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It was a fact well-established among those that best knew Ochako Uraraka that she did not handle her alcohol well, or any medicine stronger than a baby Tylenol, or even the smell of paint fumes… Hell, even extended exposure to strong nail polish remover made her a bit silly.
She was well and truly a lightweight.
And Mina simply could not resist exploiting that fact about her best friend.
Regularly.
In the form of recordings on her phone that Mina could just whip out after a hard test to make her day a little better, or after a hard day at work, a hard loss on the volleyball court, or… you know… a Tuesday pick me up!
But that being said, Mina was a great friend and teammate- despite her penchant for filming Ochako when her senses would take leave while under the influence. She had been the first one at her friend's side when she had taken that fall on the volleyball court. And even from where she had been standing, Mina could tell, and worse, hear , that it had been bad.
Ochako had sprinted, hard and fast to the ball, leaping to reach it. But she was too close to the ground and didn’t have time to prepare herself to land safely. So all her weight went back on her left arm. And if the sound of snapping hadn’t been enough to alert Mina to the fact that the fall was, indeed, bad, the bloodcurdling scream from her usually tough-as- nails teammate had certainly confirmed it.
Her screams could be heard, loud and clear across the gymnasium, the cheering from the crowds silenced into concerned murmurs. Which was no small feat, considering the crowd that had gathered to cheer the women’s volleyball team at UA University.This was the furthest their team had gone in well…recent memory, and that in no small part was due to third year, Ochako Uraraka.
Small of stature.
Thick of thighed.
The girl with jumps that literally seemed to defy every law of gravity that limited her competitors. And here she was- splayed on the ground, her elbow pointing a way it certainly was not meant to point and a protrusion that Mina chose to believe was not in fact a bone pushing up against the skin. Because if that was the case, then Mina would have trouble holding back the threatening wave of sick that was already rearing its head at the sight of her screaming, writhing, and pale-as-a-ghost best friend.
“Oh, babe…babe…babe,” Mina said incoherently, hands hovering just over Ochako, slight panic running through her. “I know…I know…” she said, settling on Ochako’s forehead as she screamed and kicked her feet into the court.
Mina looked over her shoulder as the medic ran out onto the court, around them a few people were standing and straining to get a better look, several close enough to see the carnage looked sicked, and every one on the court was on one knee, her worried teammates keeping a distance so not to obstruct the path of the medics.
Ochako let out another choking wail.
“I know! I know…you’re gonna be okay! You’re gonna be okay, all right,” Mina assured, all the while trying not to gag at the sight of it.
SEE ! Good friend.
Mina had also decided quickly, as they loaded Ochako up onto the gurney, that she would go with her. Ochako’s family were a six-hour drive away, after all. And even if they decided to fly, it would still be several hours. And from the look of it, Ochako shouldn’t be alone.
So Mina left the court with her friend, despite this being the most important game of the season. Coach Tatsuma- ever the boss-ass bitch- understood completely why Mina needed to go. With a promise to text the team as soon as she knew what was going on, Mina arrived soon behind Ochako at UA Hospital- the university-affiliated hospital that was a short drive away from the university itself. Mina made calls to Ochako’s parents and sat in the waiting room for updates from the surgeon with a man-bun who was kinda-sexy in a exhausted-with-life kinda way.
She sat vigilant in the waiting room- for news about Ochako and the game (they lost- but that was no surprise to anyone, given… well, everything). It had been traumatizing to watch and listen to and Mina had no doubt that the team had a little bit of trouble getting their heads screwed back on straight. Luckily, Ochako’s news was better.
“Surgery went fine,” said Dr. Aizawa, who despite his tired eyes seemed more than competent. “She’ll be out of it for a bit and will need to stay the night, but she’ll be fine.”
That at least was a relief and she was eager to go hold her friend's hand. That really was Mina’s biggest motivation.
All that to say… all that to say …Mina really was a good friend.
A loyal friend.
A loving friend.
A friend who cared dearly for the well being of those she loved.
But Ochako wasn’t in any pain now, as she woke up from surgery, so Mina started video recording with only the slightest twinge of guilt as Ochako slowly woke up from drug-induced sleep.
“Hhhey Ochako,” she greeted enthusiastically, focusing her camera on the rousing patient. Ochako groaned as her eyes slowly opened- her bright, brown eyes confused and glassy as she looked around. “How are you feeling, babe?”
Ochako didn’t respond right away as she came out of her slog. Her mouth opened and she made a sound a bit like a cat hacking up a hairball, and then smacked her dry lips together. She moved to turn her head but the brace around her neck, helping to stabilize her arm and prevent her from jerking about, stalled her from moving.
“I can’t feel my mouth…” she said, opening and closing her jaw slowly, moving it back and forth, as if testing to see if it worked. “Is…is it there?” Her eyes widened in panic as she looked at Mina. “Is my mouth there, Mina? Is…is it there?! I can’t feel it!”
Mina bit her lip to keep from laughing at her friend’s distressed inquiry. Oh, this was gonna be a good one.
“Oh, babe,” she said, patting her sweaty, tangled hair with her free hand, not holding the phone. “It’s still there.”
“Good,” Ochako said dramatically, placing her good hand to her chest and letting out an exhale of deep relief, her eyes lulling shut as a big dopey smile broke out on her face. “Good. You’re a good friend.”
“Miss Uraraka…” Ochako’s eyes snapped open at the new voice in the room, looking right past Mina to the door. And Mina was so happy that she had her phone out and could catch the immediate change that came over Ochako’s face, her mouth parting slightly and her eyes somehow growing even wider, shining with drugs, sleep, and love… for some reason.
“Mina,” Ochako whispered, except it wasn’t a whisper, it was decidedly NOT a whisper. Mina looked over her shoulder at the nurse standing in the doorway and back to Ochako, whose lip was trembling from some unnameable emotion (also probably from the drugs).
“Mina,” she repeated, eyes welling up. “That…is…He’s the most beautiful boy-man I’ve ever seeeeeen!” She squeezed Mina’s hand and let out a high-pitched and prolonged squeal of excitement. “You think he’ll marry me?!”
Oh.
Oh.
This was gonna be good. Mina checked quickly to make sure her phone had sufficient charge for the embarrassment of hilariousness that was about to unfold thanks to drugged up Ochako.
Mina looked again at the nurse- whose eyes were cast down on his tablet, but Mina could see both the flush of pink on his cheeks and the smirk on his lips.
Oh, this was definitely gonna be good.
And honestly, Mina couldn’t fault Ochako’s taste- even if she was high. The way this man in front of them filled out a scrub top was positively delicious. His jaw could cut glass and his unruly blonde hair rounded out a whole I’m-a-bad-boy-but-also-an-overachiever vibe he had going on.
Mina was a good friend.
Really.
The very best friend.
But she couldn’t miss out on this (hopefully) once in a lifetime chance to add further proof that the not-so-secret weapon of the UA women’s volleyball team, leading them to victory after victory this season with her insane jumps and powerful spikes- was a lightweight, in every sense of the word.
And this time, she knew the presence of a sexy nurse was gonna make it so much better.
###
Katsuki Bakugo had been a nurse at UA hospital for three years. And he was damn good at his job. One of the best (for a newbie- he now had to grudgingly concede, considering how many times the seasoned pros around this pace had pulled his nuts out of the fire). But still…even with that concession, he was good at his job. His handwriting was immaculate, and he could translate chicken scratch to near perfection.
He could stand on his feet for 20 hours straight before needing to take a break. He could ignore his bathroom needs for longer than was probably healthy. And he could hold an enormous amount of info in his head. He had thought- at first- that set him apart.
But he was quickly disabused of that notion.
A whole fuck-ton of nurses had been doing this a hell of a lot longer than him, and doing it a lot better than him, and that had been humbling, to say the least.
But still, he had gotten a job at UA after graduating from their highly competitive nursing program.
And he had hacked it for three years.
And he was good at his job.
And he would, one day, be the best.
Especially after he finished working on his damn bedside manner.
But he wasn’t expecting a test quite like this so fast. What the hell was he supposed to do with the way this patient's eyes lit up like he was the damn sun, and declared- loudly- that she wondered if he would marry her?
