Chapter Thirty: Bittersweet
The hospital room was silent, save the beeping of the heart monitor and Izuku's slow, steady breathing through the oxygen mask. Momo rubbed her eyes drowsily, fighting off sleep as she gently ran her fingers through Ochako and Eri's hair.
They were sitting on the floor against the wall, Ochako's head slumped against Momo's shoulder as she slept. Eri was curled up in Momo's lap and her weight was cutting the circulation off in the teenager's right leg, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Even though she was asleep, her face was exhausted and pale, and there were still dried tear trails along her cheeks.
A blanket had been draped over them at some point, but Momo couldn't remember when. She was pretty sure one of the nurses had given it to them when they got here.
That same nurse was in a chair beside Izuku, carefully monitoring his vitals for any anomalies. He'd been through nine hours of surgery to repair the internal damage he'd suffered, and he was due for another one in about twelve hours so Recovery Girl could accelerate the healing process and address any minor wounds they'd left stitched by Jeanist's fibers.
Jeanist had been his saving grace. Momo had had no idea the number four hero was so talented in emergency medical treatment, but the doctor's had more or less told them that Izuku would've died halfway to the hospital if Jeanist hadn't been there.
In another chair beside the nurse, Inko watched her son rest. She'd arrived as quickly as she could, bringing with her Eri and Katsuki's parents. The older woman had been beside herself with worry for her child, and Eri had been no better. Neither of them had dared to leave the waiting room until Izuku's surgery was finished.
Although there was sunlight gleaming through the thin shafts of the blinds over the window, Momo had never felt so tired. She hadn't slept a wink all night, too overwhelmed by everything that had happened. She'd spent the entire night running back and forth from Katsuki's surgery to Izuku's, trying to keep up with everything and fill in her friends amidst the chaos following the Kamino Ward incident.
Honestly, Momo wasn't even sure how the incident had ended. She'd had to focus on her friends just to keep herself going as time dragged on and she grew more and more exhausted.
Ochako made a small sound in her sleep and Momo hushed her softly, stroking the other girl's hair again. Once Katsuki's surgery had ended and Momo knew he would be okay, she went back to Ochako, took the girl to a quiet stairwell in the hospital, and just let her cry. They'd remained there until Shoto texted her and informed them that Izuku's surgery had concluded and that, for now, he was in the clear.
Ochako had cried even more after hearing the good news, sobbing out of sheer relief. Momo had cried, too. They both needed to just…get it all out of their systems.
They were allowed to see Izuku an hour later, although the boy was still unconscious and under observation. The doctors didn't want a lot of people inside and had restricted it to family and friends. Inko had given Ochako, Momo, Tenya, and Shoto permission to come and go as they pleased. Katsuki's parents had been informed they could visit as well, but they'd spent all their time with their own son. Not that anyone would blame them.
Momo didn't know where Tenya was, but she recalled that he'd intended to inform the rest of their class via a group message about what had happened to Izuku and Katsuki. She had no idea where Shoto had gotten off to either- he'd been missing for a few hours now.
As her thoughts trailed to the dual-element teenager, the door opened quietly and he peeked inside. Inko glanced at him, but didn't say anything except offer a brief smile. Shoto nodded to her and then looked at Momo and the two sleeping girls practically piled on top of her.
"How is he?" Shoto asked, his voice little more than a murmur.
Momo managed a tired smile. "He's holding on. Where'd you go?"
Shoto walked over to sit on Momo's other side and let out a sigh, his head falling back against the wall. "Went to go see my dad."
His dad. That was right, Endeavor…he'd been blown away by Viper during the battle…Momo had forgotten about that.
"How's he doing?" She asked.
"He'll live," Shoto answered lowly. "He's in worse shape than I've ever seen him, but he'll recover, or so they say. He'll be out of commission for a while, though."
"I see. Tenya?"
"Still messaging everyone. He was in the cafeteria for a while, but he told me he was going to head home soon to sleep. His folks were pretty worried, I think."
Momo hadn't even thought about her parents, and it sent a pang of guilt through her. Shoto caught the dreary expression on her face and reached up to squeeze her shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up for it, Momo. We're all just trying to process everything."
She inclined her head, too tired to argue. "Did you check on Katsuki? I haven't been by to see him in…Actually, I don't know how long I've been here…"
"He's sleeping. Recovery Girl was there last I checked, though. Said his arm would make it, though he's gonna need rehab to regain full use."
Momo felt relief wash over her and though her eyes started stinging, she was too tired to cry. "That's good…Where'd you go earlier?"
