[ He won't regret it because it means that Bakugou is here, alive, in one piece and that was the whole reason he even considered it. That extra durability combined with being able to survive almost anything thrown at him has kept him going, kept All Might going for years. It was the right choice to make sure Bakugou lived to see another day, Midoriya knows that but he also understands why Bakugou would be upset. He's so focused on fairness and what he's earned, what he deserves that getting the one thing that would rocket him to the top of the list with enough time but not earning it probably itches at him like an uncomfortable jacket.
He could, of course, just give it back. Midoriya knows he will eventually and knows that if another incident happened right now they've both be confined to the hospital without being able to argue their way out of it.
For a while, he floats. He's groggy, sore and exhausted and Bakugou's quiet crying dampens his shirt but otherwise they're not talking or fighting so Midoriya waits until he decides to speak again. In Bakugou's hair, his hand keeps stroking through it lazily, working through the tangles and knots gently until finally, he speaks again. ] Alright. I'll work hard to make sure I deserve it again.
[ He doesn't tense, doesn't mistrust Bakugou; if he says he's going to give it back, then he will and Midoriya knew that he wouldn't do any different. ]
When you...did you see anything? Or anyone, I guess, at all?
[When Midoriya is healed, Bakugou will give it back. He's an asshole, but he's lawful? A lawful asshole. When Midoriya has "earned" it, OFA will go back to where it belongs.
If it means Midoriya is healthy and strong; this matters more to Bakugou than what he thinks. On the surface, the vessel for the quirk should be protected. The host should be guarded and supported. But beneath that... it's deeper. Midoriya means a hell of a lot more to him than he wants to admit. Understands him more than he'd like to admit.]
The hell? [His voice is soft, and... wary maybe. Like Midoriya caught him hiding something.] Maybe. [After a long moment, he pulls his head out of Midoriya's neck and lifts it enough to peer down at Midoriya's face.] It was...
...I don't know, like a fucking dream or something. There was some woman. I don't know where the hell I was, but... she was there. It was a dream, though. When I was out.
[ Gently, he cards his fingers through Bakugou's messy bangs and sweeps them back when he leans down to look at him, smiling up at him. There are circles under his eyes and he's very clearly exhausted, but the smile is warm and real, relieved. ]
Yeah it's... I don't know how to describe it, really. It's one thing to know but it's something else to experience it, I guess.
[ Gingerly, he scoots over just a little bit more and then tugs the laughably thin sheet up around both of them, tucking them in as best as he can manage with two large bodies in a bed meant for one. He wants to ask what she said to him if anything, but that's not his business. He gave the quirk to Bakugou and it's up to him if he wants to share. For the time being, it's enough laying like this, watching Bakugou with sleepy-eyed contentment, playing with his hair. ]
[Though he tried not to settle down on top of Midoriya on his bad side, it still hurts to heft himself up and shift, to turn so the covers can be pulled from beneath him and instead put over the top of them.
He should really turn over onto his back, but there's something so warm and comforting about sprawling on Midoriya this way. Something less two Doritos trying to squeeze their broad shoulders in a twin-sized hospital bed.
So he'll stay this way until the pain of his hip forces him to move. Besides, Midoriya is playing with his hair, and he's a sucker.]
You saw that shit too? [Weird. But he... had the strangest respect for the woman. A connection he could feel, one he knew he had to honor. A deeper connection, too, though he hadn't seen anyone else at all.] Ehh...?
I don't know what the fuck you're talking about...
[A red flush creeps up his neck; the tops of his ears get darker, flushed. FUCK. Why did Midoriya have to say this?]
[ Careful, Midoriya mouths as he watches Bakugou settle himself in, hoping that he doesn't hurt himself trying to squeeze in there. He wants to tell him they should redo this, they should try and make sure that they're not hurting Bakugou but he's not about to insult his pride if he seems alright. ]
Yeah. It's... well, you know how it came about. Sometimes I see all the previous holders, and she was the one who trained All Might back then.
[ It's weird to think about the idea that he's going to be in a similar state when he's passed. Is he going to continue living on in that weird ghost...power form for the next users of One For All? Is Bakugou now that he's held the power? Does it mean that they don't really die? Does it mean that there's something after death if they have quirks?
Midoriya makes a little noise because it's way too much to consider and these kinds of weird philosophical questions are too much and it's much easier to grin at Bakugou flushing, tugging playfully at his bangs, stroking his fingers along the line of an eyebrow, tracing back to playfully thumb over a red ear. ]
I liked it. I mean, I--. Maybe not the context. The context kind of sucked, honestly, but I liked...mmm.
[ Now he's a little flustered, sinking further into the bed, cheeks warm. ]
[The shoulder of the ear hikes up gently when Midoriya starts rubbing it. He can tell it's red as shit just by how chilly Midoriya's fingers feel, and the rubbing isn't helping when it sends a soft roll of a shiver down his spine--when it tightens his stomach, it makes him wince very faintly under the fingers on his brow.]
What the hell? I SAID, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE... hell... you're...
[A soft exhale leaves him, and then he swallows. The look on Midoriya's face draws all of the ire right out of him for some reason, a far cry from when the mere glance of Midoriya's freckled and round-eyed head would fuel his rage and envy.]
Cut it the fuck out. I said I... [Midoriya isn't gonna listen to him period. This is a useless battle.] So what if I fucking did, huh? Don't give me that shit...
You were-- [The rolling concerns get wedged in the bottle neck of his filtered throat.] If you would have seen your dumbass face in that hole! You were fucking dead! I called you a hundred times, and you wouldn't open your goddamn eyes! What was I supposed to fucing do!
