Chapter Text
Chaos always comes when it is least expected.
It is hard to imagine the sky was blue once. Grey clouds stretch over the horizon, held up by large pillars of smoke. Fires and pits litter the ground already haunted by the ghosts of ruined buildings. The air is hazy with unsettled dust and ash.
It’s barely been a year since everything started to fall apart, but it feels like decades have passed.
A few years ago people would be horrified to find their coworkers turning up dead. Now it is considered lucky if the bodies are not moving, chasing the living, tattered in pieces.
Countries are lost one by one. Battles are fruitless. They fight and retaliate even as they get cornered day by day, simply because they cannot afford to give up.
They can’t lose hope.
Not when Justice ensures to punish the wicked.
For no loss shall come when Victory arrives on the battlefield.
There shall be no pain nor suffering, as Rescue appears whenever help is needed.
No fear and tears nay, for Freedom makes sure the night does not cover the light in its shadows.
And for love not lost, with Spirit reminding them what time had nearly forgotten, washing away the pain with soft melody uttered on silken lips.
Pushing through the odds, they trudge forward till' the scales are tilted to a balance. But they can only reach so far without each other, held together by the one who bears the burden of hope all by himself.
The one that keeps the heroes and civilians going, what throws the villains off the last step for their win, the one word promise that keeps burning hot and bright despite their circumstances.
It is Hope.
Deku.
—·∞·—
Midoriya Izuku got the title of Number One Hero when he was only 24. He was 26 when he lost his most treasured person in a villain attack, 27 when he was about to propose to the love of his life, when the catastrophe happened. He was left wounded with an invisible scar on his heart.
Uraraka Ochako was only 20 when she obtained her title as a rescue hero, 22 when she married the love of her life, 23 years old when she found their third and another year before the three of them moved in together. Her love for them multiplied with each passing day until she was 28, when one of them was cruelly taken from her.
Midoriya Izuku and Uraraka Ochako have history together. They have supported each other in a way nobody else did. They’ve fought together, tooth and nail for the sake of everybody else, harder and spilled more blood than anybody else. All to make up for what they lost to guilt and regret.
That is why they are the only ones here, in the Resistance’s meeting room, the last to stay behind before a very important mission that could tip the scale even further in the heroes’ favor.
“Okay, we’re wrapped up everything we have to do. But… I’m still unsure about bringing Kouta. I really don’t want to put him in a dangerous mission like this, Ochako.”
“What else can we do, Izu? Either you let him tag along or he’ll make himself come anyway.” Ochako fiddles with her braids, “If it’s for Eri, he would find ways to sneak out no matter what cuff we slap on him. And I’d rather not have to worry about that while we’re under attack from the Noumus.”
Izuku stretches back on his chair, sighing, “I wish I was smarter back then. What good does that kid get, modelling after a reckless teen as his idol?”
Ochako snorts, moving forward slightly to the momentum of her chair, “You were always smart, even back then! It’s just the circumstances now don’t really play that kind of reckless behaviour a favor.”
She bumps the greenette’s shoulder gently, “He will make a great hero, you know. You just need to put some faith in him. A bit.”
“And the people dubbed me as the force of positivity.”
Ochako grins and shakes her head, brown braids swaying gently from the movement, “I’m not positive , I’m just this giant ball of rage when you talk yourself down like that. It’s better if I encourage you than go out punching people in the face for no reason.”
Izuku rolls his chair back, fully leaning into his seat. It creaks faintly from the added weight. “Well me too, honestly. Our teachers were lucky we weren’t twins! Imagine the chaos we’d unleash.”
The last bit is added with a huff of amusement. They both spare a moment to imagine spending their childhood together.
The moment breaks by itself as their minds come back from the weight of reality. Izuku stands up, causing more rickety noises from the chair, and puts his hand on the table.
“You’re going to visit the recovery ward after this?”
“Yeah. He should be done reporting to her by now. I’ll try and make it quick. We only have 3 hours after all.” Ochako eyes Izuku with a teasing grin, “That’s enough time to get a quickie, right ?”
