Helloo ily and I hope you're doing okay!!! Here's a chapter <33

CW: Blood & Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Major Character Injury, Temporary Character Death, Hurt/Comfort

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Chapter Summary:

Deku is missed, Izuku doesn't miss, and Todoroki exhales mist. (I love English)

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Kacchan's lip curled as he waded through the flooded basement of the building. It had been damaged in a recent villain attack and was too structurally unsound for people to remain inside, but the flooding had cut off electricity on a lot of floors, leaving people locked behind doors. The damp situation wasn't ideal for Kacchan's Explosion Quirk, yet he had insisted on going in anyway since it would take an extra fifteen minutes for a better-suited hero to arrive, and he wasn't about to waste that sort of precious time when civilians could be in danger.

Being the Number One Hero was a lot of pressure, and he was determined to prove himself worthy.

It didn't help that a lot of people were unfairly judging him against Deku, and many disliked Ground Zero because of his attitude. The situation reflected All Might's retirement and Endeavour's consequent rise to first place, but at least it was a little less harsh since the public knew both young heroes were good friends, despite all appearances suggesting otherwise.

Izuku padded silently behind his friend, keeping an dubious eye on the cracked ceiling. The water glittered with stardust and he could only feel the faintest lap against his thighs. He looked ahead as Kacchan splashed to a soggy halt, seeing a large metal door shut firmly. Kacchan raised a small keycard to the handle, and machinery hummed to life, echoing in the silent chamber. He pulled the door open abruptly, only to nervously freeze as the wall gave an ominous groan at the sudden movement.

Frightened eyes peered at him from inside the room. Three civilians shivered in the darkness, huddled together against a wall. Kacchan grabbed a glowstick from his utility belt and cracked it, providing a soft green illumination over the flooded area. Luminous emerald shimmered on the surface of the water and reflected in the civilians' wide gazes. He tucked the glowstick into the neckline of his top, leaving both his hands free.

"C'mon, let's get outta here," Kacchan said gruffly, stepping aside to leave the doorway open.

Another unsettling rumble coursed through the room and had all of them freezing. Wary looks were cast towards the ceiling as cracks sneaked across. Dust filtered down with a hiss and Kacchan gritted his teeth, wading deeper into the room and reaching out towards the civilians.

"Hurry up. We don't have time," he told them, lightly pushing the shoulder of the closest person.

"Oh, this isn't good," Izuku murmured anxiously, watching as more cracks spread out.

The removal effort above ground was probably disturbing too much, but Kacchan's comms weren't working so deep in the basement, so he couldn't warn them. He was guiding the civilians along as best he could, but their legs were unsteady and they were stumbling along, forcing him to steady them every few paces. Another tremor shook the room, and-

With a mighty snap, the ceiling fell to pieces. The civilians screamed, huddling around the hero. Kacchan's arms automatically shot up, amber lightning coursing across his form as he activated One for All. He let out a snarl of exertion as the weight of the debris pressed down upon him, making his shoulders shake. Rubble crashed down around them, splashing loudly in the water and soaking them through, and as it was displaced the flood level rose around the frightened people, gathered in a small bubble of safety and illuminated in a lurid green so similar to Izuku's... old Quirk.

"Keep your eyes closed!" Kacchan barked in a strained voice, heaving in a breath of dust.

"It's okay, it's okay," Izuku muttered pointlessly, palms hovering over the shaking civilians in a vain attempt to comfort them.

His green gaze flitted back up to his friend. Beads of sweat were tracking paths through the grime on his pained face and his glowing crimson eyes shone with panic. Kacchan winced, being crushed down lower but stubbornly pushing back against the chunk of debris with a fizz of electricity, despite the pain it was clearly causing him. The movement sent another load of broken ceiling clattering down, raising the water level up to their chests and trapping them in a tomb with little air.

