Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shinsou and Shoto wiped the sweat off their brows. The chaos that had surrounded them only forty minutes prior had finally calmed. No more were the screams of terror from civilians, the cries of fearful children, and the loud exploding booms that toppled down an entire five story office building. Their chests heaved with exhaustion each breath brought a fraction of pain. Their bodies ached from the over exertion and the high stress situation. Both wanted nothing more than to go home and relax.

 Hero work wasn’t ever easy. The losses easily outweighed the gains and most of the time a hero came home with a heavy heart. No matter how much a person tries, it’s impossible to save everyone. Believe them, they’ve tried, and they’ll try again. It’s the infinite complex with no end in sight. Become a hero and save as many as you can even though deep down they all desperately wish to save them all. Everyone can’t be saved though that’s reality, and while the fact is indisputable, a certain green haired hero tended to think that he was above logic and sound reasoning. 

In fact, that hero was currently scurrying about checking on the casualties that had occurred during their mission. Unfortunately for Shinsou and Shoto, the collapsed office building had wrecked havoc on the area. Dust still hung heavy in the air, everyone was coated in a thick layer of it adding to the low morale of such devastation in the middle of the city. Numerous civilians received injuries, some were in critical condition and if Izuku hadn’t been quick to the scene, a few lives would have surely been lost entirely. His miracle quirk ‘Mend for All’ even brought one woman back after she flatlined for three whole seconds. With all the devastation and the near loss, their lovely healing hero was going to get a real nice high going after the day was said and done. 

The two watched for a long moment as Izuku bounced around like a ping pong ball. One minute he was healing a middle aged man, then they would look away for only a moment and he would be across the disaster zone helping someone else. He was sporadic once the critical injuries were taken care of. At this point there was no method to his madness besides finding someone to patch up and then someone else after them too. If no one intervened it would never stop. Even a scraped knee wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for healing to Izuku. 

“I’ll call Eraser and let him know you and Izuku are going to just head home after this.” Shoto whipped out his phone quickly dialing their squad leader and catching him up on their current predicament, leaving an unamused Shinsou to let out a long exasperated sigh. His body was aching more and more the longer they stood still. The sidekicks were escorting civilians to wherever they needed to be, leaving the pros to have a much needed break. Still, a break was sometimes a curse in disguise, fatigue caught up faster when the momentum of adrenaline ended. 

“Yeah, thanks for that. I guess I’ll head over there then, just to make sure he isn’t already too far gone.” Shinsou forced weary legs to approach his partner, the elderly woman he was currently healing gave Izuku a gentle pat in appreciation. Patch was a hit with the elderly and kids. The old people thought he was endearing and the kids thought his random word vomiting was hilarious.  

“Thank you young man. What a good boy you are.” Her wrinkled face illuminated her smile lines, this woman has had years of happy moments and being saved by a young handsome hero was just another one for her to file in her memories. Izuku flashed his charming smile at her before leaving her side to assist someone else. Shinsou could already see a light red dusting Izuku’s face. If his count was correct, given he wasn’t completely paying attention afterall, Izuku had already healed twelve minor injuries after the six critical ones that he tended to immediately. Knowing him, he was probably hiding the side effects of his work to a large degree. Shinsou placed a calming hand on Izuku’s shoulder. 

“You okay?” A beaming pearly white smile nearly blinded him in response. He felt his own cheeks grow hot. No matter how many times it happened, one look like that from Izuku had his heart racing a million miles per hour. No one had any right to look that cute all the time, Shinsou swore Izuku’s second quirk was capturing sunlight in his smile. It had no right to beam so brightly. Izuku’s hand enclosed over Shinsou’s reassuringly. 

“I’m good. Barely feel anything at all. Thanks for checking in if it gets bad I’ll let you know.” Shinsou didn’t argue, even though they both knew that Izuku hadn’t once let him know when it got to bad. It was always a pleasant surprise right out of left field every time Izuku went off the deep end. Still, he was working, so Shinsou left it at that. He returned to Shoto who was helping his sidekick escort the healed civilians to the police force and paramedics for further check ups. Izuku could only heal the physical after all, not the mental shit that comes with seeing a disaster like this as a civilian. There were a lot of kids today too, they’d need trusted adults to ensure their mental well being. 

Minutes passed, though time was moving slowly to Shinsou. He kept careful watch as Izuku’s laughs came out a little easier, a bit more goofy, and definitely highlighting the increasing red in his cheeks. 

“Here we go again.” Shoto was back at his side and observing Izuku just as closely. “Whose gonna cut him off?” 

