Chapter Text
The shaking began at 2:38 AM. Blinking lights, the hum of power lines, and the occasional honk of a vehicle filled the otherwise calm air over the Shizuoka Prefecture.
People startled awake in their beds, confused and disoriented. Heroes patrolling the darkened streets looked around furiously, trying to spot a villain that wasn't there. By the passage of the first thirty seconds, most people had come to realize that this was an earthquake. Parents snatched their children from their beds and dove under the kitchen table.
Heroes did what they could to calm the sparse amount of people out on the streets, using whatever Quirks they had to stabilize any damage manifesting along the buildings and streets. The buildings creaked and rumbled under the strain of the earth, cracks beginning to creep outward from the foundations. They crawled up the buildings like vines, sending debris down to the streets below.
By 2:40 AM, dispatched heroes began to arrive. A small child tumbled out of a fifth story window, letting out a scream. Tears escaped his eyes as he trained them on the rapidly approaching concrete sidewalk. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the end. Instead of becoming a stain on the road, he felt a hand smack against his back. He craned his neck to look at who had done it, to find a kind, round face staring down to him.
"Uravity!" he squealed, eliciting a smile from the hero.
"You saved me! Thank- thank you!" he sobbed, squirming in the grip of Uravity's anti-gravity Quirk. As gently as she could, Uravity released the small boy from her Quirk, sending him toward the establishing first-responder tent. She glanced back up toward the crumbling apartment complex, touching her fingertips together to send herself into the air.
The initial rumbling did not cease until 2:41 AM.
By 3:00 AM, a menagerie of heroes had made their appearances to assist in rescue efforts.
"It's Dynamight!"
A small group of already rescued children were huddled beneath a medical tent, one of them staring in wonder at the orange-colored hero. He flashed a sharp smile back at the kid, who grinned in excitement, turning to point out to the other children who was there.
Dynamight leaned from one leg to another, impatiently trying to spot the lead first responder for intel. He came to spot them, only to see them already embroiled in a conversation with Deku.
Deku turned back towards the rickety apartment complex, his expression much more serious than his usual easy smile. Dynamight had begun his trademark snarling scowl, yet softened nearly immediately. He watched Deku return toward him and the rest of the heroes. Deku made eye contact with him, his expression softening into an attempt at his usual grin. Dynamight didn't buy it.
Deku tapped the bluetooth device on his ear. "Nearby heroes, gather by the chief's tent. We're heading in."
Within five minutes, half a dozen heroes joined Deku and Dynamight by the tent. Those heroes included Uravity, Lemillion, Kamui Woods, Frostburn, Red Riot and Froppy.
"Uravity, Lemillion, Kamui Woods. We'll send you three in first, with Uravity and Kamui Woods clearing debris. Of course, if you get into trouble, simply permeate and get out of there. Once we get the okay from you guys, then we'll join you." He glanced about the group of heroes for any dissent, gaining none from anybody, not even Dynamight.
Lemillion nodded to Deku, glancing back and forth between Uravity and Kamui Woods. With a moment of trepidation, the trio entered into the ramshackle building.
Deku turned his attention to the rest of the heroes standing with him. He smiled brightly to the heroes. This show of positivity elicited a scowl from Dynamight.
"I don't need you reassurances, Deku. I'll be fine, and so will they."
Within a few minutes, Kamui Woods's voice came over the radio.
"This area is clear. Uravity and I are coming out with multiple rescued civilians."
Deku entered into the building first, followed by Frostburn, Froppy and Red Riot. A familiar green electricity overtook Deku's form.
"Be careful, okay?" Froppy reminded him, followed by Frostburn's concerned expression.
"We can take it slower." Frostburn offered.
Deku shook his head, his eyes having taken on a shimmering green glow. He smiled kindly, yet to his friends it was anything but reassuring.
"I'll be okay, don't worry. The people in this tower don't have the time for us to take it slow."
With his final words, Deku bounded up the flimsy stairs and disappeared from sight.
The first aftershock hit at 3:32 AM.
