The Boy Born With Everything ✔

Year 7 Part 4

When he woke up, the first thing Shoto registered was the dull throbbing in his head and body. Each muscle felt like it had been stretched and compressed to its limits over and over, making him feel sore and languid. The second thing he noticed was the white sheets covering the bed and pillows he was lying on, the high stone arched ceilings telling him he was in the Castle's Infirmary. The faint smell of medicinal herbs and potions like Skele-Gro lingered in the air, battling with the smell of fruit trees and nature drifting in through the open windows.

The third thing he noticed was that someone was holding his hand; tilting his head down as far as his neck would allow he saw a lightly tanned hand with pink painted nails, belonging to only one person. He braced himself for a loud, screaming voice as soon as the person noticed he had woken up; so, it was a nice surprise when all he felt was his hair being pushed back and a kiss on his forehead.

"Hey Shobaby." Mina greeted quietly, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." He winced at the scratchiness in his voice, and Mina poured some water for him from the pitcher on the bedside cabinet. "Thanks." 

He drank a whole glass and a half before lying back down, already wincing at the throbbing in his chest at leaning up ever so slightly.

"You've been asleep for about two days." the Gryffindor girl began. "Bakugou's been worried sick."

Flashbacks of their fight, of the fire and the explosions and Toga casting the Cruciatus Curse, all came rushing back and his eyes widened as he tried to sit up. 

"Bakugou. Where- is he okay? Mina, how-"

"Hey, please lie down. He's okay, our Bakubae's fine, I promise."

Reluctantly he lay back down, Mina giving him a real smile this time, before telling him to wait one second whilst she alerted Madam Pomphrey that Shoto was awake. He looked around the Infirmary and found there were only two other beds occupied, one where a Ravenclaw student continued to hiccup green clouds and another whose body was wrapped entirely in bandages, only their eyes and nose visible. 

Madam Pomphrey came up to him for a check-up, wanting to make sure he was fully healed before he left her care. All that would take time to heal was the muscle strain, as that was a side-effect of the Unforgivable that magic couldn't fix. She said it was just past dinner and Mina had gone to tell everyone that he was awake. She gestured to the pile of cards and sweets in the slightly open drawer, and he managed to grab a Sugar Quill without too much arm strain.

He was halfway through the sweet when the doors to the Infirmary burst open and an out of breath Bakugou ran through, ignoring Madam Pomphrey's protests as he rushed over to Shoto and hugged him tightly.

"You idiot." Bakugou said into his shoulder, Shoto returning the hug just as tight regardless of how much it hurt. "You absolute fucking idiot! What in Merlin's name were you thinking?" The Slytherin pulled back to look Shoto in the eyes, and he could see unwilling tears on the blond's waterline.

"I was thinking of protecting you." he replied honestly, brushing a hand through Bakugou's hair before leaning in to kiss him, Bakugou gently supporting the back of his neck whilst kissing back.

"I can protect myself." the blond muttered when they parted, lips still brushing together.

"I know you can. But I'd rather endure it twice than let you have to experience that kind of torture."

"Twice?" questioned Bakugou, a pained realisation dawning on his face as he drew Shoto into another hug. "Your old man, he..."

"I'm okay, Katsuki." Shoto whispered reassurances until the Slytherin recovered and sat in the seat next to the bed. "Are you?" he asked, smiling a little as the tension slowly left Bakugou's shoulders when he held his hand, fingers entwined and palms pressed against each other.