An Explosive Surprise
Word Count: 5,792
Relationship: Izuku Midoriya X Female Reader
Warnings: Explosions, disasters, blood, violent action, language (manga spoilers with quirks?)
Notes: I really just wanted to write a bit of angsty action today and some good ole worried Izuku. I do love making that man freak out😆
Summary: on the eve of Izuku's birthday you wanted to set up a special surprise at his office for the morning except your faced with a new (and deadly) surprise of your own.
Quinns Masterlist
It was nearing midnight and the decorations were almost complete. Izuku's birthday was tomorrow and you wanted to surprise him by decorating his office before he arrived in the morning. The only problem was getting him to leave. That man was a workaholic if you ever saw one. When he finally did leave, with a bit of convincing from his assistant Margie, you snuck in. The only staff on this floor was one of his sidekicks, Dewpoint, working the night shift. The other sidekicks on the night shift were out on patrol, it was the perfect opportunity to decorate the place.
You and Margie spent almost two hours decorating, but it was well worth it as his office turned into a bright shiny spectacle of celebration. When you checked your phone, it was nearly one. "Suppose we call it a night Marg, thanks for the help."
"My pleasure dear, he's going to be so surprised tomorrow," the older woman giggled as you shut the office door behind you and headed for the elevators.
Dewpoint was sitting at her desk, the radio beside her spouting out codes from the others on patrol as she lazily swirled the last bit of coffee in her cup. When the two of you walked by, she grinned at you. "All set for tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'm so excited, I can't wait!" you shrugged your jacket on. "I don't know if I'll even be able to sleep tonight."
"Technically it's already tomorrow," Dewpoint swallowed the last bit of her coffee and stood. "But get some sleep, don't want to drift off during the party now."
"I will," you laughed, waving her off. "Goodnight.”
And with that, the two of you stepped into the elevator. Searching through your purse for your keys, you realized you forgot to leave the small gift for him on his desk. "Crap," hitting the button to open the doors again, you hopped out. "Go on home Margie, I've gotta drop this off real quick. See you tomorrow!"
The old woman waved you off as the doors shut and you quickly trotted towards his office. You could hear Dewpoint in the break room getting more coffee as you slipped into Izuku's private office. Turning the lights on, you admired all your handy work. Everything was done up in his signature colors and you even brought in little Deku balloons to give him a good laugh. It was perfect, you knew he would love it.
Placing the gift on the center of the desk, you bit your lip, wondering if it was too cheesy. Inside was a photo of the two of you. It wasn't much, just a simple candid from a few years ago, a few months after you had started dating. That was your favorite picture of the two of you. Of course, you had other gifts to give him for the party, but this one was one you wanted him to open alone with just you.
A buzz in your pocket startled you out of your memories and you fumbled for it, cringing when you saw Izuku's name pop up. You'd told him that you were out with friends tonight and to not wait up. It was a vague, flimsy lie and his perceptive nature usually saw right through them, so talking was not a good idea. You felt a bit bad about letting him go to voicemail, but being the horrible liar that you were, it was for the best.
A bright flash of light caught your eye outside the window. Glancing up at the giant wall of glass that gave you a spectacular view of downtown, you noticed something bright making a beeline towards the building. It took only a second to realize what it was.
Eyes wide, you nearly tripped over your own feet as you twisted around, running for the door. Fingers racing to call Izuku, but before you could even pull up his name, the entire office exploded behind you. It was sheer luck that the small missile hit his giant wooden desk first, taking the brunt of the impact, but that didn't mean you were spared. The force of the blast knocked you and most of the wall into the main area of the open-plan office.
Despite your panic, you had managed to activate your quirk when the explosion hit. Said quirk allowed you to change the density of air within a two-foot radius. That was the only thing that saved you as you were tossed across the room in a flurry of heat and drywall, slamming into a shelving unit. Paper and other random office supplies scattered around you in your own personal hurricane. The dense air surrounding your body took most of the impact, bending the metal frame underneath you. Unfortunately, the hit still hurt, jolting your body so hard you blacked out for a few seconds. When you came to, smoke had filled the large space and you gagged, trying your best not to choke on the thick smog.
After a few tense moments, you risked a glance up. Half of Izuku's office was gone and all your decorations with it. Wait, no, that wasn't the main concern here. A fire had broken out where the missile had struck, rapidly spreading out. The heavy winds sweeping through the gaping hole in the side of the building only served to feed the bright hungry flames. There was no sign of Dewpoint anywhere and you prayed she didn't get caught up in the blast. There was no answer when you called her name. Whether that was good or bad news, you couldn't decide yet.
A second explosion rocked the building and office furniture erupted in a giant wave of fire. You still had enough sense to duck back down, shielding your head. An armchair slammed into the desk beside you so hard that one of the metal legs impaled the wood. This wasn't a one-and-done explosion. This was an attack. You needed to get out of here. You needed Izuku.
The phone! Searching around you, there was no sign of the small device. Dammit, you must've dropped it when you were flung halfway across the office. Maybe one of the desk phones still worked. A cursory glance around to find a spot that hadn't been affected didn't help, the suffocating fog gave you almost zero visibility. Okay, the new priority is getting out.
