Whumptober Day 5 prompt: Poisoned

Made it just in time for this one! This is poorly edited, so bear with me here... I'm too exhausted to re-check 6K words. Hope you enjoy!

"ALRIGHT, SETTLE DOWN, EVERYONE, IT'S TIME FOR DINNER!"

A rowdy Class 1-A chattered eagerly around the campfire as they waited for their meal to be served by the drafted cook of the night - Tenya Iida. Aizawa had sent the whole class away on a camping trip together for "team-building" and "survival skills", but it was obvious he and the entire class just wanted a break.

After the recent events of hero camp, Bakugo's kidnapping, and All Might's reveal, everybody needed a bit of quiet time. Even if Aizawa didn't say it, his students could tell he felt bad about what they'd been forced to go through. Though this gift was silently given, it was recognized for what it was and appreciated.

That didn't mean their four-night camping trip had to be easy, though. Their teacher had taken away all means of communication and worldly comforts, saying that if they were lost in the wilderness, they wouldn't have such luxuries to rely on. This was "wilderness training", after all...

"I SAID SETTLE DOWN IF YOU WANT TO EAT! Your food's been ready for the past twenty minutes - I even labeled each and every one of your meals to provide more order to this wilderness challenge." Iida looked quite serious for such a light-hearted matter. "As one of the only four chosen to serve dinner on this trip, I will do everything I can to prove my skills worthy of this honor!"

Most of the class started laughing. "Geez, Iida, you know this isn't a real training exercise, right?" Uraraka giggled.

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Mr. Aizawa said to us that this was an experience that would later benefit us if we used it to its full-"

"CAN'T YOU JUST BRING THE STUPID FOOD OUT HERE ALREADY, I'M STARVING!" Bakugo yelled, poking a stick in the fire so violently sparks flew at his classmates. As his appetite swelled, so did his temper.

It wasn't long before Iida was able to serve everyone their dinners. Though, in the scramble to get their food, a few of the students' meals were mixed up - Izuku accidentally began to munch on Bakugo's labeled dish before he realized he had the wrong name. He considered letting his friend know what had happened, but he didn't think it was a huge deal and decided to take a few more bites of the smoked fish. It was delicious; Iida sure knew how to cook! He even put this exotic-looking white powder on it. Maybe it was a seasoning - Izuku never really ate fish, so he didn't know.

A few minutes into his meal, he heard Bakugo screaming at Iida about not being able to find his marked plate. Realizing he should've probably spoken up awhile ago, Izuku decided to finally step in.

"Sorry, Kacchan, I accidentally grabbed yours by mistake," he said, smiling apologetically. "You can have mine instead, if you want!"

Bakugo, who had been just facing Iida in order to yell at him, jerked his head to face him. His right eye twitched. "WHAT?! YOU ATE… MY… SPECIFICALLY LABELED… FOOD...?!"

Izuku stomach began to churn uncomfortably at his friend's intense anger. The piece of fish he'd just eaten seemed to settle hard in his stomach. "I just didn't… I didn't see it until I-I had already taken a few bites… and it was too late… it's not a big deal, though, right? It's just a label-"

"IT'S MY FOOD, YOU IDIOT! MINE! YOU'RE TOO STUPID TO EVEN READ A NAME WITH THOSE BALLOON EYES!"

"Bakugo, chill, it's just food," Kirishima said from next to him, trying to calm him down. "We all got the same thing - just take Midoriya's fish instead."

"THE LITTLE NERD ATE MY FOOD AND I CAN'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT!"

Izuku bit his lip. He wanted to apologize again, but upon years of experience with Bakugo, he knew stepping in would just make things worse. As he and Kirishima began to fight things out, he quietly returned to his plate by the fire, though he didn't feel much like eating anymore.

After the Bakugo incident, the night passed fairly happily. Though the students didn't have their phones or usual luxuries, they had a ton of fun just sitting around the campfire together, swapping stories and playing games. It was a comfort to have this ease, after everything that had happened. Between the villain attack and All Might's showdown with All For One, they'd all had their fill of stress.