Sure, as flustered as it made him, it wasn’t the worst reception he had received. Some people took one look at him and couldn’t believe that he was a nurse, sexist assholes.. While others looked at him and assumed he was the doctor- once while he was literally standing next to Dr. Miruko , she had a white coat on for God's sake, and they still asked him questions- their teeny tiny brains unable to comprehend that he was their nurse, not their doctor, super sexist assholes.
As if either of those were an insult.
As if they weren’t just entirely different professions that were both needed to make a hospital as elite as UA function as smoothly as it did.
As if there weren’t nurses in this damn place that kept the whole thing standing.
But things being what they are, he went toe-to-toe with arrogant doctors and even asshole patients who disrespected his colleagues. It was a sad fact of the job that when he entered the room, he was, usually, afforded more respect than his female colleagues.
Never mind that he had only survived his first year because many of the women who worked there had kicked his ass, saved his ass, and chewed out his ass.
All to make him better.
And he was trying to be better.
Trying to be the best.
But none of it told him how to respond when a very cute, very high patient was looking at him like…
Like that.
Don’t get him wrong. He was a professional and knew what NOT to do.
But that didn’t answer what he was supposed to do. Ignore her?
Tell her to fuck off?
He had been strictly instructed not to make patients cry…again, the whole bedside manner thing!
So right now, he pretended not to hear the question that had been addressed to her friend, who was moving away to grant Katsuki more access to the patient.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, moving to the side of the bed. She answered with a beaming smile- her squishy cheeks growing even bigger. She batted her lashes wildly at him, almost forcing him to break his professional detachment with a snort of laughter.
“I’m doing perfect Mr. Nurse-Man,” she hummed. “And…” she raised an eyebrow and attempted to lean in toward him, but was blocked by the bedside railing. “How youuuu doin?” The woman recording behind them, let out a cackle. Katsuki cleared his throat, forcing back his own laugh.
“I’m doing great, Miss Uraraka,” he answered.
“Chako…” she interrupted, suddenly.
“Eh?” He looked at her confused.
“Chako chip…” she giggled. “You can call me…” her nose scrunched up as she groped for her own name. Katsuki looked down at her chart.
“Ochako?” He offered.
She blushed and giggled again- a light happy sound, even when heavy with drugs. “Did you hear that, Mina?” She asked, a shit-eating grin on her face. “He knows my name!”
“That I do, Ochako. Are you in any pain?”
Katsuki checked the incision sites on her arms. “How could I be in any pain?” she leaned in toward him as he took her temp, her eyes narrowing on his name tag before she sang out… “… Kats-uuuki! How could I be in any pain? We’re getting married!” she declared, her eyes alight with excitement.
“Oh, are we?” He asked, unable to keep the smallest smile from breaking.
“Uh huh!” She nodded.
“No post-op fever,” he commented. She pouted, her bottom lip jutting out adorably.
“The hell is that for?” he asked, gesturing toward her whole deflated countenance. “That’s a good thing!” She huffed and he was certain she would have crossed her arms had one not been immobilized.
“You basically told me I wasn’t hot!” She wailed, tears welling up in her eyes. “That’s not a very nice thing to say to me right before we get married.”
“Yeah…” agreed the woman on the other side of the bed, still filming of course. It wasn’t like she was the first to film a friend in an anesthetic-induced stupor. “Rudest thing I’ve ever heard!”
Katsuki glared at her, but all she did was wink at him in return- looking very much like a she-devil in that moment. Then turned back to his patient.
He was trying not to make patients cry for fuck’s shake!
“Hey,” he said gruffly, sitting in the chair by her bed, leaning closer. “Don’t cry.”
She sniffled, her mouth wobbly. He knew patients could get emotional coming out of post-op, but still, he didn’t want to
“I… I just meant it’s good that you don’t have an infection.”
And just like that her mood visibly lifted, “Because then we couldn’t get married!” she declared, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“You know we just met, right?” he asked. She reached out and covered his hand, the one resting on the side railing of her bed. He knew he wasn’t supposed to jerk away. She was clearly in a sensitive state. Momo had told him that patients often will want physical reassurance. And if they initiated, it was fine.
“That doesn’t matter,” she crooned, her mouth lulling open slightly and her eyes drooping shut, and then, just as suddenly, her eyes popped back open and focused on him, and she beamed like she was seeing him again for the first time. “You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my life,” she asserted, her voice light and dreamy. “So…so we…we should definitely get married a sap.”
“A sap?” he repeated.
Her mouth fell open again, aghast at the accusation, her brows knitting together. “I’m not a sap,” she said, clearly offended once again. “I just…I really love you! I love you so much and want to marry you as soon as possible!”
“Well, thank you,” he said, unable to keep the laugh out of his voice, noting that she was still clutching his hand hard. “That’s very nice of you.”
“I’ve never said that to anyone,” she said, lowering her voice like it was a secret, eyes darting around as if checking to make sure no one had overheard.
Cute. She was cute. That was fine, he was allowed to think that. It wasn’t unprofessional. He was a man with eyes, after all.
“Well,” he said. “You’re the first person to say that to me.”
“Noooo!” she said, disbelieving. “But you’re the cutest little guy around!”
“Oi!” He glared at her, only somewhat teasing. “I am not fuckin’ cute!”
She giggled and pulled her hand away and swirled her index finger in front of his face before bopping him on the nose.
He quickly moved to intercept her hand and pull it away from his face.
“You are cute!” she declared, with a nod. “You’re the…” whatever she was about to say was cut off by a coughing fit, drool escaping the corner of her mouth. “Oh no!” she cried, covering her face with her one mobile hand. “I just drooled in front of the most beautiful man I have ever seen!”
“Hey,” he said, grabbing a cup and holding it up as her head lulled to the side to catch the drool. “It happens,” he assured. “It’s normal after surgery.”
Her eyes widened again, looking even more afraid. Her hand moved from her face to clutch his hand again, this time with a little more desperation. “Surgery?!” she repeated, her voice trembling with heartbreaking sadness, as if this was the first she heard of it. “K-katsuki!” she said, her voice trembling. “Katsuki what…” she looked down at her bed and then back at him suddenly. “What happened?” Tears started to well in her eyes again. “Where are my clothes, Katsuki!” Katsuki had to actively keep himself from laughing at her legitimate horror- that was surely not good bed-side manners. “Where are my clothes? M-my uniform? Those are expensive! What’s-?”
He squeezed her hand in what he hoped was an assuring gesture.
“Hey,” he said, drawing her attention away from her terror and back to him.. “Hey, look at me.” She obeyed, her brown eyes snapping up to his, only momentarily distracting him with their warmth. “You’re in the hospital, remember?” She opened her mouth, but before she could voice her fear, he continued. “You had surgery.”
“Oh…” for some reason, he really disliked the way she visually deflated, as she looked over at her arm. He wondered if that was just normal empathy- that thing that Momo had been telling him that he really needed to work on.
“But it went well!” He assured hurriedly, hoping to comfort her and return that cheery, happy spirit that had been present a few moments ago. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the emotions that came with medicine and illness and injury, but this one had been a win. The surgery had been text-book. She didn’t need to be scared and he didn’t want her to be. She had the face of someone who liked to smile.
But she still looked confused and overwhelmed.
“Katsuki,” she whimpered, trying to sit up, but immediately falling back. “I’m scared! Why do I feel so dizzy?”
“You don’t need to be afraid, Ochako,” he said, keeping his voice level. “Ya hear me? You’re at UA Hospital. You had surgery and everything went fine, yeah? Better than fine from what I hear.”
“Okay,” she groaned, her eyes squeezing shut.. “But don’t leave me, okay? I need you and your drool cup, and if I can’t find you, you’ll probably be late to the wedding. And that’ll make me just…” she inhaled sharp and shaky…” soo sad.”
She was like a dog with a bone with that marriage proposal. Given her current state, the tenacity was impressive. He was fairly certain this was the most he had ever been complimented by a girl in the span of five minutes. Sure, Shitty Hair came close, but other than that…
“I’m not going anywhere, Cheeks,” he said, squeezing her hand once more and enjoying the satisfied smile that put on her face. “I’m right here.” Well, at least until her surgeon came or the anesthetics finally wore off and she let go of her vice grip on his fingers.
The woman behind him moved closer, lowering her camera for a moment.
