Double Vision

Katsuki rises into the sunlight. For a moment, he hangs suspended before gravity takes control again, but the moment is long enough for his eyes to find Izuku. To see the green light that radiates from him. To see the crater he stands in, and the cracks in the cement that radiate from the soles of his red shoes. Eri clings to his back, the sunlight shining off her hair makes her glow even brighter.

As Katsuki begins to fall, his eyes search the broken surface of the street for any sign of the villain. He finds no trace of the mutated monster. All that's left is the unconscious body of a man. With his mask gone and his eyes rolled up into his skull, Overhaul looks unremarkable.

Katsuki uses his explosions to propel him towards Izuku. The light of One for All fades from view, and Katsuki's heart clenches in his chest. He doubles his explosions to move faster, and the wind whistles by his ears. His feet hit the pavement at the same time that Izuku's knees give out. Izuku is heavy against his arm, but even as his body shakes from exhaustion, he manages to peel Eri off his back and present her to Katsuki.

"Hold her," Izuku says.

I'd rather hold you, Katsuki's brain unhelpfully comments. After shoving that thought back into the depths of his subconscious, Katsuki reaches for Eri. Her gaze turns to his face for a moment before her eyes flutter shut, and the light of her quirk fades.

Izuku frowns slightly. "She must be exhausted."

"You are, too," Katsuki mutters with a glance at Izuku's drooping eyelids. With a sigh, he hooks one arm under Izuku's knees and the other around his back, trying not to think about the fact that he's carrying Izuku bridal style.

Izuku squawks in protest, but quiets when Katsuki shows no sign of putting him down.

Instead, Katsuki turns to look in the direction he came from. The gaping hole takes up the better part of a city block. He sees some of the other heroes gathered around the edges, bringing the injured up to the surface. A few of the policemen have made it to the scene, too, and a couple of squad cars pull up as he watches. A group of policemen carefully makes their way to the crater where Overhaul lies.

Katsuki feels Izuku shift in his arms, and his brain freezes for a moment. Any thoughts of the world around them disappear. Izuku tentatively puts one arm around the back of his neck, keeping Eri in place with his other arm. Katsuki stares ahead of him, trying to concentrate on walking. He wonders if he's imagining the feeling of Izuku staring at him questioningly. He wonders if all he'll ever be good for is making sure Izuku has someone to catch him before he hits the ground.

As he nears the group of heroes, he sees a glimpse of red hair. Kirishima looks to be unconscious, and there's a line of blood nearly the same color as his hair running down his face. A not-so-fat Fat Gum kneels at his side, sporting a fair number of injuries himself. Amajiki stares at Togata's unconscious form with bleary eyes. Katsuki's gaze falls on Nighteye last. From a distance, all he can tell is that the bandages covering his abdomen are more red than white.

A shout from Uraraka gets his attention. She and Tsuyu are pinning someone to the ground. Someone that looks a lot like Izuku. Someone that turns to stare up at him as he approaches. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Katsuki comes to a halt. Not-Izuku looks up through his(?) lashes, and Katsuki bites the inside of his cheek in an effort to keep his expression neutral.

"Izuku, baby, I'm so glad you're alive!"

It sets his teeth on edge to hear that sentence in Izuku's voice. With a growl, he stomps on the imposter's face. Both of the girls turn to look at him in a mix of shock and disapproval. Katsuki doesn't return their gaze. Something feels off. He glares at not-Izuku's face, but the familiar features are distorting. Melting.

Uraraka lets out a noise of disgust as a flesh-colored substance drips through her fingers. She and Tsuyu recoil, and Katsuki lifts his boot away from what's left of not-Izuku's head. In another moment, not-Izuku is gone.

The real Izuku in his arms shudders slightly. Katsuki takes this as his cue to (reluctantly) put Izuku back on his own two feet. A few people hurry over to check their injuries. 

Before long, their in the back of an ambulance en route to the nearest hospital. Before they go, they watch the police bind Overhaul to a stretcher and load him into a truck for transport. There is also a transmission from the Iida brothers. The other kids are relatively unharmed, but they are all unconscious.

The hospital is almost too quiet after the chaos of the morning. The sunlight streaming in the window feels too bright. It feels like too much time has passed for it to be early afternoon. Katsuki stares up at the ceiling. In the bed next to him, Izuku lies sleeping. His injuries were hardly trivial, but he managed to avoid the surgeon's scalpel again.