Plus Ultra! [BNHA One-Shots]

Distant Star [2/8]

Helloo ily and I hope you're doing okay!!! Here's a chapter <33

CW: Blood & Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Major Character Injury, Temporary Character Death, Hurt/Comfort

~

Chapter Summary:

Deku is missed, Izuku doesn't miss, and Todoroki exhales mist. (I love English)

~

Kacchan's lip curled as he waded through the flooded basement of the building. It had been damaged in a recent villain attack and was too structurally unsound for people to remain inside, but the flooding had cut off electricity on a lot of floors, leaving people locked behind doors. The damp situation wasn't ideal for Kacchan's Explosion Quirk, yet he had insisted on going in anyway since it would take an extra fifteen minutes for a better-suited hero to arrive, and he wasn't about to waste that sort of precious time when civilians could be in danger.

Being the Number One Hero was a lot of pressure, and he was determined to prove himself worthy.

It didn't help that a lot of people were unfairly judging him against Deku, and many disliked Ground Zero because of his attitude. The situation reflected All Might's retirement and Endeavour's consequent rise to first place, but at least it was a little less harsh since the public knew both young heroes were good friends, despite all appearances suggesting otherwise.

Izuku padded silently behind his friend, keeping an dubious eye on the cracked ceiling. The water glittered with stardust and he could only feel the faintest lap against his thighs. He looked ahead as Kacchan splashed to a soggy halt, seeing a large metal door shut firmly. Kacchan raised a small keycard to the handle, and machinery hummed to life, echoing in the silent chamber. He pulled the door open abruptly, only to nervously freeze as the wall gave an ominous groan at the sudden movement.

Frightened eyes peered at him from inside the room. Three civilians shivered in the darkness, huddled together against a wall. Kacchan grabbed a glowstick from his utility belt and cracked it, providing a soft green illumination over the flooded area. Luminous emerald shimmered on the surface of the water and reflected in the civilians' wide gazes. He tucked the glowstick into the neckline of his top, leaving both his hands free.

"C'mon, let's get outta here," Kacchan said gruffly, stepping aside to leave the doorway open.

Another unsettling rumble coursed through the room and had all of them freezing. Wary looks were cast towards the ceiling as cracks sneaked across. Dust filtered down with a hiss and Kacchan gritted his teeth, wading deeper into the room and reaching out towards the civilians.

"Hurry up. We don't have time," he told them, lightly pushing the shoulder of the closest person.

"Oh, this isn't good," Izuku murmured anxiously, watching as more cracks spread out.

The removal effort above ground was probably disturbing too much, but Kacchan's comms weren't working so deep in the basement, so he couldn't warn them. He was guiding the civilians along as best he could, but their legs were unsteady and they were stumbling along, forcing him to steady them every few paces. Another tremor shook the room, and-

With a mighty snap, the ceiling fell to pieces. The civilians screamed, huddling around the hero. Kacchan's arms automatically shot up, amber lightning coursing across his form as he activated One for All. He let out a snarl of exertion as the weight of the debris pressed down upon him, making his shoulders shake. Rubble crashed down around them, splashing loudly in the water and soaking them through, and as it was displaced the flood level rose around the frightened people, gathered in a small bubble of safety and illuminated in a lurid green so similar to Izuku's... old Quirk.