“Is…is she okay?” Katsuki could see the genuine concern in her eyes as she looked back at her friend. Obviously, sitting vigil at her bedside he didn’t think the chick wasn’t loyal, but still, it was always good for patients when they had someone who genuinely cared about them present at their bedside.
“Yeah,” he assured her. “It’s just a reaction to the drugs she’s on.” He gave his attention back to Ochako. “Hey Ochako…” his use of her name seemed to settle her a bit, bringing her back to her previous emotional state of being utterly fixated on him. “Don’t be scared, okay? You’re here because you broke your arm, remember?” Her mouth turned down in a comically exaggerated frown, he wondered if the corners of her mouth that made her smile so big also made her frowns very big.
“How?” she pouted.
Katsuki looked at the woman in the room with him- signaling her to answer the question.
He could probably look at her chart and find out the exact cause but this was easier, and he was sure her friend had context that he didn’t have.
She stepped forward and put a hand on Ochako’s leg. “Remember we were in the semi-finals against Shiketsu.” Katsuki wondered briefly what the sport was. Again info that was likely in her chart, but hadn’t been really relevant to the check-up.
Uraraka nodded.
“You made a dive for the ball and fell back and landed on your arm wrong,” continued the pink-haired girl.
Katsuki didn’t have to imagine what happened next. He had seen the post-op notes, and a fall that would break an arm like that would not have been an easy one or a pretty one.
A short silence fell over them, and Katsuki wondered briefly if she was sobering up.
If she was an athlete then injuries like this could be incredibly heartbreaking. He had seen it happen a few times. Though from what he saw, it was unlikely that this would be a career ending injury; if she put some work into her recovery, there was no reason she couldn’t continue.
“Did I get it?” Uraraka asked, her voice soft and sad.
The woman filming cocked her head to the side. “Huh?”
“The save ?” Uraraka clarified, and he wondered if this was her real voice. “Did I make it in time for the save ? Did we win?”
“You did make the save,” assured the woman, affectionately brushing Uraraka’s bangs out of her eyes. “It was badass. You were so fuckin fast!”
Katsuki couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate her priorities.
Her arm may be jacked, and she may be high off her ass in a drug-induced stupor, but she still wanted to know she got the fuckin win. Her guts were…respectable to say the least.
“But I’m sorry, babe,’” she continued. “We lost this time around.”
Ochako let out a small sniffle again, her frown deepening. “That means I’m a loser,” she cried. “And Katsuki won’t marry me if I’m a loser!”
That felt like a trap.
How was he supposed to assure her that she wasn’t a loser without sounding like he was flirting with her?
Also, how the fuck did she know he had a strict no-loser policy?!
Perceptive little shit, even on drugs.
“Hey,” he started. “You went hard; you went out fighting. That doesn’t mean you’re a loser. If you refuse to go down, that means you’re stupidly strong, yeah?’”
Ochako blinked at him several times, and then that same dumb grin broke out on her face as she kicked her legs excitedly beneath the blankets. “We’re gonna get…MAARRRIEED!” She sang out with her not so impressive singing voice, and he was fairly certain that was not just because of the drugs.
She sang out for everyone in the room and anyone who happened to pass in the hallway.
The woman- Mina, Ochako had called her- burst into laughter while attempting to shush her friend, seeming to finally take pity for the way she was embarrassing herself.
“You’re so loud!” said Mina, through her tears of laughter.
But Ochako only had eyes for Katsuki at that moment, scrunching her face up at him and letting out a delighted squeal.
“You are just the most beautiful little guy around,” she repeated.
She reached her hand back out toward him. “I just wanna...” she pursed her lips and made kissy noises at him and at that point he could no longer conceal his laughter at her ridiculousness.
“I appreciate that,” he chuckled, strategically dodging her hand as she tried to press her palm to his cheek.
“And I reeally like your jaw,” she said dreamily, raising her hand to stroke it.
“It’s so nice...and strong… and sharp…”
Once again, he caught her around the wrist, and gently pushed her touch away. “All right, that's good. You’re doing great, Ochako,” he said, patting the back of her palm as he guided her hand back down to the bed. Luckily, his praise seemed to distract her from the fact that he had rejected her attempt to manhandle him. “I agree. I’m an impressive specimen.”
She looked at him for a moment, her eyes roving over his face and body, her mouth forming a shocked oh , a look of sudden realization settling on her.
Now her searching gaze was not so much filled with love or affection at this point, but with a probing curiosity.
She looked at Mina and then back at Katsuki before tugging him closer, almost conspiratorially as she raised her hand to block her mouth from prying eyes.
He humored her and leaned in closer. But given her grabby state he was on high alert- no matter how cute she was, he was a professional.
“I. Won’t. Tell. Annnyooone,” she whispered, attempting to enunciate every word for him.
“The fuck are you talking about, Cheeks?” he asked, incredulously.
She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to come closer. He leaned in and she whispered into his ear. Except she didn’t whisper- whatever stealth she may have had, long gone now.
But he had no fucking idea what it was that she talking about.
“That you’re a spaceman,” she said. “I won’t tell anyone! I’ll keep your secret, spaceman Katsuki. I’ve always believed in…” she bit her lip and leaned in again to whisper, “aliens. Astronomy is my favorite class so I looove space! So, it doesn’t scare me and I’ll still marry you anyway, spaceman.”
Oh god, he was going to laugh in her face.
She nodded firmly, her bangs bouncing slightly, as though that was all there was to say on the matter.
Oh. My. God.
“Oooh, Ochako you’re so freakin’ cute...” cooed her friend, tears of lighter flowing freely.
That was an accurate assessment of the situation, Katsuki thought, as he contemplated correcting her inaccurate translation of specimen into spaceman. But he settled for playing along, she seemed awfully excited about the fact she had happened upon a man from outer space. “I appreciate the discretion, Cheeks.”
“Aaaand,” she continue, “when we get married, you’ll be in Japan legally so... no one will ever even suspect that you’re from out of the country!”
“And where are we getting married?” He asked, amused and unable to withhold his curiosity. He wondered if these were all previously held plans that she had held since she was a little girl or if they were coming up spur of the moment.
“At the Uraraka farm of course!” She drawled.
“A farm?!” he repeated before he could stop himself. He probably shouldn't indulge the fantasy but still…
She nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, unfazed by his incredulous tone. “That’s right, Mr. Katsuki- Spaceman!”
“Not so sure about that, Cheeks.” Her face scrunched in a scowl in reaction to his reticence. “What?! Why?!” She whined.
“Why would I want my wedding to smell like horse shit?!”
“It won’t, Katsuki!” she yelled. “There may be some chickens but no horseshit! Promise! Just you and me and the chickens and Ma and Pa!”
“Of course,” he answered, sarcastically. “Wouldn’t be a wedding without chickens, would it?”
“Exactly!” She affirmed. There was a beat of silence and then she exploded into uproarious, surprised laughter. “Bah! Egg-sactly!”
She looked between Katsuki and Mina expectantly, waiting for them to catch up with her brilliance, obviously. When they didn’t respond with the accurate enthusiasm, she huffed and pouted. “Screw your guys, I’m hilarious!” She turned her accusing gaze on Katsuki and put a finger in his face.
“You better laugh at all my jokes in my vows, Mr. Nurse Katsuki Space Man! Or else I’ll tell Pa on you!”
“Tch... think your parents are gonna approve of me, Ochako?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” She asked with alarming sincerity, as if an alternative never crossed her mind. It would be sweet if she wasn’t on drugs right now. “You’re smart. You’re a nurse. You’ve been to outer space. And I love you and that’s all that matters to them.”
“Well,” he said, clearing his throat and nodding. “I... uh... guess that means...”
“We’re gonna be the hottest couple around!” She declared.
He held back the “ obviously ” that was on the tip of his tongue and instead offered a tight-lipped nod.
“And our wedding colors will be... hmmm…” she hummed and tapped her chin.”Pink and teal...” she said, with a firm nod.
“Don’t I get a say?”
“And I want you in an orange suit!”
Katsuki made a face, his nose scrunching up in distaste. “No, fuckin’ way!”
“You would look great in orange!” she insisted.
“I don’t know, Cheeks, “ he said, shaking his head. “Sounds pretty tacky, yeah?”
