Deku turned his back to Bakugo and released a long sigh, "Ocha- Er…" He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Uraraka told me to go back to America."
Bakugo didn't reply but felt his heart lighten at the confirmation that she was awake and coherent. He didn't change the impassiveness of his expression despite the fact that Deku couldn't see him.
"I'm going to go." Deku hung his head dejectedly and a soft sniffle followed.
Bakugo pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed them over his chest as he rested the back of his head against the cement wall he was leaning on. "Why the fuck are you telling me?"
Deku laughed brokenly, "Remember what you said to me a few days ago? When we ran into each other the second time by her apartment?" He finally turned to face the blonde, "You told me that she would be mine as long as I could keep her."
Bakugo snorted indifferently, "So fucking what?"
"Well I couldn't keep her," Deku let his eyelids droop as he wiped at his wet nose. "I just…" He met the blonde's bored gaze, "I guess I'm just surprised. You of all people, Kacchan."
Bakugo knew what Deku was alluding to but he decided to disregard it, "So you dragged me all the way out here to tell me that roundface dumped you?" His passive expression fell into a scowl as he kicked away from the wall to stand upright. "I don't know why the fuck you still think we're friends after all these years, Deku, but I'm not about to change that. You fucked it up with her. That's on you."
"You know that's not what I'm saying, Kacchan." Deku's sadness seemed to ebb away a bit.
"What?" Bakugo held out a hand and he scoffed, "You want to blame this shit on me?"
Deku seemed to consider it for a moment, "Ever since she came to Tokyo and started hanging out with you, she's been pushing me away." He pointed an accusing finger. "I know you, Kacchan. I know you well enough to see that you've always been bitter about Uraraka and I."
"That's a stretch," Bakugo jeered and chuckled darkly, "All you two did was make me sick."
"Well I'm sick of you," Deku grunted with frustration. "Of all the people in the world, Kacchan, I didn't expect you to be the one that came between her and I. We were happy and then you came in and-and-" He seemed to fumble for the words, "You came and screwed it all up! You put ideas in her head and turned her against me!"
"Stop." Bakugo's tone was thick with warning. "Don't fucking discount Uraraka like that. She made every choice herself."
Deku seemed taken aback by the note in the blonde's voice and the deadly look in his eyes. It was an intimidating look that seemed more like a dare. "Tell me, Kacchan. Be honest with me." Deku crossed his arms and stood straight to mirror the blonde's aggressive pose. "How long have you been in love with her?"
Bakugo blinked at the other man for a moment and weighed the question. Was there any point in lying? "Long enough," Bakugo replied coolly and it felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders. "Now fuck off to America," The blonde sniffed at the other man and turned to walk away, "The sooner you're gone, the better off she'll be."
Deku lunged forward and snatched the blonde by the arm, "Why?" He pulled hard, forcing Bakugo to face him again. "Why would you fall in love with her? You hated her in high school!"
"I hated all of you, dipshit," Bakugo snapped back and yanked his arm out of Midoriya's grasp. "I don't have to explain myself to you." He pressed his palm on the other man's shoulder and shoved him away.
Deku frowned hard as he was pushed back a few paces, "Why did you have to try and take her?"
Bakugo whirled around to glower at the other man, "I never fucking tried to take her from you, Deku. You chased her away all on your own."
"Everyone keeps saying that," Deku guffawed at the blonde, "But apparently I'm the only one that doesn't see it."
Bakugo took a brazen step toward the other man, "Are you fucking serious?" Bakugo pointed his thumb behind him, indicating to the hospital, "She's in the fucking hospital Deku. She almost died because you intervened."
"I thought-" Deku tried to cut in.
"You didn't fucking think," Bakugo snapped harshly. "You acted. You tried to be this grand hero that leaps in at the last moment to save the day. That's how you've always been and that's why you lost her. You're overprotective as shit and you corral her around like a child." He took another step to jab a finger into Deku's chest, "And if you think for one fucking second that she wasn't justified in dumping your sorry ass, then you're gravely mistaken." The fire in his red eyes was lit with a deep anger and frustration. "It's time for you to go, Deku." He gruffly shoved the other man back again. "Go!"
Midoriya blinked at the blonde, shock written all over his face. "I was trying to save her!"
"I saved her," Bakugo pointed to himself. "And thank fuck I did." The blonde glowered at Midoriya, letting his disdain rise to the surface. "I swear Deku, I'm getting really fucking tired of cleaning up after you." Bakugo shut his eyes and released a terse breath.
Midoriya felt a fake chortle pass his lips and he held out his hands, "You're really telling me that you wouldn't have jumped in to save her at that moment?" Deku raked his hand through his flat hair, "Cameo had her by the back of her head! She was stuck! What was I supposed to do?"
