"You're going to prison?" Bakugo's voice rasped, raw from disuse, but his glare burned with the force of an explosion.
Tsuki's hand shot up, poised to smack him, but a grunt from the corner of the room made her pause. The officer's presence loomed, silent but watchful. Her fingers trembled in the air before curling into a fist at her side. Her glare was sharp enough to cut, but Bakugo didn't flinch.
"What?" He scoffed, shifting his gaze between her and the officer. "Are you saying I'm wrong?"
She sucked in a slow breath, looking away, shame tightening her jaw.
"It's not that," she murmured. Her voice was thin, as if every word scraped against her throat. "It's just ... they said something about pressing charges. The victims' families, and ..." Her words trailed off.
Bakugo's eyes narrowed. "For what?" He tried to push himself up, but the movement sent a searing pain up his arm, forcing him to wince. "You. Didn't. Do. Anything."
Tsuki's lower lip quivered. "They don't seem to believe that." Her voice wavered. "They think ... maybe my curse works differently than I claimed."
A sharp breath hissed between Bakugo's teeth, his hands curling into the fabric of his hospital gown. "Who the hell do those bastards think they are?" His voice dripped with venom. "I was there. I saw Zawa-san kill those ninja. I was the one who found you already unconscious." His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. "And you're telling me that after everything I went through to get you back, you—"
His tirade halted. Tsuki's shoulders shook. Her hands covered her face, her fingers trembling as muffled sobs broke through. Bakugo stared. The way her cries echoed in the hollow of her palms, the way her tears slipped through the gaps between her fingers—his gut twisted.
"I'm so sorry." Her hand grasped the railing of his hospital bed, her grip unsteady, sending the sides of it rattling with the force of her weight. "It's my fault ..." Her voice cracked, her knuckles paling from the strength of her grip. "I was cursed. Whether I knew it or not ... it was my hands that k—"
"Shut the hell up!" Bakugo's voice exploded through the room, seemingly bouncing off the walls and drilling into her ears.
Tsuki's head jerked up from her hands, eyes wide. Bakugo's scowl deepened, his expression caught between fury and an intense desperation.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He continued, attempting to force himself to sit up, his breath unsteady. "Fight." His voice strained against his own exhaustion. "What the hell are you saying?" His face flushed with frustration, a vein bulging by his eye. "You're talking like you've already lost. Like you gave up?"
Her heart pounded, the sound echoing violently in her skull. "I ... lost?" The words tasted foreign on her tongue. Her hands trembled. "I gave up?"
The crease between Bakugo's brows deepened. "After all the crap I went through—you want me to just accept that?" His heart monitor spiked, the beeping turning frantic. "I nearly died getting you back—and you're just giving up already?" His expression twisted, his breath ragged. "I'll kill you!"
His heart monitor spiked again, the red from his blood flushing her neck and upper face. With a surge of energy, he lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of her hospital gown and yanking her close. "You better walk your ass up to Tsukauchi himself, you hear me?"
The officer took a step forward. "Please refrain from physical contact."
Bakugo let go, shoving her back with a scowl. Tsuki stumbled slightly but didn't break eye contact. His gaze flickered over her, his vision going slightly fuzzy, the pounding in his skull matching the rapid rhythm of his heart.
"You?' His thoughts wavered. "... Of all people?" His grip on the sheets loosened. "I don't wanna ... His voice softened, only a fraction. "Hear that crap from you. Not after everything we've been through." His heart rate began to slow. "Tch." He clicked his tongue in irritation. "Not after all that lecturing you gave me."
Tsuki didn't speak right away. She just stared at him. Then, she swallowed hard, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the palm of her hand. Her breath came uneven, but when she looked up, the look in her eyes had changed.
"You're right." Her voice shook, but the hesitation was beginning to fade. "I ... I have to fight."
Bakugo held his glare as she continued.
"This isn't something I should have to suffer for. I am free from Akai. I am free from my connection to All for One." She looked down at her hands, as if seeing them for the first time. "I didn't do anything wrong." She lifted her gaze confidently.
Bakugo scoffed, his heart skipping a beat. "Good. That sounds more like her." His eyes flickered toward her, his expression unreadable. "Tch. Don't tell me that. Tell those bastards in badges."
A warmth swelled in her chest. She stepped forward, closing the small gap between them, and before he could react, she threw herself over the railing of the hospital bed. Her arms wrapped around his head, pressing his face against her chest. Her cheek squished, nestling into his hair.
"Ack—" His muffled protest was swallowed by the fabric of her gown. His arms instinctively shot up, caught between pushing her away and the temptation to pull her over the railing and into his arms.
The officer sighed. His boots jingled as he approached, his heavy steps clunking through the room. "Enough." A firm grip yanked Tsuki back, breaking the embrace. "Your time is up, Akai. You will be sent back to your room."
Bakugo's glare snapped to the officer. "Hey, Semi," he growled. "Watch your damn hands."
The officer snorted, ignoring the young man's retort. Tsuki's gaze lingered on Bakugo, her expression softer now, steadier. He held her stare for a moment longer before scoffing and looking away, his face flushing at the look of yearning in her eyes.
"Tch."
Tsuki stumbled back a few steps, smiling.
"Thank you, Katsuki."
...
Authors note: Thank you sm for 10k reads. Also I have so many new readers. Hello hi welcome. I love you all sm. I have so much fun going through and reading all the comments you guys leave for me. <3333