“Nnnooo,” she said, shaking her head. “You’ll look so handsome in an orange suit, and I’ll wear a pink and teal dress and I’ll be so beautiful that you’ll want to cry!”
“I don’t cry, Cheeks.”
A lie. But she didn’t know that.
“You will when you see me in my dress,” she returned in a sing-song voice, and then her eyes were past him and back at the door.
“Oh, my gawww,” she exclaimed, pointing excitedly. “Dr. Aizawa can officiate!”
Katsuki turned and looked at Aizawa, meeting his mentor's confused look with a “what are ya gonna do” shrug. “Will you officiate mine and Katsuki’s wedding?”
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. “Miss Uraraka, I’m assuming the anesthetics haven’t quite worn off yet?”
“Wouldn’t know,” she shrugged, returning a loving gaze to Katsuki. “I’m just happy to be here, and we’ll be so happy together.”
But even as she spoke her eyes began to droop tiredly as Aizawa explained some of her post op instructions & what her rehab would look like.
Katsuki should rouse her- it was important info. But she was clinging to his hand still and she was so sleepy, and she was yawning like some fucking adorable little cat.
He wondered for a moment if he should pull his hand out of her grasp.
Or if he should wait?
Ultimately the decision was made for him, because when Aizawa was halfway through the explanation and recommendations for recovery, her parents (at least he was assuming these were her parents given that the woman was a copy of Uraraka... or she was a copy of her more like) showed up in the room. .
“Look who it is,” said Mina, putting her phone away. “The in-laws!” Katsuki glared at her. “You shut your mouth!”
But Mina let out a delighted laugh. Luckily Ma and Pa were too distracted by their half-conscious daughter & were busy asking questions of Aizawa and Katsuki.
He answered the ones he could, quickly falling back into work mode after one of the most bizarre and entertaining interactions he had ever had with a patient- trying to ignore that he didn’t entirely hate the feel of her hand around his.
###
Ochako had always dreamed she would become famous.
She dreamed that a particularly badass spike or save would go viral.
That she would become verified on Twitter when she and her amazing team won UA its first win at nationals for volleyball (men or women). She was hilarious as hell on Tik Tok too, dammit!
She dreamed that any fame would come from her becoming a famous volleyball player.
What she had not dreamed was that she would go viral for flirting with a hot nurse… That had not been on her bingo card for this year.
And yet- here she was- having proposals shouted at her from across campus, boys showing up to her apartment in orange suits and drool cups. There were even shirts! Shirts, for god's sake.
Mina was lucky Ochako loved her as much as she did
Mina was also lucky that- sadly- Ochako had too many things on her plate to worry about her claim to fame being a less funny “Charlie bit my finger.” She was a bit too busy mourning the possible loss of her senior year; of losing months of training and conditioning; of agonizing over whether or not she would ever be able to perform at the same level ever again.
But in the end, Ochako had allowed herself to sulk for three days.
Three days of wondering if her volleyball career was over.
Three days of being pissed that they had lost the national qualifiers this year.
Three days of watching bad T.V. and occasionally checking the comments on her YouTube video that had now been viewed 1, 523, 231 times after six days, half of them were her own damn team. Traitors!
Izuku had watched it several times too and Shoto had sent her memes that now included her drugged out face and her needy declarations of love.
Luckily everyone was, for the most part, nice, most of them giving approval of her choice of husband... sometimes very graphic and over the top approval.
Poor guy. Just trying to do his job and now he had all kinds of strangers thirsting after him online. She hoped that this very patient nurse didn’t hate her.
But- like the video- that was not her top priority.
After three days of moping she called UA for a physical therapy appointment. She only had one year left playing with this team. One more year to prove that they could do the impossible and dethrone Ketsubutsu as the four-year national champions.
So, she wanted to be ready as soon as the orange cast got taken off in six to eight weeks (at first she had been confused why she had chosen that color- it wasn’t even in her radar of favorite colors- but then…well, after watching the video she assumed it was so their colors didn’t clash at the wedding).
She wanted to have a plan in place so she could hit the ground running- so to speak. And that meant getting the support she needed and finding herself a physical therapist right away.
The first doctor she met with at UA was fine, obviously qualified. But he was way too soft and she got the vibe that he wouldn’t push her as far as she wanted to go.
The second one Ochako met with was also fine, but her personality just rubbed Ochako the wrong way and she planned to be spending a lot of time with this person. She seemed way too pessimistic in the guise of being “realistic.” Ochako didn’t need that kinda energy in her life!
But the third doctor, he… he was kinda perfect.
Dr. Eijiro Kirishima.
She liked him from the get-go. He was an imposing man in general- broad and towering over her. When she found out that he had been on the weightlifting team at UA, she felt an immediate kinship to him and knew he would understand her desire to push herself as a competitive athlete.
And when he didn’t roll his eyes, when he didn’t try and talk her down, when his first reaction was to trust her knowledge of her own limitations, she knew she had found a winner.
“I don’t want to miss my last year,” she told him. “I want to be ready and out on the court with my team for the first game of the season.”
“I totally respect that,” he told her.“But that means you’ll have to follow my rehab plan exactly. Don’t deviate without running it past me first, or you could end up with permanent damage, you got me?”
She got him.
“And you think I’ll be back out on the court by next season?”
“No guarantees,” he said. “But my hope is that you’ll be back to training by the start of the summer.”
That!
That right there was the type of energy she needed!
She wanted someone who knew the reality of her injury but wasn’t a negative- Norbert either!
In the meantime, while her hand was immobilized, she focused on her cardio. Walking and eventually moving to a light jog (so as not to jostle it around too much while healing), and working her lower body at the gym with Mina.
And when that wretched, stinky cast was removed. She was more than eager to get started.
“I really like him, Shoto!” she said, as she made her way to her first physical therapy session. She had met with Kirishima several times but was excited to get started on the actual thing.
“I suppose that’s important,” Shoto said, opening the doors for her in that way he would have done whether she had a cast on or not. She supposed it was that rich, well-bred upbringing of his, and she had long ago stopped trying to convince him it wasn’t necessary.
Just like coming with her to therapy on her first day.
“It’s cold out, Ochako,” he had insisted. “You shouldn’t walk in this.”
“My leg isn’t broken, Sho’.”
“I know that,” he said, matter of factly. “But it very well might if you slip on ice. And then where would you be? Back in the hospital, making a fool of yourself for another hot nurse.”
“SHOTO!”
“I’m saving you from yourself,” he insisted. And in the end, she supposed driving the short distance on his heated seats wasn’t so bad.
Especially with the amount of discomfort she was about to go through.
And it was uncomfortable.
No one had ever caused her so much pain while looking at with a sunshine grin like that. Coach Tatsuma caused her pain, but she didn’t smile as big as Dr. Kirishima.
“Come on, dude,” Kirishima encouraged, as she lifted the small weight in her palm- something that would have once been so easy for her to do but now was causing a great deal of stress and sweat.
“Would you like me to distract you?” asked Shoto. “I could sing a song perhaps?”
Ochako let out a snort of a laugh. She had five more reps. “Say something to distract me,” she breathed, lifting the small weight up, curling her weakened muscle.
Shoto squatted beside where she was sitting and peered up at her, and Ochako immediately regretted her choice.
Not her choice to bring him but to put him in the position of having to comfort her.
She loved him, she truly did, but the cheeky, butthead delighted in embarrassing her.
“Have you run into your betrothed here yet?” he asked.
“SHOTO!”
“Woa, you have a betrothed roaming the halls of UA?” asked Kirishima, looking between the two of them excited and delighted. “How did I not know this?”
“Because,” she exhaled breathily. “I do not have a betrothed, whatever the hell that is! He’s being a butt!”
“Wait?” declared Shoto, looking at Kirishima. “She hasn’t told you that she’s internet famous.”
“Sho,” she growled. Two more reps and then she could punch him in the face. She was sure she could summon the strength for that. Kiri looked at Shoto for a moment and then back at Ochako, looking somewhat guilty. “What?!” she asked defensively.
“Weell,” said Kiri. “I wasn’t gonna bring it up if you didn’t, buuuut…”
Ochako finished her set and dropped the small weight. “You’ve seen it?”