"You already asked me that. Are you getting delirious?" Shoto snorted, squeezing her shoulder one more time. "Go to sleep. You haven't gotten to rest at all since the incident. I'll wake you up if anything happens."
She nodded blearily, too exhausted to argue as she stopped fighting her heavy eyelids. As soon as they closed, Momo passed out and her head fell against Ochako's with a soft breath.
Shoto looked at the blanket covering the three girls and then glanced at the nurse in the chair by Izuku's bed. "Excuse me? Are there more of these blankets?"
The nurse nodded and stood up. "Yes, I'll go get you one. You just stay there, sweetie- you kids have had a rough time."
She hurried out of the room and Shoto looked up at Izuku's figure on the hospital bed, watching him in silence. There was so much to process. In addition to his classmates being so badly wounded, Shoto had caught bits and pieces of what had happened at the end of the battle between All Might and that monster of a villain. All he knew was that All Might had won, but…even then, he'd gathered that society was in a state of chaos following the incident.
All Might…
Toshinori Yagi held up his hand and clenched it into a fist, ignoring the dull pain it caused him. Although he was bandaged up and still sitting in a hospital bed, exhausted and banged up worse than he'd been in a while, he couldn't bring himself to sleep.
His final clash with All for One had brought with it too many revelations to sleep, and the news that Izuku had been so terribly hurt made it worse.
"Tomura Shigaraki is Nana Shimura's grandchild."
"I created All Flare and Hisashi, and thus Izuku is a child of mine, as well."
"Toshi," Inko wailed as he arrived at the hospital. "It's Izuku!"
Gran Torino and Detective Tsukauchi were sitting in chairs at his bedside, both of them silent as they processed what Toshinori had told them.
Toshinori unclenched his hand and ran it through his blonde hair in an attempt to rub the exhaustion out. "The last embers of One for All have gone out inside of me. The Symbol of Peace is dead. But even so…there's still so much I have to do."
Torino leaned on his cane and sighed. "Tomura Shigaraki is Nana's grandchild, huh…Yeah, that does sound like something All for One would do…"
Tsukauchi glanced at him. "That's just what he claimed, right? He didn't have any basis behind it. Did either of you interact with the previous generation's family?"
Torino shook his head. "Nana's husband was killed. She wanted to distance her child from the dangers of the world of heroes and gave him up to a foster family. She made Toshinori and I promise that under no circumstances did she want us to come into contact with her son, even if the worst were to happen to her."
"And by making that promise, this happens," Tsukauchi pinched his brow. "All for One really made an effort to hit us where it hurts…"
"My master just wanted to give her child a life of peace by giving him up," Toshinori muttered, his head falling forward. "I…I have to find Tomura and tell him the truth. If I do, then he-"
"No," Torino interrupted him sternly. "What would you do if you found him? You aren't capable of seeing him as a villain anymore- you would be at a loss. No matter what his bloodline may be, he's a villain, Toshinori. You of all people should know well that an individual's blood doesn't matter."
Tsukauchi nodded. "Tomura might have become a villain, but you still have Izuku. Regardless of his bloodline, the entire world saw him fighting Heat Viper last night. Even the people who questioned his place in U.A are now facing the indisputable truth that he's got every intention of becoming a hero."
"You leave the investigation of Tomura and the League of Villains to Tsukauchi and I," Torino requested. "You must remain at U.A and continue to guide Izuku and the others. Even if you can no longer be the Symbol of Peace, All Might is still alive."
Toshinori's shoulders sagged. "I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to face them after this. Inko trusted me to save Izuku and I…"
"You can't blame yourself for that," Torino said gruffly. "You drew All for One away and defeated him. If you hadn't, Izuku would have had no chance to escape the League. He'd still be in their clutches."
"I checked in with the doctor in charge of him a few hours ago," Tsukauchi added. "Thanks to Best Jeanist's emergency treatment, they were able to get him to the hospital fast enough to keep him from suffering any permanent organ damage. He needed a blood transfusion and will need a few more surgeries, but he'll make it out of this. He'll be getting into trouble again before you know it."
I know, Toshinori thought to himself, clenching his jaw to fight off the distress inside of him. I know all of that, but…
"I won't let you kill him! All Might…he's like a father to me!"
I almost lost him.
The next day, after Ochako, Momo, Shoto, and Tenya had had time to rest and recover somewhat, they were contacted by Mr. Aizawa and told to meet him at the hospital. All of them knew what it was about without having to be asked- their completely illegal involvement in a life-and-death situation.
They met him at the entrance to the hospital and were led to a room a few floors up, where they found Detective Tsukauchi and the skeletal form of All Might waiting for them.
