Chapter Text
[Last edited 10/10/2024]
Sirens blared through busy streets as the peace of a normal work day was shattered by the chaos of a villain attack. Smoke trailed towards the brilliant blue sky, leaking from unstable buildings, as brightly clad figures flew between the structures. From a distance, it looked like a choreographed dances interrupted by violent clashes. Waves of civilians fled the scene or tried to find shelter in some of the intact structures around the city. While most were escaping the area, a few did the opposite, delving into chaotic area with sirens sounding off. Then again, some would argue that to work as an emergency responder, you had to be a little crazy.
Passing through the barrier erected by police officers, an ambulance sped onto the field, dodging debris, and racing to reach the triage areas set up on site. The tires screeched as the driver of the ambulance wiped the vehicle around so that the back was facing the heart of the scene. It came to a rough stop, jostling the people and equipment inside. This spared colorful commentaries from the passengers as the doors flew open. Five people jumped out, clad in blue jumpsuits with white helmets. They rushed to the triage area with large black boxes in hand. Behind them, several more similar vans also came to a stop but in a much calmer fashion.
Emerald eyes focused on analyzing the scene, taking in the full scope of what they would be dealing with. The damage roadway was nearly empty, save for rubble, trashed cars and several bodies laid out on the pavement with a few police officers paired off alongside firefighters. The area was swarmed in the sounds of emergency responders trying to contain the situation, intermingled with the cries of scared children and panicked adults trying to make sense of what had happened. The sound of distant impacts and explosions could be heard from the ongoing conflict else wear. Izuku Midoriya cursed under his breath as he counted ten possible patients within his line of sight alone. There was a large white tarp laid out near an intact building where there were a few people already bandaged and stabilized. A handful of people in what looked to be tattered business wear were already huddled under some shock blankets.
“Koga, Ayame, see if anyone needs to be rushed back. Don’t let Koko drive.” His voice held an authoritative tone but hints of fond exasperation softened the edges of his orders.
A tall woman with long brown hair tied back into a braid looked offended at the statement as two of their fellow responders only smirked and rushed towards the triage area, backboards in hand. “I wasn’t that ba-” The woman started to speak before the shorter man cut her off, not really having time to argue.
“Koko, Kai, help with the new arrivals.” Izuku pointed to small group being lead out from one of the damaged building, one of which was drenched in blood and being carried by a firefighter. From a quick assessment, the male and female following seemed mostly fine only in shock as they walked on their own, no obvious limp or impairments. The look of indignant offence shifted to one of focused determination as Koko simply nodded and ran to assist the group. Alongside her was a rather large build man with spiky red hair who forever held a look of intense focus. Izuku nodded, clutching the yellow backboard tighter as he ran further down the street. More EMT’s rushed onto the scene to assist in treatment.
Black boots clomped against the rough asphalt as Izuku's eyes scanned the scene for any clues of what could have happened. The quick reports that had been given over the radio had mentioned several outbreaks of Trigger, one of the more frustrating and dangerous drug epidemics to have hit this part of the city in recent months. At first, it started slow, one or two sightings every other week, but as time moved forward, the incidents were becoming more frequent and dangerous. Two people had died to the drug in the past two weeks alone and that didn’t include any casualties from the civilians who were attacked.
Izuku slid to a stop beside a police officer who was knelt next to an unconscious woman, holding pressure to a bleeding wound on her right side. Interestingly enough, the woman was dressed in normal business clothes, but sporting a pair of shiny quirk-suppressant handcuffs.
“Status?” the paramedic questioned, already kneeling down to assess the woman. He strapped a device to her upper right arm before pressing a button, causing it to beep sharply as the cuff started to inflate. He quickly flipped the latch opened and reached his gloved hands into the box beside them. He pulled out a translucent roll of tape wrapped in plastic. Wasting no time, he tore the package open, unrolling the material.