Staying low, you crawled through the maze of overturned desks and broken computers, ignoring the bits of broken debris digging into your skin. Breathing was difficult. Even with your shirt pulled over your mouth, the thin material could only do so much. Crawling proved fruitful when you stumbled across a phone lying on the ground, but when you picked it up, all you got was an annoying dead tone. The lines must've been cut either from the explosion or by someone else. Either way, it was bad.
Tossing the useless device aside, you continued on towards the stairs. Unfortunately, the Deku Agency was on one of the top levels of the nearly forty-floor tower. That was a lot of stairs between you and the ground. Too focused on where you were stepping with your hands and knees, you almost ran straight into the door. It was a good thing you stopped in time because there was a bent metal piece of what looked like what used to be some sort of gym equipment wedged into the door. Sharp edges poking out in all directions like some sort of modern art display. That blast must've been strong if it managed to knock items from the gym, the room on the opposite side of this floor, all the way over here.
Just how much of the building was destroyed? Was the villain still out there? Were the stairs even a viable option anymore? Did Izuku know something had happened yet? Were you going to get out of here alive? Were you going to- wait, stop. Calm down. Freaking out won't help. With as deep a breath as you could manage, you closed your eyes for a few seconds to regroup and figure out what to do. There was another set of emergency stairs on the other side of the floor, next to the break room. If you could just make it there, that might give you a way out. It was better than sitting here waiting to get caught in the flames.
As quickly as you could, you rose to your feet, a bit dizzy from getting tossed around like a ragdoll. Small steps were better than no steps. Slowly, you made your way back through the office, trying your best to skirt around the most damaged parts. You made it twenty feet in when another blast rocked the building and a loud snap vibrated underneath you. Then the floor gave out.
A scream tore from your throat as you dropped halfway through the floor before your hands caught hold of an exposed pipe. The sudden stop jarred your arms and sent your body swinging into the jagged tear. One of the now exposed metal beams supporting the floor had ripped off in the collapse and your thigh was unfortunate enough to catch the sharp end as your body dangled helplessly. Agony raced up your leg, injecting pure lava in your veins. The pain was too much to bear and your hands slipped.
It was about a ten-foot fall to the next floor and you landed with a loud echoed thud. Air punched out of your lungs as whatever debris you landed on tore through your back. You weren't quick enough to activate your quirk this time. Everything hurt, but your adrenaline-filled mind put all that on the backburner as you gasped in the slightly fresher air, taking in your surroundings. The smoke hadn't reached down here yet which meant the blast was at least contained to the upper floors as far as you could tell. The floor was unoccupied so it was practically empty aside from the few spare pieces of furniture scattered around. The dim emergency lights weakly flash in the darkness, casting everything in a hazy yellow. If the explosions hadn't hit this floor hard then you could probably escape through one of the stairs here.
Attempting to roll on your side proved to be a bad idea. Something was definitely broken, most likely a rib or two, and nothing else if you were lucky. Although, you'd be hard-pressed to call this situation lucky. Moving was going to be hard, but you didn't really have a choice so you rolled again and an even worse stab of burning hot pain shot through your chest, leaving you gasping on your back. Maybe if you laid still for just a few seconds, gather yourself up, you'd be able to do it. Shallow short breaths were all you were capable of at the moment, but at least you were still breathing so that was something. Lying still also proved to be a bad idea when you heard a deafening crack above you.
The area you'd just fallen through wasn't stable enough and another large section collapsed. The section just above where you landed. All sounds of panic caught in your throat as you held out your hands. Then it hit.
Izuku frowned as you went to voicemail. You'd told him you were going out with friends tonight, but when he got home and you still weren't back yet, he was a little concerned. It was nearly one and he hadn't heard a peep from you since this afternoon. It was unlike you to be out so late… and he would never say it, but he was a little upset that you weren't with him before his birthday. Every year, you would always reserve time for just the two of you during special events so it came as quite a surprise when you didn't want to spend the evening with him this year.
He paced around his home gym, having used it as a distraction ever since he got home, staring at the phone, willing it to ring. When it didn't, he set it down on the bench with a sigh. There was a small ball of ice growing in his gut. Something wasn't right. Grabbing the water bottle in frustration, he took a small swig, pacing a nervous path up and down the mat. Should he try calling again? He didn't want to seem overbearing, but it was past one and no sign of you. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least.
After a few minutes in deep thought, the phone rang. He dropped the bottle and dashed across the room to grab the buzzing device. Disappointment bubbled to the surface when he saw Margie's name instead of yours. It was a little odd for her to be calling at this hour.
"Hey, Marg-"
"Get to the office now!" she cut him off, out of breath.
That simple sentence was enough to send him sprinting down the hall to the closet that held his spare uniform. "What's going on?" Instantly in hero mode.
"It's under attack!" she yelled. "They were targeting the agency! The whole top of the building is on fire!" Sirens in the background nearly drowned out her voice. "Y/N was still in there!"
