The Tinker

Chapter 35 - The Plan

"Where do I go?"

Izuku rubbed his temples, thinking hard. "We have to be careful about this. We need a plan."

Y/N was starting to lose her composure. Her body was telling her to run, to get as far away as possible. The adrenaline was coursing through her veins making it painful to stay in place. The helplessness she felt was almost unbearable. It was the first time since losing her quirk where she felt pure terror without it.

~~~

It had been 2 hours since the news.

Midoriya had informed class 3-A about the situation, knowing that they would need every bit of brain power they could find to think of a plan that would work to keep Y/N safe. With it being mainstream news, there was nothing to keep secret anymore. The goal, in it's draft state, was to get her to the authorities without her getting murdered or kidnapped. Y/N was on board so far.

But there was a different kind of fear now. Involving the rest of the class made her body flood with guilt. They were putting their lives on the line to get her to safety. It didn't feel right, and she wished they would let her figure it out on her own, but they were heroes to their core. They refused to leave her on her own. It had taken them a minute to come to terms with who Y/N was–or who she used to be– but it didn't change their determination to protect her.

Everyone was in their hero costumes now, and Y/N felt wildly out of place in her regular clothes. With the differences between them amplified, that fear of being unworthy of their help only deepened. She was just a civilian. She wasn't a hero anymore. There were too many people protecting her, risking their safety for her.

"The longer we wait, the more villains will be searching. Why are we wasting time?" Todoroki demanded.

"We don't want to do this incorrectly. If something goes wrong, it could be life or death," Iida said. "Do we prioritize speed or cautiousness?"

"Speed. If we can get her to the authorities faster–" Todoroki started, but Jirou interrupted.

"But then we sacrifice safety. We might make careless mistakes," She argued.

"Just get me to my bike," Y/N said. "If you get me to my bike, I can make it to the authorities."

Midoriya shook his head. "Not safe. A bike is too obvious. Whirlwind is known for riding a motorcycle, they'll be looking for that."

"But I can outride any villain!" Y/N protested. "If I can just–"

"No," Izuku scolded. "It isn't safe."

Bakugou wasn't speaking. Y/N wished she could figure out what he was feeling, but he had put up a wall. She had never seen him like this. Y/N was putting all of them in danger the longer she was with them– maybe he was realizing that and was furious with her.

She wanted to leave to keep them safe, but knew they wouldn't leave it alone. It would put them in more danger if she left. "Nothing we do will be safe!" Y/N cried. "This is the best course of action, if you'll just let me--"

"Let me take her to her bike," Bakugou interrupted. "The faster we get her to the authorities, the better. She'll be safe with me." His voice was calm. No yelling, no anger. It was chilling.

The class was quiet. Even Midoriya didn't seem to know what to say. Bakugou was serious in his promise. He knew what he was capable of, and the class trusted his judgement-- but it was dangerous. Could he actually handle it?

"We should all go with," Uraraka said, standing up. "We stand a better chance with all of our quirks together."

"No. Big numbers are suspicious, especially if we're being tracked," Todoroki argued. "If we split up and keep an eye on the roads, we can stop any villains that might be on Y/N's path. We can protect and clear the area for her. It would prevent an ambush."

Midoriya was deep in thought, evaluating the plan. "How many miles to the nearest police department?" 

"About 20 miles," Jirou said, studying her map. "We need to call ahead and prepare them for Y/N and Bakugou's arrival. Midoriya, let All Might know which precinct we're headed for. We need more manpower."

He nodded earnestly and dialed his phone, walking away for the call.

"Without sunlight it'll be easier to hide Y/N," Todoroki said. "If you give us a few hours head start, we can head down the route and defend the roads. Other heroes will have time to join us. Once those few hours are up, take Y/N to her motorcycle and drive as fast as you can to the police department."

The plan was made, and when they left to begin, Y/N couldn't ignore the pit of guilt in her stomach. Everything felt so wrong. "I'm just a civilian. I shouldn't be getting this kind of protection," she mumbled. "There are too many lives on the line. It's wrong."

"This is what heroes do," Bakugou said. "You would've done it for any of us too as Whirlwind. Hell, you'd do it without your fucking quirk." He grabbed her chin, turning her head to look at him. "We're not gonna let anything happen to you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Got that, Tinkerbell?"