brought her out. He started to quicken his steps as he descended from the stairs and entered the lobby floor, making his way towards the entrance door where Kirishima had exited shortly before.

 

- Snap! - The Hero quickly looked above him, a worried expression crossing his face as he realized the floor above them was about to give in. He had to make a split second decision - He could use his quirk to quickly dodge out of the way but that would risk causing the building to completely give in and cave. So with little no options, Ground Zero quickly pulled the unconscious civilian off his shoulder and tossed the woman as far as he could across the room - She may have gotten a few bumps and bruises but it was a better fate than his. With no time to save himself, the blonde raised his arms over his head as the debris came falling on top of him - A cloud of dust and debris filling the lobby as the second floor came caving in on top of the first.

 

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'T-thank you Red Riot, you're the best!' A young man exclaimed gratefully as the red porcupine set him down, Kirishima smiling gently as he rubbed the back of his neck - He still got a bit embarrassed whenever being praised. Cellophane - Who had been getting people safely out of the top floors of the building - lightly smacked Red Riot on the back as he started turning towards the building. "C'mon superstar, more people are still inside." With that Sero went ahead, zipping his way to the higher floors of the building - His quirk was really useful in these kinds of situations, the other two were lucky he was around or they probably wouldn't have been able to rescue this many people.

 

"Sorry!....okay, here we go again.." The redhead started heading towards the building but he was taken aback as he could see a cloud of debris spewing out of the entrance way, hearing the sound of what seemed like a tiny cave in. He felt a sudden tightness around his chest - like he could barely breath - as he realized Bakugou was still inside. "KATSUKI!" The hero quickened his steps as he headed for the entrance, calling out for his friend - Kirishima entered the building, coughing as the dust gathered in his lungs. "B-bakugou!" He called out, scanning the lobby and tossing some debris aside to search for the blonde. The redhead then heard a faint voice towards the middle of the room, he rushed over - His expression beaming once he came across the source of the voice.

 

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"Shit! You're alive.....hold on Katsuki, I'll get this shit off of you." Kirishima said as he started to move the debris around, he tried to be careful but every attempt he made only applied more pressure against Bakugou's body.

 

"S-STOP!...fuck.." The blonde started taking in deep breathes, most of his body was pinned beneath the debris and when the other tried to move it off him it only crushed him more - Red Riot wasn't strong enough to lift it and his attempts only worsened the situation for Bakugou. "Shit, sorry...Hold on, I'll get you out of here just let me think.." The redhead started to pace around a bit, he was freaking out just a bit - The building was already on borrowed time and the civilians were stressing him out enough but now he had a friends life on the line too.

 

"Hey, there's a lady in here somewhere. I was carrying her with me when the floor collapsed, you need to get her out first along with the rest of the civilians." The blonde looked up at the other, most of his body pinned underneath the debris excluding his left arm - He could feel he had definitely broken something, just wasn't sure what since his entire body felt like shit right now. "Ka-katsuki, no...getting you out won't take long, so don't wor-" Kirishima looked down at his friend with a weak smile before turning into a frown as the other cut him off mid sentence - Of course as a hero he should think of the safety of those in need and right now that included Bakugou.

 

"GO! Heroes help those in need, I'm telling you Eijirou - I don't need your help....Tch, as if I'd die in such a lame way anyway idiot.." He stared sternly up at the other - Contrary to what he said he looked pretty helpless with all that debris lying on top of him and pinning him. Kirishima, balling up his fists, turned and started walking around the room - He located the young woman that his friend was talking about, she looked a bit roughed up but nothing too serious. He picked her up bridal style in his arms as he turned towards Bakugou, smiling brightly at the blonde. "I'll be back to get you out Katsuki." The Hero then ran off, taking the young woman in his arms to a safer area or perhaps finding her a medic.

[otarusushi]

It was a good day.

 

The sun was shining, the temperature was just right, things were relatively quiet, and it was his day off.