Finally, after hours of fun, the night pulled to an end. A few classmates began to leave the campfire and head for their tents they'd set up the night before. Each student got their own one.

"You know, that was really fun, Deku!" Uraraka chirped as the two finally left the campfire for the night. "It was really cool to learn so much about everybody. No one really talks outside of class."

"Yeah." Izuku smiled, but he just couldn't make it whole-hearted. He was feeling a little weird. Slightly sick, head spacey… he hoped he wasn't catching anything. He'd had a really good time with his friends tonight, too, and didn't want to have miss out on more experiences with his class because he was getting sick.

"Is something wrong?"

She had noticed. Great.

"N-no, everything's fine!" He widened his grin to make a point that he was okay. A little nausea was nothing to make a big deal out of. He didn't need to tell Uraraka about it.

"...If you're sure." She approached her tent, then turned around to face Izuku one last time. "Night! See you tomorrow!"

"Goodnight!"

After leaving Uraraka's tent, he headed towards his own. Okay, now he was feeling definitely more than a little sick. A pain was growing in his abdomen, too, clawing at him every once in awhile. He hadn't really noticed it before with the campfire activities, but, looking back, his discomfort had probably been growing for hours.

As he crawled inside his sleeping bag, he lay on his side, curled up as cozily as he could to fend off the nausea. He didn't want to ever move again.

"I'm fine," he murmured to himself as he drifted off. "Tired… but, I'm… I'm..." He couldn't fight his exhaustion. With a last, wide yawn, he drifted off, hoping that everything would be back to normal in the morning.

Class 1-A was awoken by a blood-curdling scream.

It was one of those screams that, though wasn't extremely loud, tended to scare people even more than the powerful ones, as it was gasping with pain….

...and suddenly cut off.

A few of the students burst from their camping tents, eyes wildly searching the darkened forest for the source of the noise. It sounded human, but they couldn't be sure. Aizawa had promised them no villains and no drama… and the second night they were there, they were met with this. What was going on?

"Who was that?" Todoroki asked a nearby Uraraka, who, though still sleepy-eyed, was always ready to help out anyone in need. They were some of the first to burst from their tents, followed by a couple of others.

"I don't know." A crease formed on her brow. "Do you think Aizawa…?"

"No," Iida interrupted, shoving his glasses up his nose as he exited his tent. He'd clearly heard them talking and awoken. "Mr. Aizawa promised us no extra challenges! This scream was from a human, not a monster, anyways..."

Everyone present looked at each other, but no one had any ideas who it could be. "Is someone out there, or is it one of us?" a trembling Ashido asked. It was surprising she'd had to guts to leave her tent in the dark.

"One of us?" Uraraka repeated. "But, everyone's here…" She trailed off, eyes searching the campground. "Wait… Deku. I… I don't see Deku here."

"WHY THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING SO LOUD?!" Bakugo screamed, head popping out of the opening in his tent. His classmates jumped, startled at his appearance. "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP HERE, YOU IDIOTS - IT'S TWO IN THE MORNING!"

"Somebody just screamed," Uraraka said worriedly. "I think… I think it might've been Deku!"

"That whimp probably had a nightmare or something. He doesn't need Pink Cheeks and friends to save the day."

Uraraka didn't have time to retaliate. She was too worried about Izuku. "DEKU...? Deku! Are you out here? Please answer!"

"I don't see him," Todoroki said flatly. Even he was growing a little annoyed. "He could still be asleep."

"No! Deku would've woken up if he heard a scream… I know him, he - he wants to help people, more than anything. No… something's wrong."

She walked along the campsite carefully, searching for his tent. She remembered it being fairly close to the kitchen/storage room (a small, rundown building Aizawa had granted them use of. The students affectionately named it "The Shack"), which was nearby.

Suddenly, they all heard another series of groans. Heads whipped to their origin and everyone tensed when they saw.

It was coming from Izuku's tent.

Uraraka rushed over to it, no time to think, and about half the class following her. She rushed inside his tent, preparing herself for the worst…

She was met with Izuku. But it wasn't like she expected it to be. He was hunching over, clutching his gut, and near a pile of vomit.