[ Yeah, okay, probably best not to accidentally rile him up when they're both injured and nothing can happen. Midoriya's hand migrates back to the nape of his neck, squeezing gently, going back to running through his hair in lazy, aimless strokes. ]
You are so loud.
[ He sounds achingly affectionate, though, not angry or condescending. If anything, he's so pleased that he doesn't know what to do with himself, warm down to his bones at such a little thing that means so much to him. Of course, nothing can be easy, because Bakugou continues and his smile fades a little at the edge. ]
I won't let that happen again. [ There's no way to know of course, but he's going to do this best to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again, that he's strong enough to withstand something like that. They had assumed the League wouldn't attack when it was so many of them together but that quirk. The smoke had knocked everyone out, but he doesn't know for how long. He doesn't have his notebook with him, either, but hopefully when everyone comes to visit they'll bring it. ] You were still amazing, Kacchan. You know that right?
[Quickly, he opens his mouth. HE'S NOT FUCKING LOUD, he screams, his voice echoing down the hall. Yeah. Nothing comes out because he knows it'll sound and go just like that.]
Don't promise me bullshit, Deku. [At least he doesn't sound completely offended, more... he understands who Izuku Midoriya really is, understands what kind of fate awaits. He thought that already, back when they were young, didn't he? When he yelled at Midoriya for the same thing.
That the future would scare him to death, snatch Midoriya right out of his hands like the other was made of paper.] I'm not a damn moron.
Just... shut up. [His voice loses the peak, and his head loses the strength. It lowers down until he can tuck it against Midoriya's shoulder from across the chest. He doesn't want to look Midoriya in the eyes and listen to uncertain reassurances.] We wouldn't... have been in that shit to start if I was amazing.
[ He's not smug but it's damn close, barely holding back a smile that threatens to be a smirk. It fades almost instantly, because the subject matter is hard and Midoriya knows that heroing isn't exactly the safest job. Heroes do die, and there's nothing you can do about it sometimes. It's just something that they have to accept, but necessity doesn't mean it's easy. ]
I can promise you I'll do my best.
[ His head lowers back down and Midoriya goes back to carding his fingers through his hair, not unlike petting a large, unruly cat that isn't ever fully certain if it likes the affection. The worst part, he thinks, is that Bakugou's never going to fully understand just how good and talented he is. He can say it until he's blue in the face but it's one thing to hear it and another thing to accept it. ]
Your ass is too far for me to pat, but I'm going to keep telling you how amazing you are until I can't, or until you believe it, so you better get used to it.
[Midoriya is lucky there’s fingers in his hair. A guilty pleasure he only gets with Midoriya. Very, very rarely with Kirishima because he gets embarrassed and disgruntled, and Kirishima does it teasingly not in soft earnest. Midoriya is the one that brings goosebumps out on his skin. Makes him crave more, want to nuzzle his head into the hands.
He hates it.
His breath comes in low, gentle waves which grow longer and deeper the more they lie in the quiet, the longer Midoriya’s fingers are threaded in his wild hair. Lightly, occasionally, he’ll twitch at the arms, the legs. Not gone completely, not when he murmurs, but close. Midoriya’s solid warmth is a tough bed to resist, and it hadn’t helped to get the cover pulled over.]
Don’t matter... what... mm... Dumbass...
[Who is the real dumbass here? Him. Laid out in another tiny hospital bed on top of another man when they’re both beat to hell and back.] Just... get better... idiot. I’ll kill you... [The nurse that comes suddenly in is just loud enough for him to jump softly all over without rousing completely. Honestly, the nurse is stunned and then also embarassed. It looks quite suspect at first.
And then it looks unsafe, and she softly chastises them for not behaving appropriately in their own beds.]
[ He makes a low mhm noise at the running commentary, his eyes sliding shut as he keeps up the idle motion of combing through Bakugou's messy hair, pleased when he seems to relax but then the nurse is here and Midoriya flattens his hand against Bakugou's head, rubbing warm circles against his scalp, talking quietly. He winds up with a photo sent to him via email, terribly pleased with himself because when he gets a new phone that's absolutely going as his background.
The next day passes horrifically slow. Everyone else comes in throughout visiting hours and Midoriya gets hugged approximately fifty times by his crying mother which makes him cry.
Blessedly, the others bring his go bag, stocked with fresh clothes he'll eventually be able to put on but more importantly, a replacement phone, his notebook(s) and after he manages to bribe Todoroki and Uraraka into it the next day they bring him another bag.
Rather than clothes or other supplies, they've snuck in an assortment of takeout and snacks for them to squirrel away while they're stuck there. The bag is set in his lap and they apologetically have to leave to go do other things, but once they're gone and Midoriya's certain the nurses aren't going to come in and bust them, he gingerly makes his way over to Bakugou's bed and sits on the edge, settling the back onto Bakugou's thighs lightly. ]
[Being in a room with Midoriya is the worst (and good for him). It means almost every one of their peers comes in to see them—him included—on top of Midoriya’s mother, on top of his own mother. By the end, even with them spread out over the length of a day or two days, he’s tired and likewise relieved when it’s again only him and Midoriya.
The other gets a grunt, and his eyes lower to the bag propped on his lap. He doesn’t dig through it at first, just skims what he can with his eyes. Dang. Midoriya out here getting the good shit from everyone else.] We’re gonna fucking get in trouble for this shit.
Where d’you plan to even hide this, huh?