“Seems to be part of an outbreak of some sort. 27 year old female dosed with Trigger. No medical card-” There was an almost violent twist in Izuku's stomach as she mentioned the drug. His mind started running even faster but he breathed, forcing his mind to focus on what was in front of him and words that were being spoken. “-kind of plant quirk but got into a fight with a ball of razor blades. Midnight’s mist brought the group down,” the officer explained moving his hands as the green-haired paramedic splashed saline onto the wound, cleaning away the blood to show a deep gash in the woman's side. Crimson started to ooze to the top as the wound bled freely. The pool beneath her was an obvious sign she had lost quite a bit already. There was another quick splash of saline before he ripped the 4 inch wide tape and pressed it over the wound, making sure the edges of the wound were close together and that every inch of skin around it was met with the tape. Red pooled against the semi translucent tape but did not seep through or around the wound. For now the bleeding would be controlled. However this was very much a temporary measure. One glance to the device on her arm showed that her blood pressure was low and her heart rate was high and still climbing. The body was trying to compensate and at a high risk of going into shock. Thankfully, her oxygen saturation was at a healthy enough level.
Using a flashlight, he examined her eyes, noting how the pupils were pretty much fully dilated, barely responding to the light stimuli. The woman's lips were parted slightly as she seemed to struggle slightly to breath. The normal pink tongue was discolored and darkened but only slightly at the very tip showing that any use of the drug was recent or rare. It was possible this may have been the only dose at all. This only made the situation more strange. Normally people didn’t dose themselves in the middle of the day at their job.
Another curse slipped under Izuku's breath as he grabbed an IV kit then rolled up the womans sleeve. In a flash, an orange stretchy tourniquet was tied around the arm. “We’ll get her to the hospital. I am guessing there are a few who need to have an escort on the way?” he said as his trained fingers trailed over, subtly palpating, testing for just the right amount of rebound. A hint of blue in the right spot already showed the right place to stick but looks could be deceptive, especially in a quirk society where mutations were common. There was a faint ‘yes’ from the officer beside him which managed to penetrate the title wave of questions and procedures running through his head. He pulled an IV needle from the kit and quickly stuck it into the flesh. Thankfully there was an instant flash of blood in the needle, telling him he had hit the mark just right. Practiced motions took over has he removed the metal needle leaving only the catheter and quickly attached an IV line to it, taping everything in place before pulling the slip knot for the tourniquet.
With quick and gentle movements, the two moved the woman onto the backboard, rushing her to the triage tarp where several IV lines were already being set up and prepped. More people were gathering the injured together as some were being carted off to the hospital. “27, female, plant quirk dosed with Trig, bandaged laceration, symptomatic blood loss,” Izuku rambled off the immediate facts in shorthand as they got a bag of fluids to run on the woman while prepping for transport. Hopefully they had gotten to the woman in time to save her from any lasting injuries.Though in the back of his mind, there was a growing sense of unrest. Outbreak of drug usage? As in multiple people at once? It didn’t make much sense. From the quick glance around he had gotten, the only people around affected were those dressed as if they worked in the area. Along with a scattering of people in more casual clothes. He finally noticed the cuffs around a handful of people. Most of who were either unconscious or cooperating with officials. The only silver lining was the fact that this all happened towards the tail end of the morning rush. Any earlier and the situation would have been much worse.
“We got it from here,” one of the other paramedics started with a thumb up before they moved the woman into one of the awaiting vans.
More were slowly starting to show up to help relieve the police and firefighters who had been doing their best to treat the injured. Izuku took a second to calm his nerves as he removed the blood stained nitrile gloves then tossed them in a red biohazard bag. He needed to focus on the situation, everything else could be tackled when there weren’t anymore people bleeding out. With another breath he turned, jogging back to the med box left behind in the move. Swooping a hand down, he grabbed the strap and continued jogging further down the street, wincing as the box collided with his side painfully but not slowing down. Mind running a million miles a second, his eyes scanned around to see who was still left to assist. However in his search he noticed something. The distant sounds of combat were not so distant anymore.
Shit, shit, shit, shit! The panicked chant grew more fervent as Izuku turned the street corner and spotted a giant raging bull in the distance charging down the street. “Everyone clear the street! Villain incoming!” He yelled, projecting his voice over the chaotic din of the crowd. This caused some of the response crews to pick up the pace in moving people away from the main street. Movement on the other side of the intersection caught Izuku’s eye as he looked to see more people escaping the damaged buildings.