“It’s your turn isn’t it?” Shinsou bluntly stated. Not sober Izuku was too much for anyone to handle, the civilians loved it cause he was funny as hell but after an exhausting mission the last thing you want to deal with is an inebriated person. 

“Shouldn’t the person dating him permanently take on that role though?” Damn him, Shoto was always trying to get out of his shift at babysitting Izuku. Shinsou had no problem taking him to and from places, the only crappy part was trying to get him to stop working. It’s not a hard conclusion to jump to after all. What do people that drink a lot do? They drink more. What do people who take a lot of drugs do? They get addicted. With Izuku it is kinda something like that. Once he started using his quirk it was hard to get him to stop. He’d chase the growing feeling right into the sunset if he could. Hence why he was always on a three man squad at the bare minimum. Couldn’t let a hero like that wander around without any supervision. 

“We’re a team, don’t abandon me now. Besides, he rarely listens to me.” They both turned back to Izuku who was now healing a child while boasting about a previous mission. The story was definitely more embellished compared to what actually happened. 

“I wonder why. You spoil him too damn much.” Shoto nudged Shinsou jokingly. Of course he was right, how could you not spoil that goofball? He deserved it all and then some. 

“Can you blame me?” 

“No, but the point still stands.” 

“Well the point also stands that it’s your turn to get our high off his ass teammate out of the field. The paramedics can handle the rest of the injured civilians.” Shoto drooped his head in defeat. Sometimes he truly believed the worst part of every mission was this moment now, but that might just be his own way of putting all the truly bad moments in a tightly sealed box in his subconscious mind. Afterall, if this was the worst moment of his job it couldn’t be that terrible right? He liked to tell himself that at night. 

“Patch!” Shoto used Izuku’s hero name in front of the civilians. 

“Shoto! I was just telling this kid of how awesome I am.” Izuku’s—Patch’s—hand gestures were wild and obtuse. Little imagination was needed to figure out how far gone Izuku currently was. 

“Is that so?” Shoto helped the now healed child to his feet. 

“Oh yeah, I mean no one could do what I could do—” Shoto hauled the wobbly hero to his feet. Izuku swayed back and forth, the world suddenly spinning all around him. His stomach clenched at the sudden movement, maybe he over did it a little bit this time. Even so, he was far from finished with talking about himself. Shoto helped him away, nodding again to the kid who looked at Patch the Healer Hero like he hung the stars in the sky himself. The kid gave a grateful thanks before scurrying off in the direction Shoto told him to go.  Izuku was too charismatic for his own good. Shoto wrapped Izuku’s arm over his shoulder to help them move a long just a bit faster. 

“I’m not done healing everyone, Shoto. There are still some people who are hurt.” Izuku’s brow furrowed with worry as a slightly more sober hero thought of his duties. The damage of the building was worse off than any person was at this point. Izuku already healed the critically wounded heroes and civilians. Everyone else had injuries that were, albeit painful, but not life threatening. Essentially, his job was over for today.  

“Weren’t you just telling me about how awesome you are?” Izuku’s face lit back up. His squirrel sized brain easily distracted after over using his quirk to this extent. 

“Oh yeah, I mean I really am the best though. I’m a literal miracle worker. That kid that was just here, did you see his leg? It was broken clean in half. I just patched it up just like that. No one can do what I do, I might be a disciple or something. I literally brought that lady back to life from death’s door step, she was dead for three whole seconds Shoto. Dead! No heart beat at all, and because of me she walked right away from the incident, good as new, even better than before I healed her.” A maniacal laugh had shivers running down Shoto’s spine. Izuku was way further off the deep end than he thought. He’d need a wellness check from the agency after this mission and definitely a few days off. Shinsou, who heard the later parts of Izuku’s rant, rushed over. “Hear that Shinsou? I might just be God himself! Only a God could do what I can!”  Shinsou’s reaction was instantaneous and from a place of worry and panic. 

“Sleep, Izuku.” Izuku slumped forward straight into Shinsou who embraced him tightly. Shoto was relieved to have Izuku off his aching body. If their injuries weren’t serious they insisted on being healed last. No need to waste the hero's lucid moments of healing on them. 

“It was a rough mission for him. He gonna be okay?” Shoto cracked his neck to the side. He had worked a bit harder than normal missions today. Shinsou’s arms tightened just a little harder, he could do little to hide the worry on his face. He hated nothing more than when Izuku overexerted himself, it was dangerous for both his physical body and mental state. 

