Chapter Text
Kaminari found Izuku by the shoe lockers before homeroom, bouncing on his heels, hands shoved into his pockets.
“Hey, uh… can I tell you something?” Kaminari’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet.
Izuku blinked. “Of course.”
Kaminari hesitated, then looked down, scuffing his toe against the tile. “I know Sensei said it was okay not to go. No questions asked, you know. But I heard you’re going, and… I guess I just…” He blew out a breath, frustrated with himself. “I nearly died there, man. Not like you, but like... if All Might hadn’t shown up...”
He trailed off into silence for a moment before, “worse, I nearly got people killed by being a hostage. I think I’m gonna stay back, hit up Powerloader’s seminar, maybe work on Yamada-sensei’s study guide.”
His eyes lifted, guilty and unsure. “You’ve been helping me so much this week, dude. And you got way closer to… you know, than I did. I feel like I’m letting you down by not going with you.”
Izuku’s breath caught, and for a moment he was back in that darkness, that feeling of drifting away. But he shook his head, blinking away the memory, and managed a small, sincere smile.
“Kaminari, you’re not letting me down.” His voice was gentle. “You’re taking care of yourself. That’s really brave.”
Kaminari’s shoulders slumped, relief softening his tense posture. “Yeah?” he asked, half a laugh, half a breath.
“Yeah,” Izuku said firmly. “And you’re not skipping training. Powerloader-sensei’s workshop is still hero work.”
Kaminari snorted, a grin finally cracking through. “Yeah, maybe I’ll finally figure out a way to stop shorting out in battle, huh? Then next time, I can feel safe to go.”
Izuku’s smile widened. “I’ll look forward to that.”
“Yeah. Thanks, man.” Kaminari punched him lightly in the shoulder, then stepped back, visibly lighter as he jogged off toward the support course hallway.
Izuku stood there for a moment, letting the warmth of the moment settle into the nervousness that still coiled in his stomach about returning to the USJ.
Then he squared his shoulders.
It would be okay.
When the buses pulled up outside the reopened USJ, Izuku felt the air tighten around him.
They were here.
Everything was cleaner, brighter. The center fountain bubbled cheerfully. But Izuku’s eyes caught, unbidden, on a spot on the flagstones- once a cracked crater leaking Aizawa-sensei’s blood, now pristine, as if the trauma had never happened.
He looked up at the stairs where he’d once seen All Might’s smile missing, missing, missing , as the world turned dark.
He looked toward the flood zone, where he had stood useless while Tsu leapt them both to safety, where Shinso had used his Spark to save their lives, blood streaming down his nose as his eyes rolled back into his head.
His hands trembled.
The spot by the shore where he had stood useless, worthless, Deku while Tsu almost got her face disintegrated. One for All fizzling out as he tried to reach her, tried to be useful, tried-
Deep breaths, he heard Hound Dog’s voice in his mind, calm and steady, walking him through how to center himself. Name five things you can see. Four you can touch. Three you can hear. Two you can smell. One you can taste.
Izuku drew a slow breath.
Shinso’s purple hair. Sensei’s capture scarf. Ochako’s pink gauntlets. Tsu’s frog-like stance with her long green leggings. Kirishima’s red jacket that Midnight made him add before she approved his costume.
His breathing steadied.
“Are you okay, pup?” Hound Dog’s low voice rumbled gently from beside him.
Izuku let out a breath, shoulders softening. “Yeah.” He swallowed. “I honestly think I am.”
“Alright, first up is the RUINS ZONE!” All Might announced.
As the students gathered, Monoma’s voice cut through the murmurs with a sharp edge. “Looks like Class 1-A is one member short today. What, someone too good to show up?”
Izuku’s glare was immediate and fierce, silencing the room. He cared about Monoma but that was just... so uncalled for! Kaminari’s feelings are valid!
Before he could say anything, Vlad King stepped forward, his tone firm but measured.
“We don’t question people’s reasons for being absent- especially when it comes to trauma. Let’s keep respect first. Don’t let me hear that again.”
Monoma muttered a reluctant, “Yes, sensei,” shooting a brief, apologetic glance at Izuku.
Once gathered they were split into groups for mock rescues in the ruins zone. Their third year senpai were playing victims. Tamaki-senpai was there, as were his two maybe-friends? The ones Izuku saw in the sports festival. Neijire Hado and that first year rep, Mirio Togota, was it?
By pure chance Izuku managed to be the one rescuing Tamaki-Senpai. His normal nervous demeanor was missing, he seemed calm and serious, only stuttering once or twice. “P-please make sure you assess carefully to ensure you do not h-hurt me while you remove the rubble. Walk me through the choices you want to make before you m-move anything” Senpai asked him.
“I think maybe... this rubble first?” Izuku pointed towards a large piece of rubble that was pinning Senpai’s legs in place.
“Here,” Tamaki-senpai softly corrected. “Remove the beam first. If you leave it and go for the rock, the beam will fall and could i-impale me. Well, if it wasn’t made of r-rubber!”
“Oh- right,” Izuku said, adjusting his grip.
Later when it was time to move Tamaki-senpai to the safe zone he was gently reminded about extraction procedure. “It would be i-ideal if we had rescue personnel, trained medics on scene. Often it's too d-dangerous for them during a-active villain attacks and we have to do the best we can. Make sure to keep my n-neck stable to avoid damaging me. Move as s-smoothly as we can and let the medical personnel take over as soon as feasible.”
“Right Senpai!” Izuku nodded before bending down to gently scoop him up.
When they reached the mountain zone, a guest hero was waiting.
Izuku caught a glance at Aizawa-sensei recording with his cell phone.
Is that for Kaminari?
The Mountaineer Hero: Ice Climber was broad-shouldered, with a bright smile and ice-tipped gauntlets.
She gave a clear, practical lecture on assessing rocky and snowy rescues, landslide triage, and avalanche procedures.
“Remember,” she said, “never let your hero instincts get you caught in a secondary incident. A buried hero is one less rescuer, and one more victim to be rescued.” Her words stuck with Izuku.
Finally, they approached the flood zone.
Gang Orca stood on the edge of the pool, arms crossed, giving a booming but calm lecture on water rescue techniques, flotation extraction, and how to navigate panicked civilians.
Izuku’s heart pounded.
He wanted to take part. Desperately.
But when the exercise began, his feet wouldn’t move forward. The air felt heavy, his pulse too loud in his ears.
He saw Tsu leaping, screaming, her face terrified.
He saw Shinso’s limp body in the water.
His vision narrowed.
“I- I can’t,” he whispered, stepping back.
He moved to the benches by the fountain, sitting down, arms wrapped around himself. He felt like he was spiraling, but he kept breathing, letting the panic crest and fade, like Hound Dog had taught him.
A small shadow fell over him.
“Ribbit.” Tsu’s voice was quiet. “I want to be a water rescue hero, but… I don’t feel safe in that zone. I think I’ll sit it out too, ribbit.”
She sat to his right, folding her legs, hands resting on her knees.
A moment later, Shinso quietly sat to his left. He didn’t say anything, just looked forward, jaw tight.
They sat together in silence, watching the water lap against the training shore as their classmates practiced.
From about a dozen feet away, Hound Dog caught Izuku’s eye, tilting his head in a silent question.
Izuku looked at his friends beside him, then back at Hound Dog.
He smiled and shook his head, just a little.
He was okay.