“Over here quickly!” His voice roared over the increased sounds of people trying to coordinate. He waved his arm catching the attention of a few civilians who were trying to flee the area and guided them towards safety. The small crowd of people fled past him towards the rest of the paramedics.
There was a strange sharp sound of crackling ice. A quick glance down the street showed him thick walls of ice being layered every few feet down the street approaching the intersection, right where most people were being evacuated from. There were only a handful of heroes who could create ice in such capacity and so quickly. Just behind the walls, streamers of white could be seen, forming some kind of barrier. Before he could he could catch a glimpse of the hero trying to put up blockades, a sharp cry caught his ear. Snapping his attention in the direction of the sound, he spotted a woman on the road. She appeared to be in rough shape. She was attempting to stand but was obviously having trouble getting to her feet.
The sound of tearing paper and thunderous cracks of demolished ice grew louder and more oppressive with each second that ticked by. The ground trembled beneath Izuku's feet, sending terrifyingly powerful vibration up his body and only adding to the sheer terror of the approaching force.
Without a second thought, the box was dropped on the sidewalk as Izuku bolted across the street. The only sound in his ears in that moment was his own heartbeat. His gaze was firmly locked on the impaired woman scrambling to get to her feet. Thankfully, she managed to at least get part way standing enough for Izuku to bend low and catch the young woman. Strong arms wrapped around her waist. His legs kept moving, dragging the woman slightly before she was hoisted over his shoulder. Better to have a few scrapes and scratches than to be trampled to death. The move was far from smooth as his legs nearly tripped up with the sudden weight and trembling ground. Still, the pressure to survive was much greater as Izuku continued his mad dash across the street, carrying the woman into a narrow alley between the buildings.
There was a sudden explosion. Chunks of the ice wall flew into the intersection, causing the pair to flinch and the woman to scream. Izuku slid the woman to the ground using his larger frame to shield her the best he could. The paramedic risked a look over his shoulder. Through the narrowed perspective of the ally way, he saw an enormous bull standing nearly ten feet from hoof to shoulder and impossibly buff. Long pointed horns stood proudly on its head as it let out an almost unearthly sound. Splattering of what could only be assumed as blood colored the ivory horns and chocolate brown fur. The eyes of the beast were nearly white as its long darkened tongue lolled out of its mouth. To most, it was a downright terrifying sight. The creature bucked, powerful legs shattering what was left of the ice wall behind it as it let out another mix of a bellow of rage and demonic braying.
A blur of blue slid past, a trail of ice encasing the beast’s left side. It bucked wildly, flexing its muscles and forcefully contorting its body to shatter the ice. Powerful hooves slammed into the ground, causing a tremor to ripple out. There was a heart wrenching crack as the buildings around them swayed and creaked. The foundation was already compromised and chunks of the buildings crumbled on the ground with thunderous noise. A white ribbon shot out from a higher vantage point, beyond the narrowed view, wrapping up around the bull’s neck and upper body. Before it could attempt to buck there was another lash of ice binding it from the front along with its legs. This did nothing but anger the bull more. It thrashed around violently and let out a deafening cry of pure rage. There was the sound of tearing as it appeared that the cloth was close to ripping and the ice seemed to crack under the force.
The beast was about to break free once again when, out of nowhere, a white and gold figure shot up from the ground, fist extended. A devastating punch was rocketed upwards, straight into the bull’s chin. With the flourish of a red cape the figure shouted, “POWEEEERRRR!” A shock wave radiated from the punch, shaking the area around them. The powerful burst of air nearly knocked over everyone in range.
A heartbeat of silent awe passed. Izuku watched with a myriad of feeling surfacing in that moment. Amazement, relief, and excitement, maybe a hint of jealousy and heartache. They all fluttered in Izuku’s chest as he watched the famous Lemillion deal the final blow. A huge bright smile on the hero's face, one that would rival with All Might’s, back in the days.
The moment past as quickly as it came. Everyone breathing a collective sigh of relief as the bull went limp against the restraints. Cheers and applause arose from the crowds surrounding the intersection, congratulating the brave heroes for stopping the rampaging creature. Izuku’s eyes trailed from the impressive muscular figure of Lemillion to the beast, his eyes narrowing slightly at the black tongue hanging limply from its mouth. The woman beside him shifted, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts. He looked to the woman with a slight smile, “Looks like we’re safe now. Can you walk?” he asked gently as he slowly stood up, keeping a supportive hold on the shaken woman.
