Work Text:
Shoto leaned heavily against the thick trunk of one of the large pine trees lining the narrow mountain path. He wiped a hand across his brow, clearing away the heavy droplets of rain that clung to his eyelashes. His vision cleared for all of twenty seconds before a fresh torrent of drops splattered across his cheeks, sharp and frigid with the ominous threat of snow.
“We need to get the hell out of here!” Kirishima called over the raging storm. He had a hand cupped over his mouth, hardened in a vain attempt to help his voice carry over the howling wind.
“No shit,” Bakugo grumbled. “We need to find shelter.”
Lightning lanced across the sky, slicing the boiling grey clouds into jagged pieces with its eerie glare.
Shoto pressed his free hand against the tree, digging his fingers into the rough bark. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and blinked hazily down at the device. Immediately water coated the screen and he hastily wiped at it with his sleeve.
“Icyhot!” Bakugo roared.
Shoto raised his head, watching Bakugo’s lips curl into a snarl through dripping red and white bangs. “What.”
“Get off your fucking phone and move your ass.”
Annoyance flared through Shoto’s chest. “I’m looking at the map. There’s no point in walking if we don’t know where we’re going. We’re lost.”
Sparks sputtered along the surface of Bakugo’s palms as he raised his hand to snatch Shoto’s phone. “I fucking know that, dimwit. This is your fault. If you didn’t stop to look at flowers every second we would be at the camp already.”
“Dude, chill,” Kirishima interjected. He stepped up behind Bakugo, laying a hand on the blond’s shoulder. “This isn’t anyone’s fault. None of us could have predicted such a bad storm would hit so suddenly.”
Bakugo huffed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah we would if we paid attention to the fucking radar like I suggested. But no. No one listened when I said there was a fucking storm approaching. Stupid Icyhot and his stupid fucking flowers. And Deku taking pictures every five seconds. I don’t know what possessed me to let you extras come hiking with me.”
“There’s no point in throwing blame now, Kacchan. We need to figure out what to do.” Midoriya shook his head forcefully, sending droplets spraying from his soaking curls all over Shoto. Not that it really mattered as his clothes were already drenched.
“Midoriya’s right. We gotta focus on the moment. And this present moment is not looking so great.” Kirishima grimaced as a fresh wave of thunder crashed through the forest.
“Right. Let’s move west. And stop fucking dawdling,” Bakugo huffed.
They started off along the path again, keeping close together as they made their way through the woods as quickly as the slippery moss-laden rocks would allow.
Shoto shoved his phone into his pocket as he hurried after the others. He walked up front with Bakugo, ignoring the fierce glares the other continued to throw his way every few minutes.
The storm continued to rage, wind tearing through the trees and ripping whole branches from their strong trunks.
“Get back!” Bakugo’s voice suddenly screamed.
Midoriya gave a loud yelp, lunging forward to grab Kirishima’s arm and drag him out of the way just as a massive rock hurtled down the cliff side right in front of them.
“It’s a fucking avalanche. Move!” Bakugo snarled.
Shoto ignored him. Adrenaline flickered to life under his skin, spurring his senses into fight or flight as he turned to face upwards towards where the rock had come from.
A loud rumbling cracked the air, somehow deeper and even more ominous than the ear slipping thunder.
“Get the fuck out of the way, Icyhot!”
“Get back!” Shoto yelled. He lunged forward, stomping his right foot into the ground and sending a wave of ice blasting up the mountainside.
The earth growled, almost as if it were vocalising its displeasure at the sudden intrusion to its deadly plan.
Rocks skittered down the cliff, skipping off larger stones and picking up speed as they hurtled down the steep hill into the chasm below.
Shoto stomped again, producing a fresh wall of ice. It rushed towards the rocks, catching them in its icy claws and holding them frozen in place. But the effect only lasted moments before more rock tumbled down, smashing the ice to pieces and dragging up more stone and earth.
Sound roared through Shoto’s ears, loud and deafening as he continued to throw out wave after wave of ice.
“Get the hell away from there! It’s too dangerous!” Bakugo’s voice screamed over the roaring wind and groan of earth.
