Need You (ShinDeku)

Ch. 16 - Hand

A/N: get ready for some nervous Shinso who's not used to praise.
Have fun reading!

Midoriya POV

     After Todoroki and Uraraka left I managed to convince Shinso to let us go back to class for the rest of the day. We left the nurses office and got back to the classroom before the lunch period was over, and I got to eat the katsudon that Uraraka brought over from lunch rush. I didn't finish it though, so Shinso ate what was left while students started coming back into the classroom. Most of my classmates greeted me quietly with a smile on their faces when they got back. They said they were glad to have me back and apologized for scaring me earlier, to which I assured them that it wasn't their fault.

     Bakugo pretty much just ignored me, but he looked a little guilty, which was new.

     Uraraka gave me a big smile with absolutely no malicious intent when she came in, but I still had trouble holding her gaze, and when Todoroki came in behind her he gave me a nod in acknowledgment. He still looked like he was beating himself up over not preventing this whole thing.

     Then Aizawa entered the class again to tell us that in place of our usual afternoon classes we were going to do some light quirk training. Apparently they had started doing quirk training on a weekly basis about a month ago, I really wish I had been there.

     The small metal band around my wrist reminds me of my current inability to even use my quirk. The bandages around my arms go far enough to cover my wrists so that the band sits over them, but under the bandages there are partially healed, but still angry red burn circles around my wrist. A few times while I was there I had tried to pry the band off with nothing but brute force, but every time it had sent a painful electrical current through my body that had left me screaming. It was like it had some sort of defense mechanism to prevent it from being taken off. Shigaraki said himself that the only way to get it off was with the key he disintegrated, and I know from first hand experience that it's stronger than it looks.

     "Midoriya, since you are in no condition to train right now, we have recovery girl coming out to the training grounds with us so you can begin physical therapy."

     "Thank you, sensei."

     "Shinso, since your new to this, we are going to have to create a specialized quirk training regimen taking into account your strengths and needs. For today, you will just be assisting recovery girl with Midoriya's physical therapy."

     "Okay, sensei."

     I glanced at Shinso while Aizawa was talking to him and it seemed like he was really happy despite his relatively blank face, and a little nervous. I bet he was thinking about quirk training. All this must be really exciting for him. I'm glad.

     During my therapy session Shinso had to catch me like five times so I wouldn't face plant into the ground, and after testing my range of movement (or lack thereof) in my hand, both recovery girl and Shinso strangely steered clear of working on it. The thing clearly needs the most work because I can barely even twitch my fingers, but when I asked what the grave look on both of their faces were for they avoided the question and refused to work on my hand.

     When the session was over recovery girl walked across the field to Aizawa and he leaned over, the two of them talking in hushed whispers. When he straightened back up, his expression was stony, and I could see Shinso keep glancing at me nervously from the corner of my eye. Before recovery girl could walk back over to us I turned to Shinso.

     "It's about my hand isn't it." It was more of a statement than a question, and it was confirmed when Shinso started looking panicked, glancing towards recovery girl who was on her way back over to us.

     "At least tell me if I'll ever be able to use it again." I plead, just barely keeping the crack out of my voice.

     "I-I don't know, they didn't tell me anything."

     I stare down at my hand numbly.

     "Hey, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's still healing, right? Just give it a few more days." I heard the all too familiar sound of desperation leaking into his voice.

     "Thank you, Shinso." I don't look up from my hand in my lap.

     "Alright Midoriya, you did good today, but I don't want you to overwork yourself. No physical therapy outside of your allotted time, okay? You will have sessions every day but if you try to improve outside of the allotted time, without a professional like myself nonetheless, you could seriously injure yourself and set back recovery time. Got it?"

     "Yes ma'am."

     I don't like when people other than Shinso talk to me like that. It's like she's looking down on me and scolding a child, but I know Shinso doesn't look down on me. He just cares. He's going to be a great pro one day.

     Neither me nor Shinso have to change in the locker room, because we weren't wearing gym uniforms or doing any intensive physical training, so we head straight toward gen-Ed dorms before anyone can ask us about staying in my dorm.

     The whole way back we didn't speak, and when he finally closed the door to his dorm Shinso said something.

     "Hey, I meant what i said back there. I'm sure your hand will be fine, okay? You went through a lot of physical trauma, so it's going to take some time. Don't get discouraged. It's... upsetting seeing my hero look so down over something that's out of his control."

     My head shot up at that but Shinso wasn't looking at me. His cheeks were red and he glanced around the room nervously. I'm his... hero? I felt my own cheeks redden and I looked away.

     "Well, you're my hero too, Shinso. I don't think I ever properly thanked you for saving me."

     "W-what?!" I could feel his gaze on me, and I looked up at him, ignoring the red in my cheeks. "I-I'm not really a hero, I was just f-following Aizawa-sensei's orders." He looked down, no longer holding my gaze as guilt clouded his eyes. "Besides, I probably made some of your injuries worse while I was carrying you out to the ambulance."

     "Hey, you saved me right? You're the one who got me out of there. That makes you my hero. I literally owe my life to you."

     "O-oh, um, thank you? I mean, you really don't owe me anything. I'm just glad you're okay. Please don't, like, put your life in danger for me or anything." He was rubbing his arm nervously, and I had a sudden overwhelming urge to reach up and kiss him. What?

     I felt my face literally go up in flames as I realized what I had just felt. There's no way, right? Do I have a crush on Shinso?

     I've had small crushes in the past, but I had never felt like that before.

1210 words.