Chapter Text
”Kirishima! Kirishima - !”
Everything burns. Everything radiates cold, this awful vacuum of space that he can't focus on, because Denki's gone -
Eijirou roars.
Everything hurts.
Fury, agony, fear, fear, helplessness tangle together into a painful knot, he can't breathe, every sense in his body is on alert, every sense is screaming at him that Denki's in danger, he tried so hard to tell Eijirou -
He sees Denki's face in his mind; a blurry flash - pale, terrified. Scared. So, so scared.
That's what you wanted to tell me? Oh, Denki -
'i'm scared you'll hate me afterwards...'
”FUCKIN' CHILL ALREADY, DAMMIT!”
Strong arms shake him, wrench him loose, try to pin him, and Eijirou snarls - snarls at Bakugou.
”Kacchan, stop!”
”He's wreckin' the whole yard into a fuckin' crater - ”
Eijirou doesn't care. He doesn't - he slumps, shifts back, face twisted with pain. He should've moved quicker, should've grabbed Denki and protected him instead of just standing there, watching Denki's suffering, his public judgement, his humiliation -
(denki was so scared...)
Suddenly a familiar figure kneels in front of Eijirou. Freckled face, shy smile. Midoriya.
”Can you hear me?” the alchemist asks carefully.
(it reminds him eerily of that evening when Eijirou brought Denki unconscious to Uraraka's clinic, half-feral with worry. How long ago's that been? Feels like a lifetime already...)
Eijirou nods. He's so tired, he doesn't care how Midoriya is suddenly here, he just wants to find Denki, save him, please -
”I know you're in great distress right now, and I know how worried you must be, but please, breathe. Can you do that? Good. Again. Slowly. Good. Okay. We need to form a plan.”
That gets Eijirou's attention. ”A plan?” he repeats hoarsely.
Midoriya's smile is mild, so very kind. ”To save Kaminari, of course.”
+
A storm called Ashido Mina rages inside the inn.
She's screaming at a large man in worn robes, a wanderer, her hands wrapped around the man's neck and shaking him, tears brimming in her eyes.
” - could you, you asshole, that was my friend's companion, we don’t sell people out, this is a safe haven - I SHOULD MELT YOUR FREAKING FACE OFF!” she shrieks at him, mixed with a sob of her own, but the wanderer’s expression remains passive, annoyed.
Disgusted.
Red haze clouds Eijirou's vision. Ignoring Midoriya's protest, Eijirou strides to Mina, towers above him. This is the person responsible for the tip, for the raid? This is the person who is the reason why Denki is going to die? Who could’ve guessed how much damage this one person could do?
Just this person, faceless and ordinary and just there. Anyone in the crowd.
”Why?” Eijirou asks, his voice a low growl.
”Oh, what is that look? A bleeding heart?” the wanderer mocks him and laughs. “How very unexpected. You certainly didn’t feel like that when he came to order drink. He looked like he was ready to cry. Hah, who knew such dangerous magic users can suffer from such a normal thing like a broken heart? How human!”
Eijirou’s heart skips a beat. Denki -
But the wanderer continues: “But then again, I guess it’s only fitting, isn’t it? How can you deserve any kind of happiness when you’ve done something as cruel as that?”
“It was an accident,” Eijirou growls, his despair spilling over. “He’s a good person - “
“Really?” the wanderer drawls and seems to delight in this conversation. “How can you know? Innocent people got hurt. Serious injuries. Destroyed property. He ran.”
“You don’t know him - “
“No, but I don’t need to. Do you know him?”
Eijirou freezes. He -
(denki’s grin, his silly jokes, the way he snores, how he likes to dance on the middle of the road, when he’s feeling happy, the way he finds things amazing all around him, the sunset, trees, birds, how he’s so determined to learn even though he’s clumsy and so, so important - )
do you know him?
The wanderer’s smile widens, becomes dirty, victorious.
“Judging by your reaction, you don’t. How well do you think you know him after finding out what he’s done? Maybe he tricked you. Maybe it was all of his plan, destroy Saitama. People have had stranger plans to make a statement. Have you thought of that?”
Eijirou doesn’t move.
