July 8th, 2011 (same day)
She wasn't supposed to get hurt.
Ok, maybe the normal scrapes and bruises from getting pushed around. But he never meant…
Katsuki was sitting next to his mother in the waiting room at the hospital. For the first time in recorded history, his mom was quiet. When she heard what happened from Deku's mom, Katsuki's mom met them at the hospital within 15 minutes.
He expected her to yell, scream, smack him around, then ground him for the rest of his life. But she just sat next to him and… nothing. As soon as she saw his face, her whole demeanor changed from I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass to Katsuki-doesn't-know-what-that-face-means-shit-he's-definitely-screwed. He couldn't replicate whatever look on his face got her to back off-at least for the moment-if he wanted to. She just sat there. He didn't know what she was waiting for, maybe she wants to wait for us to go home? Though yelling at her son in public was never an issue before. Because we're in a hospital? Maybe, but even as he thought it, it sounded wrong.
He gave up trying to figure out his mom as his thoughts drifted back to just over three hours ago when Ayano was on the ground with Katsuki's weight holding her there.
The guy who called out to them was the one to call the ambulance. How Katsuki got shoved into the ambulance with Ayano and Deku was a mystery to him. The whole time he stared at the burns marked across Ayano's face, neck and right shoulder.
"I didn't mean…" For once in 8 years, Bakugo Katsuki was quiet, meek, and regretful. His mom sat still as he mumbled, holding back from scolding him until he finished scolding himself. He had of course hurt other kids before, she had gone to enough parent-teacher-bullshit-meetings to last a lifetime. This was just… so much worse than anything he'd done before. Her yelling at him didn't seem to get anywhere, so she held tight to her anger and frustration and waited. He seemed to be talking without thinking, staring at his hands, which were shaking. He slowly clenched them as he spoke, "She just… I was just so mad… and then that guy-"
"Excuse me, Bakugou-san?" Katsuki immediately shut his mouth. His mom sighed, great, that's probably it for talking about it. She turned to the person who called for her.
"Yes?" She guessed her annoyance was written on her face, and perhaps dripping from her tone because the nurse cowered away from her glare.
"Uh, Akira-san is looking for you and-," she looked down at a small piece of paper, "Midoriya-san along with both of your sons."
At the mention of himself, Katsuki shrunk even smaller. Mitsuki sighed, looking over at where Midoriya Izuku was sulking next to his own mom.
"Well, come on, you heard her." The blonde woman shoved her son out of his chair.
He flailed, "Wha-ahh!" He landed on his face. He sat up and glared at his mom, damn annoying confusing ass bitch. He stood and followed her with his hands stuffed in his pockets, Deku and his mom behind them. He knew if he said anything she would skip whatever peace she's holding right now and beat him senseless, so he kept his grumbling quiet.
They found Lisa-san and Sora-san, Ayano's parents, sitting in plastic chairs outside a room marked 203. Both of the boy's parents stepped up and bowed slightly, introducing themselves and their kids.
Izuku watched as Kacchan's mom grabbed his head and shoved him down to a much lower bow, gritting "apologize," through clenched teeth.
The green haired boy started gaping when Kacchan actually muttered, "sorry," while staring at the floor. He didn't even stand straight when his mom's hand left his head.
He had been acting weird ever since Aya-chan screamed at the playground.
Now that Izuku thought about it, he couldn't remember Kacchan actually burning anyone before. Ok, he would have to exclude himself on that list, but from what he knew, Kacchan never went farther than scaring kids with his quirk. And maybe punching…
Sora-san's hand reached out to Kacchan while he was bowing. Anyone who hadn't known Sora-san might assume they were going to hit the boy, but his hand fell lightly onto Kacchan's head.
Katsuki flinched when the person whose gender he couldn't quite identify laid a hand on his head. He prepared himself for the beatdown of his lifetime.
But… it never came. Hesitantly, he looked up to see Sora-san's sad eyes. They tilted their head slightly, "it was an accident?"
Katsuki couldn't answer that. No, he didn't mean to burn her, but to call it an accident? It made his stomach churn. No, I knew what could happen, knew exactly what could go wrong. But he didn't listen when Deku was yelling about taking it too far. He could have stopped the explosions before they touched her, I should have…
"Kacchan didn't mean to burn Aya-chan!" Deku's voice startled everyone, some expressing it more than others. Katsuki noticed that Deku's wording was technically true, though it still made him cringe.
"Then your apology is enough," Katsuki's breathing eased, if only for a moment. "Though," Sora-san gestured to their wife and themself, "we are not the ones you should apologize to."
His whole body tensed, he looked into the eyes of her parents before gulping and looking at the engraved 203 on the door next to them.
Lisa-san reached out slowly and touched his shoulder. He noticed her hand shaking before it touched him, and the guilt in his stomach twisted for making her worry so much for her daughter.
To his surprise, a small smile eased onto her tear-stained face. In a quiet raw-from-crying voice, "If you don't do it now, will you ever?"
He flinched, then a very small nod.
