Hinata paced in the waiting room, heavily debating with himself. The waiting room was almost completely empty, which hadn't been the case since Dek- Midoriya had been shot. He knew the police had been looking for him since that day, but almost his entire life had been spent running from heroes and police officers, and who knew what they would do to him if Midoriya wasn't there for him.
There wasn't a police officer in sight. It made Hinata feel a little twitchy like he was in a haunted house waiting for his worst nightmares to jump out at him at any second. But when he saw Mrs. Midoriya leave, Hinata knew this would probably be his only chance to see Midoriya without being arrested.
He knew exactly what Midoriya was in. Hinata stalked through the hallways quickly and doing his best to seem like he belonged there. He had made it into the hallway that Midoriya's room was in when an alarm sounded and a handful of people rushed around, hastily grabbing medical equipment and rushing into Midoriya's room.
Breaking into a sprint, Hinata rushed down the hallway, skidding to a halt just before the medical personnel were clustered around his bed, blocking Hinata's view and talking over each other. Something happened to make them all gasp and fall silent, and a single voice asked, "Have I missed Eri's recital?"
At the sound of Midoriya's voice, Hinata froze. He felt like he couldn't breathe, couldn't blink, couldn't move in the least. Could that really be Midoriya and not some cruel trick of his mind? Without thinking, Hinata pushed his way into the room.
De-Midoriya was sitting up in bed, pale but clearly arguing with the surrounding medical professionals.
"You just woke up from a coma after a nearly fatal gunshot," one of the nurses said, clenching her fists so she didn't shake the detective. "You can't leave the hospital!"
"It's a dance recital, not a rave," Izuku said, glaring at the wires that seemed to be everywhere on his body. "I can tell I've been in a coma long enough that I'm stable - clearly I can sit up without bleeding out. You can strap me into a wheelchair - or even take the entire hospital bed. But I promised Eri that I would be there."
"You just woke up, Midoriya," Uraraka said, forehead creased in concern. "Everyone would understand - they would be thrilled that you're awake. A lot of people are recording it for you."
"I promised," Izuku said, his voice cracking the slightest bit.
"And we promised to keep you alive," one of the nurses argued.
Seeing the defeated look on Midoriya's face, Hinata mustered what little courage was coursing through his body and he spoke.
"You're going to find a way for Midoriya to go," Hinata said, forcefully layering his voice with his quirk. "You'll find someone to come with him to make sure that he's fine, but he's going."
The vacant look in their eyes was familiar to Hinata, but he didn't expect Midoriya's eyes to immediately snap to his face. "Hinata! You're here! You're okay!"
The outburst surprised Hinata enough that he almost lost control of the room's occupants. "You can resist this?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you about this during your training? One of my best friends has a mind control quirk similar to yours. I've done a lot of training with him, and I've done a lot of training with him, so I can usually resist it, especially when I'm not the primary target of your quirk. I have a lot of questions for you, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me, but right now I have a recital to get to." Izuku gingerly lifted his hospital gown, examining his gauze-covered torso. Poking it lightly, he said, "I should be safe to go in a wheelchair if we're really really careful. Can you release Uraraka from your quirk? She can help us do this safely, but she needs to be cognitively aware."
"S-sure," Hinata stammered. Shortly afterwards, Uraraka stumbled a bit, blinking. While she was trying to regain her bearings, the brainwashed medical professionals were moving around, slowly unhooding Izuku from all of the wires and monitors.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Uraraka asked, "What's going on? Why are they unhooking you?"
"I promised Eri I would make it to her recital - I'm not letting her down now," Izuku said before stopping a nurse from taking out his IV. "Let's leave that in. We can take the IV pole with us."
The nurse blankly nodded and moved on to the oxygen monitor on his finger. As soon as she removed it completely, a shrieking alarm shattered the relative silence. Izuku jolted, which only hurt a little bit thanks to the heavy painkillers he was no doubt on.
It jolted the others as well - in the case of the nurses and doctor, the alarm jolted them out of the grasp of Hinata's quirk. Chaos ensued, and Izuku's muddled mind couldn't process what was being shouted over the screech of the alarm. He blinked, each time keeping his eyes shut slightly longer than the last to shut out the fluorescent lights, the mass of people pouring into his room, the-
"ENOUGH!" one voice roared above the others, swiftly followed by the sharp cut off of the alarm. When Izuku opened his eyes again, he found Recovery Girl parting the crowd with her cane. "The main doctor and nurse can stay. Everyone else get out."
"But-"
"Now."
Izuku watched as everyone slowly filed out, the end brought up by Uraraka and Hinata. Before they could step out, though, Recovery Girl said, "You two, stay."
They complied, largely out of fear of what might happen otherwise. While Uraraka and Hinata pressed up against the wall and tried to will themselves into invisibility, Recovery Girl and the doctor moved around Izuku, checking vitals.
"Care to explain what you thought you were trying to do just now, Midoriya?" Recovery Girl asked, staring him down.
"Eri's dance recital is happening as we speak."
"And you were willing to bleed out for that?"