"Nothing," Bakugo spat back and waved his hand dismissively, "She had it under control."
Midoriya's jaw dropped with disbelief, "Had it under- Were you even there? There was no way she was getting out of that!"
"Right there," Bakugo was almost humored and he smirked. "That is why she's leaving you, Deku." Bakugo waved his hand around, indicating to the tall city buildings surrounding them. "Everyone watched that fight and saw it the same way I did. Uravity was in control." He let his eyes narrow at the other man, "You're the only one who felt differently."
"You are such a jackass," Midoriya scoffed at the blonde, allowing himself to break his internal rule against cursing. "You're so busy criticizing me but really, Uraraka is too good for you too, Kacchan."
Bakugo felt a bubble of indignation in his gut and he scowled at the other man, "Go back to America."
"Stop avoiding it, Kacchan!" Deku shook his head and frowned, "You said it yourself, you and I are exactly alike!"
Bakugo grunted in exasperation and clenched a sweaty fist at his side, "What the fuck do you really want, Deku?" He felt himself getting more worked up by the second.
A lot of emotions passed over Deku's face at that question. What did he want exactly? "Ugh!" The broken-hearted man pressed his palms against his face and he groaned, "I... " He felt a lot of the anger he felt a moment ago wash away. "I don't know, Kacchan. I'm just so mad at you for falling in love with her and the worst part about it all is…" Deku couldn't even finish the sentence but he heard it in his own mind.
She's in love with you too…
The blonde stared at Midoriya for a very long time and if he was honest with himself, he didn't know what he was feeling either. There was so much unresolved tension between himself and Deku but then again, it had always been that way with them. Uraraka only seemed to amplify it. But the anger and frustration had reached a peak and now neither man knew what to do with it anymore.
"We're not friends," Bakugo muttered and tsk'd at the other man as he angled his body back toward the front of the hospital. "And Uraraka isn't a prize to be won but I don't need to tell you that, she'd tell you herself." Bakugo shoved his hands in his jean pockets and began walking away, "You and I aren't the same, Deku. At least, not anymore."
"I swear, Kacchan," Deku mumbled as he watched the blonde begin to leave, "If you hurt her-"
Bakugo waved a hand dismissively over his shoulder, "It's none of your business anymore, Deku. We're done here. You have a plane to catch." He didn't wait to hear a response before he turned the corner and found himself in front of the hospital once again. A long breath escaped him and Bakugo almost felt relieved as he made his way back through the doors and he sauntered toward the elevators.
Deku was suddenly out of the picture and Bakugo didn't know how to feel about it. As the elevator beeped through the floors, he ran over the conversation in his mind. There was so much more he had wanted to say to Deku. He wanted to yell at him, berate him, maybe even hit him but when the opportunity had presented itself, Bakugo found his pride shaking its head. He couldn't revert back to his old ways anymore. He had to show himself that he wasn't like Deku anymore. The Bakugo show wasn't over but it had moved on to the next act.
The doors slid open to Uraraka's floor and when he rounded the corner, he found the waiting room empty. Nerves raked him as he looked toward the hallway. His mind had been preoccupied with Deku so he hadn't really thought too much about Uraraka being awake. Would she be upset with him? Did she want to see him at all?
Scenarios ran through his mind as he slowly meandered in the direction of her room. He stopped just outside the hallway and he could hear laughter a little way off. Mina's obnoxious chortle of a laugh was prominent among the sounds and he clenched his teeth. He didn't feel like he could bear to see her right now either. She'd been through so much and he doubted she had any better of an idea what to do about it than him.
He recalled the way she'd caressed his face as he carried her out of the poison fog. Her touch had been so delicate as she brushed her fingers through his hair. She'd smiled at him so tenderly and her voice was so soft and weak.
"Bakugo, you have the prettiest eyes…"
In the days following the fight, he had pushed every thought of her from his mind. He hadn't taken the time to dwell on the things she had said or the way she'd looked at him when she told him to go after Viper. He hadn't had much time to look within himself either. Truthfully, when Deku had asked him how long he'd been in love with her, it was the first time that Bakugo had asked himself that question too. But the answer was obvious. He'd loved her for some time now. When did he start loving her and more importantly, why?
What is there to love about Uraraka?
Bakugo slowly peered around the corner and his red eyes found the source of his question. She was lying in a hospital bed, machines attached to her right arm and a cast wrapped around her left. Her face was wet with tears, bruised, and cut. However, despite the pain she was clearly enduring, she was smiling at the people crowded around her bed. A genuine smile.
Oh yeah… That's his reason.