All Might was in civilian clothes now, but his left arm was still in a sling and he had bandages patched over parts of his head and no doubt elsewhere on his body under his outfit. For a moment, the students had to take a moment to realize that this was All Might. The Symbol of Peace, their teacher, the number one hero.
Or what was left of him.
"Thank you for meeting here with us," Tsukauchi greeted them politely. "Katsuki is still confined to his room, so we'll speak with him later, but you know why you're here, right?"
Ochako lowered her gaze to the floor. "Because we went after Deku, right?"
"Exactly," Aizawa looked at the four of them with exasperation. "Katsuki aside, I had considered you four to be some of my more rational students. When Jeanist told me that you'd gotten yourselves involved in the Kamino Ward incident, you might like to know that I was livid."
The four students flinched at the anger in Aizawa's tone, but didn't dare argue against him. He had every right to be furious with them after the danger they'd put themselves in.
"That being said," Aizawa went on, dragging out every word. "You four- and Katsuki- aren't going to get a lecture from me yet. I'll wait until school starts again before I put you through that, but you aren't getting out of this scot-free. You can thank Jeanist for that. It was only his persuasion that stopped me from outright expelling you."
Tenya's shoulders tensed as his whole body went rigid.
"All Might, the Principal, and myself have discussed the matter and we've decided that for the time being, the trauma you all went through is punishment enough," Aizawa said gruffly. "For now…Those of us here would like to unofficially thank you for your intervention."
Ochako's eyes whipped up and grew wide in shock. "Wh-what?"
"Don't make me repeat myself. Frankly, I don't want to praise any of you for this, but Jeanist, Edgeshot, and Gran Torino made it clear that if you five didn't act when you did, Heat Viper would've probably gone after All Might and Izuku certainly would have died if the League of Villains didn't recapture him. Your actions saved lives and didn't cost any."
All Might nodded. "As impulsive and brash as it was of you to intervene, the only reason Izuku is even alive- and likely myself, for that matter- is because you youngsters chose to act. Speaking legally, we can't thank you for it, but we want you to know that everything you went through made a difference."
"The police are on the same page," Tsukauchi added. "Fortunately, no one caught video footage of you five on the scene. Had one of the news cameras spotted you, the police would have had no choice but to demand expulsion as a punishment for vigilantism. Those laws are strict, but since you weren't seen, and since your actions did more good than harm…we're willing to turn a blind eye this time. Should it happen again, however, there won't be a safety blanket for you- no matter how good your intentions might be. You're all good, smart, and talented kids, and I would hate to see any of you be expelled, but this is your last warning. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir," Shoto replied in a small voice, fully aware that he and Tenya especially were on shaky ground considering their involvement in the Stain incident. The heroes and the police were generous to them- this time. Tsukauchi made it clear that this would be the last time they'd be let off the hook so easily."
"Again, don't assume that because you aren't being expelled that you're getting away from punishment," Aizawa warned them, still glaring from one student to another. "I willpunish you for this. Katsuki too- him blowing up his arm doesn't let him escape the consequences of his actions."
They all nodded meekly, none of them daring to interrupt their teacher. Aizawa closed his eyes in thought for several seconds. "I don't like playing the bad cop. I know where you're coming from; you were worried about your friend. I understand that. But you have to understand that there are laws that have to be upheld. Think carefully. If your plan had failed, what might have happened? Would I be writing letters to parents about how their children were killed somewhere they shouldn't have been in the first place?"
Momo swallowed a lump down her throat. Her eyes stung from guilt.
Aizawa looked at them all and sighed, his shoulders visibly sagging. "You kids scared the shit out of me. That's why I'm so incensed with you all. In a single night, five of my students almost got themselves murdered by willingly walking into danger. Two of them were in critical condition. I very much give a damn about what happens to you all, do you understand that?"
"Y-yes, sir," Ochako choked out, her lower lip wobbling.
"Good. In which case," Aizawa's gaze became a little softer. "Thank you for coming back to us alive."
Momo made her way upstairs to drop by Katsuki's room. He'd been unconscious when she finally left the hospital yesterday, but the nurses had told her that he was expected to wake up sooner than Izuku would.
Maybe he'd woken up while she'd been out…
She knocked on the door to the room quietly and opened it, peering inside. To her disappointment, Katsuki was still asleep, but Mitsuki was sitting in a chair at his bedside. She glanced over her shoulder, spotting Momo, and gestured for her to come in.
Momo closed the door quietly behind her and walked over to the chair next to Mitsuki's. "How's he doing?"