“I can’t!” Shoto tried to yell, but his voice was swallowed but the ear-splitting crash that boomed through the forest. Suddenly, everything was moving. The ground lurched beneath his feet, crumbling into tiny fragments of broken earth that engulfed his legs in seconds. He cried out, blasting ice from his right hand to try and create a pillar to hold himself up, but as soon as it touched the ground, it was swallowed in a swirling mass of sludge and broken earth.
“Todoroki!” Midoriya screamed in terror.
Shoto swayed, unable to keep his balance as he was sent sprawling to the ground. He scrabbled at the slippery rocks, trying to full himself upright, but every surface he tried to grab twisted and rocked. There was nothing to anchor him in place. He was at the mercy of the mountain, completely helpless against the undulating earth.
He could hear voices screaming above him, distant and warbled over the tearing groans of the shifting earth. Another loud crack echoed above him and suddenly something slammed against the side of his head.
Shoto yelped, pain lancing through his skull and spasming down into his neck. Something. Something had hit him. Hard. A rock. It must have been a rock. His head ached, throbbing with an unbearable pain that radiated through his entire skull.
Around him, the ground continued to growl and shift and he felt himself sliding, body slamming against a thousand rocks as he tumbled down the slope.
Stop. Stop. Ice. He needed to use his ice. Desperately, he flung out his right arm, sending a wave of ice rushing out to intercept the falling debris. The movement stilled and he gasped out a panicky sigh of relief as his descent slowed. But the ice couldn’t stop the avalanche from above. He heard it before anything else. The grinding moan of stone against rock.
He threw out another wall of ice, blindly trying to stop the debris before it could come crashing down on him, but it was no use. Rocks smashed over him, crushing his body even as he continued to send out blast after blast of ice.
A scream tore up his throat, raw and anguished as something heavy and sharp slammed against his left leg.
“Todoroki!”
Someone was screaming his name. Over and over in some rabid mantra of panic. He tried to mumble out a reassurance. Something, anything, to let his friends know he was okay. But was he?
His vision wavered, blurring in and out of focus as he blinked through the thick mist clouding his eyes. When had it gotten so foggy? Maybe it was part of the storm. That wasn’t good. They were already so badly lost. They would never find their way through the fog.
At least the ground had finally stopped moving, though he couldn’t seem to move either. He wasn’t sure which he preferred, tumbling down the slope at the mercy of the shifting earth or being frozen, gripped in its angry talons. Maybe this was punishment for fighting back against the mountain.
“—oki! Todoroki!”
Someone was calling his name again, voice loud and urgent. He recognised that voice.
“M’d’rya,” he slurred. He shifted, trying to drag himself upright, but he only managed to pull his upper half forward. Then all movement ceased. He frowned, blinking down at himself in confusion.
Oh. Oh. That was why he couldn’t move.
Dizziness swam across his vision as he stared down at his leg. The leg that was now crushed under a massive jagged boulder.
Oh. Oh shit.
“M…M-Midoriya,” he called shakily. His eyes remained glued to the rock. Something warm and sticky slid down his cheek and he wiped distractedly at it. Was he sweating? That made no sense. Shivers wracked his entire frame, sending pain spasming through his leg with every involuntary shudder.
“Shit. Shit shit shit.” Midoriya cursed under his breath.
Shoto wanted to call out to him, reassure him that everything was fine. He would be fine. He just had to get this huge rock off his leg and then he would be okay.
“Shit,” Midoriya said again. He turned, screaming up at the others.
When had he gotten so close to Shoto?
“Kirishima!” he yelled.
Shoto blinked, letting his heavy eyelids fall closed. It must have been for only a second, but when he reopened them, all three of his friends were huddled around him.
“Stuck,” he mumbled. He waved a shaky hand toward his lower half, indicating his crushed leg. “Can’t. Can’t move. M’ sorry. Tried to stop ‘t with ‘m ice, but… ‘ts too strong. Couldn’t.” He swallowed, tongue suddenly feeling swollen and heavy in his mouth.
“His head…” Midoriya’s voice whispered shakily. “Oh god, he’s bleeding so much. Kacchan. We have to do something.”
“I fucking know that, Deku,” Bakugo snapped. He brought a hand to his face, pressing his fingers against the ridge of his eyebrows. “Shit. Deku, you gotta use your quirk to get the rock off his leg. Don’t. Freak out. You gotta stay calm. I’m fucking serious. One wrong move and Icyhot could lose his leg.”