“Everyone has seen it,” answered Shoto.
“He’s right,” agreed Kirishima. “It’s an internet sensation. My mother and my grandmother sent it to me!”
Her head dropped back between her shoulders. “Oooof course,” she said with a labored sigh. “So glad to hear my humiliation spans generations.”
“No way,” said Kirishima, holding a cup of water up for her. “I thought it was sweet! I for one would have been very flattered!”
She let out an unattractive snort and a half-hearted, “sure.”
“Well, at least the nurse was a good sport about it,” she said. “ I really should find him and apologize for that.”
“You don’t need to do that,” said Kirishima, with a wide, knowing smirk that Ochako didn’t have any context for. “I’m sure he didn’t mind.”
“I hope not,” she said, pursing her lips and letting out a forlorn sigh. “He was really cute though,” she conceded. “And really attentive and kind to me while I was being a pain in the ass.”
She wasn’t blind. She had rewatched the video enough times to know that at least.
Nurse Bakugo’s arms were fantastic.
His voice… jeez… it just did things to her.
He was just the type of a guy she would see across the room at a crowded bar and think about hitting on before convincing herself that he was well out of her league.
Until she was three shots, that is (okay even one shot it- she was a lightweight), and suddenly remembered just how hot she was…
And how good a dancer she was.
And how great her ass was.
And he would be lucky to be flirted with by her, thank you very much!
“You still with us, Ochako?” Kirishima asked, a shit-eating grin on his face? She jerked her eyes back up to her audience, both observing her with knowing looks. “What?!” She asked defensively.
Kirishima bit back another smile, which surprised her. He was usually so enthusiastic with his smile, she wondered why he would be wanting to play it cool with that one?
But she didn’t have time to linger on that because before she knew it, he was all business again, jumping to her next exercise.
###
Eijiro came in from work that day to the smell of something delicious in the air.
“Honey, I’m home!”
The angry huff from the kitchen let him know that his roommate had heard him. “I told you to stop calling me that, you shit!”
“But it’s funny!” he said, peeking over Katsuki’s shoulder to see what he was stirring in the pot.
“Only to you,” Katsuki muttered.
“That’s because you have no discernable sense of humor.”
“OI! You want to eat your microwaveable cup of noodles for dinner?”
Eijiro draped himself over the counter dramatically. “No way, bro,” he said. “I need nourishment. I had a long day at work!”
“Tch…you had a long day? Five patients threw up on me! Five!”
“Is that a lot?” asked Eijiro, rolling out his neck.
Katsuki scowled. “It was meatball sub day in the cafeteria!”
Eijiro scrunched his nose in a flicker of empathy, before turning into a troll again.
“I’m sorry not every patient can profess their undying love to you, Katsuki!”
Katsuki blinked at him, stewing with wordless rage for a good five seconds before he turned back to the stove with a huff.
“No dinner for you, then?”
“Oh stop,” said Eijiro, testing the waters after his illuminating conversation with Ochako. “Stop pretending like that wasn’t your favorite day of work in your three years at UA.”
“It was a perfectly normal day,” said Katsuki, attempting to keep his tone even and unaffected, but he couldn’t hide the blush tinting his ears.
The blush on his cheeks that always appeared with Eijiro teased him about his brief moment of internet celebrity.
Or when Eijiro teased him about the very-VERY- cute girl who proposed to him; who also happened to be his patient (that had been a surprise).
Eijiro hadn’t done it in a while- not since Katsuki had locked him out of the apartment for spamming his text messages every five minutes with different thirsty comments on the now-viral video.
“Paging Nurse Bakugo- I have a bone that needs examining. In. My. Pants!”
“I’ll turn my head and cough for that hunk of man any day.”
“Do you think Nurse Katsuki would tutor me in human anatomy?”
“BRB- gonna run into traffic and tell them to take me to UA.”
And so on…
Yeah. Eijiro would have locked himself out too. If he was being honest.
But still, he couldn’t resist.
But having seen Ochako again today- and hearing her concern over his best bro- he was a little curious.
But- like Bakugo always did- he talked himself out of accepting anything nice that was said about him.
Cute.
Beautiful.
Attentive.
All those incredible sweet things that she had called him, Katsuki had chalked it up to just the meds. Which Eijiro knew was part of it. But still…she had repeated today that she thought he was cute and had praised his professionalism. And Katsuki still blushed every time Eijiro brought it up.
For someone with such a huge ego- he had the hardest time accepting sincere compliments. It was weird.
And while Eijiro would never violate confidentiality by telling Katsuki about his new, and right now, favorite, patient. But still- he was gonna be on the lookout, should any opportunity present itself for them to happen upon each other.
“Well,” Eijiro said. “I had a long day, but…” he crossed his arms and stared dreamily ahead. “A patient brought a really hot friend with them to therapy.”
Katsuki snorted. “Sure, they weren’t together?”
“Nah,” he said with a confident smirk. “He was eyeing me the whole time.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be paying attention to patients?”
“I’m a talented man,” he said, holding out his arm. “I can take care of my patients and enjoy the not so sly glances from her hot companion.”
“You’re such a fuckin’ dumbass,” muttered Katsuki, turning off the stove. “Go get some plates so we can eat.”
“Aww…you’re so good to me,” crooned Eijiro, really testing his luck with Katsuki’s patients today. “Don’t worry, Nurse Katsuki! I will never replace you with anyone else. To me you will always be the cutest little guy around!”
###
Ochako’s therapy lasted 6 months and Dr. Kirishima, her current most favorite human in the world, made good on his not-promise that she would be back to training soon.
Her arm was almost up to full strength and function and in another few weeks she would have one more appointment to confirm that she could go back to all of her rigorous, athletic activities and regular workouts.
At the end of her last therapy session, she gave him a long hug, and could barely hold back her tears of gratitude. She couldn’t wait to get back out on the court, to get back with her team, but still she was really going to miss him now that her PT was over.
“Thank you so much, Dr. Kirishima,” she gushed while she had him wrapped in a hug.
“Hey,” he said, returning her hug with the warmth and enthusiasm that made him so damn likeable. “Don’t thank me, you did all the work here!” He broke away and grinned down at her. “I was just there to cheer you on.”
“Well,” she said. “I- I hope you can come see me play when the season starts again and cheers me on there!”
She wasn’t sure if that was a weird thing to ask, but the instant enthusiasm that lit up his eyes told her that it was fine. “Absolutely,” he said. “I can’t wait to watch you kick ass! Send me your schedule when you get it?”
Yup, she was really going to miss him and all of that good energy.
Though, it seemed, not as much as Shoto.
“Bummer,” sighed Shoto, when he was unable to accompany her on her last day. He had inexplicably become her regular ride. Even when the ride became unnecessary, he still insisted on coming with her. At first. she thought it was because he was a good, caring friend, but then…
“Well, I do care about you,” Shoto explained when she pressed him about it ahead of their morning jog. “But also…Your doctor is hot. I…I thought that was obviously the reason I was there?” He shrugged with a sigh. “Well, I guess, as always, I was too damn subtle and now I lost my shot with him.”
“Well,” said Ochako, coming up out of her stretch to bounce on her toes. “You may get another chance with him!”
“Oh?” He cocked his head in interest. “Say more?”
“I invited him to come and see me play, I’ll just let him know you’re there, so he can sit with someone he knows!”
“Look at you,” said Shoto, clicking his tongue and beginning the run down the street. She quickly fell in pace beside him.. “A regular Cupid.”
“That’s what they call me,” she said.
So what if her love life had been completely static for four years- she could work some magic for a good friend.
###
“Why the fuck are we here?” asked Katsuki, staring up at the gates of the gymnasium with the UA emblem blazoned across the entrance, “I graduated 3 years ago and have managed to avoid returning since then.”
“Oh, come on,” said Shitty Hair, dragging him through the gate. “Where’s your school pride?”
“Why should I be proud of them?!” he barked. “I’m the one who paid them obscene amounts of money to educate me. They should be proud of me, dammit,” said Katsuki, only half-heartedly resisting Kiri’s pull toward the entrance.
“They are,” assured Kiri. “And stop bitching! I’m here supporting a friend!””
“Yeah right,” Katsuki spat. “You just want to see that guy you’ve been texting!”