 

He'd slept in for two hours longer than usual this morning and felt refreshed. His agency currently had him on night patrols, so sometimes he would come home really late. Sleeping late and waking early had it's difficulties, but such was his responsibility as the symbol of peace. At least the work, though hard, was quite gratifying.

 

Overall, Izuku really couldn't complain.

 

Spending a relaxing day at home had been a tempting thought at first. However, after all of the action Izuku had seen recently, he found himself becoming antsy as early as 11 am. Unable to spend any more time on the couch, he began cleaning. He wasn't super messy or anything, but he definitely had allowed himself to get behind on chores. There was laundry scattered around his bedroom, a few dishes in his sink. and he hadn't cleaned the shower in weeks either. What if there was mold there now? He winced at the thought and rolled up his sleeves.

 

His chores hadn't taken him more than an hour to complete. The shower tile twinkled in the sunlight, his clothes were circling in the wash, and his kitchen was spotless. He stood in the middle of his living room with his hands on his hips and looked around his place, perhaps hoping that some other chore would pop out at him. None did. Now what?

 

As if on cue, his phone began to ring. It was his old schoolmate Uraraka. Seeing her name light up his screen had Izuku grinning and he answered on the 3rd ring. "Hello?"

 

The exchange between them was short and sweet. Apparently, the hero Uravity also had the day off and had decided to ask Izuku out on a coffee date. Due to his busy schedule, he really hadn't been able to see much of his friends lately. Actually, he couldn't even recall the last time that he had seen Urakaka or Iida. Feeling a twinge of guilt, he eagerly accepted her invitation. The shop wasn't far, it would only take him 15 minutes to get there on foot.

 

He had already showered and brushed his teeth and hair, so all that was left was to get dressed. He opted for simple and casual. Jeans, one of his notoriously plain t-shirts, a hoodie, a pair of sunglasses, and a hat. He figured he should at least make an attempt to blend into the crowd today since he wouldn't want to cause a commotion and get Uravity dragged into it. Ever since he topped the hero charts his popularity had experienced a Kacchan type of boom. (Big. A very big boom.)

 

He paused at his genkan when Kacchan's image flickered like a flame in his mind. Unlike with Uraraka and Iida, Izuku actually could recall the last time he had seen or even spoken to his childhood friend. It had been their high-school reunion get together. Everyone who had graduated from UA had been there. He remembered arriving late, almost missing the event completely because of his hero work. Everyone had been so visually excited that he had made it. All except for Kacchan, of course. The spikey-haired blonde had merely spared Izuku a glance and a grimace, before averting his gaze for the better part of the evening. Katsuki had been his usual stand-offish and gruff self, but lacked pretty much all of the malice that he had for Izuku during their earlier school days. They shared a few brief exchanges of words while in the company of everyone, but it was when people started to leave that things had begun to get tense and dare he say...awkward?

 

When Katsuki had stood up to leave, Izuku had scrambled to his feet. "Kacchan! Good luck at your agency! I'll be watching, but don't expect my view to be from behind." (Wait...) His words had definitely been clumsy and he got yelled at as a result. Kacchan called him a "Gross-shitty-nerd" and stomped off. And that had been it! Neither Katsuki or Izuku had attempted to contact one another since. The only exposure that he got to his childhood friend now was on tv. His merchandise, too.

 

A smile ghosted over Izuku's face and he brought a hand up to the hat he had chosen to wear today. It was black in color, with red trim, and on the front was the picture of a small explosion with the comical sound effect "BOOM!" written on it. This was the first merch of the pro hero Ground Zero that he had purchased. He was known for purchasing merch of his UA pals, but it was different with Kacchan's stuff. He was borderline obsessive about obtaining them, so much so, that it was even rivaling his obsession with All Might.

