I'll Ask You out. Tomorrow. (Seroroki MHA)

21.

Hanta Sero did not wake up. 

...

...

...

- We lost him, we lost him, we lost him...

Midoriya was crying as the No Longer Bakugou Escort Squad reached the camp, all of them panting, wounded, covered with sweat, and empty-handed.

They were welcomed by students who arrived earlier and by pro heroes who were literally fuming with rage and despair. They had their hands full with collecting and re-counting students, organising immediate medical health for the most injured, and collaborating with the Police Force who arrived in no time to arrest three of the villains left on the crime scene.

- What... Why are there so many ambulances here? - Shouto whispered, his voice raspy and distant, his heart skipping a beat. - They targeted Bakugou, right? What happened to all others, did anyone...

Before he could finish his sentence, he bent in half, shaking, emptying his insides. No one said a word.

- I need each of you to head over there, there's a hospital wing set up for all of you. The nurses and doctors will assess your injuries and help. 

Aizawa didn't have it in him to answer Todoroki's question.

How would he?

As soon as the battle calmed down, he started estimating the loss.

Many of his students were heavily injured, one of them captured by the villains. Three teenagers, Hagakure, Jirou and Sero were unconscious, the girls recovering from poisonous gas, Sero suffering from third-degree burns decorating his whole body, face included. 

The doctors assured Aizawa that the girls would wake up, but would the taping hero wake up from a coma they put him in, would he be able to walk, talk, to smile once again? 

No one wanted to risk giving Eraserhead a wrong answer.

Shouta couldn't express how relieved he felt upon seeing Midoriya, Shoji, Todoroki, Uraraka, Tsuyu and Tokoyami getting back to the camp on their own. Midoriya looked like he lost all his life force and his body was so injured, that the boy was moving fuelled solely by high adrenaline pushing him further into upcoming exhaustion. Todoroki looked like he had already died inside, despite his body moving on.

As per losing Bakugou, well, he could only trust in his student's strong moral compass to guide him through a terrible situation and not get killed before the heroes would come to the rescue.

A second after the nurse who stitched Shouto's injuries urged him to lay back in a room full of patients, the boy sat up, anxiety building again in his stomach.

- Where is he? - Shouto asked Ashido Mina who approached his bed. 

The girl was luckily unharmed and circling around, helping the nurses by carrying water, handing blankets, adjusting pillows and so forth.

- Where is who?

- Hero. I didn't see him at the entrance, and I don't see him here.

Shouto looked around the big room hosting plenty of students, some of them crying, some looking idly at the ceiling, some falling asleep after having been given anaesthetic pills. It took a second for Ashido to understand who Shouto was referring to, as she recalled an old tweet. 

- He's... In another room, Todoroki.

- There are other rooms?

- Yes, for those who needed immediate treatment, y'know...

- Doesn't everyone here need it?

Shouto didn't understand. How could he?

All he knew was that Ashido, Kaminari, Sato and Monoma, the students who were left in the camp, were on their feet, helping around. Kirishima was laying on the bed next to his, with a white bandage on his head, but he was nowhere near the amount of harm Midoriya endured.

- He's where I should be instead... - Kirishima whispered, his voice breaking. - I should be the one in there... He shouldn't have done that, he sh...

- Where. Is. Her...

- ... Todoroki, please don't get nervous... Sero is at the operating theatre right now.

- ...

- ...

- I'll ask once again. WHERE. IS. HERO.

- Calm down, Todor...

- WHERE THE FUCK IS HANTA SERO?????!!!!!!!!

Yet, before anyone could answer Shouto, a nurse appeared out of nowhere, forcing Shouto to lay back and sticking a needle in his forearm, very much against the patient's wish, judging by his attempt to escape. 

Too bad he had no strength left.

🔥❄️🔥❄️🔥❄️🔥  

- It's okay, Shouto, everything's fine...

Shouto woke up to Fuyumi caressing his greasy hair. He took a moment to get back to his senses and recall what the fuck happened and why was he lying in some oddly-smelling place. 

How much did he sleep? Not sure.

- You're fine, I came to take you back home.

- What about others? - he whispered, after having gulped on some water his sister handed to him. It was the most delicious water he had ever tasted.

- Most of the students have been taken home this morning. The ones most injured have been transported to the main city hospital where they're under constant monitoring. They'll recover in no time.

- Bakugou?

- ... Still missing.

- It's my fault...

- Shouto, please, don't say things like that...

- You don't know. You weren't there. I was supposed to save him, but I did not. It is MY fault...

- I absolutely forbid you from thinking so. The only ones to blame are the villains who captured him. All you did was do your best to save him. I won't let you beat yourself over this any longer, little brother...

Shouto let his sister squeeze his hand. 

He oh so much wanted to believe her.

...

- What about others? Do you have any news?

- I didn't ask around, sorry...

- Before going home, I want to visit the hospital.

- Shouto, you should rest, you can't just...

- I said I want to get to the hospital. You can refuse to give me a lift but then I'll leave the house and go there on foot. I promise I will, Fuyumi.

There was no point in quarrelling with Shouto. As always. 

Fuyumi raised her hands in a gesture of surrender and, as soon as the teen collected his belongings, the two headed towards the Todoroki limo.