"Uraraka," Izuku gasped, skin eerily pale and sweaty. His eyes were on hers, but they looked too unfocused to be fully comprehending. "I-I-I… can't… b-b-breathe…"

She had frozen for a horror-filled moment, but she broke free of her paralysis at those words. Izuku was sick and she needed to take action now. "Deku. What's going on…?!"

He sucked in a gargling breath.

"...S-s-sick. Woke up - a few minutes ago. Threw up. B-but then… there was this pain, and I knew something - was wrong… I-I-I didn't m-mean to scream, m'sorry about that… I-I just c-couldn't hol…" He suddenly gasped, breathing in sharply. Uraraka knew what was going to happen before he said anything, and swiftly used her quirk to guide him outside to safely vomit on the ground.

Uraraka could tell he was embarrassed about being like this right in front of her, but she couldn't care less. The classmates who had awoken earlier watched Izuku in surprise. A tension seemed to release from them all as they saw he wasn't injured or on the verge of death. However, they might've shown relief too soon.

"Midoriya's caught a bug, huh," Kirishima said sympathetically.

Just then, Izuku gave a heaving gasp and grabbed his stomach. Pain-filled eyes met Uraraka's as he rasped out, "Not like… usual… U-Urar-raka… feels d-different… worse…" He suddenly leaned over again and threw up one more time. Someone muttered, "Groosss…"

Uraraka ignored them. Izuku was right; this didn't seem like a bug. It was too intense… and way too sudden, it seemed. She shared a look with Todoroki, who seemed to be on the same train of thought she was.

"How did he even get so sick so quickly?" Uraraka asked nobody in particular, rubbing Izuku's trembling back as he hunched over the ground, retching once again, though he had already run out of stomach contents to throw up. "I don't think this a bug - it's too bad, and nothing's going around…!"

Class 1-A thought back to the events of the earlier evening, searching their minds for possible irritations that could have caused Izuku's sudden illness.

"We have to think about everything Midoriya's done today," Todoroki said seriously. "Could something have triggered this?"

"Well… he woke up."

"Ate breakfast."

"He went fishing with me in the afternoon!"

"Lunch…"

"Headed back to camp…"

"Played a game…"

"Dinner."

"Sat around the fire…"

"Went to bed."

There was silence. That was it.

Izuku was violently shaking by now, lips quivering as he expected to throw up again, but nothing would come out. His clothes were soaked in sweat and grime already. It was awful looking at him and not knowing what was happening to him or if they could even help.

"Maybe something he ate?" Tokoyami said. "Perhaps this is some sort food poisoning?"

The class exchanged glances. They weren't sure.

"Let's go with food poisoning for now," Uraraka agreed. It certainly seemed to be on that track. She looked over Izuku pitifully. "Oh, Deku…"

"Does this mean we can go back to sleep now?" Bakugo growled. Uraraka was surprised he was still there.

"Do whatever you want. I want to help Deku feel better, he looks awful… We should move him inside The Shack to give him a little more comfort. Staying out here isn't a good idea with him like this."

Still twisted up in his sleeping bag and shivering all over, Izuku gave a slight turn of his head back and forth. "'M… okay… please don't worry… I just… need a little time... ahh." To make a point, he slowly unzipped his sleeping bag and crawled out. Everyone could see how pale his face was growing at the movement. However, shockingly, he used his bare palms to push him to his unsteady feet. Uraraka thought he was going to fall, but he stood fairly strong above her.

"S-see?" he croaked, lips twitching into a slight smile that his worried class did not return. "I'm… I-I-I'm…" His speech slurred as a disoriented look came across his face. Then, without warning, his eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp, falling to a collapse on the hard ground.

"Midoriya!" Todoroki shouted, already knowing something was wrong.

As Izuku's body made a painful impact, the class began to panic.

"What happened?!"

"Crap - did he just faint?"

"Wha… what's going on?"

"OH MY GOSH, HE'S HAVING A SEIZURE!"

