WARNING: RATED T FOR BLOOD AND INJURIES.

Note: I am well aware of the two different spellings of Ochako's (or Ochaco's) name. Personally, I like the way "Ochako" looks, so I decided to use that, but I am familiar with the "anime" spelling of the name, Ochaco. If you guys know which one is actually "right" (if there is a "right" one), please inform me in the review section.

"Deku, please, please, Deku, c'mon…"

As Ochako dragged herself and her semi-conscious companion down the street, desperate to find someone, anyone, who would have more control of the situation than her, she felt more helpless than she'd ever felt before in her entire life.

The night sky was filled with dark clouds, so not even the light of the moon was visible. Ochako's way was lit only by dim, flickering street lights that lined the old, broken road. Her ankle was throbbing terribly, and though her head felt light, her legs were heavier than ever.

"Hang on, Deku. Just a little...just a little bit longer…" she managed to choke out, despite her own pain and exhaustion. She grit her teeth and forced her legs to keep moving. One step, two steps, three steps—one painful footfall after the other.

No matter how beat up I am, Deku's worse, she told herself firmly, if just to keep herself moving. Deku's way, way, way worse.

Honestly, when Ochako thought about it (and she really, really didn't want to think about it), it was a miracle Izuku was still even alive.

His eyes were shut, blood streaking down his face from a still-bleeding gash on his hairline. He was still conscious, remarkably, but only barely, and he couldn't stand on his own; Ochako had to support him entirely, his arm around her neck and her arm hooked around his waist. Even in the faint light of the streetlamps, Ochako could easily see how horribly pale her friend was, and how awful he really looked. His skin was waxy and clammy; his breath rattled painfully in his chest, and Ochako knew that each shuddering exhale had the potential to be his last.

(Ochako really, really, really didn't want to think about that, either.)

Hot, wet something seeped into Ochako's torn, tattered clothing, and she was reminded yet again that Izuku's head wound was the least of their worries. Of course, compared to any other kind of injury, the head wound would have easily been the most serious.

But not in this case. Not by a long shot.

Because Izuku had been flat-out impaled by that hideous villain, straight through his stomach.

Ochako swallowed thickly against the bile that rose in her throat at the thought and shook her head vigorously.

No, now's not the time to think about that. I have to…

...I have to get Deku somewhere safe...

She pulled him closer, holding him against her side and kept on moving, dragging herself and her precious, precious friend through the abandoned street, back to the U.A.

Her stomach was still churning from overuse of her Quirk.

Her legs were still uncharacteristically heavy.

Every step she took was harder than the last.

But nonetheless. she refused to give up.

After all, when they were cornered in the alley by the villain, it had been Izuku to stand his ground. Shy, timid, but oh so brave Izuku, the sweet, precious fanboy who came dead last in the U.A. initiation test. He'd held his ground and fought alongside Ochako against the horrendous villain.

Izuku hadn't given up. Not once.

And anyways, it was Ochako's fault in the first place. In reality, it shouldn't have been Izuku who'd ended up hurt like this.

No. It was supposed to be Ochako, but because Izuku was such a...such a...such a stupid, selfless, caring, dumb idiot, he just had to jump in there, right when the villain's weapon (a gleaming, terrifying long sword) was poised to strike Ochako's heart.

He just had to take the blow for himself.

Ochako stumbled over a crack in the old street, and she heard Izuku inhale sharply in pain. Ochako grimaced and whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," to her nearly unconscious friend. He didn't respond, and she hadn't been expecting him to.

She paused a moment to let him breathe (and to catch her breath, too), then kept moving. They had no time to spare.

The makeshift bandages Ochako fashioned from the torn hem of her skirt weren't doing their job anymore, and she heard quiet drips,almost like rain, as Izuku's blood sprinkled the dark street. She felt all the sicker because of it, but refused to let it overcome her.

She didn't have time.

(Izuku didn't have time.)

"U-Urarak-ka…"

It was just one word. One single, solitary word, but it still fired a dozen icy arrows straight into Ochako's heart.

