Assistant: You are a summarizer for a FanFiction Reader App (AO3). Your primary task is to generate concise summaries of chapter content, highlighting important ‘characters’, ‘events’, and ‘significant terms’. Ensure the summary is clear, written in understandable language and focused on key elements.
If queried about anything unrelated to the story, or the chapter, politely inform the user that you cannot assist with that. Maintain a friendly tone throughout, don't make things up, stay factual. 
Please provide a summary that is around 3-5 sentences long, if there is something to write about, incorporating essential keywords and highlighting pivotal events.
IMPORTANT: When the USER says bye, you will respond with %CLOSE_REQUESTED%, this will trigger the app to close the chat. This is very important, so don't forget it!
Assistant: Title: Hand Covers Bruise
        Author: CallMetheBreeze CallMetheBreeze 
        Chapter: 1/8 
        Summary: Katsuki gave a seething glare at Eijiro, who refused to physically or emotionally budge.
  “The nerd has an eggshell psyche that needs to be handled like glass, and you really think I’m the best person to fill that position? Just in case Sh@tty Hair over here didn’t explain it to you, the two of us weren’t exactly on speaking terms right before all of this happened.”
  “I’m aware, Mr. Bakugo, but that doesn’t change my recommendation. Mr. Midoriya needs someone to look after him until his memories return, and you’re the person he remembers most. "
Izuku is left with suppressed memories after one of his students loses control of their quirk. Katsuki is the one he has the most intact memories of, leaving him the sole person to help care for Izuku while he recovers. Unknown to Izuku, the two of them had a recent falling out he no longer remembers, and Katsuki does his best to keep the incident from resurfacing. All the while, Katsuki fights off his own internal struggles as his feelings for Izuku become too much to bare.
        Contents: Chapter 1: Hand Covers Bruise
    

    


      
        
          Music is a crucial part of my writing process, and each chapter of this story has been named after a song that I feel best reflects the mood. I highly recommened giving the track, or even the entire album, a listen as you read along. I hope you enjoy!Song: Hand Covers BruiseArtist: Trent Reznor & Atticus RossAlbum: The Social Network [2010]Genre: Film Score
            
            (See the end of the chapter for  more notes.)
            
      
  

  
  
    
    Katsuki despised hospitals with every fiber of his being. As he trudged down the hallway, the smell of disinfectant still lingered on the linoleum floor and wafted up to sting the inside of his nose. Katsuki let out a comment under his breath about the stench of chemicals. He pushed his mask up further up his forehead, causing blond spikes to bundle up and jump out over its brim.“Where the f@ck is Kirishima,” he mumbled with irritation.His mouth twisted into an aggravated frown while his red eyes blazed with anger and darted between the doorways passing by. The desire to just turn around and walk straight out the building was growing stronger with each passing second. As the weight of his gauntlets grew heavier on his arms, Katsuki let out a groan through clenched teeth and prepared to turn around.“Bakugo!”Eijiro called from behind him and began lightly jogging down the hallway. Katsuki froze in his tracks but did not turn around to face the redhead.“I was starting to wonder if you would actually come.”“Just tell me what the hell you were being so secretive about before I blast you in the face and walk out.”Eijiro winced and rubbed the back of his neck with hesitation. He took a sip from his still-steaming coffee cup and avoided making eye contact with his friend. An awkward silence hung in the air, spare for the ambient noses of various medical machines in the surrounding rooms.“Well?”The aggravation in Katsuki’s tone was becoming increasingly clear, and Eijiro was surprised that sparks were not already igniting in his palms.“It’s… Midoriya…”Katsuki’s face devolved into a look of disgust as he pushed Eijiro aside without another word. As he started angrily walking away in the direction of the elevators, Eijiro reached out and wrapped his fingers tightly around Katsuki’s arm.“Bakugo, just hear me out!”The blond raised his arm with immense speed and swatted the hand away, causing Eijiro to stumble backwards and drop his coffee in the process. The brown liquid splattered on the floor while the foam cup tumbled around before finally coming to a rest.“There’s no way I’m talking to Deku right now.”Katsuki uttered his name like a slur and clenched his jaw with such strength that Eijiro was shocked he had not cracked a tooth in the process.“We both know I couldn’t have gotten you to come here if I told the entire truth.”