On the soil, Izuku's body had began to quake violently, convulsing into spasms of movement he couldn't control. It looked like he had passed out, but no one could be sure.

Uraraka put a hand over her mouth, in horror. "DEKU! D-Deku... Deku!"

Izuku was spasming wildly now, and it was now apparent that something was definitely wrong with him. And it wasn't food poisoning.

"What do we do?!" Uraraka cried out, wanting to help Izuku in some way, but clueless as to what to do with his convulsing body.

"Everybody out of the way!" Iida shouted, sounding more alarmed than ever. "We can't do anything to stop this seizure, but we can make sure Midoriya doesn't hurt himself!" The students stepped back at his yell, and even Uraraka got up from the ground to give Izuku some space.

"Don't we have to put something in his mouth or something?" Kaminari asked, looking panicked.

"Of course not! We don't want him to choke." Iida slowly approached Izuku's seizing body. Uraraka watched with tears in her eyes - seeing her best friend like this and not being able to do a single thing tore at her heart.

Kaminari's eyes lingered on his friend's vulnerable body as he muttered, "But I saw it in a movie…"

"That's just a myth, you fool! I took real emergency medical training like all the Iida's have. Now… I'm going to turn him on his side to make sure his airway is clear! One of you with a watch - begin to time the seizure. We have to know the length; if it lasts more than five minutes, Midoriya is in serious trouble…"

As gently as he could, Iida lifted Izuku's body so that he was laying on one side while trying to avoid flailing arms and legs. The whites of Izuku's eyes were prominent in the dark, hauntingly empty as his body convulsed with uncontrollable violence. Eventually, Iida had him on his side, and stepped back into the crowd of his friends to let the seizure run its course.

All the students felt awful as they watched their friend in this state, not knowing whether he'd be okay or not. The once reclusive, awkward boy had become a source of hope to his classmates, proving that no matter who you were or where you came from, you could become a hero. Now, watching their beloved companion jerking viciously on the ground, the entire class wore all kinds of expressions ranging from horror to sorrow. A few of them started to cry, while others turned around, unable to watch. Uraraka even caught Bakugo's face creasing in a strange expression that looked like sympathy.

Years seemed to pass. The convulsions lasted two minutes and thirty-eight seconds.

When they were done, Izuku lay still on the ground, slack face illuminated in the moonlight. He looked exhausted, slumped over in the way he was. Iida held an arm out to prevent anybody from moving quite yet, just in case the fit started again. Fortunately, twenty seconds passed with no sign of further spasms.

Izuku gave a weak noise, almost like a mewl. His head twitched in an effort to rise, but soon seemed to give up.

Uraraka couldn't take it anymore. She pushed past Iida's hand and ran to her friend's side. "D-D-Deku? Are… are you…?"

He quivered again. "Gon… gon' be sssi-ickkk…"

Uraraka was glad he was already on his side, because Izuku soon gave another retch onto the ground, this time spewing out a thin, clear liquid. Stomach acid.

"I-Iida, what do we do?" She felt helpless. Her friend was deathly ill and she knew nothing about how to help him. She didn't even know why he was sick. He didn't seem to have a stomach bug… this was way too serious for food poisoning, as well… So, what was wrong with him?

"We… we should bring him inside The Shack, perhaps into the storage room. He needs to recover from his seizure in comfort and quiet," Iida said. His voice had a strange, choked sound to it that indicated he'd been holding back tears. The rest of the class was frozen, still traumatized by what had just happened. "A-and… we need to figure out what happened to him… how this was suddenly… brought upon him…"

No time to stall, Uraraka used her quirk to gently float Izuku through the air towards The Shack. The building wasn't very big, but it was indoors and would keep him out of the night chill. Several of her classmates offered her their sleeping bags for Izuku to rest in, and she accepted. She wanted him to be as content as possible when he felt so ill.

Soon, he was settled in a nice little burrow of blankets. He was still moaning, hands groping at his stomach as he was struck with aggressive bouts of pain, and sometimes rolling over as he fought off nausea; but, at least, he wasn't having anymore seizures. That was the one thing they could be thankful for.