“He needs rest. He’ll be fine though.” Shinsou scooped Izuku’s unconscious body into his arms to carry him bridal style to their car. He delicately laid Izuku down in the passenger seat before hurrying to the driver's door not wanting to leave him for even a moment. His miracle worker needed rest, lots of it, and rest would be best in his own bed. Shinsou planted a gentle kiss on top of Izuku’s messy green curls before driving them home to their apartment. 

It’s tough being a healer.

Chapter Text

“Suppressor, move in.” Chills ran down Izuku’s spine. He was always a last resort. If he was called in it could only mean two things: they needed to turn the tides by suppressing an annoying quirk or the mission was in danger of critical failure. Izuku kept his body nimble for these exact moments. All the intensive hours training were for his legs and lungs, allowing him to run long distances as quickly as possible. Endurance was key when you were the last resort wild card. Of course the best missions were when Ingenium was on standby with him. He’d be able to conserve all his energy then. Unfortunately, his dear old classmate wasn’t here to help this time around. Izuku quickly switched his comm over from the agent to his squad. 

“Shoto, Nighthide, Over.” A beat passed. Then another. An uneasy feeling took over Izuku. His legs pushed harder, demanding they get to the destination as quickly as possible. The closer he got the more dust began to collect, making it increasingly difficult to navigate the rough terrain of the collapsed building. 

“Shoto, Nighthide, do you copy?” Static buzzed in his ear before a click sounded in place. 

“Hurry Izuku, Shoto needs you.” An exhausted Shinsou weakly called out on the other line. Shinsou was the most against Izuku using his quirk unnecessarily, if he was begging for him to get there fast then some fucked up shit was going on. 

From the distance he could see a ball of fire and a plume of ice rise into the air and temporarily disrupt the large clouds of dust covering the area. That was the target zone. A few more steps and suddenly, the ground shook, throwing him off balance and to the ground. An earthquake? Now? It stopped abruptly before starting again. Izuku looked behind him, no buildings or cars shook. This was an area of effect quirk. Heh, let’s see how they like his instead. Izuku hurried past the rubble and debris collecting from the tremors in the ground. 

He saw Shinsou first, the purple haired hero lying on the ground under a large pillar, red blood seeped out slowly. Groans of pain came from him as his face was scrunched in agony. 

“Fuck!” Izuku changed directions and leapt over piles of rocks. As soon as he was by his side his gloved fingers grasped the rock he used all the strength he could muster to start to lift the debris. 

“Forget it, help Shoto.” Shinsou panted out. His breaths were shallow, he had more injuries than what you could see with your naked eye. 

“He’ll be fine, let me get this off you first.” Shinsou didn’t have the energy to protest, the weight of the rock grew heavier with each wave of pain that cascaded over his body. Besides, they both knew that once Izuku used his quirk he’d be out of this mission and completely useless. He had to get the rock off him lest he be crushed later on. Izuku grunted and groaned before lifting the rock enough for Shinsou to slowly slide himself out. Izuku’s body strained as he patiently waited not wanting to rush the injured man below him. Beads of sweat collected on his brow before descending down his face and falling to the ground, his arms were trembling as the rock grew heavier with each passing second any moment now and his friend would be out.

“Let go.” Shinsou finally called while placing a weak hand on Izuku’s leg. The rock dropped from his grasp before slamming on the ground and creating another plum of dust. 

“Go to Shoto. I’ll be okay, hurry.” Izuku looked towards Shoto. He was battling a man with silver spikes coming out of skin, a mole looking guy clearly causing the tremors and the collapsed building incident, and a man whose quirk wasn’t obvious like the other two. Izuku looked between the two, no matter who he picked, he would be leaving the other defenseless. He sucked in a deep breath, it was in times like this where he had to trust his squad. 

“Be careful.” He whispered to Shinsou before bursting into a full sprint towards Shoto. He was sure to make loud noises as soon as he was close enough to catch them off guard. Surprise was evident on the villains faces, they weren’t expecting another hero so soon. 

“Creati is almost here, use it now Izuku.” No explanation, no chance to see if this was even all of them or not. If Shoto was demanding him to use ‘Null Zone’ he had no other choice then to comply. 

A beam of light flickered out of Izuku’s body, creating a fifty meter radius around them. The iron spikes disappeared back into the man’s skin and the tremors in the area finally stopped. No quirks were permitted in Izuku’s ‘Null Zone.’ It was an area of complete cancellation and great for giving a fight an upper hand. 

