Kirishima feels numb as he walks into the hospital. He does not know how they even got the right address, but Ashido somehow found it. Apparently, lots of other people figured it out, too, since reporters and concerned civilians swarm the building, inside and out.
People tug at his uniform as he walks inside, yelling questions at him, and Kirishima knows his friends are receiving the same treatment since everyone now knows Dynamight attends UA. Reaching the doors, Kirishima notes the four Pro Heroes standing guard there, pushing anyone obviously there for press or simple interest away, and ten or so pros stationed inside, forcing out anyone who slipped past the ones at the doors. It is chaos inside, even then.
People fight against the pros to remain, shrieking about Dynamight, and every time Kirishima hears Bakugou's name—his name; not his hero name—he flinches slightly. The noise is overwhelming, and Kirishima has a lingering thought wishing for earplugs at this moment, even as commands are verbally shot between the Pro Heroes in the room.
One of the heroes walks up to them and observes their uniforms in silence, looking between them. Ashido speaks up, "We're in his class, sir. We're his friends." Her voice is tearful and choked, slightly stuck in her nose. "Can we please see him?"
A moment later, the hero averts his eyes and speaks into his comm quietly, inaudible to Kirishima's ears. The man turns his gaze on them again after listening intently for a moment. "I apologize for the formality, but would you please tell me your names?" he requests kindly with a soft smile.
Kaminari speaks up, then. "I'm Kaminari Denki. These are Ashido Mina, Sero Hanta, and Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou's best friend." He tightens the arm he has slung around Kirishima minutely in comfort. Kaminari's chin scrunches as he fights to keep a straight face and looks at the hero hopefully. "Does that mean we get to see him?" he asks.
The pro holds up a pausing hand and mutters into his comm again. Moments later, he nods and smiles at them. "We have someone who can ID you guys. For now, though, nobody can go inside at all, so how about you take a seat here in the waiting room?" He gestures toward the empty seats available, though few, and the students nod acceptingly and with gratitude, heading over to a small cluster of chairs and sitting down.
Kirishima brings his knees up, disregarding manners as he pulls his feet onto the seat, and rests his head on them. Ashido and Kaminari, each at his sides, hug him. It is silent in their group, the only sound they hear being the chaotic people trying to enter without need of the hospital, patients muttering, and hospital staff frantically bustling through the room and its heavy doors.
It is an hour before a different hero walks up to them.
"Hello Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero," he says gruffly, dutifully, nodding to each of them in turn. "I am Eraserhead. I was asked to identify you." The man stares them down a moment, eyes hidden behind yellow goggles set between scraggly-looking hair and a large greige scarf. Kirishima drops his hands to his lap and slouches as he looks up at the hero with reddened eyes. The hero sighs and crouches, just below eye level for the three students. "Listen, kids," he whispers seriously, keeping his voice from eavesdropping spectators. "Bakugou is in bad shape, but he is going to pull through. He still has a few more surgeries left, but we have the best pros in healing inside that room," he gestures towards some of the doors. "The doctors say he responds well to them and doesn't have any underlying issues. You're all smart kids," he continues, looking each of them in the eye, and, despite not being able to actually see the man's eyes, the four of them can feel the gravity in his voice and gaze, "so I believe you will do well, but keep in mind that this is a very serious situation. You go to school with someone who may be the first minor Pro Hero in the history of quirks, and there will definitely be backlash and a massive amount of press from what happened today. I hope the kid chooses to never step back into the field again until he's older, but, as much as I intend to try to convince him to stop, knowing him, I doubt he will do so willingly. Do what you all think is best, but please continue sticking at his side."
The hero breaks off and hesitates for a moment before speaking even more carefully, "I know your homeroom teacher. Go to him if you or Bakugou ever need help. Any help, whether in school, with a fight, or who knows what. Do you understand me?" The students nods, eyes blown slightly wide. "Good. Remember that you have heroes working at your school. Most villains would never think to attack that place, but if anything ever goes wrong, stick with the heroes and always stay with Bakugou. Now, I don't know when you will be able to see him, but he will be sent into a medically induced coma for a while. You kids should go home and focus on your schooling. I bet your teacher would appreciate that."
"But sir, is there any way we can see Bakugou before we go?" Sero asks quietly.
Eraserhead's brown furrows, and he ruffles the capture weapon around his neck while he scratches at his stubbled jaw in an oddly familiar motion. "I really don't think so, kid. If this were a perfect world, maybe, but look at what just happened. Everything is far from perfect. Just do yourselves, the staff here, your teachers, and Bakugou a favor by going and getting yourselves some sleep instead of going insane." With that, the man walks away.
The group lapses into silence again in the wake of his footsteps.
"Do we actually go?" Ashido asks a few minutes later, her voice drenched in indecision.
"There's not really anything else we can do right now," Kaminari replies before turning his eyes back onto Kirishima. "Come on, dude, you heard the guy. He's okay right now, and they're going to make sure he gets better. Let's blow this popsicle stand and get back when we can go in."
Kirishima looks with a furtive glance over at the glowing sign above the door leading further into the hospital. Feeling a heavy hand settle on his shoulder, Kirishima sighs, stands, and walks out of the hospital with the others, ignoring the crowds that have only grown and likely will continue to do so.
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Kinda boring chapter, yes, but it must be done
Paparazzi and press usually be rude ngl 🙄
~Angry
Word Count: 1125
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Maskless (Bakugou public identity reveal and au)
FanfictionCOMPLETE!!! This world is a bit different than in any show or movie correlated with Boku no Hero Academia. In this world, heroic identities are kept hidden, and the high school UA is for gifted children to excel in academics, not heroics. In fact, y...