A spike impaled his heart as he absorbed that news. He stopped in front of the closet, ripped the mask off his suit, and continued on towards the balcony. There was no time to change, he didn't want to waste time to change, he needed to get there now. So, in nothing but sweats and a thin tank top, he ran down the hall.
"What the hell was she doing there?" There were so many questions running through his head and no time to ask them all. Fear pounded his heart into little pieces, but he kept his composure. You didn't need a worried Izuku, you needed the hero Deku.
"She was decorating the office as a surprise for tomorrow," Margie cried. "She ran back in to do something and when I got down to the lobby, the first explosion hit. She and Dewpoint were- oh my god!" A huge crash on the other end sent horrifying anxiety rippling through him.
"Margie!" he yelled as he threw the balcony doors open and jumped into the air without hesitation. "Margie, are you okay? Talk to me, what's going on?"
A few heart-pounding seconds before she came back on. "Debris is falling! They're moving us back, but Y/N-"
"Get to safety Margie, I'm on my way!" Hanging up the phone, he pulled all his concentration on going as fast as he could.
It was another six minutes before he landed in a chaotic scene. Firetrucks and ambulances were already rushing about, trying to get a handle on things. Several heroes were rushing people out to safety. A loud explosion a few blocks down rattled the ground. Glancing that way, he caught sight of a few heroes battling a villain before a familiar voice called out his name.
"Deku!" It was his sidekick, Dewpoint, helping a startled-looking man towards triage. "We've evacuated all the critical floors. I was just going to help with the fires, but the villain-"
"Y/N, Where's Y/N!" Izuku desperately looked around, scanning the makeshift triage area, but saw no sign on you. "Margie said you were with her when the blast hit."
"I-no, they both left…" the sidekick trailed off, glancing back at the building. "No, I saw them leave. It was just me on that floor… or I thought it-"
Izuku didn't let her finish, leaping high into the air with such force that it nearly knocked the woman over. He barreled towards the destroyed space that used to be his office, floating for just a second to take in the damage. The entire wall had been blown out, most things in his office either obliterated in the explosion or coated in flames. There was no sign of you. Gritting his teeth, he slipped his mask on and rushed through the burning hold, landing in one of the few parts of his office the fire had yet to reach.
"Y/N!" he yelled above the roar of the fire, voice a bit muffled from the mask, "Y/N!"
They really did a number on the place. Hardly anything remained. The floors and walls had mostly blown out, but he did catch a few charred remains of what looked like banners. If you were in here before, you definitely weren't now. The implications that held weighed almost too heavily on his heart, but he refused to think about what they meant. For now, he had to assume you were still alive somewhere in this mess.
He floated into the main space that held the bulk of his agency for fear of the floor giving out on him. This part of the building seemed in slightly better shape, but it still looked like a warzone. Fire had spread out along the walls, slowly licking away at the furniture, growing bigger and deadlier by the minute. A sharp pang at the base of his skull had him instinctively jumping to the side to avoid the ceiling collapsing above him. The place was coming down fast. He had to find you quickly.
Frantic eyes swept the destroyed office desperate to see some sort of indication of where you were. Panic threatening to spill out the longer he looked. The further in he went, the heavier the smoke became. It was hard to see anything at all and it took everything in him to remain calm. He needed to think this through critically. Margie had said you came back to his office. The area that got directly hit. A shuddered breath and he shook his head. If you made it out before the missile struck, then you would've run through the office towards the stairs. He followed your path, coming to a large piece of machinery that used to be part of his training center wedged into the door, blocking any chance of escape. The floor in this area had collapsed too, making the terrain nearly impossible to navigate on foot. Where would you have gone next? The second set of emergency stairs on the other end of the office!
"Y/N!" he coughed out, the filters on his mask were having difficulty keeping up with this much toxic smoke surrounding him. "Y/N! Answer me, please!"'
He twisted around, facing the direction where the second set of stairs were when something caught his attention. It was a voice, faint and just barely heard over the fire. He waited, body stiff, breath held, ears strained. A few more impatient seconds, hovering in place before he heard it again. A faded "here" called out. It came from below. Another portion of the ceiling to his right crumbled, sending out a thick wave of dust into the already smoke-heavy air.
Blinking the soot out of his eyes, he carefully dropped through the hole, landing next to a large concrete slab of what used to be the floor to his agency, eyes scanning his surroundings until a piece of fabric caught his attention. He crouched low to peer underneath the chunk of solid concrete, heart leaping into his throat.
"Y/N," he breathed, forcing himself to sound calm.
Arms shaking, you turned your head slightly, squinted eyes landing on him. Instant relief flooded your face. Tears spilled out of the corners of your eyes and a pained whine came from deep in your chest. Izuku took in the sight. There was a thin space between your hands and the large chunk of debris where the air distorted slightly. Your quirk, he realized. That small cushion of air was the only thing keeping the heavy chunk of debris from crushing you. It had saved you, yet inadvertently trapped you as well.
"Heavy," it was barely a groan, finding it hard to say anything with such a weight on your chest.