His voice. His freaking voice. It cracked in about a million different places, and it shook almost pathetically, giving away just how scared he was, and just how much pain he was in. Ochako's heart clenched for the upteenth time, and she blinked back tears, refusing to cry for Izuku's sake (although she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer).

"...It's okay, Deku, you don't have to say anything," Ochako whispered, trying to quiet him, because she couldn't take it. She just couldn't take it.

Although they'd only known each other for a short time, they'd been through a so much, and through it all, Ochako had never, ever heard Izuku sound so broken.

It was wrong.

It was. So. Wrong.

"I-It'll be alright, Deku." She really hoped her voice didn't betray how terrified she was. She was trying to be strong for Izuku's sake alone. "It's gonna be okay. It'll be okay. We're going home now, we're going home…"

Home. Home. It seemed such a distant thing, and Ochako longed for it. Longed to be in a place of total safety, with her friends, her teachers, all the people she'd grown fond of, the people she'd started to see as more of a family than anything...

Izuku stumbled and pitched forward, and it took all of Ochako's strength not to trip along with him. She halted dead in her tracks, shaking him as hard as she dared.

"H-Hey, Deku, s-stay with me, okay?" Ochako said, keeping her voice as steady as possible (which was actually a lot shakier than she'd hoped). "It's going to be fine, just stay with me…"

She'd never been this blatantly terrified in her entire life.

Although she didn't like fighting, or battles, or villains, she could handle it all. She could handle all that and more, and practically anything else, but...

But she couldn't handle this. She couldn't handle this struggle, to keep herself upright and keep Izuku awake (alive, more like). This wasn't a problem that had as easy a fix as beating a couple villains in a fight. Compared to this, fighting villains suddenly seemed ridiculously easy.

She swallowed thickly and kept moving.

Izuku was slowly getting heavier—maybe he was finally losing grips with his consciousness, or maybe Ochako was reaching her own limit—but Ochako kept moving, forcing herself on. She'd definitely messed up her ankle during the fight, and every step brought a shooting pain through her leg.

She ignored it, though. Even though it hurt, she forced herself to keep moving. She was plowing through just by sheer willpower now. She had to keep moving.

She had to keep moving.

Keep moving.

Keep moving.

Keep—

Izuku slumped against her, suddenly limp.

Sirens went off in Ochako's head, and she shifted her feet so that she didn't fall over when the rest of Izuku's body weight was added to her load.

"...Deku, h-hey, Deku…" she tried, shaking him, her voice wavering worse than ever before. He looked like he was still breathing, but his breath was nothing more than a painful, shallow rasp now.

"D-Deku!" Ochako shouted at him, shaking him once more. If he passed out now...she didn't know if he'd ever wake up again.

"P-Please g-get up!"

He'd lost so much blood…

"Deku, you have to get up!"

And, blessedly, Izuku opened his eyes. He stared off into space, blinking rapidly. His skin was even whiter than before, and his bangs were matted to his forehead with blood and sweat. "...U-Uraraka…" he choked.

Ochako released the breath she didn't know she was holding, her relief so immense she could have laughed (but of course she didn't do that).

"Y-You...you scared me, D-Deku," she breathed shakily. "D-Don't do that again…"

"S-Sorry…" Izuku coughed weakly. "D-Didn't mean t-to…"

Ochako shook her head feverishly, finally managing to calm herself down now that she knew Izuku was conscious (and alive). "You don't need to apologize," Ochako told him, "I know you're tired, and you're hurt, but you have to stay with me, okay? Please."

She pulled Izuku's arm tighter around her neck, clenching her teeth and steeling her resolve. It wouldn't end here. It wouldn't. It couldn't. She wouldn't allow it to end here. Not like this.

The blood was still dripping onto the street. It was horrifying, how much of the stuff Izuku had lost thus far. It was a miracle he was conscious, or even still alive for that matter, and Ochako's panic was steadily growing once again.

