𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 || ᵇ.ᵏᵃᵗˢᵘᵏⁱ

LXIII

"My arm was severed, not my legs," Jinyoung uttered monotonously. Bakugou didn't reply and instead settled his gaze on his girlfriend's sleeping face. Recovery Girl must have been around since the smaller cuts on her face and arms were fully healed. She'd probably sped up the recovery process on the bigger wounds beneath the bandages too.

"Are you in love with my sister, Bakugou?" Jinyoung quirked a scrutinising brow, his eyes running over Bakugou's face as if he were observing him. Bakugou blanched but did his best to keep his expression neutral. Aeri had told him that under no circumstances was Jinyoung to know that they were dating. He didn't really know why but Hyunjin and Jungwon had kept their mouths shut whenever their elder brother was around too, so Bakugou guessed his reaction wouldn't be positive.

Bakugou didn't answer but it seemed his silence amounted to confirmation for Jinyoung. "You are, aren't you?" The man sucked air through his teeth. "Are you dating?"

Bakugou sighed and inclined his head. Jinyoung hummed. "You know what will happen if I find out you've done anything to upset her, don't you? I don't care how small it is..." he warned and Bakugou nodded, frowning.

"I wouldn't fuckin' do that anyway," Bakugou said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked away from Aeri, bravely making eye contact with Jinyoung as if to reaffirm his statement. He expected Aeri's older brother to look angry or maybe hate him but instead, he looked worried. "I promise," Bakugou added.

"She's not as strong as she acts," Jinyoung sighed, wobbling a bit as he stood up. "And I refuse to see her upset. So if I ever find out you've said or done something to do so, I will personally see to it that you suffer." Jinyoung left the room.

Bakugou believed him. He huffed and walked over to take Jinyoung's seat, the one closest to Aeri's bed. That went better than he thought it ever would. He had always expected to get threatened by at least one of the brothers, and Jinyoung was the most likely to do so—but he'd expected more anger and shouting. Aeri probably wouldn't be happy when she woke up to find out that her brother knew about their relationship.

"Back again?" The same nurse walked in, carrying a tray of medical supplies and a large bowl of water. She walked to the other side of the bed and pulled back the thin hospital blanket that was covering Aeri. Bakugou didn't reply and instead watched carefully as she began to undress the wound on her lower leg, cleaning the stitches.

Bakugou scowled when the door opened and Midoriya walked in with Mirio who had a little girl cradled in his arms.

"She's sleeping?" Mirio asked quietly, trying to keep his voice down.

"She's in a coma, dipshit," Bakugou grumbled.

"Kacchan, don't swear in front of Eri!" Midoriya looked flabbergasted. He had just been discharged by the looks of things, along with Mirio who were both wearing their own clothes.

"What's a coma?" He heard the little girl ask.

"It's when people sleep for a while so their brain can rest, nothing serious sweetie, your friend is perfectly fine." The nurse explained with a sweet smile, redressing the wound on Aeri's leg. Eri nodded.

"This room is fancy!" Mirio looked around, taking in the large VIP room with its deep mahogany walls and en suite bathroom. He walked Eri over to the couch, set her down atop of the plush cushions and fished some fruit-filled Tupperware out of his bag.

"Um...Kacchan, where should I put this?" Midoriya gestures to the fruit basket they'd brought for Aeri. Bakugou gestured to the coffee table in front of the couch and Midoriya nodded and placed the basket down, tentatively taking a seat next to Mirio and Eri.

"Who is that boy?" Eri whispered.

"That's Aeri's boyfriend," Mirio whispered back, presenting some fruits to her and giving her a mini fork. "He's not angry that's just his face, I promise." He added and Bakugou's scowl deepened.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, now I suppose he's angry..." Mirio chuckled and Eri looked over warily.

"He's a very good boyfriend, he's been watching over her for two days now...you don't get many boys who will do that for their girlfriends." The nurse said. She wiped Aeri's face down with a damp washcloth and packed up her medical supplies, bidding them all goodbye before she left the room. Bakugou felt his pride soar at the indirect compliment.

"You're dating?" Midoriya asked, shocked. Bakugou gave him a look that told him to stop talking and he promptly shut his mouth. Bakugou stood and walked over to Eri, trying to look as least intimidating as he possibly could.

He stuck his hand out slowly so she wouldn't be scared and then cleared his throat, reluctantly introducing himself. "Bakugou Katsuki, Aeri's boyfriend."

Eri hesitantly took his hand, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I'm Eri...are you a hero too?"

"Yeah," Bakugou said with a smirk. He was about to speak again when Aeri's heart rate shot up, the sound of the heart monitor echoing through the room as it sped up dangerously.

🗡️🗡️🗡️