[The book in his hand lowers as his eyes lift to Midoriya’s face, peering curiously between Midoriya’s eyes, searching. Finally, he lifts one hand and rummages gently and curiously in the bag to see what all Midoriya has pilfered from the outside world. Wow, they’ll be in so much trouble. Whatever. This makes up for having to be stuck so long in the hospital.]
You realize that technically, you’re discharged right, idiot? You just keep hanging around like my fucking visitor. [Stupid. Not that he actually minds.] They won’t take your damn cast off any faster because you’re here.
[ If there are a few of Bakugou's favorite snacks in there, well, Midoriya's not going to claim any credit for it, because he certainly didn't give them a list of all of Bakugou's favorite snacks. ]
They might confiscate it but it won't be too bad.
[ All the more reason to just eat all of this now, really. Midoriya plucks out a package of kit-kats and tears open one half, snapping it neatly along the lines so that he can offer Bakugou half. His half, he pops into his mouth and takes a bite out of rather than pulling off a piece like a civilized person. ]
Sure, but I like being here with you and you'd probably get pretty bored anyway. [ Bakugou can absolutely keep himself entertained, but Midoriya wants to stay and really, he ought to anyway while he doesn't have full access to One for All. It's not a matter of him needing to be protected, or Bakugou needing it, but with their statuses, they both effectively have targets on their back and Midoriya knows that he's basically a magnet for trouble. ] I'll just put it in my go-bag; the nurses won't go through it. We'll just make sure we wrap the wrappers up in tissues.
[ Someone has perfected the art of sneaking good food into hospitals, almost like he spent a great deal of time injured in them. Hm. ]
Slowly, one of Bakugou's thin brows rise questioningly. Or maybe judgingly. Or maybe suspiciously. All of everything. Red eyes peer at the offered Kit Kat. He isn't a super huge fan of sweets, but whatever. Kit Kats were a show of good luck.
Begrudgingly, he reaches out and takes it, sliding it into his mouth not like a savage, but one piece at a time. He chews the first bite, and then sucks on the rest, lets it sit in his mouth with his cheeks tight and his lips together while he continues to dig through the bag.
HM. Also weird how there's a lot of favorites in here. His eyes sneak a pointed glance at Midoriya for a second. Mhm. He's not stupid (sometimes).
Like a sneaky raccoon, he carefully pulls a small bag of Karamucho out of the bag and deposits it in his lap safely until he can get finished with the Kit Kat. He's already opening it by tugging on each side while the Kit Kat melts on his tongue.]
Hide it in tissue, huh? Sounds like someone's a fucking expert on hiding food in hospitals.
[ He's great at the big-eyed innocent looks, so long as you don't actually know him. Earnest innocence and feigned are two very different things and while it works on people who don't know him, it's also the least convincing thing ever with people who do. While Bakugou digs through the bag, Midoriya finishes off the rest of the candy and balls up the wrapper, returning the look when he gets it like he's daring Bakugou to call him out on it. ]
I'm not in them as often, now, but...
[ One shoulder - his good one, lifts and falls in a lazy shrug as he reaches over into the bag and snags an onigiri, unwrapping it a little clumsily. One thing he doesn't expect is how difficult it is when his hand is wrapped like this; he's been so careful about his arms after everything at UA that it's a little jarring every time he remembers the cast and what it might mean.
There's nothing he can do about that now, though, so for the moment he scoots closer and holds the wrapper against his arm, fighting with it as he talks. ]
Iida said that it was probably pretty telling that I had a list of things they knew to get me in the hospital but everyone is always kind enough to bring them even when I didn't ask. [ Midoriya pauses and gives Bakugou a little smile and sideways glance. ] Full disclosure, he's probably going to bring a melon if he hasn't already.
[Sliding one or two of the hot potato sticks into his mouth, Bakugou purposefully watches Midoriya struggle with the wrapped onigiri for a while. Look, he may secret have a thing for this idiot, but he won't let that stop him from occasionally being an asshole about things.]
We're not at the goddamn beach. [Iida, wtf, don't bring them a damn melON AT THE HOSPITAL.] Stop. [Reaching out, he sweeps his hand in and snatches the onigiri away.] You look like an idiot. [Carefully, easily, he opens the plastic--
--glances up, somewhat mischievous, somewhat knowing, an almost kind of bedroom eyes in a strange way, and then he lifts the onigiri to take a frustratingly off-center bite out of the side of the peak of it. He hands it back to Midoriya with a similarly daring look--say some shit to him, he wants it.]
I'm banning them all from coming back in here. They're a pain in my damn ass.
[But he got these treats from them. And he got some treats from Kirishima, plus a few books and comics to keep him busy with what the new phone and the television won't.]
[ He won't let himself be frustrated with it, but he is, at the same time. Everything takes so much longer one-handed and this cast itches. The healing and the itching is the worst part of all of this. Maybe he can see if they'll hurry the healing up if he agrees to sleep twice as much. Probably not, but he's going to try. ]
No one appreciates how cool thumbs are until you don't have two of them to use.
[ Really, the bite shouldn't surprise him. It's peak Bakugou, but more than that it's this weirdly intimate thing, not being annoyed about the bite, sharing silly food on the hospital bed. He's had moments with others in the hospital, of course. Most heroes are decent with people because you have to be, and Midoriya knows he's pretty good at getting people to talk to him, at being friends, but with Bakugou, always with Bakugou it's different. ]
You know if you tried they probably wouldn't listen anyway. We'd have Uraraka floating people up to the window. [ Their friends are good but also A Lot and know Bakugou well enough to not leave anything alone. Midoriya eats the rest of the snack without minding that Bakugou's taken a bite out of it. The next one he tosses into Bakugou's lap, expectantly, but he looks away a moment later. There's something he's been considering, sitting on, but hasn't quite known how to ask. He fully expects Bakugou to say no, and knows that it might be a little unfair to ask this but, well. All in. ] Kacchan, before you give it back to me, I wanted to know if we could...try a few things with it.