The heroes who remained in the building were Deku, Dynamight, Red Riot and Uravity.
Uravity came out of the building through a four-story window, accompanied by two badly injured civilians floating behind her, steadied by cables tying them to Uravity's waist. Dynamight came out about a minute later, jumping through the window. He caught himself by the second floor, using his explosive Quirk to steady himself and the child balanced on his shoulders. Within another minute the shaking had ceased, and Red Riot burst through a first-story window, his chest bleeding and three civilians draped across his shoulders.
Frostburn was the first person who was willing to pose the question.
"Where is Deku?"
The scene was eerily silent, the sound of sirens being the only noise filling the early morning air.
A boom blasted a wall of concrete away from the side of the building, flying into an abandoned section of the street from three floors up.
"It's okay!" A voice rang out over the sirens.
" I am here!"
Cheering from civilians and heroes alike filled the air. Their champion, their Number 1 Hero was okay, and so were the civilians with him.
Deku was exhausted. The stench of broken sewage and death filled his nostrils as he traversed the dilapidated complex. His head throbbed, his eyes blurred from the kicked-up dust and fumes. He had already removed nearly two-dozen people from the clutches of the rapidly deteriorating apartment complex, yet he knew that wasn't enough. This apartment held over a hundred people. There had to be more, he had to find more people.
He ducked under a destroyed hallway, taking a dive into what used to be an apartment.
"Is anyone here?" he called out.
"I'm a hero! Announce yourself, and I'll make sure you get out of here!"
He ceased his movements, listening closely. He could hear the sound of sloshing water, the building shifting and groaning against it's own weight.
"We're in here! Please!"
A small but panicked voice came from under a nearby concrete pillar, decorated with pieces of broken glass and shredded blankets.
The familiar electric warmth of One for All coursed through his body, power radiating outwards in a gentle hum. He carefully extracted the concrete pillar from it's position, discovering two children and a teenager huddled behind it, one of the children clinging to a shambled corpse.
Deku did what he could to smile, nausea swirling in his stomach.
"Hey guys! I'm Deku. I'll get you guys out of here." He gently set the concrete pillar down beside him, pebbles and rocks tumbling down from the ceiling.
"Will you take Momma with us?" asked the child.
Deku glanced down to the body. What used to be these children's presumable mother was now a mangled oatmeal of flesh, crumbled bone and pajamas. The child dug their fingers into the bloody mush, staining their sleeves red.
Deku swallowed the bile rising in his throat. "I can't carry four of you. Another hero will come back for your momma, okay?"
The child looked hesitant, staring back down at the gory pulp of dark hair and gelatinous brain matter.
"You promise? We can't leave without her. She said we were going to the park today."
The other children refused to speak. The teenager was silently sobbing, cradling his younger sister. The younger sister stared off into nothingness, holding her presumably broken wrist in her lap.
Deku smiled shakily, holding out his hand to the boy.
"I promise, they'll come get her so long as it's still safe."
The young boy still seemed hesitant.
"What's your name?" he asked, stepping forward to pick him up.
The little boy took one last glance at his mother before raising his arms to meet the hero.
"Sota." he said softly, clinging to Deku's shoulders.
"You hold on tight to my back, okay? I'm bringing your brother and your sister too."
Sota nodded, crawling over his shoulder and holding onto the clothing of Deku's hero suit, turning to face the other two children.
"What are your names?" he asked. The building groaned in response, causing the older sibling to flinch.
"Ryuto." he managed, nudging his head towards the young girl in his arms. "This is Hana."
"Ryuto." Deku's voice was soft and gentle. "I can see that Hana's arm is hurt. If you can cling to my back with your brother, I can carry her. Is that okay?"
Ryuto looked down at his sister, his expression hesitant and unsure.
"Be careful with her." He posed this as more of a question than a command. Deku nodded vigorously, turning around so that Ryuto could climb onto his back.
The teenager set down his sister, facing her. "You remember the hero Deku, right? He's on TV a lot."
The little girl nodded, her eyes cloudy and expressionless.