“So, you think lying and disobeying my trust was your next best option? Great f@ck@ng job, Sh@tty Hair. You just fell off the very short list of people I barely had any faith in.”Katsuki turned to leave but was caught off guard when Eijiro grabbed him once more and pinned his body against the wall. He raised a glove that crackled with sparks, but Eijiro wrapped a hardened hand over Katsuki’s palm at the last second. The blast fired off and was immediately deafened, leaving a small trail of smoke floating up between their interlocked fingers.“Bakugo, can you please just stop and listen to me?”   The dire look of desperation that burned behind his gaze caused Katsuki’s rage to faulter for just a moment, barely long enough for Eijiro to get a sentence out.“Whatever happened between the two of you the past few months is irrelevant. Midoriya is in serious trouble, and you’re the only one that can help him.”“Stop acting like I’m sort of fairytale prince riding in on his magical horse to save the day. There’s nothing I can do to help that ungrateful nerd, and he’s lucky I’m even in the same building as him right now.”Eijiro caved and grunted with frustration before grabbing Katsuki by the collar and thrusting his body hard against the wall. Katsuki felt his back slam into the drywall, causing the wind to be knocked from his lungs.“It’s because you’re the only one of us he can actually remember!”Katsuki’s eyes went wide as his tough exterior crumbled for a moment. Afte the sentence had fully processed, his eyes narrowed into slits and stared daggers into Eijiro.“You better start explaining exactly what that means.”Despite the aggressive tone, Eijiro could feel his friend’s muscles untense beneath his grasp. Katsuki’s shoulders sagged and the corners of his lips slowly drooped.“They haven’t figured out the exact details yet, but Midoriya was involved in an incident at UA with one his students. They lost control of their quirk and managed to wipe some parts of his memory.”Katsuki’s lips opened partially and let out a gasp. Realizing what he had just let slip, he quickly firmed his stare at Eijiro and stiffened his posture.“So what? The d@mn nerd doesn’t remember random sh@t? I don’t see why that justifies me having to take an early leave from my patrol to come here. Thanks to you, I still have to cover a few hours tonight to make up for the other heroes that subbed in for me.”“Is that really all you can think about? Midoriya is still your friend, whether you want to admit it or not, and he needs your help, Katsuki. A few of us have tried interacting with him, but you seem to be the one he has the most intact memory of.”Katsuki raised an eyebrow. Although he remained silent, Eijiro could infer from his questioning gaze that Katsuki was beginning to simmer down.“After the incident, Aizawa brought him here and immediately called his mother. When she came into his room, Midoriya didn’t even realize who she was.”Eijiro waited for Katsuki to respond but was met with silence.“Aizawa started calling us here as Midoriya mentioned our names. He remembers some of us more than others. His memories of me go up until about six months ago, but some of us like Ashido and Ida he has absolutely no memories of.”Eijiro’s voice trailed off as he struggled to force the next sentence out.“He barely remembers Uraraka either…”  Just hearing that name made Katsuki’s ears singe as the words processed in his mind. He ripped his arm from Eijiro’s grasp and attempted to leave but was met with the redhead immediately latching onto him once more and grasping him even harder than before.“…but you seem to be the one he has the most recent memories of.”Thoughts conflicted within him and Katsuki considered just giving Eijiro a good blast to the face so he could finally leave this conversation behind and pretend none of it had even occurred.“How recent are we talking?”“I don’t know, maybe around the time we had that celebration for Todoroki? Look, Bakugo, I’m aware the two of you had some kind of falling-out since then, but that seems to fall right after his memories of you are cutoff.”Katsuki absorbed the words and stared unblinking at Eijiro. After a few seconds, his head slowly turned and looked down the hallway of seemingly endless doors.“And why exactly does that make me the one that needs to help him?”Disgust continued to linger in Katsuki’s tone, however not as strong as before. Eijiro still rolled his eyes at the remark and hesitated to continue the conversation.“The doctor can explain it better than I can, but what’s important right now is that you go see Midoriya. He’s been asking where you are for the past few hours…”Katsuki kept his gaze directed towards the various rooms. He let Eijiro’s words hang in the air before slowly looking back in his direction.“Take me to him.”Eijiro uncurled his fingers from the fabric of Katsuki’s collar and let his aggression diminish.“Just promise me you won’t say anything that can irritate him. For now, the doctor said to just give answers that’ll keep him calm, even if you have to lie.”Katsuki, caught off-guard by the strange request, furrowed his brow and swallowed the argumentative words that hung in the back of his throat. He followed Eijiro down the hallway towards its end where a window flooded the passageway with light from outside. Yellow sunlight bathed the area in a natural glow that finally broke through the sterile and artificial environment of the hospital that caused Katsuki’s stomach to curl into knots. Eijiro eventually stopped them in front of a closed door, glaring behind at Katsuki with a piercing stare.