All the doubt and reluctance he'd been feeling seemed to disappear. He was simply stuck as he gazed in an almost shy way down the hallway. She looked like she'd been through hell. But damn, she was one seriously strong chick for bouncing back this fast. It was clear that there was an element of sadness to her expressions but she paid attention to all the people that were standing by her side and she giggled softly at their antics.
Bakugo couldn't bring himself to go any further than the entrance to the hallway. He knew he wasn't ready and it was clear that now was not the time for him to reacquaint with her. She had more to work through than he did, so he'd respect her distance. They both needed time.
He slowly moved around the wall and leaned his shoulder on the corner of the hallway so he could observe her a little more clearly. He tucked his hands in his pockets and crossed one foot over the other. He saw her laugh weakly at something Kirishima said and Asui took a turn to sign her arm cast.
He couldn't take his eyes off of her as he tried to read what she was feeling. She looked… shielded. Her nose was bright red and her cheeks were flushed. It was painfully obvious she'd been crying a lot but there seemed to be a thick wall behind her brown eyes now. It looked like she wasn't fully there with her friends, like her mind was somewhere else completely. It was a facade and Bakugo understood that. She didn't want to fall apart in front of her peers. She'd already suffered enough.
He stayed like that for a while, letting his red eyes take in just how beat up she was and he felt a hit to his pride. If only he'd been able to save her before she'd taken Constrictor into the fog. If he'd been able to blast Cameo off a moment sooner, then perhaps she wouldn't be where she was now. But Bakugo wasn't one to dwell on past happenings and it bothered him that he couldn't seem to let this one go.
The one fact he couldn't let go of was the fact that he hadn't been able to fulfill his promise to her in what they both thought were her last moments. Viper had gotten away because of his own pride getting in the way of his job. It was a complete and utter embarrassment and she was the only one he felt was worthy of passing that judgement on him. Surely she'd be disappointed, right?
His mind was so busy that he almost didn't notice it when she caught sight of him at the end of the hallway. Her brown eyes found his and his breath left his chest. They held each other's gaze for only a few seconds before she smiled and ever-so-slightly nodded her head at him. The moment was over just as quickly as it started as Kaminari made some ridiculous hand motion and everyone in the room began teasing him, Uraraka included.
The blonde gulped dryly and decided that he'd intruded enough. He quickly turned away and made for the elevator doors. He needed to give her time and he needed some for himself. He had a lot to figure out but she needed to heal. He couldn't bring himself to cause her more pain or confusion right now. He just needed to let her be.
Uraraka woke up on the following Wednesday morning feeling refreshed and excited. The last few days had been a slow process of allowing the doctors to use their healing quirks on her injuries and she was hopeful that today would be the day to get her cast off. She sat up slowly, careful not to aggravate her back that was still badly bruised but there was a bit of a smile on her lips.
The nurse came in a little while later and happily pushed open the curtains at Uraraka's request, letting the morning rays warm her legs. "Did you sleep better last night?"
"I did," Uraraka breathed as she began to pick through the tray of food the nurse had brought. "The sedative helped a lot."
The nurse made her way to Uraraka's side and handed her a paper cup with her medications, "Well I think the doctor will want to leave you off the sedatives for tonight." She smiled when Uraraka popped the pills in her mouth, "In fact, he should be in here shortly to see about this arm of yours!"
Uraraka beamed at the thought and she glanced down at the cast to see the sweet notes that her friends and family had written on it. "I hope it works out."
"Can you lean forward for me really quick?" The nurse pulled on a pair of latex gloves and stepped directly beside Uraraka, "I just want to check the bruising."
"Sure," Uraraka pushed the swivel table that held her breakfast away and very slowly leaned her body forward. She grit her teeth at the pain but was happy to know that it had lessened since yesterday. She felt the nurse slowly pull the gown back and place a cold palm against the bruises but she didn't press hard.
"It's starting to yellow a bit," The nurse chirped with an upbeat tone. "That's a good sign. I'm sure the doctors will be happy to see that." She helped Uraraka lean back into the pillows again before going to work on checking her vitals and marking her chart. "If you continue to heal so well, I'm sure you'll be able to discharge by the end of the week."
Uraraka breathed a hopeful sigh, "I would love that." She longed for the comfort of home. While she was grateful for the hospital staff and the lengths they went to in order to help her, she missed the feeling of her own bed. Her mind seemed to blink to an image of her apartment and she gulped.
While Deku had never lived in the Tokyo apartment, it was still littered with memories of him. More than half the stuff in the place was his. His furniture, clothes, and trinkets. All of his All Might stuff was there. The thought hadn't really dawned on her that she would have to deal with all of that. What was she supposed to do with it all? And how would it make her feel when she saw it?