Instantly, the greenette’s face erupts into a blush. “Ochako, if not for the laws of this land I’d murder you!” Izuku’s voice breaks as he waves his hand, trying to hit Ochako as hard as he could.
Ochako giggles as she dodges, cackling like a hyena with her escape, “See you at the bay, Izu! Remember, we need you to be able to walk straight!”
Ochako jogs a little bit more until she’s sure Izuku isn’t catching up to her, then slows down into a walk. She traverses the halls for a good few minutes until she arrives at her destination. The woman gives the door a faint knock and opens it.
A gruff voice welcomes her before she even sets foot into the room.
“What took you so long?”
There is a bed in the middle of the room. It obscures the source of the voice from the door at an angle, until Ochako moves closer. Now she can clearly see the bed occupant and the guest.
“Sorry, Deku wanted to go over some last minute details with me-”
Her apologies are cut short with a pair of lips on her own. The kiss ends before she can kiss back, “Don’t apologize to me , dumbass. You made her wait.”
The ever present stern expression on his face betrays the soft instructions he’s giving her right now.
She nods, “You’re right, but I’m still sorry for making you wait as well, Katsu.”
Katsuki stands up to the blinking notification on the monitor and one handedly adjusts the IV. The brunette turns to the sleeping form on the bed with a smile, pulling another chair to sit.
“Hi Tsu-chan. I’m back.”
On the other end of the building, a door opens, revealing a minimalistic interior with the bare essentials.
A voice calls from the inside, “Welcome home, Izuku.”
“I am here.”
The door closes with a soft click. Izuku steps in further and takes his shoes off to place them on the rack. He looks around, trying to figure out which room the sound came from. He walks to their bedroom, and finds the man he’s looking for sitting on the bed with a book in his hand.
He walks to that side, bending down to kiss his boyfriend’s forehead. He sighs, breathing in the grounding scent. His lover notices this, putting away the book as one hand roams through the greenette’s waist and pulls him down into an embrace. “Tough day?”
Izuku hums, nuzzling his face to the swirl of curly hair. Moments like these make him want to freeze time. He wants to stay like this forever, but he has a mission soon and the thought of leaving hurts. Especially now, as his lover’s head rests against his heart like this, feeling his warm breath through his clothes.
“Izuku.” the voice calls out to him, “What do you need?”
“You.” Izuku whispers while his hold tightens around the broad shoulders, desperate to hold himself together, “Just you.”
The raven haired man shifts his position to let Izuku climb onto the bed. Izuku gladly takes the invite and prods further into the embrace. He stays there for a while.
Izuku knows his boyfriend is not the most touchy person, never too keen about expressing this kind of sentiment. Yet whenever Izuku starts to fall apart, he never hesitates in holding him close, knowing how his touch always helps in grounding the younger man.
“When are you leaving?”
Izuku looks at his watch. The seconds seem like they’re going too fast. “I have 2 more hours before I need to suit up.”
“That’s enough.” He receives in lieu of a reply as the hands around his waist tighten and shift position. “I’m already done with this one.”
Taking the hint, Izuku pulls away from the hug and picks the phone from the bedside table. He unlocks it and scrolls through an app filled with titles for stories. “What kind of story do you want? Short? Sci-fi?”
When he doesn’t receive an immediate answer, Izuku chalks it up as his lover trying to pick a genre or remembering a title. But more minutes pass and he starts getting worried.
The hand that was lax now grips his shirt tightly, causing the fabric to stretch.
“Shouta?”
“Come back to me.” His voice cracks. He swallows, then continues, “Promise me Izuku, promise me you’ll come back to me. Alive.”
One hand lets go of his shirt, unsurely hovering in the space between them. Izuku leans into the palm, closing his eyes as he hears Shouta say, “Please.”