"Better," Mitsuku replied. "He woke up for a bit late last night, but he just wanted something to drink and then fell back to sleep. Recovery Girl came by to treat his arm again, so he's probably regaining his strength now."
"…what did she say about his arm?"
"Well, he's got some rehabilitation ahead of him," the Bakugo matriarch admitted with a sigh. "His arm won't be capable of handling anything but small explosions for a while and the doctors have expressly forbid he use a full blast even with his costume's gauntlets. The recoil of whatever he did damaged his shoulder muscles as well as his arm. Until everything heals properly, it'll be light work only for his right arm."
"They don't think there's a risk of permanent damage?"
"Not this time. We were lucky."
Momo's head fell back against her chair in relief. "Good. That's…that's good…"
Mitsuku hummed in agreement. The pair of them were silent for a few minutes, but Momo kept fidgeting in her seat. It wasn't that sitting with Mitsuki was awkward, just…she felt guilty because, if she was being honest with herself…the reason Katsuki was in here at all was because she'd brought him to the villain hideout.
Mitsuki had been so kind to her, what with letting her come over to study at her home and visit her son while he was hospitalized. Momo felt like she had repaid her generosity by getting Katsuki hurt.
"Erm…Mrs. Bakugo?"
"Call me Mitsuki. Mrs. Bakugo makes me feel old," the woman chuckled.
"Mitsuki, then…Well, the thing is, I…I owe you an apology," Momo began hesitantly. "You see, I was the one who told Katsuki about where the villains were hiding. I made a tracking device and led him and the rest of my classmates there…We were going to try and find out if Izuku was okay, but then with everything that happened…Katsuki ended up getting hurt because I brought him out there in the first place. And I-"
"Save your breath, sweetie," Mitsuki interrupted her, leaning back in her seat. "I'm not upset with you. Actually, I should probably thank you for watching out for him."
"Eh?"
"Katsuki and Izuku have known each other since they were babies. Inko and I go way back, so the two of them grew up together. For the longest time, Katsuki's been the older brother figure between the two of them and he was always protective of Izuku. That side of him has only gotten more protective as time has gone on and Izuku's Quirk showed itself."
"It doesn't help that he was born with a powerful Quirk himself," Mitsuki sighed. "Being as smart as he is, it makes him reckless, impulsive, and aggressive. If people can't keep up with him, he just runs on ahead and leaves them behind without a second thought. It's made it difficult for him to make friends until recently. Being at U.A with you and the other students I think has been really good for him."
"When Izuku was taken from the camp, he was in shock for a while. But I was praying the heroes would find Izuku before Katsuki recovered, because once he did, I have no doubt he was going to try and find Izuku on his own. He would've gone after them without a second thought. So you taking him along and keeping him under control was probably the best-case scenario I could've hoped for."
Momo dipped her head, trying to avoid looking at the older woman's face. "He still ended up here…"
"If he'd gone on his own, I might've had to bury him."
She swallowed at those words. Mitsuki was probably right about that.
"What matters is that he's alive and Izuku is alive," Mitsuki said after a moment. "And the only reason they made it out is because you kept Katsuki from acting recklessly."
Momo's eyes lifted to Katsuki's bandaged right arm. "To a point."
"To a point," Mitsuki allowed with a smirk. "Little brat doesn't seem to have figured out yet that he's not invisible, but he's learning. He's even managed to learn some respect."
"What do you mean?"
"You, of course," the woman turned her smirk to Momo, who froze in surprise. "Katsuki doesn't just listen to anyone, you know. I'm not sure how you did it, but I think he legitimately respects you. Izuku was telling us about how his practical exam went at his house before the camping trip and that you were the reason he passed at all. Do you know what Katsuki said to that? As I recall, it was something like "yeah, 'cause she's a badass" or something along those lines."
Momo reddened slightly and Mitsuki took full notice. True to the Bakugo blood in her veins, her grin turned sly and her voice teasing. "You know, I do wonder if Katsuki's starting to have a thing for you since he seems to regard you so highly. And I have to wonder if the two of you have gotten any closer since that time I found you together at my house, hmm?"
Mitsuki cackled as Momo hid her face in her hands out of embarrassment, a full-on blush now blazing over her cheeks. The woman had Momo squealing as she smacked her shoulder good-naturedly. "I'm messing with you, sweetie! Well, mostly! Ahahaha!"
Momo wasn't even sure how to respond and when she tried, her words came out as a stuttered mess. It shouldn't even have gotten to her as much as it did, but Mitsuki was evidently just as good as her son when it came to pushing buttons, even if the buttons were different from what Momo was used to.
