WHERE DID THIS COME FROM WHY DOES THIS /KEEP HAPPENING/
takes place pretty much riiiiiight after the events of 'a feat equal,' so you'll...probably need to read that (and the rest of the series) first.
enjoy~!
appendix C: galling hypocrite bastard
(see also: 'absolute prick')
[the misconstrued indifference: half an hour following the Quirk Registry Incident]
/-/
Ochako's injuries present much like the injuries of someone suffering from 'crush syndrome,' which, given her profession and rescue specialization, she's naturally heard of, and once or twice even helped provide first-aid to mitigate. Largely unknown to her, however, is the grave breadth of the damage compression injuries can cause.
When Bakugou brings her to the hospital in the aftermath of the Quirk Registry Incident, after she's started on a program of intravenous fluids and 'alkaline diuresis' (whatever the hecky that means), Ochako learns she's riiiighton the cusp of major organ dysfunction and total renal failure; that she's sustained some severe, local tissue damage and an assortment of life-threatening metabolic abnormalities resulting from intracellular seepage and to a lesser extent, cellular death; that, for an indeterminate amount of time, she'll be at increased risk of potentially fatal cardiovascular events; and that the paralysis of her limbs may or may not last forever. Meaning: even if she survives everything else, her career as hero –as well as her ability to live her life independently— may be over.*
Oddly, in the moment, what she's most concerned about is Bakugou's reaction.
She's heard a lot of things, from a lot of different people, about the way Bakugou behaved after she nearly died last year, and she's spent a lot of time thinking about what it meant that he'd cried for her,** that he'd confessed to Deku it was 'his fault she was dying,' that he'd nearly vaporized her surgeon's face when he was told she wasn't gonna make it. Ultimately, beyond gaining the (insufficient) surety that Bakugou cares for her, ostensibly very deeply, nothing had come of any of it…'til now.
Now, after what'd happened on the roof of the Registry, after what she's positive he almost said…? She has no idea how he'll take this news.
But there's no shade o' particular nuance to the grim-faced glower Bakugou's wearing; it's just…his neutral, default scowl. By all appearances, he's simply listening, noddin' along where necessary as he absorbs her bleak prognosis, seeming remarkable disaffected-like, and wholly unperturbed. Somehow, in a numb, detached kinda way, this's more upsetting to her than the prognosis itself.
When the lead doctor, a no-nonsense older woman whose vivid rainbow-streaked hair looks as though it's been dipped in monochrome at the roots, recommends an extended stay for intensive 'ECG monitoring' to respond to any potential cardiac irregularities and advises that if her overall condition worsens, surgery and/or amputationmay become the required course for treatment, molten dread flashes cold through Ochako's veins as it finally dawns on her there's a real chance everything's about to change, that she may have to scrap her old life and build a new one from scratch.
Bakugou's smearin' impassive through her tears with the pad of his thumb before she proper realizes she's sheddin' any, and she flinches, startled at the touch –her doctor and a gaggle of wide-eyed interns are standing right there, and the walls in public spaces always have ears (and/or the odd quirk-furtive recording device), and anyway, since when's PDA a thing he goes in for?
Then, responding to her unspoken terror: "Doctors're a stop-gap measure, Sweetness," he explains, matter-of-fact, fully disregarding the awkwardly quiet group of highly-trained medical professionals he's insulting (why oh why is he like this?), "bygone-era holdovers. Try not to forget this entire shithole planet's crawling with deus ex fucking superpowers."
Initially, she thinks he's implying they should pull Eri in to help her, and she forgets in her alarm to censure him for his rudeness.
"No," she forbids, shaking her head, glad she can still do at least that much, "I won't put Eri-chan through that kinda ordeal ever again." Ochako's incredibly proud of and forever grateful for Eri coming to her rescue last year, but Eri's too-young shoulders weren't made for repeatedly bearing the responsibility of another person's life –a heavier burden by half than heftin' a skyscraper could ever be, and not one Ochako'd consent to puttin' on someone she cherishes. In the end, if something were to go wrong, the person left suffering the most would be Eri, and that's not a risk she's willing to take.
Bakugou frowns.
"Don't be an idiot. I'm not talking about the kid."
"Eri-chan," she insists, frowning right back.
Rolling his eyes, "Just sayin', there's a big wide world of ass-pull quirks out there, waiting to be put to extraordinary fuckin' purpose. Nerd and I'll scrounge some up while you stay put and work on keeping your kidneys intact." Ochako's eye twitches involuntarily.
"Sure, yeah, I'll just…do that," she mumbles, dismissive.
"Oi," Bakugou prompts, glaring down at her, and she's ready to lash out at him for being an inconsiderate jerkwad 'til he tips her chin up with his pointer finger, compelling her to look at him, and she catches the glint in his crimson gaze, n' the whole dang dying star's worth o' nuance underlyin' it, which she'd missed from a profile-view.
So…maybe not disaffected, then.
Ochako sees impatience, and the same implacable certainty he'd shown her in that suspended moment she decided she was gonna have to float the Registry or die trying –except, unlike then, this time there's a bright glaze o' fear smolderin' in his expression, and an overlay of…irritation? Disapproval?