"It'll be okay," Izuku whispered tearfully, desperately reaching up to try and take some of the weight himself, but his arms just phased uselessly through the glittering cement. "Just... You've just got to... You can't use One for All on its own, I guess, because you need to keep that a secret... So that means you've got to rely on your own Quirk to blast out. But that's really dangerous... Any wrong move could send the rest of the building collapsing on top of you... You can't go sideways – you'd just get even more trapped and undermine the foundations. Down's definitely not an option – unless you just make a pit for the water to drain into, but- no, that's too dangerous and you don't have much time, so the only thing you can do... is send an explosion directly up... and hope for the best..."

Kacchan was clearly going through the same thought process as his eyes frantically darted around. A frustrated growl rumbled in his throat and he ground his teeth, hesitantly trying to shift his palms around into a better position. The strain was obvious across his whole body, hard lines of tension scoring across his muscles and skin stretched taut over his throat.

"Stay. Close," he hissed, and the trembling civilians pressed impossibly closer, clutching onto his costume and muffling their sobs.

Amber sparks coiled around his arms as energy focused in his hands. His palms started glowing, and he squeezed his eyes shut. A moment later, roiling white-hot light blasted out, and Izuku squinted against it to see sharp silhouettes of obliterated debris flung out from the epicentre. Although the core pillar had been turned to dust under the power, more rubble had been shifted and was tumbling down towards them, but they were still blinded and braced, hearing likely blanked in the close-range detonation. Izuku hastily leapt up and smacked the pieces aside, and finally Kacchan moved, curling all three civilians under one arm and angling down his other palm to set off an explosion and send them shooting up the chute. Smoke rushed in to fill the chamber and disturbed debris tumbled down in their wake, splashing into the water and collapsing in on itself until the entire basement was buried.

Izuku's surroundings blurred and spun around him, and he was back above ground just outside the building. He whirled around to stare as flashes of orange light preceded Kacchan bursting back to the surface, crashing up through a pile of rubble that used to be the front wall of the building. Kacchan stumbled when he landed, but he stayed on his feet, the unharmed civilians tucked safely under his arm as he carefully picked his way across the uneven ground with a feral grin, panic and pride and relief playing on his features for only Izuku to see.

When he blinked, he could see a video of a familiar debut casting in his mind. All Might's bulky figure faded into Kacchan, his grin sharp and reassuring in a different way than the old hero's, but inspiring nonetheless.

It felt like they were kids again, with Kacchan in the spotlight, powerful and awesome, whilst Izuku trailed behind in his shadow, weak and useless and forgotten-

The hero trudged away from the unstable building, and only then did police and disaster heroes rush back in, as if the awed bubble burst. Izuku rushed up to meet him, tears rolling down his cheeks, and he settled into place with his friend, anxiously noting his destroyed gauntlets and blood-bruised hands. Kacchan carried the civilians over to a waiting ambulance, dropping them back on their feet and giving them a quick appraisal.

"You good?" He asked them in a rasping voice, and they nodded mutely back at him, eyes no longer wide with fear, but with admiration.

The hero returned the nod stiffly, shoving his hands in his pockets to conceal the damage as he slouched from the scene, managing to slip away amongst the chaos and find a quiet place between two police vans. Only then did he let his shoulders slump, a pained exhale hissing through his gritted teeth. He sniffed softly, taking a few, shuddering breaths whilst Izuku could do nothing but watch helplessly.

Kacchan's features smoothed out, exhaustion printed in the lines of his face, and he hesitantly removed a hand from his pocket. The skin was blistered and peeling, and a few fingers were slightly crooked, likely broken under the strain of One for All. He glared at the injury for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh that was almost a laugh.

"Thanks, Deku," he muttered, amber sparks glittering over his fist.

(But he wasn't forgotten anymore.)

*

Izuku couldn't have been more proud of his friend. In only a few months, Kacchan had indisputably secured the title of Number One Hero. He may have been strong before, but with the addition of One for All, he was practically unbeatable – not that anyone knew about his sudden second Quirk. It was always used smartly, although Izuku wouldn't have expected anything less from his childhood friend, and he usually avoided using it in very public fights where anyone could catch a glimpse of the tell-tale lightning, but he did learn to merge it with his explosions after a lot of private practising. The blasts were dangerously powered up, making the flashes bright enough to cover any flickers of amber energy.