"Hehe..ohoho…" Mitsuki regained control of herself after a few moments, though she didn't stop grinning. "Okay, I've had my fun. Sorry about that, but I have to always have blackmail material to keep Katsuki in line at the house. As an apology for getting you all 'hot and bothered' as it were, how about I give you some blackmail material in exchange?"
"I-I-I think I'm o-okay, thanks!" Momo squeaked out, her face still burning cherry red.
"You sure? Even if the blackmail is Katsuki wearing an All Might onesie when he was three?"
Momo's thought process stopped for a few moments. Slowly, she began to consider that idea. Mitsuki only continued to grin at her, and her smile widened as she saw the gears turning in Momo's head.
She really shouldn't. Blackmail wasn't something she should seek out as an aspiring hero. But…maybe just to see the image?
A toddler Katsuki in an All Might onesie sounded…rather cute…
"…I'm listening," Momo replied in a small voice, trying not to sound too interested.
Mitsuki pulled her phone out, the sly grin stretching from ear to ear. Momo felt a little brighter on the inside.
Ochako guided Eri to a table in the hospital cafeteria, searching for a place to sit and eat. She'd gone up to see Izuku after meeting with Mr. Aizawa, but Izuku was still asleep and recovering from his second surgery. Inko had wanted to stay at her son's side, so when Eri expressed her growing hunger, Ochako had volunteered to take the girl to the cafeteria for lunch.
Inko had been grateful for that. Ochako just wanted to help the older woman though this difficult time. Izuku was her friend and she cared for him very much, but…he was Inko's child.
She wouldn't dare place her newfound feelings above the love of the boy's mother.
"Ochako!"
The teenager stopped in her tracks and glanced in the direction of the voice, which to her surprise, belonged to Mina. The pink girl was half-standing in her seat at a long table with several of the other 1-A students. "Over here!"
Ochako nodded and looked down at Eri, smiling. "Come on, Eri."
Eri merely followed her quietly. She was nervous around all of the people and she'd been down for a while since she wasn't allowed too close to Izuku while he was recovering. She missed the comfort of her guardian.
Mina was waiting for them, along with Eijirou, Kyoka, Tenya, Tsuyu, and Toru. Ochako blinked when she realized that sitting with her friends was Mandalay from the Pussycats and Kota.
"Mandalay!" Ochako exclaimed, taking a spot one seat away from Mina so that Eri could sit between her and the pink-skinned teen. Out of all of them, Eri was most familiar with Ochako and Mina, and she would be more comfortable near them than the others.
Mandalay smiled at Ochako. "Hey there. Did you come to see Izuku, too?"
"Yeah, but he's still not awake yet," the girl admitted. "He's getting better, though."
"I see," the older woman's smile became a little sad. "I'm happy to hear he's recovering, at least."
"We were just talking about the other Pussycats," Tsuyu informed Ochako. "Tora and Ragdoll got hurt in the Kamino incident."
"Are they okay?"
"Tora will be fine," Mandalay assured them. "He's always been a tough one. But Ragdoll…Speaking frankly, this is probably the end of her career as a hero. Something happened to her and her Quirk is no longer fit for use. Upon her release from the hospital, she'll be on indefinite leave of her duties as a hero."
"No way…" Eijirou clenched his fists.
"How'd she…I mean, is she…" Kyoka trailed off, concern in her voice.
Mandalay shook her head. "It's a shock for her. Why wouldn't it be? I'm told they're going to look into it and see what they can do, but for the time being, she's can't be on active duty."
Ochako swallowed hard. "Wh-what about Pixie-Bob?"
The woman smiled at that. "Actually, she woke up the other day from her coma. She'll be spending a while recovering, but the doctors said she'll pull through and be able to resume hero work in a few weeks."
Tenya let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that."
Mandalay turned her attention to Eri. "Ochako, who is this? Your sister?"
"Ah, no," Ochako shook her head quickly and smiled at the little girl, who ducked her head to try and hide from the sudden attention. She lifted a hand and set it on the girl's shoulder to calm her. "This is Eri. She's pretty much Deku's little sister."
Kota almost choked on his juice. "Huh?! They look nothing alike!"
"Kota!" Mandalay chastised when Eri cringed and tried to hide in Ochako's arm. The hero looked at Eri apologetically. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Kota can be a little…blunt sometimes. He didn't mean anything by it."
Eri nodded shyly, refusing to look them in the eye. Ochako rubbed her shoulder and Mina took a moment to gently ruffle her hair. Seeing her now, the students were reminded of just how dependent on Izuku she was. Without him or Inko around, or even Katsuki for that matter, she was reverting back to her shy, nervous personality she'd first displayed.