“That too,” agreed Kiri with an eager nod. “He’s fancy and rich, so don’t blow this for me.”
“I’m gonna,” Katsuki muttered petulantly. But the minute Katsuki crossed into the gym to see what exactly the sport was- the minute he was surrounded by the short shorts and the squeak of sneakers on wood- his petty annoyance was replaced by something else entirely.
His Bakurage…
He froze and turned his furious gaze to his friend.
“Shitty Hair,” he pushed out through gritted teeth. “What. The. Fuck?
His friend looked at him feigning innocence. “What?!” He asked with an exaggerated shrug.
“You didn’t tell me it was fucking volleyball!”
“You didn’t ask!” Shitty Hair protested. “How was I supposed to know you hated volleyball!”
“I don’t!” Katsuki yelled, drawing attention from a few people entering with them. Katsuki shot them a dirty look before lowering his voice. “I don’t hate volleyball,” he continued. “But don’t pretend like you ain’t pulling some sneaky shit!”
“I’m not,” insisted Shitty Hair, eyes wide in feigned innocence.
“Is there even a friend or a “hot guy” you’ve been texting or was that all a rouse for you to get me here and…”
“Dr. Kirishima!” called a priggish voice, cutting off Katsuki’s well-founded accusation.
“What did I tell you, man? It’s Kirishima or Eijiro, drop the doctor, yeah?” returned Kirishima, turning toward the man approaching them.
“Right,” he said. “Apologies.” Katsuki couldn’t help but notice the way the guy's face fell when he saw Katsuki.
A good sign for Kiri, but a possible misunderstanding that could upend his efforts if Kirishima didn’t clear up his relationship with Katsuki. Katsuki considered for a moment being an epic ass as payback and leaning into Kiri’s giant shoulders, playing with his hair, whispering a little too low in his ear… leaving too lingering touches, enough to really make the extra sweat.
All to get his friend back for bringing him here under false pretenses.
But Katsuki wasn’t that big of an asshole (usually), and he could see the way Shitty Hair’s stupid smile lit up at the sight of this guy with the scar.
“This is my friend,” said Kiri, putting emphasis on the word friend, which did make Katsuki want to bring up the several encounters they had over the last few years- some drunken and some not so drunken, all very ENTHSTUSIATICALLY consensual, not to mention athletic as fuck!
But once again, Katsuki beat back his instinct to act like a little shit in retaliation…he really deserved a medal for this shit.
“Bakugo, this is Shoto Todoroki,” said Kiri gesturing to him. “Todoroki this is…”
“Oh, I know who he is,” interrupted Half-in-Half, looking at him carefully.
“Rriiight,” said Kiri looking between the two of them. Shoto narrowed his eyes slightly appraisingly. “You’re much cuter in person,” he observed.
“The fuck?!” roared Katsuki, once again drawing the attention of the same group sitting on the stadium seats close by.
“What?” quired the Todoroki prick, looking innocent in that same way that Kiri did when he knew he was getting a rise out of Katsuki. “I was just saying. I’ve seen the video many times…”
“You and everyone else,” groused Katsuki, looking for an exit, an instinct that Kiri recognized because he immediately reached out and grabbed Katsuki’s arm.
“And I’m saying that I didn’t really get it from the video,” Todoroki continued, either not reading the emotions from Katsuki or else flat-out ignoring them. “Ochako’s enchantment with you, that is. Now I see it.”
Katsuki didn’t care that he was paying him a compliment- something about his tone made it sound weird.
Fuck- who used the word enchantment?
Rich, posh, assholes, that’s who.
Not that Katsuki wasn’t…well off…but still he didn’t go around saying words like “enchantment.”
This guy was weird.
It was weird that he was here.
It was weird that Katsuki had to forcibly keep his eyes from searching the court for a flash of chestnut hair.
It had been about nine months since he had seen her…well, seen here in person and not on a screen. She was gonna think that he was a fuckin’ stalker or creeper.
“Does Ochako know you brought him?” asked Todoroki, looking at Kirishima.
“I asked her if it was okay if I brought a friend when she invited me?” he offered sheepishly. “I mean I wasn’t entirely forthcoming. Do you think she’ll mind?”
Todoroki tapped his chin thoughtfully, and hummed before he spoke. “No,” he said. “I don’t think she’ll mind. I think she’ll squeal, turn every shade of red, she’ll laugh awkwardly.”
Todoroki looked at Katsuki, addressing him. “And trust me when I say that her awkward laugh is the most god-awful ugly sound you have ever heard. Nothing like that tinkling, musical princess laugh you heard under anesthesia.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes. “What are you? Her brother?” He snarked.
Todoroki crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “One of many,” he said, his voice holding a warning that Katsuki was 100% sure he had done nothing to deserve. Katsuki didn’t even want to be here, for gods’ sake!
He wanted to be at home, listening to true crime podcasts with a glass of wine and getting ready for bed, dammit! He had limited free time and going to watch college volleyball was not on his list of approved free time activities. But clearly he had absolutely no say in any of this!
No matter how often Katsuki had wondered what that girl's voice sounded like when she wasn’t high. No matter how many times he wondered how many shades Of brown were in her doe eyes!
“Come on,” said Todoroki, guiding them down some stairs and closer to the court.
“Didn’t know volleyball was this popular,” observed Katsuki, attempting to maintain his grumpy attitude so as not to appear too interested.
“It’s not usually,” said Todoroki. “But the team has drastically improved over the last four years.
“And last year, they went further than any volleyball team, men or women, in the past 62 years. So…” he shrugged. “School spirit is high right now.”
Todoroki led them to a row that was right in front of the action.
Nowhere for Katsuki to hide.
Not that he would!
He wasn’t a coward, dammit!
Todoroki bobbed his finger down the row, pointing out the three people sitting on the row already. “This is Izuku Midoriya,” he said, pointing toward a floppy-haired, freckled-face boy who looked all too thrilled to meet them.
“Tenya Iida,” he said, pointing to a giant in glasses, sitting ramrod straight like there was a literal stick in his ass. “This is Denki Kaminari.” He pointed at the last one in the row, a blonde who offered them a thumbs up, with a dunce-face that immediately annoyed Katsuki.
“They all play for the men’s team.”
Well, that checked out.
The little freckled one looked wiry.
And the stiff one had legs like fuckin’ tree trunks.
The blonde one…well, Katsuki couldn’t get past the face.
“This is Dr. Kirishima,” introduced Todoroki.
“Please,” he said. “You can call me Kiri, Kirishima, Eijiro…” he gestured toward Katsuki. “This guy calls me Shitty Hair, so…”
Each one stood to greet and shake Kirishima’s hand, while Bakugo sulked behind them, hoping that he could get through this without talking to a single person. “You did Uraraka’s rehab, right?” said Izuku. “She said you were fantastic!”
“Well,” he said, ignoring Katsuki’s pointed glare. “She did her rehab,” he said. “I was just there to help her do it safely. She had a lot of drive and tenacity and that’s 90% of it.” Katsuki’s fists were shoved into his jacket pockets as he inwardly seethed at his friend's deception. This no-good, busy-body was on his shit list permanently now! “But it’s nice to meet all of you,” greeted Kirishima, waving at them, falling immediately into an easy friendship.
“And glad someone is here to explain the rules because I know nothing about this sport except you want to get the ball over the net,” Kiri continued. “We’ll be happy to explain,” said Freckles, scooting down and making room.
“Izuku is the man for that job,” said Todoroki fondly. “He brings a notebook to every game.” Freckles looked flustered both with the compliment and with the reveal about the nerdy notebook in his lap.
“Well,” he offered, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s uh…this is a great team! I want to learn all I can to improve our team's performance this year. And when we share a school with some of the best players in the country it would be foolish too…”
“Nah man,” said Kirishima, flopping down beside him. “I think it’s smart! Always be prepared, right, Bakugo?” Katsuki grunted in response, trying to decide where to sit.
If he sat next to Kirishima now, that meant he would not only be separating Kiri from the bastard he had come to actually talk to, but it would also leave Katsuki sitting with people on BOTH sides, which sounded like his own personalized hell.
