Work Text:
The entire battle was a blur and Eijirou chose not to remember most of it.
He had been with Fatgum for the majority of the battle, letting his instincts take over as he ducked and threw punches while he kept his skin hardened in order to protect himself and his friends surrounding him.
The sounds that surrounded him were selective, his ears only picking up orders from his mentor and for any mention of his friends names. For the first half of the battle, it seemed that everyone was in the clear and while he was stressed at the current situation, his heart remained a little at ease at the knowledge that his friends were doing okay.
But his heart was being tugged on by the mere thought of Bakugou being at the front lines. By that monster that had taken him months ago in attempt to drag him to their side. Just the mere thought of Katsuki being anywhere near that bastard made Eijirou sick to his stomach.
But his best friend wasn't weak, his best friend could take care of himself just fine. Eijirou had to have faith in him just as the other had had faith in Eijirou.
The sound of a large explosion threw him out of his thoughts. His heart skipped a beat as the earth surrounding him seemed to rock, and he used that distraction to take out the villain that had been refusing to go down. With a final swing to the dudes jaw and a satisfying crack, the villain crumpled to the ground.
Eijirou looked at his surroundings and was relieved to see that the squad he was in had come out on top, and they were passing around quirk canceling handcuffs. Eijirou looked around for Fatgum, who had his back turned to him, a hand to his ear that wore the listening device that all the pros were connected to.
Eijirou finished with the dude he had knocked out moments before by securing the handcuffs tightly around his wrists behind his back, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and hauling him up quickly, shoving him towards the growing line of captured villains that were to be taken to the police for questioning and/or Tartarus.
As he regrouped with the squad he was put into, everyone making sure that the others were okay, he turned to the direction of Fat Gum, who still had his back turned to him, the muscles tense and his shoulders hunching near his ears and his hands into fists.
Not good.
Eijirou approached him slowly, meaning to ask what the problem was, but was interrupted by a scream that shook the sky followed by a black mass that covered up the sun.
Midoriya?
Eijirou's own earpiece crackled to life before he could do anything else
"Reques....ting back...up....-might...down...repeat...Dyna...-might is down and unresponsive"
Eijirou's blood ran cold as he began to string the clues together.
Big explosion, followed by nothing....Midoriya loosing it....Dynamight...Baku-Katsuki....unresponsive.
Eijirou turned on his heel and began sprinting towards the source of the giant explosion, ignoring Fats cries of protest and any other basic thought.
Not again, not again NOT AGAIN
He knew that he wasn't strong enough to take on Shigaraki or any of the big villains, but the mere thought of Katsuki dying without him being there to do anything at all made him sick to his stomach.
HIs vision began to blur as he grew closer to the noise of battle, and he slipped on fallen debris as he climbed up to where the black mass was fading. Which was a good sign right? Midoryia had regained control, so Bakugou had to be okay right?
Right?
Eijirou finally reached a clearing, keeping his head low as he searched the scene for spiky blonde hair.
He caught sight of green lightning surrounding the mass that was Shigaraki, of Mirio rushing to what looked like to be a downed Amajiki and Nejire-chan.
Did he leave? Where the hell is he?
His question was answered in the worst possible way, and his entire body grew cold despite the blistering heat.
Best Jeanist and Edgeshot were supporting-carrying? The body of his best friend, before they put a larger distance between the huge fight and slowly set his broken form down, still a ways away from Eijirou.
There Bakugou laid, in a mess of crimson blood that was growing larger even from the distance that Eijirou hid, his body unmoving.
Logic be damned, Eijirou leapt over the debris and made a beeline for his fallen friend, vision growing blurry from unshed tears. His thoughts growing louder and louder with each step he took.
Not again
Please god, no.
Let him be okay, he had gotten better,
HE HAD TRIED HARDER THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE CLASS
HE HAD TO BE ALIVE
He reached Katsuki quickly and sunk to his knees despite Edgeshot and Jeanists pleas to return to wherever he came from, that he was putting himself in danger.
All of these words went unnoticed to Eijirou as he placed his ear to Katsuki's bloodied chest.
Silence.
Eijirou released an ugly sob as he shot up from Katsuki's chest and moved his hands to his best friends face, turning it towards him carefully. Scarlet eyes were open and unseeing, staring into the sky above Eijirou's head. His entire right side covered in ash and soot, blood seeping out of his mouth.
