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Shouta can't say that he's a fan of spending his days in the hospital, sitting vigil at his son's bedside.
Not his favourite thing to do, that's for sure, even if Hitoshi will be just fine but the shock and the worry still sit deep.
It doesn't help that despite the doctor's words that Hitoshi will recover completely with no lasting damage, he still hasn't woken up after they first put him in a medically induced coma and even though they have since weaned Hitoshi off that it's going on two days now.
Sure, Hitoshi needs more rest but surely this is overkill. And surely, despite the reassurances he gets almost hourly, it isn't normal either.
But the doctors are adamant that Hitoshi isn't on any medication that keeps him unconscious anymore and that his body just needs some time to recalibrate or whatever it is they call it and once he wakes up, he'll be as right as rain.
Except nobody can tell Shouta when his son will wake up and it eats away at him because Hitoshi lies still and motionless in that bed and apart from his steadily rising and falling chest and the constant beeping from the hooked up machine, there's no indication that Hitoshi is even alive.
And Shouta hates hospitals.
He and Hizashi trade their days, because for all the understanding Nedzu has for their situation he can't give both of them indefinite time off and so they had to compromise. One of them always has to teach, so the other can be at the hospital and it hasn't been fine, because none of this is fine, but it's manageable.
They are getting through it and that's all that matters right now.
Because the doctors promised.
Shouta has been staring so intently at Hitoshi, has been so absorbed in his worry for his son, that he startles badly when the door to Hitoshi's room opens and when he whips his head around to glare at the intruder, his quirk activates almost on instinct.
"Geez, old man, stand down, I'm hardly here to kill him," Bakugo says as he fully steps into the room, apparently unperturbed by Shouta's reaction because he immediately walks up to Hitoshi's bed to stare down at him.
"How is he?"
Shouta bites his first answer back because as Hitoshi's flatmate and presumably friend, he should have asked that some time ago when Hitoshi's mission went wrong but Shouta knows that it would be unfair.
Bakugo has been on a mission a few towns over and it was collectively decided to not tell him until the mission was dealt with.
The self-proclaimed Baku-squad was insistent that Bakugo would either lose it and tank the entire mission or abandon it completely to come rushing back and that's never a good look for an aspiring hero.
Shouta had been inclined to disagree with their assessment but seeing Bakugo now, standing in the room, it's easy to spot the tension in his shoulders, the worry on his face and the heavy bags under his eyes.
"Did you even debrief yet?" Shouta asks and Bakugo scoffs.
"That shit can wait. How is he?" he demands to know again and okay, if he skipped the proper procedure to get here as quickly as he could, then maybe the others were on to something.
"Alive," Shouta gives back, because there's really nothing else he can say until Hitoshi wakes up.
He has been healed up, one doctor with a healing quirk after the other coming through and doing what they could, and Hitoshi's body no longer shows any signs of injury apart from a few scars he's going to keep.
But until Hitoshi wakes up, with his mind intact, and tells Shouta himself that his body is alright, alive is the best he has right now.
"No shit," Bakugo snaps and reaches for the file at the foot of Hitoshi's bed.
Shouta lets him flip through it, because the clinical way the injuries are listed take some of the horror out of it—at least for him—and even so, Bakugo goes pale.
"It was bad then," Bakugo finally says when he flicks it shut.
"Very."
"Would it kill you to say more than one word at a fucking time?" Bakugo hisses out and pushes a hand through his hair. "What's the prognosis?"
"The doctors insist he's going to be fine."
Bakugo works his jaw for a moment at that answer.
"You don't believe it."
Shouta lets out a long sigh.
"The damage was—" His throat closes up for a moment, remembering just how bad it had been and Bakugo's hand sneaks out to carefully touch Hitoshi's. "Until he wakes up and tells me himself, I'm going to worry."
"Fair," Bakugo says after a moment and then new anger washes over his face. "What was he even doing? The others said he was alone on the mission? The fuck is that about?"
Isn't that the one million dollar question?
"I'm not sure," Shouta admits because that is exactly what he and Hizashi have been investigating in every off minute they have. "The Commission—"
"Fuck the Commission," Bakugo says with feeling and Shouta is glad that he screens the room for bugs and cameras every time he comes in because a statement like that is enough to get on the Commission's bad side. "Those shady fuckers have been after him for ages, so why the ever-loving fuck would he even take one of their missions?" Bakugo snaps out and that, too, is something Shouta has been wondering about.
And it's precisely why he and Hizashi haven't done anything yet with all they have everything found. They are waiting to hear what Hitoshi was trying to do but for that he has to wake up first.