The slab shook, dropping closer to you. Your quirk was already past its limits, you wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Izuku wasted no time, using Blackwhip to secure the edges and carefully lifted the burden off you with the ease of super strength.
As soon as the weight was gone, the bubble of condensed air dispersed, arms falling to your sides as you took in staggering gulps of air. Whatever damage you took in your chest made it hard to do just that so you ended up choking on each breath which only caused more stabbing pain in a vicious cycle.
Depositing the chunk a safe distance away, he knelt next to you, hand on your head, taking in your rough state. Your thigh was a bloody mess. A thick jagged rip stretched across the skin and frighteningly dark blood pooled beneath your lower half. A few burn marks marred your shoulders and neck, but besides that, you were still awake and aware.
"I'm here," Izuku said, softly as he prodded parts of your limbs and torso, checking for injuries. When he poked just below the sternum, you gasped and tried to crawl away from his touch. He held you firmly in place as to not aggravate any more injuries. "I'm sorry," he glanced around as another section collapsed, bringing the fire with it. Smoke was filling up this level too fast for his liking. "I know it hurts, but I have to make sure I can move you safely."
The smoke had you coughing harshly and you weakly clutched at your chest. Izuku pulled off his mouth guard, securing it around your face. It helped even if your throat was coated in soot by now. "Izuku…" it hurt to speak and Izuku was quick to shush you.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." The man tried for a smile, one which you frailly tried to mirror, despite being hidden by the mask.
Nodding, you tried to focus your eyes on his face. The emergency lights colored everything a hazy yellow, casting his hair in a slight golden halo. Maybe it was the definite concussion, but you couldn't help but think that despite the obvious concern he was wearing, he looked a bit angelic at the moment and you wanted to laugh. Instead, some sort of garbled noise escaped your lips that could barely pass as a laugh.
After a quick examination of your neck, he finally deemed it safe enough to pick you up. "Don't worry, I've got you," it was soft yet firm and you believed every word he said. How could you not? Slowly, he shifted his hands underneath you, lifting your limp form in his arms, tucking you as tightly as he dared to his chest, trying not to strain your damaged body any more than he had to.
With a heavy groan, you buried your face into his chest, one arm dangling beneath you while the other fisted his shirt with all your remaining strength. Holding that thing up had exhausted you. Sheer terror the only thing keeping you awake. Now that the major danger had passed, you were hanging on the edge of consciousness.
The floor above him groaned and cracked. It wouldn't hold up much longer. That sharp jolt in his head told him to run and he did. Hugging you tightly against him, jaw set hard, he sprinted for the window. Right before he slammed into it, he twisted around so his back hit first and hunched over to protect you from the shattering glass. Izuku tumbled out in a free fall for a split second before he righted himself and came to a slow halt, floating in mid-air. A wave of dust and debris flew out the window behind him as the rest of the floor caved in.
Finally letting out that breath he'd been holding, he glanced down at you. Eyes closed and breathing labored, you looked pale and in pain. All this just so you could surprise him for his birthday. Well, it was definitely a surprise, just one neither of you was expecting.
Helicopters hovered around the building and he knew cameras were most likely on him, they always were. But he ignored them, focused completely on you. As he descended, a spotlight fell on him, the harsh light only illuminating your injured state all the more. A few medics rushed out to meet him halfway once he landed. Handing you off to them was difficult, but they would be able to help you better than he could at this point. Once they assured him (more than a few times) that you would be alright under their care, he reluctantly pulled himself away. There was still a villain to catch.
Eyes dark, he rocketed into the air once again, this time, aimed at the explosions raining down on the buildings a few blocks east. The closer he got, the more destruction he saw. Overturned cars, wrecked storefronts, people being herded away by a few heroes. It was a disaster, to say the least.
A stray missile speed into the air and course-corrected to him. A heat seeker. Izuku lashed out with Blackwhip, slashing right through the small but highly destructive weapon. The explosion wasn't all that big, but the blast still sent him flying back. Now that he'd given his position away, three more missiles popped over the buildings, coming in straight for him.
He couldn't risk all three colliding and creating a bigger impact so close to the buildings so he flew higher, the missiles chasing after him. Once he was high above the city, he whipped around, catching all three missiles in his tether and smashed them into each other. This time he was prepared for the backlash and shielded himself.
Being this high up gave him a great vantage point. He could see the center of the chaos, heroes closed in on all sides of a single villain although that didn't deter the man in the least. He rapid-fired missiles of varying degrees, some coming dangerously close to striking the heroes. He must've been powerful if all the gathered pros were having difficulty catching him. Izuku needed to end this quickly.
Dropping Float, he dove back to Earth in a free-fall. From this height, directly striking the villain would most likely kill him and as much as he hated the man for all the unnecessary violence he'd caused, he would never go that far. So coming in hot, he smashed into the ground beside him, the resulting shockwave sent him flying into a nearby building. Izuku wasted no time in jumping from his spot with lightning speed, slamming the dazed villain back into the wall of the building, holding him easily in place with one arm, the other restraining a rocket launcher that was attached- wait, that was the villain's arm. So that must've been his quirk.