Shakily, Kirishima gathered up the limp boy in his arms, holding him tightly to his chest and slowly rocking them.
It seemed that at this moment, the world had stopped.
It did make sense, when the person you loved the most was cold and still in your arms.
Eijirou let out another sob as he finally let the tears fall, shaking Katsuki in an attempt to get a reaction.
"K-katsuki-" he hiccuped "w-wake up, c'mon m-man, y-you gotta g-get up" Eijirou cried, his own shoulders shaking at the lack of response from his explosive best friend.
"Kats, please, b-baby...d-don't do this to me, y-you still...you still need to be...become the num...number one h-hero"
Eijirou leaned down to press his forehead up against the other boys, hands staying on his face, rubbing the skin there slowly. His lips meeting the others forehead, tasting a the salty sweat and dirt that lied on the skin on his head.
The two pro heroes watched the scene unfold helplessly, they had already called in for backup for a transportation for Bakugou, but all they could do now was just wait.
"W-wake..wake up, please god, please wake up K-kats-" Eijirou cut himself off again by releasing another wail that was covered by the sounds of battle surrounding him. The poor boy just shook helplessly as he waited for someone to come help. Becoming a complete mess of himself the more he waited, breathing becoming rapid and-and
Why can't he breathe?
He was suddenly being pulled away by strong arms covered in yellow sleeves.
Strong arms that were taking him away from Bakugou.
Kirishima began to panic even more, growing hysterical and clawing at the arms to let him go.
"He needs me! He needs me-let me go! Let me go!" he screamed as he felt his hardening ripple down his body. His senses were leaving him and he began to see in tunnel vision, the broken body of his best friend the only thing that he cared to see.
---
Fatgum held him tighter, trying to coax Kirishima to calm down, but his kid was in a state of insanity. Fat tears flowing from his eyes that were red with irritation, snot coming out of his nose and irritating his nose to a point where the color matched his hair that had been released of its gel earlier.
Finally, upon arrival of the medics, one was able to stick Kirishima with a sedation needle, the effects of the anesthetic taking place immediately as the teenagers quirk disappeared and his attempts to get out of the strong hold grew weaker and weaker.
At last, his breathing seemed to slow down as well.
Fatgum lessened his hold on the boy, aiming for the hold as a hug, as they both watched the medics access Bakugou's medical case.
Fat glanced at Kirishima, who's eyes had still yet to leave Bakugou, sniffles leaving him every now and then as he began to relax further into Fatgums hold.
---
Eijirou suddenly sank into the embrace, as he watched Bakugou be inspected by the medics. It was warm and secure, something that reminded him of whenever Bakugou would hold him-
he felt another tear crawl down his cheek. He felt himself growing more and more tired with every passing second.
Like earlier, everything was a blur, he gathered some words,
"Barely hanging on"
"Over-usage of his quirk"
"No sign of a pulse"
Eijirou stared blankly at Katsuki's face as he processed the information, his stomach twisting in knots before rising in his throat.
He quickly shot up from the embrace, falling to his knees and wretched into the grass besides the scene, heaving as his stomach emptied itself out and finally collapsing onto the cold ground in utter exhaustion.
The last thing he remembered was turning his face over to see Katsuki's head turnt the other direction, chest still unmoving.
Then everything went black.
****
When Eijirou woke up in a blinding light, he thought he had died. From what? He didn't know.
But as his senses woke up with him, he realized he was in a hospital bed with a heart rate tracker on his finger and an IV needle in his hand.
He looked around the room to find it empty, still delirious from sleep.
How long had he been out for? He thought to himself.
Shifting in the uncomfortable bed, he found that while nothing seemed to be broken, his body was extremely sore and his head hurt like an absolute bitch.
A few more minutes of sleep didn't seem too bad right now.
Sighing softly, he closed his eyes and was out like a light.
---
The next time he woke up, he felt a little bit better, and this time he wasn't alone in his room.
He blinked the fatigue out of his eyes to see none other than Fatgum, who's eyes were trained on his phone, playing some sort of game to pass the time.
"F..fat?"
At the sound of his voice, his mentor jumped at it, yellow eyes meeting crimson.
"Kid! You're awake! H-how are you feeling?"
Kirishima considered this question, about to answer when he remembered what had happened prior to his waking up.