Mandalay pursed her lips, feeling guilty for how rattled Eri appeared to be. "Mmm…Would you mind if we went up to Izuku's room with you after lunch? Kota made a get well card for him."
Ochako smiled brightly. "I think that'd be okay. I'll have to ask Ms. Midoriya first, though. The doctors don't want a lot of visitors since he's still recovering from his last surgery."
Mina glanced at Ochako. "You said he's doing better, right? When do they think he'll wake up?"
"Maybe in another day or two," she replied, absently rubbing Eri's shoulder and back to help the girl settle. "I…I'll tell you later."
Mina looked down at Eri and then back up at Ochako, and the other teen nodded slightly. Mina took the hint and dropped the subject before turning to her lunch with a wide grin. "Well, let's dig in! Food's getting cold, you guys!"
After they'd all eaten and Eri was brought back to Inko (who had also agreed to let Mandalay and Kota come into the room to see Izuku), the girls pulled Ochako aside. Eijirou and Tenya decided to go and meet up with Shoto to see how All Might was doing before they checked on Katsuki and Izuku.
Ochako led her friends to a quiet stairwell she and Momo had found when they arrived at the hospital with Izuku and Katsuki after the Kamino Incident. Once the girls were sure they were alone, Mina faced her friend, who was leaning against the wall.
"Are you okay?"
"Not really, no," Ochako admitted, lifting a hand to rub her forehead. She shook her head a little. "I'm feeling a bit better, I guess. Momo and I had a good cry together and got a lot of this out of our systems, but…I haven't been sleeping well and I just want him to wake up."
"You guys really had a rough time out there," Tsuyu said, reaching out to take Ochako's other hand and squeeze it comfortingly.
"I still can't believe you guys went after Izuku like that," Kyoka exclaimed.
"Momo told us we were just going to see if we could find him and make sure he was okay," Ochako replied, closing her eyes and squeezing Tsuyu's hand back. "We were actually about to leave. The heroes showed up at the hideout and busted it wide open, but then…then Heat Viper showed up and that other crazy powerful villain was there and Deku appeared out of nowhere and then All Might and then Deku was- he was-"
"Breathe," Mina interrupted her gently, moving forward to envelop Ochako in a hug. Her friend was trembling. "Easy, there. We're here. Let it out."
"He was screaming," Ochako's voice cracked and she threw one of her arms around the pink girl's neck tightly, crushing her in a tight grip as she broke down and cried again. "Mina, oh my god, I thought he was dead. He sounded like he was dying and there was so much blood…"
"Shh," Mina held her friend close with one arm and lifted another to run her fingers through Ochako's hair. Tsuyu hugged the hand she was holding to her heart while Toru and Kyoka just squeezed Ochako's shoulders. "Shh…"
They let Ochako cry, gently hushing her until she had calmed down enough to breathe, however shaky and uneven it was.
"I'm sorry," Ochako croaked out.
"It's okay," Mina told her. "This whole thing was…it was a lot. I can't imagine what you must've gone through. All of you have every right to break down and cry, okay? Eijirou told me that he met up with Tenya and Shoto and they both got teary, too. So don't apologize. Just let it out. We've got you."
Ochako sniffed and buried her face in Mina's shoulder. "You guys are so good to us."
"What are friends for?" Tsuyu asked with a smile. She squeezed Ochako's hand again and the other girl squeezed back.
"Izuku and Katsuki will be back on their feet before we know it, you know?" Toru added, pressing up close behind Ochako to sandwich her friend between herself and Mina. "They're gonna be okay. The scary part is over now."
"Just gotta wait until the two lazy bums wake up," Kyoka grumbled, though she was smiling.
Ochako managed a laugh, though it was watery and sounded gross to her. She took a few more moments to catch her breath before pulling back to rub the tears out of her eyes, her face and eyes red from all the crying. "Thank you, guys. I needed that."
"Anytime," Mina said honestly. Her smile turned into a grin that held a bit of mischief. "So…seeing as we have two sleeping beauties that need waking, shall we all go and see if any of us can wake them up with a kiss?"
Ochako's cheeks grew redder at the implication. "M-Mina, no!"
"You're right, we should have all the boys try, too!"
"MINA!"
Two more days passed by, during which Katsuki woke up and decided to rejoin the world of the living. He was still confined to his bed, but after regaining his strength, showed a healthy dislike for his confining hospital room with some choice vocabulary.
In other words, he was on the mend.
