Chapter 22 - Recovery Girl

The crowd in the observation room erupted in a chorus of cheers and claps as the smoke cleared from the battlefield. The training exercise was officially over, and both Midoriya and Yuuki—Lumi—had given it everything they had. Even though the test had been more of a simulation, it felt real in every sense of the word.

As the two of them walked out of Ground Beta, the sunlight seemed softer somehow, the adrenaline finally fading into the background. Midoriya supported Yuuki with a hand gently hovering near her back, just in case she stumbled again. His body was bruised and scraped, his costume torn in several places, but he was holding up fine. For him, this kind of exhaustion was almost routine—he'd faced All Might, Shigaraki, even fought alongside pros before.

But Yuuki... this had been her first real fight.

Her steps were slow, shaky, her face pale and her breathing uneven. The once-glowing pink of her energy had dimmed entirely, Sweat clung to her forehead, and a few strands of her hair were plastered to her face. Still, even though her body looked ready to collapse, there was a small, tired smile tugging at her lips.

"I... I can't believe I actually fought All Might..." she murmured softly, her voice thin but full of wonder.

Midoriya smiled back, his eyes bright with admiration. "You did amazing, Yuuki. That was—seriously, that was incredible. You controlled your quirk perfectly. All Might looked proud."

Yuuki laughed breathlessly, the sound weak but warm. "I-I didn't really control it that well. I just... didn't want to let anyone down."

"You didn't," Midoriya said gently. "You showed everyone what you're capable of."

They stepped into the viewing area where the rest of Class 1-A was waiting. As soon as the two appeared, everyone jumped to their feet, shouting and clapping excitedly.

"Lumi! Deku! You guys were awesome!" Mina squealed, her pink hair bouncing as she practically ran up to hug Yuuki, though she stopped when she saw how exhausted she looked. "You were glowing like a star out there!"

Uraraka's eyes sparkled. "I didn't even know your quirk could do that! It was so pretty!"

"Manly as hell," Kirishima said with a grin. "You stood your ground against All Might! That's insane!"

Midoriya blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "It was all teamwork. Yuuki did most of the work near the end."

Yuuki waved her hands shyly, shaking her head. "N-no, no! You helped so much! I couldn't have—"

She stopped mid-sentence. Her vision suddenly blurred, the world swaying in front of her eyes. The noise of the others' cheering began to fade into a dull hum. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears—too loud, too fast.

Midoriya blinked. "Yuuki? Hey, are you okay?"

From across the room, Bakugo had been leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, pretending not to care. But as soon as he saw the color drain from Yuuki's face, his expression shifted instantly. His sharp eyes widened for just a second before narrowing in concern.

"Oi," he muttered under his breath, uncrossing his arms.

Yuuki swayed on her feet, her knees buckling as she clutched at the air, dizzy and breathless.

"Yuuki!" Midoriya reached out—but before he could, a blur of movement shot past him.

Bakugo sprinted across the room faster than anyone could react, his reflexes sharp and immediate. He caught her just as she fell, his arms wrapping around her before she could hit the floor. The sudden quiet that filled the room was deafening.

"Hey!" Bakugo barked, his voice rougher than usual but trembling with panic he didn't want anyone to hear. "Hey, extra! wake up!"

Her head rested against his chest, her body limp but breathing. Her eyelashes fluttered weakly, and she mumbled something too soft to understand.

Mina gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh my gosh—she fainted!"

Aizawa was already stepping forward, his calm tone cutting through the worried voices. "It's from overusing her quirk. She pushed her limits too far. She'll be fine once she rests."

Bakugo scowled, his jaw tight. "Tch. Damn it, she shouldn't have pushed herself that hard."

But even as he said it, he adjusted his hold on her, lowering her gently so that she rested more comfortably in his arms. Her hand twitched, brushing lightly against his chest, and for a second, his breath caught.

Midoriya crouched down beside them, concern written all over his face. "She did really well, Kacchan. All Might said he didn't hold back much either. I think she just used too much energy."

Bakugo didn't look up. His eyes stayed on her face, on the faint pink glow that had returned to her cheeks. His voice was low when he finally spoke again. "Yeah, well, she better wake up soon. I'm not carrying her all the way back to her dorm."

But he didn't move. Not yet.

Around them, the class stayed silent for a few moments, watching the unexpected gentleness in the way Bakugo held Yuuki—the sharpness gone from his posture, the concern hidden beneath his gruff tone.

Mina leaned over to Uraraka, whispering, "He so likes her."

Bakugo's eyes shot up instantly. "I heard that, Pinky!"

