Flicker (KatsukiXOC)

10. I Depend on You (Finale)

Katsuki sat in the hospital waiting room for what seemed like forever. He tapped his fingers, his hands on his knees as he waited. As normal a pout was on his face.

    They only allowed two people at a time in the hospital rooms and he had been waiting for over an hour now. He watched the clock quietly as he began to tap his foot.

    God what was taking so long.

    Over and over Awako's face flashed in his mind. The last time he had seen her was when they were taking her away in an ambulance.

    He slipped out his phone, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. He tapped the icon to his photo album and scrolled through the photos he had. Most were of Awako taking selfies of herself making stupid faces when he wasn't looking. Most of those pictures had him in the background of them, not paying any attention.

    He felt a flicker of something in his chest.

    Cardiac arrest. She had gone into cardiac arrest. Then she was in a coma for two days.

    He gritted his teeth, his grip on his phone tightening so hard he thought he would break it. God, why did she even hang around him? He was always nothing but mean to her before they went to U.A. He was so fucking cruel to her and she still stuck by his side. He remembered all the times he teased her and the snark comments he would make about her. Even the times he made comments about her brother. Yet she never seemed to hate him. He deserved every single bit of attitude she gave him the past year. He deserved the way she ignored him. He couldn't even say how he felt. He always felt like she depended on him.

    But how did he feel?

    He felt...

    He felt like maybe...

    He depended on her.

    He scrolled through his pictures before starting back to the most recent one. It was when she fell asleep on the train ride home. One of the bumps had caused her to fall into him. She stayed sound asleep as she rested against him and he couldn't help but snap a selfie with both of them in it.

    His hand shook as he stared down at the picture.

    "Ah, Bakugou-san," he heard suddenly. He looked up and saw Tsuyu standing before him dressed in regular clothes. It was weird seeing her out of uniform.

    He fumbled with his phone, nearly dropping it as he shoved it back into his pocket, his ears red.

    "It about time. I've been waiting all damn day," he snipped at her. She ignored the comment, her gaze wandering to a plastic bag on the floor beside his leg. He stared at her as he scooted it underneath the chair with his leg, his arms crossed.

    Poking her chin she asked "Are you here to see Awako?"

    "Yes," he simply replied.

    "She was asleep, but she should be up by now. I have to go babysit my brother and sister. See you at school," she said, waving to him before leaving.

    He watched her go before looking down at the direction of Awako's room. After a solid five minutes of pacing back and forth he grabbed the bag from beneath the chair and headed to her room.

    The walk was long and he passed her father on the way there.

    "Ah, Katsuki," he said, running a hand through his hair. He seemed jittery and his face was pale. His dress shirt sleeves were rolled up and his glasses were missing.

    He looked like a wreck.

    "She's, uh, she's sleeping again for now. They said it was really close. To think her brother...after all these years? And Miwako's death...now Awako..." he fumbled with his words before wiping his eyes. A few steady moments passed and her let out a breath.