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It's raining.
Rainy days are the worst days. The mud piles up, and whatever shoes they managed to snag end up caked with it. It's annoying. Rody always found rainy days annoying, even back in the slum, with his little siblings – who, might he add, are rather adorable when they get all excited to play in the rain – the mud would always get everywhere, and nothing would end up right. A pain. Back then, it was just a pain.
Out here, like this, it's far worse. It's harder to see where they're going. Harder to tell if they're being followed. Deku walks ahead. Green eyes wide and vigilant, as he combs the landscape, searching for any obstacles before they make themselves too difficult to avoid. Rody walks behind. He holds the bulk of their few items – including that precious case. That case that someone had died for, and the case that got them into this mess. – just in case Deku needs to grab him and run for it.
Rody is very good at checking over his shoulder, too. Years and years of working for villains has trained it into him. Always know what's around you. Always know who's around you. Never trust anyone. Never–
He blinks. Deku has stopped. Dead, in the middle of the muddy road. Rody stops too, staring with a raised eyebrow as Deku looks off into the rain with narrowed eyes. Rody searches the same area. He doesn't see anything, but–
" Down. Now. " Deku hisses, suddenly grabbing him and yanking him behind. Rody suppresses the natural gasp that wants to escape him, as he's dragged into the tall grass by the green-haired boy and pulled into the mud. They're going to need new clothes, now. These ones are ruined.
" Oi, Deku– " Rody hisses under his breath. Deku is half on-top of him. Practically pinning him to the ground. " What the hell– "
" There's– " Deku's voice catches. " There's someone there. " He says, below a whisper. Rody hadn't noticed anything. He raises an eyebrow. What would Deku notice that he wouldn't? He can't think of much. Heroes and villains look for similar cues, he's certain. But–
He hears the beating of helicopter blades, and both of them look up.
A police copter. Probably the better of two options, but still got a good sign. Rody holds his breath. They've come up with a plan, for if they get caught. A plan for Deku to take the fall, and get Rody home to his siblings. Of course, that's only in the event that the police are the ones to catch them. If it's the other guys–
Well, Rody doesn't really want to consider either possibility. Neither one of them ends well.
There's no spotlight on the helicopter, but it isn't long before the sound of footsteps makes itself audible. Rody's breath catches. He sees Deku moving to cover his mouth and does the same. Mute their breathing. Stay silent. Don't make a sound–
Don't get caught. Wait for help. Deku said that his friends are going to help them, once they can meet up. Just get that far, and–
Rody wishes his shoulders would stop shaking so damn hard.
It's a long time. An agonizingly long time, before the footsteps finally fade away. Gone. Still, they don't move. They barely breathe. Deku is holding onto him for dear life and Rody thinks he would be doing the same, were he not trapped beneath the hero at the moment.
Then finally, finally , Deku moves. Pops his head up, over the grass, and checks around. Waits another agonizingly long minute, before–
"I think it's clear." Deku says, under his breath. Rody glances around. The helicopter is gone. He doesn’t hear anyone else. It should be clear, by every definition, and then–
He hears a bang.
It's among the loudest sounds Rody thinks he's ever heard. He ducks his head, immediately. Covers the back of his hair with both hands and feels his shoulders starting to shake. Deku said it was clear, but apparently even Deku's senses aren't perfect. If they've been spotted–
Rody feels something warm on his back. Something other than Deku. Deku is warm, already. He doesn't know what it is, but the guy just seems to radiate warmth. Rody hasn't been able to decide if it's his personality or if his body is just unnaturally warm, but–
It's not that. It's wet. Sticky. Something–
Something he shouldn't be feeling, right now.
It takes way too long for the strangled cry of pain to reach his ears, and he jerks up. Suddenly, the idea of being spotted feels like nothing. Because Deku is in pain, and–
He's grabbing his shoulder. There's red, dripping between his fingers, and–
Shot. It was a gunshot.
Deku's been shot–
"D-Deku–"
They've been spotted.
People are screaming. Yelling. Rody can't hear what they're saying. Does it matter, what they're saying? It doesn't. Something about he's here and don't hesitate and–
There's lights. Bright lights. Harsh, bright lights, bearing down on them from the sky and everywhere around them. Someone's shouting. At him? Telling him to get away from the criminal. That he's being–
Rescued.
Deku's been shot.
"R-Rody–" Deku's voice is strained. His eyes are still squeezed shut. Rody should be putting his hands over the wound too, right? He's panicking. He shouldn't be panicking. Deku is the one in trouble, here. It's the police. It's the police, and not the other guys , and all that means is that the only one in danger of being killed is–
There's another bang . It rings through Rody's ears. He doesn't feel any pain. He thinks he should, since he ducks his head and covers his ears and hears another blood-curdling scream echo through the air. Rody's head jumps up, and–
Another one. There's blood pouring down Izuku's shirt. There's blood everywhere, and Rody's never seen anything like this before. He can't breathe. He can't–
" Deku– "
There's people running forward. Deku looks like he's about to fall. He's only on his knees. There isn't far to fall, anyway. His entire face is scrunched up in pain, but–
It all happens so fast.
