fear. || { bnha }

nineteen.

a/n: sorry for the super late update! thank you all so much for the 600+ votes! <3

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The rest of the day continued normally — Valui spent most of her time either lying in bed or wandering aimlessly around her room; she eventually got so bored she started brushing her teeth multiple times in a row, telling herself it was to make up for the five days she was missing and not that it was just something for her to do to curb her boredom; also disregarding that she had done so earlier that afternoon as well. At some point, a nurse came in and told her that she was given discharge orders for the next day, simply because it was getting late. She was also told that she was allowed to venture beyond her room — that she was allowed to go down the wing she was in, or to the gift shop, or even to the food court and get something to eat of actual substance; she just couldn't leave the building entirely, as she was a minor and needed her parents with her.

The prospect of food that was more than jello, yogurts, and puddings was enough to instill a desire to leave the room in Valui's stomach. She pulled on her jacket, which had been hanging on the back of a chair since she had woken up in the hospital, and went to the door. She never opened it, though, as right as she went to grab the handle, the door was swung open from the outside.

Hitoshi was standing over the threshold of the door, looking suspiciously like he had run all the way from UA to the hospital. His face lit up when he saw her, but the excitement in his eyes was far too much for just being happy to see her.

"I'm— Sorry I'm late, I—" He was out of breath, and also talking a lot faster than normal. "I had something important, and I—" His face broke out into a wider smile than Valui had ever seen on him. The sheer amount of joy rivaled the sun itself. Hitoshi flung his arms around the small girl and pulled her into a tight hug; Valui was now able to feel just how hard his heart was beating. "I got— I got in. Into the— Into the Hero Course. I really— I really got in!"

Now, Valui was sure her expression matched his.

Her arms wrapped around his middle, hugging him back just as tightly. "See!" she exclaimed happily, a joyful giggle escaping her lips. "I told you you could get in!" Though she had to wonder: had they told him it was because she had asked? Not that it would make a difference; all Valui cared about was that he was happy. She lifted her head up from his chest to gaze up at him. "Did they say why they did? Like, from the sports festival, or...?"

Hitoshi returned her gaze, loosening his grip on her so they weren't so tightly pressed together, and subsequently hurting their necks just to look at each other. "They said because I was the one who saved you, but I don't really know how they'd figure that out unless..."

His voice trailed off as Valui's smile changed from happiness to hold an expression of smugness.

He realized, almost immediately — how had he not figured it out before? Hitoshi's eyes narrowed, albeit playfully; there wasn't even an ounce of malice on his face. "You told them, didn't you?"

Valui gave a small shrug, her eyes glinting with soft mischief. "Maybe~" She drew out the word, sticking her tongue out at him.

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow, his own expression shifting to match hers; though his held something different, more sly. "Well, maybe—" He drew out the word just as she had, even copying the way she had made her pitch change and when. "—I was going to kiss you for it, but if you didn't do it, then I guess I won't."

He made a move as if he were going to break the hug, but he didn't go through with it.

Valui pouted, her cheeks puffing out. She was hurt, if only a little; he was definitely kidding, right? He wouldn't be that mean to her, would he? "H-hey, that's not fa—"