“Y-y-yes th-thank you,” She breathed a shaky sigh as she held onto the young man for support. She tried her best to be self sufficient, despite the obvious wound on her right leg.
“No thanks necessary,” Izuku replied as he guided her right arm over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around her to help stabilize her gait. He started to move towards the exit of the ally way.
“Everyone alright in there?” A voice called as a white, yellow and black clad figure appeared around the corner of a building. The helmet on his face sported the same color scheme and looked very similar to a tape dispenser.
A light of recognition went off in the EMT’s mind as he recognized the hero as part of the new batch who graduated from UA a little over a year ago. Cellophane, if he remembered correctly. Izuku nodded, giving a slight smile. “Roughed up a bit but everything should be okay.”
“Here, let me help!” Cellophane moved to help him escort the injured woman to the triage area. Izuku glanced over to the hero, a small bubble of giddiness bubbling up. His inner fanboy started to surface from under the work focused mental space he had adopted. Despite being told he could never be a pro hero by his Idol, he couldn't bring himself to hate or even dislike the hardworking people who tried to keep them safe.
Izuku was about to thank him when there was a crack from above. The buildings on either side of them started to crumble. Glancing up, he saw chipped bricks of concrete fall from a large chunk of the building about to collapse. The EMT shifted, forcing his two companions to move back and hopefully out of harm's way. A hand suddenly shot around the corner. Cold air burst down the narrow passage, followed quickly by ice forming along the wall and creating a thick archway above the trio. There was a loud CRACK as some rubble hit the makeshift overhang before tumbling harmlessly away into the back of the ally.
“You really need to be more careful with your surroundings,” a monotone voice spoke up as another hero appeared around the corner, hand still placed firmly against the wall. He was clad in a simple blue jumpsuit, not too dissimilar to Izuku’s. It was the distinctive white and red hair which gave him up easily. The hero Shouto was standing there, scanning the area with mismatched eyes and trademark poker face. This only cause more flutters of giddiness to surface in Izuku, despite nearly being piled under more rubble. Had he been younger, he would have probably asked them both of an autograph. Hell! If he wasn’t on the clock, he would have at least attempted to get a picture.
“Ahck! Thanks for the save!” Cellophane replied rubbing the back of his neck with a free hand. “Probably best if we get out of the danger zone!” He suggested, tone slightly stressed and unnerved but upbeat.
Izuku nodded slightly. “Thank you for the assistance!” he said with a bright grin as they moved out into the open. Shouto simply nodded, face remaining neutral. Emerald eyes couldn’t help but spot large patches of ice coating the right side of his body. There was a subtle tremor in in right arm. Before Izuku could say anything, the hero turned away, quickly moving to help with the clean up and support the compromise buildings. Small trails of steam wisped off of him as the patches started to shrink. Izuku filed the small tidbit of info away for later focusing back on his job.
The energy and stress of the scene seemed to wane slightly as the threat was neutralized, leaving mostly clean up and recovery efforts to continue with little impairment. Reporters slowly started to filter out of their hiding spots and out into the open to get their big scoop. Photos were taken as the large bull was restrained and sedated before being put in a large trailer by Lemillion. Those affected by Trigger and unharmed were pulled into cops cars while any who were injured continued to be treated and sent to the hospital.
Analytical eyes scanned over the scene as thing started to wrap up, taking in the full aftermath. Bodies scattered as buildings were chipped away and made unsafe. The heroes had kept collateral damage to a minimum but there were large trails of ice which would need to be chipped away as well. He could only imagine the amount of people in other parts of the city where the path of destruction had reached.
In the distance more fighting could be heard, though it seemed to be far less than before. Sirens echoed through the streets, signaling that more emergency response units were already covering the other affected areas. How full were the emergency rooms going to be? How many people would end up hospitalized? Or with lasting injuries? Possibly even worse. The most frustrating part was that big incidents were no longer as rare as they used to be. Even with investigation units and hero agencies trying to track down the source of Trigger, very little progress had been made. Granted the drug wasn’t the only thing going wrong in the city. Villains popped up on a regular basis, making life difficult for people just trying to go about their daily business. It was infuriating at times! Still… seven counted Trigger uses in one outbreak case? It was unheard of and extremely concerning.
