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Hagakure woke up to the hum of traffic outside. She blinked, looking at the ceiling bleary-eyed. The infirmary. Hagakure was spending lots of time here, thanks to the thorny vines that wrapped around her lungs. They suffocated her, and drained out all her energy until she could feel every individual breath like it was her last.
Recovery Girl chuckled upon seeing her patient awake. “You really need to do something about this disease, Tooru.” Hagakure wasn’t offended, Recovery Girl wasn’t laughing at her condition. She was just laughing about how beautifully painful the world was.
“I don’t want to tell her,” Hagakure croaked. Recovery Girl sighed and shook her head, walking toward the bed. She gave Hagakure her special concoction, supposedly it was made of a bunch of weedkillers safe for human consumption. But Hagakure didn’t like her vines being referred to as weeds. They were much prettier than that.
“Shiozaki’s thorns are quite dangerous externally, I can’t imagine the world of pain you’re in,” Recovery Girl said softly.
“It’s… not that bad,” Hagakure lied.
Recovery Girl shook her head again. “So stubborn.” She sounded a little sad, as if she wished to take all the pain away.
Hagakure nodded and closed her eyes, falling back into a deep sleep. Beautiful green vines swirled around in her brain, invading her thoughts and dreams.
Lunchtime came quickly, and Hagakure wished she had more time to sleep. “Come on, get up. You need to eat, and it'll be good for you to see your friends,” Recovery Girl had told her.
What friends, Hagakure had wanted to ask. But she remembered Ashido and Ojiro, and figured they'd be offended by that. “Fine,” she’d mumbled, getting out of bed.
Now she was standing in the lunch line, quietly observing the menu. “Yo, Hagakure! Sup?” a cheerful voice from behind asked. It was Uraraka.
“Nothing much! Just getting my food,” Hagakure replied. She decided then that Uraraka could probably count as one of her friends.
“Hey, cool, me too! Whatcha gonna eat? I know Deku is getting udon, he loves that stuff. I might have it too!” Uraraka said. She sounded excited, and Hagakure couldn't help but smile at that positive energy. Uraraka kinda reminded her of Ashido.
Hagakure thought about it, then replied, “Um… salad, I think?”
“Ay, cool.” The two girls waited silently after that, until they finally got their food. “Bye, Hagakure! See ya later!” Uraraka said as she walked toward a table with Midoriya, Iida, and Hatsume.
“See you…” Hagakure mumbled. She headed over to her usual table.
“Hey, it's my girl Tooru!” Ashido called out from Bakugou’s table.
Hagakure smiled. “Hey there, Mina!” Ashido grinned back, then turned to chat with her friends. She sat down across from Ojiro.
He greeted her with a warm smile and a “Hello, Hagakure. What's up?”
“Nothing much… I'm worried about falling behind in class,” Hagakure said, picking at her salad.
“Your health comes first. Coughing up blood is a pretty serious issue, and the asthma isn't getting better either,” Ojiro said gently. Hagakure felt warm at the thought of someone caring about her health. If only she cared that much about herself.
“Thanks, Ojiro. I'm sure Aizawa will understand…” Hagakure trailed off. Part of her thought maybe Aizawa wouldn't understand. Who skips class because they're in love? She could almost hear him calling her pathetic already.
Ojiro nodded. “He will. I'm sure of it, that man has a lot of compassion for us. We're his students, after all!” He patted Hagakure’s outstretched hand.
“Yeah…” Hagakure mumbled. “Everything will be okay.”
As she left the cafeteria, Hagakure saw Shiozaki walking down the hall. They smiled at each other in greeting, and Hagakure could feel her heart pounding. Her crush was smiling and approaching her. Well, not approaching her per say, but walking toward the end of the hall.
What had Recovery Girl said to do in these situations? Just breathe. Easier said than done when you're choking on the flowers of unrequited love. Hagakure’s disease was getting worse by the hour, and if she didn't act she may die. It was now or never.
She grabbed Shiozaki’s hand.
Shiozaki looked surprised. “Do you need something?” she asked, tilting her head.
“I…” Hagakure felt her face grow warm. “Um, I think you were super cool at the sports festival! You're so speedy, and you totally kicked Kaminari’s ass! And you're really pretty and kind to everyone… I think you're super amazing! You're the sweetest person I've ever met. I know we don't know each other very well, but I… I really like you, Shiozaki-san!”
Shiozaki looked surprised. “You… like me?”
A tear rolled down Hagakure’s cheek. “I'm sorry…” She let go of Shiozaki.
“No! It's my fault… I shouldn't… I shouldn't be…” Shiozaki started crying too. Her face was all screwed up, but she still was beautiful.
“Please, don't blame yourself…” Hagakure choked out through sobs. Her vision blurred and she fell to the floor.
Hagakure woke up in the infirmary. “Recovery Girl, are you there?” she asked quietly. No response. Then a little louder, “Recovery Girl?” Still nothing. Hagakure slid off the bed and walked toward the door.
Recovery Girl was out in the hall, comforting a crying girl with green vines for hair. As soon as she saw Hagakure, her face grew brighter. “Oh, Hagakure! I'm so glad you're okay!”
Confused, Hagakure took a step closer. “Have we met before?”