A memory flashes behind his eyelids. He sees bloodied hands sprawled on an open chest, lower ribs cracked open like a butterfly’s wings. The smell of burnt flesh, raw blood, iron and copper is overwhelming. The face is covered by long locks of blond hair. He hears muffled cries of desperation. That’s not how a human supposed to look, he’s not supposed to be this empty, he promised mesowhydoeshelooklikethis why-
The green eyes open once again, and he bends down, Izuku breathes, touching their foreheads. This is a sight he can’t take for granted. As if sensing him, Shouta looks up so their face aligns, letting the younger man to study his lover’s face better.
Aizawa Shouta looks exactly as he was 7 years ago, long lashes, thin lips, high cheekbones and a scar accompanied with rugged facial hair that further accentuate the badass look that would make any person fall for his charm.
Even with hollow sockets for eyes and sunken eyelids, Aizawa Shouta is still the most beautiful man Izuku has seen.
“I promise.” The young man says, eyes fixated on his love still as he mutters, “I'll come back to home to you. Alive and kicking.”
Shouta's grip on the shirt falls, his palm now cupped above Izuku's heart as the older man makes himself comfortable in the crook of his green haired lover's neck, a sign of satisfaction. Izuku lets him. He places the phone back and drapes one of his arms over. He traces the scar on the cheek, catching with the long locks of dark hair in his fingers.
They relish in the comfortable silence, basking in each other's presence for the next couple of hours. Then Izuku's timer goes off and he has to leave. He smiles, and as his routine he reminds his partner-
“I love you.”
Shouta’s furrowed brows relax, and his lips curl upwards forming the most breathtaking smile that effortlessly sears itself onto Izuku's mind, temporarily overwriting the pain.
“I love you too.”
Izuku feels like the three words can’t quite capture the extent of his feelings for the man.
—·∞·—
Most of the operations before the heroes are launched out take place at the Docking Bay.
Currently, the place is bustling with energy. The remaining support crew, mixed with some armed civilians, are the cause of the noise- from doing repairs, construction of weapons and loading of essential objects for their mission.
In the far corner three figures huddle together near a table. There’s one sitting on the floor cross-legged with eyes closed and cables protruding from the back, while the other two stand hunched over stacks of blueprint papers and pointing at various details.
The one on the floor cracks open one eye and smiles at the newcomers, “Yoo Deku! Uravity! Took you guys a while to get here!”
“Nice to see you finally taking a break, Chargebolt,” Izuku says. It is obvious he is smiling behind his mouth guard. “Do any of you know where Genesis is?”
Momo nods, “Mimikyu knocked her out, she's resting over there.”
She points at a nearby workbench where the pink haired woman is resting. She is still in full work clothes although the top buttons are unfastened and the gloves, goggles and shoes are neatly piled next to her.
“I swear Creati, if you hadn’t told us she was out cold, I would think she was dead.” Ochako wheezes as she puts down a box with a soft thump. “Got some refreshments for you guys, courtesy of Temperance~”
“Ahh thank goodness, we need sustenance A.S.A.P.! These better be worth dying for or I'm starving myself until next Monday.” the last figure said flatly. Already digging out food from the box, he sets them on the table as Momo moves the paper away. “Well, would you look at that! He even threw us some cheese! Creati, you want a salmon sandwich or beef?” He says with a full mouth, eating with reckless speed.
Ochako chuckles at the antics, “You can thank him later if you want, right now we're here to pick up some gears.” At that the blond stops chewing, puts the rest of the second sandwich onto the table and dusts off his hands. He swallows painfully, wincing, “Ah yeah it's almost done. Chargebolt is, well, charging some of them at the moment. The rest is already good to go. Here, let us show you what's upgraded.”
The trio take charge in suiting up the other heroes, telling the two of them whatever new features they added and what was removed from their hero gadget. There’s not a lot of changes, but they are important. These costumes not only protect them from ambushes and attacks, but also keep them from dying.
With the extra help, it is quicker than the two heroes expected. They test the gears on them and marvel a little on each other's design.
It goes the same for the other three, Momo gushing over the importance of the new armours while the other took over to explain the mechanism for the improved pulse bomb. Denki pipes up every now and then, adding some of his last brain cells on the conversation by mostly quoting dead memes for responses. Overall, they all catch up and have a couple of laughs.
