Before my heart gives out (My hero academia)

Dealing with the devil

Smoke billowed in the distance, grey and black wisps of air rising from the trees and into the atmosphere above, looming over them like an ominous warning.

Worry pumps through his heart, stronger than the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The pain flaring in his arms serves to ground him to reality as he tries to stay calm and collected. He couldn't panic now, Kota's safety depended on him. Not to mention the rest of the students.

First, however, he needed to get to the dorm room and change into his costume. Doing anything without his weapons and his mask would be suicidal.

Shivers, cool and sudden wrack his frame, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Distinguishing the small form, shivering next to him, he makes sure to school his features into a reassuring smile. An expression he was so used to putting on while in costume that it was almost wrong to do so without.

It seemed to be the right call, nonetheless, for the tension almost immediately bleeds out of the boy's frame.

"We need to get moving, Kota, I'm going to make a quick pit stop at the boy's rooms, and then I'll take you straight to the heroes okay?"

"You can't leave me! You heard Muscular, there are villains everywhere!" The boy seemed to protest at the latter part of his statement, not wanting to be separated from the vigilante.

"It's alright, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay? You just have to trust me." His voice was soft as he spoke, wanting to convey his sincerity to the boy in front of him. "Can you do that for me?"

The small but resolute nod, he gets in response is almost enough to bring tears to his eyes. "Thank you."

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The rooms are dark, he figures the villains cut the power in case they tried to contact outside help. The silence is eerie as he walks in, bending down next to his futon to get Kota back on his feet.

With that done, he pulls out his bag, immediately rummaging inside for his gear. He figures Kota already knows his secret, he wouldn't want anyone else finding out.

He finds his costume first, followed by his weapons, an array of knives, and other questionably legal objects he hopes Kota won't try to touch. His hands still as he gets to the bottom of the duffle bag, slight panic rising to his throat as he stretches his hands across the surface. His mask was missing.

He searches again, even goes as far as to flip his bag over, hearing his medication and his clothes dropping into a heap at his feet.

He looks once, twice. His mask is gone.

Logically, he knows no one would have gone through his belonging. Why would they? No one had the reason to suspect anything.

Trying to settle his nerves, he decides his hoodie will have to do. He'll just have to do his best to keep his head down and out of the light. Stick to the shadows, yeah, he could do that.

They don't encounter any snags after that. In fact, it was just a few minutes later that he found himself fully equipped and ready for action.

Kota's awed gaze seemed to follow his every move, eyes intense and eager as he watched Izuku turn himself into his vigilante persona. Now, with the kid safely tucked on his back, and his Escrima rods firmly held in his grasp, he heads for the safest place he could think of for Kota.

The remedial course's building.

The heat signatures there seemed to be entirely familiar. His arms throb with every step he takes, as his muscles ached with the kid's added weight on his injured back. Each movement ignites a fire in his limbs, but he pushes through, it wasn't anything he wasn't used to.