Deku unfolds himself. He's quick. Rody doesn't even have time to wonder what he's doing before he does it. The hero launches himself forward. His arms wrap around Rody's torso, and he just barely hears the words hold on being screamed right into his ear. He holds on. The case is in his hands, and he sees that green glow emanating off of Deku's entire body. His quirk. Rody still doesn't know what it's called, or even what it is , really. He just knows that it's a quirk made for combat. A quirk made for heroics.
He just knows that Deku is strong. He's strong enough to protect himself, and strong enough to protect Rody too. Strong enough to jump through the air with two gunshot wounds, and more people scream. Rody hears another bang . And then another. And another and another and–
He hears Deku curse, under his breath. Rody closes his eyes, the more bangs he hears. He can't do this. His hands are shaking, and he can't risk losing the case. Nothing else matters. Their clothes and their food and even Deku's hero costume can all be replaced, but the case–
If they lose that case, then all of this was for nothing, wasn't it?
Rody watches behind them. He watches the police chase after them. There's red, falling through the air. Drops of red fly behind them, and the world feels like it's moving in slow motion. Is it? It shouldn't be. Rody can't breathe. He feels like he can't. There's more shouting. There's so much shouting. Deku keeps moving, and Rody knows that he isn't going to be able to do it for long. Deku was struggling to breathe already, and–
Rody knows that Deku's quirk is strong, but it's also exhausting . It's hard to use. Deku can't use it for too long at a time, without taking breaks, or he ends up collapsing. Or he ends up hurt. Deku told him that. He told Rody about his weaknesses. Not as a show of trust – though Rody is sure that was part of it – but because they both know that this kind of scenario was possible.
If Deku is out of commission, then what is Rody going to do?
They keep moving for a while. The helicopter is following them. Deku doesn't say a word, and neither does Rody. The running feels like it goes on forever. He can hear Deku's breathing getting heavier. He can't feel Deku's grip getting shakier. Rody compensates by clinging to the back of Deku's shirt with as much of his grip as he can spare, and–
It feels like hours later that the light finally disappears from the sky.
Deku keeps going. He doesn't pause, even for a moment. The sounds of the helicopter fade away, and all that's left is panting. Desperate panting, and the crackling of Deku's quirk. Rody should tell him to stop, shouldn't he? But if he does that, will Deku be able to start up again, if they're found? Will they be able to–
Deku lands, and his foot slips.
Rody gasps. He hears Deku gasp too. He slips, and the both of them crash to the ground. Rody scrambles up, case and belongings forgotten, as Deku's gasping and panting devolves into coughing and desperate heaving for air. He's hurt. Deku's hurt. Rody's never seen Deku this hurt. He's hurt. What does–
What does he do?
"D-Deku–"
"I-I'm fine. I'm fine." Deku says, as though it's in anyway true. "I'm alright. W-We have to get away, so–"
" Deku! " Rody's eyes can't stop focusing on the blood. Blood. Everywhere. His shirt and overalls are ruined. Covered in mud and blood. "Y-You can't keep running like–"
"Hide. We just–" Deku's voice shakes. "W-We just need somewhere to hide, and then–"
Rody knows he can't do this. He knows he can't–
He takes a deep breath, and knows that he has to do it anyway.
Rody scrambles. He grabs all their belongings. Most of it stuffed into a backpack that Rody can quickly throw over his shoulders, and the case able to fit into one hand. This isn't going to work, but he can do it. He has to do it. Deku watches him, with wide eyes, as Rody crouches in front of him and forces himself to lift the hero into his arms.
He's heavy. A hell of a lot heavier than he looks, and Rody is out of breath almost immediately. He can feel Deku's trembling. He can feel the warmth of the blood, and anything on Rody's clothes that wasn't covered in mud already is now smeared in blood and dirt. But that doesn't matter, does it? There has to be a cave, or just somewhere– Somewhere they can hide just for a few hours, so Rody can get out their bandages and they can do something about–
"R-Rody–" Deku gasps. Rody doesn't look down. He doesn't stop. He doesn't let himself– "R-Rody, I can–"
"Shut up. J-Just shut up. I gotta focus, here." Rody grumbles, and – for once – Deku listens. He shuts his mouth. Squeezes his eyes shut. Hands covering two separate wounds, and Rody doesn't even know if those are the only ones and–
No. Don't focus on that now.
The rain pounds on Rody's back, and he forces himself forward.
This time, he'll be the one to get Deku to safety.