"DEKU!" The villain, in a cheap getup with fabric covering his eyes, roared as he squirmed under the iron-clad grip. "Let me go or I swear I'll blow us all to hell! I'm not done with you yet! You're the reason gack-"
Izuku shoved his arm into the villain's throat, blocking off the rest of his rant. "Shut up," he growled, leaning in close, a fiery storm brewing in his eyes. "I don't want to hear it. You hurt innocent people today. I don't care if you come after me, but come after the ones I care about and there will be severe consequences." His voice was ice and cold enough to even freeze the criminal in place. "I will not tolerate putting innocent people in danger. Do not test that tolerance again."
A few other heroes joined him and with one last deadly glare, he let go of the man who seemed to lose all fighting spirit in the wake of Izuku's threat. He was quickly cuffed and lead away, leaving Izuku stiff, body still itching for a fight.
When a hand landed on his shoulder, he nearly flinched out of his skin. It was Dewpoint who was staring at the ground. She looked guilty beyond belief. "Deku sir, I just came to tell you that the fires have been successfully put out." Then she finally looked up at him. "And to let you know that Y/N was taken to the hospital a few minutes ago. The medics said she'll be fine!" Then backed up a bit, bowing in apology. "I'm so sorry, I made a terrible mistake. I should've double-checked the floor, there is no excuse!"
He didn't have the energy for this conversation right now. Not when you were still at the forefront of his mind. Running a hand through his sooty hair, he sighed. "This could've gone entirely different Dewpoint. This job requires our full attention but mistakes still happen." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he looked her in her watery eyes. "Finish helping with evacuations of the area and keep me updated. We'll talk more about this later when things have calmed down." When he's calmed down.
Dewpoint nodded, steeling her face and charging off into one of the buildings. She was a recent graduate, still learning, but her mistakes nearly cost you your life tonight. He'd have to bring her in for some one-on-one lessons on proper civilian evacuation scenarios. The woman had potential, it's why he hired her in the first place because he saw a lot of himself in her.
Shaking his head, he sprung into the air, towards the hospital. He knew the way well, he'd been there enough himself. The hospital wasn't far from the agency and when he landed at the front doors of the emergency ward, the place was abuzz. Other worried families here to see loved ones injured in the attack were filling up the lobby and he squeezed through to the front desk. The one good thing about not being in costume is that he wasn't so easily recognizable without it. besides, the last thing people would look for is a frantic hero in the crowd, they had more important things to worry about.
"Excuse me, I'm looking-"
"Sir," the nurse said, busily moving forms around, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait. We are still admitting patients. If you're looking for someone from the incident tonight, you'll have to wait until we call out names. Fill this out in the meantime." She didn't bother looking up at him as she handed him the paperwork.
"Midoriya," a quiet voice said behind him and he whirled around.
"Dr. Okura," he hurried over to the woman in scrubs. Izuku knew a lot of the staff around here. He spends a lot more time here after battles than he cares to admit. "I'm glad to see you."
"As am I," she tapped his shoulder, ushering him past the lobby and down the hall. "I heard what happened. I'm glad you managed to come out relatively unscathed."
"Yeah, I’m not here for me," he said a little impatiently, "Y/N was caught up in the attack. They said she was taken here."
Nodding, the doc lead him over to the nurses' station where she typed in your name on the computer. "Oh good, she was actually admitted a little while ago. Come on, I'll take you to her room."
"Thank you," Izuku closed his eyes with a relieved sigh.
The two of them quickly walked down the hall until they came to a closed door. Dr. Okura knocked and opened the door, Izuku right behind her. Inside, you were lying on the bed, looking a bit dazed, but otherwise fine as a nurse spoke to you.
"Y/N," he brushed past the doctor and knelt next to your bedside.
The nurse blinked as she realized the man kneeling next to the bed was one of the top pro hero's Deku. She looked to the doc who waved her over and discussed your chart before the nurse was dismissed.
"Looks like she'll be alright with enough rest and care," Dr. Okura smiled at the two of you. "I'll let the two of you have some time, but Midoriya, she does have a concussion, so keep an eye on her and don't let her fall asleep. If you need anything that button rings the nurse." With a grateful nod from Izuku, she shut the door.
"You came." Your voice was nothing more than a gravelly whisper. One arm draped over your eyes, shielding them from the dim lights while the other snaked its way out from the covers to find his hand. "Knew you would." A small smile replaced the grimace on your face for a brief second. "You always do."
"And I always will," he managed a small, wobbly smile back. The events tonight scared him more than he realized and just hoped you didn't feel the tremors in his hands.
"What a sap," you laughed. Peering out from under your arm, you locked eyes with him. "Thanks… and sorry."
"What are you sorry about?"
"I don't know, for putting you in that situation in the first place. It was dumb, I wasn't even supposed to be there. I just wanted to do something nice for your birthday this year. It was gonna be great. I even made a cake." Frowning, you covered your eyes back up. "And it got blown to smithereens."