"Bakugou-is, is he alive? Where is he-I have to go see him-"
"Red, red, you're okay, and so is Dynamight."
"H-he's okay? Did they fix his heart? Does he need a donor-"
"Eijirou, little buddy, deep breath, your 'friend' is alive n' doing well considering his circumstances." Fatgum assured.
At this, Kirishima sat back, not even realizing he had sat up in his haste. He took his mentors advice and breathed in and out slowly, the truth of the situation weighing on his shoulders again, bringing tears to his eyes.
"I-I can't lose him again Fat."
"And you didn't. Bakugou is still alive lil' buddy. He's sleepin' 'few doors down from yours."
Kirishima nodded at this, and allowed his shoulders to relax, looking down at his hands, considering his next few words.
"How long have I been out?"
"Few days, your entire body was exhausted both mentally and physically."
Kirishima nodded again, before asking his next question;
"Did everyone make it out okay? Are my classmates-"
"Miraculously, yes. You young kids are strong, stubborn bastards the whole lot of ya. Some are more shaken up than others, but you are all alive."
Kirishima exhaled at this knowledge, allowing himself to smile a little before he felt himself grow tired again.
He went to say something to the Pro, but a knowing smile from the older mans face gave him the go ahead, and Kirishima sank back into the pillows and let sleep overtake him once more.
---
The third and final time Eijirou woke up in the hospital, he was greeted by Ashido, Kaminari and Sero. All three of them surrounding his bed playing a card game.
Ashido was the first to notice her friends new state, and her eyes filled with tears as she threw down the cards and gently hugged Kirishima, crying into his neck. Kaminari and Sero following soon after.
The four friends didn't say much to each other, choosing to hold and feel each others warm bodies and beating hearts over any sentence.
Once they all let go, they talked, all shaken and bruised but just like Fatgum had said earlier, alive.
Kirishima asked them of Bakuogu, and their moods seemed to dim.
"Still hasn't woken up, doctors say it could be any day now, but we don't know man." Sero managed to croak out, Kaminari and Ashido solemnly nodding along.
Love it or hate it, their fifth squad member had yet to wake up, and they were all worried sick for him.
They decided to hangout for a few more hours until the staff kicked them out because visiting hours were over, but the three of them vowed that they would be back to get Kirishima from the hospital when he got discharged the following afternoon.
So, as the nurses did a final check up on him and told him goodnight, he waited a few hours, until all throughout his floor of the hospital was quiet.
Ever so slowly, he slid out of his bed and crept over to the door, opening it slowly before peering out into the hallway, designating it as clear before he slipped out and shut the door slowly behind him.
Kaminari had told him where Bakugou's room was, just five doors down from Kirshima's.
He made his way over to room 420, easy to remember considering it was Bakugou's birthday.
He slowly clicked the door open and shut before making his way into the room, finally resting his eyes on the sleeping boy,
Bakugou was paler than usual, and he had a bunch of machines hooked up to him to monitor his stats. He had tubes running from his nose and bandages surrounding his entire body, along with two casts on his arms and legs.
Without the unruly blonde hair and lack of freckles Kirishima would have thought he was looking at Midoriya.
Chuckling to himself, he slowly slid a chair over to the side of the bed, bringing his hand to curl around Bakugou's fingers that poked out of the cast.
They were warm.
Bakugou was warm.
Eijirou's eyes began to water up again at the sight of his friend, who was so, so incredibly strong, looking so broken.
Ugh, this is so unmanly crying this much.
Eijirou payed the voice in his head little attention as he buried his face into the blankets of Bakugou's hospital bed, trying to stay calm and not completely lose it like he had before he had passed out.
He let himself lay there, fingers occasionally brushing the blondes, sniffling to himself quietly.
After a minute, he raised his face from the sheets, and took a deep breath.
"I don't know if you can hear me, it's okay if you can't, but I just need you to understand how strong you are. Though, you probably know that. Which is good, but I know sometimes you think otherwise, which I think is complete bullshit. because to me you are the strongest person I have ever met. The manliest too, even more than Crimson Riot, even more than Allmight."
Bakugou shifted a little, causing Kirishima to pause, but more seconds ticked by without another trace of it, so Eijirou continued.
