Under Pressure

Chapter Seven: The Aftermath

"How much longer do you think she'll be out?"

"She should be waking up any minute now."

My body hurts, aches. My head is throbbing so hard it's making my ears pound. I try to recognize the voices that are whispering around me, but my mind still feels too fuzzy to concentrate.

"Holding that guy's will for as long as she did really took a toll on her, didn't it?"

Wait, Deku?

I shake my head a little and force my eyes open the best that I can. They slowly flutter and I have to squint them from how bright the room is. I look to the end of my bed and see Deku and Recovery Girl talking. They haven't noticed I'm awake yet.

"So it seems, she was wiped. Poor girl."

"She hasn't- Well uh, she didn't-" Deku stammers over his words. He's nervous, I can tell that his hands are shaking. "She's only passed out once before in the past and that was when her fath- uh, I mean, her trainer pushed her too hard. Could this be a problem for her in the future?"

"As of right now, no. I shouldn't be telling you this, Midoriya, but I trust that you care for her enough that I'm going to. Her scans all came back clean, meaning there's no brain damage. But that doesn't mean she's in the clear. She still shouldn't push herself. Her quirk isn't as stable as everyone else's. She's more liable to inflict pain on herself than the others, maybe even more than you," Recovery Girl sighs.

"D-Deku?" I choke out, my throat feeling a little sore.

Their eyes immediately snap to me, both looking equally relieved. Still, Deku's hands don't stop shaking as he makes his way to stand at my side. I look up at him, a soft smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Recovery Girl waddles her way over to me, doing small checks and examining my current state of health, making sure I really am okay.

"You had a pretty nasty faint. Do you feel alright?" Recovery Girl asks with a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, just a little groggy," I nod.

"Well, that's to be expected. Now that you're awake I can leave you in Midoriya's hands," Recovery Girl smiles, starting to waddle away, "Oh, and your driver is outside when you're ready to leave."

"Ataku's here?" I ask Deku, pushing myself dizzily up from the bed.

"C-Careful (Y/n), don't go too fast," Deku squeaks, holding his arms out to brace me, keeping me steady. "A-And yeah, he's here. They tried getting ahold of your parents but they, uh, didn't pick up their phones. Ataku answered the home phone, though."

Realization hits me and I shake my head. "It's meeting day. All phones, office and cell, stay off on meeting day and don't get checked until the agency is closed," I laugh lowly, reciting the words my father would always tell me.

Deku stares down at me, eyebrows creasing in the middle. I can tell he wants to say something, probably something along the lines of 'how could they be so careless.'

Yet, he just smiles. That cheery, dimpled, caring little smile he always has on his face that's enough to make a girl weak in the knees.

"Do you think you can stand?"

I nod my head and allow Deku to pull me up from the bed. My legs feel a little wobbly at first but I immediately regain my balance. I send him a smile and he releases his hold on me.

"How long was I out for, Deku?" I ask, straightening out my clothes and picking up my bag from the bedside table.

"A little over three hours. A few of the others stayed behind for a little while too, well, until Recovery Girl made them go home. I stuck around because at the time we couldn't get ahold of anyone," Deku blushes, rubbing the back of his neck.