Need You (ShinDeku)

Ch. 73 - Oh

A/N: hey. I'm on time? Hope you like it.
Have fun reading!

Midoriya POV

     The walk home from classes was louder than usual today, as we stayed with the rest of the class. This time I was actually walking, which was a plus.

     I was exhausted though. Physical therapy and other therapy had been both mentally and physically draining, and all I wanted was a cuddle nap with Hitoshi. Or maybe some snacks while we sat out on the balcony. That sounds really nice.

     "Oh man, I'm gonna miss you guys over the summer. We gotta do a whole class meet up or something." Kirishima said from a few feet away.

     "Ooh, maybe we can get permission to use the pool again!" Mina cheered, jumping onto Kirishima's back and latching on like a koala. He didn't even stumble at the unexpected added weight, and now that I was looking at him his muscles were definitely more noticeable than at the start of the year. He'd clearly been working hard.

     When we made it to the 1-A building, I grabbed onto Hitoshi's hand and slipped us quietly past our classmates to the elevators. When the doors were closed securely behind us and the gentle jolt told us we were moving, I looked over to Hitoshi. He wasn't looking at me, but rather our hands which were still wrapped around each other. Maybe it's because I'm using my weak hand. Is he surprised that I have enough grip strength to hold his own?

     Then I realized the red dusting his cheeks and his strange expression. I let go abruptly, suddenly worried. I brought his hand back into both of mine and looked it over for red spots or injury.

     "I-I'm sorry, did I hurt your hand? I thought my grip was still really weak but I also don't have a lot of feeling in it so I don't-" I caught myself. "N-no. Your hand looks okay. There's no way I could squeeze that hard. Are you alright? Your face was red." I gnawed nervously on my lip.

     "Ah, yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about it." He smiled at me, free hand resting at the back of his neck.

     "Okay." I smiled back. I love his smile. I wish he did it more often.

     I gripped his hand in mine once again as the elevator doors opened and led him to our room.

     "Do, uhm, do you have any snacks that you brought with you here yesterday?"

     "Hmm, I've got the rest of the gummies from last night, some protein bars, and some biscotti to eat with coffee and tea." I smiled at the strange combination. Perfect.

     "Can we go sit on the balcony and eat them?"

     "Sure," he laughs. "Why don't you go bring a blanket to sit on and wait for me out there? I'll bring a tray."

     I nodded, grabbing an old outdoor blanket out from under my bed, next to the futon. After a moment of consideration I grabbed two pillows from on top of the beanbags to lean up against the wall behind us. We cleaned it up really well when we moved everything in so they shouldn't get dirty.

     Lots of thoughts ran through my head while I waited for him on the balcony. I've been tired all day. It began last night, which started out nice but ended with stress and lost sleep. Then there was this morning after everyone left our room and I started crying. I still feel guilty about how much Hitoshi is doing for me. On top of that was my nerve wracking conversation with Kacchan. It all just kept building on top of each other.

     The crying had made my morning headache even worse, and it lasted through the first few classes of the day. It was gone by the time I had my PT, but even that was extra exhausting today with the exercises I had been doing. My therapy with hound dog was exhausting in its own way, as I confided in him about the mock versions of my friends and some of the things they had done and said. It led to a conversation about what had happened last night, and I kept thinking about it for the rest of the school day, feeling guiltier and guiltier every time I looked at Uraraka or Todoroki.