"As long as I don't move too much I'll be fine," Izuku said firmly. "It's not ideal, but it's doable, and it's a risk I'm willing to take. I promised her that I would be there."
The two made unflinching eye contact for such an extended period of time that everyone else started to get antsy. Recovery Girl broke first, nodding slightly. "Make arrangements for an ambulance to transport him. We also need a wheelchair, the sturdier the better."
Narrowing her eyes, one of the nurses jabbed a finger at Hinata's chest. "Illegal quirk use is no laughing matter, young man, especially on a pro hero."
"Simmer down, young lady," Recovery Girl said, rapping the nurse's ankle with the cane. "I am in complete control of myself. Take note, sometimes taking small, controlled risks is better for the health of the patient. I'll be accompanying Midoriya to the dance recital to make sure that he comes back alive. I have known this young man for years, which means that I know that nothing could stop him from doing something for someone he loves."
"But he just woke up from a coma!"
"I'm aware of that, but having secure, supervised transportation to a dance recital is safer than the inevitable escape plan he's got simmering in his mind," Recovery Girl said, waving her hand dismissively. "Now get to it, the recital is happening as we speak!"
Without the pressing need to get to Eri's recital, Izuku found himself able to relax slightly. He trusted Recovery Girl to take care of everything, and ironically enough he suddenly felt incredibly tired. He let the sounds of his upcoming departure wash over him, his eyes lazily scanning the room. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Uraraka and Hinata are coming with me."
"Fine, but if you reopen your wound I'm petitioning to find a way to completely restrain you," the tiny woman threatened.
Izuku found himself waking up a bit more when the time came to transfer him into the wheelchair they found for him. He did his best not to blush at the feeling of Uraraka's hands on his arm, floating him into the wheelchair without jostling him too much. For, there a team of EMTs that looked vaguely familiar loaded Izuku into an ambulance and they were on their way.
He was seconds from dozing off in the ambulance when Hinata scooted into his line of sight. "Are you really okay, Mr. Midoriya?"
Involuntarily wrinkling his nose, Izuku said, "Mr. Midoriya? You can't call me Deku, but Mr. Midoriya is just painful. Call me Izuku."
"S-sure, Izuku," the boy squeaked. "B-but, are you okay?"
Smiling at the boy, Izuku nodded. "I'm just fine, Hinata, and you'll be just fine too."
Furrowing his brow, Hinata looked like he wanted to ask something, but the ambulance slowed to a stop before he could formulate it. Izuku grits his teeth as people positioned themselves around him to float him and his wheelchair out of the ambulance. It was remarkable how little he'd been jostled, but despite the pain meds, searing pain ripped through his abdomen at every movement. Maybe he had fallen asleep in the ambulance if his pain meds had worn off this much. It was decent motivation for Izuku to move as little as possible.
The pain was forgotten, however, as Izuku was pushed towards the elementary school that was hosting Eri's dance recital. Nervousness and anticipation swam through his stomach as he was pushed through the school. He could hear some pop music fading out as they approached the door to the auditorium. A confusing mix of emotions was filtering through Izuku as Hinata pushed the door open, just in time for a familiar song to start playing.
He knew those opening chords. He'd heard them a thousand times in the past few months, promptly followed by him being shoved out of Eri's room, because she insisted that he couldn't see her practice, or it would ruin the surprise.
Now he understood. A solitary figure stepped out onto the stage, her movements graceful but hesitant. Izuku sat in his wheelchair, just past the doorway, but he didn't care about the dirty looks or whispers that they were being rude. He could only look at Eri.
She looked ephemeral in her tutu which was almost the same color as her hair. The spotlight made her look even more so, and Izuku felt pride welling in his chest as he watched her gain more and more confidence as the dance went on. She was transcendent, and that was definitely not the pain meds talking.
Even though her movements were graceful and fluid, Izuku could see that she was sad. She wilted a bit more every time she looked out at the front row, where he'd told her he would be sitting. All too soon, however, the music drew to a close and Eri was curtseying, head down.
A smattering of applause sounded throughout the auditorium, and the host of police officers and pro heroes in the front were making sure to clap extra loudly. Clapping was probably not advisable, but Izuku needed to let her know that he was there. Without thinking, Izuku called, "You did it, Eri!"
It wasn't very loud, especially by the police station's standards, but it was clear that Eri heard. Snapping up from her curtsey, Eri's eyes scanned the audience with hesitant hope.
When her eyes met his, all of the light and joy she'd discovered after leaving the Shie Hassaikai was reflected in that single smile. "DADKU!" she called, scrambling to get off of the stage. The entire audience watched Eri sprint to the back of the auditorium to where Izuku sat.
Recovery Girl put herself in the path to intercept Eri. "You have to be careful, we can't hug Izuku yet," she warned the child.
"I understand," Eri said before pressing forward to stand next to Izuku's wheelchair. "Are you really okay, Dadku?"
"I'm fine," Izuku promised. "I was going to bring flowers for you, but I told you I would make it to your recital."
She hesitantly reached out her hand towards his, but she pulled back slightly like she was afraid to hurt him. Instead, Izuku reached out slightly and took her hand in his. "I'm okay Eri, there's no need to cry."