I need to get him somewhere before he bleeds out, she thought frantically. The U.A., a doctor, even someone's house, I just need to get off the street!

But there was no one around. Overall, this was a pretty abandoned part of the city, and she had somehow ended up taking the back way to the U.A., where there were the least amount of civilians and buildings. And besides, Izuku needed help—professional, miracle-working help, and that kind of help could only be given by the U.A.'s very own specialized healer, Recovery Girl.

There was no help for Izuku—no help at all—until they reached the U.A.

And at this rate, if things kept going like this…

Izuku coughed, harshly and raggedly, and blood dripped down his chin.

...He's not going to make it all the way.

As soon as the thought entered her mind, Ochako shook her head, very angry with herself.

No. I can't think that way. I can't. Not now. Not...

...Not when this situation is already as bad as it gets...

Since her emotions were all over the place, she shifted to the logical, problem-solving part of her mind. She had to rewrap his wound. That was the only option. Yeah, she'd rewrap it, and they'd get to the U.A., and Izuku would be safe, and Recovery Girl would heal him, and he would be fine, he would be fine, he had to be fine...

Ochako stumbled towards the nearest streetlamp and carefully—ever so carefully—slipped Izuku's arm from around her neck and knelt down, leaning him against the lamp post. In the dim, flickering light, Izuku looked even worse—or maybe that was just his condition deteriorating even further. He didn't even bother keeping his eyes open anymore, and though he was conscious (if you could even call the dazed, exhausted state he was in "conscious"), he was still limp.

He was fading fast, and Ochako knew it.

She knelt by her classmate's side and raised her hands, stained with dry (and fresh) blood. Deku's blood. She shook her head instantly, forcing her mind away from that. If she started thinking along those lines now, they'd never make it home. She had to be strong now. She had to be strong for him, if only for him, just like he would be (and was) strong for her.

Ochako carefully tore away the sodden makeshift bandages and got her first good look at Izuku's wound. Her stomach churned worse than before, and this time, bile burned the back of her throat. She felt lightheaded, like she'd faint, but she stayed conscious for one reason and one reason only.

Ochako averted her gaze and hastily began tearing long strips from her blood-splattered skirt. She had to get the wound wrapped. She had to stop the bleeding, right now, before Izuku lost any more blood. She had to, she had to, she had to, she had to, she had to, she had to...

I have to, I have to, I have to.

"Deku...this...this is going to hurt," was all Ochako managed to choke out, once she thought she had enough fabric to work with. Izuku didn't even respond verbally; just gave a weak jerk of his head, which could've been a nod (Ochako just assumed it was although it really could've been anything). Ochako took a deep breath, mentally steeled herself, and began.

Her hands were remarkably steady, which surprised her. Considering the situation, it was a miracle she wasn't all over the place.

But somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew the reason why her hands were so steady, why her fingers moved as though on their own accord.

Because right now...

...She just wanted her friend to live. That was all that mattered. She knew this, and so did her hands, and they worked quickly and professionally to wrap her friend's grave injury.

Izuku didn't scream or shout, like Ochako was half expecting him to. Instead, his hands tightened into fists until his knuckles were white, and tears left white streaks on his dirty face. Muffled, choked sobs squeezed their way through his clenched teeth, and it took all of Ochako's willpower not to break down then and there.

The first time she'd wrapped his stomach, it'd been in a flurry of panic, and then, Izuku had screamed in pain, but now that he was silent, it scared Ochako all the more, because it meant he was too weak to so much as make a sound.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, Deku…"

In the end, apologies didn't really make a difference, but she couldn't stop herself at this point. Because this was her fault. All her fault. Not Izuku's. Hers. Hers. Hers and hers alone.

In the end, she hadn't been strong enough to protect her dearest friend.

By the time it was finally over—when the wound was finally wrapped and the bleeding was slowed—they were both openly sobbing, and Ochako was more exhausted than ever.

But that didn't stop her.