As soon as the ‘Null Zone’ took effect Shoto had already gained momentum he needed. He’d been training intensely his whole life, quirk or not, he was a force to be reckoned with. Shoto bashed his knee into the chest of the mole man, forcing him to grab his middle and fall to his knees. Those tremors were annoying and distorted his ice, best to get rid of him first. He kicked down on the mole man’s head watching the light in his eyes go out. Sweet dreams. Shoto thought before turning to the other annoying pest. Iron spike ran at him.  A swift right hook landed against his cheek before a kick to the ribs had him too doubling over in pain. Easy, two down one to go. 
Meanwhile, Izuku felt the air slowly leaving his lungs while Shoto did his best to end the fight as quickly as possible.  His heartbeat grew slower each second that passed in the null zone. Every automatic bodily function beginning to be nullified in the area of effect. His legs wobbled before they gave out completely, he felt minimal pain as his knees slammed into jagged rocks. Even his body's pain sensors were fading.  

Fifteen meters away Shinsou was rendered useless as he watched his teammates finish the battle that he couldn’t, frustration aside he still had a job to do even if he was nearly immobile. It took only seconds for Shoto to take down the first two, he only had seconds to begin with. Izuku had a limit, and the idiot had a nasty habit of abandoning all forms of self preservation when using his own quirk. Normally, Shinsou was on Izuku duty and would have already been holding up and close to his chest, protecting him from any villains that would slip past Shoto. But he was downed with at least two broken ribs and a pierced leg. He was forced to the sidelines while praying Izuku and Shoto could end this as soon as possible. Shinsou carefully eyed his clock watching the second hand cut his heart like a blade—forty-five—fifty—fifty eight— fuck . Izuku’s max was sixty before real damage occurred. They didn’t have any time to waste. 

“Forty-Five Izuku! Start to let go!” The radius of the circle began to deplete, a sigh of relief allowed Shinsou’s body to go lax. Shoto just had to take out the last guy and they were home free. Shinsou had only blinked before the cracking sound met his ears. His eyes whipped back open to see the tail end of a sudden punch to Shoto’s face. Shinsou immediately worked to stand. The third guy was clearly no regular villain. The radius of ‘Null Zone’ simultaneously stopped closing in, Shinsou’s eyes widened as he looked to see a doubled over Izuku, only one green eye open watching Shoto nearly get downed. Shinsou eyed his watch for fifty-eight seconds. This was bad. This was really fucking bad. 

“Fuck! Izuku stop you’ll kill yourself!” Shinsou struggled to force his body to sit up, the pain overwhelming and near unbearable but nothing would be worse than losing Izuku right now against these petty villains. A hand touched his shoulder, his body fully flinched, half expecting another villain to take him out here and now. 

“Nighthide stand down I got this!” Creati leapt over him like a golden bird descending from heaven itself. She ran to Shoto with a crowbar in hand—must’ve got it from the rubble, not like she can even use her quirk right now—and smacked the guy so hard Shinsou swore she might have actually killed him. They all paused, seeing if Creati really did commit one of the biggest hero taboos. Thankfully the guy groaned in agonized pain before forcing himself to his feet. No villain is good enough against a crowbar to the skull he supposed. Humor aside, Izuku was already passed his limit and the guy technically wasn’t completely down yet. 

Shinsou’s watch taunted him as he watched the seconds continue to tick on while Shoto and Creati took care of the last villain. 

“Guys! Izuku! Hurry!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. Creati abandoned the villains to Shoto and rushed to Izuku. As soon as she reached his side the radius of  ‘Null Zone’ returned to a lifeless Izuku. His green eye was open, empty, void of life itself. All pain washed away at that moment as a foreign numbness took over Shinsou. He rose to his feet, forcing his body towards him. 

Creati created a defibrillator, hurrying to rip open Izuku’s shirt and place both pads on his chest. 

“Izuku, listen to me, stay with me Izuku.” Creati powered up the device. “Clear!” She called, before shocks went through his body. 

“...Izuku…?” Shinsou hadn’t realized that tears were already welling up in his eyes. 

“Clear.” The sound of shocks rang out again. He didn’t realize he was already beside them, how he managed through the rubble even he didn’t know. An aching pain in his body was distant and far off compared to the aching in his chest. Tears fell to the ground pitifully as he could only watch as Creati did everything to bring his Izuku back to him. He hadn’t noticed Shoto standing behind him now. He could only assume the villains had been taken care of. Shoto’s mismatched eyes were wide in horror at the sight. A final ‘clear’ and the moment of truth. Creati pushed her ear to his chest, listening for any beat of Izuku’s still heart. It felt like years, but it had truly only been milliseconds. 