“Bakugo?!” Asked the blonde-headed dunce-face, his eyes lighting up. “You’re Bakugo!?” he looked positively delighted. “As in THE nurse Katsuki?” Kirishima bit his lip and looked at Katsuki pleadingly, begging him not to murder anyone.
“It is!” said Iida. “Have you come to watch our talented Uraraka in her victorious return?”
“No,” he snapped without thinking. “I came because this idiot dragged me along!” he finished, jerking his thumb at Kirishima, who didn’t have the decency to look guilty.
But he was a good friend, so he let Todoroki sit beside Kirishima who was happily chatting with Freckles. Katsuki knew that was a part of Kirishima’s whole dating schtick.
“You gotta prove that you’re good with their friends! No one wants to date someone who brings down a whole friend group.” Of course, Kirishima had followed up with a snarky comment about that being why no one wanted to risk dating Katsuki, which had earned Kiri a solid punch.
Katsuki thought it was a dumb rule. Choosing to date someone didn’t mean you had to date their friends. Katsuki looked down the row and wondered, for completely unrelated reasons, if they were ALL friends with Uraraka, or if they were just here to support the team.He really should have put it together when Shitty Hair dragged him to a volleyball game, but- hey- from the size of the crowd gathered there were a lot of people into volleyball at this damn school. He certainly hadn’t been into it when he had attended UA university.
To be fair, he hadn’t focused on anything except his own schooling. But the fact that Kiri had insisted that Katsuki join him really should have tipped him off that it was about more than just being a buffer with the “hot friend.” Kirishima rarely, if ever, needed a buffer.
He was his own buffer- stupid, friendly idiot. His gaze snapped up to the court when he heard the teams shout their name and their huddle break away and run onto the court. Todoroki leaned into him (the audacity) and whispered knowingly, “She’s number three.”
“Didn’t ask,” Katsuki spat, as he shrugged off his jacket. Besides, his eyes had found her right away, noting quickly how much shorter she was than everyone else. He wondered if that was a disadvantage for her- he didn’t know enough about the sport to know for certain.
“I sure as fuck didn’t ask to be dragged along for this! That asshole made me!” he said, jutting his chin aggressively at Kirishima. Todoroki stared at him for a moment, his gaze going up and down once over his person before landing again on Katsuki’s face with an amused smile.
“And did Dr. Kirishima also make you wear an orange shirt?” He queried.
This. Asshole!
Katsuki’s eyes widened momentarily, looking down to, indeed, find that his shirt was orange, a muted, non-obnoxious orange, but orange all the same. Fuck. “T-that wasn’t on purpose!” he sputtered. “I didn’t even know what was going on?”
Todoroki arched an eyebrow and wasn’t even bothering to hide his wicked smirk now. “Didn’t you though?” He asked, his tone both smug and condescending.
“Fuck you!” raged Katsuki.
But Todoroki only laughed before turning back to Kirishima, leaving Katsuki to stew in his own confusion and rage and consider whether or not he should put his jacket back on.
But that thought didn’t plague him for too long, because almost as soon as the whistle blew, Katsuki immediately found himself engaged. Sure, he didn’t know a lot about the sport, but he had some idea what was going on, and could kinda overhear Freckles and Todoroki answering Kiri’s questions
Even so, he really didn’t need to know a lot to know that Ochako Uraraka was a fuckin’ badass. If her height was a disadvantage, it certainly didn’t show. She was fast as fuck, seeming to appear and reappear on opposite sides of the court in the span of seconds.
And those legs… Fuck- THOSE THIGHS. Even from where he was sitting in the stands he could see the power behind those jumps, see the way they rippled and tensed before she jumped. It was… Fuckin’ majestic, is what it was.
He had not seen those at the hospital and was momentarily grateful for the fact. Sure, he would have maintained all manner of professionalism, but still he would be lying if he said he wouldn’t be fighting the distraction.
How the hell did she get so high in the air? What the fuck did she do with all that gravity that lesser mortals were bound by? Did she just give it the middle-finger and say “I do what I want!”?
Fuck. That was hot.
Because that was sure the hell what it looked like. He didn’t know all the rules, but he knew when she was in the air and slapped the shit out of the ball (he was sure that wasn’t the technical term, but that’s what it looked like) it sounded like a bomb when it hit the floor.
He didn’t know a lot about the sport, but watching her kick-ass, and run and jump and leap…he could see where that injury had come from. Girl didn’t hold a damn thing back- which could lead to incredible successes and horrible losses.
But either way, Katsuki believed it was the only way to do anything.
And putting aside everything else, the proposal, flirting, and being called “beautiful” more times in one night than his whole life, that kind of shit, that go-hard and take no prisoners and be willing to sacrifice everything to win…that shit was his weakness (well, that and thick thighs…of course, something that Kirishima also knew about him). As far as Katsuki was concerned, the most attractive thing in the whole damn world was putting your all into the thing that you loved. And from here, he could see that she loved it; saw it in the way she moved, screamed, hustled, and sweated for her team.
He was sure- vaguely- that the whole team was probably excellent from the size of the lead that UA had on the other team, but he just couldn’t take his eyes off of her, only catching her eyes a few brief moments, but every time the heat and focus and intensity struck him.
It was…very very different from the dreamy, far away look she had given him after surgery. And there was no contest about which one he liked better. That look… that look just…did things for him.
After a particular play that ended in a point and uproarious applause, Katsuki could hear Todoroki and Izuku go into a flutter of excited explanation, breaking down every moment for Kirishima with excited glee, going on about the timing, and the power, and the trust, and the teamwork.
There was no reason, really for him to be interested, to want to listen to what went into that, because it wasn’t like he was gonna make a habit of coming to her games? Right? That was a dumb thought. He had no reason to go to another one.
None whatsoever. But still, the longer the match went on, the more interested he became. Not enough to ask a question, but enough to listen in on the conversation and Google some quick questions on his phone.
By the end of the 3rd game, decidedly dominated by UA, his volleyball knowledge had grown a lot (which wasn’t hard as it had been 0 when he walked in). He had been so lost in how incredible she was that he completely forgot to be nervous and horrified at the incoming awkwardness of the entire weird situation.
Because he was sure that he wasn’t going to make it out of this day without speaking to her. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to make it out without speaking to her. But still… they honestly had no real foundation; what were they supposed to talk about? It wasn’t like she actually thought he was beautiful or anything. He didn’t actually think she was attracted to him. He was a nurse- he knew those drugs made people loopy, made them say things with zero foundation. But… still…
He wanted to talk to her.
“Come one, man!” He broke out of his thoughts to find everyone standing up and filling out of the bleachers past him. “We’re gonna go say hi!”
“Why?!” he snapped (because he was Katsuki Bakugo and had to be a brat about it).
Kirishima scrunched his nose and narrowed his eyes. “Fine!” Kiri said, shrugging. “I don’t care what you do!” he said breezily, calling Katsuki’s bluff and Katsuki immediately cursed his unstoppable, bratty nature, because now Kirishima got to gloat when Katsuki got to his feet to follow after them.
###
Ochako had absolutely no idea how some of her beautiful teammates managed to work and sweat their asses off with the same intensity that she did and still manage to look amazing after a game. While she at the end of every game, looked like a sweaty, red-faced swamp goblin.
This was not typically an issue of concern for her. But now after her third blink and head-shake to make certain she was seeing what she actually was seeing and not hallucinating, there was no denying that the “friend” that Kirishima had invited for her first game was Nurse Katsuki Bakugo.
Her Nurse Katsuki Bakugo. Shit. Shit. “Mina!” she hissed, grabbing her friend before she could pass her on her way out of the locker room.
“Look!” Ochako pushed the door open a crack and motioned for Mina to look.
“What is it?” she asked, peaking through and taking a moment to realize what Ochako could possibly be asking her to observe before her mouth fell open in a wide smile. “Oh. My. GOD!” she squealed. Ochako jerked Mina back inside and let the door shut before her delighted shrieks gave away their position.
“What do I do?!” Ochako beseeched, fanning out the collar of the tank top she had thrown on, trying to disperse her smell.
“What do you mean what do you do?” asked Mina, incredulously. “Go out there and finish what you started!"
“I look awful!” Ochako protested pitifully.
Mina rolled her eyes. “No you don’t,” she said. “You look glorious! A mighty warrior- queen leaving her field of battle with a sheen of sweat and blood.”
