Hello minna-san!
I'm sorry for posting late this week!
Right now someone that I care a lot about is at the hospital...and the doctors don't know if...well...so that's why after posting this chapter, I will take a break for a while. I'm really sorry, but this last days were really difficult.
I don't know when I will come back, but please wait for me.
In all his life, Katsuki lost the capacity to think on just a few occasions, and all of them was when his stupid friends decided to make a competition of tequila shots, and his competitive (stupid) self, would fall prey to his friends' schemes to drag him to the game.
"I bet that I can drink more than you, Bakugou!" Sero would say with a sly smile.
"Bring it on, Soy Sauce Face!" Katsuki would answer without thinking twice. He felt stupid doing that, but he still took the bait every single time.
Now, he could add another one, though the reason has nothing to do with drinking games at Kaminari and Sero's shared apartment.
"You changed it, Kacchan." Deku said with a small smile, but before he could force himself to say something, anything, her phone started ringing and she had to leave his apartment without eating the beef stew or actually talk with Katsuki about whatever that meant.
"I'm sorry Kacchan! One of my patients really needs me!"
It was an emergency, he could understand it.
"W-we can talk about it another time!" She said, and Katsuki just nodded dumbly.
Midoriya Izuku was a doctor, a good doctor, and someone was in need of her help… Really, he could understand it! But still, it sucked!
"Fuck!" He yelled when his face hitted the cushions of his couch.
Of all the times for an emergency, it had to be at exactly at that moment?! It did happen before, one of them had to leave in the middle of dinner because some fucking villain was attacking the city or because the hospital needed assistance, but it really had to be when they were actually talking about whatever was happening between them?!
The ash blond man sighed, and turned his body, back to the couch and red eyes staring at the ceiling.
Deku's story…it was a lot to process.
She is quirkless, not that it mattered in his opinion, but fuck! Didn't she suffer a lot because of this? For once he was glad that fucking IceHot was there for her, at least for a part of Deku's childhood. But still, the motherfuckers really did a number on her self esteem if she thought that she couldn't trust people with that information, that everyone would reject or look at her with different eyes if they knew about it!
Now that he stopped to actually think about it, Deku has always asked stuff about him and his friends' quirks, but she never said a word about herself, or if Katsuki tried to ask something about her, Deku would always give short answers that sounded kind of practiced answers, and change the subject.
He should have noticed it, he should have noticed that something was off, but he convinced himself at some point that Deku was avoiding specific topics because she didn't feel comfortable sharing it with him.
"You changed it, Kacchan."
But she said that he changed it.
What exactly did he change? When did these changes start? Why him?
The hero groaned, because yeah, he kind of had a theory of what was happening, but he didn't want to entertain an idea and in the end be wrong about it.
"Fuck you universe!" Katsuki hissed, pointing a finger at the ceiling, irritated that he will have to wait another opportunity to talk about…what? Feelings? About life? About their weird relationship? "What the fuck did I do to you?!"
He heard a ping, it was a notification that he got a text message. Taking his phone from his pants pocket he looked at the name of who was texting him. Katsuki almost dropped the phone.
Fucking Universe! Should he hate the universe or not?!
Deku:
I already took an uber. Sorry for leaving like that.
[9:31 p.m]
Deku:
I really wanted to eat the beef stew.
[9:31 p.m]
Katsuki replied immediately.
Katsuki:
Not your fucking fault.
[9:31 p.m]
Katsuki:
I can make it again.
[9:31 p.m]
Deku:
Thanks:)
[9:32 p.m]
And for the next few moments Katsuki saw the small bubbles appear and disappear signaling that Deku was writing and rewriting something. Usually that would have pissed him off, and he would send a text like "Get straight to the point" or something on those lines, but less politely, but now, after their conversation, he could just wait.
Deku:
About today…sorry, I said a lot.
[9:35 p.m]
Deku:
But I really wanted to tell you that.
[9:35 p.m]
Deku:
And I still have things to tell you…
[9:35 p.m]
Deku:
Can we talk again?