“He’s alive. He’s okay.” Creati wiped uncontrollable tears from her own eyes as Shinsou collapsed on the ground beside her. He lifted Izuku to his lap as violent sobs escaped him.
“Thank god. Thank god he’s alive.” Shinsou held the green haired hero tightly to his own wounded chest, rocking them back and forth as the dread of death slowly faded away. Izuku’s eyes were still firmly shut but his heart beat continued on all the same. 

The beeping of a hospital monitor lured Izuku to consciousness. He felt awful like his head was run over by a truck, and not just one pass over under those giant wheels… 

“Izuku?” It was at that moment he felt a hand squeeze his own. 

“Shinsou?” Ease washed over him. He didn’t quite remember everything yet but he was thankful that Shinsou seemed to be okay. 

“Finally, I was so fucking scared Izuku. I’ve never been more terrified in my life.” His eyes finally pried themselves open, blinding hospital fixtures had him blinking away the black spots dancing in his vision. 

“What happened?” His voice cracked from lack of use. 

“TWO MINUTES?” Even Izuku himself was baffled. Momo, Shoto, and Shinsou surrounded him at his hospital bed. Shit, he really did almost kill himself that time. Of course he would always be more than willing to use his life to save his friends but Shinsou seemed to loathe the very idea. Not to mention Shinsou apparently cried daily beside Izuku, a feat that Izuku himself had only seen twice in their three years as a hero squad and it happened multiple times a day since he was admitted into the hospital—according to Shoto at least

“Please don’t ever do that again. I nearly had a heart attack right alongside you. I mean, you were dead Izuku. You had one eye open staring off into a void of death. Do you understand how terrifying that was?” The image was entirely unsettling when imagining Shinsou with just one glazed lifeless eye open staring at him. A shiver went down his spine. 

“Yeah that sounds like it sucked. I can’t believe I was dead for like two minutes. I’m like a kinda necromancer or something.” Izuku let out an uncomfortable chuckle. He knew he fucked up from the reactions of his squadmates. He was too careless this time. 

“Please stop making light of the fact that you almost died.” Shoto’s calm voice had a lace of anger to it, scary coming from a guy whose face was always in neutral. Once again the realization that Izuku had majorily fucked up was beginning to sink in. Losing a squad mate is traumatizing every hero knew it. If it had been either of them Izuku didn’t know how he would ever bounce back. Hell, he might stop being a hero entirely if something happened to Shoto or Shinsou.  In retrospect, selflessness is on the same side of the coin as selfishness if he didn’t think things through enough. 

“Yeah…guys listen I’m so sorry. I fucked up. I know I did. And I know it’s been hard on you while I’ve been comatose the last five days. With that said, is there anyway in those extremely large lovely hearts that we can maybe not tell Aizawa about this…please?” 

“Too late problem child.” The tired man’s voice came from the doorway.” Izuku glared at Shinsou who gave him only a sheepishly smug smile in return. He shouldn’t have been surprised but Aizawa’s face wasn’t one he wanted to see at the beginning of recovery, the end  sure, but one hour into waking up after being knocked out for five whole days? Nah, he wasn’t ready to be scolded right off the bat. Hero’s are really not paid enough for all this crap. 

“Try not to give my pupil any more emotional trauma like that ever again. It was…unpleasant.” Aizawa gave a pat on the shoulder to Shinsou, quickly looked over Izuku double checking that nothing was amiss, before heading back out the way he came. “You need rest, I’ll scold you later.” To Izuku, later was better than right now. 

They talked, checked not once, not twice, but three times just like Aizawa had with the nurses and doctors to ensure Izuku was working good as new before they allowed him time to process everything that happened to him. Shinsou was the only one who stayed back, he pulled up a chair and once again clasped his hands into Izuku’s. 

“Promise me.” 

“What?” 

“Promise me Izuku. Promise you’ll never leave me in this world alone. Just the thought alone is enough to break me completely…” Already tears welled up in his eyes. Izuku gently cupped Shinsou’s face, delicately wiping away the stray tear that fell from pools of purple. He pressed his forehead to his, a green forest staring into a purple horizon. They both closed their eyes, relishing in the moment of seclusion, quiet, and each other. Both of them are safe and on the road to recovery. 

“I promise.”  

Chapter Text

Song: Your Idol

Twenty thousand-thirty-sixty-seventy-one hundred thousand. The number of viewers kept climbing. This was nothing unusual. The hero commission saw him as the golden goose of heroes. Afterall, few could be forefronting a mission while doing a live streamed pop concert at the same time. 