"Hey now," The nurse cooed when she saw Uraraka's face turn glum, "I can promise we've come to love you just as much, but sometimes the comforts of home help the healing process. After all, we want you to return to hero work someday too." She patted the brunette's shoulder comfortingly. "And you'll be back to visit us every so often."
"No, I'm just-" Uraraka cut herself off and reevaluated, "Er… Thank you. I'll miss you all so much." She smiled at the nurse but it didn't reach her eyes.
"And we'll miss you too," The nurse didn't buy Uraraka's simple reply. "That reminds me though," She snapped the gloves off her hands and tossed them in a bin, "The nurse from the night shift told me that a boy dropped off a gift for you last night." She clapped her hands together and grinned at the brunette, "You were asleep so he left it with them. I'll go get it."
Uraraka didn't have the opportunity to question the nurse any further before she hurried through the door and disappeared. The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. A boy? Which boy? She mindlessly fingered the edge of her cast until the door popped open again and the nurse ducked in, holding something rectangular in her hands.
"The nurses gushed to me about him this morning," She crossed the room and held out the object for Uraraka, "They told me he was broody and nervous and they wouldn't stop going on about how handsome he was."
Uraraka's eyes fell on a book that the nurse held out to her, "Broody…" She mumbled to herself as she took it in her hands. She turned it over to reveal the cover.
Pride and Prejudice
The title was elegantly printed across the front with colorful swirling accents surrounding it. It was a very classical book cover. Uraraka felt her lips tug up a bit and she released a humorous breath from her nose.
The nurse raised her eyebrows as she watched Uraraka look at the book. "I haven't read it but I hear it's good."
"It's my favorite," Uraraka murmured and looked back at the nurse with a soft smile. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me," The nurse shook her head, "Thank that broody boy. He's the one that brought it, although I'm sure he could have done without all the cursing."
Uraraka released another humorous exhale, this one a little more intense than the last, and it caused her to start coughing hard. Her chest seemed to squeeze and she couldn't catch her breath for a long moment as she struggled to stop. Her lungs felt like they wanted to leap out of her throat.
"Oh dear," The nurse jumped to action and pushed Uraraka up into an upright position before slowly rubbing circles into her back. "You have to try and relax. Breathe." She coached Uraraka through the coughing fit before helping her settle back into the pillows, "I see that your lungs are still in bad shape."
"Water," Uraraka pushed the word out with a hoarse tone. She gratefully took the cup that the nurse handed her from the food tray and stuck the bendy straw into her mouth. The cool water seemed to ease the gummy feeling in her throat and the burning sensation in her chest.
The nurse slid the swivel table back in front of the brunette and picked up the book that had fallen onto the floor during Uraraka's bout of coughing. She placed it next to the tray of food and smiled, "Just keep taking it easy, okay? We want those lungs to heal."
Uraraka nodded before the nurse began heading toward the door. The woman stopped before she exited completely and turned back to the brunette, "The doctor will be by in a little while. I'll let him know that he should take a look at your lungs again." She didn't wait for Uraraka to respond before she exited the room.
Uraraka took another long drink of water and she eyed the book. She had already known who the gift was from when the nurse had given it to her. The broody hint wasn't necessarily needed. She placed the cup on the table and ran her fingers over the cover, feeling the ridges of the indented title. Her fingers moved to the edge before she lifted the cover and opened to the first page. Her eyes darted to blue ink scribbled at the bottom of the cover page.
"Hurry up and get better. - B"
Uraraka couldn't stop herself from grinning at the hilariously penned note. It was barely legible, matching Bakugo's handwriting and attitude generally. The note was probably a regrettable afterthought for him but the fact it was there was just so… Bakugo. She wanted to giggle but fought it back to spare herself the ensuing coughing fit.
With the exception of Midoriya, he was the only one that she hadn't seen since Saturday. As far as she was aware, he hadn't stopped by the hospital at all since then. What made him suddenly stop by last night and leave behind a gift?
Uraraka knew he was blaming himself for what happened, just as Deku was. Although, she wished he wouldn't. She had made her own choices in the heat of battle. She did what she assumed was right. She couldn't help but wonder if he was punishing himself by staying away and not visiting her.
She closed the book and picked it up, looking at the cover again. This felt like a good compromise. If this book was his way of saying he was sorry, although he had nothing to apologize for, she would take it and hope that he'd come around soon. In the meantime, she'd just enjoy the distraction from the pain.
She popped it open to the first chapter and began reading as she ate her breakfast. After a while, she'd pushed the table away and sunk into her pillows, cradling the book in her arms and losing herself in the story.
She was snapped back to reality when the doctor suddenly arrived, "Uraraka!" He swung open the door and grinned, the nurse coming in behind him. "How are you feeling?"