[The only good thing about the cast is the fact everyone else signed it, and as much as Midoriya complains, Bakugou is well aware and waiting for when Midoriya bawls over it being broken during removal. Idiot.
He watches the other eat the onigiri he bit out of quietly, lacking the fuel of Midoriya making a fuss over it, a reason to get him to keep being mean. He’s ran out of a lot of that in recent years: bullying fuel, even from the person adjacent to him. No one takes his bullshit with fear anymore; no one takes it at all, and so he’s left slowly growing softer and better for it. Learning there’s no path down the route of abuse, only a dead end. They’re literally killing his old self with kindness.
When the onigiri is chunked at him, he catches it in his palm before it can land in his lap and smash the potato sticks. But maybe he doesn’t want this one. Just Midoriya’s. So he does the same thing: opens it up and takes a bite out of the side of the peak, and then he hands it across to Midoriya.]
The hell is on your mind, nerd? Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t your fucking experiment?
[The circumstances had been, uh... really different, but whatever. The look he’s giving says Midoriya is going to have to keep talking, going to have to convince him. Explain.]
Edited (wait i forgot to respond to the onigiri fuck) Date: 2018-11-22 02:06 pm (UTC)
[ They won't let him frame it, which is bullshit (but also fair because the point was made that until he stops breaking bones or needing casts on a couple times a year basis he can't frame every one.) Instead he diligently takes photos of the doodles and sets the most recent ones as class A's contact photos if they're particularly good.
The onigiri is passed back to him with another bite out of it; Midoirya doesn't look surprised and it's unclear if he wanted that to happen or not. Either way he's demolishing it in two quick bites, finally a little less hungry. ]
You're not so that's why you can tell me no. [ It's important that Bakugou knows that because there's a difference between the sort of quirk measurement tests they went through their first year with Aizawa and the kind of information Midoriya wants. It also depends on how quickly he heals, and if the other villains out there decide not to cause too much trouble before Midoriya himself heals. ] The way, um, it works, means it's stockpiling ability, power, and then transferring it if the owner wants it to. But I was thinking about it, and the way that it worked... well, if those two combined and became it I don't think it's ever been combined with a quirk like yours before. So I'm curious if it's going to enhance your strength, or your explosions, or both.
[Gently, his face bunches around he lips and the brows. He seems to be debating, but somewhat skeptical about fucking around with One For All. Mostly since he doesn’t know shit all about it aside from what has been explained to him by All Might and Midoriya. Messing with such a powerful, particular, and maybe fragile power feels... dangerous.
And Bakugou likes danger, but fair danger. Knowable danger. Danger while following the rules.
His eyes lift from the bag of snacks to watch Midoriya finish the onigiri.] So you’re saying it could’ve made me fucking stronger or something. [It’s not a question. His eyes flicker across Midoriya’s face, and then he suddenly reaches out to swipe his thumb over the edge of Midoriya’s lip, knocking away a grain of sticky rice.]
I don’t think it’s some great idea to fuck around with this kinda thing. But... if you wanna find out of some shit... fine. I guess a little won’t hurt nothing. But the point is for you to get fucking better so I can shove it back in you or whatever. All Might chose your dumbass, not me, so it’s your responsibility. We can’t wait around forever with it split.
[ It seems...feasible. They won't know for sure, though. There's also the risk that if it does make Bakugou stronger, it might risk damaging him. He hadn't considered that until this very moment and now he's weighing if it's actually worth it or if Bakugou's quirk will protect him with the enhanced durability along with the fact that he's had a quirk long enough and knows how to use it. Maybe they ought to start small. ]
I mean...there's a chance. There's no way to really know until we test it.
[ A hand is suddenly coming for his face and rather than flinching, Midoriya dares to curl fingers around his wrist and press a kiss to his palm, shameless, before letting it drop and acting like nothing happened. Warm cheeks give him away, even if he'll never admit it.]
Hey, I'm almost perfectly fine at this point. The cast is gonna come off and I'll probably have to do some physical therapy, or, well, more but that's expected. Besides, if something happens, I can still act, I just won't be entirely...myself, I guess?
[ His hand slides over Bakugou's knee, settling warm and heavy there, not reaching for any of the snacks. ]
You need to get discharged from the hospital, first, you know.
[Wow, stop trying to make him embarassed in the hospital! And, like, maybe turned on a little. The worst possible place. The hand on his knee doesn’t help, heavy and warm and scarred at the edge of the wrist down, but he doesn’t brush it off at all.]
I’m fine, idiot. I’ll probably be released tomorrow or something. They’re just keeping me fucking here because they think I’m gonna tear the stitches.
[He would.
For a bit, he won’t look Midoriya in the face, not with the hand on his knee. His eyes flicker over the Karamucho bag, the bigger one with the rest of the goods inside. Like Midoriya, his face may be a little red at the edges.] Might as well see what the fuck it can do before it goes back. Besides, you’re only getting this shit when you aren’t some half dried up loser with a worthless arm. Legs don’t mean shit.
[Finally, his gaze lifts to Midoriya again.] Better hide this before the nurses come back for their rounds. I’ll be pissed if it gets confiscated. [He’s trying to find something to bitch about so he doesn’t have to say something sappy.]