He felt a bit ridiculous, sure. Sitting alone on a set within Bakugo’s hero agency, make-up and hair touched up, stage lights shining down on him, a hot pink crop top with a heart cut out at the chest with black leather pants and boots with a fingerless glove pair to match. Not typical hero attire sure, but it was his. The underground hero that the public knew only as Starseeker, the pop idol sensation. 

Few called him by the name he wished to go by, Pulse. But that was the price to pay for a quirk like his. On one screen he was a global idol sensation, to a select few a hero worthy of respect. And boy did he seem like a respectful entity to only a handful of people. Never would have envisioned his hero journey like this. All the work, the training, the hours risking his life only for him to be known underground as a hero only while being forced into the limelight as a pop star. 

His dreams faded away like dust in the wind. But he couldn’t be selfish. Sure he would never be on the hero charts like his classmates from U.A. sure he wouldn’t receive the praise that his friends did for risking their lives day in and out to protect these people. He did all that too sure, but the whole word knew him. People worshipped the ground he walked on, in terms of money he was swimming in it compared to his hero friends. Yet there was a loneliness that was there too. As isolation with a situation so unique that he and he alone faced it in this world with no other. 

No time for pity, my friends are out there bleeding and waiting for me. Izuku clapped his hands lightly against his cheeks. His friends were down there now, waiting for him to provide the morale needed in order to go on. There was no time for self pity when they needed him more than ever. Izuku adjusted his mic, checking his comms to ensure that his voice could be heard from all facets needed. 

“Team Alpha, Team Gamma I’m going live. Approximately 3-minutes. One minute  boost, then control, then takeover with a  40 second ending offensive aim. Speakers go?” 

“Check. Speakers are a go, affirmative.” Momo’s voice rang out through the comms. Down amidst the chaos of rubble and debris, both teams waited in anticipation. Momo was crouched behind a toppled structure watching as the villains prowled for the heroes. They were on their last legs, outnumbered five to one. Injured, pushed back, with morale dropping with each passing second wasted. Those were always the circumstances where Izuku shined best. 

“We need a miracle.” Shinsou whispered over the comms. 

“I hear you loud and clear. Get ready to move.” As soon as the studio team cleared him he’d start. The numbers on the screen in front of him counted down. Five to one. Izuku sucked in a deep breath before plastering on the biggest smile he could muster while knowing his friends were on the ground in dire need of his aid. 

“Good evening everyone! Thank you for joining us on this brief live stream. While I know it’s short, thanks for tuning in! This wouldn’t be possible without all you little stars! Ready? Okay! Starseeker go!” Izuku’s face grew sharp as he closed his eyes while the track began to play. 

With the music alone team alpha and team gamma felt the hairs raise on their arms. Izuku’s quirk was an amplifier for inspiration. With it, they’d feel unstoppable, a kind of feeling that too many could easily get addicted to. Whose to say they already weren’t. 

Bakugo clenched his fist beside Shinsou as the back vocals sprang to life. Each and every hero facing the battle waited for the moment where Izuku started to sing verse one, the booster verse. Inspiring his team to work together, to rise up and take action, that was the gift he would bestow upon them this verse. 

“I’ll be your idol.” As soon as his voice echoed through their comms it was if both teams mentally lynched. Step in step, they leapt back into battle, a clear concise focus taking over their previously scattered minds. 

“Keeping you in check. Keeping you obsessed. Play me on repeat eternally in your head.” 

Bakugo and Shoto stood back to back, more attuned in that moment than ever. Millions might hear the lyrics to this song but only this small band of heroes understand its true meaning. With these lyrics, both Bakugo and Shoto were one in the same. A team, a singular entity. Bakugo released an explosion at the crowd of villains beginning to swarm while Shoto released a freezing blast to the half. Shinsou swung down  in front of the carnage “Go to sleep.” His sterner than normal voice instantly captured three villains as soon as they tried to talk back. Their mistake. 

“ Anytime it hurts, play another verse, I can be your sanctuary.” An injured Denki and Jiro rose from their previously downed positions. Finding the strength to get themselves further away from the battle. While transferring amidst the song. Get somewhere safe, protect yourself. Listen to me and fight through the pain. Meanwhile, the minor injuries that Momo, Shinsou, Bakugo, and Shoto obtained faded to the back of their minds. They felt invincible in that moment, like they truly found their own sanctuary. 