Kacchan flung his palm forwards, sending out a controlled explosion towards the villain, who was instantly taken out. Izuku watched proudly from the sidelines, always keeping a close eye on each of his friend's battles, just in case something went wrong with One for All and he needed back-up, no matter how little Izuku could offer. Another villain emerged from the shadows, trying to take the hero by surprise by lunging from behind, but Kacchan merely swung back an arm and caught the villain's face, knocking her out with a light explosion and a puff of smoke. He unhooked Quirk-suppressing cuffs from his utility belt and roughly locked them around the two villains' wrists, and heaving both further into the street in preparation for the police to arrive.

Excited screams arose from the crowd, and he rolled his crimson eyes. Izuku laughed to himself, watching his friend reluctantly turn around and plaster on a smirk to appeal to the fans, since he couldn't escape the scene until the villains were arrested anyway. Kacchan awkwardly shook a few hands and signed some autographs, offering a few stilted, but supportive words to those who begged for his advice.

"Ground Zero-san!" Someone exclaimed in a shrill voice. "How do you feel about taking Deku-san's Number One spot?"

A muscle in Kacchan's jaw twitched and his face subtly soured. Izuku instantly rushed to his side, wishing he could placate the crowd because he was always so much better with people than his friend. Any words he said wouldn't reach their plane of existence, so he didn't even bother trying.

"Do you think you're better than Deku-san?" The person pressed, and in the lack of response, added- "The only reason you're Number One is because Deku-san sacrificed himself. You're too mean to have made it to Number One on your own, because you're no way near as popular."

Kacchan let out a growling sigh, tiredly fixing the questioner under a sharp gaze. "Deku always worked hard t' reach th' top, but so've I. I'm not gonna slack off just 'cause Deku got killed, 'cause Japan needs its heroes t' remain strong an' continue in his stead. Number One's a title I always wanted, but... Not like this. Damn it," he hissed to himself, face screwing up as he turned away, trying to conceal his glistening eyes.

"Deku-san's sacrifice was wasted anyway, because the villain that killed him got away. That doesn't look good for the new Number One, does it?"

It felt like Izuku had been plunged into an icy lake. This was the first he'd heard about the villain who killed him. He'd just presumed that his friends had captured him, but it made an unfortunate amount of sense that he'd escaped in the panic of Izuku's passing, especially since he was strong enough to take down the hero when so many others had failed. Shit... If that villain was still out there, that meant people were still in danger... The hell kind of hero was he, dying for nothing like that?!

Kacchan angrily scrubbed at his face, then stiffly looked at the silent crowd once again when he was a little more composed. They were staring at him in muted shock, because no-one had ever seen Ground Zero so emotional before. Izuku hadn't really had a chance to keep up-to-date with the news, but he didn't doubt that the press were painting Kacchan as a horrible person for not seeming broken up over his death.

"Trust me, if it meant gettin' Deku back... I'd give up this title in a heartbeat," Kacchan admitted quietly.

*

Under the weight of the house suspended with her Quirk, Uraraka was starting to look very queasy, but she still continued fighting with the huge mutant-type villain that had tried to demolish the building. Frightened civilians were being led away from their homes by Jirou and Shouji, guided further down the street until they were a safe distance away. Izuku watched anxiously as his friend ducked under a swipe that would've been strong enough to break her ribs, but she didn't falter and dashed between the villain's legs, keeping his focus away from the evacuation effort.

"Help," a voice rasped from within the floating house.

Izuku swung around to stare, instantly sprinting closer and hopping up on debris to get inside. He quickly located the hurt civilian – just a teenager – trapped between floating rubble, one leg crooked and a hand covered in bloody bruises. Tears were trailing down her face, smudging mascara with each droplet, even as she bit her lip and tried to remain composed.

"It's okay," he murmured uselessly, examining the situation and desperately thinking of what he could do.

