Chapter 29

Third P.o.V

It was only a few days after Hotaru was admitted into the hospital. Bakugou had decided to stop by and see if she was up. The past few times he came over, she was asleep and he wasn't able to stay for long without feeling awkward. The silence made him think of things he didn't want to think of...

This time, he couldn't wait to get to her room for the simple reason that he wanted to catch her up on what happened after she was knocked out. Specifically, the fall of All For One and All Might. When the blonde got to the front doors of the hospital, Anzai Satomi occupied a wooden bench, cigarette in hand.

She caught a glimpse of the boy and scoffed, "Why are you still here?" Bakugou narrowed his eyes. Satomi let out a puff of smoke.

"I could ask you the same thing," she smirked. Bakugou glared at her. Satomi raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.

"Why do you care about her so much?" the blonde before her had frozen at the question. He narrowed his eyes and gave Satomi a deadly stare.

"Because apparently no one else does," he said. Satomi let out a dry chuckle.

"So...it's a pity kind of friendship?" she asked, amused. Bakugou clenched his jaw.

"That's not what I meant," he growled. Satomi went to walk past but stopped right next to the boy.

"She'll toss you out once she's done with you. This little hospital visit won't change anything," she muttered into his ear before leaving. Bakugou tightened his fist and punched the fall next to him. His knuckles started to bleed but he didn't care. He frowned. Hotaru wouldn't just discard him like that...Would she?

No. He wouldn't let that witch get into his head. He was going to walk into the hospital and find Hotaru awake and healthy.

"Excuse me," a familiar doctor stopped him as he entered, "You're a friend of Miss Anzai, right? The young lady in room three-o-six?" Bakugou paused.

"Yeah, why? What happened? Is she okay?" he began to worry. The doctor nodded.

"She was moved to surgery. Her mother let us start her operation as soon as the American doctor came in," she said. Bakugou sighed. He figured that was probably part of the perfect mother act Satomi had put on. He should probably thank her, though. He frowned at the thought as he followed the doctor to Hotaru's surgery room.

"The doctor from America has a special quirk that will help increase Miss Anzai's probability of survival during the surgery. It will also help her heal faster and get things moving along much quicker. If all goes well, she'll only need therapy for a week," the brunette explained. She turned around and faced the boy behind her.

"I'll let you know when we're done," she gave him a small smile before entering the room. Bakugou heaved a heavy sigh. He ran his hands through his untamed hair before pulling out his phone to keep track of the time.

Bakugou plopped down into one of the hard, uncomfortable, waiting room chairs. He wondered what he'd say to Hotaru once he got inside. He had planned on telling her about how All Might defeated All For One but now he was just unsure. Should he say something that would make her feel better? Should he even talk at all? It was all so much...

'But she needs me, right now,' Bakugou thought, surprising himself. He knew that was something only a friend would say...but he had never thought that way about his other classmates. God, there were times he thought things about Hotaru he had never thought about anyone else.

He wasn't wrong, though. She needed him. She needed someone to be there because, in the past, no one ever was. She had been so many things but protected and cared for was never one of them.

The blonde male shook his head, burying his face in his palms. He'd decided to confront Hotaru about their friendship. Was it all fake, like Satomi suggested? He'd find out soon. Too soon. Yet, not soon enough.

That Night...

Bakugou hadn't slept and not just because of the hard hospital chairs. He had not stopped worrying. He felt like he was going to have a heart attack. When the brown-haired doctor he recognized had approached him, he jumped out of his seat. He managed to restrain himself but still eagerly asked her how things went.

"She did great. She's resting up now and should be discharged in a few days," the woman smiled. Bakugou let out a sigh of relief. He opened his mouth to say something but found he didn't know what to say. The words would never come out right. He simply hugged the doctor. She was a little surprised but she returned his gesture.

"Can I see her?" Bakugou asked once he pulled away. The doctor nodded.

"I won't stop you," she held her hands up. Bakugou nodded before rushing off. He made it to Hotaru's room then froze. Moment of truth...

He held his breath and walked in.