She stood on unsteady, shaky feet, and somehow managed to lift Izuku up with her, pulling the latter's arm around her neck and supporting the whole of his bodyweight. In any other situation, Izuku would've been easier to carry than cotton candy, but right now, Ochako felt like she was trying to lug an entire sack of rocks over her shoulder.

It would've been easier if she could've just used her Quirk to make Deku weightless, but that wasn't an option. If she even so much as tried to use her zero gravity at this point, she'd certainly collapse.

She'd just be digging Deku's grave.

Izuku couldn't keep his head up anymore, and Ochako's mind was starting to go blank thanks to exhaustion, pain, fear, adrenaline, and panic. Her feet moved on her own, and she felt oddly detached, like she was passenger instead of driver, her head filled with cotton.

"Hang on, Deku," she pleaded, completely and utterly desperate by now. "Please, please, don't give up on me now, just...just hang in there...hang in there...hang in there...please hang in there…"

She wasn't sure who she was talking to anymore, herself or Izuku, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. The only thing that mattered was reaching the U.A. and getting Izuku the medical attention he so desperately needed.

"Please, please, please, please, please, please…"

She was so, so desperate.

"Stay with me, please stay with me…"

She could see the building now. The U.A. was merely a huge silhouette in the dark, but Ochako knew exactly what it was.

"Deku, D-Deku, stay awake...it's okay, I've got you, I've got you, just...just...j-just stay with me..."

And, before her clouded brain had the chance to register it, she was standing in front of the U.A.

She stared up at it as if seeing it for the first time, Izuku limp against her. Despite everything...they'd made it. Somehow, somehow, they'd made it.

"D-Deku…" Ochako managed, her lips twisting into a small, exhausted, but genuine smile. "Deku, look. We're...we're home..."

She swayed, the ground swimming beneath her feet, and she barely managed to lower Izuku to the ground before she collapsed, right beside him. She was just so exhausted; if she took another step, she knew she'd pass out instantly. Her ankle was throbbing terribly, as was her head, and she still felt nauseous and dizzy, but...

...But in the end, though, she'd done it. She'd gotten herself and Izuku back to the U.A. Now Izuku could get help, and medical attention, and—

"D-Deku...Deku...?"

Ochako lifted her head to look at her friend, and all at once, her heart skipped a beat, and her blood ran cold.

Izuku wasn't breathing.

Ochako's panic returned in a flash, and she shot upright, reaching over and shaking Izuku's shoulder harshly. Probably too harshly, actually. Harshly enough to leave a bruise. Not that it mattered.

Because he wasn't breathing anymore.

Izuku wasn't breathing anymore.

"D-Deku, w-wait, I…" she stuttered. Her brain was already foggy enough; she couldn't comprehend this.

No, I...I got him home. He...he can't…

No, he can't...he can't be...he's not…

"...D-Deku...Deku...DEKU!"

The reality of the situation set in all at once, and Ochako screamed. She completely lost it.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she screeched as loudly as she possibly could, tears streaming down her face as her hands shook the cold, unmoving body of her friend back and forth.

(She'd never felt so scared before in her life.)

"I NEED HELP! SOMEBODY! HELP ME! PLEASE! S-SOMEBODY!" Her screams ripped her throat to shreds.

(She'd never felt so helpless before in her life.)

"DEKU! DEKU, NO! TALK TO ME! DEKU! DEKU, NO! IZUKU!" She shook him again. Her heartrate skyrocketed; her lungs worked over time; her breath came in great, heaving gasps.

(She'd never felt this much pain before in her life.)

"I NEED HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! IT'S MY FRIEND, IT'S DEKU, HE'S...HE NEEDS HELP!"

Someone...please!

...Help him!