 

-----

 

A boy of about eight raced passed him on the sidewalk, cheerfully ignoring his mother's calls. Izuku moved aside to let the mother pass by and watched with slight amusement as the boy was snatched up by his parent. He overheard the two of them grumble at each other, and then the mother dragged the boy around the next corner. It got him thinking that maybe he should call his mother later, perhaps after he and Uraraka had parted ways.

 

It was when he was just 10 minutes away from the coffee shop now that he heard it. An explosion. Instincts kicking in immediately, his muscles tensed and his head snapped in the direction of the sound. "What's going on? A villain?" He wondered out loud.

 

The street was a busy one and someone overheard him. "Yeah, apparently the heroes Red Riot, Cellophane, and Ground Zero are over there fighting with a villain. The villain is a tricky one, I've been hearing. Causing quite a bit of damage that one." The man shook his head. "Tore into some office buildings. I hope there isn't any casualties."

 

While the man was speaking Izuku had whipped out his phone and begun looking up where all of this was taking place. It was several blocks away, block 12, and he could be there in less time than it would take him to get to the cafe if he moved at Full Cowl.

 

"I'm sorry, Uraraka. I promise, I'll make it up to you."

 

"Thanks!" He told the man before going into a half-crouched position, green sparks erupted around his body, and had people on the street jumping away from him in shock. In the blink of an eye, Izuku had shot off the ground and was zipping toward Block 12. Gasps erupted in the crowd that he had left behind.

 

"Was that hero Deku?"

 

"The #1 hero? No way!"

 

"Damn it, I should've asked for an autograph!"

 

-----

 

When he arrived on the scene, it was pure chaos.

 

It seemed like they had taken care of the villain already and were now in the middle of rescue operations. He would've been relieved if the block didn't look like such a wreck! He began scanning the area for any sign of the pro heroes who had been mentioned to him earlier and caught sight of Kirishima. His friend was carrying a seemingly unconscious and wounded woman. He was dashing toward them in seconds.

 

"Red Riot!"

 

"Huh, Mido-...Deku?!" Kirishima hurriedly corrected himself, the shock of seeing Midoriya here made him forget that they were on the clock and hero etiquette called for them to use their hero names during missions.

 

"Yeah, is that woman okay??" He questioned and then gestured to the surrounding areas, "Is there somewhere you haven't searched yet? Do you know if there are more civilians trapped in this building?"

 

"Yeah, but Cellophane is on the top floor looking and I'm gonna head back up after I get this woman to safety, but Deku! Rather than helping with the other buildings, please go in and help Ground Zero!"

 

Izuku's eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he could ask, "Ground Zero? You mean...Kacchan is inside? Why-"

 

"There's no time! This building is crumbling everywhere, Ground Zero saved this woman, but got buried under a heap of rubble. He can't use his explosions and none of us other heroes are strong enough to lift all that stuff. He's on the first floor, down the corridor and to the left" Feeling like he had explained enough, Kirishima started running off towards the hoard of ambulances parked in the middle of the street. He yelled over his shoulder, "Hurry!! I don't know how much longer that building has got!"

 

"R-right!" He shook his head in an attempt to snap out of his surprise. It was hard for him to believe that Kacchan would be in need of his help. Even as he sprinted inside, panic bubbled up inside him. This was far from an ideal reunion, that's for sure. Inwardly, he made a promise. "Kacchan, I'll save you!"

 

"Kacchan, Kacchan, KACCHAN!" Izuku was yelling Katsuki's childhood nickname as loud as he could, even before he came into view.

 

He saw the rubble first, then his gaze centered on the blonde head that was currently resting on the building floor. He hadn't responded, was he unconscious? It must've only taken Izuku a couple of minutes to reach him, but it had felt much longer. Worry strained his handsome face and his hand was shaking slightly when he reached out.

 

"K-Kacchan?"

[TiCk]

Katsuki grinned softly as Red Riot started to leave, hearing his footsteps become more distant as the seconds passed - 'What an idiot' - He thought as he sighed softly, this situation was troublesome but nothing to panic over for now. The building was in a critical state and he was trapped under debris, waiting for Kirishima and Sero to finish up the rescues to come get him out.