The boy's red eyes instantly set on the familiar sight of plum-colored hair. The girl in the hospital bed was sluggish and seemed to have just woken up. She was alive, nonetheless. She was very pale and had a scar on her neck from the surgery.

Bakugou ran to her bedside and-without giving her time to react-wrapped his arms around her. She let out a squeak that was either meant to be pained or shocked.

"You scared the shit out of me," Bakugou said into her shoulder. Hotaru's eyes widened. All was silent as Bakugou waited for her reaction. Slowly but surely, Hotaru placed her arms around him.

"Sorry," her voice was still raspy and hoarse but it was her voice. Bakugou furrowed his eyebrows

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" he asked, backing out of the hug but keeping his hands on her shoulders. Hotaru's face fell.

"I...I made you worry...Got hurt..." she could barely say the sentence. Bakugou clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

"You fucking kidding me? That dude basically squeezed the life out of you and you just came back from the dead! You're so much stronger than you think, Lizard Girl," he encouraged. Hotaru couldn't help but crack a smile. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks but no one addressed them.

Bakugou simply put a hand on the back of the girl's head and connected their foreheads. Hotaru was warm and he could feel it. Boundaries were thrown out the window. He simply wanted to be with her and share this quiet, peaceful, moment. She needed it. He needed it. They both needed it.

"How are you?" Bakugou finally asked. Hotaru gave him a small smile.

"Good," she managed to say.

"Does it hurt to talk?"

"A little. It'll get better."

"That's awesome..."

The blonde sat by Hotaru's bedside and talked with her for what seemed like hours. He caught her up on what she missed, including All Might's fall and All For One's imprisonment. Some tears were shed but she understood it was for the greater good.

At one point, Bakugou yawned, in which Hotaru offered to let him sleep in her bed. The sleepy teen, not really thinking about the action his friend was suggesting, nodded in agreement. He got up and crawled into bed with Hotaru. Wordless and tired, they fell asleep together.

The Next Morning...

A good night's rest was all Hotaru wanted and she was thankful to have finally gotten it. When she woke up, she was surprised to feel a weight across her abdomen. She cocked an eyebrow and turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of blonde hair and a toned arm. She silently watched his chest rise and fall for a moment. Her face grew hot.

The purple-haired girl didn't dare move, afraid she'd wake up the boy next to her. She remembered offering her bed as solace for Bakugou having worried all this time. He was clearly exhausted. A smile tugged on Hotaru's lips as she saw how calm the blonde looked while sleeping...

When the purple-haired girl saw his eyes twitch, she jerked her head back. She didn't want him to catch her staring. She pretended to be asleep as she felt him shift in his sleep. He pulled her closer to his body, burying his face in her hair. Hotaru could feel body his heat on her back.

'I mean...I shouldn't wake him up...Just let him sleep, right?' she thought. She took consistently slow breaths to make it seem like she was also asleep. Thanks to her enhanced hearing, she could even hear her friend's breathing. The two had their moments but this took the cake. She felt Bakugou start to move again. This time, he was waking up.

"What the hell...?" he grumbled sleepily as he moved Hotaru's hair out of his face. He paused when he noticed the 'sleeping' body next to him. Bakugou soon realized the situation and froze.

Hotaru's heart skipped a beat when she realized he had yet to leave the bed. Instead of jumping away and yelling at Hotaru, like she expected, the blonde quietly shuffled back under the covers with her. He got back in and pulled her close, diving into the vast, purple, ocean that is her hair.

"Just a few more minutes," she heard him mumble. She blushed and let her small smile shine. He truly was something to behold.

Hey, so I know I had this story marked as completed but it's not. I apologize for that. I guess I accidentally clicked that and forgot to change it. Anyway, I hope you guys like it.

Thanks again, Loves!

Special Thanks To...

Midnight Angels Say Goodnight

mantale3

ToddJ27

DezG23

Rainafox

wolfedge10

PurpleGalaxyKSM

Reviews;

Midnight Angels Say Goodnight- I'm so sorry about that! I hadn't noticed it until you brought it to my attention. Thank you for reading and bringing this problem up so I could fix it. Sorry again, love.