And then, all at once and all too suddenly, it seemed everybody at the U.A. was there. She heard voices, and shouts, of people she knew well and people she was barely acquainted with, but all she cared about was Deku. All that mattered was Deku, cold and still and definitely not breathing—

"DEKU! DEKU! PLEASE GET UP! GET UP, DEKU! GET UP RIGHT NOW!" she screeched, shaking Deku back and forth, back and forth, and then back and forth once again, because she didn't know what to do and she was so scared and everything was spinning and her thoughts were clouding over and she couldn't think and she couldn't move and she suddenly couldn't breathe—

Someone grabbed her shoulder, tried pulling her away, but Ochako fought back, wrenching from their grip. As if they'd be able to drag her away from Deku now. As if. Ochako had gotten this far and she wasn't going to give up now.

Besides, he...

...He wasn't breathing anymore. Her friend, her closest, best friend, wasn't breathing anymore.

No...no, no, no, no, no...please...don't...don't let...don't let it end like this...

"Uraraka! Uraraka!" Someone had their hands on her shoulders, and she knew she recognized the voice, but she just couldn't place who it was at the moment. "Calm down!"

Ochako wanted to scream—no, wait, she was already doing that, loud and long. It grated her throat and made her lungs ache, but she couldn't help it. She was just...just...

Just so terrified…

She raised her head slowly. Everything was blurry and swirled together, like she was on a merry-go-round that was spinning too fast. She saw a group of people gathered around Deku, but that was all she could make out.

"Uraraka, calm down." The person holding her shoulders—probably a teacher, she decided—was still talking to her, but she didn't care. All she cared about, all that mattered…

...Was Deku.

Stop worrying about me, she wanted to say so badly. The edges of her vision turned black, and her eyelids felt too heavy. Don't...don't think about me...

Her voice stopped working. She couldn't say anything.

Deku's...he's not...

...He's not breathing anymore...

"Uraraka, calm down, calm down, calm down…"

...Please...help him...

...Just help him...

Her vision swam, and dark spots danced before her eyes. Everything she heard sounded like it was spoken through water, and a numbness overcame her. She couldn't move.

"Deku...D-Deku…" she managed to choke, the world darkening around her.

"Uraraka, calm down, it's alright…"

"Deku...Deku...Deku…"

"We've got him, we've got Izuku. He's going to be okay."

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, Deku…"

"Uraraka...Uraraka!"

The world was pulled out from under her, and Ochako plunged head-first into unconsciousness.

...

"Deku!"

Ochako shot upright with the exclamation, her breathing all over the place and her head pounding. Her leg—the one she'd messed up in the fight—was throbbing something awful, not that she really cared about that.

She looked around wildly. White walls, white ceiling, white beds in rows...it took her only three seconds total to recognize her surroundings. The infirmary of the U.A. She was on one of the beds, her leg and head both wrapped tightly with gauze.

Where's Deku?

Her mind instantly moved to her classmate, and she looked around once more—and then, all her worries were suddenly gone.

Izuku was lying on the bed just beside Ochako's own, unconscious but thankfully—blessedly—breathing. There was an oxygen mask over his face, and an IV needle pricked into one wrist, a blood transfusion in the other. Gauze was wound around his head, and the more serious wound was hidden by a blanket, but Ochako assumed that it was wrapped as well.

She fell against the pillows again, feeling weak with relief. Deku was alright. He was breathing now, and though he looked awful, he was definitely better than before.

They were safe. They were home.

Ochako surveyed the room once more, though with far less urgency. No one else was around, not even Recovery Girl, which surprised her until she remembered the peril some of the training sessions put the other students in. After that, her surprise diminished considerably.

"Uraraka…"

She turned towards the only other person in the room, a little startled at first. Izuku was (somehow) awake, looking dazedly at her with half-closed, glassy eyes. But, through the exhaustion, she saw relief embedded in his stare, and before she knew it, she found herself smiling softly.

"...Deku," she said, keeping her voice low though she didn't know why. Maybe it was because she didn't have the heart to break this newly found peace and serenity. It was such a contrast to the chaos she'd passed out to. "...How are you feeling?"

