Beautiful Disasters- Hawks x OC

Chapter 121

"Hayato, why am I here. And naked?"

        For a moment the male said nothing. He simply stared at her in stunned silence. When he finally processed the reality that she was awake and well, tears sprung to his eyes and he greeted her with a watery smile and made his way to her.
       
       Mariko froze slightly as Hayato enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. The gesture- although sweet- was unexpected and a little uncomfortable as Mariko still wasn't wearing any clothes, and the hospital sheet she had around her didn't provide the best coverage. Feeling dampness on her skin, however, she put her discomfort aside as Hayato suddenly began crying and pet the blonde's head gently to comfort him. "It's okay," she soothed as he sniffled slightly, his arms wrapped around her more tightly as though he was afraid she'd disappear after saying those words. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Hayato shook his head. "Nothing," he whispered hoarsely. "I'm just glad you're back."

Mariko's brow furrowed slightly. "Did I go somewhere?" she asked. "The last thing I remember is getting ready for bed the night before we were supposed to attack Mineko's base... did the mission go wrong? Maybe that's why I'm in the hospital?"

Hayato nodded. "Yeah."

A momentary silence fell over them as the brunette waited for Hayato to compose himself. She wanted to talk to him properly and find answers to her growing list of questions. When the blonde began to pull away, Mariko readjusted her bedsheet and placed her hand on his once again assuring him of her presence. "Hayato, what happened?" she asked.

The question seemed to trigger an unpleasant memory. The watery smile that he'd previously had disappeared, covered by a shadow that passed over his face and replaced by a somber expression.

"Please tell me," she asked quietly. "We went to Mineko's base, didn't we? I don't remember what happened, my minds completely blank."

The blonde took a shaky breath and nodded. "The mission was a success," he started, his voice becoming a bit more monotone as he tried to explain everything without getting emotional. "You and Dabi successfully eliminated Shimizu."

Mariko nodded understanding. She was relieved that Mineko wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore, but the notion that she'd had to kill her again left her feeling a bit hollow.

"From Dabi's report, when you and him found Mineko, she was being protected by some invisible bodyguard," Hayato explained. "He was rendered unconscious during the fight and you fought Mineko alone. There was a struggle, and she stabbed you before she was shot dead."

"I'm guessing the stab wound was fatal," she told him.

Hayato shrugged, "It wouldn't have been. You kept the knife in and the two of you were going to exit the compound, but Mineko's bodyguard regained consciousness and attacked you. The knife became dislodged at some point during the fight. You managed to make it out, but between running towards the portals, fighting, and overusing your quirk you bled out on the field before medical arrived."

Mariko blinked, and for a moment she was completely silent. The weight of his words was slowly sinking into her as she realized what had happened. "You're saying I died."

He didn't respond verbally, he just stared at her. His silence, however, was all the answer she needed.

Strangely enough, the concept of dying didn't really bother her that much, she had spent most of her life staring death in the face and it wasn't as though this was the first time she'd coded. "It must've been bad for you to have freaked out like that," she told him. "How long was I out for... five minutes?" she asked.