Uraraka wouldn't leave his side, squatting down next to him and wiping his brow with a wet cloth. The students who had remained asleep throughout the earlier events (Tsu, Aoyama, Sato, Sero, and Mineta) were woken and informed to what was going on. Now, nearly everyone was gathered around the ailing Izuku, frantic about what was going to happen to him next. It was strange for the whole class to be awake this late at night - and all assembled in one place.

"Uraraka."

She felt a hand be placed on her shoulder and looked up to see Iida standing behind her. He looked troubled. "What is it?"

"We must find the source of Midoriya's illness, or I believe there is a chance he could… well…" He didn't have to complete the sentence. "...If we find out what caused him to reach this state, then perhaps we could help him. My first thought was that he is feeling the effects of something he ate today. Food is a prominent source in ailments such of these."

"That's… that's a really good idea, Iida. Do you think you'll find what caused him to be this way?"

"Perhaps. I was wondering if you'd like to explore the kitchen with me. We may find something that could explain the cause to Midoriya's sickness, and therefore, a possible antidote."

Uraraka cast a look down towards Izuku's face. Though still in pain, he seemed more peaceful than before. Or maybe that was just the exhaustion one faced after a seizure showing.

Think, Ochako… I can't do anything worthwhile for Deku just sitting here with him, she thought to herself. I want to help him feel better. Seeing him like this… he doesn't deserve it. No one does. I have to help him, even if it means leaving his side for a little while.

"Okay." She pushed herself to her feet, ankles sore from sitting so long. "Tsu…" The frog girl, who stood nearby, lifted her head to listen. "Can you wait here with Deku while I'm gone? Maybe wet the washcloth with your tongue and try and soothe him? And Jiro - I thought, maybe - maybe you could use your ear jacks to monitor his vitals. I just want to make sure he's safe…

Uraraka hated leaving Izuku. She really did. But, right now, this was her only option if she wanted to help him.

"Sure, riiiibbbitttt," Tsu said, walking over and taking Uraraka's place. Jiro wandered over, as well, ear jacks floating towards Izuku's chest and connecting to the spots around his heart.

"Ouch… Midoriya's heartbeat's going really fast…," she noted as she listened in, biting her lip. "Where are you even going, Uraraka?"

"To save Deku," she answered firmly. There was no hesitation to her words or her voice. Because she would save him. She refused to just wait around while her best friend laid there, ill, in pain, and overall miserable. Even if she had to leave his side, she was going to help him, make no mistake.

She and Iida wandered from the storage room and into the kitchen part of The Shack. A few of their classmates trailed after them, curious as to what they were up to. Their followers included Todoroki, Kirishima, Ashido, and, to her immense surprise, Bakugo. He hadn't seemed to care about the situation earlier, so why was he tagging along now? Oh, well… maybe he's changed his mind and he just wants to help. It's possible...

"Oh, your flowers fell off the table, Iida," Ashido said, picking up a couple of lovely white blossoms that lay on the floor beneath the kitchen table and holding them tenderly in her hands. Her words broke the solemn silence between them all. "Wow, these are really pretty! Did you pick them for decorations or something?"

"Great time to talk about flowers, Pepto Bismol," Bakugo spat.

Iida's already creased forehead lines deepend. "I didn't put any flowers in here. When I came back in here to bring your dinners out to you, I saw someone had left them by one of your plates. I assumed it was one of you attempting to play a joke."

The students exchanged glances with each other. Something didn't sound right.

"You mean, the flowers weren't here when you made dinner, but when you came back inside, they were?" Uraraka asked slowly, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Yes. They looked nice, but I didn't have time to ponder over their appearance, so I left them here without further examination. I wasn't sure who had placed them there. But, enough about flowers - we must search this place to find the cause of Midoriya's affliction!"

Todoroki's frown seemed more prominent than usual. "None of us could've been the ones to leave the flowers, Iida. No one left the campfire while you were gone. Even Hagakure was there - we heard her laughing at Yaoyorozo's joke."