"...Tired, but...pretty okay," Izuku croaked, equally softly, and his voice cracked, but not as badly as it had before. He blinked at her, and then directed his gaze towards the roof of the infirmary. "...I...feel like I've...been in here too may times…"

Ochako cracked a genuine smile at that. He was right; Izuku had a bad habit of getting himself injured.

And then, suddenly, she frowned, a more concerned expression taking root. Though Izuku was conscious and safe and recovering now, he hadn't been until recent. She glanced at his bandages, at the oxygen mask, at the blood transfusion, and the gravity of the situation finally caught up with her.

We could've...we almost...

...Died.

The reality had never hit her harder.

She felt sick again, and something burned the back of her throat. They could have easily, oh so easily, just died. Died, dead, murdered by some villain while Izuku was walking Ochako home from U.A.

They could've died.

They almost died.

And out of the two of them, Deku came the closest.

"...Uraraka...you okay?"

Ochako broke away from her thoughts, instead focusing on the quiet, raspy voice of her friend. Izuku sounded so concerned for her, like he always did when it came to his friends, and Ochako didn't think it was fair. It wasn't fair of him to worry when he himself went through so much. It wasn't fair to him.

But she shouldn't have been surprised. That was just the kind of person Izuku was, always so sweet and compassionate, never thinking about himself.

"...Yeah, I'm okay," Ochako lied. "I'm a lot better off than you, you know."

He smiled, faintly and tiredly, but honestly nonetheless.

"...And it's because of you that I am," Ochako added. "Deku…" There were so many things she wanted to say, but she couldn't find the right words.

"Thank you," she settled for. It was small and insignificant compared to what Deku did for her. Honestly, she could never thank him enough for what he did, using himself as a human shield to protect her.

"Oh...y-you're welcome," Izuku murmured, his speech slurring. "I would...do it again...in a heartbeat…"

Ochako smiled gently. "...You should try and rest," Ochako said. "I don't care how 'okay' you think you are, you were just stabbed." It occurred to her now that she didn't actually know how long they'd been in here. How long had they been in the infirmary? Deku was still on a blood transfusion, so it couldn't have been more than a few hours...

"'Kay," Izuku said, nodding. "And...you should, too…"

"I will." Because Deku wouldn't rest until he knew she was okay and resting, too. It was endearing, really, it was, but she wished he would think about himself sometimes, especially when it came to his own physical well-being.

Izuku shut his eyes, satisfied with her response. Ochako closed her eyes as well, but sleep didn't come as easily as she'd hoped, which was odd considering how exhausted she was. She waited a beat or two in silence, and then,

"Hey, Deku?"

Izuku cracked open one eye to look at her.

"...I'm...I'm glad you're alive," Ochako said.

Izuku blinked, and then smiled softly. "...I'm glad you're alive, too," he murmured.

Ochako smiled back at him, and then fell silent once again, letting Izuku get the rest he so desperately needed. She closed her own eyes, and this time, sleep rushed to meet her.

Author's Notes:

Izuku/Ochako is my OTP. I seriously love them.

Anyways, I want to say right now that I'm not caught up with the manga; I'm watching the anime and have no idea what's going to happen next. So if any of you spoil anything for me, well...I will find you.

So I was originally going to put this information in the fic itself, but I thought it might disrupt the flow, so, I mean, here's like, two things:

1) After Izuku was hurt during the fight against the villain, Ochako managed to knock the villain unconscious by using the last of her Quirk strength to drop bricks on top of his head. 2) When the duo collapsed outside the U.A., All Might and the other heroes searched and found the villain. He was sentenced to life in prison and no one ever saw him again.

Tbh, I've got no idea how expansive Recovery Girl's healing capabilities are so I don't actually know if healing Izuku would be possible...? I was originally planning on doing research and whatever but changed my mind to avoid possible spoilers.

Anywho, thank you all for reading! :) Since it is my first fanfic in this archive, I'd love it if you all let me know what you think in the reviews! If you see any opening for improvement or have any constructive advice, I'd really appreciate it! :)

Cheers!

-BeyondTheClouds777