“Don’t feel so bad, lad. I know the arrogance and the conceited way of they think and view the world, how they think they won’t be held responsible for what they do. What they can do. No mortal man should hold such power. Let them hang him, I’ll say! Less danger to innocent people!”
Eijirou clenches his jaw, grinding his teeth together, rage builds in his spine, he is ready to explode - denki, denki, denki -
Before he can answer, before he can grab the man, Mina takes the matters into her hands and punches the wanderer unconscious and drops him on the floor like a sack of potatoes.
”We'll deal with him later - what a jerk, I can't believe - oh man - Kir - ”
Tremors go through Eijirou's body.
Mina turns to him, worried. ”Kirishima - he’s full of shit, okay, don’t listen to him, it was an accident, I know it was, ‘cause it boiled to a point - “
Eijirou’s breathing grows harsh, and it hurts, deep in his gut. I’m so sorry, Denki. Lets himself breathe, lets his memories flood through his brain, remembering and feeling how this journey started and what’s happened during it.
(A flash of golden eyes, silly grin.)
”He was so scared, Ashido,“ Eijirou manages to get out, his voice raw. ”His face - he was terrified, he tried to tell me before, but I didn't get it - ”
Mina doesn't move. She bites her lip nervously. Then she hides her face behind her hands.
”I - I'm sorry, I was so stupid, Kirishima,“ she whispers through her fingers, her voice wobbling. ”He asked me if I could help him with his magic, but I told him his power was too unstable to use here, it was too volatile and too dangerous so he had to - ”
”You told him to leave.”
There's an edge in Eijirou's voice. Hard, low.
Mina looks away, guilty and ashamed.
”It - kinda came out like that. But I didn't mean it, not like that, I swear! I should’ve chosen my words more carefully, I’m so sorry....”
”He was so upset - Mina, he thought he was gonna hurt everyone, he - gods. We came so far for this, and - the look on his face - ”
Like he was drowning.
Drowning, desperate, frantic.
And Eijirou didn't even understand, didn't even -
Hadn't realized just how terrified Denki has been, this whole time they've been travelling, and then the way Eijirou just ditches Denki and the poor guy hears just how dangerous he is, when all he tries to get help -
'i'm scared you'll hate me afterwards'
All this time - Eijirou's been so blind, he's been a horrible friend -
”And his magic?” he rasps, holding his head in his trembling hands.
”Well, the Commander's really biased, yeah?” Mina points out nervously. ”But he wasn't wrong regarding Kaminari's power, not really... it is really unstable. It's building up in him until it bursts out, and when it does, he can't control it - like how it happened in Saitama. He didn't mean it to happen, he probably didn’t know what to do, but... it's kinda terrifying.”
”It hurts him.”
”Huh?”
”His magic,“ Eijirou says slowly, dread and nausea churning in his stomach. He remembers. He remembers how Denki's hands spasmed, how Denki tried to hide it. ”When we travelled, he - he was in pain, his arms cramped. He tried to play it down, but...”
I'm so sorry, Denki, you were suffering all this time and I DIDN'T GET IT -
”He's a human, still,“ Mina says and grimaces with sympathy. ”Can't exactly contain that much violent magic, right? No wonder it's all over the place...poor kid.”
”We need to save him - please, Mina - ”
”Better ask Midoriya,“ she says, her smile becoming faint, lop-sided.
”Why - why is he here anyway?”
Mina's grin gets smug.
+
The prison is dark, freezing and everything in it seems to scream.
Prisoners, the walls, the crows, and Denki's crippled by gut-wrenching terror. It's now sinking into his mind with utter clarity that this is the last place on earth that he will ever see.
+
It's so cold.
+
He can't even feel his magic.
+
i'm so sorry
+
The guards are carrying firewood to the courtyard.
+
It takes a while for Denki to realize it's for a pyre. Probably his pyre.
He throws up, heaving and trembling.
+
He doesn't sleep.
+
The dawn colors the horizon crimson - the prison walls are painted with low light. Denki's harsh, shallow breath turns white with each exhale.
It’s the next morning. His dying day. What a thing to think.
The guards take him outside.