[ There will be no tearing of stitches for any reason, but especially not because he got Bakugou too riled up by knee-touching, thanks. ]
...That's not exactly an unrealistic worry here.
[ It's a very valid concern and Midoriya fully intends to make certain that Bakugou doesn't do anything stupid like tear his stitches, which means he's grabbing the bag and obediently wrapping it up. It's placed underneath his pillow on his bed for the time being and the wrappers are hidden away a moment later. Outside of the bag of Karamucho there's no evidence. It's a little bit clumsy with only one good arm but he manages and as soon as it's done he's back on Bakugou's cot, hand back on his knee again. ]
Well, if they do let you go home tomorrow, you're still going to have to take it at least a little easy, right? Or are they going to take the stitches out too?
[Uh, WOW? He looks irritably incredulous about the almost accusation.] Oi! I won't bust the fuckin' stitches! [Midoriya is so lucky--fleeing to hide the bag, and he's suddenly lacking the person to throw a tantrum at.
So he grumbles and shifts a bit on the bed, taking the bag of potato sticks from his lap and instead putting it beside his thigh on one side--the side away from the door so it's hidden.]
I'm gonna do what the hell I wanna.
No. [He sounds a little like a petulant child answering questions, mumbling.] They said they dissolve on their own. I just can't rip them before that happens. They sped up the healing, but it'll still need a half a week or whatever to heal completely.
It doesn't even hurt as much as my fucking ass hurts from the booster shot they had to give me for tetanus.
[ Midoriya shifts so that his body acts as some sort of guard between the door and Bakugou's snacks, the same way he does when they're sleeping in the same bed together. It's not the snacks that need protecting, of course, but it's a simple thing that makes him feel better usually. ]
So nothing too strenuous, then. [ Midoriya's brow furrows and he nods like he's considering it, but a moment later the stupid smile on his face undoes any of that seriousness. ] I'd offer to kiss it better but that probably falls under strenuous activity, huh?
[ And before Bakugou can take a swipe at him he's moving out of the way, heading for his bag to tug a zippered hoodie on. It looks as stupid as it probably sounds; he's still got an arm in a cast, but the wrist portion has been cut off so it's about as easy to do possible with one functional arm, and it keeps him warm. ]
In all seriousness, then, we'll want to wait on testing anything out until we get the all clear here. The results wouldn't be entirely accurate anyway, right?
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 06:04 pm (UTC)He could, of course, just give it back. Midoriya knows he will eventually and knows that if another incident happened right now they've both be confined to the hospital without being able to argue their way out of it.
For a while, he floats. He's groggy, sore and exhausted and Bakugou's quiet crying dampens his shirt but otherwise they're not talking or fighting so Midoriya waits until he decides to speak again. In Bakugou's hair, his hand keeps stroking through it lazily, working through the tangles and knots gently until finally, he speaks again. ] Alright. I'll work hard to make sure I deserve it again.
[ He doesn't tense, doesn't mistrust Bakugou; if he says he's going to give it back, then he will and Midoriya knew that he wouldn't do any different. ]
When you...did you see anything? Or anyone, I guess, at all?
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 07:26 pm (UTC)If it means Midoriya is healthy and strong; this matters more to Bakugou than what he thinks. On the surface, the vessel for the quirk should be protected. The host should be guarded and supported. But beneath that... it's deeper. Midoriya means a hell of a lot more to him than he wants to admit. Understands him more than he'd like to admit.]
The hell? [His voice is soft, and... wary maybe. Like Midoriya caught him hiding something.] Maybe. [After a long moment, he pulls his head out of Midoriya's neck and lifts it enough to peer down at Midoriya's face.] It was...
...I don't know, like a fucking dream or something. There was some woman. I don't know where the hell I was, but... she was there. It was a dream, though. When I was out.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 07:48 pm (UTC)Yeah it's... I don't know how to describe it, really. It's one thing to know but it's something else to experience it, I guess.
[ Gingerly, he scoots over just a little bit more and then tugs the laughably thin sheet up around both of them, tucking them in as best as he can manage with two large bodies in a bed meant for one. He wants to ask what she said to him if anything, but that's not his business. He gave the quirk to Bakugou and it's up to him if he wants to share. For the time being, it's enough laying like this, watching Bakugou with sleepy-eyed contentment, playing with his hair. ]
You called me Izuku earlier, you know.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 08:59 pm (UTC)He should really turn over onto his back, but there's something so warm and comforting about sprawling on Midoriya this way. Something less two Doritos trying to squeeze their broad shoulders in a twin-sized hospital bed.
So he'll stay this way until the pain of his hip forces him to move. Besides, Midoriya is playing with his hair, and he's a sucker.]
You saw that shit too? [Weird. But he... had the strangest respect for the woman. A connection he could feel, one he knew he had to honor. A deeper connection, too, though he hadn't seen anyone else at all.] Ehh...?
I don't know what the fuck you're talking about...
[A red flush creeps up his neck; the tops of his ears get darker, flushed. FUCK. Why did Midoriya have to say this?]
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 09:17 pm (UTC)Yeah. It's... well, you know how it came about. Sometimes I see all the previous holders, and she was the one who trained All Might back then.
[ It's weird to think about the idea that he's going to be in a similar state when he's passed. Is he going to continue living on in that weird ghost...power form for the next users of One For All? Is Bakugou now that he's held the power? Does it mean that they don't really die? Does it mean that there's something after death if they have quirks?
Midoriya makes a little noise because it's way too much to consider and these kinds of weird philosophical questions are too much and it's much easier to grin at Bakugou flushing, tugging playfully at his bangs, stroking his fingers along the line of an eyebrow, tracing back to playfully thumb over a red ear. ]
I liked it. I mean, I--. Maybe not the context. The context kind of sucked, honestly, but I liked...mmm.