Midoriya nodded. He was crying, tears spilling down his cheeks to mix with the rain already soaking his face.
Green electricity flickered through the air and Shoto closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see this.
He felt something shift, scraping against his skin as all of the crushing weight was suddenly lifted from his leg. He bit down hard on his lip, teeth tearing at the skin as he tried to hold back the garbled cry of pain that bubbled up his throat.
“It’s okay, man. Almost there.”
Kirishima.
Shoto wanted to tell him it was fine. Everything was fine. But it wasn’t.
“Hnggg…aghhh,” Shoto choked out another cry of agony.
A grunt came from somewhere off to the side, and then Midoriya was leaning back over him, blinking at him through sodden green bangs.
“Todoroki. Can you hear me?”
“Mm…” Shoto groaned, heavy eyelids falling shut. A harsh ache throbbed through his skull, sharpening with every moment that passed. Something damp slid down his cheek and he raised a shaky hand to wipe at his face.
He half expected his hand to come away damp with rainwater, but when he peered down, he found his fingers coated in deep red blood.
He gasped out a shaky breath, fear catching in his throat. His heart sped, jumping wildly in his chest. Dizziness swarmed his vision and he quickly closed his eyes again.
“Oh god… he’s. He’s bleeding really bad,” Midoriya muttered, voice tight and pitched with worry. “We gotta stop the bleeding. Kacchan—”
“I’m already on it, Deku.” Bakugo pushed past Midoriya, swinging his backpack to the ground the digging through it in search of a first aid kit. “Stay with him. Don’t let him close his eyes.”
Shoto felt something brush against his arm.
“Try to open your eyes,” Midoriya urged gently.
Hazily, he tried to drag them open, but the world spun in dizzy circles around him and he quickly squeezed them shut again. “Can’t,” he mumbled.
“Shit.” Bakugo leaned over him, carefully pressing a wad of clean gauze to Shoto’s head. Blood immediately soaked through the cloth, rising fast and thick as it mixed with the rainwater already drenching Shoto’s hair.
“Keep pressure on it,” Bakugo instructed quickly. “I’m gonna get something for his leg.”
Kirishima deftly moved to take his place, crouching down where Bakugo had been and pressing firmly against the blood-soaked bandage. “Shit. It’s bleeding a lot.”
“I fucking know that,” Bakugo snapped. “Just hold him still.”
Shoto kept his eyes closed as Bakugo carefully wrapped his injured leg. Morbid curiosity clawed at his insides, but just the thought of looking at the injury drove slivers of nausea through his stomach.
Voices surrounded him. His friends were talking, probably about him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to listen. Even with his eyes firmly closed, the world seemed to tilt and dip under him, so much so that he was almost convinced the avalanche had returned. But each time he peaked open his eyes to check, the rocks lay still and silent as if nothing had ever dared to touch them.
“We need to find shelter,” Bakugo finally said. He pulled away from Shoto, wiping his hands off on his drenched pants.
“I don’t know if he can walk…” Kirishima’s worried voice filtered through his consciousness.
I can, Shoto thought stubbornly. I won’t hold them back.
“I’m fine,” he said thickly, forcing his eyes open to meet Kirishima’s worried gaze. “I can walk.”
Midoriya leaned closer, brow furrowing in concern. “Todoroki…”
Shoto grit his teeth and leaned forward just far enough to scrabble at the rocks for a handhold. Once he found a notch sturdy enough to hold his weight, he dragged himself upright.
Immediately, dizziness slammed over him, swamping his entire body with waves of unrelenting nausea. His stomach quivered, soured by the sudden movement.
“Shit,” Kirishima cursed under his breath. “You just got like, really pale.”
“’m fine,” Shoto mumbled. But he wasn’t. Putting weight on his leg was agonising. White hot pain seared up the injured limb, sharpening the nausea coiling in his stomach. He gasped, stumbling as his vision wavered.
Darkness crawled across his gaze, eagerly devouring his sight in giant hungry mouthfuls.
Suddenly hands were on him, gripping his arms and holding him upright so he wouldn’t fall.
Gratefully, he leaned against the warm body, breathing in Midoriya’s familiar scent.
“Kacchan, grab his other side. He can’t walk with his leg and we can’t stay here.”