Momo and Shoto were going to see him again after having lunch with Shoto's sister, Fuyumi. The siblings had come up to the hospital to check in on Endeavor again, who was almost ready to leave. Momo had to admit, the number two hero was a really sturdy man. Even after getting pulverized by Heat Viper. If anything, the rage he felt at his loss made him recover that much faster.
The two of them were about to walk out of the elevator on Katsuki's floor when they heard an annoyed exclamation.
"That damn kid! He gets back on his feet and he's already causing trouble again!"
Momo blinked at the sight of a seething Mitsuki, a resigned Masaru, and a somewhat frantic nurse making their way towards the elevator.
Shoto took one look a them and sighed. "He left his room?"
"Uh-huh," Masaru groaned, rubbing his face stressfully. "We took our eyes off of him for five minutes to talk with his doctor in the hall and he just up and left."
Momo wasn't even surprise, just mildly irritated. "Izuku's room?"
"Yep," Shoto agreed, reaching for the elevator button to select Izuku's floor.
A short elevator trip later and they were following a storming Mitsuki down the hall towards Izuku's room, where, to no one's surprise, Katsuki was found. The teenager was leaning against the wall behind Inko, who looked a little worried about him being there in a hospital gown with a cast and brace on his right arm and shoulder. Eijirou was there too, keeping an eye on his friend, and Ochako had taken a seat next to Inko with Eri.
To Momo's surprise, All Might's skeletal frame was sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed beside Izuku. Her surprise wasn't vocalized immediately, however, seeing as Mitsuki saw fit to drive her knuckles into the top of Katsuki's head.
"You little brat! Don't you know better than to just run off when you're hospitalized?!"
Katsuki scowled and retorted instantly. "Piss off, old hag! I'll go where I want!"
"You don't get to talk back to me when you're all busted up like that! How'd you even find this room?!"
Eijirou held his hand up nervously. "S-sorry, he texted me about where it was and I let him know. I didn't think he'd actually sneak out and come here…"
Masaru shook his head. "It's fine, at least he's not wandering around yelling for directions…"
"All Might, what are you doing here?" Momo asked. "Is it okay for you to be up?"
"Not to worry, young Momo!" All Might gave him a thumbs-up. "I was given the all-clear yesterday! In fact, Mr. Aizawa and I came by to see Katsuki earlier this morning."
"Oh, you got chewed out too?" Shoto queried with a slight smirk at the explosive teen.
"Shut it," Katsuki grumbled, averting his eyes. Eijirou snorted in amusement. Apparently that was a yes.
"Mr. Bakugo, you really shouldn't be leaving your room without telling anyone," the nurse who had come with them chastised. "You're due for more pain medication in the next hour."
Katsuki just grunted. "I know, I know. I just wanted to check on him."
Masaru sighed and turned to the nurse. "We'll get him back to his room in a bit. If you have anything else you need to do, don't worry about us taking your time."
The nurse pursed her lips and nodded after a moment. "Don't let him do anything strenuous. He's not really clear to leave his room yet."
"I'm fine," the teenager retorted.
"You are not fine," the nurse corrected, unfazed by the boy's attitude. "And if I have to bring you back to your room in an hour, I'll have your doctor bring a sedative should your parents permit it."
"You have my permission now," Mitsuki agreed immediately, scowling at her son. Katsuki sneered, but didn't dare question that she meant it.
The nurse left with one more glance at them, hurrying off to perform any other duties she had to attend to. Momo gave Katsuki a pointed look. "Weren't you supposed to be given the all-clear to leave your room later today?"
"It was going by too slowly."
"Of course it was," she sighed in exasperation, but wasn't really in the mood to argue with him. They were in Izuku's room and it already felt like they'd caused enough of a disturbance. Instead, Momo looked at Inko. "How is he?"
"Better," she admitted with a smile that was a little happier than the days prior. "The major wounds have all closed up properly, so it's just a matter of when he wakes up. After that, he'll be in rehab for a couple of weeks to make sure everything has healed correctly, and then he'll be able to attend school again."
All Might glanced up at the mention of school. "That reminds me, you kids are going to have letters sent to all of your parents in the next few days. U.A has been having some meetings regarding the security of the school and its students, so…there are going to be some changes in the upcoming semester."
Mitsuki raised an eyebrow. "What kind of changes?"
The former hero looked at her squarely. "Long story short, they want to convert to a boarding school and house the students in dorms on campus. The staff are going to be sending teachers to each of the students' homes in the next week to discuss the housing and permission of the parents. Given the current state of affairs in society and the attacks on the school…for security purposes, it's no longer practical for us to leave our students open to that kind of danger."