"Hey," Izuku gently peeled your arm off your face enough so he could look you in the eyes. "It wasn't dumb and it wasn't your fault. I'm a hero, it's kinda my thing to save people who need it." He examined your face: pupils blown, a few cuts scattered over the skin, and some light burns that traveled down your neck. The best thing I can have for my birthday is you; safe and right here with me."
"Yeah, but a cake would've been nice too," you mumbled, covering your aching eyes back up.
He just shook his head with a breathy laugh. "Focus on healing and then we can make a new one together."
Lifting your arm up just enough to smirk at him, you said, "you're good at a lot of things, but baking is not your forte. You should probably stick to the whole hero thing."
That got another laugh. "Fair enough. How about you make the cake and we can eat it together."
Satisfied, you dropped your arm back over your face with a tired, slightly pained sigh. "Sounds good. You deserve the best."
He brought your hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. "I already have the best."
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In Another Life- Clementine AU
So I clearly have a death wish writing two stories at once, but what the hell! Enjoy!
Prologue
“9-1-1 what’s your emergency?”
“Help! Please send an ambulance there was a car crash on I-95! The car flipped over!”
“Okay sir, please stay calm-“
“Oh my god! There’s a little girl!” He drops the phone on the ground and runs to the car.
“Sir?.... sir?.... Please hang on and wait till someone gets there! Hello… sir!”
The storm raged on in the cold empty town, it rained hard and long throughout rural Georgia. The man stepped out the car and put his hood on, he walked into Red’s Diner and headed for a booth in the corner. It was quiet for the most part nothing but truck drivers, waitresses, static from the old tv and light country jams playing in the back.
A woman searched through the jukeboxes playlist before noticing the man in the corner. The server brought him some coffee, as she watched him intently, she believed it was him, he was the her guy.
She headed to the table and sat across from him, he watched her hesitantly and pulled out her notebook and pen.
“The names Carley, I’m assuming you’re Lee, right?” She didn’t make eye contact until she finished writing.
“Yeah, that’s me.” He continues to drink his coffee.
“You have quite an interesting story, I’m glad you called me back to meet, it’s about time we heard your perspective of the story.” She sat her notebook down and set up her recorder.
“Yeah, something about the message you left me told me you’re a no bullshit kind of girl.” He sipped his coffee.
“No bullshit kind of woman.” She smirked at him as she took in his appearance. “Alright so I want all the details, don’t leave anything out. I’m also great at detecting bullshit so don’t try it, now tell me the everything from the beginning.” She leaned in closer and he began.
He stood in the mirror and watched himself as he put on the nicest suit he owned. He added a bit of cologne to his collar and his wrist before officially tying his tie. Before he could get deep into though he saw himself in the mirror, and man did he look good. His phone started ringing and he went to answer it.
“Baby, where are you the event is starting soon.” His wife told him. He could hear the impatience in her voice.
“I’m coming honey, I’m almost there.” Lee grabbed his coat and keys as he headed out.
“Lee Everett, are you just now leaving the house?” He could feel the argument forming and quickly approaching.
“Honey I will be there before the event starts, I promise.”
“You better. Look I want us to work, for things to get better… just get here before the events starts.” Her voice got a bit softer.
“I will. I love you.” He held his breath, waiting to hear the words back.
“Yeah… baby, I love you too, just hurry.” She rushed him off the phone and hung up. His head was hung low as he felt defeated. His marriage was crumbling before his eyes and it felt like there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Lee headed out the house and hopped into his car, setting out for the governors ball. His wife job consist of a lot of traveling while he worked as a history professor for the University of Georgia. He played The Temptations as he steadily rolled through traffic before hopping onto the highway. He checked the time 7:45pm, he had 15 minutes to get there before he’d be hearing her mouth all night. “15 minutes, no problem” he thought out loud as he turned the music up just a bit louder. As he shifted to face the road, everything in front of him flashed before his eyes. A couple of cars in front of him skirted and he joined the notion and watched a collision before his eyes. One car even flipped over and was hanging off the highway bridge. People stopped and got out there cars to see the horror in front of them. He looked around and saw no one making an effort to call the cops, so he did. He watched the car teeter back and forth as it hung rearing at the edge of the highway. As he called he couldn’t take his eyes off the wreckage.
“9-1-1 what’s your emergency?”
“Help! Please send an ambulance there was a car crash on I-95! The car flipped over!”
“Okay sir, please stay calm-“
“Oh my gosh! There’s a little girl!” He drops the phone on the ground and runs to the car.
“Sir?.... sir?.... Please hang on and wait till someone gets there! Hello… sir!”
Lee ran towards the car as he frantically searched for a way to save the little girl in the back. Everyone took their phones out as they watched the scene go down, only one other man came out to help rather than watch. The other man held the car down as Lee reached in for the girl, she was frightened and in shock.
“Hey sweetie, I know this is scary but you have to take my hand so I can get you out of this mess.” He reached out for her but she didn’t move.
“My… my parents.” She pointed to the body in the windshield and the empty driver's seat. The sight made him want to throw up, but he knew he had another objective.
“I know sweet pea it’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He reached a little further in as the car teetered once more.