Denki's legs are heavy, clumsy. He can feel the frantic beat of his heart, the cold ground under his feet, the sweat on his skin. He can feel everything in that moment.
They take him outside.
Toward the pyre. The fire.
With each step, Denki's absolute panic and terror increases. He's going to die. This is the last trip he will ever take, this is the last place he will ever see, he's going to die, in an hour he's already gone, he's already dead, ash and bone and dead -
He can smell the smoke, the torch, the dry wood.
They tie him to a pole. His wrists are scrubbed raw by the magic-resistant cuffs.
The sky is clear, so very red, it reminds him of Eijirou, it reminds him of home, the sky is bleeding and cold, the last thing he will see -
The Commander stands on a podium, like a regal shadow, watching down at him.
Boogeyman. Nightmare. Judge, jury and executioner.
He nods stiffly to a guard, who approaches Denki with a torch in hand.
The torch rises bright, burning, hungry.
The wind blows smoke toward him, it filters into Denki's lungs, he coughs, his whole chest is on the verge of collapsing -
Then it happens.
Suddenly an enormous shadow darkens the whole courtyard; fades the sun, fades the red, and for a moment Denki blinks as a huge figure flies above them -
- i'm hallucinating, i have to be hallucinating, i can't get miracles like this -
It's Eijirou. Denki's memories of him as a dragon are vague, but there's no way he can't recognize him, Eijirou -
A big crimson dragon, mouth curled into a vicious snarl, and there's someone on his back -
Bakugou.
Eijirou crashes on the courtyard with a bone-shattering roar; it echoes, rushes through Denki's body, flesh and blood.
There’s a beat of silence, when everyone tries to understand what in the world they are seeing. For that one moment, time has frozen. The Commander is the first one to recover and he yells:
”WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, TAKE IT DOWN, TAKE IT DOWN! THROW BOMBS! HARPOON IT!”
And recovering from their shock, the guards scramble to take action.
Magic resistance bombs - !
NO!
Poison green cloud engulfs Eijirou, and panic pounds in Denki's throat - no, no, no, Eijirou should've stayed at the inn, away from this place - ! But then, a swing of his tail pierces through the cloud, and his huge shadow moves toward the guards - what - ?
”Look alive, asshole!” Bakugou's voice snarls somewhere near, and Denki jumps. Bakugou has leapt from Eijirou; he turns to throw a firecracker over his shoulder toward the guards.
Bakugou tears Denki's cuffs off as dark smoke engulfs the whole yard. It’s hard to see, hard to breathe, and Denki can barely make out any shapes in the smoke screen.
”B - but how, what the - ”
”Just fuckin' roll with it, it's a goddamn rescue, are you seriously complaining?”
” - he's gonna get hurt!”
”Worry about yourself, fucker! C'mon! OI!” Bakugou roars at Eijirou, who suddenly emerges from the cloud, knocking some guards over. Bakugou grabs Denki and jumps - he jumps on Eijirou - is he - is he a human?
Eijirou takes off. Bakugou out another grenade from his cloak and throws it on the yard. It explodes into murky smoke, and Denki thinks he can hear gagging and sobbing from the guards.
They rise to the sky.
´+
Denki's brain is short-circuiting.
He can barely comprehend what the hell is happening, are his senses lying to him, is he dreaming, hallucinating, is he already dead, is the cold wind tearing through his hair real, are Eijirou's scales under Denki's fingers real, is this real?
Bakugou pokes him, hard. ”Hey, focus, or I'm gonna drop you.”
”Ugh, no, I - you - you saved me?”
”Yeah, fucking looks like that, doesn’t it,“ grunts Bakugou, and his cheeks turn to odd shade of red. Oh. Denki's heart sinks. He probably did it for Eijirou.
But his worry for Eijirou's well being overrides any heartbreak he might have.
”I - is he okay? Didn't the bombs hurt him? Why didn't he change - ?”
”Would you stop yappin' for one goddamn second?” Bakugou snaps. ”You'll get your answers, just fuckin' chill, only reason that worked ‘cause they didn’t expect a fucking dragon, so shut up, sit back, and enjoy being alive!”