"He's gonna carry you, okay-"
The earth began to rumble.
"There's no time. Get on, now!"
Ryuto scrambled onto Deku's back, the hero scooping up the little girl. Deku rushed out of the ruined apartment, running back toward the staircase he came in from. As the rumbling ground strengthened in intensity, the already crumbled staircase fell away, chunks of concrete and rebar destroying any chances of taking the usual way out.
"Okay, new plan."
He dove back toward the end of the hallway, hunching his back to ensure the children could still hang off of him safely.
"This is going to be scary, but it's our only way." Ryuto couldn't tell if Deku was talking to them or to himself.
The vibrant green electricity of One for All manifested along Deku's skin once more.
"SMASH!"
The aftershock began to cease as Deku smashed his way through the concrete wall out to the world. He felt something hot wash down his back. He couldn't tell if the blood belonged to him or to one of the children on his back.
"I am here!"
He shouted, catching the immediate attention of the crowds of first responders and heroes on the ground, three stories below.
The second aftershock hit at 3:46AM.
"Get down here, Deku!"
That voice belonged to Dynamight.
Deku let out a yell as the hallway began to crumble around him.
The first one to be thrown out of the building was Hana. He chucked her out of the building to catch the collapsing ceiling, letting out another cry under the strain of multiple floors collapsed above him.
"Kids, you need to jump. Now! They'll catch you down there, I swear it."
Sota shook his head vigorously.
"Are you kidding? I don't wanna die!"
Deku hung his head for a moment, gritting his teeth together.
"Ryuto, take care of him. Please."
In an impossibly fast movement, Deku snagged both the children off of his shoulders and threw them out the window with all of his might, the building finally coming undone above him.
The children fell, only to be caught by the safety nets that had been set up by the volunteers below. The first person to greet Ryuto and help him out of the net was Frostburn.
"We've got you." he began with, his soft features surprisingly soothing for the fifteen-year old. Frostburn gently pulled him off of the net and dove under the tents, cradling the teenager against his body until the aftershock subsided.
"Where's Deku? He was carrying you and I'd assume your siblings?"
Ryuto looked around wildly, staring back up at the ruined rubble.
"I-I don't know. He-He was carrying us, and then he had to throw my sister, and-"
Ryuto shook his head, trying to process what had happened over the last twenty minutes.
"I think-I-I think that Deku- that Deku is still in there."
Frostburn's eyes widened, glancing back over towards where they had been. The building collapsed entirely, sending dust and debris flying outward and up into the sky.
Frostburn frantically pressed the button on his earpiece, nearly yelling into the microphone.
"The building has collapsed, I repeat. The building has collapsed."
He swallowed hard, watching the dust swirl into the sky.
"Deku is still in there. We need to organize a rescue operation for him and any other survivors that may still be in there. What's our numbers?"
Lemillion's voice comes over the radio.
"46 living. 29 confirmed dead. 52 individuals are unaccounted for."
Frostburn let himself think for a moment, trying to formulate a plan.
"Make that 53 unaccounted for. We need to rescue Deku."
The first thing that Deku's mind registered was cold. He could feel liquid something pooling about his body, running down his limbs and his abdomen. He couldn't feel his right leg, or his right arm.
"Hello?" he croaked, his voice hoarse and damaged-sounding.
"I'm trapped, please - I can't feel my arm, I-" he could feel tears slipping from his eyes as he tried to process what was happening. His memory flashed back to the children he threw out of the building. He clenched his eyes closed, his hopes for a good outcome waning, for him and for the children he rescued.
His head throbbed painfully. Tingling warmth covered his sensations on his right side, from his shoulder to his foot. He tried to move his left side, only to feel and hear the familiar crunch and crack of his bones. He leaned back into his original position, shakily taking in a breath.
His earpiece.
He carefully reached over his head, cautiously running his left hand over his hair to hold down the button to talk.
"Anyone over the radio-" he coughed.
"This is Deku, I'm trapped under debris where the third floor was- please, I'm badly injured, I think-I think my arm is gone, I think-" he sniffed loudly.