“Promise.” She asked.
“I promise.” He told her. He reached in almost touching her hand but the car teetered once more.
“I’m scared.” She retreated.
“Hey! Guy! I can’t hold this shit for much longer.” The man with the mustache yelled.
“I’m working on it!” Lee yelled back.
“Well work faster!” He retorted.
“Alright honey, I’m going to need you to take my hand so I can pull you out before this thing falls over.” Lee told the girl softly.
“No! No! No!” She covered her eyes.
“I know you’re scared, I’ve been scared before, and every time I get scared I breathe and I push through it.” Lee was very gentle though in this moment he was scared for his life. The little girl took a deep breath and reached for Lee’s hand. She almost was able to reach until she was pulled back.
“I’m stuck!” She tried not to freak out.
“I got you! Don’t panic just breathe.” He reached in and wiggled the seatbelt. If this car goes down, he’s going down with it. He got the seatbelt unlatched and pulled the girl out as they tumbled to the ground. The man and the few other people that helped let go of the car as it teetered more and slid down further. The little girl held onto to the man for dear life as she weeped. “I got you sweetpea, I got you.” He held her until the police and ambulance made it, they tried to take the little girl but she panicked during their attempts.
“It’s okay, the nice people just want to make sure you’re okay.” He comforted the little girl. She let go to get checked out but continued to hold his hand. “It’s okay. I’m standing right here, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The sun had set and Lee completely lost track of time. He went to go check his phone when he saw that he has 12 missed calls from his wife, it was better to not call her back right now, today was stressful enough. The little girl quickly came darting back to Lee and held onto him as the medical help tried to take her away. The man that helped with the wreckage also approached them.
“What you did there was very noble man, I don’t think most would of done what you did.” The man shook his hand.
“I’m sure they would of. She’s a little girl, I couldn’t let her go down like that.” Lee told him.
“Well you deserve a medal or something, how about buy you a drink sometime. My wife and kid are in the car, but here's my information, let me know when you want to use it.” The mustache man put his hand on Lee’s shoulder.
“Thanks man, what’s your name.” Lee put the paper in his pocket.
“It’s Kenny. Call anytime, I’m a commercial fisherman so I’m up and about all throughout the day and night. Have a good one!” Kenny walked away and headed out.
Lee bent down to the girls level and held her.
“Please don’t leave me alone again.” She cried. “Those people tried to take me away.”
“Alright. I won’t honey.” He rubbed her back. “What’s your name?”
“Clementine, it’s Clementine.” She looked up to him.
“Alright Clementine, i'll stay right by your side.”
The ambulance tried very hard to split the two up but Clementine was very adamant about sticking with Lee, so they headed to the hospital. She got checked up and she was fine besides a few cuts and bruises. The doctor Hershel pulled Lee aside to chat about his relation with the girl before turning it over to CPS. The CPS lady Bonnie couldn’t find any other relatives that would take Clementine in, so she was officially an orphan. Lee immediately signed on to be a foster parent until further notice. Bonnie normally wasn’t supposed to do this but made sure to help Lee in his case. Though he couldn’t take her home that night, she promised he could see her tomorrow and they could check out his place and do a background check to see if he was suitable to watch a child.
Lee finally headed home after a crazy day promising himself to check on Clementine tomorrow morning. He knew he needed to prepare his home for her, for a kid, and yet the idea of raising a kid wasn’t nearly as scary as the fight he was preparing to have with his wife. He pulled into the driveway and headed into the lavish home, it was not made for a kid. He walked through the garage and into the house and he was ready to hear it.
“Oh thank God!” She ran up to him and hugged him. “Are you okay?” She started checking him.
“I’m fine, wait… how do you know what happened.” Lee was completely taken off guard.
“I was completely livid when you didn’t show up tonight, but when you weren’t answering my calls I got worried, then I saw the news. You saved that little girl! They had a video and everything, i'm just glad you’re okay.” She hugged him once more.
“Speaking of the little girl-“ She cut him off.
“Let’s get you out of those clothes, then we can talk.” She led him to their room and he started to change seeing a bloodstain on his white shirt giving him flashbacks of the previous incidences.
“What I wanted to talk to you about.” She started to kiss him hinting at what she wanted, but he knew what was more important. “That little girl… I’m her foster parent for now, of course until I can adopt her.”
“Excuse me, what!” The woman bounced back completely. “You signed up to foster a child! Before talking to me about it first!”
“It was in the moment, she had nowhere to go and I couldn’t let her fall into the system Elaine.” Lee got up to keep changing.
“Lee this is not an environment for children, we have glass everywhere and-“
“The only reason we bought this house is so we can have children!” Lee snapped a little.
“Lee you know I can’t.” She turned away from him.
“No, you can, you just don’t want to.” Lee started to get frustrated. “Before we got married you knew how bad I wanted children, then when I wanted to try you changed your mind. Elaine I’m working with you as best I can. Look this is something new and I think it could help us-“
“Bringing a child into the equation is not going to help us Lee!”