[ Now he's a little flustered, sinking further into the bed, cheeks warm. ]
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Date: 2018-11-21 09:29 pm (UTC)What the hell? I SAID, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE... hell... you're...
[A soft exhale leaves him, and then he swallows. The look on Midoriya's face draws all of the ire right out of him for some reason, a far cry from when the mere glance of Midoriya's freckled and round-eyed head would fuel his rage and envy.]
Cut it the fuck out. I said I... [Midoriya isn't gonna listen to him period. This is a useless battle.] So what if I fucking did, huh? Don't give me that shit...
You were-- [The rolling concerns get wedged in the bottle neck of his filtered throat.] If you would have seen your dumbass face in that hole! You were fucking dead! I called you a hundred times, and you wouldn't open your goddamn eyes! What was I supposed to fucing do!
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Date: 2018-11-21 09:42 pm (UTC)You are so loud.
[ He sounds achingly affectionate, though, not angry or condescending. If anything, he's so pleased that he doesn't know what to do with himself, warm down to his bones at such a little thing that means so much to him. Of course, nothing can be easy, because Bakugou continues and his smile fades a little at the edge. ]
I won't let that happen again. [ There's no way to know of course, but he's going to do this best to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again, that he's strong enough to withstand something like that. They had assumed the League wouldn't attack when it was so many of them together but that quirk. The smoke had knocked everyone out, but he doesn't know for how long. He doesn't have his notebook with him, either, but hopefully when everyone comes to visit they'll bring it. ] You were still amazing, Kacchan. You know that right?
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Date: 2018-11-21 09:49 pm (UTC)Don't promise me bullshit, Deku. [At least he doesn't sound completely offended, more... he understands who Izuku Midoriya really is, understands what kind of fate awaits. He thought that already, back when they were young, didn't he? When he yelled at Midoriya for the same thing.
That the future would scare him to death, snatch Midoriya right out of his hands like the other was made of paper.] I'm not a damn moron.
Just... shut up. [His voice loses the peak, and his head loses the strength. It lowers down until he can tuck it against Midoriya's shoulder from across the chest. He doesn't want to look Midoriya in the eyes and listen to uncertain reassurances.] We wouldn't... have been in that shit to start if I was amazing.
Stop patting my fucking ass.
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Date: 2018-11-21 10:16 pm (UTC)I can promise you I'll do my best.
[ His head lowers back down and Midoriya goes back to carding his fingers through his hair, not unlike petting a large, unruly cat that isn't ever fully certain if it likes the affection. The worst part, he thinks, is that Bakugou's never going to fully understand just how good and talented he is. He can say it until he's blue in the face but it's one thing to hear it and another thing to accept it. ]
Your ass is too far for me to pat, but I'm going to keep telling you how amazing you are until I can't, or until you believe it, so you better get used to it.
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Date: 2018-11-21 11:00 pm (UTC)[Midoriya is lucky there’s fingers in his hair. A guilty pleasure he only gets with Midoriya. Very, very rarely with Kirishima because he gets embarrassed and disgruntled, and Kirishima does it teasingly not in soft earnest. Midoriya is the one that brings goosebumps out on his skin. Makes him crave more, want to nuzzle his head into the hands.
He hates it.
His breath comes in low, gentle waves which grow longer and deeper the more they lie in the quiet, the longer Midoriya’s fingers are threaded in his wild hair. Lightly, occasionally, he’ll twitch at the arms, the legs. Not gone completely, not when he murmurs, but close. Midoriya’s solid warmth is a tough bed to resist, and it hadn’t helped to get the cover pulled over.]
Don’t matter... what... mm... Dumbass...
[Who is the real dumbass here? Him. Laid out in another tiny hospital bed on top of another man when they’re both beat to hell and back.] Just... get better... idiot. I’ll kill you... [The nurse that comes suddenly in is just loud enough for him to jump softly all over without rousing completely. Honestly, the nurse is stunned and then also embarassed. It looks quite suspect at first.
And then it looks unsafe, and she softly chastises them for not behaving appropriately in their own beds.]
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Date: 2018-11-21 11:19 pm (UTC)The next day passes horrifically slow. Everyone else comes in throughout visiting hours and Midoriya gets hugged approximately fifty times by his crying mother which makes him cry.
Blessedly, the others bring his go bag, stocked with fresh clothes he'll eventually be able to put on but more importantly, a replacement phone, his notebook(s) and after he manages to bribe Todoroki and Uraraka into it the next day they bring him another bag.
Rather than clothes or other supplies, they've snuck in an assortment of takeout and snacks for them to squirrel away while they're stuck there. The bag is set in his lap and they apologetically have to leave to go do other things, but once they're gone and Midoriya's certain the nurses aren't going to come in and bust them, he gingerly makes his way over to Bakugou's bed and sits on the edge, settling the back onto Bakugou's thighs lightly. ]
Better than hospital food, yeah?
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Date: 2018-11-22 01:58 am (UTC)The other gets a grunt, and his eyes lower to the bag propped on his lap. He doesn’t dig through it at first, just skims what he can with his eyes. Dang. Midoriya out here getting the good shit from everyone else.] We’re gonna fucking get in trouble for this shit.
Where d’you plan to even hide this, huh?
[The book in his hand lowers as his eyes lift to Midoriya’s face, peering curiously between Midoriya’s eyes, searching. Finally, he lifts one hand and rummages gently and curiously in the bag to see what all Midoriya has pilfered from the outside world. Wow, they’ll be in so much trouble. Whatever. This makes up for having to be stuck so long in the hospital.]