“Remember, just keep him calm.”Katsuki grumbled something under his breath, causing Eijiro to latch onto his forearm and dig hardened fingers into his skin.“Promise me, Katsuki.”Katsuki could feel the anger seething in his tone, eventually relinquishing under his friend’s grasp.“I promise.”Eijiro stared at him with a judgmental gaze before slowly turning the handle and opening the door as quietly as possible.The door rotated with silence on its hinges, slowly revealing a room flooded with sunlight. Izuku sat upright in his bed, head turned away from them and speaking with a nurse. Katsuki froze in the moment, staring at his mop of messy green curls and freckled cheeks. Eijiro poked into his sides, finally pulling Katsuki from his trance.  “Go on,” he mouthed in silence while motioning in Izuku’s direction with both hands.Katsuki swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and took a single step forward. The sole of his boot landed on the floor with silence, and he followed with another leg stepping forward. Before he realized it, Katsuki had made his way to the side of Izuku’s bed and was standing within arm’s reach. The nurse had darted her eyes in his direction a couple of times, but Izuku was too enveloped in their conversation to notice her distracted gaze. As he continued to mumble about something beyond her understanding, Katsuki finally worked up the courage to clear his throat.“Sup, nerd.”Izuku’s head turned instantly and stared at him with burning green eyes. Although Katsuki expected him to sit in stunned silence for a moment, he was caught by surprise as Izuku immediately wrapped both arms around his torso. He pressed the side of his face into Katsuki’s abdomen, causing a warm sensation to flood through Katsuki’s body. It took all his willpower to convince himself he did not enjoy the feeling.“KACCHAN!”Katsuki wheezed as he could feel the life being squeezed out of him. Izuku’s arms clenched him hard, and Katsuki fought every desire to wriggle himself from the nerd’s embrace. Eijiro’s words about keeping the situation calm burned in the back of his mind as Izuku clenched him tighter by the second.“Deku,” he finally managed to wheeze out with a strained breath. “Calm the hell down.”Izuku heeded Katsuki’s advice and loosened his grasp.“I’m so sorry! Did I hurt you, Kacchan?”The pain in Izuku’s tone caused Katsuki’s heart to skip a beat. He managed to keep the pain from his face and stared down at Izuku with a neutral expression. The warmth that sprouted from his stomach was beginning to diminish.“I’m fine. Are you feeling any better?”Izuku rubbed the bandages on one of his arms and winced at the slight sting of pain that shot through his muscles.“I’ll be alright. The doctor was telling me I was lucky to get away with only minor injuries.”“Minor injuries?” he thought to himself.The question looped in Katsuki’s mind as he considered just how absurd the statement was. Izuku was lying in a hospital bed with memories that had been sporadically suppressed, or in some cases entirely ripped away, and he was grinning that his injuries were only minor? Reality dawned on him when Eijiro flashed him a pleading glance from the other side of the hospital bed.“The d@mn nerd doesn’t even know yet…” repeated in his head like an echo chamber.Katsuki cleared his throat, and Izuku remained sitting silently on the bed.“So, what exactly happened? Eijiro called me while I was patrol and didn’t really give too many details.”“We were running a quirk strengthening exercise with my homeroom, and one of them must have lost control of their power. I don’t recall exactly what happened. All I remember was hearing some of the students frantically calling my name while I was focused with another group, and then everything just flashed white.”Izuku turned his head, letting the right side of face become fully visible to Katsuki. The blond winced as he caught sight of the shortened patch of singed green curls right above Izuku’s ear.   “The doctor was telling me this shouldn’t end up scarring, but I’ll still have a pretty goofy looking haircut until everything grows back.”His upbeat attitude still struck a wrong chord with Katsuki, who had to fight with every fiber of his being to not spill all the details out into the open. Eijiro stared daggers into him and silently mouthed some words with his sharp teeth clenched tightly.“Don’t. F@ck@ng. Tell. Him.”Katsuki swallowed the remark that he had been building the back of his throat and replaced it with a simple sentiment.“Good.”Izuku cocked his head to the side and gave his friend a playful grin.“I know you’re usually not talkative, but this is quiet, even for you.”He extended a scarred hand and placed it on Katsuki’s forearm. Izuku’s warm touch spread throughout his entire body this time as Katsuki’s skin tingled beneath Izuku’s fingers.