Eijirou makes a low growl that almost sounds like a reprimand, and Bakugou grumbles.
They fly over the forest - then Eijirou dives and they land on a very familiar yard.
Mina's inn.
And Mina's anxiously waiting there, jumping from foot to foot, and with her is a purple-haired, grinning woman wearing a goggles, and Midoriya. Midoriya?
“Kaminariiiiii - !” Mina screams, waving her arms at him. “You’re alive!”
His head fuzzy, Denki slides from Eijirou's back, his knees instantly buckle, and he faints.
+
The next time he wakes, every muscle in his body aches.
Every stress, every pain, bruise he's gotten since yesterday hits him with full force, like he's been assaulted with a sledgehammer.
Memories flood into his head, the pyre, the execution, the dragon, EIJIROU - panicked, Denki jumps to sit up, and someone squeaks:
”Don't! You can't - Kaminari, take it easy!”
Midoriya.
Denki gapes. ”Midoriya - w - what are you doing here?” he asks dumbly.
Midoriya grins softly. He looks tired, but happy.
”Well, originally I came to see my husband,“ he replies shyly, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. ”And then my skills were needed, so... I'm here. Um, basically.” He beams, eyes shining. ”I'm so glad you’re here and okay, Kaminari, honestly, thank god, that was really a close one.”
Denki is about to ask how long he’s been out, what’s happening, when he realizes something rather alarming.
“Wait a sec, are we moving?”
The scenery behind the window is steadily changing. Midoriya looks giddy. “Yep! We - couldn’t risk staying in one place, because of the whole rescue thing and Redcastle being so close, so Mina put her tavern moving.”
Moving? Midoriya says it like it’s a regular thing. Denki thinks his head is about to explode. Too much information, too much stuff happening -
“With - with magic?”
“Mechanical engineering and magic.” Midoriya’s eyes shine. “They are really proud of the results, Mina and Mei, this broadens their horizons ve - ”
”So it - it really happened?” Denki asks, with a small, hesitant voice that cuts through Midoriya’s rambling. “The - the prison escape?”
Midoriya's smile wavers, just a bit. ”Uh huh. It cut close, I’m not going to lie. Kirishima was really desperate.”
”E - Eijirou?”
Denki's voice breaks.
Midoriya nods sympathetically. ”Yeah. Enough to get into a fight with Kacchan, which is really a bad idea - ”
Just when Denki's about to ask who that is, the door slams open and a jarring sense of déja vú hits Denki, because it's Eijirou.
Eijirou, looking haggard and pale, wild around the edges, but then his red eyes light up, bright and clever and alive, like embers burning in their camp fire, thank gods, he’s okay -
(Midoriya very discreetly makes his exit.)
”Denki - ” Eijirou manages to say, his voice gravel, guttural and pained, and - without realizing he's doing so, Denki holds out his hands, desperate to touch, to confirm Eijirou's here, that he's okay, that he's not hurt, that he's really here, not flinching away in disgust -
please please
- and at the same moment Eijirou moves on instinct, and suddenly they're tangled, arms wrapped tightly around each other, holding, clutching, not even an inch of space between them, breathing harshly, painfully together, each exhale, inhale in sync -
And they're both talking, desperately trying to talk, to confirm, to get each other to get it.
”You're alive, are you okay, they threw bombs at you - ”
”I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Denki, you were so scared and I didn't do anything, should've grabbed you but I didn't - ”
”It was an accident, I swear it was, what happened in Saitama, I didn't mean to, I swear - ” Denki gasps, tears streaming down his cheeks, frantically trying to get Eijirou to understand this. ”I never meant to hurt anyone - ”
Eijirou pulls back so he can brush Denki's wet cheekbone with his thumb, so impossibly tender.
”I know. I know, it's okay. I get it. It was an accident.” He leans in rest his forehead against Denki's. “I'm so glad you're alive, I thought we weren't gonna make it in time...”
With a choked sound, Denki wraps his arms around Eijirou's broad shoulders, and just holds, clings.