"I'm really hurt, please - I need help."
He wasn't even sure if his voice made it across the radio.
Within thirty seconds, Lemillion's voice came over the airwaves.
"We hear you loud and clear, We are going to come and get you."
Deku let out a sigh of relief, choking up.
"Thank you. Fuck, thank you."
"Hey, Midoriya. Hang in there for us, will you?"
This time, the voice belonged to Frostburn. Deku couldn't help but laugh, the reaction causing his chest to burn.
"I'll be right here."
His head swam with fuzzy feelings, jumping from the children before to the heroes frantically scheming to come and find him. His mind shot between heroes, from Dynamight to Uravity to Frostburn.
"I'm scared." he muttered out loud, immediately feeling pathetic as soon as he said it. He reached his arm back over his head, returning it to it's original position.
"Wait, why-" he moved his hand into his line of vision. His left palm was coated in scarlet blood.
"Ah, fuck."
He moved his hand back, pressing his palm into the ground to try to steady his mind.
'My head is definitely bleeding. My bones are broken. I can't feel any of my right limbs. They're crushed. I...I'm crushed. I have oxygen, but who knows how long that'll last? No food, no drinking water.. Fuck. I don't think I believe in miracles... but I could really use one right about now.'
Nausea came in waves, overtaking his stomach and his head. Izuku nearly immediately burst into laughter.
"This is- how can this be going on - I could be okay, how- how am I not okay-"
He squeezed his eyes closed, trying not to cry for the sake of conserving the water in his body. Black spots danced in and out of his vision.
"No, I need to stay awake-" he frantically told himself before slipping into unconsciousness.
4:07AM
"Are you serious? There's no way I'm letting you in there."
The chief of police was insistent. Bakugou was not having it.
"Your fighting style and your Quirk are both far too volatile. You're more likely to kill Deku than to save him."
Bakugou did everything in his power to restrain himself from yanking on the collar of the policeman's uniform.
"I've known Deku since we were both little kids. If anyone will find him quickly in there, it's going to be me."
"Not a chance. There's a tsunami predicted to hit. We're sending in heroes who are better suited for water."
Bakugou opened his mouth to argue, only to close it again once he processed his thoughts. He knew that his average at best swimming abilities would put him in the same position as any regular volunteer.
"Who is going in?"
The chief of police was silent for a moment, keeping direct eye contact with the hero.
"Froppy is an absolute must. We will likely send in Frostburn as well. Lemillion is another asset to this specific kind of mission."
Bakugou curved his mouth into a tight line, scrunching up his face in thought.
"Send me somewhere else, then. I can't just stand here and do nothing."
The police chief nodded, her expression softening.
"I'll make some calls. We'll get back to you within twenty minutes."
With that, she disappeared into the crowd, leaving Bakugou restless and uneasy. He stood on his tiptoes, successfully spotting a head of red-and-white hair.
"Frostburn!"
Hearing his name, the hero jogged over, his expression as unreadable as usual.
"They're going to send you in there to rescue Deku."
Frostburn's reaction was minimal, crossing his arms at the news. He glanced downward, scrunching up his eyebrows. The grip on his left arm tightened, Todoroki gently pushing his pointer finger and middle finger into his skin.
"I thought they would."
Bakugou raised his hand in Frostburn's direction. Todoroki glanced at his palm, then to his face and nodded slowly. Bakugou patted his shoulder with a few hard smacks.
"Go get Deku. He needs you guys right now."
Todoroki wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but he was almost sure that he saw a hint of a smile on Bakugou's lips.
The tsunami hit at 4:32AM.
Midoriya could hear the waves sloshing around on the debris below him, splashing and slowly rising. He let out a string of curses, trying to organize his brain for some kind of strategy yet to no avail. Adrenaline had worn off, leaving him in varying degrees of severe pain. His head throbbed and his back stung.
Within ten minutes, he began to shiver. He grit his jaw together, trying not to allow his teeth to chatter. He carefully reached over his head once more, pressing his fingers to his earpiece.