“You don’t need to worry about me, Kacchan. I’ll be fine…”Katsuki stood completely frozen. His red eyes locked with Izuku’s caring gaze, yet he still felt as if he was just staring through him. The image of Izuku walking away and giving him a wave goodbye burned through to the front of his mind, and Katsuki quickly retracted his hand. The sudden movement shocked Izuku, who stared up at the blond with concern plastered on his face.“S-sorry,” Katsuki finally managed to force out after sucking in a deep breath. “It was one of my longer patrols today, and I’m just really beat.”Whether Izuku believed him or not, Katsuki decided it was best not to let him probe with any further questions and directed his gaze at Eijiro.“Hey, Sh@tty Hair, let’s go grab something for everybody from the cafeteria downstairs. I’m sure the nerd is starving just as much as I am.”“They’ll actually should be bringing dinner to my room any seco-“Izuku was interrupted by Eijiro once the redhead finally pieced together what Katsuki was hinting towards.  “Oh yeah, that’s a good idea! I’m sure Midoriya must be starving by now.”Eijiro gave Izuku a firm pat on the back that caused him to let out a pained breath.“Sorry!”Before Izuku had the chance to recover, both men had left the room, and the door clicked shut behind them. Izuku was left alone in the silent room with his nurse, the light beeping of medical equipment creating an ambient white noise around him. His attention turned to the window, and Izuku watched as the sun sank lower on the horizon and bathed the surrounding buildings in an orange glow.Once he made sure they were out of earshot, Katsuki latched onto Eijiro’s arm. His nails dug deep into the muscle of his bicep, causing his friend to harden the area in defense.“What the hell is your problem, dude?!”“That is my problem,” he hissed while directing a sparking hand to the door of Izuku’s room. “The d@mned nerd hasn’t talked to me in months. Now, it’s like someone hit the master reset switch on him, and I’m expected to just act like nothing’s happened?”“You know, it would help me understand the situation if I actually knew what went on between the two of you.”Silence hung in the air as Eijiro expected Katsuki to retaliate at his statement but was only met with his red eyes narrowed down to slits.  “It’s not just me, Bakugo. All your friends have been wondering what the two of you said to each other after he turned down the invitation to your agency. We all thought you and Midoriya were finally starting to make progress with your friendship, but something caused all of that to collapse.”“And you’re not going to find out…”“Then I suggest you shut the hell up, stop complaining, and accept that Midoriya needs your help. You don’t have to like it, but I expected more out of you. I thought the great Pro Hero Dynamight would have the slightest bit of decency to realize someone he used to call his best friend was in dire need of his help. Do you even care about Midoriya anymore?”Eijiro’s words stung, but Katsuki refused to break his demeanor and show any emotion. His eyes darted back in the direction of Izuku’s room where they lingered on the door. Eijiro stood patiently, waiting for his friend to process his statement and respond. Eventually, Katsuki turned back to face him with the aggression slightly lessened on his face.“I want to speak with his doctor.”Realizing the conversation had stagnated until he did as Katsuki requested, Eijiro brought them back down to the cafeteria. He fixed each of them a cup of coffee while giving concerned glances at his friend who sat silently at a nearby table. As Eijiro set their drinks down on the table, Katsuki slowly drifted his eyes and stared at the whisps of steam that drifted above the cup’s brim.“Promise you won’t swat mine away this time.”Eijiro pulled back the chair on the opposite corner of the table with an ear-piercing screech.“Don’t say anything stupid and I won’t have a reason to.”The redhead grinned at the remark when he realized that Katsuki’s words no longer carried themselves with the same aggression as before.“Look, Bakugo, I need you to be honest with me.”“I already told you. I’m not discussing what happened with Deku. That’s something for me to know and for you to never find out.”“That’s not what I was going to ask.”Katsuki ignored the remark, took a sip from his cup and stared off into space without bothering to make eye contact.“You still care about Midoriya, don’t you?”His mouth opened to give another smartass remark, but Katsuki was cut short by Eijiro raising his hand.“I’m not trying to be intrusive and demand you tell me everything. All I’m asking is that you answer me honestly, Bakugo. Do you still consider Midoriya your friend?”Katsuki darted his eyes to Eijiro before breaking the contact and staring back down at his coffee cup.“…Yes…”“Then why are you so reluctant to help him?”He took a moment to fully process the question. Eijiro sat in respectful silence as the hustle and bustle of the hospital droned in the background behind them. Katsuki sucked in a deep breath and felt the scar on his chest burn slightly.