Ochako narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, “Don’t lie to me!”
“I’m not,” Mina assured. “Trust me you looked a lot worse at the hospital, and need I remind you that you required a drool cup then…which…” she looked out once more. “I may need a drool cup myself,” she sighed. “Who's that hunk of man with him?”
“Sorry, babe,” said Ochako, patting Mina’s shoulder. “Shoto is already moving in on that.”
“Boo,” she pouted, but then shrugged carelessly. “Ahh well, they will make a beautiful couple!”
“Focus, Mina!” Ochako scolded, snapping her fingers in Mina’s face.
“Right!” Mina grabbed Ochako’s shoulders and looked down at her as if she were about to impart beautiful words to send her on a quest. “I love you.” Mina pressed a kiss to Ochakos forehead and before Ochako could stop her, Mina spun her around back toward the exit and shoved her through the swinging door and out in front of her group of friends, her doctor, and…her nurse.
“Ochako!” greeted Izuku happily before Ochako could retreat back into her cave like the goblin she was. He ran over her to her and caught her in a big hug. “You were amazing out there!”
“Truly,” agreed Iida. “You could not have asked for a more victorious return to the court.”
Denki threw his arm over her shoulder and ruffled her hair playfully. “Missed watching your short-ass float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!” She shoved him off with mock-annoyance and turned her attention to the less daunting of guests.
“Dr. Ki…” She quickly corrected herself. “Kirishima,” she greeted. “I’m so glad you came!” She gave him a quick but friendly hug. “I really appreciate it!”
“Are you kidding me?” he exclaimed with his contagious enthusiasm. “I’m so glad I got to see you play. You were amazing, Ochako! You all were! I had no idea that volleyball was this…exciting! I’ll definitely come see you play again, if you don’t mind.”
She lit up excitedly- always eager to share and spread her love for the sport. “Absolutely!” she agreed, bobbing her head excitedly, deeply aware of her growing need to acknowledge the fact that Nurse Bakugo was here. Standing a few feet away. Looking positively grouchy.
“Ochako,” said Kirishima, biting his lip to hold back his enthusiasm. “Obviously, you know my friend, Katsuki Bakugo.” She nodded and smiled at him, tentatively.
“Hey,” she said with an awkward laugh and wiggle of her fingers. God, she hated her awkward laugh. She had it on good authority that it was a terrible, ugly sound.
“It’s uh…I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Blame this asshole.” He cocked his head toward Kirishima, who looked all too pleased to take the blame for that one.
“That you’re here?” she queried. “Or that I didn’t know that you were going to be here?”
His brow furrowed. “Both?”
“Ahh…” she said, hoping that he didn’t quite catch the briefly dejected look in her eyes. “I see.”
His scowl softened for a beat, only to quickly return. “I stayed, didn’t I?” he barked pointedly.
And that made her smile. “Yeah,” she said. “Yeah, you did.”
“You were…you played good,” he offered. It was impossible to miss the bright pink color that tinged his ears at the gruffly offered compliment that made her stupidly happy.
“Thanks” she said, flexing her arm theatrically. “Guess the surgery was a success.”
“Tch… guess so.” They stood for a moment in silence, and Ochako prayed that her friends at least had the decency to look like they weren’t eavesdropping. “You wore orange?” she observed suddenly, without thinking, almost immediately regretting it.
“SO!” he barked defensively, making her snort with laughter. “It’s a fine color! A completely legitimate color that one would wear in public for any number of reasons! Just because I think an orange suit is tacky does not mean I don’t own any clothes that are orange!”
“You know,” said Ochako, crossing her arms and smirking up at him. “You were a lot nicer to me when I was high on drugs.”
“And you,” he said, lowering slightly so he could look her straight in the eye, thrilling her. “Are a lot bigger pain in the ass when you aren’t on drugs!”
And- oh god- there was an honest to god pout on his mouth that was just…perfectly bratty and biteable. “How so?” she returned, her smile not faltering in the slightest.
He huffed. “Well, first off, you complimented me a hell of a lot more then.”
She went up on her toes to bring herself just a little closer, unable to hold back the flirty wiggle of her shoulders. “What?” she asked innocently. “Want me to tell you how BEEEAUUUTIFUL you are, Nurse Spaceman Katsuki?” He rolled his eyes but let out a snort of laughter. “And how much I like your jaw? And how you’re the cutest guy around?” Her voice took on a feigned dreaminess meant to tease him further. She liked to pretend this was her way of taking back the power in the situation- just leaning into the ridiculousness of the whole thing. It would do no good to deny all of those things- Katsuki had 1.5 million witnesses to attest that all of those things were true.
But the truth was, she also enjoyed flirting with him- even without the drugs- she liked the way he attempted to keep his cool but couldn’t quite hide the fluster beneath his scowl. It was a beautiful challenge.
And she was always good at rising to meet every challenger.
“Just so you know,” she drawled, dropping back onto her feet, and looking up at him in as seductive a way as she could, considering she was still channeling strong swamp, goblin energy. “I don’t need drugs to tell you all of that.”
For a moment, he looked well and truly like his brain was short-circuiting. He just stared- gob-smacked and flushed. Her own heart was pounding at the brazen flirtation that she usually needed a little liquid courage to be confident enough to dole out.
And right as it looked like he was a second away from regaining some control, they heard a click and saw a light flashed. Both of them turned toward a camera, held by the editor of the school newspaper, Neito Monoma.
“Monoma,” she scolded. “What the hell are you doing?” He grinned at her- mischievous and wicked in that way that made her want to smack him.
“Just writing a story on Ochako Uraraka’s triumphant return to the court.” Dammit! She thought she was done being a meme, but anything with her and Nurse Bakugo was suuure to go viral at this point. Or maybe not? She wasn’t familiar enough with the half-life of internet celebrity.
She put her hands on her hips. “And what does that picture you just took have to do with it? I’m not even in my uniform!”
“Oh, come now, Uraraka,” he said, in a most pretentious tone. “It has magnificent narrative implications on so many levels.” He grinned that Cheshire Cat grin that raises her hackles. “Not only are you reunited with the nurse who walked you through your horrific injury on the night you return…”
“Oh, fuck you, Monoma!” she snapped, but it only egged him on. “Your garbage stories is why the school paper is nothing more than a glorified catbox liner these days.”
Monoma continued, not to be deterred by her insults. “And of course, it satisfies the many questions online about the end of the story between Nurse Bakugo and Uraraka! For anyone who wasn’t too busy shipping themselves with Nurse boy here, you two were the OTP for months…”
“I’m gonna fuckin’ end your story if you don’t get lost...” Monoma didn’t even let Bakugo finish his threat before he was running away, cackling excitedly.
Before Bakugo could give chase, Kiri had an arm around his shoulder. “Are you two done with your reunion yet? Because I’m starving!” He declared.
Ochako could see the thoroughly annoyed look on Bakugo’s face, but he didn’t pull away.
“You’re telling me this night isn’t over yet?” Katsuki groused. “No way man,” Kirishima said, with a shake of his head. “The night is young! Dinner and beers await!” Kiri threw his arm over her shoulder and winked at Bakugo. “And I’m sure you wouldn’t mind buying the MVP dinner!”
Before either could protest, Kiri leaned in closer to both of them so they wouldn’t be overheard by Shoto. He jutted his head toward Shoto. “I still gotta ask my boy Todoroki out on a date sooo….”
“Then dinner it is!” shouted Ochako happily, ready at all times to help Shoto. Bakugo huffed and puffed and complained… But it still didn’t stop him from joining them.
And it didn’t stop him from sitting beside her the whole night. It didn’t stop him from staring at her in a way that made her whole chest flutter and her face flush. It didn’t stop him from asking questions about volleyball- which delighted her to no end.
It didn’t stop him from answering her questions about his time at UA, his job, and the weirdest things patients said to him while drugged (besides her).
And it didn’t stop him from asking for her number at the end of the night in an adorably awkward way that made her want to squish his face and remind him that he was- indeed- the most adorable guy around.
He wasn’t quite as sweet as he had been while she was on drugs, but, hell, neither was she- and she was looking forward to getting to know this version of him and for him to know this version of her.
The real version.
No anesthetics needed.