Rise up

~10~

I hastily open my eyes, letting in the bright room lights. I scan my eyes around the room and the few machines surrounding my bed. Not my bed, a bed in what I can presume is the school infirmary. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and go to exit the room.

I'm about to round the bed and head towards the door when something metal clanks onto the ground. I lazily turn my head to see the IV stand now lying on the ground, then glance at the IV still stuck into my arm.

'Stupid fucking shit.' I roll my eyes before harshly ripping the IV from my veins. After my experiences with the Hero Commission, I have never been a fan of waking up attached to a bunch of machines. It only reminds me of the countless times I had been sent to the infirmary by my trainers growing up.

Making my way out of the school, I decided a walk home would be best since my wings are sore. I trudge my way home with barely any energy. As I pass through the gates staring at the ground below my feet, I hear shuffling to my left.

"Come on."

He didn't say anything else and proceeded to walk off, "If that is you offering to walk me home, then you should know my house is the other way." I have to raise my voice to be sure he heard me before heading the opposite way.

Bakugo mumbles under his breath until he arrives at my side, now going in the right direction. "Lead the way than shitty Birdgirl."

We walked in silence, only the sound of our steps filling the air. I would typically be uncomfortable in situations like this one, but I was content and grateful for the quiet. After the day I had, simply walking home with someone was relaxing. Even if it were another person instead of Bakugo, I would have appreciated the small gesture.

Before I knew it, we were approaching my apartment building. "This is my complex. Thanks for walking with me, Sparky."

"I didn't fucking do anything I didn't want to on my own, and don't fucking call me-"

He's cut off by the freaking out guardian I failed to notice waiting by the building's entrance, "Y/N!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! I'VE BEEN FREAKING OUT SINCE I HEARD ABOUT THE ATTACK ON YOUR CLASS." Keigo pulls me into a tight hug, practically squeezing the life out of me.

"Get off me, Birdbrain." I mumble into his chest, pushing out of his hold, "This is one of my classmates, Bakugo. Bakugo, this is my cousin I told you about Hawks." I turn to notice the blonde behind me looking at Keigo, and I surprised. "What?"

'You're cousin is the Number 3 Hero Hawks?!' I hear him in my head as he stares at me with a 'seriously' kind of look on his face.

I simply shrug, not understanding the importance of the detail I never thought to bring up. "Oh, so my little hatchling has brought a boy to the nest." My cousin glances at me, wiggling his eyebrows. "Guess all my flirting tips have done the trick finally."

I grimace at the reminder of Keigo's expert flirting lesson he gave me when I turned 16. Shaking it off, I shove the winged man towards the front doors of the building. "Ignore him. Anyways, I'll see you at school in a few days, bye Sparky!" I shout over my shoulder, swiftly leaving Bakugo and directing my embarrassing cousin inside.

"So, which tip did you use to snatch up this one?" Keigo immediately questions me as the doors shut behind us.

I chuckle, "Like any of those would work on anyone with a brain."

'There is no way in hell I'm telling him that I technically used Tip #3: Be straightforward and compliment them confidently. Not entirely sure that it worked in my favor, but Bakugo was surprised when I outright called him cute, among other things.' I can't fight the tug of a smile that appears on my face as we enter the elevator, missing the smirk on the birdman's face behind me who knew what I was thinking.