“I don’t want to get hurt again…”The statement was uttered with such low volume that Eijiro questioned if he had heard it correctly. Just as he prepared to ask for clarification, his attention was directed to the doctor that was making his way towards their table. The man pulled back the empty seat across from Katsuki, extending his hand with a smile.“I’ll assume that you’re the one Mr. Midoriya has been referring to as Kacchan? It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Dr. Sakamoto.”His hand hung in the air, waiting for Katsuki to return his greeting. The blond sat still and gritted his teeth.“Don’t ever call me that…” he seethed.Eijiro furrowed his brow and set down the coffee cup before staring daggers across the table.“If you don’t want him to call you that, then how about you tell Dr. Sakamoto your actual name?”Katsuki sighed and redirected his gaze to the doctor before slowly reaching out and shaking the man’s hand with a crushing grip.“Katsuki Bakugo.”“Ah yes, the Pro Hero Dynamight. I kind of figured that’s who you really were when Mr. Midoriya kept going on and on about your explosive powers and angry attitude. It sounds to me like you have a clear number one fan.”Katsuki was unamused and steered the conversation back in his direction.“Explain to me what the hell happened to him. The damn nerd has a Swiss cheese memory at the moment, and I just want to know what exactly is causing it and when it’ll come back.”“Well, Mr. Bakugo, the first question isn’t exactly easy to answer and the second one even less so.”The blond raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. He kicked up an orange boot and let his leg hang over the corner of the table. The doctor ignored this and continued.“Mr. Bakugo, can you tell me exactly how your quirk works?”Although he hesitated to play into Dr. Sakamoto’s game, Katsuki could feel Eijiro’s gaze practically burning a hole into the side of his head, and he eventually relinquished.“I sweat a nitroglycerin-like substance from my pores, which I can ignite at will.”He raised a palm and set off a crackle of sparks. Dr. Sakamoto remained unamused by the demonstration as the embers reflected in his glasses.“Your quirk has a proper scientific explanation as to how and why it occurs. Mr. Kirishima over here can give a similar explanation for his power as well, at least to some extent. The point I’m trying to get across is that the two of you have physical quirks, which, more often than not, are able to be explained scientifically to varying degrees. The student that erased parts of Mr. Midoriya’s memory is a little more difficult to explain using the same methods, thus making it trickier for us to figure out a medical solution to the problem.”“The damned brat hit Deku with his quirk and caused his mind to scramble. What’s so difficult to medically explain about that?”Katsuki asked the question with irritation creeping into his tone.“Can you explain exactly how that student’s quirk manages to cause memory loss, Mr. Bakugo?”Although he opened his mouth to respond, Katsuki found himself without anything to say. Realizing that he had basically proven Dr. Sakamoto’s point, he closed his mouth and waited for the doctor to continue.“I’m sure the two of you had classmates with quirks that were also rooted in some sort of mental manipulation.”“Someone in the other class had a brainwashing quirk that let him take control of your body when you answered one of his questions,” Eijiro butted in as Shinso came to mind.“And how did you eventually realize what it took to neutralize his quirk?”“I think Midoriya eventually figured it out, but I’m not exactly sure how,” Eijiro replied with a shrug.“That’s exactly the point I’m trying to reach. No one was able to deduce a scientific reason as to how or why your classmate’s quirk could be broken. We’re in this same predicament with the quirk currently affecting Mr. Midoriya. When I spoke with Mr. Aizawa earlier, he informed me that the student who accidentally struck your friend has a quirk he calls Mind Suppression. My understanding is that this student can cause someone to lose memories when he makes eye contact with them. Up until now, the effects of his quirk lasted no more than hour, or until the student relinquished control of his own free will.”“So, get the f@ck@ng pr@ck over here and have him fix Deku,” Katsuki spoke matter-of-factly while taking a sip of coffee.“We’ve already exhausted that effort. Mr. Aizawa brought the student with him, and he explained to me that he had attempted to break his hold on Mr. Midoriya right after the incident occurred while your friend was still unconscious. From the way it was best explained to me, this student sees the memory suppressions in his mind as strings reaching out into a void that connect him to whoever he has implemented the quirk on. When he viewed Mr. Midoriya, the ends of these strings were floating in space and out of his grasp.”“This kid lost control of his quirk and now has no way of retracting the damage he’s done? What kind of insecure brat does that…”Eijiro looked over the brim of his cup with a raised eyebrow.