Because apparently he can be cavalier about the seriousness of her condition, but she can't? Possibly he thinks he's earned it, for bein' her beacon of unwavering faith when she lost herself to the pure, brutalizing agony of overclockin' her quirk and couldn't muster any on her own account?
Either way, she can plainly tell what he's after: reassurance, some sign or affirmation that she understands she's not allowed to deteriorate further 'til he's had the opportunity to 'scrounge up' however many 'ass-pull quirks' it takes to fix her. Also either way, Bakugou Katsuki's a galling hypocrite bastard, 'cause not half an hour ago, he was up her butt about wantin' the same from Deku!
Nevertheless…he's done a lot for her tonight, and it seems awful clear he's intending on doin' more still before the night's through –and both of 'em have been put through the wringer, emotionally-speaking, so, though she in no way forgives his disrespectful, reprehensible, n' downright uncalled-for behavior toward her doctor (and by extension, her doctor's fanned-out lil' army of interns) and absolutely means to dress him down for it, she supposes she can afford this one, small appeasement first.
"I'll be fine," Ochako vows, earnest, although obviously that's not somethin' she's got any actual control over, "I promise."
With a devastating grin, "That's my girl."
'That's my girl,' he says, like she hasn't just been warned her odds of dying suddenly of a freak heart attack are way, way up. The throbbing tightness in her chest doesn't set off any monitors, though, and none of their audience're flockin' around her or racing for crash carts, so she's…prob'ly okay?
Or at least that's what she thinks 'til he replaces the finger at her chin with the slow glide of his palm across her jaw, holdin' her gently in place while he leans down and kisses her square on the lips –in front of everyone holy crap what is he doing!—
"I'll be back," he whispers into her ear, breath tickling her skin.
And then he simply…walks away, leaves her there with her mouth hanging open in shock and her heart squeezin' fit to burst.
/-/
Following an embarrassingly long moment of stunned silence, Ochako remembers there're other people in the room, and snaps her focus back to her doctor, whose furrowed, multi-color brow suggests she's Not Amused.
Ochako spends the next several minutes soothing her doctor's ruffled feathers (while attempting to ignore the gallery of alternatively astonished an' beaming, delighted faces arrayed in a loose configuration behind the cross woman), mentally cursing Bakugou for forsakin' her to clean up his mess and swearin' to herself he'll rue the day.
THIS SERIES IS OFFICIALLY OUT OF CONTROL THIS ENTIRE INSTALLMENT WAS ONLY MEANT TO BE THE OPENING FEW PARAGRAPHS OF THE SMUT BUT THERE WAS A FULL LITTLE ONE-SHOT TUCKED UP IN THEM GUTS AND OH MY GLOBGOR WHAT IF THAT MEANS THERE'S ANOTHER ELEVEN FUCKING CHAPTERS WORTH OF MATERIAL IN THE PORN I'M CURSED I'M GOING TO BE WRITING KACCHAKO FOREVER ON MY DEATHBED MY UNGRATEFUL PROGENY AND THEIR BROOD OF UNVACCINATED HELLSPAWN ARE GOING TO GATHER 'ROUND WHATEVER DILAPIDATED THATCHED MAT I'M ROTTING AWAY ON TOP OF TO SUMMON THE DEMON THAT FINALLY KILLS ME AND THE WHOLE TIME MY BLIND ARTHRITIC ASS IS GONNA BE DICTATING THE 'FOR REAL LAST BIT OF THE FLOATY 'SPLODEY SERIES I MEAN IT THIS TIME I SWEAR' TO GERTA, MY MICROSOFT WORD A.I.-
*ahem*
i suppose this does kinda tee up the porn, so it's not...totally superfluous...?
/-/
* 'crush syndrome' is very much a real thing, and compression damage can indeed inflict all of the above-mentioned horrors on the human body.
**ohohohohoooo yes, uraraka knows bakugou cried for her. AS IF URARAKA'S MOM WOULD'VE KEPT THAT GOLDEN NUGGET TO HERSELF. URA-MAMA KNOWS GOOD AND WELL HOW HER BBY FEELS ABOUT OUR LORD OF EXPLODOKILLS (because someone is honest about their feelings, bakuho), AND SHE CONFIRMED IN THE HOSPITAL THE LENGTHS BAKUGOU WAS WILLING TO GO FOR HER DAUGHTER AND THE DEPTH OF FEELINGS HE DEEEEEFINITELY SEEMED TO RECIPROCATE, AND SINCE THEN SHE HAS BEEN IN IT TO WIN IT.
other notes:
-BE KIND TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.
-let me just say: i do *not* think bakugou would be a dick to hospital staff on the regular. he's just...fried, emotionally and physically; he's done with anything that can't guarantee uraraka back at 100% instantaneously; and he's secretly freaking the fuck out (on the inside, at least) about her prognosis. and i don't think any of us are strangers to the fact that bakugou's fear has a habit of manifesting as misdirected rage and/or cruelty, so. tl;dr, last time he tried to *kill* uraraka's doctor, and this time he only mortally insulted the entire medical profession in front of a small collection of people who've devoted their lives to said profession, so...um...yay, progress? he's improving...?
-see ya' next time, chums~