Bakugo grumbled something under his breath, but moved to Shoto’s left side. He swung the taller boy’s arm over his shoulder, bracing him against his body to help keep him steady. “Keep your fucking eyes open, Halfie,” he growled.
Shoto nodded sluggishly, dragging his eyes open even as every sense in his body screamed at him to keep them closed.
They set off again, stumbling slowly down the rocky mountain path.
Shoto didn’t know where they were going, nor did he care. He heard Bakugo and Midoriya arguing over directions, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care who was correct. He just wanted to lie down.
With every step they took, the nausea coiled in his stomach grew. Hot saliva flooded his mouth, but he hurriedly swallowed it down, desperate not to slow down his friends. His vision wavered in and out of focus, spinning and swirling and dipping like he was watching some kind of optical illusion. He wished it would stop, but there was nothing he could do. The storm continued to rage and they pressed on further.
Shoto didn’t know how long they had been walking when it all became too much. Grey fog clawed at his vision, creeping further in with each step he took until he could barely see anything through the hazy dark mist. His stomach gave a violent lurch and he stilled, gulping back panic.
“I need to sit down,” he mumbled shakily. The words came out quiet and weak, but Midoriya must have heard because suddenly he was being lowered carefully to the ground.
“Are you okay?” Midoriya’s gentle voice spoke next to his ear.
Shoto hummed, letting his head fall to the side. His cheek hit something soft and he sighed in relief when he didn’t slide to the ground.
“What the hell, Icyhot. I’m not a pillow.”
So it was Bakugo. Shoto couldn’t find it in himself to care. He didn’t feel well and he was dizzy. Oh so dizzy.
“Jus’ needa min’te,” he mumbled, eyes slipping closed.
“Shit. He’s really pale,” Kirishima fretted from somewhere above them.
Right. Kirishima was there too. How had he forgotten that?
“I think he’s going into shock,” Midoriya said urgently.
“Icyhot. What’s going on. Are you dizzy?”
Shoto slowly nodded his head. Yes, he was dizzy. So dizzy. His stomach lurched again and he leaned forward, swallowing thickly as saliva pooled in his mouth. “I don’t feel good,” he whispered.
“Shit. Help me prop him up, Deku.”
Arms were on him again, shifting him so he was leaning even further over himself. He gave up trying to swallow down the saliva and spat onto the muddy ground. “I’m gonna throw up,” he warned, shoving weakly at the arms still firmly holding him upright.
“I fucking know that, dipshit. Just let it happen.” Bakugo’s hand fell to his back, rubbing gently over the damp fabric of his jacket.
Shoto shivered, groaning as his stomach churned ominously. He gagged, body lurching forward as vomit rushed up his throat.
Bakugo’s grip stayed firm on his shoulder, keeping him upright so he wouldn’t fall forward into the mess.
Shoto coughed, spitting weakly as another heave wracked his shivering frame.
“Shit. This is bad,” Kirishima fretted from somewhere off to the side.
Shoto didn’t know where. He couldn’t keep track of much anymore. All of his senses seemed distorted and lost and his head wouldn’t stop spinning.
“You’re okay. You’re alright,” Midoriya soothed gently. He paused, tone hardening as he turned to address the others. “We need to call someone. Todoroki really isn’t doing well.”
Bakugo let out a frustrated growl in response. “Yeah, no fucking shit. How do you suggest we do that without any service?” He waved his phone aggressively in front of Midoriya’s face to prove his point.
Midoriya gnawed at his lip. He glanced over his shoulder up the long winding forest path they had come from. “I don’t know… I don’t know, Kacchan, but we have to do something. I don’t think Todoroki can walk anymore.”
Silence fell between them, broken only by the shriek of howling wind and deafening cracks of thunder.
Shoto remained hunched over, wrapping his arms around himself as his body was wracked with uncontrollable shivers.
Midoriya shifted closer to him, brow furrowed in concern. “Are you cold?”
Shoto’s head jolted forward in a shaky nod. “Y-yeah.” His teeth chattered, breaking up the single word even though it was only one short syllable.
Midoriya’s frown deepened. “Just hang in there, okay? We’re gonna try and get you help.”