She shut the book, surprised to see she'd already read fifty pages, and smiled, "Better!" She lifted her cast, "I'm hoping you have some good news for me?"
"Oh do I," The doctor nodded and came up to her bedside. "But first, let's get a look at those bruises."
Uraraka allowed the doctor to examine her as he did twice daily, moving through the routine quickly now. He looked over her chart for a while, asking her the usual questions and finally came around to her left side. "Let's get this thing off you, huh?"
"Yes please!" Uraraka felt a rush of excitement when he retrieved the drill to remove it. The process only took a few minutes before she was free of the restricting plaster. She wiggled her fingers and smiled giddily.
"You're going to need to take it easy for a while," The doctor patted the skin of her arm gently and applied his quirk."We'll get you going on physical therapy for it but it won't be rigorous due to your lungs." His quirk was relatively simple, it almost felt like his touch chilled her nerves and as a result, her arm prickled. Over the course of a few minutes she could feel the muscles in her arms tense and relax as it strengthened and repaired itself.
Uraraka was just happy to be able to freely bend her arm again, "This feels so much better."
"Well," The doctor handed off the cut pieces of cast off to the nurse to dispose of, "Our biggest problem is your lungs. Have you felt any change since yesterday?"
"I'm still coughing a lot," Uraraka muttered and felt the familiar spike of nerves travel up her spine. Her lungs had been stressing her out more than she cared to admit. The poison from the fog had nearly destroyed them and she was still struggling to so much as take a deep breath.
"Let's get another x-ray done and see what's really going on in there," The doctor skewed his mouth thoughtfully. "Have you used your quirk at all?"
Uraraka shook her head and she felt guilty. She hadn't even tried to float anything since the battle in Keihin because she was afraid. She remembered how her quirk had involuntarily shut down and she could feel that she'd somehow strained it. It felt like a pulled muscle but worse in a way that she couldn't describe. Like something was torn or broken about it. And it didn't help that a lot of her quirk had to do with holding her breath. How was she supposed to do hero work without the full use of her quirk or lungs?
The doctor reached across her to pick up the book Bakugo had gifted her, "Give it shot." He offered it to her.
"I don't know…" Uraraka looked at the book with a skeptical expression.
"We need to make sure that your quirk is healing properly too," He smiled encouragingly at her. "Don't worry, I'll be right here. So will she," He pointed back at the nurse behind him who was smiling at her brightly.
Uraraka licked her lips and gently took the book in her hands and pressed all her fingertips to the covers. The book suddenly felt weightless in her hands and she smiled a little as she released it, letting it float up. She felt a pressure in her chest that was wildly uncomfortable and suddenly the book began to quiver before it dropped like a brick onto her lap.
"Very good!" The doctor cheered and patted her lower leg with a joyful smile.
Uraraka didn't meet his gaze, instead staring at the book in her lap. That was it? That was all she could do? A pang of despair washed over her at the realization. Her quirk was damaged more than she could have thought. Tears seemed to fill her eyes.
"Hey," The doctor noticed the trembling lip, "Don't worry, Uraraka." He squat down next to the bed so he could look up into her eyes, "As you heal, so will your quirk. Yes, it takes some time, but if you keep it up, you'll be back to where you were in no time."
"I just-" Uraraka felt a desperate sob creeping up on her, "I just can't believe that after only one fight-" Tears spilled over and she shook her head, unable to finish her thought.
The doctor tilted his head and the pity on his face was apparent, "You did an amazing and heroic thing. You should be proud of yourself. You helped get two dangerous criminals off the streets. Because of you, they can't hurt anyone anymore."
"I know!" Uraraka sniffed her nose and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hands, "I just wanted to do so much more than this. I want to make a bigger impact on the world. I want to be the best hero I can be, but I can't do that when I can't even make a book float for more than a few seconds!" She placed her palms over her face to cover her shame.
The doctor felt supremely guilty for bringing this out of her but he stood up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I have treated so many heroes, Uraraka. They all want to make impacts on the world but you, just like them, didn't lose that ability because you got hurt. You need to take care of your body first and the goals you want to achieve will come along with that." He nodded back to the nurse, "Let's get that x-ray of your lungs and see what we can do today to try and get you back out there as soon as possible."
Uraraka seemed to lighten up a bit. He was right. She couldn't just sit around and feel sorry for herself. She needed to work harder than ever to bring herself out of this mess. Heroes need to be strong for others but they can only do that when they're strong for themselves.
The process of getting the x-ray was long and awkward but she was used to it by now. It was necessary and she eventually found herself alone in her hospital room again as she waited for the results. Her mind was still a mess as she tried to focus her mind back on reading her book. The afternoon sun brought in the early autumn warmth she longed to feel on her face and she kept stealing glances out at the bustling city.