“Can we just try? Look if it doesn’t work out we are only fostering her, and if it does then we may actually have a family.” Lee pleaded.
“I thought we already were one.” She stormed into the bathroom.
“Elaine…”
“Okay Lee, I’ll try, but not for you, for that little girl.” She climbed into bed.
The next day came and Lee woke up extra early to do anything he could to make Clementine more comfortable and kid-proof the house. Around 8am Elaine and him headed to go pick her up. When they got to the foster house she stayed at, her face immediately lit up at the sight of Lee.
“Lee!” She beamed and ran to him. “The lady said that I can live with you, but I had to wait till today.”
“Yeah sweet pea you’re coming with us, this is my wife Elaine.” Lee introduces the two.
“Hi Clementine.” She shook the little girls hand.
A year had past and Lee and Clementine had only gotten closer, her taking up most of his free time. Bonnie has checked their place and throughout her visits it got more and more kid friendly. Elaine and Lee only grew more distant though, anytime Lee wanted to do something for or with her she never reciprocated, all she did was keep herself busy hardly even establishing a relationship with Clementine. Clementine was able to go to her parents funeral and even got to keep the cremations, it was hard for her but she only took a few things from her old house that could be in memory of them such as: her dads lucky cap, her walkie-talkies, a necklace that was her mother’s, and other small Knick knacks. She started to see a therapist and seemed better and better as time went on, as she stayed in school and even started to play softball. When the time came for Lee and Elaine to decide if they were going to adopt Clementine, Elaine couldn’t say no, she saw how happy Clem made Lee and knew it was the best thing for them.
Lee finally got the adoption papers back to confirm her adoption, and Lee wanted to make it an extra special night. He set up reservations for a really nice restaurant and even bought Clementine a pretty dress. Lee picked her up from school and headed home when he saw a car in the driveway that he’d never seen before. He was very suspicious but didn’t want to alarm Clementine.
“Who’s car is that?” Clementine caught on, she was a smart girl.
“I don’t know Sweetpea, but stay in the car I’m going to go find out.” Lee parked the car on the street and got out. “Hey lock the door and don’t open for anyone, okay?”
“Okay.” She did exactly what she was asked.
Lee walked inside and quietly crept up the stairs. It didn’t seem like anything was taken, but he did notice his wife’s keys. He continued up when he heard noises coming from his bedroom, he busted the door open to see Elaine and Senator Macintosh active in his bed.
“Lee!” Elaine coward as Macintosh hopped of the bed and tried to put his pants on quick. A rage took over Lee and he blacked out as he grabbed the man and started beating him senselessly. Elaine tried to stop him, but couldn’t.
“Lee!” A scared Clementine yelled from the door, which snapped him out of it. He got up from on top of the man and turned to her.
“Clementine.” She looked scared and stared at the blood dripping from his knuckles. He wiped his knuckles on his jeans and bent down to her level. “I’m sorry you has to see that, what happened to waiting in the car?”
“I got scared you didn’t come back for a long time.”
“I’m sorry I scared you honey.” She hugged him as she tried not to look at the man bloody in the corner.
“Lee-“ He immediately shout daggers Elaine’s way.
“You did this.” He picked up Clementine and led her out the room as they headed to the car and sat there. Lee didn’t know his fate but still wanted to give Clementine her gift.
“ I had a surprise for you today.” Lee looked at Clementine.
“Wha-what was it?” She looked at him. He handed her the box with a ribbon on out with a card.
“We got the adoption papers back and it was official that you’re an Everett, If you still want to be?”
“I do.” She didn’t hesitate as she cried and gave Lee a hug. “The man in there… was he bad?”
“Yeah Clem, yeah he was.”
“Oh.” She sat there quietly for a little. She started to unwrap the present and saw a very pretty dress. “Thank you Lee! Do you think it would look good with my hat?” She beamed.
“I think it would look great with your hat.” Lee half smiled to her.
The police and ambulance came and let’s say this was all over the news. Lee got arrested and the Senator was taken in an ambulance, luckily he lived and though he wanted to press charges due to the situation he wouldn’t to save face though not much of it was saved not to mention Lee was the man that saved a little girl from dying so for the Senator it was a losing battle.
Lee and Elaine ended up splitting, it was too much to stay there so Lee decided it was time for a change. He packed up and headed to Macon so that he could be closer to his parents and siblings. Though it was hard for Lee in the beginning it got better, a lot better. Elaine may now have been Clem’s legal mother but the two didn’t have a relationship, Lee asked nothing from her; after all she didn’t want a kid in the first place. Macon became home again and Lee was once again close with his family again, even finally accepted Kenny’s drink establishing a friendship with the man as well.
“There you have it Carley, did I bullshit?” Lee questioned.
“Not that I can tell.” She finished writing and stopped recording.
“Okay, now I have one off the record question… wanna do dinner sometime?” Lee asked.
“I don’t mix business and pleasure.” Carley smiled and started packing up her things. “But for you, I guess I can make an exception. You have my number, you know where to find me.” She walked away leaving Lee at Red’s Diner, he liked her, a lot.
Chapter 1
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