”I thought you hated me,“ he breathes, his hand gripping the back of Eijirou’s shirt. ”W - what I did. What I - could do. I thought you were disgusted and hated me and I was so sure - ”
”No, never, seriously, Denki, never, you're you, you're so important, I don't care if you could kill me with a single look, you're still so awesome and manly and the light of my life, man, I could never hate you - ”
Trembling, Denki buries his head into the crook of Eijirou's neck, raw relief pouring into every single cell of his being, and he just wants to melt into Eijirou and just stay in this moment.
He's dimly aware of Eijirou pressing an absent-minded kiss on his hair.
”I’m serious, Denki, can't get rid of me that easy.”
Denki laughs wetly. ”Yeah?”
”Uh huh. You killed a ghoul, that's gotta be like, fate.”
”Seriously, you're giving me too much credit, man, I ran, remember?”
”Pfft, you still killed it and it was super impressive. Hey,“ Eijirou murmurs and cradles Denki's head on his calloused palm, his thumb brushing gently under Denki's eye. ”I'm here for you. For anything, okay? For as long as you'll let me. I'll always have your back.”
”E - even if I'll accidentally electrocute another city?”
”Then I'm totally there to bust you out. Or more likely I'm whiskin' you away until you can safely let out the lightning. I'm pretty tough-skinned so a little thunder won't work on me.”
Denki blinks. ”Really?”
”Yep. Hey.” Eijirou's voice deepens, and his gaze is bare with all warm affection that steals Denki's breath away. ”I wanna be with you. Okay? For as long as you let me.”
Denki's breathing hitches. ”W - what about - what about you and Bakugou?”
Eijirou's jaw drops. ”Me and what?”
”You and Bakugou?”
Eijirou gawks at him. It should look hilarious if Denki's nerves weren't so on edge. Then, with a tired sigh, Eijirou's head drops against Denki's forehead.
”Denki... Bakugou's married to Midoriya.”
”What? No way! Holy shit, really?”
”Uh huh. I totally didn't make the connection, he always talks about 'Deku' - yeah, I know, right - and he never used Midoriya's real name, so it went right over my head. But yeah, they're childhood friends and now married.”
”Oh.” Denki feels like an idiot. ”And... you're okay with that?” he asks carefully.
Eijirou rolls his eyes in fond exasperation. ”Oh my god, dude. Bakugou's my pal, but that's it. Seriously. The guy has exploded my eyebrows one time too many. Plus I'm...kinda where I wanna be.”
”Yeah?”
”Mmh-hmm.”
Denki relaxes, soft contentment settling into his bones.
”Lie beside me? I'm getting woozy,“ he murmurs.
”Shit, you okay?”
”Yeah. Vertigo.”
They lie down on the bed. Eijirou is a comforting, warm weight beside him, and on the blanket, their fingers intertwine. It feels familiar, so blissfully natural.
”Midoriya said you fought with Bakugou.”
Eijirou's eyes widen. ”Uh, yeah, I did. He wasn't - uh, that impressed with me rampaging on the yard.”
”What, you rampaged? Why?”
”Oi, why do you think, genius? You got taken, I thought we weren't gonna make it to you in time, I thought you were gonna die! Seriously, I was probably frothing at the mouth.”
Denki snickers.
”Oi, you think that's funny, do you?” Eijirou sounds amused. ”I can't believe you.”
”By the way, how come you didn't change back? At the prison? They threw bombs at you!”
”Oh! Uh, that’s thanks to Midoriya, that guy’s a genius, seriously - he's been developing a potion to combat the guard bomb effects 'cause Bakugou picks fights with them regularly and Midoriya's pretty fed up with that, so.... I volunteered to try that, too.”
”Just like that?”
”Yep. Worked pretty well, too.”
”I - can't believe that whole thing worked.”
”Yeah. Thank god.”
He runs his thumb on Denki's knuckles. Comfortable silence falls between them.
”Can I ask you something...?” Eijirou asks quietly, keeping his eyes on Denki in case he’s overstepping his boundaries.
”Sure. What is it?”
”How are you feeling? Really?”
Denki angles his head to gaze at Eijirou. ”I'm better now,“ he replies, and it's the truth. ”I - I was scared. More than - pretty terrified, actually. Like, full-on freaking out. I thought I was gonna die. And the last thing I'd see is that damn prison yard. And that... you hated me.”