[9:36 p.m]
Fucking Deku! Even by text, why does she still sound like a kicked puppy asking people to bring her home?!
Katsuki:
Sure. Next week?
[9:36 p.m]
He wasn't sure if he could survive another week with those thoughts in his head, but what was he supposed to say?
Deku:
I was wondering if you…
Are you still free on X-mas?
[9:37 p.m]
The man stared at the phone's screen, reading the last message a few times just to make sure that he was reading it correctly. Christmas. December 25. The day after tomorrow. 2 days for now.
Deku:
Sorry Kacchan, we can talk next week if you prefer.
[9:40 p.m]
Katsuki:
X-mas is fine.
[9:40 p.m]
He never typed so fast in his life. No way in hell that he will wait another week to have this conversation.
Deku:
So, 8pm at my apartment?
[9:41 p.m]
Katsuki:
Got it.
[9:41 p.m]
Katsuki paused.
Katsuki:
Hey.
[9:41 p.m]
Deku:
Yes?
[9:41 p.m]
Katsuki:
What should I call you now?
[9:41 p.m]
Deku:
'Deku' is fine.
[9:41 p.m]
Katsuki:
You sure?
[9:42 p.m]
Deku:
Do you want me to call you 'Bakugou'?
[9:42 p.m]
Katsuki:
Hell no!
That's fucking weird!
[9:42 p.m]
Deku:
I know.
[9:42 p.m]
Deku:
If you call me 'Midoriya' next time,
I'm gonna put you in the psychiatric area of the hospital.
[9:43 p.m]
Katsuki:
FUCK YOU!
[9:43 p.m]
Deku:
See you Kacchan!
Good night!:)
[9:43 p.m]
Katsuki:
G'night Deku.
[9:44 p.m]
Okay, so maybe, just maybe things shouldn't be so bad after all.
…
The next day, he was paired with Kirishima to patrol the area. It was cold, and not even his winter hero uniform was enough to keep him warm. He didn't hate the cold, but it was a fucking drawback considering that his quirk was a heat induced type. Katsuki looked at his partner. As always, Kirishima was just wearing a coat over his usual hero uniform, didn't Shitty Hair feel cold dressed in basically nothing?
The city was lively, high schoolers cheering here and there probably getting to a restaurant or karaoke to party with friends, a lot of shops trying to promote their products for those people walking around buying presents, and some couples were out on dates…oh yeah, right, Katsuki also had someone to meet now.
"I'm not going to the party." He announced out of nowhere.
"What?!" Kirishima exclaimed, turning his head to look at the ash blond. "Why?! Mina even ordered those super spicy chicken that only you can eat!"
Katsuki rolled his eyes.
"I am meeting Deku tomorrow."
And if Kirishima wasn't loud before, he sure was now.
"WHAT?!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP SHITTY HAIR!"
People were looking at them, but at this point at his career, the citizens knew that Ground Zero was loud, not that Katsuki cared, but they were probably surprised that Red Riot was the one who raised his voice first.
"Bro!" Eijirou was looking at him with tears in his eyes. Disgusting. "I knew that was some kind of misunderstanding! No way that Midoriya wasn't interested in you!"
"Can't you just shut up?!" Katsuki hissed, but in the end sighed. "It's not a real date or whatever you are imagining!"
"How?! You are going out with her on Christmas! Of course it's a date, Bakugou!"
"No, it's not. We are meeting at her apartment to talk about…" How should Katsuki explain the conversation from the night before? "...stuff. We were kind of having a heart to heart talk last night, but Deku had to go back to the hospital in the middle of the conversation, so we decided to continue tomorrow. That's all."
"A heart to heart conversation?" Kirishima arched an eyebrow. "Doesn't that mean that you were finally talking about your relationship?"
"I don't know, okay?!" The other pro hero replied. "It was…it was fucking personal! Shit! If she continues talking about that I don't even know what I am supposed to say!"