"Then, someone else must've left them." Uraraka didn't like the way this was going. Not one bit.

"Who would leave stupid flowers in a kitchen?" Bakugo grumbled. "No one even cares. Aren't you idiots supposed to be searching for dead rats or something?"

Kirishima raised a brow. "We're looking for clues to food poisoning, Bakugo, not the plague."

"What kind of flowers are these, Iida?" Todoroki asked, taking one of the blossoms from Ashido's hand and letting Iida examine it.

The know-it-all he was, Iida was quick to think of an answer. "I… hmm… upon close consideration, I believe that is a flower native to Japan itself. A Japanese pieris. It tends to grow in open forests that have high elevations. However, though it is praised for its beauty, consummation can be…" He paused suddenly, his face contorting into an expression of shock. "...Oh… but, no… it must've… no… I'm sure it wasn't anywhere close… to his food…"

"Iida? Talk to us." Uraraka was getting impatient. Did he know something about what had happened to Izuku?

Iida's face was already shining with sweat. "The pieris… It… it's poisonous."

The students froze at his words.

"P-poisonous?" Ashido squeaked, letting the flowers drop to the floor. She scrubbed her hands on her shirt, making a face. "Like… how poisonous? Like, a fever and stuff?"

Iida just stared at the flower, mouth agape and expression greatly concerned.

"Iida!"

"I… no. No. It's not like a common illness. It's… it's bad. Very bad. If ingested, painful symptoms will occur… and death is possible. If this is indeed the source of his sickness, he'll only continue to worsen if we don't get him to a medical professional soon!"

The present students began to panic. Izuku might die?! What they thought was a simple sickness had just proved itself to be quite complicated.

"How was he even poisoned in the first place?" Bakugo sneered. "Even Deku wouldn't eat some weird flower. Did you chop up one and put it on his plate or something?"

"Wha - no! I would never!" Iida looked outraged at the accusation. "The flowers weren't anywhere near his plate, nor would I add an unfamiliar substance to your meals! Someone else must've added it."

"Who, though? We're all alone out here, and none of us would've done it," Todoroki said.

Kirishima glowered at the pieris. "Someone had to put it on his food; it's not like a flower can get up and walk out of the woods by itself."

Uraraka felt a chill run through her body. He was right. But, no one in their class would ever try and poison a fellow classmate. Of course they wouldn't. That could only mean one thing… "We're… we're not alone out here, are we? Someone's been here. Someone…. poisoned Deku's food."

"HE DIDN'T EVEN EAT HIS STUPID FOOD, HE GOBBLED UP MINE INSTEAD!" Bakugo yelled at them, clearly still angered by the incident.

No sooner than his words came out did his classmates freeze. Iida's eyes widened. "That's right - he did accidentally take your meal." He paused as his mind began to connect the pieces together. "And the flowers… Bakugo… I believe they were near your plate. If Midoriya ate your food, and was poisoned… that means… somebody's attempting to kill you."

Heads swiveled around as they turned to face the convicted boy, who looked almost… troubled.

"You think someone's trying to poison to me?!" he asked angrily.

"They already did try," Ashido said pointedly.

Bakugo's hair prickled in fury. "WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO POISON ME, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

The other students silenced, exchanging looks. He had a point. Though he was a bit of a jerk (with some serious anger issues), he had never actually done anything serious enough to anybody to make them want to kill him.

"Wait!" Iida said, clearly struck with an idea. "Bakugo, it's only been a few weeks since you were rescued from the League of Villains-"

"I WASN'T RESCUED, YOU WANNA-BE BABIES JUST HAPPENED TO BE THERE WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT MY OPTIONS!"

Iida ignored him. "Perhaps the villains have grown angry that you got away and decided to kill you if they can't have you on their side… not a pleasant thought, but I cannot think of why else someone would want to kill you."

"...Aargh…!" Bakugo growled, kicking at the floor. "Stupid Deku eating my stupid food… Maybe I wanted that fish! So what if he got poisoned… that was MY food!"