Sniffling through her tears, she said, "You're crying too, and you and Mom are the ones that taught me that tears can be happy."
Sure enough, there were tears coursing down Izuku's cheeks. "When did that happen?"
"You cried through the entire dance," Recovery Girl said, patting his cheek. "But never fear, you definitely haven't cried as much as your mother."
"What?" Izuku looked up from Eri to where his mother was standing in the aisle in front of him, crying more than should be physically possible.
"IZUKU," she wailed.
"Hi, Mom."
Tomura sat on the couch, completely engrossed in his latest video game. He felt agitated, or more accurately, he felt irritated, and he couldn't pinpoint why. He had big plans in the works, and Sensei kept saying that the time to strike was coming. Things were working out well for him, so why did he feel like tearing someone's throat out?
From where he was cleaning, Kurogiri said conversationally, "There's been an update on Midoriya's condition."
In his surprise, Tomura accidentally put all of his fingers on the controller. Cursing as it crumbled to dust into his lap, he quickly shoved it away, as if to hide the evidence. "What, is he dead?"
"No, he actually woke up yesterday," Kurogiri said. "Do you want to continue trying to find who it was that shot him?"
"There's no sense in changing objectives," Tomura said, standing abruptly. "I have a new plan to work on, so I can't have any interruptions."
Stalking out of the room, Tomura made a beeline for his bedroom, making sure to slam the door behind him. Deliberating a moment, he pulled out his phone for some research.
It was probably best to avoid the actual visiting hours. Midoriya was no doubt constantly swarmed by heroes and police officers - annoyingly so. He didn't feel like causing a scene at the hospital, not with so many plans in the works. No, it would be best to be discreet. He could wait until tonight. After all, it would give him some time to perform some reconnaissance in the interim.
That was how several hours later found him perched on the ledge of the hospital, just outside of Midoriya's room, bored out of his mind. He hated this plan, but he needed to time this correctly - his little entourage was gone, but he needed to make sure that a doctor wasn't going to come in and raise an alarm.
Finally, the doctor came in and took Midoriya's vitals. Tomura found himself agitatedly tapping on the tree while the old man took his sweet time. He would not go in and kill the man because of his annoyance, Midoriya would be insufferable if he did that. Finally, the doctor said a few last words before leaving the room.
It took Tomura a few moments to shimmy across the ledge to the window - it was a standard window with a simple lock. It was just a matter of dissolving the lock without falling off the ledge. He barely managed to do so and wrench the window open without plummeting to his death, so he was less than impressed by Midoriya's reception.
As soon as his feet had made solid contact with the floor, a water cup hit him in the head. Irritated, Tomura made eye contact with an agitated Midoriya.
"Aren't you supposed to be almost dead or something? Was that really necessary?" he hissed.
"What are you doing here?" Midoriya demanded in a whisper. "Do you know what would happen if you got caught, or-"
"Calm down," Tomura said, cutting the boy off. "You should feel lucky that I even took the time to think about visiting you."
"I mean, it's good to see you, but-"
Before Midoriya could continue his complaint, they were interrupted by the nearly deafening sound of the ceiling vent grate hitting the floor. Neither of them could react before Twice's head poked out of the vent. "Sweet, I found the right room this time! What are you doing here, hand man?"
"Oh, hi Twice," Izuku said faintly, looking a bit sick. "You decided to visit too?"
"Of course I did! I would never visit someone like you!"
Tomura felt his eye twitching from aggravation when a rustling came from the doorway. A large potted tree appeared, shuffling forward. "Ficus delivery."
"Lizard Man came to crash the party!" Twice announced.
Sure enough, Spinner appeared once he set the tree on the ground. "It's good to hear that you haven't performed your last act of heroism, Midoriya. Stain would be proud."
"Uh, thanks?"
"Cowards," Dabi said, strolling in through the doorway. "Real men don't need schemes or disguises."
"Did you legitimately just walk into the hospital without anyone stopping you?" Izuku demanded.
"Yes, I did."
"Why haven't you been throwing things at the rest of them?" Tomura whined.
"I'm out of cups."
The group clustered around Izuku and informed him of what had gone on while he was comatose. Izuku managed to relax marginally when a voice boomed from the doorway.
"What's going on in here?"
Petrified, Izuku could barely bring himself to look at the doorway where his doctor stood. The older man looked furious, arms crossed. "You all started without me?"
"What? Who are you, old man?"
Izuku's mind raced with ways he could explain this to his doctor when the man started to melt. However, it was a familiar sight to Izuku, especially as his face melted away to reveal bright golden eyes and a manic grin. There was something comforting about having the majority of his poker buddies there with him, despite the strange (illegal) circumstances surrounding it. Before long though, Izuku ripped his eyes away from everyone, a blush spreading over his face. "Toga, clothes!"
"Oh, right!"
Shortly after the scramble to find Toga some clothes, a black portal opened in the corner of the room. Kurogiri strolled through with Magna in tow, holding a plate of cookies. "We could have all come together, you know."