"Look dude." Kirishima stopped walking and put a hand on Katsuki's shoulder, a reassuring smile on his lips. "If Midoriya decided to talk things with you, it's not because she wants you to say nice stuff. If she really knows you, she knows that you are emotionally constipated and can't say a single phrase without cursing to save your life."
"Are you even trying to help now?" Katsuki frowned, red eyes glaring at his best friend.
"What I mean is, she doesn't want your pity or nice words. Hell, that's probably the last thing that she wants from you! Midoriya just wants you to hear her out." The red haired man continued. "She wants to open up to you because she believes and trusts you."
"And how do you know that?" And it was a valid question, because if Kirishima was wrong and Deku was waiting for someone capable of comforting her, this would be a problem. Katsuki was horrible with words, probably worse than Todoroki!
"You said that she doesn't like to talk about herself, so if she decided to do it now, isn't it because she really wants to? But of course I could be wrong since it's based on gut feeling and second hand information."
"Oi Shitty Hair, are you fucking kidding me?!"
"Come on Bakugou, you know her better than me! Do you really think that I am wrong?" Judging from all their conversation from the night before, no, he didn't think that Kirishima was completely wrong. "Don't jump to conclusions, and just hear her out until the end." Kirishima's expression softened while saying that. "Maybe something really good will come out of all this situation."
"Like?"
"Like…" This time the red haired hero walked away a few steps, making Katsuki arched an eyebrow, it was like Kirishima was trying to gain some space before saying something. "...you get a girlfriend and finally break the dry spell?"
It took a second for Katsuki's brain to understand what Kirishima was talking about.
Girlfriend. Dry spell.
The ash blond man blushed, feeling embarrassed and angry at the same time.
"FUCKER!" He yelled, but Kirishima was already a block away, laughing. "YOU ARE DEAD WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, SHITTY HAIR!"
…
"How are you feeling today, Eri-chan?"
"Ah…Doctor Midoriya…" A long gray haired girl with red eyes looked up at the woman who was entering the hospital room. "I am sorry for yesterday."
"Oh no dear." Izuku said, approaching the 7 year old girl, and sitting at the chair beside the bed. "Don't say 'sorry' because that's not your fault."
"But!" Eri exclaimed, trying to sit.
"Your quirk is too powerful for you right now, your body can't handle it very well yet, so it's normal that you will get sick." The doctor explained, holding the small kid's shoulders, and forcing her to lay again. "And I know that you tried your best yesterday, because you got a really high fever trying to hold back your quirk."
"My quirk is dangerous…" Eri said, red eyes tearing up.
"No Eri-chan. Your quirk is amazing and beautiful." The greenette smiled, patting the small girl on the head. "I am sure that you are going to help a lot of people with it in the future."
"Do you think so…?"
"I am sure." Izuku proclaimed. "And you have a lot of people who are going to help you! Lemillion, EraserHead and Sir Nighteye, they all wanted to help you, that's why they brought you here, to make sure that you are going to be healthy really soon!"
"...are you going to help me too?" Eri asked, staring at Izuku's green eyes.
"Of course I will." She answered softly, caressing Eri's long gray hair. "So let's rest for now, okay?"
Eri nodded, red eyes slowly closing.
"Doctor Midoriya…" The girl murmured sleepily. "I am sleepy…is that your quirk? Do you make people sleepy?"
Izuku's eyes went wild, surprised by the question. If Eri had asked that a few days ago, Izuku would have flinched, smiled and lied, changing subjects so she didn't have to answer that question. But today's Midoriya Izuku was different.
"No Eri-chan, it's not my quirk." The doctor said truthfully "I actually don't have a quirk."
"Really…?" She was almost sleeping. "Hum…but still…it's nice…I feel really…sleepy…right…now…"
And Izuku smiled when Eri's words faded, giving space for a soft breath instead.
"Thank you, Eri-chan." The doctor whispered, patting her head one last time before leaving the room, and closing the door behind her.
"How is Eri-chan?"
Blond hair, dark blue eyes, a cartoon-like face, tall and muscular, his voice was gentle and loud at the same time, and even if the pro hero was out of his uniform, it was impossible to not recognize him.