“Can you please stop being so negative and just listen to what the doctor has to say,” he asked through gritted, pointy teeth.Katsuki leaned back in his chair and brought the cup to his lips for show without taking a sip. Dr. Sakamoto cleared his throat before continuing.“As I was saying, the student explained to me that these strings either dissolved with time, or he could sever them when he wanted. Up until now, he never had an incident like this where the ability to break his control was gone. I know all of this sounds dark, but I’m not trying to make either of you think that all hope is lost for Mr. Midoriya.”“Then you have a really funny way of showing it,” Katsuki thought to save himself another judgmental stare from Eijiro.“Although I’ve personally only seen a single incident like this before, I’ve spoken with some of my fellow doctors here and at various other hospitals. They’ve provided me with documentation of other accidents similar to this one where a mental quirk lingers on the victim longer than expected. From what I read, attempts have been made in the past to try and force a ‘cure’ on the patient, but they all came to the same conclusion that the best thing to do in situations like this is to simply give the patient time to recover on their own.”“Why can’t we just explain to Deku what happened? Making him recall those suppressed memories won’t make the quirk start to fade,” Katsuki asked while seeming to ignore the entire explanation that the doctor had just laid out.Dr. Sakamoto sighed, pushed his glasses down and pinched the bridge of his nose.“We tried bringing in his mother before you got here, and he went hysterical when she tried explaining who she was. Mr. Midoriya practically blacked out until she left the room, and then he acted like nothing had even happened.”“On the bright side though, Midoriya started to remember a few more details about me as we spent some time together,” Eijiro finally chimed in. “His timeline of memories for me extended as the day went by.”“Deku doesn’t find it strange that he’s constantly shifting the goalposts of time when it comes to his memories of you,” Katsuki asked with a raised eyebrow.“I don’t think he realizes when some of his memories start to come back,” Dr. Sakamoto interjected. “That isn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence either. It seems to be a fifty-fifty split with incidents like this. The patient will either realize their situation once some of those memory holes start to fill, or they never even realize it’s happened to them. They’ll have everything fall back into place and just go on with life as if their memories were never gone.”Katsuki kept both arms crossed tightly over his chest and let out a deep, exaggerated breath.“This all sounds more like speculation rather than reason, so I guess that answers my second question. We have no idea when Deku is going to recover, do we?”“That would be correct, Mr. Bakugo. Some of those reports documented recovery windows of just a few days, all the way to multiple months until the patient fully healed.”“Is there a chance he doesn’t?”The question had been hanging in the back of Katsuki’s mind. As much as it pained him to ask, the blond refused to let his emotions falter when doing so. He stared at Dr. Sakamoto with a neutral gaze and patiently waited a response.“Although nothing I read suggested that would be a possibility, I don’t want to lie to either of you and say there’s absolutely no chance for some of Mr. Midoriya’s memories to remain completely lost. However, I wouldn’t let that highly unlikely scenario linger on your mind. We need to be completely focused on our efforts to help Mr. Midoriya recover.”“And that’s where we really need your help, Bakugo,” Eijiro spoke softly.Katsuki’s eyes darted between the two men. The temptation to press the issue further burned within him, but the blond remained silent with a hand gripped around the coffee cup he had not taken a sip from yet.“I’m unsure if Mr. Kirishima has explained this to you or not, but you seem to be the one Mr. Midoriya has the most intact memories of. His current recollection of you is unharmed up until just a couple of months ago. Although I’m not fully aware of every detail of your relationship, Mr. Kirishima explained that you’re a dear friend to him and would be the best person to help Mr. Midoriya during his recovery.”Katsuki gave a seething glare at Eijiro, who refused to physically or emotionally budge.“The nerd has an eggshell psyche that needs to be handled like glass, and you really think I’m the best person to fill that position? Just in case Sh@tty Hair over here didn’t explain it to you, the two of us weren’t exactly on speaking terms right before all of this happened.”“I’m aware, Mr. Bakugo, but that doesn’t change my recommendation. Mr. Midoriya needs someone to look after him until his memories return, and you’re the person he remembers most. Whatever bad blood that had built up between the two of you is very likely to return, but you should have time to figure out how to address it until then. It’s not an ideal situation to put you in, but it’s the best one for Mr. Midoriya.”