"I can hear the water moving in. Please, I'm bleeding, I- I don't want to die here."
He could hear the technology crackling in his ear. A loud ringing had overtaken his senses.
"We're coming, Midoriya."
"Who's over the line? Who's coming?"
"Midoriya, it's me. It's Todoroki."
Todoroki's voice was soft and filled with concern. Midoriya let out a loud sigh, a sharp sting radiating throughout his chest.
"I'm sorry, I- please, just - is everybody alright? Are those kids okay- Is Kirishima okay? He was bleeding, I-"
"They're okay. Kirishima is okay. Let us worry about you, we're all worried about you. Conserve your strength, we'll find you."
Todoroki couldn't tell if he was telling that to Midoriya or telling that to himself. They stood upon the bottom of the large pile of rubble, stone mixing in with rebar, tattered furniture and ruined homes alongside other destroyed buildings, slowly beginning to moisten with ocean water.
"Let's get to work."
5:17AM
"Status report?"
"57 living. 42 confirmed dead. 29 unaccounted for, including hero Deku."
Froppy did not feel good about this. The water had risen at least another foot, and the cloudy atmosphere wasn't helping in weather or in spirits.
"Midoriya!" she called out, climbing over a pillar and jumping back into the water.
As a coastal rescue hero, Tsuyu was one of the only people you'd find absolutely at home in floodwaters, sloshing her feet about and yelling out for the injured hero. Todoroki kept up close behind her, freezing any water that blocked his path, Lemillion following along the ice behind him.
"Midoriya! Let us know you're here!" Todoroki called out, his voice hoarse from the near non-stop yelling. Lemillion couldn't help but feel his spirits waning, despite outwardly holding onto his sense of positivity.
Lemillion stepped cautiously onto a ramshackle platform of wood and metal. He loudly tapped his feet against it, spinning around in a little dance.
"Deku! Can you hear this?"
Everyone froze, listening to see if they can hear anything.
"Holy shit."
Froppy's curse elicited a giggle from Lemillion. She perched atop a broken section of concrete, listening closely. Todoroki watched her from his icy platform ten feet below.
"Please follow me, I think I hear him! He's not the only one down here, either. Lemillion, can you go that way?"
She pointed back toward where they came, down a different direction partially blocked by a craggy pile of splintered wood.
"I believe there's survivors back there. Frostburn, please come with me!"
Todoroki nodded vigorously, watching Froppy leap upwards over a pillar and disappearing into another section of the wreckage. Sending his ice upward into the ceiling, he followed her.
5:37AM
Midoriya could feel the water sloshing around his legs and his hips, causing his muscles to spasm painfully.
"Izuku..."
Midoriya glanced around frantically as wide as his range of motion would allow.
"Who-"
The voice sounded too close, too easy.
"How could you get yourself in this?"
"What?"
"Those children sat with their mother's corpse for hours. How could you let them see such things? No child should have to see that."
His vision blurred, spots wiggling about his line of vision as a man came into view. The man wore a three-piece suit, with fluffy black hair and darkened green eyes. Freckles spotted along his nose, riddling his cheeks and
"Dad?"
The man laughed, kneeling down to face Midoriya. A long scar curved under the man's chin, peeking out from the left side of his lip. Dark bangs partially obscured his half-lidded eyes. His mouth opened, tufts of smoke and yellow-shaded blaze dribbling out like lava.
"You finally had become strong. Would All Might become trapped by merely an earthquake?"
Midoriya scowled, squeezing his eyes shut. He could feel warmth blasting against his skin, the figure leaning over him tauntingly. Burning hot liquid splashed against his skin, boiling down his neck and chest.
"I know you're not here. You've been in the United States since I was a little kid. There's no way you're here."
In Midoriya's mind, the hallucination flickered and buzzed like a TV with bad reception. The burning across his body flickered and roared with pain, rapidly flaring and subsiding. The face continued to swirl and obscure itself, skin blending with hair and clothes like it was being mixed with a paintbrush. Without another word, the figure stood upright, and vanished into the darkness.
