Cussed (Kacchako)

TWENTY-FOUR

Ochako woke up and winced. Whatever pain killers she had been given had worn off and her body felt like it been run over by bus. As she pulled herself up into a sitting position, she figured someone with a healing quirk must have done some work on her, she had a feeling she would be feeling a lot worse if they hadn't. After blinking the last of the sleep from her eyes, she realized the room was very conspicuously missing a bombastic blonde man. Ochako frowned and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She paused a moment to listen; there didn't seem to be any noised coming from the bathroom. Hadn't he said he wasn't going to leave while she was still in the hospital?

She sighed, surely he had a reason for not being there. She would worry about his absence later. She pulled herself up unsteadily and shuffled towards the sink in the room to get some water. As she moved, she could feel the wounds on her side and shoulder pull. Whatever work had been done on injuries, they definitely weren't fully healed yet. After getting her drink of water, she shuffled over to a set of drawers to see if her clothes were there. She had a feeling she would feel more comfortable if she had pants on.

Ochako heard the door slide open behind her. "Oh! Kastuki!" she slid the drawer shut, "I was wondering where you—" she trailed off when she turned around and was not met by the perpetually bristly blonde; instead, Deku stood in the doorway with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Really, Ochako?" he asked, sliding the door shut behind him. "What are you thinking?"

Ochako frowned at him, "Do you make a habit of walking into hospital rooms without knocking?" she shot back.

"It's not like we're strangers," was his retort. "Don't change the subject. Was it Kacchan you meant when you said you were spending time with other people?"

She grit her teeth. "It's not like that's any of your business, is it?" she big out. And it wasn't. He left her. Besides, while she needed to talk about what Katsuki was to her, Deku was not the person she need to have that conversation with.

"Kacchan is my friend," he said, "And like I said, it's not like you and I are strangers." He hadn't raised his voice, but he sounded angry. "What are you thinking? You can't be. Do you think using Kacchan as a rebound is going to make you feel better?"

Ochako saw red. "Rebound?!" Deku may not have raised his voice, but the same couldn't be said about Ochako. "First, whatever Katsuki and I are to each other, we are both adults who can make decision four ourselves. Katsuki especially does not need you looking out for him and holding his hand. You've barely spoken to the man since he came back from Europe! Friends? You think I'm more of a threat to Katsuki than what happened to him there? Where were you for your friend then?" Ochako was aware that her volume has continued to rise, but she didn't care. Years of unspoken arguments were rising in her and she felt no need to repress them.

She stalked over to the man and jabbed her finger into his chest, ignoring the uncomfortable pulling at her side. "And, in case you have forgotten, you left me. You don't get a say in how I get over that or the timeframe I do it in! This is none of your business, Izuku! I am none of your business!"

"We're still friends, Ochako."

Before she could answer, there was a knock at the dor before it slid open a fraction and a voice said, "Ochako? It's me, Katsuki—"

"See?!" Ochako almost screamed, "knocking!"

Katsuki stepped into the room holding and bag and gave her a wary look before shooting a glare at Deku—no, Izuku, she needed to start thinking of him that way—and something seemed to pass between the two men. After a tense moment, Izuku signed and threw up his hands.