A hard knock on the back of his helmet snapped Izuku out of his train of thought as he flinch forward on reflex. He wiped around to come face to face with the annoyed azure gaze of a familiar brunet. Her lips were pressed into a thin frown, hardening her heart shaped face as she crossed her arms. “What have we told you about running out into danger!” Kokoro scolded as she glared down at the green haired paramedic.
Izuku fidgeted slightly as he avoided her annoyed eyes. “Not to, but listen it was either rush in or have her get trampled!” He argued, motioning to the triage area where the young woman was sitting with a blanket around her shoulders. There were crutches resting beside her as her ankle was bandaged but other than that there were no other injuries. He would call that a win overall! “Besides you still drive like a manic even with us telling you to slow down.”
“Yeah, last time I checked, I’ve never been in an accident! The last time you pulled a stunt like that, you ended up needing to be rushed back on a stretcher!” Koko pointed out with a huff, hands on her hips as she shook her head. Though her posture read as aggressive, concern showed in her eyes. He couldn’t really blame her if she was angry though. He never really could shake off his little ‘habit’. Something dangerous happened and you could be sure that he would end up in the middle of it, trying to help as many people as he could. A majority of the time, he would come out with very few injuries but other times, he hadn’t been so lucky.
Aches rippled along his chest, phantom pains from injuries that had healed for the most part. There was still small twinges of discomfort whenever he stretched a certain way but he had been told he had been lucky that none of the damage had been permanent. The injuries had landed him on bed rest for a week and light duty for at least a month after that. He had been going stir crazy the entire time. His only solace was the notebooks his friends had brought so he could entertain himself with copious amounts of note taking and theorizing.
“I’ll be careful, honest,” Izuku stated holding his hands up defensively. He gave the most sincere and innocent expression he could muster. Despite growing in height and honing his body to be more athletic, he retained a youthful boyish appearance. As annoying as it was sometimes, it did at the very least help him get his way a little more than he should.
“Let’s just focus on wrapping things up here so we can see if there are any other stations which need back up,” he stated, knowing full well that the conversation wasn’t over. It probably would never be over, truth be told. Even after giving up on becoming a pro hero and resolving to be a hero in a different way, he couldn’t break the need to save someone from a dangerous situation. Most times it was involuntary! His body moved faster than his brain could keep up. Many times with very little self preservation in mind.
Giving into the request, Koko just sighed and nodded, knowing their day was still far from over. The heroes had already retreated from the scene, called off to more trouble somewhere else in the city. More messes to clean up and more people to save.
~x~x~x~
The day had been a long and arduous one; that much could be agreed on by everyone who responded to villain attacks. Perhaps it was just because the weather was finally warming up and more people just wanted to be active. Perhaps it was a full moon? There was no real way to tell but it had been one of the hardest days for Izuku for many reasons. His green hair stuck out messily in all directions, still damp from the shower he had taken at the hospital after clocking out. He slouched against the seats of the train, barely paying any mind to his co-workers as they chatted beside him, complaining about how hard the day had been. His mind kept wandering back to the same place it had been all day instead.
Despite keeping focused on the tasks in front of him, there was a gnawing feeling in the back of his mind. He had lost count on the number of people he had helped stabilize and treat throughout the day but it felt like it wasn’t enough. He was simply helping to treat the symptoms. Acting as an anti-pyretic to dull the fevered effects of an infection which kept on raging inside the city. One that was starting to fester and spread, growing rampantly. Unchecked with its cause unknown. It was an illness that had been left for far too long and he couldn’t just treat the symptoms any more. If nothing else, he had to do something to help find the source of the infection and eliminate it. That was what he did as a healthcare professional: find the source of the problem and do everything he could to get rid of it so long as it benefited the patient.
A sudden pressure on his forehead pulled his mind back to the present. The swaying of the train car and rhythmic thumping of the tracks became clear. The world pulled back into focus, unblurring to the sight of Koko’s frown once more. Her blue jumpsuit had been traded for a brown jacket, green sweater and jeans. “Quit zoning out, your stop is next.” Despite her tired and annoyed expression, her voice was gentle and only vaguely scolding.
