Smile for Me

Chapter 63: In case we don't make it...

3rd Person POV

I remember. I remember all of it. The battle, the capture, the torture, Madame Maniacal, the recovery, Aizawa....Everything.

The Female Hero helped the man she loved down the hallway she knew would lead them to the stairs. Then, she felt an overwhelming pain in her stomach and doubled over.

"Emi? What happened?" Aizawa asked frantically, falling down with her. He saw her clutching her stomach and lifted the shirt to see a shard of glass sticking out.

"If you wanted a p-peek, you c-could've just asked, S-shouta." she joked, her giggle causing a coughing fit.

"Dammit, Joke...With all the chaos in that room and the adrenaline, you must not have felt the glass until we started walking. I don't want to pull it out now; that might make the injury worsen. We'll just have to try and get out and hope Hizashi found us."

"Eraser...listen to me.." she started, reaching for his face before looking down at their bloody hands. "Oh God...Uh. In c-case we don't m-make it out of this, there's s-something I need to tell you-"

"Emi, this is no time for jokes. Don't even say that; we'll make it out-" Aizawa tried to say. Emi put a bloody finger to his lips to allow her to continue speaking.

"No, no. Shhh, just let me...let me- let me say it, okay?" She pleaded. Aizawa knew they didn't have much time, but he cradled her head and let her speak.

"I woke up not knowing anything about who I was or what was going on. And...despite everything, you helped me. And you helped me remember. And for that I am eternally grateful."

"It's nothing, Emi. If anything, I owed you for all the crap I put you through. I'm so sorry." He said. Aizawa tried to continue speaking, but she put her hand on his shoulder to indicate she wasn't quit done yet.

"One more thing. I...I love you." she whispered, sending chills down Aizawa's spine. In that moment Aizawa's world stopped turning.There was no villain chasing them, he wasn't injured, there was no threat. It was just her words swirling in his mind over and over.

After all that's happened, she still...?

She continued. "I love you. A-and I've known for a while b-but I-I couldn't say it until now because I was just so scared." she finished, looking off to the side.

He wanted to say something; anything, but his words got caught in his throat. Then, just as he was about to speak up, a heavy bang was heard. Aizawa snapped his head up and heard the noise becoming louder.

"We need to go." Aizawa said, sweeping her off her feet (in more ways than one). The two Heroes stumbled and Aizawa continued to walk, blood leaving a trail behind them.

He inched his way down the hallway, realizing he was once again coming out of a war-zone  injured and carrying this woman. The banging became louder and he picked up the pace.

"ERASERHEAD!" He heard Shigaraki scream from far away. He must be using his quirk to destroy the walls around us to find us. At this point he doesn't care if he kills us and I don't know if the others have woken up yet, so I need to be fast.

He found the staircase and went down the steps as fast as his exhausted legs would allow him. He heard Emi cough and looked down to see she was coughing more blood. Shit.

He saw the doors leading to the outside. Come on, Shouta. You're almost there. You can make it!

He thought as he pushed himself towards the door. He opened the door and found a squad of police officers pulling up to the building.

"Dear God. Is that Eraserhead? And who's that with him?" he foggily heard some of the officers say. Emi squirmed to get down and limped beside him, turning to face him. She grabbed his face and whispered with tears in her eyes:

"We made it!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she collapsed and Aizawa caught  her. He snapped his attention to the police officers in the area.

"There are dangerous villains in that building! Are Pros on their way?" he called, limping forward with Emi.

"Yes sir! And paramedics are almost here as well!" an officer called.

Good. Now we just have to pray the other Pros get here before Shigaraki busts out.

On  cue, Aizawa heard rumbling and feared the worst. However, hope came  when he saw it was Mt. Lady stomping forward with Vulca on her shoulder  and All Might close behind.

"Hey, guys! Need some help?" Vulca shouted with an optimistic and snarky smile.

Aizawa  gave a faint smile as the Paramedics arrived. They loaded Emi onto a  stretcher and tried to get Aizawa onto one, but he fought it. "You all  need help." he argued.

"What can you do in this state,  Aizawa? Aren't you the one always telling young Midorya that he's of no  use if he's overly injured?" All Might said, coming up beside him.

"Yeah!  If you want to help, make sure you and Emi stay safe on the way to the  hospital, got it?" Vulca said with a thumbs-up. "We've got this!"

He  looked hesitantly back at the building as more walls could be heard  crumbling inside. "Fine." he said. As soon as he gave the word, the  beaten Hero was loaded onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.

As the ambulance drove away with him inside, Aizawa looked out the back window to see All Might and Vulca going inside the building with Mt.Lady waiting outside as backup.

They can handle it, Shouta. They're Pros after all...

The paramedics checked his vital signs and blood pressure as he finally drifted to sleep from exhaustion. He slipped in and out of consciousness and hear the paramedics talking.

"Get him more oxygen!"

"Have you ID'd the woman he was with?"

"Not yet. We're having trouble figuring out..."

He heard doors opening and saw bright lights above him as he was rolled into the hospital. Aizawa glanced over and saw Emi being wheeled in close to him. They sent her into an operating room and he was moved away into a different operating room.

"Put him under." he heard as a mask was put on his face, swallowing him into darkness.

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-Sarah