5:58 AM
Tsuyu dove back into the water, donning her goggles as she flew through the air. She glanced about, trying to spot any signs of life. The only thing her eyes registered was more and more debris, along with two human bodies. She swam down closer, whipping out her underwater camera from her pocket. Closely, she identified that she did not know either of these individuals, and that they must be former tenants. Taking photographs of the bodies, she returned to the surface.
"He isn't down here. Let's keep moving."
Todoroki was barely listening to Tsuyu's voice, trying to identify Midoriya out of the cacophony of small noises. He didn't know what gripped him, yet his gut began to give him instructions. Those instructions pointed out a large foundational pillar a football field toward the right of him, smeared with liquids that Todoroki didn't want to attempt to identify. Willing his Quirk, a bridge of ice formed over the pillar, sending the hero downward into the locational pocket.
"Midoriya!" he called out, landing on his feet. The rubble shifted and moaned above him. He glanced around wildly, the small area obscured by darkness.
"Hello?"
The voice Todoroki heard was hushed and stale.
"Midoriya! Keep talking- for the love of everything, keep talking-"
He leapt over a pillar, trying to find the source of Midoriya's calls. He smacked his hand over his earpiece, yelling into the microphone.
"I believe I've found Deku! Froppy, Lemillion, join in my position! He's-"
Todoroki stopped in his tracks when he saw Midoriya. The bulk of the right side of his body was smushed underneath a concrete wall, fragments of blood and bone smeared across the shifting pebbles. Water sloshed against Midoriya's hero suit, half-obscuring his lower half. The salty smell of seawater mixed with the metallic stench of broken flesh. Shoto fought the urge to lose any food left in his stomach. He pressed his fingertip against his earpiece, taking in a deep breath.
"Send medic help, anything you can. His injuries are extensive, we need an evac as quickly as humanly possible."
Todoroki knelt down beside Midoriya, gently resting his left hand on his elbow. Midoriya flinched, wincing out loud as he glanced up to him, his eyes wide and blown. Fragments of stone and concrete were peppered through Midoriya's wild hair, his ponytail loosened into stained curls.
"Midoriya, we're gonna get you out of here, okay? Just stay with us, try to keep your heart rate low."
He fumbled for a water bottle in his pack, shakily opening the zipper on his waist. Midoriya's body shook, his lips quivering as he stared at Todoroki.
"Here, it's water. Drink what you can."
He held the small bottle to Midoriya's lips. He drank what he could, coughing harshly as droplets of water spilled past him and onto the ground, splashing and mixing with the seawater.
"More help will arrive, I can promise you that. We're going to make sure you're okay." Todoroki did his best to reassure him, reaching his hand toward Midoriya and setting it beside his hand.
"Can I?' he asked softly. Midoriya nodded, his pupils blown and wide.
Todoroki took Midoriya's hand in his left one, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He gently warmed his hand, not enough to set ablaze, but enough to feel the gentle glow.
"You've-"
Midoriya tried to speak.
"-really improved on- your, on your fine control of- of your Quirk, Todoroki."
Todoroki giggled incredulously.
"You're really complimenting me on my Quirk right now?"
He reached forward and gently pushed back Midoriya's tangled hair with his fingers, dusting out the pebbles and small debris. Midoriya let out a shaky sigh, leaning the back of his head against the floor.
"You- really, you really have, though."
Todoroki hung his head, shaking it back and forth.
"You're ridiculous. But thank you."
Midoriya let out a pained laugh, weakly squeezing Todoroki's hand in return. They sat in silence for a moment, relishing in each other's touch.
6:31AM
"We have visual. Sending in the medics."
Todoroki waved his arms wildly, jumping up and down to signal the medics to come where they were. The spot where Midoriya had been crushed was elusively hidden under a pocket of debris, requiring multiple stints of climbing over broken walls, pillars and puddles of debris.
Four individuals came over the wall, armed with a folding stretcher and a menagerie of supplies slung over their shoulders. Todoroki pursed his lips, glancing back between Midoriya and the arriving medics.