”Denki - ”
”No, I know better now, but then... yeah, I was kinda...a mess. I'm glad you - you came for me.”
Eijirou leans in to press a gentle kiss on Denki's forehead. ”Always. Got your back, from this moment till the day I die.”
”Wow, that sounds pretty serious. You think you can handle me that long?”
”I mean, we handled it pretty well on the road, right?”
”Except for the whole...manticore thing. That didn't go well.”
”Oh, c'mon, that - we can totally avoid that. Right? We'll be careful.”
Denki grins. ”Our track record could be way cleaner.”
”Yeah, but the worst thing you did was leaving your socks around the camp. If we don't count the whole - prison thing.”
”They weren't - okay, fine, touché. So, you wanna brave against socks?”
Eijirou relaxes, nudges his forehead. ”We're so gonna get arrested.”
”Uh huh. 'Cause a dragon just flew on the prison yard. Like, out of the blue and everybody saw. Kinda huge.”
”I'd do it again.”
”How many times?”
”Like - two more. ‘Cause, man, it’s bad for my heart.”
”So thrice is out of question. The absolute limit. Wow. I gotta be more careful.”
”Uh huh.”
”Well, this time doesn't count. Someone saw me.”
”Yeah, a random wanderer.”
”Holy shit, really? He ratted me out?”
”Yeah. Totally was on the guard’s payroll, though, Mina threw him into a ditch.”
“Damn. I just wanted a drink... How was I supposed to know, anyway?”
“We better be careful or alcohol's gonna be our doom, dude.”
They snort laughing and press their noses together in a display of silly affection, just pure joy of being together.
It's all right. It's just a beginning, in lot of ways.
+
epilogue
”C'mon, stop squirming, Denki.”
”Sorry. Ouch!”
Eijirou squeezes his strong thighs around Denki to keep him still as he cleans a wound on Denki's shoulder. The golden sunlight falls on a grassy hill where Mina has parked her tavern, and it warms their bare skin. Autumn is coming to an end and winter is approaching; the tree leaves are still red and orange and yellow, and the air's crisp and cool.
Denki leans against Eijirou, comfortable sitting in the v of his partner's legs and rests his elbows on Eijirou's knees.
”Should've dodged,“ he grumbles. ”What a stupid thing to do. Glad they're finally leaving us alone, but maaan, I still don't wanna get jumped like that.”
”Yeah, that sucked.”
“At least they missed the whole lightning show.”
“Still wasn’t okay to drop a sneak attack on us. Man. Okay, bit more. Show me your neck?”
Denki snorts, but obeys, tilting his head to the side.
Eijirou presses the swipe against his skin, and Denki hisses. ”Sorry,“ Eijirou murmurs and nudges the back of Denki's head affectionately. ”I'm soon done, promise.”
”Mmh. Your back okay? I can put some salve on it too...”
”Nah, it stings a bit, but I'm fine, already healing. How's your magic feelin'?”
”Uh huh, calmed down, now. Thanks, that really helped.” With a hum, Denki taps Eijirou’s knee. “Hey, how about the next will be somewhere north? The northern lights, 'cause I distinctly remember we had a talk about those. And we can visit Saitama’s hospital to drop the donation now, finally...”
The golden light falls on Denki's face, and he feels Eijirou's movements slow down like he's getting distracted. Denki glances over his shoulder, and finds Eijirou watching him, the shifter’s face bare, helpless and tender.
”Eijirou? You okay?”
”I love you.”
Denki blinks. ”Really?” His lips curl into a soft, gentle smile. ”I've got a surprise to you, big guy.”
Eijirou grins, it crinkles his eyes. ”Yeah?”
”I love you, too. Shocking, right? What a coincidence.”
Eijirou leans down to kiss him. There's no hurry, no rush, no drama. Just them.
It's slow, sweet, comforting, a firm press of lips. It’s coming home. It’s I’m here for you. He feels Eijirou grin to the kiss, relieved and giddy and happy, and it makes him giggle and it's so silly.
It’s a good place to be.
+