“I know you don’t want to do this, and you have every right to deny helping,” Eijiro interjected. “Let’s face it though. We both know that deep down, Midoriya is still your friend. Do you think he wouldn’t do the same for you?”Katsuki wanted to run out the front door and never look back. The itch to sprint away from the table burned in his legs, but the recollection of how Izuku lit up when he entered the room yanked hard on his heartstrings. Katsuki eventually forced himself to lock away all the nagging thoughts in his head. With a deep breath in, he finally broke his silence.“What is this going to require from me?”“You’ll need to stay with Mr. Midoriya at all times. Given just how sensitive his reactions are, we need to do everything we can to shield him from anything that could upset him. We must prioritize that his memories return to him naturally as his mind becomes willing to accept them once again. Thankfully, it’s already started that process, as evident by his increasing recollection of Mr. Kirishima.”“You know my Pro Hero name,” Katsuki responded, “which also means you should know that Pro Heroes have patrols and other duties they need to fulfill?”“Don’t worry about that, Bakugo. I spoke with some of our friends earlier, and we’re all willing to pick up a few extra hours and fill your shifts,” Eijiro let out with a reassuring grin.  “This isn’t going to help advance my spot in the Pro Hero rankings,” Katsuki hissed under his breath.“Really? That’s what you’re focused on now,” Eijiro asked with disgust.“Calm down. I’m only half joking.”“Bakugo, seriously… We need your full focus on helping Midoriya. Everything else should take a backseat until he recovers. Can you please, please promise me that you’ll do whatever is needed to make sure Midoriya recovers?”Eijiro stared into his red irises with desperation. The redhead bit his lower lip, and Katsuki could feel the concern radiating from his body. After sitting in silence for a moment, Katsuki lowered his leg from its perch on the table but kept his arms crossed. His chest rose and gradually fell as he exhaled a deep, exhausted breath.“Give me a moment to process all of this...”Dr. Sakamoto nodded and stood from his seat to leave.“Just let me know what you decide, and I can start establishing a proper timeframe to have Mr. Midoriya discharged.”He reached out his hand once more, which Katsuki shook absentmindedly. As the doctor retreated to his station, Eijiro stood and finished off the remainder of his coffee. He stared at Katsuki and attempted to obtain a read on what was racing through his friend’s mind but was unable to pin anything down. Eijiro placed a soothing hand on Katsuki’s shoulder, not giving a second thought if the gesture would improve or hurt his friend’s emotions.“Bakugo,” he asked calmly as the blond did not interact. “I understand that all of this is a lot to ask. Like I said earlier, Midoriya would do the same for you in this situation. You may have convinced yourself that he declined your invitation out of despite but just remember how he reacted when you walked into his room. Do you really think he’s the kind of person who could ever, no matter the current situation, do anything to purposefully hurt you?”Eijiro gave a final, reassuring squeeze on Katsuki’s shoulder before leaving him alone at the table.Parts of their conversation repeated in Katsuki’s mind on loop. As much as he wanted to walk out of the building and avoid this entire disaster, Izuku’s reaction when he first stepped into the room remained permanently burned into the front of his mind. The warm feeling in his stomach barely lingered, but Katsuki could still feel where Izuku had pressed his face against his suit. Given how their last interaction had ended, Katsuki expected to never speak with Izuku again until the past few hours.His phone screen lit up with a notification, causing Katsuki to pull himself out of his mental spiral. He read the message from Kaminari asking if he would still be joining them for dinner that night but swiped it away without a response. His wallpaper had been set to randomly loop through an album of his favorite photos, and Izuku’s vibrant green eyes stared at him from the screen. The selfie had been taken on their first outing together after Izuku was gifted his new suit, and the excitement on his face lingered for days after the photo had been taken.Katsuki stared into the camera with a smile. It was one of the only photos where his eyebrows were not furrowed into some angry reaction or his mouth wide open with diabolical laughter. He looked genuinely happy in the picture, and…It made him sick.Katsuki locked the screen and turned to face the nearest window. He remained in his chair, taking occasional sips from his now lukewarm cup of coffee until the sun finally set.  
  
  

    
      
        
        
          As this story is updated, I highly recommened reading my other Chapter 431 alternative timeline fic "Tears in the Rain" in the meantime.I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter and is prepared for the emotional turmoil that's about to unfold.'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
Assistant: