His Other Half (KiriBaku)

Chapter 19

September 30, XX84
-The courtyard-

        "No! How could he be so mean?! What do you mean he doesn't remember me--I'm unforgettable! He better hope he can forget the ass-whopping I'm gonna hand to him when Zuku finally finds him."

        "For the last time, Mina," Prince Katsuki growled, trying again to silence the pink woman's incessant ranting while Tenya held her back from destroying any more of the gardens. Denki and Hanta were around here somewhere, too, but between his wrath and Mina's he knew they wanted to stay very far away until one of them calmed down. "He was interrogated, tortured, and alone. He was scared. He was a prisoner for years. In his mind, it was between him dying and us getting hurt. What the fuck do you think he would have picked?"

        "Shut up!" She snapped and waved his fingers at him accusingly, her impertinence causing Tenya to gasp and attempt to reel her back in. "Don't talk logic to me right now, I don't want logic. If he'd remembered, we'd have never had to fight him. If he'd remembered, we wouldn't have hurt him. If he'd remembered, I wouldn't have thrown a jar of fucking acid at him."

        Katsuki stalked forward, seething at her. She didn't need to feel guilty for doing something any of them would have done at that moment, even if Katsuki himself had wanted to empty one of the alchemist's vials onto her head the night before, but the only thing that would snap her out of it right now would be the anger she thought she deserved, so he took the front of her vest in his fist and bared his teeth. 

        "I understand that you are upset, Mina, but you will watch your tone with me," he growled. "Tensions are high, this is very stressful, I get it. You're not the only person he forgot, and you're not the only person that's hurting because of it, but he remembers now. He remembers now and that's what matters. So you can either act like a bitch about it, or you can give him the warm welcome that he really fucking needs."

        She glared at him and sniffled, throwing a very half-hearted temper-tantrum in his grip.

        "We can come back, Your Highness," Deku deadpanned behind him. 

        The prince turned his head and saw his unimpressed steward standing there calmly, Eijiro at his side. Another relieved jolt ran through him at seeing the redhead again. At confirming he was still here. Hell, it looked as though he had actually listened for once and gone to get his wounds treated, and he looked all the better for it.

        Katsuki lowered his fist and released the pinkette's vest, ignoring her huff as she smoothed her clothes back out and pouted at him. "There's no need," he sighed, checking his temper. "Our dear Mina is just a little... excited, is all. I think she's waiting for you to say hi, Ei."

        The redhead smiled, but tilted his head, assessing the small woman. Just when Mina began to grumble again, he held out his arms as an offering, which prompted the small, fierce little woman to tackle him in a bone-crushing hug. "NiCE--" Katsuki heard a pop and winced in sympathy, "--to see you too, Mina. Heard you were a little mad at me."

        She scoffed, giving one last squeeze before ripping herself out of Eijiro's embrace. Katsuki heard the sound of Hanta's tape behind him, and suddenly his two missing guards flanked his sides, smiling at the scene. 

        "I'm not a little mad at you, you awful grump," she grumbled, arms crossed haughtily over her chest. "I'm a lotta mad at you. For not telling me yesterday so I could give you a better hug. What kind of person doesn't tell their friends 'by the way, guys, I'm alive, so you can stop stabbing me now'?" She huffed, going back for a second hug. "Whatever. Doesn't matter. I'll want to stab a bitch anyway, so don't bother answering--you have really firm pecs."