Chapter Text
Shinso carried a trembling Denki out into the hallway, softly reminding him every few steps that he was safe.
“I’m here.”
Out of the room.
“I’m here.”
At the top of the steps.
“I’m here.”
At the bottom of the staircase.
“It’s okay.”
Shinso held Denki tighter to him as he maneuvered through the ongoing party and out the door.
“You’re safe.”
To the car.
Shinso unlocked the door, careful not to disturb Denki, now that his breathing was steadying and his eyes were sliding closed.
He placed Denki gently in the backseat of the minivan and tucked the cats’ blanket over him. He settled into the driver’s seat. He sat there for a moment, gripping the steering wheel tighter and tighter, resisting the urge to pound the horn with all his might.
After he had calmed down, Shinso turned the key in the ignition and began to drive slowly and carefully. He was about halfway home when Denki began to sob in his sleep.
“Oh no.”
Shinso pulled over into a gas station parking lot, the yellow light of the sign giving Denki’s face a pallid glow. Shinso leapt into the back and pulled his friend’s head into his lap. He stroked his hair, gently touching the marks on Denki’s shoulders. Then he noticed the boy’s wrists. The ropes that had held him had left angry red lines. A wave of rage washed over Shinso.
That bastard.
He murmured words of comfort until Denki relaxed again. Shinso grabbed the leftover money from bowling and jogged to the convenience store attached to the gas station. He searched the shelves for Neosporin. Once he had found it, he hurried to the counter to buy it.
The cashier looked at the money and the item on the table and back at Shinso.
“That’s not enough for the Neosporin, sir.”
Shinso’s face fell. “It’s important. My friend, he-” his voice broke.
The cashier considered her options for the briefest of moments. In the end, she took pity on him and accepted what he had. “Take it,” she said, a kind smile on her face.
Shinso thanked her and ran back to the van. He seized his first aid kit from the trunk. He returned to the back with Denki and sat him upright, propping him against himself. Denki woke, his face full of pain.
“Shinso, I-” Denki choked out.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Shinso reassured, taking an alcohol wipe out of the kit. “Now, this is going to sting, but only a little.” He took Denki’s wrists in his hands and started to clean the area. Denki winced.
Once Shinso was finished cleaning, he opened the Neosporin and applied it to the marks. He wrapped the wrists delicately in gauze and gave Denki a gentle squeeze. “How does that feel?”
“Better.” Denki’s words were still a little slurred. “Look, Shinso, I’m sorry.”
“No. You don’t get to apologize. It’s not your fault. None of it was. It was mine. I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight.” Shinso was angry at himself more than anything.
“But-”
“No buts.” Shinso said firmly, a note of finality in his tone. “Can you sit in the front, or do you need to stay back here?”
“I wanna be closer to you,” Denki decided.
Shinso helped the boy out of the car. He tried to let go of Denki to open the passenger side door, but Denki grabbed his arm, unbalanced. Shinso lifted him into the chair and fastened the seatbelt securly, pulling it to lock it in place.
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They drove in silence. Shinso looked over at Denki every once in a while to make sure he was okay.
Once they reached Denki’s apartment building, Shinso opened his door to bring him in. Denki started to panic, thrashing and sobbing. A startled Shinso jumped back into the car and wrapped his arms around the other boy, making soft shushing noises until he stopped crying.
“We can go back to my house if you want,” Shinso murmured into his hair.
Denki nodded.
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Once they arrived at home, Shinso carried Denki through the door. “Shh, Eri and my dads are asleep.”
Aizawa was sleeping with his head on the kitchen table, using his lesson planner as a pillow. Hizashi must have decided to let him sleep there, because Aizawa’s favourite yellow blanket was spread over him.
Shinso snuck to his room, leaving the lights off and closing the door with a soft click. He spread the curtains open, though, to let in a little moonlight. He set Denki on his bed and climbed up beside him, wrapping his arm around his shoulders, careful not to irritate the marks on his neck. Denki snuggled closer to him, nestling into his warmth.
Shinso stared out the window at the night sky, silently cursing himself for leaving Denki alone with strange people who could take advantage of him.
Denki looked up at Shinso. “I’m gonna be a vegetarian,” he mumbled, completely out of the blue and matter-of-fact.
Shinso looked at him, startled. “You’re drunk.”
“No, I’m serious!” Denki protested.
“Ok, I believe you!” Shinso chuckled.
A beat.
“Why, though?” he pressed.
“First, it seems like a good thing to do. Second, you’re a vegetarian. And I like who you are.”
That caught Shinso off guard. “What?”
“I like you, Shinso.”
Nothing in the world could have prepared Shinso for this moment.
Denki reached up and wrapped his hands around Shinso’s neck, the gauze tickling his shoulders.
Denki pressed his lips against Shinso’s and kissed him.
He pulled away, a soft smile resting on his face and shifted closer to Shinso.
They sat looking out the window for a minute while Shinso’s shock wore off.
“I shocked you, didn’t I.”
“Yup.”