Inko frowned. "When was this decided?"
"This morning, actually," All Might admitted. "I had a video meeting regarding it last night before I left the hospital, but the principal just messaged us confirming the situation."
"A boarding school? Wait, like we'd all be living together?" Eijirou grinned excitedly. "That sounds awesome!"
Mitsuki pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Is gathering all the students at the school like that a good idea? I mean, I know that U.A's security is tight, but there's that villain on the news they're talking about with a warping Quirk. Would that even make a difference?"
"We're taking strict precautions against that kind of thing," All Might told her. "I'll be one of the teachers assigned to talking to the parents about it, but U.A has already taken measures to counter his Quirk. If he tries to get in again…well, he won't make it far. Let's leave it at that for now."
"I'll take your word for it, then," she decided. "For now."
The former hero merely inclined his head.
There was a silence that fell over the room naturally, as everyone was aware that the topic of U.A was done for now and they were with a recovering patient. And as they waited for another topic of conversation to come up, the quiet was broken by the best sound possible.
"…Mmm…"
All of the attention flitted over to the sleeping teenager immediately as his face scrunched up in a slight frown. He shifted in his bed, wincing somewhat and stopping the movement prematurely as he slowly opened up his drowsy, green eyes. "Muh?"
"Izu!" Eri squealed and Ochako had to restrain the little girl from jumping at the bedridden teen. Her lips curved up in a huge smile at the sight of Izuku slowly regaining consciousness and she squeezed Eri in a firm hug.
Masaru ducked out of the room to call a nurse while Inko leaned over the bed and squeezed her son's hand, her smile turning wobbly as she started crying. "Izuku, it's okay."
His gaze shifted over to her and he stared in confusion for a few moments. "Mom? What are…oww…"
Izuku winced at the dryness in his throat. His body had stayed hydrated through the tubes inserted into his body, but he hadn't had a drink since the raid on the bar began.
A bony hand grasp Izuku's shoulder on the opposite end of the bed and squeezed firmly, but gently. He twisted his head and blinked at the sight of All Might's skeletal frame, his mind still sluggish and unable to question why the man was in his true form.
"We got you back, kiddo," All Might told him gently. "You're safe."
Izuku managed a tired smile, though it looked like the effort exhausted him. "Kay…"
Mitsuki snorted. "He's not all there yet, huh?"
"Well, he just woke up. He's been out for almost four days, after all," Shoto said quietly, though he was happy to see his friend rejoin them. Eijirou nodded in agreement.
The doctor bustled into the room with Masaru behind him, causing everyone to shift about somewhat to give him space. Momo ended up on Katsuki's left side and glanced at his face. There was relief in his eyes and he looked tired all of a sudden, as though a great burden had been lifted off of his shoulders.
Moving as inconspicuously as she could, she slipped her right hand into his left and squeezed- a kind of silent way to let him know she had his back. Her lips twitched up into a small smile when he willingly squeezed back before their hands parted. He looked a little more relaxed after that.
As she watched the doctor inspect Izuku, Momo felt lighter than she had since the training camp ended on that dreadful night.
It felt like everything was going to be okay.
In the depths of the maximum security prison known as Tartaros, All for One found himself with plenty of time to lose himself in his own thoughts. Seeing as he was strapped up in a vault that meant even the slightest movement would have the guns trained on him, it wasn't like he had much else to do.
And yet, he was more than happy to simply think. It was a pastime of his, this kind of pondering. Being under the watchful eyes of his captors made no difference to him. Even if he had lost to All Might, he'd accomplished what he wanted.
The Symbol of Peace was dead. Even if All Might himself lived, the pillar of heroics was no longer there to support the world. Society was no doubt in a state of chaos.
Tomura was out there as well with his allies. Viper had escaped, too- he would no doubt be a suitable mentor for Tomura while All for One was in prison. And just as they had planned, All for One knew the next goal for Tomura would be to gather his allies and establish his dominance in the underworld.
Well, it wasn't going to be that easy- there were many challenges ahead of him. That was why he'd spent so much time grooming Tomura. But even with all that, there were no guarantees. There were still dangerous villains in the shadows who would leap at the chance to seize control of the underworld now that All for One was behind bars.
It wasn't just local villains his protégé would need to watch out for, either.
Be careful, Tomura. I've warned you before, but now more so than ever…you must be aware that there are other villains of my caliber out there, running the rest of the world. Without me, they'll no doubt make attempts to seize my territory. Given the circumstances further in the north…
You might have to confront Baba Yaga soon.