Work Text:
Prompt: "Please, don't do this."
...
Izuku kept an arm around Tsukauchi's middle helping the man stay standing. He had a bad concussion and an injured right knee but as long as they didn't die of smoke inhalation the detective would survive. Unfortunately Izuku was worse off than Tsukauchi. The entire left side of his abdomen was shredded. Blood loss made him lightheaded. It took everything he had not to pass out. His focus was on getting Tsukauchi out no matter the cost. Even if it meant his own life.
Izuku coughed as they reached the stairwell. Smoke burned the back of his throat and his eyes watered. Flames licked up the side of the stairwell. Fuck. Okay. Where the fuck were they supposed to go now?
"What's happening?" Slurred Tsukauchi.
Izuku said hoarsely, "Our way out is blocked by fire. Is there another way out of the building?"
"Just the windows..."
Fuck. Izuku didn't like that answer but there was nothing he could do about it. They could try to make their way up to the roof but that wasn't realistic. He glanced towards the window and bit his lip. That was only an option if they could get someone's attention. This was the third story and neither of them were likely to survive any more injuries.
Did anyone even know they were up here? With more energy than he had left he brought them over to the window and carefully opened it. Heroes and firefighters alike were on the ground battling the flames. No one was looking up at them.
Pulling down his mask Izuku brought up his fingers and let out two sharp piercing whistles. It was the hero signal for needing a rescue. Silently he thanked Eraserhead for teaching him it a few months back. Tsukauchi leaned heavily on him suddenly causing Izuku to look at the detective in surprise.
Tsukauchi was staring at him with wide eyes. He choked out through a smoke roughened voice, "You are just a kid. What is a kid doing out as a vigilante?"
"Now is not the time for questions, Detective," replied Izuku but he was suddenly thrown away from the window.
The building shifted from the flames below the two. Izuku fell back and his hood came off jostling his injuries. He cried out pained. Tsukauchi grunted in pain as he was thrown to the otherside of him. Izuku wrapped an arm around his middle. Warmth spread from it and he could smell the metallic scent of blood.
Tsukauchi asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position, "Zero are you okay?"
Izuku grunted, "I'm good. Just give me a second."
There was a sharp nod in response from Tsukauchi and he headed back to the window. He unzipped his jacket and winced at what he found. The wound was bleeding heavily again. His white undershirt was soaked through with blood. If his jacket wasn't black there was little doubt in Izuku's mind that Tsukauchi would be pitching a fit.
Another rumble from below him reminded Izuku that their situation was precarious. They needed to get out of the building before it came down around them. With his free hand he could feel the heat of the fire on the wood floor. Or the floor giving out from under them. Either would end in both of their deaths.
Tsukauchi was talking to someone at the window and discreetly Izuku zipped up his jacket once again. No need to worry the man unnecessarily. If he knew Izuku was injured he would insist on the youth being sent down first. That couldn't happen. Izuku hadn't risked everything just to see Tsukauchi risk himself unnecessarily.
Unsteadily Izuku stood. His head swam and a cough wracked through him. Damn the smoke inhalation. Tsukauchi glanced at him with worry in his eyes. Izuku waved him off while cautiously making his way over.
At the window he was surprised to find Hawks there. For a moment he could only blink dumbly at the hero. Hawks had the same reaction as Tsukauchi at seeing his face.
"You're a kid?!"
Izuku rolled his eyes and snapped, "Fuck off, Magical Penguin."
"Penguin?" Snickered Tsukauchi.
Hawks snapped with ruffled feathers, "I AM NOT A PENGUIN. I am a HAWK!"
Izuku hid a smile behind a hand but didn't respond. There was amusement glinting in Tsukauchi's eyes. It was gone in a moment when there was a crash downstairs. Part of their floor and collapsed. It wouldn't be long now.
Hawks came into the room standing close to both vigilante and detective. Golden eyes caught the wet stains forming on the ground. It was just a few drops here and there but they were becoming more frequent and larger.
"Hawks take Tsukauchi out of here," demanded Izuku.
Hawks brow furrowed, "What about you? You're just a kid. I should take you down first."
"This is no time to be arguing with me, Hawks," said Izuku as he shoved Tsukauchi towards him, "Go. Then you can come back for me. Or send another hero. I'll be fine."
Hawks glared but before Tsukauchi could react he was picked up under the armpits and taken out the window.
...
"Put me down!" Snarled Naomasa, "He will not be fine! He's lying!"
Hawks questioned with a furrowed brow, "I know that but how do you?"
"My quirk!"
Naomasa's quirk went off when Zero said he would be fine. He was lying and Hawks knew it.
"Why did you grab me then?! He needed to get out first. Hawks he's just a kid!"
Hawks apologized but continued his path to a safe distance away from the building. Naomasa could help but struggle despite his pain and the concussion. They had to get Zero out of that building.
"Please," he begged, "Don't do this!"
Before Hawks could reply though the building with the vigilante in it collapsed. Naomasa felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach.
"ZERO!"