"I love you but stop talking," Hitoshi's voice suddenly fills the room, groggy and scratchy and way too quietly and when Shouta's and Bakugo's eyes snap to him, they find his eyes just barely open.
Shouta immediately looks back to Bakugo because that certainly is something he didn't know about them, but instead of clearing this up, Bakugo's eyes have gone back to Shouta.
"Aizawa didn't even say anything," he finally says and Hitoshi lets out a content little sigh.
"Wasn't talking to him, angel," he mutters and then evidently falls back asleep, his head slightly turned towards Bakugo, who has gone bright red in the face.
Shouta just stares at him because what the hell has his son gotten up to, falling for the loudest, most explosive blonde they know and not even telling his parents and Bakugo bristles like only he can.
"Shut the hell up," he finally manages to get out and then he turns back around on his heels and rushes out of the room even faster than he came in.
Shouta lets out another deep sigh because what the hell has he just witnessed but then Hitoshi tenses on the bed and sits up so fast Shouta fears he's going to fly right out of it.
"What the fuck did I just do?" Hitoshi whispers, pale as a sheet and Shouta rolls his eyes.
"Lay back down, you're still healing." Probably.
Hitoshi does as he was told, but he turns desperate, wide eyes to Shouta.
"That didn't happen right? You have no idea what I am talking about because it was just a dream, correct?" he asks, clearly so desperate to get the right answer from Shouta, which—he really can't give him.
"Kid," Shouta sighs out, "a loud blonde? Really?"
"Oh, fucking hell," Hitoshi groans and buries his face in his hands. "Kill me now, it might be easier."
"I'd really rather not," Shouta says and leans forward to put a hand to Hitoshi's head. "I'm really glad you're awake. How are you feeling?"
It's only at Aizawa's words that Hitoshi seems to realise that he's in the hospital because he tenses all over.
"Is this a secure room?"
"I check it every time I come in," Shouta promises him and just that question confirms that the Commission is at play here and that Hitoshi knows it.
"The doctors?"
"Are all vetted before they allowed in and you're here off record."
Hitoshi relaxes at hearing that, sinking back into the bed and finally looking at Shouta.
"I'm really sorry, dad," he then says and holds out his hand, which Shouta immediately takes.
Hitoshi's grip is strong and his hand isn't shaking and it does more to put Shouta's worries at ease than he wants to admit.
"It's fine, kid, you're fine, we're going to get it sorted out," he promises, because now that Hitoshi is awake they are but first— "Bakugo? Really?" Shouta feels it bears repeating. "And you didn't even think to tell us?"
"There's nothing to—fuck, he doesn't even know."
Oh boy, this is worse than Shouta feared.
"I'd say he does now," he gives back, because Hitoshi sure as hell just came out and declared his love for him and there is no way Bakugo missed it.
"Dad, no," Hitoshi whines out and kicks his feet which apparently doesn't cause him any pain or discomfort.
Shouta files that bit away to soothe his worry even more.
"I didn't mean to say that, how am I ever going to explain that?"
"Hitoshi," Shouta says with a tiredness that runs deeper than any sleep could possibly fix. "Have you been pining after your flatmate without ever even hinting at it?"
"Oh my gods," Hitoshi mutters out and buries himself under the blanket. "More like I've been pining after my best friend without ever even hinting at it. The flatmate thing came after."
This is so much worse than Shouta feared.
"You really do not have to copy me in every regard," Shouta gets out because the kid really does take too much after Shouta, in all the ways.
Pissing off the Commission and pining after his best friend included.
At least Shouta got his head out of his ass way sooner than Hitoshi apparently did.
"You pined after papa? No way. You came out of the womb married," Hitoshi mutters, clearly trying to take the heat off himself for a moment and Shouta allows it.
If only for a tiny moment.
"We had two very intense pining school years and then one as flatmates. How long has it been for you?" Shouta innocently asks but he can probably guess.
Hitoshi and Bakugo have become as thick as thieves some time during their second year and they graduated five years ago.
So they are looking at six at best.
"Shut uuuuuppppppp," Hitoshi whines like the baby he is and Shouta pokes his head through the blanket.
"Now's the best time to do something about it."
"No way. No way in hell. Did you see the way he ran off? I'm just going to play it off as a sleep-induced moment of insanity and we'll put it behind us," Hitoshi firmly says as he comes out of his hiding.
"Did you see the way he went beet-red and floundered before he ran off?" Shouta counters, because that did not like someone who hated what he heard.