Izuku smiled softly as he shifted in his seat stretching his arms over his head. Several of his vertebra popped before his shoulders slouched forward in exhaustion. “Thanks, not sure what I’m going to do without you to make sure I don’t miss my stop,” he chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. A somber mood settled between them. With all of the activity and constant stream of calls, everyone had been focused on getting from emergency to emergency with little time in between to really focus on anything else. Plans to meet up and go drinking after work had been tossed around to celebrate Izuku’s last day with their team but everyone had been dead on their feet leaving the hospital. Izuku would rather it that way though, even if it was chaotic and hellish, it was still better than his friends being sad that he was moving on. A small thrill of excitement still fluttered in his chest at the idea of not only starting somewhere new but of working with the very heros he had spent years looking up to.
“Just don’t die please.” Koko sighed heavily. “You're just lucky Team Idaten only had one opening for a paramedic, otherwise I would have gone with you.”
“Awe, Koko. You do care.” Izuku gave a heartfelt grin as he felt his eyes become a bit watery. For all the bickering and small snide remarks, the two had grown as close as siblings through their schooling and training. They had been through hell together and it was almost scary going to work without her around to watch his back.
“Pfft of course! Someone had to keep your ass out of trouble. I swear If I find out that you got yourself killed I will defib you back just to kick your ass!” The brunette threatened jabbing her finger into his chest to emphasize her point.
“Awe but I wanted you to give my eulogy and everything.” Izuku smirked slightly. He knew their sense of humor was dark but it was a common trend among health care professionals. How else could they cope with have the stuff they saw and dealt with?
“I am not going to your funeral.” Koko turned her head away in a huff.
“Then I will just haunt you,” Izuku threatened with a small chuckle before noticing how annoyed Koko really was. She was always in the tough love camp when it came to people she cared about. The strict older sister who stood up for everyone and made sure no one messed with their team. Softer, more empathetic emotions weren't her strong suit but Izuku had learned to pick up on the small cues over time, like the way she toyed with the end of her ponytail, or subtle glimmer in her eyes. He shook his head and gave his trademark warm and bright smile. “I promise to be observant and try stay safe Kokoro,” he said in a confident tone.
Blue eyes shifted to meet green as she turned to face him once again. “You better,” she said softly. Overhead, a feminine monotone voice chimed announcing the next stop.
Izuku glanced up at the speakers before his gaze settled on Kokoro again. “You sure you don’t want me to walk you home?” he offered gathering the strap to his worn messenger bag and looping it over his shoulder before rising to his feet. As he shuffled forward, a young girl slipped behind him to take a seat on the crowded train.
“Pfft as if anyone would try something on me,” Koko stated with an air of confidence, “Besides, if you make it all the way to my place there is no way I’m letting your half dead ass go back home alone. You’ll end up on the other side of the city. Again.”
Izuku chuckled scratching the back of his head. “You’re probably right,” he agreed, his grip on the holding rail tensing as the train started to slow down. Everyone in the car swayed in the same direction.
“Hey,” Kokoro’s voice spoke up once more, holding a harder edge to it this time. Izuku to look up at her, curiosity shined through the exhaustion which reflected in his evergreen eyes. “Go home, eat and get rest. I mean it. I will send Ichigo to check on you if I have to,” she threatened poking him in the chest once more.
Izuku put his hands up, “I will, I will! No need to go all big sister on me,” he said, stumbling a bit as the train came to a full stop. Quick reflexes made it so he caught the bar before he could fall over completely. A small sigh escaped him as he looked to Kokoro once more. “I’ll go home and rest. Promise. Text me when you get home!” he said moving towards the exit.
“Only if you sleep!” Kokoro called giving a wave.
Izuku spared one last glance back to his friend, flashing a smile before crossing the threshold out into the fresh air of the open train station. Despite holding an almost biting chill, it was refreshing to be out of the crowded enclosed space. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Izuku watched the train leave the station. A small twinge of guilt stirred in him but it was quickly pushed a side. He shook his head and started the trek to his apartment. He would rest, right after some coffee and a nice long walk. Perhaps a bit of snooping around. There was still a city to help cure.