You realize that technically, you’re discharged right, idiot? You just keep hanging around like my fucking visitor. [Stupid. Not that he actually minds.] They won’t take your damn cast off any faster because you’re here.
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Date: 2018-11-22 02:04 am (UTC)They might confiscate it but it won't be too bad.
[ All the more reason to just eat all of this now, really. Midoriya plucks out a package of kit-kats and tears open one half, snapping it neatly along the lines so that he can offer Bakugou half. His half, he pops into his mouth and takes a bite out of rather than pulling off a piece like a civilized person. ]
Sure, but I like being here with you and you'd probably get pretty bored anyway. [ Bakugou can absolutely keep himself entertained, but Midoriya wants to stay and really, he ought to anyway while he doesn't have full access to One for All. It's not a matter of him needing to be protected, or Bakugou needing it, but with their statuses, they both effectively have targets on their back and Midoriya knows that he's basically a magnet for trouble. ] I'll just put it in my go-bag; the nurses won't go through it. We'll just make sure we wrap the wrappers up in tissues.
[ Someone has perfected the art of sneaking good food into hospitals, almost like he spent a great deal of time injured in them. Hm. ]
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Date: 2018-11-22 05:17 am (UTC)[Wow, weird how that's a thing.
Slowly, one of Bakugou's thin brows rise questioningly. Or maybe judgingly. Or maybe suspiciously. All of everything. Red eyes peer at the offered Kit Kat. He isn't a super huge fan of sweets, but whatever. Kit Kats were a show of good luck.
Begrudgingly, he reaches out and takes it, sliding it into his mouth not like a savage, but one piece at a time. He chews the first bite, and then sucks on the rest, lets it sit in his mouth with his cheeks tight and his lips together while he continues to dig through the bag.
HM. Also weird how there's a lot of favorites in here. His eyes sneak a pointed glance at Midoriya for a second. Mhm. He's not stupid (sometimes).
Like a sneaky raccoon, he carefully pulls a small bag of Karamucho out of the bag and deposits it in his lap safely until he can get finished with the Kit Kat. He's already opening it by tugging on each side while the Kit Kat melts on his tongue.]
Hide it in tissue, huh? Sounds like someone's a fucking expert on hiding food in hospitals.
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Date: 2018-11-22 05:32 am (UTC)I'm not in them as often, now, but...
[ One shoulder - his good one, lifts and falls in a lazy shrug as he reaches over into the bag and snags an onigiri, unwrapping it a little clumsily. One thing he doesn't expect is how difficult it is when his hand is wrapped like this; he's been so careful about his arms after everything at UA that it's a little jarring every time he remembers the cast and what it might mean.
There's nothing he can do about that now, though, so for the moment he scoots closer and holds the wrapper against his arm, fighting with it as he talks. ]
Iida said that it was probably pretty telling that I had a list of things they knew to get me in the hospital but everyone is always kind enough to bring them even when I didn't ask. [ Midoriya pauses and gives Bakugou a little smile and sideways glance. ] Full disclosure, he's probably going to bring a melon if he hasn't already.
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Date: 2018-11-22 05:44 am (UTC)We're not at the goddamn beach. [Iida, wtf, don't bring them a damn melON AT THE HOSPITAL.] Stop. [Reaching out, he sweeps his hand in and snatches the onigiri away.] You look like an idiot. [Carefully, easily, he opens the plastic--
--glances up, somewhat mischievous, somewhat knowing, an almost kind of bedroom eyes in a strange way, and then he lifts the onigiri to take a frustratingly off-center bite out of the side of the peak of it. He hands it back to Midoriya with a similarly daring look--say some shit to him, he wants it.]
I'm banning them all from coming back in here. They're a pain in my damn ass.
[But he got these treats from them. And he got some treats from Kirishima, plus a few books and comics to keep him busy with what the new phone and the television won't.]
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Date: 2018-11-22 05:51 am (UTC)No one appreciates how cool thumbs are until you don't have two of them to use.
[ Really, the bite shouldn't surprise him. It's peak Bakugou, but more than that it's this weirdly intimate thing, not being annoyed about the bite, sharing silly food on the hospital bed. He's had moments with others in the hospital, of course. Most heroes are decent with people because you have to be, and Midoriya knows he's pretty good at getting people to talk to him, at being friends, but with Bakugou, always with Bakugou it's different. ]
You know if you tried they probably wouldn't listen anyway. We'd have Uraraka floating people up to the window. [ Their friends are good but also A Lot and know Bakugou well enough to not leave anything alone. Midoriya eats the rest of the snack without minding that Bakugou's taken a bite out of it. The next one he tosses into Bakugou's lap, expectantly, but he looks away a moment later. There's something he's been considering, sitting on, but hasn't quite known how to ask. He fully expects Bakugou to say no, and knows that it might be a little unfair to ask this but, well. All in. ] Kacchan, before you give it back to me, I wanted to know if we could...try a few things with it.
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Date: 2018-11-22 02:04 pm (UTC)He watches the other eat the onigiri he bit out of quietly, lacking the fuel of Midoriya making a fuss over it, a reason to get him to keep being mean. He’s ran out of a lot of that in recent years: bullying fuel, even from the person adjacent to him. No one takes his bullshit with fear anymore; no one takes it at all, and so he’s left slowly growing softer and better for it. Learning there’s no path down the route of abuse, only a dead end. They’re literally killing his old self with kindness.
