A/N: Big thank you to AnimeGirl1570. Your comment really made my day! I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter.

Happy Reading!

XXX

Katsuki's Point of View- Friday Evening

It's late by the time Deku and I approach the hospital entryway to begin his check-in. Our walk was uneventful and silent which was fine by me. Once in a while I'd catch him looking at me with this weird sort of confused/worried expression but other than that he was uncharacteristically quiet. It's another nice night- clear star-studded sky, the moon is a bright half globe floating above us, and a nocturnal kind of peace has blanketed over the streets, muffling all sound and subduing even the most lively of animals.

"Well, here we are." Deku stops right in front of the hospital entrance and is now openly staring at it like he's never seen a door before.

"No shit."

"I guess we're going in now." He tears his eyes away from the door just long enough to flash me a look that says, 'are you really coming in here with me?' I sigh, not particularly in the mood for this crap.

"Looks that way."

"Right… well, I'm going in now."

"Holy fucking shit, Deku!" I scream while pushing past him and into the lobby. He would test the patience of Gandhi himself, which puts me halfway to sainthood for not exploding his ass on the fucking spot. He stumbles out of the way, unbalanced, and I grab his hand to keep him from tipping over. The feeling of his calloused, warm hand anchored in my own sends a jolt through me and I let go as soon as he steadies himself. He must have felt it too because he stares at me, wide eyed before sheepishly muttering a "thank you" and continuing inside the building.

As we walk up to the check-in desk, Deku catches sight of Auntie Inko and waves enthusiastically to her, who smiles in response before shooting me a worried look. If everyone could stop acting like the fact I want to be here is the most surprising event of the century, that would be really fucking awesome. Next to Auntie stands an exhausted looking security guard who's casually sipping from his thermos while chatting it up with a middle-aged woman sitting behind the desk.

Deku, being the dork he is, runs up to Auntie, arms open wide and catches her in a tight hug. The idea of wanting to hug your mother is foreign to me so I stand there and watch the spectacle with a quirked eyebrow. The Hag is lucky if she gets anything friendlier than a scowl from me. With my hands shoved in my pockets, I trail closely behind him, watching the overly affectionate cheese balls embrace each other like they haven't seen the other in weeks instead of just five days.

Their commotion catches the attention of the woman behind the desk who smiles brightly at the pair. Her cherry red lipstick contrasts against her pristinely white teeth and pale complexion. "Ah, Izuku. Nice to see you as always." She then glances at me curiously before returning to the nerd. "Who's your cute little friend?"

"That's Kacch-"

"I AM NOT CUTE!" I bite back indignantly. I mean come on… Kittens are cute, babies are cute from a distance, Deku is cute. Wait, no- I don't think Deku is cute. Deku is just Deku, Jesus. Point is, I do not belong in the "cute" category.

"Hmm. Inko is he the boy you told me about? The one who stubbornly refused to listen and found his way to Izuku's room last weekend?"

"That's the one." Auntie says with an exacerbated sigh.

"Well in that case, I must disagree. You are a very cute and sweet boy." I open my mouth to interject because I fucking am not, but she rambles on before I get a chance to say a damn thing. This woman is already proving to be a pain in my ass. "Anyway Izuku, unless any of your information has changed, I have you all checked in and ready to go."

"Thank you! It was nice to see you again, Misako."

"I wish I could say the same, but I'd be much happier if you had no reason to come visit me here anymore." She gives him a sad smile as she snaps his inpatient bracelet around his wrist. I fully agree with her sentiment, both because I don't want him to have a reason to be here and because I'd be fucking thrilled not to have to deal with Red Lips again.

She hands Deku two visitor's passes. He gives the first to Auntie before staring at me with the second pass in his hand like he's not sure if he should give it to me or not. I have at least ten insults I want to level him with right now, but I bite my tongue- not because I'm going easy on him or anything, it's because there are witnesses. He swallows hard before finally walking over to me with it, cautiously holding it out as if it might explode at any given second. I take it from him, careful not to make contact with any part of his hand again and clip it onto the black hem of my shirt.

"Well that was interesting" Red Lips chimes in, eyeing us in a way I do not appreciate. "Alright Izuku, I'll see you later." She pauses for a moment before adding, "You too cutie."

Bristling, I physically have to repress my desire to let off a few warning blasts because this broad is pissing me the hell off. A snort sounds from Deku's direction and I catch him trying not to laugh at Red Lips' insistence on calling me "cute." As quickly as my temper climbed, it plummets back down at the notion Deku is finally starting to relax a little. I suppose if it's helping the nerd calm down, I will allow it for now.

Deku and Auntie wave goodbye to Red Lips while I pointedly ignore her because that's the best I can do without going off on her. We all nod to the guard by the elevators, a different guy then last time, before Auntie reaches out to push the "up" arrow to call one down to us.

"Izuku honey, I think Katsuki and I will stay down here while you get settled into your room. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with him. Since it's late I'll send him home afterwards, so you two can spend time together tomorrow morning. Okay?" I can't imagine what she wants to talk about now, but I'm not about to run away from whatever it is. I've committed to this and I'll see it through. Deku deserves that much at the very least.