Back at the studio the team was looking over the thousands of comments pouring into the live stream. Their idol lured them into their own frenzy of power and confidence, though the effects were intentionally dampened over the live stream. Izuku immediately felt a connection to the heroes on the field, their hearts and his aligning as he sang his Siren’s Song to their very souls. 

“ Know I’m the only one right now, I’ll love you more when it all falls down.” 

The lyrics drew them to focus, distractions pushed to the background. No fears or anxieties about failing this mission, just taking down the enemy as swiftly as possible. Listen only to him, drown the rest out, nothing else matters here. 

“More than power, more than gold, yeah you gave me your heart now I’m here for your soul.” 

A ripple ran through the heroes as a sort of hive mind took over. Izuku at the heart, he wavered, playing into it for the camera while dealing with a sudden wave of exhaustion. It was too much, all of their consciousness, the amplified feelings melding with him. He felt it all, ten fold. 

“I’m the only one who’ll love your sins. Feel the way my voice gets underneath your skin.” 

That’s it. These villains hurt so many already. Sometimes more force than usual was necessary. Izuku will love them all no matter what crimes they might commit on the battlefield. Sometimes to save the majority you had to get rid of a few bad eggs. On the field the heroes felt the brunt of the amplification, it flowed through their veins. The music was a part of them, they were chords of the music, Izuku was the maestro and they bent to his constructing. As Izuku switched to the chorus, his intentions contorted to control the battlefield, mend the heroes into one, having them complete each other, work on their instincts. He’d weave them together with his song. He was the maestro. 

“Listen cause I’m preaching to the choir, can I get the mic a little higher?” 

The virtual crowd was in shambles with the performance, the numbers continued to rise, Izuku was reaching them all. He started to pant as sweat began to accumulate at his brow. His chest was heaving but they weren’t even close to being done. If he stopped they’d be crushed. He was the only thing standing between them and victory. 

“Gimme your desire, I can be the star you can rely on. Drunk on my ecstasy you can’t look away, don’t you know I’m here to save you?” Explosion. Ice, fire, shields, weapons, mind control. The hoard of villains was decreasing rapidly. They only had a minute and a half until the trance ended and the exhaustion they put behind them came crashing back over their bodies like a tidal wave. They had to finish this, and fast. On pure instinct alone, team alpha and gamma switched on the speakers attached at their hips. A sudden buzzing sound flooded their ears to block out the next lyrics while the old ones looped continuing to amplify without messing with them. The villains, well they weren’t so lucky. The final verse. The takeover, and offensive form of his quirk where one will be forced to submit to his voice. 

He was barely keeping it together now. The rehearsed moves were automatic for his body, his arms and legs swinging to the proper positions while his body and mind felt like they were on fire. 

“His voice is wavering!” Shinsou shouted throughout the comms. 

“Cut the comms now.” Momo chimed in with a grunt as she dodged an incoming quirk blast. Izuku pushed his hand out rhythmically into a stopping motion, a clear indication to the crew that he wanted to keep going. Of course they would let him, why cut the show early when the hype surrounding their celebrity idol was only growing. A wasted investment to stop now, the thoughts flowed through their heads. They were willing to sacrifice it all, his voice, his mental and physical well being, and that of the team just to see the price tag increase. That was Starseeker’s role after all. It didn’t matter that Starseeker and Pulse desired different things.

 With a gasp of air Izuku stood tall, forcing his ever collapsing body to continue on. If he doesn't, this mission will fail. This is his chance to feel like a real hero. He wasn’t going to waste this rare opportunity due to his own incapabilities. It was simple. He would sing. 

“Living in your mind now. Too late cause you're mine now.” Suddenly, the group of remaining villains halted in their step as Izuku’s voice rang out through the speaker’s at the hero’s hips. 

“I will make you free, when you’re all a part of me.” Even the villains felt an electrifying chill as the threat was enshrouded with melodic chaos that lured them in. None of them realized how quickly they were becoming ensnared within Izuku’s song. Inspiration and defeat were two sides of the same coin, his voice could take just as easily as it could give. 

“Listen cause I’m preaching to the choir. Can I get the mic a little higher? Gimme your desire, watch me set your world on fire.” Like mindless zombies the villains began to walk towards the heroes within an unbreakable trance. The songs grew stronger the longer they went on, by the last verse of a song it was practically impossible to break free from the haze it created. 

“Drunk in my ecstasy you can’t look away. No one is coming to save you.”