"Lemillion-san."Izuku greeted. "It's good to see you."
The man laughed.
"I am not wearing a suit, I'm just Togata Mirio right now, Doctor Midoriya."
"But you still came to the hospital." The woman said with a smile. "I'm glad to see you here as your civilian self and not the hero."
"I really care for Eri-chan, on or off duty." He commented, good natured as always. "How is she?"
"She is fine now." Izuku replied, switching her expression and voice for a more professional one. "Last night her quirk almost got out of control."
"It hadn't happened in a while…" Mirio frowned, clearly worried at the sudden change.
"Years of abuse can't be erased from her memories in a short period of time, so I guess that a nightmare triggered the episode. However once she understood that she wasn't in danger, she tried to hold back her quirk, and it made her get a fever." The doctor continued. "Quirks are still physical abilities, so it took a tool in Eri-chan's body at the moment that it started to get out of control and at the moment that she tried forcefully repress it."
"Does Eraserhead know about this?"
"Yes, he was informed the moment that it happened, but by the time that he got here last night, Eri-chan was already sleeping again."
The blond man sighed.
"It's been 2 months since she came here, we really thought that she would be okay, we should have let Aizawa-san stay with her longer…"
"Togata-san." Izuku called, voice gentle. "No one could predict what happened yesterday, and Eraserhead can't stay beside her twenty-four seven, he has his duties too, also, it's my duty, and the hospital duty to take care of her now, if it ever happens again, we are going to figure things out."
Green eyes turned to look at the door for the small girl's room. A smile formed on her lips.
"And as you can see, Eri-chan is not weak, she didn't lose, not even for herself."
That made the man laugh.
"You're right! Eri-chan is not weak, she never was!"
"Glad that you know." The doctor said amused.
"And we are glad that she is making progress."
Two pairs of eyes turned to look at the end of the hall, where Eraserhead just turned the corner. Wearing his usual black hero uniform, the capture tool around his neck, and black eyes looking tired as always. The oldest man approached Lemillion and Izuku.
"Oh, Aizawa-san!" Mirio waved at the hero.
"I am on duty, kid."
"Good morning, Eraserhead." Izuku bowed respectfully. "Thank you for coming last night."
The man shrugged, but Izuku smiled, because she knew by Aizawa Shota's expression the night before, that yes, he cared for Eri, more than he wanted to let it out.
"How is the kid?" He asked monotonously.
"Exhausted, but she is fine." The green haired woman replied. "Eri-chan just needs some rest and she will make a full recovery in a few days."
Eraserhead nodded, relieved that the small girl was okay, but even after hearing the good news, his expression still had an edge on it.
"What is wrong?" The blond hero was the one to break the silence, trained eyes staring at the hero and U.A teacher. "Did something else happen?"
"No, nothing happened." The dark haired man answered, a frown appearing in his features. "And that's the problem. We still can't find Chisaki Kai."
The doctor looked again at the direction of Eri's room. Two months ago Eraserhead arrived at the hospital together with Lemillion and Sir Nighteye, carrying a really sick and injured little girl. Eri. No surname. Just Eri.
Eri was rescued during an ambush in the Shie Hassaikai headquarters, a yakuza group that three hero agencies - Fatgum, Sir Nighteye and Ryukyu's agencies - were investigating, with the assistance of other heroes like Eraserhead himself. They were responsible for a drug capable of erasing quirks, or so the press divulged, after they got their hands on information of cases of people and even pro heroes having their quirks erased for a few hours.
A lot of villains and members of the yakuza were captured, but the boss, Chisaki Kai disappeared in the middle of the chaos with nothing but a handbag size case. They couldn't give her a lot of information, just what the press had already released about a still open case involving the yakuza.
No one ever told Izuku why the little girl was injured, so she decided to stick with abuse, years of it, and she wasn't wrong judging by the recent cuts, mark of needles and old scars marring Eri's arms and legs. It was definitely abuse, but Izuku knew that that was more to the story…it looked like someone was…experimenting with the kid.