The nerd glances at me before nodding his head. "Yeah, okay mom. Um, Kacchan?"

"What is it?"

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Ah, we're still doing this fucking shit I see.

"For fu-" Remembering Auntie is standing there watching us, I revise my answer because she is definitely the type to scold me for my colorful language. I close my eyes and breathe out heavily. "Bright and freaking early so you better be ready."

He seems to accept that answer, humming in response before scuttling onto the elevator, his eyes just a little crinkled and his lips tugging into a grin. It's infectious and I find myself smirking right back at him. The moment the doors close, Auntie softly touches my arm at the elbow to get my attention. When I look over to her, she has that stern look back on her face and she gently tugs on my arm to get me to follow her.

We walk in silence for what feels like a long time, the scenery consisting of brightly lit hallways with pictures of flowers and fruit lining the winding walls until we finally stop at a tiny, 24-hour café positioned just outside the emergency waiting area. It consists of a small counter with a built-in display case and three olive green tables with matching seats. The glass display case holds several refrigerated items- yogurt, fruit cocktails, juice boxes, and few different kinds of premade cold cut sandwiches. There's another display on top of the counter with a variety of muffins and bagels inside of it. Auntie walks right up to the counter and is greeted by some blond haired extra wearing a black visor on top of his head.

"Good evening ma'am. What can I get for you?" He sounds tired, mostly neutral in tone.

"I'll have a cup of hot herbal tea please. It doesn't matter what kind; I like them all!" She looks over to me, beckoning me to stand with her. "Katsuki dear, would you like anything?"

"A second cup of whatever tea she's having" I say while I make my way over to the closest table and take a seat.

A moment later, Auntie walks over with two steaming paper cups of tea in her hands. I dig my wallet out and try to hand her money for mine, but she refuses it. I don't love someone paying for my shit but I'm too tired to argue it right now. I'll just buy her a coffee or some shit in the morning to even the score. I removed the lid and blow gently against the rising steam. It smells like crisp apples and ginger, a flavor I find to be acceptable as I sip at the hot liquid.

"Thanks" I grumble as I nurse the cup between my hands, letting the warmth seep into me as I relax in my seat.

"Katsuki, why are you here?" I see we are once again skipping pretenses which is fucking fine with me.

"Because I want to be" I respond honestly.

"I see… I appreciate what you're trying to do but I don't know if it's what's best for him." What the fuck does that even mean? "It's just, this isn't a game. Izuku has always looked up to you and I know he's missed your friendship so if you aren't fully committed to staying in his life this time then I think it would be best for you to not be a part of it at all. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Tch, I understand but it doesn't change anything for me. I don't plan on pushing him away again and I have a lot of shit to make up for." She looks incredulous at that, like it wasn't the answer she was wanting to hear from me.

"Katsuki" she says carefully, "Pity or trying to right your wrongs are not going to be enough to build a strong enough foundation to weather through this storm. People who do things out of pity or for self-serving purposes rarely stick by their choices."

"It's a good thing that isn't what this is about then. He has always been a good friend, I just never realized what that meant until now." This conversation is making me uncomfortable. I don't enjoy opening up to people but I'm willing to do what it takes to convince her I won't fuck shit up anymore.

"Okay, Katsuki. But what I said last weekend still stands. He is my world and I won't accept anyone bringing him down for any reason." She's resolute and I have to appreciate how protective she is of her son.

Leaning back in my chair with my cup in hand, I study Auntie, just for a moment. She's always been around, ever since I was a brat just out of diapers. She met the Hag at some kind of parent support group and apparently, they became close friends. Of course, it would only make sense for them to get their children together for playdates outside of the group outings. The rest is fucking history. She's mild, but still firm when she needs to be and clearly has no qualms with threatening teenagers if she thinks they're a threat to Deku. It pisses me off that I've had my head up my own ass for long enough that I've managed to get on her radar. The only thing I can do now is prove to her, and Deku, that I'm ready to fix what I broke.

"Katsuki?" Auntie's voice pulls me from my thoughts, bringing me back to the present. She's fidgeting with her purse and looks nervous.

"Hmm?"

Without offering anything else, she opens her purse and pulls out the comic I gave her last weekend to give to Deku. "I'm sorry, dear. I- I didn't give this to him. I didn't want to give him some kind of false beacon of hope just to have you lose interest a few weeks later and hurt him again." She offers me the comic and I shift my tea into my right hand so I can take it from her. I'm fucking pissed she didn't give it to him, but I guess I understand why she didn't. "I remember how cute the two of you were over this book and if you meant what you said, then I think you should be the one to give this to him."

As I look over the poorly illustrated front page, a weird feeling pangs in my chest. It feels like I'm looking at this comic with fresh eyes. At first, it was just an excuse to figure out what's going on without seeming too obvious, but now it's something else entirely. It feels special and important, hell, even kind of sappy. I hate sappy shit, but I know Deku will fucking love it.