My Hero Academia Imagines/One-Shot Compilation

Below Ground Zero [Deku] (Angst)

Ichijiku (Tigress)

"We need to get inside and make sure we find the survivor. That's our priority!" Ashido clenches her fist with determination. "Now, let's hurry! Time is of the essence!"

"Right!" Everyone follows her lead, even though I'm wary and feel a chill down the back of my neck. Didn't Mr. Aizawa say the building was burnt? I wonder if we should check it out to make sure it's stable... But since everyone seems confident, I hold my tongue.

We're already on the ground floor of the building by the time I realize I should have spoken up. I feel a light rumble beneath my feet and dart after my friends, trying to warn them like I should have done to begin with. "Wait, guys! If the building was burnt, it may still be unstable–" No sooner have I said it that the ground gives way beneath me and Toru. I shove her ahead to keep her from falling down with me.

"Tigress!" Their voices follow me as darkness swallows me.

Something cracks against the back of my head and my vision blurs. Sharp pain stabs through my calf as I hit the ground so hard I dry heave in the dirt. For the next few moments - is it five minutes or fifty? - I fight with consciousness. My body from the belly down feels completely immobile, pinned from the rubble.

When my brain finally refocuses, I find enough energy in me to call out instinctively for my boyfriend. "DEKU!"

My default emotion results in tears steaking down my cheeks as I try to analyze my situation. What would Mr. Aizawa do? He's always so logical. See how freely you can move, Little Cub. I grip at the dirt with the claws in my suit, trying to forcefully pull myself out.

A shriek tears through my lungs as my leg throbs from the movement. Dammit...I can't move my legs. Shit. I'm stuck here. I can't free myself. Sometimes, you have to wait for others to help you.  ̶T̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶f̶i̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶t̶h̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶.̶ ̶A̶ ̶p̶a̶t̶h̶e̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶f̶a̶i̶l̶u̶r̶e̶.̶  Failure and guilt crash around in my head, threatening to break my body more than the building on my back. Mr. Aizawa is going to be so disappointed. I haven't even managed to get through the first quarter of the exercise. And then Dad... A sob rushes out of me as I try to think of something...anything I can do. I can't let him down.

S̶o̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶o̶,̶ ̶h̶u̶h̶?̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶i̶l̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶r̶t̶y̶ ̶s̶e̶c̶o̶n̶d̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶f̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶.̶ ̶M̶r̶.̶ ̶A̶i̶z̶a̶w̶a̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶.̶.̶.̶i̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶p̶i̶d̶i̶t̶y̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶.̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶w̶o̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶g̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶D̶e̶k̶u̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶q̶u̶i̶r̶k̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶.̶  My fingers dig into the dirt painfully again, trying to distract from the emotional pain of my doubt, and the physical pain in my legs. There has to be something I can do. Call for help. No one is going to be mad at you. You saved Toru from the same fate.

"DEKU! FROPPY! URAVITY!" I choke out, using the amplifier in my suit to my advantage. "PINKY! INVISIBLE GIRL!" I shove the butt of my palm into my eyes to try and stop the flow of tears.  ̶W̶o̶r̶t̶h̶l̶e̶s̶s̶.̶ ̶F̶a̶i̶l̶u̶r̶e̶.̶  The sound of my doubt is abruptly cut off by the vivid sound of a tiger roaring in my mind.