Bakugo sighed heavily from his place on Shoto’s other side. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling, eyes narrowed in concentration. “We aren’t gonna get any service here. There’s too many trees.” He scowled, shoving the phone back into his pocket. “One of us has to run ahead and see if we can get a signal.”
“I’ll do it,” Kirishima immediately volunteered. He jumped to his feet, already swinging his backpack over his shoulders.
“I’m going, Shittyhair,” Bakugo growled.
Kirishima was already shaking his head. “Think about it, man. If there’s another avalanche, my quirk will protect me from the falling rocks. And besides, you know the most about first aid. You and Midoriya should stay with Todoroki.”
Bakugo huffed out an angry breath, but didn’t move to intercept Kirishima. “Fine. Just don’t get fucking hurt.”
“I’ll be careful, man,” Kirishima assured. He smiled lightly, nodding at the other three. “Don’t worry. We’re gonna get out of here.” With those final words, he turned and jogged up the mountain path, disappearing into the dark night.
Shoto let his eyes fall closed again. His head spun in lazy circles, souring his turbulent stomach. He groaned softly, pressing a hand against his throbbing head. He really didn’t want to throw up again. “Can I lay down?” he mumbled quietly.
Midoriya hummed softly in assurance. “Yeah. Yeah okay.”
Hands gripped Shoto’s shoulders and he felt himself being lowered to the ground. His head pressed against something soft and he dragged open his eyes long enough to see his head was cushioned in Midoriya’s lap. Warmth radiated up through his skin, soothing his shivering slightly.
“Don’t fall asleep, Icyhot. Keep your eyes open,” Bakugo instructed suddenly. “You probably have a concussion.” He leaned over and flicked Shoto’s cheek, eliciting a frustrated groan from the younger boy.
“Dizzy,” Shoto mumbled thickly.
“I know, Todoroki, but Kacchan’s right. You need to try and keep your eyes open.”
Too tired to argue, Shoto obliged, dragging open his heavy eyelids. He stared at the muddy ground, vision flickering in and out of focus. He wished he could sleep. Why wouldn’t they let him sleep? He was so tired.
A hand rested against his shoulder and he blinked, startled to find Bakugo leaning over him, eyes dark and worried.
A heavy warmth radiated from his hand, deep and a lot warmer than Midoriya’s had been. Was Bakugo using his quirk? He hadn’t known Bakugo held that much control over small outputs of heat like that, but he supposed there were a lot of things he didn’t know about Bakugo.
“’s’nice,” he mumbled thickly, leaning further into the touch. “Warm.”
Bakugo rolled his eyes, huffing out a sigh. “Yeah, yeah. Enjoy it while you can, Halfie. This isn’t gonna be a regular occurrence.”
“I didn’t know you could use your quirk like that, Kacchan. It’s really cool!” Midoriya added eagerly. “I guess it makes sense you can heat your hand without letting it spark, but it would take a lot of concentration and precision. It’s super impressive and very useful in a crisis.”
“Shut up, Deku. I can’t take your muttering right now.”
Shoto wished Midoriya would keep talking. Listening to his friends’ voices helped ground him, each word calming his frayed nervous system.
Midoriya and Bakugo continued to quip back and forth for a while and Shoto listened, slipping in and out of awareness even as he tried desperately to concentrate on the words. He knew he wasn’t supposed to sleep, but it was hard to stay coherent with his head and leg throbbing in time with his heartbeat and the world spinning lazily before his eyes.
Finally, something changed. An unfamiliar roar growled to life over the fierce call of the storm, cutting through the howling wind and growing louder with each passing second.
Shoto frowned, shifting slightly as he strained to see where the foreign sound was coming from.
“It’s a helicopter!” Midoriya suddenly cried.
Shoto felt his legs jolt beneath his head as Midoriya made to get up, then remembered his friend was lying in his lap and stilled again.
“Sorry,” Midoriya said breathlessly. “Kacchan, wave them over!”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Bakugo growled, but got to his feet anyway. He ran a few paces and jumped onto one of the large rocks surrounding the little clearing they were in. “Oi! Over here!” He waved his arms above his head, letting out small explosions to alert the helicopter to their presence.
Shoto watched dimly through hazy eyes as the sparks exploded through the night sky, bright and vibrant like fireworks against the rain drenched horizon. They were safe. Help was there. They would be okay. Everything was going to be okay.