Katsuki's mom was unsure how Lisa-san could know her son almost as well as his own mother, but she could bet that he was easier to read than he thought.
It wasn't long, maybe ten minutes later, there was shuffling inside the room marked 203. He watched the door as it opened from the inside. The blonde watched an elderly woman about his height walk out.
"She will be fine, though you know this already. I am glad I was here today, else her scar would be much worse." She handed a few pieces of paper to the Akiras, Sora-san put them away in their bag for now. "She may have visitors, but tell her to be careful. I already have but she's tired and she probably won't remember. Do you have any questions?" After the two parents shook their heads, she pulled her arms behind her back and turned ninety degrees, "Then, if you will excuse me, I have other patients to tend to." She bowed slightly, all besides Katsuki bowing back, and turned to walk away.
First to go in was Lisa, she ignored every rule in place against it and used her quirk to speed to her baby Ayano's side. First order of business: kiss her daughter over and over. Second: brief check to see if her daughter is safe to hug. Third: avoid that bandage over her neck as she hugged her daughter as tight as she dared.
Right after, just catching the door before it closed, was Sora. They came up behind and laid their hand on Lisa's back. Lisa reached back and pulled them into the hug before they could react, not that they would have protested.
The third hand holding the door was Izuku's mom, holding it open for Ayano's friend...s? She wasn't quite sure if Katsuki was really friends with anyone. But as she watched him walk into the room behind her son, holy crap! When was the last time little Katsuki let 'Deku' in front of him?, she felt herself smile. Maybe…
Katsuki's mom made eye contact with Izuku's, and they mirrored each other's hopeful smile for their sons they have both seen before. The moms stayed close to the door, assuming crowding Ayano wasn't best.
Speaking of Ayano… she wasn't happy. She let out a very exaggerated groan, "Moooom, Nariiiii, you're suffocating meee!"
With a small relieved laugh, the parents released their whiny child. As they took a couple steps back, Izuku came to her side and hugged her, almost seeing the white gauze on her neck too late. As he pulled away, he grinned at her, though she noticed faint tear tracks on his cheeks.
"I'm really happy you're okay, Aya-chan!" She saw his eyes lower to her neck for a split second, then he got quieter, "We were worried…" He trailed off. Ayano reached her hand out to touch his that was on her bed.
When he looked at her face again, she smiled, "Thanks for worrying, but now that I'm okay, there's no need, right?" Simple as that, Izuku's smile returned, and the tension in the room eased.
… Only to spike again when she looked behind Izuku and made eye contact with Katsuki.
Her eyes narrowed, she subtly pulled Izuku closer to her while she glared at the blonde. But as she looked him over, it looked like he had a personality change in the last however long it's been since she was pinned to-.
She noticed her hands shaking and pushed her memories of what happened away for now. All that mattered was the boy in front of her. After their brief eye contact, he seemed to be avoiding looking at anyone by pretending to be very fascinated by the floor tiles.
She looked at Izuku and nodded for him to back up. He looked hesitant but took a few steps back to be next to Ayano's parents at the end of her bed.
She turned back to Katsuki, planning out her speech to him before his uncharacteristically quiet voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Sorry," Her brain short circuited, huh-what now? Did I hear that right?
She turned to her parents and Izuku, barely noticing that she dropped to English, "Did he say what I think he said?" Not waiting for an answer, Ayano turned back to Katsuki to see he was now looking at her with his eyebrows pulled together. "Sorry, I think I missed that, mind repeating?"
The glare that came from the blonde was much more familiar. She smiled, reached over, even though it took more effort since he was further than Izuku had been, and grabbed his shoulder. His glare fell as he spotted the white bandage on the right side of her neck.
Her face became serious, she didn't want him to think she was joking. She grabbed his left hand, the hand that caused it, and slowly, carefully since it still hurt, laid it on top of the bandage with her hand over his. His face scrunched up but he couldn't bring himself to pull away.
She didn't speak until his red eyes left her neck and found her blue ones. "Sorry to tell you, but saying you're sorry is only half the work." He grimaced but she continued, "You have to prove it. If you are going to try, then we might be able to stay friends, but it really depends on you."
Katsuki paused, friends? She wants to be friends? What kind of idiot-
"I…" Ayano closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I know how much becoming a hero means to you, and Izuku." She glanced at her best friend, ignoring the small scoff that came from Katsuki. "And I believe you two will be the best, but if you doubt yourself now, before you even have a real chance…" She looked down, "I don't want to be the reason you don't become a hero." She raised her eyes and stared him down, "but if you can't prove to me that you're truly sorry for what happened," Ayano leaned toward Katsuki's increasingly nervous face and narrowed her eyes, "I will spend every waking moment making sure you never become a hero."
The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Until Ayano smiled and relaxed into her bed, and released his hand, "but that all depends on you, Katsu-kun."
After that, Sora and Lisa decided it was time for Ayano to rest. Her visitors left, leaving her alone with her parents.
It didn't take her long to fall asleep, this was definitely the longest day she's experienced in her 8 years.
あきら End Chapter 3 あやの