Whenever the large villain slammed into something outside, it jostled the floating house, and constantly disturbed the debris crushing the civilian. She winced when a chunk of ceiling rammed against her broken leg, a muffled sob spilling from her lips, followed by a frustrated curse. He glared at the offending piece, leaning down and carefully lining up his shot, then focusing all his willpower into his hands as he shoved them forwards. A faint brush of solidity against his palms indicated the impact, and then the debris went flying off and crashing into a wall. Izuku grinned wider, padding back to the front and investigating the rubble hurting her.

She turned her face away when another tremor sent bricks bumping into her cheek. He reached over and curved his fingers around one piece, flinging it off, and using the feeling of triumph to help him push the other bricks away. Her eyes widened as she watched them shatter against the wall, and she glanced around herself in confusion. Izuku slid his arms underneath the biggest chunk weighing her down, scrunching up his nose with the effort but just about managing to heave it off her torso after his hands phased through it a few times. She gave a sigh of relief, casting a brief, bewildered glance at the mysteriously moving object, then instantly got to work freeing herself despite her injuries.

Not a second later, there was a monstrous groan outside, followed by a thud that shook the earth. Uraraka appeared in the doorway and immediately floated over, looking the civilian over with an appraising eye and then swimming forwards to gently grab her uninjured arm with a reassuring smile.

"It's okay," she told the girl warmly. "Sorry for the trouble, but the villain's been defeated. Let's get you to a medic, okay?"

*

Todoroki slurped at his cold soba, seemingly completely oblivious of all the awed stares he was getting from the other patrons in the restaurant. Even in civilian clothes, his red and white hair was too iconic to miss. Izuku pretended to sit at the seat opposite him, propping up his head and grinning at his friend who looked to be in a state of near-total bliss. Whispers rushed around the room as the civilians gushed over him, and even a few waiters and waitresses were shamelessly gawping as they went past.

The hero gave a satisfied hum as he sucked up the last of the noodles. His heterochromic gaze snapped up abruptly, all calmness vanishing in a split second, and for a heart-stopping moment, Izuku thought he might finally have been noticed, but-

A loud crash came from behind him, and he whipped around just in time to watch a car roll through the front of the restaurant and phase through him. Izuku shivered at the sensation and instantly leapt to his feet, glancing back to check the patrons and feeling a modicum of relief at the wall of ice protecting them. Todoroki let out a breath of cold vapour, disdainfully side-eyeing the tipped car. Smoke trailed out from underneath the crumpled bonnet, and the windscreen was completely shattered. Both heroes turned their attention to the destroyed front of the restaurant and cautiously headed towards it.

Civilians outside were rushing around in a panic. Izuku peered around to try and work out what had caused the car to careen so violently off-course – because it clearly wasn't an accident. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but-

His head snapped up to see a villain with a spider Quirk clinging to the side of the building, another car carefully suspended with silk just above the entryway. Izuku glanced over his shoulder to see Todoroki slowly padding towards the street, completely unaware of the trap he was about to step into. He gritted his teeth and widened his stance, channelling all his determination into the desire to intervene, watching as his friend blithely stepped through the wrecked wall and directly underneath the webbed car. The villain cut the threads, and Izuku leapt up with his arms raised, putting the force of his whole body behind the attack and slamming into the belly of the car, pushing it off course just enough for it to thud to the ground right in front of Todoroki.

Izuku landed lightly and spun to watch as the villain shot panicked webs towards his friend, who instantly lit up his left side and ignited the silk. It acted like a wick and led the flames directly to the villain, and whilst they were panicking, Todoroki sent up a controlled wave of ice to encase them in a solid block. Unable to cling to the wall with the extra weight, the spider villain fell to the pavement, creating a small crack through the ice upon impact. Todoroki calmly placed his palm on the block and froze it over again, blankly staring at the villain who tried to squirm and hiss. He turned his head to examine the fallen car, a perplexed crease between his brows.

"Strange," he muttered to himself.