Shoot Your Shot - MHA College AU

Scene 30: Waiting Chairs

{ Scene 30: Waiting Chairs }

"Hey – Kacchan, wake up."

The boy stirred in his half-sleep state, noises of the hallways blending into a mundane murmur. He could recognize the cheery pitch of that voice like the back of his hand. It was irritating.

Squinting his eyes, he unfolded out of the plastic seat, neck aching from the awkward posture. "...Huh?"

A flurry of freckles and large curious eyes awaited him. Even after all these years, Bakugo could never decide whether to be comforted by the boy's coddling or to blast his face to the moon. He usually settled for something in between.

"...What'dya want nerd?" he groaned. A yawn overcame him, stretching his arms from the uncomfortable curvature of the waiting room chair.

Midoriya shifted away, motioning to the set of hospital doors. "There's someone here for you. They're waiting in the front lobby."

"Ugh, 's it racoon eyes again? Tell 'er I don't want her shitty sandwiches."

The freckled boy sighed. "You should really eat something. How long has it been now?"

"...Shut up. I'm fine," Bakugo growled. The fire behind his bite was dim and quiet, barely flickering. To his greatest rival and brother of another lifetime, it was clear as day that the boy was struggling. Behind his stubborn front, the blonde's eyes spoke for his exhaustion, shrouded in dark shadows.

Midoriya offered his hand to slouching shoulders. "Ashido will be back later. I'll let her know you're not a fan of the sandwiches. Personally, I thought they were pretty good actually – you know, they remind me of – "

Bakugo reluctantly took his kindness, pulling himself to his feet while blocking out the stupid nerd's incessant rambling.

"Who's it anyway?" he mumbled, cutting off Midoriya's train of thought on western club sandwiches.

His freckles spread with the curve of his smile. "You'll see. C'mon," the boy ushered, holding the door.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Bakguo trudged into the waiting room. Afternoon sun peaked through the wide, glass doors and seating space windows. Busy nurses hurried across the tile in their baby blue scrubs, twirling pens and carrying clipboards. A few older folks sat in small clusters, flicking through the daily newspaper, and adjusting their reading glasses. The giggle of a small child echoed through the room, a mother hushing them and handing over a hero figurine.

The place didn't look or feel any different from the other day. He wondered how many more hours – how many more days he'd be pacing these halls.

"Where are they? This supposed to be a joke?" he grumbled.

Midoriya pointed to one of the seats, flooded in the warmth of a sunbeam. "She's right over there."

Covered in a blanket of light, it was hard to distinguish her signature pink glow. But looking more closely, Bakugo could see pink flickering from the bare of her ankles, shimmering on the metal of the armrests.

"Why's she here?"

Midoriya walked ahead, waiting for Bakugo to join him. "Well, after everything that happened the other night, she wanted to visit the three of you. You're the only one up and about, so, she asked me if she could–"

"Yeah yeah, I get it," Bakugo snipped.

The freckled boy grabbed the girl's attention, muttering a few words, and sharing a nod or two before turning to the half-awake, frowning blonde.