It was disgusting to imagine that there were people out there who would hurt such a small and sweet child like Eri.
"It's been two months since the arrests, I don't think that Chisaki would make a move so soon, not without backup." Mirio stated, a serious expression on his face. "He lost everything, the headquarters, his men…and Eri…"
Izuku side eyed Lemillion, something about that statement was disturbing.
"That's why we need to find him soon." Eraserhead sighed, and that really made the woman worry, because if the always cool Aizawa Shota was starting to get impatient, things were probably bad. "People say that there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded hero, but the other way around it's also true."
Chisaki Kai lost everything. What else was there to lose? Nothing.
"A cornered villain is as dangerous as a wounded hero."
"And what does it have to do with Eri-chan?" Izuku finally interjected, green eyes daring the heroes to lie. "If Chisaki is still out there trying to find a way to get Eri-chan, I have to know! She is my patient, and her safety is also my responsibility and the hospital's."
"I'm sorry Doctor Midoriya, but this is classified information." The blond hero said to the green haired woman who just narrowed her eyes at him. "But you don't have to worry about Eri-chan's safety, there are a lot of pro heroes patrolling this area, Chisaki can't come near. Also, the hospital knows to some extent that they are housing someone that may become a target, that's why the security has been tightened."
True. Izuku saw that some extra security had been hired in the last two months. But still…
"Heroes are still humans, and humans make mistakes." Izuku rebuted stubbornly. "What are you going to do if Chisaki actually comes here?"
"He won't."
"Aren't you the one who said that Chisaki doesn't have anything else to lose, Eraserhead?" She knew that she was being rude now, but Izuku refused to let things go, not when the life of a child was in danger. "Why is Eri-chan still a target for Chisaki? Why would he risk everything to get her?"
Lemillion and Eraserhead looked at each other for a few seconds, before Aizawa sighed and Mirio ran a hand over his hair.
"Are you always this damn stubborn, Midoriya?" The older man asked, looking more tired than when he arrived a few minutes ago.
"I get that a lot."
Mirio laughed.
"We can't tell you classified information," The blond started, which made the doctor glare at him. "but I guess that if you overheard a conversation about it between Eraserhead and I, there's nothing that we can do about it, right? After all, we are still humans."
Izuku blinked a couple times, but as soon as Lemillion's words finally registered in her brain, the doctor couldn't hold an amused smile.
"Sure."
…
It is a lot to digest.
Izuku's thoughts keep drifting to the conversation between Eraserhead and Lemillion, the one that she accidentally eavesdropped on. The press knew just a small part of the story about the Shie Hassaikai's case, all that the public knew was that they were a yakuza group conducting illegal transactions with other villains, selling drugs and weapons, even drugs that can erase a quirk.
They didn't know that the yakuza group new boss, Chisaki Kai, killed the former boss and usurped his place, they didn't know that Chisaki Kai was a genius scientist - judging by all the medical equipment that they found at the headquarters -, they didn't know that Chisaki Kai was conducting experiments with a little girl called Eri, the former boss granddaughter, because her quirk was the key to create a drug capable of erase a quirk temporarily, and they didn't knew that each drug created had the DNA of said child mixed in.
The green haired doctor sighed and slumped on the chair at the women's locker room in the hospital. Katsuki was probably rubbing on her, because, What the fuck? What kind of monster would do it?!
A monster with nothing to lose. She remembers herself. Chisaki was probably waiting for a breach to try and get Eri again.
There was a lot happening at the same time in both, at her work and at her personal life. Ugh! And put a lot in that! Green eyes stared at the bright screen of her smartphone.
December 24.
"Tomorrow." Izuku muttered. Because on the next day, she would get an answer for her own feelings too.
This chapter introduced new characters, and I really hope that they weren't OOC.
Originally this story was an oneshot, but then it turned into a three chapters, and now a little bit longer, because the ideas started to flow...and well, that's the result.
As I said at the start, I don't know when I will be posting the next chapter, but I promise that I will come back soon!
Thank you so much for the favorites and comments so far!
See you soon!