"Knock knock!" The door to her room popped open for the third time that day and she turned to see an all-too-familiar face.
"Kirishima!" Uraraka beamed when she saw the goofy grin of her former classmate. "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting you of course!" Kirishima stepped inside, leaving the door open as he stepped inside. He plopped down in one of the green chairs that sat in the corner of the room by the window. "How is my favorite badass feeling today?"
"Eh," Uraraka shrugged and shut the book, tucking it to her side. "I'm just ready to get out of here. I want to get back to work so bad."
Kirishima rolled his head on his shoulders and chuckled at her, "Yeah, we all miss you so much at the agency. That place is just so boring without you and Bakugo."
Uraraka tilted her head curiously, "Without Bakugo?"
"He didn't tell you?" Kirishima furrowed his eyebrows, "Edgeshot is making Bakugo take a leave too."
"Oh…" Uraraka mumbled softly. "No, I haven't actually seen Bakugo."
Kirishima seemed genuinely surprised by her response, "What? Like at all?"
"Nope," She shook her head. "I just figured he was busy with work and whatever other Bakugo stuff he does."
Kirishima leaned forward in his chair and frowned, "So he hasn't come to visit you then?"
Uraraka shrugged, "It's not a big deal. You and I both know how he is. Well, you probably know better than I do."
Kirishima laughed aloud and threw his back into the chair again, "Trust me, Bakugo isn't that hard to figure out but something tells me you already knew that." He caught her gaze and quirked an eyebrow.
"Oh gosh," Uraraka scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Bakugo is completely beyond my scope of understanding. That guy has done nothing but confuse me since I met him."
"Don't even lie," Kirishima's tone was teasing, "You think his little hardass act is as funny too."
"Oh it is," Uraraka smiled softly as she pictured the blonde's array of annoyed expressions and his infamous default scowl. "It's predictable."
"See?" Kirishima held out a hand to her. "You do get him. That's all it takes to know that weird ass dude. Once you figure out the tough guy act is actually an act, everything else about him makes perfect sense."
Uraraka shifted in her spot and crossed her legs under the blanket, "I don't know if it's really that simple. He's super… complex?" She wasn't sure if that word completely fit but it was the only one she could think of. "Sure, the tough guy thing is an act but that's all I really know about him. Sometimes he does things or says things that make zero sense to me."
Kirishima huffed a humorous breath, "Alright, I'll give you that. He catches me off-guard all the time too but I think he just lacks people skills in general."
"Well did you see him at Edgeshot's party?" Uraraka raised her eyebrows and smiled as she recalled the way Bakugo seemed to consolidate his personality to fit in with the upper class heroes. "He was a perfect gentleman."
"Oh I know," Kirishima chortled and slid his hand over his smiling lips as he rested his elbow on the armrest of his chair. "I call it Jeanist Bakugo. It's all stuff he learned from his internship with Best Jeanist and it's just another one of Bakugo's little acts. It's by far the best one." The redhead chuckled as he thought about it. "It's so bad."
"I thought he was rather polite!" Uraraka grinned as she tried to fight back a laugh. "He even brought me a drink when I was talking to Kamui Woods. It was so... gentlemanly."
Kirishima dropped his hand and tilted his head at her with a knowing expression, "Well he only did that because it was you. If that had been me or Mina, he would have told us to piss off the moment he showed up."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Uraraka blinked and looked confused. "Because it was me?"
"Oh yeah," Kirishima shrugged nonchalantly, "You're like… the one person that Bakugo is nice to." He smirked at her, "You're going to have to share your secrets with me. I want Bakugo to be nice to me too."
"Nice?" Uraraka echoed the word and frowned. "I don't think he treats me any differently than the rest of you. I mean, why would he?" She knew why but she didn't want to say it. Mina had told her that Bakugo had feelings for her but Uraraka didn't feel like she had the energy or willpower to begin working through that possibility since her breakup with Deku. It still felt like she was betraying Deku's trust whenever she tried to think about it and she figured she needed to give it more time before she took an honest look at Bakugo's influence in her life.
Kirishima saw the conflict on Uraraka's face and he decided to reel back his line of questioning, "I'm just saying that he's nice to you and that comes from the perspective of his best friend. It's hard not to notice that, you know?" He leaned forward and lowered his voice, glancing back at the open door, "I don't know if you know this but… Bakugo? Yeah, he's not nice to just anyone." He smirked with a tease on his lips before leaning back in chair again, "So that jerk hasn't come by yet, huh?"
"Well," Uraraka glanced down at the book tucked in beside her hip, "I guess he stopped by last night but I was asleep."