"STOP IT!" Uraraka shouted. Her lip was trembling, hair frayed, and she was - and looked - ready to flip out at someone. Her worry for Izuku was overwhelming, and she didn't have time to put up with petty arguments right now. "Deku… Deku might die from this poison. I don't care that it was your food! Deku's the one who ate it, and now he's sick. We can point fingers at each other later. Right now, we have to save him!"

"Or he'll die," Todoroki added, giving Bakugo one of his dark looks.

The thought scared everyone. After an entire of semester of getting to know each other, training together, and fighting together, they couldn't imagine one of their class dying.

"First, we need to send for help," Iida said. "We don't have any means of helping him out here with no medical supplies and no service for miles. One of us should go back to the U.A. and retrieve Mr. Aizawa and Recovery Girl. They'll know what to do!"

"Will Midoriya even last that long?"

"Who's gonna go?"

"I don't even know how to get back home."

Uraraka held her hands up to silence her classmates growing clamor. "We'll send the fastest person so they can bring help as quickly as possible - the ones who know more about medicine should stay behind and help look after Deku."

"I'll bring back our teachers," Iida volunteered, stony-faced. "Though I'd like to stay here and watch after Midoriya, my speed gives me no choice. I am the most logical solution to bringing Mr. Aizawa and Recovery Girl here the fastest!"

Uraraka nodded. "Thank you, Iida - please hurry. Deku's counting on you."

"I will. If everything goes according to plan, I may make it back by morning. Till then, you all must watch Midoriya closely. If he truly was poisoned by the pieris, then his symptoms will not pass for awhile. For now, keep him hydrated and comfortable. I wish I could assist more, but I do not know of a true cure for his illness. However, Recovery Girl might." He looked out the kitchen window, met with a dark landscape of trees and sky. His jaw clenched. "I must leave at once. Wish Midoriya luck for me."

An expression of intense focus came over Iida's face as his legs engines began to power up. Uraraka felt a certainty settle within her that he would fulfill his word and bring back the help Izuku needed. When Iida had a mission, he always got it done, going above and beyond.

Now… all they could do was wait and pray.

Izuku felt awful.

The intense nausea in his stomach caused him to scrunch himself into a tiny ball on the soft pile of heaven he laid upon (he still wasn't sure what he was really snuggled up in). He heard his friends crowding around him, speaking to him and each other worriedly, but he wasn't listening. He was too busy focusing every ounce of himself into not throwing up right then.

"Deku?"

Uraraka's voice wafted through the haze of darkness and pain.

"Deku… Iida just went for help… so, I need you to hold on till he gets back, okay? Just hold on…"

But it was hard to pay attention to her words for long; hard for his head to stop spinning. He faded away. Sometimes, he was aware… other times, he had no clue what was going on. He had an odd feeling in his chest, like something might explode, and when it did, he wouldn't be able to control himself.

Someone had told him about him having a seizure earlier, he remembered. Maybe the exploding feeling had taken over. Did that mean it might happen again? Even now, he was still shaking as the force in his stomach and his chest threatened to throttle him again. This sickness he had must've been seri...ous… really… serious…

...wait, what was he thinking about again?

He was broken from his delirious train of thoughts as a cool washcloth scrubbed down his sweaty face. Its freshness felt heavenly, and he let himself relax into its comfort. Though he felt worse than he ever had in his life, as he lay there with a gentle cloth stroking his head and his friends' supporting voices around him, he felt… at peace.

It was stupid, he knew - he was deathly ill, and he had found serenity. But, that was the only way he could explain it. Growing up, he'd never really gotten much concern when he was under the weather, as he'd had virtually no friends… and though his mother loved him so much, sometimes he didn't get the attention he needed. He wasn't used to… this. This devoted friendship. This support. This circle of comfort that whispered words of encouragement and consolation that eventually centered him down.

We know you can beat this.

You're not going anywhere anytime soon.

They weren't questions. They were statements. Statements said as truths, and truths he eventually allowed himself to believe throughout his pain.

You're going to be okay.