"You have come so goddamn far this year, not only as a hero but as a person. You went from this mean asshole, to a less mean asshole. You own up to your mistakes, you apologized to Midoriya-I know you're making an effort. God, I am so proud of you Katsuki. You go off and lose your heart and you're still here. Do you know how amazing that is? Do you know how amazing you are? Sometimes I think you don't. Sometimes I feel you still view yourself as you were when we started at UA. But thats not true, you are so good Katsuki. Just when I thought I couldn't love you anymore-"
It was out. That was the first time Eijirou had ever said those words out loud. Months of pining had lead up to this? Him essentially talking to himself using an unconscious Bakugou as an excuse to say what he really felt and saying that he confessed?
So unmanly, he looked down at the sheets again.
So damn uman-
"I can hear you calling yourself unmanly in my own goddamn dreams shitty hair."
Kirishima practically leapt up at the familiar voice.
Scarlet eyes were open, but this time, staring at crimson in amusement.
At the absence of Kirishima saying anything, Bakugou continued.
"So, me pretty much dying finally got you to grow a pair and confess to me? Unknowingly? Kinda lame, and you call me the asshole."
Eijirou felt his face burn up.
"Y-you heard that?" he asked.
The blond only smirked in response, eyebrows crinkling in amusement.
Eijirou stood there like a deer in headlights at the explosive boy, who challengingly stared back, before letting out a groan, opening his cast wrapped arms to the best of his ability.
"Don't get all shy and shit now Kiri, c'mere."
Eijirou didn't need to be told twice before he practically dove into Bakugou's arms (as gently as possible mind you).
Eijirou clung to Katsuki like he was a lifeline, letting more tears out, finally the tears were of relief, of joy.
Katsuki held on to Eijirou as best as he could, the casts blocking him from fully embracing the red head, but this had to do.
Eijirou looked into Katsuki's eyes, finding scarlet hiding behind salty tears staring back at crimson that had long since released the watery barrier. Eijirou managed a watery smile, bringing his hands up to cup Katsuki's face as he had done before, but this time, the face reacted with its own smile of its own. Eijirou pressed their foreheads together, basking in Katsuki's warmth.
"God, do you have any idea how fucking scared I was of losing you?!" Eijirou choked out, bringing his lips to Katsuki's forehead again, this time, being met with smooth, warm skin.
The touch of lips seemed to freeze Katsuki's snide remark. Instead of snapping back at Eijirou, he just let out a sigh and leaned into the touch.
Katsuki gave a slight shrug that did not go unnoticed by the redhead.
Eijirou huffed, before continuing to kiss along Katsuki's face.
The bridge of his nose.
His right eyelid
His right cheek
His left cheek
The tip of his nose
The corner of his mouth...
---
"M'sorry" Katsuki said, closing his eyes and pulling away some before Eijirou could close the distance between them.
"For what?" Eijirou said, cluelessly, rubbing his thumbs over Katsuki's cheekbones.
"For, worrying you, I guess. I don't regret what happened, but, m'sorry for what it did to you. For what I did to you."
Katsuki forced his eyes open to stare into Eijirou's eyes.
Scarlet on Crimson
Eijirou cracked a smile, that blinding smile that would piss Katsuki off so much because of the way it made him feel. All warm and cozy. He had hated it.
But overtime, Katsuki grew to tolerate it, grew to accept it, grew to love it.
Whether it was a metaphor for the feelings Eijirou gave him, he couldn't tell you.
But he did know that with that recognition came an realization.
He had fallen in love.
He had done something that he swore was a waste of time for the future number one hero
But that was something that would have pissed him off at the beginning of the year. He felt a bit more open to it now, especially when he was in this close of proximity to the one that he fell in love with.
Speaking of...
"Hey, Eijirou"
The sound of his first name falling from Katsukis lips sent butterflies fluttering through the redheads stomach. Eijirou glanced up, his face growing a pretty pink in the evening light.
"Y-yeah?"
Katsuki smiled before connecting their lips for a split second, breaking away briefly to continue and relish in the look of a starstruck Eijirou,
"I love you too" then, he sealed the gap again.
---
As the two boys kissed in the moonlight of a hospital room, they abandoned all thought of what was to come. Whether it was pain and sadness in the years to come, or joy and love, they knew that they would always have each other.
That was a promise.
A promise that would be repeated as the years went by, growing stronger with each passing moment.
A promise made of Scarlet on Crimson.