Their terror filled faces could do nothing while their bodies betrayed them, leading them like mindless cattle to inevitable capture. Inside Izuku could feel the villains, the heroes, and the fans alike. All their hearts beating to the same rhythm as his, the ultimate song. His song. Their fear, excitement, dread, and desire all belonged to him in this moment. 

“Now we’re running wild. You’re down on your knees, yeah I’ll be your idol” 

The villains dropped to their knees. Bakugo, Momo, Shinsou, and Shoto wasted no time in swiftly capturing them. The rest of the ground team moved in, vans built to cancel quirks when transporting villains came in hoards as the dazed villains were easily moved. Izuku didn’t stop singing, and extended the song for another chorus. It was too much, he couldn’t pull away from the hearts of so many, he was just as entrapped as they were. 

“Pulse pull back now.” The agency called over his comms, but their cries fell on deaf ears. 

“Izuku pull back now!” He stopped, smiled at the camera, waved goodbye, waited the three seconds required for the cameras to cut, then collapsed to the ground. 

When he finally woke up he was back in his, Shoto’s, and Shinsou’s apartment. A groan escaped him as he sat up in his bed. His head was killing him and his throat was beyond parched. He’d kill for some water. His groggy eyes turned to his bedside table. A nice tall bottle waited for him. Shinsou’s doing surely. He was lucky to have a roommate like him. Begrudgingly, he forced himself to his feet after hearing movement from the kitchen. He opened the door to his room, the squeaking sound causing the movement to halt. 

“Izuku?” Two pairs of feet scampered over to him. A wide eyed Shinsou and Shoto stared at him. 

“Thank fuck.” Shinsou muttered.
“What happened?” Izuku maneuvered past them, beelining for the delicious smelling food coming from the kitchen. His roommates followed closely behind, checking to see if anything was outwardly wrong after his mini coma. 

“You were out for three days you fucking idiot. Don’t do shit like that again.” Izuku shrugged. 

“You know it just happens sometimes. Besides, you think I’m gonna just abandon you guys in your time of need? I’m already on the side lines. Hell, I don’t even get to fight alongside you guys because I’m used as a cash cow. I just—if I can help I want to. That’s all there is to it.” 

“It’s reckless.” Shoto countered. 

“It’s necessary.” Izuku corrected. Shoto placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“You do so much already Izuku, and that’s without you there right besides us. You have no idea how much you change the flow of the field. You’ve saved our asses more times than I can count. But you need to take care of yourself too.” Leave it to Shoto to be so clear and calculated. Especially cause nine out of ten times he was right, which was infuriating in itself. Couldn’t the guy at least pretend to be wrong for once? 

“Did I do good at least?” 

“Good. I think that’s majorly underselling it. You were fantastic. Not to mention the craze it caused online. You thought you were popular three days ago? You should see yourself now. I was even blown out of the water more than usual.” Shinsou mentioned while setting up the plates and began to dish out portions of food, Izuku was giving a giant heaping pile. 

“Heh, what can I say? I’m your favorite idol.” It's hard to take him seriously with three pieces of bacon in his mouth. 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get too cocky, Starseeker.” 

Bonus Comment Section of Live Stream:

@starseekerfangirl12! : Can you believe that this man broke literal records for live streams when he was only streaming for eight whole minutes. This man is godlike
↳ @bunnysenpai : No for real. The best eight minutes of my entire life.
↳ @luluLoL : Wait he broke records? That’s insane.

@quirkygirl: I don’t care how short this stream was it was so worth it
↳ @mysticlegend42 : I agree, but I also don’t think it matters how long the stream was. He posted something this morning saying he was going to sing a song live on stream and it was free. If people are mad about how short it was they can go kick rocks.
↳ @starseekerstan: Preach!

@goldminer: The star cut out on his outfit? HELLO!?!? drool emoji
↳ @luckylucy: No because why was I literally salivating?

@butteredbiscuit Starseeker please come to Shanghai we love you!@Starseekerofficial
↳ @giraffedog :Come to Ohio I am BEGGING YOU @Starseekerofficial
↳ @westcoastprincess : I am ready for him to come to Paris @Starseekerofficial
↳ @Rujinuforever : PLEASE COME TO CALIFORNIA I NEED TO SEE YOU LIVE @Starseekerofficial

@Jinu’swife : Anyone notice he looked kind of exhausted? Not that his performance wavered but bro was panting for his life.
↳ @Rumidemonfighter : Yeah I noticed that too. I wonder if he was going through something.
↳ @Abby’sabs : He was probably working out at the gym right before he performed. Those abs won’t make themselves.