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Aizawa had to drag Bakugou back to the dorms that night, shoving him into the back of his car with Hyunjin whilst Jungwon took the front seat. He didn't want to leave Aeri there alone. What if she woke up earlier than expected and no one was there? She wouldn't have anyone to tell her why she couldn't speak, she wouldn't have anyone there to comfort her and she wouldn't have anyone to help her.
But Aizawa had said that he needed to go back to the dorms. He was covered in stale sweat from running to the hospital, his phone had been dead for hours and he had refused to eat all day. Bakugou had to make him promise that he'd be allowed to stay the night tomorrow and Aizawa had agreed just to get him to stop struggling. He was injured too, though not very seriously and Recovery Girl had fixed him right up, but he still didn't have to strength to fight Bakugou into the car.
Bakugou ignored everyone who was gathered in the common room and went straight to his room to grab everything he needed to shower. They'd no doubt been filled in by Kirishima, Uraraka and Tsuyu who now sat with the group, bandages over their small wounds.
He froze when he remembered Nari had probably been alone all day with no one to fulfil her needs and headed back up to Aeri's room with his change of clothes and shower products to check on the cat.
It seemed Jungwon had the same idea and was dishing up Nari's dinner when Bakugou walked in. They stared at each other for a moment before Jungwon cleared his throat and began to speak.
"You come in here to look after Nari?" He asked. The cat mewled at the mention of her name, rubbing herself against Jungwon's shins in an effort to make him give her the food faster. Bakugou nodded. "Will you be sleeping in here tonight or should I take her to my room?"
"I'll look after her tonight," Bakugou said. Jungwon mumbled a small 'okay' and Bakugou left the room, finally going for his much-needed shower.
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Bakugou skipped school the next two days and packed an overnight bag to stay in the hospital. Aizawa scolded him at first but since he and his sons had to go to school, he let Bakugou off since he didn't like the idea of Aeri being in the hospital alone all day.
Bakugou went to her room before he left, making sure to fill Nari's water bowl and pressing the button on her impossibly fancy sheltered litter tray that removed all the soiled litter and left the clean. Then he went to Aeri's desk and picked up all the things she'd probably want if she woke up, like her skincare, makeup and phone. He also picked out an outfit for her since the only clothes she had at the hospital were her ripped and ruined hero gear.
He felt a bit awkward grabbing underwear but he knew Aeri would prefer he was the one bringing them to her rather than her dad rummaging through her drawer and seeing all the lace and silk she owned.
Jinyoung was in the room when he trudged through the door, looking like he'd been hit by a truck. His white hair fell flat over his forehead as opposed to how it was usually styled and his face was stubbled with a five o'clock shadow. He had cuts and bruises littered across his face and neck and his entire arm was bound in a solid cast from his shoulder to the palm of his hand, resting in a sling. Despite his appearance, he was still in his usual dress shirt and slacks—probably having refused to wear the hospital gown since he sure as hell wouldn't have been discharged this soon.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" Jinyoung raised an eyebrow as Bakugou walked past him, crouching down and unzipping the duffel bag, slipping Aeri's clothes out and placing them in the cabinet by the bed.
"Skipped," Bakugou said simply, walking back around the bed and sitting down on the couch on the other side of the room. "Shouldn't you be in a hospital bed?"
"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.
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