Kirishima followed her gaze to the book and he strained his neck, hoping to see the title. He retracted his gaze when Uraraka looked back toward him, "Did he?" The redhead nodded his head and glanced out the window thoughtfully, "Good."
"I think he's just being hard on himself," Uraraka shrugged and played with her hands in her lap awkwardly, "I can't really blame him for that. He'll come when he's ready."
Kirishima was silent as he watched Uraraka pout at her hands in her lap, "Well, while we're on serious topics…" He seemed to choose his next words carefully, "How are you doing? As in… I heard about you and… Deku." He flushed at the awkward sounding question.
Uraraka swallowed thickly and she felt a spike of sorrow. Nobody had asked her about it since it happened and she had been glad for it. She hadn't felt ready to talk about it. "Well," She seemed to struggle for words, "I mean… I guess I'm doing alright."
"I saw that he flew back to America yesterday," Kirishima rubbed his chin to work out some of the awkward tension he was feeling. "Did he take it well?"
"Yeah," Uraraka chirped quickly and then shook her head, "Actually, I don't really know. He just kinda… Well, he left really fast. We haven't talked at all so I don't really know what's going on or what we're going to do about all our stuff and-" She cut herself off and shook her head, "Now I'm rambling."
Kirishima heaved a heavy sigh, "Listen, I know it's not really my place to say, I know that." He sat up straight and met her gaze completely, "But I want you to know that I think you made the right call. Deku is a great guy and we all love him and his… weirdness… but he's going to be alright. He's one strong man and I've seen that guy accomplish things I thought were impossible. He'll be fine. I just need to know, will you be alright?"
Uraraka seemed to consider his question for a long while and eventually nodded her head, "Actually, I feel really good about it." She suddenly flushed when she realized the words that had tumbled from her mouth, "I didn't mean that to sound so heartless. I just- I mean…" She fumbled for the words.
"Hey," Kirishima held up a hand and nodded, "You don't have to tell me. I'm happy for you, okay? That's all any of us want for you, Uraraka. You deserve better."
She bit her lip and felt a happy tear in her eye, "Thank you Kirishima." She swallowed thickly and smiled as the tear slipped down her cheek, "I really needed to hear that. Thank you."
"H-hey!" Kirishima fumbled awkwardly when he saw the tear, "I didn't mean to make you cry! Shit, Uraraka, I am so sorry."
"It's fine," She released a terse breath through her slightly smiling teeth, "It's seriously okay. They're happy tears."
Kirishima looked skeptical but seemed to accept her words, "Well, let's talk about happier things, huh?" He nodded at the book, "What are you reading?"
Uraraka looked down at the book before she pulled it away from her side and set it on her lap, "Oh this?" She smiled faintly at it, "Pride and Prejudice." She lifted it up and showed him the cover, "Bakugo actually left it here for me last night."
"He did?" Kirishima's curiosity peaked and he couldn't help but smirk a little as their conversation turned toward the hot-headed blonde again.
"I guess," Uraraka shrugged. "It's a nice gesture."
Kirishima grinned as he thought about all the teasing potential for the blonde, "Well damn, he dropped off a book but didn't come say hi?"
"I was asleep so he left it with the nurses," Uraraka looked at the doorway, trying to view the nurse's station but instead found two familiar faces talking to the nurses at the end of the hallway. "Is that who I think it is?"
Kirishima turned his head to follow her gaze and saw the two people she was referring to turning toward the room. He lifted up a hand to smile and wave when they came to a stop in the doorway. "Mirio! Eri! What's up?"
"Er…" The girl was wearing her U.A. school uniform as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Hi Red Riot," She turned to Uraraka, "Hey Uravity."
"You can call me Kirishima," The red-head stood up and grinned. "What are you guys doing here?"
Mirio looked down at the girl and nodded, "Go on, Eri." He looked up to meet Kirishima's curious gaze before he jerked his head toward the door, "Oi Kirishima, want to come with me to get Uraraka a snack from the vending machine?" He looked at the hospitalized brunette, "I'm sure you could do with a candy bar, eh?"
Uraraka met Mirio's gaze with a confused look, "Uh…" She looked down at a nervous Eri. "Sure, I guess."
Kirishima was equally confused but picked up on Mirio's basic message, "Yeah okay…" He walked slowly toward the door and gave Eri an awkward grin, "Nice to see you, Eri." He turned back to raise his eyebrows at Uraraka, "I'll see you later then?"
"Don't be a stranger," Uraraka waved but was distracted as Eri started to make her way toward Uraraka. "Hey Eri."
Mirio clapped Kirishima on the shoulder as they stepped out into the hallway and the blonde man promptly shut the hospital room door behind them.