 

'As if they could...' He glanced down towards the pile of debris that he was pinned under, Red Riot was strong but not strong enough and Cellophane's quirk wouldn't be much use in this situation. The best bet Bakugou could think of is that he used his quirk to blow the debris off but then whose to say he could make it out the building in time the moment he's free - He wasn't exactly sure on the condition of his legs after all or the rest of his body for that matter.

 

Ground Zero stared up at the damaged ceiling as he lied on his back helpless for the moment - The debris slowly crushing him, pressing against and stabbing his body. It was painful to say the least, his sides aching every time he took in a breath. 'Shit...' He hissed lightly as his sides ached, if he was to get out of here there was only one option - A Hero with a more suitable quirk would have to show up on the scene.....

 

"..Deku.." He thought out loud - It would have killed his younger self to even think something like that but he had matured sine then, even if it was only just a bit. But that guy was far too busy to appear now, there was no way he'd show.

 

He shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried to ignore the pain. Deku? Why did he think of that guy first? Uragravity would work just as well in this situation - Probably even better, where the fuck was she!? It wasn't like she was number one hero and had a crazy busy schedule. That round-face would have a lot of explaining to do next time he saw her!

 

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The blonde thought back to the last time he saw Deku, it was a re-union for their graduating class and that idiot had pissed him off. Everyone had arrived at a decent time, he had gone with Kirishima to the reunion - The two of them worked for the same agency and usually worked around the same schedule so it was easy for them to spend time together.

 

Bakugou remembered being excited for the reunion - Not that it would ever show in his expressions - but he was really looking forward to seeing everyone and especially Deku. But Deku hadn't arrived to the reunion until much later, it kept agitating Bakugou every time someone who wasn't Deku walked through the door. The one time he wanted to see that shitty-nerds face and he was fucking late - Typical.

 

When Deku had finally arrived everyone was surrounding him and greeting him - As if he'd ever act that desperate to say 'hello' to a shitty-nerd like Deku. He spent the evening glued to Kirishima's side, glancing from time to time at Deku across the room and sharing few words or interactions. Maybe he hadn't gotten over himself completely or he felt too awkward to talk to the other - Everyone else seemed to be a big fan of his and hogged a lot of his time anyway. It wasn't like them getting close again would happen at least not how it had been when they were kids - Katsuki leading the way with Deku following behind.......Deku was the #1 Hero after all.

 

"Kacchan! Good luck at your agency! I'll be watching, but don't expect my view to be from behind."

 

The blonde clicked his tongue as he remembered the last words that idiot ever spoke to him - Maybe he hadn't meant to pick a fight, maybe he was just an idiot with poor choices in words. Either way Bakugou remembered storming off that night, calling the other names and cursing at him - Clearly he was a little more than touchy about the idiot ranking #1 Hero.

 

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"Kacchan...Kacchan....Kacchan!"

 

He could hear that idiot's voice calling out for him as he dozed off, not realizing the voice was actually Deku's and assuming it was his mind playing games with him. Kacchan - He could imagine Deku as a child just following him around like a lost puppy, a much different Deku than the one that he grew up to be, Mr. Number One Hero.

 

"K-Kacchan?"

 

His eyes flickered open as he came back too, his eyes adjusting - A blurry figure slowly coming into focus as it hovered over him. "....Deku?.." He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining this, he tried to move instinctively but stopped as he felt the debris poke and press against him the more he struggled.

 

"..of course it had to be you." He huffed to himself as he lied back, now he was definitely going to bully that round-face. "Tch..why are you looking at me like that? You know I'm not dying idiot so take that stupid look off your face before I punch you." He glared softly at the other, that expression strained with worry made him agitated and brought up some feelings from his younger days....like he was being looked down on.