The peacefulness was soothing both to his heart and mind. He let himself lay limp for what seemed to be an eternity, simply soaking in the comfort he knew would disappear shortly. He at last awoke from his feverish dreams, breaking free of some heavy weight that his friends had somehow lifted off him. He didn't open his eyes quite yet, however. He wanted to hang onto this feeling of security forever.

You've got us at your back, Midoriya. Always.

But, it was time to come back.

Everyone's waiting for you.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

He stared up at a dark, gray ceiling for a little while, blinking and trying to comprehend the situation.

"...OH MY GOSH, HE'S AWAKE!"

Someone's achingly-loud voice cut the silence in half. Surprisingly, however, the harmonic peace in his heart hadn't yet disappeared upon his full regain of consciousness. He was glad; he hadn't wanted it to go quite yet. He slightly turned his head to face the source of the shout, and saw the many faces of his worried classmates.

He squinted at them. "G-guys…?"

"DEKU!" Uraraka was hard to miss, sitting right next to him with the army of concerned students behind her. "You're… awake. I... how do you feel? Are you still in pain? Does your head hurt? Do you feel nauseous? Do you need anything? Do-"

"Leave him be, Uraraka." Todoroki put a hand on her shoulder to silence her. He stood right behind her.

"It's okay… To...doroki," Izuku rasped. 'Um… hi, everyone… er… I feel o-okay…" A sudden bout of pain shot through his abdomen and he closed his eyes as he braced himself through it, gritting his teeth. A few moments passed before he was able to look at everybody again again.

"You're clearly not well yet," Tokoyami said. "Don't strain yourself, Midoriya. You've been through quite an ordeal, getting poisoned, and all."

Izuku's eyes widened. He was taking things in very slowly right now, but this, he wasn't sure he heard right. "P-poisoned…?"

"Yep! Someone tried to kill you!"

"Your food had poisoned flowers in it!"

"The League of Villains did it themselves!"

"I think Iida's just a bad cook."

"I'm so glad you're awake!"

"Flowers…? Villains?" Deku said hoarsely. "Why… why would they want to poison me?"

"They didn't." Bakugo gave him his familiar glare, though it was less intense than usual. Izuku was grateful. He really didn't want his friend to be mad at him when he felt so poorly. "Serves you right, getting poisoned for eating my food, Deku."

Izuku blinked again. "Oh… ohh… the League…" He understood. They must've been infuriated Bakugo had escaped and attempted to kill him through poison, as they couldn't attack in the open. But, their plans had backfired when Izuku had been the one to eat the poisoned fish instead.

"I'm glad… you're okay, Kacchan," Izuku said sincerely. Though he had been through quite a lot, and was still wracked with pain and sickness, he would've felt a lot more awful if his friend had been the one poisoned instead.

Bakugo looked surprised, then tried to recover. "WHY SHOULDN'T I BE? YOU PISS OFF SOME VILLAINS INTO POISONING YOUR FOOD? AM I GONNA GET SICK, TOO? HUH?"

"Um… I don't think so…" He didn't have the energy to banter with Bakugo. Not now. But, he did feel better… and definitely a little stronger upon rising from his feverish state. "Uraraka. You said… Iida's… gone, right?"

"You heard me!" She sounded pleased. "And yes. He's been gone for a few hours, while you've been… really ill. He should be back in another few. Do you think you can wait until then?"

Izuku's eyes wandered through his group of friends, and he felt tears spring into his eyes. They had all waited here for him the entire time he was ill. Throughout hours and hours of suffering, they'd remained by his side, watching over him and providing him a comfort he'd never had.

And they'd saved him. In more ways than one.

He had pain, yes. But, he now also had a peace. A peace knowing that, as long as his friends were around, he was safe.

Safe. But, not in the way heroes protected you… it was different. More personal. More complex.

"I'll… be fine," Izuku said to Uraraka, and was met with a relieved smile. However, he began to feel his nausea creeping up on him again and decided to try and get to sleep before it hit. He didn't want to leave this cocoon of protection and care just yet, but as he drifted off, he knew that when he woke up, his friends would all be there.

Waiting. Just for him.

THE END