When the onigiri is chunked at him, he catches it in his palm before it can land in his lap and smash the potato sticks. But maybe he doesn’t want this one. Just Midoriya’s. So he does the same thing: opens it up and takes a bite out of the side of the peak, and then he hands it across to Midoriya.]
The hell is on your mind, nerd? Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t your fucking experiment?
[The circumstances had been, uh... really different, but whatever. The look he’s giving says Midoriya is going to have to keep talking, going to have to convince him. Explain.]
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Date: 2018-11-22 06:21 pm (UTC)The onigiri is passed back to him with another bite out of it; Midoirya doesn't look surprised and it's unclear if he wanted that to happen or not. Either way he's demolishing it in two quick bites, finally a little less hungry. ]
You're not so that's why you can tell me no. [ It's important that Bakugou knows that because there's a difference between the sort of quirk measurement tests they went through their first year with Aizawa and the kind of information Midoriya wants. It also depends on how quickly he heals, and if the other villains out there decide not to cause too much trouble before Midoriya himself heals. ] The way, um, it works, means it's stockpiling ability, power, and then transferring it if the owner wants it to. But I was thinking about it, and the way that it worked... well, if those two combined and became it I don't think it's ever been combined with a quirk like yours before. So I'm curious if it's going to enhance your strength, or your explosions, or both.
[ maybe it just makes bakugou extra sweaty ]
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Date: 2018-11-22 07:13 pm (UTC)And Bakugou likes danger, but fair danger. Knowable danger. Danger while following the rules.
His eyes lift from the bag of snacks to watch Midoriya finish the onigiri.] So you’re saying it could’ve made me fucking stronger or something. [It’s not a question. His eyes flicker across Midoriya’s face, and then he suddenly reaches out to swipe his thumb over the edge of Midoriya’s lip, knocking away a grain of sticky rice.]
I don’t think it’s some great idea to fuck around with this kinda thing. But... if you wanna find out of some shit... fine. I guess a little won’t hurt nothing. But the point is for you to get fucking better so I can shove it back in you or whatever. All Might chose your dumbass, not me, so it’s your responsibility. We can’t wait around forever with it split.
Otherwise, you’re useless.
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Date: 2018-11-22 07:31 pm (UTC)I mean...there's a chance. There's no way to really know until we test it.
[ A hand is suddenly coming for his face and rather than flinching, Midoriya dares to curl fingers around his wrist and press a kiss to his palm, shameless, before letting it drop and acting like nothing happened. Warm cheeks give him away, even if he'll never admit it.]
Hey, I'm almost perfectly fine at this point. The cast is gonna come off and I'll probably have to do some physical therapy, or, well, more but that's expected. Besides, if something happens, I can still act, I just won't be entirely...myself, I guess?
[ His hand slides over Bakugou's knee, settling warm and heavy there, not reaching for any of the snacks. ]
You need to get discharged from the hospital, first, you know.
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Date: 2018-11-22 08:48 pm (UTC)I’m fine, idiot. I’ll probably be released tomorrow or something. They’re just keeping me fucking here because they think I’m gonna tear the stitches.
[He would.
For a bit, he won’t look Midoriya in the face, not with the hand on his knee. His eyes flicker over the Karamucho bag, the bigger one with the rest of the goods inside. Like Midoriya, his face may be a little red at the edges.] Might as well see what the fuck it can do before it goes back. Besides, you’re only getting this shit when you aren’t some half dried up loser with a worthless arm. Legs don’t mean shit.
[Finally, his gaze lifts to Midoriya again.] Better hide this before the nurses come back for their rounds. I’ll be pissed if it gets confiscated. [He’s trying to find something to bitch about so he doesn’t have to say something sappy.]
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Date: 2018-11-23 12:08 am (UTC)...That's not exactly an unrealistic worry here.
[ It's a very valid concern and Midoriya fully intends to make certain that Bakugou doesn't do anything stupid like tear his stitches, which means he's grabbing the bag and obediently wrapping it up. It's placed underneath his pillow on his bed for the time being and the wrappers are hidden away a moment later. Outside of the bag of Karamucho there's no evidence. It's a little bit clumsy with only one good arm but he manages and as soon as it's done he's back on Bakugou's cot, hand back on his knee again. ]
Well, if they do let you go home tomorrow, you're still going to have to take it at least a little easy, right? Or are they going to take the stitches out too?
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Date: 2018-11-23 03:15 am (UTC)So he grumbles and shifts a bit on the bed, taking the bag of potato sticks from his lap and instead putting it beside his thigh on one side--the side away from the door so it's hidden.]
I'm gonna do what the hell I wanna.
No. [He sounds a little like a petulant child answering questions, mumbling.] They said they dissolve on their own. I just can't rip them before that happens. They sped up the healing, but it'll still need a half a week or whatever to heal completely.
It doesn't even hurt as much as my fucking ass hurts from the booster shot they had to give me for tetanus.
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Date: 2018-11-23 03:22 am (UTC)So nothing too strenuous, then. [ Midoriya's brow furrows and he nods like he's considering it, but a moment later the stupid smile on his face undoes any of that seriousness. ] I'd offer to kiss it better but that probably falls under strenuous activity, huh?
[ And before Bakugou can take a swipe at him he's moving out of the way, heading for his bag to tug a zippered hoodie on. It looks as stupid as it probably sounds; he's still got an arm in a cast, but the wrist portion has been cut off so it's about as easy to do possible with one functional arm, and it keeps him warm. ]
In all seriousness, then, we'll want to wait on testing anything out until we get the all clear here. The results wouldn't be entirely accurate anyway, right?
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