PUPPET // KATSUKI BAKUGO [1]

Chapter 39 // The Day After

Bakugo stared up at his ceiling with tired eyes. He held his blankets tighter against his body as he licked his chapped lips.

He didn't know what time it was. All he knew is that it was the next day. The previous night was mostly a blur in the moment. but the more he laid in silence, the more he remembered.

"Sir, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! I brought the donors like you fucking asked, so go save her, dammit!"

Bakugo had practically given everyone a near heart attack when he bursted into the hospital, dragging Deku, Todoroki, and Kirishima behind him.

"She's seizing!"

"Get the kids out of the room!"

Bakugo had fought back against his classmates and the nurses, who were trying their best to push him out in the hallway. His eyes were locked on your shaking body the whole time.

"She's alive, but she's in critical condition."

Bakugo had stayed until, around one o'clock in the morning, the doctor told him those words. His parents forced him to leave after that despite the fact that he wasn't satisfied.

You were alive, but that didn't mean you were okay, and the boy wasn't pleased that he didn't know exactly what had happened to you and what your status was. That fact ate him up so much that he hadn't been able to do anything since he returned home.

He didn't brush his teeth

He didn't eat dinner.

He didn't change his clothes.

He didn't take a shower.

He barely slept.

He didn't care about the evident eye bags that had formed due to his lack of sleep.

He didn't care that he was starving, and his stomach was yelling at him to consume food.

He didn't care he was making himself suffer by refusing to do anything but lay and think.

He didn't care because the only thing on his mind was you. It was always you, and, as long as you were there, as long as you existed, nothing else mattered.

"Katsuki?"

Bakugo heard his mothers voice, but he didn't process it. He remained still, staring at his blank ceiling as if a solution to all his problems would miraculously appear.

His mother's smooth palm touch his cheek as she kneeled beside his bed. Bakugo lazily turned his head to look at the woman.

"Eraserhead and All Might are here," Mitsuki spoke softly. "They say they have an upcoming plan to discuss with us. Can you come down?"

"...don't wanna..." Bakugo muttered. He gulped to clear his throat when he heard how raspy his voice was.

"I know, but it'll be good for you to get up, walk around," Mitsuki explained while brushing her son's messy hair away from his eyes. "You should eat too, and Aizawa says he has information on [L/N]."

At the mention of your name, Bakugo slowly began to sit up. Mitsuki stood before sitting on the edge of the mattress beside her son.

"I'm worried about you," the woman confessed as she placed her hand on the boy's shoulder.

Bakugo remained silent as he set his hands on his knees and squeezed. He took a moment to himself and inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and exhaled quickly.

"Momma..." he eventually muttered out. Mitsuki's expression softened as she brush a loose strand of hair behind her son's ear.

"I...think I love her," Bakugou admitted.

Mitsuki hummed, saying, "Katsuki, I know you do."

"What if..." Bakugo gulped as he said the words, "...she's never the same again. What if she can't be a hero? What if she can't continue at U.A?"

"Does it matter to you deep down?" Mitsuki asked. "You'll still love her the same, won't you?"

"Of course I fucking will," Bakugo snapped, offended his mother could even ask such a question.

Usually, Mitsuki would scold the boy for using such language, especially when responding to her, but she was just happy to hear him speak as though he was back to his normal self.

"How about you head to the living room?" Mitsuki suggested. "Your father is there taking with Eraserhead and All Might. I'll make you some steamed rice."

"You better make it spicy," Bakugo grumbled.

Mitsuki ruffled her son's hair, saying, "I'll drown it in sauce," before placing a kiss on his forehead and leaving.

Bakugo slowly stood, and, once he caught a whiff of his scent, he cringed. He took a quick shower to rid himself of the smell of dirt and ash that had stuck with him from the prior night before changing into clean clothes. He fixed his hair, brushed his teeth, and grabbed his phone, which he stuffed in his pocket, before heading downstairs.

"Young Bakugo."

All Might was the first to speak when the boy dragged himself into the he living room, posture slouched with his hands in his pockets.

Bakugo dismissed the man's statement as he collapsed back onto the couch beside his father, sitting across from All Might and Eraserhead.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we're here," Aizawa said.

"Some plan," Bakugo muttered, "and you said you know what's up with [L/N]."

Aizawa nodded, saying, "I'm sure you'd like to hear about her first," to which Bakugo simply nodded.

"The doctor said that the explosion exerted such high temperatures that it damaged her enzymes," Aizawa explained. "Enzymes help to speed up the chemical reactions in our bodies, including the ones that happen in our brains. The accident has effected her ability to respond. This includes moving, speaking, and reacting in any way to the things happening around her. Thankfully, the enzymes weren't destroyed, only damaged. She'll make a full recovery, but it'll take time."

"How long?" Bakugo asked.

"Doctor said, under normal circumstances, it would've been three or four weeks," Aizawa began, "but since she was in such close range to the explosion, it's an estimated six to eight weeks."

"When can I see her?" the blond questioned.

"Visitors are allowed between 8 A.M and 10 P.M," Aizawa replied. "You can visit her whenever." Bakugo nodded as he looked at the floor.

"What's this plan you were talking about earlier?" Masaru suddenly asked.

"Oh, yes," Aizawa cleared his throat. "U.A wants to open a dormitory near the school for the students. These dorms will ensure the students safety and make their days more efficient. Everyone will have their own rooms. There's a kitchen, universal bathrooms and showers, and a lounge. They'll be ready for use by the end of break."

"That sounds nice," Mitsuki said as she suddenly entered, a bowl of steamed rice in her hands, which was covered in Bakugo's favorite spicy sauce.

"What do you think, Katsuki?" she asked as she handed the food to her son, who set the bowl in his lap.

Bakugo shrugged as he took a bite of his rice. He chewed it slowly, and the room remained silent.

"Will [L/N] move in after she's recovered?" Bakugo asked. "Will she still even go to U.A?"

"Considering she'll make a full recovery, yes, she'll still attend U.A," All Might answered.

"As for her living in the dorms," Aizawa added, "we have yet to speak to her parents, so that decision has yet to be made."

"I'll move in if she does," Bakugo stated.

All Might and Aizawa shared a glance before the now retired number one hero said, "we just have [L/N]'s parents to speak to after this, and then we were going to head over to the hospital to see her. Would you like to come?" Bakugo was immediately poised to nod, but he quickly looked at his mother confirmation.

"Finish your food, and then you can go," Mitsuki nodded.

Bakugo had never eaten faster in his life.

[EDITED]