"His BP is ninety over sixty. His lungs don't sound great, either." Todoroki cracked his fingertips, glancing about the room and then back to Midoriya. The first medic separated from the rest, kneeling beside Midoriya.
"Hello, Deku." His smile was formal, yet kind. "My name is Shuzenji Minato. My team and I are here to help Frostburn get you out. Try to stay calm, okay?"
A part of Midoriya's brain felt ridiculous that this medic was treating him like a civilian, but the protocol was technically no different. He forced those thoughts out of his head.
"You're going to feel a little prick in your left arm, okay?"
"Yeah." he managed, the second medic finding the vein on the back of his hand.
"Administering fluids." they said softly, holding up a clear bag and an intravenous line. The two other medics spread out the stretcher, unfolding it and placing it in the flattest spot they could manage. Shuzenji placed a collar around Midoriya's neck for stabilization.
Todoroki glanced over to the heart monitor he had set up earlier.
"Heart rate is dropping." he warned.
Midoriya's eyes were glazed over, staring up toward the ceiling. He knelt down to feel his forehead, his pallid skin clammy. Todoroki couldn't tell if his skin was already cold due to the water or the low blood pressure.
Shuzenji leaned over to assess Midoriya's crushing injuries.
"How long has he been trapped here?"
Todoroki did some quick math in his head, counting between his fingers.
"Two hours and forty-nine minutes."
Shuzenji bit his lip.
"We're losing time. Renal failure, crush syndrome, compartment syndrome, hypovolemic shock. All highly possible dangers."
The medic stood over Midoriya, waving his hand to catch his attention.
"Deku, can you hear me?"
Midoriya didn't respond verbally, yet stared in the medic's direction. Shuzenji tightened his lips into a firm line. He reached over Midoriya's head, gently probing around his scalp. This provoked a wince from the injured hero.
"Hematoma." he muttered, glancing behind Midoriya's right ear. Shuzenji fumbled for his pocket, only finding Todoroki holding his hand out to him. In his hand was a small flashlight. Shuzenji grinned sheepishly.
"Thank you."
Todoroki only nodded. Shuzenji shined the light into Midoriya's right eye, and then into his left.
"Lack of pupillary response from the right eye."
Todoroki turned away to face toward the way which they came, chewing on the second knuckle of his pointer finger.
Another medic covered Deku's torso with warming blankets, leaving his crushed limbs exposed. Midoriya watched them do so, saying nothing.
7:17AM
"There. Finally." Shuzenji breathed, tightening a tourniquet around Midoriya's thigh. The heroes' right arm was another matter entirely. Another medic had begun a transfusion, sending fresh blood into Midoriya's body to attempt to cope with the immense loss of fluids.
Todoroki chewed on the knuckle of his pointer finger.
'This is taking too long. He'll die.' he thought, glancing back and forth between the medics and Midoriya. The physically strongest medic set themselves up beside Midoriya's remaining trapped limb, addressing the damage. Midoriya's sleeve blended with skin and tissue, muscle fibers and fragments of bone blending with the destructive stone. The medic cautiously pushed the rock aside, finding that most of the work had already been done for them. Taking out a pocket knife, he glanced to Shuzenji before going to work. A thick flap of skin was the only thing connecting Midoriya's elbow to his forearm, the rest of his limb down to the digits was smashed beyond recognition.
Todoroki himself jumped to tie a tourniquet around his elbow. Midoriya watched him as he did, his eyes glossy and unfocused. Feeling eyes on him, Todoroki glanced back, hovering over Midoriya's frame. His expression softened, and for a moment Todoroki thought he may burst into tears. He gently pushed back Midoriya's hair, resting his forehead to his ever-so-slightly.
"I know you probably won't remember this at all, but you cannot die here, okay? For me, for everyone. Please, just keep going. We'll all be here for you, I swear it.."
Midoriya was officially freed from the rubble at 7:36AM. He had been trapped for three hours, forty-eight minutes, and 27 seconds. Not that Todoroki had been counting.