The tension broke into laughter, and even Aizawa sighed softly, shaking his head. "Alright, that's enough. Let's get her to Recovery Girl. You can argue later."

Bakugo stood up, cradling Yuuki carefully, ignoring the teasing looks from everyone else. As he walked past, her head rested against his shoulder, and her hand unconsciously clutched the fabric of his shirt.

For the first time that day, his expression softened completely.

"Tch... idiot," he muttered quietly, almost too softly for anyone to hear. "Next time, don't scare me like that."

•••

The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of a heart monitor and the faint hum of the air conditioning. The sunlight filtered softly through the blinds, casting thin golden stripes across the white sheets. Yuuki stirred slightly, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked herself awake. For a moment, everything was a blur—the sterile smell of antiseptic, the unfamiliar ceiling, and the gentle ache running through her arms and legs. Then, slowly, it came back to her—the battle, the exhaustion, the last thing she remembered was Bakugo shouting before everything went dark.

She sat up slowly, a little disoriented, her fingers brushing against the blanket that covered her. Her body felt heavy, her head fuzzy, but she was awake. Her eyes scanned the room, and she froze when she saw who was waiting for her.

Right there, sitting in a group by the door, were Bakugo, Midoriya, Mina, and Uraraka. They looked like they had been waiting for hours. Midoriya was slumped over in a chair, half-asleep with his arms folded; Mina was tapping her fingers nervously against her knees; and Uraraka was holding a water bottle, her leg bouncing anxiously. Bakugo leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, pretending he wasn't worried—but the dark circles under his eyes gave him away.

When Yuuki's gaze landed on them, Uraraka's head snapped up. "Yuuki!" she gasped, jumping to her feet. The next thing Yuuki knew, Uraraka had rushed over and wrapped her arms around her in a warm, tight hug. "You scared us half to death! You've been out for a while!"

Yuuki blinked, her voice coming out weak and soft. "I... I have?"

Mina jumped up from her chair and hurried over too, her face bright with relief. "Girl, you fainted! Like—completely out cold! You were fighting All Might and then boom—you just went down! We were freaking out!"

Yuuki's eyes widened, her hand instinctively going to her chest. "O-oh no... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

Midoriya stood up, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "You don't have to apologize, Yuuki. You pushed yourself really hard out there. Anyone would've passed out after using that much power. You were amazing."

Yuuki blinked again, her cheeks warming. "I... fainted in front of everyone?"

Before anyone could answer, Mina grinned mischievously. "Oh, you definitely did. But don't worry, your knight in shining armor was there to catch you."

Yuuki tilted her head in confusion. "H-huh?"

Uraraka giggled, pulling back from the hug. "She means Bakugo. You collapsed, and he was the first one to notice. He literally sprinted over before anyone else could even move."

Mina chimed in, her grin growing wider. "Not only that—he carried you all the way here! Bridal-style and everything! Everyone saw it!"

Yuuki's face turned bright red. "B-Bakugo... carried me!?"

At that, Bakugo finally spoke up from his corner, his voice gruff and irritated—or at least, he tried to make it sound that way. "Tch. Don't make it sound like some big deal."

He pushed off the wall and stuffed his hands in his pockets, his expression a mix of irritation and embarrassment. "You passed out, what was I supposed to do?"

Yuuki ducked her head, fidgeting with the edge of her blanket. "I... I didn't mean to cause trouble... I just... pushed myself too hard, I guess."

Midoriya smiled kindly, shaking his head. "You didn't cause trouble, Yuuki. All Might even said he was impressed with your control—and he doesn't say that lightly."

Mina gasped dramatically. "See? Even All Might thinks you're awesome! You should be proud!"

Yuuki's lips curved into a small, shy smile, though her face was still pink. "Th-thank you, everyone. I was just trying not to mess up... I didn't want to let anyone down."

Uraraka reached out and squeezed her hand gently. "You didn't. You did great. You've come such a long way since you first got here."

The room went quiet for a moment, the warmth of their words hanging softly in the air. Bakugo stayed quiet, his eyes flicking to Yuuki every few seconds. He didn't say anything, but his posture had relaxed slightly—less guarded, less sharp.

Then, just as Mina opened her mouth to tease again, Recovery Girl entered the room, pushing open the curtain. "Ah, good, you're awake," she said, her tone calm but firm. "You burned through quite a bit of energy, young lady. I told you all these quirks tied to emotions are tricky. You need to rest and not overexert yourself."

Yuuki nodded softly. "Yes, ma'am..."

Recovery Girl gave her a small smile. "You did well, though. You're strong, but remember—strength isn't just about power. It's about knowing your limits too."

"Yes, ma'am," Yuuki said again, her voice respectful but gentle.