"What's going on in there?" Kirishima gave Miro a curious but serious look. "Why the secrecy?"
Mirio shrugged and guided the red-head down the hallway, "Let's just say that Eri is delivering on an old favor…"
Uraraka was entirely confused when she watched Mirio usher Kirishima out the door before shutting it. A very nervous Eri was at her bedside now, twiddling her thumbs.
"Eri?" The brunette frowned at the strange situation, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school right now?"
The girl shrugged before she finally met Uraraka's gaze, "Um yeah," She bit her a lip for a moment, "But Deku called me so Mirio pulled me out of school and brought me here."
"Deku?" Uraraka was completely puzzled now, "I guess I'm just a little bit confused."
Eri shuffled in place for a moment and it was clear she was nervous, "Well…" She finally let her gaze meet Uraraka's, "I always told Deku that one day I would show him how grateful I was for everything he did for me and he said that he'd save that favor for something that really mattered." She reached out and took Uraraka's hand in her small ones, "Well… He called me and said that you might need my help and if I can do it, I should help you."
"Help… me?" Uraraka looked down at her hand that Eri was holding and a realization dawned on her, "Oh Eri-"
"Miss Uraraka," Eri shook her head and gave the brunette a small smile, "UA has taught me a lot." She looked back at the closed door, "And Mirio has helped me so much." She turned back to Uraraka and rubbed her thumb over the top of Uraraka's hand, "I have control of my quirk now."
Uraraka shook her head hard, "Eri, I can't let you get in trouble for this."
"I won't!" Eri replied quickly, "Mirio and I talked about it a lot after... " Eri seemed to ponder her words, "Deku called on Monday. Deku has been so nice to me and both he and Mirio saved my life. I didn't think Deku would ever ask me but-"
"Eri." Uraraka interrupted and smiled at the young girl. "I understand if you feel like you owe it to Deku to help me, but I have amazing doctors. I will get better, I promise."
Eri was quite for a while and she bit her lip, "Deku told me about what happened. That you guys aren't… dating anymore."
Uraraka sighed and nodded her head slowly, "Yeah, we aren't dating anymore."
"And he said you'd tell me no," Eri held onto Uraraka's hand a little tighter. "He said that I should tell you something if you said no."
Uraraka felt like she knew what was coming and she didn't think her heart could handle it. Deku had told her that he'd never give up and Uraraka believed him. Was this some sort of guilting mechanism? She knew she was assuming the worst but it still tickled the back of her mind.
"He said that he understands why you'd say no and that he hopes that you'd change your mind because he still loves you. He said…" Eri looked down as her eyes began to well up, "H-he said that this would be t-the last thing he'd do to interfere with your life. That this is his parting gift and then… he told me that I should come back every day until you say yes."
Uraraka gulped as tears pricked her eyes and he didn't realize that she was gripping onto Eri's slender hand tightly now. "Eri… I can't accept. It could get you in trouble or worse, expelled from UA."
Eri shook her head softly, still refusing to meet Uraraka's gaze, "Mirio said he'd keep it a secret if you will. And Deku always said that sometimes you have to just be a hero, even when people don't want one." She finally looked up with teary eyes, "That you have to not be afraid to interfere when someone needs… a hero. Please Miss Uraraka, let me be your hero in Deku's place."
Uraraka felt a wash of guilt and relief as she realized that she was nodding her head. Her mind and heart were a mess as she felt herself letting go of her pain and heartbreak. She didn't even register when Eri shut her eyes and the horn on her forehead began to glow because she was letting herself grieve one more time.
Deku had been good to her. He'd been a hero when she needed a hero and a boyfriend when she needed a boyfriend. He'd taught her a lot about herself and he was an inspiration to her for years. There were many things wrong with their relationship and while it hurt to acknowledge them, she was glad that she had the time she did with him. Dating Deku had turned her into an adult and this gesture from him was a solemn but wonderful farewell. Like a goodbye kiss.
Goodbye Deku…
The feeling of euphoria was unexpected but Uraraka welcomed it. For the first time in a long time, she felt at peace. She felt free. Eri released her hand but the feeling of full lungs and a mended back were enough for her to laugh and cry happy tears.
Hey everyone! I am so sorry that this update is so late but it's still technically Fanfiction Friday! Valentines day threw kind of a monkey wrench into the equation for me lmao. So here's an EXTRA long chapter!
I'm gonna keep it short and sweet with this authors note but if you haven't already, you should go check out your review response on my profile page! You can also follow me on twitter onlycamefortaco for live chapter writing updates.
I love all of you so much and I CAN'T WAIT FOR CHAPTER 22 and I think you should be too :) See you all on the next Fanfiction Friday!
XOXOXO