The alarm on Izuku's wrist beeps again. Hatsume shoots up from her sleep with a scream, wide eyes sweeping over her surroundings, the crosshair pupils quickly narrowed in anger at the blond.
“Neito- the fuck?!”
“You're welcome, sleeping beauty,” Monoma Neito smirks, “Also, no using civilian name on the hangar, or did you forget that as well?”
“Well fuck you! How long did I pass out?!”
“Exactly 3 hours and 43 minutes,” Momo answers in lieu of her friend, “Power Loader said you haven't slept for 5 days, you're probably just going to pass out later anyway.”
Hatsume slaps a hand on her face and groans, “Ugh that bastard! I already told him I'm getting enough naps!”
The coworkers sigh loudly, and her shoulders droop, “Fine, I took the damn nap- no thanks to you P.T, and now what?! You let these two put on their gears without my supervision?! What if it doesn’t work, or they can’t turn the gears, or some malfunction happened while I was asleep- what were you three thinking?!”
“Genesis!”
Izuku's stern tone cuts off Hatsume from her rant. She looks like she has more to say, but stops herself, huffing.
“I understand that you're upset with these two not following the protocol,” Izuku's tone is sympathetic but firm, “However I was present when you were developing these gears, and also remember every detail for the upgrades we asked for. So unless there was something you added without I and Uravity's knowledge, Creati and Phantom Thief have already explained everything and made sure the support gears ran exactly as they intend to.”
Hatsume folds her arms and slouches, scowling, “I don't like this, Deku. You know that I hate being kept out of the loop.”
“And as much as you hate it, you also need to rest, Genesis, we can't afford to lose you to exhaustion.” Izuku gently pats her shoulder, an easy feat since he's almost a head taller than the woman, “Please leave the rest of the work to the others, Mei. We want to come back and find you fully rested, because I definitely will have some ideas to run with you afterwards.”
It seems to do her in. Hatsume nods lightly and loosens up, chuckling airily as she replies, “If you were not such a charismatic motherfucker, you would definitely make a good villain!”
Izuku's mouth hangs open, “I know for a fact that Uravity can, but why me?!”
Neito seems entirely on board with what his girlfriend just said, “Well, for one-”
“Deku!”
A yell from the door cuts him off. Izuku turns around just in time as Ochako steps aside, and a blur of black and grey tackles the man into a hug. “Hi Eri,” he smiles and runs his hand between the soft white curls. He turns to the other side to acknowledge the other, “Kouta, how's the costume treating you?”
The teen looks to the side as he answers, “It's.. okay, I guess. Not too tight, not hot, and the protective layers work well.” He isn’t meeting Izuku's eyes as usual, a sign that he's more nervous talking to Izuku than the actual mission.
“Glad to know that something managed to survive the field test with you.” Neito said, to which Kouta responds with a ‘ tch ’. The blond continues, ignoring him, “And you Eri? Any discomfort at all while we're here?”
The girl shakes her head enthusiastically, “No!”
Ochako and Izuku can't help but to smile at the sight.
“Sorry to cut your bonding time short,” a voice suddenly pipes up out of nowhere, “-if you all are done here, can you guys go to the drop point already, just to run the plan one last time with the others?”
Hatsume, Momo and Neito went to their work at that point. Kouta and Eri jump back, startled. Izuku just nods, he and Ochako already sensed their friend from the moment he entered the room. “Sure thing, Impulse. C'mon you two let's go!”
Ochako enthusiastically tugged the two teens off Izuku and dragged them to the meeting point, leaving Izuku and the other man to follow behind. The green haired man turned with a smile, about to greet his ally when he's immediately stopped with a hand.
“Save it for when we get back,” the man says, a little muffled behind the waves of the capture weapon looped around his shoulders. “Go on, I'll join you guys later.” He turns towards the work table, looking over a box Denki shoves at him.
Izuku decides to leave it at that. Impulse is right.
He takes a confident step out.
They can do this.
They'll win this and they'll come back.
Alive.
After all, they have a promise to keep.