"No?"
"Then take my advise and don't play it off because from what I have seen you have a shot."
"You're lying because I'm dying and you're trying to make me feel better," Hitoshi accuses him and Shouta huffs out a laugh.
"I'm telling you the truth because you are very much not dying and can take the cold, harsh reality of the situation."
"I'm on my deathbed," Hitoshi pouts and turns puppy eyes at Shouta, who immediately sobers up, because that is still hitting too close.
"You're not, Hitoshi. You're just fine," Shouta says, as much to reassure himself than Hitoshi, who—to his credit—immediately grows serious.
"I do feel fine. No pain, no twinges, no impaired mobility as far as I can tell. I remember everything and all my senses including my quirk work. I'm fine, dad."
"I should hope so," Shouta says with a small nod and can't help but to card his fingers through Hitoshi's hair like he has done so often since he was admitted to the hospital.
Hitoshi leans into, allowing them to sit like this for just a moment before the door to the room flies back open and Bakugo stomps back inside, a murderous look on his face and when he comes to a stop at the end of Hitoshi's bed he crosses his arms in front of his chest.
"Katsuki, what a surprise to see you here," Hitoshi weakly says, waving at Bakugo as if that could erase what happened mere fifteen minutes before.
"No way, troll doll, we're not going to ignore that," Bakugo almost spits out and Shouta slowly takes his hand back, moving as stealthily as he can so as to not draw any attention to himself.
He would really rather not be involved in this, but then again—at least like this he can give a play-by-play to Hizashi later.
"Ugh," Hitoshi says as he lets himself fall back into the bed. "Really? Right here? On my deathbed?"
"Don't even joke about that, you jerk," Bakugo chokes out and even Hitoshi must realise that he overstepped because he pulls a face.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm fine, I promise."
"This tells me something else," Bakugo says as he flicks Hitoshi's file. "But that's besides the point."
"What is the point, then?"
"The point is that I love you, too, you idiot," Bakugo rushes out, bright red in the face again and when Shouta looks over to Hitoshi, he sees the blood rushing into his face as well.
Hizashi is definitely going to squeal about this when Shouta tells him.
"I—was about to pretend that never happened," Hitoshi mutters because he's an idiot like that and Shouta wants to smack him over the head for it, but Bakugo gets there first.
"Yeah, because you're as dumb as a brick and a coward to boot," he spits out and follows the smack up with a kiss to Hitoshi's forehead.
"Hey now, I'm a very smart, very brave hero," Hitoshi complains even as he leans into the contact and Bakugo huffs in annoyance.
"Point still stands because you're a very dumb and very cowardly person," he gives back and Shouta would have to agree.
Hitoshi is one of the most amazing heroes, simply because he's so smart and brave—and sometimes more reckless than is good for him—but to Shouta it always felt as if Hitoshi used up all of his smarts and all of his bravery for his work which left him with none in his personal life.
He's glad to see that Bakugo knows Hitoshi as well as he does.
"Rude," Hitoshi pouts as he reaches out to lace his fingers with Bakugo's. "Promise this is not a dream?"
"Fucking promise," Bakugo gives back without hesitation and apparently squeezes Hitoshi's hand hard enough to make him yelp.
"Okay, I get it, don't be so rough," Hitoshi laughs out and it's a balm on Shouta's scared heart to hear his son like that.
Even though he really doesn't want to be present right now.
"Can we all get a grip now and talk about the elephant in the room?" Shouta says and both boys jump in surprise, clearly having forgotten that he's there.
"You mean Kats' big fat crush on me?" Hitoshi still teases as if he doesn't have a big, fat crush on Bakugo himself and Shouta heaves out a sigh.
"I mean about how you are both idiots," he says and then gets up. "But I actually mean the Commission and what landed you here, but I realise that maybe you two need some space first. Bakugo, I'll be back with Hizashi in three hours and until then he's not to be left unsupervised."
"I'm not a child who needs babysitting," Hitoshi complaints but Bakugo nods as seriously as if Shouta had just issued a mission detail to Pro Hero Dynamight.
Well, at least one of them is going to take this seriously then.
"I'll babysit him," Bakugo declares, an amused sparkle in his eyes as Hitoshi immediately protest the notion and Shouta hurries out of the room, leaving them to their own devices.
Hitoshi is in good hands—the best there are apart from Shouta's and Hizashi's—and Shouta really does not want to see more than what he already had to witness in the first place.
It's time to update his husband, anyway, and that's best done in person.
Far away from the two lovebirds.