"And Always, Sweet Dreams."

Wishes can Fail

Kacchan's touch was burning me, and I ripped my hands away from him, putting some distance between us. I slipped off the bed and landed on my knees, ignoring the way they jarred, and breathed unevenly as I instinctively curled in the corner, not wanting to be seen or touched right now. The stress was too much.

Kacchan's hands were on my shoulders, and I struggled to shove him away, bashing my head back against the wall as if it would give way for me to escape, because for a moment those weren't Kacchan's hands – they were bigger and rougher, merciless and numbing –

I screamed. "Stay away! Don't touch me! Get away!"

My head was swimming, but I felt it when the hands wrenched away, and the seething hotness of the contact left my skin tingling and cold. I couldn't help but shudder, and closed my eyes, pushing myself further into the corner. My head was aching – why? I'm not dehydrated, so why is my head pounding and my eyes swimming?

I swallowed, and rested my head against the wall again, and – ow.

I probably shouldn't have hit my head that hard.

I held my breath, feeling the pressure in my head and my lungs squeeze, and then I released it. My pulse slowed, and my breathing evened quickly until it was just the laborious feeling in my chest. My focus zeroed into my breathing, and all I could hear was the steadying intake of breath, and the harsh release. When I refocused again, I opened my eyes and locked my gaze on Kacchan.

He was sitting a few feet away from me, legs crossed with his hands gripping the soft fabric over his knees. I could tell he was stressed and at a loss, and again felt guilty for always worrying him.

I needed to stop.

"S-Sorry, Kacchan. I just – I-I just . . ."

His eyes widened, and he shifted forward slightly, his hands hovering before he placed them hesitantly on my outstretched leg, tapping me gently.

"It's okay, Izuku. You don't need to apologise."

I glanced away from him in bewildered embarrassment and was once again thankful for how much Kacchan has changed. Two years ago, he wouldn't have hesitated to push me down like dirt, and yet now he was being patient and understanding – something that would've sounded impossible to believe a few years ago.

I was so, so grateful.

I took a deep breath and planted my palms flat on the floor. "Kacchan, I-I wanna go see Shouto now. I just . . . I need to see him."

The older teen didn't move or say anything for a few seconds before he nodded his head slightly, and reached up towards the bed, grabbing his phone. "We should probably tell All Might or Aizawa that we're heading towards the school."

I let out a sigh, and shook my head. "Knowing All Might, I'm sure that he was already certain that we were going to see Shouto today the moment he messaged me last night. He's probably waiting for us."

Kacchan fumbled with his phone slightly before placing it on the bed again and outstretched his hands to me. "Well then, let's go."

I took his hands, not bothered by the sweat building on them from his quirk, and finding comfort in the familiar burnt caramel smell. I used to fear and despise the smell when I was younger, but as Kacchan and I matured and started focussing on our careers, the scent didn't become a hoarder of bad memories, but as a reminder of how far we've come – how far we can and will go.

The drive to UA was bathed in silence and anxiousness, and it wasn't a surprise when we were met at the front gate by All Might, who had his arms crossed and his usual smile dimmed. Sometimes, I missed that smile and how strong it was. It made me feel safe that I had someone to protect me and to rely on.

I guess now, the tables have turned, because since All Might lost the last bit of his power because of me, it's my duty to ensure that he was safe this time around, and I was sure that I won't let All Might down.

All Might greeted us with the usual 'Young Midoriya' and 'Young Bakugou', before he turned on his heel, obviously expecting us to follow him into the UA building and through the long, empty hallways. Everything was silent other than our footsteps on the tiled floors.

When we reached the infirmary, All Might paused, and he turned to us slowly. "Wait here while I get Recovery Girl. She'll give you Todoroki's diagnosis."

Kacchan and I nodded without complaint, and he disappeared into the infirmary, closing the door before Kacchan and I could see what was inside. I lifted my hand and gripped Kacchan's bicep from where his arms were crossed, and the taller teen glanced at me quickly before his attention was averted to the door opening.

Recovery Girl looked tired as usual, but still gave us a grim and grandmotherly smile. "Midoriya, Bakugou, it's no surprise to see you both here, but I'm not one to judge." She said, stepping forward with authority.

I blinked. "Recovery Girl, how is Shouto? Will he be okay?"

The older hero sighed, and closed her eyes before opening them again. "Todoroki had a rough time last night, Midoriya, so you have to understand that I'm doing everything I can in this situation. Do you understand?"

I nodded quickly, feeling sick to my stomach at the news of Todoroki not having a good night, but then again, that was to be expected. Kacchan shifted on his feet beside me.

Recovery Girl continued. "Due to his lack of medication, Todoroki suffered multiple seizures last night. He had a concerning injury to his arm from when he was first taken, but that was treated somewhat poorly before I could heal it. I managed to reverse most of the damage, although I'm afraid it will scar over."

I swallowed at the information, upset at knowing that Todoroki would have another scar. He always hates the marks left on his skin.

"Now," she continued. "I just put Todoroki through another MRI scan to see if there was any damage done to his brain, but thankfully, it doesn't seem that his condition has worsened. However, he is going to be under a lot of stress both mentally and physically, so we can expect that he may have more frequent episodes. He should be fine as long as he stays on his medication."

I nodded, and squeezed Kacchan's arm slightly. "Will he be okay? Is he awake?"

"Todoroki isn't awake, and he should be okay physically and is expected to make a full recovery. Although, he will be under stress and mental strain, so we all need to make sure that we show him our support."

I nodded as she turned on her heel, and pushed the infirmary door open, stepping inside and glancing back at Kacchan and I. She beckoned us to come closer with a wave of her hand.

"Now, I'm sure you want to see him. Just make sure that you don't be too loud. He could still be sensitive to some senses." She concluded, stepping inside and holding the door open for us.

I struggled to restrain myself from rushing forward, but still pulled Kacchan along with me.

I hated to say it, but I was getting used to seeing Todoroki draped in white.

He was pale and motionless on the bed, a breathing tube connected to his nose and an IV feeding him nutrients and painkillers from where it was connected to his arm. He was breathing deeply, exactly how he does when he's deep in sleep, and for a moment he looked peaceful. He had purple bags under his eyes from an obvious lack of sleep, and his lips were a chapped pale pink. If not for the fact that we were in the infirmary and the bandage securing one of Shouto's arms, it would have seemed like he was just getting some much-needed rest.

I let go of Kacchan's arm and walked closer to Shouto, sitting on the seat beside his bed. I hesitated when getting the urge to hold his hand, and ended up deciding against it. I didn't want to injure Shouto further accidentally.

This time, I didn't startle when a firm hand landed on my shoulder.

"He'll be alright, Young Midoriya."

I clenched my back teeth.

He better be.

Welp. Personally, this is one of the worst chapters I've ever written. Whoops. 

I hope you're all doing okay! Only a handful of chapters left to go :)

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